In 2011 I wrote a book based on my doctoral thesis, The Relevance of New Thought For Today. I chose that topic because I was having a spiritual crisis, and, being a New Thought minister, I needed to examine my beliefs. This forum of the Authors’ Lounge gives me the opportunity to bring to the world what I believe is the only lasting solution to not only this pandemic but any issue we face, individually or globally.

With the pandemic that has swept the world, New Thought is as relevant today as ever. It is not only relevant, it is paramount if our world is to be healed from this latest crisis. I say this because as I’ve watched and read these past few weeks, what might have been a momentary wrinkle in the fabric of life has became a worldwide hysterical ripping apart. People have become hoarders, fighting over, of all things, toilet paper!

As I wrote in my book, It’s Still New! “The foundation of New Thought is the teachings of Jesus and emulating his actions, such as expressing love and goodwill to every person, healing the physical body with prayer, and teaching prosperity.”  If we examine the teachings of Jesus, we realize that Jesus taught that love for God will change us individually and globally. As we are changed we begin to look at every other person in a new light.

Love is the basis of New Thought, but the founders of New Thought considered God to be a loving presence and saw the universe as a friendly place in which a person’s wishes and needs are met.  The philosophy of New Thought is that we have a power, which is our minds, and we can use this power to heal and to prosper in a world in which everything is mind.    New Thought claims that what we pay attention to will be the fabric of our lives.  Psychological research affirms this: what we focus on grows.

Expectancy is another anthem of New Thought. Psychologist Julian Rotter, who developed the social learning and expectancy theory, states that we usually get what we expect.  By setting up (consciously or unconsciously) self-fulfilling prophesies, we send subtle clues to the universe, telling it how to treat us.  Brain research on neuronal network coincides with this; negative or positive thoughts multiply, therefore we do, consciously or unconsciously, make self-fulfilling prophesies.

These are just a few of the principles of New Thought. To summarize, we are in a worldwide pandemic because we continue to focus on an effect. The more we focus on that, the more it grows. If/when we take our attention off the effect, it diminishes. Turning our attention to what we want, in this case, worldwide health and prosperity, that will grow. I’ve seen this with my own eyes. I’ve experienced it in my life. When I concentrate on what I want rather than what I don’t have, the more of what I want I have. An example of that is this blog. One day I was thinking of what I’d like, one of which was a way to bring more attention to my work. A few days later I received a call from a representative of the company that hosts this blog, inviting me to be a regular blogger. Now I visit the Authors’ Lounge bi-weekly to write about my books or anything that comes to mind. What I believe is what I get.

The beauty of New Thought is that each of us can prove the principles for ourselves. My life is my laboratory. I get to experiment to discover The truth of these principles for myself! And you can too, if you’re willing to have an open mind.

It’s Still New! How a Nineteenth Century Spiritual Revolution Transformed My Life, How It Can Transform The World, available at http://www.amazon.com