A Quiet Heart and a Mind at Rest

Photo courtesy of Aaron Springston

I love the word "hush", as it's used in the ACIM workbook lesson #286: "The hush of Heaven holds my heart today." It sounds like what it means! A quiet susserence which feels like nestling into a featherbed, or maybe the sound of a snowfall late at night -- the hush of something exquisitely cozy. These are the feelings I'll call to mind today while remembering there is nothing I need do to elevate my spiritual self, because it is already done. 

“The hush of Heaven holds my heart today. Father, how still today! How quietly do all things fall in place! This is the day that has been chosen as the time in which I come to understand the lesson that there is no need that I do anything. In You is every choice already made. In You has every conflict been resolved. In You is everything I hope to find already given me. Your peace is mine. My heart is quiet, and my mind at rest. Your Love is Heaven, and Your Love is mine.

“The stillness of today will give us hope that we have found the way, and travelled far along it to a wholly certain goal. Today we will not doubt the end which God Himself has promised us. We trust in Him, and in our Self, Who still is one with Him.”

A Course in Miracles W-286.1:1–2:3

"Having no other gods, turning to no other but the one perfect Mind to guide him, man is the likeness of God, pure and eternal, having that Mind which was also Christ."

Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 467:13-16

Today I Wake With Joy

A Primal Image from the Creations of

Sandy Wythawai Starbird

 Kahlil Gibran’s writing on God — from “The Madman”

“In the ancient days, when the first quiver of speech came to my lips, I ascended the holy mountain and spoke unto God, saying, ‘Master, I am thy slave. Thy hidden will is my law and I shall obey thee for ever more.’

But God made no answer, and like a mighty tempest passed away.

And after a thousand years I ascended the holy mountain and again spoke unto God, saying, ‘Creator, I am thy creation. Out of clay hast thou fashioned me and to thee I owe mine all.’

And God made no answer, but like a thousand swift wings passed away.

And after a thousand years I climbed the holy mountain and spoke unto God again, saying, ‘Father, I am thy son. In pity and love thou hast given me birth, and through love and worship I shall inherit thy kingdom.’

And God made no answer, and like the mist that veils the distant hills he passed away.

And after a thousand years I climbed the sacred mountain and again spoke unto God, saying, ‘My God, my aim and my fulfilment; I am thy yesterday and thou art my tomorrow. I am thy root in the earth and thou art my flower in the sky, and together we grow before the face of the sun.’

Then God leaned over me, and in my ears whispered words of sweetness, and even as the sea that enfoldeth a brook that runneth down to her, he enfolded me.

And when I descended to the valleys and the plains, God was there also.”

Kahlil Gibran

“My holiness shines bright and clear today. Today I wake with joy, expecting but the happy things of God to come to me. I ask but them to come, and realize my invitation will be answered by the thoughts to which it has been sent by me. And I will ask for only joyous things the instant I accept my holiness. For what would be the use of pain to me, what purpose would my suffering fulfill, and how would grief and loss avail me if insanity departs from me today, and I accept my holiness instead?

“Father, my holiness is Yours. Let me rejoice in it, and through forgiveness be restored to sanity. Your Son is still as You created him. My holiness is part of me, and also part of You. And what can alter Holiness Itself?”

A Course in Miracles W-285.1:1–2:5

“The periods of spiritual ascension are the days and seasons of Mind’s creation, in which beauty, sublimity, purity, and holiness — yea, the divine nature — appear in man and the universe never to disappear.”

Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 509:24-28

No Grief in Divine Consciousness

“I can elect to change all thoughts that hurt.” [ACIM Lesson #284] The process of turning around all hurtful thoughts is a long and winding road! As a 12-year-old, the loss of my dog was devastating. I wouldn't allow myself to love another animal for more than ten years. After giving myself permission to love again, I have gradually brought my thoughts closer to understanding the Oneness of Love. When looking into the eyes of a beloved pet, I see those which I've loved in the past. I no longer live in fear of their death, because I know their essence lives on and will return to me in another form. All these experiences bring the realization of the Oneness of all being, and I relish each loss and gain in this embrace. Whatever the hurt or suffering seems to be, it can be perceived in another way. Love fills our being from its core to its edge. This unbroken reality allows me to feel a gentle Presence in every experience. And I am grateful.

“I can elect to change all thoughts that hurt. Loss is not loss when properly perceived. Pain is impossible. There is no grief with any cause at all. And suffering of any kind is nothing but a dream. This is the truth, at first to be but said and then repeated many times; and next to be accepted as but partly true, with many reservations. Then to be considered seriously more and more, and finally accepted as the truth. I can elect to change all thoughts that hurt. And I would go beyond these words today, and past all reservations, and arrive at full acceptance of the truth in them.

“Father, what You have given cannot hurt, so grief and pain must be impossible. Let me not fail to trust in You today, accepting but the joyous as Your gifts; accepting but the joyous as the truth.”

A Course in Miracles W-284.1:1–2:2

“The human mind will sometime rise above all material and physical sense, exchanging it for spiritual perception, and exchanging human concepts for the divine consciousness.” 

Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 531:11-13

Identity as Living Love

Parade in Eureka Springs, AR

Photo by Richard Quick

A Course in Miracles tells us that the body is a communication device; that it is a tool to be used and then laid aside when its use is over. In this world, we have mistaken the body for our true identity. If we no longer see our body as either good or bad, but rather as a totally neutral thing, it can be realized as what it is in truth: an extension of Love. A dear man reminded me of something a mutual friend said about Love: there is no unconditional love, only Love. If there are conditions, it’s not really Love! Today I shall think of my body in this way, too, without conditions and limitations, but only as the Idea it is!

