{"collection":"scripture-revelation","full_text_available":true,"graph_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/api/page/gutenberg_13656/graph","html_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/page/gutenberg_13656","id":"gutenberg_13656","license":"Public Domain (US)","rights_basis":"gutenberg_metadata_copyright_false","source":"gutenberg","source_url":"https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/13656","summary":null,"tags":["Category: Philosophy & Ethics","Category: Religion/Spirituality","Hinduism","Yoga","Yoga, Raja"],"text":"A SERIES OF LESSONS\n\n                              IN RAJA YOGA\n\n                           By YOGI RAMACHARAKA\n\nAuthor of \"Fourteen Lessons in Yogi Philosophy and Oriental Occultism\"\n\"Advanced Course in Yogi Philosophy, etc.\"; \"Hatha Yoga\"; \"Psychic\nHealing\"; \"Science of Breath.\" etc.\n\n                                  1906\n\n\n\n\n\"_When the soul sees itself as a Center surrounded by its\ncircumference--when the Sun knows that it is a Sun, surrounded by its\nwhirling planets-then is it ready for the Wisdom and Power of the\nMasters_.\"\n\n\n\n\nPUBLISHERS' NOTICE\n\nThe lessons which compose this volume, originally appeared in the shape\nof monthly lessons, the first of which was issued in October, 1905, and\nthe twelfth in September, 1906. These lessons met with a hearty and\ngenerous response from the public, and the present volume is issued in\nresponse to the demand for the lessons in a permanent and durable form.\nThere have been no changes made in the text.\n\nThe publishers take the liberty to call the attention of the reader to\nthe great amount of information condensed within the space given to each\nlesson. Students have told us that they have found it necessary to read\nand study each lesson carefully, in order to absorb the varied\ninformation contained within its pages. They have also stated that they\nhave found it advisable to re-read the lessons several times, allowing an\ninterval between each reading and that at each re-reading they would\ndiscover information that had escaped them during the course of the\nprevious study. This has been repeated to us so often that we feel\njustified in mentioning it, that other readers might avail themselves of\nthe same course and plan of study.\n\nFollowing his usual custom, the writer of the lessons has declined to\nwrite a preface for this book, claiming that the lessons speak for\nthemselves, and that those for whom they are intended will receive the\nmessage contained within them, without any prefatory talk.\n\nTHE YOGI PUBLICATION SOCIETY.\n\n\n\n\nINDEX\n\n\n    LESSON I.   The \"I\"\n\n   LESSON II.  The Ego's Mental Tools\n\n  LESSON III.  The Expansion of the Self\n\n   LESSON IV.  Mental Control\n\n    LESSON V.   The Cultivation of Attention\n\n   LESSON VI.  Cultivation of Perception\n\n  LESSON VII.  The Unfoldment of Consciousness\n\n LESSON VIII. The Highlands and Lowlands of Mind\n\n   LESSON IX.  The Mental Planes\n\n    LESSON X.  Sub-Consciousing\n\n   LESSON XI.  Sub-Conscious Character Building\n\n  LESSON XII.  Sub-Conscious Influences\n\n\n\n\nTHE FIRST LESSON.\n\nTHE \"I.\"\n\n\nIn India, the Candidates for Initiation into the science of \"Raja Yoga,\"\nwhen they apply to the Yogi Masters for instruction, are given a series\nof lessons designed to enlighten them regarding the nature of the Real\nSelf, and to instruct them in the secret knowledge whereby they may\ndevelop the consciousness and realization of the real \"I\" within them.\nThey are shown how they may cast aside the erroneous or imperfect\nknowledge regarding their real identity.\n\nUntil the Candidate masters this instruction, or at least until the truth\nbecomes fixed in his consciousness, further instruction is denied him,\nfor it is held that until he has awakened to a conscious realization of\nhis Actual Identity, he is not able to understand the source of his\npower, and, moreover, is not able to _feel_ within him the power of the\nWill, which power underlies the entire teachings of \"Raja Yoga.\"\n\nThe Yogi Masters are hot satisfied if the Candidate forms merely a clear\nintellectual conception of this Actual Identity, but they insist that he\nmust _feel_ the truth of the same--must become _aware_ of the Real\nSelf--must enter into a consciousness in which the realization becomes a\npart of his everyday self--in which the realizing consciousness becomes\nthe prevailing idea in his mind, around which his entire thoughts and\nactions revolve.\n\nTo some Candidates, this realization comes like a lightning flash the\nmoment the attention is directed toward it, while in other cases the\nCandidates find it necessary to follow a rigorous course of training\nbefore they acquire the realization in consciousness.\n\nThe Yogi Masters teach that there are two degrees of this awakening\nconsciousness of the Real Self. The first, which they call \"the\nConsciousness of the 'I',\" is the full consciousness of _real_ existence\nthat comes to the Candidate, and which causes him to _know_ that he is a\nreal entity having a life not depending upon the body--life that will go\non in spite of the destruction of the body--_real_ life, in fact. The\nsecond degree, which they call \"the Consciousness of the 'I AM',\" is\nthe consciousness of one's identity with the Universal Life, and his\nrelationship to, and \"in-touchness\" with all life, expressed and\nunexpressed. These two degrees of consciousness come in time to all who\nseek \"The Path.\" To some it comes suddenly; to others it dawns gradually;\nto many it comes assisted by the exercises and practical work of \"Raja\nYoga.\"\n\nThe first lesson of the Yogi Masters to the Candidates, leading up to the\nfirst degree, above mentioned, is as follows: That the Supreme\nIntelligence of the Universe--the Absolute--has manifested the being that\nwe call Man--the highest manifestation on this planet. The Absolute has\nmanifested an infinitude of forms of life in the Universe, including\ndistant worlds, suns, planets, etc., many of these forms being unknown to\nus on this planet, and being impossible of conception by the mind of the\nordinary man. But these lessons have nothing to do with that part of the\nphilosophy which deals with these myriad forms of life, for our time will\nbe taken up with the unfoldment in the mind of man of his true nature and\npower. Before man attempts to solve the secrets of the Universe without,\nhe should master the Universe within--the Kingdom of the Self. When he\nhas accomplished this, then he may, and should, go forth to gain the\nouter knowledge as a Master demanding its secrets, rather than as a slave\nbegging for the crumbs from the table of knowledge. The first knowledge\nfor the Candidate is the knowledge of the Self.\n\nMan, the highest manifestation of the Absolute, as far as this planet is\nconcerned, is a wonderfully organized being--although the average man\nunderstands but little of his real nature. He comprises within his\nphysical, mental and spiritual make-up both the highest and the lowest,\nas we have shown in our previous lessons (the \"Fourteen Lessons\" and the\n\"Advanced Course\"). In his bones he manifests almost in the form of\nmineral life, in fact, in his bones, body and blood mineral substances\nactually exist. The physical life of the body resembles the life of the\nplant. Many of the physical desires and emotions are akin to those of the\nlower animals, and in the undeveloped man these desires and emotions\npredominate and overpower the higher nature, which latter is scarcely in\nevidence. Then Man has a set of mental characteristics that are his own,\nand which are not possessed by the lower animals (See \"Fourteen\nLessons\"). And in addition to the mental faculties common to all men, or\nrather, that are in evidence in a greater or lesser degree among all men,\nthere are still higher faculties latent within Man, which when manifested\nand expressed render Man more than ordinary Man. The unfoldment of these\nlatent faculties is possible to all who have reached the proper stage of\ndevelopment, and the desire and hunger of the student for this\ninstruction is caused by the pressure of these unfolding latent\nfaculties, crying to be born into consciousness. Then there is that\nwonderful thing, the Will, which is but faintly understood by those\nignorant of the Yogi Philosophy--the Power of the Ego--its birthright\nfrom the Absolute.\n\nBut while these mental and physical things _belong_ to Man, they are\n_not_ the Man himself. Before the Man is able to master, control, and\ndirect the things belonging to him--his tools and instruments--he must\nawaken to a realization of Himself. He must be able to distinguish\nbetween the \"I\" and the \"Not I.\" And this is the first task before the\nCandidate.\n\nThat which is the Real Self of Man is the Divine Spark sent forth from\nthe Sacred Flame. It is the Child of the Divine Parent. It is\nImmortal--Eternal--Indestructible--Invincible. It possesses within\nitself Power, Wisdom, and Reality. But like the infant that contains\nwithin itself the sometime Man, the mind of Man is unaware of its latent\nand potential qualities, and does not know itself. As it awakens and\nunfolds into the knowledge of its real nature, it manifests its\nqualities, and realizes what the Absolute has given it. When the Real\nSelf begins to awaken, it sets aside from itself those things which\nare but appendages to it, but which it, in its half-waking state, had\nregarded as its Self. Setting aside first this, and then that, it finally\ndiscards all of the \"Not I,\" leaving the Real Self free and delivered\nfrom its bondage to its appendages. Then it returns to the discarded\nappendages, and makes use of them.\n\nIn considering the question: \"What is the Real Self?\" let us first stop\nto examine what man usually means when he says \"I.\"\n\nThe lower animals do not possess this \"I\" sense. They are conscious of\nthe outer world; of their own desires and animal cravings and feelings.\nBut their consciousness has not reached the Self-conscious stage. They\nare not able to think of themselves as separate entities, and to reflect\nupon their thoughts. They are not possessed of a consciousness of the\nDivine Spark--the Ego--the Real Self. The Divine Spark is hidden in the\nlower forms of life--even in the lower forms of human life--by many\nsheaths that shut out its light. But, nevertheless, it is there, always.\nIt sleeps within the mind of the savage--then, as he unfolds, it begins\nto throw out its light. In you, the Candidate, it is fighting hard to\nhave its beams pierce through the material coverings When the Real Self\nbegins to arouse itself from its sleep, its dreams vanish from it, and it\nbegins to see the world as it is, and to recognize itself in Reality and\nnot as the distorted thing of its dreams.\n\nThe savage and barbarian are scarcely conscious of the \"I.\" They are but\na little above the animal in point of consciousness, and their \"I\" is\nalmost entirely a matter of the consciousness of the wants of the body;\nthe satisfaction of the appetites; the gratification of the passions; the\nsecuring of personal comfort; the expression of lust, savage power, etc.\nIn the savage the lower part of the Instinctive Mind is the seat of the\n\"I.\" (See \"Fourteen Lessons\" for explanation of the several mental planes\nof man.) If the savage could analyze his thoughts he would say that the\n\"I\" was the physical body, the said body having certain \"feelings,\"\n\"wants\" and \"desires.\" The \"I\" of such a man is a physical \"I,\" the body\nrepresenting its form and substance. Not only is this true of the savage,\nbut even among so-called \"civilized\" men of to-day we find many in this\nstage. They have developed powers of thinking and reasoning, but they do\nnot \"live in their minds\" as do some of their brothers. They use their\nthinking powers for the gratification of their bodily desires and\ncravings, and really live on the plane of the Instinctive Mind. Such a\nperson may speak of \"my mind,\" or \"my soul,\" not from a high position\nwhere he looks upon these things from the standpoint of a Master who\nrealizes his Real Self, but from below, from the point-of-view of the man\nwho lives on the plane of the Instinctive Mind and who sees above\n_himself_ the higher attributes. To such people the body is the \"I.\"\nTheir \"I\" is bound up with the senses, and that which comes to them\nthrough the senses. Of course, as Man advances in \"culture\" and\n\"civilization,\" his senses become educated, and are satisfied only with\nmore refined things, while the less cultivated man is perfectly satisfied\nwith the more material and gross sense gratifications. Much that we call\n\"cultivation\" and \"culture\" is naught but a cultivation of a more refined\nform of sense gratification, instead of a real advance in consciousness\nand unfoldment. It is true that the advanced student and Master is\npossessed of highly developed senses, often far surpassing those of the\nordinary man, but in such cases the senses have been cultivated under the\nmastery of the Will, and are made servants of the Ego instead of things\nhindering the progress of the soul--they are made servants instead of\nmasters.\n\nAs Man advances in the scale, he begins to have a somewhat higher\nconception of the \"I.\" He begins to use his mind and reason, and he\npasses on to the Mental Plane--his mind begins to manifest upon the plane\nof Intellect. He finds that there is something within him that is higher\nthan the body. He finds that his mind seems more _real_ to him than does\nthe physical part of him, and in times of deep thought and study he is\nable almost to forget the existence of the body.\n\nIn this second stage, Man soon becomes perplexed. He finds problems that\ndemand an answer, but as soon as he thinks he has answered them the\nproblems present themselves in a new phase, and he is called upon to\n\"explain his explanation.\" The mind, even although not controlled and\ndirected by the Will, has a wonderful range, but, nevertheless, Man finds\nhimself traveling around and around in a circle, and realizes that he is\nconfronted continually by the Unknown. This disturbs him, and the higher\nthe stage of \"book learning\" he attains, the more disturbed does he\nbecome. The man of but little knowledge does not see the existence of\nmany problems that force themselves before the attention of the man of\nmore knowledge, and demand an explanation from him. The tortures of the\nman who has attained the mental growth that enables him to see the new\nproblems and the impossibility of their answer, cannot be imagined by one\nwho has not advanced to that stage.\n\nThe man in this stage of consciousness thinks of his \"I\" as a mental\nthing, having a lower companion, the body. He feels that he has advanced,\nbut yet his \"I\" does not give him the answer to the riddles and questions\nthat perplex him. And he becomes most unhappy. Such men often develop\ninto Pessimists, and consider the whole of life as utterly evil and\ndisappointing--a curse rather than a blessing. Pessimism belongs to this\nplane, for neither the Physical Plane man or the Spiritual Plane man have\nthis curse of Pessimism. The former man has no such disquieting thoughts,\nfor he is almost entirely absorbed in gratifying his animal nature, while\nthe latter man recognizes his mind as an instrument of himself, rather\nthan as _himself_, and knows it to be imperfect in its present stage of\ngrowth. He knows that he has in himself the key to all knowledge--locked\nup in the Ego--and which the trained mind, cultivated, developed and\nguided by the awakened Will, may grasp as it unfolds. Knowing this the\nadvanced man no longer despairs, and, recognizing his real nature, and\nhis possibilities, as he awakens into a consciousness of his powers and\ncapabilities, he laughs at the old despondent, pessimistic ideas, and\ndiscards them like a worn-out garment. Man on the Mental Plane of\nconsciousness is like a huge elephant who knows not his own strength. He\ncould break down barriers and assert himself over nearly any condition or\nenvironment, but in his ignorance of his real condition and power he may\nbe mastered by a puny driver, or frightened by the rustling of a piece of\npaper.\n\nWhen the Candidate becomes an Initiate--when he passes from the purely\nMental Plane on to the Spiritual Plane--he realizes that the \"I,\" the\nReal Self--is something higher than either body or mind, and that both of\nthe latter may be used as tools and instruments by the Ego or \"I.\" This\nknowledge is not reached by purely intellectual reasoning, although such\nefforts of the mind are often necessary to help in the unfoldment, and\nthe Masters so use it. The real knowledge, however, comes as a special\nform of consciousness. The Candidate becomes \"aware\" of the real \"I,\" and\nthis consciousness being attained, he passes to the rank of the\nInitiates. When the Initiate passes the second degree of consciousness,\nand begins to grow into a realization of his relationship to the\nWhole--when he begins to manifest the Expansion of Self--then is he on\nthe road to Mastership.\n\nIn the present lesson we shall endeavor to point out to the Candidate the\nmethods of developing or increasing the realization of this \"I\"\nconsciousness--this first degree work. We give the following exercises or\ndevelopment drills for the Candidate to practice. He will find that a\ncareful and conscientious following of these directions will tend to\nunfold in him a sufficient degree of the \"I\" consciousness, to enable him\nto enter into higher stages of development and power. All that is\nnecessary is for the Candidate to feel within himself the dawn of the\nawakening consciousness, or awareness of the Real Self. The higher stages\nof the \"I\" consciousness come gradually, for once on the Path there is no\nretrogression or going backward. There may be pauses on the journey, but\nthere is no such thing as actually losing that which is once gained on\nThe Path.\n\nThis \"I\" consciousness, even in its highest stages, is but a preliminary\nstep toward what is called \"Illumination,\" and which signifies the\nawakening of the Initiate to a realization of his actual connection with\nand relation to the Whole. The full sight of the glory of the \"I,\" is but\na faint reflected glow of \"Illumination.\" The Candidate, once that he\nenters fully into the \"I\" consciousness, becomes an \"Initiate.\" And the\nInitiate who enters into the dawn of Illumination takes his first step\nupon the road to Mastery. The Initiation is the awakening of the soul to\na knowledge of its real existence--the Illumination is the revelation of\nthe real nature of the soul, and of its relationship with the Whole.\nAfter the first dawn of the \"I\" consciousness has been attained, the\nCandidate is more able to grasp the means of developing the consciousness\nto a still higher degree--is more able to use the powers latent within\nhim; to control his own mental states; to manifest a Centre of\nConsciousness and Influence that will radiate into the outer world which\nis always striving and hunting for such centres around which it may\nrevolve.\n\nMan must master himself before he can hope to exert an influence beyond\nhimself. There is no royal road to unfoldment and power--each step must\nbe taken in turn, and each Candidate must take the step himself, and by\nhis own effort. But he may, and will, be aided by the helping hand of the\nteachers who have traveled The Path before him, and who know just when\nthat helping hand is needed to lift the Candidate over the rough places.\n\nWe bid the Candidate to pay strict attention to the following\ninstruction, as it is all important. Do not slight any part of it, for we\nare giving you only what is necessary, and are stating it as briefly as\npossible. Pay attention, and follow the instruction closely. This lesson\nmust be mastered before you progress. And it must be practiced not only\nnow, but at many stages of the journey, until full Initiation and\nIllumination is yours.\n\n\nRULES AND EXERCISES DESIGNED TO AID THE CANDIDATE IN HIS INITIATION.\n\nThe first instruction along the line of Initiation is designed to awaken\nthe mind to a full realization and consciousness of the individuality of\nthe \"I.\" The Candidate is taught to relax his body, and to calm his mind\nand to meditate upon the \"I\" until it is presented clearly and sharply\nbefore the consciousness. We herewith give directions for producing the\ndesired physical and mental condition, in which meditation and\nconcentration are more readily practiced. This state of Meditation will\nbe referred to in subsequent exercises, so the Candidate is advised to\nacquaint himself thoroughly with it.\n\nSTATE OF MEDITATION. If possible, retire to a quiet place or room, where\nyou do not fear interruption, so that your mind may feel secure and at\nrest. Of course, the ideal condition cannot always be obtained, in which\ncase you must do the best you can. The idea is that you should be able to\nabstract yourself, so far as is possible, from distracting impressions,\nand you should be alone with yourself--in communion with your Real Self.\n\nIt is well to place yourself in an easy chair, or on a couch, so that you\nmay relax the muscles and free the tension of your nerves. You should be\nable to \"let go\" all over, allowing every muscle to become limp, until a\nfeeling of perfect peace and restful calm permeates every particle of\nyour being. Rest the body and calm the mind. This condition is best in\nthe earlier stages of the practice, although after the Candidate has\nacquired a degree of mastery he will be able to obtain the physical\nrelaxation and mental calm whenever and wherever he desires.\n\nBut he must guard against acquiring a \"dreamy\" way of going around,\nwrapped in meditation when he should be attending to the affairs of life.\n_Remember this_, the State of Meditation should be entirely under the\ncontrol of the Will, and should be entered into only deliberately and at\nthe proper times. The Will must be master of this, as well as of every\nother mental state. The Initiates are not \"day dreamers,\" but men and\nwomen having full control of themselves and their moods. The \"I\"\nconsciousness while developed by meditation and consciousness, soon\nbecomes a fixed item of consciousness, and does not have to be produced\nby meditation. In time of trial, doubt, or trouble, the consciousness may\nbe brightened by an effort of the Will (as we shall explain in subsequent\nlessons) without going into the State of Meditation.\n\nTHE REALIZATION OF THE \"I.\" The Candidate must first acquaint himself\nwith the reality of the \"I,\" before he will be able to learn its real\nnature. This is the first step. Let the Candidate place himself in the\nState of Meditation, as heretofore described. Then let him concentrate\nhis entire attention upon his Individual Self, shutting out all thought\nof the outside world, and other persons. Let him form in his mind the\nidea of himself as a _real_ thing--an actual being--an individual\nentity--a Sun around which revolves the world. He must see himself as the\nCentre around which the whole world revolves. Let not a false modesty, or\nsense of depreciation interfere with this idea, for you are not denying\nthe right of others to also consider themselves centres. You are, in\nfact, a centre of consciousness--made so by the Absolute--and you are\nawakening to the fact. Until the Ego recognizes itself as a Centre of\nThought, Influence and Power, it will not be able to _manifest_ these\nqualities. And in proportion as it recognizes its position as a centre,\nso will it be able to manifest its qualities. It is not necessary that\nyou should compare yourself with others, or imagine yourself greater or\nhigher than them. In fact, such comparisons are to be regretted, and are\nunworthy of the advanced Ego, being a mark and indication of a lack of\ndevelopment, rather than the reverse. In the Meditation simply ignore all\nconsideration of the respective qualities of others, and endeavor to\nrealize the fact that YOU are a great Centre of Consciousness--a Centre\nof Power--a Centre of Influence--a Centre of Thought. And that like the\nplanets circling around the sun, so does your world revolve around YOU\nwho are its centre. It will not be necessary for you to argue out this\nmatter, or to convince yourself of its truth by intellectual reasoning.\nThe knowledge does not come in that way. It comes in the shape of a\nrealization of the truth gradually dawning upon your consciousness\nthrough meditation and concentration. Carry this thought of yourself as a\n\"Centre of Consciousness--Influence--Power\" with you, _for it is an\noccult truth,_ and in the proportion that you are able, to realize it so\nwill be your ability to manifest the qualities named.\n\nNo matter how humble may be your position--no matter how hard may be your\nlot--no matter how deficient in educational advantages you may be--still\nyou would not change your \"I\" with the most fortunate, wisest and highest\nman or woman in the world. You may doubt this, but think for a moment and\nyou will see that we are right. When you say that you \"would like to be\"\nthis person or that, you really mean that _you_ would like to have their\ndegree of intelligence, power, wealth, position, or what not. What you\nwant is something that is theirs, or something akin to it. But you would\nnot for a moment wish to merge your _identity_ with theirs, or to\nexchange _selves_. Think of this for a moment To _be_ the other person\nyou would have to let _yourself_ die, and instead of _yourself_ you would\nbe the other person. The real _you_ would be wiped out of existence, and\nyou would not be _you_ at all, but would be _he_.\n\nIf you can but grasp this idea you will see that not for a moment would\nyou be willing for such an exchange. Of course such an exchange is\nimpossible. The \"I\" of you cannot be wiped out. It is eternal, and will\ngo on, and on, and on, to higher and higher states--but it always will be\nthe same \"I.\" Just as you, although a far different sort of person from\nyour childhood self, still you recognize that the same \"I\" is there, and\nalways has been there. And although you will attain knowledge,\nexperience, power and wisdom in the coming years, the same \"I\" will be\nthere. The \"I\" is the Divine Spark and cannot be extinguished.\n\nThe majority of people in the present stage of the race development have\nbut a faint conception of the reality of the \"I.\" They accept the\nstatement of its existence, and are conscious of themselves as an eating,\nsleeping, living creature--something like a higher form of animal. But\nthey have not awakened to an \"awareness\" or realization of the \"I,\" which\nmust come to all who become real centres of Influence and Power. Some men\nhave stumbled into this consciousness, or a degree of it, without\nunderstanding the matter. They have \"felt\" the truth of it, and they have\nstepped out from the ranks of the commonplace people of the world, and\nhave become powers for good or bad. This is unfortunate to some extent,\nas this \"awareness\" without the knowledge that should accompany it may\nbring pain to the individual and others.\n\nThe Candidate must meditate upon the \"I,\" and recognize it--_feel_ it--to\nbe a Centre. This is his first task. Impress upon your mind the word \"I,\"\nin this sense and understanding, and let it sink deep down into your\nconsciousness, so that it will become a part of you. And when you say\n\"I,\" you must accompany the word with the picture of your Ego as a Centre\nof Consciousness, and Thought, and Power, and Influence. See yourself\nthus, surrounded by your world. Wherever you go, there goes the Centre of\nyour world. YOU are the Centre, and all outside of you revolves around\nthat Centre. This is the first great lesson on the road to Initiation.\nLearn it!\n\nThe Yogi Masters teach the Candidates that their realization of the \"I\"\nas a Centre may be hastened by going into the Silence, or State of\nMeditation, and repeating their first name over slowly, deliberately and\nsolemnly a number of times. This exercise tends to cause the mind to\ncentre upon the \"I,\" and many cases of dawning Initiation have resulted\nfrom this practice. Many original thinkers have stumbled upon this\nmethod, without having been taught it. A noted example is that of Lord\nTennyson, who has written that he attained a degree of Initiation in this\nway. He would repeat his own name, over and over, and the same time\nmeditating upon his identity, and he reports that he would become\nconscious and \"aware\" of his reality and immortality--in short would\nrecognize himself as a _real_ center of consciousness.\n\nWe think we have given you the key to the first stage of meditation and\nconcentration. Before passing on, let us quote from one of the old Hindu\nMasters. He says, regarding this matter: \"When the soul sees itself as a\nCentre surrounded by its circumference--when the Sun knows that it is a\nSun, and is surrounded by its whirling planets--then is it ready for the\nWisdom and Power of the Masters.\"\n\nTHE KNOWLEDGE OF THE INDEPENDENCE OF THE \"I\" FROM THE BODY. Many of the\nCandidates find themselves prevented from a full realization of the \"I\"\n(even after they have begun to grasp it) by the confusing of the reality\nof the \"I\" with the sense of the physical body. This is a stumbling block\nthat is easily overcome by meditation and concentration, the independence\nof the \"I\" often becoming manifest to the Candidate in a flash, upon the\nproper thought being used as the subject of meditation.\n\nThe exercise is given as follows: Place yourself in the State of\nMeditation, and think of YOURSELF--the Real \"I\"--as being independent of\nthe body, but using the body as a covering and an instrument. Think of\nthe body as you might of a suit of clothes. Realize that you are able to\nleave the body, and still be the same \"I.\" Picture yourself as doing\nthis, and looking down upon your body. Think of the body as a shell from\nwhich you may emerge without affecting your identity. Think of yourself\nas mastering and controlling the body that you occupy, and using it to\nthe best advantage, making it healthy, strong and vigorous, but still\nbeing merely a shell or covering for the real \"You.\" Think of the body as\ncomposed of atoms and cells which are constantly changing, but which are\nheld together by the force of your Ego, and which you can improve at\nWill. Realize that you are merely inhabiting the body, and using it for\nyour convenience, just as you might use a house.\n\nIn meditating further, ignore the body entirely, and place your thought\nupon the Real \"I\" that you are beginning to feel to be \"you,\" and you\nwill find that your identity--your \"I\"--is something entirely apart from\nthe body. You may now say \"my body\" with a new meaning. Divorce the idea\nof your being a physical being, and realize that you are above body. But\ndo not let this conception and realization cause you to ignore the body.\nYou must regard the body as the Temple of the Spirit, and care for it,\nand make it a fit habitation for the \"I.\" Do not be frightened if, during\nthis meditation, you happen to experience the sensation of being out of\nthe body for a few moments, and of returning to it when you are through\nwith the exercise. The Ego is able (in the case of the advanced Initiate)\nof soaring above the confines of the body, but it never severs its\nconnection at such times. It is merely as if one were to look out of the\nwindow of a room, seeing what was going on outside, and drawing in his\nhead when he wishes. He does not leave the room, although he may place\nhis head outside in order to observe what is doing in the street. We do\nnot advise the Candidate to try to cultivate this sensation--but if it\ncomes naturally during meditation, do not fear.\n\nREALIZING THE IMMORTALITY AND INVINCIBILITY OF THE EGO. While the\nmajority accept on faith the belief in the Immortality of the Soul, yet\nbut few are aware that it may be demonstrated by the soul itself. The\nYogi Masters teach the Candidates this lesson, as follows: The Candidate\nplaces himself in the State of Meditation, or at least in a thoughtful\nframe of mind, and then endeavors to \"imagine\" himself as \"dead\"--that\nis, he tries to form a mental conception of himself as dead. This, at\nfirst thought, appears a very easy thing to imagine, but as a matter of\nfact it is _impossible_ to do so, for the Ego refuses to entertain the\nproposition, and finds it impossible to imagine it. Try it for yourself.\nYou will find that you may be able to imagine your _body_ as lying still\nand lifeless, but the same thought finds that in so doing _You_ are\nstanding and looking at the body. So you see that _You_ are not dead at\nall, even in imagination, although the body may be. Or, if you refuse to\ndisentangle yourself from your body, in imagination, you may think of\nyour body as dead but _You_ who refuse to leave it are still _alive_ and\nrecognize the dead body as a thing apart from your Real Self. No matter\nhow you may twist it you _cannot_ imagine yourself as dead. The Ego\ninsists upon being _alive_ in any of these thoughts, and thus finds that\nit has within itself the sense and assurance of Immortality. In case of\nsleep or stupor resulting from a blow, or from narcotics or anaesthetics,\nthe mind is apparently blank, but the \"I\" is conscious of a continuity of\nexistence. And so one may imagine himself as being in an unconscious\nstate, or asleep, quite easily, and sees the possibility of such a state,\nbut when it comes to imagining the \"I\" as dead, the mind utterly refuses\nto do the work. This wonderful fact that the soul carries within itself\nthe evidence of its own immortality is a glorious thing, but one must\nhave reached a degree of unfoldment before he is able to grasp its full\nsignificance.\n\nThe Candidate is advised to investigate the above statement for himself,\nby meditation and concentration, for in order that the \"I\" may know its\ntrue nature and possibilities, it must realize that it cannot be\ndestroyed or killed. It must know what it is before it is able to\nmanifest its nature. So do not leave this part of the teaching until you\nhave mastered it. And it is well occasionally to return to it, in order\nthat you may impress upon the mind the fact of your immortal and eternal\nnature. The mere glimmering of this conception of truth will give you an\nincreased sense of strength and power, and you will find that your Self\nhas expanded and grown, and that you are more of a power and Centre than\nyou have heretofore realized.\n\nThe following exercises are useful in bringing about a realization of the\ninvincibility of the Ego--its superiority to the elements.\n\nPlace yourself in the State of Meditation, and imagine the \"I\" as\nwithdrawn from the body. See it passing through the tests of air, fire\nand water unharmed. The body being out of the way, the soul is seen to\nbe able of passing through the air at will--of floating like a bird--of\nsoaring--of traveling in the ether. It may be seen as able to pass\nthrough fire without harm and without sensation, for the elements affect\nonly the physical body, not the Real \"I.\" Likewise it may be seen as\npassing through water without discomfort or danger or hurt.\n\nThis meditation will give you a sense of superiority and strength, and\nwill show you something of the nature of the real \"I.\" It is true that\nyou are confined in the body, and the body may be affected by the\nelements, but the knowledge that the Real \"I\" is superior to the\nbody--superior to the elements that affect the body--and cannot be\ninjured any more than it can be killed, is wonderful, and tends to\ndevelop the full \"I\" consciousness within you. For You--the Real \"I\"--are\nnot body. You are Spirit. The Ego is Immortal and Invincible, and cannot\nbe killed and harmed. When you enter into this realization and\nconsciousness, you will feel an influx of strength and power impossible\nto describe. Fear will fall from you like a worn-out cloak, and you will\nfeel that you are \"born again.