The following comments are combining ideas presented in the above mentioned course, with two books(1,2; see below) I read recently and my own insights and experience as I have collected these over the years. Taken all together these are contributions under the framework of belief that I have called 'Existence Divine'. This framework addresses the general concept of existence as such and the position of the human within it. The comments below are a part of framework and a contribution to it.
The text below is based on a larger working document: ‘Quimby and Company’

Existence Divine is a mystery that is knowable, but not comprehensible. The mystery arises as the counter part of conscious awareness and insight by a knowing identity such as a human being. Revelation, the knowing about the mystery occurs in human pre-history and history in accordance with time, place, people and circumstance. The religious and historical traditions of humankind form a record of this revelatory process that still occurs today.

With respect to the course called 'Architects of New Thought', it was and still is my intention to use it as a basis to show how such a revelatory process works in a time to which we have historical and experiential access.

To rephrase this, I see the New Thought movement as a revelation of 'Existence Divine' in the time, place, people and circumstance in accordance with the settlement of the so called 'new world' over the last few centuries in general and specifically with regard to North America and the states forming the United States and its people, but not exclusively so. New Thought was not the only such revelation. It is safe to say that Joseph Smith had his with respect to that particular situation.

One thing I do want to make clear and it is that I am not engaged in a process of reductionism. I am attempting to describe what I perceive to be a genuine human experience and process of knowing through revelation as that has happened throughout human existence and to understand that process in a validating way.

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I first heard about Quimby's ideas in the first half of the 1980-ties. In particular the notion: 'Man is his beliefs' resonated with me. I read extensively in the related areas of self help and new thought authors and history. I found that it has a Gnostic thread throughout in that knowledge and the 'battle' against ignorance is central to both. The two also share a tendency to minimize some experiences in human living as unwanted or as a mistake.

The problem of evil and suffering is explained as the result of incomplete knowing or action on the part of the individual. So there is a certain selectivity about what qualifies as an appropriate human experience. As a result the full spectrum of human experience is not dealt with. However, many belief systems do the same and need to adjust continuously.

In this regard it is possible to view the 'New Thought' movement as an adaptation of a given christian moral position to a new world idealism. This meant that the individual did not receive his or her position from and within an existing structure, but rather that the individual in this new world was now responsible for the acquisition of such a position. This implied economic efforts such as getting paid work or setting up a business, as well as defining a new way of looking at life, its meaning and values. In doing so, the actions and responsibilities of the individual became front and center.

That was the situation in the new world and that was the situation that called for a new interpretation of older known values in support of these new responsibilities that had to be met. Several 'new ways of looking at things', that is new insights and thus revelations presented themselves and New Thought was one of these responses and revelations. Insight, discovery and revelation are similar in that they involve a direct knowing, which I call 'intuition'. Intuition is not a feeling, which relates to valuing something, but a direct knowing.

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Quimby lived (1804-'66) in a time when science came to the foreground in society. For example he grew up with the horse and carriage and passed on when the railway and telegraph were a fact of life. The word 'scientist' was invented around 1850, hypnosis and mesmerism were 'de rigueur'. The concept of 'intelligent design' as counter theory of evolution came into circulation. The war of separation (1861-'65) or civil war took place in the not so united states and personal health was a serious problem.

Quimby discovered he could heal better than many others and he become famous in doing so. As he did, he wrote about his own work and tried to explain it in the terms of his time. He used concepts such as belief, wisdom, mind, spirit, matter, thought, opinion, false and true, Christ is science and Jesus is a man. The word intelligence, memory and personality he does not use.

In addition to his concepts, he describes some processes. “a man is his beliefs” he says. And 'people hold on to the opinions of others' even though they are false ideas. Things must be proven to be true, not just proclaimed in an opinion. He holds that a person makes his or her own happiness, whereas some live in the misery of their own making. Quimby was aware of the feeling state of some people because he was gifted 'telepathically' as we would call it today. He does not refer to this very often, but he does use it. Using this awareness he attempts to explain the general human situation and how we affect ourselves and are affected by those around us. This he seeks to correct where he sees people in 'error'.

