I’ve heard of Emmet Fox but have not read much of his material. Someone posted a link to The Golden Key, which Emmet Fox authored, on Facebook and I thought it was intriguing. You know how often we are told to stop doing that thing we are doing but what exactly do we do in its place — or maybe better stated, what do I do? I seem to have a very active mind that likes to express itself in one way or another. I’m always all over anything that guides me in the direction of a positive, uplifting expression.
For those of you who are turned off by his liberal use of the word “God”, consider substituting another word. I think “Love” is a good substitution but you can use anything you like. I also like how he ends it in the last paragraph. In more than one modality, I’ve heard the advice to stay out of “ways and means”. It’s not our job, the efficiency skills of the Universe are far broader and more resourceful than our own. And meddling in ways and means, from a quantum physics standpoint, is said to actually limit the field of probabilities.
There is a section below that I highlighted in bold. I’m putting it on a home made “well being” card. I think it makes a beautiful affirmation. It can also be used to make an affirmation for another by substituting the words, I or me, for “you”. Example: There is no power but God: You are the child of God, filled and surrounded by the perfect peace of God: God is love; God is guiding you now. God is with you.
Here is The Golden Key, in its entirety, by Emmet Fox:
Scientific prayer will enable you to get yourself or anyone else, out of any difficulty. It is the golden key to harmony and happiness.
To those who have no acquaintance with the mightiest power in existence, this may appear to be a rash claim, but it needs only a fair trial to prove that, without a shadow of doubt, it is a just one. You need take no one’s word for it, and you should not. Simply try it for yourself.
God is omnipotent, and we are God’s image and likeness and have dominion over all things. This is the inspired teaching, and it is intended to be taken literally, at its face value. The ability to draw on this power is not the special prerogative of the mystic or the saint, as is so often supposed, or even of the highly trained practitioner. Everyone has this ability Whoever you are, wherever you may be, the golden key to harmony is in your hand now. This is because in scientific prayer it is God who works, and not you, and so your particular limitations or weaknesses are of no account in the process. You are only the channel through which the divine action takes place, and your treatment will be just the getting of yourself out of the way.
Beginners often get startling results the first time, for all that is essential is to have an open mind and sufficient faith to try the experiment. Apart from that, you may hold any views on religion, or none.
As for the actual method of working, like all fundamental things, it is simplicity itself. All you have to do is this: Stop thinking about the difficulty, whatever it is, and think about God instead. This is the complete rule, and if only you will do this, the trouble, whatever it is, will disappear. It makes no difference what kind of trouble it is. It may be a big thing or a little thing: it may concern health, finance, a lawsuit, a quarrel, an accident, or anything else conceivable: but whatever it is, stop thinking about it and think of God instead — that is all you have to do.
It could not be simpler, could it? God could scarcely have made it simpler, and yet it never fails to work when given a fair trial.
Do not try to form a picture of God, which is impossible. Work by rehearsing anything or everything that you know about God. God is wisdom, truth, inconceivable love. God is present everywhere, has infinite power, knows everything, and so on. It matters not how well you may think you understand these things: go over them repeatedly.
But you must stop thinking of the trouble, whatever it is. The rule is, to think about God. If you are thinking about your difficulty, you are not thinking about God. To be continually glancing over your shoulder in order to see how matters are progressing is fatal, because it is thinking of the trouble, and you must think of God and nothing else. Your object is to drive the thought of the difficulty out of your consciousness, for a few moments at least, substituting for it the thought of God. This is the crux of the whole thing. If you can become so absorbed in this consideration of the spiritual world that you forget for a while about the difficulty, you will find that you are safely and comfortably out of your difficulty — that your demonstration is made.
In order to “golden key” a troublesome person or a difficult situation, think. “Now 1 am going to ‘golden key’ John, or Mary. or that threatened danger”: then proceed to drive all thought of John, or Mary, or the danger out of your mind, replacing it with the thought of God.
By working in this way about a person, you are not seeking to influence his conduct in any way, except that you prevent him from injuring or annoying you, and you do him nothing but good. Thereafter, he is certain to be in some degree a better, wiser, and more spiritual person, just because you have “golden keyed” him. A pending lawsuit or other difficulty would probably fade out harmlessly without coming to a crisis, justice being done to all parties concerned.
If you find that you can do this very quickly, you may repeat the operation several times a day with intervals between. Be sure, however, each time you have done it, that you drop all thought of the matter until the next time. This is important.
We have said that the golden key is simple, and so it is, but of course it is not always easy to turn. If you are very frightened or worried, at first it may be difficult to get your thoughts away from material things. But by constantly repeating a statement of absolute Truth, such as: There is no power but God: I am the child of God, filled and surrounded by the perfect peace of God: God is love; God is guiding me now; or, perhaps best and simplest of all. God is with me — however mechanical or trite it may seem — you will soon find that the treatment has begun to “take.” And that your mind is clearing. Do not struggle violently; be quiet, but insistent. Each time you find your attention wandering, switch it back to God.
