Ralph Waldo Emerson

“Reading Emerson is like drinking water to me.” – Dr. Ernest Holmes

Ralph Waldo Emerson’s entire life was one of spiritual exploration. He has been called “the Father of New Thought” because he was instrumental in gathering together a group of intellectuals, writers and philosophers to explore the transcendental philosophy.

Emerson entered Harvard College on a scholarship at age 14. He became a Unitarian minister. He wrote eloquent essays on many subjects.

Emerson believed that every person is an individualization of the one and only God. He thought that at the center of our being we are all guided by spiritual laws which operate themselves.

Emerson is not thought of as a New Thought writer, but rather as one of the sources from which New Thought drew a great deal.

Reading Suggestion

Emerson’s eloquent essays that particularly reflect Science of Mind thinking are:

• Spiritual Laws
• Compen-sation
• The Over-soul

Ernest Holmes and Emerson

Ernest Holmes was a spiritual seeker. Born in 1887, he was primarily home-schooled by his mother, who was an ardent reader. In his teens, Ernest began a search for the similarities in all the worlds’ religions. He read extensively about all of them. He was deeply moved by the work of Ralph Waldo Emerson