Let us remember that fear is only wrongly directed faith... having faith in things we do not want...

Elinor S. Moody, new thought and Christian author, early C19th, USA Elinor Moody wrote in her 1923 book, You Can Receive Whatsoever You Desire, “Let us remember that fear is only wrongly directed faith. We are having faith in things we do NOT want, rather than in the things we desire." Very little is known about this lady except that she wrote and published numerous books between 1919 and 1924, which have become favourites and classics today. Her titles include: How to Obtain Your Desires, All Power is Given Unto You, You Can Receive Whatsoever You Desire, How to Remake Yourself Through Applied Psychology and How to Demonstrate Abundance. Without even reading her books it is clear what her preferred subject matter was! - Motivating and teaching people to reach for their dreams, to believe in the best. Ms Moody taught about the creative mind, the attracting power of the mind, the practice of constructive thinking with regards to all aspects of life, better finances, improved health and conquering fears. I have heard some of the most well known new thought teachers and motivators quote from her works and therefore wanted to read some more about the lady herself. Unfortunately, and to my surprise, I couldn’t find anything more than the little snippets she includes about herself in her books, referring to her experiences in the matters of which she writes about, some anecdotes on improving finances and the heartfelt dedications to her family and friends at the fronts of her works. The Roaring Twenties Though we may not know Ms Moody’s age at the time of writing or how long she lived and whether she had, for example, a husband and children, or how she spent the remainder of her life, I expect she was born in the late eighteen-hundreds and is no longer with us. Nevertheless, the words and the deep wisdom she has left to the world live on. The time of Ms Moody’s writings was the era between the Great War, which ended in 1918 and the Great Depression, which began in 1929. It was known in America as the ‘Roaring Twenties’, a period of much political, social and economical change and technological advances such as telephones, radio and motion pictures and the increased accessibility of electricity and automobiles. The short time in which Elinor Moody prolifically wrote her books was during this period when the public wanted to relax, recover and modernise, but also when many people were looking for better answers for the madness, a time when people were turning away from the self-denial and rigidity of pre-war times and opening up to new concepts. Women in particular were gradually becoming more equal citizens, being granted voting rights and traditional opinions were changing. Christian Views on the Creative Mind Your thoughts create your reality, that means a lot more than the oft recommended and simplisitic advice to think happy thoughts, it's about the life you choose to expect for yourself, it's about the goals you visualise for yourself, the life you dream for yourself: "Faith is the substance of things hoped for - the evidence of things not seen." and: "According to your faith be it unto you" are just two of the many scriptures in the Christian Bible that Elinor Moody quoted in her writings to show clearly that God does not just jump to drop something in the lap of every person that asks, but expects them to cultivate their own faith first and have expectance. You may not believe in God, or the Christian God, but whatever story you attribute to the world, that it is energy or something else, there is a creative force that made this world in perfect harmony. You only have to look at space science or a few nature documentaries to see that nothing is coincidental in creation, the sun and the moon are in perfect balance, this was made by a higher intelligence. Whether that is down to an emotional God or some other energy force it can be harnessed, we are creations of that force and creators with it. Elinor Moody believed that we were, "made in his likeness." "Mind is the pattern by which the word creates" Stated Ms Moody, "...for before we speak into being the thing or condition which brings to us pleasure or pain, we have either consciously or unconsciously been fashioning that thing or condition in the mental workshop, have been impressing, as it were, this pattern on the creative substance within and all about us." Understand that the universe is abundant, even that God loves you, but no one is lording it over us or pulling our strings. You have been granted the power to change and mould your own reality. "Creative substance," as Ms Moody calls it, energy or God, is all around you and within you, it fills the universe and it is our thoughts that are the seeds we plant within it that take form and come to bear. "Let us remember that fear is only wrongly directed faith. We are having faith in things we do NOT want, rather than in the things we desire." If you want to live the life you desire to live, think the things you desire to do and be, think that they are possible, imagine them as already having come to pass, in faith they have, like sowing seeds they simply have yet to materialise visually. Train yourself to realise that believing is seeing, as quoted in the scriptures above, it is proven to be the way the world really operates, rather than the mistaken view these days that it is the other way around and many walk in frustation. Take charge of your thoughts, don't spend any energy on worrying about what can go wrong or what you would hate to happen, as Elinor Moody said, that is a form of faith too, and what you put your faith in and expect comes to pass. Check in on your thoughts regularly, make sure you are having good thoughts, coupled with genuine positive expectations. The universe isn't fooled, feel good about your life and the direction it is going in. If you don't feel good, you don't have to pretend, just take the first step in the right direction, even if you don't know what the next step should be, go as far as you can. Life is like walking towards the horizon, once you get as far as you could see before, you can see further! Try really believing something (whether you perceive it as good or bad) and you will see it come to pass. The wisdom of what was now a century ago was known and relevant for centuries before that and is still relevant today. How quickly people forget and lose their way. Here are two of Elinor S. Moody's books for you to enjoy: You Can Receive Whatsoever You Desire All Power Is Given Unto You