Keep a True Lent, by Charles Fillmore, [1953], at sacred-texts.com
Keep a True Lent, by Charles Fillmore, [1953], at sacred-texts.com
Man's body temple is the outer expression of the Garden of Eden, which God gave him to keep and to trim. Man's primary work in the earthly consciousness (the Garden) is to use his creative power to preserve harmony and order in his world, and to conserve his powers for divine direction.
The Garden of Eden represents a region of being within, in which are provided all primal ideas for the production of the beautiful. It represents the elemental life and intelligence placed at the disposal of man, through which he is to evolve a spiritual mind and a spiritual body.
The Garden is the spiritual body in which man dwells when he brings forth thoughts after the pattern of the original divine ideas. The Garden is the substance of God.
God's greatest gift to man is the power of thought, through which he can incorporate into his consciousness the Mind of God.
There are twelve gates which open into this wonderful Garden of Eden. These gates are the twelve faculties of mind: faith, strength, wisdom, love, power, imagination, understanding, will, law or order, zeal, renunciation, life. Each faculty, through the most accelerated mind action, as in prayer, has been purified and therefore opens into the very heart of the Holy City within.
I affirm: "My body is the temple of God, cleansed, purified, undefiled, made perfect. Praise God!"
Faith
6th Day, Tuesday. Read Hebrews 11:1-12.
Faith is the perceiving power of the mind linked with a power to shape substance. It is spiritual assurance, the power to do the seemingly impossible. It is a force that draws to us our heart's desire right out of the invisible spiritual substance. It is a deep inner knowing that that which is sought is already ours for the taking, the "assurance of things hoped for."
Faith working in spiritual substance accomplishes all things. This is the faith that co-operates with creative law. Exercised in spiritual consciousness, it finds its abode, and without variation or disappointment it brings results that are seemingly miraculous.
Faith in the reality of things spiritual develops the faith center in man's brain. When the mental eye is illumined with faith, it sheds a radiance that hovers like a halo around the head and extends in lessening degree throughout the whole body. "When thine eye is single, thy whole body also is full of light."
The halo that the early artists painted around the heads of the saints was not imaginary, but real. This illuminating power of faith covers the whole
constitution of man, making him master of all the forces centering about spiritual consciousness.
I realize that my faith in the invisible is building a real abiding substance in my mind and in my body. Spiritual ideas grow quickly when planted in the rich soil of my mind, and my body temple changes accordingly.
I affirm: "I have faith in the glorious infusion of the more abundant life of Christ vitalizing me. I am lifted up and healed."
Strength
7th Day, Wednesday. Read Matthew 4:1-11.
Strength is freedom from weakness; stability of character, power to withstand temptation. It is the force or power to do, capacity to accomplish. "The name of Jehovah is a strong tower; the righteous runneth into it, and is safe." Strength originates in Spirit; the thought and the word spiritually expressed bring the manifestation.
Jesus is the greatest teacher. He is the type that I am striving to follow, not only in spiritual culture and in mind culture, but in body culture. By faithfully studying and using the methods of Jesus I am bringing forth the very best that is in me.
Through Christ the mind and the body of man have the power of using strength on various planes of consciousness. I affirm that I am steadfast and strong in thought and in deed, and thus I am
establishing strength in soul and in body. I refuse to let the thought of weakness enter my consciousness, but always ignore the suggestion and affirm myself to be a tower of strength within and without.
Supreme strength as demonstrated by Jesus can be attained by one who trusts in Spirit and conserves his vital substance. The strength of Spirit is necessary to the perpetuation of soul and body and to the overcoming of death.
As I relax more and more and lift my consciousness to harmonize with the ever-present perfect Mind, I am invigorated and restored to stabilizing power. No harm can befall me. I am made strong through Spirit.
I affirm: "The joy of the Lord is a wellspring within me, and I am established in divine strength."
Wisdom
8th Day, Thursday. Read Matthew 7:1-12.
Wisdom is of Spirit. One can get flashes of understanding at any time, but the clear light of the Supreme shines steadily on us as we become obedient and receptive to the Supreme's monitions. Jesus always listened for the "inner voice," and was obedient to it in His meek and lowly work among the humblest class of men.
Spiritual discernment always places wisdom above the other faculties of mind. It is pure knowing, and comes by kindling the inner light. "The wisdom
that is from above is first pure, then peaceable."
This means that as I call the righteous judge into action I may find my standards of right and wrong undergoing rapid changes, but if I hold steadily to the Lord as my supreme guide, I shall be led into all righteousness.
As I dwell upon this all-knowing faculty within, I become conscious of the Christ radiance lighting my mind, and my whole being is illumined. My thoughts are quickened through their conscious relationship to Spirit. I am flooded with new life, which raises my organism above the disintegrating thought currents of the earth; and thus I am not only redeeming my mind, but am also saving the flesh from corruption.
Spiritual understanding reveals that the resurrection of the body from death is not to be confined to Jesus, but is for all men who comprehend Truth and apply it as Jesus applied it.
Realizing that I am awakening to the reality of my higher self, I affirm: "Christ within me is my glory. The brightness of His presence wipes out all darkness, and I am filled with life and light."
Love
9th Day, Friday. Read I John 4:7-21.
Love, in Divine Mind, is the idea of universal unity. In expression, it is the power that joins and binds together the universe and everything in it. Love is a harmonizing, constructive power. When it
is made active in consciousness, it conserves substance and reconstructs, rebuilds, and restores man and his world.
As I make a perfect union between my mind and the loving mind of the Father, I realize a goodness everlasting and joy beyond expression. The point of contact is a willingness and a seeking on my part. "Seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you."
Love is that mighty power, that divine quality of God that is expressing through all mankind, and cannot be suppressed by any outside force. I now firmly declare that it is expressing through me, and that no environment or external condition can hinder it. Any unloving condition of the world is no bar to my exercise of love; in fact, it is an incentive.
I am not afraid to pour out my love on all the so-called evil of the world. I deny the appearance of evil, and affirm the omnipotence of love and goodness.
The word love overcomes hate, resistance, opposition, obstinacy, anger, jealousy, and all other error states where there is mental or physical friction. As divine love enters into the thought process, every cell of my body is poised and balanced in space, in right mathematical order as to weight and relative distance.
In quietness and confidence, I affirm: "God, in His love, fills me with new life. In His name I am cleansed, strengthened, and healed."
Power
10th Day, Saturday. Read Luke 4:31-44.
Man controls his thoughts and his feelings by the use of his innate power. A quickening from on high must precede his realization of dominion. "Ye shall receive power, when the Holy Spirit is come upon you."
Man is the power of God in action. The power to control his thinking is the highest gift given to man. There is a universal, creative force that urges man forward to the recognition of the creative power of individual thought.
The word Jehovah (Christ) is charged with spiritual power far above and beyond any other word in human language.
The power center in the throat is the open door between the formless and the formed worlds of vibration pertaining to the expression of sound. When the voice has united with the life of the soul, it takes on a sweetness and a depth that one feels and remembers. But sweeter and deeper still is the voice of one who has made union with Spirit and can say with Jesus, "Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away."
I cultivate a loving attitude of mind toward everybody, and my voice is rich, warm, and mellow. As I pray and realize spiritual dominion, I feel vital and energetic and my voice is strong and vibrant and brilliant. Through these vibrations I feel
the power of unity with the higher self more quickly than in any other way. "All power is given unto me in heaven [mind] and in earth [body]."
In His name I affirm: "All the issues of my life are stirred to action by the quickening Christ power, and I have dominion over my thoughts and my feelings."
Imagination
2d Sunday. Read Acts 10:9-35.
The imagination is that faculty of mind which images and forms. Everything that is manifest was first a mental picture and was brought into expression by this forming power. Man accumulates a mass of ideas about substance and life, and with his imagination he molds them into shape.
Those who look to the Holy Spirit for guidance find that its instruction is given to all who believe in Christ, and the command is to make all things after the pattern shown Moses on the Mount as found in Exodus 25:40.
The Spirit of truth projects into the chamber of imagery pictures that, rightly understood, will be a sure guide for all people who believe in the omnipresence of mind. The imagination will carry out any idea or set of ideas that the I AM reflects into it, hence theories are not to be trusted. There must be evidence in works. This is accomplished by the working power of the world.
With my imagination I lay hold of perfect ideas and clothe them with substance. My body is the product of my mind. In my communication with God, the imagining power of my mind is playing an important part. It receives divine ideas, and in dreams and visions reflects their character in the consciousness. According to the Scriptures this is the opening of the heavens and the seeing the "angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man."
With my imagination fixed on Spirit, I affirm: "In the quietness and confidence of Spirit, I see myself as God sees me, His perfect image and likeness."
Understanding
11th Day, Monday. Read Luke 2:40:52.
Spiritual understanding is the ability of the mind to apprehend and realize the laws of thought and the relation of ideas one to another. It is that something through which we understand God and ourselves.
