One of the Doors Into the Temple

Spring in the Ozarks - Photo courtesy of Judy Kavan 

Today - a poem by Mary Oliver

Today I’m flying low and I’m

not saying a word

I’m letting all the voodoos of ambition sleep.

The world goes on as it must,

the bees in the garden rumbling a little,

the fish leaping, the gnats getting eaten.

And so forth.

But I’m taking the day off.

Quiet as a feather.

I hardly move though really I’m traveling

a terrific distance.

Stillness. One of the doors

into the temple.

~ Mary Oliver

“A higher and more practical Christianity, demonstrating justice and meeting the needs of mortals in sickness and in health, stands at the door of this age, knocking for admission. Will you open or close the door upon this angel visitant, who cometh in the quiet of meekness, as he came of old to the patriarch at noonday?”
Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 224:21-27

“The Voice of the Holy Spirit does not command, because It is incapable of arrogance. It does not demand, because It does not seek control. It does not overcome, because It does not attack. It merely reminds. It is compelling only because of what It reminds you of. It brings to your mind the other way, remaining quiet even in the midst of the turmoil you may make. The Voice for God is always quiet, because It speaks of peace. Peace is stronger than war because it heals. War is division, not increase. No one gains from strife. What profiteth it a man if he gain the whole world and lose his own soul? If you listen to the wrong voice you have lost sight of your soul. You cannot lose it, but you cannot know it. It is therefore ‘lost’ to you until you choose right.”
A Course in Miracles T-5.II.7:1-14

Small Things Like These

John Currin - Pistachio, 2016.

Small Things Like These is a book written by an Irish woman named Claire Keegan. It is a small book, but carries an important message. As one reviewer said: [this book] "assures us we are all capable of doing the right thing, and that goodness, like misery, can be handed on from man to man." I love that, don’t you? As our book club discussed this beautiful story, we realized how grateful we are for the “small things”. It’s what enables us to be joyful during times of trials. We revel in small things, such as the first flowers of spring; our friendships and family (particularly the grands); our pets and the wonder of nature. Everything. Every little thing. And our gratitude extends to the wonderful kinship our group has grown into over the three decades we’ve been reading together. We have read and discussed over 200 books. We love reading, and we love each other. These things may seem small, but they’re everything.

“Pause and be still a little while, and see how far you rise above the world, when you release your mind from chains and let it seek the level where it finds itself at home. It will be grateful to be free a while. It knows where it belongs. But free its wings, and it will fly in sureness and in joy to join its holy purpose. Let it rest in its Creator, there to be restored to sanity, to freedom and to love.”
A Course in Miracles W-128.6:1-5

“Beauty, wealth, or fame is incompetent to meet the demands of the affections, and should never weigh against the better claims of intellect, goodness, and virtue. Happiness is spiritual, born of Truth and Love. It is unselfish; therefore it cannot exist alone, but requires all mankind to share it.”
Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 57:15-21

A New Way of Seeing

Much of humanity is tired. In my opinion, this is because there seem to be so many problems without solutions. Mass shootings, weather extremes, propaganda coming at us from all directions, and many other conditions occupy our thoughts. One of my earliest experiences with A Course in Miracles was Wayne Dyer’s book, There’s A Spiritual Solution to Every Problem. People have always told me that this way of thinking is too difficult, and they can’t even try to change their beliefs. I often tell people that it is, indeed, simple, but it is not easy. It’s not easy because it is a constant, conscious monitoring and translating of learned behaviors. In the past few years, we have all been tested. When we are bombarded daily by ugliness from leaders and media reporting, it can be tempting to throw up our metaphysical hands and surrender to the sorrow. But let’s not do that, okay?

"In the Apocalypse it is written: 'And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea.' In St. John's vision, heaven and earth stand for spiritual ideas, and the sea, as a symbol of tempest-tossed human concepts advancing and receding, is represented as having passed away. The divine understanding reigns, is all, and there is no other consciousness."
Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 536:1-9

“From new perception of the world there comes a future very different from the past. The future now is recognized as but extension of the present. Past mistakes can cast no shadows on it, so that fear has lost its idols and its images, and being formless, it has no effects. Death will not claim the future now, for life is now its goal, and all the needed means are happily provided. Who can grieve or suffer when the present has been freed, extending its security and peace into a quiet future filled with joy?”
A Course in Miracles - W-314.1:1

Live Out Loud!

