心存一份信仰
每個人都有自己的追求與信仰。
有人會說，我不信神，我沒有信仰，你的那套理論不適合我，其實不然。當我們追求高尚、美、財富、成功的時候，我們就已經“拜倒”在它們麵前，膜拜它們。這時我們把全部意念集中在它們身上，而它們就以鮮活的形象在我們的心中呈現，這就是我們的神，我們的信仰。
如果你明白了因果相循的原理，就會明白，思想會決定現實。當我們心存信仰的時候，信仰就會轉變為現實，所以，心中懷有追求，你就會得到你想要的結果。
- 思想決定行為
思想是一種高級的心智，它掌管著我們的一切行為。
- 通過洞察力才能獲得真正的思想
我們靠五官去感知這個世界，但真正的知識的獲得卻必須通過更深層次的感知能力——我們的洞察力。通過洞察力，我們可以看到現象背後的本質，掌握潛藏在事物紛亂表麵背後的真理，我們的思想因此得以產生。
- 專注而持久地學習
若想成為一個淵博的人，就必須專注而持久地學習。學習需要成年累月的精神集中，偉大的發現都是持久觀察的結果。在專注的基礎上，我們才能夠做到全身心的投入，從而以最高的效率獲取更多的知識。
- 全神貫注
隻有在我們全神貫注地去做一件事情的時候，我們的潛力才可以得到最大的發揮。
- 專注會誘發你的靈感
完全沉浸在你的思想中，沉醉於你所關注的主題，其他一切不相幹的事物都被拋在腦後。然後靈感就會在你的腦海中突現，直覺、洞察力、頓悟等等高級的思維過程接踵而來，你就會發現事物原來是如此的簡單，本質透過現象的麵紗，露出它的清晰的輪廓來。
- 心靈具有天然的“磁力”
我們的心靈就像一塊磁鐵，求知的渴望就是不可抗拒的“磁力”，它會吸引住一切知識和智慧，讓它們為我所用，我們的一切知識都是這種力量的結果。
- 渴望存在於潛意識當中
對將來的渴望能夠激發出我們的行動力，使一切困難的問題迎刃而解，而渴望主要存在於潛意識當中。了解自己需要什麽，會有助於我們開發自己的潛意識，發揮自己的潛能。
- 專注有助於激發潛能
意念的集中能夠激發潛意識，引導其中的能量向一個固定的目標前進，並且使我們堅定而充滿自信。僅憑一時衝動的行為沒有任何價值，想要實現目標，必須有極大的毅力才成。
- 可以擁有“份外”的想法
- 不要放棄努力
理想和現實有時會有很大的差距，心靈想要展翅高飛，很可能還沒有等它飛得很高，就因為動脈乏力跌落在地。我們有時可能會把理想定得過高，卻發現心有餘而力不足。但是這一切，都不能成為我們不再進行下一次嚐試的理由，不要放棄努力，隻要目標正確，你的努力終究會得到足夠的回報。
- 正視自己的軟弱
軟弱是一種由於身體的疲憊和精神的匱乏而產生的精神畏縮的狀態。軟弱是我們獲得成就的最大障礙。一旦被軟弱所困擾，那麽打倒它的唯一辦法就是正視它，打倒它，踩著它的身體走過去。重新嚐試一下吧，不斷的努力終究會讓你獲得遊刃有餘、應付自如的感覺。
- 專注造成知識
- 越是強烈的渴望，得到的回報就越多
渴望是一種最為強大的精神力量。一切精神成就都是熱切的渴望加上專注的意念所致，我們的行為就越是堅強有力，我們得到的發現、取得的成就越是輝煌。
- 專注導致成功
意念的集中能打開疑惑、軟弱、無力、自卑的桎梏，讓你品嚐到征服的樂趣。短期內把精神高度專注你的目標上，加上對取得成功的強烈渴望，可能會比成年累月被動、緩慢的努力更為有效。
- 心靈是行動的引擎
發電機的功率雖然強大，但是如果它沒有被啟動，就什麽力量都發揮不出來。我們的心靈就是身體的發電機開關，隻有心靈打開，才能使身體運轉，產生能量，產生行動。心靈是行動的引擎，它的能量是我們前所未聞的。
- 專注產生直覺
如果你把精神集中在一些重要的事情上麵，直覺的力量就開始運作了，它會幫助你排除各種困擾而直接發現問題的答案。集中意念就好象用放大鏡聚集太陽光取火一樣，一旦精神的力量得以“聚集”，直覺就會自然產生。
- 神秘的直覺
人類的直覺仿佛是冥冥中神的指引，它不需要那些繁冗的思考就可以獲得問題的答案。在我們的理性對問題一籌莫展的時候，直覺常常不期而至，給你帶來極大的驚喜。直覺往往會出奇不意地直接擊中我們苦苦追尋許久的真理，讓人感覺它似乎是來自某種神秘的力量。
