William Walker Atkinson
Nuggets of the New Thought / Several Things That Have Helped People

PREFACE

I do not like writing a preface – it seems too much like an apology. I have no special apology to tender for offering this collection of New Thought nuggets. They may possess no literary merit, but they have helped men and women. With the exception of "The Secret of the I Am," these essays appeared from month to month in "New Thought," of which magazine I am associate editor. They were written hastily, principally upon the demand of the printer for "copy," and, for the most part, were printed just as they were written, there being no time for revision or polishing up. You may pick up any one of them and find many sentences needing straightening out – many thoughts which could be better expressed by the change of a few words. Knowing these things, I first thought that I would go over each essay and add a little here, and take away a little there, polishing up and burnishing as I went along. But when I looked over them, my heart failed me. There they were just as they were written – just as they were dug out of my mind – and I hadn't the heart to change them. I remembered the circumstances surrounding the writing of every one of them, and I let them alone. A "nugget" polished up would be no longer a nugget. And these thoughts are nuggets – I dug them myself. I will not say much regarding the quality of the metal – that is for you – but you see them just as they came from the mine – rough, unpolished, mixed with the rock, queerly shaped. If you think that they contain metal of sufficiently good quality, refine them, melt them and fashion them into something useful or ornamental. For myself, I like things with the bark on – with the marks of the hammer – with the original quartz adhering to the metal. But others are of different taste – they like everything to feel smooth to the touch. They will not like these nuggets. Alas, I cannot help it – I cannot produce the beautifully finished article – I have nothing to offer other than the crude product of the mine. Here they are, polish them up yourself if you prefer them in that shape – I will not touch them.

W. W. A.

Chicago, October 2, 1902.

THE KEYNOTE

"I Can and I Will" – The recognition – Equal to any task – A feeling of calm confidence – An abiding sense of power, reserve force and security – The Something within – The triple key to the door of attainment – The vibrations of Success.

"I Can and I Will!!!" Have you ever said these words to yourself with a firm conviction that you were speaking the truth – with the strong feeling that needed no other proof. If so, you then felt within you a thrill which seemed to cause every atom of your being to vibrate in harmony with some note in the grand scale of Life, sounded by the Real Self. You caught a momentary glimpse of the Inner Light – heard a stray note of the Song of the Soul – were conscious for the moment of YOURSELF. And in that moment of ecstasy you knew that untold power and possibilities were yours. You felt that you were in touch with all Strength, Power, Knowledge, Happiness and Peace. You felt that you were equal to any task – capable of executing any undertaking. For the moment there was no Fear in the world for you. All the Universe seemed to vibrate in the same key with your thought. For the moment you Recognized the Truth.

But alas, the spirit of doubt, distrust, fear and unfaith called you again to Earth – and the vision faded. And yet, the remembrance of the sight – the echo of the sound – the remnant of the new-found strength – is with you still. You still find that memory to be a stimulus to great efforts – a comforting thought in times of weakness and trial. You have been able to accomplish much by the aid of the lingering vibrations of the mighty thought.

In times of great peril – grave perplexities – life and death struggles, a feeling of calm confidence and strength often comes to us, and we are borne on by a power of us and in us (and yet in everything else, too) that seems to lift us off our feet and sweep us on to safety – to peace – to rest. We are possessed of an abiding sense of power, reserve force and security. When extraordinary conditions confront us – when our bodies seem paralyzed – our minds stupefied – our will power gone, we are often made conscious of the existence of the Real Self, and it answers our involuntary demand, and comes to rescue with the cheering cry: "I AM HERE"!

Many of us have made use of this inner strength without realizing it. One day we were sorely distressed and made the demand, and lo! it was answered. We knew not from whence came this new-found strength, but we were conscious of the uplift, and felt more confidence in ourselves. The next time we confidently demanded the aid, and again we were answered. We acquired that which we call confidence and faith in ourselves, and were carried over many a dark place and started on the road to Success. Our repeated success caused us to think and speak of our "luck," and we grew to believe that we had a "star," and took chances and risks that others would not dream of. We dared. We made some apparent failures, but we soon came to know them as only lessons leading to ultimate success. The "I Can and I Will" feeling carried us over rough places safely, and we got to simply know that we would "get there" in the end.

And so we went on and on, knowing that if we advanced three steps and slipped back two, we were still one step ahead. We had confidence, because we knew that "things would come our way" in the end. And so long as we held this attitude, we did succeed, and it was only when we lost heart at some unexpected slip – only when, after having attained success, we became dazed and frightened, and began to fear that our "luck might turn" and that we would lose all of our accumulations – it was only then, I say – that our star waned.

Talk with any successful man, and, if truthful, he will admit having felt, from the time of his first success, that he had some sort of "pull" with Fate – some "lucky star" – some special Providence operating in his behalf. He grew to expect results – to have confidence in things turning out right – to have faith in something of which he knew not the nature – and he was not disappointed. Things seemed to work in his favor – not always just in the way he expected, sometimes in an entirely different way – matters seemed somehow to straighten themselves out in the end – so long as he kept his "nerve." He did not know the source of his strength, but he believed in it and trusted it just the same.

