MATERNITY TREATMENTS
Statements of Being, Preliminary to Treatments
“IN THE BEGINNING, GOD."
God the Good is:
- Principle
- Soul
- Mind
- Spirit
- Life
- Truth
- Love
- Substance
- Intelligence
- Omnipresence
- Omniscience
- Omnipotence
- Infinity
- Eternity
The first nine of these statements appertain to the nine months of gestation, in which the infant body is formed; the other five appertain to the senses, being interpreted, in respective order, as meaning the senses of feeling, tasting, smelling, hearing, and seeing.
By reading these statements and the treatments connected with them every day, and by thinking them over for the new thoughts that they may suggest, letting the true thought sink into the mind, the prospective mother holds herself and her unborn child in the spirit of these statements, and thus creates around herself an influence or atmosphere that will produce a decided and positive effect upon the body and the character of the child.
By thinking, the mother can submerge herself in a special thought element, just as she can submerge herself in water—the water being warm, cool, or cold, salt, alkaline, or fresh; or in air, warm or cold, dense or rarefied, odorous or inodorous—with marked results. By her thinking she can thus live in an atmosphere soothing or irritating, calming or exciting, tending toward healthfulness or unhealthfulness, prompting the mind to an increase of intelligence or making it sluggish and content with ignorance.
During the period of gestation, a woman is usually more sensitive in most ways than at other times; all her surroundings, conditions, and circumstances affect her and her child in a marked degree, and enter into the formation of the nature, disposition, health, talent, and genius of her child. The wise mother, knowing the power of mind, will ever seek to be sensitive only to the good and true, thus protecting herself and her offspring against present and future suffering and limitation. The mother of Napoleon the Great, while carrying him, lived in the midst of unsettled times and the excitement of war. The mother of Lord Byron, while carrying him, looked upon an unpleasant picture in one of the galleries of Europe, and as long as he lived he bore upon his body the marks of some of the unpleasant features of the picture. This could easily have been prevented had his mother known the protective power of Divine Mind, and used her knowledge then and there.
The mistake must not be made of supposing that the mother can create any of the divine qualities in her child or give him any powers or talents which he does not innately possess; however, she can so use her intelligence and love as to make it easy for the child to express his divine qualities. As Swami Vivekananda has said:
“Do you think you can teach even a child? You cannot! A child teaches himself. Your duty is to remove the obstacles. A plant grows. Do you make the plant grow? Your duty is to put a hedge around and see that no animal eats up the plant, and there it ends. The plant must grow itself. So in the spiritual growth of any man. None can teach you. None can make you spiritual. You have to teach yourself. The growth must come from the inside out. What can an external teacher do? He can remove the obstacles, the obstructions, a little, and there his duty ends.”
A word to the father here will not be out of place, for he may be an influential element by true cooperation in supporting the mother in her first endeavors for their child’s good. Either parent can make his or her influence for good greater, by improving the intention and by faithfulness. There should be harmonious cooperation of the two, in order to produce the best results. Let the father exercise tenderness and gentleness toward the mother at all times. Let him bear in mind that divine self-control belongs to the law and order of higher things. Let him refrain from all intemperate desires and from cultivating in himself what he would not cultivate in the child. In this way, the child gets its first impressions of balance and mental poise, causing it to look within for satisfaction and peace, instead of without. A knowledge of truth and of one’s divine nature is the best preparation for parenthood. Such knowledge gives promise of a new and free race of beings who themselves shall cover the earth with beauty as the waters cover the sea.
If the mother finds during the first years of her child’s life that some limitation in character is becoming manifest in him, she will do well to place him under divine treatment, and thus overcome the limitation before it becomes a fixed habit. We had an experience in our Center that is well worth mentioning:
A certain boy gave us no little trouble by a habit of taking money out of the offering basket. He was talked to, and he freely confessed his weakness, but admitted his inability to stop it, although he sincerely wished to. His mother was appealed to, and it was discovered that before his birth, she was very poor and very dissatisfied, often finding herself envious and covetous. This state of mind is the error back of all thievery, and was seen to be the cause of kleptomania in her child. He was willing to be treated, and came of his own accord to receive the freeing word. He needed only a few treatments, the healer speaking the word of denial of poverty, envy, and dissatisfaction, thus releasing him from prenatal influence. The result was most blessed, and since then he has been free from temptation.
Before reading further say to yourself silently:
There is but one true will, and that is the divine will. It has only good in store for me and my child, and I trust it absolutely. Let my will accord with it. Let no thought of error from my mind gain expression in my child. I submit myself wholly to divine guidance, whose will is law, and nothing can come between me and the All-good or Divine Mind. Let my thoughts be perfect, in harmony with the Divine, the supreme Power of the universe.
