GENERATION AND REGENERATION

 

 

Myrtle Fillmore was a strong believer in regeneration, proclaiming that humankind’s need for it began in the Garden of Eden:

[i]According to the Bible allegory, it was not until after man separated himself from the spiritual    consciousness of life that the curse fell upon generation, and pain and sorrow followed in its wake. In order to restore Adamic conditions, man must open his mind to divine inspiration and again walk and talk with God.

Bodily regeneration was a major concept in her thinking. Her position  is evident as she writes:

Unity teaches the regeneration taught and demonstrated by Jesus Christ, and all who aspire to eternal health and prosperity. And even eternal life here and now, are accepting the way of Jesus Christ.

Not only did Myrtle believe Jesus Christ taught and demonstrated regeneration, she also believed that anything He did we could also do also. Furthermore, she believed Jesus now lives in a regenerated body and, eventually, we may all arrive at the same bodily state:

[ii]This is the body in which Jesus now lives, and into which we shall all enter when we have lifted up the body idea and set free the forces that enter into it.

She taught that Jesus was able to obtain regeneration by raising His body consciousness and by realizing the Absolute Truth.  We, too, can attain regeneration by following his example. Fillmore goes on to explain that  we can raise our consciousness by finding the “Christ within ourselves.” However, she admits, “It is no easy matter.” To do this, we must believe, without a doubt, that regeneration is possible. Along with unwavering faith, we must continually apply Truth Principles and affirmations, live a healthy lifestyle, and curtail sexual passion. Myrtle advises that for regeneration to occur, “Sex passion is a taint. The Unity co-founder was not against sexual passion, but suggested it should be reserved for the less evolved:

[iii]We do not condemn generation.  It is all right for those who are not highly evolved sufficiently to accept and understand regeneration.

Myrtle believed regeneration could happen for all of us. In fact, she believed we would continually be reincarnated, until we mastered the process:

[iv]Every one of us is going to have to reincarnate until we make the union of Spirit, soul and body, and spiritualize these bodies.

While Myrtle believed regeneration was one of our most primary and ultimate goals, she also believed it was a choice: [v]"People are free to choose their own destiny. Those who desire to continue generation may do so, for Unity does not force Christ principles on anyone.”

 

---

[i] Fillmore, Myrtle Fillmore (2013-10-04). Myrtle Fillmore's Healing Letters (Kindle Locations 855-859).  Kindle Edition.

[ii] Neal Vahle, Torch-Bearer to Light the Way: the Life of Myrtle Fillmore (Unity Village, Mo: Open View Press, 1996),

[iii] Vahle. Pg 95.     

[iv] Vahle. Pg 96.

[v]  Vahle. Pg 96.

I Am the Way!

Dear Miss Kendrick,

Thank you for your thoughtful letter. If read on its own, it does appear evident that that the words, “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father,” indicate that only those who believe in Jesus will go to heaven. And, as you state, this scripture can readily evoke images of “children suffering for eternity,” just because they had the misfortune to be born in a place where Christianity is not the predominant religion is not predominant or is non existent.

        To glean a clearer understanding of what “I am the way” does and doesn't mean, we’ll look at two sources--one from our Methodist roots and the other --the Bible. [i]In A Farther Appeal to Men of Reason and Religion (p. 26), Methodist co-founder John Wesley writes:

“By salvation I mean, not barely, according to the vulgar Notion, deliverance from Hell, or going to Heaven: But a Pre- sent Deliverance from Sin, a Restoration of the Soul to its Primitive health, its Original Purity; a Recovery of the Divine Nature; the Renewal of our Souls after the Image of GOD...”

According to Wesley, “The Way” Jesus speaks of is not salvation from heaven or hell, but, instead a return to our Divine nature in the image of God.  

In  answer to your questions about other religions, from the Bible we learn that God is no respecter of ANY religion. In Acts 10:34-35, “Peter opened his mouth and said, “Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons:  But in every nation he that feareth him, and worketh righteousness, is accepted with him.”  Romans 8:14 also alludes to an all-inclusive God, “For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the children of God.”

When Jesus says he is “the way,” he is speaking as a child of God, led by the Spirit, as mentioned in Romans. He is speaking from, as Wesley calls it, his Divine nature. This Divine nature, also called the Christ within, or the I Am, was not only in Jesus, but, resides in us as well. The I Am is the Spirit of God that lead us, regardless of race or religion.  Jesus was showing us that the I AM, in all of us, is the way, the truth and the life.

