Authority

Who’s in charge? Lately I have had several experiences where that question seems to be at the heart of an unsettling situation.

Take the stock market for instance. Panic and fear seem to be in control…which is rippling through micro-economies like housing markets. In Santa Fe, where we have two homes on the market, I am seeing effects of shaken confidence.

Another example is an organization that I do volunteer work for. There is so much going on in this active group — most of it awesome — but sometimes it feels uncontrollable and bordering on chaos.

OK, I admit it…I am most comfortable when there is order all around me. When there is any hint of disordliness, I get to work and figure out how to MAKE it orderly. But that only works if I am in control….hah!

So what do I do when I am not in control? I am not in control of the stock market or the local Santa Fe housing market or even my volunteer organization.

There is only one safe haven for me and that is in prayer. In this prayer the first thought I have is to affirm the allness of the Supreme Being. How big is this allness? Whoa, infinite — but I can define relative qualities such as love, goodness, peace, intelligence, strength, etc. In other words, God’s love is all, goodness is all, intelligence is all…all that is. This includes all of God’s creation, which means us!

I was reading a favorite spirituality book of mine, Science and Health, and I came across a couple of really great statements:

“The artist is not in his painting….The potter is not in the clay;”

In fact, it is the other way around: the painting is first in the thought of the artist, as is the creation of the potter. Pretty obvious, right?

Soooo, using this as a metaphor for the Divine, He/She is not in the creation — rather the creation is in the thought of the Divine. Therefore, the creation must express the Divine.

OK, now I am getting somewhere. Who is in control? Who has authority over all life? The Divine.

But but but…what about fear, panic, disorder, etc.? I certainly can’t control the thinking of another person, let alone millions of people, but I can control my own thinking. And I figure that right now it is really important for me to consistenly align my thoughts with what I understand God to be: abundant good, love, peace, order.

In my activities with others, then, I can express these qualities with assurance and confidence that I am inseparable (as is everyone else!) from His care and guidance. Maybe in this way I can be a kind of flashlight for anyone who is feeling lost or confused.

Hmmm, I just happened to think about that…once I see the light of understanding I’ve really got to share it. Share order, fearlessness, peace, love…one person at a time.

No death is justified

Is it just me or is anyone else rattled by the recent Chinese “death by bad business” events?

Just the other day the CEO of the company that manufactures Sesame Street and Mattel toys in China committed suicide because the toys’ paint contained lead, causing a massive recall and financial ruin for the company. Evidently, the report indicates that it is common for disgraced officials to commit suicide in China.

Last month, the former head of China’s State Food and Drug Administration was executed for taking bribes linked to sub-standard medicines, which caused several deaths.

There is no doubt that bad business decisions that cause the deaths of innocent people should be punished in some appropriate way to enforce right decision-making. But death?

Whether the death is self-inflicted or at the hands of the State, it is not legitimate or justified. It is not a “punishment” that should be tolerated. First, what does it say about a society that believes that death results in good?? Death is bad, any way you look at it. What possible good can come from something so bad?

Second, is it really an effective deterrent to bad business decisions? In the situation of the toy manufacturer, he relied on his supply chain for the paint. It wasn’t even his decision. Has the guilty paint manufacturer committed suicide? Evidently not as no one is really sure where the paint came from so the guilty party is effectively hidden. Since he is hidden, I guess he doesn’t feel compelled to off himself. Hmmm. You gotta get caught. Too bad for the Drug Czar — he got caught.

See, it always comes back to enforcing a MORAL code as a defense against bad decisions….enforcing a desire to do RIGHT. And this only comes from the understanding of good and its benefits. A society that uses death as punishment is pretty far from understanding and encouraging good. (Hey, I am not singling out China here, BTW.)

In any progressive society, IMHO, there needs to be an ethical standard that is the basis for the “rule of law.” This ethical standard comes from a collective acceptance. Now, the standard is likely comprised of many elements, but there is one that is pretty darn commonly accepted among a majority of people. And that is, “Do to others as you would have them do to you.”

I’m not saying everyone follows this (heaven!!) but most people KNOW it…and various laws are established to ensure that societal behavior approximates this standard more often than not.

Think how different it would have been for the Food and Drug Czar if he had been morally bound to “Do to others…” No amount of money would have compelled him to allow sub-standard meds to get out into the marketplace because he would never have wanted someone to do that to himself or his family. And the toy manufacturer would have required verified lead-free paint to ensure the best quality for his products.

“Do to others as you would have them do to you” is a spiritual law. A death penalty cannot enforce a spiritual law. They are two totally different realms: night from day, bad vs good, darkness and light. The spiritual law must come from a spiritual context of life; there is no allowance for death in that.

I am not pointing the finger at China and saying “Fix that.” How could I? I live in a country that has an astounding “rule of law” enforcing fairness, yet has multiple Enrons…and supports the death penalty?

Rather, I am despairing that we haven’t enough critical mass living — hey DEMANDING — lives according to the Golden Rule. It’s right there in front of us, we know it is the best way to live….why is it so hard?

