The Twelve Foundations allows us to embrace the whole of who we are—both as divine embodiments of Spirit and as work-in-progress human beings. In this process we don’t want to discount our human nature or come to view ourselves as being weak or helpless, we want to step into our own power; we want to embrace the wonder of our human existence; we want to honor ourselves as unique expressions of Spirit and create a true and meaningful life for ourselves and others.
Affirmative Prayer or “Spiritual Mind Treatment
The essentials which underlie Affirmative Prayer, as used in a Spiritual Mind Treatment, are:
1) An understanding and conviction that Spirit is the Totality (and of the nature of Infinite love, joy, creative power, intelligence, abundance, beauty, etc.) and, through its infinite power has effortlessly brought everything into creation; that Spirit needs (and wants) you to create ever-increasing abundance and joy for yourself.
2) An understanding and conviction that you are a creative expression of Spirit, containing every quality of Spirit, including creative power; thus, being one in every way with Spirit, you--through the power of your own creative conscious--can (and and are required to) direct Spirit as you will (with no reason, whatsoever, to ever place a limit upon what you want to create).
3) From this state of unity and creative power—and in full alignment with the goodness of Spirit—affirm what is already yours, what you have created; not only imagine what you want, but enter into the spirit of what you have imagined and feel that what you have created, through your consciousness, is now manifest.
4) Experience the joy and gratitude of being in full possession of what you have creatively imagined. Feel the joy and expansion of it. Feel a sense of appreciation for having received exactly what you have asked for.
5) Release the treatment or prayer by having the feeling that the manifestation is complete and that there is nothing more for you to do. Thereafter live in full confidence and conviction that the spiritual reality you created, through the creative, one-with-Spirit power of your own consciousness, is a reality that will, and must, be brought into manifestation by Spirit. (It is just like a seed which, once planted, will eventually sprout into a full plant). Having the conviction that your prayer is complete, that it is manifest as a spiritual reality, and that it will be manifest in physical reality by Spirit (in accordance with the spiritual seed you have created) there is nothing more to do. Live now in the feeling and knowing realization (and absolute conviction) of the eventual physical manifestation.
For example, this could also be like buying a lottery ticket and then discovered that you had the winning numbers. You would have a certain feeling of euphoria; that the payment was inevitable, even though you did not yet hand in your ticket or receive the money. Your seeing the winning numbers would give you an absolute assurance that the money would eventually be in your possession). Likewise, an affirmative prayer in regard to winning the lottery would be completed by having the same feeling as having already won. If you had won the lottery, you would not then continue to pray for money, or continue to wish that you would win, or feel impoverished and contracted, or continue to worry about money issues—all of which would confirm, to your subconscious mind, that you had not won. (And notice that all of these concerns are future-related states and not a present-related state—and it is in the present where all one’s creative power lies). Likewise, when the prayer is complete, and the reality of your creation believed in, all these types of thoughts (about future hopes in winning) would be moot, and not arise. If these mental creations continued to arise (after your prayer-creation was complete); and it they were embraced, and "deemed to be real and relevant" to your conscious mind, they would send a powerful message and affirm (to your subconscious mind) that you have not won. (If you had won, why would you still be thinking about winning?) Thus, these types of thoughts would undermine, and neutralize, the spiritual reality you had created though the prayer. (Your again hoping to win the lottery, in the future, would create another spiritual seed which Spirit would then move to express). Thus, you would create one thing with your conscious mind and completely neutralized it with your subconscious mind. As part of the completion, to realize the fullness of the prayer, you must enter into the reality and feeling of having already won (just as you would, in reality, feel had you actually won) and then, think from that position, shift all your thoughts to accommodate and realize this state (this new spiritual reality) of having won. Make that state of ‘having won’ be the reality upon which you base your thoughts and actions; let your thoughts be created upon that affirmed reality. Think and feel in accordance with that reality; be so convinced of that reality that you need not even think about it. Those feelings and actions, based upon the certainty and conscious conviction that you won, sends a message to your subconscious mind—and once it gets this message, it, with all its creative power, sets about making your conviction into a concrete reality. Doubt will send a message of doubt; certainty will send a message of certainty. Spirit creates this entire universe with certainty, with a single focus, without itself divided against its own creation—this, too, is the only way that a human being can co-create with Spirit.
NOTES
In regards to a group, what kind of structure would a group meeting have?
There are no hard-and-fast rules. I think a ninety-minute meeting, with time afterword for people to share with each other, would work. The meeting could open with an acknowledgment of the space and a mutual welcoming of each other. That sets the tone or motif for the meeting. There could be a one-minute “check-in” where people share with the group where they’re at and how they’re feeling at the moment. Then there could be some kind of group-sync activity or vibration-raising activity such as a short meditation or chant. If there’s going to be sharing, a set time for each person to share, plus a time for feedback from others (if a person wants that) would work. Feedback would not be about trying to fix anyone, or give advice, or offer “I like this” and “I don’t like that,” or shift the focus away from the person and onto oneself. Feedback has to be supportive and empowering; it could be something that inspired you, something you could relate to, something positive about the person and what they shared, etc. After about an hour or so there could be a short period of ritualized walking or physical movement. There could also be a time when the large group breaks up into small “clarity” groups, where two or three people get together to work on specific issues. (If some people need a period of catharsis they need not involve the whole group; two or three people could get together and do that.) At the end, there could be a short “check out” to close the space, where people tell how they feel after the meeting or share something they gained from the meeting. These are a few ideas. Although there would be no leader the meeting would need a facilitator to keep things on track.
