The Art And Science Of Personal Magnetism
	The Positive Aura <  Previous Contents Next  >

Now that you have mastered the technique of the mechanism of the "direct flash," you are ready to proceed to the actual demonstration and contact with the general public. But, before taking up that phase of the subject, I think it well to ask you to consider the matter of the creation and maintenance of the positive aura. I have purposely postponed the consideration of this phase of the subject, until we reached this particular point in the instruction, because, in order to properly create and maintain the positive aura, it is necessary that one understands the mechanism and technique of the "direct flash," for he will need to manifest the same power in the case of the positive aura. But, now that you have mastered the technique or mechanism of the "direct flash," you are ready to receive the instruction regarding the positive aura, and we may as well proceed to consider it at this very point.

I have already given you instructions regarding the cultivation of a desirable personal atmosphere, or aura, and need not repeat here what I have already said elsewhere. But, a moment’s consideration will show you that there will arise certain conditions or occasions in which you will find it very desirable to be able to influence a number of persons en masse – the crowd as a whole – rather than to send the "direct flash" to each of the individuals separately. Of course, the crowd will be influenced by your general personal atmosphere, but you now need something more positive, and more to the point. And the "positive aura" is what you must acquire to satisfy this requirement.

The positive aura is simply the general personal atmosphere, but directly and positively charged by a concentrated effort of the will – the same effort, in fact, as that made in the case of the "direct flash."

Let me illustrate the "positive aura" by means of several stories from real life – the experiences of several students of mine. These personal experiences will give you a better idea of just what is needed than would pages of general instruction on the subject. The little stories are not fiction, remember, but are "taken from life," and are bits of human documents from the lives of real people, all of which have come under my personal observation and consideration.

Several years ago, in Paris, I had a student whose real strength of character was marred by her abnormal self-consciousness, shyness, timidity, and sensitiveness – in fact; in the word "sensitiveness" you have the keynote of this young woman’s personality. She was a young artist of far more than the average talent, and her charm of manner rendered her company sought after by a large circle of friends.

This lady complained to me that she suffered from the actual rudeness, nay, and almost positive brutality, of the crowds of persons thronging the busy streets of some of the principal thoroughfares of Paris. She complained that she was jostled here and there, and pushed rudely aside by the passing throng. Moreover, she was treated rudely in the shops, the superficial veneer of politeness of the average Parisian shop-clerk scarcely concealing the underlying contempt and veiled sneer of these "cheap" satellites of the ubiquitous shop-keepers of this charming city.

My first thought was that the young woman had worked herself up into a state of imaginary wrongs, the result of her highly sensitive organism and shrinking disposition – in short, I thought that she was suffering from a state of morbid self-consciousness, with its frequent accompaniment of imaginary persecution, etc. So I determined to test out the matter, and ascertain for myself just how much truth was in the case.

Making a slight change in my personal appearance, by means of a simple disguise once taught me by another of my students, a celebrated detective of Paris, I followed the young lady for several hours when she was on a shopping expedition. Much to my surprise, and, I may add, much to my indignation, I found that all that she had told me was correct. I could scarcely control myself at times, and more than once felt like chastising some rude fellow with my cane, so brutal was the conduct of certain individuals calling themselves "men."

There is a certain class of Parisian men, well dressed and with a veneer of polish, but boors and cures at heart. These men seem to take a special delight in jostling young women, almost pushing them off the sidewalks, at times, and in other ways earning a good caning at the hands of real gentlemen. Well, these curs seemed attracted to this sweet young girl, just as flies are drawn tot a bit of sugar. They exceeded themselves in their display of rudeness and cowardly insolence, and all the while the girl was free from any outward appearance that would attract such curs naturally. I saw at once that there was some inner cause operating.

Moreover, I noticed that the young woman was also pushed aside rudely by hurrying businesspersons, who never glanced in her direction, but who thrust her aside as if she were an inanimate thing instead of a person. Again I found an inner cause. In the same way I found that she was treated exactly in the way she had complained of in the shops, by the clerks and shop-men, although she was a liberal customer, easily suited, and giving but little trouble. Here again, the inner trouble was apparent.

