June 1, 2014 - Be Still and Go

photo by Aaron Springston

ACIM Workbook Lesson #182

“I will be still an instant and go home.”

This lesson is asking us to quiet all the hubbub in our existence for just an instance, in order to feel the peace of God which is ours. And so today I will pause for many instants. I will sink deeper into the wonder of Truth, knowing all else is but a made-up dream of existence. When I hear anything which might cause me to think in a defensive way, I'll remember what is true and what is imagined. If the world has decided to live in an attack mode, defending against everything which it deems to be harmful, I will do my part in bringing in the dawn of Truth by accepting spiritual reality and rejecting material myth. An instant is all it takes to feel the presence of God!

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

“As mortals begin to understand Spirit, they give up the belief that there is any true existence apart from God.”

Science & Health Page 282:30-32

May 31, 2014 - Inspired to Aspire

ACIM  Workbook Lesson #151

“All things are echoes of the Voice for God.”

I thought of Eckhart Tolle often today. I've been listening to many of his youtube videos where he speaks to quieting the mind. He goes so far as to say that thinking is an addiction which we can release. I've witnessed excessive thinking in customers who have come into the gallery today. There was the woman who would ask a question and not allow me to answer it before she asked another. Then there was the man who asked things and answered them before I could. Eckhart teaches us how to quiet our busy minds and listen to the silence, being totally present in the moment, enjoying every bit to its fullest. He inspires me to aspire!

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

“As the reflection of yourself appears in the mirror, so you, being spiritual, are the reflection of God. The substance, Life, intelligence, Truth, and Love, which constitute Deity, are reflected by creation; and when we subordinate the false testimony of the corporeal senses to the facts of Science, we shall see this true likeness and reflection everywhere.”

Science & Health Page 516:2-8

May 30, 2014 - There is no Spoon

Ceramic Sculpture by Ken Starbird

ACIM Workbook Lesson #150

Review of: #139 "I will accept Atonement for myself." #140 "Only salvation can be said to cure." The main thought to hold to in this review: “My mind holds only what I think with God."

In the movie, "The Matrix", there were some profound metaphysical principles addressed! I particularly liked when Neo is in what appears to be some sort of center for extraordinary behavior. He goes up to a person bending a spoon without touching it. Neo tries to bend the spoon with his mind, but cannot. He is told that the way to do this is through knowing the truth: The spoon is not there. This is what metaphysical healing is all about. Today's ACIM review tells us that the only cure is the understanding that there is no place where sickness can abide. In other words, the spoon is not there. If we are attempting to change a material condition through metaphysical practice, it's just like trying to bend the spoon with the power of your mind. Only by the knowledge of its unreality is it seen for what it actually is: an idea. We are all ideas of divine Mind. We are all One in this reality. What will this realization unfold in experience today? I am open with no expectations!

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

"The Science of Mind denies the error of sensation in matter, and heals with Truth. Medical science treats disease as though disease were real, therefore right, and attempts to heal it with matter. If disease is right it is wrong to heal it. Material methods are temporary, and are not adapted to elevate mankind."

Science & Health 318:22-27

May 29, 2014 - Translating Matter

ACIM Workbook Lesson #149

Review of: #137 "When I am healed I am not healed alone." #138 "Heaven is the decision I must make." The main thought to hold to in this review: “My mind holds only what I think with God.” 

A dear friend of mine has been told he has cancer. It is in the form of a brain tumor which they have given the beautiful name of astrocytoma. I accompanied he and his wife to the radiologist's office to discuss treatment. All the people working there were positive and caring. Having not been in a doctor's office for more than 20 years, I was a bit out of my element, but happily went along with my dear friends on this adventure. As we waited for our turn with the doctor, there were two people who asked questions concerning how anxious the patient was and other things which could affect treatment. Although I don't know what people's demeanor typically is when they are in this situation, I would guess that the three of us were as cheerful and calm as anyone has ever been in their offices. We calmly talked and laughed while appreciating the beauty of the art on the walls and the kindness of the people. At one point it was requested that we watch a 20-minute video on radiation treatment. During most of this, I read a little booklet entitled "Spiritualizing Thought". Often during the doctor's quiet, knowledgeable prognosis, my mind would go into translation mode. While all these effects may be a given for the medical profession, due to what they have witnessed, my reality is something entirely different, due to what I have witnessed. We are not limited humans, we are evidence of divine being. We are not material, we are spiritual!

