The Master Key System
Parts 1 and 2
by Charles F. Haanel
INTRODUCTION
Nature compels us all to move
through life. We could not remain stationary however
much we wished. Every right-thinking person wants
not merely to move through life like a
sound-producing, perambulating plant, but to develop
– to improve – and to continue the development
mentally to the close of physical life.
This development can occur only
through the improvement of the quality of individual
thought and the ideals, actions and conditions that
arise as a consequence. Hence a study of the
creative processes of thought and how to apply them
is of supreme importance to each one of us. This
knowledge is the means whereby the volution of human
life on earth may be hastened and uplifted in the
process.
Humanity ardently seeks “The Truth”
and explores every avenue to it. In this process it
has produced a special literature, which ranges the
whole gamut of thought from the trivial to the
sublime – up from Divination, through all the
Philosophies, to the final lofty Truth of “The
Master Key”.
The “Master Key” is here given to
the world as a means of tapping the great cosmic
intelligence and attracting from it that which
corresponds to the ambitions, and aspirations of
each reader.
Every thing and institution we see
around us, created by human agency, had first to
exist as a thought in some human mind. Thought
therefore is constructive. Human thought is the
spiritual power of the cosmos operating through its
creature man. “The Master Key” instructs the reader
how to use that power, and use it both
constructively and creatively. The things and
conditions we desire to become realities we must
first create in thought. “The Master Key” explains
and guides the process………
“The Master Key” teaching has
hitherto been published in the form of a
Correspondence Course of 24 lessons, delivered to
students one per week for 24 weeks. The reader, who
now receives the whole 24 parts at one times, is
warned not to attempt to read the book like a novel,
but to treat it as a course of study and
conscientiously to imbibe the meaning of each part –
reading and re-reading one part only per week before
proceeding to the next. Otherwise the later parts
will tend to be misunderstood and the reader’s time
and money will be wasted.
Used as thus instructed “The Master
Key” will make of the reader a greater, better
personality, and equipped with a new power to
achieve any worthy personal purpose and a new
ability to enjoy life’s beauty and wonder.
F.H. BURGESS
FOREWORD
Some men seem to attract success,
power, wealth, attainment, with very little
conscious effort; others conquer with great
difficulty; still others fail altogether to reach
their ambitions, desires and ideals. Why is this so:
Why should some men realize their ambitions easily,
others with difficulty, and still others not at all?
The cause cannot be physical, else the most perfect
men, physically, would be the most successful. The
difference, therefore, must be mental - must be in
the mind; hence mind must be the creative force,
must constitute the sole difference between men. It
is mind, therefore, which overcomes environment and
every other obstacle in the path of men.
When the creative power of thought
is fully understood, its effect will be seen to be
marvellous. But such results cannot be secured
without proper application, diligence, and
concentration. The student will find that the laws
governing in the mental and spiritual world are as
fixed and infallible as in the material world. To
secure the desired results, then, it is necessary to
know the law and to comply with it. A proper
compliance with the law will be found to produce the
desired result with invariable exactitude. The
student who learns that power comes from within,
that he is weak only because he has depended on help
from outside, and who unhesitatingly throws himself
on his own thought, instantly rights himself, stands
erect, assumes a dominant attitude, and works
miracles.
It is evident, therefore, that he
who fails to fully investigate and take advantage of
the wonderful progress which is being made in this
last and greatest science, will soon be as far
behind as the man who would refuse to acknowledge
and accept the benefits which have accrued to
mankind through an understanding of the laws of
electricity.
Of course, mind creates negative
conditions just as readily as favourable conditions,
and when we consciously or unconsciously visualize
every kind of lack, limitation and discord, we
create these conditions; this is what many are
unconsciously doing all the time.
This law as well as every other law
is no respecter of persons, but is in constant
operation and is relentlessly bringing to each
individual exactly what he has created; in other
words, "Whatsoever a man soweth that shall he also
reap."
Abundance, therefore, depends upon a
recognition of the laws of Abundance, and the fact
that Mind is not only the creator, but the only
creator of all there is. Certainly nothing can be
created, before we know that it can be created and
then make the proper effort. There is no more
Electricity in the world today than there was fifty
years ago, but until someone recognized the law by
which it could be made of service, we received no
benefit; now that the law is understood, practically
the whole world is lit by it. so with the law of
Abundance; it is only those who recognize the law
and place themselves in harmony with it, who share
in its benefits.
The scientific spirit now dominates
every field of effort, relations of cause and effect
are no longer ignored.
The discovery of a region of law
marked and epoch in human progress. It eliminated
the element of uncertainty and caprice men's lives,
and substituted law, reason and certitude.
Men now understand that for every
result there is an adequate and definite cause, so
that when a given result is desired, they seek the
condition by which alone this result may be
attained.
The basis upon which all law rests
was discovered by inductive reasoning which consists
of comparing a number of separate instances with one
another until the common factor which gives rise to
them all is seen.
It is this method of study to which
the civilized nations owe the greater part of their
prosperity and the more valuable part of their
knowledge; it has lengthened life, it has mitigated
pain, it has spanned rivers, it has brightened the
night with the splendour of day, extended the range
of vision, accelerated motion, annihilated distance,
facilitated intercourse, and enabled men to descend
into the sea, and into the air, what wonder then
that men soon endeavoured to extend the blessings of
this system of study to their method of thinking, so
that when it became plainly evident that certain
results followed a particular method of thinking it
only remained to classify these results.
This is method is scientific, and it
is the only method by which we shall be permitted
retain that degree of liberty and freedom which we
have been accustomed to look upon as an inalienable
right, because a people is safe at home and in the
world only if national preparedness mean such things
as growing surplus of health, accumulated efficiency
in public and private business of whatever sort,
continuous advance in the science and art of acting
together, and the increasingly dominant endeavour to
make all of these and all other aspects of national
development centre and revolve about ascending life,
single and collective, for which science, art and
ethics furnish guidance and controlling motives.
The Master Key is based on absolute
scientific truth and will unfold the possibilities
that lie dormant in the individual, and teach how
they may be brought into powerful action, to
increase the person's effective capacity, bringing
added energy, discernment, vigour and mental
elasticity. The student who gains an understanding
of the mental laws which re unfolded will come into
the possession of an ability to secure results
hitherto undreamed of, and which has rewards hardly
to be expressed in words.
It explains the correct use of both
the receptive and active elements of the mental
nature, and instructs the student in the recognition
of opportunity; it strengthens the will and
reasoning powers, and teaches the cultivation and
best uses of imagination, desire, the emotions and
the intuitional faculty. It gives initiative,
tenacity of purpose, wisdom of choice, intelligent
sympathy and a thorough enjoyment of life on its
higher planes.
The Master Key teaches the use of
Mind Power, true Mind Power, not any of the
substitutes and perversions; it has nothing to do
with Hypnotism, Magic or any of the more or less
fascinating deceptions by which many are led to
think that something can be had for nothing.
The Master Key cultivates and
develops the understanding which will enable you to
control the body and thereby the health. It improves
and strengthens the Memory. It develops Insight, the
kind of Insight which is so rare, the kind which is
the distinguishing characteristic of every
successful business man, the kind which enables men
to see the possibilities as well as the difficulties
in every situation, the kind which enables men to
discern opportunity close at hand, for thousands
fail to see opportunities almost within their grasp
while they are industriously working with situations
which under no possibility can be made to realize
any substantial return.
The Master Key develops Mental Power
which means that others instinctively recognize that
you are a person of force, of character - that they
want to do what you want them to do; it means that
you attract men and things to you; that you are what
some people call "lucky", that "things" come you
way' that you have come into an understanding of the
fundamental laws of Nature, and have put yourself in
harmony with them; that you are in tune with
Infinite; that you understand the law of attraction,
the Natural laws of growth, and the Psychological
laws on which all advantages in the he social and
business world rest.
Mental Power is creative power, it
gives you the ability to create for yourself; it
does not mean the ability to take something away
from some one else. Nature never does things that
way. Nature makes two blades for grass grow where
one grew before, and Mind Power enables men to do
the same thing.
The Master Key develops insight and
sagacity increased independence, the ability and
disposition to be helpful' it destroys distrust,
depression, fear, melancholia, and every form of
lack limitation and weakness, including pain and
disease; it awakens buried talents, supplies
initiative, force, energy, vitality - it awakens an
appreciation of the beautiful in Art, Literature and
Science.
It has changed the lives of
thousands of men and women, by substituting definite
principles for uncertain and hazy methods - and
principles for the foundation upon which every
system of efficiency must rest.
Elbert Gary, the chairman of the
United States Steel Corporation, said "The services
of advisors, instructors, efficiency experts in
successful management are indispensable to most
business enterprises of magnitude, but I deem the
recognition and adoption of right principles vastly
more importance. "The Master Key teaches right
principles, and suggests methods for making a
practical application of the principles; in that it
differs from every other course of study. It teaches
that the only possible value which can attach to any
principle is in its application. Many read books,
take home study courses, attend lectures all their
lives without ever making any progress in
demonstrating the value of the principles involved.
The Master Key suggests methods by which the value
of the principles taught may be demonstrated and put
in actual practice in the daily experience.
There is a change in the thought of
the world. This change is silently transpiring in
our midst, and is more important than any which the
world has undergone since the downfall of Paganism.
The present revolution in the
opinions of all classes of men, the highest and most
cultured of men as well as those of the labouring
class, stands unparalleled in the history of the
world.
Science has of late mad such vast
discoveries, has revealed such an infinity of
resources, has unveiled such enormous possibilities
and such unsuspected forces, that scientific men
more and more hesitate to affirm certain theories as
established and indubitable or to deny certain other
theories as absurd or impossible, and so a new
civilization is being born' customs, creeds, and
cruelty are passing; vision, faith and service are
taking their place. The fetters of tradition are
being melted off from humanity, and as the dross of
materialism is being consumed, thought is being
liberated and truth is rising full orbed before an
astonished multitude.
The whole world is on the eve of a
new consciousness, a new power and a new
consciousness, a new power and a new realization of
the resources within the self. The last century saw
the most magnificent material progress in history.
The present century will produce the greatest
progress in mental and spiritual power.
Physical Science has resolved matter
into molecules, molecules into atoms, atoms into
energy, and it has remained for Sir Ambrose Fleming,
in an address before the Royal Institution, to
resolve this energy into mind. He says: "In its
ultimate essence, energy may be incomprehensible by
us except as an exhibition of the direct operation
of that which we call Mind or Will."
Let us see what are the most
powerful forces in Nature. In the mineral world
everything is solid and fixed. In the animal and
vegetable kingdom it is in a state of flux, forever
changing, always being created and recreated. In the
atmosphere we find heat, light and energy. Each
realm becomes finer and more spiritual as we pass
from the visible to the invisible, from the coarse
to the fine, from the low potentiality to high
potentiality. When we reach the invisible we find
energy in its purest and most volatile state.
And as the most powerful forces of
Nature are the invisible forces, so we find that the
most powerful forces of man are his invisible
forces, his spiritual force, and the only way in
which the spiritual force can manifest is through
the process of thinking. Thinking is the only
activity which the spirit possesses, and thought is
the only product of thinking.
Addition and subtraction are
therefore spiritual transactions; reasoning is a
spiritual process; ideas are spiritual conceptions;
questions are spiritual searchlights and logic,
argument and philosophy is spiritual machinery.
Every thought brings into action
certain physical tissue, parts of the brain, nerve
or muscle. This produces an actual physical change
in the construction of the tissue. therefore it is
only necessary to have a certain number of thoughts
on a given subject in order to bring about a
complete change in the physical organization of a
man.
This is the process by which failure
is changed to success. Thoughts of courage, power,
inspiration, harmony, are substituted for thoughts
of failure, despair, lack, limitation and discord,
and as these thoughts take root, the physical tissue
is changed and the individual sees life in a new
light, old things have actually passed away, all
things have become new, he is born again, this time
born of the spirit, life has a new meaning for him,
he is reconstructed and is filled with joy,
confidence, hope, energy. He sees opportunities for
success to which he was heretofore blind. He
recognizes possibilities which before had no meaning
for him. The thoughts of success with which he has
been impregnated are radiated to those around him,
and they in turn help him onward and upward; he
attract to him new and successful associates, and
this in turn changes his environment; so that by
this simple exercise of thought, a man changes not
only himself, but his environment, circumstances and
conditions.
You will see, you must see, that we
are at the dawn of a new day; that the possibilities
are so wonderful, so fascinating, so limitless as to
be almost bewildering. A century ago any man with
and aeroplane or even a Gattling gun could have
annihilated a whole army equipped with the
implements of warfare then in use. So it is at
present. Any man with a knowledge of the
possibilities contained in the Master Key has an
inconceivable advantage over the multitude.
INTRODUCTION - PART ONE
It is my privilege to enclose
herewith Part One of The Master Key System. Would
you bring into your life more power, get the power
consciousness, more health, get the health
consciousness, more happiness, get the happiness
consciousness. Live the spirit of these things until
they become yours by right. It will then become
impossible to keep them from you. The things of the
world are fluid to a power within man by which he
rules
them.
You need not acquire this power.
You already have it. But you want to understand it;
you want to use it; you want to control it; you want
to impregnate yourself with it, so that you can go
forward and carry the world before you.
Day by day as you go on and on,
as you gain momentum, as your inspiration deepens,
as your plans crystallize, as you gain
understanding, you will come to realize that this
world is no dead pile of stones and timber, but that
it is a living thing! It is made up of the beating
hearts of humanity. It is a thing of life and
beauty.
It is evident that it requires
understanding to work with material of this
description, but those who come into this
understanding, are inspired by a new light, a new
force, they gain confidence and greater power each
day, they realize their hopes and their
dreams come true, life has a deeper, fuller, clearer
meaning than before.
And, now, Part One....
PART ONE
1. That much gathers more is true on
every plane of existence and that loss leads to
greater loss is equally true.
2. Mind is creative, and conditions,
environment and all experiences in life are the
result of our habitual or predominant mental
attitude.
3. The attitude of mind necessarily
depends upon what we think. Therefore, the secret of
all power, all achievement and all possession
depends upon our method of thinking.
4. This is true because we must "be"
before we can "do," and we can "do" only to the
extent which we "are," and what we "are" depends
upon what we "think."
5. We cannot express powers that we
do not possess. The only way by which we may secure
possession of power is to become conscious of power,
and we can never become conscious of power until we
learn that all power is from within.
6. There is a world within – a world
of thought and feeling and power; of light and life
and beauty and, although invisible, its forces are
mighty.
7. The world within is governed by
mind. When we discover this world we shall find the
solution for every problem, the cause for every
effect; and since the world within is subject to our
control, all laws of power and possession are also
within our control.
8. The world without is a reflection
of the world within. What appears without is what
has been found within. In the world within may be
found infinite Wisdom, infinite Power, infinite
Supply of all that is necessary, waiting for
unfoldment, development and expression. If we
recognize these potentialities in the world within
they will take form in the world without.
9. Harmony in the world within will
be reflected in the world without by harmonious
conditions, agreeable surroundings, the best of
everything. It is the foundation of health and a
necessary essential to all greatness, all power, all
attainment, all achievement and all success.
10. Harmony in the world within
means the ability to control our thoughts, and to
determine for ourselves how any experience is to
affect us.
11. Harmony in the world within
results in optimism and affluence; affluence within
results in affluence without.
12. The world without reflects the
circumstances and the conditions of the
consciousness within.
13. If we find wisdom in the world
within, we shall have the understanding to discern
the marvellous possibilities that are latent in this
world within, and we shall be given the power to
make these possibilities manifest in the world
without.
14. As we become conscious of the
wisdom in the world within, we mentally take
possession of this wisdom, and by taking mental
possession we come into actual possession of the
power and wisdom necessary to bring into
manifestation the essentials necessary for our most
complete and harmonious development.
15. The world within is the
practical world in which the men and women of power
generate courage, hope, enthusiasm, confidence,
trust and faith, by which they are given the fine
intelligence to see the vision and the practical
skill to make the vision real.
16. Life is an unfoldment, not
accretion. What comes to us in the world without is
what we already possess in the world within.
17. All possession is based on
consciousness. All gain is the result of an
accumulative consciousness. All loss is the result
of a scattering consciousness.
18. Mental efficiency is contingent
upon harmony; discord means confusion; therefore, he
who would acquire power must be in harmony with
Natural Law.
19. We are related to the world
without by the objective mind. The brain is the
organ of this mind and the cerebro-spinal system of
nerves puts us in conscious communication with every
part of the body. This system of
nerves responds to every sensation of light, heat,
odour, sound and taste.
20. When this mind thinks correctly,
when it understands the truth, when the thoughts
sent through the cerebro-spinal nervous system to
the body are constructive, these sensations are
pleasant, harmonious.
21. The result is that we build
strength, vitality and all constructive forces into
our body, but it is through this same objective mind
that all distress, sickness, lack, limitation and
every form of discord and in harmony is admitted to
our lives. It is therefore through the objective
mind, by wrong thinking, that we are related to all
destructive forces.
22. We are related to the world
within by the subconscious mind. The solar plexus is
the organ of this mind; the sympathetic system of
nerves presides over all subjective sensations, such
as joy, fear, love, emotion, respiration,
imagination and all other subconscious phenomena. It
is through the subconscious that we are connected
with the Universal Mind and brought into relation
with the Infinite constructive forces of the
Universe.
23. It is the coordination of these
two centres of our being, and the understanding of
their functions, which is the great secret of life.
With this knowledge we can bring the objective and
subjective minds into conscious cooperation and thus
coordinate the finite and the infinite. Our future
is entirely within our own control. It is not at the
mercy of any capricious or uncertain external power.
24. All agree that there is but one
Principle or Consciousness pervading the entire
Universe, occupying all space, and being essentially
the same in kind at every point of its presence. It
is all powerful, all wisdom and always present. All
thoughts and things are within Itself. It is all in
all.
25. There is but one consciousness
in the universe able to think; and when it thinks,
its thoughts become objective things to it. As this
Consciousness is omnipresent, it must be present
within every individual; each individual must be a
manifestation of that Omnipotent, Omniscient and
Omnipresent Consciousness.
26. As there is only one
Consciousness in the Universe that is able to think
it necessarily follows that your consciousness is
identical with the Universal Consciousness, or, in
other words, all mind is one mind. There is no
dodging this conclusion.
27. The consciousness that focuses
in your brain cells is the same consciousness which
focuses in the brain cells of every other
individual. Each individual is but the
individualization of the Universal, the Cosmic Mind.
28. The Universal Mind is static or
potential energy; it simply is; it can manifest only
through the individual, and the individual can
manifest only through the Universal. They are one.
29. The ability of the individual to
think is his ability to act on the Universal and
bring it into manifestation. Human consciousness
consists only in the ability of man to think. Mind
in itself is believed to be a subtle form of static
energy, from which arises the activities called
'thought, ' which is the dynamic phase of mind. Mind
is static energy, thought is dynamic energy -the two
phases of the same thing. Thought is therefore the
vibratory force formed by converting static mind
into dynamic mind.
30. As the sum of all attributes are
contained in the Universal Mind, which is
Omnipotent, Omniscient and Omnipresent, these
attributes must be present at all times in their
potential form in every individual. Therefore, when
the individual thinks, the thought is compelled by
its nature to embody itself in an objectivity or
condition which will correspond with its origin.
31. Every thought therefore is a
cause and every condition an effect; for this reason
it is absolutely essential that you control your
thoughts so as to bring forth only desirable
conditions.
32. All power is from within, and is
absolutely under your control; it comes through
exact knowledge and by the voluntary exercises of
exact principles.
33. It should be plain that when you
acquire a thorough understanding of this law, and
are able to control your thought processes, you can
apply it to any condition; in other words, you will
have come into conscious cooperation with Omnipotent
law which is the fundamental basis of all things.
34. The Universal Mind is the life
principle of every atom which is in existence; every
atom is continually striving to manifest more life;
all are intelligent, and all are seeking to carry
out the purpose for which they were created.
35. A majority of mankind lives in
the world without; few have found the world within,
and yet it is the world within that makes the world
without; it is therefore creative and everything
which you find in your world without has been
created by you in the world within.
36. This system will bring you into
a realization of power which will be yours when you
understand this relation between the world without
and the world within. The world within is the cause,
the world without the effect; to change the effect
you must change the cause.
37. You will at once see that this
is a radically new and different idea; most men try
to change effects by working with effects. They fail
to see that this is simply changing one form of
distress for another. To remove discord, we must
remove the cause, and this cause can be found only
in the world within.
38. All growth is from within. This
is evident in all nature. Every plant, every animal,
every human is a living testimony to this great law,
and the error of the ages is in looking for strength
or power from without.
39. The world within is the
Universal fountain of supply, and the world without
is the outlet to the stream. Our ability to receive
depends upon our recognition of this Universal
Fountain, this Infinite Energy of which each
individual is an outlet, and so is one with every
other individual.
40. Recognition is a mental process,
mental action is therefore the interaction of the
individual upon the Universal Mind, and as the
Universal Mind is the intelligence which pervades
all space and animates all living things, this
mental action and reaction is the law of causation,
but the principle of causation does not obtain in
the individual but in the Universal Mind. It is not
an objective faculty but a subjective process, and
the results are seen in an infinite variety of
conditions and experiences.
41. In order to express life there
must be mind; nothing can exist without mind.
Everything which exists is some manifestation of
this one basic substance from which and by which all
things have been created and are continually being
recreated.
42. We live in a fathomless sea of
plastic mind substance. This substance is ever alive
and active. It is sensitive to the highest degree.
It takes form according to the mental demand.
Thought forms the mold or matrix from which the
substance expresses.
43. Remember that it is in the
application alone that the value consists, and that
a practical understanding of this law will
substitute abundance for poverty, wisdom for
ignorance, harmony for discord and freedom for
tyranny, and certainly there can be no greater
blessing than these from a material and social
standpoint.
44. Now make the application: Select
a room where you can be alone and undisturbed; sit
erect, comfortably, but do not lounge; let your
thoughts roam where they will but be perfectly still
for from fifteen minutes to half an hour; continue
this for three or four days or for a week until you
secure full control of your physical being.
45. Many will find this extremely
difficult; others will conquer with ease, but it is
absolutely essential to secure complete control of
the body before you are ready to progress. Next week
you will receive instructions for the next step; in
the meantime you must have mastered this one.
PART ONE
Study Questions with Answers
1. What is the world without in its
relation to the world within? The world without is a
reflection of the world within.
2. Upon what does all possession
depend? All possession is based on consciousness.
3. How is the individual related to
the objective world? The individual is related to
the objective world by the objective mind; the brain
is the organ of this mind.
4. How is he related to the
Universal Mind? He is related to the Universal Mind
by the subconscious mind; the Solar Plexus is the
organ of this mind.
5. What is the Universal Mind? The
Universal Mind is the life principle of every atom
which is in existence.
6. How can the Individual act on the
Universal? The ability of the individual to think is
his ability to act upon the Universal and bring it
into manifestation.
7. What is the result of this action
and interaction? The result of this action and
interaction is cause and effect; every thought is a
cause and every condition an effect.
8. How are harmonious and desirable
conditions secured? Harmonious and desirable
conditions are obtained by right thinking.
9. What is the cause of all discord,
in harmony, lack and limitation? Discord, in
harmony, lack and limitation are the result of wrong
thinking.
10. What is the source of all
powers? The source of all power is the world within,
the Universal Fountain of Supply, the Infinite
Energy of which each individual is an outlet.
INTRODUCTION - PART TWO
Our difficulties are largely due
to confused ideas and ignorance of our true
interests. The great task is to discover the laws of
nature to which we are to adjust ourselves. Clear
thinking and moral insight are, therefore, of
incalculable value. All processes, even those of
thought, rest on solid foundations.
The keener the sensibilities, the
more acute the judgment, the more delicate the
taste, the more refined the moral feelings, the more
subtle the intelligence, the loftier the
aspiration--the purer and more intense are the
gratifications which existence yields. Hence it
is that the study of the best that has been thought
in the world gives supreme pleasure.
The powers, uses and
possibilities of the mind under the new
interpretations are incomparably more wonderful that
the most extravagant accomplishment, or even dreams
of material progress. Thought is energy. Active
thought is active energy; concentrated thought is
a concentrated energy. Thought concentrated on a
definite purpose becomes power. This is the power
which is being used by those who do not believe in
the virtue of poverty, or the beauty of
self-denial. They perceive that this is the talk of
weaklings.
The ability to receive and
manifest this power depends upon the ability to
recognize the Infinite Energy ever dwelling in man,
constantly creating and recreating his body and
mind, and ready at any moment to manifest
through him in any needful manner. In exact
proportion to the recognition of this truth will be
the manifestation in the outer life of the
individual.
Part two explains the method by
which this is accomplished.
PART TWO
1. The operations of the mind are
produced by two parallel modes of activity, the one
conscious, and the other subconscious. Professor
Davidson says: "He who thinks to illuminate the
whole range of mental action by the light of his own
consciousness is not unlike the one who should go
about to illuminate the universe with a rushlight."
2. The subconscious' logical
processes are carried on with a certainty and
regularity which would be impossible if there
existed the possibility of error. Our mind is so
designed that it prepares for us the most important
foundations of cognition, whilst we have not the
slightest apprehension of the modus operandi.
3. The subconscious soul, like a
benevolent stranger, works and makes provision for
our benefit, pouring only the mature fruit into our
lap; thus ultimate analysis of thought processes
shows that the subconscious is the theatre of the
most important mental phenomena.
4. It is through the subconscious
that Shakespeare must have perceived, without
effort, great truths which are hidden from the
conscious mind of the student; that Phidias
fashioned marble and bronze; that Raphael painted
Madonnas and Beethoven composed symphonies.
5. Ease and perfection depend
entirely upon the degree in which we cease to depend
upon the consciousness; playing the piano, skating,
operating the typewriter, the skilled trades, depend
for their perfect execution on the process of the
sub-conscious mind. The marvel of playing a
brilliant piece on the piano, while at the same time
conducting a vigorous conversation, shows the
greatness of our subconscious powers.
6. We are all aware how dependent we
are upon the subconscious, and the greater, the
nobler, the more brilliant our thoughts are, the
more it is obvious to ourselves that the origin lies
beyond our ken. We find ourselves endowed with tact,
instinct, sense of the beautiful in art, music,
etc., or whose origin or dwelling place we are
wholly unconscious.
7. The value of the subconscious is
enormous; it inspires us; it warns us; it furnishes
us with names, facts and scenes from the storehouse
of memory. It directs our thoughts, tastes, and
accomplishes tasks so intricate that no conscious
mind, even if it had the power, has the capacity
for.
8. We can walk at will; we can raise
the arm whenever we choose to do so; we can give our
attention through eye or ear to any subject at
pleasure. On the other hand, we cannot stop our
heartbeats nor the circulation of the blood, nor the
growth of stature, nor the formation of nerve and
muscle tissue, nor the building of the bones, nor
many other important vital processes.
9. If we compare these two sets of
action, the one decreed by the will of the moment,
and the other proceeding in majestic, rhythmic
course, subject to no vascilliation, but constant at
every moment, we stand in awe of the latter, and ask
to have the mystery explained. We see at once that
these are the vital processes of our physical life,
and we cannot avoid the inference that these
all-important functions are designedly withdrawn
from the domain of our outward will with its
variations and transitions, and placed under the
direction of a permanent and dependable power within
us.
10. Of these two powers, the outward
and changeable has been termed the "Conscious Mind,"
or the "Objective Mind" (dealing with outward
objects). The interior power is called the
"Subconscious Mind," or the "Subjective Mind," and
besides its work on the mental plane it controls the
regular functions which make physical life possible.
11. It is necessary to have a clear
understanding of their respective functions on the
mental plane, as well as of certain other basic
principles. Perceiving and operating through the
five physical senses, the conscious mind deals with
the impressions and objects of the outward life.
12. It has the faculty of
discrimination, carrying with it the responsibility
of choice. It has the power of reasoning--whether
inductive, deductive, analytical or syllogistic--and
this power may be developed to a high degree. It is
the seat of the will with all the energies that flow
there from.
13. Not only can it impress other
minds, but it can direct the subconscious mind. In
this way the conscious mind becomes the responsible
ruler and guardian of the subconscious mind. It is
this high function which can completely reverse
conditions in your life.
14. It is often true that conditions
of fear, worry, poverty, disease, in harmony and
evils of all kinds dominate us by reason of false
suggestions accepted by the unguarded subconscious
mind. All this the trained conscious mind can
entirely prevent by its vigilant protective action.
It may properly be called "the watchman at the gate"
of the great subconscious domain.
15. One writer has expressed the
chief distinction between the two phases of mind
thus: "Conscious mind is reasoning will.
Subconscious mind is instinctive desire, the result
of past reasoning will."
16. The subconscious mind draws just
and accurate inferences from premises furnished from
outside sources. Where the premise is true, the
subconscious mind reaches a faultless conclusion,
but, where the premise or suggestion is an error,
the whole structure falls. The subconscious mind
does not engage in the process of proving. It relies
upon the conscious mind, "the watchman at the gate,"
to guard it from mistaken impressions.
17. Receiving any suggestions as
true, the subconscious mind at once proceeds to act
thereon in the whole domain of its tremendous field
of work. The conscious mind can suggest either truth
or error. If the latter, it is at the cost of
wide-reaching peril to the whole being.
18. The conscious mind ought to be
on duty during every waking hour. When the
"watchman" is "off guard," or when its calm judgment
is suspended, under a variety of circumstances, then
the subconscious mind is unguarded and left open to
suggestion from all sources. During the wild
excitement of panic, or during the height of anger,
or the impulses of the irresponsible mob, or at any
other time of unrestrained passion, the conditions
are most dangerous. The sub- conscious mind is then
open to the suggestion of fear, hatred, selfishness,
greed, self- depreciation and other negative forces,
derived from surrounding persons or circumstances.
The result is usually unwholesome in the extreme,
with effects that may endure to distress it for a
long time. Hence, the great importance of guarding
the subconscious mind from false impressions.
19. The subconscious mind perceives
by intuition. Hence, its processes are rapid. It
does not wait for the slow methods of conscious
reasoning. In fact, it can not employ them.
20. The subconscious mind never
sleeps, never rests, any more than does your heart,
or your blood. It has been found that by plainly
stating to the subconscious mind certain specific
things to be accomplished, forces are set in
operation that lead to the result desired. Here,
then, is a source of power which places us in touch
with Omnipotence. Here in is a deep principle which
is well worth our most earnest study.
21. The operation of this law is
interesting. Those who put it into operation find
that when they go out to meet the person with whom
they anticipate a difficult interview, something has
been there before them and dissolved the supposed
differences; everything is changed; all is
harmonious; they find that when some difficult
business problem presents itself they can afford to
make delay and something suggests the proper
solution; everything is properly arranged; in fact,
those who have learned to trust the subconscious
find that they have infinite resources at their
command.
22. The subconscious mind is the
seat of our principles and our aspirations. It is
the fount of our artistic and altruistic ideals.
These instincts can only be overthrown by an
elaborate and gradual process of undermining the
innate principles.
23. The subconscious mind can not
argue controversially. Hence, if it has accepted
wrong suggestions, the sure method of overcoming
them is by the use of a strong counter suggestion,
frequently repeated, which the mind must accept,
thus eventually forming new and healthy habits of
thought and life, for the subconscious mind is the
seat of Habit. That which we do over and over
becomes mechanical; it is no longer an act of
judgment, but has worn its deep grooves in the
subconscious mind. This is favorable for us if the
habit be wholesome and right. If it be harmful, and
wrong, the remedy is to recognize the omnipotence of
the subconscious mind and suggest present actual
freedom. The subconscious being creative and one
with our divine source will at once create the
freedom suggested.
24. To sum up: The normal functions
of the subconscious on the physical side have to do
with the regular and vital processes, with the
preservation of life and the restoration of health;
with the care of offspring, which includes an
instinctive desire to preserve all life and improve
conditions generally.
25. On the mental side, it is the
storehouse of memory; it harbours the wonderful
thought messengers, who work, unhampered by time or
space; it is the fountain of the practical
initiative and constructive forces of life: It is
the seat of habit.
26. On the spiritual side, it is the
source of ideals, of aspiration, of the imagination,
and is the channel through which we recognize our
Divine Source, and in proportion as we recognize
this divinity do we come into an understanding of
the source of power.
27. Some one may ask: "How can the
subconscious change conditions?" The reply is,
because the subconscious is a part of the Universal
Mind and a part must be the same in kind and quality
as the whole; the only difference is one of degree.
The whole, as we know, is creative, in fact, it is
the only creator there is, consequently, we find
that mind is creative, and as thought is the only
activity which the mind possesses thought must
necessarily be creative also.
28. But we shall find that there is
a vast difference between simply thinking, and
directing our thought consciously, systematically
and constructively; when we do this we place our
mind in harmony with the Universal Mind, we come in
tune with the Infinite, we set in operation the
mightiest force in existence, the creative power of
the Universal Mind. This, as everything else, is
governed by natural law, and this law is the "Law of
attraction," which is that Mind is creative, and
will automatically correlate with its object and
bring it into manifestation.
29. Last week I gave you an exercise
for the purpose of securing control of the physical
body; if you have accomplished this you are ready to
advance. This time you will begin to control your
thought. Always take the same room, the same chair,
and the same position, if possible. In some cases it
is not convenient to take the same room, in this
case simply make the best use of such conditions as
may be available. Now be perfectly still as before,
but inhibit all thought; this will give you control
over all thoughts of care, worry and fear, and will
enable you to entertain only the kind of thoughts
you desire. Continue this exercise until you gain
complete mastery.
30. You will not be able to do this
for more that a few moments at a time, but the
exercise is valuable, because it will be a very
practical demonstration of the great number of
thoughts which are constantly trying to gain access
to your mental world.
31. Next week you will receive
instructions for an exercise which may be a little
more interesting, but it is necessary that you
master this one first.
"Cause and effect is as absolute
and undeviating in the hidden realm of thought as in
the world of visible and material things. Mind is
the master weaver, both of the interior garment of
character and the outer garment of
circumstance." -- James Allen
PART TWO
Study Questions with Answers
11. What are the two modes of mental
activity? Conscious and subconscious.
12. Upon what do ease and perfection
depend? Ease and perfection depend entirely upon the
degree in which we cease to depend upon the
conscious mind.
13. What is the value of the
subconscious? It is enormous; it guides us, warns
us, it controls the vital processes and is the seat
of memory.
14. What are some of the functions
of the conscious mind? It has the faculty of
discrimination; it has the power of reasoning; it is
the seat of the will and may impress the
subconscious.
