The Unbearable Sadness/Joy of Life

Vernazza, Cinque Terre, Italia

Photo credit:  Blake Lasater

I visited with two old friends, one who moved back to town from an extended stay on the west coast. The other visit was with someone who is paralyzed with emotional distress. Both of these women have had recent moves: one from one place in Eureka to another, the other from far, far away. One is calm, one is not. One is happy, one is sad. One is excited, one is afraid. Once again, I ponder why they perceive their moves so differently. I've noticed that one has a strong spiritual base, grounded in reason and understanding. The other is going on blind faith. I, too, think it would be frightening to feel alone, no matter who is helping you and caring about your well-being. Her loneliness is deep and cherished. My joyous friend and I discussed changing the world by changing ourselves. We know we can’t beg God to do something, nor can we ask our neighbors to change their minds. This rabbit hole I'm looking into gets deeper and deeper as I explore it, and am I grateful for Love. 

"Happiness is an attribute of love. It cannot be apart from it. Nor can it be experienced where love is not. Love has no limits, being everywhere. And therefore joy is everywhere as well. Yet can the mind deny that this is so, believing there are gaps in love where sin can enter, bringing pain instead of joy. This strange belief would limit happiness by redefining love as limited, and introducing opposition in what has no limit and no opposite."

A Course in Miracles W-103.1:1-7

“As human thought changes from one stage to another of conscious pain and painlessness, sorrow and joy, — from fear to hope and from faith to understanding, — the visible manifestation will at last be man governed by Soul, not by material sense.” 

Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 125:12-16

No Need to Hide

Many people are “daunted by the enormity of the world’s grief”. I have a friend who hides in mindless television. She refuses to watch the news as she feels it’s too horrid, but she immerses herself in yucky CSI shows and such. Even though I don’t understand her way of thinking, it’s better than hiding in a bar and living with the consequences as some do. Another friend stays away from society and watches cooking shows 10 or 12 hours a day, topping it off with nightly movies. Both of these women are compassionate, loving people, yet they feel helpless when it comes to facing the injustice which is running rampant. There are far more people in the world who love than hate, but it’s easy to become bruised when you love, and easier to become more angry when you hate. That is why I loved the above statement when I read it on social media: “Live justly, love mercy, and walk humbly now. You are not expected to complete the work, but neither are you free to abandon it.” 

“You who feel threatened by this changing world, its twists of fortune and its bitter jests, its brief relationships and all the ‘gifts’ it merely lends to take away again; attend this lesson well. The world provides no safety. It is rooted in attack, and all its ‘gifts’ of seeming safety are illusory deceptions. It attacks, and then attacks again. No peace of mind is possible where danger threatens thus.” 

A Course in Miracles W-153.1:1-5

“The spiritual reality is the scientific fact in all things. The spiritual fact, repeated in the action of man and the whole universe, is harmonious and is the ideal of Truth. Spiritual facts are not inverted; the opposite discord, which bears no resemblance to spirituality, is not real. The only evidence of this inversion is obtained from suppositional error, which affords no proof of God, Spirit, or of the spiritual creation. Material sense defines all things materially, and has a finite sense of the infinite.” 

Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 207:27-4

Undivided Mind

“Welcome Home”

Photo by Peter Ralston

A recurring theme in these writings concerns how to find middle ground between conservatives and liberals. (I don’t care for these terms, but they are the most inclusively descriptive I can think of). A few years ago, Ellen DeGeneres and George Bush shared a box and a good time at a Dallas Cowboys football game. I think this is great, having two such diverse personalities enjoying each others’ company. But it seems many people felt it was a betrayal on Ellen’s part, considering Mr. Bush’s past policies on LGBTQ rights and other issues. Should we be kind only to those who agree with us? Are we condoning their behavior if we are friends with them? An experiment called America in One Room brought together 523 voters, who spent the weekend being exposed to different viewpoints via lectures and discussions. All but 5% agreed it was a good experience and they learned a lot, perhaps showing the cure to division is exposure! I must note that Gandhi wrote a letter to Hitler at the beginning of WWII, asking him to end the fighting. He called Hitler’s actions, “monstrous and unbecoming of human dignity”, but he began the letter “Dear Friend”.

“The realization that all inharmony is unreal brings objects and thoughts into human view in their true light, and presents them as beautiful and immortal. Harmony in man is as real and immortal as in music. Discord is unreal and mortal.” 

Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 276:12-16

“Alone we can do nothing, but together our minds fuse into something whose power is far beyond the power of its separate parts. By not being separate, the Mind of God is established in ours and as ours. This Mind is invincible because it is undivided.” 

