UC-NRIF |»117 3sa >Ti€AL FOURS ill 1 IB | ■ ■ d h ¥a 1 d o Tr i n e Charles Josselyn PSYCH IIUUAIff— "THE LIFE BOOKS The Higher Powers of Mind and Spirit Thousand This late book by Mr. Trine is. in the opinion of some, his finest and strongest work— a book of absorbing interest and power, and intensely practical. In Tune With the Infinite Thousand "It is one of the simplest, clearest works ever written, dealing with power of the interior forces in moulding the everyday conditions of life."— (Saw Fra it cisco Ihilief in. What All the World's A-seeking niSS^a* "The volume abounds in passages of great beauty and strength; but the striking feature of the book is, after all, the solid, sensible, healthy exposition of the one theme it is written to en- force." — New York Independent. The New Alinement of Life Thousand The object of this work by Mr. Trine, expressed in a single sentence, is to bring the teachings of the Christian faith in line with the outlook, the need, and the determination of our times. In the Hollow of His Hand Thousand "A characteristic and powerful plea for fresh applications of Christianity, it will be eagerly read by devout readers on both sides of the Atlantic." — The Scotsman, Edinburgh. This Mystical Life of Ours Thousand Selections of two to three pages for each week through the year from the works of Ralph Waldo Trine. Each Volume, $1.75 MR. TRINE'S LATEST BOOK My Philosophy and My Religion It is a clear, forceful statement of a Way of Life that will unfold an engine of power for use in the every-day life affairs of many people. $1.50 15 * THIS MYSTICAL LIFE OF OURS BY RALPH WALDO TRINE NEW YORK DODD, MEAD & COMPANY 1919 Copyright, i8 9 6, 1897, 1898, 1899, 1900, 1906, By RALPH WALDO TRINE Copyright, 1907, By RALPH WALDO TRINE PSYCH. LIBRARV CONTENTS I. The Fresh Beginning .... II. The Supreme Fact of Human Life . III. The Creative Power of Thought . IV. The Drawing Power of Mind . V. Creating One's Own Atmosphere . VI. The Law of Attraction Works Unceas INGLY VII. The Law of Prosperity VIII. The Law of Habit-Forming . IX. Actualizing One's Ideals X. Faith and Prayer— Their Nature XI. The Petty Personal and the Larger Uni versal XII. The Poem Hangs on the Berry-Bush XIII. The Influence of Our Prevailing Mental States Upon Others . XIV. Saviors One of Another XV. Not Repression, but Self -Mastery XVI. Thoughts Are Forces . XVII. All Life from Within . XVIII Heredity and the Higher Power XIX. Castles in the Air . PAGE 3 6 10 13 16 19 23 27 30 33 36 39 43 47 5o 53 56 60 63 6i585 r «7 viii Contents PAGE XX. The Anchor or the Sensitively Organ- ized 66 XXI. How We Attract Success or Failure . 69 XXII. Fear Brings Failure . . . .71 XXIII. Heart Training Through the Animal World 74 XXIV. The Secret and the Power of Love . 78 XXV. Then Give to the World the Best You Have, and the Best Well Come Back to You 82 XXVI. Hatred Never Ceases by Hatred, but by Love 86 XXVII. Thought and Its Intelligent Defec- tion 89 XXVIII. Will— The Human and the Divine . 92 XXIX. The Secret of the Highest Power . 95 XXX. Wisdom: or Interior Illumination . 99 XXXI. Let There Be Many Windows in Your Soul 103 XXXII. As to the Quality of Our Education 107 XXXIII. A New Order of Patriotism . . .111 XXXIV. Men of Exceptional Executive and Financial Abh.it y 116 XXXV. An Example— A Very Young Old Lady 119 XXXVI. How Mind Builds Body . . - .123 XXXVII. Soul Radiance 127 XXXVIII. Intuition: The Voice of the Soul . 131 XXXIX. MIRACLES AND THE HlGHER Ld?E . . 1 34 XL. The Voice of the Higher Self . . 137 Contents ix PAGE XLI. The Soul Must Be Made Translucent to the Divine I4I XLIL Receiving Instruction During Sleep . 144 XLIII. The Joseph Type Both Dreams and Interprets 148 XLIV. Humaneness in our Diet . . .152 XLV. To Be at Peace 156 XL VI. Courage Begets Strength; Fear Be- gets Weakness 161 XL VII. "And What Is Mine Shall Know My Face" 166 XL VIII. Heredity and Environment — Are We Bound by Them? 169 XLIX. Preserving One's Individuality . . 173 L. Exclusiveness and Inclusiveness : What They Indicate . . . . 177 LI. The Nature of Real Riches . . 181 Lll. A Method of Attainment . . .185 THIS MYSTICAL LIFE OF OURS I. THE FRESH BEGINNING. When one awakes from sleep and so returns to conscious life, he is in a peculiarly receptive and impressionable state. All relations with the material world have for a time been shut off, the mind is in a freer and more natural state, resem- bling somewhat a sensitive plate, where impressions can readily leave their traces. This is why many times the highest and truest impressions come to one in the early morning hours, before the activities of the day and their attendant distractions have exerted an influence. This is one reason why many ^people can do their best work in the early hours of the day. But this fact is also a most valuable one in con- nection with the moulding of every-day life. The mind is at this time as a clean sheet of paper. We can most valuably use this quiet, receptive, im- pressionable period by wisely directing the activities of the mind along the highest and most desirable paths, and thus, so to speak, set the pace for the day. Each morning is a fresh beginning. We are, as it were, just beginning life. We have it entirely in our own hands. And when the morning with its fresh beginning comes, all yesterdays should be 4 This Mystical Life of Ours yesterdays, with which we have nothing to do. Sufficient is it to know that the way we lived our yesterday has determined for us our today. And, again, when the morning with its fresh beginning comes, all tomorrows should be tomorrows, with which we have nothing to do. Sufficient to know that the way we live our today determines our to- morrow. "Every day is a fresh beginning, Every morn is the world made new; You who are weary of sorrow and sinning, Here is a beautiful hope for you, A hope for me and a hope for you. "All the past things are past and over, The tasks are done, and the tears are shed. Yesterday's errors let yesterday cover; Yesterday's wounds, which smarted and bled, Are healed with the healing which night has shed. ******* "Let them go, since we cannot relieve them, Cannot undo and cannot atone. God in His mercy receive, forgive them!