Troward Lesson

The question has often been asked, "What is the influence of Judge Thomas Troward on the Religious Science movement?" In April of 1958, in addressing a group of students at the Institute of Religious Science, Dr. Ernest Holmes stated that Judge Thomas Troward was fundamental to the New Thought movement. He indicated that he had read every book that Troward had written, including the Comments on the Psalms, which was published out after his death.

"They are fundamental books, and everyone in our field should understand them because I would say twenty-five per cent of our philosophy came from Troward"

We study Thomas Troward because he is the theoretical basis behind the spiritual philosophy of Science of Mind. A thorough understanding of all of the works of Troward, not only the Edinburgh Lectures, gives us a solid foundation for Science of Mind. We cannot fully understand the consciousness of Dr. Ernest Holmes, without thoroughly digesting and understanding the writings of Judge Thomas Troward.

Troward tells us, indirectly, the best way to read his works. In The Law and the Word, Troward says that we must learn to read scripture the way we would read a book of practical instructions for right living. There are five keys:

1. Understand the place, the time, and the reason for which the scripture was written

2. Know that the author is particularizing a general principle

3. Go beyond the particular and find the general principle

4. Ask how can the general principle be practically applied in your life

5. Apply it

Although Dr. Holmes received his ideas from many different sources, and continued to revise his ideas during his lifetime, claiming that "we are open at the top," the theoretical framework for Science of Mind definitely came from Thomas Troward. We must, of course, credit Troward with the launching of the movement which was later to be called Religious Science, because the very first talks that Ernest Holmes gave in 1914 were on Troward's Edinburgh Lectures.

In the end, Dr. Holmes warns us not to adopt anyone else's teachings. He states, "Do not adopt the letter of my teaching, but the spirit, and you will find, as I did, that you will begin to formulate a system that is true for you. I learned for me, and you must learn for yourself that you must develop your own faith and confidence in your own interpretation of God, humanity, and the universe." Science of Mind has adopted the spirit of Thomas Troward and we are grateful for it.

Many of Troward's concepts involve a Christian orientation. For non-Christian readers, it is sometimes difficult to go beyond the literal words. Troward was a product of his times as well as a universal human and spiritual being. His teaching is profound, and if he were here today, he would urge all of his readers to delve beyond the concepts such as the Christian framework to the deep essence of his teaching.

May you receive as much enjoyment and inspiration in reading these lessons as the author did in producing them. We are truly blessed to be able to share in the consciousness of this great soul together.

Why Study Troward?

Why do we study Thomas Troward? We study him to understand the consciousness of Ernest Holmes, and to learn how the philosophy of Troward fits into the Science of Mind. Dr. Holmes did not discover Troward until 1914, when he came across the Edinburgh Lectures on Mental Science. Later he read the Dore Lectures and the remainder of Troward's Works.

Troward was the second great influence on Dr. Holmes. The first great influence was Ralph Waldo Emerson, whom Holmes discovered in 1907 at the age of 20. Between 1907 and 1914, Holmes had read many New Thought books. He had become aware that somehow our thought affects the conditions that occur in our lives, but he had no exact model. He had already discovered the power of positive prayer and knew the importance of affirmations. These ideas he gleaned from Christian Science. But he was looking for a clear, precise argument on exactly how thought became things.

Holmes was not at all convinced by the weak logic behind many of the New Thought books that he read. He wanted closer, axiomatic reasoning. He demanded clarity, and the logical demonstration of consistent Principle. In other words, Holmes wanted a theory and an idea that would stand up to both scientific and logical reasoning. These he found in Thomas Troward. According to Fenwick Holmes, "the impact of Troward was one of the greatest and most exalted experiences in Ernest's whole life."

Troward's Edinburgh Lectures on Mental Science satisfied all of the requirements of Holmes' logical, demanding mind. Troward proclaimed a neutral principle which we call "the Impersonal Law." This excited and inspired Holmes. His reason and intuition told him that it was right. "So right," he said, "that it eclipsed everything I've ever read. In fact, I couldn't help but say to myself, this is exactly what I feel: It solves the problem of dualism. This is the real meaning of Principle. This is the Law."

So, we study Thomas Troward because Troward is the theoretical base behind Science of Mind. A thorough understanding of all of the works of Thomas Troward gives us a solid foundation for Religious Science. Ultimately, we cannot fully understand the consciousness of Dr. Ernest Holmes without thoroughly digesting and understanding the writings of Thomas Troward.

