Excerpts from

  "The Message of a Master:
A Classic Tale of Wealth, Wisdom, & the Secret of Success
"

by John McDonald




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Book Description

The Message of a Master clearly shows us how we can harness the forces within to achieve health, vitality and prosperity. This is the story of a miraculous change that takes place in a man after he meets a true master of life. He learns, and shares with us, secret teachings that allow him to develop his powers so that he can accomplish anything he desires

TO THE READER:
 
The following pages are the result of a series of notes collected and set down in the form of a story and a system of practice, which accounts for the style of arrangement. The sequential order as originally received has been carefully adhered to so that its value to the reader might not be lessened. It sets forth no creed or dogma, but teaches in a clear, understandable, simple way, step by step, a practical, workable procedures based upon Divine Law, for the mastery of environment and conditions.

Surely,  there  is  an  unexplainable  “something” within  its  pages which carries a wonderful power for helpfulness and which saturates the  reader with a dynamic realization and conviction of what it teaches.

This is not a volume to be hurriedly or superficially read. It must be  studied  in  order  to  gain  the priceless wisdom which  it  contains.  Therefore  it  is  strongly  urged  that,  after  having  been  read  through once or  twice,  it be given  the slow, deep, deliberate study which has proved to be the profitable way with a work of this kind. Read  it  as  though  it  were  a  message  directed  to  none  but yourself.  Try  to  reason  out  each proposition  to your  own  satisfaction and to get the spirit back of the words. Then apply its teachings to fit your own individual nature and understanding.

During  your  perusal  of  these  pages  should  any  ideas  occur  to you  concerning  your  work  or  ambitions,  it  is  well  to  lay  the book  aside  for  a  few moments  and meditate  upon  them. Many  profitable ideas have come to readers in this way.



PART ONE  - The Search


I am master of my own destiny, and I can make my life anything I wish it to be.


CHAPTER 1

Presuming  that  there  are  many  who  are  just  as  skeptical  concerning  things  bordering  on  the extraordinary  as  I  have  been practically  all  of my  life,  I  offer  the  following  story  and  system of  practice to each reader for what it is worth, with the suggestion that  he take it or leave it, just as he sees fit.

It  was  Saturday  afternoon  and  I  had  returned  from  a  late  lunch. The help had  left  for  the day and  I was alone. My business  had dropped off considerably of  late and while conditions were not  alarming, yet they were sufficient to cause me some concern. Then again, I had recently indulged in some real estate speculation which had  not  proved  successful.  Taking  it  all  in  all,  it was  not  a very  cheerful outlook. In  fact  the most  serious problem of my business  career was up for solution.

Sitting there in deep thought in an effort to discover a way out,  I was aroused by the telephone bell. Placing the receiver to my ear I was  startled  at  hearing  the  familiar  voice  of my  old  friend, David B____.  It required no great stretch of the imagination to believe it a  voice  from  the  dead,  for  less  than  a month  before  he  had  left  for Europe  on  the  urgent  advice  of  his  physician  to  take  an  ocean voyage,  preferably,  but  get  away  somewhere,  in  the  hope  that  a change would effect an improvement  in his condition, which was a serious breakdown, due  to worry over conditions which,  strangely, were similar to what I was now experiencing.

As he spoke, his voice carried such striking power and feeling that I was reminded of my last impression of Dave as we sorrowfully parted  with  him,  a  miserable  shadow  of  his  former  self,  and  we questioned as to whether we would ever see him again.  But  here  he  was  back  again,  and  surely  some  great  change had taken place  in him. Remarking  that a miracle must have happened, he assured me that I had guessed about right, adding, “Tom, I know  that you are puzzled over my early  return and  I also know that you never expected to see me again. But  I’m back and  I’m the luckiest man in the world, for I learned something that I never knew existed. Tom, nothing is impossible with me any more, for I can do anything.  I  am master  of my  own destiny  and  I  can make my  life anything that I wish it to be.

“Oh,  don’t  think  I’m  crazy.  Wait  until  you  hear  my  story.” Feigning a laugh to cover my serious curiosity,  I remarked  that he must  have  stumbled  over  some  newfangled  religion.  To  which  he replied,  “On  the contrary,  it concerns no  religion  of any kind or  of anybody. You see, I met a Master. A wonderful man who has so developed  his  powers  that  he  can  do  anything,  and  he  taught me  a secret that no price could ever buy. You know that I lost my health and I lost my wealth. Well, I have regained my health and I will have the wealth in no time. Oh, it’s a strange story.” Of course I became excited to see him at once and when to his inquiry about the club I replied that there were no changes, he hung up after saying, “Meet me  there  at  9:00  tonight  and  I  will  unfold  a  series  of  the  most remarkable  and  fortunate  happenings  that  could  fall  to  the  lot  of any man.”
I sat there unmoved for some minutes like a man in a dream, so  completely  absorbed  had  I  become  in  the  remarkable  recital. Upon recovering myself I became possessed of the feeling that I had suddenly grown too big for the office. That I had outgrown that little place. I must get outside and expand in the fresh air. Feverish with excitement, I put on my hat and stepped out. Feeling that there was something  wonderful  for  me  in  his  story,  I  was  seized  with  an uncontrollable desire to hear it at once. I turned in the direction of his office, but  recalling  that he was no  longer  there, was  forced  to wait  until  evening.  The  remainder  of  that  day  was  spent  in restlessly  pacing  the  streets  and  I  was  greatly  relieved  when  the  hour to go to the club arrived.

