by Michael Maciel

How much of our world is held together by our beliefs? I mean, held together in such a way that if our beliefs were disrupted, our whole world, including our sense of self, would fall apart.

Consciously, we might wish that we could escape the bounds of our limitations, but subconsciously, we might not want that at all. Who’s to say that our limitations aren’t there for our benefit? Perhaps our soul knows something we don’t. Perhaps our limitations are our gestation chamber, like an egg, that if removed would kill us, not just physically but spiritually, too.

For instance, how often have you wished you could win the lottery? But, did you know that lottery winners often wind up worse off than before? Why do we believe that having lots of money would cure all of our problems? It might appear that way to our conscious mind, but the subconscious knows better. (Remember, the subconscious is the mind of the soul.) It knows that the integrity of our social circles would be jeopardized should we suddenly come into a vast fortune. Would we be willing to undergo the shift in perception our friends and family have of us? Probably not. Even if you gave everyone a million dollars, it still wouldn’t be enough. They would still resent you or hound you endlessly for more.

Then there’s the problem of addiction. Most people’s addictions are kept relatively manageable by their lack of cash. But give them access to whatever they want, and it’s only a matter of time before they self-destruct. As Paul Simon said in one of his songs, “Thinking I had supernatural powers, I slammed into a brick wall.” Our soul knows this, because it’s been there before.

Using the Law works best when we stay close to the edges of our beliefs. We can push the envelope; we just can’t push it too far. We have to honor the forebears of our perceived reality. If we reject them outright, there will be a massive pushback from the subconscious mind. All hell will break loose.

Take the example of flying. If we pray for the ability to fly, you know, like Superman, it’s not likely that that will happen. It’s just too far removed from our perceived reality. We don’t have wings, we are subject to gravity, and we all know that people can’t fly. Only birds can fly. But, people have wanted to fly for centuries, maybe thousands of years. They finally worked it out on December 17, 1903, near Kill Devil Hills, about four miles south of Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. Sixty-three years later, we flew to the moon.

As astronaut Jim Lovell said when someone said it was a miracle, “No, it wasn’t a miracle. We just decided to go.” The most powerful force we know of is the human mind. When we decide to do something—really decide—it gets done. The Law of Mind is the mechanism by which that happens. “Until one is committed, there is hesitancy, the chance to draw back, always ineffectiveness. Concerning all acts of initiative and creation, there is one elementary truth the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans: that the moment one definitely commits oneself, then providence moves too.” – William Hutchison Murray

Using the Law of Mind is an integral part of spiritual practice. It’s not enough to accept whatever comes along as though it were the will of God. When conditions aren’t right, it’s up to us to fix them. If it’s raining, we go inside. If it’s hot in the city we go to the beach. If people are dying of cholera, we invent a sewage system. These are fixes. But what if we’re shooting for the moon? What if we want a new job or a better relationship or even a new car? What prevents us from having those things? Is it God? I don’t think so. The only thing God wants, as far as I can tell, is that we get our prayers answered. THAT is the will of God.

Our approach to life should not be passive. We were created in the image and likeness of God. And God, first and foremost, is a creator. If we want to be like God, if we want to “please” God, we need to create. There are two ways of looking at the world. One is to see it as an aggregate of things and stuff—inanimate and mindless. The other way is to see it as infinite potential, to see all things in terms of possibility. We either say, “What must I put up with today?” or, “How can I turn my circumstances into opportunities?” One is the path of needless suffering. The other is taking on the mind of Christ.