15. How has the distinction between
the conscious and subconscious been expressed?
"Conscious mind is reasoning will. Subconscious mind
is instinctive desire, the result of past reasoning
will."
16. What method is necessary in
order to impress the subconscious? Mentally state
what is wanted.
17. What will be the result? If the
desire is in harmony with the forward movement of
the great Whole, forces will be set in motion which
will bring about the result.
18. What is the result of the
operation of this law? Our environment reflects
conditions corresponding to the predominant mental
attitude which we entertain.
19. What names has been given to
this law? The Law of Attraction.
20. How is the law stated? Thought
is a creative energy, and will automatically
correlate with is object and bring it into
manifestation.
INTRODUCTION - PART THREE
You have found that the
Individual may act on the Universal, and that the
result of this action and interaction is cause and
effect. Thought, therefore, is the cause, and the
experiences with which you meet in life are the
effect.
Eliminate, therefore, any
possible tendency to complain of conditions as they
have been, or as they are, because it rests with you
to change them and make them what you would like
them to be.
Direct your effort to a
realization of the mental resources, always at your
command, from which all real and lasting power
comes.
Persist in this practice until
you come to a realization of the fact that there can
be no failure in the accomplishment of any proper
object in life if you but understand your power and
persist in your object, because the mind-forces are
ever ready to lend themselves to a purposeful will,
in the effort to crystalize thought and desire into
actions, events and conditions.
Whereas in the beginning of each
function of life and each action is the result of
conscious thought, the habitual actions become
automatic and the thought that controls them passes
into the realm of the subconscious; yet it is just
as intelligent as before. It is necessary that it
become automatic, or subconscious, in order that the
self-conscious mind may attend to other things. The
new actions will, however, in their turn, be come
habitual, then automatic, then subconscious in order
that the mind again may be freed from this detail
and advanced to still other activities.
When you realize this, you will
have found a source of power which will enable you
to take care of any situation in life which may
develop.
PART THREE
1. The necessary interaction of the
conscious and subconscious mind requires a similar
interaction between the corresponding systems of
nerves. Judge Troward indicates the very beautiful
method in which this interaction is effected. He
says: The cerebro-spinal system is the organ of the
conscious mind and the sympathetic is the organ of
the subconscious. The cerebro-spinal is the channel
through which we receive conscious perception from
the physical senses and exercise control over the
movements of the body. This system of nerves has its
centre in the brain.
2. The Sympathetic System has its
centre in a ganglionic mass at the back of the
stomach known as the Solar Plexus, and is the
channel of that mental action which unconsciously
supports the vital functions of the body.
3. The connection between the two
systems is made by the vagus nerve which passes out
of the cerebral region as a portion of the voluntary
system to the thorax, sending out branches to the
heart and lungs, and finally passing through the
diaphragm, it loses its outer coating and becomes
identified with the nerves of the Sympathetic
System, so forming a connecting link between the two
and making man physically a "single entity".
4. We have seen that every thought
is received by the brain, which is the organ of the
conscious; it is here subjected to our power of
reasoning. When the objective mind has been
satisfied that the thought is true it is sent to the
Solar Plexus, or the brain of the subjective mind,
to be made into our flesh, to be brought forth into
the world as reality. It is then no longer
susceptible to any argument whatever. The
subconscious mind cannot argue; it only acts. It
accepts the conclusions of the objective mind as
final.
5. The Solar Plexus has been likened
to the sum of the body, because it is a central
point of distribution for the energy which the body
is constantly generating. This energy is very real
energy, and this sun is a very real sun, and the
energy is being distributed by very real nerves to
all parts of the body, and is thrown off in an
atmosphere which envelopes the body.
6. If this radiation is sufficiently
strong the person is called magnetic; he is said to
be filled with personal magnetism. Such a person may
wield an immense power for good. His presence alone
will often bring comfort to the troubled minds with
which he comes in contact.
7. When the Solar Plexus is in
active operation and is radiating life, energy and
vitality to every part of the body, and to every one
whom he meets, the sensations are pleasant, the body
is filled with health and all with whom he comes in
contact experience a pleasant sensation.
8. If there is any interruption of
this radiation the sensations are unpleasant, the
flow of life and energy to some part of the body is
stopped, and this is the cause of every ill to the
human race, physical, mental or environmental.
9. Physical because the sun of the
body is no longer generating sufficient energy to
vitalize some part of the body; mental because the
conscious mind is dependent upon the subconscious
mind for the vitality necessary to support its
thought, and environmental, because the connection
between the subconscious mind and the Universal
mind, is being interrupted.
10. The Solar Plexus is the point at
which the part meets with the whole, where the
finite becomes Infinite, where the Un-create becomes
create, the Universal becomes individualized, the
Invisible becomes visible. It is the point at which
life appears and there is no limit to the amount of
life an individual may generate from this Solar
centre.
11. This centre of energy is
Omnipotent because it is the point of contact with
all life and all intelligence. It can therefore
accomplish whatever it is directed to accomplish,
and herein lies the power of the conscious mind; the
subconscious can and will carry out such plans and
ideas as may be suggested to it by the conscious
mind.
12. Conscious thought, then, is
master of this sun centre from which the life and
energy of the entire body flows and the quality of
the thought which we entertain determines the
quality of the thought which this sun will radiate,
and the character of the thought which our conscious
mind entertains will determine the character of the
thought which this sun will radiate, and the nature
of the thought which our conscious mind entertains
will determine the nature of thought which this sun
will radiate, and consequently will determine the
nature of the experience which will result.
13. It is evident, therefore, that
all we have to do is let our light shine; the more
energy we can radiate, the more rapidly shall we be
enabled to transmute undesirable conditions into
sources of pleasure and profit. The important
question, then, is how to let this light shine; how
to generate this energy.
14. Non-resistant thought expands
the Solar Plexus; resistant thought contracts it.
Pleasant thought expands it; unpleasant thought
contracts it. Thoughts of courage, power, confidence
and hope all produce a corresponding state, but the
one arch enemy of the Solar Plexus which must be
absolutely destroyed before there is any possibility
of letting any light shine is fear. This enemy must
be completely destroyed; he must be eliminated; he
must be expelled forever; he is the cloud which
hides the sun; which causes a perpetual gloom.
15. It is this personal devil which
makes men fear the past, the present and the future;
fear themselves, their friends and their enemies;
fear everything and everybody. When fear is
effectually and completely destroyed, your light
will shine, the clouds will disperse and you will
have found the source of power, energy and life.
16. When you find that you are
really one with the Infinite power, and when you can
consciously realize this power by a practical
demonstration of your ability to overcome any
adverse condition by the power of your thought, you
will have nothing to fear; fear will have been
destroyed and you will have come into possession of
your birthright.
17. It is our attitude of mind
toward life which determines the experiences with
which we are to meet; if we expect nothing, we shall
have nothing; if we demand much, we shall receive
the greater portion. The world is harsh only as we
fail to assert ourselves. The criticism of the world
is bitter only to those who cannot compel room for
their ideas. It is fear of this criticism that
causes many ideas to fail to see the light of day.
18. But the man who knows that he
has a Solar Plexus will not fear criticism or
anything else; he will be too busy radiating
courage, confidence, and power; he will anticipate
success by his mental attitude; he will pound
barriers to pieces, and leap over the chasm of doubt
and hesitation which fear places in his path.
19. A knowledge of our ability to
consciously radiate health, strength and harmony
will bring us into a realization that there is
nothing to fear because we are in touch with
Infinite Strength.
20. This knowledge can be gained
only by making practical application of this
information. We learn by doing; through practice the
athlete comes powerful.
21. As the following statement is of
considerable importance, I will put it in several
ways, so that you cannot fail to get the full
significance of it. If you are religiously inclined,
I would say, you can let your light shine. If your
mind has a bias toward physical science, I would say
you can wake the Solar Plexus; or, if you prefer the
strictly scientific interpretation, I will say that
you can impress your subconscious mind.
22. I have already told you what the
result of this impression will be. It is the method
in which you are now interested. You have already
learned that the subconscious is intelligent and
that it is creative, and responsive to the will of
the conscious mind. What, then, is the most natural
way of making the desired impression? Mentally
concentrate on the object of your desire; when you
are concentrating you are impressing the
subconscious.
23. This is not the only way, but it
is a simple and effective way, and the most direct
way, and consequently the way in which the best
results are secured. It is the method which is
producing such extraordinary results that many think
that miracles are being accomplished.
24. It is the method by which every
great inventor, every great financier, every great
statesman has been enabled to convert the subtle and
invisible force of desire, faith and confidence into
actual, tangible, concrete facts in the objective
world.
25. The subconscious mind is a part
of the Universal mind. The Universal is the creative
principle of the Universe, a part must be the same
in kind and quality as the whole. This means that
this creative power is absolutely unlimited; it is
not bound by precedent of any kind, and consequently
has no prior existing pattern by which to apply its
constructive principle.
26. We have found that the
subconscious mind is responsive to our conscious
will, which means that the unlimited creative power
of the Universal Mind is within control of the
conscious mind of the individual.
27. When making a practical
application of this principle, in accordance with
the exercises given in the subsequent lessons, it is
well to remember that it is not necessary to outline
the method by which the subconscious will produce
the results you desire. The finite can not inform
the Infinite. You are simply to say what you desire,
not how you are to obtain it.
28. You are the channel by which the
undifferentiated is being differentiated, and this
differentiation is being accomplished by
appropriation. It only requires recognition to set
causes in motion which will bring about results in
accordance with your desire, and this is
accomplished because the Universal can act only
through the individual, and the individual can act
only through the Universal; they are one.
29. For your exercise this week, I
will ask you to go one step further. I want you to
not only be perfectly still, and inhibit all thought
as far as possible, but relax, let go, let the
muscles take their normal condition; this will
remove all pressure from the nerves, and eliminate
that tension which so frequently produces physical
exhaustion.
30. Physical relaxation is a
voluntary exercise of the will and the exercise will
be found to be of great value, as it enables the
blood to circulate freely to and from the brain and
body.
31. Tensions leads to mental unrest
and abnormal mental activity of the mind; it
produces worry, care, fear and anxiety. Relaxation
is therefore an absolute necessity in order to allow
the mental faculties to exercise the greatest
freedom.
32. Make this exercise as thorough
and complete as possible, mentally determine that
you will relax every muscle and nerve, until you
feel quiet and restful and at peace with yourself
and the world.
33. The Solar Plexus will then be
ready to function and you will be surprised at the
result.
PART THREE
Study Questions with Answers
21. What system of nerves is the
organ of the Conscious Mind? The Cerebro-spinal.
22. What system of nerves is the
organ of the subconscious mind? The sympathetic.
23. What is the central point of
distribution for energy which the body is constantly
generating? The solar plexus.
24. How may this distribution be
interrupted? By resistant, critical, discordant
thoughts, but especially fear.
25. What is the result of such
interruption? Every ill with which the human race is
afflicted.
26. How may this energy be
controlled and directed? By conscious thought.
27. How may fear be completely
eliminated? By an understanding and recognition of
the true source of all power.
28. What determines the experiences
with which we meet in life? Our predominant mental
attitude.
29. How may we awake the solar
plexus? Mentally concentrate upon the condition
which we desire to see manifested in our lives.
30. What is the creative principle
of the Universe? The Universal Mind.
INTRODUCTION - PART FOUR
Enclosed herewith I hand you Part
Four. This part will show you why what you think, or
do, or feel, is an indication of what you are.
Thought is energy and energy is
power, and it is because all the religions, sciences
and philosophies with which the world has heretofore
been familiar have been based upon the manifestation
of this energy instead of the energy itself, that
the world has been limited to effects, while causes
have been ignored or misunderstood.
For this reason we have God and
the Devil in religion, positive and negative in
science, and good and bad in philosophy.
The master key reverses the
process; it is interested only in cause, and the
letters received from students tell a marvellous
story; they indicate conclusively that students are
finding the cause whereby they may secure for
themselves health, harmony, abundance, and whatever
else may be necessary for their welfare and
happiness.
Life is expressive and it is our
business to express ourselves harmoniously and
constructively. Sorrow, misery, unhappiness, disease
and poverty are not necessities and we are
constantly eliminating them.
But this process of eliminating
consists in rising above and beyond limitation of
any kind. He who has strengthened and purified his
thought need not concern himself about microbes, and
he who has come into an understanding of the law of
abundance will go at once to the source of supply.
It is thus that fate, fortune, and destiny will be
controlled as readily as a captain controls his
ship, or an engineer, his train.
PART FOUR
1. The "I" of you is not the
physical body; that is simply an instrument which
the "I" uses to carry out its purposes; the "I"
cannot be the Mind, for the mind is simply another
instrument which the "I" uses with which to think,
reason, and plan.
2. The "I" must be something which
controls and directs both the body and the mind;
something which determines what they shall do and
how they shall act. When you come into a realization
of the true nature of this "I", you will enjoy a
sense of power which you have never before known.
3. Your personality is made up of
countless individual characteristics, peculiarities,
habits, and traits of character; these are the
result of your former method of thinking, but they
have nothing to do with the real "I."
4. When you say "I think" the "I"
tells the mind what it shall think; when you say "I
go" the "I" tells the physical body where it shall
go; the real nature of this "I" is spiritual, and is
the source of the real power which comes to men and
women when they come into a realization of their
true nature.
5. The greatest and most marvellous
power which this "I" has been given is the power to
think, but few people know how to think
constructively, or correctly, consequently they
achieve only indifferent results. Most people allow
their thoughts to dwell on selfish purposes, the
inevitable result of an infantile mind. When a mind
becomes mature, it understands that the germ of
defeat is in every selfish thought.
6. The trained mind knows that every
transaction must benefit every person who is in any
way connected with the transaction, and any attempt
to profit by the weakness, ignorance or necessity of
another will inevitably operate to his disadvantage.
7. This is because the individual is
a part of the Universal. A part cannot antagonize
any other part, but, on the contrary, the welfare of
each part depends upon a recognition of the interest
of the whole.
8. Those who recognize this
principle have a great advantage in the affairs of
life. They do not wear themselves out. They can
eliminate vagrant thoughts with facility. They can
readily concentrate to the highest possible degree
on any subject. They do not waste time or money upon
objects which can be of no possible benefit to them.
9. If you cannot do these things it
is because you have thus far not made the necessary
effort. Now is the time to make the effort. The
result will be exactly in proportion to the effort
expended. One of the strongest affirmations which
you can use for the purpose of strengthening the
will and realizing your power to accomplish, is, "I
can be what I will to be."
10. Every time you repeat it realize
who and what this "I" is; try to come into a
thorough understanding of the true nature of the
"I"; if you do, you will become invincible; that is,
provided that your objects and purposes are
constructive and are therefore in harmony with the
creative principle of the Universe.
11. If you make use of this
affirmation, use it continuously, night and morning,
and as often during the day as you think of it, and
continue to do so until it becomes a part of you;
form the habit.
12. Unless you do this, you had
better not start at all, because modern psychology
tells us that when we start something and do not
complete it, or make a resolution and do not keep
it, we are forming the habit of failure; absolute,
ignominious failure. If you do not intend to do a
thing, do not start; if you do start, see it through
even if the heavens fall; if you make up your mind
to do something, do it; let nothing, no one,
interfere; the "I" in you has determined, the thing
is settled; the die is cast, there is no longer any
argument.
13. If you carry out this idea,
beginning with small things which you know you can
control and gradually increase the effort, but never
under any circumstances allowing your "I" to be
overruled, you will find that you can eventually
control yourself, and many men and women have found
to their sorrow that it is easier to control a
kingdom that to control themselves.
14. But when you have learned to
control yourself you will have found the "World
Within" which controls the world without; you will
have become irresistible; men and things will
respond to your every wish without any apparent
effort on your part.
15. This is not so strange or
impossible as it may appear when you remember that
the "World Within" is controlled by the "I" and that
this "I" is a part or one with the Infinite "I"
which is the Universal Energy or Spirit, usually
called God.
16. This is not a mere statement or
theory made for the purpose of confirming or
establishing an idea, but it is a fact which has
been accepted by the best religious thought as well
as the best scientific thought.
17. Herbert Spender said: "Amid all
the mysteries by which we are surrounded, nothing is
more certain than that we are ever in the presence
of an Infinite and Eternal Energy from which all
things proceed."
18. Lyman Abbott, in an address
delivered before the Alumni of Bangor Theological
Seminary, said: "We are coming to think of God as
dwelling in man rather than as operating on men from
without."
19. Science goes a little way in its
search and stops. Science finds the ever present
Eternal Energy, but Religion finds the Power behind
this energy and locates it within man. But this is
by no means a new discovery; the Bible says exactly
the same thing, and the language is just as plain
and convincing: "Know ye not that ye are the temple
of the living God?" Here, then, is the secret of the
wonderful creative power of the "World Within."
20. Here is the secret of power, of
mastery. To overcome does not mean to go without
things. Self-denial is not success. We cannot give
unless we get; we cannot be helpful unless we are
strong. The Infinite is not a bankrupt and we who
are the representatives of Infinite power should not
be bankrupts either, and if we wish to be of service
to others we must have power and more power, but to
get it we must give it; we must be of service.
21. The more we give the more we
shall get; we must become a channel whereby the
Universal can express activity. The Universal is
constantly seeking to express itself, to be of
service, and it seeks the channel whereby it can
find the greatest activity, where it can do the most
good, where it can be of greatest service to
mankind.
22. The Universal cannot express
through you as long as you are busy with your plans,
your own purposes; quiet the senses, seek
inspiration, focus the mental activity on the
within, dwell in the consciousness of your unity
with Omnipotence. "Still water runs deep;"
contemplate the multitudinous opportunities to which
you have spiritual access by the Omnipresence of
power.
23. Visualize the events,
circumstances and conditions which these spiritual
connections may assist in manifesting. Realize the
fact that the essence and soul of all things is
spiritual and that the spiritual is the real,
because it is the life of all there is; when the
spirit is gone, the life is gone; it is dead; it has
ceased to exist.
24. These mental activities pertain
to the world within, to the world of cause; and
conditions and circumstances which result are the
effect. It is thus that you become a creator. This
is important work, and the higher, loftier, grander
and more noble ideals which you can conceive, the
more important the work will become.
25. Over-work or over-play or
over-bodily activity of any kind produces conditions
of mental apathy and stagnation which makes it
impossible to do the more important work which
results in a realization of conscious power. We
should, therefore, seek the Silence frequently.
Power comes through repose; it is in the Silence
that we can be still, and when we are still, we can
think, and thought is the secret of all attainment.
26. Thought is a mode of motion and
is carried by the law of vibration the same as light
or electricity. It is given vitality by the emotions
through the law of love; it takes form and
expression by the law of growth; it is a product of
the spiritual “I”, hence its Divine, spiritual, and
creative nature.
27. From this it is evident that in
order to express power, abundance or any other
constructive purpose, the emotions must be called
upon to give feeling to the thought so that it will
take form. How may this purpose be accomplished?
This is the vital point; how may we develop the
faith, the courage, the feeling, which will result
in accomplishment?
28. The reply is, by exercise;
mental strength is secured in exactly the same way
that physical strength is secured, by exercise. We
think something, perhaps with difficulty the first
time; we think the same thing again, and it becomes
easier this time; we think it again and again; it
then becomes a mental habit. We continue to think
the same thing; finally it becomes automatic; we can
no longer help thinking this thing; we are now
positive of what we think; there is no longer any
doubt about it. We are sure; we know.
29. Last week I asked you to relax,
to let go physically. This week, I am going to ask
you to let go mentally. If you practiced the
exercise given you last week fifteen or twenty
minutes a day in accordance with the instructions,
you can no doubt relax physically; and anyone who
cannot consciously do this quickly and completely is
not a master of himself. He has not obtained
freedom; he is still a slave to conditions. But I
shall assume that you have mastered the exercise and
are ready to take the next step, which is mental
freedom.
30. This week, after taking your
usual position, remove all tension by completely
relaxing, then mentally let go of all adverse
conditions, such as hatred, anger, worry, jealousy,
envy, sorrow, trouble or disappointment of any kind.
31. You may say that you cannot "let
go" of these things, but you can; you can do so by
mentally determining to do so, by voluntary
intention and persistence.
32. The reason that some cannot do
this is because they allow themselves to be
controlled by the emotions instead of by their
intellect. But those who will be guided by the
intellect will gain the victory. You will not
succeed the first time you try, but practice makes
perfect, in this as in everything else, and you must
succeed in dismissing, eliminating and completely
destroying these negative and destructive thoughts;
because they are the seed which is constantly
germinating into discordant conditions of every
conceivable kind and description. "There is nothing
truer than that the quality of thought which we
entertain correlates certain externals in the
outside world. This is the Law from which there is
no escape. And it is this Law, this correlative of
the thought with its object, that from time
immemorial has led the people to believe in special
providence." - Wilmans
PART FOUR Study Questions with
Answers
31. What is thought? Thought is
spiritual energy.
32. How is it carried? By the law of
vibration.
33. How is it given vitality? By the
law of love.
34. How does it take form? By the
law of growth.
35. What is the secret of its
creative power? It is a spiritual activity.
36. How may we develop the faith,
courage, and enthusiasm which will result in
accomplishment? By a recognition of our spiritual
nature.
37. What is the secret of Power?
Service.
38. Why is this so? Because we get
what we give.
39. What is the Silence? A physical
stillness.
40. Of what value is it? It is the
first step to self-control, self-mastery.
INTRODUCTION - PART FIVE
Enclosed herewith you will find
Part Five. After studying this part carefully, you
will see that every conceivable force or object or
fact is the result of mind in action.
Mind in action is thought, and
thought is creative. Men are thinking now as they
never thought before. Therefore, this is a creative
age, and the world is awarding its richest prizes to
the thinkers.
Matter is powerless, passive,
inert. Mind is force, energy, power. Mind shapes and
controls matter. Every form which matter takes is
but the expression of some pre-existing thought.
But thought works no magic
transformations; it obeys natural laws; it sets in
motion natural forces; it releases natural energies;
it manifests in your conduct and actions, and these
in turn react upon your friends and acquaintances,
and eventually upon the whole of your environment.
You can originate thought, and,
since thoughts are creative, you can create for
yourself the things you desire.
PART FIVE
1. At least ninety per cent of our
mental life is subconscious, so that those who fail
to make use of this mental power live within very
narrow limits.
2. The subconscious can and will
solve any problem for us if we know how to direct
it. The subconscious processes are always at work;
the only question is, are we to be simply passive
recipients of this activity, or are we to
consciously direct the work? Shall we have a vision
of the destination to be reached, the dangers to be
avoided, or shall we simply drift?
3. We have found that mind pervades
every part of the physical body and is always
capable of being directed or impressed by authority
coming from the objective or the more dominant
portion of the mind.
4. The mind, which pervades the
body, is largely the result of heredity, which, in
turn, is simply the result of all the environments
of all past generations on the responsive and
ever-moving life forces. An understanding of this
fact will enable us to use our authority when we
find some undesirable trait of character
manifesting.
5. We can consciously use all the
desirable characteristics with which we have been
provided and we can repress and refuse to allow the
undesirable ones to manifest.
6. Again, this mind which pervades
our physical body is not only the result of
hereditary tendencies, but is the result of home,
business and social environment, where countless
thousands of impressions, ideas, prejudices and
similar thoughts have been received. Much of this
has been received from others, the result of
opinions, suggestions or statements; much of it is
the result of our own thinking, but nearly all of it
has been accepted with little or no examination or
consideration.
7. The idea seemed plausible, the
conscious received it, passed it on to the
subconscious, where it was taken up by the
Sympathetic System and passed on to be built into
our physical body. "The word has become flesh."
8. This, then, is the way we are
consistently creating and recreating ourselves; we
are today the result of our past thinking, and we
shall be what we are thinking today, the Law of
Attraction is bringing to us, not the things we
should like, or the things we wish for, or the
things some one else has, but it brings us "our
own," the things which we have created by our
thought processes, whether consciously or
unconsciously. Unfortunately, many of us are
creating these things unconsciously.
9. If either of us were building a
home for ourselves, how careful we would be in
regard to the plans; how we should study every
detail; how we should watch the material and select
only the best of everything; and yet how careless we
are when it comes to building our Mental Home, which
is infinitely more important than any physical home,
as everything which can possibly enter into our
lives depends upon the character of the material
which enters into the construction of our Mental
Home.
10. What is the character of this
material? We have seen that it is the result of the
impressions which we have accumulated in the past
and stored away in our subconscious Mentality. If
these impressions have been of fear, of worry, of
care, of anxiety; if they have been despondent,
negative, doubtful, then the texture of the material
which we are weaving today will be of the same
negative material. Instead of being of any value, it
will be mildewed and rotten and will bring us only
more toil and care and anxiety. We shall be forever
busy trying to patch it up and make it appear at
least genteel.
11. But if we have stored away
nothing but courageous thought, if we have been
optimistic, positive, and have immediately thrown
any kind of negative thought on the scrap pile, have
refused to have anything to do with it, have refused
to associate with it or become identified with it in
any way, what then is the result? Our mental
material is now of the best kind; we can weave any
kind of material we want; we can use any color we
wish; we know that the texture is firm, that the
material is solid, that it will not fade, and we
have no fear, no anxiety concerning the future;
there is nothing to cover, there are no patches to
hide.
12. These are psychological facts;
there is no theory or guess work about these
thinking processes; there is nothing secret about
them; in fact, they are so plain that every one can
understand them. The thing to do is to have a mental
house-cleaning, and to have this house-cleaning
every day, and keep the house clean. Mental, moral
and physical cleanliness are absolutely
indispensable if we are to make progress of any
kind.
13. When this mental house-cleaning
process has been completed, the material which is
left will be suitable for the making of the kind of
ideals or mental images which we desire to realize.
14. There is a fine estate awaiting
a claimant. Its broad acres, with abundant crops,
running water and fine timber, stretch away as far
as the eye can see. There is a mansion, spacious and
cheerful, with rare pictures, a well-stocked
library, rich hangings, and every comfort and
luxury. All the heir has to do is to assert his
heirship, take possession, and use the property. He
must use it; he must not let it decay; for use is
the condition on which he holds it. To neglect it is
to lose possession.
15. In the domain of mind and
spirit, in the domain of practical power, such an
estate is yours. You are the heir! You can assert
your heirship and possess, and use this rich
inheritance. Power over circumstances is one of its
fruits, health, harmony and prosperity are assets
upon its balance sheet. It offers you poise and
peace. It costs you only the labour of studying and
harvesting its great resources. It demands no
sacrifice, except the loss of your limitations, your
servitudes, your weakness. It clothes you with
self-honour, and puts a sceptre in your hands.
16. To gain this estate, three
processes are necessary: You must earnestly desire
it. You must assert your claim. You must take
possession.
17. You admit that those are not
burdensome conditions.
18. You are familiar with the
subject of heredity. Darwin, Huxley, Haeckel, and
other physical scientists have piled evidence
mountain high that heredity is a law attending
progressive creation. It is progressive heredity
which gives man his erect attitude, his power of
motion, the organs of digestions, blood circulation,
nerve force, muscular force, bone structure and a
host of other faculties on the physical side. There
are even more impressive facts concerning heredity
of mind force. All these constitute what may be
called your human heredity.
19. But there is a heredity which
the physical scientists have not compassed. It lies
beneath and antecedent to all their researches. At a
point where they throw up their hands in despair,
saying they cannot account for what they see, this
divine heredity is found in full sway. 20. It is the
benignant force which decrees primal creation. It
thrills down from the Divine, direct into every
created being. It originates life, which the
physical scientist has not done, nor ever can do. It
stands out among all forces supreme, unapproachable.
No human heredity can approach it. No human heredity
measures up to it.
21. This Infinite Life flows through
you; is you. Its doorways are but the faculties
which comprise your consciousness. To keep open
these doors is the Secret of Power. Is it not worth
while to make the effort?
22. The great fact is, that the
source of all life and all power is from within.
Persons, circumstances and events may suggest need
and opportunities, but the insight, strength and
power to answer these needs will be found within.
23. Avoid counterfeits. Build firm
foundations for your consciousness upon forces which
flow direct from the Infinite source, the Universal
Mind of which you are the image and likeness.
24. Those we have come into
possession of this inheritance are never quite the
same again. They have come into possession of a
sense of power hitherto undreamed of. They can never
again be timid, weak, vacillating, or fearful. They
are indissolubly connected with Omnipotence.
Something in them has been aroused; they have
suddenly discovered that they possess a tremendous
latent ability of which they were heretofore
entirely unconscious.
25. This power is from within, but
we cannot receive it unless we give it. Use is the
condition upon which we hold this inheritance. We
are each of us but the channel through which the
Omnipotent power is being differentiated into form;
unless we give, the channel is obstructed and we can
receive no more. This is true on every plane of
existence and in every field of endeavour and all
walks of life. The more we give, the more we get.
The athlete who wishes to get strong must make use
of the strength he has, and the more he gives the
more he will get. The financier who wishes to make
money must make use of the money he has, for only by
using it can he get more.
26. The merchant who does not keep
his goods going out will soon have none coming in;
the corporation which fails to give efficient
service will soon lack customers; the attorney who
fails to get results will soon lack clients, and so
it goes everywhere; power is contingent upon a
proper use of the power already in our possession;
what is true in every field of endeavour, every
experience in life, is true of the power from which
every other power known among men is begotten --
spiritual power. Take away the spirit and what is
left? Nothing.
27. If then the spirit is all there
is, upon the recognition of this fact must depend
the ability to demonstrate all power, whether
physical, mental or spiritual.
28. All possession is the result of
the accumulative attitude of mind, or the money
consciousness; this is the magic wand which will
enable you to receive the idea, and it will
formulate plans for you to execute, and you will
find as much pleasure in the execution as in the
satisfaction of attainment and achievement.
29. Now, go to your room, take the
same seat, the same position as heretofore, and
mentally select a place which has pleasant
associations. Make a complete mental picture of it,
see the buildings, the grounds, the trees, friends,
associations, everything complete. At first, you
will find yourself thinking of everything under the
sun, except the ideal upon which you desire to
concentrate. But do not let that discourage you.
Persistence will win, but persistence requires that
you practice these exercises every day without fail.
PART FIVE Study Questions with
Answers
41. What proportion of our mental
life is subconscious? At least ninety per cent.
42. Is this vast mental storehouse
generally utilized? No.
43. Why not? Few understand or
appreciate the fact that it is an activity which
they may consciously direct.
44. Where has the conscious mind
received its governing tendencies? From heredity --
which means that it is the result of all the
environments of all past generations.
45. What is the law of attraction
bringing to us? Our "Own."
46. What is our "Own"? What we
inherently are, and is the result of our past
thinking, both conscious and subconscious.
47. Of what is the material with
which we construct our mental home composed? The
thoughts which we entertain.
48. What is the Secret of Power? A
recognition of the omnipresence of omnipotence.
49. Where does it originate? All
life and all power is from within.
50. Upon what is the possession of
power contingent? Upon a proper use of the power
already in our possession.
INTRODUCTION - PART SIX
It is my privilege to enclose
Part Six. This part will give you an excellent
understanding of the most wonderful piece of
mechanism which has ever been created. A mechanism
whereby you may create for yourself Health,
Strength, Success, Prosperity or any other condition
which you desire. Necessities are demands, and
demands create action, and actions bring about
results. The process of evolution is constantly
building our tomorrows out of our today's.
Individual development, like Universal development,
must be gradual with an ever increasing capacity and
volume.
The knowledge that if we infringe
upon the rights of others, we become moral thorns
and find ourselves entangled at every turn of the
road, should be an indication that success is
contingent upon the highest moral ideal, which is
"The greatest good to the greatest number."
Aspiration, desire and harmonious
relations constantly and persistently maintained
will accomplish results. The greatest hindrance is
erroneous and fixed ideas.
To be in tune with eternal truth
we must possess poise and harmony within. In order
to receive intelligence the receiver must be in tune
with the transmitter.
Thought is a product of Mind and
Mind is creative, but this does not mean that the
Universal will change its modus operandi to suit us
or our ideas, but it does mean that we can come into
harmonious relationship with the Universal, and when
we have accomplished this we may ask anything to
which we are entitled, and the way will be made
plain.
PART SIX
1. The Universal Mind is so
wonderful that it is difficult to understand its
utilitarian powers and possibilities and its
unlimited producing effects.
2. We have found that this Mind is
not only all intelligence but all substance. How,
then, is it to be differentiated in form? How are we
to secure the effect which we desire?
3. Ask any electrician what the
effect of electricity will be and he will reply that
"Electricity is a form of motion and its effect will
depend upon the mechanism to which it is attached."
Upon this mechanism will depend whether we shall
have heat, light, power, music or any of the other
marvellous demonstration of power to which this
vital energy has been harnessed.
4. What effect can be produced by
thought? The reply is that thought is mind in motion
(just as wind is air in motion), and its effect will
depend entirely on the "mechanism to which it is
attached."
5. Here, then, is the secret of all
mental power; it depends entirely on the mechanism
which we attach.
6. What is this mechanism? You know
something of the mechanism which has been invented
by Edison, Bell, Marconi and other electrical
wizards, by which place and space and time have
become only figures of speech, but did you ever stop
to think that the mechanism which has been given you
for transforming the Universal, Omnipresent
Potential Power was invented by a greater inventor
than Edison?
7. We are accustomed to examining
the mechanism of the implements which we use for
tilling the soil, and we try to get an understanding
of the mechanism of the automobile which we drive,
but most of us are content to remain in absolute
ignorance of the greatest piece of mechanism which
as ever come into existence, the brain of man.
8. Let us examine the wonders of
this mechanism; perhaps we shall thereby get a
better understanding of the various effects of which
it is the cause.
9. In the first place, there is the
great mental world in which we live and move and
have our being; this world is omnipotent, omniscient
and omnipresent; it will respond to our desire in
direct ratio to our purpose and faith; the purpose
must be in accordance with the law of our being,
that is, it must be creative or constructive; our
faith must be strong enough to generate a current of
sufficient strength to bring our purpose into
manifestation. "As thy faith is, so be it unto
thee," bears the stamp of scientific test.
10. The effects which are produced
in the world without are the result of the action
and reaction of the individual upon the universal;
that is the process which we call thinking; the
brain is the organ through which this process is
accomplished; think of the wonder of it all! Do you
love music, flowers, literature, or are you inspired
by the thought of ancient or modern genius?
Remember, every beauty to which you respond must
have its corresponding outline in your brain before
you can appreciate it.
