Only two members made it through heavy snow to our meeting, but the level of sharing was as profuse as ever.

We agreed right off with what one internet friend sent us during the week:

If we see Self as God, the one infinite Self, then self interest is the same as our at-one-ment with infinite Love. As we think out from the one infinite Mind, Love we move wisely in human affairs. This is a mighty change of base. Instead of trying to guess what God wants us to do, we are at one with Mind, Love and thus act.

We couldn't improve on that, but one member amplified it with some points from the work of Adam Smith (1723-1790) which rests on two seemingly divergent standpoints. One proclaims the value of each person's own selfish interests pressed to the limit while the other promotes the need in human relations for sympathy as the means for bringing Deity into human action. Our member then noted the advice from the mythologist Joseph Campbell that we follow our bliss and we talked of people like Picasso, Einstein and Wagner who were not conventionally "nice" but whose contributions to mankind were immense. It's too bad they were so cruel, but what if they'd settled for just being nice?

One member felt that we could reach out beyond self interest by working in our Christian Science treatments universally. Thus, if he or another seems in need of prayer, the work could be done for mankind generally and individually. He illustrated with a testimony about an unexpected, and quite lucrative, sale of real estate being concluded just as he worked in Science on a jam-up in the currency markets. He also expressed gratitude for a healing during the week of cold symptoms after he saw clearly the divinity of those he supposed brought the virus into his proximity

We then turned to how we reach out beyond the mortal belief of ourselves in our group. As most know. we select a topic at the end of each meeting and members then study, pray and watch with reference thereto as the week unfolds. Often things start popping and it's no particular stretch to see these happenings as related to our work. This week for instance the group received several important inquiries and requests for help, as well as a quite aggressive Guestbook entry. There were also the following two occurrences:

1) Receipt of an e-mail from the Christian Scientist grandmother of a teen age girl who has recently entered a loving relationship with another teenage girl. She says, "I must let you know that I feel more reassured after exploring your website... her mother and I decided that whatever she chose, we would support her... and have been affirming that whatever... her sexuality she is loved and protected by God."

2) A member was talking to a Roman Catholic customer about the latter's very closeted homosexuality. He and his family have felt the Bible rules out his orientation; they tolerate it only to the extent he keeps it "in the bedroom". Our member was able to liberate his thought somewhat by acquainting him with Jesus' loving counsel in Matthew 19: 10-12. In a few days he'll show him modern translations of this passage which make even clearer the Savior's support for one's individual affectional demonstration.

Those attending the meeting next talked of the Eminem-Elton duet at the Grammies. This has met with such universal condemnation that we thought we'd better take a hard, metaphysical look at it. One commentator at the show said Eminem represents in "art" the sexism and homophobia that many white male heterosexual teens suffer from. If this is true, better then that they rap or chant about their agony than act it out through some violent physical means. Our Jungian couldn't restrain himself and offered the following. The hatred of women and Gay men by these kids is an attempt to escape from the clutches of the Great Mother archetype which understandably pervades childhood. Sadly for all concerned, such attempts, not anchored in spiritual insight, are dualistic and tend to lead on to more severe problems, including the continuation of the mother addiction, if in more novel forms like codependent marriages, sex crimes, death. Pretty grim, but we thought Christian Science could offer a way out. Since God is both real — not mere archetypal — Mother and Father: source and condition of all existence, there are no clutches to escape from but rather realities to be lived as the one I or Us.

We had time for a brief testimony of healing. One member had been tap dancing in shoes that did not fit for weeks and finally could hardly walk. It was time to shop. He met with frustration as he went from store to store not finding the right shoes or the right fit. Then he recalled something he had discovered a few weeks earlier — if he would just thank God for whatever happened and treat problems as "projects" — occasions to solve the great problem of being — things would work out smoothly. He launched into such grateful affirmations and within minutes had found the right shoes. Class was to start soon and he decided to go, just to look and listen, since his feet were still a mess from the abuse of the previous weeks. When he got there he put on the shoes and did a bit of tapping. Soon he was in the full swing of things, thanking God all the way. He took the whole class and has felt no pain since!

We couldn't come up with a topic for next week at the meeting but were joined by two members at our usual restaurant afterwards and came up with Bisexuality. A couple of members have had some fantasies of emotional or sexual interest in folks of the opposite sex, and we all thought it a good area to explore from a spiritual standpoint.