AS, by Reverend D. Jacquelyn Edwards

My first Science of Mind teacher was Reverend Dr. Ernie Forks.  A man with presence, sense of humor, and a baritone bass voice that was uniquely suited to both the operatic solos he performed on Sundays, and, to the well-rounded talks he delivered afterwards.  I smile when I think about that cross-cultural experience that came neatly packaged in one Sunday service. Although the music was Euro-centric, his subsequent delivery of the message evoked the small Black Baptist church where the preacher covers the music and the message. I believe it was this taste of tradition that led to the steadily increasing numbers of Black congregants.  Eventually, we grew to such numbers that the very white Masons[1], whose building we held services in, did not renew our lease! When we moved services to the Berkley House Hotel, we rented a house for classes and office space.  That is where I encountered that little word—AS. 

I had to look it squarely in the face.  I circled it.  Looked it up and down.  I asked Webster about it:

When an adverb, used in comparisons to refer to the extent or degree of something. Pray as often as you can. When a preposition it is used to refer to the function or character that someone or something has: Behave as if it is already so.  When a conjunction, it’s used to indicate that something happens during the time when something is taking place[2]: It is [famously] done unto you as you believe.   What!!! Are you kidding me!!! Please!!! There it was, out in the open!  The bait and switch of the whole thing!! I came to SOM because it was exactly NOT what I’d grown up with!  And here it is, not even 50 pages into the textbook and Holmes is talking about that Jesus dude! Really?

This is why Jesus summed up His whole philosophy in this simple statement: “It is done unto you as you believe.” … That “believe” and that “as” symbolize heaven and hell. And so we suffer, not because suffering is imposed upon us, but because we are ignorant of our true nature.  Holmes, Ernest. The Science of Mind: The Definitive Edition (p. 37). Penguin Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.

Not one to leave a thing alone, a little bit further on, Holmes shares:

We are immersed in an Infinite Creative Medium which, because of Its Nature, must create after the pattern our thought gives It. Jesus understood this, and in a few simple words laid down the law of life[3]: “It is done unto you AS you believe.” No more simple and yet no more profound statement could be made.  Holmes, Ernest. The Science of Mind: The Definitive Edition (p. 140). Penguin Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.

My Mom would say, “Lord have mercy Jesus!” I still don’t quite know what that means, but I really like the way it sounds, and, I think Mercy is definitely something we could all use right now; as we grapple with how we have collectively applied this Law of life.  We have believed –by ignorance, internalization or collusion, that it is okay to justify and codify greed in the forms of sex trafficking of women and children, police brutality, election tampering, environmental devastation, systemic racism, and all of the other ways that we have to deny each other’s humanity. 

But the good news, the really good news is that we are waking up to the power of our “AS”! We are collectively recognizing and embracing that the same processes that got us here can take us to our next level of evolutionary magnificence!  We have the power and are increasingly growing the muscle of our will such that we can tap our cellular memory of our connectedness to each other.  We can act from a new paradigm, a new belief.  We can collectively recognize Umbuntu[4], I am because we are.  The good news is that there are beautiful, brilliant young women and men all over the world who have a soul-level understanding of their rights, responsibilities and abilities to create a world of wonder, joy, health, prosperity, education, housing, equity, justice, inclusion, grace, love, and peace--in perpetuity.  As for the rest of us, we can get out of their way, we can support them or join them.  But the momentum is on. We cannot stop them.  I am deeply grateful to be here to participate in and to witness this iteration of the r/evolutionary As.  Like so many other quantum leaps, this one was foretold. In 1976, the bicentennial year for the United States, the great griot and poet, Stevie Wonder gave us this:  

https://youtu.be/mlkcdoOEIWE

 

Reverend D. Jacquelyn Edwards,

Community and Civic Engagement Minister,

East Bay Church of Religious Science, Oakland, CA


Reverend D. Jacquelyn Edwards is an ordained Centers for Spiritual Living (CSL) Minister. She began her study of Religious Science under Reverend Ernie Forks and was mentored by Reverend Elouise Oliver at what is now East Bay Church of Religious Science (EBCRS), Oakland, CA. She currently serves as a Staff Minister at EBCRS with a focus on Community and Civic Engagement. She has served CSL as a founding member and Past Chair of the CSL Diversity and Inclusion Commission and is currently serving on the CSL Spiritually Motivated Socially Engaged Committee. Rev. Jacquelyn is passionate about applying the principles of Science of Mind to the CSL vision of “Creating a world that works for everyone.” Rev. Jacquelyn has a Bachelor’s Degree in Human Relations, a Master’s Degree in Organization Development and Change and a Master’s Degree in Consciousness Studies from Holmes Institute.

                                                                                                                 

 



[1] See Freemasonry and Prince Hall Freemasonry

[2] Emphasis added.

[3] Emphasis added.

[4] The Zulu term, not the Linux software!


No comments:

Post a Comment

Search This Blog

Popular Posts