SCIENTIFIC PRAYER: What It Is – How You Can Use It

Our faith is based upon the conviction that the infinite Mind has all Intelligence, all Ability, all Power, all Wisdom, and knows how to create anything. We can think of the most difficult thing it is possible for finite minds to imagine, and can rest in the assurance that Mind knows how to solve the problem or to create the new conditions.

Our faith is likewise based upon the fact that the Universe is a system of Law and Order, and the Law of Mind always responds according to the nature of our thought. The Law never reasons with us, saying, “You know, I don’t think that would be a good thing for you to have.” We have faith in the undeviating neutrality of the Law. It has no preferences. It never draws backs and says, “That goes against the grain with me.” It is absolutely neutral. If It could talk to us if would say, “You go ahead and name it, and I’ll make it. “It does not like to make one kind of things more than another. It is willing to create whatever we dictate through out pattern of thought. The Law is an intangible principle of Mind that operates in this unswerving, obedient way because Its nature is to do so.

We are able to consciously avail ourselves to the action of the Law when we recognise its nature. When we understand that the mind in man is an individualisation of the Mind of God, Spirit, then we know when we speak our word of Good that it is the word of Spirit which is being spoken, which is the Law of its own fulfilment. We rise far above the idea of man standing erect and calling upon the great Creative Mind to do his bidding.

For when man speaks his word, being the expression of God, that word becomes the word of God and is manifest.

When we pray, we have a definite intention in our thought and the prayer is being given for a specific purpose. We become quiet within our thought and reassure ourselves of the reality of the infinite Power with which we are dealing, erecting an altar of faith and conviction in the sanctuary of our consciousness.

Next we make a series of statements, which should flow from our conviction, since there’s no magic in the words themselves. The statements used should flow spontaneously from our awareness of the Perfection of God now manifesting.

We are convincing ourselves

If we wish to pray for an increased activity in our affairs, our statement must be so formulated as to convince ourselves of that activity. Our whole endeavour is to convince ourselves and assure ourselves that there is a Divine activity in our affairs, that this activity is functioning in everything we do. It is surrounding us with love and friendship; it goes before us and prepares our way; it opens the doorway of opportunity for us and compels us to make right judgements, to act intelligently; it inspires both our thoughts and our actions. Spirit enlightens our minds and gives enthusiastic buoyancy to our acts.

We also can state that our word removes all doubt, fear and uncertainty.

When a prayer is released, it is a completed thing. It is then in the hands of the Law and will be carried forward into manifestation, just as it is.

The person who speaks his word, releases it, but is filled with doubt and misgiving as to whether it will ever be fulfilled, has his answer right then. That prayer will be answered, but in reverse.

All prayers are answered, although not always in the way we would like. But they area answered according to the individuals pattern of thinking and conviction at that time.

If our prayers are released, as Jesus’ were, with the fullest confidence that the Law can do nothing else but answer them, our demonstrations will come thick and fast. If they are released with only partial acceptance, then they will be only partially answered. If they are released with little or no inward conviction, then the answers will be of a like nature. There is no escape from this, and no exception. Remember, we are dealing with inexorable Law, which never deviates and never varies. It knows only to obey.

The Law of Mind is impersonal, like the law of electricity, which will move into action for anyone who observes the principles governing its flow. Anyone may press the button, the electricity doesn’t care who it is, for its nature is to flow at the touch of that button.

The Law of Mind will always flow in the direction of constructive creative activity when we understand and apply the principles by which It works. We have the mightiest force in all the world to command. We can step out of a prison of ignorance and fear, and into the light of a constructive expectancy which will remake our world for us.

The Value of Giving Thanks

In releasing our word to the action of the Law we do so with a glad and thankful heart. Giving thanks is a further indication that we have fully released our word. It means that we are sure of the completion of the creative process; that there are no lingering doubts.

When one has done his work thoroughly and well, he can turn his back upon the prayer, give thanks for its certainty, and rejoice in its fulfilment, even though he has not seen it outwardly fulfilled as yet.

At some time or another we have to become quiet and in the solitude of our own thought, discover for ourselves what we actually believe, and then proceed to put that faith into creative action through patterns of thinking build around that faith.

Theories are fine but meaningless except for idle speculation unless we practically apply them to any and all problems and situations which may confront us. It is wonderful to say we believe in prayer, but what can it mean to us unless we pray?

There comes a time in the process of our own growth and development when we have learned enough and we must start using what we have learned. Otherwise we can find ourselves spending a lifetime gathering together ideas which will be just a mass of interesting information of no practical value.

