Part 5

As man becomes spiritually awakened he recognizes that any external inharmony is the correspondence of mental inharmony. If he stumbles or falls, he may know he is stumbling or falling in consciousness.

One day, a student was walking along the street condemning someone in her thoughts. She was saying, mentally, “That woman is the most disagreeable woman on earth,” when suddenly three boy scouts rushed around the corner and almost knocked her over. She did not condemn the boy scouts, but immediately called on the law of forgiveness, and “saluted the divinity” in the woman. Wisdom’s ways are ways of pleasantness and all her paths are peace.

When one has made his demands upon the Universal, he must be ready for surprises. Everything may seem to be going wrong, when in reality, it is going right.

For example: A woman was told that there was no loss in divine mind, therefore, she could not lose anything which belonged to her; anything lost, would be returned, or she would receive its equivalent.

Several years previously, she had lost two thousand dollars. She had loaned the money to a relative during her lifetime, but the relative had died, leaving no mention of it in her will. The woman was resentful and angry, and as she had no written statement of the transaction, she never received the money, so she determined to deny the loss, and collect the two thousand dollars from the Bank of the Universal. She had to begin by forgiving the woman, as resentment and unforgiveness close the doors of this wonderful bank.

She made this statement, “I deny loss, there is no loss in Divine Mind, therefore, I cannot lose the two thousand dollars, which belong to me by divine right.” “_As one door shuts another door opens._”

She was living in an apartment house which was for sale; and in the lease was a clause, stating that if the house was sold, the tenants would be required to move out within ninety days.

Suddenly, the landlord broke the leases and raised the rent. Again, injustice was on her pathway, but this time she was undisturbed. She blessed the landlord, and said, “As the rent has been raised, it means that I’ll be that much richer, for God is my supply.”

New leases were made out for the advanced rent, but by some divine mistake, the ninety days clause had been forgotten. Soon after, the landlord had an opportunity to sell the house. On account of the mistake in the new leases, the tenants held possession for another year.

The agent offered each tenant two hundred dollars if he would vacate. Several families moved; three remained, including the woman. A month or two passed, and the agent again appeared. This time he said to the woman, “Will you break your lease for the sum of fifteen hundred dollars?” It flashed upon her, “Here comes the two thousand dollars.” She remembered having said to friends in the house, “We will all act together if anything more is said about leaving.” So her _lead_ was to consult her friends.

These friends said: “Well, if they have offered you fifteen hundred they will certainly give two thousand.” So she received a check for two thousand dollars for giving up the apartment. It was certainly a remarkable working of the law, and the apparent injustice was merely opening the way for her demonstration.

It proved that there is no loss, and when man takes his spiritual stand, he collects all that is his from this great Reservoir of Good.

“I will restore to you the years the locusts have eaten.”

The locusts are the doubts, fears, resentments and regrets of mortal thinking.

These adverse thoughts, alone, rob man; for “No man gives to himself but himself, and no man takes away from himself, but himself.”

Man is here to prove God and “to bear witness to the truth,” and he can only prove God by bringing plenty out of lack, and justice out of injustice.

“Prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.”

PERFECT SELF-EXPRESSION

or

THE DIVINE DESIGN

“No wind can drive my bark astray nor change the tide of destiny.”

There is for each man, perfect self-expression. There is a place which he is to fill and no one else can fill, something which he is to do, which no one else can do; it is his destiny!

This achievement is held, a perfect idea in Divine Mind, awaiting man’s recognition. As the imaging faculty is the creative faculty, it is necessary for man to see the idea, before it can manifest.

So man’s highest demand is for the _Divine Design of his life_.

He may not have the faintest conception of what it is, for there is, possibly, some marvelous talent, hidden deep within him.

His demand should be: “_Infinite Spirit, open the way for the Divine Design of my life to manifest; let the genius within me now be released; let me see clearly the perfect plan._”

The perfect plan includes health, wealth, love and perfect self-expression. This is the _square of life_, which brings perfect happiness. When one has made this demand, he may find great changes taking place in his life, for nearly every man has wandered far from the Divine Design.

I know, in one woman’s case, it was as though a cyclone had struck her affairs, but readjustments came quickly, and new and wonderful conditions took the place of old ones.

Perfect self-expression will never be labor; but of such absorbing interest that it will seem almost like play. The student knows, also, as man comes into the world financed by God, the _supply_ needed for his perfect self-expression will be at hand.

Many a genius has struggled for years with the problem of supply, when his spoken word, and faith, would have released quickly, the necessary funds.

