Books: Within You is the Power
H >>
Henry Thomas Hamblin >> Within You is the Power
Pages:
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
6 Produced by Wendy Crockett
Within You is the Power.
by
HENRY THOMAS HAMBLIN
CONTENTS.
PREFACE
CHAPTER I.--Infinite Life and Power
CHAPTER II.--The Overcoming of Life's Difficulties
CHAPTER III.--Fate or Free-Will?
CHAPTER IV.--Cause and Effect
CHAPTER V.--Success
CHAPTER VI.--Health
CHAPTER VII.--The Secret of Abundant Supply
CHAPTER VIII.--The Power and Limitations of the Sub-conscious Mind
CHAPTER IX.--The Use of the Spiritual or Super-conscious Mind
CHAPTER X.--Character Building and the Overcoming of Habit
CHAPTER XI.--Happiness and Joy
CHAPTER XII.--The Use and Mis-Use of Mental and Spiritual Powers
CHAPTER XIII.--Overcoming Limitations and Awakening Inward Powers
PREFACE.
There is a power lying hidden in man, by the use of which he can rise
to higher and better things.
There is in man a greater Self, that transcends the finite self of
the sense-man, even as the mountain towers above the plain.
The object of this little book is to help men and women to bring their
inward powers of mind and spirit into expression, wisely and in
harmony with universal law; to build up character, and to find within
themselves that wondrous Self, which is their real self, and which,
when found, reveals to them that they are literally and truly sons
of God and daughters of the Most High.
There is no way whereby the discipline of life can be avoided. There
is no means by which fate can be "tricked," nor cunning device by
which the great cosmic plan can be evaded. Each life must meet its
own troubles and difficulties: each soul must pass through its deep
waters, every heart must encounter sorrow and grief. But none need
be overwhelmed in the great conflicts of life, for one who has learned
the great secret of his identity with the Universal life and Power,
dwells in an impregnable city, built upon and into the Rock of Truth,
against which the storms of life beat in vain.
While this little work does not offer any vain promises of an easy
life--for, if this were possible, it would be the greatest of all
disasters--but rather endeavours to show how to become so strong that
life looks almost easy by comparison (the life or fate does not change
or become easier, but the individual alters and becomes stronger),
yet, it does show the reader how to avoid making his life more
difficult than it need be. Most people's lives would be less filled
with trouble and suffering if they took life in the right spirit and
acted in harmony with Universal Law.
It is hoped that this little book may help many to come into harmony
with life's law and purpose and thus avoid much needless suffering:
to find the Greater Self within, which discovery brings with it a
realization of absolute security: to bring into expression and wisely
use their inner spiritual and mental forces and thus enter a life
of overcoming and almost boundless power.
CHAPTER I.
INFINITE LIFE AND POWER.
Man possesses, did he but know it, illimitable Power. [1] This Power
is of the Spirit, therefore, it is unconquerable. It is not the power
of the ordinary life, or finite will, or human mind. It transcends
these, because, being spiritual, it is of a higher order than either
physical or even mental. This Power lies dormant, and is hidden within
man until he is sufficiently evolved and unfolded to be entrusted
with its use.
[1] The powers of the sub-conscious mind are dealt with in other
chapters. The Powers of the Spirit are far greater and finer
than those of the sub-conscious mind.
Thought is a spiritual power of tremendous potency, but this is not
the power of which we speak. By thought, man can either raise himself
up and connect himself with the "Power House" of the Universe, or
cut himself off entirely from the Divine Inflow. His thought is his
greatest weapon, because, by it he can either draw on the Infinite
or sever himself (in consciousness, but not in reality) from his
Divine Source.
Through the Divine Spark within him, which is really his real Self,
man is connected with the Infinite. Divine Life and Power are his,
if he _realizes_ that they are his. So long as he is ignorant of his
oneness with the Divine Source of all life, he is incapable of
appropriating the power that is really his. If, however, he enters
into this inner knowledge, he finds himself the possessor of infinite
power and unlimited resources.
