Enclosed herewith you will find Part Five. After studying this part carefully, you will see that every conceivable force
or object or fact is the result of mind in action.
Mind in action is thought, and thought is creative. Men are thinking now as they never thought before.
Therefore, this is a creative age, and the world is
awarding its richest prizes to the thinkers. Matter is powerless,
passive,
inert. Mind is force, energy, power. Mind shapes and
controls matter. Every form which matter takes is but the expression
of some pre-existing thought.
But thought works no magic transformations; it obeys
natural laws; it sets in motion natural forces; it releases natural
energies; it manifests in your conduct and actions,
and these in turn react upon your friends and acquaintances, and
eventually
upon the whole of your environment. You can originate
thought, and, since thoughts are creative, you can create for yourself
the things you desire.
PART FIVE
1. At least ninety per cent of our mental life is subconscious, so that those who fail to make use of this mental power live
within very narrow limits.
2. The subconscious can and will
solve any problem for us if we know how to direct it. The subconscious
processes are always
at work; the only question is, are we to be simply
passive recipients of this activity, or are we to consciously direct the
work? Shall we have a vision of the destination to be
reached, the dangers to be avoided, or shall we simply drift?
3. We have found that mind pervades every part of the physical body and is always capable of being directed or impressed by
authority coming from the objective or the more dominant portion of the mind.
4. The mind, which pervades the body,
is largely the result of heredity, which, in turn, is simply the result
of all the environments
of all past generations on the responsive and
ever-moving life forces. An understanding of this fact will enable us to
use
our authority when we find some undesirable trait of
character manifesting.
5. We can consciously use all the desirable characteristics with which we have been provided and we can repress and refuse
to allow the undesirable ones to manifest.
6. Again, this mind which pervades
our physical body is not only the result of hereditary tendencies, but
is the result of
home, business and social environment, where countless
thousands of impressions, ideas, prejudices and similar thoughts have
been received. Much of this has been received from
others, the result of opinions, suggestions or statements; much of it is
the result of our own thinking, but nearly all of it
has been accepted with little or no examination or consideration.
7. The idea seemed plausible, the
conscious received it, passed it on to the subconscious, where it was
taken up by the Sympathetic
System and passed on to be built into our physical
body. "The word has become flesh."
8. This, then, is the way we are
consistently creating and recreating ourselves; we are today the result
of our past thinking,
and we shall be what we are thinking today, the Law of
Attraction is bringing to us, not the things we should like, or the
things we wish for, or the things some one else has,
but it brings us "our own," the things which we have created by our
thought
processes, whether consciously or unconsciously.
Unfortunately, many of us are creating these things unconsciously.
9. If either of us were building a
home for ourselves, how careful we would be in regard to the plans; how
we should study
every detail; how we should watch the material and
select only the best of everything; and yet how careless we are when it
comes to building our Mental Home, which is infinitely
more important than any physical home, as everything which can possibly
enter into our lives depends upon the character of the
material which enters into the construction of our Mental Home.
10. What is the character of this
material? We have seen that it is the result of the impressions which we
have accumulated
in the past and stored away in our subconscious
Mentality. If these impressions have been of fear, of worry, of care, of
anxiety;
if they have been despondent, negative, doubtful, then
the texture of the material which we are weaving today will be of the
same negative material. Instead of being of any value,
it will be mildewed and rotten and will bring us only more toil and
care and anxiety. We shall be forever busy trying to
patch it up and make it appear at least genteel.
11. But if we have stored away
nothing but courageous thought, if we have been optimistic, positive,
and have immediately
thrown any kind of negative thought on the scrap pile,
have refused to have anything to do with it, have refused to associate
with it or become identified with it in any way, what
then is the result? Our mental material is now of the best kind; we
can weave any kind of material we want; we can use any
color we wish; we know that the texture is firm, that the material
is solid, that it will not fade, and we have no fear,
no anxiety concerning the future; there is nothing to cover, there are
no patches to hide.
12. These are psychological facts;
there is no theory or guesswork about these thinking processes; there is
nothing secret
about them; in fact, they are so plain that every one
can understand them. The thing to do is to have a mental house-cleaning,
and to have this house-cleaning every day, and keep
the house clean. Mental, moral and physical cleanliness are absolutely
indispensable if we are to make progress of any kind.
13. When this mental house-cleaning process has been completed, the material which is left will be suitable for the making
of the kind of ideals or mental images which we desire to realize.
