Understanding: Wilma Flintstone

This week we continue our journey through the 12 Powers. I keep going over the basic premise because new people join the journey all the time and may not know what 12 powers means. So the Powers are the 12 spiritual faculties or gifts that Charles Fillmore described. We look at them one at a time but actually we have them all, all the time and they work together. Often one power is enhanced or strengthened in combination with other powers. And although there are 12 (or 13 in my theory but that’s another sermon), like the colors of the rainbow generated when white light passes through a prism, all our powers are aspects of the One Power, the One Light. We can call that Divinity, Spirit, God, the Universe: the name doesn’t matter. The powers are unique aspects of Oneness, expressed through us.

Understanding was a little challenging at first to try to explain. Chuck, or Charles Fillmore, was not really that helpful. In his book, The 12 Powers of Man, he keeps switching back and forth between wisdom and understanding. Well, they aren’t the same and which one are you talking about? The dictionary says understanding is the capacity to understand. Whoa, that was helpful! So here is what I did. I went within to try to let my meaning of understanding arise and then I looked for evidence that supported that. So here is what I got.

Fillmore does say in the Revealing Word, “Spiritual understanding is the quickening of the Spirit within. Spiritual understanding is the ability of the mind to apprehend and realize the laws of thought and the relation of ideas one to another.”

Spiritual understanding is the “quickening of the Spirit within”. This for me goes beyond the ability of the mind to apprehend. It is when what the mind apprehends moves to a deeper level: the knowing of the heart. It is when the mind stops doubting the information being fed it and begins to utilize the laws and principles on its own as a certainty. Spiritual Understanding for me is that “Aha” moment. It is that point at which information and experience click in a new way and I know that I know.

Fillmore says that spiritual understanding comes two ways and then describes them in the Revealing Word. I agree there are two ways but I disagree with what those are. So if you are interested in Chuck’s take on it, please read the 1

Revealing Word. I’m going to give you my two ways and Charles and Myrtle actually demonstrate the two very different ways to come to spiritual understanding.

First there is the slower, methodical, intellectual path. This of course was Charles’ path. He was very much the intellectual and the scientific theorist. Charles read Emerson and Thoreau and science and new Thought writers. He studied the Bible and he observed Myrtle’s healing process. He experimented with meditation, testing for results. And at some point, his mind was sufficiently conditioned to be receptive and he GOT IT! He understood in a deep way the principles and the spiritual laws he read about and he was able to utilize them in his own life. Not as an experiment but as a way of living.

The second path is much faster; perhaps instantaneous. This was Myrtle’s path. Myrtle came to a lecture by E.B. Weeks and heard, “You are a child of God and therefore you do not inherit sickness.” Like an arrow shot into the very depths of her being, she knew that statement was Truth. Truth with a big T. Somehow she was open and receptive to that spiritual understanding and she immediately set about utilizing it in her life to heal. Her process took two years but it was the process of healing, not a process of conditioning her mind for understanding the principle. Her “aha!” was at that lecture. Some people call this intuitive knowing.

Now if this is understanding, what is wisdom? When we talked about Mr. Peabody’s wisdom, we talked about discernment; the ability to distinguish truth and make choices in alignment with truth. Fillmore talks about “comparisons” in understanding but for me, wisdom is the ability to discern and to choose. Understanding is the deep inner knowing of principle and law and knowing how to apply that in our lives. Both wisdom and understanding are necessary for a balanced life.

So what does any of that have to do with the Flintstones? I didn’t really know but Wilma was the character that came to me for understanding so I did my research. The Flintstones was a prime-time animated series that ran for 6 years from September 30th, 1960 through April 1st, 1966. The show was created by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera. They also created Tom and Jerry, Huckleberry Hound and Quick Draw McGraw. With the Flintstones they were looking for a vehicle to appeal to both young and adult audiences. Their

2 vehicle was to set modern situations into the stone age, creating pre-historic animal powered options for modern technology. Names were all based on rocks and stones. It was basically a sit-com based heavily on Jackie Gleason’s very successful Honeymooners. Jackie Gleason was dissuaded from challenging copyright infringement by being asked if he wanted to be the one responsible for taking Fred Flintstone off the air. He declined. Like the Honeymooners, the main characters for the Flintstones are two couples, Fred and Wilma Flintstone and their neighbors and friends, Betty and Barney Rubble. Just as Jackie had his trademark exclamations, Fred’s “Yabba Dabba Doo” is still echoed today.

