The Ten Commandments by Emmet Fox, Chapter Eight, Polarity

The Ten Commandments by Emmet Fox, Chapter Eight, Polarity

In Chapter 8, "Polarity," Emmet Fox provides one of the most brilliant metaphysical re-interpretations in New Thought literature. He takes the Fifth Commandment—"Honour thy father and thy mother"—and moves it far beyond family dynamics.

To Fox, this commandment is the secret to harmonizing the two sides of your own mind.

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1. The Divine Parents Within

Fox explains that in the Bible, "Father" and "Mother" are code words for the two poles of the creative process. Everything in the universe has a dual nature (Polarity), and your mind is no exception.

• The "Father" (Conscious Mind): This is the masculine principle. It represents Thought, Will, and Direction. It is the part of you that chooses the seed to plant.

• The "Mother" (Subconscious Mind): This is the feminine principle. It represents Feeling, Emotion, and the "Womb" of Nature. It is the part of you that takes the "seed" of a thought and gives it life.

2. What it Means to "Honour" Them

Most people "dishonour" their mental parents by keeping them in conflict.

• Dishonouring the Father: This happens when you have no mental discipline—when you let stray, negative thoughts run wild without using your "Will" to direct them.

• Dishonouring the Mother: This happens when you ignore your feelings or try to "think" your way to a goal while your heart is full of fear or resentment.

To "Honour" them means to bring them into a "Holy Marriage." You must provide a clear, positive idea (Father) and wrap it in a deep, sincere feeling of its truth (Mother).

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3. The Law of Feeling

Fox emphasizes that the "Mother" (Subconscious/Feeling) is the actual power that produces the manifestation.

"You do not manifest what you think; you manifest what you feel to be true."

A cold, intellectual thought has no "Fatherhood" power because it hasn't been "conceived" by the Mother (Feeling). This is why "positive thinking" often fails—if the conscious mind says "I am rich" but the subconscious feeling says "I am terrified of the bills," the Mother (the feeling) wins every time.

4. "That Thy Days May Be Long"

The second half of the commandment—"that thy days may be long upon the land"—is usually seen as a promise of physical longevity. Fox interprets "long days" as stability and endurance.

• If you manifest something through sheer willpower (Father only) without a change in feeling, the result will be short-lived.

• When you "Honour" both—aligning your thoughts and your feelings—your success is built on a solid foundation. It "lasts long" because it is a complete creation.

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5. Summary: The Creative Marriage

Aspect	The "Father" (Conscious)	The "Mother" (Subconscious)
Function	Selection & Logic	Creation & Emotion
Nature	The Seed	The Soil
Action	To Decree	To Manifest
The Error	Indecision or Negative Logic	Fear, Hate, or Anxiety
The Honour	Choosing Truth	Feeling the Peace of that Truth

Practical Takeaway: The "Alignment" Check

Fox suggests that whenever you are working on a problem, you should check your "Polarity":

1. Check the Father: Is your thought clear? Do you know exactly what Spiritual Truth you are claiming?

2. Check the Mother: How do you feel? If you feel tense or worried, you are "dishonouring the mother."

3. The Fix: Use the "Father" (Will) to quiet the "Mother" (Emotion) until she feels safe and peaceful. Only when they are in agreement is the "child" (the manifestation) born.

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Google Gemini

The Ten Commandments by Emmet Fox, Chapter Seven, Expressing What you Are

The Ten Commandments by Emmet Fox, Chapter Seven, Expressing What you Are

In Chapter 7, "Expressing What You Are," Emmet Fox provides a masterclass in the Fourth Commandment: "Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy." To Fox, the Sabbath has almost nothing to do with a 24-hour period from Friday night to Sunday morning. Instead, it is a psychological state of "Mental Rest" that is required for any prayer or "treatment" to actually work.

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1. The Six Days of Labor (Mental Effort)

Fox explains that the "six days of labor" represent the period of time when you are actively working to change your mind.

• The Struggle: This is when you are wrestling with a problem—denying the power of the "Egypt" around you and affirming the Truth of the "I AM."

• The Work: It is the effort of redirecting your attention away from fear and toward Spirit. Fox says this "labor" is necessary, but it is not the state that brings the result.

2. The Seventh Day (The Sabbath Realization)

The Sabbath is the "Click." It is that moment in prayer or meditation when the anxiety suddenly vanishes and you feel a sense of: "It is done."

• The Law of Non-Effort: You cannot force a manifestation through willpower. You can only "labor" until you reach the point of conviction.

• The Rest: Once you reach the Sabbath state, you stop "working." You don't keep begging God or repeating affirmations frantically. You "rest" in the quiet knowledge that the Law is now in motion.

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3. "Keeping it Holy"

Fox uses the etymology of the word "Holy," which comes from the same root as "Whole."

• To keep the Sabbath holy means to keep your mind whole or single-pointed.

• If you reach a state of peace (The Sabbath) but then immediately go back to worrying, you have "broken the Sabbath." You have fragmented your "wholeness" by letting doubt back in.

• The Command: Once you have handed the problem over to God, stay out of the way. Don't "peek" to see if it’s working.

4. The Danger of "Over-Working"

Fox gives a stern warning to the "metaphysical student" who prays too hard.

• If you are still "laboring" (affirming with tension) after you should be "resting" (trusting), you are actually proving that you don't believe the prayer has been answered.

• The Result: The tension of "trying" acts as a barrier to the "receiving." You cannot be in a state of wanting and having at the same time.

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5. Summary: The Cycle of Manifestation

Fox breaks the creative process into these distinct stages:

Stage	Biblical Symbol	Metaphysical Action
Stage 1	Six Days of Labor	Actively replacing negative thoughts with Truth.
Stage 2	The Seventh Day	Reaching a point of peace, certainty, and "Knowing."
Stage 3	The Sabbath Rest	Ceasing all mental effort regarding that specific problem.
Stage 4	Blessing the Day	The manifestation appearing in the physical world.

Practical Takeaway: The "Drop It" Technique

Fox suggests that the ultimate test of your spiritual progress is your ability to "drop" a problem.

• If you have prayed about a situation, and you are still chewing on it mentally, you are still in "Egypt."

• To "Remember the Sabbath" today means to consciously decide to stop thinking about the problem once you have affirmed the Truth. The "rest" is the proof of your faith.

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Source

Google Gemini

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