The Game of Life and How to Play It

The Game of Life and How to Play It is a short work of metaphysics by American artist, illustrator, and New Thought teacher Florence Scovel Shinn. Published in 1925, this book explores the foundations of Shinn’s philosophy — that what one puts out into the world is what one receives back.

Her primary philosophy, explained in The Game of Life and How to Play It, is that, “The Game of Life is a game of boomerangs. Man's thoughts, deeds and words, return to him sooner or later, with astounding accuracy.” But while she refers to it as “a game,” Shinn acknowledges that it’s not an easy one to play. Plagued with fear and self-doubt, it’s a constant struggle to maintain control of one’s thoughts.

Drawing from the Bible and anecdotes as her primary sources, she explores the subconscious, conscious, and superconscious minds, and how they work together either in service of or opposition to our wants and desires.

The subconscious is “power, without direction.” It has the ability to bring about the events that the conscious mind observes or images. This can be a wonderful thing if we’re able to direct this power to our own benefit. But if we submit to doubts and negative self-talk, we can create the very circumstances that we hope to avoid.

The conscious mind sees life as it appears to be. It observes and impresses the subconscious with its interpretations of what it sees — and these are often negative thoughts. In order to convince the subconscious mind, one must only bring that which serves it through one’s consciousness. This can be done through affirmations, and by behaving as if one already has the gifts they seek.

Shinn was not the first to espouse these ideas. Where she stands out in the sea of metaphysical writers was the accessibility of her language. Written in simple English, with plenty of examples and illustrations, Shinn is able to connect with readers who may be exploring the topic for the first time.