A seminal book that has a great following. Very happy to have this as a reference book in my collection. This is not intended to be read in a week but used for life long study. Thanks to NetGalley for a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for my honest review.

Wow. So, if you straight-up asked me to review some 100-year old text that combines religious and philosophical ideas that were groundbreaking for the time … I think I’d pretend my phone was ringing and that I immediately needed to leave your presence.

Yet here I am! This work was stunning in that the concepts really were so ahead of their time (I think?) as far as leaning into science and psychology to support the ideas of “energy” and “existence.”

Whether you consider yourself enlightened in a religious sense or as a general life tendency, this is a very thought provoking book that can be revisited in sections.

This book just wasn't for me, had to dnf. I'm not a Christian and it's full of prayers and thoughts supportive of Christianity and it's devotion. Not for me.

This is a book that causes the reader to pause and consider statements made by the author, very interesting point of view. I read this book over a long period of time to ponder different statements.

The Science of Mind The Complete Original 1926 Edition The Classic Handbook to a Life of Possibilities by Ernest Holmes

496 Pages
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press, St. Martin’s Essentials
Release Date: November 8, 2022

Nonfiction, Religion, Spirituality

The book is divided into the following parts.

Part I: The Evolution of Man’s Thought
Part II: The Lessons
Part III: Special Articles
Part IV: Daily Meditations for Self-Help and Healing

This book is not what I thought. It is a book based on Christianity and is full of prayers and daily devotions. As a non-Christian, this book did not resonate with me but may be of interest to Christians.

This was a very interesting book!! It definitely gave a new perspective on things. I enjoyed it. I am glad I got a chance to read it.

Title: The Science of Mind
Author: Earnest Holmes
Release Date: November 8th, 2022
Page Count: 482
Start Date: November 2nd, 2022
Finish Date: November 7th, 2022

Review:

This book was educational and interesting. I discovered that it’s a republish from a book written in the 1920s. When I first got the book, I was fully expecting a psychological book. I wasn’t expecting a religious science book. Not that I’m complaining. As I stated, I learned a lot. I bought a copy of an older version for my uncle to read. He enjoyed it as well.

It took me awhile to read. Writing of that era required a lot of concentration and understanding. This just was not for me.

I realized as I began to tackle this book that it was not the right one for me. Therefore I am not going to review it at length as I don't feel that would be fair. This book may be helpful to readers who want an old school perspective on self help. I leave it to them to decide.
Many thanks to the publisher for this title.

Mixed bag - some parts resonated while I struggled to read other chapters.
#NetGalley #St Martin's Essentials

It took me awhile to read. Writing of that era required a lot of concentration and understanding. This just was not for me.

The Science of Mind begins with man's 1) self awareness (man = man and woman), ability to think and act, and make choices, 2) to the "inevitable" evolution of man's understanding that there is a single deity.

All other subjects are tied to these two basics and about power available to men provided by a single deity, God, and how everything is interconnected--to help man discover and prove his own (eventual) perfection like God. Because man was an idea of God, and every idea of God is perfect, so man will someday become perfect.

This is a rough outline of the beginning, as an example of the logic and direction the book takes.

1. Man is an individual and must discover his 'divine worth' on his own.
2. Man thinks.
3. The brain does not think, else the brain removed, would still think, but it doesn't. And yet, man thinks. The legs, removed, don't walk, the hands cut off, don't work. So there is something in man that is more than the brain and the parts. Behind the brain, there must be a thinker.

The text moves on to the dominance of the conscious mind over the subconscious mind. The author argues that picturing the body as perfect, makes it well. But I believe that ignoring a compound fracture or burst appendix just leads to a great deal of pain, greater illness, and ultimately death. Which will then give the person a chance to answer for cutting their life short out of stupidity.

I acknowledge that we have the ability to make ourselves ill by concentrating on negativity and being convinced that we are sick. But assuming individuals or groups are doing so, is a judgement we have no right to make without having all the facts. It can do irreparable harm.

The next topic says that science and philosophy are two halves of a whole; one observes the results of nature, the other contemplates the cause.

"What this life is, science does not attempt to explain."

"True philosophy and true science will some day meet on a common basis."

The best thing about this book is that every sub-topic has a title, and is only a couple of pages long--at most. Making them easy to read one or more at a time, then think about.

The author is very well educated, well read, and forward thinking given that it's from 1926. I recommend this book to anyone with interests in the "logic of science" vs everything else, and man's place in the world. This is a fascinating and easily accessible collection. (See Caution below.)

Healing and the mind: What works for small things does not mean it works for serious things, or that the patient has failed self-control if unsuccessful. Mr. Holmes teaches with force and certainty, but evidence shows that absolute faith of (even) many cannot always save or heal. He forgets the Will of God. If God does not will for a child or other individual to be saved or healed, it is not possible. There are some things we cannot learn--or people we cannot help--unless circumstances are right. God's plans are perfect.

4/5 *Caution: Faulty logic regarding the Will of God; accidents, healing, some opportunities, etc. Documented evidence also shows that faith-healing can be a disastrous practice when taken to the extreme.

Thanks to St. Martin's Press, St. Martin's Essentials, and NetGalley for the temporary preview; any review is voluntary and entirely my own opinion.

#StMartinsPress #StMartinsEssentials
#NetGalley
#ErnestHolmes #ErnestHolmesAuth
#ReligionandSpirituality
#NewThought
#SuccessSelfHelp
#PersonalTransformationSelfHelp
#PoweroftheMind
#PowerofPrayer

I’ve loved this book for two decades, and this most recent read is no different. Thank you, Net Galley, for the advanced copy of this new version.