Sacred Texts New Thought Unity Index Previous
The Revealing Word, by Charles Fillmore, [1959], at sacred-texts.com
wait on the Lord--When we listen to the voice of Spirit we are waiting on the Lord.
walk by the Spirit--Means to acknowledge the power of the Christ Spirit within mind and body as the dominating force.
watch, high--Persistent looking toward the fulfillment of divine ideals.
watchman--A spiritually developed person who sees within and without, and with the word of command challenges anything negative.
water--In its different aspects water represents weakness and negativeness, cleansing, mental potentiality, and in some cases life, or vital energy.
In one of its aspects, water represents negativeness. The individual who allows himself to become negative to the good finds himself uncertain and unstable in his mind, and often becomes so submerged in the waters of negation that his physical condition is low. Weak sympathy with error and the results of error helps to produce this condition. To be positive toward the good it is very necessary that one have right ideas of God, that one know Him as all good.
Water also represents the great mass of thoughts that conform to environment. Every thought leaves its form in the consciousness, and all the weak characterless words and expressions gather in the subconscious mind as water gathers in holes. When we get discouraged or disappointed
and "give up," the undertow of life sweeps this flood of negative thought over us, and we are conscious of bodily weakness of some sort. When we know the Truth, and "brace up," however, the waters are confined to their natural channels again and our strength is restored.
From the intellectual viewpoint water represents cleansing. When John the Baptist baptized with water, he washed away the sins of an external character. His baptism did not enter into the subconsciousness. It takes something more powerful than water to purify the error conditions accumulated by the soul in its many incarnations. The presence of God through Christ is necessary to purify this part of man.
water, above and below the firmament--In every mental proposition we have an above and a below. Above the firmament are the unexpressed capacities (waters) of the conscious mind resting in faith in Divine Mind. In this realm when "God says," the word is instantly fulfilled; the mental image of the word is registered in consciousness.
Below the firmament are the expressed capacities (waters) of the subconscious mind, which may be called memory but has not power to do original thinking. To reach the subconscious realm, the word must be declared consciously, and then from this firm starting point, directed down into the subconscious realm, where the redemptive work is carried on.
water, walk on--Water (the sea) represents mental potentiality. The race thoughts have formed a sea of thought, and to walk over it safely requires that one have faith in oneself. Faith necessary to accomplish so great an undertaking comes from understanding--understanding of God and man and the law of mastery given to man. If one is to walk on the waves of troubled thought without sinking, he must become established in the faith of Spirit through Christ.
waterpots--The "six waterpots of stone" (John 2:6,7) represent the six nerve centers in the body, which are filled with the water of life, nerve fluid.
The waterpots filled to the brim with water by the servants show the extent to which God is prepared to fulfill the transformation from natural life to spiritual life through the power of the word.
This transformation into vitalizing Spirit is accomplished by adding to every word a spiritual idea. The idea of omnipresent life will then quicken the natural life in man, and it will make conscious contact with the one life and draw it out for the benefit of the many.
way, the--The I AM in man, the open door to the kingdom of God. (see Christ and Jesus)
wealth--True wealth is a state of consciousness, the consciousness of God as man's supply. Spiritual wealth expresses itself as faith, love, wisdom, substance, joy, and so on. Material wealth expresses as worldly riches, possessions of an earthly nature.
wedding garment--Garments represent the outer clothing of the mind. The "wedding garment" (Matt. 22:11) is the role of righteousness (right-use-ness) and is symbolical of a state of consciousness in which there is special preparation for the union unique. In other words, our external thinking must be in harmony with the inner revelation before we can make complete union with the Christ.
well--Symbolizes inspiration through the intellect alone. The well of living water (John 4:10-14) in man is the fount of inspiration within his consciousness, which flows forth peacefully, majestically, vitalizing and renewing mind and body.
well-beloved--The Christ, the ideal man.
wholeness--The perfect unification and expression of man as Spirit, soul, and body. True healing means to make whole. It is brought about by regeneration.
widow--One who has lost sight of God as support. When the conscious mind has ceased to be positive, the subconscious mind becomes like a "widow." The conscious unity between the mind and the vitality of the organism has been severed, and there is lack and burden (debt). This takes place eventually in all who do not consciously take possession of the twelve faculties in the organism.
