As student of mysticism, we know that the mind within has a profound effect on our circumstances without.

Whatever the outward circumstances, the material expression is only a re­flection of some belief or concept that was first within the mind.

The kind of body you have, the kind of home you live in, the type of work you do, the kind of people you meet are all conditioned by and correspond to the images you hold in your mind.

As the plant springs from and could not be without the seed, so the circumstances in your life spring from the hidden seeds of thought.

Human action is always preceded by thought. Action, then, is the blossom of thought, and joy and suffering are its fruits.

So in choosing the fruits of your life – a healthy body, a satisfactory career, relationships, and opportunities – you must first plant the seed of thought and thus supply yourself with the proper image in your mind before the thing will be manifested in the circumstances of your material world.

Without the mental image within, you cannot have the material expression without – for as within, so with­out.

Probably there are things you would like to change or eliminate in your life (and we all have such things), perhaps bodily difficulties or faults of character, habits of thought and action.

If you rid your mind of the mental image  that is, stop thinking about the un­wanted condition- that condition will cease to exist in your life.

Thus the secret of success­ful living is to build up or visualise the mental image that you want; and to get rid of, to expunge, the mental image that you do not want.

How is this accomplished? By choosing the thoughts you allow to dwell in your mind and form images.

To the Rosicrucian, thoughts are things.

According to the Law of Polarity, anything that is created anywhere in the Universe is produced by two other things.

For years it was believed that the atom was the smallest particle of matter; but when scientists split the atom and found that the atom was composed of protons (the positive element) and electrons (the negative element ), the Law of Po­larity was apparent.

It always takes two things, the positive and the negative, to produce a third.

Since thoughts are things, they too must be composed of two other things.

The two components of thought are clearness (the negative, passive element) and interest (the positive, active element).

If you want to exercise the Law of Polarity and create what you desire in your material world, you should start with the thought process.

First, you need a clear mental picture of what you want; second, you need enough interest to cause the creative forces of the Universe to respond to your desires.

The Thought Seed – A Creative Idea

Thoughts by nature externalise.

You tend to attract to yourself, and to become attracted toward, people, circumstances, and situations which are like the images you hold in your thoughts.

If you think about and identify yourself with happiness, you will attract hap­piness in your life.

But it is impossible to be successful and happy while you think about, identify yourself with, and hold an image in your mind of failure and sadness.

Remember, the type of thought you concentrate on and hold in your mind will reproduce itself in your outer world for as within, so without.

Most of us joined the Rosicrucian Order with a desire to become happy, healthy, and prosperous.

But do we hold that image in our minds; or do we occasionally read an inspira­tional article and then wonder why we are not more successful in attaining our goal?

One of the reasons we do not see the manifestation of our desires is because we have not acted ac­cording to the Law of Polarity.

We do not think quietly, constantly, and persistently about the kind of things we want, and we do not act on the guidance from within.

If we exercise the first pole by forming the mental picture, we often let doubt destroy the second pole – our interest.

Doubt causes the image to become distorted or destroyed before time has permitted the creation to express itself in physical form.

The thought seed, the creative idea, must be nourished and kept alive through its gestation period just as with any other life form.

An egg, for instance, has within it a tiny seed capable of becoming a chicken. But before you can see the material manifestation, that is, the chicken running in the barnyard, the mother hen must have enough interest during the three-week gestation period to nourish the egg by keeping it warm with her body, turning it in various positions with the expectation of seeing a baby chick.

If the hen loses interest and fails to sit on the egg, the chick will be still-born.

The manifestation then is a rotten egg.

So it is with your thought ideas.

Lose interest and fail to act, and your idea becomes the equivalent of a rotten egg.

The successful person concentrates their thoughts on such divine attributes as love, wisdom, joy, and beauty, and uses affirmations to maintain their interest while nourishing their thought-ideas through the gestation period.

Their mind is open and receptive, and intu­itively they are directed toward their highest good by the Cosmic Energy within.

Just as the hen acts intuitively in changing an egg into a chicken, you can act intuitively to change your idea into its material manifestation.

Concentration

The Rosicrucian teachings emphasise concentration, for concentration is the key to a happy life.

Through concentration, you build an image within that will then be mani­fested in your life.

Many people fail to concentrate success­ fully because they think that concentration requires the use of will power.

They actually try to concentrate with their muscles and blood vessels.

They frown.

They clench their hands and unwittingly apply the principle of the engineer’s drill.

They think that the more pressure they apply, the faster they will get through. But all this is quite wrong.

Forget the drill and think of a photo­graphic camera.

In a camera there is, of course, no question of pressure.

There the secret lies in focus.

If you want to photograph an object, you focus your camera lens quietly and steadily on the object for the necessary length of time.

You do not press violently against the lens of the camera and you do not move the camera from one item to another, moment by moment. If you did, the picture would develop into a crazy blur.

The same is true with the picture you are developing in your mind when you do not keep your thoughts concentrated for any length of time.

Some people, in attempting to con­centrate, think health for a few minutes and then they think sickness or fear. They think prosperity, and then they worry about their debts and how they are going to pay their bills.

Is it any wonder they are so apt to demonstrate a hazy, blurred image?

The Infinite Mind

You know that if you are to be successful in the business world, you must love your work and be inspired from within to take positive action.

The same is true in your mystical development.

If you insincerely pray and meditate from the outside, maybe in an effort to impress others, your efforts will be in vain.

But if you turn your consciousness within, to attune with and accept the guidance from the Infinite Mind, your spiritual growth will be apparent and will be reflected in the circum­stances of your life.

The Master Jesus said, “As a man thinketh in his heart so is he.”

I believe that thoughts rapidly crystallise into habits, and habits solidify into circumstances.

The real you, then, is reflected in the circumstances of your life, and those circumstances are the results of your thoughts.

Thoughts of fear, doubt, and indecision crystallise into weak and irresolute habits, which solidify into circumstances of failure.

Thoughts of an envious, jealous, revengeful, critical, or de­structive nature, crystallise into confusing habits, which solidify into adverse circum­stances.

On the other hand, beautiful thoughts crystallise into habits of grace and kindness, which solidify into genial, cheerful, and pleas­ant circumstances.

Pure thoughts of love, health, and happiness crystallise into habits of temperance and self-control, which solidify into circumstances of success, repose, and peace.

Just as lovely, pleasing, enjoyable thoughts produce a sweet and sunny disposi­tion, so do sour, disagreeable, and offensive thoughts result in a sour and unattractive conditions.

A particular train of thought persisted in, be it good or bad, cannot fail to produce its results in your character and in your world.

So look at yourself and your circumstances. Are you pleased with what you see? If you wish to improve your circumstances, you must im­prove yourself.

Begin by changing your thoughts.

The suffering you encounter in your circumstances is a result of your own inharmo­nious thoughts, while the peace and harmony in your life result from your own mental harmony within.

You are meant to be a happy, healthy, and prosperous person; and happiness, health, and prosperity are the result of a harmonious adjustment of the inner with the outer.

For as within, so without.

 

 

 

Adaptation of “The Seeds of Self-Fulfilment: As Within, So Without” by Mary Ann Fowler, F.R.C, RC Digest 1994