I am a Religious Scientist. No, that's not the same thing as Scientology. Nope, not Christian Science, either. I've spent the last few years at New Vision Center for Spiritual Living, studying Ernest Holmes' philosophy of the Science of Mind and New Thought philosophies. There are a lot of really wonderful teachers out there, writing fantastic books and giving amazing lectures on these ideas: Marianne Williamson, Eckhart Tolle and Michael Beckwith jump to mind. After many years of cobbling together my own ideas about the Universe from a variety of sources (Zen Buddhism, Wicca, and Neo-Paganism, among others) I was thrilled to find a huge group of people who have a similar view on life. Of course, when I'm out in the world and say that I am a Religious Scientist, no one knows what the heck I'm talking about! Here is a basic New Thought primer, from my beloved teacher, Marianne Williamson (from A Return to Love):
"As I began to study A Course in Miracles, I discovered the following things:
- God is the love within us.
- Whether we "follow Him," or think with love, is entirely up to us.
- When we choose to love, or allow our minds to be one with God, then life is peaceful. When we turn away from love, the pain sets in.
- And whether we love, or close our hearts to love, is a mental choice we make every moment of every day."
Simple philosophies are often tricky. Choose love. That sounds easy, right? Sometimes, it is absolutely the easiest, most natural choice in the world. And sometimes, it feels absolutely impossible. Sometimes I have a headache and the kids are making a ridiculous amount of noise. Or one of the ex-spouses is kicking up a ruckus and pushing me to my edge. Sometimes the loving choice of non-judgement feels like an alien, and I can't find a single loving thought to apply to the situation. Marianne has a thought for that, as well:
"I certainly don't pretend to consistently achieve a loving perspective of every situation in my own life. One thing I'm very clear about, however, is that when I do, life works beautifully. And when I don't, things stay stuck."
And over time, with a lot of work, I have "un-stuck" many areas of my life. I am calmer, kinder, more peaceful. I can't think of a better comendation for a way of life: I am happy.Labels: a return to love, eckhart tolle, ernest holmes, Lezli Goodwin, Marianne Williamson, michael beckwith, New Thought, philosophy, religious science, science of mind