June 11 ~ The Science of Mind in a Year

Repeating Treatments ~ Ernest Holmes

"A treatment is a specific thing.  When you are treating to neutralize any particular form of disease, your word should be spoken in such a way as to neutralize a belief in the necessity of the condition.  Each treatment must have in itself everything necessary to cover the case.  When you treat, resolve things into thought -- bodies, people, objects and all things - everything is a thing of thought.  Having resolved everything into thought, know that disease is neither person, place, nor thing.  It has no location, does not belong to anyone, cannot operate through anyone.  Know that it is a false image, with no power, and then you are ready to mentally dissolve it.

Always come to a complete conclusion when giving a treatment.  Always feel that it is done, complete and perfect and give thanks for the answer, as if it were already objectified.  In the interval between treatments, do not carry the thought of the patient around with you.  Tod do so is to doubt, and this mental attitude must be completely overcome.  Each treatment should be a complete statement of the Reality of Being.  The treatment should be repeated daily until a healing takes place.  If it takes five minutes, five hours, five days, or five years, the treatment must be kept up until a healing is accomplished.  This is the only method we know.  It is not enough to say that everything is all right.  This is true in Principle, but in fact and in human experience, it is only as true as we make it.  Treat until you get results.  A healing takes place when the patient is no longer sick, and until such time, mental work should be done."

March 8 ~ The Science of Mind in a Year

MEDITATIONS

by Ernest Holmes

The Mantle of Love

Like a cloak His Love is wrapped around me. 

Like a warm garment, It shelters me from the storms of life.

I feel and know that an Almighty Love envelops me in Its close embrace.

O Love Divine, My Love, how wonderful Thou art.  I am open to receive Thy great blessing.

Love envelops me.

The Voice of Truth

The Voice of Truth speaks to me and through me.

The Voice of Truth guides me and keeps me on the Path of the Perfect Day.

I will listen to the Innver Voice and It will tell me what to do in the hour of need.

I shall be told everything that I ought to know when the time of need arrives, and I shall not be misled.

The Voice of Truth cannot lie, but always speaks to me from On High.

Nothing enters but This Voice, for it is the Voice of God.

God speaks to me.

March 6 ~ The Science of Mind in a Year

MEDITATIONS for Self-Help and Healing

Ernest Holmes

"In these short meditations I have tried to set forth some ideas which my experiences in mental healing have given me.  I have found that a few brief statements, mentally affirmed, followed by a silent meditation, have been the most effective in the healing work.

Most of these meditation have been written in the first person in order that those using them may be able to do so just as the are written.

It is not claimed that there is any occult power in the words, but that words similar to these are effective in inducing a greater realization of life.

First, decide which meditation you wish to use; then become quiet and composed.  Then carefully read the meditation several times, phrase by phrase, endeavoring to realize the meaning of the words and trying to enter into the atmosphere of the thought.  After having done this, meditate upon the words, following that meditation until you feel a sense of realization."

Subtle Essence of Spirit Within Me

Subtle Essence of Spirit within me, flowing through me;

Elixir of Life in my veins purifying me with Thy marvelous Life,

I let Thy Spirit cleanse me from all false thought and idea;

I let Thy Life flow through me in a complete and Perfect Whole.

I feel the presence of Spirit within me.

The Everlasting Arms

His Arms enfold me, His Strength upholds me,

His Presence fills me with Life and Joy.

I shall nevermore be sad nor depressed, for I know that I do not walk Life's path alone.

There is One Who goes with me and tells me all the things that I should know.

There is a Presence with me guiding me into the Perfect Way.

I rejoice in knowing that I am not alone.

January 22 ~ The Science of Mind in a Year

The Perfect Universe ~ Ernest Holmes, The Science of Mind

"We must seek to realize the spiritual Universe, regardless of any condition which appears, if we would embody the greatest good.  If the spiritual Universe were not perfect, It could not exist for a single moment. 

The Truth is Indivisible and Whole.  God is Complete and Perfect.  A Perfect Cause must produce a perfect effect.  Disregarding all evidence to the contrary, the student of Truth will maintain that he lives in a Perfect Universe and among people potentially perfect. He will regulate his thinking to meet this necessity and will refuse to believe in its opposite. At first he may be influenced by conditions, and he may appear to be weak, but as time goes on he will prove to himself that his position is a correct one, for that which appears imperfect will begin to slip from his experience.