- 給直覺以禮遇
直覺可以培養、可以開發。為了培養直覺，就必須認識它、欣賞它。如果直覺做客你家，你就要認真地體驗它，品味它，這樣它還會再次光臨。你對它的接待越是熱忱，它的光臨就越是頻繁。但如果你對它不理不睬、視而不見，它的拜訪就會越來越少，與你漸行漸遠。
- 潛意識是最大的能量寶庫
讓你的願望與自然法則、與宇宙精神保持和諧一致，潛意識就會從你的心靈深處解放出來，賦予你戰無不勝的能力與勇氣。你取得何種程度的成就完全取決於你的目標有多高。
- 要充滿自信
對自己充滿信心，我們就會跨越每一個障礙，不斷地取得勝利。而在跨越障礙和取得勝利之後，又會進一步增強我們的信心，這樣，我們就會有更大的勇氣去贏得更多的勝利。所以，你能否成功完全取決於你的精神狀態，如果你表現出成功自信的精神狀態，麵對挫折也不折不撓，那麽你就會從肉眼無法看到的環境中汲取到無盡的力量，供你任意使用。
- 搞清楚你真正應該追求的是什麽
我們有時候弄不清楚自己想要的到底是什麽。名聲、地位、金錢、權力等等，這些都可能是我們追逐的東西。然而對這些身外之物，在你剛剛追上它們的時候，你就會發現它們隻不過是過眼煙雲而已。你真正需要的並不是這些，而是潛能的釋放，對自然法則的領悟，隻要對心靈中的這些想法保持忠貞，至死不渝，那些身外之物就會隨之而來。
- 認識到真正的力量之源
一個人為了財富而終日奔波勞碌，等到他口袋裏真正裝滿沉甸甸的黃金的時候他就會發現，大量的金錢不過是一個象征而已。許多人以金錢為自己的人生追求，但是如果他認識到了真正的力量之源，就可以不必再理睬這些符號了。因為，金錢僅僅是那股力量之源所帶來的副產品之一了，此外還有更多。
- 把思想投向內部
把思想投向外部，它就會帶來外在世界的變革；如果把思想的指針轉向內在的世界，它同樣會有神奇的功效。一切事物的基本準則會盡在我們的掌握之中，萬事萬物的核心和精神為我們所用。
- 把握事物的本質
如果你能把握事物的本質，領會它們，它們就會聽命於你。這是我們強大的力量源泉。
- 力量來自於放鬆
有心栽花花不開，無心插柳柳麵蔭。緊張反而導致沮喪，力量則來自於放鬆。完全放鬆下來，不要再對前途憂心忡忡。集中注意力，對你所關注的目標凝神思考，直到你的意念完全與它合而為一，直到你再也意識不到別的東西存在，這時力量就會漸漸浮現出來。
本課重點
１、集中意念的正確方法是什麽？
——集中注意力在你希望關注的對象上，然後摒除一切與此無關的事物。
２、這樣集中意念的結果是什麽？
——這樣做可以觸發看不見的力量，你的境遇將困此改變。
３、專注會誘發什麽？
——誘發靈感，使我們可以直接得到問題的答案，卻不必經過繁冗的思考。
４、為什麽越是強烈的渴望，得到的回報就越多？
——因為渴望越是強烈持久，我們的行為就越是堅強有力，我們得到的發現、取得的成就越是輝煌。
５、為什麽要給直覺以禮遇？
——因為你要認真地體驗它，品味它，它還會再次光臨。如果你對它不理不睬，它就會與你漸行漸遠。
６、在一切商業活動中，決定性的因素是什麽？
——是精神因素。
７、最大的能量寶庫是什麽？
——潛意識。
８、把思想投向內部會有什麽結果？
——一切事物的基本準則會盡在我們的掌握之中，萬事萬物的核心和精神為我們所用。
９、為什麽要使自己完全“沉寂”下來？
——在你完全放鬆下來、再也意識不到別的東西存在，力量就會自然地浮現出來。
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Part Seventeen
The kind of Deity which a man, consciously or unconsciously, worships, indicates the intellectual status of the worshipper.
