BF 115 2 .& 'f :i. Itiir ' Tj ' ' ' 4 •••,•■; r, -.■■ I "V''', ;; • 1' ■ ; i I ■. • •, • 1 1 ' , I, ..4, ; • , -t' ^i''sj\':^i^':-'-\\-\: 'f't'; , ■< Qass Book ,A9 > lisa A SERIES OF LESSONS IN Personal Magnetism, Psychic Influence, THOUGHT-FORCE, CONCENTRATION, WILL-POWER AND PRACTICAL MENTAL SCIENCE. By VILLIAM WALKER ATKINSON, LL. D. / am attacked by two very opposite sects — th» Scientists and the Know-Nothings. Both laugh at me, calling me "the Frog^ s Dancing Master." Yet I know that I have discovered one of the greatest forces in Nature.— Galvini, The University of Psychic Science, (INCORPORATED) 3975-3987 Cottage Grove Avenoe Chicago, m., U. S. A. 1901. Copyright By The University of Psychic Sdence 1900 All Rights Reserved 'ifif'y y '/ To THE Memory of T Prentice Mulford, A DIAMOND WHOSE RADIANCE HAS BEEN TEMPORARILY OBSCURED BY THE MERETRICIOUS GLITTER OP PASTE IMITATIONS, THIS LITTLE BOOK IS REVERENTLY DEDICATED, BY ONE WHO REGRETS HIS INABILITY TO LAY A MORE WORTHY OFFER- ING UPON THE NEGLECTED SHRINE. "LEST WE FORGET." f ( * I? PREFACE. In justice to myself, I think it well to state that this work has been somewhat hastily prepared from the notes used by me in cer- tain of my lectures, the lessons given herein practically being the syllabi of the said lectures. In the lectures, and in this work, my one and only purpose has been to acquaint the student with the means of developing, and effectively using, the mighty forces latent within him — Personal Magnetism and Psychic Influence. To this end I have sacrificed all pretensions to literary style, all attempts to secure felicity of diction. I felt that I had a message to deliver, and I endeavored to de- liver it promptly, clearly and plainly, without any attempt at *^fine writing." If a homely word seemed to express my thought — I used it. If a slang term or semi-slang phrase seemed to fit in — in it went. I trust that my critics will spare themselves the trouble of pointing out my many defects of style and composition — I fully realize these things. I have subordinated everything else, in my endeavor to make this work plain and practical. This is an ex- planation, not an apology. With the above understanding between us, I submit this little work to your kind consideration. Whilst fully cognizant of its defects, I still feel that it will be helpful to some of the many who are endeavoring to overcome unfavorable environments ; that it may serve as a guide-post, pointing out the path to better things. I feel that it will do its share of the work of removing Fearthought from the minds of men; of replacing "I can't'''' with "I can and I WILL." I feel that it must do these things, for it contains within it the germs of a mighty Truth. W. W. A, Chicago, III., December 4, 1900. CONTENTS. PAGB Lesson I. Salutatory 9 Lesson II. The Nature of the Force 13 Lesson III. How Thought Force Can Aid You 18 Lesson IV. Direct Psychic Influence 22 Lesson V. A Little Worldly Wisdom 29 Lesson VI. The Power of the Eye 33 Lesson VII. The Magnetic Gaze 37^ Lesson VIII. The Volic Force 42 Lesson IX. Direct Volation 46 Lesson X. Telepathic Volation 56 Lesson XI. The Adductive Quality of Thought 64 Lesson XII. Character Building By Mental Control.... 72 Lesson XIII. The Art of Concentering 83 Lesson XIV. The Practice of Concentering 89 Lesson XV. Valedictory 95 • The nearer to the practical men keep — The less they deal in vague and abstract things— The less they deal in huge, mysterious words— The mightier is their power. The simple peasant who observes a truth* And from the fact deduces principle, Adds solid treasure to the public wealth. The theorist who dreams a rainbow dream. And calls hypothesis philosophy. At best is but a paper financier Who palms his specious promises for gold. Facts are the basis of philosophy; Philosophy the harmony oifacts.^^ —Thomas L, Harris, in "Lyrics of a Golden Age* SALUTATORY. LESSON I. SALUTATORY. Views of other writers — Erroneous theories — Vegetarianism — Celibacy — Vital fluid — Deep Breathing — Real progress made by investiga- tion, not by theories — Existence of personal magnetism unques- tioned — A self-evident truth — Results, not theories — No pet theories advanced — Accept nothing that you cannot demonstrate. "Theories are but mighty soap-bubbles, with which the grown-up children of science amuse themselves." The majority of writers upon this subject have devoted nearly all their efforts, as well as their space, to proving, first, that Per- sonal Magnetism really existed ; and, secondly, that the phenomenon was best accounted for by some pet theory of their ov/n. Some attribute the power of influencing men to the use of a vegetarian diet, notwithstanding the fact that some of the most "magnetic" in- dividuals "make graveyards of their stomachs." Others insist that in celibacy and abstinence from sexual intercourse may be found the secret, notwithstanding the fact that the majority of "magnetic" individuals do not differ in their sexual customs from their less magnetic brothers. Others hold that the "magnetic" force abounds in the air around us, and that, therefore, deep breathing will enable us to absorb great quantities of the vital fluid, charging ourselves with the force in the manner of the storage battery. And so on, each with his little pet theory. Now, I have no fault to find with the systems above mentioned. Although not a strict vegetarian, I sympathize with those of that belief ; although not leading a life of celibacy, I see much good in the doctrine of continence, and there can be no two opinions as to the merits of chastity ; whilst not accepting the theory of the absorp- tion of "magnetic force" from the earth's atmosphere, I am a firm advocate of, and believer in, "deep breathing," and believe that if 10 PERSONAL MAGNETISM. the same was universally practiced much sickness and physical weakness would disappear from the earth. All these things are good, but a little reflection will show anyone that they are not the prime factors in the production of the quality known as "Per- sonal Magnetism." The writers on the subject usually conclude by telling their readers of the wonderful possibilities open to anyone who can acquire this power and learn how to use it. They, how- ever, say little or nothing of how this force may be acquired, that is, beyond stating their theories. They deliver discourses — but do not instruct. They are preachers — not teachers. They dwell upon theories — and neglect facts. The real progress in this branch of scientific research has been made, not by writers or theorists, but by a few earnest investiga- tors who have conducted numberless experiments, and have ex- plored every avenue of information, and who have brought this wonderful subject out of the realms of mere speculation and placed it upon a scientific basis. The writer has been a close student and investigator of this subject for many j^ears, and the present work is an attempt to give to his students some of the fundamental principles derived from the investigations and practical experiments of himself and his co-workers in this field. Our lessons therefore will be confined, so far as is possible, to statements of proven facts, and practical instruction, touching upon theory only when absolutely necessary. In my opinion, I would insult your intelligence if I were to present to you an elaborate argument, the purpose of which would be an attempt to prove the existence of that wonderful force, latent in man, developed by the few, but possible of acquirement by all; that mj^sterious quality called, for want of a better name — Personal Magnetism. To set out to prove its existence, would be akin to an attempt to convince the average intelligent man of the fact that the magnet influences the needle; that the X rays penetrate the body of man or a still more solid object; that a message can be conveyed by electricity, along a beam of light, or even, by wireless telegraphy, through the air without the need of any other medium. Every SALUTATORY. II intelligent person is aware of the existence of the above mentioned phenomena, and does not need to have the same] demonstrated to him. If he is interested in the subject at all, ne wishes to be taught how to operate these forces, so that he may be able to re- produce the experiments himself. This is equally true of the student of Personal Magnetism. He has long since learned that such a force exists. He sees it around him every day, and knows of the wonders that are accomplished by its aid. He, possibly, is aware that he has developed the force to a: certain degree, and what he wants, in any event, is to become acquainted with the means whereby he can fully develop and intelligently use the force latent within him. I, therefore, shall make no attempt to demonstrate the existence of this force, believing it to be self- evident. I also intend to avoid a tiresome discussion of the numerous theories which have been advanced to account for the phenomenon of Personal Magnetism. I have no pet theory to advance. I will endeavor to teach you how to obtain results, and you can then read up on the subject of theories, or possibly formulate a new theory of your own. I will state briefly my own conception of the cause underl5dng the phenomena alluded to in this work, but I shall not attempt to force my views upon you. You are at liberty to accept or reject any theory, as the result in no way depends upon any special form of belief. Many of those who have obtained the best results, have discarded one theory after another, and now say that they do not attempt to explain the real cause underljdng the results, being content to work on, without a dogmatic theory, so long as they know how to obtain the results. With this explanation, I will leave the land of theory and enter into the realm of practice, and will endeavor to so instruct you along the lines of the development and use of this mighty force, that you may reproduce the results already obtained by others, and perhaps may become investigators and leaders in the work of blazing the way through the woods of superstition and mystery with which the subject has been surrounded so long. I will ask you to accept nothing that you cannot prove to your own satis- 12 PERSONAL MAGNETISM. faction, by your own experiments, after you have acquired a work- ing knowledge of the subject. In our next lesson we will take up the subject of the nature of the force. THE NATURE OF THE FORCE. 13 LESSON IL THE NATUEE OF THE FOKCE. The force not magnetic in its nature — Subtle current of thought-waves — Thoughts are things — Our thoughts afifect ourselves as well as others — Change of appearance following change of occupation — Thoughts take form in action — Thought the greatest force in the world — "I can and I will" vs. "I can't" — Practical instruction not transcendental discourses — The adductive power of thought — Fear thoughts the root of injurious thinking. To the minds of most people the term Personal Magnetism conveys the idea of a current radiating from the person of the J magnetic individual, drawing to him all those within the radius of his magnetic force. This idea, whilst on the whole erroneous, still contains within it the germ of the real truth. There is a current of attracting force radiating from man, but it is not a mag- netic force in so far as the term "magnetism" implies some con- nection with the lodestone or electricity. The human magnetic current, whilst bearing some resemblance to these two familiar forces in its effects, has no real connection with them so far as is concerned its origin or intrinsic nature. That which we call Personal Magnetism is the subtle current of thought-waves, or thought-vibrations, projected from the hu- man mind. Every thought created by our minds is a force of greater or lesser intensity, varying in strength according to the im- petus imparted to it at the time of its creation. When we think, we send from us a subtle current, which travels along like a ray of light, and has its influence on the minds of others who are often far removed from us by space, a forceful thought will go on its errand charged with a mighty power, and will often beat down the instinctive resistance of the minds of others to outside im- pressions, whilst a weak thought will be unable to obtain an en- 14 PERSONAL MAGNETISM. trance to the mental castle of another, unless that castle be but poorly guarded. Eepeated thoughts along the same lines, sent , one after the other, will often effect an entrance where a single / thought-wave, although much stronger, will be repulsed. It is an exhibition of a physical law in the psychical world, and exem- plifies the old saying about steady dripping wearing away a stone. We are all influenced much more than we are aware by the thoughts of others. I do not mean by their opinions, but by their thoughts. A great writer on the subject very truly says : "Thoughts are Things." They are things, and most powerful things at that. Unless we understand this fact, we are at the mercy of a mighty force, of whose nature we know nothing, and whose very existence many of us deny. On the other hand, if we understand the nature amd laws governing this wonderful force, we can master it and render it our instrument and assistant. Every thought created by us, weak or strong, good or bad, healthy or unhealthy, sends out its vibratory waves, which affect, to a greater or lesser extent, all with whom we come in contact, roT who may come within the radius of our thought vibrations. Thought waves are like the ripples on a pond caused by the cast- ing in of a pebble. They move in constantly widening circles, radiating from a central point. Of course, if an impulse projects the thought waves forcibly toward a certain object, its force will be felt more strongly at- that point. / Besides affecting others, our thoughts affect us, not only tem- /porarily, but permanently. We are what we think ourselves into I being. The Biblical statement that "as a man thinketh in his lieart, so is he," is literally correct. We are all creatures of our own mental creating. You know how easy it is to think yourself J) .into a ^TdIuc" state of mind, or the reverse, but you do not realize I that repeated thought upon a certain line will manifest itself not ' only in character (which it certainly does), but also in the physical \appearance of the thinker. This is a demonstrable fact, and you have but to look around you to realize it. You have noticed how a man's occupation shows itself in his appearance and general THE NATURE OF THE FORCE. 15 character. What do you suppose occasions this phenomenon? Nothing more nor less than that thought. If you ever have changed your occupation, your general character and appearance kept pace • with your changed habits of thought. Your new occupation brought out a new train of thought, and "Thoughts take form in Action." You may have never taken this view of the matter, but it is true nevertheless, and you may find ample proof of its correctness by merely looking around you. A man who thinks Energy, manifests Energy. The man who A thinks Courage, manifests Courage. The man who thinks "I can i and- I will" "gets there," while the "I can't" man "gets left." J You know that to be true. Now, what causes the difference? (^hought — just plain every-day thinking, that's all. Of course, the action follows the thought. But why? Just because it can- not help itself. Action follows as the natural result of vigorous thinking. You think in earnest, and action does the rest. Thought is the greatest thing in the world. If you do not know it now, you will before you are through with this course of lessons. You may say that this is no new thing to you — that you knew all about ^'making up your mind," and all that sort of thing, long ago. Then why did you not put it into practice and make something of yourself? I will tell you the trouble. You thought "I Can't" instead of "I Can," Now, I am going to change that "I Can't" into a big ""/ Can" and a bigger "I Will."' That is what I am here for, and I intend to "make you over," before I am through with you. I suppose that you thought I would give you an elaborate, transcendental discourse on things away up in the clouds, and hoped that I would tell you how to charge yourself up with a lot of magnetism, so that you would be able to light the gas with the tips of your fingers, or draw everybody to you like a piece of steel to a magnet, now, didn't you ? Well, I am not. But I intend to tell you how you can generate in yourself a force, compared with which magnetism is weak; a force that will make a man of you; a force that will make you realize the I AM within you. A power that will enable you to be a man of strong personal quali- 16 PERSONAL MAGNETISM. ties; a man of influenee; a successful man. I will tell you how you can acquire that ^hich you have been calling Personal Mag- netism, providing you will start at it in earnest. It is worth work- ing for, and when you feel your new strength developing within you, you would not exchange your new found knowledge for a fortune. ^/ Why, you feel a little stronger already, don't