New Thought Topic

New Thought Education

New Thought Education can be fun and rewarding

There is a wonderful website dedicated to exploring New Thought Education

Don't wait till it is too late to find out about New Thought Education. Unless you are a "trust fund baby", have a "sugar daddy" or "cougar honey, or you are a retiree with loads of money and time, have institutional sponsorship, or you are just plain rich, then your cash must be invested thoughtfully. After all, this is New Thought, not New Faith.

Every day, articles are published about worthless private education that costs a great deal, yet yields little opportunity. The adverts promise fulfillment of your dreams! Yet headlines in the New York Times, LA Times and local papers tell stories about people attending top law schools and later having huge debts and small prospects. The cautionary tales regarding people getting law degrees has a firm foundation in the fact that this is a field demanding intellectual ability. Yet simply having great ability in some fields does not automatically translate to success. Being a good lawyer is often better than having a great legal mind because earning money is less about actual legal argument, than the result of paralegal boilerplate and creating "billable" hours. Thus if you are not prepared for these realities then don't go to law school.

While some private schools teach practical skills which translate to good jobs in the IT field or traditional jobs such as being a mechanic. One must be aware of the "contract system". The retail auto repair business is run "by the book". The book is a rate book which gives a set amount of hours for each job. Thus if the book says that replacing the water pump is a 2 hour job, and the shop charges $110.00 per hour, then the labor charge would be $220.00. Of course there are additional charges for parts, auto shop supplies and in most cases a disposal fee. The mechanic who does that work will be paid $20 per hour. The classic justification for $90 per hour discrepancy is that the shop owner has overhead such as rent and utilities.

If we take an honest look at the profession of spiritual leadership, the field has its own issues and success requires meeting certain criteria. These issues and criteria are present within New Thought but there are additional factors. Ignoring these truths benefit those flogging ministry courses, but hurt those who spend their funds on gaining credentials through relgious institutes. If you don't want to feel like a school fool, or a punked dunce, it behooves you to do your research and not act on "blind faith". Keep in mind that there are loads of folks out there who have an interest in fanning the spark of joyful faith within you such that it become a fire that devours your discernment.

What do you need to be a good New Thought spiritual leader?

The first principle of being a good spiritual leader is to be a good communicator. Spiritual Leaders must be able to speak well and in most cases write well.
The second principle of being a good spiritual leader is to have EQ or Emotional Quotient. EQ is emotional ability to identify, assess, and control the emotions of oneself, others, and of groups.
The third principle is to have Intellectual Ability. This is not the same as IQ or Intellectual Quotient. While IQ is demonstrated through taking tests, IQ does not automatically mean that person is capable of creative thought.

All effective religious leaders are good communicators. There is a difference between being an effective religious leader versus being an effective spiritual leader. An effective religious leader needs to have a command of the dogma and teachings of the religion being taught in order to indoctrinate followers to adhere to that teaching.

An effective spiritual leader must have a firm foundation in the principles and teachings of the spiritual path and an ability to communicate these principles and teachings such that the seeker is able to individually transcend and become capable of using these principles in life. The good spiritual leader facilitates transformation with the goal of empowering the seeker. The great spiritual leader seeks the same transformation with the goal of empowering the seeker and helping the seeker be a teacher in his or her own right.

Good spiritual leaders either have EQ. In order to effectively lead any group, one must have the emotional ability to identify, assess, and control the emotions of oneself, others, and of groups. While religious leaders at times use this ability to manipulate, the spiritual leader uses this ability to empower. Great Spiritual leaders are recognized by their actions which yield positive transformation of cultures and societies. Positive transformation can be discerned through a society or culture embracing wisdom which is the combination of knowledge and compassion. The best measure of this is the degree to which a society or culture embodies the principles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) resulting in the greatest percentage of the population living lives which are happy and healthy. While religious leaders push the agendas of their religions which can often be at odds with Human Rights, spiritual leaders promote positive principles which yield more joyful living, shared peace and prosperity.