Ask the Indian of God, and he will describe to you a powerful chieftain of a glorious tribe. Ask the Pagan of God, and he will tell you of a God of fire, a God of water, a god of this, that, and the other.
Ask the Israelite of God, and he will tell you of the God of Moses, who conceived it expedient to rule by coercive measures; hence, the Ten Commandments. Or of Joshua, who led the Israelites into battle, confiscated property, murdered the prisoners, and laid waste to cities.
The so-called heathen made "graven images" of their Gods, whom they were accustomed to worship, but among the most intelligent, at least, these images were but the visible fulcrums with which they were enabled to mentally concentrate on the qualities which they desired to externalize in their lives.
We of the twentieth century worship a God of Love in theory, but in practice we make for ourselves "graven images" of "Wealth," "Power," "Fashion," "Custom" and "Conventionality." We "fall down" before them and worship them. We concentrate on them and they are thereby externalized in our lives.
The student who masters the contents of Part Seventeen will not mistake the symbols for the reality; he will be interested in causes, rather than effects. He will concentrate on the realities of life, and will then not be disappointed in the results.
PART SEVENTEEN
1. We are told that Man has "dominion over all things"; this dominion is established through Mind. Thought is the activity which controls every principle beneath it. The highest principle by reason of its superior essence and qualities necessarily determines the circumstances, aspects and relation of everything with which it comes in contact.
2. The vibrations of mental forces are the finest and consequently the most powerful in existence. To those who perceive the nature and transcendency of mental force, all physical power sinks into insignificance.
3. We are accustomed to look upon the Universe with a lens of five senses, and from these experiences our anthropomorphic conceptions originate, but true conceptions are only secured by spiritual insight. This insight requires a quickening of the vibrations of the Mind, and is only secured when the mind is continuously concentrated in a given direction.
4. Continuous concentration means an even, unbroken flow of thought and is the result of patient, persistent, persevering and well-regulated system.
5. Great discoveries are the result of long-continued investigation. The science of mathematics requires years of concentrated effort to master it, and the greatest science -- that of the Mind -- is revealed only through concentrated effort.
6. Concentration is much misunderstood; there seems to be an idea of effort or activity associated with it, when just the contrary is necessary. The greatness of an actor lies in the fact that he forgets himself in the portrayal of his character, becoming so identified with it, that the audience is swayed by the realism of the performance. This will give you a good idea of true concentration; you should be so interested in your thought, so engrossed in your subject, as to be conscious of nothing else. Such concentration leads to intuitive perception and immediate insight into the nature of the object concentrated upon.
7. All knowledge is the result of concentration of this kind; it is thus that the secrets of Heaven and Earth have been wrested; it is thus that the mind becomes a magnet and the desire to know draws the knowledge, irresistibly attracts it, makes it your own.
8. Desire is largely subconscious; conscious desire rarely realizes its object when the latter is out of immediate reach. Subconscious desire arouses the latent faculties of the mind, and difficult problems seem to solve themselves.
9. The subconscious mind may be aroused and brought into action in any direction and made to serve us for any purpose, by concentration. The practice of concentration requires the control of the physical, mental, and physical being; all modes of consciousness whether physical, mental, or physical, must be under control.
10. Spiritual Truth is therefore the controlling factor; it is this which will enable you to grow out of limited attainment and reach a point where you will be able to translate modes of thought into character and consciousness.
11. Concentration does not mean mere thinking of thoughts, but the transmutation of these thoughts into practical values; the average person has no conception of the meaning of concentration. There is always the cry "to have" but never the cry "to be"; they fail to understand that they cannot have one without the other, that they must first find the "kingdom" before they can have the "things added." Momentary enthusiasm is of no value; it is only with unbounded self-confidence that the goal is reached.
12. The mind may place the ideal a little too high and fall short of the mark; it may attempt to soar on untrained wings and instead of flying, fall to earth; but that is no reason for not making another attempt.
13. Weakness is the only barrier to mental attainment; attribute your weakness to physical limitations or mental uncertainties and try again; ease and perfection are gained by repetition.
