As I re-read my initial post, I realize I had a pretty good handle on Myrtle’s theology, how it developed (the simplified version), and how it was expressed. After these many weeks of research and analysis, my perception of her theology has shifted in a number of ways.
As “the Mother of Unity”, and as the “heart” versus Charles’ “head”, I had viewed Myrtle as this warm and loving soul, oozing with compassion and the desire to heal the world. She was tender and yielding, accepting and sympathetic. These may, indeed, have been some of the attributes of our co-founder of Unity at times. Yet, reading and studying her letters and lectures at more depth and attempting to set aside my previous lenses, I can see much more of Myrtle’s strength and her direct, unyielding responses to communications she received. Myrtle possessed a deep passion for the Truth’s she had come to know; the One Power and Presence, God the Good, Omnipotent, Everywhere Present; the Power of Prayer and Healing.
Myrtle’s responses to requests for guidance not only focused on personal responsibility, as my original post had noted, but that responsibility was primarily to move ever closer to the Christ Consciousness within, to seek guidance there, to act from that space, and to allow the Christ Mind to express through us. Those expressions would be ones of being ~ being a loving parent, and wife, and neighbor. Through these individual shifts, Race Consciousness would be affected and the world would ultimately benefit. Myrtle taught resistance, in a sense - resist Race Consciousness beliefs and persist in the Truths each person had come to know. Do not accept a medical diagnosis just because the professional is a medical doctor, after all, they don't know everything! Trust in the divine, intuitive guidance within. The body knows what it needs to do, so praise and give attention to the body so it can properly heal. (these are paraphrases) Trust in God; Healer, Renewer, Teacher, Guide.
Myrtle taught balance, something else of which I was not aware. Pray, yes, then allow the prayer to take affect. Do not be overly anxious about the outcome. Trust. Release. In a sense, let God be God. Do the work, yes, and then allow the space for Spirit to express. Allow the human to step aside so the inner divine can have its way. There is a peace-fullness within the words and beliefs of Myrtle Fillmore.
And then there were the even more radical aspects of Myrtle’s theology that I had not been familiar with such as Regeneration, involving not only the spiritual, but the physical as well. I had not been aware of how pivotal this belief was to Myrtle and my own comfort - or discomfort - with the aspects of regeneration were tested. After all, this was Myrtle’s theology we were looking at, not how-well-does-what-I-discover-fit-for-me.
Myrtle’s theology is much clearer to me at the end of this portion of my studies and I look forward to future discoveries, more open to what I may find versus that which I just want to have personally affirmed.
Tuesday, August 26, 2014
Wednesday, August 20, 2014
Letter Critique
This week’s assignment is to critique a letter from Myrtle Fillmore, written in response to correspondence requesting guidance; to determine the presented problem and to analyze the theology employed in response to the inquiry.
I selected a letter from the end of the book, Healing Letters, within the chapter titled, “To Married People”, pages 142-143. I selected this letter for three reasons: 1) It was at the end of the book, and so one I had not studied previously, 2) Myrtle’s response is slightly contrary to responses presented previously, assumably due to the nature of the letter she received, and 3) The issues appear to involve the writer’s concern for other people, primarily her husband and children. I fall into the same dilemma occasionally of wanting to “change” or “rescue” other people, i.e., my son. Therefore, I considered the advice personally as well.
The Problem
The problem appears to be that the writer has been praying for and affirming positive thoughts for others in her life persistently, perhaps even excessively for great periods of time repeatedly, without the desired results within the other people, specifically her husband and children.
The Response
Myrtle’s theology is one of the ever-present and ever-powerful goodness of God, within all. Personal. Omnipotent. Omniscient. Omnipresent. She is very direct in the application of these Truth teachings and advises the writer that “constant repetition of words representing Truth” are unable to make any positive changes, “if they are not right at the foundation.” Myrtle explains that the writer has been declaring positive affirmations for others in her life without the others being active participants in the desired changes. This advice appears to be contradictory to other letters encouraging prayer and affirmations, but what is different, I believe, is the excess involved with this writer, perhaps to the point of an obsession with constant prayer.