Let us wake up and recognize this Something Within – let us begin to understand this "I Can and I Will" feeling – let us cherish it if we have it, and cultivate it if we have it not. Do you know that we are young giants who have not discovered our own strength? Are you not aware that there are powers latent within us, pressing forth for development and unfoldment? Do you not know that earnest desire, faith and calm demand will bring to us that which we require – will place at our hand the tools with which we are to work out our destiny – will guide us in the proper use of the tools – will make us grow? Do you not know that Desire, Faith and Work is the triple key to the doors of Attainment? There are possibilities before us, awaiting our coming, of which we have never dreamed. Let us assert ourselves – take up the key – unlock the doors – and enter our kingdom.

To accomplish, we must be possessed of earnest desire – must be as confident of ultimate success as we are of the rising of to-morrow's sun – we must have Faith. And we must work out the end with the tools and instruments that will present themselves day by day. We will find that Desire, Confidence, Faith and Work will not only brush aside the obstacles from our path, but will also begin to assert that wonderful force, as yet so little understood – the Law of Attraction – which will draw to us that which is conducive to our success, be it ideas, people, things, yes, even circumstances. Oh, ye of little Faith, why do you not see these things?

The world is looking for these "I Can and I Will" people – it has places ready for them – the supply does not begin to equal the demand. Pluck up courage ye unfortunate ones – ye doubters – ye "I Can't" people! Begin the fight by abolishing Fear from your minds. Then start to climb the ladder of Attainment, shouting "I CAN AND I WILL" with all your might, drowning out the sound of the "buts," "ifs," "supposings," "you can'ts" and "aren't you afraids" of your wet-blanket friends at the foot of the ladder. Do not bother about the upper rounds of the ladder – you will reach them in time – but give your whole attention to the round just ahead of you, and when you have gained a firm footing on that, then look at the next one. One round at a time, remember, and give your entire attention to each step. Climb with Desire, Confidence and Faith inspiring each step, and the task will become a pleasure. You will be conscious of some mighty force attracting you upward and onward as you progress. And don't try to pull some other fellow off the ladder – there's room enough for both of you – be kind, be kind.

If you fail to feel the "I Can and I Will" vibrations within you, start in to-day, and say "I Can and I Will" – THINK "I Can and I Will" – ACT "I Can and I Will," and get the vibrations started in motion. Remember that as the one note of the violin, if constantly sounded, will cause the mighty bridge to vibrate in unison so will one positive thought, held constantly, manifest itself both in yourself, others and things. So begin sounding the note to-day – this very moment. Sound it constantly. Send forth a clear, glad, joyous note – a note of Faith – a note of coming Victory. Sound it over and over again, and soon you will become conscious that the vibrations have commenced, and that the mighty structure of your being is quivering and vibrating to the keynote: – "I CAN AND I WILL."

THE SECRET OF THE "I AM."

The Ego – The physical plane – The mental plane – The new plane of consciousness – The Real Self – The "I" – The Temple of the Living Spirit – Development of the "I Am" consciousness – The Higher Reason.

"Lord of a thousand worlds am I,
And I reign since time began;
And Night and Day in cyclic sway,
Shall pass while their deeds I scan.
Yet time shall cease, ere I find release,
For I am the Soul of Man."

– Charles H. Orr.

Many of us are accustomed to thinking of ourselves on the physical plane alone. When we think of the Ego – the "I" of ourselves, we picture it as a human body with organs ranging from the finest – the brain, down to those of coarser atomic structure. To one living on this plane of consciousness the body is the real self, and the Mind but an appendage to the body. Such a man speaks of "my mind" or "my soul," as he speaks of "my hat," "my coat," "my shoes" – as things belonging to him, which he uses, but which are not him. To him the Body is the real man – the Mind something useful to the body – the Spirit a nebulous hypothetical something of which he has but a hazy idea and no consciousness. He lives on the physical plane alone.

Others picture their "I" as Intellect or Mind, having control of the body and its organs, and having its abode in the brain, or brains, of the human being. To these people the Intellect is the Real Self, in fact to many of this class the Intellect is elevated to the position of God, and they bow down to and worship it. They realize the subjection of the body to the Mind, and are aware of the wonderful power of the latter over the particular body under its control; the bodies of others; the minds of others. To them the Intellect is the highest self, identical with the Spirit. They are conscious of the wonderful workings of the mind, but are conscious of nothing higher. To some of them death seems to end all, their idea of mind being that it is a product of the brain. Others feel that somehow, somewhere, their Intellect will maintain its existence, but it is merely a belief or hope, based upon the words of others who have claimed authority to speak. They have no consciousness of pre-existence or future existence – no perception of that REAL SELF which knows itself to be Eternal.

A third class have so far progressed along the Path of Life that they have crossed the borders of a new plane of consciousness. They are in a strange land – they see no familiar landmarks – they do not recognize the country that lies before them. Their friends, whom they have left just a few feet behind across the border, do not seem to realize the difference the short distance has made to those who have traveled it, and therefore doubt the prospect seen from the new point of view. Those who have crossed the border find that they have acquired a consciousness of a real Existence. The "I" consciousness has passed beyond the Intellectual plane and is able to look back to that plane and the one still further back, the Physical plane. "I" recognizes the value of both Mind and Body, but regards them both as but instruments, tools or servants, with which to work. "I" feels that it has existed from the beginning (if beginning there was) and will exist until the end (if end there be). "I" feels a keen pleasure in mere existence – in the NOW. "I" knows itself to be a part of the WHOLE THING – knows that the UNIVERSE is its home. "I" knows itself to be a tiny drop of Spirit from the Great Spirit Ocean; a ray from the Supreme Sun; a particle of the Divine Being, encased in a material body, using that body and a force called Mind, with which to manifest itself. "I" does not at present understand all things – far from it. It has not as yet been able to bring its tools to that degree of perfection. It merely knows that it IS, and has ALWAYS BEEN, and ALWAYS WILL BE. "I" allows Intellect to indulge in speculations, but contents itself with the knowledge that it IS – it frets not itself with the problems of the past or future, but lives in the NOW, and knows itself to be a part of the WHOLE. "I" knows that it cannot be destroyed or injured – that it exists in accordance with Law (and that Law is Good) and asks no further light at this time, knowing that in its progress through matter, discarding sheath after sheath, more knowing will surely come. It says trustfully and confidently, to the Absolute: "Thy Will be Done."