you ? Of course / you do. I never have talked five minutes to a class of students about "I Can and I Will" and about the I AM within them with- out their throwing back their shoulders, raising their heads, taking a long breath, and looking me square in the eyes as a man or woman should. It was "thought manifesting itself in action." Do you i see the point? I had planted the little seed of self-knowledge, \ and it had begun to sprout. Before I conclude this lesson, I wish to direct your attention 'to one other very important thing about thought, and that is the Adductive Power of Thought. Pay attention to this, please, as it is of the highest importance. Avoiding all attempts at a scientific explanation, and keeping away from technical terms, I will state the matter concisely thus : . Thoughts attract like thoughts ; the good thought attracts other / good thoughts; the bad thoughts, the bad; thoughts of strength, / likewise; thoughts of discouragement and doubt follow the rule, l^ and so on through the entire gamut of thoughts. Your thought attracts to it the corresponding thoughts of otherT; and increases your stock of that particular kind of thought. Do' you see the point? Think Fear thoughts, and you draw to your- self all the Fear thought in that neighborhood. The harder you think it, the greater supply of undesirable thought flocks to you. ( Think "I am Fearless," and all the courageous thought force within your radius will move towards you, and will aid you. Try it. That is, try the latter. Don't think Fear thoughts. Do you know that Fear and its oldest child, Worry, are at the bottom of more misery, more unhappiness, more failures, than anything else in the world. Fear and Hate are the parents of all the vile thoughts. I will go into this matter with you at greater length in subse- THE NATURE OF THE FORCE. H quent lessons, but let me urge upon you now, with all the earn- estness of which I am capable, to tear out those vile weeds — Fear and Hate. Tear them out by the roots. They spoil the whole garden and breed hosts of other weeds, such as Worry, Doubt,, Timidity, Lack of Self Kespect, Jealousy, Spite, Malice, Envy^ > Slander and Morbid Ideas. I am not trying to preach you a sermon, but I know that these vile thoughts are hindering your progress, and you will realize it, too, if you will stop to think for a moment. Open the blinds, and let the pure sunshine of Bright, Cheerful and Happy thoughts pour in, and the microbes of Doubt and Despair and Failure will leave, and seek more congenial quarters. If you were my dearest friend, and I knew that this message would be my last on earth, I would shout to you, as loud as my vocal organs would permit: "Let Go op Feae and Hate iThoughts.'* 18 PERSONAL MAGNETISM. LESSON III. HOW THOUGHT FORCE CAN A,1D YOU. Success dependent upon Personal Influence — "Strong" men "arrive"^ Apparent exceptions to the rule — When negative men produce, positive men reap the benefit — Money the material manifestation of success — Money a means, not an end — The Law of Mental Control — Influence through suggestion — Influence by thought vibrations — Influence bx thought's adductive power — Influence acquired by character building. I am addressing you upon the supposition that you are desirous of developing the forces within you, for the purpose of attaining success. Success in life depends very materially upon the posses^X sion of the quality of attracting and influencing our fellow-men._^ No matter what other qualities you may possess, you are handi- capped by a lack of that subtle force which we are in the habit of calling Personal Magnetism. Look around you and you will see that nearly every man who has "arrived" is possessed of the ability to attract, persuade, influence or control his fellows. They are all what is known as "strong" men. There are a few excep- tions to this great rule, and these exceptions only go to prove the rule itself. These exceptions are usually found among men who have demonstrated their success along lines of art, scientific research, invention, literary work, etc., and it will readily be seen that their success, from the very nature of things, depends more upon a close, concentrated, plodding research or effort, rather than upon push, energy, force and knowledge of human nature, or ability to handle men. These men are successful in their own lines of endeavor, but, as a rule, the results of their labor are reaped by others of a more worldly turn of mind. If these burners of midnight oil meet with financial success, it is because some more positive man has taken charge of the business end of their work HOW THOUGHT FORCE CAN AID YOU. 19 and pushed it through, in which case the said positive man usually reaps the lion's share. This being the true state of affairs, I am Justified in regarding success as meaning the attaining of financial reward, and that must depend largely upon the Personal Magnetism of the seeker after success. The inventor, student, writer, and scientist can be greatly benefited by an understanding of the intelligent use of the powers of Mental Control, but to the "man among men'' re- mains the privilege of securing the best results of that wonderful power, for it brings him not only Success, but also its material manifestation — Money. Money, regarded as mere money, is not a high ideal, but re- garded as the means of surrounding ourselves with the best things of life, it becomes no unworthy goal for human endeavor. I, therefore, feel justified in treating it as the end to be sought after. To repeat, success in life depends largely upon our ability to interest, attract, influence and control our fellow men. I do not think that you will require any argument upon that point, that is, if you have had any acquaintance, whatever, with the world of men and affairs. The next thing is to learn how this wonderful and valuable power may be acquired. The answer is : by the mastery of the law of Mental Control. That is the secret of not only Personal Mag- netism, but also of Success in Life and of Happiness as well. To the man or woman who masters this law, the world is an oyster to be opened and enjoyed in comfort. Even he who lacks the appli- cation and perserverence to follow up the exercises for the devel- opment of his latent powers, will be stronger and more positive from a mere acquaintance with the subject. "This is all very well," you say, "hut tell us how we may develop this power." That is just what I am doing now. I am leading you up to an understanding of the theory, by easy steps. I wish the idea to unfold naturally, so as to avoid giving you mental dyspepsia. Now, for a summing up of the general theory, before I take up the subject in detail. 20 PERSONAL MAGNETISM. I have told j'^ou that the power of thought could be used in a number of ways in the direction of influencing men and gaining success, I have given you an idea of how thought operates in the direction named. Before proceeding to our next lesson, I think it well to again call your attention to the several different ways in which thought can aid you in attaining success, through the influencing of men. Thought will aid you in the following manner: 1, By the use of your positive thought force in the direction of directly influencing men in person, through the law of Sug- gestion. By this I mean that you will be able to interest men in your schemes and plans, enlist their aid, secure their patronage,* and influence them generally. This faculty, natural to some men, can be acquired by any man or woman who has the will power and perseverence to develop it within them. Most students of the subject are desirous of acquiring knowledge of this branch of - Mental Control before the other phases of the subject, and I, there- fore, will take it up in my next lesson. 3. By the power of direct thought vibrations set in motion by your mind, which will exert a powerful effect upon the minds of others, unless they understand the secret of guarding against these forces and rendering themselves positive to others. An under- standing of this law will also enable you to present a positive mental attitude toward the thought waves emanating from the minds of others. 3. By the power of the adductive qualities of thought, which works upon the theory of "like attracts like." By holding certain thoughts, constantly, in your mind, you attract to you thoughts and influences of like nature, from the great body of thought _ surrounding us, unseen, but all powerful. This power is one of the strongest forces in nature, and if properly used will attract assistance from the most unexpected quarters. "Thoughts are Things," and possess a wonderful power of attracting to them- selves other thought waves of the same vibratory pitch and quality. 4. By the power of thought in shaping your character and HOW THOUGHT FORCE CAN AID YOU. 21 temperament to meet the requirements of your organization. You lack certain qualities needful for your success. You know it as well, if not better, than anyone else, but you have been deluded by a belief that these shortcomings were a part of you and that "the leopard cannot change his spots.'^ To you the study of the Law of Mental Control comes as a mighty ally, for you can overcome these deficiencies, and can acquire new characteristics and qualities, as well as learning how to strengthen those which you have already. I will endeavor to start you upon the right road, by this series of lessons. I will point out the way for you, but you must do the work yourself. Every man must work out his own salvation, in this study, as in every other branch of human endeavor. PERSONAL MAGNETISM. LESSON IV. DIRECT PSYCHIC INFLUENCE. , Influence in a personal interview — The three great methods — Direct sug- gestion — Thought waves — The adductive quality of thought — What is Suggestion — The Dual Mind — Hypnotic Suggestion — The Active and Passive functions — The qualities of the two functions — Human sheep — The two brother-partners — The Passive brother — The Active brother — Their respective traits — The "dead-easy" man — The "hard- as-nails" man — How to elude the vigilant partner — Never take No! for an answer, in business or in love — Forttine is feminine — Love laughs at locksmiths — Confidence will win the day. In this and the next lesson I will endeavor to make plain to you the process whereby an individual exerts an influence over his fellow men, in a personal interview, and interests them in his schemes and plans; enlists their aid and support; secures their patronage ; and influences them generally. We all know men who are able to accomplish these results, and yet we content ourselves with wondering at their strange power, without endeavoring to acquire it. The art of influencing men or women whilst we are in their presence, of necessity includes the other several methods of mental influence mentioned in the preceding lessons, and partakes of the nature of each. It is difficult to speak intelligently of this phase of mental influence, without covering the entire ground in- tended to be explained in subsequent lessons. I must content myself with a general reference to these several different branches of the subject, as you will meet them later on, at which time I will take them up at greater length. I would suggest that after completing this series of lessons you take up this particular lesson again, and go over it carefully a second time. You will have a much clearer idea of the subject then, and many things which DIRECT PSYCHIC INFLUENCE. 23 now seem more or less vague and unsatisfactory, will appear clear and easily understood. In influencing men whom we meet face to face, we affect them in a number of ways, which may be roughly summed up in three forms, viz. : 1. By direct suggestion through the voice, manner, appear-^j ance and eye. This includes not only voluntary suggestions on our \ part, but also the suggestions made involuntarily by every earnest / man. 2. By thought waves directed to the other person by a voW uhtary effort of our mind. 3. By the adductive quality of thought, resulting from the ] process of controlled thought, of which I spoke in the preceding lesson. This force, once generated, operates involuntarily and constitutes the most striking phase of what we call Personal 1 Magnetism. In this lesson I shall confine myself to the first mentioned form of personal influence, and will take up the succeeding forms in subsequent lessons. It is a most difficult task to give an intelligent comprehensive idea of the subject of Suggestion, in the limited space at my disposal. If the student has acquainted himself with the prin- ciples underlying H}^notism or Hj^notic Suggestion, he will readily understand just what I mean when I say "Suggestion.'^ To those who have not had this advantage, I will say that a sug-^ gestion is "an impression, consciously o r unconsciously receive d^ / C through any of our senses." We are constantly accepting or re-N jecting suggestions, the acceptance or rejection depending upon the / degree of suggestibility in ourselves, the degree being caused byS (the development or cultivation of the non-receptive qualities of the J mind. We cannot attempt to go deeply into the subject of what is known as the Dual Mind in man, which has been variously desig- nated as the Objective and Subjective minds; the Voluntary,^ . and Involuntary mmds ; the Conscious and Subconscious minds, \ etc. If the student is desirous of acquainting himself fully with this subject, I would suggest that he take up some good work on 24 PERSONAL MAGNETISM. Hypnotism or Hypnotic Suggestion. There are several good books on this subject, but I would suggest the works of Dr. Herbert A. Parkyn as best fitted for his purpose.* In order that the student may grasp the idea that I wish to convey regarding the use of suggestion as a means of exerting personal influence, I would have him understand that the mind has two general functions, which (following the terms used by me in my other writings) are known as the Active Function and the Pass^V ive Function, respectively. The Active function does the volun^s. tary, volitional thinking, and also manifests what we call "will^ j^ower." It is the function used frequently by the active, energetic, vigorous, wide-awake man, in his busy moments. The Passivej function does the instinctive, automatic, involuntary thinkms, /exhilbiting no "will power" and manifesting on entirely contrary lines from the Active function. The Passive^ function is a most valuable servant of man, and really performs the greater part of (his mental work, doing all the drudgery and fulfilling its allotted (f^sk without receiving praise or thanks. It works uncomplainA ingly, and apparently without an effort, and never seems to tire. 1 The Active_funetion, on the other hand, works only at the prompt- ings of the will, and uses up a greater amount of nervous forced { than its Passive brother. It does the energetic active work of the mind, and tires after a great deal of effort and cries out for rest. You are conscious of more or less effort when you employ [the Active function, but not so when you use the easy-going, faith- ful, good-natured Passive function. I think that you understand the distinctive features of these two functions, from this brief , explanation. Some persons do nearly all their thinking along Passive lineslj Such persons find it too much of a task to do their own thinking, and prefer the "ready made'' thoughts of others, to that of their _ own production. They are practically human sheep. They are j very credulous and will accept almost any statement made to them ' '^These works may be obtained from the University of Psychic Sci- ence, Chicago. DIRECT PSYCHIC INFLUENCE. 25 in an earnest, positive manner. These people are very suggestible and are practicall)^ at the mercy of those of a more active mind. They find it hard to say "No/' and are inclined to say "Yes" if it is easier and requires less thinking. Others are not quite so siig-\ gestible, and some are scarcely suggestible at all, at times.