\" An understanding of this thought, will\nshow you that the things that we have been fearing cannot affect the Real\n\"I,\" but must rest content with hurting the physical body. And they may\nbe warded off from the physical body by a proper understanding and\napplication of the Will.\n\nIn our next lesson, you will be taught how to separate the \"I\" from the\nmechanism of the mind--how you may realize your mastery of the mind, just\nas you now realize your independence of the body. This knowledge must be\nimparted to you by degrees, and you must place your feet firmly upon one\nround of the ladder before you take the next step.\n\nThe watchword of this First Lesson is \"I.\" And the Candidate must enter\nfully into its meaning before he is able to progress. He must realize his\nreal existence--independent of the body. He must see himself as\ninvincible and impervious to harm, hurt, or death. He must see himself as\na great Centre of Consciousness--a Sun around which his world revolves.\nThen will come to him a new strength. He will feel a calm dignity and\npower, which will be apparent to those with whom he comes in contact. He\nwill be able to look the world in the face without flinching, and without\nfear, for he will realize the nature and power of the \"I.\" He will\nrealize that he is a Centre of Power--of Influence. He will realize that\nnothing can harm the \"I,\" and that no matter how the storms of life may\ndash upon the personality, the real \"I\"--the Individuality--is unharmed.\nLike a rock that stands steadfast throughout the storm, so does the \"I\"\nstand through the tempests of the life of personality. And he will know\nthat as he grows in realization, he will be able to control these storms\nand bid them be still.\n\nIn the words of one of the Yogi Masters: \"The 'I' is eternal. It passes\nunharmed through the fire, the air, the water. Sword and spear cannot\nkill or wound it. It cannot die. The trials of the physical life are but\nas dreams to it. Resting secure in the knowledge of the 'I,' Man may\nsmile at the worst the world has to offer, and raising his hand he may\nbid them disappear into the mist from which they emerged.\nBlessed is he who can say (understandingly) 'I'.\"\n\nSo dear Candidate, we leave you to master the First Lesson. Be not\ndiscouraged if your progress be slow. Be not cast down if you slip back a\nstep after having gained it. You will gain two at the next step. Success\nand realization will be yours. Mastery is before. You will Attain. You\nwill Accomplish. Peace be with you.\n\n\nMANTRAMS (AFFIRMATIONS) FOR THE FIRST LESSON.\n\n\"I\" am a Centre. Around me revolves my world.\n\n\"I\" am a Centre of Influence and Power.\n\n\"I\" am a Centre of Thought and Consciousness.\n\n\"I\" am Independent of the Body.\n\n\"I\" am Immortal and cannot be Destroyed.\n\n\"I\" am Invincible and cannot be Injured.\n\n[Illustration: \"I\"]\n\n\n\n\nTHE SECOND LESSON.\n\nTHE EGO'S MENTAL TOOLS.\n\n\nIn the First Lesson we gave instruction and exercises designed to awaken\nthe consciousness of the Candidate to a realization of the real \"I.\" We\nconfined our instructions to the preliminary teachings of the reality of\nthe \"I,\" and the means whereby the Candidate might be brought to a\nrealization of his real Self, and its independence from the body and the\nthings of the flesh. We tried to show you how you might awaken to a\nconsciousness of the reality of the \"I\"; its real nature; its\nindependence of the body; its immortality; its invincibility and\ninvulnerability. How well we have succeeded may be determined only by\nthe experience of each Candidate, for we can but point out the way, and\nthe Candidate must do the real work himself.\n\nBut there is more to be said and done in this matter of awakening to a\nrealization of the \"I.\" So far, we have but told you how to distinguish\nbetween the material coverings of the Ego and the \"I\" itself. We have\ntried to show you that you had a real \"I,\" and then to show you what it\nwas, and how it was independent of the material coverings, etc. But there\nis still another step in this self analysis--a more difficult step. Even\nwhen the Candidate has awakened to a realization of his independence of\nthe body, and material coverings, he often confounds the \"I\" with the\nlower principles of the mind. This is a mistake. The Mind, in its various\nphases and planes, is but a tool and instrument of the \"I,\" and is far\nfrom being the \"I\" itself. We shall try to bring out this fact in this\nlesson and its accompanying exercises. We shall avoid, and pass by, the\nmetaphysical features of the case, and shall confine ourselves to the\nYogi Psychology. We shall not touch upon theories, nor attempt to\nexplain the cause, nature and purpose of the Mind--the working tool of\nthe Ego--but instead shall attempt to point out a way whereby you may\nanalyze the Mind and then determine which is the \"not I\" and which is the\nreal \"I.\" It is useless to burden you with theories or metaphysical talk,\nwhen the way to prove the thing is right within your own grasp. By using\nthe mind, you will be able to separate it into its parts, and force it to\ngive you its own answer to the questions touching itself.\n\nIn the second and third lessons of our \"_Fourteen Lessons_,\" we pointed\nout to you the fact that man had three Mental Principles, or subdivisions\nof mind, all of which were below the plane of Spirit. The \"I\" is Spirit,\nbut its mental principles are of a lower order. Without wishing to unduly\nrepeat ourselves, we think it better to run hastily over these three\nPrinciples in the mind of Man.\n\nFirst, there is what is known as the Instinctive Mind, which man shares\nin common with the lower animals. It is the first principle of mind that\nappears in the scale of evolution. In its lowest phases, consciousness\nis but barely perceptible, and mere sensation is apparent. In its higher\nstages it almost reaches the plane of Reason or Intellect, in fact, they\noverlap each other, or, rather, blend into each other. The Instinctive\nMind does valuable work in the direction of maintaining animal life in\nour bodies, it having charge of this part of our being. It attends to the\nconstant work of repair; replacement; change; digestion; assimilation;\nelimination, etc., all of which work is performed below the plane of\nconsciousness.\n\nBut this is but a small part of the work of the Instinctive Mind. For\nthis part of the mind has stored up all the experiences of ourselves and\nancestors in our evolution from the lower forms of animal life into the\npresent stage of evolution. All of the old animal instincts (which were\nall right in their place, and quite necessary for the well-being of the\nlower forms of life) have left traces in this part of the mind, which\ntraces are apt to come to the front under pressure of unusual\ncircumstances, even long after we think we have outgrown them. In this\npart of the mind are to be found traces of the old fighting instinct of\nthe animal; all the animal passions; all the hate, envy, jealousy, and\nthe rest of it, which are our inheritances from the past. The Instinctive\nMind is also the \"habit mind\" in which is stored up all the little, and\ngreat, habits of many lives, or rather such as have not been entirely\neffaced by subsequent habits of a stronger nature. The Instinctive Mind\nis a queer storehouse, containing quite a variety of objects, many of\nthem very good in their way, but others of which are the worst kind of\nold junk and rubbish.\n\nThis part of the mind also is the seat of the appetites; passions;\ndesires; instincts; sensations; feelings and emotions of the lower order,\nmanifested in the lower animals; primitive man; the barbarian; and the\nman of today, the difference being only in the degree of control over\nthem that has been gained by the higher parts of the mind. There are\nhigher desires, aspirations, etc., belonging to a higher part of the\nmind, which we will describe in a few minutes, but the \"animal nature\"\nbelongs to the Instinctive Mind. To it also belong the \"feelings\"\nbelonging to our emotional and passional nature. All animal desires, such\nas hunger and thirst; sexual desires (on the physical plane); all\npassions, such as physical love; hatred; envy; malice; jealousy; revenge,\netc., are part of this part of the mind. The desire for the physical\n(unless a means of reaching higher things) and the longing for the\nmaterial, belong to this region of the mind. The \"lust of the flesh; the\nlust of the eyes; the pride of life,\" belong to the Instinctive Mind.\n\nTake note, however, that we are not condemning the things belonging to\nthis plane of the mind. All of them have their place--many were necessary\nin the past, and many are still necessary for the continuance of physical\nlife. All are right in their place, and to those in the particular plane\nof development to which they belong, and are wrong only when one is\nmastered by them, or when he returns to pick up an unworthy thing that\nhas been cast off in the unfoldment of the individual. This lesson has\nnothing to do with the right and wrong of these things (we have treated\nof that elsewhere) and we mention this part of the mind that you may\nunderstand that you have such a thing in your mental make-up, and that\nyou may understand the thought, etc., coming from it, when we start in to\nanalyze the mind in the latter part of this lesson. All we will ask you\nto do at this stage of the lesson is to realize that this part of the\nmind, while _belonging_ to you, is _not_ You, yourself. It is _not_ the\n\"I\" part of you.\n\nNext in order, above the Instinctive Mind, is what we have called the\nIntellect, that part of the mind that does our reasoning, analyzing;\n\"thinking,\" etc. You are using it in the consideration of this lesson.\nBut note this: You are _using_ it, but it is _not_ You, any more than was\nthe Instinctive Mind that you considered a moment ago. You will begin to\nmake the separation, if you will think but a moment. We will not take up\nyour time with a consideration of Intellect or Reason. You will find a\ngood description of this part of the mind in any good elementary work on\nPsychology. Our only idea in mentioning it is that you may make the\nclassification, and that we may afterward show you that the Intellect is\nbut a tool of the Ego, instead of being the real \"I\" itself, as so many\nseem to imagine.\n\nThe third, and highest, Mental Principle is what is called the Spiritual\nMind, that part of the mind which is almost unknown to many of the race,\nbut which has developed into consciousness with nearly all who read this\nlesson, for the fact that the subject of this lesson attracts you is a\nproof that this part of your mental nature is unfolding into\nconsciousness. This region of the mind is the source of that which we\ncall \"genius,\" \"inspiration,\" \"spirituality,\" and all that we consider\nthe \"highest\" in our mental make-up. All the great thoughts and ideas\nfloat into the field of consciousness from this part of the mind. All the\ngreat unfoldment of the race comes from there. All the higher mental\nideas that have come to Man in his upward evolutionary journey, that tend\nin the direction of nobility; true religious feeling; kindness; humanity;\njustice; unselfish love; mercy; sympathy, etc., have come to him through\nhis slowly unfolding Spiritual Mind. His love of God and of his fellow\nman have come in this way. His knowledge of the great occult truths reach\nhim through this channel. The mental realization of the \"I,\" which we are\nendeavoring to teach in these lessons, must come to him by way of the\nSpiritual Mind unfolding its ideas into his field of consciousness.\n\nBut even this great and wonderful part of the mind is but a tool--a\nhighly finished one, it is true, but still a tool--to the Ego, or \"I.\"\n\nWe propose to give you a little mental drill work, toward the end that\nyou may be able more readily to distinguish the \"I\" from the mind, or\nmental states. In this connection we would say that every part, plane,\nand function of the mind is good, and necessary, and the student must not\nfall into the error of supposing that because we tell him to set aside\nfirst this part of the mind and then that part, that we are undervaluing\nthe mind, or that we regard it as an encumbrance or hindrance. Far from\nthis, we realize that it is _by the use of_ the mind that Man is enabled\nto arrive at a knowledge of his true nature and Self, and that his\nprogress through many stages yet will depend upon the unfolding of his\nmental faculties.\n\nMan is now using but the lower and inferior parts of his mind, and he has\nwithin his mental world great unexplored regions that far surpass\nanything of which the human mind has dreamed. In fact, it is part of the\nbusiness of \"Raja Yoga\" to aid in unfolding these higher faculties and\nmental regions. And so far from decrying the Mind, the \"Raja Yoga\"\nteachers are chiefly concerned in recognizing the Mind's power and\npossibilities, and directing the student to avail himself of the latent\npowers that are inherent in his soul.\n\nIt is only by the mind that the teachings we are now giving you may be\ngrasped and understood, and used to your advantage and benefit. We are\ntalking direct to your mind now, and are making appeals to it, that it\nmay be interested and may open itself to what is ready to come into it\nfrom its own higher regions. We are appealing to the Intellect to direct\nits attention to this great matter, that it may interpose less resistance\nto the truths that are waiting to be projected from the Spiritual Mind,\nwhich knows the Truth.\n\n\nMENTAL DRILL.\n\nPlace yourself in a calm, restful condition, that you may be able to\nmeditate upon the matters that we shall place before you for\nconsideration. Allow the matters presented to meet with a hospitable\nreception from you, and hold a mental attitude of willingness to receive\nwhat may be waiting for you in the higher regions of your mind.\n\nWe wish to call your attention to several mental impressions or\nconditions, one after another, in order that you may realize that they\nare merely something _incident_ to you, and _not_ YOU yourself--that you\nmay set them aside and consider them, just as you might anything that you\nhave been using. You cannot set the \"I\" aside and so consider it, but the\nvarious forms of the \"not I\" may be so set aside and considered.\n\nIn the First Lesson you gained the perception of the \"I\" as independent\nfrom the body, the latter merely being an instrument for use. You have\nnow arrived at the stage when the \"I\" appears to you to be a mental\ncreature--a bundle of thoughts, feelings, moods, etc. But you must go\nfarther. You must be able to distinguish the \"I\" from these mental\nconditions, which are as much tools as is the body and its parts.\n\nLet us begin by considering the thoughts more closely connected with the\nbody, and then work up to the higher mental states.\n\nThe sensations of the body, such as hunger; thirst; pain; pleasurable\nsensations; physical desires, etc., etc., are not apt to be mistaken for\nessential qualities of the \"I\" by many of the Candidates, for they have\npassed beyond this stage, and have learned to set aside these sensations,\nto a greater or lesser extent, by an effort of the Will, and are no\nlonger slaves to them. Not that they do not experience these sensations,\nbut they have grown to regard them as incidents of the physical\nlife--good in their place--but useful to the advanced man only when he\nhas mastered them to the extent that he no longer regards them as close\nto the \"I.\" And yet, to some people, these sensations are so closely\nidentified with their conception of the \"I\" that when they think of\nthemselves they think merely of a bundle of these sensations. They are\nnot able to set them aside and consider them as things apart, to be used\nwhen necessary and proper, but as things not fastened to the \"I.\" The\nmore advanced a man becomes the farther off seem these sensations. Not\nthat he does not feel hungry, for instance. Not at all, for he recognizes\nhunger, and satisfies it within reason, knowing that his physical body is\nmaking demands for attention, and that these demands should be heeded.\nBut--mark the difference--instead of feeling that the \"_I_\" is hungry the\nman feels that \"_my body_\" is hungry, just as he might become conscious\nthat his horse or dog was crying for food insistently. Do you see what\nwe mean? It is that the man no longer identifies himself--the \"I\"--with\nthe body, consequently the thoughts which are most closely allied to the\nphysical life seem comparatively \"separate\" from his \"I\" conception. Such\na man thinks \"my stomach, this,\" or \"my leg, that,\" or \"my body, thus,\"\ninstead of \"'I,' this,\" or \"'I' that.\" He is able, almost automatically,\nto think of the body and its sensations as things _of_ him, and\n_belonging to_ him, which require attention and care, rather than as real\nparts of the \"I.\" He is able to form a conception of the \"I\" as existing\nwithout any of these things--without the body and its sensations--and so\nhe has taken the first step in the realization of the \"I.\"\n\nBefore going on, we ask the students to stop a few moments, and mentally\nrun over these sensations of the body. Form a mental image of them, and\nrealize that they are merely incidents to the present stage of growth and\nexperience of the \"I,\" and that they form no real part of it. They may,\nand will be, left behind in the Ego's higher planes of advancement. You\nmay have attained this mental conception perfectly, long since, but we\nask that to give yourself the mental drill at this time, in order to\nfasten upon your mind this first step.\n\nIn realizing that you are able to set aside, mentally, these\nsensations--that you are able to hold them out at arm's length and\n\"consider\" them as an \"outside\" thing, you mentally determine that they\nare \"not I\" things, and you set them down in the \"not I\" collection--the\nfirst to be placed there. Let us try to make this still plainer, even at\nthe risk of wearying you by repetitions (for you must get this idea\nfirmly fixed in your mind). To be able to say that a thing is \"not I,\"\nyou must realize that there are two things in question (1) the \"not I\"\nthing, and (2) the \"I\" who is regarding the \"not I\" thing just as the \"I\"\nregards a lump of sugar, or a mountain. Do you see what we mean? Keep at\nit until you do.\n\nNext, consider some of the emotions, such as anger; hate; love, in its\nordinary forms; jealousy; ambition; and the hundred and one other\nemotions that sweep through our brains. You will find that you are able\nto set each one of these emotions or feelings aside and study it; dissect\nit; analyze it; consider it. You will be able to understand the rise,\nprogress and end of each of these feelings, as they have come to you, and\nas you recall them in your memory or imagination, just as readily as you\nwould were you observing their occurrence in the mind of a friend. You\nwill find them all stored away in some parts of your mental make-up, and\nyou may (to use a modern American slang phrase) \"make them trot before\nyou, and show their paces.\" Don't you see that they are not \"You\"--that\nthey are merely something that you carry around with you in a mental bag.\nYou can imagine yourself as living without them, and still being \"I,\" can\nyou not?\n\nAnd the very fact that you are able to set them aside and examine and\nconsider them is a proof that they are \"not I\" things--for there are two\nthings in the matter (1) _You_ who are examining and considering them,\nand (2) the thing itself which is the _object_ of the examination and\nconsideration at mental arm's length. So into the \"not I\" collection go\nthese emotions, desirable and undesirable. The collection is steadily\ngrowing, and will attain quite formidable proportions after a while.\n\nNow, do not imagine that this is a lesson designed to teach you how to\ndiscard these emotions, although if it enables you to get rid of the\nundesirable ones, so much the better. This is not our object, for we bid\nyou place the desirable (at this time) ones in with the opposite kind,\nthe idea being to bring you to a realization that the \"I\" is higher,\nabove and independent of these mental somethings, and then when you have\nrealized the nature of the \"I,\" you may return and use (as a Master) the\nthings that have been using you as a slave. So do not be afraid to throw\nthese emotions (good and bad) into the \"not I\" collection. You may go\nback to them, and use the good ones, after the Mental Drill is over. No\nmatter how much you may think that you are bound by any of these\nemotions, you will realize, by careful analysis, that it is of the \"not\nI\" kind, for the \"I\" existed before the emotion came into active play,\nand it will live long after the emotion has faded away. The principal\nproof is that you are able to hold it out at arm's length and examine\nit--a proof that it is \"not I.\"\n\nRun through the entire list of your feelings; emotions; moods; and what\nnot, just as you would those of a well-known friend or relative, and you\nwill see that each one--every one--is a \"not I\" thing, and you will lay\nit aside for the time, for the purpose of the scientific experiment, at\nleast.\n\nThen passing on to the Intellect, you will be able to hold out for\nexamination each mental process and principle. You don't believe it, you\nmay say. Then read and study some good work on Psychology, and you will\nlearn to dissect and analyze every intellectual process--and to classify\nit and place it in the proper pigeon-hole. Study Psychology by means of\nsome good text-book, and you will find that one by one every intellectual\nprocess is classified, and talked about and labeled, just as you would a\ncollection of flowers. If that does not satisfy you, turn the leaves of\nsome work on Logic, and you will admit that you may hold these\nintellectual processes at arm's length and examine them, and talk about\nthem to others. So that these wonderful tools of Man--the Intellectual\npowers may be placed in the \"not I\" collection, for the \"I\" is capable of\nstanding aside and viewing them--it is able to detach them from itself.\nThe most remarkable thing about this is that in admitting this fact, you\nrealize that the \"I\" is using these very intellectual faculties to pass\nupon themselves. Who is the Master that compels these faculties to do\nthis to themselves? The Master of the Mind--The \"I.\"\n\nAnd reaching the higher regions of the mind--even the Spiritual Mind, you\nwill be compelled to admit that the things that have come into\nconsciousness from that region may be considered and studied, just as may\nbe any other mental thing, and so even these high things must be placed\nin the \"not I\" collection. You may object that this does not prove that\nall the things in the Spiritual Mind may be so treated--that there may be\n\"I\" things there that can not be so treated. We will not discuss this\nquestion, for you know nothing about the Spiritual Mind except as it has\nrevealed itself to you, and the higher regions of that mind are like the\nmind of a God, when compared to what _you_ call mind. But the evidence of\nthe Illumined--those in whom the Spiritual Mind has wonderfully unfolded\ntell us that even in the highest forms of development, the Initiates,\nyea, even the Masters, realize that above even their highest mental\nstates there is always that eternal \"I\" brooding over them, as the Sun\nover the lake; and that the highest conception of the \"I\" known even to\nadvanced souls, is but a faint reflection of the \"I\" filtering through\nthe Spiritual Mind, although that Spiritual Mind is as clear as the\nclearest crystal when compared with our comparatively opaque mental\nstates. And the highest mental state is but a tool or instrument of the\n\"I,\" and is not the \"I\" itself.\n\nAnd yet the \"I\" is to be found in the faintest forms of consciousness,\nand animates even the unconscious life. The \"I\" is always the same, but\nits apparent growth is the result of the mental unfoldment of the\nindividual. As we described it in one of the lessons of the \"_Advanced\nCourse_\" it is like an electric lamp that is encased in many wrappings of\ncloth. As cloth after cloth is removed, the light seems to grow brighter\nand stronger, and yet it has changed not, the change being in the removal\nof the confining and bedimming coverings. We do not expect to make you\nrealize the \"I\" in all its fullness--that is far beyond the highest known\nto man of to-day--but we do hope to bring you to a realization of the\nhighest conception of the \"I,\" possible to each of you in your present\nstage of unfoldment, and in the process we expect to cause to drop from\nyou some of the confining sheaths that you have about outgrown. The\nsheaths are ready for dropping, and all that is required is the touch of\na friendly hand to cause them to fall fluttering from you. We wish to\nbring you to the fullest possible (to you) realization of the \"I,\" in\norder to make an Individual of you--in order that you may understand, and\nhave courage to take up the tools and instruments lying at your hand, and\ndo the work before you.\n\nAnd now, back to the Mental Drill. After you have satisfied yourself that\nabout everything that you are capable of thinking about is a \"not I\"\nthing--a tool and instrument for your use--you will ask, \"And now, what\nis there left that should not be thrown in the \"not I\" collection.\" To\nthis question we answer \"THE 'I' ITSELF.\" And when you demand a proof\nwe say, \"Try to set aside the 'I' for consideration!\" You may try from\nnow until the passing away of infinities of infinities, and you will\nnever be able to set aside the real \"I\" for consideration. You may think\nyou can, but a little reflection will show you that you are merely\nsetting aside some of your mental qualities or faculties. And in this\nprocess what is the \"I\" doing? Simply setting aside and considering\nthings. Can you not see that the \"I\" cannot be both the _considerer_ and\nthe thing considered--the _examiner_ and the thing examined? Can the sun\nshine upon itself by its own light? You may consider the \"I\" of some\nother person, but it is _your_ \"I\" that is considering. But you cannot,\nas an \"I,\" stand aside and see yourself as an \"I.\" Then what evidence\nhave we that there is an \"I\" to us? This: that you are always conscious\nof being the considerer and examiner, instead of the considered and\nexamined thing--and then, you have the evidence of your consciousness.\nAnd what report does this consciousness give us? Simply this, and nothing\nmore: \"I AM.\" That is all that the \"I\" is conscious of, regarding its\ntrue self: \"I AM,\" but that consciousness is worth all the rest, for the\nrest is but \"not I\" tools that the \"I\" may reach out and use.\n\nAnd so at the final analysis, you will find that there is something that\nrefuses to be set aside and examined by the \"I.\" And that something is\nthe \"I\" itself--that \"I\" eternal, unchangeable--that drop of the Great\nSpirit Ocean--that spark from the Sacred Flame.\n\nJust as you find it impossible to imagine the \"I\" as dead, so will you\nfind it impossible to set aside the \"I\" for consideration--all that comes\nto you is the testimony: \"I AM.\"\n\nIf you were able to set aside the \"I\" for consideration, who would be the\none to consider it? Who could consider except the \"I\" itself, and if it\nbe _here_, how could it be _there?_ The \"I\" cannot be the \"not I\" even in\nthe wildest flights of the imagination--the imagination with all its\nboasted freedom and power, confesses itself vanquished when asked to do\nthis thing.\n\nOh, students, may you be brought to a realization of what you are. May\nyou soon awaken to the fact that you are sleeping gods--that you have\nwithin you the power of the Universe, awaiting your word to manifest\nin action. Long ages have you toiled to get this far, and long must you\ntravel before you reach even the first Great Temple, but you are now\nentering into the conscious stage of Spiritual Evolution. No longer will\nyour eyes be closed as you walk the Path. From now on you will begin to\nsee clearer and clearer each step, in the dawning light of consciousness.\n\nYou are in touch with all of life, and the separation of your \"I\" from\nthe great Universal \"I\" is but apparent and temporary. We will tell you\nof these things in our Third Lesson, but before you can grasp that you\nmust develop the \"I\" consciousness within you. Do not lay aside this\nmatter as one of no importance. Do not dismiss our weak explanation as\nbeing \"merely words, words, words,\" as so many are inclined to do. We are\npointing out a great truth to you. Why not follow the leadings of the\nSpirit which even now--this moment while you read--is urging you to walk\nThe Path of Attainment? Consider the teachings of this lesson, and\npractice the Mental Drill until your mind has grasped its significance,\nthen let it sink deep down into your inner consciousness. Then will you\nbe ready for the next lessons, and those to follow.\n\nPractice this Mental Drill until you are fully assured of the _reality_\nof the \"I\" and the _relativity_ of the \"not \"I\" in the mind. When you\nonce grasp this truth, you will find that you will be able to use the\nmind with far greater power and effect, for you will recognize that it is\nyour tool and instrument, fitted and intended to do your bidding. You\nwill be able to master your moods, and emotions when necessary, and will\nrise from the position of a slave to a Master.\n\nOur words seem cheap and poor, when we consider the greatness of the\ntruth that we are endeavoring to convey by means of them. For who can\nfind words to express the inexpressible? All that we may hope to do is to\nawaken a keen interest and attention on your part, so that you will\npractice the Mental Drill, and thus obtain the evidence of your own\nmentality to the truth. Truth is not truth to you until you have proven\nit in your own experience, and once so proven you cannot be robbed of it,\nnor can it be argued away from you.\n\nYou must realize that in every mental effort You--the \"I\"--are behind it.\nYou bid the Mind work, and it obeys your Will. You are the Master, and\nnot the slave of your mind. You are the Driver, not the driven. Shake\nyourself loose from the tyranny of the mind that has oppressed you for so\nlong. Assert yourself, and be free. We will help you in this direction\nduring the course of these lessons, but you must first assert yourself as\na Master of your Mind. Sign the mental Declaration of Independence from\nyour moods, emotions, and uncontrolled thoughts, and assert your Dominion\nover them. Enter into your Kingdom, thou manifestation of the Spirit!\n\nWhile this lesson is intended primarily to bring clearly into your\nconsciousness the fact that the \"I\" is a reality, separate and distinct\nfrom its Mental Tools, and while the control of the mental faculties by\nthe Will forms a part of some of the future lessons, still, we think that\nthis is a good place to point out to you the advantages arising from a\nrealization of the true nature of the \"I\" and the relative aspect of the\nMind.\n\nMany of us have supposed that our minds were the masters of ourselves,\nand we have allowed ourselves to be tormented and worried by thoughts\n\"running away\" with us, and presenting themselves at inopportune moments.\nThe Initiate is relieved from this annoyance, for he learns to assert his\nmastery over the different parts of the mind, and controls and regulates\nhis mental processes, just as one would a fine piece of machinery. He is\nable to control his conscious thinking faculties, and direct their work\nto the best advantage, and he also learns how to pass on orders to the\nsubconscious mental region and bid it work for him while he sleeps, or\neven when he is using his conscious mind in other matters. These subjects\nwill be considered by us in due time, during the course of lessons.\n\nIn this connection it may be interesting to read what Edward Carpenter\nsays of the power of the individual to control his thought processes. In\nhis book \"_From Adam's Peak to Eleplumta_,\" in describing his experience\nwhile visiting a Hindu Gnani Yogi, he says:\n\n\"And if we are unwilling to believe in this internal mastery over the\nbody, we are perhaps almost equally unaccustomed to the idea of mastery\nover our own inner thoughts and feelings. That a man should be a prey to\nany thought that chances to take possession of his mind, is commonly\namong us assumed as unavoidable. It may be a matter of regret that he\nshould be kept awake all night from anxiety as to the issue of a lawsuit\non the morrow, but that he should have the power of determining whether\nhe be kept awake or not seems an extravagant demand. The image of an\nimpending calamity is no doubt odious, but its very odiousness (we say)\nmakes it haunt the mind all the more pertinaciously and it is useless to\ntry to expel it.\n\n\"Yet this is an absurd position--for man, the heir of all the ages:\nhag-ridden by the flimsy creatures of his own brain. If a pebble in our\nboot torments us, we expel it. We take off the boot and shake it out.\nAnd once the matter is fairly understood it is just as easy to expel an\nintruding and obnoxious thought from the mind. About this there ought to\nbe no mistake, no two opinions. The thing is obvious, clear and\nunmistakable. It should be as easy to expel an obnoxious thought from\nyour mind as it is to shake a stone out of your shoe; and till a man can\ndo that it is just nonsense to talk about his ascendancy over Nature, and\nall the rest of it. He is a mere slave, and prey to the bat-winged\nphantoms that flit through the corridors of his own brain.\n\n\"Yet the weary and careworn faces that we meet by thousands, even among\nthe affluent classes of civilization, testify only too clearly how seldom\nthis mastery is obtained. How rare indeed to meet a _man_! How common\nrather to discover a creature hounded on by tyrant thoughts (or cares or\ndesires), cowering, wincing under the lash--or perchance priding himself\nto run merrily in obedience to a driver that rattles the reins and\npersuades him that he is free--whom we cannot converse with in careless\n_tete-a-tete_ because that alien presence is always there, on the watch.\n\n\"It is one of the most prominent doctrines of Raja Yoga that the power of\nexpelling thoughts, or if need be, killing them dead on the spot, _must_\nbe attained. Naturally the art requires practice, but like other arts,\nwhen once acquired there is no mystery or difficulty about it. And it is\nworth practice. It may indeed fairly be said that life only begins when\nthis art has been acquired. For obviously when instead of being ruled by\nindividual thoughts, the whole flock of them in their immense multitude\nand variety and capacity is ours to direct and dispatch and employ where\nwe list ('for He maketh the winds his messengers and the flaming fire His\nminister'), life becomes a thing so vast and grand compared with what it\nwas before, that its former condition may well appear almost antenatal.\n\n\"If you can kill a thought dead, for the time being, you can do anything\nelse with it that you please. And therefore it is that this power is so\nvaluable. And it not only frees a man from mental torment (which is\nnine-tenths at least of the torment of life), but it gives him a\nconcentrated power of handling mental work absolutely unknown to him\nbefore. The two things are co-relative to each other. As already said\nthis is one of the principles of Raja Yoga.