All Spaces Filled

 

Kriste-lee and me

“I celebrate myself, and sing myself,

And what I assume you shall assume,

For every atom belonging to me as good belongs to you.”

Walt Whitman

In speaking with an old friend this evening, I realized how easy it is to separate ourselves from each other, to put up mental and emotional barriers which cause us to feel alone and in need of something we can’t define. Connecting with each other doesn’t necessarily mean that we sit in the living room and talk for hours. We can feel each other’s presence when we remember a time shared, or hear a song we both loved, or any number of reminders. After a loved one passes from our sight, we may feel an empty space they previously filled with their physical presence, but nothing can take away their essence, their spirit, their Love.

“Unfathomable Mind is expressed. The depth, breadth, height, might, majesty, and glory of infinite Love fill all space." Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 520:3-5

The Face of Love

Aaron and Kailey

I love ACIM Workbook Lesson #269: “My sight goes forth to look upon Christ's face.” Acknowledging that everything and everyone we look upon is the face of divine Love takes our perception to another level! With this sight, we do not need to see race or nationalities nor gender, there are no political parties for which to wave flags, and no enemies to fight against  nor allies to side with. I see beautiful things happening in our world. Long-held beliefs are being released in favor of an open-hearted acceptance of everyone as they are, not as we want them to be. Change can seem difficult, but our new perceptions of Life are a conscious choice by which we break free of habits and old thought patterns which have held us in bondage for far too long. Let’s celebrate our new-found sight today!

“The eternal Truth destroys what mortals seem to have learned from error, and man's real existence as a child of God comes to light.” Mary Baker Eddy - Science and Health Page 288:31–1

Let All Things Be As They Are

 

photo credit: Aaron Springston

One of my friends has a particularly hard time letting “all things be exactly as they are”, which is the topic of A Course in Miracles Workbook Lesson #268. She plays events over and over in her mind, making suppositions about why things were said or done, and trying to find solutions to fix everyone involved. Recently, she received a phone call from a lifelong friend whom she hadn’t heard from in the past few years. She didn’t answer the call and was full of worries as to what she may have done wrong which caused her friend to break off contact with her. While I try not to laugh in the face of others’ distress, I couldn’t help myself this time! I quickly reminded her of The Four Agreements, in particular “don’t make assumptions” and “don’t take anything personally”. After a brief conversation, she returned to her home and called her old friend. And sure enough, she had done nothing wrong, but her friend had been going through a rough time and needed a friendly shoulder to lean on. As the Beatles told us in many songs: Let it Be. Namaste…

"Human sense may well marvel at discord, while, to a diviner sense, harmony is the real and discord the unreal.” Mary Baker Eddy — Science & Health Page: 563: 1-3

The Peace of God

photo credit: Aaron Springston

                   

Living the peace of God may seem like a fantasy to those who abide by the laws of materiality. It's a common belief that in order to live this way you must be delusional, or stick your head in the sand, or at least deny reality in favor of wishful thinking. But many of us see this state of mind in another way. As we learn about the Truth of our being, we are able to glimpse this peace, and the joy it brings. Thereby, Lesson #267 in A Course in Miracles Workbook, ”My heart is beating in the peace of God" can be shown in our daily activities and be expressed to everyone through our actions. This state of mind does more for the world than all the preaching we may be tempted to do!

“Spiritual living and blessedness are the only evidences, by which we can recognize true existence and feel the unspeakable peace which comes from an all-absorbing spiritual love.” Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 264:24-27

Calm and Exalted Thought

 

photo credit: Aaron Springston

Peace is a state of mind. We can feel the epitome of peace in the midst of turmoil, or we may be in an outer oasis of stillness but, due to our tumultuous state of mind, be anxious and upset. It helps me to know that we are all the reflection of Spirit. With this realization, I am able to see through the eye of divine Love. This is not to say that I'm always calm. Sometimes I forget I am the idea of God, and that everyone else is, too. At those times, who knows how I may be interpreting events! In a state of forgetfulness, I am at the mercy of material belief, being swayed by thought systems which were put into place long before my appearance in this world. But when I remember the spiritual Truth of creation, things appear differently to me -- and there is peace.

“The calm and exalted thought or spiritual apprehension is at peace. Thus the dawn of ideas goes on, forming each successive stage of progress.” Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 506: 11-14

Creation's Gentleness

photo credit: Richard Quick

A Course in Miracles Workbook Lesson #265 states: “Creation's gentleness is all I see.” ​Although we usually see it everywhere, we’re often distracted by the universal belief in harshness as the way of the world. ​Yet, m​ore and more, we're noticing animals showing us the way of gentleness in their interactions with each other. As we begin to understand Oneness, we're seeing that if violence is done to or by one, it's done to or by ​a​ll. So it’s a noble goal to allow our thoughts to change from fear and anger to Love and gentleness. Many people are holding with the old paradigm, and some say it's necessary for heinous acts to be committed, and also retaliation in kind. On the other hand, more people are realizing the error of this way, and ​innately ​know that it is possible for the lion to lay down with the lamb. Every thought is important as we rush toward a new way of living. Filling our lives with beauty and joy helps us find ​the pathway and show others the way!

“The fowls, which fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven, correspond to aspirations soaring beyond and above corporeality to the understanding of the incorporeal and divine Principle, Love.” Mary Baker Eddy-Science & Health Page 511:2

Surrounded by Love

 

Surrounded by Ozarks - unknown drone photographer

I don’t usually listen to mainstream radio, but there was an occasion where I was bombarded by it for a couple of hours. This forced exposure graphically brought into focus how insane the content was! The songs were totally inane and yet mesmerizing, the commercials were mostly for drugs and disease, the news -- yikes!! It may seem that we are being brainwashed from every direction, including collective consciousness, but this is the illusion. This illusion is not the consciousness of Love which is God. Love permeates everything, leaving no room for anything else to intrude. Nothing but this Love truly has power.  "Clad in the panoply of Love, human hatred cannot reach me." (MBE) "I am surrounded by the Love of God." (ACIM Workbook Lesson #264) When I am tempted to be mesmerized by material sense, I will remember what is True: I am surrounded by the Love that is God, which is my essence, my essential Being. So I needn't try to see or feel this Love, because it is what I Am!

“The very circumstance, which your suffering sense deems wrathful and afflictive, Love can make an angel entertained unawares.” Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 574: 27-30