To daily meditate on the Perfect Life, and to daily embody the Great Ideal, is a royal road to freedom, to that "peace which passeth understanding," and is happiness to the soul of man.  Let  us learn to see as God must, with a Perfect Vision.  Let us seek the good and the true and believe in them with our whole heart, even though every man we meet is filled with suffering, and limitation appears at all sides.  We cannot afford to believe in imperfection for a single second, to do so is to doubt God; it is to believe in a Power apart from God, to believe in another Creator.  Let us daily say to ourselves:  "Perfect God within me, Perfect Life within me, which is God, come forth into expression through me as that which I am; lead me ever into the paths of perfection and cause me to see only the Good."  By this practice, the soul will become illumined and will acquaint itself with God and be at peace.  "Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.""

January 19 ~ The Science of Mind in a Year

The Principle Re-stated ~ Ernest Holmes, The Science of Mind

"Let us restate our Principle.  We are surrounded by an Infinite Possibility.  It is Goodness, Life, Law and Reason.  In expressing Itself through us, It becomes more fully conscious of Its own being.  Therefore, It wishes to express through us.  As It passes into our being, It automatically becomes the law of our lives.  It can pass into expression through us only as we consciously allow It to do so.  Therefore, we should have faith in It, and Its desires and Its ability to do for us all that we shall ever need to have done.  Since It must pass through our consciousness to operate for us, we must be conscious that It is doing so.

The one who wishes to demonstrate some particular good must become conscious of this particular good, if he wishes to experience it.  Therefore, he must make his mind receptive to it and he must do this consciously.  There is no hocus-pocus in a mental treatment.  It is always definite, conscious, concrete and explicit.  We are dealing with Intelligence, and should deal with It intelligently.

There is no occult trick in giving scientific treatments.  It is just the reverse. Simplicity should mark our every effort and positivity should accompany all statements that we make into the law of Good.

The Secret Already Known

A treatment is a statement in the Law, embodying the concrete idea of our desires and accompanied by an unqualified faith that the Law works for us, as we work with It.  Let us waste no further time looking for the secret of success or the key to happiness.  Already the door is open and whosoever will may enter.

Undoubtedly, each of us is now demonstrating his concept of life, but trained through is far more powerful than untrained, and the one who give conscious power to his thought should be more careful what he thinks than the one who does not.  The more power one gives to his thought - the more completely he believes that his thought has power - the more power will it have.

Treatment Active, Not Passive

A treatment is an active thing.  When one gives a treatment, he is not sitting around, hoping that something may happen.  He ids definitely, constructively, actively stating, sensing, knowing some specific good.  This is in accord with the Principle which we seek to demonstrate.   If we give treatments without a definite motive in mind, the most we can accomplish will be to promote a salutary atmosphere.  A passive meditation will never produce an active demonstration, any more than an artist can paint a picture by sitting down with his paints but never using them.

The mind must conceive before the Creative Energy can produce; we must supply the avenue through which It can work.  It is ready and willing.  It is Its nature to spring into being through our thought and action.

In an iron foundry, the pig iron is thrown into a great furnace and melted.  That which was solid becomes liquid, and is then poured into molds which are fashioned in different shapes.  The iron itself neither knows nor  cares what particular form it takes, it is formless, ready to take any form supplied.  If we did not place it in the property molds, the liquid would assume no particular form.

This is the way it is in dealing with the subtle energy of Spirit, but the molds are made in our own subjective minds, through conscious and specific thought, purpose and direction.  We should be very careful not to think that because we make the mold, we must create the substance.  It already exists; It is part of the Life in which we live, a part of the Universal Energy.  Definite molds or concepts decide the shape which is to be created from the general liquid.  This should prove to us that there is a specific technique in mental treatment which we should not overlook.  If we wish a certain good, we must instill into our own minds a realization of this specific good and then - as this idea is the mold we place in mind - it will be filled by the substance necessary for the complete manifestation of this good in our lives.

Therefore, if a man is seeking to demonstrate, he must tell himself that he has faith in his power, in his ability, in the Principle, and in the certainty of the demonstration for which he works.  Faith, being a mental attitude, is according to law; and even though one doubts, he can overcome his doubts and create the desired faith, definitely.  If this were not so, only those who by nature have faith in God could ever hope to understand the Principle of the Science of Mind and Spirit, which is subject to certain, definite, immutable and impersonal laws.  However, even though faith is a necessary attitude, it is something that can always be established by explaining the theory and proving the Principle."

