Living Green With Actor Ed Begley Jr.

Ed Begley Jr.’s passion for the environment used to earn him stereotyped nicknames like “moonbeam.” Now folks look to the famous actor from “St. Elsewhere” and “This Is Spinal Tap” for inspiration and ideas.

“I live a modern life,” Begley says, “but I put a value on it. The more carefully we consume, the more we can share the world’s resources and protect the environment. I think we can collectively change the world.”

If you walk through Ed Begley Jr.’s yard, you’ll see drought-tolerant plants watered only by Southern California’s rain and “gray water” – the wastewater from his washer, sinks, bathtubs and showers. His home uses solar power, efficient appliances, solar tubes for daylight and a myriad of recycled materials. “If you’re not buying recycled, you’re not really recycling,” he says.

See a video tour of Begley’s energy-efficient home in this wonderful video, “Driven to Sustain.”

Read more in Kent Rautenstraus’ article “Live Simply So Others May Simply Live” in the August 2016 issue of Guide for Spiritual Living: Science of Mind magazine.

Stretching the Good Truth
By Rev. Karen Rice

I’ve always been prone to exaggeration when it comes to good. My congregants have come to know that whatever I’m currently reading is the best book I’ve ever read and whatever new restaurant I’ve tried, or movie I’ve seen will also likely be a favorite.

This special ability to stretch good is an element of the Principle-based teachings of Science of Mind. I don’t see it as stretching truth as much as choosing my experience. It is evident that the world continues to change and not all the change we see is favorable. Yet good remains, no matter what. 

Studies are revealing that people are more inclined to declare an interest in spirituality rather than religion. People want to think and talk about things and decide for themselves what they believe. All of this excites me.

The Science of Mind Philosophy has always attempted to honor all paths to God. We don’t deliver a Sunday sermon but a message. We focus on life, not religion and we invite people to think and participate rather than blindly follow. We have a credible theology and I believe it is courageous and at times passionate in its stand for good for all beings. And what I believe most is that we have something relevant for everyone.

Are You A Pessimist, Optimist or Realist?

Do you find yourself expecting the worst? Many people do. They think if they expect the worst of situations and people, they will never be surprised or disappointed. Then they swear they are realists, not pessimists.

Realists focus on what they can control, says author and speaker Terry Drew Karanen. “If you have a broken zipper, you either repair it or you put on another garment. The pessimist makes a broken zipper into a dramatic mini-series, lamenting about how this always happens to him, he’ll be late for his job and now probably get fired, which means he won’t be able to pay the rent and will soon be homeless. You think I’m kidding. I’m not.”

We can change the world by changing our reactions, Karanen says. “Did the guy who cut you off on the highway do so maliciously, or was he just preoccupied? Did the bus driver really ignore your cheery greeting, or was she deep in thought about her mother who is suffering in the hospital?” Today, he suggests, take the things you can’t control at face value, without attaching a story to them. Then relax and focus on the things you CAN do.

Seeing the Light
By Ernest Holmes

It is interesting that LIGHT should come with an expansion of consciousness. “The light shines in the darkness and the darkness comprehendeth it not.” We all, in varying degrees, enter into this sense – into this illumination – all people have sensed that Truth is Light. If a spiritual treatment could be seen (and a spiritual treatment merely means the mind unifying with Good) it would be seen as a pathway of light. It is not a psychological explosion; it is something which pre-exists.

It is not an illusion but a reality; and it is during these periods that real revelations come. Suppose a large group of people [are] in a [dark] room together, but unaware of each other’s presence; each is busy with his own personal affairs, suddenly the room is illuminated for a second and they all see each other. In flashes of illumination, the inspired have seen into the very center of Reality.

This is an excerpt from “The Science of Mind,” written by spiritual visionary Dr. Ernest Holmes. Read more in the August 2016 issue of Guide for Spiritual Living: Science of Mind magazine.

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