The Link Between the Law of Attraction & The Subconscious; How Science Supports Metaphysical Truths

The Link Between the Law of Attraction & The Subconscious; How Science Supports Metaphysical Truths

Pretty good review of Dr Joseph murphy's book, 'How to use the laws of Mind' on Amazon

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The word, 'Lord' in the bible means the creative power of your own mind.

Dr. Joseph Murphy

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The beautiful thing about Dr. Murphy's books and writing is that he is able to present so many different and enlightening illustrations of ONE TRUTH that he gets his point across so effectively to so many different people.

For instance, some people may conceive of the number "6" as being "5 +1", others "3+3", others "4 +2", still others "8-2", etc, etc, etc. The fact is that all those numbers represent the "truth" of the concept of 6, but depending on your reference point, it's easier for one person to "get" the idea of "3+3" than it is "8-2" or "4+2" and so on.

Dr. Murphy presents the truth from religious, metaphysical, psychological, philosophical and scientific perspectives. So, depending on how your mind is oriented, one can grasp the truth from an illustration that is easy for one not just to UNDERSTAND but also to BELIEVE and have faith in that it will work.

For instance, Dr. Murphy's essential theme throughout all his books is that thought is creative. He states that images and emotionalized thoughts (what you REALLY believe and accept as true) are the kinds of thoughts that reach the subconscious mind. The subconscious has the ability to attract the physical equivalent of those thoughts and images.

For anyone who has recently become aware of the idea of the Law of Attraction and may wonder how Dr. Murphy's writing fits into this, he articulates (albeit subtlety) that the subconscious mind controls your vibration. The Law of Attraction is not just the "Law of Attraction" but really the "Law of Attraction & Vibration". It states that everything in the Universe is energy (if you are religious or spiritual, Dr. Murphy writes in his book the Cosmic Energizer - written in 1974! - that "energy" is just science's term for "spirit").

The laws of physics state that:

1) everything is energy and this energy: a) constantly vibrates b) is electromagnetic meaning attracts and is attracted to things that are on the same wavelength or are in resonance with it c) is interchangeable d) is interconvertible e) is reversible -(ex. electricity produces magnetism, magnetism produces electricity, motion produces heat, heat produces motion, etc., etc.)

The subconscious mind controls the vibration that your mind and body is in and thus manifests your thought into its physical equivalent -whether that thought is a person [ideal relationship], place [where you want to be vs. where you are now] or thing [a different body, a job, more money, etc.]

What you a) REALLY believe (i.e. what you have faith in....faith is nothing more than a thought in your mind that you are emotionally attached) and what you b) imagine vividly make their way to your subconscious mind. Your subconscious mind then has the ability to change your vibration such that you attract the physical equivalent of what you imagine and/or feel as true. This is the law! This is why he emphasizes affirmations and visualizations. When you state something enough times (an affirmation) you come to accept it as true. It then makes its way to your subconscious. Or, when you imagine something vividly it also makes its way to your subconscious.

This is the "science" behind what Dr. Murphy teaches. Thought is energy and as everything in the universe is energy and as your subconscious mind has the ability to "change" your energy....since energy effects energy...by using your subconscious mind accordingly you make things happen.

From a spiritual or religious perspective, one of Dr. Murphy's favorite biblical examples is where Jesus teaches each person the proper method of praying. When you pray, you are actually praying "what" you want and not prayer "for what" you want. There is a difference.

On Pg. 40 he ties biblical texts together with what science teaches. In other words he is showing the relationship between scientific truth and spiritual/biblical truth.

We are given instruction from the bible on the spiritual truth of how to pray properly and get guaranteed results since this truth is a law that works all the time:

"Therefore, I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them (Mark 11: 24).

The difference in the tenses is intentional and of the utmost importance to understand this spiritual law which works with mathematical exactitude.

We are instructed to "believe that ye have receive them" - believe and receive are PRESENT TENSE and by doing so

"Ye shall have them" - "shall have" is in FUTURE TENSE.

We are told that the PRESENT TENSE belief that we have something (meaning right at the moment of prayer we feel and see in our mind's eye the thing we are praying for as already occurring in the outside world). By doing so, we produce that thing in the outside word.

Now the best nugget I got from this book (I have at least ½ dozen of his books) is his converging scientific truth with biblical/spiritual truth.

How does the verse from Mark on how to pray fit in with what we accept as true in the scientific, outer world?

Well as. Dr. Murphy explains on pp 40-41:

"Students of scientific laws know that all transformations of force are reversible. Heat produces mechanical motion. Reverse it and you discover that mechanical motion can produce heat. Science says electricity produces magnetism; likewise magnetism can produce electric currents. Cause and effect, energy and matter, action and reaction ARE THE SAME AND ARE INTERCONVERTABLE."

"Therefore, I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them (Mark 11:24).

HERE YOU ARE TOLD TO PRAY BELIEVING THAT YOU ALREADY POSESS what you pray for. ***THIS IS BASED ON THE LAW OF INVERSE TRANSFORMATION***." (Dr. Murphy, pp 40-41 of the book).

Just as having a thing on the outside produces a feeling on the inside...

Having the feeling associated with the thing on the inside, produces the thing on the outside.

This is why Dr. Murphy teaches us that we shouldn't be like the average person who says "I'll believe it when I see it", rather we should understand that

"You'll see it when you believe it". The belief produces the thing rather than the thing producing the belief!"

This makes sense. Recall that the bible says that faith is not just some intangible thing it is an actual SUBSTANCE (meaning an actual thing....that thing is energy). Specifically we are told that faith is "The substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen". The thing that we pray for is actually and literally made from something invisible that becomes visible. Just like steam which is invisible becomes visible as a solid when it turns to ice.

Our faith is a substance (and since everything is energy our faith or emotionalized belief is actual, tangible energy) that when held becomes visible as the thing we are praying forth - spirit (energy) becomes matter. What we experience on the outside is just the physical manifestation of what we can't see which is the thoughts, images, belief/faith we hold on the inside!

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It all makes sense!

If you find yourself skeptical, you can check out a BBC story where it has been scientifically shown that thoughts can and do affect physical matter. They've recently produced a study where handicapped people where hooked up to a computer linked to a machine. When they were instructed to mentally tell the machine to move in a certain direction and the machine responded to their commands (they had a piece of equipment connected to the patient...but the equipment didn't do any of the work, it was the actual thoughts in the person's mind that caused the machine to move).

Our faith is nothing more than a thought in our mind that is emotionalized - it's emotionalized meaning we "feel" strongly that it is true. For instance we have "faith" that the sun will rise in the morning (i.e. we feel strongly that the sun will rise every morning).

Our faith, our habitual beliefs, the images we hold are nothing but energy/spirit made manifest. Energy/spirit becomes matter (i.e. it becomes the events and situations we experience in life). Our subconscious mind controls what our vibration is. What we visualize and accept as true is impressed upon the subconscious mind which attracts to use the things we impress upon it. Remember that "like attracts like". When you think something with feeling, when you really believe it, you are working with energy, real tangible energy an actual substance which is as the bible says "The substance of things hoped for [or prayed for] and the evidence of things unseen". The faith is actual evidence because the faith is the intangible unseen "thing" or energy that becomes tangible!

It has taken me quite a while to really get this. I hope this explanation of mine provides just a fraction of the insight that Dr. Murphy's work has provided me.

Thank you Dr. Murphy for sharing the truth with the world. He was (and is) a true prophet!

His work has had an absolute major impact on my life.

