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Title: Nuggets of the New Thought
Several Things That Have Helped People
Author: William Walker Atkinson,
Release Date: March 11, 2014 [eBook #45113]
Language: English
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NUGGETS OF THE NEW THOUGHT
Several Things That Have Helped People
by
WILLIAM WALKER ATKINSON
Associate Editor of "New Thought," Chicago; Author of "Thought Force,"
"The Law of the New Thought," etc.
Published by
The Psychic Research Company,
3835 Vincennes Ave.
Chicago, Ill., U. S. A.
1902
Copyright, 1902,
By the Psychic Research Company,
Chicago, Ill.
All Rights Reserved.
_Notice.--This work is protected by Copyright, and simultaneous
initial publication in United States of America, Great Britain,
France, Germany, Russia and other countries. All rights reserved._
PREFACE.
I do not like writing a preface--it seems too much like an apology. I
have no special apology to tender for offering this collection of New
Thought nuggets. They may possess no literary merit, but they have
_helped_ men and women. With the exception of "The Secret of the
I Am," these essays appeared from month to month in "New Thought," of
which magazine I am associate editor. They were written hastily,
principally upon the demand of the printer for "copy," and, for the
most part, were printed just as they were written, there being no time
for revision or polishing up. You may pick up any one of them and find
many sentences needing straightening out--many thoughts which could be
better expressed by the change of a few words. Knowing these things, I
first thought that I would go over each essay and add a little here,
and take away a little there, polishing up and burnishing as I went
along. But when I looked over them, my heart failed me. There they
were just as they were written--just as they were dug out of my
mind--and I hadn't the heart to change them. I remembered the
circumstances surrounding the writing of every one of them, and I let
them alone. A "nugget" polished up would be no longer a nugget. And
these thoughts are nuggets--I dug them myself. I will not say much
regarding the quality of the metal--that is for you--but you see them
just as they came from the mine--rough, unpolished, mixed with the
rock, queerly shaped. If you think that they contain metal of
sufficiently good quality, refine them, melt them and fashion them
into something useful or ornamental. For myself, I like things with
the bark on--with the marks of the hammer--with the original quartz
adhering to the metal. But others are of different taste--they like
everything to feel smooth to the touch. They will not like these
nuggets. Alas, I cannot help it--I cannot produce the beautifully
finished article--I have nothing to offer other than the crude product
of the mine. Here they are, polish them up yourself if you prefer them
in that shape--I will not touch them.
W. W. A.
Chicago, October 2, 1902.
CONTENTS.
THE KEYNOTE.
"I Can and I Will"--The recognition--Equal to any task--A feeling
of calm confidence--An abiding sense of power, reserve force and
security--The Something within--The triple key to the door of
attainment--The vibrations of Success 9
THE SECRET OF THE I AM.
The Ego--The physical plane--the mental plane--the new plane
of consciousness--The Real Self--The "I"--The Temple of the
Living Spirit--Development of the "I Am" consciousness.--The
Higher Reason 12
"LET A LITTLE SUNSHINE IN."
The young people's song--Good "New Thought" doctrine--Plenty
of sunshine in life, if you look for it--Don't make a dark
dungeon of your mind--Throw open the windows of your soul--How
to let a little sunshine in 17
THE HUNGER OF THE SOUL.
The soul, as well as the body and mind, requires nourishment
--The want, a promise of the fulfillment--The law of unfoldment
--Nourishment provided when it is needed--Provided for in the
Divine Plan--The feast of good things 19
LOOK ALOFT.
The old sailor's advice--The warning cry--Peace and content--
Mental balance recovered--The glory of the Universe--All governed
by Law--The Law manifests everywhere--A reverent feeling of calm,
peaceful faith--Look aloft 24
TO-MORROW.
The work and cares of to-day easy if we do not worry about those
of To-morrow--The mysterious To-morrow and its terrors--The way to
meet the cares of To-morrow--To-morrow's opportunities will come as
surely as To-morrow's cares--Law supreme--No need to be afraid--The
real To-morrow 26
IN THE DEPTHS OF THE SOUL.
Stores of information; rich mines of knowledge; uncut gems and
precious metal awaiting the discoverer--Psychic and spiritual
faculties--Strange attraction of soul to soul--The Rock of
Ages--The Voice of the Soul 29
FORGET IT.
Why worry about the past--Hugging old sorrows to your Bosom--
What to do with them--Don't Poison your life--Pain brings
experience--Learning your lesson--How to get rid of a gloomy
thought--Throw it away--Forget it 34
THE KINDERGARTEN OF GOD.
Life a great school--Man a child learning his lesson--Preparing
for higher grades--The game-task--What it all means--Things as
they are--The rules wise and good--Each task means something--
Greeting the Kindergartner 36
THE HUMAN WET BLANKET.
Sees no good in anything--Expects the bad and gets it--Attracts
it to him--Depresses everything and everyone--Carries an aura of
negative depressing thought--Clammy--Puts out the fire of energy
--Take Warning 39
AIM STRAIGHT.
Fear attracts as well as Desire--Learn to aim straight and aim
at the right thing--Examples--The bowler--The bicyclist and the
car--The bicyclist and the post--The boy and the marbles--Wisdom
from the babe--Look straight; Think straight; Shoot Straight 41
AT HOME.
Don't be afraid--You are at home--Not here by chance--You belong
here--YOU are the soul--YOU cannot be hurt--YOU cannot be
banished--YOU are right in the universe, and there is no
outside--Great things are before you--Make yourself at home 46
THE SOLITUDE OF THE SOUL.
Lorado Taft's group--Description--Each stands alone--Each is
in touch with every other--Soul communion in silence--Silence is
the sanctuary of the soul--The oneness of life and its apparent
separateness--The message 48
JERRY AND THE BEAR.
The Law's plan of developing an individual--Folly of clinging to
old worn out sheaths--The story of Jerry and the Bear--Who Jerry
was--He meets the Bear--The fight--The result--The consequences
--The change in Jerry--The moral 51
THE UNSEEN HAND.
The consciousness of the hand--When it first was felt--Always
there--Now as the hand of a father--Now as that of a mother--A
lover--A brother--Always guiding--Always leading--A mystery--
Some day we will know the owner of the hand 55
HOW SUCCESS COMES.
Seeking success through mental powers--Holding the thought alone
not sufficient--How to get the real benefit of thought-force--
Fall in with the workings of the Law--Stand on your own feet--
One step at a time--"I Do" as well as "I Am" 58
THE MAN WITH THE SOUTHERN EXPOSURE.
Southern exposure as good a thing in a man as in a room--The
man who faces the sun--Lives one day at a time and does the best
he knows how, and is kind--Finds Joy and carries it to others--
Simple, loving, kind--Open yourself to the sun 60
A FOREWORD.
An individualist--Wearing no ticket or label--No one has a
corner on Truth--Enough to go around--The Infinite Power back
of all things--The Real Self is Spirit--The Law of Attraction
--Fearthought--The Brotherhood of Man 63
PARTNERSHIP.
Next to marriage, partnership is the most important association
--Mental partnerships--Be careful whom you choose as your mental
partners--Get into partnership with the best thoughts--Dissolve
partnership with the other kind--"I Can, I Will; I Do, I Dare." 65
THE SEEKERS.
The secret of life--the riddle of existence--Sought now as ever
--The whyness of things--Attempts to answer the riddle--The
Seekers--Fantastic creeds and queer philosophies--Revamping
old ideas--The story of the man and the stars--The answer to
be found within the soul 69
MENTAL PICTURES.
"I hang bright pictures in my mind"--Bright pictures
encourage one; gloomy ones depress--Get rid of your old,
gloomy mental pictures--Make a bonfire of them--Get rid
of the particularly miserable one, first of all--Then put
bright ones in their places 73
DON'T RETAIL YOUR WOES.
A miserable habit--It grows as it is fed--A nuisance to
friends and neighbors--It brings to you more of the same
kind--You will get what you look for--Looking for trouble
brings it--Don't imagine that you are being "put upon"--
Don't retail your woes 75
LIFE.
There is in each of us a potential Something seeking for
expression--The Something Within--The plant of life--No use
trying to repress it, for develop it must--Life has a meaning
--Growth, development and unfoldment--The lesson of life 79
LET US HAVE FAITH.
Faith necessary in every human undertaking--You have faith in
man, but are afraid to trust GOD--The Universe if governed by
Law--The Law is in operation everywhere--Don't be afraid--You
are a part of the plan--Fall in with the Law--Have faith, have
faith 83
DO IT NOW.
Do to-day's tasks now--Don't try to do to-morrow's work to-day,
but be sure and do the day's work Now--The baneful effects of
procrastination--Not fair to yourself--Demoralization attendant
upon putting off things--The world looking for people who can
do things Now 87
GET IN TUNE.
Marconi's wireless messages--Vibrations reach only the
instruments attuned to the sender--The same law in operation
on the mental plane--The correct pitch is the thing--Get in
tune with the proper vibrations--Get the messages from the
best senders 89
MENTAL TOXIN AND ANTI-TOXIN.
A new toxin--The microbes in the thoughts we think--The new
anti-toxin--Thoughts may poison--Fear causes paralysis--Hate
causes insanity--Fear and Hate have killed their thousands--
Gates' experiments--How to overcome the poison of bad-thinking 91
THE KEYNOTE.
"I Can and I Will"--The recognition--Equal to any task--A feeling of
calm confidence--An abiding sense of power, reserve force and security
--The Something within--The triple key to the door of attainment--The
vibrations of Success.
"I Can and I Will!!!" Have you ever said these words to yourself with
a firm conviction that you were speaking the truth--with the strong
feeling that needed no other proof. If so, you then felt within you a
thrill which seemed to cause every atom of your being to vibrate in
harmony with some note in the grand scale of Life, sounded by the Real
Self. You caught a momentary glimpse of the Inner Light--heard a stray
note of the Song of the Soul--were conscious for the moment of
YOURSELF. And in that moment of ecstasy you knew that untold power and
possibilities were yours. You felt that you were in touch with all
Strength, Power, Knowledge, Happiness and Peace. You felt that you
were equal to any task--capable of executing any undertaking. For the
moment there was no Fear in the world for you. All the Universe seemed
to vibrate in the same key with your thought. For the moment you
RECOGNIZED THE TRUTH.
But alas, the spirit of doubt, distrust, fear and unfaith called
you again to Earth--and the vision faded. And yet, the remembrance
of the sight--the echo of the sound--the remnant of the new-found
strength--is with you still. You still find that memory to be a
stimulus to great efforts--a comforting thought in times of weakness
and trial. You have been able to accomplish much by the aid of the
lingering vibrations of the mighty thought.
In times of great peril--grave perplexities--life and death struggles,
a feeling of calm confidence and strength often comes to us, and we
are borne on by a power _of_ us and _in_ us (and yet in everything
else, too) that seems to lift us off our feet and sweep us on to
safety--to peace--to rest. We are possessed of an abiding sense of
power, reserve force and security. When extraordinary conditions
confront us--when our bodies seem paralyzed--our minds stupefied--our
will power gone, we are often made conscious of the existence of the
Real Self, and it answers our involuntary demand, and comes to rescue
with the cheering cry: "I AM HERE"!
Many of us have made use of this inner strength without realizing it.
One day we were sorely distressed and made the demand, and lo! it was
answered. We knew not from whence came this new-found strength, but we
were conscious of the uplift, and felt more confidence in ourselves.
The next time we _confidently_ demanded the aid, and again we were
answered. We acquired that which we call confidence and faith in
ourselves, and were carried over many a dark place and started on the
road to Success. Our repeated success caused us to think and speak of
our "luck," and we grew to believe that we had a "star," and took
chances and risks that others would not dream of. We dared. We made
some apparent failures, but we soon came to know them as only lessons
leading to _ultimate_ success. The "I Can and I Will" feeling carried
us over rough places safely, and we got to simply _know_ that we would
"get there" in the end.
And so we went on and on, knowing that if we advanced three steps and
slipped back two, we were still one step ahead. We had confidence,
because we _knew_ that "things would come our way" in the end. And
so long as we held this attitude, we _did_ succeed, and it was only
when we lost heart at some unexpected slip--only when, after having
attained success, we became dazed and frightened, and began to fear
that our "luck might turn" and that we would lose all of our
accumulations--it was only _then_, I say--that our star waned.
Talk with any successful man, and, if truthful, he will admit having
felt, from the time of his first success, that he had some sort of
"pull" with Fate--some "lucky star"--some special Providence operating
in his behalf. He grew to _expect_ results--to have confidence in
things turning out right--to have faith in _something_ of which he
knew not the nature--and he was not disappointed. Things seemed to
work in his favor--not always just in the way he expected, sometimes
in an entirely different way--matters seemed somehow to straighten
themselves out in the end--so long as he kept his "nerve." He did not
know the source of his strength, but he believed in it and trusted it
just the same.
Let us wake up and recognize this Something Within--let us begin to
understand this "I Can and I Will" feeling--let us cherish it if we
have it, and cultivate it if we have it not. Do you know that we are
young giants who have not discovered our own strength? Are you not
aware that there are powers latent within us, pressing forth for
development and unfoldment? Do you not know that earnest desire, faith
and calm demand will bring to us that which we require--will place at
our hand the tools with which we are to work out our destiny--will
guide us in the proper use of the tools--will make us grow? Do you not
know that Desire, Faith and Work is the triple key to the doors of
Attainment? There are possibilities before us, awaiting our coming, of
which we have never dreamed. Let us assert ourselves--take up the
key--unlock the doors--and enter our kingdom.
To accomplish, we must be possessed of earnest desire--must be as
confident of ultimate success as we are of the rising of to-morrow's
sun--we must have Faith. And we must work out the end with the tools
and instruments that will present themselves day by day. We will find
that Desire, Confidence, Faith and Work will not only brush aside the
obstacles from our path, but will also begin to assert that wonderful
force, as yet so little understood--the Law of Attraction--which will
draw to us that which is conducive to our success, be it ideas,
people, things, yes, even _circumstances_. Oh, ye of little Faith,
why do you not see these things?
The world is looking for these "I Can and I Will" people--it has
places ready for them--the supply does not begin to equal the demand.
Pluck up courage ye unfortunate ones--ye doubters--ye "I Can't"
people! Begin the fight by abolishing Fear from your minds. Then start
to climb the ladder of Attainment, shouting "I CAN AND I WILL" with
all your might, drowning out the sound of the "buts," "ifs,"
"supposings," "you can'ts" and "aren't you afraids" of your
wet-blanket friends at the foot of the ladder. Do not bother about the
upper rounds of the ladder--you will reach them in time--but give your
whole attention to the round just ahead of you, and when you have
gained a firm footing on that, then look at the next one. One round at
a time, remember, and _give your entire attention to each step_.
Climb with Desire, Confidence and Faith inspiring each step, and the
task will become a pleasure. You will be conscious of some mighty
force attracting you upward and onward as you progress. And don't try
to pull some other fellow off the ladder--there's room enough for both
of you--be kind, be kind.
If you fail to feel the "I Can and I Will" vibrations within you,
start in to-day, and _say_ "I Can and I Will"--THINK "I Can and I
Will"--ACT "I Can and I Will," and get the vibrations started in
motion. Remember that as the one note of the violin, if constantly
sounded, will cause the mighty bridge to vibrate in unison so will
one positive thought, held constantly, manifest itself both in
yourself, others and things. So begin sounding the note to-day--this
very moment. Sound it constantly. Send forth a clear, glad, joyous
note--a note of Faith--a note of coming Victory. Sound it over and
over again, and soon you will become conscious that the vibrations
have commenced, and that the mighty structure of your being is
quivering and vibrating to the keynote:--"I CAN AND I WILL."
THE SECRET OF THE "I AM."
The Ego--The physical plane--The mental plane--The new plane of
consciousness--The Real Self--The "I"--The Temple of the Living
Spirit--Development of the "I Am" consciousness--The Higher Reason.
"Lord of a thousand worlds am I,
And I reign since time began;
And Night and Day in cyclic sway,
Shall pass while their deeds I scan.
Yet time shall cease, ere I find release,
FOR I AM THE SOUL OF MAN."
--Charles H. Orr.
Many of us are accustomed to thinking of ourselves on the physical
plane alone. When we think of the Ego--the "I" of ourselves, we
picture it as a human body with organs ranging from the finest--the
brain, down to those of coarser atomic structure. To one living on
this plane of consciousness the body is the _real_ self, and the
Mind but an appendage to the body. Such a man speaks of "my mind" or
"my soul," as he speaks of "my hat," "my coat," "my shoes"--as things
belonging to him, which he uses, but which are not _him_. To him
the Body is the real man--the Mind something useful to the body--the
Spirit a nebulous hypothetical something of which he has but a hazy
idea and no consciousness. He lives on the physical plane alone.
Others picture their "I" as Intellect or Mind, having control of the
body and its organs, and having its abode in the brain, or brains, of
the human being. To these people the Intellect is the Real Self, in
fact to many of this class the Intellect is elevated to the position
of God, and they bow down to and worship it. They realize the
subjection of the body to the Mind, and are aware of the wonderful
power of the latter over the particular body under its control; the
bodies of others; the minds of others. To them the Intellect is the
highest self, identical with the Spirit. They are conscious of the
wonderful workings of the mind, but are conscious of nothing higher.
To some of them death seems to end all, their idea of mind being that
it is a product of the brain. Others feel that somehow, somewhere,
their Intellect will maintain its existence, but it is merely a
_belief_ or hope, based upon the words of others who have claimed
authority to speak. They have no consciousness of pre-existence or
future existence--no perception of that REAL SELF which _knows_
itself to be Eternal.
A third class have so far progressed along the Path of Life that they
have crossed the borders of a new plane of consciousness. They are in
a strange land--they see no familiar landmarks--they do not recognize
the country that lies before them. Their friends, whom they have left
just a few feet behind across the border, do not seem to realize the
difference the short distance has made to those who have traveled it,
and therefore doubt the prospect seen from the new point of view.
Those who have crossed the border find that they have acquired a
_consciousness_ of a real Existence. The "I" consciousness has
passed beyond the Intellectual plane and is able to look back to
that plane and the one still further back, the Physical plane. "I"
recognizes the value of both Mind and Body, but regards them both as
but instruments, tools or servants, with which to work. "I" feels that
it has existed from the beginning (if beginning there was) and will
exist until the end (if end there be). "I" feels a keen pleasure in
mere existence--in the NOW. "I" knows itself to be a part of the WHOLE
THING--knows that the UNIVERSE is its home. "I" knows itself to be a
tiny drop of Spirit from the Great Spirit Ocean; a ray from the
Supreme Sun; a particle of the Divine Being, encased in a material
body, using that body and a force called Mind, with which to manifest
itself. "I" does not at present _understand_ all things--far from
it. It has not as yet been able to bring its tools to that degree of
perfection. It merely _knows_ that it IS, and has ALWAYS BEEN, and
ALWAYS WILL BE. "I" allows Intellect to indulge in speculations, but
contents itself with the knowledge that it IS--it frets not itself
with the problems of the past or future, but lives in the NOW, and
knows itself to be a part of the WHOLE. "I" knows that it cannot be
destroyed or injured--that it exists in accordance with Law (and that
Law is Good) and asks no further light at this time, knowing that in
its progress through matter, discarding sheath after sheath, more
_knowing_ will surely come. It says trustfully and confidently, to
the Absolute: "Thy Will be Done."
Knowing itself to be immortal, "I" has no fear of the death of the
body--one body is as good as another to it--it is willing to lay aside
the body as it does a coat, when it has outworn or outgrown it.
Knowing itself to be impregnable to harm, "I" has no Fearthought--it
fears nothing. Knowing that the Law is working for development (always
for ultimate good) "I" is not disturbed by the cares, troubles and
sorrows of Life--it knows them for what they are. The body may be
in pain, the mind may be burdened with sorrow, but "I," _knowing_,
smiles.
"I" knows itself to be One with the "I" of all living creatures, and
knowing this cannot manifest Hate, Fear, Envy, Jealousy--it cannot
Despise or Condemn. These and other feelings of the old life drop from
the person like a discarded mantle when "I" mounts its throne. "I"
recognizes that others may not have progressed so far on the path as
itself, but knows them to be but fellow travelers on the same road,
who are doing the best they know how, considering their stage of the
journey. "I" recognizes Ignorance--not Evil. "I" has but one feeling
toward Mankind and the whole living world--LOVE. Aye, Love and
Comradeship for even the _last man_, for it knows that that last
man cannot be left out of the great scheme of Life.
"I" knows that it has traveled a long road leading to its present
position, and that all Life is traveling the same. "I" looks back and
sees others covered with the mire and dust of the road, far back
on the Path, but knowing that it has traveled the same stage of
the journey--been covered with the same mire and mud--it cannot
condemn. "I" knows that it is but on the threshold of the new
consciousness--the borderland of the Cosmic Knowing--and that far
beyond lie regions of marvelous beauty which will in turn be traveled,
and then on and on, increasing in strength and knowing-power each day.
"I" sees endless phases of existence opening up to the vision--it
cannot at this time _understand_, but it knows of the existence
of the Law, and is content. "I" has the courage of Intelligent Faith,
and presses forward cheerfully to the Divine Adventure. All this--and
more.
To the man or woman who understands, the task of self-development
becomes a labor of love--an exalted task rather than the mere selfish
striving after power. As the sculptor saw in the block of marble the
form of the angel, and was impelled to cut away the surrounding
material in order to liberate the angelic form--so may we, seeing the
God-like form within us, strive to liberate it. That inner form is the
real self--the "I." If you have never realized this truth, relax body
and mind and indulge in a little introspection; turn your gaze inward;
listen to the voice of the Spirit. You will be conscious of a faint
recognition of the Something Within striving to make itself manifest
to your understanding--asking for the proper tools with which to work.
Listen, listen in The Silence! Day by day the Voice will grow
plainer--day by day the Light will grow brighter--your own is coming
to you, at last. O, joy unspeakable! O tears! O laughter! After long
ages you are coming in sight of the Promised Land.
Know yourself O Man! Know that you have within you the Divine Spark,
to which both body and mind are but servants. Know that your body is
the Temple of the Living Spirit and respect it as such. Know that your
Intellect is but the instrument of the manifestation of the
Spirit--the "I."
Do not crawl on your belly like a worm; do not humble yourself in the
dust and call upon heaven to witness what a despicable creature you
are; do not call yourself a miserable sinner worthy only of eternal
damnation. No! a thousand times No! Rise to your feet; raise your
head; face the skies; throw back your shoulders; fill your lungs with
Nature's ozone. Then say to yourself: "I AM."
Man has acquired a wonderful power when he can _understandingly_
say: "I AM a part of the Eternal Life Principle; I AM created in the
Divine Image; I AM filled with the Divine Breath of Life; Nothing can
hurt ME, for I AM ETERNAL."
The first requisite for the acquirement of an understanding of the Law
is the recognition of the existence and the power of the Real
Self--the "I." The more complete the recognition the greater the
power. Special directions for the acquirement of this faculty of
recognition cannot be given. It must be grown into and felt, rather
than reasoned out by the Intellect. You will not be long in doubt as
to whether or not you are on the right track; if you are right you
will begin to realize it at once. You will have glimpses of it, and
then it may slip away from you for a while, but fear not, you cannot
escape it in the end.
You will feel that your body is but as a garment which whilst covering
you temporarily is not YOU. You will feel that you are separate and
apart from your body, although for a time living in it. You will feel
that you could as well live in some other body, and still retain your
sense of individuality. You will realize then even your mind is not
You, but is merely the instrument through which You manifest yourself,
and which being imperfect prevents the complete expression of the
Spirit. In short, when you say, or think, "I AM," you are conscious
of the existence of your _real_ self, and feel the growth of a new
sense of power within you. This recognition of the self may be faint,
but encourage it and it will grow, and whilst growing will manifest
itself to your mind by impressing upon the latter the knowledge of the
proper plan for further development. It is another example of "to him
that hath shall be given."
This mere calling of their attention to the fact will awaken the first
glimmer of recognition in some; others will find it necessary to
reflect upon the idea and awaken to a recognition of the Truth more
slowly. Some will not _feel_ the Truth. To such I say: The time is
not yet ripe for your recognition of this great Truth, but the seed
is planted and the plant will appear in time. This may seem like the
veriest nonsense to you now, but the time will come when you will
admit its literal correctness. You will find that a desire has been
created that will cause a mental unrest until more light is received.
As Walt Whitman says: "My words will itch in your ears till you
understand them." As Emerson says: "You cannot escape from your good."
