I N T R O D U C T I O N

The central theme is, there is only one Reality and we can learn to think and live in harmonious accord with its inclinations. When we are able to do this, the unhappiness, troubles, and problems commonly experienced by people whose awareness is blurred and whose minds are confused cease to exist for us.

Regardless of your present station in life, you have the potential to be fully conscious and to wisely and effectively use exceptional mental powers and functional abilities that will enable you to live as you are meant to live.

Acknowledge the fact that you are an immortal spiritual being; think and act in accord with that understanding. Choose to be spiritually aware, healthy, happy, prosperous, and freely expressive in ways which enhance your life. Imagine that which is possible and experience it. You can.
Roy Eugene Davis
May 1, 2002
Lakemont, Georgia

C H A P T E R   O N E

You Can Remove or Rise Above All Obstacles to Effective Living and Freedom of Expression

Because you are a Spiritual being, you already have the ability to either remove or transcend all limiting conditions that may have, until now, opposed your endeavors to live freely, enjoyably, and effectively. As this is being accomplished, the necessary resources and supportive events, circumstances, and relationships for your highest good will be spontaneously provided and your spiritual growth will be rapid and satisfying.

Nurture Spiritual Awareness

Lack of understanding is the primary obstacle to spiritual growth. Replace unknowingness with insight into your true nature and your relationship with the Infinite. You are a unit of one field of Consciousness (God). Ponder it until you comprehend it. While believing this to be so is helpful, realizing (knowing and experiencing) it is redemptive; it restores soul awareness to wholeness. Discard the erroneous notion that there is a separation between spiritual and material realities. The universe is a manifestation of cosmic forces emanated from and sustained by one field of Consciousness.

Nurture spiritual awareness by using your powers of intelligence and intuition to discern the difference between your essence of being, ordinary (blurred and fragmented) states of awareness, and the various moods that you may sometimes experience. Observe the distinction between you as an observer and what you observe. It is only the acquired habit of identifying with modified Mental states and objective phenomena that causes and sustains the illusion (misperception) of independent existence. Replace that troublesome habit with the soul-liberating habit of constant, divine self-remembrance and God-awareness.

Meditate daily to the stage of superconsciousness, then sit in the deep silence. As your awareness becomes clarified, your innate knowledge of the one field of Consciousness and its processes will be unveiled. Exceptional powers of perception and extraordinary functional abilities will emerge. You will discover that whatever you can vividly imagine and believe to be real, if it can be manifested in accord with the laws of nature, can be expressed or experienced.

Develop and Wisely Use Your Mental Abilities

The power to perceive; the illusional sense of selfhood (ego); the faculty of intelligence; and the mind are the four aspects of individualized awareness. Your mind emanates from you. It records and processes perceptions and is superior to the brain. Your mind is blended with, and is a part of, omnipresent Cosmic Mind which is responsive to the mental states you assume or allow to prevail, the thoughts you think, and the desires and aspirations you maintain.

Some troublesome mental conditions which are common when one’s awareness is ordinary are confusion; restlessness; doubt; pessimism; fantasy; delusions; illusions; inability to concentrate; and subliminal (below the threshold of conscious awareness) conditionings, tendencies, and influences. They blur and fragment awareness and contribute to irrational thinking.

• Banish confusion by acquiring accurate information and cultivating the habit of rational thinking.
• Replace restlessness with soul contentment.
• Replace doubt with self-confidence, self-reliance, and faith.

Renounce the habit of pessimism by nurturing optimism: expecting the best possible outcome for all situations. Imagine and anticipate your highest good and either create ideal circumstances or attract them into your life.

Fantasy is uncontrolled imagination. Avoid fantasies by rational thinking and mastery of attention and mental states.

Delusions are erroneous ideas, opinions, or beliefs. Some delusions that people whose awareness is ordinary may have are:

• They are physical beings rather than souls expressing through a mind and body.
• God does not exist. God exits but is not involved in universal or human affairs. God is a cosmic person. God cannot be known or experienced. God rewards good people and punishes bad people and creates challenges for us to overcome to encourage us to grow.
• There is an evil force that produces misfortune and causes people to do bad things.
• We are limited by inherited characteristics; the unfortunate experiences we have had; false information we acquired during our childhood or later years; karma (subconscious conditionings); planetary influences; our race or gender; our ethnic or cultural characteristics; or social, political, or economic conditions.

