How to Change Your Life: An Inspirational, Life-Changing Classic from the Ernest Holmes Library [Paperback]

Ernest Holmes (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1, 1999

Ernest Holmes's rational, lucid explanation of why our thoughts have power will instruct readers on how they can change their lives by changing their thinking. "The wisdom of God is within you, and you can use it to improve your life."

How to Change Your Life presents:

ideas on life and God essential to contemporary spiritual understanding

how science and spirituality have merged and what that means for you

step-by-step instructions on how to use Science of Mind to improve your experience of life

These principles, along with techniques for applying them, are thoroughly described in this book. If readers are ready to positively jumpstart their lives, this is the book that can help them do it.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Ernest Holmes (1887-1960) was the founder of the Science of Mind philosophy and movement. Ernest Holmes's teachings are based on both Eastern and Western traditions, and the empirical laws of science and metaphysics. Science of Mind is a spiritual philosophy that people throughout the world have come to know as a positive, supportive approach to life. These ancient truths have kept pace with and proven their relevancy in today's global village and its expanding technology and warp-speed changes. Author of The Science of Mind, the seminal book on his teachings, Holmes also founded the monthly periodical, Science of Mind magazine, which has been in continuous monthly publication since 1927.

Reverend Dr. Michael Beckwith was ordained as a minister of Religious Science in 1985. He is founder and minister of the Agape International Center of Truth, home of the Agape Church of Religious Science, one of the nation's largest, multi-cultural, multi-racial, trans-denominational spiritual communities. Rev. Beckwith is a distinguished humanitarian, teacher, mentor, songwriter and producer. He is in demand the world over as a speaker and facilitator. He is regularly heard on the Life is Good! radio program and the Agape Television Ministry nationwide.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

Chapter One
Your Dreams Can Come True!

Every human being thrills at the thought of having dreams come true! The idea means different things to different people. To you it may mean physical health: the ability to walk, run, play, to engage in activity. To me, it may mean abundance: money, a home, a car—opulence. To another, dreams may involve education, or the ability to get along with people. Whatever your personal desires may be—as long as they do not hurt yourself or someone else—you have a right to attain them . . . and you can.

The ability to attain your goals—to control your experiences and have them result in happiness, prosperity and success—lies in your own mind and the way you use it. This means you control your own experience—you are really in charge of your affairs and the way they are to develop.

Let us sum it up this way: My thought is in control of my experience, and I can direct my thinking.

Read that again and then say it aloud. It is a most astounding statement and at first may even seem far-fetched. But because you are a thoughtful person with an open mind, ready to be shown what you may not at first understand—even what does not seem entirely believable—you will be willing to take that statement under consideration and hear the reasons for it. Certainly you do not have to believe it nor do you wish to until you have investigated it, heard the arguments in its favor, and observed whether or not it works for you after you have given it a fair trial. That is the way the intelligent mind approaches any new idea.

It Has to Make Sense

No one can force a new belief upon another; no one has the right to attempt to do so. Only when we have made the appropriate intellectual inquiries and investigations for ourselves can we honestly decide whether to accept or reject what is presented to us. We are not going to allow ourselves to be coerced into anything of which our own good judgment does not approve. However, we cannot bring our good judgment to bear upon anything in fullest measure until we have been fair in our efforts to understand it and then faithful in our attempts to test it, to see if it actually does work for us.

If you were raised under Christian influences in the home and church, you will probably feel particularly sensitive about things that sound religious. You will be inclined to say, "I do not want anything to disturb my faith in God as an Overruling Providence and in Jesus as the Wayshower for men and women through his practical application of a loving, useful life and his triumphant conquest even over death itself."

In response, the Science of Mind viewpoint suggests, "You are exactly right!"

On the other hand, if you have lived apart from church activities and associations, or you have found them unfitted to your intellectual turn of mind and you want something on which you can base your thinking and faith, something that retains a clear concept of the orderly world of science in which natural law and order prevail, then we say, "That is a rational viewpoint and we believe you will find much that is of interest and value to you in the Science of Mind."

Possibly, though, you may be just a busy man or woman who desires a wholesome, successful life and a sense of security. If you are going to give your attention to a new way of thinking, it will have to be something that makes sense and that you can apply in your everyday affairs, because you know it works!

This is a realistic and reasonable attitude according to the Science of Mind viewpoint.