Understanding reveals that love and wisdom should work together, that power should be expressed through love, and zeal should be tempered with wisdom.
Intellectual understanding comes first in the soul's development, then a deeper understanding of Principle follows, until the whole man ripens into wisdom.
Those who are being educated in Truth through the power of the word will finally arrive at the place where the true light from Spirit will dawn on them, and they will see with spiritual understanding and have proof of the reality of the Christ Mind.
I realize that God is supreme knowing. That in me which comprehends is understanding; it knows and compares in wisdom. Its comparisons are not made in the realm of form, but in the realm of ideas. Understanding is that in me which knows how to accomplish things. I claim my Christ understanding at all times.
If willfulness of the mortal tries to take over, I gently deny it power, and affirm for spiritual understanding. At all times I hold for absolute freedom in the Lord. God is the one principle; we are all as free to use God as we are free to use the principle of mathematics or music. The principle never interferes, but if it is to be rightly applied, I must develop understanding.
I affirm: "Divine understanding in me unites with the Holy Spirit, and I always know what to do."
Will
12th Day, Tuesday. Read John 1:1-18.
The will is the executive power of the mind. The commandments of Jesus teach the Father's will. Those who keep them are therefore at one with the will of God.
It is possible to get very close to the kingdom of heaven by doing good works and surrendering to Spirit the various faculties of the mind, but we can never fully enter into and abide in heaven, or divine harmony, without surrendering all that makes up the personality, of which the will is the center.
The will may be said to be the man, because it is the directive power that determines character formation. When man wills the will of God to be done, he forms spiritual character. The use of the regenerate will is for the sole purpose of spiritual unfoldment.
When the will of man adheres to wisdom faithfully, and carries out in its work the plans that are idealized in wisdom, it creates in man a consciousness of harmony and peace. Spirit breathes into such an individual continually the necessary inspiration and knowledge to give him superior understanding.
I bring the divine will to bear in my consciousness by understanding, by appropriating universal wisdom, by affirming, "Not my will, but thine, be done." God is potential, unformed will; man is manifest God will. I now link my will with the principle of divine force in order to develop superior executive capacity. After this manner I am swiftly bringing forth faculties that under the slow action of mortality would take ages to develop.
I affirm: "The will of God is uppermost in my consciousness, and I am glorified in my understanding."
Law
13th Day, Wednesday. Read Galatians 6:1-10, 16.
Divine law is the logical process by which divine principle, or God, manifests. The inner spirit of the law is the spiritual way of life that Jesus taught and lived.
Divine law is the universal something in us of which we all are conscious, and tells us when we are doing right and when we are doing wrong. It may be defined as the innate knowing of right and wrong, and this knowing may be quickened. The quickening does not come by the study of material things, but by concentrating the mind on the Christ. Man does not make the law; the law is, and it was established for our benefit before the world was formed.
There is a law of spiritual and mental growth constantly at work in the mind, raising man from sense consciousness to spiritual consciousness. The nature of the universe is purity and goodness. Abiding in the Christ consciousness, man aligns himself with divine law. He becomes "the light of the world."
Today I find I am one with the infinite law of expansion--one with the principle of never-ceasing growth and development toward the fulfillment of God's perfect idea that is firmly infixed in all creation.
Divine law cannot be broken. It holds man responsible for the result of his labors. "The law of
the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus" is the action of true ideas working in my mind and in my body.
I affirm: "My house is set in order, and I press forward toward the goal of perfection."
Zeal
14th Day, Thursday. Read Luke 10:30-42; 11:1-4.
Zeal is the affirmative impulse of existence; its command is, "Go forward!" Zeal is the mighty force that incites all things to action; the eternal urge behind all things. To be without zeal is to be without the zest of living. Zeal and enthusiasm incite to glorious achievement in every ideal that the mind conceives.
Zeal should be tempered with wisdom. Some persons get so fired with zeal when they first tackle a job, that they quickly grow tired, and fail to carry it through to completion. The need is for control, equalization.
Watch the pull of a giant locomotive; note how it slowly but steadily moves forward, almost by inches at first but gradually increasing until its mile-long train swiftly disappears in the distance.
"The zeal of thy house hath eaten me up" means that the zeal faculty has become so active intellectually that it has consumed the vitality and left nothing for spiritual growth. Excessive zeal in religious forms of worship eats up the purely spiritual. When we become very zealous in observing the
rites of the church we are prone to forget the church itself, which is Christ.
The divine command is, "Take time to be holy." I am quick to do the bidding of Spirit and use a portion of my zeal in establishing God's kingdom within me. I do not put all my enthusiasm into helping others; my own unfoldment is of great importance to me. I love to aid my brother, but I do not allow that idea to rob me of the power to demonstrate Truth for myself.
I affirm: "My zeal is tempered with wisdom, and I maintain a perfect balance within and without."
Renunciation
l5th Day, Friday. Read Matthew 18:21-35.
The accumulated effects of sins of past lives, is a burden that those who accept it expect to carry for ages, or until they work out of it. They are weary treadmill travelers from birth to death. There is no such hopeless note in the doctrine of Jesus. He came to bring a full consciousness of abundant life, complete forgiveness, redemption from all sin, and victory over death and the grave.
The law is Truth, and the truth is that all is good. There is no power and no reality in sin. If sin were real and enduring, like goodness and Truth, it could not be forgiven but would hold its victim forever. As I enter into the understanding of the real and the unreal, a great light dawns on me, and
I see what Jesus meant when He said, "The Son of man hath authority on earth to forgive sins."
The Son of man is that in me which discerns the difference between Truth and error. As I get this understanding, I am in position to free my soul from sin and my body from disease, which is the effect of sin. In spiritual understanding the I AM of man forgives or "gives" Truth "for" error; the mind is set in order, and the body healed. The moment man realizes this he puts himself in harmony with the Truth of Being, and the law wipes out all his transgressions.
In His name I affirm: "The law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus makes me free from the law of sin and of death."
Life
16th Day, Saturday. Read John 4:1-26.
Life is a phase of Being, the expression of which manifests as animation, activity, and vigor. The consciousness of eternal life places one in the stream of life that never fails.
The whole race needs a spiritual quickening of the life principle; its origin is in Divine Mind. Life is the gift of God. "Stir up the gift of God, which is in thee." To think intently about life is to quicken it into action. To talk about energy, force, power, life, will make the life currents flow swiftly throughout the whole being.
To Jesus the God presence was an abiding flame
--a flame of life everlasting that He felt in every cell of His body making Him more and more alive, cleansing and purifying Him until He became every whit perfect.
By mastering carnality Jesus opened the way for all men to attain eternal life. During our higher realizations of Truth we are often conscious of this abiding flame working in and through us.
I now make alive all the cells in my organism by mentally infusing into them the Christ consciousness. This is the new birth, which is transforming my body and raising it to electrical energy. This was carried to its fulfillment by Jesus in the resurrection of His body. The next step in divine evolution is the spiritualization of the body, or the Ascension.
The quickening life in me is now brought into expression by my holding and repeating this statement of Truth:
"I have the Mind of Christ. My words are spiritually quickened and they are alive forevermore. I am filled with the vitality and vigor and health of Jesus Christ."
Conservation
3d Sunday. Read Isaiah 55:1-13.
We should ever remember that our youth, which we love so well, never really dies; it merely falls asleep in the realm of the subconscious. People grow old because they let the youth idea fall asleep. By using spiritual understanding they can awaken it.
The awakening of youthful energies is necessary to one in the regeneration. The body cannot be refined and made, like its Creator, eternal before all the thoughts necessary to its perpetuation are revived in it.
Jesus represents man in the regeneration; that is, man in the process of restoring his body to its pristine purity where it will live on perpetually without old age, disease, or death. A necessary step in this process of body restoration is the quickening of the vitalizing energies in the subconsciousness that feed the body and give it the life force that renews its youth. Eternal youth is one of the God-given ideas that man loves.
Waste of substance is the great sin that results in body disintegration. It is the sense mind that causes all waste, whether in the organism or in the more external realm called the world. Jesus came to save men from sin and to make them ready for an abundant entrance into the glorious kingdom of Christ, which is to be established on the earth.
We can get at the subject of conservation definitely by considering the life "hid with Christ in God," for the hidden protected life is the conserved life.
I now make conscious union with the substance of all spiritual attributes as I affirm:
"Through Christ the divine economy is active in me, and I conserve the spiritual essences in all phases of my life."
Jesus Christ Our Helper
17th Day, Monday. Read Romans 8:1-11.
If God had not planned to make Jesus a continuous working factor in our civilization there would be no good purpose for His having been sent, and for the great sacrifice that He made. He came to show us "the way, and the truth, and the life," and He promised "Lo, I am with you always." He also promised that He would be with us as a teacher. "When he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he shall guide you into all the truth."
