The Law of Sevens governs the days of the week, the phases of the moon, the harmonies of sound, light, heat, electricity, magnetism, atomic structure. It governs the life of individuals and of nations, and it dominates the activities of the commercial world.
Life is growth, and growth is change, each seven years period takes us into a new cycle. The first seven years is the period of infancy. The next seven the period of childhood, representing the beginning of individual responsibility. The next seven represents the period of adolescence. The fourth period marks the attainment of full growth. The fifth period is the constructive period, when men begin to acquire property, possessions, a home and family. The next from 35 to 42, is a period of reactions and changes, and this in turn is followed by a period of reconstruction, adjustment and recuperation, so as to be ready for a new cycle of sevens, beginning with the fiftieth year.
There are many who think that the world is just bout to pass out of the sixth period; that it will soon enter into the seventh period, the period of readjustment, reconstruction and harmony; the period which is frequently referred to as the Millennium.
Those familiar with these cycles will not be disturbed when things seem to go wrong, but can apply the principle outlined in these lessons with the full assurance that a higher law will invariably control all other laws, and that through an understanding and conscious operation of spiritual laws, we can convert every seeming difficulty into a blessing.
PART SIXTEEN
1. Wealth is a product of labor. Capital is an effect, not a cause; a servant, not a master; a means, not an end.
2. The most commonly accepted definition of wealth is that it consists of all useful and agreeable things which possess exchange value. It is this exchange value which is the predominant characteristic of wealth.
3. When we consider the small addition made by wealth to the happiness of the possessor, we find that the true value consists not in its utility but in its exchange.
4. This exchange value makes it a medium for securing the things of real value whereby our ideals may be realized.
5. Wealth should then never be desired as an end, but simply as a means of accomplishing an end. Success is contingent upon a higher ideal than the mere accumulation of riches, and he who aspires to such success must formulate an ideal for which he is willing to strive.
6. With such an ideal in mind, the ways and means can and will be provided, but the mistake must not be made of substituting the means for the end. There must be a definite fixed purpose, an ideal.
7. Prentice Mulford said: "The man of success is the man possessed of the greatest spiritual understanding and every great fortune comes of superior and truly spiritual power." Unfortunately, there are those who fail to recognize this power; they forget that Andrew Carnegie's mother had to help support the family when they came to America, that Harriman's father was a poor clergyman with a salary of only $200 a year, that Sir Thomas Lipton started with only 25 cents. These men had no other power to depend upon, but it did not fail them.
8. The power to create depends entirely upon spiritual power; there are three steps, idealization, visualization and materialization. Every captain of industry depends upon this power exclusively. In an article in Everybody's Magazine, Henry M. Flagler, the Standard Oil multi-millionaire, admitted that the secret of his success was his power to see a thing in its completeness. The following conversation with the reporter shows his power of idealization, concentration and visualization, all spiritual powers:
9. "Did you actually vision to yourself the whole thing? I mean, did you, or could you, really close your eyes and see the tracks? And the trains running? And hear the whistles blowing? Did you go as far as that?" "Yes." "How clearly?" "Very clearly."
10. Here we have a vision of the law, we see "cause and effect", we see that thought necessarily precedes and determines action. If we are wise, we shall come into a realization of the tremendous fact that no arbitrary condition can exist for a moment, and that human experience is the result of an orderly and harmonious sequence.
11. The successful businessman is more often than not an idealist and is every striving for higher and higher standards. The subtle forces of thought as they crystallize in our daily moods is what constitutes life.
12. Thought is the plastic material with which we build images of our growing conception of life. Use determines its existence. As in all other things our ability to recognize it and use it properly is the necessary condition for attainment.
13. Premature wealth is but the forerunner of humiliation and disaster, because we cannot permanently retain anything which we do not merit or which we have not earned.
14. The conditions with which we meet in the world without, correspond to the conditions which we find in the world within. This is brought about by the law of attraction. How then shall we determine what is to enter into the world within?
