 In imparting the principles of this law to you, I will ask that you overlook any apparent contradictions, for, of necessity, they are bound to occur when treating upon a subject of this kind in order that propositions otherwise obscure may be made clear. And again, you must understand that I am using your language to convey my meaning and I meet with some difficulty in doing so. I want you to bear in mind this advice: Take these teachings for just what they mean to you individually. If some statements do not appear to you at this time, make no effort to force yourself to accept them. What you might reject or fail to understand now will no doubt appear plain and become valuable to you later, as your capacity to receive increases. There are times when the changing of words makes a subject more clear and appealing to people of different mentalities. Therefore, if you find that the replacing of my words for your own at times makes any statement clearer or seems to fit in with your particular mental make-up or belief, you may do so, freely. He who is wise in his own conceit, who approaches a subject in an attitude of doubt and resistance, will learn little. There is not much hope for him. But he who takes up any subject in an open mind, willing to learn anything that will contribute to his advancement, comfort and happiness, is wise. Therefore, while I do not ask that you believe all that I tell you, for to do so would be to intrude upon your God-given freedom of thought, yet neither do I wish you to doubt or resist what I tell you, for that would prevent you from gaining the help you are seeking. For your own highest and greatest good, your attitude should be just this: I am going to take these teachings in an open-minded, neutral attitude, determined that I shall gain all the benefit there is in them for me. The fact that I do not understand or even believe any particular statement or proposition at this time, does not necessarily make it any the less true. To be able to make use of the Law as outlined, it is necessary that you have a clear understanding of its operation. To this end, I will illustrate, wherever possible, the different propositions with examples in nature that you will find all about you and that will help you in reasoning out these truths to a logical conclusion. Your mind, which is yourself, can be likened to a house which the accumulation of years has cluttered with thousands of unnecessary pieces of furniture, pictures, ornaments and other things, all strewn around and heaped everywhere, with the result that while the outside of that house might present a good appearance, the inside is a mass of confusion and disorder. How utterly impossible to accomplish anything under such conditions, for you cannot go after one thing without stumbling over another. No order. No purpose. No progress. The first necessary move, then, is to rid that house of all but the furnishings essential to success. |
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