Group Intention
With regards to participation in a group, every participant should have a shared intention. This intention (or something that supports group unity and purpose) can be read before each meeting.
We come together with the shared intention to support each other, both in one’s human life and in one’s spiritual aspirations. Our intention is:
to honor and support the highest in ourselves and in each other;
to allow and support the expression of joy, in ourselves and in others;
to have genuine appreciation for each others presence.
This is our intention; this is what we will express or sincerely move toward.
Exercise
Lie down flat, with arms out from the body and eyes closed. Inhale slowly, but not too slowly; just easily; as you inhale, say mentally, with eyes raised under your closed lids, “I AM “—say it slowly and distinctly, and try quietly to realize that the Infinite is really you—” I and the Father are One.” Keep the chest walls expanded for a moment and the throat open. Then slowly and very smoothly exhale the breath, lowering your eyes as you do so, under closed lids always, saying softly, lingeringly, mentally, with downward inflection,“Love.” “I—AM—Love.”
Breathe rhythmically and as slowly as you can easily breathe, and fully always. Keep this up until your mind is quiet and you have forgotten all about being “discouraged” or “blue.” Keep it up, until I AM consciousness has gone with the breath into the lungs, and so into the blood, and with it into all the body.
It takes about two minutes for the blood to make the circuit of the body. But in order to change your “feelings” it must make the Circuit several times, setting up a new rhythmic vibration of I-AM-LOVE-consciousness. Your whole being must “catch” the vibrations of that grand, peaceful, power-full I AM consciousness. Lungs, heart, solar center and brain must pulse together with the Infinite.
This is the best “concentration “exercise I know of—the only sure means I know of for becoming conscious of the power flowing outward from the “world I AM into the “world I do.” It is the only INFALLIBLE remedy I know for discouragement, unrest, lack of interest, impatience, anger, malice, revenge, resentment, and the hanging on habit. And I believe it to be literally infallible for any human being who really wants to be cured of any of these negativities. (25)
Excerpts from: The Edinburgh Lectures, Thomas Troward (1904), Ch. 14
Now, investigation shows that the physical body, is a mechanism specially adapted for the transmutation of the inner or mental power into modes of external activity. We know from medical science that the whole body is traversed by a network of nerves which serve as the channels of communication between the indwelling spiritual ego, which we call mind, and the functions of the external organism. This nervous system is dual. One system, known as the Sympathetic, is the channel for all those activities which are not consciously directed by our volition, such as the operation of the digestive organs, the repair of the daily wear and tear of the tissues, and the like. The other system, known as the Voluntary or cerebro-spinal system, is the channel through which we receive conscious perception from the physical senses and exercise control over the movements of the body. This system has its centre in the brain, while the other has its centre in a ganglionic mass at the back of the stomach known as the solar plexus, and sometimes spoken of as the abdominal brain. The cerebro-spinal system is the channel of our volitional or conscious mental action, and the sympathetic system is the channel of that mental action which unconsciously supports the vital functions of the body. Thus the cerebro-spinal system is the organ of conscious mind and the sympathetic is that of subconscious mind.
But the interaction of conscious and subconscious mind requires a similar interaction between the corresponding systems of nerves, and one conspicuous connection by which this is provided is the vagus nerve. This nerve passes out of the cerebral region as a portion of the voluntary system, and through it we control the vocal organs; then it passes onwards to the thorax sending out branches to the heart and lungs; and finally, passing through the diaphragm, it loses the outer coating which distinguishes the nerves of the voluntary system and becomes identified with those of the sympathetic system, so forming a connecting link between the two and making the man physically a single entity.
Similarly different areas of the brain indicate their connection with the objective and subjective activities of the mind respectively, and speaking in a general way we may assign the frontal portion of the brain to the former and the posterior portion to the latter, while the intermediate portion partakes of the character of both. (Troward)
Excerpts from: The Master Key System, Charles Haanel, (1912), Part 3
4. We have seen that every thought is received by the brain, which is the organ of the conscious; it is here subjected to our power of reasoning. When the objective mind has been satisfied that the thought is true it is sent to the Solar Plexus, or the brain of the subjective mind, to be made into our flesh, to be brought into the world as a reality. It is then no longer susceptible to any argument whatever. The subconscious mind cannot argue; it only acts. It accepts the conclusions of the objective mind as final.
5. The Solar Plexus has been likened to the sun of the body, because it is a central point of distribution for the energy which the body is constantly generating. This energy is very real energy, and this sun is a very real sun, and the energy is being distributed by very real nerves to all parts of the body, and is thrown off in an atmosphere which envelops the body.
6. If this radiation is sufficiently strong the person is called magnetic; he is said to be filled with personal magnetism. Such a person may wield an immense power for good. His presence alone will often bring comfort to the troubled minds with which he comes in contact.
7. When the Solar Plexus is in active operation and is radiating life, energy and vitality to every part of the body, and to everyone whom he meets, the sensations are pleasant; the body is filled with health and all with whom he comes in contact experience a pleasant sensation.
