November Thoughts: James Allen

In aiming at the life of blessedness, one of the simplest beginnings to be considered, and rightly made, is that which we all make every day—namely, the beginning of each day’s life. There is a sense in which every day may be regarded as the beginning of a new life, in which one can think, act, and live newly, and in a wiser and better spirit. The right beginning of the day will be followed by a cheerfulness permeating the household with a sunny influence, and the tasks and duties of the day will be undertaken in a strong and confident spirit, and the whole day will be well lived.

The wise man is always anxious to learn, but never anxious to teach.

The true Teacher is in the heart of every man.

Dispersion is weakness; concentration is power.

All successful men are men of purpose.

To follow, under all circumstances, the highest promptings within you; to be always true to the divine self; to reply upon the inward voice, the inward light, and to pursue your purpose with a fearless and restful heart, believing that the future will yield unto you the need of every thought and effort; knowing that the laws of the universe can never fail, and that your own will come back to you with mathematical exactitude—this is faith and the living of faith.

Know this thou makest and unmakest thyself.

Thou art a slave if thou preferrest to be; thou art a master if thou wilt make thyself one.

He who has found Meekness has found divinity.

The meek man has realized the divine consciousness and knows himself as divine.

Having clothed himself with humility, the first questions a man asks himself are:—

Know The Truth When You Hear It.

Never hesitate to bring a secret perplexity out into the open parts of your mind. Nothing harmful can ever come of it; to the contrary, good alone can result. For instance, you may exclaim, "But there are so many teachers and organizations offering solutions. How can I tell who is right and who is wrong? My bewilderment is doubled by seeing that one group teaches the exact opposite of another group. How can I separate the true from the false?" There is a way to have perfect judgement. Doubt will disappear forever. You will be able to tell by a single glance at a teacher's face, or by reading a single line from a book, whether or not you are being told the truth. The method is both simple yet challenging. It is simply this: You yourself must prefer the truth above that which merely pleases you or which agrees with what you already believe.

Let's say the same thing in another way: By preferring that which is true and right for you, all that is untrue and wrong will fade away of itself. It is like hanging a wet coat out into the sunshine. The natural warmth of the sun evaporates the water, making your coat comfortable once more. But first you had to hang it out into the sunshine.

Whoever you may be reading this, there is something within you that knows the truth when it hears it. This does not mean that we always choose the truth; it means we know it. Our aim is to increasingly choose what we know.

. . .

By this time you realise what is the most valuable kind of teaching: Self-Teaching. While having the assistance of classes and books, we must always end up as self-instructors. The purpose of a class or a book is to help you to find your own resources of wisdom, to guide you toward being your own guide.

. . .

As you attend lectures and classes, and as you mingle with people elsewhere, you have endless opportunities to observe all these human reactions. You should study people just as a scientist examines specimens in a laboratory. The study of other people helps you understand yourself. Also, self-study reveals the motives and desires of others.

. . .

The world is your classroom; use it as such. Observe how anxiety and confusion dominate the people you know. Then notice how unhappiness and pretence go together. Then see even deeper. See that unhappy people live in pretence because they don't know what else to do. They actually believe that pretence is essential to their survival. The fact is, pretence is just another prison bar preventing wholeness. The very awareness of this is an invitation to wholeness.

From: The Esoteric Path To A New Life

Vernon Howard

There is a simple test by which you can tell a true teacher from a false one.

Your state is your fate!

Vernon Howard (1918 – 1992) was an American author and spiritual teacher who presented the Wisdom of the Ages in the language of today. He is especially known for his clear, direct explanation of the cause of every human problem — and the sure cure.
Howard was born in Massachusetts in 1918. He began his writing career early in life and by 1965 was writing best sellers like The Mystic Path to Cosmic Power, and The Power of Your Supermind. His books are classics in the field of inner development. His readership is estimated to be at least eight million people in several different languages.
In the 1970's Vernon Howard founded a school for authentic spiritual development called New Life Foundation . (See www.anewlife.org ). People traveled from all over the world to hear him speak. He continued to write and teach at New Life Foundation until his death in 1992. New Life Foundation is a bright place that continues disseminating his teachings today.

Vernon Linwood Howard
(1918 – 1992)
A Modern Mystic

VERNON HOWARD’S HIGHER WORLD

 “What you want also wants you.
If you seek the celestial, the celestial also seeks you.
There are no unanswered requests in the universe.”— Vernon Howard

Psychic sleep is the cause of every human problem and disaster. It is sleeping people who suffer from heartache and loneliness, from fear and violence. Only self-awakening can end these sorrows. However — and please emphasize this point in your mind — man does not know he is asleep. So deep is his immersion in psychic hypnosis, that he instantly denies his actual condition. In other words, he does not know that he does not know. He spends his entire life under the gigantic illusion of being happy and productive, never once facing the terror in which he lives. Man huddles fearfully in a haunted house which he calls a castle.

