Dynamic Thought
	Lesson For Week 7 <  Previous Contents Next  >

TO the ordinary "man in the street" a thought is an "airy nothing "—a mere flash in the consciousness—it comes, it goes, and there is an end to it. To the student of Mind however, thought is known to be the power that is greater than any other power—a force that controls all other forces.

An American writer speaking of Universal Mind says:

"It thinks, and Suns spring into shape;

It wills, and Worlds disintegrate;

It loves and Souls are born"

It will thus be seen that thought is the origin of the visible Universe. All that we see around us is the result of thought. We may even go further, and say that all the invisible forces, which keep the wonderful machinery of the Universe working perfectly and smoothly, are but the thought-energies of the same Universal Mind

As in the macrocosm so is it in the microcosm; the subliminal mind of man is the same in essence as the Universal Mind of the Universe; the difference is not one of kind but of degree.

In our world, our circumstances, our life, our bodies, we stand supreme, or rather we have within us the power, which properly directed, can make us supreme. This power is "Thought."

Thought is so subtle, so elusive, that it has by the majority of men, been considered impossible of control, but the greatest philosophers, seers and leaders in the World's history have known differently. All that they achieved, they accomplished through the power of thought; and this was possible because they had learned the art of thought control.

"What man has done, man can do." This was never so true as it is today, because the science of Mind is now being spread abroad, and that it is possible for quite ordinary people to learn how to control their thoughts, is now known to be a scientific possibility.

Dr. Abrams in his epoch-making book entitled "New Concepts in Diagnosis and Treatment; The Practical Application of the Electrotonic Theory in the Interpretation and Treatment of Disease," describes how he has discovered the energy of thought and measured it by means of an instrument called the Bio-dynamometer.

With one subject in a room with closed doors, and another subject, in another room, forty or more feet away, it was found that one subject could affect the other by a definite exercise of thought. Anger and emotion yielded an energy which produced an effect at a distance of eighty feet.

Dr. Abrams also found that there arts three great energy centers in the human body, the right and left side of the brain, called by him the right and left psychomotor areas; and the finger tips. When the brain is actively engaged in thought there is an increase in the discharge of energy from the psychomotor areas, and also from the finger tips.

It was also found that ordinary people discharged energy from one psychomotor area only, but a great thinker discharged energy from both. The amount of energy discharged in this way can be gauged by the fact that Edward Markham, the poet, discharged energy from his left psychomotor area alone equal to a resistance of sixty ohms. As the energy discharged from a giant magnet with a lifting capacity of 400 lbs. to the square inch is only thirty-two ohms, we can form some idea of the immense power of thought which man possesses.

The flow of energy from the finger tips is also suggestive. In all ages the laying on of hands has been recognized as a healing act, now it is proved by scientific means to have been simply the power or energy of thought.

You will therefore see that "thought" so far from being "an airy nothing" or a mere flash in the consciousness is a wonderful and potent force, the most wonderful and potent force of which we know.

A man is a small individualized part of the Universal Mind, alike in essence but infinitely less in degree. Just as the Universal Mind finds expression through all the Universe, so does man when awake to his own interior powers, express himself by the power of his thought, through his body, his work, his circumstances and his life.

Thus far can he go and no farther. In himself he is an epitome of the Universe, outside of the miniature Universe he has no jurisdiction. By this I mean that man has the power to do what he likes with his own life, but he has no right to dominate other people or to interfere with their lives.

I mention this because there is a pernicious practice being taught today. It is known as "mind domination." People are being taught that by using what is called the "hypnotic gaze," by telepathy and hetero-suggestion they can dominate other people. It is quite true; it can be done and is being done.

This is precisely the same method as that practiced by certain criminals in America. By this method people are being deprived of money and property—they sign documents they do not wish to sign, simply because they are compelled to do so by "mind domination."

