Article December 16, 1916 Issue

Sunlight of Mind

IDA MAE HAWKS

An experience came to the writer recently which proved to her that light is in reality, as Mrs. Eddy tells us on page 510 of Science and Health, "a symbol of Mind, of Life, Truth, and Love, and not a vitalizing property of matter." I was living at the time in an apartment overlooking the Pacific Ocean, where the sea in its wonderful beauty could be viewed at all times of the day. This so filled my consciousness with the joy of the beauties by the eye, that the clearer, higher thought of realizing this as only typical of the light and glory of Mind was obscured in the pleasure of beholding what the eye seems to see. Too often do we forget Paul's admonition, which bids us "look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen." To this he adds: "For the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal."

In a short time after this financial reasons made it necessary for me to take an apartment in the rear of the building, where this beautiful view was not visible to the eye and where no sunshine came into the room. At first this seemed a great trial, but in studying the Christian Science Lesson-Sermon, "God the Only Cause and Creator," the following words from the sixtieth chapter of Isaiah corrected false thinking on the subject of light and so came with healing power: "The sun shall be no more thy light by day; ... but the Lord shall be unto thee an everlasting light, and thy God thy glory." Another verse opened up the thought of joy and gratitude in these words: "The Lord shall be thine everlasting light, and the days of thy mourning shall be ended." Then a reference from Psalms brought added joy, "Blessed is the people that know the joyful sound: they shall walk, O Lord, in the light of thy countenance."

This spiritual joy and the sunshine of Mind opened up new avenues of thought and action. A clearer insight had been obtained into Mrs. Eddy's statement, "Christian Science brings to the body the sunlight of Truth, which invigorates and purifies" (Science and Health, p. 162). God was seen as the source not only of real light but also of all supply, and His real children were recognized as enrobed in the "beauty of holiness." As this spiritual vision was held to, divine Love opened the way, so that eventually the family spent the remainder of the winter in full view of the ocean, grateful for a lesson learned on the meaning of light.

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