Regardless of how little or how much we may feel we have learned about the Science of Mind, the only time to start to make use of it is now. We have to start using today whatever we may know or we shall find that the time never comes when we feel we know enough.

The real secret to the practical application lies not in how much we know, but in the application of what we do know. And the application means only that we have to apply it, not just think about applying it.

The results, large or small, much or little, depend entirely on the degree of conscientious endeavour, enthusiasm and joy, conviction and faith we can bring to bear on any particular situation.

No one else can do any of this for us. We alone must do the applying, for the Science of Mind is to be a practical dynamic factor in everyday living. It’s up to us.

Source: Ernest Holmes

THE POWER OF CONCENTRATION

It has been said that the development of true personality depends largely, if not altogether, on concentration. By this is meant that the focusing of thought on a specific subject or object is the one thing needed to the understanding of the subject or the acquiring of the object.

The creative capacity in man is like the creative capacity in God, for it is and must be the result of unwavering direction. “If thine eye be single thy whole body shall be full of light, “said the Master, and James declares that, “A double-minded man is unstable in all his ways.”

A man’s eye is not single when his attention is easily drawn away from the thing he desires to be, or do. Hence the innumerable failures in the world.

Nothing successfully interferes with true and constructive concentration as the common tendency to judge after appearances. Appearances may indicate that conditions are greater tIt has been said that the development of true personality depends largely, if not altogether, on concentration. By this is meant that the focusing of thought on a specific subject or object is the one thing needed to the understanding of the subject or the acquiring of the object.

The creative capacity in man is like the creative capacity in God, for it is and must be the result of unwavering direction. “If thine eye be single thy whole body shall be full of light, “said the Master, and James declares that, “A double-minded man is unstable in all his ways.”

A man’s eye is not single when his attention is easily drawn away from the thing he desires to be, or do. Hence the innumerable failures in the world.

Nothing successfully interferes with true and constructive concentration as the common han man’s capacity to overcome them, and so long as man believes they are, they will be so to him. The believer will be conquered by his own beliefs.

When a man thinks or believes that negative conditions or limitation are larger than his power to overcome them, he is concentrating on a falsity.

Concentration is the art and the science of discrimination. It is the capacity to separate the wheat of the real from the chaff of the apparent, for it is only as we are able to do this that error can be overcome by Truth.

The tendency of an idea or mental picture is to externalise itself, unless it is inhibited by negative thinking. Those who think in the negative bring into their lives negative conditions such as sickness and failure, those who are a mixture of negative and positive thinking, swing between success and failure. Those who have discovered the wisdom of dwelling” In the secret place of the Most High” which is the art of concentrating on the real, makes it appear.

Jesus had formed the habit of concentrating on the Real or the things that are made of God, and by so doing it was easy for Him to see through appearances.

Man in ignorance regard the abnormal as real and as normal, and then wonders why man is persistently tormented by the abnormal and the unnatural. So long as man continues in this state of mind, man shall speak of the awful uncertainty of things. The awful uncertainty is not in things but in man, and it will ever continue to be so until Truth is known, and the Truth is that, only, that which is real, of which God is the Author.

“All things were made by God, and with Him was not anything made that was made”

We shall know what are the things that were made by God, when we know that God is not the author of confusion but of peace. When we can discern that whatever is confusing (i.e. sickness, anxiety and poverty) is not of God, no matter how real these seem to be, we shall have arrived at the place in our spiritual development where we can say none of these things (appearances) moves us. Then we shall know the meaning of the words, to them gave He dominion.

Concentrating on the things that are, the appearances which seem to be, will be eliminated, and being eliminated from consciousness they will cease to have power over us, for it is in consciousness that man suffers or not suffer at all.

To fill consciousness, therefore, with the things of God, is to render it empty of all else, and when consciousness is empty of all else , then God manifests Himself as Health, and Wholeness, for it is only as such He can be manifested. Just as the sun can manifest itself only in that which is of its own nature, such as light and heat, so God can manifest Himself only in that which reflects Beauty and Harmony, Perfection and Purity.

Whatever, then, we desire, only that which is good on the principle that only the good endures, we should keep on thinking it with greatest persistency, for by so doing we shall bring good into our experiences according to the eternal law of attraction.

Do we desire health, think it, and let us never allow ourselves to be diverted from thinking it.