8. If there is any interruption of this radiation the sensations are unpleasant, the flow of life and energy to some part of the body is stopped, and this is the cause of every ill to the human race, physical, mental or environmental.
9. Physical because the sun of the body is no longer generating sufficient energy to vitalize some part of the body; mental because the conscious mind is dependent upon the subconscious mind for the vitality necessary to support its thought, and environmental because the connection between the subconscious mind and the Universal mind is being interrupted.
11. This centre of energy is Omnipotent because it is the point of contact with all life and all intelligence. It can therefore accomplish whatever it is directed to accomplish, and herein lies the power of the conscious mind; the subconscious can and will carry out such plans and ideas as may be suggested to it by the conscious mind.
12. Conscious thought, then, is master of this sun centre from which the life and energy of the entire body flows, and the quality of the thought which we entertain determines the quality of the thought which this sun will radiate, and the character of the thought which our conscious mind entertains will determine the character of the thought which this sun will radiate, and the nature of the thought which our conscious mind entertains will determine the nature of thought which this sun will radiate, and consequently will determine the nature of the experience which will result.
13. It is evident, therefore, that all we have to do is let our light shine; the more energy we can radiate, the more rapidly shall we be enabled to transmute undesirable conditions into sources of pleasure and profit. The important question, then, is how to let this light shine; how to generate this energy.
14. Non-resistant thought expands the Solar Plexus; resistant thought contracts it. Pleasant thought expands it; unpleasant thought contracts it. Thoughts of courage, power, confidence and hope all produce a corresponding state, but the one arch enemy of the Solar Plexus which must be absolutely destroyed before there is any possibility of letting any light shine is fear. This enemy must be completely destroyed; he must be eliminated; he must be expelled for ever; he is the cloud which hides the sun; which causes a perpetual gloom.
15. It is this personal devil which makes men fear the past, the present and the future; fear themselves, their friends and their enemies; fear everything and everybody. When fear is effectually and completely destroyed, your light will shine, the clouds will disperse and you will have found the source of power, energy and life.
16. When you find that you are really one with the Infinite power, and when you can consciously realize this power by a practical demonstration of your ability to overcome any adverse condition by the power of your thought, you will have nothing to fear; fear will have been destroyed and you will have come into possession of your birthright.
17. It is our attitude of mind towards life which determines the experiences with which we are, to meet; if we expect nothing we shall have nothing; if we demand much we shall receive the greater portion. The world is harsh only as we fail to assert ourselves. The criticism of the world is bitter only to those who cannot compel room for their ideas. It is fear of this criticism that causes many ideas to fail to see the light of day.
18. But the man who knows that he has a Solar Plexus will not fear criticism or anything else; he will be too busy radiating courage, confidence, and power; he will anticipate success by his mental attitude; he will pound barriers to pieces and leap over the chasm of doubt and hesitation which fear places in his path.
19. A knowledge of our ability to consciously radiate health, strength and harmony will bring us into a realization that there is nothing to fear because we are in touch with Infinite Strength.
20. This knowledge can be gained only by making a practical application of this information. We learn by doing; through practice the athlete becomes powerful.
21. As the following statement is of considerable importance, I will put it in several ways, so that you cannot fail to get the full significance of it. If you are religiously inclined, I would say, you can let your light shine. If your mind has a bias towards physical science, I would say you can wake the Solar Plexus; or, if you prefer the strictly scientific interpretation, I will say that you can impress your subconscious mind.
22. I have already told you what the result of this impression will be. It is the method in which you are now interested. You have already learned that the subconscious is intelligent and that it is creative, and responsive to the will of the conscious mind. What, then, is the most natural way of making the desired impression? Mentally concentrate on the object of your desire; when you are concentrating you are impressing the subconscious.
23. This is not the only way, but it is a simple and effective way, and the most direct way, and consequently the way in which the best results are secured. It is the method which is producing such extraordinary results that many think that miracles are being accomplished.
24. It is the method by which every great inventor, every great financier, every great statesman has been enabled to convert the subtle and invisible force of desire, faith and confidence into actual, tangible, concrete facts in the objective world.
25. The subconscious mind is a part of the Universal mind. The Universal is the creative principle of the Universe, a part must be the same in kind and quality as the whole. This means that this creative power is absolutely unlimited; it is not bound by precedent of any kind, and consequently has no prior existing pattern by which to apply its constructive principle.
26. We have found that the subconscious mind is responsive to our conscious will, which means that the unlimited creative power of the Universal Mind is within the control of the conscious mind of the individual.
Three Types of Prayer
Any conscious movement toward Spirit, or one's highest Self, can be seen as a form of prayer. The virtue of prayer (any kind of prayer) is that it establishes a "resonant vibration" and a spiritual alignment with Spirit.
The first type of prayer might be called a general prayer. This takes the form of any communion with God. It can be a repetition of the Lord's Prayer (Christian), the Sh'ma (Jewish), the Affirmation of Faith (Islam), the chanting of God's name, etc. It is any conscious directing of the heart toward God. This kind of prayer can also take the form of “beseeching prayer” (or “petitioning prayer”) where a person asks God, or some Higher Power, for help, blessings, improvement in his conditions, material gain, etc. Here the person wants to gain something and he turns to God, or some power that he feels is greater than himself, in order to get help. A higher form of this kind of prayer is when a person communes with a Higher Power or Intelligence in order to gain or align himself with some spiritual quality, such as a pure heart, or to receive divine guidance. He does not ask for any material favor but only the state of more fully knowing God.