Do not try to think in advance what the solution to your difficulty will be. This is called “outlining” and will only delay the demonstration. Leave the question of ways and means to God. You want to get out of your difficulty that is sufficient. You do your half, and God will never fail to do God’s.
“Whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Acts 2:21).
Beautiful as always. It never fails to lift me up and inspire me when I visit you here. LOVE LOVE LOVE you.
Oooh, this is perfect timing. It just so happens that I have a situation to try this out on. I’ll let you know how it goes. :)
Meanwhile, “All is well. Everything is working out for my higher good”. And so on …) Thanks, Beth!
Thank you Amy so much, sweet beautiful sister of mine, I love, love, love and adore you too! <3
It just so happens, Myrna, I have a situation or two :) to try this out on, too! Your avatar is beautiful, btw.
I wholeheartedly agree.
I’m glad it resonated with you Monica.
Beautiful! Emmet Fox is one of my favorite authors. I used to have several of these essays from “Make Your Life Worthwhile” (I think) than my computer crashed. I also highly recommend his “Sermon on the Mount” it’s the first Emmet Fox book ever I read. I checked it out of the library just as I was coming down with the flu. I remember laying in my bed, barely able to keep my eyes open & I still couldn’t put the book down. I have barely caught a cold since reading it. Do I credit the book? Yes!
Thank you Kathy! I just ordered Sermon on the Mount from Amazon. Still in print since 1989, excellent reviews and rated no. 1 in sales in three different categories — between that and your review of it, I was sold! I’m sure I’ll be quoting it some time soon on the blog.
Hi!
This morning -which at the moment of this writing is 12 hours ago- I had the thought:
“Don’t think about the difficulty, whatever it is. Think about God instead.”
I vaguely remembered I had read it somewhere, sometime, a long, long time ago. But I could not remember where.
Then I forgot about it. Until 5 minutes ago. So I wondered if I would maybe find something about it on the Internet, and typed in that sentence -with little hope… until I saw it on top of the Google page, clicked on it, and here I am.
Amazing that this thread was started today!
I take this a sign of God encouraging me in a practice I began some time ago, but of which I was not sure I understood it right. It consists of believing that God is so intimately connected -one- with us that when we think “I”, it is God thinking “I” as we. And that since we are all one in God, and God is one in everyone, we are all connected on a subconscious level. So if anyone of us holds that thought in mind, it will resonate in everyone’s soul, and somehow subconsciously raise everyone’s awareness to the same level of oneness with God.
This is symbolized by the raising of the whole “mass” or “dough” as it is written. As well as that when one rejoices, all rejoice with him or her, since we are all members of the same body, God being our “Head” or true spiritual Identity.
Not everyone might (yet) be able to think that thought as I suggested. I had the good fortune to have had a series of experiences that showed me that God did not want for us to have less happiness as He has, so He decided to appear here now as each and every one of us in human disguise. He might not be able as you who read this right now to accept His glory yet. But He is patient with Himself as you….
Thank you so much for being God’s messenger -angel- today for me.
From Amsterdam with love.
Correction:
“God did not want for us to have less happiness than He has”.
If an earthly parent who is not completely deprived of all humanity and love for his or her child already wants for it to be at least as happy as he or she is, shall our Father God Who is Love in Person not want even much more for us to have His joy?
PS:
I just found “The Golden Key” in a free down-loadable pdf here:
Someone’s name stands for his or her self-awareness of identity. With that in mind, think about what that last sentence of The Golden Key means, and you will be thinking about God:
“Whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.”
Thank you so much “Lode”. You are an angel to visit my site and re-highlight this recent post.
I bought Sermon on the Mount by Emmet Fox, as recommended by another one in the comments section of this post. And I adore it on every level. It’s been an answering for me for questions I didn’t even realize I had. It’s brought me to tears at times, too. As I told some friends, reading this work, I’ve felt like a prisoner finding God for the first time.
Wow, amazing stuff. Can hardly believe I haven’t read his work before but I have now. When the student is ready they say and I do believe it’s true, the teacher shall appear. Many blessings to you in Amsterdam, Beth
Hi dear Beth,
the teacher appears when the student is ready because God as a human is then ready to learn from His Self.
Here is God as an example for all of us learning as a human Who He is:
“And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man.”
Luke 2:52
God has blessed you with Himself…
Reblogged this on Emotional Sobriety And Food and commented:
Hi Everyone,
I just found this discussion about Emmet Fox’ “The Golden Key” I thought it could be useful for our group discussion.
Enjoy!
Shira