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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 labor. 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 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 businessman 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 vigor, 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 externalizing 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.
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