The divine economy

Whew. Is there not a better time to think about the economy in spiritual terms? As I write this the stock market has had its 2nd worse day in 2007, tumbling over 387 points. This on top of the losses over the last couple of weeks. One of the market analysts observed that “The fear is feeding on itself. It’s what you don’t know that seems to be taking over the market.”

Ooof, fear. The very thing that needs to be healed FIRST, whatever the situation. Actually, in my experience, fear is the ONLY thing that needs to be healed. Because when fear is eliminated — fear of another power besides God, fear of many minds competing with the one Mind, fear of any controlling influence other than good, harmony, Love, and fear of any existence other than God-created reality — the symptoms of the fear disappear. Reasonable, no?

Where I live, in Santa Fe, New Mexico, there is a significant financial impact by individuals who rely on stock market profitability for their daily income. These are tourists who support the hospitality and art businesses as well as Santa Feans who live here and support the general economy. Specifically, in a micro-economic view, my husband and I have two considerable pieces of property for sale, targeted to these kinds of people.

So I am thinking a lot about the difference between the financial economy in the news and the divine economy I’ve learned about in the Bible and Science and Health.

“Economy” derives from the French or Latin words meaning “house management.” In Webster’s 1828 dictionary (more on this in a minute), it means “Primarily, the management, regulation and government of a family or the concerns of a household; System of management; general regulation and disposition of the affairs of a state or nation, or of any department of government.”

The current Webster (Merriam-Webster) definition builds on this and adds more stuff, specifically “a system especially of interaction and exchange” which I take to mean “supply and demand.”

Supply and demand appear to be very chaotic recently. Mostly too much supply, not enough demand. I am seeing this in our real estate market and it just seems to be mirroring the stock market.

But in the atmosphere of Spirit, divine Mind, where all life is created and managed in the order of consistent and constant harmony, can there ever be more supply than demand, or more demand than supply? If that was possible, then that would mean that the Divine created inequities, imbalance, excesses and scarcity.

The understanding of God that I get from studying Science and Health and the Bible describes the God of Love, goodness, superabundance, universal spiritual riches. There are no inequalities.

In fact, there is a very pointed verse in 2nd Corinthians addressing this:

“For I mean not that other men be eased, and ye be burdened: But by an equality, that now at this time your abundance may be a supply for their want, that their abundance also may be a supply for your want: that there may be equality.”

To me, this is a description of the divine law of supply and demand. That it is always in balance, every moment. And why not? It is all happening in the consciousness of Mind. Put another way, Mind is supplying infinite spiritual ideas — divine resources — and Mind is demanding their use. Mind’s supply = Mind’s demand, and vice versa.

To think that anything else is happening in the universe of spirit is to allow for another power opposed to God. You know what? Talk about fear — if I thought there was another power equal to God it would surely scare the socks off of me!! But there isn’t another power causing imbalance or disorganization…therefore nothing to be afraid of.

Mary Baker Eddy is even more pointed and emphatic in Science and Health:

“…evil has in reality neither place nor power in the human or the divine economy.”

Eddy wrote these words in the late 1800’s which is why I like to consult the Webster’s 1828 dictionary to get specific understanding of her statements. Consider the Webster’s 1828 definition above in relation to the quote. To me, it is so much bigger than “financial economy”, yet includes it too. Everything about the management of mankind is governed by the Divine, the spiritual Creator, which has dominion over ALL, including the human condition.

Everything God does is for the good of humanity. We are the beneficiaries of His wealth of love, abundance, peace, happiness. There is nothing too much causing too little. Every aspect of our lives, governed by Mind, is in perfect balance, blessing us and blessing others.

Knowing this, believing this to be true — what is there to fear?

More God in the news

I seem to be on a specific focus right now, looking for evidence in culture/media that identifies how people think about God. It’s kind of a key indicator, actually, as to what motivates people to act: last year Gallup and Baylor University conducted an exhaustive study that determined that how people define God deeply influences their actions in society.

This certainly is true in my own experience. God to me is all Love, good, peace, joy, compassionate, etc. etc. And I believe that my truest self is the image and likeness of Him. Therefore, for me to act in accord with my truest self, I must strive to be compassionate, joyous, peaceful, good, etc. every day. This is my heart’s desire, and while I am not successful all the time, I know what the ideal is. To do the “highest right” informs my thoughts, my reasoning and my decision-making about all kinds of daily activities.

So I have been interested to see how others relate their actions to what they understand God to be. My last blog on Kathleen Kennedy Townsend was about that. And then today in the news I see something about Sinead O’Connor’s latest album, entitled “Theology.”

You might remember that fifteen years ago Sinead made big news by tearing up a photo of Pope John Paul II during a live performance on national television. Don’t know what her specific beef was, but I am reasonably sure she was making a statement about her dissatisfaction with the Catholic church.

