When the pollen count mounts and the sneezing and blowing begins, it is well to take note of the immunity to allergies that Christian Science promises. The misery of hay fever and related maladies can be stopped in its tracks and healed permanently as the study of this Science alters one's concept of man and his relation to God.

As we grow in the things of Spirit, we see more clearly that man is not a self-animating amalgam of material organs and parts. He is not something whose actions suddenly become uncontrolled by a simple contact with plant pollen. The Bible states that God, divine Love, made "every plant of the field before it was in the earth, and every herb of the field before it grew." ^{Gen. 2:5;} And Mary Baker Eddy remarks in Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, "It is profane to fancy that the perfume of clover and the breath of new-mown hay can cause glandular inflammation, sneezing, and nasal pangs." ^{Science and Health, p. 175;}

To free oneself from this phase of human bondage, one must begin by recognizing man's real spiritual identity reflecting the harmony of God, perfect divine Mind. One must understand something of this Mind's infinitude and claim it to be the atmosphere in which he dwells.

Ideas such as these are dynamic because they are true. They have their source in God, who is Truth itself. When entertained in human consciousness, these right ideas penetrate deep and destroy the ignorance, fear, anger, and emotional excitement that cause abnormal action in the body. Mrs. Eddy tells us, "Truth is an alterative in the entire system, and can make it 'every whit whole.'" ^{p. 371;}

As one begins to understand his inseparability from God, and becomes more certain of His unchanging love, one can prove the all-presence of harmony in a field of ragweed as effectively as he would in a boat in the middle of the ocean a thousand miles from pollen-bearing plants. He can learn and demonstrate that no idea of the loving Mind is harmful and therefore one idea cannot distress another. All are one in the concord of Love. The Psalmist sang, "The Lord is good to all: and his tender mercies are over all his works." ^{Ps. 145:9;}

But sometimes we are allergic to our fellowmen. This attitude can be described as the soil in which error grows and flourishes and thus adversely affects the harmony of our bodies. In fact, one dictionary defines the word "allergic" in part as, "responding with a feeling of irritation or annoyance." ^{Webster's Third New International Dictionary;} The definition also mentions such words as antipathy, aversion, repugnance.

This is very meaningful to the writer because each summer for a number of years he was plagued by the miseries of hay fever. The allergy continued until through the study of Christian Science he began to understand more of his real selfhood as the spiritual image and likeness of God. As the truth of man dawned in his thought, it uncovered certain ungodlike traits of character that needed special attention. The writer began to see indications of irritation, impatience, and stubborn self-will, in his relationship with others. He noticed that he was easily annoyed and often took a strong dislike to certain people; he became strongly allergic to what he supposed them to be.

In other words, the writer saw the need to stabilize his disposition and outlook and bring it closer to the divine standard of perfection. He needed to perceive more clearly that divine Mind was not only his real consciousness but also the governing Principle of everyone he met. This scientific sense of Love had to be practiced more consistently in his daily life.

The upshot of it all was that the writer slowly attained a happier, more loving, less critical attitude. His thought became less willful and far quieter, and in the process of this transformation the hay fever was permanently healed.

This experience is just another proof that disease is never what it seems. To the sufferer it looks and feels organic or functional, but Christian Science shows it in every case to be the externalization of discordant thinking. It is a hypnotic illusion that can be wiped out as we learn to reflect the qualities of the one Mind, divine Love, and vigorously reject the belief that man is a physical being subject to harmful stimuli. Mrs. Eddy writes: "When you say, 'Man's body is material,' I say with Paul: Be 'willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.' Give up your material belief of mind in matter, and have but one Mind, even God; for this Mind forms its own likeness." ^{Science and Health, pp. 216, 217.}

This likeness is the real selfhood of us all. It will become increasingly evident in human life as we cultivate a mental atmosphere of gentleness, stillness, and warmth—as we listen to God, the only Mind, and obey. We then will discern something of the kingdom of heaven within, as Christ Jesus promised, and allergy-induced sickness will disappear in a proper response to our higher nature.

Alan A. Aylwin