PS

What I also learned from Dr. Murphy's work is that if we have prayed or attempted to use the law and not got an "answer" (i.e the response we want) what that means is that we have not yet impressed the idea of what we want onto our subconscious which then vibrates that energy and attracts to us the physical/material equivalent of what we want.

This is often due to 1) Lack of Faith and 2) Too Much Effort (Dr. Murphy mentions this in the book Power of Your Subconscious Mind).

Dr. Murphy says that a good way to use a test to see whether or not you have created within yourself the kind of faith or belief that is strong enough to reach the subconscious is this:

Ask yourself if you have what he refers to as "Divine Indifference". What does this mean? It means you feel as confident and as sure that what you are visualizing and affirming will happen as you are that the sun will rise tomorrow.

Ironically, once we reach this level of assurance we tend to forget about what we pray for. Just like we don't think everyday "Will the sun rise tomorrow?", when we have reached the point of "Divine Indifference" there is a level of peace and confidence that we feel that often leads to us dismissing the thing from our mind.

So if you have tried Dr. Murphy's techniques and haven't yet received what you have affirmed, just realize that you are working with a law. That when your mind finally reaches the point of complete acceptance (i.e. Divine Indifference) your subconscious mind will accept it and attract it to you.

I know 1) and 2) (mentioned above) have often got me, but when I finally figured it out, things looked up.

So keep on praying, you can have anything you want! This stuff works! Accept it! Believe it!

Whoever you may be right now, read Dr. Murphy's work and accept the teachings as truth. Once you get results you will know beyond a shadow of a doubt that your thoughts directly impact your experiences in "real life".

Blessings and happiness to you.

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Shola Abidoye, November 25, 2007

Source

https://www.amazon.com/How-Laws-Mind-Joseph-Murphy-ebook/dp/B07XKWB1X5/ref=sr_1_18?dchild=1&keywords=dr+joseph+murphy&qid=1631542033&s=books&sr=1-18

How to use the Laws of Mind, Chapter Thirteen, You can Control your Fears

How to use the Laws of Mind, Chapter Thirteen, You can Control your Fears

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Fear is the cause of great misery, and untold suffering and fear come to all of us. Many are afraid of the future, old age, insecurity, some illness or incurable condition, or the verdict of the doctors. Many are full of fear regarding their families, newspaper reports and the media in general, all of which project fear propaganda of all kinds. Fear of nuclear warfare, inflation and crime disturbs the masses.

Great numbers of individuals are afraid of death and loneliness in their old age. There are countless thousands who face death with equanimity and serenity, because they know that there is no death, only life, and that they will live forever in the many mansions (dimensions) of our Father's house.

There is a limitless catalogue of fears that afflict the human mind. The answer to all fear is to turn to the God-Presence within. Faith in God casts out fear. . . . Fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love (I John 4:18). You begin to think and speak in a new tongue when you turn to God within and mentally dwell on the promises of the Bible. As you continue to dwell on these great Truths, you will experience a sense of peace and security. Examine some of your fears and you will discover that many of them are groundless.

While speaking in a club here in Leisure World, a man said to me that for the greater part of his life he had been a chronic worrier. His greatest worries were those that never came to pass, but these worries depleted his vitality and brought on ulcers and high blood pressure. On the advice of a spiritual practitioner, he began to study and apply the teachings of the 23rd and 27th Psalms, which brought about a remarkable healing. He began to control and discipline his thinking. When worry thoughts came to his mind he would recite a verse or two of one of the Psalms, and in time he overcame his worries. He had discovered that all of his worries were unfounded and groundless.

The Secret Place

He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty (Psalm 91:1). The secret place is your own mind. Turn within and realize that the Presence of God indwells you. You can communicate with this Divine Presence through your thought, and a definite response will come.

The word shadow means protection, somewhat similar to a woman's use of an umbrella to protect herself from the penetrating rays of the sun. When fear thoughts come to you, repeat a few verses of the 91st Psalm many, many times. Do this quietly, feelingly and knowingly, and you will discover that a sense of peace and security will come quietly and gently into your mind and heart. When your mind is at peace, you are in the secret place, for God is absolute peace and harmony.

Fear may come to your mind again and again because of habit; but persist in supplanting the fear thoughts with a few verses of the 91st Psalm, such as the first and second verses, and you will find that you will gradually become the master of your fears. Every time you enthrone constructive thoughts, such as "God's love fills my mind and heart" or "God's peace fills my soul," you are wiping out your fear and strengthening your faith and confidence in God and His love. Your abnormal fear will then gradually diminish and vanish.

Bible Techniques

There are marvelous texts in the Bible for overcoming fear. Become a habitual peruser of the 91st, 27th, 46th and 23rd Psalms, and you will gradually saturate your subconscious with the eternal verities and be free. The following verse will work wonders in your life: There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear; because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love (I John 4:18).

Love is an emotional attachment. It is an outpouring of goodwill. Spiritually, it means that you recognize the Presence of God in all His creatures. A woman who was terrified of dogs (probably dating back to her childhood when she was bitten by a dog, since she had a faint memory of the incident) began to affirm: "I radiate love to all dogs. They love their masters and they save lives. The Presence of God is in all of his creatures. I love dogs. They are loving, kind and cooperative."

She kept affirming these truths and after a period of time she was at peace with dogs. She no longer feared them. You will lose fear as you grow in understanding that there is only One Power. Dwell also on these wonderful words: The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? (Psalm 27:1). When fearful, reiterate these truths over and over again, and you will sense an inner peace and security. In the Bible it also says: Fear not, for I am with thee. . . (Isaiah 43:5). He shall not be afraid of evil tidings: his heart is fixed, trusting in the Lord (Psalm 112:7). Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed: for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with thy right hand of my righteousness. For I the Lord thy God will hold thy right hand, saying unto thee, Fear not; I will help thee (Isaiah 41:10,13).

Select some of these verses or all of them and recite them slowly, quietly and reverently, knowing that as you repeat these truths, they will sink down into your subconscious mind, eradicating and neutralizing all of the fear patterns. You will feel strengthened and enlightened.

Who Is Your Lord?

For in the time of trouble he shall hide me in his pavilion: in the secret of his tabernacle shall he hide me: he shall set me up upon a rock (Psalm 27:5).Who is your Lord and master this very moment? Your Lord is your predominant mental attitude; it is your conviction or belief about yourself, people and things. This Lord can be a tyrant. For example, if your mood is now one of resentment, that is your Lord or tyrant that governs all of your actions and all phases of your life. If you want to invest some money, buy a new home or buy some property while in this attitude, you will do and say the wrong thing because your predominant mood is negative. The law is: "As within, so without." You are fearing your good, and you would react negatively. Fear is a lack of faith or trust in God, which is a denial of His Omnipotence.

The Lord is my light and my salvation . . . (Psalm 27:1). The Lord referred to is the Lord God, or the law of God or good. To put the law of good into operation—thereby banishing fear once and for all—enthrone in your mind the thoughts of power, courage and confidence. These thoughts will generate a corresponding mood or feeling, which will banish the arch enemy of your success and health.

Fear, this self-made enemy of yours, must be completely destroyed before the Lord God can shine through you. Your fear is the cloud that hides the sunshine of God. Men have made personal devils out of fear of the past, the present and the future.

It is our attitude toward life that determines the experience we are to meet. If we expect misfortune, we shall have it. Knowing the law of God or good, the truth student expects only good fortune. The world is not harsh; it may seem to be, because we fail to affirm or claim the Presence of God. Men fear criticism so much that many of their most beautiful thoughts never see the light of day. To the man who believes that God is the only Presence and the only Power, there is no past; he knows that if he believes in the power of the past, he is disbelieving in God. God is the Eternal Now; there is no future and no past in God.

