One of the most freeing spiritual facts we can come to understand through Christian Science is that God is the only I or Ego, that God is divine Love, the essence of all that is real. Through spiritual inspiration, plus wide and deep humility, we can begin plumbing the depths of these truths, which are at the heart of the revelation of Christian Science, and are at the base of its healing.

Having felt divine being as our very selfhood—that we are made in the image of Spirit—we long to maintain that feeling. Yet often— or even usually, for most of us—this seems difficult to do. Why? Because it seems there's an opposing influence that would keep our thinking anchored and entangled in material beliefs. This claim is animal magnetism. It would drag our thought into the animality, materiality, and mortal personality, which seem to resist and obscure our realization and living of the pure truth of being, and it would hold our thought there.

But Science and Health by Mrs. Eddy uncovers the vacuity of this influence and neutralizes it. It states: "As named in Christian Science, animal magnetism or hypnotism is the specific term for error, or mortal mind. It is the false belief that mind is in matter, and is both evil and good; that evil is as real as good and more powerful. This belief has not one quality of Truth." ^{Science and Health, p. 103;}

What animal magnetism would aim to do and what it actually does are—within the framework of illusiveness—two entirely different things. But both its claims and its pretended activities never get out of the dreamworld of a supposed material mind's self-deception. As a step to negating animal magnetism entirely, as no entity or claim, we can see that it can never get at our real being, for in Science we are forever held within the shelter of divine Love, as Love's idea. The most that supposititious animal magnetism can ever do is claim, persuade, talk, suggest. It can never act. The moment we begin admitting that animal magnetism cannot act, because it is forever a static, immobilized nothing, we've begun freeing ourselves from it.

Animal magnetism may claim to materialize our thought, to induce accidents, to deflect us from our pursuit of the Science of Life, to delay or negate our Christian Science treatment, to impel wrong decisions, to anesthetize us so we're insensitive to its deceptions. But despite its claims, it can never achieve anything but its own self-destruction. If animal magnetism were a kind of intelligence—and it definitely is not—it would wish that we believe it and behave accordingly. But in the measure we see its nothingness and impotence, and base our living on this seeing, we've defended ourselves against it and disposed of it. "The prince of this world cometh," Christ Jesus affirmed of a phase of animal magnetism, "and hath nothing in me." ^{John 14:30.}

The mortal "I" with which animal magnetism would speak to give itself identity is no "I," since God—infinite and everlasting good —is the only Ego. In the proportion that we're awake to this stratagem of animal magnetism do we refuse to let the "I" of mortal mind—along with its imposition of a material sense of man and the universe—insinuate itself into our thought and mesmerize us. In the measure of our spirituality does animal magnetism find nothing in our thought to which it can hook its spurious "I."

Animal magnetism is never an actuality to be fascinated by or frightened of. It stands as a claim only, but it is not one to ignore. Through spiritual understanding we take from it the initiative it would claim to wield. It is not enough, however, to realize that it has only the power we give it. We must divest it of the assumed power it always has claimed as inherent in its evil nature.

We may shun dealing with animal magnetism because it could seem an unpleasant, depressing, inspiration-killing thing to do. But where does that suggestion come from? From the lying persuasion of life and intelligence in matter—from animal magnetism itself— which each of us must cope with if we aim to live in the consciousness of divine Love.

It is animal magnetism itself that appears to make us sometimes use the term "animal magnetism" loosely, to impose our opinions on others. An instance of this would be to suggest that "those who are dissatisfied (or satisfied) with the way things are being done in the church are being fooled by animal magnetism" where this is simply a personal judgment. The mesmerism has already operated at an earlier point, when—in the speaker's own thought—the suggestion was admitted that Church is a material organization managed by mortals, and that both Church and our colleagues are detached from infinite Mind, divine intelligence.

The Christ—the unfoldment and the assurer of divine Love's infiniteness—is forever active and potent everywhere to prevent animal magnetism ever assuming reality, presence, power, influence, or entity. The Christ shows that in Spirit's pure reality there is nothing material or personal anywhere for animal magnetism to act on or to make suggestions about. All that truly is, is God, good, and His endless benevolence.

Geoffrey J. Barratt