I’d like to share with you Hamblin’s book titled The Power of Thought which I enjoyed reading immensely. In his book, Hamblin discusses the huge effect that our thoughts have on our success or failure. According to Hamblin, thought power is the greatest power at man’s disposal. By changing  our thoughts and mental attitude we can, to a large extent, overcome the troubles and conflicts in life and be in harmony with the universe and at peace with ourselves.

I hope you enjoy reading this book.

—– Harrison

The Power of Thought


By Henry Thomas Hamblin


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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Introduction

Chapter 1. Thought: The Cause Of Action

Chapter 2. Victims Of Ignorance

Chapter 3. Victims Of Suggestion

Chapter 4. The Secret Of Overcoming

Chapter 5. Creators Of Our Own Evil?

Chapter 6. Right Thought And A Right Attitude

Chapter 7. The Effect Of Thought On Health

Chapter 8. The Attractive Power Of Thought

Chapter 9. Thought-Control And Spiritual Attainment

Chapter 10 The Overcoming Of Fear

Chapter 11. Not Demand, But Obedience

Chapter 12. First Steps


Introduction


You are the architect of your own life: it is yours to make or to mar.
By the power of thoughts you are building; are you building aright?

The power of thought, as Emerson says, is a spiritual power. It is the greatest power that man has at his disposal. The world today is in its present state simply as a result of mankind’s collective thinking; each nation is in its present state of either peace and prosperity, or poverty, murder and anarchy, simply as a result of its thinking as a nation; and each individual is what he is, and his life is what it is, and his circumstances are what they are, simply as results of his thoughts.

What a man thinks, he becomes; what a man thinks is the mainspring of all his actions; what a man thinks attracts to him his circumstances and environment; what a man thinks determines what type of friends and companions will gather around him; what a man thinks decides whether he shall be happy or miserable, successful or unsuccessful, healthy or unhealthy, prosperous or poverty-stricken, hated or loved. What a man thinks either builds up his character or pulls it down.

What a man thinks can overcome fate or strengthen it, can bring him into alignment with his glorious destiny, or make him an outcast and a wanderer in desert places. Indeed, there is no limit to the power of thought, because it is a spiritual power of intense potency. It is the power which distinguishes man from the brute, it is the power by which he can mount up to God, it is the power which can make the unsuccessful successful in the battle of life, it is the power which can make the loftiest achievement possible, it is the power by which difficulties can be overcome, disadvantages of birth and parentage surmounted, and the life beautified and inspired and energized with God-given powers.

By thought man either blesses or curses himself. By it he brings into his life either success or failure, health or disease, happiness or unhappiness, poverty or prosperity. It is all in his mind and the character of his thought. Whatever there is in your life or mine, of disharmony, lack, sickness or unhappiness, is the result of our disharmonious thought.

We live in an orderly Universe, but we do not react harmoniously to our environment, we are not in correspondence with the hidden law and order around us. It is not necessary for the universe to be altered; what is needed is that we ourselves should be changed. Within ourselves is the cause of the disorder in our own individual world—for we each live in a little world of our own creation— therefore, the disorder and trouble that afflicts us, or the lack that restricts our life, can never be overcome, save by a change of mind, habit of thought, and mental attitude.

In the following pages an attempt is made to show how the reader can, by changing his thoughts and mental attitude, “reverse the lever” and come into harmony with the Divine Idea. When this is accomplished, his life will blossom like the rose, “he shall be led forth with peace; the mountains and the hills shall break before him into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.”

Chapter 1


The Ruling Principle In Man

THERE is the conscious mind and there is the subconscious mind. The conscious mind gathers knowledge and experience through the senses. It learns from books, conversation and experience. It reasons and forms conclusions. Finally its thoughts pass down into the subconscious mind. The subconscious mind is the mind of action. It is responsible for all that we do. It is the seat of memory and of instinct. It is a reservoir of tremendous power, it is of extraordinary intelligence, it carries out all the complicated processes within the body, which make life possible. The wisest and most learned of men cannot begin to fathom its wonderful powers, but in spite of this we know enough about its manner of working to enable us to control it, and by controlling it, we control our actions, and by controlling our actions we shape our life, and overcome what is called fate.

The subconscious mind, although so wonderfully intelligent and possessed of such extraordinary powers, acts entirely upon suggestion. That is to say, it follows blindly and faithfully the thoughts that are sent down into it. Therefore upon our thoughts depends what sort of actions are brought forth. If evil thoughts are sent down into the subconscious mind, then evil, destructive action will be the natural result. If thoughts of weakness and failure are entertained, then weak actions leading to failure will inevitably follow. On the other hand, if good thoughts are entertained, then constructive good action will result, and if strong, successful thoughts are entertained, they bring forth robust, constructive action, which leads to success and achievement. It is impossible to think evil thoughts and bring forth good actions. Many have tried it. They have said, I will be outwardly respectable and blameless in life, but in secret I will think this thought, I will hug it to my bosom because it is pleasant, but I will let it go no further, because I know that evil action leads to shipwreck and disaster. Therefore I will deceive even my best friends. Outwardly I will be all that I ought to be, but in my thoughts I will be evil. Mine will be a double life, to outsiders I shall be one thing, and in my thought-world something different. Thus I shall be able to enjoy evil in thought, and escape its penalties!

