Aggressive Mental Suggestions

[LoraHoward]

Hey folks,
So, when bad things happen during your normal day, or when you experience negative thoughts, or find old images of the past come up and repeat--all that stuff--how do you handle it?
I believe that this is an important and universal issue, particularly to Christian Scientists,and my interest is in hearing others viewpoints.
Thanks!

--Lora

[adyer]

One of the things I do is remind myself that goodness is normal for me, and that my Principle is perfect.

If we knew there was a perfect Principle that, when we relied on it to do things, it would never let us down...what would we do? I must act upon that knowledge...and when I do I get positive results.

[shelly]

I love the Bible verse that can be found in this weeks lesson.

"whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things"


Paul preached at at time that it was difficult to be a Christian. I'm sure they had lots of reasons to complain. But Paul saw the power of recognizing the Word of God at work. More than just positive thinking, I have found that turning my thought to the good and holy helps me see the activity of God in my life.

[igudger]

Lora,

As a student of Christian Science, as it sounds like you may be as well, I have always found the answers to my challenges when I have deeply and humbly read the Scriptures and the Christian Science Texbook, Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures.

I have recently realized the importance of first praising God...what I mean is identifing the wonderful, majestic qualities of God and being grateful for all that God is. Then, realizing my true identity in reflecting these qualities.

In addition, in the Sermon on the Mount there is a line, "Agree with thine adversary quickly whiles thou are in the way with him;" At first, I did not understand why it said to agree. I then looked up the words from the original text and went back to the root of the greek word and found that Agree...is associated with good and knowing. So I sort of put the two together and figure that to agree could be to know only the good. To me our adversaries are not necessarily people as much as the thoughts that keep us from peace, harmony and perfection. So to agree with our adversary means to me to quickly reverse the claim and know the good or the true.

This is what I try to do when I am confronted with aggressive suggestions that are imposing on my peaceful, and prefect state of being.

Hope this helps.

Ian

[mhnlm]

One of the most important premises of Christian Science is that: "the divine Mind controls man and man has no Mind but God." (S&H 319:19-20)

Given that passage, the recognition of "Man" as "Reflection" rather than "reflect-or," the sense of "man" having an independent mind capable of independent thought which may or may not have "negative" thoughts -- is seen to be the purview of semi-metaphysical systems, and not the practice of Christian Science.

As Mrs. Eddy says:

"All is Mind. According to the Scriptures and Christian Science, all is God, and there is naught beside Him." (Rudimental Divine Science 4:20-21)

And:

"A knowledge of aught beside Myself is impossible." (Unity of Good 18:25-26)

As well as:

"So evil and all its forms are inverted good." (Unity of Good 53:2-3)

So the "impression" of "bad things happening," or "negative thoughts" are appreciated to be, NOT Ideas of Divine Mind, therefore, not "my" thoughts, but are misperceptions of what IS actually True.

So we don't have "something bad" to avoid, nor "negative thinking to oppose or overcome, but the ever present and only Truth of Being to be seen more clearly.

And, as far as the "past" is concenrend, she tells us:

"The human history needs to be revised, and the material record expunged." (R & I 22:1-2)

So, in that Light, they may be seen as opportunites to clarify what actaully took place from the standppoint of Divine Principle, thereby challenging the notion that "Man" ever had some kind of "human" past.

[pcook]

Thank you for raising this question, Lora. I think it's one we all grapple with.

The allegory in S&H (pp 430-442) has a statement that is meaningful to me this morning: "Swift on the wings of divine Love, there comes a despatch: '...the prisoner is not guilty.' "

How important it is not to condemn ourselves or fall into the familiar trap of looking so hard for what we might be doing or thinking that is incorrect! I love this idea of reminding myself that "the prisoner is not guilty."
: )
Pamela

[LoraHoward]

These are interesting posts. I hope they continue.

Aggressive suggestion, AM, MAM are subjects I have thought about, struggled with and so forth, for years. And yes, I have had answers and revelation and so forth along the way.

Now, here's a question. Or maybe just thinking out loud comments I'd love replies to. Mrs. Eddy gave us two ways to treat. One was the immediate knowing of the Truth, which obliterates any other suggestion. The other is argument, which consists of denial and affirmation.

Lately, I'm looking at denial as not so much fighting with that which is not God--in fact, though I think it is a step we go through, it is dualistic--but rather, denial is reversal of the error. MBE says, over and over, that the exact reverse of error is true. And that which is wrong, can only be copying something right. Also, that the use of error is to point to the truth, by reversal.

