Birds of a Feather
The old adage, "Birds of a feather flock together,"
is a very interesting one, and it can be applied to many things besides birds.
"Thoughts of a feather" can also "flock together." Of course,
we all know that thoughts do not have feathers, but thoughts do seek out, and
cling to, others like themselves. When we recognize this fact, and realize that
thinking is our only creative power, then, we begin to see that we do have control
over our own destiny.
In Matthew, 25th chapter, 29th verse,
we are told: "For unto every one that hath shall be given, and he shall
have abundance: but from him that hath not, even that which he hath shall be
taken away." [ASV] I know that many persons resent the implications
of this, and they say, "Why should the person with only a little be stripped
of this, to add the wealth of the person who already has more than enough? It’s
just not fair!" You see, this quotation is nothing more than a statement
of Universal Law. It is dealing with "The Law of Attraction." Have
you ever noticed that, when you are happy, everyone around you seems happy,
and when you are gloomy, the faces around you seem dark? Simply stated, happiness
attracts happiness, and gloom attracts gloom. The consciousness of success attracts
success. The consciousness of failure attracts failure.
One time, a little child was very ill. The doctor had no
hope for the child’s recovery. He stood by her bed, and he shook his head. "Just
a matter of hours," he predicted. So, another doctor was contacted, and
was soon at the child’s bedside. He had a look of confidence and a cheerful
manner. His hand was firm on the child’s wrist as he took her pulse, and it
seemed that some of his strength and his confidence flowed through to her. He
didn’t shake his head. He didn’t have any direful outlook. If he had doubts
as to the child’s recovery, he kept them entirely to himself—and probably kept
it totally out of his mind. He said, "Well, you are a pretty sick girl.
But, with your help, we’re gonna pull you through. And, I want you to remember
that you are going to get well. You are going to get well!" The
child promised to do all that she could. When this doctor came again during
the week, he reiterated the same statement, "You are going to get well!"
He made the child, somehow, feel that he was depending on her, and he knew she
wouldn’t let him down. So, her attitude, and that of her family, totally changed
from despair to hope…and finally, to certainty of recovery. It was wrought by
the same Law, "birds of a feather flock together," the Law of Attraction.
The gloomy predictions of one doctor had drawn all hope from the child; and
under that "cloud of darkness," the child probably would never have
survived. The cheerful confidence of the other doctor renewed her hold on life,
giving her a thread of hope, to which she could cling; and she was healed…completely!
God’s Law of Attraction brought more and more confidence and strength—this
was the result of consciousness being expressed in a beautiful way. A marvelous
thing to behold, of course!
We should be grateful for Universal Law, "unto everyone
that hath shall be given," because, in this Law, lies the key to all that
life has to offer. The Whole of anything is nothing more than the sum of its
parts. These parts are held together by attraction. Each particle acts as a
magnet and draws to itself similar particles. Suppose that you have two similar
groups of particles—one, large, and the other, small. Which group do you suppose
will have the greater pulling power? Of course, the larger one. Suppose, the
smaller group is subjected to the pulling power of the larger group; particles
of the lesser group may well be pulled away from their own group and will be
added to the larger, so that all the particles are finally in one group.
This magnetism may also be applied to the mental and spiritual
realm. Our thoughts are magnetic; they draw similar thoughts. Good thoughts
attract more good thoughts. Limited, erroneous, bad thoughts attract more that
are limited, erroneous, and bad. When we realize that in our thought lies the
only creative power that we have, and that our world is the result of our thinking,
then we begin to see how very important it is for us to think correctly. Every
good thought that is held over a period of time draws to itself other good thoughts.
Constructive thoughts flock around the nucleus of the first good thought…and
the more that come, the stronger the drawing force. The more one thinks constructive,
harmonious thoughts, the more ideas for attainment will come, and the person
eventually will attain the good that he or she is seeking.
Suppose, some of us think happy, constructive thoughts one
day and sad, anxious thoughts the next day. The two sets of opposed particles
of thought pull against each other, and our good is either swallowed up in the
gloom of the destructive thoughts or, at best, is kept from accomplishing anything
for us. We tend to think destructive thoughts with more feeling. This gives
them greater strength. All of us must keep our thoughts positive all the time.
If we are going to make the kind of headway that we desire, we must endow our
thoughts with life, by strongly believing that they are true.
Wishy-washy thinking will get us nowhere!
We do not need to be the victims of capricious thinking.
We should not enjoy happiness and peace one day, and plow through a storm the
next day. We can direct our thinking so as to invite the favorable conditions
that we desire and rest assured that they will come. "Birds of a feather
flock together," and each "flock" draws its own. Friendliness
brings friends. Cheerfulness brings cheer. A loving heart draws the love of
others. And, of course, the same is true of gloom and hate and despair.
A person’s thoughts always tend to determine what he or
she is. The Real Self is not made of flesh and blood but, rather, of Spirit.
A person’s outer world is simply a looking glass, wherein he sees according
to his thoughts. In the same thing, one person sees beauty, another sees ugliness.
The second individual is one who grumbles that the good things of life have
passed him by. The good things have bypassed him, although they, always,
have been just as available to him as to all others—he simply has not helped
himself to their abundance. In other words, actually, he has passed them
by.
If you are sick or lonely or fearful or poor, then stop
and take a look at yourself. What kind of thoughts have you been thinking? "Well,
I’ll never be well again, the doctor says." And, "I’ll always have
trouble with my back." Or, "I wish I could have a vacation, but I
probably never will." Or, perhaps, "I’ve always been poor; I suppose
that’s the way it has to be for me." Do your thoughts move in this vein?
These kind of thoughts—the "foes…of his [your] own household" [Matt.
10:36]—are the culprits that are keeping you from your good. Have nothing
to do with them! Eliminate them! Turn away from them! Deny them! Before you
can hope for improvement in your life, you will have to get rid of negative
thoughts, which are occupying the places in your mind that should be filled
by friendly, helpful Laws of Mind Action.
After we remove unwanted thoughts, we all must let in the
Sunshine of God’s Love and Peace and Joy, and refuse to let negative, unwanted
thoughts to return…ever again! Oh, it’s a big order, and it is not done easily.
But, that’s the commitment we must make. That’s the work that we must put ourselves
to, because, whatever your lot in life may be, it is yours, because you have
created, by your thoughts, the circumstances that make up your surroundings.
And, you can change these conditions by changing your thoughts.
At first, it may not be easy to keep your thoughts at work
creating the things you want, because thinking is really hard work for most
of us. It is much easier to let the thoughts run wild, and then to feel sorry
for our selves. But, wild-running thoughts, like wild-running children, seldom
grow up to amount to anything.
So if you want to make your life worthwhile, "corral"
your thoughts, and image the conditions you want. Each image, held steadily
in mind, draws to itself more and more images of like nature. Like the planted
seed that draws from the soil the nourishment it needs for growth, the image
in your mind draws on Universal Mind for its Substance, until it comes out into
your life and begins to manifest in beautiful, wonderful ways. Loving, harmonious
thoughts will bring reflections in the mirror of life that will delight you…absolutely
delight you! Unpleasant situations will clear up like magic. And, the wealth
and health that have so long eluded you will come and "purr like a kitten
at your feet." Loneliness, too, will pass away, because loving thoughts
bring friends without end.
You cannot have things in the world until you first image
and claim them in your mind. In creation, the mental image always precedes the
physical counterpart. The more good you create, the more good you attract—more
faith, more love, more confidence. You will no longer resent "The Law of
Giving and Taking Away," because you will have learned to put it to work
for you, and it will no longer work against you.
© Eric Butterworth
|