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

the effect proves the character of the cause.

      cells of the body--Structural and functional units of organism made up of atoms composed of electrons and protons, which, in reality, have their origin in the supermind.

      These cells are adjusted one to the other through associated ideas. When divine love enters into man's thought process every cell is poised and balanced in right order. Law and order rule in the cells of the body with the exactness that characterizes their action in the worlds of a planetary system.

      center in consciousness--A faculty through which a mind quality is expressed. When a center loses its power it should be baptized by the word of Spirit. This cleanses all material thought; impotence is vitalized with new life, and the whole subconsciousness is awakened and quickened.

      chaos--Disorder; confusion; discord. Chaos in body and affairs results from chaos in mind, a product of the sense man.

      character, spiritual--The true estimate of man's qualities. Character building is ever from within outward. Spiritual discernment of the reality of man's origin and being in God is the only enduring foundation of character.

      cheerfulness--A steady, quiet, beautiful expression of the joy of God. It is conducive to good health because it frees one from tension.

      chemicalization--A condition in the mind that is brought about by the conflict that takes place when a high spiritual realization contacts an old error state of consciousness.

      The mind of man is constantly at work, and this work results in the production of thought forms. These thought forms assume individual definiteness; they take on personality, which works out into the body. Whenever a new spiritual idea is introduced into the mind, some negative belief is disturbed. It resists. With this resistance comes more or less commotion in the consciousness. This is called chemicalization. This can be greatly modified or eliminated by putting the mind in divine order through denial.

      If the cleansing baptism of denial does not precede the Holy Spirit's descent, there is conflict in the consciousness--the old error thoughts contend for their place, refuse to go out, and a veritable war is the result. When the conscious mind has been put in order, the Holy Spirit descends with peace like a dove.

      cherubim--Protection; sacred life. The inner, spiritual life is protected from the outer, coarser consciousness. The cherubim spread their wings over the place of the Ark and covered it. Also in the Scriptures cherubim are symbolic figures representing the attributes and majesty of God.

      childlike--(see meek)

      Children of Israel--The thoughts of reality or the true ideas about Being that have to be brought out in every part of man's consciousness. These thoughts are brought down from the land of Canaan into Egypt (the flesh consciousness) and, for a season, are submerged in the fleshly realm, or thoughts in form.

      Heaven, according to Jesus, is within man; and with this understanding we see that the escape of the Israelites from Egypt is paralleled by the escape of man from ignorance and materiality.

      chosen of God--God has chosen each of us as a medium for the expression of Himself as love, life, wisdom, abundance, health, and so forth. "Ye did not choose me, but I chose you, and appointed you, that ye should go and bear fruit" (John 15:16).

      chosen people--The "royal priesthood" making up the Christ body; by overcoming, they have incorporated into their consciousness the attributes of God. They are the living expression of His righteousness and glory.

      Christ--The incarnating principle of the God-man; the perfect Word or idea of God, which unfolds into the true man and is blessed with eternal life by measuring up to the divine standard, thus fulfilling the law of righteousness. "Thou art my beloved Son, in thee I am well pleased" (Mark 1:11).

      Christ is the divine man. Jesus is the name that represents an individual expression of the Christ idea. Christ existed long before Jesus. It was the Christ Mind in Jesus that exclaimed, "And now, Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was" (John 17:5).

      Christ abides in each person as his potential perfection. Jesus Christ, the embodiment of all divine ideas, exists eternally in the Mind of Being as the only begotten Son of God, the "Messiah" or "anointed one," and is the living Principle working in man. (See the way and Jesus)

      Christ and Jehovah--Jehovah of the Old Testament is the I AM, or Christ of God invisible; the Messiah is the promise of the visible manifestation of that I AM, or Christ, and Jesus Christ is the fulfillment in man of that original spiritual I AM, or Jehovah.

      Christ, abide in--To dwell continually in the consciousness of Christ to the point of realization of unity with the Father and Son. To abide in Christ is to live in the perfection of God-Mind, the thought of God, the living Christ.

      Christ, birth of--Man is the bringing forth (the birth) of God's idea of man, the Christ of God. This is done through the quickening power of the word of Truth. The birth of Christ is the beginning in the inner realms of consciousness of a higher set of faculties, which, when grown to full stature, will save the whole man from ignorance, sickness, and death.

      Christ, first coming of--The dawning in mind that spiritual man is the real Son of God.

      Christ, formation of--When man appropriates words of Truth he partakes of that which forms the spiritual soul, substance, and life of Spirit and which manifests as Christ in the perfect body. Every student of Truth is letting "Christ be formed" (Gal. 4:19) in him when he constantly abides in the Christ Mind through daily meditating on words of Truth.

      Christ, indwelling--The Son of God or spiritual nucleus within each person. All our thoughts must harmonize with this spiritual center before we can bring into expression the divine consciousness. Each man has within himself the Christ idea, just as Jesus had. Man must look to the indwelling Christ in order to recognize his sonship, his divine origin and birth, even as did the Saviour. This real self is "closer . . . than breathing, and nearer than hands and feet." It is the kingdom of God in each person. "Neither shall they say, Lo, here! or, There! for lo, the kingdom of God is within you" (Luke 17:21).

      Christ in you--The true light, which guides every man coming into the world, is, and ever has been, in man. Even the outer man was formed and came into existence through it. This is "Christ in you, the hope of glory" (Col. 1:27).

      Christ, joint heirs with--We are joint heirs with Christ to all that the Father has. This truth alone--the belief that in the regenerate state we are to be like Jesus, who became Christ manifested--leads us to a desire and an effort to attain our inheritance of eternal life here and now, because we know that there is no other thing in the universe worth striving for.

      Christ, second coming of--The awakening and the regeneration of the subconscious mind through the superconscious or Christ Mind.

      Christ body, work of the--The work of the Christ body is the "restoration of all things, whereof God spake by the mouth of his holy prophets that have been from of old" (Acts 3:21). (see body of Christ)

      Christian conversion--A letting go of sin; a moral cleansing. This type of conversion is good as far as it goes, but it is far from complete. (see conversion)

      Christianity--The science of eternal life. It is governed by scientific principles of mind action, which are really the foundation of all the various sciences.

      Christianity began with Jesus and was carried on by His apostles. He commanded them to cast out demons, to heal the sick, to make the blind to see, even to raise the dead. Whenever Truth is declared in the name of Jesus Christ, the demons of fear and disease are cast out.

      Christianity, esoteric--Christianity that deals with the deep metaphysical truths that Jesus taught. "The letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life" (II Cor. 3:6).

      Christianity, exoteric--Christianity that deals with the letter or surface meaning of the teachings of Jesus.

      Christianity, practical--The teachings of Jesus practically applied to the everyday life of man. Practical Christianity is not a term applied to an arbitrary theory of human origin; neither is it a revelation to humanity from some prophet whose word alone