15. Whatever enters the mind through the senses or the objective mind will impress the mind and result in a mental image which will become a pattern for the creative energies. These experiences are largely the result of environment, chance, past thinking and other forms of negative thought, and must be subjected to careful analysis before being entertained. On the other hand, we can form our own mental images, through our own interior processes of thought regardless of the thoughts of others, regardless of exterior conditions, regardless of environment of every kind, and it is by the exercise of this power that we can control our own destiny, body, mind and soul.
16. It is by the exercise of this power that we take our fate out of the hands of chance, and consciously make for ourselves the experiences which we desire, because when we consciously realize a condition, that condition will eventually manifest in our lives; it is therefore evident that in the last analysis thinking is the one great cause in life.
17. Therefore, to control thought is to control circumstances, conditions, environment, and destiny.
18. How then are we to control thought; what is the process? To think is to create a thought, but the result of the thought will depend upon its form, its quality and its vitality.
19. The form will depend upon the mental images from which it emanates; this will depend upon the depth of the impression, the predominance of the idea, the clarity of the vision, the boldness of the image.
20. The quality depends upon its substance, and this depends upon the material of which the mind is composed; if this material has been woven from thoughts of vigor, strength, courage, determination, the thought will possess these qualities.
21. And finally, the vitality depends upon the feeling with which the thought is impregnated. If the thought is constructive, it will possess vitality; it will have life, it will grow, develop, expand, it will be creative; it will attract to itself everything necessary for its complete development.
22. If the thought is destructive, it will have within itself the germ of its own dissolution; it will die, but in the process of dying, it will bring sickness, disease, and every other form of discord.
23. This we call evil, and when we bring it upon ourselves, some of us are disposed to attribute our difficulties to a Supreme Being, but this supreme being is simply Mind in equilibrium.
24. It is neither good nor bad, it simply is.
25. Our ability to differentiate it into form is our ability to manifest good or evil.
26. Good and evil therefore are not entities, they are simply words which we use to indicate the result of our actions, and these actions are in turn predetermined by the character of our thought.
27. If our thought is constructive and harmonious we manifest good; if it is destructive and discordant we manifest evil.
28. If you desire to visualize a different environment, the process is simply to hold the ideal in mind, until your vision has been made real; give no thought to persons, places or things; these have no place in the absolute; the environment you desire will contain everything necessary; the right persons, and the right things will come at the right time and in the right place.
29. It is sometimes not plain how character, ability, attainment, achievement, environment and destiny can be controlled through the power of visualization, but this is an exact scientific fact.
30. You will readily see that what we think determines the quality of mind, and that the quality of mind in turn determines our ability and mental capacity, and you can readily understand that the improvement in our ability will naturally be followed by increase in attainment and a greater control of circumstances.
31. It will thus be seen that Natural laws work in a perfectly natural and harmonious manner; everything seems to "just happen." If you want any evidence of this fact simply compare results of your efforts in your own life, when your actions were prompted by high ideals and when you had selfish or ulterior motives in mind. You will need no further evidence.
32. If you wish to bring about the realization of any desire, form a mental picture of success in your mind, by consciously visualizing your desire; in this way you will be compelling success, you will be externalizing it in your life by scientific methods.
33. We can only see what already exists in the objective world, but what we visualize, already exists in the spiritual world, and this visualization is a substantial token of what will one day appear in the objective world, if we are faithful to our ideal. The reason for this is not difficult; visualization is a form of imagination; this process of thinking forms impressions on the mind, and these impressions in turn form concepts and ideals, and they in turn are the plans from which the Master architect will weave the future.
34. The psychologists have come to the conclusion that there is but one sense, the sense of feeling, and that all other senses are but modifications of this one sense; this being true, we know why feeling is the very fountain head of power, why the emotions so easily overcome the intellect, and why we must put feeling into our thought, if we wish results. Thought and feeling is the irresistible combination.
35. Visualization must, of course, be directed by the will; we are to visualize exactly what we want; we must be careful not to let the imagination run riot. Imagination is a good servant but a poor master, and unless it is controlled it may easily lead us into all kinds of speculations and conclusions which have no basis or foundation of fact whatever. Every kind of plausible opinion is liable to be accepted without any analytical examination and the inevitable result is mental chaos.
