The Science of Mind

by Ernest Holmes

  The process of healing and demonstration is, at first, mechanical and scientific; then the fire of Spirit is added to make it real. One is technique—the other is the pulsating life and glow. We need the recognition of love, coupled with a scientific understanding of what we are doing. Thoughts are things, and diseases are the direct result of specific thoughts somewhere in consciousness. Poverty is the direct result of a subjective state of thought which binds.

  UNITY

  All Manifestation of Life is from and invisible to a visible plane; and it is a silent, effortless process of spiritual realization. We must unify, in our own mentalities, with Pure Spirit. To each of us, individually, God, or Spirit, is the Supreme Personality of the Universe; the Supreme Personality of that which we, ourselves, are. It is only as the relationship of the individual to this Deity becomes enlarged that he has a consciousness of power.

  There should always be a recognition in treatment of the Absolute Unity of God and man; the Oneness, Inseparability, Indivisibility, Changelessness; God as the Big Circle, and man as the little circle. Man is in God and God is in man; just as a drop of water is in the ocean, while the ocean is in the drop of water. This is the recognition Jesus had when He said: "I and my Father are One." 94 There is a Perfect Union; and to the degree that we are conscious of this Union we incorporate this consciousness in our word, and our word has just as much power as we put in it, no more and no less.

  Within this Infinite Mind each individual exists, not as a separated, but as a separate, entity. We are a point in Universal Consciousness, which is God, and God is our Life, Spirit, Mind and Intelligence. We are not separated from Life, neither is It separated from us; but we are separate entities in It, Individualized Centers of God's Consciousness.

  We came from Life and are in Life, so we are One with Life; and we know that Instinctive Life within, which has brought us to the point of self-recognition, still knows in us the reason for all things, the purpose underlying all things; and we know that there is nothing in us of fear, doubt or confusion which can hinder the flow of Reality to the point of our recognition. We are guided, daily, by Divine Intelligence into paths of peace wherein the soul recognizes its Source and meets It in joyful Union, in complete At-one-ment.

  HOLD TO THE GOOD

  Such is the power of clear thought that it penetrates things; it removes obstructions, the reason being that there is nothing but consciousness, nothing but Mind. The only instrument of Mind is idea. See with perfect clearness and never become discouraged nor overcome by a sense of limitation. Know this:—that the Truth with which you are dealing is absolute. All of God, all of Truth, all there is, is at the point of man's recognition; and every time you give a treatment, and all the way through it, keep bringing this back to your remembrance.

  Never struggle; say, "There is nothing to struggle over; everything is mine by Divine Right; Infinite Intelligence is my Intelligence; Divine Love is my Love; Limitless Freedom is my Freedom; Perfect Joy is my Gladness; Limitless Life is my Energy."

  Let us BLIND OURSELVES TO NEGATION, as far as we are mentally able to. LET US NOT TALK, THINK, OR READ ABOUT ANYTHING DESTRUCTIVE, whether it be war, pestilence, famine, poverty, sickness, or limitation of any kind. Looking at this from a practical standpoint, there is all to win and nothing to lose. The rapid progress we would make if we should do this would be wonderful.

  We are always dealing with First Cause. Nothing else can equal the satisfaction that comes to one when he perceives himself, from the silence of his own soul and the activity of his own thought, actually bringing about a condition without the aid of visible instrumentalities. There is nothing else as satisfying as to heal some disease purely by the power of thought; this shows that we are dealing with First Cause.

  We must definitely neutralize confusion and doubt. We should take time, daily, to conceive of ourselves as being tranquil, poised, powerful,—always in control of every situation; as being always the highest concept of the Divine which we can imagine. We should never hesitate to think of ourselves in this way. The Ancients used to teach their pupils to say to themselves—"Wonderful, wonderful, wonderful me!"—until they lost sight of themselves as Mary Smith or John Jones, and perceived themselves as Divine Realities. Then, when they came back to the objectivity of Mary Smith and John Jones, they brought with them that subtle power which distinguishes Spiritual Growth,—the Atmosphere of Reality.

