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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 both 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
inharmony.
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
analyzing 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, molding 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 daydreaming in which
some people like to indulge. Daydreaming is a form of mental dissipation
which may lead to mental disaster.
15.
Constructive imagination means mental labor, 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 vigor 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 workshop. 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 fulfillment.
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 marvelous 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. |