\n\n\"While at work your thought is to be absolutely concentrated in it,\nundistracted by anything whatever irrelevant to the matter in\nhand--pounding away like a great engine, with giant power and perfect\neconomy--no wear and tear of friction, or dislocation of parts owing to\nthe working of different forces at the same time. Then when the work is\nfinished, if there is no more occasion for the use of the machine, it\nmust stop equally, absolutely--stop entirely--no _worrying_ (as if a\nparcel of boys were allowed to play their devilments with a locomotive as\nsoon as it was in the shed)--and the man must retire into that region of\nhis consciousness where his true self dwells.\n\n\"I say the power of the thought-machine itself is enormously increased by\nthis faculty of letting it alone on the one hand, and of using it singly\nand with concentration on the other. It becomes a true tool, which a\nmaster-workman lays down when done with, but which only a bungler carries\nabout with him all the time to show that he is the possessor of it.\"\n\nWe ask the students to read carefully the above quotations from Mr.\nCarpenter's book, for they are full of suggestions that may be taken up\nto advantage by those who are emancipating themselves from their slavery\nto the unmastered mind, and who are now bringing the mind under control\nof the Ego, by means of the Will.\n\nOur next lesson will take up the subject of the relationship of the \"I\"\nto the Universal \"I,\" and will be called the \"Expansion of the Self.\" It\nwill deal with the subject, not from a theoretical standpoint, but from\nthe position of the teacher who is endeavoring to make his students\nactually _aware_ in their consciousness of the truth of the proposition.\nIn this course we are not trying to make our students past-masters of\n_theory_, but are endeavoring to place them in a position whereby they\nmay _know_ for themselves, and actually experience the things of which we\nteach.\n\nTherefore we urge upon you not to merely rest content with reading this\nlesson, but, instead, to study and meditate upon the teachings mentioned\nunder the head of \"Mental Drill,\" until the distinctions stand out\nclearly in your mind, and until you not only _believe_ them to be true,\nbut actually are _conscious_ of the \"I\" and its Mental Tools. Have\npatience and perseverance. The task may be difficult, but the reward is\ngreat. To become conscious of the greatness, majesty, strength and power\nof your real being is worth years of hard study. Do you not think so?\nThen study and practice hopefully, diligently and earnestly.\n\nPeace be with you.\n\n\nMANTRAMS (AFFIRMATIONS) FOR THE SECOND LESSON.\n\n\"I\" am an entity--my mind is my instrument of expression.\n\n\"I\" exist independent of my mind, and am not dependent upon it for\nexistence or being.\n\n\"I\" am Master of my mind, not its slave.\n\n\"I\" can set aside my sensations, emotions, passions, desires,\nintellectual faculties, and all the rest of my mental collection of\ntools, as \"not I\" things--and still there remains something--and that\nsomething is \"I,\" which cannot be set aside by me, for it is my very\nself; my only self; my real self--\"I.\" That which remains after all that\nmay be set aside _is_ set aside is the \"I\"--Myself--eternal, constant,\nunchangeable.\n\n[Illustration: \"I am\"]\n\n\n\n\nTHE THIRD LESSON.\n\nTHE EXPANSION OF THE SELF.\n\n\nIn the first two lessons of this course we have endeavored to bring to\nthe candidate a realization in consciousness of the reality of the \"I,\"\nand to enable him to distinguish between the Self and its sheaths,\nphysical and mental. In the present lesson we will call his attention to\nthe relationship of the \"I\" to the Universal \"I,\" and will endeavor to\ngive him an idea of a greater, grander Self, transcending personality\nand the little self that we are so apt to regard as the \"I.\"\n\nThe keynote of this lesson will be \"The Oneness of All,\" and all of its\nteachings will be directed to awakening a realization in consciousness of\nthat great truth. But we wish to impress upon the mind of the Candidate\nthat we are _not_ teaching him that he is the Absolute. We are not\nteaching the \"I Am God\" belief, which we consider to be erroneous and\nmisleading, and a perversion of the original Yogi teachings. This false\nteaching has taken possession of many of the Hindu teachers and people,\nand with its accompanying teaching of \"Maya\" or the complete illusion or\nnon-existence of the Universe, has reduced millions of people to a\npassive, negative mental condition which undoubtedly is retarding their\nprogress. Not only in India is this true, but the same facts may be\nobserved among the pupils of the Western teachers who have embraced this\nnegative side of the Oriental Philosophy. Such people confound the\n\"Absolute\" and \"Relative\" aspects of the One, and, being unable to\nreconcile the facts of Life and the Universe with their theories of \"I Am\nGod,\" they are driven to the desperate expedient of boldly denying the\nUniverse, and declaring it to be all \"an illusion\" or \"Maya.\"\n\nYou will have no trouble in distinguishing the pupils of the teachers\nholding this view. They will be found to exhibit the most negative mental\ncondition--a natural result of absorbing the constant suggestion of\n\"nothingness\"--the gospel of negation. In marked contrast to the mental\ncondition of the students, however, will be observed the mental attitude\nof the teachers, who are almost uniformly examples of vital, positive,\nmental force, capable of hurling their teaching into the minds of the\npupils--of driving in their statements by the force of an awakened Will.\nThe teacher, as a rule, has awakened to a sense of the \"I\" consciousness,\nand really develops the same by his \"I Am God\" attitude, because by\nholding this mental attitude he is enabled to throw off the influence of\nthe sheaths of the lower mental principles, and the light of the Self\nshows forth fiercely and strongly, sometimes to such an extent that it\nfairly scorches the mentality of the less advanced pupil. But,\nnotwithstanding this awakened \"I\" consciousness, the teacher is\nhandicapped by his intellectual misconception and befogging metaphysics,\nand is unable to impart the \"I\" consciousness to his pupils, and, instead\nof raising them up to shine with equal splendor with himself, he really\nforces them into a shadow by reason of his teachings.\n\nOur students, of course, will understand that the above is not written in\nthe spirit of carping criticism or fault-finding. We hold no such mental\nattitude, and indeed could not if we remain true to our conception of\nTruth. We are mentioning these matters simply that the student may avoid\nthis \"I Am God\" pitfall which awaits the Candidate just as he has well\nstarted on the Path. It would not be such a serious matter if it were\nmerely a question of faulty metaphysics, for that would straighten itself\nout in time. But it is far more serious than this, for the teaching\ninevitably leads to the accompanying teaching that all is Illusion or\n_Maya_, and that Life is but a dream--a false thing--a lie--a nightmare;\nthat the journey along the Path is but an illusion; that everything is\n\"nothing\"; that there is no soul; that You are God in disguise, and that\nHe is fooling Himself in making believe that He is You; that Life is but\na Divine masquerade or sleight-of-hand performance; that You are God, but\nthat You (God) are fooling Yourself (God) in order to amuse Yourself\n(God). Is not this horrible? And yet it shows to what lengths the human\nmind will go before it will part with some pet theory of metaphysics with\nwhich it has been hypnotized. Do you think that we have overdrawn the\npicture? Then read some of the teachings of these schools of the Oriental\nPhilosophy, or listen to some of the more radical of the Western teachers\npreaching this philosophy. The majority of the latter lack the courage of\nthe Hindu teachers in carrying their theories to a logical conclusion,\nand, consequently they veil their teachings with metaphysical subtlety.\nBut a few of them are more courageous, and come out into the open and\npreach their doctrine in full.\n\nSome of the modern Western teachers of this philosophy explain matters by\nsaying that \"God is masquerading as different forms of life, including\nMan, in order that he may gain the experience resulting therefrom, for\nalthough He has Infinite and Absolute Wisdom and Knowledge, he lacks the\nexperience that comes only from actually living the life of the lowly\nforms, and therefore He descend thus in order to gain the needed\nexperience.\" Can you imagine the Absolute, possessed of all possible\nKnowledge and Wisdom, feeling the need of such petty \"experience,\" and\nliving the life of the lowly forms (including Man) in order \"to gain\nexperience?\" To what Depths do these vain theories of Man drive us?\nAnother leading Western teacher, who has absorbed the teaching of certain\nbranches of the Oriental Philosophy, and who possesses the courage of his\nconvictions, boldly announces that \"You, yourself, are the _totality_ of\nbeing, and with your mind alone create, preserve and destroy the\nuniverse, which is your own mental product.\" And again the last mentioned\nteacher states: \"the entire universe is a bagatelle illustration of your\nown creative power, which you are now exhibiting for your own\ninspection.\" \"By their fruits shall you know them,\" is a safe rule to\napply to all teachings. The philosophy that teaches that the Universe is\nan illusion perpetrated by you (God) to amuse, entertain or fool yourself\n(God), can have but one result, and that is the conclusion that\n\"everything is nothing,\" and all that is necessary to do is to sit down,\nfold your hands and enjoy the Divine exhibition of legerdemain that you\nare performing for your own entertainment, and then, when the show is\nover, return to your state of conscious Godhood and recall with smiles\nthe pleasant memories of the \"conjure show\" that you created to fool\nyourself with during several billions of ages. That is what it amounts\nto, and the result is that those accepting this philosophy thrust upon\nthem by forceful teachers, and knowing in their hearts that they are\n_not_ God, but absorbing the suggestions of \"nothingness,\" are driven\ninto a state of mental apathy and negativeness, the soul sinking into a\nstupor from which it may not be roused for a long period of time.\n\nWe wish you to avoid confounding our teaching with this just mentioned.\nWe wish to teach you that You are a real Being--_not_ God Himself, but a\nmanifestation of Him who is the Absolute. You are a Child of the\nAbsolute, if you prefer the term, possessed of the Divine Heritage, and\nwhose mission it is to unfold qualities which are your inheritances from\nyour Parent. Do not make the great mistake of confounding the Relative\nwith the Absolute. Avoid this pitfall into which so many have fallen. Do\nnot allow yourself to fall into the \"Slough of Despond,\" and wallow in\nthe mud of \"nothingness,\" and to see no reality except in the person of\nsome forceful teacher who takes the place of the Absolute in your mind.\nBut raise your head and assert your Divine Parentage, and your Heritage\nfrom the Absolute, and step out boldly on the Path, asserting the \"I.\"\n\n(We must refer the Candidate back to our \"Advanced Course,\" for our\nteachings regarding the Absolute and the Relative. The last three lessons\nof that course will throw light upon what we have just said To repeat the\nteaching at this point would be to use space which is needed for the\nlesson before us.)\n\nAnd yet, while the \"I\" is _not_ God, the Absolute, it is infinitely\ngreater than we have imagined it to be before the light dawned upon us.\nIt extends itself far beyond what we had conceived to be its limits. It\ntouches the Universe at all its points, and is in the closest union with\nall of Life. It is in the closest touch with all that has emanated from\nthe Absolute--all the world of Relativity. And while it faces the\nRelative Universe, it has its roots in the Absolute, and draws\nnourishment therefrom, just as does the babe in the womb obtain\nnourishment from the mother. It is verily a manifestation of God, and\nGod's very essence is in it. Surely this is almost as \"high\" a statement\nas the \"I Am God\" of the teachers just mentioned,--and yet how different.\nLet us consider the teaching in detail in this lesson, and in portions of\nothers to follow.\n\nLet us begin with a consideration of the instruments of the Ego, and the\nmaterial with which and through which the Ego works. Let us realize that\nthe physical body of man is identical in substance with all other forms\nof matter, and that its atoms are continually changing and being\nreplaced, the material being drawn from the great storehouse of matter,\nand that there is a Oneness of matter underlying all apparent differences\nof form and substance. And then let us realize that the vital energy or\n_Prana_ that man uses in his life work is but a portion of that great\nuniversal energy which permeates everything and everywhere, the portion\nbeing used by us at any particular moment being drawn from the universal\nsupply, and again passing out from us into the great ocean of force or\nenergy. And then let us realize that even the mind, which is so close to\nthe real Self that it is often mistaken for it--even that wonderful thing\nThought--is but a portion of the Universal Mind, the highest emanation of\nthe Absolute beneath the plane of Spirit, and that the Mind--substance or\n_Chitta_ that we are using this moment, is not ours separately and\ndistinctly, but is simply a portion from the great universal supply,\nwhich is constant and unchangeable. Let us then realize that even this\nthing that we feel pulsing within us--that which is so closely bound up\nwith the Spirit as to be almost inseparable from it--that which we call\nLife--is but a bit of that Great Life Principle that pervades the\nUniverse, and which cannot be added to, nor subtracted from. When we have\nrealized these things, and have begun to feel our relation (in these\nparticulars) to the One Great Emanation of the Absolute, then we may\nbegin to grasp the idea of the Oneness of Spirit, and the relation of the\n\"I\" to every other \"I,\" and the merging of the Self into the one great\nSelf, which is not the extinction of Individuality, as some have\nsupposed, but the enlargement and extension of the Individual\nConsciousness until it takes in the Whole.\n\nIn Lessons X and XI, of the \"Advanced Course\" we called your attention to\nthe Yogi teachings concerning _Akasa_ or Matter, and showed you that all\nforms of what we know as Matter are but different forms of manifestation\nof the principle called _Akasa_, or as the Western scientists call it,\n\"Ether.\" This Ether or _Akasa_ is the finest, thinnest and most tenuous\nform of Matter, in fact it is Matter in its ultimate or fundamental form,\nthe different forms of what we call Matter being but manifestations of\nthis _Akasa_ or Ether, the apparent difference resulting from different\nrates of vibration, etc. We mention this fact here merely to bring\nclearly before your mind the fact of the Universality of Matter, to the\nend that you may realize that each and every particle of your physical\nbody is but a portion of this great principle of the Universe, fresh from\nthe great store-house, and just about returning to it again, for the\natoms of the body are constantly changing. That which appears as your\nflesh to-day, may have been part of a plant a few days before, and may be\npart of some other living thing a few days hence. Constant change is\ngoing on, and what is yours to-day was someone's else yesterday, and\nstill another's to-morrow. You do not own one atom of matter\n_personally_, it is all a part of the common supply, the stream flowing\nthrough you and through all Life, on and on forever.\n\nAnd so it is with the Vital Energy that you are using every moment of\nyour life. You are constantly drawing upon the great Universal supply of\n_Prana_, then using what is given you, allowing the force to pass on to\nassume some other form. It is the property of all, and all you can do is\nto use what you need, and allow it to pass on. There is but one Force or\nEnergy, and that is to be found everywhere at all times.\n\nAnd even the great principle, Mind-substance, is under the same law. It\nis hard for us to realize this. We are so apt to think of our mental\noperations as distinctively our own--something that belongs to us\npersonally--that it is difficult for us to realize that Mind-substance is\na Universal principle just as Matter or Energy, and that we are but\ndrawing upon the Universal supply in our mental operations. And more than\nthis, the particular portion of Mind-substance that we are using,\nalthough separated from the Mind-substance used by other individuals by a\nthin wall of the very finest kind of Matter, is really in touch with the\nother apparently separated minds, and with the Universal Mind of which it\nforms a part. Just as is the Matter of which our physical bodies are\ncomposed really in touch with all Matter; and just as is the Vital Force\nused by us really in touch with all Energy; so is our Mind-substance\nreally in touch with all Mind-substance. It is as if the Ego in its\nprogress were moving through great oceans of Matter, Energy, or\nMind-substance, making use of that of each which it needed and which\nimmediately surrounded it, and leaving each behind as it moved on through\nthe great volume of the ocean. This illustration is clumsy, but it may\nbring to your consciousness a realization that the Ego is the only thing\nthat is really _Yours_, unchangeable and unaltered, and that all the rest\nis merely that portion of the Universal supply that you draw to yourself\nfor the wants of the moment. It may also bring more clearly before your\nmind the great Unity of things--may enable you to see things as a Whole,\nrather than as separated parts. Remember, _You_--the \"I\"--are the only\nReal thing about and around you--all that has permanence--and Matter,\nForce and even Mind-substance, are but your instruments for use and\nexpression. There are great oceans of each surrounding the \"I\" as it\nmoves along.\n\nIt is well for you also to bear in mind the Universality of Life. All of\nthe Universe is alive, vibrating and pulsating with life and energy and\nmotion. There is nothing dead in the Universe. Life is everywhere, and\nalways accompanied by intelligence. There is no such thing as a dead,\nunintelligent Universe. _Instead of being atoms of Life floating in a sea\nof death, we are atoms of Life surrounded by an ocean of Life, pulsating,\nmoving, thinking, living._ Every atom of what we call Matter is alive. It\nhas energy or force with it, and is always accompanied by intelligence\nand life. Look around us as we will--at the animal world--at the plant\nworld--yes, even at the world of minerals and we see life, life,\nlife--all alive and having intelligence. When we are able to bring this\nconception into the realm of actual consciousness--when we are able not\nonly to intellectually accept this fact, but to even go still further and\n_feel_ and be conscious of this Universal Life on all sides, then are we\nwell on the road to attaining the Cosmic Consciousness.\n\nBut all these things are but steps leading up to the realization of\nthe Oneness in Spirit, on the part of the Individual. Gradually there\ndawns upon him the realization that there is a Unity in the manifestation\nof Spirit from the Absolute--a unity with itself, and a Union with the\nAbsolute. All this manifestation of Spirit on the part of the\nAbsolute--all this begetting of Divine Children--was in the nature of a\nsingle act rather than as a series of acts, if we may be permitted\nto speak of the manifestation as an _act_. Each Ego is a Centre of\nConsciousness in this great ocean of Spirit--each is a Real Self,\napparently separate from the others and from its source, but the\nseparation is only apparent in both cases, for there is the closest\nbond of union between the Egos of the Universe of Universes--each is knit\nto the other in the closest bond of union, and each is still attached to\nthe Absolute by spiritual filaments, if we may use the term. In time we\nshall grow more conscious of this mutual relationship, as the sheaths are\noutgrown and cast aside, and in the end we will be withdrawn into the\nAbsolute--shall return to the Mansion of the Father.\n\nIt is of the highest importance to the developing soul to unfold into a\nrealization of this relationship and unity, _for when this conception is\nonce fully established the soul is enabled to rise above certain of the\nlower planes, and is free from the operation of certain laws that bind\nthe undeveloped soul_. Therefore the Yogi teachers are constantly leading\nthe Candidates toward this goal. First by this path, and then by that\none, giving them different glimpses of the desired point, until finally\nthe student finds a path best fitted for his feet, and he moves along\nstraight to the mark, and throwing aside the confining bonds that have\nproved so irksome, he cries aloud for joy at his new found Freedom.\n\nThe following exercises and Mental Drills are intended to aid the\nCandidate in his work of growing into a realization of his relationship\nwith the Whole of Life and Being.\n\n\nMENTAL DRILL.\n\n(1) Read over what we have said in the \"Advanced Course\" regarding\nthe principle known as Matter. Realize that all Matter is One at the\nlast--that the real underlying substance of Matter is _Akasa_ or\nEther, and that all the varying forms evident to our senses are but\nmodifications and grosser forms of that underlying principle. Realize\nthat by known chemical processes all forms of Matter known to us, or\nrather all combinations resulting in \"forms,\" may be resolved into their\noriginal elements, and that these elements are merely _Akasa_ in\ndifferent states of vibration. Let the idea of the Oneness of the visible\nUniverse sink deeply into your mind, until it becomes fixed there. The\nerroneous conception of diversity in the material world must be replaced\nby the consciousness of Unity--Oneness, at the last, in spite of the\nappearance of variety and manifold forms. You must grow to see behind the\nworld of forms of Matter, and see the great principle of Matter (_Akasa_\nor Ether) back of, within, and under it all. You must grow to _feel_\nthis, as well as to intellectually see it.\n\n(2) Meditate over the last mentioned truths, and then follow the matter\nstill further. Read what we have said in the \"Advanced Course\" (Lesson\nXI) about the last analysis of Matter showing it fading away into Force\nor Energy until the dividing line is lost, and Matter merges into Energy\nor Force, showing them both to be but the same thing, Matter being a\ngrosser form of Energy or Force. This idea should be impressed upon the\nunderstanding, in order that the complete edifice of the Knowing of the\nOneness may be complete in all of its parts.\n\n(3) Then read in the \"Advanced Lessons\" about Energy or Force, in the\noneness underlying its various manifestations. Consider how one form of\nEnergy may be transformed into another, and so on around the circle, the\none principle producing the entire chain of appearances. Realize that the\nenergy within you by which you move and act, is but one of the forms of\nthis great Principle of Energy with which the Universe is filled, and\nthat you may draw to you the required Energy from the great Universal\nsupply. But above all endeavor to grasp the idea of the Oneness pervading\nthe world of Energy or Force, or Motion. See it in its entirety, rather\nthan in its apparent separateness. These steps may appear somewhat\ntedious and useless, but take our word for it, they are all helps in\nfitting the mind to grasp the idea of the Oneness of All. Each step is\nimportant, and renders the next higher one more easily attained. In this\nmental drill, it will be well to mentally picture the Universe in\nperpetual motion--everything is in motion--all matter is moving and\nchanging its forms, and manifesting the Energy within it. Suns and worlds\nrush through space, their particles constantly changing and moving.\nChemical composition and decomposition is constant and unceasing,\neverywhere the work of building up and breaking down is going on. New\ncombinations of atoms and worlds are constantly being formed and\ndissolved. And after considering this Oneness of the principle of Energy,\nreflect that through all these changes of form the Ego--the Real\nSelf--YOU--stand unchanged and unharmed--Eternal, Invincible,\nIndestructible, Invulnerable, _Real_ and Constant among this changing\nworld of forms and force. You are above it all, and it revolves around\nand about you--Spirit.\n\n(4) Read what we have said in the \"Advanced Course\" about Force or\nEnergy, shading into Mind-substance which is its parent. Realize that\nMind is back of all this great exhibition of Energy and Force that you\nhave been considering. Then will you be ready to consider the Oneness of\nMind.\n\n(5) Read what we have said in the \"Advanced Lessons\" about\nMind-substance. Realize that there is a great world of Mind-substance,\nor an Universal Mind, which is at the disposal of the Ego. All Thought is\nthe product of the Ego's use of this Mind-substance, its tool and\ninstrument. Realize that this Ocean of Mind is entire and Whole, and that\nthe Ego may draw freely from it. Realize that _You_ have this great ocean\nof Mind at your command, when you unfold sufficiently to use it. Realize\nthat Mind is back of and underneath all of the world of form and names\nand action, and that in that sense: \"All is Mind,\" although still higher\nin the scale than even Mind are _You_, the Real Self, the Ego, the\nManifestation of the Absolute.\n\n(6) Realize your identity with and relationship to All of Life. Look\naround you at Life in all its forms, from the lowest to the highest, all\nbeing exhibitions of the great principle of Life in operation along\ndifferent stages of The Path. Scorn not the humblest forms, but look\nbehind the form and see the reality--Life. Feel yourself a part of the\ngreat Universal Life. Let your thought sink to the depths of the ocean,\nand realize your kinship with the Life back of the forms dwelling there.\nDo not confound the forms (often hideous from your personal point of\nview) with the principle behind them. Look at the plant-life, and the\nanimal life, and seek to see behind the veil of form into the real Life\nbehind and underneath the form. Learn to feel your Life throbbing and\nthrilling with the Life Principle in these other forms, and in the forms\nof those of your own race. Gaze into the starry skies and see there the\nnumerous suns and worlds, all peopled with life in some of its myriad\nforms, and feel your kinship to it. If you can grasp this thought and\nconsciousness, you will find yourself at-one-ment with those whirling\nworlds, and, instead of feeling small and insignificant by comparison,\nyou will be conscious of an expansion of Self, until you feel that in\nthose circling worlds is a part of yourself--that You are there also,\nwhile standing upon the Earth--that you are akin to all parts of the\nUniverse--nay, more, that they are as much your home as is the spot upon\nwhich you are standing. You will find sweeping upon you a sense of\nconsciousness that the Universe is your home--not merely a part of it, as\nyou had previously thought. You will experience a sense of greatness, and\nbroadness and grandness such as you have never dreamed of. You will begin\nto realize at least a part of your Divine inheritance, and to know indeed\nthat you are a Child of the Infinite, the very essence of your Divine\nParent being in the fibres of your being, At such times of realization\none becomes conscious of what lies before the soul in its upward path,\nand how small the greatest prizes that Earth has to offer are when\ncompared to some of these things before the soul, as seen by the eyes of\nthe Spiritual Mind in moments of clear vision.\n\nYou must not dispute with these visions of the greatness of the soul, but\nmust treat them hospitably, for they are your very own, coming to you\nfrom the regions of your Spiritual Mind which are unfolding into\nconsciousness.\n\n(7) The highest step in this dawning consciousness of the Oneness of All,\nis the one in which is realized that there is but One Reality, and at the\nsame time the sense of consciousness that the \"I\" is in that Reality. It\nis most difficult to express this thought in words for it is something\nthat must be felt, rather than seen by the Intellect. When the Soul\nrealizes that the Spirit within it is, at the last, the only _real_ part\nof it, and that the Absolute and its manifestation as Spirit is the only\n_real_ thing in the Universe, a great step has been taken. But there is\nstill one higher step to be taken before the full sense of the Oneness\nand Reality comes to us. That step is the one in which we realize the\nIdentity of the \"I\" with the great \"I\" of the Universe. The mystery of\nthe manifestation of the Absolute in the form of the Spirit, is veiled\nfrom us--the mind confesses its inability to penetrate behind the veil\nshielding the Absolute from view, although it will give us a report of\nits being conscious of the presence of the Absolute just at the edge of\nthe boundary line. But the highest region of the Spiritual Mind, when\nexplored by the advanced souls who are well along the Path, reports that\nit sees beyond the apparent separation of Spirit from Spirit, and\nrealizes that there is but one Reality of Spirit, and that all the \"I\"'s\nare really but different views of that One--Centres of Consciousness upon\nthe surface of the One Great \"I,\" the Centre of which is the Absolute\nItself. This certainly penetrates the whole region of the Spiritual Mind,\nand gives us all the message of Oneness of the Spirit, just as the\nIntellect satisfies us with its message of the Oneness of Matter, Energy,\nand Mind. The idea of Oneness permeates all planes of Life.\n\nThe sense of Reality of the \"I\" that is apparent to You in the moments of\nyour clearest mental vision, is really the reflection of the sense of\nReality underlying the Whole--it is the consciousness of the Whole,\nmanifesting through your point or Centre of Consciousness. The advanced\nstudent or Initiate finds his consciousness gradually enlarging until it\nrealizes its identity with the Whole. He realizes that under all the\nforms and names of the visible world, there is to be found One Life--One\nForce--One Substance--One Existence--One Reality--ONE. And, instead of\nhis experiencing any sense of the loss of identity or individuality, he\nbecomes conscious of an enlargement of an expansion of individuality or\nidentity--instead of feeling himself absorbed in the Whole, he feels that\nhe is spreading out and embracing the Whole. This is most hard to express\nin words, for there are no words to fit the conception, and all that we\ncan hope to do is to start into motion, by means of our words, the\nvibrations that will find a response in the minds of those who read the\nwords, to the end that they will experience the consciousness which will\nbring its own understanding. This consciousness cannot be transmitted by\nwords proceeding from the Intellect, but vibrations may be set up that\nwill prepare the mind to receive the message from its own higher planes.\n\nEven in the early stages of this dawning consciousness, one is enabled to\nidentify the _real_ part of himself with the _real_ part of all the other\nforms of life that pass before his notice. In every other man--in every\nanimal--in every plant--in every mineral--he sees behind the sheath and\nform of appearance, an evidence of the presence of the Spirit which is\nakin to his own Spirit--yea, more than akin, for the two are One. He sees\nHimself in all forms of life, in all time in all places. He realizes that\nthe Real Self is everywhere present and everlasting, and that the Life\nwithin himself is also within all the Universe--in everything, for there\nis nothing dead in the Universe, and all Life, in all of its varying\nphases, is simply the One Life, held, used and enjoyed in common by all.\nEach Ego is a Centre of Consciousness in this great ocean of Life, and\nwhile apparently separate and distinct, is yet really in touch with the\nWhole, and with every apparent part.\n\nIt is not our intention, in this lesson, to go into the details of this\ngreat mystery of Life, or to recite the comparatively little of the Truth\nthat the most advanced teachers and Masters have handed down. This is not\nthe place for it--it belongs to the subject of Gnani Yoga rather than to\nRaja Yoga--and we touch upon it here, not for the purpose of trying to\nexplain the scientific side of it to you, but merely in order that your\nminds may be led to take up the idea and gradually manifest it in\nconscious realization. There is quite a difference between the\nscientific, intellectual teaching of Gnani Yoga, whereby the metaphysical\nand scientific sides of the Yogi teachings are presented to the minds of\nthe students, in a logical, scientific manner, and the methods of Raja\nYoga, in which the Candidate is led by degrees to a _consciousness_\n(outside of mere intellectual belief) of his real nature and powers. We\nare following the latter plan, for this course is a Course in _Raja_\nYoga. We are aiming to present the matter to the mind in such a manner\nthat it may prepare the way for the dawning consciousness, by brushing\naway the preconceived notions and prejudices, and allowing a clean\nentrance for the new conception. Much that we have said in this lesson\nmay appear, on the one hand, like useless repetition, and, on the other\nhand, like an incomplete presentation of the scientific side of the Yogi\nteachings. But it will be found, in time, that the effect has been that\nthe mind of the student has undergone a change from the absorbing of the\nidea of the Oneness of Life, and the Expansion of the Self. The Candidate\nis urged not to be in too much of a hurry. Development must not be\nforced. Read what we have written, and practice the Mental Drills we have\ngiven, even if they may appear trifling and childish to some of you--we\nknow what they will do for you, and you will agree with us in time. Make\nhaste slowly. You will find that the mind will work out the matter, even\nthough you be engaged in your ordinary work, and have forgotten the\nsubject for the time. The greater portion of mental work is done in this\nway, while you are busy with something else, or even asleep, for the\nsub-conscious portion of the mind works along the lines pointed out for\nit, and performs its task.\n\nAs we have said, the purpose of this lesson is to bring you in the way of\nthe unfoldment of consciousness, rather than to teach you the details of\nthe scientific side of the Yogi teachings. Development is the keynote of\nRaja Yoga. And the reason that we wish to develop this sense of the\nReality of the \"I,\" and the Expansion of the Self, at this place is that\nthereby you may assert your Mastery over Matter, Energy and Mind. Before\nyou may mount your throne as King, you must fully realize in\nconsciousness that you _are_ the _Reality_ in this world of appearances.\nYou must realize that you--the _real_ You--are not only existent, and\nreal, but that you are in touch with all else that is real, and that the\nroots of your being are grounded in the Absolute itself. You must realize\nthat instead of being a separate atom of Reality, isolated and fixed in a\nnarrow space, you are a Centre of Consciousness in the Whole of Reality,\nand that the Universe of Universes is your home--that your Centre of\nConsciousness might be moved on to a point trillions of miles from the\nEarth (which distance would be as nothing in Space) and still you--the\nawakened soul--would be just as much at home there as here--that even\nwhile you are here, your influence extends far out into space. Your real\nstate, which will be revealed to you, gradually, throughout the ages, is\nso great and grand, that your mind in its present state of development\ncannot grasp even the faint reflection of that glory.