The gem of the letter is towards the end, where Myrtle advises, “Now, the most helpful thing is just to give them freedom.” Yes, that part that parents often forget! Myrtle suggests that the writer stop focusing and constantly thinking about the problems her children are facing and reminds her that they have their own resources to solve them. We all have the same resources. God is everywhere and within every thing.
Myrtle ends on a gentle note, letting the writer know that it is okay to pray constantly if it helps the writer in some way, but guides her to “grasp the full value of each and every word, speak it deliberately and with assurance, and then let it rest in the soil of your mind…” Continuing to constantly repeat the words over and over is, in some ways, telling the universe that you don’t trust in the power of prayer or in the goodness of God.
This letter also reminds me of the complexity of the letters received and the value of addressing each with the particular nuance presented. Where prayer was often prescribed, this letter basically says to “pray, then stand back and trust.” (my words)
I selected a letter from the end of the book, Healing Letters, within the chapter titled, “To Married People”, pages 142-143. I selected this letter for three reasons: 1) It was at the end of the book, and so one I had not studied previously, 2) Myrtle’s response is slightly contrary to responses presented previously, assumably due to the nature of the letter she received, and 3) The issues appear to involve the writer’s concern for other people, primarily her husband and children. I fall into the same dilemma occasionally of wanting to “change” or “rescue” other people, i.e., my son. Therefore, I considered the advice personally as well.
The Problem
The problem appears to be that the writer has been praying for and affirming positive thoughts for others in her life persistently, perhaps even excessively for great periods of time repeatedly, without the desired results within the other people, specifically her husband and children.
The Response
Myrtle’s theology is one of the ever-present and ever-powerful goodness of God, within all. Personal. Omnipotent. Omniscient. Omnipresent. She is very direct in the application of these Truth teachings and advises the writer that “constant repetition of words representing Truth” are unable to make any positive changes, “if they are not right at the foundation.” Myrtle explains that the writer has been declaring positive affirmations for others in her life without the others being active participants in the desired changes. This advice appears to be contradictory to other letters encouraging prayer and affirmations, but what is different, I believe, is the excess involved with this writer, perhaps to the point of an obsession with constant prayer.
The gem of the letter is towards the end, where Myrtle advises, “Now, the most helpful thing is just to give them freedom.” Yes, that part that parents often forget! Myrtle suggests that the writer stop focusing and constantly thinking about the problems her children are facing and reminds her that they have their own resources to solve them. We all have the same resources. God is everywhere and within every thing.
Myrtle ends on a gentle note, letting the writer know that it is okay to pray constantly if it helps the writer in some way, but guides her to “grasp the full value of each and every word, speak it deliberately and with assurance, and then let it rest in the soil of your mind…” Continuing to constantly repeat the words over and over is, in some ways, telling the universe that you don’t trust in the power of prayer or in the goodness of God.
This letter also reminds me of the complexity of the letters received and the value of addressing each with the particular nuance presented. Where prayer was often prescribed, this letter basically says to “pray, then stand back and trust.” (my words)
Sunday, August 17, 2014
Myrtle - the Unity Quadrilateral - and the theology of healing
The assignment for this week is to analyze the theology of healing of Myrtle Fillmore, utilizing a schema, renamed the Unity Quadrilateral, borrowed and adapted from the United Methodist Book for Discipline. The four major components are addressed as follows:
Scripture:
Myrtle Fillmore was a Bible woman. She knew it and she quoted it. She referred to it for support and guidance, and used scripture liberally in her letters of response to those requesting help and in her lessons. In How To Let God Help You, Myrtle states that, “In the New Testament, to be healed is to be made whole.” (128) Myrtle then goes on to refer to several New Testament passages, referring to the works of Jesus.
