The Science of Being Well

CHAPTER XVII. A SUMMARY OF THE SCIENCE OF BEING WELL.

Health is perfectly natural functioning, normal living. There is a
Principle of Life in the universe; it is the Living Substance, from
which all things are made. This Living Substance permeates, penetrates,
and fills the interspaces of the universe. In its invisible state it is
in and through all forms; and yet all forms are made of it. To
illustrate: Suppose that a very fine and highly diffusible aqueous vapor
should permeate and penetrate a block of ice. The ice is formed from
living water, and is living water in form; while the vapor is also
living water, unformed, permeating a form made from itself. This
illustration will explain how Living Substance permeates all forms made
from It; all life comes from It; it is all the life there is.

This Universal Substance is a thinking substance, and takes the form of
its thought. The thought of a form, held by it, creates the form; and
the thought of a motion causes the motion. It cannot help thinking, and
so is forever creating; and it must move on toward fuller and more
complete expression of itself. This means toward more complete life and
more perfect functioning; and that means toward perfect health.

The power of the living substance must always be exerted toward perfect
health; it is a force in all things making for perfect functioning.

_All things are permeated by a power which makes for health._

_Man can relate himself to this power, and ally himself with it_; he can
also separate himself from it in his thoughts.

_Man is a form of this Living Substance, and has within him a Principle
of Health._ This Principle of Health, when in full constructive
activity, causes all the involuntary functions of man's body to be
perfectly performed.

_Man is a thinking substance, permeating a visible body, and the
processes of his body are controlled by his thought._

When man thinks only thoughts of perfect health, the internal processes
of his body will be those of perfect health. Man's first step toward
perfect health must be to form a conception of himself as perfectly
healthy, and as doing all things in the way and manner of a perfectly
healthy person. Having formed this conception, he must relate himself to
it in all his thoughts, and sever all thought relations with disease and
weakness.

If he does this, and thinks his thoughts of health with positive FAITH,
man will cause the Principle of Health within him to become
constructively active, and to heal all his diseases. He can receive
additional power from the universal Principle of Life by faith, and he
can acquire faith by looking to this Principle of Life with reverent
gratitude for the health it gives him. If man will consciously accept
the health which is being continually given to him by the Living
Substance, and if he will be duly grateful therefor, he will develop
faith.

Man cannot think only thoughts of perfect health unless he performs the
voluntary functions of life in a perfectly healthy manner. These
voluntary functions are eating, drinking, breathing, and sleeping. If
man thinks only thoughts of health, has faith in health, and eats,
drinks, breathes, and sleeps in a perfectly healthy way, he must have
perfect health.

Health is the result of thinking and acting in a Certain Way; and if a
sick man begins to think and act in this Way, the Principle of Health
within him will come into constructive activity and heal all his
diseases. This Principle of Heath is the same in all, and is related to
the Life Principle of the universe; it is able to heal every disease,
and will come into activity whenever man thinks and acts in accordance
with the Science of Being Well. Therefore, every man can attain to
perfect health.