Great beauty is seen as one looks upward; under varying conditions blue skies, green foliage, beautiful birds, rugged hills, delight the eye with splendor. Freshness and inspiration come with the upward gaze, ennobling human concepts with the patterns of spiritual sense, which is always aware of its divine source.

A British Army officer was taking his regiment to a point in the Mediterranean. The days were warm and sunny, and there was only a slight roll of the ship as it plowed through the waters. Many of the soldiers had never before been aboard a ship, and they greeted the experience with enthusiasm. After washing their clothes, they hung them on the lines. One man, with his bundle under his arm, climbed a rope ladder high up a mast and there strung his clothes to the breeze. Then, looking down, he felt the roll of the ship and saw the wide expanse of sea. There he stood, high aloft, motionless with fear. The officer recognized the difficulty and knew the solution. With encouraging voice he shouted to the man: "Look up, and then you can come down! Look up, and then you can come down!" The soldier obeyed and worked his way gradually to safety. He found that his fear was quieted by looking upward. When he kept his vision up, he could proceed comfortably.

Philosophers and sages have generally emphasized the importance of an uplifted viewpoint. They have said much about lofty thoughts and high altitudes, but it was Christ Jesus who pointed the way that leads to the true heights. The Master taught that in time of trouble men must look up to God. Speaking in the temple, he declared, as recorded in the twenty-first chapter of Luke: "Nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. ... And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake. ... And there shall be ... upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; ... men's hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth. ... And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh." The Christian way, which is always the way of Christian Science, is to look up, to turn thought to God and His spiritual idea—to maintain an uplifted state of consciousness.

Looking up to God, men see his causative nature as divine Principle producing only perfection, infinite Spirit unfolding spirituality, endless Life creating health and harmony, unchanging Truth building integrity, boundless Love establishing and maintaining good will, all-knowing Mind imparting intelligence, and eternal Soul revealing the beauty of holiness. Looking upward is the first step in the journey from materiality to spirituality.

Christ and Christian Science, which is the revelation of the Christ, Truth, in human experience, always functions as one to turn the vision upward to the moral and spiritual. Christ, the saving activity of God, presents the message of spiritual perfection, which heals and regenerates mankind; and Christian Science, the Comforter, is the law of God, bringing His tender love to human consciousness and rousing it to higher ideals of thinking and living/

As men look up to God and heed the message of Christ through Christian Science, they see that the real man, the spiritual idea of God, exists at the summit of perfection, as the perfect effect of perfect cause. They see also that this man reflects God, infinite divine Mind, and is never fearful; and that he is complete in his embodiment of perfection, spirituality, health, harmony, integrity, good will, intelligence, and the beauty of holiness. With this upward view, men gain the spiritual light which reveals the perfection of God and man and uncovers the falsities of mortal mind, so called. Thus they see the possibility of cleaning the human self of ungodliness, and the way is open for the mortal to yield to the immortal.

Mary Baker Eddy, the divinely inspired Discoverer and Founder of Christian Science, gives us two passages on pages 115 and 116 of her textbook, "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures," which enable us to look upward spiritually, especially when one considers two shades of meaning of the word "translation." In the first of these passages she presents:

"SCIENTIFIC TRANSLATION OF IMMORTAL MIND

"God: Divine Principle, Life, Truth, Love, Soul, Spirit, Mind.

"Man: God's spiritual idea, individual, perfect, eternal.

"Idea: An image in Mind; the immediate object of understanding.—Webster."

Here the "translation" is a scientific elucidation, or interpretation, of immortal Mind, in accord with Mrs. Eddy's words in "Miscellaneous Writings" where she says (p. 22), "Christian Science translates Mind, God, to mortals." Reasoning from the basis of this elucidation, we can accept God's allness, His completeness, His fatherhood and motherhood, and acknowledge Him as the one and only cause, creator, and sustainer of man; and we can see the real man as an idea, object, or expression of divine Mind, the perfect concept or effect of God's creating—veritably, the son of God. This is the import of the Christ-message, and with it we are spiritually prepared to go forward to eliminate the errors of mortal mind, to bring out a higher humanhood, and to attain the crown of spiritual perfection.

Under divine guidance Mrs. Eddy places the passage just quoted and the one that immediately follows it in a logical sequence, in an orderly, constructive arrangement. Therefore, although they contain great inspiration when studied separately, these two passages may well be considered together. They contain truths of basic importance in Christian Science healing. In the second passage Mrs. Eddy makes these groupings:

"SCIENTIFIC TRANSLATION OF MORTAL MIND

"First Degree: Depravity.

"Physical. Evil beliefs, passions and appetites, fear, depraved will, self-justification, pride, envy, deceit, hatred, revenge, sin, sickness, disease, death.

"Second Degree: Evil beliefs disappearing.

"Moral. Humanity, honesty, affection, compassion, hope, faith, meekness, temperance.

"Third Degree: Understanding.

"Spiritual. Wisdom, purity, spiritual understanding, spiritual power, love, health. holiness."

She continues: "In the third degree mortal mind disappears, and man as God's image appears."

Here the "translation" is the scientific removal of mortal mind so that an entirely different condition may unfold. This is brought about through the three degrees of progress in human experience indicated by Mrs. Eddy. Thus as men look up spiritually they drop the lower degrees of thoughts, adopt and reflect higher human qualities, and so rise to a complete realization and demonstration of their real selfhood. This is the change from the mortal to the immortal demanded by Paul when he said (I Cor. 15:53), "This corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality."

In the evangelization of the human self, the first step is always to look up and get a clear understanding of God and of man's true being. Then physical depravity can be faced courageously as a falsity and destroyed, and moral and spiritual qualities will take its place. As depravity and materiality disappear, morality unfolds and a perfect spiritual consciousness is finally attained, wherein the real man is established as the forever image and likeness of God. This victory is won through following the teaching of Christ Jesus as revealed to Mrs. Eddy. When men and women put God first and see man as His spiritual idea, fear is overcome and faith merges into spiritual understanding. This is the true looking upward and its rich reward.