Claude M. Bristol - The Magic of Believing

The Magic of
Believing
by
Claude Bristol 1948

This book is part of Project Gutenberg and is available at www.gutenberg.org as this book is under public domain.

I s There s o m e for c e, or f ac t o r, o r p o w er, or sc i e nc e ca ll i t w h a t y ou w i ll w h i c h a f e w p e o p le u nd er s t an d an d u s e to o v e r c o m e th e i r d i ff i c ult i es an d ac hie v e out s t and i n g s u cc e ss ? I f i r m ly bel i e v e th a t t he r e i s , an d i t i s m y p u r p o s e i n t his book to try to e x p l a i n i t s o th a t y ou ca n u s e i t i f y ou d e s i r e .

A rou n d 9, the f i nanc i a l e d i tor of a g r e a t Los An geles n ew s p a p er a tte nd ed le c t ures I g av e to f i nanc i a l m en i n t h a t c i ty an d re a d m y bro c hure T. N .T . I t Rock s the E arth. A fterw a r ds , h e w ro t e the foll o w i n g:

Y ou h av e ca u ght fr o m the et h er s o m et h i n g th a t h a s a mys ti ca l q u a l i ty a s o m e t hi n g th a t e x p l a i n s the ma g i c of c o i nc i d e nc e, t h e mys tery of wh a t m a k es m en lu c k y .

I re a l i z ed th a t I h a d run ac ro s s s o m ethi n g th a t w a s p r act i ca l an d wo r k a bl e . But I d i dn t c o ns i d er i t t h en n e i th e r d o I n ow a s a n y thi n g mys t i ca l, ex c e p t i n th e s e ns e th a t i t i s u n k n o wn to the maj or i ty of p eo p l e. This s o m et h i n g h a s a lw ay s been k n own t o a fortu na te f ew d o wn the c e n tur i e s , b u t for s o m e u n k n own re as on i t i s s t i ll b a r e ly u nd er s tood by the av er a ge p er s o n .

Y e a rs a g o , w hen I s t a r t ed to te ac h t h i s sc i e n c e by m e an s of le c t u r es an d the m e d i um of m y br o c hure, I w asn t c ert a i n th a t the c o nc e p ts c o uld be gr as p ed by the or d i na r y i nd i v i d u a l. B u t s i nc e the n , I h av e s een tho s e w h o h av e u s ed i t t o d o u ble an d tr ip l e t h e i r i nc o m e s , bu i ld t h e i r own s u cc e ss ful bu s i n e ss e s , ac q ui r e h o m es of t h e i r d r e ams , an d c re a te s iz a b le f o rt u n e s . I a m n ow c o nv i nc ed th a t an y i n tell i g e n t p er s on w h o i s s i nc e r e w i th the ms e l v es ca n re ac h a n y he i g h ts t h ey tr u ly an d ho n e s tly d e s i r e. I h a d n o i n te n t i on of w r i t i n g a s e c o n d bo o k , a l tho u gh man y urged m e t o d o s o, u n t i l a wo ma n i n the b ook bu s i n e s s who h a d s old man y c o pi es of m y f i r s t l i ttle book l i t er a lly re a d m e the r i o t ac t by s t a t i n g :

Y ou h av e a d uty to g i v e to the m en an d wo m en who s e e k p l ac es f or the ms e l v es i n t h e wo rl d , i n e as i ly u nd er s tood for m , t he n ew ma t e r i a l th a t y ou h av e g i v en i n y our le c t ure s . E v er y o n e of am b i t i on w an ts t o get a h e ad , an d y ou h a v e am p ly d e m o ns tr a t ed th a t y ou h av e s o m et h i n g th a t w i ll h e l p any o n e. I ts up to y ou to p as s i t a lo n g.

I t took t i m e to s ell m y s elf on t h e i d e a . But h av i n g s er v ed a s a s ol d i er i n W orld Wa r I , m o s tly i n F r anc e an d G er many , an d h av i n g been ac t i v e for man y y e a rs i n ex -s er v i c e m e n s org an iz a t i o n s a s well a s a s t a te c o m m i ss i on for t he reh a b i l i t a t i on o f ex -s e r v i c e m en an d wo m e n , I re a l i z ed th a t i t would be h a rd for man y i nd i v i d u a ls to ma k e out s t a n d i n g p l ac es for t h e ms e l v es i n a world f r om w h i c h t hey h a d lo n g b een s e p a r a te d . I t i s w i t h a s i nc ere d e s i re to h e lp the m , a s well a s a ll am b i t i o us m en an d wo m e n , th a t I w r i te this m o r e full an d d e t a i led e x p o s i t i on of t h e P ower of Bel i ef. T hu s , this wo r k i s w r i tten a l s o to help d e v el o p i nd i v i d u a l thi n ki n g an d d o i n g.

