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The Magic in Your Mind
This book reveals a mental magic that guarantees increased achievement and assures success. Many people have locked themselves in prisons of their own making because they have been unsuccessful. The Magic in Your Mind teaches the magic by which men become free and begin to grow into the image of the secret self.
Perfect action and perfect works stem from an inner conviction of the mental cause behind all things. A man changes the state of his outer world by first changing the state of his inner world. Everything that comes to him from outside is the result of his own consciousness. When he changes that consciousness he alters his perception and thus the world he sees. By understanding the process and effect of mental imagery, he goes directly along the correct path to his goal.
Perfect action and perfect works stem from an inner conviction of the mental cause behind all things. A man changes the state of his outer world by first changing the state of his inner world. Everything that comes to him from outside is the result of his own consciousness. When he changes that consciousness he alters his perception and thus the world he sees. By understanding the process and effect of mental imagery, he goes directly along the correct path to his goal.
252 pages, Paperback
First published June 1, 1940
72 people are currently reading
424 people want to read
About the author
Uell Stanley Andersen
15 books60 followersUell Stanley Andersen was a successful self-help author in the 1950s and 1960s. Once a professional football player, he had a number of careers including running an advertising agency, wild-catting for oil, logging at the Columbia Sawmill, and acting as a gunnery officer on a destroyer escort.
Born in the USA of Norwegian parentage, U. S. Andersen developed his inspiring, dynamic philosophy during a very active life. He learned about the psychology of winning when he was a football great. In World War II he served as a Naval officer and in the heat of battle learned that evil is the great illusion and that sin is error. It was in Mary Baker Eddy's book "Science and Health" that he first glimpsed these great truths, and he later quoted from her book in some of his own metaphysical writings. In later years as a successful Los Angeles businessman, he learned that the secret of success is to create rather than to compete.
As well as the Christian Science writings of Mary Baker Eddy, Andersen also studied the mystical teachings and philosophies of Emmanuel Swedenborg, of the American "sleeping prophet", Edgar Cayce, of the celebrated Scottish spiritualist Daniel Dunglas Home, of philosopher Jacob Boehme, and the poetry of William Blake and Edward Carpenter, among others, and his own belief system was in effect a synthesis of the spiritual and mystical teachings of these writers. Jacob Boehme stated that when he was working he was the helpless tool of some power other than his normal surface mind, and Andersen clearly believed that some area of mental or spiritual existence, of immensely heightened perception, exists beyond and above man's surface personality and mind.
His concept of Reality as explained in his various books is very much inline with New Thought teachings: "Universal Mind is a vast and all-encompassing mental and spiritual being in whom all things and events exist. The principal quality of this Mind is that it is just one, infinite in size, eternal in scope, and nothing exists outside It. It is an enormous sea of consciousness, pervading all, supporting all, and individual consciousness grows out of It. All things are made from It; It is rock, sea, bird, beast, man. All things in their true essence, then, are mental, or spiritual, and the rock itself is not a rock at all but merely an example of enclosed or restricted consciousness. Awareness is in the rock. Universal Mind is there." (The Secret of Secrets, 1958.)
An articulate spokesman for mystical patriotism — the spiritual meaning of America — he was an unforgettable lecturer; and his insights into ecology led to the founding of his Atlantis University in Newport, Oregon, from where he taught his own brand of mysticism.
He published under the names U.S. Andersen and Uell S. Andersen.
He wrote the screenplay for the movie “The Charlatans.”
His short story Turn Ever so Quickly was included in Houghton Mifflin's anthology The Best American Short Stories of 1963.
Born in the USA of Norwegian parentage, U. S. Andersen developed his inspiring, dynamic philosophy during a very active life. He learned about the psychology of winning when he was a football great. In World War II he served as a Naval officer and in the heat of battle learned that evil is the great illusion and that sin is error. It was in Mary Baker Eddy's book "Science and Health" that he first glimpsed these great truths, and he later quoted from her book in some of his own metaphysical writings. In later years as a successful Los Angeles businessman, he learned that the secret of success is to create rather than to compete.
As well as the Christian Science writings of Mary Baker Eddy, Andersen also studied the mystical teachings and philosophies of Emmanuel Swedenborg, of the American "sleeping prophet", Edgar Cayce, of the celebrated Scottish spiritualist Daniel Dunglas Home, of philosopher Jacob Boehme, and the poetry of William Blake and Edward Carpenter, among others, and his own belief system was in effect a synthesis of the spiritual and mystical teachings of these writers. Jacob Boehme stated that when he was working he was the helpless tool of some power other than his normal surface mind, and Andersen clearly believed that some area of mental or spiritual existence, of immensely heightened perception, exists beyond and above man's surface personality and mind.
