In January we typically study the four initial chapters of The Science of Mind. Now it is February and we are talking about the body which just happens to be the title of chapter five.
So let’s start with the definition of body from the glossary of the Science of Mind.
Body: The outward form. The entire manifestation of spirit, both visible and invisible, is the body of God. Within this one body of God is included all lesser bodies.
Ernest Holmes on Page 98
The word body as used in the Science of Mind means all objective manifestations of the invisible Principle of life. The body is distinguished from the idea, in that the body is seen while the idea is invisible. The physical universe is the Body of God — the invisible principle of all life. Our physical being is the body of the Unseen man. Behind the objective form of the Rose is the idea that projects the rose. Body is always an effect, never a cause. Body expresses intelligence, It’s apparent Intelligence being lent by the Consciousness which permeates it. We would not say that Consciousness is in the body, but rather that the body is in consciousness!
And Further on Page 99
The physical body is evolved for the purpose of allowing Consciousness to function on this plane. The body is necessary to this plane, since only through a physical body can we properly function here. To say that the body is unreal is a mistake. It is real but it is an effect, not an entity. It may yet be proven at the mine completely controls the body, and that the body is but a reflection of the Mind.
And On Page 101
Everything we see, touch, taste, feel, hear or grasp with the physical senses is an effect. Things which are seen are not made of things which do appear. What we see comes from that which we do not see.
Forms come and go but the power back of them is changeless.
Form is temporary but Mind is eternal.
And So It Is