The Ten Commandments by Emmet Fox, Chapter Six, The True Witness

The Ten Commandments by Emmet Fox, Chapter Six, The True Witness

In Chapter 6, "The True Witness," Emmet Fox tackles the Third Commandment: "Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain." While traditional religion often interprets this as a prohibition against profanity or "swearing," Fox dives much deeper. He argues that this commandment is actually a technical manual for the power of words and the psychological danger of self-sabotage.

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1. What is "The Name"?

Building on Chapter 4, Fox reminds us that the "Name of the Lord" is I AM.

• To "take the name" means to use the power of your own self-consciousness.

• Every time you think or say "I am," you are performing a spiritual act. You are claiming a piece of the Infinite and molding it into a personal experience.

2. Taking the Name "In Vain"

To do something "in vain" means to do it fruitlessly, or to use a great power for a worthless or destructive purpose.

• The Metaphysical Sin: When you say "I am sick," "I am tired," or "I am a failure," you are taking the Holy Name (the creative power of Life) and attaching it to a "vanity" (a lie or a temporary limitation).

• The Penalty: The Commandment warns that the Lord "will not hold him guiltless." Fox explains this isn't a threat of hellfire, but a statement of cause and effect. If you use the Law of Expression to decree "I am poor," the Law must manifest poverty. You cannot be "guiltless" (free) of the result if you have set the cause in motion.

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3. The "True Witness" vs. The "False Witness"

Fox introduces the concept of "witnessing" as a mental habit. You are always testifying to something.

• The False Witness: This is your physical senses. They look at a bank balance of zero and testify, "There is no money." They look at a symptom and testify, "There is disease." To agree with them is to "bear false witness" because, in Fox's view, the Spiritual Truth is always abundance and health.

• The True Witness: This is the Moses within you that looks past the "Red Sea" (the problem) and testifies to the Power of God. The True Witness says, "Regardless of how it looks, I AM Divine Life and I AM Divine Supply."

4. The Power of the Spoken Word

Fox is very firm in this chapter: Your words are the "clothing" of your thoughts. * A thought is a blueprint, but the spoken word (or the firm internal affirmation) is the "act of possession."

• He warns against "small talk" that focuses on illness, scandal, or disaster. By talking about these things, you are "witnessing" to them and giving them your "I AM" power.

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5. Summary: Vain Use vs. Vital Use

Fox suggests we audit our vocabulary to ensure we aren't taking the "Name" in vain throughout the day.

Use of the "Name"	Example (Taking it in Vain)	Example (The True Witness)
Regarding Health	"I am catching a cold."	"I AM Divine Health."
Regarding Finances	"I am totally broke."	"I AM provided for by Spirit."
Regarding Ability	"I am just not good at this."	"I AM expressed with Divine Intelligence."
Regarding Peace	"I am so worried."	"I AM at peace in God."

Practical Takeaway: The "Silence" Rule

Fox concludes that if you cannot yet find the faith to say "I am well" while you feel sick, the next best thing is Silence.

• Do not bear "False Witness" by complaining.

• By refusing to speak the negative, you stop the "In Vain" use of the Law, giving the "True Witness" (your spiritual treatment) space to work.

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Source

Google Gemini

The Ten Commandments by Emmet Fox, Chapter Five, Pocket Gods and Graven Images

The Ten Commandments by Emmet Fox, Chapter Five, Pocket Gods and Graven Images

In Chapter 5, "Pocket Gods and Graven Images," Emmet Fox moves into the actual text of the Commandments. This chapter focuses on the First and Second Commandments, but through the lens of psychology and metaphysics.

Fox argues that modern people don’t worship golden calves, but we are still riddled with "idolatry." A "god" in this sense is anything you believe has power over you.

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1. What is a "Pocket God"?

Fox describes a "Pocket God" as any secondary cause that you rely on or fear more than the Divine Source.

• Money: If you believe your security comes from your bank account, money is your god.

• Medicine: If you believe a pill has the ultimate power to heal you (without the underlying Spirit), the pill is your god.

• People: If you believe your happiness depends on a specific person’s approval, that person is your god.

• The Fox Logic: There is only one cause—the Divine Mind. When you give power to "things," you are practicing "Pocket God" religion, which Fox says is the root of all anxiety.

2. Graven Images (The Mental Blueprint)

The Second Commandment says, "Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image." Fox interprets this as a warning against rigid mental concepts.

• A "graven image" is a fixed idea that a situation is hopeless or that you are "just a certain way."