14. The astronomer centers his mind on the stars and they give forth their secrets; the geologists centers his mind on the construction of the earth and we have geology; so with all things. Men center their minds on the problems of life, and the result is apparent in the vast and complex social order of the day.
15. All mental discovery and attainment are the result of desire plus concentration; desire is the strongest mode of action; the more persistent the desire, the more authoritative the revelation. Desire added to concentration will wrench any secret from nature.
16. In realizing great thoughts, in experiencing great emotions that correspond with great thoughts, the mind is in a state where it appreciates the value of higher things.
17. The intensity of one moment's earnest concentration and the intense longing to become and to attain may take you further than years of slow normal and forced effort; it will unfasten the prison bars of unbelief, weakness, impotence and self-belittlement, and you will come into a realization of the joy of overcoming.
18. The spirit of initiative and originality is developed through persistence and continuity of mental effort. Business teaches the value of concentration and encourages decision of character; it develops practical insight and quickness of conclusion. The mental element in every commercial pursuit is dominant as the controlling factor, and desire is the predominating force; all commercial relations are the externalization of desire.
19. Many of the sturdy and substantial virtues are developed in commercial employment; the mind is steadied and directed; it becomes efficient. The principal necessity is the strengthening of the mind so that it rises superior to the distractions and wayward impulses of instinctive life and thus successfully overcomes in the conflict between the higher and lower self.
20. All of us are dynamos, but the dynamo of itself is nothing; the mind must work the dynamo; then it is useful and its energy can be definitely concentrated. The mind is an engine whose power is undreamed; thought is an omni-working power. It is the ruler and creator of all form and all events occurring in form. Physical energy is nothing in comparison with the omnipotence of thought, because thought enables man to harness all other natural power.
21. Vibration is the action of thought; it is vibration which reaches out and attracts the material necessary to construct and build. There is nothing mysterious concerning the power of thought; concentration simply implies that consciousness can be focalized to the point where it becomes identified with the object of its attention. As food absorbed is the essence of the body, so the mind absorbs the object of its attention, gives it life and being.
22. If you concentrate on some matter of importance, the intuitive power will be set in operation, and help will come in the nature of information which will lead to success.
23. Intuition arrives at conclusions without the aid of experience or memory. Intuition often solves problems that are beyond the grasp of the reasoning power. Intuition often comes with a suddenness that is startling; it reveals the truth for which we are searching, so directly that it seems to come from a higher power. Intuition can be cultivated and developed; in order to do this it must be recognized and appreciated; if the intuitive visitor is given a royal welcome when he comes, he will come again; the more cordial the welcome the more frequent his visits will become, but if he is ignored or neglected he will make his visits few and far apart.
24. Intuition usually comes in the Silence; great minds seek solitude frequently; it is here that all the larger problems of life are worked out. For this reason every businessman who can afford it has a private office, where he will not be disturbed; if you cannot afford a private office you can at least find somewhere, where you can be alone a few minutes each day, to train the thought along lines which will enable you to develop that invincible power which is necessary to achieve.
25. Remember that fundamentally the subconscious is omnipotent; there is no limit to the things that can be done when it is given the power to act. Your degree of success is determined by the nature of your desire. If the nature of your desire is in harmony with Natural Law or the Universal Mind, it will gradually emancipate the mind and give you invincible courage.
26. Every obstacle conquered, every victory gained, will give you more faith in your power, and you will have greater ability to win. Your strength is determined by your mental attitude; if this attitude is one of success, and is permanently held with an unswerving purpose, you will attract to you from the invisible domain the things you silently demand.
27. By keeping the thought in mind, it will gradually take tangible form. A definite purpose sets causes in motion which go out in the invisible world and find the material necessary to serve your purpose.
28. You may be pursuing the symbols of power, instead of power itself. You may be pursuing fame instead of honor, riches instead of wealth, position instead of servitude; in either event you will find that they turn to ashes just as you overtake them.
29. Premature wealth or position cannot be retained because it has not been earned; we get only what we give, and those who try to get without giving always find that the law of compensation is relentlessly bringing about an exact equilibrium.
30. The race has usually been for money and other mere symbols of power, but with an understanding of the true source of power, we can afford to ignore the symbols. The man with a large bank account finds it unnecessary to load his pockets down with gold; so with the man who has found the true source of power; he is no longer interested in its shams or pretensions.
