Mimicry

The world defines mimicry as "the act, practice, or art of mimicking"; biologically, mimicry is "the resemblance of one organism to another or to an object in its surroundings for concealment and protection from predators." To mimic means "to copy or imitate closely, especially in speech, expression, and gesture."

Mimicry is how we imitate or pattern after the actions and speech of those around us. Mimicry is an instinctive mental faculty, highly developed in the child. Every child will pattern after the most influential soul in its environment, whether that soul is a highly-developed nurturer or a brutal predator.

Mimicry often breeds "followers" who follow the leader in imitating behavior, attitudes, opinions and prejudices that pass for thinking. Thus, mimics stunt their ability to think for themselves. Mimicry is a holdover of creature consciousness.

Edna Lister on Mimicry

Surrender to law creates freedom, and love becomes the point of attachment. This admits no pretense or pose. One who adopts a pose is one who thinks he is acting as if he were, but is absorbed in self. When you are truly loving, you are absorbed in God. – Edna Lister, Freedom, October 31, 1934.

You must overcome all hypocrisy, pretense, doubt, and selfishness. To pretend is to cover up less-than-Godlike desires, or to make-believe. – Edna Lister, The Third Degree, March 30, 1935.

Mimicry is an instinctive capacity, one of nine original soul faculties you start with at birth, making you a creator. – Edna Lister, Building Character, April 18, 1936.

"Thou shalt not live by false pretenses" or surely you shall die. – Edna Lister, February 22, 1940.

You must become as perfect as your Father in Heaven. Pretense is not good enough. Tricks give you something for nothing in the short-term, but work in reverse over the long haul. – Edna Lister, The First Days, June 17, 1951.

"And God wrought special miracles by the hands of Paul: So that from his body were brought unto the sick handkerchiefs or aprons, and the diseases departed from them, and the evil spirits went out of them. Then certain of the vagabond Jews, exorcists, took upon them to call over them which had evil spirits the name of the Lord Jesus, saying, We adjure you by Jesus whom Paul preacheth. And there were seven sons of one Sceva, a Jew, and chief of the priests, which did so. And the evil spirit answered and said, Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are ye? And the man in whom the evil spirit was leaped on them, and overcame them, and prevailed against them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded." – Acts 19:11-16. The evil spirit knew Jesus’ name, but asked the sons of Sceva, "Who are you?" They imitated what they had heard Paul say, but words spoken without consciousness of their meaning are weak and work only sometimes. A miracle is the reverse. – Edna Lister, Miracles or Demonstration? September 4, 1955.

You must persistently declare "it" good, whatever it is. There is a pretense of glory and a pretense of false pride. If you are consecrated and act in love, you can pretend until you can know glory. – Edna Lister, July 15, 1956.

We may not mimic or pretend to virtues and faculties that we have not already opened. This is living by false pretenses. To be satisfied with mimicry is to parrot old laws and truth. – Edna Lister, Ten Commandments and Beatitudes, November 4, 1958.

The first three faculties are mimicry, memory and perception, which are instinctive capacities, related to self, or subconscious development. All three stem from God having made us in His image and likeness. Mimicry is how you imitate the actions and speech of those around you. The child learns by mimicking. – Edna Lister, Is it Right to Ask for Myself? June 14, 1960.