This article is about the writings of Florence Scovel Shinn (1871-1940) and in particular her book ‘The Game of Life’.

Florence was an American artist and book illustrator from New Jersey who became a New Thought spiritual teacher and metaphysical writer in her middle years.

There are a number of self-development books such as this one which may appear to be outdated.  However since the books contain fundamental principles of living then they will remain relevant for today and into the future.

Other books published by Florence Scovel:

·       Your Word is Your Wand (1928)

·       The Secret Door to Success (1940)

·       The Power of the Spoken Word (1945)

In this book (The Game of Life and How to Play It) Florence taught her students that life is a game (and not a battle as most people think!) and in order to play it well, one must learn to understand the universal laws that govern it.  Life is a game of giving and receiving.  She describes it as a game of boomerangs – our thoughts deeds and words return to us. This is the law of Karma, which is Sanskrit for “Comeback.”  To quote the bible:  “Whatsoever a man soweth that shall he also reap.”  What you put out into the world will come back to you.  She also advises that giving opens the way to receiving and advises that we tithe one tenth of our income.

She talks about the power of the subconscious mind.  What we impress on the subconscious mind comes to pass.  She gives examples in her books of people who brought poverty and misfortune on themselves by inadvertently programming negative thinking into their subconscious minds. She advises that we listen to our intuition and follow ‘hunches’.

Continue reading The Game of Life and How to Play It (published 1925) →