31. Thought ordinarily leads outwardly in evolutionary directions, but it can be turned within where it will take hold of the basic principles of things, the heart of things, the spirit of things. When you get to the heart of things it is comparatively easy to understand and command them.
32. This is because the Spirit of a thing is the thing itself, the vital part of it, the real substance. The form is simply the outward manifestation of the spiritual activity within.
33. For your exercise this week concentrate as nearly as possible in accordance with the method outlined in this lesson; let there be no conscious effort or activity associated with your purpose. Relax completely, avoid any thought of anxiety as to results. Remember that power comes through repose. Let the thought dwell upon your object, until it is completely identified with it, until you are conscious of nothing else.
34. If you wish to eliminate fear, concentrate on courage.
35. If you wish to eliminate lack, concentrate on abundance.
36. If you wish to eliminate disease, concentrate on health.
37. Always concentrate on the ideal as an already existing fact; this is the germ cell, the life principle which goes forth and sets in motion those causes which guide, direct and bring about the necessary relation, which eventually manifest in form.
Thought is the property of those only who can entertain it.
Emerson
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Study Questions with Answers
161. What is the true method of concentration?
To become so identified with the object of your thought that you are conscious of nothing else.
162. What is the result of this method of concentration?
Invisible forces are set in motion which irresistibly bring about conditions in correspondence with your thought.
163. What is the controlling factor in this method of thought?
Spiritual Truth.
164. Why is this so?
Because the nature of our desire must be in harmony with Natural Law.
165. What is the practical value of this method of concentration?
Thought is transmuted into character, and character is the magnet which creates the environment of the individual.
166. What is the controlling factor in every commercial pursuit?
The mental element.
167. Why is this so?
Because Mind is the ruler and creator of all form and all events occurring in form.
168. How does concentration operate?
By the development of the powers of perception, wisdom, intuition, and sagacity.
169. Why is intuition superior to reason?
Because it does not depend upon experience or memory and frequently brings about the solution to our problems by methods concerning which we are in entire ignorance.
170. What is the result of pursuing the symbol of the reality?
They frequently turn to ashes just as we overtake them, because the symbol is only the outward form of the spiritual activity within, therefore unless we can possess the spiritual reality, the form disappears.
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Part Seventeen
The kind of Deity which a man, consciously or unconsciously, worships, indicates the intellectual status of the worshipper.
Ask the Indian of God, and he will describe to you a powerful chieftain of a glorious tribe. Ask the Pagan of God, and he will tell you of a God of fire, a God of water, a god of this, that, and the other.
Ask the Israelite of God, and he will tell you of the God of Moses, who conceived it expedient to rule by coercive measures; hence, the Ten Commandments. Or of Joshua, who led the Israelites into battle, confiscated property, murdered the prisoners, and laid waste to cities.
The so-called heathen made "graven images" of their Gods, whom they were accustomed to worship, but among the most intelligent, at least, these images were but the visible fulcrums with which they were enabled to mentally concentrate on the qualities which they desired to externalize in their lives.
We of the twentieth century worship a God of Love in theory, but in practice we make for ourselves "graven images" of "Wealth," "Power," "Fashion," "Custom" and "Conventionality." We "fall down" before them and worship them. We concentrate on them and they are thereby externalized in our lives.
The student who masters the contents of Part Seventeen will not mistake the symbols for the reality; he will be interested in causes, rather than effects. He will concentrate on the realities of life, and will then not be disappointed in the results.
PART SEVENTEEN
1. We are told that Man has "dominion over all things"; this dominion is established through Mind. Thought is the activity which controls every principle beneath it. The highest principle by reason of its superior essence and qualities necessarily determines the circumstances, aspects and relation of everything with which it comes in contact.
2. The vibrations of mental forces are the finest and consequently the most powerful in existence. To those who perceive the nature and transcendency of mental force, all physical power sinks into insignificance.
3. We are accustomed to look upon the Universe with a lens of five senses, and from these experiences our anthropomorphic conceptions originate, but true conceptions are only secured by spiritual insight. This insight requires a quickening of the vibrations of the Mind, and is only secured when the mind is continuously concentrated in a given direction.
4. Continuous concentration means an even, unbroken flow of thought and is the result of patient, persistent, persevering and well-regulated system.