- Only the new days are our own. Today is ours, and today alone. "Here are the skies all burnished brightly; Here is the spent earth all reborn ; Here are the tired limbs springing lightly To face the sun and to share with the morn In the chrism of dew and the cool of dawn. "Every day is a fresh beginning, Listen, my soul, to the glad refrain, And, spite of old sorrow and older sinning, And puzzles forecasted, and possible pain, Take heart with the day and begin again." The Fresh Beginning 5 Simply the first hour of this new day, with all its richness and glory, with all its sublime and eternity-determining possibilities, and each succeed- ing hour as it comes, but not before it comes. This is the secret of character building. This simple method will bring any one to the realization of the highest life that can be even conceived of, and there is nothing in this connection that can be con- ceived of that cannot be realized somehow, some- when, somewhere. This brings such a life within the possibilities of all, for there is no one, if really in earnest and if he really desires it, who cannot live to his highest for a single hour. But even though there should be, if he is only earnest in his endeavor, then, through the law that like builds like, he will be able to come a little nearer to it the next hour, and still nearer the next, and the next, until sooner or later comes the time when it becomes the natural, and any other would require the effort. In this way one becomes in love and in league with the highest and best in the universe, and as a consequence, the highest and best in the universe becomes in love and in league with him. They aid him at every turn; they seem literally to move all things his way, because, forsooth, he has first moved their way. T n Tune with the Infinite. II. THE SUPREME FACT OF HUMAN LIFE. The great central fact in human life is the coming into a conscious, vital realization of our oneness with the Infinite Life, and the opening of Ourselves fully to this divine inflow. I and the Father are one, said the Master. In this we see how he recog- nized his oneness with the Father's life. Again he said, The words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in me, He doeth the works. In this we see how clearly he recognized the fact that he of himself could do nothing, only as he worked in conjunction with the Father. Again, My Father works and I work. In other words, my Father sends the power, I open myself to it, and work in conjunction with it. Again he said, Seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you. And he left us not in the dark as to exactly what he meant by this, for again he said, Say not Lo here nor lo there; know ye not that the kingdom of heaven is within you? Ac- cording to his teaching the kingdom of God and the kingdom of heaven were one and the same. If, then, his teaching is that the kingdom of heaven is within us, do we not clearly see that, putting it in The Supreme Fact of Human Life 7 other words, his injunction is nothing more nor less than, Come ye into a conscious realization of your oneness with the Father's life. As you realize this oneness you find the kingdom, and when you find this, all things else shall follow. Again, the Master said, Call no man your Father upon the earth : for one is your Father, which is in heaven. Here he recognized the fact that the real life is direct from the life of God. Our fathers and our mothers are the agents that give us the bodies, the houses in which we live, but the real life comes from the Infinite Source of Life, God, who is our Father. One day word was brought to the Master that his mother and his brethren were without, wishing to speak with him. Who is my mother and who are my brethren? said he. Whosoever shall do the will of my Father which is in heaven, the same is my brother, and my sister, and mother. Many people are greatly enslaved by what we term ties of relationship. It is well, however, for us to remember that our true relatives are not necessarily those who are connected with us by ties of blood. Our truest relatives are those who are nearest akin to us in mind, in soul, in spirit. Our nearest relatives may be those living on the opposite side of the globe, — people whom we may never have seen as yet, but to whom we will yet be drawn, either in this form of life or in another, through 8 This Mystical Life of Ours that ever working and never failing law of attrac- tion. When the Master gave the injunction, Call no man your father upon the earth: for one is your Father, which is in heaven, he here gave us the basis for that grand conception of the fatherhood of God. And if God is equally the Father of all, then we have here the basis for the brotherhood of man. But there is, in a sense, a conception still higher than this, namely, the oneness of man and God, and hence the oneness of the whole human race. When we realize this fact, then we clearly see how in the degree that we come into the realization of our oneness with the Infinite Life, and so, every step that we make Godward, we aid in lifting all mankind up to this realization, and enable them, in turn, to make a step Godward. The Master again pointed out our true relations with the Infinite Life when he said, Except ye be- come as little children ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. When he said, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that pro- ceeded out of the mouth of God, he gave utterance to a truth of far greater import than we have as yet commenced fully to grasp. Here he taught that even the physical life can not be maintained by ma- terial food alone, but that one's connection with this Infinite Source determines to a very great extent the condition of even the bodily structure and activ- ities. The Supreme Fact of Human Life 9 Said the great Hindu sage, Manu, He who in his own soul perceives the Supreme Soul in all beings, and acquires equanimity toward them all, attains the highest bliss. It