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The Revealing Word
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[The Revealing Word]
[Charles Fillmore's Works] [Unity on the Web Home Page]
dainties, king's--That which pertains to sensual
gratification.
dark sayings--Refers to the darkened consciousness that
cannot yet see the true light. Jesus knew that the apostles
would soon reach the point where they would be able to go
direct to the Father for light and guidance. Then He would
not have to speak to them in "dark sayings" that they could
not understand, but could speak to them "plainly of the
Father" (John 16:25).
darkness--The ignorance of the sense man; the absence of
Truth (light) in consciousness. Darkness represents
undeveloped capacity. It is caused by lack of love. "He
that saith he is in the light and hateth his brother, is in
the darkness" (I John 2:9).
dawn--Spiritual perception as a dawning light in
consciousness, increasing as one turns steadily toward
Truth.
day--Represents the state of mind in which intelligence
dominates. The idea back of day is light, or the
dispensation of intelligence. In the Scriptures day and
night are symbols for degrees of unfoldment, day being
understanding; night, ignorance. (see night)
day, last--All shall attain who believe or have faith in
the spiritual source of life. Whoever enters into the Mind
of Spirit will have poured out to him its life essence and
be wholly raised up from material conditions when arriving
at the "last day"--the last degree of understanding.
day of judgment--Any day in which we get the result in body
and affairs of some thought or word that we have expressed.
day of rest--The true day of rest is the consciousness of
universal peace that constitutes the kingdom of
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heaven. This peace is eternal, and when man becomes
conscious of it his "day of rest" has begun to dawn. This
rest comes from the understanding that now in Christ all
things are complete.
days, three--The three days that Jesus was in the tomb
represent the three steps in overcoming error. First,
nonresistance and humility; second, the taking on of divine
activity, or accepting the will of God; third, the
assimilation and fulfillment of divine will.
daydreamer--One having ideas brilliant beyond description,
but which are not clothed in the habiliments of action. He
perceives an idea, but does not give it form by infusing
into it the substance of living faith. He falls short by
failing to realize that there are two sides to every
proposition, the image and the expression.
death--Physical dissolution of the body; the outer symbol
of mental negation or spiritual inertia. As commonly
interpreted, death is the absence of life in the body.
Death is caused by man's failure to comply fully with God's
law. It is the result of sin and has no uplifting power. A
falling short of the law of life is sin. Sin causes discord
in mind, which produces a separation between spirit and
body. Through believing in error and dissipating the life
substance, the mind loses hold of its consciousness of life
and enters into negation, and dissolution takes place. The
result is death of the body temple. "The wages of sin is
death; but the free gift of God is eternal life" (Rom.
6:23).
If, through the power of our thought and word, we affirm
the opposite of life and talk about the absence of life, we
rob the body cells of their natural element. This treatment
will eventually bring death to the organism. Let us not
say, "I am tired"; "I am weak"; "I am sick." Rather, let us
say, "I am strong"; "I am well"; "I am alive with the life
of God now and forevermore."
death, an enemy of man--Death is not a friend but
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an enemy and must be overcome. Death does not change man
and bring him into the resurrection and eternal life. Death
has no place in the Absolute.
In the world today there is an active effort to exalt death
and to delude men into believing that death is the way to
eternal life in heaven. Such a thought is opposed to the
teachings of Jesus, because Jesus came to deliver the human
race from death and to fulfill in man God's perfect will:
abundant life. Jesus made no mention of resurrection after
death as having any part in the new birth. The new birth is
a change that comes here and now. It has to do with the
present man, that he may become conscious of Christ within
himself. Those who are guided by the Spirit of truth
understand the life teaching and are not led astray by any
philosophy that makes death and the grave necessary factors
in spiritual growth.
death, a sleep--Death is but a prolonged sleep, the result
of thought inharmony so great that the body cannot stand
the strain and collapses. Then, instead of being in a body
when he awakes, man finds that he is in the realm of
thought without a vehicle adequate to his full expression,
and he is forced by divine law again to build an organism.
death, first and second--The first death is the death of
the light and life of Spirit in man's consciousness. The
second death is a cessation of vital force and action in
the body. It occurs when the mind completely loses control
of the body. The functional activities cease, and the
physical organism dissolves.
death, how to overcome--The Christ man goes through the
various centers of the body and rebuilds them with his
word. The abiding consciousness of life fills every cell of
the body with its quickening energy, and the body becomes
immortal.
debt--A contradiction of the universal equilibrium. There
is no such thing as lack of equilibrium in all the
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universe; therefore, in Spirit and in Truth there is no
debt.
