Sunday, November 30th, 2025 Roundtable
How to Handle Animal Magnetism
This week’s Lesson Sermon Subject: Ancient And Modern Necromancy, Alias Mesmerism And Hypnotism, Denounced
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Morning Prayer
Children, you are a perfect thought of God, made in His image and likeness, surrounded by His love, as by a strong fortress, through which no evil can reach you. God is your Mind, your Life, your strength, and you are governed by Truth and Love. You have no material conception or birth, no father and mother in the flesh. You were not born of the flesh (mortal mind), and you are not the reflection of beliefs. Belief is not reflection. You are not weak or easily led astray. You cannot desire to rule and lead others. You are not rebellious or obstinate. You have no human will. God’s will is all, and you are its reflection. Therefore, you will only do right, for you reflect and inherit divine wisdom and understanding. You are spiritual, and Spirit knows all things. Sensuality has no power over you, for you are not conscious of the lusts of the flesh, but you are the pure conception of divine Truth and Love, and co-eternal with your Father-Mother God. Your every thought and action are love, goodness, tenderness, gentleness, beauty, holiness, joy, and peace; that peace which passeth all human understanding. In God we live, move, and have being; therefore we are in Life, health, strength, forever. To be conscious of this, is to be in the presence of God — with the Father, who is Life, Truth and Love. Amen. We are the children of the King; why should we mourn?
from Watches, Prayers, and Arguments, as given by Mary Baker Eddy, page 154
Daily Watch
171 — WATCH lest, when you think of one as handled by animal magnetism, you accept the notion that perhaps an hour before, he was not handled, because then he showed no sign of it.
Being handled by animal magnetism means that one has not made a successful effort to be governed by God. Man is, seemingly, a channel for error whenever he is not a channel for God. One is handled by animal magnetism whenever he is controlled by human thinking; yet he may be unconscious of the error until something happens which calls his attention to it.
It may seem harsh to declare that mortals are handled by animal magnetism, but logic proves that indulgence in human thinking, no matter how harmless it may seem, makes one a channel for error, a condition which shuts out divine Mind.
If you declare someone to be handled by animal magnetism because he says or does something that is out of keeping with what you feel is good, while you believe that perhaps an hour ago he was not handled, because then his speech and action were apparently all right, this shows that you misunderstand what Mrs. Eddy intended to convey by the term.
Error is negative — never positive. The correct way to detect the claim of animal magnetism is not so much by what mortal man does, as by what he does not do. If he is not striving to reflect divine Mind, he is handled by animal magnetism, no matter if his outward actions and speech seem angelic.
Discussion points
II Corinthians 10:5
Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;
Mark 13:37
And what I say unto you I say unto all, Watch.
The habitual struggle to be always good is unceasing prayer.
from Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, by Mary Baker Eddy, page 4
4. 330 : 25 (The)-32
The notion that both evil and good are real is a delusion of material sense, which Science annihilates. Evil is nothing, no thing, mind, nor power. As manifested by mankind it stands for a lie, nothing claiming to be something, — for lust, dishonesty, selfishness, envy, hypocrisy, slander, hate, theft, adultery, murder, dementia, insanity, inanity, devil, hell, with all the etceteras that word includes.
Animal magnetism, I acknowledge your claims, but I denounce your power. When error speaks, nothing is said. Stop justifying yourself in error.
from Divinity Course and General Collectanea, (the “Blue Book”), by Mary Baker Eddy, page 199
Be so instant in Truth that error is always too late.
When I see a student grateful I know he is safe.
from Divinity Course and General Collectanea, (the “Blue Book”), by Mary Baker Eddy, page 235
Rules for overcoming animal magnetism:
1. See what it is trying to do
2. Know that it cannot do it
3. See that it is not done
To accomplish this:
Be patient
Be meek
Be vigilant
Be sober
Be loving
from Collectanea, by Mary Baker Eddy
Footsteps of C. S.