The Personal Life of Thomas Troward

Thomas Troward was born in Punjab, India, in 1847 of British parents, Albany and Frederica Troward. His father was a full colonel in the Indian Army. He was brought back to England to attend school and in 1865, at the age of 18, he graduated from college with gold medal honors in literature. He then decided to study law, although at heart he always considered himself an artist and a painter.

At age 22, in 1869, he returned to India and took the difficult Indian Civil Service Examination. One of the subjects was metaphysics and Troward surprised everyone with his answers because of their originality. He became an assistant commissioner and was quickly promoted to Divisional Judge in the Punjab, where he served for the next 25 years.

In India, he married his first wife. Together, they had three children. He married a second time after his first wife died and had three more children. His second wife, Sarah Ann, helped in the publishing of his works after his death. In the forward to a publication entitled, Troward's Comments On The Psalms, Annie Troward writes:

"When he retired from the Bengal Civil Service in 1896, he decided to devote himself to three objects the study of the Bible, writing his books, and painting pictures... He believed that the solution to all our problems was there (in the Bible) for those who read and meditated with minds at one with its Inspirer"

Troward's favorite hobby was painting. He had won several prizes for art in India. After he retired from Civil Service, he returned to England in 1902, at the age of 55, intending to devote himself to his painting, as well as writing. He had already thoroughly digested all of the sacred books of the oriental religions and they had certainly influenced his spiritual ideas. It is said that at one time a vision came to him about the development of a system of philosophy that gave peace of mind and the practical results of physical health and happiness to the individual.

People described him as a kind and understanding man, simple and natural in manner, but personally boring as a speaker. He was considered a very precise and proper Englishman. His two daughters were born of his second wife and he was fond of playing practical jokes with his family. While in India, he learned the language of the country. He studied all of the bibles of the world, including the Koran, Hindu scriptures and books on Raja Yoga. His studies in original Hebrew provided the foundation for his book, Bible Mystery and Bible Meaning.

Shortly after returning to England, Troward begin to write for the New Thought Expressions publication. He had already developed, in some detail, his philosophy of Mental Science when he was accidentally introduced to the "Higher Thought Center" of London through a Mrs. Alice Callow, who happened to meet him in a London tea room. This group immediately recognized him as an extremely articulate and learned individual. He was invited to give a series of lectures and in 1904 delivered his famous Edinburgh lectures at Queens Gate in Edinburgh, Scotland. These lectures were given to a very small but appreciative group of persons. However, it is said that even this captive, willing audience was hardly understood what he was saying.

Still, Trowards genius did not go unrecognized. The philosopher William James characterized Trowards writing as "far and away the ablest statement of philosophy I have met, beautiful in its sustained clearness of thought and style, a really classic statement."

His writing is a combination of intuitive oriental mysticism filtered into a Western pedantic writing style. It is said that reading Troward is difficult. Actually, if we read Troward deliberately we will discover that he is very clear and concise. The secret of understanding Troward is to understand his major premises, then how he logically argues from those premises. This is typical of the Western legal mind.

Because of his major influence on the works of Ernest Holmes, Frederick Bailes, Joseph Murphy and Emmett Fox, we are justified in referring to Troward as the Father of the New Thought Movement, especially in America.

It must be remembered in reading Troward that he was a product of his time. His books use scientific jargon that was present around 1900. He was raised in the Church of England and had read the Bible daily from boyhood. Therefore, his books, especially Bible Mystery and Bible Meaning have a clear Christian bent.

On May 16, 1916, at the age of 69, Thomas Troward passed from this plane. He will be recognized in history as a contributing influence to Religious Science, the New Thought Movement in the United States and Great Britain, and also, to some extent, to the more liberal ideas of the Church of England.

We are greatly indebted to new information on Troward, which is continuing to be unearthed by Heather Andrews Dobbs and Valerie Thompson of the Thomas Troward Society in London, England. The Society has published an eight volume series, that may be obtained from Thomas Troward Society 20 Grove Park London E I 12PL, England. New information from this series, New Light on Thomas Troward is included in these lessons. Additional information on his personal life comes from a book entitled, My Personal Recollections of Thomas Troward, by Harry Gaze, which is now out of print.

Troward In A Nutshell: Eight General Principles

1. Unity.

God is all there is and manifests Itself throughout all creation, including within human beings. That is why the creative power in the universal is the same creative power in the individual. God imminent is God in creation. God transcendent is greater than creation. Spirit is conscious, and to be conscious, Spirit must be conscious of something. When It contemplates what It is conscious of, It is creative.

