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 Pearls of Wisdom December 18, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Wow! This was a wonderful read. I will add this to my library of books that I reread. If you are the type of person that needs to understand why the Laws of Attraction and Cause and Effect work the way they do, then this is the only author that I have found that explains them thoroughly. Although, this book is short and the sentences are long the thinking is revealed precisely.
P.S. Think of the short lectures as meditations that require your full undivided attention and you will soar to new heights.
An astonishing book August 16, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
This is a truly astonishing book which, like the same author's 'The Creative Process in the Individual', has profound practical as well as philosophical implications. It can change not only how we think but the very conditions of our lives (and yes, it can heal). In this review, I will try to explain why this is so.
Many of the leading contributors to the discipline that Thomas Troward termed 'mental science' have aknowledged their debt to this brilliant thinker, but perhaps the most remarkable tribute was written by Frederick Bailes. In 1915, the young Bailes was diagnosed with diabetes, a disease that was not only incurable (as it still is) but, in those pre-insulin days, untreatable as well. He was given eighteen months to live. Coming across a book by Troward at a friend's house, and having nothing to lose, he applied the principles and, as he explains, subsequently recovered completely, a fact attested by extensive medical tests. Over the subsequent decades, Bailes went on to apply what he had learned, and chronicled the many healings (and many other, seemingly miraculous occurences) that followed. I have myself experienced truly remarkable results in health (and, for that matter, in many other areas). Others who acknowledge their intellectual debt to Troward have included Donald Curtis and Emmet Fox. Troward is where this all starts - but what was so remarkable about the man and his works?
Thomas Troward was a judge under the British raj in India, but retired, at a comparatively early age, in 1896, and devoted the remaining twenty years of his life to thinking, writing and lecturing about mental science. In addition to a brilliant intellect, Troward brought to the task two great attributes - a profound knowledge of the various great religions, and an analytical mind trained by the law to weigh evidence and evaluate the facts.
In his two most important works, Troward set out to move, step by logical step, from the known to the unknown, forging strong links at each stage of the chain of evidence. An early premise is the distinction between matter (which has mass and form) and 'livingness', which is not bound by form but is part of an infinite 'spirit' (a term that Troward generally prefers to 'God' in works which are essentially philosophical, not religious). He contends that life, evolution, 'livingness', must be the products of intelligence; that the 'spirit' - and there can, he demonstrates, be only one - creates by using design to mould matter and energy which are, in themselves, incapable of initiating anything.
He employs the principle of thoughts - design - forming the material by emphasising the distinction between the objective and subjective minds (in today's terminology, the conscious and the subconscious). The subjective mind has awesome power, including a remarkable capability for healing, but does not initiate; it works out the directions given to it by the objective mind. Just one implication, Troward says, is that healing can occur if the universal creative process - creation by design - is replicated by the individual, who is advised to supply clear design instruction to the subjective.
There is a lot more to it than this, but the big point about this book is that Troward provides at once both a superb analytical insight and some very practical guidance.
It is sometimes said that Troward's works are difficult to read. The explanation for this apparent difficulty lies in the complexity of the issues and the importance of the logical chain that he establishes. I have found that it really helps to take notes as you read his books.
The effort will be richly rewarded, in terms not only of insights but of potentially profound and life-changing practical results.
 Incredibly Dull April 19, 2008
0 out of 2 found this review helpful
If you wish to further your studies with the secret don't buy this book.It was so incredibly dry that I could not finish it.Instead try the Master Key System by Charles Hannel or The works of walace wattles which I found thosannds of times more thought provoking.I don't know what thesre people read but I could'nt get through it at all.I'm not dumb.I just have a hunger for more after reading the secret.I enjoyed the afore mentioned works immensley however this just did'nt get it for me.
Par Excellence December 22, 2007
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I've read many books on Mental Science including Holmes, Wattles, Fox, Ponder, Shinn, etc. This book beats them all. It is one of the best in the market. It appears to be the foundation on which most New Age authors got their inspiration. When you get into the "Spirit of It," you'll find it to be a life transforming book.
A must read July 24, 2007
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
Another reviewer wrote...
"Although many "New Thought" Authors quote Troward or credit him as being a pioneer in this movement, they depart from most all of his basic tenents in their wrtings. Most portray God as Mind which Troward does not. The main difference is whether we use God as most of the other Authors state or allow God to use us, which is the major line of demarcation between them and Trowad, and Scripture(s)."
... and I couldn't agree more. From "Think and Grow Rich," through, "The Secret," many authors and public speakers have claimed a lineage to Judge Troward's thoughts, but as the above reviewer noted, they part paths with him at one critical juncture. Whether it's through their inability to understand his works, or their desire to make it more appealing as some sort of "quick-fix," the essential message contained in Troward's writings is lost.
Troward's central message about a Creative power in the universe - which is basically the root cause for all existence - is shared by quite a few "new thought" proponents. However, this is generally where the similarities end. The latter authors claim this principle/power can be harnessed to bring about the things and life we desire, and while Troward doesn't disagree with our ability or capability to do so, he tries to nudge the reader and/or student away from this line of thinking.
The central point in Troward's teachings, as to interacting with this Creative power, is that we must allow It to direct us to It's ends - rather than trying to use It to attain our own. This may seem like a minor, inconsequential distinction, but it's essential to truly understanding his works.
The central premise woven throughout his writings is that for this Creative force to even exist at all, every part must essentially be working in harmony, otherwise one part working against another would take away from the whole rather than adding to it. Which would ultimately go against two fundamental principles of It's own existence, namely, Life and Growth.
In his words:
"What we are to dwell upon is the idea of an Infinite Power producing the happiness we desire, and because this Power is also the Forming Power of the universe trusting it to give that form to the conditions (in our life) which will most perfectly react upon us to produce the particular state of consciousness desired."
Rather than going on and on, I would urge whoever is seeking a very old path and trying to understand a very old principle, to not look elsewhere for the answers. Troward's works truly stand alone. The "Edinburgh & Dore Lectures," along with, "The Creative Process in the Individual," present the core of his teaching, however the others may help gain some perspective or clarify some of his points.
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