Summary and Review

Joseph Murphy: was born in Cork County Ireland in 1898 and died at the age of 83 in 1981. He did his PhD in psychology from the University of Southern California. He studied many religions. He was particularly interested in the religions of South Asia. He visited India and studied Hinduism. His concept of Christianity was totally different from traditional Christianity and he founded his own Church based on Hindu Ideologies in Los Angeles.

Introduction:

You can bring into your life more power, more wealth, more health, more happiness, and more joy by learning to contact and release the hidden power of your subconscious mind. A magnetized piece of steel will lift about twelve times its own weight, and if you demagnetize this same piece of steel, it will not even lift a feather. Similarly, there are two types of men. There is the magnetized man who is full of confidence and faith. He knows that he is born to win and to succeed. Then there is the type of man who is demagnetized. He is full of fears and doubts. Opportunity comes, and he says, ‘I might fail’; I might lose my money; people will laugh at me. This type of man will not get very far in life because, if he is afraid to go forward, he will simply stay where he is. Become a magnetized man and conquer what you want.

Necessity of a Working Basis:

Substantial progress in any field of endeavor is impossible in the absence of a working basis, which is universal in its application. You can become skilled in the operation of your subconscious mind. You can practice its powers with a certainty of results in exact proportion to your knowledge of its principles and to your application of them for specific purposes and goals you wish to achieve. Your subconscious mind is a principle and works according to the law of belief. You must know what belief is, why it works, and how it works.

Two Levels of Mind:

There are two levels of your mind—the conscious or rational level, and the subconscious or irrational level. Your subconscious mind is the seat of your emotions and is the creative mind. If you think good, good will follow; if you think evil, evil will follow. This is the way your mind works. You must remember that these are not two minds. They are merely two spheres of activity within one mind. Your conscious mind is the reasoning mind. It is that phase of mind, which chooses. For example, you choose your books, your home, and your partner in life. On the other hand, without any conscious choice on your part, your heart is kept functioning automatically, and the process of digestion, circulation, and breathing is carried on by your subconscious mind through processes independent of your conscious control. Your subconscious mind is like the soil, which accepts any kind of seed, good or bad. It is incapable of making selections and comparisons, which are necessary for a reasoning process. An excellent way to get acquainted with the two functions of your mind is to look upon your own mind as a garden. You are a gardener, and you are planting seeds in the shape of thoughts in your subconscious mind all day long, based on your habitual thinking. As you sow in your subconscious mind, so shall you reap in your body and environment.

Book of your life:

Whatever thoughts, beliefs, opinions, theories, or dogmas you write, engrave, or impress on your subconscious mind, you shall experience them as the objective manifestation of circumstances, conditions, and events. As Emerson said ‘Man is what he thinks all day.’

According to James Murphy, the prime condition for the working of subconscious power in your favor is faith. If you plant certain types of seeds in the ground, you have faith that they will grow after their kind. This is the way of seeds, and trusting the laws of growth and agriculture, you know that the seeds will come forth after their kind. Faith is a way of thinking, an attitude of mind, an inner certitude, knowing that the idea you fully accept in your conscious mind will be embodied in your subconscious mind and made manifest. Faith is, in a sense, accepting as true what your reason and senses deny, i.e., a shutting out of the little, rational, analytical, conscious mind and embracing an attitude of complete reliance on the inner power of your subconscious mind.

How to get the Results:

Your failure to get results may also arise from such statements as: “Things are getting worse.” “I will never get an answer.” “I see no way out.” “It is hopeless.” “I don’t know what to do.” “I’m all mixed up.” When you use such statements, you get no response or cooperation from your subconscious mind. Like a soldier marking time, you neither go forward nor backward; in other words, you don’t get anywhere.

