14.  Be-Do-Think

A book called The Master Key System which for years has been out of print, is a magnificent document of pure knowledge, written fifty-six years ago by Mr. Charles Haanel of St. Louis, Missouri.  I am sure the knowledge in that book was not mean to be suppressed; it was meant to be expanded.

Mr. Haanel points out, as all Yoga does, that all possessions in this world are based on consciousness; all gain is the result of an accumulative consciousness, and all loss is the result of a scattering consciousness; that much gathers more is true on every plain of existence, and that loss leads to greater loss is equally true; and one's attitude of mind depends on what we think.  We can use our energy positively, or we can use our energy negatively.  But we must understand that the secret of all power, all achievements, and all possessions depends on our method of thinking.  We must indeed be before we can do, and we can only do to the extent that we are, and what we are depends on what we think.  And we need energy to think.

We cannot express power we do not possess and the only way to secure the possession of power is to become conscious of power.  And we can never become conscious of power until we learn that all power is from within.  Harmony in the world within will be reflected in the world without by harmonious conditions and agreeable surroundings.  Harmony within is the foundation of all help, all power, all attainments, all achievements, and all success because the world without is but a reflection of the world within.  Harmony in the world within means the ability to control our thoughts, to determine for ourselves how any experience is to affect us.   Man is so constituted that he must first create the tools by which he gains the power to think.

Man cannot comprehend an entirely new idea until a corresponding vibratory brain cell has been prepared to receive it.  This explains why it is so difficult for us to receive or appreciate an entirely new idea.  We have no brain cell capable of receiving it.  We are therefore incredulous.  We simply don't believe it.  Each man has the power and ability to create the necessary brain cells which will enable him to comprehend the unlimited powers within.  This is done by concentration.

It is by concentration that deep thoughts, wise actions, and all forces are accomplished.  In the silence, through meditation, one gets in touch with the inner being, but as I have said, it is necessary to subject oneself to the mental discipline of sitting silently and developing familiarity with the inner self.  Man has within him millions of cells.  Each has a certain degree of consciousness.   Man is in essence billions of cells.  Some are busy building tissue.   Others are engaged in forming the various secretions necessary in the body.   Some act as carriers of material.  Others are surgeons who work to repair damage.  Others are scavengers carrying off waste.  Others are constantly ready to repel invaders or other undesirable intruders of the germ family.  Each cell is not only a living organism but is sufficiently intelligent to perform its necessary duties.  Each cell is born, reproduces itself, dies, and is absorbed.  It is therefore apparent that there is mind in every atom of the body.

This mind is negative mind and the power of the individual to think makes him positive so that he is capable of controlling the negative mind.  This is the scientific explanation for metaphysical healing and will enable anyone to understand the principles upon which this remarkable phenomena rests.

Every man is but a reflection of the thought he has entertained during his lifetime.  The stamp is on his face, his form, his character, and his environment.  Yet there are many who are not yet ready to enter into the discipline necessary to think correctly, even though it is evident that wrong thinking has brought failure.  It is an absolute truism that if you wish harmonious conditions in your life, you must be willing to expand and develop the necessary energy to develop a harmonious mental attitude.  That we reap what we sow is mathematically exact.   We gain permanent strength exactly to the extent of the effort expended to overcome difficulties.

Thought is creative, and the principles upon which this law is based are sound and inherent in all things.  But in order to possess vitality, thought must contain love.  It is love which imparts vitality to thought and thus enables it to germinate.  It is known as the law of attractive, or the law of love.

Thought may lead to action of any kind.  But whatever the action, it is simply the thought attempting to express itself in visible form.  It is evident therefore that if we wish desirable conditions, we can afford to entertain only desirable thoughts.  It is with words that we must express our thoughts, and if we are to use higher forms of truth, we may use only such material that has been carefully and enlightenedly selected for this purpose.  For this reason, insight must be exercised so that the thought which we entertain contains no moral or physical germ which we do not wish objectified in our lives.  Insight is a faculty of the mind whereby we are capable of examining facts and conditions at long range.  It is a kind of human telescope that enables us to understand the difficulties as well as the possibilities in any undertaking.  Insight enables us to plan to advantage and turn our thoughts and attention into the right direction instead of wasting the energy in channels which can yield no possible return.  Insight is therefore absolutely essential for the development of any great achievement.  Insight is a product of the world within and is developed in meditation by concentration.

From the process of meditation or self-contemplation comes expression, which is Creative Intelligence and which is undeniably superior to every element, force, or law of nature because it can understand, modify, govern, and apply all these to serve its own needs and purposes and therefore possess them.