His concept of Reality as explained in his various books is very much inline with New Thought teachings: "Universal Mind is a vast and all-encompassing mental and spiritual being in whom all things and events exist. The principal quality of this Mind is that it is just one, infinite in size, eternal in scope, and nothing exists outside It. It is an enormous sea of consciousness, pervading all, supporting all, and individual consciousness grows out of It. All things are made from It; It is rock, sea, bird, beast, man. All things in their true essence, then, are mental, or spiritual, and the rock itself is not a rock at all but merely an example of enclosed or restricted consciousness. Awareness is in the rock. Universal Mind is there." (The Secret of Secrets, 1958.)
An articulate spokesman for mystical patriotism — the spiritual meaning of America — he was an unforgettable lecturer; and his insights into ecology led to the founding of his Atlantis University in Newport, Oregon, from where he taught his own brand of mysticism.
He published under the names U.S. Andersen and Uell S. Andersen.
He wrote the screenplay for the movie “The Charlatans.”
His short story Turn Ever so Quickly was included in Houghton Mifflin's anthology The Best American Short Stories of 1963.
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
January 6, 2010
I bought this book in 1991 after reading about it in an interview with Steve Vai. He spoke so highly of it, and because I admired Steve and his music so much, I had to check it out. I am so grateful that I did. This book was absolutely life-changing. At the age I was at the time (18), it was just what I needed to read. It instilled in me an unshakeable belief in realizing my dreams. I am certain I realized some of them because of this book. Perhaps one of my favorite passages comes early on:
"We exist in order that we may become something more than we are, not through favorable circumstance or auspicious occurrence, but through an inner search for increased awareness. To be, to become, these are the commandments of evolving life, which is going somewhere, aspires to some unscaled heights, and the awakened soul answers the call, seeks, grows, expands. To do less is to sink into the reactive prison of the ego, with all its pain, suffering, limitation, decay, and death. The man who lives through reaction to the world about him is the victim of every change in his environment, now happy, now sad, now victorious, now defeated, affected but never affecting. He may live many years in this manner, rapt with sensory perception and the ups and downs of his surface self, but one day pain so outweighs pleasure that he suddenly perceives his ego is illusory, a product of outside circumstances only. Then he either sinks into complete animal lethargy or, turning away from the senses, seeks inner awareness and self-mastery. Then he is on the road to really living, truly becoming; then he begins to uncover his real potential; then he discovers the miracle of his own consciousness, the magic in his mind."
"We exist in order that we may become something more than we are, not through favorable circumstance or auspicious occurrence, but through an inner search for increased awareness. To be, to become, these are the commandments of evolving life, which is going somewhere, aspires to some unscaled heights, and the awakened soul answers the call, seeks, grows, expands. To do less is to sink into the reactive prison of the ego, with all its pain, suffering, limitation, decay, and death. The man who lives through reaction to the world about him is the victim of every change in his environment, now happy, now sad, now victorious, now defeated, affected but never affecting. He may live many years in this manner, rapt with sensory perception and the ups and downs of his surface self, but one day pain so outweighs pleasure that he suddenly perceives his ego is illusory, a product of outside circumstances only. Then he either sinks into complete animal lethargy or, turning away from the senses, seeks inner awareness and self-mastery. Then he is on the road to really living, truly becoming; then he begins to uncover his real potential; then he discovers the miracle of his own consciousness, the magic in his mind."
March 19, 2012
Be sure to give attention to page 90-100!
June 9, 2016
I found this book review somewhat more difficult to write than my other reviews in the “New-Age/ Self-Help” genre because I quite enjoyed the earlier chapters and then there were some chapters that I did not care for. Some of the information in The Magic in Your Mind really resonated with me, and then some of the information was completely contrary to my views. I’m not saying that if a book doesn’t reinforce my views then it is no good; on the contrary, I believe that “If you simply believe everything you read, why read?” So, based solely on the quality of the information, I find this book to be well worth the read; however, I did find some parts of The Magic in your Mind to be contradictory to others parts of the book and I did find some of the ideas a little redundant.
