The Science of Mind

The Science of Mind is Ernest Holmes's Magnum Opus. The book was updated and revised over the years and this edition was originally published in 1926. In 1918, Holmes wrote in the introduction, "This little book is an attempt to explain what each soul must discover for himself, that he stands in the midst of an eternal creative power which presses itself around his own thought, and casts back to him glorified all that he thinks." Later in the book he goes on to say, "The Science of Mind is based entirely upon the supposition that we are surrounded by a Universal Mind into which we think; this Mind, in Its original state, fills all space with Its Presence. Since it fills all space, it fills the space that man uses in the Universe. It is in man as well as outside of him. As he thinks into this Universal Mind he sets in motion a Law which is creative, and which contains within itself a limitless possibility." Holmes was influenced by the writings of Christian Larson, Phineas Quimby, Thomas Troward, Ralph Waldo Emerson, and Mary Baker Eddy, and he formed part of what was known as the New Thought Movement. The catalyst of what became 'New Thought' seems to been Phineas Quimby, a New England, Hypnotist, Philosopher, and Healer, who inspired amongst others, Mary Baker Eddy, (a patient of Quimby's) to form the Christian Science Movement. New Thought posits that everything is mind (the mind of God) and that we all have equal access to God by accessing mind. This is done by prayer or more specifically, 'Affirmative Prayer' or 'scientific prayer'. Affirmative prayer focuses on a positive rather than a negative situation. For example, a person who is sick would focus on being in a state of good health as if he or she were already in good health. Another analogy might be if someone was trying to lose weight and was praying for help, they wouldn't say, " I want to lose weight" as that would imply they were over-weight; they might say "I have lost weight" or "I'm losing weight" in an attempt to 'think ones-self thin.' The notion is that 'Mind is the Builder' an idea also frequently used by the Famous American psychic, Edgar Cayce - the idea that our minds and the universal mind, influence our bodies and therefore we have the ability to heal ourselves or cause our own disease. "We are what we think." William James called affirmative prayer a "mind-cure"; he described it as America's "only decidedly original contribution to the systemic philosophy of life." On the brain, Holmes had this to say; "No, the brain of itself could not think; and yet, without a brain man could not think; which simply means that man needs a brain while here, but that the brain, of itself, does not think. The brain does not think and yet man thinks; so behind the brain there must be a thinker." He reasoned; "Instinctive Man within me is perfect and yet I appear to be imperfect. My apparent imperfection must be the result of an imperfect thinking; in reality I am, and always have been, perfect. I will now begin to think differently about myself and see what happens." Many of today's self help theories such as the law of attraction, positive thinking, and books like the runaway bestseller, The Secret, owe much to the New Thought Movement of yesteryear and books such as The Science of Mind are required reading for anyone interested in spiritual literature and the nature of reality.

Table of Contents:
PEACE BE UNTO THEE, STRANGER FOREWORD YOURSELF Part I: THE EVOLUTION OF MAN'S THOUGHT Instinctive Man Nature Waits on Man's Self-recognition The First Great Discovery The Inner Sense Awakens The Great Question "Why" The Greatest Discovery of All Time--MIND The Brain Does Not Think We Do Not See the Thinker The Body Unconscious Without the Thinker The Conscious and the Unconscious Thought A New Basis of Thought The Law of Mind Unconscious Mind at Work Another Great Discovery--Thought Reached Others The Discovery of Race-Thought A Universal Medium Which All Must Come to Believe In Another Question Comes Up--Why Are People Poor? Man Begins to Realize That His Conditions Are Controlled by Thought Realizes That He Must Think Correctly Part II: THE LESSONS LESSON ONE: INTRODUCTION Science How Laws Are Discovered Proof of Mind Where Our Thoughts Go Suggestion Becomes Memory Mental Medium Through All Reading Thought Mental Law The Word of God as Law Threefold Nature of God Trinity of Being