\n\nWe wish you to try to form at least a faint idea of your Real State of\nBeing, in order that you may control the lower principles by the force of\nyour awakened Will, which Will depends upon your degree of consciousness\nof the Real Self.\n\nAs man grows in understanding and consciousness of the Real Self, so does\nhis ability to use his Will grow. Will is the attribute of the Real Self.\nIt is well that this great realization of the Real Self brings with it\nLove for all of Life, and Kindness, for, were it not so, the Will that\ncomes to him who grows into a realization of his real being could be used\nto the great hurt of those of the race who had not progressed so far\n(their _relative_ hurt, we mean, for in the end, and at the last, no soul\nis ever really _hurt_). But the dawning power brings with it greater Love\nand Kindness, and the higher the soul mounts the more is it filled with\nthe higher ideals and the more does it throw from it the lower animal\nattributes. It is true that some souls growing into a consciousness of\ntheir real nature, without an understanding of what it all means, may\ncommit the error of using the awakened Will for selfish ends, as may be\nseen in the cases of the Black Magicians spoken of in the occult\nwritings, and also in the cases of well known characters in history and\nin modern life, who manifest an enormous Will which they misuse. All of\nthis class of people of great Will have stumbled or grown blindly into a\nconsciousness (or partial consciousness) of the real nature, but lack the\nrestraining influence of the higher teachings. But such misuse of the\nWill brings pain and unrest to the user, and he is eventually driven into\nthe right road.\n\nWe do not expect our students to grasp fully this idea of the Expansion\nof Self. Even the highest grasp it only partially. But until you get a\nglimmering of the consciousness you will not be able to progress far\non the path of Raja Yoga. You must understand _what you are_, before you\nare able to use the power that lies dormant within you. You must realize\nthat you are the Master, before you can claim the powers of the Master,\nand expect to have your commands obeyed. So bear patiently with us, your\nTeachers, while we set before you the lessons to be learned--the tasks to\nbe performed. The road is long, and is rough in places--the feet may\nbecome tired and bruised, but the reward is great, and there are resting\nplaces along the path. Be not discouraged if your progress seem slow, for\nthe soul must unfold naturally as does the flower, without haste, without\nforce.\n\nAnd be not dismayed nor affrighted if you occasionally catch a glimpse\nof your higher self. As \"M.C.\" says, in her notes on \"Light on the Path\"\n(see \"Advanced Course,\" page 95): \"To have seen thy soul in its bloom, is\nto have obtained a momentary glimpse in thyself of the transfiguration\nwhich shall eventually make thee more than man; to recognize, is to\nachieve the great task of gazing upon the blazing light without dropping\nthe eyes, and not falling back in terror as though before some ghastly\nphantom. This happens to some, and so, when the victory is all but won,\nit is lost.\"\n\nPeace be with thee.\n\n\nMANTRAM (AFFIRMATION) FOR THE THIRD LESSON.\n\nThere is but one ultimate form of Matter; one ultimate form of Energy;\none ultimate form of Mind. Matter proceeds from Energy, and Energy from\nMind, and all are an emanation of the Absolute, threefold in appearance\nbut One in substance. There is but One Life, and that permeates the\nUniverse, manifesting in various forms, but being, at the last, but One.\nMy body is one with Universal Matter; My energy and vital force is one\nwith the Universal Energy; My Mind is one with the Universal Mind; My\nLife is one with the Universal Life. The Absolute has expressed and\nmanifested itself in Spirit, which is the real \"I\" overshadowing and\nembracing all the apparently separate \"I\"s. \"I\" feel my identity with\nSpirit and realize the Oneness of All Reality. I feel my unity with all\nSpirit, and my Union (through Spirit) with the Absolute. I realize that\n\"I\" am an Expression and Manifestation of the Absolute, and that its\nvery essence is within me. I am filled with Divine Love. I am filled with\nDivine Power. I am filled with Divine Wisdom. I am conscious of identity\nin spirit, in substance; and in nature; with the One Reality.\n\n\n\n\nTHE FOURTH LESSON.\n\nMENTAL CONTROL.\n\n\nIn our first three lessons of this series, we have endeavored to bring\ninto realization within your mind (1) the consciousness of the \"I\"; its\nindependence from the body; its immortality; its invincibility and\ninvulnerability; (2) the superiority of the \"I\" over the mind, as well as\nover the body; the fact that the mind is not the \"I,\" but is merely an\ninstrument for the expression of the \"I\"; the fact that the \"I\" is master\nof the mind, as well as of the body; that the \"I\" is behind all thought;\nthat the \"I\" can set aside for consideration the sensations, emotions,\npassions, desires, and the rest of the mental phenomena, and still\nrealize that it, the \"I,\" is apart from these mental manifestations, and\nremains unchanged, real and fully existent; that the \"I\" can set aside\nany and all of its mental tools and instruments, as \"not I\" things, and\nstill consciously realize that after so setting them aside there remains\nsomething--itself--the \"I\" which cannot be set aside or taken from; that\nthe \"I\" is the master of the mind, and not its slave; (3) that the \"I\" is\na much greater thing than the little personal \"I\" we have been\nconsidering it to be; that the \"I\" is a part of that great One Reality\nwhich pervades all the Universe; that it is connected with all other\nforms of life by countless ties, mental and spiritual filaments and\nrelations; that the \"I\" is a Centre of Consciousness in that great One\nReality or Spirit, which is behind and back of all Life and Existence,\nthe Centre of which Reality or Existence, is the Absolute or God; that\nthe sense of Reality that is inherent in the \"I,\" is really the\nreflection of the sense of Reality inherent in the Whole--the Great \"I\"\nof the Universe.\n\nThe underlying principle of these three lessons is the Reality of the\n\"I,\" in itself, over and above all Matter, Force, or Mind--positive to\nall of them, just as they are positive or negative to each other--and\nnegative only to the Centre of the One--the Absolute itself. And this is\nthe position for the Candidate or Initiate to take: \"I am positive to\nMind, Energy, and Matter, and control them all--I am negative only to the\nAbsolute, which is the Centre of Being, of which Being I Am. And, as I\nassert my mastery over Mind, Energy, and Matter, and exercise my Will\nover them, so do I acknowledge my subordination to the Absolute, and\ngladly open my soul to the inflow of the Divine Will, and partake of its\nPower, Strength, and Wisdom.\"\n\nIn the present lesson, and those immediately following it, we shall\nendeavor to assist the Candidate or Initiate in acquiring a mastery of\nthe subordinate manifestations, Matter, Energy, and Mind. In order to\nacquire and assert this mastery, one must acquaint himself with the\nnature of the thing to be controlled.\n\nIn our \"Advanced Course\" we have endeavored to explain to you the nature\nof the Three Great Manifestations, known as _Chitta_, or Mind-Substance;\n_Prana_, or Energy; and _Akasa_, or the Principle of Matter. We also\nexplained to you that the \"I\" of man is superior to these three, being\nwhat is known as _Atman_ or Spirit. Matter, Energy, and Mind, as we have\nexplained, are manifestations of the Absolute, and are relative things.\nThe Yogi philosophy teaches that Matter is the grossest form of\nmanifested substance, being below Energy and Mind, and consequently\nnegative to, and subordinate to both. One stage higher than Matter, is\nEnergy or Force, which is positive to, and has authority over, Matter\n(Matter being a still grosser form of substance), but which is negative\nto and subordinate to Mind, which is a still higher form of substance.\nNext in order comes the highest of the three--Mind--the finest form of\nsubstance, and which dominates both Energy and Matter, being positive to\nboth. Mind, however is negative and subordinate to the \"I,\" which is\nSpirit, and obeys the orders of the latter when firmly and intelligently\ngiven. The \"I\" itself is subordinate only to the Absolute--the Centre of\nBeing--the \"I\" being positive and dominant over the threefold\nmanifestation of Mind, Energy, and Matter.\n\nThe \"I,\" which for the sake of the illustration must be regarded as a\nseparate thing (although it is really only a Centre of Consciousness in\nthe great body of Spirit), finds itself surrounded by the triple-ocean of\nMind, Energy and Matter, which ocean extends into Infinity. The body is\nbut a physical form through which flows an unending stream of matter,\nfor, as you know the particles and atoms of the body are constantly\nchanging; being renewed; replaced; thrown off, and supplanted. One's body\nof a few years ago, or rather the particles composing that body, have\npassed off and now form new combinations in the world of matter. And\none's body of to-day is passing away and being replaced by new particles.\nAnd one's body of next year is now occupying some other portion of space,\nand its particles are now parts of countless other combinations, from\nwhich space and combinations they will later come to combine and form the\nbody of next year. There is nothing permanent about the body--even the\nparticles of the bones are being constantly replaced by others. And\nso it is with the Vital Energy, Force, or Strength of the body (including\nthat of the brain). It is constantly being used up, and expended, a fresh\nsupply taking its place. And even the Mind of the person is changeable,\nand the Mind-substance or _Chitta_, is being used up and replenished, the\nnew supply coming from the great Ocean of Mind, into which the discarded\nportion slips, just as is the case with the matter and energy.\n\nWhile the majority of our students, who are more or less familiar with\nthe current material scientific conceptions, will readily accept the\nabove idea of the ocean of Matter, and Energy, and the fact that there\nis a continual using up and replenishing of one's store of both, they may\nhave more or less trouble in accepting the idea that Mind is a substance\nor principle amenable to the same general laws as are the other two\nmanifestations, or attributes of substance. One is so apt to think of his\nMind as \"himself\"--the \"I.\" Notwithstanding the fact that in our Second\nLesson of this series we showed you that the \"I\" is superior to the\nmental states, and that it can set them aside and regard and consider\nthem as \"not-I\" things, yet the force of the habit of thought is very\nstrong, and it may take some of you considerable time before you \"get\ninto the way\" of realizing that your Mind is \"something that you use,\"\ninstead of being You--yourself. And yet, you must persevere in attaining\nthis realization, for in the degree that you realize your dominance over\nyour mind, so will be your control of it, and its amenability to that\ncontrol. And, as is the degree of that dominance and control, so will\nbe the character, grade and extent of the work that your Mind will do for\nyou. So you see: _Realization brings Control_--_and Control brings\nresults_. This statement lies at the base of the science of _Raja Yoga_.\nAnd many of its first exercises are designed to acquaint the student with\nthat realization, and to develop the realization and control by habit and\npractice.\n\nThe Yogi Philosophy teaches that instead of Mind being the \"I.\" it is\nthe thing through and by means of which the \"I\" _thinks_, at least so\nfar as is concerned the knowledge concerning the phenomenal or outward\nUniverse--that is the Universe of Name and Form. There is a higher\nKnowledge locked up in the innermost part of the \"I,\" that far transcends\nany information that it may receive about or from the outer world, but\nthat is not before us for consideration at this time, and we must concern\nourselves with the \"thinking\" about the world of things.\n\nMind-substance in Sanscrit is called \"_Chitta_,\" and a wave in the\n_Chitta_ (which wave is the combination of Mind and Energy) is called\n\"_Vritta_,\" which is akin to what we call a \"thought.\" In other words it\nis \"mind in action,\" whereas _Chitta_ is \"mind in repose.\" _Vritta_, when\nliterally translated means \"a whirlpool or eddy in the mind,\" which is\nexactly what a thought really is.\n\nBut we must call the attention of the student, at this point, to the fact\nthat the word \"Mind\" is used in two ways by the Yogis and other\noccultists, and the student is directed to form a clear conception of\neach meaning, in order to avoid confusion, and that he may more clearly\nperceive the two aspects of the things which the word is intended to\nexpress. In the first place the word \"Mind\" is used as synonymous\nwith _Chitta_, or Mind-substance, which is the Universal Mind Principle.\nFrom this _Chitta_, Mind-substance, or Mind, all the material of the\nmillions of personal minds is obtained. The second meaning of the word\n\"Mind\" is that which we mean when we speak of the \"mind\" of anyone,\nthereby meaning the mental faculties of that particular person--that\nwhich distinguishes his mental personality from that of another. We have\ntaught you that this \"mind\" in Man, functions on three planes, and have\ncalled the respective manifestations (1) the Instinctive Mind; (2) the\nIntellect; and (3) the Spiritual Mind. (_See \"Fourteen Lessons in Yogi\nPhilosophy,\" etc._) These three mental planes, taken together, make up\nthe \"mind\" of the person, or to be more exact they, clustered around the\n\"I\" form the \"soul\" of the individual. The word \"soul\" is often used as\nsynonymous with \"spirit\" but those who have followed us will distinguish\nthe difference. The \"soul\" is the Ego surrounded by its mental\nprinciples, while the Spirit is the \"soul of the soul\"--the \"I,\" or Real\nSelf.\n\nThe Science of _Raja Yoga_, to which this series of lessons is devoted,\nteaches, as its basic principle, the Control of the Mind. It holds that\nthe first step toward Power consists in obtaining a control of one's\nown mind. It holds that the internal world must be conquered before the\nouter world is attacked. It holds that the \"I\" manifests itself in\nWill, and that that Will may be used to manipulate, guide, govern and\ndirect the mind of its owner, as well as the physical world. It aims to\nclear away all mental rubbish, and encumbrances--to conduct a \"mental\nhouse-cleaning,\" as it were, and to secure a clear, clean, healthy mind.\nThen it proceeds to control that mind intelligently, and with effect,\nsaving all waste-power, and by means of concentration bringing the Mind\nin full harmony with the Will, that it may be brought to a focus and its\npower greatly increased and its efficiency fully secured. Concentration\nand Will-power are the means by which the Yogis obtain such wonderful\nresults, and by which they manage and direct their vigorous, healthy\nminds, and master the material world, acting positively upon Energy and\nMatter. This control extends to all planes of the Mind and the Yogis not\nonly control the Instinctive Mind, holding in subjection its lower\nqualities and making use of its other parts, but they also develop and\nenlarge the field of their Intellect and obtain from it wonderful\nresults. Even the Spiritual Mind is mastered, and aided in its\nunfoldment, and urged to pass down into the field of consciousness some\nof the wonderful secrets to be found within its area. By means of _Raja\nYoga_ many of the secrets of existence and Being--many of the Riddles of\nthe Universe--are answered and solved. And by it the latent powers\ninherent in the constitution of Man are unfolded and brought into action.\nThose highly advanced in the science are believed to have obtained such a\nwonderful degree of power and control over the forces of the universe,\nthat they are as gods compared with the ordinary man.\n\n_Raja Yoga_ teaches that not only may power of this kind be secured, but\nthat a wonderful field of Knowledge is opened out through its practice.\nIt holds that when the concentrated mind is focused upon thing or\nsubject, the true nature and inner meaning, of, and concerning, that\nthing or subject will be brought to view. The concentrated mind passes\nthrough the object or subject just as the X-Ray passes through a block of\nwood, and the thing is seen by the \"I\" as it _is_--in truth--and not as\nit had appeared before, imperfectly and erroneously. Not only may the\noutside world be thus explored, but the mental ray may be turned inward,\nand the secret places of the mind explored. When it is remembered that\nthe bit of mind that each man possesses, is like a drop of the ocean\nwhich contains within its tiny compass all the elements that make up the\nocean, and that to know perfectly the drop is to know perfectly the\nocean, then we begin to see what such a power really means.\n\nMany in the Western world who have attained great results in the\nintellectual and scientific fields of endeavor, have developed these\npowers more or less unconsciously. Many great inventors are practical\nYogis, although they do not realize the source of their power. Anyone who\nis familiar with the personal mental characteristics of Edison, will see\nthat he follows some of the _Raja Yoga_ methods, and that Concentration\nis one of his strongest weapons. And from all reports, Prof. Elmer Gates,\nof Washington, D.C., whose mind has unfolded many wonderful discoveries\nand inventions, is also a practical Yogi although he may repudiate the\nassertion vigorously, and may not have familiarized himself with the\nprinciples of this science, which he has \"dropped into\" unconsciously.\nThose who have reported upon Prof. Gates' methods, say that he fairly\n\"digs out\" the inventions and discoveries from his mind, after going\ninto seclusion and practicing concentration, and what is known as the\nMental Vision.\n\nBut we have given you enough of theory for one lesson, and must begin to\ngive you directions whereby you may aid yourself in developing these\nlatent powers and unfolding these dormant energies. You will notice that\nin this series we first tell you something about the theory, and then\nproceed to give you \"something to do.\" This is the true Yogi method as\nfollowed and practiced by their best teachers. Too much theory is\ntiresome, and sings the mind to sleep, while too much exercise tires one,\nand does not give the inquiring part of his mind the necessary food. To\ncombine both in suitable proportions is the better plan, and one that we\naim to follow.\n\n\nMENTAL DRILL AND EXERCISES.\n\nBefore we can get the mind to do good work for us, we must first \"tame\"\nit, and bring it to obedience to the Will of the \"I.\" The mind, as a\nrule, has been allowed to run wild, and follow its own sweet will and\ndesires, without regard to anything else. Like a spoiled child or badly\ntrained domestic animal, it gets into much trouble, and is of very little\npleasure, comfort or use. The minds of many of us are like menageries\nof wild animals, each pursuing the bent of its own nature, and going its\nown way. We have the whole menagerie within us--the tiger, the ape, the\npeacock, the ass, the goose, the sheep the hyena, and all the rest. And\nwe have been letting these animals rule us. Even our Intellect is\nerratic, unstable, and like the quicksilver to which the ancient\noccultists compared it, shifting and uncertain. If you will look around\nyou you will see that those men and women in the world who have really\naccomplished anything worth while have trained their minds to obedience.\nThey have asserted the Will over their own minds, and learned Mastery and\nPower in that way. The average mind chafes at the restraint of the Will,\nand is like a frisky monkey that will not be \"taught tricks.\" But taught\nit must be, if it wants to do good work. And teach it you must if you\nexpect to get any use from it--if you expect to use it, instead of having\nit use you.\n\nAnd this is the first thing to be learned in _Raja Yoga_--this control of\nthe mind. Those who had hoped for some royal road to mastery, may be\ndisappointed, but there is only one way and that is to master and control\nthe mind by the Will. Otherwise it will run away when you most need it.\nAnd so we shall give you some exercise designed to aid you in this\ndirection.\n\nThe first exercise in _Raja Yoga_ Is what is called _Pratyahara_ or the\nart of making the mind introspective or turned inward upon itself. It is\nthe first step toward mental control. It aims to turn the mind from\ngoing outward, and gradually turning it inward upon itself or inner\nnature. The object is to gain control of it by the Will. The following\nexercises will aid in that direction:\n\n\nEXERCISE I.\n\n(a) Place yourself in a comfortable position, and so far as possible free\nfrom outside disturbing influences. Make no violent effort to control\nthe mind, but rather allow it to run along for a while and exhaust its\nefforts. It will take advantage of the opportunity, and will jump around\nlike an unchained monkey at first, until it gradually slows down and\nlooks to you for orders. It may take some time to tame down at first\ntrial, but each time you try it will come around to you in shorter time.\nThe Yogis spend much time in acquiring this mental peace and calm, and\nconsider themselves well paid for it.\n\n(b) When the mind is well calmed down, and peaceful, fix the thought on\nthe \"I Am,\" as taught in our previous lessons. Picture the \"I\" as an\nentity independent of the body; deathless; invulnerable; immortal; real.\nThen think of it as independent of the body, and able to exist without\nits fleshly covering. Meditate upon this for a time, and then gradually\ndirect the thought to the realization of the \"I\" as independent and\nsuperior to the mind, and controlling same. Go over the general ideas of\nthe first two lessons, and endeavor to calmly reflect upon them and\nto see them in the \"mind's eye.\" You will find that your mind is\ngradually becoming more and more peaceful and calm, and that the\ndistracting thoughts of the outside world are farther and farther removed\nfrom you.\n\n(c) Then let the mind pass on to a calm consideration of the Third\nLesson, in which we have spoken of the Oneness of All, and the\nrelationship of the \"I\" to the One Life; Power; Intelligence; Being. You\nwill find that you are acquiring a mental control and calm heretofore\nunknown to you. The exercises in the first three lessons will have\nprepared you for this.\n\n(d) The following is the most difficult of the variations or degrees of\nthis exercise, but the ability to perform it will come gradually. The\nexercise consists in gradually shutting out all thought or impression\nof the outside world; of the body; and of the thoughts themselves, the\nstudent concentrating and meditating upon the word and idea \"I AM,\" the\nidea being that he shall concentrate upon the idea of mere \"being\" or\n\"existence,\" symbolized by the words \"I Am.\" Not \"I am _this_,\" or \"I am\n_that_,\" or \"I _do_ this,\" or \"I _think_ that,\" but simply: \"I _AM_.\"\nThis exercise will focus the attention at the very centre of Being within\noneself, and will gather in all the mental energies, instead of allowing\nthem to be scattered upon outside things. A feeling of Peace, Strength,\nand Power will result, for the affirmation, and the thought back of it,\nis the most powerful and strongest that one may make, for it is a\nstatement of Actual Being, and a turning of the thought inward to that\ntruth. Let the mind first dwell upon the word \"I,\" identifying it with\nthe Self, and then let it pass on to the word \"AM,\" which signifies\nReality, and Being. Then combine the two with the meanings thereof, and\nthe result a most powerful focusing of thought inward, and most potent\nStatement of Being.\n\nIt is well to accompany the above exercises with a comfortable and easy\nphysical attitude, so as to prevent the distraction of the attention by\nthe body. In order to do this one should assume an easy attitude and then\nrelax every muscle, and take the tension from every nerve, until a\nperfect sense of ease, comfort and relaxation is obtained. You should\npractice this until you have fully acquired it. It will be useful to you\nin many ways, besides rendering Concentration and Meditation easier. It\nwill act as a \"rest cure\" for tired body, nerves, and mind.\n\n\nEXERCISE II.\n\nThe second step in _Raja Yoga_ is what is known as _Dharana_, or\nConcentration. This is a most wonderful idea in the direction of focusing\nthe mental forces, and may be cultivated to an almost incredible degree,\nbut all this requires work, time, and patience. But the student will be\nwell repaid for it. Concentration consists in the mind focusing upon a\ncertain subject, or object, and being held there for a time. This, at\nfirst thought seems very easy, but a little practice will show how\ndifficult it is to firmly fix the attention and hold it there. It will\nhave a tendency to waver, and move to some other object or subject, and\nmuch practice will be needed in order to hold it at the desired point.\nBut practice will accomplish wonders, as one may see by observing people\nwho have acquired this faculty, and who use it in their everyday life.\nBut the following point should be remembered. Many persons have acquired\nthe faculty of concentrating their attention, but have allowed it to\nbecome almost involuntary, and they become a slave to it, forgetting\nthemselves and everything else, and often neglecting necessary affairs.\nThis is the ignorant way of concentrating, and those addicted to it\nbecome slaves to their habits, instead of masters of their minds. They\nbecome day-dreamers, and absent-minded people, instead of Masters. They\nare to be pitied as much as those who cannot concentrate at all. The\nsecret is in a mastery of the mind. The Yogis can concentrate at will,\nand completely bury themselves in the subject before them, and extract\nfrom it every item of interest, and can then pass the mind from the thing\nat will, the same control being used in both cases. They do not allow\nfits of abstraction, or \"absent-mindedness\" to come upon them, nor are\nthey day-dreamers. On the contrary they are very wide awake individuals;\nclose observers; clear thinkers; correct reasoners. They are masters of\ntheir minds, not slaves to their moods. The ignorant concentrator buries\nhimself in the object or subject, and allows it to master and absorb\nhimself, while the trained Yogi thinker asserts the \"I,\" and then directs\nhis mind to concentrate upon the subject or object, keeping it well under\ncontrol and in view all the time. Do you see the difference? Then heed\nthe lesson.\n\nThe following exercises may be found useful in the first steps of\nConcentration:\n\n(a) Concentrate the attention upon some familiar object--a pencil, for\ninstance. Hold the mind there and consider the pencil to the exclusion of\nany other object. Consider its size; color; shape; kind of wood. Consider\nits uses, and purposes; its materials; the process of its manufacture,\netc., etc., etc. In short think as many things about the pencil as\npossible allowing the mind to pursue any associated by-paths, such as a\nconsideration of the graphite of which the \"lead\" is made; the forest\nfrom which came the wood used in making the pencil; the history of\npencils, and other implements used for writing, etc. In short exhaust\nthe subject of \"Pencils.\" In considering a subject under concentration,\nthe following plan of synopsis will be found useful. Think of the thing\nin question from the following view-points:\n\n(1) The thing itself.\n\n(2) The place from whence it came.\n\n(3) Its purpose or use.\n\n(4) Its associations.\n\n(5) Its probable end.\n\nDo not let the apparently trivial nature of the inquiry discourage you,\nfor the simplest form of mental training is useful, and will help to\ndevelop your Will and Concentration. It is akin to the process of\ndeveloping a physical muscle by some simple exercise, and in both cases\none loses sight of the unimportance of the exercise itself, in view of\nthe end to be gained.\n\n(b) Concentrate the attention upon some part of the body--the hand for\ninstance, and fixing your entire attention upon it, shut off or inhibit\nall sensation from the other parts of the body. A little practice will\nenable you to do this. In addition to the mental training, this exercise\nwill stimulate the part of the body concentrated upon, for reasons that\nwill appear in future lessons. Change the parts of the body concentrated\nupon, and thus give the mind a variety of exercises, and the body the\neffect of a general stimulation.\n\n(c) These exercises may be extended indefinitely upon familiar objects\nabout you. Remember always, that the thing in itself is of no importance,\nthe whole idea being to train the mind to obey the Will, so that when you\nreally wish to use the mental forces upon some important object, you may\nfind them well trained and obedient. Do not be tempted to slight this\npart of the work because it is \"dry\" and uninteresting, for it leads up\nto things that are most interesting, and opens a door to a fascinating\nsubject.\n\n(d) Practice focusing the attention upon some abstract subject--that is\nupon some subject of interest that may offer a field for mental\nexploration. Think about the subject in all its phases and branches,\nfollowing up one by-path, and then another, until you feel that you know\nall about the subject that your mind has acquired. You will be surprised\nto find how much more you know about any one thing or subject than you\nhad believed possible. In hidden corners of your mind you will find some\nuseful or interesting information about the thing in question, and when\nyou are through you will feel well posted upon it, and upon the things\nconnected with it. This exercise will not only help, to develop your\nintellectual powers, but will strengthen your memory, and broaden your\nmind, and give you more confidence in yourself. And, in addition, you\nwill have taken a valuable exercise in Concentration or _Dharana_.\n\n\n_The Importance of Concentration._\n\nConcentration is a focusing of the mind. And this focusing of the mind\nrequires a focusing, or bringing to a center, of the Will. The mind is\nconcentrated because the Will is focused upon the object. The mind flows\ninto the mould made by the Will. The above exercises are designed not\nonly to accustom the mind to the obedience and direction of the Will, but\nalso tend to accustom the Will to command. We speak of strengthening the\nWill, when what we really mean is training the mind to obey, and\naccustoming the Will to command. Our Will is strong enough, but we do not\nrealize it. The Will takes root in the very center of our being--in the\n\"I,\" but our imperfectly developed mind does not recognize this tact.\nWe are like young elephants that do not recognize their own strength, but\nallow themselves to be mastered by puny drivers, whom they could brush\naside with a movement. The Will is back of all action--all doing--mental\nand physical.\n\nWe shall have much to say touching the Will, in these lessons and the\nstudent should give the matter his careful attention. Let him look around\nhim, and he will see that the great difference between the men who have\nstepped forward from the ranks, and those who remain huddled up in the\ncrowd, consists in Determination and Will. As Buxton has well said:\n\"The longer I live, the more certain I am that the great difference\nbetween men, the feeble and the powerful; the great and the\ninsignificant; is Energy and Invincible Determination.\" And he might have\nadded that the thing behind that \"energy and invincible determination\"\nwas Will.\n\nThe writers and thinkers of all ages have recognized the wonderful and\ntranscendent importance of the Will. Tennyson sings: \"O living Will thou\nshalt endure when all that seems shall suffer shock.\" Oliver Wendell\nHolmes says: \"The seat of the Will seems to vary with the organ through\nwhich it is manifested; to transport itself to different parts of the\nbrain, as we may wish to recall a picture, a phrase, a melody; to throw\nits force on the muscles or the intellectual processes. Like the\ngeneral-in-chief, its place is everywhere in the field of action. It is\nthe least like an instrument of any of our faculties; the farthest\nremoved from our conceptions of mechanism and matter, as we commonly\ndefine them.\" Holmes was correct in his idea, but faulty in his details.\nThe Will does not change its seat, which is always in the center of the\nEgo, but the Will forces the mind to all parts, and in all directions,\nand it directs the _Prana_ or vital force likewise. The Will is indeed\nthe general-in-chief, but it does not rush to the various points of\naction, but sends its messengers and couriers there to carry out its\norders. Buxton has said: \"The Will will do anything that can be done in\nthis world. And no talents, no circumstances, no opportunities will\nmake a two-legged creature a Man without it.\" Ik Marvel truly says:\n\"Resolve is what makes a man manifest; not puny resolve, not crude\ndeterminations, not errant purpose--but that strong and indefatigable\nWill which treads down difficulties and danger, as a boy treads down the\nheaving frost-lands of winter; which kindles his eye and brain with a\nproud pulse-beat toward the unattainable. Will makes men giants.\"\n\nThe great obstacle to the proper use of the Will, in the case of the\nmajority of people, is the lack of ability to focus the attention. The\nYogis clearly understand this point, and many of the _Raja Yoga_\nexercises which are given to the students by the teachers, are designed\nto overcome this difficulty. Attention is the outward evidence of the\nWill. As a French writer has said: \"The attention is subject to the\nsuperior authority of the Ego. I yield it, or I withhold it, as I please.\nI direct it in turn to several points. I concentrate it upon each point\nas long as my Will can stand the effort.\" Prof. James has said: \"The\nessential achievement of the Will, when it is most voluntary, is to\nattend to a difficult object, and hold it fast before the mind. Effort of\nAttention is the essential phenomenon of the Will.\" And Prof. Halleck\nsays: \"The first step toward the development of Will lies in the exercise\nof Attention. Ideas grow in distinctness and motor-power as we attend to\nthem. If we take two ideas of the same intensity and center the attention\nupon one, we shall notice how much it grows in power.\" Prof. Sully says:\n\"Attention may be roughly defined as the active self-direction of the\nmind to any object which presents itself at the moment.\" The word\n\"Attention\" is derived from two Latin words, _ad tendere_, meaning \"to\nstretch towards,\" and this is just what the Yogis know it to be. By means\nof their psychic or clairvoyant sight, they see the thought of the\nattentive person stretched out toward the object attended to, like a\nsharp wedge, the point of which is focused upon the object under\nconsideration, the entire force of the thought being concentrated at that\npoint. This is true not only when the person is considering an object,\nbut when he is earnestly impressing his ideas upon another, or upon some\ntask to be accomplished. Attention means reaching the mind out to and\nfocusing it upon something.