Your Life. Bruce McArthur
reap abundantly in our gardens and in our lives according to the seed we sow. The prosperity comes through the operation of the law of increase. The operative power behind that law is not just our efforts but is explained by the readings as: “God alone gives the increase.” (3660-2)AR
THE LAW IN OUR LIVES
We all know or have experienced the pleasure of planting a seed and waiting to see the first green shoots. We have marveled at the growth of the plant, cared for it, and eventually reaped the harvest in the beauty of a flower or food from our garden. We, therefore, can conclude that “as you sow so shall you reap” is a basic, organic law which works in nature. We know that a large part of our food supply is dependent on the operation of this law. We can also conclude that it must indeed be a Universal Law because, under the proper conditions, it works for anyone, anywhere, all the time, and has apparently been an inherent part of our world since the beginning of time.
Equally important, however, is the fact—recognized in ancient literature and teachings—that this law applies in our lives as well as in nature. We, through our words and acts, sow seeds which will grow, and we will reap the results in our lives. Ralph Waldo Emerson put it this way: “Let a man learn that everything in nature goes by law and not by luck and what he sows he reaps.”
As with the farmer, it can take some time for those seeds to grow and mature, but they inevitably seem to do so. The Bible speaks of the law in this manner:
Make no mistake about this: God is not to be fooled; a man reaps what he sows. If he sows in the field of his lower nature, he will reap from it a harvest of corruption, but if he sows in the field of the Spirit, the Spirit will bring him a harvest of eternal life. (Galatians 6:7-8, NEB)
Another important point is that we sow these seeds not only by spoken words or acts toward others, but also by thoughts. Our thoughts are basic to our creative power; we use them to direct our energy. We can consider a thought as the seed that carries all the potential of that thought, just as a wheat seed carries all the potential of the plant it will produce. Cayce’s source defined thoughts as deeds that may become crimes or miracles!2
Frank Laubach, in his book Prayer: The Mightiest Force in the World, writes:
If you shout, your voice carries barely fifty yards. But when you think, your thoughts go around the world, as far and as fast as the radio … Every thought tends to become true in proportion as it is intense and as it is long dwelt upon. Thoughts result in deeds and deeds make history. Our thoughts leap across space and appear again in other minds, in proportion as they are intense and long dwelt upon. Thoughts are contagious. “What you whisper in secret,” said Jesus, “shall be shouted from the housetops.” Yes, even your thoughts shout though others may not know it is you who are shouting … Our thoughts are the threads weaving the garment which the world tomorrow will wear. You and I created a piece of tomorrow in our thoughts today.3
So, you and I with our thoughts are gardeners of the world; we are continually planting seeds. What happens in our lives are the fruits springing from those seeds.
THE NATURE OF THE SEEDS
The character of the seed within the thought is determined by the spirit which we put into it. That spirit determines the fruits that will be produced in our lives, just as the apple seed contains the spirit or nature of apples.4
When in the spirit of love you think a loving thought about someone, such as, “She is a wonderful person,” you plant a seed of love by the energy of your thought. That seed, planted in the realm of thought, will grow until another person is moved to think a loving thought about you. You will pick up that feeling of love, and it will make your day brighter—all of this without a word being spoken. In fact, many such loving thoughts of you may be generated and come back to you from different persons because, as in the case of planting a physical seed, it is multiplied many times.5
LAW OPERATES ON ALL LEVELS
In addition to your original loving thought, let us suppose that you act in a loving way toward the person mentioned above. Perhaps you call or send a gift. You have now planted the seed in both the world of thought and in the world of action. It will grow and come back to you in both forms, as someone is moved to think and to act with a loving nature toward you. Remember:
What we do in the physical we meet in the physical, what we do in the mental we meet in the mental, what we do in the spirit we meet in spirit. “Whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.”6
The readings tell an intriguing tale of both deceit and bravery for one individual who, in a previous life, was a member of a tribe about to be driven out of its country. He made an agreement with the opposition leader by which his people could stay, but he did it in a deceitful manner. This, he was told in the reading, was gnawing at his own soul, for “What a fatal net we weave when we first practice to deceive.” (3084-1) Deceit, even in an attempt to help others, brings disturbance to one’s soul. For the purpose with which we sow is the purpose that we reap.7
If we can understand that our purpose is often father or mother to our spirit, then we are helped in determining the kind of seed we are sowing. If we ask ourselves, “What is my true purpose?” and honestly answer the question, we will know what kind of seed we have created. We must, however, be careful not to deceive ourselves! Had the tribe’s leader asked himself that question, he might have answered, “My purpose is to save my people,” and thus ignored his purpose to deceive. Be skeptical of your own answers; look for any additional, hidden agendas. Your true purpose determines the nature of the seed and of the harvest you will reap.
MEANS AND ENDS
The above example of the tribe member also illustrates the error in thinking that the end justifies the means. It does not. By this law the means (what we sow) determines the end (what we reap).
The reason most of us are not clearly aware of the direct relationship among our thoughts, words, and acts and what is happening to us is because we don’t realize that these things carry that seed of spirit and purpose in them. Furthermore, there is usually a delay—just as in nature—between sowing and reaping. In human affairs we don’t connect the two, so it seems that many things happen to us without reason.
Also, because the law operates on all three levels, what you hold on the spiritual or the mental level will eventually manifest in the physical. Since we are often not conscious of what we are carrying on those levels, we do not realize that we are the cause of what is happening to us. For example, the deep unconscious beliefs we hold often contribute to our thoughts and actions in ways of which we are not aware.
Not understanding these factors tends to obscure the relationship between the seeds we plant and the harvest we reap. Being aware that there are such factors enables us to more clearly observe the working of the law in our lives.
MANIPULATING THE LAW
We may be tempted to try to manipulate the law for personal advantage by planting seeds of “nice” thoughts and actions for others so that others would do nice deeds for us. That is the right idea, but the wrong purpose. The spirit of that “nice” deed is a selfish desire to receive, rather than to love. The result will be selfish acts toward you by others. The readings warn us that God is not mocked—the true motivation or spirit is always known and the laws operate accordingly.8
If you “use,” “work,” or “manipulate” the Universal Laws for selfish purposes, that spirit, that purpose, will come through and you will reap detrimental results.
THE SPIRIT IN WHICH WE ACT
Since the key to this law is the spirit (seed) with which we sow, let’s look at a practical example:
Two people can perform the same act with opposite results. Each could bake a cake to surprise a friend, each one feeling it would be a nice action to do. Their basic spirit (purpose), however, might be quite different. One might act in the spirit of love, wanting to bring the friend joy and happiness. The other might act in the spirit