By Elaina Simpson, C.S.
No matter what discordant situation we may face (be it illness, relationship challenges..etc.) we can turn to God in prayer. Our prayer reveals our oneness to God, and tunes our spiritual ‘ear’ so to speak, to better understand and experience spiritual harmony.
Growing up, I had the privilege of participating in a women’s choir. I remember on the first day of this class, the teacher said firmly, “I know that sometimes in high school there is cattiness or bullying. We don’t do that in this classroom and it’s not tolerated here. That’s the way it is going to be, and if you can’t agree to this, then this is not the class for you. ” I was so impressed and touched by his firm stance and desire for a harmonious environment. He lived that harmony himself, and was so friendly to all of his students. That stand for harmony created a culture in the classroom that felt like a safe haven from high school challenges... Not only was this class the highlight of my day, but the highlight of my high school experience. The choir teacher was accomplished and recognized in his field. During his 30+ year career, he was able to get his group of high schoolers to qualify to perform and win in collegiate and national tournaments, one of which was hosted by Disney. This was the only public school choir group in the state that qualified for these events.
Looking back on this experience with a spiritual perspective, there is a larger metaphysical point here that has been a useful lesson to me. This teacher expressed God’s harmony (as we all do) in such a proficient way musically, that he simply could not tolerate any lack of it. He corrected discord if a student was off key, and also enforced harmony within the community of the classroom. The discoverer of Christian Science explains, “A musician demonstrates the beauty of the music he teaches in order to show the learner the way by practice as well as precept.” (Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, Mary Baker Eddy, p. 26:19–21) We too, have the ability to understand spiritual harmony in rule as well as in daily practice. The more we understand God’s law of harmony, the more obnoxious any error or discord becomes. (See S&H pgs. 20:2-4 and 129:5)
The teacher often noted that the secret to having a choir of excellence is to have the group operate as, and sound like “one voice.” Similarly, in our own understanding of God's harmony, we can operate in “one voice,” the only voice- God, Love’s harmonious voice. Love is the only voice that governs our thought, relationships, and the body. The discoverer of Christian Science writes, "Man is as perfect now, and henceforth, and forever, as when the stars first sang together, and creation joined in the grand chorus of harmonious being." (Miscellaneous Writings 1883–1896, Mary Baker Eddy, p. 188:3–5)
Prayer reveals an understanding of man’s oneness to God, our true sense of harmony. Our understanding of God, the one Mind- Shows us more about harmony. This is not only true for our relationships, but for our health. In prayer, we can stay tuned up to God’s law of harmony, and replace any false understanding of what harmony is. Mary Baker Eddy the discoverer of Christian Science wrote, “An ill-attuned ear calls discord harmony, not appreciating concord.” (Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, p. 60:24–25)
To correct any discord, we look to God and his creation’s oneness to Him/Her: “The origin, substance, and life of man are one, and that one is God, — Life, Truth, Love.”
(Miscellaneous Writings 1883–1896, Mary Baker Eddy, p. 187:21–22) As we spiritually understand our origin, substance and life, we see our oneness with Love. In prayerful obedience to this fact, we obey the Bible's commands: “Live in harmony with one another.” Romans 12:16-18, and “...have unity of mind, sympathy, brotherly love, a tender heart, and a humble mind.” 1 Peter 3:8 Understanding the oneness us to our Maker, we operate expressing the “one Voice.”
How do we do this? “To develop the full might of this Science, the discords of corporeal sense must yield to the harmony of spiritual sense, even as the science of music corrects false tones and gives sweet concord to sound.” (Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, p. viii:4)
The understanding of this spiritual law of harmony is here for us all. When I first read Science and Health as a teen, I remember feeling as if thought was being tuned into Harmony in a tangible way. (And of course, we are all, always tuning!) I watched my experience align naturally with the divine laws of harmony I was learning about. Many physical challenges fell away, I was led on how to harmoniously navigate crucial decisions, relationships improved in ways I would have never thought possible, and most importantly- A more harmonious version of my true self has been ever-appearing.
In prayer it has helped me to simply ask God about his laws of harmony. We will all be inspired to pray in our own way, but it has helped me to ask, “What does Love sound like?” “Am I speaking as Love speaks?” “How does Love communicate?” "What do I need to know about your law of harmony?" And so on.
These divine laws of harmony are here for us all. All we have to do is tune our spiritual ear and listen!
Listening with you- Have a lovely evening,
Elaina
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