This entry provides biographical information about Charles Fillmore as well as a brief history of the founding of the Unity movement, headquartered at Unity Village, MO.

Charles Fillmore as a Young Man

Charles Fillmore Biography

Charles Fillmore was born on a Chippewa reservation in Minnesota in 1854.  Statehood for Minnesota did not come until 1858, and in the early years of Fillmore’s life the Chippewa, Sioux and white settlers often sparred over territory.  His father was an Indian agent and farmer from Buffalo, New York.  His mother was a dressmaker from Nova Scotia.  Fillmore did interact with the Chippewa as a youth – the first time when he was abducted by them at the age of six months.  He was returned a few hours later unharmed.  Apparently this happened more than once.

Although destined to become a religious leader, he did not have a religious upbringing.  On his father’s side, he had two uncles who were Methodist ministers; however, neither of his parents instructed their children (Fillmore and his brother Norton) in religious matters.

At the age of ten he had an accident while ice skating that, by the time he became an adult, left his right leg roughly three and one half inches shorter than the left.  His medical treatment was rough and generally unhelpful, and he was told by his doctors that it was likely the abscesses on his leg would kill him by the age of forty.  In spite of this, he did manage to attend school on and off through the age of eighteen.

By the time Fillmore was twenty, his parents’ marriage had ended and he felt physically strong enough to leave Minnesota.  He went to Texas where he worked for a railroad for five years, then went to Colorado where he studied metallurgy and worked in the mining industry.  In 1881 he married Mary Caroline “Myrtle” Page and the couple settled in Kansas City, Missouri in 1885.  While in Kansas City, he made a successful life for himself in real estate (Vahle, 2002, pp. 33-35).

Fillmore’s spiritual awakening came as a result of his wife’s self-healing from tuberculosis.  In 1886 the Fillmores attended a lecture by Christian Science practitioner Eugene B. Weeks at which the principles of Christian Science were taught.  These were new concepts to Myrtle Fillmore who was disenchanted with the puritanical teachings of sin and evil adhered to by her Methodist family.  She was impressed and inspired by the concept of an indwelling, loving Father that wanted only good for His children and diligently applied herself to the study and practice of Christian Science. She demonstrated healing for herself, and as a consequence, dedicated herself to serving as a spiritual healer for others (Vahle, 2002, pp. 6-8).

Although Fillmore’s formal education was not remarkable, he did have a voracious mind.  As a consequence of his wife’s healing, he applied himself to study, prayer, and meditation and discerned for himself a concept of the indwelling divine; however, he was confused about why different teachers taught different things about this divine presence and decided to contact the divine directly for clarity on the matter.  In 1894 he declared, “In this Babel I will go to headquarters.  If I am spirit and this God they talk so much about is Spirit we can somehow communicate, or the whole thing is a fraud” (Fillmore, 1894).  He commenced to spend time in mediation at the same every night for months, but without any results of note.  Eventually, he came to realize that his dreams were becoming exceedingly vivid and that the desired communication from “headquarters” was coming to him through his dreams.  He said, “I can distinguish no difference between my symbolic dreams and those of Jacob, Joseph and other Bible characters.  This is one of the many ways by which the Lord, or higher consciousness, communicates with the lower, and is just as operative today as it was centuries ago (Fillmore, 1894).

The Fillmores broadened their studies beyond Christian Science to include prayer, meditation, healing, metaphysics and established themselves as teachers and healers.  Fillmore gave up real estate in order to devote himself fully, with his wife, to the work they called “Unity.”  The Unity Movement counts the year of its birth as 1889, for that was the year that the Society of Silent Help was founded.  This Society is known today as Silent Unity, the acknowledged heart of the Unity Movement, and Silent Unity workers have been engaged in prayer work continuously since that time (Vahle, 2002, p. 145). Today Silent Unity receives millions of requests for prayer per year via telephone, mail, and email.  Fillmore was adamant about the power of prayer and said, “It is the language of spirituality; when developed it makes man master in the realm of creative ideas” (Fillmore, 1959, p. 152).

