Metaphysical travel means moving from a material sense of existence to the spiritual. It is our passage from sense to salvation, from matter to Mind. Materially speaking, we may cross the ocean or traverse a continent and yet make no spiritual progress. In our metaphysical journey from sense to Soul we are learning to put off the old man and put on the new; we are gaining spiritual dominion and demonstrating the fact stated by Mary Baker Eddy in "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures" (p. 213), "Every step towards goodness is a departure from materiality, and is a tendency towards God, Spirit."

The first step in this journey is to forsake worldliness and to be willing to sacrifice self for the Cause of Christ. Advancement in spiritual understanding comes through self-sacrifice. Self-love, self-righteousness, and self-justification shut us out from the kingdom of God and hamper our progress heavenward.

The early Christians recognized the value of self-sacrifice. Mrs. Eddy writes (ibid., p. 459), "Paul and John had a clear apprehension that, as mortal man achieves no worldly honors except by sacrifice, so he must gain heavenly riches by forsaking all worldliness." This step of spiritual advancement gives one a stable foothold in the realm of Spirit.

If thought is poised between matter and Spirit, it will be difficult to prove the truth of being in a clear-cut and decisive manner. For instance, mixing materia medica methods with Christian Science tends to divide the patient's faith between Spirit and matter and so to deprive both patient and practitioner of success. Matter and Spirit are an impossible combination, but if the student of Christian Science is watchful to bar his door against worldly systems, he will not be caught in the snare of dualism and thus be condemned because he has failed to take the first step. Advancing in the direction of Spirit by means of spiritual achievement, we constantly come up against errors of various kinds which must be overcome on the basis of their unreality. As we progress metaphysically the fears we entertained yesterday melt away, and we face up to things with greater confidence and success. It is wise to overcome our leading fears and never allow them to hamper our progress Spiritward.

We advance rapidly when the oneness of God is discerned and when it is clearly seen that there are not two states of being, matter and Spirit, but one, namely, Spirit. Everything true and real originates in God, good, and everything opposed to good is without origin or foundation. This spiritual fact opens the gate to the highway of the Christ, the straight and narrow way of which Jesus spoke when he said (Matt. 7:13, 14), "Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it."

"God is no respecter of persons" (Acts 10:34). We shall be numbered among the "few" who find the way in proportion to our fidelity to Christian Science and our ability to take the first step, which is the discarding of worldly systems and the absolute acknowledgment of God as All-in-all and of man as made in His likeness.

Once our feet are planted on the highway of the Christ, once we acknowledge Christ Jesus as our Way-shower, we gain a great confidence in the leading and guiding of Truth. We go to God as a child goes to its parent, and a spiritual conviction of the right thing to do and the right way to take is never lacking.

If the problem confronting us, for instance, is one of "right place," we can rest in the fact that the real individuality of man is always in its right place and our part is to gain a clearer sense of man's God-given individuality. A personality may be misplaced or out of place, but God's image and likeness is the expression of his Maker and thus cannot fail to fulfill his creator's purpose and intent. It is comforting to rest in God, comforting to stand on the highway of the Christ and take each step along this way at God's directing. Our progress may be slow or fast. Let us see that we do not take backward steps or leave the highway because of some alluring pleasure or afflictive experience. The Way is Truth and Truth is Life. Our real life, therefore, is not a sense of bodily existence, but supplies the ability to exercise spiritual power over worldly conditions and to demonstrate our God-given dominion over the besetments of fear and evil.

Mrs. Eddy writes (Science and Health, p. 239): "To ascertain our progress, we must learn where our affections are placed and whom we acknowledge and obey as God. If divine Love is becoming nearer, dearer, and more real to us, matter is then submitting to Spirit. The objects we pursue and the spirit we manifest reveal our standpoint, and show what we are winning."

Robert Ellis Key