For example: After the class, one day, a man came to me and handed me a cent.

He said: “I have just seven cents in the world, and I’m going to give you one; for I have faith in the power of your spoken word. I want you to speak the word for my perfect self-expression and prosperity.”

I “spoke the word,” and did not see him again until a year later. He came in one day, successful and happy, with a roll of yellow bills in his pocket. He said, “Immediately after you spoke the word, I had a position offered me in a distant city, and am now demonstrating health, happiness and supply.”

A woman’s perfect self-expression may be in becoming a perfect wife, a perfect mother, a perfect home-maker and not necessarily in having a public career.

Demand definite leads, and the way will be made easy and successful.

One should not visualize or force a mental picture. When he demands the Divine Design to come into his conscious mind, he will receive flashes of inspiration, and begin to see himself making some great accomplishment. This is the picture, or idea, he must hold without wavering.

The thing man seeks is seeking him—_the telephone was seeking Bell_!

Parents should never force careers and professions upon their children. With a knowledge of spiritual Truth, the Divine Plan could be spoken for, early in childhood, or prenatally.

A prenatal treatment should be: “Let the God in this child have perfect expression; let the Divine Design of his mind, body and affairs be made manifest throughout his life, throughout eternity.”

_God’s will be done, not man’s; God’s pattern, not man’s_ pattern, is the command we find running through all the scriptures, and the Bible is a book dealing with the science of the mind. It is a book telling man how to release his soul (or subconscious mind) from bondage.

The battles described are pictures of man waging war against mortal thoughts. “A man’s foes shall be they of his own household.” Every man is Jehoshaphat, and every man is David, who slays Goliath (mortal thinking) with the little white stone (faith).

So man must be careful that he is not the “wicked and slothful servant” who buried his talent. There is a terrible penalty to be paid for not using one’s ability.

Often fear stands between man and his perfect self-expression. Stage-fright has hampered many a genius. This may be overcome by the spoken word, or treatment. The individual then loses all self-consciousness, and feels simply that he is a channel for Infinite Intelligence to express Itself through.

He is under direct inspiration, fearless, and confident; for he feels that it is the “Father within” him who does the work.

A young boy came often to my class with his mother. He asked me to “speak the word” for his coming examinations at school.

I told him to make the statement: “I am one with Infinite Intelligence. I know everything I should know on this subject.” He had an excellent knowledge of history, but was not sure of his arithmetic. I saw him afterwards, and he said: “I spoke the word for my arithmetic, and passed with the highest honors; but thought I could depend on myself for history, and got a very poor mark.” Man often receives a set-back when he is “too sure of himself,” which means he is trusting to his personality and not the “Father within.”

Another one of my students gave me an example of this. She took an extended trip abroad one summer, visiting many countries, where she was ignorant of the languages. She was calling for guidance and protection every minute, and her affairs went smoothly and miraculously. Her luggage was never delayed nor lost! Accommodations were always ready for her at the best hotels; and she had perfect service wherever she went. She returned to New York. Knowing the language, she felt God was no longer necessary, so looked after her affairs in an ordinary manner.

_Everything went wrong_, her trunks delayed, amid inharmony and confusion. The student must form the habit of “practicing the Presence of God” every minute. “_In all thy ways acknowledge him_;” nothing is too small or too great.

Sometimes an insignificant incident may be the turning point in a man’s life.

Robert Fulton, watching some boiling water, simmering in a tea kettle, saw a steamboat!

I have seen a student, often, keep back his demonstration, through resistance, or pointing the way.

He pins his faith to one channel only, and dictates just the way he desires the manifestation to come, which brings things to a standstill.

“_My way, not your way!_” is the command of Infinite Intelligence. Like all Power, be it steam or electricity, it must have a nonresistant engine or instrument to work through, and man is that engine or instrument.

Over and over again, man is told to “stand still”. “Oh Judah, fear not; but tomorrow go out against them, for the Lord will be with you. You shall not need to fight this battle; set yourselves, stand ye still, and see the salvation of the Lord with you.”

We see this in the incidents of the two thousand dollars coming to the woman through the landlord when she became _nonresistant_ and _undisturbed_, and the woman who won the man’s love “after all suffering had ceased.”

The student’s goal is _Poise!_ _Poise_ is _Power_, for it gives God-Power a chance to rush through man, to “will and to do Its good pleasure.”

Poised, he thinks clearly, and makes “right decisions quickly.” “He never misses a trick.”