Next there is what might be called “creative prayer” or “affirmative prayer.” This is where a person accepts, as already existing (in a spiritual seed-form and/or in reality) what he wants; he adopts the state of consciousness wherein he feels himself to be in full possession of what he wants, now. This is a state of fullness, where a person feels he has already received what he has asked for, which then attracts a corresponding physical reality. This kind of prayer is not about asking for something, but about appropriating the state of consciousness of already having received what you want. For example, if you win the lottery, you might feel a sense of abundance, power, freedom, relief, etc. But why wait to win the lottery?—you can feel those self-same feelings now. And by feelings those feelings now (the same feelings that you would feel had you won the lottery) you set up a “spiritual reality” which then attracts the outer wealth and conditions that correspond to those feelings and that reality. This type of prayer is used in “Science of Mind” in a systematized, five- step process known as a “Spiritual Mind Treatment.” The creative power of words (backed by the feeling which underlies them), as used by various magical sects, also employs this type of creative or affirmative prayer.
Then there is pure prayer or “divine prayer,” which is the state of pure communion between the soul and the Beloved. This type of prayer is the union which unfolds and reveals Love as its primary quality. At the beginning, this type of prayer may take the form of a feeling of devotion, and be directed to some Higher Power which you believe to be outside yourself. Later, when the prayer becomes true, there is no sense of separation; the one praying is the one who is being prayer to. There is no prayer at this point—the prayer is imply a state of union, and in that union is filled with all of one’s inherent qualities—such as love, joy, peace, devotion, gratitude, and beauty.
All three types of prayer can attune a person to a higher resonance; they all have their place. Our emphasis is on divine prayer and creative prayer yet beseeching prayer may provide some benefits (if it is approached in the right way, with the right attitude). If you pray from the position of being someone who is weak, in a state of lack, needing help and rescuing from some Higher Power, you have already defeated yourself. You have used your supreme power to create and perpetuate a low self-image—and place your creative power upon some image outside of yourself. It is only because you fully believe in an impoverished version of yourself that you pray for help in the first place. Thus, the whole basis of your pray, and the one who is praying, is amiss; it is a denial of your own power as an individual and as a creative center of God’s Power. If, however, you ask for wisdom, guidance, and a pure heart—those things that increase your union with God—from a position of loving wholeness—then such a prayer will be of great benefit. Spirit is full, alive, and joyous (with nothing whatsoever lacking)—yet it always seeks to be more full, more alive, more joyous. Praying for more fullness, more aliveness, and more joy does not imply a lack but may be a natural overflow of your own nature; in this action you are outpouring the qualities of your own self into your own life, just as Spirit outpours itself (and all its qualities) into all of Creation.
A lot of “power of mind” teachers say that we should completely ignore conditions and occupy a state that represents what we want, not what is physically present. Isn’t that a denial of reality? And besides, experiencing life, as it is around us, is more fun than simply living in an ideal imagined state.
Sometimes yes, sometimes no. If your life is as you want it to be then continue to enjoy your present reality; if not, see if you can create something better for yourself. Even if things are good, they can always be better; when co-creating with Spirit we always get more than we could possibly imagine for ourselves.
Now what about our present condition? The state we are now occupying is the state corresponding to our past imagination. It is real—but do we want to continue in this state? We need not deny the state but simply look at it as a state we created, a state that reflects our past imaginings, and move on to something better. Certainly we don’t want to react to the state—because this imparts it with a reality (to our subconscious mind) and thereby serves to perpetuate the state and its “realness.” If, however, we simply dwell in our present state, and accept conditions—and do nothing—then we send a clear message to our subconscious mind to give us more of the same. We don’t want to occupy or realize (make real) our present state if it is not what we want. Even if our state is miserable, by accepting it, by occupying it, we send an “I want more” message to our subconscious mind. Now, we don’t want to do that. This approach is much different from the idea of total surrender and acceptance of “What is.” What we want to accept is our feeling about what is and not the outer conditions of “what is.” Thus, when we accept our feeling (that we don’t like or enjoy what is showing up) then we can act to create something better; if we accept our feeling (that we like what is showing up) then we live in that reality and impel our subconscious mind to bring us more of the same—and perhaps even something better. All the things that show up in our life are not to be blindly accepted as “God’s Will,” they are to be used as means to keep moving us toward something better.
Some teachers talk about how we have to imagine what we want, and that we can only get what we consciously create—but where is the room for fun and surprise in that? Where does the newness of Spirit enter in this individual creation?
When we creatively imagine (and occupy) the highest good for ourselves—which leads to the physical manifestation of what we create—then, in that creative occupancy we open the way for the unimaginable goodness of Spirit to enter our life and our conscious creation. This means there is room for receiving something greater than what we can imagine for ourselves. I think the saying that reflects this is: “We have great plans for ourselves, but God's plans for us are always greater than we can imagine.” So, your task is to imagine, and creatively occupy, the highest reality you can for yourself. Don’t let doubt nullify your creation. Don't worry about how Spirit is going to manifest this for you. This is where the surprise comes in. This is where the seeming miracle takes place.