From his work and his writing it is clear that the individual person must assume responsibility for his or her own state of health and wellbeing, happiness as he puts it. The combination of his writings and actions as a well known healer became the foundation of the new thought teachings in various ways, but was itself also a part of a wider movement and 'philosophy' of self reliance and the need for individual responsibility. This philosophy was expressed by Emerson and the Transcendentalist who were widely read at the time that Quimby lived. He, Darwin and Emerson were contemporaries.

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In support of the idea that the individual was responsible for him/her self, structured movements arose beside the conceptual ones. The 'Church of Jesus Christ Scientist' is an example of such a movement. It emphasized a regime of daily readings and affirmations aimed at healing and well being in an environment of mutual support and discipline.

Other organizations arose, such as the Unity Truth Movement, the Religious Science Church. Parallel to such structured support organizations, the individual innovators such as Hopkins and Holmes widened and changed the scope of the overall new thought reference frame work.

Practical applications are added, such as the practice of 'scientific prayer', meditation, affirmations and study groups. New ideas and discoveries from the medical field are also added. Then there were the various originators and their contributions such as Emmet Fox and the seven laws of Mental Thought. These and similar ideas aim at improving the life of the individual in the area of 'health, wealth and happiness' as I call it. The individual remains front and centre, both in the sense of responsibility and benefit.

The emphasis on the individual in today's situation is in some conflict with the need to be socially responsible in an environmental sense locally as well as globally. Some adjustments are needed here, and it will be interesting to see if these will be identified and incorporated.

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Here follow some thoughts and suggestions about the formation of new ideas that emerge in human society on a continuing basis as we can observe this daily in our own lives and experience.

The circumambulation of associative thoughts combines over time into patterns and combinations that may result elevated level of energy, thus coming within the range of conscious attention in our daily lives. Such a constellation (Jung) of unconscious content can start to affect consciousness awareness. (See Hacking) This then may develop into the emergence of new concepts, ideas, and beliefs leading to actions. This newly emerging content will now take on the form of a symbolic ideal that needs to be realized in the world at large and becomes the projected idea and purpose.

At that stage we have the emergence of an 'object of knowledge' that can be studied as Hacking explains. This is followed by the incorporation of the new ideals and values that are held to be true, into a new or existing framework of belief. (See Peterson) The next stage is that of applied action of these perceived new ideals.

To this end the ideals need to be formulated in a simple and declarative manner. Applications are accompanied by the first successes and early modifications to make things work. Over time diversification will occur as the imagined ideals are not sufficiently realized and the disadvantages, shortcomings and shortcuts start to emerge. This is the shadow effect, distracting from the original pristine ideals.

These negative aspects will be denied and repressed initially, but will force renewal in the long run, either from within or without in order to stay attuned to the reality of daily experience. This is the stage of integration when new ideas and modifications of the original ideals need to be made a part of the framework without causing it to fracture or collapse. It is here that the adaptability and the depth of structure will be important for the framework to continue on as an integral whole.

In summary this general process can be differentiated into the following stages given that a new situation has arisen that is requiring attention because of conflicts, misbehaviour, injustice and so on:

1. Gathering of ideas (circum-ambulation).
2. Coalescence, a symbol of an ideal now forms.
3. Projection of the ideal onto the world.
4. Simplification, proscription of actions.
5. Defining and applying the actions
6. Initial modification and adaptation.
7. Structured community frame works.
8. Diversification, shadow effects, criticisms and defence.
9. Continuity, integration, renewal and adaptation or dwindling.
10. Re-emergence, rebuilding and reformulation in an apparent new arising.

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In an application of these stages of general development to the New Thought movement we can observe the following:

1. Gathering of ideas (circum-ambulation):
Quimby, using Mesmer's techniques discovers new ideas and processes over years of healing and recording. Central is that the individual has a definite responsibility for his/her own health state. His ideas and observations are many, diversified and made with care, but no system emerges. See the eighteen (18) 'categories' in session one (1) of the above mentioned course.

2. Coalescence, a symbol of an ideal now forms:
Baker Eddy (Paterson) uses her healing by and studies with Quimby supplementing them with subsequent bible studies on healings as a basis to formulate and write her “Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures” (bible). She defines definite concepts and principles, such as God, Man, Idea and states such as physical, moral, spiritual. She makes assertions such as 'God is infinite, therefore ever present, and there is no other power or presence'.

3. Projection of the ideal onto the world:
Eddy sees the human ideal to be achieved as defined in the third degree of understanding: 'Wisdom, purity, spiritual understanding, -power, love, health, holiness.'

4. Simplification, proscription of actions:
Holmes writes 'The Science of Mind' introducing a simplified structure based on the following three central concepts:
i. Conscious Mind which directs; ii. Creative medium which obeys and creates and iii. Physical world, that which is created. His assertion along with this is (my paraphrase): 'You are a part of this mind and ... control your own good and life'.

5. Defining and applying the actions:
Rawson introduces the idea of 'True Prayer'. This is based on his experience in healing work with WW-1 soldiers. This type of prayer develops into 'Mind Treatment' later on. It is an example of a defined application. Later on Goldsmith introduces the techniques of meditation.

6. Initial modification and adaptation:
Hopkins roamed far and wide with her teachings, including world religions, philosophy from antiquity and poetry, as well as teachings of Baker Eddy. She wrote her treatise named 'High Mysticism' and taught many other teachers including Cady (Lessons in Truth), Holmes, Fillmore and Murphy.

7. Structured community frame works:
An early example is Eddy's organization Of 'Christian Science'. Others are Divine Science by Brooks and 'Science of Mind', which was founded by Holmes' followers teaching his ideas. A well established organization is 'Unity' associated with the Fillmores. Other organization have split from these and regrouped in the last decade of the 20th century. In addition there are many independent groups.

8. Diversification, shadow effects, criticisms and defence:
People like Troward, Fox, Evans, Rawson, Goldsmith, Emerson and Quimby himself were thinkers, workers and healers, such as Cady, with many hearers and disciples during their lifetimes, without having independent organizations. Yet, and maybe because of this, they did contribute greatly to the diversity of the New Thought movement.
The various individuals and split off groups were of course also a reflection of the internal criticisms that existed. Particularly around the 1990-ties some significant differences developed.

9. Continuity, integration, renewal and adaptation or dwindling:
The course addressed the Architects of New Thought which covers the time span of about 1800 to 1950. Thus the topics listed under this entry (9) were not a subject of the course. These aspects may be addressed in the future.

10. Re-emergence, rebuilding and reformulation in an apparent new arising:
There are some centres that concentrate on the emotional and feeling aspects of the experiences of community relatedness to a Higher Power that is felt to be present and so taught. There seems to be less valuing of the teachings as such within this newer trend of New Thought which is very much oriented to the experiential aspects of the 'Universal and Infinite Mind' as it has been named and was taught in the various early movements mentioned above.

The early teachings emphasized the intellectual aspects and the understanding of the concepts as ideals to be striven towards. I would judge that there is a shift away from this 'thought attitude' to the more feeling and emotional aspects of the human way of experiencing existence.

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Interpreting ‘New Thought’ as an example of a revelation within ‘Existence Divine’ in a contemporary setting, we make these three observations.

First we note that a new attitude emerges which holds the individual person responsible for the state and conditions of his or her own life. The teachings in support of this new attitude become the central tenet of the New Thought movement.

Secondly, the place and the time of the ‘new world’ were unique and the teachings, values and message of New Thought were suited to the conditions at hand for the people who faced this new world where post enlightenment ideals were the ambitions of the day.

Thirdly, we note that this process of revelation took place supported by a reliance on a ‘Higher Power’ in the realisation that human powers are limited in spite of ideals set by individualism.

What can we take away from this?
1. The revelation of the individual as a responsible human actor.
2. New attitudes are projected in a variety of ways, all being effective in their own setting.
3. The values passed on through the handed down traditions of humankind must be accommodated, in particular with respect to ethics and the community in order to keep the new movement grounded in the realities of the common human experience.

This concludes the discussion of the New Thought movement as an example of 'revelation of Existence Divine' within the parameters of place, time, people and circumstance.

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