“In the preceding chapter we referred to the law of inspiration, that we draw in, inspire, whatever the mind is centered upon to the exclusion of all else, and that the wonderful formative principle dominating human consciousness at once makes an image, a thought-form of that which is indrawn. But in the process, the principle of discrimination is called into action—a principle which in vegetable life, being nearest the creative source and therefore purest in character, expresses itself most perfectly.
When a seed is placed in the ground, the chemist knowing the properties of the original plant is able to predict with absolute certainty what chemical elements the growing seed will gather to itself out of which to build a like organism. The same principle, finding expression in the human consciousness, is taken control of by the organized mentality and may be suspended in its action, directed in its course, or intensified in its operation, and thus, being under the control of the individual, produces manifold results.
Therefore, as soon as the individual by means of the concentration previously noted, opens himself to the inflow of Universal Life, (we shall see further on, that life and mind are synonymous terms), that in which he believes flows in, and its image takes form in the mind and becomes for the time his consciousness.
It has been demonstrated that a person believing in a certain deranged and consequently diseased condition of the body, actually produces this condition; and there have been instances in which the physical body has been destroyed by this means. Belief is an all-powerful factor in human life and for this reason the necessity is imperative that the reasoning mind, or, if you please, the guiding intelligence derived from experience, take control of the activities of the inner life and consciousness.
When there exists correct knowledge of the workings of the intuitional faculties, and the individual is able to take control of this function, then it will be found that these higher faculties are the dominant faculties of the real self, that they are that part of man’s nature which, even in the absence of conscious thought, knows that he exists and needs only an impulse of desire to call in from the Universal Mind, unformed thought-elements. These unformed thought-elements, when carried to the reasoning brain, give it to know, both by inductive and deductive methods, that which is beyond the ken of the mere reasoning mind, or the mere instinctive action.
From the foregoing, we may reasonably conclude that the higher faculties now dormant in the race may be brought into activity at will, and the consciousness allied to all that is in the Universal Mind; and that thus, the individual may select therefrom whatever is needed.
We think, therefore, it has been made clear that in the evolvement of the individual by means of the inflow of qualities of Universal Mind there are active three factors:
First, the principle of inspiration, which draws in, causes to flow in, the qualities of Universal Life, where all qualities exist. Second, the formative principle of human intelligence, so perfect in its workings, that any quality that is indrawn is at once put into its proper form according to its specific quality. Third, belief, which underlies these two principles and controls the result of their activity and determines the character or quality of the life inspired, and consequently decides what form it takes in the individual consciousness. Therefore, belief decides the character of the intuition.
From what has been said, the thinking mind will find suggestions which answer the question as to why such monstrous errors, superstitions, and evil results of every kind have overtaken those who have depended exclusively upon the “inner consciousness”, the instinctive mentality. Because of the facts just presented, the great religious teachers of the immediate past have emphasized the necessity of the reasoning mind—of the knowing. We read in Hosea 4:6, “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge”, and also the words of the Lord Christ (John 8:32), “Ye shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free”, free from those dangers that have beset the race from the beginning to the present time.
But since belief, as we have seen, controls the inspiratory and formative principles of the individual life, we have reached a point in the growth of the race where mind, the reasoning mind, must discover certain general principles of absolute truth in order that the faculties of inspiration and intuition may be safely used, or, in the language of the ancient mystics, in order that the individual may go out into the realm of the Universal Mind, discover and obtain knowledge that the advancing needs of the people are beginning to demand.
With this thought in mind, we shall endeavor in the following pages to expand our idea of human origin, of organized intelligence, of the fountains of life, and the oneness of God, the Cause of all. We shall suggest methods also by which we may gather and incorporate within us a greater amount of the Universal Life, methods by which that life may be refined, sensitized and intensified, thus giving it enormous added capacity; and methods that will give assurance of the correctness of the process from its beginning, through each step of its course.”
Hiram Butler
The Mark Of God: Understanding Your "I AM Presence" 