  THE INFINITE IS PERSONAL TO ALL

  Undoubtedly the power of Jesus lay in His recognition of the Infinite Person as a Responsive, Conscious, Living Reality; while, on the other hand, He recognized the Law as an arbitrary force, which was compelled to obey His will. He combined the personal and the impersonal attributes of Life into a perfect whole. The Infinite is Personal to every soul who believes in the Infinite. It is a mistake to so abstract the Principle that we forget the Living Presence; it is the combination of the two that makes work effective.

  THE CHRIST

  Who is man? He is the Christ. Who is the Christ? The Son, begotten of the only Father;—not the only begotten Son of God. Christ means the Universal Idea of Sonship, of which each is a Member. That is why we are spoken of as Members of that One Body; and why we are told to have that Mind in us "which was also in Christ Jesus." 95 Each partakes of the Christ Nature to the degree that the Christ is revealed through him, and to that degree he becomes the Christ. We should turn to that Living Presence within, Which is the Father in Heaven, recognize It as the One and Only Power in the Universe, unify with It, declare our word to be the presence, power and activity of that One, and speak the word as if we believed it; because the Law is the servant of the Spirit.

  If we could stand aside and let the One Perfect Life flow through us, we could not help healing people. This is the highest form of healing.

  We have gone through all of our abstract processes of reasoning and have found out what the Law is and how It works; now we can forget all about It, and know that there is nothing but the Word; the Law will be working automatically. We must forget everything else, and let our word be spoken with a deep inner realization of love, beauty, peace, poise, power, and of the great Presence of Life at the point of our own consciousness.

  REALIZATION

  We do not dare to throw ourselves with abandonment into a seeming void; but if we did, we would find our feet planted firmly on a rock, for there is a place in the mentality, in the heights of its greatest realizations, where it throws itself with complete abandonment into the very center of the Universe. There is a point in the supreme moment of realization where the individual merges with the Universe, but not to the loss of his individuality; where a sense of the Oneness of all Life so enters his being that there is no sense of otherness; it is here that the mentality performs seeming miracles, because there is nothing to hinder the Whole from coming through. We can do this only by providing the great mental equivalents of Life, by dwelling and meditating upon the immensity of Life; and yet as vast, as immense, as limitless as It is, the whole of It is brought to the point of our own consciousness.

  We comprehend the Infinite only to the degree that It expresses Itself through us, becoming to us that which we believe It to be. And so we daily practice in our meditations the realizations of Life:—"Infinite, indwelling Spirit within me, Almighty God within me, Perfect Peace within me, Complete Satisfaction within me, Real Substance within me; that which is the Truth within me." "I am the Truth," Jesus said. He said: "I am the way; I am the Life; no man cometh unto the Father but by Me." How true it is! We cannot come unto the Father Which art in Heaven except through our own nature.

  Right here, through our own nature, is the gateway and the path that gradually leads to illumination, to realization, to inspiration, to the intuitive perception of everything.

  The highest faculty in man is intuition, and it comes to a point sometimes where, with no process of reasoning at all, he realizes the Truth intuitively. So we should daily meditate, particularly if we are practicing
right along.

  MEDITATION

  Any practitioner should take a certain time every day to meditate within himself, to realize that the words which he speaks are the words of Truth. Being the words of Truth, they cannot fail to be fulfilled; they are a law unto themselves within the Great Law. They know themselves to be what they are. They are immutable, irresistible, unassailable; they are eternal and complete, having intelligence, knowledge and understanding within themselves.

  Every treatment must be a complete thing within itself. It is an unqualified statement of Being and pays no attention to appearances. If it did, it would not be efficacious. It rises above all appearance and may contradict every experience the human race has ever had; but it is real just the same. The treatment begins and ends within the mentality of the one giving it; and the demonstration takes place within the mentality of the one giving it; and, to the degree that it does take place there, it is a good treatment and will be a good demonstration.