It is because health is in us that we are able to through thinking health to bring it into manifestation. We must externalise it through the intelligent direction of the only power with which God has equipped us for this pleasant and profitable duty. This power is the power of mind, for as James Allen says,

‘Man is mind, and evermore
He takes the tool of thought
And, shaping what he wills,
Brings forth a thousand ills,
He thinks in secret and it comes to pass,
Environment is but his looking glass”



Source: W John Murray (Mental Medicine 1923)

THOUGHT

Finally, brethren , whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report… think on these things. Phil 4:8

Thought is the instrument of creative power of Mind and is the cause of word and deed. To think is proof that I am, therefore I think. There cannot be a thought without a thinker. Since thought is used as the basis on which to form conclusions and conclusions to form words and shape our deeds, it is evident that out thoughts and affirmations must be at one with God and His attributes, no matter what appearances may indicate. Thinking is not a cause of growth but a means of growth; the impelling power is in Mind.

All external conditions are the results of our thoughts, beliefs and decisions. The thoughts and beliefs upon which we rely and dwell bring us our experiences of either pleasure or pain, light or shadow. It is our own mental conduct and recognition that makes conditions either pleasant or unpleasant. “Every man shall bear his burden.” Gal. 6:5. Would we externalise love, our thoughts must be filled with love. Would we enjoy harmonious conditions, we must believe in harmony. To the pure in thought all things are pure, and to goodness all things are good.

The time has come when we are ready for a complete change of thought and a deep conviction of Truth. We, as students, must move out of the mists of illusive belief and be thoroughly willing to be established in knowledge and faith. Giving up false concepts opens the way for the incoming of light and truth. The greatest need of humanity is knowledge of Truth with its certainty and unwavering faith in the All as Good; a consciousness or how to find and demonstrate health, happiness, and success; and to realise peace and enjoy rest. Recognition of the ever-present Good is the means by which all this is to be realised and enjoyed.

Divine Science teaches the value of having a basis of truth from which to think and reason. This teaching is a science because it presents an exact knowledge of life. The basis of reasoning in Divine Science is the omnipresence of God. God is omnipresent, the one and only Presence everywhere. Thus we know that everything is within God-Mind. God Mind includes you and me. It includes everything in the perfect harmony of God-Substance, God Intelligence, God-Life, and God-Power. It includes my body within God-Perfection. It includes all times and places, all circumstances, events, plans, and purpose with God.

God the Creator
God, the Creative Action
God, the Creation
God, “All and in all.”

After admitting the omnipresence of God what should we do with it? We should begin at once to put into practice the type of thinking which is harmonious with this Truth. When we study music, we begin practicing at once, and in anything we undertake to learn, we expect to set aside time every day for practice. Just as surely must we put into practice whatever of Truth we have seen, if we wish to see more and more of Truth and to enjoy the experiences of desirable Good. We can realise the good in which we live only by loving acknowledgement of it in our own individual lives and ways. The understanding that Truth heals and makes free from error is of no value unless it be practiced.
Forming new habits of thinking requires practice but is essential. Seeing the truth and the value of the new way of thinking, we are able to persist without discouragement even though conditions do not at once seem transformed. It follows that an essential thing in the beginning of our work is that of changing the basis of thought from observation to Principle. This change of basis, a yield of our varied opinions to the One Changeless and Infinite good, changes all conditions.

Divine Science transfers the attention from the visible to the Invisible and thus gives us a new and correct basis for our thinking. We live in the fullness of Spirit, the Kingdom of Unity. We claim health, power, knowledge, and all good; claim our wholeness complete in infinite Good. As we do this, we enjoy the Good, and have peace and rest. Since the living God is around us, above us, and through us all, we are protected and shielded by the perfect Good at all times.

If we form the perfect idea of divine humanity, perceiving all as One, knowing that there is nothing lacking morally, mentally, or spiritually, we shall manifest power over external conditions and reveal more and more of the Life which we live until we express harmony divine.

There is no standard but God; hence, whatever He is should be our guide for thought, word, and act. We know that He is Life, Love and Power, Knowledge, Health, Perfection, Success, and all that we can conceive to be good. To be free from experiences contrary to this Good we must think in accordance with these inherent attributes. “Whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report… think on these things. Phil 4:8

“And God said; Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. “Gen 1:26. He plants the living soul, a perfect seed, in man and tells him to “dress and keep this seed”; he is to watch and cultivate the right thought for himself. Thinking is the method of cultivation, for by thinking man’s mentality is kept alive to Truth. As he persistently thinks on this declaration, realisation of the true state of things becomes more and clearer to him. Eventually we shall understand that it is a law as fixed as the eternal principle of mathematics, that as men and women think in their hearts (in the depths of their God-Self), so do they become aware of their true possibilities.