Three Steps to Success:

1. Take a look at the problem.

2. Turn to the solution or way out known only to the subconscious mind.

3. Rest in a sense of deep conviction that it is done.

How to walk the Royal Road to Riches:

Knowledge of the powers of your subconscious mind is the means to the royal road to riches of all kinds—spiritual, mental, or financial. The student of the laws of mind believes and knows definitely that regardless of economic situations, stock market fluctuation, depression, strikes, war, or other conditions or circumstances, he will always be amply supplied, regardless of what form money takes. The reason for this is that he has conveyed the idea of wealth to his subconscious mind, and it keeps him supplied wherever he may be.

Mental conflict and a stumbling block to wealth:

There is one emotion, which is the cause of the lack of wealth in the lives of many. It is envy. For example, if you see a colleague depositing large sums of money in the bank, and you have only a meager amount to deposit, does it make you envious? The way to overcome this emotion is to say to yourself, “Isn’t it wonderful! I rejoice in that man’s prosperity. I wish for him greater and greater wealth.”

Obstacles and impediments on the way to riches:

Then there is a person who says, “That fellow has a racket.” “He is a racketeer.” “He is getting money dishonestly.” “He is a faker.” “I knew him when he had nothing.” “He is a crook, a thief, and a swindler.” If you analyze the man who talks like that, you discover he is usually in want or suffering from some financial or physical illness. Thinking negatively about others and condemning their wealth causes the wealth and prosperity he is praying for to vanish and flee away. He is condemning the thing he is praying for.

Three Steps of Success:

The first step to success is to find out the thing you love to do, and then do it. Success is in loving your work. The second step to success is to specialize in some particular branch of work and know more about it than anyone else. For example, if a young man chooses chemistry as his profession, he should concentrate on one of the many branches in this field. The third step is the most important one. You must be sure that the thing you want to do does not redound to your success only. Your desire must not be selfish; it must benefit humanity. The path of a complete circuit
must be formed. In other words, your idea must go forth with the purpose of blessing or serving the world

The measure of true success:

A man may seem to succeed for a while, but the money he obtained by fraud usually takes wings and flies away. Even though a man may have accumulated a fortune fraudulently, he is not successful. There is no success without peace of mind. What good is a man’s accumulated wealth if he cannot sleep at night, is sick, or has a guilt complex?

The Meaning of Marriage:

Marriage to be real must first be on a spiritual basis. It must be of the heart, and the heart is the chalice of love. Honesty, sincerity, kindness, and integrity are also forms of love. Each partner should be perfectly honest and sincere with the other. It is not a true marriage when a man marries a woman for her money, social position, or to lift his ego, because this indicates a lack of sincerity, honesty, and true love. Such a marriage is a farce, a sham, and a masquerade.

The Great Mistake:

A great mistake is to discuss your marital problems or difficulties with neighbors and relatives. For example, when a wife discusses the shortcomings of her husband with relatives or friends, she actually undermines him. Friends or relatives will most of the time give the wrong advice. Therefore, never discuss your marital problems with anyone except a trained counselor.

Don’t Try to Make Over Your Partner:

A husband or wife must not try to make his partner over into a second edition of him or herself. The tactless attempts to change your partner are always foolish and many times result in the dissolution of marriage. These attempts can destroy the pride and self-esteem of your partner. Adjustments are needed, of course, but these should be reciprocal.

Choose Happiness:

Happiness is a state of mind. Begin now to choose happiness.

Desire to be Happy:

There is one very important point about being happy. You must sincerely desire to be happy. There are people who have been depressed, dejected, and unhappy for so long that was they were suddenly made happy by some wonderful, good, joyous news, they would actually be like, “It is wrong to be so happy!” They have been so accustomed to the old mental patterns that they do not feel at home being happy! They long for the former, depressed, unhappy state.

Life is forgiving:

Life forgives you when you cut your finger. The subconscious intelligence within you sets about immediately to repair it. New cells build bridges over the cut. Life holds no grudges against you, and it is always forgiving you.