- But ' (the latter, when they relax and give_their Active functipng__a_rest, \ are much more suggestible than at other times. ^ To enable you to form a mental picture of the two functions, for the purpose of carrying out the instructions given in this course, I will ask you to imagine a pair of twins who are associated as partners in a business enterprise. They look exactly alike, but have very different qualities, and each one is well fitted for the performance of the special duties which he has undertaken. They share equally in the profits and losses of the business. The Passive brother attends to receiving goods; filling orders; packing goods; keeping the stock in order, etc., while the Active brother attends to selling the goods; the general management of affairs; financiering; pushing things along, and, in short, is the executive of the concern and its active spirit. When it comes to the buying of goods, however, both brothers take a hand. The Passive brother is a good-natured, easy-going, "dead-easy^* sort of fellow; a plodding, automatic, mechanical sort of man. He is somewhat "set" in his notions, rather superstitious and bigoted, but very credulous and apt to believe almost anything one may tell him, providing the new statement does not directly conflict with some of his preconceived notions. To get a radically new idea into his head it is necessary to "insinuate" it into him, hj degrees. He is in the habit of deferring to the opinions of his brother, when the latter is around, and, in his brother's absence, to the opinions of other people. He will be apt to grant you any favor or give you almost an3'thing you ask, providing you make the request in a firm, confident manner. He is afraid of hurting your feelings by a refusal, and will promise you anything to get rid of you, and to avoid giving you a positive refusal. You can sell him almost anything if his brother is not watching him, if you go about it right. All you have to do is to put on a bold, confident front, and take things for granted. You know the type. 26 PERSONAL MAGNETISM. The Active brother, however, is a very different sort of a fellow. He is a suspicious, watchful, wide-awake, 'Tiard as nails'* sort of individual. There is no nonsense about him. He finds • it necessary to keep a close watch on his Passive brother in order that the interests of the firm do not suffer. The Passive brothe^ (is always getting "stuck" by somebody, or on something, and really needs some sort of a guardian, and if the Active fellow ^ happens to take a nap or be too busy with his work to keep an. • eye on the Passive brother, something is sure to happen to the_y' latter. The Active partner, accordingly, is not inclined to allow\ you to meet the Passive brother, until he knows you pretty well,] or thinks that you have no designs on the easy fellow. He watches you carefully and inquires into your business, and tries > to find what you are up to, before he will allow you to see the J other partner. If he thinks that you have designs on the easy fellow, he will tell you that his easy brother is out, etc. Even if he allows you to see his brother, he will watch every motion and listen to every word, and in case he thinks that you are txjing to play some sort of a game on the easy man, he will put his foot down on the scheme and call the deal off. He considers every proposition, and accepts it, if reasonable, or rejects it if not. Hi&i (grows less suspicious when he becomes accustomed to your pres- ) jence, and may even grow to have considerable confidence in you.^ He also may be entertained and amused, at which times he relaxes) \Jbis vigilance and grows less suspicious. If his suspicions are once\ allayed, you may be able to get in a word with the other brother, y (in which case you have made a great advance, for the easy brother, ■once acquainted with you, will himself contrive to make the nextj Vjneeting easier. He feels lonesome and chafes under the restraint'\ imposed upon him by his brother, and when he once makes your ^ acquaintance he will be on the look out for another chance to have - a chat with you. The first step is the hardest.') Please remember that the mind of every man or woman is a) Tpartnership, composed of functions represented by the two char- acters with which I have just endeavored to acquaint you. There is a difference however in firms. The Passive partner is pretty DIRECT PSYCHIC INFLUENCE. 27 much the same in all cases, although in some he manages to have his own way more, and in others he is kept still further in the background, the difference being caused by the degree of positive- ness in the Active partner. There is a great difference in these Active partners. Some of them are splendid examples of prudence, watchfulness and sagacity, whilst others possess these qualities in a lesser degree, and some are nearly as "esisf as their Passive brothers. Some of them can be "bulldozed," others coaxed, others flattered, and others tired out into relaxing their vigilance. Some of them get so interested in something that they do not notice that the visitor is getting well acquainted with the Passive brother, and maj'' even allow him to give an order for goods. Each one has his own peculiarities, his weaknesses. As a man is no stronger than his weakest point, the obvious rule is to find that weakest point and direct the attack right there. You will readily see that the main thing to be accomplished is to elude the vigilance of the Active partner. There are many ways of doing this — the thing to do is to find out the best way. If one- way does not work, try another. If you keep at it you will win eventually' "Faint heart never won fair lady." It can be done if it is gone about properly. It is done every day. It is easy with some, and hard with others, but it can be done with all of these watchful partners if you will only keep pegging away at it. Xever take "jSTo" for an answer. Pursue the same plan in business that you would if you were courting the girl you loved. In the latter case, a "No," or two, or a dozen for that matter, would not count. Pursue the same tactics in your business, and you will win the day. Fortune is feminine, you know, and possesses all of the characteristics of the sex. Suggestions gain force by repetition. A man may reject a proposition when first made, but upon hearing the same thing over and over again, he will get to believe it. ISTo wonder, you be- lieve it yourself, from the mere repetition of it, and why shouldn't he. Moreover, a suggestion may produce no apparent effect at the time it is given, but may be like a seed planted in fertile soil, which will bave sprouted by the time you come again. By talking properly to the Active partner and getting him interested, 28 PERSONAL MAGNETISM. you have enabled the Passive brother, actuated by curiosity (of which he has a full share) to draw near and overhear your con- versation. He will often think over the overheard words after you have gone, and the next time you come he will manage to get an interview with you, in spite of his stern brother. "Love laughs at locksmiths," and so does the Passive fellow at his brother — sometimes. You should carry the above mental picture of the two functions of the mind — ^the Active partner and his Passive brother. With this picture in your mind, you will be able to direct your suggestions to the best advantage, and also to guard your- self against the suggestions of others. In influencing a man with whom you come in personal contact, you will not have to depend entirely upon the power of suggestion in overcoming the watchfulness of the Active partner of his mind. You will be aided by two powerful allies, i. e., direct thought waves consciously projected by your mind, and by the involuntary adductive qualities of thought. These powers can be highly developed by the exercises which will, be given you during this course of lessons. You will also learn how to acquire char- acteristics calculated to aid you in making a good impression upon the Active brother, who is apt to be impressed by external appearances. There is one thing which you must learn, however, and that is Confidence and a belief in your ability to master this subject. It is like a boy learning to swim. The swimming power is inherent in every boy, but he doesn't believe it. As soon as he believes that he can swim — he swims ; but so long as he believes that he "can't" — he cannot. He tuslj improve in the art of swimming by practice, but he had the swimming power in Mm from the beginning, and all he needed was belief. You have within you the art of in- fluencing others, but until you believe it and have Confidence, you will find it hard work. You can do it, and have but to strike out. You can begin on easy exercises at first, but you must have Confidence from the start. Some men discover this by accident, and do not know the reason of their success. You know the reason, now^ and can do as well and better than the man who has stumbled upon the truth. A LITTLE WORLDLY WISDOM. 29 LESSOF V. A LITTLE WORLDLY WISDOM. How to influence the Active partner — ConverGation — The art of listening — Carlyle and his visitor — A delightful conversation — Keep yourself positive — Appearance — Apparel — Clean linen — Perfumes — Cleanli- ness — Manner — Reserve — Temper — Fearlessness — Self-respect — Consideration for others — Frankness — Earnestness — Firm hand- shake — The eye — Tone of voice — A useful rule — How to remedy deficiencies in manner. In the preceding lesson I compared the two functions of the mind of each individual, to the two brothers — partners in a busi- ness enterprise. For the convenience of explanation, I will con- tinue this illustration, which is quite applicable to the real state of affairs. This Active partner is a "particular" old fellow, and needs considerable humoring, and careful handling. He is injEluenced, to some extent, by the conversation, appearance, manner, voice, eye, etc., and each Active partner has his own tastes and peculiarities, although there are some things which they all have in common. As to con«rersation, we should if possible ascertain what inter- ests the old fellow. If you please him in this respect he is apt to lose sight of his duties as guardian of his easy brother. You should therefore learn to talk to him about things in which he is interested, but do not make the mistake of talking too much — "give the old man a chance." You should talk until you get him well started on a favorite topic, and then — you keep quiet. You should cultivate the art of listening, for it is one of the most valuable accomplishments in the world. Many a man (or woman) has risen to a high position simply by being a good listener. You may remember the old tale told of Thomas Carlyle. A visitor once called on him and being a good listener and a student of human nature as well, managed to get him started talking on a 30 PERSONAL MAGNETISM. favorite subject. Carlyle talked for over three hours without giving the visitor "a chance to get in a word edgeways/' When the caller at last rose to depart, Carlyle accompanied him to the door, in a surprisingly good humor, and bade him good-bye, saying: "Come again, mon, we've had a most delightful conversation." Do you see the point ? Listen attentively to the old Active partner, and act as if each of his words was a bright golden dollar, fresh from the mint — but do not fall under the influence of his spell. Vaj earnest attention to what he says, but do not let his thoughts produce any real impression upon you, or else he will be selling goods to your Passive partner. Keep yourself positive, not negative, for you will have a word to say to the easy brother after the old fellow becomes "intoxicated with the exuberance of his own ver- bosity," and relaxes his vigilance. By all means cultivate the art of intelligent listening. As to appearance, I would advise jou to avoid the two extremes of flashiness and dowdiness, respectively. Keep in the middle of the road. You should particularly avoid clothing calculated to attract special attention, either by its ex- treme style or the reverse. The apparel should be simple, neat and clean. Do not wear a shabby hat or shoes, for these things are especially noticeable. A man with a good hat and neat, well- cleaned shoes may pass muster even with well worn clothes (if clean), whilst with a shabby hat or muddy or shabby shoes the effect of even a fine suit of clothes is lost. Always wear clean linen. These things count. Eschew the use of strong perfumes. To most men strong perfumes are an abomination. It is scarcely necessary to add that personal cleanliness is an important pre- requisite for obtaining a favorable hearing with the majority of Active partners, even though they be not so particular themselves. You manner should be pleasant and cheerful, yet not frivolous. A certain degree of reserve is desirable. Your temper, of course, should be well under control. Anger is a sign of weakness — not strength, and the angry man is always placed at a disadvantage. You should be absolutely fearless, both physically and morally, the latter being the rarer quality. If you are quick tempered, or A LITTLE WORLDLY WISDOM. 31 apt to give way to a fear of misfortune, or worry, etc., you should pay particular attention to the lesson on Character Building, and correct these defects. Your manner should convey the idea of self-respect, but should likewise show a delicate consideration for the feelings, likes and dis- likes of others. If you lack the latter quality, you should cultivate it by all means, as it is of paramount importance in creating friends and in gaining the favor of Active partners, the latter being only human in spite of their rough exteriors. If you will carry in your mind this thought: "I act towards you as I would like you to act toward me," and make the thought take form in action, you will acquire this valuable quality. Cultivate a frank, open manner. Most people like it. Be earnest when you talk. It not only holds the attention of the people to whom you are talking, but is a valuable aid to you in having your suggestions accepted, and, besides, is an Important factor in imparting force to .your thought vibrations. Cultivate a firm, honest, manly handshake. Nobody likes to have thrust upon him a flabby, limp hand. You don't yourself. Do not forget this. If you have not the proper handshake, start to work and get it at once. Shake hands with everyone as if he were your best girl's millionaire father. And then look people square in the eye. I will have more to say about the power of the eye, in the next lesson, but I wish to call your attention to it in connection with the hearty handshake. The two go together. Cultivate an agreeable tone of voice, avoiding a mumbling utterance on the one hand, and a loud boisterous tone on the other. An excellent rule is to pitch the voice to the tone of the party with whom you are conversing, providing always that you do not shout in order to keep pace with the other person. If the other man shouts, keep your own voice even and subdued, and he will soon drop to your pitch. This, by the way, is a good plan to adopt with a person who is excited and is attempting to give you a good "tongue lashing." In such a case, keep your temper and see that your voice is subdued and steady, and you will find the voice of the other man (or woman) gradually dropping down to 82 PERSONAL MAGNETISM. your pitch. As he lowers his voice liis temper subsides, and he feels ashamed, and you have vp-on the day. Try it. There is much in the voice. A flexible, well modulated voice is most pleasing, and wins many victories for its fortunate possessor. Let your voice express the shade of feeling which you wish to convey. This is one of the most potent forms of suggestion. An expressive voice is one of the principal tools of the successful suggestionist. The student must not despair if he lack some of the important requisites to success, above mentioned. He should know that every one of these gifts is within his reach, if he will but take the trouble to acquire it. I explain this point fully in the lesson on Character Building. Another very important medium of influencing others, includ- ing our old Active partner, is the Eye. The Human Eye ! Who does not know its power, and yet how few know how to acquire the secret of its use ! One could write volumes upon its power as a weapon of offense and defense, and its aid in influencing man and the lower animals, and yet not begin to exhaust the subject. I will devote our next lesson to an explanation of the use of the eye as an influencing medium; how to acquire the "magnetic gaze"; and how to avoid the influene or the eyes of others. THE MAGNETIC GAZE. 41 Avoid winking, blinking or snapping the eyelids. You can over- come this practice by determination and proper thinking. If your eyes tire by reason of the exercises, bathe them in cold water, and you will experience a decided relief. You will find that, after a few days' practice, you will have but little trouble of this kind. 42 PERSONAL MAGNETISM. LESSON VIII. THE VOLIC FOECE. Distinction between the Adductive Quality of Thought and the Volic Force — Varying manifestations of thought vibrations — Definition of Volation and Volic Force — A most potent force — The real man — ^The "I Am" — Its recognition — Its importance — Man attains hitherto un- known powers — The Soul of Man — ^The will — The secret of the development of the will — Active and Passive mentation — The pro- jection of thought waves. In the preceding lessons, I have given yon an explanation of the manner whereby one person may attract another, in a personal interview, by means of the power of suggestion, etc. The person thns making the impression upon another is aided in his work by two other forces. The first of these assisting forces is what is known as the Adductive Quality of Thought, of which I will speak in subsequent lessons; the second is the Yolative influence of the mind of one person over the mind of another. There is a marked difference in these two several manifestations of the power of the mind. In the first instance, the Adductive Quality of Thought, once being set in motion, affects others without a conscious effort of your mind; your mere thinking strongly of certain things, setting a mighty force in motion which influences others. In the case of Volation, the mental vibrations are sent out and impelled by the conscious exercise of the will power of the sender, and are directed toward some special object; when the impelling power is withdrawn, the vibrations cease : I find no term in general use which is specially applicable to this foTip. of thought force, and as I do not desire to continue speak- ing of it as "the conscious effort of the will, producing thought- vibrations, and impelling the same toward a given object," I am driven, by necessit}'', to the coining of a name to express this idea. THE VOLIC FORCE. 