Overcoming Sympathetic Mesmerism ALBERT F. GILMORE, CSB          One of the strongest tendencies of the so-called mortal or carnal mind is its love for sympathy — an intense desire to have its joys and sorrows known and shared by others. So greatly does this longing for sympathy sometimes become, that without it mortals seem to droop, even to perish. Moreover, the quality of sympathy sought not only demands a knowledge of one's thoughts, desires, joys, and sorrows, but even an agreement with and acceptance of whatever mortal mind claims for itself as real and permanent. From such semblance of harmony with its claims, mortal mind appears to derive deep satisfaction, even profound gratification.          The sick rejoice to have their beliefs of illness known and accepted as true; the sorrowing desire the cause of their grief to be recognized and sympathy for their mental state expressed; at the very pinnacle of success, men demand recognition of, and agreement with, their estimates of their accomplishments. Thus mortal mind, through its great love for sympathy, becomes something of a tyrant and autocrat, not only demanding attention, but insisting that the importance of its position be recognized and due homage paid.          Students of Christian Science so frequently meet this phase of mortal belief that they entertain a profound sense of gratitude to Mrs. Eddy for having clearly analyzed the situation and supplied a remedy. In one of those concise statements with which she so frequently illumines a dark corner of human consciousness, Mrs. Eddy writes in "Unity of Good" (p. 18): "Error says you must know grief in order to console it. Truth, God, says you oftenest console others in troubles that you have not. Is not our comforter always from outside and above ourselves?"          How clearly is the situation set forth in these words! Not by knowing error — sorrow, sickness, misery — can one comfort and heal it; rather is aid given by knowing its nothingness, its utter unreality, for God knows of man only his perfection; and nothing is true of man which God does not know about him. Then in the degree that he who would comfort the sick and sorrowing rises above the temptation to indulge in sympathetic mesmerism, and understandingly declares for man's perfection and wholeness, is he able to aid the one in need. This attitude, it will be seen, has no agreement with the false claims of mortal mind, its fears and falsities, but utterly disagrees with its every claim to even a semblance of truth; rather, it recognizes mortal mind as "a liar, and the father of it."          The Master's denunciation of the error manifested by the Jews striving to torment him, is no less true of every phase of mortal belief that dares to present itself as true than of the specific type of error which his words so successfully rebuked. This type of mortal belief is, moreover, "a murderer from the beginning," and never abode in Truth, for its very basis is a belief in mortality, which has no other outcome than the experience it terms death. And it follows that all who accept this position of agreeing with error will traverse the same road of experience until, enlightened by Spirit, the carnal mind is educated out of its falsities. But this result is never obtained through agreeing with error's claims, but rather by positively and unequivocally declaring their falsity. How far would a practitioner of Christian Science who accepted the evidence of the physical senses as to the patient's condition succeed in relieving him? Error's only semblance of reality is in mortals' acceptance of it as truth; and it is never corrected except through positively knowing its nothingness.          Sometimes it seems that the realization on the part of the practitioner of the necessity for resisting the temptation to indulge in mesmeric sympathy leads to an attitude of aloofness bordering upon coldness, which the patient may mistake for indifference. Our Leader utters words of great wisdom on this subject in "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures" (p. 367): "The tender word and Christian encouragement of an invalid, pitiful patience with his fears and the removal of them, are better than hecatombs of gushing theories, stereotyped borrowed speeches, and the doling of arguments, which are but so many parodies on legitimate Christian Science, aflame with divine Love."          The tender word may be uttered, pitiful patience with erroneous beliefs may be exercised without in any degree indulging a false sympathy with the claims of mortal mind. But unless one abide constantly in the realization of the ever-presence and omnipotence of divine Love, to assume the Pharisaical position seems easy under these conditions. Abiding in Truth precludes the likelihood of falling under a false sense of sympathy, while at the same time it renders one tender, patient, loving, and truly sympathetic.          Of our Leader's deep convictions regarding the necessity of rising above false sympathy there can be no doubt. She makes clear that its indulgence may lead to serious results, even to the loss of spiritual vision. Of this she says in "No and Yes" (p. 30), "Sympathy with sin, sorrow, and sickness would dethrone God as Truth, for Truth has no sympathy for error." Even such far-reaching consequences as the dethronement of God in human thought our Leader saw as resulting from the acceptance of, that is, agreement with error. Surely there could be no stronger admonition to all Christian Scientists to refrain from indulging in this, so expensive a mental state.   "Overcoming Sympathetic Mesmerism" by Albert F. Gilmore, CSB Christian Science Sentinel, October 11, 1924

 

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