11. There is not a single virtue or
principle in the storehouse of nature which the
brain cannot express. The brain is an embryonic
world, ready to develop at any time as necessity may
arise. If you can comprehend that this is a
scientific truth and one of the wonderful laws of
nature, it will be easier for you to get an
understanding of the mechanism by which these
extraordinary results are being accomplished.
12. The nervous system has been
compared to an electric circuit with its battery of
cells in which force is originated, and its white
matter to insulated wires by which the current is
conveyed; it is through these channels that every
impulse or desire is carried through the mechanism.
13. The spinal cord is the great
motor and sensory pathway by which messages are
conveyed to and from the brain; then, there is the
blood supply plunging through the veins and
arteries, renewing our energy and strength, the
perfectly arranged structure upon which the entire
physical body rests, and, finally, the delicate and
beautiful skin, clothing the entire mechanism is a
mantle of beauty.
14. This then is the "Temple of the
living God" and the individual "I" is given control
and upon his understanding of the mechanism which is
within his control will the result depend.
15. Every thought sets the brain
cells in action; at first the substance upon which
the thought is directed fails to respond, but if the
thought is sufficiently refined and concentrated,
the substance finally yields and expresses
perfectly.
16. This influence of the mind can
be exerted upon any part of the body, causing the
elimination of any undesirable effect.
17. A perfect conception and
understanding of the laws governing in the mental
world cannot fail to be of inestimable value in the
transaction of business, as it develops the power of
discernment and gives a clearer understanding and
appreciation of facts.
18. The man who looks within instead
of without cannot fail to make use of the mighty
forces which will eventually determine his course in
life and so bring him into vibration with all that
is best, strongest and most desirable.
19. Attention or concentration is
probably; the most important essential in the
development of mind culture. The possibilities of
attention when properly directed are so startling
that they would hardly appear credible to the
uninitiated. The cultivation of attention is the
distinguishing characteristic of every successful
man or woman, and is the very highest personal
accomplishment which can be acquired.
20. The power of attention can be
more readily understood by comparing it with a
magnifying glass in which the rays of sunlight are
focused; they possess no particular strength as long
as the glass is moved about and the rays directed
from one place to another; but let the glass be held
perfectly still and let the rays be focused on one
spot for any length of time, the effect will become
immediately apparent.
21. So with the power of thought;
let power be dissipated by scattering the thought
from one object to another, and no result is
apparent; but focus this power through attention or
concentration on any single purpose for any length
of time and nothing becomes impossible.
22. A very simple remedy for a very
complex situation, some will say. All right, try it,
you who have had no experience in concentrating the
thought on a definite purpose or object. Choose any
single object and concentrate your attention on it
for a definite purpose for even ten minutes; you
cannot do it; the mind will wander a dozen times and
it will be necessary to bring it back to the
original purpose, and each time the effect will have
been lost and at the end of the ten minutes nothing
will have been gained, because you have not been
able to hold your thought steadily to the purpose.
23. It is, however, through
attention that you will finally be able to overcome
obstacles of any kind that appear in your path
onward and upward, and the only way to acquire this
wonderful power is by practice -- practice makes
perfect, in this as in anything else.
24. In order to cultivate the power
of attention, bring a photograph with you to the
same seat in the same room in the same position as
heretofore. Examine it closely at least ten minutes,
note the expression of the eyes, the form of the
features, the clothing, the way the hair is
arranged; in fact, note every detail shown on the
photograph carefully. Now cover it and close your
eyes and try to see it mentally; if you can see
every detail perfectly and can form a good mental
image of the photograph, you are to be
congratulated; if not, repeat the process until you
can.
25. This step is simply for the
purpose of preparing the soil; next week we shall be
ready to sow the seed.
26. It is by such exercises as these
that you will finally be able to control your mental
moods, your attitude, your consciousness.
27. Great financiers are learning to
withdraw from the multitude more and more, that they
may have more time for planning, thinking and
generating the right mental moods.
28. Successful businessmen are
constantly demonstrating the fact that it pays to
keep in touch with the thought of other successful
business men.
29. A single idea may be worth
millions of dollars, and these ideas can only come
to those who are receptive, who are prepared to
receive them, who are in successful frame of mind.
30. Men are learning to place
themselves in harmony with the Universal Mind; they
are learning the unity of all things; they are
learning the basic methods and principles of
thinking, and this is changing conditions and
multiplying results.
31. They are finding that
circumstances and environment follow the trend of
mental and spiritual progress; they find that growth
follows knowledge; action follows inspiration;
opportunity follows perception; always the spiritual
first, then the transformation into the infinite and
illimitable possibilities of achievement.
32. As the individual is but the
channel for the differentiation of the Universal,
these possibilities are necessarily inexhaustible.
33. Thought is the process by which
we may absorb the Spirit of Power, and hold the
result in our inner consciousness until it becomes a
part of our ordinary consciousness. The method of
accomplishing this result by the persistent practice
of a few fundamental principles, as explained in
this System, is the master-key which unlocks the
storehouse of Universal Truth.
34. The two great sources of human
suffering at present are bodily disease and mental
anxiety. These may be readily traced to the
infringement of some Natural Law. This is, no doubt,
owing to the fact that so far knowledge has largely
remained partial, but the clouds of darkness which
have accumulated through long ages are beginning to
roll away and with them many of the miseries that
attend imperfect information. "That a man can change
himself, improve himself, re-create himself, control
his environment, and master his own destiny is the
conclusion of every mind who is wide-awake to the
power of right thought in constructive action." -
Larson
PART SIX Study Questions with
Answers
51. What are some of the effects
which can be produced by electricity? Heat, light,
power, music.
52. Upon what do these various
effects depend? Upon the mechanism to which
electricity is attached.
53. What is the result of the action
and interaction of the individual mind upon the
Universal? The conditions and experiences with which
we meet.
54. How may these conditions be
changed? By changing the mechanism by which the
Universal is differentiated in form.
55. What is this mechanism? The
brain.
56. How may it be changed? By the
process we call thinking. Thoughts produce brain
cells, and these cells respond to the corresponding
thought in the Universal.
57. Of what value is the power of
concentration? It is the very highest personal
accomplishment which can be acquired, and the
distinguishing characteristic of every successful
man or woman.
58. How may it be acquired? By
faithfully practicing the exercises in this System.
59. Why is this so important?
Because it will enable us to control our thoughts,
and since thoughts are causes conditions must be
effects; if we can control the cause we can also
control the effect.
60. What is changing conditions and
multiplying results in the objective world? Men are
learning the basic methods of constructive thinking.
INTRODUCTION - PART SEVEN
Through all the ages man has
believed in an invisible power, through which and by
which all things have been created and are
continually being re-created.
We may personalize this power and
call it God, or we may think of it as the essence or
spirit, which permeates all things, but in either
case the effect is the same.
So far as the individual is
concerned, the objective, the physical, the visible,
is the personal, that which can be cognised by the
senses. It consists of body, brain and nerves. The
subjective is the spiritual, the invisible, the
impersonal.
The personal is conscious because it
is a personal entity. The impersonal, being the same
in kind and quality as all other Being, is not
conscious of itself and has therefore been termed
the subconscious. The personal, or conscious, has
the power of will and choice, and can therefore
exercise discrimination in the selection of methods
whereby to bring about the solution of difficulties.
The impersonal, or spiritual, being a part or one
with the source, and origin of all power, can
necessarily exercise no such choice, but, on the
contrary, it has Infinite resources at its command.
It can and does bring about results by methods
concerning which the human or individual mind can
have no possible conception.
You will therefore see that it is
your privilege to depend upon the human will with
all its limitations and misconceptions, or you may
utilize the potentialities of Infinity by making use
of the subconscious mind. Here, then, is the
scientific explanation of the wonderful power which
has been put within your control, if you but
understand, appreciate and recognize it.
One method of consciously utilizing
this omnipotent power is outlined in Part Seven.
PART SEVEN
1. Visualization is the process of
making mental images, and the image is the mould or
model which will serve as a pattern from which your
future will emerge.
2. Make the pattern clear and make
it beautiful; do not be afraid; make it grand;
remember that no limitation can be placed upon you
by any one but yourself; you are not limited as to
cost or material; draw on the Infinite for your
supply, construct it in your imagination; it will
have to be there before it will ever appear anywhere
else.
3. Make the image clear and
clean-cut, hold it firmly in the mind and you will
gradually and constantly bring the thing nearer to
you. You can be what "you will to be."
4. This is another psychological
fact which is well known, but unfortunately, reading
about it will not bring about any result which you
may have in mind; it will not even help you to form
the mental image, much less bring it into
manifestation. Work is necessary - labour, hard
mental labour, the kind of effort which so few are
willing to put forth.
5. The first step is idealization.
It is likewise the most important step, because it
is the plan on which you are going to build. It must
be solid; it must be permanent. The architect, when
he plans a 30-story building, has every line and
detail pictured in advance. The engineer, when he
spans a chasm, first ascertains the strength
requirements of a million separate parts.
6. They see the end before a single
step is taken; so you are to picture in your mind
what you want; you are sowing the seed, but before
sowing any seed you want to know what the harvest is
to be. This is Idealization. If you are not sure,
return to the chair daily until the picture becomes
plain; it will gradually unfold; first the general
plan will be dim, but it will take shape, the
outline will take form, then the details, and you
will gradually develop the power by which you will
be enabled to formulate plans which will eventually
materialize in the objective world. You will come to
know what the future holds for you.
7. Then comes the process of
visualization. You must see the picture more and
more complete, see the detail, and, as the details
begin to unfold the ways and means for bringing it
into manifestation will develop. One thing will lead
to another. Thought will lead to action, action will
develop methods, methods will develop friends, and
friends will bring about circumstances, and,
finally, the third step, or Materialization, will
have been accomplished.
8. We all recognize the Universe
must have been thought into shape before it ever
could have become a material fact. And if we are
willing to follow along the lines of the Great
Architect of the Universe, we shall find our
thoughts taking form, just as the universe took
concrete form. It is the same mind operating through
the individual. There is no difference in kind or
quality, the only difference is one of degree.
9. The architect visualizes his
building, he sees it as he wishes it to be. His
thought becomes a plastic mold from which the
building will eventually emerge, a high one or a low
one, a beautiful one or a plain one, his vision
takes form on paper and eventually the necessary
material is utilized and the building stands
complete.
10. The inventor visualizes his idea
in exactly the same manner, for instance, Nikola
Tesla, he with the giant intellect, one of the
greatest inventors of all ages, the man who has
brought forth the most amazing realities, always
visualizes his inventions before attempting to work
them out. He did not rush to embody them in form and
then spend his time in correcting defects. Having
first built up the idea in his imagination, he held
it there as a mental picture, to be reconstructed
and improved by his thought. "In this way," he
writes in the Electrical Experimenter. "I am enabled
to rapidly develop and perfect a conception without
touching anything. When I have gone so far as to
embody in the invention every possible improvement I
can think of, and see no fault anywhere, I put into
concrete, the product of my brain. Invariably my
devise works as I conceived it should; in twenty
years there has not been a single exception."
11. If you can conscientiously
follow these directions, you will develop Faith, the
kind of Faith that is the "Substance of things hoped
for, the evidence of things not seen"; you will
develop confidence, the kind of confidence that
leads to endurance and courage; you will develop the
power of concentration which will enable you to
exclude all thoughts except the ones which are
associated with your purpose.
12. The law is that thought will
manifest in form, and only one who knows how to be
the divine thinker of his own thoughts can ever take
a Master's place and speak with authority.
13. Clearness and accuracy are
obtained only by repeatedly having the image in
mind. Each repeated action renders the image more
clear and accurate than the preceding, and in
proportion to the clearness and accuracy of the
image will the outward manifestation be. You must
build it firmly and securely in your mental world,
the world within, before it can take form in the
world without, and you can build nothing of value,
even in the mental world unless you have the proper
material. When you have the material you can build
anything you wish, but make sure of your material.
You cannot make broadcloth from shoddy.
14. This material will be brought
out by millions of silent mental workers and
fashioned into the form of the image which you have
in mind.
15. Think of it! You have over five
million of these mental workers, ready and in active
use; brain cells they are called. Besides this,
there is another reserve force of at least an equal
number, ready to be called into action at the
slightest need. Your power to think, then, is almost
unlimited, and this means that your power to create
the kind of material which is necessary to build for
yourself any kind of environment which you desire is
practically unlimited.
16. In addition to these millions of
mental workers, you have billions of mental workers
in the body, every one of which is endowed with
sufficient intelligence to understand and act upon
any message or suggestion given. These cells are all
busy creating and recreating the body, but, in
addition to this, they are endowed with psychic
activity whereby they can attract to themselves the
substance necessary for perfect development.
17. They do this by the same law and
in the same manner that every form of life attracts
to itself the necessary material for growth. The
oak, the rose, the lily, all require certain
material for their most perfect expression and they
secure it by silent demand, the Law of Attraction,
the most certain way for you to secure what you
require for your most complete development.
18. Make the Mental Image; make it
clear, distinct, perfect; hold it firmly; the ways
and means will develop; supply will follow the
demand; you will be led to do the right thing at the
right time and in the right way. Earnest Desire will
bring about Confident Expectation, and this in turn
must be reinforced by Firm Demand. These three
cannot fail to bring about Attainment, because the
Earnest Desire is the feeling, the Confident
Expectation is the thought, and the Firm Demand is
the will, and, as we have seen, feeling gives
vitality to thought and the will holds it steadily
until the law of Growth brings it into
manifestation.
19. Is it not wonderful that man has
such tremendous power within himself, such
transcendental faculties concerning which he had no
conception? Is it not strange that we have always
been taught to look for strength and power
"without?" We have been taught to look everywhere
but "within" and whenever this power manifested in
our lives we were told that it was something
supernatural.
20. There are many who have come to
an understanding of this wonderful power, and who
make serious and conscientious efforts to realize
health, power and other conditions, and seem to
fail. They do not seem able to bring the Law into
operation. The difficulty in nearly every case is
that they are dealing with externals. They want
money, power, health and abundance, but they fail to
realize that these are effects and can come only
when the cause is found.
21. Those who will give no attention
to the world without will seek only to ascertain the
truth, will look only for wisdom, will find that
this wisdom will unfold and disclose the source of
all power, that it will manifest in thought and
purpose which will create the external conditions
desired. This truth will find expression in noble
purpose and courageous action.
22. Create ideals only, give no
thought to external conditions, make the world
within beautiful and opulent and the world without
will express and manifest the condition which you
have within. You will come into a realization of
your power to create ideals and these ideals will be
projected into the world of effect.
23. For instance, a man is in debt.
He will be continually thinking about the debt,
concentrating on it, and as thoughts are causes the
result is that he not only fastens the debt closer
to him, but actually creates more debt. He is
putting the great law of Attraction into operation
with the usual and inevitable result -- Loss leads
to greater "Loss."
24. What, then, is the correct
principle? Concentrate on the things you want, not
on the things you do not want. Think of abundance;
idealize the methods and plans for putting the Law
of Abundance into operation. Visualize the condition
which the Law of Abundance creates; this will result
in manifestation.
25. If the law operates perfectly to
bring about poverty, lack and every form of
limitation for those who are continually
entertaining thoughts of lack and fear, it will
operate with the same certainty to bring about
conditions of abundance and opulence for those who
entertain thoughts of courage and power.
26. This is a difficult problem for
many; we are too anxious; we manifest anxiety, fear,
distress; we want to do something; we want to help;
we are like a child who has just planted a seed and
every fifteen minutes goes and stirs up the earth to
see if it is growing. Of course, under such
circumstances, the seed will never germinate, and
yet this is exactly what many of us do in the mental
world.
27. We must plant the seed and leave
it undisturbed. This does not mean that we are to
sit down and do nothing, by no means; we will do
more and better work then we have ever done before,
new channels will constantly be provided, new doors
will open; all that is necessary is to have an open
mind, be ready to act when the time comes.
28. Thought force is the most
powerful means of obtaining knowledge, and if
concentrated on any subject will solve the problem.
Nothing is beyond the power of human comprehension,
but in order to harness thought force and make it do
your bidding, work is required.
29. Remember that thought is the
fire that creates the steam that turns the wheel of
fortune, upon which your experiences depend.
30. Ask yourself a few questions and
then reverently await the response; do you not now
and then feel the self with you? Do you assert this
self or do you follow the majority? Remember that
majorities are always led, they never lead. It was
the majority that fought, tooth and nail, against
the steam engine, the power loom and every other
advance or improvement ever suggested.
31. For your exercise this week,
visualize your friend, see him exactly as you last
saw him, see the room, the furniture, recall the
conversation, now see his face, see it distinctly,
now talk to him about some subject of mutual
interest; see his expression change, watch him
smile. Can you do this? All right, you can; then
arouse his interest, tell him a story of adventure,
see his eyes light up with the spirit of fun or
excitement. Can you do all of this? If so, your
imagination is good, you are making excellent
progress.
PART SEVEN Study Questions with
Answers
61. What is visualization? The
process of making mental pictures.
62. What is the result of this
method of thought? By holding the image or picture
in mind, we can gradually but surely bring the thing
nearer to us. We can be what we will to be.
63. What is Idealization? It is a
process of visualizing or idealizing the plans which
will eventually materialize in our objective world.
64. Why are clearness and accuracy
necessary? Because "seeing" creates "feeling" and
"feeling" creates "being." First the mental, then
the emotional, then the illimitable possibilities of
achievement.
65. How are they obtained? Each
repeated action renders the image more accurate than
the former one.
66. How is the material for the
construction of your mental image secured? By
millions of mental workers. Brain cells they are
called.
67. How are the necessary conditions
for bringing about the materialization of your ideal
in the objective world secured? By the Law of
Attraction. The natural law by which all conditions
and experiences are brought about.
68. What three steps are necessary
in order to bring this law into operation? Earnest
Desire, Confident Expectation, Firm Demand.
69. Why do many fail? Because they
concentrate on loss, disease and disaster. The law
is operating perfectly; the things they fear are
coming upon them.
70. What is the alternative?
Concentrate on the ideals which you desire to see
manifested in your life.
INTRODUCTION - PART EIGHT
In this Part you will find that you
may freely choose what you think but the result of
your thought is governed by an immutable law! Is not
this a wonderful thought? Is it not wonderful to
know that our lives are not subject to caprice or
variability of any kind? That they are governed by
law. This stability is our opportunity, because by
complying with the law we can secure the desired
effect with invariable precision. It is the Law
which makes the Universe one grand paean of Harmony.
If it were not for law, the Universe would be a
Chaos instead of a Cosmos.
Here, then, is the secret of the
origin of booth good and evil, this is all the good
and evil there ever was or ever will be.
Let me illustrate. Thought results
in action, if your thought is constructive and
harmonious, the result will be good; if your thought
is destructive or in harmonious, the result will be
evil.
There is therefore but one law, one
principle, on cause, one Source of Power, and good
and evil are simply words which have been coined to
indicate the result of our action, or our compliance
or non-compliance with this law.
The importance of this is well
illustrated in the lives of Emerson and Carlyle.
Emerson loved the good and his life was a symphony
of peace and harmony, Carlyle hated the bad, and his
life was a record of perpetual discord and in
harmony.
Here we have two grand men, each
intent upon achieving the same ideal, but one makes
use of constructive thought and is therefore in
harmony with Natural Law, the other makes use of
destructive thought and therefore brings upon
himself discord of every kind and character.
It is evident therefore that we are
to hate nothing, not even the "bad," because hatred
is destructive, and we shall soon find that by
entertaining destructive thought we are sowing the
"wind" and in turn shall reap the "whirlwind."
PART EIGHT
1. Thought contains a vital
principle, because it is the creative principle of
the Universe and by its nature will combine with
other similar thoughts.
2. As the one purpose of life is
growth, all principles underlying existence must
contribute to give it effect. Thought, therefore,
takes form and the law of growth eventually brings
it into manifestation.
3. You may freely choose what you
think, but the result of your thought is governed by
an immutable law. Any line of thought persisted in
cannot fail to produce its result in the character,
health and circumstances of the individual. Methods
whereby we can substitute habits of constructive
thinking for those which we have found produce only
undesirable effects are therefore of primary
importance.
4. We all know that this is by no
means easy. Mental habits are difficult to control,
but it can be done and the way to do it is to begin
at once to substitute constructive thought for
destructive thought. Form the habit of analysing
every thought. If it is necessary, if its
manifestation in the objective will be a benefit,
not only to yourself, but to all whom it may affect
in any way, keep it; treasure it; it is of value; it
is in tune with the Infinite; it will grow and
develop and produce fruit an hundred fold. On the
other hand, it will be well for you to keep this
quotation from George Matthews Adams, in mind,
"Learn to keep the door shut, keep out of your mind,
out of your office, and out of your world, every
element that seeks admittance with no definite
helpful end in view."
5. If your thought has been critical
or destructive, and has resulted in any condition of
discord or inharmony in your environment, it may be
necessary for you to cultivate a mental attitude
which will be conducive to constructive thought.
6. The imagination will be found to
be a great assistance in this direction; the
cultivation of the imagination leads to the
development of the ideal out of which your future
will emerge.
7. The imagination gathers up the
material by which the Mind weaves the fabric in
which your future is to be clothed.
8. Imagination is the light by which
we can penetrate new worlds of thought and
experience.
9. Imagination is the mighty
instrument by which every discoverer, every
inventor, opened the way from precedent to
experience. Precedent said, "It cannot be done;"
experience said, "It is done."
10. Imagination is a plastic power,
moulding the things of sense into new forms and
ideals.
11. Imagination is the constructive
form of thought which must precede every
constructive form of action.
12. A builder cannot build a
structure of any kind until he has first received
the plans from the architect, and the architect must
get them from his imagination.
13. The Captain of Industry cannot
build a giant corporation which may coordinate
hundreds of smaller corporations and thousands of
employees, and utilize millions of dollars of
capital until he has first created the entire work
in his imagination. Objects in the material world
are as clay in the potter's hand; it is in the
Master Mind that the real things are created, and it
is by the use of the imagination that the work is
done. In order to cultivate the imagination it must
be exercised. Exercise is necessary to cultivate
mental muscle as well as physical muscle. It must be
supplied with nourishment or it cannot grow.
14. Do not confuse Imagination with
Fancy, or that form of day dreaming in which some
people like to indulge. Day dreaming is a form of
mental dissipation which may lead to mental
disaster.
15. Constructive imagination means
mental labour, by some considered to be the hardest
kind of labor, but, if so, it yields the greatest
returns, for all the great things in life have come
to men and women who had the capacity to think, to
imagine, and to make their dreams come true.
16. When you have become thoroughly
conscious of the fact that Mind is the only creative
principle, that it is Omnipotent, Omniscient and
Omnipresent, and that you can consciously come into
harmony with this Omnipotence through your power of
thought, you will have taken a long step in the
right direction.
17. The next step is to place
yourself in position to receive this power. As it is
Omnipresent, it must be within you. We know that
this is so because we know that all power is from
within, but it must be developed, unfolded,
cultivated; in order to do this we must be
receptive, and this receptivity is acquired just as
physical strength is gained, by exercise.
18. The law of attraction will
certainly and unerringly bring to you the
conditions, environment, and experiences in life,
corresponding with your habitual, characteristic,
predominant mental attitude. Not what you think once
in a while when you are in church, or have just read
a good book, BUT your predominant mental attitude is
what counts.
19. You can not entertain weak,
harmful, negative thoughts ten hours a day and
expect to bring about beautiful, strong and
harmonious conditions by ten minutes of strong,
positive, creative thought.
20. Real power comes from within.
All power that anybody can possibly use is within
man, only waiting to be brought into visibility by
his first recognizing it, and then affirming it as
his, working it into his consciousness until he
becomes one with it.
21. People say that they desire
abundant life, and so they do, but so many interpret
this to mean that if they will exercise their
muscles or breathe scientifically, eat certain foods
in certain ways, drink so many glasses of water
every day of just a certain temperature, keep out of
drafts, they will attain the abundant life they
seek. The result of such methods is but indifferent.
However, when man awakens to the truth, and affirms
his oneness with all Life, he finds that he takes on
the clear eye, the elastic step, the vigour of
youth; he finds that he has discovered the source of
all power.
22. All mistakes are but the
mistakes of ignorance. Knowledge gaining and
consequent power is what determines growth and
evolution. The recognition and demonstration of
knowledge is what constitutes power, and this power
is spiritual power, and this spiritual power is the
power which lies at the heart of all things; it is
the soul of the universe.
23. This knowledge is the result of
man's ability to think; thought is therefore the
germ of man's conscious evolution. When man ceases
to advance in his thoughts and ideals, his forces
immediately begin to disintegrate and his
countenance gradually registers these changing
conditions.
24. Successful men make it their
business to hold ideals of the conditions which they
wish to realize. They constantly hold in mind the
next step necessary to the ideal for which they are
striving. Thoughts are the materials with which they
build, and the imagination is their mental
work-shop. Mind is the ever moving force with which
they secure the persons and circumstance necessary
to build their success structure, and imagination is
the matrix in which all great things are fashioned.
25. If you have been faithful to
your ideal, you will hear the call when
circumstances are ready to materialize your plans
and results will correspond in the exact ratio of
your fidelity to your ideal. The ideal steadily held
is what pre-determines and attracts the necessary
conditions for its fulfilment.
26. It is thus that you may weave a
garment of spirit and power into the web of your
entire existence; it is thus that you may lead a
charmed life and be forever protected from all harm;
it is thus that you may become a positive force
whereby conditions of opulence and harmony may be
attracted to you.
27. This is the leaven which is
gradually permeating the general consciousness and
is largely responsible for the conditions of unrest
which are everywhere evident.
28. In the last Part you created a
mental image, you brought it from the invisible into
the visible; this week I want you to take an object
and follow it back to its origination, see of what
it really consists. If you do this you will develop
imagination, insight, perception, and sagacity.
These come not by the superficial observation of the
multitude, but by a keen analytical observation
which sees below the surface.
29. It is the few who know that the
things which they see are only effects, and
understand the causes by which these effects were
brought into existence.
30. Take the same position as
heretofore and visualize a Battleship; see the grim
monster floating on the surface of the water; there
appears to be no life anywhere about; all is
silence; you know that by far the largest part of
the vessel is under water; out of sight; you know
that the ship is as large and as heavy as a
twenty-story skyscraper; you know that there are
hundreds of men ready to spring to their appointed
task instantly; you know that every department is in
charge of able, trained, skilled officials who have
proven themselves competent to take charge of this
marvellous piece of mechanism; you know that
although it lies apparently oblivious to everything
else, it has eyes which see everything for miles
around, and nothing is permitted to escape its
watchful vision; you know that while it appears
quiet, submissive and innocent, it is prepared to
hurl a steel projectile weighing thousands of pounds
at an enemy many miles away; this and much more you
can bring to mind with comparatively no effort
whatever. But how did the battleship come to be
where it is; how did it come into existence in the
first place? All of this you want to know if you are
a careful observer.
31. Follow the great steel plates
through the foundries, see the thousands of men
employed in their production; go still further back,
and see the ore as it comes from the mine, see it
loaded on barges or cars, see it melted and properly
treated; go back still further and see the architect
and engineers who planned the vessel; let the
thought carry you back still further in order to
determine why they planned the vessel; you will see
that you are now so far back that the vessel is
something intangible, it no longer exists, it is now
only a thought existing in the brain of the
architect; but from where did the order come to plan
the vessel? Probably from the Secretary of Defense;
but probably this vessel was planned long before the
war was thought of, and that Congress had to pass a
bill appropriating the money; possibly there was
opposition, and speeches for or against the bill.
Whom do these Congressmen represent? They represent
you and me, so that our line of thought begins with
the Battleship and ends with ourselves, and we find
in the last analysis that our own thought is
responsible for this and many other things, of which
we seldom think, and a little further reflection
will develop the most important fact of all and that
is, if someone had not discovered the law by which
this tremendous mass of steel and iron could be made
to float upon the water, instead of immediately
going to the bottom, the battleship could not have
come into existence at all.
32. This law is that, "the specific
gravity of any substance is the weight of any volume
of it, compared with an equal volume of water." The
discovery of this law revolutionized every kind of
ocean travel, commerce and warfare, and made the
existence of the battleship, aircraft carriers, and
cruise ships possible.
33. You will find exercises of this
kind invaluable. When the thought has been trained
to look below the surface everything takes on a
different appearance, the insignificant becomes
significant, the uninteresting interesting; the
things which we supposed to be of no importance are
seen to be the only really vital things in
existence.
Look To This Day
- For it is Life, the very Life of
Life.
- In Its brief course lie all the
Verities and
- Realities of your existence;
- The Bliss of Growth;
- The Glory of Action;
- The Splendour of Beauty;
- For Yesterday is but a Dream,
- And tomorrow is only a Vision:
- But Today well lived makes every
- Yesterday a Dream of Happiness, and
- Every Tomorrow a Vision of Hope.
Look well, therefore, to This
Day!
PART EIGHT Study Questions
with Answers
71. What is the imagination? A
form of constructive thought. The light by which
we penetrate new worlds of thought and
experience. The mighty instrument by which every
inventor or discoverer opened the way from
precedent to experience.
72. What is the result of
imagination? The cultivation of the imagination
leads to the development of the ideal out of
which your future will emerge.
73. How may it be cultivated? By
exercise; it must be supplied with nourishment
or it cannot live.
74. How does imagination differ
from day dreaming? Day dreaming is a form of
mental dissipation, while imagination is a form
of constructive thought which must precede every
constructive action.
75. What are mistakes? The
result of ignorance.
76. What is knowledge? The
result of man's ability to think.
77. What is the power with which
successful men build? Mind is the very moving
force with which they secure the persons and
circumstances necessary to complete their plans.
78. What pre-determines the
result? The ideal held steadily in mind attracts
the necessary conditions for its fulfilment.
79. What is the result of a keen
analytical observation? The development of
imagination, insight, perception and sagacity.
80. To what do these lead?
Opulence and harmony.
INTRODUCTION - PART NINE
In this Part you may learn to
fashion the tools by which you may build for
yourself any condition you desire.
If you wish to change conditions
you must change yourself. Your whims, your
wishes, your fancies, your ambitions may be
thwarted at every step, but your inmost thoughts
will find expression just as certainly as the
plant springs from the seed.
Suppose, then, we desire to
change conditions, how are we to bring this
about? The reply is simple: By the law of
growth. Cause and effect are as absolute and
undeviating in the hidden realm of thought as in
the world of material things.
Hold in mind the condition
desired; affirm it as an already existing fact.
This indicates the value of a powerful
affirmation. By constant repetition it becomes a
part of ourselves. We are actually changing
ourselves; are making ourselves what we want to
be.
Character is not a thing of
chance, but it is the result of continued
effort. If you are timid, vacillating,
self-conscious, or if you are over-anxious or
harassed by thoughts of fear or impending
danger, remember that is axiomatic that "two
things cannot exist in the same place at the
same time." Exactly the same thing is true in
the mental and spiritual world; so that your
remedy is plainly to substitute thoughts of
courage, power, self-reliance and confidence,
for those of fear, lack and limitation.
The easiest and most natural way
to do this is to select an affirmation which
seems to fit your particular case. The positive
thought will destroy the negative as certainly
as light destroys darkness, and the results will
be just as effectual.
Act is the blossom of thought,
and conditions are the result of action, so that
you constantly have in your possession the tools
by which you will certainly and inevitably make
or unmake yourself, and joy or suffering will be
the reward.
PART NINE
1. There are only three things
which can possibly be desired in the "world
without" and each of them can be found in the
"world within." The secret of finding them is
simply to apply the proper "mechanism" of
attachment to the omnipotent power to which each
individual has access.
2. The three things which all
mankind desires and which are necessary for his
highest expression and complete development are
Health, Wealth and Love. All will admit that
Health is absolutely essential; no one can be
happy if the physical body is in pain. All will
not so readily admit that Wealth is necessary,
but all must admit that a sufficient supply at
least is necessary, and what would be considered
sufficient for one, would be considered absolute
and painful lack for another; and as Nature
provides not only enough but abundantly,
wastefully, lavishly, we realize that any lack
or limitation is only the limitation which has
been made by an artificial method of
distribution.
3. All will probably admit that
Love is the third, or maybe some will say the
first essential necessary to the happiness of
mankind; at any rate, those who possess all
three, Health, Wealth, and Love, find nothing
else which can be added to their cup of
happiness.
4. We have found that the
Universal substance is "All Health," "All
Substance" and "All Love" and that the mechanism
of attachment whereby we can consciously connect
with this Infinite supply is in our method of
thinking. To think correctly is therefore to
enter into the "Secret Place of the Most High."
5. What shall we think? If we
know this we shall have found the proper
mechanism of attachment which will relate us to
"Whatsoever things we desire." This mechanism
may seem very simple when I give it to you, but
read on; you will find that it is in reality the
"Master-Key," the "Aladin's lamp," if you
please; you will find that it is the foundation,
the imperative condition, the absolute law of
well-doing, which means, well-being.
6. To think correctly,
accurately, we must know the "Truth." The truth
then is the underlying principle in every
business or social relation. It is a condition
precedent to every right action. To know the
truth, to be sure, to be confident, affords a
satisfaction beside which no other is at all
comparable; it is the only solid ground in a
world of doubt, conflict and danger.
7. To know the Truth is to be in
harmony with the Infinite and Omnipotent power.
To know the truth is, therefore, to connect
yourself with a power which is irresistible and
which will sweep away every kind of discord, in
harmony, doubt or error of any kind, because the
"Truth is mighty and will prevail."
8. The humblest intellect can
readily foretell the result of any action when
he knows that it is based on truth, but the
mightiest intellect, the most profound and
penetrating mind loses its way hopelessly and
can form no conception of the results which may
ensue when his hopes are based on a premise
which he knows to be false.
9. Every action which is not in
harmony with Truth, whether through ignorance or
design, will result in discord, and eventual
loss in proportion to its extent and character.
10. How then are we to know the
truth in order to attach this mechanism which
will relate us to the Infinite?
11. We can make no mistake about
this if we realize that truth is the vital
principle of the Universal Mind and is
Omnipresent. For instance, if you require
health, a realization of the fact that the "I"
in you is spiritual and that all spirit is one;
that wherever a part is the whole must be, will
bring about a condition of health, because every
cell in the body must manifest the truth as you
see it. If you see sickness; they will manifest
sickness; if you see perfection they must
manifest perfection. The affirmation, "I am
whole, perfect, strong, powerful, loving,
harmonious and happy”, will bring about
harmonious conditions. The reason for this is
because the affirmation is in strict accordance
with the Truth, and when truth appears every
form of error or discord must necessarily
disappear.
