We have to be careful with these topics! Sometimes they bring on some pretty uncomfortable reactions. As we worked with Serenity this week, one member suffered an emotional melt-down as he struggled with a new computer. Two members were buffeted by such an upsurge of animosity as we tried to get the meeting started, that one had to leave. And the member who requested the topic and would therefore have led us, was apparently so serene that he slept cozily at home straight through our meeting time. (He joined us later at dinner.) These examples of chemicalization bear the potential for growth and our sufferers seem to have gotten the point.

These and other difficulties did their work to drive us beyond the mere semblance of serenity to a better grasp of its true origin and Science. After all, drugs and hypnotism can give us a calm appearance. We wouldn't think to call this sort of thing Christian Science, yet which of us hasn't stooped to willpower in affixing a serene look. One member felt that true serenity is basically the result of an assiduous process of overcoming — not suppressing — sinful or dualistic beliefs. This is done by finding their spiritual counter facts and living them. Truth makes us free; human will does not.

Another pointed out that the Latin word serenus means clear. From this he perceived the need to live as reflection or Christ Science itself — not merely as a good person applying Christian Science to problems. He quoted this from Mary Baker Eddy: "The mortal mind through which Truth appears most vividly is that one which has lost much materiality — much error — in order to become a better transparency for Truth"(Science and Health, p. 295:19-22).

One member recalled two people who made an impression on him because of their serenity, which to him meant clarity, focus and unflappability as they handled the business at hand. One was a nurse who lovingly attended him when he broke his foot many years ago. This was before he became involved in Christian Science, but he swears her attentiveness and efficiency certainly hastened his healing. The other was a facilitator at a psychology workshop he attended. She had to field lots of hostile questions — the types that questioners don't even realize consciously are hostile — and showed no evidence of being zinged. She brushed through it all with calm equanimity allowing her to get to the meat of the problem and not get dragged down into ineffectual bluster and psychological one-up man-ship.

We had a newcomer to Christian Science at the meeting. He telephoned us earlier in the week and knew a bit about us from that contact, but members who are students of Christian Science thought it a good idea to take time to give him some ideas about its teachings and illustrate these with healing experiences.

One member talked of his lifetime in Christian Science, his family and dealings with the church organization. He described his approach to beliefs like matter and illness. He described healings of personal relationships, tumors, polyps and what appeared to be cancer (see topic "[#topic=20000525#]"for an account of this healing).

Another described his conversion to Christian Science after meeting a very dynamic 90-plus-year-old couple who took him under their wing. He talked of his practice of Christian Science; how he uses a form of meditation he himself came up with; and told us of several remarkable healings in the health, work and lover areas. His grasp of the Science of supply, both in finances and relationships, prompted members to request he write up an article for our web site.

Another member detailed his healing of a nasty cold this week. His work began with identifying some buried emotional turmoil which he discharged with Science. (He had to dematerialize and infinitize his concepts of personal mother and gay men.) The cold broke suddenly when he was on the phone with someone he was helping in Science with a business problem. His friend had been praying and realizing that divine Love underlay his business; he realized he needed to show this in his practical dealings, which he did with wonderful results. Our member extrapolated this into renouncing his symptoms — these were not showing forth the Life as God that he was seeing in his heart. There was a confirmatory passage in the Christian Science Quarterly Bible Lesson this week (see Section I, #5 from Science and Health, p. 116: 5-10). The symptoms quickly departed.

Our newcomer then told us how he beat a life threatening disease several years back. He had to be in the hospital for three months but never gave up hope. He kept a strong, uplifted mental outlook. He also related how in the past few days he has been able to let office animosities roll off his back. This is a new job and he has not felt like part of the gang until just the last few days. The better feeling is the result of his new attitude. As confirmation of his newfound clarity, he was very happy to have been included in a party — he had to rush there from our meeting — hosted by business associates.

A member brought in a book which propounds the non denominational nature of Christian Science. It calls it a universal Science. After sharing testimonies with our new friend we thought we'd like to look at the all inclusiveness of what we call Christian Science. We chose, perhaps a bit clumsily, the word Universality as the marker of this quest.