We Are Capable Of More Than We Know

Jesus was here to teach us many things, not the least of which was how to be nice to each other. His two commandments were to love God above all else and to love our neighbor as ourselves. I've often thought that we need to love ourselves more, as it seems many of us are expressing a lack of love for ourselves in our actions toward others. Jesus was also instructing us that we are capable of much more than we know. We are not powerless victims of circumstance. He tells us that the things he does, so can we -- know the Truth and be free!Power and dominion have become ugly words because of the things done to others by ruthless people. True power and dominion have to do with peace and grace and Love, as expressed through the healing power within. We are capable of more than we know. Let's not be afraid to express that power in healing every ill which seems so real to our material sense. We are spiritual Beings, expressions of God, perfect and whole, needing nothing to be added or taken away for that perfection to show forth and bless all of humankind. More on this theme tomorrow …

“What keeps the world in chains but your beliefs? And what can save the world except your Self? Belief is powerful indeed. The thoughts you hold are mighty, and illusions are as strong in their effects as is the truth. A madman thinks the world he sees is real, and does not doubt it. Nor can he be swayed by questioning his thoughts’ effects. It is but when their source is raised to question that the hope of freedom comes to him at last.”
A Course in Miracles W-132.1:1-7

“In divine Science, man is the true image of God. The divine nature was best expressed in Christ Jesus, who threw upon mortals the truer reflection of God and lifted their lives higher than their poor thought-models would allow,--thoughts which presented man as fallen, sick, sinning, and dying. The Christlike understanding of scientific being and divine healing includes a perfect Principle and idea,--perfect God and perfect man,--as the basis of thought and demonstration.”
Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 259:6-15

All Is Infinite Mind

Ceramic Creation from Ken Starbird 

For several months, I’ve been doing a deep dive into books and audio files from my most-beloved  teachers of scientific metaphysics. Of course, the writings of Mary Baker Eddy and A Courser in Miracles are the basis of my studies, and I always refer to them as my gold standard. But Joel Goldsmith has been calling me, and I particularly love his talks from the         1960s, particularly ones in Hawaii. They are exquisitely thorough! Margaret Laird’s Christian Science Revisited (a/k/a We Are The World We Walk Through), is an all-time favorite and I find something new every time I pick it up.  Helen Wright’s book, Finding Your Divinity, introduces the concept of advanced meaning within Mrs. Eddy’ synonyms for God: Mind, Spirit, Soul, Principle, Life, Truth, Love. Ms. Wright learned this way of looking at Mrs. Eddy’s writings from studying with John Doorly and Max Kappeler.  Which takes me to the voluminous audio files of Mr. Kappeler. What a treasure trove this is! And then I opened my morning youTube offering  from Coreen and Nouk, delightedly finding the beautiful ACIM lesson entitled, When I Am Healed I Am Not Healed Alone. My serious study of these concepts began 30 years ago with Christian Science Class Instruction,  and I trust my teacher has clarified some things within her understanding, as have I. I write this as an introduction to a few days of writings on this subject. May we all enjoy this beautiful spring day!

“Sickness would prove that lies must be the truth. But healing demonstrates that truth is true. The separation sickness would impose has never really happened. To be healed is merely to accept what always was the simple truth, and always will remain exactly as it has forever been. Yet eyes accustomed to illusions must be shown that what they look upon is false. So healing, never needed by the truth, must demonstrate that sickness is not real.”

A Course in Miracles W-137.4:1-6

"Question: What is the scientific statement of being?

Answer: There is no life, truth, intelligence, nor substance in matter. All is infinite Mind and its infinite manifestation, for God is All-in-all. Spirit is immortal Truth; matter is mortal error. Spirit is the real and eternal; matter is the unreal and temporal. Spirit is God, and man is His image and likeness. Therefore man is not material; he is spiritual."

Science & Health Page 468:8-16

Big Questions

Photo credit: Aaron Springston

A number of my friends and acquaintances have become mentally lost in these past few years. Some had a slow progression, and some seemed to fall off a cliff into dementia. It’s a mystery why these things happen, and there are as many theories as there are people. A book I listened to, Super Brain, addresses the loss of brain cells and the ability to regrow them. It also speaks to reasons we slowly lose our mental capabilities due to lack of intellectual exercise. Physical reasons for disease are generally what people explore, but more and more we are realizing how mind affects the body. Various testing situations show that the brain can be physically manipulated, also. I want to know the difference between the brain and the mind. Questions such as: What is consciousness? Where does intuition come from? What is divine Mind and how does it affect what we think of as our mind? These are the questions I love to contemplate. My study of books by Margaret Laird, Max Kappeler, Joel Goldsmith, Mary Baker Eddy, and others, are the reason I find every day to be an exciting adventure. We can never know everything about the inner world we call spirituality, and this brings me great joy!

“The notion that both evil and good are real is a delusion of material sense, which Science annihilates. Evil is nothing, no thing, mind, nor power. As manifested by mankind it stands for a lie, nothing claiming to be something, — for lust, dishonesty, selfishness, envy, hypocrisy, slander, hate, theft, adultery, murder, dementia, insanity, inanity, devil, hell, with all the etceteras that word includes.” Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 330:25-32

“You also believe the body’s brain can think. If you but understood the nature of thought, you could but laugh at this insane idea. It is as if you thought you held the match that lights the sun and gives it all its warmth; or that you held the world within your hand, securely bound until you let it go. Yet this is no more foolish than to believe the body’s eyes can see; the brain can think.

