Chapter 4
The Vacuum Law: Making Room for Abundance
Nature abhors a vacuum, particularly in prosperity. When someone genuinely seeks prosperity yet fails, they usually need to invoke this powerful law. To receive greater prosperity, form a vacuum by getting rid of what you don't want to make room for what you do want. Clear out old clothes, furniture, or relationships that no longer serve you. Often you can't know what you truly want until you release what you don't want.
When desired good hasn't appeared, you likely need to release something to make room. New substances cannot flow into cluttered situations. By letting go of the lesser, you automatically create space for greater good. One couple furnished their new home by bringing only furniture they truly loved and leaving bare spaces for what they wanted. They visualized those spaces filled with beautiful furniture. Eventually, the husband's company implemented a merit point system that allowed him to earn new furniture.
The vacuum principle works on spiritual, mental and physical planes. A businessman with a persistent illness that resisted medical treatment remembered the vacuum law and realized he needed to release something. Quietly asking Divine Intelligence what he needed to let go, he recognized a grudge he'd been holding. He mentally declared forgiveness, releasing the person completely. That night he slept peacefully for the first time in weeks, and by morning his fever had broken. His physician confirmed the "poison" had miraculously left his system.
Forgiveness simply means to "give for"-to replace old ideas or conditions with something better, creating a vacuum for new good. When stubborn problems persist, forgiveness is inevitably needed. Even one person initiating forgiveness can transform the situation. Spend thirty minutes daily mentally forgiving everyone you feel disharmony with. If you've accused anyone of injustice, criticized or gossiped about them, mentally ask their forgiveness. Forgive yourself for perceived failures or mistakes. This forms a vacuum that unblocks prosperity.
When you fully release something-whether a troublesome situation or physical possessions-you increase your power to attract good. Declare: "I release, loose, let go and let God." One caution: ensure you mentally release what you physically give away. When I gave clothes to my sister but kept thinking about wearing them, nothing new manifested until I mentally declared: "I fully and freely release you. You are now in your perfect place." Only then did a "magnetic influence" bring new clothes through unexpected channels.
Chapter 5
The Creative Law: Write Down Your Desires
The creative law of prosperity involves three basic steps: having a plan and writing out your desires; mentally imaging those plans as fulfilled; and constantly affirming their perfect fulfillment. This chapter focuses on the crucial first step-without a written plan, the other steps are ineffective.
Desire carries the power for its own fulfillment. When customers strongly desire certain products, wise businessmen sell them exactly what they want, recognizing that intense desire denotes faith which brings satisfaction. Strong desire for good brings the power to produce that good. To release your deep-seated desires for prosperity, center on one big goal at a time, which naturally includes smaller desires. People and events subconsciously tune into our big desires and help achieve them. Truly successful people have intense desire for the highest and best in life.
The creative law of prosperity requires taking your deep desires and expressing them constructively by writing them down. This clarifies your desires and gives your mind definite ideas to work with. Many people fail at prosperity because they're afraid to get specific about how they want to live better or how much money they need. As Dr. Emilie Cady wrote: "Desire is God tapping at the door of your mind, trying to give you greater good!" Suppressed desires often turn destructive.
Prosperity doesn't happen by accident-it's deliberately created through thought and action. A vice president of a struggling corporation had developed a comprehensive plan for years. When he became president after his predecessor's death, he immediately implemented this plan from his desk drawer. The company transformed from a mediocre, debt-laden business into one of the country's most prosperous corporations with stock performance exceeding all competitors. This demonstrates that prosperity is a planned result, just as deliberate as constructing a bridge or building.
A group of business people experimented with a specific prosperity formula during a recession. They wrote out their desires for six months ahead, broke them down by month, and revised their lists weekly. During class meetings, they would hold their lists and affirm together: "I am the rich child of a loving Father. All that the Father has is mine to share and experience. Divine Intelligence shows me how to claim my God-given wealth and opens the way for immediate blessings." They spent at least 15 minutes daily blessing their listed desires, including specific money amounts and timeframes. The participants achieved remarkable results, and people worldwide reported similar success using this method.