Debts are produced by thoughts of lack, impatient desire,
and covetousness. A thought of debt will produce debt. As
long as we believe in debt, we shall go into debt and
accumulate the burdens that follow this thought. When such
thoughts are erased from consciousness, our debts are
overcome and paid in full.
debt, how to overcome--Thoughts of abundance will more
quickly and surely bring what is ours to us than any
thoughts we can hold about debtors discharging their
obligations to us. We are to see abundance everywhere and
to affirm it, not only for ourselves but for everyone else.
We shall fill our mind with thoughts of divine love,
justice, peace, and forgiveness. This will pay our debts of
love, which will bring to us abundance to meet every
obligation.
decree--To command; to ordain. To decree with assurance is
to establish and to fix an ideal in substance. The force
behind the decree is invisible, like a promise to be
fulfilled at a future time; but it binds with its invisible
chains the one who makes it. We have only a slight
conception of the strength of the intangible. We compare
and measure strength by some strong element in nature. We
say that something is as "strong as steel." But a little
thought will convince us that mental affirmations are far
stronger than the strongest visible thing in the world. The
reason for this is that visible things lack livingness.
They are not linked with energy and intelligence as are
words. Words charged with power and intelligence increase
with use, while material things decrease.
Deity, the--The Supreme Being; God.
delusion--False perception. Delusion occurs only in that
realm which is not established by the divine Logos, God's
creative Word.
demon--This word is used in Matt. 8:28-34, when
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the demons ask to be sent into the swine. The demons of the
parable represent error states of mind that have been
quickened by Truth and are repentant. When one knows the
work of Jesus in regenerating or reconstructing the mind
and body and that this work is typical of what all have to
do, one sees that negative thoughts have to be dealt with.
One also understands that the demons or devils are error
states of mind that have to be lifted up by the quickening
power of Spirit. (see Christianity and Devil)
demonstrate--"To prove by reasoning, as by deduction; to
establish as true" (Webster). To demonstrate Truth is to
effect a change of consciousness. This includes the
elimination of error and the establishment of Truth.
demonstration--The proving of a Truth principle in one's
body or affairs. The manifestation of an ideal when its
accomplishment has been brought about by one's conformity
in thought, word, and act to the creative Principle of God.
It is a metaphysical law that there are three steps in
every demonstration: the recognition of Truth as it is in
Principle; holding an idea; and acknowledging fulfillment.
"Whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall
receive" (Matt. 21:22).
demonstration, complete--God expressed in all fullness; the
putting on of Christhood, which Jesus accomplished.
demonstration, spiritual--A spiritual realization followed
by the manifestation in the outer of the Truth that has
been realized within.
demonstration, the great--That which crowns all others and
includes all others--the demonstration of eternal life; the
truth that life is omnipresent and eternal and that it is
ours just to the measure that we appropriate it.
demonstrator--One who understands and conforms to any point
of divine law. He may demonstrate much or
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little; he may deal with his whole consciousness or merely
with his outer mentality. (see overcomer)
denial--The mental process of erasing from consciousness
the false beliefs of the sense mind. Denial clears away
belief in evil as reality and thus makes room for the
establishing of Truth.
Carnal consciousness is made up of a multitude of false
individual and race beliefs. Through denial we get rid of
these shadows of reality. We cleanse the temple of the mind
of these thieves and robbers of our good. In so doing, we
make way for the planting of the seeds of Truth that will
bring to us an ever-increasing supply of good. (see
affirmation)
denials, as related to affirmations--A denial is a
relinquishment, and it should not be made with too much
vehemence. Let us make our denials as though we were gently
sweeping away cobwebs, and our affirmations in a strong,
bold, positive attitude of mind. When we poise ourselves in
Divine Mind our affirmations and denials will be made in
right relation. We will know just when to let go of a
thought and when to lay hold of another.
deny himself--When a man denies himself he denies
personality; he denies that the world of appearance is
real. "If any man would come after me, let him deny himself
. . . and follow me" (Mark 8:34).