Am I alone in this, or is everyone feeling a sense of urgency? The sounds reaching my ears, motorcycles zooming around our small tourist town, feel alive to me. The sunset colors were particularly intense in their brilliance, Every interaction with other people, with my pets, with the flowers — they all feel incredibly important. I’ve always tried to live by the axiom that everything is important; nothing is important. But right here and now, every breath feels wonderfully full of Life. Part of my spiritual study is geared toward understanding the synonyms for God: Mind, Spirit, Soul, Principle, Life, Truth, Love. Perhaps their relationship is finally opening up something in consciousness. I’m tempted to say “my consciousness”, but I’m not sure there is such a thing. Consciousness. Period. I’m wondering if this is how the tiny creatures in our world feel all the time! I’ve always been fond of a dear friend’s tee-shirt which proclaims “Love Out Loud!” Perhaps the time has come to Live Out Loud! 

“Salvation is nothing more than ‘right-mindedness,’ which is not the One-mindedness of the Holy Spirit, but which must be achieved before One-mindedness is restored. Right-mindedness leads to the next step automatically, because right perception is uniformly without attack, and therefore wrong-mindedness is obliterated.” 

A Course in Miracles - T-4.II.10:1-2

“Beyond the frail premises of human beliefs, above the loosening grasp of creeds, the demonstration of Christian Mind healing stands a revealed and practical Science. It is imperious throughout all ages as Christ’s revelation of Truth, of Life, and of Love, which remains inviolate for every man to understand and to practice.” 

Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 98:15

Looking at America Through the Lens of Values

For the last nine years, Lucy Harper has been trying to get Americans to think about their country differently. She has been teaching classes and workshops to instill the idea that America is not a political prize to be fought over, but an idea to be fought FOR. What started her on this journey was becoming part of the Idea of America Network. This organization’s goal is to create a network of Americans who can help their communities look at the country through the lens of values. Ms. Harper says, “When you talk about values and America, everyone knows life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, but the values that really drive the United States are all about balance: freedom and equality, law and ethics, common wealth and private wealth, unity and diversity. How citizens find the balance between these essential but conflicting values determines the nation’s character and direction.” She has now written a play which has many historical characters debating these points. To quote her: “It’s about seeing this as a country of good people. There’s plenty of evidence to the contrary, but we jolly well better see [the good in] people, ... giving people the room to grow – including ourselves.”

“Values are relative, but they are powerful because they are mental judgments.”
A Course in Miracles - T-7.VII.4:3

“Your influence for good depends upon the weight you throw into the right scale. The good you do and embody gives you the only power obtainable … Whatever holds human thought in line with unselfish love, receives directly the divine power.”
Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 192

Life After Hate

There has been a large increase in so-called hate groups in the world. A man named Tony McAleer describes himself as being beaten and bullied as a child; bitter and isolated as a teenager. He became involved in one of these groups while seeking a connection with others. To quote him: "When you're starving and somebody keeps feeding you what you think are your favorite foods, even though it's junk food, there's going to be a while where you're not going to get up from the table." He continued to practice violence and anger until after the birth of his daughter. He said that was the first time in his life he had felt connected to another human being, and he started to want to change. He has now organized a group called "Life After Hate" and is helping others to build relationships with people. He says if we are to counter these groups, we must get to a place where empathy outweighs fear. That is what we are realizing through these studies, too. Light and joy and peace abide in me -- and in everyone!

“Light is a symbol of Mind, of Life, Truth, and Love, and not a vitalizing property of matter. Science reveals only one Mind, and this one shining by its own light and governing the universe, including man, in perfect harmony.." 

Mary Baker Eddy- Science & Health Page 510:27-1

“Why would you not be overjoyed to be assured that all the evil that you think you did was never done, that all your sins are nothing, that you are as pure and holy as you were created, and that light and joy and peace abide in you? Your image of yourself cannot withstand the Will of God. You think that this is death, but it is life. You think you are destroyed, but you are saved.”

A Course in Miracles W-93.4:1-4

Peace Is The Path

Old Friends

Art by Vicky Mount

Few of us have no regrets when we look back on our lives. Sometimes it's tempting to replay instances in our minds and think of ways we could have done things differently. Thich Nhat Hanh was a Vietnamese man who lost his family during the war in the 60s. He spent his life practicing peace and showing others how to do the same. He helped American Vietnam veterans forgive themselves. He told them that no matter how badly they felt, it would never bring back the lives that were lost, but that there are many ways in which to help people today, right here and now. He showed us how to be the Love which we are. Peace Is the Path, he told us. I want to follow that Path, without looking back.

“Look inward now, and you will not behold a reason for regret, but cause indeed for glad rejoicing and for hope of peace. It has been hopeless to attempt to find the hope of peace upon a battleground.”
A Course in Miracles T-29.II.2:8–3:1

"Love inspires, illumines, designates, and leads the way. Right motives give pinions to thought, and strength and freedom to speech and action. 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. Patience must 'have her perfect work.'"
Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 454:18-24