CONSCIOUSNESS
No One to Change But Self
It is futile to try and change external circumstances without first changing one's inner state of mind. All external events and the actions of others are…
Related Bible passages
- John 6:60
- John 6:44
- John 17:19
- John 17:19
- Romans 14:14
- Titus 1:15
Related ideas
Changing The Feeling Of I
Any attempt to change the outer world before he changes the inner structure of his mind, is to labor in vain. Everything happens by order. Those who help or hinder us, whether they know it or not, are the servants of that law, which constantly shapes outward circumstances in harmony with our inner nature. ... For when he told them there was no one to change but self, they said this is a hard, hard teaching.
It is futile to try and change external circumstances without first changing one's inner state of mind. All external events and the actions of others are merely reflections or 'servants' of one's inner nature and beliefs. The fundamental truth is that all change must begin within the self.
No One To Change But Self
Heretofore I thought I could change others through effort. Now I know I cannot change another unless I first change myself. To change another within my world I must first change my concept of that other; and to do it best I change my concept of self. For it was the concept I held of self that made me see others as I did. ... There is no one to change but self; that self is simply your awareness, your consciousness and the world in which it lives is determined by the concept you hold of self.
The external world and its inhabitants are reflections of one's inner state and self-concept. Therefore, any desired change in others or circumstances must originate from a change in one's own concept of self.
How To Manifest Your Desires
Consciousness is the one and only reality. We are incapable of seeing other than the contents of our own consciousness. Therefore, hate betrays us in the hour of victory and condemns us to be that which we condemn. All conquest results in an exchange of characteristics, so that conquerors become like the conquered foe. We hate others for the evil which is in ourselves. Races, nations, and religious groups have lived for centuries in intimate hostility, and it is the nature of hatred, as it is the nature of love, to change us into the likeness of that which we contemplate. Nations act toward other nations as their own citizens act toward each other. When slavery exists in a state and that nation attacks another it is with intent to enslave. When there is a fierce economic competition between citizen and citizen, then in war with another nation the object of the war is to destroy the trade of the enemy. Wars of domination are brought about by the will of those who within a state are dominant over the fortunes of the rest. We radiate the world that surrounds us by the intensity of our imagination and feeling. But in this thirddimensional world of ours time beats slowly. And so we do not always observe the relationship of the visible world to our inner nature. You and I can contemplate an ideal, and become it by falling in love with it. On the other hand we can contemplate something we heartily dislike and by condemning it we will become it.
Consciousness is the sole reality, and we can only perceive what is within our own consciousness. Therefore, contemplating an ideal with love causes us to become it, while contemplating something with hatred causes us to become that which we condemn. This principle applies to individuals, races, nations, and religious groups. Due to the slow beat of time in the three-dimensional world, we often fail to see the immediate relationship between our inner nature and the outer world, but eventually, we embody what we contemplate.
Out Of This World
My mystical experiences have convinced me that there is no way to bring about the outer perfection we seek other than by the transformation of ourselves. As soon as we succeed in transforming ourselves, the world will melt magically before our eyes and reshape itself in harmony with that which our transformation affirms.
The only way to achieve outer perfection or change the world is through inner self-transformation. When one changes internally, the external world automatically reshapes to reflect that inner change.