Your Invisible Power (1921)

Overview

Genevieve Behrend’s “Your Invisible Power” presents the principles and methods of applied mental science, emphasizing the power of visualization to manifest personal desires. The book draws heavily on teachings from Thomas Troward, with whom Behrend studied from 1912 to 1914. Her goal is to explain how individuals can remove fear and apply mental imagery to achieve their aspirations. This recording is provided by the Master Key Society for research and discussion.

Foreword

Behrend expresses her aim to offer readers a framework for realizing their desires, stressing the necessity of eliminating fear from the mind to allow happiness to manifest. She uses examples to explain how alignment with one’s true self can lead to personal satisfaction and material results.

Visualization Principles

Behrend discusses the core principle of visualization as a deliberate mental act, attracting what one desires by creating clear mental images. She explains how thoughts structured as mental images affect Universal Mind, which responds with reciprocal action, turning thoughts into reality. Consistency in visualization, paired with faith, is emphasized as crucial.

Example: Visualizing Financial Stability

Behrend recounts an encounter with a man in financial distress, demonstrating the principle of visualization. After their meeting, the man experienced a remarkable turn of fortune, attributing it to the visualization techniques Behrend taught him.

The Law of Visualization

Behrend elaborates on the creative process that begins with forming a mental image. By holding this image in a state of calm, concentrated thought, the practitioner engages the Universal Mind in fulfilling the pictured desire. She notes that nature’s laws remain unchangeable but can be harnessed to yield results when applied purposefully.

Example: Selling Property

A woman successfully used visualization techniques to sell her property after imagining the sale and engaging a real estate agent who quickly found a buyer, illustrating the application of visualization.

Visualization and Progress

Behrend cites aviation as an example of visualizing goals that initially seemed impossible. She refers to Troward’s idea that success in life often depends on the ability to see beyond established norms and break precedents by envisioning new possibilities.

Operation of Mental Images

Each person’s mind, as part of the Universal Mind, can generate mental images that trigger physical manifestations. Behrend stresses the importance of focusing on the desired image without negative thoughts interfering. She suggests that consistency in visualization can attract positive results, citing examples of individuals achieving success through this practice.

Case Study: Success in Business

A businessman attributes his improved business performance to the daily visualization of his business’s growth, which enabled him to see tangible improvements in his operations and profits.

Obstacles and Faith

Behrend advises maintaining faith and detachment from specific outcomes when visualizing. She warns against sharing one’s desires prematurely, as discussing goals can dissipate their power. Instead, focusing inwardly on one’s visualizations reinforces their manifestation.

Example: A Doorman’s Visualized Earnings

A doorman who visualized receiving a small amount of money unexpectedly achieved this outcome after assisting Behrend, demonstrating the power of even modest visualizations.

Technique for Mental Picture Development

Behrend suggests that visualization exercises be conducted in solitude, preferably before sleep or upon waking. She describes creating a vivid mental picture of a desired condition or object, enhancing belief in its reality through concentrated visualization.

Practical Applications

Behrend provides several examples where individuals used visualization for tangible gains, such as financial stability, improved health, and fulfilling relationships. She encourages readers to record these visualizations and advises keeping these thoughts private to maintain their strength.

Exercise: Constructing a Mental Image

For those new to visualization, Behrend recommends envisioning desired conditions in great detail. By doing this in a tranquil mental state, one can infuse the image with clarity and intent, leading to a higher likelihood of manifestation.

Mental Science and Personal Experience

Behrend recounts her journey into mental science, motivated by a search for peace and purpose. She found Troward’s teachings transformative and applied them to overcome personal obstacles. The teachings, which emphasize self-reliance and mental clarity, helped her overcome feelings of loneliness and loss.

The Power of Affirmation and Repetition

In her study, Behrend came to believe that repeated affirmations reinforce mental images, making them increasingly real and achievable. Words possess a “power germ” that grows and manifests in physical form, making deliberate language essential in the visualization process.

Concluding Thoughts on Faith and Mastery

Behrend concludes with insights into faith as an essential component of visualization. She encourages readers to maintain faith in their ability to direct Universal Mind. By practicing self-discipline and persistence, readers can achieve their desires through a refined, focused use of visualization.

Faith with Works – Achievements

The chapter explores the life of Tyson, an Australian millionaire, and how he drew inspiration from a small violet flower to “make the desert land of Australia blossom as the rose.” Working as a bushman, Tyson would find violets in the woods and reflect on how plant life could flourish in Australia’s desert. This inspiration led him to envision the possibility of transforming the desert. He held a strong conviction that if he could conceive the idea, it could manifest. This belief attracted financial means and support, as Tyson’s idea aligned with those in the financial world, opening doors for funding and assistance. Tyson’s experience illustrates that ideas attract similar ideas and that belief in one’s thoughts can attract resources and support to achieve one’s goals.

The chapter also highlights how charitable organizations operate on the principle of life’s responsiveness. Individuals give simply because of others’ needs. This principle rests on the fundamental law of demand and supply, showing that ideas inherently attract compatible ideas.

Suggestions on How to Pray

This chapter provides guidance on prayer, emphasizing “scientific thinking” and “positive thought.” Key suggestions include:

1. Meditate at 5:00 AM to internalize that Life’s Substance fills all space and is intelligent.
2. Affirmations are encouraged, such as, “My Father is the ruler of all the world and expresses His directing power through me.” This should be repeated nightly for one month to internalize the statement in the subconscious mind.
3. Practice morning meditation by affirming this belief, intending to establish a consistent connection with creative energy.

The Principles of Scientific Prayer

Prayer aims to bring change by understanding the statement: Ask, believing you have already received, and you shall receive. This statement highlights that thought forms and ideas take shape when the individual remains steadfast and free of doubt.

Reminders in Mental Science

This chapter emphasizes foundational truths and mental practices for daily life, summarized as follows:

1. Self-Reflection and Command: Know your purpose, strive for self-command, and recognize contentment as the highest reward of all mental science practices.
2. Cause and Effect: Remember that every action and thought brings results, following the law “As you sow, so shall you reap.” By affirming thoughts of success, individuals sow seeds of achievement.
3. Personal Responsibility and Dominion: Each person has been endowed with a “Charter Right” to dominion over life’s circumstances and has the ability to bring desired conditions into their environment.

These teachings encourage users to internalize and practice the principles of visualizing and creating desired outcomes through consistent faith, mental discipline, and alignment with universal laws.