Something for You

So . . . if an understanding of God meets your daily needs in a world of practical affairs, you want it. If some system of reasoning conforms to your keenest intellectual understanding and scientific knowledge, it is of interest to you. If you can find something which, for you, satisfies the deep inner hunger that lies in the hearts of all people (whether they ever acknowledge that hunger or not), you are just as eager as anyone else to find satisfaction. You have practical daily needs that must be met, intellectual demands that seek rational fulfillment, and sincere spiritual longings that have to be fulfilled. This is true of all persons. You are no exception.

Now that we have a foundation for mutual understanding and a willingness to look into an exciting new way of thinking, let us go back to our earlier statement, enlarge it, and give it more careful consideration:

The ability to control my experiences and have them result in happiness, health, prosperity and success lies in my own mind and my use of it.

How Can This be So?

Physical science has proved that everything can be scientifically reduced to one ultimate invisible Essence, something which cannot be directly contacted by the physical senses. It is therefore only reasonable to say that originally everything must have come from that Essence. According to your own way of thinking, different names are given to It: Energy, Principle, Universal Intelligence, Universal Mind, Consciousness, Spirit, God.

For our purpose it does not particularly matter which of these names we use. Let us call It Mind. This probably has the broadest meaning for most of us, without too many limiting ideas connected with it.

Scientists show us that Energy—an aspect of Mind—is interchangeable with Substance, and is everywhere: within us, around us, filling all space to the limitless reaches of the universe.

Everything we can see, touch, taste, smell or contact in any physical way, we are told, is but some aspect of this Universal Energy or Mind, which has been channeled into specific and tangible form so that our senses become aware of It.

For instance, on a summer day, entirely invisible vapor arises from the ocean and soars high in the sky. By contacting a different air temperature it becomes a cloud. If colder air still further condenses it, it turns into raindrops which help fill a lake. In winter a further change takes place and instead of raindrops there are snowflakes. Winter also changes the water of the lake to ice. In every instance we have only that original vapor, though it has taken forms of which our senses are aware. Similarly, Universal Mind, though always basically the same, appears in many different forms.

Mind is Everywhere

Einstein's famous equation, E=mc², revolutionized and clarified much scientific thinking and at the same time cleared the way for the establishment of firmer foundations in philosophic and religious thought. In essence it means that energy and mass are one and the same, and are interchangeable. From our point of view this means that Mind—God—acting as Energy, becomes what we know as the physical world, according to law. They are one and the same thing (although God, being infinite, could never be depleted by what is created). We may reasonably declare that everything which will ever exist must also come from God. In fact there is nothing else out of which anything could be made.

Mind is everywhere! After all, this is just the same as what we were taught to say in earliest childhood: "God is everywhere." That statement may not have meant much to us then, but now we know that this Universal Mind is everywhere . . . therefore It is within us!

There can be no exception to that everywhereness. This gives us a key to the whole nature of Life and allows us to understand that not only our individual minds, but our bodies as well, are expressions and a part of Mind.

How You Can Utilize This New Awareness

At the beginning of this world system of ours, there must have been nothing but the great Universal Mind—God—and out of Itself the tangible universe was formed.

Those of us with Christian backgrounds were taught that God—Universal Mind—is omnipresent, and that we too were made in His image and likeness. So now we arrive at the conclusion that we, at our level, possess a creativity similar to that of the Universal Mind. We create in our experience whatever we choose: health, happiness, prosperity, employment—any good thing we need—through the process of our constructive thought, through which the unlimited creativity of Mind acts, giving form to our desired objective. The only way for us to constructively use the creativity of this invisible but everywhere-present Mind is by means of our thought, faith and conviction—and nothing else!

You Have a Right to Create

Today, the old idea of our being like God, the image-and-likeness concept, applies in a new and different but very important way. Since we are created of that which God is—Mind—we are made of and possess Godlike qualities, and we have the right and the ability to develop and use them. In fact, it is necessary for us to do this if we are to fully express the Life within us. Later we shall discuss these qualities, but just now we are interested in the creative aspect of our minds.

What you choose is created for you out of and through the action of the One Universal Mind, which is everywhere and is accessible to you. You avail yourself of the Creative Action of Mind through what you believe! Perhaps you are not quite ready to accept this statement, but it is an interesting one, and well worth remembering.

How Can You Learn to Believe?

First of all, you must remember that you can think whatever you please. No one can direct your thought processes. They are under your control.

Someone may say, "You must think as a Republican," or "You have to be a Democrat in your thinking," or "My church's way of thinking is the only right one; you must t...