Knowing itself to be immortal, "I" has no fear of the death of the body – one body is as good as another to it – it is willing to lay aside the body as it does a coat, when it has outworn or outgrown it. Knowing itself to be impregnable to harm, "I" has no Fearthought – it fears nothing. Knowing that the Law is working for development (always for ultimate good) "I" is not disturbed by the cares, troubles and sorrows of Life – it knows them for what they are. The body may be in pain, the mind may be burdened with sorrow, but "I," knowing, smiles.

"I" knows itself to be One with the "I" of all living creatures, and knowing this cannot manifest Hate, Fear, Envy, Jealousy – it cannot Despise or Condemn. These and other feelings of the old life drop from the person like a discarded mantle when "I" mounts its throne. "I" recognizes that others may not have progressed so far on the path as itself, but knows them to be but fellow travelers on the same road, who are doing the best they know how, considering their stage of the journey. "I" recognizes Ignorance – not Evil. "I" has but one feeling toward Mankind and the whole living world – LOVE. Aye, Love and Comradeship for even the last man, for it knows that that last man cannot be left out of the great scheme of Life.

"I" knows that it has traveled a long road leading to its present position, and that all Life is traveling the same. "I" looks back and sees others covered with the mire and dust of the road, far back on the Path, but knowing that it has traveled the same stage of the journey – been covered with the same mire and mud – it cannot condemn. "I" knows that it is but on the threshold of the new consciousness – the borderland of the Cosmic Knowing – and that far beyond lie regions of marvelous beauty which will in turn be traveled, and then on and on, increasing in strength and knowing-power each day. "I" sees endless phases of existence opening up to the vision – it cannot at this time understand, but it knows of the existence of the Law, and is content. "I" has the courage of Intelligent Faith, and presses forward cheerfully to the Divine Adventure. All this – and more.

To the man or woman who understands, the task of self-development becomes a labor of love – an exalted task rather than the mere selfish striving after power. As the sculptor saw in the block of marble the form of the angel, and was impelled to cut away the surrounding material in order to liberate the angelic form – so may we, seeing the God-like form within us, strive to liberate it. That inner form is the real self – the "I." If you have never realized this truth, relax body and mind and indulge in a little introspection; turn your gaze inward; listen to the voice of the Spirit. You will be conscious of a faint recognition of the Something Within striving to make itself manifest to your understanding – asking for the proper tools with which to work. Listen, listen in The Silence! Day by day the Voice will grow plainer – day by day the Light will grow brighter – your own is coming to you, at last. O, joy unspeakable! O tears! O laughter! After long ages you are coming in sight of the Promised Land.

Know yourself O Man! Know that you have within you the Divine Spark, to which both body and mind are but servants. Know that your body is the Temple of the Living Spirit and respect it as such. Know that your Intellect is but the instrument of the manifestation of the Spirit – the "I."

Do not crawl on your belly like a worm; do not humble yourself in the dust and call upon heaven to witness what a despicable creature you are; do not call yourself a miserable sinner worthy only of eternal damnation. No! a thousand times No! Rise to your feet; raise your head; face the skies; throw back your shoulders; fill your lungs with Nature's ozone. Then say to yourself: "I AM."

Man has acquired a wonderful power when he can understandingly say: "I AM a part of the Eternal Life Principle; I AM created in the Divine Image; I AM filled with the Divine Breath of Life; Nothing can hurt ME, for I AM ETERNAL."

The first requisite for the acquirement of an understanding of the Law is the recognition of the existence and the power of the Real Self – the "I." The more complete the recognition the greater the power. Special directions for the acquirement of this faculty of recognition cannot be given. It must be grown into and felt, rather than reasoned out by the Intellect. You will not be long in doubt as to whether or not you are on the right track; if you are right you will begin to realize it at once. You will have glimpses of it, and then it may slip away from you for a while, but fear not, you cannot escape it in the end.

You will feel that your body is but as a garment which whilst covering you temporarily is not YOU. You will feel that you are separate and apart from your body, although for a time living in it. You will feel that you could as well live in some other body, and still retain your sense of individuality. You will realize then even your mind is not You, but is merely the instrument through which You manifest yourself, and which being imperfect prevents the complete expression of the Spirit. In short, when you say, or think, "I AM," you are conscious of the existence of your real self, and feel the growth of a new sense of power within you. This recognition of the self may be faint, but encourage it and it will grow, and whilst growing will manifest itself to your mind by impressing upon the latter the knowledge of the proper plan for further development. It is another example of "to him that hath shall be given."

