 For the purpose of illustrating the personal qualities of the dynamically positive man, along the lines of Personal Influence, I shall proceed to describe these qualities as existing in a person whom I will call the Dynamic Individual. Let us consider this man as an actually existent individual, in our treatment of him. You must endeavor to imagine him in this way, that you may understand his qualities. He is a very positive man, magnetically—one of the examples of a strong, forceful man of affairs, who is constantly meeting people, and having relations with them. How does such a man act, talk, look, move and conduct himself? Let us see! In the first place, let us consider his appearance. He may be tall or short; dark or fair; stout or slender—these things do not count. But, notice this, that no matter which of the characteristics just mentioned he may possess or lack, he has a certain "air about him" that all may recognize, once they have seen it in anyone. Let us notice this "air" carefully, for it may give us a clue. The principal feature about this "air" of the Dynamic Individual is its suggestion of self-confidence and fearlessness. Our man seems to have a certainty of an inward power and force about him. Not the blustering, self-important air manifested by the pinchbeck imitators of our man, but a calm, contained, poised consciousness of strength and self-confidence. Our man seems to feel that there is "something in him" that gives him a strength and firmness unknown to the majority of people. Every such man has this inner consciousness, and I shall tell you what it is. As I said in the first chapter, there exists in Nature a Universal Dynamic Mental Principle. In this principle each individual is a Center of Power. This Dynamic Principle in its outward manifestations of one pole of its energy, at least, resembles a universal will. That is, while its inner nature cannot be known, yet in the outer aspect of one of its poles of energy it resembles a universal will in operation everywhere. And, so, we are justified in thinking of it as Universal Will-Power. The more positive a man becomes, in dynamic mentation, the closer does he become in contact with this Universal Will. And the closer he is to this Universal Will, the more positive does he become. It is a case of action and re-action. "To him that hath shall be given" applies in this case. The quality of dynamic positivity draws one to the Universal Will, and the nearness to this will renders one more and more positive. But there is this to be noted in connection with this truth. When a man feels the sense of power that comes from a mental relation with the Universal Will, and allows the energy to flow through him, and to manifest in his acts, he has a reservoir of willpower back of him which is inexhaustible and never failing. But if, in his conceit arising from some successful action, he begins to think that the power is due to some "personal strength," then he becomes "conceited" and "the pride of personality" grows upon him. This is where he makes his mistake. By this personal view of the matter he fences himself off from the Universal Will and limits his force to that portion which is locked up within his own mind, induced there by the will of the universe. Such a one separates himself from the source of power and puts up a barrier between himself and the universal supply. This is in accordance with the inner teachings of the great schools of occultism, and which teachings agree perfectly with the latest theories of modern Science. There is a great ocean of Universal Will, in which we are but centers of activity, and if we will but open ourselves to the power and will contained therein, we will have an unfailing store of power upon which to draw. Let us pause for a moment and see what forces are combined in this active mentative center. In the first place we see that the dual aspect of the Mind-Power manifests itself always. That which we have called the Desire-Force, and that which we have called the Will-Power, appear as the two mentative poles. You know this well, for you have studied the previous chapters wherein this point is brought out and illustrated. But here is an aspect of the matter that I did not bring out in those chapters. I allude to the resemblance of the two phases of Mind-Power, i.e., Desire-Force and Will-Power, to the physical phenomena of magnetism and electricity respectively. Desire-Force, like magnetism, manifests in a drawing, pulling, attracting power; while Will-Power, like electricity, manifests in a pushing, compelling, driving power. Desire-Force, like magnetism, tends to draw things inward and to itself; while Will-Power, like electricity, tends to drive things outward and away from itself. This dual manifestation of energy is seen all through Nature in all of its manifold forms and conditions. There is ever the drawing in to a center—and there is ever the pushing outward from the center. And this law manifests upon the mental plane as well as upon the physical plane. We have heard much of people being "magnetic," that is, having the power to attract persons to them—but that is merely one phase of the operation of dynamic mentation. We