We had a great meeting last evening; we met early in the month since we are leaving on travel this weekend. Our topic, New Thought, generated a lot of good discussion! Here are some Wikipedia key words and notes on the topic to share with the group:
New Thought Background
Transcendentalism
Berkeleyan idealism
Four Gospels
Evolutionism
Hinduism
Doctrinal distinctives
God is omnipresent
Spirit is ultimate
Humans are truly divine
Positive thinking
Disease originates in the mind
Right thinking heals
Historic people
Phineas Parkhurst Quimby, Warren Felt Evans,
Emma Curtis Hopkins, Ernest Holmes,
Charles Fillmore, Myrtle Fillmore,
Malinda Cramer, Nona L. Brooks,
Napoleon Hill, Wallace Wattles,
Perry Joseph Green, Frank Channing Haddock,
Thomas Troward, William Walker Atkinson,
Elizabeth Towne
Largest groups
Unity
Centers for Spiritual Living
Church of Divine Science
Denominations and independent centers
Movements
Religious Science
Hinduism
Doctrinal distinctives
God is omnipresent
Spirit is ultimate
Humans are truly divine
Positive thinking
Disease originates in the mind
Right thinking heals
Historic people
Phineas Parkhurst Quimby, Warren Felt Evans,
Emma Curtis Hopkins, Ernest Holmes,
Charles Fillmore, Myrtle Fillmore,
Malinda Cramer, Nona L. Brooks,
Napoleon Hill, Wallace Wattles,
Perry Joseph Green, Frank Channing Haddock,
Thomas Troward, William Walker Atkinson,
Elizabeth Towne
Largest groups
Unity
Centers for Spiritual Living
Church of Divine Science
Denominations and independent centers
Movements
Religious Science
Notes
The New Thought Movement or New Thought is a spiritual movement which developed in the United States during the late 19th century and emphasizes metaphysical beliefs. It consists of a loosely allied group of religious denominations, secular membership organizations, authors, philosophers, and individuals who share a set of metaphysical beliefs concerning the effects of positive thinking, the law of attraction, healing, life force, creative visualization, and personal power. It promotes the ideas that “Infinite Intelligence” or “God” is ubiquitous, spirit is the totality of real things, true human selfhood is divine, divine thought is a force for good, all sickness originates in the mind, and ‘right thinking’ has a healing effect.
Although New Thought is neither monolithic nor doctrinaire, in general modern day adherents of New Thought believe that their interpretation of “God” or “Infinite Intelligence” is “supreme, universal, and everlasting”, that divinity dwells within each person and that all people are spiritual beings, that “the highest spiritual principle [is] loving one another unconditionally . . . and teaching and healing one another”, and that “our mental states are carried forward into manifestation and become our experience in daily living”.
The three major religious denominations within the New Thought movement are Religious Science, Unity Church and the Church of Divine Science. There are many other smaller sects under the New Thought umbrella as well.
During our discussion on this broad topic we referred to a couple of books by Shirley Maclaine; here are two titles mentioned:
Richard described Shirley’s book about her pilgrimage along the Camino in Spain; here’s an Amazon link to it:
And Judith mentioned another of Shirley’s books: It’s all in the Playing
In the course of our discussion Hinduism came up a few times. We have been following an Indian Holy Woman, Sri Karunamayi (Amma) for many years. She is coming to Denver in June and we plan to see her on Friday, June 24. Here is a link to her schedule while she is in Colorado: Sri Karunamayi
Our next “First” Monday Meeting is scheduled for Monday, July 11th, at 6:30 pm at Little Nepal! (Please note the date change so we can celebrate the 4th “independently.”
If you have a suggested topic for our July meeting please leave a comment on this post.
Blessings!
Rosemary and Richard
PS: at the close of the meeting Rosemary announced the availability of the book: Get Your Woman On! on June 16. Rosemary is a co-author. Look for an announcement later in the month and please consider purchasing it from Amazon to support these fabulous women in their transformational work!
Wisdom Connections 
June 3, 2011 at 10:06 am
Thank you VERY MUCH for sharing this information as well as the Feb. meeting. (interesting discussions encourage food for thought)
Hope you both have FUN on your journey through June!
J&K