Decisions, Decisions …

Photo credit: Gerry Toler

Many of us have difficulty making decisions. We make lists of pros and cons, look at the situation from all directions, think we have it figured out, and then something changes and we must start again. Usually I don’t worry about making choices, because I’ve learned that trusting intuition is the way to go. Rather than becoming anxious about what is the right thing to do and wondering if I’m going to make a mistake, I turn toward the choice which brings a peaceful smile. Sometimes we come up against a situation where nothing feels right. When this happens, I like to trust being kind rather than right. But what if neither course of action seems kind or right?? Perhaps I would go to Chapter 30 in A Course in Miracles text, the section on Rules for Decision: “Today I will make no decisions by myself. This means that you are choosing not to be the judge of what to do. But it must also mean you will not judge the situations where you will be called upon to make response. For if you judge them, you have set the rules for how you should react to them. And then another answer cannot but produce confusion and uncertainty and fear.”
A Course in Miracles T-30.I.2:2-6

“The science of music governs tones. If mortals caught harmony through material sense, they would lose harmony, if time or accident robbed them of material sense. To be master of chords and discords, the science of music must be understood. Left to the decisions of material sense, music is liable to be misapprehended and lost in confusion. Controlled by belief, instead of understanding, music is, must be, imperfectly expressed. So man, not understanding the Science of being, — thrusting aside his divine Principle as incomprehensible, — is abandoned to conjectures, left in the hands of ignorance, placed at the disposal of illusions, subjected to material sense which is discord. A discontented, discordant mortal is no more a man than discord is music.” 

Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 304:22-4

Reporting Facts

"I'm Chet Huntley, and I'm David Brinkley." We never doubted they were reporting facts. It was, after all, the news. In the 1980s, the Christian Science Monitor started a cable television news network. They were the first, and no one wanted to watch the news all day long. I wonder how different news reporting would be had we experienced what it meant to report with their motto: "to injure no man but to bless all mankind". The political polarization in the 21st century is obscene. News channels say they are telling the truth, but their lies are blatantly transparent, only requiring a modicum of research to prove they are playing us, feeding our fears and insecurities. Some news stations report facts, but only ones they want us to hear. A few try to find truthful middle ground, but other networks malign them so much that many people have no idea what to believe. When I hear an outlandish headline, I do a quick search on that exact headline; it is either true or it's not. I occasionally go to Snopes.com just to see what sort of craziness is making the rounds. My point is, anyone can find out if something is true or if it's a story with the purpose of scaring us or turning us against someone or a group of people. It is imperative to do the work in order to be informed in this age of misinformation. And it’s fun!

"When error strives to be heard above Truth, let the 'still small voice' produce God's phenomena. Meet dispassionately the raging element of individual hate and counteract its most gigantic falsities." Mary Baker Eddy - Miscellany Page 249

“Be still and listen to the truth today. For each five minutes spent in listening, a thousand minds are opened to the truth and they will hear the holy Word you hear. And when the hour is past, you will again release a thousand more who pause to ask that truth be given them, along with you.” A Course in Miracles W-106.9:1-3

Supply is Giving

Photo courtesy of Blake Lasater

I love the teachings of Joel Goldsmith, and many mornings I will open up one of his books at random. This morning, I picked up “A New Concept of Supply” and immediately saw this sentence: “Supply is not getting; supply is giving.” He goes on to tell us that giving is not necessarily monetary, but it could be giving UP something, such as jealousy, hatred, or anger. Concerning money, he says sending out a dime into the world with the attitude of giving freely, with no thought for recognition or someone’s gratitude, is the key to starting the flow of supply. This is a tough concept for many of us, because we’ve been taught that the more we give, the less we have. We have a feeling that there is not enough to go around and we must hold on to everything we can get. In developing the consciousness of supply, we first must realize that supply is invisible and infinite; it is Spirit. It can be difficult to grasp the concept that giving is getting (and it’s actually more a releasing of thought than a grasping of it), but once the flow begins circulating, it’s easier to “take no thought...”, as Jesus recommended time and again.

“The belief that money and property constitute supply has been accepted for so many years that most people rely on them for their security; and then when, through the devaluation of the currency or through a world-wide depression or for some other reason beyond their control, billions disappear, they feel that their world has collapsed. Students of spiritual wisdom must come to the realization that they have no supply outside their own being, that supply lies in something that cannot be known through the physical senses: Supply is the Infinite Invisible.”
Joel Goldsmith

“Today we practice with the special case of giving and receiving. We will use this simple lesson in the obvious because it has results we cannot miss. To give is to receive. Today we will attempt to offer peace to everyone, and see how quickly peace returns to us. Light is tranquility, and in that peace is vision given us, and we can see.”
A Course in Miracles W-108.6:3–7:5

“In the scientific relation of God to man, we find that whatever blesses one blesses all, as Jesus showed with the loaves and the fishes, — Spirit, not matter, being the source of supply.”
Mary Baker Eddy - Science and Health Page 206 : 15-18