43 I shall, accordingly, hereafter use the term Volation", to indicate the idea above defined, the said word being derived from the Latin word Volos, the will. This word must not be confounded with Volition, meaning the free exercise of the will in making a choice. I shall also use the term Yolic (from the same source), meaning "of the will." The Yolic power is one of nature's most potent forces, and at the same time is the least understood. It is exerted more or less unconsciously by all men. Some are aware of its effects without understanding the laws of its production and development. It may be greatly increased by intelligent practice and training, if one will devote to the task the necessary time and effort. I will give you exercises for the proper development of this power, in the lesson upon Concentration. To be able to make intelligent use of the Yolic Force, it is necessary to understand the real nature of the will ; and to under- stand the real nature of the will, you must realize what is the real MAN. Many of us have been in the habit of thinking of the Ego — the "I" of ourselves — as merely the physical body. This is the ma- terialistic point of view. Others think of their "I" as a mental creature having control of the body, and having his abode in the brain. This is partially correct, but is only half the truth. Others realize that there is a '^ligher self"' in man, and a few have recog- nized that "higher self," and live in accord with its dictates. The real Ego, or "I," is as much higher than Mind, as Mind is higher than the body; and both body and mind are subordinate to it. Both are its tools and are used for its work, when it sees fit to use them. The real self is that which we feel when in times oi reverie and introspection, we think or say "I AM." All of us have felt this consciousness of the real self, at certain times in our lives, but have failed to realize its full importance. Lay down thi^' book for a few moments, and, relaxing the muscles of your body and assuming a passive state of mind, think quietly and calmly on the words "I AM," and endeavor to picture your real self, superior to both mind and body. If you have secured the ■ 44 PERSONAL MAGNETISM. proper state of mind and body, you will perceive a glimmer of the presence of the real self within you. Continue the practice. It will awaken in your mind a perception of the truth. Nothing can injure or destroy the real self. The body and mind may pass) away, but the I AM is eternal, and impregnable to harm. It is powerful, and, when the mind has learned to adapt itself to its influence, man becomes like another being, and acquires hitherto unknown powers. The purpose of this series of lessons does not permit me to dwell at length upon this subject. Its importance demands a work of many volumes to do it even faint justice, but I wish, at this point, to direct the attention of the student to this vital truth, with all the earnestness of which I am capable. Take whatever view you wish regarding the instructions given you in this course, accept its teachings or reject them, as you see fit, but let this one thought sink deeply into your mind: The I AM is toue eeal self, (^Vhen your mind recognizes its master, you^wiDTTiave learned the secret of Life, I have planted this thought-seed in your mind, and it will grow and evolve a beautiful plant bearing a flower whose fragrance will surpass that of earth's fairest blossoms. When its leaves unfold and show the flower in all its beauty, then will you know that you have found yourself. "Lord of a thousand worlds am I, And I reign since time began; And night and day, in cyclic sway. Shall pass while their deeds I scan. Yet time shall cease ere I find release. For I AM THE Soul of Man."" — Cliarles H. Orr. / That which we mean when we say "the will" is a manifestation (of the I AM of the individual, bearing nearly the same relation to it that thought does to the mind. When we speak of "developing the will," we really mean the developing of the mind to recognize and be controlled by the will. The will is strong enough ; it does not need "developing." This is contrary to the generally accepted THE VOLIC FORCE. 45^ doctrine, but it is correct, nevertheless. A strong will current is . flowing over the psychic wires, but you must learn to raise the I trollej^ pole to the wire, before you are able to move the mental car^^ Man thinks along two different lines. One class of thinking which we have called Passive M entation is little more than) instinctive effort — it sort of "thinks itself," and requires little or no Volic Force for its production. Another class of mental effort which we will call Active Mentation, is produced by a greater or^ lesserdemand of the mind upon the power of the will. I can merely call your attention to this facE7~as^a detailed"treatment of the matter is without the scope of this work. I have gone deeper into the matter in some of my other writings, to which I must refer you. In this work I am called upon to teach "how" and not "why/" and, therefore, I do not care to take you beyond the border of the realm of theory. The more man thinks along the lines of Ac tive Mentatio n^ thej stronger and more forceful are his thoughts. The reverse is, of course, likewise true. The man who understands the law of Mental Control is placed at an immense advantage over his brother, who follows the "calf path" of Passive mental effort. Thoughts of all kinds are projected by the mind, and theirA vibrations go out from the individual, influencing others to a 1 greater or lesser degree, according to the force of the impelling_J effort. Passive thoughts are less powerful than active thoughts^) but the former, if constantly repeated, have much force. It will \ be seen, readily, that in order to produce a direct effect upon the mind of another by thought vibrations an effort of Volation is_j required; the stronger the effort, the stronger the effect. The next lesson will be devoted to the subject of the exercise of the power of Volation. 46 PERSONAL MAGNETISM LESSOK IX. DIRECT VOLATION. "Volation the measure of success — Leaders of men possess it — Uncon- scious acquirement — Napoleon Bonaparte aware of the truth — Strong men feel the "I" — Desire — Some not willing to "pay the price" of success — Men who have mastered occult power — The vibratory force — Telepathy, thought transference and mind reading — Masters of the art guard their secrets — The prime requisite for acquirement — Exercise of volation in personal interview — Expectation — Some men but puppets — General instructions — Power must not be used to harm others — A warning — Satan's terrible example — How to "will" a thing — Exercise i : Making a person turn around — Exercise 2 : Influencing a person in a public place — Exercise 3 : Influencing a person without looking directly at him — Comical result — Exercise 4: Suggesting a forgotten word — Remarkable result obtained by a German student — Exercise 5 : Directing the motions of another person — Exercise 6: Window exercises — Influencing passers-by — Fascinating experiments — To be used for your own development, not for amusement or to satisfy vulgar curiosity. The exercise of Yolation differs very materially, in degree, \ among different men. It may be stated, broadly, that a man exerts I an influence over other men in an exact ratio to his measure of ) Volation. The leader of men has developed this power to a eoin- paratively high degree, although perhaps unconsciously and without a knowledge of the workings of the mighty force which is operat- ing in his behalf. Many such men frankly admit that they are unable to explain or account for their power over men. They know that they have some sort of power, but are ignorant of its nature or laws. IsTapoleon is a striking example of the man of highly d'eveloped Volation. His will was imposed upon millions of men who obeyed his commands, and he accomplished results little short of miraculous. From remarks dropped by him, it seems probable that he had, at least, a faint idea of the force at DIRECT VOLATION. 47 his command, and he acted in accordance therewith, for awhile. He afterwards attempted to misuse his power; lost sight of the source of his strength; neglected its laws, and — fell. You will notice that all successful men instinctively feel the "I" strongly, /^hey have faith in themselves, and frequently feel that they have a I special Providence overlooking their affairs. They, like Napoleon, feel that they have a "star of destiny." Th is is an instinctive recognition of the I AM. They have but a glimpse of the truth, and have made the most of it, their strong desire for power, fame, ' or riches pushing them on, and causing them to instinctively avail j themselves of the powerful aid of the Ego. There are many who recognize the power of the I AM, some of whom understand its laws, and 3'et these men do not assert themselves in the struggle for ma- terial reward. They have the power within them, but Desiee is not there. They are content with the lesser material rewards, and are not willing to "pay the price" of what is known as Success or the mastery of men. Many men who have mastered the occult powers, scorn wealth, position and fame, and exert no desire for them, feeling that these things are unworthy of their powers, and pre- ferring to use the forces at their command for what they consider higher aims. They say with the prophet, "Vanity, vanity, all is vanity," and with Pilck, "What fools these mortals be." The law of compensation seems to even all things, and wealth, power and position do not always bring happiness. The old sayings : "Uneasy the head that wears the crown," and "There is no rose without its thorn," are literally true. However, I do not purpose preaching a sermon on Life, nor do I wish to point a moral. Every individual must choose for himself, and no man can decide for another. I say, however^hat _ whatev er you do^do it right. Therej^only one way todo things,_ and that is to^_DO them. You must "put your hand to the plow, and look not backward." Select your goal and then move straight toward it, sweeping from your path all obstacles. To accomplish \ your aim, you must have Desire strongly present, and must recog- nize your real self, the I AM, in order to exert what is generally / known as "will power," in the furtherance of your plans. — 48 PERSONAL MAGNETISM. In the preceding lesson I have defined Volation^as "the eon- ^cious effort of the will, producing thought vibrations and impelling ^^them toward a given object/' The vibratory force may be exerted in the ordinary way — at short range, upon the occasion of a per- sonal interview; it also may be exerted in a much less understood way, by means of long range vibrations (sometimes called tele- pathy). The first form is quite common, and we all have seen exhibitions of it; the second form is somewhat rare, and those who understand it best have but little to say about it. It is prac- ticed quietly, however, by many more persons than we usually dream of in that connection. We see mild examples of it in what is known as Telepathy or Thought Transference, Mind Eeading, etc., but these exhibitions are usually given by those who under- stand the subject very imperfectly. I know several persons who have developed this power to a wonderful degree, and in no case will they consent to an exhibition of their powers to any but a few chosen friends, with whom they are in perfect sympathy and who happen to be likewise familiar with the subject. These people know the real nature of the power of which they are making use, and will not degrade it by making it the subject of an ordinary show. They are content with their knowledge and seek to convince no one else. They are not looking for converts, and, in fact, dis- courage any attempt to make public their occult knowledge, believ- ing that the time is not yet ripe for such publicity, and that its promulgation at this time would result in its misuse. A The prime, requisite for the acquirement of the art of Yolation (is the recognition of the power of the real self — ^the I AM. The more complete the recognition, the greater the power. I cannot give you specific directions for acquiring this faculty of recog- nition. QTou must feel it rather than reason it out. ) You will not be in doubt as to whether you are on the right track — you will realize it at once. As near as I can express it to you, is to say that you will feel that your body is as a suit of clothes, which, whilst covering you temporarily, it not YOU ; that you are separate and apart from your body and superior to it, although for the time being connected with it. You will realize that even your mind is DIRECT VOLATION. 49 not YOU, but that it is merely the instrument through which YOU manifest j'-ourself, and which, being imperfect, prevents the com- plete expression of your real self. In short, when you say or think"^ *'I AM," you are conscious of the existence of your real self, andy jfeel the growth of a new sense of power within you. This recogni- tion of the self may be but faint; but encourage it and it will grow, and whilst growing will manifest itself to your mind by im- i pressing upon the latter the knowledge of the proper plan iorj further development. It is an example of "to him who hath shall "j be given, and to him who hath not shall be taken away even thatj which he hath." The mere calling of the attention to the fact may awaken the recognition in some, whilst others will find it necessary to reflect upon the idea and awaken to a recognition of the truth more slowly. Some will not feel the truth. To such 1 1 say : The time is not yet ripe for your recognition of this great truth, but the seed is planted and the plant will appear in time. This may seem like the veriest nonsense to you now, but the time will come when you will admit its literal correctness. To those who feel the first indications of the awakening of the real self, I say: Carry the thought with you and it willjonfold like^theli lotus, naturally and gradually ; t he trut h once recognized cannot be_lost,_and Jherejs no standing still in nature. To those who~\ recognize the truth, I would like to say more, but this is not the i place. The practice of concentration, as explained in a subsequent les- son, will enable anyone to develope this idea of the real self. The \ thought, "I A M," held in thg^ilence^ ^hilst you are c once^rating, I will j:row stronger and stronger. . To exercise the power of Volation in influencing others, in a \ personal interview, you have merely to make a strong mental demand of the other person, accompanied with a consciousness of 1 your right to do so, and the belief that your command will bej /obeyed. You must fully expect that your command will be ^beyed. In all mental processes the earnest expectation i^ a^priine_ factor in producing the effect. If you have only a faint, half-J hearted expectation, you will have only half-way results. You 50 PERSONAL MAGNETISM. will realize the reason for this after you have completed this course, the matter being explained in subsequent lessons. Now, do not understand that you will be able to approach anyone, and, by simply willing and expecting the results, make that person do just what you will. You could do all of this if the person had no power of mental resistance, no Volic Force of his own to counteract yours. Some persons, unfortunately for them- selves, have but little Volic Force, and are but puppets in the hands of those who know the secret of personal influence; others have a little more of the force, and so on, until the high stages are reached. I do say, however, that you will obtain some degree of success \ from this plan from every person with whom you come in contact, the degree of success deqending entirely upon the degree of Volic-J Force of the other person, as compared with your own. You will understand this better after a few trials. Do not hesitate about commencing to practice this form of mental influence at once. You will improve by practice, and will grasp the theory better from having put it into practice. Eemember the boy not being able to . swim until^ believedlEe^cbuld, and tried. You should of course use Volation in connection with the power of Suggestion as^ explained in preceding lessons. You will be able to concentrate your powers of command by observing the exercises given in the lesson on Concentration. In other lessons, I will explain why these occult powers should not be used for any evil purposes or in work- ing harm to anyone, but I think it well, at this point, to caution students against any misuse of this power. Such practices, besides being wrong morally, will result to the disadvantage of the prac- titioner, and if persisted in will wreck his prospects, in the end. He may be successful temporarily, but the result in the end will be disastrous. There are good occult reasons for this, and I hope that my warnings will be heeded by anyone reading this course. There is no harm in using this knowledge a.nd information toward pro- moting your legitimate business interests and your welfare, provid- ing always that no harm is inflicted on the person influenced. You may influence a man to deal with you, and if you treat him fairly. DIRECT VOLATION. 