Unity Metaphysics 2 (Blue Book)
Lesson 07 Prosperity
INTRODUCTION TO CHAPTER
Prosperity is the abundance of every good thing our hearts desire. This blessing originates in God, the Source of all good. It is manifested in our lives through our enlightened use of the divine ideas of good with which God inspires us. When we consciously work with these ideas and use them wisely and lovingly, bountiful blessings will flow into our lives. As our awareness increases of the infinite supply which is perpetually available to us, our prosperity demonstrations will also increase. Our every need will be abundantly met in the most appropriate and fulfilling ways.
7A LAWS OF INCREASE:
“There is both a primary and a secondary law of increase. Men pile up possessions by human effort, interest, and other ways of secondary increase, and grow into the thought that these are the real means of attaining prosperity. But possessions gained in this way rest on a very insecure foundation ... Such persons are really never happy in their wealth, because there is always a lurking fear that they may lose it. They are secretly troubled with the thought of lack, in the presence of worldly plenty” (Keep a True Lent 101).
The physical or outer approach to prosperity is a difficult one. It involves competition, opportunism, and other practices which may defeat the purpose of true prosperity. Also this approach carries with it the possibility of loss which is a frightening concept to the materially minded one. Yet, the outer approach certainly does get results for some persons because it is part of the “secondary law of increase.”
7B METAPHYSICAL BASIS FOR PROSPERITY:
“Prosperity is based on the conscious possession of the idea of God’s abundance back of all things” (RW/Prosperity).
“Considered in the broadest sense, prosperity is ‘spiritual well-being.’ This involves the whole experience of healing life, satisfying love, abiding peace and harmony, as well as a sufficiency (of every good thing)” (Eric Butterworth Spiritual Economics fwd).
“Realize first of all that prosperity is not wholly a matter of capital or environment but a condition brought about by certain ideas that have been allowed to rule in the consciousness. When these ideas are changed the conditions are changed in spite of environment and all appearances, which must also change to conform to the new ideas” (Charles Fillmore Prosperity 88).
True prosperity has its origin in divine ideas, not in material things. When we understand this basic Truth, we can work creatively with these ideas to enhance our lives in many ways.
7C LIVING IN TWO WORLDS:
“Apparently we live in two worlds: an invisible world of thoughts, and a visible world of things. The invisible world of thought substance is the real world, because it is the source of the world of things, and man stands between the two, handing out with his thoughts the unlimited substance of Spirit. When man gets understanding of the right relation between the visible and the invisible into his mind and active in his thought, all his needs will be met. This is what Jesus meant when He said, ‘Seek ye first his kingdom, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you’” (Keep a True Lent 102).
The two worlds spoken of in this paragraph are the inner invisible realm of spirit and the outer visible world of the senses. Our conscious mind is pivotal, so we live in both realms simultaneously. Our attention determines our state of mind at any given moment. We must develop an understanding of the right relation between these two realms in order to determine right relations in our world.
7D IDEAS:
“God does not give us material things, but Mind substance--not money but ideas --ideas that set spiritual forces in motion so that things begin to come to us by the application of the law” (Charles Fillmore Prosperity 31).
“Prosperity is basically an attitude of thought and feeling, only secondarily a matter of money. For ideas are coins of the mind realm” (Ernest Wilson Like a Miracle 144).
Divine ideas are the only true wealth, for they are the primary causes for all that is good in life. They are always fully available and cannot be depleted. The mind causes the energies of divine ideas to project into the realm of form and such forms constitute our supply. The supply is our experience of prosperity, but the divine ideas behind the supply are the prosperity. Jesus ca11ed these inexhaustible divine ideas “the Father’s kingdom.” He said, “It is your Father’s good pleasure to give you His kingdom” (Luke 12:32).
7E SUBSTANCE:
“Prosperity is not just having a lot of money. It is having a consciousness of the flow of substance” (Eric Butterworth In the Flow of Life 45).
“The spiritual substance from which comes all visible wealth is never depleted. It is right with you all the time and responds to your faith in it and your demands on it. It is not affected by our ignorant talk of hard times, though we are affected because our thoughts and words govern our demonstration” (Charles Fillmore Prosperity 13).
“Just as the earth is the universal matrix in which all vegetation develops, so this invisible Spirit substance is the universal matrix in which ideas of prosperity germinate and grow and bring forth according to our faith and trust” (Keep a True Lent 184).
“The whole of God-substance is present in its entirety at every point in space at the same time. Not just some of it, but all the substance in the Universe is present at any point of human need . . . There is no place on Earth where there is an absence of substance” (Eric Butterworth Spiritual Economics 6).
Substance is the divine energy, the invisible matrix from which all possible forms of supply develop. Substance is not matter, but it makes matter possible. Our senses experience the manifestation of substance as matter.
7F PROSPERITY GOAL:
“Prosperity is not in the possession of things but in the recognition of supply and in the knowledge of free and open access to an inexhaustible storehouse of all that is good or desirable” (Charles Fillmore Prosperity 87).
“The goal should not be to make money or acquire things, but to achieve the consciousness through which the substance will flow forth when and as you need it” (Eric Butterworth Spiritual Economics 16).
Prosperity is neither riches nor poverty, but a state of consciousness superior to both. The true goal of prosperity is the attainment of a level of consciousness, not the attainment of possessions.
SUMMARY STATEMENTS
TRUE PROSPERITY IS BASED ON THE DIVINE IDEA OF THE ABUNDANCE OF GOD BEHIND ALL VISIBLE FORM.
DIVINE IDEAS ARE THE ONLY TRUE WEALTH: THEREFORE, WE MUST PRAY FOR IDEAS AND NOT THINGS.
SUBSTANCE IS THE DIVINE ENERGY, THE INVISIBLE MATRIX THAT IS THE BASIS FOR ALL FORM. SUBSTANCE MAKES ALL FORM POSSIBLE.
TRUE PROSPERITY IS NOT THE ACQUISITION OF THINGS; IT IS THE ATTAINMENTOF A PROSPERITY CONSCIOUSNESS.
TOPICS FOR DISCUSSION
- What is the metaphysical basis for prosperity?
- What is your understanding of substance?
THOUGHTS FOR REFLECTION AND MEDITATION
or putting out goods,
or developing property.
It is determining
What our own individual soul requires
in order to cause it
to unfold more and more of God;
and then how to harmonize
its expression
with the needs of our fellow men
so that all are really benefited and inspired
to unfold and express more
of their inner spiritual resources"
(Myrtle Fillmore Healing Letters 74).
SUPPLEMENTARY READING
Butterworth, Eric, Spiritual Economics, chapters 1 and 2, “The Truth About Substance,” and “Your Fortune Begins with You.”
Fillmore, Charles, Prosperity, chapters 1 and 2, “Spiritual Substance,” and “Spiritual Mind.”
West, Georgiana Tree, Prosper!ty’s Ten Commandments, chapter 1, “Thou Shalt Look to No Other Sources But God for Thy Supply.”
ADDITIONAL VIDEOS
Ed elaborates on how Unity simplifies Metaphysics to make it applicable in a religious setting. The clip is about 10 minutes long and is very helpful for understanding how Metaphysics relates to Mystery Religions of earlier times.
Transcribed by Bill Toon on April 5, 2019.