36. We must therefore construct only such mental images as are known to be scientifically true. Subject every idea to a searching analysis and accept nothing which is not scientifically exact. When you do this you will attempt nothing but what you know you can carry out and success will crown your efforts; this is what businessmen call far-sightedness; it is much the same as insight, and is one of the great secrets of success in all important undertakings.
37. For your exercise this week, try to bring yourself to a realization of the important fact that harmony and happiness are states of consciousness and do not depend upon the possession of things. That things are effects and come as a consequence of correct mental states. So that if we desire material possession of any kind our chief concern should be to acquire the mental attitude which will bring about the result desired. This mental attitude is brought about by a realization of our spiritual nature and our unity with the Universal Mind which is the substance of all things. This realization will bring about everything which is necessary for our complete enjoyment. This is scientific or correct thinking. When we succeed in bringing about this mental attitude it is comparatively easy to realize our desire as an already accomplished fact; when we can do this we shall have found the "Truth" which makes us "free" from every lack or limitation of any kind.
A man might frame and let loose a star, to roll in its orbit, and yet not have done so memorable a thing before God as he who lets a golden-orbed thought to roll through the generations of time.
H. W. Beecher
宇宙的律動是有周期性規律的。但凡有生命的物質，都有誕生、成長、結果和衰亡的周期。這些周期由“七律”所統治。
“七律”管理著每周的七日，管理著月相以及聲音、光、熱、磁場、原子結構等的和諧。它管理著個體生命和國家的興亡，也統治著商業世界的種種活動。
生命在於成長，成長在於改變，每一個七年的循環，對我們而言意味著一個新的階段。人生的第一個七年是幼年期，接下來是第二個七年是青春期，第四個七年中將達到生命完全的成熟。第五個七年是建設期，在這個階段中，人們開始獲取財富、成就、住宅和家庭。從35到42歲的一個七年是反應和行動的階段，這個階段後是一個重組、調整和恢復的階段，然後，從50歲起，就開始了人生下一個七七循環。