12. You have found that the "I"
is spiritual, it must necessarily then always be
no less than perfect, the affirmation. "I am
whole, perfect, strong, powerful, loving,
harmonious and happy" is therefore an exact
scientific statement.
13. Thought is a spiritual
activity and spirit is creative, therefore the
result of holding this thought in mind, must
necessarily bring about conditions in harmony
with the thought.
14. If you require Wealth a
realization of the fact that the "I" in you is
one with the Universal mind which is all
substance, and is Omnipotent, will assist you in
bringing into operation the law of attraction
which will bring you into vibration with those
forces which make for success and bring about
conditions of power and affluence in direct
proportion with the character and purpose of
your affirmation.
15. Visualization is the
mechanism of the attachment which you require.
Visualization is a very different process from
seeing; seeing is physical, and is therefore
related to the objective world, the "world
without," but Visualization is a product of the
imagination, and is therefore a product of the
subjective mind, the "world within." It
therefore possesses vitality; it will grow. The
thing visualized will manifest itself in form.
The mechanism is perfect; it was created by the
Master Architect who "doeth all things well,"
but unfortunately sometimes the operator is
inexperienced or inefficient, but practice and
determination will overcome this defect.
16. If you require Love try to
realize that the only way to get love is by
giving it, that the more you give the more you
will get, and the only way in which you can give
it, is to fill yourself with it, until you
become a magnet. The method was explained in
another lesson.
17. He who has learned to bring
the greatest spiritual truths into touch with
the so-called lesser things of life has
discovered the secret of the solution of his
problem. One is always quickened, made more
thoughtful, by his nearness of approach to great
ideas, great events, great natural objects, and
great men. Lincoln is said to have begotten in
all who came near him the feeling awakened when
one approaches a mountain, and this sense
asserts itself most keenly when one comes to
realize that he has laid hold upon things that
are eternal, the power of Truth.
18. It is sometimes an
inspiration to hear from someone who has
actually put these principles to the test,
someone who has demonstrated them in their own
life. A letter from Frederick Andrews offers the
following insight:
19. I was about thirteen years
old when Dr. T. W. Marsee, since passed over,
said to my mother: "There is no possible chance,
Mrs. Andrews. I lost my little boy the same way,
after doing everything for him that it was
possible to do. I have made a special study of
these cases, and I know there is no possible
chance for him to get well."
20. She turned to him and said:
"Doctor, what would you do if he were your boy?"
and he answered, "I would fight, fight, as long
as there is a breath of life to fight for."
21. That was the beginning of a
long drawn-out battle, with many ups and downs,
the doctors all agreeing that there was no
chance for a cure, though they encouraged and
cheered us the best they could.
22. But at last the victory
came, and I have grown from a little, crooked,
twisted, cripple, going about on my hands and
knees, to a strong, straight, well formed man.
23. Now, I know you want the
formula, and I will give it to you as briefly
and quickly as I can.
24. I built up an affirmation
for myself, taking the qualities I most needed,
and affirming for myself over and over again, "I
am whole, perfect, strong, powerful, loving,
harmonious and happy." I kept up this
affirmation, always the same, never varying,
till I could wake up in the night and find
myself repeating, "I am whole, perfect, strong,
powerful, loving, harmonious and happy." It was
the last thing on my lips at night and the first
thing in the morning.
25. Not only did I affirm it for
myself, but for others that I knew needed it. I
want to emphasize this point. Whatever you
desire for yourself, affirm it for others, and
it will help you both. We reap what we sow. If
we send out thoughts of love and health, they
return to us like bread cast upon the waters;
but if we send out thoughts of fear, worry,
jealousy, anger, hate, etc., we will reap the
results in our own lives.
26. It used to be said that man
is completely built over every seven years, but
some scientists now declare that we build
ourselves over entirely every eleven months; so
we are really only eleven months old. If we
build the defects back into our bodies year
after year, we have no one to blame but
ourselves.
27. Man is the sum total of his
own thoughts; so the question is, how are we
going to entertain only the good thoughts and
reject the evil ones? At first we can't keep the
evil thoughts from coming, but we can keep from
entertaining them. The only way to do this is to
forget them -- which means, get something for
them. This is where the ready-made affirmation
comes into play.
28. When a thought of anger,
jealousy, fear or worry creeps in, just start
your affirmation going. The way to fight
darkness is with light -- the way to fight cold
is with heat -- the way to overcome evils is
with good. For myself, I never could find any
help in denials. Affirm the good, and the bad
will vanish. - Frederick Elias Andrews
29. If there is anything you
require, it will be well for you to make use of
this affirmation; it cannot be improved upon.
Use it just as it is; take it into the silence
with you, until it sinks into your
subconsciousness, so that you can use it
anywhere, in your car, in the office, at home;
this is the advantage of spiritual methods; they
are always available. Spirit is omnipresent,
every ready; all that is required is a proper
recognition of its omnipotence, and a
willingness or desire to become the recipient of
its beneficent effects.
30. If our predominant mental
attitude is one of power, courage, kindliness
and sympathy, we shall find that our environment
will reject conditions in correspondence with
these thoughts; if it is weak, critical, envious
and destructive, we shall find our environment
reflecting conditions corresponding to these
thoughts.
31. Thoughts are causes and
conditions are effects. Herein is the
explanation of the origin of both good and evil.
Thought is creative and will automatically
correlate with its object. This is a
Cosmological law (a universal law), the law of
Attraction, the law of Cause and Effect; the
recognition and application of this law will
determine both beginning and end; it is the law
by which in all ages and in all times the people
were led to believe in the power of prayer. "As
thy faith is, so be it unto thee," is simply
another, shorter and a better way of stating it.
32. This week visualize a plant;
take a flower, the one you most admire, bring it
from the unseen into the seen, plant the tiny
seed, water it, care for it, place it where it
will get the direct rays of the morning sun, see
the seed burst; it is now a living thing,
something which is alive and beginning to search
for the means of subsistence. See the roots
penetrating the earth, watch them shoot out in
all directions and remember that they are living
cells dividing and subdividing, and that they
will soon number millions, that each cell is
intelligent, that it knows what is wants and
knows how to get it. See the stem shoot forward
and upward, watch it burst through the surface
of the earth, see it divide and form branches,
see how perfect and symmetrical each branch is
formed, see the leaves begin to form, and then
the tiny stems, each one holding aloft a bud,
and as you watch you see the bud begin to unfold
and your favourite flower comes to view; and now
if you will concentrate intently you will become
conscious of a fragrance; it is the fragrance of
the flower as the breeze gently sways the
beautiful creation which you have visualized.
33. When you are enabled to make
your vision clear and complete you will be
enabled to enter into the spirit of a thing; it
will become very real to you; you will be
learning to concentrate and the process is the
same, whether you are concentrating on health, a
favourite flower, an ideal, a complicated
business proposition or any other problem of
life.
34. Every success has been
accomplished by persistent concentration upon
the object in view.
PART NINE Study Questions
with Answers
81. What is the imperative
condition of all well-being? Well doing.
82. What is the condition
precedent to every right action? Right thinking.
83. What is the underlying
condition necessary in every business
transaction or social relation? To know the
Truth.
84. What is the result of a
knowledge of the Truth? We can readily predict
the result of any action that is based upon a
true premise.
85. What is the result of any
action based upon a false premise? We can form
no conception of the results which may ensue.
86. How may we know the Truth?
By a realization of the fact that Truth is the
vital principle of the Universe and is therefore
omnipresent.
87. What is the nature of Truth?
It is spiritual.
88. What is the secret of the
solution to every problem? To apply spiritual
Truth.
89. What is the advantage of
spiritual methods? They are always available.
90. What are the necessary
requirements? A recognition of the omnipotence
of spiritual power and a desire to become the
recipient of its beneficent effects.
"Thought means life, since those
who do not think do not live in any high or real
sense. Thinking makes the man." - A. B. Alcott
INTRODUCTION - PART TEN
If you get a thorough
understanding or the thought contained in Part
Ten, you will have learned that nothing happens
without a definite cause. You will be enabled to
formulate your plans in accordance with exact
knowledge. You will know how to control any
situation by bringing adequate causes into play.
When you win, as you will, you will know exactly
why.
The ordinary man, who has no
definite knowledge of cause and effect, is
governed by his feelings or emotions. He thinks
chiefly to justify his action. If he fails as a
businessman, he says that luck is against him.
If he dislikes music, he says that music is an
expensive luxury. If he is a poor office man, he
says that he could succeed better at some
outdoor work. If he lacks friends, he says his
individuality is too fine to be appreciated.
He never thinks his problem
through to the end. In short, he does not know
that every effect is the result of a certain
definite cause, but he seeks to console himself
with explanations and excuses. He thinks only in
self-defense.
On the contrary, the man who
understands that there is no effect without an
adequate cause thinks impersonally. He gets down
to bed rock facts regardless of consequences. He
is free to follow the trail of truth wherever it
may lead. He sees the issue clear to the end,
and he meets the requirements fully and fairly,
and the result is that the world gives him all
that it has to give, in friendship, honour, love
and approval.
PART TEN
1. Abundance is a natural law of
the Universe. The evidence of this law is
conclusive; we see it on every hand. Everywhere
Nature is lavish, wasteful, extravagant. Nowhere
is economy observed in any created thing.
Profusion is manifested in everything. The
millions and millions of trees and flowers and
plants and animals and the vast scheme of
reproduction where the process of creating and
recreating is forever going on, all indicates
the lavishness with which Nature has made
provision for man. That there is an abundance
for everyone is evident, but that many fail to
participate in this abundance is also evident;
they have not yet come into a realization of the
Universality of all substance, and that mind is
the active principle whereby we are related to
the things we desire. 2. All wealth is the
offspring of power; possessions are of value
only as they confer power. Events are
significant only as they affect power; all
things represent certain forms and degrees of
power. 3. Knowledge of cause and effect as shown
by the laws governing electricity, chemical
affinity and gravitation, enables man to plan
courageously and execute fearlessly. These laws
are called Natural Laws, because they govern in
the physical world, but all power is not
physical power; there is also mental power, and
there is moral and spiritual power. 4. Spiritual
power is superior because it exists on a higher
plane. It has enabled man to discover the law by
which these wonderful forces of Nature could be
harnessed and made to do the work of hundreds
and thousands of men. It has enabled man to
discover laws whereby time and space have been
annihilated and the law of gravitation to be
overcome. The operation of this law is dependent
upon spiritual contact, as Henry Drummond well
says: 5. "In the physical world as we know it,
there exists the organic and the inorganic. The
inorganic of the mineral world is absolutely cut
off from the plant or animal world; the passage
is hermetically sealed. These barriers have
never yet been crossed. No change of substance,
no modification of environment, no chemistry, no
electricity, no form of energy, no evolution of
any kind can ever endow a single atom of the
mineral world with the attribute of Life.” 6.
"Only by the bending down into this dead world
of some living form can those dead atoms be
gifted with the properties of vitality; without
this contact with life they remain fixed in the
inorganic sphere forever. Huxley says that the
doctrine of Biogenesis (or life only from life)
is victorious all along the line, and Tyndall is
compelled to say: 'I affirm that no shred of
trustworthy evidence exists to prove that life
in our day has ever appeared independent of
antecedent life.' 7. "Physical laws may explain
the inorganic, Biology explains and accounts for
the development of the organic, but of the point
of contact Science is silent. A similar passage
exists between the Natural world and the
Spiritual world; this passage is hermetically
sealed on the natural side. The door is closed;
no man can open it, no organic change, no mental
energy, no moral effort, no progress of any kind
can enable any human being to enter the
spiritual world."
8. But as the plant reaches down
into the mineral world and touches it with the
mystery of Life, so the Universal Mind reaches
down into the human mind and endows it with new,
strange, wonderful and even marvellous
qualities. All men or women who have every
accomplished anything in the world of industry,
commerce or art have accomplished because of
this process.
9. Thought is the connecting
link between the Infinite and the finite,
between the Universal and the individual. We
have seen that there is an impassable barrier
between the organic and the inorganic, and that
the only way that matter can unfold is to be
impregnated with life; as a seed reaches down
into the mineral world and begins to unfold and
reach out, the dead matter begins to live, a
thousand invisible fingers begin to weave a
suitable environment for the new arrival, and as
the law of growth begins to take effect, we see
the process continue until the Lily finally
appears, and even "Solomon in all his glory was
not arrayed like one of these".
10. Even so, a thought is
dropped into the invisible substance of the
Universal Mind, that substance from which all
things are created, and as it takes root, the
law of growth begins to take effect and we find
that conditions and environment are but the
objective form of our thought.
11. The law is that Thought is
an active vital form of dynamic energy which has
the power to correlate with its object and bring
it out of the invisible substance from which all
things are created into the visible or objective
world. This is the law by which, and through
which all things come into manifestation; it is
the Master Key by which you are admitted into
the Secret Place of the Most High and are "given
dominion over all things." With an understanding
of this law you may "decree a thing and it shall
be established unto thee."
12. It could not be otherwise;
if the soul of the Universe as we know it is the
Universal Spirit, then the Universe is simply
the condition which the Universal Spirit has
made for itself. We are simply individualized
spirit and are creating the conditions for our
growth in exactly the same way.
13. This creative power depends
upon our recognition of the potential power of
spirit or mind and must not be confused with
Evolution. Creation is the calling into
existence of that which does not exist in the
objective world. Evolution is simply the
unfolding of potentialities involved in things
which already exist.
14. In taking advantage of the
wonderful possibilities opened up to us through
the operation of this law, we must remember that
we ourselves contribute nothing to its efficacy
as the Great Teacher said: "It is not I that
doeth the works, but the Father that dweleth in
me, He doeth the work". We must take exactly the
same position; we can do nothing to assist in
the manifestation, we simply comply with the
law, and the All-originating Mind will bring
about the result.
15. The great error of the
present day is the idea that Man has to
originate the intelligence whereby the Infinite
can proceed to bring about a specific purpose or
result. Nothing of this kind is necessary; the
Universal Mind can be depended upon to find the
ways and means for bringing about any necessary
manifestation. We must, however, create the
ideal, and this ideal should be perfect.
16. We know that the laws
governing Electricity have been formulated in
such a way that this invisible power can be
controlled and used for our benefit and comfort
in thousands of ways. We know that messages are
carried around the world, that ponderous
machinery does its bidding, that it now
illuminates practically the whole world, but we
know too that if we consciously or ignorantly
violate its law by touching a live wire, when it
is not properly insulated, the result will be
unpleasant and possibly disastrous. A lack of
understanding of the laws governing in the
invisible world has the same result, and many
are suffering the consequences all the time.
17. It has been explained that
the law of causation depends upon polarity, a
circuit must be formed; this circuit cannot be
formed unless we operate in harmony with the
law. How shall we operate in harmony with the
law unless we know what the law is? How shall we
know what the Law is? By study, by observation.
18. We see the law in operation
everywhere; all nature testifies to the
operation of the law by silently, constantly
expressing itself in the law of growth. Where
there is growth, there must be life; where there
is life there must be harmony, so that
everything that has life is constantly
attracting to itself the conditions and the
supply which is necessary for its most complete
expression.
19. If your thought is in
harmony with the creative Principle of Nature,
it is in tune with the Infinite Mind, and it
will form the circuit, it will not return to you
void; but it is possible for you to think
thoughts that are not in tune with the Infinite,
and when there is no polarity, the circuit is
not formed. What, then, is the result? What is
the result when a dynamo is generating
electricity, the circuit is cut off and there is
no outlet? The dynamo stops.
20. It will be exactly the same
with you, if you entertain thoughts which are
not in accordance with the Infinite and cannot
therefore be polarized; there is no circuit, you
are isolated, the thoughts cling to you, harass
you, worry you, and finally bring about disease
and possibly death; the physician may not
diagnose the case exactly in this way, he may
give it some fancy name which has been
manufactured for the various ills which are the
result of wrong thinking, but the cause is the
same nevertheless.
21. Constructive thought must
necessarily be creative, but creative thought
must be harmonious, and this eliminates all
destructive or competitive thought.
22. Wisdom, strength, courage
and all harmonious conditions are the result of
power and we have seen that all power is from
within; likewise, every lack, limitation or
adverse circumstance is the result of weakness,
and weakness is simply absence of power; it
comes from nowhere, it is nothing -- the remedy
then is simply to develop power, and this is
accomplished in exactly the same manner that all
power is developed, by exercise.
23. This exercise consists in
making an application of your knowledge.
Knowledge will not apply itself. You must make
the application. Abundance will not come to you
out of the sky, neither will it drop into your
lap, but a conscious realization of the law of
attraction and the intention to bring it into
operation for a certain, definite and specific
purpose, and the will to carry out this purpose
will bring about the materialization of your
desire by a natural law of transference. If you
are in business, it will increase and develop
along regular channels, possibly new or unusual
channels of distribution will be opened and when
the law becomes fully operative, you will find
that the things you seek are seeking you.
24. This week select a blank
space on the wall, or any other convenient spot,
from where you usually sit, mentally draw a
black horizontal line about six inches long, try
to see the line as plainly as though it were
painted on the wall; now mentally draw two
vertical lines connecting with this horizontal
line at either end; now draw another horizontal
line connecting with the two vertical lines; now
you have a square. Try to see the square
perfectly; when you can do so draw a circle
within the square; now place a point in the
centre of the circle; now draw the point toward
you about 10 inches; now you have a cone on a
square base; you will remember that your work
was all in black; change it to white, to red, to
yellow.
25. If you can do this, you are
making excellent progress and will soon be
enabled to concentrate on any problem you may
have in mind. "When any object or purpose is
clearly held in thought, its precipitation, in
tangible and visible form, is merely a question
of time.
The vision always precedes and
itself determines the realization.” - Lillian
Whiting
PART TEN Study Questions with
Answers
91. What is Wealth? Wealth is
the offspring of power.
92. Of what value are
possessions? Possessions are of value only as
they confer power.
93. Of what value is a knowledge
of cause and effect? It enables men to plan
courageously and execute fearlessly.
94. How does life originate in
the inorganic world? Only by the introduction of
some living form. There is no other way.
95. What is the connecting link
between the finite and the Infinite? Thought is
the connecting link.
96. Why is that so? Because the
Universal can manifest only through the
individual.
97. Upon what does causation
depend? Upon polarity; a circuit must be formed;
the Universal is the positive side of the
battery of life, the individual is the negative,
and thought forms the circuit.
98. Why do many fail to secure
harmonious conditions? They do not understand
the law; there is no polarity; they have not
formed the circuit.
99. What is the remedy? A
conscious recognition of the law of attraction
with the intention of bring it into existence
for a definite purpose.
100. What will be the result?
Thought will correlate with its object and bring
it into manifestation, because thought is a
product of the spiritual man, and spirit is the
creative Principle of the Universe.
“A vivid thought brings the
power to paint it; and in proportion to the
depth of its source is the force of its
projection.” - Emerson
INTRODUCTION - PART ELEVEN
Your life is governed by law -
by actual, immutable principles that never vary.
Law is in operation at all times; in all places.
Fixed laws underlie all human actions. For this
reason, men who control giant industries are
enabled to determine with absolute precision
just what percentage of every hundred thousand
people will respond to any given set of
conditions.
It is well, however, to remember
that while every effect is the result of a
cause, the effect in turn becomes a cause, which
creates other effects, which in turn create
still other causes; so that when you put the law
of attraction into operation you must remember
that you are starting a train of causation for
good or otherwise which may have endless
possibilities.
We frequently hear it said, "A
very distressing situation came into my life,
which could not have been the result of my
thought, as I certainly never entertained any
thought which could have such a result." We fail
to remember that like attracts like in the
mental world, and that the thought which we
entertain brings to us certain friendships,
companionships of a particular kind, and these
in turn bring about conditions and environment,
which in turn are responsible for the conditions
of which we complain.
PART ELEVEN
1. Inductive reasoning is the
process of the objective mind by which we
compare a number of separate instances with one
another until we see the common factor that
gives rise to them all.
2. Induction proceeds by
comparison of facts; it is this method of
studying nature which has resulted in the
discovery of a reign of law which has marked an
epoch in human progress.
3. It is the dividing line
between superstition and intelligence; it has
eliminated the elements of uncertainty and
caprice from men's lives and substituted law,
reason, and certitude.
4. It is the "Watchman at the
Gate" mentioned in a former lesson.
5. When, by virtue of this
principle, the world to which the senses were
accustomed had been revolutionized; when the sun
had been arrested in his course, the apparently
flat earth had been shaped into a ball and set
whirling around him; when the inert matter had
been resolved into active elements, and the
universe presented itself wherever we directed
the telescope and microscope, full of force,
motion and life; we are constrained to ask by
what possible means the delicate forms of
organization in the midst of it are kept in
order and repair.
6. Like poles and like forces
repel themselves or remain impenetrable to each
other, and this cause seems in general
sufficient to assign a proper place and distance
to stars, men and forces. As men of different
virtues enter into partnership, so do opposite
poles attract each other, elements that have no
property in common like acids and gases cling to
each other in preference and a general exchange
is kept up between the surplus and the demand.
7. As the eye seeks and receives
satisfaction from colours complementary to those
which are given, so does need, want and desire,
in the largest sense, induce, guide and
determine action.
8. It is our privilege to become
conscious of the principle and act in accordance
with it. Cuvier sees a tooth belonging to an
extinct race of animals. This tooth wants a body
for the performance of its function, and it
defines the peculiar body it stands in need of
with such precision that Cuvier is able to
reconstruct the frame of this animal.
9. Perturbations are observed in
the motion of Uranus. Leverrier needs another
star at a certain place to keep the solar system
in order, and Neptune appears in the place and
hour appointed.
10. The instinctive wants of the
animal and the intellectual wants of Cuvier, the
wants of nature and of the mind of Leverrier
were alike, and thus the results; here the
thoughts of an existence, there an existence. A
well-defined lawful want, therefore, furnishes
the reason for the more complex operations of
nature.
11. Having recorded correctly
the answers furnished by nature and stretched
our senses with the growing science over her
surface; having joined hands with the levers
that move the earth; we become conscious of such
a close, varied and deep contact with the world
without, that our wants and purposes become no
less identified with the harmonious operations
of this vast organization, than the life,
liberty, and happiness of the citizen is
identified with the existence of his government.
12. As the interests of the
individual are protected by the arms of the
country, added to his own; and his needs may
depend upon certain supply in the degree that
they are felt more universally and steadily; in
the same manner does conscious citizenship in
the Republic of nature secure us from the
annoyances of subordinate agents by alliance
with superior powers; and by appeal to the
fundamental laws of resistance or inducement
offered to mechanical or chemical agents,
distribute the labour to be performed between
them and man to the best advantage of the
inventor.
13. If Plato could have
witnessed the pictures executed by the sun with
the assistance of the photographer, or a hundred
similar illustrations of what man does by
induction, he would perhaps have been reminded
of the intellectual midwifery of his master and,
in his own mind might have arisen the vision of
a land where all manual, mechanical labour and
repetition is assigned to the power of nature,
where our wants are satisfied by purely mental
operations set in motion by the will, and where
the supply is created by the demand.
14. However distant that land
may appear, induction has taught men to make
strides toward it and has surrounded him with
benefits which are, at the same time, rewards
for past fidelity and incentives for more
assiduous devotion.
15. It is also an aid in
concentrating and strengthening our faculties
for the remaining part, giving unerring solution
for individual as well as universal problems, by
the mere operations of mind in the purest form.
16. Here we find a method, the
spirit of which is, to believe that what is
sought has been accomplished, in order to
accomplish it: a method, bequeathed upon us by
the same Plato who, outside of this sphere,
could never find how the ideas became realities.
17. This conception is also
elaborated by Swedenborg in his doctrine of
correspondences; and a still greater teacher has
said, "What things soever ye desire, when ye
pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall
have them." (Mark 11:24) The difference of the
tenses in this passage is remarkable.
18. We are first to believe that
our desire has already been fulfilled, its
accomplishment will then follow. This is a
concise direction for making use of the creative
power of thought by impressing on the Universal
subjective mind, the particular thing which we
desire as an already existing fact.
19. We are thus thinking on the
plane of the absolute and eliminating all
consideration of conditions or limitation and
are planting a seed which, if left undisturbed,
will finally germinate into external fruition.
20. To review: Inductive
reasoning is the process of the objective mind,
by which we compare a number of separate
instances with one another until we see the
common factor that gives rise to them all. We
see people in every civilized country on the
globe, securing results by some process which
they do not seem to understand themselves, and
to which they usually attach more or less
mystery. Our reason is given to us for the
purpose of ascertaining the law by which these
results are accomplished.
21. The operation of this
thought process is seen in those fortunate
natures that possess everything that others must
acquire by toil, who never have a struggle with
conscience because they always act correctly,
and can never conduct themselves otherwise than
with tact, learn everything easily, complete
everything they begin with a happy knack, live
in eternal harmony with themselves, without ever
reflecting much what they do, or ever
experiencing difficulty or toil.
22. The fruit of this thought
is, as it were, a gift of the gods, but a gift
which few as yet realize, appreciate, or
understand. The recognition of the marvellous
power which is possessed by the mind under
proper conditions and the fact that this power
can be utilized, directed, and made available
for the solution of every human problem is of
transcendental importance.
23. All truth is the same,
whether stated in modern scientific terms or in
the language of apostolic times. There are timid
souls who fail to realize that the very
completeness of truth requires various statement
-- that no one human formula will show every
side of it.
24. Changing, emphasis, new
language, novel interpretations, unfamiliar
perspectives, are not, as some suppose, signs of
departure from truth but on the contrary, they
are evidence that the truth is being apprehended
in new relations to human needs, and is becoming
more generally understood.
25. The truth must be told to
each generation and to every people in new and
different terms, so that when the Great Teacher
said -- "Believe that ye receive and ye shall
receive" or, when Paul said -- "Faith is the
substance of things hoped for, the evidence of
things not seen" or, when modern science says --
"The law of attraction is the law by which
thought correlates with its object", each
statement when subjected to analysis, is found
to contain exactly the same truth. The only
difference being in the form of presentation.
26. We are standing on the
threshold of a new era. The time has arrived
when man has learned the secrets of mastery and
the way is being prepared for a new social
order, more wonderful than anything every
heretofore dreamed of. The conflict of modern
science with theology, the study of comparative
religions, the tremendous power of new social
movements, all of these are but clearing the way
for the new order. They may have destroyed
traditional forms which have become antiquated
and impotent, but nothing of value has been
lost.
27. A new faith has been born, a
faith which demands a new form of expression,
and this faith is taking form in a deep
consciousness of power which is being
manifested, in the present spiritual activity
found on every hand.
28. The spirit which sleeps in
the mineral, breathes in the vegetable, moves in
the animal and reaches its highest development
in man is the Universal Mind, and it behoves us
to span the gulf between being and doing, theory
and practice, by demonstrating our understanding
of the dominion which we have been given.
29. By far the greatest
discovery of all the centuries is the power of
thought. The importance of this discovery has
been a little slow in reaching the general
consciousness, but it has arrived, and already
in every field of research the importance of
this greatest of all great discoveries is being
demonstrated.
30. You ask in what does the
creative power of thought consist? It consists
in creating ideas, and these in turn objectify
themselves by appropriating, inventing,
observing, discerning, discovering, analysing,
ruling, governing, combining, and applying
matter and force. It can do this because it is
an intelligent creative power.
31. Thought reaches its loftiest
activity when plunged into its own mysterious
depth; when it breaks through the narrow compass
of self and passes from truth to truth to the
region of eternal light, where all which is, was
or ever will be, melt into one grand harmony.
32. From this process of self
contemplation comes inspiration which is
creative intelligence, and which is undeniably
superior to every element, force or law of
nature, because it can understand, modify,
govern and apply them to its own ends and
purposes and therefore possess them.
33. Wisdom begins with the dawn
of reason, and reason is but an understanding of
the knowledge and principles whereby we may know
the true meaning of things. Wisdom, then, is
illuminated reason, and this wisdom leads to
humility, for humility is a large part of
Wisdom.
34. We all know many who have
achieved the seemingly impossible, who have
realized life-long dreams, who have changed
everything including themselves. We have
sometimes marvelled at the demonstration of an
apparently irresistible power, which seemed to
be ever available just when it was most needed,
but it is all clear now. All that is required is
an understanding of certain definite fundamental
principles and their proper application.
35. For your exercise this week,
concentrate on the quotation taken from the
Bible, "Whatsoever things ye desire, when ye
pray, believe that ye receive them and ye shall
have them"; notice that there is no limitation,
"Whatsoever things" is very definite and implies
that the only limitation which is placed upon us
in our ability to think, to be equal to the
occasion, to rise to the emergency, to remember
that Faith is not a shadow, but a substance,
"the substance of things hoped for, the evidence
of things not seen."
“Death is but the natural
process whereby all material forms are thrown
into the crucible for reproduction in fresh
diversity.”
PART ELEVEN Study Questions
with Answers
101. What is inductive
reasoning? The process of the objective mind by
which we compare a number of separate instances
with each other until we see the common factor
which gives rise to them all.
102. What has this method of
studying accomplished? It has resulted in the
discovery of a reign of law which has marked an
epoch in human progress.
103. What is it that guides and
determines action? It is need, want and desire
which in the largest sense induce, guide and
determine action.
104. What is the formula for the
unerring solution of every individual problem?
We are to believe that our desire has already
been fulfilled; its accomplishment will then
follow.
105. What great Teachers
advocated it? Jesus, Plato, Swedenborg.
106. What is the result of this
thought process? We are thinking on the plane of
the absolute and planting a seed, which if left
undisturbed will germinate into fruition.
107. Why is it scientifically
exact? Because it is Natural Law.
108. What is Faith? "Faith is
the substance of things hoped for, the evidence
of things unseen."
109. What is the Law of
Attraction? The Law by which Faith is brought
into manifestation.
110. What importance do you
attach to an understanding of this law? It has
eliminated the elements of uncertainty and
caprice from men's lives and substituted law,
reason, and certitude.
INTRODUCTION - PART TWELVE
Part Twelve is enclosed
herewith. In the fourth paragraph you will find
the following statement: "You must first have
the knowledge of your power; second, the courage
to dare; third, the faith to do."
If you concentrate upon the
thoughts given, if you give them your entire
attention, you will find a world of meaning in
each sentence, and will attract to yourself
other thoughts in harmony with them, and you
will soon grasp the full significance of the
vital knowledge upon which you are
concentrating.
Knowledge does not apply itself;
we as individuals must make the application, and
the application consists in fertilizing the
thought with a living purpose.
The time and thought which most
persons waste in aimless effort would accomplish
wonders if properly directed with some special
object in view. In order to do this, it is
necessary to centre your mental force upon a
specific thought and hold it there, to the
exclusion of all other thoughts. If you have
ever looked through the viewfinder on a video
camera, you found that when the object was not
in focus, the impression was indistinct and
possibly blurred, but when the proper focus was
obtained the picture was clear and distinct.
This illustrates the power of concentration.
Unless you can concentrate upon the object which
you have in view, you will have but a hazy,
indifferent, vague, indistinct and blurred
outline of your ideal and the results will be in
accordance with your mental picture.
PART TWELVE
1. There is no purpose in life
that cannot be best accomplished through a
scientific understanding of the creative power
of thought.
2. This power to think is common
to all. Man is, because he thinks. Man's power
to think is infinite, consequently his creative
power is unlimited.
3. We know that thought is
building for us the thing we think of and
actually bringing it nearer, yet we find it
difficult to banish fear, anxiety or
discouragement, all of which are powerful
thought forces, and which continually send the
things we desire further away, so that it is
often one step forward and two steps backward.
4. The only way to keep from
going backward is to keep going forward. Eternal
vigilance is the price of success. There are
three steps, and each one is absolutely
essential. You must first have the knowledge of
your power; second, the courage to dare; third,
the faith to do.
5. With this as a basis you can
construct an ideal business, an ideal home,
ideal friends, and an ideal environment. You are
not restricted as to material or cost. Thought
is omnipotent and has the power to draw on the
Infinite bank of primary substance for all that
it requires. Infinite resources are therefore at
your command.
6. But your ideal must be sharp,
clear-cut, definite; to have one ideal today,
another tomorrow, and a third next week, means
to scatter your forces and accomplish nothing;
your result will be a meaningless and chaotic
combination of wasted material.
7. Unfortunately this is the
result which many are securing, and the cause is
self evident. If a sculptor started out with a
piece of marble and a chisel and changed his
ideal every fifteen minutes, what result could
he expect? And why should you expect any
different result in moulding the greatest and
most plastic of all substances, the only real
substance?
8. The result of this indecision
and negative thought is often found in the loss
of material wealth. Supposed independence which
required many years of toil and effort suddenly
disappears. It is often found then that money
and property are not independence at all. On the
contrary, the only independence is found to be a
practical working knowledge of the creative
power of thought.
9. This practical working method
cannot come to you until you learn that the only
real power which you can have is the power to
adjust yourself to Divine and unchangeable
principles. You cannot change the Infinite, but
you can come into an understanding of Natural
laws. The reward of this understanding is a
conscious realization of your ability to adjust
your thought faculties with the Universal
Thought which is Omnipresent. Your ability to
cooperate with this Omnipotence will indicate
the degree of success with which you meet.
10. The power of thought has
many counterfeits which are more or less
fascinating, but the results are harmful instead
of helpful.
11. Of course, worry, fear, and
all negative thoughts produce a crop after their
kind; those who harbour thoughts of this kind
must inevitably reap what they have sown.
12. Again, there are the
Phenomena seekers who gormandise on the
so-called proofs and demonstration obtained at
materializing seances. They throw open their
mental doors and soak themselves in the most
poisonous currents which can be found in the
psychic world. They do not seem to understand
that it is the ability to become negative,
receptive and passive, and thus drain themselves
of all their vital force, which enables them to
bring about these vibratory thought forms.
13. There are also the Hindu
worshippers, who see in the materializing
phenomena which are performed by the so-called
adepts, a source of power, forgetting, or never
seeming to realize that as soon as the will is
withdrawn the forms wither, and the vibratory
forces of which they are composed vanish.
14. Telepathy, or thought
transference, has received considerable
attention, but as it requires a negative mental
state on the part of the receiver, the practice
is harmful. A thought may be sent with the
intention of hearing or seeing, but it will
bring the penalty attached to the inversion of
the principle involved.