One businesswoman applied the creative prosperity method by writing a letter to God at the beginning of the year, listing her genuine desires rather than making resolutions. She sealed the letter in her Bible. By year's end, her major desires had manifested: remarriage (to a man who provided her desired better home) and a higher-paying position. The key was expressing her authentic deep feelings rather than what others wanted for her or what she thought she "should" desire.
Chapter 6
The Imaging Law: Visualize Your Success
The imaging power of the mind has an almost magical ability to manifest reality. After making and working with your lists, you must invoke this power. Modern authorities confirm that humans can create anything they can imagine-mental images shape life's conditions and experiences. Your only limitations come from negative imagination. If you experience failure and lack, you first imagined them mentally. The imagination proves stronger than willpower; when they conflict, imagination always wins, as demonstrated in hypnosis.
Joseph in Genesis demonstrated imagination's power for success. At 17, he dreamed of dominion when his brothers' sheaves bowed to his, and the sun, moon and stars honored him-symbols of his future position as Egypt's prime minister. Joseph dreamed of dominion when he had none, proving success is created mentally first. His mistake was telling his jealous brothers, who sold him into slavery. Unlike Joseph, keep your dreams and mental images private to protect them from others' doubt. Despite years of slavery and imprisonment, Joseph persisted in his vision and eventually became second-in-command of Egypt's powerful empire, proving that vision leads to victory and victims can become victors.
While imaging sometimes produces immediate results, delayed manifestation often yields even greater rewards if you persist. A businessman transformed from a $25-a-week truck driver to wealthy retirement in ten years through persistent imaging. He mentally pictured owning his own business, financial independence, a spacious home, multiple cars, and freedom from financial worry. Though his first prediction of owning a home and car didn't materialize on schedule, within two years he'd convinced his mind these goals were possible. After that mental breakthrough, success accelerated rapidly-within six years he achieved all his goals in the insurance business, and retired wealthy after ten years.
Charles Fillmore described imagination as giving "man the ability to project himself through time and space and rise above all limitations." His son Rickert, an architect, demonstrated this by creating a master plan for Unity Village in 1926, drawing buildings, walkways, fountains and landscaping. Though only two buildings were completed by 1929 before the Depression halted construction for eleven years, Rickert persisted-landscaping the grounds and planting shrubs around future buildings. From his office in Unity Tower, he would look out and visualize the completed buildings in detail. After years of faithful imaging, construction resumed in 1940, eventually creating the beautiful Unity Village visitors enjoy today.
Nothing is impossible for imagination to accomplish. For those struggling with visualization, practical methods can help train the imagination. An engineer created a "wheel of fortune" by drawing a circle on poster board with a religious symbol at center, dividing it into four sections (business, family, spiritual, social/recreational), and placing pictures and affirmations in each section. After implementing this technique, he received a major promotion, sold his house on schedule, found a perfect new home, enjoyed a tropical vacation, and found the right church-all as visualized.
One housewife who achieves remarkable results through visualization emphasizes the importance of imaging in complete detail. Though it takes time and daily practice to fully picture desired outcomes, once the complete image forms in her mind, she can release it knowing manifestation will follow with minimal physical effort. The more you develop this imaging faculty, the more the world seems to rush toward you to fulfill your desires.
Chapter 7
The Law of Command: Speak Your Prosperity
Shakespeare wrote that a flood-tide in men's affairs leads to fortune. The prosperity law of command releases this flood of good built through list-making and mental imaging. Command means "to have authority or control," and through this attitude, you control the good you wish to experience. Many view life as a towering mountain, but this law helps you stand at the summit with authority. The secret: A positive assertion of desired good often swiftly turns events in your favor. In Genesis, God created by commanding, "Let there be..." What you decree manifests, as Job 22:28 promises.
You constantly use the law of command through your decrees, though often negatively. One businessman's acquaintance had arm trouble despite no organic issues. He realized he'd been saying "I'd give my right arm if I could..." Once he stopped this expression, his arm healed. Isaiah warned, "Woe unto them that decree unrighteous decrees." Similarly, a woman with foot problems discovered she'd been saying "If only I could get on my feet financially." When she changed her statement to declare financial security, both her physical and financial conditions improved.
