One of the courses I took while working on my degree from Emerson Theological Institute was on Thomas Toward (1847-1916) an English author whose works influenced the New Thought Movement and mystic Christianity.
Troward was a divisional judge in British-administered India. His avocattion was the study of comparative religions. Influences on his thinking, as well as his later writing, included the teachings of Christ, Islam, Hinduism, and Buddhism.
After his retirement from the judiciary Troward set out to apply logic and a judicial weighing of evidence in the study of matters of cause and effect.
According to Alcoholics Anonymous archivist Nell Wing, early AA members were strongly encouraged to read Thomas Troward's Edinburgh Lectures on Mental Science. In the opening of the 2006 film, “The Secret“, introductory remarks credit Troward's philosophy with inspiring the movie and its production.
Adapted from The Edinburgh Lectures on Mental Science by Thomas Toward, these steps can be useful to anyone interested in setting their life in order based on spiritual principle.
- Form a clear picture of your desire with the understanding that, by so doing, you impress your desire upon the Creative Life Force. This understanding takes this first step out of the region of fantasy.
- Know that you are working with law. With calm expectation of a corresponding result, you know that all necessary conditions will come about in proper order.
- Enter your daily routine with the calm assurance that conditions are either present already or will soon present themselves. If you do not see evidence at once, know that the spiritual prototype (your desire) is already in existence.
- Wait until some circumstance pointing in the desired direction begins to show itself. It may be small but it is the type and not the magnitude of the circumstance that is important. This is the first sprouting of the seed.
- Do calmly, without excitement, whatever the circumstance seems to require. This will lead to the further unfolding of other circumstances in the same direction. By addressing each one as it appears, you are moving step by step toward the accomplishment of your desire.