desert place--A desert place in the consciousness of man is
a seeming lack of substance and life. In Truth desert
places do not really exist. From the viewpoint of Spirit
there is no lack. Where God is, there are His inexhaustible
resources; God is everywhere present.
desire--An expression of the inmost being of man; the
onward impulse of an ever-evolving man. It springs from
deep within Being and it has enduring power. Deep desire is
essential to spiritual growth. It is desire--earnest,
intense desire--that draws the whole being up out of
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mortality and its transient joys into the power to
appreciate and to receive real spiritual blessings.
desire, repressed--Desire that is forced out of
consciousness into the subconscious mind without
transmutation according to spiritual law.
desire to excel--The inspiration of the Holy Spirit, which
ever urges us to forsake earthly things and to desire that
which is of heaven. Desire to excel should be encouraged
and cultivated in the right direction. It is in all men.
destiny--The goal toward which man's own thoughts are
leading him. In the beginning he was destined to bring
forth God's perfect pattern and he must eventually reach
this supreme goal. Man's destiny is to go from glory to
glory.
development--Increase in conception and expression of the
qualities that belong to Divine Mind. The development or
correction of all present ideas underlying one's
manifestation, and the training of them to conform to the
divine idea of man.
Devil--The mass of thoughts that has been built up in race
consciousness through many generations of earthly
experiences and crystallized into what may be termed human
personality, or carnal mind, which opposes and rejects God.
The "devil" is a state of consciousness adverse to the
divine good. Other names for this state of consciousness
are the Adversary, carnal mind, the accuser, and the old
man. There is no personal devil. God is the one omnipresent
Principle of the universe, and there is no room for any
principle of evil, personified or otherwise.
Devil, how to overcome the--The Devil is overcome by
denying his existence and by affirming universal Christ
love for God and all men. The devils that we encounter are
fear, anger, jealousy, and other similar negative traits,
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and they are in ourselves. Christ gives us the power to
cast out these devils, thereby cleansing our consciousness.
digestion, spiritual--Absorbing Truth into the
consciousness through meditation.
discern--"To lay hold of with the understanding, especially
that which is hidden or obscure; to divine" (Webster). To
apprehend the Truth of Being; to look through appearances
and to behold the reality of omnipresence.
discerning the Lord's body--(see I Cor. 11:29) To discern
the Lord's body is to recognize that it is substance and
life, and it is formed within man, and that it is, in the
larger sense, made up of members in whom the Christ body
has been individually formed.
discernment, spiritual--That inner spiritual faculty by
which man may receive the revelations of God-Mind. The
faculty by which we inwardly know that which is spiritual.
It indicates the ready insight into divine law that was the
glory of the Master.
disciple--"One who receives instruction from another"
(Webster). (see apostles)
disciple, calling of--To call a disciple (or apostle) is
mentally to recognize that disciple; it is to identify
oneself with the intelligence working at a center: for
example, judgment at the solar plexus. To make this
identification, one must realize one's unity with God
through Christ, Christ being the Son-of-God idea always
existing in man's consciousness.
disciples in the upper room--The gathering of the disciples
(or apostles) in the upper room symbolizes the
concentration of the faculties at the center of
spirituality in communion with the Father.
discrimination--The ability to distinguish qualities or
values, enabling one intelligently to choose the desirable.
disease--An inharmonious condition in mind and body brought
about by error thinking. Ignorance causes all disease.
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"My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge" (Hosea
4:6). Organic disease has its origin in mind as truly as
any other manifestation. It has become subconscious and
needs the power of the Christ Mind to reach and to dissolve
the error thoughts that are causing the disease.
dispensation, new--The great outpouring of power, love, and
spiritual life that is now taking place in all who
acknowledge the I AM presence.
dispensation, old--The Mosaic dispensation.
divine--Godlike; godly; of the nature of God.
divine ideal--The Christ man; the divine idea of man.
divine law--The logical process by which Principle or God
manifests.
Divine Mind--God-Mind; ever-present, all-knowing Mind; the
Absolute, the unlimited. Omnipresent, all-wise, all-loving,
all-powerful Spirit.
There is but one Mind, and that Mind cannot be separated or
divided, because, like the principle of mathematics, it is
indivisible. All that we can say of the one Mind is that it
is absolute and that all its manifestations are in essence
like itself.
