Unity Metaphysics: 20 Cocreation

20A CREATION:

"God idealized two universal planes of consciousness, the heaven and the earth, or more properly, 'the heavens and the earth.’ One is the realm of pure ideals; the other, of thought forms. God does not create the visible universe directly, as man makes a cement pavement, but He creates the ideas that are used by His intelligent 'image and likeness' to make the universe." (Keep a True Lent 176)

Again and again Mr. Fillmore returns to the theme of the distinction between what we call the original creation of God, and the secondary creation in which we are continually involved. In the original creation there is no cocreator. There is only God expressing as creative principle. It is sometimes difficult to comprehend the metaphysical insight that "GOD DOES NOT CREATE THE VISIBLE UNIVERSE DIRECTLY, as man makes a cement pavement." God's original creation, for us, is the omnipresent realm of divine ideas, out of which all possible forms may be brought forth. This "bringing forth" process is what we shall comment on in the next section of this course.

20B COCREATION:

"Some metaphysicians teach that man makes himself, others teach that God makes him, and still others hold that the creative process is a cooperation between God and man. The latter is proved true by those who have had the deepest spiritual experiences. Jesus recognized this dual creative process, as is shown in many statements relative to His work and the Father's work. 'My Father worketh even until now, and I work.' God creates in the ideal, and man carries out in the manifest what God has idealized." (Charles Fillmore Christian Healing 42)

We are endowed with a creative talent which our souls always long to express. However, our creativity has a narrower range than that of the original creator. Our creativity occurs within the realm called "existence" and finds its fulfillment in what is called "manifestation."

20C DIVINE IDEAS:

"The ideas of Divine Mind are whole and complete in their capacity to unfold perpetually greater and more beautiful forms according to the thinking capacity in man. Man catches mental sight of an idea in Divine Mind and proceeds to put it in terms comprehensible to him on his plane of consciousness. All ideas have their origin in Divine Mind, but their character as unfolded by man depends entirely upon his acquaintance with God." (Atom-Smashing Power of Mind 94)

Divine ideas are the most important and most powerful things in the universe. All that God has created for us is involved in those ideas. All possibilities for us are infolded in those ideas. We have only to accept those ideas and give them whatever expression we are capable of at our current level of consciousness. If we need additional help, we can always receive it from levels within ourselves above our current conscious level. We experience this as "divine help," even though it did not come from outside our being. "The kingdom of God is within you."

20D OUR ROLE:

"The ideas of God are potential forces waiting to be set in motion through proper formative vehicles. The thinking faculty in man is such a vehicle, and it is through this that the visible universe has existence. Man does not 'create' anything if by this term is meant the producing of something from nothing; but he does make the formless up into form; or rather it is through his conscious cooperation that the one Mind forms its universe." (Atom-Smashing Power of Mind 93)

"Get behind a thing into the mental realm where it exists as an inexhaustible idea, and you can draw upon it perpetually and never deplete the source.” (Charles Fillmore Christian Healing 13)

Our role, at one time in the history of religious thinking on this planet was, first: SURVIVAL and next: BEING GOOD. But metaphysical Christianity has greatly expanded this role. We know how to survive and how to be good. We now need a religion which helps us become spiritually aware and truly creative. Our role now is to be cocreators in our Father's world. Stated quite simply: we are to be the conscious transformer of divine ideas into facts of life. All valid metaphysical Truth teachings help us learn how to do this.

20E INVOLUTION AND EVOLUTION:

"Involution always precedes evolution. That which is involved in mind evolves through matter." (The Twelve Powers of Man 121)

"The architect plans a house and sees it finished in his mind before a single stone is laid or a pound of earth excavated. He can change his plan many times before the construction commences. He can destroy it entirely if he so desires. So man builds the house of his consciousness. If he has been planning to build a home for himself alone, in which there is but one room, he created in mind just such a plan, and it is complete and awaits its coming into visibility. If he has made a plan of a larger structure, in which are many rooms, this plan will also come into visibility." (Keep a True Lent 46)

Involution is the existence of everything in an invisible or potential form. Evolution is the process of the transformation from the invisible, intangible potential into expression and greater manifestation. This is especially true of the evolution of man, which is the subject of our study in metaphysical Christianity. It is also true concerning all of our efforts to create. Involution always precedes evolution.