As for your apparent shortness of breath, if we believe that at a certain age the body begins to deteriorate, the cell structures will respond to this error thinking, accordingly. When we begin believing this faulty thinking, we can easily become tired, achy, and can experience symptoms like shortness of breath. One can never be healthy if there is a constant worry, fear or doubt surrounding aging and health. We can change this process through right mental attitude and being open to the Spirit of Truth within who constantly heals and renews. Additionally, the body also needs proper exercise, rest, and food. Food habits have an enormous impact on our bodies and our health. If you keep a right mental attitude, exercise and eat proper foods, the body will aid you in remaining healthy and whole.

 

Blessing,

Myrtle

 

 

---

[i] Albert C. Outler, ed., John Wesley (New York: Oxford University Press, 1964), viii-ix; Maddox, Responsible Grace, 22-24 (for an initial claim); and Steve McCormick, "Theosis in Chrysostom

Saving Myrtle!

 

Our next assignment in Dr. Tom’s class is to discuss Myrtle and her concept of salvation; specifically-salvation from what, for what, and by what?  I searched Healing Letters and How to let God Help You, and only found the term, salvation, mentioned three times - one was a scripture quote.

In Healing Letters, she writes, “God never sends a soul into the world without providing for its needs. Until a person seeking to find his right work gets the light and feels the urge to be up and doing, he is to be still and wait upon the Lord and see His salvation.”

In How to Let God, Myrtle says, “Our salvation is in our living by the Christ pattern— not only by the teachings of the man Jesus Christ but by the Christ Mind within us. Jesus Christ is merging His consciousness with the universal race consciousness, that we may have His presence and the light, power, life, and love which are expressing as our pattern and constant, quickening help. In the same book she also quotes Psalms 50:23, “To him that ordereth his way aright will I show the salvation of God.”

Salvation FROM WHAT? Myrtle says a person should be still and wait to see the His salvation. Gleaned from her quotes above, she mentions two consciousness: His consciousness, also called the Christ Mind, and the universal race consciousness.  In Healing letters she writes, “The Christ Mind is the crystal-clear mind that is not blurred by the "becoming" things of which the senses tell us, nor by the reports of the intellect which are records of people's experiments day by day. Therefore, the Christ Mind is crystal- clear, the race mind is blurred. Our salvation is from the blurriness of the race mind. She goes on to say, “Our salvation happens when the Christ Mind is merged with the race mind, and the clear light of understanding illuminates. Often we experience this illumination as an “ah ha” moment, or a  trong inner knowing.

FOR WHAT? For what reason are we given “salvation” or clear vision? We are saved so we can go about living the life we were truly meant to live.  Myrtle writes, “We shall know the Presence of God, and see clearly just how we are to go about living the life that He is giving  ...” For Myrtle, this means works, as indicated when she quotes John 15: 16, "I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you.”  Also, referring back to the earlier quote where Myrtle emphasizes we are “saved” for works when she states,  “We are to be still and wait upon the Lord and see his Salvation,” Myrtle is addressing a person who is seeking to find their right work.

BY WHAT? Salvation, for Myrtle, seems like a dual effort between the Christ consciousness and the race consciousness.  She writes, “We discipline the race consciousness, so the Christ Consciousness can do it’s work. She also reveals that we have to make the first effort, “We are finding out that we can discipline ourselves and call upon the Spirit of God to act through us…” So we connect and the Christ Consciousness does the work.  

Myrtle says it is up to us to develop the Christ powers. She also tells us we are to give up old race beliefs and human fears and personal ambitions.   To receive this salvation Myrtle instructs, “Study and practice daily, keeping your mind and heart, your vision and your emotions fixed on God— God in you. “Christ in you” is your “hope of glory.”

All quotes taken from:

 Fillmore, Myrtle (2013-06-04). How to Let God Help You (Unity Classic Library Series). Unity Books. Kindle Editio

Fillmore, Myrtle (2013-10-04). Myrtle Fillmore's Healing Letters. Kindle Edition.

 

In Truth and Power!

This week's assignment is to explore Myrtle’s Christology.  While reading assigned chapters 4-9 in How to Let God Help You, I jotted down a few questions as they popped into mind. The  most intriguing questions were, according to Myrtle, Who was Jesus and was his role on earth,  does it have any significance for us today, and does Jesus still matter?

