From James Allen to You 53

From poverty to power; or, the realization of prosperity and peace.
Part 2: The path to prosperity
The silent power of thought: controlling and directing one’s forces 1

The most powerful forces in the universe are the silent forces;
and in accordance with the intensity of its power
does a force become beneficent
when rightly directed,
and destructive when wrongly employed.

This is a common knowledge in regard to the mechanical forces,
such as steam, electricity, etc.,
but few have yet learned to apply this knowledge to the realm of mind,
where the thought-forces (most powerful of all)
are continually being generated
and sent forth as currents of salvation or destruction.

At this stage of his evolution,
man has entered into the possession of these forces,
and the whole trend of his present advancement
is their complete subjugation.
All the wisdom possible to man on this material earth
is to be found only in complete self-mastery,
and the command, “Love your enemies,” resolves itself
into an exhortation to enter here and now,
into the possession of that sublime wisdom
by taking hold of, mastering and transmuting, those mind forces
to which man is now slavishly subject,
and by which he is helplessly borne,
like a straw on the stream,
upon the currents of selfishness.

intensity = strength
to employ = to use something
salvation = being saved from danger, loss, or harm
subjugation = the act of treating their beliefs as less important than their wishes
exhortation = the act of strongly encouraging
sublime = extremely good, beautiful, or enjoyable
to transmute = to change something completely