Science of Mind and the Art of Living Consciously

By Rev. Karyl Huntley

A sacred path that combines ancient wisdom and the modern tradition of New Thought is alive and thriving in the Bay Area. Known as Science of Mind, it is a user-friendly spiritual denomination that appeals to a wide range of people who are seeking something besides the traditional, well-known church choices.

Actually a worldwide spiritual movement, Science of Mind brings together a metaphysical approach to religion, an understanding of the laws of science, and explanations of the opinions of great philosophers. This correlation of human thought is applied to the needs and aspirations of humankind today in positive and practical ways. A no-nonsense teaching, it helps thousands of people experience health, happiness, peace, and love in ways that are inclusive, compassionate, and relevant.

The founder of this faith, Dr. Ernest Holmes, read widely in all wisdom traditions, looking for their commonalties. In the early part of the twentieth century he synthesized the life enhancing ideas and practices from these traditions, and the result was Science of Mind. Originally, Dr. Holmes envisioned the Science of Mind to be a self-empowering personal philosophy, which could enhace any and all established religions or spiritual paths. Since it is rooted in spiritual principle, rather than in the personality or life story of a holy being, it speaks to people of many faiths or those who are not comfortable in "organized religion."

The two main ideas of Science of Mind are:

1) The Divine Source, which many call God, is in and expresses through all life forms and conditions, including each one of us and all of our life circumstances, and

2) Our thoughts, beliefs and expectations are the creative forces that shape our life experiences.

People who call themselves Religious Scientists (ones who practice Science of Mind) apply these main teachings to help themselves experience oneness with their Divine Source more fully. Prayer, meditation and study are some of these practices, but so are personal activities that are creative, active, and entertaining. Anything that reminds us of our oneness with the Divine can be turned into a spiritual practice.          

Religious Scientists also practice mentally turning away from fear, anger, shame, negative judgment of oneself and others and, instead, train their minds to think loving, inclusive, empowering, peaceful, expansive thoughts; make choices based on heartfelt desires and mutual good, and nurture beliefs which are healing and connecting. These spiritual and mental disciplines naturally lead Religious Scientists to life enhancing actions and relationships, which foster connection and contentment in the world rather than separation.

Although Ernest Holmes passed on in the 1960s, the parallel evolution of scientific and spiritual thought continues. Modern quantum physics seems to describe a world that Ernest Holmes would understand completely – a world in which all things in all dimensions are connected and profoundly affected by each participant. He would say, "There is One Life. That Life is God's Life. That Life is my life now. I call forth the Good that is available to me for myself and all others."

In fact, that very thought process is the format all Religious Scientists use in prayer: acknowledge God, connect and identify with God, declare your desire as if it were already manifest, give thanks in advance and, finally, release your prayer to the power of God with confidence in receiving.

The philosophical teachings of Science of Mind should sound familiar to anyone who has seen "The Secret," a recent movie describing the Law of Attraction, which is central to Science of Mind. Also, many modern authors whose books fill the "spiritual," "New Age," or "self-help" sections of bookstores are restating the philosophy Ernest Holmes taught in the last century. For example:

In Conversations with God, Book 1, Neale Donald Walsch declares: "Your thought about something is creative, and your word is productive, and your thought and your word together are magnificently effective in giving birth to your reality."                       

Dr. Jean Houston, author of 36 books on cultural mysticism, writes in Godseed: "The Kingdom of Heaven, or the Kingdom of God, seems to be synonymous with the Depth World within."

Speaking of the role of spirituality in personal healing, Harvard medical scientist and psychologist Joan Borysenko declares, "When doubt and fear are dismantled, a person can become aware of an inner wellspring of security, compassion, peace, and joy that fuels his contribution to the wholeness of life, that allows him to realize or to actualize the potential that dwells within." (Minding the Body, Mending the Mind)

These modern spiritual giants say the same thing that Ernest Holmes read in countless ancient and modern texts and synthesized into a practical, ethical, logical system of spiritual practice, the Science of Mind. What a straightforward and life-giving philosophy!  Simply, we are one with our all-powerful and all-knowing Source right now, and our mind is our own source of the experience we call reality.

Change your thinking, change your life is the motto of Science of Mind. We can find peace, prosperity, and joy in our own lives, first by noticing it, then by focusing on it, then by being grateful for it, and then by watching it multiply. We can and must do this powerful work for the world, as well – by noticing when compassionate behavior, conscious consumption, and honor in business and politics happen. When we do that, what Neale Donald Walsch calls our "Sponsoring Thought" manifests in form. As he writes in Conversations with God, "the most fervently held thought, word or feeling [becomes] operative.

The bottom line advance about managing our thinking comes from one of Ernest Holmes sources for Science of Mind, Paul's Letter to the Philippians in the New Testament: "Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things."

FEEDBACK: CLICK HERE to email comments and feedback. Please note the title of the article or the author's name. Include your own name or type "name withheld" by request. Thoughtful responses will be published in our next edition.