January 15 ~ The Science of Mind in a Year

Where Do We Get Our Mental Impressions?  Ernest Holmes, The Science of Mind

"The paramount problem of philosophy now as in the past, is, how and from whence do we get our mental impressions?  Kant says:  We are able to perceive an object because it awakens an intuitive perception within us.  How could it awaken an intuitive perception within us, unless the medium which created the object already existed within us?  The intuitive perception was not the result of perceiving the object, but was itself the cause of the object perceived!  This is what Emerson would have us understand when he says "There is one mind common to all individual men."

That which is apparently outside can become known to the individual through intuition, because the perception and the perceiver must be in one and the same Mind.  No object can appear to exist in the objective world unless there is first a subjective world to perceive the object.  There is no object on the outside of Reality; but Reality must be an Infinite Perceiver or an Infinite Mind....One Mind common to all men.

The Bible says:  "In Him we live  and move and have our being."...."Him"...."It"....or "God."  Jesus said Reality is not in the mountain, nor afar off, but within us.  So without trying to define, without making any attempts to explain, we make the simple statement:  "Mind is."  Mind is, and Mind is both Universal and individual, i.e., It is not only Universal and abstract, It is also individual and concrete.  The Mind which is personified is the same Mind which is Universal.

This is the perception that Buddha, Jesus and other great spiritual leaders had.  They understood that the Universe has to be One in order to be at all.  Jesus saw it, when he said in substance:  If I cast out devils by Beelzebub, the prince of devils, that is a house divided against itself, which cannot stand; and he also said, "Who hath seen me hath seen the Father."  Jesus had arrived at a perception of Oneness.

Images of thought, although they appear to arise from without, actually arise from the objective side of that which is a part of a subjective within.  In order that Nature may be coherent and come into self-expression, there must be an objective, a manifest world; but that which is physically outside of us still exists in the same medium in which we have our being, and the intelligence by which we perceive it is the SAME INTELLIGENCE THAT CREATED IT.  Therefore, while it is objectively separate, it is subjectively unified.  Our images of thought arise from within a medium in which both the one who sees, and that which is seen, exist in a state of inner unity.  God exists in everything.  God exists in me, and because God exists in me, I am able to recognize other beings in whom God exists.  Spirit is the medium through which I am conscious of myself, of others, and of my environment.

Reading Thought

Recognizing that we are surrounded by a Universal Mind, it does not seem strange that certain people should  sense our thoughts even when we are not aware of the fact, because thought operates through a medium which is Universal....always present.

It is almost certain that between friends there is at all times a silent communication, a sort of unconscious mental conversation, going on.  When this arises to the surface of the conscious intelligence, it is called mental telepathy.  This communication with others is going on all the time, whether the conscious mind is aware of it or not.  These impressions are more or less vague and seldom come to the surface.  They are there, nevertheless, and are gradually building into our mentalities impressions and forms of thought that are unconsciously and silently perceived.

This all leads to the conclusion that what we call our subjective mind is really the use that we, as individuals, make of a Universal Subjectivity. Just as radio message are operative through a universal medium, so our thoughts are operative through a Universal Medium."

January 13 ~ The Science of Mind in a Year

MIND...The Greatest Discovery ~ Ernest Holmes, The Science of Mind

Nature Waits on Man's Self-Recognition

"Nothing is more apparent than that man, as he now appears, is the result of evolution.  But in order to evolve, he had to have a Principle from which to unfold.  Since man is intelligent, he must have evolved from an Intelligent Cause.

In studying the order of man's evolution, it seems certain that it was necessary - from the time that he was brought to a point of self-choice--that he be left alone to discover his true nature. If man is endowed with the attributes of self-choice and free will, he must be allowed to make this great discovery for himself.  Even God could not make a mechanical individual.  Consider any of Nature's forces, they must have existed always, but, so far as man is concerned, they exist to be used only after he has discovered them and learned how to make use of them.  Electricity was a reality in the universe when Moses led the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt, but neither Moses nor any of his followers knew anything about it.  This is true of all natural laws; they have always existed but only when understood may they be used.  In this way, Life waits upon man's discovery of natural laws, his discovery of  himself, and his discovery of his relationship to the great Whole.