Such an one does not reckon with the power and faithfulness of the subconscious mind. Every evil thought which is entertained and gloated over, acts as a powerful suggestion to this patient giant, until at last it can stand it no longer, and bursts out into the life in the form of a course of evil action, which is an exact replica of the thoughts which have been entertained. This explains why so often people who have always been so exemplary in their conduct all at once go wrong, and come crashing down to ruin; they are simply reaping the harvest of their thoughts.

While this is true of the majority of those who indulge in secret evil thinking, there are yet those who, either through lack of courage or opportunity, do not, or cannot, “break out” into a course of evil action. By their evil thoughts they arouse certain emotions which cannot be satisfied and which therefore have to be repressed. The effect of repression is either chronic ill-health which no medical skill can ever cure, or organic disease that is beyond the art of man to heal. The reader must not imagine, however, that everyone who suffers in this way has been guilty of evil thinking, but the practice is certainly one of the ways by which some people can, and do, literally destroy themselves.

This example is merely given as an illustration of the effect of evil thinking, and most people have seen evidences of it amongst their friends and relations. Most of my readers will doubtless be above this kind of thinking, but the same law acts with every kind of thought that is sent down into the subconscious mind. There are two kinds of thought, viz., constructive and destructive, sometimes called positive and negative. It depends upon which class of thought we persistently dwell upon and pass to the subconscious mind, what our actions in life are to be. If we allow our mind to dwell on destructive, negative thoughts, and this, unfortunately, is often the case as it requires no effort, then destructive and negative action will be the inevitable result. On the other hand, if we think positive or constructive thoughts—and, to do this, effort is required, just as effort is required in climbing a hill—constructive action takes place as a natural result.

Thus a man who gives way to hate and broods over his wrongs, will be led to think of murder, and if he gloats upon thoughts of murder a time will come when he may attempt murder. On the other hand, if the same man will keep his mind off his wrongs and think thoughts of forgiveness, or, better still, if he will love, or hold in thoughts of good-will the one who has wronged him, then his life will become happy and peaceful, and in its highest sense, successful.

Again, a man who gives way to weak, fearful thoughts, who fears that his business will fail, who fears that his luck may give out, who fears that competition will arise with which he will be unable to cope, such a man will probably fail, because all his actions will be weak and hesitating and lacking in that strength and decision which are necessary for the achievement of success. On the other hand, if he will banish every weak negative thought, every thought of possible failure, and constantly brace his mind by affirmations of success—in other words, send down strong suggestions of success to his subconscious mind—such a man will succeed in life, because his actions will be strong and decisive. When faced by great difficulty he will find that his subconscious mind will supply him with wonderful energy and staying power, great courage and determination, simply because it has been trained by right thinking to do so.

It would be possible to fill a book with illustrations of the operation of this law, but in a little work of this kind these two must suffice. The law is immutable: it cannot be tricked or evaded. Whatever we think becomes sooner or later translated into action; and as upon our actions our life depends, it will be seen that it is possible by thought-control to govern our life. For by controlling our thoughts we govern our actions; by governing our actions we mould our life and circumstances, thus shaping our fate.

Life is not a matter of chance or luck; it is not something out of our control; it is largely the result or effect of our thoughts. Therefore, by controlling our thoughts— and this, thank God, can be done—we can govern and direct our life to an almost unbelievable extent. As conscious thinking beings, created, the Bible says, in God’s likeness and image, or in other words, a microcosm of the macrocosm, we possess one of the greatest powers in the universe. and this power is thought. It depends upon how we use this wonderful power what our life shall be. The engine driver sends his engine either backward or forward, but it is the same power that is used in each case. In the same way, thinking man can either build up or destroy himself by the use or misuse of the potent power of thought. It depends upon how he uses this power, either for good or ill, as to whether his life shall be successful, healthy, happy or harmonious, or lacking in definite achievement, true success and happiness. “Whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.”

Chapter 2


Victims Of Ignorance

WE do not believe that there are many who deliberately think negative thoughts. Most people mean well and want to do good and be good (not goody, goody). But, nevertheless, most of us are wrong thinkers, more or less, and this is due, so we firmly believe, mainly to ignorance. Because it is not generally known that negative thoughts are highly destructive, we ignorantly indulge in them, thinking that they do no harm. Actually, thoughts of impurity, anger, revenge, hate, resentment, envy, brooding over wrongs, brooding over sorrows, losses and griefs; thoughts of fear, failure, weakness, penury, sickness, disease, decay, mortality and death, are all highly destructive. They are destructive of health, of happiness, of circumstances, of life in all its departments. They break down the nervous system; they paralyse endeavour; they undermine the will; they make for wrong decisions. It will be admitted that this is a matter of prime importance, yet neither children nor the general public are instructed in these vital matters. Because of this almost universal ignorance we most of us go on indulging in negative thinking, much to our detriment.