Acquire valid (logical or verified) knowledge. Disregard ideas, opinions, and beliefs which are not based on fact. Avoid illusions by insightful observation and analysis of what is observed, thought, heard, or experienced.

Inability to concentrate may be due to lack of interest, emotional unrest, mental restlessness or confusion, insufficient sleep, tiredness or physical weakness, lack of self-discipline, or reluctance to use will power. Replace indifference with curiosity and zest for life. Cultivate emotional and mental peace. Obtain sufficient sleep. Nurture physical health. Discipline your thoughts, moods, and behaviors. While avoiding willfulness (self-centered obstinate attitudes and behaviors), be decisive and intentional in thinking and action.

There are four categories of subliminal influences which may be troublesome:

1. Dormant conditionings or inclinations which may or may not become activated in the near or distant future.
2. Weak influences which can easily be resisted.
3. Stronger influences resisted by decisiveness, will power, and intentional performance of constructive actions.
4. Influences which are allowed to determine one’s states of awareness, thoughts, feelings, and behaviors.

What is perceived, thought, or felt is impressed in the subconscious level of the mind as a memory. By referring to our memories we can be aware of past events and acquired knowledge.

The mind’s capacity to record and store impressions also enables us to acquire constructive habits of thinking and behavior and to perform routine tasks without having to intentionally think about performing them.

Troublesome mental impressions can also be acquired. If we are to live freely, these need to be weakened, disarmed or neutralized, or transcended. If they are allowed to be influential, addictive tendencies, unwise or harmful modes of thinking and behavior, and inappropriate emotional reactions to events or circumstances may result.

When troublesome subconscious influences are allowed to prevail, they may become stronger. The most effective way to weaken and neutralize troublesome subconscious influences is to:

1. Cultivate an objective, unemotional attitude in regard to them.
2. Implement constructive thoughts, feelings, and actions to weaken and replace them.
3. Nurture spiritual awareness that will enable you to transcend them.

4. Practice superconscious meditation to calm them and temporarily remove your awareness from them. Mental impressions made by superconscious awareness are entirely constructive. Troublesome mental influences are gradually (and sometimes quickly) weakened as the mind is purified and illumined. Superconscious states also allow you to discern and experience the difference between them and ordinary states of awareness.

With practice, you will be able to maintain a superconscious state during everyday circumstances. Superconsciousness mixed with ordinary states of awareness and mental processes becomes progressively dominant, resulting in mental illumination and clarification of awareness to the stage of cosmic consciousness.

Avoid thinking, feeling, or saying that you cannot regulate your mental states, thoughts, moods, or behaviors. Because you are a spiritual being relating to the human experience, you are superior to your mind and its contents. You can choose to observe, think, feel, and act in accord with the useful knowledge you have acquired and your innate knowledge which will become more obviously available as you continue to awaken through the stages of spiritual growth.

View memories objectively. Remember pleasant events and experiences without overly dwelling on them. Remember previous successful actions and duplicate them, as necessary, to live effectively.

If memories of misfortune or trauma arouse feelings of shame, guilt, loss, unworthiness, or pain, come to terms with past events and release the debilitating thoughts and feelings associated with those memories. If the emotional impact is very uncomfortable or disturbing, while observing memories which activate the response, inhale and exhale deeply a few times until you are again calm and objective. Breathing deeply and the physical pleasure it produces will somewhat weaken and neutralize the unbalanced emotional condition.

If deep breathing does not restore you to a more objective mental and emotional state, walk briskly for twenty minutes or more, being attentive to what is occurring around you, until you feel exhilarated (refreshed and cheerful). Or perform other physical actions which will focus your attention and produce pleasurable feelings: work out with light weights, do stretching exercises, swim, play golf or tennis, or practice hatha yoga or tai chi. Concentrate your attention and actions on your personal duties, achieving worthwhile goals, and fulfilling purposes which are of value to you.

