Substance

from The Revealing Word by Charles Fillmore

Substance is the divine idea of the underlying reality of all things. Substance is everywhere present, pervades all things and inspires to action. It underlies all manifestation and is spiritual essence, the living energy, out of which everything is made and all the attributes of being are expressed. It sustains and enriches any idea that is projected into it. Divine substance is our supply. Out of it, we form whatever we will according to our faith and understanding. By entering into the silence and acknowledging divine substance, we realizes that we are in Oneness with it.

The spiritual realization of divine substance enriches the thought-stuff of the mind. When one puts away the belief in the reality of matter, there follows a realization of the presence of true substance. The thought of matter as nothing more than only itself, is a mortal concept. This thought-stuff may be made active by holding an affirmation. The rich substance of the Kingdom of God pours its plenty perpetually into minds and affairs of all prospering in every way.

Substance in Metaphysics

In traditional metaphysics, the concept of substance serves as a foundational pillar for understanding the nature of reality. Derived from the Latin substantia, meaning “that which stands under,” substance refers to that which exists independently and underlies all properties and changes in things. It is what persists through transformation and what gives identity to entities over time.

The roots of the concept trace back to Aristotle, who introduced the Greek term ousia to describe substance. In his Metaphysics, Aristotle distinguished between the physical primary substances—individual entities like a particular tree or person—and secondary substances, such as species or genera (e.g., “tree” or “human”). For Aristotle, a substance is “that which is neither said of a subject nor in a subject,” meaning it exists in its own right and not merely as a property of something else. He also emphasized the distinction between substance and qualities—the latter being attributes like color or size that depend on a substance but do not exist independently.

In contrast, Plato, Aristotle’s teacher, held a different view. While he did not use the term “substance” in the same way, his theory of Forms posited that the true reality lies in abstract, immutable entities rather than in the physical world. For Plato, the material world is a shadow of the real world of Forms, which are perfect and unchanging.

The concept of substance evolved significantly in the early modern period. René Descartes defined substance as “a thing which exists in such a way as to depend on no other thing for its existence.” He famously posited two kinds of created substances: res extensa (extended substance, or matter) and res cogitans (thinking substance, or mind). This dualism laid the groundwork for centuries of debate about the relationship between mind and body.

Baruch Spinoza, a 17th-century rationalist, radically redefined substance. In his Ethics, he argued that there is only one substance—God or Nature—which is infinite and self-caused. Everything else is a mode or expression of this single substance. This monistic view stood in stark contrast to Descartes’ dualism.

In any case, Substance will support you and manifest your creations.

06/29/25