How many of us, for instance, realise that it is thought that kills and not lack of food in most cases of death through alleged starvation? If a person cannot get food to eat he dies in a very few days, as a rule; yet a person who fasts voluntarily in order to cure himself of some organic disease can do so, if the fast is wisely undertaken, for forty or even more days, not only without injury, but with greatly beneficial results. Why is it that in the former case a few days’ compulsory fast ends in death, while a voluntary fast of six weeks or so results only in good? The answer is of course that it is the state of the mind and the character of the thoughts that kill, and not the lack of food.

Again, after a few days’ “starvation” a person is generally in a state of great weakness and prostration. Yet one who submits himself to a voluntary fast generally continues his work, and it is only at the later stages that he works less hard than usual. The certain reverend gentleman who recently fasted for forty or fifty days, particulars of which were given in our daily newspapers, not only carried on his usual duties, but, in addition, wrote a book on a subject requiring great concentration and mental effort. Contrast all this with the state of a starving man, who, after a few days, is reduced to a condition of collapse and exhaustion, quickly followed by death, and we see how great is the power of mind and thought. In the case of the “starving” man, he thinks that he is dying, because he has no food, and consequently very soon does die. The fasting man thinks that by fasting he is improving his health, and his health is improved in consequence, even to the overcoming of incurable (so-called) organic disease. There have been reported in the papers lately many cases of important people undergoing, voluntarily, a long fast, and by so doing winning their way to health. But this is not new by any means. To my knowledge this method of cure was quite well known in certain circles a quarter of a century, or more ago; but its mental aspect does not seem to have been appreciated at its true value.

There is no reason why a starving man, if he was well nourished at the commencement, should not live as long as a fasting man, and he would do so if he could only control his thoughts and think in the same way that a fasting man thinks. But first of all he would have to be convinced that fasting is beneficial to health, and this would not be easy, for ignorance and prejudice die hard. Also, because man is prone to look to the future with anxiety he would probably be consumed with worry, fearing that he would be unable to obtain food after his compulsory fast had got beyond the beneficial stage or limit.

But the fact remains that it is not the absence of food that kills a starving man, so much as his state of mind. It is his fear thoughts that kill him, just as it is the thoughts and expectation of cure that keep the fasting man alive and maintain his strength and ability to work.

It must not be assumed from these few remarks that I am in favour of promiscuous fasting, for an ill-considered fast might do a great deal of harm. Fasting in some cases is beneficial, but it should be taken under experienced supervision.

There is also much ignorance on another point, which is the possibility of controlling thought. It is not generally known that our thoughts can be controlled and regulated in much the same way that a London policeman controls and regulates the traffic. He holds up a hand and instantly the traffic behind him stops, allowing vehicles from a cross street to pass instead. Our thoughts can be controlled and regulated in much the same manner, Undesirable, destructive thoughts can be arrested, while other thoughts of a desirable and constructive character can be encouraged.

People say: “You can’t help thinking these thoughts can you?” They take it for granted that one cannot control one’s thoughts. They do not realise that it is possible deliberately to change the subject as regards one’s thoughts, in the same way that one changes the topic of conversation. We all of us change the subject of conversation when it becomes distasteful to us, but how many of us change the subject of our thoughts in the same deliberate manner, by the exercise of our will? Yet it can be done, almost as easily, if we will only DO IT, instead of thinking and saying that it cannot be done. Not only is it possible to change the subject of our thoughts, but it is also possible to refrain from thinking altogether. Both are accomplishments of the highest possible value and they can be acquired only by practice and self training; but, even the weakest of us can acquire them if we are quietly persistent. We do not need to be clever, or greatly gifted, or out of the ordinary. Indeed, we may be very much under the average in mental gifts, will power and intellectual endowments; yet, if we are quietly persistent, we can learn to overcome our thoughts, in course of time. And when we become master of our thoughts we become master of ourselves, and when we become master of ourselves we become master of life itself; not by opposing the discipline of its experiences, but by dealing with them in the best possible manner, maintaining a calm and steadfast mind, a quiet faith and an unflinching spirit.

Chapter 3


Victims Of Suggestion

WE are all victims, more or less, of suggestion. Strong-minded and unscrupulous people deliberately influence others by suggestion, in order to take advantage of them. Counsel in Court says to a witness: “I suggest to you,” and then follows a suggestion that may be both untrue and unfair, yet it may so overwhelm or confuse a witness as to destroy the value of his evidence. Thus does a strong mind dominate a weaker by force of will and suggestion.

The hypnotist suggests to his victim that a piece of cold metal applied to his bare back is a red hot iron, and immediately the flesh is scorched and blistered, much the same as would be the case if the metal were actually red hot. Or he may suggest to his victim that a cup of paraffin is a cup of lemonade, and he, the victim, will then drink it, evidently enjoying it and thinking it to be lemonade. Thus in these and many other ways does the hypnotist show how powerful suggestion is.