do not hear so much about people being "electric," and yet the term is just at proper and applicable as the term "magnetic." "Electric" people are the people in whom Will-Power is strongly developed and manifest. These get "after" others and make them do things. They are the active, energetic, forceful men and women who get behind things and push them along. All great leaders possess this phase of energy to a marked degree. The mere mention of the matter to you will cause you to think of instances of people who possess mentative "electricity." There are men who are able to make the crowd around them do their bidding—they are able to work their will upon the mass of people. These men are seen to possess a strange power, but very few understand it. It is entirely different from the fascinating, alluring, charming, attractive personality of the "magnetic" man, for it forces, and compels by sheer force of character and will, instead of drawing and attracting. You will see why I have spoken of these two phases as masculine and feminine respectively when you consider their different manner of manifestation. But, while both of these forms of power, the "magnetic" and the "electric," have their strong points and advantages, I hold that the highly developed individual must have both of these phases developed highly. In short, instead of being merely very "magnetic," on the one hand, or very "electric," on the other hand, the ideal man must be "electromagnetic." In other words, he must have both sides of his mentative energy highly developed and in full operation. In this way he is able to manifest a combined influence which will make him a very giant of dynamic mentation—A DYNAMIC INDIVIDUAL. I would advise all who wish to become dynamic individuals to cultivate the mental image of the Universal Will—think of it as a great ocean of Will-Power, in which you live, and move, and have your being. Feel yourself in touch with it. Think about your relation to it, constantly, and you will find that your mind will gradually open out to admit of the inflow of its power. And when you learn to know the real source of power, then you will no longer deceive yourself and attempt to shut off the flow of the Universal Will by erecting petty personal barriers of conceit. This inner consciousness of the dynamic individual, especially if he understands its true nature, will react on a man's personal manner and appearance and cause to manifest in him that calm, serene, positive "air" of power, will and strength, that the great leaders of men always possess. And that "air" is in itself a mighty suggestion to others, for the world has learned to associate it with power and ability. Just as the feeling manifests itself in action, so will the outward action tend to induce the inward feeling, as I have told you. If you will endeavor to imitate and reproduce the outward carriage, manner, "air" and demeanor of this dynamic individual, you will have taken a step toward inducing a corresponding Mental State in yourself. But do not remain satisfied with this—go right to the fountainhead and receive your power direct from the Universal Will. But there is something else about the dynamic individual which is different from Will-Power. The will is a cold, keen, powerful force, devoid of color— it is like a great natural force devoid of feeling or emotion, although acting in response thereto. What other great force is manifesting strongly in our dynamic individual? Desire-Force! Yes, that is the other great force within him—Desire-Force. No matter how strong a will a man may have, even though he gets in the closest touch with the Universal Will, he will accomplish nothing unless he be possessed of a developed desire. One must "want" to do things, before he wills to do them. Let us see what this Desire-Force is. The Universal Mind-Power seems to be a strong something, containing within it all the force and energy there is in existence. It does not seem to have the attributes of personality about it, except when it becomes manifested in personal minds, or centers of power. When a personal center, or personal mind, is established in the Universal, then there seems to spring into manifestation a creative desire, which constantly urges toward outward expression. This Desire-Force is seen all through Nature, in all of her forms, and is inherent in all that we call Life Energy—that is, the energy which prompts the building up of form and shape. This Desire-Fore causes the seed to sprout and the plant to grow—the cell to multiply, and the higher forms to evolve from the lower. It is the essence of the great Creative Life Energy ever manifest in Nature. It is essentially a feminine principle, and is constantly desiring to "give birth," "bring forth," "create." It stirs the will into action, and never is satisfied unless it is performing creative work, mental or physical. Now, there are persons who seem to possess but very little of this Desire-Force, except on the physical plane. Their mental plane manifests very little of this force, and consequently they accomplish little or nothing of the world's work, and merely carry out the desires of others. But there are others who