Affirmative Prayer or “Spiritual Mind Treatment
The essentials which underlie Affirmative Prayer, as used in a Spiritual Mind Treatment, are:
1) An understanding and conviction that Spirit is the Totality (and of the nature of Infinite love, joy, creative power, intelligence, abundance, beauty, etc.) and, through its infinite power has effortlessly brought everything into creation; that Spirit needs (and wants) you to create ever-increasing abundance and joy for yourself.
2) An understanding and conviction that you are a creative expression of Spirit, containing every quality of Spirit, including creative power; thus, being one in every way with Spirit, you--through the power of your own creative conscious--can (and and are required to) direct Spirit as you will (with no reason, whatsoever, to ever place a limit upon what you want to create).
3) From this state of unity and creative power—and in full alignment with the goodness of Spirit—affirm what is already yours, what you have created; not only imagine what you want, but enter into the spirit of what you have imagined and feel that what you have created, through your consciousness, is now manifest.
4) Experience the joy and gratitude of being in full possession of what you have creatively imagined. Feel the joy and expansion of it. Feel a sense of appreciation for having received exactly what you have asked for.
5) Release the treatment or prayer by having the feeling that the manifestation is complete and that there is nothing more for you to do. Thereafter live in full confidence and conviction that the spiritual reality you created, through the creative, one-with-Spirit power of your own consciousness, is a reality that will, and must, be brought into manifestation by Spirit. (It is just like a seed which, once planted, will eventually sprout into a full plant). Having the conviction that your prayer is complete, that it is manifest as a spiritual reality, and that it will be manifest in physical reality by Spirit (in accordance with the spiritual seed you have created) there is nothing more to do. Live now in the feeling and knowing realization (and absolute conviction) of the eventual physical manifestation.
For example, this could also be like buying a lottery ticket and then discovered that you had the winning numbers. You would have a certain feeling of euphoria; that the payment was inevitable, even though you did not yet hand in your ticket or receive the money. Your seeing the winning numbers would give you an absolute assurance that the money would eventually be in your possession). Likewise, an affirmative prayer in regard to winning the lottery would be completed by having the same feeling as having already won. If you had won the lottery, you would not then continue to pray for money, or continue to wish that you would win, or feel impoverished and contracted, or continue to worry about money issues—all of which would confirm, to your subconscious mind, that you had not won. (And notice that all of these concerns are future-related states and not a present-related state—and it is in the present where all one’s creative power lies). Likewise, when the prayer is complete, and the reality of your creation believed in, all these types of thoughts (about future hopes in winning) would be moot, and not arise. If these mental creations continued to arise (after your prayer-creation was complete); and it they were embraced, and "deemed to be real and relevant" to your conscious mind, they would send a powerful message and affirm (to your subconscious mind) that you have not won. (If you had won, why would you still be thinking about winning?) Thus, these types of thoughts would undermine, and neutralize, the spiritual reality you had created though the prayer. (Your again hoping to win the lottery, in the future, would create another spiritual seed which Spirit would then move to express). Thus, you would create one thing with your conscious mind and completely neutralized it with your subconscious mind. As part of the completion, to realize the fullness of the prayer, you must enter into the reality and feeling of having already won (just as you would, in reality, feel had you actually won) and then, think from that position, shift all your thoughts to accommodate and realize this state (this new spiritual reality) of having won. Make that state of ‘having won’ be the reality upon which you base your thoughts and actions; let your thoughts be created upon that affirmed reality. Think and feel in accordance with that reality; be so convinced of that reality that you need not even think about it. Those feelings and actions, based upon the certainty and conscious conviction that you won, sends a message to your subconscious mind—and once it gets this message, it, with all its creative power, sets about making your conviction into a concrete reality. Doubt will send a message of doubt; certainty will send a message of certainty. Spirit creates this entire universe with certainty, with a single focus, without itself divided against its own creation—this, too, is the only way that a human being can co-create with Spirit.
NOTES
In regards to a group, what kind of structure would a group meeting have?
There are no hard-and-fast rules. I think a ninety-minute meeting, with time afterword for people to share with each other, would work. The meeting could open with an acknowledgment of the space and a mutual welcoming of each other. That sets the tone or motif for the meeting. There could be a one-minute “check-in” where people share with the group where they’re at and how they’re feeling at the moment. Then there could be some kind of group-sync activity or vibration-raising activity such as a short meditation or chant. If there’s going to be sharing, a set time for each person to share, plus a time for feedback from others (if a person wants that) would work. Feedback would not be about trying to fix anyone, or give advice, or offer “I like this” and “I don’t like that,” or shift the focus away from the person and onto oneself. Feedback has to be supportive and empowering; it could be something that inspired you, something you could relate to, something positive about the person and what they shared, etc. After about an hour or so there could be a short period of ritualized walking or physical movement. There could also be a time when the large group breaks up into small “clarity” groups, where two or three people get together to work on specific issues. (If some people need a period of catharsis they need not involve the whole group; two or three people could get together and do that.) At the end, there could be a short “check out” to close the space, where people tell how they feel after the meeting or share something they gained from the meeting. These are a few ideas. Although there would be no leader the meeting would need a facilitator to keep things on track.
