Beyond Belief

A picture of a fruit gift basket from Baskets Galore Ltd (BGalore)

The following is adapted from a talk I gave at Unity Lincoln on July 13, 2025.

The New Thought movement, of which Unity is a part, was founded by teachers who were formerly students of Mary Baker Eddy's Christian Science movement in the late 19th century. They used the term "Christian Science" themselves in the early years until it was trademarked.

Today, the word "science" refers to a method of arriving at truth, but back then it was used as another word for truth; thus, "Christian science" meant "Christian truth." So instead of "science," the early New Thought leaders began to use the word "truth." As in spiritual truth.

However, we don't need to discard the idea of science entirely. One way science understands how things work is through experimentation. One way to understand spiritual ideas is to put them to the test and experiment.

Jesus said, "You are gods," and one trait of God is to imagine things into existence, just as described in Genesis 1. And I've recently begun an experiment on myself. It is to test a belief. My belief is that imagination creates reality. That is, my imagination creates my reality. It makes sense to me, and I want it to be true. But I don't always feel it to be true. That's why I'm testing my belief that imagination creates reality by turning it into a hypothesis. I'll see if what I imagine comes true.   

But what do I want to imagine? 

I'm reminded of the 20th-century metaphysician and mystic Neville Goddard. In a 1968 lecture titled Power, he said: 

I have had people say to me, “You know, I want that man, and no other man.”

I said, “No, you don’t; you want to be happily married. You don’t want 'that man or no man.'” 

“Oh, yes, that man or no man.”

Then, of course, this always shocks them.

I say, “If he dropped dead right now, would you want to be married?”

“Well, he isn’t going to drop…”

“I didn’t ask you that. If he dropped dead right now, or if he is right this very moment accused of being the world’s greatest thief or murderer, do you still want him”

“Well, now, why ask those questions, Neville? I want that man.”

But, you see, it isn’t that man. They want to be happily married. I have gone to so many weddings where it was either that man or none, and it wasn’t "'that man"! And they are embarrassed when they see me standing in the aisle, because it had to be “that man or no man,” and here it isn’t that man at all. And they walk down – they are happy with their new mate, but a little sheepish as they pass by because they know I know he was not the man."

Neville got to the heart of it when these women would come to him for advice. They wanted to be happily married, but they couldn't see beyond the current guy or the current situation.

In the same sense, you don't want to win the lottery, you want the money to have and do whatever you want. You don't want to see that world-renowned specialist for your condition; you want to get well.

Neville says to "live in the end," to live as if you already have what you want, and don't dwell on how you got there. That is, assume the feeling, or feel the feeling, that you would have if your wish is fulfilled. 

To "assume" doesn't mean only to believe that it is true; it is to be the person you think you would be if your wish is fulfilled. That is, like a method actor, assume you are the person you want to be.

How do you do that? Through imagination. I'm experimenting with my imagination. I imagine being the person I want to be, after having accomplished or manifested what I want. How would I think? How would I act? How would I feel?

Well, if my imagination is truly a divine power, then the fruits of that power should manifest once I become the person I aspire to be, the one who possesses what I desire.

If I had what I wanted, I imagine that I would be happier. That's the point! And happiness manifests itself in different ways. These are known as the Fruits of the Spirit. I had them memorized as a kid because they were in a song from an album of a gospel group we'd listen to. The chorus went "Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness and faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control."

It was catchy, so the words were easy to remember, and I knew that, in theory, the Christian life had a lot to do with those words. But more importantly, these fruits of the spirit seemed to me to be the traits of a happy person.

They come from the Apostle Paul in Galatians Chapter 5:

22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faith,23 gentleness, and self-control. Against such things there is no law.

I quoted from the World English Bible. It says "faith" instead of "faithfulness," which is found in some other translations. While "faithfulness" is also great, I'm using "faith" because it works better for how I break down my experiment.

The experiment focuses on these fruits of the Spirit, watering the spiritual trees so they grow big and bountiful, producing an abundance of these qualities. 

While I'm not going to publicly share what it is that I want, I will discuss how I would feel if I had it. I may be happy now, but I'd be happier. And I think because I'd be happier, I'd be more naturally inclined to exhibit these traits that Paul lists as the fruits of the Spirit. 

But in the traditional way of listing the fruits of the Spirit, we might think there is overlap or repetition. For instance, it says 'love' and also 'kindness,' but doesn't love already encompass kindness? It says goodness and self-control, but isn't self-control, or staying away from temptations, part of what we already understand as being good?

