This topic came out of a member's description of the altered mental state he enters when doing watercolors. We all had had similar experiences and wanted to explore whether this kind of timeless state could be extended to our practice of Christian Science.

The originator of the topic was unable to attend the meeting but sent us some information on what experts mean by the Flow. It comes from "The Power of Place", by Winifred Gallagher and represents mainly the thinking of Mihaly Csikszentmihaly. The flow is "optimum experience" where "our actions merge with our awareness" and "we stop being spectators of our experience which eliminates that ruminative self-consciousness that's such a burden." Furthermore, "we feel a sense of oneness with something larger than the self, whether it's a musical tradition, nature or deity."

Our member then related these thoughts to a quote from a famous Christian Science pamphlet, "God's Law of Adjustment", by Adam Dickey. Scientific prayer results in "the comforting sense of peace and joy which allows a demonstration to unfold naturally and divinely — as God's will, not human will."

After these comments were read a member told of a dancer friend's description of occasionally being in the flow during stage performances. A kind of higher self or power takes over, lending ease and elation not only to his own feelings and actions but to all the activities of everyone else involved in the performance. Our member felt that students of Christian Science should aspire to similar individual and group prayer experiences.

A couple of members then engaged in a kind of semantic discussion of the word "now". Is it useful in the practice of Christian Science or just one of a string of time-based terms? Isn't there a reality beyond "now" that Science beckons us to find and bring forth in the past-present-future? Others saw our two friends as talking about the same thing, though using seemingly conflictive terminology. "Now" looks like a fair human term for the flow of infinity and eternity which might not otherwise be represented in human thought.

We went on to some brief comments on quantum physics. The older "takes" on the sciences involve observers being separate from what is observed, whereas quantum physics demonstrates that such separation is impossible: there's a mutual influence between observer and observed. According to Shimon Malin in "Nature Loves To Hide", the only possible method of investigation is contemplation. One of our members added that since "All is infinite Mind and its manifestation" (Science and Health, p. 468), we must undertake — or better, submit to — such contemplation on the basis of the one I or Us. A personal ego cannot contemplate the quantum or true universe; it may however submit to the one Ego which is the universe. At which point the Ego is effectively the ego.

A member described his understanding of the flow in his life as a constant communion with God. He noted that by keeping the channels open to God he continually has demonstrations of God's power and comfort unfolding in his life. For instance, this week he has seen three very interesting, basically unbidden, healings. His flu stymied voice bounced back enough to allow him to MC a club act and even sing a bit; his landlady remodeled and upgraded his bathroom; and an emergency visit to the dentist resulted in no charge after he shared a joke with the dentist and her staff.

We then had a discussion of letting old concepts go as new ones appear. Loss becomes gain easily as we die daily and don't allow ourselves to get stuck. The image of the San Andreas fault was used to illustrate. If it slid — or flowed — quietly and minutely along there would be no bad reactions. It is the periodic sticking and buildup of energy which result in catastrophic earthquake releases and damage. Science can be a matter of no suffering if we live at the crest of construction where concomitant destruction is unknown.

Section III of the Christian Science Quarterly Bible Lesson on Love came up. It includes this: "And as soon as the lad was gone, David arose out of a place toward the south, and fell on his face to the ground, and bowed himself three times: and they kissed one another, and wept one with another, until David exceeded." (I Samuel 20:41) Members, thinking perhaps of flow, interpreted the word "exceeded" as an orgasm, but other biblical translations are not so blunt. Whatever the details, it was certainly good to see the love affair between Jonathan and David so explicitly set forth in the Lesson.

This discussion emboldened a member to share some comments on his work and demonstration in the area of romantic and sexual recovery. He contacted a massage therapist who specializes in such cases and had a session. Before, during and after he prayed with this line from Unity of Good: "I am All. A knowledge of aught beside Myself is impossible." (Mary Baker Eddy, p. 18:25) It was important to place the "I" transpersonally as the one Ego controlling both parties and all. The appointment then became an unfoldment rather than an achievement — a flow of divine energies embracing the human. The therapist proved to be a consummate practitioner of his art and our member feels he is well launched into recovery.

Another member of long standing who now lives in another city visited us and talked of his efforts to loosen up his local branch church. Currently he is working to get the reading room open in his care on Saturday nights to provide an alternative destination for those who go to a large Gay bar located directly across the street. He likes our informal discussion format and will do something like it if he can get those doors open. We advised him of The Mother Church's latest thinking on encouraging small study and practice groups.

For next week a member, who was heartbroken about the troubles in Africa shown in Ted Koppel's Nightline program, asked that we support recovery there with Christian Science treatment. Some of the most pressing problems are AIDS, poverty, starvation and violence. Many of these are being looked at by the World Economic Forum meeting in New York over the next few days. We decided to call the topic "Suffering Sense".