Group Intention
With regards to participation in a group, every participant should have a shared intention. This intention (or something that supports group unity and purpose) can be read before each meeting.
We come together with the shared intention to support each other, both in one’s human life and in one’s spiritual aspirations. Our intention is:
to honor and support the highest in ourselves and in each other;
to allow and support the expression of joy, in ourselves and in others;
to have genuine appreciation for each others presence.
This is our intention; this is what we will express or sincerely move toward.
Exercise
Lie down flat, with arms out from the body and eyes closed. Inhale slowly, but not too slowly; just easily; as you inhale, say mentally, with eyes raised under your closed lids, “I AM “—say it slowly and distinctly, and try quietly to realize that the Infinite is really you—” I and the Father are One.” Keep the chest walls expanded for a moment and the throat open. Then slowly and very smoothly exhale the breath, lowering your eyes as you do so, under closed lids always, saying softly, lingeringly, mentally, with downward inflection,“Love.” “I—AM—Love.”
Breathe rhythmically and as slowly as you can easily breathe, and fully always. Keep this up until your mind is quiet and you have forgotten all about being “discouraged” or “blue.” Keep it up, until I AM consciousness has gone with the breath into the lungs, and so into the blood, and with it into all the body.
It takes about two minutes for the blood to make the circuit of the body. But in order to change your “feelings” it must make the Circuit several times, setting up a new rhythmic vibration of I-AM-LOVE-consciousness. Your whole being must “catch” the vibrations of that grand, peaceful, power-full I AM consciousness. Lungs, heart, solar center and brain must pulse together with the Infinite.
This is the best “concentration “exercise I know of—the only sure means I know of for becoming conscious of the power flowing outward from the “world I AM into the “world I do.” It is the only INFALLIBLE remedy I know for discouragement, unrest, lack of interest, impatience, anger, malice, revenge, resentment, and the hanging on habit. And I believe it to be literally infallible for any human being who really wants to be cured of any of these negativities. (25)
Excerpts from: The Edinburgh Lectures, Thomas Troward (1904), Ch. 14
Now, investigation shows that the physical body, is a mechanism specially adapted for the transmutation of the inner or mental power into modes of external activity. We know from medical science that the whole body is traversed by a network of nerves which serve as the channels of communication between the indwelling spiritual ego, which we call mind, and the functions of the external organism. This nervous system is dual. One system, known as the Sympathetic, is the channel for all those activities which are not consciously directed by our volition, such as the operation of the digestive organs, the repair of the daily wear and tear of the tissues, and the like. The other system, known as the Voluntary or cerebro-spinal system, is the channel through which we receive conscious perception from the physical senses and exercise control over the movements of the body. This system has its centre in the brain, while the other has its centre in a ganglionic mass at the back of the stomach known as the solar plexus, and sometimes spoken of as the abdominal brain. The cerebro-spinal system is the channel of our volitional or conscious mental action, and the sympathetic system is the channel of that mental action which unconsciously supports the vital functions of the body. Thus the cerebro-spinal system is the organ of conscious mind and the sympathetic is that of subconscious mind.
But the interaction of conscious and subconscious mind requires a similar interaction between the corresponding systems of nerves, and one conspicuous connection by which this is provided is the vagus nerve. This nerve passes out of the cerebral region as a portion of the voluntary system, and through it we control the vocal organs; then it passes onwards to the thorax sending out branches to the heart and lungs; and finally, passing through the diaphragm, it loses the outer coating which distinguishes the nerves of the voluntary system and becomes identified with those of the sympathetic system, so forming a connecting link between the two and making the man physically a single entity.
Similarly different areas of the brain indicate their connection with the objective and subjective activities of the mind respectively, and speaking in a general way we may assign the frontal portion of the brain to the former and the posterior portion to the latter, while the intermediate portion partakes of the character of both. (Troward)
Excerpts from: The Master Key System, Charles Haanel, (1912), Part 3
4. We have seen that every thought is received by the brain, which is the organ of the conscious; it is here subjected to our power of reasoning. When the objective mind has been satisfied that the thought is true it is sent to the Solar Plexus, or the brain of the subjective mind, to be made into our flesh, to be brought into the world as a reality. It is then no longer susceptible to any argument whatever. The subconscious mind cannot argue; it only acts. It accepts the conclusions of the objective mind as final.
5. The Solar Plexus has been likened to the sun of the body, because it is a central point of distribution for the energy which the body is constantly generating. This energy is very real energy, and this sun is a very real sun, and the energy is being distributed by very real nerves to all parts of the body, and is thrown off in an atmosphere which envelops the body.
6. If this radiation is sufficiently strong the person is called magnetic; he is said to be filled with personal magnetism. Such a person may wield an immense power for good. His presence alone will often bring comfort to the troubled minds with which he comes in contact.
7. When the Solar Plexus is in active operation and is radiating life, energy and vitality to every part of the body, and to everyone whom he meets, the sensations are pleasant; the body is filled with health and all with whom he comes in contact experience a pleasant sensation.
8. If there is any interruption of this radiation the sensations are unpleasant, the flow of life and energy to some part of the body is stopped, and this is the cause of every ill to the human race, physical, mental or environmental.