有很多人認為整個世界即將邁出第六個周期，進入第七個階段，一個調整、重構與和諧的階段，也就是通常所說的“千禧年”。
凡是熟悉這個循環圈的人，不會因為遇事不順而沮喪，而是學會應用課程中闡述的原理，充分認知在一切法則之上有一個最高的法則，並通過對於精神法則的理解和自覺的應用，把每一個表面上的困難轉化為祝福。
1、財富是勞動的產物。資產是果，不是因；是仆人，不是主人；是手段，不是目的。
2、對於財富，最普遍的定義是這樣的：財富包括一切具有交換價值、對人有用、令人愉悅的物品。財富的支配屬性，正在於它的交換價值。
3、財富給它的擁有者帶來的，不過是小小的快樂，它的真正價值體現在它的交換價值中，而不是在它的實用性上。
4、財富的交換價值在於它是一種媒介，它使我們能夠在實現理想的過程中獲得有真正價值的東西。
5、永遠不要把財富看作一個終點，而應該把它看成是一條達到終點的途徑。決定一個人真正成功的，是要有比積聚財富更為高遠的理想。凡是渴望成功的人，都應該樹立一個讓自己為之奮鬥的理想。
6、當心中有了這樣一個理想，你就能找到實現理想的途徑和方法，但一定不能錯把方法當成目的，錯把途徑當作終點。一定要有一個具體的、固定的目標，也就是理想。
7、普仁提斯·馬福爾德（Prentice Mulford）曾說：“成功的人也是那些有著最高的精神領悟的人，一切巨大的財富都來源於這種超然而又真實的精神能量。”但很不幸，有很多人不認識這種能量。他們可能不記得了──安德魯·卡耐基全家剛剛來到美國時，他的母親不得不去幫人做事來養活一家人；哈裏曼的父親是一個窮職員，年薪只有200美元；托馬斯。利普頓勛爵從25美分起家。這些人沒有什麽財富權勢可以指望，但這並沒有成為阻擋他們成功的障礙。
8、創造力完全來自於心靈的能量。它有三個步驟：理想化、視覺化、具體化。每個大企業的首腦全都是依靠這種能量。在《人人》雜誌的一篇文章中，石油大亨、億萬富翁亨利．M．弗萊格勒道出了他自己成功的秘訣，那就是全面地看問題。以下這段與記者的對話表明了他是如何運用精神能量的──理想化、視覺化、集中意念：
9、“你有沒有向自己描述過事物整體的圖景？我是說，你是否做到了、或者能否做到閉上眼睛，就看見軌道，看到火車在軌道上飛馳，聽到汽笛嗚嗚的轟鳴聲？你是否做到這些了呢？”“是的。”“有多麽清晰？”“非常清晰。”
10、這裏我們看到了法則。我們看到了“循環因果之理。”我們知道思想必然領先於行動並且決定著行動。如果我們有足夠的智慧，我們就能認識到這樣一個重要的事實：任何境遇自有其成因，任何經歷都不過是一種結果。因果循環和諧有序。
11、成功的商人常常也是理想主義者，他們不斷地朝著越來越高的標準邁進。生活，正是一點一滴的思想在我們每日的心境中不斷地結晶。
12、思想是一種可塑的原材料，我們可以用它構築生命成長概念的圖景。使用，決定著它的存在。不管你想要做成什麽事情，對這件事情的認識和恰當運用都是必要條件。
13、來得太早的財富，不過是災難和羞辱的開始。因為，如果我們不配得到，或者這些財富不是我們努力所得，那我們也無法永久占有這些財富。
14、我們在外在世界中的種種際遇，都可以在我們的內在世界找到對應的情狀。這一點是由引力法則決定的。那麽，我們該怎樣決定應該讓哪些事物進入我們的內在世界呢？
15、無論是通過感官還是通過客觀意識，進入我們心靈的一切，都會在我們的心靈中打下印記，形成精神圖景，而精神圖景正是創造性能量的生產模式。這些經歷大部分是外在環境、際遇、過往的思慮、甚至是其他負面思想的結果，因此在進入我們的心靈之前必須經過仔細的分析驗證。另外，我們也可以自主地創造精神圖景，通過我們內在的思維過程，而無須顧慮其他，諸如外部環境、種種際遇等等。通過運用這種力量，我們必將掌握自己的命運、身體、精神和心靈。
16、通過運用這種力量，我們可以把我們的命運緊緊地掌握在自己的手中，並且有意識地為自己創造出我們渴望得到的閱歷，因為，如果我們有意識地實現某種境遇，這種境遇最終會在我們生活中發生。因此很顯然，歸根到底，思想是生命的原動力。
17、所以，把握思想就是把握環境、際遇，就是創造條件、掌握命運。
18、我們如何能夠控制思想呢？過程是什麽呢？思維就是創造思想，但是思想的結果取決於它的形態、性質和生命力。
19、思想的形態取決於產生這種思想的精神圖景；精神圖景取決於心靈印記的深度、觀念的決定性優勢、視覺化的清晰度以及這幅圖景的膽識與魄力。
20、思想的性質取決於它的組成部分，也就是心靈的成份。如果心靈的成份是勇氣、膽識、力量、意誌，那麽它所紡織的思想也是如此。