Fillmore was a highly competent organizer and marketer which fostered the growth of the Unity movement from Kansas City to around the world.  Prior to the incorporation of Unity School of Christianity in 1914 into which all Unity activities were consolidated, Fillmore owned and operated Unity Tract Society, established in 1897, which published Unity magazine, Thought Publishing Company, which published the magazines Modern Thought, Christian Science Thought, and Thought, and Unity Book Company, which spread the Unity message through print media (Vahle, 2002, p. 145).  It should be noted that although Unity School of Christianity had as its focus spiritual teaching, it was incorporated in Missouri as a commercial business rather than a nonprofit institution with all stock controlled by the four members of the Fillmore family, Charles, Myrtle and their two sons.  The reasoning was that a commercial business would be more appropriate on account of Unity’s publishing operations.  The incorporation stipulated that all no dividends would be paid out, and all profits would be used to support the organization.  This move, though later questioned by the Internal Revenue Service (an exemption to tax liability was granted in 1926), effectively guaranteed the Fillmore family control of Unity School through the twentieth century (Vahle, 2002, p. 147-149).  In various articles, tracts and books, Fillmore articulated his concepts about psychology and dreams, which will be addressed below, as well as his understanding of Christian metaphysics, prayer, meditation and theology in general.

Fillmore died at the age of 94 in 1948.

The next post will a a biographical description of Carl Jung…

this blog entry is the second of installment of my master’s thesis entitled “Inner Vision and Synchronicity:  Dream Work as Taught by Charles Fillmore and Carl Jung.”  I encourage you to read the previous entry to get caught up to date.

Obviously enough, here’s an introduction to Charles Fillmore and Carl Jung.  The next blog post will be a short biography of Charles Fillmore.  As I did my research, I was amazed not only with the similarities of with their work, but with their personal lives as well…

Carl Jung's Astrological Horoscope

FILLMORE AND JUNG – AN  INTRODUCTION

“Synchronicity” is a term coined by Carl Jung to describe a meaningful coincidence – the occurrence of two events related in some way without any demonstrable causality.  It can be that one of the events is an “inner” event in the mind of an individual, such as a dream, that later is played out in the “outer,” physical world.  An example might be when the object of the dream, a long-lost friend, unexpectedly comes for a visit.  In another instance, the synchronistic events may be two “outer” events such as when two intellectual pioneers begin to teach the same subject at roughly the same time without knowing of the work of the other.   Such is the case with Carl Jung and Charles Fillmore in their work with dreams.  The synchronistic link between these two individuals as it relates to dream work will be the focus of this work and will necessarily include a basic review of their understanding of the roles of psychology and religion in the life of modern mankind.

There are other synchronicities that exist between these two that are notable.  One is the fact they have the same given name. Charles is the English version of the German name Carl which means “man,” or “manly” (BabyNamesWorld.com, 2007).  Additionally, each had a keen interest in astrology.  Jung’s work Synchronicity, An Acausal Connecting Principle published in 1960 includes an astrological study he conducted.  Fillmore signed many of his early works with the pen name Leo Virgo, such as the tract The Church of Christ published in 1901.  Both men were born under the astrological sign Leo – Jung on July 26, 1875, Fillmore on August 22, 1854.

Are these other synchronicities meaningful?  That will be for the reader to determine; however, each man became a leader in a new field (analytical psychology and the Unity Movement, a collective designation for Unity churches and centers worldwide), which have as their ultimate aims the development of humanity.  Also, as will be shown below, each had a keen interest in what was practical and demonstrable, so perhaps these connections may warrant further study in a different context.

In spite of these similarities, the differences between them were enormous.

In 2007 I earned a Master of Arts in Liberal Studies degree from the University of North Carolina, Wilmington.  Liberal Studies on the graduate level, contrary to what many think, is not the study of leftist leaning politics, but rather a continuation of the traditional liberal arts education.  Many colleges and universities offer such programs on the graduate level, and I was fortunate to live in close proximity to one that did.  The coursework I pursued focused mostly on religion and psychology, and although for most people a graduate liberal arts degree is not a vocational program, for me it was.  Everything I studied has in some way been applicable to the ways I serve in ministry.

My final project (thesis) was entitled “Inner Vision and Synchronicity:  Dream Work as Taught by Charles Fillmore and Carl Jung.”  Many people are familiar with Swiss psychiatrist Carl Jung, founder of the school of analytical psychology; but not as many know Charles Fillmore, co-founder of Unity School of Christianity.  In many ways the two were very similar.

Charles Fillmore

Carl Jung

Over the years I had seen references to dream interpretation in the writings of Charles Fillmore.  Then, while doing research in the archives at Unity Village in Missouri, I made an important discovery – Unity, in the 1920’s, had a department of its spiritual work dedicated to dream interpretation called the Inner Vision Department.  This discovery, along with many others, provided the material for my thesis.

