Thomas Troward's The Dore Lectures on Mental Science,
Chapter Three...The New Thought and the New Order
Chapter 3 of Thomas Troward's The Dore Lectures on Mental Science, titled 'The New Thought and the New Order,' focuses on the transition from old, limited ways of thinking to an enlightened, expansive consciousness that recognizes and utilizes the infinite possibilities of Universal Law.
1. Transitioning to the New Thought
Troward describes the "New Thought" not as a fixed system but as the result of an enlightened intelligence stemming from a persistent determination to discover truth, independent of preconceived notions or old frameworks.
The Old Order: The old, limited mode of thought is based on judging solely by external appearances and superficial interpretations of words, which bind people to a limited perception of reality.
The New Order: When one begins to inquire into the real causes behind appearances, the old notions fall away, and the individual steps out into a new order characterized by liberty and life. This is a liberation from the restrictive logic of the senses.
2. The Personal Factor in Universal Law
A key idea is the relationship between Universal Law and the Personal Factor (the individual human mind).
The Laws of the Universe are eternal and cannot be broken. However, Troward asserts that these laws can be made to work under special conditions that produce results not achievable under the conditions spontaneously provided by nature.
The personal factor—the intelligent mind of the individual—is the instrumentality by which the infinite possibilities of the Law can be realized. It is the intelligence that looks beyond the present limited manifestation of the Law into its real essence.
This is analogous to scientific progress: iron, which naturally sinks, is made to float by applying the law of flotation in a specialized way (shaping it into a ship that displaces more liquid mass than its weight).
3. The Power of Specialized Thought
The ability to create this "New Order" hinges on the individual's capacity for specialized thought and action.
The Universal Spirit, without the element of individual personality, can only work cosmically by a generic law (the law of averages).
The introduction of the personal factor allows for far higher specialization of this law, enabling the individual to draw from the universal source to meet specific, desired ends.
The New Thought provides the logical, reasoned understanding of this process, teaching how to intentionally select the conditions (i.e., the specific mental attitude or feeling) necessary to make the Universal Law work in a way that manifests a new, desired result (the New Order).
This lecture provides the foundation for the practical application of mental science, showing that while we are subject to law, we have the intelligence to apply that law in new, life-enhancing ways.
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