Living The Four Agreements

Numerous times in these writings I’ve recommended the practice of The Four Agreements, which is ancient Toltec wisdom as interpreted by Don Miguel Ruiz. The events we are watching unfold in our political scene could have been avoided if people would simply follow these agreements: “Be impeccable with your word. Don’t take anything personally. Don’t make assumptions. Always do your best.” This last admonition can be augmented by something attributed to Maya Angelou: “Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better.” Simple advice, huh? As much as I’d love to feed these words into everyone’s belief system, I know I cannot. I can only change my mind, my beliefs, my way of life. And so I will…

“Today the holy Word of God is kept through your receiving it to give away, so you can teach the world what giving means by listening and learning it of Him. Do not forget today to reinforce your choice to hear and to receive the Word by this reminder, given to yourself as often as is possible today: Let me be still and listen to the truth. I am the messenger of God today, my voice is His, to give what I receive.” A Course in Miracles W-106.10:1-4

“A spiritual idea has not a single element of error, and this truth removes properly whatever is offensive.” Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 463:23-13

Enjoying the Moment

Someone asked me what I do for fun, and I replied that everything I do is fun. They didn’t believe me. But it’s true. There are things I get to do which are pure joy: play bridge, play the organ/piano, study spirituality in its various forms, grow things, write this blog — and so on. Then there are those things which could be classified as chores. For instance, when washing dishes, I love the feel of warm, soapy water on my hands. Cooking is always an interesting experiment, and I never know what’s going to happen so it’s an adventure. Now, the more mundane things like cleaning floors and such, I try to make it a form of exercise (because I don’t get enough and am always looking for ways to move more). Cooking, cleaning, and driving — these activities are an opportunity to listen to audiobooks. So they are enjoyed not only for the action, but I look forward to them as opportunities to “read”. Well, I could go on and on, but I think many of you know what I mean. It’s exciting to wake up in the morning, and it’s gratifying to go to sleep at night. Life is good. Every little bit of it. The Wayne Dyer graphic at the top of this post says it all, and I credit him with helping me realize that every moment is one to be savored. As he said: “If you drop a pen and don’t enjoy picking it up, drop it again!” Have a fun day everyone …

“Be still a moment, and in silence think how holy is your purpose, how secure you rest, untouchable within its light. God’s ministers have chosen that the truth be with them. Who is holier than they? Who could be surer that his happiness is fully guaranteed? And who could be more mightily protected? What defense could possibly be needed by the ones who are among the chosen ones of God, by His election and their own as well?” A Course in Miracles  W-153.10:1-6

“In Science, all being is eternal, spiritual, perfect, harmonious in every action. Let the perfect model be present in your thoughts instead of its demoralized opposite. This spiritualization of thought lets in the light, and brings the divine Mind, Life not death, into your consciousness.” Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 407:22-28

Honest as a Cat

Catrin Welz Stein – Midnight Cat

 “A cat has absolute emotional honesty: human beings, for one reason or another, may hide their feelings, but a cat does not.” 

Ernest Hemingway

Opening Minds With Music Education

 

Our little village has something wonderful: Opera in the Ozarks. This training ground for talented musicians has existed for more than 60 years. Every year, they perform three operas over a period of 3 weeks. Tonight I went to a performance of the talented musicians who accompany them in the orchestra pit. What a treat this was! Watching these young people having so much fun playing challenging musical selections was a delightful experience. When I got home, I saw the news that a fine, young choral director in a local high school will be moving away to another school. I started thinking about the benefits of music education, and I’m not sure there are any limits to the gain. The avenues in the mind opened by musical instruction cannot be measured, as the growth and development is exponential. Benjamin Winn has shaped lives, from grade school through high school. I attended this same school 50-plus years ago and a teacher such as this one would have been a life changer. Here’s to all the educators, all the musical programs, all the parents who realize the importance of music in our lives. Let’s all make a point of singing today!

