I’m a Dreamer …

"Imagine" by John Lennon

Imagine there's no heaven

It's easy if you try

No hell below us

Above us only sky

Imagine all the people

Living for today... 

Imagine there's no countries

It isn't hard to do

Nothing to kill or die for

And no religion too

Imagine all the people

Living life in peace... 

You may say I'm a dreamer

But I'm not the only one

I hope someday you'll join us

And the world will be as one 

Imagine no possessions

I wonder if you can

No need for greed or hunger

A brotherhood of man

Imagine all the people

Sharing all the world... 

You may say I'm a dreamer

But I'm not the only one

I hope someday you'll join us

And the world will live as one

“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 

“The Holy Spirit teaches thus: There is no hell. Hell is only what the ego has made of the present. The belief in hell is what prevents you from understanding the present, because you are afraid of it. The Holy Spirit leads as steadily to Heaven as the ego drives to hell. For the Holy Spirit, Who knows only the present, uses it to undo the fear by which the ego would make the present useless. There is no escape from fear in the ego’s use of time. For time, according to its teaching, is nothing but a teaching device for compounding guilt until it becomes all-encompassing, demanding vengeance forever.” 

A Course in Miracles T-15.I.7:1-7

Life is a Meditation

Photo credit: Blake Lasater Family

How do you integrate your spiritual practice into daily life? When asked this question, I had to pause and think about it. Since I don’t have any rituals which would be defined as “spiritual practice”, I suppose they are asking about the moments I stop to commune with the Universe — times when waiting in line at the grocery, or staying calm while choir direction is happening, or clearing my mind to listen for inspiration in the daily Wordle! Hum, I guess life IS a spiritual practice, don’t you think? When I find myself turning a situation around and ‘round in thought, or when I replay possible scenarios of how things may transpire, that’s the time for a mental reminder to just stop it! Spiritual practice, for me, can be defined as getting out of my own way and listening for the inner voice which could be called intuition, or God. While some may think going to church once a week constitutes a spiritual practice, most folks I know have a moment-to-moment awareness which is guided by Love. How do you know if you’re life is directed by Spirit or ego? If you’re at peace, it’s God; if you’re upset and unhappy, it’s ego!

“Thoughts unspoken are not unknown to the divine Mind. Desire is prayer; and no loss can occur from trusting God with our desires, that they may be moulded and exalted before they take form in words and in deeds.”

Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 1:10-14

“It is impossible to accept the holy instant without reservation unless, just for an instant, you are willing to see no past or future. You cannot prepare for it without placing it in the future. Release is given you the instant you desire it. Many have spent a lifetime in preparation, and have indeed achieved their instants of success. This course does not attempt to teach more than they learned in time, but it does aim at saving time. You may be attempting to follow a very long road to the goal you have accepted. It is extremely difficult to reach Atonement by fighting against sin. Enormous effort is expended in the attempt to make holy what is hated and despised. Nor is a lifetime of contemplation and long periods of meditation aimed at detachment from the body necessary. All such attempts will ultimately succeed because of their purpose. Yet the means are tedious and very time consuming, for all of them look to the future for release from a state of present unworthiness and inadequacy.”
A Course in Miracles - T-18.VII.4:1-11

Peace to the Struggling Heart

Scala Dei Turchi White Wall - Italy

Photo credit: Blake Lasater

Often things are not the way we think they should be, but we can still be happy and at peace. What happens within you is entirely yours; what happens around you is never yours alone. How often do you hear someone say: He/She pushes my buttons! This means, of course, that someone “makes you angry or upset”. Is this really possible? How we react to someone else is either peaceful or tumultuous, and we have that choice to make in every moment. When I was a child, I didn’t like to have conversations when I first woke up in the morning. My mother thought this was a flaw in my character and tried to change me. Looking at this now, I see that silence in the morning works best for many of us. If I start out the day with inane conversation, or news stories hand-picked to feed my fears, the timbre of the day has been set, making it difficult to center myself in the peace which is always a present possibility. Similarly, when I don’t sleep well at night, it’s because I haven’t been able to shut down my thoughts. Although I am not a fan of ritual, morning and evening quiet meditations work for me. We are all individuals, and through an examination of your feelings, habits, and demeanor, you can discover what works for you, too!


“Glory be to God, and peace to the struggling hearts! Christ hath rolled away the stone from the door of human hope and faith, and through the revelation and demonstration of life in God, hath elevated them to possible at-one-ment with the spiritual idea of man and his divine Principle, Love.”
Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 45:16-21

“O my brothers, if you only knew the peace that will envelop you and hold you safe and pure and lovely in the Mind of God, you could but rush to meet Him where His altar is. Hallowed your Name and His, for they are joined here in this holy place. Here He leans down to lift you up to Him, out of illusions into holiness; out of the world and to eternity; out of all fear and given back to love.”
A Course in Miracles C-4.8:1-3

Only Good Can Come Of This?

Disapproving Looks

Photo credit: Richard Quick - 2015

A long-time friend will be experiencing a tough few weeks of treatment for a disease. We met over forty years ago and one of our bonds was that we had both been raised in Christian Science, but neither of us were living by its principles at the time. I had a long talk with her today, and as we were winding up our phone call, something came to me which I had on my computer as a screen saver for years. “Only Good Can Come Of This”. It didn’t matter if what was happening in my life seemed good or bad, I held to this thought. It seems like a naive statement in the face of the government turmoil we are witnessing. Robbing the poor to pay the rich: only good can come of this? It’s difficult to see how this could be possible. A friend having cancer: only good can come of this? Another hard sell. But ultimately, the metaphysical principle at work is that the only way to change the world is to change our mind about it. I must believe that most of us are kind, loving, and working to make a better world. We are now beginning to understand, William Shakespeare’s statement: “There is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so.” As we go into this day of celebration of our nation’s freedom, let’s find ways to reaffirm our solidarity for the continuation of our country’s noble goals. We are One in Love.