The principle of any science is invisible, theoretical, as is our idea of Spirit. No one has seen God; no one has seen Life; what we have seen is the manifestation of Life.  No one has seen Intelligence; we experience It.  No one has ever seen Causation; we see what It does, we deal with Its effects.  We cannot see Beauty.  The artist feels beauty and depicts it as best he can, and the result of his effort is what we call the beautiful  The mathematician solves a problem, but the problem is not the Principle of Mathematics; the solution of the  problem is an effect or a result of the application of the principle.  We do not see Life, we experience living.  Causation is invisible.

The First Great Discovery

The first great discovery man  made was that he could think.  This was the day when he first said "I am."  This marked his first day of personal attainment.  From that day, man became individual and had to make all further progress himself.  from that day, there was no compulsory evolution; he had to work in conscious union with Life.

The basis from which man is evolving is Infinite.  Behind him is the Great Unknown but not the great unknowable.  As the result of the discovery that he could think, plan and execute, man has built up a great civilization; he has perceived that Nature works through him in order to work for him.  He has harnessed electricity, compelled steam to do his bidding, conquered the air, built cities, made the desert to bloom, and has thrown the lines of his commerce around the globe.  Indeed, he has seemed to possess the earth during this process, even though little attention has been given to that still, small voice which said:  "Man, know thyself." 

The Greatest Discovery of All Time...Mind

Man's first discovery of his ability to think was taken as a matter of fact.  He had always been able to think.  It was proof that he existed; it gave him the ability to know his needs and to supply them.  It appeared to be an automatic thing; it came with him and would doubtless die when he died.  The brain seemed to be the organ of thought, and of course, when death stilled the brain it would no longer operate.

However, a day came when some wise man claimed that it was not the brain that does the thinking, for if the brain could think it would keep on thinking when removed from the body; yet without a brain a man could not think which proved that something behind the brain used it as an instrument.  Man does think, so behind the brain there must be a thinker.  But where is the thinker?  We do not see him.  Have we a right to say there is a thinker, when we have never seen him?  Yes, for the proof of this reality is the evidence of his thought.  Back of the organism is the thinker and the doer - the Mind.  This was the greatest discovery of all time for it mean that  the body without the thinker could not function.  At first, man did not perceive this and thought only of his body as self-operating, but when he discovered this was not the case, he found that he could consciously think and decide, and that something happened to his thoughts after he thought them; they went somewhere and returned to him as  memory."

January 11 ~ The Science of Mind in a Year

The Way It Works by Ernest Holmes ~ The Science of Mind

The Science of Mind is not a special revelation of any individual; it is, rather, the culmination of all revelations. We take the good wherever we find it, making it our own in so far as we understand it.  The realization that Good is Universal, and that as much good as any individual is able to incorporate in his life is his to use, is what constitutes the Science of Mind and Spirit. 

We have discussed the nature of The Thing as being Universal Energy, Mind, Intelligence, Spirit - finding conscious and individualized centers of expression through us - and that man's intelligence is this Universal Mind, functioning at the level of man's concept of It.  This is the essence of the whole teaching.

Universal Mind, or Spirit, Is God

There is a Universal Mind, Spirit, Intelligence, that is the origin of everything:  It is First Cause.  It is God.  This Universal Life and Energy finds an outlet in and through all that is energized, and through everything that lives.  There is One Life back of everything that lives.  There is One Energy back of all that is energized.  This Energy is in everything.  There is One Spirit back of all expression.  That is the meaning of that mystical saying:  "In Him we live, and move, and have our being."  (Acts 17:28)

The life which we live is the Universal Life expressing through us, else how could we live.  Our thought and emotion is the use we make - consciously or unconsciously - of this original creative Thing that is the Cause of everything.  Therefore, we shall say that the mind, spirit and intelligence which we find in ourselves is as much of this original, creative God as we understand.  That this is not robbing God is a self-evident fact.  Since we are, then we are real and actual and have existence; and since we can reduce all that is to a fundamental unit, we find that we have this proposition:

There is Spirit - or this Invisible Cause - and nothing, out of which all things are to be made.  Now, Spirit plus nothing leaves Spirit only.  Hence there is One Original Cause and nothing, out of which we are made.  In other words, we are made from this Thing.  That is why we are called the "son of God." 