No one is to be safe from these misguided people. While you sit in a public room or theater somebody may be behind you concentrating his "hypnotic gaze" upon the back of your neck. When you receive a visit from a traveling salesman he may be working some of his mind dominating black art upon you in order to coerce you into acting against your better judgment, simply and solely that he may reap a temporary benefit.

I mention this in order to put you on your guard against such practices; first, so that you can avoid being hypnotized by these people, and second, that you should never under any circumstances use your mind forces in order to dominate other people. Whoever prostitutes his mental powers in this way is hurrying to disaster. To so misuse the tremendous powers of the mind is to destroy oneself, body and soul.

All who sink to these practices are deliberately creating for themselves an inferno of trouble. The powers of the mind are like electricity; for the latter, if used according to certain laws, produces beneficial results; if used in opposition to these laws, it burns, maims, and destroys. So it is with the powers of the Mind, used aright they lead to success, happiness and all accomplishment; if used wrongly they grind to powder.

Both Hypnotism and Mind Domination are being so largely used and taught that it is advisable to always work against them. These are really a revival of the "Black Magic" of bygone days. Sorcery, witchcraft, necromancy, thaumaturgy, they are all the practice of the same power, and all who use them bring destruction upon their own heads. Sorcery, black magic, or hypnotism, or whatever you like to call it, is accomplished by the lower mind of man. The higher self, the perfect mental or spiritual creature, the real Ego, has nothing to do with it.

This is why hypnotic healing is always harmful. If a person is healed by hypnotic suggestion in about three months' time either the same disease will reappear, or a new and worse disease will manifest itself. But healing done by the higher perfect mind, that is one with, and forms part of, the Universal Infinite Mind, that is in turn one and part of the Infinite Principle of Good, such healing is permanent and can have no relapse.

By this we see that the higher mind is infinitely more powerful than the lower. Therefore Hypnotism and Mind Domination can be overcome and guarded against by the use of the higher Mental Powers.

To work against Hypnotism, it is necessary not only to live as much as possible in the atmosphere of your perfect World of Mind, but also to deny the power of Hypnotism to affirm the perfect power of the perfect Universal Mind of which you, your higher self, form a part. If you work in this way you will make yourself proof against all Hypnotism, Sorcery, Witchcraft and Malpractice of every kind.

The Law which keeps the Universe running so smoothly is the law of Attraction. It is this law that brought it together; it is this law that keeps it from falling apart.

Those who practice Mind domination are acting in direct opposition to this immutable law. They are trying to do by force that which should be accomplished by attraction, therefore they are encompassing their own mental, moral and physical disintegration.

All the Universe, in all its planes, is ruled by this law; in the Spiritual World it is called the Law of Love; in the Mental World the Law of Attraction; in the Material World it is known as the Law of Affinity. They all mean the same—in essence they are the same.

Just as the electrons are called together in the invisible ether, thus to form an atom so, in turn, are atoms brought together, and by vibrating at different rates of speed, create what we call form. Thus is matter (so-called) built up into all the beautiful forms we see, simply by the Law of Attraction.

It is this law that holds all matter together. If it failed, rocks would fly asunder and all things would disintegrate, because the power that attracted one atom to another would have ceased to operate.

It is the same in the Mental World, everything works according to this same law. It is because "like creates like" and "like attracts like" that it is possible to revolutionize our lives by the power of thought.

"Thoughts," said Prentice Mulford, "are things." "Thoughts," says T. Sharper Knowlson, "so far from being mere brain flashes, are, judging solely from their effects, real entities, apparently composed of spiritual substance, the nature of which is outside the range of discovery of our present faculties." "Thought," says Levy, "is not an event which dies in a world ethereal, supersensible, imperceptible; it has continually its likeness and repercussion in our organism." "Thought is not," says Ralph Waldo Trine, "as is many times supposed, a mere indefinite abstraction, or something of a like nature. It is, on the contrary, a vital, living force, the most vital, subtle and irresistible force in the Universe."

In our very laboratory experiments we are demonstrating the great fact that thoughts are forces. They have form, and quality, and substance, and power, and we are beginning to find that there is what we may term a science of thought.

