For healing and restoration in Japan

Speaking of the earthquake and tsunami that has struck Japan and how to address it with prayer, Fujiko talks about these events as a kind of bugle call to find out more about who we are spiritually. She mentions the importance of focusing on Love's presence rather than on the disaster and not be overwhelmed by news reports. In response to a question about the people who have been displaced, she notes that each one is cared for by divine Love, even though it may be difficult to clearly see this at times.

Among the other questions are queries about how to pray regarding the radiation danger, the safety of the food chain in the affected area, psychological effects of the disaster, how to deal with "predictions" of disaster and distrust of government pronouncements. She also speaks about the farming community in the area and about prayer for pets.

The transcribed text has been edited for clarity.

Rosalie Dunbar: Hello, everyone. Welcome to a Christian Science Sentinel live question and answer audio event. My name is Rosalie Dunbar and I’ll be your host for the next hour. Our topic today is “For healing and restoration in Japan,” and our guest is Fujiko Signs, a practitioner and teacher of Christian Science in Tokyo, Japan. In addition to being a full-time Christian Science healer and teacher, Fujiko is also a member of the Christian Science Board of Lectureship. She has traveled thousands of miles speaking to people about the healing power of Christian Science. Fujiko, it’s so great to have you here. Do you have some thoughts to get us started?

Fujiko Signs: Well, first of all I just want to say thank you to everyone around the world. People have been sending, I would say, flood-tides of love. A tsunami of love is what we are feeling here, whether they are Christian Scientists or not. In the media we’re seeing how people have been encouraged, and it’s not just those who are in Japan. I’ve never seen unity as such in the media. So I just want to say thank you, first, Rosalie.

Rosalie: That’s great. Do you have some further thoughts?

Fujiko: Well, I have been thinking how to start this, and instead of my words or thoughts, I just want to quote Mary Baker Eddy’s poem, called “Satisfied” (Poems, p. 79). Is that OK?

Rosalie: Sure.

Fujiko: She says:

It matters not what be thy lot,

So Love doth guide;

For storm or shine, pure peace is thine,

Whate’er betide.

And of these stones, or tyrants’ thrones,

God able is

To raise up seed—in thought and deed— 

To faithful His.

Aye, darkling sense, arise, go hence!

Our God is good.

False fears are foes—truth tatters those,

When understood.

Love looseth thee, and lifteth me,

Ayont hate’s thrall:

There Life is light, and wisdom might,

And God is All.

The centuries break, the earth-bound wake,

God’s glorified!

Who doth His will—His likeness still—

Is satisfied.

Rosalie: That’s beautiful. Thank you so much. We’ll start then with a question from Auckland, New Zealand, Max has sent it, and he says: “Fujiko, thank you for taking this up. If feels to me like we are sort of disastered out right now with Christchurch and then the devastation in Japan. How should I pray about the overwhelming sense that there is a battle between good and evil, equally powerful—even at times, like evil is more powerful than good. How can this be?”

Fujiko: Well, I’m with you Max. It is overwhelming, whether it’s your personal life that might have something similarly or equally disastrous, or whether it’s something that’s taking place in other parts of the world. I feel that one of the important things to remember is how we can see the disaster, not as an event as such, but to really see there are people in this event, the people that you can really relate to. That sense of overwhelming sense is what we can really take care of first, because we don’t really want to overwhelm your life. It’s more important that you can be kind and compassionate to those who are closest to you, someone who is standing by you—a checker at the store who is taking care of your groceries. I think people who are in this so-called disaster would really want every single one of you to reflect and really see our neighbors—our brothers and sisters—in a different light. That’s what really comes to me. Sometimes it’s important to shut the television, and not see, to find your peace because that’s really important for you to be a help to send out good thoughts, prayer, ideas how to help. We have to find peace for ourselves first. And so I would think that the overwhelming sense, is something I would like you to take care of it first.

Rosalie: So, basically, you’re saying that the first step is for us to overcome feelings of distress about the disaster so that we have a feeling of peace in our own hearts, and then to be kind to those around us as a way of sort of expressing harmony in the way that we would want it to be there for Japan?

Fujiko: Yes, and I don’t think it’s unrelated—the kindness or the compassion or the healing. If you heal one neighbor in your area, that actually reverberates, it really is felt in Japan. I think it’s important to see that we’re one body, one idea, made up of all different ideas and we’re not somehow cut off. New Zealand and Japan are within this, what we call one God, or one Mind. And the good that you do there in New Zealand is surely going to be felt and appear as some other form of kindness and practical help. I truly believe that.

