The Message Of New Thought

NEW THOUGHT DEFINED

"O we can wait no longer,

We too take ship, O soul;

Joyous, we too launch out on trackless seas,

Fearless, for unknown shores, on waves of

ecstasy to sail,

Amid the wafting winds,

Chanting our chant of pleasant exploration.

O my brave soul,

O, farther, farther sail,

O daring joy, but safe, are they not, all the seas

of God?

O, farther. farther sail."

WALT WHITMAN.

NEW THOUGHT is not, as many believe, a name or expression

employed to define any fixed system of thought, philosophy, or

religion, but is a term used to convey the idea of growing or

developing thought. In considering this subject, the word "New"

should be duly and freely emphasized, because the expression

"New Thought" relates only to what is new and progressive.

It would be a misuse of terms to apply the expression "New

Thought" to a system of thought, because when thought is molded

and formed into a system, it ceases to be new. When a system of

thought has reached maturity and ceases to grow, expand, and

develop, it can no longer be defined by the word "New." It follows,

therefore, as a necessary conclusion, that no system of new

thought, or no system of thought defined by that expression, now

exists or ever can exist. "New Thought" is the result or creation of

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perpetually advancing mind. The growing mind is not content with

the past or its achievements. It is not satisfied with systems of

philosophy or religion originating in other ages and handed down

through succeeding generations. They do not satisfy the wants of

the mind. Systems do not grow, mind develops. It wants something

larger and better; it wants improvement, growth, and development.

It is merely the logical and natural effort of the mind in its struggle

for advancement; it is following its basic and inherent law.

As the growing mind applies thought to whatever enters into

consciousness, it gains new and enlarged conceptions and, therefore,

grows, and what it thinks is new. New Thought has been

defined as the latest product of growing mind. A distinguished

writer has characterized New Thought as an attitude of mind and

not a cult. Those who grasp the true meaning and spirit of New

Thought, or, as it is sometimes called, progressive or unfolding

thought, do not conceive that a finished or completed system of

thought, either philosophical or religious, is a possibility. All

systems of thought change with the flight of time. Decay follows

growth. The philosophies and religions of today differ from those

of yesterday, and those of tomorrow will be unlike those of today.

History alone demonstrates the truth of this statement. This

conclusion is inevitable also from the very laws that govern man's

growth and existence.

Man's body is not the only result of the processes of evolution,

growth, and development, but his mind is likewise the product of

the same great law. Man is an evolved and evolving being, physically,

mentally, and spiritually. Change and growth are the silent

mandates of divinity. The eternal current ever moves onward. We

do not reckon with all of Nature's forces. Back of all, unseen yet all

powerful, is the one universal law or cosmic urge, forever pushing

and projecting man forward into higher physical, mental, and

spiritual development.