the dore lectures on mental science-第8节

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entification　with　himself；　he　places　himself　under　its　guidance；　and　so　he　becomes　one　of　those　who　are　〃led　by　the　Spirit。〃　Thus　he　begins　to　find　the　Alpha　and　Omega　of　the　Divine　ideal　reproduced　in　himselfin　a　very　small　degree　at　present；　but　containing　the　principle　of　perpetual　growth　into　an　infinite　expansion　of　which　we　can　as　yet　form　no　conception。

St。　John　sums　up　the　whole　of　this　position　in　his　memorable　words：〃Beloved　now　are　we　the　Sons　of　God；　and　it　doth　not　yet　appear　what　we　SHALL　be；　but　we　know　that　when　He　shall　appear　（i。e。；　become　clear　to　us）　we　shall　be　like　Him；　for　（i。e。；　the　reason　of　all　this）　we　shall　see　Him　as　He　is〃　（I。　John　iii。　2）。　



THE　CREATIVE　POWER　OF　THOUGHT。

One　of　the　great　axioms　in　the　new　order　of　ideas；　of　which　I　have　spoken；　is　that　our　Thought　possesses　creative　power；　and　since　the　whole　superstructure　depends　on　this　foundation；　it　is　well　to　examine　it　carefully。　Now　the　starting　point　is　to　see　that　Thought；　or　purely　mental　action；　is　the　only　possible　source　from　which　the　existing　creation　could　ever　have　come　into　manifestation　at　all；　and　it　is　on　this　account　that　in　the　preceding　addresses　I　have　laid　stress　on　the　origin　of　the　cosmos。　It　is　therefore　not　necessary　to　go　over　this　ground　again；　and　we　will　start　this　morning's　enquiry　on　the　assumption　that　every　manifestation　is　in　essence　the　expression　of　a　Divine　Thought。　This　being　so；　our　own　mind　is　the　expression　of　a　Divine　Thought。　The　Divine　Thought　has　produced　something　which　itself　is　capable　of　thinking；　but　the　question　is　whether　its　thinking　has　the　same　creative　quality　as　that　of　the　Parent　Mind。

Now　by　the　very　hypothesis　of　the　case　the　whole　Creative　Process　consists　in　the　continual　pressing　so　forward　of　the　Universal　Spirit　for　expression　through　the　individual　and　particular；　and　Spirit　in　its　different　modes　is　therefore　the　Life　and　Substance　of　the　universe。　Hence　it　follows　that　if　there　is　to　be　an　expression　of　thinking　power　it　can　only　be　by　expressing　the　same　thinking　power　which　subsists　latent　in　the　Originating　Spirit。　If　it　were　less　than　this　it　would　only　be　some　sort　of　mechanism　and　would　not　be　thinking　power；　so　that　to　be　thinking　power　at　all　it　must　be　identical　in　kind　with　that　of　the　Originating　Spirit。　It　is　for　this　reason　that　man　is　said　to　be　created　in　the　image　and　likeness　of　God；　and　if　we　realize　that　it　is　impossible　for　him　to　be　otherwise；　we　shall　find　a　firm　foundation　from　which　to　draw　many　important　deductions。

But　if　our　thought　possesses　this　creative　power；　why　are　we　hampered　by　adverse　conditions？　The　answer　is；　because　hitherto　we　have　used　our　power　invertedly。　We　have　taken　the　starting　point　of　our　thought　from　external　facts　and　consequently　created　a　repetition　of　facts　of　a　similar　nature；　and　so　long　as　we　do　this　we　must　needs　go　on　perpetuating　the　old　circle　of　limitation。　And；　owing　to　the　sensitiveness　of　the　subconscious　mind　to　suggestion（See　Edinburgh　Lectures；　chapter　V。）we　are　subject　to　a　very　powerful　negative　influence　from　those　who　are　unacquainted　with　affirmative　principles；　and　thus　race…beliefs　and　the　thought…currents　of　our　more　immediate　environment　tend　to　consolidate　our　own　inverted　thinking。　It　is　therefore　not　surprising　that　the　creative　power　of　our　thought；　thus　used　in　a　wrong　direction；　has　produced　the　limitations　of　which　we　complain。　The　remedy；　then；　is　by　reversing　our　method　of　thinking；　and　instead　of　taking　external　facts　as　our　starting　point；　taking　the　inherent　nature　of　mental　power　as　our　starting　point。　We　have　already　gained　two　great　steps　in　this　direction；　first　by　seeing　that　the　whole　manifested　cosmos　could　have　had　its　origin　nowhere　but　in　mental　power；　and　secondly　by　realizing　that　our　own　mental　power　must　be　the　same　in　kind　with　that　of　the　Originating　Mind。

