From a material standpoint, information appears to be constantly flowing from matter to mind. The size, color, form, texture, of objects are communicated through the senses of sight and of touch. Conditions of the atmosphere, fragrances, and odors come to thought through the sense of smell, which combines with the sense of taste to give us information about the food we eat.

Through the sense of hearing not only can we enjoy musical sounds but we can determine the moods of people, judge whether nature is behaving itself, detect and locate a startling event, and recognize individuals. When we begin our day, information comes to us through these senses to tell us the time of day, the clothes we should wear, what we should like for breakfast. The senses also appear to give us information on how well we feel.

Christian Science teaches us to distrust all information coming from the material senses. It insists that Mind, not matter, is primary and that matter is but a subjective state of mortal mind. It insists further that there is in reality but one Mind, and that is God. This Mind is all-knowing. It, therefore, receives no information from outside itself, for it is All-in-all. Man is this Mind's expression, or idea.

The human being appears to be the intermingling of expressions originating in both mortal mind and divine Mind. As human beings, therefore, we seem to learn from both material conditions and the expressions of Spirit, God. In the human sense of things life seems to be a constant struggle between what the material senses tell us and what spiritual sense tells us—a struggle between evil and good, mortality and immortality, life in matter and divine Life.

Christ Jesus showed that we have authority to deny information coming from matter or mortal mind and to resist material conditions with the power of Truth. Demonstrating this power, Jesus healed the sick and raised the dead. And he said; (John 14: 12), "He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also."

Mrs. Eddy was a follower of the Master. She did remarkable healing works, but, more important, she explained the method of healing so that all who honestly seek it may find it and understand. This method begins with the denial of matter on the basis of the allness of Spirit, God. It succeeds because matter actually is not substance but the mental expression of false mortal mind.

When we deny the claims of disease and discord as false expressions of a false mind, affirming that there is but one Mind and that its expressions include health and harmony to the exclusion of disease and discord, disease is healed, and discord is replaced with harmony. This effect occurs because there actually is no disease and no discord. There actually is no mortal mind and no matter.

On page 495 of Science and Health, Mrs. Eddy writes: "If sickness is true or the idea of Truth, you cannot destroy sickness, and it would be absurd to try. Then classify sickness and error as our Master did, when he spoke of the sick, 'whom Satan hath bound,' and find a sovereign antidote for error in the life-giving power of Truth acting on human belief, a power which opens the prison doors to such as are bound, and sets the captive free physically and morally."

Because healing does take place as a result of denying material evidence, we can conclude that material evidence is not to be trusted. Sometimes the information given by the material senses is similar to what is true. For example, the senses may say that we are in good health. Since health is a quality of God, Spirit, we can understand scientifically that we are in good health. But if we depend upon material sense evidence and base our conclusions upon it, we shall find eventually that our sense of health can be lost. A material sense is a false sense.

A true sense of health is based upon spiritual reality, upon information gained from Mind. This information describes the conditions of our being as the image and likeness of Spirit. Since in reality we express Spirit, we find our identity not through information we receive from outward conditions but in information we express—information that comes from Mind.

If we seem to be suffering from a disease or a discordant condition, we can examine our thought and see how much of it is influenced by a flow of information coming to us through the senses. And we can reverse the flow. We can begin expressing the qualities of God. By identifying ourselves as ideas of Mind, we can stop receiving information from matter. We can perceive that true health, true beauty, perfection, harmony, joy, even true color, tone, form, fragrance, and taste are spiritual. They originate m the divine Principle, which is Mind, Soul, Love, and they are expressed by man in limitless health and harmony.

When we begin our day, let us check on the flow of information. What is its source? And is it coming or going? If it is coming from God, we receive it only if we keep it going by expressing the qualities of God, everywhere. If it is coming from mortal mind, we can reverse the flow and establish God's goodness—our true identity as His perfect expression.

Carl J. Welz