Rosalie: Then our next question is from West Salem, Ohio, from John: “Is gratitude for good already received, a strong defense for the tumult of natural events? Is there a better healing thought available?”

Fujiko: Well, I wonder whether this person’s thinking that when events like this happen, you look at your own life and say, “Well, we take it for granted what we already have.” And we suddenly feel more grateful for what we have. And perhaps also by watching the media, he or she might feel like, “Look at all these people wanting to help.” And we’re grateful for people coming together to show that strength and courage. So, I think—I remember, actually, Mr. Rogers, when my children were little, I was watching Mr. Roger’s Neighborhood? Is that what it’s called?

Rosalie: Yes.

Fujiko: And he said his mother taught him that when disaster happened, don’t look at what is going wrong, but look at the people who are helping. And it really still stays in my mind. It’s already been almost twenty years since I probably watched that program. And it’s probably because it’s really the proof of Love’s presence. And Love written with a capital L is God. The presence of God is manifested in these actions, the kindness, courage, cooperation, and unity. So, in that sense, yes we need to keep looking for something that will point us to God, Love, and to not be overwhelmed, but find even more things to be grateful for.

Rosalie: Julie in Bellevue, Washington, says: “What is your spiritual perspective regarding the difficulty of rebuilding the many towns and villages that have been shattered due to the decline of the working population?”

Fujiko: I have been praying a lot about all different kinds of—almost having a category of things that I’m working on. Because people had to evacuate emergency shelters, and some of them are moving from one shelter to another, they’re told to come here, and then they have to move out by a certain date. This is mainly about home, a sense of really wanting them to feel—that it’s difficult for them to feel at home in the gymnasium, or somewhere you’re sleeping really hard, but home as where they’re really being cared for in divine Love. And I think that restoration for each one of them comes from the strength to really see that—to look for home, and to trust that it’s not the place that they need to somehow put their stake and say, “This is my home,” but to really accept that wherever they are, that family is right there. Not blood-related people necessarily, but on the side that’s receiving them, those who are going into, to be really open to the thought that weare one family. And wherever they are, there’s going to be some kind of work, and a place that they feel at home. It’s really not that easy, because as you have probably heard in the news, some villages or towns are completely wiped out, and they don’t really feel that they can go back to the same place.

Rosalie: Right.

Fujiko: But many are opening their homes, and I think for the first time. I think Japan, since probably before the war where they used to have more sense of community, we’re seeing that now in all sorts of different ways. And I’m sure the sharing of work, as well, will employ these people in the way they are useful. It’s probably not going to be a lot of profit-making at first, but I think we need to make profits with our sense of love for one another. And I’m sure it will come back economically, but maybe with a better sense of what business is, and how we can contribute to the rest of the world as we tackle up this next stage.

Rosalie: Yes. Patty in Wisconsin sent a kind of a little bit of a long question. She says: “I read in The Christian Science Monitor that Prime Minister Naoto Kan issued a cautiously encouraging statement regarding their progress. ‘We haven’t yet escaped danger [this is a quote], but we’re starting to see a ray of hope that we’ll be able to escape,’ he said. And then Patty goes on, she says: “And Mary Baker Eddy writes: ‘In Science there is no fallen state of being; for therein is no inverted image of God, no escape from the focal radiation of the infinite’ ” [No and Yes, p. 17 ] and that’s from No and Yes, which is one of Mrs. Eddy’s books. She says: “I love the fact that there’s ‘no escape from the focal radiation of the infinite.’ There’s only benign radiation in God’s kingdom. Maybe you’d like to elaborate on this.”

Fujiko: Well, I came into Christian Science because it encourages us to be thinkers—spiritual thinkers. When I read the line in the “Preface,” ”The time for thinkers has come” (p. vii ), I felt like yes, I want to study Christian Science as a discipline in my life. One genius element of Christian Science study is to take a word like radiation and to really see the spiritual import or the spiritual meaning versus what the world says that continues to insist that the world is made up of evil and good—for example, the radiation. It could be a word used for harmless, when we say “radiation of Soul” or someone is radiant, we feel something positive. But when we talk about this leakage of radiation from the plant—the reactor—certainly that doesn’t sound safe and pleasant or spiritually acceptable. We can really see that it’s only a counter-fact of what really is. So we can really, I guess, take a stand, and even the word that we use to look for that spiritual sense of the word—use that as a very important part of our prayer. Any word that tries to impose us that the word is made up of good and evil, we can go back to find the spiritual sense of that word and to—I guess it’s really almost like David and Goliath. We need to have these stones, a pebble thrown right at it, so we will destroy this overwhelming sense that good is somehow diminishing, and evil is coming more to the front line.