Modern "affirmations" are a form of command. Daily verbal and silent affirmation practice invokes this law to create good. Though simple, many mistrust this approach, seeking more complicated paths to prosperity. "Affirm" means "to make firm"-through verbally declaring desired good rather than discussing what you don't want, you make that good firm in mind and ethers until it manifests visibly.
Never underestimate word power. You create your world with words, just as the Lord did in creation. If you dislike your current world of discord, lack and limitation, build a new one of limitless good by changing your words of command and decree. Prosperity class participants found this law easiest and fastest for producing results. They used affirmative statements for 15 minutes daily or wrote them repeatedly, attracting remarkable business success and unexpected inheritances.
Use specific declarations for specific needs. If money is low, hold your purse and declare: "I bless you for the riches of God now being demonstrated through you." For perfect clothing: "I give thanks that I am beautifully and appropriately clothed with the rich substance of God." For housing: "I give thanks that I am beautifully and appropriately housed with the rich substance of God." For transportation: "I give thanks that I am beautifully and appropriately transported with the rich substance of God."
Dr. Emilie Cady, a New York physician, used bold affirmations to overcome extreme situations. When tormented by another's strong personality, she declared: "There is no personality such as this in the universe. There is nothing but God." For a painful, swollen ankle, she affirmed: "There is only God. All seeming else is a lie," bringing immediate relief. After struggling financially for two years, she began affirming "It is done. God is now manifested as my supply," which permanently ended her poverty. Mere knowledge isn't enough-daily verbal affirmations activate prosperity power.
A woman given three months to live after surgery recovered completely through affirmations. Her husband instructed her to stop discussing her operation and hospital experience, saying, "You can accept it and die, or reject it and live." He suggested she affirm daily: "Let divine health manifest for me and in me now." When visitors came, he redirected conversation away from illness, stating, "We are not discussing her operation. That is over. She is enjoying good health now." Twenty-two years later, she hadn't experienced another sick day, demonstrating that prosperity includes health and wholeness.
Chapter 8
The Law of Increase: Think Abundantly About Everything
The law of increase begins with establishing an attitude of rich increase toward everything and everybody. By thinking of yourself and others as rich, successful, prosperous and victorious, you help make it so. Even in difficult circumstances, this law works wonders-like the imprisoned man who visualized air-conditioning for the jail office and saw it manifested, or the woman whose former employer sent her a wedding gift 18 years after her marriage.
All people naturally seek increase-in food, clothes, homes, beauty, knowledge, leisure, and satisfaction. This desire is divine and should be expressed through spiritual laws of prosperous thinking. When we criticize or condemn others, we unknowingly invoke the negative law of decrease, which returns to us multiplied. During a steel strike, two professionals proved the power of increase-a chiropractor who refused to discuss hard times maintained a thriving practice while his colleagues struggled, and a lawyer who, through prayer and positive thinking, attracted new corporate clients that provided more business than the steel mills ever had.
You can invoke the law of increase by speaking positively about yourself and others, looking and acting prosperous, and writing notes of increase. Like Nehemiah who rebuilt Jerusalem's walls in 52 days by affirming "The God of heaven, He will prosper us," we must avoid the law of decrease that delays our prosperity. The Israelites who remained in the wilderness for 40 years eventually discovered their feared enemies were actually afraid of them. If you limit your good through decrease thinking, you'll never be satisfied and will eventually need to apply the law of increase anyway-so why not begin immediately?
Convey the impression of increase in everything you do so all people receive that rich impression. When writing, calling, or meeting others, bless them with "a rich increase of God's Almighty Good." A retired Army officer once revealed that simple words of encouragement had saved him from suicide. When speaking of someone, focus only on their success and present good, ignoring past mistakes-this contributes to their unfolding success while ensuring your own past mistakes remain undisturbed.