  If you have a patient who says: "I am sick," and you are able to neutralize your belief of that man as being sick, or any man as being sick, and can see him perfect, he will come to you and say: "I am healed." The practitioner must know within himself. He never thinks of projecting his thought, sending it out or holding it. He simply takes the whole condition and brings it into the great realization of Life.

  Declare:—"Perfect Life within me, God within me, Spirit within me, Good within me, Almightiness within me, Loving Intelligence within me, Peace, Poise, Power, Happiness and Joy within me, Life, Truth and Love within me, Omniscient Instinctive I am within me, Almighty God within me." It is not enough to say that God is. The concept must be brought home to the mentality of the individual and unified with it, in order to have it expressed through him.

  If we need financial healing, we should say: "Infinite Substance within me, Infinite Activity within me, flowing through me into everything I do, say or think, quickening into action all those things that my mentality touches; Infinite Activity within me, unerring, never mistaking, always doing the right thing at the right time, always knowing what to do, knowing how to do it and doing it; Infinite Executive Power within me, the Great Executive, the great I am, the All-Knowing and All-Seeing, the All-Wise within me; Infinite Substance within me, forever expressing Itself through me; Infinite Supply flowing through me and flowing to me;—irresistible supply, unassailable supply, limitless." As you say this, stop and think of the things you want—seeing them as realities—much as one would look at pictures on the wall.

  Repeat:—"Infinite Substance within me, Infinite Supply flowing through me and to me, Infinite Activity around me and within me, Infinite Intelligence within me, directing me, guarding me, governing me, controlling me; the One and Only within me and through me, that is, Almighty God within me. There is no other, or beside which there is none other. Infinite love within me, seeing all, knowing all, loving all, One in and through all." Carry this concept out until you see that you live in everybody and everybody lives in you. Then continue: "Infinite One, comprehending, seeing, knowing, understanding, living in and including the All, within me." Realize what this means. "I am One with all people. There are no enemies. There is only the One, in all and through all."

  If we would spend half the time making such affirmations that we spend complaining, finding fault, fussing, being sad and sorry for ourselves, we would soon be healed. "Infinite Wisdom within me"; stop and think what this means,—the Intelligence that operates through everything, visible and invisible. "Infinite Wisdom within me; Infinite Intelligence within me; Infinite Power within me";—feel what this means: The Power that holds the planets in place; a power to which the united force of the human race is as nothing. "Infinite Intelligence and Infinite Power within me, the great Executor; Infinite Energy and Wisdom within me,—the All-Knowing, the Unerring Mind of the Universe;—Infinite Peace within me, Infinite Peace, undisturbed and unalterable; Infinite Life, Infinite Peace within me"; that means there is no disturbance, no commotion, no trouble. There is only Infinite Peace; the power that stilled the waves and told the winds to be calm is the Power with which we deal. "Infinite Peace within me, Infinite Joy within me, the Joy that causes the leaves of the trees to clap their hands." It is the Joy that sings in the brook, the music of the spheres, the Joy of the sense of completion. "Infinite Joy within me, not somewhere else, but within me"; It is the Good which is urging Itself forth through every act which we call human or humane. We see it in the hand that gives and in every human act. That is the "Infinite Good that is within me,"—Infinite everything, whatever the need may be. Meditate upon the abstract essence of the thing; then bring it to a concrete point within your own mentality and see what it means as it manifests, declaring that it is.

  This great teaching plainly shows the way to liberty and freedom. It is a pathway continuously unfolding from a Limitless Source to a Limitless Source. "Arise, shine, for thy light is come." "I am that I am."

  Note: Read and study "Cosmic Consciousness," Bucke; "Twelve Lessons in Mysticism," Hopkins; "The Impersonal Life" and "Creative Process in the Individual," T. Troward; "Bible Mystery and Meaning," T. Troward; "Sayings of Jesus," Red Letter Testament.