No one is overlooked. The helpful hand of Jesus is extended to all. Whoever you are, wherever you are, Jesus in His spiritual consciousness is waiting for your mental recognition. Whatever your object, He will show you how to attain it. "Whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do."
Jesus developed the innate powers of mind and body and thereby became a citizen of the heavens or realms where dwell the sons of God. He did this by the power of His word--by releasing the imprisoned electrons of His body and raising them to spiritual consciousness.
Why do we not see Jesus? Optics show that man's eyes are limited in sight. They are aware of rays of light within a very narrow range. The microscope reveals a world of living things to which the natural eye is utterly oblivious. Both below and above the range of human vision living entities exist. We
sometimes feel the presence of what we cannot see.
Affirm: "I rejoice in the restorative power of Jesus Christ now working mightily in a new consciousness of life in my soul and body."
Evolution
18th Day, Tuesday. Read Romans 8:18-39.
In every man the Christ, or the Word of God, is infolded; it is an idea that contains ideas.
Evolution is the result of the development of ideas in mind. What we are is the result of the evolution of our consciousness, and our consciousness is the result of the seed ideas sown in our mind. Therefore spiritual evolution is the unfolding of the Spirit of God into expression. It is the development achieved by man working under spiritual law. Humanity is the garden of God, of which the soil is the omnipresent thought substance.
The Christ, or Word (Son) of God evolution of man is plainly taught in the New Testament as the supreme attainment of every man. "For the earnest expectation of the creation waiteth for the revealing of the sons of God."
Without some evidence in us of the Christ man we are little better than animals. When through faith in the reality of things spiritual we begin soul evolution there is great rejoicing; "we rejoice in hope of the glory of God."
Christianity teaches the complete law of evolution.
"God said," and thus God created that which was to appear, God planned man and the universe, and through His word projected them into creation as ideal principles and immanent energies acting behind and within all visibility.
I affirm: "I am one with the ever unfolding, ever increasing Spirit of divine understanding. My whole consciousness is ripening into perfection."
The Blood of Jesus
19th Day, Wednesday. Read John 6:41-65.
Through the power of His word Jesus purified and spiritualized the natural blood in His body until it became a spiritual life stream, into which all may enter and be cleansed.
Through the power of His word Jesus broadcast the spiritual electrons of His body into the race thought atmosphere, that they may be apprehended by all who believe in Him.
This Lenten season I realize that I am baptized in His spiritual life stream, and am purified and cleansed. The electrons of His blood, which I appropriate, are centers of energy and life within, and they uplift and strengthen me.
Jesus called the bread He had blessed His body and the wine His blood. As I appropriate words of Truth, "eat them" so to speak, I partake of the substance and life of Spirit and build the Christ body. Thus I partake of the body and blood of Jesus, the
true sacrament that vitalizes the body by renewing the mind.
The blood of Jesus in me is the life contained in God. The crown of life is attained by living eternally in the presence of God. Attainment depends on the understanding of the science of right thinking. My way to eternal life lies in my acknowledgment of my oneness with the Christ of God.
In His name I am gradually transforming and regenerating my blood and my body. Thus I am saved by Jesus Christ.
Realizing victory over every limited belief of the mortal, I affirm: "I rejoice in the restorative power of Jesus' blood now working mightily in me to renew, to restore, and to make every whit whole."
The Body Temple
20th Day, Thursday. Read Matthew 6:16-34.
God created the idea of the body as a self-perpetuating, self-renewing organism, which man reconstructs into his personal body. God created the body idea, and man, by his thinking manifests.
I realize that I shall have a perfect body and a perfect world when I understand and use the perfect word, the word that contains all the attributes of God. Therefore, I declare that my words are being charged with a full understanding of Divine Mind and its inhering ideas, and that I consciously apply this understanding in all of my feeling, thinking,
speaking, and living and am therefore steadily putting on the Christ in mind and body.
Overcoming step by step the limitations of material thought, my body becomes more refined and increasingly radiant.
The law is that my body is transformed by the renewing of the mind. By affirmation the mind lays hold of living words of Truth and builds them into the body. As I enter into and abide in the Son of God consciousness I have eternal life and my body is transformed into pure flesh manifesting the perfection of Spirit.
To bless is to invoke good on that which is blessed. It is to confer God's good on something or someone. Therefore I bless my body temple, and declare its purity and strength and beauty. I pour out upon my body temple the oil of love and clothe it in garments of praise.
Realizing that the body of Christ in me is the result of my spiritual thought that maintains its unity with Spirit even in manifestation, I affirm:
"The Word of God in me quickens my mind, and my body is transformed into the likeness of His glorious body."
The Grace of God
21st Day, Friday. Read Matthew 5:17-20, 38-48. "As far as the east is from the west,
So far hath he removed our transgressions from us."
Grace means good will, favor, disposition to
show mercy. Therefore, we do not hold ourselves as bond servants of the law, but as recipients of the grace of God, as sons of the Most High.
The grace of God extends to all people, not alone to one sect or creed. All men are equal in favor with God.
The grace of God is greater than the laws of man. We may make certain laws and restrictions for ourselves and "his servants ye are whom ye obey." If we are servants of the law, our obedience is unto death; if we are servants of righteousness, our obedience is unto life. To become recipients of that which the Father would bestow, we should take the element of grace into consideration; that even beyond what we ask, seek, earn, or deserve under the law, God is more than willing to give.
God, as the great creative principle of the universe, will always meet us more than half way. By becoming receptive to the "grace of God," we receive the measure of God's provision, which exceeds any of our imaginings.
I realize that "grace and truth came through Jesus Christ"; that is, the real saving, redeeming, transforming power comes to me through the work that Jesus did in establishing for the race a new and higher consciousness in the earth. I enter into that consciousness by faith in Him and by means of the inner spirit of the law that He taught and practiced.
I affirm: "Through the grace of God I am forgiven and healed."
Fourth Dimension
22d Day, Saturday. Read John 21:1-17.
The fourth dimension is that which embraces and encompasses the other three; it is realization, the doing away with time and space and all conditions. It is the process in which forms lose their apartness and become one under divine law. The human mind, with its limited reasoning faculties, is bound by time, space, and conditions. By itself it can get no further into the spiritual realm than reason will take it; but when we invoke the aid of the Christ in us we go beyond reason into the realm of pure realization; then we have attained the consciousness of pure be-ing, the fourth dimension of the being.
The one way to enter the realm of the fourth dimension, or of realization, is through scientific prayer, commonly named "the silence." First, I take with me the word Jehovah and go within and hold it steadily in mind, until the word illumines the whole inner consciousness. I am now functioning in the fourth dimension, and the way is open for concentrating on the prayer I have in mind for the special demonstration.
I fix my attention powerfully on the consummation of an idea until the idea has nucleated a certain amount of thought substance, and I am assured that it will be followed by that silent power of thought which, working throughout my whole being, is bringing forth the thing desired.
When my thoughts radiate with the speed of spiritual light, they blend with creative Mind (called by Jesus "heaven"), and that which I ask for is done.
I affirm: "The illuminating power of Truth awakens and quickens my consciousness, and I discern clearly."
The Sabbath
4th Sunday. Read Mark 2:23-28; 3:1-6.
The true Sabbath is the consciousness that we have fulfilled the divine law in both thought and act.
The sabbath is a very certain, definite thing. It is a state of mind that man enters or acquires when he goes into the silence, into the realm of Spirit. There he finds true rest and peace. The seventh day means the seventh or perfect stage of one's spiritual unfoldment. Man had become so lost in the darkness of sense consciousness that he could not save himself, so the Saviour came. When man lays hold of the indwelling Christ, the Saviour, he is raised out of the Adam consciousness into the Christ consciousness. He then enters the seventh stage of his unfoldment, where he finds sweet rest and peace.
The Sabbath as an institution was established by man. God does not rest from His work every seventh day, and there is no evidence that there has ever been a moment's cessation in the activity of the universe. We do not quarrel with our brother over the observance
of the Sabbath. If he says we should worship God on the seventh day, or on the first day, in either case we acquiesce. Not only do we do God's service in praise, song, and thanksgiving on the seventh day and the first day, but every day. In the true Sabbath our mind is turned to God every moment, and we are ever ready to acknowledge His holy presence in our heart and life. "The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath."
I affirm: "I rest in the consciousness of the true Sabbath, and my heart is filled with joy and satisfaction."
The Idea
23d Day, Monday. Read Luke 5:141.
In the Scriptures ideas are symbolized by fish. An idea is the original, primary, or unlimited thought of Being: in God-Mind, the eternal Word or Logos. In the idea are involved all the potentialities of that which is to be evolved through man. The idea itself becomes the evolving power through which it makes itself manifest.