2. Involution and Evolution.

The process of involution is the passing of Spirit into form. The process of evolution is the passing of form back into Spirit. This process is explained in detail in Bible Mystery and Bible Meaning. The original creative process of Spirit becoming form is the process of God involving Itself in creation, "Involution." The process of creation coming to the realization that it is Spirit in an ever-progressive way is the process of "Evolution," evolving back into the consciousness of Spirit. There seems to be some confusion in this area, because in the Science of Mind textbook Dr. Holmes uses the terms "involution" and "evolution" in a slightly different way. There, "involution" is the process of Spirit speaking Its Word into the Law and "evolution" is the Law, mechanically and impersonally creating form out of the Word. "The Spirit INVOLVES. The Law EVOLVES."

Trowards idea of evolution is broader and includes the use of the Personal Factor. Put simply, in Troward's terms, Involution is Spirit knowing Itself as matter and Evolution is matter coming to know itself as Spirit.

3. The Personal Factor.

Evolution proceeds generically and mechanically up to the point of the introduction of the Personal Factor. "Without the element of individual personality, Spirit can only work cosmically by a generic law. But this law admits a far higher specialization, and this specialization can only be attained through the introduction of the Personal Factor." The Personal Factor is the decision of the self-conscious individual to participate consciously in the evolutionary process. This begins when individuals discover or realize that they are intimately connected with the universal power of God. Through the Personal Factor, self-conscious individuals participate and further specialize the evolutionary process, which culminates when individuals consciously realize their Oneness with Spirit at all times.

4. The Reciprocal Relationship between Spirit and the Individual.

As individuals open themselves to the Universal, the "Universal seems to pour itself into the individual," resulting in expanded individualization of consciousness. Individuals wish to express fully and completely as an individual. This desire pushes them into higher states of consciousness and ultimately they encounter the dimension of universal Spirit. The universal Spirit, through Its reciprocal action, wishes to express through the individual, and therefore meets the individual in universal mind. It is like a plant that is pushing itself up from below towards the sun and, at the same time, the sun is pulling the plant toward its universal rays.

This reciprocal action must begin with the individual opening to the possibility of a greater power. Individuals therefore, begin the process with an act of faith, inviting the Universal into their individualized minds and the Universal responds and pours forth Its energy into the consciousness of the individual according to the degree of acceptance and receptivity of the individual.

Troward uses the imperfect analogy of a great mirror with the word "Life" engraved on it, reflecting to a small mirror. As the smaller mirror reflects the word "Life," it also reflects it back to the larger mirror, and by this reciprocal action, there is generated an intensified energy of life, moving from the large mirror to the smaller mirror and intensifying into infinity. This is an imperfect analogy, but it captures in part the relationship of universal mind to individual mind.

5. Infinite Personalness.

Infinite Personalness is really the Love of God that cannot be explained but can only be experienced. It is also called "The Presence." It has both intelligence and volition. We "touch - the face of God" when we reach that "indescribable reciprocity of feeling by which we instinctively recognize something in another, making it kin to ourselves." This is the true meaning of worship. When the individual conscious mind comes into direct contact with universal mind, cosmic intelligence becomes individualized and individual intelligence becomes universalized. The two become one. "I am the person that thou art, and thou art the person that I am."

6. New Thought.

New Thought is more than a philosophy that explains our true relationship to the divine. It is a new level of awareness, where everything we think is new, and where we continually create from Principle (our divine potential) and not from precedent (our experience). "Principle is not bound by precedent."

7. The Coming of the Divine Kingdom.

Troward explains that the evolutionary process proceeds through the mineral kingdom, the plant kingdom, the animal kingdom, the human kingdom, and culminates in the Divine Kingdom. The coming of the Divine Kingdom is the kingdom of unconditional love on this planet. It occurs when the individual consciously has totally integrated individual mind with universal mind, i.e., there is no difference in essence. When enough individuals have achieved this state of consciousness, the Divine Kingdom manifests in a planetary way.

8. The Will of God.

There is a universal will of God for growth and for good. But there is no Will of God for us as individuals. We must use the Personal Factor to put our individualized will into action. The will for the individual is the consciously and orderly announcement of purpose to the subconscious mind. The will focuses the energy of Spirit for a particular purpose.

The grace of God is the gift of Spirit that has already been given. It is the universe waiting to particularize itself as us, but it will not do so unless we will it to be, by the use of the Personal Factor. God alone is only potential. The individual alone is limited. But together, unlimited potential becomes manifest reality. God needs humanity to express God. Humaniy needs God to fully express humanity.

"The universal can only work on the plane of the 'particular' through the individual. Thus, we come to our true place in the cosmic order; that is, to distribute Divine Power by the use of individual mind. We are not the creators of divine power, we are distributors."