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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 guesswork 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 labor 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-honor,
and puts a scepter 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 worthwhile 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 endeavor 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 endeavor,
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
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