Demensions

I have recently come across some writing on New Thought, especially over the Internet. I am amazed at the ignorance of some of the writers, either as to its history, purpose, and meaning.

One writer inferred that Emma Curtis Hopkins was healed by Quimby - wrong, she was only 13 when he died.
That her teaching came down through Mary Baker Eddy - wrong. These ideas are refuted in her Class Lessons 1888.
That the people of their era were uneducated - wrong - Emma Curtis Hopkins had an incredible classic education. Ranging through ancient history, history of all of the religions of the world, mythology, and true spiritual living. Her father's library must have been an incredible resource. She also taught over 50,000 people in her day who UNDERSTOOD her, something today's metaphysicians have trouble doing.

More came down through the spiritual lives of Swedenborg and Warren Felt Evans than it did through Quimby and mesmerism. This was only a tool, not the spiritual essence.

There is nothing 'New' about New Thought it has existed in essence for millennia.

Comparisons with ancient Kami of Japan, Lao Tzu of China, and the ancient Naacal writings all show that the ideas of Truth Living were in existence and practiced long before our present era.

What has led us off the pathway of this way of life, set out over 50,000 years ago? The One God, the brotherhood of mankind, and the caring for the world we live in as the gift of love to God's creation.

We have begun to over intellectualize - seeking to divide God into little bits so that we can deal with the immensity of God's creation a little easier. In doing so we have lost the wholeness of God as a factor in our daily lives.
We have materialized God, confining him to buildings, to sects and organizations. We need money to build bigger and better churches to entertain and energize the people to give, give, and give. A certain 'Catch 22' situation.
We think that prosperity, health, and relationships are separate problems to solve with seminars and psycho- babble.
Or we think that crystals, candles, music, chanting, and various New Age disciplines can overcome our distress. This is where we have allowed the tools to become supreme. Jesus himself said that 'You have come for the miracle and not for the message", when he fed the 5000 and they demanded that he do it again.
We are in bondage to the drug culture, prescribed as well as illicit. Everyone wants to make a buck off us.

Lao Tzu called these the 'ten thousand things'. When we look to God as an integral part of our daily lives, recognizing the wholeness and alignment with God as pre-empting all other matters - Then as Meister Eckhart says:

"Where your mortal self ends, there God begins to be, God asks only one thing of you, that you dethrone the creaturely self and let Him be God in you."

Lao Tzu says that if we did not collect all the 'toys', there would be no crime of theft. If we did not want status and all the 'good things', then there would be no fractured families.

On giving the last class in Roots of Religion we were comparing the precepts of the Lemurians, with the great surge of spiritual workers around 600-500 BC. These were Kami, Lao Tzu, Mahavira and Buddha, Zarathrustra, Jeremiah, and the early Greek Philosophers, with which we then compared our current day New Thought.

It was rather sad to see the repetitions down through the ages. God keeps sending us these wonderful souls to remind us as to just what our purpose is here on this planet. But after a few years we degrade their message again and again.
The Ancient Religions told us that there was:-

1 An almighty, all-powerful, creative God and that man owed his existence to him.

2. Man was a special creation, possessing a soul or spirit. The Soul had everlasting life and never died.
The Material body returned to the earth from whence it came released the soul, which continued on.

3 Lessons in science . . . showed the laws and works of Creation, the infinite wisdom behind the Universe, perfectly natural laws governing all creation and the perfect manner that they were being carried out.

4 Then able to apprehend more fully the power, wisdom, and the Great Divine Love of the Creator; this gave a better understanding and oneness with his heavenly Father.

5. These were what today we call the Cosmic Sciences, but then the principles were taught to everyone. Because although today they seem beyond our knowledge, then they were simple.

It was thoroughly instilled into their minds that the heavenly Father was the GREAT LOVE, and that this great love ruled the Universe and never died.

The Heavenly Father's love was far greater than the love of an earthly Father. Therefore he should always approach his Heavenly Father without dread or fear, and in perfect confidence and love knowing that loving hands were being held out to receive him when he came.

It was taught that all mankind were created by the same Heavenly Father; therefore all mankind were his brothers and sisters, and should be treated as such in all his dealings with them.

His duties on earth were how he would live to prepare himself to become fit to pass into the world beyond, when he was called. He was especially reminded that he must follow the paths of Truth, Love, Charity, Chastity, with perfect love and confidence in his Heavenly Father.

Neither Mahavira or Buddha believed that prayers had any value, or did any good . . . startled! BUT, if you followed their path of Right conviction, Right knowledge, and Right conduct then you would not be off doing 'your thing', and manifesting dis-ease. For within lies salvation.

Jeremiah also said in 31:33 the Inner man must be changed, and we should have a personal relationship with God.

And again Ezekiel said that every man is his own priest, and is individually responsible to God, and there is no such thing as inherited guilt, or merit.

But there was again a movement away from this inner life to one of ritual, and organization.

Just as today we are moving away from those who brought us what we have called New Thought like the concept of Malinda Cramer; "To let the Spirit control the soul and the soul control the mind and the mind the body".

Emma Curtis Hopkins put it this way - "Steadfastly look to beyond the soul and the Twelve Powers of the Soul will become manifest." You do not train the mind - you let it get out of the way.

In the way that Meister Eckhart said -

"…dethrone the creaturely self and Let Him be God in You.".

P.J.R.