To those who feel the first indications of the awakening of the
Spirit, I say: Carry the thought with you and it will unfold like the
lotus, naturally and gradually; the truth once recognized cannot be
lost, and there is no standing still in nature.
What has been said is but a faint hint of a mighty Truth, which
nestles in the bosom of the esoteric teachings of all religions--in
the philosophies of the Orient and of ancient Greece. You will find it
in the songs of the poets--in the writings of the mystics. The
advanced science of this age touches it without recognizing it fully.
It is not a thing that can well be conveyed by words--it is not easily
comprehended by purely intellectual processes--it must be _felt_
and lived out by those who are ready for it--those for whom the time
has come. It has been known to the Few throughout all ages and in all
times. All races have known it. It has been handed down from teacher
to pupil from the earliest days. It is that Truth which Edward
Carpenter refers to when he says:
"O, let not the flame die out! Cherished age after age in its dark
caverns, in its holy temples cherished. Fed by pure ministers of
love--let not the flame die out."
It is difficult to convey even a hint of this Truth to any but those
who are prepared to receive it. To others it will seem to be arrant
folly. As Emerson says: "Every man's words, who speaks from that life,
must sound vain to those who do not dwell in the same thought on their
own part. I dare not speak for it. My words do not carry its august
sense; they fall short and cold. Only itself can inspire whom it will
* * * * Yet I desire even by profane words, if sacred I may not use,
to indicate the heaven of this deity, and to report what hints I have
collected of the transcendent simplicity and energy of the Highest
Law."
If you prefer to try to solve the Problem of Life--the Riddle of the
Universe--by scientific investigation, by exact reasoning, formal
thought, mathematical demonstration--by all means follow this method.
You will be taught the lesson of the power and the limitations of
the human intellect. And after you have traveled round and round
the circle of thought and find that you are but covering the same
ground over and over again--after you have run into the intellectual
_cul de sac_, the blind alley of Logic--after you have beaten your
wings against the cage of the Unknowable and fall exhausted and
bruised--after you have done all these things and have learned your
lesson--then listen to the voice within, see the tiny flame which
burns steadily and cannot be extinguished, feel the pressure of
the Something Within _and let it unfold_. You will then begin to
understand that as the mind of Man developed by slow stages from mere
sensation to simple consciousness; from simple consciousness to
self-consciousness (in its lower and higher degrees) so is there a
consciousness, higher than we have heretofore imagined, in store for
Man, which is even now beginning to manifest itself. You may then
understand that there may be an Intelligent Faith which _knows_, not
simply believes. These and other lessons you will learn in time. And
when you have reached the stage where you _feel_ the promptings of
the Higher Reason, and live in accordance therewith, you will say
with Carpenter:
"Lo! the healing power descending from within, calming the enfevered
mind, spreading peace among the grieving nerves. Lo! the eternal
saviour, the sought after of all the world, dwelling hidden (to be
disclosed) within each * * * * O joy insuperable."
"LET A LITTLE SUNSHINE IN."
The young people's song--Good "New Thought" doctrine--Plenty of
sunshine in life, if you look for it--Don't make a dark dungeon of
your mind--Throw open the windows of your soul--How to let a little
sunshine in.
The other night, just as I was dropping off to sleep, a crowd of young
people passed along, returning from some social gathering. They were
bubbling over with mirth and joy, and every girl seemed to be talking
at the same time, the voices of the young men serving merely to
punctuate the sentences of their fair companions. Just after they
passed my window, some one started up a song, and the rest joined in.
I do not know the song they sang, but the chorus went something like
this:
"Let a little sunshine in;
Let a little sunshine in;
Open wide the windows,
Open wide the doors,
And let a little sunshine in."
I listened with pleasure to the words and cheerful air of the song and
said to myself: "Well, that's good enough 'New Thought' doctrine for
me."
The young people went on their way singing. I, now wide awake,
listened and thought. The song grew fainter and fainter as the
distance between us grew greater, and at last I could not clearly
distinguish the words they sang, but the faint vibrations of the tune
still reached me, and I imagined that I could just hear the last words
of the refrain:
"Let a little Sunshine in."
Oh, if only those young people--and all young people--and all people
young or old--would take to their hearts these words, and "let a
little sunshine in." It is not sufficient that you merely agree that
the advice is good--that you merely repeat the words mechanically--you
must make thought take form in action, and not only say the words--not
only think them--but you must ACT them. Make them a part of your
life--incorporate the idea in your being--train yourself into the
habit of opening yourself to the sunshine of Life--get into the way of
letting it flow in.
"Let a little Sunshine in."
There is plenty of sunshine in life, if you only look for it. And
there is plenty of shadow in life, if you only look for it. But in the
things that seem all shadow to others, you will be able to find the
sunshine if you but train yourself to always look for it. And in that
which may seem bright sunshine to some, others will find nothing but
shade--they are troubled with a mental cataract that shuts out all the
rays of the sunshine of life.
"Let a little Sunshine in."
And when you learn to love the sunshine and look forward to seeing it
always, you seem to draw it to you. The Law of Attraction brings to
you your share of the sunshine with which the world is plentifully
supplied. And, if you fall into the habit of looking for and expecting
the shadow, the shadow will always be found.
"Let a little Sunshine in."
It is astonishing what a change the Mental Attitude of the person will
make. Change your Mental Attitude, and the whole world seems to
change. It is like taking off the smoked glasses that have caused the
world to seem dark and gloomy, and seeing the brightness and colors of
the world.
"Let a little Sunshine in."
Many of you have been making dark dungeons of your minds. You have
steadily shut out the sun, and your minds have become musty, damp and
mildewed. Across the floor crawl noxious creatures. The slimy form of
Fear drags itself slowly along, leaving its track behind; the hideous
shape of Jealousy eyes you from one corner--a creature of darkness;
the venomous reptile Hate shows its fangs; the vampire Worry flits
across the chamber. Fearful shapes are there glowering in the
darkness--frightful forms crouch in corners and recesses. All is
gloom, darkness, horror. A fit breeding place for the foul creatures
who fear the light--a fit nursery for monsters. Look within the dark
chambers of your mind--see what it really is--see what it generates.
Look within--look within. Ah, you see at last. No wonder you shriek
with terror--no wonder you turn away with horror. No, no, do not turn
away--look and see yourself as you are. You need the lesson. Now that
you see what you have been carrying around with you, and are sickened
at the sight, start to work to remedy the evil. Throw wide open the
doors; throw open the windows of the soul.
"Let a little Sunshine in."
Ah, yes, never fear, there is plenty of sunshine in the Universe.
Plenty for all of you. There is an infinite supply. Draw it to you.
Take it freely. It is there for _you_. It is your own--your very
own. It is as free as air and the material sunshine. There is no
tariff on it. It is not controlled by any trust or combine. It is not
adulterated. It is everywhere, everywhere. Ho! ye who are dwelling in
darkness! Here is Life and Happiness for you! Here is Peace for you!
Here is Joy for you! Joy, comrades, Joy! Open wide your windows; open
wide your doors.
"Let a little Sunshine in."
Yes, yes! I hear you say that you cannot dispel the gloom with which
you are surrounded. Nonsense. Do you not know that darkness is not a
positive thing--it is the essence of negation. It is not a real thing
at all--it is merely the absence of light. And here you have been for
all these years, believing that the darkness was a real thing that you
could not get rid of. Just stop for a moment and think. If a room in
your house is dark and gloomy, do you hire a man to shovel out the
darkness--do you attempt to do it yourself in your desire for light?
No, no, of course you do not. You just raise the shades, and throw
open the shutters and the sunshine pours in and lo! the darkness has
vanished. So it is with the gloom of the soul, the darkness of the
mind. It is a waste of energy to attempt to dig away the darkness--to
cast out the shadows. You'll never get light in that way. All that you
need to do is to recognize the advantage of light--the fact that light
is to be had--that there is plenty of it anxiously waiting to be let
in. Then all that you need to do is to
"Let a little sunshine in;
Let a little sunshine in;
Open wide the windows,
Open wide the doors,
And let a little sunshine in."
THE HUNGER OF THE SOUL.
The soul, as well as the body and mind, requires nourishment--The
want, a promise of the fulfillment--The law of unfoldment--Nourishment
provided when it is needed--Provided for in the Divine Plan--The feast
of good things.
The Soul, as well as the body and the mind, requires nourishment. We
have felt that hunger for spiritual knowledge which transcended our
hunger for bread--exceeded our craving for mental sustenance. We have
felt soul-hungry and knew not with what to appease it. The Soul has
cried out for food. It has been fed upon the husks of the physical
plane for so long that it is fairly starving for the proper
nourishment. It seeks this way and that way for the Bread of Life and
finds it not. It has asked this authority and that authority for
information as to where this food may be had--where could be obtained
the food that would nourish the Soul--but it has been given nothing
but the stone of Dogma and Creeds. At last it sank exhausted and felt
that perhaps there was no bread to be had. It has felt faint and weary
and almost believed that all was a delusion and a will-o'-the-wisp of
the mind--that there was no reality to it. It felt the chill of
despair creeping over it and all seemed lost.
But we must not lose sight of the fact that just as the hunger of the
body implies that somewhere in the world is to be found that which
will satisfy it--that just as the hunger of the mind implies that
somewhere is to be found mental nourishment--so the mere fact that
this soul-hunger _exists_ is a proof that somewhere there is to
be found that which the Absolute has intended to satisfy it. The
_want_ is the prophecy of the fulfillment. Yes, and the want and
its recognition afford the means of obtaining that which will satisfy
the want. When, in the course of unfoldment either on the physical,
mental or spiritual plane, it becomes necessary for the well-being of
the unfolding Ego to draw to itself certain things which it requires
in the process of evolution, the first step toward the obtaining of
that necessary thing is the consciousness of a great and pressing
want--the birth of a strong desire. And then the desire grows stronger
and stronger, until the Ego becomes desperate and determines to obtain
the necessary thing at any cost. The obtaining of that thing becomes
the prime object in life. Students of evolution realize this fact
perhaps more than the rest of us. The subconsciousness of the plant or
animal becomes surcharged with this great desire, and all the
conscious and subconscious power of the living thing is put forth to
obtain that which is necessary for its development.
And on the mental plane the same thing is true. The hunger for
knowledge, when it once possesses a man, will cause him to cut loose
from old environments, surroundings and everything else which has held
him, and he forces himself to the place where that knowledge may be
obtained--and he obtains it. If he only wants it hard enough he gets
it. When we think of Lincoln in his boyhood days, painfully and
laboriously striving for knowledge, lying on his side before the log
fire and reading his book by the light of its flames--and this after a
hard day's work such as only the boy on the farm knows--when we think
of this we may understand the effects of a strong desire possessing
the mind of man or boy, woman or girl.
And this hunger for spiritual knowledge and growth, from whence comes
it? When we understand the laws of spiritual unfoldment we begin to
understand that the Ego is growing and developing--unfolding and
casting off old worn-out sheaths. It is calling into operation new
faculties--exploring new regions of the mind. In the super-conscious
regions of the Soul are many faculties lying dormant, awaiting the
evolutionary hour of manifestation along conscious lines. As the
faculties approach the hour of birth into the new plane they manifest
an uneasiness which is communicated to the subconscious and conscious
planes of the mind, causing a restlessness and uneasiness which is
quite disturbing to the individual in whom they are manifesting. There
is a straining for expression--a reaching forward for development--a
desire for growth which produces something akin to pain. All growth
and development is accompanied by more or less pain. We speak of the
beautiful growth of the plant--of the lily--and wish that we could
grow as easily and as painlessly as it does. But we forget that
_all_ growth means a breaking down--a tearing away--as well as a
building up and adding to. The lily's growth appears painless to us,
but if we were endowed with keen enough vision--with clear enough
sight--with a power enabling us to feel that which is going on within
its organism, we would be made aware that there is a constant change
going on--a tearing down of tissue, a using up of cells, a pressing
upon and breaking through of confining sheaths--all meaning growth,
development and unfoldment. We see only the birth of the new parts and
lose sight of the pain and destruction preceding it. All through life
is manifested the "growing pains" of development. All birth is
attended with pain.
And so it is with the birth into consciousness of these unfolding
spiritual faculties. We feel an uneasiness, dissatisfaction, yea, even
pain, as we strive to call into conscious life these children of the
Soul. We feel that desire for something needed by our inner self and
we seek for it in all directions. We exhaust all of the pleasures of
life, so-called, and find no satisfaction there. We then endeavor to
find comfort and solace in intellectual pursuits, but without
obtaining that which we seek. We pore over the writing of the
philosophers and learned writers of the past and present, but find
them as but husks to the hungering soul. We seek in creeds and dogmas
that comforting something, the need of which we feel, but of the
nature of which we are ignorant--but we find no satisfaction there.
We, perhaps, go from creed to creed, from philosophy to philosophy,
from one scientific theory to another scientific theory, but still we
hunger. At last we get to a position in which we feel that life is not
worth the living and that all is a ghastly mockery. And so we go on
and on, seeking--ever seeking--but the quest is fruitless.
Man on the physical plane has a comparatively easy time of it. He
lives as does the animal--he thinks as does the animal--he dies as
does the animal. The problems of life fret him not. He does not even
know of the existence of the problems of life. He is happy in his way,
and it almost seems a pity that he must be disturbed from his state
of animal content. But he _must_ be disturbed, not by you or by me
perhaps, but by the inevitable Law, which is working around and about
him, and in him. Sooner or later in the course of his development he
must be awakened. And he awakens upon the mental plane, and here his
troubles begin. On the mental plane everything seems beautiful for a
time. Man finds himself a new being and he goes on and on, feeling
himself a very god and reveling in his intellectual powers. But after
a time these things cease to satisfy him. The unfolding of the higher
faculties begin to annoy him, particularly as he cannot explain
them. His intellectual training has perhaps taught him to believe that
there was nothing higher than the mind--that religious feelings were
nothing but the result of the emotional nature and that he had
outgrown all that. But still he feels that Something Within, never
ceasing to annoy him--never ceasing to intrude upon his intellectual
consciousness certain _feelings_ entirely contrary to his theories. He
has grown to doubt the existence of a Supreme Being, and having read
Haekel's "Riddle of the Universe" feels that the question has been
satisfactorily settled for all time, and that the answer to all of
life's problems may be found in the tenets of his creed--Materialism.
But, somehow, he is not at ease. He feels the pressure of the growing
Something Within and becomes quite restless. This goes on from time to
time and he seeks the Truth in all directions, rushing from one thing
to another in his desire to satisfy the cravings of the Soul, but all
the time denying that there is anything to be found. After a time he
becomes aware of a new state of consciousness developing within him,
and in spite of his mental revolts against any good thing coming from
within, he is forced to accept himself in his growing state, and to
realize that he may possess a Knowing other than that of the
intellect. It may take him a long time to accept this, but so long as
he rebels against it and struggles, so long will he feel pain. And
only when he catches a glimpse of the true state of affairs does he
open himself up to the Divine Unfoldment going on in his Soul, and
joyfully welcome the tearing away of confining mental sheaths, which
destruction enables the newly born faculty to force its way into the
conscious mentality. He learns to even aid in the unfoldment by
holding the thoughts conducive to spiritual development, and thus
assists in the bringing forth of the new leaf or flower of the Soul.
It has always been so. Man has gone through stage after stage of
unfoldment, suffering pain each time as the old sheaths are burst
asunder and discarded. He is prone to hold on to the old sheaths and
to cherish them long after they have served their purpose in his
growth. And it is only when he has reached the stage that many men are
now coming into a knowledge of that he understands the process of
growth and is willing and glad to aid in the development instead of
attempting to oppose it. He falls in with the workings of the Law
instead of trying to defeat it.
Life is motion. We are moving onward and upward throughout the ages.
Man has passed over miles of The Path, but he will have to travel many
more before he sees the reason of the journey. But he has now reached
the stage where he may see that it all means something--all is a part
of a mighty plan--that this is a necessary stage of the journey, and
that around the bend of the road are to be found shady trees, and a
brook at which he may quench his thirst and wash away the dust of the
last few miles.
This hunger of the Soul is a real thing. Do not imagine that it is an
illusion--do not endeavor to deny it. If you feel it you may rest
assured that your time is coming, and that there will be provided that
which will satisfy it. Do not waste your energy in running hither and
thither seeking for bread. The bread will be provided when it is most
needed. There is no such thing in Life as spiritual starvation. But
instead of seeking without for that which will nourish you, look
within. At each stage of the journey the traveler will find enough to
nourish him for the hour--enough to sustain him until he reaches the
next stage. You cannot be denied this nourishment. It is part of the
Divine Plan that it be provided for you. If you will look for it in
the right place you will always find it, and will be saved much
seeking and worrying. Do not be impatient because the feast is not set
before you at this stage. Be satisfied with that which is given, for
it suffices your needs at the present moment. By and by you will reach
the stage when the feast of good things will have been earned, and you
will be invited to feast and rest until you are ready for the next
stage of the journey.
The great spiritual wave which is now sweeping over the world brings
with it great wants, but it also carries with it the means of
satisfying those wants. Do not despair.
LOOK ALOFT!
The old sailor's advice--The warning cry--Peace and content--Mental
balance recovered--The glory of the Universe--All governed by Law--The
Law manifests everywhere--A reverent feeling of calm, peaceful
faith--Look aloft.
I recently heard a little tale about a boy who went to sea, in the old
days of the sailing vessel. One day he was ordered to go aloft, and
was urged on until he reached the highest possible point on the mast.
When he found that he could go no farther, he glanced down. The sight
terrified him and almost caused him to lose his grip and fall headlong
on the deck, far below. He felt dizzy and sick, and it seemed almost
impossible for him to maintain his hold on the mast. Far below was the
deck, looking so small as compared to the wide expanse of water on all
sides of it. The motion made him feel as if he was suspended between
heaven and earth, with nothing substantial to support him. He felt his
brain reeling and his senses leaving him, and all seemed lost, when
far away from the deck below, he heard an old sailor cry, "Look aloft,
lad! Look aloft!" Turning his eyes from the scene below the boy gazed
upward. He saw the blue sky, the fleecy clouds passing peacefully
along, looking just the same as they did when he had looked at them
while lying on his back on the green grass of the meadows in his
country home. A strange feeling of peace and content came over him,
and the feeling of dread, terror and despair passed away. His strength
and presence of mind came back to him, and soon he was able to slide
down the mast until he grasped a friendly rope, thence to the lower
rigging, and on until the deck was again reached.
He never forgot the old sailor's advice given in the hour of need, and
when he would feel dazed and fearful of danger, he would invariably
look aloft until he recovered his mental balance.
We may well take a leaf from the old sailor's note-book, and impress
his wisdom upon our minds. There's nothing so good in hours of trial,
doubt, sorrow and pain, as to "look aloft." When we feel that we
cannot see clearly with our spiritual vision--that our spiritual sight
is blurred and dim--that we lose faith and confidence, hope and
courage--that we feel the deadly sensation of despair and hopelessness
creeping over us and benumbing our senses, stilling our heart--then is
the time for us to listen to the warning shout: "Look aloft, lad; look
aloft!"
When all seems lost--when darkness is closing around us--when we seem
to have lost our foothold and have no way of regaining it--when all
appears hopeless, gloomy and dreadful--when faith seems to have
deserted us, and the chill of unbelief is on us--then is the time for
us to shout to ourselves, "Look aloft--look aloft!"
When we try to solve the riddle of the universe--the problem of
existence--by the aid of the intellect, unsupported by faith. When we
ask our intellects, "Whence come I? Whither go I? What is the object
of my existence? What does Life mean?" When we travel round and round
the weary path of intellectual reasoning, and find that it has no
ending. When we shout aloud the question of Life, and hear no answer
but the despairing echo of our own sad cry. When Life seems a
mockery--when Life seems to be without reason--when Life seems a
torment devised by a fiend--when we lose the feeling of nearness to
the Infinite Power that has supported us in the past--when we lose the
touch of the Unseen Hand. These are the times for us to look upward to
the source of Wisdom and Light. These are the times for us to heed the
cry of the Soul: "Look aloft; look aloft; look aloft!"
Some clear night, when the moon is not shining, go out into the
darkness, and gaze upward at the stars. You will see countless bright
spots, each of which is a sun equaling or exceeding in size the sun
which gives light and life to our little earth--each sun having its
circling worlds, many of the worlds having moons revolving around
them, in turn. Look all over the heavens, as far as the eye can reach,
and endeavor to grasp the idea of the countless suns and worlds. Then
try to imagine that in space, far beyond the reach of human vision,
even aided by the telescope, are millions upon millions of other
worlds and suns--on all sides of us, on and on and on throughout the
Universe, reaching into Infinity. And then remember that all these
worlds hold their places and revolve according to Law. And then
remember that the microscope shows that Law manifests itself in the
smallest thing that can be seen by its use. All around you you will
see nothing but the manifestations of Law. And then, remembering that
the Infinite, which has us all in charge, takes note of the fall of
the sparrow, what has become of your fears and doubts and worries?
Gone is your despair and unbelief, and in their place is found a
reverent feeling of calm, peaceful Faith.
Aye, there is much good sense in the old sailor's maxim. "When you get
rattled, LOOK ALOFT!"
TO-MORROW.
The work and cares of to-day easy if we do not worry about those of
To-morrow--The mysterious To-morrow and its terrors--The way to meet
the cares of To-morrow--To-morrow's opportunities will come as surely
as To-morrow's cares--Law supreme--No need to be afraid--The real
To-morrow.
The work of each day would be a pleasure if we would refrain from
attempting to perform at the same time the work of to-morrow. The
cares of to-day would cease to disturb us, if we would refuse to
anticipate the cares of to-morrow. The work of to-day is easily
performed, notwithstanding the fact that we spoiled the pleasure of
yesterday by fretting about the tasks of the coming day. The cares of
to-day do not seem half so terrible as they appeared viewed from the
distance of yesterday, nor do we suffer nearly as much from to-day's
burdens as we did yesterday in bearing these burdens in anticipation.
To-day is comparatively easy for us, but Oh, to-morrow. Aye, there's
the trouble--to-morrow. The past is gone, and its sorrows, cares,
troubles, misfortunes and work do not seem so terrible viewed from
this distance--the misfortunes of the past are now often known as
blessings in disguise. To-day is here, and we seem to be getting along
fairly well--excepting fearing the dawn of to-morrow. But
to-morrow--Oh! mysterious to-morrow--that delight of the child--that
bugaboo of the "grown up"--what shall we say of to-morrow? Who knows
what terrible monsters are lurking in its gloomy recesses--what
frightful cares are slumbering there--what dreadful shapes are there
crouching, with glowering eyes, awaiting our coming? No frightful tale
of childhood begins to compare in horror with this fantasy of
maturity--to-morrow.
Yesterday, with all its troubles--to-day, with its pressing
tasks--affright us not, but to-morrow, ah! to-morrow. Tell us of the
morrow! Who knows what a day may bring forth? Tell us how to meet the
terrors of to-morrow! Forsooth, an easy task, good friends. The way to
meet the terrors of to-morrow is to--wait until to-morrow.
The cares of to-morrow indeed! 'Twould be laughable if it were not so
pitiful. To-morrow's cares may come, will come, must come, but what of
to-morrow's opportunities, to-morrow's strength, to-morrow's chances,
circumstances, helpers? Don't you know that the supply of good things
does not cease with the close of to-day? Don't you know that in the
womb of the future sleep opportunities intended for your use when the
time comes? Don't you know that an earnest, confident expectation of
the good things to come will cause these good things to grow for your
use in the future? Well, it's so; they'll grow and grow and grow, and
then when you need them you will find them ripe and ready to pick.
Water them with Faith; surround them with the rich soil of Hope; let
them receive the full rays of the sun of Love, and the nourishing
fruit of Opportunity will be your reward--to-morrow.
Did you ever shiver with dread at the thought of what would happen if
the sun should not rise to-morrow? Did you ever doubt that the grass
would grow and the trees take on leaves next Spring? Did you ever fear
that perhaps the Summer would not come? Oh, no, of course not! These
things have always happened and you have sufficient faith to know that
they will occur again. Yes, but you have been fearing that
opportunities, chances, circumstances, may not be present to-morrow.
Oh, ye of little faith do you not know that this is no world of
chance? Do you not know that you are working under the operations of a
great Law, and that these things are as much amenable to that Law as
are the seasons, the crops, the motion of the earth, the planets, this
and countless other solar systems, the UNIVERSE!
