Are you having a wilderness experience? Perhaps you’re wrestling with doubt, uncertainty and fear about your future, wondering what’s coming next. Will it be good, maybe ominous; you’re not sure.
If so, it’s time to move thought into a better place. It’s time to reason your situation from a spiritual point of view.
Mary Baker Eddy begins a definition of wilderness, listed in the glossary of Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, as “Loneliness; doubt; darkness.”
Loneliness, doubt and darkness feel real to a material sense of things, but fortunately, they are not an ending point. Mrs. Eddy turns the tables on material sense by showing the way out of these periods of uncertainty. She continues her definition of wilderness as, “Spontaneity of thought and idea; the vestibule in which a material sense of things disappears, and spiritual sense unfolds the great facts of existence” (p. 597).
Any type of wilderness experience is a vestibule to something greater coming our way.
A vestibule is not a place to hang out and remain. It’s a pass-through space, a place we leave behind for something greater and grander.
If you feel lost in a wilderness, remind yourself that you’re not stuck there. You’re learning grand spiritual lessons that will bless you for eternity. Keep moving!! Keep thought focused on the realities of Spirit where Life is a joy and freedom abound.
What you see in Spirit will pull you out of what you thought was real in matter.
Spiritual sense is where you want to be. It’s your home with God. It’s a place of certain love, peace, and understanding of God’s infinite goodness. It’s a place where loneliness and doubt are no more.
What you see in Spirit will pull you out of what you thought was real in matter.….this is so helpfulEvan!
Thank you for your daily inspiration and guidance.
So grateful for SV and all the wonderful comments it invokes.❣️
Hi Barbara, that is the line that really jumped out at me too. I love the thought of being “pulled out” of the belief in any reality in matter. Sometimes it feel like we need a really strong force to get our heads out of the mesmerism. God is that force. God thank you for pulling me out of any belief of error to recognize Your ongoing Truth, Love and Harmony.
Last week’s lesson on Unreality talked a lot about wilderness. One citation from Isaiah 43:19
“Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert.”
Beautifully put Rose. I love how you express things so spiritually and easily to understand. Thank you for your numerous loving insights.. B.x
Dear Barbara that is most kind of you, I appreciate it greatly, and I also find your comments and observations very helpful. Blessings to you.
And love is reflected in love. (S&H p. 17)
YES!!
I’ve just finished a poem about a bumble bee that was caught in a conservatory, and could not get out, banging against the window and making no progress, – a wilderness experience… Its release made made me think of the need to change direction, from matter to Spirit, to feel the embrace of Love.. https://youtu.be/1FWKKOtUVr0
Very lovely Ken, thanks for your this beautiful poem!♡
Thank you Uta. If you would like a pdf copy, go to https://kencooperpoetry.com/the-bumble-bee-2/, , and click under the video….
Thank you so much for this bee-utiful inspiration, Ken. An awesome example of moving on, sometimes only with the help we don’t even realize is there. And thank you for the directions to the PDF. This is definitely a keeper.
This poem was a lifesaver this morning. Tears of joy. Thankyou Ken.
Hi Ken…
So beautifully put Ken….as indeed are all your poems. Thank you so much for sharing. B.x
Just listened to your poem Ken. So beautiful . Thank you!
Thank you for today’s thoughts. I am currently experiencing exactly what you describe, with a relationship. ‘Should I stay or should I go now?…’ as the song says. very confusing as it seems to be equal part positive and negative. The result of leaving could lead to financial struggle…but I know
God is my supply!
Boy, the situations that sometimes ‘seem’ to have to be overcome .
Thank you again, Evan, for pointing out the path.
Love to all❤️
“Divine Love always has met, and always will meet, every human need.” I love that promise.
How True, CRL – Thank you. Last night was seemingly quite difficult, as a false
belief of food poisoning was very persistent, making it impossible to get comfortable,
no matter how I tried. Yesterday I had also emptied 40 gallons of water from the
aquarium with a 5 gal bucket which seemed to exacerbate the situation.
mortal mind was trying very hard to convince that it is real. I kept knowing that we
are spiritual beings and this trying to get comfortable and find relief in this matter
issue could not be detracting from a peaceful night. Mrs. Eddy’s hymn #160, Satisfied
and other hymns of Truth, I held to, throughout these struggles and were so comforting.
“It matters not what be thy lot, So Love doth guide; For storm or shine, pure peace is
thine, What-e’rer be-tide…Aye, darkling sense, arise, go hence! Our God is good.”
What a wonderful feeling to overcome these false temptations of erroneous beliefs
that sometimes try to keep us from experiencing only Good. When we awaken to
what is Real, the joy that none can take away – is so appreciated and treasured.
Thank you Evan for this Spiritual reminder.
Love, Charli
Thank you Evan and All and what a delightful poem, Ken! Thank you, Everyone for sharing.