During the first two seasons the primary sponsor was Winston cigarettes. Fred and Barney were seen in advertisements and smoked in the show. When Wilma became pregnant in the third season, Winston withdrew and Welch’s became the primary sponsor. At this point, the show became much more family friendly although it was always a favorite with children. Pebbles soon adopted grape juice as her favorite treat and the Flintstones were part of marketing for Welch’s grape jelly. For a 60’s cartoon, the show took on some interesting topics: feminism, infertility, adoption, friendship, marriage and fidelity, self-esteem and alien guidance (in the Great Gazoo).

Wilma Flintstone was the perfect antithesis for Fred’s character. As volatile as Fred is, Wilma is calm and patient. And here is where I think I got Wilma as the character for understanding: for as much trouble as Fred thinks himself into, Wilma seems to understand on a deeper level the intent of his actions or sometimes, the lesson he is learning. Wilma can get angry as Fred bumbles his way into some calamity but eventually she forgives and moves into compassion. Wilma has two distinctly different ways to say his name, “Fred!” or “Oh Fred”(sighing). While Fred appears to have little insight into the consequences of his actions or to be able to choose wisely, I suspect there is a wisdom there he simply does not trust. This seemed to be brought out more as the Great Gazoo tried to give Fred and Barney guidance. When that guidance was not consistent with what they wanted or intellectually thought, they disregarded it. Usually with some disastrous outcome they had to then muddle through. You have the sense that on some level, usually voiced by Barney, they knew what was right, they just couldn’t overcome the sense conscious, intellectual guidance to do otherwise.

Wilma, on the other hand, trusts what she knows, especially about Fred. Even in the face of evidence to the contrary, she goes to that place of knowing the Truth about him, his best self.

One of the other things that I am doing right now is participating in the Thriving Practices class on Wednesday evenings. As I worked on this talk I was struck by the idea that Understanding is key to prosperity. Perhaps paired with Wisdom but definitely Understanding.

For me, there are two concepts essential to living a life of well-being in every area. That is my definition of prosperity, which I borrowed from Eric Butterworth: well-being manifesting in every area of life.

The first concept is that God, the Good, the Divine, the Creator, is the one Source for all that I am, can be and desire. Whatever I want to become or change or manifest, the only Source or path is through my relationship with Spirit. Not my job or some person or agency or education or anything else. Just me and the Divine, co-creating.

The second concept is that the Universe operates on the law and principle of flow. The Universe is not static. It is an energetic exchange in constant motion of creating and destroying, accepting and releasing, sleeping and awakening. When I stop participating in flow—through fear or by holding on or by simply closing down—the Universe can no longer respond to my needs and flow through me. Sometimes we call this the law of giving and receiving. My body changes, I love it and continue to care for it as it serves me. My relationships change, I give love and receive it, allowing individual relationships to come and go. My work changes, I accept new challenges, make time for rest and allow the flow. My finances are a flow of money coming in through many expected and unexpected channels and flowing out to meet my needs and return to where I am spiritually fed. If I close down in fear in any one of these areas, I disrupt the flow. If I restrict any area, I restrict the flow.

We study these concepts. We speak them. We write them down. On an intellectual level we might even believe we know them. Like Charles Fillmore, on an intellectual level we might still be experimenting and trying to prove them. But true prosperity and well-being begins with Spiritual Understanding. 4

When we have that “Aha” and know at our deepest level that these concepts are true and we begin to utilize them in our lives, then prosperity begins to unfold. I don’t believe there is a right or wrong path to Spiritual Understanding. Ultimately it is about receptivity, openness to something new. We can condition ourselves with affirmations and practice, or the “Fake it til you make it” method. Or one day we may have an experience that moves what we know intellectually into that space of being what we know we know. I believe we can unlearn what we have learned but I don’t believe we can un- know what we have come to spiritually understand. When we are grounded in spiritual understanding, we are not dissuaded by appearances in the outer world. Even when we waiver, and sometimes we do falter, we return to the Truth we know.

The Universe supports us on this journey: whether we live in the Stone Age Bedrock or the more modern Lehigh Valley.

We may spend our time like Fred, worried about our job, our boss, some get- rich scheme or some other outer world distraction. We may react in some less than beneficial way. We may make some less than optimal choices. In those moments, I imagine the Universe is shouting, “Fred!” But every time we move closer to spiritual understanding; every time we center ourselves in that deeper knowing of God as our Source and our role in the flow, I imagine the Universe sighing, “Oh Fred”.

Bedrock is where the Flintstones live. One of the definitions of “Bedrock” is: the very basis; the foundation. Spiritual Understanding, the quickening of Spirit that gives us a deeper knowing of principle and how to utilize it, is the foundation of living the Truth we know. And that is the most prosperous life possible.