Introduction to Pioneers of New Thought

Science of Mind is a spiritual philosophy of life and livingness. It is based on the writings of Dr. Ernest Holmes. Dr. Holmes claimed no special revelation. He studied the various spiritual systems of the ages and came to the conclusion that the essence of Truth is contained in all religions. He distilled the "truth teachings" of the ages into one truth that he called Science of Mind. His teaching can be summarized by two basic propositions.

1. A Spiritual Presence and Power created the universe out of Itself. We have the ability to recognize and experience this Divine Intelligence that created the entire universe and to come to the realization that we are created out of this very Intelligence. We are "the isness" of this Presence. We are the essence of It in human form, but we are not the allness of It.

2. The two aspects of this Spiritual Presence are Love and Law. >We learn how to commune with the Love of God and use the Law of God. We commune with It through prayer and meditation, discovering that we are immersed in God. It is closer than our hands and feet. We learn to unify with this Loving Presence so that It becomes immediate and personal to us. We then discover that the Love of God is expressed through its Law and we learn to use the same Law.

The purpose of this course is to explore the consciousness of some of the Pioneers of the New Thought Movement. Some of these great thinkers directly influenced our founder Dr. Ernest Holmes. Some, like Emmet Fox and Eric Butterworth influenced our movement. Science of Mind is a spiritual philosophy and a practical spiritual teaching that is "open at the top." It is continually transforming itself as a valid map to explore spiritual territory. As we explore the foundations of this great teaching, we will acquire deeper appreciation and greater personal insight into this profound spiritual philosophy.

The course is divided into a series of eight lessons. The student is asked to embody the lesson for the week and to answer and hand in the questions at the end of each lesson. These lessons are not mere abstractions or simply sources of information. They contain practical suggestions on how each of us can change our lives for the better and bring our world closer to the permanent peace we all long for.