HEALING A MISUNDERSTANDING
Suppose one says: "I have had a terrible misunderstanding with a friend of mine and it has come to a point where we do not even speak to each other." What is the fundamental error which has brought about this condition? A lack of the realization of the Unity of all life, a belief in duality. Destroy this belief in duality; recognize that there is but One Mind; see God in each, and the trouble will be healed. We all live in the One Mind of God.
FATE
If one believes in fate he must be healed of this thought, for there is no such thing as fate. If one believes that planetary forces have anything to do with life he must be healed of this thought. Break down everything except the recognition of the One Perfect Power, which is not contingent upon any place, person, condition, time of year, or anything but Itself. A demonstration is made when it comes through straight from the Truth.
The one who wishes to make a demonstration must first clear up his own subjective atmosphere; the reason being that he may be objectively making statements which his subjective thought may be denying. In this way we often neutralize our word as fast as it is spoken.
A treatment is scientific in that it is the act of inducing into Subjectivity ideas which neutralize false images of thought and which let the Truth come through into expression. The reason that we need such a science is that we do not have a perfect faith; for if we had a perfect faith we would have washed clean the subjective thought and no doubts would be there. Until the time comes when one can say to the sick, "Get up and walk," and have them do so; or say, "There is money," and have it appear, he must take the process of inducing thought for the purpose of accumulating a subjective belief in the things which he desires; this belief, as soon as it is complete, IS THE DEMONSTRATION. The demonstration takes place within and not without.
ATTRACTION OF PERSONALITY
One might say, "I have no personality with which to attract people." There is but One Person; this Person is manifested through every living soul. It is radiant, vibrant, dynamic; It is The Personality; It is Complete; It is, It is.
The ones to whom we are the most strongly attracted are not necessarily the ones who are the most beautiful physically; but are the ones from which we receive that subtle emanation, "that something." What is "that something"? It is not that which shows, but that which floats through from within. It is the inner recognition of Reality.
SEE LIFE EXPRESSED
One should analyze himself, saying, "Do I look at myself from a standpoint of restriction? Do I see life as limited to the eternal round of getting up in the morning, eating, going to work, coming home, going to bed, sleeping, getting up again?" and so on. Break the bonds of necessity and see life as one continuous expression of the Infinite Self; and as this conception gradually dawns upon the inner thought, something will happen in the outer conditions to let up on the greater demands of the law of necessity. If one were doing the work he should be doing, he would never become tired, because the energy which holds the universe in place is tireless. The reason why we become tired is that we have cross currents of thought over our work. This arises from a belief in duality.
A treatment is the scientific act of inducing concepts in Mind, which operates upon them and manifests them in external affairs, just as the picture is held subjectively. During the process we meet, contact, neutralize and erase any and all opposing mental forces or conditions which deny our greater good.
Never limit your view of life by what you or any one else has ever accomplished. The possibility of life is inherent within the capacity to imagine what life is, backed by the power to produce this imagery or Divine Imagination. It is not a question of failing or of succeeding; it is simply a question of sticking to an idea until it becomes a tangible reality.
The illusion is in the way that we look at things. We have looked at some things and they have looked evil to us; we must look at them until they look good. We have looked at some one and he has looked sick to us; we must look at him until he looks well. We have seen discord; we must see harmony.
Look at harmony and people will become harmonious. We have looked at poverty, degradation and misery until they have assumed a gigantic form. Now we must look at harmony, happiness, plenty, prosperity, peace and right action until it appears.
LOOK TO THE ULTIMATE
In treating, we conceive of the ultimate of the idea, but never of the process. Never treat a process; never look for one. We plant a seed, and there is in that seed, operating through the creative soil, everything that is going to happen until it comes up, unfolds, and produces a plant. The ultimate of effect is already potential in cause. This is the mystical meaning of those words, "I am Alpha and Omega." Our word should be the alpha and the omega, the beginning and the end of the thing thought of. All cause and effect are in Spirit. Cause and effect are bound together into one complete whole. One is the inside and the other is the outside of the same thing.
Once you have driven the peg into the ground, stick to it. Never let anything cause you to doubt your ability to demonstrate the Truth. Conceive of your word as being the thing. See the desire as an already accomplished fact and rest in perfect confidence, peace and certainty, never looking for results, never wondering, never becoming anxious, never being hurried nor worried. Those who do not understand this attitude will think that you are inactive, but remember, "To him who can perfectly practice inaction, all things are possible."