Constructive, enjoyable actions replace unpleasant feelings associated with memories of misfortune, failure, loss, or pain. You will soon be able to relate to all of your memories without having any unwanted mental or emotional reactions. The psychic (soul) force that was formerly identified with memories of unpleasantness and which blurred your awareness will be released to be used for constructive, life-enhancing purposes.

Maintain Emotional Stability

Emotions are subjective responses to thoughts or to external circumstances. They can also elicit pronounced feelings and physiological changes. Emotional stability is necessary for rational thinking and physical health. Feelings of happiness, love, gratitude, compassion, self-respect, security, self-reliance and self-confidence, and satisfaction are wholesome and constructive. Feelings of unhappiness, strong dislike, envy, jealousy, unworthiness, insecurity, inferiority, incompetence, and dissatisfaction are unwholesome and destructive.

Replace negative feelings with positive feelings and negative mental attitudes with positive mental attitudes.

Nurture soul happiness. At the core of your being you are peaceful and happy in Self- and God-knowledge. It is only at the surface of awareness that confusion can occur. Choose to bring forth your innate qualities.

Be thankful for the good fortune you now have and for the opportunities to learn and to grow to emotional and spiritual maturity.

Demonstrate compassion for others and all forms of life.

Respect your true nature, your spiritual essence, and endeavor to live from the core of your being.

Your security and well-being is related to your knowledge and awareness of oneness with the wholeness of life which is supportive of you. Do your best to be responsible for your well-being while allowing life to nurture and provide for you.

Cultivate self-reliance and self-confidence by being soul-centered and having faith in God rather than thinking that your illusional sense of selfhood is what you are.

Enjoy the satisfaction that results from right thinking and right living without being attached to the feeling of satisfaction or the results of your effective actions.

If you sometimes feel apathetic — devoid of feeling, mentally depressed, physically sluggish or lazy — perform constructive actions that will arouse positive emotions, elicit positive thoughts, and energize your body. Live with inspired purpose and empowering enthusiasm. You are an immortal, spiritual being; live as you are meant to live.

Cultivate Physical Health and Vitality

Healthy, purposeful long life will enable you to accomplish all of your worthwhile aims in this incarnation — including the ultimate purpose of your life, which is to be Self- and God-realized.

Cultivate physical health and vitality: maintain your spiritual awareness, mental peace, and emotional stability; adhere to well-regulated routines of activity and rest; obtain sufficient sleep; exercise on a regular schedule; choose a low (but sufficient) calorie, nutrition-rich diet (vegetarian foods are healthier). Avoid excessive body weight.

To strengthen your immune system:

• Adopt the guidelines recommended in the preceding paragraph.
• Maintain an optimistic mental attitude. Optimistic people tend to be healthier and to live longer than negative thinkers.
• Conserve your vital forces. Don’t waste them by excessive talking; excessive or nonuseful social interactions; depriving your body of sleep, addictive behaviors, or preoccupation with unimportant matters.
• Practice meditation daily for deep relaxation, to reduces stress, and strengthen the body’s immune system.
• Avoid contact with harmful chemicals and other toxic substances, harmful bacteria, and viruses. Wash your hands before preparing or eating food.

If you need healing, cultivate a “health consciousness” and do what is necessary to be restored to total health.

Choose Ideal Environmental Circumstances

Live in a clean, quiet, wholesome environment. Remove your shoes when entering your house or apartment. Have a private space to be used only for meditation and inner reflection. When you go there, disregard all mundane concerns.

When possible, choose a wholesome work environment, with coworkers who are harmonious. If it is sometimes necessary to be in an unpleasant environment or to have circumstances or relationships which are not wholesome and supportive, until you can improve the conditions or remove yourself from them, patiently endure them without complaining. Do not allow anything to disturb your inner peace and Self- and God-awareness.

When unpleasant or challenging social or economic events and circumstances occur, maintain your inner poise. If such events require that you make decisions or perform actions, do so calmly and rationally. Events emerge and fade against the screen of space and time. All mundane circumstances are subject to change.

My guru Paramahansa Yogananda advised me, and others, to view the drama of life with discernment and to play our roles wisely and well. As we do this, we learn by experience how to live effectively in harmonious accord with others and with the processes of nature. We learn to understand the universal, impersonal laws of cause and effect and how to cooperate with them for our highest good and the highest good of everyone.