Ideas are catching. We are all heavily charged with ideas. When ideas are released they spring forth and pass from mind to mind, being "recorded" as they fly; when they are expressed the whole race is lifted up--because true ideas are charged with the uplifting Spirit. We bring divine ideas into manifestation by making ourselves one with them, becoming
conscious of our indwelling Christ Mind and our oneness with the Father.
As the son is to the father, so is the idea to the mind. Mind is one with its ideas, so the Father--God-Mind--is one with its offspring, the idea--the Son. Mind is coexistent with its ideas, and there is continual interaction and communion. The Father and the Son are one--are coexisting, interacting, and intercommuning in will and purpose. It was from the grand idea of divine life that Jesus healed the sick and raised the dead.
Spiritual inspiration in me is an inflow of divine ideas; activity of a spiritual character; understanding that comes from God. It is the inbreathing of Spirit. The breath of God infused into me has endowed me with super-life. "He breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Spirit."
I affirm: "In the presence and power of the Christ idea in me, I proclaim my perfection."
Healing
24th Day, Tuesday. Read Matthew 9:14-38.
Health, real health, is from within and does not have to be manufactured in the without. It is the normal condition of man, a condition true to the reality of his being.
The first step in all spiritual healing is the using of faith, and the next step is to become open and receptive to the stream of healing life. Spiritual
healing restores to perpetual health because it erases the error thought and cleanses the mind.
Through the exercise of faith and our word, our spiritual quality is fused into unity with the power of Christ, and the healing is marvelously accomplished.
It is said that the early Christians, before going forth to do their mighty works, commanded the new life in Christ to come forth and to imbue their consciousness with its healing potency to such an extent that it would flow through them and heal all those to whom they ministered.
They discovered that when they repeated over and over the most powerful prayer Jesus ever uttered, the Lord's Prayer, the hidden Christ within each one of them was called into action. They further discovered that the fifteenth time they realized the prayer the waters of tribulation as well as all manner of diseases began to subside, and that their realization lifted the consciousness of those who were asking their help. All tribulation and disease dropped away.
Experience proves the power of words to bring health. In healing myself, I talk to my body, repeating necessary denials and affirmations. This raises my consciousness to spiritual reality where all healing power originates.
I faithfully affirm: "Through Jesus Christ, God's vitalizing energy floods my whole being, and I am healed."
Peace
25th Day, Wednesday. Read Matthew 5:14-40.
The great thought waves that move the world are set into action by deep thinkers.
Peace and understanding of spiritual realities arise in the mind when it has made the inner contact. When we know the work of Spirit in transforming mind and body, we shall see that the crushing of personal ambitions releases spiritual ideas of far-reaching influence.
Jesus went back to the very source of all discord, and showed how all resistance and antagonism must cease. He did not stop to argue whether the cause was just or not, but He said, "Agree with thine adversary quickly"; "If any man would go to law with thee, and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloak also." To the mortal mind this seems like foolishness, but Jesus spoke out of the inner wisdom that knows that it is dangerous to allow any kind of opposing thoughts to form in consciousness. He knew that the universal law of justice would adjust all matters, if men would trust it and cease fighting mentally for their rights. This is accomplished by bringing the Christ, the Prince of Peace, to bear
in all our affairs. "My peace I give unto you."
I praise God for the peace of my own higher self. I rejoice and am glad in the possession of the Holy City within. With my inner vision I see the gates open wide, and holy peace pervades my consciousness.
I affirm: "My mind is stayed on Thee, and I rest in Thy peace and power."
Heaven
26th Day, Thursday. Read Matthew 13:24-53.
God idealized two universal planes of consciousness, the heaven and the earth, or more properly, "the heavens and the earth." One is the realm of pure ideals; the other, of thought forms. God does not create the visible universe directly, as man makes cement pavement, but He creates the ideas that are used by His intelligent "image" and "likeness" to make the universe. Thus God's creations are always spiritual. Man's creations are both material and spiritual, according to his understanding.
Jesus, of all those claiming intimate acquaintance with spiritual things, gave heaven definite location. "The kingdom of God is within you." This kingdom is now ready. "The fields . . . are white already unto harvest." The conditions are ripe. But only those come in who are willing to exchange for it their ideas of earthly possessions. Every earthly link must be broken, every mortal love crucified. This is
the way Jesus entered this kingdom, and His way is the way we must all employ.
Heaven is everywhere present. It is the orderly, lawful adjustment of God's kingdom in man's mind, body, and affairs; it is the Christ consciousness, the realm of divine ideas, a state of consciousness in harmony with the thoughts of God. Heaven is within every one of us; a place, a conscious sphere of mind, having all the attractions described or imagined as belonging to heaven.
I realize that faith in Spirit and the ultimate dominance of the good in me will restore me to the heavenly consciousness from which I descended.
I affirm: "Heaven within is one perfect harmonious life, substance, and intelligence, and I rejoice."
Principle
27th Day, Friday. Read John 5:19-47.
Principle and Truth are one. Divine Principle is Truth in a universal sense, or as it pertains to Elohim God. Satisfaction comes to us as we live according to Principle.
Universal Principle, the oversoul of this planet, was working its way into expression through Jesus. The same work that Jesus accomplished is being accomplished by all men--though perhaps very slowly.
To demonstrate Principle keep establishing yourself in certain statements (affirmations) of the law.
The more often you present to your mind a logical and true proposition, the stronger become the inner feeling of realization.
As the principle of music moves through tones, so does the principle of mind move through ideas. Therefore God, as Principle, moves through the expressed thought of Divine Mind.
The mind of each individual may be consciously unified with Divine Mind through the indwelling Christ. By affirming at-one-ment with God-Mind, we eventually realize the perfect mind which was in Christ Jesus.
"Have this mind in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: who, existing in the form of God, counted not the being on an equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, being made in the likeness of men."
I affirm: "Principle is Truth. I know the Truth, and the Truth makes me free."
Miracles
28th Day, Saturday. Read Matthew 14:15-36.
The first miracle in our consciousness is the transforming of the water of thought into the wine of thought, through introducing into the consciousness some of the "angels of God," or true ideas.
In reality miracles are events that take place as a result of the application of a higher law to certain conditions.
God never performs miracles, if by miracle is meant a departure from universal law. Whatever the prophets did was done by the operation of laws inherent in Being and open to the discovery of every
man.
By the power of his thought Elijah penetrated the atoms and precipitated an abundance of rain. Jesus used the same dynamic power of thought to break the bonds of the atoms composing the few loaves and fishes of a little lad's lunch--and five thousand persons were fed.
Science is discovering the miracle-working dynamics of religion, but science has not yet comprehended the dynamic directive power of man's thought. All so-called miracle workers claim that they do not of themselves produce the marvelous results; that they are only the instruments of a superior entity.
Jesus said, "He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also." As I go on in the exercise of spiritual faculties I shall strengthen them and understand them better and I shall cease to talk about anything as miraculous.
I affirm: "The clear unclouded mind of Jesus Christ dominates all my thinking, and I discern the omnipresent laws of Spirit."
The Overcomer
5th (Passion) Sunday. Read John 20:19-31.
An overcomer is one who recognizes the Truth of his being and is renewing his mind and body and affairs by changing his thoughts from the old mortal beliefs to the new as he sees them in Divine Mind. He is one who demonstrates the divine law, not only in surface life but in innermost consciousness. Spiritual power, mastery, and dominion are attained by the overcomer. "He that overcometh, I will give to him to sit down with me in my throne."
The way of overcoming is, first, to place one's self by faith in the realization of sonship, and secondly, to demonstrate it faithfully in every thought and act. One of the laws of mind is that man becomes like that with which he identifies himself. Christ is the one perfect pattern. Everyone desires to overcome all errors. Each should, therefore, be wise and identify himself with the Christ.
No external condition or circumstance can hold man in bondage when he makes mental contact with God.
It was to the overcomer that Jehovah spoke when, through one of the old prophets, He said, "I will restore to you the years that the locust hath eaten."
We have many blessings. Begin to praise God for the abundance of all things; your words will crack the omnipresent ethers, and good will flow to you from every direction.
The work that I have to do as an overcomer for the world is to help establish a new race consciousness, a new heaven and a new earth, "wherein dwelleth righteousness." By being true to my highest understanding of Truth, I never swerve to the right nor left for any reason.
I affirm: "I am an overcomer, through Jesus Christ and I rest in the realization of His grace and power."
Patience
29th Day, Monday. Read Hebrews 11:17-40; 12:
1-6.
Patience is a state of mind that beholds the world from the harmony of the Christ Mind, a freedom from personal thinking. It is an attitude of mind characterized by poise, calmness, and a quiet restful trust, especially in the face of trying conditions. It has its foundation in love. "Great peace have they that love thy law; and they have no occasion of stumbling."
The first requisite in the development of patience is spiritual understanding. The larger our vision of life, the more freedom we feel, and we are spared the friction and frettings that come to those who are centered in personality.