Religious leaders do not necessarily need to be creative thinkers. A religious leader can simply memorize texts, dogmas and the ideas within the religion. The religious leader is necessarity restricted in creativity to the ideas that promote their religion. In contrast, the spiritual leader cannot simply be a parrot of the ideas of others, either dead or alive. Spiritual leaders must demand of themselves deeper insight accompanied by the ability to mentally preview the results of what they are teaching. While the religious leader can blindly push agendas which could be detrimental to the rights of others, spiritual leaders must remain aware and conscious of the impact of their teachings. While the New Age spiritual leader can embrace nonsense teachings such as crystal colonics, crystal beds and pseudo science, the New Thought spiritual leader must attain a degree of mastery of science and be knowledgable of all major religions and spiritual paths and in many cases the history which informs their evolution and current manifestation. While old New Thought leaders are able to memorize the works of their dead founders and folklore regarding the creation of their particular "transdenomination", these methods have resulted in the closure of 49% of old New Thought communities in the 21st Century. Today's New Thought leaders cannot rely upon this method as an effective solution to the needs of seekers if increased attendance and growth of this powerful and essential spiritual path is desired.

This means if you are considering a "career" as a New Thought spiritual leader, teacher, or writer, you have more work to do than a religious leader and more work to do than an old New Thought adherent. Do not become "bright-sided" through blind acceptance of promises. If you are firm in your truth as a New Thought adherent, then you are able to do your research and proceed on the path without "blind faith" or supersticion.

Before commiting yourself to being instititutionalized in any New Thought Divinity School, look at how it impacts your pocketbook versus the actual benefits the institution provides. Beyond token support, most of the existing old New Thought denominations are not going to provide you with support to start a new community. In addition to this reality, existing communities are not only few and far between, they generally have low attendance. This can be easily observed through visiting existing communities. This means, if you are a member of a New Thought community, visit other communities within the same "transdenomination" and communities that are independent and belong to other "transdenominations." You can easily find their locations in the www.FindACenter.com directory. Some will have "Prosperity Listings" which means there will be up to date New Thought info, but you will notice that a large number of New Thought communities simply subsist on charity. The www.FindACenter.com directory has been in existence since the advent of the New Millennium, contributions support www.NewThoughtLibrary.com and other resources which support those communities. These resources are in the top of search engine results because they provide useful information about New Thought and New Thought communities. What type of consciousness generates a charity listing? When a listing is not sponsored it either means no one cares, or there is an incredible lack of awareness. If one only includes the years since the beginning of the 21st Century, the message is clear.

Thus before you embark on an education through any New Thought Divinity School, keep these things in mind.

Due to a general decline in attendance at old New Thought communities, a rising number of people gaining New Thought training are getting their ministerial credentials elsewhere. The trend is to become a "licensed" teacher or practitioner, then enroll in programs at other institutions when moving into ministry. The biggest recipient institution of this pattern is University of Metaphysics. While this may upset those leaders who belong to old New Thought "transdenominations," there are no mentorship alternatives generally available. Accompanied by the fact that the degrees conferred by these institutions do not provide more cachet than the University of Metaphysics with regard to getting a job outside of ministry, this trend will continue to grow.

Is this good, is this bad? That depends on what you are after and how much money you have. If you are a trust fund baby, it really doesn't matter does it? But if you are a regular Joe or Jane, perhaps the cost of of being institutionalized at an old New Thought Institute is not for you. People outside of the advanced societies such as Sweden or Germany, which provide free education to tax payers and their children, must have the windfall of an inheritance, or win the lotto to gain higher education. Thus the investment in a Divinity School of any kind necessitates a thoughtful approach to the pros and cons such an education can provide.

