Sharing Joy

 

Christian Heller Photography

Laughter is contagious, don’t you think? Most of us have “gotten the giggles” and been unable to stop laughing. There are numerous videos on the internet where people are sharing laughter in the most joyous of ways. I particularly like one which shows people’s reactions when someone tells them they are beautiful. The sheepish grins which emerge, the eyes which light up, are sure to bring a smile to my face and an expansion of my heart no matter how many times I’ve seen it. Joy, laughter, happiness — these are given freely to us as a part of our divine heritage. Today I will make the most of every opportunity I have to give these gifts, freely, joyously, with no reservations or restrictions!

"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 with Key to the Scriptures Page 57:18-21

“This is the way salvation works. As you step back, the light in you steps forward and encompasses the world. It heralds not the end of sin in punishment and death. In lightness and in laughter is sin gone, because its quaint absurdity is seen. It is a foolish thought, a silly dream, not frightening, ridiculous perhaps, but who would waste an instant in approach to God Himself for such a senseless whim?” 

A Course in Miracles W-156.6:1-5

Open-Hearted Living

 

Photo credit: Jim Young

I was chatting with a local health care professional who had open heart surgery. He tells me that many people in the "zipper club" (as a group of bypass patients call themselves) are anything but open-hearted. He says many people are angry that their lives have changed so much. He told me that some don't want to go forward, but rather spend time and energy wanting their old lifestyle back. I find this difficult to understand. Having gone through a life-changing physical event, I found the major changes to be exhilarating and exciting. The name "open heart" would cause me to smile every time I thought of it, leading me to open myself to everything that life has to offer and bringing a new appreciation — as I'm sure it has for many, as it has for the beautiful man with whom I shared this conversation. I open my heart to happiness, safety, comfort, certainty of purpose, and peace so perfect it can never be upset. I am grateful, moment-by-moment, for all that I am learning and seeing demonstrated in daily life. Thank you greatly!!

“Gratitude is much more than a verbal expression of thanks. Action expresses more gratitude than speech.” 

Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 3:25-26

“And so, our Father, we return to You, remembering we never went away; remembering Your holy gifts to us. In gratitude and thankfulness we come, with empty hands and open hearts and minds, asking but what You give. We cannot make an offering sufficient for Your Son. But in Your Love the gift of Christ is his.”

A Course in Miracles W-306.2:1-4

Good Luck/Bad Luck - Who Knows?

 

Altai Mountain, Mongolia - photo by Aaron Springston

There is a story of a farmer who used an old horse to till his fields. One day, the horse ran away and when the farmer's neighbors sympathized with the man over his bad luck, the farmer replied, "Bad luck? Good luck? Who knows?" A week later, the horse returned with a herd of horses from the hills and this time the neighbors congratulated the farmer on his good luck. His reply was, "Good luck? Bad luck? Who knows?" The farmer's son attempted to tame one of the wild horses, fell off, and broke his leg, Everyone thought this very bad luck, but not the farmer, whose only reaction was, "Bad luck? Good luck? Who knows?" Then war broke out and the son didn't have to fight because of his broken leg. Bad luck, good luck -- who knows? It's wonderful to be open to Life with no expectations, not thinking in terms of good and bad, letting Love live through us!

“Let truth be what it is. Do not intrude upon it, do not attack it, do not interrupt its coming. Let it encompass every situation and bring you peace. Not even faith is asked of you, for truth asks nothing. Let it enter, and it will call forth and secure for you the faith you need for peace. But rise you not against it, for against your opposition it cannot come.” A Course in Miracles T-17.VIII.2:2-7

“Harmony is produced by its Principle, is controlled by it and abides with it.” Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 304:16-17

Free Will?

 

Photo credit: Aaron Springston

I'm beginning to see that I have no will of my own if I'm simply regurgitating well-rehearsed lines from the history of my life. Glimpses of freedom come from throwing off chains I’ve bound myself with throughout a lifetime of fears and learned behavior. Listening for Mind (with a capital M) is beginning to take precedence over knee-jerk reactions to life’s circumstances. A friend told me a story about how his misperception of things caused a rift in a relationship. He thought his stepmother had never liked him, then one day he found out she was almost deaf. With this realization, he saw that the actions he had interpreted as slights to him were actually moments of confusion on her part. Now, viewed from this understanding, he sees their relationship as a loving one. Today I will quietly listen for that still, small voice which frees me from long-held beliefs which have been created by my ego-driven mortal mind. Clarity, consideration, compassion — three things of which we can never have too much!

“Man is tributary to God, Spirit, and to nothing else. God’s being is infinity, freedom, harmony, and boundless bliss.” 

Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 480:2-4

“The Garden of Eden, or the pre-separation condition, was a state of mind in which nothing was needed. When Adam listened to the ‘lies of the serpent,’ all he heard was untruth. You do not have to continue to believe what is not true unless you choose to do so. All that can literally disappear in the twinkling of an eye because it is merely a misperception. What is seen in dreams seems to be very real. Yet the Bible says that a deep sleep fell upon Adam, and nowhere is their reference to his waking up. The world has not yet experienced any comprehensive reawakening or rebirth. Such a rebirth is impossible as long as you continue to project or miscreate. It still remains within you, however, to extend as God extended His Spirit to you. In reality this is your only choice, because your free will was given you for your joy in creating the perfect.” 

A Course in Miracles T-2.I.3:1-10

Embrace All Living Creatures

 

Gustave Caillebotte - The Yerres, Rain, 1875

Rainy days with nowhere to go are my favorites of all days! Today was one of those times, and I enjoyed catching up on reading and puttering around the house. This quote was at the center of my day’s studies: "A human being is a part of the whole called by us 'the universe,' a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feelings, as something separate from the rest - a kind of optical illusion of consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and affection for a few persons nearest to us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening the circle of understanding and compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty." - Albert Einstein

“At all times and under all circumstances, overcome evil with good. Know thyself, and God will supply the wisdom and the occasion for a victory over evil. Clad in the panoply of Love, human hatred cannot reach you. The cement of a higher humanity will unite all interests in the one divinity.” 

Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 571:15-21

“The mind that serves the Holy Spirit is unlimited forever, in all ways, beyond the laws of time and space, unbound by any preconceptions, and with strength and power to do whatever it is asked. Attack thoughts cannot enter such a mind, because it has been given to the Source of love, and fear can never enter in a mind that has attached itself to love. It rests in God. And who can be afraid who lives in Innocence, and only loves.” 

A Course in Miracles W-199.2:1-4

For the Love of a Book

 

Art from Natacha Einat

Most of us have favorite books from childhood; many of us have a favorite book which we enjoy revisiting throughout our lives. Recently I decided to reread Science & Health with Key to the Scriptures, by Mary Baker Eddy. I haven’t read it straight through since I took class instruction in the late 1990s, and I’m amazed by how much I’m enjoying it! I read it first thing in the morning, and it’s sometimes difficult to stop and go about the day’s activities. Almost every page has an ah-hah moment, a sentence or paragraph which I read multiple times with increasing wonder. Today’s find was: “Love will finally mark the hour of harmony, and spiritualization will follow, for Love is Spirit. Before error is wholly destroyed, there will be interruptions of the general material routine. Earth will become dreary and desolate, but summer and winter, seedtime and harvest (though in changed forms), will continue unto the end, — until the final spiritualization of all things. ‘The darkest hour precedes the dawn.’” (Page 96:4-11) I find comfort in this prophecy.

“Let us come daily to this holy place, and spend a while together. Here we share our final dream. It is a dream in which there is no sorrow, for it holds a hint of all the glory given us by God. The grass is pushing through the soil, the trees are budding now, and birds have come to live within their branches. Earth is being born again in new perspective. Night has gone, and we have come together in the light.” 

A Course in Miracles W-pII.2.4:1-6)

Equinox Transition

Unknown artist

I’m not a follower of astrology, but these words about the Equinox caught my attention and appreciation!

“As the Sun crosses the celestial equator, an intriguing energetic shift occurs in the world. It is the time of the Equinox, marking the transition from the long slumber of winter to the spirited rebirth of spring. Hence, as seen in the natural world with the changing seasons, the Equinox symbolises renewal, shedding old layers and opening up to new beginnings. 

As well as the Equinox, we have the Aries New Moon... a globally momentous time for setting intentions and manifesting our desires, however, it requires careful attention to our thoughts and emotions. By setting clear intentions that align with our compassionate elevated emotional state, we can tap into the electromagnetic properties of Neptune’s unified quantum field of manifestation and create a whole new destiny for ourselves...” 

excerpted from website linked here: Read more here: https://angstoic.com/ and on Substack: https://angstoic.substack.com/p/igniting-the-spark-of-inception-the?fbclid=IwAR1sNiyCkYc-tp9hQGJrsplTiXWW83vXx3qj2HIrXtmr7FVEcMfwaPOJ5AE

“The attraction between native qualities will be perpetual only as it is pure and true, bringing sweet seasons of renewal like the returning spring.” Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health with Key to the Scriptures - Page 57:11-14

“When you have seen this real world, as you will surely do, you will remember Us. Yet you must learn the cost of sleeping, and refuse to pay it. Only then will you decide to awaken. And then the real world will spring to your sight, for Christ has never slept. He is waiting to be seen, for He has never lost sight of you. He looks quietly on the real world, which He would share with you because He knows of the Father’s Love for Him. And knowing this, He would give you what is yours. In perfect peace He waits for you at His Father’s altar, holding out the Father’s Love to you in the quiet light of the Holy Spirit’s blessing. For the Holy Spirit will lead everyone home to his Father, where Christ waits as his Self.” A Course in Miracles T-12.VI.5:1-9