Joseph Murphy - 10 Masterpieces You Have to Read Before You Die 2

A Catnap Nets Him $15,000

One of my students mailed me a newspaper clipping three or four years ago about a man called Ray Hammerstrom, a roller at the steel works in Pittsburgh, operated by Jones and Laughlin Steel Corporation. He received $15,000 for his dream.

According to the article , the engineers could not fix a faulty switch in a newly installed bar mill which controlled the delivery of straight bars to the cooling beds. The engineers worked on the switch about eleven or twelve times to no avail.

Hammerstrom thought a lot about the problem and tried to figure out a new design which might work. Nothing worked. One afternoon he lay down for a nap and prior to sleep he began to think about the answer to the switch problem. He had a dream in which the perfect design for the switch was portrayed. When he awoke, he sketched his new design according to the outline of his dream.

This visionary catnap won Hammerstrom a check for $15,000, the largest award the firm ever gave an employee for a new idea.

How A Famous Professor Solved His Problem In Sleep

Dr H V Helprecht, Professor of Assyrian at the University of Pennsylvania, wrote as follows: “One Saturday evening I had been wearying myself in the vain attempt to decipher two small fragments of agate which were supposed to belong to the finger rings of some Babylonians.

“About midnight, weary and exhausted, I went to bed and dreamed the following remarkable dream: A tall thin priest of Nippur, about forty years of age, led me to the treasure chamber of the temple...a small, low-ceilinged room without windows, with scraps of agate and lapis-lazuli scattered on the floor. Here he addressed me as follows: The two fragments, which you have published separately on pages 22 and 26 belong together, and are not finger rings. The first two rings served as earrings for the statue of god; the two fragments you have are the portions of them. If you will put them together you will have confirmation of my words.”

I awoke at once. I examined the fragments and to my astonishment found the dream verified. The problem was then at last solved.”

This demonstrates clearly the creative manifestation of his subconscious mind which knew the answer to all his problems.

How The Subconscious Worked For A Famous Write While He Slept

Robert Louis Stevenson in one of his books, Across the Plains, devotes a whole chapter to dreams. He was a vivid dreamer and had the persistent habit of giving specific instructions to his subconscious every night prior to sleep. He would request his subconscious to evolve stories for him while he slept. For example, if Stevenson's funds were at a low ebb, his command to his subconscious would be something like this: “Give me a good thrilling novel which will be marketable and profitable.” His subconscious responded magnificently.

Stevenson says, “These little brownies (the intelligences and powers of his subconscious) can tell me a story piece by piece, like a serial, and keep me, its supposed creator, all the while in total ignorance of where they aim.” And he added: “That part of my work which is done when I am up and about (which he is consciously aware and awake) is by no means necessarily mine, since all goes to show that the brownies have a hand in it even then.”

Sleep In Peace & Wake In Joy

To those who suffer from insomnia, you will find the following prayer very effective. Repeat it slowly, quietly and lovingly prior to sleep: “My toes are relaxed, my ankles are relaxed, my abdominal muscles are relaxed, my heart and lungs are relaxed, my hands and arms are relaxed, my neck is relaxed, my brain is relaxed, my face is relaxed, my eyes are relaxed, my whole mind and body are relaxed. I fully and freely forgive everyone, and I sincerely wish for them harmony, health, peace and all the blessings of life. I am at peace; I am poised, serene and calm. I rest in security and in peace. A great stillness steals over me, and a great calm quiets my whole being as I realize the divine presence within me. I know that the realization of life and love heals me. I wrap myself in the mantel of love and fall asleep filled with good will for all. Throughout the night peace remains with me and in the morning I shall be filled with life and love. A circle of love is drawn around me. I will fear no evil, for Thou art with me, I sleep in peace, I wake in joy, and in Him I live, move and have my being .”

Summary Of Your Aids To The Wonders Of Sleep

1. If you are worried that you will not wake up on time, suggest to your subconscious mind prior to sleep the exact time you wish to arise, and it will awaken you. It needs no clock. Do the same thing with all problems. There is nothing too hard for your subconscious.

2. Your subconscious never sleeps. It is always on the job. It controls all your vital functions. Forgive yourself and everyone else before you go to sleep and healing will take place much more rapidly.

3. Guidance is given you while you are asleep, sometimes in a dream. The healing currents are also released and in the morning you feel refreshed and rejuvenated.

4. When troubled by the vexations and strife of the day, still the wheels of your mind and think about the wisdom and intelligence lodged in your subconscious mind which is ready to respond to you. This will give you peace, strength and confidence.

5. Sleep is essential for peace of mind and health of body. Lack of sleep can cause irritation, depression and mental disorders. You need eight hours sleep.

6. Medical research scholars point out that insomnia precedes psychotic disorders.

7. You are spiritually recharged during sleep. Adequate sleep is essential for joy and vitality in life.

8. Your tired brain craves sleep so hungrily that it will sacrifice anything to get it. Many who have fallen asleep at the wheel of an automobile can testify to this.

9. many sleep deprived people have poor memories and lack proper coordination. They become befuddle, confused and disorientated.

10. Sleep brings counsel. Prior to sleep, claim that the Infinite Intelligence of your subconscious mind is guiding and directing you. Then, watch for the lead which comes, perhaps on awakening.

11. Trust your subconscious completely. Know that its tendency is always lifeward. Occasionally, your subconscious answers you in a very vivid dream and a vision in the night. You can be forewarned in a dream in the same way as the author of this book was warned.

12. Your future is in your mind now, based on your habitual thinking and beliefs. Claim that Infinite Intelligence leads and guides you; and that all good is yours, and your future will be wonderful. Believe it and accept it. Expect the best and invariably the best will come to you.

13. If you are writing a novel, play or book or are working on an invention, speak to your subconscious mind at night and claim boldly that its wisdom, intelligence and power are guiding, directing and revealing to you the ideal play, novel, book or revealing the perfect solution whatever it may be. Wonders will happen as you pray this way.

Chapter Fourteen

Ignorance of the functions and powers of the mind is the cause of all marital trouble. Friction between husband and wife can be solved by each using the law of mind correctly. By praying together they stay together. The contemplation of divine ideals, the study of the laws of life, the mutual agreement on a common purpose and plan, and the enjoyment of personal freedom bring about that harmonious marriage, that wedded bliss, that sense of oneness where the two become one.

The best time to prevent divorce is before marriage. It is not wrong to try to get out of a very bad situation. But, why get into the bad situation in the first place? Would it not be better to give attention to the real cause of marital problems, in other words, to really get at the root of the matter involved?