It’s very probable that Myrtle believed a person named Jesus actually walked the earth when she writes, “two thousand years ago, there came a manifestation of human life. It’s clear, in her writings, this manifestation was Jesus.

In her writing, Myrtle also stresses the powerful, communal relationship between Jesus and the “Father.” This relationship is the key to Myrtle’s Christology.  Of Jesus she write, “He spent much time communing with God and knew more of God than any other who ever lived.” She also reports he “was so conversant with the great Causing Power of life that He called that power “Father…” In fact, she says, his connection was confident enough to proclaim, “I speak not from myself: but the Father abiding in me doeth his works”. According to Mrs. Fillmore, not only did he speak his Truth, he demonstrated that truth, as well.  According to the Bible, all power was given to Him “in heaven and on earth.”  Jesus didn’t just talk about the power; he actively and openly demonstrated his Source given “power to turn water into wine, power to increase loaves and fishes, power to make Himself visible or invisible at will, power to command the fish of the sea to yield Him money, power to lay down His life and power to take it up.

Demonstrations of this power are essential in Myrtle’s Christology. Myrtle points to John 14:11, alluding to Jesus’s works, “Believe me that I am in the Father, and the Father in me: or else believe me for the very workings’ sake.” She then goes on to stress the importance of demonstration in Christianity in modernity by saying, “What has been called His teaching is not His teaching if it will not heal the sick and feed the poor, as He said it would. It has been this fact that has caused so much unbelief in the teachings of this age.”

Myrtle believe everything Christ did, was can do also, “He (Jesus) declared of those who believed on Him as He believed on the Father, “The works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto the Father.” Furthermore, Mrs. Fillmore goes on to chastise teachers who believe in Christ only intellectually, and deal with only intellectual Truths. She adds, by believing only intellectually, “They have no conception of the esoteric meaning of Jesus Christ’s words and consequently have no power to demonstrate them.  In Myrtles Christianity, Intellectual Truths must not only be talked about, but demonstrated as well.

Myrtle says the earthly Jesus was our pattern, teaching that the Christ Mind in Him is also in us.  She states that even today, “Jesus Christ is merging His consciousness with the universal race consciousness, that we may have His presence and the light, power, life, and love which are expressing as our pattern and constant, quickening help.  With this constant, quickening help, we are able to live the truth, not only in intellect, but with power as well.” Because of this merging, we have the ability to perform the greater works.

 

 

 

 

Myrtle's God! Decidly Eclectic!

As Dr. Thomas Shepherd points out, the title of Myrtle Fillmore’s book, How to Let God Help You, seems to suggest that there is something called God. To understand Myrtle’s view on God, we must first understand more about Myrtle.

In seminary, we are taught that each person’s thought process is significantly impacted by the world in which we live. For example, raised in Pennsylvania, I was taught that wearing white shoes before Easter and after Labor Day was socially unacceptable. I assumed this fashionistic tradition was held by all, until I met someone from sunny California who found the no white notion absolutely absurd. In retrospect, it does seem like a silly practice, but to this day, I can’t wear white shoes after Labor Day without feeling a twinge of guilt! Like it or not, our backgrounds shape the way we see the world. We view the world through our own unique lenses.

To understand Myrtles theology, it is helpful to understand her lenses, especially her religious and academic lenses. We can sum up Myrtle’s background by using her own word, “decidedly eclectic.”

 Myrtle was raised in a very strict Methodist home, even after leaving home and becoming a teacher, she remained active in the Methodist faith. Myrtle never left the Methodist church to form a new religion, she brought her evolving consciousness to her current faith.

Myrtle was also impacted by the training she received at Oberlin College, a progressive school where she was exposed to alternative thoughts, including transcendentalism. In researching Oberlin College, I found this on their website's landing page:

TIVITY, 
Oberlin is a place of intense energy and creativity,

built on a foundation of academic, artistic, & musical excellence.

With its longstanding commitments to
access, diversity, & inclusion, Oberlin is the ideal laboratory

 in which to study and design the world we want.

It’s extremely probable that those words perfectly express the impact Oberlin made on the young Myrtle's life. 