This mere calling of their attention to the fact will awaken the first glimmer of recognition in some; others will find it necessary to reflect upon the idea and awaken to a recognition of the Truth more slowly. Some will not feel the Truth. To such I say: The time is not yet ripe for your recognition of this great Truth, but the seed is planted and the plant will appear in time. This may seem like the veriest nonsense to you now, but the time will come when you will admit its literal correctness. You will find that a desire has been created that will cause a mental unrest until more light is received. As Walt Whitman says: "My words will itch in your ears till you understand them." As Emerson says: "You cannot escape from your good." To those who feel the first indications of the awakening of the Spirit, I say: Carry the thought with you and it will unfold like the lotus, naturally and gradually; the truth once recognized cannot be lost, and there is no standing still in nature.

What has been said is but a faint hint of a mighty Truth, which nestles in the bosom of the esoteric teachings of all religions – in the philosophies of the Orient and of ancient Greece. You will find it in the songs of the poets – in the writings of the mystics. The advanced science of this age touches it without recognizing it fully. It is not a thing that can well be conveyed by words – it is not easily comprehended by purely intellectual processes – it must be felt and lived out by those who are ready for it – those for whom the time has come. It has been known to the Few throughout all ages and in all times. All races have known it. It has been handed down from teacher to pupil from the earliest days. It is that Truth which Edward Carpenter refers to when he says:

"O, let not the flame die out! Cherished age after age in its dark caverns, in its holy temples cherished. Fed by pure ministers of love – let not the flame die out."

It is difficult to convey even a hint of this Truth to any but those who are prepared to receive it. To others it will seem to be arrant folly. As Emerson says: "Every man's words, who speaks from that life, must sound vain to those who do not dwell in the same thought on their own part. I dare not speak for it. My words do not carry its august sense; they fall short and cold. Only itself can inspire whom it will * * * * Yet I desire even by profane words, if sacred I may not use, to indicate the heaven of this deity, and to report what hints I have collected of the transcendent simplicity and energy of the Highest Law."

If you prefer to try to solve the Problem of Life – the Riddle of the Universe – by scientific investigation, by exact reasoning, formal thought, mathematical demonstration – by all means follow this method. You will be taught the lesson of the power and the limitations of the human intellect. And after you have traveled round and round the circle of thought and find that you are but covering the same ground over and over again – after you have run into the intellectual cul de sac, the blind alley of Logic – after you have beaten your wings against the cage of the Unknowable and fall exhausted and bruised – after you have done all these things and have learned your lesson – then listen to the voice within, see the tiny flame which burns steadily and cannot be extinguished, feel the pressure of the Something Within and let it unfold. You will then begin to understand that as the mind of Man developed by slow stages from mere sensation to simple consciousness; from simple consciousness to self-consciousness (in its lower and higher degrees) so is there a consciousness, higher than we have heretofore imagined, in store for Man, which is even now beginning to manifest itself. You may then understand that there may be an Intelligent Faith which knows, not simply believes. These and other lessons you will learn in time. And when you have reached the stage where you feel the promptings of the Higher Reason, and live in accordance therewith, you will say with Carpenter:

"Lo! the healing power descending from within, calming the enfevered mind, spreading peace among the grieving nerves. Lo! the eternal saviour, the sought after of all the world, dwelling hidden (to be disclosed) within each * * * * O joy insuperable."

"LET A LITTLE SUNSHINE IN."

The young people's song – Good "New Thought" doctrine – Plenty of sunshine in life, if you look for it – Don't make a dark dungeon of your mind – Throw open the windows of your soul – How to let a little sunshine in.

The other night, just as I was dropping off to sleep, a crowd of young people passed along, returning from some social gathering. They were bubbling over with mirth and joy, and every girl seemed to be talking at the same time, the voices of the young men serving merely to punctuate the sentences of their fair companions. Just after they passed my window, some one started up a song, and the rest joined in. I do not know the song they sang, but the chorus went something like this:

"Let a little sunshine in;
Let a little sunshine in;
Open wide the windows,
Open wide the doors,
And let a little sunshine in."

I listened with pleasure to the words and cheerful air of the song and said to myself: "Well, that's good enough 'New Thought' doctrine for me."

The young people went on their way singing. I, now wide awake, listened and thought. The song grew fainter and fainter as the distance between us grew greater, and at last I could not clearly distinguish the words they sang, but the faint vibrations of the tune still reached me, and I imagined that I could just hear the last words of the refrain:

"Let a little Sunshine in."

Oh, if only those young people – and all young people – and all people young or old – would take to their hearts these words, and "let a little sunshine in." It is not sufficient that you merely agree that the advice is good – that you merely repeat the words mechanically – you must make thought take form in action, and not only say the words – not only think them – but you must ACT them. Make them a part of your life – incorporate the idea in your being – train yourself into the habit of opening yourself to the sunshine of Life – get into the way of letting it flow in.

"Let a little Sunshine in."

There is plenty of sunshine in life, if you only look for it. And there is plenty of shadow in life, if you only look for it. But in the things that seem all shadow to others, you will be able to find the sunshine if you but train yourself to always look for it. And in that which may seem bright sunshine to some, others will find nothing but shade – they are troubled with a mental cataract that shuts out all the rays of the sunshine of life.

"Let a little Sunshine in."

And when you learn to love the sunshine and look forward to seeing it always, you seem to draw it to you. The Law of Attraction brings to you your share of the sunshine with which the world is plentifully supplied. And, if you fall into the habit of looking for and expecting the shadow, the shadow will always be found.

"Let a little Sunshine in."

It is astonishing what a change the Mental Attitude of the person will make. Change your Mental Attitude, and the whole world seems to change. It is like taking off the smoked glasses that have caused the world to seem dark and gloomy, and seeing the brightness and colors of the world.