9. Physical because the sun of the body is no longer generating sufficient energy to vitalize some part of the body; mental because the conscious mind is dependent upon the subconscious mind for the vitality necessary to support its thought, and environmental because the connection between the subconscious mind and the Universal mind is being interrupted.
11. This centre of energy is Omnipotent because it is the point of contact with all life and all intelligence. It can therefore accomplish whatever it is directed to accomplish, and herein lies the power of the conscious mind; the subconscious can and will carry out such plans and ideas as may be suggested to it by the conscious mind.
12. Conscious thought, then, is master of this sun centre from which the life and energy of the entire body flows, and the quality of the thought which we entertain determines the quality of the thought which this sun will radiate, and the character of the thought which our conscious mind entertains will determine the character of the thought which this sun will radiate, and the nature of the thought which our conscious mind entertains will determine the nature of thought which this sun will radiate, and consequently will determine the nature of the experience which will result.
13. It is evident, therefore, that all we have to do is let our light shine; the more energy we can radiate, the more rapidly shall we be enabled to transmute undesirable conditions into sources of pleasure and profit. The important question, then, is how to let this light shine; how to generate this energy.
14. Non-resistant thought expands the Solar Plexus; resistant thought contracts it. Pleasant thought expands it; unpleasant thought contracts it. Thoughts of courage, power, confidence and hope all produce a corresponding state, but the one arch enemy of the Solar Plexus which must be absolutely destroyed before there is any possibility of letting any light shine is fear. This enemy must be completely destroyed; he must be eliminated; he must be expelled for ever; he is the cloud which hides the sun; which causes a perpetual gloom.
15. It is this personal devil which makes men fear the past, the present and the future; fear themselves, their friends and their enemies; fear everything and everybody. When fear is effectually and completely destroyed, your light will shine, the clouds will disperse and you will have found the source of power, energy and life.
16. When you find that you are really one with the Infinite power, and when you can consciously realize this power by a practical demonstration of your ability to overcome any adverse condition by the power of your thought, you will have nothing to fear; fear will have been destroyed and you will have come into possession of your birthright.
17. It is our attitude of mind towards life which determines the experiences with which we are, to meet; if we expect nothing we shall have nothing; if we demand much we shall receive the greater portion. The world is harsh only as we fail to assert ourselves. The criticism of the world is bitter only to those who cannot compel room for their ideas. It is fear of this criticism that causes many ideas to fail to see the light of day.
18. But the man who knows that he has a Solar Plexus will not fear criticism or anything else; he will be too busy radiating courage, confidence, and power; he will anticipate success by his mental attitude; he will pound barriers to pieces and leap over the chasm of doubt and hesitation which fear places in his path.
19. A knowledge of our ability to consciously radiate health, strength and harmony will bring us into a realization that there is nothing to fear because we are in touch with Infinite Strength.
20. This knowledge can be gained only by making a practical application of this information. We learn by doing; through practice the athlete becomes powerful.
21. As the following statement is of considerable importance, I will put it in several ways, so that you cannot fail to get the full significance of it. If you are religiously inclined, I would say, you can let your light shine. If your mind has a bias towards physical science, I would say you can wake the Solar Plexus; or, if you prefer the strictly scientific interpretation, I will say that you can impress your subconscious mind.
22. I have already told you what the result of this impression will be. It is the method in which you are now interested. You have already learned that the subconscious is intelligent and that it is creative, and responsive to the will of the conscious mind. What, then, is the most natural way of making the desired impression? Mentally concentrate on the object of your desire; when you are concentrating you are impressing the subconscious.
23. This is not the only way, but it is a simple and effective way, and the most direct way, and consequently the way in which the best results are secured. It is the method which is producing such extraordinary results that many think that miracles are being accomplished.
24. It is the method by which every great inventor, every great financier, every great statesman has been enabled to convert the subtle and invisible force of desire, faith and confidence into actual, tangible, concrete facts in the objective world.
25. The subconscious mind is a part of the Universal mind. The Universal is the creative principle of the Universe, a part must be the same in kind and quality as the whole. This means that this creative power is absolutely unlimited; it is not bound by precedent of any kind, and consequently has no prior existing pattern by which to apply its constructive principle.
26. We have found that the subconscious mind is responsive to our conscious will, which means that the unlimited creative power of the Universal Mind is within the control of the conscious mind of the individual.
Three Types of Prayer
Any conscious movement toward Spirit, or one's highest Self, can be seen as a form of prayer. The virtue of prayer (any kind of prayer) is that it establishes a "resonant vibration" and a spiritual alignment with Spirit.
The first type of prayer might be called a general prayer. This takes the form of any communion with God. It can be a repetition of the Lord's Prayer (Christian), the Sh'ma (Jewish), the Affirmation of Faith (Islam), the chanting of God's name, etc. It is any conscious directing of the heart toward God. This kind of prayer can also take the form of “beseeching prayer” (or “petitioning prayer”) where a person asks God, or some Higher Power, for help, blessings, improvement in his conditions, material gain, etc. Here the person wants to gain something and he turns to God, or some power that he feels is greater than himself, in order to get help. A higher form of this kind of prayer is when a person communes with a Higher Power or Intelligence in order to gain or align himself with some spiritual quality, such as a pure heart, or to receive divine guidance. He does not ask for any material favor but only the state of more fully knowing God.