51 you are making no misuse of your powers. But, on the other hand, if you should influence a man for the purpose of swindling or cheating him or doing him other harm, you commit a great wrong for which you will some day suSer in proportion to the wrong per- - petrated. I am not speaking of punishment in a future life, but right here in this world. "As ye sow so shall ye reap," holds good in this case. There is very little likelihood of your misusing your powers of Yolation, for when you attain them fully, you will instinctively recoil from the idea of working evil by means of jouT new found strength. There are, however, a few men in the world, who, like Satan, use their mighty power for evil, but, like Satan, these men are doomed to extreme misery and unhappiness. They are like fallen gods. The best exercise for the development of Volation is of course Concentration, but it may be interesting to the student to be able to "try his hand" on a few simple tests so as to gain confidence in himself. I append a few exercises for this purpose. Many others will readily occur to the student. Try only easy tests at first, and then gradually work up to more difficult feats. Practice makes perfect. Let me say here that when you "will" anything, do not get the notion that you must frown or clinch your fists or anything of that sort. The force is attained by a calm, undisturbed attitude, the "willing" being done in the form of a calm, earnest demand, and the thought that what you expect will occur. The earnest expecta- tion is the secret. You will soon get the 'Tinack" of it. Do not be discouraged, but keep at it until you get things working smoothly. In our next lesson we will take up the subject of "long-range" T^olation or, more properly. Telepathic Volation. EXEECISES. Exercise 1. Whilst walking down the street, fix your attentionjj upon some one walking just ahead of you. A distance of at least six to ten feet should separate you, and a greater distance is no obstacle. Fasten a firm, steady, earnest gaze upon your subject, 52 PERSONAL MAGNETISM. focusing the gaze upon the back of his neck, just at the base of the brain. Whilst gazing firmly at this point, will that the subject [shall turn his head and look around in your direction. A little / practice is required to perfect yourself in this exercise, but after you once acquire the "knack" of it, you will be surprised at the percentage of people whom you can affect in this way. Wome;^ / seem to be more highly susceptible to this mental influence than are men. Esercise 2. Fix your gaze upon some one sitting ahead of you\ in church, theater, concert, etc., focusing your gaze upon the same j point as in the previous exercise, and will that the person shally look around. You will notice that the subject will fidget around in A his seat, appear more or less uncomfortable, and finally half turnj in his seat and direct a quick glance in your direction. This experiment will prove more successful with persons whom you know, than with strangers. The better you know the person, the) - quicker the influence will manifest itself. The two exercises just given can be indefinitely multiplied by the ingenuity of the student. The principle is the same in all cases, the concentrated gaze and strong, earnest, expectant willingX or demanding the result, being the prime factors in producing the phenomenon. You, of course, realize that the concentrated will power can be developed by the practice of the exercises given in the lesson on Concentration. If you find difficulty in producing the above results, you will know that your powers of concentration are not sufficiently developed, and you will acordingly perfect yourself in this respect. Exercise 3. Select some person who may be seated on the opposite side of a street car from you, but several seats to the right or left of the point directly opposite you. You may look straight ahead, so as to appear as if you were not looking at the other part}^, but you will be conscious of his presence, and will see him out of the corner of your eye. Direct a strong mental demandA toward him, willing and expecting that he will look in your direc- I tion. If you manage it properly, you will find that in a few (jmoments the party will suddenly glance in your direction. Some- DIRECT VOLATION. 53 times the glance will be directed in a seemingly unconscious man-\ ner, Just as if the party had merely felt a passing fancy to look at you, whilst in other cases the glance will be shot at you, suddenly and sharply, as if the party had been conscious of a mental call. /The person obeying the call often will look embarrassed, and / somewhat sheepish, when he meets your full magnetic gaze which / you have directed upon him when he turned his eyes in your, V direction, — ~ ^ ^ Exercise 4. When talking with a person, and he seems to hesi- \ / tate in the choice of a word, glance sharply at him and give him_J a strong mental suggestion of a word. In many cases he will (^immediately repeat the word which you have suggested. Your ] word must be appropriate, as otherwise his Passive mind may hesi- tate about using it, and his Active mind will step in and insert,/ another word. Some students have tried this experiment in the ease of a public speaker, preacher, etc., and have related many amusing instances in their experience. I remember reading a work, translated from the German, in which is mentioned the case of a youth whose powers of Concentration and Volation were most highly developed. He was a student at a leading college, and being more interested in athletic sports than in study, ran a great risk of falling behind in his work. Having discovered his powers, accidentally, he contrived a plan in the furtherance of which he would commit to memory but a few answers in each lesson. When . the professor would start to quiz him he would send forth strong vibrations, willing the ^^prof" to select certain questions, the answers to which he had memorized, the result being that he stood well up in each class. The German writer, however, went on to say that this plan failed the young man in his examination, as the final questions being prepared by the faculty and submitted in writing, the student had no opportunity to try the "willing game" on the day of the examination. Exercise 5. An interesting experiment is that of willing the ^ movement of a person in a certain direction. This can be tried / when walking behind a person on the street, by focusing the gaze^ as instructed. When the person approaches another person walking J) 54 PERSONAL MAGNETISM. in the opposite direction, you may will the subject to turn either to") the right or left, in passing the other person. You may also try this experiment in the case of a person approaching you in th^ street. In this case you should walk straight ahead, turning neither to the right nor to the left, keeping your gaze fixed on the approaching party, and making a mental command that he turn) to the right or left, as you will. Exercise 6. Stand at your window and fix 3''our eyes upon an approaching person, at the same time willing that he turn his [head and look at jou whilst passing. You will find that he will obey your mental attraction, seven times out of ten, providing your powers of concentration are sufficiently well developed. Even ] without the practice of the Concentration exercises, you will be able to influence passers by sufficiently often to satisfy you that/ there is "something in it." You will be able to obtain betterA results in this particular experiment, if you will stand at a first floor window rather than at a window higher from the groundy The motion of obeying the impulse and merely turning the head ^ being so much easier than the motion of looking up to a second or / third floor window, the percentage of results obtained by the first / plan will greatly exceed those of the latter one. This exercise may be varied by the plan of compelling the attention of a person^ (seated at a window which you are passing, and so on. When you \ once begin to practice these exercises, you will find it so fascinating / that you will invent new plans of testing your power, you beingy governed by the particular circumstances of the occasion, ^ These exercises will do much to develop confidence in your \ /powers, and to aid you in acquiring the "knack" of sending out^ I the vibratory impulses. They are of course more or less trifling in their nature, and unworthy of the exercise of the mental powers, except as a means of' practice. They should not be used merely for the amusement of the student, and never for the amusement of ' his friends. One should never trifle with these mighty forces, nor exhibit them for the gratification of the vulgar curiosity of others. The student who grasps the real significance of the Law of Mental \ Control will have little or no desire to parade his knowledge, but ) DIRECT VOLATION. 55 will reserve his results for himself. He will experiment freely, in \ order to gain the benefit of practice, etc., but will always do so with ) the understanding that he is merely paving the way to a higher / use of his growing power. 56 PERSONAL MAGNETISM. LESSON X. TELEPATHIC VOLATION", LTelepathy an accepted fact — Wonderful progress of Psychic Science — Thought transference — Vibrations — Wonderful proficiency of some — General knowledge not desirable — Danger of its use for improper purposes — Practical uses taught — General theory — How to obtain the best results — Advantages of concentration — Use of telepathic volation prior to interview — To attract at a distance — How to obtain en rapport conditions — Full directions — Mental contact at a distance — Telepathic thought waves — Mental pictures — Moving cir- cles of thought waves — The psychic tube — How to form and use it — Self-protection from the thought vibrations of others — Positive mental attitude — To shut out outside thought projections — How to prevent outside pressure and influences — Effect of previous thought influences in personal interview — Matters rendered much easier — Proper mental attitude — Esoteric teaching for those prepared and qualified to receive it — Man findeth that which he seeketh — Dia- monds or coal. I will not attempt to take up your time in endeavoring to con- vince you of the existence of Telepathy. Psychic science has made such wonderful strides of late, that not only are its students fully aware of the truth of telepathy, but the general public as well are fully posted on the subject, and generally accept it as an established fact, as readily as they do the X Eays or Wireless Telegraphy. In fact, the public has always believed, in a general way, in thought transference, and the recent scientific experiments in telepathy have but served to confirm many people in beliefs which have been always entertained by them. The purpose of this lesson, therefore, is not to convince you of the fact that telepathy or thought transference is an existent fact, but to give you an idea of the proper means of using the same to your own advantage. Every thought, whether voluntary or involuntary, causes thought waves or vibrations to be projected into space; which TELEPATHIC VOLATION. 57 vibrations affect the minds of others to a greater or lesser degree. There is a way to project thought vibrations toward another person, in a straight line, and thereby attract his attention to you. This plan, compared to the ordinary plan of undirected projection of thought waves, is as a rifle ball compared to a load of mustard seed shot. The rifle ball is vastly superior, providing you aim straight. Some masters of mental science have attained a wonderful proficiency in the art of Telepathic Volation and some of the results secured by them would be deemed incredible by those not familiar with the laws of directed thought vibration. These results have been accomplished only by years of study, experiment, and the leading of a life far different from that of ordinary men. I fancy that very few of my readers would care to "pay the price" of such attainments. It is well, perhaps, that this power is not easily acquired, as otherwise many might master it and use it for unworthy purposes. I am in the confidence of some of the masters of this wondrous power, and have witnessed many startling exhibitions of thought transference, but as the promise of secrecy was exacted from me by these friends, my lips are of course sealed. Outside of these con- siderations, it would be of very doubtful wisdom to spread, broad- cast, information of this nature, which would place within the means of unscrupulous persons the power to work their wills upon their fellow men. Even as it is, fragments of this occult knowledge have leaked out and have been misused. Some have stumbled, by accident, upon some of the first principles, and have pursued the matter as far as their limited knowledge would permit, often securing results which both surprised and startled them. However, the purpose of this course of instruction is not to attempt to make its students venerable masters of occult lore, mystics, yogis, or wonder workers, but merely to give them a working knowledge of the laws of personal influence by means of the exercise of the powers of the mind — in short. Personal Mag- netism. This being the case, I shall not dwell upon the wonderful phenomena produced at will by the masters of this science, but 58 PERSONAL MAGNETISM. will proceed to give you an idea of the first principles and practice of Telepathic Volation^ which will be useful to you in your every- day life. I shall not attempt to carry you further than the mere compelling the attention of the person whom you wish to influence, even if you are hundreds of miles removed from that person. If you wish to pursue the subject further, by reading and experiment, you are at liberty to do so, but I warn you that you will find the attainment of the higher degrees of this science no easy task. The primary degrees, which I will now teach you, are quite easy of attainment, when the theory is once understood, and need only practice to make perfect. ' As I have said before, all thoughts produce vibrations which spread like the ripples on a pond, produced by the casting in of a pebble. They affect people in all directions. If, however, you throw the pebble along the surface of the water, the ripples will manifest their energy in the direction in which the stone travels. So it is with the vibrations of telepathic volation, as compared with the vibrations of ordinary thought. For instance, suppose that you wish to attract the attention of any person whom you are desirous of interesting in your behalf. You may think earnestly of your desire to interest him, and if you have read something of Mental Science, you may picture him as being interested in you. By so doing, you will undoubtedly send forth strong thought vibrations in all directions, some of which will reach your man and may affect him to a greater or lesser degree, depending materially upon your degree of positiveness to him. At the best, he receives no stronger impulse than does any other person in any way connected with you. But, on the other hand, if you so arrange your mental tele- graphic apparatus that the strong vibratory impulse travels in a straight line to the desired person, the message will be received far more clearly. The impact of the vibrations will be much/) ( stronger. ^ In order to produce the best results, you should practice the / exercises in Concentration given in this course. You will be able I to produce some results without a knowledge of Concentration, y but with it you have ten-fold power. I will assume that you have TELEPATHIC VOLATION. 