Choose Happiness

We all know someone who seems to be chronically sad, don't we? They share a commonality of repeatedly replaying painful and distressing events in their thoughts and conversation. I have some sad memories which pop into my head occasionally. When this happens, there's a choice: I can relive the events mentally and/or verbally and thereby keep them alive, or I can acknowledge that they're still in my thoughts, but know that they are not the Truth of my Being. Yes, it happened (whatever it is). It's part of my material history, but my spiritual reality has not been touched by it. The peace brought by this understanding is priceless. I can be happy! Even in the midst of things which are not particularly joyful, I can give myself permission to be happy. It is, after all, my natural state of Being!

“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.” 

Mary Baker Eddy -Science & Health Page 304:16-19

“Be happy, for your only function here is happiness. You have no need to be less loving to God’s Son than He Whose Love created him as loving as Himself.”

A Course in Miracles W-102.5:1-2

In Harmony With Divine Love

Photo courtesy of Aaron Springston

Were you taught that salvation involved some sort of penance for your sins? Most people were, in some form or fashion. Perhaps this is why so many turn away from religion. I'm not sure how theology has decided that we're sinners, because when I read the teachings of Jesus, I find no evidence of this stance. For this reason (and many others), I'm most grateful for the teachings of Mary Baker Eddy and, also, A Course in Miracles. Both of these disciplines attempt to show us that we are the expression of God. As God's experience, we are the embodiment of happiness and joy! Anything opposite of this harmony is a misunderstanding. As we clear away these misapprehensions, we allow what we've always known, deep inside, to begin lighting our path. The more surely we walk in this direction, the brighter the illumination becomes!

“Today we will continue with the theme of happiness. This is a key idea in understanding what salvation means. You still believe it asks for suffering as penance for your ‘sins.’ This is not so. Yet you must think it so while you believe that sin is real, and that God’s Son can sin.”

A Course in Miracles W-101.1:1-5

“For true happiness, man must harmonize with his Principle, divine Love…” 

Science & Health Page 337:7-8

Amplification of Wonder

Total Eclipse of the Sun - April 8, 2024

Photo credit: Aaron Springston 

The recent total eclipse of the sun was an event which piqued the interest of millions of people. The weeks leading up to the happening were fraught with many speculations and predictions, and I hope at least half of those had to do with the pure beauty of light emanating from this spectacle. There was something other-worldly about the glow we witnessed being reflected from everything under this particular sun. My two sons and I traveled a couple of hours from home to witness it in its totality. What a joy to see this dying of the light and its subsequent rebirth! We had no expectations for how we would feel, what we would see, or the aftermath of something so powerful. And it was a perfect day … 

“The incarnation of Truth, that amplification of wonder and glory which angels could only whisper and which God illustrated by light and harmony, is consonant with ever-present Love.”

Mary baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 501:10-13

“Today we will attempt to understand joy is our function here. If you are sad, your part is unfulfilled, and all the world is thus deprived of joy, along with you. God asks you to be happy, so the world can see how much He loves His Son, and wills no sorrow rises to abate his joy; no fear besets him to disturb his peace. You are God’s messenger today. You bring His happiness to all you look upon; His peace to everyone who looks on you and sees His message in your happy face.”

A Course in Miracles W-100.6:1-5

The Blossom Shines Through the Bud

When David Hoffmeister was "called" to go on the road and talk to people about the teachings of A Course in Miracles, he didn't know how he would have the funds to do this. He was told by Spirit that all his needs would be supplied, but he didn't believe that. He found himself trying to teach Jesus about the laws of supply and demand. David is a man with excessive formal education, including knowledge of economics, and so he felt certain that Jesus simply didn't understand how the world worked. We tend to think of people like Buddha and St. Francis and Jesus as being beggars of sorts. They didn't make a lot of money, but trusted in the Universe to provide. David was being asked to rely on Spirit to articulate this new/old curriculum. He was being led to teach using everything available -- music, dance, lectures, gatherings -- to help others express deep Love and peace.  The reign of peace has begun, and many people are fighting against it. Let's not be concerned with that. Let's put our energy where it will grow -- on this peaceful transition. Christ consciousness is coming out of hiding and we're being called to help everyone see (by way of our own sight) that this is not some esoteric thing which must be kept secret. It's to be shouted from the rooftops! Fear not, shine your light, call forth witnesses to this light -- and above all, don't tone down your joy!

“Love giveth to the least spiritual idea might, immortality, and goodness, which shine through all as the blossom shines through the bud.” 