Conscious Mind in God and Man Unity Worship of God Many Gods Belief in Duality--Its Results Duality in Theology Duality in Philosophy Duality and Science An Awakening Philosophy Leads Man's Thought A Deep Inquiry The Great Difficulty The Voice of God in Creation The Word of God Spirit Knows Itself Law, Servant of the Word Forms of Spirit or Creation Meaning of Creation The Word Alone Is Conscious The Thought of God Eternal Creation The Universe Is Alive Conclusion LESSON ONE: METAPHYSICAL CHART NO. I LESSON ONE: METAPHYSICAL MEANING OF WORDS USED IN UNIVERSAL CHART Upper Section Middle Section Lowest Section; LESSON ONE: THE NATURE OF BEING Spirit Soul Two Ways of Reasoning Body The Changeless Cause and Effect Unity and Multiplicity Immortality Forms Allness of Truth Volition Only One Mind Individuality; LESSON ONE: RECAPITULATION; LESSON TWO: INTRODUCTION The has Learned All It Can Through Suffering What Individuality Really Means The Meaning of Freedom Sin and Punishment. Righteousness and Reward The Incarnation of Spirit Different Viewpoints The Lesson of Nature's Laws The Relation of Man to the Universe of Spirit Man's Experience Nature Waits on Man Mental and Spiritual Laws God and Man Man Reenacts the Nature of God The Two Ways to Reason Nothing Happens by Chance Many Are Waking Up to the Facts The Time Has Come to Know the Truth A Wonderful Experiment What Psychology Teaches About Man's Nature The Self-knowing Mind Man's Unity with the Whole Man a Center of God-Consciousness Unity with Law The Subjective Obeys the Objective The Body Last Stages of Matter The Unity of All Body The Formless and the Formed Individuality Means Self-Choice The Greatest Discovery Ever Made A Complete Unity; LESSON TWO: METAPHYSICAL CHART NO. II-A; LESSON TWO: METAPHYSICAL CHART NO. II-B; LESSON TWO: METAPHYSICAL MEANING OF WORDS USED IN INDIVIDUAL CHART NO. II-B Upper Section Middle Section Lowest Section; LESSON TWO: THE NATURE OF MAN Spirit Soul Body Limitless Medium Christ and Antichrist Man Is Identified in Mind Treatment The Aim of Evolution Methods of Treatment Subjective Law Thought and the Creative Medium Each Is the Logical Result of His Own Thinking A Law of Belief We Are Dealing with Law The Cycle of Necessity and Karmic Law The Law of Action and Reaction We Argue in Mind Wrong Use of Mind Subjective But Not Unconscious How Habits Are Formed Law Is Mind in Action We Are Bound by Our Own Freedom Oneness with All Law Demonstration Karmic Law Thought Force Choosing Thought Inducing Thought Place No Limit on Principle; LESSON TWO: RECAPITULATION; LESSON THREE: INTRODUCTION Healing What We Understand About Healing Thoughts Are Things; LESSON THREE: METAPHYSICAL CHART NO III; LESSON THREE: METAPHYSICAL MEANING OF WORDS USED IN CHART NO. III; LESSON THREE: MENTAL HEALING Individuality Man Reenacts God Not Limited by Principle Mental Treatment Is Real Man Comes Through Subjectivity Born Perfect Race-Suggestion Disease Is Impersonal How to Heal Mind Is the Actor Disease Is Not Always Due to Conscious Thought We Deal with Ideas Have No Doubts Thinking in Treatment Do Not Try to Go Beyond Your Understanding What a Practitioner Must Know Healing Is Clear Thinking Only One Law No Sensation in Treatments How to Remove Doubt The Truth Demonstrates Itself Disease Is Mental The Medium of Healing Depend on Principle Definite Work in Healing Repeating Treatments Remove the Complex Healing Pain Headache What Right Thought Does How Habits Are Healed The Seed of Thought What Can Be Healed Why People Get Tired The Idea Must Take Form Resolve Things into Thoughts Healing Insanity What a Practitioner Does Back of the Appearance Is the Reality Seeing Perfection Healing Lung Trouble We Do Not Send Out Thoughts Vision Healing Constipation Disease Not an Entity Throat Trouble Congestion Paralysis Growths Treating Children Power of the Word No Age Memory Guidance in Treating How to Heal Remove Doubt No Fear Psycho-analysis Deal Only with Thoughts Nervousness Stammering Argument in Treatment; LESSON THREE: RECAPITULATION; LESSON FOUR: INTRODUCTION The Law Is Infinite The Possibilities of the Law Spirit and Mental Law Demonstration, or Bringing Things to Pass Our Part Treatment Medium Between Man and His Manifestation; LESSON FOUR: METAPHYSICAL CHART NO. IV; LESSON FOUR: THE CONTROL OF CONDITIONS180 Law of Reflection Attracting Friends The Principle of Prosperity We Deal with Absoluteness