Article December 3, 1966 Issue

Awakening from the Mortal Dream

ESTELLE B. CRANE MAC GREGOR

One of the great truths we learn in Christian Science is that the whole of mortal existence is a dream from which we must awake in order to experience true spiritual life. This is a startling thought to those who are immersed in the dream and feel certain of its reality. But when we are asleep and dreaming, do we not apparently see, feel, and touch the images of our dream? In spite of the unreality of the dream, we momentarily seem to be living and moving in it. Mrs. Eddy says in the textbook, Science and Health, "Mortal existence is a dream; mortal existence has no real entity, but saith 'It is I.'"^{Science and Health, p. 250;} In a later paragraph she continues: "Now I ask, Is there any more reality in the waking dream of mortal existence than in the sleeping dream? There cannot be, since whatever appears to be a mortal man is a mortal dream."

The Bible is full of calls to awaken. The prophet Isaiah cries, "Awake, awake . . . put on thy beautiful garments, O Jerusalem, the holy city."^{Isa. 52:1;} St. Paul repeats a command, "Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light."^{Eph. 5:14;} The allegory in the second chapter of Genesis relates that Adam fell into a deep sleep, and there is no record that he ever woke up. Christian Science presents a clarion call for us to awaken from the Adam-dream. It sheds the light of the Christ and rouses the slumbering thought.

What is the most potent factor in awakening us from sleep? Is it not usually the morning light shining into the room and rousing us to activity? Light wakens many things—the birds, the flowers. All nature responds to its touch. How much more do we need the light of spiritual awakening! Isaiah says, "Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee."^{Isa. 60:1;}

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