• The Danger: When you "grave" (carve) an image of failure or sickness into your mind, you are telling the Law of Expression to make that image permanent.

• The Solution: Keep your mind fluid. Don't "carve" your problems into stone; see them as passing clouds that can be dissolved by a change in thought.

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3. The "Jealous" God

The Bible describes God as "a jealous God." To the literalist, this sounds like a petty human emotion. To Fox, it is a Metaphysical Law.

• The Law of Focus: You cannot focus on two things at once. If you focus on your problem (the "other god"), you cannot experience the solution (the Divine).

• Jealousy as Exclusivity: Truth is "jealous" because it demands your full attention. You cannot have "faith" in God while simultaneously "trusting" in your fear. One will always crowd out the other.

4. The Iniquity of the Fathers

This chapter tackles one of the most misunderstood verses: God visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children "unto the third and fourth generation."

• Fox’s Rejection of Punishment: Fox clarifies that God doesn't punish children for their parents' sins.

• The Psychological Law: This refers to heredity and environment. We tend to pick up the "mental equivalents" (fears, prejudices, and limitations) of our parents.

• The "Exit": You are only bound by this "iniquity" as long as you stay in "Egypt" (material thinking). Once you use your "Moses" consciousness, you break the generational chain instantly.

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5. The Law of Substitution

Fox concludes that you don't "fight" a graven image or a pocket god—you replace it. This is his famous Law of Substitution.

• If you are thinking about a "pocket god" (a problem), don't try to "not think" about it. That just carves the image deeper.

• Instead, think of God. Think of a Divine quality like Peace, Beauty, or Power.

• The Result: The new thought automatically pushes out the old one. You cannot think of two things at the same time.

The Idolatry (Old Way)	The Spiritual Truth (Fox’s Way)
"This disease is killing me."	"God is my Life, and God cannot be sick."
"The economy is ruining my business."	"God is my Supply, and God is never in a recession."
"I am a victim of my upbringing."	"I am a child of God, and I inherit only Good."

Practical Takeaway: The "Power Audit"

Fox suggests you look at what you are worried about right now. Ask yourself: "Am I making a god out of this problem?" If the answer is yes, you have a "graven image" in your mind. To dissolve it, stop giving it the "power of cause" and return that power to the "I AM" within you.

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Source

Google Gemini

The Ten Commandments by Emmet Fox, Chapter Four, I Am that I Am

The Ten Commandments by Emmet Fox, Chapter Four, I Am that I Am

In Chapter 4, "I Am That I Am," Emmet Fox dives into what he considers the most important psychological discovery in history: the "Name" of God. When Moses asks God for His name at the Burning Bush, the answer isn't a traditional noun; it’s a statement of Being.

For Fox, this isn't just an ancient story—it is the Master Key to your personal power.

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1. The Power of the "I AM"

Fox explains that whenever you say "I am," you are using the name of God and tapping into the creative power of the Universe.

• The Decree: "I AM" is the announcement of Being. It is the only way a self-conscious entity can identify itself.

• The Law: Whatever you attach to the words "I am," you are essentially inviting into your life with the force of Law.

• The Error: Most people use this power against themselves. They say, "I am tired," "I am broke," or "I am sick," and then wonder why those conditions persist. Fox argues that by doing this, you are actually "decreeing" those states into existence.

2. The Burning Bush: Fire Without Consumption

Fox provides a beautiful metaphysical interpretation of the bush that burned but was not consumed:

• The Symbolism: The "Fire" is the Divine Spirit or the Life Force.

• The Lesson: When you identify with your spiritual nature (the "I AM"), you have unlimited energy and life that does not "burn out" or deplete you.

• The Application: Stress and exhaustion come from identifying with the "Egyptian" (material) self. When you shift to the "I AM" consciousness, you tap into a source of power that sustains itself effortlessly.

3. "That" Which You Are

The phrase "I Am That I Am" is often confusing. Fox breaks it down like this:

• The First "I AM": Your pure, unconditioned Spiritual Self.

• The "THAT": The specific quality you want to manifest (Health, Peace, Abundance).

• The Second "I AM": Your manifestation in the world.

• The Formula: If you want to be healthy, you must say (and feel), "I AM (the Spirit) is THAT (Health) which I AM (manifesting)."

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4. Reclaiming Your Identity

Fox insists that your real name is not what is on your birth certificate; your real name is "I AM." He suggests we stop "adulterating" this name with negative adjectives.

