Who on earth welcomes adversity? To hear our readings you'd think Christian Scientists do. And if we don't, perhaps we should. For, properly seen and worked through with the tools Christian Science provides, adversity is the royal road to enlightenment and growth. It's divine Love saying, "Wake up dear child and understand your at-one-ment with Me."

We all have free will to believe whatever we wish and base our lives on that, but members saw that unless our beliefs reflect divine reality we'll experience hardships and calamities until we get into proper alignment with Truth.

One tendency we noted in ourselves and others is to make a career out of some problem rather than seeing what false beliefs are causing it, addressing these and healing the problem.

Discovering repressed beliefs and bringing them to the surface for healing can be a harrowing process — e.g., psychotherapy — but one member reminded us that since "error is a misstatement of truth," (see Science and Health, p. 126:2) we can go right to the healing Truth by reversing the error. For instance, faced with death or illness, do I understand that Life, or God-man, is eternal here and now? Faced with hatred or fear, do I get it that Love, or God-man, too is omnipresent right now?

A member told us of an experience a few days earlier at the post office. He had been frustrated in his attempt to open a new P.O. Box first by the absence of the proper clerk to handle the transaction and then later by a long, slow-moving line. He undertook the usual Christian Science work but to little avail. It then occurred to him to seek prayerfully what a post office represented spiritually. "Communication", was the answer to that and he remembered the statement by Mary Baker Eddy from Science and Health: "The only intercommunication is always from God to His idea, man." (p. 284:31) Suddenly his thought was overwhelmed by the impersonal truth that "everyone is satisfied." He was quickly served of course and out the door. It then came to him (something he never in his wildest dreams thought he would agree with), "Yes, Mary is the mother of God: mortal man's soul, letting go of human belief, and looking to God, thereby effectively mediates Christ, or God with us, to mankind." Those old orthodox sayings and beliefs are powerful because they hide within them some pretty remarkable visions.

The meeting then proceeded along with healings being reported as illustrations of aspects of our topic or Science in general.

One member reported a telephone conversation with another member who was unable to attend. The latter wanted the readings about angels incorporated into the flow. They worked along the lines of the body being the presence and power of God. Christian Science uses the divine synonym Soul for body. But isn't the body material, dualistic? Sure, if we see it from the Jehovah standpoint. Did Jesus take his body to heaven in the ascension? Yes. He understood its infinity, just as the quantum physicists are beginning to do today. Our bodies are infinite. Not just metaphysically but physically. Indeed as time moves on metaphysics and physics will merge.

This brought on a discussion of sex in terms of everyone already interpenetrating and being interpenetrated by everyone else. Yes, physically! What we call sex is perhaps a cramped view of what's really happening already but its symbolic form needn't be about pain and pleasure but can be seen as Truth sought and demonstrated.

One member amplified the sex discussion (but noted that his remarks could be applied to any phase of human existence) with an interpretation of some readings from the Book of Daniel he heard at the Wednesday testimony meeting of a local Christian Science Church. King Belshazzar lost his throne and his life when he used the golden vessels from the temple to drink wine recreationally. (See Daniel 1:1,2 and 5:1-5,25-28,30,31.) In what jeopardy are we placing ourselves by operating from a Cartesian basis? (Treating Spirit and matter as separate or "leaning on a broken reed" as Mrs. Eddy puts it on page 66 of Science and Health, see the Readings.)

Three members had experiences during the week illustrating the need to prepare carefully and sensitively for discussions involving Christian Science. Two of them engaged non-Scientists in discussions of religion and medicine and managed to alienate their interlocutors. They see the error of their ways and hope to do better next time.

The third member did get ready for his encounter with his church's membership on financial issues. He supposed he would run into a wall of antagonism and indifference but after his preparation found the membership deeply responsive and practical in their approach.

Nearing the end of the meeting we got into some brief comments on all the war talk now circulating. Members are praying about the situation. One said he had become aware this week of several Jungian workshops delving into the war archetype. Apparently war is a concept not necessarily traceable to disagreements, deprivations or testosterone alone. It's deeper. Certainly in Christian Science it all goes back to the basic fallacy of belief in matter. One member recalled a scene from Kenneth Branagh's Henry V where there is a feeling of elation on a battle field amidst the blood and gore — "Is this how regular guys have sex and mix body fluids?"

The topic for next week is The Power Of One. The thought behind it is that each of us has the opportunity and obligation to pray for the world and "One with God is a majority." Therefore our prayers are effective.