This Power, then, is God's, yet it is also man's, but it is not
revealed to him until he is fit to be entrusted with it. It is only
when man realizes his oneness with his Divine Source that he becomes
filled with Its power. Many teachers and initiates lament the fact
that certain secrets are being spread broadcast to-day; secrets that,
in the past, were kept closely guarded. They fear that unillumined
and un-evolved people may make destructive use of spiritual power.
This, to the writer, appears to be improbable. It is true that strong
personalities, who have a great belief in their own power to achieve
and succeed, draw unconsciously on hidden powers, and thus are able
to raise themselves high above their fellows. The use, however, that
they can make of spiritual power for base purposes is limited, and
is not to be feared. There are others, of course, who are misusing
their powers. These are black magicians, and while they may do a
certain amount of harm, they become reduced, ultimately, to beggary
and impotence. There are also others who spend the whole of their
spare time searching for knowledge of this very subject. They read
every occult book they can lay hands on, but they never find that
for which they seek. There are spiritual powers and influences that
withhold the eyes of the seekers from seeing, until they are ready
for the revelation. When man, in his search for Truth, has given up
all selfish striving after unworthy things, and has ceased to use
his self-will in conflict with the greater Will of the Whole, he is
ready for the revelation of his oneness with the Infinite. Yielding
implicitly to the Will of the Whole may seem, to the unillumined,
an act of weakness, yet it is the entrance to a life of almost
boundless power.
Man is not separate from his Divine Source and never has been. He
is, in reality, one with the Infinite. The separation which he feels
and experiences is mental, and is due to his blindness and unbelief.
Man can never be separated from Spirit, for he himself is Spirit.
He is an integral part of one complete whole. He lives and moves and
has his being in God (Universal, Omnipresent Spirit), and God (Spirit)
dwells in him. The majority of people are unaware of this intimate
relationship with the Divine, and, because they are unaware, or
because they refuse to believe it, they are, in one sense, separated
from the inner life of God. Yet this separation is only in their
thoughts and beliefs, and not in reality. Man is not separated and
never can be, yet so long as he believes that he is separate and
alone, he will be as weak and helpless as though he actually were.
As soon as man realizes the truth of his relationship to the Infinite,
he passes from weakness to power, from death unto life. One moment
he is in the desert, afar off, weak, separate, and alone; the next,
he realizes that he is nothing less than a son of God, with all a
son's privileges and powers. He realizes, in a flash, that he is one
with his Divine Source, and that he can never be separated. He awakens
also to the fact that all the Power of the Infinite is his to draw
upon; that he can never really fail, that he is marching on to
victory.
It will thus be seen how great is the power of man's thought. While
thought is not the power of the Spirit, it is the power by which man
either connects himself up with the Infinite Power, opening himself
to the Divine Inflow, or cuts himself off and separates himself from
his Spiritual Source. Thus, in a sense, man is what he thinks he is.
If he thinks he is separate from God and cut off from His Power, then
it is as though this were really the case, and he is just as impotent
and miserable as though he actually existed apart from God. On the
other hand, if he thinks and believes that he is one with the
Infinite, he finds that it is gloriously true, and that he is really
a son of God. If he believes and thinks that he is a mere material
being, then he lives the limited life of a material being, and is
never able to rise above it. But if, on the contrary, he thinks and
believes that he is a spiritual being, then he finds that he possesses
all the powers of a spiritual being.
Again, if he thinks that his work is difficult and that he is not
equal to his tasks, he finds that really his tasks are difficult and
beyond his powers. Yet on the other hand, if he believes his work
is easy, or, at any rate, within his powers, he finds that such is
the case, and that he can do his work with ease.
The power within is infinite, for, by faith in it, man is directly
"coupled up" with the Spiritual Power of the Universe. The Divine
Spark within him connects him to the Sacred Flame, thus making him
potentially a god in the making.
A change then, must take place within man before he can enter into
his Divine inheritance. He must learn to think after the Spirit,
_i.e._, as a spiritual being, instead of after the flesh, _i.e._,
as a material creature. Like the prodigal son he must "come to
himself," and leave the husks and the swine in the far country,
returning to his Father's house, where there is bread (of life)
enough and to spare.
CHAPTER II.