was Athanasius who said, Even we may become Gods walking about in the flesh. The same great truth we are considering is the one that runs through the life and the teach- ings of Guatama, who became the Buddha. People are in bondage, said he, because they have not yet removed the idea of /. To do away with all sense of separateness, and to recognize the oneness of the self with the Infinite, is the spirit that breathes through all his teachings. All the prophets, seers, sages, and saviours in the world's history became what they became, and con- sequently had the powers they had, through an en- tirely natural process. They all recognized and came into the conscious realization of their oneness with the Infinite Life. God is no respecter of per- sons. He doesn't create prophets, seers, sages, and saviours as such. He creates men. But here and there one recognizes his true identity, recognizes the oneness of his life with the Source whence it came. He lives in the realization of this oneness, and in turn becomes a prophet, seer, sage, or saviour. In Tune with the Infinite. III. THE CREATIVE POWER OF THOUGHT. Of the vital power of thought and the interior forces in moulding conditions, and more, of the supremacy of thought over all conditions, the world has scarcely the faintest grasp, not to say even idea, as yet. The fact that thoughts are forces, and that through them we have creative power, is one of the most vital facts of the universe, the most vital fact of man's being. And through this instrumentality we have in our grasp and as our rightful heritage, the power of making life and all its manifold con- ditions exactly what we will. Through our thought- forces we have creative power, not in a figurative sense, but in reality. Everything in the material universe about us had its origin first in spirit, in thought, and from this it took its form. The very world in which we live, with all its manifold wonders and sublime manifes- tations, is the result of the energies of the divine intelligence or mind, — God, or whatever term it comes convenient for each one to use. And God said, Let there be, and there was, — the material world, at least the material manifestation of it, literally spoken into existence, the spoken word, The Creative Power of Thought II however, but the outward manifestation of the in- terior forces of the Supreme Intelligence. Every castle the world has ever seen was first an ideal in the architect's mind. Every statue was first an ideal in the sculptor's mind. Every piece of mechanism the world has ever known was first formed in the mind of the inventor. Here it was given birth to. These same mind-forces then dic- tated to and sent the energy into the hand that drew the model, and then again dictated to and sent the energy into the hands whereby the first instrument was clothed in the material form of metal or of wood. The lower negative always gives way to the higher when made positive. Mind is positive : mat- ter is negative. Each individual life is a part of, and hence is one with, the Infinite Life; and the highest intel- ligence and power belongs to each in just the de- gree that he recognizes his oneness and lays claim to and uses it. The power of the word is not mere- ly an idle phrase or form of expression. It is a real mental, spiritual, scientific fact, and can be- come vital and powerful in your hands and in mine in just the degree that we understand the omnip- otence of the thought forces and raise all to the higher planes. The blind, the lame, the diseased, stood before the Christ, who said, Receive thy sight, rise up and walk, or, be thou healed; and lo! it was so. The spoken word, however, was but the outward ex- 12 This Mystical Life of Ours pression and manifestation of his interior thought- forces, the power and potency of which he so thor- oughly knew. But the laws governing them are the same to-day as they were then, and it lies in our power to use them the same as it lay in his. What All the World's A-Seeking. IV. THE DRAWING POWER OF MIND. Each individual life, after it has reached a cer- tain age or degree of intelligence, lives in the midst of the surroundings or environments of its own crea- tion; and this by reason of that wonderful power, the drawing power of mind, which is continually- operating in every life, whether it is conscious of it or not. We are all living, so to speak, in a vast ocean of thought. The very atmosphere about us is charged with the thought-forces that are being continually sent out. When the thought-forces leave the brain, they go out upon the atmosphere, the subtle con- ducting ether, much the same as sound-waves go out. It is by virtue of this law that thought trans- ference is possible, and has become an established scientific fact, by virtue of which a person can so direct his thought-forces that a person at a distance, and in a receptive attitude, can get the thought much the same as sound, for example, is conducted through the agency of a connecting medium. Even though the thoughts as they leave a par- ticular person, are not consciously directed, they go out ; and all may be influenced by them in a greater or less degree, each one in proportion as he or she 14 This Mystical Life of Ours is more or less sensitively organized, or in propor- tion as he or she is negative, and so open to forces and influences from without. The law operating here is one with that great law of the universe, — that like attracts like, so that one continually at- tracts to himself forces and influences most akin to those of his own life. And his own life is deter- mined by the thoughts and emotions he habitually entertains, for each is building his world from within. As within, so without ; cause, effect. A stalk of wheat and a stalk of corn are growing side by side, within an inch of each other. The soil is the same for both; but the wheat converts the food it takes from the soil into wheat, the like- ness of itself, while the corn converts the food it takes from the same soil into corn, the likeness of itself. What that which each has taken from the soil is converted