15. In many instances, hypnotism
is positively dangerous to the subject as well
as the operator. No one familiar with the laws
governing in the mental world would think of
attempting to dominate the will of another, for
by so doing, he will gradually (but surely)
divest himself of his own power.
16. All of these perversions
have their temporary satisfaction and for some a
keen fascination, but there is an infinitely
greater fascination in a true understanding of
the world of power within, a power which
increases with use; is permanent instead of
fleeing; which not only is potent as a remedial
agency to bring about the remedy for past error
or results of wrong thinking, but is a
prophylactic agency protecting us from all
manner and form of danger, and finally is an
actual creative force with which we can build
new conditions and new environment.
17. The law is that thought will
correlate with its object and bring forth in the
material world the correspondence of the thing
thought or produced in the mental world. We then
discern the absolute necessity of seeing that
every thought has the inherent germ of truth in
order that the law of growth will bring into
manifestation good, for good alone can confer
any permanent power.
18. The principle which gives
the thought the dynamic power to correlate with
its object, and therefore to master every
adverse human experience, is the law of
attraction, which is another name for love. This
is an eternal and fundamental principle,
inherent in all things, in every system of
Philosophy, in every Religion, and in every
Science. There is no getting away from the law
of love. It is feeling that imparts vitality to
thought. Feeling is desire, and desire is love.
Thought impregnated with love becomes
invincible.
19. We find this truth
emphasized wherever the power of thought is
understood, The Universal Mind is not only
Intelligence, but it is substance, and this
substance is the attractive force which brings
electrons together by the law of attraction so
that they form atoms; the atoms in turn are
brought together by the same law and form
molecules; molecules take objective forms; and
so we find that the law of love is the creative
force behind every manifestation, not only of
atoms, but of worlds, of the Universe, of
everything of which the imagination can form any
conception.
20. It is the operation of this
marvellous law of attraction which has caused
men in all ages and all times to believe that
there must be some personal being who responded
to their petitions and desires, and manipulated
events in order to comply with their
requirements.
21. It is the combination of
Thought and Love which forms the irresistible
force, called the law of attraction. All natural
laws are irresistible, the law of Gravitation,
or Electricity, or any other law operates with
mathematical exactitude. There is no variation,
it is only the channel of distribution which may
be imperfect. If a bridge falls, we do not
attribute the collapse to any variation of the
law of gravitation. If a light fails us, we do
not conclude that the laws governing electricity
cannot be depended upon, and if the law of
attraction seems to be imperfectly demonstrated
by an inexperienced or uninformed person, we are
not to conclude that the greatest and most
infallible law upon which the entire system of
creation depends has been suspended. We should
rather conclude that a little more understanding
of the law is required, for the same reason that
a correct solution of a difficult problem in
Mathematics is not always readily and easily
obtained.
22. Things are created in the
mental or spiritual world be fore they appear in
the outward act or event. by the simple process
of governing our thought forces today, we help
create the events which will come into our lives
in the future, perhaps even tomorrow. Educated
desire is the most potent means of bringing into
action the law of attraction.
23. Man is so constituted that
he must first create the tools, or implements by
which he gains the power to think. The mind
cannot comprehend an entirely new idea until a
corresponding vibratory brain cell has been
prepared to receive it. This explains why it is
so difficult for us to receive or appreciate an
entirely new idea; we have no brain cell capable
of receiving it; we are therefore incredulous;
we do not believe it.
24. If, therefore, you have not
been familiar with the Omnipotence of the law of
attraction, and the scientific method by which
it can be put into operation, or if you have not
been familiar with the unlimited possibilities
which it opens to those who are enabled to take
advantage of the resources it offers, begin now
and create the necessary brain cells which will
enable you to comprehend the unlimited powers
which may be yours by cooperating with Natural
Law. This is done by concentration or attention.
25. The intention governs the
attention. Power comes through repose. It is by
concentration that deep thoughts, wise speech,
and all forces of high potentiality are
accomplished.
26. It is in the Silence that
you get into touch with the Omnipotent power of
the subconscious mind from which all power is
evolved.
27. He who desires wisdom,
power, or permanent success of any kind will
find it only within; it is an unfoldment. The
unthinking may conclude that the silence is very
simple and easily attained, but it should be
remembered that only in absolute silence may one
come into contact with Divinity itself; may
learn of the unchangeable law and open for
himself the channels by which persistent
practice and concentration lead to perfection.
28. This week go to the same
room, take the same chair, the same position as
previously; be sure to relax, let go, both
mentally and physically; always do this; never
try to do any mental work under pressure; see
that there are no tense muscles or nerves, that
you are entirely comfortable. Now realize your
unity with omnipotence; get into touch with this
power, come into a deep and vital understanding,
appreciation, and realization of the fact that
your ability to think is your ability to act
upon the Universal Mind, and bring it into
manifestation, realize that it will meet any and
every requirement; that you have exactly the
same potential ability which any individual ever
did have or ever will have, because each is but
an expression or manifestation of the One, all
are parts of the whole, there is no difference
in kind or quality, the only difference being
one of degree.
"Thought cannot conceive of
anything that may not be brought to expression.
He who first uttered it may be only the
suggester, but the doer will appear." - Wilson.
PART TWELVE Study Questions
with Answers
111. How may any purpose in life
be best accomplished? Through a scientific
understanding of the spiritual nature of
thought.
112. What three steps are
absolutely essential? The knowledge of our
power, the courage to dare, the faith to do.
113. How is the practical
working knowledge secured? By an understanding
of Natural laws.
114. What is the reward of an
understanding of these laws? A conscious
realization of our ability to adjust ourselves
to Divine and unchanging principle.
115. What will indicate the
degree of success with which we meet? The degree
in which we realize that we cannot change the
Infinite but must cooperate with it.
116. What is the principle which
gives thought its dynamic power? The Law of
Attraction which rests on vibration, which in
turn rests upon the law of love. Thought
impregnated with love becomes invincible.
117. Why is this law
irresistible? Because it is a Natural law. All
Natural laws are irresistible and unchangeable
and act with mathematical exactitude. There is
no deviation or variation.
118. Why then does it sometimes
seem to be difficult to find the solution to our
problems in life? For the same reason that it is
sometimes difficult to find the correct solution
to a difficult mathematical problem. The
operator is uninformed or inexperienced.
119. Why is it impossible for
the mind to grasp an entirely new idea? We have
no corresponding vibratory brain cell capable of
receiving the idea.
120. How is wisdom secured? By
concentration; it is an unfoldment; it comes
from within.
INTRODUCTION - PART THIRTEEN
Physical science is
responsible for the marvellous age of invention
in which we are now living, but spiritual
science is now setting out on a career whose
possibilities no one can fortell.
Spiritual science has
previously been the football of the uneducated,
the superstitious, the mystical, but men are now
interested in definite methods and demonstrated
facts only.
We have come to know that
thinking is a spiritual process, that vision and
imagination preceded action and event, that the
day of the dreamer has come. The following lines
by Mr. Herbert Kaufman are interesting in this
connection.
"They are the architects of
greatness, their vision lies within their souls,
they peer beyond the veils and mists of doubt
and pierce the walls of unborn Time. The belted
wheel, the trail of steel, the churning screw,
are shuttles in the loom on which they weave
their magic tapestries. Makers of Empire, they
have fought for bigger things than crowns and
higher seats than thrones. Your homes are set
upon the land a dreamer found. The pictures on
its walls are visions from a dreamer's soul.
They are the chose few -- the
blazers of the way. Walls crumble and Empires
fall, the tidal wave sweeps from the sea and
tears a fortress from its rocks. The rotting
nations drop off from Time's bough, and only
things the dreamer's make live on."
Part Thirteen which follows
tells why the dreams of the dreamer come true.
It explains the law of causation by which
dreamers, inventors, authors, financiers, bring
about the realization of their desires. It
explains the law by which the thing pictured
upon our mind eventually becomes our own.
PART THIRTEEN
1. It has been the tendency,
and, as might be proved, a necessity for science
to seek the explanation of everyday facts by a
generalization of those others which are less
frequent and form the exception. Thus does the
eruption of the volcano manifest the heat which
is continually at work in the interior of the
earth and to which the latter owes much of her
configuration.
2. Thus does the lightning
reveal a subtle power constantly busy to produce
changes in the inorganic world, and, as dead
languages now seldom heard were once ruling
among the nations, so does a giant tooth in
Siberia, or a fossil in the depth of the earth,
not only bear record of the evolution of past
ages, but thereby explains to us the origin of
the hills and valleys which we inhabit today.
3. In this way a generalization
of facts which are rare, strange, or form the
exception, has been the magnetic needle guiding
to all the discoveries of inductive science.
4. This method is founded upon
reason and experience and thereby destroyed
superstition, precedent and conventionality.
5. It is almost three-hundred
years since Lord Bacon recommended this method
of study, to which the civilized nations owe the
greater part of their prosperity and the more
valuable part of their knowledge; purging the
mind from narrow prejudices, denominated
theories, more effectually than by the keenest
irony; calling the attention of men from heaven
to earth more successfully by surprising
experiments than by the most forcible
demonstration of their ignorance; educating the
inventive faculties more powerfully by the near
prospect of useful discoveries thrown open to
all, than by talk of bringing to light the
innate laws of our mind.
6. The method of Bacon has
seized the spirit and aim of the great
philosophers of Greece and carried them into
effect by the new means of observation which
another age offered; thus gradually revealing a
wondrous field of knowledge in the infinite
space of astronomy, in the microscopic egg of
embryology, and the dim age of geology;
disclosing an order of the pulse which the logic
of Aristotle could never have unveiled, and
analysing into formerly unknown elements the
material combinations which no dialectic of the
scholastics could force apart.
7. It has lengthened life; it
has mitigated pain; it has extinguished
diseases; it has increased the fertility of the
soil; it has given new securities to the
mariner; it has spanned great rivers with
bridges of form unknown to our fathers; it has
guided the thunderbolt from heaven to earth; it
has lighted up night with the splendour of day;
it has extended the range of human vision; it
has multiplied the power of the human muscles;
it has accelerated motion; it has annihilated
distance; it has facilitated intercourse,
correspondence, all friendly offices, all
dispatch of business; it has enabled men to
descend into the depths of the sea, to soar into
the air, to penetrate securely into the noxious
recesses of the earth.
8. This then is the true nature
and scope of induction. But the greater the
success which men have achieved in the inductive
science, the more does the whole tenor of their
teachings and example impress us with the
necessity of observing carefully, patiently,
accurately, with all the instruments and
resources at our command the individual facts
before venturing upon a statement of general
laws.
9. To ascertain the bearing of
the spark drawn from the electric machine under
every variety of circumstances, that we thus may
be emboldened with Franklin to address, in the
form of a kite, the question to the cloud about
the nature of the lightning. To assure ourselves
of the manner in which bodies fall with the
exactness of a Galileo, that with Newton we may
dare to ask the moon about the force that
fastens it to the earth.
10. In short, by the value we
set upon truth, by our hope in a steady and
universal progress, not to permit a tyrannical
prejudice to neglect or mutilate unwelcome
facts, but to rear the superstructure of science
upon the broad and unchangeable basis, of full
attention paid to the most isolated as well as
the most frequent phenomena.
11. An ever-increasing material
may be collected by observation, but the
accumulated facts are of very different value
for the explanation of nature, and as we esteem
most highly those useful qualities of men which
are of the rarest occurrence, so does natural
philosophy sift the facts and attach a
pre-eminent importance to that striking class
which cannot be accounted for by the usual and
daily observation of life.
12. If then, we find that
certain persons seem to possess unusual power,
what are we to conclude? First, we may say, it
is not so, which is simply an acknowledgment of
our lack of information because every honest
investigator admits that there are many strange
and previously unaccountable phenomena
constantly taking place. Those, however, who
become acquainted with the creative power of
thought, will no longer consider them
unaccountable.
13. Second, we may say that they
are the result of supernatural interference, but
a scientific understanding of Natural Laws will
convince us that there is nothing supernatural.
Every phenomenon is the result of an accurate
definite cause, and the cause is an immutable
law or principle, which operates with invariable
precision, whether the law is put into operation
consciously or unconsciously.
14. Third, we may say that we
are on "forbidden ground," that there are some
things which we should not know. This objection
was used against every advance in human
knowledge. Every individual who ever advanced a
new idea, whether a Columbus, a Darwin, a
Galileo, a Fulton or an Emerson, was subjected
to ridicule or persecution; so that this
objection should receive no serious
consideration; but, on the contrary, we should
carefully consider every fact which is brought
to our attention; by doing this we will more
readily ascertain the law upon which it is
based.
15. It will be found that the
creative power of thought will explain every
possible condition or experience, whether
physical, mental or spiritual.
16. Thought will bring about
conditions in correspondence with the
predominant mental attitude. Therefore, if we
fear disaster, as fear is a powerful form of
thought, disaster will be the certain result of
our thinking. It is this form of thought which
frequently sweeps away the result of many years
of toil and effort.
17. If we think of some form of
material wealth we may secure it. By
concentrated thought the required conditions
will be brought about, and the proper effort put
forth, which will result in bringing about the
circumstances necessary to realize our desires;
but we often find that when we secure the things
we thought we wanted, they do not have the
effect we expected. That is, the satisfaction is
only temporary, or possibly is the reverse of
what we expected.
18. What, then, is the proper
method of procedure? What are we to think in
order to secure what we really desire? What you
and I desire, what we all desire, what every one
is seeking, is Happiness and Harmony. If we can
be truly happy we shall have everything the
world can give. If we are happy ourselves we can
make others happy.
19. But we cannot be happy
unless we have, health, strength, congenial
friends, pleasant environment, sufficient
supply, not only to take care of our necessities
but to provide for those comforts and luxuries
to which we are entitled.
20. The old orthodox way of
thinking was to be "a worm," to be satisfied
with our portion whatever it is; but the modern
idea is to know that we are entitled to the best
of everything, that the "Father and I are one"
and that the "Father" is the Universal Mind, the
Creator, the Original Substance from which all
things proceed.
21. Now admitting that his is
all true in theory, and it has been taught for
two thousand years, and is the essence of every
system of Philosophy or Religion, how are we to
make it practical in our lives? How are we to
get the actual, tangible results here and now?
22. In the first place, we must
put our knowledge into practice. Nothing can be
accomplished in any other way. The athlete may
read books and lessons on physical training all
his life, but unless he begins to give out
strength by actual work he will never receive
any strength; he will eventually get exactly
what he gives; but he will have to give it
first. It is exactly the same with us; we will
get exactly what we give, but we shall have to
give it first. It will then return to us many
fold, and the giving is simply a mental process,
because thoughts are causes and conditions are
effects; therefore in giving thoughts of
courage, inspiration, health or help of any kind
we are setting causes in motion which will bring
about their effect.
23. Thought is a spiritual
activity and is therefore creative, but make no
mistake, thought will create nothing unless it
is consciously, systematically, and
constructively directed; and herein is the
difference between idle thinking, which is
simply a dissipation of effort, and constructive
thinking, which means practically unlimited
achievement.
24. We have found that
everything we get comes to us by the Law of
Attraction. A happy thought cannot exist in an
unhappy consciousness; therefore the
consciousness must change, and, as the
consciousness changes, all conditions necessary
to meet the changed consciousness must gradually
change, in order to meet the requirements of the
new situation.
25. In creating a Mental Image
or an Ideal, we are projecting a thought into
the Universal Substance from which all things
are created. This Universal Substance is
Omnipresent, Omnipotent and Omniscient. Are we
to inform the Omniscient as to the proper
channel to be used to materialize our demand?
Can the finite advise the Infinite? This is the
cause of failure; of every failure. We recognize
the Omnipresence of the Universal Substance, but
we fail to appreciate the fact that this
substance is not only Omnipresent, but is
Omnipotent and Omniscient, and consequently will
set causes in motion concerning which we may be
entirely ignorant.
26. We can best conserve our
interests by recognizing the Infinite Power and
Infinite Wisdom of the Universal Mind, and in
this way become a channel whereby the Infinite
can bring about the realization of our desire.
This means that recognition brings about
realization, therefore for your exercise this
week make use of the principle, recognize the
fact that you are a part of the whole, and that
a part must be the same in kind and quality as
the whole; the only difference there can
possibly by, is in degree.
27. When this tremendous fact
begins to permeate your consciousness, when you
really come into a realization of the fact that
you (not your body, but the Ego), the "I," the
spirit which thinks is an integral part of the
great whole, that it is the same in substance,
in quality, in kind, that the Creator could
create nothing different from Himself, you will
also be able to say, "The Father and I are one"
and you will come into an understanding of the
beauty, the grandeur, the transcendental
opportunities which have been placed at your
disposal.
- "Increase in me that wisdom
- Which discovers my truest interest,
- Strengthen my resolution
- To perform that which wisdom dictates."
PART THIRTEEN Study Questions
with Answers
121. What is the method by which
natural philosophers obtain and apply their
knowledge? To observe individual facts
carefully, patiently, accurately, with all the
instruments and resources at their command,
before venturing upon a statement of general
laws.
122. How may we be certain that
this method is correct? By not permitting a
tyrannical prejudice to neglect or mutilate
unwelcome facts.
123. What class of facts are
esteemed most highly? Those which cannot be
accounted for by the usual daily observation of
life.
124. Upon what is this principle
founded? Upon reason and experience.
125. What does it destroy?
Superstition, precedent and conventionality.
126. How have these laws been
discovered? By a generalization of facts which
are uncommon, rare, strange and form the
exception.
127. How may we account for much
of the strange and heretofore unexplainable
phenomena which is constantly taking place? By
the creative power of thought.
128. Why is this so? Because
when we learn of a fact we can be sure that it
is the result of a certain definite cause and
that this cause will operate with invariable
precision.
129. What is the result of this
knowledge? It will explain the cause of every
possible condition, whether physical, mental or
spiritual.
130. How will our best interest
be conserved? By a recognition of the fact that
a knowledge of the creative nature of thought
puts us in touch with Infinite power.
INTRODUCTION - PART FOURTEEN
You have found from your
study thus far that thought is a spiritual
activity and is therefore endowed with creative
power. This does not mean that some thought is
creative, but that all thought is creative. This
same principle can be brought into operation in
a negative way, through the process of denial.
The conscious and
subconscious are but two phases of action in
connection with one mind. The relation of the
subconscious to the conscious is quite analogous
to that existing between a weather vane and the
atmosphere. Just as the least pressure of the
atmosphere causes an action on the part of the
weather vane, so does the least thought
entertained by the conscious mind produce within
your subconscious mind action in exact
proportion to the depth of feeling
characterizing the thought and the intensity
with which the thought is indulged.
It follows that if you deny
unsatisfactory conditions, you are withdrawing
the creative power of your thought from these
conditions. You are cutting them away at the
root. You are sapping their vitality.
Remember that the law of
growth necessarily governs every manifestation
in the objective, so that a denial of
unsatisfactory conditions will not bring about
instant change. A plant will remain visible for
some time after its roots have been cut, but it
will gradually fade away and eventually
disappear, so the withdrawal of your thought
from the contemplation of unsatisfactory
conditions will gradually, but surely, terminate
these conditions.
You will see that this is an
exactly opposite course from the one which we
would naturally be inclined to adopt. It will
therefore have an exactly opposite effect to the
one usually secured. Most persons concentrate
intently upon unsatisfactory conditions, thereby
giving the condition that measure of energy and
vitality which is necessary in order to supply a
vigorous growth.
PART FOURTEEN
1. The Universal Energy in which
all motion, light, heat, and colour have their
origin, does not partake of the limitation of
the many effects of which it is the cause, but
it is supreme over them all. This Universal
Substance is the source of all Power, Wisdom and
Intelligence.
2. To recognize this
Intelligence is to acquaint yourself with the
knowing quality of Mind and through it to move
upon the Universal Substance, and bring it into
harmonious relations in your affairs.
3. This is something that the
most learned physical science teacher has not
attempted -- a field of discovery upon which he
has not yet launched; in fact, but few of the
materialistic schools have ever caught the first
ray of this light. It does not seem to have
dawned upon them that wisdom is just as much
present everywhere as are force and substance.
4. Some will say, if these
principles are true, why are we not
demonstrating them? As the fundamental principle
is obviously correct, why do we not get proper
results? We do. We get results in exact
accordance with our understanding of the law and
our ability to make the proper application. We
secured no results from the laws governing
electricity until someone formulated the law and
showed us how to apply it.
5. This puts us in an entirely
new relation to our environment, opening up
possibilities previously undreamed of, and this
by an orderly sequence of law which is naturally
involved in our new mental attitude.
6. Mind is creative and the
principle upon which this law is based is sound
and legitimate and is inherent in the nature of
things; but this creative power does not
originate in the individual, but in the
Universal, which is the source and fountain of
all energy and substance, the individual is
simply the channel for the distribution of this
energy. The individual is the means by which the
Universal produces the various combinations
which result in the formation of phenomena.
7. We know that scientists have
resolved matter into an immense number of
molecules; these molecules have been resolved
into atoms, and the atoms into electrons. The
discovery of electrons in high vacuum glass
tubes containing fused terminals of hard metal,
indicates conclusively that these electrons fill
all space; that they exist everywhere, that they
are omnipresent. They fill all material bodies
and occupy the whole of what we call empty
space. This, then, is the Universal Substance
from which all things proceed.
8. Electrons would forever
remain electrons unless directed where to go to
be assembled into atoms and molecules, and this
director is Mind. A number of electrons
revolving around a centre of force constitutes
an atom; atoms unite in absolutely regular
mathematical ratios and form molecules, and
these unite with each other to form a multitude
of compounds which unite to build the Universe.
9. The lightest known atom is
hydrogen and this is 1,700 times heavier than an
electron. An atom of mercury is 300,000 times
heavier than an electron. Electrons are pure
negative electricity, and as they have the same
potential velocity as all other cosmic energy,
such as heat, light, electricity and thought
(189,380 miles per second), neither time nor
space require consideration. The manner in which
the velocity of light was ascertained is
interesting.
10. The velocity of light was
obtained by the Danish astronomer Roemer in
1676, by observing the eclipses of Jupiter's
moons. When the earth was nearest to Jupiter,
the eclipse appeared about eight and one-half
minutes too soon for the calculations, and when
the earth was most remote from Jupiter, they
were about eight and one-half minutes too late.
Roemer concluded the reason to be that it
required 17 minutes for light from the planet to
traverse the diameter of the earth's orbit,
which measured the difference of the distances
of the earth from Jupiter. This calculation has
since been verified, and proves that light
travels about 186,000 miles a second.
11. Electrons manifest in the
body as cells, and possess mind and intelligence
sufficient for them to perform their functions
in the human physical anatomy. Every part of the
body is composed of cells, some of which operate
independently; others in communities. Some are
busy building tissue, while others are engaged
in forming the various secretions necessary for
the body. Some act as carriers of material;
others are the surgeons whose work it is to
repair damage; others are scavengers, carrying
off waste; others are constantly ready to repel
invaders or other undesirable intruders of the
germ family.
12. All these cells are moving
for a common purpose and each one is not only a
living organism, but has sufficient intelligence
to enable it to perform its necessary duties. It
is also endowed with sufficient intelligence to
conserve the energies and perpetuate its own
life. It must, therefore, secure sufficient
nourishment and it has been found that it
exercises choice in the selection of such
nourishment.
13. Each cell is born,
reproduces itself, dies and is absorbed. The
maintenance of health and life itself depends
upon the constant regeneration of these cells.
14. It is therefore apparent
that there is mind in every atom of the body;
this mind is negative mind, and the power of the
individual to think makes him positive, so that
he can control this negative mind. This is the
scientific explanation for metaphysical healing,
and will enable anyone to understand the
principle upon which this remarkable phenomenon
rests.
15. This negative mind, which is
contained in every cell of the body, has been
called the subconscious mind, because it acts
without our conscious knowledge. We have found
that this subconscious mind is responsive to the
will of the conscious mind.
16. All things have their origin
in mind, and appearances are the result of
thought. So that we see that things in
themselves have no origin, permanency, or
reality. Since they are produced by thought,
they can be erased by thought.
17. In mental, as in natural
science, experiments are being made and each
discovery lifts man one step higher toward his
possible goal. We find that every man is the
reflection of the thought he has entertained
during his lifetime. This is stamped on his
face, his form, his character, his environment.
18. Back of every effect there is a cause, and
if we follow the trail to its starting point, we
shall find the creative principle out of which
it grew. Proofs of this are now so complete that
this truth is generally accepted.
19. The objective world is
controlled by an unseen and, heretofore,
unexplainable power. We have, heretofore,
personalized this power and called it God. We
have now, however, learned to look upon it as
the permeating essence or Principle of all that
exists -- the Infinite or Universal Mind.
20. The Universal Mind, being
infinite and omnipotent, has unlimited resources
at its command, and when we remember that it is
also omnipresent, we cannot escape the
conclusion that we must be an expression or
manifestation of that Mind.
21. A recognition and
understanding of the resources of the
subconscious mind will indicate that the only
difference between the subconscious and the
Universal is one of degree. They differ only as
a drop of water differs from the ocean. They are
the same in kind and quality, the difference is
one of degree only.
22. Do you, can you, appreciate
the value of this all-important fact; do you
realize that a recognition of this tremendous
fact places you in touch with Omnipotence? The
subconscious mind being the connecting link
between the Universal Mind and the conscious
mind, is it not evident that the conscious mind
can consciously suggest thoughts which the
subconscious mind will put into action, and as
the subconscious is one with the Universal, is
it not evident that no limit can be placed upon
its activities?
23. A scientific understanding
of this principle will explain the wonderful
results which are secured through the power of
prayer. The results which are secured in this
way are not brought about by any special
dispensations of providence, but on the
contrary, they are the result of the operation
of a perfectly natural law. There is, therefore,
nothing either religious or mysterious about it.
24. Yet there are many who are
not ready to enter into the discipline necessary
to think correctly, even though it is evident
that wrong thinking has brought failure.
25. Thought is the only reality;
conditions are but the outward manifestations;
as the thought changes, all outward or material
conditions must change in order to be in harmony
with their creator, which is thought.
26. But the thought must be
clear cut, steady, fixed, definite,
unchangeable; you cannot take one step forward
and two steps backward, neither can you spend
twenty or thirty years of your life building up
negative conditions as the result of negative
thoughts, and then expect to see them all melt
away as the result of fifteen or twenty minutes
of right thinking.
27. If you enter into the
discipline necessary to bring about a radical
change in your life, you must do so
deliberately, after giving the matter careful
thought and full consideration, and then you
must allow nothing to interfere with your
decision.
28. This discipline, this change
of thought, this mental attitude will not only
bring you the material things which are
necessary for your highest and best welfare, but
will bring health and harmonious conditions
generally.
29. If you wish harmonious
conditions in your life, you must develop an
harmonious mental attitude.
30. Your world without will be a
reflection of your world within.
31. For your exercise this week,
concentrate on Harmony, and when I say
concentrate, I mean all that the word implies;
concentrate so deeply, so earnestly, that you
will be conscious of nothing but harmony.
Remember, we learn by doing. Reading these
lessons will get you nowhere. It is in the
practical application that the value consists.
"Learn to keep the door shut,
keep out of your mind and out of your world,
every element that seeks admittance with no
definite helpful end in view." - George Mathew
Adams
PART FOURTEEN Study Questions
with Answers
131. What is the source of all
Wisdom, Power and Intelligence? The Universal
Mind.
132. Where do all motion, light,
heat and colour have their origin? In the
Universal Energy, which is one manifestation of
the Universal Mind.
133. Where does the creative
power of thought originate? In the Universal
Mind.
134. What is thought? Mind in
motion.
135. How is the Universal
differentiated in form? The individual is the
means by which the Universal produces the
various combinations which result in formation
of phenomena.
136. How is this accomplished?
The power of the individual to think is his
ability to act upon the Universal and bring it
into manifestation.
137. What is the first form
which the Universal takes so far as we know?
Electrons, which fill all space.
138. Where do all things have
their origin? In mind.
139. What is the result of a
change of thought? A change in conditions.
140. What is the result of a
harmonious mental attitude? Harmonious
conditions in life. Thought, immaterial though
it may be, is the matrix that shapes the issues
of life.
"The mind has been active in all
fields during this fruitful century, but it is
to science we must look for the thoughts that
have shaped all thinking."
INTRODUCTION - PART FIFTEEN
Experiments with parasites found
on plants indicate that even the lowest order of
life is enabled to take advantage of natural
law. This experiment was made by Jacques Loch,
M.D., Ph. D., a member of the Rockefeller
Institute.
"In order to obtain the
material, potted rose bushes are brought into a
room and placed in front of a closed window. If
the plants are allowed to dry out, the aphids
(parasites), previously wingless, change to
winged insects. After the metamorphosis, the
animals leave the plants, fly to the window and
then creep upward on the glass."
It is evident that these tiny
insects found that the plants on which they had
been thriving were dead, and that they could
therefore secure nothing more to eat and drink
from this source. The only method by which they
could save themselves from starvation was to
grow temporary wings and fly, which they did.
Experiments such as these
indicate that Omniscience as well as Omnipotence
is omnipresent and that the tiniest living thing
can take advantage of it in an emergency.
Part Fifteen will tell you more
about the law under which we live. It will
explain that these laws operate to our
advantage; that all conditions and experiences
that come to us are for our benefit; that we
gain strength in proportion to the effort
expended, and that our happiness is best
attained through a conscious cooperation with
natural laws.
PART FIFTEEN
1. The laws under which we live
are designed solely for our advantage. These
laws are immutable and we cannot escape from
their operation.
2. All the great eternal forces
act in solemn silence, but it is in our power to
place ourselves in harmony with them and thus
express a life of comparative peace and
happiness.
3. Difficulties, in harmonies,
and obstacles, indicate that we are either
refusing to give out what we no longer need, or
refusing to accept what we require.
4. Growth is attained through an
exchange of the old for the new, of the good for
the better; it is a conditional or reciprocal
action, for each of us is a complete thought
entity and this completeness makes it possible
for us to receive only as we give.
5. We cannot obtain what we lack
if we tenaciously cling to what we have. We are
able to consciously control our conditions as we
come to sense the purpose of what we attract,
and are able to extract from each experience
only what we require for our further growth. Our
ability to do this determines the degree of
harmony or happiness we attain.
6. The ability to appropriate
what we require for our growth, continually
increases as we reach higher planes and broader
visions, and the greater our abilities to know
what we require, the more certain we shall be to
discern its presence, to attract it and to
absorb it. Nothing may reach us except what is
necessary for our growth.
7. All conditions and
experiences that come to us do so for our
benefit. Difficulties and obstacles will
continue to come until we absorb their wisdom
and gather from them the essentials of further
growth.
8. That we reap what we sow is
mathematically exact. We gain permanent strength
exactly to the extent of the effort required to
overcome difficulties.
9. The inexorable requirements
of growth demand that we exert the greatest
degree of attraction for what is perfectly in
accord with us. Our highest happiness will be
best attained through our understanding of, and
conscious cooperation with natural laws.
10. In order to possess vitality
thought must be impregnated with love. Love is a
product of the emotions. It is therefore
essential that the emotions be controlled and
guided by the intellect and reason.
11. It is love which imparts
vitality to thought and thus enables it to
germinate. The law of attraction, or the law of
love, for they are one and the same, will bring
to it the necessary material for its growth and
maturity.
12. The first form which thought
will find is language, or words; this determines
the importance of words; they are the first
manifestation of thought -- the vessels in which
thought is carried. They take hold of the ether
and by setting it in motion reproduce the
thought to others in the form of sound.
13. Thought may lead to action
of any kind, but whatever the action, it is
simply the thought attempting to express itself
in visible form. It is evident, therefore, that
if we wish desirable conditions, we can afford
to entertain only desirable thoughts.
14. This leads to the inevitable
conclusion that if we wish to express abundance
in our lives, we can afford to think abundance
only, and as words are only thoughts taking
form, we must be especially careful to use
nothing but constructive and harmonious
language, which when finally crystallized into
objective forms, will prove to our advantage.
15. We cannot escape from the
pictures we incessantly photograph on the mind,
and this photography of erroneous conceptions is
exactly what is being done by the use of words,
when we use any form of language which is not
identified with our welfare.
16. We manifest more and more
life as our thought becomes clarified and takes
higher planes. This is obtained with greater
facility as we use word pictures that are
clearly defined, and relieved of the conceptions
attached to them on lower planes of thought.
17. It is with words that we
must express our thoughts, and if we are to make
use of higher forms of truth, we may use only
such material as has been carefully and
intelligently selected with this purpose in
view.
18. This wonderful power of
clothing thoughts in the form of words is what
differentiates man from the rest of the animal
kingdom; by the use of the written word he has
been enabled to look back over the centuries and
see the stirring scenes by which he has come
into his present inheritance.
19. He has been enabled to come
into communion with the greatest writers and
thinkers of all time, and the combined record
which we possess today is therefore the
expression of Universal Thought as it has been
seeking to take form in the mind of Man.
20. We know that the Universal
Thought has for its goal the creation of form,
and we know that the individual thought is
likewise forever attempting to express itself in
form, and we know that the word is a thought
form, and a sentence is a combination of thought
forms, therefore, if we wish our ideal to be
beautiful or strong, we must see that the words
out of which this temple will eventually be
created are exact, that they are put together
carefully, because accuracy in building words
and sentences is the highest form of
architecture in civilization and is a passport
to success.
21. Words are thoughts and are
therefore an invisible and invincible power
which will finally objectify themselves in the
form they are given.
22. Words may become mental
places that will live forever, or they may
become shacks which the first breeze will carry
away. They may delight the eye as well as the
ear; they may contain all knowledge; in them we
find the history of the past as well as the hope
of the future; they are living messengers from
which every human and superhuman activity is
born.
23. The beauty of the word
consists in the beauty of the thought; the power
of the word consists in the power of the
thought, and the power of the thought consists
in its vitality. How shall we identify a vital
thought? What are its distinguishing
characteristics? It must have principle. How
shall we identify principle?
24. There is a principle of
Mathematics, but none of error; there is a
principle of health, but none of disease; there
is a principle of truth, but none of dishonesty;
there is a principle of light, but none of
darkness, and there is a principle of abundance,
but none of poverty.
25. How shall we know that this
is true? Because if we apply the principle of
Mathematics correctly we shall be certain of our
results. Where there is health there will be no
disease. If we know the Truth we cannot be
deceived by error. If we let in light there can
be no darkness, and where there is abundance
there can be no poverty.
26. These are self-evident
facts, but the all-important truth that a
thought containing principle is vital and
therefore contains life and consequently takes
root, and eventually but surely and certainly
displaces the negative thoughts, which by their
very nature can contain no vitality, is one
which seems to have been overlooked.