Nurture wholesome, supportive personal relationships by being cheerful, friendly, and attentive to the needs of others.

Affirm With Decisive Intention

Established in knowledge of my true nature and

my relationship with the Infinite, I choose to

remove or rise above all obstacles to effective

living and freedom of expression.

Discard the false belief of separation between spiritual and material life. Perform duties skillfully. All constructive work is purifying if done with the right motive. If you sometimes fail to accomplish your purposes, don’t be discouraged; that is the best time to sow seeds of success. In everything that you do, express your limitless soul qualities.

– Paramahansa Yogananda (1893 – 1952)

C H A P T E R   T W O

How to Effectively Use Your Creative Imagination

Creativity is the ability to manifest or produce a thing, event, or circumstance. Imagination is the innate spiritual power we have to form a mental picture or concept of something which does not yet exist or is not presently perceived.

Imagination can and should be used creatively to fulfill wholesome desires, enhance all aspects of our lives, accomplish purposes of value, and facilitate rapid, satisfying spiritual growth.

The fundamental law of cause and effect in relationship to our circumstances is that our states of awareness determine our mental states and our states of awareness and our mental states determine our perceptions and personal experiences.

When our awareness is clear, we can perceive with accuracy and think rationally. When our awareness is blurred and fragmented, perceptions are likely to be flawed and our thinking to be disorganized.

At the level of Self-awareness we are one with a supreme Consciousness in which everything exists. At the mind level we are one with Universal Mind through which supreme Consciousness expresses and which is responsive to our habitual mental states, desires, needs, and intentions.

There is no separation between us and supreme Consciousness because we are individualized units of that Consciousness. There is no separation between the mind we use and Universal Mind because all particularized minds are units of that Mind. To effectively use creative imagination, it is necessary to remember the oneness of life that is, in accord with its inclinations, expressing in an infinite variety of ways.

Every person is now either consciously or unconsciously using their creative power of imagination. Those who use it consciously are able to have their desires fulfilled and live freely and enjoyably.

Those who use it unconsciously — who are not aware of the possibility of using it with conscious intention, or who know that it can be done but choose not to be responsible for their actions — are self-confined by their undisciplined behaviors. They may also be inclined to blame external circumstances for their unhappiness or misfortune.

To effectively use our innate power to imagine ideal circumstances and have them actualized, we need to have clearly defined concepts of what we consider to be essential for our highest good and mastery of our attention. The generation of clearly defined concepts is easy when our awareness is clear and our thinking is rational. To acquire mastery of attention we need only to carefully observe what we are conscious of and improve our powers of concentration.

Powers of observation and concentration can be vastly improved by nurturing enthusiasm, and by regular, alert practice of meditation. Being enthusiastic banishes apathy and disinterest. Regular, alert meditation practice, rather than passive, semiconscious sitting, calms the mind and emotions and restores awareness to wholeness.

Use this Technique of Creative Imagination

Knowing that you are a spiritual being superior to your mind and to mundane circumstances, do the following:

1. Alone, in a quiet place, meditate until your mind is calm and your awareness is clear.

2. Vividly imagine that which you wish to experience. There is no need to use will power. Clearly see, and feel at the deepest level of your being, yourself as having that which you desire to have or the circumstances you wish to prevail. The feeling that you have should be of acceptance and gratitude rather than an emotion.

3. Rest for a while in that awareness and feeling of accomplishment.

4. Maintain your clear awareness and feeling of accomplishment after your practice session.

For increased spiritual awareness, imagine what it will be like when you are more spiritually awake and contemplate that possibility until it is experienced. Supplement your meditative practices with metaphysical studies.

For peace of mind and to improve your mental abilities, feel peaceful and have confidence in your ability to think rationally and to use your powers of discriminative intelligence.

For emotional balance, feel serene and optimistic. See yourself as being emotionally mature and willing to be responsible for your thoughts, feelings, and actions.

For improved physical well-being, imagine and feel that you are already healthy and fully functional. Supplement your imaginal acts with useful self-care routines, food choices, and exercise.

For harmonious, supportive personal relationships, nurture feelings of love and compassion. Imagine and feel yourself as having harmonious, supportive relationships that are ideal in every way.

