PROSPERITY

After we have come this far, we are still reluctant to turn the matter of hard cold cash over to a mental process. There is something too uncertain, something which constantly reminds us that we must "work it out by the sweat of our brow." But the fact is that we must resolve the whole thing into the mental realm if we are to gain the financial freedom that we are seeking.

Going back a little in history we find that what we today call dollars and cents were not known, and that men traded work for something to eat, and the Indians traded skins for manufactured goods. The state of Pennsylvania was purchased for a few skins which were not redeemable for much in actual dollars and cents.

Today we think a thing is worth so many dollars and cents, not stopping to realize that it is the mental valuation which we place on the dollars that

makes the value of the thing we are buying.     If you do not readily grasp this just look at the present situation in the European money market. The mark for instance is identical in size and shape, or. color of ink and quality of paper, as it ever was, and yet today people in Germany know that the mark is only worth a fraction of its former, value.        The mark has not changed, it is the peoples idea of values, and so it is with our dollar. During the world war it was a common thing to hear it said that a dollar would not buy much more than a quarter's worth in normal times, and yet, there was and is no scarcity of money; on the other hand there is an ever increasing inflow of it from every mint. Is it not then strange that when the standard remains unchanged that we should suddenly find it changing in value and at one time becoming scarce and at another time plentiful? Does it not resolve itself into the mental attitude back of it? The standard remains the same and it is just what we, the people, determine it is worth that makes its value. Then dollars and cents in reality simply stand for a mental value. Now then if this be true, we know that our mental capacity is not limited, we are not shut off from thinking as much as we want, and it is thru this simple little rule that we shall demonstrate prosperity. When we begin to realize that value is mental, then we also realize that we have access to the real substance of things hoped for, thru thinking, and we stop seeking the effect and look for the cause, which is mind. We begin to know that "As a man thinketh so is he" is a very trite and true saying in regard to his financial affairs, as well as everything else.

It would be well then for us to adopt a prosperous way of thinking right now. Never again allow yourself, for a single moment, to think poverty never again acknowledge a limited condition or state of affairs, but realize that since the whole thing is mental that you have the power to bring into manifestation anything that you need or desire.

       I do not mean to say that you can sit down and think a million dollars into your lap without an effort. In the first place you cannot easily gain the million dollar consciousness, so it is better to begin by placing yourself in a state of consciousness which you can more readily imagine yourself in. Once you have set about correcting the poverty thought you will find that new and unthought of avenues of supply will open to you.

A person who spends five minutes a day in meditation on abundance and then goes about his work thinking, "I cannot afford this or that because I am poor," or "I do not see my supply," etc., etc., cannot expect to demonstrate that state of finance which he should have, because his negative thoughts offset the positive to such a degree that he repulses the very thing he would attract.

Once you have decided to take the stand of thinking prosperity and refusing to see poverty or limitation in anything, you will find that the battle is half won.

Furthermore, if we are going to eject the poverty idea from our minds in connection with our affairs then we must also refuse to see it in the af fairs of others; we must absolutely fail to acknowledge it as a real condition for anyone. This will not make you stony hearted towards your fellow man, when he seems to be in need, but it will enable you to look on the suffering of poverty in its true light-as ignorance of God given rights.

       In the beginning, or before that let us say, everything was evolved from formless substance, or mind, which was brot into expression; even the silver of your dollar was a mental thing at that time for there was nothing but God, Mind. Then this Mind set about creating the different things in the universe. It pressed out, or expressed Itself in various things, so today we begin to realize that the thing we are looking for is in Mind.      Now it is happily possible for us to link ourselves with this one infinite Source of all things, for we are "made in His image and likeness;" we are sons and joint heirs with the Christ, and a little later on we find that "The Father within me He doeth the work". It does not say the Father outside of us, but the Father, Mind, within us He doeth the work. We have then but to turn within and make our connection with the Father, for Jesus said "I and my Father are one." Now we come to the realization that we are one with the Father, Mind, Creator and being one with the Creator, we also can with absolute certainty bring out, express, or press out that which we can imagine, for if you can imagine a thing with clearness, you can bring it out with absolute certainty. But if doubt or fear takes possession of you, your demonstration will fail, for "let him who waivers expect nothing from the Lord."

It is the relative mind and not the Father within, or Divine Mind, which fears; it conjures up all sorts of hideous phantoms to be afraid of.. It is the thing which says to you "you must work and earn your bread by the sweat of your brow," it says to you that your earning capacity is so much a week and you cannot get more, it says to you that you cannot do the things which your inner self knows you can do. Therefore, when this carnal or deceitful mind is at rest it is possible to accomplish wondrous feats.

For instance, not long ago a young girl walked about the narrow ledge of an apartment house, several hundred feet above the ground, in her sleep; a thing she would not have attempted when awake. The relative mind was out of the way and vine Mind was in control. All things are possible to this Divine Mind and that is the Mind which we wish to let work within us, while it is the mortal mind which we wish to eliminate.

The unlimited power of the Divine Mind will work in you when you have overcome this mortal or relative thinking and given yourself over to the absolute.        This is not a dificult thing to do, but it is a thing which requires diligent watching. Idle words or thots are little seeds which will develop into weeds that must be garnered or rooted up sooner or later.

Accummulated wrong thinking sometimes seems like a mountain before us as we attempt to say, "I am abundantly supplied with everything I need," but just the same a large mountain can finally be moved away with a shovel if there is no other way of doing it. The cleansing process, however, is not as slow as our illustration, for once we have taken our stand and realize that we are right now in possession of infinite substance, recognizing that there is nothing but an erroneous belief to handle, we will soon see great masses of wrong thinking give away and float down stream, and the clear calm waters of Truth being revealed to us.

       One of the master strokes in demonstration is silence. "Keep silent before me." And remember that to keep silent is like allowing a seed to remain in the ground until it has time to germinate and come to light. Tell no one, talk with no one, discuss the subject with no one, work it out in the quiet of your own soul, and when it is time for its announcement to the world, it will be so evident that there will be no need of advertisement.