firmly, and
with faith, you will feel the adverse influences disappearing. You will
almost see the clouds falling back from you. Try it now, before reading
further, and you will become conscious of a new strength and power.

You are perfectly justified in thus denying adverse influence. You have a
perfect right to drive back threatening or depressing thought-clouds. You
have a perfect right to take your stand upon the Rock of Truth--your Real
Self--and demand your Freedom. These negative thoughts of the world in
general, and of some people in particular, belong to the dark side of
life, and you have a right to demand freedom from them. You do not belong
to the same idea of life, and it is your privilege--yes, your duty--to
repel them and bid them disappear from your horizon. You are a Child of
Light, and it is your right and duty to assert your freedom from the
things of darkness. You are merely asserting the Truth when you affirm
your superiority and dominion over these dark forces. And in the measure
of your Recognition and Faith, will be the power at your disposal. Faith
and Recognition renders man a god. If we could but fully recognize and
realize just what we are, we could rise above this entire plane of
negative, dark world of thought. But we have become so blinded and
stupefied with the race-thought of fear and weakness, and so hypnotized
with the suggestions of weakness that we hear on all sides of us, that
even the best of us find it hard to avoid occasionally sinking back into
the lower depths of despair and discouragement. But, let us remember
this, brothers and sisters, that these periods of "back-sliding" become
less frequent, and last a shorter time, as we proceed. Bye-and-bye we
shall escape them altogether.

Some may think that we are laying too much stress upon the negative side
of the question, but we feel that what we have said is timely, and much
needed by many who read these lessons. There has been so much said
regarding this negative, adverse power of thought, that it is well that
all should be taught that it is in their power to rise above this thing--
that the weapon for its defeat is already in their hand.

The most advanced student may occasionally forget that he is superior to
the adverse influence of the race-thought, and other clouds of thought
influence that happen to be in his neighborhood. When we think of how few
there are who are sending forth the positive, hopeful, thought-waves, and