"Let a little Sunshine in."

Many of you have been making dark dungeons of your minds. You have steadily shut out the sun, and your minds have become musty, damp and mildewed. Across the floor crawl noxious creatures. The slimy form of Fear drags itself slowly along, leaving its track behind; the hideous shape of Jealousy eyes you from one corner – a creature of darkness; the venomous reptile Hate shows its fangs; the vampire Worry flits across the chamber. Fearful shapes are there glowering in the darkness – frightful forms crouch in corners and recesses. All is gloom, darkness, horror. A fit breeding place for the foul creatures who fear the light – a fit nursery for monsters. Look within the dark chambers of your mind – see what it really is – see what it generates. Look within – look within. Ah, you see at last. No wonder you shriek with terror – no wonder you turn away with horror. No, no, do not turn away – look and see yourself as you are. You need the lesson. Now that you see what you have been carrying around with you, and are sickened at the sight, start to work to remedy the evil. Throw wide open the doors; throw open the windows of the soul.

"Let a little Sunshine in."

Ah, yes, never fear, there is plenty of sunshine in the Universe. Plenty for all of you. There is an infinite supply. Draw it to you. Take it freely. It is there for you. It is your own – your very own. It is as free as air and the material sunshine. There is no tariff on it. It is not controlled by any trust or combine. It is not adulterated. It is everywhere, everywhere. Ho! ye who are dwelling in darkness! Here is Life and Happiness for you! Here is Peace for you! Here is Joy for you! Joy, comrades, Joy! Open wide your windows; open wide your doors.

"Let a little Sunshine in."

Yes, yes! I hear you say that you cannot dispel the gloom with which you are surrounded. Nonsense. Do you not know that darkness is not a positive thing – it is the essence of negation. It is not a real thing at all – it is merely the absence of light. And here you have been for all these years, believing that the darkness was a real thing that you could not get rid of. Just stop for a moment and think. If a room in your house is dark and gloomy, do you hire a man to shovel out the darkness – do you attempt to do it yourself in your desire for light? No, no, of course you do not. You just raise the shades, and throw open the shutters and the sunshine pours in and lo! the darkness has vanished. So it is with the gloom of the soul, the darkness of the mind. It is a waste of energy to attempt to dig away the darkness – to cast out the shadows. You'll never get light in that way. All that you need to do is to recognize the advantage of light – the fact that light is to be had – that there is plenty of it anxiously waiting to be let in. Then all that you need to do is to

"Let a little sunshine in;
Let a little sunshine in;
Open wide the windows,
Open wide the doors,
And let a little sunshine in."

THE HUNGER OF THE SOUL

The soul, as well as the body and mind, requires nourishment – The want, a promise of the fulfillment – The law of unfoldment – Nourishment provided when it is needed – Provided for in the Divine Plan – The feast of good things.

The Soul, as well as the body and the mind, requires nourishment. We have felt that hunger for spiritual knowledge which transcended our hunger for bread – exceeded our craving for mental sustenance. We have felt soul-hungry and knew not with what to appease it. The Soul has cried out for food. It has been fed upon the husks of the physical plane for so long that it is fairly starving for the proper nourishment. It seeks this way and that way for the Bread of Life and finds it not. It has asked this authority and that authority for information as to where this food may be had – where could be obtained the food that would nourish the Soul – but it has been given nothing but the stone of Dogma and Creeds. At last it sank exhausted and felt that perhaps there was no bread to be had. It has felt faint and weary and almost believed that all was a delusion and a will-o'-the-wisp of the mind – that there was no reality to it. It felt the chill of despair creeping over it and all seemed lost.

But we must not lose sight of the fact that just as the hunger of the body implies that somewhere in the world is to be found that which will satisfy it – that just as the hunger of the mind implies that somewhere is to be found mental nourishment – so the mere fact that this soul-hunger exists is a proof that somewhere there is to be found that which the Absolute has intended to satisfy it. The want is the prophecy of the fulfillment. Yes, and the want and its recognition afford the means of obtaining that which will satisfy the want. When, in the course of unfoldment either on the physical, mental or spiritual plane, it becomes necessary for the well-being of the unfolding Ego to draw to itself certain things which it requires in the process of evolution, the first step toward the obtaining of that necessary thing is the consciousness of a great and pressing want – the birth of a strong desire. And then the desire grows stronger and stronger, until the Ego becomes desperate and determines to obtain the necessary thing at any cost. The obtaining of that thing becomes the prime object in life. Students of evolution realize this fact perhaps more than the rest of us. The subconsciousness of the plant or animal becomes surcharged with this great desire, and all the conscious and subconscious power of the living thing is put forth to obtain that which is necessary for its development.

And on the mental plane the same thing is true. The hunger for knowledge, when it once possesses a man, will cause him to cut loose from old environments, surroundings and everything else which has held him, and he forces himself to the place where that knowledge may be obtained – and he obtains it. If he only wants it hard enough he gets it. When we think of Lincoln in his boyhood days, painfully and laboriously striving for knowledge, lying on his side before the log fire and reading his book by the light of its flames – and this after a hard day's work such as only the boy on the farm knows – when we think of this we may understand the effects of a strong desire possessing the mind of man or boy, woman or girl.

