Bookstore Buzz
by Betty Porrazzo and Sharon Hamant

Myrtle Fillmore - Her Background and Mission
By Sharon Hamant

Most Unity students know how Charles and Myrtle Fillmore’s inspirational leadership created the great movement that has evolved into a powerful religious philosophy today. Myrtle’s life is a reminder that rarely do true callings miraculously happen but are discovered and nourished throughout our existence.

Myrtle was born in Ohio, two decades before the Civil War, August 6, 1845. Her christened name was Mary Caroline Page. Her parents were strict Methodists and she grew up listening to the limited beliefs and threat of punishments by a puritanical God. Even at a young age, she “protested against the declaration that I was by nature evil and sinful.” Her love of reading led her to hide in corners to read the books that her brothers were allowed to read and she was not. She was a sickly child, and reading was her great pleasure. Already the seeds were being planted for the accomplishments she had not even imagined.

She completed high school, worked for a Columbus, Ohio newspaper, and at age 21 enrolled in “The Literary Course for Ladies” at Oberlin College, a one-year course of study, after which she received her teaching license. She took a teaching job in Clinton, Missouri, and worked for the Clinton school system for the next 13 years, leaving only once to try to recover from tuberculosis in Denison, Texas. How fateful that her illness brought about her meeting Charles during that recovery period; they married three years later.

They moved several times during those first years and had two sons, Lowell and Rickert, finally settling in Kansas City in 1885, where their third son, Royal, was born. Tuberculosis and stomach problems dominated her life until she attended a Christian Science lecture in 1886. She said, “I must have been fully ready for the initial lesson, for it filled and satisfied all empty, hungry longings of my soul and heart.”

How many of us have felt the same way when we began to understand the Unity message? After that, she set out to heal herself (and eventually others), again not miraculously but with time and patience.

Myrtle could not have pursued her work and study of Christian Science, which led to her and Charles developing their own philosophy, without the help from an important person, Mary Georgiana Fillmore, “Grandma Fillmore,” as she was known. She was in her early 50’s, separated from Charles’ father and only nine years older than Myrtle who was nine years older than Charles. “Momsy,” as Myrtle called her, came to live with them to take care of their three young boys, all under age eight, another happenstance that freed Myrtle to involve her completely in healing and developing Unity principles.

The first half of Myrtle’s life with its ill-health, the school teaching, the “chance” meeting with Charles, was the preparation for what was to come - a second half that is still changing the world. Did she know all of this was to be her legacy, and do we know that our calling could well be happening even as we read this short biography?

Torch-Bearer to Light the Way, The Life of Myrtle Fillmore, Neal Vahle, Open View Press, Mill Valley, CA, 1996.

COME IN and see our new gift selections, and don’t forget to put yourself on the receiving end of these delightful items, too!

Candles, including travel tins
Rattan Reed Diffusers
Glycerin Soap
Dead Sea Bath Salts from Scented Soap & Candle Company

AND MORE - Browse around to find:
Magnets
Cards
Incense
Quilts (by Roleen Lewis)
Jewelry
AND many of the latest and classic New Age books. See our local artists Debbie Crews' new cards for every occasion and Raphaella Vaisseau's creative magnets and cards.

Reverend Patricia ordered "The 12 Powers" sets of soy candles for the Bookstore. She will be discussing one power a month for the entire year. Each month has a color; January is dark green for Divine Order. The scent is the gentle White Tea, and the candles cost $12 each. Collect all 12, or pick your favorite power color. Each candle burns without soot for 80 hours and won't hurt the environment.

Just About Books:

Children’s Section:

The anniversary edition of The Giving Tree is in our children’s section, a perfect gift for a special child or grandchild. It’s a keeper! Milton’s Secret by Eckert Tolle – yes, he has written a book for children using a backdrop of bullying to weave a compelling story of a bright boy named Milton who encounters difficult situations. Reverend Patricia asked for On the Day You Were Born celebrating the joy and wonder of anyone’s birthday. Children cannot help feeling loved when this book is read to them.

Adult selections include Reverend Patricia’s Picks:

The Instruction: A step-by-step program for realizing personal fulfillment. This book takes you through ten “doorways” to unveil the life plan your soul created before you were even born.

The Moses Code: James Twyman reveals for the first time, how The Moses Code is the most powerful manifestation tool in the world. I loved it! Soon to be a course given by Reverend Patricia

Living the Wisdom of the Tao: 81 short verses which encourage you to change your life by literally changing the way you think. This book encompasses profound ideas from Lao-tzu.

Soul on Fire: A magical collection of stories describing the awakening of spiritual powers of an Episcopal priest turned shaman.