Mary Baker Eddy -Science & Health Page 518:19-21

“Salvation and forgiveness are the same. They both imply that something has gone wrong; something to be saved from, forgiven for; something amiss that needs corrective change; something apart or different from the Will of God. Thus do both terms imply a thing impossible but yet which has occurred, resulting in a state of conflict seen between what is and what could never be.” 

A Course in Miracles W-99.1:1-3

I Side With Truth Today

Photo credit: Chris Fischer

Knowing that we are Spirit — and the understanding of what that means — allows us to live by divine law rather than material belief.  It's difficult to accept that we are so much more than we ever thought. We tend to continue behaviors which are comfortable, rather than opening up to a whole new paradigm of thought and action. Today I’d like to salute all people who have stood up to material laws and worked to end inhumane practices. We can look back in history and find many, such as Joan of Arc, Jesus, and thousands of lesser-known names. But today I want to salute each and every one of you who aren’t afraid to express divine Love in all your actions and thoughts. Accepting our part as an emanation of Spirit brings freedom of thought and action. The willingness to leave the old ways and embrace Oneness in every moment opens us to the grand adventure of Life. Cheers to you! 

“Question. — What are the demands of the Science of Soul?

Answer. — The first demand of this Science is, ‘Thou shalt have no other gods before me.’ This me is Spirit. Thou shalt have no intelligence, no life, no substance, no truth, no love, but that which is spiritual.”

Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 467:1-7

“Today is a day of special dedication. We take a stand on but one side today. We side with truth and let illusions go. We will not vacillate between the two, but take a firm position with the One. We dedicate ourselves to truth today, and to salvation as God planned it be. We will not argue it is something else. We will not seek for it where it is not. In gladness we accept it as it is, and take the part assigned to us by God.”

A Course in Miracles W-98.1:1-8

Multifarious Reflections of Spirit

Photo credit: Aaron Springston

I've been reading and studying the works of Bicknell Young. This fascinating man was the nephew of Brigham Young, the renowned Mormon leader. I can only imagine his family's surprise when he discovered the teachings of Mary Baker Eddy in the late 1800s, and then went on to gain fame speaking and writing about Christian Science during the next few decades. He's the proverbial person, dead or living, whom I'd choose to sit down with for an evening. These sentences of his about Spirit are part of what pique my interest to know every thought he ever had! "Consciousness is Spirit. It does not become spiritual nor is it spiritualized. Nor does the evolution of consciousness mean a rising above or a purification from anything; it is the ceaseless unfoldment of infinity." Thank you, Mr. Young! 

“I am spirit. Today’s idea identifies you with your one Self. It accepts no split identity, nor tries to weave opposing factors into unity. It simply states the truth. Practice this truth today as often as you can, for it will bring your mind from conflict to the quiet fields of peace. No chill of fear can enter, for your mind has been absolved from madness, letting go illusions of a split identity.”

A Course in Miracles W-97.1:1-5

“Identity is the reflection of Spirit, the reflection in multifarious forms of the living Principle, Love.” 

Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 277:20-22

Our Busy Mind

White River

Photo by Steve Shogren

Communication is a tricky thing! A friend and I were discussing how interesting it is to be recounting events and have someone else who witnessed them tell the tale entirely differently. It may seem as though you weren't even at the same place, seeing and hearing the same things! The practice of quieting the mind is integral to listening. I've found that when my thoughts are jumping about, it's impossible to truly listen to anything. One thought leads to another, and before you know it, you've gone all around the world and have no idea what's happening right in front of you. By the same token, if I want to hear from the point of spiritual discernment, it's almost impossible to do when my own self won't be quiet long enough to concentrate on a simple sentence in a book. This is always a good indicator for me: If I can't read and digest what I've read, then I'd best have a "time out" and quiet my monkey-ind from its busy-ness! What a peaceful, harmonious world this will be when we all take time to quiet self-importance and listen for Self-knowledge.

"The point for each one to decide is, whether it is mortal mind or immortal Mind that is causative. We should forsake the basis of matter for metaphysical Science and its divine Principle."

Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 195:11-14

“The fact that truth and illusion cannot be reconciled, no matter how you try, what means you use and where you see the problem, must be accepted if you would be saved. Until you have accepted this, you will attempt an endless list of goals you cannot reach; a senseless series of expenditures of time and effort, hopefulness and doubt, each one as futile as the one before, and failing as the next one surely will.”

A Course in Miracles W-96.2:1-2