Anger blurs the visions, poisons the blood, is the root of many diseases, and causes wrong decision leading to failure.

It has been named one of the worst “sins,” as its reaction is so harmful. The student learns that in metaphysics sin has a much broader meaning than in the old teaching. “Whatsoever is not of faith is sin.”

He finds that fear and worry are deadly sins. They are inverted faith, and through distorted mental pictures, bring to pass the thing he fears. His work is to drive out these enemies (from the subconscious mind). “When Man is _fearless he is finished_!” Maeterlinck says, that “Man is God afraid.”

So, as we read in the previous chapters: Man can only vanquish fear by walking up to the thing he is afraid of. When Jehoshaphat and his army prepared to meet the enemy, singing “Praise the Lord, for his mercy endureth forever,” they found their enemies had destroyed each other, and there was nothing to fight.

For example: A woman asked a friend to deliver a message to another friend. The woman feared to give the message, as the reasoning mind said, “Don’t get mixed-up in this affair, don’t give that message.”

She was troubled in spirit, for she had given her promise. At last, she determined to “walk up to the lion,” and call on the law of divine protection. She met the friend to whom she was to deliver the message. She opened her mouth to speak it, when her friend said, “So-and-So has left town.” This made it unnecessary to give the message, as the situation depended upon the person being in town. As she was willing to do it, she was not obliged to; as she did not fear, the situation vanished.

The student often delays his demonstration through a belief in incompletion. He should make this statement:

“In Divine Mind there is only completion, therefore, my demonstration is completed. My perfect work, my perfect home, my perfect health.” Whatever he demands are perfect ideas registered in Divine Mind, and must manifest, “under grace in a perfect way.” He gives thanks he has already received on the invisible, and makes active preparation for receiving on the visible.

One of my students was in need of a financial demonstration. She came to me and asked why it was not completed.

I replied: “Perhaps, you are in the habit of leaving things unfinished, and the subconscious has gotten into the habit of not completing (as the without, so the within).”

She said, “You are right. I often _begin things_ and never finish them.”

“I’ll go home and finish something I commenced weeks ago, and I know it will be symbolic of my demonstration.”

So she sewed assiduously, and the article was soon completed. Shortly after, the money came in a most curious manner.

Her husband was paid his salary twice that month. He told the people of their mistake, and they sent word to keep it.

When man asks, _believing, he must receive, for God creates His own channels_!

I have been sometimes asked, “Suppose one has several talents, how is he to know which one to choose?” Demand to be shown definitely. Say: “Infinite Spirit, give me a definite lead, reveal to me my perfect self-expression, show me which talent I am to make use of now.”

I have known people to suddenly enter a new line of work, and be fully equipped, with little or no training. So make the statement: “_I am fully equipped for the Divine Plan of my life_,” and be fearless in grasping opportunities.

Some people are cheerful givers, but bad receivers. They refuse gifts through pride, or some negative reason, thereby blocking their channels, and invariably find themselves eventually with little or nothing. For example: A woman who had given away a great deal of money, had a gift offered her of several thousand dollars. She refused to take it, saying she did not need it. Shortly after that, her finances were “tied up,” and she found herself in debt for that amount. Man should receive gracefully the bread returning to him upon the water—freely ye have given, freely ye shall receive.

There is always the perfect balance of giving and receiving, and though man should give without thinking of returns, he violates law if he does not accept the returns which come to him; for all gifts are from God, man being merely the channel.

A thought of lack should never be held over the giver.

For example: When the man gave me the one cent, I did not say: “Poor man, he cannot afford to give me that.” I saw him rich and prosperous, with his supply pouring in. It was this thought which brought it. If one has been a bad receiver, he must become a good one, and take even a postage stamp if it is given him, and open up his channels for receiving.

The Lord loveth a cheerful receiver, as well as a cheerful giver.

I have often been asked why one man is born rich and healthy, and another poor and sick.

Where there is an effect there is always a cause; there is no such thing as chance.

This question is answered through the law of reincarnation. Man goes through many births and deaths, until he knows the truth which sets him free.

He is drawn back to the earth plane through unsatisfied desire, to pay his Karmic debts, or to “fulfill his destiny.”

The man born rich and healthy has had pictures in his subconscious mind, in his past life, of health and riches; and the poor and sick man, of disease and poverty. Man manifests, on any plane, the sum total of his subconscious beliefs.

However, birth and death are man-made laws, for the “wages of sin is death”; the Adamic fall in consciousness through the belief in _two powers_. The real man, spiritual man, is birthless and deathless! He never was born and has never died—“As he was in the beginning, he is now, and ever shall be!”