Prayer Is Its Own Answer If You Know No Personal Responsibility Helping an Inventor Look Only at What You Want Definite Plan Attraction How to Demonstrate a Home Resist Not Healing a Misunderstanding Fate Attraction of Personality See Life Expressed Look to the Ultimate No Mistakes Causes and Conditions Perfect Action Mental Equivalents Treating for Activity Receiving Information No Failures Opportunity No Mistakes Demonstration by Proof Handling a Schoolroom The Law of Correspondence; LESSON FOUR: RECAPITULATION; LESSON FIVE: INTRODUCTION True Mysticism and the Psychic Sense What the Mystics Have Taught No Ultimate Evil Ultimate Salvation of All Freedom from Burden Unity of All Realization of Individuality Normalcy The Great Light What the Mystics Have Taught About the Individual Instinct and Intuition Illumination and Cosmic Consciousness The Highest Practice The Power of Jesus Turning Within; LESSON FIVE: METAPHYSICAL CHART NO. V; LESSON FIVE: THE PERFECT WHOLE Individuality Further Evolution The Truth Is Known The Answer Is in Man God--Infinite Personality Unity Hold to the Good The Infinite is Personal to All The Christ Realization Meditation LESSON SIX: THE LAW OF PSYCHIC PHENOMENA--INTRODUCTION Psychic Phenomena and Immortality No Apologies; LESSON SIX: METAPHYSICAL CHART NO. VI; LESSON SIX: METAPHYSICAL MEANING OF WORDS USED IN CHART NO. VI; LESSON SIX: PSYCHIC PHENOMENA The Subjective Mind Seat of Memory Suggestion and Subjectivity Subjective Communication Subjective Mind and Inspiration Mental Atmospheres How to Create Personal Charm The Atmosphere of Places The Race-Mind The Mind of History Telepathy Tuning in on Thought Mental Pictures Conditions Necessary for the Best Results Deep Telepathic Messages Reading the History of the Individual Personal Readings Streams of Consciousness No Obstructions to Thought Entering the Stream of Thought The Vibration of a Book Why Saints Have Seen Jesus Many Mental Pictures The Human Aura Halo Unpleasant Atmospheres Habit Mania Obsession Personal Influence and Obsession Obsession of Discarnate Spirits General Theory of Obsession and Mental Influence Insanity The Psychic Power Must Be Controlled Normal State The Aim of Evolution The State of Trance Normal Psychic Capacities Abnormal Psychic Powers Clairvoyance Psychometry Clairaudience Independent Voices Apparitions Ghosts and Phantasms of the Dead Ghosts Sometimes Can Speak Projecting the Mentality Crystal Gazing Black Magic The Modern Curse Automatic Writing Independent Writing Hudson's Theory Smelling Where There Is Nothing to Smell Grasping Objects Without the Hand Telekinetic Energy Table Tipping Rappings Theory of Ectoplasm Levitation Interesting Thoughts What Is the Cause? Cause for Thought Time Will Prove All Things The Spirit of Prophecy A Lesson in Subjectivity Explanation Summary; LESSON SIX: PSYCHIC PHENOMENA AND IMMORTALITY The Meaning of Immortality Where Did Man Come from and Why? Man Awakes with a Body What Is the Body Matte The Ether of Science The Resurrection Body Conclusive Facts In What Mental State Do We Go Out? What Causes Psychic Manifestations? Telepathy Does Not Explain Everything Spirit Communication Communication Must Be Mental We Do Not Control Spirits The Psychic Power Should Not Be Forced; LESSON SIX: RECAPITULATION Immortality Part III: SPECIAL ARTICLES ABSOLUTENESS AND RELATIVITY THE PROBLEM OF EVIL THE MEANING OF THE FALL THE GARDEN OF EDEN SALVATION AND GRACE THE PERFECT UNIVERSE IMAGINATION AND WILL HOW TO VISUALIZE THE SEQUENCE OF THE CREATIVE ORDER MAN'S CREATIVE POWER MARVELOUS CONCENTRATION THE MIRROR OF THE SUBJECTIVE PERSONALITY Factors Necessary for a Dynamic Personality REPRESSION AND SUBLIMATION The Spirit of Sex Desire The Spirit Is Expressed Man Reenacts the Divine Nature Congested Emotions Irritation, Agitation and Fear If We Were Expressed Emotion and Intellect The Conflict of Desire The Emotion of Sex The True Meaning of Love Sex Not Necessary to the Expression of Love When Sex Becomes Destructive Male and Female The Solution Psycho-analysis Self-analysis Metaphysics; THE ATONEMENT Man's Whole Trouble Careful Preparation The Vicarious Atonement The Givingness of Spirit The World Has Learned All That It Should Through Suffering Our Part in the Atonement THE PERSONALITY OF GOD JESUS AS A SAVIOUR SELF-EXISTENT LIFE THE SUPREME AFFIRMATION CHRIST AND ANTICHRIST EVOLUTION Part IV: DAILY MEDITATIONS FOR SELF-HELP