Whether one is patient or not depends on his view of life. If he is selfish and self-centered and lives in a material world, bound by his own interests,
he lacks the qualities that go to make up patience.
We may take the gift of patience and make use of it. We may receive it by faith, and then work it out in every department of our being by daily practice of Truth.
Patience gives self-control. We unfold the capacity to direct our behavior in right ways, a result of spirituality.
I realize that I am feeding my consciousness on divine patience. When my thoughts are in harmony with divine law, they develop my body into God's beautiful, indestructible temple. "Let us run with patience the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus the author and perfecter of our faith."
I affirm: "The serene, calm, trustful Spirit now accomplishes all the desires of my heart. I rest in peace."
Divine Judgment
30th Day, Tuesday. Read Luke 6:37-49.
Human judgment is the mental act of evaluation through comparison or contrast. Intellectual man always judges his fellow man. Divine judgment is of spiritual consciousness. When we awaken to the reality of our divinity, the light begins to break on us from within, and we know the Truth; this is the quickening of our judgment faculty. This faculty may be exercised in two ways: from sense perception or spiritual understanding. If its action be based
on sense, its conclusions are fallible and often condemnatory; if on spiritual understanding, they are safe.
The judgment faculty discerns Truth and balances the faculties in righteousness. In the Scriptures judgment is often applied to the action of Divine Mind in its work of judging, especially to the experiences that come to man through the working of the law of justice. Man redeems this faculty by placing it in the Absolute, by declaring and realizing that its origin is in God and all its conclusions are based on Truth. This gives a working center from which the I AM begins to set our thought world in order.
I do not judge others as regards their guilt or innocence. I consider myself and how I stand in the sight of the Father. I begin reform with myself. The judgment seat of Christ is within me, and a judging, or discerning between the true and the false is going on daily in me as an overcomer; I am daily reaping the results of my thoughts and my deed.
I affirm: "My judgment is just, because I seek not my own will, but the will of the Father."
Spiritual Substance
31st Day, Wednesday. Read Matthew 13: 3-9, 18-23.
There is a kingdom of abundance of all things, and it may be found by those who seek it and are
willing to comply with its laws. Substance exists in a realm of ideas and is powerful when handled by one who is familiar with its characteristics.
Spiritual substance is the source of all material wealth and cannot suffer loss or destruction by human thought. It is always with us, ready to be used and to make the consciousness potent and fertile. In this connection Jesus said, "I have meat to eat that ye know not."
Just as the earth is the universal matrix in which all vegetation develops, so this invisible Spirit substance is the universal matrix in which ideas of prosperity germinate and grow and bring forth according to our faith and trust.
I know that any seed words that are planted in omnipresent Spirit substance will germinate and grow and bring forth fruit "after their kind." Just as the farmer selects the best seed for planting, so I must choose the words that will bring forth the rich harvest of plenty.
To gain control of Spirit substance I grasp it with my mind; that is, lay hold of the idea back of it. Right thinking is necessary in using my mind constructively to bring about right results.
I affirm: "Divine substance flows in all its fullness into my consciousness and through me as prosperity into all my affairs."
The Atonement
32d Day, Thursday. Read John 17:1-26.
Jesus played a most important part in opening the way for mankind into the Father's kingdom. This was accomplished by His overcoming the belief in death.
Atonement means the reconciliation between God and men through Christ. Jesus became the way by which all who accept Him may "pass over" to the higher consciousness. We have atonement through Him.
"Christ . . . who his own self bare our sins in his body upon the tree, that we, having died unto sins, might live unto righteousness; by whose stripes ye were healed."
The whole race was caught in the meshes of its own thought and, through drowsy ignorance, would have remained there had not a break been made in the structure, and the light of a higher way let in.
If you were held in the meshes of a great spider web, and someone made a hole through which you could pass, you would go where the hole was and would make your escape that way. Jesus made this aperture in the race thought and thus threw open wide the door into the spiritual realm.
His Christianity had a living God in it, a God that lived in Him and spoke through Him. It is a religion of life, as well as purity. Men are to be alive; not merely exist half dead for a few years and
then go out with a sputter, like a tallow dip. Christ's men are to be lights that glow with a perpetual current from the one omnipresent energy.
Declaring my unity with this power, I affirm: "The redeeming word of Jesus Christ, 'I am the resurrection, and the life,' makes me whole and perfect."
Mount of Transfiguration
33d Day, Friday. Read Matthew 17:1-13.
Transfiguration is always preceded by a change of mind. In transfiguration, ideals are lifted from the material to the spiritual.
Going up into the mountain to pray means an elevation of thought and aspiration from the mortal to the spiritual viewpoint. When the mind is exalted in prayer the rapid radiation of mental energy causes a dazzling light radiation from all parts of the body, and especially the head.
Even our so-called physical body reveals a radiant body, (which Jesus referred to as sitting on the throne of His glory), which interlaces the trillions of cells of the organism and burns brightly. Jesus gave His disciples a glimpse of His radiant body when He was transfigured before them. "His face did shine as the sun, and his garments became white as the light."
He was very advanced in spiritual consciousness and was developed to a larger degree than anyone else in our race. But we all have that body of light,
and its development is in proportion to our spiritual culture. Jesus did not go down to corruption but, by the intensity of His spiritual devotions, transformed every cell into its innate divine light and power. When John was in the spirit of devotion Jesus appeared to him and "his eyes were as a flame of fire; and his feet like unto burnished brass." Jesus lives today in that body of glorified light in a kingdom that interpenetrates the earth and its environment.
Jesus is my Way-Shower. In His name I affirm: "My mind and body are radiant with the light of Spirit, and I am triumphant, glorious, splendid."
Transmutation
34th Day, Saturday. Read John 2:1-11.
Transmutation--"The conversion of one element into another."--Webster.
In consciousness transmutation is a changing in action and character to conform to spiritual standards. It is well said that the mind is the crucible in which the ideal is transmuted into the real.
Jesus said that all power was given to Him in heaven and in earth. He manifested His power in a small way by multiplying a few loaves and fishes to feed more than five thousand persons. In various other instances He demonstrated that He had an understanding of the transmutation of substance. He raised His flesh body to an energy level far higher
in potential life and substance than any reached before. We see that not only the mind but also the body is affected in the process of developing out of the natural into the spiritual.
The leaven of the Pharisees and of Herod (Mark 8:15) represents limited thoughts. When we attempt to confine the divine law to the customary avenues of expression and scoff at anything beyond, we are letting the leaven of the Pharisees work in us. When the mind is raised up through affirmation to God's omnipresent substance and life, we are not only fed, but there is a surplus. This is the teaching of Jesus, and it has always been exemplified by His faithful followers.
I realize that through the law of transmutation every error thought in my consciousness is transmuted into its spiritual correspondence.
I affirm: "Spirit in me is transmuting my body into pure spiritual substance, and my soul rejoices."
Palm Sunday
Palm Sunday. Read John 12:12-50.
Palm Sunday is the Sunday preceding Easter. Jerusalem, the Holy City, symbolizes within us the habitation of peace, possession of peace, vision of peace, abode of prosperity within us.
In man Jerusalem is the abiding consciousness of spiritual peace, which is the result of continuous realizations of spiritual power tempered with spiritual
poise and confidence. Jerusalem symbolizes the great nerve center just back of the heart. From this point Spirit sends its radiance to all parts of the body.
Jesus symbolizes our I AM identity. His going up to Jerusalem means our taking the last step in unfoldment preparatory to the final step, when the personality is entirely crucified and the Christ triumphs.
Jesus riding the ass into Jerusalem means the fulfillment of the time when the spiritual I AM within us takes control and lifts all the animal forces up to the spiritual plane of mastery, purity, and peace.
When the I AM takes charge of the body a new order of things is inaugurated. The vitality is no longer wasted. Through high and pure ideals the whole consciousness is raised to a higher standard.
The hosannas of the rejoicing multitude and the spreading of their garments and branches of trees before Jesus, represent joyful obedience and homage that all the thoughts in one's consciousness give when an error state of mind is overcome. "Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord."
In the name of Jesus Christ I affirm: "The Spirit of Him that raised up Jesus dwells in me, and I am made perfect."
The New Race
35th Day, Monday. Read Revelation 21:1-7; 22:
1-7.
"These things shall be! a loftier race
Than e'er the world hath known shall rise
With flame of freedom in their souls,
And light of knowledge in their eyes.
* * *
"Nation with nation, land with land,
Unarmed shall live as comrades free:
In every heart and brain shall throb
The pulse of one fraternity."
The time is ripe for the advent of a new race, the advent of the spiritualized man. This will be brought about, not by a miracle or the fiat of God, but by the gradual refinement of the man of the flesh into the man of Spirit.