THE OVERCOMING OF LIFE'S DIFFICULTIES.
The true object of life is that man may attain wisdom through
experience. This cannot be accomplished by giving in to the
difficulties of life, but only by overcoming them. The promises of
God are not made to those who fail in life's battle, but to those
who _overcome_. Neither are there any promises that man shall have
an easy time and be happy ever afterwards. Yet, it is after this that
the majority of people are for ever seeking--an easy life, a good
time, freedom from suffering and care. But, in spite of all their
seeking, they can never find that which they desire. There is always
a fly in the ointment of their pleasure, something that robs them
of true happiness; or, possibly, combinations of circumstances
conspire to upset all their plans.
Life is a paradox; the true object of life is not the attainment
of happiness, yet if we attain the true object of life we find
happiness. Those who are ignorant of life's true purpose and who
seek happiness high and low, year after year, fail to find it. Like
a will-o'-the-wisp, it for ever eludes them. On the other hand, those
who recognize the true object of life, and follow it, attain happiness
without seeking for it.
In times past, people have made God a convenience. They have thought
they could drift through life, learning none of its discipline and
then, when in trouble, or things were not to their liking, they could
pray to God and have the unpleasant circumstances taken away. The
same idea is prevalent to-day. People have left the old orthodoxy
and look to various "cults" and "isms" to get them out of their
difficulties. They do not believe now that they can curry special
favour with God by prayer, but they firmly believe that they can get
what they want from the Invisible by demanding it. They think that
by this means they can have their own way after all. By this they
mean having a good time, with no unpleasant experiences, trials,
difficulties, adversities. They are, however, merely chasing rainbows.
The easy life they seek constantly eludes them, simply because there
is no such thing. The only life that is easy is the life of the strong
soul who has overcome. His life is not easy in reality, but appears
relatively so because of his strength.
It is impossible to have an easy life, and, if it were possible, then
life would be not worth living, for the sole object of life is the
building of character and the attainment of wisdom through experience.
Life to all of us must always be full of difficulty, and it is to
help those, who, hitherto, have found life rather too much for them
that this book is being written. What the majority are seeking for
is an easy life (which they will never find, but precisely the
reverse) and for them I have no message. But to those wise and
awakened souls who are seeking for Truth, no matter from whence it
may come, and who desire to overcome life and its difficulties,
instead of weakly giving in to them, this book, it is hoped, will
bring a message.
At this stage we cannot go into the subject of why we should meet
with disasters and adversity in this life, nor why some people should
have, apparently, a smoother life than others. [2] We must therefore
be satisfied to know that we have to meet trouble and overcome
difficulty, and that it is only by so doing that we can attain wisdom
and build up character. The question, then, is not _whether_ we shall
meet the trouble and adversity or not, but rather, _how_ we shall
meet them. Shall we be victorious or shall we be submerged? Shall
we overcome life's difficulties or shall we give in to them?
[2] This subject is dealt with in "The Path of Victory" by the
same author, and published by The Science of Thought Press.
The majority of people are drifters on the sea of life. They are
wafted here and blown there: they are also carried hither and thither
by every current. It is only the few who realize that they have the
Power of the Infinite within them by which they can rise superior
to all their difficulties, overcome their own weaknesses, and, through
victorious experience, attain wisdom.
At this point some practical reader may say that attaining wisdom
is all very well, but what he wants is practical help. He is perhaps
out of work, has sickness in his house and is in debt. Or, he may
be well-to-do, and yet in the deepest distress and misery. To all
such I would say that they possess the Power by which they can
overcome all their difficulties, and, through overcoming, attain
wisdom. A man's success depends, more than anything, upon his
faith--his faith in the good purpose of life: his faith in the Power
of the Infinite within him and his ability to overcome every obstacle
in his path.
The extent of the Power that man can bring into his life is the
measure of his faith in that Power. If his faith in It is small, then
his life will be feeble and lacking in achievement. If his faith in
the Power within him is large, then great will be the power
manifesting in his life. The Power of the Infinite is illimitable
and inexhaustible: all that is required is an unquenchable belief
and trust in it. The weakest and most timid can make use of this
Power. There is the same Power in the timid and weak as in the brave
and strong. The weakness of the former is due to a lack of faith and
belief in the Infinite Power within them.