Dream work is an important spiritual practice, as important to me as meditation and prayer.  To some that may seem a bold statement; but I am convinced the development of a dream work practice can lead one into a deeper appreciation of the Divine in his or her life.

For the next few weeks, I’ll be posting installments of my thesis on this blog.  I hope readers will feel inspired to pursue this spiritual practice.  So here’s the abstract to get us going, and be sure to check back often…

ABSTRACT

It is well-known that the analytical psychology of Carl Gustav Jung (1875-1961) places tremendous importance on religion and the dreams of the analysand, the individual whose dreams are being analyzed.  Jung was able to articulate that dreams offer not just an avenue to the unconscious, but provide a vehicle for the process of individuation, the claiming of one’s wholeness.

What is not so well-known is that Charles Fillmore (1854-1948), co-founder of Unity School of Christianity, also had a keen interest in psychology and the power of dreams.  He, too, believed and taught that an understanding of one’s dreams was an important tool for living a balanced and healthy life.

Although contemporaries with large followings, there is scant evidence to suggest they knew of each other’s work; however, in an apparent case of synchronicity, what they were teaching about dreams is markedly similar.  This essay will examine those similarities along with presenting key ideas relating to their understanding of religion and psychology.

“Kenosis” is not a term I’ve ever heard in a Unity church or center.

I’ve heard many people at Unity on the Adkins and South Beach diets mention the term “ketosis” as a part of the two week induction phase of both food plans, but that’s a totally unrelated word.  One letter makes all the difference.

On Sunday, May 16 I delivered a message at First Unity of St. Petersburg entitled “No Complaints, Part 2.”  Rev. Temple delivered the first part on May 9.    My talk is found by clicking “Videos” on the main menu of this blog, and both our talks are available by clicking the First Unity link in this paragraph.  We drew our inspiration from the book Complaint Free Relationships by Unity minister Will Bowen, the originator the Complaint Free World movement whose mission is “to help people affect positive change in their lives by living Complaint Free.”

And really, who wants to listen to whining, griping and complaining?  I don’t – not even my own, which I endeavor to keep to a minimum.

How does this relate to the as-yet undefined term “kenosis”?  Kenosis is a Greek word that means emptiness.  Theologically speaking, its usage is more likely to be found in Eastern, or Orthodox Christianity.  The Orthodox churches, generally known by the country from which they come such as Greek Orthodox, Russian Orthodox, etc., tend to be more mystical than their Western (Roman Catholic and Prostestant) cousins.

In the Bible, a prime example of kenosis is found in Paul’s letter to the Philippians.  (BTW, this letter was written by Paul during one of the times he was jailed – most likely in Rome just prior to his death – to the first “Christian” congregation in Europe at Philippi in Greece.  I’ve put quotes around the word Christian because Christianity per se had not been created yet.  Paul was a practicing Jew who had an experience of the risen Christ and wanted to share with the world what that meant to him.)

In Philippians chapter 2:5-8 we read, “Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited, but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, being born in human likeness. And being found in human form, he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death— even death on a cross.”

Whether or not you agree with Paul’s understanding of the Jesus experience – a subject on which you could write a PhD dissertation – there is something about the notion of “emptying” oneself that stands out to me as a valuable concept.

In Unity, we have key teachings about releasing negativity and limited thinking.  To be brief, we are best able to be of service to God and one another when we are free of limiting, false and error beliefs.  We’re also in a better position to serve when we are not complaining; so in my mind, it is not a much of a stretch to take this mystical concept of kenosis and ask myself (and yourself!) as we live our day-to-day lives, “What needs to be released or eliminated so that I can affect positive change in my life and my world?  Can I empty myself of  griping, whining and limiting beliefs?”  Certainly Jesus did, and the rest, as they say, is history (well, history and faith…)

Let’s go a little further east, because there are parallels (well, at least in my mind) to this concept in other sacred writings.  In the Tao Te Ching, the sacred text of Taoism believed to have been written by a sage named Lao Tzu in the 6th Century b.c.e, the 16th chapter says:

Empty your mind of all thoughts.

Let your heart be at peace.

Watch the turmoil of beings,

but contemplate their return.

Each separate being in the universe

returns to the common source.

Returning to the source is serenity.

If you don’t realize the source,

you stumble in confusion and sorrow.

When you realize where you come from,

you naturally become tolerant,

disinterested, amused,

kindhearted as a grandmother,

dignified as a king.

Immersed in the wonder of the Tao,

you can deal with whatever life brings you,

and when death comes, you are ready.