This is the Gospel—the good tidings. There is no such thing as past karma; there is only man's foolish, false belief in it. . . . Now is the day of salvation (II Corinthians 6:2). The Kingdom of Heaven is at hand. Your good, your health and your success are here now; feel the reality of them; thrill to them. Enter into the conviction that you are now the being you long to be.

Guilt and What It Means

The only guilt there is is the consciousness of guilt.. . . Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool (Isaiah 1:18). This is the good news. The only moment that matters is the present. You can live only in the now, experience in the now, plan in the now and think in the now. Whatever you are planning or dreading, you are planning it now. When you realize that every form of lack and limitation is the result of your wrong thinking and feeling, you shall know the Truth that sets you free. The mountains will be removed.

Aboriginal tribes and primitive man feared nature. Modern man fears his fellow man. To a great extent we have dispelled the ghosts of ancient days. We have combatted the plagues, and we will soon control the elements. Man is doped by modern propaganda. Some men are afraid to live and afraid to speak. Mothers fear for their children. All this is due to superstitious belief that there is another power to challenge God.

The only evil there is is due to a lack of knowledge of the laws of life. If we put our hand on an open wire we get a shock, but if it is insulated properly we do not. The evil or shock was due to our ignorance; yet any man will admit that electricity is not evil. It blesses man in countless ways. Electricity is used to play music, drive trains, fry eggs, vacuum the floors and light the world. Evil or fear is our misapplication and incomplete comprehension of the Omnipresence of God, or good. Where fear is, love cannot be; for error cannot dwell with understanding.

The wealthy fear they are going to lose; the poor fear they will not gain. The only wealth and the only security are found in the consciousness in which we abide. If we are conscious of being wealthy, nothing in all the world can stop us from being prosperous in our bodies and affairs. The things men fear are unreal. Only the One alone is real; only the One alone is Law; only the One alone is Truth.

The jungle doctor of old has passed on many of his superstitions; consequently, countless cults today instill fear into the minds of many individuals. Let us face the facts. The cause of most fear is man's fear of his fellow man. Many men pray together on Sunday and prey on each other on Monday.

The answer to the fear problem is understanding. All fear is due to ignorance. In order to express harmony, we must think and feel harmonious thoughts. When we enter into the mood of success, confidence and happiness, we will express similar results in all phases of our life. When man knows that every form of discord, sickness and lack is due to wrong thinking, he will know the Truth which sets him free.

Use Your Imagination

Learn to imagine the thing desired, then feel the reality of the state sought. This is the easiest and quickest way to get results. Some get results by convincing themselves of the Truth that God is the only Presence and the only Power. This is one of the most wonderful things in all of the world to know.

Regardless of the cause of the fear, you have no one to treat or heal but yourself. You have to convince yourself that you are now expressing life, love and truth. Let us not fear anything or anybody; let us be busy radiating courage, confidence and power. In this way we will crush all obstacles in our path, and the mountains will be cast into the sea.

We are one with Infinite Power. If we say we are weak or infirm, we are telling a falsehood about God. Fear turns the love of God or good away from us in the same way that a poverty consciousness attracts poverty in health, money, business and love relationships. Man must stop preaching fear to his fellow man and unite in teaching all of the Truth.

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How to use the Laws of Mind, Chapter Thirteen, You can Control your Fears

Dr. Joseph Murphy

How to use the Laws of Mind, Chapter Twelve, The Meaning of Satan, Devil, Serpent, Etc.

How to use the Laws of Mind, Chapter Twelve, The Meaning of Satan, Devil, Serpent, Etc.

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There is only One Power. Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord (Deuteronomy 6:4). Then, since God alone is, the devil is not. Since God is Being, the devil is not-Being. In other words, the devil does not exist. As Judge Troward points out so lucidly in his Bible Mystery and Bible Meaning: 

"It is precisely this fact of non-existence that makes up the devil; it is that power which in appearance is, and in reality is not; in a word, it is the power of the negative."

The Eye Was Called the Devil

In the ancient Tarot teaching, the Hebrew mystics referred to the devil as Ayin, which is the 16th letter in the Hebrew alphabet and spelled oin in Hebrew. It means the eye as an instrument of sight. It also stands for mirth. The eye is concerned only with the surface appearance of things. People used to say, "The sun rises in the east and sets in the west" and "The earth is flat and does not move." Yet, science has now convinced people how faulty the eye is in this respect: 

The sun does not rise and set, the earth is not flat and the earth does not stand still. For example, science today makes it clear that we do not see anything as it really is. This is a universe of densities, frequencies and intensities. Your body is plastic, porous and pliable. It is simply composed of waves of light and of atoms and molecules swirling around at tremendous speed. Our eyes are geared to see three-dimensionally.

The Hebrew secret wisdom knew more than modern science about the illusory nature of matter, as well as the limitations of our eyes. Hence, the attribution of mirth to the letter Ayin, which means the eye. Remember, Ayin refers to what seems rather than to what is, with illusion rather than reality. This is why mirth is associated with the word devil. The real meaning of the word devil in Hebrew mysticism is the slanderer—one who tells lies about God. The eye slanders the fact because it deals only with the outside appearance of a fact.

God Upside-Down

The ancient Hebrew mystics who wrote the Bible said that the devil is God upside-down. In other words, the devil is God as He is misunderstood by ignorant and primitive people. The devil of theologians does not exist; it was created by them to account for the evil in the world. Evil, however, comes from our misunderstanding or misuse and misapplication of the One Power.

We are choosing, volitional beings and we are here to evolve and learn the laws of life and to apply them correctly. Anything misapprehended or misapplied constitutes evil. If you do not choose the good, then you will experience the negative reaction from your subconscious mind because of your wrong choice.

Man's Invention

Theologians have accounted to the populace for the presence of evil by the invention of a devil. As for the gospels (the earliest is about 300 A.D.), the word devil is not found in the earlier versions. It occurs there as a spirit of evil. In the teaching of Jesus there is no mention of the theological devil, which was later invented by the church. Further, the word translated as devil is a spirit of evil, not the spirit of evil.

He went around expelling the devils, which are negative thought-forms of hate, jealousy, hostility, resentment, vengeance, self-condemnation and self-pity. These are the devils which harass us and are created by ourselves based on the way we think and feel. These negative emotions are, certainly, spirits (feelings) of evil.

"The essence of hell," says Swedenborg, "is the desire to control another." The devils are negative, destructive thought-forms, which result in negative, destructive emotions compelling the person to act them out. Negative, destructive emotions hidden in the subconscious must have an outlet resulting in all manner of chaos and suffering.

Pain Is a Consequence

All the pain and suffering in the world are the consequence of our own thinking and misuse of the One Power, brought on by ourselves. There is no punishment dealt out by an angry God. God has nothing whatever to do with our suffering or sickness. To say that God is angry with us instead of regarding us with love and compassion is the greatest of blasphemies.

Conquering Obstacles

All of us are here to overcome obstacles, challenges, difficulties and problems, which enables us to discover the Divinity within us so that we can achieve our ends. The Greek word for devil is diabolos, one who throws across (problems and obstacles); and we are supposed to use them as stepping stones to our triumph and success. This is the way we progress and advance up the ladder of life.