In one of Dr. Schofield’s books, I think it is, a tale is told of two well-known physicians who, in order to prove the power of suggestion, beckoned to a man in a restaurant and then told him that he was seriously ill and ought to be in bed. The man, knowing their reputation and high standing as medical men, believed them, went home, took to his bed and died. It is only fair and charitable to suppose that neither of the doctors expected anything more than a slight illness to result from what would appear to be foolish and reprehensible action.

We are told, day by day, in our daily paper to take so-and-so’s pills. We may not heed the suggestion for years perhaps, yet, sooner or later, we may find ourselves either taking the pills or advising somebody else to do so. You see a man with streaming eyes, sneezing and using his handkerchief. This sight suggests influenza to you, with the result that, if you are not positively minded, you may shortly develop an attack yourself.

In a thousand and one different ways we are affected by suggestion. We receive it through the eyes, the ears, taste, smell, and touch. We are victims of it at every turn, unless we learn to become positive-minded and proof against suggestion in all its forms.

There is not space for me to do more than mention other ways by which we are unconsciously affected and influenced by suggestion. Newspaper and magazine advertising of patent medicines are most potent and powerful mediums of suggestion. We have already mentioned the effect of being told day by day, in our paper and by means of hoardings, to take a certain make of pills. But modern ideas of advertising worthless nostrums and harmful drugs leave such methods of advertising far behind as regards suggestive force and value. Pictures of people sneezing, and of others doubled up with painful backs, can have only one effect, and that is to make people imagine that they possess the ailment described.

I remember when a boy, reading in the papers of that day, long advertisements which were headed: “What is this new disease that is come upon us?” I was so affected that I became convinced that I had the disease, and badly too. I became so alarmed that I would no doubt have speedily become really ill if I had not told my parents my fears. Never shall I forget the shouts of merriment that greeted my confession. It seemed as though they would never cease laughing. But they laughed me out of my fears, and I have kept a positive mind towards or against patent medicine advertisements ever since.

Many of my readers must have read the late Jerome K. Jerome’s humorous account of his experience with a medical work of symptoms. He said that by the time he had finished reading the book he found he had every disease under the sun except Housemaid’s Knee. Written, no doubt, to raise a laugh and to amuse, yet containing a modicum of truth, which, if realised by the masses, would quickly cause the nostrum mongers to shut up shop.

Then there is what is termed “mass suggestion”. We are all inclined to think the same thoughts as the mob, and to have the same emotions aroused within us as sway the masses of the people. It is very easy for a positive person to sway the thoughts and emotions of a crowd of people. It is difficult for one of the crowd not to be moved with the crowd. This is why people, who in the ordinary way are sensible, go “mafficking” on occasions of national rejoicing. It is also the reason why people who are peaceable and harmless in private life may, when in a crowd, join in acts of violence and disorder. It is simply that the mass emotion gets hold of them, influencing them so strongly they get carried away.

It is a fact that some people are more easily influenced by suggestion than others. Some are stolid and phlegmatic, and upon these suggestion appears to have less effect. Others, on the contrary, are more sensitive and highly strung. These are greatly influenced by suggestion, falling an easy prey until they learn to become proof against it. Such may feel that they are “hard done by”, and that life has dealt unfairly with them, by making them so sensitive. But they need not pity themselves, for the reason that they have, instead, much to be thankful for, for people of this type are those who can benefit most by suggestion when it is properly and scientifically made use of.

Finally, we come to the subject of temptation. All of us are tempted in some way or other. What would tempt one severely might not affect another at all, but each is tempted in a way peculiar to himself. What is temptation, but suggestion? We need not argue as to where, or from whom, the suggestion comes; it is surely sufficient for us to know that we are victims of it, until we learn how to resist it successfully. There is no more subtle suggestion than that of temptation. It is so clever it seems impossible to counter it in any way. Even at our best moments, when we would rise to noble deeds, base ideas and motives are suggested to us. If we are not to fall we must exercise eternal vigilance. And it is because of this that we are told in the greatest of all books, by the greatest of all teachers: “Watch and pray lest ye enter into temptation.”

In concluding this chapter let me touch lightly on the teaching of those who state that almost everything is suggestion. Their theory is that we possess only consciousness, and that all that forms our life is the result of suggestion. Thus, so they say, poverty is the result of acceptance of suggestions of poverty: disease, the result of acceptance of suggestions of disease: trouble, the result of acceptance of suggestions of trouble, and so on. To counteract these suggestions, auto-suggestions of an opposite kind are recommended. The poverty stricken person is advised to whisper to himself, as he falls asleep, suggestions of wealth, prosperity and plenty. If the subconscious, or, as some say the unconscious, mind accepts the suggestion, then poverty is at an end. The diseased person does the same, except that he uses suggestions of health, with a similar pleasing result, IF the subconscious or “power mind” within will only accept the suggestion whispered to it.

All this may appear to be pure rubbish and “bunkum” to most of our readers. While, however, the writer is not prepared to accept such teaching in the above crude form, yet, so he believes, there is a considerable amount of truth in it. It is not, however, advisable to tinker about with the subconscious mind in this way. Many today are suffering from the effects of unwise experiments made without knowledge or experience.