have this force manifested most strongly within them. They are possessed of a craving, longing, desiring force that impels them to "do things." That is, it fills them with ardent desires, along mentative lines of creation, which are ever crying out for satisfaction. The strong men and women of the world have this Desire-Force highly developed, and its effort toward expression is what causes these people to accomplish things. Now do not mistake me. This desire is not always in the direction of "owning things," but rather in the direction of "doing things," It is true that when one's desires are along the line of accumulation, the force will be bent in that direction; but it may be less along these lines, and in that case the accumulation will be a mere incident of the "doing." Our dynamic individual has a great deal of Desire-Force within him. He "wants" to do certain things, and he wants to do them very much. He wishes to accomplish certain ends, and the desire becomes an ardent, glowing force that stirs up the desires in those around him, and at the same time incites his own will into action. His Desire-Force combines with his will, and wonderful things are accomplished. When you come into contact with a man of intense desire, you can fairly feel the force emanating from him. Our dynamic individual has learned to concentrate his Desire-Force. When he wants some particular thing, he forgets about the minor things, and focuses his desire upon the particular thing craved by him, and thus draws it toward him with intense energy. The will drives, forces, impels and compels, with a "push"—the Desire-Force draws, induces, pulls toward one, with an irresistible "pull." When our dynamic individual meets you, and wants you to do something, you can feel the pull of his Desire-Force, drawing, coaxing, inducing, alluring, and attracting you toward him and his objects. One who wishes to "do things" should keep the flame of his desire burning bright. He should continually pour upon it the oil of suggestion, and place before it the lantern-slides of the mental images of the thing desired. If you will study the man of strong desire, you will see that he draws everything toward him that he wants. He has a "pull" upon things and leaves nothing undone in the direction of his want. He is hungry and thirsty with desire, and he seeks satisfaction wherever it may be found, his wits being sharpened by the intensity of the desire. And he draws people to him by the very strength of his Desire-Force. You will find that people will instinctively fall in with the suggestions and urgings of the strong desire man. People, as a rule, are "drawn" rather than "pushed" or forced into a thing. The seductive, drawing, charming, fascinating force of men is that of Desire-Force, not of Will-Power. Yes, again I say to you that he who would succeed must, of necessity, keep his fire of desire burning bright and fierce, else it will not awaken into action his own will, nor stir the desire in others. We talk much about Will-Power, and its possession, but the majority of men fail because they do not desire things hard enough. They must want things "the worst way," and then they will bend everything toward getting them. This is true in the case of both good and evil desires—the law is the same in both cases, and operates along the same line. We are acquainted with the disastrous consequences attendant upon the possession of evil desires, and have seen many instances of the harm wrought upon others by reason thereof. But did you ever stop to think that the same degree and intensity of desire, turned in the right direction, would accomplish wonders of good works? If you will put into your plans of proper attainment and aspiration the same degree of energy that the evil man puts into his schemes of selfish gratification, you will be able to move mountains of difficulties. This Desire-Force in the dynamic individual is that which causes us to feel that "he wants this thing, and is going to have it," You know the feeling, if you have come into contact with strong men. And they draw their own to them by the exercise of this elementary force of Nature. They learn that by mentally drawing to themselves a supply of the Universal Energy they are enabled to transform it into Desire-Force, as well as Will-Power—the emotive pole is charged, as well as the motive pole. Both draw from the same source, and both have a constant source of supply. And both may manifest a wonderful degree of this transformed energy, in the shape of Will-Power and Desire-Force. In our dynamic individual, both poles are fully charged, and in active operation. Now I have said enough about the theory of the dynamic individual. I shall ask you to read over what I have said above several times—in fact reread it until you thoroughly understand it. And then I shall take you on to the practical work and exercises calculated to develop in you the qualities of that individual. Taking it for granted that you have carefully considered what I have just said, I shall ask you to perform the following exercises, etc.: EXERCISE 1. In order to realize the reality of the statement that you are a centre of Mind-Power, you must