Keeping Myrtle’s diverse background in mind, what does the Unity co-founder say about God? In her own word she writes,

“First of all, remember that God is omnipresent— as present as the very life in which you live, move, and have your being; the very substance out of which your body is formed and nourished; the very intelligence which is within you, in every nerve, brain cell, and structure of the body...” Later she adds, “God is the very intelligence within us. She further proclaims, "We should declare that there is one Intelligence, one Power, one Life, and one Substance. [i]”  

While Myrtle sees God as the intelligence within, at times, she, also, seems to speak of God out there. In chapter one, she refers to God as, “The Great Schoolmaster knows just what problems we need to keep us alert.” She also states that as God’s Children, “we place ourselves in God’s keeping … and it directs us in ways of peace and pleasantness.” She also uses dualistic wording like, "When you have come to the place where you are ready to co-operate with the Source of all good —your indwelling Lord— you are bound to receive His help."
 

 

At times, it does seem Myrtle refers to the Christ Mind in us,  and at other times she seems to be speaking of a separate God who is keeping us, directing us and who created us. Is there a contradiction? If Myrtle believed in One Omnipresent Power, is it possible she would have no problem believing both are true?  Was Myrtle New thought, Methodist, Oberlinian, or decidedly eclectic? Do we try to put a theology on Myrtle  because of our own theological lenses?
 

 I, also, suspect another reason Myrtle spoke in, seemingly, dualistic language is simply because she was a gifted teacher. Myrtle understood the need to speak to people in a context and language they understood. The biblical Jesus demonstrated this same insight when he spoke to the people simply, and in parables.

Myrtle challenged the thinking and culture of her time by writing, “No doubt you have learned from your Bible that the Spirit of God dwells in man and gives him breath, and that man has a soul and a physical body. But have you really studied these facts?”  It’s a question, still relevant today!

---

[i] Myrtle, Fillmore (2013-06-04). How to Let God Help You (Unity Classic Library Series) Unity Books. Kindle Edition.

(Per class assignment: All quotes are taken from chapters one through three.)

Myrtle! Off the Top of my Head!

My first blog entry is prompted by an assignment in Dr. Thomas Shepherd’s  "The Life and Work of Myrtle Fillmore" class. My task is to write what I know about Myrtle Fillmore and her healing, without looking at any other sources outside myself. This is my first blog for the class.  At the end of the course, I am looking forward to looking back to this first post to compare my original thoughts and assumptions with what I learned about her life and work through class. So here we go with Beth’s pre-class version of Myrtle Fillmore:

Myrtle Fillmore was born into a strong Methodist family.  Her family was strict, adamant faithful supporters of the Methodist faith. Myrtle, however, had her doubts about the Wesleyan teachings. The young Myrtle Page could never accept the church’s doctrines of sin and eternal damnation.

Myrtle was sickly as a child. She was told by her family that she had inherited illness from birth and grew up believing sickness was an inevitable part of who she was. Doctors concurred with her family’s proclamation of chronic illness.  It is said she suffered with tuberculosis.

Myrtle loved to read and was highly educated. She grew up and went to college, a rare occurrence for women in the mid to late 1800’s.  Upon graduation, she went on to become a teacher, I believe, in Texas. Myrtle enjoyed working with children and was very active in her local Methodist Church community. On the top of my head, I can’t recall the city, but I believe it was somewhere outside the Dallas area. (I used to live in Lufkin, Texas, and when I read her history a few years ago, I remember thinking that Myrtle lived just a few hours down the road).  While in Texas, she met and married Charles Fillmore. Soon after they married, Myrtle became sick again.

Shortly after, Myrtle heard atteneded a healing service that was being held by a minister named E.B Week.  Dr. Weeks was a student of either Mary Baker Eddy, or Emma Curtis Thompson, without looking it up, I’m not sure which, but Mary Baker Eddy is the predominant name sticking in my mind. At that service, Myrtle heard words that changed her life, “I am a child of God, and I do not inherit sickness.” To a woman who was told she was destined for chronic illness and raised in a tradition that taught we were born in sin, the words were enlightening, ringing with Truth. His statement sparked a passion in Myrtle that would change her life, and those around her. It is interesting to note, that while Myrtle’s life was changed by the words, the same words were heard by Charles Fillmore and had no apparent impact on him at the time.

Myrtle hid Dr. Week’s words in her heart. She began searching the bible seeking understanding, and speaking words of Truth into every part of her body.  In two years, Myrtle was healed. Not only did she heal herself, Myrtle began using the techniques she learned to help heal others.   People sought out Myrtle--drawn in by her effective, healing prayers.

Initially, Charles Fillmore was disinterested in Myrtle’s experience with Dr. Weeks,  but after witnessing his wife's healing, and those she touched, he, too, began his own personal quest for wholeness and healing. This was how the Unity movement began.