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Part 3 · Relax the Body, Free the Mind · points 15–20 of 33 in this Part

Fear is the only real enemy here

Fear the past, present and future and you have closed your own door.

6 numbered points · 2 study questions · 2 min read

The one line to keep

Fear the past, present and future and you have closed your own door.

Haanel traces most of the trouble back to fear — fear of the past, of the present, of the future. He calls this the 'personal devil'. A person who understands they carry this centre stops fearing conditions and starts directing them. He adds the vital warning: this knowledge only works by practical application. Knowing about it changes nothing; using it daily changes everything.
Why this matters to you
Fear has been making your decisions and not consulting you. Noticing it is the beginning of choosing instead.

Study questions for this sublevel

Haanel put a review question at the end of every part. Answer out loud first — the recall is what moves it into memory.

25. What is the result of such interruption?

Every ill with which the human race is afflicted.

26. How may this energy be controlled and directed?

By conscious thought.

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Haanel's own words — points 15–20

Quoted exactly from The Master Key System (1912, public domain). The translation above is ours; this is his.

15

It is this personal devil which makes men fear the past, the present and the future; fear themselves, their friends and their enemies; fear everything and everybody. When fear is effectually and completely destroyed, your light will shine, the clouds will disperse and you will have found the source of power, energy, and life.

16

When you find that you are really one with the Infinite power, and when you can consciously realize this power by a practical demonstration of your ability to overcome any adverse condition by the power of your thought, you will have nothing to fear. Fear will have been destroyed and you will have come into possession of your birthright.

17

It is our attitude of mind toward life which determines the experiences with which we are to meet. If we expect nothing, we shall have nothing. If we demand much, we shall receive the greater portion. The world is harsh only as we fail to assert ourselves. The criticism of the world is bitter only to those who cannot compel room for their ideas. It is fear of this criticism that causes many ideas to fail to see the light of day.

18

But the man who knows that he has a Solar Plexus will not fear criticism or anything else; he will be too busy radiating courage, confidence, and power; he will anticipate success by his mental attitude; he will pound barriers to pieces, and leap over the chasm of doubt and hesitation which fear places in his path.

19

Knowledge of our ability to consciously radiate health, strength and harmony will bring us into a realization that there is nothing to fear because we are in touch with Infinite Strength.

20

This knowledge can be gained only by making practical application of this information. We learn by doing; through practice the athlete comes powerful.

Put it to work

This week's exercise

The Full Let-Go (Part Three)

Sit in your usual place. Be still, calm your surface thoughts for a minute.

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Sit with it

Guided stillness timer

The sit is the whole foundation of the course: still body, watched breath, no phone. Pick five minutes if fifteen feels like a hill.

Open the timer

Keep going

Part 3 · Relax the Body, Free the Mind

Tension is thinking you can't stop