first enter into a realization of the existence of a Great Ocean of Mind-Power itself. Do not pass over this lightly, for it is most important. You must begin to create a mental picture of the Universe as a Great Ocean of Living Mind-Power, vibrating with life and force and power. Endeavor to make this mental picture so clear that you can "see it with your mind's eye," and until it becomes a reality to you. Picture yourself as alone in the Universe and surrounded on all sides with a vibrating, pulsating sea of energy, or power. See that power is locked up in that ocean, and that the ocean exists everywhere. Shut out from your mental field all other persons, things or conditions. Imagine yourself as alone in the great Ocean of Power. You must practice frequently upon this mental picture until you are able to visualize it distinctly. This does not mean that you have to actually see it, just as you do this printed page; but that you should be able to actually feel it. You will begin to understand just what I mean after you have practiced this a little. This Great Ocean of Mind-Power must become real to you—and you must practice until it does so become. The importance of the above exercise may be understood when I tell you that it will be impossible for you to manifest more than a moderate degree of power until you are able to realize yourself as a real centre. And it will be impossible for you to realize yourself as such a centre until you realize the existence of the Ocean of Power itself. For how can you think of yourself as a centre of power, in an Ocean of Power, until you realize the existence of the Ocean itself? The Universal Ocean of Mind-Power contains within itself all the Mind-Power, force and energy that there is. It is the source from which all forms of energy arise. It is filled with an infinite number of tiny centers of energy, of which you are one. And in the degree that you draw upon it for strength, so will you receive strength. By all menus endeavor to clearly visualize this Great Mind-Power Ocean, for it is the source of all the force with which you are filled and which you hope to acquire. Enter into this great realization, friends, for it is the first step to power. EXERCISE 2. The second exercise, which will tend to increase your vibration as a centre of Power, is as follows: Picture yourself clearly as a CENTRE OF POWER in the Mentative Ocean. While seeing the Ocean on all sides of you, you must see yourself as the Centre of it. Do not be frightened at this idea, for it is based on the Truth. The highest occult teaching informs us that the Great Mentative Ocean has its centre everywhere and its circumference nowhere. That is, that being infinite in space, there is no finite spot that is really its centre and yet, on the other hand, every point of activity may be called its centre. Being extended in every direction infinitely, its circumference is nonexistent. Therefore you are most certainly justified in considering yourself as a centre of the Ocean of Mind-Power. Each dynamic individual is such a centre, and each has his world circling and revolving around him. Some have a small world, and some have mighty ones. There are centers so mighty and exalted that the human mind cannot grasp their importance. But even the tiniest point of activity is a centre in itself. So hesitate not, but begin to form a mental picture of yourself as a centre of power. Practice this exercise until you can clearly feel yourself as a centre of power. You must learn to think of yourself as a focal point of force in the great Ocean of Mind-Power. Just as the great body of electricity manifests itself in tiny points of activity, so does Mind-Power express itself in you who are a point of activity within itself. In urging you to perfect yourself in this realization I would impress upon you the fact, known to all advanced occultists, that in the measure of your realization of this mighty quality of the Ego will be the measure of the power possessed by you. All of the strong men of our times, and of all ages, have had this realization, intuitively or instinctively; that is, although they may not have known the philosophy or science of the matter, they have felt this sense of the power of the Ego in themselves, which gave them the confidence to do things and the Will-Power and Desire-Force to carry out their undertakings. It is this feeling of inherent strength that makes men strong and successful and positive. And this feeling and realization may be developed and unfolded within anyone, providing he wants it "sufficiently." By the exercise of your desire and will you may build up this realization of power, and in the building up there will come to you a constantly increasing stream of desire and will. In the measure of your expression will be the measure of your impression from the source of all positive impression. EXERCISE 3. The third exercise consists in the realization of the nature of the Power. This force, energy or power with which you are being filled, and which you are now attracting toward your centre, consists of the electrical manifestation of Will-Power and the magnetic manifestation of Desire-Force. These two constitute