OK, fast forward 15 years to her latest album which is all about God. O’Connor sings about love, hope and worship…and says it is her small response to what is going on politically and spiritually in the world since 9/11. She says she wanted to convey the benevolent side of God as opposed to an angry God who, she believes, “gets libeled every day.”

Wow. Is this not cool? Two well-known women within the last week are using their platforms to publically broadcast their understanding of God as Love and to denounce any portrayal of Him as judgmental, angry, hateful.

I believe there are TONS of people who believe that God is good, love and harmony. But to read the news about all the horrible conflict in the world, allegedly in the “name of God”  (the definition of Whom is evidently the biggest conflict of all), anyone who has not made up their mind yet would be challenged to agree.

What is needed, then, is for the people who understand God to be Love to make it known: live the life as His reflection, voice what you believe, challenge the negative view with proof of His loving care in your own life.

None of this changes who God really is….but society can change with a better understanding of His universal, unconditional and superabundant love for all of us.

The Nation hears about God

All you Stephen Colbert fans out there know that Stephen is always addressing his “Nation” — the Colbert Nation of supporters. A couple of nights ago, this Nation heard Kathleen Kennedy Townsend describe her understanding of an unconditionally loving God embracing all humanity versus a politically-defined God who is only concerned with abortion, gay rights and stem-cells. To her, one is a universal God, the other is a small, limited and highly niched one.

Townsend is promoting her latest book Failing America’s Faithful: How Today’s Churches are Mixing God with Politics and Losing Their Way. She was Colbert’s featured guest and really REALLY held her own with him, which is not easy to do. But I guess growing up with 10 sisters and brothers in a wildly rambunctious family (The Kennedys) has paid off. She held her own in the early dialogue skirmishes (rite of passage with Colbert) as he tried to throw her off her game (just to test her firmness, I figure). And THEN, at mid-point, Colbert let her roll as she was clearly resonating with the audience.

Why? Because Townsend was describing a spiritual foundation for caring for all humanity, whatever their needs are — the poor, the suffering — regardless of political affiliation. We all, as being created by God in His image and likeness (her words ) have a responsibility to do this as this is a commandment, Love your neighbor as yourself (Yep, she quoted Jesus Christ!).

OK, here Kathleen Kennedy Townsend is on one of the smartest comedy-news shows (with kudos to the Daily Show) — former 2-term Lt. Governor of Maryland, former Deputy Assistant Attorney General in the Clinton administration, a multi-generation DNA-infused Democrat — and she is basing her public service on the BIBLE….and the audience is applauding!!

I love this! Townsend wasn’t proselytyzing her own brand of faith, she was espousing a way of life that most spiritual practices unite on…love thy neighbor as thyself. With this as your foundation, it informs your daily decisions about what to do, what to support, how to spend your money…even how to vote.

Right on Kathleen. Tell the TV audience how to ground their decision-making in a more expansive and inclusive and spiritual way, and tell the TV audience about the God of Love.

Conscious decisions

I was in college (sophomore year at UC Berkeley) when I made my first conscious decision to rely on spiritual means (the healing practice of Christian Science) to heal a physical problem. Up until that time, I really didn’t think about any other option since my family always turned to prayer first…and no matter what the problem was, we were always healed.

But this time, my mom asked me to decide what I wanted to do: rely on prayer or take medicine for pain relief. Several hours earlier I had all four wisdom teeth removed and the novocaine had worn off. I was in a LOT of pain and, to be honest, prayerful thoughts were pretty sporadic. But I was trying

I know my mom was praying too. Usually our prayers started with affirming the allness of God and His love for each of His children, including me. Because He is Love and the creator of all, He would never, ever create suffering or even a condition that could cause suffering. In fact, His love for me is like an impenetrable shield, protecting me from any kind of attack. I am a spiritual entity, a reflection of God, so how could anything physical have power over my spiritual condition? How could any matter challenge the allness of All?

This kind of metaphysical reasoning as a kid had healed me of effects of allergic reactions, measels, pneumonia to name a few. I had total confidence in the ability of God to heal me, whatever the problem.

So when my mom asked me for the first time EVER if, for this pain, I wanted to use painkillers instead of prayer, I was actually startled! My response was immediate and emphatic: “No! I want to rely on Christian Science!”

The pain stopped right then and there. And I fell asleep. Over the next couple of days the swelling and bruising subsided and I went back to school on Monday morning with no effects whatsoever.

Here’s what I think happened….when my mom asked me to choose, it had the effect of waking me out of a bad dream. There was, in fact,  NO choice to me — I was so sure that God and prayer would take away the pain that at that moment that very clarity and confidence did just that.

I read this quote from Science and Health the other day that kind of sums up the basis for why I felt so strongly that God would heal me:

“Insist vehemently on the great fact which covers the whole ground, that God, Spirit, is all, and that there is none beside Him.”

Fear and doubt are the first things to eliminate in prayer. Conviction and clarity about God’s all-power resolve away the illusion of error having any power. And, no surprise, with fear eliminated, the effects of error are eliminated as well.