\n\nThe trained Will exhibits itself in a tenacious Attention, and this\nAttention is one of the signs of the trained Will. The student must not\nhastily conclude that this kind of Attention is a common faculty among\nmen. On the contrary it is quite rare, and is seen only among those of\n\"strong\" mentality. Anyone may fasten his Attention upon some passing,\n_pleasing_ thing, but it takes a trained will to fasten it upon some\nunattractive thing, and hold it there. Of course the trained occultist is\nable to throw interest into the most unattractive thing upon which it\nbecomes advisable to focus his Attention, but this, in itself, comes with\nthe trained Will, and is not the possession of the average man. Voluntary\nAttention is rare, and is found only among strong characters. But it may\nbe cultivated and grown, until he who has scarcely a shade of it to-day,\nin time may become a giant. It is all a matter of practice, exercise, and\nWill.\n\nIt is difficult to say too much in favor of the development of the\nfaculty of tenacious Attention. One possessing this developed faculty is\nable to accomplish far more than even a much \"brighter\" man who lacks\nit. And the best way to train the Attention, under the direction of the\nWill, is to practice upon _uninteresting_ objects, and ideas, holding\nthem before the mind until they begin to assume an Interest. This is\ndifficult at first, but the task soon begins to take on a pleasant\naspect, for one finds that his Will-power and Attention are growing, and\nhe feels himself acquiring a Force and Power that were lacking before--he\nrealizes that he is growing Stronger. Charles Dickens said that the\nsecret of his success consisted in his developing a faculty of throwing\nhis entire Attention into whatever he happened to be doing at the moment\nand then being able to turn that same degree of Attention to the next\nthing coming before him for consideration. He was like a man behind a\ngreat searchlight, which was successively turned upon point after point,\nilluminating each in turn. The \"I\" is the man behind the light, and the\nWill is the reflector, the light being the Attention.\n\nThis discussion of Will and Attention may seem somewhat \"dry\" to the\nstudent, but that is all the more reason that he should attend to it. It\nis the secret that lies at the basis of the Science of _Raja Yoga_, and\nthe Yogi Masters have attained a degree of Concentrated Will and\nAttention that would be inconceivable to the average \"man on the street.\"\nBy reason of this, they are able to direct the mind here and there,\noutward or inward, with an enormous force. They are able to focus the\nmind upon a small thing with remarkable intensity, just as the rays of\nthe sun may be focused through a \"sun-glass\" and caused to ignite linen,\nor, on the other hand, they are able to send forth the mind with intense\nenergy, illuminating whatever it rests upon, just as happens in the case\nof the strong electric searchlight, with which many of us are familiar.\nBy all means start in to cultivate the Attention and Will. Practice on\nthe unpleasant tasks--do the things that you have before you, and from\nwhich you have been shrinking because they were unpleasant. Throw\ninterest into them, and the difficulty will vanish, and you will come out\nof it much stronger, and filled with a new sense of Power.\n\n\nMANTRAM (AFFIRMATION).\n\n\"I\" have a Will--it is my inalienable property and right. I determine to\ncultivate and develop it by practice and exercise. My mind is obedient to\nmy Will. I assert my Will over my Mind. I am Master of my mind and body.\nI _assert_ my Mastery. My Will is Dynamic--full of Force and Energy, and\nPower. I feel my strength. I am Strong. I am Forceful. I am Vital. I am\nCenter of Consciousness, Energy, Strength, and Power, and I claim my\nbirthright.\n\n\n\n\nTHE FIFTH LESSON.\n\nTHE CULTIVATION OF ATTENTION.\n\n\nIn our last lesson we called your attention to the fact that the Yogis\ndevote considerable time and practice to the acquirement of\nConcentration. And we also had something to say regarding the relation\nof Attention to the subject of Concentration. In this lesson we shall\nhave more to say on the subject of Attention, for it is one of the\nimportant things relating to the practice of _Raja Yoga_, and the Yogis\ninsist upon their students practicing systematically to develop and\ncultivate the faculty. Attention lies at the base of Will-power, and the\ncultivation of one makes easy the exercise of the other.\n\nTo explain why we lay so much importance to the cultivation of Attention,\nwould necessitate our anticipating future lessons of this series, which\nwe do not deem advisable at this time. And so we must ask our students to\ntake our word for it, that all that we have to say regarding the\nimportance of the cultivation of Attention, is occasioned by the relation\nof that subject to the use of the mind in certain directions as will\nappear fully later on.\n\nIn order to let you know that we are not advancing some peculiar theory\nof the Yogis, which may not be in harmony with modern Western Science, we\ngive you in this article a number of quotations, from Western writers and\nthinkers, touching upon this important faculty of the mind, so that you\nmay see that the West and East agree upon this main point, however\ndifferent may be their explanations of the fact, or their use of the\npower gained by the cultivation of Attention.\n\nAs we said in our last lesson, the word Attention is derived from two\nLatin words \"_ad tendere_,\" meaning \"to stretch toward,\" which is really\nwhat Attention is. The \"I\" wills that the mind be focused on some\nparticular object or thing, and the mind obeys and \"stretches toward\"\nthat object or thing, focusing its entire energy upon it, observing every\ndetail, dissecting, analyzing, consciously and sub-consciously, drawing\nto itself every possible bit of information regarding it, both from\nwithin and from without. We cannot lay too much stress upon the\nacquirement of this great faculty, or rather, the development of it, for\nit is necessary for the intelligent study of _Raja Yoga_.\n\nIn order to bring out the importance of the subject, suppose we start in\nby actually giving our Attention to the subject of Attention, and see how\nmuch more there is in it than we had thought. We shall be well repaid for\nthe amount of time and trouble expended upon it.\n\nAttention has been defined as a focusing of consciousness, or, if one\nprefers the form of expression, as \"detention in consciousness.\" In the\nfirst case, we may liken it to the action of the sun-glass through which\nthe sun's rays are concentrated upon an object, the result being that the\nheat is gathered together at a small given point, the intensity of the\nsame being raised many degrees until the heat is sufficient to burn a\npiece of wood, or evaporate water. If the rays were not focused, the same\nrays and heat would have been scattered over a large surface, and the\neffect and power lessened. And so it is with the mind. If it is allowed\nto scatter itself over the entire field of a subject, it will exert but\nlittle power and the results will be weak. But if it is passed through\nthe sun-glass of attention, and focused first over one part, and then\nover another, and so on, the matter may be mastered in detail, and a\nresult accomplished that will seem little less than marvelous to those\nwho do not know the secret.\n\n_Thompson_ has said: \"The experiences most permanently impressed upon\nconsciousness, are those upon which the greatest amount of attention has\nbeen fixed.\"\n\nAnother writer upon the subject has said that \"Attention is so\nessentially necessary to understanding, that without some degree of it\nthe ideas and perceptions that pass through the mind seem to leave no\ntrace behind them.\"\n\n_Hamilton_ has said: \"An act of attention, that is, an act of\nconcentration, seems thus necessary to every exertion of consciousness,\nas a certain contraction of the pupil is requisite to every exertion of\nvision. Attention then is to consciousness what the contraction of the\npupil is to sight, or, to the eye of the mind what the microscope or\ntelescope is to the bodily eye. It constitutes the better half of all\nintellectual power.\"\n\nAnd _Brodie_ adds, quite forcibly: \"It is Attention much more than any\ndifference in the abstract power of reasoning, which constitutes the vast\ndifference which exists between minds of different individuals.\"\n\n_Butler_ gives us this important testimony: \"The most important\nintellectual habit I know of is the habit of attending exclusively to the\nmatter in hand. It is commonly said that genius cannot be infused by\neducation, yet this power of concentrated attention, which belongs as a\npart of his gift to every great discoverer, is unquestionably capable of\nalmost indefinite augmentation by resolute practice.\"\n\nAnd, concluding this review of opinions, and endorsements of that which\nthe Yogis have so much to say, and to which they attach so much\nimportance, let us listen to the words of _Beattie_, who says: \"The\nforce wherewith anything strikes the mind, is generally in proportion to\nthe degree of attention bestowed upon it. Moreover, the great art of\nmemory is attention, and inattentive people always have bad memories.\"\n\nThere are two general kinds of Attention. The first is the Attention\ndirected within the mind upon mental objects and concepts. The other is\nthe Attention directed outward upon objects external to ourselves. The\nsame general rules and laws apply to both equally.\n\nLikewise there may be drawn another distinction and division of attention\ninto two classes, _viz._, Attenion attracted by some impression coming\ninto consciousness without any conscious effort of the Will--this is\ncalled Involuntary Attention, for the Attention and Interest is caught by\nthe attractiveness or novelty of the object. Attention directed to some\nobject by an effort of the Will, is called Voluntary Attention.\nInvoluntary Attention is quite common, and requires no special training.\nIn fact, the lower animals, and young children seem to have a greater\nshare of it than do adult men. A great percentage of men and women never\nget beyond this stage to any marked degree. On the other hand, Voluntary\nAttention requires effort, will, and determination--a certain mental\ntraining, that is beyond the majority of people, for they will not \"take\nthe trouble\" to direct their attention in this way. Voluntary Attention\nis the mark of the student and other thoughtful men. They focus their\nminds on objects that do not yield immediate interest or pleasure, in\norder that they may learn and accomplish. The careless person will not\nthus fasten his Attention, at least not more than a moment or so, for his\nInvoluntary Attention is soon attracted by some passing object of no\nmatter how trifling a nature, and the Voluntary Attention disappears and\nis forgotten. Voluntary Attention is developed by practice and\nperseverance, and is well worth the trouble, for nothing in the mental\nworld is accomplished without its use.\n\nThe Attention does not readily fasten itself to uninteresting objects,\nand, unless interest can be created it requires a considerable degree of\nVoluntary Attention in order that the mind may be fastened upon such an\nobject. And, more than this, even if the ordinary attention is attracted\nit will soon waver, unless there is some interesting change in the aspect\nof the object, that will give the attention a fresh hold of interest, or\nunless some new quality, characteristic or property manifests itself in\nthe object. This fact occurs because the mind mechanism has not been\ntrained to bear prolonged Voluntary Attention, and, in fact, the physical\nbrain is not accustomed to the task, although it may be so trained by\npatient practice.\n\nIt has been noticed by investigators that the Attention may be rested and\nfreshened, either by withdrawing the Voluntary Attention from the object,\nand allowing the Attention to manifest along Involuntary lines toward\npassing objects, etc.; or, on the other hand, by directing the Voluntary\nAttention into a new field of observation--toward some new object.\nSometimes one plan will seem to give the best results, and again the\nother will seem preferable.\n\nWe have called your attention to the fact that Interest develops\nAttention, and holds it fixed, while an uninteresting object or subject\nrequires a much greater effort and application. This fact is apparent to\nanyone. A common illustration may be found in the matter of reading a\nbook. Nearly everyone will give his undivided attention to some bright,\nthrilling story, while but few are able to use sufficient Voluntary\nAttention to master the pages of some scientific work. But, right here,\nwe wish to call your attention to the other side of the case, which is\nanother example of the fact that Truth is composed of paradoxes.\n\nJust as Interest develops Attention, so it is a truth that Attention\ndevelops Interest. If one will take the trouble to give a little\nVoluntary Attention to an object, he will soon find that a little\nperseverance will bring to light points of Interest in the object. Things\nbefore unseen and unsuspected, are quickly brought to light. And many new\nphases, and aspects of the subject or object are seen, each one of which,\nin turn, becomes an object of Interest. This is a fact not so generally\nknown, and one that it will be well for you to remember, and to use in\npractice. _Look_ for the interesting features of an uninteresting thing,\nand they will appear to your view, and before long the uninteresting\nobject will have changed into a thing having many-sided interests.\n\nVoluntary Attention is one of the signs of a developed Will. That is, of\na mind that has been well trained by the Will, for the Will is always\nstrong, and it is the mind that has to be trained, not the Will. And on\nthe other hand, one of the best ways to train the mind by the Will, is by\npractice in Voluntary Attention. So you see how the rule works both ways.\nSome Western psychologists have even advanced theories that the Voluntary\nAttention is the _only_ power of the Will, and that that power is\nsufficient, for if the Attention be firmly fixed, and held upon an object\nthe mind will \"do the rest.\" We do not agree with this school of\nphilosophers, but merely mention the fact as an illustration of the\nimportance attributed by psychologists to this matter of Voluntary\nAttention.\n\nA man of a strongly developed Attention often accomplishes far more than\nsome much brighter man who lacks it. Voluntary Attention and Application\nis a very good substitute for Genius, and often accomplishes far more in\nthe long run.\n\nVoluntary Attention is the fixing of the mind earnestly and intently upon\nsome particular object, at the same time shutting out from consciousness\nother objects pressing for entrance. _Hamilton_ has defined it as\n\"consciousness voluntarily applied under its law of limitations to some\ndeterminate object.\" The same writer goes on to state that \"the greater\nthe number of objects to which our consciousness is simultaneously\nextended, the smaller is the intensity with which it is able to consider\neach, and consequently the less vivid and distinct will be the\ninformation it contains of the several objects. When our interest in any\nparticular object is excited, and when we wish to obtain all the\nknowledge concerning it in our power, it behooves us to limit our\nconsideration to that object to the exclusion of others.\"\n\nThe human mind has the power of attending to only one object at a time,\nalthough it is able to pass from one object to another with a marvelous\ndegree of speed, so rapidly, in fact, that some have held that it could\ngrasp several things at once. But the best authorities, Eastern and\nWestern, hold to the \"single idea\" theory as being correct. On this point\nwe may quote a few authorities.\n\n_Jouffroy_ says that \"It is established by experience that we cannot give\nour attention to two different objects at the same time.\" And _Holland_\nstates that \"Two thoughts, however closely related to one another,\ncannot be presumed to exist at the same time.\" And _Lewes_ has told us\nthat \"The nature of our organism prevents our having more than one aspect\nof an object at each instant presented to consciousness.\" _Whateley_\nsays: \"The best philosophers are agreed that the mind cannot actually\nattend to more than one thing at a time, but, when it appears to be doing\nso it is really shifting with prodigious rapidity backward and forward\nfrom one to the other.\"\n\nBy giving a concentrated Voluntary Attention to an object, we not only\nare able to see and think about it with the greatest possible degree of\nclearness, but the mind has a tendency, under such circumstances, to\nbring into the field of consciousness all the different ideas associated\nin our memory with that object or subject, and to build around the object\nor subject a mass of associated facts and information. And at the same\ntime the Attention given the subject makes more vivid and clear all that\nwe learn about the thing at the time, and, in fact, all that we may\nafterwards learn about it. It seems to cut a channel, through which\nknowledge flows.\n\nAttention magnifies and increases the powers of perception, and greatly\naids the exercise of the perceptive faculties. By \"paying attention\" to\nsomething seen or heard, one is enabled to observe the details of the\nthing seen or heard, and where the inattentive mind acquires say three\nimpressions the attentive mind absorbs three times three, or perhaps\nthree times \"three times three,\" or twenty-seven. And, as we have just\nsaid, Attention brings into play the powers of association, and gives us\nthe \"loose end\" of an almost infinite chain of associated facts, stored\naway in our memory, forming new combinations of facts which we had never\ngrouped together before, and bring out into the field of consciousness\nall the many scraps of information regarding the thing to which we are\ngiving attention. The proof of this is within the experience of everyone.\nWhere is the one who does not remember sitting down to some writing,\npainting, reading, etc., with interest and attention, and finding, much\nto his surprise, what a flow of facts regarding the matter in hand was\npassing through his mind. Attention seems to focus all the knowledge of a\nthing that you possess, and by bringing it to a point enables you to\ncombine, associate, classify, etc., and thus create new knowledge.\n_Gibbon_ tells us that after he gave a brief glance and consideration to\na new subject, he suspended further work upon it, and allowed his mind\n(under concentrated attention) to bring forth all his associated\nknowledge regarding the subject, after which he renewed the task with\nincreased power and efficiency.\n\nThe more one's attention is fixed upon a subject under consideration, the\ndeeper is the impression which the subject leaves upon the mind. And the\neasier will it be for him to afterwards pursue the same train of thought\nand work.\n\nAttention is a prerequisite of good memory, and in fact there can be no\nmemory at all unless some degree of attention is given. The degree of\nmemory depends upon the degree of attention and interest. And when it is\nconsidered that the work of today is made efficient by the memory of\nthings learned yesterday, the day before yesterday, and so on, it is seen\nthat the degree of attention given today regulates the quality of the\nwork of tomorrow.\n\nSome authorities have described Genius as the result of great powers of\nattention, or, at least, that the two seem to run together. Some writer\nhas said that \"possibly the best definition of genius is the power of\nconcentrating upon some one given subject until its possibilities are\nexhausted and absorbed.\" _Simpson_ has said that \"The power and habit of\nthinking closely and continuously upon the subject at hand, to the\nexclusion, for the time, of all other subjects, is one of the principal,\nif, indeed, not the principal, means of success.\" _Sir Isaac Newton_ has\ntold us his plan of absorbing information and knowledge. He has stated\nthat he would keep the subject under consideration before him\ncontinually, and then would wait till the first dawning of perception\ngradually brightened into a clear light, little by little. A mental\nsunrise, in fact.\n\nThat sage observer, _Dr. Abercrombie_, has written that he considered\nthat he knew of no more important rule for rising to eminence in any\nprofession or occupation than the Ability to do one thing at a time,\navoiding all distracting and diverting objects or subjects, and keeping\nthe leading matter continually before the mind. And others have added\nthat such a course will enable one to observe relations between the\nsubject and other things that will not be apparent to the careless\nobserver or student.\n\nThe degree of Attention cultivated by a man is the degree of his capacity\nfor intellectual work. As we have said, the \"great\" men of all walks of\nlife have developed this faculty to a wonderful degree, and many of them\nseem to get results \"intuitively,\" whereas, in truth, they obtain them by\nreason of their concentrated power of Attention, which enables them to\nsee right into the center of a subject or proposition--and all around it,\nback and front, and all sides, in a space of time incredible to the man\nwho has not cultivated this mighty power. Men who have devoted much\nattention to some special line of work or research, are able to act\nalmost as if they possessed \"second sight,\" providing the subject is\nwithin their favorite field of endeavor. Attention quickens every one of\nthe faculties--the reasoning faculties--the senses--the deriding\nqualities--the analytical faculties, and so on, each being given a \"fine\nedge\" by their use under a concentrated Attention.\n\nAnd, on the other hand, there is no surer indication of a weak mind than\nthe deficiency in Attention. This weakness may arise from illness or\nphysical weakness reacting upon the brain, in which case the trouble is\nbut temporary. Or it may arise from a lack of mental development.\nImbeciles and idiots have little or no Attention. The great French\npsychologist, _Luys_, speaking of this fact, says \"Imbeciles and idiots\nsee badly, hear badly, feel badly, and their sensorium is, in\nconsequence, in a similar condition of sensitive poverty. Its\nimpressionability for the things of the external world is at a minimum,\nits sensibility weak, and consequently, it is difficult to provoke the\nphysiological condition necessary for the absorption of the external\nimpression.\"\n\nIn old age the Attention is the first faculty to show signs of decay.\nSome authorities have held that the Memory was the first faculty to be\naffected by the approach of old age, but this is incorrect, for it is a\nmatter of common experience that the aged manifest a wonderfully clear\nmemory of events occurring in the far past. The reason that their memory\nof recent events is so poor is because their failing powers of Attention\nhas prevented them from receiving strong, clear mental impressions, and\nas is the impression so is the memory. Their early impressions having\nbeen clear and strong, are easily recalled, while their later ones,\nbeing weak, are recalled with difficulty. If the Memory were at fault, it\nwould be difficult for them to recall any impression, recent or far\ndistant in time.\n\nBut we must stop quoting examples and authorities, and urging upon you\nthe importance of the faculty of Attention. If you do not now realize it,\nit is because you have not given the subject the Attention that you\nshould have exercised, and further repetition would not remedy matters.\n\nAdmitting the importance of Attention, from the psychological point\nof view, not to speak of the occult side of the subject, is it not a\nmatter of importance for you to start in to cultivate that faculty? We\nthink so. And the only way to cultivate any mental or physical part or\nfaculty is to Exercise it. Exercise \"uses up\" a muscle, or mental\nfaculty, but the organism makes haste to rush to the scene additional\nmaterial--cell-stuff, nerve force, etc., to repair the waste, and it\nalways sends a little more than is needed. And this \"little more,\"\ncontinually accruing and increasing, is what increases the muscles and\nbrain centers. And improved and strengthened brain centers give the mind\nbetter instruments with which to work.\n\nOne of the first things to do in the cultivation of Attention is to learn\nto think of, and do, one thing at a time. Acquiring the \"knack\" or habit\nof attending closely to the things before us, and then passing on to the\nnext and treating it in the same way, is most conducive to success, and\nits practice is the best exercise for the cultivation of the faculty of\nAttention. And on the contrary, there is nothing more harmful from the\npoint of view of successful performance--and nothing that will do more to\ndestroy the power of giving Attention--than the habit of trying to do one\nthing while thinking of another. The thinking part of the mind, and the\nacting part should work together, not in opposition.\n\n_Dr. Beattie_, speaking of this subject, tells us \"It is a matter of no\nsmall importance that we acquire the habit of doing only one thing at a\ntime; by which I mean that while attending to any one object, our\nthoughts ought not to wander to another.\" And _Granville_ adds, \"A\nfrequent cause of failure in the faculty of Attention is striving to\nthink of more than one thing at a time.\" And _Kay_ quotes, approvingly, a\nwriter who says: \"She did things easily, because she attended to them in\nthe doing. When she made bread, she thought of the bread, and not of the\nfashion of her next dress, or of her partner at the last dance.\" _Lord\nChesterfield said,_ \"There is time enough for everything in the course of\nthe day, if you do but one thing at a time; but there is not time enough\nin the year if you try to do two things at a time.\"\n\nTo attain the best results one should practice concentrating upon the\ntask before him, shutting out, so far as possible, every other idea or\nthought. One should even forget self--personality--in such cases, as\nthere is nothing more destructive of good thinking than to allow morbid\nself-consciousness to intrude. One does best when he \"forgets himself\" in\nhis work, and sinks his personality in the creative work. The \"earnest\"\nman or woman is the one who sinks personality in the desired result, or\nperformance of the task undertaken. The actor, or preacher, or orator,\nor writer, must lose sight of himself to get the best results. Keep the\nAttention fixed on the thing before you, and let the self take care of\nitself.\n\nIn connection with the above, we may relate an anecdote of _Whateley_\nthat may be interesting in connection with the consideration of this\nsubject of \"losing one's self\" in the task. He was asked for a recipe for\n\"bashfulness,\" and replied that the person was bashful simply because he\nwas thinking of himself and the impression he was making. His recipe was\nthat the young man should think of others--of the pleasure he could give\nthem--and in that way he would forget all about himself. The prescription\nis said to have effected the cure. The same authority has written, \"Let\nboth the extemporary speaker, and the reader of his own compositions,\nstudy to avoid as far as possible all thoughts of self, earnestly fixing\nthe mind on the matter of what is delivered; and they will feel less\nthat embarrassment which arises from the thought of what opinion the\nhearers will form of them.\"\n\nThe same writer, _Whateley_, seems to have made quite a study of\nAttention and has given us some interesting information on its details.\nThe following may be read with interest, and if properly understood may\nbe employed to advantage. He says, \"It is a fact, and a very curious one.\nthat many people find that they can best attend to any serious matter\nwhen they are occupied with something else which requires a little, and\nbut a little, attention, such as working with the needle, cutting open\npaper leaves, or, for want of some such employment, fiddling anyhow with\nthe fingers.\" He does not give the reason for this, and at first sight\nit might seem like a contradiction of the \"one thing at a time\" idea. But\na closer examination will show us that the minor work (the cutting\nleaves, etc.) is in the nature of an involuntary or automatic movement,\ninasmuch as it requires little or no voluntary attention, and seems to\n\"do itself.\" It does not take off the Attention from the main subject,\nbut perhaps acts to catch the \"waste Attention\" that often tries to\ndivide the Attention from some voluntary act to another. The habit mind\nmay be doing one thing, while the Attention is fixed on another. For\ninstance, one may be writing with his attention firmly fixed upon the\nthought he wishes to express, while at the time his hand is doing the\nwriting, apparently with no attention being given it. But, let a boy, or\nperson unaccustomed to writing, try to express his thoughts in this way,\nand you will find that he is hampered in the flow of his thoughts by the\nfact that he has to give much attention to the mechanical act of writing.\nIn the same way, the beginner on the typewriter finds it difficult to\ncompose to the machine, while the experienced typist finds the mechanical\nmovements no hindrance whatever to the flow of thought and focusing of\nAttention; in fact, many find that they can compose much better while\nusing the typewriter than they can by dictating to a stenographer. We\nthink you will see the principle.\n\nAnd now for a little Mental Drill in Attention, that you may be started\non the road to cultivate this important faculty.\n\n\nMENTAL DRILL IN ATTENTION.\n\n_Exercise I._ Begin by taking some familiar object and placing it before\nyou, try to get as many impressions regarding it as is possible for you.\nStudy its shape, its color, its size, and the thousand and one little\npeculiarities about it that present themselves to your attention. In\ndoing this, reduce the thing to its simplest parts--analyze it as far as\nis possible--dissect it, mentally, and study its parts in detail. The\nmore simple and small the part to be considered, the more clearly will\nthe impression be received, and the more vividly will it be recalled.\nReduce the thing to the smallest possible proportions, and then examine\neach portion, and mastering that, then pass on to the next part, and so\non, until you have covered the entire field. Then, when you have\nexhausted the object, take a pencil and paper and put down as nearly as\npossible all the things or details of the object examined. When you have\ndone this, compare the written description with the object itself, and\nsee how many things you have failed to note.\n\nThe next day take up the same object, and after re-examining it, write\ndown the details and you will find that you will have stored away a\ngreater number of impressions regarding it, and, moreover, you will have\ndiscovered many new details during your second examination. This exercise\nstrengthens the memory as well as the Attention, for the two are closely\nconnected, the memory depending largely upon the clearness and strength\nof the impressions received, while the impressions depend upon the amount\nof attention given to the thing observed. Do not tire yourself with this\nexercise, for a tired Attention is a poor Attention. Better try it by\ndegrees, increasing the task a little each time you try it. Make a game\nof it if you like, and you will find it quite interesting to notice the\nsteady but gradual improvement.\n\nIt will be interesting to practice this in connection with some friend,\nvarying the exercise by both examining the object, and writing down their\nimpressions, separately, and then comparing results. This adds interest\nto the task, and you will be surprised to see how rapidly both of you\nincrease in your powers of observation, which powers, of course, result\nfrom Attention.\n\n_Exercise II._ This exercise is but a variation of the first one. It\nconsists in entering a room, and taking a hasty glance around, and then\nwalking out, and afterward writing down the number of things that you\nhave observed, with a description of each. You will be surprised to\nobserve how many things you have missed at first sight, and how you will\nimprove in observation by a little practice. This exercise, also, may be\nimproved by the assistance of a friend, as related in our last exercise.\nIt is astonishing how many details one may observe and remember, after a\nlittle practice. It is related of Houdin, the French conjurer, that he\nimproved and developed his faculty of Attention and Memory by playing\nthis game with a young relative. They would pass by a shop window,\ntaking a hasty, attentive glance at its contents. Then they would go\naround the corner and compare notes. At first they could remember only a\nfew prominent articles--that is, their Attention could grasp only a few.\nBut as they developed by practice, they found that they could observe and\nremember a vast number of things and objects in the window. And, at last,\nit is related that Houdin could pass rapidly before any large shop\nwindow, bestowing upon it but one hasty glance, and then tell the names\nof, and closely describe, nearly every object in plain sight in the\nwindow. The feat was accomplished by the fact that the cultivated\nAttention enabled Houdin to fasten upon his mind a vivid mental image of\nthe window and its contents, and then he was able to describe the\narticles one by one from the picture in his mind.\n\nHoudin taught his son to develop Attention by a simple exercise which may\nbe interesting and of value to you. He would lay down a domino before the\nboy--a five-four, for example. He would require the boy to tell him the\ncombined number at once, without allowing him to stop to count the spots,\none by one. \"Nine\" the boy would answer after a moment's hesitation.\nThen another domino, a three-four, would be added. \"That makes sixteen,\"\ncried the boy. Two dominoes at a time was the second day's task. The\nnext day, three was the standard. The next day, four, and so on, until\nthe boy was able to handle twelve dominoes--that is to say, give\ninstantaneously the total number of spots on twelve dominoes, after a\nsingle glance. This was Attention, in earnest, and shows what practice\nwill do to develop a faculty. The result was shown by the wonderful\npowers of observation, memory and attention, together with instantaneous\nmental action, that the boy developed. Not only was he able to add\ndominoes instantaneously, but he had powers of observation, etc., that\nseemed little short of miraculous. And yet it is related that he had poor\nattention, and deficient memory to begin with.\n\nIf this seems incredible, let us remember how old whist players note and\nremember every card in the pack, and can tell whether they have been\nplayed or not, and all the circumstances attending upon them. The same is\ntrue of chess players, who observe every move and can relate the whole\ngame in detail long after it has been played. And remember, also, how\none woman may pass another woman on the street, and without seeming to\ngive her more than a careless glance, may be able to relate in detail\nevery feature of the other woman's apparel, including its color, texture,\nstyle of fashioning, probable price of the material, etc., etc. And a\nmere man would have noticed scarcely anything about it--because he would\nnot have given it any attention. But how soon would that man learn to\nequal his sister in attention and observation of women's wearing apparel,\nif his business success depended upon it, or if his speculative instinct\nwas called into play by a wager with some friend as to who could remember\nthe most about a woman's clothing, seen in a passing glance? You see it\nis all a matter of Interest and Attention.\n\nBut we forget that the Attention may be developed and cultivated, and we\ncomplain that we \"cannot remember things,\" or that we do not seem to be\nable to \"take notice.