Practical Mental Influence.pdf

Practical Mental Influence by William Walker Atkinson

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Practical Mental Influence .

by William Walker Atkinson

A COURSE OF LESSONS ON

Mental Vibrations, Psychic Influence, Personal Magnetism,

Fascination, Psychic Self-Protection, etc., etc.

CONTAINING

Practical Instruction, Exercises, Directions, etc.,

capable of being understood, mastered and demonstrated

by any person of average intelligence.

First Published by The Advanced Thought Publishing Co., Chicago, 1908.

Electronic Edition Published by Cornerstone Publishing, 2001.

W. W. Atkinson Biography | Cornerstone Books Home Page

Table of Contents

CHAPTER I - THE LAW OF VIBRATION

CHAPTER II - THOUGHT WAVES

CHAPTER III - MENTAL INDUCTION

CHAPTER IV - MENTAL CONCENTRATION

CHAPTER V - MENTAL IMAGING

CHAPTER VI - FASCINATION

CHAPTER VII - HYPNOTIC INFLUENCE

CHAPTER VIII - INFLUENCING AT A DISTANCE

CHAPTER IX - INFLUENCING "EN MASSE"

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CHAPTER X - THE NEED OF THE KNOWLEDGE

CHAPTER - XI MAGIC BLACK AND WHITE

CHAPTER XII - SELF-PROTECTION

CHAPTER I

THE LAW OF VIBRATION

Students of history find a continuous chain of reference to the mysterious influence

of one human mind over that of others. In the earliest records, traditions and

legends may be found giving reference to the general belief that it was possible for

an individual to exert some weird uncanny power over the minds of other persons,

which would influence the latter for good or evil. And more than this, the student will

find an accompanying belief that certain individuals are possessed of some mental

power which bends even "things" and circumstances to its might.

Way back in the dim past of man's history on this planet, this belief existed, and it

has steadily persisted in spite of the strenuous opposition of material science, even

unto the present day. The years have not affected the belief, and in these dawning

days of the Twentieth Century it has taken on a new strength and vitality, for its

adherents have boldly stepped to the front, and confronting the doubting

materialistic thinkers, have claimed the name of "Science" for this truth and have

insisted that it be taken, once and for all, from the category of superstition, credulity

and ignorant phantasm.

Were it not pitiable, it would be amusing to glance at the presumptuous,

complacent, smug, self-satisfied position of the materialistic school of thinkers, who

would brush aside as a foolish delusion that which many of the wisest men of a past

age have accepted and taught as the truth. The modern "know-it-alls" would sneer

contemptuously at facts that are known to be of actual occurrence in the daily lives

of thousands of intelligent people, and which the experience of humankind has

demonstrated for many centuries, in all lands and all races.

The trouble lies in the dogmatic assumption of the materialistic school that what is

known as "mind" is merely some peculiar action of the material brain, some writers

even holding that "the brain secretes thought, just as the liver secretes bile." They

refuse to see that the operation of Mind is a manifestation of energy known as

electricity, magnetism, light, heat, gravitation, cohesion, etc. Because mental energy

does not register the vibrations of these lower forms of energy, they conclude that

the higher mental energy does not exist. Having formulated a theory to suit their

materialistic conceptions, they try to ignore all facts not consistent with their theory.

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If they find a fact that will not squeeze into their narrow theory well, "so much the

worse for the fact," as a writer has said and they promptly ignore or dispute it.

As a matter of truth, the investigator is not compelled to resort to metaphysical

explanations to account for the phenomena of Mental Influence. The very facts of

physical science itself, if rightly interpreted, will give the clue to the mystery; and will

point the steps of the honest investigator toward the path where he may find the

solution of the perplexing riddle. Although we know that the real solution lies in the

metaphysical realm, still even physical science will corroborate the facts of its

metaphysical sister science, and instead of contradicting the latter will actually go

far toward furnishing analogous facts and principles basis for a theory of

metaphysical facts.

The student will see at once that so far as physical science is concerned, it must

begin at the phenomenon of "Thought Transference," for in that phase of the

subject may be found an elementary principle in evidence in many other forms of

phenomena. We have given many instances of "Thought Transference" in the two

proceeding volumes of this series, entitled "Mind Reading" and "Psychomancy,"

respectively, and so we need not repeat the same in this place. The main fact is that

"Thought Transference" does exist, and may be accounted for upon purely scientific

grounds, without calling in the truths of metaphysical thought. We know that this is a

strong statement, and a positive assertion, but we also know that the same may be

demonstrated. Let us consider this phase of the subject.

In the first place, physical science teaches that underlying all forms, degrees and

apparent differences in matter and energy, there is to be found a manifestation of

some elementary energy, which manifests in what is known as "Vibrations."

Everything in the material world is in vibration - ever manifesting a high degree of

motion. Without vibration there would be no such thing as a material universe. From

the electronic-corpuscles which science teaches compose the atom; up through the

atom and molecule, until the most complex forms of matter are manifested, there is

the ever-present Vibration. And through all forms of energy, light, heat, electricity,

magnetism and the rest, Vibration is also ever present. In fact, physical science

itself teaches that not only is Vibration the basic force underlying other forces and

the various forms of matter, but also that the apparent differences between the

various forms of matter, and also between the various forms of energy, are caused

simply and solely by the varying degrees of Vibration manifested.