The true overcomer is qualifying himself to become a member of this superrace. It is well for such a one to cultivate the childlike spirit and let go of all tense striving, even for spiritual things. In the realization of protecting, providing love, all the strain of fear and anxiety will be removed and life in abundance will then find easy entrance into the consciousness, bringing strength and health and eternal youth and life.
Spiritual harmony in man depends largely on the right relation of the inner and the outer realms of his consciousness. Expression is the law of life. Whatever is expressed becomes manifest. I realize that as an overcomer, I am working also for the whole world, establishing a new race consciousness, "new heavens and a new earth."
I affirm: "The redeeming law of God is awakening with me, and I am a new man in Christ Jesus."
The Fire of God
36th Day, Tuesday. Read Acts 2:1-21.
Fire represents the positive, affirmative state of mind, as opposed to the negative or watery state.
The fire of God (Holy Spirit) is the Word of God in action. It burns out the dross of negation in consciousness, and reveals Christ. Tongues of fire represent the illumination of thought, in demonstration of Spirit's presence and power. The flame of fire symbolizes the light of intuition that burns in our heart.
While the light of intuition (flame of fire) burns in our heart, there is no loss of substance. In thinking there is a vibratory process that uses up nerve tissue, but in the wisdom that comes from the heart this "bush" or tissue is not consumed. This is "holy ground," or substance in Divine Mind. When man approaches this he must take off from his understanding all limited thoughts of the Absolute ("put off thy shoes from off thy feet").
Spiritual fire is a symbol of the destruction of evil and error. The fire of Spirit never ceases its life-giving, purifying glow. In it all error is burned up in consciousness and the purified man then manifests this "fire" as eternal life.
I have the assurance that I shall not be left partially cleansed, that the purifying work will be complete. "Our God is a consuming fire," also He is life, love, substance, power, intelligence, Truth.
In the name of Jesus Christ, I affirm: "The Holy Spirit flares its cleansing, purifying flames throughout soul and body, and I am made whole and perfect."
Holy Communion
37th Day, Wednesday. Read Luke 22:1-23.
"And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed, and brake it; and he gave to the disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is my body, And he took a cup, and gave thanks, and gave to them, saying, Drink ye all of it; for this is my blood of the covenant."
The first step in drinking of the blood and eating of the body of Jesus is to resolve this whole Scripture back into the primal ideas. The only way to appropriate these ideas is through the very highest activity of mind as in prayer.
The benefit of taking Holy Communion is the establishing of our acceptance of the Christ whose coming we celebrate within our mind and heart. The bread used in the churches symbolizes substance, which we consider the Lord's body, a body of spiritual ideas; and the wine used symbolizes His blood, which we consider life, or the circulation of divine ideas in our consciousness that will purify our mind and heart and renew our strength, freeing us from all corruption, sin, and evil, and bringing forth in us the abundant, unlimited life of God. Through
the appropriation and assimilation of the substance and life in our own consciousness, we blend our minds with the Father-Mind and there is a harmonizing of every fiber of our body with the Christ body, which is life and light. As our mind and heart are cleansed of untrue thoughts and beliefs, and as we feed on living ideas, our body takes on the life and light of our divinity, and eventually will become living light.
I affirm: "God's pure life and substance are constantly renewing and rebuilding His holy temple, my body."
Gethsemane
38th Day, Thursday. Read Mark 14:32-42.
Gethsemane is symbolic of the struggle that takes place within the consciousness when Truth is realized as the one reality. It is a condition that man works through when he recognizes that God is all and that he must be willing to sacrifice all for God.
There are always deeply rooted error thoughts stored away in the subconsciousness, and on their own account they come forward to crucify the new unknown power, the so-called imposter, the in-dwelling Christ. The Christ is presumably captured by these thoughts, which try to carry out their aims in the darkness of the subconscious mind. But error can kill out only error. The Christ itself may be held in obscurity for a while, but it cannot be done away
with. That which died on the Cross when Jesus was crucified was the personality; the Christ resurrects itself from the very depths of the subconsciousness, and error is hanged on the gallows it prepared for the doing away of the newborn spiritual ego.
This breaking up and passing away of old error states of mind and making ready for the new is a process in soul evolution of all those who are faithfully following Jesus. In all systems of thought concentration and spiritual attainment, the will, the executive faculty, plays the leading part. Therefore I prepare my consciousness for the reception of these new ideas. I say with Jesus, "Not my will, but thine, be done." I realize that new inspiration is flowing steadily into my consciousness as I affirm: "Old error thoughts are passed away. I am a new creature in Christ."
Crucifixion
39th Day, Good Friday. Read John 19:1-42.
Jesus' crucifixion on Calvary was a final step in a work that had been going on in Him for thirty-three years, and when He arose He was entirely free from the carnal mind with all its limitations. He had overcome all the carnal tendencies which He had taken on that He might free the race from its bondage.
The word crucifixion means the crossing out in consciousness of certain errors that have become
fixed states of mind; it is the enactment by a master of the final extinction of carnal mind, the giving up of the whole personality in order that the Christ Mind may be expressed in all its fullness. This is represented by the crucifixion of Jesus.
Calvary means "the place of a skull." The carnal mind has appropriated the brain and its skull and it is here that the final battle is fought. Every time we give up error there is a crucifixion.
The three days Jesus was in the tomb represent the three steps in overcoming error. First, nonresistance; second, the taking on of divine activity, or receiving the will of God; third, the assimilation and fulfillment of the divine will.
I deny the self that I may unite with the selfless. I give up the mortal that I may attain the immortal. I dissolve the thought of the physical body that I may realize the spiritual body. This is a mental process with a physical effect.
I affirm: "Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff, they comfort
me."
Resting in God
40th Day, Saturday. Read Isaiah 11:1-10; 12:1-6.
After Jesus' crucifixion He was laid to rest in the tomb of Joseph of Arimathea. Jesus represents the expression of the I AM identity. Arimathea represents
an aggregation of thoughts of lofty character, a high state of consciousness in man. Joseph represents a state of consciousness in which we improve in character along all lines. We not only grow into a broader understanding but also we increase in vitality and substance. We are resting in God, and at the same time gathering strength for the power of greater demonstrations to follow.
A degree of cleansing, a wiping out of sense consciousness has been accomplished. By mentally reviewing our experiences, we recognize that nothing is really destroyed, but rather transmuted. Through faith we take stock of the progress we have made and find that we are getting a consciousness of radiant substance and of a higher life. Nothing is lost. When sense consciousness is raised to a higher plane all that belongs to it is saved with it.
In reality the invisible cannot be seen, touched, or comprehended by the outer senses, yet in this realm a great and mighty work is being accomplished.
Today I realize that the leaven that "leaveneth the whole lump" is the Truth. The word of Truth within me is not idle, but quietly spreading from point to point. This process will continue until my whole consciousness is vitalized by the Holy Spirit.
I affirm: "I rest in the consciousness of eternal life and strength, and I am made perfect."
The Resurrection
Easter Sunday. Read John 20:1-18.
Easter is the celebration of the resurrection of Jesus. Its inner meaning and spiritual significance is the awakening and raising to spiritual consciousness of the I AM in man, which has been dead in trespass and sin and buried in the tomb of materiality.
"I came that they may have life, and may have it abundantly." The resurrection is the raising up of the whole man--spirit, soul, and body--into the Christ consciousness of life and wholeness. This Jesus did. The tomb could not hold His redeemed perfected body temple. Resurrection is accomplished by the quickening power of the Holy Spirit.
Every time we rise to the realization of eternal, indwelling life, making union with the Father-Mind, the resurrection of Jesus takes place within us. All thoughts of limitation and inevitable obedience to material law are left in the tomb of materiality.
Jesus was born into the race thought so that He might reconstruct it in conformity with the divine law. He thus became our Way-Shower, our Saviour, our Helper.
Today the light of Truth is illumining my mind, and I rise up in the majesty of my divine sonship and proclaim myself to be the child of the Most High, free from all belief in sin, sickness, and death.
I affirm: "In unity with Christ I realize that I am resurrected into the life, light, and power of God."