5. Great discoveries are the result of long-continued investigation. The science of mathematics requires years of concentrated effort to master it, and the greatest science -- that of the Mind -- is revealed only through concentrated effort.
6. Concentration is much misunderstood; there seems to be an idea of effort or activity associated with it, when just the contrary is necessary. The greatness of an actor lies in the fact that he forgets himself in the portrayal of his character, becoming so identified with it, that the audience is swayed by the realism of the performance. This will give you a good idea of true concentration; you should be so interested in your thought, so engrossed in your subject, as to be conscious of nothing else. Such concentration leads to intuitive perception and immediate insight into the nature of the object concentrated upon.
7. All knowledge is the result of concentration of this kind; it is thus that the secrets of Heaven and Earth have been wrested; it is thus that the mind becomes a magnet and the desire to know draws the knowledge, irresistibly attracts it, makes it your own.
8. Desire is largely subconscious; conscious desire rarely realizes its object when the latter is out of immediate reach. Subconscious desire arouses the latent faculties of the mind, and difficult problems seem to solve themselves.
9. The subconscious mind may be aroused and brought into action in any direction and made to serve us for any purpose, by concentration. The practice of concentration requires the control of the physical, mental, and physical being; all modes of consciousness whether physical, mental, or physical, must be under control.
10. Spiritual Truth is therefore the controlling factor; it is this which will enable you to grow out of limited attainment and reach a point where you will be able to translate modes of thought into character and consciousness.
11. Concentration does not mean mere thinking of thoughts, but the transmutation of these thoughts into practical values; the average person has no conception of the meaning of concentration. There is always the cry "to have" but never the cry "to be"; they fail to understand that they cannot have one without the other, that they must first find the "kingdom" before they can have the "things added." Momentary enthusiasm is of no value; it is only with unbounded self-confidence that the goal is reached.
12. The mind may place the ideal a little too high and fall short of the mark; it may attempt to soar on untrained wings and instead of flying, fall to earth; but that is no reason for not making another attempt.
13. Weakness is the only barrier to mental attainment; attribute your weakness to physical limitations or mental uncertainties and try again; ease and perfection are gained by repetition.
14. The astronomer centers his mind on the stars and they give forth their secrets; the geologists centers his mind on the construction of the earth and we have geology; so with all things. Men center their minds on the problems of life, and the result is apparent in the vast and complex social order of the day.
15. All mental discovery and attainment are the result of desire plus concentration; desire is the strongest mode of action; the more persistent the desire, the more authoritative the revelation. Desire added to concentration will wrench any secret from nature.
16. In realizing great thoughts, in experiencing great emotions that correspond with great thoughts, the mind is in a state where it appreciates the value of higher things.
17. The intensity of one moment's earnest concentration and the intense longing to become and to attain may take you further than years of slow normal and forced effort; it will unfasten the prison bars of unbelief, weakness, impotence and self-belittlement, and you will come into a realization of the joy of overcoming.
18. The spirit of initiative and originality is developed through persistence and continuity of mental effort. Business teaches the value of concentration and encourages decision of character; it develops practical insight and quickness of conclusion. The mental element in every commercial pursuit is dominant as the controlling factor, and desire is the predominating force; all commercial relations are the externalization of desire.
19. Many of the sturdy and substantial virtues are developed in commercial employment; the mind is steadied and directed; it becomes efficient. The principal necessity is the strengthening of the mind so that it rises superior to the distractions and wayward impulses of instinctive life and thus successfully overcomes in the conflict between the higher and lower self.
20. All of us are dynamos, but the dynamo of itself is nothing; the mind must work the dynamo; then it is useful and its energy can be definitely concentrated. The mind is an engine whose power is undreamed; thought is an omni-working power. It is the ruler and creator of all form and all events occurring in form. Physical energy is nothing in comparison with the omnipotence of thought, because thought enables man to harness all other natural power.
21. Vibration is the action of thought; it is vibration which reaches out and attracts the material necessary to construct and build. There is nothing mysterious concerning the power of thought; concentration simply implies that consciousness can be focalized to the point where it becomes identified with the object of its attention. As food absorbed is the essence of the body, so the mind absorbs the object of its attention, gives it life and being.
22. If you concentrate on some matter of importance, the intuitive power will be set in operation, and help will come in the nature of information which will lead to success.