NO MISTAKES
In mental work, we must realize that there is One Infinite Mind, which is consciously directing our destiny. Declare every day that "no mistakes have been made, none are being made, and none can be made"; declare, "There is One Supreme Intelligence which governs, guides and guards, tells me what to do, when to act, and how to act"; then act with perfect assurance. Declare, "everything necessary to the full and complete expression of the most boundless experience, joy and life, everything is now"; know this, see it, feel it and be it. Do this every day for a few minutes; we should all do this until the time comes when it will no longer be necessary. When that time comes, we will know it, because our demonstrations will have been made.
Suppose one says: "I have made a lot of mistakes in my life. I had opportunities which I did not grasp." This is a direct belief that there is but one opportunity which comes to man, and if he does not take it he will have no more. This is a belief in limited opportunities, and it must be denied completely and specifically. We exist in Limitless Opportunities, which are forever seeking expression through us, and are expressed in and through us.
Know that there is no condemnation; for nothing can condemn unless we believe in condemnation. Destroy the thought that would lay limitation or bondage upon any situation or condition. "Loose him, and let him go."
Talk to yourself, not to the world. There is no one to talk to but yourself, for all experiences take place within. Conditions are the reflections of our own meditations, and nothing else. There is but One Mind to think, but one thing that It can think; that Mind is our Mind now. It never thinks confusion; It knows what it wishes, and how to accomplish what it desires. It is what It desires.
CAUSES AND CONDITIONS
Pay no attention to what happens in the objective world when you are making a demonstration. We interpret causes by conditions only as we realize that a condition must partake of the nature of its cause. If there appears to be confusion in the condition, then there must have been confusion in the thought back of it. Pay no attention to the objective expression so long as you know you are getting the right subjective recognition. The way to work out a problem scientifically is to take it up in thought daily and conceive of it as already being an accomplished fact in experience. Get the idea of the desire as already embodied in the Absolute. Unless one believes that there is an Absolute, how can he do this? We must believe that we are dealing with Reality and with nothing less than the Absolute.
If we are radiating thought into Divine Mind, what is there that can hinder It from oper
ating on this thought? Nothing, for It knows no hindrances. Be sure that there is nothing destructive in the reaction; for there must be no element of destructiveness in our work. Daily hold your desire as an already accomplished fact and go about your business with joy and gladness, with peace and quiet confidence; the Law is then sure to act. During the process many things may happen that will appear to be destructive. You may pass through good fortune and bad; but if you can come to the point where you are not disturbed by what happens on the outside, you have found the secret. If, as Jesus said, we "Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment," remembering that "things which are seen were not made of things which do appear"; out of any chaos we can produce harmony, provided we keep our thought steady. The answer to prayer is already in the prayer when it is prayed.
PERFECT ACTION
Assume a case of treatment for prosperity. Suppose one comes to you and says: "Business is bad; there is no activity." How are you going to treat him? Are you going to treat activity or business, customers, conditions or what? There is but one thing to treat, as far as the practitioner is concerned, and that is HIMSELF. The practitioner treats himself, the reason being that his patient's and his own mind are in the One Mind.
There is but one activity, which is perfect. Nothing has happened to it; nothing can cut it off; it is always operating. There is no belief in inactivity. What is this statement for? To neutralize the belief in inactivity. A word spoken in Mind will reach its own level, in the objective world, by its own weight; just as in physical science we know that water reaches its own level by its own weight. You must destroy the thoughts of inactivity. Man cannot become either discouraged or afraid if he realizes that there is but One Mind which he may consciously use. The real man knows no discouragement, cannot be afraid and has no unbelief.
"Who plants a seed beneath the sod
And waits to see it turn away the clod,
Has faith in God."
And he who knows of the power with which he is dealing, and who plants a seed of thought in Subjectivity, knows that it will come up and bear fruit.
Bring out the idea of Substance. Make consciousness perceive that Substance is Spirit, Spirit is God, and God is all that there is. Once you acquaint the consciousness with this idea, it is implanted in the Creative Power which is externalizing in your life.
MENTAL EQUIVALENTS
The Law is Infinite and Perfect; but in order to make a demonstration we must first have a mental equivalent of the thing we DESIRE. Consequently, the range of our possibilities at the present time does not extend far beyond the range of our present concepts. As we bring ourselves to a greater vision, we can then induce a still greater concept and thereby demonstrate more in our experience. In this way there is a continuous growth and unfoldment taking place. We do not expect to give a treatment to-day and have a million dollars to-morrow. But, little by little, we can unfold our consciousness through the acquisition of greater and still greater mental equivalents, until at last we shall be made free. The way to proceed is to begin right where we are. It is not scientific to attempt to begin somewhere else. This would be chaotic. One who understands the systematic use of the Law will realize that he is where he is because of what he is; but he will not say, "I must be where I am because of what I am." Instead, he will begin to disclaim what he appears to be. As his statements loosen wrong subjective tendencies and false mentality, providing in their place a correct concept of life and Reality, he will automatically be lifted out of his conditions; and impelling forces, which will sweep everything before them, will set him free, if he trusts in Spirit and in nothing else.