The "widow" in Luke 18:1-5 typifies a belief in lack. Lack is not good in itself, but it serves to call man's attention to the law (judge). Dependence on the judgments of the law, without consciousness of love, subjects one to hard experience and laborious expression.
Jesus portrays the power of affirmative prayer, or repeated silent demands for justice, as a widow, one bereft of worldly protection and power. Under her persistence even the ungodly judge succumbs. The unceasing prayer of faith is commanded in the Scriptures, in various places.
widow of Zarephath--The widow of Zarephath, to whom Elijah was sent for sustenance, represents love bereft of wisdom. She represents the divine feminine, while Elijah here is the divine masculine or wisdom. Separated they are both in a state of semi-starvation but when they are joined in consciousness, increase at once begins and lack ceases. "The jar of meal wasted not, neither did the cruse of oil fail" (I King 17:9-16).
wife, taking a--Represents a unification of the I AM with the affections.
wilderness--In individual consciousness the wilderness is symbolical of the multitude of undisciplined and uncultivated thoughts.
will, the--The will is the executive faculty of the mind, the determining factor in man. What man wills or decrees comes to pass in his experience. "Thou shalt also decree a thing, and it shall be established unto thee" (Job 22:28).
The will is the center in mind and body around which
revolve all the activities that constitute consciousness. It is the avenue through which the I AM expresses its potentiality.
The will may be said to be the man, because it is the directive power that determines character formation. When man wills to do the will of God, he exercises his individual will in wisdom, love, and spiritual understanding; he builds spiritual character.
The use of the will is very important in making demonstrations. One must be very persistent since persistence is essential to demonstration. Truth builds the perfect body, and the will must resolutely lay hold and keep hold of the word of Truth until the word becomes flesh.
will and desire--Desire is a reaching out of the mind for satisfaction. Will is the controlling, directing faculty of mind. One may have the desire to be well and yet not have the will to be well.
will and I AM--The will is the executive faculty of the mind and carries out the edicts of the I AM. All thoughts that go in and out of man's consciousness pass the gate at which sits the will. If the will understands its office, the character and value of every thought are inquired into and a certain tribute is exacted for the benefit of the whole man.
will and wisdom--When the will of man adheres to wisdom faithfully and carries out in its work the plans that are idealized in wisdom, it creates in man a consciousness of harmony and peace. Spirit breathes into such an individual continually the inspiration and knowledge necessary to give him superior understanding.
will, divine--(see God, will of)
will, personal--The adversary in sense-conscious will. He usurps power and considers himself the rightful ruler. This erroneous belief relating to personal will is discerned and adjusted by spiritual thoughts attained through prayer.
This adversary troubles us because we strive to maintain personal freedom instead of submitting to divine guidance. Self-confidence is a virtue when founded on the Truth of Being, but when it arises from the personal consciousness it keeps man from his dominion.
wind, east--Life currents that come from within and surround the whole being; the executive power of mind clearing the way to higher states of consciousness.
wine--Symbolizes the vitality that forms the connecting link between soul and body. It represents an all-pervading, free essence that is generated from the nerve substance, or water of life. The wine of life, or vitality of the organism, must be available in large quantities before a blending of thoughts, or of soul and body (wedding), can be made successfully. When the new Christ life comes into a mind where old beliefs concerning the body have been held, the body is transformed into its innate spiritual perfection.
wings--Symbolize freedom from material limitations.
wisdom--Intuitive knowing; spiritual intuition; the voice of God within as the source of our understanding; mental action based on the Christ Truth within. Wisdom includes judgment, discrimination, intuition, and all the departments of mind that come under the head of knowing. This "knowing" capacity transcends intellectual knowledge. Spiritual discernment always places wisdom above the other faculties of the mind and reveals that knowledge and intelligence are auxiliary to understanding.
wisdom and divine understanding--These attributes come from the Spirit of Christ within us. The price that we must pay for the conscious attainment of divine wisdom and understanding is the letting go of the personal self with its limited beliefs. Paul saw the Christ waiting at the door of every soul when he wrote: "Awake, thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall shine upon thee" (Eph. 5:17).
wisdom, worldly--Wisdom is the ability to use knowledge. Worldly wisdom is knowledge of worldly things, with the ability to use them.
