思想是永恒的主宰
人的精神具有一種在萬物中唯有他才具有的屬性,即思考。
思考所表達出的思想即是創造力的不斷彰顯,思考的過程就是創造的過程。
我們所見的世間的一切都可稱之為思想的產物。
當思想的創造力締造出對人類有益的、人們所向往的結果時,我們就稱這個結果是“善”的。
當思想創造力締造出對人類自身有害的、人們所不希望見到的結果時,我們就稱這個結果是“惡”的。
創造隻不過是思想的過程,而無論是善,還是惡,都是思想的偉大創造所產生的不同“結果”。
不同的思想決定著人類的種種行為,人們的不同行為又產生出他們自迥異的人生之“果”。
- 精神與我們同在
精神是永恒的。我們因為表現出自己的精神特征而證實際上自己的存在。精神再現出何種樣式,我們也就的確具有這種樣式的自我。精神與我們同在,如果精神消失,那麽我們也就不複存在。一個人越是能夠深刻領悟到精神的主觀能動性,他就越是會因此受到激發並變得更加活力四射。
- 認識你的精神世界,並且運用它
我們越是對一件事物熟悉,我們對它的運用就會越是恰當得體,就像我們知道我們擁有財富,便會使用財富去改變我們的生活。精神世界具有無盡的潛能,它是一種完全真實的存在,但如果我們不去利用它,它就不會為我們創造更有價值的東西,所以,如果想發揮你的潛能,就要認識、了解你的精神世界,並且熟練地運用它。
- 創造力來自於思考的過程
- 潛能通過思考得以釋放
人們生存的價值往往可以通過他的思考體現出來,通過思考,人可以釋放他的巨大的潛能。終其一生,每一個人在每一分鍾,無不是依賴著他思想和意識的創造性活動而存在。
- 無知導致貧乏
不愛思考的人在生命的路程中必將走更多的彎路,比思考者付出更多完全無必要的艱辛與苦難。
- 永恒不變的法則
當我們明白“思考可以創造一切、思想並能夠改變一切”的自然法則,我們就得到了最真的真理,可以完全信任並且使用它,因為一切法則從古至今都沒有改變過。
- 思考可以帶來福音
當我們信任並且使用這種法則,它自身的真理性就會得到彰顯,給我們的生活帶來福音,我們可以借助於思考與宇宙精神保持連接,去體悟和實踐它的能量,同時,宇宙精神也會依靠我們個體去彰顯自己,創造和改變世間萬物。
- 點燃你生命中所有的激情與能量
當你逐漸體悟到你完全可以通過努力的思考與宇宙精神本質融為一體,那麽此時此刻的你就將成功轉變為宇宙精神的信使。你的所作所為皆是宇宙精神的意圖在世間的真實再現。開始行動吧,此時你手中正執著一把金光閃閃的利劍,它賦予你無窮的力量,創造性的思考正如熊熊燃燒著的火焰將你生命中所有激情與能量點燃,釋放!
- 營造平和而又寧靜的內心環境
要想獲得這種強大的能量,就要給自己營造出一種平和而又寧靜的內心環境。隻有在這種靜默之下,我們才能真切而又具體地感知到這種力量的源泉。宇宙精神仿佛是在海麵上漂泊的五色瓶,惟有平靜的海麵才可以使它愜意而舒緩地漂流,讓其在陽光的照射下反射出迷人的光芒。
- 反複地訓練
當你領悟了這種力量的使用方法,你就要去不斷地琢磨和思考這種方法的整個過程。
- 深入自己的內心世界
當你相信我們內在世界的存在並去認真找尋、揣摩、練習它的時候,你就會發現其實隻有它才是一切存在的最根本支點。不僅你自己,同進也可以幫助身邊的所有人慢慢了解他們的內心,了解一切人、事、環境的內在與外在,從而締造出自己內心中的王國,並通過自身的努力將美好的“天國”夢想變為現實。
- 混亂的思考帶來的是混亂的結果
這永恒不變的法則同時也為我們帶來了另一個難題,即:什麽樣的思維就會產生什麽樣的結果。有其因必有其果,因果始終如影隨形。
- 恰當地使用思想的力量
借助於這種無窮的力量,我們可以自信而勇敢地去實踐自己的希望與想法,以往生活中我們常常揮之不去的恐懼、擔憂、自卑等等負麵的觀念,都會煙消雲散,你會發現靈感與天才已絕非普通人一生都不敢想象的夢,你會充滿靈感,你即天才。
- 要擁有打破常規的勇氣
創造性思維為我們帶來非同凡響的靈感。我們要擁有打破常規的勇氣,非常的想法也必須借助於非常的手段和方法去付諸於實施。一旦我們認識到一切力量都是源於我們自身的內心,靈感就會隨之源源不斷而來。
- 關於靈感
靈感是一種超現實的藝術。是個體精神通過與宇宙精神的合而為一而彰顯力量的結果,但它並非高高在上,相反,它懂得根據世間的事物做出調整與適應。它懂得怎樣利用有效機製去保障自己運行通暢,從而將世間的一切坷途變成坦途。通過將思維轉化為有形的再現,它可以將不完美變成完美,將無形變為有形,將不可能變成可能,將理想變成現實。我們正是借於靈感的迸發完成我們實現自身的過程。
- 強大的力量無處不在
- 在情感上與這種力量產生共鳴
理性與情感從來都是一對密不可分的夥伴。當我們已經從理智上完全接受並信任這種力量時,我們的情感是否已經準備好了接納並且信任它呢?一種觀念或方法的植入需要全麵而良好的土壤,當情感與理性一起發揮作用時,思想之樹才會煥發現勃勃生機。
- 在“靜寂”中孕育靈感
當我們準備孕育靈感時,就一定要為它創造和諧而安靜的環境。讓自己的肌肉放鬆,停止一切活動,進入到休眠狀態,此時,我們可稱得上是完全的“靜寂”。在“靜寂”中,你會自然而然地體驗到自身的潛能,此時,你就可以放心愉快地去接受智慧與靈感的洗禮。
- 靈感帶來機緣,改變我們的命運
- 調整自己的狀態
無意識、無目的的生活與自主地、有意識地去調整自己的生活,會產生完全不同的結果。當我們意識到了這一點,我們就要調整自己的意識狀態,去主動地尋找那種最理想的精神狀態,並且在情感上堅信自己一定能夠實現,以確保自己的信念能夠被持久且堅定地執行。
- 潛能會被自然地激發