INDEX
Adam, all included in his sin,
Adamic race, 130
Adam method of generation, 93
affirmations, 71, 142; used in transforming body, 168
altar, 145; as place in consciousness, 16; of Jacob, 83
Andrew, 117
angels, 155
animal nature, of man, 60
Aorist, first, 109
Apollo, 38
apostles, 113
Arimathea, represents thoughts of lofty character, 195
Ascension, the, 162
atonement, 185
at-one-ment, 53
authority, of Jesus, 29
Aven, Hebrew word, 115
baptism, source of power, 73
beholding state of mind, 44
being, equilibrium of, 43; inherencies of, 58; in miniature, 54; powers of, 55; pure, 170; two-in-one of, 58; where there is evidence of life, 132
Bible, 97
blessing, importance of, 80; of body temple, 168
blood of Jesus, 166; salvation through, 134; saving power of, 28
body, as spiritual, 22; as temple of God, 10, 22, 146, 167; attainment of perfection in, 168; cells in mathematical order, 152; fruit of the mind, 125; healing of, 21; layers of consciousness in, 52; man's cognizance of, 59; of man, in relation to Divine Mind, 19; outer expression of Garden of Eden, 147; perfect in mind, 20, 69; product of the mind, 10, 155; recognition of importance, 82; reveals radiant body, 186; renewal of, through thought, 98; requires spiritual quickening, 125; robbers of, 123; symbols of, in story of Jacob and Esau, 81; thoughts on conditions of, 118; translated in chariots of fire, 69
body of Christ, 134
bread, 192
Calvary, "place of a skull," 195
Cana, "place of reeds," 75
cardiac plexus, as love center, 34
carnal mind, 195
cause and effect, 46
cells, of body, 39
change, 39
character, delusions concerning, 67; spiritual, 145
children, relation to the kingdom, 107
Christ, as atonement, 185; as God's divine idea of man, 10, 15, 53, 63; as living principle, 10, 54; as perfect body, 12, 21, 26; as point of contact with race life, 133; as the one great Teacher, 140; as the one perfect pattern, 180; as universal man, 110; atoms of,
133; began series of physical incarnations, 131; body of, 134; declares power of binding and loosing, 117; individuality of, 16; radiance, 151
Christian, mental attitude of, 76
Christianity, progressive nature
of, 37
Christians (early), experiences in healing, 174
Christ Spirit, 28
Colorado River, 40
concentration, necessity for, 120
conscience, 43; how to heed, 50
consciousness, 11, 12, 15; affirmations for realization of, 77, 78; altar the center of, 145; as result of seed ideas, 165; attainment during Lent, 140; carnal, 58; control over, in mind, 77; danger when lost, 65; foundation of, 115; God's power incorporated in, 124; layers of, in body, 52; makes heaven and hell, 116; of spiritual origin, 67; primitive relation to cause, 68; resting in Spirit, 70; satanic, 107; through righteous thinking, 141; two planes of, 176
conservation, 162
courage, 36
covenant, of Jacob, 84
creation, of God and man, difference between, 176; man most important factor in, 110; steps in, 19, 61
creative center, faith-thinking faculty, 114
creative source, right conception of, 25
crucifixion, 194
current(s), of universal life, 73; that animate body, 74
David, 31
death, brought on by man, 94; cause of, 19; error of belief in, 96; how to save our body from, 21; when it came into the world, 131
degeneration, 131
Deity, foundation of, 61
demonstration, example of, 146; hindrances to, 18; how to make, 18
denial, 63, 141; as repentance, 141; dissolving power of, 63; how to make, 64; of self, 53, 195
Descartes, 121
desire, as form of prayer, 146
Devil, 61
disease, 22
Divine Mind, how to express in body, 21
dreams, 155
earth, universal matrix, 184
Edenic state, 115
Edison, on atoms, 69
ego, 55
Egypt, 56
electrons, spiritual, 166
electricity, metaphor for mind action, 47-48; modern scientific view, 132
Elijah, 3, 69; example of penitence, 138; penetrated atoms by power of thought, 179
end of the age (world), 26, 40-42
energy, as life source, 125;
omnipresent in atoms, 132; radiated by minds, 80; re-
lease of, 71
error, abstinence from, 141;
deeply rooted in subconscious, 193; denial of, 141; depth of our bondage to, 127; destruction of, 191; has no power in itself, 141; joy in overcoming, 189; necessity for denial of, 64; three steps in overcoming, 195
ethers, spiritual, 11
evil, denial of, 152; destruction of, 191
evolution, race, 23, 130, 134; spiritual, 165
experience, "school of fools," 45
eye, limited in sight, 164; mental, 148
Ezekiel, 91
faculties, of mind, 147; swift development of, 157
faith, 110, 148; as result of many affirmations, 143; center in man's brain, 148; how to develop, 72
faith-thinking, 110; food of, 119; most important power of man, 113; nature of, 119 fasting, 4, 5, 140
Fenton, Ferrar, translation of Lord's Prayer, 108
financier, Jacob, 84
fire of God, 191
flesh, saving from corruption, 151; symbols of, in story of Jacob and Esau, 81
fountain, of pure life, 123
forty, symbolic number, 3
fourth dimension, how to enter, 170
Galilee, "rolling energy," 75
gift, 104
God, as absolute good, 9, 25, 68; as creative principle, 169; as Creator and ruler of universe, 9; as consuming fire, 191; as intelligence, 61; as life-giving atom, 132; as mind, first in Trinity, 14; as partner in man's prosperity, 105; as potential, unformed will, 157; as principle, 9, 14, 54; as substance, 14, 61; as supreme knowing, 156; created ideas of body, 167; does not rest, 171; falsely conceived of as a person, 25, 28; false impressions of character of, 24; grace of, 168; how to worship, 123, 143; idealized two planes of consciousness, 176; loves cheerful giver, 103; man's oneness with, 53; metaphysical understanding of, 29; never performs miracles, 179; not an angry Being, 25; of the living, 69; omnipresence of, 11; omniscience and omnipotence of, 9, 14; real body of, 22; soul of, 126; transcendent, 144; why resorts to limitations of law, 131
Godhead, 112
God's idea of man, 15
God-image, 49
God-men, 130
Good Friday, 139
goodness, divine, 43
grace of God, 168
Grand Canyon, 40
Grand Man, 110
halo, 148
healing, 173; power of, 117; power of nature, 22; secret of, 21; steps in, 173; through right thinking, 22
health, 173
heaven, as creative Mind, 171; definite location of, 176; definition of, 177; entering into, 157; here on earth, 145
Herod, represents limited thoughts, 188; symbol of domineering will, 50
Holy Communion, 192
Holy Spirit, as "breath" of God, 17; as fire of God, 191; as teacher, 16; as third in Trinity, 16; as Word of God in action, 144; cleansing power of, 68; function of, 16; here now, 68; inspiration of, 140; reveals lack in making demonstration, 18
Holy Trinity, 14
Holy Week, 138
humanity, garden of God, 165
I, as potentiality and all-comprehensive, 58; as summation of powers of Being, 55; mystery of, 56
I AM, 12, 15, 20, 121, 124, 144; as gate, 144; as link with Father, 144; body obedient to, 21; forgives error, 161; symbolized by Jesus, 189; symbolized in Isaac, 82; without limit in capacity, 56
ideal(s), 172; as food of faith-thinking faculty, 119; as
source of substance, 184; catching, 172; character of, 47; development of, 165; of God, 53; of health, 48; power of, 80; realm of, 49;
symbolized by fish, 172
identity, formed by Christ's attributes, 110
ignorance, keeps man from his own, 55
illusion, world of, 89
imagination, 154
immortality, appearance of, 68
imperfection, of man, 59
incarnation(s), 26; of Christ, 131
increase, 101
individuality, 145
Ingersoll, Robert, 24
inheritance, from God, 144
inner eye, 12
inspiration spiritual, 173
intellect, 77; rules today, 82
intuition, 191
Israelites, 37
Jacob, experiences after receiving blessing, 83; experiences with tithing, 85, 104; represents the mind, 79; story of receiving Isaac's blessing, 78
Jacob's ladder, evidence of omnipresence, 83
James, instruction to purify heart, 92; symbol of power of justice, 117
Jehovah, as Christ, 130; as God's idea of man, 15; as word charged with power, 153; as word held in silence, 170; promise to overcomer, 180
Jerusalem, as symbol of love
center, 34; as symbol of peace and prosperity, 188; symbolizes great nerve center, 189
Jesus, as channel for grace and truth, 169; as continuous working factor in civilization, 164; as joint heir to kingdom, 27; as light of the world, 128; as one of God-men, 130; as our helper, 164; as psychologist, 76; as Word of God, 20; authority given to, 15, 29, 55, 72; available to all, 164; blood of, 27; body offered as life transformer, 133; born to be Way-Shower, 197; brought good news of salvation from death, 96; came to give life, 132; came to save man from sin, 163; changed water to wine, 75; claimed human race as His flock, 129; developed innate powers, 164; dissolution of false will, 62; elements of His teaching, 36; entrance into Jerusalem, 139; healed sick and raised dead, 173; laid claim to prior existence, 129; mastering carnality, 162; mastery of two currents in body, 74; mission of, 17; misunderstood by contemporaries, 129; on end of the age, 26, 40; oneness with Father, 18; on fasting, 4; on God as Spirit, 29; on God of the living, 69; on greatest commandments, 34, 41; on physical resurrection, 21; on reincarnation, 94; on resistance and antagonism, 175; on single eye, 21; passion of, 138; prayers of, 65, 72; raised up whole man, 197; real character of, 128; recognition of sonship and brotherhood, 32; redemptive work of, 26; refers to Holy Spirit as Comforter, 16; relationship to human family, 129; represents man in regeneration, 163; resurrection of, in us, 13, 162; second coming of, 26; taught use of affirmative, 73; three days in tomb, 195; very God or ideal man?, 128; way to do His works, 57; went all the way from human to divine, 127