And this hunger for spiritual knowledge and growth, from whence comes it? When we understand the laws of spiritual unfoldment we begin to understand that the Ego is growing and developing – unfolding and casting off old worn-out sheaths. It is calling into operation new faculties – exploring new regions of the mind. In the super-conscious regions of the Soul are many faculties lying dormant, awaiting the evolutionary hour of manifestation along conscious lines. As the faculties approach the hour of birth into the new plane they manifest an uneasiness which is communicated to the subconscious and conscious planes of the mind, causing a restlessness and uneasiness which is quite disturbing to the individual in whom they are manifesting. There is a straining for expression – a reaching forward for development – a desire for growth which produces something akin to pain. All growth and development is accompanied by more or less pain. We speak of the beautiful growth of the plant – of the lily – and wish that we could grow as easily and as painlessly as it does. But we forget that all growth means a breaking down – a tearing away – as well as a building up and adding to. The lily's growth appears painless to us, but if we were endowed with keen enough vision – with clear enough sight – with a power enabling us to feel that which is going on within its organism, we would be made aware that there is a constant change going on – a tearing down of tissue, a using up of cells, a pressing upon and breaking through of confining sheaths – all meaning growth, development and unfoldment. We see only the birth of the new parts and lose sight of the pain and destruction preceding it. All through life is manifested the "growing pains" of development. All birth is attended with pain.

And so it is with the birth into consciousness of these unfolding spiritual faculties. We feel an uneasiness, dissatisfaction, yea, even pain, as we strive to call into conscious life these children of the Soul. We feel that desire for something needed by our inner self and we seek for it in all directions. We exhaust all of the pleasures of life, so-called, and find no satisfaction there. We then endeavor to find comfort and solace in intellectual pursuits, but without obtaining that which we seek. We pore over the writing of the philosophers and learned writers of the past and present, but find them as but husks to the hungering soul. We seek in creeds and dogmas that comforting something, the need of which we feel, but of the nature of which we are ignorant – but we find no satisfaction there. We, perhaps, go from creed to creed, from philosophy to philosophy, from one scientific theory to another scientific theory, but still we hunger. At last we get to a position in which we feel that life is not worth the living and that all is a ghastly mockery. And so we go on and on, seeking – ever seeking – but the quest is fruitless.

Man on the physical plane has a comparatively easy time of it. He lives as does the animal – he thinks as does the animal – he dies as does the animal. The problems of life fret him not. He does not even know of the existence of the problems of life. He is happy in his way, and it almost seems a pity that he must be disturbed from his state of animal content. But he must be disturbed, not by you or by me perhaps, but by the inevitable Law, which is working around and about him, and in him. Sooner or later in the course of his development he must be awakened. And he awakens upon the mental plane, and here his troubles begin. On the mental plane everything seems beautiful for a time. Man finds himself a new being and he goes on and on, feeling himself a very god and reveling in his intellectual powers. But after a time these things cease to satisfy him. The unfolding of the higher faculties begin to annoy him, particularly as he cannot explain them. His intellectual training has perhaps taught him to believe that there was nothing higher than the mind – that religious feelings were nothing but the result of the emotional nature and that he had outgrown all that. But still he feels that Something Within, never ceasing to annoy him – never ceasing to intrude upon his intellectual consciousness certain feelings entirely contrary to his theories. He has grown to doubt the existence of a Supreme Being, and having read Haekel's "Riddle of the Universe" feels that the question has been satisfactorily settled for all time, and that the answer to all of life's problems may be found in the tenets of his creed – Materialism.

But, somehow, he is not at ease. He feels the pressure of the growing Something Within and becomes quite restless. This goes on from time to time and he seeks the Truth in all directions, rushing from one thing to another in his desire to satisfy the cravings of the Soul, but all the time denying that there is anything to be found. After a time he becomes aware of a new state of consciousness developing within him, and in spite of his mental revolts against any good thing coming from within, he is forced to accept himself in his growing state, and to realize that he may possess a Knowing other than that of the intellect. It may take him a long time to accept this, but so long as he rebels against it and struggles, so long will he feel pain. And only when he catches a glimpse of the true state of affairs does he open himself up to the Divine Unfoldment going on in his Soul, and joyfully welcome the tearing away of confining mental sheaths, which destruction enables the newly born faculty to force its way into the conscious mentality. He learns to even aid in the unfoldment by holding the thoughts conducive to spiritual development, and thus assists in the bringing forth of the new leaf or flower of the Soul. It has always been so. Man has gone through stage after stage of unfoldment, suffering pain each time as the old sheaths are burst asunder and discarded. He is prone to hold on to the old sheaths and to cherish them long after they have served their purpose in his growth. And it is only when he has reached the stage that many men are now coming into a knowledge of that he understands the process of growth and is willing and glad to aid in the development instead of attempting to oppose it. He falls in with the workings of the Law instead of trying to defeat it.

Life is motion. We are moving onward and upward throughout the ages. Man has passed over miles of The Path, but he will have to travel many more before he sees the reason of the journey. But he has now reached the stage where he may see that it all means something – all is a part of a mighty plan – that this is a necessary stage of the journey, and that around the bend of the road are to be found shady trees, and a brook at which he may quench his thirst and wash away the dust of the last few miles.