The Law which regulates the motions of the millions of worlds, and
whose jurisdiction extends over Space--that Space the abstract idea of
which cannot be grasped by the puny intellect of man of to-day--also
takes cognizance of the tiny living organism too small to be seen
through our strongest microscope. The sparrow's fall comes under the
Law as well as the building of a magnificent series of solar systems.
And yet, man fears to-morrow.
Of all living beings, man alone fears to-morrow. Children, lovers and
philosophers escape the curse. The first two look forward to it with
joy and confidence, having the love that casteth out fear; the
philosopher's reason teaches him that which the intuition of the other
two has grasped. The child intuitively recognizes that the infinite
supply is inexhaustible and naturally expects to-morrow's supply as he
does to-morrow's sun. He has faith in the Law, until Fear is suggested
into his receptive mind by those who have grown old enough to fear.
The child knows that "there are just as good fish in the sea as ever
were caught," but the "grown-up" fears that to-day's fish is the last
in the sea, and fails to appreciate to-day's haul by reason of his
worry about the possible future failure of the fishing industry.
Oh No! I do not believe in just sitting down and folding my hands and
waiting for "mine own to come to me." I know that "mine own will come
to me," because I am doing well the work that the Law has placed
before me to do--that which lies nearest to my hand to-day. I believe
in work, good work, honest work, cheerful work, hopeful work,
confident work. I believe in the joy of work--the pleasure of
creating. And I believe that he who does his best work one day at a
time working with faith, hope and confidence in the morrow, with Fear
eliminated from his mind and replaced with Courage--I believe, I say,
that such a man will never find his cupboard empty, nor will his
children want for bread.
And furthermore, I believe that to-morrow is what we make it by our
thoughts to-day. I believe that we are sowing thought-seeds to-day,
which will grow up over night and bear fruit to-morrow. I believe that
"Thought takes form in Action," and that we are, and will be, just
what we think ourselves into being. I believe that our minds and
bodies are constantly being molded by our thoughts, and that the
measure of man's success is determined by the character of his
thoughts. And I believe that when man will throw off the incubus of
Fear, the frightful vision of the night will vanish, and, opening his
eyes, in the place of the monster he will see the fair form and
smiling face of a radiant creature, who, bending over him with
love-lit eyes, will softly whisper, "I am TO-MORROW."
IN THE DEPTHS OF THE SOUL.
Stores of information; rich mines of knowledge; uncut gems and
precious metal awaiting the discoverer--Psychic and spiritual
faculties--Strange attraction of soul to soul--The Rock of Ages--The
Voice of the Soul.
Deep down in the soul are stores of information awaiting to be brought
to the surface of consciousness. Rich mines of knowledge are
there--uncut gems rest there awaiting the day when they will be
uncovered and brought into the bright light of consciousness--rich
veins of precious metals are there awaiting in patience the day when
some Divine Adventurer will search for them and bring them to light.
The human mind is a wonderful storehouse, concealing all sorts of
treasures and precious things, only a fraction of which have been
discovered so far.
We have faculties not yet recognized by the science of the
day--psychic and spiritual faculties--just as real as the recognized
faculties, playing an important part in our everyday lives,
particularly when we have been made aware of their existence. In many
of us these faculties are scarcely recognized, and many of us doubt
and deny their very existence. Others have a faint perception of their
existence, but do not know how to use them, and get but the slightest
benefit from them. Others have awakened to the wonderful faculties
which are developing and unfolding within them, and a few have gone so
far as to aid in this development of these higher faculties of the
mind, and have been almost startled at the results obtained. The
Orientals have their ways of development of these faculties, and we
Occidentals have ours. Each best serves the purposes of the particular
people using it.
As we bring these faculties out of the realm of the super-conscious
into the field of consciousness, life takes on an entirely different
meaning, and many things heretofore dark are seen plainly and
understood. No one can understand the Oneness of things until his
spiritual faculties are sufficiently developed to make him _conscious_
of it. Blind belief or reliance upon the words of another will never
do for the seeker after Truth that which is accomplished by a single
gleam of consciousness resting upon some of the hidden treasures of
the soul. One glimpse into the depths of the soul will do more than
the reading of thousands of books, the teaching of hundreds of
teachers. This glimpse, once had, will never be forgotten. Its reality
may be questioned at times--at other times the memory may seem dim and
unreliable--but it will return in all its freshness and brightness,
and even in the moment of doubt we cannot entirely escape it.
Our real knowledge of the existence of GOD is not obtained from the
intellect. We can take up the subject of GOD and reason about it all
our life, only to find ourselves, in the end, in a worse muddle than
when we started. And yet one single ray of consciousness reaching down
into the depths of our inner being will bring to us such a complete
certainty of GOD'S existence and being, that nothing afterward will
ever shake our faith in the reality and existence of the Supreme
Power. We will not understand the nature of his being--his
existence--his power--but we will _know_ that he exists, and will
feel that peacefulness and infinite trust in him which always come
with the glimpse of the Truth. We will not understand any better the
many theories of Man regarding GOD and his works; in fact, we will
be more apt to turn away, wearied, from Man's discussion of the
subject--the attempt of the finite to describe and limit the infinite.
But we will _know_ that at the Center of things is to be found that
Universal Presence, and we feel that we can safely rest ourselves on
his bosom--trust ourselves in his hands. The cares, sorrows and trials
of Life seem very small indeed when viewed from the absolute position,
although from the relative position this world often seems to be a
very hell.
Another glimpse into the recesses of the soul reveals to us the
Oneness of things. We see GOD as the great Center of things, and all
the Universe as but One. The Oneness of all Life becomes apparent to
us and we feel in touch not only with all mankind, but with all life.
The petty distinctions of class, race, rank, caste, nationality,
language, country fade away and we see all men as brothers. And we
feel a kindly feeling and love toward the lesser manifestations of
life. Even the rocks and the stones are seen as parts of the Whole and
we no longer feel a sense of separateness from any thing. We realize
what the Universe is, and in our imagination visit the most distant
stars and instinctively know that we would find nothing foreign to us
there--all would be but bits of the same thing.
And we begin to understand those strange attractions of soul to soul,
instances of which have come to all of us. We realize that it is
possible to entertain a feeling of love for every living creature--to
every man or woman, the manifestations, of course, varying in degree
and kind, according to sex and closeness of soul relation. It makes us
more tolerant and causes us to see but ignorance in many things in
which we saw but sin before. It makes us feel pity rather than hate.
Ah, these little glimpses into the inmost recesses of the soul they
teach us many new lessons.
And one of the greatest lessons that we may acquire in this way is the
recognition of the eternal life of the soul. We may believe, with
greater or less earnestness, in the doctrine of the immortality of the
soul, our beliefs and conceptions depending more or less upon the
teachings which we have received from early childhood, but until we
become conscious of that which lies within us, we are never really
certain--we do not know. Many good people will deny this statement,
and will say that they have never doubted the life of the soul after
death, but see how they act. When death comes into their houses they
mourn and cry aloud in their agony, and demand of GOD why he has done
this thing. They drape themselves in mourning and mourn and weep as if
the loved one had been destroyed and annihilated. All of their actions
and conduct go to prove that they have no abiding sense of the reality
of the continuance of life beyond the grave. They speak of the dead as
if they were lost forever--as if a sponge had been passed over the
slate of life and naught remained. How cold and hollow sounds the
would-be comforting words of friends and relatives, who assure the
mourning ones that the being who has just laid aside the body is
"better off now," and that all is "for the best," and all the rest of
conventional expressions that we make use of. I tell you that one who
has had a glimpse into what lies within him knows so well that he is
eternal that he finds it impossible to look upon death in the ordinary
way, and if he is not very careful he will be regarded as heartless
and unfeeling for the sorrows of others. And he will be regarded as a
fool in his views of life by those around him who attend church
regularly every Sunday, and who profess a full belief in all its
doctrines. If he considers that he himself is his soul, and that he is
as much an immortal being now as he ever will be--that his body is but
as a garment to cover him, or an instrument through which he manifests
himself--if he considers that he is in eternity now just as much as he
ever will be; that he cannot be destroyed by Mt. Pelee eruptions or
railroad accidents--if, in short, he feels these things so strongly
that they have become a part of his real everyday life--why, he is
looked upon as "queer" by those who hear these things taught them
every Sunday, and who would feel horrified if they were accused of
harboring a doubt regarding them. This is one of the things that go to
show the difference between "believing" a thing and "being conscious"
of it.
Now, don't run away and say that I held that the church-goers have no
conception of the reality of the immortality of the soul, for I
haven't said any such thing. There are many church-goers who have
experienced a full realization of the feeling I mention, and there are
many more church-goers who have not. And there are many men and women
who scarcely ever enter within the walls of a church who have had this
experience, and it means more to them than all the preachments they
have ever listened to. It is not a matter of being "in-church" or
"out-of-church," it is a matter of spiritual development, that's all.
I attend churches of all denominations, and I find all of them good.
The service of the Catholic Church appeals to me, and so does the
meeting of some old-fashioned Methodist congregation. I do not accept
all the doctrines and theories I hear in the various churches, but I
manage to get some good out of all. If I have any preference whatever,
it is for an old-fashioned Quaker meeting, where, perhaps, not a word
is said from beginning to close, but where there is undoubtedly a
strong spiritual power manifested. I have even found much good in
attending a certain orthodox church, where the venerable preacher, who
does not believe in the "higher criticism" or creed revision, often
gives us a delightful sermon on the horrors of hell and the state of
the damned, including the unbaptized infants. I can listen to a sermon
like this with a thrill of delight--a feeling of intense joy which
comes to me because I have been given the inward assurance that there
exists a GOD who is Love, instead of the hating, wrathful, vengeful
creature that the poor preacher tries to make us believe is the
Infinite Power--the Universal Presence--the Loving Father. Oh, no, I
am not condemning churches--I like them all, and think that each one
is doing the best possible work for the particular people who are
attracted to it. I have listened to the exercises of the Salvation
Army, and have seen much good in it. How many of you New Thought
people, or you high-toned church members, would make half the
sacrifices for what you consider Truth that the Salvation Army soldier
or the Hallelujah lassie make every day of their lives? Stop a moment
before you laugh at them. Some of these people have more spirituality
in their little finger than many of us have in our whole bodies.
There are times when we feel disturbed and full of unrest. We seek to
use our intellects and solve all the problems of life. We fret and
chafe under the restrictions which have been placed upon us. We wish
to KNOW all things. We reason this way and that way, follow up every
lane, alley and street in the city of Thought, but, alas, we find not
that which we seek. And in our search we are apt to forget that we
have within us an assurance that all is well with the world, and with
us. We rebel against the leadings of the Spirit--against the knowledge
that has come from the inner self--and we want to get our knowledge
over the old channels--by means of the Intellect. Well, at such times
we storm and fume and fret, and complain at our inability to solve the
problem. We set up ideas only to tear them down again. We assume and
then abandon one position after another, until there is nothing left.
And the end of all the intellectual debauch is to say finally, "I do
not know." And then, after the struggle is over, we see, just as
plainly as ever before, the glimpse of Truth that has come to us from
within--we hear the words of the soul--we have the same old
consciousness. We say to ourselves, "I may not get this thing
intellectually, but I KNOW it is true. I cannot doubt the voice of the
Soul."
This knowledge which comes from within is like the rock against which
beat the storms of the sea--against which dash the waves which
completely cover it and which hide it from sight, until it seems that
it has disappeared forever from view, carried away by the attacking
waves. The lightning flashes, the thunder rolls, the fury of the
tempest seems concentrated against this rock, and the demon of the
storm seems intent upon destroying every particle of it--of tearing it
to little bits with which to strew the shores. All is darkness--all is
blackness--all is fury, raging and terror. After hours, the storm
subsides, and then later morning comes, and the first rays of the
rising sun kiss lovingly the rock which has stood the fury of the
storm, and has emerged unhurt, a witness to its superiority to the
elements.
Storm away, ye who would destroy this rock--dash your waves of Doubt,
Logic, Criticism, Unbelief, Dogma, Theory, against this rock of the
Spirit. Exert yourself to the utmost--expend all the force that is
within you--do your best--do your worst. Tear and twist, pull and
wrench, beat and pound, and what have you accomplished? After the
storm has passed away--after the clouds have dispersed--when the sky
again is blue and the sun again is shining--the rock still stands,
undisturbed, unchanged, unshaken. And stand it will for ages and ages.
And Man shall begin to know of the stability and firmness of this
rock. He will begin to realize just what it means to him, and he will
know that while the waves that beat upon it are good and needful, and
not to be despised, that only upon the rock can he safely build.
Do not despise the intellect and its teachings, but know that ye have
within ye another source of knowledge--that ye have spiritual
faculties which are developing and which you can use. And trust the
work of these faculties--listen to the voice of the Soul.
"FORGET IT."
Why worry about the past?--Hugging old sorrows to your bosom--What to
do with them--Don't poison your life--Pain brings experience--Learning
your lesson--How to get rid of a gloomy thought--Throw it away--Forget
it.
One can often get some useful lesson from the slang and current
phrases of the day. There is something particularly attractive to me
about slang, and the pat phrases that are passed along from one to
another on the streets. Many of these phrases condense in a few words
certain practical truths that one could use as a basis for a sermon,
an essay, or even a book. They are the practical experiences of the
people crystallized in a catchy phrase. The phrase which I hear so
frequently on the street just now, "Forget it," seems to me to contain
much practical common sense, and if people would put it into practice
there would be many more brighter faces--many more lighter hearts.
What's the use, anyhow, of carrying around a long face or a heavy
heart, just because away back in the past something "went wrong" with
us, or even if we "went wrong" ourselves (and most of us have--I have,
I know)? What's the use? Forget it!
Of course you will not forget the experiences of the past, and you do
not want to. That's one of the things we are living for--gaining
experience. When we have once really learned a thing through
experience, we never forget it--it is a part of us. But why bother
about the memory of the pain, the mortification, the "slip-up," the
heartache, the wounded feelings, the misplaced confidence, the thing
done in the wrong way, the chance you let slip by, the folly, the sin,
the misery, the "might-have-beens," and all the rest. Oh what's the
use? Forget it I say, forget it.
If one is to worry about all the things that went wrong--all the
things that didn't come right--in the past; if he has to take out each
memory every day, and after carefully dusting it off, fondle and
caress it, and hug it close to his bosom; if he has to raise up these
ghosts from the past--these phantoms of long ago--these musty,
moth-eaten things--why he will have no time for the affairs of to-day.
He will lose all the joy of the now--all the pleasure of life of the
moment--all the interest in the things of to-day. Oh, dear, dear,
what's the use? Forget it--forget it.
Some people are not happy unless they have some old faded sorrow
hugged up close to their bosoms, and they feel guilty if they happen
to smile and forget the old thing for even a moment. Oh, how they do
gloat over their own revamped unhappiness--how they enjoy the
relieving of the pains and sorrows, mistakes and ignorance of years
gone by. How they love to hold the fox to their sides and let it eat
out their heart. These people are really happy in the unhappiness, and
life would not be worth living if they were deprived of their pet
sorrows. Of course, if these people are really happy because they are
unhappy, I have no objection. Every man or woman has the right to
pursue happiness in his or her own way, and I suppose that that is as
good a way as any other, and I should not find fault if somebody
else's way is different from mine. But doesn't it seem like a pity to
see people wasting their time, energy, thoughts and life on these old
sorrows? If they must think of the past, why not think of the bright
things that came into their lives, instead of the dark ones? Think of
the moments of happiness, not of the moments of sorrow. Don't make a
tomb of your mind. Don't let that particular painful experience poison
your present life. Don't do it--don't do it. What's the use? Forget
it.
Every bit of pain that has happened you has brought its experience to
you--you are better, wiser and broader for it. Look at it in that way,
and you will cease to mourn and wail and wring your hands over the
fact that in the past you "have done those things which you ought not
to have done, and have left undone those things which you ought to
have done." Nonsense! You have gained the experience and know better
now. If you were placed back in the same old position, and lacked the
experience that you have gained by just such things, you would do the
same old thing over again, and in the same old way. You couldn't help
it, because you would be the same old person. What you would like to
do would be to be placed back in the same position, and face the same
old temptation or problem, but you would want to take with you the
experience you have gained by your former mistake. You want the cake
and the penny at the same time. You want the experience without the
pain. Oh, yes, you do, now, that's just what you want--I've been
through it myself, and know all about it. You've gained the
experience, be satisfied. Some day you'll need that experience, and
will be glad you have it, and will see that it was worth all you've
paid for it. No, you don't see it that way? Well, maybe you haven't
had enough of it--haven't learned your lesson yet. If that is the
case, some of these days the law will drop you back into the pot,
until you're well done. The law is not satisfied with underdone
people. Oh, you're making a big mistake. Forget it--forget it.
The people who carry these old things around with them generally get
themselves into the mental attitude that draws other things of the
same sort to them. Misery likes company, and a miserable thought also
likes companionship, and almost always manages to attract some other
miserable thing to it, to keep it from being lonesome. The only way to
get rid of a thought of this kind is to--forget it.
Now if you have some pet thing that is gnawing out your vitals--is
corroding your heart--is poisoning your mind--take it out and look at
it for the last time. Give it a last long lingering gaze. Kiss it
good-bye. Weep over it if you like, for this is the last you will see
of it. Then throw open the window of your mind and pitch it out into
the outer darkness.
FORGET IT!
"THE KINDERGARTEN OF GOD."
Life a great school--Man a child learning his lesson--Preparing for
higher grades--The game-task--What it all means--Things as they
are--The rules wise and good--Each task means something--Greeting the
Kindergartner.
I see Life as a great school--Man as a tiny child, learning his little
lessons, performing his little tasks, playing his little games,
enjoying his little pleasures, suffering his little pains,
disappointments, trials and sorrows.
I feel that we are in but the kindergarten stage of existence,
learning the first lessons of Life--fitting ourselves for the grander,
broader, fuller life in store for us. And I feel that this little
kindergarten experience will continue until we have learned its
lessons well--have firmly grasped the principles designed for our baby
minds. And I feel that when we have proven our ability to weave our
little mats--build our little blocks--draw our little pictures--mold
our little clay forms--sing our little songs--then, and not until
then, will we pass into a higher grade, where we will spell out the
lines of the Primer of Life, and acquire the elementary principles of
Cosmic Mathematics. And I feel that each little lesson must be
learned, thoroughly, before the next step is taken. And I feel that
every one of us must perform his own task--must memorize his own
lesson--before he can gain the experience--can profit by the knowledge
acquired in the performance of the task. We may be inspired by some
brighter pupil--be encouraged by the loving sympathy of some
fellow-scholar, but the task is _ours_ to perform, sooner or
later--and ours is the joy of accomplishment.
I believe that as some children, even whilst fascinated by the
game-task of the kindergarten, know that it is only a childish task
and not the _real thing_ of life, so may we come to a point, where,
whilst enjoying the constantly changing play of life, we will realize
that it is but the training for greater things, and important only
in that sense. The perception of this fact by the child need not
interfere with his interest in the game--need not prevent him from
feeling the joy of _doing_, creating, working, gaining new experiences;
nor need it prevent _us_ from playing the kindergarten games of
grown-up life with a zest and interest, not alone because we
realize that we are learning valuable lessons, but, yea, even from
the very excitement and joy of the game itself.
When we realize just what this view of Life means, we will find new
pleasures in everyday life--will learn to laugh with childish glee at
our little successes in molding the clay into the desired shape--in
the clever weaving of the mat. And we will learn to smile, through our
tears, if our little mat happens to tear in two--if our little clay
sphere drops to the floor and is shattered--if the hour's work is
destroyed.
And we will learn our little lesson of Love--of Comradeship. We will
learn by experience that if we lead the narrow, selfish life we will
miss the joy that falls to the lot of those who have learned to
express more fully the love-nature within them--we will find that Love
begets Love--that the love-nature, expressed, attracts to itself the
love in the hearts of our little playmates. We will find that the
child who carries within him the love for others, and expresses that
love, need never want for friends or companions, need never suffer
from loneliness, need never fear being left out in the cold. The true
Personal Magnetism of the child (and the grown-up) consists largely
of--Love, which never fails in its drawing power. And we will learn,
from bitter experience, the folly of the idea of separateness from our
little playmates--will know that the standing apart brings nothing but
sorrow to us. We will realize that selfishness brings nothing but
pain--that giving has its pleasures as well as receiving. And we will
learn something of Brotherhood, and its goodness--we will have the
True Democracy of the kindergarten impressed upon us. These lessons
(and others) we will learn well, before passing on.
We, like the child, often wonder what is the use of it all--fret over
our enforced tasks--chafe at the confinement--rage at the
restrictions, and, failing to comprehend it all, indulge in
complaints, protests, rebellion. And, like the child, we cannot expect
to understand the whyness of it all, certainly not until we pass
beyond the kindergarten stage of existence and reach the higher
grades.
When one begins to realize _what he is_--begins to be conscious
of the I AM--begins to know things as they are--he gradually learns to
appreciate things at their true worth, and, although not released from
the necessity of playing out his kindergarten game tasks, is able to,
practically, _stand aside and watch himself play them out_. He
knows that he is gaining knowledge--is mastering his lessons--is
living-out, and out-living, his desires--is acquiring and storing up
new experiences--but he values things only at their final worth, and
is not deceived by the apparent value of the moment. He begins to see
things in their proper relations. He does not take himself (or things)
too seriously. He enjoys the pleasure of the game--but he knows it to
be but the play and pleasure of the child--he laughs, but is not
deceived. He suffers, also, the sorrow, grief, disappointment,
humiliation and chagrin of the child-nature--but even though the tears
are falling he, _knowing_, smiles. He laughs with joy--with pain
he cries, but he knows--he _knows_. He enjoys the playthings,
gifts, rewards, but he knows them for what they are--he knows. He
plays the games with the children who do not know--and well he
plays--but he knows. His disillusionment spoils not the sport--he
plays on (for play he _must_), knowing, but enjoying. Yes, enjoying
_because_ of the knowing. He knows that the child-things are good--but
he sees them as but shadows of the Good to come. He knows that he
"cannot escape from his own good." And he knows that the Good is also
in store for his playmates (though they know it not) and, being full
of love, he rejoices.
He feels that the rules of the School are wise and good, and that,
though he cannot see it clearly now, INFINITE JUSTICE rules all,
as will in the end appear. He knows that promotion will be gained,
just as soon as earned. He knows that just as soon as he is able
to master a task, that task will be set before him--not a moment
before. And he knows that no task will be allotted him even one
moment before the possibility of its accomplishment.
He knows that he is being tested, trained and strengthened, day by
day--that every unpleasant and disagreeable task has an important end
in view. And he knows that every task placed before him is in
accordance with a Law that takes cognizance of his powers, failings,
capabilities, short-comings--that understands him better than he does
himself. He knows that the very allotment of the task is a guarantee
of his ability to perform it. He knows that within him are latent
powers, potential forces, hidden knowledge, which will well forth from
his sub-conscious mentality when bidden by the Confident Expectation
of Intelligent Faith.
And, knowing these things, he is filled with Courage--and presses
forth eagerly to the tasks of the day. And, knowing, he casts off all
Fear, Worry, Discouragement and Discontent, and, with the smile of
Love on his face and the joy of Faith in his heart, he greets THE
KINDERGARTNER with Confidence and Trust.
THE HUMAN WET BLANKET.
Sees no good in anything--Expects the bad and gets it--Attracts it to
him--Depresses everything and everyone--Carries an aura of negative
depressing thought--Clammy--Puts out the fire of energy--Take warning.
Did you ever meet the Human Wet Blanket?
To start with, he sees no good in anything. To him every man is a
rogue--every woman a schemer trying to pull the wool over the eyes of
some man. He looks for the Bad--expects to find it--and find it he
does. One generally gets what he looks for. He attracts to him that
for which he looks, and he cannot see any other qualities than those
possessed by himself. Everyone is trying to cheat him, and out-wit
him, so he thinks, and I have no doubt that the Law brings him a fair
share of people of this kind. In order to prevent other people from
taking advantage of him, he endeavors to take advantage of them in the
same small way that he fears they will use on him. The consequence is
the people with whom he has dealings are apt to give him a dose of his
own medicine. He trusts no man. He's so shrewd that he measures off a
spool of thread in order to be sure that the storekeeper has not
robbed him of a yard or two. And the funny thing is, that he sets in
motion the Law which causes the one short-measure spool in the case to
fall into his hands. He just _draws_ these things to him. He thinks
himself a marvel of cunning, and endeavors to manifest it in petty
practices, the result being that he attracts to himself all the little
schemers, and some of the big ones, who happen to be within the radius
of his attracting power, while the other type of people are repelled
by his mental attitude and thought-force. Funny, isn't it?
