The Edinburgh Lectures on Mental ScienceTroward, T. (Thomas)
Religion
The Edinburgh Lectures on Mental Science
Troward, T. (Thomas)
New Thought
The fact, however, remains that the intuition works most freely in that
direction in which we most habitually concentrate our thought; and in
practice it will be found that the best way to cultivate the intuition in
any particular direction is to meditate upon the _abstract principles_ of
that particular class of subjects rather than only to consider particular
cases. Perhaps the reason is that particular cases have to do with specific
phenomena, that is with the law working under certain limiting conditions,
whereas the _principles_ of the law are not limited by local conditions,
and so habitual meditation on _them_ sets our intuition free to range in an
infinitude where the conception of antecedent conditions does not limit it.
Anyway, whatever may be the theoretical explanation, you will find that the
clear grasp of abstract principles in any direction has a wonderfully
quickening effect upon the intuition in that particular direction.
The importance of recognizing our power of thus giving direction to the
intuition cannot be exaggerated, for if the mind is attuned to sympathy
with the highest phases of spirit this power opens the door to limitless
possibilities of knowledge. In its highest workings intuition becomes
inspiration, and certain great records of fundamental truths and supreme
mysteries which have come down to us from thousands of generations
bequeathed by deep thinkers of old can only be accounted for on the
supposition that their earnest thought on the Originating Spirit, coupled
with a reverent worship of It, opened the door, through their intuitive
faculty, to the most sublime inspirations regarding the supreme truths of
the universe both with respect to the evolution of the cosmos and to the
evolution of the individual. Among such records explanatory of the supreme
mysteries three stand out pre-eminent, all bearing witness to the same ONE
Truth, and each throwing light upon the other; and these three are the
Bible, the Great Pyramid, and the Pack of Cards--a curious combination some
will think, but I hope in another volume of this series to be able to
justify my present statement. I allude to these three records here because
the unity of principle which they exhibit, notwithstanding their wide
divergence of method, affords a standing proof that the direction taken by
the intuition is largely determined by the will of the individual opening
the mind in that particular direction.
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