We are beginning to find also that through the instrumentality of our thought forces we have creative power in reality. Many more authorities could be quoted, but these will suffice to show that thoughts are just as much "things" as town halls or mountains are "things." It is a great mistake to imagine that because you can see a thing with your physical eyes, feel it with your hands, or hit it with a hammer, that it is for that reason more real than something you can neither see nor feel. On the contrary the "Unseen" is vastly more powerful, lasting and forceful than anything you can see with your physical eyes. What you see with your eyes is only the effect of greater causes which are invisible.

"Everything exists in the unseen before it is manifested in the seen, and in this sense it is true that the unseen things are real, while the things that are seen are the unreal. The unseen things are cause; the seen things are effect. The unseen things are eternal; the seen things are the changing, the transient."

Thoughts then are "entities," are "things," are "forces," are vital subtle "powers." They, like everything else, and every other force in the universe, are subject to law. This law is the Law of Attraction.

Whatever thoughts you think will attract to you thoughts of a similar nature. According as you create good or bad thoughts, so do you determine whether your life shall be blessed or cursed. If you think a good thought and dwell upon it, and, as it were, nourish it with your meditations, it will not only bless and enrich your life, but will attract hosts of other thoughts of equal power and beauty, which will hasten to minister to you.

Thus, if you think "Success" thoughts, and affirm them, and cling to them in the face of apparent defeat and failure, you will attract to yourself such a wave of powerful, upbuilding and inspiring thoughts that you will be lifted right over your difficulty and carried, as by invisible forces, along the path of accomplishment.

On the other hand, it is equally true that if you think a weak thought, a low thought, a vile thought, or a thought of failure, there will be attracted to you a host of thoughts of like character, which by their nature will curse you and drag you down. "Unto him that hath shall be given, and from him that hath not shall be taken away that which he hath" is simply the working of the Law of Attraction. Think "Success" and thousands of invisible forces will fly to your aid. Think "failure" and innumerable forces will help to make your failure even more complete.

If thought is the "greatest power of all powers," "the most vital, subtle and irresistible force in the universe," and if your thoughts have the power to attract other thoughts of a like character, then the choice of your thoughts is the 'nose important act of your life.

By choosing your thoughts you choose either success or failure, happiness or misery, health or disease, hope or despair.

Says one of deep insight into the nature of things: "The things that we see, are but a very small fraction of the things that are. The real, vital forces at work in our own lives, and in the world about us, are not seen by the ordinary physical eye. Yet they are the causes of which all things we see are merely the effects. Thoughts are forces; like builds like, and like attract like. For one to govern his thinking then is to determine his life."

Therefore do not believe anyone who wants to teach you how to "overcome" other people, and to dominate them either by "will-power" or by Hypnotism. If you seek to get the better of other people and to influence them by mine domination, you are charging full tilt against the Law of the Universe, and this can only lead to the most disastrous results.

The "hypnotic gaze" and "suggestion" can never bring you success; it may bring a temporary, fleeting advantage, but this will be followed by disaster either in your business or profession, your body, your life, or your home.

By the right use of your thought-forces you can make yourself a magnet and attract to yourself all that you deserve. We each get what he or she deserves. As we improve the quality of our thoughts, so do we become deserving of better results; as we become deserving of better results, so do better things flow to us by the operation of Universal Law.

By the use of carefully graded denials and affirmations, we break the power of evil thought-habit, and in its place create a new mental attitude, hopeful, strong, cheerful, successful, confident, an attitude of mind that knows not failure, can never be discouraged; that stands firm and unafraid amid the changing scenes of life; an attitude of mind that overcomes, conquers and achieves. An attitude of mind that lives in a sea of positive, helpful, stimulating thoughts, that are the products of the best minds of all ages.

Thus it all comes down to this. It is by the use of denials and affirmations, and by persevering in their use, that the life can be changed, circumstances altered, and ambitious realized.