Difficulties and troubles there will be in every life, and sometimes
disaster and heartbreak, when the very earth slides from under the
feet, yet, by calling upon the Power within, it is possible to rise
from the ruins of cherished hopes stronger and "greater" through
experience. Happiness and true success depend upon how the troubles
and difficulties of life are met. Adversity comes to all, but if it
is met in the right manner even failure can be made the stepping-stone
to success. Trouble comes to all, but, while it makes some people
stronger and better in every way, it submerges others so that they
never rise again. The trouble is the same, it is how it is met that
makes the difference. Those who meet difficulty and adversity in
the feeble strength of their finite minds and false personality are
speedily overwhelmed and broken by the storms of life. But those who
rely upon, and have faith in the Power within them, can never be
overwhelmed, neither can they ever be defeated. The Power, being
infinite, is always sufficient, no matter how great the need may be.
One who realizes his own real spiritual identity, knows that he can
never die, that he can never be defeated, that he can never really
fail. He may lose his body through the change that is called death;
but he, the true man, can never die. Neither can he fail, though he
be defeated a thousand times--he _must_ rise again.
Only have faith in the Spiritual Power within you and you can know
all the joys of overcoming and achievement. All things will become
yours. Seek first the Kingdom within you (your spiritual union with
the Infinite, and harmony with the Divine Will and Purpose) and all
these things shall be added unto you. You will have no need to fear
the morrow, for you will know that all provision has already been
made. There will be no need to hoard up wealth, for there will be
the necessary daily supplies always available. There will be no need
to live near a doctor, for God, the Infinite Life, shall be your
health. There will be no need for regret or lamentation, for you shall
know that all is well. There will be no fear of future happenings,
for you shall realize that the Infinite One makes no mistakes.
CHAPTER III.
FATE OR FREE-WILL?
Great has been the controversy in the past, over the vexed subject
of fate versus free-will. On the one hand, fatalists claim that man
is so closely bound to the wheel of fate it is impossible for him
to live his life in any different way than that which is mapped out
for him. He can bring a quantity of first-class evidence in support
of his claim and believes in his theory with all his heart. On the
other hand, the advocate of free-will believes just as whole-heartedly
that man is not bound at all, being as free as air. He, too, can bring
plenty of evidence in support of his theory, which confirms him in
his belief. Each one of them thinks that the other is wrong, yet they
cannot both be wrong! Let us therefore examine the subject for
ourselves, for it is an important one, being intimately connected
with the subject which this book discusses.
First of all, let it be said, they are both wrong, in part, and right,
in part. Man is bound to the wheel, yet, at the same time, he has
free-will. Let us, therefore, explain this seeming paradox.
It is an ancient truth of the inner teaching that man, when he is
unevolved and before he is "unfolded," is bound to the wheel of fate
very closely. The unevolved man follows his desires, thus creating
for himself a future from which he cannot escape. When however, he
becomes more evolved and emancipated, he begins to resist following
his desires and strives, instead, to follow higher things. This
creates for him a better future and thus he becomes free in comparison
with his former slave state. Man is a slave to fate as long as he
is a slave to the desires of the earth plane. He is, however, free
to overcome lower things and thus rise to higher. When he does this
he ceases to create a painful future for himself and thus becomes
free.
There is, therefore, fate which is self created. It is necessary to
acknowledge this before we can proceed further. One who has not had
much experience of life or who has not been a close observer, may
deny that there is such a thing, but one who has had great changes
in his life, against which he has fought and struggled in vain, knows
that there is a purpose working behind the events of life, against
which even kings and mighty men are powerless. There come times in
man's life when he moves heaven and earth, figuratively speaking:
prays until he can pray no more: sacrifices, it may be, his money,
his health, his prospects, and does everything that is in the power
of a human being in a vain attempt to stave off a threatened disaster.