Then he sees nothing but disaster ahead in any plan, and, sure,
enough, if he gets near enough to the plan to contaminate it, trouble
is sure to happen. As an attractor of Negative Thought he is a
glittering success. He seems to have a positive genius for doing
things the wrong way. And yet, he doesn't believe in the Attractive
Power of Thought or "any such nonsense." He's too shrewd to take any
stock in such ridiculous theories, although he exhibits in his life a
most convincing proof of the truth of New Thought teachings.
He never says "I Can and I Will," and if he hears anyone around him
indulging in such heretical notions, he promptly proceeds to squelch
him by a few "Supposings," "Buts," "What ifs," and two or three gloomy
shakes of the head, and a few sighs. His motto seems to be "There's no
use trying, you can't do it." With him the country seems always to be
going to the dogs, and the poorhouse is constantly looming up before
him.
I need scarcely add that Fear, Worry, Jealousy, and Suspicion are his
bosom friends. He holds these thoughts constantly, and they and the
rest of the negative brood are devouring him. They are making their
home in his mentality and are increasing rapidly, besides frequently
inviting their friends for a visit.
Of course, it's nobody's business if he likes this sort of thing, but
it is not pleasant to come in contact with him. He is surrounded with
an aura of negative, depressing, gloomy, thought-force, which is
manifest to all with whom he comes in contact. Turn him loose in a
roomful of cheerful people, and in a few minutes the conversation has
lagged, the warmth of love and friendship has disappeared and things
begin to feel damp and chilly, and someone will begin to make inquiry
regarding the furnace or the steam radiators, and wondering why the
janitor does not keep up the fire on such a day. Approach him when you
feel fired with energy, ambition and push--when you feel that you can
go out and conquer any obstacle--and you will feel the clammy wet
blanket thrown over you, putting out your fire of energy, and in a
moment or two you will wonder "What's the use." That is, unless you
understand your business, and know how to throw off the influence of
the negative thought-waves emanating from this man. Look out for him.
From the bottom of my heart, I pity this man and his kind. He gets
none of the sweet things of Life--he doesn't see them lying around. He
misses the joy of living. He sees everything through jaundiced eyes.
He knows nothing of the happiness of the clear head, warm heart, and
brotherly hand. He is so occupied in looking for the spoiled fruit on
the ground that he does not see the perfect fruit on the branches
above his head, begging to be picked. He is so much engrossed in the
mud upon the road, that he does not see the bright blue sky above his
head; the beautiful landscape; the children playing on the grass; the
mother nursing her babe; the old couple trudging along hand in hand.
These things do not exist for him. His mind is so full of Fear,
Suspicion, Distrust, and Petty Spite, that Love finds no room. But
even this is Good--for many find their way to Optimism only by first
sinking to the depths of extreme Pessimism. They reach the Celestial
City by the road that winds through the Valley of the Shadow of Death.
Even these things shall pass away.
All's well.
AIM STRAIGHT.
Fear attracts, as well as Desire--Learn to aim straight and aim at the
right thing--Examples--The bowler--The bicyclist and the car--The
bicyclist and the post--The boy and the marbles--Wisdom from the
babe--Look straight; Think straight; Shoot straight.
A strong Desire or a strong Fearthought is an aim at the thing desired
or feared. And in proportion to the degree of Desire or Fear, will we
be carried toward the thing at which we aim. Confident Expectation is
manifested in a Fearthought as well as in an earnest Desire, and when
we confidently expect a thing to happen we are carried toward it by an
irresistible force. It may seem strange to you to hear that Fear is
akin to Desire, but this is the truth. It matters not whether we call
it Desire or Fear, the gist of the matter lies in the Confident
Expectation. A faint Hope and a lurking Fear have about the same
attractive force--a Desire coupled with a firm belief in its
realization attracts strongly, but no more strongly than does a Fear
coupled with a feeling of certainty of its realization. The thing upon
which your Thought is firmly fixed or drawn toward, will be the thing
you will realize. Therefore Aim Straight.
We have heard much of the Attractive Power of Thought as applied to
Desire. I will now say something to you about the same force called
into operation by Fearthought. It is far more pleasant for me to speak
of the bright side of the question, but I would be neglecting my duty
toward you if I failed to direct your attention to the reverse of the
shield. When you thoroughly realize that Thought-force works both
ways, you will know how to handle it, and will understand many things
that have heretofore been dark to you. You will learn to AIM STRAIGHT,
but will also learn to be careful at what you aim. You will learn to
avoid the aim inspired by Fear, and will hereafter use all your
energies to pointing your mental arrow at the bull's-eye of Happiness
and Success.
Let us take a few facts from the physical plane in order to illustrate
things as they are on the mental plane of effort. Life has its
correspondences on all its planes, and by taking examples from one
plane, we will be able to more readily understand the workings of the
Law on other planes.
Some time ago, I was talking to a number of people about this subject,
and gleaned from each an illustration of the workings of the Law of
Attraction on the physical plane. And each example although on the
physical plane, showed the power of Mind behind it. I will tell you
what some of these people said, and you can see for yourself just what
I mean.
The first man was a printer, who after hours spent much time in
bowling, and who was looked upon as an expert in that game. He said
that some time before he was playing a game, and at a critical point
when he was taking aim and endeavoring to put the ball in between the
1 and 2 pins (a specially advantageous shot), his opponent spoke up
and said "Just watch him hit the 4 pin." I do not know anything about
bowling, but it seems that to hit the 4 pin is about the worst thing
that can happen to a bowler, outside of missing the pins altogether.
Well, to go on with the story, with the remark of his rival,
Fearthought entered the mind of the printer, and he couldn't get the 4
pin out of his mind. He kept on looking at the place he wanted to hit,
but his mind was on the 4 pin, and he feared that he would hit it. To
use his own words, he "got rattled," and away went the ball striking
the 4 pin fair and square. He concluded the story by saying: "And so
instead of making a 'ten strike' I got only a 'split.'" Maybe you
understand those terms better than do I, but at any rate you will see
what a Fearthought brought to this typographical bowler in his little
game of ten-pins. Moral: When you wish to place the ball Energy
between the 1 and 2 pins of Life, don't allow Fearthoughts to switch
you off to the 4 pin, thereby giving you a "split" instead of the
coveted "ten-strike."
Another friend told me that, a few days before, he had been riding on
the front bench of a grip-car on a Chicago cable-line. Hearing the
gripman break into the vernacular in a vigorous style, he looked up,
and saw a colored man on a bicycle trying to cross the track "on the
bias," as the girls say, just ahead of the car. There was plenty of
time--plenty of room--for the man to get across, but when he reached
the middle of the track Fearthought got hold of him, and in spite of
himself his wheel turned and he headed straight for the car. He headed
straight for the gripcar, just as if he had aimed at it, and the next
moment he went "bang" right into it. He escaped injury, but his wheel
was wrecked. When asked about it, he said that from the moment he got
afraid of the car his wheel "ran away with him," right into the thing
he Feared. Moral: Keep your mind fixed on the thing you want--not on
the thing you don't want.
Another man, to whom I related the story of the man on the wheel, said
that he had the same trouble when he was learning to ride the wheel.
He was getting along pretty well and could manage to steer half-way
straight, although in a wobbly manner, until one day he happened to
see a certain telegraph pole in front of the place where he was
learning to ride. The pole seemed to hypnotize him, and from that day
he couldn't keep his front wheel away from it. He couldn't keep away
from that pole--he was afraid of it. The pole seemed to have magnetic
qualities and the result was "Bump." He remounted, over and over
again, but the result was the same. At last he made up his mind that
he was going to get ahead of that pole somehow, and he mounted the
wheel with his back toward the pole (but his Mind was still on it) and
lo! the front wheel described a semi-circle, and back to the pole he
went. Moral: Don't let a pole hypnotize you with Fearthought--keep
your Mind on the place to which you wish to go.
But the best example was given by a boy who had kept his eyes open and
his thinker working. Maybe I had better tell you in his own words.
This is what he said, just as he said it:
"Oh, pshaw!" said the Boy, "you're making a big fuss over nothing.
Every feller knows that you've got to _think_ about a thing if you
want to hit it, and if you think about the wrong thing, why, you'll
hit the wrong thing. If I fire a stone at a tin can, why, I just look
square at the can and think about the can for all I'm worth, and the
can's a dead one, sure. If I happen to let my mind wander to the cat
what's on the shed over to the left of the can--well, so much the
worse for the cat, that's all. _To shoot straight, you've got to aim
straight; and to aim straight you've got to look straight; and to look
straight you've got to think straight._ Every kid knows that, or he
couldn't even play marbles. If I get my heart set on a beauty marble
in the ring, I just want it the worst way and says I to myself,
'You're my marble.' Then I look at him strong and steady-like and
don't think about nothing else in the world but that beauty. Maybe I'm
late for school, but I clean forget it. I don't see nothing--nor think
nothing--but that there marble what I want. As the piece in my reader
says, it's my 'Heart's Desire,' and I don't care whether school keeps
or not, just so as I get it. Then I shoot, and the marble's mine. And,
at school, when our drawing teacher tells us how to draw a straight
line, she makes two dots, several inches away from each other. Then
she makes us put our pencils on the first dot and look steady at the
other and move our pencil towards it. The more you keep thinking about
the far off dot, and the less you think about the starting dot or your
hand, the straighter you're going to get your line. Wonst I looked
straight at the far-off dot with my eyes, but I kept thinking about a
red-headed girl on the other side of the room, and what do you think,
the line I was drawing slanted away off in her direction, although I
had kept my eyes glued on the far-away dot and never even peeped in
the kid's direction. That shows, sure, that it's the thinking as well
as the looking. See?"
All of the examples above given contain within them the principles of
a mighty truth--a working illustration of a great law of Life. If we
are wise we will profit by them. Many things are happening around us
every day, from which we might gain lessons if we would only think a
little, instead of playing "follow my leader" and accepting other
people's thought, ready made. We have gotten so accustomed to these
"hand-me-down" thoughts, that we have almost forgotten how to turn out
thoughts for ourselves. The day has come when we are required to do a
little thinking on our own account, instead of humbly bowing before
moth-eaten Authority perched upon a crumbling base. The time has
arrived when we must strike out for ourselves, instead of following a
musty Precedent which has "seen better days." This is the age of the
Individual. This the time for the "I" to assert itself.
I wish you would pay attention to what the Boy said. It is not the
first time that we have gone to the babe for wisdom. Although a child
has an imagination beyond our comprehension, he, at the same time, is
painfully and even brutally, matter of fact. He is continually asking:
"Why," and when we grown-ups are unable to answer him he answers the
question himself, often better than we could have done. He doesn't
theorize, but gets down to business, and works things out for himself.
This boy knew all about the Thinking part of the problems, and had put
it into practical application, while we were theorizing about it. He
had discovered that in order to get things we must first earnestly
Desire them; then Confidently Expect that we would get them; then go
to work to procure them. That's the true philosophy of getting things.
He tells us, about the marble, that he first "wanted it the worst way"
and "didn't care whether school kept or not" just so he got the
marble. Then he "looked strong and steady-like" at the marble, saying:
"You're my marble." Then he shot, and the marble was his. Can any of
you describe the process of getting things better than this? If we
grown-ups would only put into our daily tasks the interest and
attention that the boy put into his game of marbles, we would "get the
marble" oftener than we have been doing.
Of course, it may be true, that the principal joy is in the getting of
things rather than in the possession of them--that the Game of Life is
like the game of marbles in that respect, but what of that? That
needn't spoil the game. The boy knows enough to enjoy playing for a
few marbles that may be obtained for a penny-a-fistful at the corner
store--but that fact doesn't bother him at all. He knows that when he
gets the marble it will not seem half so beautiful in the hand as it
did in the ring--but he gets ready to shoot for the next one with just
as much zest and enjoyment. He finds a joy in Living; Acting; Doing;
Expressing; Growing and Outgrowing, Gaining Experiences. Take a lesson
from the Boy--while you are in the Great Game, take a boy's interest
in it; play with a zest; play your level best, and _get the marble_.
The Boy instinctively knows that the joy of life consists of Living,
while we poor grown-ups vainly imagine that our pleasure will come
only in the trophies of the game--the glass-marbles of Life--and look
upon the playing of the game as drudgery and work imposed upon us as a
punishment of the sins of our forefathers. The boy lives in the Now,
and enjoys every moment of his existence--his winnings, his losings,
his victories, his defeats, while we, his elders and superiors in
wisdom groan at the heat of the day and the rigor of the game and are
only reconciled to our tasks by the thought of how we will enjoy the
possession of the marbles, when we get them at the end of the game.
The Boy sucks his orange and extracts every particle of its sweet
contents, while we throw away the juicy meat and aim only to secure
the pips. Oh, yes! the boy not only knows how to "get there," but he
has also a sane philosophy of Life. Many of us grown-ups are now
re-learning that which we lost with our youth.
You will notice that the bowler, the bicyclists and the others, got
what they didn't want, because they were afraid of it, and allowed it
to distract their thoughts from the object of their Desire. To Fear a
thing is akin to Desiring it--in either case you are attracted toward
it, or it to you. It's a rule that works both ways. You must think
about the Thing you Want--not about the Thing you Don't Want, for the
thoughts you are thinking are the ones that are going to take form in
action, as the Boy said: "_You've got to think about a thing if you
want to hit it, and if you think about the wrong thing, why, you're
going to hit the wrong thing_." Watch your Ideal, not your Bugbear.
Concentrate on your Ideal--fix your thought and gaze upon it, like the
boy upon his marble--and don't allow Fearthought to sidetrack you.
Select the thing you want to be, and then grow steadily into it. Pick
out the thing you want, and then go straight and steadily to it.
Replace your old whine: "I Fear," with the New Thought shout: "I Can,
and I Will." Then you will experience an illustration of "Thought
taking form in Action."
Look Straight; Think Straight; Shoot Straight; in these three things
lie the secret of Success.
AT HOME.
Don't be afraid--You are at home--Not here by chance--You belong
here--YOU are the soul--YOU cannot be hurt--YOU cannot be
banished--YOU are right in the universe, and there is no
outside--Great things are before you--Make yourself at home.
Don't be afraid. You're living in your own home. This Universe was
built for you to inhabit--to occupy--to enjoy. Do not feel
strange--make yourself at home. The wonderful laws of nature--those
which have been discovered, and those which remain to be
discovered--are all laws for your use, when you grow large enough to
understand how to make use of them.
Did you think you were here by chance, or that you were an alien? If
so, learn better. You are to the manor born--you are the heir.
Everything around the place is for your use, when you grow up. No one
can dispossess you--no one can put you out. You are at home.
Do you long for another home? Do you fret and chafe at the trials and
troubles of this world, and imagine that somewhere else things will be
better? Well, they'll never be better for you until you have met and
conquered the trials and troubles of this place. You are just where
you belong. You are surrounded with just the things you need. You are
getting just what you deserve. And until you learn the truth of this,
you will have the same surroundings--the same environments. And then
when you learn that the things around you are all right--that you are
being treated justly--that you are getting just what you have
attracted, and are attracting, to yourself--then you will be ready for
the next step in the journey, and you will have new surroundings and
new environments--new tasks--new lessons--new pleasures.
I hear some of you talking about Death. You seem to think that you
will be another order of being as soon as you take your last breath
upon earth. You talk about being a "spirit," bye-and-bye. Do I believe
this? Of course, I believe it. I _know_ it. But I also know something
else, and that is that you are a spirit now, just as much as you will
be in another world. Did you think that some wonderful essence was
going to grow from you, and that that essence would be what you call a
spirit? Nonsense! YOU are the spirit, and the not-you part which will
be discarded never was you. The You which says I AM is the real
thing--the real self--and the rest of you is but tools and instruments
which YOU are using. Why can't you see this? You talk about "my soul,"
"my spirit," and so on. You make me tired. Why, the thing which is
thinking and speaking--YOU--is the "soul" or "spirit" of which you are
talking. You talk as if the physical part of you, which is changing
continually, was you. You are like the boy with the old knife. He was
continually having the knife repaired. He had had seven new blades and
three new handles put on it, and yet it was the same old knife. Why,
you could step right out of your body (and maybe you do, more than you
have any idea of) and it would be the same old YOU. You could discard
your body just as you do your clothes, and yet YOU would be the same
individual. There is a wonderful difference between individuality and
personality. One you cannot get rid of; the other may be changed.
What's the use in being afraid? Nobody can hurt the real YOU. You
cannot be wiped out of existence. If a single spirit atom should be
destroyed, the entire structure would smash up. You cannot be banished
from the Universe, for there's nowhere else to put you. You cannot get
outside of the Universe, for _there's no outside_. There's no place
for you outside of everywhere.
And you talk about time and eternity. Why, you're in eternity right
now. You are right in it this moment. It is always to-day--to-morrow
never comes. And you are right at home in the Universe, and always
will be. You are always there, for there's nowhere else to go.
So what's the use in being afraid? Who's going to hurt you? They
can't kill YOU. They can't put you out of existence. They cannot
expel you from the Universe. So what are they going to do about it
anyhow? And, after all, who are "They?" You talk as if there were
outside forces and influences antagonistic to you. Outside of
what? No matter what beings of earth or air there may be, they
are creatures like yourself. They are all a part of the Whole
Thing--all made of the same material--all come from the hand of
the same maker--you are all cut from the same piece of goods. The
apparent differences are illusions--the difference and separateness
is only relative, and not actual.
So, make yourself at home. Take a look around and see what a nice bit
of the Universe you have to live in. Some of your family have been
trying to occupy the whole house instead of only their share of it,
but those things are gradually working out, and all will be better
within a comparatively short time. This is going to be a better world
to live in when men take time to think a little. And you'll be around
to enjoy it when it comes--never fear. You cannot get away, even if
you want to.
And, what's the use of waiting for to-morrow. There's lots of things
in which you can find happiness to-day, if you will only stop worrying
about to-morrow. The little child knows more about enjoying life than
you do. The little child feels at home anywhere and starts in to enjoy
it, and get the most out of it, until he grows old enough to be
hypnotized by the race belief.
You are at home here. Just as much at home as is the fish in the
sea--the bird in the air. Realize this, and make the most of it. Stop
being afraid. Stop fretting. Stop worrying. Realize that yesterday,
to-day, and to-morrow, you are here in the Universe. It's a good
Universe, and it grows better as man grows in wisdom to take advantage
of its goodness. And it is not yet "sun-up" here. Great things are
before us. And you will see them and take part in them. Make yourself
at home, for you're going to be around here for some time.
THE SOLITUDE OF THE SOUL.
Lorado Taft's group--Description--Each stands alone--Each is in touch
with every other--Soul communion in silence--Silence is the sanctuary
of the soul--The oneness of life and its apparent separateness--The
message.
In one of the rooms of the Art Institute, in Chicago, stands a
remarkable group, by Lorado Taft, the sculptor, entitled "The Solitude
of the Soul." The average visitor stops a moment and passes on,
commenting on the beauty of the figures composing this group. A few
hurry past, afraid to look at the figures, for they are nude--as naked
as the human soul before the gaze of its Creator. (Some people are
afraid of things not hidden by draperies--even the naked Truth shocks
them.) But the man or woman who thinks and understands--stops long
before this group, conscious that it tells the tale of a mighty truth.
Around a large rock, stand four human figures--two men and two women.
They are so placed that but one figure is in full sight from any given
point of view, although the connection between any figure and the two
on each side of it may be seen. It is necessary to walk completely
around the group to see the idea of the sculptor--to read the story
that he has written into the marble.
Each figure has an individuality. Each stands alone. And yet each
is in touch with the one behind, and the one before. Each one is
connected with all, yet each one stands alone. One figure extends a
hand to her brother just ahead of her, and on her shoulder rests the
tired head of the brother following her. Hand in hand, or head on
shoulder stand they, each giving to the other that human touch and
contact so dear to the soul craving that companionship of one who
understands.
Each face shows sorrow, pain, and longing--that longing for that
complete union of soul with soul--that longing that earth-life cannot
satisfy. And each feels and knows that the other has the same longing.
And each gives to the other that comforting touch that says "I know--I
know." Each face shows a great human love mingled with its pain. Each
face shows resignation mingled with its grief. It is the old story of
human love and human limitations. It is also a story of deeper
import--the story of the soul.
Every lip is closed. Each man and woman is silent. And yet each
understands the other. Soul is communing with soul, in the Silence.
And in the Silence alone can soul converse with soul. Words cheapen
the communication of soul to soul. With those who understand us well,
we can best commune in Silence. Hand in hand--cheek to cheek--sit
those who love well. The tale of love is told and re-told without a
word. Words serve their purpose in conveying the commonplaces of life,
but seem strangely inadequate to express the deeper utterances of the
soul. The tale of love--the story of sorrow--needs no words. The soul
understands the message of the soul--mind flashes the message to
mind--and all is known. The fondest memory of the one whom you loved
and lost, is not of moments in which he spoke even the most endearing
words. The memory most sacred to you is that of some great Silence
lived out with the loved one--some moment in which each soul drew
aside its veil and gazed with awe into the depths of the other soul.
Silence is the sanctuary of the soul. Enter it only with due
reverence. Uncover the head--tread softly.
Each figure stands alone, and yet in touch with all the rest. Each is
apparently separate and yet each is but a part of the whole. Each
feels the frightful solitude which comes to the soul when first it
recognizes what it is. And yet, in that dreadful moment each knows
itself to be in touch with all of life. Each feels that intense
longing for a closer soul union--a reunion of the separated parts of
the whole. And yet each realizes the impossibility of the consummation
of that desire at this time--and they show their grief--they place the
head upon the shoulder of the other--they clasp the hand of the
other--they touch the flesh of the other--all as a symbol of the
desire for the union of the soul.
This group is a symbol of the oneness of life and its apparent
separateness. A picture of the in-touchness of each part of the whole,
with every other part. A story of the pain of the soul in its awful
solitude--of its impotent striving for at-one-ment. A representation
of the communion of soul with soul, in the Silence. A tale of the
comfort and joy in the presence of another human form. A message of
The Brotherhood of Man. All this--and more--is in this group.
I wonder if the sculptor saw it all, or whether he chiseled better
than he knew. Sometimes the Divine in man causes him to write
better--paint better--cut better--than he realizes. Others see much
more in his essays, stories, poems, paintings, statuary, than the
maker knew was there. And the man himself, after years have past again
views his work, and wonders at the new story he reads there. He feels
dazed at having portrayed truths of which he dreamt not while he
worked. There are within us unexplored depths, of the existence of
which we do not dream. And from these depths, now and then, rise into
our consciousness beautiful thoughts--beautiful images--which we
reproduce on paper--canvas--marble. We do not understand these things,
and we join with others in the feeling of wonder inspired by the sight
of the reproduction of that which came from the depths of our mental
being. And some, who have grown closer to the Real Self within them,
see beauties in our work to which we are blind. Not until the scales
fall from our eyes, do we realize the full meaning of our work.
Some call this Inspiration. But those who have pierced the veil
know that it is inspiration from within, not from without. It is the
voice of the Divine spark within man, whispering to the consciousness
which is struggling to know better that Higher Self--a whisper of
encouragement and good cheer--a portent of the future--a glimpse of
the distant light--a bestowal of a few crumbs from the table of the
Spirit.
I know not, I say, whether Lorado Taft knew what he chiseled. I know
not whether he is a man of deep spiritual insight. But this I do know,
that this group, "The Solitude of the Soul" is the work of the Spirit
within this man. And his work carries a deep spiritual message to
those who are ready to receive it. And in years to come this message
will be understood by thousands, for everyone who receives it to-day.
This work shall live long after its maker has forsaken the earthly
body that he now uses as an instrument. It will live because it
carries a message--because it conveys a mighty truth.
JERRY AND THE BEAR.
The Law's plan of developing an individual--Folly of clinging to old
worn out sheaths--The story of Jerry and the Bear--Who Jerry was--He
meets the Bear--The fight--The result--The consequences--The change in
Jerry--The moral.
