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"I
cry a lot. My emotions are very close to my surface. I don't want to
hold anything in so it festers and turns into pus - a pustule of emotion
that explodes into a festering cesspool of depression."
- Nicolas Cage, Actor
From the Science of Mind:
"Every person has a mental atmosphere
which is the result of all that he has thought, said and done, and
consciously or unconsciously perceived."
I do not know anyone personally who has not had
the experience of the shadow of depression in their lives. In
recent years the number of people experiencing differing degrees of this
appearance has increased dramatically. For some, it is momentary
and fleeting and for others, it is persistent and debilitating. It
is more than sadness or unhappiness, but both can contribute to it.
It can be a feeling that is felt so deeply that we feel defenseless
against it. It can appear out of the blue, or we can be very aware
that it is presenting itself. What we do know, is that it has to
do with our mind. And as Dr. Holmes reveals to us in the Science
of Mind, it is part of our mental atmosphere originating in our thoughts
either consciously or unconsciously perceived.
The healing of the appearance of depression
begins with understanding our spiritual beliefs and ideas about our
relationship with God. For so many of us we believe that as we
study more and more spiritual literature and we become more masterful
with our spiritual practices, that we will be more powerful in our
lives. But, this too, may create a sense of fear and doubt as we
are still depending on our human understanding rather than depending on
God, Infinite Principle. The purpose of our spiritual studies and
our spiritual practices, is to make us more aware of the Power that
works through us ... but It is always the Power. It is our
expectation that we have power that brings us to the brink of
frustration. There is only One Power, and we "use" It
... but, we are never the Power Itself.
In the Science of Mind we know that healing is
not complex, it is simple. It is a matter of directing our mind
towards that which we want to experience, and away from that which we do
not want to experience. If we look at the word
"depression" we can identify it as a contradiction to
"expression" ... and "expressing" is our inherent
nature. We are "expressing" the Spirit of God ... and
when we do not consciously or unconsciously seek to express more of
Life, then we "depress" this movement of Spirit in our
consciousness. Early metaphysical teachers described this as the
"dark night of the soul." Soul, of course, meaning
consciousness.
Most often we become aware that depression is
creeping into our consciousness. It may appear as fatigue,
inattention, sleep disturbances, sadness, deep disappointment, or even
more severe as despair or hopelessness. We cannot heal this
condition if we resist it ... or feel that somehow we can use our human
willpower to overcome it (ego) ... we must consciously and persistently
give this up to God. To know within ourselves that we have
accepted something "unconsciously" that has created the
opening for this shadow to appear in our mind. This is a time to
pray frequently ... to affirm that Spirit is within us ... to pray and
know that our prayer is an announcement of our awareness of God working
in our life.
In the Science of Mind we know that God works
through all channels, and so for some of us this will include working
with psychologists and psychiatrists to find our healing. We must
remember that All Is God and All Is Good ... and refrain from judging
anything that gives us the results that we seek. Remember ...
doctors and medicine are not outside the Infinite Good that God Is.
We will know when we are through with these things and when to depend on
Spirit without their assistance. Until then, we use wisdom and
choose to be healed, and trust in Infinite guidance to direct us to the
things and people that are part of our Divine healing.
I
used the quote from Nicolas Cage for a couple of reasons for this
message. First of all, I greatly admire his honesty and openness.
And for some of us, it is not always easy to let the tears of healing be
okay with us. Tears are a form of authentic release ... and part
of the natural and normal process of healing so many different ideas
that have been imprinted on our consciousness. Let us know that we
can release whatever it is that attempts to create the shadows in our
mind ... there is no power in it ... the Power is in God ... and we can
use this Power, now ... and always.
AND
SO IT IS!
Keep
the faith!
Rev.
Dr. Henry Lee Bates
Visit Rev. Bates BLOG: Living
the Science of Mind
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