The Principles of the
Science of Mind Philosophy
Ernest Holmes wrote the Declaration of Principles, also known as “What We Believe,” for the first issue of Science of Mind magazine that was published in 1927. “What We Believe” has been included in every issue of the magazine since then for the past 88 years.
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WE BELIEVE in God, the Living Spirit Almighty; one, indestructible, absolute and self-existent Cause. This One manifests Itself in and through all creation, but is not absorbed by Its creation. The manifest universe is the body of God; it is the logical and necessary outcome of the infinite self-knowingness of God.
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WE BELIEVE in the individualization of the Spirit in us, and that all people are individualizations of the One Spirit.
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WE BELIEVE in the eternality, the immortality and the continuity of the individual soul, forever and ever expanding.
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WE BELIEVE that heaven is within us, and that we experience it to the degree that we become conscious of it.
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WE BELIEVE the ultimate goal of life to be a complete freedom from all discord of every nature, and that this goal is sure to be attained by all.
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WE BELIEVE in the unity of all life, and that the highest God and the innermost God is one God. We believe that God is personal to all who feel this indwelling presence.
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WE BELIEVE in the direct revelation of truth through our intuitive and spiritual nature, and that anyone may become a revealer of truth who lives in close contact with the indwelling God.
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WE BELIEVE that the Universal Spirit, which is God, operates through a Universal Mind, which is the Law of God; and that we are surrounded by this Creative Mind which receives the direct impress of our thought and acts upon it.
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WE BELIEVE in the healing of the sick and control of conditions through the power of this Mind.
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WE BELIEVE in the eternal Goodness, the eternal Loving-kindness and the eternal Givingness of Life to All.
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WE BELIEVE in our own soul, our own spirit, and our own destiny; for we understand that the life of all is God.
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The Teaching Symbol
This is our teaching symbol, designed by our founder, Ernest Holmes (1887-1960).
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It symbolizes the creative process of both Universal and individual Life based on the profound idea that we are “made in the image and likeness “ of the ONE. Its literal definition is “The descent of Spirit, through Law, into form.”
The Circle represents Infinite Spirit or the ONE. This circle contains three sections representing three aspects of the Divine Reality, or a "trinity" of Life.
The top section represents Spirit, the Absolute Nature of the Divine, the impulsion of Love and the Desire to Create. It can also be understood as the Creator, or First Cause. This is the seed of thought, belief or intention. Within that Infinity is Spiritual Law. Law is accessed by each of us, first by our conscious awareness. Then, we empower some of our thoughts with feeling. Thoughts surrounded by feeling become beliefs—and our beliefs create our experience of conditions, forms, effects.
The center section represents this Law of Cause and Effect (Soul), meaning the orderly process through which the Will of God (the impulsion of Love) becomes manifested or created. This is the soil into which the seed is planted.
The lower section is Body, meaning the physical, created universe which is understood to be the actual manifestation (incarnation) of Spirit in Form. This is the growing plant which is the result of the seed being planted.
The “V” symbolizes the creative process itself, reminding us that any impulsion or cause, be it a thought, intention or belief, moves through Law and becomes part of the physical. For every form, experience or effect there is a cause whether consciously planted or not.
By developing a new belief in the goodness and givingness of life, each of us can manifest a new way of being in the world: greater happiness, harmony, prosperity, anything we can imagine. Consciously using the Law of Mind toward these ends, we contribute something positive into the collective belief system of all humankind, setting an intention of a higher good for all.