This hunger of the Soul is a real thing. Do not imagine that it is an illusion – do not endeavor to deny it. If you feel it you may rest assured that your time is coming, and that there will be provided that which will satisfy it. Do not waste your energy in running hither and thither seeking for bread. The bread will be provided when it is most needed. There is no such thing in Life as spiritual starvation. But instead of seeking without for that which will nourish you, look within. At each stage of the journey the traveler will find enough to nourish him for the hour – enough to sustain him until he reaches the next stage. You cannot be denied this nourishment. It is part of the Divine Plan that it be provided for you. If you will look for it in the right place you will always find it, and will be saved much seeking and worrying. Do not be impatient because the feast is not set before you at this stage. Be satisfied with that which is given, for it suffices your needs at the present moment. By and by you will reach the stage when the feast of good things will have been earned, and you will be invited to feast and rest until you are ready for the next stage of the journey.

The great spiritual wave which is now sweeping over the world brings with it great wants, but it also carries with it the means of satisfying those wants. Do not despair.

LOOK ALOFT!

The old sailor's advice – The warning cry – Peace and content – Mental balance recovered – The glory of the Universe – All governed by Law – The Law manifests everywhere – A reverent feeling of calm, peaceful faith – Look aloft.

I recently heard a little tale about a boy who went to sea, in the old days of the sailing vessel. One day he was ordered to go aloft, and was urged on until he reached the highest possible point on the mast. When he found that he could go no farther, he glanced down. The sight terrified him and almost caused him to lose his grip and fall headlong on the deck, far below. He felt dizzy and sick, and it seemed almost impossible for him to maintain his hold on the mast. Far below was the deck, looking so small as compared to the wide expanse of water on all sides of it. The motion made him feel as if he was suspended between heaven and earth, with nothing substantial to support him. He felt his brain reeling and his senses leaving him, and all seemed lost, when far away from the deck below, he heard an old sailor cry, "Look aloft, lad! Look aloft!" Turning his eyes from the scene below the boy gazed upward. He saw the blue sky, the fleecy clouds passing peacefully along, looking just the same as they did when he had looked at them while lying on his back on the green grass of the meadows in his country home. A strange feeling of peace and content came over him, and the feeling of dread, terror and despair passed away. His strength and presence of mind came back to him, and soon he was able to slide down the mast until he grasped a friendly rope, thence to the lower rigging, and on until the deck was again reached.

He never forgot the old sailor's advice given in the hour of need, and when he would feel dazed and fearful of danger, he would invariably look aloft until he recovered his mental balance.

We may well take a leaf from the old sailor's note-book, and impress his wisdom upon our minds. There's nothing so good in hours of trial, doubt, sorrow and pain, as to "look aloft." When we feel that we cannot see clearly with our spiritual vision – that our spiritual sight is blurred and dim – that we lose faith and confidence, hope and courage – that we feel the deadly sensation of despair and hopelessness creeping over us and benumbing our senses, stilling our heart – then is the time for us to listen to the warning shout: "Look aloft, lad; look aloft!"

When all seems lost – when darkness is closing around us – when we seem to have lost our foothold and have no way of regaining it – when all appears hopeless, gloomy and dreadful – when faith seems to have deserted us, and the chill of unbelief is on us – then is the time for us to shout to ourselves, "Look aloft – look aloft!"

When we try to solve the riddle of the universe – the problem of existence – by the aid of the intellect, unsupported by faith. When we ask our intellects, "Whence come I? Whither go I? What is the object of my existence? What does Life mean?" When we travel round and round the weary path of intellectual reasoning, and find that it has no ending. When we shout aloud the question of Life, and hear no answer but the despairing echo of our own sad cry. When Life seems a mockery – when Life seems to be without reason – when Life seems a torment devised by a fiend – when we lose the feeling of nearness to the Infinite Power that has supported us in the past – when we lose the touch of the Unseen Hand. These are the times for us to look upward to the source of Wisdom and Light. These are the times for us to heed the cry of the Soul: "Look aloft; look aloft; look aloft!"

Some clear night, when the moon is not shining, go out into the darkness, and gaze upward at the stars. You will see countless bright spots, each of which is a sun equaling or exceeding in size the sun which gives light and life to our little earth – each sun having its circling worlds, many of the worlds having moons revolving around them, in turn. Look all over the heavens, as far as the eye can reach, and endeavor to grasp the idea of the countless suns and worlds. Then try to imagine that in space, far beyond the reach of human vision, even aided by the telescope, are millions upon millions of other worlds and suns – on all sides of us, on and on and on throughout the Universe, reaching into Infinity. And then remember that all these worlds hold their places and revolve according to Law. And then remember that the microscope shows that Law manifests itself in the smallest thing that can be seen by its use. All around you you will see nothing but the manifestations of Law. And then, remembering that the Infinite, which has us all in charge, takes note of the fall of the sparrow, what has become of your fears and doubts and worries? Gone is your despair and unbelief, and in their place is found a reverent feeling of calm, peaceful Faith.

Aye, there is much good sense in the old sailor's maxim. "When you get rattled, LOOK ALOFT!"

TO-MORROW

The work and cares of to-day easy if we do not worry about those of To-morrow – The mysterious To-morrow and its terrors – The way to meet the cares of To-morrow – To-morrow's opportunities will come as surely as To-morrow's cares – Law supreme – No need to be afraid – The real To-morrow.

The work of each day would be a pleasure if we would refrain from attempting to perform at the same time the work of to-morrow. The cares of to-day would cease to disturb us, if we would refuse to anticipate the cares of to-morrow. The work of to-day is easily performed, notwithstanding the fact that we spoiled the pleasure of yesterday by fretting about the tasks of the coming day. The cares of to-day do not seem half so terrible as they appeared viewed from the distance of yesterday, nor do we suffer nearly as much from to-day's burdens as we did yesterday in bearing these burdens in anticipation.

