It's Yours for the Seeing

I admire philosophers who explore the human condition with their writing or teaching and do NOT form a religion around it. L. Ron Hubbard, the founder of Scientology, once stated that the way to great riches was to form a religion. Hubbard was already a rich science fiction writer but got very much richer when he founded the Church of Scientology. His book Dianetics is a required purchase for every student of Scientology, meaning that it will never go out of publication as long as Scientology is around. With no connection to the "religious" aspects of the book, it was a very good business and marketing decision. I wonder if the drive to become successful as a "religious business" precludes any altruistic values the philosophy had in the first place.

Certainly his is not the only philosophy to discover the "religion to riches" formula. You only have to walk around Vatican City for a short time to realize it is one of the richest and most opulent palaces the world has ever known. It stands to reason that the oldest Christian religion would be the wealthiest Christian religion.

Then there are thinkers like Thomas Troward and Joel Goldsmith. While Troward's work became one of the pillars of new thought religions, he never sanctioned any religion using his work. Goldsmith specifically forbid any organized religion from forming around his work. Yet the work still survives to inspire and direct even though there is no organization to market and cash in on it.

In regard to the gratitude list I mentioned last Thursday, there is a Thomas Troward quote that is posted on my wall, eye level to my monitor. It states,

"Having seen and felt the end, you have willed the means to the realization of the end." - Judge Thomas Troward.

That might just be the process of visualization stated in it's most concise form. Knowing where you are going creates the means, the provisions and support to the realization of that idea. If you have a negative idea, a negative result will naturally follow. "Oh I never have been able to do that very well..." creates the path of never being able to do it at all. You have to see and feel the end you want to experience to will the means to the realization of the end.

So what about the thousands of singers who see and feel the "end" idea that they are the next American Idol, and get cut the first day because they can't sing. There is no way to really understand why their "end" was the way it was without knowing what they were actually seeing and feeling.

I have known many artists representing all kinds of art. Some were rich and famous for their art, some were starving artists struggling to get along. The one thing that they had in common was the way they practiced their art. All of the truly gifted loved to make art, they were driven to make art. They saw and felt the thing they most wanted to express in whatever media they liked best. Some of the artist caught on with the public and became popular others did not. If the artist remained true to his/her art, it continued to flow. When the artist became obsessed with wealth and started "seeing and feeling" riches as the end... their art suffered.

The thing I have to wrestle with most is making sure that I am seeing and feeling the right end, free of some negative that will deliver me to an alternate unhappy end. Most of the time this involves letting go of my own ego. We will surely get the end that we see and feel most strongly, but that does not guarantee success or happiness. Human ego is not wise enough to know what will really make us happy or successful. Perhaps the end that we should strive to "see and feel" is "happiness and success", then no matter what means is realized to facilitate that end, we will have what we seek. If it is not the path or career choice the ego might choose... what does it matter?

Thank you Judge Troward and thinkers like yourself.
As you were,
Jay