Sweeping Away Distortion

 

Newton County, Arkansas

unknown photographer (probably Tim Ernst)

"Forgiveness sweeps away distortion, and opens the hidden altar to the truth." Looking at this sentence from A Course in Miracles -- even through the limited eyes of our mortal mind -- it seems so beautifully true! I was chatting with a friend who tells me that her neighbor is convinced there is a mountain lion in their country neighborhood. He's going through all sorts of interesting practices in an attempt to "insure his family's safety". I live in town and my next door neighbor has strobe lights going all night long off of his back porch, attempting to deter turkey vultures from bedding down in the trees surrounding his house. Both of these people are afraid for reasons only they know. I can join them, either by fearing along with them or thinking about how silly I believe their actions to be. Either way would exacerbate their fears. So knowing that our minds are joined by virtue of our parent Mind, I choose forgiveness and allow love to replace any feelings of ridicule which may tempt me. Now that I've said it, let's see if I can do it!

"The nearer a false belief approaches truth without passing the boundary where, having been destroyed by divine Love, it ceases to be even an illusion, the riper it becomes for destruction. The more material the belief, the more obvious its error, until divine Spirit, supreme in its domain, dominates all matter, and man is found in the likeness of Spirit, his original being."Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 97:14-20

Lest We All Fall Into the Pit ...

 

Most of us know someone who lives with debilitating depression. Something I did not realize is that many family members feel guilty being happy around their depressed loved one. So oftentimes, the whole family ends up depressed on some level because of the one who is at the depths. Hum. While listening to BK Shivani talk about this phenomenon, I suddenly realized how much I have witnessed this happening amongst people I know. She gives an example of how a family may be walking in the woods and one member falls into a pit. Right away, one by one, the others jump in to be with the trapped member. They’re family after all, and they stick together. But wait! At least one must stay out of the pit if they are to survive. And so it is with depression and grief: one person must be willing to keep their vibrations high and joyous in order to bring the others up to that level, raising them out of the pit. And so, instead of guilt over feeling happy in the face of someone who is chronically depressed, we need to be proud that we have the courage to stay out of the pit and be happy, raising the vibration of everyone around us. An example came to mind of a dark closet. When you open the door, the dark doesn’t escape into the light room; the light chases away the darkness. Keep on keeping on everyone!

"Harmony is produced by its Principle, is controlled by it and abides with it. Divine Principle is the Life of man. Man's happiness is not, therefore, at the disposal of physical sense. Truth is not contaminated by error. Harmony in man is as beautiful as in  music, and discord is unnatural, unreal." Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 304:17-21

Soul

 

Anna Pavlova with her pet swan, Jack, 1905.

“How it is that animals understand things I do not know, but it is certain that they do understand. Perhaps there is a language which is not made of words and everything in the world understands it. Perhaps there is a soul hidden in everything and it can always speak, without even making a sound, to another soul.” Frances Hodgson Burnett – A Little Princess, 1905.

Finding Joy Within Sorrow

photo credit: Blake Lasater

 In yesterday’s blog, I hailed the wonder of joyful living. A few people tell me I was wrong. I fully understand that sometimes things happen in our lives, and we are overcome with grief. I know this is true, and I think grief should be honored. Cry when you feel like it, and ask for help if you can’t stand the pain alone. These are parts of active grieving and I think they are necessary. One person told me it was impossible to be joyous when so many people in this world are starving, homeless, seemingly without hope. I remember one of my favorite wise men saying that no matter how bad we feel, it won’t change what someone is experiencing. And writing this reminds me of another author who said that what we do in the present changes the future and redeems the past. This stream-of-consciousness post is to clear my thoughts. What has come from it, for me, is the knowledge that joy is still there within the grief. At some point, we begin to see glimmers of that light. My hope is that we’re not afraid to accept our feelings of joy and sadness, even when they occur simultaneously. When we witness children in need, we can hold them high in our thoughts, leading humankind to acknowledge their need and seeing how, individually and collectively, to supply it. There is a solution to every problem, and joy, love, and compassion lead the way to answers. 

“My angels are exalted thoughts, appearing at the door of some sepulcher, in which human belief has buried its fondest earthly hopes. With white fingers they point upward to a new and glorified trust, to higher ideals of life and its joys.” Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health P 299:11

Happiness is Unselfish

 A Little Night Magic - by J. Clement Wall -- judyclementwall.com

Waking up joyfully, full of expectations for good, anticipating hot coffee, study, and meditation — life is good! I love days with nowhere to be and no one to see. When I got around to checking Facebook, many friends were talking about the same thing: how happy they felt, for no particular reason. Then Judy Wall posted this drawing she calls “A Little Night Magic” and I realized exactly how thoughts spread through us all. I feel like everyone I know is happily following their dreams and enjoying their family and friends. We are all anticipating spring and planting flowers and walking in the woods. Babies are being born and plans are being made for lives to be flexible and family-oriented. I know families who have shown how it is possible to work together productively and create nests of loving support for each other. Strangers are meeting up and sharing homes and working for the common good. For instance, my neighbor needed help with home repairs and met an aging drag queen who is a master carpenter and needed a place to stay temporarily. Let’s never forget we’re all in this together! Namaste…

"Happiness is spiritual, born of Truth and Love. It is unselfish; therefore it cannot exist alone, but requires all mankind to share it." Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 57:18-21

A Freedom Before Unknown

 

photo credit: Sandy Starbird

Be with those who help your being. I've always loved that thought, haven't you? More and more, I find myself reveling in the company of friends, and being even more content in solitude. This seeming conundrum feels similar to the realization that I'm not a body: It's both exhilarating and calming! I'm excited that I needn't be a victim of the false beliefs of material life. I'm content in knowing there is so much to realize in this unfolding Life. Thinking back through the years and recognizing momentous friendships which have helped change my perspective from life to Life, I am grateful beyond words. The Love I feel for these precious people is eternal, and with this knowledge comes a freedom before unknown. 

"Mind has set me free from every error. Divine Love fills every avenue, flows through every channel and removes every obstruction."
[This is an excerpt from an article entitled "Body" by Mary Baker Eddy, filed in the Congressional Library, January 19, 1886]

Holiest of All Spots

 

An unexpected phone call today caused me to think of the above Course in Miracles quote.​ While I never thought of a particular friend as an enemy, things had come between us years ago and we had drifted apart. I continued sending her a birthday card over the years, and this year sent one for Christmas, also. And this morning I received a phone call from her. It was wonderful to hear the voice of this woman who had been my best friend for years. She was like a second mother to my children when they were infants and toddlers, and I have missed her friendship. We probably won't see much of each other, and we most likely won't talk on the phone very often, but it feels as though an empty space has been sewn together, and I am grateful. 

"Forget not that a shadow held between your brother and yourself obscures the face of Christ and memory of God. And would you trade Them for an ancient hate? The ground whereon you stand is holy ground because of Them Who, standing there with you, have blessed it with Their innocence and peace." A Course In Miracles T26-IX-2

"Holy inspiration has created states of mind which have been able to nullify the action of the flames, as in the Bible case of the three young Hebrew captives, cast into the Babylonian furnace, while an opposite mental state might produce spontaneous combustion." Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 161:5