  Lesson Six: The Law of Psychic Phenomena

  Introduction

  It is taken for granted that the average person of to-day is more or less acquainted with the facts concerning psychic phenomena. It would be useless, in a course such as this, to attempt any exhaustive research work; this has already been done by those eminently able to furnish the data.

  There is within man a power that can communicate without the tongue, hear without the ear, see without the eye, talk without the mouth, move ponderable objects and grasp things without the hand; and perform many other feats that are usually connected only with the physical instrument. All these facts have been completely proved, and it is no longer necessary to produce evidence to substantiate these facts.

  While the above stated facts have all been proved, the reason for their being has not been so thoroughly or logically discussed, and it is the purpose of this article to explain the fundamental reasons behind the law of mental action which is called psychic; for if a thing happens, there must be a reason for its happening and a law through which it operates.

  The only excuse for taking up this topic in a course of lessons in Mental Science is that, being the phenomena of Mind, it should come under the category of known mental actions.

  PSYCHIC PHENOMENA AND IMMORTALITY

  Psychic phenomena are closely associated with immortality in people's minds for the reason that they deal with those unseen powers which we think of as being attributes of the soul; and also because many people have attributed the phenomena largely to the agency of discarnate spirits.

  NO APOLOGIES

  While no apologies are made for the ensuing pages, yet, in justice to the Truth, it must be said that many of the world's eminent scientists have investigated the subjects to be discussed, and so far, to the author's knowledge, none of them have ever refuted the ensuing facts.

  The powers which are exhibited through the psychic life do really exist in man, and someday he will make conscious use of them and will, thereby, be greatly benefited. Meanwhile, every one is urged to be most careful in his approach to the subject. A little knowledge is a very dangerous thing, and it is to be regretted that very few people exhibiting psychic powers appear to know what the law is that underlies the phenomena. Many are led astray through ignorance, and one should be most careful in handling the topic. But, as stated above, this subject, coming under the known laws of mental action, must be dealt with.

  God has given us a mind with which to know, and a power with which to discern, the Truth, and it is a terrible mistake to misuse that power. The whole end and aim of evolution is to produce a man who, in his self-conscious state, may depict the Divine Nature. We can do this only to the degree that we remain ourselves at all times.

  We will take up the study of this subject just
as we would approach the study of any other law, with an open mind, without any superstition and free from any sense of the unnatural. Nature is always natural, and only those things are mysteries which we do not understand.

  Lesson Six: Psychic Phenomena

  Psyche means soul; psychic phenomena are the phenomena of the soul. We have already seen that what we call the soul is, really, the subjective part of us. We do not have two minds, but we do have a dual aspect of mentality in what we call the objective and subjective phases of mind. The objective mind is that part of the mentality which functions consciously; it is the part of us which really knows itself; and without it we would not be real of conscious entities.

  THE SUBJECTIVE MIND

  Our subjective mind is our mental emanation in Universal Subjectivity; it is our individual use of mental law. It is also the avenue through which Instinctive Man works, carrying on the functions of the body; for it is the silent builder of the body. The subjective mind of the individual is the working of Instinctive Man within him, plus all of his conscious and subconscious experiences.

  SEAT OF MEMORY

  The subjective mind is the seat of memory and of instinctive emotion. Being the seat of memory, it contains a remembrance of everything that has ever happened to the outer man. This memory is perfect and retains every experience of the individual life. The subjective mind also contains many of the family and race characteristics which have been experienced by individualized man. It retains these memories, partly, at least, as mental pictures or impressions. This is proven by the fact that pictures have been taken of the subjective thought and definite outlines developed. This does not necessarily mean that every impression is retained as a mental picture, but that, in all probability, anything that the outer eye has definitely seen is retained as a more or less distinct picture.