New Day's Lyric by Amanda Gorman

 

photo credit: Aaron Springston

New Day’s Lyric by Amanda Gorman

“May this be the day

We come together.

Mourning, we come to mend,

Withered, we come to weather,

Torn, we come to tend,

Battered, we come to better.

Tethered by this year of yearning,

We are learning

That though we weren't ready for this,

We have been readied by it.

We steadily vow that no matter

How we are weighed down,

We must always pave a way forward.

This hope is our door, our portal.

Even if we never get back to normal,

Someday we can venture beyond it,

To leave the known and take the first steps.

So let us not return to what was normal,

But reach toward what is next.

What was cursed, we will cure.

What was plagued, we will prove pure.

Where we tend to argue, we will try to agree,

Those fortunes we forswore, now the future we foresee,

Where we weren't aware, we're now awake;

Those moments we missed

Are now these moments we make,

The moments we meet,

And our hearts, once all together beaten,

Now all together beat.

Come, look up with kindness yet,

For even solace can be sourced from sorrow.

We remember, not just for the sake of yesterday,

But to take on tomorrow.”

— Amanda Gorman

Smile of the Great Spirit

 

A friend and I went to the Museum of Native American History in Bentonville, Arkansas. It was a beautiful space which took us on a journey through 14,000 years. It amazed me that there were textiles more than 1,000 years old! How could woven fabrics last so long? While I was intrigued by the pottery and other creations, it took my thoughts to spiritual insights we have gained from ancient cultures, and the understanding which is being shown us today. The days of believing in an “unknown God” will  be over, as we open our minds to the ideas Jesus (and others) have explained to us -- such as:  “The kingdom of heaven is within. The things I do, so can you — and more! You only need two commandments: Love thy neighbor, and love God.” The end of an era is coming, and many people are fearful — to the point of declaring that any thought other than traditional religious teachings are from the devil. Change is difficult, but as we look around us, we know shifts are necessary in almost every aspect of life. As a new year quickly approaches, I ask nothing of myself other than more understanding. On this last day of the year, may we all love ourselves more, so we can love our neighbors as we love ourself.

“Man is the expression of Soul. The Indians caught some glimpses of the underlying reality, when they called a certain beautiful lake “the smile of the Great Spirit.” Separated from man, who expresses Soul, Spirit would be a nonentity; man, divorced from Spirit, would lose his entity. But there is, there can be, no such division, for man is coexistent with God.” Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 477:26-3

Dimensionalism

 

photo credit: Aaron Springston

​My friend in the Netherlands sent me writings on higher thought. When I saw the title of one, I couldn’t remember having heard the word before: dimensionalism. While this pamphlet has to do with aspects of divine Science, it gives an example to which we can all relate. If we are rowing a boat downstream, we may not see what is around the bend — a waterfall, perhaps? But if we are looking at the scene from above, we get the whole picture. As with many things in life, we see from our own perspective and it can be hard to visualize the whole picture. This doesn’t mean that the picture changes when we realize an aspect of it; but simply that we see what was always there. Perhaps we were brought up by people who believe the earth is a flat plane, and so we believe that, too. When something happens which causes us to see the truth of being, our world expands. The world didn’t change; we did. This principle applies to everything in life. I pray to not be close-minded to the wonders around me! 

“The Revelator tells us of ‘a new heaven and a new earth.’ Have you ever pictured this heaven and earth, inhabited by beings under the control of supreme wisdom?” Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 91:1

Successive Stages of Progress

 
Long, long ago, perhaps in the 1980’s, I read a book called “Mary’s Message to the World”. It was purported to be a channeled writing in which Mary, Jesus’s mom, told us predictions for civilization. The only one which stuck in my mind was that this area of the country would become tropical. Judging from what has gradually happened with our weather, I would say that sounds accurate! We have practically no snow, and there is more rain along with moderately hot summers. I’ve always said if you don’t like the weather here, wait until tomorrow, because we’ve always been erratic in our little corner of the Ozarks. Perhaps abnormal is the new normal? Climate change is interesting in its intensity and unpredictability. During our metafizzie days, we had a number of folks who thought violent weather was caused by violent emotions. Whether or not this is true, we are all well-served to stay on an even keel in these tumultuous times, don’t you think? It feels like walking a balance beam, but I’ll keep on trying! 

"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 S&H 506:11-14

Heal the World -- Cook Dinner!

 

Penzeys Spices

Have you noticed that when you feel like cooking, the food seems to turn out tastier? When my boys were young, they joked that I should write a cookbook called “Just Barely Edible”. And they were correct! I was usually rushed, having other things I would rather be doing, and the meals were perfunctory at best. I heard one of my “gurus” talking about people’s emotions going into food, and one of the reasons so many people are angry is that their food is being prepared by fearful, angry people. There is only one place in town I truly enjoy eating out, and when I pause to think about it, the owner/chef is a very calm and joyous person. Our food supply chain is questionable, too, and it seems the vegetables from happy farmers taste better than mass-produced factory farm output. There is much to consider in this world we live in, but our health and happiness are a direct result of what we put into our bodies and our minds. I make a resolution to watch those last thoughts before sleep and the first hour upon waking. Have a beautiful day, dear Friends …

“Did the careless doctor, the nurse, the cook, and the brusque business visitor sympathetically know the thorns they plant in the pillow of the sick and the heavenly homesick looking away from earth, — Oh, did they know! — this knowledge would do much more towards healing the sick and preparing their helpers for the ‘midnight call,’ than all cries of ‘Lord, Lord!’” Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 364:32-6

Ridding Your Mind of Negativity

 

There are a large number of groups on Facebook devoted to self-improvement and/or spiritual understanding. I belong to Eckhart Tolle, Ram Dass, and David Hoffmeister’s groups — plus a few more. A recurring topic of conversation is people wondering how to release and rid themselves of negativity. We could go on and on with tips and thoughts about how to do this, but today I heard the simplest, most wonderful one I have heard: stop thinking about it. A thought will hurt you; a thought will heal you. BK Shivani gets right to the point without mincing words. She’s my kind of woman! If you’re interested in making some changes in your way of thinking, I highly recommend you look up her youtube videos. 

https://youtu.be/6LEJWeVmOXw

“There is no point in trying to change the world. It is incapable of change because it is merely an effect. But there is indeed a point in changing your thoughts about the world. Here you are changing the cause. The effect will change automatically.” A Course in Miracles Workbook Lesson #23

A Happy Feeling ...

art by J. Clement Wall

judyclementwall.com

Poem by Mary Baker Eddy

"Blest Christmas morn, though murky clouds

Pursue thy way,

Thy light was born where storm enshrouds

Nor dawn nor day.

Dear Christ, forever here and near,

No cradle song

No natal hour and mother’s tear

To Thee belong.

Thou God-idea, Life encrowned,

The Bethlehem Babe—

Beloved, replete, by flesh embound—

Was but Thy shade!

Thou gentle beam of living Love,

And deathless Life!

Truth infinite—so far above

All mortal strife,

Or cruel creed, or earth-born taint:

Fill us today

With all Thou art—be Thou our saint,

Our stay, alway."

MBE