Article October 16, 1920 Issue

Presentiment and Intuition

MAUD WORCESTER MAKEMSON

Ever since the Dark Ages mortal mind has been visualizing its fears in the form of presentiments of evil. Today it is not uncommon to hear some one exclaim after an accident or other evil experience, "I had a presentiment that something awful was going to happen." In fact, indulging in presentiments of some imminent danger has probably occurred more than once in the memory of all mortals. The writer remembers being awakened from sleep one night by a gripping fear for relatives many miles distant, in a form of a voice calling for aid. The fear was not destroyed until after several minutes of contending persistently for the truth that God was just as much present in the far-away mountain home as He was with her in the city, and that His loving care and watchfulness over His beloved children were as much a fact at that time as they had always been. So real had the presentiment seemed that for several days the writer awaited a letter that would confirm and justify it, but though letters came, there was no news that any particular phase of error had been faced or met at that particular time. From this experience, the writer made several deductions. In the first place, the evil had not had existence outside what seemed her own belief. It had originated there, and there, too, it had been met and overcome by Truth. In the second place, it was easy to see that if the fear of trouble had been confirmed by subsequent events she would have declared, no doubt with satisfaction, "I had a presentiment that something awful was going to happen."

It follows then that a presentiment is not a presentiment unless it is borne out by some consequent event. So instead of being the effect of a cause, as mortal mind would have us believe, the presentiment must be only an evil belief in mortal mind afterwards manifested in experience. Now one of the things that we learn in "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures" by Mary Baker Eddy is that evil has no power to communicate itself to the thoughts of mankind. Since evil is a lie and its only seeming power is in being believed to be true, evil is destroyed when it is seen for what it is. If, then, a presentiment of approaching sickness suddenly suggests itself, should it be taken as prophetic? Not unless one wishes to be ill. The fear should be recognized as a belief without scientific foundation, and should be banished from thought and replaced by the understanding that God never made man capable of being sick. The same process should apply to presentiments of accident, fire, famine, and all the dire inventions of mortal mind.

But what of the intuitions of good? On page 581 of Science and Health, Mrs. Eddy has given the scientific definition of angels as follows: "Angels. God's thoughts passing to man; spiritual intuitions, pure and perfect; the inspiration of goodness, purity, and immortality, counteracting all evil, sensuality, and mortality." Since God, good, is All-in-all, it is evident that every intuition of good must be a reflection of God. An understanding of this makes thought receptive to the heralds of Truth and Love.

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