The Three Principles Explained
Mind has been defined as the universal intelligence or spiritual energy of all creation, both formless and in form.
Consciousness is the awareness of the process of creation, and of what we have created; it is what brings thinking to life through the senses and the body.
Thought is the capacity to create form from formless energy.
The Three Principles in Ordinary Terms
(by Judith Sedgeman, 2008)
When any thought is created within your mind, it is manifested as real through your senses at the moment it enters your mind. Whatever is on your mind is your world—at that moment. If a person’s mind is seething with thoughts of vengeance, he will experience a hostile, dangerous reality. If a person brings past misfortune to mind, she will have the experience of a person in difficulty. If a teenager entertains ideas of self-doubt and inadequacy, that young person will feel self-conscious and uncomfortable. The feeling comes from the senses that are informed by the thoughts that are created within the person’s mind moment-to-moment.
If a person thinks a green lizard is crawling across the floor, he or she will “see” a green lizard. The person’s senses would register the thought of a lizard. If a child awakens from a nightmare about a monster and continues to think of the monster, the child will remain terrified. If a grieving person’s mind fills up with gratitude at the funeral of a deceased friend, that person will suddenly experience warmth and love.
Every moment is new; every moment holds the potential for new creation. When a new thought comes to mind, the person’s life changes—at that moment. If a person thinking discouraging thoughts suddenly entertains a funny memory, that person will experience humor—at that moment. If a person ruminating about a disappointment in people suddenly thinks of the compassion of a neighbor, that person will feel warmth and good will—at that moment. A continual flow of new thoughts brings a continual flow of new sensory data.
With each change in thought, there is a corresponding change that the experienced reality of the thinker of that thought. When people see the one-to-one link between thought and experience, they gain perspective on life. Changes in their experience of reality no longer look as though they are precipitated at random by outside events or forces. Fear and hopelessness and other negative feelings look like thought-events, rather than horrible life circumstances. At the other extreme, euphoria and gratitude are thought-events, as well. It is as much within the realm of the thinker’s power to bring joy to mind as it is to bring despair to mind.
Seeing the emergence of experience from the process of thinking brings people peace of mind, no matter what they are thinking. It is as difficult to frighten yourself with your own thinking as it is to scare yourself by making faces in the mirror. No matter how you contort your expression, you know it is your face in the mirror and you know that you are creating the contortions and you know you can stop doing it, or change the expression. The only “force” in life becomes the power of creativity; inner peace no longer held hostage to outside forces or events.