into is determined by the soul, the interior life, the interior forces of each. This same grain taken as food by two persons will be con- verted into the body of a criminal in the one case, and into the body of a saint in the other, each after its kind; and its kind is determined by the inner life of each. And what again determines the inner life of each? The thoughts and emotions that are habitually entertained and that inevitably, sooner or later, manifest themselves in outer material form. Thought is the great builder in human life : it is the determining factor. Continually _trrink thoughts that are good, and your life will show forth in The Drawing Power of Mind 15 goodness, and your body in health and beauty. Continually think evil thoughts, and your life will show forth in evil, and your body in weakness and repulsiveness. Think thoughts of love, and you will love and will be loved. Think thoughts of hatred, and you will hate and will be hated. Each follows its kind. What All the World's A-Seeking. V. CREATING ONE'S OWN ATMOSPHERE. It is by virtue of this law that each person creates his own " atmosphere " ; and this atmos- phere is determined by the character of the thoughts he habitually entertains. It is, in fact, simply his thought atmosphere — the atmosphere which other people detect and are influenced by. In this way each person creates the atmosphere of his own room; a family, the atmosphere of the house in which they live, so that the moment you enter the door you feel influences kindred to the thoughts and hence to the lives of those who dwell there. You get a feeling of peace and harmony or a feeling of disquietude and inharmony. You get a welcome, want-to-stay feeling or a cold, want- to-get-away feeling, according to their thought at- titude toward you, even though but few words be spoken. So the characteristic mental states of a congregation of people who assemble there deter- mine the atmosphere of any given assembly-place, church, or cathedral. Its inhabitants so make, so determine the atmosphere of a particular village or city. The sympathetic thoughts sent out by a vast amphitheatre of people, as they cheer a contestant, carry him to goals he never could reach by his own Creating One s Ozvn Atmosphere efforts alone. The same is true in regard t orator and his audience. Napoleon's army is in the East. The plague is beginning to make inroads into its ranks. Long lines of men are lying on cots and on the ground in an open space adjoining the army. Fear has taken a vital hold of all, and the men are continu- ally being stricken. Look yonder : contrary to the earnest entreaties of his officers, who tell him that such exposure will mean sure death, Napoleon with a calm and dauntless look upon his face, with a firm and defiant step, is coming through these plague- stricken ranks. He is going up to, talking with, touching the men ; and, as they see him, there goes up a mighty shout,— The Emperor ! the Emperor ! and from that hour the plague in its inroads is stopped. A marvellous example of the power of a man who, by his own dauntless courage, absolute fearlessness, and power of mind, could send out such forces that they in turn awakened kindred forces in the minds of thousands of others, which in turn dominate their very bodies, so that the plague, and even death itself, is driven from the field. One of the grandest examples of a man of the most mighty and tremendous mind and will power, and at the same time an example of one of the grandest failures, taking life in its totality, the world has ever seen. We are all much more influenced by the thought- This Mystical Life of Ours .ces and mental states of those around us and of the world at large than we have even the slight- est conception of. If not self-hypnotized into cer- tain beliefs and practices, we are, so to speak, semi- hypnotized through the influence of the thoughts of others, even though unconsciously both on their part and on ours. We are so influenced and en- slaved in just the degree that we fail to recognize the power and omnipotence of our own forces, and so become slaves to custom, conventionality, the opinions of others, and so in like proportion lose our own individuality and powers. Each is building his world from within, and, if outside forces play, it is because he allows them to play ; and he has it in his own power to determine whether these shall be positive, uplifting, ennobling, strengthening, success-giving, or negative, degrad- ing, weakening, failure-bringing. What All the World's A-Seeking. VI. THE LAW OF ATTRACTION WORKS UNCEASINGLY. If one hold himself in the thought of poverty, he will be poor, and the chances are that he will re- main in poverty. If he hold himself, whatever pres- ent conditions may be, continually in the thought of prosperity, he sets into operation forces that will sooner or later bring him into prosperous condi- tions. The law of attraction works unceasingly throughout the universe, and the one great and never changing fact in connection with it is, as we have found, that like attracts like. If we are one with this Infinite Power, this source of all things, then in the degree that we live in the realization of this oneness, in that degree do we actualize in our- selves a power that will bring to us an abundance of all things that it is desirable for us to have. In this way we come into possession of a power where- by we can actualize at all times those conditions that we desire. As all truth exists now, and awaits simply our perception of it, so all things necessary for present needs exist now, and await simply the power in us to appropriate them. God holds all things in His 20 This Mystical Life of Ours hands. His constant word is, My child, acknowl- edge me in all your ways, and in the degree that you do this, in the degree that you live this, then what is mine is yours. Jehovah- jireh, — the Lord will provide. " He giveth to all men liberally and upbraideth not." He giveth liberally to all men who put themselves in the right attitude to receive from Him. He forces no good things upon any