NEW THOUGHT

An Introduction to New Thought - presented by Dr Ian Ellis-Jones - copyright Ellis-Jones Enterprises Pty Limited - all rights reserved - for information only - commercial use (other than by the copyright holder) prohibited. For more information on the subject, see also my SlideShare presentations ‘WHAT YOU THINK YOU BECOME: NEW THOUGHT, SELF-HELP AND POPULAR PSYCHOLOGY’ and ‘NEW THOUGHT IN AUSTRALIA’.

1. NEW THOUGHT Presented by Dr Ian Ellis-Jones Wellness Instructor and Practitioner Minister and Meditation Master

2. The “movement of the mind” The late 19th century “movement of the mind” saw an increased interest in alternative beliefs such as … Unitarianism and Universalism Theosophy Christian Science New Thought.

3. The “movement of the mind” The movement was particularly embraced by women , who were presented with new thoughts in … religion sexuality philosophy.

4. The “movement of the mind” The organisations offered opportunities for women to preach … and even lead congregations .

5. What is ‘New Thought’? A system of thought which affirms the unity of God with man, the perfection of all life, and the immortality and eternity of the individual soul forever expanding . - Dr Ernest Holmes.

6. New Thought “New Thought is an idealism, as are all esoteric philosophies and religions - all religions that do not separate man from God. It is also progressive , because it recognizes by its fundamental principles and teachings that all healthful and normal ideals must change, expand and develop, as the individual gains more light and truth, as he expands and grows.” - Abel Leighton Allen.

7. New Thought “The Father within you, so lovingly and familiarly revealed by Jesus, is not a distance, far away in a place called ‘heaven.’ His abode is in the spiritual realms that underlie all creative forces. As Jesus realized and taught, ‘the kingdom of God is within you.’ Spirit is the seat of power; its abode is on the invisible side of man's nature.” - Charles Fillmore.

8. New Thought “…the religion of healthy-mindedness” - William James , The Varieties of Religious Experience.

9. New Thought The greatest discovery of my generation is that man can alter his life simply by altering his attitude of mind. - William James.

10. New Thought New Thought made its appearance in New England USA about 1800-1825 in the form of a revival of Neoplatonism

11. New Thought Neoplatonism a religious philosophy a form of idealistic monism all reality is mental the physical world is produced by the mind we experience the physical world through the medium of ideas … and not directly

12. New Thought Neoplatonism … the Universe is the Infinite Utterance of one of an infinite number of Infinite Thoughts, which cannot but emanate from an Infinite and Thinking Source.

13. New Thought Neoplatonism the primeval Source of Being is the One and the Infinite , as opposed to the many and the finite the source of all life absolute causality and the only real existence

14. New Thought Neoplatonism the high origin of the human soul its departure from its first estate the way by which the soul may again return to the Eternal and Supreme … the Infinite One

15. New Thought Numerous people … despite their individual differences … were: in rebellion against the then curent Calvinism which had for so long ruled New England religious thought, and in reaction against the religious skepticism of the previous century (The “ American Enlightenment ”)

16. New Thought One branch bore fruit which is now known as Unitarianism (in the USA, Unitarian Universalism ). The Unitarians had split from the Congregationalist Churches of New England.

17. New Thought The other branch brought into revival Neoplatonism … which later evolved into what was then known as the Transcendental Movement within Unitarianism …

18. New Thought Transcendalism brought a renewed interest in: Mysticism Idealism Metaphysics the idea of … the Immanent God

19. New Thought New Thought took form in about 1830 under the name of … Transcendentalism originally named and founded by Ralph Waldo Emerson and certain other awakened New Englanders … The name New Thought was taken in the 1890s …generally replacing such names as Mind Cure and Mental Science.

20. New Thought Thus, the New Thought movement is linked to the Transcendalists within the Unitarian movement

21. New Thought New Thought is essentially a non-creedal mind-healing spiritual and metaphysical philosophy and movement … as well as a way of life …

22. New Thought … promoting fullness of all aspects of living and affirming that: God is supreme, universal and everlasting. Divinity dwells within each person. We are all spiritual beings. The highest spiritual principle is loving one another unconditionally … and teaching and healing one another. Our mental states are carried forward into manifestation and become our experience in daily living.

