Volcan Imbabura mirror by Iván Maigua

It may be asked: What can we depend upon? Whom can we trust? The answer is: First set our mental and spiritual house in order and then, insofar as possible, make it produce for us the necessary and the beautiful things of life. What can be more practical than to gain the ability to demonstrate in our experience that we can consciously call on a higher Power to do our bidding, whenever our will is in conjunction with Its nature, with the full assurance that It can never withhold our real good from us.

– From It’s Up to You by Ernest Holmes; Chapter – Thinking Creatively, page 97

Sunset @ Mu Cang Chai by Ratnakorn Piyasirisorost

   Ignorance and superstition have always been allies – “vultures of the same egg.” And it is not surprising to find, in a country where for so many years there have been just two kinds of people, good and bad, there are yet individuals here and there puzzled about “goodness.” Finally it reaches, through some insidious suggestion too subtle for understanding, the absurd height of asking: “Am I good enough to attempt to express more good?”

Because we have not reached the top, shall we refuse to take the first step? Because we have not prepared for calculus, shall we refuse to do our sums in addition? If the requirements followed  these lines there would be no progress. Jesus refused to allow his disciples to call him good, explaining that there were none good except the Father. Shall we wait until we see as clearly as he saw the unity of all life before we attempt to use what light we have? Shall we bury our one talent and foolishly expect that we shall later dig it up and find it has multiplied into ten? Jesus said: “He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father.” Greater things than Jesus did! Does this mean that we have to be better than he was to do this. Did he say that perfection was the thing that was required? On the contrary, he made it plain that belief was the one essential factor. “As thou hast believed, so be it unto thee…”

– From It’s Up to You by Ernest Holmes; Chapter 7 – As You Believe, pages 59-60