Forgiveness is necessary for Healing:

Forgiveness is to forgive yourself. Forgiveness is getting your thoughts in line with the divine law of harmony. Forgiveness of others is essential to mental peace and radiant health. You must forgive everyone who has ever hurt you if you want perfect health and happiness. To refuse to forgive yourself is nothing more than spiritual pride or ignorance.

The acid test for forgiveness:

There is also an acid test for forgiveness. If I should tell you something wonderful about someone who has wronged you, cheated you, or defrauded you, and you sizzled at hearing the good news about this person, the roots of hatred would still be in your subconscious mind, playing havoc with you. This is the acid test, and you must meet it psychologically and spiritually, otherwise, you are simply deceiving yourself and not practicing the true art of forgiveness.

Becoming emotionally mature:

What the other person says or does cannot really annoy or irritate you except you permit him to disturb you. The only way he can annoy you is through your own thoughts. For example, if you get angry, you have to go through four stages in your mind: You begin to think about what he said. You decide to get angry and generate an emotion of rage. Then, you decide to act. Perhaps, you talk back and react in kind. You see that the thought, emotion, reaction, and action all take place in your mind. When you become emotionally mature, you do not respond negatively to the criticism and resentment of others identify yourself with your aim in life, and do not permit any person, place, or thing to deflect you from your inner sense of peace, tranquility, and radiant health.

The solution lies within:

The solution lies within the problem. The answer is in every question. If you are presented with a difficult situation and you cannot see your way clear, the best procedure is to assume that infinite intelligence within your subconscious mind knows all and sees all, has the answer, and is revealing it to you now. Your new mental attitude that creative intelligence is bringing about a happy solution will enable you to find the answer.

How much do you want what you want?

A young man asked Socrates how he could get wisdom. Socrates replied, “Come with me.” He took the boy to a river, pushed his head under the water, held it there until the boy was gasping for air, then relaxed and released his head. When the boy regained his composure, he asked him, “What did you desire most when you were underwater?” “I wanted air,” said the boy. Socrates said to him, “When you want wisdom as much as you wanted air when you were immersed in the water, you will receive it.” Likewise, when you really have an intense desire to overcome any block in your life, and you come to a clear-cut decision that there is a way out, and that is the course you wish to follow, then victory and triumph are assured.

Fear is man’s greatest enemy:

It is said that fear is man’s greatest enemy. Fear is behind failure, sickness, and poor human relations. Millions of people are afraid of the past, the future, old age, insanity, and death. Fear is a thought in your mind, and you are afraid of your own thoughts. Ralph Waldo Emerson, philosopher and poet, said, “Do the thing you are afraid to do, and the death of fear is certain.”

Normal and Abnormal Fears:

Man is born only with two fears, the fear of falling and the fear of noise. These are an alarm system given to you by nature as a means of self-preservation. Normal fear is good. You hear an automobile coming down the road, and you step aside to survive. The momentary fear of being run over is overcome by your actions. All other fears were given to you by parents, relatives, teachers, and all those who influenced your early years. Abnormal fear takes place when a man lets his imagination run riot.

You can control your world by controlling the enormous power of your subconscious mind. All you need is to harness your subconscious in the right direction by giving appropriate feedback. You also need to suppress your negative emotions like hatred, envy, jealousy, anger, frustration, and depression in order to lead a peaceful and prosperous life. Think positive, be positive, and spread positivity. Be a producer rather than a consumer. Give away what you want because it is the law of the universe that whatever you give comes back to you whether it is money, love, kindness, or a good deed.

The book is a great insight into the workings of subconscious mind and emotional intelligence. The language is simple, fluent, and easy to understand. It can help greatly in personality development as it is full of social, emotional, and spiritual wisdom. However, the length of the book could have been short as there are constant repetitions of ideas. In my view, it also lacks a practical approach in some aspects and can lure a naïve individual into believing that everything can be achieved through the power of the subconscious mind only. Our religion puts emphasis on action and in most cases you cannot achieve anything without acting in the right way. Apart from that, the book is greatly helpful in improving your social, emotional, and spiritual quotient. Try it you won’t regret it.