An excerpt from The Law of Attraction and other Secrets of Visualization

Positive Thinking

The nineteenth-century philosopher and scholar James Allen wrote a classic book on the power of thought entitled As a Man Thinketh.

“Of all the beautiful truths pertaining to the soul which have been restored and brought to light in this age,” he wrote, “none is more gladdening or fruitful of divine promise and confidence as this — that man is the master of thought, the molder of character, and the maker and shaper of condition, environment, and destiny... All that a man achieves and all that he fails to achieve is the result of his own thoughts.”

Allen’s statement illustrates a universal law of creation called the Law of Cause and Effect. Simply stated, this law is “thought is cause, and effect is its manifest likeness.”

With this in mind, can you see the importance of creating purposely cultivated positive thoughts? When life is beautiful and things are going your way, do you appreciate it, or do you think compulsively, “This can’t last”? When you are happy in a good relationship, do you create ways to become more loving and attentive, or do you worry, “This is too good to be true”? When a “disaster” occurs, such as having your car break down a week before payday, do you approach the situation with creative thinking, looking for your resources and examining all alternatives, or do you wallow in self pity, thinking, “This always happens to me”? The choice is yours to create a healthy, productive, positive life or to create one of limitation, victimization, and fear.

You always have the choice to look for the good in any situation. You can also choose to criticize or look for what’s wrong. Situations are neutral. Your attitude determines whether it is a blessing or a curse, if it will feel good or bad. For example, one day I was having a hard time getting out of the house at the time I had originally intended. The phone kept ringing, it was taking me longer to pack than I had anticipated, and I was getting anxious about being late for a meeting. I was thinking that my day had gotten off to a bad start. To make matters worse, it was raining and I had to load my car in the rain. When I got on the highway, I found that my delayed departure had actually been to my benefit. The rush hour traffic had died down and I made better time than I would have if I had left earlier. After I had traveled a few miles, I came upon a scene by the side of the road that got my attention. A huge truck had been in a wreck. Several mangled cars were by the side of the road. I realized that had I left earlier, I might have been right in the midst of this. As it was, I had missed it completely. As I viewed the wreck, I was humbled, realizing that being late was a blessing in disguise. It may even have saved my life.

Looking for the good in the situation, I saw that I needed to relax and be in the present moment. I needed to plan extra time to allow for unexpected phone calls. I also needed to be grateful for the here and now rather than rushing around and living in the future. It turned out to be fortunate that I left when I did.

This illustrates how adjusting our attitude helps us to have greater equanimity in a situation that might otherwise seem negative. This is one way of having control. Self control is knowing our own mind and choosing our own thoughts. We can also have greater control in life by making changes in our circumstances.

Many people have difficulty believing that their thoughts have the power to control inanimate objects or external conditions. You may have felt stymied at times when you thought that something was standing in your way of fulfilling a desire. Any circumstance in your life is yours, and the more you learn about the mechanics of creative imagery, the more control you will have in any situation. This begins to make sense when you consider how mutable the physical world is. The nature of physical existence is change. Every form of physical life is in motion. The mountain is little by little wearing away, the chair you sitting in is in a process of deterioration, the weather changes daily, every cell in your body regenerates every seven years. Because the physical world is so transitory, we can easily mold it and shape it with our thoughts and actions.

It is relatively simple to change conditions and circumstances in our lives once we accept the creative power of thought. The beauty of visualization is that it enables us to see beyond the present; it gives us the power to determine the course of our life. When we are not happy, we can imagine something better, and that is the first step to having it! For example, suppose you are working in a dead-end job that doesn’t provide you with enough money for your needs and which involves routine tasks that do not challenge you to use your highest skills. You can sit there and complain, you can wear yourself out with negative thoughts about the boring job, the long hours, the low pay, or you can imagine something different.

What would you prefer to be doing? Imagine the skills you would like to use. Image yourself in a different, more challenging position. Cause your image to be complete, including the understandings and talents you will draw forth from within yourself. Now, picture yourself in the position you currently have, using it more fully. How can you give more of yourself than you have been giving? How can you give your attention more fully to the mundane tasks that face you?

Imagine “going the extra mile” rather than doing just enough to get by. As you learn to appreciate your present situation you will discover the secret to abundance. The more fully you give yourself to what you have now, the more you will receive from your present conditions, and the wealthier you will become spiritually.