one. The old and somewhat prevalent idea of godliness and poverty has absolutely no basis for its existence, and the sooner we get away from it the better. It had its birth in the same way that the idea of asceticism came into existence, when the idea pre- vailed that there was necessarily a warfare between the flesh and the spirit. It had its origin therefore in the minds of those who had a distorted a one- sided view of life. True godliness is in a sense the same as true wisdom. The one who is truly wise, and who uses the forces and powers with which he is endowed, to him the great universe always opens her treasure house. Are you out of a situation? Let the fear that you will not get another take hold of and dominate you, and the chances are that it may be a long time before you will get another, or the one that you do get may be a very poor one indeed. Whatever the circumstances, you must realize that you have with- in you forces and powers that you can set into The Law of Attraction Works Unceasingly 21 operation that will triumph over any and all ap- parent or temporary losses. Set these forces into operation and you will then be placing a magnet that will draw to you a situation that may be far better than the one you have lost, and the time may soon come when you will be even thankful that you lost the old one. Recognize, working in and through you, the same Infinite Power that creates and governs all things in the universe, the same Infinite Power that gov- erns the endless systems of worlds in space. Send out your thought, — thought is a force, and it has occult power of unknown proportions when rightly used and wisely directed, — send out your thought that the right situation or the right work will come to you at the right time, in the right way, and that you will recognize it when it comes. Hold to this thought, never allow it to weaken, hold to it, and continually water it with firm expectation. You in this way put your advertisement into a psychical, a spiritual newspaper, a paper that has not a limited circulation, but one that will make its way not only to the utmost bounds of the earth, but of the very universe itself. It is an advertisement, moreover, which if rightly placed on your part, will be far more effective than any advertisement you could possibly put into any printed sheet, no matter what claims are made in regard to its being " the great advertising medium." In the degree that you come into this realization and live in harmony with the 22 This Mystical Life of Ours higher laws and forces, in that degree will you be able to do this effectively. If you wish to look through the " want " columns of the newspapers, then do it, but not in the ordinary way. Put the higher forces into operation and thus place it on a higher basis. If you get the situation and it does not prove to be exactly what you want, if you feel that you are capable of filling a better one, then the moment you enter upon it take the attitude of mind that this situation is the stepping-stone that will lead you to one that will be still better. Hold this thought steadily, affirm it, believe it, expect it, and all the time be faithful, absolutely faithful to the situation in which you are at present placed. If you are not faithful to it then the chances are that it will not be the stepping-stone to something better, but to something poorer. If you are faithful to it, the time may soon come when you will be glad and thankful, when you will rejoice, that you lost your old position. In Tune with the Infinite. VII. THE LAW OF PROSPERITY. This is the law of prosperity : When apparent ad- versity comes, be not cast down by it, but make the best of it, and always look forward for better things, for conditions more prosperous. To hold yourself in this attitude of mind is to set into opera- tion subtle, silent, and irresistible forces that sooner or later will actualize in material form that which is today merely an idea. But ideas have occult power, and ideas, when rightly planted and rightly tended, are the seeds that actualize material condi- tions. Never give a moment to complaint, but utilize the time that would otherwise be spent in this way in looking forward and actualizing the conditions you desire. Suggest prosperity to yourself. See yourself in a prosperous condition. Affirm that you will before long be in a prosperous condition. Af- firm it calmly and quietly, but strongly and con- fidently. Believe it, believe it absolutely. Expect it— keep it continually watered with expectation. You thus make yourself a magnet to attract the things that you desire. Don't be afraid to suggest, to affirm these things, for by so doing you put forth an ideal which will begin to clothe itself in material 24 This Mystical Life of Ours form. In this way you are utilizing agents among the most subtle and powerful in the universe. If you are particularly desirous for anything that you feel it is good and right for you to have, something that will broaden your life or that will increase your usefulness to others, simply hold the thought that at the right time, in the right way, and through the right instrumentality, there will come to you or there will open up for you the way whereby you can attain what you desire. Don't fold your hands and expect to see things drop into your lap, but set into operation the higher forces and then take hold of the first thing that offers itself. Do what your hands find to do, and do it well. If this work is not thoroughly satisfac- tory to you, then affirm, believe, and expect that it is the agency that will lead you to something bet- ter. " The basis for attracting the best of all the world can give to you is to first surround, own, and live in these things in mind, or what is falsely called imagination. All so-called imaginings are realities and forces of unseen element. Live in mind in a palace and gradually palatial surroundings will gravitate to you. But so living is not pining, or longing, or complainingly wishing. It is when you are ' down in the world,' calmly and persistently seeing yourself as up. It is when