\" A little practice will do wonders in this\ndirection.\n\nNow, while the above exercises will develop your memory and powers of\nobservation, still that is not the main reason that we have given them to\nyou. We have an ulterior object, that will appear in time. We aim to\ndevelop your Will-power, and we know that Attention stands at the gate of\nWill-power. In order to be able to use your Will, you must be able to\nfocus the Attention forcibly and distinctly. And these childish exercises\nwill help you to develop the mental muscles of the Attention. If you\ncould but realize the childish games the young Yogi students are required\nto play, in order to develop the mental faculties, you would change your\nminds about the Yogi Adepts whom you have been thinking about as mere\ndreamers, far removed from the practical. These men, and their students,\nare intensely practical. They have gained the mastery of the Mind, and\nits faculties, and are able to use them as sharp edged tools, while the\nuntrained man finds that he has but a dull, unsharpened blade that will\ndo nothing but hack and hew roughly, instead of being able to produce the\nfinished product.\n\nThe Yogi believes in giving the \"I\" good tools with which to work, and he\nspends much time in tempering and sharpening these tools. Oh, no, the\nYogi are not idle dreamers. Their grasp of \"practical things\" would\nsurprise many a practical, matter-of-fact Western business man, if he\ncould but observe it.\n\nAnd so, we ask you to practice \"observing things.\" The two exercises we\nhave given are but indications of the general line. We could give you\nthousands, but you can prepare them yourselves as well as could we.\nThe little Hindu boy is taught Attention by being asked to note and\nremember the number, color, character and other details of a number of\ncolored stones, jewelry, etc., shown for an instant in an open palm,\nthe hand being closed the moment after. He is taught to note and\ndescribe passing travelers, and their equipages--houses he sees on his\njourneys--and thousands of other everyday objects. The results are almost\nmarvelous. In this way he is prepared as a _chela_ or student, and he\nbrings to his _guru_ or teacher a brain well developed--a mind thoroughly\ntrained to obey the Will of the \"I\"--and with faculties quickened to\nperceive instantly that which others would fail to see in a fortnight. It\nis true that he does not turn these faculties to \"business\" or other\nso-called \"practical\" pursuits, but prefers to devote them to abstract\nstudies and pursuits outside of that which the Western man considers to\nbe the end and aim of life. But remember that the two civilizations are\nquite different--following different ideals--having different economic\nconditions--living in different worlds, as it were. But that is all a\nmatter of taste and ideals--the faculty for the \"practical life\" of the\nWest is possessed by the _chela_, if he saw fit to use it. But all Hindu\nyouths are not _chelas_, remember--nor are all Western youths \"captains\nof industry,\" or Edisons.\n\n\nMANTRAM (AFFIRMATION).\n\nI am using my Attention to develop my mental faculties, so as to give the\n\"I\" a perfect instrument with which to work. The mind is _My_ instrument\nand I am bringing it to a state of capacity for perfect work.\n\n\nMANTRAM (OR AFFIRMATION).\n\nThere is but One Life--One Life Underlying. This Life is manifesting\nthrough ME, and through every other shape, form, and thing. I am resting\non the bosom of the Great Ocean of Life, and it is supporting me, and\nwill carry me safely, though the waves rise and fall--though the storms\nrage and the tempests roar. I am safe on the Ocean of Life, and rejoice\nas I feel the sway of its motion. Nothing can harm me--though changes may\ncome and go, I am Safe. I am One with the All Life, and its Power,\nKnowledge, and Peace are behind, underneath, and within Me. O! One Life!\nexpress Thyself through me--carry me now on the crest of the wave, now\ndeep down in the trough of the ocean--supported always by Thee--all is\ngood to me, as I feel Thy life moving in and through me. I am Alive,\nthrough thy life, and I open myself to thy full manifestation and inflow.\n\n\n\n\nTHE SIXTH LESSON.\n\nCULTIVATION OF PERCEPTION.\n\n\nMan gains his knowledge of the outside world through his senses. And,\nconsequently, many of us are in the habit of thinking of these senses as\nif _they_ did the sensing, instead of being merely carriers of the\nvibrations coming from the outside world, which are then presented to the\nMind for examination. We shall speak of this at greater length a little\nlater on in this lesson. Just now we wish to impress upon you the fact\nthat it is the Mind that perceives, not the senses. And, consequently, a\ndevelopment of Perception is really a development of the Mind.\n\nThe Yogis put their students through a very arduous course of practice\nand exercises designed to develop their powers of perception. To many\nthis would appear to be merely a development of the Senses, which might\nappear odd in view of the fact that the Yogis are constantly preaching\nthe folly of being governed and ruled by the senses. But there is nothing\nparadoxical about all this, for the Yogis, while preaching the folly of\nsense life, and manifesting the teaching in their lives, nevertheless\nbelieve in any and all exercises calculated to \"sharpen\" the Mind, and\ndevelop it to a keen state and condition.\n\nThey see a great difference between having a sharpened perception, on the\none hand, and being a slave to the senses on the other. For instance,\nwhat would be thought of a man who objected to acquiring a keen eyesight,\nfor fear it would lead him away from higher things, by reason of his\nbecoming attached to the beautiful things he might see. To realize the\nfolly of this idea, one may look at its logical conclusion, which would\nbe that one would then be much better off if all their senses were\ndestroyed. The absurdity, not to say wickedness, of such an idea will be\napparent to everyone, after a minute's consideration.\n\nThe secret of the Yogi theory and teachings regarding the development of\nthe Mental powers, lies in the word \"_Mastery_.\" The Yoga student\naccomplishes and attains this mastery in two ways. The first way is by\nsubordinating all the feelings, sense-impressions, etc., to the Mastery\nof the \"I,\" or Will, the Mastery being obtained in this way by the\nassertion of the dominancy of the \"I\" over the faculties and emotions,\netc. The second step, or way, lies in the Yogi, once having asserted the\nmastery, beginning to develop and perfect the Mental instrument, so as to\nget better work and returns from it. In this way he increases his kingdom\nand is Master over a much larger territory.\n\nIn order for one to gain knowledge, it is necessary to use to the best\nadvantage the mental instruments and tools that he finds at his disposal.\nAnd again, one must develop and improve such tools--put a keen edge upon\nthem, etc. Not only does one gain a great benefit from a development of\nthe faculties of perception, but he also acquires an additional benefit\nfrom the training of the whole mind arising from the mental discipline\nand training resulting from the former exercises, etc. In our previous\nlessons we have pointed out some of the means by which these faculties\nmight be greatly improved, and their efficiency increased. In this lesson\nwe shall point out certain directions in which the Perceptive faculties\nmay be trained. We trust that the simplicity of the idea may not cause\nany of our students to lose interest in the work. If they only knew just\nwhat such development would lead to they would gladly follow our\nsuggestions in the matter. Every one of the ideas and exercises given by\nus are intended to lead up to the strengthening of the Mind, and the\nattainment of powers and the unfoldment of faculties. There is no royal\nroad to Raja Yoga, but the student will be well repaid for the work of\nclimbing the hill of Attainment.\n\nIn view of the above, let us examine the question of The Senses. Through\nthe doors of the senses Man receives all his information regarding the\noutside world. If he keeps these doors but half open, or crowded up with\nobstacles and rubbish, he may expect to receive but few messages from\noutside. But if he keeps his doorways clear, and clean, he will obtain\nthe best that is passing his way.\n\nIf one were born without sense-organs--no matter how good a Mind he might\nhave--he would be compelled to live his life in a dreamy plant-life stage\nof existence, with little or no consciousness. The Mind would be like a\nseed in the earth, that for some reason was prevented from growing.\n\nOne may object that the highest ideas do not come to us through the\nsenses, but the reply is that the things obtained through the senses are\nthe \"raw material\" upon which the mind works, and fashions the beautiful\nthings that it is able to produce in its highest stages. Just as is the\nbody dependent for growth upon the nourishment taken into it, so is the\nmind dependent for growth upon the impressions received from the\nUniverse--and these impressions come largely through the senses. It may\nbe objected to that we know many things that we have not received through\nour senses. But, does the objector include the impressions that came\nthrough his senses in some previous existence, and which have been\nimpressed upon his instinctive mind, or soul-memory? It is true that\nthere are higher senses than those usually recognized, but Nature insists\nupon one learning the lessons of the lower grades before attempting those\nof the higher.\n\nDo not forget that all that we know we have \"worked for.\" There is\nnothing that comes to the idler, or shirker. What we know is merely the\nresult of \"stored-up accumulations of previous experience,\" as Lewes has\nso well said.\n\nSo it will be seen that the Yogi idea that one should develop all parts\nof the Mind is strictly correct, if one will take the trouble to examine\ninto the matter. A man sees and knows but very little of what is going\non about him. His limitations are great. His powers of vision report only\na few vibrations of light, while below and above the scale lie an\ninfinity of vibrations unknown to him. The same is true of the powers of\nhearing, for only a comparatively small portion of the sound-waves reach\nthe Mind of Man--even some of the animals hear more than he does.\n\nIf a man had only one sense he would obtain but a one-sense idea of the\noutside world. If another sense is added his knowledge is doubled. And so\non. The best proof of the relation between increased sense perception and\ndevelopment is had in the study of the evolution of animal forms. In the\nearly stages of life the organism has only the sense of feeling--and very\ndim at that--and a faint sense of taste. Then developed smell, hearing\nand sight, each marking a distinct advance in the scale of life, for a\nnew world has been opened out to the advancing forms of life. And, when\nman develops new senses--and this is before the race--he will be a much\nwiser and greater being.\n\nCarpenter, many years ago, voiced a thought that will be familiar to\nthose who are acquainted with the Yogi teachings regarding the unfoldment\nof new senses. He said: \"It does not seem at all improbable that there\nare properties of matter of which none of our senses can take immediate\ncognizance, and which other beings might be formed to perceive in the\nsame manner as we are sensible to light, sound, etc.\"\n\nAnd Isaac Taylor said: \"It may be that within the field observed by the\nvisible and ponderable universe there is existing and moving another\nelement fraught with another species of life--corporeal, indeed, and\nvarious in its orders, but not open to cognizance of those who are\nconfined to the conditions of animal organization. Is it to be thought\nthat the eye of man is the measure of the Creator's power?--and that He\ncreated nothing but that which he has exposed to our present senses? The\ncontrary seems much more than barely possible; ought we not to think it\nalmost certain?\"\n\nAnother writer. Prof. Masson, has said: \"If a new sense or two were added\nto the present normal number, in man, that which is now the phenomenal\nworld for all of us might, for all that we know, burst into something\namazingly different and wider, in consequence of the additional\nrevelations of these new senses.\"\n\nBut not only is this true, but Man may increase his powers of knowledge\nand experience if he will but develop the senses he has to a higher\ndegree of efficiency, instead of allowing them to remain comparatively\natrophied. And toward this end, this lesson is written.\n\nThe Mind obtains its impressions of objects of the outside world by means\nof the brain and sense organs. The sensory organs are the instruments of\nthe Mind, as is also the brain and the entire nervous system. By means of\nthe nerves, and the brain, the Mind makes use of the sensory organs in\norder that it may obtain information regarding external objects.\n\nThe senses are usually said to consist of five different forms, _viz._,\nsight, hearing, smell, touch, and taste.\n\nThe Yogis teach that there are higher senses, undeveloped, or\ncomparatively so, in the majority of the race, but toward the unfoldment\nof which the race is tending. But we shall not touch upon these latent\nsenses in this lesson, as they belong to another phase of the subject. In\naddition to the five senses above enumerated, some physiologists and\npsychologists have held that there were several others in evidence. For\ninstance, the sense by which the inner organs revealed their presence and\ncondition, The muscular system reports to the mind through some sense\nthat is not that of \"touch,\" although closely allied to it. And the\nfeelings of hunger, thirst, etc., seem to come to us through an unnamed\nsense.\n\nBernstein has distinguished between the five senses and the one just\nreferred to as follows: \"The characteristic distinction between these\ncommon sensations and the sensations of the senses is that by the latter\nwe gain knowledge of the occurrences and objects which belong to the\nexternal world (and which sensations we refer to external objects),\nwhilst by the former we only feel conditions of our own body.\"\n\nA sensation is the internal, mental conception, resulting from an\nexternal object or fact exciting the sense organs and nerves, and the\nbrain, thus making the mind \"aware\" of the external object or fact. As\nBain has said, it is the \"mental impression, feeling, or conscious state,\nresulting from the action of external things on some part of the body,\ncalled on that account, sensitive.\"\n\nEach channel of sense impressions has an organ, or organs, peculiarly\nadapted for the excitation of its substance by the particular kind of\nvibrations through which it receives impressions. The eye is most\ncunningly and carefully designed to receive the light-waves; and\nsound-waves produce no effect upon it. And, likewise, the delicate\nmechanism of the ear responds only to sound-waves; light-waves failing to\nregister upon it. Each set of sensations is entirely different, and the\norgans and nerves designed to register each particular set are peculiarly\nadapted to their own special work. The organs of sense, including their\nspecial nervous systems, may be compared to a delicate instrument that\nthe mind has fashioned for itself, that it may investigate, examine and\nobtain reports from the outside world.\n\nWe have become so accustomed to the workings of the senses that we take\nthem as a \"matter of course,\" and fail to recognize them as the delicate\nand wonderful instruments that they are--designed and perfected by the\nmind for its own use. If we will think of the soul as designing,\nmanufacturing and using these instruments, we may begin to understand\ntheir true relations to our lives, and, accordingly treat them with more\nrespect and consideration.\n\nWe are in the habit of thinking that we are aware of all the sensations\nreceived by our mind. But this is very far from being correct. The\nunconscious regions of the mind are incomparably larger than the small\nconscious area that we generally think of when we say \"my mind.\" In\nfuture lessons we shall proceed to consider this wonderful area, and\nexamine what is to be found there. Taine has well said, \"There is going\non within us a subterranean process of infinite extent; its products\nalone are known to us, and are only known to us in the mass. As to\nelements, and their elements, consciousness does not attain to them. They\nare to sensations what secondary molecules and primitive molecules are to\nbodies. We get a glance here and there at obscure and infinite worlds\nextending beneath our distinct sensations. These are compounds and\nwholes. For their elements to be perceptible to consciousness, it is\nnecessary for them to be added together, and so to acquire a certain bulk\nand to occupy a certain time, for if the group does not attain this bulk,\nand does not last this time, we observe no changes in our state.\nNevertheless, though it escapes us, there is one.\"\n\nBut we must postpone our consideration of this more than interesting\nphase of the subject, until some future lesson, when we shall take a trip\ninto the regions of Mind, under and above Consciousness. And a most\nwonderful trip many of us will find it, too.\n\nFor the present, we must pay our attention to the channels by which the\nmaterial for knowledge and thought enter our minds. For these sense\nimpressions, coming to us from without, are indeed \"material\" upon which\nthe mind works in order to manufacture the product called \"Thought.\"\n\nThis material we obtain through the channels of the senses, and then\nstore in that wonderful storehouse, the Memory, from whence we bring out\nmaterial from time to time, which we proceed to weave into the fabric of\nThought. The skill of the worker depends upon his training, and his\nability to select and combine the proper materials. And the acquiring of\ngood materials to be stored up is an important part of the work.\n\nA mind without stored-up material of impressions and experiences would be\nlike a factory without material. The machinery would have nothing upon\nwhich to work, and the shop would be idle. As Helmholtz has said,\n\"Apprehension by the senses supplies directly or indirectly, the material\nof all human knowledge, or at least the stimulus necessary to develop\nevery inborn faculty of the mind.\" And Herbert Spencer, has this to say\nof this phase of the subject, \"It is almost a truism to say that in\nproportion to the numerousness of the objects that can be distinguished,\nand in proportion to the variety of coexistences and sequences that can\nbe severally responded to, must be the number and rapidity and variety of\nthe changes within the organism--must be the amount of vitality.\"\n\nA little reflection upon this subject will show us that the greater\ndegree of exercise and training given the senses, the greater the degree\nof mental power and capability. As we store our mental storehouse with\nthe materials to be manufactured into thought, so is the quality and\nquantity of the fabric produced.\n\nIt therefore behooves us to awaken from our \"lazy\" condition of mind, and\nto proceed to develop our organs of sense, and their attendant mechanism,\nas by doing so we increase our capacity for thought and knowledge.\n\nBefore passing to the exercises, however, it may be well to give a hasty\npassing glance at the several senses, and their peculiarities.\n\nThe sense of Touch is the simplest and primal sense. Long before the\nlower forms of life had developed the higher senses, they had evidenced\nthe sense of Touch or Feeling. Without this sense they would have been\nunable to have found their food, or to receive and respond to outside\nimpressions. In the early forms of life it was exercised equally by all\nparts of the body, although in the higher forms this sense has become\nsomewhat localized, as certain parts of the body are far more sensitive\nthan are others. The skin is the seat of the sense of Touch, and its\nnerves are distributed over the entire area of the skin. The hand, and\nparticularly the fingers, and their tips, are the principal organs of\nthis sense.\n\nThe acuteness of Touch varies materially in different parts of the body.\nExperiments have shown that a pair of compasses would register\nimpressions as a very slight distance apart when applied to the tip of\nthe tongue. The distance at which the two points could be distinguished\nfrom one point, on the tip of the tongue, was called \"one line.\" Using\nthis \"line\" as a standard, it was found that the palmar surface of the\nthird finger registered 2 lines; the surface of the lips 4 lines, and the\nskin of the back, and on the middle of the arm or thigh, as high as 60\nlines The degree of sensitiveness to Touch varies greatly with different\nindividuals, some having a very fine sense of touch in their fingers,\nwhile others manifested a very much lower degree.\n\nIn the same way, there is a great difference in the response of the\nfingers to weight--a great difference in the ability to distinguish the\ndifference of the weight of objects. It has been found that some people\ncan distinguish differences in weight down to very small fractions of an\nounce. Fine distinctions in the differences in temperature have also been\nnoticed.\n\nThe sense of touch, and its development has meant much for Man. It is the\none sense in which Man surpasses the animals in the matter of degree and\nacuteness. The animal may have a keener smell, taste, hearing and sight,\nbut its sense of Touch is far beneath that of Man. Anaxagoras is quoted\nas saying that \"if the animals had hands and fingers, they would be like\nmen.\"\n\nIn developing the sense of Touch, the student must remember that\nAttention is the key to success. The greater the amount of Attention the\ngreater the degree of development possible in the case of any sense.\nWhen the Attention is concentrated upon any particular sense, the latter\nbecomes quickened and more acute, and repeated exercise, under the\nstimulus of Attention, will work wonders in the case of any\nparticular sense. And on the other hand, the sense of touch may be\nalmost, or completely inhibited, by firmly fixing the Attention upon\nsomething else. As an extreme proof of this latter fact, the student\nis asked to remember the fact that men have been known to suffer\nexcruciating torture, apparently without feeling, owing to the mind being\nintently riveted upon some idea or thought. As Wyld has said, \"The martyr\nborne above sensuous impressions, is not only able to endure tortures,\nbut is able to endure and quench them. The pinching and cutting of the\nflesh only added energy to the death song of the American Indian, and\neven the slave under the lash is sustained by the indignant sense of his\nwrongs.\"\n\nIn the cases of persons engaged in occupations requiring a fine degree of\nTouch, the development is marvelous. The engraver passes his hand over\nthe plate, and is able to distinguish the slightest imperfection. And the\nhandler of cloth and fabrics is able to distinguish the finest\ndifferences, simply by the sense of touch. Wool sorters also exercise a\nwonderfully high degree of fineness of touch. And the blind are able to\nmake up for the loss of sight by their greatly increased sense of Touch,\ncases being recorded where the blind have been able to distinguish\n_color_ by the different \"feel\" of the material.\n\nThe sense of Taste is closely allied to that of Touch--in fact some\nauthorities have considered Taste as a very highly developed sense of\nTouch in certain surfaces of the body, the tongue notably. It will be\nremembered that the tongue has the finest sense of Touch, and it also has\nthe sense of Taste developed to perfection. In Taste and Touch the object\nmust be brought in direct contact with the organ of sense, which is not\nthe case in Smell, Hearing, or Sight. And, be it remembered, that the\nlatter senses have special nerves, while Taste is compelled to fall back\nupon the ordinary nerves of Touch. It is true that Taste is confined to a\nvery small part of the surface of the body, while Touch is general. But\nthis only indicates a special development of the special area. The sense\nof Taste also depends to a great extent upon the presence of fluids, and\nonly substances that are soluble make their presence known through the\norgans and sense of Taste.\n\nPhysiologists report that the sense of Taste in some persons is so\nacute that one part of strychnine in one million parts of water has\nbeen distinguished. There are certain occupations, such as that of\nwine-tasters, tea-tasters, etc., the followers of which manifest a\ndegree of fineness of Taste almost incredible.\n\nThe sense of Smell is closely connected with the sense of Taste, and\noften acts in connection therewith, as the tiny particles of the\nsubstance in the mouth arise to the organs of Smell, by means of the\nopening or means of communication situated in the back part of the mouth.\nBesides which the nose usually detects the odor of substances before they\nenter the mouth. The sense of Smell operates by reason of the tiny\nparticles or the object being carried to the mucous membrane of the\ninterior of the nose, by means of the air. The membrane, being moist,\nseizes and holds these particles for a moment, and the fine nervous\norganism reports differences and qualities and the Mind is thus informed\nof the nature of the object.\n\nThe sense of Smell is very highly developed among animals, who are\ncompelled to rely upon it to a considerable extent. And many occupations\namong men require the development of this sense, for instance, the\ntobacconist, the wine dealer, the perfumers, the chemist, etc. It is\nrelated that in the cases of certain blind people, it has been observed\nthat they could distinguish persons in this manner.\n\nThe sense of Hearing is a more complex one than in the case of Taste,\nTouch and Smell. In the latter three the objects to be sensed must be\nbrought in close contact with the sense-organs, while in Hearing the\nobject may be far removed, the impressions being carried by the\nvibrations of the air, which are caught up and reported upon by the\nnervous organism of the sense of Hearing. The internal mechanism of\nthe ear is most wonderfully intricate and complex, and excites to wonder\nthe person examining it. It cannot be described here for want of space,\nbut the student is advised to inquire into it if he has access to any\nlibrary containing books on the subject. It is a wonderful illustration\nof the work of the mind in building up for itself instruments with which\nto work--to acquire knowledge.\n\nThe ear records vibrations in the air from 20 or 32 per second, the rate\nof the lowest audible note, to those of 38,000 per second, the rate of\nthe highest audible note. There is a great difference in individuals in\nregard to the fineness of the sense of Hearing. But all may develop this\nsense by the application of Attention. The animals and savages have\nwonderfully acute senses of Hearing developed only along the lines of\ndistinctness, however--on the other hand musicians have developed the\nsense along different lines.\n\nThe sense of Sight is generally conceded to be the highest and most\ncomplex of all the senses of Man. It deals with a far larger number of\nobjects--at longer distances--and gives a far greater variety of\nreports to the mind than any of its associate senses. It is the sense of\nTouch magnified many times. As Wilson says of it, \"Our sight may be\nconsidered as a more delicate and diffusive kind of touch that spreads\nitself over an infinite number of bodies; comprehends the largest\nfigures, and brings into our reach some of the most remote parts of the\nuniverse.\"\n\nThe sense of Sight receives its impressions from the outside world by\nmeans of waves that travel from body to body--from sun to earth, and from\nlamp to eye. These waves of light arise from vibrations in substance, of\nan almost incredible degree of rapidity. The lowest light vibration is\nabout 450,000,000,000,000 per second, while the highest is about\n750,000,000,000,000 per second. These figures deal only with the\nvibrations recognizable by the eye as light. Above and below these\nfigures of the scale are countless other degrees invisible to the eye,\nalthough some of them may be recorded by instruments. The different\nsensations of color, depend upon the rate of the vibrations, red being\nthe limit of the lowest, and violet the limit of the highest visible\nvibrations--orange, yellow, green, blue, and indigo being the\nintermediate rates or colors.\n\nThe cultivation of the sense of Sight, under the aid of Attention is most\nimportant to ail persons. By being able to clearly see and distinguish\nthe parts of an object, a degree of knowledge regarding it is obtained\nthat one may not acquire without the said exercise of the faculty. We\nhave spoken of this under the subject of Attention, in a previous lesson,\nto which lesson we again refer the student. The fixing of the eye upon an\nobject has the power of concentrating the thoughts and preventing them\nfrom wandering. The eye has other properties and qualities that will be\ndwelt upon in future lessons. It has other uses than seeing. The\ninfluence of the eye is a marvelous thing, and may be cultivated and\ndeveloped.\n\nWe trust that what we have said will bring the student to a realization\nof the importance of developing the powers of Perception. The senses have\nbeen developed by the mind during a long period of evolution and effort\nthat surely would not have been given unless the object in view was worth\nit all. The \"I\" insists upon obtaining knowledge of the Universe, and\nmuch of this knowledge may be obtained only through the senses. The Yogi\nstudent must be \"wide awake\" and possessed of developed senses and\npowers of Perception. The senses of Sight and Hearing, the two latest in\nthe scale of Evolutionary growth and unfoldment, must receive a\nparticular degree of attention. The student must make himself \"aware\"\nof what is going on about and around him, so that he may \"catch\" the best\nvibrations.\n\nIt would surprise many Westerners if they could come in contact with a\nhighly developed Yogi, and witness the marvelously finely developed\nsenses he possesses. He is able to distinguish the finest differences\nin things, and his mind is so trained that, in thought, he may draw\nconclusions from what he has perceived, in a manner that seems almost\n\"second-sight\" to the uninitiated. _In fact, a certain degree of\nsecond-sight is possible to one who develops his sense of Sight, under\nthe urge of Attention._ A new world is opened out to such a person. One\nmust learn to master the senses, not only in the direction of being\nindependent of and superior to their urgings, but also in the matter of\ndeveloping them to a high degree. The development of the physical senses,\nalso has much to do with the development of the \"Astral Senses,\" of\nwhich we have spoken in our \"Fourteen Lessons,\" and of which we may have\nmore to say in the present series. The idea of _Raja Yoga_ is to render\nthe student the possessor of a highly developed Mind, with highly\ndeveloped instruments with which the mind may work.\n\nIn our future lessons we shall give the student many illustrations,\ndirections, and exercises calculated to develop the different faculties\nof the mind--not only the ordinary faculties of everyday use, but others\nhidden behind these familiar faculties and senses. Commencing with the\nnext lesson, we shall present a system of exercises, drills, etc., the\npurpose of which will be the above mentioned development of the faculties\nof the Mind.\n\nIn this lesson we shall not attempt to give specific exercises, but will\ncontent ourselves with calling the attention of the student to a few\ngeneral rules underlying the development of Perception.\n\n\nGENERAL RULES OF PERCEPTION.\n\nThe first thing to remember in acquiring the art of Perception is that\none should not attempt to perceive the whole of a complex thing or object\nat the same time, or at once. One should consider the object in detail,\nand then, by grouping the details, he will find that he has considered\nthe whole. Let us take the face of a person as a familiar object. If one\ntries to perceive a face as a whole, he will find that he will meet with\na certain degree of failure, the impression being indistinct and cloudy,\nit following, also, that the memory of that face will correspond with the\noriginal perception.\n\nBut let the observer consider the face in detail, first the eyes, then\nthe nose, then the mouth, then the chin, then the hair, then the outline\nof the face, the complexion, etc., and he will find that he will have\nacquired a clear and distinct impression or perception of the whole face.\n\nThe same rule may be applied to any subject or object. Let us take\nanother familiar illustration. You wish to observe a building. If you\nsimply get a general perception of the building as a whole, you will\nbe able to remember very little about it, except its general outlines,\nshape, size, color, etc. And a description will prove to be very\ndisappointing. But if you have noted, _in detail_, the material used, the\nshape of the doors, chimney, roof, porches, decorations, trimmings,\nornamentation, size and number of the window-panes etc., etc., the shape\nand angles of the roof, etc., you will have an _intelligent_ idea of the\nbuilding, in the place of a mere general outline or impression of such as\nmight be acquired by an animal in passing.\n\nWe will conclude this lesson with an anecdote of the methods of that\nfamous naturalist Agassiz, in his training of his pupils. His pupils\nbecame renowned for their close powers of observation and perception,\nand their consequent ability to \"think\" about the things they had seen.\nMany of them rose to eminent positions, and claimed that this was largely\nby reason of their careful training.\n\nThe tale runs that a new student presented himself to Agassiz one day,\nasking to be set to work. The naturalist took a fish from a jar in which\nit had been preserved, and laying it before the young student bade him\nobserve it carefully, and be ready to report upon what he had noticed\nabout the fish. The student was then left alone with the fish. There was\nnothing especially interesting about that fish--it was like many other\nfishes that he had seen before. He noticed that it had fins and scales,\nand a mouth and eyes, yes, and a tail. In a half hour he felt certain\nthat he had observed all about that fish that there was to be perceived.\nBut the naturalist remained away.\n\nThe time rolled on, and the youth, having nothing else to do, began to\ngrow restless and weary. He started out to hunt up the teacher, but he\nfailed to find him, and so had to return and gaze again at that\nwearisome fish. Several hours had passed, and he knew but little more\nabout the fish than he did in the first place.\n\nHe went out to lunch and when he returned it was still a case of watching\nthe fish. He felt disgusted and discouraged, and wished he had never come\nto Agassiz, whom, it seemed, was a stupid old man after all,--one away\nbehind the times. Then, in order to kill time, he began to count the\nscales. This completed he counted the spines of the fins. Then he began\nto draw a picture of the fish. In drawing the picture he noticed that the\nfish had no eyelids. He thus made the discovery that as his teacher had\nexpressed it often, in lectures, \"a pencil is the best of eyes.\" Shortly\nafter the teacher returned, and after ascertaining what the youth had\nobserved, he left rather disappointed, telling the boy to keep on looking\nand maybe he would see something.\n\nThis put the boy on his mettle, and he began to work with his pencil,\nputting down little details that had escaped him before, but which now\nseemed very plain to him. He began to catch the secret of observation.