By imagining beyond your current conditions, you are causing evolution to occur. The next step is to begin looking for a more desirable job (while you are giving yourself fully to the one you have). Create a clear mental image of the conditions you want. Do you want more responsibility? Greater freedom with your time? Do you want to use skills that are lying dormant? Are you interested in writing, organizing, leading?

Realize that the key to being successful in a new position is a new you. If you want more freedom, you need to be more responsible. If you want more authority, you need to be willing to be accountable. If you want leadership, you need to be attentive to the people in your charge. Image yourself in these expanded ways to be able to respond to changed conditions.

By imaging more than what you have, seeing beyond the physical conditions that face you, you will cause change. I have heard people say, “I can’t imagine that because I’ve never experienced it.” They really mean they need to imitate something they have already seen. Imagination gives us the power to create something above and beyond what we have experienced.

Animals function from memory, or past experience. Man, the thinker or reasoner, can imagine a higher and more elevated existence than what he has already experienced. The light bulb, automobile, and computer were all invented by people who thought to themselves, “What if...” The desire to improve and enhance life fuels our creative imagination.

If you have difficulty with this, draw upon memory images and put them together in a new way. For example, suppose you have an ideal to be a teacher and you want to teach one hundred people in class, but all you have experienced is teaching a class of twenty. All you need to do is to draw upon the memory images you have of teaching classes of twenty people and put them together. In your imagination, combine five classes of twenty students and put them in the same room. Voilà! You have imagined a class of one hundred. Another way to do this is to draw from your memory the image of the class of twenty people, see them in your mind in one classroom, and then image each person multiplying into five people. Once again, you have imagined what one hundred people in a room looks like and feels like.

One image I like to use when combining memory images together is to see people “beaming up,” as in the Star Trek show, being transported from whatever situation I have experienced, and “beaming down” into the new situation I am imagining. You can use whatever images work for you. Experiment and you will find the methods that are easiest for you. Visualization is fun; it can be a great joy to experiment with the many different ways to create the thoughts and experiences you desire.

Expecting the Best

The highest and best use of visualization is to create in response to a need for something better, rather than waiting for a crisis to stimulate us into action.

The following intuitive report describes how one can mobilize the mind through crisis. The report, known as a Meditation Evaluation, describes how an individual produces harmony between the inner subconscious mind and the outer conscious mind. In this man’s case, he is moved to act when he sees some kind of crisis or problem that needs immediate attention:

You have immediately before you the essence of the entity referred to as ***. You will examine this essence for the state of harmony existing between the inner, subconscious mind and the outer, conscious mind and relate what is perceived.

There is a means by which this one does focus the attention that is quite powerful and we see that it is the crux of how the inner and outer minds are harmonized within this one. We see that it is often stimulated by disparaging energies outwardly, what could be termed crisis, where there is a very strong underlying impulse within this one to right, to make things right, to aright, to actively move toward the resolve. It is in these kinds of states of consciousness that the greatest harmony is experienced within this one. It has been fostered for a long period of time and it is very pronounced within him to the point that this one has difficulty imagining other ways of being. There is a very strong need for this one to be needed and it has been this underlying need that has produced within this one the kind of configuration of attitudes that have pushed this one in the directions that he has moved. It has also in that way furthered this one’s growth and development in terms of soul progression and in terms of willingness to serve others.

The intuitive report suggested to this man that the capacity he has to respond swiftly and determinedly in a crisis can be transferred to other experiences. He told him that he needs to envision how he wants things to be and how to produce it with foresight.

There has come a point, however, where this one no longer wants to continue in the same vein that he has become accustomed to and there is a desire for a very different way of experiencing this same sense, inner sense. There is some reticence concerning this for there is not the imagining of the way and therefore there is some anxiety attached to making a change where there is not direction. This is wisdom within this one and should not be seen as a problem.

There is a great capacity within this one to transfer the alignment of the Self that he has built into any endeavor. First, he must recognize that this is true that the capacities within the Self are not limited to the means by which they have been used previously. Once this is realized then there can be the opening of the imagination to realize that the motivations that previously served this one well no longer will suffice and this one needs to pursue a different motivation that would be more directed toward a vision or an expected outcome not based upon something being wrong or disharmonious or ill, diseased in some way, but rather based upon the wisdom that this one has accumulated in terms of what can be and ought to be according to this one’s determination. It is by making this kind of addition to this one’s thinking that there can be a greater harmonization of the inner minds and greater awareness of what this harmony brings. This is all. (10-09-1999-BGC-3)

In addition to using visualization for creating new, changed conditions in your life, you can also visualize particular attitudes you want to have. Your attitude is how you look at life. When you think thoughts like, “I am unlucky, disasters always happen to me,” you are creating a victim consciousness which will manifest as disasters in your life. You can just as easily (in fact, more easily) create a positive attitude about life: “I have the ability to create what I want. I am a valuable being and the power to create is in my hands. I am learning how to be a better creator every day.”