you are now com- pelled to eat from a tin plate, regarding that tin plate as only the certain step to one of silver. It is The Law of Prosperity 25 not envying and growling at other people who have silver plate. That growling is just so much capital stock taken from the bank account of mental force." A friend who knows the power of the interior forces, and whose life is guided in every detail by them, has given a suggestion in this form: When you are in the arms of the bear, even though he is hugging you, look him in the face and laugh, but all the time keep your eye on the bull. If you allow all of your attention to be given to the work of the bear, the bull may get entirely out of your sight. In other words, if you yield to adversity the chances are that it will master you, but if you recognize in yourself the power of mastery over conditions then adversity will yield to you, and will be changed into prosperity. If when it comes you calmly and quietly recognize it, and use the time that might otherwise be spent in regrets, and fears, and fore- bodings, in setting into operation the powerful forces within you, it will soon take its leave. Faith, absolute dogmatic faith, is the only law of true success. When we recognize the fact that a man carries his success or his failure with him, and that it does not depend upon outside conditions, we will come into the possession of powers that will quickly change outside conditions into agencies that make for success. When we come into this higher realization and bring our lives into com- plete harmony with the higher laws, we will then be able so to focus and direct the awakened interior 26 This Mystical Life of Ours forces, that they will go out and return laden with that for which they are sent. We will then be great enough to attract success, and it will not al- ways be apparently just a little ways ahead. We can then establish in ourselves a centre so strong that instead of running hither and thither for this or that, we can stay at home and draw to us the conditions we desire. If we firmly establish and hold to this centre, things will seem continually to come our way. • • • • • In Time with the Infinite, VIII. THE LAW OF HABIT-FORMING. Have we it within our power to determine at all times what types of habits shall take form in our lives? In other words, is habit-forming, char- acter-building, a matter of mere chance, or have we it within our own control? We have, entirely and absolutely. For there is a simple, natural, and thoroughly scientific method that all should know. A method whereby old, undesirable, earth-binding habits can be broken, and new, desirable, heaven-lifting hab- its can be acquired, — a method whereby life in part or in its totality can be changed, provided one is sufficiently in earnest to know, and, knowing it, to apply the law. Thought is the force underlying all. And what do we mean by this? Simply this: Your every act — every conscious act — is preceded by a thought. Your dominating thoughts determine your domi- nating actions. The acts repeated crystallize them- selves into the habit. The aggregate of your hab- its is your character. Whatever, then, you would have your acts, you must look well to the char- acter of the thought you entertain. Whatever act 28 This Mystical Life of Ours you would not do, — habit you would not acquire, — you must look well to it that you do not entertain the type of thought that will give birth to this act, this habit. It is a simple psychological law that any type of thought, if entertained for a sufficient length of time, will, by and by, reach the motor tracks of the brain, and finally burst forth into action. Murder can be and many times is committed in this way, the same as all undesirable things are done. On the other hand, the greatest powers are grown, the most God-like characteristics are engendered, the most heroic acts are performed in the same way. The thing clearly to understand is this : That the thought is always parent to the act. Now, we have it entirely in our own hands to determine ex- actly what thoughts we entertain. In the realm of our own minds we have absolute control, or we should have, and if at any time we have not, then there is a method by which we can gain control, and in the realm of the mind become thorough masters. • • • • • Here let us refer to that law of the mind which is the same as is the law in connection with the re- flex nerve system of the body, the law which says that whenever one does a certain thing in a certain way it is easier to do the same thing in the same way the next time, and still easier the next, and the next, and the next, until in time it comes to pass The Law of Habit-Forming 29 that no effort is required, or no effort worth speak- ing of; but on the contrary, to do the opposite would require the effort. The mind carries with it the power that perpetuates its own type of thought, the same as the body carries with it through the reflex nerve system the power which perpetuates and makes continually easier its own particular acts. Thus a simple effort to control one's thoughts, a simple setting about it, even if at first failure is the result, and even if for a time failure seems to be about the only result, will in time, sooner or later, bring him to the point of easy, full, and complete control. Each one, then, can grow the power of deter- mining, controlling his thought, the power of de- termining what types of thought he shall and what types he shall not entertain. For let us never part in mind with this fact, that every earnest effort along any line makes the end aimed at just a little easier for each succeeding effort, even if, as has been said, apparent failure is the result of the earlier efforts. This is a case where even failure is suc- cess, for the failure is not in the effort, and every earnest effort adds an increment of power that will eventually accomplish the end aimed at. Character-Building Thought Power. IX. ACTUALIZING ONE'S IDEALS. There is nothing more true in connection with human life than that we grow into the likeness of those things