So through the truth, man is set free from the law of Karma, sin and death, and manifests the man made in “His image and likeness.” Man’s freedom comes through fulfilling his destiny, bringing into manifestation the Divine Design of his life.

His lord will say unto him: “Well done thou good and faithful servant, thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things (death itself); enter thou into the joy of thy Lord (eternal life).”

DENIALS AND AFFIRMATIONS

“Thou shalt also decree a thing, and it shall be established unto thee.”

All the good that is to be made manifest in man’s life is already an accomplished fact in divine mind, and is released through man’s recognition, or spoken word, so he must be careful to decree that only the Divine Idea be made manifest, for often, he decrees, through his “idle words,” failure or misfortune.

It is, therefore, of the utmost importance, to word one’s demands correctly, as stated in a previous chapter.

If one desires a home, friend, position or any other good thing, make the demand for the “divine selection.”

For example: “Infinite Spirit, open the way for my right home, my right friend, my right position. I give thanks _it now manifests under grace in a perfect way_.”

The latter part of the statement is most important. For example: I knew a woman who demanded a thousand dollars. Her daughter was injured and they received a thousand dollars indemnity, so it did not come in a “perfect way.” The demand should have been worded in this way: “Infinite Spirit, I give thanks that the one thousand dollars, which is mine by divine right, is now released, and reaches me under grace, in a perfect way.”

As one grows in a financial consciousness, he should demand that the enormous sums of money, which are his by divine right, reach him under grace, in perfect ways.

It is impossible for man to release more than he thinks is possible, for one is bound by the limited expectancies of the subconscious. He must enlarge his expectancies in order to receive in a larger way.

Man so often limits himself in his demands. For example: A student made the demand for six hundred dollars, by a certain date. He did receive it, but heard afterwards, that he came very near receiving a thousand dollars, but he was given just six hundred, as the result of his spoken word.

“They limited the Holy One of Israel.” Wealth is a matter of consciousness. The French have a legend giving an example of this. A poor man was walking along a road when he met a traveler, who stopped him and said: “My good friend, I see you are poor. Take this gold nugget, sell it, and you will be rich all your days.”

The man was overjoyed at his good fortune, and took the nugget home. He immediately found work and became so prosperous that he did not sell the nugget. Years passed, and he became a very rich man. One day he met a poor man on the road. He stopped him and said: “My good friend, I will give you this gold nugget, which, if you sell, will make you rich for life.” The mendicant took the nugget, had it valued, and found it was only brass. So we see, the first man became rich through feeling rich, thinking the nugget was gold.

Every man has within himself a gold nugget; _it is his consciousness of gold, of opulence, which brings riches into his life_. In making his demands, man begins at his _journey’s end_, that is, he declares _he has already received_. “_Before_ ye call I shall answer.”

Continually affirming establishes the belief in the subconscious.

It would not be necessary to make an affirmation more than once if one had perfect faith! One should not plead or supplicate, but give thanks repeatedly, that he has received.

“The desert shall _rejoice_ and blossom as the rose.” This rejoicing which is yet in the desert (state of consciousness) opens the way for release. The Lord’s Prayer is in the form of command and demand, “Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors,” and ends in praise, “For thine is the Kingdom and the Power and the Glory, forever. Amen.” “Concerning the works of my hands, command ye me.” So prayer is command and demand, praise and thanksgiving. The student’s work is in making himself believe that “with God all things are possible.”

This is easy enough to state in the abstract, but a little more difficult when confronted with a problem. For example: It was necessary for a woman to demonstrate a large sum of money within a stated time. She knew she must _do something_ to get a realization (for realization is manifestation), and she demanded a “lead.”

She was walking through a department store, when she saw a very beautiful pink enamel papercutter. She felt the “pull” towards it. The thought came. “I haven’t a paper cutter good enough to open letters containing large cheques.”

So she bought the papercutter, which the reasoning mind would have called an extravagance. When she held it in her hand, she had a flash of a picture of herself opening an envelope containing a large cheque, and in a few weeks, she received the money. The pink papercutter was her bridge of active faith.

Many stories are told of the power of the subconscious when directed in faith.

For example: A man was spending the night in a farmhouse. The windows of the room had been nailed down, and in the middle of the night he felt suffocated and made his way in the dark to the window. He could not open it, so he smashed the pane with his fist, drew in draughts of fine fresh air, and had a wonderful night’s sleep.