Thought Bricks 26: Specialists
In this final lesson Bernard encourages us to be the “Head” of our own inner family and actively direct our thoughts and feelings into healthy streams. He also comments on how we are all natural ‘specialists’ and may find easier success with thought bricks in some areas of life than others. He finishes the lesson, and the Course, with some final points to watch.
Although this is the end of the course it need not be the end of your relationship with the Thought Bricks Teaching Centre. Please go to the website for further courses.
Blessings,
William M.
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THE “PRACTICAL LIFE” SECTION
LESSON TWENTY-SIX: SPECIALISTS
A VITAL, AGE-OLD SECRET
In this Section we are considering the truly balanced, practical life, so it is essential to pause here and understand what this entails. See yourself as a whole, first. Then split yourself up into a group of parts -a “family” in fact. At the head is your Real Self, the spiritual part of you. This can represent the parent (or both parents in one, since there are the attributes of both sexes in the eternal Self of everyone. However, this does not apply here, so to simplify matters let your spiritual Self represent the parent, or “head of the family”). Then comes your mind – a very complex part of you, operating on different levels and fulfilling different functions. Part of this mind is also in every inch of you; every muscle, bone, drop of blood and in every pore. All these mind-parts belong to your “family”, remember.
Finally, there is your body, composed, as you know, of trunk, limbs, hands, feet, head, sense-organs and so on. All these, too, are part of your “family” and you are the “parent”, or “head of the family”.
Remember this and it will transform you. This one piece of vital information, properly understood and practised, is worth a fortune to you, as well as much more that no money could ever buy.
YOU, the Real, Eternal Self, are “Head of the family” that comprises yourself here on earth. Remember it, assert your authority. Think, speak and act from this actual, vital fact from this day forward.
No longer must you allow your words to falter, your will to waver, your emotions to flutter, your reason to stumble. Decide exactly the sort of person you want to be and lay down the law forcibly, coaxingly, encouragingly and invigoratingly until you have both attained and maintained it.
How to do this? Well, how does a true, strong, wise “head of the family” behave? Why, by stating his plans for the family in no uncertain terms and seeing they are obeyed! This is what YOU must do. “Does your eye offend you?” asks the Scripture. “Pluck it out!” This is only a symbolical way of saying, of course: “Don’t put up with it, then. See that the offending eye is called to order and made to mend its ways!”
Talk to ‘Yourself’
Do this in all things with yourself. Silently, in your own being, without any actual, outer sign or sound, you can gain and maintain full authority over your “family “, over the group that comprises yourself. Silently “talk” to your “child”, the mind, whatever part of the mind it is. Reason it out of its fears, its timidity just as though you were a parent standing in your own house talking to a wayward son or daughter. “Talk” to every part of you that doesn’t please you, that doesn’t come up to your requirements or desires. “Talk” yourself into changing character and characteristics, “talk” yourself into success.
“Talk” to your body in the same way – to every part of it that you wish to invigorate or improve. If your leg aches, “talk” to it (actually you will be contacting the part of the mind that is within the leg, that gives it movement and blood and all its other needs) and tell it what you want of it. “Talk” silently within yourself, but talk to that part of your “family” – remember – exactly as though you were a parent in your own house, talking to an erring son or daughter. As to how you will talk, follow your feeling or mood about it.
If there is no great hurry or urgent need, “talk” gently, coaxingly and encouragingly. If there is an emergency, “talk” sternly and emphatically. Make it an insistent command. One of my Students once told me that he had had a severe pain in his body while sitting at home that morning. He had silently “shouted” to it: ” Oh get going! I’m tired of this pain. Clear off!” To his astonishment the pain went instantly. At the time he wrote to tell me this, he was very surprised, but actually he had stumbled by accident on a truth that has existed for as long as mankind and has been consciously practised by adepts for thousands of years! Of course, the results are not always as swift as this, but if calmly and capably persisted in, they are sure.
Learn this well, then, and practise it always. YOU are the “head” of the “family” that comprises “yourself”. Assert your authority from this day onward and it will lead you to a life of health, peace, serenity, success and fulfilment.
Specialists
A Student wrote: “I had been to a place on my cycle some three miles away on business, and my wife asked me to come back soon. It got on to 8 p.m. and when I was at a friend’s house and was about to ride on my cycle, down came the rain. I now thought it would be exciting to do some thought building. The clouds were very black indeed and it didn’t look like clearing up for at least one hour. So I calmly sat down and asked God to stop rain falling and to clear the clouds so as to enable me to reach home without getting wet. You see I hadn’t a raincoat. God answered my prayer immediately for it stopped raining after about three or four minutes.”
My reply was: “You know, I have been giving quite a lot of thought, at odd times, to the idea of thought building for the weather since we have had so many months of rain. The point is, that if I wanted to do this ‘in a big way’, I would have to give up a great deal of time to it, to growing in skill in the use of this gift of guiding and controlling the elements. And I just haven’t the time to spare. I am so busy doing this Work, looking after my Student Family and thought building for the Work and you, that I could not devote the time and attention needed.”
“It seems to me that we should try to specialise, as much as we can, in our thought building. As Paul the Apostle said, we have a diversity of gifts. Some, perhaps, would be drawn to prayers for healing; others for serenity and peace of mind; others to the growth of peace and harmony in human relations; others to the free flowing of material supply, and so on. Of course, sometimes a vital need arises and we need to thought build for that, but for the most part it seems a good idea to find what comes most easily to us, and thought build for that. Have you noticed, for instance, what a lot of Students are successful in growing hair more abundantly, both for themselves and others?”