The Fall of Lucifer

How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! (Isaiah 14:12). Lucifer means Light, or I AM, Which is God. God limits Himself when He becomes man. Lucifer falling from heaven is simply Spirit, God or I AM becoming matter; and our limitation is the so-called devil. The fall of Lucifer, which is the fall of God or Spirit becoming matter, really enables us to grow and release the spiritual powers within us. These challenges and difficulties in life sharpen our mental and spiritual tools, enabling us to discover our God-like powers so that we can rise, transcend and grow, thereby releasing more and more of God's qualities within us.

Truth Sets You Free

The minute you cast out from your mind the idea of any other power but the One, your false concept of God will fall from the throne of your mind; and you will realize that when you use the Power constructively, It is called God, which brings health and happiness into your life. When you use the Power negatively and ignorantly, it is called the devil, which brings misery, lack and suffering into your experience. Ignorance is also called the devil, which is a negation of life.

There Is No Death

Life, or God, cannot die, and that life is your life now. Man believes in what he calls death; therefore, he experiences what he calls death. But, as Dr. Quimby said, in 1847, death is in us; the other person has simply passed on to the next dimension and is as much alive as we are. To say that death is the will of God is most emphatically denied by the Bible, for it says that . . . him that had the power of death, that is, the devil (Hebrews 2:14), or the false belief of the mass mind.

You might say that man dies and his body disintegrates. Disintegration is the breaking up of what was previously an integer or perfect whole, the separation of its component parts. Man then puts on a new fourth-dimensional body, which is rarefied and attenuated and which functions in the next dimension. You will have bodies to Infinity. You will never be without a body. It is impossible for you to conceive of yourself without a body. This foreshadows, portrays and portends that you will always have a body. Emerson says that every Spirit builds itself a house. You need a body to express the qualities of Spirit, or God.

Life Seeks Expression

The only possible motive of the All-Originating Life- Principle, which is the term used by Judge Troward for God or the Living Spirit Almighty in all of us, must be the expression of life, love, truth and beauty, which is Its nature. If man had loving thoughts and dwelled on the eternal verities, knowing and believing that his life was God's life, and really neutralized the race mind belief in death, he would not experience what the world calls physical death. Because of his meditation and prayers and because of his deep-seated conviction, the molecules of his body would oscillate at such a high frequency that he would be here, but you would not see him, no more so than you could see steam when ice is melted and heated to a certain degree. Pure steam is invisible, yet it is pure H20, though operating at a higher molecular frequency.

This is why, as your Bible tells you, Jesus disappeared in the crowd and could not be seen. He was able to dematerialize his body. Apollonius was able to do the same thing.

Satan

The word in Hebrew means to accuse. The Guide to the Perplexed by Maimonides, which is one of the great books of all time, points out that Satan is derived from sata, which means to slip, to err, to deviate from the truth, to turn aside or to miss the mark. The latter word is the meaning of sin. We sin when we fail to lead a full and happy life. Then we are truly sinning, as we have wandered away from the contemplation of God's Holy Presence.

When you give power to conditions, circumstances, events, or to other people to mar your happiness or thwart your good, you are giving power to externals and not to the First Cause, Which is Spirit, God, the Only Presence and Power. Giving power to externals, however, is establishing a secondary cause. A spiritual- minded person does not give power to the phenomenalistic world, which is an effect, and not a cause. He gives power to the Creator or Creative Power, not the effect. The only immaterial power you know is your thought. When your thoughts are God's thoughts, God's Power is with your thoughts of good.

Live and Evil

If you spell live backward, you have evil, which means that when we experience evil in our lives, we are living life backwards. In other words, we are going against the stream of life which could, if permitted, take us onward, upward and Godward.

The point is: Do not make an effect a cause. Nothing disturbs you except through your own thought. Where there is no opinion, there is no suffering. When you read about murder or crime in high places, you have no opinion about it. If you get exercised or agitated, who is suffering? You are. You decided to generate anger and hostility. In effect, you are generating mental poisons which are destructive to your physical organism. Where there is no judgment, there is no pain.

Cease passing judgment on people. Your judgment is the conclusion or verdict rendered in your mind. In simple language, it is your thought. Since thought is creative, whatever you think and feel about the other, you are creating in your own mind, body and experience. This is why Jesus tells you to stop judging people. For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged. . . (Matthew 7:2).

Casting Out Devils

There are millions of people in the world and in the next dimension of life who have thoughts of hate, jealousy, hostility, greed, lust, etc. When you fill your mind with the truths of God, you neutralize and obliterate all the negative patterns. You could liken the process to pouring pure, distilled water into a bottle of dirty water. The moment comes when the last drop of dirty water is removed.

That is why it is important to keep prayed up. All of us are in the great psychic sea of over four billion people, as well as those billions living in the next dimension of life. It behooves us, therefore, to align ourselves with the Infinite Presence and Power and to constantly claim that what is true of God is true of us.

Through telepathy and thought transference, all of us are part of the great psychic sea. Subjectively, we are all one. If we are negligent, apathetic, lazy, indolent and refuse to pray, we will receive the negativity of the mass mind; and then we will say, "Why did this happen to me?"

It happened because when we fail to do our own thinking, the race mind will do our thinking for us. When it reaches a point of saturation, it is, perhaps, precipitated as an accident, sickness or some other negative condition or tragedy. The jealous or envious person is open to all of the jealous and envious thoughts of others, because he or she is at the low level of vibration and the antenna of the mind is keyed in to that frequency, which magnifies the destructive pattern in the subconscious.

The law of attraction works for all. Like attracts like. Let us, therefore, follow the apostolic advice and conform to this spiritual injunction: Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things. (Philippians 4:8).

Auto-Suggestion

The conception of a devil, satan or principle of evil receives its power solely from our own auto-suggestion of its existence and because of the amenability of our subconscious to suggestion. You create what you fear. The power of evil spirits results from the mental attitude which receives such suggestions, and the subconscious responds accordingly. The suggestions of others have no power to create the things they suggest.

The Creative Power is your own thought. The antidote to all of this is the right conception of God and His love. The Bible says, God is love. It also says,..." If God be for us, who can be against us? (Romans 8:31). Then you realize that . . . Perfect love casteth out fear... (I John 4:18), with the result that in your mind and heart there is no devil, but God reigns supreme in your mind. It is wonderful!

I recommend that the reader read Chapter 8 (The Devil) of Bible Mystery and Bible Meaning by Judge Thomas Troward. In this chapter I have expatiated on some of the points on which he has dwelled.

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How to use the Laws of Mind, Chapter Twelve, The Meaning of Satan, Devil, Serpent, Etc.

Dr. Joseph Murphy

How to use the Laws of mind, Chapter Eleven, Why Are You Here?

How to use the Laws of mind, Chapter Eleven, Why Are You Here?

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Every man's life from beginning to end is a plan of God. Jesus said, "I am come that they might have life . . . more abundantly." You are here to lead a full, happy and glorious life. You are here to release your hidden talents to the world, to find your true place in life and to express yourself at your highest level. 

Claim Your Good Now

Now is the accepted time. Many people are always looking forward to the future for better times. They are constantly saying that some day they will be happy and successful, instead of realizing that God is the  Eternal Now!

The truth is that all the powers of the Godhead are within you. Peace is now; you can claim that God's river of peace flows through you. Healing is now; feel and know that the infinite healing Presence which made you is now restoring every atom of your being. Claim that the creative Intelligence which made you knows how to heal you, and that Divine order governs your mind and body.

Wealth is available now—it is a thought-image in your mind. Claim it boldly now. Affirm: "God's wealth is now circulating in my life." Why wait for it? Strength is now. Call on the power of God within you, and this power will respond, energizing and renewing your whole being.