Wise Men--The Wise Men of the East who came to visit the baby Jesus may be likened to the stored-up resources of the soul that rise to the surface when its depths are stirred by a great spiritual revelation. In scriptural symbology East always means the within.
The gold, frankincense, and myrrh that the Wise Men brought when Jesus was born are symbolical of the inner resources open to the Christ child. They may be the stored-up deeds and thoughts of previous incarnations that wisdom within (the Wise Men) carefully guards and gives to the soul as an inheritance. Thus no good thought or deed is ever lost in the divine economy.
wishing--A wish is a superficial expression of desire, and is only fleeting. The patience, perseverance, and intense eagerness necessary to spiritual growth cannot come from anything as shallow as a wish.
Wishing will give way to desire when one consecrates himself wholly to God and follows up his consecration with prayer and meditation on Truth.
wolves--Devouring thoughts. They represent fear thoughts, thoughts of lack, and all thoughts that rob one of life and substance ideas.
woman--The feminine phase of man. In Genesis 2:18-25 woman typifies love in the soul not yet developed and established in substance.
woman, Greek--Signifies the intuitive perception of Truth reflected into the intellect from the soul. She also represents the unspiritualized love that is natural to the body.
Word--The agency by which God reveals Himself in some measure to all men, but to greater degree to highly developed souls; the thought of God or the sum total of God's creative power. The Word gives order and regularity
to the movement of things and is the divine dynamic, the energy and self-revelation of God.
The Word of God is immanent in man and all the universe. All original creation is carried forward by and through man's conscious recognition of this mighty One.
Man is the consummation of the Word. His spirit has within it the concentration of all that is contained within the Word. God being perfect, His idea, thought, Word, must be perfect. Jesus expresses this perfect Word of God as spiritual man. "The Word became flesh, and dwelt among us" (John 1:14).
Word, creative--The creative idea in Divine Mind, which may be expressed by man when he has fulfilled the law of expression. All words are formative, but not all words are creative. The creative Word lays hold of Spirit substance and power. When Jesus said with a loud voice to Lazarus, "Come forth," (John 11:43) He had contact with the creative Word. As spirituality increases we fulfill the law. Our word has power and is creative.
word, healing--As man is quickened with spiritual faith his word is endowed with power. It becomes so charged with spiritual energy he is enabled to heal all manner of diseases, even at a distance. "The supplication [word] of a righteous man availeth much" (James 5:16).
word, reproving--A word of authoritative command; a form of vigorous denial that reaches the error belief behind the disease. "And Jesus rebuked him, saying, Hold thy peace, and come out of him" (Mark 1:25).
words--The vehicles through which ideas make themselves manifest. Words that have in them the realization of perfect, everywhere-present, always-present divine life, and our oneness with this life, are dominant in the restoration of life and health.
When spiritual words abide in man's consciousness, the word or thought formed in intellectual and sense mind must give way to the higher principles of Being. The
whole consciousness is then raised to a more spiritual plane. Affirmations of words or of Truth realized in consciousness bring the mind into just the right attitude to receive light, and power, and guidance from Spirit.
work, object of--The true object of all work is to express the powers of one's being and to benefit mankind.
work in consciousness--To erase persistent forms of manifest negations through the increased use of denials and affirmations is often necessary. Man does the works that Jesus did by entering into the same consciousness that He was in--the realization of oneness with the Father.
world, the--A state of consciousness formed through the belief in the reality of things external. It leads one to follow standards of living based on man's opinions rather than on Truth. The world is overcome by our denying that it has any power over us and affirming freedom in Christ.
world, end of--"The end of the age," as Ferrar Fenton puts it, is the point in consciousness where true thoughts are in the majority, and error thoughts have lost their hold. This is the final consummation of the regenerative process. Everything that has been stored in consciousness is brought forth and becomes of visible, practical value to man.