“Then there are the Students who have great success with mechanical things, like watches and clocks, or cars and engines. There are also those who help others to ‘grow faith and hope and confidence’, through prayer. One Student recently had success with aching teeth. Then there are those who bring financial supply to those in need, through prayer, or healing of mind or body. And there are the heavy smokers who stop smoking, much to their relief and pleasure. Others seem to help people to pass examinations or get better jobs or obtain accommodation. You see? I wonder if we are all good at thought building for one thing more than others, and that, if we discover it, we may be able to help others more?”
“Anyway, I have had one or two minor successes with the weather, and so have some of the Family, but I do feel, don’t you, that with the kind of weather we have at times, there is room for some ‘specialists ‘ in this direction?
“There is no doubt whatever that control over the elements is possible. As well as the cases mentioned in the Old Testament, there is the case of the Master who fell asleep, in the boat; a storm came up and the disciples became frightened. They awoke Him and He silenced the storm by a single utterance. It is useless to say: ‘But this was the Master. No-one else could do it.’ For the Master said clearly: ‘The works that I do, ye shall do also’.”
A Student wrote: “I picked some lovely roses from my little garden, and I put them in front of the picture I have of the Master. One rose was open with two or three petals dropped, but I asked that they should all last the full week – and they did so. Not one petal dropped, and the rose that had started to shed its petals just closed up, but did not die.”
My comment was: “I do love these ‘garden-miracles’, don’t you? (Almost-dead trees reviving, and blooming for the first time in years, and things like that.) So far, I have not tried anything like this, myself, but I shall. The whole secret is in learning’ to conceive of a possibility of something happening. When we hear of others doing something, we realise that it is possible, and so we go ahead and ask God to work what is, to us mortals, a miracle, but is to Him a natural happening. That is the value of B.W.N. don’t you think? It gives us ideas and shows us possibilities of future prayer.”
Power in Pictures
A Student wrote: “I would like to tell you of the success I have had. My husband poisoned his hand; the poison was going up his arm and the doctor was called who lanced it, saying he was not to go to work for one week. It was very swollen so I asked our Father to take the swelling down and heal it in two days, it being the weekend. I pictured it well, using the Healing Chart and much to the joy of us all it was completely well in two days and my husband could go to work as usual on Monday.” –
My comment was: “Do you notice, Family, how this Student says she ‘pictured’ what she wanted? I do want to teach you all to do this, really to expect the results by mentally creating them in your pictures of the mind. Know that, as you do this you are actually forming an outline to be filled with divine life and made real and visible to you. I am always so sorry when Students appear to miss this point – the value of mental creation. I get Students, sometimes, who, after reading all the Lessons, still persist in their old way of thinking.”
They write letters in which the words: ‘despair’, ‘despondency’, ‘resignation’, ‘pleasing’, ‘begging’ and ‘beseeching’, ‘depression’, ‘fear’ and ‘worry’ occur over and over; and often they end with the words: ‘Why don’t I have the same results as the other Students? I have such great faith.’ To people like this, I do say once again, ‘These negative aspects of the mind keep away the very blessings you desire, and you certainly could not feel like this if you had great faith – So go back to the Lessons and “be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind“‘.
This idea of specialising is an interesting one, isn’t it? But before setting out on it, it is most important to have the thoughts well in hand. Think of this specialising, for a moment, as though it were a child’s balloon! The balloon is being carried triumphantly along when suddenly a gust of wind snatches it out of the child’s hand. He tries to clutch it, misses the string, and the balloon goes sailing along. He goes after it, leaping, running, trying to catch it until at last, out of breath but invigorated, he succeeds – and the balloon is once more in his hands. After that he keeps a firm hand on it and directs the journey of the balloon. So it is with our thoughts. We must learn to hold and control them and only then can we “specialise” by directing them.
Points to Watch
In this Course I have tried to help you to live a balanced and practical life. These are the final points to watch particularly.
(1). Be logical. Students sometimes say: “I am trying hard to accept your teaching about so-and-so “. But this is illogical! If they feel that my teaching is true, they have already accepted it. If they think it is not true, why should they try hard to accept it? Watch your thoughts, then, and reason with yourself.
Always “drive a carriage and pair”. (The “carriage” represents yourself and the two” horses” represent emotion and reason.) Never drive with the single “horse” of emotion only or reason only. One is incomplete without the other! So be logical in all your thinking, all the time.
(2). Realise that the spiritual, mental and physical life together is the truly balanced one. Be careful not to get obsessed, fanatical, cranky or goofy about anything at all.
(3). Refuse to be weakened by anything or anybody. If any teaching you encounter in life seeks to make you feel inferior, weak, hopeless, dispirited – have nothing to do with it. Remember that you are child and heir of the divine
(4). Refuse to be cast down by feelings of unworthiness, regret, remorse, &c. There is no-one in the world who has nothing to regret… Be sorry for mistakes; put it right if you can – and then go on your upward way rejoicing!
(5). Refuse to be weakened by self-pity. Don’t “whine to yourself” in your thoughts, nor to others in order to get words of pity. It will pull you down and prevent your happy success in life. Don’t grumble and whine about the weather, your health, your job, your life-conditions and the like, either within your own mind or in words to others. Take a robust, independent, courageous and inspiring view of things and be a source of inspiration to everyone you meet.
(6). Start to live a happy, balanced, practical life from this day on, and so enjoy the splendid fulfilment that will surely unfold for you.
God bless!
Your Friend,
Bernard.