\nLittle by little he brought to light new objects of interest about the\nfish. But this did not suffice his teacher, who kept him at work on the\nsame fish for three whole days. At the end of that time the student\nreally knew something about the fish, and, better than all, had acquired\nthe \"knack\" and habit of careful observation and perception in detail.\n\nYears after, the student, then attained to eminence, is reported as\nsaying: \"That was the best zoological lesson I ever had--a lesson whose\ninfluence has extended to the details of every subsequent study; a\nlegacy that the professor left to me, as he left to many others, of\ninestimable value, which we could not buy, and with which we cannot\npart.\"\n\nApart from the value to the student of the particular information\nobtained, was the quickening of the perceptive faculties that enabled him\nto observe the important points in a subject or object, and,\nconsequently to deduce important information from that which was\nobserved. The Mind is hungry for knowledge, and it has by years of weary\nevolution and effort built up a series of sense systems in order to yield\nit that knowledge and it is still building. The men and women in the\nworld who have arrived at the point of success have availed themselves of\nthese wonderful channels of information, and by directing them under\nthe guidance of Will and Attention, have attained wonderful results.\nThese things are of importance, and we beg of our students not to pass by\nthis portion of the subject as uninteresting. Cultivate a spirit of\nwide-awakeness and perception, and the \"knowing\" that will come to you\nwill surprise you.\n\nNo only do you develop the existing senses by such practice and use, _but\nyou help in the unfoldment of the latent powers and senses that are\nstriving for unfoldment_. By using and exercising the faculties that we\nhave, we help to unfold those for the coming of which we have been\ndreaming.\n\n\nMANTRAM (AFFIRMATION).\n\nI am a Soul, possessed of channels of communication with the outer world.\nI will use these channels, and thereby acquire the information and\nknowledge necessary for my mental development. I will exercise and\ndevelop my organs of sense, knowing that in so doing I shall cause to\nunfold the higher senses, of which they are but forerunners and symbols.\nI will be \"_wide-awake_\" and open to the inflow of knowledge and\ninformation. The Universe is my Home--I will explore it.\n\n\n\n\nTHE SEVENTH LESSON.\n\nTHE UNFOLDMENT OF CONSCIOUSNESS.\n\n\nWe have thought it well to make a slight change in the arrangement of\nthese lessons--that is, in the order in which they should appear. We had\ncontemplated making this Seventh Lesson a series of Mental Drills,\nintended to develop certain of the mental faculties, but we have decided\nto postpone the same until a later lesson, believing that by so doing a\nmore logical sequence or order of arrangement will be preserved. In this\nlesson we will tell you of the unfoldment of consciousness in Man, and in\nthe next lesson, and probably in the one following it, we shall present\nto you a clear statement regarding the states of mind, below and over\nconsciousness--a most wonderful region, we assure you, and one that has\nbeen greatly misunderstood and misinterpreted. This will lead up to the\nsubject of the cultivation of the various faculties--both conscious and\noutside of consciousness, and the series will be concluded by three\nlessons going right to the heart of this part of the subject, and giving\ncertain rules and instruction calculated to develop Man's wonderful\n\"thought-machine\" that will be of the greatest interest and importance\nto all of our students. When the lessons are concluded you will see that\nthe present arrangement is most logical and proper.\n\nIn this lesson we take up the subject of \"The Unfoldment of\nConsciousness\"--a most interesting subject. Many of us have been in the\nhabit of identifying \"consciousness\" with mind, but as we proceed with\nthis series of lessons we will see that that which is called\n\"consciousness\" is but a small portion of the mind of the individual, and\neven that small part is constantly changing its states, and unfolding new\nstates undreamed of.\n\n\"Consciousness\" is a word we use very often in considering the science of\nthe Mind. Let us see what it means. Webster defines it as one's\n\"knowledge of sensations and mental operations, or of what passes in\none's own mind.\" Halleck defines it as \"that undefinable characteristic\nof mental states which causes one to be aware of them.\" But, as Halleck\nstates, \"Consciousness is incapable of definition. To define anything we\nare obliged to describe it in terms of something else. And there is\nnothing else in the world like consciousness, hence we can define it only\nin terms of itself, and that is very much like trying to lift one's self\nby one's own boot straps. Consciousness is one of the greatest mysteries\nthat confronts us.\"\n\nBefore we can understand what Consciousness really is, we must know just\nwhat \"Mind\" really is--and that knowledge is lacking, notwithstanding the\nmany injenious theories evolved in order to explain the mystery. The\nmetaphysicians do not throw much light on the subject, and as for\nmaterialistic science, listen to what Huxley says: \"How it comes about\nthat anything so remarkable as a state of consciousness comes about by\nthe result of irritating nervous tissue, is just as unaccountable as the\nappearance of the genie when Aladdin rubbed his lamp.\"\n\nTo many persons the words \"consciousness\" and \"mental process,\" or\n\"thought\" are regarded as synonymous. And, in fact, psychologists so held\nuntil quite recently. But now it is generally accepted as a fact that\nmental processes are not limited to the field of consciousness, and it is\nnow generally taught that the field of sub-consciousness (that is,\n\"under\" conscious) mentation, is of a much greater extent than that of\nconscious mentation.\n\nNot only is it true that the mind can hold in consciousness but one fact\nat any one instant, and that, consequently, only a very small fraction of\nour knowledge can be in consciousness at any one moment, but it is also\ntrue that the consciousness plays but a very small part in the totality\nof mental processes, or mentation. The mind is not conscious of the\ngreater portion of its own activities--Maudsley says that only ten per\ncent comes into the field of consciousness. Taine has stated it in these\nwords: \"Of the world which makes up our being, we only perceive the\nhighest points--the lighted up peaks of a continent whose lower levels\nremain in the shade.\"\n\nBut it is not our intention to speak of this great subconscious region of\nthe mind at this point, for we shall have much to do with it later on. It\nis mentioned here in order to show that the enlargement or development of\nconsciousness is not so much a matter of \"growth\" as it is an\n\"unfoldment\"--not a new creation or enlargement from outside, but rather\nan unfoldment outward from within.\n\nFrom the very beginning of Life--among the Particles of Inorganic\nSubstance, may be found traces of something like Sensation, and response\nthereto. Writers have not cared to give to this phenomenon the name of\n\"sensation,\" or \"sensibility,\" as the terms savored too much of \"senses,\"\nand \"sense-organs.\" But Modern Science has not hesitated to bestow the\nnames so long withheld. The most advanced scientific writers do not\nhesitate to state that in reaction, chemical response, etc., may be seen\nindications of rudimentary sensation. Haeckel says: \"I cannot imagine\nthe simplest chemical and physical process without attributing the\nmovement of the material particles to unconscious sensation. The idea of\nChemical Affinity consists in the fact that the various chemical elements\nperceive the qualitative differences in other elements and experience\n'pleasure' or 'revulsion' at contacts with them, and execute their\nspecific movements on this ground.\" He also speaks of the sensitiveness\nof \"plasm,\" or the substance of \"living bodies,\" as being \"only a\nsuperior degree of the general irritability of substance.\"\n\nChemical reaction, between atoms, is spoken of by chemists as a\n\"sensitive\" reaction. Sensitiveness is found even in the Particles of\nInorganic Substance, and may be regarded as the first glimmerings of\nthought. Science recognizes this when it speaks of the unconscious\nsensation of the Particles as _athesis_ or \"feeling,\" and the unconscious\nWill that responds thereto, as _tropesis_, or \"inclination.\" Haeckel says\nof this that \"Sensation perceives the different qualities of the stimuli,\nand feeling the quantity,\" and also, \"We may ascribe the feeling of\npleasure and pain (in the contact with qualitatively differing atoms) to\nall atoms, and so explain the elective affinity in chemistry (attraction\nof loving atoms, inclination; repulsion of hating atoms,\ndisinclination).\"\n\nIt is impossible to form a clear or intelligent idea of the phenomenon of\nchemical affinity, etc., unless we attribute to the Atoms something akin\nto Sensation. It is likewise impossible to understand the actions of the\nMolecules, unless we think of them as possessing something akin to\nSensation. The Law of Attraction is based upon Mental States in\nSubstance. The response of Inorganic Substance to Electricity and\nMagnetism is also another evidence of Sensation and the response thereto.\n\nIn the movements and operations of crystal-life we obtain evidences of\nstill a little higher forms of Sensation and response thereto. The action\nof crystallization is very near akin to that of some low forms of plasmic\naction. In fact, the \"missing link\" between plant life and the crystals\nis claimed to have been found in some recent discoveries of Science, the\nconnection being found in certain crystals in the interior of plants\ncomposed of carbon combinations, and resembling the inorganic crystals in\nmany ways.\n\nCrystals grow along certain lines and forms up to a certain size. Then\nthey begin to form \"baby-crystals\" on their surfaces, which then take on\nthe growth--the processes being almost analogous to cell-life. Processes\nakin to fermentation have been detected among chemicals. In many ways it\nmay be seen that the beginning of Mental Life must be looked for among\nthe Minerals and Particles--the latter, be it remembered, composing not\nonly inorganic, but also Organic Substance.\n\nAs we advance in the scale of life, we are met with constantly increasing\nunfoldment of mentation, the simple giving place to the complex\nmanifestations. Passing by the simple vital processes of the monera, or\nsingle-celled \"things,\" we notice the higher forms of cell life, with\ngrowing sensibility or sensation. Then we come to the cell-groups, in\nwhich the individual cells manifest sensation of a kind, coupled with a\ncommunity-sensation. Food is distinguished, selected and captured, and\nmovements exercised in pursuit of the same. The living thing is beginning\nto manifest more complex mental states. Then the stage of the lower\nplants is reached, and we notice the varied phenomena of that region,\nevidencing an increased sensitiveness, although there are practically no\nsigns of special organs of sense. Then we pass on to the higher plant\nlife, in which begin to manifest certain \"sensitive-cells,\" or groups of\nsuch cells, which are rudimentary sense organs. Then the forms of animal\nlife, and considered with rising degrees of sensations and growing sense\napparatus, or sense organs, gradually unfolding into something like\nnervous systems.\n\nAmong the lower animal forms there are varying degrees of mentation with\naccompanying nerve centers and sense-organs, but little or no signs of\nconsciousness, gradually ascending until we have dawning consciousness in\nthe reptile kingdom, etc., and fuller consciousness and a degree of\nintelligent thought in the still higher forms, gradually increasing until\nwe reach the plane of the highest mammals, such as the horse, dog,\nelephant, ape, etc., which animals have complex nervous systems, brains\nand well developed consciousness. We need not further consider the forms\nof mentation in the forms of life below the Conscious stage, for that\nwould carry us far from our subject.\n\nAmong the higher forms of animal life, after a \"dawn period\" or\nsemi-consciousness, we come to forms of life among the lower animals\npossessing a well developed degree of mental action and Consciousness,\nthe latter being called by psychologists \"Simple Consciousness,\" but\nwhich term we consider too indefinite, and which we will term \"Physical\nConsciousness,\" which will give a fair idea of the thing itself. We use\nthe word \"Physical\" in the double sense of \"External,\" and \"Relating to\nthe material structure of a living being,\" both of which definitions are\nfound in the dictionaries. And that is just what Physical Consciousness\nreally is--an \"awareness\" in the mind, or a \"consciousness\" of the\n\"external\" world as evidenced by the senses; and of the \"body\" of the\nanimal or person. The animal or person thinking on the plane of Physical\nConsciousness (all the higher animals do, and many men seem unable to\nrise much higher) identifies itself with the physical body, and is\nconscious only of thoughts of that body and the outside world. It\n\"knows,\" but not being conscious of mental operations, or of the\nexistence of its mind, it does not \"know that it knows.\" This form of\nconsciousness, while infinitely above the mentation of the nonconscious\nplane of \"sansation,\" is like a different world of thought from the\nconsciousness of the highly developed intellectual man of our age and\nrace.\n\nIt is difficult for a man to form an idea of the Physical Consciousness\nof the lower animals and savages, particularly as he finds it difficult\nto understand his own consciousness except by the act of being conscious.\nBut observation and reason have given us a fair degree of understanding\nof what this Physical Consciousness of the animal is like--or at least in\nwhat respect it differs from our own consciousness. Let us take a\nfavorite illustration. A horse standing out in the cold sleet and rain\nundoubtedly _feels_ the discomfort, and possibly pain, for we know by\nobservation that animals feel both. But he is not able to analyze his\nmental states and wonder when his master will come out to him--think how\ncruel it is to keep him out of the warm stable--wonder whether he will be\ntaken out in the cold again tomorrow--feel envious of other horses who\nare indoors--wonder why he is compelled to be out cold nights, etc.,\netc.,--in short, he does not think as would a reasoning man under such\ncircumstances. He is aware of the discomfort, just as would be the\nman--and he would run home if he could just as would the man. But he is\nnot able to pity himself, nor to think about his personality as would\nthe man, nor does he wonder whether such a life is worth living, after\nall. He \"knows,\" but is not able to think of himself as knowing--he does\nnot \"know that he knows,\" as we do. He experiences the physical pain and\ndiscomfort, but is spared the mental discomfort and concern arising from\nthe physical, which man so often experiences.\n\nThe animal cannot shift its consciousness from the sensations of the\nouter world to the inner states of being. It is not able to \"know\nitself.\" The difference may be clumsily illustrated by the example of a\nman feeling, seeing or hearing something that gives him a pleasurable\nsensation, or the reverse. He is conscious of the feeling or sensation,\nand that it is pleasurable or otherwise. That is Physical Consciousness,\nand the animal may share it with him. But it stops right there with the\nanimal. But the man may begin to wonder _why_ the sensation is\npleasurable and to associate it with other things and persons; or\nspeculate _why_ he dislikes it, what will follow, and so on--that is\nMental Consciousness, because he recognizes an inward self, and is\nturning his attention _inward_. He may see another man and experience a\nfeeling or sensation of attraction or aversion--like or dislike. This is\nPhysical Consciousness, and an animal also may experience the sensation.\nBut the man goes further than the animal, and wonders just what there is\nabout the man he likes or detests, and may compare himself to the man and\nwonder whether the latter feels as he does, and so on--this is Mental\nConsciousness.\n\nIn animals the mental gaze is freely directed outward, and never returns\nupon itself. In man the mental gaze may be directed inward, or may return\ninward after its outward journey. The animal \"knows\"--the man not only\n\"knows,\" but he \"knows that he knows,\" and is able to investigate that\n\"knowing\" and speculate about it. We call this higher consciousness\nMental Consciousness. The operation of Physical Consciousness we call\nInstinct--the operation of Mental Consciousness we call Reason.\n\nThe Man who has Mental Consciousness not only \"feels\" or \"senses\" things,\nbut he has words or mental concepts of these feelings and sensations and\nmay think of himself as experiencing them, separating himself, the\nsensation or feeling, and the thing felt or sensed. The man is able to\nthink: \"I feel; I hear; I see; I smell; I taste; I desire; I do,\" etc.,\netc. The very words indicate Mental Consciousness recognizing mental\nstates and giving them names, and also recognizing something called \"I\"\nthat experiences the sensations. This latter fact has caused\npsychologists to speak of this stage as \"Self-consciousness,\" but we\nreserve this idea of the \"I\" consciousness for a higher stage.\n\nThe animal experiences something that gives it the impressions or feeling\nthat we call \"pain,\" \"hurt,\" \"pleasant,\" \"sweet,\" \"bitter,\" etc., all\nbeing forms of sensation, but it is unable to think of them in words.\nThe pain seems to be a part of itself, although possibly associated with\nsome person or thing that caused it. The study of the unfoldment of\nconsciousness in a young baby will give one a far better idea of the\ngrades and distinctions than can be obtained from reading mere words.\n\nMental Consciousness is a growth. As Halleck says, \"Many persons never\nhave more than a misty idea of such a mental attitude. They always take\nthemselves for granted, and never turn the gaze inward.\" It has been\ndoubted whether the savages have developed Self-consciousness, and even\nmany men of our own race seem to be but little above the animals in\nintellect and consciousness. They do not seem able to \"know themselves\"\neven slightly. To them the \"I\" seems to be a purely physical thing--a\nbody having desires and feeling but little more. They are able to feel an\nact, but scarcely more. They are not able to set aside any physical\n\"not--I,\" being utterly unable to think of themselves as anything else\nbut a Body. The \"I\" and the Body are one with them, and they seem\nincapable of distinguishing between them.\n\nThen comes another stage in which mental-consciousness proper sets in.\nThe man begins to realize that he has \"a mind.\" He is able to \"know\nhimself\" as a mental being, and to turn the gaze inward a little. This\nperiod of development may be noticed in young children. For a time\nthey speak of themselves as a third person, until finally they begin to\nsay \"I.\" Then a little later comes the ability to know their own mental\nstates as such--they know that they have a mind, and are able to\ndistinguish between it and the body. It is related that some children\nexperience a feeling of terror when they pass into this stage. They\nexhibit signs of bashfulness and what is commonly termed\n\"self-consciousness\" in that sense. Some tell us in after years that when\nthey became aware of themselves as an entity they were overcome with\nalarm, as if by a sense of loneliness and apartness from the Universe.\nYoung people often feel this way for several years. There seems to be a\ndistinct feeling that the Universe is antagonistic to and set apart from\nthem.\n\nAnd, although this feeling of separateness and apartness grows less acute\nas the man grows older, yet it is always present to a greater or less\ndegree until a still higher stage--the Ego-consciousness is reached, when\nit disappears as we shall see. And this mental-conscious stage is a hard\none for many. They are entangled in a mass of mental states which the man\nthinks is \"himself,\" and the struggle between the real \"I\" and its\nconfining sheaths is painful. And it becomes still more painful as the\nend is neared, for as man advances in mental-consciousness and knowledge\nhe feels more keenly and suffers accordingly. Man eats the fruit of the\nTree of Knowledge and begins to suffer, and is driven out of the Garden\nof Eden of the child and primitive races, who live like the birds of the\nair and concern themselves not about mental states and problems. But\nthere is deliverance ahead in the shape of a higher consciousness,\nalthough but few realize it and still fewer have gained it. Perhaps this\nlesson may point out the way for you.\n\nWith the birth of mental-consciousness comes the knowledge that there is\na mind in others. Man is able to speculate and reason about the mental\nstates of other men, because he recognizes these states within himself.\nAs man advances in the Mental Consciousness he begins to develop a\nconstantly increasing degree and grade of Intellect, and accordingly he\nattaches the greatest importance to that part of his nature. Some men\nworship Intellect as a God, ignoring its limitations which other thinkers\nhave pointed out. Such people are apt to reason that because the human\nintellect (in its present state of development) reports that such a thing\n_must_ be, or _cannot_ possibly be, that the matter is forever settled.\nThey ignore the fact that it is possible that Man's Intellect, in its\npresent state of unfoldment, may be able to take cognizance of only a\nvery small part of the Universal Fact, and that there may be regions upon\nregions of Reality and Fact of which he cannot even dream, so far are\nthey removed from his experience. The unfoldment of a new sense would\nopen out a new world and might bring to light facts that would completely\nrevolutionize our entire world of conceptions by reason of the new\ninformation it would give us.\n\nBut, nevertheless, from this Mental Consciousness has come the wonderful\nwork of Intellect, as shown in the achievements of Man up to this time,\nand while we must recognize its limitations, we gladly join in singing\nits praises. Reason is the tool with which Man is digging into the mine\nof Facts, bringing to light new treasures every day. This stage of Mental\nConsciousness is bringing to Man knowledge of himself--knowledge of the\nUniverse--that is well worth the price he pays for it. For Man _does_ pay\na price for entrance into this stage--and he pays an increasing price as\nhe advances in its territory, for the higher he advances the more keenly\nhe feels and suffers, as well as enjoys. Capacity for pain is the price\nMan pays for Attainment, up to a certain stage. His pain passes from the\nPhysical to the Mental consciousness, and he becomes aware of problems\nthat he never dreamt existed, and the lack of an intelligent answer\nproduces mental suffering. And the mental suffering that comes to him\nfrom unsatisfied longings, disappointment, the pain of others whom he\nloves, etc., is far worse than any physical suffering.\n\nThe animal lives its animal life and is contented, for it knows no\nbetter. If it has enough to eat--a place to sleep--a mate--it is happy.\nAnd some men are likewise. But others find themselves involved in a world\nof mental discomfort. New wants arise, and the lack of satisfaction\nbrings pain. Civilization becomes more and more complex, and brings its\nnew pains as well as new pleasures. Man attaches himself to \"things,\" and\neach day creates for himself artificial wants, which he must labor to\nmeet. His Intellect may not lead him upward, but instead may merely\nenable him to invent new and subtle means and ways of gratifying his\nsenses to a degree impossible to the animals. Some men make a religion of\nthe gratification of their sensuality--their appetites--and become beasts\nmagnified by the power of Intellect. Others become vain, conceited and\npuffed up with a sense of the importance of their Personality (the false\n\"I\"). Others become morbidly introspective, and spend their time\nanalyzing and dissecting their moods, motives, feelings, etc. Others\nexhaust their capacity for pleasure and happiness, but looking outside\nfor it instead of within, and become _blase_, bored, _ennuied_ and an\naffliction to themselves We mention these things not in a spirit of\nPessimism but merely to show that even this great Mental Consciousness\nhas a reverse and ugly side as well as the bright face that has been\nascribed to it.\n\nAs man reaches the higher stages of this Mental Consciousness, and the\nnext higher stage begins to dawn upon him, he is apt to feel more keenly\nthan ever the insufficiency of Life as it appears to him. He is unable to\nunderstand Himself--his origin, destiny, purpose and nature--and he\nchafes against the bars of the cage of Intellect in which he is confined.\nHe asks himself the question, \"Whence come I--Whither go I--What is the\nobject of my Existence?\" He becomes dissatisfied with the answers the\nworld has to give him to these questions, and he cries aloud in\ndespair--and but the answer of his own voice comes back to him from the\nimpassable walls with which he is surrounded. He does not realize that\nhis answer must come from Within--but so it is.\n\nPsychology stops when it reaches the limits of Mental Consciousness, or\nas it calls it \"Self-Consciousness,\" and denies that there is anything\nbeyond--any unexplored regions of the Mind. It laughs at the reports that\ncome from those who have penetrated farther within the recesses of their\nbeing, and dismisses the reports as mere \"dreams,\" \"fantasies,\"\n\"illusions,\" \"ecstatic imaginings,\" \"abnormal states,\" etc., etc.\nBut, nevertheless, there are schools of thought that teach of these\nhigher states, and there are men of all ages and races that have entered\nthem and have reported concerning them. And we feel justified in asking\nyou to take them into consideration.\n\nThere are two planes of Consciousness, of which we feel it proper to\nspeak, for we have obtained more or less information regarding them.\nThere are still higher planes, but they belong to higher phases of life\nthan are dealt with here.\n\nThe first of these planes or states of Consciousness, above the\n\"Self-Consciousness\" of the psychologists (which we have called \"Mental\nConsciousness\") may be called \"Ego-consciousness,\" for it brings an\n\"awareness\" of the Reality of the Ego. This \"awareness\" is far above the\nSelf-consciousness of the man who is able to distinguish \"I\" from \"You,\"\nand to give it a name. And far above the consciousness that enables a\nman, as he rises in the scale, to distinguish the \"I\" from faculty after\nfaculty of the mind, which he is able to recognize as \"not--I,\" until he\nfinds left a mental something that he cannot set aside, which he calls\n\"I\"--although this stage alone is very much higher than that of the\naverage of the race, and is a high degree of Attainment itself. It is\nakin to this last stage, and yet still fuller and more complete. In\nthe dawning of Ego Consciousness the \"I\" recognizes itself still more\nclearly and, more than this, is fully imbued with a sense and \"awareness\"\nof its own _Reality_, unknown to it before. This awareness is not a mere\nmatter of reasoning--it is a \"consciousness,\" just as is Physical\nConsciousness and Mental Consciousness something different from an\n\"intellectual conviction.\" It is a Knowing, not a Thinking or Believing.\nThe \"I\" _knows_ that it is Real--that it has its roots in the Supreme\nReality underlying all the Universe, and partakes of its Essence. It does\nnot know what this Reality is, but it knows that it is Real, and\nsomething different from anything in the world of name, form, number,\ntime, space, cause and effect--something Transcendental and surpassing\nall human experience. And knowing this, it knows that it cannot be\ndestroyed or hurt; cannot die, but is immortal; and that there is\nSomething which is the very essence of Good behind of, underneath and\neven _in_ itself. And in this certainty and consciousness is there Peace,\nUnderstanding and Power. When it fully bursts upon one, Doubt, Fear,\nUnrest and Dissatisfaction drop from him like wornout garments and he\nfinds himself clothed in the Faith that Knows; Fearlessness; Restfulness;\nSatisfaction. Then he is able to say understandingly and with meaning \"I\nAM.\"\n\nThis Ego Consciousness is coming to many as a dawning knowledge--the\nlight is just rising from behind the hills. To others it has come\ngradually and slowly, but fully, and they now live in the full light of\nthe consciousness. Others it has burst upon like a flash, or vision--like\na light falling from the clear sky, almost blinding them at first, but\nleaving them changed men and women, possessed of that something that\ncannot be understood by or described to those who have not experienced\nit. This last stage is called \"Illumination\" in one of its forms.\n\nThe man of the Ego Consciousness may not understand the Riddle of the\nUniverse or be able to give an answer to the great Questions of Life--but\nhe has ceased to worry about them--they now disturb him not. He may use\nhis intellect upon them as before, but never with the feeling that in\ntheir intellectual solution rests his happiness or peace of mind. He\nknows that he stands on solid rock, and though the storms of the world of\nmatter and force may beat upon him, he will not be hurt. This and other\nthings he knows. He cannot prove these things to others, for they are not\ndemonstrable by argument--he himself did not get them in that way. And so\nhe says but little about it--but lives his life as if he knew them not,\nso far as outward appearances go. But inwardly he is a changed man--his\nlife is different from that of his brothers, for while their souls are\nwrapped in slumber or are tossing in troubled dreams, his Soul has\nawakened and is gazing upon the world with bright and fearless eyes.\nThere are, of course, different stages or degrees of this Consciousness,\njust as there are in the lower planes of consciousness. Some have it to a\nslight degree, while others have it fully. Perhaps this lesson will tell\nsome of its readers just what is the thing that has \"happened\" to them\nand which they hesitate to speak of to their closest friend or life\ncompanion. To others it may open the way to a fuller realization. We\nsincerely trust so, for one does not begin to Live until he knows the \"I\"\nas Reality.\n\nThere is a stage still higher than this last mentioned but it has come to\nbut very few of the race. Reports of it come from all times, races,\ncountries. It has been called \"Cosmic Consciousness,\" and is described as\nan awareness of the Oneness of Life--that is, a consciousness that the\nUniverse is filled with One Life--an actual perception and \"awareness\"\nthat the Universe is full of Life, Motion and Mind, and that there is\nno such thing as Blind Force, or Dead Matter, but that All is alive,\nvibrating and intelligent. That is, of course, that the _Real Universe_,\nwhich is the Essence or background of the Universe of Matter, Energy and\nMind, is as they describe. In fact, the description of those who have had\nglimpses of this state would indicate that they see the Universe as All\nMind--that All is Mind at the last. This form of consciousness has been\nexperienced by men here and there--only a few--in moments of\n\"Illumination,\" the period lasting but a very short space of time, then\nfading away, leaving but a memory. In the moment of the \"Illumination\"\nthere came to those experiencing it a sense of \"intouch-ness\" with\nUniversal Knowledge and Life, impossible to describe, accompanied by a\nJoy beyond understanding.\n\nRegarding this last, \"Cosmic Consciousness,\" we would state that it means\nmore than an intellectual conviction, belief or realization of the facts\nas stated, for an actual _vision_ and _consciousness_ of these things\ncame in the moment of Illumination. Some others report that they have a\ndeep abiding sense of the reality of the facts described by the report of\nthe Illumined, but have not experienced the \"vision\" or ecstasy referred\nto. These last people seem to have with them always the same mental state\nas that possessed by those who had the \"vision\" and passed out of it,\ncarrying with them the remembrance and feeling, but not the actual\nconsciousness attained at the moment. They agree upon the essential\nparticulars of the reports. Dr. Maurice Bucke, now passed out of this\nplane of life, wrote a book entitled \"Cosmic Consciousness,\" in which he\ndescribes a number of these cases, including his own, Walt Whitman's and\nothers, and in which he holds that this stage of consciousness is before\nthe race and will gradually come to it in the future. He holds that the\nmanifestation of it which has come to some few of the race, as above\nstated, is but the first beams of the sun which are flashing upon us and\nwhich are but prophecies of the appearance of the great body of light\nitself.\n\nWe shall not here consider at length the reports of certain great\nreligious personages of the past, who have left records that in moments\nof great spiritual exaltation they became conscious of \"being in the\npresence of the Absolute,\" or perhaps within the radius of \"the light of\nIts countenance.\" We have great respect for these reports, and have every\nreason for believing many of them authentic, notwithstanding the\nconflicting reports that have been handed down to us by those\nexperiencing them. These reports are conflicting because of the fact that\nthe minds of those who had these glimpses of consciousness were not\nprepared or trained to fully understand the nature of the phenomena. They\nfound themselves in the spiritual presence of Something of awful grandeur\nand spiritual rank, and were completely dazed and bewildered at the\nsight. They did not understand the nature of the Absolute, and when they\nhad sufficiently recovered they reported that they had been in the\n\"presence of God\"--the word \"God\" meaning their particular conception\nof Deity--that is, the one appearing as Deity in their own particular\nreligious creed or school. They saw nothing to cause them to identify\nthis Something with their particular conception of Deity, except that\nthey thought that \"it _must_ be God,\" and knowing no other God except\ntheir own particular conception, they naturally identifying the Something\nwith \"God\" as they conceived Him to be. And their reports naturally\nwere along these lines.\n\nThus the reports of all religions are filled with accounts of the\nso-called miraculous occurrences. The Catholic saint reports that he \"saw\nof light of God's countenance,\" and the non-Catholic reports likewise\nregarding God as he knows him. The Mohammedan reports that he caught a\nglimpse of the face of Allah, and the Buddhist tells us that he saw\nBuddha under the tree. The Brahman has seen the face of Brahma, and the\nvarious Hindu sects have men who give similar reports regarding their own\nparticular deities. The Persians have given similar reports, and even the\nancient Egyptians have left records of similar occurrences. These\nconflicting reports have led to the belief, on the part of those who did\nnot understand the nature of the phenomena, that these things were \"all\nimagination\" and fancy, if indeed not rank falsehood and imposture. But\nthe Yogis know better than this. They know that underneath all these\nvarying reports there is a common ground of truth, which will be apparent\nto anyone investigating the matter. They know that all of these reports\n(except a few based upon fraudulent imitation of the real phenomenon)\nare based upon truth and are but the bewildered reports of the various\nobservers. They know that these people were temporarily lifted above the\nordinary plane of consciousness and were made aware of the existence of a\nBeing or Beings higher than mortal. It does not follow that they saw\n\"God\" or the Absolute, for there are many Beings of high spiritual growth\nand development that would appear to the ordinary mortal as a very God.