During gestation say this to yourself several times each day, together with the treatment for the corresponding month.
MATERNITY TREATMENTS
FIRST MONTH—PRINCIPLE
Principle gives my child its parentage in God, laying the foundation in purity, accuracy, integrity, honor, and goodness. Its whole bony structure or framework is sound in spiritual form, and must show forth correspondingly perfect and sound in physical form. As the granite rocks are to the foundations of the mountains and the hills, as the stone foundations are to the superstructure built upon them, so is the bony system of my child to its body of flesh—a strong foundation, against which shocks and storms cannot prevail. What bones are to the body, purity, integrity, and justice are to the character of my child, who will excel in all these excellencies. My child is God’s child, and will unfold a character that will be known for its honor, honesty, uprightness, strength, and goodness; obeying the divine law, seeking God and good in all persons and in every-thing. All is Well.
SECOND MONTH—SOUL
Soul gives my child the idea of beauty of outline, symmetry of form, and beauty, aspiration, and loveliness of soul; a kind, sympathetic heart, lofty desires, and a nature lending upward, giving greatness, grandeur, and sublimity of character; a poet’s and a philosopher’s soul. All its desires and appetites shall be chaste and healthful, and its nature shall be one of joy and gladness, carrying sunshine and blessings wherever it goes. Its soul shall be, in depths and riches, like the sea, and in usefulness to the World as the salt thereof. Joy to all!
THIRD MONTH—MIND
Mind gives my child its consciousness and all the faculties of Divine Mind, also a sense of order and harmony—the power that brings order out of chaos and harmony out of discord. Through its mind comes the power to explain, to present ideas to the minds of others. In Divine Mind my child unfolds its perfect being.
During the third month all the different faculties of mind are taking shape and form. It would be well for the mother at this time to study pictures of perfect physical form, showing strength and symmetry, and to have the portrait of some distinguished person, great for mental and moral excellence, hanging in her room where she can see it occasionally.
Say to yourself with positive power:
I determine that this, my child and God’s child, be endowed with a right mind, which builds up the beautiful, true, and good, and expunges the false, the ugly, and evil; a mind that knows with divine discrimination the true from the false, the genuine from the imitation, the real from the unreal, and which is not ignorant or deceived. We (my child and I) are protected by the mind of God.
FOURTH MONTH—SPIRIT
Spirit is that which gives things their identity with the mind of God. The child is one with universal Spirit, therefore it is pure and perfect. As soon as the word has taken form, through the work and construction of the first three statements of Being—principle, soul, and mind—then Spirit can take possession and breathe through the whole its quickening, life-giving blessing, manifested to the mother as motion.
At this point let the mother affirm:
It is Spirit that makes alive. By this spiritual quickening I know that my child is an immortal soul.
Let her meditate upon Spirit as the source of all knowledge and power, and let her seek to realize that out of Spirit come all things. She should declare, through the power of indwelling Spirit:
My child passes from glory to glory, unfolding higher and grander powers continually. The Spirit within it teaches it all things and brings all things to its remembrance. Spirit is its guide, its protector, its provider, and its comforter now and forevermore. So let it be.
FIFTH MONTH—LIFE
Life gives the continual activity to Spirit, soul, and body that determines a well rounded development.
This life activity in combination with principle, soul, mind, and spirit, gives my child its disposition to industry and its perseverance in overcoming all difficulties and conquering all obstacles in the pathway to success. Principle, soul, mind, and spirit are the foundations upon which all the activities of life rest. In spiritual activity there is no restlessness, no impatience, no seeking of blessings from an external standpoint, but a steadfast consciousness of the “well of water springing up [from within] unto eternal life.” In this spiritual life there is no indolence or indifference to the soul’s need, but an awakening to all the powers and privileges in the Christ life.
“I am the resurrection, and the life.”
SIXTH MONTH—TRUTH
Truth blesses my child with broadness and depth of vision, giving it the power and wisdom to stand for that which actually is; a mind that is not governed by appearances alone, but by inward testimony, the light of intuition, and the combination of reason and revelation. The nonessential and petty or imaginary differences will not control my child’s judgment or decision. The aspiration of this child shall be for the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, about God, the self, form, and all things, well knowing that the truth alone sets free.
Truth bestows upon my child firmness and courage of principle and purpose, and decision of character. My child is not fickleminded, but consistent and faithful; it has a mind void of prejudice and hypocrisy, sound, simple, guileless, and true, free with a purity of purpose that can look through everything false and recognize the truth.