59. acquired a working knowledge of Concentration, and have prac- ticed the exercises. Now, for the production of results. You expect to have an interview with a man, in a few days, in which you hope to interest him in your plans and enterprises. This man is perhaps a stranger to you, or at least is indifferent to you and there exists no attraction on his part towards you. You know that you will be able to influence him by the methods already explained, but you wish if possible to open up direct com- munication with him before the interview — to get en rapport with him at a distance. You are perfectly right in feeling that your chances of success will be improved by these means, as, once you naanage to get en rapport with a man or woman, you have gained an important point, for that person cannot help feeling an in teres t in you thereafter — ^perhaps a strong interest. The best plan for you to pursue, under the above circumstances, is to establish a mental rapport with your man by means of tele- pathic volation. Your first step is to get by yourself, in some quiet place, and either lie down, or sit down in an easy chair. Get at ease, and relax every muscle; "let go" of your body until you are as limp as a damp cloth and are scarcely conscious of having a body. Calm yourself and secure a passive, restful frame of mind, thinking of nothing outside of yourself, and, above everything else, shut out all disturbing fear thoughts. You will be able to do / this easily by concentration. After you have secured the proper conditions, think intently, \ but calmlj^, of the other party. Do not frown or clinch your fists \ in your efforts to "think," but remain passive and relaxed — the \ effort must be a caliii, steady mental effort. You will be assisted | by the closing of the eyes and the production of a mental image I of the person with whom you wish to get en rapport. If you never have seen this person, make the mental figure without distinct features. After a few trials you will notice that the mental picture seems more real to you, in fact, you realize that in some way you are in mental contact with the other person. "When this stage is attained, then you will let your mind dwell on your wishes in regard to this person, and imagine him doing as you wish. Your 60 PERSONAL MAGNETISM. principal mind picture, however, must be that of the man himself, as this holds the connection between you — the "day dreams" of his acting as you wish merely shaping the lesser thought waves. These lesser thought waves are, of course, moving in circles in all directions, but are reaching your man with much greater force than usual, the direct line of communication being open. You will improve greatly by practice and experiment. '^ The best results are obtained when you get the impression of looking through a long tube about one foot in diameter, you being at one end and your man at the other. This impression, which can be acquired by concentration, is an indication of perfect rapport, and indicates that you have succeeded in shutting out all outside impressions and have opened up the psychic line of com- munication. When you attain this stage, you may rest assured that you are making a strong impression, unless the man at the other end of the psychic tube understands the law of mental con- trol and has felt an indication of thought vibrations being directed towards him, in which case he will assume a "positive" mental state. The more passive the other man may be at that moment, the better will be the results. A little practice will develop this power, and you will get the impression of the "tube" more clearly, and will form a much clearer mental picture of the other person. Some little practice may be required before you can obtain this mental impression of the long tube, although some students seem to be able to produce it fairly well at the first trial. You, of course, will have secured the necessary passive condition in yourself. The next step is to produce the mental impression of the tubular con- nection. This will appear first as a faint, shadowy ring, which by degrees will become more distinct, and will resolve itself into the shape of an open end of a tube. The tube will then lengthen out, and, later on, you will be able to see clear along its enormous length. You may obtain this result in a few experiments, and, on the other hand, may be required to practice it a number of times. It seems to be greatly a matter of obtaining the "knack" of forming the mental picture. You can obtain good results without TELEPATHIC VOLATION. 61 the production of the tubular effect, but the best results seem to be obtained by those who can produce this effect. I may as well tell you at this point, that you should cultivate the "positive" mental attitude, as it will enable you to obtain much better results and will prevent you being influenced by the exercise of Volation on the part of others. If j'-ou feel an indication \ Cof outside influence, you have merely to form the thought recog- I nizing the "I AM," which will impart a feeling of psychical strength to y ou at on ce, and render you impervious to the vibra- \tions. By a full appreciation and recognition of the higher self, \ you will surround yourself with a thought aura, which will pro- ) tect you, without any voluntary effort of the mind from outsidej mental influences. Until you fully acquire this recognition you'^ merely have to hold the thought for a moment, assert your real/ self by the affirmation "I AM," accompanied with the mentall, conception of the real self. A mental image of yourself surroundedTN by a protecting thought aura which deflects the vibrations of \ others, will, of itself, create an aura of moderate proportions which 1 will last as long as you hold the thought, and will act as a perfect U defense against outside vibrations. You should practice the pro- ^cjuction of these mental pictures, as the result will be of great value to you. If you ever feel that you wish to be alone and able to think without taking the opinions of others into consideration, \ just sit down and shut out the vibrations as above stated, and you jwill be surprised at the clearness of thought which will result. I will tell you in my next lesson about the influence of thought { vibrations, but it may ^ as_well__to sayhere that the thought vibrations of others, even^ when^not directed at us, move in widen- ,^ng circles, affecting^ us all more or less. Nature has provided us"^ with instinctive powers of resistance, but nevertheless we are affect^y ed more or less by the thought vibrations of others, and what^we think are ouFopmibhs are "often "mer ely t lie concensus of the opinions of others with whoni we are -SiLcrounded. The change of residence \ by a man may result in his changing his views of religion, politics, \ ethics, etc., to correspond with the general impressions of his new environment, the change being wrought by the effect of the com- / 62 PERSONAL MAGNETISM. bined thought waves of his new neighbors. A little reflection will remind you of numerous instances of this phenomena. Waves o popular feeling will sweep over a country, arousing nearly every one, and then will die out as suddenly as they came. A peace- able crowd may be converted into a savage mob. And so on; the emotions and opinions of a man being moulded to a greater or lesser degree by the quality of the thought waves reaching him.\' You will readily see how valuable is the knowledge which will v enable you to shut out these outside impressions, at will, and \ allow you to be governed entirely by your own reason, judg-^ ment or intuition. Do not pass by this matter lightly, for the time may come when this knowledge will be of incalcuable benefit to you. There are times in which clear thinking is of vital im^ portance to every man. A powerful pressure may be brought on] you to do a certain thing, and you are undecided just how to act. ' /You need your best thought at this point, and the way to get it is ( to surround yourself with the protecting thought aura, and whilst \ secure Jnjiour own men tal castle, decide what^ best to be done , j Many of your best decisions will be made in this way. By all/) means acquire the art. I have digressed somewhat, in my desire to instruct you in the means of defence, and we will now resume our discussion of offensive methods. We will suppose that you have followed the instructions regarding the opening up of direct mental connec- tions with your man, by means of telepathic volation. When,/ later on, you come into his presence you will find that he seems ] to evince more interest in you than formerly; he will act as if he ) is better acquainted with you, and has known you for years, and / will consequently cause you to feel more "at home" with him than] usual. I do not mean to say that he will, of necessity, do just what you have willed that he should (you have not advanced that far), but he will show a disposition to meet you half way, \ and matters will progress much more smoothly than might have been expected. Of course, a repetition of the exercise of telepathic \ volation will tend to "ease up" matters still more. Do not be 1 discouraged at seeming failures, but keep at it and success will j ^come when you least expect it. TELEPATHIC VOLATION. 63 In all interviews maintain a fearless, confident frame of mind, and do not forget to use the power of your eye. The latter often re-opens the connection previously established by telepathic vola- tion — re-establishes the rapport conditions — and makes the balance of the interview much more in conformity with your desires. You must be governed by circumstances and must learn to apply the above stated methods to widely diSEering conditions. The above example is given you merely as an illustration, but its principles are correct and may be applied, with appropriate variations, to any case in which you wish to influence another at a distance, preparatory to a personal interview. The principle is the same} in all cases. The student who has gone over these lessons carefully will discover much that will be missed by the casual reader. He will he able to read hetween the lines. If you are on the right track, much that has been stated will appear plainer to you with each reading. You will get new ideas every time you take up a lesson and read it, whilst the casual reader will merely skim over it and not enter into its spirit, the result being that such person will miss the esoteric teachings and will only see the outward or exoteric meaning, and will find the explanations and exercises about as "clear as mud." This is just as it is intended. Man findeth that which he seeketh. One man will find coal plainly exposed, whilst another will find the diamond imbedded in earth, but both diamond and coal are composed of the same material. **Ask and ye shall receive ;" "seek and ye shall find." In concluding this lesson, let me say that whilst the powers of the mind, as illustrated in the forms set forth in this and pre- ceding lessons, may appear wonderful, the power of thought as exemplified by what is known as the Addu^tire^ower qfjrhought,j far exceeds the phases of which I have told you. I will endeavor to impart to you an idea of this wonderful subject in our next lesson. M PERSONAL MAGNETISM. LESSON XL THE ADDUCTIVE QUALITY OF THOUGHT. Prentice Mulford's theory — Thoughts are Things — Thought a dynamic force — Mind and matter identical — Miracles of Nature — Prof. Gray's experiments with vibrations — Wonderful results — Prof. Williams' significant statement — Food for thought — Character of thought vibra- tions — Murky thought waves and fleecy thought waves — Your thoughts retain a connection with you and affect you — Thought auras — Like attracts like — A wonderful manifestation of psychic phenomena — Results of fear or worry thoughts — Advantage of con- fident thinking — "Curses, like chickens, come home to roost" — Suc- cess by right thinking — Successful men the result of proper thought — Realized their ideal — Requisites for success — "I can and I will" — Others attracted toward you — Anything is yours if you only want it hard enough — Helen Wilman's theory. That great writer on the power of the mind — Prentice Mul- iford, has summed up much of his philosophy in the statement: r "Thoughts^are^hings." In these words he gave expression to aTV mighty truth, which, if fully apprehended by mankind, would! revolutionize the world. Thought is not only a dynamic force, it is a real thing, just as is any other material object. Thought ) is merely a finer form of matter, or a grosser form of spirit — ^you may call it either, with equal correctness. Matteosjbut a^_grosser f orm of mind; mind but a finer form ^f ma tter^ There is but one substance in nature, but that substance has many forms, rang- ing from the most material (so-called) forms, to the highest form — Spirit. When we think, we send out vibrations of a fine etherial sub-: /stance which is as real as the finer vapors or gasses; the liquids; (^^the solids. We do not see thought — ^neither do we see the finer vapors or gasses. We cannot smell or taste thought — ^neither do) we smell or taste the pure air. We can feel it however, as many) THE ADDUCTIVE QUALITY OF THOUGHT. 65 (^can testify—which is more than we can say of the powerful mag- netic vibrations of a mighty magnet, which, whilst exerting a force sufficient to attract toward it a piece of steel weighing a hundred pounds, is absolutely without effect upon us. Its vibra- tions may pass through our bodies and exert its force on the steel, while we may be unaware of its existence. Light and heat send out vibrations of a lower intensity than those of thought, but the principle is the same. The evidence of the five senses is not abso- lutely necessary to establish the existence of a material substance or force. The annals of science are full of proofs of this fact. Prof. Elisha Gray, an eminent scientist, says ^^ his little book : "The Miracles of Nature :" ; ''There is much food for speculation in the thought that there \ exists sound waves that no human ear can hear, and color waves/ of light that no eye can see. The long, dark, soundless space between 40,000 and 400,000,000,000,000 vibrations per second, and the infinity of range beyond 700,009,000,000,000 vibrations per second, where light ceases, in the universe of inpti(^ makes it possible to indulge in speculation." , .,,. '\'ra ' retaining the breath for several moments before expelling it; continue the deep breathing until a feeling of calm, restful quiet manifests itself. 3. Concentrate your whole attention inwardly upon your- self, shutting out all outside impressions. Concentration exercises will enable you to do this. 4. Having obtained the proper conditions of bodily and men- tal relaxation, fix your thought firmly, calmly and steadily upon ; the word "FEAELESS," letting its outward form sink into your / mind, as the die into the wax. Give yourself up to the thougntr and the word. Then think of the meaning of the word, the char- acteristics of a person possessing that quality, etc. 5. Form the mental picture of yourself possessed of the CHARACTER BUILDING BY MENTAL CONTROL. 