August 4 ~ The Science of Mind in a Year

PHYSICAL PERFECTION
By Ernest Holmes

Nerve Troubles

"As we come to realize that thoughts are things we shall also see that different kinds of thoughts will produce different types of effects.  There is but one final Truth or Reality, but It is always presenting us with varying forms of Itself.  These forms are temporarily misshapen by the creative power of our own thought.  For we must not forget that what we call our thought is really the place where we are using the Creative Mind Itself.  Our thought is creative, not because we will it so, but BECAUSE IT ALREADY IS SO.  WE CANNOT CHANGE THIS NOR ESCAPE FROM ITS EFFECTS IN OUR LIVES.

Consequently we see that certain thoughts would depress while other would exalt.  And all according to the One Law governing our lives.  With this in mind, then, we understand what is meant by saying that certain thoughts should be used in treating certain cases.

Let us consider what kind of thought to use in treating nerve troubles.  We do not deny that people suffer from this or any other cause.  We do, however, affirm that thought may help and has the possibility of completely healing them from the trouble.  The nerves certainly represent the highest form of intelligence running through the flesh.  They really represent mind in the highest form it takes as it controls the human body. 

The general treatment for nerve disorders should incorporate thoughts of peace, poise and power.  There is no strain or struggle in the Universe.  All the actions of Life are harmonious, steady, sure and quiet.  Because the nerves are so responsive to thought, they react immediately to a statement of harmony.  An understanding of the truth that good alone is real and true, gives us the faith essential to an establishment of a firm, unwavering mind, which is necessary if one is to have firm, steady, sensitive, quickly-responding nerves.  Our thought must never waver from the premise of One Power, which is an impersonal, infinite Power for good.

We train our mind to contemplate the good, the enduring, the true.  That which has caused depression, discouragement or indecision, must be neutralized by our refusal to allow it to register.  Realize that the Spirit within you manifests as perfect harmony, and that every cell, atom and organ of your body is functioning according to the Divine Law.  Say: "I am filled with the peace, strength, power and decision of Spirit.  The life forces flow freely, peacefully, and harmoniously through every atom of my body, I am complete and perfect now.  The all-powerful Mind of the Indwelling Christ in me dissolves and dissipates from my mind all belief in indecision, anxiety, depression and discouragement, for I dwell in the realm of peace."

We must heal ourselves form worry.  This tension is relaxed as we gain confidence in good, in truth and in beauty.  Faith must overcome fear, and strong statements of faith should be used to erase the thoughts of doubt and worry that have assailed us.  "I have faith.  I am faith.  I abide in faith.  All doubt and fear have left me.  I understand why it is that I can remain in faith.  I have complete confidence.  I do not waver nor falter in my faith, for I know that God, the Living Spirit, is the only Presence there is or ever can be."

We should also erase the thoughts of yesterday that would rob us of today's happiness.  "There is nothing arising out of the past that can disturb me.   The past, the present and the future are one unbroken stream of Good.  I loose all thoughts that in the past have caused anxiety.  The Spirit knows no past and is not affected by the belief in any.  The past is swallowed up in the victory of a perfect present, which is filled with love and protection."

Equally we must not have fear for the future.  "I see that the future is bright with promise.  It beckons me forward into a more complete realization of my own worth and my rightful place in the Universe.  All my tomorrows will be happy and filled with harmonious occupations.  I look to the future with great and pleasurable anticipation, knowing it will expand my opportunity for radiant self-expression.  I love my past and my future and understand that they are but continuations of the one unbroken chain of life.  There is no future to be afraid of and no past to bring discord into the present."

Such statements will tend to erase any negative stream of causation that may have been set in motion in the past.  Waste no time arguing with anyone over these truths.  This is true and it really works.  We would better spend our time using the Law than arguing over It.  Our position is to be proven by DEMONSTRATION ALONE.  THIS IS THE FINAL TEST OF ALL THEORIES.

We should read, study, think and meditate upon those statements which tend to calm, to give poise and confidence, and erase all thought of fear and tension.  The subjective law can only operate upon that which is given it, so we must be very careful of our patterns of thought.  We live in a sea of Perfect Life and we should take time to understand and sense this in our imagination.  We should think of ourselves as being surrounded by perfect life and poised in an eternal calm.  We are in a sea of untroubled waters of life, from which we may freely drink.  We must do the drinking.  No one else can do this for us.  We should hold out the cup of acceptance until it is filled and overflowing with the manifestations of our desires.  This chalice of the heart is held up that the heavenly flow may fill it with God's abundant life.