Rosalie: That ties is with this question from the Midwest, which is about the nature of evil. “If evil—earthquakes and tsunamis—is not real, how can any good come to Japan as the result of this horrible experience that in truth was not real and did not happen? How do you learn from nature or mistakes when their evil side is not real? If you learn something from them, they would have to be real and exist and happen.”

Fujiko: Well, I don’t think it’s very comforting to feel like something bad has to happen for us to grow spiritually, but certainly when I just feel like there’s always a wake-up call in our lives, when we are feeling that all is well and I’m satisfied. I’m just one of them, and I feel that these things are almost like a bugle call to make us go deeper into our study and our prayer to understand who we are, and why we’re here, and what our relationship is with God. Each one of us have to find, perhaps, the lesson that we learn from this, but I truly feel that if we keep asking this question: Why these things happen to us? we probably won’t find the satisfying answer. Because, to me, the waking-up from a nightmare, we don’t really go back to the nightmare and say, “What kind of sequence, a story do I actually remember?” I think the most important thing is that we feel free from that nightmare, and Christian Science helps us to really see what is taking place for anyone, is first mental. If we can really handle this in our thought first, and to really act upon it, so we can also help others to wake up from the dream, that’s probably our work here, one of our responsibilities here to care for one another. So we’re not all somehow depressed, and feeling that there is no end to this evil, but we’re here to lessen evil.

Rosalie: Right. This is from Alice in Seattle, Washington, and she says—first she’s got two things: “Would you please speak a little in Japanese for all the Japanese expatriates who would find comfort in your message?”

Fujiko: [Speaking in Japanese]

Rosalie: Thank you. Then her next part of her question is: “Could you share some thoughts about overcoming all the psychological ramifications, present, and as memory of the earthquake, tsunami and nuclear reactor issue.” Then she also says, “Warmest thanks for doing this Web chat.”

Fujiko: Yes, it is the fear is really the enemy, isn’t it? because even after the event is over, the fear tries to linger. In recent years you’ve probably seen a movie called, The King’s Speech, and Lionel Logue, the person who helped the King to be able to speak, he was a Christian Scientist, and he’s known for helping many soldiers who came back from World War I. They lost their speech from the fear that they had experienced. It’s been documented, and there are some small books written about how he—no, not so much specifically about how he healed, but how he saw each soldier as a whole person, and not as patient, not as someone who has a problem, not as someone who’s lacking anything. And I think it’s important for us, if we know someone who’s going through this, to really even go deeper and say, as a spiritual idea, the spiritual reflection of God, that this person does not lack anything. The presence of Love can envelop this person to remove this fear, which is really just a memory of what is not really taking place right now. But to able to have them come to see that right now that event is not taking place, but more than that, that right now all is provided, and especially the comfort of the love from God is healing.

Rosalie: Thank you. This is from your dear friends in State College, Pennsylvania, and around the world. It’s actually generated through the Reading Room there in State College. They say: “We send our love to you and your countrymen, women, and children.” And they’re saying they would like to make a financial contribution to the restoration efforts in Japan, and are wondering if there’s something Christian Scientists in Tokyo are planning to do that they could join as fellow Christian Scientists?

Fujiko: Well, we were starting to receive, I guess, contributions to our Tokyo branch church bank account, and found out that each wire of money, we had to pay almost $50 to it. So we’re encouraging people to pool their money. And one way is to send your contribution to something called, “Project Cherry Blossom,” initiated by Christian Science nursing facility in San Diego. I’m sorry I don’t have the exact name, but I’m sure you can look up the name. Maybe by the end of this program someone can give me the correct information. And another thing is if you’re in the States, through my bank account, I am trying to pool the contributions, so I will send the first—I guess it’s called, the first deadline is April 10. We’re trying to send this, whatever we collect to the local government directly, instead of to Red Cross, really examining what they need. It could be restoration for schools, education facilities, for public facilities where people can use together. And that’s the first contribution thinking, going directly to the local governments. And then we will also continue to open our, I guess it’s called fund funding, for about a year because we feel the restoration will probably be a long-term, and they would appreciate this contribution to be sent to anything that’s for rebuilding the villages or towns.

Rosalie: It looks like we got an e-mail from Jan in Laguna Hills, California, who has sent us the Cherry Blossom Fund information. I’m going to read it to you all. It’s:

Sunland Home Foundation

Attention: Cherry Blossom Fund

 691 Sparta Drive

Encinitas, California 92024

And Kevin, who is my helper, has kindly said that he will post this information on the chat replay page. So when we post that up there, this information will be there for you. Thank you, Jan, for sending that to us.

Fujiko: Great. Thank you.