By denials and affirmations we can direct our thought-stream into the right channel; by denials and affirmations we can impress upon our subconscious mind thoughts which, becoming translated into actions, lead to success and all accomplishment. By denials and affirmations we can break down the force of evil habit, and in its place install habits that ennoble and enrich our lives.

By denials and affirmations we can build up our characters, changing what was weak and vacillating into that which is powerful and stable. By denials and affirmations we can concentrate our consciousness upon thoughts of Power, Success and Courage and these, in turn, will attract to us multitudes of other thoughts of a similar nature. Do you realize, dear Reader, the extent of the wonderful power that you hold in your hands?

Make denials and affirmations to suit your particular needs. Whatever you desire to do, affirm beforehand that you can do it, and that you will do it when the time for doing comes. Whatever disagreeable or difficult duty lies before you, deny failure, and affirm beforehand that you can and will do it, that already in your Mental World it is accomplished; then visualize yourself doing the thing calmly and without effort. Mentally see yourself dealing with a difficult or unpleasant matter, with calm dignity and ease. When the time for action arrives you will succeed.

Concentrate your whole attention upon the meditations. If you find your thoughts wandering through lack of concentrative power make use of the following denial and affirmation. First of all cleanse the mind by the denial of evil and calm and strengthen it by the affirmation of good. You have by so doing raised yourself into your perfect Mental World, breathing the pure air of perfect mental freedom.

Now say, "Mind wandering cannot affect me. I am a perfect MIND, part of the great Universal Mind that is everywhere and works in and through everything.

Therefore my mental powers are perfect. It was a mistake that made me think I could not concentrate; it was simply a delusion of the physical senses. Now I know that this could never be, because I am a perfect Mind gifted with God-like powers." Now affirm as follows: "Now I know that I can concentrate on any subject I please. My potential powers are infinite, I have only to develop them, I have only to 'try' and I must succeed."

Working in this way you will develop tremendous powers of Concentration.

I send out my thoughts to all mankind and say: "Dear everybody, I love you." Like the beams of a searchlight my mental vision sweeps over all the continents and islands of the world, and visualizes all peoples, sending out to them a great beam of Love and Blessedness. Then it takes in all sky and sun and earth and sea, and the sweet breath of heaven.

It embraces all animals and flowers and loveliness, it sweeps through a thousand sunsets and a million dew-washed fragrant dawns back to the one Source of all life—again affirming, "I love you, I love you." Then into my heart flows a great wave of divinest peace, a great inrush of the accumulated love-force of the invisible Universe, I become submerged in a sea of Infinite Blessedness. Thus in blessing others do I help to make the world a little better, and in return I am doubly blessed.

For this week's visualizing exercise take six small articles and examine them very carefully one at a time. For instance, if one article is a lead pencil, look at it and see in what respects it differs from other lead pencils. You notice its color; its shape, either round, hexagon or oval; its point, well sharpened or otherwise; the maker's name and trade-mark; what kind of lead, either BB, B or JIB; the name of the pencil itself; its condition, scratches on the surface of the polish; all these and many other points should be minutely noticed. Examine each article in turn and just as minutely. When you have examined them all, shut your eyes and visualize each article, and see every point and peculiarity in your mind's eye, just as you did with your physical sight. Change the articles for new ones from day to day.

If you lack knowledge of a certain subject and desire to gain this knowledge, then tell your subliminal mind what it is that you require; it will then either supply direct the knowledge that you need or bring to your notice the very book or Course of lessons that you require.

Also in solving your problems your subliminal mind may bring a sentence to your notice, which, directly you read it, tells you that it is the answer to your riddle. The more you can quieten the senses and the objective mind and rely upon your subliminal mind the greater will be your wisdom and understanding.

In the letter I have sent you this week I speak of visualizing and affirming the success that you desire to demonstrate, in the same way hold the picture of perfect health ever before your mind. Let it be a constant inspiration and source of radiant joy.