We now know that this is what we are - because we could not be anything else - but we do not know how much of this we are!  When we see It as It is, then, we shall see ourselves as we are.  We can only see It by looking at It through our own eyes.  Hence, we shall find a better God when we shall have arrived at a higher standard for man.  If God is to interpret Himself to man, He must interpret Himself through man.  And the Spirit can make no gift that we do not accept.

The Seed of Perfection is Hidden Within

This Original Life is Infinite.  It is good.  It is filled with peace.  It is the essence of purity.  It is the ultimate of intelligence.  It is power.  It is Law.  It is Life.  It is in us.  In that inner sanctuary of our own nature, hidden perhaps from objective gaze, "nestles the seed, perfection."

In our ignorance of the truth, we have misused the highest power we possess.  And so great is this power - so complete is our freedom in it, so absolute the domain of law through it - that the misuse of this power has brought upon us the very conditions from which we suffer.  We are bound because we are first free; the power which appears to bind us is the only power in the universe which can free us.  This is why Jesus summed up His whole philosophy in this simple statement:  "It is done unto you as you believe."  The great Teacher looked so deeply into Nature, that She revealed Her fundamental simplicity to him.  That "Believe" and that "as" symbolize heaven and hell.  And so we suffer, not because suffering is imposed upon us, but because we are ignorant of our true nature.

January 9 ~ Science of Mind in a Year

Describing the Infinite by Ernest Holmes ~ "The Science of Mind"

"Any account of Creation however brief implies, first of all, a Universal Intelligence which is omniscient, all-knowing.  We call this Intelligence God.  In philosophy, the word Reality is used. In science, the word Principle.  The Reality of philosophy, the Principle of science and the God of religion all have much the same meaning - the nature of the Universe in which we live.  We describe It as God, Spirit, Reality, Truth - Absolute Intelligence.

Absolute Intelligence

We believe in an Absolute Intelligence because such an intelligence is manifest throughout the universe in which we live.  Wherever we look we see It at work, whether it be the intelligence in the atom or the convolution of thought operating through the brain of a Socrates or an Einstein.  Consequently, we state our First Principle as an Absolute Intelligence.  It is impossible for thought - whether it be philosophic, scientific or religious (and these are the founts from which we gather knowledge) - to deny such Intelligence. 

We believe in an Absolute Intelligence and an Absolute Consciousness.  We are in the universe and we are conscious, so we have reason to believe that consciousness exists.

Creation means the giving of form to the Substance of Mind or Spirit.  Spirit being All and Only, there is nothing for It to change into but Itself.  Therefore, It is the Changeless, within which must take place all change or manifestation of Itself.  The Infinite of Itself is Formless but within It are contained all the forms which give expression to Its consciousness.  Spirit is the Limitless within which is all space.  Spirit is Timeless, within which is all time.  Creation and experience are eternally going on, but any particular experience is measured by time and has a beginning and an end.

In the beginning of any creative series there is Absolute Intelligence alone, pure Spirit, all-inclusive, everywhere, infinite.  This All-Spirit could not have the impulse to move unless It were conscious.  Therefore, "Spirit is the Power that knows Itself."  The account of Creation, which says "In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth," does not refer to a time when there was no creation, but rather to the process of an eternal creation, which is a continual manifestation of Spirit.  An eternal creation is proved by the fact that we must suppose Spirit to be Conscious Intelligence, and there can be no Conscious Intelligence unless It is conscious of something!  Spirit is conscious and must be conscious of something.  Therefore, It must always create. What a glorious concept is such an idea of an Eternal Creative Principle.  There is no stagnation in spirit, nor should there be any in our idea of spirituality.  To be spiritual is to create!  The Spirit is alive, conscious, aware and active.

A Deep Inquiry

If we were to examine the basic principles of the religions of the world, we would find a great similarity.  Each points to One central Life, from Whose Self-Existence all draw their livingness, and without which nothing could exist.  The Christian Religion gives more value to the individual life than do most others. That is why it has made such an appeal to the more vital races of the world.  In  many respects, the Christian Bible is the greatest book ever written, and does truly point a way to eternal values.  But it is only ONE explanation and cannot be considered the ONLY light on religion, for there are may others whose combined teachings weave the story of Truth into a complete and unified pattern.