The words of peace spoken to the nervous system will remove the tension which produces pain and inflammation of the nerves.  There is neither irritation, agitation nor inflammation in God, in Spirit, in Truth, and man is the Truth.  "Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you...Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid."  "I am pure Spirit.  My entire nervous system is pure Spirit.  I am poised in harmony, in Truth and in complete calm.  My nervous system is in the Spirit within me, governing my physical body with harmony.  There is no need for pain.  My body is pure Spiritual Substance and as such it is perfect and harmonious."

We are poised in a sense of peace, which comes from our complete faith in God as the light, power and inspiration of our life.  There will be no twitching of muscles, no uneasiness or anxiety about any outcome, if we know - whether waking or sleeping - that every step of the way God goes with us."

February 28 ~ The Science of Mind in a Year

FROM The TEACHINGS of JESUS ~ Ernest Holmes

Judge Not, That Ye Be Not Judged (Matt. 7:1)

""Judge not that ye be not judged, for with what judgment ye judge ye shall be judged, and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again."  This statement could come only from one who had a deep insight into the universal law of Cause and Effect, which balances everything, and sees that in the long run, everyone receives his just due.  This law Emerson called the "High Chancellor of God."  The law of cause and effect is the law of perfect balance, of logical sequence and of inevitable consequence.  Whatever a man sows, he must reap.

The law of cause and effect is immutable, and every man's action produces an effect in his life, which he must ultimately experience, unless he transcends the law already set in motion.  Such a concept supposes that we are surrounded by a Universal Law, which is entirely impartial, and which returns to the thinker the logical effect of his actions. Man, being a free agent in this law - whether consciously or in ignorance - is continually setting it in motion to some definite end.  Therefore it is true, unalterably true, that he must reap as he has sown!

This means that life must return to us the manifestation of our motives, thoughts and desires - whether these motives, thoughts and desires were intended for ourselves or others.  It means that the thought of judgment, criticism and condemnation must, in time, operate against the one who sets it in motion!  It is doubtless necessary to the well-being of society that our civil laws be enforced, else in our present state of evolution, there would be no protection from those who seek to destroy society; but personal condemnation can be entirely eliminated.

Ultimately we shall see that the Universe rests on the shoulders of Love; that God is Love; and that all the errors of man  are the result of ignorance of his own true nature.  The happy outlook on life is always constructive; the understanding heart is filled with sympathy and helpfulness toward all.  An evolved soul judges no one, condemns no one, but realizes that all are on the road of experience, seeking the same goal, and that each must ultimately find his home in Heaven.

In the long run, nothing judges us but the immutable Law of Cause and Effect.  Whoever deserves punishment will receive it, and whoever merits reward will find that it is brought by the hand of the Almighty and delivered to him.  There is a direct law responding to condemnation and a direct law responding to praise and appreciation.  It is, of course, the same law used in different ways.

There is a Law, common to all people, which responds to every man's belief in life, at the level of that belief.  No man can be happy who lives in a continuous state of condemnation of people, conditions and things.  We must learn to praise and not condemn.

Religious Morbidities

Those who have made a study of soul analysis are aware that poisonous secretions in the body are often the result of religious morbidities.  The time has come to break the bondage of these false impressions.  We are free souls, free spirits, and because this is true, our thought has creative power, and since it has this power, we must carefully choose what we are to think, for everything moves in circles.

We do not say there is no evil experience.  We say, evil is not an entity, but a misuse of a power, which of itself is good.  We shall never know the nature of good by dissecting the nature of evil.

Thought Retards or Quickens

Everything our thought rests upon is either retarded or quickened by the power of that thought.  Everyone is a law unto himself, under the great law of cause and effect governing all things.

When we constructively praise and creatively bless, life abounds with love, peace and joy.  Let goodness shine forth.  Let us learn to see that everyone is an evolving Christ.  Let us so live and think that we may retire at night in peace, knowing that no harm can come to the soul; that we may rise in the morning renewed in body and in mind, with a brighter outlook, a happier expectation and a clearer joy, looking upon all with love, condemning none and blessing even those who seek to injure us.  Let us learn to be perfect, even as that Divine Being, residing in the heart of all and overshadowing Eternity, must also be perfect."