AND HEALING; BODILY PERFECTION Come, and Let Me Heal You He Is Mighty Within Me to Heal I Do Not Inherit Disease No Congestion No False Growth No Weariness Perfect Hearing Perfect Vision The All-seeing Eye The Healing of the Flesh There Is No Pain; COMPLETENESS Happiness and Completion Here and Now Majestic Calm No Loss Oh, for a Tongue to Express O Soul of Mine, Look Out and See Seeing the Perfect The Circle Is Complete The Things That Are; DIVINE COMPANIONSHIP A Song of Hope Be Still and Know Cast Aside All Doubt Divine Companionship His Eye Is on the Sparrow Hope Cannot Die I Am Not Alone I Went into a Mountain The Joy of the Soul; FREEDOM Freedom Freedom from Sin Free from Sensitiveness I Keep the Promise Love Gleams Through the Mist No Bondage No Condemnation No False Habit No Hypnotism Nor False Suggestion No Mistakes There Are No Responsibilities The Time. Has Come Within Thy Law Is Freedom; HARMONY OF LIFE Beauty Friendship of the Spirit and of Man He Wills Me to Be I Serve I Shall Not Doubt Nor Fear I Was Told to Live Law Love Love Dissolves All Fear My Affairs My Business My Profession No Delays No Misrepresentations No Obstructions No Over-action Nor Inaction One with Perfect Action Peace, Poise and Power Stillness and Receptivity Thanksgiving and Praise The Divine Promises Are Kept The Inner Light The Night Is Filled with Peace The Seal of Approval The Secret Way The Shining Path The Things I Need Come to Me The Way Is Made Clear Before Me; IMMANENT POWER344 As Love Enters, Fear Departs He Will Keep Thee Infinite Life Within My Feet Shall Not Falter No Harm Shall Befall Thee Power to Live The Circle of Love The Circle of Protection The Power Within Blesses All The Quick Answer; INSPIRATION A Song of Joy Born of Eternal Day I Arise and Go Forth Inspiration The Dawn Has Come I Am Complete in Thee; PRESENCE OF THE ALL GOOD A Marvelous Sense Complete Confidence Drawing the Good I Fear No Evil I Have Known, Always I Meet My Good My Atmosphere My Good Is Complete My Own Shall Come to Me My Own Shall Find Me My Soul Reflects Thy Life Out of the Depths of Life Sorrow Flees from Me Substance and Supply The Ever and the All The House of Love; SPIRIT OF GOD WITHIN Arise, My Spirit Birthless and Deathless Command My Soul Despair Gives Way to Joy Free Spirit Within Me Fulness of Light He Who Inhabits Eternity I Listen Joy Has Come to Live with Me Knowledge and Wisdom My Thought Is in Thee O Love Divine Peace Steals Through the Soul Stand Forth and Speak Subtle Essence of Spirit Within Me The Christ Within The Everlasting Arms The Mantle of Love The Voice of Truth The Witness of Truth Through the Long Night Watches Thy Strength Is Sufficient Waiting on Thee Whose Right It Is to Come; THE POWER OF THE WORD I Control My Mental Household and Conquer All Fear and Doubt My Word Comes Back to Me My Word Shall Bear Fruit Nothing Can Hinder O Man, Speak Forth Thy Word The Power of the Word The Word of Power The Unassailable Truth and the Irresistible Word I Behold in Thee His Image; UNITY I See No Evil I Shall Never Die Love to the World My Life Is One with God No Misunderstandings The Divine Plan for Me The Personality of God The Radiation of Life Unity Within Thee Is Fulness of Life; GLOSSARY; THE CALL

About the Author :
Ernest Shurtleff Holmes (January 21st 1887 - April 7th 1960) was a spiritual teacher and writer. After his book, "The Science of Mind" was published in 1926, he formed a movement to teach 'The Science of Mind' and in 1927 the 'International Religious Science Movement' was born with Holmes assuming to position of spiritual guide. The organization formed part of the a part of the greater New Thought movement of which Holmes was a leading light. It's mission statement stated, "The Science of Mind is the study of Life and the nature of the laws of thought; the conception that we live in a spiritual Universe; that God is in, through, around and for us." "The Science of Mind reveals that every man is a potential Christ. Every man has inherent God-power within him - we live in a mental or spiritual universe and that things can be resolved into thoughts - The objective universe is the Body of God. That body includes our physical being. In reality every idea of our physical being is a Divine idea." His writings have inspired generations of metaphysical students and spiritual truth seekers and his influence can be seen in the self-help movements of today.