In general, the premise that U.S. Andersen advocates is that there is a universal “Secret Self” (or subconscious mind) that is separate from our ego based “Surface Self”, “Between the surface self and the Secret Self lies and opaque wall, impenetrable to the gaze of the ego and yielding its secrets only to one who has expanded his consciousness beyond the limits of his conscious mind.” It is only through overcoming the dependence on our five senses that we are able to connect with our Secret Self, “To get outside and free from the grip of the senses is the only path to discovery of the Secret Self.”
In other words, Andersen is saying that our physical senses only perceive an infinitesimally small portion of reality and we then use this information to support the egoic notion that we are separate from everything else. So, how does one escape this invisible prison? By making use of our imagination, primarily through visualization we can create a new reality that frees us from the physical limits that confine us. As many others have stated throughout history, it is our thoughts that create our reality and, echoing this belief, Andersen states, “It is deeply significant that we exist by grace of thought, and it is even more significant that at any particular time we are the sum total of the thoughts we hold in mind.” Andersen goes on to say that, “A man is with his mind twenty-four hours of every day, and he never ceases to think. He is influenced a thousand times more by the thoughts that cross his consciousness then he ever is by the situations he encounters in the sensual world.”
Aside from the essential message about the power of our thoughts, the book also delves into: how fear robs us of our power and how risk taking is a necessary ingredient to personal development/success, how knowledge can actually inhibit growth, the fact that guilt and hostility are “accoutrements” of the ego that need to be dispelled and the important role that intuition plays in our lives.
In all, an empowering book with many positive points to ponder.
As a final point for anyone considering this book, I should mention that U.S. Andersen has a writing style that might be considered more “intellectual” than some of the other authors in this genre. This is neither negative or positive, I just wanted to make mention of this point in case some potential readers have challenges with more “scholarly” authors.
In general, the premise that U.S. Andersen advocates is that there is a universal “Secret Self” (or subconscious mind) that is separate from our ego based “Surface Self”, “Between the surface self and the Secret Self lies and opaque wall, impenetrable to the gaze of the ego and yielding its secrets only to one who has expanded his consciousness beyond the limits of his conscious mind.” It is only through overcoming the dependence on our five senses that we are able to connect with our Secret Self, “To get outside and free from the grip of the senses is the only path to discovery of the Secret Self.”
In other words, Andersen is saying that our physical senses only perceive an infinitesimally small portion of reality and we then use this information to support the egoic notion that we are separate from everything else. So, how does one escape this invisible prison? By making use of our imagination, primarily through visualization we can create a new reality that frees us from the physical limits that confine us. As many others have stated throughout history, it is our thoughts that create our reality and, echoing this belief, Andersen states, “It is deeply significant that we exist by grace of thought, and it is even more significant that at any particular time we are the sum total of the thoughts we hold in mind.” Andersen goes on to say that, “A man is with his mind twenty-four hours of every day, and he never ceases to think. He is influenced a thousand times more by the thoughts that cross his consciousness then he ever is by the situations he encounters in the sensual world.”
Aside from the essential message about the power of our thoughts, the book also delves into: how fear robs us of our power and how risk taking is a necessary ingredient to personal development/success, how knowledge can actually inhibit growth, the fact that guilt and hostility are “accoutrements” of the ego that need to be dispelled and the important role that intuition plays in our lives.
In all, an empowering book with many positive points to ponder.
As a final point for anyone considering this book, I should mention that U.S. Andersen has a writing style that might be considered more “intellectual” than some of the other authors in this genre. This is neither negative or positive, I just wanted to make mention of this point in case some potential readers have challenges with more “scholarly” authors.
August 22, 2017
My paperback is the 1968 version. This book seems like it is saying the same basic thing, over and over, but worded differently. Basically - imagine yourself as a transmitter for a higher power to to good things through you. I see it as a tool for reprogramming your mind against negative thinking, and reading it aloud in sections is sort of like an unending mantra.
Read
July 12, 2016It was fantastic book that helps you utilise the power of your mind and helps you change your mind set. It makes you focus on the thoughts you think and the actions you take in relation to them.
I thoroughly recommend it.
I thoroughly recommend it.
February 6, 2017
This book is incredible. It's as simple as that. The writer explains the hidden capabilities inherent within every human being, and how these abilities are related to the greater whole.
This book does not give step-by-step instructions on anything, but rather through shedding light on more and more information you, as the reader, discover for yourself what you need to do.
One of the top books i've read, easily.
This book does not give step-by-step instructions on anything, but rather through shedding light on more and more information you, as the reader, discover for yourself what you need to do.
One of the top books i've read, easily.