Love is now. Know and believe that God's love saturates your mind and body, and this Divine love will be filtered through and made manifest in all phases of your life.

Guidance is now. Infinite Intelligence within you knows the answer, and it responds to the nature of your request.

Claim your good now. You do not create anything; you give form and expression to that which always was, now is and ever shall be. Moses could have used a loud speaker or television. The idea or principle by which these are made always existed in Infinite Mind.

Plato referred to the "archetypes of Divine Mind," which simply means that there is an idea or a pattern in Divine Mind behind every created thing in the universe.

The Present Moment

Did you ever stop to think that if you are planning something in the future, you are planning it now? If you are fearing something in the future, you are fearing it now. If you are thinking of the past, you are thinking of it now. The only thing you have to change is your present thought. You are aware of your present thought, and all that you can realize is the outer manifestation of your habitual thinking at the present moment. The two thieves are the past and the future. If you are indulging in remorse or self-criticism over past mistakes and hurts, the mental anguish you experience is the pain of your present thought. If you are worried about the future, you are robbing and stealing from yourself joy, health and happiness. Count your blessings now and get rid of the two thieves.

To think of a happy and joyful episode in the past is a present joy. Remember, the results of past events —good or bad—are but the representatives of your present thinking. Direct your present thought in the right channels. Enthrone in your mind peace, harmony, joy, love, prosperity and goodwill. Dwell consciously on these concepts and claim them—and forget all other things. Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true . . . honest . . . just . . . pure . . . lovely . . . of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things (Philippians 4:8).

One Life Principle

There is only one Life Principle animating the entire universe. God is Life and that is your life now, but this Life Principle may be directed constructively or destructively, because you have the ability to choose.

You are using the Life Principle destructively whenever you indulge in fear, regret or any form of negative thinking. All resentment, hostility, spiritual pride, self-will, criticism and condemnation are especially disastrous methods of misapplying the Life Principle. Furthermore, the negative emotions which are dammed up in our subconscious come forth as all manner of diseases, both mental and physical.

When you tune in with the Infinite and let it flow through you harmoniously and joyously, and when you think right, feel right and act right, your life will be one of unalloyed happiness and success along all lines—right here and now.

Divine Discontent

You are here to reproduce all the qualities and aspects of God. Inasmuch as this is the true reason for your existence, it behooves you to .have a wholesome dissatisfaction with anything less than complete harmony, health and peace of mind. An inquietude regarding frustration, lack and limitation should become a great incentive to you, enabling you to overcome all difficulties through the Infinite Power within you. Your joy is in overcoming. Problems, difficulties and challenges of life enable you to sharpen your mental and spiritual tools, enabling you to release the treasures of the infinite storehouse of riches within.

Infinite Mind is spaceless and timeless. Cease limiting yourself. Remove all stumbling blocks which are in your mind and enter now into the joy of the answered prayer. . . . Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest (John 4:35).

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How to use the Laws of mind, Chapter Eleven, Why Are You Here?

Dr. Joseph Murphy

How to use the Laws of Mind, Chapter Ten, The Book of Life

How to use the Laws of Mind, Chapter Ten, The Book of Life

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Phineas Parkhurst Quimby, America's greatest spiritual healer, said in 1847 that children are like little, white tablets upon which everybody who comes along scribbles something. All of us were born without any religious beliefs, fears, prejudices or racial bias. When we were children we were highly impressionable and malleable and subject to the teachings and beliefs of all those who had any control over our lives. Children grow up in the image and likeness of the dominant mental and emotional climate of the home. The first language you spoke came from your parents.

Your subconscious mind is a book of the law, and the dominant impressions and convictions of the mind become the ruling and governing forces of your life. In talking with and counselling many people through the years, I have found that the main reason many do not advance in life and remain healthy and prosperous is that when they were very young they had impressed on their deeper mind (the subconscious) feelings of inadequacy, unworthiness and inferiority, which governed their choices in life and their reactions, preventing them from succeeding and prospering in life.

Sigmund Freud, the great psychopathologist, pointed out that all of us are governed by subconscious impulses which are mostly irrational, which means that most of the religious beliefs, taboos and strictures which were given to us when very young are illogical, unreasonable, unscientific and completely contrary to basic common sense. One man, for example, said to me, "It's wrong for me to make so much money." Since he kept thinking that way, he eventually lost his business and did not know why. However, he learned the hard way that his subconscious takes what he says and thinks literally, and that whatever he conveyed to his subconscious mind would be made manifest, whether good or bad.

His family could have used the money and he could have done a lot of good with it, but this false and irrational impulse and belief in his subconscious governed his actions long after the earlier statements of his mother had been forgotten. He had to fail, because he was constantly reminding himself, "It is wrong to make so much money. Money is evil." This was a record implanted in his deeper mind, and it was being played back to him.

He learned that there is nothing good or bad, but thinking makes it so, and that there is nothing evil in the universe, for good and evil are the movements of his own mind relative to the One Being—God—the Living Spirit, which is whole, pure and perfect. Use determines whether a thing is good or evil. How do you use the Power? If you use the One Power constructively, you call It God, Allah, Brahma, peace, harmony and prosperity. If you use the One Power negatively, ignorantly or maliciously, you can experience lack, limitation, sickness and disease. The world calls it satan, devil, hell, etc., all of which are states of mind. The word satan means to err, to slip, to deviate from the truth.

As you continue to read this chapter, the truth will be revealed to you about the Book of Life. Remember, when a person is fearful, suspicious or angry, he acts and reacts in an abnormal way even when there are no circumstances or conditions warranting such actions. What is written in his Book of Life (his subconscious) becomes a law governing his experiences and relationships with others.

How Your Mind Works

The Book of Life is your subconscious mind, and you are always writing in that Book based on the nature of your habitual thinking and imagining. Shakespeare said, "What is in a name?" Well, when I mention your name, it indicates your particular sex, your nationality, your background, your training, your education, your financial structure, your social status, and all other things appertaining to you.

When your conscious and subconscious mind work harmoniously, peacefully and joyfully together, the children of that union are happiness, peace, health, abundance and security. The disharmonious relationship of the conscious and subconscious mind brings misery, suffering, pain, sickness and disease into your life.

Abram left Ur of Chaldea. Ur means sorcery, black magic, worship of stars, idols and all that sort of thing. Abram changed his name to Abraham, meaning the father of the multitude, indicating the one God, the one Presence and Power. We are all children of the one God. That's the unity of all life. All men and women are brothers and sisters—same mind, same spirit and same substance. Therefore, to hurt another is to hurt yourself; and to bless another is to bless yourself.

You can write a new name, a new estimate and a new blueprint of yourself. Get a new concept of yourself. Is it great enough, noble enough or grand enough to redeem you, to bring about an inner transformation of your heart, your mind and your whole being? Today people have many idols just as they had in Chaldea thousands of years ago. Superstition is rampant. They still have false gods, such as "The weather is going to give me a cold," or "If I wet my feet I am going to get pneumonia. " Some are afraid of germs, so that when someone sneezes, they feel  they may be infected by the virus. If you ask the exposed person, "Did you get the virus this year?" the response is, "No, not yet." The infection is anticipated, though. What you expect, you always get.

Some people say, "I don't know the right congressman. I have no pull. I can't get that job." They are thus denying the Creative Power within them. They say It is omnipotent and supreme, yet at the same time they are denying It. If It is supreme and omnipotent, there is nothing to oppose It or challenge It. Therefore, you should say, "Infinite Spirit opens up the door for me, revealing to me my hidden talents and showing me the way I should go." That's exactly what the Infinite Spirit will do for you.