The Law, in its efforts to develop Man into a self-reliant being--into
an individual--first tries the simpler plan of bringing a steady
pressure to bear in the direction of gradual progress and growth,
impelling the man to think and act himself into a more positive
condition each day. After a while the man, feeling behind him the
steady push of Life, and being conscious of the attracting power of
the Absolute drawing him to higher things--leading him up the mountain
path of Attainment--learns to trust the propelling and attracting
power, and, ceasing his resistance, moves along in the direction of
gradual unfoldment and growth. He casts off sheath after sheath--and
grows. He does not attempt to impede or interfere with his
development, but cheerfully and joyfully presses forward to his
unfoldment. He finds pleasure in each stage, and should pain manifest
itself he knows it as the growing pains of the child--a promise of
greater things.
There are some, however, who seem determined to cling to their old
sheaths, and resist the pressure of growth to the utmost. They are
unable to withstand the steady pressure, and the attracting power,
carrying them forward, and their resistance brings them much pain and
friction, and they are pushed this way and that by the pressure of the
growing Self, resisting and struggling all the time. The Law has
several ways of dealing with these people, for their own good, and
often, with a supreme effort, tears them from the surrounding sheath
to which they are clinging and forces them into a broader and wider
life, against their wishes and in spite of their struggles and cries.
Many of us, looking back over our past lives, smile as we recognize
how we were forced into new fields of work and endeavor--how we were
broadened out in spite of ourselves--how we were torn from our old
surroundings and environments, in spite of our lamentations,
reproaches, and cries, and placed amid new scenes and faces. This
thing is repeated over and over again, until we learn the lesson and
cease to be unduly attached to persons and things, and become willing
to yield ourselves to the onward moving force and co-operate with the
Law instead of opposing it.
Many men and women who steadily refuse to stand erect and assert their
independence, are deliberately worked into a position where they
_must_ declare their freedom from the things upon which they have
been leaning, and are forced to stand up and face conditions from
which they have shrunk all their lives. The Law has a way of picking
up those shivering mortals who stand around the river's edge, and
throwing them into the stream, bidding them to strike out and SWIM.
It prefers the easier way of teaching you to swim by degrees--of
acquiring knowledge by easy stages--but if you refuse to learn in this
way, it will resort to the vigorous plan just mentioned--but swim you
_must_, one way or the other.
I am going to tell you a story--not a particularly pretty one, but one
that will give you an idea of what I mean, and how the plan works.
It's about animals--but many a truth has been conveyed by fables in
which animals were the actors, and this homely little tale from the
wilderness may convey to your minds the point of this talk better than
do my words. Here's the story:
Once upon a time a man, away up in one of the Northwestern States,
owned a dog named "Jerry." He was not very much on looks--and less in
good qualities. He was not of any fancy breed--just Dog, that's all.
He had drifted on to the farm from Somewhere and had been kicked and
cuffed around in his early youth, until he was afraid to claim a right
to live at all. He grew up into a worthless animal--snapped at by
smaller dogs--bullied by those of his own size--looked down upon by
all. He expected to be kicked by everybody in sight--and, of course,
got kicked. (Men and dogs who go around expecting to be abused, always
draw upon them the thing they fear and expect.) His tail seemed a
magnet which attracted all the tin cans around that neighborhood.
Pitying did not seem to do him any good--it only made him more
miserable and abject than ever, just as it acts in the case of some
people. The poor chap gradually dropped down to the lowest state of
dogdom, and his case seemed hopeless. The farmer would drive to town
every once in a while, and Jerry would sneak along under the wagon, in
manner seeming to apologize for taking up even that space. His
appearance would be the signal for all the dogs of the several farms
along the road to chase down to the wagon, rout him out, and roll him
over in the dust, the performance being repeated at every farm to and
from the town. The farmer, at last, feeling that the dog was bringing
his establishment into disrepute, and knowing that "Hopkins' Jerry"
was becoming a township jest, determined to put an end to the animal's
unhappy career. But Destiny intervened--possibly in order to give me a
tale to point the moral of this talk--and to give you something to
remember in trying circumstances.
Jerry strayed away from the farm one evening, being chased a part of
the distance by some of the smaller dogs who delighted in bullying
him. He traveled some distance from home and entered the woods. Bear
tracks had been discovered in that region, and some of the boys had
dug a pit, baiting it with some choice tid-bit pleasing to his
bearship, and covering it over with a thin roof which would yield to
a light weight. Jerry started across the roof, and in he went. Some
hours after a young bear came sniffing around, and he, too, dropped
in the pit. Then the trouble commenced.
The bear feeling infuriated by his unceremonious drop, reached out for
Jerry and gave him a scratch which caused him to yell. The bear,
seeing that there was no fight in his opponent, chased him round and
round the pit, until it seemed only a matter of a few minutes more
until the dog would be relieved of his misery. Things took an
unexpected turn, however. The bear knocked Jerry over on his back, and
began giving him the finishing touches. This seemed to bring to life
the last remaining touch of self-respect left in the poor brute, and
with a mighty effort he sprang straight at the bear's throat and gave
him a bite in which was concentrated all the repressed bites of a
lifetime. The bear, with a roar, sprang back to the other side of the
pit. It was hard to tell which was the most surprised of the two, the
bear at the sudden courage of his opponent, or Jerry at the fact that
he could fight bear. The dog's self-respect and confidence went up
nearly to par. The bear's caution adjusted itself accordingly. After a
bit the bear cautiously worked his way over toward Jerry, but the dog
snarled fiercely and showed his teeth. They had several rounds before
things quieted down, and each time Jerry showed his mettle, and
although he was badly scratched he had bestowed upon the bear several
tokens of his valor. His self-respect and confidence was now an
assured thing, and the bear treated him with considerable deference
and consideration. After matters adjusted themselves, the bear and the
dog each retired to their respective sides of the pit, and declared a
truce.
In the morning the boys came to the pit, shot the bear and lifted
Jerry out and carried him home. His tail was several inches shorter,
and one ear was missing, and his body was scarred and scratched like
the face of a Heidelberg student, but away down in his heart he felt
good--and he showed it. The farmer, feeling proud of the animal,
carefully nursed him until he was able to move around the house, and
then allowed him to go out of doors. As soon as he appeared the other
dogs made a rush for him, but something in his look caused them to
keep at a safe distance, and they contented themselves with barking at
him and keeping out of reach. He did not seem anxious to fight, but he
had that look of confidence in his eyes that kept them where they
belonged. He had ceased to fear. His tail no longer drooped between
his legs, but was held aloft as is the tail of every self-respecting
dog. And somehow, that tail did not have the attracting power for tin
cans that had formerly marked it. The boys recognized that Jerry had
advanced in the scale, and there was something about him that they
liked and respected.
About ten days after the dog got well, the farmer took a trip to town,
and Jerry accompanied him, trotting along in an unconcerned manner,
alongside, behind, or any other place that suited him. As the first
farmhouse was reached the dogs came rushing down to have some fun with
our friend. They pitched into him as of yore. Something happened. The
pack ran yelping back to the house for surgical attention--and Jerry
trotted on just the same. This scene was repeated at every farm along
the road, Jerry repeating the object lesson each time, finishing up
his task by rolling into the dust the big bull terrier in front of the
postoffice, who, heretofore, had been the terror of the town. The
homeward trip was a triumphal progress for the dog, and all his old
foes vied with each other in tail-wagging and other demonstrations
designed to let Jerry know that they were proud to be his friends. But
he paid little attention to them--he had developed into a canine
philosopher. After that he led a happy life. He was not seeking fight,
but no boy or dog seemed to seek fight with him. He had cast out
Fearthought. He feared nothing that walked on legs. HE HAD MET BEAR.
Now, some of my critics will call the attention of their readers to
the fact that I am advising fight. Not so, good friends. I am using
this dog story as an illustration, and am trying to show you how the
Law will sometimes force a man into tight quarters in order to bring
out his courage and self-confidence. It knows the man "has it in him,"
and it proceeds to use vigorous methods to bring it out into action
providing, always, that the man has not developed it before. When a
man has been placed in a position where he faces the worst, and is
compelled to grapple with the bear, he finds that he has reserve force
within him of which he never dreamt before, and he puts forth all his
energy to save himself. He finds that when he boldly faces the
difficulty the difficulty seems as much afraid of him as he had been
of it. He gains more confidence, until at last he beats off the foe,
and rests secure in his own strength. He finds that to the man who has
abolished Fear and who can smilingly face any situation, Fate is very
respectful and obliging, although to the man who fears it is a
tormentor. In proportion to a man's fear will be his troubles. When he
reaches the position when he can laugh in the face of Fortune, he will
find her ceasing her coquetries and falling desperately in love with
him.
And after the man has met the great difficulty--fought the mighty
fight--he finds that he has ceased to fear the little troubles and
trials of life--he feels his strength--he knows his source of power.
He holds his head erect and breathes in the pure air of heaven, and
feels the warm blood tingling through his veins. He has found himself.
HE HAS MET BEAR.
THE UNSEEN HAND.
The consciousness of the hand--When it first was felt--Always
there--Now as the hand of a father--Now as that of a mother--A
lover--A brother--Always guiding--Always leading--A mystery--Some day
we will know the owner of the hand.
I have felt the Unseen Hand--have been guided by it--have felt the
kind but steady urge in the direction which it knew to be best, though
my Intellect failed to see the beauty of the road toward which the
Hand was directing me. For a time I rebelled against the impertinent
interference of that which seemed to be a thing apart from me--a
meddler--an unasked for helper. I had emerged from the dependent
state--the state in which I thought it necessary to lean upon others.
I gloried in my independence--my freedom--my ability to stand alone.
Finding that it was good to stand alone--reveling in the joy of my new
found freedom--rejoicing in the fact that the I AM within me was a
reality--feeling within me the ecstasy that comes from the recognition
of the reality of Individuality--I resented any interference from
outside. But the pressure of the hand was still here--it would take my
unwilling fingers within its own and lead me on--and lead me on.
Finding that I could not get rid of this unseen helper--realizing that
it was intent upon guiding me in spite of my repeated assertions that
I was able to take care of myself--that I was big enough to walk
alone--I began to study the Something that was so determined to take
an active part in the affairs of my life--I started in to become
acquainted with it.
I found that it had always been with me more or less, but that I had
not before recognized its presence. So long as I felt that I was not
able to stand erect upon my feet--so long as I feared--so long as I
failed to recognize the I AM--I was scarcely aware of this invisible
helper. But when I began to realize what I was--what was my place in
the Universal order of things--what were my possibilities--my
future--the presence of this unseen hand began to be manifest. When I
at length threw off the last fetter that had bound me--when I threw
back my shoulders and drew my first free breath--when I shouted aloud
with joy at my freedom and strength--when I realized the power that
was within me and at my command--when I started out to accomplish that
which my awakened mind told me was possible of attainment--when I
started to do these things _all by myself_--then I felt for the
first time the firm clasp of the unseen hand.
Now gently guiding--now leading--now kindly restraining--now giving a
gentle urge toward people, things and conditions--now drawing me back
from the edge of a precipice--now directing toward a better path--now
giving me a gentle, firm pressure to reassure me of its presence when
I doubted--now allowing me to rest my weight upon it when I felt
tired--always there.
At times this hand has placed before me conditions that seemed to me
to be anything but good. At times it has brought me pain. But I have
learned to trust it--have learned to trust it. The conditions that
have seemed to me to be undesirable have brought me to desirable
things. The pain that I have suffered has brought me pleasure. The
experiences that have come to me I would not wish to part with--the
more pain, the more experience; the more experience, the more
knowledge.
I have learned to love this hand. And the owner of the hand seems to
feel and return this love, and now and then, by a sympathetic little
clasp, lets me know that I am understood. This hand sometimes seems to
be that of a Father--strong and firm--leading on with a confident air.
Again it seems to be that of a Mother--gentle and kind--leading me as
does the mother lead her child. Again it seems as the hand of a woman
who loves me--clinging and warm--neither leading nor being led--just
moving on clasped in mine--no words--but with a perfect understanding.
The owner of this hand seems to combine within itself the qualities of
both sexes--seems to have within itself all the attributes of Father,
Mother, Lover, Brother, Sister. It seems to respond to the human need,
in every direction. It seems always the hand of Love--even while
giving me pain.
I have never seen the face of the owner of this hand. I have never
looked into its eyes. I have never seen its form, if form it has. But
I have been conscious, at times, of being lifted up in its arms and
being pressed close to its breast. I have felt the impulse of the
child, at such times, and have felt for the breast of the mother, and
have been conscious of the answering mother pressure as I was drawn up
close to the body of the owner of the hand. And, at times, have I felt
rebellious at the confining clasp, and have struggled and have even
beat against the breast with my puny fists as I insisted that I be
released from the clasping arms. But, mother-like, the owner of the
hand only drew me closer to the breast until I could feel the very
heart-throbs within the mother-body--could feel the vibrations
emanating from its life--could feel the warm breath upon my cheek as
the invisible face bent over me impelled by the mother love.
Again, it takes on the father-form, and I place my little hand within
it, and feeling like the boy whose father is taking him on a journey,
I say "Lead Thou me on," and go cheerfully and with faith into new
lands--new surroundings--new fields. Why should I fear, have I not
hold of my father's hand? And the hand at such times rests upon my
shoulder, every once in a while, and I realize that the father feels a
pride in his son, and sees him growing in strength and knowing--that
the father looks forward to a time when he will be able to talk with
the boy who will then have grown in knowledge, and will be able to
understand some of the secrets of Life that the father will then
unfold to him.
And, still again, the hand is that of the loving woman who is walking
along the path of Life with the man she loves. It is a tender
clasp--the fingers tingle with love--the arm presses close to mine. I
hear no voice--no words are needed--soul talks to soul in the silence.
We walk on and on and on. We understand.
And, still again, the hand seems that of a brother--a twin brother.
Neither the protection of the father--the loving tenderness of the
mother--the thrill of the lover's touch--is there. I feel not that the
hand is that of a stronger being--I am conscious only of the brotherly
clasp--the touch of comradeship--the presence of an equal. I feel by
my side a helper--someone who will back me up in time of need. And I
stroll along by his side and laugh with joy. The joy of the boy is
again mine. The joy of companionship is again mine. And, lo the hand
of the brother seems to grow--he and I are again men. And something in
his hand-clasp seems to say to me, "Come, brother, let us go forth
into the unknown future. Let us have Faith. There are lands awaiting
our coming. Let us enjoy them. Let us explore them. Let us be filled
with the spirit of adventure, and go forth. Let us see--let us
feel--let us know." And I return the clasp, and say, "Aye, brother,
let us go forth. Whither thou goest there will I go. Thy joys shall be
my joy--thy pain my pain. Let us go forth--let us go forth to the
Divine Adventure."
And, so, manifesting the attributes of all human relations, in turn,
and at the proper time, the owner of this unseen hand is near me. I
feel his presence--I am aware of his nearness. At times faith grows
faint, and I think it all a delusion--a phantasm--a dream. All seems
lost, and I weep. But, lo! in the midst of my despair, I feel the hand
upon my head--I know that it is a reality and, through my tears, I
smile.
Shall I ever know the owner of this hand? Shall I ever see its face?
Shall I ever understand the mystery of its existence? I know not. But
faith whispers in my ear, "Wait! All is well! When the pupil is ready
the Master appears. When your eyes have a clear vision and can bear
the sight, then shall you see the Face of the owner of the hand. You
have entered the Path and there is no turning back. Go on--go on in
Faith, Courage and Confidence. Why should you doubt--have you not felt
the pressure of The Hand?"
Aye, why should I doubt or question? Have I not felt the pressure of
the Unseen Hand? Open your hands, friends, that the Hand may clasp
yours as it has mine. While your hand is clenched in Anger and
Hate--while it clutches tight the gold it has snatched from the hand
of another--while the fingers are drawn together with Fear--it cannot
receive the Unseen Hand. Open it wide--reach it out--offer it in
friendly clasp--and you will feel within it the touch of that which
you seek.
The Unseen Hand is waiting to clasp yours. Give it welcome--give it
welcome.
HOW SUCCESS COMES.
Seeking success through mental powers--Holding the thought alone not
sufficient--How to get the real benefit of thought-force--Fall in with
the workings of the Law--Stand on your own feet--One step at a
time--"I Do" as well as "I Am."
Many of the men and women who have been seeking Prosperity by means of
the powers of the mind, have done so by "holding the thought," and
then folding their hands and calmly waiting for some "lucky" event to
happen, or in other words, for the long sought for prize to drop down
into the laps, from out of the Nowhere. Now, I have heard of a number
of cases in which things apparently came about in this way, although I
have always felt that a little investigation would have shown some
good and natural cause behind it all, but as a rule the law does not
work in this way--it does not leave the old beaten road of cause and
effect. It is no Aladdin's lamp which has merely to be rubbed in order
that glittering gems, and showers of gold, be poured out into the lap
of the owner, as he lies back on his cushions, lazily rubbing the lamp
with the tip of his little finger. The law expects from the man who
would invoke its mighty aid, a little honest work on his part.
I think that the majority of those who have met with a greater share
of Success by means of the wonderful power of Thought, have met with
such Success not by having it fall from the skies, but by following
out the ideas, impulses, yes, inspiration, if you will, that have come
to them. The man who has turned his back upon the old negative Mental
Attitude--who has turned his face toward the rising sun--who has
allowed the voice of Faith again to be heard--who knows that the Law
which rules the motions of the worlds and still takes note of the
sparrow's fall, has his interest at heart and asks but for Faith--that
man, I say, finds that from time to time ideas will come into his mind
just when they are needed; will find that the Law takes cognizance of
all human needs and has prepared a way to satisfy them. He finds that
new ways are pointed out to him--avenues of escape from unbearable
conditions--signboards pointing out the right road, but he must have
FAITH in these little hints from the Infinite, and must follow them.
The Law will open the door to you, but will not push you in. And when
it finds that you refuse to see the open door, it softly closes it,
and not until many weary years have passed do you recognize what you
have missed. And the Law insists upon doing its work in its own good
way--not in _your_ way. You may know what you want, but you may not
know just the right way to get it, although you think you do. The
Law will give you many a hint, and many a gentle push in the proper
direction, but it always leaves you the liberty of choice--the right
to refuse. It does not insist upon your love, your Faith; that is, it
does not _make_ you love and have Faith, but until you _do_ love and
have Faith you are not conscious of the promptings of the Spirit, or,
at most, dismiss them as beneath your notice. Oh, ye of little Faith,
when will ye learn.
The man who understands the workings of the Law, acts upon the tender
impulses imparted to him, without resistance. He does not ask to see
the end of the journey, but he sees the step just ahead of him very
plainly, and he hesitates not about taking it. He does not expect the
Law to bring RESULTS and place them in his hand. All he asks and
desires is that the way be pointed out to him, and he is willing and
ready to do the rest himself. The true man or woman does not wish to
be fed with a spoon. All they ask is that they may have a fair chance
to reach the source of supply, and they can manage to handle the spoon
themselves. If any man think that the Law is an incubator of
parasites--of leeches--of vampires--he is greatly mistaken. The lesson
of the Law is to teach every man to stand upon his own feet--to lean
not upon another--but at the same time to feel that he is guided by
the great Law of which he himself is a part, which manifests within
him as well as without him, and that, consequently, while placing his
trust in the Law, he trusts in himself. Not paradoxical at all, when
you have the key.
Yes, yes, the Law expects every man to do well the work that lies to
his hand--and to do it well, whether it is irksome or distasteful or
otherwise; and as soon as he ceases to rebel and beat his wings
against the bars of the cage, the way is opened for the next step; and
if he does not take that step, he must work away until he learns to
take it. And so on, and on, the lesson of each task to be learned
before the next is presented. Work? why certainly you must work.
Everything in the Universe works unceasingly. When you learn to look
upon work as a joy and not a curse, then you are beginning to see your
way out of the grinding process. Then you are getting a glimpse of the
Promised Land. Why bless your hearts, Work is the best friend you
have, the only trouble is that you have treated it as an enemy and it
has paid you back in your own coin. When you learn to treat it as a
friend, it will be only too glad to make up, and you will get along
like two old cronies.
Now, you people who have been sitting with folded hands and "calmly
waiting," and complaining that your own has not come to you, listen:
You are mistaken. Your own has come to you--that's just the trouble.
Your own is the thing you attract, and you have been attracting just
what has come to you. Start in to-day, determined to fall in with the
workings of the Law, and pay attention to the "I DO" side of things as
well as the "I AM," and you will receive new light. Great things are
just ahead of you, but you must reach out for them--they're not going
to drop into folded hands. This is the Law.
THE MAN WITH THE SOUTHERN EXPOSURE.
Southern exposure as good a thing in a man as in a room--The man who
faces the sun--Lives one day at a time and does the best he knows how,
and is kind--Finds Joy and carries it to others--Simple, loving,
kind--Open yourself to the sun.
Did you ever go house hunting? Then you remember how the agent laid
much stress on the fact that certain rooms had a "Southern Exposure."
No matter how many other good qualities the house had, all was
subordinated to the fact that the best rooms faced the South--had the
longed for "Southern Exposure." The very words conveyed to your mind
the sensation of balmy breezes--the freedom from the rude blasts of
the North--the cheering rays of the Sun--plenty of light and healthful
vibrations coming from old Sol. Ah, that "Southern Exposure"--how much
the words convey.
Now, if this "Southern Exposure" is such a good thing in a room, why
isn't it a good thing in a man? Did you ever meet the man with the
"Southern Exposure"--the man who faces the Sun? Do you recall how he
brought with him the inspiring Solar vibrations? Do you remember how
the wrinkles and frowns disappeared from the faces of those in his
presence? Do you remember how, long after he had departed, the memory
of his presence cheered you--the thrill of his thought vibrations
remained to stimulate? We all know this man with the "Southern
Exposure," God bless him. We couldn't get along without him. There are
a number of him, and he is scattered all over the globe. We call him
by different names, but he is always the same man. After we have felt
the cold Northern chill emanating from some of the cold, despondent,
negative people with whom we have come in contact, what a relief it is
to meet some one who carries with him the mellowing sunny, vibrations
of the South wind--the man with the "Southern Exposure." As the
vibrations of the Sun bring life, energy, and strength to all things
having life, so this sunny man brings positive, bright, cheerful and
happy thoughts to us, and stimulates, encourages and strengthens us.
He actually radiates sunshine and cheer in all directions, and thaws
out the natures that have become well nigh frozen from contact with
people of the other type. Oh, it's a great thing, this "Southern
Exposure" in a man or woman.
This man faces the Sun. He is an optimist. He looks on the bright side
of things, and gets all there is in Life--he LIVES. He manages to
extract "fun" out of the most unpromising conditions and things, and
goes on his way with a smile, and a cheerful song, an abiding faith in
the Absolute. He lives his life, one day at a time, loving all of
God's creatures and letting the creatures know it--carrying a message
of hope, and courage, and a helpful suggestion to all mankind. He is
the salt of the earth, and Life would lose its flavor if he were taken
from us. And how smooth the pathway of Life seems made for him. It
matters not in what station he may be placed--what seemingly small
degree of material prosperity may come to him--what may be his
surroundings and environments--he makes the best of everything--he
still catches the rays of the Sun, and rejoices--he has the "Southern
Exposure."
He is broad and tolerant--merciful and forgiving--devoid of Hate, Envy
and Malice--free from Fear and Worry. He minds his own business, and
grants you the same privilege. He is full of Love, and radiates it to
all the world. He goes through Life in his own sunny way, meeting
cheerfully the things that drive others to Despair and Misery--somehow
things seem to be smoothed out for him, and he passes over the stony
road, unharmed. His Peace comes from within--and all who meet him feel
his presence. He does not _seek_ after friends or love--Friendship and
Love come to him as a right--he attracts them. People are glad to see
him come, and sorry to see him go. Little children and animals are
drawn to him, and know him as their friend and lover. He is as much
at home in the tenement of the laborer as in the palace of the
wealthy--both places seem home to him, and their occupants on a level.
Brother to both Saint and Sinner is he, and he loves one as much as
the other, for he somehow feels that each is doing his best. He looks
for the good in the Sinner--not for the sin in the Saint--although he
knows that both exist. He is not a Pharisee--he recognizes within
himself all that is within both Saint and Sinner--he knows that he is
not without sin, so he dares not cast the first stone. The outcast
recognizes in him a brother--the woman who has passed through the
fiery furnace trusts him and is not afraid, for she knows that he
understands. He, being near the Sun, knows that it shines alike on
Saint and Sinner--he feels that when God withholds his Sunbeams from
his most disobedient child, then may he withhold his love from his
most degraded brother or sister. Until that time comes he sees fit to
love them. He does not Condemn--he lets God exercise that prerogative,
if he sees fit--he does not feel fit to act as Judge. He believes that
the Universe is conducted on sound business principles--that God knows
just what he is about and does not require any gratuitous advice from
Man.