The deep thinkers of antiquity, as well as the philosophers of all ages, have meditated long and earnestly upon the nature of the Divine Being.  Knowing that there could be but One Ultimate Reality back of all things, they have pondered deeply as to the nature of that Reality, and it is significant that most of the great thinkers have arrived at similar conclusions."

January 6 ~ The Science of Mind in a Year

There Are Not Two Minds, Only Two Names ~ Ernest Holmes, The Science of Mind

"Mind - the Thing, Spirit, Causation - is beyond, and yet not beyond, our grasp. Beyond, in that It is so big; within, in that wherever we grasp at It, we are It to the extent that we grasp It; but, since It is infinite, we can never encompass It.  We shall never encompass God, and yet we shall always be in God and of God!

Mind comes under two classifications.  There are not two minds; but rather two names employed in describing states of consciousness:  the objective, or conscious and the subjective, or unconscious.  We think of the conscious state as our conscious use of mind.  The subconscious (or subjective) state of mind - sometimes called the unconscious state - is that part of mind which is set in motion as a creative thing by the conscious state.

In the body of this textbook, under the heading of "Subjective Mind," we say:  "In the Subjective Mind of man, we find a law obeying his word, the servant of his spirit.  Suggestion has proved that the subconscious mind acts upon our thoughts.  It is the mental law of our being, and the creative factor within us.  It is unnecessary, at this point, to go into all the details of the subjective Mind and its mode of action; it is enough to say that within us is a mental law, working out the will and purposes of our conscious thoughts.  This can be no other than our individual use of that greater SUBJECTIVE MIND, which is the seat of all mental law and action, and is 'The Servant of the Eternal Spirit throughout the ages.'"

January 5 ~ Science of Mind in a Year

The Universe Never Plays Favorites by Ernest Holmes, The Science of Mind

"We are so used to the thought that if we mix certain colors we get certain other colors, that we do not realize we are dealing with a principle.  We know that whoever blends those particular colors will get the same result, but we do not know why; THE WISEST MAN LIVING DOES NOT KNOW WHY!  We do not have to stretch our credulity any more in metaphysics.

We think of metaphysics, perhaps, as something that only the most profound thinkers have known about, but we should remember that we also are thinkers.  The profound thought of all ages has stood in awe of Life itself, realizing that here is a power and potentiality, the highest possibilities of which the human intellect cannot fathom.

Universal principles are never respecters of persons; the Universe has no favorites. Therefore, it is written:  "and let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely."  (Rev. 22:17)


Nothing Supernatural about the Study of Life

Let us then approach the Science of Mind - the Science of Spiritual Psychology - with awe, but not with fear; with truly a humble thought, but not with a sense that we are unworthy.  Let us approach it normally, happily, willing to accept, glad to experiment, hoping and believing that as the result of our efforts we shall each derive a great good - a sound understanding of the natural laws of Life, as they apply to the individual and his relationship to the whole universal scheme of things.

This is the simple meaning of true metaphysical teaching, the study of Life and the nature of the Law, governed and directed by thought; always conscious that we live in a spiritual Universe; that God is in, through, around and for us.  There is nothing supernatural about the study of Life from the metaphysical viewpoint.  That which today seems to us supernatural, after it is thoroughly understood, will be found spontaneously natural.

We all know that many have been healed of physical disease through prayer.  Let us analyze this.  Why are some healed through prayer while others are not?  Can we believe that there is a God who picks out some man and says, "I will honor your prayer, but I do not think so much of Mr. So and So"?  It is superstitious to believe that God will answer the prayer of one above another.  Jesus said that God "maketh His sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust."  (Matt. 5:45)

Since some people have been healed through prayer, while others have not, the answer is NOT that God has responded to some and not to others, but that some have responded to God more than others.  Their prayer (their thought) has responded by corresponding.  The answer to prayer is in the prayer.  But what is a prayer?  A prayer is a movement of thought, within the mind of the one praying, along a definite line of meditation; that is, for a specific purpose.

What is the mind?  No man living knows.  We know a great deal about the mind, but not what it is.  By mind, we mean consciousness.  We are now using it.  We cannot locate mind in the body, for, while the body is a necessary vehicle for consciousness while we are here, it is not consciousness.  We cannot isolate mind.  All we know about it is not what it is, but what it does, and the greatest philosopher who ever lived knows no more than this...except that he may tell us more of how it works.