S i nc e t h i s bo o k ma y f a ll i n to the h and s of s o m e who ma y ca ll m e a c r ac kp ot o r sc rewb a l l, let m e sa y th a t I a m pa s t the h a l f -c e n t u ry ma rk an d h av e h a d man y y e a rs of h a rd p r ac t i ca l bu s i n e s s ex p e r i e nc e a s well a s a goo d ly n u m b er of y e a r s a s a n ew s p a p e r man . I s t a rted a s a p ol i c e re p o r te r . P ol i c e r e p o r ters a re t r a i n ed to get f ac ts an d t ak e n othi n g for gr an t e d . F or a two y e a r p e r i od I w a s c hur c h e d i tor of a l a r ge m e t ro p ol i t a n n ew s p a p e r, d ur i n g whi c h I cam e i n c lo s e c o n t ac t w i th c lerg ym en an d le ad e rs of a ll s e c ts an d d e n o m i na t i o ns , m i nd- he a ler s , d i v i n e he a l e r s , S pi r i t u a l i s t s , Chr i s t i a n S c i e n t i s t s , N ew Tho u gh t er s , U n i ty le ad er s , s un an d i d ol wor s h i p ers and , y e s , e v en a few i n f i d els an d p a g ans .

The well - k n own E n gl i s h e van gel i s t Gy p s y S m i th w a s ma k i n g a t o ur o f Am er i c a a t t h a t t i m e. Ni g ht a f ter n i g h t a s I s a t on his p l a t f or m , w a t c hi n g p e o p le s tu m ble d o wn t h e a i s le s , s o m e s o b b i n g , o t h e rs s hou t i n g h ys ter i ca ll y , I wo nd e r e d .

A g a i n I wo nd e red w h en I acc o m p an i ed t he p ol i c e i n ans we r i n g a r i ot ca ll: s o m e Holy R o l le r s i n a m o m e n t of h ys t er i a h a d k n o c k ed o v e r a s to v e an d s et f i r e to t h e i r m ee t i n g h a ll. W hen I a tte nd ed m y f i r s t (an d o n l y ) m ee t i n g o f S h a k e r s , I wo nd e red a s I d i d whi l e a t te nd i n g va r i ous s pi r i tu a l i s t i c m e e t i n g s . I wo nd ered a s I he a rd the te s t i m o n i a ls a t the Chr i s t i a n S c i e n t i s t s W e dn e sda y n i ght m e et i n g s . I wo nd e r ed when I w a t c hed a g ro u p o f p e o p le i m m er s ed i n t he i c y w a ters of a m ou n t a i n s tre a m an d c o m i n g up s hout i n g H a l lelu ja h ! e v en th o ugh t h e i r t e e t h w e re c h a tte r i n g. I wo nd e r e d a t t h e I nd i ans c er e m o n i a l danc es an d th e i r r a i n - danc e r i tu a l s . B i lly S u nda y a l s o ca u s ed m e to wo nd er as , i n l a ter y e a r s , d i d A i m ee Se m p le M cP h er s o n .

I n F r anc e d u r i n g the F i r s t W orld Wa r, I m a r v eled a t the s i m p le f a it h of the p e asan ts an d t he p o wers of t h e i r v i ll a ge cu ree s . I h e a rd s to r i es of m i r ac les a t Lo u r d e s , an d of s o m ewh a t s i m i l a r m i r ac les a t oth e r s hr i n e s . W hen i n a f am ous old R o ma n c hur c h, I sa w e l d erly m en an d wo m en c l i m b l i t e r a lly on th e i r k n ees up a lo n g f l i g ht of s t a i r s to g a z e u p on a holy u rn a c l i m b th a t i s n o s i m p l e t as k for a n a thlet i c a lly tr a i n ed y ou n g p er s on I wo nd ered a g a i n .

Bu s i n e s s br o ug h t m e i n to c o n t ac t w i th t h e Mor m o ns , an d w hen I he a rd the s t ory of J o s e p h S m i th an d t h e r e v el a t i o n s on the p l a t es of gol d , I w a s a g a i n g i v en to wo nd er . The D u k hob o rs of we s t e rn C anada , who would d off t h e i r c lo t hes wh e n p ro v o k e d , l i k ew i s e mad e m e wo nd e r. W hile i n H a w a i i I h e a rd m u c h a bout t he p ow e rs of t he k a hu na s who c o u l d , i t w a s c l a i m e d , ca u s e p e o p l e to d i e or l i v e by p r ay i n g. T he g re a t p o w ers a ttr i bu t ed to t h e s e k a h u na s p ro f ou nd ly i m p r e ss ed m e.

I n m y e a rly day s a s a n ew s p a p er man , I sa w a f am ous m e d i um try to ma k e s p i r i t s re s po n d befo r e a c row d e d c ourtr o om of an t a go n i s t i c sc offer s . T h e j u d ge h a d p ro m i s ed to re l e as e t he m e d i um i f he c o uld get the s p i r i t s to s p e a k i n t he c ou r tr o o m . Y et t h ey f a i led to ma t e r i a l i z e, an d I wo nd ered why b e ca u s e the m e d i u m s foll o wers h a d te s ti f ie d t o re ma r k a ble s anc e s .