Product Details

• Paperback: 300 pages
• Publisher: HCI; 2nd edition (May 1, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1558746862
• ISBN-13: 978-1558746862
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #110,715 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Ernest Shurtleff Holmes (1887-1960) was an avid student of the world's spiritual systems. He found in these a common denominator he called the Science Mind, a practical philosophy for abundant living. Beginning as self-educated lecturer, Holmes developed a large following of students and went on to formalize his work by founding Science of Mind magazine, an educational institute, and the United Church Religious Science. His writings have inspired the work of countless clergy, business leaders, physicians, and psychologists and have helped to shape the guiding principles of the modern human potential movement, both spiritual and secular. Born and raised in Maine, Holmes spent much of his adult life in California.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

48 of 53 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Do it and see the result in your Life!, November 20, 2004

By 

Bluestream (in my world) - See all my reviews

This review is from: How to Change Your Life: An Inspirational, Life-Changing Classic from the Ernest Holmes Library (Paperback)

What can i say about this book, other than, the techniques and affirmations written by Holmes WORKS! I have been exposed to Holmes' work for a few years, but just for casual reading. Recently, I went deeper than just 'reading for knowledge' to living the knowledge.

I was affirming a perfect job with higher salary, and within 1 month, I got a job in another city, and i got a $15,000 increment in salary! (something that a lot of job agents told me is 'impossible' or 'get real'). WHat happened was, my friend called me out of the blue saying his boss suddenly wanted to hire someone with my capability. I sent in my resume, and got an interview. And the old company was having some business changes and decided to split, and I took that as an opportunity to get out. And i went to another city, and got a job immediately.

I also treat my health very often and see great result. I once had a condition, and it healed when I affirmed before i sleep. The next day i woke up, its like there was no condition.
Holmes' work is thick in wisdom for living. If you are interested, also read books by Thomas Troward. Also get "Love and Law" & others by Ernest Holmes.

31 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A MUST FOR ANY BOOKSHELF!, October 27, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: How to Change Your Life: An Inspirational, Life-Changing Classic from the Ernest Holmes Library (Paperback)

This book along with "Dynamic Laws of Healing" by Catherine Ponder, are two of my favorites when it comes to the nitty gritty of spiritual work. (I mean the actual WORK!) I have been reading metaphysical books for over 25 years and Ernest Holmes and Catherine Ponder (among a few others) explain spiritual principles and give you practical guidelines as to how to heal yourself and others. Even if you don't read this book now, buy it and put it on your bookshelf because I guarantee you will read/need it one day. :)

29 of 38 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Your Life is Your Gift to the World, May 21, 2006

By 

John P. Morgan "Light Coach" (Beautiful San Dimas, CA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: How to Change Your Life: An Inspirational, Life-Changing Classic from the Ernest Holmes Library (Paperback)

This is a great book and yet I have a little bit of a problem with it. It's really insignificant, but it still kind of bothers me and that is, the title of the book. You can't change your life. Now hear me out before you think I'm being pessimistic; you can't change your life because your life is essentially that which cannot change. Your life is God Itself...Spirit...it is that which cannot change. Now, by all means you can realign your thinking and by changing your perspective on life it will appear as though your life is changing but only because now you are in alignment...in agreement with what God was ALREADY providing you with; a life that is BEAUTIFUL, RICH, and WONDERFUL; a life where EVERY MOMENT is an opportunity to express Light, extend Love, and experience Life Itself.

I recommend this book because it does help you to remember what we already know within; that we are whole and holy beings living in a whole and holy universe right here and right now.

Ernest Holmes expresses powerful ideas and amazing insights in this book. Is there anything new in it? Mmmmm...let me think...nope, nothing new but nothing new can be added to Truth because Truth is a constant just like God and cannot be changed, cannot be added to, cannot bend to suit our wants and our needs so if you're looking for something to get "bowled over" with, you're looking for something outside of yourself and not willing to go within. And that's okay, but I would rather go within than go without. Besides, if you're not getting excited or enthused about Truth just as Truth then you're really not hearing it or understanding it because Truth should always be setting off fireworks within our minds, hearts, and souls. We should walk away feeling incredible and then ready to live the stuff out because it works if you work it and it'll work even if you don't work it because the universe is always willing to prove to us exactly what we believe.

It's an amazing thing this life we've been given. Let's start today by getting this book and deciding once and for all that we are here to truly live and to live abundantly.

Peace be with all of you...