Text: To put this Law of Opulence into operation it is necessary to realize three things. First. That everything you want exists now in Divine Mind. Do you want jewels, gold, silver? They are all in the market; besides, there are in the mines as yet undiscovered all these things in great abundance. All these things exist and you can put into operation the law which will bring them to you. The history of the world shows that every mental demand of man has been met. Man grew tired of walking and carrying things and the cumbersome ox cart was eveolved to supply his needs. But he was not satisfied with this crude vehicle and demanded something better. Then came the horse and a lighter wagon, and after that came steam cars, bicycles, and automobiles; and still man is not satisfied; he wishes to fly and flying machines are in process of evolution [written 1902]. By degrees, from the boat made by burning out the center of an old log, has the modern steam yacht been evolved, and from the slow, tedious process of sending verbal messages by footman from place to place has been evolved the wireless telegraph. There is no lack of anything in the world; and there should be no envy or jealousy between men, because there is enough to everything for everyone who lives. Second. Realize that all things belong to Deity and that you can only have a temporary use of them. We should not be so vainglorious as to think we own anything. We came into the world destitute of everything and go out of it with nothing except character - and some even go without that. While we remain here we may borrow of Deity something or nothing according to our manner of thinking. Third. We should realize that all things are distributed by the Universal Consciousness according to law. One man is not poverty-stricken and another man a millionaire by chance, fatalism or caprice; but everything is distributed according to the law of mental demand, or of asking and receiving. Those of you who are Christians know what the Nazarene said on that subject. Everyone who stops to think knows that the successful man of business has always been, is, and always will be, the man who can demand - i.e., make a positive picture of what he desires. If you want anything, create it mentally, demand it and according to your faith be it unto you. There are certain rules whereby you may hasten your creations whether you work with or without a center [business, etc.] , and your experiences will demonstrate the accuracy of the rules. Rule First. Meditate and ask Deity if there is any reason why you should not have the thing you desire to create. This removes all uncertainty from your mind about the advisability of creating it. Uncertainty produces a negative condition, disturbs your aura and therefore delays the materialization of your creations. When you have received the answer from the Universal Consciousness that it is right and proper for you to have the thing that you desire, you are then in a positive condition of mind and can forcefully put the law into operation. Rule Second. Having decided to create something make your mental picture of it and demand it unfalteringly until it comes. A person after having received a favorable answer from Deity often commences his creations, but abandons them after a time because his objective mind suggests that he may have been mistaken about his answer from Deity, and it is not best to continue with his demands. Do not listen to the suggestions from your objective mind, but once having decided upon your creations go on with them to the end. Rule Three. A positive demand accomplishes more and better results than a request or a petition. The mental attitude while making a demand should always be reverential but very positive. The Lord's Prayer is an excellent example of the proper attitude of mind to be assumed while demanding and we will analyze that prayer. Jesus said: "After this manner therefore pray ye: "Our Father which art in Heaven, hallowed be Thy name. Thy Kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in Heaven." The attitude of mind manifested by the Nazarene while making the first part of this prayer was reverential, and His words expressed His desire for perfect harmony between Himself and the Father. Having established harmony between His individual mind and the Universal Mind He proceeded to make His demands in this manner: "Give us this day our daily bread: And forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil." After this manner therefore pray ye." There is not one negative thought in this prayer. There is a positive demand for everything desired rather than a petition. We can almost say that the demand was a respectful command that the things desired should come, and you will find that those of you who ask of the Universal in this manner and with this mental attitude will always receive what you ask for. Now contrast that mental attitude that the Nazarene Occultist had when He prayed, with the mental attitude of His so-called followers of the present day. He said: "When thou prayest thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing (kneeling) in the synagogues" (churches and cathedrals) * * * "But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions as the heathen do; for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking" (chanting, litanies and masses). If you wish to witness the contrast between the Master's and the modern forms of worship, go into some of the Churches on or near Fifth Avenue and listen to the words of the modern prayers. On Sunday you will hear Public Confessions of sins something like this: "We have left undone those things which we ought to have done; and we have done those things which we ought not to have done: And these is no health in us." "Health" is defined by the Century Dictionary as meaning in this connection, "natural vigor of the faculties, moral or intellectual soundness." If we were to say about these same good citizens what they publicly admit about themselves - that they are morally and intellectually depraved and