23. New Thought “If we really wish to have a health that will never leave us we have to train the imagination. In training the mind, it is good to imagine, for instance, that our bodies are full of light, that they are a perfect blaze of light. Let us imagine that we take a light and carry it right down through the inner parts of our bodies and let it shine. We may call that light “Love,” “Wisdom,” or “Life.” If there is anything wrong in any part of our bodies, we let the light shine there, we can put a word anywhere we like in our bodies; and feel the consciousness of it. Imagination is capable of this.” - James P Mills, From Existence to Life: The Science of Self-Consciousness.

24. New Thought Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882) Unitarian minister Transcendentalist philosopher, poet, essayist the “ Sage of Concord ” the spiritual father of New Thought

25. New Thought “There is one mind common to all individual men … . Who hath access to this universal mind is a party to all that is or can be done, for this is the only and sovereign agent.” “God is one and omnipotent. Man is the noblest work of God.” - Ralph Waldo Emerson.

26. New Thought “… the thought is always prior to the fact.” “A man is what he thinks about all day long.” “They conquer who believe they can.” - Ralph Waldo Emerson.

27. New Thought Phineas P Quimby ( 1802-1866 ) … "Park" to his friends Maine clockmaker and inventor Mesmerist and magnetist known as a metaphysical healer … treated over 12,000 people in the last 8 years of his life … the “ Father of New Thought ” … His experiences and practices of mental healing were the real beginnings of and foundation for New Thought

28. New Thought Phineas P Quimby used the phrase "Christian Science" as early as 1863 also referred to his method of healing as the "Science of Christ", "Christ Science", and "The Quimby System" Presbyterian minister William Adams had previously used the term "Christian Science" before Quimby in his book The Elements of Christian Science (1 st ed , 1850; later ed , 1857).

29. New Thought “My practice is unlike all medical practice. I give no medicine, and make no outward applications. I tell the patient his troubles, and what he thinks is his disease: and my explanation is the cure. If I succeed in correcting his errors, I change the fluids of the system and establish the truth, or health. The truth is the cure. This mode of practice applies to all cases.” - Phineas P Quimby .

30. New Thought “Everyman is a part of God, just so far as he is wisdom.” “Jesus was the man who brought the true light or Christ to light. Christ was His religion, the God in Him. … What truth did Jesus come to bring to the world? One simple fact that man is a progressive being, that his happiness and misery are of his own make … .” - Phineas P Quimby .

31. New Thought Phineas P Quimby (1802-1866) “ Father of New Thought ”

32. New Thought Thomas Troward (1847-1916) … the other taproot of New Thought a member of the British Civil Service served as a Divisional Judge in the Punjab for 25 years lectured on "Mental Science" (to use his term) … wrote many books …"far and away the ablest statement of the philosophy I have met, beautiful in its sustained clearness of thought and style” (William James)

33. New Thought The ideas and teachings of Thomas Troward were brought to the USA by: initially, Dr Harry Gaze later, Dr Emmet Fox.

34. New Thought Phineas P Quimby transmitted his ideas and methods to a number of his patients, among them: Warren Felt Evans Mary Baker Eddy … then Mary Morse Patterson Julius A and Annetta (Seabury) Dresser

35. New Thought Warren Felt Evans (1817-1889) Methodist, later Swedenborgian , minister of religion “the first real philosopher of New Thought” first person to give literary form to New Thought pioneer writer of New Thought wrote 2 books on “ Quimbyism ” before Mary Baker Eddy published her Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures in 1875 … disease has its roots in wrong belief

36. New Thought Warren Felt Evans (1817-1889) "Everything exists for us in thought. That of which we do not think has for us no existence." Warren Felt Evans , Esoteric Christianity , 1886.

37. New Thought Mary Baker Eddy (1821-1910) t reated by Quimby in 1862 author of Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures (1 st ed , 1875) founder of the Church of Christ, Scientist (Christian Science), 1879 founder of the independent, non-denominational daily newspaper The Christian Science Monitor “Stand porter at the door of thought.”

38. New Thought Julius A Dresser (1838-1893) Annetta (Seabury) Dresser (1843-1935)

39. New Thought Julius A Dresser Dresser and Annetta (Seabury) Dresser continued more directly in the tradition of Quimby himself the first to formally organize what was to become known in time as the “ New Thought Movement ” competed with Mary Baker Eddy

40. New Thought “To realize that our real life is spiritual was to overcome the illusions of sense-experience with its manifold bondages.” - Julius A Dresser.