Train yourself to think: “I do not judge of what I am by what I feel, but I direct my feelings by what I know I am.” This is scientific; it is knowledge duly arranged. This is the method and the only method by which to control thought and express our highest concept of perfection. Systematically train your thinking in Truth’s way. There is but one Way, one Truth, and one Life; find it and abide in it. Affirm over and over again the eternal principles that Truth reveals. Recognise that these are verities or your own being or Life. Accept this new revelation. Awaken! Listen! Think and speak by its light. Be positive, be firm and unwavering and consciousness of Truth will be your reward. Every hour in the day, yes, every moment be on your guard to admit only perfect good and affirm the love presence in everything.

This is man’s responsibility; let him recognise it faithfully; let him systematically practice thinking of this perfect Being that is the nature of Love, Purity, Peace and Health. Recognise that this is your Being –your Nature.

When you say “I am,” know this “I” of which you speak is immortal. Know that you are an eternal idea in the mind of God; changeless, harmonious, strong in thought and body, loving, living, trusting, resting in the freedom and fullness of perfect Life.

By thoughtfully making the above statements and using them each day for a time, habits of thinking will be formed that will gradually bring a sense of peace. Moment by moment you live and moment by moment you think. Conform every thought to the consciousness of Divine Presence; declare it to the exclusion of all else. Accept the Whole Being, then will your thinking and speaking change. If your thinking is optimistic, constructive, right, and your doing is consistent with it, you will find each day an opportunity for development, for you will be proving that you understand the power of thought.

Source: Divine Science: Its Principle and Practice by Malinda Elliot Crammer and Fannie Brooks James.

SPIRITUAL HEALING

There is too much misunderstanding about spiritual healing and the average person does not grasp its full meaning.

Spiritual mind healing is not vague, mystical, mental performance in which one wraps himself with soberness or ponderosity and call it thinking. Spiritual mind healing is based on the theory that there is an intelligent and creative Power around us and flowing through us; a Power greater than we are but a Power which we can use. At the same time it is a Power that must be consciously used if It is to do anything definite for us. It is like electricity. The universe is full of electrical energy. Machinery is run by this energy, but not a wheel will be turned by it unless it is first properly connected.

Spiritual mind treatment for healing, then deals with a Power greater than we are and a Power right where we are, around and within us. We cannot change this Power. It exists from eternity to eternity. We might liken it to gravitational force on the surface of this Earth, which automatically holds everything in place, but the force of itself does not change the position of things. We have the freedom to walk about in the gravitational field, to change our position in it.

We can stand on our hands or our feet – and gravitational force will never ask, “Are you a Methodist or a Baptist?’ or “Are you educated or uneducated? Are you cultured or crude?’ It holds everything in its place. Gravitational force is intelligent; it is a power greater than we are that operates upon us and through us.

There is in the universe that which we can call infinite Intelligence and a creative Law surrounding all things, which in its original state permeates and penetrates the interspaces of the universe and every object we see.

I guess someone will ask, ‘is that God?’

It is God in the same sense that everything is God. It is God in the same sense that our minds are God. It is God in the same sense that God, as the creative Cause of all things, is in and through everything and surrounds everything.

One of the mistakes we make is to think that if we say, ‘I believe in God, God is Good, God is the only Power there is, God is right where I am,’’ this is a spiritual mind treatment which is a definite and active thing. Treatment is the activity of our consciousness, our awareness, based on a belief in the Divine Presence, used for a specific purpose, and identified with the purpose, place, or thing we wish to help, to change, or to heal.

A spiritual mind treatment must not be confused with meditation. However, meditation is a good preparation treatment or prayer. For instance, we might meditate upon the thought: “God is love, God is life, God is truth, God is beauty, God is power,’ until we feel the presence of life, truth, beauty and power. This increases our awareness of life, love, beauty, and power – and that is good.

But if it is to be a treatment, then there must be added to it:”This life, this truth, this love, this beauty, this power is now consciously active in my affairs,” or “is eliminating from me what does not belong,” or “is establishing in me a poise, a calm, a sense of peace, a sense of belonging, a feeling which is free from fear.” In this manner we are passing from the contemplation of the meaning of words, the meditating upon that meaning – all of which is good and essential – to the active application of our words to a specific problem.