The Magic Box by Egan Sanders
A story about a young boy who encounters a Wizard who lives in the woods near his house. The Wizard guides the boy throughout his life with wisdom and kindness. Whether the Wizard’s box is magic or whether it gives the boy the self-confidence he needs to succeed is for the reader to determine. The book can be read at one sitting and includes the key to the box’s magic at the end. All readers, young and old, could grow from the secrets the “magic” the box contains.

Little Wave and Old Swell: A Fable of Life and Its Passing by Jim Ballard
This timeless tale recounts the journey across the sea made by impetuous Little Wave and his teacher, Old Swell. Their
allegorical adventures promote discussion of the age-old questions: Where did I come from? What is the nature of life? What happens when I die? Little Wave’s discovery that he is composed not of water, but of energy, illustrates the truth that humans are more than just physical forms. The simple metaphor of a wave rising out of the ocean, learning important lessons, then sinking back to the place it came from, imbues a universal mystery with a charm both uncomplicated and strangely familiar.

The Dolphin: Story of a Dreamer by Sergio F. Bambaren:
Those of you who were fortunate enough to hear and meet Mr. Bambaren at his book signing at Unity would not be surprised by the sensitive, thought-provoking nature of his book. Mr. Bambaren poured out his heart to us, and although we did not know the nature of the challenge that he was facing, our positive attitude and welcoming hearts touched him. His book is about freedom and finding your right place in the universe. Daniel Dolphin knows that there is more out there than the tiny lagoon where he lives with his pod. He leaves his family and friends to pursue the ultimate wave, his dream. His search teaches him more about the world and the good and bad in human beings, but it also enforces his belief in dreaming. He returns to his pod and teaches them how to dream.

Book Review

Angels Sing in Me, The James Dillet Freeman Memorial Book, compiled and edited by Michael
A. Maday and Philip White.

Angels sing in me - that’s what James Dillet
Freeman thought when words and poems filled his head. He always had pen and paper ready for the messages. Did you know that he came to our church years ago and spoke? I wonder how many of you actually had the privilege of meeting him and looking into his kind eyes. I would love to hear from you about your interaction with him, however brief. (Please write it down and bring it to me in the bookstore, and we will put it on our website.) This large, beautiful, hardback book is a keepsake for those of you who have a special place in your heart for Unity’s poet laureate. Freeman was associated with Unity for more than 70 years as a minister, poet and author, and an educator and spokesperson for the movement. He lived to be 91.

To those unfamiliar with his work, think "Prayer for Protection," because he wrote it, and then there is his poem, "I Am There." Both of these pieces made it to the moon and were left there by our astronauts. Compiled by Freeman’s good friends and editors, Michael Maday and Philip White, instead of a chronological biography, they chose to divide his work into topical chapters such as God, Jesus, purpose, meaning, grief, faith and prayer. Many illustrations fill the book, not only of Freeman but flowers, birds, butterflies and trees - the things he loved. He said his mission was "to help people not to hurt so much." His body of work continues to prove that he fulfilled his mission. - Sharon Hamant

Ageless Body, Timeless Mind
by Deepak Chopra, M.D.
Deepak Chopra writes, "We are the only creatures on earth who can change our biology by what we think and feel. We possess the only nervous system that is aware of the phenomenon of aging... Our cells are constantly eavesdropping on our thoughts and being changed by them." That is the premise of his book on aging. If you already believe that we have control over our physical bodies to the extent that we can alter our cells by our thinking, you will gain further insight. If you have never thought about it, Chopra will educate you. It is controversial, and there are probably many scientists who would challenge his views, but many students of Unity would consider it quite reasonable.

Chopra backs up his premise with examples from leading researchers and studies on the effects of aging. He discusses topics such as quantum physics, the theory of timelessness, the science of longevity and the illusion of death. If you would like to reinforce your concepts or change the traditional view of aging and time that you have always known, take your time and study this well-written and innovative book. - Sharon Hamant

Other books to consider:
You Can Have an Amazing Life in Just 60 days!
by Dr. John F. Demartini
Sixty inspiring laws that the author lives by and has taught to financial planners, corporate executives, health care professionals, actors, sports personalities and other professionals. Using an interactive workbook approach, you can apply one law a day and help yourself to an amazing life.

God Stories edited by Jennifer Skiff
A God story is a miracle-like experience that proves God exists. Jennifer Skiff presents "reassuring, hopeful and unforgettable" stores about divine intervention. Each chapter is a complete story, so it is a good book to have on hand when you’re sitting by the ocean or waiting in traffic.

The bookstore is open Sunday from 9:15 AM to 12:30 PM, and Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday 10 AM to 3 PM.