Rosalie: Now, speaking of various things related to human needs, Barbara in California is asking: “How can we best pray about the food chain?” And I’m sure she’s thinking of the nuclear plant and the impact there.

Fujiko: Well, the government recently asked the dairy farmers and the farmers who’re growing vegetables to discard a large amount of food, when they detected very, very small amounts of radiation. And I didn’t know about this, but they’re very good at educating people. They said if it’s a small amount, you can actually wash it away, and it’s not harmful to your body at this level. But they still want them not to ship anything out, and I think maybe Japan is probably known for a very high standard of food safety. As far as what comes to our market, we feel very much safe in whatever the standard that they’re showing. But I also feel, on the other hand, those people who are losing these products, also losing their income. So what we’re really praying right now, especially a couple of us Christian Scientists, is that this whole fear to be subsided—that the reason government ask them to throw this food away is because they didn’t want the rumor spreading unnecessarily about food not being safe. I’m not sure whether the Japanese government have been successful in crisis management, but I think as far as fear is concerned I think they’ve been very good in fear management. Or maybe it’s in our nature not to overreact. But I think with food we tend to be very sensitive. So I don’t know whether I’m answering the question, but we can really pray to know that fear to be removed from people’s mind, whatever that they’re measuring and recommending is trustworthy.

Rosalie: Yes, and also that feeling of conviction that they will be safe. I think it’s that sense of fear, and also dealing with the sense of loss for the farmers, just in praying about that aspect of it, too.

Fujiko: Well, some people are even saying they’ll still go there and buy things for them. That’s an individual choice, but I’m just being so overwhelmed—not overwhelmed—but impressed by these farmers when they spent more than a year or their lifetime to cultivate their land and to have these products. It’s almost perfect the way the hybrid things, even the spinach leaf, you can look at and really admire how beautiful each leaf is in Japan. And for them to bulldoze those over this field, I can’t help but to feel so sad that they have to do this. But they feel, compared to those who have lost everything by tsunami, this is nothing. That they’ll come back, and want to make better products for those who are at places where they’ve lost everything, more than want they’re going to be losing.

Rosalie: Yes, well that’s a very precious thought. This is from Lisa, who lives along the Mississippi River. And she says: “Predictions in her area are for the worst flooding ever.” What she’s asking is: “How can we pray about predictions? Who is in charge really?”

Fujiko: Prediction, really, is a bugle call for all of us to really take a stand, because sometimes even with the earthquake and tsunami, and weather report, there might be the sense of excitement for people to go through disasters. It could be media. Really counteract this sensationalism, that whatever excites our senses. And I think one way to truly do this is to, again, have this more permanent sense of peace within us. Recently I heard that a very different take on how Jesus calmed the storm—violent storm. And whoever said this, I’m not sure where it originated, but he said: “It’s not so much that Jesus stilled the storm, but he invited those who were around him into his peace.” And so when everyone felt that peace, the storm was nil—nothing. And I feel this is a new way to look at this story, for me, in the Bible, but because Jesus is known as a “Prince of peace,” that he did promise to give us peace—not the way the world giveth, but it’s a different kind of peace. And if we really—even if when we hear this prediction, going back to the first chapter of Genesis and say, “That calm, that light, that creation, where we’re made in the image and likeness, and even before we appeared, all these things He had created, He had seen and said it was very good. I feel that that peace that Jesus felt is exactly the peace of the spiritual creation described in the first chapter of Genesis. And I think more and more we are asked to find this peace, turning away from sensationalism, materialism, and not give any power to prediction. And I think the prediction will lose its power and will disappear. I think Carl Michael Crusham who talked about fear so much, that it’s not so much that we are bombarded with waves of fear. One time it was Y2K, one time it was certain food, at one time it was population explosion—all these things were predicted, and we just passed through this as if it never happened.

Rosalie: Yes.

Fujiko: And it really shows how powerless these fears have been, and it’s maybe about time for us to wake up and see why should we listen to this, when it doesn’t have any substantial reason to believe, especially from spiritual standpoint. And really stay with the first chapter of Genesis to find that peace that Jesus exhibited, and Jesus promised us to have.

Rosalie: That sounds great. Now this question is from someone named Joy, who says: “My son and his family were forced to leave Japan quickly. There was much prayer being done for them to leave, and this demonstration was made. Now our prayers and thoughts are with the millions that may not have a mother in the US to come to for comfort and healing. We know in Christian Science that God is our Father-Mother God, but I find it extremely concerning that so many are left in a great position of need. I know we need to pray to see the calm in this storm. What would you suggest we, who do believe in the power of prayer, include in this process?”

Fujiko: Well, I think what comes to me is God’s being omnipresent—omnipresence?

