'I' is All!

In assisting her with preparations for her class on Healing and Wholeness, I have had several meetings with Rev. Dr. Phyllis Hoover. During our meetings we discussed Unity’s perspective on the ideas of ‘wholeness’ and ‘healing,’ as well as other related topics. During our most recent meeting I was reminded of this piece that I wrote several years ago. I am choosing to recycle it because I believe it speaks to the foundation of what we teach and what Phyllis will be presenting in her class.

“We must see our body with our mind; see it with something more than the intellectual mind; see it with Jehovah, the Lord God within us. When the perfect man is conceived in pure reason, the reason of Spirit, and man sees himself as he is in God’s mind, the Lord’s body begins at once to appear. We all can see our body with the single eye of which Jesus spoke, and through this faith in the reality of the invisible body we can regenerate the flesh.” – Charles Fillmore, Talks on Truth

“This so-called material body has within it and about it the divine perfection. Do not make any separation.” – Charles Fillmore, Talks on Truth

“We must see the life of God in our flesh. Any form of denial of God-life and intelligence or of the physical organism, any thought of flesh other than as of God’s pure substance, congests and irritates the body. This is double-mindedness, which consists in believing in evil as well as good, in perceiving and thinking about evil, or undesirable conditions, or lack, or failure, or calamity of any sort. Double-mindedness weakens the eyes and dims the vision, and we do not clearly perceive that which is our perfection in God-Mind. That which we mentally stamp a thing is registered in our own flesh.” – Myrtle Fillmore, Healing Letters

The last few days my “so-called material body,” as Mr. Fillmore refers to it, appears to have been experiencing an imbalance. I have observed what one might, using Mrs. Fillmore’s term, “stamp” as intestinal distress. As I ponder the Fillmores’ teaching above, I recognize that I have named and given form to something that has registered in my flesh. I have given validity to a material body separate from the spiritual body; the spiritual body is, in Truth, only the perfection in God-Mind manifest. It is becoming clearer to me that this “double-mindedness” is the only thing that separates me, or anyone, from experiencing the perfection of the “invisible body” to which Mr. Fillmore refers, and through which Mrs. Fillmore experienced healing. So, how do we live Unity’s fifth principle and practice the Truth that we know?

In order that we may live this Truth, we must allow this Truth to be revealed to us as our ever-present reality. This Truth is not and cannot be revealed through the intellect, nor can it be comprehended by the reasoning mind. The reasoning mind may glimpse the possibility of this Truth as it is presented in the words of the Fillmores and other teachers, but the full potential of this Truth can only be and must be revealed in the silence of our own hearts in order for it to be realized. As Mr. Fillmore says, we must “see it with Jehovah, the Lord God within us.” We must allow the “I Am” of us to see it, the single “I” within us, in order to truly experience it. It is this “I” that Jesus referred to as “the way, the truth, and the life.”  This is the way to realization of the truth of the life that is each of us made flesh.

We must withdraw our awareness from this so-called material body and focus solely on the Omnipresence of the One. As long as we continue to perceive through our physical senses that there is something to be healed, we are incapable of realizing the Truth. There is nothing to be healed; only a Truth to be realized.

Please note that I am speaking in the Absolute here, as were the Fillmores, and it is often challenging for us to comprehend the Absolute from the relative consciousness.

First, our intent must solely be to realize the Truth of the Life of God expressing. Period! We must seek only to have that Truth revealed for the sake of Truth only, not for the purpose of affecting a change in the physical body. The paradox is that while we must not seek the revelation of Truth for the purpose of changing any outer condition, the revelation of Truth (God as our ever-present reality) demonstrates in the outer, and as Mr. Fillmore states, “regenerates the flesh.”

I also want to make it clear that most of us do not experience instantaneous manifestation. Myrtle Fillmore, the mother of Unity, spent at least two years in daily prayer and meditation before she experienced the demonstration in her “flesh”.

I encourage us not to allow the truth presented here to be used as a weapon against ourselves if we are experiencing some so-called physical imbalance, dis-ease, or discomfort. It is not meant to be an indictment. Blaming ourselves, or anyone else, for an apparent condition is not helpful.

Sharing this truth is intended as an encouragement and an inspiration. Each of us is the embodiment of this Truth, and each of us may realize it through the power of our awareness. We choose, albeit most often unconsciously, where to focus our attention and awareness. We can, however, make that choice consciously moment-by-moment. We begin here, right where we are. We take one step at a time. Again, our focus is not to heal or change any outer condition: our sole desire, thus our only goal must be to know the Truth that sets us free, and thereby demonstrate it as our self-evident reality.

While we may continue to experience imbalance in the “so-called material body,” we can if we choose, take comfort in the recognition that it is the spiritual body which is the temple of God, therefore eternal and not subject to any condition.

Allow this Truth to be revealed in the quiet of your own consciousness and free yourself. As Jesus, the master metaphysician said, “You shall know the Truth, and the Truth shall set you free.” (John 8:32)

If you would like to explore these concepts in greater detail, please join Phyllis for her class beginning Thursday, June 8, and continuing for 5 weeks. The class meets from 6:30 to 8:30. You may register here.