January 17 ~ Science of Mind in a Year

What It Does ~ Ernest Holmes, The Science of Mind

"We should approach the study of this Science rationally, never expecting to drive any benefits from it that its Principle does not contain.  For while it is true that we are immersed in an Infinite Intelligence, a Mind that knows all things, it is also true that this Intelligence can acquaint us with Its ideas only as we are able and willing to receive them.  The Divine Mind is Infinite.  It contains all knowledge and wisdom, but, before It can reveal Its secrets, It must have an outlet.  This outlet we shall be compelled to supply through our own receptive mentalities.

All invention, art, literature, government, law and wisdom that has come to the race has been given to it through those who have deeply penetrated the secrets of nature and the mind of God.

Perhaps the simplest way to state the proposition is to say that we are surrounded by a Mind, or Intelligence, that knows everything; that the potential knowledge of all things exists in this Mind; that the abstract essence of beauty, truth and wisdom co-exist in the Mind of the Universe; that we also exist in It and may draw from It.  BUT WHAT WE DRAW FROM IT WE MUST DRAW THROUGH THE CHANNEL OF OUR OWN  MINDS.  A unity must be established, and a conscious connection must be made, before we can derive the benefits which the greater Mind is willing to reveal or impart to us.

The Spirit can give us only what we can take; It imparts of Itself only as we partake of Its nature.  It can tell us only what we can understand.  The Infinite Knowingness becomes our wisdom only in such degree as we embody Its Intelligence.  It has been said that we can know God only in so far as we can become God.  This is a far-reaching thought and should be carefully scrutinized.  It is to be taken figuratively and not too literally, for we cannot really become God, but we can and do partake of the Divine Nature, and the Universal does personify Itself through man in varying degrees, according to man's receptivity to It.

The Universe Impersonal

The Universe is impersonal.  It gives alike to all.  It is no respecter of persons.  It values each alike.  Its nature is to impart, ours to receive.  When we stand in the light, we cast a shadow across the pathway of our own experience.  Emerson advises that we get our bloated nothingness out of the way of the divine circuits.

A Riddle of Simplicity

It is a beautiful and true thought to realize that every man stands in the shadow of a mighty Mind, a pure Intelligence, and a Divine givingness!  Not alone unto the great comes the soft tread of the Unseen Guest.  The arrogant have not perceived the simplicity of faith, but the pure in heart see God.  The farmer has seen the Heavenly Host in his fields.  The child has frolicked with Him at play.  The mother has clasped Him to her breast and the fond lover has seen Him in the eyes of his beloved.  We look too far away for Reality.

The intelligence by and through which we perceive that there is a Spiritual Presence and an Infinite Mind in the Universe, constitutes our receptivity to It, and decides Its flow through us.  We have made a riddle out of simplicity; therefore, we have not read the sermons written in stones, nor interpreted the light of love running through life.

To return to a sane simplicity is one of the first and most important things to do.  All men receive some light, and this light is always the same light.  There is one nature diffused throughout all nature; One God incarnated in all peoples.

The Divine Incarnation is inherent in our nature.  We are immersed in an Infinite Knowingness.  the question is, how much of this Realty are we going to express in our own lives?  The direct approach is always the best and the most effective.  In so far as any man has spoken the truth, he has proclaimed God -- it matters not what his particular approach may have been.  The scientist and the philosopher, the priest and the professor, the humanitarian and the empire builder, all have caught some gleam of the eternal glory and each has spoken, in his own tongue, that language which is of itself Universal.

Let us do away with a ponderosity of thought and approach the thing simply and quietly. It is the nature of the Universe to give us what we are able to take.  It cannot give us more.  It has given all, we have not yet accepted the greater gift.

Spiritual wisdom says that God manifests through everything and is incarnated in all men; that all is Divinity and that Nature herself is the body of God. The mechanical laws of nature are set and immutable, but the spontaneous recognition of these laws gives us the power to bring them into practical use in everyday life and experience.

Here we have a dual unity; law and order, spontaneous choice, volition, conscious action, and automatic reaction.  The laws of the universe are to be trusted but we must come to understand them before we can use them.  Once understood, any law is available and is impersonally responsive to each and all alike.

Love Rules Through Law

In an intelligent study of the teachings of the Science of Mind, we come to understand that all is Love and yet all is Law.  Love rules through Law.  Love is the Divine Givingness; Law is the Way.  Love is spontaneous; Law is impersonal.  We should study the nature of Reality with this in mind, and in this way we shall avoid two grave mistakes:  either viewing life as made up only of mechanical laws, or viewing it as made up only of spontaneous actions, irrespective of law and order.