Matthew 9:29 Then touched he their eyes, saying, According to your faith be it done unto you. (112)
John 5:6: So Jesus asked the man, "Would you like to get well? ... knew that he had been now a long time in that case , he saith unto him, Wouldest thou be made whole? (114)
Luke 17:19 And he said unto him, Arise, go thy way: thy faith hath made thee whole. (Ibid)
John 7:23: If a man on the sabbath day receive circumcision, that the law of Moses should not be broken; are ye angry at me, because I have made a man every whit whole. (ibid)
John 5:14: Afterward Jesus findeth him in the temple, and said unto him, Behold, thou art made whole: sin no more, lest a worse thing come unto thee. (ibid)
Romans 12:2 : And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and. (114)
But Myrtle was not just a student of the New Testament, quoting the Hebrew Scriptures to support her healing theology as well:
Jeremiah 33:6 Behold, I will bring it health and cure, and I will cure them, and will reveal unto them the abundance of peace and truth. (113)
Exodus 15:26:.. thee , which I have brought upon the Egyptians: for I am the LORD that healeth thee. (ibid)
Isaiah 58:8: Then shall thy light break forth as the morning, and thy healing shall spring forth speedily; (ibid)
The Bible provided a solid foundation for Myrtle’s theology, both through the prophets and through the life of Jesus Christ, as way-shower.
Tradition:
It is in the area of tradition that we see Myrtle Fillmore part company with the religious doctrine of her youth, that of the Methodist religion. It appears that Myrtle knew and loved the Bible dearly. We are told that she attended the services at the Methodist church in Pagetown regularly, a requirement of her father, but never chose to join the church. We know that she took issue with the teachings of sin and damnation and that it puzzled her that her mother, loving in other areas of her life, held to a faith that appeared cruel and intolerant. Myrtle states in one of her letters included in Healing Letters, “I was very religiously trained and suffered a lot from the theology taught of a God who in truth is loving. But I am rejoicing in the doctrine of our wise and loving heavenly Father who chooses that none shall perish but that all shall have eternal life.” (pg 7)
Experience:
Communal ~ The time of Myrtle Fillmore’s youth and young adulthood was filled with change. Myrtle was 16 at the start of the Civil War and 20 years old when it ended - so she was part of the healing of the nation. Ohio was the third largest state at this time and provided over 300,000 soldiers to the Union Army. Some of the most noteworthy Generals came from this state: Ulysses S. Grant, William Tecumseh Sherman, George Armstrong Custer, George McClellan and James A. Garfield (www.sos.state.oh.us/SOS/ProfileOhioTheCivilWar). Myrtle was 21 when President Lincoln was assassinated. Her father had participated in the Underground Railroad, sympathetic to the issue of slavery. Myrtle attended a private, liberal arts college, Oberlin College, the first American institution of higher learning to accept woman and blacks. “Oberlin has been on the front lines of changing the world for almost two centuries, often serving as the prototype for progress even in the face of strong resistance.” (www.oberline.edu - homepage) Myrtle moved to Texas and became instrumental in the temperance movement. These were wild times. (The shoot-out at OK corral occurred in 1881!-www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gunfight_at_the_O.K._Corral)
And during Myrtle and Charles’ early years together, they shared a love of the works of Ralph Waldo Emerson, America’s leader in the transcendental movement - a movement that distanced themselves from organized religion and believed in the innate goodness of humans and in all of nature. The transcendentalists believed in mans responsibility to do good and to live a good life, not out of fear of punishment, hell or damnation, but out of responsibility. These were all huge influences in the life of Myrtle Fillmore.
Personal ~ Myrtle’s experience with having her family participate in the Underground Railroad must have influenced her greatly, as did her attendance at the very liberal-for-the-times Oberlin College. To take off on her own to move to Texas for her health is another example of very personal experience of the times and in her belief in the power to heal. And while in Denison to participate in the temperance movement and later to briefly start her own school - these are actions requiring courage and strength and ones that proved to herself and others that she was capable, not frail and weak. And then much later, of course, to experience her own healing after hearing the lecturer E.B. Weeks.
Reflection:
Intellectual ~ Myrtle Fillmore was an educated woman. She had attended Oberlin College, had taught school for several years, and had opened her own school for a brief period of time. She may be called “the Heart of Unity”, but she was not without an educated and able mind. Myrtle reflected on what she had been taught religiously as a young person and questioned the teachings. The God of punishment and sin did not make sense to her. Hell and damnation did not make sense to her. Myrtle wisely rejected these teachings. They did not fit for her. Hers was a mind eager to learn and so she embraced the ideas of Ralph Waldo Emerson and of the New Thought lecturers she went to hear.