14. There is a fine estate awaiting a
claimant. Its broad acres, with abundant crops, running water and fine
timber, stretch
away as far as the eye can see. There is a mansion,
spacious and cheerful, with rare pictures, a well-stocked library, rich
hangings, and every comfort and luxury. All the heir
has to do is to assert his heirship, take possession, and use the
property.
He must use it; he must not let it decay; for use is
the condition on which he holds it. To neglect it is to lose possession.
15. In the domain of mind and spirit,
in the domain of practical power, such an estate is yours. You are the
heir! You can
assert your heirship and possess, and use this rich
inheritance. Power over circumstances is one of its fruits, health,
harmony
and prosperity are assets upon its balance sheet. It
offers you poise and peace. It costs you only the labor of studying and
harvesting its great resources. It demands no
sacrifice, except the loss of your limitations, your servitudes, your
weakness.
It clothes you with self-honor, and puts a scepter in
your hands.
16. To gain this estate, three processes are necessary: You must earnestly desire it. You must assert your claim. You must
take possession.
17. You admit that those are not burdensome conditions.
18. You are familiar with the subject
of heredity. Darwin, Huxley, Haeckel, and other physical scientists
have piled evidence
mountain high that heredity is a law attending
progressive creation. It is progressive heredity which gives man his
erect
attitude, his power of motion, the organs of
digestions, blood circulation, nerve force, muscular force, bone
structure and
a host of other faculties on the physical side. There
are even more impressive facts concerning heredity of mind force. All
these constitute what may be called your human
heredity.
19. But there is a heredity which the
physical scientists have not compassed. It lies beneath and antecedent
to all their
researches. At a point where they throw up their hands
in despair, saying they cannot account for what they see, this divine
heredity is found in full sway.
20. It is the benignant force which
decrees primal creation. It thrills down from the Divine, direct into
every created being.
It originates life, which the physical scientist has
not done, nor ever can do. It stands out among all forces supreme,
unapproachable.
No human heredity can approach it. No human heredity
measures up to it.
21. This Infinite Life flows through you; is you. Its doorways are but the faculties which comprise your consciousness. To
keep open these doors is the Secret of Power. Is it not worthwhile to make the effort?
22. The great fact is, that the source of all life and all power is from within. Persons, circumstances and events may suggest
need and opportunities, but the insight, strength and power to answer these needs will be found within.
23. Avoid counterfeits. Build firm foundations for your consciousness upon forces which flow direct from the Infinite source,
the Universal Mind of which you are the image and likeness.
24. Those we have come into
possession of this inheritance are never quite the same again. They have
come into possession
of a sense of power hitherto undreamed of. They can
never again be timid, weak, vacillating, or fearful. They are
indissolubly
connected with Omnipotence. Something in them has been
aroused; they have suddenly discovered that they possess a tremendous
latent ability of which they were heretofore entirely
unconscious.
25. This power is from within, but we
cannot receive it unless we give it. Use is the condition upon which we
hold this inheritance.
We are each of us but the channel through which the
Omnipotent power is being differentiated into form; unless we give, the
channel is obstructed and we can receive no more. This
is true on every plane of existence and in every field of endeavor
and all walks of life. The more we give, the more we
get. The athlete who wishes to get strong must make use of the strength
he has, and the more he gives the more he will get.
The financier who wishes to make money must make use of the money he
has,
for only by using it can he get more.
26. The merchant who does not keep
his goods going out will soon have none coming in; the corporation which
fails to give
efficient service will soon lack customers; the
attorney who fails to get results will soon lack clients, and so it goes
everywhere;
power is contingent upon a proper use of the power
already in our possession; what is true in every field of endeavor,
every
experience in life, is true of the power from which
every other power known among men is begotten -- spiritual power. Take
away the spirit and what is left? Nothing.
27. If then the spirit is all there is, upon the recognition of this fact must depend the ability to demonstrate all power,
whether physical, mental or spiritual.
28. All possession is the result of
the accumulative attitude of mind, or the money consciousness; this is
the magic wand
which will enable you to receive the idea, and it will
formulate plans for you to execute, and you will find as much pleasure
in the execution as in the satisfaction of attainment
and achievement.
29. Now, go to your room, take the
same seat, the same position as heretofore, and mentally select a place
which has pleasant
associations. Make a complete mental picture of it,
see the buildings, the grounds, the trees, friends, associations,
everything
complete. At first, you will find yourself thinking of
everything under the sun, except the ideal upon which you desire to
concentrate. But do not let that discourage you.
Persistence will win, but persistence requires that you practice these
exercises
every day without fail.