He works, and works well. He finds Joy in his work--pleasure in the
humblest tasks. He likes to Create things--and he is proud of that
desire, for he feels that it is an inheritance from his Father. He
does not seem to hurry--nor is he rushed. He has plenty of
time--Eternity lasts a long while, and he is in it NOW. He is not
afraid of Death--or even Life--he knows them as one.
He goes about his way--doing his best--and letting the other fellow
alone.
He has an abiding Faith in the Absolute--he believes in Infinite
Justice and Ultimate Good. He does not fear his Father--he cannot find
room for Fear where Love abides. He does not believe that there is a
bottomless pit into which his loving Father intends to plunge him--he
has too much confidence in his Father to think that. He believes that
there is enough Hell on earth to burn away the mistakes and ignorance
of Man. And he believes that all the burning ones will eventually
emerge purged of their dross. He knows that his Father is near him,
for he has felt the pressure of his hand. In the darkness of the night
he has felt the Father's presence--by the glare of the lightning flash
he has seen His form, for a moment, and that memory is burned into his
brain. He faces the Sun--this man with the "Southern Exposure."
He is Simple, Loving, Kind. He is of the Elect. He is a prophecy of
the Future. And he is on the increase. On the Tree of Life are many
promising buds, which the Sun of the Spirit is nursing into beautiful
blossoms that will yet fill the world with the delicious fragrance of
Love.
There are certain people who have come into our midst silently and
without announcement. They have found places waiting for them. They
have come to prepare the way for their brothers and sisters who
are in the womb of the future--they are working quietly to prepare
a home for their unborn brothers and sisters when they come. They
are the forerunners of the Coming Race. Smiled at--sneered
at--persecuted--reviled--pitied--it matters not. God has sent
them--they have his message to deliver--that's why they are here.
The world may raise its eyebrows--shrug its shoulders--tap its
forehead significantly--but these new people smile, they know, they
know. They see the misunderstanding multitude as mere babes in the
Spiritual knowing--many of them babes unborn--and they heed them
not.
Take notice of these people--they are making their presence felt. They
are wielding a silent powerful influence, and are molding public
opinion far more than are the blatant reformers, the boastful leaders,
the bespangled figures strutting at the front of the stage. The people
who are thus being used--instruments in God's hands--are these quiet
men and women who are facing the Sun--these people with the "Southern
Exposure."
If you feel the call to join the ranks of these people--do not resist,
but answer cheerfully "I hear; I obey; I come." Allow the seed to grow
into the plant, the plant to put forth leaves--bud and blossom. When
you feel the impulse, do not resist--open yourself to the Sun--receive
its vibrations--and all will be well. Be not afraid--have within you
that Love which casteth out Fear--place your hand in that of the
Absolute and say "Lead Thou me on." After long ages of wandering, you
are coming Home.
A FOREWORD.[1]
An individualist--Wearing no ticket or label--No one has a corner on
Truth--Enough to go around--The Infinite Power back of all things--The
Real Self is Spirit--The Law of Attraction--Fearthought--The
Brotherhood of Man.
* * * * I generally call myself a Mental Scientist, and am so known
to my friends, but I merely use the term because it is broad and
comprehensive, not because I bear the ticket of any particular school
of the New Thought--not because I wear the badge of any special
leader. I am an Individualist. I believe in the right of every man to
think his own thoughts--to find his way to the Truth by whatever road
he may see fit, even if he prefers to cut across fields in getting
there. I believe that whilst all men are brothers, and each a part of
a mighty Whole, still each one must stand squarely upon his own
feet--must work out his own salvation--must do his own thinking. I
believe that Truth is everywhere--in everything, and that we may
uncover a bit of it wherever we may happen to dig. I do not believe
that any person has a corner on the Truth--a monopoly of Knowing. I do
not believe in Popes, in or out of the New Thought. Each of us will
uncover his own little bit of the Truth, but we must not imagine that
we have the Whole Thing. There's enough Truth to go around--and to
spare.
[1] An extract from the article of this name in which the
author introduced himself to the readers of the magazine
"New Thought," upon assuming the position of co-editor, in
December, 1901.
I believe that there is an Infinite Power in, and of, all things. I
believe that, although to-day we have but the faintest idea of that
Power, still we will steadily grow to comprehend it more fully--will
get in closer touch with it. Even now, we have momentary glimpses of
its existence--a momentary consciousness of Oneness with the Absolute.
I believe that the greatest happiness consists in maintaining toward
the Absolute the attitude of the trusting child, who, feeling no doubt
of the parent's love--no doubt of his wisdom--places his little hand
in that of the parent, and says: "Lead Thou me on." I believe that he
who feels towards the Absolute, the trustfulness of the babe which
places its little tired head close to the breast of the mother, will
also be conscious of the tender answering pressure, as the babe is
drawn just a little closer to the mother heart. I believe these
things--I have felt them.
I believe that Man is immortal--that the Real Self is Spirit, which
uses mind and body as its tools, and manifests itself according to the
fitness of the tools. I believe that Man is rapidly growing into a
new plane of consciousness, in which he will _know_ himself as he
is--will recognize the I AM--the Something Within. Many are having
glimpses of the Truth every day--the first glimpses of the light of
the great Dawn are even now being perceived by those who are awake and
watching.
I believe that the mind of Man contains the greatest of all
forces--that Thought is one of the greatest manifestations of energy.
I believe that the man who understands the use of Thought-force can
make of himself practically what he will. I believe that not only is
one's body subject to the control of the mind, but that, also, one may
change environment, "luck," circumstances, by positive thought taking
the place of negative. I know that the "I Can and I Will" attitude
will carry one forward to Success that will seem miraculous to the man
on the "I Can't" plane. I believe that "thoughts are things," and that
the Law of Attraction in the thought world will draw to one just what
he desires or fears.
I believe that Fearthought is the root of more misery, unhappiness,
disease, crime, failure and other undesirable things than any one
thing in the world. I intend to attack this monster most vigorously,
through these columns. I intend going for him with the grace of God in
my heart, and a good hickory club in my hand. I will cause many of you
to tear out Fear by the roots--you don't need it about you. I will
preach the gospel of Fearlessness. There is nothing in the world (or
out of it) to fear except--Fear.
I will also preach the gospel of Backbone to you--will insist upon
your inserting a steel-rod vertebra in the place of that india-rubber
affair that some of you are carrying around with you. You doubt this,
do you?--well, just you wait and see.
I believe in the Brotherhood of Man. I believe in being Kind. I
believe in everyone minding his own business--and allowing everyone
else the same privilege. I believe that we have no right to
condemn--"let him who is without sin cast the first stone." I believe
that he who Hates, is an assassin; that he who Covets, is a thief;
that he who Lusts, is an adulterer; that the gist of a crime is in its
desire. Seeing this--looking into our own hearts--how can we Condemn?
I believe that Evil is but Ignorance. I believe that "to know all is
to forgive all." I believe that there is good in every man; let us
help him to manifest it. I believe in the absolute equality of the Man
and the Woman--sometimes I think that the odds are slightly in favor
of the Woman. I believe in the Sacredness of Sex--but I also believe
that Sex manifests on the Spiritual and Mental planes, as well as on
the Physical. And I believe that to the pure all things are pure.
I also believe in the gospel of work--in "hustling." I believe in the
I DO, as well as the I AM. I know that the man who will take advantage
of the Power of the Mind, and who will manifest that power in action,
will go forward to Success as surely and as steadily as the arrow from
the bow of the skilled archer.
PARTNERSHIP.
Next to marriage, partnership is the most important
association--Mental partnerships--Be careful whom you choose as your
mental partners--Get into partnership with the best thoughts--Dissolve
partnership with the other kind--"I Can, I Will; I Do, I Dare."
Next to marriage, a partnership arrangement is the most important
association into which a man or woman may enter. Its consequences are
far-reaching and difficult to escape, and to a very considerable
extent one is bound by the acts of his partners. This being the case,
it is of the utmost importance that one should exercise the greatest
diligence and care in selecting partners. If any of my readers were to
contemplate entering into a partnership agreement with others, he
would be sure to select those who were possessed of the most desirable
qualities, and those most conducive to success. He would carefully
avoid those possessed of Lack of Confidence, Fear, Worry,
Discouragement and others of the "I Can't" class. He would seek out
the Courageous, Confident, "I Can and I Will" men. He would keep away
from those in whom Hate, Malice, Jealousy, Envy, Bigotry and other
traits of Ignorance were strongly manifest. He would, in short, choose
those who possessed to the greatest possible degree the qualities most
conducive to Success and would as carefully avoid those possessed of
opposite qualities. There is no doubt of the truth of what I have just
said--every one of you will admit it.
Now, I do not purpose telling you about business partnerships of the
ordinary kind--you know all about those--but I will call your
attention to the fact that you are every day forming partnerships of a
most important character and far-reaching in their effects, but of
which you probably have been unaware. When your attention is once
called to the matter, many things will seem clear to you that have
heretofore appeared quite dark, and you will be able to avoid
mistakes, in the future, that have been quite common in the past. This
is an important lesson, and I trust that you will give heed to what I
say.
I have stated, in previous articles, that your mind is a mighty
magnet, attracting to itself the thoughts emanating from the minds of
others. Like attracts like in the world of Thought, and the prevailing
character of your thoughts will be manifested in the character of
thought waves drawn to you from the great ocean of thought. Your
thought mingles and coalesces with thoughts of a corresponding nature
sent out from the minds of others, and both you and the other senders
are strengthened in the mental attitude by reason of the joining of
forces. _You are entering into a mental partnership_ with those
unknown thinkers, and attracting them to you, and you to them. Why do
"birds of a feather flock together," in business and everyday life?
Simply because they are irresistibly drawn to each other by the Law
of Mental Attraction. The people with whom you are brought in contact
are those of the same mental key as yourself. You may not agree with
this statement, but a close analysis will prove it. The pushing,
"hustling," wide-awake man will attract to himself thought-partners
of the same stamp, while the man who is afraid is always sure to
find himself surrounded by people having the same defects. And not
only is this true in the sense that the Law brings you into actual
contact with people of the same mental key, but you are connecting
yourself with hundreds of others who are thinking along the same
lines, although you may never actually come in physical contact with
these people. You are going into partnership with them, and will
share in the firm's profits and losses, just as you would in case of
an ordinary business partnership. And it is easy to foretell upon
just what side of the firm ledger the balance will appear.
When you approach a man on business, with your mind laden with
thoughts of Fear, Lack of Confidence, etc., you strike a similar
keynote in that man, and he instinctively feels that he has no
confidence in you or your business, and if he is a man whose
predominant note is Courage, he will feel the inharmony and get rid of
you as soon as he can. If, on the contrary, he is also a "I Can't" man
he will feel a fellow feeling for you, but it will do you no good; it
will be a case of "misery loves company," and the first thing you know
you will find yourself and that man in an earnest conversation about
"dull times," "poor crops," "the country is going to the dogs," "no
chance for a man nowadays," "we're all going to the poorhouse," etc.,
etc. I've seen it happen many a time, haven't you?
But if you are an "I Can and I Will" man, and he is the same, see how
different things are. He will warm up to you and will feel that he
understands you, and sooner or later you and he will do business with
each other, in fact, the arrangement is begun with your first meeting.
If you can get yourself in something like the same mental attitude of
a man with whom you wish to do business, you will get along with him,
never fear.
When you have something in mind upon which you are working, and you
are at the same time maintaining the proper mental attitude, you are
placing yourself in psychic touch with every other man in the same
line who is holding the same mental attitude. You draw inspiration
from them, and both parties to the mental partnership share in the
profits. Both will share, to a certain extent, in each other's
progress and both will draw largely from the mental stock of those who
are working along the same lines, but who are holding a negative
mental attitude. In fact, the whole store of knowledge and progress
along those lines will be tapped by these partners holding the
positive mental attitude. New plans, ideas, combinations, schemes,
devices will spring into being in their minds, and they will not only
help each other, but will draw upon the less positive people. This
seems a hard law, but it is like all of Nature's laws, so severe that
we are forced sooner or later to learn the lesson. We learn by
experience only. This operation of the Law of Mental Attraction is a
good example of one of the meanings of that saying, so dark to many:
"To him that hath shall be given; to him that hath not shall be taken
away, even that which he hath." At any rate, that is the way the law
works.
And it is not only in the matter of Success that this mental
partnership works. Its operations are manifest everywhere. You will
notice that the negative emotions draw to themselves people, thoughts
and things upon which they can feed. Let a man or woman manifest
Jealousy, and, lo! as if from the earth spring apparent causes for
that jealous feeling. All sorts of things seem to conspire to feed
"the green-eyed monster" into a state of fatness. And let a man or
woman get a notion that people are trying to "slight" them, and let
them continue to hold this thought, and it will soon seem to the poor
victim of Fearthought as if everybody in the world was determined to
snub, slight and tread upon him and hurt his feelings. If he persists
in this attitude, life will become a burden too heavy to bear, and
there will be no possible relief for him except a change of mental
front. Let one imagine that everyone is trying to cheat him, and he
will be a lucky man if he does not find that the things he feared have
come upon him. Let a man cherish thoughts of Hate and Malice, and
sooner or later he will become involved in all sorts of hateful,
malicious schemes and occurrences, with his partners whom he has drawn
to him. "He who lives by the sword shall die by the sword," is proven
every day. He who thinks every man is a rogue will see enough rogues
to justify him in his belief, and will probably end up by having
people think of him as a rogue--he will draw all sorts of roguish
people, things and circumstances to him.
Did you ever start in the morning feeling cross and crabbed? Well, if
you did you probably found that after the inevitable domestic row over
the buckwheat cakes and coffee--after you had left your wife with
tears in her eyes, and the children in good shape to get into trouble
in school--that everyone seemed to "have it in for you." Some fellow
in the train seemed to deliberately tread on your pet corn, another
jostled you, and so on. When you got down to business, everything went
wrong, and unless you brought yourself up with a short turn you had a
dreadful time of it all day, and were glad when night came that you
might sleep it off. You will always find that there are plenty of
people waiting to go into mental partnership with you in such cases.
If you are looking for fight, you will get it.
I tell you, friends, that people are all more or less in psychic touch
with each other, and the sooner we recognize this fact the better it
will be for us. This Law of Mental Attraction works either good or bad
for us, according to the uses we make of it. If we run contrary to the
law we will be taught lesson after lesson, until we learn something.
But if we fall in with the workings of the law we will reap the
benefits that come to Man when he masters and controls any of Nature's
great forces.
Now, don't make partnerships of an undesirable kind. If you do you
will have to bear the consequences. If you have already formed such a
partnership, dissolve it at once and go into liquidation. After a
while you will have cleared up the old debts and straightened matters
out and will begin to do business on another basis. And I want to tell
you right here that you can get into the best mental firms in the
world if you only go about it right. They will not object to you if
you are a fit member, and, in fact, they could not keep you out even
if they wished. The doors will open at the magic touch of the spoken
word backed up by the proper mental attitude. Cut loose from the old
thought associations and form new connections. Get in touch with the
right kind of thought-waves, people and things. Cultivate the proper
mental attitude and demand an entrance to the firm you wish. Good men
are scarce in all branches of business, trades and professions.
There's room for you--away up at the top, too. Get what belongs to
you; do not be cheated out of your heritage. Assert yourself. Join
to-day that good, hustling firm, whose name on the signboard reads: "I
CAN, I WILL, I DO, I DARE."
THE SEEKERS.
The secret of life--The riddle of existence--Sought now as
ever--The whyness of things--Attempts to answer the riddle--The
Seekers--Fantastic creeds and queer philosophies--Revamping old
ideas--The story of the man and the stars--The answer to be found
within the soul.
"I laugh at the lore and the pride of man,
At the sophist schools and the learned clan,
For what are they all, in their high conceit,
When man in the bush with God may meet?"
--Emerson.
Man is trying to reason out now as in the past, the secret of
Life--the riddle of Existence. He seeks to know from whence he comes,
whither he goes, and what is the object of his existence. He wants to
know the _whyness_ of things--what it all means. He is like the
squirrel in the cage, which exhausts itself in traveling the long road
of the wheel, only to find itself at the end of its journey just where
it started. Or worse still, like the newly-caged wild bird, he dashes
against the bars of his prison, again and again, in his efforts to
regain his freedom, until at last he lies weak and bleeding, a captive
still.
It has ever been so, from the childhood of the race until the present
time. Sages, seers, prophets and philosophers have endeavored to
reason out the problem, but their labors have availed nothing, and the
riddle remains unanswered. Man has traveled over and over the circular
road of thought, only to discover that it has no beginning--no ending.
He thinks that he has explained things, but he has merely given them
names. All the scientific research, all the theological and
metaphysical speculation, has failed even to explain the sprouting of
the mustard seed. Life and Death is a mystery to the most brilliant
man of this civilization, as it was to the ignorant creature of the
stone age. Races, nations, civilizations rise and fall; creeds are
born, grow strong, weaken and die, but the secret remains a secret
still.
The present day seems to have reawakened the latent desire of man to
see behind the veil. The pendulum which carried so many thinkers to
the materialistic extreme is beginning to swing in the opposite
direction, and is causing a strange and wonderful revival of ancient
creeds and philosophies. Those who have long since turned their backs
upon the accepted creeds now find themselves in the company of those
who still claim allegiance to the church, but who feel themselves
cramped by the creeds fashioned for them by their fathers.
The leader of the New Thought, reaching the top of the mountain, often
finds himself face-to-face with a scientific _savant_ who has reached
the same place by climbing up the other side of the hill. And the
scientist and the New Thought man need not be surprised to find a
leader of advanced religious thought claiming a foothold on the top of
the same hill. But the trio, after they have congratulated themselves
upon reaching the summit and ending their journey look around them,
and lo! their mountain is but a foothill, and far above them, towering
higher and higher, rise range after range of the real mountains, the
highest peaks being hidden among the clouds!
One has but to look around him to see how strenuous has grown the
search for the answer to the riddle. New creeds, philosophies, cults
and schools confront us at every turn. The past has been ransacked for
its discarded philosophies, which have been renovated and trimmed anew
for modern use. The dust has been brushed off many an old and almost
forgotten creed, which is pushed to the front under a new name and
with new trimmings. Plato is worked overtime to furnish the twentieth
century creed promoters with material to be done over. The wildest
dreams of the ancients are toned down a little, and boldly offered to
the eager multitude as the long sought for solution of it all. Priests
and teachers of all the religions of all lands are among us vying with
the priests and priestesses of the new philosophies and creeds of our
own land, and bidding for public favor. And these new home-made
philosophies, how frightfully and wonderfully are they made! The old
philosophies of Greece and Rome are skilfully dovetailed with the
creeds of the Orient, and the result is a thing differing from
anything ever seen before by gods or men.
Brahmins, Buddhists, Confucians, Mahommedans and Sun Worshippers claim
thousands of followers in our land, and Isis and Osiris will before
long again be given a place and duly installed in the new Pantheon.
Thor and Odin will doubtless be revamped, and the rites of the Druids
revived. We are looking every day for the arrival on our shores of the
advance agent of the Joss propaganda from the Celestial kingdom.
And the home product is, if possible, more fantastic and _bizarre_
than the imported article. The wildest claims and statements are made
with an air of authority, and are accepted as "gospel" by the
adherents of the several sects. One does not know whether to sigh or
weep as he watches some of the modern prophets and prophetesses
strutting their little stage and cutting fantastic capers before high
heaven, thus adding to the gayety of the nations. The demand for these
things has been created, and nothing seems too highly spiced for the
devotees of the latter day creeds.
And the followers of those strange prophets, what of them? Many of
them are mere excitement hunters; others that class of people
possessed of a consuming thirst for something new; some are honest
seekers for the Truth; and others are those who have cut away from
their old moorings and are drifting about, rudderless and without an
anchor, at the mercy of any stray current which may sweep them along.
There are thousands of people who never heard of the philosophies and
creeds of the ancients, who are now dazzled by the revamped doctrines
expounded by the modern prophets, and who, being impressed with the
strangeness and novelty of the (to them) new truths, accept them as
inspired and emanating from the ABSOLUTE. New gods have
arisen and also new devils. The "Malicious Mental Magnetism" of the
Christian Scientists is as much a devil to them as was the orthodox
devil of one hundred years ago to our forefathers.
The new cults usually begin by performing cures by means of the power
of the mind and other natural laws, which they attribute to the
principles and teachings of their particular sects. Many of them now,
however, frankly admit that they are past the healing stage, and look
down upon the mere healing of disease as a thing too nearly allied to
the detested "material" plane to be seriously considered. The time of
the leaders is now principally occupied in announcing and elucidating
wonderful, high, spiritual truths for the seekers, soaring away up in
the clouds of transcendentalism, leaving their followers behind,
gaping upwards like a crowd at a country balloon ascension.
Once upon a time there was a reformer who attended a public meeting,
and took part in an exciting debate on an important question of the
day. At last, heated, wearied and disgusted by the fruitless struggle,
he left the hall and started for home. It was a beautiful, cold
winter's night, and the heavens were studded with stars shining bright
through the clear frosty atmosphere. Pausing for a moment in his rapid
walk, he glanced upward. The stars were twinkling away merrily. They
did not seem to be at all disturbed by what had been going on in the
meeting. They appeared just the same as when, in years past, as a boy
he had looked at them with wondering eyes. As he gazed, a peaceful
calm came over him, and his worry, doubts and fears seemed very petty.
At last one little star appeared to notice him, and he thought he
could see it cast a good-natured glance downward, saying, in a
cheerful voice, "Why so _hot_, little man?"
When we feel cast down with doubt, torn with anxiety, weak from loss
of faith, faint with fear, let us look aloft at the stars. When we see
those distant points of light, knowing them to be centers of solar
systems, knowing that beyond, beyond and beyond are countless other
suns and world, let us pluck up a little courage and realize that we
are a part of a mighty Law, a stupendous plan. Let us know that the
Power which called these things into life, and which is able to manage
them, and even greater things, has us in charge and will not allow us
to be destroyed. Let us know that we are but in the kindergarten stage
of existence and that we shall go on and on and on, from plane to
plane, ever onward and upward in the scale, until at last we shall be
able to spell out the lines of the primer of Life, and learn the
multiplication table of the Universe.
Let us in the meanwhile live on in trust and hope; one day at a time;
living our own lives; doing our best work; getting the joy which comes
from the simple, human life; lending a helping hand. Let us abolish
Fear and Hate, and replace them with Courage, Confidence and Love. Let
us look for Good rather than Evil. Let us know failure as merely a
lesson in Success. Let us look upon Death as Birth. Let us do the best
we can with this world, knowing that the next world will find us
prepared for its task. Let us know that we are in Eternity right NOW.
Let us know that God is not so far away as we have been taught, for is
it not true that in Him "we live and move and have our being!"
Let us preserve our sense of humor--for it will guard us against many
a fear, many a folly, many a delusion.
And, finally, let us keep out of the throng which is rushing wildly
hither and thither, after leaders, prophets, sages, seers. Let us look
within ourselves and see the little flame which burns steadily there.
Let us know that we have within us the Light of the Spirit which
naught can extinguish. And let us say with good old Newman:
"Lead, kindly Light, amid the encircling gloom
Lead thou me on.
The night is dark, and I am far from home;
Lead thou me on.
Keep thou my feet; I do not ask to see
The distant scene; one step enough for me.
Lead thou me on."
MENTAL PICTURES.
"I hang bright pictures in my mind"--Bright pictures encourage one;
gloomy ones depress--Get rid of your old gloomy mental pictures--Make
a bonfire of them--Get rid of the particularly miserable one, first of
all--Then put bright ones in their places.
"I now hang bright pictures in my mind," said a friend to me,
recently. Her remark explained to me without the necessity of further
words, the cause of her bright, cheerful and happy disposition, so
greatly in contrast with that of the despondent, fretful woman I had
known a few months ago. The change seemed so remarkable that one would
have almost expected her to have claimed some startling occurrence as
the cause of the wondrous transformation, instead of giving so
commonplace an explanation.
But just think how much there is in this thought: "I hang bright
pictures in my mind." Stop a moment, and let the thought sink deep
into your inner consciousness. "Bright pictures in the mind," why not,
indeed? If we wish to make a chamber, or office, bright and cheery, we
see that nothing but pictures representing bright, cheerful subjects
are hung there. They may be the choicest engravings or paintings, or
they may be some little inexpensive things, but just so they are
bright and cheery the purpose is accomplished, and the room somehow
seems a happier, more joyous place than before.