Intuitive ~ And this is where Myrtle is truly set apart. Myrtle intuitively knew that her God was not a God of punishment. She knew there was something greater and better for the children of God; ALL the children of God. She allowed herself to consider alternatives. And when she heard the words, “I am a child of God, and therefore, I do not inherit illness”, she knew she had found the answer. This was the inspiration for the healing that occurred within Myrtle and which she shared with others. Healing - wholeness - is our nature, our divine inheritance, our true expression of Spirit. And she set about to teach others the inherent power of healing within all people.
Scripture:
Myrtle Fillmore was a Bible woman. She knew it and she quoted it. She referred to it for support and guidance, and used scripture liberally in her letters of response to those requesting help and in her lessons. In How To Let God Help You, Myrtle states that, “In the New Testament, to be healed is to be made whole.” (128) Myrtle then goes on to refer to several New Testament passages, referring to the works of Jesus.
Matthew 9:29 Then touched he their eyes, saying, According to your faith be it done unto you. (112)
John 5:6: So Jesus asked the man, "Would you like to get well? ... knew that he had been now a long time in that case , he saith unto him, Wouldest thou be made whole? (114)
Luke 17:19 And he said unto him, Arise, go thy way: thy faith hath made thee whole. (Ibid)
John 7:23: If a man on the sabbath day receive circumcision, that the law of Moses should not be broken; are ye angry at me, because I have made a man every whit whole. (ibid)
John 5:14: Afterward Jesus findeth him in the temple, and said unto him, Behold, thou art made whole: sin no more, lest a worse thing come unto thee. (ibid)
Romans 12:2 : And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and. (114)
But Myrtle was not just a student of the New Testament, quoting the Hebrew Scriptures to support her healing theology as well:
Jeremiah 33:6 Behold, I will bring it health and cure, and I will cure them, and will reveal unto them the abundance of peace and truth. (113)
Exodus 15:26:.. thee , which I have brought upon the Egyptians: for I am the LORD that healeth thee. (ibid)
Isaiah 58:8: Then shall thy light break forth as the morning, and thy healing shall spring forth speedily; (ibid)
The Bible provided a solid foundation for Myrtle’s theology, both through the prophets and through the life of Jesus Christ, as way-shower.
Tradition:
It is in the area of tradition that we see Myrtle Fillmore part company with the religious doctrine of her youth, that of the Methodist religion. It appears that Myrtle knew and loved the Bible dearly. We are told that she attended the services at the Methodist church in Pagetown regularly, a requirement of her father, but never chose to join the church. We know that she took issue with the teachings of sin and damnation and that it puzzled her that her mother, loving in other areas of her life, held to a faith that appeared cruel and intolerant. Myrtle states in one of her letters included in Healing Letters, “I was very religiously trained and suffered a lot from the theology taught of a God who in truth is loving. But I am rejoicing in the doctrine of our wise and loving heavenly Father who chooses that none shall perish but that all shall have eternal life.” (pg 7)
Experience:
Communal ~ The time of Myrtle Fillmore’s youth and young adulthood was filled with change. Myrtle was 16 at the start of the Civil War and 20 years old when it ended - so she was part of the healing of the nation. Ohio was the third largest state at this time and provided over 300,000 soldiers to the Union Army. Some of the most noteworthy Generals came from this state: Ulysses S. Grant, William Tecumseh Sherman, George Armstrong Custer, George McClellan and James A. Garfield (www.sos.state.oh.us/SOS/ProfileOhioTheCivilWar). Myrtle was 21 when President Lincoln was assassinated. Her father had participated in the Underground Railroad, sympathetic to the issue of slavery. Myrtle attended a private, liberal arts college, Oberlin College, the first American institution of higher learning to accept woman and blacks. “Oberlin has been on the front lines of changing the world for almost two centuries, often serving as the prototype for progress even in the face of strong resistance.” (www.oberline.edu - homepage) Myrtle moved to Texas and became instrumental in the temperance movement. These were wild times. (The shoot-out at OK corral occurred in 1881!-www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gunfight_at_the_O.K._Corral)
And during Myrtle and Charles’ early years together, they shared a love of the works of Ralph Waldo Emerson, America’s leader in the transcendental movement - a movement that distanced themselves from organized religion and believed in the innate goodness of humans and in all of nature. The transcendentalists believed in mans responsibility to do good and to live a good life, not out of fear of punishment, hell or damnation, but out of responsibility. These were all huge influences in the life of Myrtle Fillmore.