March 1, 2022
MIND CALORIES
This book is simple to read. It contains details that will help you realize that it has always been about you and you alone. That the world is configured around the conscious mind …. Which has limitations.. dive into ecstasy and BLOW YOUR MIND…. Read THIS BOOK!
This book is simple to read. It contains details that will help you realize that it has always been about you and you alone. That the world is configured around the conscious mind …. Which has limitations.. dive into ecstasy and BLOW YOUR MIND…. Read THIS BOOK!
June 5, 2017
Read it twice and will come back again. Good business motivational book.
December 17, 2019
Absolutely AWESOME concepts! Illuminating book! Higly recommended!
June 26, 2020
One of the best books I have read in a while, dense and transformative. Similar in depth to Erkhart Tolle’s books, but wider in scope. Raises very many questions. Rare and digestible book.
July 17, 2022
All Uell's stuff is God inspired in my book! Track down the Ecology Mantra in The Greatest Power in the Universe for a rush of Energy we all need right now! Namaste 🙏
October 29, 2024
Alot of word vomit but very useful info!!! Definitely keeping to reread
June 15, 2020
This book reminds you to put your ego in check and also reinforces the great power within you. Uses mid-1900s self-help new agey language. I will be re-reading. I am looking forward to reading his other book “Three Magic Words”. And also looking into some of the authors lesser know works. I could have written more but didn’t want to spoil it.
March 12, 2017
Another U S Andersen gem of a book, everything the preface states, is transferred to the reader. It expands your consciousness and mind! SG
April 19, 2014
I find this book review somewhat more difficult to write than other reviews in the “New-Age/ Self-Help” genre because I quite enjoyed the earlier chapters and then there were some chapters that I did not care for. Some of the information in The Magic in Your Mind really resonated with me, and then some of the information was completely contrary to my views. I’m not saying that if a book doesn’t reinforce my views then it is no good; on the contrary, I believe that “If you simply believe everything you read, why read?” So, based solely on the quality of the information, I find this book to be well worth the read; however, I did find some parts of The Magic in your Mind to be contradictory to others parts of the book and I did find some of the ideas a little redundant.
In general, the premise that U.S. Andersen advocates is that there is a universal “Secret Self” (or subconscious mind) that is separate from our ego based “Surface Self”, “Between the surface self and the Secret Self lies and opaque wall, impenetrable to the gaze of the ego and yielding its secrets only to one who has expanded his consciousness beyond the limits of his conscious mind.” It is only through overcoming the dependence on our five senses that we are able to connect with our Secret Self, “To get outside and free from the grip of the senses is the only path to discovery of the Secret Self.”
In other words, Andersen is saying that our physical senses only perceive an infinitesimally small portion of reality and we then use this information to support the egoic notion that we are separate from everything else. So, how does one escape this invisible prison? By making use of our imagination, primarily through visualization we can create a new reality that frees us from the physical limits that confine us. As many others have stated throughout history, it is our thoughts that create our reality and, echoing this belief, Andersen states, “It is deeply significant that we exist by grace of thought, and it is even more significant that at any particular time we are the sum total of the thoughts we hold in mind.” Andersen goes on to say that, “A man is with his mind twenty-four hours of every day, and he never ceases to think. He is influenced a thousand times more by the thoughts that cross his consciousness then he ever is by the situations he encounters in the sensual world.”
Aside from the essential message about the power of our thoughts, the book also delves into: how fear robs us of our power and how risk taking is a necessary ingredient to personal development/success, how knowledge can actually inhibit growth, the fact that guilt and hostility are “accoutrements” of the ego that need to be dispelled and the important role that intuition plays in our lives.
In all, an empowering book with many positive points to ponder.
As a final point for anyone considering this book, I should mention that U.S. Andersen has a writing style that might be considered more “intellectual” than some of the other authors in this genre. This is neither negative or positive, I just wanted to make mention of this point in case some potential readers have challenges with more “scholarly” authors
In general, the premise that U.S. Andersen advocates is that there is a universal “Secret Self” (or subconscious mind) that is separate from our ego based “Surface Self”, “Between the surface self and the Secret Self lies and opaque wall, impenetrable to the gaze of the ego and yielding its secrets only to one who has expanded his consciousness beyond the limits of his conscious mind.” It is only through overcoming the dependence on our five senses that we are able to connect with our Secret Self, “To get outside and free from the grip of the senses is the only path to discovery of the Secret Self.”