A Course in Miracles T-8.V.1:6-8

Each Condition I Welcome Transforms Me

Chisea di San Lorenzo - Italy

Photo credit: Blake Lasater

Unconditional

Written by Jennifer Welwood

“Willing to experience aloneness,

I discover connection everywhere;

Turning to face my fear,

I meet the warrior who lives within;

Opening to my loss,

I gain the embrace of the universe;

Surrendering into emptiness,

I find fullness without end.

Each condition I flee from pursues me,

Each condition I welcome transforms me

And becomes itself transformed

Into its radiant jewel-like essence.

I bow to the one who has made it so,

Who has crafted this Master Game;

To play it is purest delight;

To honor its form – true devotion.”

By Jennifer Welwood

Www.JenniferWelwood.com

Loving the Happy

Pat Quinn as a living window at

Eureka Thyme

What do you dream of doing? I’ve always wanted to sing — to sing really, really well. As an accompanist of singers, there have been times we seem to meld, and I get to sing vicariously through them. It’s a wonderful feeling of unity with my fellow humans. More than two decades ago, I met Pat Quinn. Since that time, barely a week has gone by when we didn’t make music together. Then the pandemic was upon us and she was unable to be vaccinated, so in her vulnerable state she chose to quit singing in the choirs she so loves. Today, to her utter surprise, she discovered her voice is “gone”.  In her words: “Have already accepted that I may never again find that singing sweet spot at the back of my throat. But I fully remember the feeling and the sound and the joy it brought me. (and you and others). Too many lovely memories to ever forget, that I am so grateful for.  Nothing lasts forever, and even before today I've come to realize that......in some ways I live my life like my sweet animal friends, in the present moment and truly loving the ’happy.’” And I love you, Pat, and will always remember the day you glowed like the stars in the sky.

“Then close your eyes upon the world you see, and in the silent darkness watch the lights that are not of this world light one by one, until where one begins another ends loses all meaning as they blend in one.” 

A Course in Miracles W-129.7:5

‘“Let there be light,’ is the perpetual demand of Truth and Love, changing chaos into order and discord into the music of the spheres.” 

Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 255:3-6

Peace of Mind

Temple of Asclepius in Rome, Italy

Photo credit: Blake Lasater

Peace is a state of mind. In the midst of turmoil, we can be at peace. Or we might find ourselves upset in the most peaceful place we can imagine. It’s easy to allow the turmoil of the world into our thoughts, bringing with it worry and fear. It helps me to know that we are all the reflection of God. With this realization, I am able to see everything 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 in 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 506:11-13

“You have no idea of the tremendous release and deep peace that comes from meeting yourself and your brothers totally without judgment. When you recognize what you are and what your brothers are, you will realize that judging them in any way is without meaning. In fact, their meaning is lost to you precisely because you are judging them. All uncertainty comes from the belief that you are under the coercion of judgment. You do not need judgment to organize your life, and you certainly do not need it to organize yourself. In the presence of knowledge all judgment is automatically suspended, and this is the process that enables recognition to replace perception.” 

A Course in Miracles T-3.VI.3:1-6

What Brings You Joy?

I’ve always had a difficult time keeping things tidy. Reading the book, The Life-Changing Manga (Magic) of Tidying Up, written by Marie Kondo, has helped me understand why. She suggests putting all your clothing in the middle of the room, then going through them, keeping only the things which bring you joy. Well, that concept is life-changing for sure! Keep what brings you joy — wow! I’m now listening to her follow-up book, Spark Joy, where she tells how some people throw away their vacuum cleaners because they don’t bring joy, only to find out they miss them terribly. So she asks us to express appreciation for those items — for instance, thank the iron for helping your clothing to be all that they can be. Another interesting aspect is that some people don’t know what sparks joy, and she must teach them what it means. This opened my eyes to a whole aspect of my fellow beings which I had not considered. How could anyone not know the feeling of joy? Is joy a learned behavior? Are we afraid to feel joy? When she teaches them what joy is, does she simple give them permission to feel what was already there? I’m loving this book! (As always, please feel free to tell me your thoughts) 

"Unity of spirit gives new pinions to joy, or else joy's drooping wings trail in dust." Mary Baker Eddy, Science & Health Page 58

“Miracles are in accord with the Will of God, Whose Will you do not know because you are confused about what you will. This means that you are confused about what you are. If you are God’s Will and do not accept His Will, you are denying joy. The miracle is therefore a lesson in what joy is. Being a lesson in sharing it is a lesson in love, which is joy. Every miracle is thus a lesson in truth, and by offering truth you are learning the difference between pain and joy.” T-7.X.8:1-6