Symbols ANNIE M. KNOTT, CSD          In Science and Health we read that "spiritual teaching must always be by symbols" (p.575), and in addition to this statement there are many others in our textbook which explain very fully what symbolic teaching means. Symbol is defined in the dictionaries as "a visible sign or representation of an idea; anything which suggests an idea or quality, etc." From this it will be seen that symbols are meaningless apart from Mind, and while it is generally believed that they must appeal to the senses, that they are material, a truer sense reveals the fact that they are the language by which divine Mind communicates with its own ideas. This is beautifully expressed by the psalmist, who says: "The heavens declare the glory of God; . . .Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night showeth knowledge. There is no speech nor language, where their voice is not heard." There can be no question that if we read aright the divine message, we shall be lifted far above the material sense and find that spiritual law is ever operative, "making wise the simple."          Two young students of Christian Science were once talking about jewels, and the one said that she only cared for them as representing the love of friends who had given them. The other said they meant much more than this to her, as symbols of divine ideas. Thought then drifted naturally to St. John's symbolic description of the holy city, the foundations of its wall "garnished with all manner of precious stones," the splendor of the city being expressed in these telling words, "having the glory of God," and the added statement, "There shall in no wise enter into it anything that defileth, . . . or maketh a lie." This reveals the fact that when the symbol is seen in its relation to the spiritual idea, separate from sin and sinners, we have that which rebukes lust and pride, all materiality, in the pure language of Spirit.          It needs no prolonged argument to show the utter falsity of material sense in its attempted use of nature's beautiful symbols. Mrs. Eddy speaks of a rose as "the smile of God" (Science and Health, p.175), yet the impure take these fair flowers for sensuous adornment, and it is well known that the costliest jewels have been sought and worn by some of the most degraded and wicked mortals, their possession gained through crimes which have darkened history; and all this because the sons and daughters of men are blind to spiritual realities and contend for matter and its delusions with their very lies, quite forgetful of the rebuke given by Christ Jesus to the Pharisees, when he said, "If ye were blind, ye should have no sin: but now ye say, We see; therefore your sin remaineth."          To understand the meaning of a symbol we must look away from matter to Mind, to Spirit, ever remembering that purity is "the symbol of Life and Love" (Science and Health, p.561). The psalmist tells us that God is both "sun and shield," and the stars, radiating their reflected light, typify the righteous who shine forever in the spiritual firmament. Thus seen, the divine ideas greet us on every hand, telling us that "the law of the Lord is perfect," and that it brings perfection to all, both within and without. It begins by healing all discord, as did the Master, who pointed to the symbols presented in flower and fruit, in sower and seed, in the shepherd and sheep, the fishermen and fish, all his lessons lifting thought to understand the real object of his ministry, namely, "the healing of the nations."          Error would arrest our attention with symbols of evil, or by misinterpreting the types of spiritual ideas presented in nature and making them seem material; but Truth rebukes all falsity by revealing the real with its unvarying demand for perfection, which means health, harmony, and immortality. Once perceived, the divine idea lifts thought into the closest communion with Principle, in whose presence no shadow of material darkness can linger. Sense vanishes before the light of Spirit, and Soul is reflected in its own pure and perfect ideas.   "Symbols" by Annie M. Knott, CSD Christian Science Sentinel, August 9, 1913

 

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