The mother will find it to her advantage at this time to examine drawings, etchings, paintings, and sculpture; also to listen to fine music, both instrumental and vocal. She should avoid feelings of displeasure, dislike, and fear, and should let love control her mind and words. Truth is victorious.
SEVENTH MONTH—LOVE
Love endows my child with the riches of God’s grace: rich substance from center to circumference. This grace in my child draws every gift into manifestation, and gives him friends on all planes of expression. In this love there is never any sense of lack or want, and no dread, fear, or timidity, for “Perfect love casteth out fear.” Thus my child, crowned with love, can never know selfishness, but from the beginning will serve the whole of humanity, sharing lovingly and contributing to the joys of others.
Unforgiveness and resentment are unknown to it, and every attribute of love is active and divinely wise.
Let the mother read, throughout this month, the contributions of others on this subject, especially I Corinthians, 13th chapter, and “Love: the Supreme Gift” by Henry Drummond. Let her meditate upon the love of God and Christ for the world, assuring her child that love will warmly welcome its appearance. “Love never faileth.”
EIGHTH MONTH—SUBSTANCE
Substance is the God presence that upholds the universe, giving it body and stability, which runs through all form, holding it faithfully together. One of its properties is to establish faith in God, in man, and in self.
All of my child’s ideas now take form in and from God’s perfect substance which gives that warmth of faith that never allows one io fall into materialism or doubt of the All-good. In my child there is always a consciousness that “underneath are the everlasting arms,” added to a realization of spiritual power and ability io do the works of Christ. The establishment of substance in my child’s character also establishes prosperity and full supply, menially, spiritually, and physically. It is certain that my child will never have io struggle for support or work under a sense of a curse, for the knowledge that rich substance is its inheritance sets it free. Therefore my child lays hold of the life substance of Being, which brings every blessing in abundance—peace, plenty, and power to all.
NINTH MONTH—INTELLIGENCE
Intelligence gives my child power to make wise use of all its opportunities, gifts, and forces. Through intelligence, truth is made known and expressed. This wisdom “is from above, coming down from the Father of lights.” Concentration, application, and scientific deduction are among the blessings belonging to intelligence. Intelligence draws together in my child all the good of the statements of the preceding eight months, and gives it that finished consciousness which has poise and balance. Divine intelligence sums up all good, and is that potoer that overcomes the last enemy of the race—death. My Child is now the prince of peace, the lord of life, that knows immortality—not has it, but is it. All power in heaven and in earth is given to this divine intelligence. The truth is now known. It is the end of the ninth month, and my child is fully developed and in perfect condition to come forth into the visible world. I am well, strong, and in perfect condition to cooperate with God in his gift to the World. The child is brought forth through the power, life, intelligence, and consciousness of Spirit. All is Spirit, and my child is born of God; born to be a witness, not of evil and death, but of God and immortality. My child’s spiritual entity is eternal.
“It is finished.”
Let the mother give herself this final treatment:
All is Omnipotence. God is everywhere, and his good overcomes all pain and fear. Order and harmony reign supreme. My mind is all reposeful and my spirit is possessed with patience and joy.
Let the demonstration be mine in the name of Christ.
These treatments can also be given to a mother to bring into expression some long-cherished hope or some good project, or to bring forth the Christ child in one’s heart, and should then be given through nine successive days.
EXPLANATORY
“Maternity Treatments” was first printed in the September, 1908, issue of Unity magazine. These treatments were formulated by Harriet H. Rix and Alvesta Brown, of the Home of Truth, Alameda, California. In a note received with the manuscript, Miss Rix said: “I do not wish my name or any name connected with these Treatments, as no one has been their author; they being the result of Spirit working through several people. I only gave them their last dress.”
Soon after the appearance of the September Unity we received a letter from Isabella Beecher Albert, 1402 Ashland block, Chicago, in which she said: “The fourteen statements of Being given in “Maternity Treatments” in your September number, and the division of the nine and five, should not go out as being from no particular author or teacher, for the truth is that I taught them for years. The application of the nine statements to the nine months of gestation is also part of my teaching, as I taught it in Brooklyn years ago.”
The matter stands thus: Mrs. Isabella Beecher Albert first gave forth the fourteen statements of Being, and their relation to the nine months of gestation; and Miss Rix and her colaborers elaborated them, without knowledge of their origin, and have for several years been using them in their present form as Maternity Treatments. This explanation is printed that due credit may be given to all.
UNITY SCHOOL OF CHRISTIANITY
917 Tracy, Kansas City, Mo.
PRINTED IN U. S. A. (M6-5M-7-24)