Think, talk and act only prosperously. Don't allow others to speak negatively around you or take seriously anything contrary to prosperous thinking. Mixed thought creates cross-currents that neutralize prosperity efforts. When facing apparent hard times, declare: "Divine restoration is taking place. The good which the locusts of lack have eaten is being divinely restored." A saleswoman who maintained prosperous thinking kept her sales high while her colleague who constantly talked about recession was reduced to part-time work-proving our attitudes produce tangible results.
Charles Fillmore taught that spiritual substance is never depleted and responds to our faith regardless of economic conditions. By pouring "living words of faith into the omnipresent ethers," we prosper even when banks close. A businessman who refused to accept a banker's negative outlook and insisted "there's plenty of money in the world" secured a sizable loan. To manifest prosperity, concentrate thoughts, feelings, relationships and activities on abundance rather than lack. Expect prosperity, speak in those terms, and remember that scattered thoughts produce scattered results.
Chapter 9
The Prosperity Law of Love and Good Will
The prosperity law of love and impersonal good will may be the greatest prosperity law of all. When we use love as impersonal good will toward difficult people or situations, remarkable transformations occur. A businessman shared how he would sit quietly and deliberately think loving thoughts about challenging customers, visualizing them surrounded with love, security, and good humor. The results were often immediate-with apologies coming within an hour of his loving thoughts.
Your financial success is estimated to be 15% due to technical ability and 85% to your ability to get along with people. Personnel managers confirm that more than two-thirds of job terminations occur because people "cannot get along with others," while only about 10% are due to inadequate skills. Love has unequaled power because it's the unifying force of the universe-the equalizing, harmonizing, balancing force constantly at work.
Love functions on both personal and impersonal levels. Personal love expresses as devotion, tenderness, and appreciation toward family and close friends. Impersonal love is the ability to maintain goodwill toward all others without personal attachment. For this, affirm: "I love all people and all people love me, without attachment."
Life is fundamentally a process of giving and receiving love in its many forms. Those not living in this stream of love experience lack in mind, body, or affairs. You can deliberately generate love from within rather than waiting for it to find you. Spend a few minutes daily affirming: "With God's help, I am now deliberately and joyously radiating divine love to myself, my world, and to all mankind." Visualize yourself as healthy, prosperous, and blessed while affirming: "I let divine love now be made alive in me." Imagine love as a radiant light permeating your entire being, illuminating any dark or troublesome areas. Begin by loving yourself-you cannot radiate love outward until you feel it within.
Harvard scientists discovered you can "bombard" people and situations with love to produce miraculous changes. A woman cleared her complexion by daily thinking of it with love during meditation. A lecturer overcame fatigue by loving his body during meditation periods. As you go about daily life, silently affirm to everything: "Let divine love be made alive in thee"-your clothes, car, home objects, bills, income, and even the empty spaces in your life.
After losing points in a lawsuit that threatened financial ruin, a bitter man was advised to affirm: "I live by the law of love, and love shall be victorious" and to think the same for his opponent. As his hostility and resentment dissolved, he found an opportunity to do his legal opponent a favor. Both parties' attitudes shifted, leading to a fair out-of-court settlement. Similarly, a woman succeeded with a restaurant in a location where two previous owners had failed by simply blessing all her customers with love and praying for their prosperity and happiness.
Chapter 10
Self-Confidence: The Foundation of Prosperity
Self-confidence-faith in one's innate abilities and in God's help to develop them-is the essence of prosperity. Psychologists confirm that self-confidence doubles your powers and multiplies your abilities. One stockbroker saw his income quadruple within a month of applying prosperity laws, even during a recession. The secret is that self-confidence is already part of your spiritual nature-you were endowed with it when created in God's image. Children naturally possess this confidence before becoming filled with fears and inhibitions.
People who advance to highly paid positions truly believe in themselves and their ability to succeed. They listen for inner guidance and know they have something special within them that provides wisdom and expanded vision. Their poise and assurance naturally inspires others to believe in and follow them. Self-confidence is contagious! Joshua proved this when he confidently assured the Hebrews they would enter the Promised Land in three days after 40 years of wandering-and they did. No one pays attention to those lacking confidence, as their negative mindset repels rather than attracts.
