Article October 12, 1974 Issue

Perception Unmystified

MARGUERITE E. BUTTNER

I once lived in a neighborhood of beautiful, unwalled gardens. One corner house, however, had a wall all around it. When we tried to visualize the landscaping behind that wall, we usually imagined a magnificent garden. But why was it hidden? Occasionally we suspected something sinister. One day my father peered over the wall. All he saw was a patch of unimproved land. When the mystery disappeared, the house ceased to arouse our curiosity.

As a Sunday School teacher, I was involved with the questions frequently asked by young people about various mental phenomena: premonition, precognition, telepathy, extrasensory perception (ESP), and clairvoyance. These seemed so new to me—so way-out. Although I could give some answers, I wanted to be really clear on all aspects of the mental realm.

I turned to Science and Health and read all Mrs. Eddy has to say about clairvoyance, perception, mind-reading, and Mindreading. (Christ Jesus knew the thoughts of the people without clairvoyance—see, for example, Luke 11:17.) I discovered that although she did not use many of the words psychologists and psychic researchers now use she has explained some of the concepts expressed by current terms. When I had read the chapter on Christian Science versus Spiritualism several times, I saw there was no unexplainable mystery. Mrs. Eddy, in advance of her times, had already peered over the wall of mortal thinking.

Send a comment to the editors

NEXT IN THIS ISSUE

Article

Do You Hurry and Worry?