需求帶來相應的供給。當我們有意識地去彰顯自己的需求,那麽身體的力量也會自然地配合我們去發掘這種需求。生命因此而變得更加富有積極性,能量、活力較之以往會大大增強。
- 生命的奧秘
- 萬物有“靈”
是否有人曾經告訴過你,有這樣一種物質,它充盈於我們整個的生活當中。我們生活並存在於“它”的包容之中,呼吸著“它”,感受著“它”,與它朝夕相處。“它”就是“靈”。“靈”不僅充滿生命的能量,也充滿了愛。因此每當我們呼吸,吸納到體內的都是它的生命力、它的溫暖的愛意。
- 與“靈”共在
- 與宇宙精神保持和諧一致
- 體驗“真我”的精華
宇宙精神借助於我們的身體可以自由地發芽、紮根、生長,它存在於我們的體內,可以為我們的身體自身成長提供養分和創造力。因為它的存在,我們隻要稍加體會,就會感受到那種超自然存在的生命氣息,體驗到“真我”的精華。
- 何所想,何所得
思想的創造性本身有一種永恒不變的規律,那就是“何所想,何所得”。我們思考什麽,最終體現於外部環境中的創造時,我們就會得到什麽樣的收獲。無論我們創造的好壞,那都是我們自身思考的結果。
- 怎樣才能始終進行正確的思考?
如果想始終保持思考的正確性,使它不致於偏離正確方向而產生自己不願意看到的結果,那麽比較簡單也是最有有效的辦法就是始終如一地與宇宙精神保持一致。宇宙精神是永恒的真理,與它一致就不致因混亂不堪的思想,產生出破壞性的結果。一旦做到這一點,你就如同掌握了點石成金的金手指,你可以用它來造福自身,宇宙精神為你所用,永不枯竭。
- 與宇宙精神保持一致
隻要我們真誠地去理解、領悟宇宙精神,與其達成實質上的和諧統一,才能在最大程度上激發出我們內在潛能,一個又一個地創造出生命中的奇跡。
本課重點
1、在外物之中隻有人才具有的屬性是什麽?
——思考。
2、真正永恒的是什麽?
——精神。
3、我們的潛能通過怎樣的方式得以釋放?
——人們生存的價值往往可以通過他的思考體現出來,通過思考,人可以釋放他的巨大的潛能。
4、那一項永恒且不變的自然法則是什麽?
——思考可以創造一切、思想並能夠改變一切。
5、什麽是宇宙精神?
——宇宙精神是一切存在的基礎與本源。
6、怎親才算是正確地理解了宇宙精神?
——認識它、領悟它,與其保持和諧一致。
7、為什麽生活中會出現局限、疾病等各種不良的結果?
——一切皆有困果,錯誤的思想方式會導致破壞性的結果,而正確的思考方式會產生正確的結果。
8、怎樣才能孕育靈感?
——當我們準備孕育靈感時,就一定要為它創造和諧而安靜的環境,在“靜寂”中孕育靈感。
9、那種充盈於我們整個的生活當中,我們生活並存在於“它”的包容之中,呼吸著“它”,感受著“它”,與它朝夕相處的東西是什麽?
——最有生命力的、最有活力的“靈”。
10、思想的創造性本身有一種永恒不變的規律,那是什麽?
——那就是“何所想,何所得”。
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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 both 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 scepter of power is consciousness, and thought is its messenger, and this messenger is constantly molding 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 labor-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 marvelous 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.
Haddock
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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.
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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 both 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 scepter of power is consciousness, and thought is its messenger, and this messenger is constantly molding 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 labor-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 marvelous 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.
Haddock
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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.