While none of our previously non-dating members had what is commonly called a date during our two weeks on this topic, many wonderful thoughts and experiences arose.

As with last week, we listened carefully to our one ardent dater. He stated in substance that knowing what he does of the Reality of Being, "I'm a treat for anyone I run into." He also gave us a description of his developing intimacy with another man: they have leapt from mere dating to relationship. And there are some minor problems, but they seem to work them through. He requested we look at so-called May-December, (i.e. cross-generational) relationships at an early date and we shall.

A couple of our members took the expanded vision of dating developed at last week's meeting into their lives. One said he enjoyed treating everyone he interacted with during the week as a date — paying attention to them and their ideas, enjoying their good and bad points, concentrating on forging intimacy — whether with an open smile or perhaps an saucy question. Most of his "dates" he would never have considered a sexual turn-on.

Another member found himself greatly attracted to a guy across a crowded restaurant and was quite stunned to find they were alone in the men's room later. Our member in his nervousness commented on the floral display beside the sink and discovered the man to be quite willing to engage in light flirty banter before they returned to their respective dinner partners. Our member said he felt wonderful, warm, complete after this encounter.

These experiences were both evocative of the process underlying the remarkable dating episode Andrew Holleran describes in Dancer From the Dance, pp. 187-188, showing the integration of sex and spirituality. One member with a bent for more classical Christian Science terminology translated the message this way: "Be sure you're seeing the divine identity of yourself and the one you're dating — indeed everyone — then the one Ego or Mind will be the whole experience, including all the joy we individually feel."

Our dreamer from last week explored his feelings about some female figures in a recent dream series. All three dreams exposed severe problems he has had with women in his life and more hiddenly with his own inner feminine. Briefly he felt he had to cajole them into action or steer clear of their anger and haughtiness. Much of this seems to have resulted from relationships with dilapidated Medusas in his youth and was an ongoing block not only to dealing with people but also to his spirituality, so dependent on access to the feminine within (for men at least). He started the healing work with Christian Science on the basis that he does not live in matter and so forth when he had another dream, this time of having intercourse with a woman — a bit of a surprise since he's Gay. He talked to a friend who reassured him that Gay people often have sexual dreams about the opposite sex just as non-Gay people have dreams of sex with people of their own gender. It was clearly an indication that the inner alchemical marriage — the oneness of the male/female described so often by Mrs. Eddy in her writings. (See for instance Science and Health, pg. 249:5-8, inviting us to experience the male and female of God's creating.) Now he must live the divine wedding in his life.

The subject of safety in our meetings continues to simmer. One member is staying away because the room feels unsafe to this member for deep sharing. The ones still attending seem to value the free flow of ideas and feeling, which can at times wound. But guidelines will eventually emerge partaking of the following principles:

1) Speak from your own experience; avoid sermons unsupported by demonstration.

2) No gossip or criticism during or after the meeting; give prayerful support instead.

3) Take what you like and leave the rest.

4) Above all work in Christian Science to discern what safety is, where it comes from and who has it.

This struggle for safety is very much a dating issue — it would come up right away in any intimacy attempt and is an issue for us as we get closer. Perhaps our group could be seen as an extended, multi-layered date with each other.

Other matters briefly:

• One member saw dating as the time/space version of the perfection of being. Christ became Jesus and light waves become particles to time/space perception. So the full force of divine Love is rendered as dating.
• An unfolding story about a breakthrough in how some of those in authority in our Movement are viewing Gay people has come to our attention. If we can develop more on this we'll put it up next week.
• A member was quickly healed of a cold when he was called upon by another member for metaphysical help. He saw that contagion, which refers to touching, is impossible in absolute Science since he and all are infinite idea including all right ideas. The same members dealt with a mouse intrusion on the basis that everyone is in his right place (i.e. as reflection). The one calling for help then called out to the mouse to go home, and apparently he did. There have been other healing in the group of this type problem and these two recalled those experiences as part of their work.
• The failure of hate crime legislation to pass in several Western states could be viewed as confirmation in Science that everyone is already perfectly safe. Would we rather be totally safe or merely have hate crime legislation?