27. But this is a fact which
will enable you to destroy every manner of
discord, lack and limitation.
28. There can be no question but
that he who "is wise enough to understand" will
readily recognize that the creative power of
thought places an invincible weapon in his hands
and makes him a master of destiny.
29. In the physical world there
is a law of compensation which is that "the
appearance of a given amount of energy anywhere
means the disappearance of the same amount
somewhere else," and so we find that we can get
only what we give; if we pledge ourselves to a
certain action we must be prepared to assume the
responsibility for the development of that
action. The subconscious cannot reason. It takes
us at our word; we have asked for something; we
are now to receive it; we have made our bed, we
are now to lie in it; the die has been cast; the
threads will carry out the pattern we have made.
30. For this reason Insight must
be exercised so that the thought which we
entertain contains no mental, moral or physical
germ which we do not wish objectified in our
lives.
31. Insight is a faculty of the
mind whereby we are enabled to examine facts and
conditions at long range, a kind of human
telescope; it enables us to understand the
difficulties, as well as the possibilities, in
any undertaking.
32. Insight enables us to be
prepared for the obstacles which we shall meet;
we can therefore overcome them before they have
any opportunity of causing difficulty.
33. Insight enables us to plan
to advantage and turn our thought and attention
in the right direction, instead of into channels
which can yield no possible return.
34. Insight is therefore
absolutely essential for the development of any
great achievement, but with it we may enter,
explore and possess any mental field.
35. Insight is a product of the
world within and is developed in the Silence, by
concentration.
36. For your exercise this week,
concentrate on Insight; take your accustomed
position and focus the thought on the fact that
to have a knowledge of the creative power of
thought does not mean to possess the art of
thinking. Let the thought dwell on the fact that
knowledge does not apply itself. That our
actions are not governed by knowledge, but by
custom, precedent and habit. That the only way
we can get ourselves to apply knowledge is by a
determined conscious effort. Call to mind the
fact that knowledge unused passes from the mind,
that the value of the information is in the
application of the principle; continue this line
of thought until you gain sufficient insight to
formulate a definite program for applying this
principle to your own particular problem.
- "Think truly, and thy thoughts
- Shall the world's famine feed;
- Speak truly, and each word of thine
- Shall be a fruitful seed;
- Live truly, and thy life shall be
- A great and noble creed."
PART FIFTEEN Study Questions
with Answers
141. What determines the degree
of harmony which we attain? Our ability to
appropriate what we require for our growth from
each experience.
142. What do difficulties and
obstacles indicate? That they are necessary for
our wisdom and spiritual growth.
143. How may these difficulties
be avoided? By a conscious understanding of and
cooperation with Natural laws.
144. What is the principle by
which thought manifests itself in form? The Law
of Attraction.
145. How is the necessary
material secured by which the growth,
development and maturity of the idea take form?
The law of love, which is the creative principle
of the Universe, imparts vitality to the
thought, and the law of attraction brings the
necessary substance by the law of growth.
146. How are desirable
conditions secured? By entertaining desirable
thoughts only.
147. How are undesirable
conditions brought about? By thinking,
discussing and visualizing conditions of lack,
limitation, disease, in harmony and discord of
every kind. This mental photography of erroneous
conceptions is taken up by the subconscious and
the law of attraction will inevitable
crystallize it into objective form. That we reap
what we sow is scientifically exact.
148. How can we overcome every
kind of fear, lack. limitation, poverty and
discord? By substituting principle for error.
149. How may we recognize
principle? By a conscious realization of the
fact that Truth invariably destroys error. We do
not have to laboriously shovel the darkness out;
all that is necessary is to turn on the light.
The same principle applies to every form of
negative thought.
150. What is the value of
Insight? It enables us to understand the value
of making application of the knowledge which we
gain. Many seem to think that knowledge will
automatically apply itself, which is by no means
true.
- "To every man there openeth a way,
- And the high soul climbs the high way,
- And the low soul gropes the low;
- And in between on the misty flats,
- The rest drift to and fro.
- But to every man there openeth
- A high way and a low
- And every man decideth
- The way his soul shall go."
INTRODUCTION - PART SIXTEEN
The vibratory activities of the
planetary Universe are governed by a law of
periodicity. Everything that lives has periods
of birth, growth, fruitage, and decline. These
periods are governed by the Septimal Law.
The Law of Sevens governs the
days of the week, the phases of the moon, the
harmonies of sound, light, heat, electricity,
magnetism, atomic structure. It governs the life
of individuals and of nations, and it dominates
the activities of the commercial world.
Life is growth, and growth is
change, each seven years period takes us into a
new cycle. The first seven years is the period
of infancy. The next seven the period of
childhood, representing the beginning of
individual responsibility. The next seven
represents the period of adolescence. The fourth
period marks the attainment of full growth. The
fifth period is the constructive period, when
men begin to acquire property, possessions, a
home and family. The next from 35 to 42, is a
period of reactions and changes, and this in
turn is followed by a period of reconstruction,
adjustment and recuperation, so as to be ready
for a new cycle of sevens, beginning with the
fiftieth year.
There are many who think that
the world is just bout to pass out of the sixth
period; that it will soon enter into the seventh
period, the period of readjustment,
reconstruction and harmony; the period which is
frequently referred to as the Millennium.
Those familiar with these cycles
will not be disturbed when things seem to go
wrong, but can apply the principle outlined in
these lessons with the full assurance that a
higher law will invariably control all other
laws, and that through an understanding and
conscious operation of spiritual laws, we can
convert every seeming difficulty into a
blessing.
PART SIXTEEN
1. Wealth is a product of
labour. Capital is an effect, not a cause; a
servant, not a master; a means, not an end.
2. The most commonly accepted
definition of wealth is that it consists of all
useful and agreeable things which possess
exchange value. It is this exchange value which
is the predominant characteristic of wealth.
3. When we consider the small
addition made by wealth to the happiness of the
possessor, we find that the true value consists
not in its utility but in its exchange.
4. This exchange value makes it
a medium for securing the things of real value
whereby our ideals may be realized.
5. Wealth should then never be
desired as an end, but simply as a means of
accomplishing an end. Success is contingent upon
a higher ideal than the mere accumulation of
riches, and he who aspires to such success must
formulate an ideal for which he is willing to
strive.
6. With such an ideal in mind,
the ways and means can and will be provided, but
the mistake must not be made of substituting the
means for the end. There must be a definite
fixed purpose, an ideal.
7. Prentice Mulford said: "The
man of success is the man possessed of the
greatest spiritual understanding and every great
fortune comes of superior and truly spiritual
power." Unfortunately, there are those who fail
to recognize this power; they forget that Andrew
Carnegie's mother had to help support the family
when they came to America, that Harriman's
father was a poor clergyman with a salary of
only $200.00 a year, that Sir Thomas Lipton
started with only 25 cents. These men had no
other power to depend upon, but it did not fail
them.
8. The power to create depends
entirely upon spiritual power; there are three
steps, idealization, visualization and
materialization. Every captain of industry
depends upon this power exclusively. In an
article in Everybody's Magazine, Henry M.
Flagler, the Standard Oil multi-millionaire,
admitted that the secret of his success was his
power to see a thing in its completeness. The
following conversation with the reporter shows
his power of idealization, concentration and
visualization, all spiritual powers:
9. "Did you actually vision to
yourself the whole thing? I mean, did you, or
could you, really close your eyes and see the
tracks? And the trains running? and hear the
whistles blowing: Did you go as far as that?"
"Yes." "How clearly?" "Very clearly."
10. Here we have a vision of the
law, we see "cause and effect", we see that
thought necessarily precedes and determines
action. If we are wise, we shall come into a
realization of the tremendous fact that no
arbitrary condition can exist for a moment, and
that human experience is the result of an
orderly and harmonious sequence.
11. The successful business man
is more often than not an idealist and is every
striving for higher and higher standards. The
subtle forces of thought as they crystallize in
our daily moods is what constitutes life.
12. Thought is the plastic
material with which we build images of our
growing conception of life. Use determines its
existence. As in all other things our ability to
recognize it and use it properly is the
necessary condition for attainment.
13. Premature wealth is but the
forerunner of humiliation and disaster, because
we cannot permanently retain anything which we
do not merit or which we have not earned.
14. The conditions with which we
meet in the world without, correspond to the
conditions which we find in the world within.
This is brought about by the law of attraction.
How then shall we determine what is to enter
into the world within?
15. Whatever enters the mind
through the senses or the objective mind will
impress the mind and result in a mental image
which will become a pattern for the creative
energies. These experiences are largely the
result of environment, chance, past thinking and
other forms of negative thought, and must be
subjected to careful analysis before being
entertained. On the other hand, we can form our
own mental images, through our own interior
processes of thought regardless of the thoughts
of others, regardless of exterior conditions,
regardless of environment of every kind, and it
is by the exercise of this power that we can
control our own destiny, body, mind and soul.
16. It is by the exercise of
this power that we take our fate out of the
hands of chance, and consciously make for
ourselves the experiences which we desire,
because when we consciously realize a condition,
that condition will eventually manifest in our
lives; it is therefore evident that in the last
analysis thinking is the one great cause in
life.
17. Therefore, to control
thought is to control circumstances, conditions,
environment, and destiny.
18. How then are we to control
thought; what is the process? To think is to
create a thought, but the result of the thought
will depend upon its form, its quality and its
vitality.
19. The form will depend upon
the mental images from which it emanates; this
will depend upon the depth of the impression,
the predominance of the idea, the clarity of the
vision, the boldness of the image.
20. The quality depends upon its
substance, and this depends upon the material of
which the mind is composed; if this material has
been woven from thoughts of vigour, strength,
courage, determination, the thought will possess
these qualities.
21. And finally, the vitality
depends upon the feeling with which the thought
is impregnated. If the thought is constructive,
it will possess vitality; it will have life, it
will grow, develop, expand, it will be creative;
it will attract to itself everything necessary
for its complete development.
22. If the thought is
destructive, it will have within itself the germ
of its own dissolution; it will die, but in the
process of dying, it will bring sickness,
disease, and every other form of discord.
23. This we call evil, and when
we bring it upon ourselves, some of us are
disposed to attribute our difficulties to a
Supreme Being, but this supreme being is simply
Mind in equilibrium.
24. It is neither good nor bad,
it simply is.
25. Our ability to differentiate
it into form is our ability to manifest good or
evil.
26. Good and evil therefore are
not entities, they are simply words which we use
to indicate the result of our actions, and these
actions are in turn predetermined by the
character of our thought.
27. If our thought is
constructive and harmonious we manifest good; if
it is destructive and discordant we manifest
evil.
28. If you desire to visualize a
different environment, the process is simply to
hold the ideal in mind, until your vision has
been made real; give no thought to persons,
places or things; these have no place in the
absolute; the environment you desire will
contain everything necessary; the right persons,
and the right things will come at the right time
and in the right place.
29. It is sometimes not plain
how character, ability, attainment, achievement,
environment and destiny can be controlled
through the power of visualization, but this is
an exact scientific fact.
30. You will readily see that
what we think determines the quality of mind,
and that the quality of mind in turn determines
our ability and mental capacity, and you can
readily understand that the improvement in our
ability will naturally be followed by increase
in attainment and a greater control of
circumstances.
31. It will thus be seen that
Natural laws work in a perfectly natural and
harmonious manner; everything seems to "just
happen." If you want any evidence of this fact
simply compare results of your efforts in your
own life, when your actions were prompted by
high ideals and when you had selfish or ulterior
motives in mind. You will need no further
evidence.
32. If you wish to bring about
the realization of any desire, form a mental
picture of success in your mind, by consciously
visualizing your desire; in this way you will be
compelling success, you will be externalising it
in your life by scientific methods.
33. We can only see what already
exists in the objective world, but what we
visualize, already exists in the spiritual
world, and this visualization is a substantial
token of what will one day appear in the
objective world, if we are faithful to our
ideal. The reason for this is not difficult;
visualization is a form of imagination; this
process of thinking forms impressions on the
mind, and these impressions in turn form
concepts and ideals, and they in turn are the
plans from which the Master architect will weave
the future.
34. The psychologists have come
to the conclusion that there is but one sense,
the sense of feeling, and that all other senses
are but modifications of this one sense; this
being true, we know why feeling is the very
fountain head of power, why the emotions so
easily overcome the intellect, and why we must
put feeling into our thought, if we wish
results. Thought and feeling is the irresistible
combination.
35. Visualization must, of
course, be directed by the will; we are to
visualize exactly what we want; we must be
careful not to let the imagination run riot.
Imagination is a good servant but a poor master,
and unless it is controlled it may easily lead
us into all kinds of speculations and
conclusions which have no basis or foundation of
fact whatever. Every kind of plausible opinion
is liable to be accepted without any analytical
examination and the inevitable result is mental
chaos.
36. We must therefore construct
only such mental images as are known to be
scientifically true. Subject every idea to a
searching analysis and accept nothing which is
not scientifically exact. When you do this you
will attempt nothing but what you know you can
carry out and success will crown your efforts;
this is what businessmen call far-sightedness;
it is much the same as insight, and is one of
the great secrets of success in all important
undertakings.
37. For your exercise this week,
try to bring yourself to a realization of the
important fact that harmony and happiness are
states of consciousness and do not depend upon
the possession of things. That things are
effects and come as a consequence of correct
mental states. So that if we desire material
possession of any kind our chief concern should
be to acquire the mental attitude which will
bring about the result desired. This mental
attitude is brought about by a realization of
our spiritual nature and our unity with the
Universal Mind which is the substance of all
things. This realization will bring about
everything which is necessary for our complete
enjoyment. This is scientific or correct
thinking. When we succeed in bringing about this
mental attitude it is comparatively easy to
realize our desire as an already accomplished
fact; when we can do this we shall have found
the "Truth" which makes us "free" from every
lack or limitation of any kind.
"A man might frame and let loose
a star, to roll in its orbit, and yet not have
done so memorable a thing before God as he who
lets a golden-orbed thought to roll through the
generations of time."
PART SIXTEEN Study Questions
with Answers
151. Upon what does wealth
depend? Upon an understanding of the creative
nature of thought.
152. Upon what does its true
value consist? Upon its exchange value.
153. Upon what does success
depend? Upon spiritual power.
154. Upon what does this power
depend? Upon use; use determines its existence.
155. How may we take our fate
out of the hands of chance? By consciously
realizing the conditions which we desire to see
manifested in our lives.
156. What then is the great
business of life? Thinking.
157. Why is this so? Because
thought is spiritual and therefore creative. To
consciously control thought is therefore to
control circumstances, conditions, environment
and destiny.
158. What is the source of all
evil? Destructive thinking.
159. What is the source of all
good? Scientific correct thinking.
160. What is scientific
thinking? A recognition of the creative nature
of spiritual energy and our ability to control
it.
“The greatest events of an age
are its best thoughts. It is the nature of
thought to find its way into action."
INTRODUCTION - PART SEVENTEEN
The kind of Deity which a
man, consciously or unconsciously, worships,
indicates the intellectual status of the
worshipper.
Ask the Indian of God, and he
will describe to you a powerful chieftain of a
glorious tribe. Ask the Pagan of God, and he
will tell you of a God of fire, a God of water,
a god of this, that, and the other.
Ask the Israelite of God, and
he will tell you of the God of Moses, who
conceived it expedient to rule by coercive
measures; hence, the Ten Commandments. Or of
Joshua, who led the Israelites into battle,
confiscated property, murdered the prisoners,
and laid waste to cities.
The so-called heathen made
"graven images" of their Gods, whom they were
accustomed to worship, but among the most
intelligent, at least, these images were but the
visible fulcrums with which they were enabled to
mentally concentrate on the qualities which they
desired to externalise in their lives.
We of the twenty-first
century worship a God of Love in theory, but in
practice we make for ourselves "graven images"
of "Wealth," "Power," "Fashion," "Custom" and
"Conventionality." We "fall down" before them
and worship them. We concentrate on them and
they are thereby externalised in our lives.
The student who masters the
contents of Part Seventeen will not mistake the
symbols for the reality; he will be interested
in causes, rather than effects. He will
concentrate on the realities of life, and will
then not be disappointed in the results.
PART SEVENTEEN
1. We are told that Man has
"dominion over all things"; this dominion is
established through Mind. Thought is the
activity which controls every principle beneath
it. The highest principle by reason of its
superior essence and qualities necessarily
determines the circumstances, aspects and
relation of everything with which it comes in
contact.
2. The vibrations of Mental
forces are the finest and consequently the most
powerful in existence. To those who perceive the
nature and transcendancy of mental force, all
physical power sinks into insignificance.
3. We are accustomed to look
upon the Universe with a lens of five senses,
and from these experiences our anthropomorphic
conceptions originate, but true conceptions are
only secured by spiritual insight. This insight
requires a quickening of the vibrations of the
Mind, and is only secured when the mind is
continuously concentrated in a given direction.
4. Continuous concentration
means an even, unbroken flow of thought and is
the result of patient, persistent, persevering
and well-regulated system.
5. Great discoveries are the
result of long-continued investigation. The
science of mathematics requires years of
concentrated effort to master it, and the
greatest science -- that of the Mind -- is
revealed only through concentrated effort.
6. Concentration is much
misunderstood; there seems to be an idea of
effort or activity associated with it, when just
the contrary is necessary. The greatness of an
actor lies in the fact that he forgets himself
in the portrayal of his character, becoming so
identified with it, that the audience is swayed
by the realism of the performance. This will
give you a good idea of true concentration; you
should be so interested in your thought, so
engrossed in your subject, as to be conscious of
nothing else. Such concentration leads to
intuitive perception and immediate insight into
the nature of the object concentrated upon.
7. All knowledge is the result
of concentration of this kind; it is thus that
the secrets of Heaven and Earth have been
wrested; it is thus that the mind becomes a
magnet and the desire to know draws the
knowledge, irresistibly attracts it, makes it
your own.
8. Desire is largely
subconscious; conscious desire rarely realizes
its object when the latter is out of immediate
reach. Subconscious desire arouses the latent
faculties of the mind, and difficult problems
seem to solve themselves.
9. The subconscious mind may be
aroused and brought into action in any direction
and made to serve us for any purpose, by
concentration. The practice of concentration
requires the control of the physical, mental,
and physical being; all modes of consciousness
whether physical, mental, or physical, must be
under control.
10. Spiritual Truth is therefore
the controlling factor; it is this which will
enable you to grow out of limited attainment and
reach a point where you will be able to
translate modes of thought into character and
consciousness.
11. Concentration does not mean
mere thinking of thoughts, but the transmutation
of these thoughts into practical values; the
average person has no conception of the meaning
of concentration. There is always the cry "to
have" but never the cry "to be"; they fail to
understand that they cannot have one without the
other, that they must first find the "kingdom"
before they can have the "things added."
Momentary enthusiasm is of no value; it is only
with unbounded self-confidence that the goal is
reached.
12. The mind may place the ideal
a little too high and fall short of the mark; it
may attempt to soar on untrained wings and
instead of flying, fall to earth; but that is no
reason for not making another attempt.
13. Weakness is the only barrier
to mental attainment; attribute your weakness to
physical limitations or mental uncertainties and
try again; ease and perfection are gained by
repetition.
14. The astronomer centres his
mind on the stars and they give forth their
secrets; the geologists centres his mind on the
construction of the earth and we have geology;
so with all things. Men centre their minds on
the problems of life, and the result is apparent
in the vast and complex social order of the day.
15. All mental discovery and
attainment are the result of desire plus
concentration; desire is the strongest mode of
action; the more persistent the desire, the more
authoritative the revelation. Desire added to
concentration will wrench any secret from
nature.
16. In realizing great thoughts,
in experiencing great emotions that correspond
with great thoughts, the mind is in a state
where it appreciates the value of higher things.
17. The intensity of one
moment's earnest concentration and the intense
longing to become and to attain may take you
further than years of slow normal and forced
effort; it will unfasten the prison bars of
unbelief, weakness, impotence and
self-belittlement, and you will come into a
realization of the joy of overcoming.
18. The spirit of initiative and
originality is developed through persistence and
continuity of mental effort. Business teaches
the value of concentration and encourages
decision of character; it develops practical
insight and quickness of conclusion. The mental
element in every commercial pursuit is dominant
as the controlling factor, and desire is the
predominating force; all commercial relations
are the externalisation of desire.
19. Many of the sturdy and
substantial virtues are developed in commercial
employment; the mind is steadied and directed;
it becomes efficient. The principal necessity is
the strengthening of the mind so that it rises
superior to the distractions and wayward
impulses of instinctive life and thus
successfully overcomes in the conflict between
the higher and lower self.
20. All of us are dynamos, but
the dynamo of itself is nothing; the mind must
work the dynamo; then it is useful and its
energy can be definitely concentrated. The mind
is an engine whose power is undreamed; thought
is an omni-working power. It is the ruler and
creator of all form and all events occurring in
form. Physical energy is nothing in comparison
with the omnipotence of thought, because thought
enables man to harness all other natural power.
21. Vibration is the action of
thought; it is vibration which reaches out and
attracts the material necessary to construct and
build. There is nothing mysterious concerning
the power of thought; concentration simply
implies that consciousness can be focalised to
the point where it becomes identified with the
object of its attention. As food absorbed is the
essence of the body, so the mind absorbs the
object of its attention, gives it life and
being.
22. If you concentrate on some
matter of importance, the intuitive power will
be set in operation, and help will come in the
nature of information which will lead to
success.
23. Intuition arrives at
conclusions without the aid of experience or
memory. Intuition often solves problems that are
beyond the grasp of the reasoning power.
Intuition often comes with a suddenness that is
startling; it reveals the truth for which we are
searching, so directly that it seems to come
from a higher power. Intuition can be cultivated
and developed; in order to do this it must be
recognized and appreciated; if the intuitive
visitor is given a royal welcome when he comes,
he will come again; the more cordial the welcome
the more frequent his visits will become, but if
he is ignored or neglected he will make his
visits few and far apart.
24. Intuition usually comes in
the Silence; great minds seek solitude
frequently; it is here that all the larger
problems of life are worked out. For this reason
every businessman who can afford it has a
private office, where he will not be disturbed;
if you cannot afford a private office you can at
least find somewhere, where you can be alone a
few minutes each day, to train the thought along
lines which will enable you to develop that
invincible power which is necessary to achieve.
25. Remember that fundamentally
the subconscious is omnipotent; there is no
limit to the things that can be done when it is
given the power to act. Your degree of success
is determined by the nature of your desire. If
the nature of your desire is in harmony with
Natural Law or the Universal Mind, it will
gradually emancipate the mind and give you
invincible courage.
26. Every obstacle conquered,
every victory gained, will give you more faith
in your power, and you will have greater ability
to win. Your strength is determined by your
mental attitude; if this attitude is one of
success, and is permanently held with an
unswerving purpose, you will attract to you from
the invisible domain the things you silently
demand.
27. By keeping the thought in
mind, it will gradually take tangible form. A
definite purpose sets causes in motion which go
out in the invisible world and find the material
necessary to serve your purpose.
28. You may be pursuing the
symbols of power, instead of power itself. You
may be pursuing fame instead of honour, riches
instead of wealth, position instead of
servitude; in either event you will find that
they turn to ashes just as you overtake them.
29. Premature wealth or position
cannot be retained because it has not been
earned; we get only what we give, and those who
try to get without giving always find that the
law of compensation is relentlessly bringing
about an exact equilibrium.
30. The race has usually been
for money and other mere symbols of power, but
with an understanding of the true source of
power, we can afford to ignore the symbols. The
man with a large bank account finds it
unnecessary to load his pockets down with gold;
so with the man who has found the true source of
power; he is no longer interested in its shams
or pretentions.
31. Thought ordinarily leads
outwardly in evolutionary directions, but it can
be turned within where it will take hold of the
basic principles of things, the heart of things,
the spirit of things. When you get to the heart
of things it is comparatively easy to understand
and command them.
32. This is because the Spirit
of a thing is the thing itself, the vital part
of it, the real substance. The form is simply
the outward manifestation of the spiritual
activity within.
33. For your exercise this week
concentrate as nearly as possible in accordance
with the method outlined in this lesson; let
there be no conscious effort or activity
associated with your purpose. Relax completely,
avoid any thought of anxiety as to results.
Remember that power comes through repose. Let
the thought dwell upon your object, until it is
completely identified with it, until you are
conscious of nothing else.
34. If you wish to eliminate
fear, concentrate on courage.
35. If you wish to eliminate
lack, concentrate on abundance.
36. If you wish to eliminate
disease, concentrate on health.
37. Always concentrate on the
ideal as an already existing fact; this is the
germ cell, the life principle which goes forth
and sets in motion those causes which guide,
direct and bring about the necessary relation,
which eventually manifest in form.
"Thought is the property of
those only who can entertain it." - Emerson
PART SEVENTEEN Study
Questions with Answers
161. What is the true method of
concentration? To become so identified wit the
object of your thought that you are conscious of
nothing else.
162. What is the result of this
method of concentration? Invisible forces are
set in motion which irresistibly bring about
conditions in correspondence with your thought.
163. What is the controlling
factor in this method of thought? Spiritual
Truth.
164. Why is this so? Because the
nature of our desire must be in harmony with
Natural Law.
165. What is the practical value
of this method of concentration? Thought is
transmuted into character, and character is the
magnet which creates the environment of the
individual.
166. What is the controlling
factor in every commercial pursuit? The mental
element.
167. Why is this so? Because
Mind is the ruler and creator of all form and
all events occurring in form.
168. How does concentration
operate? By the development of the powers of
perception, wisdom, intuition, and sagacity.
169. Why is intuition superior
to reason? Because it does not depend upon
experience or memory and frequently brings about
the solution to our problems by methods
concerning which we are in entire ignorance.
170. What is the result of
pursuing the symbol of the reality? They
frequently turn to ashes just as we overtake
them, because the symbol is only the outward
form of the spiritual activity within, therefore
unless we can possess the spiritual reality, the
form disappears.
INTRODUCTION - PART EIGHTEEN
In order to grow we must obtain
what is necessary for our growth. This is
brought about through the law of attraction.
This principle is the sole means by which the
individual is differentiated from the Universal.
Think for a moment, what would a
man be if he were not a husband, father, or
brother, if he were not interested in the
social, economical, political or religious
world. He would be nothing but an abstract
theoretical ego. He exists, therefore, only in
his relation to the whole, in his relation to
other men, in his relation to society. This
relation constitutes his environment and in no
other way.
It is evident, therefore, that
the individual is simply the differentiation of
the one Universal Mind "which lighteth every man
that cometh into the world," and his so-called
individuality or personality consists of nothing
but the manner in which he relates with the
whole.
This we call his environment and
is brought about by the law of attraction. Part
Eighteen, which follows, has something more to
say concerning this important law.
PART EIGHTEEN
1. There is a change in the
thought of the world. This change is silently
transpiring in our midst, and is more important
than any which the world has undergone since the
downfall of Paganism.
2. These present revolution in
the opinions of all classes of men, the highest
and most cultured of men as well as those of the
labouring class, stands unparalleled in the
history of the world.
3. Science has of late made such
vast discoveries, has revealed such an infinity
of resources, has unveiled such enormous
possibilities and such unsuspected forces, that
scientific men more and more hesitate to affirm
certain theories as established and beyond doubt
or to deny other theories as absurd or
impossible.
4. A new civilization is being
born; customs, creeds, and precedent are
passing; vision, faith and service are taking
their place. The fetters of tradition are being
melted off from humanity, and as the impurities
of materialism are being consumed, thought is
being liberated and truth is rising full robed
before an astonished multitude.
5. The whole world is on the eve
of a new consciousness, a new power, and a new
realization within the self.
6. Physical Science has resolved
matter into molecules, molecules into atoms,
atoms into energy, and it has remained for Mr.
J. A. Fleming, in an address before the Royal
Institution, to resolve this energy into mind.
He says, "In its ultimate essence, energy may be
incomprehensible by us except as an exhibition
of the direct operation of that which we call
Mind or Will."
7. And this mind is the
indwelling and ultimate. It is imminent in
matter as in spirit. It is the sustaining,
energizing, all pervading Spirit of the
universe.
8. Every living thing must be
sustained by this omnipotent Intelligence, and
we find the difference in individual lives to be
largely measured by the degree of this
intelligence, which they manifest. It is greater
intelligence that places the animal in a higher
scale of being than the plant, the man higher
than the animal, and we find that this increased
intelligence is again indicated by the power of
the individual to control modes of action and
thus to consciously adjust himself to his
environment.
9. It is this adjustment that
occupies the attention of the greatest minds,
and this adjustment consists in nothing else
than the recognition of an existing order in the
universal mind, for it is well known that this
mind will obey us precisely in proportion as we
first obey it.
10. It is the recognition of
Natural Laws that has enabled us to annihilate
time and space, to soar in the air and to make
iron float, and the greater the degree of
intelligence the greater will be our recognition
of these Natural Laws and the greater will be
the power we can possess.
11. It is the recognition of the
self as an individualization of this Universal
Intelligence that enables the individual to
control those forms of intelligence which have
not yet reached this level of self-recognition;
they do not know that this Universal
Intelligence permeates all things ready to be
called into action; they do not know that it is
responsive to every demand, and they are
therefore in bondage to the law of their own
being.
12. Thought is creative and the
principle on which the law is based is sound and
legitimate and is inherent in the nature of
things; but this creative power does not
originate in the individual, but in the
universal, which is the source and foundation of
all energy and substance; the individual is
simply the channel for the distribution of this
energy.
13. The individual is simply the
means by which the universal produces the
various combinations which result in the
formation of phenomena, which depends upon the
law of vibration, whereby various rates of
rapidity of motion in the primary substance form
new substances only in certain exact numerical
ratios.
14. Thought is the invisible
link by which the individual comes into
communication with the Universal, the finite
with the Infinite, the seen with the Unseen.
Thought is the magic by which the human is
transformed into a being who thinks and knows
and feels and acts.
15. As the proper apparatus has
enabled the eye to discover worlds without
number millions of miles away, so, with the
proper understanding, man has been enabled to
communicate with the Universal Mind, the source
of all power.
16. The Understanding which is
usually developed is about as valuable as a VCR
without a videotape; in fact, it is usually
nothing more than a "belief", which means
nothing at all. The savages of the Cannibal
Islands believe something; but that proves
nothing.
17. The only belief which is of
any value to anyone is a belief that has been
put to a test and demonstrated to be a fact; it
is then no longer a belief, but has become a
living Faith or Truth.
18. And this Truth has been put
to the test by hundreds of thousands of people
and has been found to be the Truth exactly in
proportion to the usefulness of the apparatus
which they used.
19. A man would not expect to
locate stars hundreds of millions of miles away
without a sufficiently strong telescope, and for
this reason Science is continually engaged in
building larger and more powerful telescopes and
is continually rewarded by additional knowledge
of the heavenly bodies.
20. So with understanding; men
are continually making progress in the methods
which they use to come into communication with
the Universal Mind and its infinite
possibilities.
21. The Universal Mind manifests
itself in the objective, through the principle
of attraction that each atom has for every other
atom, in infinite degrees of intensity.
22. It is by this principle of
combining and attracting that things are brought
together. This principle is of universal
application and is the sole means whereby the
purpose of existence is carried into effect.
23. The expression of growth is
met in a most beautiful manner through the
instrumentality of this Universal Principle.
24. In order to grow we must
obtain what is essential for our growth, but as
we are at all times a complete thought entity,
this completeness makes it possible for us to
receive only as we give; growth is therefore
conditioned on reciprocal action, and we find
that on the mental plane like attracts like,
that mental vibrations respond only to the
extent of their vibratory harmony.
25. It is clear, therefore, that
thoughts of abundance will respond only to
similar thoughts; the wealth of the individual
is seen to be what he inherently is. Affluence
within is found to be the secret of attraction
for affluence without. The ability to produce is
found to be the real source of wealth of the
individual. It is for this reason that he who
has his heart in his work is certain to meet
with unbounded success. He will give and
continually give; and the more he gives, the
more he will receive.
26. What do the great financiers
of Wall Street, the captains of industry, the
statesmen, the great corporation attorneys, the
inventors, the physicians, the authors -- what
do each of these contribute to the sum of human
happiness but the power of their thought?
27. Thought is the energy which
the law of attraction is brought into operation,
which eventually manifests in abundance.
28. The Universal Mind is static
Mind or Substance in equilibrium. It is
differentiated into form by our power to think.
Thought is the dynamic phase of mind.
29. Power depends upon
consciousness of power; unless we use it, we
shall lose it, and unless we are conscious of
it, we cannot use it.
30. The use of this power
depends upon attention; the degree of attention
determines our capacity for the acquirement of
knowledge which is another name for power.
31. Attention has been held to
be the distinguishing mark of genius. The
cultivation of attention depends upon practice.
32. The incentive of attention
is interest; the greater the interest, the
greater the attention; the greater the
attention, the greater the interest, action and
reaction; begin by paying attention; before long
you will have aroused interest; this interest
will attract more attention, and this attention
will produce more interest, and so on. This
practice will enable you to cultivate the power
of attention.
33. This week concentrate upon
your power to create; seek insight, perception;
try to find a logical basis for the faith which
is in you. Let the thought dwell on the fact
that the physical man lives and moves and has
his being in the sustainer of all organic life
air, that he must breathe to live. Then let the
thought rest on the fact that the spiritual man
also lives and moves and has his being in a
similar but subtler energy upon which he must
depend for life, and that as in the physical
world no life assumes form until after a seed is
sown, and no higher fruit than that of the
parent stock can be produced; so in the
spiritual world no effect can be produced until
the seed is sown and the fruit will depend upon
the nature of the seed, so that the results
which you secure depend upon your perception of
law in the mighty domain of causation, the
highest evolution of human consciousness.
"There is no thought in my mind
but it quickly tends to convert itself into a
power and organizes a huge instrumentality of
means." - Emerson
PART EIGHTEEN Study Questions
with Answers
171. How is the difference in
individual lives measured? By the degree of
intelligence which they manifest.
172. What is the law by which
the individual may control other forms of
intelligence? A recognition of the self as an
individualization of the Universal Intelligence.
173. Where does the creative
power originate? In the Universal.
174. How does the Universal
create form? By means of the individual.
175. What is the connecting link
between the individual and the Universal?
Thought.
176. What is the principle by
which the means of existence is carried into
effect? The Law of Love.
177. How is this principle
brought into expression? By the law of growth.
