Sharing a Morning Ritual

In the November 2020 issue of Guide for Spiritual Living: Science of Mind magazine, one of Religious Science’s most beloved figures, Rev. Dr. Marilyn Leo, shares parts of her living legacy with readers. She also shares the ritual with which she begins each morning.

After dressing and preparing for the day, she sits at her dining table with her stacks of reading materials. Here is what she shares about her morning ritual:

1. “I begin with the Science of Mind.” She may choose from 365: Science of Mind or The Science of Mind in One Year or the first edition of The Science of Mind textbook. She tracks on a calendar which pages she’s read.
2. She includes the Science of Mind “Declaration of Principles — What we Believe” and a treatment from Thomas Troward.
3. Right now she includes Creative Mind and Success.
4. Next is Voice Celestial.
5. She reads in preparation for a class she might be taking.
6. She is re-reading a series of books by Baird T. Spalding, Life and Teaching of the Masters of the Far East.
7. “And, of course, there is a novel,” she adds.

A 3-Minute Practice for Resilience

and Stress Reduction

Greg Hammer, M.D., shares a 3-minute mindfulness practice for gaining resilience and reducing stress in the November 2020 issue of Science of Mind magazine. He calls this practice GAIN, which relies on the four pillars of gratitude, acceptance, intention and non-judgment.

He explains the pillars this way:

1. Gratitude. “We all have much to be grateful for. … As bad as things are, they could be much worse. We do indeed have reasons to be grateful.”
2. Acceptance. “Let’s open our hearts to the pain and suffering of others and ourselves and abide there, accepting those feelings.”
3. Intention. “Simply thinking of three good things that happened during our day as we prepare for bed each evening improves our sleep and happiness.”
4. Non-Judgment. “The process of constantly categorizing and judging is exhausting and detracts from our happiness… Thankfully, there is an alternative — we can simply view the world and ourselves with open minds and hearts and adopt a sort of ‘benevolent indifference.’”

Dr. Hammer asserts that the GAIN practice can help us be more present, more mindful, more resilient and, thereby, happier.

Love: The Only Reality

—by Ernest Holmes

Love is a universal language, interpreted through every living soul and understood by all. Love will find the solution to every problem, will answer every question and will ultimately vanquish every foe.

Love begets tolerance, tolerance begets understanding, an understanding able to put itself in the other person’s place.

Love is unity, understanding, harmony. … Love would sit within every person, flowing through and permeating one’s entire being. …

Love is a synonym for God, the universal outpouring of the Spirit through law, wisdom, life and action. God knows us in love. We know God only through love. When we love humanity, we are loving God, in and through others.

It is impossible to enter a state of peace without love. Love is the only reality there is.

— Excerpted from A Holmes Reader on Practical Wisdom.

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