There are congressmen who speak and touch wood when they talk about something negative, as if the wood had some power. Do you give power to other people? To the atmosphere? To the weather? All of these things are innocuous. They have no power. The power is in you.

What Do You Believe?

This Universal Presence creates out of Itself by means of It becoming that particular thing. In other words, God becomes man by believing Himself to be man. God creates a being out of Himself capable of returning glory, light and love to Himself. Abraham knew the Creative Power. He was aware of It, and he demonstrated It in his life. He believed that the Spirit would guide and direct him, which, of course, It did.

Plato, Aristotle, Plotinus, etc., all spoke of God as Infinite Mind and Infinite Intelligence, but they did not tell you how to use the Presence and Power for guidance, for harmony, for prosperity, for success, or how to heal yourself with it. It was a satisfactory intellectual conclusion—very interesting, but they did not tell you how to use It in everyday practice.

If you believe you are an abject worm of the dust, people will step on you and will treat you the way you treat yourself. If you are cruel and nasty to yourself, the world will be cruel and nasty to you. As within, so without. Realize that you are a son or a daughter of the Living God. You are heir to all of God's riches. Realize you should exalt God in the midst of you, mighty to heal. How could you feel inferior if you knew that you were a daughter of the Infinite, that you were a darling of God, and that God loves you and cares for you? God is the Life Principle, or the Living Spirit within you, which created you and watches over you when you are sound asleep, because He that watches over you neither slumbers nor sleeps.

Born to Win

There are a great many people who work very hard, but they nevertheless fail in life. The reason is that they have a subconscious pattern of failure, or they believe they should fail. Sometimes they think a jinx is following them. They feel inferior. Perhaps they were told when they were young, "You'll never amount to anything. You are stupid. You are dumb." These thoughts were accepted by their impressionable mind and now these thoughts have a life of their own in the subconscious mind, and are experienced by them.

But man can change his life. These subconscious or irrational impulses act long after the events which caused them have been forgotten. Man can feed the subconscious mind with something new. He can say, "I'm born to succeed; the Infinite cannot fail." He can feed his subconscious life-giving patterns such as: "Divine law and order govern my life, Divine peace fills my soul, Divine love saturates my mind, Divine right action reigns supreme, Infinite Intelligence guides and directs me in all my ways—It is a lamp unto my feet and a light upon my path."

When you are angry, suspicious or full of fear, these emotions are negative and destructive. They snarl up in the subconscious mind, and they cause you to do the wrong thing and to say the wrong thing. When you want to be happy, you are sad; when you want to do the right thing, you do the wrong thing. This is true when you are under the sway of negative and destructive emotions, for, very likely, whatever you do then will be wrong.

Discover Yourself

You are here to solve problems. The reason you have problems and challenges is because you are here to discover your Divinity and sharpen your mental and spiritual tools; otherwise you would never discover yourself.

There are failures in life, yes! That is why you had an eraser at the end of your pencil when you went to school. Everybody knew that you were going to make mistakes. Through the mistakes, however, you learned how to add and subtract, as well as many, many other things.

You must have a basis for thinking constructively. When you know that thoughts are things and that what you feel you attract, and that what you imagine you become, then you begin to think constructively because you realize, "My thought is creative—not because it is my thought, but because it is thought."

"Nothing can give you peace but the triumph of principles" (Emerson). Quimby said that a child is like a little, blank tablet; and the uncles, and the aunts, and the clergyman and everybody else comes along and scribbles something on it. This is easy to do because the little child's mind, of course, is impressionable, malleable and open to all of the beliefs, opinions, creeds, dogmas, superstition, ignorance and fear of the parents. The child grows up in the image and the likeness of the dominant mental, emotional and spiritual climate of the home.

Who is scribbling on your mind today? Does your mother-in-law, father-in-law or some in-law scribble something on your mind? Do they disturb you? Does someone tell you you are going to fail? And do you reject it and say, "You do not know what you are talking about. I cannot fail. How could I fail? The Infinite is within me. I am born to win. I am a success in my prayer life, in my relationship with people, and in my chosen work." The minute you affirm the above, the Power will respond to you.

How could the Infinite fail? Where is the Infinite? Within you. And you are born to win, to overcome, to triumph. You are here to go from glory to glory, and from octave to octave, for there is no end to the glory which is man.

Is the columnist writing something in your mind? Or are you writing the truths of God, which are the same yesterday, today and forever? What are you writing in your mind every day? Some people write grief, despair, hopelessness, loneliness, etc. Inscribe the conviction that you are worthy, that you are adequate, that you are full of faith and confidence in the only Power there is, and that you know you are inspired from On High, and that you believe implicitly that God is guiding you in all your ways and is a lamp unto your feet and a light upon your path.

Your subconscious mind, which is the book of life, will receive these impressions, viewpoints, opinions and convictions because you are sincere, because you mean them. Whatever you think, feel and believe to be true, your subconscious mind will bring to pass—good or bad.

Inscribe in your mind harmony, health, wholeness, beauty, peace, perfection and right action. These are principles. You do not create these truths, but you activate them and make them effective and functional when you affirm them. Stir up the gifts of God within you.

Anything that fills you with faith, with confidence, with joy and with enthusiasm has power over you, and it governs your conduct. Enthusiasm governs all of your activities, because enthusiasm means "possessed by God." You will never go so far as when you are possessed by the One, the Beautiful and the Good.

You are a mental and a spiritual being, because when you say I AM, you are announcing the Presence of the Living God. You have always lived. A billion years from now you will be alive, because life was never born and will never die; water wets it not, fire burns it not, wind blows it not away. You are alive, and that life is God's life. God is life; therefore, you have always lived.

Are you the same person you were five years ago? Ten years ago? Twenty-five years ago? No, you are not. Are you the same person you were when you were three months old or a year old? Of course not. You have had hundreds of reincarnations since you were born. Reincarnation is Spirit making Itself manifest at higher levels. So, at five years of age you were different; at 10, at 20, and at 30. If I showed you photographs of every month of your life, you would hardly recognize yourself in some of them.

You are not the same as you were six months ago. You have a new concept of God, of Life, of the universe—a new estimate, a new blueprint, a new insight. You do not talk the same; you do not walk the same or think the same. Your life is progressing from glory to glory. When you go on to the next dimension, you will still go on from octave to octave. You cannot be less tomorrow than you are today, for life goes not backward nor tarries with yesterday.

Write, "I go from glory to glory. I go from octave to octave." Write these truths in your life, because you are alive and you are always implanting something new in your deeper mind.

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How to use the Laws of Mind, Chapter Ten, The Book of Life

Dr. Joseph Murphy

How to use the Laws of Mind, Chapter Nine, The Explanation Is the Cure

How to use the Laws of Mind, Chapter Nine, The Explanation Is the Cure

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Dr. Phineas Quimby, who started teaching and healing in Maine in 1847, often used the term, 'The explanation is the cure." By this Dr. Quimby meant that his explanation as to why the patient had the particular disease was a penetrating truth aiding the sick person to change his mind and keep it changed. The cure was wrought by his insight. When the patient grasped his explanation, the cure was immediate insofar as the inner life was concerned.

Last year I said to a girl in a convent which I visited in England, who had suddenly lost her voice: "You feel guilty. You would like to speak out about it, but you feel you should not and your subconscious has responded accordingly." She nodded her head, attesting to the truth of what I had said. She forthwith came to a decision to speak to the Sister Superior of the convent and her voice came back immediately. The explanation was the cure in that instance.