January 4 ~ Science of Mind in a Year

The Thing Itself - Ernest Holmes, The Science of Mind

"We all look forward to the day when science and religion shall walk hand in hand through the visible to the invisible.  Science knows nothing of opinion, but recognizes a government of law whose principles are universal.  Yet any scientist who refuses to accept intangible values has no adequate basis for the values which he has already discovered.  Revelation must keep faith with reason, and religion with law - while intuition is ever spreading its wings for greater flights - and science must justify faith in the invisible.

To suppose that the Creative Intelligence of the Universe would create man in bondage and leave him bound would be to dishonor the Creative Power which we call God.  To suppose that God could make man as an individual, without leaving him to discover himself, would be to suppose an impossibility. Individuality must be spontaneous; it can never be automatic.  The seed of freedom must be planted in the innermost being of man, but, like the Prodigal Son, man must make the great discovery for himself.

We see abundance in the Universe. We cannot count the grains of sand on a  single beach.  The earth contains untold riches, and the very air is vibrant with power.  Why, then, is man weak, poor and afraid?  The Science of Mind deals with these questions.  The Divine Plan is one of Freedom; bondage is not God-ordained.  Freedom is the birthright of every living soul.  All instinctively feel this.  The Truth points to freedom, under Law.  Thus the inherent nature of man is forever seeking to express itself in terms of freedom.  We do well to listen to this Inner Voice, for it tells us of a life wonderful in its scope; of a love beyond our fondest dreams; of a freedom which the soul craves.

But the great Love of the Universe must be One with the great law of Its Own Being, and we approach Love through the Law. This, then, is the teaching:  Love and Law.  As the love of God is perfect, so the law of God is also is perfect.  We must understand both.

Whatever the nature of any principle may be - in so far as it is understood by anyone - it may be understood by all who take the time to investigate.  This does not require an unusual degree of intelligence, but, rather, a practical application of what we now know in order that we may increase our knowledge.  The study of the Science of Mind is a study of First Cause, Spirit, Mind, or that invisible Essence, that ultimate Stuff and Intelligence from which everything comes, the Power back of creation - the Thing Itself.

We accept this "thing" and believe in It.  What we desire is to know more about It, and how to use It.  From proof alone, we know we are dealing with a definite principle. If one (through the conscious use of his knowledge) can produce a certain result, he must know with what he is dealing.

It may seem as though, in dealing with metaphysics, we are dealing with something that is too abstract.  But what is tangible other than results?  Principles are forever hidden from our eyes.  We accept the deductions of science in so far as they are provided, and we recognize that they are built upon immutable, but invisible principles."

January 3 ~ Science of Mind in a Year

Removing the Complex

Suppose someone is constantly saying:  "Everything is all wrong in the world.  People are wrong, things are wrong, conditions are wrong.  All is sickness and unhappiness.  Nothing seems worth while."  You as a practitioner* must not be disturbed by this complaint.  It is your business to remove this complex, for these inner emotions create outer conditions, in and through the body, and are responsible for a great deal of sickness in the world.

Treatment straightens out consciousness by clear thinking.  When the inner consciousness agrees with the Truth, then - and not until then - a demonstration takes place.  Specifically go over the thoughts which are wrong and use the power of your word to heal them.

"Medical practice takes into consideration the thoughts back of disease, and many eminent physicians probe deeply into the "complex," the "obsession," or the "defense mechanism," disclosed by the thought of the patient, which resulted in blindness, deafness, mutism, etc.

In spiritual mind healing, we recognize that cause is never material or physical.  There is only One First Cause.  But it is often necessary for the practitioner to diagnose the thought of his patient; in fact, this is an important point in healing.  This is psycho-analysis (from psyche, or soul).  Psycho-analysis is the analysis of the soul or subjective mind.  Its teaching is that within the soul, or subjective mind, all the seeds of our thoughts fall, and that most of man's physical troubles are caused by some inner conflict.  The conscious mind, desiring certain things which it cannot have, sends into the subjective thought opposing desires which conflict with each other and mentally tear or bind; and as they manifest in the body, they produce disease.  It is claimed that seventy percent of all diseases are the result of suppressed emotions.  These emotions are not necessarily sex emotions, but may be any suppressed desires.