If we were preparing a new room for the occupancy of some dear one,
would we place there any but the brightest picture? Would we hang
there pictures of pain and misery, hate and murder, jealousy and
revenge, sickness, suffering and death, failure and discouragement?
Would we do this thing I ask you? Would _you_ do it? And if not,
why not, pray? Simply because you instinctively feel that the gloomy,
hateful subjects would react upon the loved one. And you know, is the
same way that the bright, cheerful, inspiring subjects are likely to
uplift, stimulate, encourage and make better the occupant of the
chamber.
Have you ever noticed that some rooms always seem to exert a
beneficial effect upon you, while others seem to depress you?
Certainly you have. Well, the next time you go into these rooms, look
around a little and see if the explanation of your moods is not to be
found in the character of the pictures on the walls. You may not have
specially noticed them before, but your sub-conscious mental faculties
have taken up the impression, and the reflex action has affected you.
Who can resist the "fetching" qualities of a bright, baby face,
smiling from a little picture on the mantel, or on the wall? Not I,
for one. And who can help feeling the sense of comradeship for the
kindly St. Bernard whose great, affectionate eyes look down upon you
from the engraving on the other side of the room. And on the other
hand, who could--but, now I'm not going to describe the other kind of
pictures in this article.
But now to get back to the "pictures in the mind." If the gloomy
pictures on the wall affect people, what do you suppose will be the
effect of carrying around gloomy, fearful, hateful, jealous, envious,
despondent mental pictures? Can any good come of lugging this trash
around with you? Come, now, be honest. Why don't you bundle up these
horrible chromos of the mind, and then make a bonfire of the lot. Now
is the time for a mental house-cleaning--get to work and clean out
these miserable daubs, and replace them with nice bright, cheerful,
happy, sunny, mental works of art. Do it to-day. You can't afford to
put it off until to-morrow--indeed you can't.
Oh, yes, I know that you have grown attached to some of these old
mental pictures--you've had 'em around so long that you hate to part
with them. There's that particular miserable one at which you're so
fond of looking--you know which one I mean. You see, I know all about
it. You've been in the habit of standing before it with folded hands,
and gazing, and gazing, and gazing at it. And the more you gazed, the
more miserable you grew, until at last you felt that you would like to
lie down and die, only that there was some work to do around the
house, and you couldn't spare the time. Yes, _that's_ the picture
I mean. Take it down and put it on top of the bonfire pile, and touch
off the whole lot. Then go back into the house and hang up all the new
ones to be found, and the brightest one of the lot must hang in the
place of that dear old miserable one that you threw out last--that one
which was so hard to part with (the meanest one in the lot, always).
And after you have done these things, how good you will feel. See how
bright and cheerful the sun is shining; how pure and fresh the air
seems--take a good long draught of it; look out the window and see the
fleecy white clouds floating across the sky; the sky itself--how blue
it is; and just listen to the bluebirds down by the old gate--Spring
must be coming. Ah, how good it is to be alive!
DON'T RETAIL YOUR WOES.
A miserable habit--It grows as it is fed--A nuisance to friends and
neighbors--It brings to you more of the same kind--You will get what
you look for--Looking for trouble brings it--Don't imagine that you
are being "put upon"--Don't retail your woes.
Don't retail your woes. Do you think that it does you any good to go
around with a long face, telling your tale of woe to everyone whom you
can induce to listen to you? Do you think that it does you any good?
Do you think it helps you to overcome your troubles, or makes your
burden any lighter? No, I don't believe that you think any such
things. All your experience teaches you that people do not like to
listen to long-drawn-out tales of your troubles--they have enough of
their own. Even those who are always ready to lend a helping hand and
to give what aid they can to one who needs it resent being made
targets for a continuous fusillade of troubles, woes, griefs, etc. And
you know very well that a constant repetition of your own woes will
only make them seem greater and more real to you. And then the chronic
retailer of woe grows to be like the journalist--develops a keen scent
for matter to be dished out to others--she needs it in her business.
When one gets into this habit of carrying about tales to her friends,
she runs out of ready material, and eagerly looks around for more with
which to supply the demand. She becomes quite an adept at discovering
insults, sneers, double-meaning remarks, etc., on the part of her
friends and relatives, where nothing of the kind was intended, and she
rolls these things over and over in her mind like sweet morsels before
she serves them up with appropriate trimmings, to her listeners.
You will notice that I say "her," in speaking of the victim of this
demoralizing habit, and some of my readers of that sex will
undoubtedly take me to task for blaming it on the woman instead of the
man. Well, you all know my ideas about the equality of the
sexes--about their being different, but one being as good as the
other, with the odds a little in favor of the woman. But I feel
justified in saying that this habit is one that seems to have a
special liking for women, and it generally picks out a woman for its
victim in preference to a man. When a man acquires this habit, he
becomes such a nuisance to his friends and associates that sooner or
later he will notice that they avoid him, and the chances are that
some blunt fellow will tell him that he has no time for listening to
tales of this kind, and that if he, the complainer, would display the
same energy in attending to his business that he does to peddling
around tales about how badly he has been used, he would not need any
sympathy. But woman, God bless her, does not like to hurt the feelings
of others in this way--she suffers the infliction in silence, and then
tells her friends how she has been bored. She will listen to her
woe-retailing friend, and seem to sympathize with her, and say, "Oh,
isn't it dreadful;" "how could she speak so harshly of you;" "you poor
dear, how you must have suffered;" "how could he have treated you so
unjustly," and other things of that kind. But when the visitor goes,
she yawns and says, "Dear me, if Mrs. Groan would only try to say
something more cheerful; she gives me the horrors with her tales about
her husband, her relatives, her friends, and everybody else." But Mrs.
Groan never seems to see the point, and she adds to her list of people
who have "put upon her," as she goes along, her tired-out friends
being added to the number, as their patience wears out.
And then the effect upon the woman herself. You know the effect of
holding certain lines of thoughts; of auto-suggestion; of the
attractive power of thought, and you can readily see how this woman
makes things worse for herself all the time. She goes around with her
mind fixed upon the idea that everybody's hand is against her, and she
carries about with her an aura that attracts to her all the unpleasant
things in the neighborhood. She goes around looking for trouble, and,
of course, she gets it. Did you ever notice a man or a woman looking
for trouble, and how soon they found it? The man looking for fight is
generally accommodated. The woman looking for "slights" always gets
them, whether the giver intends them or not. This sort of mental
attitude fairly draws out the worst in those with whom we come in
contact. And the predominant thought draws to itself all the
corresponding thought within its radius. One who dwells upon the
fancied fact that everybody is going around trying to injure him,
treat him unkindly, sneer at him, "slight" him, and generally use him
up, is pretty sure to find that he has attracted to him enough people
who will humor his fancy, and give him what he expects.
In "Thought Force" you will remember, I tell the story of the two
dogs. The one dog, dignified and self-respecting, whom no boy ever
thinks of bothering. The other dog, who expects to be kicked by every
passing boy, and who draws himself up, and places his tail between his
legs, and actually suggests the kick to the passing boy. Of course he
gets kicked. It's wrong for the boy to do it, I know, but the dog's
attitude is too much for the nature of the average boy. And
"grown-ups" are built upon the same plan. These people who are going
around in the mental attitude which invites unkind treatment,
generally manage to find someone who will have his natural meanness
drawn out to such a convenient lightning rod. And, in fact, such
people often generate harsh feelings in persons who scarcely ever
manifest them. Like attracts like in the world of thought, and one
draws upon him the things he fears, in many cases.
But one of the most regrettable things about this woe-retailing woman,
is the effect the habit has upon her own mind and character. When we
understand how one is constantly building up character, adding a
little every day, and that our thoughts of the day are the material
which are going into our character-structure, it will be seen that it
is a matter of the greatest importance what kind of thoughts we think.
Thoughts are not wasted. They not only go out in all directions,
influencing others--attracting persons and things to ourselves--but
they have a creative effect upon our own mind and character. Thought
along a certain line will develop certain brain-cells to a great
extent, and the cells manifesting the contrary line of thought are
allowed to dwindle away and shrivel up. Now, when we have our minds
fixed upon the thought that we are long-suffering mortals, and that
everyone else is trying to do mean things to us; that we are not
appreciated, and that those who should care most for us are only
biding their time until they can hurt us; we are building up our minds
along that line, and we find ourselves in the habit of looking for the
worst in everybody, and we often manage to bring it to the surface,
even if we have to dig hard for it.
Some of this class of people seem to take a particular delight in
bringing upon their head the harsh words and "slights" of others. Now,
I really mean this. I have seen people go around with that "I'm a worm
of the dust, please tread on me" air, and the same expression as that
in the eyes of the dog which expected to be kicked. And when somebody
would be nagged into saying or doing something that they would not
otherwise have thought of, the woe-seeker's eyes would assume an
expression of "I told you so," and "It's only poor me," and "It's all
I can expect, everybody wishes to crush me," and a few other assorted
thoughts of that kind. And then she will go to her room and moan and
weep, and dwell upon her miseries until they seem to be as large as a
mountain. And then the first chance she gets she will run around the
corner to a friend, and will retail all the new stock of woes which
she has accumulated, with fancy trimmings, you may feel sure, and the
friend will try hard to avoid showing that she is bored at the tale
she has so often heard, but will say nice little things, until the
mourner is sure that the whole world sympathizes with her, and she
feels a glow of righteous indignation, self-pity and martyrdom. Oh,
the pity of it all! These people go through the world, making things
harder for themselves, their friends, their relatives, and everyone
else with whom they come in contact. They are constantly seeking to
keep their stock fresh and attractive, and display more energy in
their retailing than the average man or woman does in business.
This thing of looking for trouble is a very unfortunate thing in
families. As a rule, I think that woman gets the worst of it in family
troubles. The economic position places her at a disadvantage, and she
often suffers all sorts of horrible things, rather than have her
troubles made public. But I must say that _some_ women bring upon
themselves all that they get. I have known them to get in a frame of
mind in which they could see nothing but unkindness, where the utmost
kindness was meant. Man is not an angel--far from it--but the attitude
of some women is enough to bring out all the qualities other than
angelic. They assume that they are "put upon" and live up to that
idea. Every word that the man says is twisted and distorted into
something entirely different from what he intended. The mental
attitude produces moral astigmatism, and things are seen at the wrong
angle. All the little things that happen are promptly retailed to some
mischief-making neighbor, who is in the game for the excitement it
affords her, and who laughs at the wife behind her back, and talks
about her in turn to some third person. And the wife fairly draws upon
herself all sort of things that never would have happened otherwise.
She knows that her neighbor is waiting for to-day's budget of news,
and she, almost unconsciously, shapes things so that the facts
justifying the news are forthcoming. Did you ever notice that woman
who keeps her troubles to herself does not have nearly as much
bickering and strife in her household as the one who has acquired the
retailing habit?
Don't retail your woes. Keep them to yourself, and they will die, but
spread them, and they will grow like weeds. You are making things
worse for yourself--are drawing things to you--and are spoiling your
mind, disposition and character by this miserable business of
retailing woes.
LIFE.
There is in each of us a potential Something for expression--The
Something Within--The plant of life--No use trying to repress it, for
develop it must--Life has a meaning--Growth, development and
unfoldment--The lesson of life.
There is in each of us a potential Something, pressing forth for
expression and growth in the direction of ultimate Good--casting
off sheath after sheath in its progressive development and
unfoldment--impelled by the impulse imparted by the Primal
Cause--attracted upward by the Absolute.
Failing to understand this impulse of the growing Something--seeking
relief from its steady pressure--we look upon it as an intruder, and
instead of allowing it to develop and grow naturally, we endeavor to
kill it, or to train its growth after our own petty notions. We fail
to see that this Something is like unto the plant which grows on
steadily and surely, from seed to blossom, until its potentialities
are fully expressed. We do not realize that this Plant of Life should
be allowed to grow as does the lily, freely and without restraint,
unfolding leaf after leaf, until the plant stands in its complete
beauty, crowned with its divine flower.
We would train the plant into some fantastic shape--dwarf it as the
Chinese do the oak, that it may become the pretty ornament of the
parlor instead of the noble monarch of the forest. We would have it
grow _our way_, not according to the law of its being. We fancy
that we know what is best for it, losing sight of the fact that deep
down in the subconscious depths of its being reposes that which
directs its every effort toward the Good--forgetting that its
attraction toward the Absolute is drawing it steadily and irresistibly
in the right direction. We forget that the plant will fulfill these
impulses so long as there remains in it one atom of life. The seed in
the ground will express itself in its little shoot, often moving
weights a thousand times heavier than itself in its efforts to reach
the rays of the sun. The sapling may be bent and confined to the
ground, but its branches, following the laws of its being will
instinctively shoot upward. Restrict the growth of the plant, if you
can, but, nevertheless, it will move along the lines of least
resistance and grow toward the sun, in spite of your efforts.
And so it is with the Plant of Life--the Something within us. We are
afraid to allow it to grow according to the laws of its being, but
wish to model it and shape it in accordance with the theories of
ourselves or others (more frequently the latter, for most of our ideas
on the subject are borrowed). We seem to imagine that the Intelligence
that thought the plant into existence did not understand its business,
and we are afraid that without the assistance of our mighty intellect
the poor thing will grow into a misshapen and unsightly thing. We
would alter the shape designed by its Maker, and would twist it into
the form approved of by the passing fashion of the hour. We would
substitute for the beauty and symmetry of Nature, our own fantastic
ideas of form.
But, like the plant, this Something of ours will not submit to the
confining bonds--will not conform to the false standards which we
would set up for it. Submitting as long as it must, it stores up
reserve strength day by day and keeps up a continuous steady pressure
in the direction of its desire, and some day, by a supreme effort, it
throws off the interfering obstacles, and, obeying the laws of its
being, again grows toward the Sun.
Life is growth. It moves along, pressing this way and that way, along
the lines of least resistance, drawing to itself that which it needs
for its complete expression and growth, using this thing and that
thing to-day, and discarding them to-morrow, after they have served
their purpose--after their helpful qualities have been extracted. It
assumes many forms in its growth, discarding sheath after sheath as
outgrown. Any attempt to compel it to retain a sheath, which has
become outgrown, will cause its life nature to revolt, and, in the
end, with a mighty effort, it will burst forth, tearing the confining
sheath into fragments. This Something may be restrained temporarily,
but its growth is as sure as the rising of to-morrow's sun, and its
attempted restraint only results, in the end, in a violent assertion
of its right to unfold and develop according to Law.
When we finally come to realize that Life has a meaning--that we are
here for a purpose--that the process of spiritual evolution is being
expressed in us and through us--that our growth is in accordance with
Law--that the Absolute understands its business--then will we cease to
attempt to meddle with the Great Plan. We will then cease our futile
efforts to mold to our absurd and arbitrary shapes that which is
intended to grow in the beautiful form of Nature's designing. We will
realize that the power which called into being this Life of ours, knew
just what it was about--that this Power placed within that Life the
energy which is expressing itself in changing form and color, but
which has but one real object--growth toward the sun, and when we
realize this truth we will begin to have Faith, and will trust the Law
to do that which is best to be done--will realize the folly of
imagining that the weight of the Universe rests upon our shoulders.
Some of these days we will awaken to the fact that ours is the conceit
of the fly resting upon the mighty revolving wheel, imagining that the
fanning of his wings causes the wheel to revolve. Some of these times
the fly, tired with its exertions, will stop to rest for a few
moments, when it will find that the wheel continues to revolve quite
well, thank you, without its active assistance. We have been taking
our little selves quite seriously, indeed. The Something within is
moving steadily and surely toward its goal, and much of the pain of
life comes to us by reason of our efforts to restrict it--our efforts
to change its motion, direction, speed. It is a mighty aid to those
who understand and move along with it--but woe unto those who get in
its way and endeavor to obstruct its progress. If unobstructed, there
is no friction--if interfered with it manifests friction, which means
pain.
This pain is the notice given us by the Law to the effect that we are
obstructing the growth of the Life Plant, and, if we are wise, we will
heed the warning. By conforming to the growth we will find that there
is little or no friction, and life begins to take on new pleasures. By
co-operating with the Law, and moving along with it, we will find that
things will "come our way" in a most unexpected manner. The Law is a
good friend and helper, and is of the greatest assistance to us, if we
but trust it to do its work well, in its own good way. We can use its
growing force to aid us in our daily pursuits, if we will trust it and
move along with it, but we must heed the first sign of friction and
understand that we are in some way interfering with its natural
growth. By living in accordance with the Law, instead of attempting to
oppose it, we will find that we are guided in the direction of places,
people and occupations best suited to develop us and to impart to us
the experience needed to round out our lives. A realization of this
fact by those who have experienced it, has given rise to the saying
"nothing ever _happens_." We find the teachers and helpers that we
require, and they find us. If we need certain information, we will
find it in some person or book, and will thus be placed upon the track
of that which we seek.
The Law will sometimes accomplish its results in ways far different
from that which we would have supposed to be the best, but after time
has passed we can look back and will see that the way by which the
results were accomplished was the best possible under all the
circumstances. We may meet with some bitter disappointments, losses,
sorrows, but in the end these things will be seen as good--will be
seen as having been necessary to give us the experience needed--to
round out our characters--to enable us to understand.
There are none who would be willing to part with the experience gained
from even the most painful events of their lives. After, say, ten
years have elapsed no man would be willing to have the memory and
recollection of his greatest pain eradicated; if at the same time he
would have to part with the experience and knowledge which have come
to him by reason of that pain. The pain and its resulting experience
have become a part of us, and we are not willing to be robbed of our
own.
And we will realize, in looking backward, that if we had been living
in accordance with the Law in the past--if we had understood its
workings--these very sorrows, disappointments, losses, would have been
considered only in view of their ultimate good, and the very sting of
the pain would thus have been removed. When we learn to regard the
pain of to-day as we now do the pain of ten years ago, we may feel
that we are beginning to understand something of the operation of the
Law of Good. And when we reach this stage, we will find that the pain
is no longer _pain_, but only a form of Good. When we cease to cause
friction, friction no longer exists for us.
The lessons of life _must_ be learned, sooner or later. It depends
upon us whether they shall be forced upon us, in spite of our
resistance, with much pain, or accepted by us, understandingly, with
knowledge. In one case we will have the pain which comes from opposing
the Law; in the other, we will learn the lesson equally well, without
the pain of the birching. The _lesson must be well learned in either
case_. Choose your method.
Now, I do not wish to be understood as meaning that we should simply
fold our hands and wait for the Law to bring all things to us without
any labor on our part. Try this way, though, if you like, and see how
quickly the Law will rap you over the knuckles to remind you that a
task is set before you. The proper way is to take up the task that
lies nearest your hand (and some task is _always_ there) and do
it well, with the knowledge that the task has been placed there in
accordance with the Law. If the task is not to your liking, you will
know that that is the very reason that it has been placed before
you--you have a lesson to learn from it. When the time comes for a
change you will find a strong desire for a something else full-grown
within you. Now is your chance. Trust to the Law to aid you in working
out your desire. The desire is there in accordance with the Law--its
very existence is a promise of its fulfillment. With the aid of the
Law you will work out your desire. It is true that when you attain the
object of your desire, it may not be just what you had thought it--may
not be at all what you want. Well, what of that? You have learned the
necessary lesson--have lived out the desire and will now outlive it.
Something else will take its place. And you will be surprised at the
_way_ that Law has brought about the accomplishment of your desire.
You will learn another lesson in this.
When you have learned to work on, merrily--doing your best--living
out each day's life--with Faith and Trust, Confidence and
Fearlessness--accepting the development of each day as meaning
ultimate Good--seeing and _feeling_ that the Law of Good is in full
operation--being willing to accept whatever it may bring you--then,
and not until then, good friend, will you begin to know what is LIFE.
LET US HAVE FAITH.
Faith necessary in every human undertaking--You have faith in man, but
are afraid to trust GOD--The Universe if governed by Law--The Law is
in operation everywhere--Don't be afraid--You are a part of the
plan--Fall in with the Law--Have faith, have faith.
When you take a journey by rail, you step into the car, settle
yourself, take out a book and read, and give little or no thought to
the engine or engineer in charge of the train. You go rushing across
the country at the rate of fifty miles an hour, with no thought of
possible disaster or accident, and for the time forgetting that there
is such a person in existence as the engineer. You have absolute faith
in the careful management of the road, and in the intelligence of the
man who has been placed in the engine. The lives of yourself and
hundreds of fellow passengers are practically in the hands of one man,
and that man is a stranger to you--you have never seen him--you know
nothing of his qualifications--you only know that the management has
picked him out to safely conduct you across the country.
You take a steamship to Europe and place yourselves in the hands of a
few men who are total strangers to you. You stake your life on their
skill, judgment and intelligence. You feel that they would not be
where they are unless the management of the line considered them
competent. It is all a matter of trust--of confidence. The same thing
is true when you take your seat on a trolley car or on the elevated
railroad, or even in a stage coach or a private carriage. In each case
you place yourself in the charge of another person in whom you have a
certain amount of confidence, although he may be comparatively, or
wholly, unknown to you.
You place your wealth in a bank, having confidence in its management.
You have business dealings with men whom you scarcely know, trusting
to their honesty of purpose. In every transaction in life you are
compelled to have confidence in people. Your lawyer, your physician,
your grocer, your clerks are all taken on faith. One cannot get away
from it. If confidence were destroyed the wheels of modern life would
stop in a minute. The so-called hard-headed practical man may sneer at
Faith, but it underlies every manifestation of the life of this
civilization.
Man has faith and confidence in Man, but is afraid to trust GOD. He
looks about him and sees millions of worlds, each in its appointed
place, each revolving in its own orbit. He has faith that at a certain
time each world will be in a certain position, which position may be
calculated centuries in advance--but he lacks faith in the Power that
created these worlds and keeps them in their places. He has faith in
certain Laws--but he doubts the existence of the Law-maker. He sees
the wondrous manifestation of Life in great and small. He takes
advantage of the telescope and the microscope and explores new
regions, and finds the Law in operation everywhere--but he doubts the
existence of a great Law which governs his life--his incomings and his
outgoings--his great deeds and his petty acts--he fails to realize the
truth of the saying that the hairs on his head are numbered, and that
not a sparrow may fall unnoticed.
He seems to think that if there is a GOD, he must have made the world
and then ran away and left it to take care of itself. He fails to see
that Law must govern Man's life as it governs the unfolding of the
leaf, the development of the lily. He fails to see that law is in full
operation within him as well as without him. He fails to see that as
he opposes the operation of Law, pain comes by reason of the friction.
He fails to see that the only true philosophy is that which teaches
one to fall in with the operations of Law, and to let it work in him
and through him.
Do you think for a moment that GOD does not know what he is about? Do
you doubt the Supreme Intelligence which knows all things and is
conscious of all things? Do you doubt the Supreme Power which
manifests itself in all forms of power? Do you doubt the Universal
Presence which is in all places at all times? Do you suppose that the
manifestation is everything, and the manifestor nothing? Poor man!
Either the Universe is without Law--without meaning--without reason,
or it is the manifestation of Supreme and Infinite Reason. Either it
is the work of a Demon who sits somewhere and grins and gloats over
our misfortunes--our trials--our troubles--our pain--our follies, or
it is the work of an All-knowing--All-powerful--All-present
Intelligence-Power-Presence which has taken into consideration
everything within the Universe, down to the tiniest thing--down to the
merest detail. And if this last be true, then everything that happens
must be in accordance with Law--everything that happens to us must be
the very best thing that could happen to us at that particular time
and that particular place.
Things are not run by blind chance--there is Law under everything.
Everything has some connection with every other thing--every person
has a relationship with every other person. All is One--the
manifestations are varied, but there is but One reality. There is a
great plan underlying all Life, and Life itself is in accordance with
that plan. Nothing ever _happens_. Every occurrence has a bearing
on every other occurrence. Chance has no part in the plan--everything
is in accord with well ordered laws. There is always an end in view in
every thought, word or act. We are constantly being used for the
benefit of the whole. There is no escape--and when we get to
_know_ we cease to wish to escape. He who understands not Law is
constantly struggling, striving, fighting and contending against it,
and, producing friction, he feels pain. He who understands something
of Law ceases to contend against it--he lets it work through him, and
is carried along with a mighty force, doing each day the best he knows
how, expressing himself in the best possible manner, sailing to the
right and to the left, with the wind and against the wind, but still
being borne on by the mighty current and resisting it not. He enjoys
every mile of the journey, seeing new sights and hearing new
sounds--moving on ever. He who understands not, rebels at being swept
along--he wishes to stay where he is, but there is no such thing as
staying--life is motion--life is growth. If you prefer to pull against
the tide--to row up stream--by all means do so. After a while you will
grow tired and weary, and will rest on your oars. Then you will find
that you are moving on just the same toward the unknown seas, and you
will find that it is much easier work rowing or sailing with the
current, or from one side of the river to another, than to attempt to
stay in the same place or to pull up the stream.