Rosalie: Both.

Fujiko: So whoever is—whether they’re Americans or Japanese—wherever they are, in our prayer to insist on seeing their standing and living on the holy ground. That there is no so-called “ground zero” or dangerous ground. But I think consciously we can really see the atmosphere that’s surrounding these people is nothing but holy. I think the Lord’s Prayer is very helpful to me because when we say, “Our Father which art in heaven” it really is for everyone, whether they’re Christian Scientists or not, Japanese or foreigner, others, and just to feel that “Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.” That there is no duality here, that is only one reality—that this is where they’re at. Those who have left, they’re not in a safer place than those who are left behind. They are equally safe, because otherwise we feel like we have to keep running away from dangers.

Rosalie: Right.

Fujiko: We really have to take a stand and say, “Where we are is ‘holy ground.’ ” That we are honored to see this, and to offer this prayer to people that we don’t really know yet, but all known by our God, our Father.

Rosalie: Yes, in fact if we were to accept the thought that one place is safer than another, it would be like believing that God is a little bit more here, than He is there, wouldn’t it?

Fujiko: That’s right, yeah.

Rosalie: That doesn’t mean people shouldn’t be wise, but still, overall, God is present. Now, Erin in Seattle says: “I’ve been posting on Facebook, stories of wonderful rescues in Japan. This is not to trivialize those who have lost loved ones, or who have died, but to see a little light here, and one over there in the darkness, keep us all conscious that these lights have a source, God, Love, toward which we can turn. Eventually, I believe, we will see that this light includes those who seem to be gone.”

Fujiko: Right, exactly. Yes, I truly feel the presence of Love, God, is with those who may not be here with the family anymore, or people still searching for their family members. We just found a grandmother and grandson being found, washed away from their original lot, quite a ways, and surviving. These stories will continue to be reported, small one and big one, and my impression from the reports that I’m receiving, is that no one is looking back. There are, even at one of the graduations—this is a graduation time for school year in Japan—and so many schools have just had delayed commencement. Sometimes the parent had to come to receive the diploma, because the children are not found yet, and that’s a very difficult situation. But for the teachers and students, for all of them to really see, because it’s not the lack, that this person actually added something to the school, and their lives are going to be stronger, and they want to live. Also, for these who may not be with the family anymore, really shows me that looking back is something that they refuse to do, because it’s more honoring that person if we are not sitting down and just being sad. And so, I think it’s a strength when we talk about “the fruit of the Spirit” (Gal. 5:22 ), the longsuffering—and sometimes I didn’t used to like that word so much—but when I look at these people, the longsuffering is the diligent, the strength, the courage—it has all these other elements that really teaches me that love is really deep in each one of these people. We’re more resilient than we appear to be. We’re not vulnerable.

Rosalie: David in Boston says: “Do you have any anecdotes about how you’ve seen the positive effects of prayer in Japan?”

Fujiko: Well, I don’t hear too much words like prayer—well, I think prayer maybe more so than God. Sometimes we just refer to God as “heaven.” And one of the reports that students giving Commencement speech, said that, “We will never feel resentment towards heaven.” I just felt that was coming from his heart—that there is no sense of enemy, that the nature that they have been nurtured under, they are continuing to trust that there will be nurturing and more beauty in it, more than the fear. In Japan, we have this saying that when we’re in trouble, we pray. We ask God for something. And we go to temples and shrines for New Year, wishing for a good year. We have the sense of higher power protecting us, but we don’t really talk too much about God. I think it’s just more important for Japanese people to show it in action, that there is a sense of patience, and love in our words and deeds, more than talking about it. So I think it will continue to be that way. I think the spirituality, we probably we will have more opportunity to talk about the spiritual strengths that we have here in Japan. And I think that’s really a positive thing for young people, especially. They are really seeking for that side. We already have materialism, but maybe we need to really look at more spiritual aspect of our lives.

Rosalie: One thing that has impressed me has been the tremendous courage of the men, and maybe women, too, who have worked on the nuclear reactors. Just going back in there, and striving with all their might to get that under control. That’s been quite inspiring.

Fujiko: Yes. Well, one of the workers there who actually had to carry the hose into, because of all the rubble, they couldn’t use the machine to get it through, so they had to walk through to get these, I guess, hose into the right place. They were all interviewed and said they all sent their loved ones e-mail text that they are going in. And family members said, “Do well for the country. Save the people.” And one of the wives said, “Please be a savior for Japan.” When I heard that I just felt, yes, the Comforter, the Christ, is right there with them. And it also reminded me of three Hebrew young men going through the fiery furnace, and when the King saw the fourth man, the son of God, was walking with them. And so when I heard that they were going into that, that’s the Bible story that came to me to really stay with, to see that Comforter, the Saviour, is with them. That they don’t need to be the savior, they already have that protection. And I know they’re protected.

