The Revealing Word: A Dictionary of Metaphysical Terms. Charles Fillmore

fullness of God, the All-Good.

      Being, personal and impersonal nature of--Being is not only impersonal Principle as far as its inherent and undeviating laws are concerned, but also personal as far as its relation to each of us is concerned. We as individuals do actually become a focus of universal Spirit.

      Being, the law of growth and--Being exists under two phases: invisible and visible, abstract and concrete. The visible comes forth from the invisible, and this coming forth is always according to a universal method of growth from minute generative centers. From center to circumference is the plan of procedure throughout the universe. To study form alone and to expect to learn from it and its evolutions the secret of existence does not enable one to catch sight of Spirit moving upon every generating center.

      belief--An inner acceptance of an idea as true. Belief is closely related to faith. Belief functions both consciously and subconsciously. Many false individual and race beliefs are very active below the conscious level. To erase these hidden error beliefs, a comprehensive program of denial is necessary.

      belief in separateness, results of--The belief in separateness from God Mind leads to ignorance and death. All intelligence and life are derived from the one Mind. When man thinks of himself as being alone, he cuts himself off in consciousness from the fount of inspiration. "For apart from me ye can do nothing" (John 15:5).

      believe on the Son--We must come to His terms of expression. We do not believe that there are other sons wiser than He and that from them we can get wisdom, guidance, and understanding. We believe that He is, as far as we are concerned, the only begotten Son of the Father.

      Bethesda, Pool of--"House of mercy; house of healing." Represents the realization in consciousness that our life is being constantly purified, healed, and made new by the activity of mind. Physically, this is expressed in the purification and upbuilding of the blood by its coming in contact with the oxygen of the air in the lungs.

      Bible--The sacred and inspired Scriptures of the Christian religion. It is a divine "book of life" rather than merely a history of people, and it bears "witness unto the word" of God (Acts 14:3).

      Bible characters--The characters of the Bible represent ideas in one's own mind. When this symbolism is understood one can follow the characters in their various movements and thus find the way to solve all one's life's problems.

      Bible, place in Truth study--The Bible is a recital of what has taken place in the consciousness of man, of the results of his working, either intelligently with the law or unintelligently against it, in seeking his own salvation. It gives an explanation of spiritual law as applied to man and tells him how to find the kingdom of heaven within.

      Bible, spiritual interpretation of the--A spiritual interpretation of the Bible demands that the meaning of every figure, type, parable, and symbol must be in harmony with the fundamental principles of Being.

      birth, new--The awakening of man to a consciousness of his unity with the one universal Spirit; the change from mortal to spiritual consciousness through the begetting and quickening power of the word of Truth. It is the change that comes here and now. Jesus made no mention of resurrection after death as having any part in the new birth. "Except one be born anew, he cannot see the kingdom of God" (John 3:3).

      birth, new, change following--When man is begotten and born of the Word he is no longer "flesh . . . as grass" (I Pet. 1:24) but is eternal and abiding, not subject to death and corruption.

      birth, new, effect of--Begetting and quickening take place in man's inner consciousness, but the process of being "born anew" (John 3:3) includes the whole man, spirit, soul, and body. To be born again is to be made "a new creature" (II Cor. 5:17) having "this mind in you, which was also in Christ Jesus" (Phil. 2:5) and a body like unto His glorious body.

      black magic--Jesus said that the kingdom of heaven had been taken by violence and force. "And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and men of violence take it by force" (Matt. 11:12). It is possible to use the life, substance, and power that form the basis of the kingdom of heaven in selfish ways. This is black magic and is the work of the selfish personality that Jesus refers to in Matt. 10:28, "Fear him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell."

      blasphemy--Impious or irreverent thoughts toward God, such as sickness, poverty, death. "But the blasphemy against the Spirit shall not be forgiven" (Matt. 12:31).

      bless--To invoke good upon; to call forth the action of God; to confer God's good on something or someone.

      blessedness of God--The joy that comes from God to those whose thoughts are stayed on Him. "Everlasting joy shall be unto them" (Isa. 61:7).

      blessing, power of--Blessing imparts the quickening spiritual power that produces growth and increase. It is the power of multiplication.

      blood--Expresses a spiritual principle that has been introduced into the race mind through the purified Jesus. It is a spiritual principle in that it rests on pure ideals; yet it is manifested in mind and body in concrete form when rightly appropriated. That it can be appropriated and used to the purification of the mind and the healing of the body, thousands are proving in this day.

      Through His experience on the Cross, where His precious blood was spilled, through His suffering there, Jesus lowered His consciousness to the consciousness of the race, thereby administering to the whole race a blood transfusion, imparting to man the properties of Being that will restore him to his divine estate. Such a transfusion not only revives us in temporal ills, but begins in the body a purifying and energizing process that will finally save us from death.

      blood of Christ--The life contained in God's Word. Therefore, it is spiritual energy that purifies and redeems man by pouring into his life currents a new and purer stream. This divine energy cleanses the consciousness of dead works to enable man to serve the living God.

      blood of Jesus--That which represents the principle of eternal life. Jesus raised the life activity of His blood and revealed its spiritual potency. In this respect it became part of the spiritual life of the race and is thus accessible to all persons. It is after this manner that we drink His blood. "Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink his blood, ye have not life in yourselves" (John 6:53).

      blood of the Lamb--The innocent, undefiled life, or the primal life of Being, which Jesus made accessible to all those who believe in Him as the revealer of the pure life of God the Father. "These are they that come out of the great tribulation, and they washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb" (Rev. 7:14).

      blood, spilling of--(see meat eating)

      boat--Symbolizes a positive, sustaining state of consciousness that prevents one from sinking into a negative condition (water) and bears up the faculties of the mind.

      body--The outer expression of consciousness; the precipitation of the thinking part of man. God created the idea of the body of man as a self-perpetuating, self-renewing organism, which man reconstructs into his personal body. God creates the body idea, or divine idea, and man, by his thinking, makes it manifest. As God created man in His image and likeness by the power of His word, so man, as God's image and likeness, projects his body by the same power.

      All thoughts and ideas embody themselves according to their character. Material thoughts make a material body. Spiritual thoughts make a spiritual body.

      body, disintegration of the, cause and remedy--The body disintegrates because generation after generation men have tried to bring forth after the wisdom of Satan instead of the wisdom of God. Jesus made the unity between the superconsciousness in the top brain and the life center, and by following His methods and identifying ourselves with His spiritual consciousness we may get back into our former spiritual estate in the Garden of Eden. "As in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive" (I Cor. 15:22).

      body, effects of sin and righteousness on the--The body is destroyed, made sick unto death by sin and ignorance; the body is made alive in Christ through understanding and righteousness. "The wages of sin is death; but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus" (Rom. 6:23).

      body, given benefit of salvation--The