You perform divine feats simply by having confidence in your divinity and recognizing it often. Declare daily: "(your name), I have confidence in your God-given guidance and abilities. I see you going from success to greater success with God's rich help. Your success is big, powerful and irresistible and it now appears!" This approach has dissolved many inferiority complexes. Remember: one positive statement is more powerful than 1,000 negative thoughts, and two positive statements outweigh 10,000 negative thoughts.
A powerful way to develop self-confidence is feeding your mind confidence-filled thoughts before sleep. Your subconscious mind acts on your last waking thoughts while you sleep. Fill your mind with expectant thoughts of success and prosperity, and your subconscious will work overnight to produce a prosperous tomorrow. A discouraged model tried this approach, focusing on meeting someone nice and congenial before sleeping. The next morning, she received a call from a bachelor millionaire who became the answer to her marital dreams!
When your confidence is tested after taking steps toward success, hold firmly to your convictions. Often after making decisions, you'll face challenges that test your resolve-prices may drop after investing or people may try to discourage you. This is precisely when you must stand firm in your belief, affirming "Infinite Wisdom guides me, Divine Love prospers me." By proving to yourself and others that you have the fortitude to follow through, the tide will turn, multiplying your confidence and tripling others' confidence in you.
Develop self-confidence by appreciating, praising, and calling forth the good in others. Don't wait until after someone succeeds to express confidence-that's when they need it least. A commercial photographer doubled his productivity by expressing confidence in models before photographing them. Most people wear masks hiding their struggles; your words of confidence could be their turning point. Even highly successful people crave appreciation. One housewife transformed her household atmosphere from complaint to harmony simply by expressing praise and confidence in her family and staff.
Chapter 11
The Power of Persistence in Prosperity
When you realize that prosperity is your divine heritage, you should persist in claiming it. As Calvin Coolidge stated: "Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent."
A young man who had failed at everything found his turning point after joining the Navy, where his commanding officer praised his "can-do" attitude. The prosperity law of persistence is essentially this "can-do" approach, contrasting with the failure-guaranteeing "can't-do" attitude. Successful people persist through setbacks until achieving their goals. When facing discouragement, affirm: "I am not discouraged; I am persistent, and I go forward. I am not on the way out. I am on the way up!" Persistence acts as your mental plow, breaking up old failure attitudes to prepare for success.
The average person surrenders too easily when often just a little more persistence would turn failure into success. "Persist" means "to refuse to give up" and "continue firmly, steadily, insistently." When discouraged, declare: "I refuse to give up. I shall continue firmly, steadily, and insistently until my good appears." Often all it takes is persistence in thinking big and working steadily to bring forth big results.
Like Jacob wrestling with the angel until daybreak, declaring "I will not let thee go, except thou bless me," you can become a "Prince of God" through persistence. When you meet disappointment constructively, you can still move forward to greater good. Through persistence, so much good can be added to the present moment that it blots out past emptiness, discouragement, and failure.
Often, failure is success trying to be born in a bigger way. After years of writing articles for Unity publications, I experienced a period of rejections that left me disheartened. Months later, I realized these rejections indicated I wasn't thinking big enough-it was time to write books instead of articles. Though I initially doubted my ability, prosperous thinking insisted that my previous failures were signs to aim higher. I maintained the attitude: "I refuse to give up. I shall continue firmly until the good appears." Success truly is failure turned inside out!
Mankind's enduring achievements have come because people steadfastly refused to take "no" for an answer. With inner persistence, external persistence becomes less necessary. When you master prosperous thinking, you work things out mentally first rather than manipulating outer circumstances. After conviction about an idea, persist in that conviction. If outer doors close, persist in inner preparations. When you establish the right attitude, the outer world must conform to it-that's the law of mind-action.
Success often arrives suddenly after a long period of quiet plodding. Prepare yourself for this moment by planning what you'll do when it comes. Just when success seems least possible, the tide will turn, requiring you to take a deep breath and implement your plans step by step. Stay alert and ready to accept success when it arrives; otherwise, it may evaporate, forcing you to begin again. Once success arrives, persistently maintain it or it may slip away. Persistence is the keynote to realizing and maintaining your heart's desires.
