January 1, 2014 - A Meaningless Day!

"Loveland Pass, Colorado"
photo by Aaron Springston

ACIM WOrkbook Lesson #1

“Nothing I see in this room [on this street,

from this window, in this place] means anything.”

At the start of this new year, with its many possibilities and prospects, I reaffirm the desire to release preconceived meaning which I have placed on everything. I know many people think of this as a "bad" thing. I am told that if nothing means anything, then we don't have a reason to be "good". When confronted with this thought, it's difficult for me to keep a straight face! Our innate goodness as the experience and reflection of God shines forth unabashed when allowed to do so. The shackles we've placed on ourselves, either collectively or individually, hold no meaning other than what we give to them. Through the daily practice of letting go of long-held beliefs, we step into the light of Truth. By this discipline, we are allowing ourselves to see through the illusions we have accepted as reality. What a beautiful new day!

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

"The enslavement of man is not legitimate. It will cease when man enters into his heritage of freedom, his God-given dominion over the material senses."

Science & Health Page 228:11-13

December 31, 2013 - New Year's Wish

"Yield" stainless steel sculpture
at Crystal Bridges
by Roxy Paine
photo by Aaron Springston

ACIM Workbook Lesson #365

"This holy instant would I give to You. Be You in charge. For I would follow You,  Certain that Your direction gives me peace."

My New Year's wish is for more silence, more stillness, in which to experience what that has to show me. It's too easy to fall into habits which keep us busy, always on the go, or always listening to the radio or some such thing. I was on the phone for more than an hour today with a tech guy who was helping me work out some weird things on my new online shopping web site. While we were waiting for something to happen on his computer, we chatted about regular things -- where do you live, do you like working in tech support, things like that. He told me that he went to school, had a small business, and worked at night helping people over the phone. He also said that if he didn't keep busy he would go "insane". So I questioned him about that. Turns out he's never been quiet in his life and he fears it.  I wonder how many people in this world feel that way? In line with "being the change I want to see", I believe I'll have a three-day retreat of silence! Happy New Year Everyone!

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

"Spirit, God, is heard when the senses are silent. We are all capable of more than we do." 

Science & Health Page 89:20-22

December 30, 2013 - First Thoughts in the Morning

"Utah Morning"
photo by Aaron Springston

ACIM Workbook Lesson #364

"This holy instant would I give to You. Be You in charge. For I would follow You, Certain that Your direction gives me peace."

The first thought we have in the morning can shape the way our day develops. Having spent years training myself to stay away from worry and busy-ness, its disheartening to find myself waking to wondering thoughts. For a few weeks, I've been having vivid dreams and I wake up thinking about what they mean. I've forgotten to bring thought to Spirit and rather I lay there wandering through a maze of odd events featuring people, animals, and places which are well-known to me. And this seems to be affecting the way I think about things all day long. It doesn't matter how much I try to push and pull my thoughts in other directions, they insist on making judgments, comparison, and searching for hidden meanings. I am very grateful for these closing lessons of the year, which urge us to go beyond thought and know that if we can only get out of our own way, God's thoughts are supplying us with direction and peace.

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

“The sculptor turns from the marble to his model in order to perfect his conception. We are all sculptors, working at various forms, moulding and chiseling thought. What is the model before mortal mind? Is it imperfection, joy, sorrow, sin, suffering? Have you accepted the mortal model? Are you reproducing it? Then you are haunted in your work by vicious sculptors and hideous forms. Do you not hear from all mankind of the imperfect model? The world is holding it before your gaze continually. The result is that you are liable to follow those lower patterns, limit your lifework, and adopt into your experience the angular outline and deformity of matter models. To remedy this, we must first turn our gaze in the right direction, and then walk that way. We must form perfect models in thought and look at them continually, or we shall never carve them out in grand and noble lives.”

Science & Health Page 248:12-29

December 29, 2013 - Who's in Charge?

ACIM Workbook Lesson #363

"This holy instant would I give to You. Be You in charge. For I would follow You, Certain that Your direction gives me peace."