Instead of saying...	Try Realizing...
"I am a failure."	"I AM Success (because God is Success)."
"I am lonely."	"I AM Love (because God is Love)."
"I am afraid."	"I AM Peace (because God is Peace)."

Fox’s Rule: "Never say anything about yourself that you do not want to see manifested in your body or your affairs."

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5. The "I AM" as a Shield

In this chapter, Fox teaches that when you are faced with a problem, the fastest way out is to retreat into the "I AM."

• When the world shouts "You are in trouble," you silently answer, "I AM that I AM." * This isn't just "positive thinking"; it is a "re-identification." You are reminding yourself that you are a child of God, and therefore, the problem (which is "Egyptian") has no power over the "I AM."

Practical Takeaway: The "I AM" Vigil

Fox challenges the reader to watch their speech and thought for 24 hours. Every time you catch yourself starting a sentence with "I am..." followed by something negative, stop mid-sentence and pivot. Replace it with a Divine quality.

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Source

Google Gemini

The Ten Commandments by Emmet Fox, Chapter Three, Thoughts are Things

The Ten Commandments by Emmet Fox, Chapter Three, Thoughts are Things

In Chapter 3, "Thoughts are Things," Emmet Fox moves from the theory of consciousness into the "physics" of the mind. This is where he explains the mechanics of how your life is built. For Fox, a thought is not a fleeting, invisible vapor—it is a solid, creative force, as real as a brick or a hammer.

Here is the deep dive into the mechanics of "Mental Causation":

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1. The Law of Expression

Fox asserts that it is the nature of a thought to seek expression in the physical world. A thought is like a seed; it contains the entire blueprint of the plant within it.

• The Principle: You cannot have a persistent thought without it eventually "clothing" itself in a physical form.

• The Warning: This Law is impersonal. It doesn't care if your thought is "good" or "bad." If you plant a thistle seed, you get a thistle; if you plant a rose seed, you get a rose. If you think "lack," you get "lack."

2. The Projector and the Screen

One of Fox’s most helpful analogies is the cinema projector.

• The Screen: Your life (your body, your bank account, your relationships).

• The Film: Your subconscious thoughts and beliefs.

• The Light: The Power of God/Universal Energy.

• The Lesson: Most people spend their lives trying to "fix" the screen. They rub at the screen, try to paint over the shadows, or yell at the images. Fox says this is insanity. To change the movie, you must change the film in the projector.

3. Thoughts as "Blueprints"

Fox compares the mind to an architect. Before a building exists in stone and steel, it exists as a thought and then as a blueprint.

• Structural Integrity: If there is a mistake in the blueprint, the building will be flawed.

• The Deep Dive: Fox argues that your current health or financial situation is simply the "building" that resulted from the "blueprints" you held in your mind six months or a year ago. To change the building, you have to go back to the drawing board (your current thoughts).

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4. Idle Thinking vs. Creative Thinking

Fox makes an important distinction here. Not every stray thought creates a "thing" immediately, but the prevailing mental diet does.

Type of Thought	Effect on Reality
Passing Whims	Little to no effect; like a breeze.
Persistent Beliefs	The "Foundational" bricks of your life.
Emotionally Charged Thoughts	High-velocity creation; "Fear" or "Love" acts as an accelerant.
The "Secret" Thought	What you think when you are alone; this is the true "thing" in the making.

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5. The "Objectification" of Fear

Fox spends time in this chapter discussing fear because it is the most "creative" (in a negative sense) thought-thing.

"Fear is the most dangerous of all mental states because it is a vivid, high-energy expectation of what you don't want."

When you fear something, you are actually "visualizing" it with intense power, essentially giving the Law a high-resolution blueprint of a disaster. Fox insists that fear is just a thought, and because it is a thought, it can be replaced by a different "thing": Faith.

Practical Takeaway: The "Mental Diet"

The "dive" into Chapter 3 concludes with the realization that you are "eating" thoughts all day long.

• Just as your physical body is built from the food you digest, your life is built from the thoughts you entertain.

• Fox challenges the reader to a "Seven Day Mental Diet" (which became one of his most famous standalone pamphlets) based on the principles in this chapter: Refuse to dwell on any negative thought for seven days.

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Source

Google Gemini

The Ten Commandments by Emmet Fox, Chapter Two, By Right of Consciousness

The Ten Commandments by Emmet Fox, Chapter Two, By Right of Consciousness

In Chapter 2, "By Right of Consciousness," Emmet Fox moves from the historical symbolism of Moses into the "how-to" of spiritual law. If Chapter 1 was about finding the leader within, Chapter 2 is about the currency you need to pay for your freedom.