John the Mystic, as symbol of love faculty, 117; his vision of Jesus, 187; on mystery of Jesus, 130; presiding genius of love, 34
Joseph of Arimathea, 195
joy, 30
judgment, 182
justice, universal law of, 175
kingdom, attainment through thought, 142; how developed within man, 30; how entered, 177; keys to, 117; relation to children, 107; to be established here on earth, 163
labor, 107
Lamb of God, 124
larynx, 74
law, active in all of nature, 131; cannot be broken, 158; definition of, 158; of action, 47; of the All-Good, 30; of Being, 88; of denial, 70; of
evolution, 165; of expression, 10; of man less than grace of God, 169; of righteous thinking, 67; of universal balance, 43; recognition of power of, 32; transgression of and punishment, 32; wipes out all transgressions, 161; works within man for re-embodiment, 93
life, as abiding flame in us, 162; as gift of God, 161; center of, 123; conserved, 163; continuity of, 94; difference between essence and living, 60; first step in realization of, 123; higher, 126; how to appropriate more of, 123; precious in God's sight,
changed, 126; how to make flow, 161; subject to word of man, 73
life, eternal, 122; crown of, 167; hindrance to attainment of, 122; man's enmity with, 122; secret of inheriting, 122
light, of Divine within, 141; of Spirit, 67
limitation, false belief in, 63
locomotive (illustration of controlled zeal), 159
logic, argues against end of world, 41; of Truth, 19
Lord's Prayer, 72; Fenton version, 108; most powerful prayer Jesus uttered, 174; praying fifteen times, 174
love, 30, 151; as builder of mind substance, 34; as divine ordinance, 35; as great force, 30; as idea of universal unity, 151; as Principle, 33; as servant, 35; definition of, 32; directed by wisdom, 31; distinction between divine and human, 31; dominant thoughts about, 34; obstacles to fellowship of, 35; of fellow men, 35; purity of, 33; unselfish qualities of, 31; value of affirming it, 34; why not quickly developed, 33
magnet, spiritual, 133
man, 54; aligns self with law, 158; and conscience, 44; animal nature of, 60; as architect, 46; as Being in miniature, 54; as transformer of all things, 55; as manifest God will, 157; as power of God in action, 153; as will of God externalized, 61; fall of, 54; foolish beliefs about God, 44; gives way to Christ man, 95; great privileges of, 58; imperfection in, 59; made in image of God, 60; of Christ, 185; office of, 119; on way to perfect expression, 54; open to God, 51; place in God's planning, 61; potentialities of, 54; primary work of, 147; real, 56; true estate of, 59
Maundy Thursday, 139
memory, 89; in connection with reincarnation, 99
mental conceptions, 24
mental dominion, 68
metaphysicians, logic of, 19;
modern beliefs of, 38
mind, conscious, 87; as crucible for ideas, 39; as meeting ground between God and man, 10; bound by time, 170; control of consciousness in, 77; dominates the body, 80; has own law of dynamics, 47; illusions created by, 88; man's cognizance of, 59; subdivisions of, 17; unified with Divine Mind in daily worship, 77, 178; use of, 87
mind, subconscious, 87; release of light and energy in, 71; spoken of as "heart," 91; spoken of as "memory," 89; true office of, 87
mind, superconscious, 88; as Principle, 63; instrument of regeneration, 89; laboratory of, 116; not subject to lack, 64; opposition from mind of the flesh, 131; ready to pour forth blessing, 88; wider horizons of, 110
miracle, definition of, 178; changing water to wine, 75
money, how to think about,
102; power of, 106; unjustly deferred to, 105
movement, 38
music, principle of, 111
Napoleon, 47
negation, 141
Nehemiah, 37
new birth, 162
Newman, Cardinal, 87
obedience, spirit of, 35
omnipresence, 83
omnipresent intelligence, 45
oneness, with life, 123
patience, 181
Paul, on all-sufficiency, 103; on cause of weakness, sickness, and death, 19; on condemnation, 98; on law of thought in finances, 102; on Mind of Christ in men, 111; on mystery of Christ, 27; on peace, 6; on realization of oneness, 11; on resurrection, 21; on scientific religion, 76; on Sonship of man, 130; on subjects for thought, 135
peace, 175; of knowing God, 9; our influence for, 5
perfection, attainment of, 18; divine idea of, 22; entering through affirmation, 142; not out of reach, 144; of body, 19; processes to, 59
Pharisees, 188
physical translation, 69
poverty, causes of, 101
power, 153; available to man, 54; center in throat, 155; declared by Jesus, 73; destructive, 73; new source of, 143; of the I AM, 145; twelve powers of Christ, 113
prayer, as language of spirituality, 10; as mind action, 10; does not change God, 146; how to pray, 71; of Jesus, 72; scientific, 170; why not always effective, 72
Principle, 177; Christ the idea of, 54; how to demonstrate, 177; legitimate outworking of, 69; of good and evil, 60;
of mathematics or music, 14, 63, 156; of music, 111
prosperity, 101; key to achieving, 85; result of work, 37; why Jews have been noted for, 104
psychology, place in religion today, 76
race beliefs, 72
race, new, 189
realization, 170
Rebekah, 78
re-embodiment (see reincarnation)
regeneration, by superconscious mind, 89; only safe way to eternal life, 74; through appropriating Christ atoms, 133
reincarnation, 93; a temporary remedy, 94; partly to be speculated on, 99; when no longer necessary, 28
renunciation, 160
repentance, 141
resurrection, 197; of body, importance of, 21; of "damnation," 98; of Jesus in us, 13; not confined to Jesus, 151
Sabbath, 171; as institution, 171; made for man, 172
sacrament, 167
sacrifice, privilege of, 95
salvation, dependent on consciousness, 115; mystery of, clarified, 134; not yet fully understood, 127; of all men, 93; of world, 67
Satan, 131
security, 33
self-control, 182
selfhood, 55
selflessness, day of, 52
sense, center of will, 62; delusions of, 27, 61, 114; gratification of, 50; surrender to, 32; transmutation of, 196; when began to rule, 130
sickness, cause of, 19
sin, 160
Son of man, 114
Spirit, as dominating mind force, 9; as guide (conscience), 44; as leveler, 43; frees from delusions, 66; light of, 67; of wisdom, 12; oneness with, 11, 18; prerogative to know future, 46; science of, 42 spiritual center, in man, 115
spiritual energy, 125
spiritual history, of man, 79
strength, 149
substance, mental, drawn from Christ, 110; nucleated by idea, 170; part of God substance, 84; represented by money, 106; sensitive to man's thoughts, 102
substance, physical, part of God
substance, spiritual, 11, 14, 184; everywhere present, 126; race starving for, 133; represented by Garden of Eden, 147; source of incorruptible body, 95
superiority, false thought of, 33, 66
talents, hindrances to expresssion
of, 112
talk, 47
temptation, 134
Tennyson, 144
thinking, 191
thought(s), about money, 102; as greatest gift of God to man, 147; as working power of mind, 64; control of, 74, 77, 116, 153; silent power of, 170; thinking faculty in the head, 113; waves of, 175
throat, center of power, 153
transfiguration, 186
transmutation, 187
tree of knowledge, 73
Truth, as leaven, 196; discerned by judgment faculty, 182; dissolving error, 12, 66; established in consciousness through affirmations, 143; man cut away from, 114;
meditation on, 12; of Being, 125; worked into body through thought, 125
twelve powers of Christ, 113
typewriting, use of subconscious mind in learning, 90
understanding, 155; first requisite for patience, 181; fruit of Spirit's inspiration and knowledge, 157; light of, 127; two ways to get, 45
unfoldment, 171
unity, idea of, 151; with the Father, 27, 29
universal man, 110
universe, existed billions of years in past, 130; nature of, 158
unknown God, altar to, 146
Vanderbilt, 47
visions, 155
Voltaire, 24
water of life, 124
weakness, cause of, 19; denial of, 150
will, 156; difference between seeming and pure, 62; domineering, symbolized in Herod, 50; executive power of mind, 156, 194; freedom of, 29, 55; highest aspect of, 145; man, the will of Christ, 110
wine, 43
word, as creative agency, 36; as creative idea in Divine Mind, 10; as second in Trinity, 15; how to keep, 10; man judged by, 75; of Christ, 12; of God, as revelation to man, 15; power of, 71; power to bring health, 174; relation to ideas, 49, 154; working power of God, 15, 17, 142
work, 107
world, visible and invisible, 102
worldly fortune, 44
Yeve, Hebrew word, 111
youth, renewal of, 13, 70, 163
zeal, 159