“Whatever furnishes the semblance of an idea governed by its Principle, furnishes food for thought. Through astronomy, natural history, chemistry, music, mathematics, thought passes naturally from effect back to cause.” Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 195:16 

The Participant Observer

 

Beijing, China - photo credit: Aaron Springston

The Reverend Cinthia Jean Saul was the guest pastor at a church where I play organ. Her sermon was on hospitality — as in, providing food and shelter for those in need. I was delighted by her instructions to be a “participant observer”. Her advice was to put ourselves in a situation, at least once a week, in which we can meet someone we otherwise would not. In this way, we can become familiar with lifestyles of groups of people who are not in our regular circle of friends. When we put ourselves in certain situations time and again, we begin to understand others’ viewpoints. One thing I have done for almost three decades is make regular visits to public laundromats. I have met scores of people I wouldn’t have had the chance to sit down and visit with otherwise. In these times of extreme division and self-imposed tribalism, this would be a good exercise for all of us to practice in some form or another. May we look for and find our commonality in these coming days. We all need each other so very badly…

“To the world, generosity means ‘giving away’ in the sense of ‘giving up.’ To the teachers of God, it means giving away in order to keep. This has been emphasized throughout the text and the workbook, but it is perhaps more alien to the thinking of the world than many other ideas in our curriculum. Its greater strangeness lies merely in the obviousness of its reversal of the world’s thinking. In the clearest way possible, and at the simplest of levels, the word means the exact opposite to the teachers of God and to the world.” A Course in Miracles  M-4.VII.1:4-8

“In the spirit of Christ’s charity, — as one who ‘hopeth all things, endureth all things,’ and is joyful to bear consolation to the sorrowing and healing to the sick, — she commits these pages to honest seekers for Truth.” Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page xii:23

We Are Powerful

Eureka Women - Unknown Photographer

“Don't make yourself small.

Not for anyone.

If someone tells you 

you're too much...

too loud, too sensitive, 

too fierce, too caring, 

too intellectual, too optimistic, 

too realistic, too logical, too emotional...

just smile and move on, my friend.

Clearly, they aren't enough for you.”

L.R. Knost

Our Greatest Fear —Marianne Williamson

“It is our light not our darkness that most frightens us

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.

Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.

It is our light not our darkness that most frightens us.

We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous,

talented and fabulous?

Actually, who are you not to be?

You are a child of God.

Your playing small does not serve the world.

There's nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other

people won't feel insecure around you.

We were born to make manifest the glory of

God that is within us.

It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone.

And as we let our own light shine,

we unconsciously give other people

permission to do the same.

As we are liberated from our own fear,

Our presence automatically liberates others.”

—Marianne Williamson

“The manifestation of God through mortals is as light passing through the window-pane. The light and the glass never mingle, but as matter, the glass is less opaque than the walls. The mortal mind through which Truth appears most vividly is that one which has lost much materiality--much error--in order to become a better transparency for Truth. Then, like a cloud melting into thin vapor, it no longer hides the sun.” 

MaryBakerEddy-Science & Health Page 295:14-24

Energy Wasted Denying Truth

Photo credit: Aaron Springston

I’ve always been happy to have friends and family who are smarter and/or more knowledgeable than me. When someone tells me I’m mistaken about a “fact”, or that I’m interpreting something incorrectly, or maybe that my memory is faulty, I’m grateful for the correction. Much in the same way I’m thankful when someone tells me my skirt is stuck in my waistband, I’m glad if knowledge keeps me from spreading information erroneously. Apparently not everyone feels this way! Not only are we witnessing public figures fearing to say “I was wrong and I’m sorry”, but I’ve been noticing a situation with a loved one whose family has maligned him for decades. When did knowledge and the accumulation of information become something to be ridiculed? Metaphysical practitioners recognize that energy follows thought, so I’m not spending a lot of time replaying memories of behavior which I don’t want to manifest. But it sure is hard not to do so! 

“We should examine ourselves and learn what is the affection and purpose of the heart, for in this way only can we learn what we honestly are. If a friend informs us of a fault, do we listen patiently to the rebuke and credit what is said? Do we not rather give thanks that we are ‘not as other men’? During many years the author has been most grateful for merited rebuke. The wrong lies in unmerited censure, — in the falsehood which does no one any good.” Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 8:28

“You do not recognize the enormous waste of energy you expend in denying truth. What would you say of someone who persists in attempting the impossible, believing that to achieve it is to succeed? The belief that you must have the impossible in order to be happy is totally at variance with the principle of creation. God could not will that happiness depended on what you could never have. The fact that God is Love does not require belief, but it does require acceptance. It is indeed possible for you to deny facts, although it is impossible for you to change them. If you hold your hands over your eyes, you will not see because you are interfering with the laws of seeing. If you deny love, you will not know it because your cooperation is the law of its being. You cannot change laws you did not make, and the laws of happiness were created for you, not by you.” A Course in Miracles T-9.I.11:1-9