“We think of metaphysics, perhaps, as something that only the most profound thinkers have known about, but we must remember that we are also thinkers.” Ernest Holmes
For 2022, as a community, we have been using a daily reading guide for the Science of Mind textbook. I love it! Every morning, for 10 - 20 minutes, I have a short reading to contemplate, write about, and learn from. I have probably read this book 15 times. I know some of it by heart, and yet, still… every day is a new day, and I am new person each time I come to the pages. I am so grateful to continually glean new insights.
If you are anything like me, you too will need reminding, over and over. I have habitual attitudes towards life and living… and they show up as the details of my daily life. Some of my life is awesome… and some of it sucks. New insights provide new opportunities.
I am so impressed with myself! Many of you know that I went to what I experienced as a ‘really bad’ retreat, recently. The fascinating part of the story for me, is that I haven’t laughed so hard for a very long time. I could have responded in so many different ways, but I believe my response is reflective of my attitude to see the humour in it all!
A positive attitude helps. It is rooted in the ‘cure’ to all of Life’s challenges, along with a deeper understanding of our spiritual reality. Ernest Holmes, who wrote The Science of Mind, observed that, “Inner thought becomes clarified as we unify with good.”
This “good” he referenced is Infinite Universal Energy. Understanding this is point of power in our life. Holmes explained: “…[there] is the inner quickening. Following this, is the outer quickening, the outward sign of the inner belief.”
So, what is the Science of Mind belief?
We at The Centre are committed to a practice we call “Treatment”, that has five steps. If we fully understand and embrace even just the first 2 steps, as Emma Curtis Hopkins (known as “the teacher of Teachers”) taught, we will experience our lives as ‘whole and complete’.
Step One is a statement about what we believe. What do you believe about Life? I believe that there is just One Infinite Power, and It is All Good.
Step Two is an affirmation of our individual connection to all of Existence. Can you believe that if Life is Infinite, and that you are part of It? If there is only Oneness, and It is Infinite, then I am of It. I am in It. I show up as a part of It, whole and complete, in my own individual way.
Now, what are we to do with these beliefs? The practice and philosophy of Science of Mind and “New Thought” teachings, is all about ‘the word’. Speaking our words gives form to the unformed. There is a Great Consciousness behind ‘our word’, and speaking it aloud unleashes our word’s power. But, we must combine conviction with words. Here is a formula:
Feeling + Thought (words) + move your feet (remember, it is easier to turn the wheels of a car when it is moving) = Form/Manifestation.
I think we can all understand the belief I speak of, but how do we deepen this understanding into our psyches, so that it becomes more reliably accessible? I have discovered a prescription, written in various ways, in many mystical texts… perhaps you are familiar with it… “Ask and you shall receive”. By golly, the Universe is waiting for us to ‘ASK’ for what it is we desire!
So, what do you want? What do you REALLY want? HA! another challenging question. Many of us don’t even know. Let’s start with what we do know. This brings us to Step Three…. Step Three: ‘Ask’, in the affirmative, as if you already have whatever it is you desire. For instance: “Every day my life gets better and better. I experience more love, more understanding, more balance, greater prosperity and financial ease… I see the joy in each and every day, everywhere”.
Next, there is another incredibly masterful thing we can do to build the strength of our Treatment, and that is what we do in Step Four…. Step Four: Gratitude! As we give thanks for what we already have, we build a foundation for receiving more of what we want. Ernest Holmes taught that,“Treatment is for the purpose of forming the world into such shapes and designs as are desirable for experience.”
What we focus on expands and grows. So, get out your pen and make a daily list of at least 5 things you are grateful for!
Step Five is the letting go! Surrender! Release! This sounds easy to say, but can you really let go and know that your ‘prayer’ is already answered? This is the power of surrender. Let the Infinite Intelligence do the work. We wouldn’t ask a server in a restaurant for a meal and then head to the kitchen to make sure it is done right. Letting go is the practice of building faith and trust that the Universe is working as it should.
If we have done our treatment, with conviction and a belief in its truth (a belief in the process), we will get results… every time!
Holmes said, “To live only on the physical plane is to become a brute. To live on the intellectual plane alone, might produce a learned and a scientific person, but they would lack true perception. To live only on the spiritual plane, might cause one to become a dreamer without any practical way of making their dreams come true.” We are here to live an integrated human experience… Body, Mind and Spirit! Treatment is a brilliant tool to put this into motion. I am happy to help. Blessings, and live on in your greatness!