Dr. Quimby very suddenly and convincingly spoke to some of his patients that illuminating word which brought far-reaching results affecting the health, religion and mode of life of his patients. Quimby was clairvoyant. He said the test of clairvoyance is the ability to read a letter in the pocket of another person, which that person had not yet read.

Ulcerated Thoughts

Some time ago, in consultation, a man said to me that he was on a milk diet and was taking medicine for his ulcers. Casually, I mentioned that ulcers are generally due to worry, fear, anxiety, deep-seated resentment, stress and strain. He admitted that this statement was absolutely true.

The next step was to teach him that if these habitual thoughts had created his ulcers, he could reverse his thought life and instead contemplate regularly thoughts of peace, harmony, right action, love, goodwill, wholeness and vitality. All he had to do was to make a habit of constructive spiritual thinking. He had been attributing his ulcers to heredity, diet and other factors.

I gave him the following patterns of prayer to be spoken out loud three times in the morning, three times in the afternoon and three times at night prior to sleep:

 "The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? (Psalms 27:1). I have a new, strong conviction of God's Presence which holds me spellbound, entranced and unmoved, and I feel serene, confident, and unafraid. I know there is nothing to fear—nothing to draw away from, for God is all there is and everywhere present. In Him I live, move and have my being, so I have no fear. God's envelope of love surrounds me and His golden river of peace flows through me; all is well. I am not afraid of people, conditions, events or circumstances, for God is with me. Faith in God fills my soul, and I have no fear. I dwell in the Presence of God now and forevermore, and no fear can touch me. I am not afraid of the future, for God is with me. He is my dwelling place, and I am surrounded with the whole armor of God. God created me and He sustains me. God's wisdom leads and guides me; so I cannot err. I know in my heart the great truth, 'Closer is He than breathing, nearer than hands and feet.' "

He followed this procedure regularly, and after a reasonable period of time his doctor, who was much surprised, pronounced him healed. The explanation was the cure. The clarifying words of truth work wonders when accepted by the mind of the sick or confused person.

He Saw that He Was Foolish

A businessman frankly admitted to me recently that he was wishing failure for a competitor across the street from him. The reason he gave was that the competitor was underselling him. His prices for the same merchandise were much lower.

I explained to him that his attitude was very foolish, because what he was wishing for the other he was at the same time wishing for himself. He was the only thinker in his world, and, because his thoughts are creative, he was attracting lack, loss and limitation and was actually impoverishing himself.

He saw the point immediately. His competitor obviously believed in success, prosperity and expansion and, therefore, could not receive his negative thoughts of failure. He detected his folly and grasped immediately the cause of his slow business. He quickly dropped his negative thinking and prayed for the prosperity and success of his competitor. Then he found that he prospered, also.

To bless the other is to bless yourself. Prayer always prospers. There is an old saying: "The ship that comes home to your brother also comes home to you." The explanation was the cure.

Self-Healing

Self-healing means the awakening in our mind of the truth which sets us free, the dawning in us of the healing power of God, which restores and responds when we call upon it. To unite with that power, declare boldly: "I AM Spirit and have Infinite Life to draw upon now." You will then turn the tide.

Remember also that the vast majority of sick people get well without any help from anybody, and doctors know that. The tendency of life is to heal and restore. Most of our fears are borrowed. They have little basis in fact.

Expectant Attention

It is generally recognized that in order for the therapist's suggestion to take effect in the mind of the percipient, there must be predisposing conditions, such as faith and expectancy. The percipient's favorable and receptive attitude is, in reality, self-suggestion. This auto-suggestion explains many of the wonderful results occurring at sacred shrines where so called miracles of healing have taken place.

Hypertension

In conversing with a man suffering from acute high blood pressure, I pointed out to him the comment of many medical men, who claim that one of the chief personality characteristics of persons with high blood pressure is resentment. This man had not only chronic high blood pressure but experienced cardiac spasms at times.

This man had been cheated and swindled out of at large sum of money and, as he said, he was seeking vengeance. I explained to him that if he desired a complete healing he must follow the Biblical injunction:. . . Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord (Romans 12:19). The spiritual meaning of the word vengeance in the Bible is to justify, to vindicate. It means victory of truth over error or any negative state. The Truth of Being and the goodness of God are vindicated in our lives when we turn to God and call on Divine love to saturate our whole being.

I suggested that he release completely to God the man who had swindled him, wishing for him harmony and peace and that he claim frequently for himself: "God's peace fills my mind and heart, and God's love saturates my soul."

Through frequent habitation of his mind with these truths, he realized an inner peace and tranquility. Whenever the man who had cheated him came to his mind, he blessed him by affirming, "God's peace fills your soul." As he changed his mind, his physical condition changed and he eventually healed himself.

The Lord is the law of life. If anyone misuses the law, the latter will always even things up, as action and reaction are equal. The tendency of all life is to heal and restore, but we must permit the Life Principle to heal without hindrance.

This man saw the folly of trying to get even with the other man in hiring someone else to do him bodily harm. He realized all of this brooding was the cause of his malady and that he had brought it all upon himself. He was stealing health, vitality, discernment and peace of mind from himself and impoverishing himself along all lines.

The explanation is the cure, as he perceived that nothing happens by chance. The reason anything happens to us is because of our own state of mind. In other words, the equivalent is in our mind. If we are in a mood of loss and despair, we will attract loss along all lines. If we live in fear of being cheated, swindled, robbed, etc., we must realize that we attract what we fear. This is a cardinal and fundamental truth. Therefore, we must accept responsibility for what happens to us. Cease blaming others, for this habit will only compound the misery.

Look Within Always for the Cause

I have talked with girls who have married men of a different race, religion and background for no other reason than to try to irritate and disgrace their parents. The trouble is that they do not know the Real Self—God—within.

When they learn to exalt the Divine Presence, the Living Spirit, the Reality of them, they will automatically respect the Divinity in others. The criminal hates himself and projects that hatred on to others. He has never found his real Self, which is God, within him. Boys and girls who were mistreated, neglected and unloved in their home life, become misfits, trouble makers at school, agitators and prone to fighting, stealing and lying. They are trying to get attention and recognition, but they get it the wrong way. They do not know that it is their state of mind that is playing havoc with them.

In truth, there is no one to change but ourselves. If we have the wrong attitude toward life and people, everything will go wrong. Realize that when you are Divinely guided, all of your ways will be ways of pleasantness and all of your paths will be peaceful and harmonious. Remember, you create your own success, happiness and peace of mind.

You are wise when you realize that your success and prosperity in life do not depend on what other people say or do, or do not say or do not do. Realize also that you were born to win, to succeed and triumph over all obstacles. Your success depends on your attitude of mind and your conviction about God, life and the universe. God is always successful in all of His undertakings, and God indwells you.

As you continue to know, feel and believe that you can do all things through the God-Power which strengtheneth you, you will find yourself going up the ladder of life irrespective of what others say or do, or do not say or do. Knowing that God is the Source of all your blessings, you will find yourself free of all jealousy, hate, resentment and hostility. Decide to look to the Infinite for all your good and you will never be disappointed.

You Can Call on Your Reserves

There is an inexhaustible reservoir of strength, wisdom and energy within your deeper mind. All armies on the march, for example, make sure that reserves are there when needed and can be called upon. This gives the general in charge a certain assurance and confidence.