“The first step toward freedom involves a sorting out of the false from the true. This is a process of separation in the constructive sense, and reflects the true meaning of the Apocalypse. Everyone will ultimately look upon his own creations and choose to preserve only what is good, just as God Himself looked upon what He had created and knew that it was good. At this point, the mind can begin to look with love on its own creations because of their worthiness. At the same time the mind will inevitably disown its miscreations which, without belief, will no longer exist.”
A Course in Miracles T-2.VIII.4:1-5

“The history of our country, like all history, illustrates the might of Mind, and shows human power to be proportionate to its embodiment of right thinking. A few immortal sentences, breathing the omnipotence of divine justice, have been potent to break despotic fetters and abolish the whipping-post and slave market; but oppression neither went down in blood, nor did the breath of freedom come from the cannon’s mouth. Love is the liberator.”
Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 225:14-22

Sowing Joy

Good Friends

The Dalai Lama has profound and beautiful messages for us. He speaks of peace and love, reminding us of our true identity in an unassuming and pure manner. His gleeful words never leave me where they found me, and for this I am most grateful. I remember a DVD of his entitled “Compassion in Emptiness”. He talks about the importance of relationships based on honesty and trust. The joyfulness born of these interactions is essential to our liberation from fearful illusions. The trust and honesty he speaks of isn't limited to those who have "earned" it. It isn't limited in any way. As we go through our daily activities, let's remember to treat everyone with the loving respect and courtesy with which we would afford a dearly beloved parent or child. May kindness and joy spread to every person you come into contact with today, and everyday. And if you happen to forget what that feels like, look up a video of the Dalai Lama and let him remind you!

“If selfishness has given place to kindness, we shall regard our neighbor unselfishly, and bless them that curse us; but we shall never meet this great duty simply by asking that it may be done.” 

Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 9:11-14

“How can you who are so holy suffer? All your past except its beauty is gone, and nothing is left but a blessing. I have saved all your kindnesses and every loving thought you ever had. I have purified them of the errors that hid their light, and kept them for you in their own perfect radiance. They are beyond destruction and beyond guilt. They came from the Holy Spirit within you, and we know what God creates is eternal.” 

A Course in Miracles T-5.IV.8:1-6

Forgiveness As It Is

In our material world, forgiveness has many faces. Perhaps someone tells us they're sorry and we say, That's all right. Or maybe someone has done something which stays on our mind as a transgression until we finally decide to forgive them, while thinking that we won't or can't forget. This is not what forgiveness is in A Course in Miracles. I often think of the ancient Toltec wisdom as interpreted by Don Miguel Ruiz in his book, The Four Agreements. One of these agreements asks us not to take anything personally. This request speaks to "forgiveness as it is". He goes so far as to state that even if someone shoots you in the head, it's not your problem, it's theirs! What an interesting thought! This forgiveness acknowledges no blame in the first place, holds no grudge as there is no blame, and requires no forgiveness because there was no blame or grudge. As we learn to see life through spiritual sense, forgiveness takes on a different meaning for us. It becomes a peaceful acknowledgement of reality, and facilitates a letting go of the belief in separation. No blame, no guilt, all is forgiveness. Freedom!

“Love inspires, illumines, designates, and leads the way. Right motives give pinions to thought, and strength and freedom to speech and action.”
Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 454:18-21

“Anger is never justified. Attack has no foundation. It is here escape from fear begins, and will be made complete. Here is the real world given in exchange for dreams of terror. For it is on this forgiveness rests, and is but natural. You are not asked to offer pardon where attack is due, and would be justified. For that would mean that you forgive a sin by overlooking what is really there. This is not pardon. For it would assume that, by responding in a way which is not justified, your pardon will become the answer to attack that has been made. And thus is pardon inappropriate, by being granted where it is not due.”
A Course in Miracles T-30.VI.1:1-10

Unclench Your Heart

“Unclench your heart” is a phrase I heard today. It caused me to stop and wonder how long my shoulders, neck, and, yes, heart have been clenched. My guess is 10 years! We all have an idea of the type of person we are. Most of us think of ourselves as kind and compassionate. In the days I worked with the public on a daily basis, I formed this impression of myself, based on what I did every day, all day long. Since my retirement a decade ago, my interactions have become limited, and for the most part I’m only around people I choose. In these same ten years, the political atmosphere has caused me to retreat into my own little world. A four-year “special” relationship with an alcoholic brought another level of clenching to my heart. With these admissions, I ask to release my brothers from my perceptions. I ask to move away from the beliefs of matter/ego, and embrace Truth. Namaste…

“Atonement is for all, because it is the way to undo the belief that anything is for you alone. To forgive is to overlook. Look, then, beyond error and do not let your perception rest upon it, for you will believe what your perception holds. Accept as true only what your brother is, if you would know yourself. Perceive what he is not and you cannot know what you are, because you see him falsely. Remember always that your Identity is shared, and that Its sharing is Its reality.”
A Course in Miracles T-9.IV.1:1-6

“Atonement is the exemplification of man’s unity with God, whereby man reflects divine Truth, Life, and Love.”
Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 18:1-3