It is easier to think positive thoughts than negative thoughts, because the mind naturally moves forward toward productive ends. Therefore, when you create positive thoughts you are harmonizing with your mind. You have more energy. Negative thinking fights with the natural motion of your mind, and it causes fatigue. When you decide what you want and create the how-to attitude, that is, when you think in terms of how to create your desire, you will be flooded with energy and inspiration!

For example, a child who is eagerly anticipating Christmas will stay up late and still jump out of bed early in the morning, animated with excitement. Even though the child may have only slept a few hours, his or her passionate desire fuels the body with limitless energy. Adults experience this, too. When a person has something positive to expect, his mind and body prepare for the best with zest and vigor. On the other hand, an adult who hates his job may go to bed early but find himself exhausted in the morning when he needs to arise. Although he has had plenty of sleep, dread and lack of enthusiasm leave him fatigued.

If you have been a negative thinker for a long time, it will require practice to learn to think in positive ways. A little bit of practice will reap tremendous results. A good way to create a positive attitude is to listen to the words you say. Listen particularly for the word “if.” Do you say, “If I get this job I will be happy”? Or do you say, “When I get this job I will be happy”? Do you say, “I wonder if I will find the right dress for the wedding”? Or do you say, “I wonder where I will find my perfect dress”?

In small or large creations, the power of your expectation is crucial. Change the “if” to “when.” Ask, when? where? how? what? to define what you want. This will create an attitude of positive expectation, one which indicates that you are the commander and ruler of your thoughts and your life.

Listen also for words like “can’t,” “I don’t know,” “maybe,” “I’ll see.” These words indicate doubt and indecision. Every thought you think is like a seed that you plant in the fertile soil of your own mind. When you plant seed-thoughts of doubt and indecision, you reap like manifestations. Plant seed thoughts of security, authority, and definition! Say, and think, “I will,” “I know,” or “I will find out,” or “I will commit myself to it,” “I’ll plan on it.”

I know a woman who is afraid to commit herself to anything that she has not previously experienced, because she doubts the power of her imagination. Recently, this woman Lisa was talking about her desire to be married. Lisa’s previous marriage ended in a divorce which left her somewhat cynical about relationships with men. Lisa is still afraid that if she marries she will find herself trapped in an unpleasant liaison, so she avoids relationships. I asked Lisa what kind of marriage she wants, and her response was, “Oh, there’s no such thing as a good marriage. Men are all alike.” Lisa’s negative expectation keeps her from experiencing anything different!

Joyce, on the other hand, has also been divorced and wants to be married. When Joyce’s marriage ended, she examined what was unsatisfying in the relationship. Then she started asking herself, “What if I had said this instead of ignoring the problem?” “What if I had gone after the job I wanted rather than thinking it would interfere with being a mother?” “What if I had been more affectionate?” “What if I had voiced my desires instead of denying their importance?”

With each question, Joyce imagined herself being different. She began to perceive how she could experience marriage in a more productive way. When Joyce met a man who seemed like a potential husband, she was scared that the relationship might turn sour. She practiced the what if’s that she had imaged and because she was different, she started to see that this relationship could be better than her failed marriage.

Then Joyce found a ring that she decided to wear on the ring finger of her left hand. She imagined what it would be like if she were married to Joe, her new beau. When problems arose in their association, instead of dropping the relationship she asked herself, “What if we were married, how would we handle this?”

Over time, Joyce discovered that she could commit herself to change and to causing the kind of union she desired. Wearing the ring was a physical prop that helped her to imagine being happily married. When she and Joe finally decided to tie the knot, they were on their way to a fulfilling marriage, for which they had prepared using creative imagery.

view table of contents

DREAMS	HEALING	INTUITION	MEDITATION	SACRED WRITINGS	INDIGO CHILDREN	PEACE MAKING	MUSIC	BOOKS on TAPE	MULTI-MEDIA	SUPPORT
			Return Home School of Metaphysics ©1996-2007