Divine Mind, creative power of--The functioning of the
principles of Being; Spirit in action. Mind is not a thing;
Mind is. It is that which, through orderly processes,
produces things. Divine Mind first conceives the idea, then
images its fulfillment. Man, acting in co-operation with
Divine Mind, places himself under this same creative law
and thus brings his ideas into manifestation.
divine motherhood--The brooding, nourishing element of
Divine Mind, in which spiritual ideas are brought to
fruition.
divine order--Order is the first law of the universe.
Indeed, there could be no universe unless its various parts
were kept in perfect order. The facts of Spirit are of
spiritual character and, when understood in their right
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relation, they are orderly. Orderliness is law and is the
test of true science.
divinity within us--The true spiritual man, the Christ that
is the real of every man.
doctrine of church--A teaching peculiar to a church or to
churches in general.
doctrine of Unity, value of the--Unity doctrine is of
practical, everyday value to everyone who follows its
instructions because it shows man that he is his own
minister, lawyer, and doctor and that he has within himself
the storehouse from which he can supply every need. It is
the doctrine that Jesus proclaimed with original
simplicity. It asks man to return again to the estate of
simplicity in which he was as a little child, believing
implicitly what the Father tells him from the inner
recesses of his own being. It has been found to be a good
doctrine because it has opened to man a new world, and he
sees how, through it, shall be brought about the
fulfillment of the promise: "And he [God] shall wipe away
every tear from their eyes; and death shall be no more;
neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain,
anymore: the first things are passed away" (Rev. 21:4).
domination--"Exercise of power in ruling; often, arbitrary
or insolent sway" (Webster). One person should never
dominate another because it weakens the will of the one
dominated and makes the will of the one who dominates hard
and unyielding.
dominion--"Supreme authority, sovereignty" (Webster). As a
perfect child of God, man is born to complete dominion over
all creation. Dominion is an inner consciousness obtained
only through mind discipline. This supreme authority comes
as man realizes his oneness with the Father.
dominion, urge to exercise--The power and right of dominion
and authority are innate within man, having been implanted
there by Divine Mind at man's creation.
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door--The door of our mind is the I AM. "I am the door of
the sheep" (John 10:7). The "sheep" are our thoughts. There
is but one life-giver, one Saviour, the Christ; and the
only door through which the divine essence can come to us
is through our own I AM.
door of the temple--The "door of the temple which is called
Beautiful" (Acts 3:2) is the way that opens to spiritual
illumination, to an understanding of how to lay hold of and
to apply spiritual law.
double-mindedness--Contemplation of a world both good and
evil; mental acceptance of a principle of evil as well as
of good. This constitutes a denial of God as omnipresent
good.
doubt--"Unsettled state of opinion concerning the reality
of the truth of something" (Webster). Doubt is the Satan of
every man. Doubt is the root of weakness, mental and
physical. If men had faith in themselves, in the ability of
Spirit within them, they would become giants, where they
are but pygmies.
dove--Symbolizes peace of mind and confidence in divine
law. The dove is nonresistant. In this state of
consciousness we rest in Spirit.
drink of the cup--To drink of the cup from which Jesus
drank is to rise above all sensuality, to gain mastery over
every impulse of mind and body, and to devote one's whole
life to Spirit.
drunkard--"One who habitually drinks strong liquors
immoderately" (Webster). The first step in healing the
drunkard in ourselves or another is to withdraw all
condemnation and censure and to affirm the law of love.
There is a very close connection in Being between love and
life.
A man once testified that he healed himself of drunkenness
by saying, whenever the desire for liquor came to him, "I
do not love whisky; I love God."
duality--(see double-mindedness)
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dust, shake off the--To deny all seeming materiality. "And
whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear your words, as ye
go forth out of that house or that city, shake off the dust
of your feet" (Matt. 10:14).
dying--The state of negation in man's consciousness wherein
he is failing to retain possession of his body.
dying to self--Signifies man's willingness to die to the
little personal self, so that he may be absorbed into
Divine Mind. To lay down the mortal thought of life and to
take up the spiritual idea of life opens the door to the
realization that the I AM has creative power and can
express the life manifestation in divine order.
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[The Revealing Word]
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