For prosperity, imagine and feel that you are now prosperous. Supplement your imaginal state with actions that will harmoniously integrate the spiritual, mental, emotional, physical, and environmental aspects of your life.

To achieve worthwhile goals, imagine and feel them as already achieved.

To assist others, acknowledge their innate, divine nature. See them as being spiritually aware, mentally competent, emotionally balanced, physically healthy and functional, and in their right place in the drama of life.

If you are unable to imagine specific ideal circumstances, imagine and feel yourself to be fulfilled and happy. When you are fulfilled and happy, ideal circumstances will conform to your state of awareness and mental state.

When creative imagination is used to improve your awareness of your true nature in relationship to the Infinite, the work is done as soon as you actually experience that desired change in Self-awareness and knowledge. When it is used to achieve goals or fulfill purposes, orderly unfoldments of events will spontaneously occur that will make possible the desired outcomes.

If you can participate in the manifestation process and your actions will be helpful, skillfully perform them. If there is nothing you can do that will be helpful, maintain your faith in the certainty of the outcome. Let the supportive responsiveness of Universal Mind produce the events that are necessary for ideal results. Avoid anxiety, worry, and impatience. Be inwardly calm and confident.

It is on the inward condition that the outer reality depends. We have a reason for looking at the things which are unseen — for making them the chief object of our attention. By so doing, we become conversant with the primal source of reality. We ascend to the original fountain of Being, from which the streams that flow forth receive their properties and direction.

– George Ripley (1802 – 1880)

Discourses on the Philosophy of Religion

C H A P T E R   T H R E E

Answers to Questions About the Creative Process

What can be done if one is not able create a vivid mental picture when using the technique of creative imagination?

Forming a vivid mental picture is not as important as having awareness along with a feeling of certainty that what is desired is an accomplished fact. How will you feel when your aim is accomplished or a purpose is fulfilled? From within yourself elicit that feeling along with feelings of freedom, happiness, and thankfulness.

Imagine a situation that will confirm your accomplishment. What will be your thoughts? Think like that. How will you act? After your practice session, act like that.

How often should the technique be used for a specific purpose?

Until awareness and conviction of what has been imagined is firmly established. When this is accomplished, repetition is not necessary. If you use imagination to change your mental state or state of awareness, maintain those states. If you use it to achieve goals or to create or attract ideal circumstances, have faith and let external events occur.

Be receptive to unplanned good fortune that can and will be yours. The more you open yourself to life, the more God’s grace will be evident. When you are flowing with life’s innate inclinations to express, you will not have to sit in the silence to practice creative imagination. The moment that a thought arises in regard to possibilities that are worthwhile for you, you will immediately accept the outcome and life will provide it for you. You will be aware of becoming more cosmic conscious: able to comprehend the wholeness of life and your role in its processes.

As time passes, when you compare how you are thinking, feeling, and acting with how you used to think, feel, and act, you will be thankful for the progress you have made. You will realize that your awareness is no longer ordinary or blurred by conditions that formerly modified it.

Should several aims or goals be imagined during one session or should I concentrate on one thing to accomplish?

If you have a specific desire or need, focus your attention on it. When your awareness is more clear and your capacities are enlarged, imagine and feel that all circumstances in your life are ideal. Cultivate peacefulness, cheerfulness, and optimism. When you are peaceful, cheerful, and optimistic, you will see opportunities you could not see before and be able to think and function more effectively.

Avoid thinking of reasons why you cannot be happy and freely functional. Disregard thoughts and feelings of limitation and ineptitude. Don’t dwell on or be influenced by memories of past failures or mistakes. Forget the negative opinions that others might have expressed about you. You are a spiritual being with unlimited potential. Go forward with your life.

Consider living to be a great adventure. Be interested in the possibilities of learning, doing, and accomplishing. Enthusiasm is evidence of your appreciation for life and living. Apathy and disinterest indicate an inclination toward death.

You can never die; you can only temporarily be unconscious. To prefer unconsciousness to being fully conscious is to be emotionally immature. Before spiritual growth can be experienced and life can be lived effectively, you must be willing to grow to emotional maturity. Only then can you be freely functional and fulfilled.

Is it all right to use imagination to attract material things?

