Uell Stanley Andersen

Andersen taught the New Thought concept of "Universal Mind". According to Andersen, the "Universal Mind is a vast and all-encompassing mental and spiritual being in whom all things and events exist."[7] According to Andersen, the Universal Mind, or God, manifests – or literally reflects – the dominant belief system of all living things. When one understands this cause and effect relationship, it becomes possible to consciously use Universal Mind to shape the physical world.

In Three Magic Words, Andersen makes the argument that the physical world is derived from the mental. He argues that a sustained mental image, if backed by faith (i.e. a belief that the image is real, or will become real), will become reality.[8]

This can be done by using a "spiritual prototype", or mental equivalent of that which one wants to manifest in the physical world. The concept of a "spiritual prototype" originated in the New Thought literature in the early 20th century. Specifically, Andersen said the following:

All things and all circumstances must first be created on the mental plane. When such creation is clear-cut and born of faith and conviction, nothing can stop this image from becoming real. Once this image has come into your mind and you have accepted, you have done all that it is necessary for you to do. All the process of creation—time place, and circumstance—must be left in the hands of the all-knowing Subconcious Mind. The physical circumstance you desire may come from a direction you expect or it may come in such a way and such a manner as you have never dreamed. Don't strain or urge or be impatient. Simply have faith and let go...You have nothing to do but create the mental image with complete faith, and with that simple act the process is completely done. Be assured that the image will become real in your physical world, for you are dealing with law and law alone.[9]

In other words, his philosophy is similar to that in the New Testament, which teaches, "As ye believe, so shall it be done unto you."[10] More recently, this idea is reflected in the book, The Secret, by Rhonda Byrne.[11]

Andersen argued that it was possible to prove his theory by conducting a few mental experiments, aided by means of meditation. After running these experiments, with complete faith in the outcome, it is possible to demonstrate – at least on a subjective basis – that there is a relationship between thought and physical reality.

The remainder of Andersen's theory followed from that simple premise. Since physical matter is created first on the mental plane, Andersen argued that good and evil events were also created by thought. This leads to a startling conclusion. If evil is created first on a mental plane by thought, then it becomes possible to abolish evil by refusing to believe in its existence. Andersen argued that evil was error, and that mankind should simply refuse to accept its existence. Specifically, he wrote the following:

If we know that evil proceeds from thought just as good proceeds from thought, we can establish eternal sentinel on our minds to guide our thoughts in the paths of good and progress...Being illusion, evil dissipates with consummate ease.[12]

Andersen was not the first to argue that evil does not exist, and is a creation of man's false beliefs about the world. That notion had been expressed by earlier New Thought writers, in particular, Ernest Holmes, whom Andersen cites in his writing.[13] As explained by Holmes, "The time must come when evil ... shall be rolled up like a scroll and numbered with the things which were once thought to be."[14] Prior to Holmes, the Christian Science community argued that illness was a false belief, which manifested in the patient's body. Change the belief, and the patient gets a different result, i.e. health. Holmes and Andersen expanded on this idea by generalizing it to all evil, which they argued also did not exist, and was a product of false beliefs.

In Three Magic Words, Andersen proposes a theory of evolution. He argues that all living creatures share the same universal mind – and accompanying power to create – with human beings. This leads to the observed effects of evolution, as living creatures aspire for greater physical abilities to ensure their survivability. Andersen writes:

This mind or intelligence is not in man alone, but in every living thing. Behold the process of evolution and you will see desire being projected into the Universal Mind and returning in physical reality. The fish experiences land and desires to walk and becomes a reptile. The reptile experiences air and desires to fly and becomes a bird. The reptile desires size and strength and becomes a horse. Bears, wolves, tigers, lions, snakes, everything that creeps and crawls and flies and swims and burrows and builds and desires -- all are results of thought or desire projected into the Universal Creative Mind of God.[15]

Andersen argued that this power, often described as the "law of attraction", can be directed at will by controlling the sustained, believed images in our mind.[16]

Establishing sentinel over our thoughts is not as easy as it sounds. Andersen recognized that humans are constrained by existing beliefs about themselves and the world, fixed in their subconscious by past experience. He called this the "lock", because it made it difficult for a person to believe in the desired outcome. Andersen argued that it was possible to break the lock of negative past experiences by means of meditation, and steadfastly creating mental images of the desired outcome.[17] He recommended daily meditation, in support of his thought experiments. "Only hundreds of pages of discourse and proof will weaken its prejudice."[17]