they shall be hurtful or the greatest possible blessing. By rebelling
against life's discipline, griefs become hurtful, but the hurt is
not in the bereavement itself, but in the attitude of the mind and
heart. Until the soul is able to drink the cup of sorrow willingly,
and say "Thy Will be done," bereavement is hurtful, destroying both
health and happiness. The cause of the hurt is, however, in the
hardness of heart, and not in the bereavement itself. There must,
therefore, be submission and an acknowledgment that the discipline
is necessary. This does not imply, however, a weak giving-in to grief
and mourning. One who has been bereaved can never, it is true, be
the same again, for he or she becomes more chastened, more loving,
more sympathetic, richer and more mellow in character. The loved one
can never be forgotten, but that is no reason why the heart should
be bowed down by grief and the life made desolate by sorrow. In such
cases true religion, not religiousness, is the only thing that can
satisfy the soul, harmonize the mind, and heal the body. To be
established in Truth, knowing that all is well: that God makes no
mistakes and that there is, in reality, no death but only change,
is the only way by which bereavement can be made to be a blessing
in disguise. When this stage is reached, grief is overcome, death
being swallowed up in victory. The only panacea for all life's
troubles is conscious harmony with our Divine Source and the Divine
Will and Purpose which desire only our highest good.




CHAPTER VII.

THE SECRET OF ABUNDANT SUPPLY.


It is a metaphysical truth that the outward life is a reflection of
the thought life. Our life is affected by our habit of thinking and
attitude of mind, in two ways: first, all our actions are
unconsciously influenced by our thoughts, thus helping to bring into
manifestation, or attracting to us, an environment that corresponds
to our thoughts. [9] Secondly, we discharge or emit an influence,
silent and invisible, that no doubt affects other people. They are
probably not aware of it, but they are either repelled or attracted