Let not my world obscure the sight of Christ.

I can obscure my holy sight, if I intrude my world upon it. Nor can I behold the holy sights Christ looks upon, unless it is His vision that I use. Perception is a mirror, not a fact. And what I look on is my state of mind, reflected outward. I would bless the world by looking on it through the eyes of Christ. And I will look upon the certain signs that all my sins have been forgiven me. (ACIM, Lesson 304)

The world you see but shows you how much joy YOU have allowed yourself to see in you, and to accept as YOURS. And, if this IS its meaning, then the power to GIVE it joy MUST lie WITHIN you.(ACIM,T-21,2.7-8)

Projection makes perception; the world you see is what you GAVE it, nothing more than that. But, though it is no more than that, it is not less. Therefore, to you, it is important. It is the witness to your state of mind, the outside picture of an inward condition. As a man thinketh, so does he perceive. Therefore, seek not to change the world, but will to change your mind ABOUT the world. Perception is a RESULT, and not a cause. And that is why order of miracles is meaningless. Everything looked upon with vision is healed and holy. Nothing perceived without it means anything. And where there is no meaning, there is chaos.(ACIM,T-21,1.1-12)

pRE-eXISTENCE

THE doctrine of pre-existence is one that is an immediate corollary with the doctrine of immortality. If we believe in the immortality of the soul, it follows as a natural consequence that we must accept its pre-existence.
When Jesus said to his disciples, "I go to prepare a place for you, that where I am there ye may be also," he plainly affirmed the continuity of the individual soul, which not even death itself could obliterate or destroy. Hence, if we believe in the persistence of the individuality after what we call death, it ought not to be difficult for us to understand, or at least accept, its existence before that which we term birth.

Hints to Bible Study

 Agnes M. Lawson (1883-1940+)
The Colorado College of Divine Science, 1920.

Foreword
Introduction
Chapter I Elohistic Account of Creation
Chapter II Jehovistic Account of Creation
Chapter III The Temptation and Fall
Chapter IV Cain and Abel
Chapter V The Tower of Babel
Chapter VI The Deluge
Chapter VII The Call of Abraham
Chapter VIII The Sacrifice of Isaac
Chapter IX Jacob
Chapter X Joseph
Chapter XI Moses
Chapter XII Joshua
Chapter XIII Samuel
Chapter XIV Gaining the Kingdom
Chapter XV The Monarchy
Chapter XVI Bands of Love. Elijah and Elisha
Chapter XVII Bands of Love. Amos and Hosea
Chapter XVIII The Statesman Prophet - Isaiah
Chapter XIX The Poet Preacher - Jeremiah
Chapter XX A Cosmic Artist - Ezekiel
Chapter XXI The Shadow Christ - Isaiah
Chapter XXII The Return of the Exiles
Chapter XXIII Hebrew Literature
Chapter XXIV Christianity

Leave It With Him.

Mrs. C. L. Baum

(1865 – 1923)

Daisy May Davis was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, on December 3, 1856. She was married to Charles Lockhard Baum in Keokuk, Iowa, on June 14, 1877, and moved to Denver in 1901 where she joined the newly-formed Divine Science Church. She became a close friend of church founder Miss Nona Brooks, and entered the work of Divine Science by becoming a teacher, practitioner, writer, and a board member. She served as the church's First Vice President in 1916. She received her Primary Certificate from Nona's sister, Mrs. Fannie B. James, in 1905. Mrs. Baum made her transition on November 11, 1923.

Mrs. C. L. Baum
Studies in Divine Science
The Colorado College of Divine Science
Denver, Colo., 4th ed., 1924.

Foreword
Lesson I - Omnipresence
Lesson II - Realization
Lesson III - Overcoming
Lesson IV - Application
Lesson V - Helping Others
Lesson VI - Rules of Action
Lesson VII - Thought
Lesson VIII - The Word
Lesson IX - Healing
Lesson X - Non-Resistance
Lesson XI - Supply
Lesson XII - Service in Love
Lesson XIII - Joy
Lesson XIV - Spiritual Guidance
Lesson XV - Living the Life
Appendix - Guidance for Realization

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"The process of awakening has commenced, and truth after truth will
unveil within your consciousness; and with every truth made apparent
an error will flee before it."   - Malinda Cramer, Founder of Divine Science