To-day is comparatively easy for us, but Oh, to-morrow. Aye, there's the trouble – to-morrow. The past is gone, and its sorrows, cares, troubles, misfortunes and work do not seem so terrible viewed from this distance – the misfortunes of the past are now often known as blessings in disguise. To-day is here, and we seem to be getting along fairly well – excepting fearing the dawn of to-morrow. But to-morrow – Oh! mysterious to-morrow – that delight of the child – that bugaboo of the "grown up" – what shall we say of to-morrow? Who knows what terrible monsters are lurking in its gloomy recesses – what frightful cares are slumbering there – what dreadful shapes are there crouching, with glowering eyes, awaiting our coming? No frightful tale of childhood begins to compare in horror with this fantasy of maturity – to-morrow.

Yesterday, with all its troubles – to-day, with its pressing tasks – affright us not, but to-morrow, ah! to-morrow. Tell us of the morrow! Who knows what a day may bring forth? Tell us how to meet the terrors of to-morrow! Forsooth, an easy task, good friends. The way to meet the terrors of to-morrow is to – wait until to-morrow.

The cares of to-morrow indeed! 'Twould be laughable if it were not so pitiful. To-morrow's cares may come, will come, must come, but what of to-morrow's opportunities, to-morrow's strength, to-morrow's chances, circumstances, helpers? Don't you know that the supply of good things does not cease with the close of to-day? Don't you know that in the womb of the future sleep opportunities intended for your use when the time comes? Don't you know that an earnest, confident expectation of the good things to come will cause these good things to grow for your use in the future? Well, it's so; they'll grow and grow and grow, and then when you need them you will find them ripe and ready to pick. Water them with Faith; surround them with the rich soil of Hope; let them receive the full rays of the sun of Love, and the nourishing fruit of Opportunity will be your reward – to-morrow.

Did you ever shiver with dread at the thought of what would happen if the sun should not rise to-morrow? Did you ever doubt that the grass would grow and the trees take on leaves next Spring? Did you ever fear that perhaps the Summer would not come? Oh, no, of course not! These things have always happened and you have sufficient faith to know that they will occur again. Yes, but you have been fearing that opportunities, chances, circumstances, may not be present to-morrow. Oh, ye of little faith do you not know that this is no world of chance? Do you not know that you are working under the operations of a great Law, and that these things are as much amenable to that Law as are the seasons, the crops, the motion of the earth, the planets, this and countless other solar systems, the UNIVERSE!

The Law which regulates the motions of the millions of worlds, and whose jurisdiction extends over Space – that Space the abstract idea of which cannot be grasped by the puny intellect of man of to-day – also takes cognizance of the tiny living organism too small to be seen through our strongest microscope. The sparrow's fall comes under the Law as well as the building of a magnificent series of solar systems. And yet, man fears to-morrow.

Of all living beings, man alone fears to-morrow. Children, lovers and philosophers escape the curse. The first two look forward to it with joy and confidence, having the love that casteth out fear; the philosopher's reason teaches him that which the intuition of the other two has grasped. The child intuitively recognizes that the infinite supply is inexhaustible and naturally expects to-morrow's supply as he does to-morrow's sun. He has faith in the Law, until Fear is suggested into his receptive mind by those who have grown old enough to fear. The child knows that "there are just as good fish in the sea as ever were caught," but the "grown-up" fears that to-day's fish is the last in the sea, and fails to appreciate to-day's haul by reason of his worry about the possible future failure of the fishing industry.

Oh No! I do not believe in just sitting down and folding my hands and waiting for "mine own to come to me." I know that "mine own will come to me," because I am doing well the work that the Law has placed before me to do – that which lies nearest to my hand to-day. I believe in work, good work, honest work, cheerful work, hopeful work, confident work. I believe in the joy of work – the pleasure of creating. And I believe that he who does his best work one day at a time working with faith, hope and confidence in the morrow, with Fear eliminated from his mind and replaced with Courage – I believe, I say, that such a man will never find his cupboard empty, nor will his children want for bread.

And furthermore, I believe that to-morrow is what we make it by our thoughts to-day. I believe that we are sowing thought-seeds to-day, which will grow up over night and bear fruit to-morrow. I believe that "Thought takes form in Action," and that we are, and will be, just what we think ourselves into being. I believe that our minds and bodies are constantly being molded by our thoughts, and that the measure of man's success is determined by the character of his thoughts. And I believe that when man will throw off the incubus of Fear, the frightful vision of the night will vanish, and, opening his eyes, in the place of the monster he will see the fair form and smiling face of a radiant creature, who, bending over him with love-lit eyes, will softly whisper, "I am TO-MORROW."

IN THE DEPTHS OF THE SOUL

Stores of information; rich mines of knowledge; uncut gems and precious metal awaiting the discoverer – Psychic and spiritual faculties – Strange attraction of soul to soul – The Rock of Ages – The Voice of the Soul.

Deep down in the soul are stores of information awaiting to be brought to the surface of consciousness. Rich mines of knowledge are there – uncut gems rest there awaiting the day when they will be uncovered and brought into the bright light of consciousness – rich veins of precious metals are there awaiting in patience the day when some Divine Adventurer will search for them and bring them to light. The human mind is a wonderful storehouse, concealing all sorts of treasures and precious things, only a fraction of which have been discovered so far.

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