Mary Baker Eddy quote:    

"God never ordained a material law to annul the spiritual law. If there were such a material law, it would oppose the supremacy of Spirit, God, and impugn the wisdom of the creator. Jesus walked on the waves, fed the multitude, healed the sick, and raised the dead in direct opposition to material laws. His acts were the demonstration of Science, overcoming the false claims of material sense or law."

Science & Health Page 273:21-29

May 28, 2014 - Down the Rabbit Hole

A Course in Miracles Workbook Lesson #148 Review of:

#135 "If I defend myself I am attacked." #136 "Sickness is a defense against the truth." The main idea to hold to in this review: “My mind holds only what I think with God.”

These two review topics take us all the way down the rabbit hole! If you want feel-good, improve-your-relationships, make-more-money types of reading material, I suggest you stay away from this. And I don't mean that in an ugly way. I've found a momentary recognition of the Truth of Being tends to make me want more, but I've known many people who don't want to go there at all, and that's cool, too. The present beliefs perpetuated in daily life are comfortable to us, and it can be hard to let them go. Even if thought systems aren't working very well, we hold onto them for fear things might be worse. I know how hard it can be to buck the system. Years ago, I took my child out of the medical miasma when they told me there was no cure for his situation. They didn't want to let us go and checked up on us for years. This new way of looking at everything can be frightening, especially if you've convinced yourself you don't like change. So if you start to become afraid while trying on the new thoughts you are having, realize that Love is all there is. Sing a Beatles song or two! Do anything you can to cultivate joy. Live fully in the whirlpool of divine Love! Go all the way down the rabbit hole, knowing every step is sure when you walk with Love. 

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

“Mind, supreme over all its formations and governing them all, is the central sun of its own systems of ideas, the life and light of all its own vast creation; and man is tributary to divine Mind.”

Science & Health Page 209:5-8

May 27, 2014 - Forgiving and Valuing

ACIM Workbook Lesson #147

Review of:

#133 "I will not value what is valueless."

#134 "Let me perceive forgiveness as it is."

The main thought to hold to in this review:

“My mind holds only what I think with God.”

"I can forgive but I'll never forget." How often have we heard those words? If true forgiveness means realizing that the "offense" never happened, then how wonderful it is when we don't even remember the event! Very few things can I dredge up which I thought were so terrible that they would be painful memories forever. But they're not. I honestly can say that nothing stands out in my mind which seems horrible. I think the realization that we're all doing the best that we can in any given situation was the freeing element for me. Now, that may not be what I would deem best, but I really feel that even the most heinous of crimes are perpetrated because the person believes he is serving a higher good of some sort. Perhaps recognizing what is of value and what is valueless is a factor in forgiveness, also. Nothing is of value if it's changeable and transient. So the only things of value are, for example, Life, Truth, and Love. Nothing else really matters. I'm reminded of George Carlin's comedy routine about our "stuff". It puts our so-called valuables in proper perspective! 

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

"Everything good or worthy, God made. Whatever is valueless or baneful, He did not make, -- hence its unreality."

Science & Health Page 525:20-22

May 26, 2014 - What Drives Your Action?

"Afternoon Moon"
painting by Carol Dickie

A Course in Miracles Lesson #146

Review of:

#131 "No one can fail who seeks to reach the truth."

#132 "I loose the world from all I thought it was."

The main thought to hold to in this review:

“My mind holds only what I think with God.”

How do we know if our actions express divine consciousness or if we're simply doing things because we think we should? I recently read about a good test to help us know the difference. Doing involves planning and following steps to get us from here to there. Being, on the other hand, doesn't mean that we just sit around and do nothing, but that we follow our feelings while staying in the present moment. The author, Anita Moorjani, says that she can tell the difference by looking at the emotions behind her everyday decisions. If her actions are the result of fear, she is in the doing mode But if everything she does is driven by passion and a zest for living, then she is Being. As an example, she gives the process of buying a house. There are many steps and plans you might make when deciding between two places, but the ultimate decision would be how you feel about one of them. As I tell people when they're deciding to purchase a piece of art: If it makes you smile, if it brings grace to your life, it's for you!

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

“Science reveals only one Mind, and this one shining by its own light and governing the universe, including man, in perfect harmony. This Mind forms ideas, its own images, subdivides and radiates their borrowed light, intelligence, and so explains the Scripture phrase, 'whose seed is in itself.' Thus God's ideas 'multiply and replenish the earth.' The divine Mind supports the sublimity, magnitude, and infinitude of spiritual creation.”

Science & Health Page 510:28-6