Just as the difference between the lowest tone that can be distinguished by the ear

of man, and the highest note that can be distinguished by the same organ of sense,

is merely a difference between the rate of Vibration - just as is the difference

between the dull red color at one end of the spectrum, and the violet at the other

end, with the intervening colors known as indigo, blue green, yellow and orange,

with all the combinations of shades arising from them - just as the difference

between the greatest degree of cold known to Science, and the greatest degree of

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heat that can be conceived of - just as these great differences due solely and wholly

to varying rates of Vibration - so is the difference between and all forms of matter or

force simply a matter of the rate of Vibration. In short, all material and physical

"Things" are simply manifestations of some "infinite and eternal energy from which

all things proceed," their differences resulting merely from the different degree of

Vibration being manifested in them. Remember, that this is not "vague philosophy"

or "airy metaphysics" or "spiritualistic vagaries" (to quote from the materialistic

writers), but facts claimed and admitted by the greatest physical scientists of the

age, as a reference to their lectures and textbooks will prove to anyone.

And, more than this, any intelligent physical scientist will tell you that Science has

every reason to believe that there are great fields of energy and force, the

Vibrations of which are far too high for even the delicate instruments of science to

record, but which nevertheless exist and manifest effects. It was only the other day

that Science was able to "catch" the "X-rays" and other forms of high Radio-activity,

and yet these rays and forces had always existed. And tomorrow Science will

perfect instruments capable of registering still higher forms of energy. And bye-and-

bye, some scientist will perfect an instrument capable of registering and recording

the subtle vibrations of Thought, and perhaps in time someone will perfect that

instrument so that it will not only record such Thought vibrations and waves, but,

like the phonograph, it will be able to reproduce and send forth similar vibrations so

that others may feel the thoughts, just as they now hear the sounds from the

phonograph. Such a prediction is no more wonderful then would have been the

prediction of the telephone, the phonograph, the wireless telegraph and sundry

other discoveries and inventions a hundred years ago.

Did you ever think that there are colors that the eye cannot see, but which delicate

instruments clearly register? In fact, the rays of tight which sunburn the face, and

which register on the photographic plate are not visible to the eye. The eye sees the

lower rays, but only instruments adapted for the purpose detect the higher ones.

Your eye cannot see the X-ray as it passes through the room, but the plate will

catch it, and its light may make a photograph. The rays of light visible to the eyes

are only the lower ones - the higher ones are far beyond the power of the eye to

record, and beyond even the range of the most delicate instrument there exist rays

and waves of light of such high vibratory rate as to defy even its power to record.

Did you ever know that there are sounds unheard by human ears that the

microphone will catch and magnify? Scientific imagination dreams of instruments

that will catch the songs of the mite - like insects, and magnify them until they can

be distinguished. There are waves of electricity that may pass through your body,

unperceived by you, and yet powerful enough to run light electric lights. Listen to the

words of certain eminent scientists.

Prof. Elisha Gary, a celebrated scientist and teacher, has said: "There is much food

for speculation in the thought that there exists sound waves that no human ear can

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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 700,000,000,- 000,000 vibrations per second, where light ceases, in

the universe of motion, makes i t possible to indulge in speculation."

Prof. Williams, the well-known scientific writer, has said: "There is no gradation

between the most rapid undulations or trembling that produces our sensations of

sound, and the slowest of those which give rise to our sensations of gentlest

warmth. There is a huge gap between them, wide enough to include another world

of motion, all lying between our world of sound and our world of heat and light; and

there is no good reason whatever for supposing that matter is incapable of such

intermediate activity, or that such activity may not give rise to intermediate

sensations, provided that there are organs for taking up and sensitizing their

movements."

And, so you see that in the scientific theory of Vibrations, there may be found plenty

of room for a scientific explanation of all that is claimed by adherents of the truth of

Mental Influence, without getting out of the region of physical science, and without

invading the plane of metaphysics. And there are many more proofs from the same

source, which we may touch upon as we proceed.

There is but one Truth, and it manifests on all planes - the Spiritual; the Mental; and

the Physical - and manifestations agree and coincide. So no Mentalist need fear the

test of Physical Science, for each plane will bear out the facts and phenomena of

the ones below or above it - the Three are but varying phases of One. In this little

work we shall hug close to the plane of Physical Science, because by so doing we

will be able to make the subject much clearer to many than if we had attempted to

express the teaching in Metaphysical terms. There is no contradiction in the end.

Each bit of Truth must dovetail into every other bit, for all are parts of the Whole.

<CONTENTS

CHAPTER II

THOUGHT WAVES

In our last chapter we have seen that Vibration was to be found underlying all

manifestations of energy, and all forms of matter. We also quoted two distinguished

scientists whose words showed that there were fields of vibratory energy not filled

by any known forms of energy, the inference being that inasmuch as there are no

gaps in nature's processes these unknown fields must be occupied by certain forms

of energy not known as yet to physical science. The teachings of the occultists of all

lands and ages, as also those of modern Mental Science, are to the effect that the

Mind, in its manifestation of Thought in the brain, generates a form of energy of

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