History
Once called the "religion of
healthy-mindedness"
by the philosopher, William James, the New Thought movement was born
almost
150 years ago as a revolt against the negative dogmas so prevalent in
the
churches of that day. The early New Thought movement was driven by the
discovery
that physical healing was possible through the power of mind and
spiritual
awareness. As that initial idea unfolded into successful application,
practitioners
of New Thought began to see that the power of an uplifted consciousness
could also bring healing to negative circumstances and conditions in
one's
personal life. As it evolves today, twenty-first century New Thought is
driven by a far broader intention. Planetary healing through
self-realization
is emerging as the new promise of these teachings.
The Philosophy
of New Thought
New Thought, as defined
in the dictionary, is a modern spiritual philosophy stressing the power
of right thinking in a person's life, the idea that our thoughts and attitudes
affect our experience and that God (or whatever other name a person might
have for a Higher Power) is within the individual.
New Thought is a logical
and scientifically based understanding and method of changing our experience
by changing our thinking. New Thought is simple and easy to learn. It
has a tradition that reaches back over one hundred years and is founded
on principles that embrace many of the world religious and spiritual practices
spanning thousands of years.
New Thought recognizes
that human beings function on many levels: that the individual is a mental,
spiritual, emotional and physical being. In realizing our fullness, our
wholeness and maximizing our potential we are, in essence, finding fulfillment.
New Thought teaches
people tools which put us on the path to fulfillment. The natural extension
of this fulfillment is that as an individual's life is better, their family's
life is better, their community's life is better and this extends out
across the planet.