So I'm narrowing down the fruits into more distinct ideas.

Love - I'm narrowing it to appreciation. If I had what I wanted, I'd feel a sense of relief, and then feel a greater understanding of Oneness. I would see the beauty of everyone and everything around me. I would love to be here; I would feel a greater appreciation for being part of this world and universe.

Joy - I'm turning that to radiance. Have you ever been on a vacation or at a convention organized around people with the same values or interests as you? Everyone was already a friend, even before you met them. When I've done it, it felt like one long party, so that even when there weren't official gatherings, people who didn't know each other would spontaneously get together and do stuff. If I had what I wanted, I would feel that way and radiate a spirit of fun, where everyone I meet is a friend and everything I do is an adventure.

Peace. I'm really narrowing that word down to relaxed. Peace is one of those big words, but I'm stripping it down to the essence of inner peace. If I had what I wanted, I would feel relaxed, I would be free from stress, and have nothing to worry about. I'd be chill.  

Patience. I'm turning that into forgiveness. Patience is a form of forgiving, even before the thing to be forgiven is done. If I had what I wanted, I would be less likely to get frustrated or bothered by people or things. I would see the divinity in them and realize that they are not here to serve me; they are not here for me to control. They are here for me to love.

Kindness. I'm turning that into encouragement. Aldous Huxley once said, "It's a bit embarrassing to have been concerned with the human problem all one's life and find at the end that one has no more to offer by way of advice than 'Try to be a little kinder.' I agree with him, but I won't try to be kind. Instead, if I had I wanted, I would hope that my instinct or impulse would be to help or encourage others. If I had what I wanted, I hope I would not only radiate my joy but also share my joy by making others smile.

Goodness - I'm turning that into trustworthiness. Traditional Christianity may describe goodness as a form of moral excellence that incorporates healthy habits or virtues and refrains from vices. However, I understand the greatest of these virtues to be trustworthiness - keeping one's promises. That's what we expect from God, isn't it? "In God we trust." And, what is God but a name for the good? A good employee is someone you can trust to show up on time and fulfill their agreed-upon responsibilities. What is a good person, but someone who is honest, who you can trust, who won't cheat? If I had I wanted, I'd be less tempted to overbook or overcommit or cut corners in order to please people in the hopes of getting something in return. I'd be more naturally focused, and get more things done.

Faith. I'm switching that to boldness. "Faith is assurance of things hoped for, proof of things not seen." (Hebrews 11:1). Faith is confidence in the outcome, so faith inspires boldness. If I had what I wanted, I'd be more confident that everything always works out for me; I'd be satisfied that all is well. I would therefore not be afraid to do something new. It wouldn't even be courage or bravery. I have faith that I can put on my socks or brush my teeth. I would just apply that faith to more things. If something is possible, why not have the faith to boldly make it happen?

Gentleness. I think of gentleness as graciousness. Grace in the way you speak to others, move, and handle people and things—good manners combined with empathy, plus mindful but effortless action. I'd like to think that if I had what I wanted, I'd be less self-absorbed in my problems and would be better able to "read the room" and become attuned to each person's needs.

Self-control. I would use the word "awareness." If I had everything I want, I wouldn't be pulled in so many directions, I wouldn't be distracted by overthinking, and I would be better able to filter out thoughts that don't serve me. 

The experiment involves imagining having these traits and being the person I want to be, which comes from having what I want. When I'm anxious or sad about something, I take every opportunity to imagine who I want to be. And I redefined the fruits of the spirit for myself as appreciative, radiant, relaxed, forgiving, encouraging, trustworthy, bold, gracious, and aware.

I've already found that simply changing the words from broad concepts like "love" and "peace" to more narrowly defined words enables me to focus more effectively in my imagination and affirmations. The experiment is whether imagining these fruits and feelings will make them come to me naturally, without the imagination. If I imagined being happier until I became happier, that means the experiment will have worked. Beyond believing that imagination creates reality, I would know it.

So that's what I'm doing. If your spiritual practices are growing stagnant or you're experiencing a setback of some kind, perhaps revising certain words or ideas in your affirmations or prayer life could be helpful. If you visualize the outcomes you want, you may also want to focus on the feelings you want to experience in those outcomes. Just don't be afraid to play with, to experiment, with your spiritual life. 

May you enjoy life to the fullest!

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James Leroy Wilson writes The MVP Chase (subscribe) and JL Cells (subscribe). Thank you for your subscriptions and support! You can contact James for writing, editing, research, and other work at jamesleroywilson-at-gmail.com.