we contemplate. Literally and scien- tifically and necessarily true is it that, "as a man thinketh in his heart, so is he." The " is " part is his character. His character is the sum total of his habits. His habits have been formed by his con- scious acts; but every conscious act is, as we have found, preceded by a thought. And so we have it — thought on the one hand, character, life, destiny on the other. And simple it becomes when we bear in mind that it is simply the thought of the present moment, and the next moment when it is upon us, and then the next, and so on through all time. One can in this way attain to whatever ideals he would attain to. Two steps are necessary: first, as the days pass, to form one's ideals ; and second, to follow them continually whatever may arise, wher- ever they may lead him. Always remember that the great and strong character is the one who is ever ready to sacrifice the present pleasure for the future good. He who will thus follow his highest ideals as they present themselves to him day after day, year after year, will find that as Dante, follow- Actualizing One's Ideals 31 ing his beloved from world to world, finally found her at the gates of Paradise, so he will find himself eventually at the same gates. Life is not, we may say, for mere passing pleasure, but for the highest unfoldment that one can attain to, the noblest char- acter that one can grow, and for the greatest service that one can render to all mankind. In this, how- ever, we will find the highest pleasure, for in this the only real pleasure lies. The question is not, What are the conditions in our lives ? but, How do we meet the conditions that we find there? And whatever the conditions are, it is unwise and profitless to look upon them, even if they are conditions that we would have other- wise, in the attitude of complaint, for complaint will bring depression, and depression will weaken and possibly even kill the spirit that would engender the power that would enable us to bring into our lives an entirely new set of conditions. Each one is so apt to think that his own con- ditions, his own trials or troubles or sorrows, or his own struggles, as the case may be, are greater than those of the great mass of mankind, or possibly greater than those of any one else in the world. He forgets that each one has his own peculiar trials or troubles or sorrows to bear, or struggles in hab- its to overcome, and that his is but the common lot of all the human race. We are apt to make the 32 This Mystical Life of Ours mistake in this — in that we see and feel keenly our own trials, or adverse conditions, or characteristics to be overcome, while those of others we do not see so clearly, and hence we are apt to think that they are not at all equal to our own. Each has his own problems to work out. Each must work out his own problems. Each must grow the insight that will enable him to see what the causes are that have brought the unfavorable conditions into his life; each must grow the strength that will enable him to face these conditions, and to set into operation forces that will bring about a different set of condi- tions. We may be of aid to one another by way of suggestion, by way of bringing to one another a knowledge of certain higher laws and forces, — laws and forces that will make it easier to do that which we would do. The doing, however, must be done by each one for himself. Character-Building Thought Power. FAITH AND PRAYER— THEIR NATURE. What, shall we ask, is the place, what the value, of prayer ? Prayer, as every act of devotion, brings us into an ever greater conscious harmony with the Infinite, the one pearl of great price ; for it is this harmony which brings all other things. Prayer is the soul's sincere desire, and thus is its own answer, as the sincere desire made active and accompanied by faith sooner or later gives place to realization; for faith is an invisible and invincible magnet, and attracts to itself whatever it fervently desires and calmly and persistently expects. This is absolute, and the results will be absolute in exact proportion as this operation of the thought forces, as this faith is absolute, and relative in exact proportion as it is relative. The Master said, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them and ye shall have them. Can any law be more clearly enunciated, can anything be more definite and more absolute than this? According to thy faith be it unto thee. Do we at times fail in obtain- ing the results we desire? The fault, the failure, lies not in the law but in ourselves. Regarded in its right and true light, than prayer there is nothing 34 This Mystical Life of Ours > more scientific, nothing more valuable, nothing more effective. This conscious realization of oneness with the Infinite Life is of all things the one thing to be de- sired ; for, when this oneness is realized and lived in, all other things follow in its train, there are no de- sires that shall not be realized, for God has planted in the human breast no desire without its correspond- ing means of realization. No harm can come nigh, nothing can touch us, there will be nothing to fear ; for we shall thus attract only the good. And what- ever changes time may bring, understanding the law, we shall always expect something better, and thus, set into operation the forces that will attract that something, realizing that many times angels go out that archangels may enter in; and this is always true in the case of the life of this higher realization. And why should we have any fear whatever, — fear even for the nation, as is many times expressed? God is behind His world, in love and with infinite care and watchfulness working out His great and almighty plans ; and whatever plans men may devise, He will when the time is ripe either frustrate and shatter, or aid and push through to their most per- fect culmination, — frustrate and shatter if contrary to, aid and actualize if in harmony with His. These facts, the facts relating to the powers that come with the higher awakening, have been dealt with somewhat fully, to