1. A great light Matt. 4:16
2. Repentance Matt. 4:17
3. Obedience Matt. 5:17
4. Purity Matt. 5:28
5. Less Talk Matt. 5:37
6. Perfection; resist not evil; love your enemies; return good for evil, etc., etc., etc. Matt. 5:48, 39-44.
from Collectanea, by Mary Baker Eddy
Sometimes I seem to hear the voice of the Father like this — My child, there is nothing in mortal mind to fear, not even the educated thought that knows what it is doing. But these different claims must needs remain until thou art not afraid. They are here only for thee to learn that they cannot harm. When that is learned their mission is accomplished and away they go. Ex. 4:4
from Collectanea, by Mary Baker Eddy
When these things cease to bless they will cease to occur.
from Miscellany, by Mary Baker Eddy, page 143
When a discord is present, remember that when Love is pushing upon the sense, evil is aggravated and is forced from unconsciousness to conscious thought. Then be not afraid at such times. Darkness should be seen as the forerunner of great light. Then we may rejoice at such times, instead of being filled with fear. Zech.
14:6, 7.
from Collectanea, by Mary Baker Eddy
How to handle M.A.M. Love is all-powerful. Love is omnipotent. Love is All. Thy kingdom has come. Thy will is done on earth as it is in heaven, and earth is heaven.
from Collectanea, by Mary Baker Eddy
When animal magnetism has done its worst, it has done nothing.
When animal magnetism has howled and howled, it has done nothing.
from Collectanea, by Mary Baker Eddy
Do we not all understand cowardice never conquers? To get rid of temptation of any sort or to get out of a difficulty, we are not passive and let the wrong rule the right, but we struggle and thus conquer. We should not avoid the things that hurt us, but repeat them and meet them as their superior. Disease is a coward that leaves when you are not afraid of it.
from Collectanea, by Mary Baker Eddy
In one of Mrs. Eddy’s classes there was a woman who had a strong sense of resentment and condemnation toward her husband, who was very immoral. Mrs. Eddy said to her that Jesus healed the Magdalen by condemning the sin, but not the woman. The lady answered, “Yes, but I have not the consciousness that Jesus had.” Our Leader instantly rebuked this by saying that she could claim the Christ-consciousness, for otherwise she could not heal a single case of sin or sickness. The student’s consciousness was so illumined that her state of mind completely changed toward her husband, and when she returned home, she found him healed.
from Collectanea, by Mary Baker Eddy
Astrology. Belief in a horoscope is a mortal thought, and it does actually affect human lives until it is overcome by Christian Science. Every human being comes under its influence, unless, and until, we meet it with the truth. Astrologists believe that a man can improve on his horoscope. Mrs. Eddy said we were to know that there was no solar, lunar or planetary influence.
from Collectanea, by Mary Baker Eddy
What is it that argues to people, “You do not want to practice; it is too uphill work and you can get along without it?”
What is it that sends people out of town when they are needed at home; that sends them to Europe or some out of the way place when they might be better employed?
What says to people, “Confine your work entirely to the poor and uninfluential?”
What sends a lady, who is in a position to do well in Science, to the child bed?
What unites an unmarried Scientist, who is promising as such, to one who can destroy such usefulness and blight such prospects?
from Collectanea, by Mary Baker Eddy
Question. How do mortals grow into immortals? S. & H. 292:27 (Old Edition).
Answer. As darkness grows into light by the darkness disappearing. St. John the Revelator caught the true vision of man and the universe; in it there was no night, no matter, no mortal mind. This state of being is the reality of all scientific consciousness and it is here and now. Jesus said the kingdom of heaven is already within you and in proportion as the mortal, which is mortal — even sin, sickness and death — disappears until the immortal appears. Mortals grow into immortals in the sense only that the mortal is found nothing, and the immortal the only thing, fact, and mode of being.
This is Science in contradiction to Kant’s philosophy that nature makes mortals and in turn mortals make nature.
from Collectanea, by Mary Baker Eddy
The “Shadow Of Egypt” Dispelled by Anne Cleveland Cheney
The Word Made Flesh, from Addresses by Martha Wilcox
The Illusion of Animal Magnetism by Daniel Jensen