Fox’s premise is radical but simple: You do not get what you want, what you "deserve," or what you pray for. You get what you have a "Right of Consciousness" for.

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1. The "Title Deed" to Reality

Fox uses a legal analogy here. In the physical world, if you want to claim a house, you need the title deed. In the spiritual world, your state of mind is your title deed.

• The Law: You cannot possess anything in the outer world that you do not first possess in your inner consciousness.

• The Catch: If you have the consciousness of poverty, you can win the lottery and you will eventually be poor again (a fact often proven by lottery statistics). If you have the consciousness of health, you will recover from illness because your "inner blueprint" demands it.

2. The Mental Equivalent

While this term is the title of another famous Fox essay, it is the heartbeat of this chapter. Fox argues that for every physical thing, there is a mental equivalent.

• To change the "thing," you must change the "equivalent."

• Trying to change your life by changing your circumstances (moving cities, switching jobs, changing partners) without changing your consciousness is like trying to change the reflection in a mirror by painting the glass. You have to change the face in front of the mirror.

3. The "Scientific" Nature of Prayer

Fox is famous for stripping the "religious sentimentality" out of prayer. In this chapter, he describes prayer as a mental treatment.

• Not Begging: Prayer isn't asking a capricious God to change His mind.

• A Realignment: Prayer is the act of building a "Right of Consciousness" for the thing you desire. It is convincing yourself of the truth of God’s abundance until your mind accepts it as a fact. Once the mind accepts it, the Law must manifest it.

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4. Wishing vs. Knowing

Fox makes a sharp distinction between a "wish" and a "right."

Feature	Wishful Thinking	Right of Consciousness
Origin	The Ego/Lack	The Higher Self/Truth
Feeling	Anxiety, "I hope so"	Peace, "It is so"
Mechanism	Trying to "get"	Realizing you already "have"
Result	Inconsistent or temporary	Permanent and Law-abiding

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5. Why the "Moses" Journey Fails for Some

Many people start their "Exodus" but die in the wilderness. Fox explains this is because they are still "Egyptian" in their hearts. They want the freedom of the Promised Land, but they still have the consciousness of a slave.

• To enter the Promised Land, you must "die" to your old limitations.

• You must stop identifying as "a person with a problem" and start identifying as "a spiritual being with a solution."

Practical Exercise: The "Checking Your Pockets" Test

Fox suggests that if you want to know what your "Right of Consciousness" currently is, look at your life right now.

• Your current bank balance, your current health, and your current relationships are the exact physical printout of your current consciousness.

• It’s not a judgment; it’s a measurement. If you don’t like the printout, you don't attack the paper—you change the "file" (the thought) and hit print again.

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Source

Google Gemini

The Ten Commandments by Emmet Fox, Chapter One, What Moses means today

The Ten Commandments by Emmet Fox, Chapter One, What Moses Means Today

Emmet Fox’s interpretation of the Ten Commandments is a cornerstone of New Thought metaphysics. In Chapter 1, "What Moses Means Today," Fox sets the stage by stripping away the historical "dust" to reveal the Commandments not as ancient rules from a distant God, but as scientific laws of the human mind.

Here is a deep dive into the core themes of Chapter 1:

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1. Moses as a State of Mind

In Fox's metaphysical shorthand, every character in the Bible represents a part of you. Moses represents the "Leader of Consciousness."

• He is the aspect of your mind that becomes aware of Spiritual Law.

• Before Moses (spiritual awareness) appears, we are "slaves in Egypt"—bondage to circumstances, health issues, or financial lack.

• Moses is the "Law-Giver" within you that realizes: “I don’t have to stay in this limitation; there is a way out through the right use of my thought.”

2. The Significance of Egypt and the Wilderness

Fox emphasizes that Moses was "learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians." To Fox, this has deep meaning for the modern seeker:

• Egypt (The Material Intellect): Represents the highest point of human intellectual and psychological knowledge. It’s useful, but it cannot set you free.

• The Wilderness (The Spiritual Shift): Moses had to flee Egypt to the wilderness to encounter the "Burning Bush." This represents the moment where intellectual knowledge is set aside for direct spiritual experience.

• The Lesson: You cannot think your way into freedom with the same logic that got you into trouble. You must move from "Egyptian" (material) logic to "Mosaic" (spiritual) realization.

