by Florence Scovel Shinn (a summary by Pat Evert)
Chapter 1: The Game Jesus Christ taught that it was a great game of Giving and Receiving. “Whatsoever a man soweth that shall he also reap.” This means that whatever man sends out in word or deed, will return to him. So we see, to play successfully the game of life, we must train the imaging faculty.
The superconscious mind is the God Mind within each man, and is the realm of perfect ideas. There is a perfect picture of this in the superconscious mind. It usually flashes across the conscious as an unattainable ideal -“something too good to be true.” Nothing stands between man and his highest ideals and every desire of his heart, but doubt and fear. When man can “wish without worrying,” every desire will be instantly fulfilled. A very brilliant man, who has attained great success, told me he had suddenly erased all fear from his consciousness by reading a sign which hung in a room. He saw printed, in large letters this statement -Why worry, it will probably never happen. These words were stamped indelibly upon his subconscious mind, and he has now a firm conviction that only good can come into his life, therefore only good can manifest. Speak these words aloud, with power and conviction: “I now smash and demolish (by my spoken word) every untrue record in my subconscious mind. They shall return to the dust-heap of their native nothingness, for they came from my own vain imaginings. I now make my perfect records through the Christ within -The records of Health, Wealth, Love and perfect self-Expression.”
Chapter 2: The Law of Prosperity One of the greatest messages given to the race through the scriptures is that God is man’s supply and that man can release, through his spoken word, all that belongs to him by divine right. If one asks for success and prepares for failure, he will get the situation he has prepared for. Man must prepare for the thing he has asked for, when there isn’t the slightest sign of it in sight. Prepare and it will come. You can control any situation if you first control yourself.
Chapter 3: The Power of the Word As God is absolute, there can be no opposing power. Someone has said that courage contains genius and magic. Face a situation fearlessly, and there is no situation to face; it falls away of its own weight.
What man says of others will be said of him, and what he wishes for another, he is wishing for himself. It is safe to say that all sickness and unhappiness come from the violation of the law of love. Unforgiveness is the most prolific cause of disease. It will harden arteries or liver, and affect the eye-sight. In its train are endless ills. His work is with himself, to send out goodwill and blessings to every man, and the marvelous thing is, that if one blesses a man he has no power to harm him.
Chapter 4: The Law of Nonresistance Nothing on earth can resist an absolutely nonresistant person. The Chinese say that water is the most powerful element, because it is perfectly nonresistant. It can wear away a rock, and sweep all before it. Jesus Christ said, “Resist not evil.” There is an old legend, that Adam and Eve ate of “Maya the Tree of Illusion,” and saw two powers instead of one power, God. However, the man who is centered and established in right thinking, the man who sends out only good-will to his fellowman, and who is without fear, cannot be touched or influenced by the negative thoughts of others. In fact, he could then receive only good thoughts, as he himself, sends forth only good thoughts. If I have a failure I baptize it success. There is only one power, God. “Every man is a golden link in the chain of my good,” for all men are God in manifestation, awaiting the opportunity given by man, himself, to serve the divine plan of his life. “Bless your enemy, and you rob him of his ammunition.” His arrows will be transmuted into blessings. One is often cured of his faults by seeing them in others. Life is a mirror, and we find only ourselves reflected in our associates.
Chapter 5: The Law of Karma and the Law of Forgiveness Man receives only that which he gives. The Game of Life is a game of boomerangs. Man’s thoughts, deeds and words, return to him sooner or later, with astounding accuracy. The divine selection gives perfect satisfaction and brings good to all. The divine pattern is the only safe pattern to work by. Man always gets just what he desires when he relinquishes personal will, thereby enabling Infinite Intelligence to work through him.
Chapter 6: Casting the Burden I cast this burden of resentment on the Christ within, and I go free, to be loving, harmonious and happy. The student must remember also, not to despise the “day of small things.” Continually “making-believe,” impresses the subconscious. If one makes believe he is rich, and makes believe he is successful, in “due time he will reap.” Walk up to the lion, and he will disappear; run away and he runs after you. Germs do not exist in the superconscious or Divine Mind, therefore are the product of man’s “vain imagination.”
Chapter 7: Love Every man on this planet is taking his initiation in love. “A new commandment I give unto you, that ye love one another.” Ouspensky states, in “Tertium Organum,” that “love is a cosmic phenomenon,” and opens to man the fourth dimensional world, “The World of the Wondrous.”
Real love is selfless and free from fear. It pours itself out upon the object of its affection, without demanding any return. Its joy is in the joy of giving. Love is God in manifestation, and the strongest magnetic force in the universe. You can never receive what you have never given. Give a perfect love and you will receive a perfect love. “I salute the Divinity in you.” In letting it go out fearlessly and cheerfully he opens the way for more to come in, for God is man’s unfailing and inexhaustible supply. This is the spiritual attitude towards money and the great Bank of the Universal never fails! Follow the path of love, and all things are added, for God is love, and God is supply; follow the path of selfishness and greed, and the supply vanishes, or man is separated from it. “Salute the Divinity in the woman and send her love.” “There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling.” “Perfect love casteth out fear. He that feareth is not made perfect in love,” and “Love is the fulfilling of the Law.”
Chapter 8: Intuition or Guidance A person might receive instantaneous healing through the realization of his body being a perfect idea in Divine Mind, and, therefore, whole and perfect, but if he continues his destructive thinking, hoarding, hating, fearing, condemning, the disease will return. Many people have attracted disease and unhappiness through condemnation of others. What man condemns in others, he attracts to himself. Everything may seem to be going wrong, when in reality, it is going right.
Chapter 9: Perfect Self Expression or the Divine Design One should not visualize or force a mental picture. When one demands the Divine Design to come into his conscious mind, he will receive flashes of inspiration, and begin to see himself making some great accomplishment. Man manifests, on any plane, the sum total of his subconscious beliefs.
Chapter 10: Denials and Affirmations It would not be necessary to make an affirmation more than once if one had perfect faith! One should not plead or supplicate, but give thanks repeatedly, that he has received. All power is given man (through right thinking) to bring his heaven upon his earth, and this is the goal of the “Game of Life.” The simple rules are fearless faith, nonresistance and love!
Hidden in Plain Sight 