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THE MOST important possession you have is your “I” (your essential self). God is the supreme “I” worshiped throughout
the world under various names. And each individual, an expression of the Supreme, has a personal “I” that can be
communed with, understood, experienced, and expanded in a rewarding way. It has nothing whatever to do with the
egotistical sense of “I” in which one is not concerned about others or the riches of nature. Your true “I” refers
to your essential being. To deny your “I” is to deny yourself and the divine Nature.
To begin a program of self-clarification, ask yourself three questions: How do I look at life? How do I see myself?
Do I think from a restricted or limited point of view? After examining your answers, ask: Am I letting the “I”
of the past, the conditioned self, direct my life? Most of us do. Most of us are much more related to the past
than to the present or future, because we are familiar with the past. It has a measurable existence.
Then you might say about your life experience: “Well, that is the way I am and how things are” or “That is what
I have done and must do.” If you think about these statements, you will see that they are all related to the past,
your conditioning, and how you have lived. Our present is frequently robbed by these past experiences and attitudes.
Some of the experience is valuable; all of it is an inescapable fact. If you see clearly and want to be a positive
individual, desiring to break the barriers of restriction and limited thinking, you will realize that you are manipulated,
conditioned, and distorted by thoughts, feelings, and memories of the past.
Each of us needs to focus on the present and live in the present.
Ernest Holmes has written (in The Science of Mind): “Break the bonds of apparent necessity and see life
as one continuous expression of the Infinite Self.” You were born with potential talents and capabilities, but
you need to work with them, go beyond them, and develop yourself in a new and special way. You do not have to be
a victim of the past. You can make Dr. Holmes' statement a reality in your life.
You can release past experiences, because in reality they no longer function in the present. Your inner perceptions,
based on Truth, manifest outwardly because the external experience always reflects the inner demand of thought.
Every experience demands something of you. You cannot escape demand. Every thought is active, vital, alive, and
ever functioning in consciousness. These thoughts manifest and influence your life. And every time a healing action
occurs, it means the bonds of apparent necessity have been broken.
Some scientists say that what one observes is changed by the observer. You, the observer, are always in some way
influencing not only yourself, but everything you observe. Thought is dynamic. It is like a pebble that is dropped
into a pond. As you observe, you see the ripples spread outward. This is a metaphor for human action and its rippling
effect throughout life. Each ripple signifies a further change from some previous causation. You do not live in
a vacuum. Your outer life always reflects an internal action. This inner demand of thought often appears as change
from or toward an outer action. Thus one can understand the power of consciousness. Thoughts do produce things,
and they change and influence them.
There is something called Universal Spirit that is beyond the functioning of your mind and thought.
It can bring about change in your world. The more you think in terms of harmony, goodness, and freedom — expressing
these in loving relationships, attitudes, and viewpoints — the more you align yourself with Universal Spirit.
It gives you the ability to think, to reason. When you align yourself with this universal Source, you are better
able to express your essential nature. What is that essential nature? It is simply the Life that is whole, good,
pure. Like universal Spirit or Mind, thought really is limitless and ongoing. You can never be without thought,
because it reflects and expresses the universal Mind Principle.
Ask yourself: What am I thinking and how am I thinking? What do I do with my thoughts? Do I let my thoughts run
away with me? Thoughts may rise up from the subconscious or from a person's remark to you. Often these thoughts
begin to manipulate your life. Observe the action and source of your thoughts. Where do they come from and what
are they doing to your life?
Limitation of any kind is ignorance. We do not see that Mind is limitless, thought is limitless, and the potential
within to create through directed consciousness is also limitless. Begin to think in a new way. The
action of thought is an action of Creative Intelligence, the ongoing Principle of Life. It has no restrictions
or limitations. It does not know about barriers. We create barriers. We restrict, limit, and encapsulate
thought in our conditioning, in memories of the past. These try to manipulate our present and future. Through Spiritual
Mind Treatment we break the apparent necessity of having these thoughts. Remember that we cannot think a thought
and not experience the result. We cannot think a thought without our experience becoming filled with the reverberation
of it.
All of this concern with thought, the Mind Principle, and experience implies a creative process to which each of
us is intimately connected. And it means that your individual being is potentially in control of your world. A
plan for progress, then, is what is needed. Dr. Ernest Holmes writes (in The Science of Mind): “Anything
you can dream of is not too great for you to undertake, if it hurts no man and brings happiness and good into your
life.” When your thoughts are filled with anger, hatred, or greed, they are contrary to the Principle of Life.
There is a boomerang effect, and these thoughts work against you.
Begin to understand that the Universal Principle is Absolute Life, Love, Beauty, Order, and Harmony. Meditate upon
these ideas. Live and act from this point of view.
Here are five steps to help toward personal fulfillment:
Step One: Conceive of the ultimate goal, whether it is better health, a loving relationship, or
a new direction for creative self-expression. Don't focus on the process. You have to know about the process, but
focus only on the ultimate goal.
Step Two: Think of your image or the idea of the goal as the very thing
itself. You will begin to see how thought makes a demand upon life; that it has a ripple effect like the pebble
dropped in the pond; and that some outer experience will take place. In a natural way, the Law of Life will begin
to produce in your world of experience. Erase any thoughts, doubts, or fears that might prevent you from demonstrating
your goal. This is done through the method of Spiritual Mind Treatment. Treatment is the recognition and acceptance
of right ideas. It denies all thought that you cannot achieve your goal.
Step Three: Deny, affirm, and release this treatment to Creative Law. Always
remember, you are not the creator; you are the director of your thoughts, images, and the forces that produce your
goal. You do not produce it. The Principle of Mind is always the producer. You direct the flow of the creative
current, which always reaches its destination.
Step Four: Eliminate the time factor. The whole subconscious realm is timeless
and spaceless. Whatever you thought in the past is living in you on an unconscious level today. You need to eliminate
the belief in time as a determiner of experience, because the subconscious knows nothing about time. It is the
creative part of you that says it is all here and now. It is always ready to move into a new manifestation.
Step Five: Stick with the idea of your goal until the demonstration is
made. It is easy to affirm good. But inwardly you may be denying it or believing its opposite. The Science of Mind
helps you to become affirmative and to understand what affirmative and constructive living means. You understand
where you have come from as consciousness and where you are going. You can bring into your experience whatever
you desire if you think correctly. This is never done by “holding thoughts, ” but by knowing the Truth — because
Truth is the universal Presence, Substance, and Power.
It is up to us to learn how to think more effectively. Consciousness always expresses at the level of our spiritual
awakening and understanding of the Life-force, the action of Universal Spirit. It is the way to break the barriers
of limitation. It is the way to live a life of fulfillment and peace.
If you have questions or comments about this Web page or site, e-mail:
webmaster@stuartgrayson.com
© 2000 Stuart Grayson Communications, Inc.
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