41. New Thought S on Horatio W Dresser (1866-1954) continued his parents’ work the first “historian of the New Thought Movement” published many books on New Thought as well as editing The Quimby Manuscripts (1921)

42. New Thought Warren Felt Evans and Julius A Dresser gave systematic form to Quimby’s ideas the intellectual founders of New Thought and its allied movements the most influential figures in the actual organization of the movement which came to be known as New Thought

43. New Thought Both Christian Science and New Thought in all of its various forms have their origins in Quimby’s ideas Mary Baker Eddy … developed her own highly individualistic, indeed idiosyncratic, version of Quimby’s ideas and methods would later claim to have been the “discoverer” and “founder ” of those ideas and methods

44. New Thought Mary Baker Eddy claimed to have “discovered” Christian Science in 1866 The matter went to the courts in 1883 …

45. New Thought Suit was won by Mary Baker Eddy … but only because Quimby’s son George Quimby would not permit the “ Quimby Manuscripts” to be taken to court. The other party to the proceedings (a former student of Eddy’s) was impecunious.

46. New Thought The Quimby Manuscripts published in 1921 Horatio W Dresser ( ed ) Mary Baker Eddy got all of her essential ideas from Quimby guilty of plagiarism

47. New Thought Mary Baker Eddy died on 3 December 1910. There's no truth to the persistent rumour that a telephone was installed in her tomb in case she returned to life. The story arose from a phone line that was installed temporarily for watchmen at the site.

48. New Thought NEW THOUGHT AND CHRISTIAN SCIENCE New Thought esoteric impersonal without central authority, creed, or general organization … neither monolithic nor doctrinaire … open-ended of free and individualistic spirit Spirit is more real and more powerful than matter

49. New Thought NEW THOUGHT AND CHRISTIAN SCIENCE Christian Science strong outward organization authority centred in one person … originally, at least absolute in doctrinal detail denominational in form and policy Mind is all Matter is not real … it is only the “objective supposition of Spirit’s opposite”

50. New Thought NEW THOUGHT AND CHRISTIAN SCIENCE New Thought for the most part, a form of objective idealism there is an objective world … “ matter ” … but which is mental (i.e. non-materialistic) … the manifested results of divine ideals objective world is independent of the human knower it “belongs” to one Absolute Mind (“ Mind ”), the absolute knower all individual minds are simply manifestations of Mind

51. New Thought NEW THOUGHT AND CHRISTIAN SCIENCE Christian Science an extreme or absolute form of subjective idealism nothing exists in creation but the ideal no independent objective reality external to subjective perceptions [Divine] Mind and idea are the only realities … all “objects” are mental creations … “ matter ” is a falsity … only an illusion of the senses … an “illusion of the human belief”

52. New Thought … A very real connection between Mary Baker Eddy and the New Thought Movement … M uch of New Thought filtered down through Eddy by means of one of her former pupils … Emma Curtis Hopkins

53. New Thought Emma Curtis Hopkins (1849-1925) known as the “ Teacher of Teachers ” inspired by the medieval mystic Joachim of Fiore broke from Mary Baker Eddy …

54. New Thought Emma Curtis Hopkins (1849-1925) … brought together and focused the national New Thought movement in 1886-88 with the base in Chicago then transmitted her ideas and methods to certain students who would later become the founders of all of the major New Thought denominations , centres and schools , including the following …

55. New Thought Malinda E (Brooks) Cramer (1844-1906) and Nona L Brooks (1861-1945) cofounded Divine Science with Fannie Brooks James (1854-1914) Alethea Brooks Small and Kate ( Mrs Frank) Bingham - cured by Mabel MacCoy , a student of Emma Curtis Hopkins - then conducted informal classes attended by the Brooks sisters

56. New Thought Dr Nona L Brooks … cofounder, Colorado College of Divine Science , 1898 lectured and held classes in a number of Australian cities, 1930 “The whole of Divine Science is the practice of the Presence of God” (Nona L Brooks)

57. New Thought Dr Nona L Brooks ordained Emmet Fox (1886-1951) as a Divine Science minister … Dr Emmet Fox Minister, Church of the Healing Christ , New York City, 1931-51 author of numerous New Thought books including The Sermon on the Mount and Power Through Constructive Thinking “We are all sparks from the Great Fire” (Emmet Fox)

58. New Thought Charles (1854-1948) and Myrtle (1845-1931) Fillmore cofounded the Unity School of Christianity (“Unity”) “I am a child of God, and therefore I do not inherit sickness” (Myrtle Fillmore)

59. New Thought Ernest Holmes (1887-1960) Divine Science minister founded the United Church of Religious Science (“Science of Mind”) a uthor of The Science of Mind “To think is to create.” “There is a power for Good in the Universe greater than you are, and you can use it!”