True Purpose

Unknown artist 

If you’re like me, you enjoy listening to people’s descriptions of Near Death Experiences.  When we hear these stories, we may think the tellers have vivid imaginations; perhaps because of their similarity, we see it as proof of our Oneness. It’s fascinating to think of the possibilities of existence beyond this plane to which we cling. A YouTube video title caught my attention recently. There was a young woman pictured with the words: Earth is Just a School, by Jane Thompson. As I listened to this woman tell of dying and returning to her body, I was reminded of my favorite teachings. Almost everything she said brought to mind statements from A Course in Miracles or Mary Baker Eddy. She speaks of healing our trauma, forgiving our parents, and the need to feel complete in order to live out our true purpose. And what is our real purpose? Where we are at each moment, that is our real purpose. We are all evolving and learning, and how we react to everything which happens is our education. But we must not forget that every school has a playground. Having fun is a huge part of this school! And becoming quiet enough to hear the messages coming through for us — in order to hear where intuition is leading, to allow synchronicities to be noticed, to feel the all-encompassing Love of the universe, we must practice allowing divine Mind to lead the way. Put this intention out there, and get ready for change!

“The admission to one’s self that man is God’s own likeness sets man free to master the infinite idea. This conviction shuts the door on death, and opens it wide towards immortality. The understanding and recognition of Spirit must finally come, and we may as well improve our time in solving the mysteries of being through an apprehension of divine Principle. At present we know not what man is, but we certainly shall know this when man reflects God.” Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 90:24-31

“O my child, if you knew what God wills for you, your joy would be complete! And what He wills has happened, for it was always true. When the light comes and you have said, ‘God’s Will is mine,’ you will see such beauty that you will know it is not of you. Out of your joy you will create beauty in His Name, for your joy could no more be contained than His. The bleak little world will vanish into nothingness, and your heart will be so filled with joy that it will leap into Heaven, and into the Presence of God. I cannot tell you what this will be like, for your heart is not ready.⁷Yet I can tell you, and remind you often, that what God wills for Himself He wills for you, and what He wills for you is yours.” 

A Course in Miracles T-11.III.3:1-7

Creating Compassion Through Education

A short documentary has been made about a ship, the SS Quanza, and the 83 mostly Belgium Jewish people who were trying to enter the United States in 1940. Many ships had been turned away at that time, with hundreds of their passengers returned to their homeland for extermination. This ship’s youngest passenger, Annette Yachmann, is still living and enjoying a happy life teaching writing at a community college in New York and being a grandmother. She recalls the horror of being trapped on the ship, but is grateful that she was with her mother. She is vocally rebelling against the treatment of children who are separated from their parents as they attempt to enter the United States. The maker of this film, Laura Seltzer-Duny, tells of Eleanor Roosevelt’s extraordinary efforts to bring these people into our country. She also documents the efforts of others who were integral in the humanitarian effort, including a married couple who were lawyers and used maritime law to stalls the ship’s return to Europe. The movie is called “Nobody Wants Us”. It was made with the hope of educating people on the plight of immigrants and the historical fate of those turned away. Education is essential in creating compassion. This is a perfect example. Today I will look for ways to foster compassion, through education. 

"Spirit, God, gathers unformed thoughts into their proper channels, and unfolds these thoughts, even as He opens the petals of a holy purpose in order that the purpose may appear."
Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 506:18-21

“Let us join together in a holy instant, here in this place where the purpose, given in a holy instant, has led you. And let us join in faith that He Who brought us here together will offer you the innocence you need, and that you will accept it for my love and His.”
A Course in Miracles T-19.IV-D.9:6-7

The Voice of Immutable Harmony

Photo courtesy of Aaron Springston

I’ve been pondering the difference in belief and understanding. Some people are blindly following leaders, while others have the questioning attitude which insists on answers. Do we practice by-rote actions, or make thoughtful decisions based on evidence? Some folks have the belief that God has ordained how things should or should not be done, so they never question themselves or the leaders they choose to follow. Maybe we’ve fallen into habits, perhaps without questioning if they are necessary or productive — or even fun. Well, there certainly is much to think about, isn’t there? One thing I do know: When I wake up and meditate and do some deep thinking and study, the day goes smoothly and unfolds joyously. When I wake up and listen to reports of people’s crazy behavior before I’m centered, everything seems difficult. With a rocky start to the day, I’m not mindfully aware and may misplace things, or perhaps become irritated over nothing (or something!). Since I know I can’t change that guy over there, I will wake up tomorrow and do my best to listen and follow with the wisdom innately lllmine as a reflection of divine Mind.

“Life, Truth, and Love are the realities of divine Science. They dawn in faith and glow full-orbed in spiritual understanding. As a cloud hides the sun it cannot extinguish, so false belief silences for a while the voice of immutable harmony, but false belief cannot destroy Science armed with faith, hope, and fruition.”
Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 298:2-7

“For faith brings peace, and so it calls on truth to enter and make lovely what has already been prepared for loveliness. Truth follows faith and peace, completing the process of making lovely that they begin. For faith is still a learning goal, no longer needed when the lesson has been learned. Yet truth will stay forever.”
A Course in Miracle T-19.I.15:2-5

I Hope You’ll Join Us

“DAWN OF HOPE” by Daniel Gerhartz

 “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.” 

John Lennon - Imagine, 1971.