Personal ~ Myrtle’s experience with having her family participate in the Underground Railroad must have influenced her greatly, as did her attendance at the very liberal-for-the-times Oberlin College. To take off on her own to move to Texas for her health is another example of very personal experience of the times and in her belief in the power to heal. And while in Denison to participate in the temperance movement and later to briefly start her own school - these are actions requiring courage and strength and ones that proved to herself and others that she was capable, not frail and weak. And then much later, of course, to experience her own healing after hearing the lecturer E.B. Weeks.
Reflection:
Intellectual ~ Myrtle Fillmore was an educated woman. She had attended Oberlin College, had taught school for several years, and had opened her own school for a brief period of time. She may be called “the Heart of Unity”, but she was not without an educated and able mind. Myrtle reflected on what she had been taught religiously as a young person and questioned the teachings. The God of punishment and sin did not make sense to her. Hell and damnation did not make sense to her. Myrtle wisely rejected these teachings. They did not fit for her. Hers was a mind eager to learn and so she embraced the ideas of Ralph Waldo Emerson and of the New Thought lecturers she went to hear.
Intuitive ~ And this is where Myrtle is truly set apart. Myrtle intuitively knew that her God was not a God of punishment. She knew there was something greater and better for the children of God; ALL the children of God. She allowed herself to consider alternatives. And when she heard the words, “I am a child of God, and therefore, I do not inherit illness”, she knew she had found the answer. This was the inspiration for the healing that occurred within Myrtle and which she shared with others. Healing - wholeness - is our nature, our divine inheritance, our true expression of Spirit. And she set about to teach others the inherent power of healing within all people.
Saturday, August 9, 2014
Fun Fillmore Facts
This week’s blog addresses questions posted by our professor, Dr. Tom, and looks at two primary ares for consideration.
First, on a scale of 1 - 10 (1 = not at all; 10= totally changes everything), how have my views of Myrtle’s theology been affected by last week’s study of her views on regeneration?
I would assign an 8.5 to how my views of Myrtle’s theology have been affected. I had previously considered Myrtle’s theology to be centered and focused on healing, both physical and spiritual, prompted by her own healing experience. From my research and the research, postings, and comments from my esteemed fellow students, I now see Myrtle’s theology expanded beyond the healing or “restorative” aspect to the deeper, broader, and more controversial/radical concept of “regeneration”. The difference between the two, in my mind, is significant. “Healing” is like placing a band aid on something and it “heals”, returning to the previous state with perhaps minor scarring or discoloration. Regeneration, in contrast, is infusing the wound with new life, revitalizing and renewing it, perhaps to an improved state, a condition even better, more alive and vibrant than before the wound occurred. And Myrtle was passionate about the importance for all humankind to become aware of and join in the shift in consciousness necessary for the world to experience regeneration vs. generation - at both the spiritual and physical aspects. This concept takes Myrtle’s “healing ministry” to several levels higher, or deeper, or more integral - dependent upon the model or visual perceived.
This reminds me of the response I would sometimes hear when inviting a congregant to the “Healing Service” my home church would hold on Wednesday nights. “But I don’t need healing”. Really?! There is no place within someone that could use healing on a spiritual or physical level? Understanding the concept of regeneration removes that mental block of “I don’t need healing”, viewing such as a stigma or not wanting to affirm the “need.” Perhaps “renewal” is a more acceptable or more readily understood term than regeneration. The Wednesday Renewal Service? The Wednesday Revitalize/Revamp/Renew Anew Service? The Wednesday Align With Christ Consciousness Service? I could have fun with this…
Which brings us to the second area for consideration ~ what suggestions might I have about resolving some of the issues with regeneration within the Unity Movement going forward?
Education is key to resolution. Therefore, exploring Myrtle’s views expressed in her letters and lectures would be key, understanding that these concepts are for thoughtful and prayerful consideration. They cannot be considered and explored if they are not presented in their fullness and richness. For example - why would a class on the theology of Myrtle Fillmore, co-founder of the Unity movement, be an elective class in a Unity seminary? Why would that not be required groundwork for every LUT and Unity minister?
