What Are Core Concepts?

When we say "the universal principles embodied in the Science of Mind," we mean
that golden thread which has run, in some configuration, through many of the religions
and philosophies of the world: "God is One," and "God is All," and "God and I are One."
Each culture has articulated this universal Truth in ways to fit the needs of its people. It
has sometimes appeared on the surface that there were multiple Gods, but, in reality,
these were only different aspects of the One.

Great thinkers challenge us not so much by what they have thought as by the "still
unknown" to which their thinking points. If we are to meet their challenge, then we too
must turn toward that "still unknown" and, through our new thinking and our acceptance
of their thought, bring a portion of the unknown into the light of common knowledge.

Ernest Holmes was such a thinker. He articulated clearly, in the language of his time,
a cosmology based on the foundation of great thinkers and mystics before him. His basic
theory of how the Universe works, which we are calling in our present studies Core
Concepts, has proved to be enduring, spiritually empowering, and practical. It was
Holmes's deepest desire that students of this teaching practice its principles in their daily
lives. He wrote, "I would rather see a student of this Science prove its Principle than to
have him repeat all the words of wisdom that have ever been uttered."

This is our vast legacy from Ernest Holmes-this wonderful structure of concepts
which he researched through the religions and philosophies of human history , some-
times correlating his findings with the then-emerging "new" physics. He named the
teaching a science because he believed that its principles were scientifically provable
in practice. But he knew and continually reiterated that the practice must be activated
and empowered by an individual consciousness of the all-pervading Loving Presence
within and 'round about.

He organized these basic concepts into a clear and simple system of thought, a
way of life, which can be followed by anyone who takes the trouble to understand,
embody, and practice it. From this enduring base, we can adventure into infinity and
never get lost in space.

It is our purpose in the outline which follows to summarize the "top ten" of these
concepts in concise modern terms, documented by references to Holmes's writings.
The outline is based on the premise that the "universal Principles" to which we as
metaphysicians continually refer are actually One Cosmic Reality Principle and Pres-
ence, which has been called God. In Its Infinite Inclusiveness, the One encompasses
many contributory Spiritual Laws and Principles. It will be noted that some concepts
integral to the Science of Mind are not mentioned here. Our purpose has been to
delineate only the ten foundational ideas.