20F OUR EXECUTIVE POWER:

"The Spirit of Truth is the mind of God in its executive capacity; it carries out the divine plan of the originating Spirit. It proceeds from the Father and bears witness of the Son. We have in the operation of our own mind an illustration of how Divine Mind works. When an idea is fully formulated in our mind and we decide to carry it out, our thoughts change their character from contemplative to executive. We no longer plan, but proceed to execute what we have already planned. So God-Mind sends forth its Spirit to carry out in man the divine idea imaged in the Son." (Teach Us To Pray 124)

Charles Fillmore strongly believed (and demonstrated in his own life) that a sincere commitment to Spirit will cause an inner relationship with the very Spirit of Truth just as Jesus had said in the Gospels. In this relationship with the Spirit of Truth "thoughts change their character from contemplative to executive." Persons today have the option of using the great power of consciousness in one of two ways: as a recording and repeating device or as a transmitter of creative energy. The old duplicating type of consciousness still insists: "seeing is believing." So it repeats copy after copy of only the old patterns. It can be efficient. It works. But it is not part of creative evolution. The true follower of the metaphysical Truth teaching of Jesus seeks to have the same creative consciousness demonstrated by Jesus. Unity teachings are for the purpose of helping all who are interested in accomplishing this.

20G THE TRINITY IN CREATION:

"Substance is first given form in the mind, and as it becomes manifest it goes through a threefold activity. In laying hold of substance in the mind and bringing it into manifestation, we play a most important part." (Charles Fillmore Prosperity 15)

"All creative processes involve a realm of ideas and a realm of patterns or expressions of those ideas. The patterns arrest or 'bottle up' the free electric units that sustain the visible thing. Thus creation is in its processes a trinity, and back of the visible universe are both the original creative idea and the cosmic rays that crystallize into earthly things. When we understand this trinity in its various activities we shall be able to reconcile the discoveries of modern science with the fundamentals of religion." (Charles Fillmore Prosperity 4)

The Trinity permeates all things—the creative process itself and all things created by this process. This includes man and all his creations (manifestations). The benefits of acknowledging and making effort to understand the Trinity may not be apparent in the initial stages, but later on they will be experienced, perhaps in ways that cannot even be imagined now. The Trinity is basic to our existence. To understand it is to add new power to consciousness which will some day prove of utmost usefulness.

20H 7 STEPS IN CREATION:

"It is found that the mind establishes a permanent consciousness through seven steps or stages, called in Genesis 'days.' First, the mind perceives and affirms Truth to be a universal principle. Secondly, faith in the working power of Truth is born in consciousness. Thirdly, Truth takes definite form in mind. Fourthly, the will carries Truth into acts. Fifthly, discrimination is quickened and the difference between Truth and error is discerned. Sixthly, every thought and word is expressed in harmony with Truth. The seventh 'day' represents a peaceful confidence and rest in the fulfillment of the divine law." (Teach Us To Pray 182)

In this paragraph Mr. Fillmore gives us something not to be found anywhere else in the Unity literature: a clear, concise, highly condensed overview of the metaphysical meaning of the seven days of the creation allegory. He has placed the overview on a purely individual level of meaning. Each of us is that individual!

201 THEORY VS. PRACTICE:

"But the possession of this key is not all. A key is for use. We may know all about the way in which mind formulates states of consciousness and all about our relation to God, but unless we have made a change in our consicousness and realized, in a measure at least, the presence of God in our mind, we are not using the key. Theory is one thing; practice is another." (Talks on Truth 125)

The idea presented by Mr. Fillmore in this paragraph is directly related to the difference between the technicalities of metaphysics and the essences of metaphysics. Study of theory and technicalities is necessary. But it is not the full education. It is only when the technicalities and essences are combined that real education in Truth has occurred. It is not an attainment, but a process. Theory must be transformed in practice.

Transcribed by Sheri Owen on August 13, 2015.