The platform, the podium, the pulpit needs to come alive with the teachings of Unity, including Myrtle’s concept of regeneration, to allow congregants the opportunity to examine their own biases and barriers to spiritual and emotional growth and maturity. Christ consciousness cannot be assigned, ironed on, or tattooed ~ it is an individualized process requiring internal evaluation and expansion of existing concepts and ideas. This usually occurs through study and through the exposure to concepts differently held from our own. That means offering exciting and fresh classes and workshops on the teachings of Myrtle Fillmore, establishing on-going discussion groups infused with energy and enthusiasm, encouraging leadership and congregants to become familiar with these radical teachings and trying them on for themselves. Fillmore Philosophy (then divide Myrtle from Charles). How about designing a game or cards: Fun Fillmore Facts, which could prompt further discussion?
We have a tremendous responsibility, us future Unity leaders, in presenting Unity as purely as we can know it. Therefore, we must come to know it.
First, on a scale of 1 - 10 (1 = not at all; 10= totally changes everything), how have my views of Myrtle’s theology been affected by last week’s study of her views on regeneration?
I would assign an 8.5 to how my views of Myrtle’s theology have been affected. I had previously considered Myrtle’s theology to be centered and focused on healing, both physical and spiritual, prompted by her own healing experience. From my research and the research, postings, and comments from my esteemed fellow students, I now see Myrtle’s theology expanded beyond the healing or “restorative” aspect to the deeper, broader, and more controversial/radical concept of “regeneration”. The difference between the two, in my mind, is significant. “Healing” is like placing a band aid on something and it “heals”, returning to the previous state with perhaps minor scarring or discoloration. Regeneration, in contrast, is infusing the wound with new life, revitalizing and renewing it, perhaps to an improved state, a condition even better, more alive and vibrant than before the wound occurred. And Myrtle was passionate about the importance for all humankind to become aware of and join in the shift in consciousness necessary for the world to experience regeneration vs. generation - at both the spiritual and physical aspects. This concept takes Myrtle’s “healing ministry” to several levels higher, or deeper, or more integral - dependent upon the model or visual perceived.
This reminds me of the response I would sometimes hear when inviting a congregant to the “Healing Service” my home church would hold on Wednesday nights. “But I don’t need healing”. Really?! There is no place within someone that could use healing on a spiritual or physical level? Understanding the concept of regeneration removes that mental block of “I don’t need healing”, viewing such as a stigma or not wanting to affirm the “need.” Perhaps “renewal” is a more acceptable or more readily understood term than regeneration. The Wednesday Renewal Service? The Wednesday Revitalize/Revamp/Renew Anew Service? The Wednesday Align With Christ Consciousness Service? I could have fun with this…
Which brings us to the second area for consideration ~ what suggestions might I have about resolving some of the issues with regeneration within the Unity Movement going forward?
Education is key to resolution. Therefore, exploring Myrtle’s views expressed in her letters and lectures would be key, understanding that these concepts are for thoughtful and prayerful consideration. They cannot be considered and explored if they are not presented in their fullness and richness. For example - why would a class on the theology of Myrtle Fillmore, co-founder of the Unity movement, be an elective class in a Unity seminary? Why would that not be required groundwork for every LUT and Unity minister?
The platform, the podium, the pulpit needs to come alive with the teachings of Unity, including Myrtle’s concept of regeneration, to allow congregants the opportunity to examine their own biases and barriers to spiritual and emotional growth and maturity. Christ consciousness cannot be assigned, ironed on, or tattooed ~ it is an individualized process requiring internal evaluation and expansion of existing concepts and ideas. This usually occurs through study and through the exposure to concepts differently held from our own. That means offering exciting and fresh classes and workshops on the teachings of Myrtle Fillmore, establishing on-going discussion groups infused with energy and enthusiasm, encouraging leadership and congregants to become familiar with these radical teachings and trying them on for themselves. Fillmore Philosophy (then divide Myrtle from Charles). How about designing a game or cards: Fun Fillmore Facts, which could prompt further discussion?
We have a tremendous responsibility, us future Unity leaders, in presenting Unity as purely as we can know it. Therefore, we must come to know it.
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