I went home and carefully diagnosed the case, and laid down a course or treatment. I sent for the young woman and told her that her trouble was a case of ‘ingrown sensitiveness, and overgrown modesty" – in short, that she had surrounded herself with an aura of self-depreciation and morbid sensitiveness. This aura practically invited persons to "pick on" her, to crowd her to the wall, to push her in the gutter, and to generally slight, snub and covertly insult her in the shops. Her aura was not only negative, but also actually attractively negative – that is to say, so negative that it actually attracted more positive natures in the direction of imposing on her weakness. (This is far from being unusual – it is a rule of the psychic as well as of the physical world, among animals as well as among men)

I immediately began teaching this lady the technique of the "direct flash" before the mirror (exactly as I have taught you), her flashes being invariably along the lines of positivism and strength. She would flash out "I am positive – far more positive than the crowd around me;" "Get out of my way, or I will walk over you;" "Clear the path for me, you vermin," and other exaggerated demands intended for the street crowds. In the same way she would flash out the command to the shop-people. "Come, now, I demand respectful attention;" "Lively, now, attend to my wants;" "I am a princess of the blood, bow to me, you underlings," etc. You will note that I purposely exaggerated the mental demands and flashes, because she needed an exaggerated positive mental attitude in order to overcome her natural and acquired handicap. In a short time she had acquired the technique perfectly and had developed a mental attitude and general personal atmosphere of a princess. Then she proceeded to "try it on the crowd," by means of the "positive aura."

The result was marvelous. From the moment her feet touched the sidewalks, her progress was that of a princess, persons instinctively moved out of her way, some even slightly bowing as they did so. The rowdy gentlemen (?) moved far away from her. And in the shops the queen of England could have received no more humble service or careful attention. The cure was complete, and has remained so. The young lady has long since laid aside the "Princess Royal" manner, and now simply maintains an aura of positive self-respect and self-confidence, and a demand that she be accorded the proper consideration.

Another case is that of a young student of mine – an American, the son of a prominent businessman. This young man was well educated, polished, and moreover, possessed of a all the requisites of a successful salesman, except that of inspiring a feeling of friendship on the part of those with whom he came in contact. He was called upon to approach prominent businessmen in connection with his work for his father, and while he was able to present his arguments logically and forcibly, he was nevertheless handicapped by the fact the he repelled friendship, rather than invited it. In desperation, he made the trip across the Atlantic to consult me, and to beg a cure for his serious psychic trouble.

His cure was very easy. I simply put him through a course of the mirror exercises in the "direct flash," until he had mastered the technique; and then had him saturate his mind with the mental image and idea of: "You like me – you like me very much;" "You feel attracted toward me;" "You are my friend, and wish to show your friendship for me," etc., etc., etc. All these ideas were but variations of, an improvement upon, the simple idea of "You like me!"

Well, this young man began to radiate such an atmosphere of likeability, friendship, etc., that he made friends right and left, even without tying – it was in the air around him, it seemed. His old trouble disappeared like magic – he was made over into a new man. And, yet it was all very simple, you see. Mere child’s play, when one has the secret, as you now have. The young man insisted upon presenting me with his check for $1,000, although I had charged him but one-tenth of that amount, for my time and trouble.

I could go on in this vein, reciting case after case coming under my own experience, but I think that the two cases I have mentioned will give you the general idea of what I am trying to teach you, without my taking up more time and space at this point. The rule is general – it is for you to apply it to the particular requirements of your own case. Find out your weak spots of personal atmosphere, and then proceed to build up the opposite qualities of mind and character. Find out your negative points of attracting, and then proceed to build of their opposite positive qualities, just as the two students, just mentioned, did with such marked success. Read over carefully this chapter again, and again, until you get the point fixed in your mind. The rest is merely a matter of practice.