show that the matters along Faith and Prayer — Their Nature 35 the lines of man's interior, intuitive, spiritual, thought, soul life, instead of being, as they are so many times regarded, merely indefinite, sentimental, or impractical, are, on the contrary, powerfully, omnipotently real, and are of all practical things in the world the most practical, and, in the truest and deepest sense, the only truly practical things there are. And pre-eminently is this true when we look with a long range of vision, past the mere to-day, to the final outcome, to the time when that transi- tion we are accustomed to call death takes place, and all accumulations and possessions material are left behind, and the soul takes with it only the un- foldment and growth of the real life ; and unless it has this, when all else must be left behind, it goes out poor indeed. And a most wonderful and beau- tiful fact of it all is this: that all growth, all ad- vancement, all attainment made along the lines of the spiritual, the soul, the real life, is so much made forever, and can never be lost. What All the World's A-Seeking. XI. THE PETTY PERSONAL AND THE LARGER UNIVERSAL. When the step from the personal to the imper- sonal, from the personal, the individual, to the uni- versal, is once made, the great solution of life has come ; and by this same step one enters at once into the realm of all power. When this is done, and one fully realizes the fact that the greatest life is the life spent in the service of all mankind, and then when he vitally grasps that great eternal principle of right, of truth, of justice, that runs through all the uni- verse, and which, though temporarily it may seem to be perverted, always and with never an excep- tion eventually prevails, and that with an omnip- otent power, — he then holds the key to all situations. A king of this nature goes about his. work ab- solutely regardless of what men may say or hear or think or do; for he himself has absolutely nothing to gain or nothing to lose, and nothing of this na- ture can come near him or touch him, for he is standing not in the personal, but in the universal. He is then in God's work, and the very God-powers are his, and it seems as if the very angels of heaven come to minister unto him and to move things his way; and this is true, very true, for he himself is The Petty Personal and the Larger Universal 37 simply moving God's way, and when this is so, the certainty of the outcome is absolute. How often did the Master say, " I seek not to do mine own will, but the will of the Father who sent me " ! Here is the world's great example of the life out of the personal and in the universal, hence his great power. The same has been true of all the saviors, the prophets, the seers, the sages, and the leaders in the world's history, of all of truly great and lasting power. He who would then come into the secret of power must come from the personal into the universal, and with this comes not only great power, but also free- dom from the vexations and perplexities that rise from the misconstruing of motives, the opinions of others ; for such a one cares nothing as to what men may say, or hear, or think, or do, so long as he is true to the great principles of right and truth before him. And, if we will search carefully, we shall find that practically all the perplexities and difficul- ties of life have their origin on the side of the per- sonal. Much is said to young men to-day about success in life, — success generally though, as the world calls success. It is well, however, always to bear in mind the fact that there is a success which is a miserable, a deplorable failure; while, on the other hand, there is a failure which is a grand, a noble, a God-like success. And one crying need of the age is that young men be taught the true dignity, 38 This Mystical Life of Ours nobility, and power of such a failure, — such a fail- ure in the eyes of the world to-day, but such a suc- cess in the eyes of God and the coming ages. When this is done, there will be among us more prophets, more saviors, more men of grand and noble stature, who with a firm and steady hand will hold the lighted torch of true advancement high up among the people ; and they will be those whom the people will gladly follow, for they will be those who will speak and move with authority, true sons of God, true brothers of men. A man may make his millions and his life be a failure still. What All the World's AS e eking. XII. THE POEM HANGS ON THE BERRY- BUSH. To live undisturbed by passing occurrences you must first find your own centre. You must then be firm in your own centre, and so rule the world from within. He who does not himself condition circumstances allows the process to be reversed, and becomes a conditioned circumstance. Find your centre and live in it. Surrender it to no per- son, to no thing. In the degree that you do this will you find yourself growing stronger and stronger in it. And how can one find his centre? By realizing his oneness with the Infinite Power, and by living continually in this realization. But if you do not rule from your own centre, if you invest this or that with the power of bring- ing you annoyance, or evil, or harm, then take what it brings, but cease your railings against the eternal goodness and beneficence of all things. "I swear the earth shall surely be complete To him or her who shall be complete; The earth remains jagged and broken Only to him who remains jagged and broken." If the windows of your soul are dirty and streaked, covered with matter foreign to them, 4PN T A. L - rv < -> v AP ONE MONTH USE PLEASE RETURN TO DESK FROM WHICH BORROWED EDUCATION-PSYCHOLOGY LIBRARY This book is due on the last date stamped below, or on the date to which renewed. 1 -month loans may be renewed by calling 642-4209 Renewals and recharges may be made 4 days prior to due date. ALL BOOKS ARE SUBJECT TO RECALL 7 DAYS AFTER DATE CHECKED OUT. m _ M NOV 9 otf * — fr flfrfefl 10 m&& NAY ? 7 1999 LD JRING SlOHl 973 Li , *m rivi LD 21A-10m-3,'7i (S4836L) General Library University of California Berkeley