Today I pay tribute to Dr. Ernest Holmes, the founder of Science of Mind, the teaching of Centers for Spiritual Living. You know those questions that ask about the one person you would love to be able to speak with, or the one person who had the most effect on your life? It’s this guy. Dr. Ernest Holmes, and today was his birthday. I was a child when I first became acquainted with the teaching he presented to the world in the form of a textbook in 1926, called the Science of Mind Textbook. I had some other things to do in life, mainly drink, but when it came time to move to the next stage of my personal development when I was about ten years sober, I came home to that teaching and began seriously studying it and applying its principles in my life. Each class I took, each workshop I attended changed me from the inside out and this teaching continues to do so as I live its principles.
I was unable to find out how many books Ernest Holmes wrote, but at one source I found 49 listings. I own 21 of Ernest Holmes’ books and have read and continue to use every single one of them in my own studies and research, and for my own reminders of the truth when I need refreshers. I read lots of other books, but I always begin and end with Ernest Holmes. He called Science of Mind the study of spiritual psychology and that is where my heart is, in spiritual psychology.
There is a web site called the Science of Mind archives that has a wealth of information and this quote is in the bio of Ernest Holmes: “Once, when asked to provide a concise definition of the Science of Mind teaching, he replied that it is a “correlation of laws of science, opinions of philosophy and revelations of religion applied to human needs and aspirations.”
So for his birthday I want to present to you some of my favorite Ernest Holmes quotes. This is by no means all of them. There are far too many to include. And these are just from the Science of Mind textbook, and more specifically, the Introduction. The text book itself is almost 600 pages long, and mine is filled with highlights and notes. I didn’t include any quotes from his other books.
“To learn how to think is to learn how to live…”
“… trained thought is far more powerful than untrained,….”
“… the very air is vibrant with power.”
“The answer to prayer is in the prayer. But what is a prayer? A prayer is a movement of thought, within the mind of the one praying, along a definite line of meditation; that is, for a specific purpose.”
“We do not will things to be done; things are brought into being, not by will, but by the power of the self-assertive Truth.”
“It has been said that we can know God only in so far as we can become God.” (See my podcast episode titled What It Does for my take on this quote. You can find my Fearlessly Feral Living podcast wherever you listen to podcasts)
“One of the great difficulties in the new order of thought is that we are likely to indulge in too much theory and too little practice.” (This one quote is why, if you work with me, I tend to nag a bit about spiritual practice.)
“ We should learn to control our thought processes…”
“ A new light is coming into the world. We are on the borderland of a new experience.”
Happy Birthday Ernest Holmes! I am so grateful for your contribution to the world, and to my life.