Rosalie: That is a wonderful thought. Tina, in Belvedere, California says: “I’ve been noticing the anxious faces on the emergency workers, so I have been praying to see that wisdom is universally expressed as an attribute of God.” And she wondered if you wanted to make a comment?

Fujiko: Probably the rescuer who worked for the reactor, maybe she’s referring to. Well, I think—what was the question, the main part of my thoughts on how I would be praying, or?

Rosalie: She says she’s been “praying to see that wisdom is universally expressed as an attribute of God” and then asks for you to comment. And I think she may be asking you to comment on wisdom being expressed, perhaps.

Fujiko: Well, if she means like wisdom—we really shouldn’t be jumping into things unless we really know what’s going on? Or maybe leaving the country, if that feels like that’s the wisest thing to do. I think to keep this calm in the country, we have lots of people here in Tokyo, and we need to really have the balance. I really like what Mrs. Eddy has to say about “. . . wisdom, economy, and brotherly love” (Manual, p. 77 ). I feel like there’s a perfect balance there. If the wisdom is also balanced with economy and brotherly love, I feel like the decisions that they make to execute certain actions, will be safe. I really appreciate that three elements in doing all sorts of things in my life. And I also give advice to others when they talk about wisdom, to make sure that there is brotherly love along with it, and if there is economy being thought through, not just wisdom. Because I think, to me, wisdom has to have that balance.

Rosalie: Then Cheryl in Connecticut says: “How do we handle the idea that the world is facing an Apocalypse?”

Fujiko: Well, I would say that it’s more about revealing, and coming to what we truly have, instead of something that the substance is blowing up and destroying things. This might not make sense, but I should probably just quote from Science and Health. What comes to me is how Mrs. Eddy talks about, “Contentment with the past and the cold conventionality of materialism are crumbling away” (p. vii ). The good, or the real substance, has not really changed. I think what’s really crumbling away is the substance that’s really false, the things that are temporal. We tend to be satisfied with our accomplishment by succeeding on a very superficial level—whether it’s environment, or business, or maybe relationship—and we’re being asked to go deeper into understanding why we’re really here as a humanity. I don’t feel that somehow we’re coming to the end of the world, because for centuries people have said this—all sorts of predictions that the end of the world will come in a certain time. And so far we’re seeing more resistance to ending it. I think it’s really more about the world coming together, to really see we have one Father, and continuing to grow spiritually as we pray and find answers, so that we can live more harmoniously and bring that kingdom of heaven here on earth.

Rosalie: Thank you for that. Diane in New York City says: “What is the most powerful prayer we can to counter the sense of nuclear contamination? Don’t we have to have confidence in God’s complete care, now and always, as every atom of things are really thoughts, and thoughts radiate from and exist in God alone in infinite Love?”

Fujiko: Exactly. You already answered. Yes, I think dominion is very important thing to think about from the first chapter of Genesis—even if it’s really probably the shortest maybe chapter. And people tend to skip, because Adam and Eve story is more exciting and has all sorts of elements, talking serpents and all that. But I think it’s most important to focus on dominion. If God made man in the image and likeness of Himself/Herself, and given dominion over all these he had created, it should include what we call Adam—what comes as seen as animals and environment. We maybe haven’t used our full potential, spiritual might, understanding, to execute this dominion. We may not be able to walk on water like Christ Jesus did yet, but we need to perhaps start revisiting this concept of having dominion over everything around us.

Rosalie: Gina, in Santa Anna, California, says: “Early in your talk you said we need to be loving to those closest to us here. Could you tell us more about this being helpful toward Japan or any group needing our prayers?” In other words, she’s saying can you talk more about why being helpful to the people around us, is helpful to the people in Japan or other people who are in trouble?

Fujiko: Well, I just feel—personally I would think that if I were one of those people who lost homes or lost family members, we don’t really want other people to feel so paralyzed that their lives also are equally stopped or slowing down. I think that most important thing for all of us to see is, if you’re not paralyzed, but being able to think clearly, and to love your neighbor as yourself, the ideas how to help these people who have actually lost these things, will be clearer. That even if it’s not coming from you, I feel that the calm, creative, productive, practical thoughts will reach someone to do more good to the places where they had this disaster area. So that’s how I feel, that if I were one of them, that’s the last thing I want is for you to be paralyzed, but to keep moving on with your life with love, and I truly trust that that will have better effect across the ocean. Even if you feel like there’s a huge gap or space, a distance between where you are and where these people are, it’s actually just a thought away. And when you are really loving yourself, you can really love your neighbors—and that neighbors include these people in Japan.