81 desired quality, act it out in your mind, as in a dream; think of yourself doing certain things by reason of the possession of the quality; see yourself in your relations to other men and women, you being possessed of the desired quality. In short, indulge in a pleasant "day dream," having for its theme your possession of the quality desired. Give your imagination full sway, merely insisting upon it sticking to the text, and its always show- ing you successful in the scenes and occurrences of the dream. Always conclude this "^dream" with a strong impression and thought of "I AM." This will give you additional strength and confidence. In fact, it is better to alternate the thought of the quality, with the idea and recognition of the "I AM." 6. Eepeat these exercises as often as possible. It is like the dripping of the water on the stone. The repeated thought takes root and grows rapidly. It is a good plan to practice this exercise when you retire for the night, and also during your waking hours at night, if you have any. The exercise will not keep you from slumber, but will rather tend to induce the desire for sleep. If you feel yourself dropping into a doze, do not resist it, as the impression which you carry with you into sleep will dwell with you, and will do its work even while 5''ou are slumbering. In the above exercises, I have used the word "Fearless" and its accompanying thought, to illustrate the process of inducing Thought Absorption. You will understand that you are to use the word expressing the quality of which you are desirous of acquiring. If you wish to rid yourself of an undesirable quality, select the word expressing the opposite thought. For instance, if you are inclined to be indolent, select the word "Active" or ''Energy," etc., and so on. You must remember that when we wish to brighten a room, we do not have to drive out the darkness first; we merely open the blinds and admit the light, and lo, the darkness has departed. Do not bother about the undesirable thoughts, but concentrate on their opposites, and the positive will neutralize the negative. Do not become discouraged if the results do not come as soon as you would like. Eemember, they are sure to come, in time. All that you require is repeated practice. The 82 PERSONAL MAGNETISM. mind can be developed just as can be the muscle, and by the same process — continued practice. You have been given the means of remedying your defects. If jou do not avail yourself of its benefits, it is simply hecause you do not want to. If you have Desire strong within you, you will do it. If you lack the strong desire, I can not help you. If you prefer to sell your glorious birthright of Mental Control for the uaess of pottage of present indulgence, that is your own business. You are your own master. Make of yourself what you will. THE ART OF CONCENTERING. LESSON XIIL THE ART OF CONCENTERING. Definition of the term — Exoteric and esoteric meanings — A valuable ac- quirement — Thought combined with action — Volitional concenter- ing — How to "arrive" — Advantages of concentering — Means of doing the best work — Getting the full result of your work — Cure for dis- couragement — Work out your own salvation — Don't be a human door-mat — Get down to business — Heaven not a loafing place — Work robbed of its terrors — Remedy for the "blues" — A specific for discouragement — Concentering no easy task — A simple experiment — Advantages of concentering — No more waste effort or lost motion — Focussing the attention — Focussing thought — ^A valuable remedy for mental and physical exhaustion — Explanation — Requisites of con- centering. In ordinary conversation, we make frequent use of the word ^'Concentration," in the sense of "bringing together," or "dimin- ishing in bulk and increasing in strength," or "consolidating," €tc. In order to avoid an erroneous conception, I have preferred to use the term "Concentering." A plain definition of the word "Concentering" is "the bringing to a common center," or "focus- ing." Carry in your mind the analysis of the word, thus: "Con- CENTEE,"— "to bring to a center." The word "concenter" has its exoteric, or common, meaning, and its esoteric, or hidden, meaning, when used in connection with the exercise of the powers of the mind. The exoteric idea is the con- centering of the mind upon the one particular thought or action, inhibiting all outside thoughts or impressions. The esoteric idea is the con-centering of the mind upon the Ego, the I AM, inhibit- ing all thoughts of the material body or of the grosser self, and dwelling in the higher regions of the Soul. The first mentioned form of concentering is a most valuable acquirement for man in his every day life ; the second form is a most desirable acquirement 84 PERSONAL MAGNETISM. for those who would know more of their real self, and who aspire to know something of the secrets of The Silence. In this lesson, I will speak exclusively of the practical side of concentering, that being the purpose of this work. I have, however, given the reader Jiints of the esoteric phase, that he may know how to proceed if he is attracted to the same. The art of concentering upon a given thought or action, is one of the most desirable acquirements which a man can possess. We have been told the advantage of "doing a thing with all our might,^' and "doing one thing at a time, and doing it well," etc. We all know of the painter who attributed his excellent work to the fact that he "mixed brains in his paint," and of the miner who "put a little brains into his pick." We know that the simplest task is better performed, if we but combine concentered thought with the action. Workmen differ in degree according to the amount of concentered thought placed in their work. The man who "takes an interest in his work," and who finds an intellectual pleasure in his daily task, is the man who does the best work, and is also the happier man. The man who keeps his eye on the clock, or who "leaves his pick in the air at the sound of the whistle," is a mere machine, and will never amount to anything, unless he changes his point of view regarding work. The man who "thinks with his hands" or who can "carry a message to Garcia," is in demand. He is a scarce article, and many employers are looking for him. When will our boys learn to appreciate this fact ? Well, what has all this to do with Concentering? Just this, that the interest and brains that a man puts into his work is the result of an exercise of volitional concentering. The man who practices concentering in his daily life, shuts out distracting im- pressions, and gives his best thought force to the task before him, and does better work by reason thereof, whether he be day laborer, architect, clerk, salesman, poet, painter or banker. Every man who has "arrived" has developed the art of concentering. He may . not realize it, but he has, just the same. And more : Any man who will develop the art of concentering will "arrive." Try it and be THE ART OF CONCENTERING. 85 convinced. Wliy, you can see it for yourself; it cannot help pro- ducing the result. If you concenter on an object, and hold the thought firmly, you cannot help doing the best work, and if you do the best work you will receive the proper reward, providing you have the sense with which you were born, and have not allowed yourself to be hypnotized into a belief that you are a worm of the dust, or a human door-mat. If you do the best work, you will find a market for your services; if your present employer doesn't appreciate you, there are plenty of others who will. But you will have to do the Work — don't forget that. No man is going to be fool enough to pay you for something that you do not do. Oh, no ; he is not built that way, and he would not "arrive" if he did. But, just the same, he will not permit you to leave his em- ploy for that of his rival, if you do the best work, and you will do the best work if you only will get down to business, and concenter. If you have been discouraged by your apparent lack of success in your vocation, just you learn how to concenter and do it ; spit on your hands and take a fresh grip, a little higher up, and pull for all you're worth. You just pull hard enough, and something will be sure to give at the other end of the rope. Don't you waste your time complaining of the "oppression of Capital'* and all that sort of thing. If you are a "concentering" man. Capital will soon fall all over itself to secure your services, or to buy your goods. Can't you see it, man? Of course you do. Well, then, stop fooling around about it, and get to work in earn- est. Get a move on, and hustle. If you refuse to accept the means of financial salvation now offered you, why just lie around and be a human door-mat all your life ; who cares ! If a man is too lazy to be saved, why, just let him be — the other thing. It serves him right. Some of you fellows need a man around you with a spiked club, with instructions to give you a good bang every time you slack up and engage in mental wool-gathering. Stop your "moon- ing" and get down to business. Some people spend their life in dreaming of the hereafter, where they expect to spend their time 'loafing around the throne." Now, they're sure to be fooled about that. All Nature is in motion, and God is working hard every 86 PERSONAL MAGNETISM. day, and I believe that when you get to the other shore you will be confronted with a sign having thereon inscribed the words, "NO LOAFING PEKMITTED." If you take an interest in your work, you rob it of its terrors. Start in, man, and work out your own salvation from poverty and unhappiness. Do it, and do it NOW. The man who can concenter has at his hand a sure remedy for the 'TdIucs." How? Why, just by shutting off the unpleasant thought and concentering on a brighter subject. Now, don't say that you can't do this. You can do it, if you acquire the "knack.'* Thousands of people have found this plan a specific for the "blues," discouragement, worry, fear, and the rest. Try it, and you will find that life will appear entirely different to you. Try it, and you will feel so good that you would not call the President your cousin. Try it, and you will "feel the thrill of life along your keel," and will thank G-od that you are alive, instead of cursing the day when you were born. You will do your work better; you will feel better ; you will &e better. Is it not worth the trial ? You may have an idea that you know something about con- centering. Well, maybe you do; let's see. Take up a lead pencil and try to sharpen it properly. Take your time to it, and turn out a first class job. Now, see if 3''ou can concenter on that pencil-sharpening, to the exclusion of all outside thoughts; try to devote your best energy and thought to the task at hand. For the moment, live for the sole purpose of getting an A-1 point on that pencil. Well, how did it feel? Pretty hard job, wasn't it? Yes, I thought so. You need practice, young man. Take up the exercises given in this lesson, and go over them until you can do anything, whatsoever, without your thought wandering. Anyone can concenter .upon an agreeable task, but just give them an unpleasant or monotonous job, and you will find that their thoughts will wander away in spite of them; that is, until they learn to concenter by an effort of the will. That is the test — the ability to concenter upon an unpleasant, unattractive, monot- onous task. When you have overcome this trouble, you will know that you have broken the backbone of Waste Effort and Lost THE ART OF CONCENTERING. 87 Motion. By concentering you are able to focus your attention, thought and energy upon a given thing, thereby obtaining the best possible results. The rays of the sun, when focussed upon an object by means of a sun-glass, produce a heat many times greater than the direct rays of the same source of light and heat. So it is with the attention. Scatter it and you get but ordinary results; but focus it upon the thing to be done, and you obtain a wonderful amount of energy. The concentering man focusses his attention, and thought force, upon an object, and the result is that his every action, voluntary and involuntary, is in the direction of the attain- ment of that object. As I said in a previous lesson, a man can have everything he wants if only he wants it hard enough. If his energies are focussed upon a thing, to the exclusion of every- thing else, the force so generated and focussed must bring the result. The moral of all this is : "Whatsoever you do, do it with all your might." Do it in earnest. "Do one thing at a time, and do it well." In order to obtain the best results from the thought-forces, as explained in preceding lessons, you should acquire the art of concentering. By focussing the thought, you add to its strength, as a moment's reflection will show you. The exercises accompany- ing the preceding lessons should be accompanied by the exercises in concentering. These exercises are more or less tedious and monotonous, but should be persisted in until perfected. You will be repaid for your work by the conscious increase in j'^our powers of concentering, which will be apparent from the first. There is one thing more' that I wish to say to you, before starting in with the exercises, and that is to point out to you the advantage of concentering, as a means of mental and physical rest. If this was the only result obtainable by the exercises, it would be worth your while to acquire it. Suppose 3'^ou feel completely tired out by some physical or mental labor, and are sadly in need of rest. If you lie down, the thought which has been occupying your mind returns to haunt 5''ou, and prevents your mind from obtaining the much needed rest. ISTow, the theory is that each 88 PERSONAL MAGNETISM. thoiiglit calls into operation and activity certain sets of brain cells — the other cells of course taking a rest in the meantime. This being the case, you will see, readily, that when one set of brain cells become utterly fagged out by excessive exercise and work, its only chance of getting an entire rest is for you to concenter upon an entirely different line of thought, shutting out the cells vAvhich you have just tired out, and which are still vibrating with y^xcitement from the strong impetus given them. By concentering upon the new thought, the old cells are relieved from further work and obtain a much needed rest. These cells are hungry for work, and may attempt to return to their task in spite of you, but if you once have acquired proficiency in the art of concentering, you have learned to master them. You doubtless remember the time when your brain felt exhausted by the hard work of the business day, but when you picked up an interesting novel 3''ou became so interested in it that your old brain cells "knocked off" for a while, and when the novel was completed you felt com- pletely refreshed, notwithstanding the fact that the reading of the book was in itself no slight exercise of the mind. That is the theory. Now, put it into practice, and you will have no need to complain of mental overwork. You will be able to put thoughts off and on, like your coat, changing them whenever you see fit. I will now give you a few exercises, the practice of which will enable you to develop the power of concentering. In leaving this phase of the subject, I again would remind 5''ou that the under- lying principle of Concentering is the focussing of the attention) upon a certain thought or action. Any exercise which will strengthen the faculty of volitional inhibition of non-essential thoughts will be of value ; the exercises herein given being merely furnished as suggestions of others. THE PRACTICE OF CONCENTERING. ' 89 LESSON" XIV. THE PRACTICE OF CONCENTERING. Exercises in concentering — Shutting out outside impressions — Conquering inattention — Cultivating will power — Training the body to obey the mind and the mind to obey the will — Volitional control of muscular movements — Not so easy of acquirement — Sitting still — Exercises — • Controlling muscles of the arm — Exercises — Steadying the muscles — Exercises — Cultivate equanimity and mental and physical ease — Ex- amples — Getting rid of ugly habits of motion — Volitional attention — Exercises developing same — Direction for additional exercises — Concentered attention upon outside objects — General explanation — Miscellaneous exercises. ' A. The first requisite of concentering is the ability to shut /out outside thoughts, sounds and sights ; to conquer inattention ; to obtain perfect control over the body, and mind. The body must be brought under the direct control of the mind ; the mind under the direct control of the will. The Will is strong enough, but the Mind needs strengthening by being brought under the direct influence of the Will. The Mind, strengthened by the impulse of the Will, becomes a much more powerful projector of thought "vibrations, than otherwise, and the vibrations have much greater force and effect. In these exercises I will begin with training the body to readily obey the commands of the Mind. The first exercise, and one which must be mastered before the succeeding exercises are undertaken, is the control of the muscular movements. This, at first sight, may appear very simple, but a few experiments will convince you that you have much to learn. The following exercises will be of great benefit to you in acquir- ing perfect control of the muscles. A-1. Sit Still. This is no easy task. It will at first try your powers of concentering, to refrain from involuntary muscular 90 PERSONAL MAGNETISM. movements, but by a little practice you will be able to sit stilly without a movement of the muscles, for fifteen minutes or more. /The best plan is to place yourself in an easy chair, assuming a com- I fortable position, then relax all over, and endeavor to remain per- fectly quiescent for a period of five minutes. Continue this exer- • else until you can accomplish it with ease, and then increase the time to ten minutes. After you have mastered the ten minutes* exercise, increase the time to fifteen minutes, which is about as far as you need pursue the exercise. You should not tire your- self with this, or any other of our exercises. The better plan is to practice a little at a time, but as often as possible. Bear in mind that you must not sit in a rigid position; there must be no strain on the muscles ; you must relax completely. This plan of relaxing^ will prove valuable to you when you wish to get a good rest after fatiguing physical exertion. It is an ideal "rest cure," and may - be taken either sitting in a chair or lying down on a couch or bed. A-2. Sit erect in your chair, with your head up and your chin out, and shoulders thrown back. Eaise your right arm until it is level with your shoulder, pointing to the right. Turn your head and fix your gaze on your hand, and hold the arm perfectly steady for one minute. Eepeat with the left arm. When you are able to perform this feat, perfectly, increase the time to two minutes, then to three, and so on until you are able to maintain the position for five minutes. The palm of the hand should be turned down- ward, this being the easiest position. By keeping the eyes fixed on the tips of the fingers, you will be able to see whether you are holding your arm perfectly steady. A-3. Fill a wine glass full of water, and taking the glass between the fingers, extend the right arm directly in front of you. Fix the eyes upon the glass, and endeavor to hold the arm so steady that no quiver will be noticeable. Commence with one minute exercises, and increase until the five minute limit is reached. Alternate right and left arms. A-4. In 3''our every day life, endeavor to avoid a tense, strained condition of the muscles, when you should be at ease. Endeavor to acquire a self-poised attitude and demeanor. Cultivate an THE PRACTICE OF CONCENTERING. 