THE SIXTH SENSE: THE DOOR TO THE TEMPLE OF WISDOM
Image: Dr. Friedrich Bohme, Elektronenfigur, 1930s
Over the course of the next few weeks, we will explore Napoleon Hill’s Think and Grow Rich, under a modern Benshen-esque lens. Though one might believe that wealth only equals money, “rich” expands beyond that: it means being able to create prosperity in your life, which can take shape in many different forms. Money is just one medium. Prosperity goes so far beyond financial gains and Hill, with his 13 Principles of Success and teachings on the Laws of the Universe, pioneered a unique roadmap to excellence and how to unlock prosperity—one that focuses on how to program our mental faculties rather than lean on external circumstances.
“Through the aid of the sixth sense,
you will be notified of opportunities in time to embrace them”
—Napoleon Hill, Think and Grow Rich, 1937
We’ve arrived at the final(!) Principle of Success of Napoleon Hill’s classic. It’s the closing philosophy that solidifies this work as a lifelong practice, to help each of us connect deeper to our Visions and unlock prosperity, however we define it. It’s about accessing our sixth sense. But before we turn skeptical about this faculty, Hill reminds us to continue to read and embed the 12 preceding chapters into our minds; once we’ve “mastered” these tenets, then we can be open vessels to more magical, serendipitous, and aligned moments in life, receiving more and more of what we ask for. He writes, “somewhere in the cell-structure of the brain is located an organ which receives vibrations of thoughts ordinarily thought of as ‘hunches.’...The fact remains that human beings receive accurate knowledge, through sources other than physical senses.” Though society, capitalism, and much of the modern world conspires to distance us from our intuition and inner knowing, flexing the muscle to trust our instincts is powerful in every sense of the word. It’s not easy; the urge to seek external validation and advice can be tough to shake. To combat this, let’s cover the one potent practice Hill discussed almost a century ago to reconfigure the subconscious mind and ultimately put us in touch with our highest potential. And remember, we can re-read these chapters as many times as we see fit; then, through autosuggestion, we’ll be primed to develop new neural pathways that have us trusting this elusive sixth sense.
LAW No.13 | THE SIXTH SENSE
- THE DOOR TO THE TEMPLE OF WISDOM -
“There is a power, or an Intelligence, which permeates every atom of matter, and embraces every unit of energy perceptible to man—this Infinite Intelligence is what converts acorns into oak trees.”
— Napoleon Hill, Think and Grow Rich, 1937
Image: Patrick Tosani
It’s a natural tendency to put people on a pedestal sometimes: the famous and powerful, friends-of-friends, people to fawn over on Instagram etc etc. Now, Hill might not have had social media to keep tabs on his heroes, but he did carve out ample time to study an assortment of 9 people he greatly admired, and understand their personal and professional paths, their idiosyncrasies, likes and dislikes, etc. Through this research journey, he assembled “An Invisible Counsel.” He wanted to fully understand all of the little details that made them the successes they were in his eyes. Then, he took out pen and paper and wrote them each a letter, calling upon them to bestow their qualities on Hill, himself. For example, he wrote: “Mr. Emerson, I desire to acquire from you the marvelous understanding of nature which distinguished your life.” It was through this nightly practice of inviting these personal heroes into his subconscious mind, that the qualities he most craved and initially believed to be outside himself, felt more and more tangible. By simply connecting with the concepts of persistence, reverence for nature, ingenuity, and more, these qualities spilled over into his own conscious life. Hill writes, “My original purpose in conducting council meetings with imaginary beings was solely that of impressing my own subconscious mind, through the power of autosuggestion, with certain characteristics which I desired to acquire. In more recent years, my experimentation has taken on an entirely different trend; I now go to my imaginary counselors with every difficult problem that confronts me.”
EXERCISE:
While Napoleon wrote lengthy letters and put together in-depth research projects for nine characters, we think there’s incredible value in choosing a single person that has a particular quality you admire and want to coax out personally. The beauty is you don’t have to know too much about them initially; only that something about them is enchanting to you and that means they are mirroring qualities that you already have within. Then, take the time to delve into what you can learn about this person. Are they creative? Entrepreneurs? Disciplined? Passionate? Sensual? Powerful? Kind? Compassionate? Driven? Try to peel back their layers. Eventually, you'll understand deeper why you are so drawn to those qualities because we are all mirrors, after all.)
After this exploratory phase, it’s time to follow Hill’s lead and take out a physical pen and paper. Write a letter to that person, specifying which qualities you would like more of in your life. Read the letter to yourself aloud for 30 days, and allow it to become a message of inspiration, using those you admire as role models for the qualities you wish to bring out that are already within. While this letter may be fictional, the purpose is that it allows us to directly call upon qualities within ourselves that may lay dormant. It’s through this practice that we may be able to tap into a new dimension of ourselves, and lean into trusting our own capabilities, intuition, and become more self-reliant. We don’t always need the advice of others or to get a “yes” from the outside world.
Image: Santiago Licata
Meditate on the lyrics
All of the external forms are lovely
But the real work
Is your inner connection
…How do you open the heart?
You start to love that which you can love
And just keep expanding it
… Go deeper and deeper into that love
'Til you love that
Which is the source of the light behind all of it
Behind all of it
You don't worship the gate
You go into the inner temple