Recently it came to my attention that I was accepting that there was a material universe and a spiritual universe. When I stopped to pray, I withdrew from the material and entered into the absolute perfection of God's spiritual creation. But since I only have one consciousness, how does that work? Flip-flop back and forth? Is that what Jesus was implying when he instructed us how to pray?
"When thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and,
when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father
which is in secret; and thy Father, which seeth in
secret, shall reward thee openly."
The following explanation, in Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy, does not indicate two universes!
"In order to pray aright, we must enter into the
closet and shut the door. We must close the lips and
silence the material senses. In the quiet
sanctuary of earnest longings, we must
deny sin and plead God's allness. We must resolve to
take up the cross, and go forth with honest hearts to
work and watch for wisdom, Truth, and Love. We
must 'pray without ceasing.' Such prayer is an-
swered, in so far as we put our desires into practice.
The Master's injunction is, that we pray in secret and
let our lives attest our sincerity."
We have one consciousness, and the more resolute we are to take up the cross, to go forth with an honest heart to work and watch for wisdom, God's will, the more clearly will appear the only universe there is, the spiritual universe, God's perfect creation. Jesus was the Way which ultimated in the Ascension.