Stay with the One and never deviate from It; never leave It for a moment. Nothing else can equal this attitude. To desert the Truth in the hour of need is to prove that we do not know the Truth. When things look the worst is the supreme moment to demonstrate to yourself that there are no obstructions. When things look worst is the best time to work, the most satisfying time. The person who can throw himself, with a complete abandon, into that Limitless Sea of Receptivity, having cut loose from all apparent moorings, is the one who will always receive the greatest reward.
TREATING FOR ACTIVITY
Suppose you have a store and wish to attract customers, which means activity in this kind of business. Every day see the place filled with people. Make a mental picture of this. You are dealing with Intelligence, so work intelligently. Ask for what you wish and take it. If you were treating for activity in a store in Boston you would not be treating some one in Kalamazoo for the mumps. Remember that you are dealing with Intelligence; IT IS GOING TO EVOLVE YOUR CONCEPT EXACTLY AS YOU INVOLVE IT. If one could take a picture of his objective circumstances and his subjective mentality, he would find that they would be identical; for one is the cause of the other; one is the image and the other is the reflection of that image.
RECEIVING INFORMATION
Suppose that we wish a special piece of information; we should say, "I wish to know this thing and I do know it. Whatever instrument is necessary to present it to me is now in full operation." This is a direct declaration that we have the desired knowledge, that that which we wish to know we do know. Say, "The Spirit of Intelligence within me tells me what I should know," or, "Everything that I should know I do know." It does not matter how we get this knowledge; we would not care if we read it on a sign, or in the dictionary, or if it were told us, or if it were sent to us; but we should consider the demonstration complete provided we received it. Say, "Everything necessary for the complete fulfillment of this idea is now in full operation, and I accept it."
NO FAILURES
If one appears to have failed he should realize that there are no failures in the universe. We should completely erase the idea of failure by stating that there are no failures. If one believes that he failed last year he will be likely to fail again this year, unless the false thought should be erased.
Now here is a place where it looks as though one were lying to himself, but he is not; for he is declaring the truth about the Spirit that indwells him; this Spirit never fails. Affirm, "This word blots from the book of my remembrance any sense of lack, limitation, want or fear of failure. There is no failure, no person to fail; failure is neither person, place nor thing; it is a false thought and has no truth in it; it is a belief in lack and there is no lack; it is a belief in a limitation which does not exist."
Thought is very subtle, and sometimes you may find, when you are making such a statement, that arguments will rise against it. Stop right here and meet those arguments; refuse to accept them.
OPPORTUNITY
Suppose you are treating your business and something from within says, "There are too many people in this business"; handle the thought of competition at once; say, "There is no competition or monopoly." You must do something to free the endeavor to express itself. Treatment is a thing of itself; it is an entity of Infinite Intelligence, Life and Action, and nothing can hinder its operation except unbelief or a lack of adequate mental equivalents. "They could not enter in because of unbelief," 66 and they "tempted God and limited the Holy One of Israel."
Never depend upon people, or say that things must come from this or that source. It makes no difference where things come from. Say that they are and let them come from where they will; and then, if something appears to happen which points to a place for them to come from, it is correct to say, "If this is the place, then there is nothing which can hinder." This is not hypnotic, for you are simply guarding against the possibility of some false thought coming in and hindering your demonstration.
Nothing moves but Mind. God makes things through the direct act of becoming the things which He creates. This is what we do, for our thought becomes the thing thought of. The thought and the thing are one, in reality. "WHAT A MAN HAS AS WELL AS WHAT HE IS, IS THE RESULT OF THE SUBJECTIVE STATE OF HIS THOUGHT." Keep on subjectifying thought until the balance of your consciousness is on the affirmative side, and nothing can hind
er it from demonstrating. This is inevitable, for this is the way that the Law operates.
NO MISTAKES
Regarding mistakes,—declare that there are none, that there never were and never will be any. Say, "I represent the Truth, the whole Truth and nothing but the Truth; It is unerring, It never mistakes; there are no mistakes in the Divine Plan for me; there is no fear; there is no limitation, poverty, want nor lack; I stand in the midst of eternal opportunity, which is forever presenting me with the evidence of its full expression. I am joy, peace and happiness; I am the spirit of joy within me; I am the spirit of peace within me, of poise and power; I am the spirit of happiness within me; I radiate life; I am Life. There is One Life; that Life is my Life now." It is not enough to say, "There is One Life and that Life is God." We must complete this statement by saying, "That Life is my Life now," because we must couple this Life with ours in order to express It. We are not becoming This Life, but are now, in, and of, This Life. There is no other Life.
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