As we gain the broader viewpoint, we shall see that Life must contain two fundamental characteristics.  We shall see that there is an Infinite Spirit, operating through an Infinite and Immutable Law.  In this, Cosmos, and not chaos, finds an eternal existence in Reality.  Love points the way and Law makes the way possible."

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 8 ~ The Science of Mind in a Year

"In the Beginning, God!"  Ernest Holmes, The Science of Mind

(Blogger's Note: For the purposes of this writing, the pronoun He, Him has been changed to It when referring to "God")

The Beginning

We wish to discover what to believe in, why we believe in it, and why such a belief is reasonable; and in so far as possible to enter into the nature of the invisible Cause of this manifest life of ours.  We wish to discover how this Cause works; Its relationship to us and our relationship to It, and how we may use this knowledge.  The world is tired of mysteries, does not understand symbols, and longs for Reality.  What is Reality, where may It be found and how used?  These are some of the questions one should like to have answered.

"In the beginning, God!" In the beginning, Spirit or Intelligence only.  No manifest universe!  No system of planets!  No visible form, nothing but the Life Principle.  God, the Spirit, had not yet moved upon the waters.  Then this All-Being moved or began to create.  Where did Spirit move?  Upon what did It move?  From whence came Its pattern?  What means or power did It employ?  Through what agencies did It work?  In short, out of what is the world, ourselves included, made?  How did we and all other physical manifestations come into being?

If we suppose Spirit to be the Life Principle running through all manifestation, the Cause of all, then we must supposed that It has Substance within Itself.  It is Self-Existent Consciousness, and also Self-Existent Substance.  SPIRIT MAKES THINGS OUT OF ITSELF THROUGH SOME INNER ACT UPON ITSELF.  This inner act must, of course, be an ace of consciousness, of self-perception, of self-knowingness.  What God knows IS.  This has been called the Word of God and the Self-Contemplation of God.

The Story of Creation Simplified

Without repeating the well-known account (rather accounts, for there are two) of Creation, as given in the Bible, let us say that someone - generally thought to have been Moses - in expounding his idea of how Creation came into being, put his thoughts into the form of an allegory or symbolic story.  Let us restate this story, in our own words, and see what we shall have:

God (meaning the Supreme Spirit or Intelligence of the Universe) was conscious of Itself, prior to the creation of any special world system. Being thus conscious, and desiring to manifest in form, It did so manifest through the power of It's Word, which is Law.  God is not only pure Spirit or Intelligence, It is Universe through the power of It's word).  Hence, when It speaks, It's Word becomes Law.  The Law must obey.  The Law is mechanical, the Word is spontaneous.  God cannot speak a word which contradicts It's own nature.

Since God is pure Intelligence and endless Being, It is always creating.  It is It's nature to create but being All It must act within Itself.

The World of God, spoken within Itself, sets the Law (which is also in Itself) in motion.  The result is Creation.  The Word is the mold, which acting through Law produces form.  As there are many words so there are many forms, each distinct and each an individualized idea of God.

Since the Word of God is permanent, when It speaks, that Word is equipped to perpetuate Itself, even as the seed contains within itself all that is necessary for the reproduction of its kind.  It does not become another kind, for this would produce confusion and the Divine Mind is never confused.

God made the mechanical universe, the plant and animal life, but this did not satisfy It, for It wished to create a being who could respond to and understand It.  So It created a being who had real life within itself.

It could do this only by imparting It's own nature to this being whom It called man.  It must make man in Its own image and likeness.  Man must be created out of the stuff of Eternity, if he is to have real being.  Humanity must partake of the nature of Divinity if it is to have real life.  So God made man from the essence of Itself and clothed this subtle essence with definite form.

And God said within Itself something after this fashion:  "If I wish to have a man who is a real being, I must give him self-choice.  He must be spontaneous, not automatic.  He must have dominion over everything I have created and he shall have all things to enjoy, for his life must be full and complete if he is to express My nature."

So God gave man dominion over all earthly things.  Man was not given the power to govern the universe, but he was given the power to have dominion.

And God viewing all that It had created saw that it was good, "very good."  How could it be otherwise since It had created it?  How could God, being Goodness, see other than good?

This, briefly, is the story of Creation.  The reader need not be startled by this rather human narrative.  Remember we are putting into human language a story which can only be imagined.  Let us see how much of this may have meaning for us - how much of it we may prove.

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.