The end of the world prophesied in the Bible will come as a thief in the night--quietly, silently. Those who are wrapped up in the things of sense will suddenly awake to the consciousness that they have lost their all, that this too solid earth has dissolved and left them without a place of action for their material thoughts.
worship--When one worships he bestows his love on, or identifies himself with, the things of Spirit. Worship represents the efforts of man to sustain a right mental attitude toward God.
wrath of God--Some Bible authorities claim that the "wrath of God" (Rom. 1:18) might with equal propriety be translated the "blessing of God." We know that after.
the destruction of limited and inferior thoughts and forms of life, other and higher thoughts and forms take their place, and the change is actually a blessing in the end. So even the "wrath" that comes to our fleshly tabernacles, when we persist in holding them in material thought, is ultimately a blessing. When we are loving and nonresistant we do not suffer under the transformations that go on when the Mosaic law is being carried out. The "wrath of God" is really the working out of the law of Being for the individual who does not conform to the law but thinks and acts in opposition to it.
Y
Yahweh--The original Hebrew form of Jehovah. It means "the self-existent one" who reveals Himself to His creation and through His creation.
Yahweh revealed Himself to Jesus as the Father within; Yahweh revealed himself to Moses as "I AM THAT I AM" (Exod. 3:14).
years--The measure of passing events. They constitute what we call time. But man's bodily condition depends on his state of mind. No two persons the same age are in exactly the same bodily condition. This shows that years do not make man young or old. "For as he thinketh within himself, so is he" (Prov. 23:7).
youth--The natural estate of all men. The bouyancy and joy of youth should be cultivated enthusiastically as the years advance. Deep in the subconscious mind is the God idea of eternal youth. It may have become dormant and needs to be awakened. Deny the belief in feebleness as the foolish fallacy of the race mind. Affirm and express the wondrous dynamic life of God and you will remain forever young.
Z
zeal--Intensity, ardor, enthusiasm; the inward fire of the soul that urges man onward, regardless of the intellectual mind of caution and conservatism.
Zeal is the mighty force that incites the winds, the tides, the storms; it urges the planet on its course, and spurs the ant to greater exertion. It is the urge behind all things. Zeal is the affirmative impulse of existence, its command is "Go forward!"
"The zeal of thy house hath eaten me up" (Psalms 69:9) means that the zeal faculty has become so active intellectually that it has consumed the vitality and left nothing for spiritual growth. One may become so zealous for the spread of Truth as to bring on nervous prostration. "Take time to be holy." Turn a portion of your zeal to do God's will; to the establishing of His kingdom within you. Do not put all your enthusiasm into teaching, preaching, healing, and helping others; help your own soul. Do not let your zeal run away with your judgement. When zeal and judgment work together great things can be accomplished.
zone, spiritual--Through His spiritual attainments Jesus formed a spiritual zone in the earth's mental atmosphere. His followers make connection with that zone when they pray in His "name." He stated this fact in John 14:2, "I go to prepare a place for you." Simon Peter said, "Lord, whither goest thou?" Jesus answered him, "Whither I go, thou canst not follow me now; but thou shall follow afterwards" (John 13:36).
Additional books by Charles Fillmore and their original publication dates
Christian Healing--1909
Talks on Truth--1926
The Twelve Powers of Man--1930
Metaphysical Bible Dictionary--1931
Mysteries of Genesis--1936
Prosperity--1936
Jesus Christ Heals--1939
Teach Us to Pray--1941
(Coauthored with Cora Dedrick Fillmore)
Mysteries of John--1946
Atom-Smashing Power of Mind--1949
Keep a True Lent--1953
The Revealing Word--1959
Dynamics for Living--1967
(Selected and arranged by Warren Meyer)
The Charles Fillmore Concordance--1975
(Compiled by Clinton E. Bernard)
Books by Myrtle Fillmore
Wee Wisdom's Way--1894
(No longer available)
Myrtle Fillmore's Healing Letters--1954
(Edited by Francis W. Foulkes--originally published as The Letters of Myrtle Fillmore)
How to Let God Help You--1956
Book by Cora Dedrick Fillmore
Christ Enthroned in Man--1937
Date shown is year originally published.