Chapter 4


The Secret Of Overcoming


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WHY is right thought so important? It is important because it influences our actions. It is important because it builds up character and a steadfast mind. It is important because upon it our well-being and the success of our whole life depend. It is important because it is by right thought that we can overcome harmful suggestion.

First of all we have to realise that thought is the cause of our actions and decisions. It is largely because of this that our circumstances depend upon our thoughts. If, for instance, we do not overcome life’s difficulties in our thoughts, then we can never overcome them in actual experience. By this I mean that our difficulties must be boldly met and conquered in thought, if ever we are to hope to overcome them actually. In a way it is good advice to tell people not to dwell upon their woes but to think of pleasant things instead, but it is liable to lead to a habit of thought almost as destructive as brooding over trouble. This negative application of what is meant to be good advice is responsible for the failure of those who say: “I have tried right- thinking, but it makes no difference.”

The reason “it makes no difference” is that it is not right-thinking at all, but actually a form of wrong-thinking. Such people say: “I never indulge in wrong thoughts about my troubles, I refuse to think about them.” Just so, and it is here where the whole trouble lies. Instead of life’s trouble being met boldly and conquered in thought they are run away from. As soon as the mind comes up against an unpleasant thought, thought of an irksome duty that must be done or of a crisis that must be faced, or of a difficulty that has to be overcome, the mind “dodges” it and hits on to something more pleasant.

The one who says : “I never think of my troubles” and who runs away from unpleasant thoughts of this kind finds that he can never overcome the actual difficulties when they arise. In fact his so-called right thinking prevents him from making decisions and from dealing firmly and sensibly with his difficulties. We must first overcome in our thoughts, if ever we are to overcome in actual experience.

The world may be divided into two classes of people: (1) those who overcome life, and (2) those who are overcome by life. Those who overcome life’s difficulties are those who do so in thought. Those who are overcome by life’s difficulties, are those who do not overcome in thought. If the latter have not deliberately made a practice of “dodging” unpleasant thoughts in an unfortunate attempt to follow a form of wrong thinking which they erroneously believed to be right-thinking, they yet are passive; that is, they fail to overcome, in thought, the difficulty that must be overcome, sooner or later, in actual experience.

The secret of overcoming is in thought victory. If we continually overcome in our thoughts we develop a steadfast mind. Without a steadfast mind it is impossible to be victorious in life’s battle. On the other hand, there is no difficulty, capable of human solution, that cannot be overcome by a steadfast mind. Indeed, if a man’s mind is steadfastly directed towards a certain object, not only will he be truly successful, but the most remarkable things may happen or be achieved, beyond anything that might be hoped for or expected.

The mind becomes powerful, growing in strength continually, through meeting a difficulty, in thought; moving forward towards the difficulty, in thought; and then putting the weight of the mind and will behind it. Then the “whole man” moves forward, going right through the difficulty to the other side, victoriously. This generates inward power, that is cumulative, which, when we come to our difficulty in actual experience, helps us through it successfully.

Now this is quite different from worrying over things. Worry is a destroyer. By worrying over our troubles we not only stimulate fear, one of the most destructive of the emotions, but we also wear grooves in the brain, round which our thoughts revolve in endless repetition. The brain becomes so constructed or arranged, through the practice of worrying, that worry becomes a habit. That is to say, as soon as a thought of some impending trouble comes to us, or something goes wrong in our life or work, or we think that something has gone wrong or will go wrong, or we fear that it may go wrong, then immediately the cells used by worry are stimulated into action—being already fully charged with nervous energy, waiting to explode—and round and round the thoughts go, along the groove prepared for them. Then good-bye to our peace of mind; good-bye to sleep; and, in time, good-bye to health.

Some people are of a worrying nature. They inherit it from their parents. The writer is one of them. Some people, on the contrary, never worry about anything. If they were sentenced to death they would probably sit down and read a book; if the executioner stood beside them they would probably say: “Please wait a minute or two until I have finished this chapter.” A certain man of my acquaintance had once to be told that he was suffering from a disease that would rob him of one of his senses. “Now,” he was told, “you must try not to worry about it.” He laughed a quiet, untroubled laugh and then said: “I shall not worry; we are not a worrying family; we take things as they come, and we find they are not so very dreadful after all. There are always compensations.”

This shows the amazing difference there is in people’s nature and temperament. We think, however, that the proportion of people who worry is much larger than that of those who do not. As the subject of worry is such an important one, a separate chapter must be devoted to it.

But while we must not worry about our troubles or imaginary fears, yet we must meet them boldly in thought and will. On no account must we run away from them, for there probably is nothing more negative and destructive than this. Those who refuse to face their difficulties and who keep on dodging the issue are, generally speaking, the greatest of worriers. Avoiding the issue in thought increases the trouble, therefore there is really more about which to worry.