are secretly doing things they ought not to do - we should very likely be sued for slander. But we do not wish to say or to believe that these good people are guilty of what they unthinkingly say with their lips in their forms of worship. The illustration given is but a type of modern prayers, for they are all more or less self-depreciatory if not self-condemnatory. The thoughts behind them are negative and the prayers are repeated as a matter of form more than of faith. Many of these same good persons have their prayers answered, but the answered ones were not the formal prayers read from prayer books. They are those that were sent forth from the heart and were expressed in a positive form; they were whispered in the silence of the night when there was no one near to hear but God to whom they were addressed. These are the prayers that are efficious, for prayer to be efficious must be a mental and not an emotional act. Rule Four. Demand specifically what you want. Every word of this rule is important. First you must make a demand. Then that demand must be specific. Make your mental picture clear-cut. The clearer your picture the sooner will it materialize. Demand specifically what you want - not what some one else wants you to have, not what you think you ought to have, not what you believe it your duty to want - but what you, yourself, wish to have. The converse of this rule is equally important. Never demand what you do not want. If you want money do not demand work, but always be ready and willing to work for it - if necessary. Almost everyone in the beginning makes the mistake of demanding what he does not want, because it is difficult to break the customs of many years. Unpleasant environment is the result of demands we have made in the past for things we do not want now. Diseased bodies and unhappy conditions of mind are but the realizations of demands made in ignorance. This rule is very likely to be misunderstood by some metaphysicians. A local teacher of metaphysics who heard this rule given in last year's lectures said it was misleading; that if a person had a drug store, for instance, and wanted money, he should demand patrons because they would bring money. To an Occultist this is strange logic. The druggist might have a thousand patrons and sell his entire stock. If all his customers bought his goods on credit and neglected to pay for them afterwrds, he desire for money would not be fulfilled although his demand for patrons had been fully met. It is best to demand the specific thing you want and then you will make no mistakes. A member of last years' class who thought she unerstood this rule, said to me several weeks after the lecture course that she had created a trip to Europe. When I asked her to describe her mental picture she said, "Oh, I just created a one thousand dollar bill which I shall use for my trip." She had not created a trip to Europe, but had created the money to pay for one. This was no surety of her getting the trip, because when the money came an infinite number of things might occur to prevent her going. She should have created the picture of herself on board ship crossing the ocean; and should have seen herself landing safe and well on the other side. Rule Fifth. Demand only when your desire is strong. When you feel the need of a thing your desire for it is strongest. Many students begin enthusiastically to make their demands, but soon grow lukewarm. A good way to intensify your desires is to think of the pleasure the possession of the thing would give you, and when the desire for it comes sweeping over you then make your demand for it. Do not demand because the hour set apart for demainding has come, or because you regard it as a duty you have assumed. Demands made under such conditions amount to nothing, and the time put into work of that kind is wasted. Rule Sixth. Mind works best when the body is still. If you are drumming with your fingers or swinging your feet while making demands, a part of your mental force goes into the physical motions you are making; and your forces being divided the mental work is robbed of much of its power. You should conserve your force. At intervals during the day you may think of your demands and you can hold them subconsciously in mind much of the time; and while this kind of picture making does not accomplish as much as when the body is at rest, yet it does have an effect. Rule Seventh. Never demand when excited. You may have a strong desire but no excitement. A demand made during intense excitement is always met forcefully. This is an important rule, the oberservance of which may save you much inconvenience. We are quite likely to become impatient at times and are often tempted to make violent demands. It is a dangerous thing too, as I shall show you in an illustration. There was a student of Occultism in this city who had met with several misfortunes. Disasters follwed each other till everything he had on the material plane was swept away. But he was possessed of a great deal of force, and knowing how to make demands for what he wanted he commenced making new creations. He demanded ten thousand dollars, which to him was financial opulence. The demand was not met immediately, and the young man became impatient and finally angry. And when he wakened one morning to find himself without money enough to pay for his breakfast, he walked to the park, threw himself upon the ground and lay there for several hours with his teeth set, hands clenched and with the perspiration standing out all over his body, so intense was his excitement while making his demand for the money he had pictured. The next day he boarded a freight train and, after the usual delays and inconveniences attending upon transportation of that kind, the student of Occultism managed to reach a Western town. But he had no sooner entered the place than a cyclone came along and swept it off the face of the earth. When the young man of the violent demands came to consciousness he was lying on the ground some distance from the palce where he was at