It is probable that when Jesus forgave the man his sins, he realized that the man had a complex of condemnation within himself. The sense of condemnation within himself.  The sense of condemnation which the race holds about itself weights it down, and it must be removed.  This explains why Jesus said: "Thy sins be forgiven thee."  It is feeling that hurts.  It has been said:  "Life is a comedy to him who thinks, a tragedy to him who feels."

We recognize that everything is in Mind and that nothing moves but Mind.  That Intelligence is back of everything, acting through a thought force which is concrete, definite and real.  The reason people do not realize that mental healing is possible is that they do not understand the meaning of Causation, they do not realize that Intelligence is back of all things, that there is but One Fundamental Intelligence in the Universe, and that the individual is simply a point where this One Mind manifests as person.  Disease must come through Mind, in order to operate through us.  There is but One Subjective Mind in the Universe, and we are always thinking into It.

The practitioner talks with his patient, explains to him the Law of Mind, teaches him the way, diagnoses his thought, points out to him that certain mental attitudes produce certain physical results, teaches him how to be harmonious in his thinking, how to be at peace, how to trust and believe in the Good.  In other words, the practitioner lifts him up mentally and spiritually, and supports his thought until he can stand alone.

A practitioner must be filled with the spirit of Divine Compassion.  He must have a deep, underlying sense of unity and sympathy, else he will do but little good; but he/she must not have sympathy with the disease.  The only guarantee of our Divinity is in its expression through our humanity.  Consequently, an enlightened soul understands the meaning of sympathy and exercises it, but not morbidly."

*The term "practitioner" refers to students and people who practice the teaching of this science, and those individuals who have formally licensed through Centers for Spiritual Living.  www.csl.org

Note regarding capitalization in the text: Dr. Holmes, throughout the text, has utilized capitalization as a reverent indication of the divine qualities in all of life.   For example, "Divine Compassion" is a quality, a state of being, that is expressed from that one source of all life....that has many names: God, Buddha, Allah, Yahweh, Father, Mother, Great Mother, Supreme Being, Consciousness.

January 2 ~ Science of Mind in a Year

Meditations for Self-Help and Healing - Science of Mind Textbook by Ernest Holmes

"In these short meditations I have tried to set forth some ideas which my experiences in mental healing have given me.  I have found that a few brief statements, mentally affirmed, followed by a silent meditation, have been most effective in the healing work. 

Most of these meditations have been written in the first person, in order that those using them may be able to do so just as they are written.

It is not claimed that there is any occult power in the words, but that the words similar to these are effective in inducing a greater realization of life.

First, decide which meditation you wish to use; then become quiet and composed.  Then carefully read the meditation several times, phrase by phrase, endeavoring to realize the meaning of the words and trying to enter into the atmosphere of the thought.  After having done this, meditate upon the words, following that meditation until you feel a sense of realization".  [blog note: meditations are incorporated into the daily readings, only 1 meditation for today's post]

Come, and Let Me Heal You

Come and I will heal you.

The inner power of Life within me is God,
And God has all power.

I will heal and help all who come to me.

I know that the realization of Life and Love within me heals all who come into Its presence.

I silently bless all who enter my atmosphere.

It is not I, but the Father who dwelleth in me, He doeth the works.

I heal all who come near me.


May your day be blessed as you recognize the power within. 

January 1 - Science of Mind in A Year

January 1 ~ New Cloth and Old Garments (Matt. 9:16, 17)

In saying that "no man puts a piece of new cloth on an old garment or new wine into old bottles," Jesus was teaching a lesson in religious development.  We are continuously living a new life, and when the old and the new do not fit nicely together, the old - being no longer able to contain the new - should be discarded.  Continually we must expect new revelations of old truths.  We should never lose sight of the fact that the soul is on the pathway of an endless and ever-expanding experience, and that only by expansion can it evolve.  This does not mean that we should cast away any good the old has to offer, but that we convert it into a greater good.  Accepting the lessons and experiences of the past, and taking the best from everything, we should press boldly forward, looking ever for the Truth, and ever ascending higher and higher into the heavens of reality.

There is no limit to the possibility inherent in all men.  Let the timid soul put its complete trust in good and press bravely on.