At the risk of repeating myself I must again point out this most vital and important truth that we must overcome in thought. The teaching that bids you merely to dismiss your trouble from your mind and think of pleasant things, or to indulge in a day-dreaming, can be positively followed, but as usually applied is quite negative. When applied in a negative way it weakens the will, robs one of initiative, and destroys one’s power to decide and act. Instead of avoiding the issue, whenever the thought of the impending trouble or difficulty rises into consciousness, we should meet it boldly, affirming our ability to overcome it and be victorious. If, every time the thought arises, it is met with an affirmation of power, overcoming and victory, then when the time arrives to meet the difficulty in actual experience, we find that we have ample power to overcome and go victoriously through the experience. We find ourselves steadfast in mind and possessed of a reserve of power that surprises us.

Meeting thoughts of failure, difficulty or fear in this way has an effect upon the subconscious mind. It receives a definite lead and realises what is expected of it. Being a faithful servant it does not fail us. These affirmations may be of various kinds and must of necessity vary according to the type of person using them. To one no affirmation that is not scriptural and devotional in character can be of any assistance. To another a “religious” type of affirmation would not be helpful, but a more psychological form might be satisfactory. Each must choose that form that appeals to him. One who starts with a psychological form of affirmation may finally adopt a religious or devotional one. The form that appeals to one “at the present time” is the right one at the present time.

When, therefore, the religiously-minded person encounters a thought of difficulty, trial or fear he can meet it boldly with the counter thought or affirmation: “I can do all things through Christ who strengtheneth me, therefore I will go right through this trouble in the power of Christ which is mine to use now and always.”

At the same time he can picture himself going through his difficulty with a push, being carried along by invisible powers. In course of time a mental habit is formed of meeting all difficulties and fears mentally with a victorious push. Instead of running away from them in thought, they are met, naturally and habitually, by a “feeling” of victorious push. One who does this becomes very strong, steadfast, persevering, persistent and “big” in character.

Another type may not be able to use the religious form of affirmation, but he may use something similar but in a different form. He may meet the thought of trouble or fear by merely repeating the words: Success, victory, overcoming; at the same time picturing himself going through his trouble or difficulty triumphantly, sustained and strengthened by powers he does not understand, but which well up within him.

Through cultivating this habit of mind the life becomes greatly changed, simply because the character is improved out of all knowledge. Instead of life’s difficulties overwhelming him, the student overcomes them. When he has achieved this victory he finds fresh fields to conquer, new and beautiful vistas opening before him. He finds that he can mould and shape his character, and by this means, mould and shape his life.

Some people think in the form of mental pictures. The nature of their life and the character of their circumstances, depend upon the character of their mental pictures. Therefore, if they are those of trouble, failure, etc., they should be reversed into their positive opposite. Some people are naturally given to negative mental picturing. When they think of quarter-day they picture themselves as unable to pay their rent, and the awful consequences, such as forced sale, eviction, and so on. When they think of business, if a proprietor, they see a picture of bankruptcy, and of themselves in the Court, being cross-examined by the Official Receiver. If they belong to the employed classes, they picture themselves as out of work, homeless, one of the thousands vainly seeking employment, and suffering all the ills and discomforts that such a position entails. If they see an accident, they picture themselves as a victim, all mangled by the roadside. If they see or read of a hospital, they mentally see themselves as an inmate, undergoing a fearful operation, or saying good-bye to their weeping relatives, as they pass on to a less terrible world.

Unfortunately, allowing such mental pictures to occupy the mind is liable to attract to them the very conditions that they fear and visualise; therefore, it is of the utmost importance that all such negative mental pictures should be reversed into their positive opposites. By this means, not only are the evil effects of such harmful picturings avoided but the very opposite states are made possible in one’s experience. If instead these mental pictures of failure, poverty, disaster, accident, disease and death are transmuted into pictures of success, prosperity, health, protection from danger and a happy old age, then these desirable states tend to manifest in the life, in place of the undesirable ones which might have appeared otherwise.

For instance, if instead of seeing a mental picture of eviction, or of being “sold up” as a result of not being able to pay the rent, a mental picture is persisted in of rent paid, a comfortable home, with no care, then this happy state of affairs is likely to manifest—much more so than would otherwise be the case. As mental picturing is probably the most powerful form of thinking, too much importance can hardly be paid to its right cultivation. The effect of such cultivation is to bring about a state of positive-mindedness, a most desirable condition. It also builds up character, making us strong where once we were weak, and able to achieve many things which we were before quite unable to undertake.

Chapter 5


Creators Of Our Own Evil?

Do we live in an evil universe and are we the victims of a malicious and unkind fate? Or do we live in an orderly universe whose underlying principle is helpfulness or love? We cannot help thinking that most of us believe inwardly that the former is true, and not the latter. It is because of this that we harbour subconscious fears; it is because of this that we are pessimists, although outwardly we may appear to be the reverse.

Who can tell what direful effects are caused by this inward pessimism? As I have said elsewhere, a belief in evil tends to bring evil to pass. A belief in failure tends to produce failure; a belief in disease tends to produce disease, and so on.

What is needed is a change of belief, after which a change of thought follows almost automatically.

The fact of the matter is that we live in an orderly universe, but we are not orderly ourselves. We are not in correspondence with our true environment. Our true environment is an orderly and perfect universe. The hidden law of life is love or co-operation. Rheinheimer the biologist teaches that all through nature, in both plant and animal, health and progress follow when this law of co-operation is obeyed, and that disease and disorder follow its violation. That is, when predatory or parasitic practices are followed, instead of those of service and co-operation.

