Practical Metaphysics: A New Insight in Truth
by Eric Butterworth
Book Review by Joan Boyle
Practical Metaphysics: A New Insight in Truth by Eric Butterworth is a learning opportunity to discover the means to live, actually live, from a deeper place of conscious - "to live the abundant, true life you desire." It is actually a transcription from a class set of audiocassettes transcribed by Rev. Mark Hicks, Founder of TruthUnity and edited by Rev. Michael Maday, M.A. an ordained Unity minister.
In the Forward to Practical Metaphysics, Rev. Maday writes about "developing and supporting the business of fully expressing our God nature, each of us doing what Jesus suggested we do with our lives, following in his footsteps, knowing all he did we can do too, and more."
Chapter by chapter the reader learns that metaphysics is per Butterworth a kind of perception, not a thing in and of itself anymore than religion is a thing. For this reason there may be a need to unlearn a few things.
Metaphysics is intended to be practiced, not studied.
By means of lectures, exercises, and meditations the reader learns what it means to live metaphysically, to practice it, to live day by day within the Oneness of God. A relatively short book with only 203 pages, it is written in an easily read conversational style, but that's where simplicity disappears. Drawing contrasts with what people may have been taught of religious teachings such as catechisms and prayer recitation early on, Butterworth declares that metaphysics is not the same. It is meant to be practiced, therefore must be practical.
Metaphysics is physical, and repeatable.
Practical metaphysics is defined as the persistent attempt to relate to the reality beyond appearances but as a dimension of that experience. And the reader always keeps the concept of the whole experience - along with the opportunity to expand vocabularies. "Abstruse" 'for example is used in this first chapter, and can be taken to mean "scholarly."
Nonetheless Butterworth goes on to make his points deeply, richly clear, which is why the value of this book lies in thoughtful consideration to our own individual spiritual needs and interests, meaning it is worth taking the time to be involved with it, potentially a while. At this point we can ask ourselves if this is worth the time to increase our spiritual awareness, and improve our lives to practice life in the "Eachness - us" with the "Allness - God," Living in the Spirit. This reviewer is convinced this is indeed worth the effort of the practice.
We Live and Practice in Our Own Environment
Our environment can become something totally separate from us, possibly hostile and unfriendly, and beyond our control. Our senses are the key to providing the link to our environment, but we try to understand them before we deny them to say " I am a spiritual being." Butterworth says the fact is we can change our environment, because our environment is our sensual awareness of that which environs us. Our feelings, our thoughts environ us. Butterworth provides examples of this including the colors of the rainbow which are gathered from colorless light, but from which we see beautiful auras of color through our interpreting minds. Or, an orchestra may be playing a beautiful song which we may hear through our senses, but a dog will only hear sounds.
We can Change our Environment by Changing our Feelings and our Thoughts
One of Butterworth's first exercises includes the Mirror Feedback Technique: literally and figuratively standing before a mirror periodically, looking at ourselves - without sticking out our tongues- and asking ourselves, "Who do you think you are?" As we do this we should remember we are not simply flesh, but we are individualized expressions of the Divine process expressing as us. We need to build up a new awareness, or begin to see ourselves as Paul says, "Not in a mirror darkly, but face to face." ( I Corinthians13:12). We each have a God potential within us and we have to respond, and every time life presents us with a challenge of any kind, shape, or form, life is asking us, 'Who do you think you are?" How are we supposed to respond? "I AM" is the response." We have the capacity to deal with the problem, and as the son/daughter of the living God, we are able to know we can get through the problem.
"Christ in you, your hope of glory." (Colossians 1:27)
Butterworth says it has been assumed that Apostle Paul was saying that "Jesus in you is the hope of your life." In fact, Jesus discovered this divine dimension and he was called, figuratively, "Jesus Christ," but Christ is the God possibility in every person. This is our hope of overcoming, our hope of growing, and doing the greater things that Jesus promised we can do. This represents a depth of us, not something that can be added on, or put into by believing in somebody else, even in Jesus.
"God created man in his own image, and after his own likeness."(Genesis 1:26,27).
Described as possibly the most majestic statement in the Bible, this is the reality of us from the very beginning, the foundation of our lives. The heart of Jesus' teaching was the "I AM-ness" of every individual, the divinity of every man. Unfortunately, as Butterworth discusses, Christian tradition has supported the concept of the miserable sinner nature of man. He goes on to quote Jesus in John 14:12, "There are the things that I do, you can do, too, and greater things shall you do if you have faith." Jesus discovered this and demonstrated this, referring to the divine possibility in everyone of us.
We begin by knowing our Christ Potential
There's no way we can become spiritual, because deep in our hearts we are already spiritual. This is the reality of us. But because we have been conditioned to believe in our brains as sealed compartments, we need to wake up, becoming aware of I AM.
How we become aware of I AM, strengthening our faith and gaining confidence in prayers and actions is what the Butterworth teachings reinforce in the rest of this book. Every chapter includes supportive discussion, exercises, prayer and meditation involving quiet self reflection, and supporting our efforts to grow towards Living in the Spirit, the ALLNESS/ONENESS with GOD.