91 easy, self-possessed manner, in preference to a nervons, strained over-ahxions appearance. Mental exercise will help you to acquire) the proper carriage and demeanor. Stop beating the "devil's) tattoo'' on the table or chair. Such actions indicate a lack of self-^ control. Don't tap on the floor with your foot, nor swing your feetj) backward or forward while talking or sitting. Don't rock back-\ Cward and forward in a rocking chair, as if you were working a J machine at so much an hour. Don't bite your nails, nor. chew your\ lips or cheek, nor wiggle your tongue around in your mouth, y whilst reading or studying, or writing. Don't wink or blink your) eyes. Get rid of any habit of twitching or jerking of any part ofj) the body, which may have become second nature to you. You can \ 'stop it easily by "carrying the thought" and practicing con-/ centering. Train yourself to bear with equanimity and com- posure, noises which have been startling you heretofore, such ^ as the banging of a suddenly closed door, the dropping of a book^ or other object, etc. In other words, keep yourself well in hand. ' The above exercises will be of great assistance to you in getting / yourself just wbere you want. B. The above exercises were given to teach you the art of con- trolling involuntary muscular movement, thus bringing your body under the control of the voluntary functions. The following exercises are designed to enable you to bring your voluntary mus^ culary movements under the direct control of the Will, in other / words, to train the mental faculties producing voluntary muscular \movement. B-1. Sit in front of a table, placing your hands upon the table, the fists clinched and lying with the back of the hand on the table, the thumb being doubled over the fingers. Fix your ,gaze upon the fist for a while, and then slowly extend the thumb, j keping your whole attention fixed upon the act, just as if it was lof the greatest importance. Then slowly extend your first finger, then your second, and so on until they are all open and extended. Then reverse the process, closing first the little finger and con- ; tinning the closing until the fist is again in its original position, I with the thumb closed over the fingers. Eepeat with the left 92 PERSONAL MAGNETISM. Jiand, Continue this exercise five times at a sitting, and then j increase it to ten times. This exercise will make yon "tired/' but you must persevere as it is of importance to you in the direction of training your attention by directing it to trivial and monotonous exercises; in addition, it will give you direct control over all of your muscular movements. You soon will feel the benefit accruing from these simple and apparently unimportant exercises. Do not fail to keep ^ the attention closely upon the closing and unclosing of the fingers. That is the main point ; if you neglect it, you lose the entire benefity of the exercise. B-2. This exercise is nothing more or less than the old trick, often observed among our country cousins, known as "twirling the thumbs." Place the fingers of one hand between the fingers of the other hand, leaving the thumbs free. Then slowly twirl the thumbs one over the other, with a circular motion. Be sure to/ keep the attention -firmly fixed upon the ends of the thumbs. ^ B-3. Place the right hand on the knee, the fingers and thumb closed, with the exception of the first finger which must be pointed out in front of you. Then move the finger slowly from side to side, keeping the attention firmly fixed upon the end of the finger. These exercises may be extended indefinitely, and you may exercise your ingenuity in supplying additional ones under this head. The main idea is that the exercise shall consist of some trivial, familiar, monotonous muscular movement, and that the attention must be kept firmly fixed upon the moving part of the. body. Your attention will revolt at the slavery enforced upon it/\ and will endeavor in every possible way to escape its thraldom. This is where the training comes in, and you must insist that your attention does its work, from beginning to end, and not wander away to more congenial scenes or occupations. Think of yourself as a strict schoolmaster, and of your attention as a playful, fun- 1 loving boy who tires of looking at his book and wishes to steal ' sly glances out of the window and door at the more attractive sights on the outside. Your business is to keep the boy at his THE PRACTICE OF CONCENTERING. 93 book, knowing that it will be better for him, although he cannot see it just that way now. Before long, you will notice that you have a much better control over your muscular movements, carriage and demeanor, and will also observe an increased power of attention and concentering in your every-day affairs, which will be of con- siderable advantage to you. C. This class of exercises is intended to aid you in concenter- ing your attention upon some material object not connected with yourself. Take some uninteresting object, such as a pencil, and^ concenter your entire attention upon it for five minutes. Look at it intently ; think of it ; turn it over ; consider it ; think of its "uses; its object; of the materials of which it is made; the process of manufacture, etc. Think of nothing else but the pencil. Im- agine that your chief object in life is the study of that pencil. Imagine that there exists nothing else in the world but you and the pencil. "Only one world, and but two things in it — pencil and I." Do not let your attention get away from the pencil, but keep it down to its work. You will realize what a rebellious creature your attention is when you try this exercise, but don't let him get the upper hand of you. It is very tiresome to him, but it is for his own good, so stick to him. When you have con- quered the rebellious attention you will have achieved a greater victory than you now realize. Many a time in after life, when you need the closest attention upon some matter before you, you will thank me for "putting you on" to this exercise. This exercise can be varied each day, always chosing some unin- teresting and familiar object upon which to concenter the atten- tion. Don't select an interesting object, for it requires no effort to concenter upon that. You need something that will seem like "work" to the attention. The less interesting the object, the more the work, and the better the exercise. The trouble about this exer- cise is, that you will soon run out of material, as the continued concentering of the attention upon uninteresting objects will, in the end, cause the attention, in self defense, to take an interest in the things upon which it concenters. However, when you have reached this stage, you will have but little further need of the 94 PERSONAL MAGxXETISM. exercise, as you then will be able to concenter your attention upon anything, or anybody. The above exercises will be sufficient for your purposes, it being understood that you will extend the several exercises by material supplied by your own invention and ingenuity. You may practice upon something occurring in your every day work. You will not be at a loss for material upon which to practice, now that you have the main idea impressed upon your memory. The exercises given in the preceding lessons can be practiced more intellingently, now that you understand the advantage to be gained by concentering. You will be able to "carry the thought" hetter, to direct more energy into suggestions, and into the projec- tion of thought vibrations. Your eye exercises will take on a new phase, and so will the exercises in Telepathic Volation, etc. You will be able to overcome bad habits, and acquire good habits in their place. In short, by the acquirement of the art of eon- centering, you will be able to do everything better than formerly. You will have acquired a firm control over body and mind, and will find that you are now the master of your inclinations, not their slave. The power gained over yourself will manifest itself in the power to control others. The man who conquers himself, has no trouble in impressing his will upon others. Continue the practice of concentering and developing the amenability of the Mind to the Will, and you will become a very giant, compared to men who have not acquired this power. Try your will power on yourself in different ways, until you feel confident that you have won the mastery of self. Be satisfied with nothing else. When you have gained that, the mastery of others is already yours. \^ALEDICTORY. 95 LESSON XV. VALEDICTORY. Intuitive perception of the truth — A mere hint at a great truth — Latent powers developed — The practical side — The occult side — An under- standing of the Science of the Mind has an elevating effect — Recog- nition of the Ego — A literature of froth and bubbles — A few grains of wheat among the chaff — Practical knowledge scarce, but demanded — Advice to seekers after the truth — The small flame within you — A three-fold mighty dynamic force — "I AM" strength — New resolvest new strength — The Brotherhood of Man — Self- respect — Do not be imposed upon — Don't be a yellow dog — A short rule of action — Do not misuse your new-found power — A hint at a great truth — Farewell advice — Finis. I feel that those who have followed me through the preceding lessons must have felt within them the intuitive assurance of the Truth contained in the instruction herein given. In a work of this size and character, I can do no more than merely direct the attention of my readers to the great facts underlying the Science of the Mind ; to give them a hint of the great Truth ; to acquaint them with a few exercises which, if followed conscientiously, will enable them to develop their latent powers. More than this would be beyond the scope of this work, which is intended to give popular instruction in the exercise and use of Personal Magnetism and Psychic Influence in the affairs of every-day life. The average reader will rest satisfied with the "practical" side of the subject, and will not feel inclined to enter into the occult phase. To the few who feel an inclination to pursue the subject still further, who would penetrate behind the veil, there are other sources of information open, which I will be pleased to point out to those who may so request. A letter will reach me if addressed in care of the University of Psychic Science, Chicago, 111. Without attempting to go further into the subject, I would say 96 PERSONAL MAGNETISM. that, in my opinion, an intelligent understanding of the laws underlying the Science of Mind, supplies one with a most elevat- ing rule of life and conduct; brings to man a realizing sense of his own individuality, strength and power — a consciousness of the reality and immanence of his real self, the I AM. The recognition of the Ego carries with it a sense of new duties and the means of performing them. The student of what is known as the "New Thought" finds himself surrounded with a mass of literature, much of which con- sists of froth and bubbles. Grains of thought are there, but are surrounded by bushels of verbal chaff. The searcher for ideas receives — words, words, words. The works on the subject, which are really worth the time and trouble of reading, are few, and the student, alas, knows not where to find them. Practical, under- standable works on this subject are being demanded by many minds, and, following the invariable rule which causes the pro- duction of the thing which is earnestly demanded, works of this kind are sure to appear. Speed the day. To the student I would say, do not be deluded by "isms" or leaders ; you possess tvithin you the real Truth, and it will manifest itself to you, in time, developing gradually and naturally, as the flower. The recognition of the I AM will bring its reward. The small flame within will throw light on all subjects and illumine them. Pursue vour way through life, earnestly and calmly. HurryN / is not Haste; Bustle is not Energy; Noise is not Strength, The man of quiet, calm, earnest and persistent qualities, reaches the\ goal long before his brother of opposite tendencies. Confidence, /Expectation and Calm Demand is a three-fold, mighty dynamic Iforce, which would solve many problems if man but realized it. The wise man uses that which the fool neglects. "The stone which the builders rejected becomes the corner-stone of the' temple." Do not crawl on your belly, like a worm ; do not humble your- self in the dust and call upon heaven to witness what a despicable creature you are ; do not call yourself a "miserable sinner," worthy only of eternal damnation. No ! a thousand times, No ! Else to VALEDICTORY. 97 your feet; raise your head and face the skies; throw back your shoulders, and fill your lungs with Nature's ozone. Then say to yourself, I AM a part of the Eternal Life Principle ; I AM created after the Divine image; I AM filled with the Divine Breath of Life ; Nothing can hurt ME, for I AM a part of the ETEENAL. Go your way, friend, strong in your new resolves, strong in ' your new-found strength. Do your duty, first to yourself; then to your brother-men. Eeeognize the Brotherhood of Man ; realize that all men are your brothers — ^pretty poor lot of relations, but brothers for all of that. Do not impose on your brother-man, but do not let him impose on you. If you give in to him against your \ judgment and conscience, you not only hurt yourself, but also | injure him. Do not start fights; but let no man smite you with 1 impunity. If a man smite you on one cheek, do not turn to him the other, but do a little smiting on your own account — and smite ■. hard. Do not smite him with Hate in your heart, and do not hesi- / tate to forgive him after he has "come to.^' The doctrine of non- ) resistance is misunderstood; it does not mean that you should be a backboneless creature— a sheep-like, rabbit-hearted specimen of humanity. No, no; when you allow a man to impose on you and wrong you, you are not acting right toward the other man; duty to him demands that you let him know just "where he is at.'' I am speaking of real aggression or invasion of your rights, now, not of fancied wrongs or mountains made of molehills ; that is the other extreme. But do not allow Hate to find a lodging place in"^ your heart. Go through the world "with the grace of God in \ your heart, and a good, strong hickory club in your hand." Don't ' use the club for offense (never do that), but keep it around to defend yourself with. If you are "clad in the armor of a righteous cause," and the world sees that you have self-respect and will stand no nonsense, it will treat you with respect. The dog who maintains a confident, calm demeanor, is in but little danger of feeling the boot-toe of the passer-by, but the white-livered cur who draws himself up, and places his tail between his legs that he may present a better aim for the kick — gets the kick. He gets ^ (what he expects. What is true of the dog is equally true of the 01^ «*-*'*€i^ 98 PERSONAL MAGNETISM. man. If you have followed the advice and instrnctions contained in this little work, you will not have many kicks aimed at you. But, remember — no kicking of dogs on your part— you must be above that. An old writer has summed up man's duty to man in the follow- ing words, which should be inscribed in letters of gold over every doorway in the land: ( "WEONG NO MAN, AND EENDEE UNTO EVEEY) MAN HIS DUE." If the above words formed the rule of action, and life, of men, there would be no need of lawyers, courts, or prisons; life would then seem "one long, sweet song." Try to do your part in bring- ing about this result. Once more, I caution you not to misuse your new-found power ; do not drag the gift of the Spirit through the mud. Use it freely, in your own behalf, in every legitimate way, but harm no man by reason of, or by means of, it. If you fail to grasp the meaning of any of the teachings con- tained in this little work, do not feel discouraged, for it will come to you later, Eead over the lessons which seem the most difficult to you, and then place yourself in the relaxed condition of body and mind — Enter the Silence — and a new light will break upon you. "Knock and it shall be opened unto you; ask and ye shall receive." And now, friends, we have come to the parting of the ways. We may meet again, but, if not, let us part feeling that we are none the worse for the short acquaintance. If I have done you any good; if I have awakened in you new thoughts, hopes and aspirations, may you make them manifest in actions and results. Our little journey, along the banks of the stream, has been pleasant to me, and I trust that I have not bored you, nor caused you to regret the acquaintance — ^not a chance acquaintance, yoiy^ may rest assured, for "nothing ever happens." \, I thank you for your kind attention. 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