for some reason you cannot find a group with which to study the material, it is possible to obtain the books to study and apply on your own. This book can be used as a guide book for individual experiments and applications just as it would for a group.
3. An individual who wants to use this book by itself.
Although the material in this book is intended to supplement the concepts in the A Search for God books, it is possible to take the series of commentaries and quotations as a comprehensive statement of the nature of man and of spiritual law. However, you will want to do more than just read this book. The important feature of this material is the application you invest in the exercises suggested after each commentary.
How to use this book
The lessons in A Search for God are arranged in a growth sequence, so you will want to work through these applications and experiments in order. Very likely, you will not do all of the exercises (e.g., your group may spend only five weeks on a chapter that has eight applications and experiments for you to choose from; or, if you are working alone, some of the exercises may not seem relevant to your needs at that time). The recommended time period for working on a particular experiment is at least one week. Occasionally a group will decide to continue to work on the same application for an additional week when the experiences of group members indicate this is desirable.
It is very important to take into consideration the nature of this type of work as you decide which of these possible exercises you will put energy into applying. Some of them are activities you will want to continue to do after the experiment is over (e.g., speaking kindly to others), whereas others take special effort and time that may seem unrealistic to consider doing permanently (e.g., at the end of the day write down that which you thought, did or experienced which you feel was especially valuable). However, the nature of this experimentation is to focus attention for a short period of time (e.g., one week) on one aspect of ourselves or our interaction with others. Tremendous growth and insight can occasionally take place through such an intense focus of energy and concern. So, if the group chooses to work on an experiment that you feel is not something you really want to incorporate into your life, remember that your commitment is just for a week and not indefinitely.
Perhaps the most important part of your work with these applications and experiments is to keep a personal record of your experience. The importance of this step cannot be overemphasized. Each member of the group should create such a journal of experiences and record daily the efforts (successful and unsuccessful) that are made on the experiment for that week. The time you spend on this does not have to be extensive. Even one minute spent on this effort during a particularly busy day can have a beneficial effect. The readings recommend this type of written self-analysis, suggesting the end of the day as a period for reflection and recording.
Keep a normal appetite or activity. Expend the self in study, in meditation; not by force but by the opening of self to recognize that as goes on about self. In this manner:
Each day before retiring, make a resumé—not just mentally but upon paper—of what have been the experiences of the whole day. Make this not only a rule but a rule to do; not to be studied, not to be exploited or shown or given to others, but for self! And do not read same after it is written for at least thirty days. And then note the difference in what you are thinking and what you are thinking about, what your desires are, what your experiences are!
830-3
Our tendency is to prefer to think about things rather than to commit them to paper. The reluctance to write down ideals is a good example of this. Certainly it takes more time to keep a daily journal of our efforts with these experiments, but the work will show fruits. Through the written word we move our mental insights and understandings more fully into the physical world. This movement from the infinite, spiritual state of being into finite, physical expression is the essence of the Search for God approach.
 | 1Meditation |
“The eternal question that runs through life is this: What is truly valuable in thought, in activity, and in experience? Only from within can come a stable estimate of what is worthwhile.”
That which is valuable or worthwhile to us depends upon the direction in which we are growing. As that sense of direction changes, our values change. In the readings this life direction is referred to as an ideal, and a subsequent lesson in the Search for God material explores this concept in much greater depth.
An important statement from the readings is that we all have ideals even if we haven’t consciously set them. We judge certain thoughts, acts and experiences to be valuable because we have particular ideals.
Each individual entity, whether aware of same or not, sets before self an ideal in the material world, in the mental world, in the spiritual world.
1011-1
If we set our ideal in spiritual principles, we have a source of inner direction that is stronger than any outside influence. It is not that we refuse to listen to the ideas of others, but that our final decisions in life are based upon a standard that comes from within. The ideal becomes a measuring stick by which we are able to determine how we want to focus our energy and attention (physically, mentally and emotionally).
As a preliminary step to actually setting a spiritual ideal, it is helpful to many people to formulate a clear notion of what their ideals and life directions have been. An understanding of the past and present makes it more likely that we will choose an effective direction for the future. Even though you may never have carefully thought through what your ideals are, it will begin to be obvious to you if you complete the following exercise each day for a week: Before going to bed, write down those things that you did, thought or experienced during the day that you feel were valuable. For example:
1. I finished a report at work for which I was praised;
2. I was able to obtain two tickets to a play I’ve been wanting to see;
3. I had a good, leisurely dinner with my family;
4. I had a good prayer and meditation period.
At the end of a week you will likely see certain patterns in the items you have recorded. These patterns or recurrent themes will give you a clue as to the ideal you are living. If it doesn’t measure up to the highest that you know, it may be time to specify a spiritual ideal more in keeping with the direction in which you want your life to unfold.
Experiment: Take time at the end of each day to write down that which you thought, did or experienced during the past 24 hours which you feel was especially valuable.
“Prayer is the concerted effort of our physical consciousness to become attuned to the Consciousness of the Creator.”
Prayer and meditation go hand in hand. In fact, it might be said that one must learn to pray effectively before one can meditate effectively. The reason for this is found in an understanding of meditation as a twofold process. The first stage of the meditative process is the effort to awaken within the conscious mind an awareness that corresponds to the superconscious. The following diagram illustrates this:
In this diagram, the cross has been chosen as one symbol that can represent the awareness