As we empty ourselves of  fears and foreboding, we truly experience “the same mind that was in Christ Jesus” and/or “let our hearts be at peace.”   Meister Eckhardt, the 13th century German mystic said, “God is not found in the soul by adding anything, but by a process of subtraction.”

Sometimes emptiness is the greatest fullness and in subtracting we are added to.

Its surprising to me what takes root in young minds.

On television from 1970 to 1974 was a breakthrough comedy program “The Flip Wilson Show.”  I say breakthrough because at that time there were not too many network programs that featured African-Americans.  This one not only featured an African-American, but had content that pushed the envelope in many ways.  Flip’s comedy challenged us (regardless of race) to reconsider what is humorous and why.  He broke down barriers of separation though the tool of humor.  Flip embodied the “Trickster” archetype, also known as the Divine Fool, the archetype that elevates irony to art and in the process teaches deep and profound truth.

One of Flip’s stock characters was a sassy lady named Geraldine Jones who really wasn’t to blame for her behavior because, as she famously said, “the Devil made me do it!“  Even my young mind (I was ages 5-9 when the program was on), doubted the existence of “the Devil,” but I loved Miss Geraldine!

BTW – She also is credited with another famous line, “what you see is what you get!”

So what about the Devil?  In Unity we teach that the Devil is a metaphor for our human capacity to think and do  things which are hurtful (or worse!) towards ourselves or others.  The Devil, like the Trickster, is an archetype of consciousness; that is, an energy inherent in everyone.  This doesn’t mean that everyone will do hurtful and mean-spirited things, it simply means that everyone has the capacity or possibility of doing such things.  Rather than seeing the Devil (or Satan) as a deity or power outside of ourselves, we recognize that the stories about the Devil are about the desire people often have to not take responsibility for their own actions.  Or their stories that explain where the temptation to do “the wrong thing” come from.

I hope you enjoy the attached Geraldine Jones clip – and don’t let the Devil talk you into buying clothes you don’t need!

In our Metaphysics class recently, the subject of stages of faith development came up.  One’s spiritual life grows (well, at least it can grow) in different stages just as our bodies do.  The most well-known teacher of stages of faith development is Dr. James W. Fowler III who retired from Emory University in 2005.  Additionally, he is a minister in the United Methodist Church.  In his 1981 book Stages of Faith: The Psychology of Development and the Quest for Meaning he put forth the idea that there are seven stages of faith development.  Here is a brief description of each taken from Wikipedia.

Faith is seen as a holistic orientation, and is concerned with the individual’s relatedness to the universal:

• Stage 0 – “Primal or Undifferentiated” faith (birth to 2 years), is characterized by an early learning of the safety of their environment (i.e. warm, safe and secure vs. hurt, neglect and abuse). If consistent nurturance is experienced, one will develop a sense of trust and safety about the universe and the divine. Conversely, negative experiences will cause one to develop distrust with the universe and the divine. Transition to the next stage begins with integration of thought and languages which facilitates the use of symbols in speech and play.

• Stage 1 – “Intuitive-Projective” faith (ages of three to seven), is characterized by the psyche’s unprotected exposure to the Unconscious.

• Stage 2 – “Mythic-Literal” faith (mostly in school children), stage two persons have a strong belief in the justice and reciprocity of the universe, and their deities are almost always anthropomorphic.

• Stage 3 – “Synthetic-Conventional” faith (arising in adolescence) characterized by conformity

• Stage 4 – “Individuative-Reflective” faith (usually mid-twenties to late thirties) a stage of angst and struggle. The individual takes personal responsibility for their beliefs and feelings.

• Stage 5 – “Conjunctive” faith (mid-life crisis) acknowledges paradox and transcendence relating reality behind the symbols of inherited systems

• Stage 6 – “Universalizing” faith, or what some might call “enlightenment“.

I realize that some might say, “Hey, there’s only 6 stages!” but that’s because “0″ is a stage.  It’s like the confusion suffered by Americans who visit Europe for the first time and wonder why they have to climb stairs to get up to the 1st floor…

For many people it is natural, when presented with such a scale, to ask, “where do I fit in?”  Many of us in Unity and the New Thought Movement might like to rush to enlightenment.  We would, I suggest, be fooling no one but ourselves.  Many might be tempted to use this scale to compare themselves to others as in, “I’m higher on the scale than you!”  Again, we may only be fooling ourselves.