the last moment of this recollection. His body was a mass of bruises, and when he tried to rise to his feet he found one leg broken. Bodies of dead animals and men lay all around him, and wagonloads of debris were strewn in all directions; but just within reach of his arm lay a plethoric leather wallet. The young man reached his best arm out and got the wallet and immediately examined its contents. There were just ten one thousand dollar bils in it and not a scrap of paper or a card to tell to whom it belonged. He placed his prize in the pocket of this ragged coat and crept on his hands and knees for some distance till someone came to his relief. He was cared for and finally got well. The owner of the money could not be found, and the young man kept it as an answer to his violent demand, which so nearly cost him his life. Please do not understand me to say that the young Occult student's violent demand created the cyclone, because it had nothing to do with its creation. But the student was drawn into the cyclone, and suffered the horrors of it, because of his own tempestuous mental condition when making a demand, which had to be met after the manner that it was made. Rule Eighth. Always be deliberate and quiet but positive when demanding. Never demand in a hurry. Mental perturbation engendered by hurry, delays the materialization of your creation. Rule Ninth. Avoid speculating on the time when or the way in which your demonstrations will be made. When you begin speculating about the ways and means by which your demnstrations will come, immediately your force becomes scattered or divided and a repellent expectancy arises. There is an expectancy that draws and also one that repels. The quiet expectancy, such as is used in meditation, is helpful in drawing to you whatever you have demanded. But the impatient expectancy of the objective mind is repellent, because it causes your aura to become disturbed and then nothing you want can reach you. For example: You have made a demand and have commenced to wonder through whom that demand will be met. Your objective mind suggests Mr. Blank as the most probable person, and if you accept the suggestion when you meet Mr. Blank you are not mentally poised because of your impatient expectancy. Mr. Blank feels your mental condition and if he were inclined to form a business connection with you he would hesitate and become uncertain because of your perturbed condition; thus the ways and means that you expected to bring your demonstration would not be used because of your repellent expectancy. The person who violates rule nine is likely to make very bad investments. Rule Tenth. Anger, discontent, envy and lack of self-control repel and delay a demonstration. If you make a mental picture of a thing and hold it for a time it will materialize, but it will be delayed if you indulge in any of the mental attitudes just mentioned; because any of these puts your aura into a perturbed condition, which is repellent. Divine Mind may be likened to the ocean which is bearing a boat laden with your creations to you who are standing upon the shore. If you are perturbed your mind acts upon Divine Mind as the wind off shore acts upon the ocean. It is forever driving back the craft in which are the things you desire. This rule is one of the hardest to observe, but like anything else it can be followed. It is the disregard of this rule which leads investigators and beginners too disbelieve in the law or power of mind, and which makes so many students finally abandon in despair their efforts to use the forces of nature. But if we do not use nature's forces then we shall be used by them. Rule Eleventh. The earnestness with which a demand is made, the frequency with which it is made and the persistency with which the mental image is consciously held in mind hasten the demonstration. In another lecture you were told how your mental picture becomes a matrix, and that from this matrix goes forth a vibratory force like a blue magnetic cord which connects with the thing you desire. The material thing is then drawn by this blue magnetic cord closer and closer to you every time you concentrate your thoughts upon your creation until the thing finally reaches you. The earnestness, the frequency and the persistency of your demands and concentration draw it faster and faster. An Occultist never destroys any of his mental pictures. Rule Twelve. The realization that you are using an immutable law hastens your demonstrations. Get out of the old theological belief that because you are good God is going to give you a reward. Get out of the thought that you are a chosen child of God and that He is looking upon you with special favor. Get into the thought that you are a student of Occultism and that by working with mental law you are going to be able to make quick demonstrations and a better environment. Realize that you are using an immutable law and that what you demand comes to you because you are using a law and that nothing can prevent its coming, that God Himself cannot prevent it without violating His own nature - a thing inconceivable. Rule Thirteen. After your creation is made and you have demanded it, the declaration, "God has met my demand," hastens the material manifestation of the demonstration. For example, suppose you have made a picture, have held it, have demanded that it should materialize and you have followed faithfully all the foregoing rules. But after a while your objective mind says: "That demonsration will never come." Then I would suggest that you change your form of demand, and instead of saying "Give me this," say, "God has met my demand. It is mine now." Claim it. You know your demand has been met on the mental plane, and since it is law that you are using, it is yours as much as before it has materialized as it will be afterward. This declaration gives you a positive realization of possession which has a tendency to bring more quickly your creations and removes anxiety and perturbation from your mind.

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