For a moment let us consider the act of prayer. It is the finite reaching out to the Infinite of help. It may take the form of supplication or active faith according to our state of consciousness. But when the prayer passes from supplication to active faith, what happens to the mind or the thinking or the one engaged in prayer? The change that takes place is from the idea of “God, please do this, “to “Thank You, God, that You are doing this,” or “that this is being done.”

Then we discover that the reaction in the mind of the one praying in this manner is that he accepts his own statement: he passes from hope to faith, to conviction and acceptance. This is called a prayer of affirmation. It is a prayer of acceptance; it is the effective prayer. Whenever one has prayed effectually it has always been because somewhere in the prayer the mind of the one praying has become convinced!

The effective prayer is one that has so much faith that the one praying no longer doubts! It is evident that this must be true because we have to convince either ourselves or God. Now, it stands to reason we cannot tell electricity to be energy; we cannot tell gravitational force to hold things in the places. We can only use the energy and change our position in relation to it. Neither can we tell God anything. As Whittier said: The Lord is God! He needeth not the poor device of man.

It is evident that we cannot argue with the Almighty and tell Him to be good, tell him to be life, to be truth, beauty or power. We may only accept that there is a Power greater than we are and that It is operating this way. We must recognise that people who have prayed with fervour and with faith have had their prayers answered. But they were not answered by a caprice or nature, a whimsical fancy of the Almighty, or by some law which is a law of chance in that it might or might not answer.

Prayers have always been answered because, knowingly or unknowingly, they have complied with the condition Jesus laid down when he said that when you pray believe that you have and you will receive.

Jesus introduced the use of a principle that has been overlooked until the last hundred years; but it now is the foundation of modern metaphysics. What was it Jesus announced? He said, in effect, there is a creative Intelligence surrounding us that operates on our word. Let us add, It operates on our word as gravitational force operates upon an object to hold it where we set it. It operates upon our word as a creative Intelligence operates on a seed that we put into the ground. We do not coerce It, we do not beseech It, we do not supplicate It, we cannot concentrate It; we do not hold thoughts out to influence things, people, or conditions. Instead, It is Principle, acting as a principle, and therefore acting mathematically and impersonally as all principles must.

Someone might ask, “Is this manipulating God? Not at all. This Principle is a law in nature just like other principles. But is it creative. Someone else might ask, “Well, is this merely a mental science? Where is the spiritual value?” The answer to this is: This Principle reacts to us at the level of our action in It. What It doe for us, It must do through us at the level of our conviction, belief and thought. If this Power seems to have reacted chaotically it is because consciousness has been chaotic. Therefore, the spiritual quality of a treatment or prayer is of vital importance. We must not only be aware of the Power, we must tune the mind to a spiritual realisation of Life – the embodiment of beauty, of love, of tenderness, of kindness, of compassion, of goodness, and of faith.

It is impossible, then, to divorce the spiritual consciousness from prayer or treatment. The primary step in spiritual mind treatment is an awareness of God. The person who gets the best results is the one who has the most conviction of the Divine Presence, and the deepest consciousness of spiritual harmony.

The treatment must embody that inspiration, that feeling which comes alone from the Source of all life. The treatments must touch the seamless robe of unity and wholeness with conviction and feeling. The higher the spiritual awareness, the more Power will flow through it.

There is a part of us that dwells eternally with the most High. We cannot divorce spiritual aspiration, spiritual realisation, or meditation from a scientific technique. It is still necessary to use the technique. Therefore, at any given moment, if we watch ourselves carefully, we will see that the effectiveness of our treatment will depend on how much of an embodiment there was of love, of compassion, of life, of what I choose to call the abandonment of the mind and the soul to the Spirit. This is not something chaotic. It is something actual and real. It is the acceptance of the availability of the Power greater than we are.

Therefore, say to yourself, quietly and with deep conviction: I am now waiting upon the Spirit within me. I believe that I am so close to It that It can reach out through me and govern my life in harmony an in peace. I believe It can be a blessing to myself and to others. I am lifting up my mind, in faith to the conviction that the Spirit of God within me is my real Self. I am inviting this Spirit to enter my mind, to direct my thoughts and my acts, and I am expecting It to do this.

Believing that I am an individual in God and a Divine person in my own right, I am inviting new circumstances and situations into my experience and I am waiting on the Divine Presence within me to make Itself known, to reveal Itself to every person I meet and every situation I contact, to bring life, joy, and happiness to everyone, And so it is. End

Source: Ernest Holmes : Science of Mind