23. Intuition arrives at conclusions without the aid of experience or memory. Intuition often solves problems that are beyond the grasp of the reasoning power. Intuition often comes with a suddenness that is startling; it reveals the truth for which we are searching, so directly that it seems to come from a higher power. Intuition can be cultivated and developed; in order to do this it must be recognized and appreciated; if the intuitive visitor is given a royal welcome when he comes, he will come again; the more cordial the welcome the more frequent his visits will become, but if he is ignored or neglected he will make his visits few and far apart.
24. Intuition usually comes in the Silence; great minds seek solitude frequently; it is here that all the larger problems of life are worked out. For this reason every businessman who can afford it has a private office, where he will not be disturbed; if you cannot afford a private office you can at least find somewhere, where you can be alone a few minutes each day, to train the thought along lines which will enable you to develop that invincible power which is necessary to achieve.
25. Remember that fundamentally the subconscious is omnipotent; there is no limit to the things that can be done when it is given the power to act. Your degree of success is determined by the nature of your desire. If the nature of your desire is in harmony with Natural Law or the Universal Mind, it will gradually emancipate the mind and give you invincible courage.
26. Every obstacle conquered, every victory gained, will give you more faith in your power, and you will have greater ability to win. Your strength is determined by your mental attitude; if this attitude is one of success, and is permanently held with an unswerving purpose, you will attract to you from the invisible domain the things you silently demand.
27. By keeping the thought in mind, it will gradually take tangible form. A definite purpose sets causes in motion which go out in the invisible world and find the material necessary to serve your purpose.
28. You may be pursuing the symbols of power, instead of power itself. You may be pursuing fame instead of honor, riches instead of wealth, position instead of servitude; in either event you will find that they turn to ashes just as you overtake them.
29. Premature wealth or position cannot be retained because it has not been earned; we get only what we give, and those who try to get without giving always find that the law of compensation is relentlessly bringing about an exact equilibrium.
30. The race has usually been for money and other mere symbols of power, but with an understanding of the true source of power, we can afford to ignore the symbols. The man with a large bank account finds it unnecessary to load his pockets down with gold; so with the man who has found the true source of power; he is no longer interested in its shams or pretensions.
31. Thought ordinarily leads outwardly in evolutionary directions, but it can be turned within where it will take hold of the basic principles of things, the heart of things, the spirit of things. When you get to the heart of things it is comparatively easy to understand and command them.
32. This is because the Spirit of a thing is the thing itself, the vital part of it, the real substance. The form is simply the outward manifestation of the spiritual activity within.
33. For your exercise this week concentrate as nearly as possible in accordance with the method outlined in this lesson; let there be no conscious effort or activity associated with your purpose. Relax completely, avoid any thought of anxiety as to results. Remember that power comes through repose. Let the thought dwell upon your object, until it is completely identified with it, until you are conscious of nothing else.
34. If you wish to eliminate fear, concentrate on courage.
35. If you wish to eliminate lack, concentrate on abundance.
36. If you wish to eliminate disease, concentrate on health.
37. Always concentrate on the ideal as an already existing fact; this is the germ cell, the life principle which goes forth and sets in motion those causes which guide, direct and bring about the necessary relation, which eventually manifest in form.
Thought is the property of those only who can entertain it.
Emerson
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Study Questions with Answers
161. What is the true method of concentration?
To become so identified with the object of your thought that you are conscious of nothing else.
162. What is the result of this method of concentration?
Invisible forces are set in motion which irresistibly bring about conditions in correspondence with your thought.
163. What is the controlling factor in this method of thought?
Spiritual Truth.
164. Why is this so?
Because the nature of our desire must be in harmony with Natural Law.
165. What is the practical value of this method of concentration?
Thought is transmuted into character, and character is the magnet which creates the environment of the individual.
166. What is the controlling factor in every commercial pursuit?
The mental element.
167. Why is this so?
Because Mind is the ruler and creator of all form and all events occurring in form.
168. How does concentration operate?
By the development of the powers of perception, wisdom, intuition, and sagacity.
169. Why is intuition superior to reason?
Because it does not depend upon experience or memory and frequently brings about the solution to our problems by methods concerning which we are in entire ignorance.
170. What is the result of pursuing the symbol of the reality?
They frequently turn to ashes just as we overtake them, because the symbol is only the outward form of the spiritual activity within, therefore unless we can possess the spiritual reality, the form disappears.