We have first to believe that we live in an orderly universe and that life is based on Love. We have, also, to believe and acknowledge that the cause of our own evil, or the disorder in our life, is to be found in ourself. The truth of the whole matter is that we are not in harmony with life and we are not living in obedience to its fundamental law.

Harmony, peace, true success, and a care free life are possible only to the extent that we come into correspondence with life, with the orderly universe in which we live, and work in conformity with the law of life and the universe which is love, or co-operative helpfulness.

There will come a time, so Isaiah the prophet tells us, when this law will be universally observed; when the lion shall eat the same food as the ox, and when “they shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain : for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord even as the waters cover the sea.” This ideal state may be a long way ahead, but we who know the truth can put it into practice here and now. By so doing we cannot fail to bring harmony and peace into our life, such as cannot be described. We can thank Heaven every day that we live in an orderly universe; we can pray every day that we may be brought into correspondence with it; we can think and act every day according to its underlying principle or law of co-operation and helpful service. Our first thought in every circumstance of life will be, not what can I get out of it, but how much can I help? This, of course, is foolishness according to worldly standards, but it is really the highest wisdom and it leads to the attainment of a life of true harmony, satisfaction and peace.

There was once a wise man, who lived in a certain small town and to whom many came for advice and information. One day a newcomer to the town went to the wise man and said: “What sort of people are they who live here?” The wise man replied by asking: “What sort of people. were they in the town you come from?” The newcomer replied: “Oh, they were a miserable lot, unfriendly, mean, un-neighbourly and most difficult to live with.” “Well,” said the wise man, “you will find them just the same here.”

Presently another newcomer came to the wise man, asking the same question: “What sort of people are they who live here?” The old man again replied by asking : “What were the people like in the town you come from?” “Oh,’’ the second newcomer replied, “they were a splendid people, kind, friendly, and full of goodness. I was sorry to leave them.” “Then,” Said the wise man, “you will find them just the same here.”

“Rather an exaggeration,” you may think, but it contains a great truth. Our individual world—for we each live in a little world of our own—is a reflection of our thought life. We people it with hate and discord, or love and harmony, according to our thoughts. Our life is filled with evil to the extent that we fail to harmonise with the Divine Order which is the only Reality.

Life is essentially good, although it may contain many disappointments and many blows. Many of these, however, are of our own creation. Do we not reap, in middle and old age, the fruits of the errors or sins of our youth?

Life is good, although a moulder of character. If we harmonise with it, bearing willingly its disciplines, we avoid much misery and trouble. In other words, we cease creating our own evil.

Chapter 6


Right Thought And A Right Attitude: The Basis Of Success And Prosperity

THOSE who succeed possess a certain type of mind. It is true that they have ambition, vision and driving power, capacity for work, and a strong will. Also they never spare themselves, and, in addition, they seize each opportunity when it comes. But their principal cause of success is their type of thinking. They think in terms of success and achievement, abundance and prosperity. The life tends, in course of time, to express the type of thought habitually dwelt upon. If we think consistently in terms of success and prosperity, then, sooner or later, we express these things to a greater or lesser degree in our life. That is to say, according to our ability, we achieve the greatest success possible in our case. We cannot all be at the top of the tree, but we can each rise to the best position for which our particular genius fits us. Except in the case of those peculiar people who think they can do anything and everything, whereas they can do nothing properly, we can all accomplish much more than we could ever believe possible. There are abilities hidden within us that are undreamed of. Our capabilities seem to increase as our responsibilities grow greater. Life calls on us for higher achievement, and lo! the power and ability are forthcoming, in a way that is surprising to ourselves and, probably, still more so to our friends.

I have purposely conversed with a great number of unsuccessful people. By unsuccessful people I mean those who though sober and hard-working and who want to get on, always sink to the bottom, no matter how much one may help them, and in spite of splendid opportunities put in their way. In all of them I have found the same type of thought-habit. They think in terms of penury and failure. Because of this, all their actions and decisions, unknown to themselves, are of such a kind as to bring about penurious conditions and failure. Men of equal abilities are not equally successful. One may appear to be lucky, while the other may appear to be most unlucky: but I am convinced that the cause of the difference is to be found in the mind. The one has a fixed idea of success and achievement which acts as a centre around which his thoughts, both conscious and subconscious, revolve; while the other has a fixed idea or fear of failure, around which his thoughts continually turn. The one is energised and inspired to successful achievement, while the other’s efforts are undermined and his energies sapped by a hidden idea or fear of failure and ruin.

Now, while it is true that one may be born with a successful type of mind, while another may inherit a failure type, yet it does not necessarily follow that the latter must always remain a failure. His type of mind can be changed. In order that this may be accomplished he does not have to enlist the services of an expensive mental specialist or practitioner; he does it himself, by a change of thought. By changing his thought he gradually transforms the fixed idea of failure into one of success.the attitude of the mind is changed and the thoughts are trained to flow in a new direction. This, in time, changes the whole man, so that he rises like a cork in water, instead of sinking like a stone: he comes to what to him is the top of his profession, or calling, instead of gravitating to the bottom. He finds that there is plenty of room at the top, simply because so few ever use their mind in a constructive way. He becomes one of the favoured few, simply because be uses his mind as a creative instrument and not merely for the purpose of doing routine work.