Rosalie: There’s a statement—I believe it’s in Science and Health—where Mary Baker Eddy talks about: “The calm, strong currents of true spirituality . . .” (p. 99 ), and those currents of spirituality really are not just sort of locked inside our heads, but really do cross continents and oceans. Whenever you think lovingly, that loving thought affects the atmosphere around you, and that helps other people to feel more loving, and pretty soon you have this wave of loving thoughts that go out, and they’re maybe invisible, but it really does have an effect. I think that may be a little bit of what might be helpful there.

Fujiko: Thank you. Definitely. I think we call it angels or angel thoughts, that each one of us is receiving the message or messengers—sometimes they come as a person, perhaps as things, or ideas. What really brings these ideas is Love. And so the more we have—we can’t use just love on a very superficial level. We have to use this as the most important defense, and also, I would say, if we need some ways, to not just to protect, but to really counteract, we have to use this Love. It’s almost like a lubricant to increase our ability to receive more ideas or angel thoughts.

Rosalie: Yes. Mark, who is writing from Pleasant Gap, Pennsylvania, said: “How can we pray about the sense of mistrust caused by understated government and power company statements about the nuclear crisis in Japan?”

Fujiko: Well, I think what we can see is Japanese people usually just listen to what the government said, and then we also start to hear people from outside Japan being very doubtful of what Japanese government was saying. It’s not just the government. I think in Japan what we have the problem is that each department has its own authority. They have never really had horizontal relationships or the communication pipeline established. So when things like this happen, they don’t really know who is in charge. Each department will feel they’re in charge, but then they’re told also to “shut up” so then nobody will really have the right ideas. I hope that this particular disaster will change that kind of defect that we have in the Japanese system. I think when people from outside start to come in, pour in, IAE came in to really access what level the danger we were at. Then we accept. We just feel like someone from outside has to come and tell us. This also happens in the corporation. We need foreigners to be in a CEO level to tell us what to do. And that’s really something that Japan has to really outgrow because we’re not really like a little brother or sister of America or other countries where they have more authority. We have intelligent enough people to gather information to be confident with either information releasing, gathering, and announcing, and not feeling like: Who’s going to take responsibility for this certain action?—saving face. There are a lot of things that I admire about Japanese people, but the whole culture also still has the sense of “I don’t want to be the one who put the little bell on the cat” when the mice are all looking at each other and saying, “Who’s going to put the bell on?” We just want someone else from outside to do this. I’m sure we will be taught how to do this better. But we need to initiate this sense of leadership in the world. And that will actually help our economy. In different areas we have been very hesitant to speak up, in some cases. I would just think that that’s a lesson that the Japanese, not just government but companies, are really learning. This time we found out it is the small business, or individual—their own business—who first went to these disaster area to help people. They just couldn’t wait for government to say: What’s to do next? They were already preparing the food. They had smaller vehicles to get through places where—so I just feel like, again, with this angel message, each individual listening and acting on what’s best, have been shown, in this case, and maybe government or these companies—big companies—have to follow. We used to just follow what authority said, but now I’m seeing Japan changing. The individuals just can’t wait for government to tell us what to do, so if it’s something good, like going out to help people, they’re initiating this, and trying to figure out how to do this. For example, when IT person, a young man who saw the bulletin board with all these names who were looking for people, and there was a little shot on the television, and he took all that, downloaded into his computer, and enlarged it—the names—and he made the whole list so that online people can look for others. And this is just an individual trying to help, and that’s actually helping more than anything that government has put up on the so-called bulletin board, for trying to find people—or connect people. So I think the bigger groups have to listen to the smaller people, or the ideas.

Rosalie: Well, this is maybe an opportunity for them to come forward.

Fujiko: Yes, yes, I think so.

Rosalie: Now, Kate in Florida has written, saying: “This is the second chat in a row in which it was said that we need to do better, and be better healers. Could you tell us a tiny first step to begin that process, since the world, and at this moment Japan, needs us to be our very best selves?”

Fujiko: Well, for me, it always helps to know myself, first. And to see what is it that I need to remove from my thinking, that becomes a blockage to be able to open up my thoughts to receive ideas from our divine Father, Father-Mother, God? So, perhaps, really, the first step is to establish your relationship with God first, and to feel that everything—every good that God is sending you, is also sent to those people who you’re trying to help through your prayer. But to know that our prayer for our own individual spiritual growth, is a very important first step. In Science and Health we read that, “What we most need is the prayer of fervent desire for growth in grace, expressed in patience, meekness, love, and good deeds” (p. 4 ). So I think that’s a first step. The prayer sometimes is not because someone else lacks something, but is really for each one of us to grow spiritually. And they will benefit more and more as well, as our prayer becomes sincere with our spiritual growth.