178. Upon what condition does
the law of growth depend? Upon reciprocal
action. The individual is complete at all times
and this makes it possible to receive only as we
give.
179. What is it that we give?
Thought.
180. What do we receive?
Thought, which is substance in equilibrium and
which is constantly being differentiated in form
by what we think.
INTRODUCTION - PART NINETEEN
Fear is a powerful form of
thought. It paralyses the nerve centres, thus
affecting the circulation of the blood. This, in
turn, paralyes the muscular system, so that fear
affects the entire being, body, brain and nerve,
physical, mental, and muscular.
Of course the way to overcome
fear is to become conscious of power. What is
this mysterious vital force which we call power?
We do not know, but then, neither do we know
what electricity is. But we do know that by
conforming to the requirements of the law by
which electricity is governed, it will be our
obedient servant; that it will light our homes,
our cities, run our machinery, and serve us in
many useful capacities.
And so it is with vital
force. Although we do not know what it is, and
possibly may never know, we do know that it is a
primary force which manifests through living
bodies, and that by complying with the laws and
principles by which it is governed, we can open
ourselves to a more abundant inflow of this
vital energy, and thus express the highest
possible degree of mental, moral, and spiritual
efficiency.
This part tells of a very
simply way of developing this vital force. If
you put into practice the information outlined
in this lesson you will soon develop the sense
of power which has ever been the distinguishing
mark of genius.
PART NINETEEN
1. The search for truth is no
longer a haphazard adventure, but it is a
systematic process, and is logical in its
operation. Every kind of experience is given a
voice in shaping its decision.
2. In seeking the truth we are
seeking ultimate cause; we know that every human
experience is an effect; then if we may
ascertain the cause, and if we shall find that
this cause is one which we can consciously
control, the effect or the experience will be
within our control also.
3. Human experience will then no
longer be the football of fate; a man will not
be the child of fortune, but destiny. Fate and
fortune will be controlled as readily as a
captain controls his ship, or an engineer his
train.
4. All things are finally
resolvable into the same element and as they are
thus translatable, one into the other, they must
ever be in relation and may never be in
opposition to one another.
5. In the physical world there
are innumerable contrasts, and these may for
convenience sake, be designated by distinctive
names. There are sizes, colours, shades or ends
to all things. There is a North Pole, and a
South Pole, an inside and an outside, a seen and
an unseen, but these expressions merely serve to
place extremes in contrast.
6. They are names given to two
different parts of one quantity. The two
extremes are relative; they are not separate
entities, but are two parts or aspects of the
whole.
7. In the mental world we find
the same law; we speak of knowledge and
ignorance, but ignorance is but a lack of
knowledge and is therefore found to be simply a
word to express the absence of knowledge; it has
no principle in itself.
8. In the Moral World we again
find the same law; we speak of good and evil,
but Good is a reality, something tangible, while
Evil is found to be simply a negative condition,
the absence of Good. Evil is sometimes thought
to be a very real condition, but it has no
principle, no vitality, no life; we know this
because it can always be destroyed by Good; just
as Truth destroys Error and light destroys
darkness, so Evil vanishes when Good appears;
there is therefore but one principle in the
Moral World.
9. We find exactly the same law
obtaining in the Spiritual world; we speak of
Mind and Matter as two separate entities, but
clearer insight makes it evident that there is
but one operative principle and that is Mind.
10. Mind is the real and the
eternal. Matter is forever changing; we know
that in the eons of time a hundred years is but
as a day. If we stand in any large city and let
the eye rest on the innumerable large and
magnificent buildings, the vast array of modern
automobiles, cellular telephones, the electric
lights, and all the other conveniences of modern
civilization, we may remember that not one of
them was there just over a century ago, and if
we could stand on the same spot in a hundred
years from now, in all probability we should
find that but few of them remained.
11. In the animal kingdom we
find the same law of change. The millions and
millions of animals come and go, a few years
constituting their span of life. In the plant
world the change is still more rapid. Many
plants and nearly all grasses come and go in a
single year. When we pass to the inorganic, we
expect to find something more substantial, but
as we gaze on the apparently solid continent, we
are told that it arose from the ocean; we see
the giant mountain and are told that the place
where it now stands was once a lake; and as we
stand in awe before the great cliffs in the
Yosemite Valley we can easily trace the path of
the glaciers which carried all before them.
12. We are in the presence of
continual change, and we know that this change
is but the evolution of the Universal Mind, the
grand process whereby all things are continually
being created anew, and we come to know that
matter is but a form which Mind takes and is
therefore simply a condition. Matter has no
principle; Mind is the only principle.
13. We have then come to know
that Mind is the only principle which is
operative in the physical, mental, moral and
spiritual world.
14. We also know that this mind
is static, mind at rest, we also know that the
ability of the individual to think is his
ability to act upon the Universal Mind and
convert it into dynamic mind, or mind in motion.
15. In order to do this fuel
must be applied in the form of food, for man
cannot think without eating, and so we find that
even a spiritual activity such as thinking
cannot be converted into sources of pleasure and
profit except by making use of material means.
16. It requires energy of some
kind to collect electricity and convert it into
a dynamic power, it requires the rays of the sun
to give the necessary energy to sustain plant
life, so it also requires energy in the form of
food to enable the individual to think and
thereby act upon the Universal Mind.
17. You may know that thought
constantly, eternally is taking form, is forever
seeking expression, or you may not, but the fact
remains that if your thought is powerful,
constructive, and positive, this will be plainly
evident in the state of your health, your
business and your environment; if your thought
is weak, critical, destructive and negative
generally, it will manifest in your body as
fear, worry and nervousness, in your finance as
lack and limitation, and in discordant
conditions in your environment.
18. All wealth is the offspring
of power; possessions are of value only as they
confer power. Events are significant only as
they affect power; all things represent certain
forms and degrees of power.
19. A knowledge of cause and
effect as shown by the laws governing steam,
electricity, chemical affinity and gravitation
enables men to plan courageously and to execute
fearlessly. These laws are called Natural Laws,
because they govern the physical world, but all
power is not physical power; there is also
mental power, and there is moral and spiritual
power.
20. What are our schools, our
universities, but mental powerhouses, places
where mental power is being developed?
21. As there are many mighty
powerhouses for the application of power to
ponderous machinery, whereby raw material is
collected and converted into the necessities and
comforts of life, so the mental powerhouses
collect the raw material and cultivate and
develop it into a power which is infinitely
superior to all the forces of nature, marvellous
though they may be.
22. What is this raw material
which is being collected in these thousands of
mental powerhouses all over the world and
developed into a power which is evidently
controlling every other power? In its static
form it is Mind - in its dynamic form, it is
Thought.
23. This power is superior
because it exists on a higher plane, because it
has enabled man to discover the law by which
these wonderful forces of Nature could be
harnessed and made to do the work of hundreds
and thousands of men. It has enabled man to
discover laws whereby time and space have been
annihilated, and the law of gravitation
overcome.
24. Thought is the vital force
or energy which is being developed and which has
produced such startling results in the last half
century as to bring about a world which would be
absolutely inconceivable to a man existing only
50 or 25 years ago. If such results have been
secured by organizing these mental powerhouses
in 50 years, what may not be expected in another
50 years?
25. The substance from which all
things are created is infinite in quantity; we
know that light travels at the rate of 186,000
miles per second, and we know that there are
stars so remote that it takes light 2,000 years
to reach us, and we know that such starts exist
in all parts of the heaven; we know, too, that
this light comes in waves, so that if the ether
on which these waves travel was not continuous
the light would fail to reach us; we can then
only come to the conclusion that this substance,
or ether, or raw material, is universally
present.
26. How, then, does it manifest
in form? In electrical science a battery is
formed by connecting the opposite poles of zinc
and copper, which causes a current to flow from
one to the other and so provides energy. This
same process is repeated in respect to every
polarity, and as all form simply depends upon
the rate of vibration and consequent relations
of atoms to each other, if we wish to change the
form of manifestation we must change the
polarity. This is the principle of causation.
27. For your exercise this week,
concentrate, and when I use the word
concentrate, I mean all that the word implies;
become so absorbed in the object of your thought
that you are conscious of nothing else, and do
this a few minutes every day. You take the
necessary time to eat in order that the body may
be nourished, why not take the time to
assimilate your mental food?
28. Let the thought rest on the
fact that appearances are deceptive. The earth
is not flat, neither is it stationary; the sky
is not a dome, the sun does not move, the stars
are not small specks of light, and matter which
was once supposed to be fixed has been found to
be in a state of perpetual flux.
29. Try to realize that the day
is fast approaching -- its dawn is now at hand
-- when modes of thought and action must be
adjusted to rapidly increasing knowledge of the
operation of eternal principles.
"Silent thought, is, after all,
the mightiest agent in human affairs." -
Channing
PART NINETEEN Study Questions
with Answers
181. How are extremes placed in
contrast? They are designated by distinctive
names, such as inside and outside, top and
bottom, light and dark, good and bad.
182. Are these separate
entities? No, they are parts or aspects of one
Whole.
183. What is the one creative
Principle in the physical, mental and spiritual
world? The Universal Mind, or the Eternal Energy
from which all things proceed.
184. How are we related to this
creative Principle? By our ability to think.
185. How does this creative
Principle become operative? Thought is the seed,
which results in action and action results in
form.
186. Upon what does form depend?
Upon the rate of vibration.
187. How may the rate of
vibration be changed? By mental action.
188. Upon what does mental
action depend? Upon polarity, action and
reaction, between the individual and the
Universal.
189. Does the creative energy
originate in the individual or the Universal? In
the Universal, but the Universal can manifest
only through the individual.
190. Why is the individual
necessary? Because the Universal is static, and
requires energy to start it in motion. This is
furnished by food which is converted into
energy, which in turn enables the individual to
think. When the individual stops eating he stops
thinking; then he no longer acts upon the
Universal; there is consequently no longer any
action or reaction; the Universal is then only
pure mind in static form -- mind at rest.
INTRODUCTION - PART TWENTY
For many years there has been
an endless discussion as to the origin of evil.
Theologians have told us that God is Love, and
that God is Omnipresent. If this be true, there
is no place where God is not. Where, then, is
Evil, Satan and Hell? Let us see:
God is Spirit.
Spirit is the Creative
Principle of the Universe.
Man is made in the image and
likeness of God.
Man is therefore a spiritual
being.
The only activity which
spirit possesses is the power to think.
Thinking is therefore a
creative process.
All form is therefore the
result of the thinking process.
The destruction of form must
also be a result of the thinking process.
Fictitious representations of
form are the result of the creative power of
thought, as in Hypnotism.
Apparent representation of
form are the result of the creative power of
thought, as in Spiritualism.
Invention, organization and
constructive work of all kinds are the result of
the creative power of thought, as in
concentration.
When the creative power of
thought is manifested for the benefit of
humanity, we call the result good.
When the creative power of
thought is manifested in a destructive or evil
manner, we call the result evil.
This indicates the origin of
booth good and evil; they are simply words which
have been coined in order to indicate the nature
of the result of the thinking or creative
process.
Thought necessarily precedes
and predetermines action; action precedes and
predetermines condition.
Part Twenty will throw more
light upon this important subject.
PART TWENTY
1. The spirit of a thing is that
thing; it is necessarily fixed, changeless and
eternal. The spirit of you is -- you; without
the spirit you would be nothing. It becomes
active through your recognition of it and its
possibilities.
2. You may have all the wealth
in Christendom, but unless you recognize it and
make use of it, it will have no value; so with
your spiritual wealth: unless you recognize it
and use it, it will have no value. The one and
only condition of spiritual power is use or
recognition.
3. All great things come through
recognition; the sceptre of power is
consciousness, and thought is its messenger, and
this messenger is constantly moulding the
realities of the invisible world into the
conditions and environments of your objective
world.
4. Thinking is the true business
of life, power is the result. You are at all
times dealing with the magical power of thought
and consciousness. What results can you expect
so long as you remain oblivious to the power
which has been placed within your control?
5. So long as you do this you
limit yourself to superficial conditions, and
make of yourself a beast of burden for those who
think; those who recognize their power; those
who know that unless we are willing to think we
shall have to work, and the less we think the
more we shall have to work, and the less we
shall get for our work.
6. The secret of power is a
perfect understanding of the principles, forces,
methods and combinations of Mind, and a perfect
understanding of our relationship to the
Universal Mind. It is well to remember that this
principle is unchangeable; if this were not so,
it would not be reliable; all principles are
changeless.
7. This stability is your
opportunity; you are its active attribute, the
channel for its activity; the Universal can act
only through the individual.
8. When you begin to perceive
that the essence of the Universal is within
yourself -- is you -- you begin to do things;
you begin to feel your power; it is the fuel
which fires the imagination; which lights the
torch of inspiration; which gives vitality to
thought; which enables you to connect with all
the invisible forces of the Universe. It is this
power which will enable you to plan fearlessly,
to execute masterfully.
9. But perception will come only
in the Silence; this seems to be the condition
required for all great purposes. You are a
visualizing entity. Imagination is your
workshop. It is here that your ideal is to be
visualized.
10. As a perfect understanding
of the nature of this power is a primary
condition for its manifestation, visualize the
entire method over and over again, so that you
may use it whenever occasion requires. The
infinity of wisdom is to follow the method
whereby we may have the inspiration of the
omnipotent Universal Mind on demand at any time.
11. We can fail to recognize
this world within, and so exclude it from our
consciousness, but it will still be the basic
fact of all existence; and when we learn to
recognize it, not only in ourselves, but in all
persons, events, things and circumstances we
shall have found the "Kingdom of heaven" which
we are told is "within" us.
12. Our failures are a result of
the operation of exactly the same principle; the
principle is unchangeable; its operation is
exact, there is no deviation; if we think lack,
limitation, discord, we shall find their fruits
on every hand; if we think poverty, unhappiness
or disease, the thought messengers will carry
the summons as readily as any other kind of
thought and the result will be just as certain.
If we fear a coming calamity, we shall be able
to say with Job, "the thing I feared has come
upon me"; if we think unkindly or ignorantly we
shall thus attract to ourselves the results of
our ignorance.
13. This power of thought, if
understood and correctly used, is the greatest
labour-saving device ever dreamed of, but if not
understood or improperly used, the result will
in all probability be disastrous, as we have
already seen; by the help of this power you can
confidently undertake things that are seemingly
impossible, because this power is the secret of
all inspiration, all genius.
14. To become inspired means to
get out of the beaten path, out of the rut,
because extraordinary results require
extraordinary means. When we come into a
recognition of the Unity of all things and that
the source of all power is within, we tap the
source of inspiration.
15. Inspiration is the art of
imbibing, the art of self-realization; the art
of adjusting the individual mind to that of the
Universal Mind; the art of attaching the proper
mechanism to the source of all power; the art of
differentiating the formless into form; the art
of becoming a channel for the flow of Infinite
Wisdom; the art of visualizing perfection; the
art of realizing the omnipresence of
Omnipotence.
16. An understanding and
appreciation of the fact that the infinite power
is omnipresent and is therefore in the
infinitely small as well as the infinitely large
will enable us to absorb its essence; a further
understanding of the fact that this power is
spirit and therefore indivisible will enable us
to appreciate its present at all points at the
same time.
17. An understanding of these
facts, first intellectually and then
emotionally, will enable us to drink deeply from
this ocean of infinite power. An intellectual
understanding will be of no assistance; the
emotions must be brought into action; thought
without feeling is cold. The required
combination is thought and feeling.
18. Inspiration is from within.
The Silence is necessary, the senses must be
stilled, the muscles relaxed, repose cultivated.
When you have thus come into possession of a
sense of poise and power you will be ready to
receive the information or inspiration or wisdom
which may be necessary for the development of
your purpose.
19. Do not confuse these methods
with those of the clairvoyant; they have nothing
in common. Inspiration is the art of receiving
and makes for all that is best in life; your
business in life is to understand and command
these invisible forces instead of letting them
command and rule you. Power implies service;
inspiration implies power; to understand and
apply the method of inspiration is to become a
superman.
20. We can live more abundantly
every time we breathe, if we consciously breathe
with that intention. The IF is a very important
condition in this case, as the intention governs
the attention, and without the attention you can
secure only the results which every one else
secures. That is, a supply equal to the demand.
21. In order to secure the
larger supply your demand must be increased, and
as you consciously increase the demand the
supply will follow, you will find yourself
coming into a larger and larger supply of life,
energy and vitality.
22. The reason for this is not
difficult to understand, but it is another of
the vital mysteries of life which does not seem
to be generally appreciated. If you make it your
own, you will find it one of the great realities
of life.
23. We are told that "In Him we
live and move and have our being," and we are
told that "He" is a Spirit, and again that "He"
is Love, so that every time we breathe, we
breathe this life, love, and spirit. This is
Pranic Energy, or Pranic Ether, we could not
exist a moment without it. It is the Cosmic
Energy; it is the Life of the Solar Plexus.
24. Every time we breathe we
fill our lungs with air and at the same time
vitalize our body with this Pranic Ether which
is Life itself, so that we have the opportunity
of making a conscious connection with All Life,
All Intelligence and All Substance.
25. A knowledge of your relation
and oneness with this Principle that governs the
Universe and the simple method whereby you can
consciously identify yourself with it gives you
a scientific understanding of a law whereby you
may free yourself from disease, from lack or
limitation of any kind; in fact, it enables you
to breathe the "breath of life" into your own
nostrils.
26. This "breath of life" is a
superconscious reality. It is the essence of the
"I am." It is pure "Being" or Universal
Substance, and our conscious unity with it
enables us to localize it, and thus exercise the
powers of this creative energy.
27. Thought is creative
vibration and the quality of the conditions
created will depend upon the quality of our
thought, because we cannot express powers which
we do not possess. We must "be" before we can
"do" and we can "do" only to the extent to which
we "are," and so what we do will necessarily
coincide with what we "are" and what we are
depends upon what we "think."
28. Every time you think you
start a train of causation which will create a
condition in strict accordance with the quality
of the thought which originated it. Thought
which is in harmony with the Universal Mind will
result in corresponding conditions. Thought
which is destructive or discordant will produce
corresponding results. You may use thought
constructively or destructively, but the
immutable law will not allow you to plant a
thought of one kind and reap the fruit of
another. You are free to use this marvellous
creative power as you will, but you must take
the consequences.
29. This is the danger from what
is called Will Power. There are those who seem
to think that by force of will they can coerce
this law; that they can sow seed of one kind and
by "Will Power" make it bear fruit of another,
but the fundamental principle of creative power
is in the Universal, and therefore the idea of
forcing a compliance with our wishes by the
power of the individual will is an inverted
conception which may appear to succeed for a
while but is eventually doomed to failure -
because it antagonizes the very power which it
is seeking to use.
30. It is the individual
attempting to coerce the Universal, the finite
in conflict with the Infinite. Our permanent
well being will be best conserved by a conscious
cooperation with the continuous forward movement
of the Great Whole.
31. For your exercise this week,
go into the Silence and concentrate on the fact
that "In him we live and move and have our
being" is literally and scientifically exact!
That you ARE because He IS, that if He is
Omnipresent He must be in you. That if He is all
in all you must be in Him! That He is Spirit and
you are made in "His image and likeness" and
that the only difference between His spirit and
your spirit is one of degree, that a part must
be the same in kind and quality as the whole.
When you can realize this clearly you will have
found the secret of the creative power of
thought, you will have found the origin of both
good and evil, you will have found the secret of
the wonderful power of concentration, you will
have found the key to the solution of every
problem whether physical, financial, or
environmental.
"The power to think
consecutively and deeply and clearly, is an
avowed and deadly enemy to mistakes and
blunders, superstitions, unscientific theories,
irrational beliefs, unbridled enthusiasm,
fanaticism."
PART TWENTY Study Questions
with Answers
191. Upon what condition does
power depend? Upon recognition and use.
192. What is recognition?
Consciousness.
193. How do we become conscious
of power? By thinking.
194. What then is the true
business of life? Correct scientific thinking.
195. What is correct scientific
thinking? The ability to adjust our thought
processes to the will of the Universal. In other
words, to cooperate with Natural laws.
196. How is this accomplished?
By securing a perfect understanding of the
principles, forces, methods and combinations of
mind.
197. What is this Universal
Mind? The basic fact of all existence.
198. What is the cause of all
lack, limitation, disease and discord? It is due
to the operation of exactly the same law, the
law operates relentlessly and is continually
bringing about conditions in correspondence with
the thought which originated or created them.
199. What is inspiration? The
art of realizing the omnipresence of
Omniscience.
200. Upon what does the
conditions with which we meet depend? Upon the
quality of our thought. Because what we do
depends upon what we are and what we are depends
upon what we think.
INTRODUCTION - PART
TWENTY-ONE
It is my privilege to enclose
Part Twenty-One. In paragraph 7 you will find
that one of the secrets of success, one of the
methods of organizing victory, one of the
accomplishments of the Master Mind is to think
big thoughts.
In paragraph 8 you will find
that everything which we hold in our
consciousness for any length of time becomes
impressed upon our subconsciousness and so
becomes a pattern which the creative energy will
wave into our life and environment. This is the
secret of the wonderful power of prayer.
We know that the universe is
governed by law; that for every effect there
must be a cause, and that the same cause, under
the same conditions, will invariably produce the
same effect. Consequently, if prayer has ever
been answered, it will always be answered, if
the proper conditions are complied with. This
must necessarily be true; otherwise the universe
would be a chaos instead of a cosmos. The answer
to prayer is therefore subject to law, and this
law is definite, exact and scientific, just as
are the laws governing gravitation and
electricity. An understanding of this law takes
the foundation of Christianity out of the realm
of superstition and credulity and places it upon
the firm rock of scientific understanding.
But, unfortunately, there are
comparatively few persons who know how to pray.
They understand that there are laws governing
electricity, mathematics, and chemistry, but,
for some inexplicable reason, it never seems to
occur to them that there are also spiritual
laws, and that these laws are also definite,
scientific, exact, and operate with immutable
precision.
PART TWENTY-ONE
1. The real secret of power is
consciousness of power. The Universal Mind is
unconditional; therefore, the more conscious we
become of our unity with this mind, the less
conscious we shall become of conditions and
limitations, and as we become emancipated or
freed from conditions we come into a realization
of the unconditional. We have become free!
2. As soon as we become
conscious of the inexhaustible power in the
world within, we begin to draw on this power and
apply and develop the greater possibilities
which this discernment has realized, because
whatever we become conscious of, is invariably
manifested in the objective world, is brought
forth into tangible expression.
3. This is because the Infinite
mind, which is the source from which all things
proceed, is one and indivisible, and each
individual is a channel whereby this Eternal
Energy is being manifested. Our ability to think
is our ability to act upon this Universal
substance, and what we think is what is created
or produced in the objective world.
4. The result of this discovery
is nothing less than marvellous, and means that
mind is extraordinary in quality, limitless in
quantity, and contains possibilities without
number. To become conscious of this power is to
become a "live wire"; it has the same effect as
placing an ordinary wire in contact with a wire
that is charged. The Universal is the live wire.
It carries power sufficient to meet every
situation which may arise in the life of every
individual. When the individual mind touches the
Universal Mind it receives all the power it
requires. This is the world within. All science
recognizes the reality of this world, and all
power is contingent upon our recognition of this
world.
5. The ability to eliminate
imperfect conditions depends upon mental action,
and mental action depends upon consciousness of
power; therefore, the more conscious we become
of our unity with the source of all power, the
greater will be our power to control and master
every condition.
6. Large ideas have a tendency
to eliminate all smaller ideas so that it is
well to hold ideas large enough to counteract
and destroy all small or undesirable tendencies.
This will remove innumerable petty and annoying
obstacles from your path. You also become
conscious of a larger world of thought, thereby
increasing your mental capacity as well as
placing yourself in position to accomplish
something of value.
7. This is one of the secrets of
success, one of the methods of organizing
victory, one of the accomplishments of the
Master-mind. He thinks big thoughts. The
creative energies of mind find no more
difficulty in handling large situations, than
small ones. Mind is just as much present in the
Infinitely large as in the Infinitely small.
8. When we realize these facts
concerning mind we understand how we may bring
ourselves any condition by creating the
corresponding conditions in our consciousness,
because everything which is held for any length
of time in the consciousness, eventually becomes
impressed upon the subconscious and thus becomes
a pattern which the creative energy will wave
into the life and environment of the individual.
9. In this way conditions are
produced and we find that our lives are simply
the reflection of our predominant thoughts, our
mental attitude; we see then that the science of
correct thinking is the one science, that it
includes all other sciences.
10. From this science we learn
that every thought creates an impression on the
brain, that these impressions create mental
tendencies, and these tendencies create
character, ability and purpose, and that the
combined action of character, ability and
purpose determines the experiences with which we
shall meet in life.
11. These experiences come to us
through the law of attraction; through the
action of this law we meet in the world without
the experiences which correspond to our world
within.
12. The predominant thought or
the mental attitude is the magnet, and the law
is that “like attracts like”, consequently the
mental attitude will invariably attract such
conditions as correspond to its nature.
13. This mental attitude is our
personality and is composed of the thoughts
which we have been creating in our own mind;
therefore, if we wish a change in conditions all
that is necessary is to change our thought; this
will in turn change our mental attitude, which
will in turn change our personality, which will
in turn change the persons, things and
conditions, or, the experiences with which we
meet in life.
14. It is, however, no easy
matter to change the mental attitude, but by
persistent effort it may be accomplished; the
mental attitude is patterned after the mental
pictures which have been photographed on the
brain; if you do not like the pictures, destroy
the negatives and create new pictures; this is
the art of visualization.
15. As soon as you have done
this you will begin to attract new things, and
the new things will correspond to the new
pictures. To do this: impress on the mind a
perfect picture of the desire which you wish to
have objectified and continue to hold the
picture in mind until results are obtained.
16. If the desire is one which
requires determination, ability, talent,
courage, power or any other spiritual power,
these are necessary essentials for your picture;
build them in; they are the vital part of the
picture; they are the feeling which combines
with thought and creates the irresistible
magnetic power which draws the things you
require to you. They give your picture life, and
life means growth, and as soon as it beings to
grow, the result is practically assured.
17. Do not hesitate to aspire to
the highest possible attainments in anything you
may undertake, for the mind forces are ever
ready to lend themselves to a purposeful will in
the effort to crystallize its highest
aspirations into acts, accomplishments, and
events.
18. An illustration of how these
mind forces operate is suggested by the method
in which all our habits are formed. We do a
thing, then do it again, and again, and again,
until it becomes easy and perhaps almost
automatic; and the same rule applies in breaking
any and all bad habits; we stop doing a thing,
and then avoid it again, and again until we are
entirely free from it; and if we do fail now and
then, we should by no means lose hope, for the
law is absolute and invincible and gives us
credit for every effort and every success, even
though our efforts and successes are perhaps
intermittent.
19. There is no limit to what
this law can do for you; dare to believe in your
own idea; remember that Nature is plastic to the
ideal; think of the ideal as an already
accomplished fact.
20. The real battle of life is
one of ideas; it is being fought out by the few
against the many; on the one side is the
constructive and creative thought, on the other
side the destructive and negative thought; the
creative thought is dominated by an ideal, the
passive thought is dominated by appearances. On
both sides are men of science, men of letters,
and men of affairs.
21. On the creative side are men
who spend their time in laboratories, or over
microscopes and telescopes, side by side with
the men who dominate the commercial, political,
and scientific world; on the negative side or
men who spend their time investigating law and
precedent, men who mistake theology for
religion, statesmen who mistake might for right,
and all the millions who seem to prefer
precedent to progress, who are eternally looking
backward instead of forward, who see only the
world without, but know nothing of the world
within.
22. In the last analysis there
are but these two classes; all men will have to
take their place on one side or the other; they
will have to go forward, or go back; there is no
standing still in a world where all is motion;
it is this attempt to stand still that gives
sanction and force to arbitrary and unequal
codes of law.
23. That we are in a period of
transition is evidenced by the unrest which is
everywhere apparent. The complaint of humanity
is as a roll of heaven's artillery, commencing
with low and threatening notes and increasing
until the sound is sent from cloud to cloud, and
the lightning splits the air and earth.
24. The sentries who patrol the
most advanced outposts of the Industrial,
Political, and Religious world are calling
anxiously to each other. What of the night? The
danger and insecurity of the position they
occupy and attempt to hold is becoming more
apparent every hour. The dawn of a new era
necessarily declares that the existing order of
things cannot much longer be.
25. The issue between the old
regime and the new, the crux of the social
problem, is entirely a question of conviction in
the minds of the people as to the nature of the
Universe. When they realize that the
transcendent force of spirit or mind of the
Cosmos is within each individual, it will be
possible to frame laws that shall consider the
liberties and rights of the many instead of the
privileges of the few.
26. As long as the people regard
the Cosmic power as a power non-human and alien
to humanity, so long will it be comparatively
easy for a supposed privileged class to rule by
Divine right in spite of every protest of social
sentiment. The real interest of democracy is
therefore to exalt, emancipate and recognize the
divinity of the human spirit. To recognize that
all power is from within. That no human being
has any more power than any other human being,
except such as may willingly be delegated to
him. The old regime would have us believe that
the law was superior to the law-makers; herein
is the gist of the social crime of every form of
privilege and personal inequality, the
institutionalising of the fatalistic doctrine of
Divine election.
27. The Divine Mind is the
Universal Mind; it makes no exceptions, it plays
no favourites; it does not act through sheer
caprice or from anger, jealousy or wrath;
neither can it be flattered, cajoled or moved by
sympathy or petition to supply man with some
need which he thinks necessary for his happiness
or even his existence. The Divine Mind makes no
exceptions in favour any individual; but when
the individual understands and realizes his
Unity with the Universal principle he will
appear to be favoured because he will have found
the source of all health, all wealth, and all
power.
28. For your exercise this week,
concentrate on the Truth. Try to realize that
the Truth shall make you free, that is, nothing
can permanently stand in the way of your perfect
success when you learn to apply the
scientifically correct thought methods and
principles. Realize that you are externalising
in your environment your inherent soul
potencies. Realize that the Silence offers an
ever available and almost unlimited opportunity
for awakening the highest conception of Truth.
Try to comprehend that Omnipotence itself is
absolute silence, all else is change, activity,
limitation. Silent thought concentration is
therefore the true method of reaching,
awakening, and then expressing the wonderful
potential power of the world within.
"The possibilities of thought
training are infinite, its consequence eternal,
and yet few take the pains to direct their
thinking into channels that will do them good,
but instead leave all to chance." - Marden
PART TWENTY-ONE Study
Questions with Answers
201. What is the real secret of
power? The consciousness of power, because
whatever we become conscious of, is invariably
manifested in the objective world, is brought
forth into tangible expression.
202. What is the source of this
power? The Universal Mind, from which all things
proceed, and which is one and indivisible.
203. How is this power being
manifested? Through the individual, each
individual is a channel whereby this energy is
being differentiated in form.
204. How may we connect with
this Omnipotence? Our ability to think is our
ability to act on this Universal Energy, and
what we think is what is produced or created in
the objective world.
205. What is the result of this
discovery? The result is nothing less than
marvellous, it opens unprecedented and limitless
opportunity.
206. How, then, may we eliminate
imperfect conditions? By becoming conscious of
our Unity with the source of all power.
207. What is one of the
distinctive characteristics of the Master Mind?
He thinks big thoughts, he holds ideas large
enough to counteract and destroy all petty and
annoying obstacles.
208. How do experiences come to
us? Through the law of attraction.
209. How is this law brought
into operation? By our predominant mental
attitude.
210. What is the issue between
the old regime and the new? A question of
conviction as to the nature of the Universe. The
old regime is trying to cling to the fatalistic
doctrine of Divine election. The new regime
recognizes the divinity of the individual, the
democracy of humanity.
INTRODUCTION - PART
TWENTY-TWO
In Part Twenty-two you will find
that thoughts are spiritual seeds, which, when
planted in the subconscious mind, have a
tendency to sprout and grow, but unfortunately
the fruit is frequently not to our liking.
The various forms of
inflammation, paralysis, nervousness and
diseased conditions generally, are the
manifestation of fear, worry, care, anxiety,
jealousy, hatred and similar thought.
The life processes are carried
on by two distinct methods; first, the taking up
and making use of nutritive material necessary
for constructing cells; second, breaking down
and excreting the waste material.
All life is based upon these
constructive and destructive activities, and as
food, water and air are the only requisites
necessary for the construction of cells, it
would seem that the problem of prolonging life
indefinitely would not be a very difficult one.
However strange it may seem, it
is the second or destructive activity that is,
with rare exception, the cause of all disease.
The waste material accumulates and saturates the
tissues, which causes autointoxication. This may
be partial or general. In the first case the
disturbance will be local; in the second place
it will affect the whole system.
The problem, then, before us in
the healing of disease is to increase the inflow
and distribution of vital energy throughout the
system, and this can only be done by eliminating
thoughts of fear, worry, care, anxiety,
jealousy, hatred, and every other destructive
thought, which tend to tear down and destroy the
nerves and glands which control the excretion
and elimination of poisonous and waste matter.
"Nourishing foods and
strengthening tonics" cannot bestow life,
because these are but secondary manifestations
to life. The primary manifestation of life and
how you may get in touch with it is explained in
the Part which I have the privilege of enclosing
herewith.
PART TWENTY-TWO
1. Knowledge is of priceless
value, because by applying knowledge we can make
our future what we wish it to be. When we
realize that our present character, our present
environment, our present ability, our present
physical condition are all the result of past
methods of thinking, we shall begin to have some
conception of the value of knowledge.
2. If the state of our health is
not all that could be desired, let us examine
our method of thinking; let us remember that
every thought produces an impression on the
mind; every impression is a seed which will sink
into the subconscious and form a tendency; the
tendency will be to attract other similar
thoughts and before we know it we shall have a
crop which must be harvested.
3. If these thoughts contain
disease germs, the harvest will be sickness,
decay, weakness, and failure; the question is,
what are we thinking, what are we creating, what
is the harvest to be?
4. If there is any physical
condition which it is necessary to change, the
law governing visualization will be found
effective. Make a mental image of physical
perfection, hold it in the mind until it is
absorbed by the consciousness. Many have
eliminated chronic ailments in a few weeks by
this method, and thousands have overcome and
destroyed all manner of ordinary physical
disturbances by this method in a few days,
sometimes in a few minutes.
5. It is through the law of
vibration that the mind exercises this control
over the body. We know that every mental action
is a vibration, and we know that all form is
simply a mode of motion, a rate of vibration.
Therefore, any given vibration immediately
modifies every atom in the body, every life cell
is affected and an entire chemical change is
made in every group of life cells.
