Article March 3, 1917 Issue

Perception and Impression

NELLIE B. MACE

The human mind is in a constant state of susceptibility to influences and impressions. Until the advent of Christian Science it had not been conceived possible to distinguish scientifically between impressions that are real and worthy of permanence and those which are unreal and should therefore be discarded as unworthy of retention. Mortal mind, the counterfeit of divine Mind, assumes the existence of five material senses. Material knowledge consists, therefore, of perception based upon these unreal senses, and the receptivity of mortal mind is necessarily limited to impressions within the scope of these senses. This shows that mortal belief is itself the origin of the material impressions which it receives.

It is this metaphysical fact relative to the human mind that reveals its need of redemptive spiritual sense wholly apart from materiality, through which consciousness may receive the revelations of the actual and divine. On page 214 of Science and Health Mrs. Eddy says, "When it is learned that the spiritual sense, and not the material, conveys the impressions of Mind to man, then being will be understood and found to be harmonious."

Material sense sees and feels material phenomena, nothing more. The reflex impressions received from these phenomena are in fact images arising out of the causal belief that man is material and is endowed with physical organs of sense. These delusive effects of sense-perception will be more readily vanquished when one's efforts are more consistently directed to the overcoming of the fundamental error of belief in a material mind. One may not emerge from reliance upon sense-perception with a single effort, but every one may begin his emergence from the illusion by silencing the first lie of material sense which he detects as a lie, and then the next and the next. Persistently to reverse the material presentations of sense-testimony is to foster habitual spiritual perception. This reversal is necessary because, as Paul said, "the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: ... neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned."

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