May 18

Science of Mind Magazine Daily Guide for 5/18/08

By Rev. Margaret Stortz

MY STREET

(Hafiz) says our progress on this Journey can be measured only by the intensity of our love; the living flame that illumines all life.

Hafiz, I Heard God Laughing

We are guided daily by Divine Intelligence into paths of peace.

Ernest Holmes, The Science of Mind, page 331

IN one of the neighboring towns near me, there is a street that I drive very frequently.  I use it so much, that I call it “my street.”  I know most of its turns, when its stoplights appear, and I even know when to start looking for two beautiful wisterias that droop masses of blue blossoms during their flowering period.

No matter what may be on my mind when I begin my drive, as soon as I turn on to my street, it is as if I have connected with a comforting friend that reliably takes me to my points of interest.  Lately I have been wondering:  Could these simple, navigational involvements be a metaphor for my dependence upon the sureness of Spirit?

With so many things competing for our attention, and pull us away from our spiritual centers, we need all the aid we can get to remind us of the tracks that lead us on.  With this new insight in mind, I have decided to make active use of a sweet journey I used to take for granted.  When I now turn on to my street, I very consciously remind myself that my deep Spirit always makes straight and perfect my way.

affirmation

God is my true life.  It cannot be otherwise.  God leads me; God trails me; God holds me in the arms of spiritual love.  I am truly grateful for so many reminders that I always move in conscious inner guidance.  Therefore I do not go astray but always get where I need to go.

Re: May 18

365 Tao (by Deng Ming-Dao) # 138

Scholasticism

                    Ocean inside a skull-cup,
                    Seeking the universal code in letters.
                    The mind is like a flower on icy water:
                    An eye within the petals.

The intellect is one of the thorniest problems for a spiritual aspirant.  One cannot do without it - indeed, it is essential - and yet one cannot allow it to remain totally dominant.  The intellect must be fully developed before it is brought to a point of neutrality.  Unless this is done, it will act as a block, and there will not be any ultimate spiritual success.

Scholarship is thus an important first step.  Education is a means of gaining access to the conventional world, of satisfing our curiosity, and of avoiding superstitious tendencies.  There can be no talk of delving into philosophical mysteries if one has not even satisfied one's curiosity about nature, civilization, mathematics, and language.  But once mental cultivation is achieved, one must focus increasingly on a part of the mind that is far beyond the scholarly.

The intellect uses discrimination, categorization, and dualistic distinction in highly sophisticated ways. By contrast, spiritual contemplation involves no discrimination, no categorization, and no dualism, so it has very little need for scholasticism.  It is pure action that requires the totality of our inner beings.  It needs pure involvement, not mere study.  The proper use of the intellect is to give it free play, develop it to an extraordinary degree, and yet to leave it behind when spiritual action is required.  A sage knows how to balance and combine both.

Re: May 18

365 Science of Mind
Ernest Holmes

I now realize there is but One Mind, One Presence in the Universe. This Presence is God—pure, absolute, unadulterated Spirit.

The Divine Presence being everywhere and filling all space must be in me. It must be that which I really am. I recognize It is in me and It is that which I am.

I let this recognition of my indwelling Divinity flow through my entire consciousness. I let it reach down into the very depths of my being. I rejoice in my Divinity.

Again I affirm that the Divine Presence fills all space, including myself. I am full of God; therefore, I am filled with Light. Infinite Intelligence governs every move I make. An All-Wise counselor accompanies me at all times. The Spirit of the Almighty goes before me.

As the light dispels darkness, so this Truth, which I now affirm, dissipates all fear. It breaks down every doubt and casts out all uncertainty. It looses every sense of bondage within my mind; stimulates my imagination with the vision of peace, of joy, and of abundance; and directs my will toward the accomplishment of my desires.

Re: May 18

Science of Mind Daily Guide for 5/18/09
By Rev. Jesse Jennings

AFFIRMATION-SCRIPTING

If you are distressed by anything external, the pain is not due to the thing itself, but to your estimate of it; and this you have the power to revoke at any moment.
Marcus Aurelius, Meditations

Faith is an affirmative mental approach to Reality.
The Science of Mind, page 156

ONE practitioner I know asks, “If you don't know what you want, how would you feel if you did know?”  That's one place we may start in reconfiguring our lives through affirmative prayer.  Another is, if we don't know what we want, we probably do know what we don't want; so what would be its positive opposite?  By habit we may devote much time to the weighing, measuring, and evaluating of whatever condition it is we don't want, how it got here, how long it's been here, and so forth, and may put very little time or energy into imagining what we would like to have come take its place.  Emerson said, “Nature abhors a vacuum,”  Meaning it fills them right and left; so it's up to us to create a vacuum where none was, in our imatination.

How would we have our life be, if it could be any way at all?  How would our preferred daily doings look, sound, and feel to the senses?  Then what?  At intervals along the way, we can claim to ourselves, “In place of what I presently perceive, I choose peace or plenty or power.”  The positive opposites we affirm as our desired reality must be conducive and attractive to feeling in order to happen so let's throw ourselves into the affirmation-scripting business as passionately as we would delve into a favorite hobby, building a new habit base from which to live and love.

Affirmation
Today I practice the presence of Spirit.  This is easy for me to do.  It feels natural.  It is like coming home.  I affirm and declare what I desire as it if it were so, because in truth, it is.

Re: May 18

Daily Word — Monday, May 18, 2009
Inner Peace
With unwavering faith, I release all to God. Peace fills my soul.

At times I may feel that I'm becoming overwhelmed as I carry out the responsibilities and tasks that are expected of me. Circumstances may spiral out of control. Unexpected news may stoke fearful feelings. Then what do I do?

Becoming still, taking a deep breath, I remember the words of a century-old hymn: “It is well with my soul.” I spend a few moments in prayer knowing that all is well in spirit and in truth.

When I want to remove myself from a negative situation, I may take a walk, which energizes my mind and body. My thoughts become clear for positive decision-making and healthy choices.

I relax and release all to the divine order that is perpetually moving in my life. Peace fills my soul.

“Be still, and know that I am God!”–Psalm 46:10

Re: May 18

A Year With Rumi by Coleman Barks