Ernest Holmes's rational, lucid explanation of why our thoughts have power will instruct readers on how they can change their lives by changing their thinking. "The wisdom of God is within you, and you can use it to improve your life."

Every human being thrills at the thought of having dreams come true! The idea means different things to different people. To you it may mean physical health: the ability to walk, run, play, to engage in activity. To me, it may mean abundance: money, a home, a car—opulence. To another, dreams may involve education, or the ability to get along with people. Whatever your personal desires may be—as long as they do not hurt yourself or someone else—you have a right to attain them . . . and you can.

The ability to attain your goals—to control your experiences and have them result in happiness, prosperity and success—lies in your own mind and the way you use it. This means you control your own experience—you are really in charge of your affairs and the way they are to develop.

Let us sum it up this way: My thought is in control of my experience, and I can direct my thinking.

Read that again and then say it aloud. It is a most astounding statement and at first may even seem far-fetched. But because you are a thoughtful person with an open mind, ready to be shown what you may not at first understand—even what does not seem entirely believable—you will be willing to take that statement under consideration and hear the reasons for it. Certainly you do not have to believe it nor do you wish to until you have investigated it, heard the arguments in its favor, and observed whether or not it works for you after you have given it a fair trial. That is the way the intelligent mind approaches any new idea.

No one can force a new belief upon another; no one has the right to attempt to do so. Only when we have made the appropriate intellectual inquiries and investigations for ourselves can we honestly decide whether to accept or reject what is presented to us. We are not going to allow ourselves to be coerced into anything of which our own good judgment does not approve. However, we cannot bring our good judgment to bear upon anything in fullest measure until we have been fair in our efforts to understand it and then faithful in our attempts to test it, to see if it actually does work for us.

If you were raised under Christian influences in the home and church, you will probably feel particularly sensitive about things that sound religious. You will be inclined to say, "I do not want anything to disturb my faith in God as an Overruling Providence and in Jesus as the Wayshower for men and women through his practical application of a loving, useful life and his triumphant conquest even over death itself."

In response, the Science of Mind viewpoint suggests, "You are exactly right!"

On the other hand, if you have lived apart from church activities and associations, or you have found them unfitted to your intellectual turn of mind and you want something on which you can base your thinking and faith, something that retains a clear concept of the orderly world of science in which natural law and order prevail, then we say, "That is a rational viewpoint and we believe you will find much that is of interest and value to you in the Science of Mind."

Possibly, though, you may be just a busy man or woman who desires a wholesome, successful life and a sense of security. If you are going to give your attention to a new way of thinking, it will have to be something that makes sense and that you can apply in your everyday affairs, because you know it works!

This is a realistic and reasonable attitude according to the Science of Mind viewpoint.

So . . . if an understanding of God meets your daily needs in a world of practical affairs, you want it. If some system of reasoning conforms to your keenest intellectual understanding and scientific knowledge, it is of interest to you. If you can find something which, for you, satisfies the deep inner hunger that lies in the hearts of all people (whether they ever acknowledge that hunger or not), you are just as eager as anyone else to find satisfaction. You have practical daily needs that must be met, intellectual demands that seek rational fulfillment, and sincere spiritual longings that have to be fulfilled. This is true of all persons. You are no exception.

Now that we have a foundation for mutual understanding and a willingness to look into an exciting new way of thinking, let us go back to our earlier statement, enlarge it, and give it more careful consideration:

The ability to control my experiences and have them result in happiness, health, prosperity and success lies in my own mind and my use of it.

Physical science has proved that everything can be scientifically reduced to one ultimate invisible Essence, something which cannot be directly contacted by the physical senses. It is therefore only reasonable to say that originally everything must have come from that Essence. According to your own way of thinking, different names are given to It: Energy, Principle, Universal Intelligence, Universal Mind, Consciousness, Spirit, God.

For our purpose it does not particularly matter which of these names we use. Let us call It Mind. This probably has the broadest meaning for most of us, without too many limiting ideas connected with it.

Scientists show us that Energy—an aspect of Mind—is interchangeable with Substance, and is everywhere: within us, around us, filling all space to the limitless reaches of the universe.

Everything we can see, touch, taste, smell or contact in any physical way, we are told, is but some aspect of this Universal Energy or Mind, which has been channeled into specific and tangible form so that our senses become aware of It.

For instance, on a summer day, entirely invisible vapor arises from the ocean and soars high in the sky. By contacting a different air temperature it becomes a cloud. If colder air still further condenses it, it turns into raindrops which help fill a lake. In winter a further change takes place and instead of raindrops there are snowflakes. Winter also changes the water of the lake to ice. In every instance we have only that original vapor, though it has taken forms of which our senses are aware. Similarly, Universal Mind, though always basically the same, appears in many different forms.

Mind is everywhere! After all, this is just the same as what we were taught to say in earliest childhood: "God is everywhere." That statement may not have meant much to us then, but now we know that this Universal Mind is everywhere . . . therefore It is within us!

There can be no exception to that everywhereness. This gives us a key to the whole nature of Life and allows us to understand that not only our individual minds, but our bodies as well, are expressions and a part of Mind.

At the beginning of this world system of ours, there must have been nothing but the great Universal Mind—God—and out of Itself the tangible universe was formed.

