there is a thinking stuff from which all things are made, and which, in its original state, permeates, penetrates, and fills the interspaces of the universe.

a thought in this substance produces the thing that is imaged by the thought.

man can form things in his thought, and by impressing his thought upon formless substance can cause the thing he thinks about to be created.

in order to do this, man must pass from the competitive to the creative mind; otherwise he cannot be in harmony with the formless intelligence, which is always creative and never competitive in spirit.

man may come into full harmony[153] with the formless substance by entertaining a lively and sincere gratitude for the blessings it bestows upon him. gratitude unifies the mind of man with the intelligence of substance, so that man’s thoughts are received by the formless. man can remain upon the creative plane only by uniting himself with the formless intelligence through a deep and continuous feeling of gratitude.

man must form a clear and definite mental image of the things he wishes to have, to do, or to become; and he must hold this mental image in his thoughts, while being deeply grateful to the supreme that all his desires are granted to him. the man who wishes to get rich must spend his leisure hours in contemplating his vision, and in earnest thanksgiving that the reality is being given to him. too much stress cannot be laid on the importance of frequent contemplation of the mental image, coupled with unwavering faith[154] and devout gratitude. this is the process by which the impression is given to the formless, and the creative forces set in motion.

the creative energy works through the established channels of natural growth, and of the industrial and social order. all that is included in his mental image will surely be brought to the man who follows the instructions given above, and whose faith does not waver. what he wants will come to him through the ways of established trade and commerce.

in order to receive his own when it shall come to him, man must be active; and this activity can only consist in more than filling his present place. he must keep in mind the purpose to get rich through the realization of his mental image. and he must do, every day, all that can be done that day, taking care to do each act in a successful manner. he must give to every man a use value in excess of the cash value[155] he receives, so that each transaction makes for more life; and he must so hold the advancing thought that the impression of increase will be communicated to all with whom he comes in contact.

the men and women who practice the foregoing instructions will certainly get rich; and the riches they receive will be in exact proportion to the definiteness of their vision, the fixity of their purpose, the steadiness of their faith, and the depth of their gratitude.