However, that being said, such a scale is helpful if we use it as an invitation to look deeply and honestly at our current belief system (sometimes abbreviated as “bs” for a good reason!).  We might ask ourselves questions like

Was my early upbringing nurturing or fearful?  Is my perception of the Divine reflecting that? (stage 0)

Does my concept of the divine make any logical sense? (stage 1)

How do I refer to the Divine?  In what respects, if any, is my God a “man” – God created out of man’s image? (stage 2)

How black and white is my thinking?  Can I separate the idea of “policeman” from “law enforcement”? (stage 3)

Is this really what I think and feel and believe? Or is that what I’ve been told or taught how to think and feel and believe? (stage 4)

Is there a place in my spiritual life for paradoxes? (stage 5)

To what extend am I willing to engage and live the idea of “oneness” (stage 6).  For  more about that visit our First Unity on-demand video of Sunday, April 25.

Your answers to these and other related questions can help you come to appreciate your spiritual journey of self discovery.  Always, though, remember that everyone has their own unique and beautiful path of spiritual unfoldment.  The key is to be compassionate with all, especially yourself.

Coming home from our amazing Earth Day Sunday Service at First Unity of St. Petersburg, I was parked at a stop sign less than two blocks from my home when all of a sudden a speeding Jeep rounded the corner and slammed into my car in a head-on collision.  Then, and this is the goofy part, the driver and his passenger raced away from the scene .  I got license place number as they sped away and was able to provide that to the police.  Fortunately I was absolutely unbruised and unscathed.  My car?  Well, that’s a different matter.

Today I received a call from the police department informing me the offending Jeep was picked up at a house close to my own.  The driver didn’t come to the door of the home, so they helped themselves to the vehicle.

A question that is sometimes asked at a time like this by individuals new to New Thought is, “Russell, what in your consciousness drew this experience to you?”  When I hear a question like that, my initial response is to gag!  That’s a “blame the victim” type of question.  Certainly not one that expresses compassion.  My tongue-in-cheek, bordering on sarcastic, response would be, “no doubt the giant electromagnet in my chest is to blame.”

The larger and more important question is:  “Russell, what does this experience mean to you?”  A key teaching of metaphysics is that I make my experiences mean what they mean for me.  And you make your experiences mean what they mean for you.  Later, I may revise the meanings I have made of my life experiences based on additional spiritual growth.

For now, here’s what I’m making my head-on, hit-and-run accident mean:

I am grateful.  Grateful to emerge 100% unscathed from an experience in which many people are killed every year.  I’m grateful for the police department that responded so quickly.  I’m grateful for my insurance carrier.  I’m grateful that apparently the other driver and his passenger are unharmed.  I’m grateful a member of the church pulled up immediately after the accident happened and offered support.  I’m grateful that divine justice is now working in my life.

Accidents happen.  Life here on earth is sometimes marred by accidents like this.  I’m quite certain this one was 100% avoidable.  Still, I am not allowing it to serve as evidence that I am some sort of victim of life.

This is a wake up call for the other driver.  For some reason – alcohol, stupidity, whatever – he was driving carelessly.  Maybe this will teach him the importance of following all the rules we learned in driver’s ed!  I think having his vehicle impounded by the police will give him pause.

The roads were wet when the accident happened.  I take this as a reminder of how dangerous a wet road can be.

The truth is that I am powerless over how other people drive.  The truth also is that I decide what my life experiences mean.  And I choose to use this experience to teach people about how each of us makes our life mean what it means!

Today is the day we resume our classroom study of Unity metaphysics at First Unity!  I am teaching Metaphysics I, part 2 in two sections – 1:30 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. – on our spiritual campus of Unity here in St. Petersburg, FL.

Actually, that isn’t quite right.  The Living Spirit of Truth within each individual is the true teacher.  I see my role as the one who invites the dialog between the class member’s conscious mind and that same Living Spirit of Truth.  I’ll share what I know and what I’ve experienced as a result of applying the principles of Unity metaphysical teaching in my life; but how the class member engages and experiences these principles is their work.

As the class proceeds, I’ll use this blog to address and expand upon issues and questions that are raised in class.  Even if you are unable to join us, I affirm that you’ll find the topics of these blogs both interesting and inspiring.  Be sure to check often and add your comments.

The text we’re using for this class is Heart-Centered Metaphysics, by Rev. Dr. Paul Hasselbeck, Dean of Spiritual Education and Enrichment at Unity School of Christianity.  You may order the book from Wings Bookstore located on our campus or through Unity House, by clicking on either link in this paragraph.