the dual phases of the one force—Mind-Power. And, therefore, you must begin to realize that these qualities are within you in order that you may be able to express them, and thus gain the additional and increased power that comes to those who do express them. You must begin to realize that you have a will which is capable of impressing itself on the things, persons and circumstances of your world—and you must begin to realize that you have a desire which attracts to you the things, people and circumstances of your world, and which, in fact, draws to you the very material from which your world is made. When you realize this dual force within you, it will begin to express itself automatically. The act of realization causes the mental machinery to begin to work smoothly and effectively. Therefore picture to yourself this dual force within you. See yourself as influencing, and acting upon the world around you. See yourself as a power in the land. And also see yourself as an attracting force, drawing to you that which you need and want and require, consciously and unconsciously. Picture yourself as a Dynamic Individual. You are an individual because you are a centre of power. You are dynamic because you possess the Electric Will and the Magnetic Desire—the twin-poles of Mind-Power. Carry with you this thought constantly and repeat it often to yourself and you will find it a source of Power—you will find the Power pouring into you when you say or think it. When you feel weak, or when you feel the need of additional Power, use this Statement of Power: "I AM DYNAMIC!" And when you say it, or think it, you must picture to yourself just what you mean by the statement, hence the importance of knowing just what is meant. Do not pass over this Statement of Power as unimportant, but try it in actual practice and you will realize what a Battery of Power you have become. Those around you will soon become aware of a new sense of power within you. Keep this Statement of Power in yourself. Do not invite the ridicule of those around you by telling them the source of your Power. Do not bother about them—if they are individuals themselves they will understand without being told; and if they are not all the telling in the world would not make it clear to them. Hoe your own row and mind your own business—and let them do the same. No one can build up his individuality except from within. And each must work out his own salvation and climb the ladder of attainment for himself. And the sooner that people learn this the better will it be for all. Don't be a leaner, or a leaning-post. Don't lean on anyone else—and don't let anyone lean on you. There has been too much of this foolish business about living other people's lives for them, or letting other people live your life for you. Each man or woman must grow into an individual by his or her own work and life. There is no such thing as vicarious individuality. Don't be afraid to "assert the I"— to claim your rightful heritage and birthright to be an individual, and not a parasite. And don't be afraid to shake off and trim off the parasitic persons that have encumbered your own unfoldment toward individuality. Let the parasites take root in the earth, just as you have done; let them fasten their roots in the great body of strength and power instead of in the mental body of someone else; let them stop their second-hand nourishment and learn to draw from the first source. This is the only way, and the lack of the knowledge of it is filling the world with weaklings instead of with individuals. Therefore think of these things; hold them well in mind when you make your Statement of Power; "I AM DYNAMIC!" In considering the qualities that go to make up the person in whom Dynamic Mentation is likely to be strongly developed, I may mention the following:
(2) Belief in One's Self; for without this no one manifests positivity. Believe in your own power and ability, and you impress others with the same belief. Confidence is contagious. Cultivate the "I Can and I Will." (3) Poise; for the calm, well-poised, imperturbable man has an enormous advantage over one lacking these qualities. The man who meets any emergency without "losing his head" has something about him that makes him looked up to as a natural leader—he has one of the qualities of positivity. Cultivate the calm masterful mood (4) Fearlessness; for fear is the most negative emotion in the being of man. Fearlessness is a most positive quality, just as fear is the most negative. Cultivate the "I Dare—I Do!" (5) Concentration; for this "one-pointedness" focuses the Will-Power upon the object. Do one thing at a time, and do it with all the power that there is in you. (6) Fixity of Purpose; for you must learn to know what you want to do, and then "stick to it" until it is done. Cultivate the Bull-dog quality—it is needed. To those who recognize the need of the above mentioned qualities, but who lack them, I would recommend the careful study and determined application of the principles stated in the chapters of this book, entitled, "Mental Architecture," "Making over oneself" and ''Mind-Building", respectively. |
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