Sometimes I find myself so caught up in being "in charge" of things that I forget I'm really not! When you stop and think about it, aren't most things redefined moment-by-moment? There may be snow storms, or people not doing what they were going to do, or perhaps loved ones need attention in various ways -- well, you've been there yourself and know what I mean! And so it is that making the decision to live by intuition and spiritual insights works for me. I don't like to worry about what-ifs and make contingency plans to cover alternate possibilities. Even when events are not going the way I had hoped, it's a great comfort to know that "only good can come of this". A number of years ago a good friend told me she always held to those words when fearful challenges were present. And so, I do, too. Only good can come of this. 

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

"Willingness to become as a little child and to leave the old for the new, renders thought receptive of the advanced idea. Gladness to leave the false landmarks and joy to see them disappear, — this disposition helps to precipitate the ultimate harmony. The purification of sense and self is a proof of progress. 

Science & Health Page 323:30-4

December 28, 2013 - Listening to Animals

ACIM Workbook Lesson #362

"This holy instant would I give to You.

Be You in charge. For I would follow You,

Certain that Your direction gives me peace."

I often mention in these writings that I feel animals are showing us how to live true to our Self. Not only do they mirror back to us any emotions we may be secretly harboring, they show us how to communicate more effectively through telepathy and actions, rather than words. Although my dog exhibits numerous behaviors I find baffling, I continue to see positive behavior changes in him as I become more honest and calm in my own actions. In watching "The Dog Whisperer", I have gained many insights into the reasons our dogs often seem neurotic and out of control. It always comes back to people. Calm, assertive behavior is the mantra of Cesar Milan. Assertive doesn't mean aggressive. It involves a certainty which is only attained through listening to an inner knowledge, which can only be heard in quiet, calm moments. These moments express the eternal holy instant in which our natural state shines through with the certainty of peace. And Love is reflected in love.

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

"Let us rid ourselves of the belief that man is separated from God, and obey only the divine Principle, Life and Love. Here is the great point of departure for all true spiritual growth."

Science & Health Page 91:5-8

December 27, 2013 - Strength in Silence

"Frozen Fog in the Ozarks"
photo by Arthur Lau-Sed

ACIM Workbook Lesson #361

"This holy instant would I give to You. Be You in charge. For I would follow You, Certain that Your direction gives me peace."

The final five workbook lessons in A Course in Miracles stress that we are at a point where we use as few words as possible. Having just watched a documentary entitled "Thrive", I'm tempted to use lots of words and talk of things we can do to facilitate change, such as shopping locally with small businesses, supporting organic farmers, and other ways of living in a state of awareness. But instead, I'll focus on something this film stressed as what we can do in order to heal our world: be quiet. We are urged to find our core of strength through silence, which connects us to everyone. This fits right in with the admonition to use as few words as possible. If you have a chance, watch this film. It could be thought of as frightening, but I see it as a reminder that every thought and action counts. Let's join together in silence and see where it leads us!

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

"It is only by acknowledging the supremacy of Spirit, which annuls the claims of matter, that mortals can lay off mortality and find the indissoluble spiritual link which establishes man forever in the divine likeness, inseparable from his creator."

Science & Health Page 491:12-16

December 26, 2013 - The Time is Now

"Temple Square"
photo by Aaron Springston

ACIM Workbook Lesson #360

"Peace be to me, the holy Son of God. Peace to my brother, who is one with me. Let all the world be blessed with peace through us."

How many times have you felt that we're on the verge of the realization of universal peace and harmony? I know I have a number of times. January 1, 2000 felt like a tipping point. Although I don't remember specific dates other than that one, I know there have been many occasions when it simply "felt like" this was it; that we would forget differences and only remember unity and the fact that we are all One. I felt this again today. Any unrest and dis-ease going on around me seemed like a cry for Love. Really, truly, I saw people reaching out for something secure in a material world full of insecurity and fear. We are all the same in the reality of Spirit. The "reign and rule of universal harmony which cannot be lost nor remain forever unseen" is waiting for us to cast off fear and embrace it!

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

"Let us learn of the real and eternal, and prepare for the reign of Spirit, the kingdom of heaven,—the reign and rule of universal harmony, which cannot be lost nor remain forever unseen."

Science & Health Page 208:20-24