6. Everything in the Universe is
what it is by virtue of its rate of vibration.
Change the rate of vibration and you change the
nature, quality and form. The vast panorama of
nature, both visible and invisible, is being
constantly changed by simply changing the rate
of vibration, and as thought is a vibration we
can also exercise this power. We can change the
vibration and thus produce any condition which
we desire to manifest in our bodies.
7. We are all using this power
every minute. The trouble is most of us are
using it unconsciously and thus producing
undesirable results. The problem is to use it
intelligently and produce only desirable
results. This should not be difficult, because
we all have had sufficient experience to know
what produces pleasant vibration in the body,
and we also know the causes which produce the
unpleasant and disagreeable sensations.
8. All that is necessary is to
consult our own experience. When our thought has
been uplifted, progressive, constructive,
courageous, noble, kind or in any other way
desirable, we have set in motion vibrations
which brought about certain results. When our
thought has been filled with envy, hatred,
jealousy, criticism or any of the other thousand
and one forms of discord, certain vibrations
were set in motion which brought about certain
other results of a different nature, and each of
these rates of vibration, if kept up,
crystallized in form. In the first case the
result was mental, moral and physical health,
and in the second case discord, in harmony and
disease.
9. We can understand, then,
something of the power which the mind possesses
over the body.
10. The objective mind has
certain effects on the body which are readily
recognized. Someone says something to you which
strikes you as ludicrous and you laugh, possibly
until your whole body shakes, which shows that
thought has control over the muscles of your
body; or someone says something which excites
your sympathy and your eyes fill with tears,
which shows that thought controls the glands of
your body; or someone says something which makes
you angry and the blood mounts to your cheek,
which shows that thought controls the
circulation of your blood. But as these
experiences are all the results of the action of
your objective mind over the body, the results
are of a temporary nature; they soon pass away
and leave the situation as it was before.
11. Let us see how the action of
the subconscious mind over the body differs. You
receive a wound; thousands of cells being the
work of healing at once; in a few days or a few
weeks the work is complete. You may even break a
bone. No surgeon on earth can weld the parts
together (I am not referring to the insertion of
rods or other devices to strengthen or replace
bones). He may set the bone for you, and the
subjective mind will immediately begin the
process of welding the parts together, and in a
short time the bone is as solid as it ever was.
You may swallow poison; the subjective mind will
immediately discover the danger and make violent
efforts to eliminate it. You may become infected
with a dangerous germ; the subjective will at
once commence to build a wall around the
infected area and destroy the infection by
absorbing it in the white blood corpuscles which
it supplies for the purpose.
12. These processes of the
subconscious mind usually proceed without our
personal knowledge or direction, and so long as
we do not interfere the result is perfect, but,
as these millions of repair cells are all
intelligent and respond to our thought, they are
often paralysed and rendered impotent by our
thoughts of fear, doubt, and anxiety. They are
like an army of workmen, ready to start an
important piece of work, but every time they get
started on the undertaking a strike is called,
or plans changed, until they finally get
discouraged and give up.
13. The way to health is founded
on the law of vibration, which is the basis of
all science, and this law is brought into
operation by the mind, the "world within." It is
a matter of individual effort and practice. Our
world of power is within; if we are wise we
shall not waste time and effort in trying to
deal with effects as we find them in the "world
without," which is only an external, a
reflection.
14. We shall always find the
cause in the "world within"; by changing the
cause, we change the effect.
15. Every cell in your body is
intelligent and will respond to your direction.
The cells are all creators and will create the
exact pattern which you give them.
16. Therefore, when perfect
images are placed before the subjective, the
creative energies will build a perfect body.
17. Brain cells are constructed
in the same way. The quality of the brain is
governed by the state of mind, or mental
attitude, so that if undesirable mental
attitudes are conveyed to the subjective they
will in turn be transferred to the body; we can
therefore readily see that if we wish the body
to manifest health, strength and vitality this
must be the predominant thought.
18. We know then that every
element of the human body is the result of a
rate of vibration.
19. We know that mental action
is a rate of vibration.
20. We know that a higher rate
of vibration governs, modifies, controls,
changes, or destroys a lower rate of vibration.
21. We know that the rate of
vibration is governed by the character of brain
cells, and finally,
22. We know how to create these
brain cells; therefore,
23. We know how to make any
physical change in the body we desire, and
having secured a working knowledge of the power
of mind to this extent, we have come to know
that there is practically no limitation which
can be placed upon our ability to place
ourselves in harmony with natural law, which is
omnipotent.
24. This influence or control
over the body by mind is coming to be more and
more generally understood, and many physicians
are now giving the matter their earnest
attention. Dr. Albert T. Shofield, who has
written several important books on the subject,
say, "The subject of mental therapeutics is
still ignored in medical works generally. In our
physiologies no references is made to the
central controlling power that rules the body
for its good, and the power of the mind over the
body is seldom spoken of”.
25. No doubt many physicians
treat nervous diseases of functional origin
wisely and well, but what we contend is that the
knowledge they display was taught at no school,
was learned from no book, but it is intuitive
and empirical.
26. This is not as it should be.
The power of mental therapeutics should be the
subject of careful, special and scientific
teaching in every medical school. We might
pursue the subject of maltreatment, or want of
treatment, further in detail and describe the
disastrous results of neglected cases; but the
task is an invidious one.
27. There can be no doubt that
few patients are aware how much they can do for
themselves. What the patient can do for himself,
the forces he can set in motion are as yet
unknown. We are inclined to believe that they
are far greater than most imagine, and will
undoubtedly be used more and more. Mental
therapeutics may be directed by the patient
himself to calming the mind in excitement, by
arousing feelings of joy, hope, faith, and love;
by suggesting motives for exertion, by regular
mental work, by diverting the thoughts from the
malady.
28. For your exercise this week
concentrate on Tennyson's beautiful lines "Speak
to Him, thou, for He hears, and spirit with
spirit can meet, Closer is He than breathing,
and nearer than hands and feet." Then try to
realize that when you do "Speak to Him" you are
in touch with Omnipotence.
29. This realization and
recognition of this Omnipresent power will
quickly destroy any and every form of sickness
or suffering and substitute harmony and
perfection. Then remember there are those who
seem to think that sickness and suffering are
sent by God; if so, every physician, every
surgeon and every Red Cross nurse is defying the
will of God and hospitals and sanitariums are
places of rebellion instead of houses of mercy.
Of course, this quickly reasons itself into an
absurdity, but there are many; who still cherish
the idea.
30. Then let the thought rest on
the fact that until recently theology has been
trying to teach an impossible Creator, one who
created beings capable of sinning and then
allowed them to be eternally punished for such
sins. Of course the necessary outcome of such
extraordinary ignorance was to create fear
instead of love, and so, after two thousand
years of this kind of propaganda, Theology is
now busily engaged in apologizing for
Christendom.
31. You will then more readily
appreciate the ideal man, the man made in the
image and likeness of God, and you will more
readily appreciate the all originating Mind that
forms, upholds, sustains, originates, and
creates all there is. "All are but parts of one
stupendous whole, Whose body nature is, and God
the soul." Opportunity follows perception,
action follows inspiration, growth follows
knowledge, eminence flows progress. Always the
spiritual first, then the transformation into
the infinite and illimitable possibilities of
achievement.
PART TWENTY-TWO Study
Questions with Answers
211. How may sickness be
eliminated? By placing ourselves in harmony with
Natural Law which is Omnipotent.
212. What is the process? A
realization that man is a spiritual being and
that this spirit must necessarily be perfect.
213. What is the result? A
conscious recognition of this perfection - first
intellectually, then emotionally - brings about
a manifestation of this perfection.
214. Why is this so? Because
thought is spiritual and therefore creative and
correlates with its object and brings it into
manifestation.
215. What Natural Law is brought
into operation? The Law of Vibration.
216. Why does this govern?
Because a higher rate of vibration governs,
modifies, controls, changes, or destroys a lower
rate of vibration.
217. Is this system of mental
therapeutics generally recognized? Yes, there
are literally millions of people in this country
who make use of it in one form or another (and
obviously many more world-wide).
218. What is the result of this
system of thought? For the first time in the
world's history every man's highest reasoning
faculty can be satisfied by a demonstrable truth
which is now fast flooding the world.
219. Is this system applicable
to other forms of supply? It will meet every
human requirement or necessity.
220. Is this system scientific
or religious? Both. True science and true
religion are twin sisters, where one goes, the
other necessarily follows.
INTRODUCTION - PART
TWENTY-THREE
In the part which I have the
honour to transmit herewith you will find that
money weaves itself into the entire fabric of
our very existence; that the law of success is
service; that we get what we give, and for this
reason we should consider it a great privilege
to be able to give.
We have found that thought is
the creative activity behind every constructive
enterprise. We can therefore give nothing of
more practical value than our thought.
Creative thought requires
attention, and the power of attention is, as we
have found, the weapon of the Super-man.
Attention develops concentration, and
concentration develops Spiritual Power, and
Spiritual Power is the mightiest force in
existence.
This is the science which
embraces all sciences. It is the art which,
above all arts, is relevant to human life. In
the mastery of this science and this art there
is opportunity for unending progression.
Perfection in this is not acquired in six days,
nor in six weeks, nor in six months. It is the
labour of life. Not to go forward is to go
backward.
It is inevitable that the
entertainment of positive, constructive and
unselfish thoughts should have a far-reaching
effect for good. Compensation is the key-note of
the universe. Nature is constantly seeking to
strike an equilibrium. Where something is sent
out something must be received; else there
should be a vacuum formed. By observance of this
rule you cannot fail to profit in such measure
as to amply justify your effort along this line.
PART TWENTY-THREE
1. The money consciousness is an
attitude of mind; it is the open door to the
arteries of commerce. It is the receptive
attitude. Desire is the attractive force which
sets the current in motion and fear is the great
obstacle by which the current is stopped or
completely reversed, turned away from us.
2. Fear is just the opposite
from money consciousness; it is poverty
consciousness, and as the law is unchangeable we
get exactly what we give; if we fear we get what
we feared. Money weaves itself into the entire
fabric of our very existence; it engages the
best thought of the best minds.
3. We make money by making
friends, and we enlarge our circle of friends by
making money for them, by helping them, by being
of service to them. The first law of success
then is service, and this in turn is built on
integrity and justice. The man who at least is
not fair in his intention is simply ignorant; he
has missed the fundamental law of all exchange;
he is impossible; he will lose surely and
certainly; he may not know it; he may think he
is winning, but he is doomed to certain defeat.
He cannot cheat the Infinite. The law of
compensation will demand of him an eye for an
eye and a tooth for a tooth.
4. The forces of life are
volatile; they are composed of our thoughts and
ideals and these in turn are moulded into form;
our problem is to keep an open mind, to
constantly reach out for the new, to recognize
opportunity, to be interested in the race rather
than the goal, for the pleasure is in the
pursuit rather than the possession.
5. You can make a money magnet
of yourself, but to do so you must first
consider how you can make money for other
people. If you have the necessary insight to
perceive and utilize opportunities and
favourable conditions and recognize values, you
can put yourself in position to take advantage
of them, but your greatest success will come as
you are enabled to assist others. What benefits
one must benefit all.
6. A generous thought is filled
with strength and vitality, a selfish thought
contains the germs of dissolution; it will
disintegrate and pass away. Great financiers
like Turner, Gates, Trump, and others are simply
channels for the distribution of wealth;
enormous amounts come and go, but it would be as
dangerous to stop the outgo as the income; both
ends must remain open; and so our greatest
success will come as we recognize that it is
just as essential to give as to get.
7. If we recognize the
Omnipotent power that is the source of all
supply we will adjust our consciousness to this
supply in such a way that it will constantly
attract all that is necessary to itself and we
shall find that the more we give the more we
get. Giving in this sense implies service. The
banker gives his money, the merchant gives his
goods, the author gives his thought, the workman
gives his skill; all have something to give, but
the more they can give, the more they get, and
the more they get the more they are enabled to
give.
8. The financier gets much
because he gives much; he thinks; he is seldom a
man that lets anyone else do his thinking for
him; he wants to know how results are to be
secured; you must show him; when you can do this
he will furnish the means by which hundreds or
thousands may profit, and in proportion as they
are successful will he be successful. Morgan,
Rockefeller, Carnegie and others did not get
rich because they lost money for other people;
on the contrary, it is because they made money
for other people that they became the wealthiest
men in the wealthiest country on the globe.
9. The average person is
entirely innocent of any deep thinking; he
accepts the ideas of others, and repeats them,
in very much the same way as a parrot; this is
readily seen when we understand the method which
is used to form public opinion, and this docile
attitude on the part of a large majority who
seem perfectly willing to let a few persons do
all their thinking for them is what enables a
few men in a great many countries to usurp all
the avenues of power and hold the millions in
subjection. Creative thinking requires
attention.
10. The power of attention is
called concentration; this power is directed by
the will; for this reason we must refuse to
concentrate or think of anything except the
things we desire. Many are constantly
concentrating upon sorrow, loss and discord of
every kind; as thought is creative it
necessarily follows that this concentration
inevitable leads to more loss, more sorrow and
more discord. How could it be otherwise? On the
other hand, when we meet with success, gain, or
any other desirable condition, we naturally
concentrate upon the effects of these things and
thereby create more, and so it follows that much
leads to more.
11. How an understanding of this
principle can be utilized in the business world
is well told by an associate of mine:
12. "Spirit, whatever else it
may or may not be, must be considered as the
Essence of Consciousness, the Substance of Mind,
the reality underlying Thought. And as all ideas
are phases of the activity of Consciousness,
Mind or Thought, it follows that in Spirit, and
in it alone, is to be found the Ultimate Fact,
the Real Thing, or Idea."
13. This being admitted, does it
not seem reasonable to hold that a true
understanding of Spirit, and its laws of
manifestation, would be about the most
"practical" thing that a "practical" person can
hope to find? Does it not seem certain that if
the "practical" men of the world could but
realize this fact, they would "fall all over
themselves" in getting to the place in which
they might obtain such knowledge of spiritual
things and laws? These men are not fools; they
need only to grasp this fundamental fact in
order to move in the direction of that which is
the essence of all achievement.
14. Let me give you a concrete
example. I know a man in Chicago whom I had
always considered to be quite materialistic. He
had made several successes in life; and also
several failures. The last time I had a talk
with him he was practically "down and out," as
compared with his former business condition. It
looked as if he had indeed reached "the end of
his rope," for he was well advanced into the
stage of middle-age, and new ideas came more
slowly, and less frequently to him than in
former years.
15. He said to me, in substance:
"I know that all things that 'work out' in
business are the result of Thought; any fool
knows that. Just now, I seem to be short on
thoughts and good ideas. But, if this 'All-Mind'
teaching is correct, it should be possible for
the individual to attain a 'direct connection'
with Infinite Mind; and in Infinite Mind there
must be the possibility of all kinds of good
ideas which a man of my courage and experience
could put to practical use in the business
world, and make a big success thereof. It looks
good to me; and I am going to look into it."
16. This was several years ago.
The other day I heard of this man again. Talking
to a friend, I said: "What has come of our old
friend X? Has he ever gotten on his feet again?"
The friend looked at me in amazement. "Why,"
said he, "don't you know about X's great
success? He is the Big Man in the '_________
Company' (naming a concern which has mad a
phenomenal success during the last eighteen
months and is now well known, by reason of its
advertisements, from one end of the country to
another, and also abroad). He is the man who
supplied the BIG IDEA for that concern. Why, he
is about a half-million to the good and is
moving rapidly toward the million mark; all in
the space of eighteen months." I had not
connected this man with the enterprise
mentioned; although I knew of the wonderful
success of the company in question.
Investigation has shown that the story is true,
and that the above stated facts are not
exaggerated in the slightest.
17. Now, what do you think of
that? To me, it means that this man actually
made the "direct connection" with Infinite Mind
-- Spirit -- and, having found it, he set it to
work for him. He "used it in his business."
18. Does this sound sacrilegious
or blasphemous? I hope not; I do not mean it to
be so. Take away the implication of Personality,
or Magnified Human Nature, from the conception
of the "The Infinite," and you have left the
conception of an Infinite Presence-Power, the
Quintessence of which is Consciousness -- in
fact, at the last, Spirit. As this man, also, at
the last, must be considered as a manifestation
of Spirit; there is nothing sacrilegious in the
idea that he, being Spirit, should so harmonize
himself with his Origin and Source that he would
be able to manifest at least a minor degree of
its Power. All of us do this, more or less, when
we use our minds in the direction of Creative
Thought. This man did more, he went about it in
an intensely "practical" manner.
19. I have not consulted him
about his method of procedure, though I intend
doing so at the first opportunity, but, he not
only drew upon the Infinite Supply for the ideas
which he needed (and which formed the seed of
his success), but that he also used the Creative
Power of Thought in building up for himself an
Idealistic Pattern of that which he hoped to
manifest in material form, adding thereto,
changing, improving its detail, from time to
time -- proceeding from the general outline to
the finished detail. I judge this to be the
facts of the case, not alone from my
recollection of the conversation a few years
ago, but also because I have found the same
thing to be true in the cases of other prominent
men who have made similar manifestation of
Creative Thought.
20. Those who may shrink from
this idea of employing the Infinite Power to aid
one in his work in the material world, should
remember that if the Infinite objected in the
least to such a procedure the thing could never
happen. The Infinite is quite able to take care
of Itself.
21. "Spirituality" is quite
"practical," very "practical," intensely
"practical." It teaches that Spirit is the Real
Thing, the Whole Thing, and that Matter is but
plastic stuff, which Spirit is able to create,
mould, manipulate, and fashion to its will.
Spirituality is the most "practical" thing in
the world -- the only really and absolutely
"practical" thing that there is!
22. This week concentrate on the
fact that man is not a body with a spirit, but a
spirit with a body, and that it is for this
reason that his desires are incapable of any
permanent satisfaction in anything not
spiritual. Money is therefore of no value except
to bring about the conditions which we desire,
and these conditions are necessarily harmonious.
Harmonious conditions necessitate sufficient
supply, so that if there appears to be any lack,
we should realize that the idea or soul of money
is service, and as this thought takes form,
channels of supply will be opened, and you will
have the satisfaction of knowing that spiritual
methods are entirely practical.
"We have discovered that
premeditated, orderly thinking for a purpose
matures that purpose into fixed form, so that we
may be absolutely sure of the result of our
dynamic experiment."
PART TWENTY-THREE Study
Questions
221. What is the first law of
success? Service.
222. How may we be of the most
service? Have an open mind; be interested in the
race rather than the goal, in the pursuit rather
than possession.
223. What is the result of a
selfish thought? It contains the germs of
dissolution.
224. How will our greatest
success be achieved? By a recognition of the
fact that it is just as essential to give as to
receive.
225. Why do financiers
frequently meet with great success? Because they
do their own thinking.
226. Why do the great majority
in every country remain the docile and
apparently willing tools of the few? Because
they let the few do all their thinking for them.
227. What is the effect of
concentrating upon sorrow and loss? More sorrow
and more loss.
228. What is the effect of
concentrating upon gain? More gain.
229. Is this principle used in
the business world? It is the only principle
which is ever used, or ever can be used; there
is no other principle. The fact that it may be
used unconsciously does not alter the situation.
230. What is the practical
application of this principle? The fact that
success is an effect, not a cause, and if we
wish to secure the effect we must ascertain the
cause, or idea or thought by which the effect is
created.
"Nurture your mind with great
thoughts; to believe in the heroic makes
heroes." - Disraeli
INTRODUCTION - PART
TWENTY-FOUR
Enclosed you will find Part
Twenty-four, your final lesson of this course.
If you have practiced each of
the exercises a few minutes every day, as
suggested, you will have found that you can get
out of life exactly what you wish by first
putting into life that which you wish, and you
will probably agree with the student who said:
"The thought is almost overwhelming, so vast, so
available, so definite, so reasonable and so
usable."
The fruit of this knowledge is,
as it were, a gift of the Gods; it is the
"truth" that makes men free, not only free from
every lack and limitation, but free from sorrow,
worry and care, and, is it not wonderful to
realize that this law is no respecter of
persons, that it makes no difference what your
habit of thought may be, the way has been
prepared.
If you are inclined to be
religious, the greatest religious teacher the
world has ever known made the way so plain that
all may follow. If your mental bias is toward
physical science, the law will operate with
mathematical certainty. If you are inclined to
be philosophical, Plato or Emerson may be your
teacher, but in either case, you may reach
degrees of power to which it is impossible to
assign any limit.
An understanding of this
principle, I believe, is the secret for which
the ancient Alchemists vainly sought, because it
explains how gold in the mind may be transmuted
into gold in the heart and in the hand.
PART TWENTY-FOUR
1. When the scientists first put
the Sun in the centre of the Solar System and
sent the earth spinning around it, there was
immense surprise and consternation. The whole
idea was self-evidently false; nothing was more
certain than the movement of the Sun across the
sky, and anyone could see it descend behind the
western hills and sink into the sea; scholars
raged and scientists rejected the idea as
absurd, yet the evidence has finally carried
conviction in the minds of all.
2. We speak of a bell as a
"sounding body," yet we know that all the bell
can do is to produce vibrations in the air. When
these vibrations come at the rate of sixteen per
second, they cause a sound to be heard in the
mind. It is also possible for the mind to hear
vibrations up to the rate of 38,000 vibrations
per second. When the number increases beyond
this, all is silence again; so that we know that
the sound is not in the bell, it is in our own
mind.
3. We speak and even think of
the Sun as "giving light." Yet we know it is
simply giving forth energy which produces
vibrations in the ether at the rate of four
hundred trillion a second, causing what are
termed light waves, so that we know that we call
light is simply a form of energy and that the
only light there is, is the sensation caused in
the mind by the motion of the waves. When the
number increases, the light changes in colour,
each change in colour being caused by shorter
and more rapid vibrations; so that although we
speak of the rose as being red, the grass as
being green, or the sky as being blue, we know
that the colours exist only in our minds, and
are the sensations experienced by us as the
result of the vibrations of light waves. When
the vibrations are reduced below four hundred
trillion a second, they no longer affect us as
light, but we experience the sensation of heat.
It is evident, therefore, that we cannot depend
upon the evidence of the senses for our
information concerning the realities of things;
if we did we should believe that the sun moved,
that the world was flat instead of round, that
the stars were bits of light instead of vast
suns.
4. The whole range then of the
theory and practice of any system of metaphysics
consists in knowing the Truth concerning
yourself and the world in which you live; in
knowing that in order to express harmony, you
must think harmony; in order to express health
you must think health; and in order to express
abundance you must think abundance; to do this
you must reverse the evidence of the senses.
5. When you come to know that
every form of disease, sickness, lack and
limitation are simply the result of wrong
thinking, you will have come to know "the Truth
which shall make you free." You will see how
mountains may be removed. If these mountains
consist only of doubt, fear, distrust or other
forms of discouragement, they are none the less
real, and they need not only to be removed but
to be "cast into the sea."
6. Your real work consists in
convincing yourself of the truth of these
statements. When you have succeeded in doing
this you will have no difficulty in thinking the
truth, and as has been shown, the truth contains
a vital principle and will manifest itself.
7. Those who heal diseases by
mental methods have come to know this truth,
they demonstrate it in their lives and the lives
of others daily. They know that life, health and
abundance are Omnipresent, filling all space,
and they know that those who allow disease or
lack of any kind to manifest, have as yet not
come into an understanding of this great law.
8. As all conditions are thought
creations and therefore entirely mental, disease
and lack are simply mental conditions in which
the person fails to perceive the truth; as soon
as the error is removed, the condition is
removed.
9. The method for removing this
error is to go into the Silence and know the
Truth; as all mind is one mind, you can do this
for yourself or anyone else. If you have learned
to form mental images of the conditions desired,
this will be the easiest and quickest way to
secure results; if not, results can be
accomplished by argument, by the process of
convincing yourself absolutely of the truth of
your statement.
10. Remember, and this is one of
the most difficult as well as most wonderful
statements to grasp.... remember that no matter
what the difficulty is, no matter where it is,
no matter who is affected, you have no patient
but yourself; you have nothing to do but to
convince yourself of the truth which you desire
to see manifested.
11. This is an exact scientific
statement in accordance with every system of
Metaphysics in existence, and no permanent
results are ever secured in any other way.
12. Every form of concentration,
forming Mental Images, Argument, and
Auto-Suggestion are all simply methods by which
you are enabled to realize the Truth.
13. If you desire to help
someone, to destroy some form of lack,
limitation or error, the correct method is not
to think of the person whom you wish to help;
the intention to help them is entirely
sufficient, as this puts you in mental touch
with the person. Then drive out of your own mind
any belief of lack, limitation, disease, danger,
difficulty or whatever the trouble might be. As
soon as you have succeeded is doing this the
result will have been accomplished, and the
person will be free.
14. But remember that thought is
creative and consequently every time you allow
your thought to rest on any inharmonious
condition, you must realize that such conditions
are apparent only, they have no reality, that
spirit is the only reality and it can never be
less than perfect.
15. All thought is a form of
energy, a rate of vibration, but a thought of
the Truth is the highest rate of vibration known
and consequently destroys every form of error in
exactly the same way that light destroys
darkness; no form of error can exist when the
"Truth" appears, so that your entire mental work
consists in coming into an understanding of the
Truth. This will enable you to overcome every
form of lack, limitation or disease of any kind.
16. We can get no understanding
of the truth from the world without; the world
without is relative only; Truth is absolute. We
must therefore find it in the "world within."
17. To train the mind to see
Truth only is to express true conditions only,
our ability to do this will be an indication as
to the progress we are making.
18. The absolute truth is that
the "I" is perfect and complete; the real "I" is
spiritual and can therefore never be less than
perfect; it can never have any lack, limitation,
or disease. The flash of genius does not have
origin in the molecular motion of the brain; it
is inspired by the ego, the spiritual "I" which
is one with the Universal Mind, and it is our
ability to recognize this Unity which is the
cause of all inspiration, all genius. These
results are far reaching and have effect upon
generations yet to come; they are the pillars of
fire which mark the path that millions follow.
19. Truth is not the result of
logical training or of experimentation, or even
of observation; it is the product of a developed
consciousness. Truth within a Caesar, manifests
in a Caesar's deportment, in his life and his
action; his influence upon social forms and
progress. Your life and your actions and your
influence in the world will depend upon the
degree of truth which you are enabled to
perceive, for truth will not manifest in creeds,
but in conduct.
20. Truth manifests in
character, and the character of a man, should be
the interpretation of his religion, or what to
him is truth, and this will in turn be evidenced
in the character of his possession. If a man
complains of the drift of his fortune he is just
as unjust to himself as if he should deny
rational truth, though it stand patent and
irrefutable.
21. Our environment and the
innumerable circumstances and accidents of our
lives already exist in the subconscious
personality which attracts to itself the mental
and physical material which is congenial to its
nature. Thus our future being determined from
our present, and if there should be apparent
injustice in any feature or phase of our
personal life, we must look within for the
cause, try to discover the mental fact which is
responsible for the outward manifestation.
22. It is this truth which makes
you "free" and it is the conscious knowledge of
this truth which will enable you to overcome
every difficulty.
23. The conditions with which
you meet in the world without are invariably the
result of the conditions obtaining in the world
within, therefore it follows with scientific
accuracy that by holding the perfect ideal in
mind you can bring about ideal conditions in
your environment.
24. If you see only the
incomplete, the imperfect, the relative, the
limited, these conditions will manifest in your
life; but if you train your mind to see and
realize the spiritual ego, the "I" which is
forever perfect and complete, harmonious;
wholesome, and healthful conditions only will be
manifested.
25. As thought is creative, and
the truth is the highest and most perfect
thought which anyone can think, it is
self-evident that to think the truth is to
create that which is true and it is again
evident that when truth comes into being that
which is false must cease to be.
26. The Universal Mind is the
totality of all mind which is in existence.
Spirit is Mind, because spirit is intelligent.
The words are, therefore, synonymous.
27. The difficulty with which
you have to contend is to realize that mind is
not individual. It is omnipresent. It exists
everywhere. In other words, there is no place
where it is not. It is, therefore, Universal.
28. Men have, heretofore,
generally used the word "God" to indicate this
Universal, creative principle; but the word
"God" does not convey the right meaning. Most
people understand this word to mean something
outside of themselves; while exactly the
contrary is the fact. It is our very life.
Without it we would be dead. We would cease to
exist. The minute the spirit leaves the body, we
are as nothing. Therefore, spirit is really, all
there is of us.
29. Now, the only activity which
the spirit possesses is the power to think.
Therefore, thought must be creative, because
spirit is creative. This creative power is
impersonal and your ability to think is your
ability to control it and make use of it for the
benefit of yourself and others.
30. When the truth of this
statement is realized, understood, and
appreciated, you will have come into possession
of the Master-Key, but remember that only those
who are wise enough to understand, broad enough
to weigh the evidence, firm enough to follow
their own judgment, and strong enough to make
the sacrifice exacted, may enter and partake.
31. This week, try to realize
that this is truly a wonderful world in which we
live, that you are a wonderful being that many
are awakening to a knowledge of the Truth, and
as fast as they awake and come into a knowledge
of the “things which have been prepared for
them” they, too, realize that "Eye hath not
seen, nor ear heard, neither hath it entered
into the heart of man," the splendours which
exist for those who find themselves in the
Promised Land. They have crossed the river of
judgment and have arrived at the point of
discrimination between the true and the false,
and have found that all they ever willed or
dreamed, was but a faint concept of the dazzling
reality.
"Though an inheritance of acres
may be bequeathed, an inheritance of knowledge
and wisdom cannot. The wealthy man may pay
others for doing his work for him, but it is
impossible to get his thinking done for him by
another or to purchase any kind of
self-culture."
PART TWENTY-FOUR Study
Questions with Answers
231. Upon what principle does
the theory and practice of every system of
Metaphysics in existence depend? Upon a
knowledge of the "Truth" concerning yourself and
the world in which you life.
232. What is the "Truth"
concerning yourself? The real "I" or ego is
spiritual and can therefore never be less than
perfect.
233. What is the method of
destroying any form of error? To absolutely
convince yourself of the "Truth" concerning the
condition which you wish to see manifested.
234. Can we do this for others?
The Universal Mind in which "we live and move
and have our being" is one and indivisible, it
is therefore just as possible to help others as
to help ourselves.
235. What is the Universal Mind?
The totality of all mind in existence.
236. Where is the Universal
Mind? The Universal Mind is omnipresent, it
exists everywhere. There is no place where it is
not. It is therefore within us. It is "The World
within." It is our spirit, our life.
237. What is the nature of the
Universal Mind? It is spiritual and consequently
creative. It seeks to express itself in form.
238. How may we act on the
Universal Mind? Our ability to think is our
ability to act on the Universal Mind and bring
it into manifestation for the benefit of
ourselves or others.
239. What is meant by thinking?
Clear, decisive, calm, deliberate, sustained
thought with a definite end in view.
240. What will be the result?
You will also be able to say, "It is not I that
doeth the works, but the ‘Father’ that dweleth
within me, He doeth the works." You will come to
know that the "Father" is the Universal Mind and
that He does really and truly dwell within you,
in other words, you will come to know that the
wonderful promises made in the Bible are fact,
not fiction, and can be demonstrated by anyone
having sufficient understanding.
"Temples have their sacred
images, and we see what influence they have
always had over a great part of mankind; but, in
truth, the ideas and images in men's minds are
the invisible powers that constantly govern
them; and to these they all pay universally a
ready submission." - Jonathan Edwards
- Charles F. Haanel
- (1866-1949)
Author of The Master
Key System
http://cornerstone.wwwhubs.com/haanel.htm
Charles F. Haanel was a noted
American author and businessman who belonged to the
American Scientific League, The Author’s League of
America, The American Society of Psychical Research,
the St. Louis Humane Society and the St. Louis
Chamber of Commerce.
Born in Ann Arbor, Michigan, Charles
F. Haanel began his business career in St. Louis. He
resigned his position in order to start his own
company and eventually founded one of the largest
conglomerates of his time.
He wrote several books which were
published in St. Louis by Psychology Publishing and
by his Master Key Institute in New York. Mr. Haanel
put into books the ideas and methods he used to gain
his success. Besides the "Master Key System," which
he wrote in 1912, he also wrote "Mental Chemistry"
and "The New Psychology"
By 1933 The Master Key System had
sold over 200,000 copies and then seemingly
disappeared. The Master Key System is one of the
finest studies in self-improvement, mind-stuff, and
higher consciousness ever written. Covering
everything from how to get wealthy to how to get
healthy, Mr. Haanel leaves no stone unturned. With
precision, he elucidates on each topic with logic
and rigor that not only leaves you feeling good, but
also thinking good. The book was banned by the
Church in 1933 and has been hidden away for seventy
years!
Rumor has it that while he was
attending Harvard University, Bill Gates discovered
and read The Master Key System by Charles F. Haanel.
It was this book that inspired Bill Gates to drop
out of the University and pursue his dream of "a
computer on every desktop." You probably know the
results. . .
It is Silicon Valley's secret that
almost every entrepreneur who made a fortune in
recent years did so by studying the words Mr. Haanel
penned over eighty years ago! Almost every
millionaire and billionaire in the Valley read The
Master Key System by Charles F. Haanel. Since this
book was no longer in print until recently, copies
of The Master Key System became a hot commodity in
the Valley.
The Master Key System is a system
that teaches the ultimate principles, causes,
effects, and laws that underlie all attainment and
success. When you want to attain something, The
Master Key System will show you how to get it. The
results you will attain from using this system are
so startling as to appear incredible. For this
reason, more and more people are becoming students
of The Master Key System than ever before
In 24 parts, The Master Key sets out
the fundamental principles of life and creative
living, as Haanel came to understand and apply them.
Basic to his teaching is the correct development and
use of mental power -- the key to truly creative
power and action, harmony and health, love and
happiness, and abundant possibilities. Each part is
meant to be studied like a correspondence course
lesson, but this is also a book that can be opened
at random for whatever gem of advice your eyes
happen to fall upon.
This age-old wisdom was written by
someone who could perceive and tap into Universal
Mind but who seems to have no particular allegiance
to any specific system of knowledge. Haanel's
numbered common-sense messages still have a
freshness 89 years after they were first assembled.
Mr. Haanel died in 1949 and is
buried in Bellafontaine Cemetery, St. Louis. Walter
B. Stevens described Mr. Haanel as "a man of mature
judgement, capable of taking a calm survey of life
and correctly valuing its opportunities, its
possibilities, its demands and obligations."