Move Your Feet

Over the past few weeks, I have been reading and rediscovering some of the writings of Unity cofounder Charles Fillmore. I am grateful to Rev. James Gaither who compiled a selection of Mr. Fillmore’s writings in the book, The Essential Charles Fillmore. I find Rev. Gaither’s commentary at the beginning of each section of the book most helpful in summarizing the major points in the articles that he selected to include in this volume.

As I mentioned in my most recent posts, Mind and Manifestation and Been There, Done That, I have been inspired to revisit the foundational teachings of Unity and the New Thought movement. In large part, my inspiration has arisen from watching Rewired, the series on gaia.com presented by Dr. Joe Dispenza, as well as from my decision to participate in Mitch Horowitz’s 10-Day Miracle Challenge. Both offer practices that help one connect with and engage the innate power of the mind. In addition, Dr. Dispenza offers clearly synthesized scientific information about what happens in the brain, how the body responds, and the ways in which our entire energy field is affected as we engage in these practices.

As I have shared before, while the scientific knowledge we now have was not available to them, our cofounders Charles and Myrtle Fillmore, as well as other early leaders in the New Thought movement, knew the Truth of what they were teaching. They knew it at the deepest level of their being. They knew it by faith. They also demonstrated in their lives through physical healings, demonstrations of financial good, as well as by the manifestation of the Unity movement which expanded greatly in their lifetimes and beyond.

I am truly appreciating the opportunity to reconnect with these teachings. I find that I am having an experience similar to ones I have previously had with other writers. As I read and re-read Mr. Fillmore’s articles, I have the sense that he magically rewrote them since the last time I read them. That happens quite often when I revisit a book I have read in the past. I know that it is not possible for him to have rewritten the articles. I realize that I am reading them now from a different place in my evolution of consciousness. I am now able to read and understand things at a greater depth, things that I may have previously understood only superficially. The primacy of true prayer is one example.

If I had been asked even as recently as one month ago if I fully understood Unity’s teaching on prayer, I would have said, “yes.” Prayer has been one of my favorite topics to teach about and on which to facilitate classes and workshops. I have reveled in Unity minister, Eric Butterworth’s The Universe is Calling, a book on the function and nature of prayer. As well, I have devoured Unity minster, Linda Martella-Whitsett’s book, How to Pray Without Talking to God. These books, in addition to prayer classes I have taken on the path to Unity ministry and those I took while in Religious Science have given me a deep appreciation for the power of prayer. Still, I am now being taken even deeper into the nature and practice of prayer, as well as its true purpose.

Mr. Fillmore says in “The Omnipotence of Prayer,”

“What is the necessity of the prayer of affirmation if Being already is? In order for the creative law to be fulfilled. All things are in God as potentialities. It is man’s office under divine law to bring into manifestation that which has been created or planned by the unmanifest.”

He also said,

“Prayer is the recognition of the all-inclusiveness and completeness of Divine Mind.”
 - Jesus Christ Heals

“God is the great Mind reservoir of Divine Ideas” – Jesus Christ Heals

“Mind is the great meeting ground between God [Mind] and humankind, and it is only through the most highly accelerated mind action, as in prayer, that we consciously make union…” – Keep a True Lent

I interpret Mr. Fillmore’s words to mean that inaudible prayer is a spiritual practice in which we consciously connect and fill our minds with the Divine Ideas in the Mind of God; yet, prayer is not an end unto itself. It is but a beginning.

In prayer, we seek the Kingdom of God which is, as Jesus said, within us. It is not in some distant place that we reach after death, but it is within our grasp in every moment. The Kingdom of God is the consciousness of Unity, accessible to each of us. It is the recognition that, “The Mind of God is my mind,” or “The mind that was in Christ Jesus is my mind now.” Prayer is our path to enter the Kingdom.

In the Kingdom, we receive our inheritance as the offspring of God. Our inheritance is the realm of Divine Ideas that constitute the Mind of God, such as wholeness, love, order, harmony, peace, abundance, freedom, and the like. When Jesus said, “It is the Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom” (Luke 12:32), he was not speaking about the things of the world, but of this realm of infinite Divine Ideas. Prayer opens us to receive.

Prayer is also the path to realization.

“Realization is the deep inner conviction and assurance of the fulfillment of an ideal. It means at-one-ment, completion, perfection, wholeness, repose, resting in God. It is the dawning of Truth in the consciousness. When realization takes place, one abides in the light of God-Mind.” ¹

Realization is the complete alignment and attunement, in body, mind and spirit, with a Divine Idea. It is knowing, feeling, and embodying the quality of it.

Additionally, prayer includes engaging our power of imagination to picture ways in which a Divine Idea may become manifest in the physical realm, claiming the truth of it, and feeling gratitude for it. We may end our prayers by grounding the realization in our bodies and through our bodies. I accomplish this with deep breaths, visualizing the breath moving through my body and into the Earth.

Prayer is powerful practice of opening, connecting, receiving, imagining, aligning, attuning, embodying and grounding. It feels good to pray. In prayer, we can become the emanation of spiritual energy that goes out to touch and heal the world. We serve the world through prayer. And, at least for me, prayer is a starting point that inspires action.

As Mr. Fillmore said, “It is man’s office under divine law to bring into manifestation that which has been created or planned by the unmanifest.” Our role is to bring those Divine Ideas into form. Yes, through the practice of prayer, but also through our words and actions.

For example, through prayer, we connect with Peace as a Divine Idea. We open and allow our minds to be filled with Peace. We realize the “Peace of God that passes all understanding” (Philippians 4:7). We align with and attune to the vibrational quality of Peace. We imagine how Peace may manifest in the world and in our lives. We feel gratitude for the knowing of Peace in our hearts, minds and bodies. We ground Peace through our breath. We radiate Peace through our thoughts and feelings.

This is all good, and right and perfect, still the experience we have in prayer is our point of inspired action. We are called to stand for Peace in the world. We are called to be the peacemakers in the world through our words and actions. We are called to be the manifestations of Peace in the world. We are called not just to contemplate Peace, but to take actions that help to demonstrate Peace in the world.

Don’t pray for Peace: Pray Peace. Be Peace. Speak Peace. Live Peace. Walk Peace.

Peace is just an example. We are here to bring into manifestation all Divine Ideas, including Love, Harmony, Justice, Equality, and all the rest. As the West African Proverb states, “When you pray, move your feet.” Let us pray. Yes! And, let us move our feet.

¹ The Revealing Word