Uell Stanley Andersen

Uell Stanley Andersen (also known as U.S. Andersen and Uell S. Andersen) (September 14, 1917 – September 24, 1986)^[1] was an American self-help and short story author during the 1950s and 1960s. He is best known for his book, Three Magic Words, which has been linked to the Law of Attraction.

Biography

Born to Norwegian-American parents in Portland, Oregon, Andersen attended Stanford University. Andersen was a professional football player who played for the Cleveland Rams (1940–41) and the Detroit Lions (1941). During World War II, he served as a naval officer and as a gunnery officer on a destroyer escort. Subsequently, he had a number of careers, including running an advertising agency, wildcatting for oil and logging at the Columbia Sawmill.

In 1952, Andersen began teaching a class on New Thought. The lessons from that class became his book, Three Magic Words,^[2] which has subsequently become a classic in the New Thought literature. The book has been linked to the New Age philosophical concept known as the Law of Attraction.

Andersen's short story Turn Ever so Quickly was included in the anthology The Best American Short Stories of 1963. He died in September 1986 in Lincoln City, Oregon. ^[3]

Philosophy

In Three Magic Words, Andersen makes the argument that the physical world is derived from the mental. He argues that a sustained mental image, if backed by faith (i.e. a belief that the image is real, or will become real), will become reality.^[4]

Andersen taught the concept of a "spiritual prototype," which originated in the New Thought literature in the early 20th century. Specifically, he said the following:

All things and all circumstances must first be created on the mental plane. When such creation is clear-cut and born of faith and conviction, nothing can stop this image from becoming real. Once this image has come into your mind and you have accepted, you have done all that it is necessary for you to do. All the process of creation—time place, and circumstance—must be left in the hands of the all-knowing Subconcious Mind. The physical circumstance you desire may come from a direction you expect or it may come in such a way and such a manner as you have never dreamed. Don't strain or urge or be impatient. Simply have faith and let go...You have nothing to do but create the mental image with complete faith, and with that simple act the process is completely done. Be assured that the image will become real in your physical world, for you are dealing with law and law alone.^[5]

In other words, his philosophy is similar to that in the New Testament, which teaches, "As ye believe, so shall it be done unto you.".^[6] More recently, this idea is reflected in the book, The Secret, by Rhonda Byrne.^[7]

Andersen argued that it was possible to prove his theory by conducting a few mental experiments, aided by means of meditation. After running these experiments, with complete faith in the outcome, it is possible to demonstrate—at least on a subjective basis—that there is a relationship between thought and physical reality.

The remainder of Andersen's theory followed from that simple premise. Since physical matter is created first on the mental plane, Andersen argued that good and evil events were also created by thought. This leads to a startling conclusion. If evil is created first on a mental plane by thought, then it becomes possible to abolish evil by refusing to believe in its existence. Andersen argued that evil was error, and that mankind should simply refuse to accept its existence. Specifically, he wrote the following:

If we know that evil proceeds from thought just as good proceeds from thought, we can establish eternal sentinel on our minds to guide our thoughts in the paths of good and progress...Being illusion, evil dissipates with consummate ease.^[8]

Establishing sentinel over our thoughts is not as easy as it sounds. Andersen recognized that humans are constrained by existing beliefs about themselves and the world, fixed in their subconscious by past experience. He called this the "lock," because it made it difficult for a person to believe in the desired outcome. Andersen argued that it was possible to break the lock of negative past experiences by means of meditation, and steadfastly creating mental images of the desired outcome.^[9] He recommended daily meditation, in support of his thought experiments. "Only hundreds of pages of discourse and proof will weaken its prejudice."^[10]

Non-fiction

• Three Magic Words (1954)
• The Secret of Secrets: Your Key to Subconscious Power (1958)
• The Magic in Your Mind (1961)
• Success Cybernetics: Practical Applications of Human Cybernetics (1970)
• The Key to Power and Personal Peace (1972)
• The Greatest Power in the Universe (1976)
• The Secret Power of the Pyramids (1977)

Fiction

• The Smoldering Sea (1953, novel)
• Hard and Fast (novel)
• Turn Ever so Quickly (short story)
• The Other Jesus (1960, Muhlenberg Press, novel)
• The Charlatans (screenplay)

Adaptations

The 2010 documentary film 3 Magic Words was inspired by Andersen's book Three Magic Words. The film was written, directed, and produced by Michael Perlin and co-produced by Maura Hoffman. The film was produced over four years.^[11] The lead is played by Gabriella Ethereal and the film is narrated by Cameron Smith.

The film uses interviews, computer-animated graphics, and narration to address the question "Who Am I?". It does this while following a fictional account of a self-destructive young woman who has recently come out of a coma and doesn't know who she is. People interviewed in the film include Neale Donald Walsch, Gary Renard, Debbie Ford, Jasmuheen, and others.^[12][13] The film covers spiritual concepts from eastern mysticism and the New Age movement.^[14]

References

External links

• 2010 documentary's official website
• 3 Magic Words on IMDb