Showing results by narrator "Jim Wentland" in All Categories

What is truly meant by consciousness, or what is the principle back of that term? There are many ideas which cannot be expressed properly for lack of words, or lack of terms. The word consciousness is really derived from the Latin root scio, to know, and con, together; so the word consciousness from the derivative meaning would signify: to know together.

With the sole idea that, through a pleasant, or at least fascinatingly strange story, some will be brought to the threshold of realization wherein the partially explored activities and functions of the mind contain many profound mysteries and principles of considerable import, and that those so illumined may be tempted to seek for more light in the chamber of the unknown, this book is offered to those constantly asking for the unusual in fiction and the mystical in romance.

In what does success consist? Many persons desire to know how to be successful. How to win success. Before this question can be answered there must be an understanding as to what they mean by success, and what success stands for in this book. I asked a correspondent what he meant by success, and his answer was, "I am in business, and I wish to make money from it!" Another wishes to win an office.

The statement of individuality that “I am here, now”, is a mighty one. It will always be “I am” with you - it will always be “here” with you. No matter what state your individuality may reach; no matter what point of space you may occupy; no matter what period of time it may be - it will always be true that “I am here, now!” May you unfold into a perception of this statement of individuality.

Blake asked the question: "Why is it that the Bible is more entertaining and instructive than any other book? Is it not because it is addressed to the Imagination, which is spiritual sensation, and only immediately to the understanding, or reason?" The one book, called the Bible, is composed of 66 books. Take this challenge. Study each book as though the depth of your soul is speaking to your surface mind. As though the ineffable Imagination is speaking to the human Imagination, and not to your immediate understanding or reasoning mind.

You will find this a very practical night, for I feel that the truth of the working of God's law should be looked upon as intensely as anything in this world. So tonight I want to show you quite clearly how God's law operates.

Now tonight let me share with you some experiences to show you that it is all your own wonderful human imagination. You might have read last Saturday's Los Angeles Times. On the front page in bold, bold type is the story of a plane. A story was told, and shown on TV, and made very, very popular by Rod Serling.

When you find your own wonderful human imagination to be the creative power of the world, you will find it a "wild vine", where you have misused this talent and imagined every unlovely thing in the world. Now, when you find it, you must prune it, and, so, you prune it by the proper use of it, and you stop misusing the power that is Christ-in-you.

Today we are going to see the effect that our thoughts can have on our lives. What do you think life holds in store for you? Do you look forward to success and happiness? Is yesterday a happy memory? And what about today? Did you ever think that the only yesterday you can live over again is in your own mind, and the only tomorrow you can live is also in your own mind? Your yesterdays, then are but memories, and your tomorrows anticipations.

The living water means inspiration. The word inspiration comes from the Latin spiro, meaning I breathe into. We breathe air without effort, likewise we must let the divine light or the creative essence of God flow through our intellect without tension. The subjective mind in us perceives by intuition. It does not have to reason or inquire as it is all-wise, infinite intelligence.

There is a creative urge back of everything you do - an urge to express life, joy and happiness, an urge to reach out to everything that lives, as though you belong in the universe in which you live; to be one with it and have an enthusiastic zest for living. Man's nature is such that it is necessary for him to express life, to come into the fulfillment of joy and happiness and he is disconsolate until this happens.

Consciousness, or the ability to know, is the most important thing in your life. It must be this thing called life in you, acting as an individual, a person. But there is still more to it than this. For you didn't create your own consciousness. It came with you when you entered this world. Consciousness, or that thing which you really are, is the gift of life. It is God in you.

The treatments found in this book - one for each day - were written for you. But here is a wonderful caution: you must do more than merely listen to the words; you must feel them, know the truth of them and believe them. Unless the words are believed with utmost faith, no change will take place in your consciousness, and until you change your consciousness, you haven't changed a thing. Hear - feel - know. Be blessed.

Our teaching has a very great deal of mysticism in it and it should be more completely developed with the realization that mysticism is not mystery just as intuition is not psychism. Half of the world and three-fourths of the world in our field, who should know better, mistake intuition for psychism and think if a person gets a hunch they must be very spiritual so most people mistake mysticism for mystery.

When Emil Coue came to this country a number of years ago, he brought with him a piece of string with 20 knots in it, and an idea of which the string was but a symbol. His ideas that if you run your fingers over the 20 knots, repeating rapidly, "Every day, and in every way, I am becoming better and better," you will finally arrive at an affirmative realization of life. His piece of string was a method for changing the thought patterns that are more or less set within our minds.

Demonstrating the spiritual principle of life is a process of convincing the mentality of an inner and ever-present good, reality is already perfect. God is always God and good is never evil. It is only as we turn, with our whole consciousness to the light that we receive light. It is impossible, while we keep ourselves covered with darkness, for the light to shine on us.

Today I want to tell you the story of a beautiful young woman who proved in her own experience that there is one divine presence in everything and in everyone. This is the story of a young school teacher who learned how to solve her problems through meditation and prayer.

No one can doubt that Jesus was the wisest man who ever lived. Anyone who could transform other people's lives as he did must have possessed the secret of the ages. Jesus possessed a secret so profound, so powerful, and so awe-inspiring that he became the greatest figure in human history. Jesus had knowledge of a power so great that it commanded the wind and the waves. And you and I wish to discover this secret and to make use of this power.

We are all on the receiving line, wishing to get the most out of life. We wouldn't be normal if we didn't wish to enjoy living, for life is made to live. How could there be a song unless someone sings it? But sometimes we fail to realize that there is an exact law of life which tells us that in the long run we shall only receive what we give.

Friends, if God is all there is, it follows that the spirit within us must be some part of the divine being. When we were born into this world we were accompanied by a spiritual presence which is the real self. But this spiritual self is pretty much an unknown guest to all of us.