There is only one method of spiritual progress, and that is by the Practice of the Presence of God, whether we call this Scientific Prayer or Spiritual Treatment. There is no other way. Mankind is continually seeking to discover a short cut of some kind or other, because the carnal mind is constitutionally lazy; but as usual the lazy man takes the most pains in the long run, and having wasted his time in wandering up by-paths, he is ultimately driven by failure and suffering to the realization of the grand truth that there is no substitute for prayer.

This does not mean that any particular form of prayer is essential, but prayer there must be; that is, the conscious dwelling upon the Being of God. I have heard people say: “I did not treat when such a problem arose; I just knew the Truth about it, and the trouble disappeared.” But this, of course, is exactly what Scientific Prayer or treatment is, and in its most beautiful and effective form. Such a person really means that he has not used some rigid or crystallized form of expression, which needless to say, is not in the least essential. Formal or set treatments are useful things to have by one, to fall back upon when spontaneity fails.

Then they help to focus the thought, and usually set the natural well a-bubbling. But—the thought’s the thing—and the simpler and more spontaneous it is, and the more quickly it comes the better.

If your intuitive nature is well developed, you will seldom need to use formal statements at all. This is excellent—for who will trouble to climb a ladder when he is strong enough to leap over the wall? Unfortunately, however, there are a great many people with little or no intuitional development as yet, and many other people lose the ability to receive intuitional messages when worried or frightened. Then the ladder will probably be their salvation.

It must not be overlooked that very many people actually do all their work with formal statements of Truth, and get consistently good results by working in this way. Not through repeating affirmations like a parrot, it is needless to say. Those who work like a parrot inevitably make the parrot’s demonstration—they remain in the cage. Of a good worker who used the same phrases many times it was said by a friend: “He constantly uses the old affirmations, but he stuffs them with fresh feeling every time.” For one who has neither very much intuitional power at his command, nor yet the ability easily to express his thoughts in words, this is a model procedure. Meanwhile, in such a case the student must be particularly careful not to accept his want of intuitional power as a fixed thing, but to recognize it merely as a temporary disability to be gradually overcome. In fact, such a person should make a special point of treating himself for intuitional power regularly everyday—by claiming it, of course—I have conscious Divine Intelligence. I individualize Omniscience. I have direct knowledge of Truth. I have perfect intuition. I have spiritual perception. I know.

Thus we see that practically all students of Truth do in fact employ treatment in one form or another, even though they may disclaim it. There are, however, a few people who actually refrain from all treatment on principle, but since one has never heard of their healing anyone, and they seem to be continually in personal difficulties of all sorts, the facts speak for themselves, and only go to prove the rule that treatment, or the Practice of the Presence of God, is the only road to harmony.

EMMET FOX