God indwells you, and all the powers, attributes and qualities of God indwell each one of us. All of us live, move and have our being in that Infinite Being which created all things and is the very life of us. "There is " says Emerson, "guidance for each of us, and by lowly listening we shall hear the right words"

A girl who was attacked by a purse snatcher said, "God watches over me. He cares for me." Her attacker ran off. She called on her reserves and there was a response. This is a reciprocal universe; action and reaction are always and everywhere equal. In her emergency she called on the Almighty One and there was a response which set her free from the mugger.

Begin every day with your thought of God and His love for you. Remember also a simple truth: The beginning of all manifestation or phenomena in this material universe is a thought or a word; and a word is a thought expressed. Your thought is first cause. God is the Creative Power in you, and the only immaterial power you know is your thought. Your thought is creative, and you are what you think all day long.

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 How to use the Laws of Mind, Chapter Nine, The Explanation Is the Cure

Dr. Joseph Murphy

How to use the Laws of Mind, Chapter Eight, Fulfill Your Desires

 How to use the Laws of Mind, Chapter Eight, Fulfill Your Desires

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God is forever seeking expression through you. God speaks to man through desire. If you are sick, you desire health; if poor, you desire wealth; if in prison, you desire freedom; if lost in the jungle, you desire to find your way out and be secure.

The realization of your desire is your savior. Everyone is his own savior, and every man answers his own prayer, because whatever he really believes comes to pass. You have a desire to grow, expand, unfold and realize your heart's desire. You desire to be greater tomorrow than you are today.

If you are a musician you don't want to be a mediocre musician; you desire to excel so that your music may stir the souls of men and women. Scientists desire to know more of the secrets of the genetic code; other scientists delve into the secrets of the atom. Their desire or hunger for more knowledge of cosmic laws and the secrets of the universe is continuing to bless mankind in countless ways. The urge to express is in everything, everywhere.

Your Innermost Desire

Your real innermost desire is to find your true expression in life where you are doing what you love to do. Divinely happy and Divinely prospered. You may do six things well, but there is one thing you can do better than the six—that is your true place, or true expression.

Your Higher Self knows all your talents and will reveal to you the answer. Affirm, "Infinite Intelligence within me reveals my true place in life and I follow the lead which comes clearly into my conscious, reasoning mind." The lead will come to you. Follow it. You desire to express yourself at your highest level and exercise your faculties at the highest degree, and you desire a marvelous and wonderful income consistent with integrity and honesty.

Desire Is the Gift of God

Desire is basic in life. Desire is! It is impossible to get rid of desire. If you are hungry, you want food; if thirsty, you want water. A man asked the electrical wizard, Thomas Edison, "Mr. Edison, what is electricity?" Edison said, "Electricity is. Use it."

You can use the power to bless mankind in countless ways. You can also use it to electrocute someone. You can thus use any power two ways. You never, under any circumstances, should desire another man's job, his wife, his home or anything that is his. To covet or envy another is to attract loss, lack and limitation to yourself. You impoverish yourself along all lines. You are saying to yourself, "He can have these things, but I can't." You are denying your own Divinity. To steal from another mentally is to actually steal from yourself.

The loss can come to you in many ways: loss of health, prestige, promotion, love or money. The way loss comes is past finding out. You do not want the other fellow's position: You really want a position like it, giving you the same privileges, emoluments, salary and perquisites.

Infinite Intelligence can open a new door of expression for you if you call upon it. You will get an answer.

Suppression of Desire

In India and other places in the East students are taught to suppress their desires. This is foolish and has disastrous consequences. One woman said to me that she wanted to reach the place where she did not want anything, and then she would be free. However, she was the most frustrated, neurotic woman I have ever met in any Ashram.

I asked her: "Don't you desire a cup of coffee in the morning? If you are a musician, don't you desire to play music and lift others up? If you are a medical doctor, don't you desire to alleviate pain and suffering? If you are a farmer, don't you desire to plant and harvest and have food for your children?"

His Desire Was to Go to College

A young man was stealing money from his employer and was caught and discharged. He said to me later, by way of explanation, that he stole because he wanted to go to college. He had misdirected his desire. There was nothing wrong with the desire to go to college. I explained to him that God, who gave him the desire, does not mock him and that he has the unqualified capacity to go to the God-Presence within and claim his good. I added that God, being the Source of everything in the world, would somehow open up the way for him to complete his college course.

I gave him a simple prayer, as follows: "God is the Source of my supply, and God's wealth is circulating in my life. There is always a Divine surplus. God opens up the way for me to enter college in Divine order."

I explained to him that his desire was good but that he had misdirected it and misused the law of mind. You do not steal, rob or injure another in order to get ahead. To do so is to attract all manner of loss and limitation to yourself. The mere fact that you steal indicates you are in a mood of lack, followed by a sense of guilt, all of which have destructive consequences.

So he used the law constructively based on the above prayer, and the way opened up for him. He won a scholarship and found the Source of all blessings.

Reason Things Out

If you did not desire, you would not make any choices. However, you are a choosing, volitional being. If you made no choices, you would not grow. You would not do anything. In everyday language, you would not exist. If you did not desire, nothing would rouse your interest. You would be dead to love, to peace, to laughter and to motivation. You would shrivel up spiritually, emotionally and physically. Actually, you would be a nonentity.

Trying to suppress or eradicate desire is a sort of spiritual suicide. Welcome the desires for health, happiness, peace, joy and true expression. You are here to express all the qualities, attributes and potencies of God. You are here to reveal more and more of your Divinity every day. You are here to contribute to humanity, to put your shoulder to the wheel and to make the world a better place to live in. You are here to glorify God and enjoy Him forever.

There Is an Answer

Realize that desire is the motivating force behind all progress and advancement in science, art, industry and in all phases of life. It is the moving principle behind all of your achievements. There is an answer for every true desire of the heart. There is a right way to fulfill your soul's sincere desire. You could not desire unless the answer to the desire existed. Realize that Infinite Spirit which gave you the desire will reveal to you the perfect plan for its unfoldment in Divine law and order.

Paul said, For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure (Philippians 2:13). You desire to excel and grow in wisdom. This desire is of God, the Life Principle, working in and through you, urging you to climb the ladder of life and express yourself at higher levels. Do not repress desire. To do so is to repress the Life Principle, Itself. It is foolish to refuse to breathe air or drink water, since death would quickly follow.

You Are Needed

Every person wants to feel needed and wanted, and desires to achieve his true place in life. In other words, he wants his riches in life and all the necessary money to do what he wants to do when he wants to do it. Money is a symbol of freedom, luxury, refinement, abundance and security.

Look to the Source of all blessings and affirm from an Infinite standpoint: "God's wealth, spiritual, mental, material and financial, is circulating in my life and there is always a Divine surplus." The Infinite Intelligence within you will respond according to the universal law of action and reaction.

Each person is unique and wants to express himself at his highest level. To be successful in the art of living, contribute to the well-being and fulfillment of other people's desires and hopes. Then you will be prospered. Recall the old Hindu maxim, "Help thy brother's boat across and, lo, thine own hath reached the shore." The most worthwhile and truly successful person is the one who continuously aids and assists other people to achieve their hearts' desires.

There Is a Light Within You

Years ago I read the words uttered by the late King George of England. He quoted the poet, who had said, "I said to the man who stood at the Gate of the Year, 'Give me a light that I may tread safely into the Unknown.' And he replied, 'Go out into the darkness and put your hand into the hand of God. That shall be to you better than a light and safer than a known way.'"

The light referred to is the Supreme Intelligence within you that knows all and sees all. As you turn to this Indwelling Light, It will turn to you and lead you to green pastures and still waters.

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 How to use the Laws of Mind, Chapter Eight, Fulfill Your Desires

Dr. Joseph Murphy