While attending a Divinity School of a dominant religion in the culture you are in can lead to opportunities and prospects. The second (2nd) quadrant of Abrahamic Thought has over 300,000 regular churches in the United States alone. The third (3rd) quadrant of Abrahamic thought, has over 2,100 mosques in the U.S. alone. Globally, Mormonism, the fourth (4th) quadrant of Abrahamic Thought has over 23,000 communities. In North America, Mormons have 15,086 communities. New Thought communities around the globe, both independent and of all transdenominations total less than 1,300 communities.

These simple statistics point to the fact that while New Thought has matured enough to generate organization splits, the New Thought movement must focus on building the base and less on attempting to parse out the imperfections of the different approaches to this powerful spiritual teaching.

Can New Thought grow thought New Age tricks?

At a growing number of communities, we find Crystal Beds and pamphlets touting pilgrimmages to John of God whose organization creates these beds. It would appear that for these communities, John of God is the new foundation of their teachings. Can such communities still be called New Thought? They must be included in the spectrum of New Thought when they belong to a New Thought transdenomination, but if they were not members of a New Thought organization then they could not really be called New Thought.

While some old New Thought Spiritual leaders are unhappy with the fact that University of Metaphysics is turning out the greatest number of New Thought ministers today, their program does not appear to be based on the teachings or practices of John of God.

California has a plethora of New Thought programs. You can even become a "doolittle." The "Doolittle" Institute" has programs for you to learn to be an "Animal Chaplain" as well as programs that teach you principles of how you can really have fun in life! Now whether such institutes can teach you to "talk to the animals" is a moot point considering that the best people working with animals today are called "Whisperers." Of course this term arose as a result of the 1995 novel The Horse Whisperer by Nicholas Evans.

One novel New Thought institutes offers discount doctorates for those who can put together a paper of a proper length. While such doctorates have become an inside joke within some "transdenominations," it is still doing a brisk business to New Thought ministers feeling they need the added credential.

The bottom line is that New Thought Education today is more diverse than ever before. The best advice for anyone seeking New Thought credentials is to think outside the box that others would like to put you in and learn the meaning of Caveat Emptor, BEFORE spending your money beyond basic courses at a local community.

"Who looks outside, dreams. Who looks inside, wakens." ~ Carl Jung

There are many wonderful New Thought organizations with diverse root texts and a variety of approaches to those texts and distinct methods of teaching.

Explore different New Thought beliefs and choose the approach that best suits you. While we are aware that the majority of people who choose the New Thought Path do not find a New Thought Community that suits their sensibilities, we encourage you to visit the different centers.

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The basic premise of New Thought is that which is Divine is Good and Omnipresent. New Thought is based on Universal Spiritual Principles as demonstrated and taught by historical figures such as Buddha, Danika, Lao Tzu, and Jesus the Christ. It is understood there are many "Wayshowers." The strength of the teaching of a particular Wayshower is demonstrated through the consciousness and actions of the followers of that path. The adherents of each spiritual path are collectively responsible to the rest of humanity and all life to insure that the expression of their path is not abusive or violent nor violates the rights of other beings.

As mentioned above, New Thought is inclusive and draws on the wisdom of all traditions that teach the truth of our Unity with God/Good and the omnipresence of God/Good.

Explore the Rainbow of New Thought Beliefs / Discover your Truth!

New Thought supports us on our individual journey of personal spiritual evolution.

Beliefs of 10 New Thought "Transdenominations" and organisations

New Thought - Divine Science - Divine Unity - Home of Truth - New Thought Alliance - New Thought Affiliates - Religious Science - Seicho No Ie - Unity - Universal Foundation for Better Living

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We are not affiliated with old New Thought Transdenominations: Neither United or International Centers for Spiritual Living, nor Unity, DivineUnity, UFBL or Divine Science. We serve all New Thought Communities regardless of their affiliation or independence.

We serve all Science of Mind & Religious Science Centers including those calling themselves Centers For Spiritual Living regardless of their independence or affiliation.

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