3. "Thou Shalt Not" vs. "Thou Canst Not"

One of Fox’s most famous "deep dive" points is the linguistic shift of the Commandments. He argues that a more accurate spiritual translation isn't a command, but a statement of Law.

• Instead of "Thou shalt not steal," Fox suggests we read it as "Thou canst not steal" (and still be happy).

• The Logic: You cannot violate the laws of harmony and expect to live in a harmonious world. It’s like saying, "Thou shalt not put thy hand in the fire." It isn’t a threat of punishment; it’s a warning of the natural consequence (getting burned).

4. The Exodus as "Getting Out"

The word Exodus literally means "a way out." Fox posits that Chapter 1 is about the "Exit" from any form of limitation.

• The Law of Life: Fox argues that life is 100% "as within, so without."

• To "Moses" (to lead) yourself out of a problem today, you must first change the "inner state" (your thoughts) so that the "outer state" (your conditions) has no choice but to follow.

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Summary Table: The Metaphysical Shift

Symbol	Historical/Literal Meaning	Fox's Metaphysical Meaning
Moses	A historical prophet	The enlightened intellect/spiritual will.
Egypt	A geographic nation	A state of mind focused on materiality.
Pharaoh	An ancient king	The ego or the belief that "things" have power over you.
The Red Sea	A body of water	The "impossible" obstacle that clears when thought is corrected.

Practical Takeaway for Chapter 1

Fox concludes that Moses "means" the same thing today as he did then: Individual Responsibility. You are not a victim of fate; you are a user of Law. To start your "Exodus," you must stop looking at the "Egypt" of your current problems and start identifying with the "Moses" of your spiritual potential.

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Source

Google Gemini

Mundane Astrology...The significance of transiting Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto when they Station

Mundane Astrology...The significance of transiting Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto when they Station

In mundane astrology—which focuses on world events, nations, and the collective—the outer planets (Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto) are the "heavy hitters." Because they move so slowly, their influence is generational.

When these planets station (appear to stand still before changing direction), it’s like a cosmic exclamation point. The energy of that planet becomes concentrated, heavy, and impossible to ignore at a specific degree of the zodiac.

Here is how these stations typically manifest on the world stage:

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The General "Station" Effect

Think of a station as a pivot point in a narrative.

• Station Retrograde: The collective focus shifts inward or backward. Issues that were moving fast suddenly hit a wall, requiring "re-evaluation" or uncovering hidden details.

• Station Direct: The energy "breaks" forward. This is often when we see the actual physical manifestation of a crisis or a breakthrough that has been brewing for months.

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1. Uranus: The Great Disrupter

Uranus represents revolution, technology, and sudden "shocks to the system." When Uranus stations, expect the unexpected.

• Mundane Impact: Sudden market volatility, technological breakthroughs (or massive outages), civil unrest, and "breakaway" movements.

• The Vibe: A feeling of high electrical tension. It’s the "lightning bolt" moment where the status quo is suddenly shattered to make room for the new.

2. Neptune: The Great Dissolver

Neptune rules ideologies, propaganda, scandals, and things that are "hidden" or liquid (like oil, chemicals, or viruses).

• Mundane Impact: A Neptune station often coincides with the peak of a collective delusion—or the moment a bubble bursts. It can mark periods of mass confusion, the unveiling of a major scandal, or shifts in pharmaceutical and maritime industries.

• The Vibe: A dense fog. It’s harder to see the truth, and the collective psyche is more prone to hysteria or idealistic fervor.

3. Pluto: The Great Transformer

Pluto deals with power, debt, death, rebirth, and the deepest structures of society. Its stations are arguably the most potent in mundane astrology.

• Mundane Impact: Pluto stations often correlate with shifts in "totalitarian" power, banking crises, or the exposure of systemic corruption (the "rot" at the roots). It represents the "underworld" surfacing—whether that’s literal (seismic activity) or figurative (deep-state revelations).

• The Vibe: Irreversible change. When Pluto stations, something usually "dies" so that something else can eventually be rebuilt.

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Why the Degree Matters

In mundane astrology, we look at the degree where the planet stations. If that degree hits a sensitive point in a country’s national chart (like the Sibly chart for the US), that nation will experience the station much more intensely than others.

Note: Because outer planets station for several days or even weeks, the events they trigger don't always happen on the exact day, but rather within a "window" of the station.

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Source

Google Gemini