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

Mary Baker Eddy  - Science & Health Page 477:20-22

“My true Identity abides in You. Father, I made an image of myself, and it is this I call the Son of God. Yet is creation as it always was, for Your creation is unchangeable. Let me not worship idols. I am he my Father loves. My holiness remains the light of Heaven and the Love of God. Is not what is beloved of You secure? Is not the light of Heaven infinite? Is not Your Son my true Identity, when You created everything that is?

“Now are we one in shared Identity, with God our Father as our only Source, and everything created part of us. And so we offer blessing to all things, uniting lovingly with all the world, which our forgiveness has made one with us.”

A Course in Miracles W-283.1:1–2:2

I Will Not Be Afraid of Love Today

Photo credit: Aaron Springston

A friend from the west coast visits our village once a year. We were having a conversation and he told me he has decided he is incapable of love. Now this is the kind of statement I relish, because I know we're going to have a great conversation! I started out asking him if he's ever loved an animal. "Sure," he says, "but I can't love another person." After asking him a barrage of questions, I dropped the major Truth that he refuses to accept: There is only one Love, expressed in whatever way we choose. This is a man whose company I enjoy for his love of music, his passion for quantum physics, and his never-ending interest in things he doesn't understand. He went away pondering that there is no such thing as an inability to love, only a decision to choose something else instead. I look forward to our next conversation!

“Love is priestess at the altar of Truth. Wait patiently for divine Love to move upon the waters of mortal mind, and form the perfect concept.”

Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 454:21-23

“I will not be afraid of love today. If I could realize but this today, salvation would be reached for all the world. This the decision not to be insane, and to accept myself as God Himself, my Father and my Source, created me. This the determination not to be asleep in dreams of death, while truth remains forever living in the joy of love. And this the choice to recognize the Self Whom God created as the Son He loves, and Who remains my one Identity.

“Father, Your Name is Love and so is mine. Such is the truth. And can the truth be changed by merely giving it another name? The name of fear is simply a mistake. Let me not be afraid of truth today.”

A Course in Miracles W-282.1:1–2:5

Is It True?

Photo courtesy of Blake Lasater

How would you feel if everyone defined you by the “worst” thing you ever did in your life? At a celebratory event, I did just that. I saw a young woman, whom I remembered from her teen years. Although I didn’t know her well, I remembered a particularly unfortunate event in her younger life. That would have been all right if I had turned it around and remembered her as the innocent child that we all truly are. I shared my ugly memory of her with the woman sitting next to me, and later with someone else. I’ve felt regret ever since.  When something keeps coming back to my mind, I know it needs examination. I’m remembering “The Work” by Byron Katie. Before I repeat something in the future, I shall ask myself these questions: “Is it true?  Can you absolutely know that it's true? How do you react, what happens, when you believe that thought? Who would you be without the thought?” For someone like me who is “into” the truth, I sure fell into the ditch on this one! 

“When examined in the light of divine Science, mortals present more than is detected upon the surface, since inverted thoughts and erroneous beliefs must be counterfeits of Truth.” 

Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 267:19-22

“I can be hurt by nothing but my thoughts. Father, Your Son is perfect. When I think that I am hurt in any way, it is because I have forgotten who I am, and that I am as You created me. Your Thoughts can only bring me happiness. If ever I am sad or hurt or ill, I have forgotten what You think, and put my little meaningless ideas in place of where Your Thoughts belong, and where they are. I can be hurt by nothing but my thoughts. The Thoughts I think with You can only bless. The Thoughts I think with You alone are true.

“I will not hurt myself today. For I am far beyond all pain. My Father placed me safe in Heaven, watching over me. And I would not attack the Son He loves, for what He loves is also mine to love.”

A Course in Miracles W-281.1:1–2:4

Where Learning is a Joy …

Kindergarten, Clear Spring School, 1994

The Clear Spring School has been a recurring topic in these writings for the last 13 years. And this month we celebrate the school’s 50th anniversary! What a joyous celebration it has been, with the school’s founders, its supporters, its teachers, and many students who came together to express gratitude for the ongoing stellar educational opportunities which have been provided for five decades. This little “miracle in the woods” — as the school has been dubbed by many who marvel at its amazing history — is the epitome of a village raising its children. When my boys  and I moved here 30 years ago, specifically for the school, I was amazed by the atmosphere of caring expressed by teachers and parents. We helped each other car pool to school, fostered friendships by helping each other with childcare outside of school, enjoyed soccer weekends, camping trips — well, it truly does take a village to raise a child! And many of those children we all raised were there to share in their gratitude and hope for the future of this sweet idea, which was brought to physical reality all those years ago, and which continues to evolve and flower to this day. The goodness we see in students echos back the limitless possibilities we dreamed for our children. And a beautiful world is manifested right before our eyes!

“What limits can I lay upon God’s Son? Whom God created limitless is free. I can invent imprisonment for him, but only in illusions, not in truth. No Thought of God has left its Father’s Mind. No Thought of God is limited at all.⁵No Thought of God but is forever pure. Can I lay limits on the Son of God, whose Father willed that he be limitless, and like Himself in freedom and in love?

“Today let me give honor to Your Son, for thus alone I find the way to You. Father, I lay no limits on the Son You love and You created limitless. The honor that I give to him is Yours, and what is Yours belongs to me as well.”

A Course in Miracles W-280.1:1–2:3

“Divine Science, rising above physical theories, excludes matter, resolves things into thoughts, and replaces the objects of material sense with spiritual ideas.”

Mary Baker Eddy - Science and Health Page 123:12-15