There is no separation between spiritual and material realities. Material things are formed by the energy of Consciousness.

Desire to have what you need and acquire it by performing right actions and using imagination to attract supportive events and circumstances. Everything that you need for your well-being is available for you to acknowledge and accept.

Avoid self-centered (egocentric) thinking and behaviors. Nurture your innate divine qualities. Meditate in the silence until you are established in conscious awareness of your true nature and are aware of your relationship with the Infinite. Meditate in God. Feel that you are a bubble of awareness in the ocean of infinite Consciousness.

Avoid others who are self-centered or who are not sincerely interested in learning how to live as enlightened spiritual beings.

Be kind, truthful, and honest. Discipline your thoughts and actions. Concentrate on essentials and disregard nonessentials. Think about what is most important to you and focus your attention on those matters.

You are in this world to accomplish four aims of life, which are:

1. To use your knowledge and skills effectively in accord with the orderly processes of nature. You will then do what you are best qualified to do and know that you are in your “right place” in the cosmos.

2. To have life-enhancing desires easily fulfilled. Learn to do this by skillful living and by wise use of creative imagination.

3. To have abundant resources for your needs, the needs of others for whom you are responsible, and to allow you to accomplish purposes which are of value.

4. To awaken through the stages of spiritual growth until you are fully enlightened.

Established in Self-awareness and knowledge of the wholeness of life, think rationally and perform effective actions. Remember that the full reality of God includes this material realm.

Should what I imagine be kept private or is it all right to share my hopes and dreams with others?

Keep personal matters private. Talking about them with others will dissipate your physical and mental energies, distract your attention, weaken your concentration, and may invite unwanted opinions or negative comments. Let the results of your inner work be the outer evidence of your dedication to it.

Projects that involve others who are possibility-thinkers and who will constructively work with you can be discussed. In such endeavors, be sure that all who are involved have the same aims and are success-oriented.

In regard to having desires fulfilled or needs met, what is the difference between this process and prayer?

The procedures are similar. Effective prayer and skillful practice of creative imagination produce the same results. When you believe with certainty that you have what you prayed for, and when you experience what you imagined as real, the desire of your heart (the essence of your being) is fulfilled.

Imagination, used prayerfully, with devotion, is most effective. When doing your inner work, do it as a competent spiritual being rather than thinking or feeling that you are a needy human creature trying to accomplish something that may improve your ordinary existence.

After creative imagining, what can be done to maintain faith and receptivity?

Live with a clear sense of meaningful purpose. Choose to be happy and optimistic. Remember that you are a spiritual being in a universe emanating from and maintained by the Power of Consciousness. Now knowing that your states of awareness and mental states determine your experiences, choose to be Self-aware and to think constructively while performing actions which will produce the results you desire to have.

What can I do to help others in our world?

Share useful information and help in practical ways when you can, while living effectively and completing your own spiritual growth.

The more spiritually enlightened you are, the more will the radiance of your Self- and God-realization beneficially influence the collective consciousness of everyone.

About the Author

Roy Eugene Davis has taught the spiritual growth processes outlined in this book in more than 100 cities in North America and in Japan, Brazil, Europe, West Africa, and India. Mr Davis was born in 1931 in Leavittsburg, Ohio, approximately 40 miles south of Cleveland, and grew up in a farming community. In his early teenage years he frequented the public library, reading books on psychology, philosophy, and yoga. When he was 18 years of age, he read Paramahansa Yogananda’s Autobiography of a Yogi and immediately sensed a spiritual connection with Yogananda and the kriya yoga tradition. In December 1949, he traveled to Los Angeles, California, to meet his guru (teacher) and was accepted for monastic discipleship training.

Mr. Davis was ordained by Paramahansa Yogananda in 1951 and was appointed as the minister of the Phoenix, Arizona, Self-Realization Fellowship Center in March 1952. In late 1953, aware of a need to learn to live effectively in the secular world, he withdrew from the organization — but not from his relationship with the kriya yoga tradition or his commitment to serve. After 2 years in the U.S. Army Medical Corps at Fort Riley, Kansas, he began his mission as an independent teacher.

His books are published in 10 languages and in 11 countries. He is also the publisher of Truth Journal magazine and writes monthly lessons for CSA members around the world.

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