The lessons which follow are not a revelation to some particular individual nor to any one group of persons. Rather they are an outcome or a putting together of the best that the ages have discovered. We all believe that there is a Power greater than we are. We all hope that we may be able to use this Power.

Throughout the ages certain individuals have discovered some secret relationship between themselves and the Universe which other people have not known about, and because of this they have either consciously or unconsciously used a power that to the ordinary individual seems miraculous because of its effects. Others have stood in awe before them, feeling that God has delivered some message to them which is withheld from others.

This age of superstition, of fear and ignorance is passing out of existence, and intelligent people are beginning to say, "My relationship to God, to the Universe, and to the Power which is greater than I am must be as immediate to me as to any other person who ever lived. There is a secret, the great secret of Life Itself, and I expect to discover it. And when I do I know that it will be immediate and personal to me; something that I can live by and use; something that I can benefit by and demonstrate; something that will take the uncertainties out of life."

You are about to engage in a study of the Science of Mind, which deals with a Principle and a Power in the Universe as immediate as your own breath. Of necessity such a study is something to which you must give your complete attention, something that you must enthusiastically enter into. All the while it will be something that brings a daily satisfaction, a sense of well-being, and the gratification of knowing that you are in league with the Power that creates and sustains everything.

These lessons start with the simple proposition that God, which means the Life Principle or the Creative Cause, is an immediate Presence not only around but within you. Therefore do not be afraid that perhaps you are being coerced into accepting a new religion, for such is not the case. You, like all normal people, already believe in some Power greater than you are. You already understand that everything in the universe is governed by some invisible law, force, and intelligence which sanity compels you to accept, and you are going to discover your immediate relationship to this Power, to establish yourself in such conscious unity with It that you, too, will become a partner in Its activities.

You should approach your study with a calm determination and a buoyant hope. We believe that as you study these lessons and the various explanations that go with them you will find yourself agreeing with their content and meaning. You may be certain that this meaning has been accepted by the deep thinkers of every age.

In presenting such a vast subject as this it is necessary that there be considerable repetition. The ideas must be presented in many forms for clarity. We hope that you will begin at once to apply these lessons. If you do, long before your studies are finished you will have demonstrated that there is a Power greater than you are and you can use It.

Your first lesson starts on page 63 of The Science of Mind textbook and runs to the top of page 68. You will get the best results if you faithfully follow the textbook with each lesson, explaining to yourself the meaning of each paragraph and each word.

The Glossary at the end of the textbook, together with a Supplementary Dictionary of New Thought Terms and their Meanings [forthcoming on this website], will give you the information you need in conjunction with these lessons.

Starting with this lesson and running through Lesson XII is an explanation of the inner meaning of the Bible [also forthcoming on this website]. This explanation is based on what we consider the finest authority. With each lesson you will find supplementary material [likewise forthcoming on this website] on specific subjects which are of great importance in coming to comprehend the whole meaning of this course.

While our first lesson starts with page 63, it will be well for you to study the whole Introductory Section of The Science of Mind textbook from pages 25 to 60 inclusive. The sum and substance of this section of our textbook resolves itself into this: The Universe is made up of a Divine Infinite Presence, an Intelligence and supreme Spirit which responds to everyone because It is incarnated in everyone. This response is immediate and personal. The Universe is also a system of Law and Order, and you are surrounded by a Creative Principle which responds to the impress of your thought and acts upon it exactly as you think. These are the great realities with which we deal.

And now you are ready to start on your adventure. We believe it will be a happy one.

Sincerely,
Ernest Holmes