All this fretting--all this worrying--all this contention and strife,
comes from a lack of Faith. We may assert fervently that we know that
All is Good, and that all is best for us, etc., etc., but have we
enough faith to manifest it in our lives? See how we endeavor to tie
on to _things_, people, and environments. How we resist the steady
pressure that is tearing us loose, often with pain, from the places to
which we have wished to stay fastened like a barnacle. The Life force
is back of us, urging us along--pushing us along--and move we must.
The process of growth, development and unfoldment is going on
steadily. What's the use of attempting to resist it? You are no more
than a water-bug on the surface of the river. You may dart here and
there, and apparently are running things to suit yourself without
reference to the current, but all the time you are moving along with
it. The water-bug plan is all right, just so long as we do not attempt
to stop the current or to swim right against it--when we try this we
find out very quickly that the current has something to say about it,
and before long we get so tired that we are willing to fall in with
the law behind the current. And yet even the opposition is good, for
it teaches us that the current is there--we gain by experience. The
New Thought does not teach people to stem the current or to swim up
stream, although some teachers and some students seem to be of that
opinion. On the contrary, the real New Thought teaches us of the
existence of the stream, and that it is moving steadily toward the Sea
of Good. It teaches us how to fall in with it, and be borne further
along, instead of attempting to hold back and become barnacles, or to
try to push back up the stream. It also teaches us to live in the
Now--to enjoy the darting backward and forward over the face of the
waters. It also tells us of the direction in which the current is
moving, that we may move along that way, without wasting our energies
in trying to go the other. It teaches us co-operation with Law,
instead of opposition to it.
Why do we not have Faith? Why do we not see the great Plan behind it
all? Why do we not recognize Law? As we have seen, we place our
confidence in the engineer of the train--the pilot--the captain--the
coach-driver, and the other guiding hands and yet we hesitate to trust
ourselves in the hands of the Infinite. Of course, it makes no
difference to the Infinite whether or not we repose trust in it. It
moves along just the same, guiding and directing--steering and
regulating speed--it minds not our doubts and obstructions any more
than does the great driving-wheel mind the fly who is perched upon it
and who does not like the movement and attempts to stop it by
spreading out its wings and buzzing. The great wheel of the Universe
is moving around, steadily and mightily. Let us go with it. And while
we are going let us spare ourselves the trouble and folly of the
buzzing, wing-spreading business.
Let us part with Fear and Worry. Let us cease our imagining that we
can run the Universe better than the engineer who has his hand on the
throttle. Let us cease imagining that GOD needs advice on the subject.
Let us stop this folly of saying "Poor God, with no one to help him
run things." Let us trust the engineer. Let us have faith--let us have
faith.
DO IT NOW.
Do to-day's tasks now--Don't try to do to-morrow's work to-day,
but be sure and do the day's work Now--The baneful effects of
procrastination--Not fair to yourself--Demoralization attendant upon
putting off things--The world looking for people who can do things
Now.
If you have anything to do--do it. If you have any task to perform
to-day--do it Now. If the matter cannot possibly be performed to-day,
stop bothering about it, and get to work doing the things of to-day.
But don't get into that miserable habit of putting off things until
later in the day, or later in the week--do them _now_. The old
proverb: "Procrastination is the thief of time," is true, but it does
not go far enough. Procrastination is not only the thief of time, but
the thief of energy--the thief of efficiency--the thief of success.
We have had much to say about living in the Now--about not dwelling in
the past or fretting about the future. And all this is true, and I
will probably say it over and over again during the year, because I
believe in it, and wish you to get acquainted with the idea. But
living in the Now does not merely mean the thinking of the thoughts of
to-day--the carrying of the burdens of to-day--the meeting of the
problems of to-day. It also means the doing of the WORK of to-day.
To attempt to carry last year's burdens--or next week's
burdens--to-day, is folly of the worst kind, as you well know. But it
is equally foolish to put off to-day's work until to-morrow. It's not
treating to-morrow right--not giving it a chance. The Self of
to-morrow is not exactly the Self of to-day. That is, it has grown a
little and is the Self of to-day plus the added experience of the day.
And it is just as selfish for the Self of to-day to attempt to throw
his burdens upon the Self of to-morrow as it would be for you to
attempt to throw your burdens upon your brother or sister. It is not
only selfish, but it is hurtful to you--it impedes your growth.
To-day's work is set before you because of the lesson it contains, and
if you refuse to accept your lesson, you are the loser. You cannot get
away from the task. It will be placed before you again and again until
it is performed, and you might as well do it at once, and get your
lesson at the proper time, and not be compelled like the schoolboy to
"catch-up" in his work. By putting off things until to-morrow, you are
simply heaping up troubles for yourself to-morrow, as to-morrow's own
work will have to be done as well as your leftover tasks, and the
chances are that neither of them will be done properly. There's no
sense whatever in this habit of procrastinating. It is folly of the
worst kind.
And not only in the immediate effects is procrastination hurtful to
one. One of the worst features of the case is the demoralizing effect
it has upon the whole mental attitude of the man. It cultivates
laziness, indecision, shiftlessness, slackness and many other
undesirable habits of thought and action. It manifests itself in
numberless ways in the character of the man who has allowed himself to
be tangled in it. It impairs his efficiency--affects his value.
Then again, you are really unfair to yourself if you get in the way of
putting off things. You never have any time to yourself if you have a
number of old matters demanding your attention. The man who
procrastinates is never able to spare time for mental improvement,
because he always has some old loose ends to wind up--some old tangle
to straighten out. And he loses all idea of the value of time--of
getting the most out of every hour, every minute. The procrastinator
is the veriest drudge--he has his nose to the grindstone all the time.
He never has any time he can call his own. He is a slave to his own
habit of "laying things aside." Poor man.
I am satisfied that half the failures of life--yes, three-quarters of
them--are due to the failure of persons to do the thing Now. Not only
because of what they lose directly by this habit, but because of the
effect it produces upon their character. The shiftless habit of
thought manifests itself in action. The thought and action, long
persisted in, will lead to a demoralization of the entire character of
the individual. He soon forgets how to do things right. And that is
where so many people fail. The world is looking for people who can DO
things--and who can Do Them Now.
If you are one of the procrastinating kind, start in at once and get
over it. Put up a sign before your desk, your sewing machine, your
work-bench, or wherever you spend most of your time, and have these
words in big black letters on the sign:--"DO IT NOW!" By carrying the
thought of this NOW way of doing things, and letting it manifest
itself in action as frequently as possible, you will find that before
long your entire mental attitude regarding work has changed, and you
will find yourself doing things when they should be done, without any
particular effort on your part. The mind can be trained and taught to
do things right. It needs a little courage, a little perseverance, a
little will-power, but the result will pay you for your trouble. Start
in to cure yourself of this bad habit. Start in at once. Do it NOW.
GET IN TUNE.
Marconi's wireless messages--Vibrations reach only the instruments
attuned to the sender--The same law in operation on the mental
plane--The correct pitch is the thing--Get in tune with the proper
vibrations--Get the messages from the best senders.
I have just finished reading an account of Marconi's wireless
telegraphy. It seems that when a message is sent from the Marconi
transmitter, the vibrations travel in all directions, and not alone in
the direction of the person to whom the message is sent. It would seem
to the reader, at first, that any instrument, in any direction from
the sender, could and would be affected by the vibrations and would
take up and record them. But such is not the case, for Marconi finds
that he can attune his receiving instrument to a certain pitch, and
that the instrument will receive and record only vibrations emanating
from a sending instrument attuned to the same pitch. This is true no
matter how near the instruments may be to each other, or in what
direction they may be from each other. And all instruments,
irrespective of number, that may be within sending distance, will
receive the message providing they are attuned to the same pitch.
Now just notice how much this corresponds to what we know of the
working of Thought-force. People whose minds are attuned to a certain
pitch will receive the vibrations from the minds of others whose
mental keynote is the same. And if one maintains a high positive
keynote, he will not be affected by the vibrations emanating from the
mind of another who may have a low negative pitch. The nearer to our
pitch the mind of another may be, the more we feel the sympathetic
vibrations in our own mind; the greater the difference in the pitch,
the less we will feel in sympathy with him. This will account for the
instinctive likes or dislikes that many of us experience when coming
into the presence of other people. And how soon do people of kindred
vibrations seek out and find each other in a mixed assembly. Many
likes, unexplainable by any theory of personal appearance, etc., arise
from this cause.
And as the Marconi instruments may have their pitch changed, so are
our mental keynotes changed from time to time as we adjust ourselves
to new conditions--as we grow. This will explain why two people, who
at one time seemed to be in perfect attunement with each other, will
drift apart until at last they seem to have scarcely a thought or
feeling in common, and yet both of them may be good people, really
anxious to be helpful to the other.
But this is not the only way in which the working of the Marconi
system resembles the workings of the mind. I have often called your
attention to the fact that the holding of certain mental attitudes
resulted in the attraction to oneself of thought vibrations
corresponding to the general character or the thought held in the mind
of the person. Let a man be filled with the spirit of Jealousy, and
everything seems to feed that feeling. He hears of cases of
faithlessness on the part of other persons; every circumstance seems
to confirm him in his belief. The actions of the loved one seem doubly
suspicious--signs of guilt are seen in every expression, every move.
He draws to himself the thought-waves of other minds vibrating on the
same pitch--like attracts like. Let a man drop into the Fearthought
condition, and immediately he feels the rush of Fear to his mind. Let
him cast aside Fear, and attune himself to the Fearless pitch, and he
feels an influx of Courage, Fearlessness, Confidence, Energy and other
positive thoughts.
And according to the character of your thoughts, will you draw to
yourself people calculated to co-operate with you and be of assistance
to you. Even things seem to shape themselves to fit in with the
keynote you have sounded.
Not only do you attract to yourself people and things corresponding
with your mental pitch, but you send out thought-waves affecting
others creating impressions upon them. Go into the presence of an "I
Can and I Will" man, and, if you are of the same kind, he will
instantly perceive it and will be glad to talk to you. On the other
hand, approach a man of this kind, with your mind full of "I Can't,"
and he will be conscious of inharmony and will want to be rid of your
presence at once. Be a man with the southern exposure, such as I
described to you in another article, and you will find that you will
extract and draw to yourself all the sunniness in the nature of people
with whom you come in contact. Be a human wet blanket, such as I have
described in another article, and you will find that you will get the
meanest qualities inherent in the nature of people with whom you come
in contact--in fact you will be able to attract only that kind of
people who are as musty and unwholesome as yourself.
Get rid of the old negative notes. Start in and cultivate the
positive, joyous, active vibrations, until you reach the steady mental
pitch of the "New Thought" man. Then will all the negative vibrations
pass you by, finding no encouragement to enter your mentality--then
will you receive the bright, cheerful, happy, fearless vibrations
coming from others who have reached the same plane of thought.
Get in tune--get in tune.
MENTAL TOXIN AND ANTI-TOXIN.
A new toxin--The microbes in the thoughts we think--The new
anti-toxin--Thoughts may poison--Fear causes paralysis--Hate causes
insanity--Fear and Hate have killed their thousands--Gates'
experiments--How to overcome the poison of bad-thinking.
In these days of toxin and anti-toxin--of poison in sausages, oysters,
canned beef, ice cream--of anti-toxin serums (that often are more
deadly than the original toxin) for the prevention and cure of
tuberculosis, leprosy, pneumonia, typhoid fever, tetanus, bubonic
plague, diphtheria, and the rest of the list, it requires courage to
call the attention of the public to a new "toxin," even if at the same
time we furnish an anti-toxin that "anti-toxicates."
We shudder at the thought of microbes and bacilli--and thereby attract
them to us; we filter our drinking water, after boiling all the life
out of it; we develop into microbe hunters, and see poison in
everything we wear, eat, drink or breathe. But we overlook the
microbes in the thoughts we think. We encourage the enterprising
doctor in his giddy chase after the nimble dollar, as he produces
anti-toxin serums to order. The poor, broken-down cart horse is worked
overtime in producing filthy pus and serum for the serum-maniac to
inject into our circulation. But we overlook the pure, harmless,
powerful anti-toxin obtained fresh from the cells of the brain--Right
Thinking.
That Thoughts may poison, is a well-proven fact. Depressing thoughts
interfere with the cerebral circulation, impairing the nutrition of
the cells and nerve centers. The result is that the organs and tissues
manifest lost or impaired function--loss of general nutrition
follows--and a break-down is inevitable. Fear, worry, anger, envy,
jealousy, and other negative thoughts, reflect themselves most
disastrously in the human system. Fear has paralyzed nerve centers,
and turned the hair white over night. A mother's milk has been
poisoned by a fit of anger. Fear and Hate--father and son--have
produced insanity, idiocy, paralysis, cholerina, jaundice, sudden
decay of teeth, fatal anaemia, skin diseases, erysipelas, and eczema.
Epidemics owe their rapid spread and heavy death rate to Fear and
Ignorance. Epidemics may kill their dozens--Fear kills its thousands.
All the brood of negative, fearful, selfish, hateful thoughts manifest
themselves in physical conditions. Stigmata or marks upon the body,
caused by fear or desire, are quite common in the annals of medical
science and psychology.
Professor Gates, of the Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C., in
his investigation of the effect of mental states upon the body, found
that irascible, malevolent and depressing emotions generated in the
system injurious compounds, some of which were extremely poisonous;
he also found that agreeable, happy emotions, generated chemical
compounds of nutritious value, which stimulated the cells to
manufacture energy. He says: "Bad and unpleasant feelings create
harmful chemical products in the body which are physically injurious.
Good, pleasant, benevolent feelings create beneficial chemical
products which are physically healthful. These products _may be
detected by chemical analysis_ in the perspiration and secretions
of the individual. More than forty of the good, and as many of the
bad, have been detected. Suppose half a dozen men in a room. One
feels depressed, another remorseful, another ill-tempered, another
jealous, another cheerful, another benevolent. Samples of their
perspiration are placed in the hands of the psycho-physicist. Under
his examination they reveal all these emotional conditions distinctly
and unmistakably." Remember, this is not "the airy fancy of some
enthusiastic Mental Scientist," but is the testimony of a leading
scientific investigator in the laboratories of the Smithsonian
Institution, one of the best known scientific institutions of the
world. "Chemical analysis," mind you--not "transcendental imaginings."
Now I have said enough about the toxin and some little about the
anti-toxin of the Mind. I might go on for hours, stating example
after example; illustration after illustration, but the tale would
be just the same. Now what are you going to do about it? Are you
going to keep on poisoning yourself and those around you with vile,
malignant thoughts reeking with the miasmatic effluvia of Hate--emitting
the noxious exhalation of Fear and Worry? Or will you cease being a
psychic pest-house, and begin to fumigate and disinfect your Mind?
And after getting rid of all the microbes of Fear and Worry and the
bacilli of Hate, Jealousy and Envy, open wide the windows of the Mind
and admit the bright Sunshine of Love, and the bracing air of
Confidence and Fearlessness.
Come, friends, let us get out of this habit of poisoning the air
with Fear, Worry and Hate Thought. Let us join the ranks of the
Don't Worry company--the Fearless brigade--the invincible, conquering
army of Love. Let us be bright, cheerful and happy--the other things
are not worth while. Let us be Confident, Expectant, Hopeful and
Fearless--these things are winners. Let us be filled with Love for all
men--and we will find that Life is one sweet song. Love, Faith and
Fearlessness, are the ingredients of Life's great Anti-Toxin. Try it
and be blessed.
Ella Wheeler Wilcox
Undertakes New Work.
FAVORITE AUTHOR BECOMES ASSOCIATE EDITOR OF THE NEW THOUGHT
MAGAZINE. BEST WRITING SHE HAS EVER DONE NOW APPEARING IN THAT
BRIGHT PUBLICATION.
The many friends and admirers of Ella Wheeler Wilcox will be
interested to learn that this gifted author and thinker has connected
herself, in the capacity of associate editor, with the New Thought
magazine, and that hereafter her writings will appear regularly in
that bright publication, of which the aim is to aid its readers in the
cultivation of those powers of the mind which bring success in life.
Mrs. Wilcox's writings have been the inspiration of many young men and
women. Her hopeful, practical, masterful views of life give the reader
new courage in the very reading, and are a wholesome spur to flagging
effort. She is in perfect sympathy with the purpose of the New Thought
magazine. The magazine is having a wonderful success, and the writings
of Mrs. Wilcox for it, along the line of the new movement, are among
her best. Words of truth, so vital that they live in the memory of
every reader and cause him to think--to his own betterment and the
lasting improvement of his own work in the world, in whatever line it
lies--flow from this talented woman's pen.
The magazine is being sold on all news stands for five cents. It is
the brightest, cleanest and best publication in its class, and its
editors have hit the keynote of all sound success. The spirit of every
bit of print from cover to cover of the magazine is the spirit of
progress and upbuilding--of courage, persistence and success. Virile
strength and energy, self-confidence, the mastery of self and
circumstances are its life and soul, and even the casual reader feels
the contagion of its vigor and its optimism.
FREE.--The publishers will be pleased to send a handsome portrait of
Mrs. Wilcox, with extracts from her recent writings on the New
Thought, free. Address, The New Thought, 100, The Colonnades,
Vincennes Ave., Chicago.
A FULL LIST
...OF...
Important Books
PUBLISHED BY
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personal check is used, add 10c. for exchange fee. ORDERS FILLED THE
DAY THEY ARE RECEIVED.
~Thought-Force~ (In Business and Every-Day Life)
By WILLIAM WALKER ATKINSON
A wonderfully vivid book answering the questions: Can I make my
life more happy and successful through mental control? How can I
affect my circumstances by my mental effort? Just how shall I go
about it to free myself from my depression, failure, timidity,
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from whom I desire favor? How am I to recognize the causes of my
failure and thus avoid them?
Can I make my disposition into one which is active, positive, high
strung and masterful? How can I draw vitality of mind and body
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"Thought-Force" gives an answer to questions like these. The book
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Bound in Purple Silk Cloth, Gold Lettering. Price, $1.00, postpaid.
With One Year's Subscription to New Thought, both for $1.35.
~Nuggets of the New Thought~ (In Press)
By WILLIAM WALKER ATKINSON
A series of essays by this forceful writer, constituting the cream
of his magazine articles upon New Thought topics. The famous "I
Can and I Will" essay forms the opening chapter. "The Secret of
the I AM," of which 40,000 copies have been sold, is also
contained in this volume. We heartily commend this book as
interpretative of the higher teaching. A most suitable gift book.
Silk cloth, purple and gold. Price $1.00, postpaid.
With New Thought, One Year, both, $1.35.
~The Law of The New Thought~
By WILLIAM WALKER ATKINSON
This is a plain answer to the oft repeated questions. "What Is The
New Thought?" "What does it mean?" "What principles does it stand
for?" "Is it different from what is called Mental Science, or
Christian Science?" The New Thought is quite different. It is so
broad and comprehensive in its bearing upon human life and human
happiness that it can only be defined by its name, New Thought.
Mr. Atkinson's new book not only explains what the law is upon
which New Thought is based, but teaches how it may be used to the
greatest good of men.
Silk Cloth, Purple and Gold. Price, $1.00, postpaid.
With New Thought, One Year, $1.35.
~The Heart of The New Thought~ (In Press)
By ELLA WHEELER WILCOX
A new book of original essays by this gifted woman dealing with
The New Thought in practice. This book will be off the press about
the beginning of December. A first edition of 50,000 copies has
been ordered. It deals with the practice of New Thought in our
daily lives. A helpful and inspiring book, fully equal to the very
best work this author has done.
Silk Cloth, Purple and Gold. Price, $1.00, postpaid.
With New Thought, One Year, $1.35.
~Mesmerism in India~
By JAMES ESDAILE, M.D.
A classic from the pen of a surgeon in the British Army, stationed
in India fifty years ago. A most fascinating work for the student
of practical psychology, containing the plainest description of
the methods then in vogue of inducing the artificial coma for the
performance of painless surgical operations.
Silk Cloth, Purple and Gold. Price, $1.00, postpaid.
With New Thought, One Year, $1.35.
~The Home Course in Osteopathy~
A clear and practical work, fully illustrated, for home use,
explaining the Theory and Practice of Osteopathy, Massage and
Manual Therapeutics, and illustrating all the different movements.
The only complete work of the kind ever published.
Silk Cloth, Purple and Gold. Price, $1.00, postpaid.
Formerly sold at $5.00 in paper covers.
With New Thought, One Year, $1.35.
~Series "A"~
A masterly work dealing with two phases of development: the mental
showing forth in self-control and force of character: and the
spiritual as taught through Zoism, the new mental science. This
book makes plain that which is known as the Law of Mental
Currents, and teaches much that is new to the student of
metaphysics. It is clearly and simply written and has been warmly
endorsed by Ella Wheeler Wilcox.
Silk Cloth, Purple and Gold. Price, $1.00, postpaid.
With New Thought, One Year, $1.35.
~Series "B"~
This is a book for physicians, dentists, osteopaths and
professional nurses particularly, inasmuch as it deals with the
theory and practice both of suggestive therapeutics and magnetic
healing. It is intensely practical, and gives the clearest
directions how to proceed to induce the state of passivity
necessary for the curing of diseases by these means. It is
considered by all authorities to be the most complete work,
written purely for instruction's sake, ever put out. It is well
illustrated.
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~Series "C"~
This is a compilation of new, copyright works dealing with the
practice of clairvoyance or crystal-gazing, human magnetism,
auto-suggestion, concentration, and mind reading in its two
aspects of muscle reading and true telepathy. This book really
tells how to perform mind-reading. In this it is unique; no other
work to our knowledge, being really useful in this regard.
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~Series "D"~
Although this is the last of this series of books it is in some
respects the most important of any. A life-time of study and
practice will not exhaust its stores of knowledge. It deals with
Psychometry, Phrenology. Palmistry, Astrology, Mediumship and
Somnopathy. This last is a new word, coined by the author, Sydney
Flower, to define his discovery of a new method of educating the
young, i.e., during natural sleep. Of this method, a lady writing
in The Washington Post, of recent date, said: "I never punish my
little ones, I simply wait till they are asleep, and then I talk
to them, not loud enough, you understand, to wake them, but in a
low voice. I tell them over and over that they must be good, I
suggest goodness to them, for I think the mind is just as
susceptible to suggestion during the natural sleep as during the
working state. I concentrate my mind on it, and I am confident
that before long all mothers will adopt my method. It is the best
way I know of to bring up children." This method is fully
described by its discoverer in this work, and the endorsements of
prominent physicians are given in full.
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With New Thought, One Year, $1.35.
~The Mail-Order Business~
By SYDNEY FLOWER
This little book, if we are to judge by the testimony of those who
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and women who are now looking to the mail-order field as a means
of starting in business for themselves in a small way. This book
is very practical, very simple, very much to the point. It teaches
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etc., in short, how to conduct a small mail-order business on a
limited capital.
Silk Cloth, Purple and Gold. Price, $1.00, postpaid.
With New Thought, One Year, $1.35.
~The Mind's Attainment~ (In Press)
By URIEL BUCHANAN
Every reader of New Thought literature is familiar with the
charming literary style of Mr. Buchanan. This book, which will be
ready by the end of November, expresses more nearly the high
ideals of the author than anything he has hitherto published. It
gives the essence of a beautiful and Uplifting philosophy that
cannot fail to benefit and instruct humanity.
Silk Cloth, Purple and Gold. Price, $1.00, postpaid.
With New Thought, One Year, $1.35.
THESE BOOKS ARE PUBLISHED AND OWNED BY
THE PSYCHIC RESEARCH COMPANY,
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CHICAGO.
All books are sold by this company upon the full refund principle of "Your
money back if the book does not suit you."
* * * * * *
Transcriber's note:
Minor typographical errors have been corrected without note.
Irregularities and inconsistencies in the text have been retained
as printed.
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