Having  resolved  to  get  Dave  away  where  we  would  not  be disturbed, I entered and stepped quickly to the desk, only to be informed that he had telephoned some time before to tell me that he had  been  called  away  and  would  be  back  the  following  evening. Trying to conceal my disappointment and feelings, I turned quickly and was greeted by three friends who had seen him, and each was excitedly  trying  to  tell  me  of  the  wonders  that  had  taken  place. Miserable  and  disconsolate,  I  broke  away  from  them  without uttering a word, walked out into the night and home.

Too agitated for sleep, the greater part of the night was passed in  restless  confusion.  Assailed  by  the  most  illogical  thoughts,  I decided  that  the whole  thing  was  a  myth,  conjured  up  in  a  mind weakened as the result of affliction. How utterly ridiculous to allow myself  to become upset by such a  fairy  tale. But no, somehow  the thing  would  not  down,  but  kept  forcing  itself  upon  me,  until  in desperation  I  tried  to  console  myself  with  the  assurance  that  I would at any cost  learn the truth or  falsity of the whole matter the next day.



CHAPTER 2


Following  instructions  which  I  had  left  at  the  club  to  be delivered  to him  immediately upon his  return, Dave picked me up at  my  home  in  a  new,  high-priced  car,  and  we  drove  out  to  a highway  cafe. There,  in a private dining-room, undisturbed by the presence of others, I had opportunity to study my old friend. Surely  some miraculous  change had  taken place  in him.  His  countenance  glowed with  health  and  vitality  and  his  calm,  poised bearing  inspired wonderful admiration and confidence. But while  I felt  perfectly  at  ease  in  his  company,  I  also  felt  the force  of  some presence  in  him  that  I  could  neither  understand  or  describe. Whatever it was, it had the effect of putting one at ease and yet had the  tendency  to  command  respect  for  something one  did  not understand. While  I  felt greatly  relieved after  the excitement of  the previous day, yet  I found difficulty  in concealing  the emotions  that surged up within me,  for  I  felt satisfied and convinced that he had something  that  I  sorely  needed  and  I  had  the  strangest  fear  lest something might occur even then to prevent my getting it.

He  broke  a momentary  silence  that  seemed  hours  to me  by asking,  “Tom, do I  look any different  than  the day  I  left?”  I had  to admit  that  he  was  both  a  revelation  and  a  mystery  to  me.  He continued, “It was in a theatre in London that I met the man, or the Master, as he is called, that I am deeply grateful for the privilege of calling my  friend. Tom, you didn’t know that I  left here determined to end  it all. I had made such a mess of my affairs. But I  feared to live and I feared to die. I couldn’t rest. To keep moving was my only relief. I guess I was what the world would call a hopeless case.

“As  I  look back upon  that evening  in London, how well  I now realize  that my utter  despondency  and  the  intense  longing  to  find something to relieve me drew me and my dear friend together. I had decided upon a regular orchestra seat, but discovered that for some unexplainable reason  I had ordered a box and  found myself seated beside  my  friend.  Extraordinary  happenings,  such  as  this,  occur frequently  to many  of  us  and  are  explained  away,  because  of  our ignorance, as merely coincidences. But I know differently now.

“I could  feel  that my  uneasiness  attracted  his  attention.  The wonderful radiance of his countenance assured me that he was an unusual personage and I felt an instinctive urge to open my heart to him. The remark,  ‘I  am  sorely troubled,’  uttered  by  a  character upon the stage started our acquaintance. I replied ‘so am I,’ in just a whisper, but my  friend heard  it and turning to me he asked, ‘are you  troubled?’  I nodded my head  in  response and you may believe me or not, but almost immediately I was at ease. Something seemed to tell me that I had the good fortune of being in the presence of one of  those  great  spiritual  people  of  whom  I  had  read  quite  a  bit  in earlier years.

“I felt convinced that  I had met my deliverer, and at the close of  the  performance  was  overjoyed  at  his  invitation  to  accompany him to a nearby cafe. I noticed that the attention of those in the cafe  was drawn toward him as we entered and that the management was noticeably  respectful and courteous toward him. Having convinced myself  that  this  man  possessed  some  sort  of  magical  power,  I determined  to ask him all  the questions  that  I  could  think  of and with his permission make notes of his answers.

“Learning  that  he was  taking  a steamer  for New  York  the  next day, I asked if I might accompany him, to which he assented. At the conclusion of our talk I observed that he merely wrote his initials on the  bill  and  as we  stepped  outside  to  call  a  cab.  I  questioned him regarding  this  and  he  admitted  that  he  was  not  known  there,  as this was  his  first  visit  to  the  place,  but  he  assured  me  that  they would be paid, adding, ‘I did this to show you that man in his right domain controls every situation.’ I was still puzzled, but carried the subject  no  further,  hoping  that  it would  all  be made  plain  to me later.

“That night, as  I  lay  in a doze,  the events of  the evening kept passing through my mind and at times I found difficulty in realizing that my good fortune was real, rather than the illusion of a dream. That night I had the first peaceful sleep in months.”


"The Message of a Master:
A Classic Tale of Wealth, Wisdom, & the Secret of Success
"

by John McDonald

Order in Adobe PDF eBook or printed form for $5.95 (+ printing charge)




or click here to order from Amazon.com for $8.95