Feeling Is The Secret summary

Imagine, for a moment, that you’re standing on the bank of a river. The river splits into two separate streams, each possessing a unique character. The larger, more dominant stream is ever-changing, with swift currents and ebbs. The smaller, less noticeable stream is more gentle and accepting, simply flowing where it’s directed. This imagery is a perfect metaphor for the concept of consciousness.

Consciousness is the river of your life, dividing into the conscious and subconscious streams. Your conscious mind is like the larger, more dominant stream – it’s personal and selective, and it’s constantly generating ideas. The subconscious mind, on the other hand, is the accepting stream. It doesn’t create ideas of its own; instead, it accepts and gives form to what the conscious mind feeds it.

It’s important to understand how these two aspects of consciousness interact. Think of the conscious mind as the male principle, the idea-generator, while the subconscious mind is the female principle – the womb that gives these ideas shape and form. By mastering this interaction, you can control your life.

Creation, then, is a three-step dance. It starts with an idea, morphs into a feeling, and ends with a decision to act. The vital link here is feeling, which serves as the courier that delivers ideas from the conscious to the subconscious. This dynamic is why controlling your feelings is so crucial.

Controlling feelings isn’t about suppression or restraint. It's about disciplining yourself not to entertain unwanted feelings or dwell on imperfections – either your own or others'. Think of the golden rule: treat others as you’d wish to be treated. It's a simple yet powerful guide to a happy life.

When two feelings contradict, the dominant one will be expressed. For instance, “I am happy” is stronger than “I will be happy.” The phrase “I will be” subtly suggests “I am not at the moment,” which contradicts the feeling of realization.

The importance of feelings becomes more apparent when you consider your body as an emotional filter. Your emotions connect you to the outside world. Suppressed emotions, like bottled up frustrations or regrets, can lead to all sorts of problems – including disease – so it's crucial to transform these emotions into a state you wish to realize. By changing your feelings, you can literally alter your destiny.

Throughout this process, avoid positioning yourself as a victim of fate or chance. The reality is, your subconscious mind is the stage director of your life. It's indifferent to truth – your feelings serve as its compass. In other words, if you genuinely feel something to be true, it’s true to your subconscious. So, what do you want? Close your eyes. Can you already feel that it belongs to you?

It's far easier to see the world as controlling your feelings rather than the other way around. But remember: as within, so without. There's nothing in your world that isn't a manifestation of the contents of your consciousness.

In the pursuit of total self-control, there are two paths to reach the subconscious – sleep and prayer. We’ll explore each of these aspects in the next sections.