“It is God’s strength in you that is the light in which you see, as it is His Mind with which you think. ²His strength denies your weakness. It is your weakness that sees through the body’s eyes, peering about in darkness to behold the likeness of itself; the small, the weak, the sickly and the dying, those in need, the helpless and afraid, the sad, the poor, the starving and the joyless. These are seen through eyes that cannot see and cannot bless.”
A Course in Miracles W-92.2:1–3:4

Spread Love!

Art created by Marghanita Hughes

Having grown up in the same area where I presently live, and never straying farther than a nearby university town, I know a lot of people. Old friends, new friends, and everything in between are about the best thing that can happen to us on this sweet earth! Every friendship is individual, but they all have a commonality: love. The compassionate caring which wells up when we hear of friends’ hardships, or the joy for their happy times, these reactions feel like a primal instinct to me. Hearing stories of friends’ lives at class reunions, my heart swells with a deeper understanding of the people I’ve known for six-plus decades. Laughing with old friends over memories fills me with happiness. It’s nice to know people who start to giggle at the mention of a single word. Childhood friendships run deep. One of the saddest plights of humanity is the loneliness of isolation. Next time you’re going to a meeting, any meeting which involves people gathered together for the common good, invite a shut-in neighbor, or an acquaintance who rarely participates in events, anyone you think would enjoy meeting new people. Spread the love!

“It should be thoroughly understood that all men have one Mind, one God and Father, one Life, Truth, and Love. Mankind will become perfect in proportion as this fact becomes apparent, war will cease and the true brotherhood of man will be established.”
Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 467:9-10

“You look still with the body’s eyes, and they can see but thorns. Yet you have asked for and received another sight. Those who accept the Holy Spirit’s purpose as their own share also His vision. And what enables Him to see His purpose shine forth from every altar now is yours as well as His. He sees no strangers; only dearly loved and loving friends. He sees no thorns but only lilies, gleaming in the gentle glow of peace that shines on everything He looks upon and loves.”
A Course in Miracles T-20.II.5:1-6

Calm and Exalted Thought

A friend asked me to listen to and give an opinion on a recording having to do with alien beings controlling our actions. Although much of what was said could be considered rhetoric of the conspiracy-theory crowd, the main theme was the same principle I’ve been studying for years; the same ideas which we are hearing from various avenues. The central point addressed turning away from illusions and seeing reality. While the woman on this recording was telling us that lizard people are controlling our actions, she also advised us to not be frightened or give it too much importance, but rather to focus on Love and see through any supposed power these creatures may have. What a wonderful metaphor! It certainly is no more outlandish than the Adam and Eve story, or any other legend meant to show us the difference between illusions and truth. And so, as I go through this day hearing all the insanity, I know it can only disturb my tranquility if I give it more power in thought than I give the stillness of peace. Namaste …

“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 506:11-14

“Perhaps we are now ready for a day of undisturbed tranquility. If this is not yet feasible, we are content and even more than satisfied to learn how such a day can be achieved. If we give way to a disturbance, let us learn how to dismiss it and return to peace. We need but tell our minds, with certainty, ‘The stillness of the peace of God is mine,’ and nothing can intrude upon the peace that God Himself has given to His Son.”
A Course in Miracles W-273.1:1-4

Are We Ready For Truth?

Photo from Catherine Reed

Are we finally ready for the truth? I've heard it said that we, as a human race, can’t stand to hear the truth if it contradicts long-held beliefs. This is said about everything from extraterrestrial life to religious doctrine, but I think we are ready to hear it! People say that if the truth were known about everything, society would break down. It seems to me this might be a good thing, because our current belief systems don't appear to be functioning too well! Perhaps everyone's dissatisfaction stems from feeling we’re being lied to on many levels. A few centuries ago, a total eclipse of the full moon would cause many fear-based reactions when the orb turned red, disappeared, then reappeared. As the truth has set us free from that irrational fear, so it may in other ways, allowing us to joyfully look up and say “Wow, that’s beautiful!” I think we're ready, don't you?!

“Truth, independent of doctrines and time-honored systems, knocks at the portal of humanity.” 

Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page vii:13-15

“Today we practice making free your mind of all the laws you think you must obey; of all the limits under which you live, and all the changes that you think are part of human destiny. Today we take the largest single step this course requests in your advance towards its established goal.” 

A Course in Miracles W-127.6:4-5

Reciprocal Thoughts With Nature

Colorado Columbine - photo by Aaron Springston

“Nature becomes aware of itself through you, and you become aware of your stillness through nature.” Eckhart Tolle told me this today through one of his short and sweet youTube videos. It caused me to reminisce about one of my favorite nature documentaries."Wings of Life" is described as a love story from flowers to pollinators. Another reason this film stayed with me is that its narrator is Meryl Streep. She tells us that the flowers multiply in beauty, with gratitude to the bees, butterflies, hummingbirds, and bats. This gratitude turns my thoughts to things which fill my heart: people, music, nature -- movies like this one! In line with my quest to be with those who help my being, I will stay with entertainment which brings beauty and grace to life, turning away from inanities and programing designed to disturb the senses. Life is good, and I am grateful…

“Cultivate the habit of being grateful for every good thing that comes to you, and to give thanks continuously. And because all things have contributed to your advancement, you should include all things in your gratitude.”
― Ralph Waldo Emerson

“Look with peace upon your brothers, and God will come rushing into your heart in gratitude for your gift to Him.”
— A Course in Miracles T-10.V.7:7

“Nature voices natural, spiritual law and divine Love, but human belief misinterprets nature.”
Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 240:1-2