Next there is what might be called “creative prayer” or “affirmative prayer.” This is where a person accepts, as already existing (in a spiritual seed-form and/or in reality) what he wants; he adopts the state of consciousness wherein he feels himself to be in full possession of what he wants, now. This is a state of fullness, where a person feels he has already received what he has asked for, which then attracts a corresponding physical reality. This kind of prayer is not about asking for something, but about appropriating the state of consciousness of already having received what you want. For example, if you win the lottery, you might feel a sense of abundance, power, freedom, relief, etc. But why wait to win the lottery?—you can feel those self-same feelings now. And by feelings those feelings now (the same feelings that you would feel had you won the lottery) you set up a “spiritual reality” which then attracts the outer wealth and conditions that correspond to those feelings and that reality. This type of prayer is used in “Science of Mind” in a systematized, five- step process known as a “Spiritual Mind Treatment.” The creative power of words (backed by the feeling which underlies them), as used by various magical sects, also employs this type of creative or affirmative prayer.
Then there is pure prayer or “divine prayer,” which is the state of pure communion between the soul and the Beloved. This type of prayer is the union which unfolds and reveals Love as its primary quality. At the beginning, this type of prayer may take the form of a feeling of devotion, and be directed to some Higher Power which you believe to be outside yourself. Later, when the prayer becomes true, there is no sense of separation; the one praying is the one who is being prayer to. There is no prayer at this point—the prayer is imply a state of union, and in that union is filled with all of one’s inherent qualities—such as love, joy, peace, devotion, gratitude, and beauty.
All three types of prayer can attune a person to a higher resonance; they all have their place. Our emphasis is on divine prayer and creative prayer yet beseeching prayer may provide some benefits (if it is approached in the right way, with the right attitude). If you pray from the position of being someone who is weak, in a state of lack, needing help and rescuing from some Higher Power, you have already defeated yourself. You have used your supreme power to create and perpetuate a low self-image—and place your creative power upon some image outside of yourself. It is only because you fully believe in an impoverished version of yourself that you pray for help in the first place. Thus, the whole basis of your pray, and the one who is praying, is amiss; it is a denial of your own power as an individual and as a creative center of God’s Power. If, however, you ask for wisdom, guidance, and a pure heart—those things that increase your union with God—from a position of loving wholeness—then such a prayer will be of great benefit. Spirit is full, alive, and joyous (with nothing whatsoever lacking)—yet it always seeks to be more full, more alive, more joyous. Praying for more fullness, more aliveness, and more joy does not imply a lack but may be a natural overflow of your own nature; in this action you are outpouring the qualities of your own self into your own life, just as Spirit outpours itself (and all its qualities) into all of Creation.
A lot of “power of mind” teachers say that we should completely ignore conditions and occupy a state that represents what we want, not what is physically present. Isn’t that a denial of reality? And besides, experiencing life, as it is around us, is more fun than simply living in an ideal imagined state.
Sometimes yes, sometimes no. If your life is as you want it to be then continue to enjoy your present reality; if not, see if you can create something better for yourself. Even if things are good, they can always be better; when co-creating with Spirit we always get more than we could possibly imagine for ourselves.
Now what about our present condition? The state we are now occupying is the state corresponding to our past imagination. It is real—but do we want to continue in this state? We need not deny the state but simply look at it as a state we created, a state that reflects our past imaginings, and move on to something better. Certainly we don’t want to react to the state—because this imparts it with a reality (to our subconscious mind) and thereby serves to perpetuate the state and its “realness.” If, however, we simply dwell in our present state, and accept conditions—and do nothing—then we send a clear message to our subconscious mind to give us more of the same. We don’t want to occupy or realize (make real) our present state if it is not what we want. Even if our state is miserable, by accepting it, by occupying it, we send an “I want more” message to our subconscious mind. Now, we don’t want to do that. This approach is much different from the idea of total surrender and acceptance of “What is.” What we want to accept is our feeling about what is and not the outer conditions of “what is.” Thus, when we accept our feeling (that we don’t like or enjoy what is showing up) then we can act to create something better; if we accept our feeling (that we like what is showing up) then we live in that reality and impel our subconscious mind to bring us more of the same—and perhaps even something better. All the things that show up in our life are not to be blindly accepted as “God’s Will,” they are to be used as means to keep moving us toward something better.
Some teachers talk about how we have to imagine what we want, and that we can only get what we consciously create—but where is the room for fun and surprise in that? Where does the newness of Spirit enter in this individual creation?
When we creatively imagine (and occupy) the highest good for ourselves—which leads to the physical manifestation of what we create—then, in that creative occupancy we open the way for the unimaginable goodness of Spirit to enter our life and our conscious creation. This means there is room for receiving something greater than what we can imagine for ourselves. I think the saying that reflects this is: “We have great plans for ourselves, but God's plans for us are always greater than we can imagine.” So, your task is to imagine, and creatively occupy, the highest reality you can for yourself. Don’t let doubt nullify your creation. Don't worry about how Spirit is going to manifest this for you. This is where the surprise comes in. This is where the seeming miracle takes place.
