Are We Facing Reality?

Marian Crist Lippitt

Reality has two definitions: what actual exists; and what underlies appearances.

What underlies the appearance of any matter that claims our attention is its purpose-and-power - its “spirit,” if you please. So if one is out of touch with the purpose of something, he is out of touch with the reality of that thing, in the highest sense of the word; and unaware, too, of its spirit. Scientists admit that they can never perceive reality, and must be content with relative knowledge; and also, that because “man is an indivisible whole of extreme complexity, no simple representation of him is obtainable.” Yet from another source of knowledge, we find that reality has been unveiled. It has been put into words, analyzed and organized into what is call the science of reality. And it includes a true representation of man. Thus a comprehensible concept of our reality is available. The science of reality does not ask for faith in what it reveals, however. It presents what may seem incredible as simple postulates, and asks that these be tested for dependability. They have been proved true by many individuals.

The science of reality introduces the following postulates:

1. Everything that exists in the domain of reality has a source.
2. Everything that exists emanates from its source in one of two ways:
   the source manifests it; or the source creates it.

For example: a tree manifests its fruit. The fruit is a manifestation of the tree. The tree is its source, and the fruit manifests a form or reveals the reality of the source. The fruit partakes of the life of the tree.

On the other hand, and artist creates a picture. The picture is a creation, composed of available elements or materials, and the artist is its source. From the picture we learn something of the source’s relation to the picture, but the picture does not reveal the artist otherwise. It is not part of the artist. As a thing, it may be a perfect creation, but it does not partake of the artist’s perfection.

Existence, accordingly, has been classified into three categories:

1. The Source
2. What the Source manifests - the Greater World of Manifestation
3. What the Sources creates - the Lesser World, called Creation

DEFINITIONS ( based on Postulates):

Greater World - is a form of the Source, partakes of the attributes and mature of the Source, and reveals the Reality of the Source
Lesser World - merely reflects some qualities or aspects of the Source; it does not reveal, manifest or share the Reality of the Source.
Man- is the greatest Emanation from the Source. The manifested Man is divine, like the Source, superhuman. The created man is human, and of limited perfections, although reflecting the attributes of Divinity. (note Capital M for Manifested Man, small m for created man)