60. New Thought NEW THOUGHT IN AUSTRALIA Agnes Nesbit Benham (1850-1932) South Australian socialist, radical and feminist published booklet First Steps in Mental Science , 1895 “Our souls are individualised portions of Spirit-rays (from the Great Sun of Spirit we call God) projected far into matter” - Morning 17 October 1900

61. New Thought NEW THOUGHT IN AUSTRALIA Dr James P Mills (1847-1926) and Mrs Anna W Mills , from Chicago USA (later New York and London), c 1896 system of thinking called “the Teaching” … wrote many books founded Brisbane Christian Metaphysical Association visited Adelaide, Aug 1897 – Christian Metaphysical Association formed Joachim M Wendt president … former Unitarian

62. New Thought NEW THOUGHT IN AUSTRALIA Anna W Mills - called herself “Healer” - New Thought writer - also dabbled in Christian Science - author of Practical Metaphysics for Healing and Self Culture (1896)

63. New Thought NEW THOUGHT IN AUSTRALIA Henry Cardew , Sydney Veni Cooper- Mathieson … pioneer work began in 1903 Perth, Sydney, Blue Mountains, later Tasmania Grace M Aguilar (Paul) … married H George Paul Brisbane, Hobart, Adelaide, Sydney, Blue Mountains Emilie A Hulett , Melbourne Willoughby Connor , Hobart H T Glover , Adelaide E E S Erle , Lee Marshall, David W McClure, Elva Holcombe and others … Unity

64. New Thought NEW THOUGHT IN AUSTRALIA Christian Science first introduced into Australia by a visitor from the USA to Melbourne, 1891 copy of Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures presented to a Melbourne commercial library first regular Christian Science Sunday services, Melbourne, 1898

65. New Thought The umbrella organization the International New Thought Alliance (“INTA”) was established at a convention in St Louis MO in 1915. It had been preceded by: the International Divine Science Association of 1892, the International Metaphysical League of 1900, the New Thought Federation of 1903, and the National New Thought Alliance of 1908.

66. New Thought INTA’s Declaration of Principles first adopted in 1917 most recently revised in January 2000.

67. New Thought 1. We affirm God as Mind, Infinite Being, Spirit, Ultimate Reality. 2. We affirm that God, the Good, is supreme, universal, and everlasting. 3. We affirm the unity of God and humanity, in that the divine nature dwells within and expresses through each of us, by means of our acceptance of it, as health, supply, wisdom, love, life, truth, power, beauty, and peace. 4. We affirm the power of prayer and the capacity of each person to have mystical experience with God, and to enjoy the grace of God. 5. We affirm the freedom of all persons as to beliefs, and we honor the diversity of humanity by being open and affirming of all persons, affirming the dignity of human beings as founded on the presence of God within them, and, therefore, the principle of democracy . …

68. New Thought 6. We affirm that we are all spiritual beings, dwelling in a spiritual universe that is governed by spiritual law, and that in alignment with spiritual law, we can heal, prosper, and harmonize. 7. We affirm that our mental states are carried forward into manifestation and become our experience in daily living. 8. We affirm the manifestation of the kingdom of heaven here and now. 9. We affirm expression of the highest spiritual principle in loving one another unconditionally, promoting the highest good for all, teaching and healing one another, ministering to one another, and living together in peace, in accordance with the teachings of Jesus and other enlightened teachers. 10. We affirm our evolving awareness of the nature of reality and our willingness to refine our beliefs accordingly. Declaration of Principles , International New Thought Alliance (INTA).

69. New Thought “The mind exercises a powerful influence over the body. From the beginning of time, the sorcerer, the interpreter of dreams, the fortune-teller, the charlatan, the quack, the wild medicine-man, the educated physician, the mesmerist, and the hypnotist have made use of the client's imagination to help them in their work. They have all recognized the potency and availability of that force.” - Mark Twain , Christian Science.

70. New Thought Copyright © 2011 Ellis-Jones Enterprises Pty Limited (ABN 38 088 534 141). All Rights Reserved. The information contained in this PowerPoint presentation is for educational purposes only, is not medical advice, is not intended to be a replacement for professional medical advice, and is not to be used to treat or diagnose any medical condition . If needed, such advice should be obtained from the services of a competent health care professional.