In other words, Andersen is saying that our physical senses only perceive an infinitesimally small portion of reality and we then use this information to support the egoic notion that we are separate from everything else. So, how does one escape this invisible prison? By making use of our imagination, primarily through visualization we can create a new reality that frees us from the physical limits that confine us. As many others have stated throughout history, it is our thoughts that create our reality and, echoing this belief, Andersen states, “It is deeply significant that we exist by grace of thought, and it is even more significant that at any particular time we are the sum total of the thoughts we hold in mind.” Andersen goes on to say that, “A man is with his mind twenty-four hours of every day, and he never ceases to think. He is influenced a thousand times more by the thoughts that cross his consciousness then he ever is by the situations he encounters in the sensual world.”
Aside from the essential message about the power of our thoughts, the book also delves into: how fear robs us of our power and how risk taking is a necessary ingredient to personal development/success, how knowledge can actually inhibit growth, the fact that guilt and hostility are “accoutrements” of the ego that need to be dispelled and the important role that intuition plays in our lives.
In all, an empowering book with many positive points to ponder.
As a final point for anyone considering this book, I should mention that U.S. Andersen has a writing style that might be considered more “intellectual” than some of the other authors in this genre. This is neither negative or positive, I just wanted to make mention of this point in case some potential readers have challenges with more “scholarly” authors
December 11, 2013
I have mixed feelings about this book. For the first half, I was absolutely loving it, but then it seemed to hit some sort of over-repetitive wall and dragged for the rest of the book.
It's certainly an interesting model to apply to life, and one worth trying out. It seemed to be more suited to religious people with its insistence that the Universal Subsconscious Mind had a plan for everything, almost as if the author wanted to say there is a sentient God but didn't want to lose certain readers.
Personally I prefer to apply the thinking that there is a single law propelling existence, that of improvement and evolution, and that is the universal rule that we should surrender ourselves to, if anything. Using this filter to read the book, I was still able to appreciate and even agree with his models. The practical applications took a bit of a backseat to his pontificating though and that was where he began to lose my interest I think.
There are still plenty of passages worth noting down and chewing over, and I've been keeping his model in mind over the last few days as I go about my interactions. I feel less ego-absorbed at the very least, and that is really the point of the book I feel.
I'd recommend this book more for religious people, as they will definitely get a lot out of it seeing as it will fit comfortably next to theistic beliefs. Stubborn atheists will have more trouble though and I can imagine some tossing the book halfway through. If you're an agnostic like myself, give it a read and you're sure to find a few things to inspire, it doesn't matter if you agree with them all.
It's certainly an interesting model to apply to life, and one worth trying out. It seemed to be more suited to religious people with its insistence that the Universal Subsconscious Mind had a plan for everything, almost as if the author wanted to say there is a sentient God but didn't want to lose certain readers.
Personally I prefer to apply the thinking that there is a single law propelling existence, that of improvement and evolution, and that is the universal rule that we should surrender ourselves to, if anything. Using this filter to read the book, I was still able to appreciate and even agree with his models. The practical applications took a bit of a backseat to his pontificating though and that was where he began to lose my interest I think.
There are still plenty of passages worth noting down and chewing over, and I've been keeping his model in mind over the last few days as I go about my interactions. I feel less ego-absorbed at the very least, and that is really the point of the book I feel.
I'd recommend this book more for religious people, as they will definitely get a lot out of it seeing as it will fit comfortably next to theistic beliefs. Stubborn atheists will have more trouble though and I can imagine some tossing the book halfway through. If you're an agnostic like myself, give it a read and you're sure to find a few things to inspire, it doesn't matter if you agree with them all.
May 30, 2016
This book is a connection of the spiritual to the natural. But that cannot be surprising - it should be obvious. And in a sense, our miraclous mindsets still remain miraculous - that is, we can choose not to be determined by our natural world.
I like the book but now I have to open my bible and filter out which parts are applicable to the Glory of God and God alone.
I like the book but now I have to open my bible and filter out which parts are applicable to the Glory of God and God alone.
November 28, 2012
A very good book for anyone who believes that it is your mind that controls your destiny, not your circumstances or surroundings. I loved the book but some may see it as repetitive or long-winded.
May 3, 2013
I didn't like this book. There's nothing wrong with it, it just didn't sync with my beliefs. I was hoping for empowerment, I got none of that.
Read
January 15, 2018Another masterpiece from Udell Anderson. A great compliment to his book "Three Magic Words".
I highly reccomend this book. Especially if you've read "Three Magic Words" by him.
A wonderful compliment to consider.
I 've read several times.
I highly reccomend this book. Especially if you've read "Three Magic Words" by him.
A wonderful compliment to consider.
I 've read several times.
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews