This is the essential theme of New Thought, the non-denominational spiritual movement that began just over a hundred years ago. It started with the American Transcendentalist movement of spiritual thinkers, philosophers, and writers, like Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau. Later a small prayer group that began in a middle-aged couple's parlor in rural Missouri grew into what became the Unity movement that now has spread thoughout the world. Other similar schools of thought developed, and eventually have come to be called the New Thought movement. Even though more than a hundred years old, New thought is still relatively unknown to a large number of people.

The basic premise of all New Thought faiths is that every person is an extension of God-expressing though us, and that God communicates with all of us, to each in a way that we can personally understand. Nothing that is sacred is really hidden - we need only to ask and listen, and everyone who asks, receives. No one is more spiritual than another; all of us have the same unlimited choices and the same amount of inherent divinity, sometimes called the indwelling Spirit, or the Christ-consciousness, or the Buddha nature, or the Atman, or other names humanity has found to speak of the One Infinite Source of Life Energy that powers the univese, and our lives. According to the tenets of New Thought, we all create the life we have with the thoughts we hold and believe, and we all have the power and ability to change our lives the same way.

In this age of worldwide turmoil when the contrast between the light and the darkness is so great, each of us is now being called and challenged by the spiritual evolution of the entire human race, to recognize, choose, and commit to the Truth of our Being: that we are not physical beings having occasional spiritual breakthroughs and experiences - We are spiritual beings having a physical experience on this earth at this time in order to learn our soul's lessons, to perform our soul's work, and to help and heal each other.

The denial of this truth has been the cause of great suffering and conflict in the world. But while we are here, we are given free choice by God and allowed to choose every kind of experiences, every kind of terrible mistake, and every great or small act of love or compassion, in order to truly know the meaning and immense scope of this human life. We can consciously and awarely choose.

There is before us a vast ocean of What-We-Do-Not-Understand, yet instinctively we know, somewhere in the deepest places of our consciousness. Truly we see "through a glass darkly" even as we are gathering The Light. The most important requirements for this journey may prove to be forgiveness, compassion, and trust in God and each other. We never go alone; we are guarded and guided by the God Within, the Inner Christ, the still small voice, by intuition and communication with the universal consciousness which we have called God, though the Infinite is Nameless.

The essays (fomerly called "From The Horse's Mouth," now titled simply "New Thought Essays") share some thoughts and experiences of New Thought with whomever is guided to these pages. The writers and contributors of the essays make no claims of any special wisdom, and have no special powers, visions, or relationship to God except the same ones available to you and me. Some of the essays are written by ministers, most are not. If you would like to contribute a personal essay, you can send it to darkhorsepress @ earthlink.net in the body of an email. (Atachments will not be accepted.)

We invite you to take whatever you find here that rings true for you, and use it. Leave the rest to whoever it was meant for. Trust the still small voice of God within you. Begin to become much more aware of your habits of thought, and take command of the life-creating instrument that your thought is, because what your thought is, your belief is, your faith is, and these do shape you life for better or worse. Choose the best ones you can reach, and think on those. Let go of thoughs that hurt you. They are not the ttruth about you. We invite you to open up the windows of your soul – and see how your life changes.