So, what do you think, and do.
The majority of the posts so far have been in keeping one's eye on God alone. I do not think what i just said negates that in any way, but it's another aspect of treatment.

Also, I love "the prisoner is not guilty," and I had not seen that sentence in quite that way before, and it is useful.

Looking forward to more.

--Lora

[TheWordSpeaks]

"But the Lord is my defence; and my God is the rock of my refuge."
Ps 94:22

"The increasing necessity for relying on God to defend us against the subtler forms of evil, turns us more unreservedly to Him for help, and thus becomes a means of grace."
Mis 115:22-25


God is willing to defend us, when we allow Him to do His work. The daily prayer really is the best means of defense and includes all we need to be mentally prepared for our day. We first acknowledge His presense, and then we "let" God's reign be established in us. "Let" is all we have to do. Do not allow self to get in the way. For the reign of spiritual government established in us already includes our defense. Then we know that that rules out of us all sin or AM.

This prayer, when prayed daily and thoughfully, will consist of the denials and affirmations we need to allow our thoughts to pattern the divine and receive our daily bread.

[adyer]

Lately, I'm looking at denial as not so much fighting with that which is not God--in fact, though I think it is a step we go through, it is dualistic--but rather, denial is reversal of the error. MBE says, over and over, that the exact reverse of error is true. And that which is wrong, can only be copying something right. Also, that the use of error is to point to the truth, by reversal.

--Lora

Rather than copying I use Mrs. Eddy's term counterfeiting. It's not mere semantics. If I have a dollar bill and a counterfeit dollar bill, how much money do I have? Exactly $1. I don't have to do anything about the counterfeit.

I am convinced that what we call reversal of error is too often taken for granted in what it is and how it works. The liability is to fight with error rather than reverse it...to feel like we have to do something about it. I have found it to be extremely provocative to ask myself if I really know how to reverse error. That self-examination forces me to uncover the tendency to consider error as something and then try to heal it. That alone is healing work because it deals directly with animal magnetism.

Once I uncover and expose malpractice, I can get on with the real thing.

Let me give you a healing experience I had last night. I have 3 cats. One was exhibiting disturbing signs such as what appeared to be unexplainable weight loss. When I worked on it I went to S&H page 386 about the "blundering despatch" announcing the death of a friend who had not died. I asked myself: What if I thought my cat were sick but she wasn't really sick? If I didn't know the truth I would continue to treat her as if she was sick...because I believed in it.

But what if I was treating my cat as if she were sick but then discovered (by whatever means) that she was perfectly well? Would I continue to treat her as a sick cat? No.

But since she is a spiritual idea, she can't be sick. So the profound moral is: Treat her as if you knew she wasn't sick.

The other part of this healing is that the other two cats are "big kittens" (7 months old), young and crazy! They have been causing trouble at mealtime, acting nearly feral.

So this morning when I woke up my cat had not disturbed us during the night and seemed happy and normal. I got up to feed them and when I put food down for one of the kittens, the other for the first time looked up at me expecting a second bowl.

By meeting animal magnetism I was able to see real progress. I'm very grateful for that demonstration.

[LoraHoward]

Adyer,

That was a terrific healing. Numerous times I have had dreams in which I was giving treatment, and, when I awoke, I recognized that I was treating the dream. Not only that, it makes me consider if that is what I am doing when "awake".Of course, you don't need to treat the dream--the need is to wake up.
Your realization reminded me of that and also gave that thought a new spin.

Another thing i consider is that we think in terms of people places and things, so that is how error appears to come. But AM is always and only the one impersonal evil, claiming to use people places and things. And, impersonal evil is simply the suggestion that there is an opposite to the One Good
That's all it is. Only the one God is there.
This helps me to understand I can cast out any such suggestion. It is only suggestion, not a person, place thing or power. It also helps keep me from just treating "symptoms", such as sick dog, head cold and so on and to go straight to the source.

Is this always easy for me, or immediate?...ah,no.

So keep those posts coming and i hope they may be as useful for others as I am finding them to be for me.

--Lora

[newunfoldment]

Hi Lora,
A friend once shared with me,that error [animal magnetism] suggests or talks to us always in the second person, e.g "you look tired, you are in pain, you are afraid," etc, never in first person.
So that is the signal or sign, to deny any suggestions beginning with "you....".
I found this very helpful in being vigilant, and accept as true only what God knows about His creation.

[solo]

There is only good ,but we have to ' be still' and know He/She is God.
And then our day will be...