I have “been there, done that”, like with the bee’s frustration, but the gentle hand of God
has intervened many times and released me from the wilderness, for so many years now,
although with all of mortal mind’s temptations and suggestions these days – I sometimes
crawl back into the darkness in thought .. seeing the light, but not knowing quite how to get
free from the pull of mortal mind’s clutches. It is a constant journey to try to stay in the spiritual
when all around us is projected fear, want, woe, war, bad economy, division, etc. that would
try to entrap thought into restrictions and lack… but then thoughts like those shared here and
ones like these below help to uplift and elevate thought:
“We delight in the beauty of the butterfly, but rarely about the changes it has gone through to
achieve that beauty” – Maya Angelou
“Don’t judge each day by the harvest you reap, but by the seeds that you plant”
– Robert Louis Stevenson
“The greatest lesson I have learned in life is that I still have a lot to learn” – Author Unknown
I love the promise of Mrs. Eddy that you shared, CRL, “Divine Love always has met and always
will meet every human need”. How comforting and lovely.
PS. Just realized the quote of “The greatest lesson I have learned in life is that I still have
a lot to learn” was from Albert Einstein. Very humbling.
Science and Health p. 283: 4-6
“Mind is the source of all movement, and there is no inertia to retard or check its perpetual and harmonious action.”
This line promises that all movement, first in thought then in action, can be made intelligently because all movement starts as an idea in divine Mind.”
Many thanks to Evan and everyone for today’s inspiration. Last week Eddy’s definition of wilderness was in the lesson, and a friend shared this definition of vestibule at our Wednesday evening meeting: “Course that offers access to something new.” I love that!
I love that definition of vestibule too, Joan. Thank you.
Thank you, Evan and all for these wonderful comments and can your poem was absolutely beautiful. Thank you so much.
I have had a similar experience, Ken, only with a hummingbird who thought it was trapped in a (plastic-type) greenhouse. There was a door open on both sides, but it kept flying above the doors, near the roofline to each screen window, back and forth, not realizing all it had to do was to change it’s direction a bit (spirit ward) to be free. I gently helped nudge it down and it happily flew off.
It’s the little things in life that we appreciate and accomplish, that help free us from the trapped
belief in matter. Like room darkening drapes I see every morning, where two grommets look like two eyes and the sun peeks in and the fold of the drape looks like a happy smile. Even on cloudy
days, the light shines through and this smile of Spirit (God) helps to start the day in a positive way.
I love how Mrs. Eddy describes in Misc. Writings, pg # 376 – Sunrise at Pleasant View… “Then I thought, What are we, that He who fashions forever such forms and hues of heaven, should move our brush or pen to paint frail fairness or to weave a web of words that glow with gladdening gleams of God, so unapproachable, and yet so near and full of radiant relief in clouds and darkness!”
: )
Angel thank you, that is a lovely quote from Misc Writings, I hadn’t come across it before. Makes me think of Soul, the creative aspect of God.
“Yea, Lord” By Elizabeth Crecelius Schwartz:
https://journal.christianscience.com/shared/view/xzo6uyzqes?ICID=JSH%20Public%20Home%7CCarousel%20Slide
I’ve now read through this article several times and am most grateful for the link. Thank you J for finding us all reading that always expands Evan’s initial spiritual guidance.B.x
Thank you very very much, dear “J” for this excellently metaphysical and very clear article which matches completely with this weekend’s SpiritView. Wow, it gives me very much!
Such a true and humble passage from this article: “We are not on our own attempting to heal a situation. We are at the feet of the Master, receiving blessings from divine Love. God’s love for us is present and effektive!”♡
Thank you for this lift. I just thought about these ideas while reading about the leper who asked Jesus to heal him. He did not stay stuck in the beliefs and laws of his day. He must have seen a light which gave him courage. These are helpful reminders to me. Seek and respond to inspiration from God.
love this!
Evan, thank you so much for your comments about being in a vestibule as a precursor to rising up afterwards to something so great and so much better than the wilderness. So much greater coming my way…I look forward to it! I really need this.
In soaking in these wonderful messages of Truth, thoughts of peace for the Middle East
and world come to mind. It is evil that tries to war against spiritual thought and we
must be vigilant in not letting fear of the future detract from our trust in One Mind’s
spiritual direction of Peace.
Seeming mortal mind, little minds war against each other, for power, in a so-called
mortal world leading to destruction, chaos, misery or death. But God’s power of
Harmony/Peace, that is divinely within each of us in our understanding and willingness
in helping to counteract anything that would harm individuals that seem to be in range
of inharmony, is Really supreme, This includes everyone. We are all under the wing of
Love’s protection.
Thoughts like this, of getting out of the wilderness/darkness of mortal mind, are very
comforting, especially in times like this.
Just read all of the comments and lovely poem written in the blog ; so happy to have a copy of the Bumble Bee and Bible quote at the end. Thanks to everyone for sharing all the quotes and thoughts too. This post is a bit late, but so grateful for all the loving entries; my day is much brighter now after reading all the posts. Thanks Evan for a delightful look into the “wilderness” experience
Blessings to all
Thank you very much Evan, for this very helpful and inspiring SpiritView!
I love these truths Evan mentions, very much: “Spiritual Sense is where you (we all) wants to be. It’s our home with God. It’s a place of certain love, peace, and understanding of God’s infinite goodness. Such a closeness to our God!
How very interesting and utmost comforting that you tell us, that “any type of wilderness experience is only a “vestibule ” to something greater coming our way.”
Dear Evan, thank you very much indeed that
you are teaching us so lovingly and very clearly here what Mrs. Eddy means with that passage “wilderness” in Glossar of SH p. 597. I did not understand that passage so wonderfully clear until now. Am I grateful and happy for SpiritView!♡