Those of us with Christian backgrounds were taught that God—Universal Mind—is omnipresent, and that we too were made in His image and likeness. So now we arrive at the conclusion that we, at our level, possess a creativity similar to that of the Universal Mind. We create in our experience whatever we choose: health, happiness, prosperity, employment—any good thing we need—through the process of our constructive thought, through which the unlimited creativity of Mind acts, giving form to our desired objective. The only way for us to constructively use the creativity of this invisible but everywhere-present Mind is by means of our thought, faith and conviction—and nothing else!

Today, the old idea of our being like God, the image-and-likeness concept, applies in a new and different but very important way. Since we are created of that which God is—Mind—we are made of and possess Godlike qualities, and we have the right and the ability to develop and use them. In fact, it is necessary for us to do this if we are to fully express the Life within us. Later we shall discuss these qualities, but just now we are interested in the creative aspect of our minds.

What you choose is created for you out of and through the action of the One Universal Mind, which is everywhere and is accessible to you. You avail yourself of the Creative Action of Mind through what you believe! Perhaps you are not quite ready to accept this statement, but it is an interesting one, and well worth remembering.

First of all, you must remember that you can think whatever you please. No one can direct your thought processes. They are under your control.

Someone may say, "You must think as a Republican," or "You have to be a Democrat in your thinking," or "My church's way of thinking is the only right one; you must think that way also," or "When you see a blackboard you have to think of it as being white." All of this is ridiculous. You may have to make your actions conform to what those in authority tell you, but they simply cannot control your thinking. You will go on thinking just as you want to. In that respect you are independent, no matter where you live or what your circumstances may be.

If your thinking processes are really under your personal control, as you will agree they must be, and if thought is acted upon by the creativity of Mind to produce results according to your belief, then you surely do have the power to become the master of your own affairs and to bring to pass those good conditions you desire.

This makes the omnipresence of God and the made in the image and likeness of God very practical and important ideas rather than abstract theological concepts. They can now become important truths which are part of your everyday life and are therefore of prime importance in all the practical aspects of living.

Let us keep in mind that we not only have the God-given ability to do this kind of results-oriented thinking, but that we also have the right to do it. In connection with the God Power within you, there are many other aspects, but this one—the right and the ability and the power to "think creatively" so that you have more desirable experiences—is so impressive and so exceedingly important that it should be the basis of your life. Even though you may not fully accept or understand this statement yet, you can begin to put it into actual application for yourself. You can start right now to make it work!

The true story is told of a man in one of our Eastern cities who had been in one job for twenty-five years at a very mediocre salary. He had become extremely dissatisfied, wanted to get out of the rut, but didn't know how to do it. When he accepted a few simple but profound ideas like these, he began to realize that he had the right and the ability to declare better conditions for himself. In less than one month from the time he began to think in this way—and to act accordingly—his salary was increased to exactly three times what it had been before!

When we get only a glimpse of the true nature of Mind—the God-Power within us—and use It, the results are truly amazing. Physically, financially, socially, intellectually and spiritually, it pays us to learn about and to use the principles of creative thinking. The student in a laboratory who tries a valid experiment and fails does not give up; he tries again and again until he proves it for himself. Shouldn't we be equally faithful in testing these scientific laws of Mind? Our personal welfare demands continued, faithful endeavor and experimentation.

There is but One Mind; It is Omnipresent—It is all there is. Everything visible and invisible is but a manifestation of this One Mind—the result of Its Creative Action and the becoming of that which It creates. Because you are made in the image and likeness of God, you can use your mind, according to its nature, and by choice bring your good to you.

Now examine the diagram below [top right of screen] and think of it as representing the entire universe—all that is. All of it is Mind.

Part I, we may call Conscious Mind. Conscious Mind is that faculty with which you think and plan; with it you become aware of ideas, analyze, make decisions and carry on all mental processes. Let us think of it as being like the superintendent of a manufacturing plant, who thinks out what is to be done and gives instructions.

Needless to say, however, nothing could be accomplished if some department did not take those instructions and carry them out. So, Part II is the aspect of Mind that obeys the directions of Part I. Think of it as the manufacturing plant itself, where the instructions are taken and worked out. From the Science of Mind viewpoint, we call this the Subjective Mind, the Law which acts and creates automatically according to instructions. It obeys the directions of Part I. Without Part I, it would be useless because it would lack instructions. Without Part II, Part I would be helpless for want of something to take directions and bring them to fulfillment. One part, therefore, is just as important as the other.

Now look at Part III and realize that it is the only part of the universe you can experience—see, touch or contact with your physical senses. It is the realm of tangible things and conditions. Here are the results of what was directed by Part I and carried out by Part II. Parts I and II instigate and carry out; Part III is the result, or effect.

In the diagram, see the tiny portion marked "You." Notice that you, too, possess the three aspects of Mind: direction, creation, result.

Remember:

1. Everything is Mind and you are therefore a part of it.
   
2. Mind responds and produces according to your believing thought.
   
3. You have the right and power to think what you want to think; so, you may create good conditions for yourself and others.
   
4. Therefore, you control your own good and may transform your life into an experience of happiness, health and prosperity.

(c)1982, 1999. All rights reserved. Reprinted from How To Change Your Life by Ernest Holmes. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the written permission of the publisher. Publisher: Health Communications, Inc., 3201 SW 15th Street, Deerfield Beach, FL 33442.