Rosalie: Yes. Now this is from someone who hasn’t yet told us where they’re from, but they say: “How do you pray for the innocent animals of this disaster, when naturally our focus is on helping the people first?”

Fujiko: I just saw that animal, the pets have been rescued by, I think, it was zoo. They needed a place to go, so, again, it’s an individual who probably had this idea to go collect, as soon as some roads are safe to go in, and as soon as they got the gasoline—we were in shortage a little bit, but now people can get to these places. And I believe it was a zoo that have agreed to gather these dogs. It’s sad parting with your own family members, because for some of them their pets are their family members. And to really feel that they need a safe place to be, we have more pets these days in Japan, so I think this is actually a new movement that caring for animals more than we used to. So I was very grateful to see that. There’s a lot of donations also for pet food, because when people take these animals in—you think of feeding people first, but animals are also hungry.

Rosalie: Yes. Now this is a comment, and this may be the very last thing that we do here, because the other two things we have are simply comments about how much people have enjoyed the chat, and we are grateful. “Isn’t is true that the inner metal containers”—this is in relation to the nuclear reactors—“never broke, and are still containing the uranium so the nuclear plants are safe themselves, only the spent fuel rods for a time evaporated while cooling off by the atmosphere. But now the rods are being cooled in water, and they are safe?”

Fujiko: Safer, yes definitely safer according to the reports that I have heard, thanks to all the firefighters and equipment. So, one construction company initiated to use his arm—it’s a long arm that can reach into these places to directly put water in. So, again, it’s individuals who come up with these solutions. And so we are very grateful that we are making progress in that area. Because the first was earthquake and then tsunami and then this nuclear power plant was falling apart, and so it was—you have a word called “double whammy,” but this was like triple—things that they had to deal with. But I feel—and people in this area, the northern part of Honshu, they’re really known for their resilience, their patience. So, the entire Japan, I think, is learning from them. It’s just wonderful that we witness the strength and courage, even from the elementary school students, going around the area where people evacuated—shelters. They’re helping the grandmother and grandfather with the food. Junior-high students making banners so the places where they’re at is not just barren. They’re doing some singing, and sending videos from different places to encourage them to keep young people get involved. I just feel like Japan, also—the rest of Japan—is learning from them how beautiful we each are as an idea of God.

Rosalie: Yes. We have one last comment which I’ll read, and that’s: “I’m sending this late to just to be thankful and helpful. In praying I found such strength in last week’s Bible Sermon, “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea; though the waters thereof roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof. There is a river, the streams whereof shall make glad the city of God, the holy place of the tabernacles of the most High. God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved: God shall help her, and that right early. Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth” (Ps. 46:1-5, 10 ).

And then this is from Sue in Montana, and this is a continuation of her message. She says: “River in verse four popped out and I looked it up in our textbook, Science and Health in the ‘Glossary.’ The first part of river is ‘Channel of thought’ (p. 593 ). So I have been praying with the channel of thought that I have been taught in Christian Science that comes from our Maker, the one Mind. This channel of thought is a containment of purity, a flow of harmony, and structured in goodness with the power of His holy might. There is not reactor there, only Life in charge, and being revealed to us—no fear, no confusion, no division, one God, one power, one channel of thought coming from our heavenly creator.”

Fujiko: That’s beautiful.

Rosalie: Well, we thank you, Sue, and we thank all of you who sent your questions. Fujiko, would you like to make some comments before we close?

Fujiko: Well, I guess that was a really great closing. This week Christian Scientists are studying a Bible-Lesson on “Reality,” and the Golden Text says: “Consider the work of God” (Eccl. 7:13 ). And I looked up the word, consider on the Lexicon, what the Hebrew word, original words of the meaning may be, and it says: “Learn about, discern, or distinguish.” And I think this is what we’re doing through our prayer. The work of God is good, as Sue is making that wonderful closing comment, that we are really witnessing “One infinite God, good, unifies men and nations . . . (p. 340 ). And there are other places in the world that’s being troubled that needs lots of prayer as well. This is where we’re united to lessen evil, and to really celebrate our unbreakable relationship with God.

Rosalie: Thank you so much, Fujiko.

Fujiko: Thank you.

Rosalie: Today’s topic was “For healing and restoration in Japan,” and our guest is Fujiko Signs, a practitioner and teacher of Christian Science in Tokyo, Japan.