But, in spite of all his efforts, in spite of his cries to a pitiless
heaven, the relentless march of fate cannot be stayed. It moves
forward like a huge juggernaut and crushes his hopes, his dearest
idol, his very life itself or all that then makes his life worth
living--and leaves him desolate.
"If then," you may ask, "fate is so pitiless and so powerful, what
can be done with it and where does free-will enter into the matter?"
In reply it must be admitted at once that it is no use fighting fate.
The more man fights it, the more completely he gets broken. There
are certain main events in each life which must come to pass. These
events and changes are inevitable and it is hopeless to fight against
them. While these things, which constitute what we call fate, are
inevitable and therefore cannot be avoided, it rests with ourselves
how we meet these adversities and disasters. If we meet them in the
wrong way they break us. If, however, we meet them in the right way
we become stronger through discipline and experience, thus becoming
better fitted to bear life's responsibilities and to overcome its
difficulties and temptations. One who meets the setbacks, griefs,
bereavements and disasters of life in the right spirit becomes a
strong and rich character. He becomes mellowed through experience,
strong, stable, a helpful influence to all who meet him.
When things go smoothly and life is a merry round, no philosophy or
religion seems necessary, and "as for an inward power, what of it,
we can do very well without it." So say the thoughtless and
inexperienced, but there come times in every life, when, not only
is a philosophy, and that a very sound one, necessary, but also a
power, of which the finite self knows nothing, is needed in order
to raise the soul out of the dust and ashes of its despair. It is
one thing to try and meet trouble and adversity in the right spirit
and quite another thing to have the power to do so. One who thinks
that he has no power within him but that all the power is in
circumstances, can never rise victorious over his troubles and become
a conqueror over life's difficulties; but one who realizes that he
possesses a wonderful power that can raise him up, no matter how
crushed he may be, can never be a failure in life. No matter what
may happen to him he will play the man and act a noble part. He will
rise from the ruins of his life and build it anew in greater beauty
and splendour.
At this stage it is necessary to point out that there is a difference
between "big fate" and the circumstances of life. "Big fate" as it
sometimes is called antedates this present life and its cause does
not come within the scope of this little book. [3] Sufficient if we
say here that, through the ages, we reap as we sow, therefore our
future depends upon how we meet life and its difficulties _now_. Big
fate, then, cannot be successfully fought, simply because it is the
working of Omnipotent Law, but our life generally and its
circumstances depend upon how we meet "big fate," and how we recover
from it. No matter how seemingly unkind "fate" may be, it is possible
for us to make our life a beautiful thing. Inspired and energized
by the Power within, we can rise from the ashes of our dead hopes
to build anew our life in greater beauty and more in harmony with
the Divine Ideal.
[3] In addition to the "fate" or "future" which every thought and
action builds, there is, behind all evolution, a gigantic plan.
This wonderful plan that embraces all, from the stupendous
conception of a limitless universe down to the smallest
electron, is being worked out through the ages with absolute
precision. Nothing can prevent this plan from being brought
into manifestation. It gathers up our past and weaves it into
our present life, just in the same way that it is busily
gathering up our present life and weaving it into future fate.
It works it all into the big plan, somehow, and with infinite
skill. The plan is bound to be followed (this, too, is fate)
but HOW we follow it, either with willingness and happiness,
or opposition or woe, rests with us (this is free will).
Those who have studied the Occult sciences may say "what about
planetary influences?" They will point out that, according to the
ancient science of astrology, a man's life is determined by the "star"
under which he is born. This is true, if he gives in to the influences
around his path. At different times in his life man meets with
influences that are sometimes "favourable" and at other times,
adverse. These influences are, however, only influences after all,
and one who will stand firm during periods of adversity and refuse
to give in, relying upon the great Power within to carry him through,
will find that he can weather all storms of life and come out of his
trials greatly strengthened. He cannot prevent these influences from
coming around his path of life, but he can rise superior to them.
He will meet with failures and set-backs but he will make of these,
stepping-stones to success. He will experience griefs and
bereavements, but out of these he will build a finer character and
rise to higher things. One, however, who gives in to these things,
refusing to rise again and reconstruct his life, condemns himself
to further suffering, thus making utter shipwreck of his life.
Pages:
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
6