I casually remarked, "Belief is a great thing, isn't it?" "You bet it is. Thought is the greatest force in the world, and the dumb ducks laugh when you talk about it," he answered rather caustically.

"I don't, I'm interested," I replied. 'Tell me of some instances where you have demonstrated the power of thought."

"I could keep you here all day telling you of its power---at least in my own life."

'Tell me a few. When did you first become aware of it?"

"Oh, I guess about twelve years ago, when I fell and broke my back. I was in a cast for a long time, and the doctors told me that even if I recovered, I would be crippled the rest of my life. As I lay on my back in the hospital worrying about my future, I frequently thought of the words used by my mother to the effect that 'One just has to believe.'

One day it dawned on me that if I could hold on to the mental picture I was going to be all right, and if I believed in it sufficiently, I could get well. To make a long story short, here I am crawling over and underneath cars, and far from being a cripple, as you can see for yourself." "Very interesting," I urged. 'Tell me more."

"Well, I've used it frequently to get more business. As a matter of fact, this present location is a result of it. As you know, I was burned out at my old place a few weeks ago and space like this in the city is well-nigh impossible to find. For two or three days, I worried about not being able to find another location and deliberated whether I should attempt to go to work for someone else. Then one night I made up my mind I would continue in business for myself.

That was the turning point. Just before I went to sleep I said to myself, 'Oh, you'll find a place within the next few days. This thought power hasn't failed you yet.' I went to sleep with full confidence that the place would be forthcoming. The very next day I went over to see the painter where I had taken the car I saved from the fire and mentioned I was looking for another place.

'That's funny,' he commented, 'You can rent this space. I've just bought the building in the next block from an owner who wanted to retire.' And so now here I am, on a main thoroughfare and with more business than I can possibly handle!"

I know that some readers will say that these are merely coincidences, but my files are filled with similar "coincidences." To some of you they may be just that, but those acquainted with this science know that these things come about as the result of intensified thought or mental picture- making.

However, we come again to a matter of opinion---the difference in conclusions between those who think this is all nonsense and those who know that the things we think materialize after their kind. Again we are reminded of what Paracelsus said: "Men devoid of the power of spiritual perception are unable to recognize anything that cannot be seen externally."

It is pretty well agreed that the subconscious mind works as a result of images thrown upon its screen, but if there is something wrong with your projection apparatus or the original slide, then the projected image is blurred, inverted, or a total blank. Doubts, fears, counter-thoughts, all manage to blur the pictures you consciously desire to project.

Those who have well-developed imaginations, such as great artists, writers, and inventors, possess the ability to visualize or to make mental pictures almost at will. However, with the mechanics which I will enlarge upon later and the explanations already given, anyone following them should have no difficulty in being able to see in their mind's eye the things, objects, or situations that they desire in reality.