21、最後，思想的生命力取決於思想孕育時刻的感受。如果思想是建設性的，就必將充滿活力、充滿生命，它能夠生長、發展、壯大，它具有創造性；它會為自己的全部成長汲取所需的一切。
22、如果思想是破壞性，那麽它自身之內就含有使自己分化瓦解的毒菌。這個思想將會消亡，但在這消亡的過程中，它會給我們帶來疾病、患難以及其他形式的不和諧。
23、這就是我們所稱之為“惡”的東西，當我們自己招致這種“惡”的時候，有些人傾向於把這一切的困厄都歸因於超自然的神靈，但這所謂的超自然的神靈不過是處於平衡狀態的“心智”而已。
24、它既不好，也不壞，它只是存在而已。
25、我們把它分化為形態的能力，就是我們彰顯“善”和“惡”的能力。
26、因此，“善”和“惡”都不是實體，它們不過是用來描述我們行動結果的詞語而已，而我們的行動又受到我們思想性質的決定。
27、如果我們的思想是建設性的、和諧的，我們就彰顯“善”；反之，如果我們的思想是破壞性的、不和諧的，我們就彰顯“惡”。
28、如果我們想要顯現一個完全不同的環境，這個過程只不過就是：在心中抱持一個理想，直到你心中的幻影變得清晰起來。不要去想人、地、事，這些東西都不是絕對的。你渴望的境遇本身蘊含著一切所需，合適的人和合適的事，自會在合適的時間和合適的地點出現。
29、在時候我們可能說不清視覺化的力量是如何控制我們的環境、命運、性格、能力和成就的，但這絕對是科學的事實。
30、你很快就能看到，我們的思想決定著我們的心靈狀態，而反過來我們的精神狀態又決定著我們的能力和心智能量。接下來你會懂得，隨著我們能力的提高，自然會帶給我們各種成就和收獲，也使我們能更好地控制我們的環境。
31、因此可以看出，自然法則的運行是完美、和諧的，一切看起來“不過是發生了”而已。如果你需要證據，那麽就回想一下你自己生命中的種種奮鬥努力吧，當你的行動朝著一個高尚的方向努力的時候是怎樣，當你懷著自私自利的動機之時又如何？你還需要更多的證據嗎？
32、如果你希望實現你的夢想，那麽，在你的心靈中繪制一副成功的畫面吧，有意識地視覺化你的願望；這樣，你將推動著成功的步伐，你將通過科學的手段實現它。
33、我們只能看到客觀世界中的存在，卻不能看到精神世界中已然存在的視覺化的圖景，而這圖景卻正是一個重要的標誌，預示著將要在我們的客觀世界中出現的事物──如果我們忠實於我們的理想圖景的話。原因非常簡單，視覺化的圖景是一種想像的形式。這種思維的過程形成了心靈中的印記，這些印記又形成了觀念和理想，這些觀念和理想形成了計劃──偉大的建築師正是通過這些計劃築造我們的未來。
34、心理學家已經得出結論：只有一種官能，就是感受的官能，其他官能都是感受的變體。確定了這一點，我們就知道為什麽感受是一切能量的源泉，為什麽情感可以輕易戰勝理智，為什麽我們的思想中不能沒有感受的存在──如果我們希望得到什麽結果的話。思想和感受是密不可分的整體。
35、當然，視覺化必須受到意願的引導。我們所能夠在心靈中視覺化的也正是我們想要得到的。我們絕對不能任由想像力毫無節制地放縱。想像力是一個好的仆人，但卻是一個糟糕的主人，除非受到很好的控制，否則它就會使我們陷入五花八門的空想和各種不切實際的結論中。如果不加以分析檢驗，我們的心靈就很容易接受各種似是而非的主意，結果就是導致精神的混亂。
36、因此，我們必須構築並且只能構築一種科學性的正確的精神圖景。任何的理念都要經過透徹的分析，把一切並非科學準確的東西一概加以摒棄。如果你這樣去做，你就不會浪費精力在一些無謂的事情上，而是非常有把握地做每一件事，成功將為你的奮鬥加冕。這就是商人所說的“遠見卓識”，這與洞察力基本相似，是一切事業獲取成功的奧秘之一。
37、你這周的作業是，讓自己認識到這樣一個重要的問題：和諧和幸福是一種精神狀態，並不取決於物質的占有。一切只有用心去營造，收獲的結果取決於良好的心態。因此，如果我們想要獲得物質上的所有，我們首先應該關註，如何保持能夠給我們帶來理想結果的良好心態。要想擁有這種心態，需要我們認知精神本質，並領悟到我們與宇宙精神的合一。這種領悟能夠為我們帶來可以使我們獲得滿足的一切。這是一種科學的、正確的思維方式。當我們成功地達到了這種精神狀態，那麽一切願望的實現就如已經發生的事實一般，相對容易得多了。當我們做到這些，就會發現“真理”使我們得以“自由”，使我們免於一切匱乏和局限的纏累。
一個人可以構想一顆星，放飛它，讓它在軌道上運行。然而在上帝面前，他遠遠不如那個放飛一個金色的思想之星、並讓它在歷史軌道中運行的人更偉大。-——H．W．Beecher
待續