Now　we　can　go　a　step　further　and　see　how　this　power　in　ourselves　can　be　perpetuated　and　intensified。　By　the　nature　of　the　creative　process　your　mind　is　itself　a　thought　of　the　Parent　Mind；　so；　as　long　as　this　thought　of　the　Universal　Mind　subsists；　you　will　subsist；　for　you　are　it。　But　so　long　as　you　think　this　thought　it　continues　to　subsist；　and　necessarily　remains　present　in　the　Divine　Mind；　thus　fulfilling　the　logical　conditions　required　for　the　perpetuation　of　the　individual　life。　A　poor　analogy　of　the　process　may　be　found　in　a　self…influencing　dynamo　where　the　magnetism　generates　the　current　and　the　current　intensifies　the　magnetism　with　the　result　of　producing　a　still　stronger　current　until　the　limit　of　saturation　is　reached；　only　in　the　substantive　infinitude　of　the　Universal　Mind　and　the　potential　infinitude　of　the　Individual　Mind　there　is　no　limit　of　saturation。　Or　we　may　compare　the　interaction　of　the　two　minds　to　two　mirrors；　a　great　and　a　small　one；　opposite　each　other；　with　the　word　〃Life〃　engraved　on　the　large　one。　Then；　by　the　law　of　reflection；　the　word　〃Life〃　will　also　appear　on　the　image　of　the　smaller　mirror　reflected　in　the　greater。　Of　course　these　are　only　very　imperfect　analogies；　but　if　you　car　once　grasp　the　idea　of　your　own　individuality　as　a　thought　in　the　Divine　Mind　which　is　able　to　perpetuate　itself　by　thinking　of　itself　as　the　thought　which　it　is；　you　have　got　at　the　root　of　the　whole　matter；　and　by　the　same　process　you　will　not　only　perpetuate　your　life　but　will　also　expand　it。

When　we　realize　this　on　the　one　hand；　and　on　the　other　that　all　external　conditions；　including　the　body；　are　produced　by　thought；　we　find　ourselves　standing　between　two　infinites；　the　infinite　of　Mind　and　the　infinite　of　Substancefrom　both　of　which　we　can　draw　what　we　will；　and　mould　specific　conditions　out　of　the　Universal　Substance　by　the　Creative　Power　which　we　draw　in　from　the　Universal　Mind。　But　we　must　recollect　that　this　is　not　by　the　force　of　personal　will　upon　the　substance；　which　is　an　error　that　will　land　us　in　all　sorts　of　inversion；　but　by　realizing　our　mind　as　a　channel　through　which　the　Universal　Mind　operates　upon　substances　in　a　particular　way；　according　to　the　mode　of　thought　which　we　are　seeking　to　embody。　If；　then；　our　thought　is　habitually　concentrated　upon　principles　rather　than　on　particular　things；　realizing　that　principles　are　nothing　else　than　the　Divine　Mind　in　operation；　we　shall　find　that　they　will　necessarily　germinate　to　produce　their　own　expression　in　corresponding　facts；　thus　verifying　the　words　of　the　Great　Teacher；　〃Seek　ye　first　the　Kingdom　of　God　and　His　righteousness　and　all　these　things　shall　be　added　unto　you。〃

But　we　must　never　lose　sight　of　the　reason　for　the　creative　power　of　our　thought；　that　it　is　because　our　mind　is　itself　a　thought　of　the　Divine　Mind；　and　that　consequently　our　increase　in　livingness　and　creative　power　must　be　in　exact　proportion　to　our　perception　of　our　relation　to　the　Parent　Mind。　In　such　considerations　as　these　is　to　be　found　the　philosophical　basis　of　the　Bible　doctrine　of　〃Sonship；〃　with　its　culmination　in　the　conception　of　the　Christ。　These　are　not　mere　fancies　but　the　expression　of　strictly　scientific　principles；　in　their　application　to　the　deepest　problems　of　the　individual　life；　and　their　basis　is　that　each　one's　world；　whether　in　or　out　of　the　flesh；　must　necessarily　be　created　by　his　own　consciousness；　and；　in　its　turn；　his　mode　of　consciousness　will　necessarily　take　its　colour　front　his　conception　of　his　relation　to　the　Divine　Mind　to　the　exclusion　of　light　and　colour；　if　he　realizes　no　Divine　Mind；　and　to　their　building　up　into　forms　of　beauty　in　proportion　as　he　realizes　his　identity　of　being　with　that　All…Originating　Spirit　which　is　Light；　Love；　and　Beauty　in　itself。　Thus　the　great　creative　work　of　Thought　in　each　of　us　is　to　make　us　consciously　〃sons　and　daughters　of　the　Almighty；〃　realizing　that　by　our　divine　origin　we　can　never　be　really　separated　from　the　Parent　Mind　which　is　continually　seeking　expression　through　us；　and　that　any　apparent　separation　is　due　to　our　own　misconception　of　the　true　nature　of　the　inherent　relation　between　the　Universal　and　the　Individual。　This　is　the　lesson　which　the　Great　Teacher　has　so　luminously　out　before　us　in　the　parable　of　the　Prodigal　Son。



THE　GREAT　AFFIRMATIVE。

The　Great　Affirmative　appears　in　two　modes；　the　cosmic　and　the　individual。　In　its　essence　it　is　the　same　in　both；　but　in　each　it　works　from　a　different　standpoint。　It　is　always　the　principle　of　Beingthat　which　is；　as　distinguished　from　that　which　is　not；　but　to　grasp　the　true　significance　of　this　saying　we　must　understand　what　is　meant　by　〃that　which　is　not。〃　It　is　something　more　than　mere　non…existence；　for　obviously　we　should　not　trouble　ourselves　about　what　is　non…existent。　It　is　that　which　bath　is　and　is　not　at　the　same　time；　and　the　thing　that　answers　to　this　description　is　〃Conditions。〃　The　little　affirmative　is　that　which　affirms　particular　conditions　as　all　that　it　can　grasp；　while　the　great　affirmative　grasps　a　wider　conception；　the　conception　of　that　which　gives　rise　to　conditions。　Cosmically　it　is　that　power　of　Spirit　which　sends　forth　the　whole　creation　as　its　expression　of　itself；　and　it　is　for　this　reason　that　I　have　drawn　attention　in　the　preceding　lectures　to　the　idea　of　the　creation　ex　nihilo　of　th