It must not be forgotten that true success is based on service. It is only by our cooperative help of the world that we can ever find happiness, and this is in itself true success. Money and fame are useless if they fail to bring happiness and satisfaction. Service and co-operative helpfulness bring the truest and most lasting success. Combined with efficiency they make us indispensable in our particular branch or calling. Sooner or later quality of character tells its own story. Those who rise rapidly, laughing at such things as service, integrity, etc., generally go down later in ruin and dishonour.

Therefore, our thoughts should be not merely of success and achievement, but of service and helpfulness. We should not think so much of “what shall I get out of it”, as “how helpful can I be”, for all solid success is based upon the extent of our helpfulness to the community. The more helpful we are, the more indispensable we become, therefore, the greater the reward, as a rule.

Apart from all this, the fact remains that thinking in terms of success and achievement, at the same time maintaining a consciousness of abundance and prosperity, tends to attract these things to us. The mind is creative to a degree undreamed of by most people, and our thoughts attract things to us after their kind—opportunities for achievement and more abundant circumstances on the one hand, or failure and lack on the other.

The inner cause of successful achievement, then, is in the mind. Instead of allowing it to wander anywhere it pleases, we have to train it to think constructively. While others are spending their spare time foolishly we must, on the contrary, compel the mind to think positively in terms of achievement. We can hold an ideal in the mind continuously, around which the thoughts will revolve, naturally and easily. Constructive thinking such as this compels us to work and strive, while other people waste their time in pleasure. It is no hardship, however, but a great joy. It arouses our enthusiasm, after which every task becomes comparatively easy. Sooner or later, just when we are ready for it, opportunity comes our way, just as surely as the rising and setting of the sun. The law is infallible. When we are ready the opportunity appears.

In closing this chapter may I give one word of warning. Success is liable to become our master and we its slave. Therefore, it is important that we choose the highest form of success, if we can. As a rule, however, we have no choice, because our ambition is, as it were, born in us. We have in mind the case of a poor boy with only a country elementary school education, who is now an ordained missionary, apparently an utterly impossible feat for one in his position. Whether he chose his calling or whether his calling chose him it is impossible to say, but in either case, his life of toil, self sacrifice and service, though it means weariness, fever, poverty and derision by the world, will bring him the truest satisfaction. He is most truly successful who finds his success in service and in trying to make the world a better place for others to live in. Then it does not matter if his success does become his master and he its slave, for such slavery becomes the highest joy and gives the greatest satisfaction.

These are the treasures that no money can buy and which ever elude those who seek them through the acquirement of riches and fame.

Chapter 7


The Effect Of Thought On Health

THOUGHT affects our health far more than is generally realised. While it is true that hereditary taints, devitalised foods, and unhealthy modes of living play an important part, yet I believe that thought is the greatest factor. When I say “thought” I include the emotions, for they are aroused by our thoughts, and yet it is possible to avoid arousing emotional energy by training the thoughts to think along different lines than those suggested by primitive desires or promptings.

Generally, in works of this kind, the reader is told to cease thinking of sickness, ill-health disease, etc., and to think instead of health vigour, wholeness, and so on. This is good advice as far as it goes, for brooding over disease and ill-health creates a morbid condition conducive of disease. It is a fine thing to think of oneself as whole, healthy, radiant and filled with life, joy and energy. Such a mental picture can do nothing but good. Thus the beginner may say “I am in radiant health” and try to feel like it, and picture himself, mentally, as the image of perfect health and vitality. By doing so he takes the first step towards better health. This, although good in its way, is by no means an ideal method; therefore, better methods should be adopted as soon as possible.

But there is far more in this subject than this. The root causes of ill-health go far deeper. In this little work we cannot go into a profound study of the underlying cause of all disease and disorder, but we can mention two or three that are fundamental and of the utmost importance.

It must first be understood that health is a state of “normality”; that is, it is normal to be well, and abnormal to be unwell. There are three emotional states that rob us of health. They are: (1) sensuality, (2) resentment, and (3) anxiety. They can be overcome or neutralised by cultivating the habit of thinking thoughts of purity, (2) goodwill (including forgiveness and seeing the other fellow’s point of view), and (3) rest.

(1) Although medical works seem to attribute most disease to syphilis and syphilitic taints, yet we think that one of the principal causes of ill-health, if not of disease, is impurity in thought, or the indulgence in sensual thought, in thoughts of amativeness and similar things. The evils of sensual conduct are bad enough, but we believe that the evil effects of indulging in sensual or amative thoughts are equally grave and far reaching. The evil, from a health, as distinct from a purely moral, point of view, is that such thoughts arouse “desire”, and this, in turn, generates emotional energy. This energy has to be repressed, and this is probably the cause of much bodily disorder.

Now, to repress or stamp upon