\nThe Catholic doctrine of Angels and Arch-angels is corroborated by those\namong the Yogis who have been \"behind the Veil,\" and they give us reports\nof the \"Devas\" and other advanced Beings. So the Yogi accepts these\nreports of the various mystics, saints and inspired ones, and accounts\nfor them all by laws perfectly natural to the students of the Yogi\nPhilosophy, but which appear as supernatural to those who have not\nstudied along these lines.\n\nBut we cannot speak further of this phase of the subject in this lesson,\nfor a full discussion of it would lead us far away from the phase of the\ngeneral subject before us. But we wish to be understood as saying that\nthere are certain centers in the mental being of Man from which may come\nlight regarding the existence of the Absolute and higher order of Beings.\nIn fact, from these centers come to man that part of his mental\n\"feelings\" that he calls \"the religious instinct or intuition.\" Man does\nnot arrive at that underlying consciousness of \"Something Beyond\" by\nmeans of his Intellect--it is the glimmer of light coming from the higher\ncenters of the Self. He notices these gleams of light, but not\nunderstanding them, he proceeds to erect elaborate theological and\ncreedal structures to account for them, the work of the Intellect,\nhowever, always lacking that \"feeling\" that the intuition itself\npossesses. True religion, no matter under what name it may masquerade,\ncomes from the \"heart\" and is not comforted or satisfied with these\nIntellectual explanations, and hence comes that unrest and craving for\nsatisfaction which comes to Man when the light begins to break through.\n\nBut we must postpone a further discussion of this part of the subject for\nthe present. We shall consider it again in a future lesson in connection\nwith other matters. As we have said, our next two lessons will take upon\nthe inquiry regarding the regions outside of the consciousness of the\nordinary man. You will find it a most fascinating and instructive inquiry\nand one that will open up new fields of thought for many of you.\n\n\nMANTRAM (AFFIRMATION.)\n\nI Am a Being far greater and grander than I have as yet conceived. I am\nunfolding gradually but surely into higher planes of consciousness. I am\nmoving Forward and Upward constantly. My goal is the Realization of the\nTrue Self, and I welcome each stage of Unfoldment that leads me toward my\naim. I am a manifestation of REALITY. I _AM_.\n\n\n\n\nTHE EIGHTH LESSON.\n\nTHE HIGHLANDS AND LOWLANDS OF MIND.\n\n\nThe Self of each of us has a vehicle of expression which we call the\nMind, but which vehicle is much larger and far more complex than we are\napt to realize. As a writer has said \"Our Self is greater than we know;\nit has peaks above, and lowlands below the plateau of our conscious\nexperience.\" That which we know as the \"conscious mind\" is not the Soul.\nThe Soul is not a part of that which we know in consciousness, but, on\nthe contrary, that which we know in consciousness is but a small part of\nthe Soul--the conscious vehicle of a greater Self, or \"I.\"\n\nThe Yogis have always taught that the mind has many planes of\nmanifestation and action--and that many of its planes operated above and\nbelow the plane of consciousness. Western science is beginning to realize\nthis fact, and its theories regarding same may be found in any of the\nlater works on psychology. But this is a matter of recent development in\nWestern science. Until very recently the text books held that\nConsciousness and Mind were synonymous, and that the Mind was conscious\nof all of its activities, changes and modifications.\n\nLiebnitz was one of the first Western philosophers to advance the idea\nthat there were planes of mental activity outside of the plane of\nconsciousness, and since his time the leading thinkers have slowly but\nsurely moved forward to his position.\n\nAt the present time it is generally conceded that at least ninety per\ncent of our mental operations take place in the out-of-conscious realm.\nProf. Elmer Gates, the well known scientist, has said: \"At least ninety\nper cent of our mental life is sub-conscious. If you will analyze your\nmental operations you will find that conscious thinking is never a\ncontinuous line of consciousness, but a series of conscious data with\ngreat intervals of subconscious. We sit and try to solve a problem, and\nfail. We walk around, try again, and fail. Suddenly an idea dawns that\nleads to the solution of the problem. The subconscious processes were at\nwork. We do not volitionally create our own thinking. It takes place in\nus. We are more or less passive recipients. We cannot change the nature\nof a thought, or of a truth, but we can, as it were, _guide the ship by a\nmoving of the helm_. Our mentation is largely the result of the great\nCosmic Whole upon us.\"\n\nSir William Hamilton says that the sphere of our consciousness is only a\nsmall circle in the center of a far wider sphere of action and thought,\nof which we are conscious through its effects.\n\nTaine says: \"Outside of a little luminous circle, lies a large ring of\ntwilight, and beyond this an indefinite night; but the events of this\ntwilight and this night are as real as those within the luminous circle.\"\n\nSir Oliver Lodge, the eminent English scientist, speaking of the planes\nof the mind, says: \"Imagine an iceberg glorying in its crisp solidity,\nand sparkling pinnacles, resenting attention paid to its submerged self,\nor supporting region, or to the saline liquid out of which it arose, and\ninto which in due course it will some day return. Or, reversing the\nmetaphor, we might liken our present state to that of the hulls of\nships submerged in a dim ocean among strange monsters, propelled in a\nblind manner through space; proud perhaps of accumulating many barnacles\nas decoration; only recognizing our destination by bumping against the\ndock-wall; and with no cognizance of the deck and cabins above us, or\nthe spars and sails--no thought of the sextant, and the compass, and\nthe captain--no perception of the lookout on the mast--of the distant\nhorizon. With no vision of objects far ahead--dangers to be\navoided--destinations to be reached--other ships to be spoken to by\nmeans other than by bodily contact--a region of sunshine and cloud, of\nspace, or perception, and of intelligence utterly inaccessible to parts\nbelow the waterline.\"\n\nWe ask our students to read carefully the above expression of Sir Oliver\nLodge, for it gives one of the clearest and most accurate figures of the\nactual state of affairs concerning the mental planes that we have seen in\nWestern writings.\n\nAnd other Western writers have noted and spoken of these out-of-conscious\nrealms. Lewes has said: \"It is very certain that in every conscious\nvolition--every act that is so characterized--the larger part of it is\nquite unconscious. It is equally certain that in every perception there\nare unconscious processes of reproduction and inference. There is a\nmiddle distance of sub-consciousness, and a background of\nunconsciousness.\"\n\nTaine has told us that: \"Mental events imperceptible to consciousness are\nfar more numerous than the others, and of the world that makes up our\nbeing we only perceive the highest points--the lighted-up peaks of a\ncontinent whose lower levels remain in the shade. Beneath ordinary\nsensations are their components, that is to say, the elementary\nsensations, which must be combined into groups to reach our\nconsciousness.\"\n\nMaudsley says: \"Examine closely and without bias the ordinary mental\noperations of daily life, and you will find that consciousness has not\none-tenth part of the function therein which it is commonly assumed\nto have. In every conscious state there are at work conscious,\nsub-conscious, and infra-conscious energies, the last as indispensable as\nthe first.\"\n\nOliver Wendall Holmes said: \"There are thoughts that never emerge into\nconsciousness, which yet make their influence felt among the perceptible\nmental currents, just as the unseen planets sway the movements of those\nthat are watched and mapped by the astronomer.\"\n\nMany other writers have given us examples and instances of the operation\nof the out-of-consciousness planes of thought. One has written that when\nthe solution of a problem he had long vainly dealt with, flashed across\nhis mind, he trembled as if in the presence of another being who had\ncommunicated a secret to him. All of us have tried to remember a name\nor similar thing without success, and have then dismissed the matter from\nour minds, only to have the missing name or thought suddenly presented to\nour conscious mind a few minutes, or hours, afterwards. Something in our\nmind was at work hunting up the missing word, and when it found it it\npresented it to us.\n\nA writer has mentioned what he called \"unconscious rumination,\" which\nhappened to him when he read books presenting new points of view\nessentially opposed to his previous opinions. After days, weeks, or\nmonths, he found that to his great astonishment the old opinions were\nentirely rearranged, and new ones lodged there. Many examples of this\nunconscious mental digestion and assimilation are mentioned in the books\non the subject written during the past few years.\n\nIt is related of Sir W. R. Hamilton that he discovered quarternions one\nday while walking with his wife in the observatory at Dublin. He relates\nthat he suddenly felt \"the galvanic circle of thought\" close, and the\nsparks that fell from it was the fundamental mathematical relations of\nhis problem, which is now an important law in mathematics.\n\nDr. Thompson has written: \"At times I have had a feeling of the\nuselessness of all voluntary effort, and also that the matter was working\nitself clear in my mind. It has many times seemed to me that I was really\na passive instrument in the hands of a person not myself. In view of\nhaving to wait for the results of these unconscious processes, I have\nproved the habit of getting together material in advance, and then\nleaving the mass to digest itself till I am ready to write about it. I\ndelayed for a month the writing of my book 'System of Psychology,' but\ncontinued reading the authorities. I would not try to think about the\nbook. I would watch with interest the people passing the windows. One\nevening when reading the paper, the substance of the missing part of the\nbook flashed upon my mind, and I began to write. This is only a sample of\nmany such experiences.\"\n\nBerthelot, the founder of Synthetic Chemistry has said that the\nexperiments leading to his wonderful discoveries have never been the\nresult of carefully followed trains of thought--of pure reasoning\nprocesses--but have come of themselves, so to speak, from the clear sky.\n\nMozart has written: \"I cannot really say that I can account for my\ncompositions. My ideas flow, and I cannot say whence or how they come. I\ndo not hear in my imagination the parts successively, but I hear them, as\nit were, all at once. The rest is merely an attempt to reproduce what I\nhave heard.\"\n\nDr. Thompson, above mentioned, has also said: \"In writing this work I\nhave been unable to arrange my knowledge of a subject for days and weeks,\nuntil I experienced a clearing up of my mind, when I took my pen and\nunhesitatingly wrote the result. I have best accomplished this by leading\nthe (conscious) mind as far away as possible from the subject upon which\nI was writing.\"\n\nProf. Barrett says: \"The mysteriousness of our being is not confined to\nsubtle physiological processes which we have in common with all animal\nlife. There are higher and more capacious powers wrapped up in our human\npersonality than are expressed even by what we know of consciousness,\nwill, or reason. There are supernormal and transcendental powers of\nwhich, at present, we only catch occasional glimpses; and behind and\nbeyond the supernormal there are fathomless abysses, the Divine ground of\nthe soul; the ultimate reality of which our consciousness is but the\nreflection or faint perception. Into such lofty themes I do not propose\nto enter, they must be forever beyond the scope of human inquiry; nor is\nit possible within the limits of this paper to give any adequate\nconception of those mysterious regions of our complex personality, which\nare open to, and beginning to be disclosed by, scientific investigation.\"\n\nRev. Dr. Andrew Murray has written: \"Deeper down than where the soul with\nits consciousness can enter there is spirit matter linking man with God;\nand deeper down than the mind and feelings or will--in the unseen depths\nof the hidden life--there dwells the Spirit of God.\" This testimony is\nremarkable, coming from that source, for it corroborates and reiterates\nthe Yogi teachings of the Indwelling Spirit Schofield has written: \"Our\nconscious mind as compared with the unconscious mind, has been likened\nto the visible spectrum of the sun's rays, as compared to the invisible\npart which stretches indefinitely on either side. We know now that the\nchief part of heat comes from the ultra-red rays that show no light; and\nthe main part of the chemical changes in the vegetable world are the\nresults of the ultra-violet rays at the other end of the spectrum, which\nare equally invisible to the eye, and are recognized only by their potent\neffects. Indeed as these invisible rays extend indefinitely on both sides\nof the visible spectrum, so we may say that the mind includes not only\nthe visible or conscious part, and what we have termed the sub-conscious,\nthat which lies below the red line, but the supraconscious mind that lies\nat the other end--all those regions of higher soul and spirit life, of\nwhich we are only at times vaguely conscious, but which always exist, and\nlink us on to eternal verities, on the one side, as surely as the\nsub-conscious mind links us to the body on the other.\"\n\nWe know that our students will appreciate the above testimony of Dr.\nSchofield, for it is directly in the line of our teachings in the Yogi\nPhilosophy regarding the Planes of the Mind (see \"Fourteen Lessons\").\n\nWe feel justified in quoting further from Dr. Schofield, for he voices in\nthe strongest manner that which the Yogi Philosophy teaches as\nfundamental truths regarding the mind. Dr. Schofield is an English\nwriter on Psychology, and so far as we know has no tendency toward\noccultism, his views having been arrived at by careful scientific study\nand investigation along the lines of Western psychology, which renders\nhis testimony all the more valuable, showing as it does, how the human\nmind will instinctively find its way to the Truth, even if it has to\nblaze a new trail through the woods, departing from the beaten tracks\nof other minds around it, which lack the courage or enterprise to strike\nout for themselves.\n\nDr. Schofield writes: \"The mind, indeed, reaches all the way, and while\non the one hand it is inspired by the Almighty, on the other it energizes\nthe body, all whose purposive life it originates. We may call the\nsupra-conscious mind the sphere of the spirit life, the sub-conscious the\nsphere of the body life, and the conscious mind the middle region where\nboth meet.\"\n\nContinuing, Dr. Schofield says: \"The Spirit of God is said to\ndwell in believers, and yet, as we have seen, His presence is not the\nsubject of direct consciousness. We would include, therefore, in the\nsupra-conscious, all such spiritual ideas, together with conscience--the\nvoice of God, as Max Muller calls it--which is surely a half-conscious\nfaculty. Moreover, the supra-conscious, like the sub-conscious, is, as we\nhave said, best apprehended when the conscious mind is not active.\nVisions, meditations, prayers, and even dreams have been undoubtedly\noccasions of spiritual revelations, and many instances may be adduced as\nillustrations of the workings of the Spirit apart from the action of\nreason or mind. The truth apparently is that the mind as a whole is an\nunconscious state, by that its middle registers, excluding the highest\nspiritual and lowest physical manifestations, are fitfully illuminated\nin varying degree by consciousness; and that it is to this illuminated\npart of the dial that the word \"mind,\" which rightly appertains to the\nwhole, has been limited.\"\n\nOliver Wendell Holmes has said: \"The automatic flow of thought is often\nsingularly favored by the fact of listening to a weak continuous\ndiscourse, with just enough ideas in it to keep the (conscious) mind\nbusy. The induced current of thought is often rapid and brilliant in\ninverse ratio to the force of the inducing current.\"\n\nWundt says: \"The unconscious logical processes are carried on with a\ncertainty and regularity which would be impossible where there exists the\npossibility of error. Our mind is so happily designed that it prepares\nfor us the most important foundations of cognition, whilst we have not\nthe slightest apprehension of the _modus operandi_. This unconscious\nsoul, like a benevolent stranger, works and makes provisions for our\nbenefit, pouring only the mature fruits into our laps.\"\n\nA writer in an English magazine interestingly writes: \"Intimations reach\nour consciousness from unconsciousness, that the mind is ready to work,\nis fresh, is full of ideas.\" \"The grounds of our judgment are often\nknowledge so remote from consciousness that we cannot bring them to\nview.\" \"That the human mind includes an unconscious part; that\nunconscious events occurring in that part are proximate causes of\nconsciousness; that the greater part of human intuitional action is an\neffect of an unconscious cause; the truth of these propositions is so\ndeducible from ordinary mental events, and is so near the surface that\nthe failure of deduction to forestall induction in the discerning of it\nmay well excite wonder.\" \"Our behavior is influenced by unconscious\nassumptions respecting our own social and intellectual rank, and that\nof the one we are addressing. In company we unconsciously assume a\nbearing quite different from that of the home circle. After being raised\nto a higher rank the whole behavior subtly and unconsciously changes in\naccordance with it.\" And Schofield adds to the last sentence: \"This is\nalso the case in a minor degree with different styles and qualities of\ndress and different environments. Quite unconsciously we change our\nbehavior, carriage, and style, to suit the circumstance.\"\n\nJensen writes: \"When we reflect on anything with the whole force of the\nmind, we may fall into a state of entire unconsciousness, in which we not\nonly forget the outer world, but also know nothing at all of ourselves\nand the thoughts passing within us after a time. We then suddenly awake\nas from a dream, and usually at the same moment the result of our\nmeditations appears as distinctly in consciousness without our knowing\nhow we reached it.\"\n\nBascom says: \"It is inexplicable how premises which lie below\nconsciousness can sustain conclusions in consciousness; how the mind can\nwittingly take up a mental movement at an advanced stage, having missed\nits primary steps.\"\n\nHamilton and other writers have compared the mind's action to that of a\nrow of billiard balls, of which one is struck and the impetus transmitted\nthroughout the entire row, the result being that only the last ball\nactually moves, the others remaining in their places. The last ball\nrepresents the conscious thought--the other stages in the unconscious\nmentation. Lewes, speaking of this illustration, says: \"Something like\nthis, Hamilton says, seems often to occur in a train of thought, one idea\nimmediately suggesting another into consciousness--this suggestion\npassing through one or more ideas which do not themselves rise into\nconsciousness. This point, that we are not conscious of the formation of\ngroups, but only of a formed group, may throw light on the existence of\nunconscious judgments, unconscious reasonings, and unconscious\nregistrations of experience.\"\n\nMany writers have related the process by which the unconscious mentation\nemerges gradually into the field of consciousness, and the discomfort\nattending the process. A few examples may prove interesting and\ninstructive.\n\nMaudsley says: \"It is surprising how uncomfortable a person may be made\nby the obscure idea of something which he ought to have said or done, and\nwhich he cannot for the life of him remember. There is an effort of the\nlost idea to get into consciousness, which is relieved directly the idea\nbursts into consciousness.\"\n\nOliver Wendell Holmes said: \"There are thoughts that never emerge into\nconsciousness, and which yet make their influence felt among the\nperceptive mental currents, just as the unseen planets sway the movements\nof the known ones.\" The same writer also remarks: \"I was told of a\nbusiness man in Boston who had given up thinking of an important question\nas too much for him. But he continued so uneasy in his brain that he\nfeared he was threatened with palsy. After some hours the natural\nsolution of the question came to him, worked out, as he believed, in that\ntroubled interval.\"\n\nDr. Schofield mentions several instances of this phase of the workings of\nthe unconscious planes of the mind. We mention a couple that seem\ninteresting and to the point:\n\n\"Last year,\" says Dr. Schofield, \"I was driving to Phillmore Gardens to\ngive some letters to a friend. On the way, a vague uneasiness sprang up,\nand a voice seemed to say, 'I doubt if you have those letters.' Conscious\nreason rebuked it, and said, 'Of course you have; you took them out of\nthe drawer specially.' The vague feeling was not satisfied, but could not\nreply. On arrival I found the letters were in none of my pockets. On\nreturning I found them on the hall table, where they had been placed a\nmoment putting on my gloves.\"\n\n\"The other day I had to go to see a patient in Folkestone, in Shakespeare\nTerrace. I got there very late, and did not stay but drove down to the\nPavilion for the night, it being dark and rainy. Next morning at eleven I\nwalked up to find the house, knowing the general direction, though never\nhaving walked there before. I went up the main road, and, after passing\na certain turning, began to feel a vague uneasiness coming into\nconsciousness, that I had passed the terrace. On asking the way, I found\nit was so; and the turning was where the uneasiness began. The night\nbefore was pitch dark, and very wet, and anything seen from a close\ncarriage was quite unconsciously impressed on my mind.\"\n\nProf. Kirchener says: \"Our consciousness can only grasp one quite clear\nidea at once. All other ideas are for the time somewhat obscure. They are\nreally existing, but only potentially for consciousness, _i.e.,_ they\nhover, as it were, on our horizon, or beneath the threshold of\nconsciousness. The fact that former ideas suddenly return to\nconsciousness is simply explained by the fact that they have continued\npsychic existence: and attention is sometimes voluntarily or\ninvoluntarily turned away from the present, and the appearance of former\nideas is thus made possible.\"\n\nOliver Wendell Holmes says: \"Our different ideas are stepping-stones; how\nwe get from one to another we do not know; something carries us. We (our\nconscious selves) do not take the step. The creating and informing\nspirit, which is _within_ us and not _of_ us, is recognized everywhere in\nreal life. It comes to us as a voice that will be heard; it tells us what\nwe must believe; it frames our sentences and we wonder at this visitor\nwho chooses our brain as his dwelling place.\"\n\nGalton says: \"I have desired to show how whole states of mental operation\nthat have lapsed out of ordinary consciousness, admit of being dragged\ninto light.\"\n\nMontgomery says: \"We are constantly aware that feelings emerge\nunsolicited by any previous mental state, directly from the dark womb of\nunconsciousness. Indeed all our most vivid feelings are thus mystically\nderived. Suddenly a new irrelevant, unwilled, unlooked-for presence\nintrudes itself into consciousness. Some inscrutable power causes it to\nrise and enter the mental presence as a sensorial constituent. If this\nvivid dependence on unconscious forces has to be conjectured with regard\nto the most vivid mental occurrences, how much more must such a\nsustaining foundation be postulated for those faint revivals of previous\nsensations that so largely assist in making up our complex mental\npresence!\"\n\nSir Benjamin Brodie says: \"It has often happened to me to have\naccumulated a store of facts, but to have been able to proceed no\nfurther. Then after an interval of time, I have found the obscurity and\nconfusion to have cleared away: the facts to have settled in their right\nplaces, though I have not been sensible of having made any effort for\nthat purpose.\"\n\nWundt says: \"The traditional opinion that consciousness is the entire\nfield of the internal life cannot be accepted. In consciousness, psychic\nacts are very distinct from one another, and observation itself\nnecessarily conducts to unity in psychology. But the agent of this unity\nis outside of consciousness, which knows only the result of the work done\nin the unknown laboratory beneath it. Suddenly a new thought springs into\nbeing. Ultimate analysis of psychic processes shows that the unconscious\nis the theater of the most important mental phenomena. The conscious is\nalways conditional upon the unconscious.\"\n\nCreighton says: \"Our conscious life is the sum of these entrances and\nexits. Behind the scenes, as we infer, there lies a vast reserve which we\ncall 'the unconscious,' finding a name for it by the simple device of\nprefixing the negative article. The basis of all that lies behind the\nscene is the mere negative of consciousness.\"\n\nMaudsley says: \"The process of reasoning adds nothing to knowledge (in\nthe reasoner). It only displays what was there before, and brings to\nconscious possession what before was unconscious.\" And again: \"Mind can\ndo its work without knowing it. Consciousness is the light that lightens\nthe process, not the agent that accomplishes it.\"\n\nWalstein says: \"It is through the sub-conscious self that Shakespeare\nmust have perceived, without effort, great truths which are hidden from\nthe conscious mind of the student; that Phidias painted marble and\nbronze; that Raphael painted Madonnas, and Beethoven composed\nsymphonies.\"\n\nRibot says: \"The mind receives from experience certain data, and\nelaborates them unconsciously by laws peculiar to itself, and the result\nmerges into consciousness.\"\n\nNewman says: \"When the unaccustomed causes surprise, we do not perceive\nthe thing and then feel the surprise; but surprise comes first, and then\nwe search out the cause; so the theory must have acted on the unconscious\nmind to create the feeling, before being perceived in consciousness.\"\n\nA writer in an English magazine says: \"Of what transcendent importance is\nthe fact that the unconscious part of the mind bears to the conscious\npart such a relation as the magic lantern bears to the luminous disc\nwhich it projects; that the greater part of the intentional action, the\nwhole practical life of the vast majority of men, is an effect of events\nas remote from consciousness as the motion of the planets.\"\n\nDr. Schofield says: \"It is quite true that the range of the unconscious\nmind must necessarily remain indefinite; none can say how high or low it\nmay reach.... As to how far the unconscious powers of life that, as has\nbeen said, can make eggs and feathers out of Indian corn, and milk and\nbeef and mutton out of grass, are to be considered within or beyond the\nlowest limits of unconscious mind, we do not therefore here press. It is\nenough to establish the fact of its existence; to point out its more\nimportant features; and to show that in all respects it is as worthy of\nbeing called mind as that which works in consciousness. We therefore\nreturn to our first definition of Mind, as 'the sum of psychic action in\nus, whether conscious or unconscious.'\"\n\nHartmann calls our attention to a very important fact when he says: \"The\nunconscious does not fall ill, the unconscious does not grow weary, but\nall conscious mental activity becomes fatigued.\"\n\nKant says: \"To have ideas and yet not be conscious of them--therein seems\nto lie a contradiction. However, we may still be immediately aware of\nholding an idea, though we are not directly conscious of it.\"\n\nMaudsley says: \"It may seem paradoxical to assert not merely that ideas\nmay exist in the mind without any consciousness of them, but that an\nidea, or a train of associated ideas, may be quickened into action and\nactuate movements without itself being attended to. When an idea\ndisappears from consciousness it does not necessarily disappear entirely;\nit may remain latent below the horizon of consciousness. Moreover it may\nproduce an effect upon movement, or upon other ideas, when thus active\nbelow the horizon of consciousness.\"\n\nLiebnitz says: \"It does not follow that because we do not perceive\nthought that it does not exist. It is a great source of error to believe\nthat there is no perception in the mind but that of which it is\nconscious.\"\n\nOliver Wendell Holmes says: \"The more we examine the mechanism of thought\nthe more we shall see that anterior unconscious action of the mind that\nenters largely into all of its processes. People who talk most do not\nalways think most. I question whether persons who think most--that is who\nhave most conscious thought pass through their mind--necessarily do most\nmental work. Every new idea planted in a real thinker's mind grows when\nhe is least conscious of it.\"\n\nMaudsley says: \"It would go hard with mankind indeed, if they must act\nwittingly before they acted at all. Men, without knowing why, follow a\ncourse for which good reasons exist. Nay, more. The practical instincts\nof mankind often work beneficially in actual contradiction to their\nprofessed doctrines.\"\n\nThe same writer says: \"The best thoughts of an author are the unwilled\nthoughts which surprise himself; and the poet, under the influence of\ncreative activity, is, so far as consciousness is concerned, being\ndictated to.\"\n\nA writer in an English magazine says: \"When waiting on a pier for a\nsteamer, I went on to the first, which was the wrong one. I came back and\nwaited, losing my boat, which was at another part of the pier, on account\nof the unconscious assumption I had made, that this was the only place to\nwait for the steamer. I saw a man enter a room, and leave by another\ndoor. Shortly after, I saw another man exactly like him do the same. It\nwas the same man; but I said it must be his twin brother, in the\nunconscious assumption that there was no exit for the first man but by\nthe way he came (that by returning).\"\n\nMaudsley says: \"The firmest resolve or purpose sometimes vanishes\nissueless when it comes to the brink of an act, while the true will,\nwhich determines perhaps a different act, springs up suddenly out of the\ndepths of the unconscious nature, surprising and overcoming the\nconscious.\"\n\nSchofield says: \"Our unconscious influence is the projection of our\nunconscious mind and personality unconsciously over others. This acts\nunconsciously on their unconscious centers, producing effects in\ncharacter and conduct, recognized in consciousness. For instance, the\nentrance of a good man into a room where foul language is used, will\nunconsciously modify and purify the tone of the whole room. Our minds\ncast shadows of which we are as unconscious as those cast by our bodies,\nbut which affect for good or evil all who unconsciously pass within their\nrange. This is a matter of daily experience, and is common to all, though\nmore noticeable with strong personalities.\"\n\nNow we have given much time and space to the expressions of opinion of\nvarious Western writers regarding this subject of there being a plane or\nplanes of the mind outside of the field of consciousness. We have given\nspace to this valuable testimony, not alone because of its intrinsic\nvalue and merit, but because we wished to impress upon the minds of our\nstudents that these out-of-conscious planes of mind are now being\nrecognized by the best authorities in the Western world, although it has\nbeen only a few years back when the idea was laughed at as ridiculous,\nand as a mere \"dream of the Oriental teachers.\" Each writer quoted has\nbrought out some interesting and valuable point of the subject, and the\nstudent will find that his own experiences corroborate the points cited\nby the several writers. In this way we think the matter will be made\nplainer, and will become fixed in the mind of those who are studying this\ncourse of lessons.\n\nBut we must caution our students from hastily adopting the several\ntheories of Western writers, advanced during the past few years,\nregarding these out-of-conscious states. The trouble has been that the\nWestern writers dazzled by the view of the subconscious planes of\nmentation that suddenly burst upon the Western thought, hastily adopted\ncertain theories, which they felt would account for all the phenomena\nknown as \"psychic,\" and which they thought would fully account for all\nthe problems of the subject. These writers while doing a most valuable\nwork, which has helped thousands to form new ideas regarding the nature\nand workings of the mind, nevertheless did not sufficiently explore the\nnature of the problem before them. A little study of the Oriental\nphilosophies might have saved them and their readers much confusion.\n\nFor instance, the majority of these writers hastily assumed that because\nthere _was_ an out-of-conscious plane of mentation, therefore all the\nworkings of the mind might be grouped under the head of \"conscious\" and\n\"sub-conscious,\" and that all the out-of-conscious phenomena might be\ngrouped under the head of \"subconscious mind,\" \"subjective mind,\" etc.,\nignoring the fact that this class of mental phenomena embraced not\nonly the highest but the lowest forms of mentation In their newly found\n\"mind\" (which they called \"subjective\" or \"sub-conscious\"), they placed\nthe lowest traits and animal passions; insane impulses; delusions;\nbigotry; animal-like intelligence, etc., etc., as well as the inspiration\nof the poet and musician, and the high spiritual longings and feelings\nthat one recognizes as having come from the higher regions of the soul.\n\nThis mistake was a natural one, and at first reading the Western world\nwas taken by storm, and accepted the new ideas and theories as Truth. But\nwhen reflection came, and analysis was applied there arose a feeling of\ndisappointment and dissatisfaction, and people began to feel that there\nwas something lacking. They intuitively recognized that their higher\ninspirations and intuitions came from a different part of the mind than\nthe lower emotions, passions, and other sub-conscious feelings, and\ninstincts.\n\nA glance at the Oriental philosophies will give one the key to the\nproblem at once. The Oriental teachers have always held that the\nconscious mentation was but a small fraction of the entire volume of\nthought, but they have always taught that just as there was a field of\nmentation _below_ consciousness, so was there a field of mentation\n_above_ consciousness as much higher than Intellect as the other was\nlower than it. The mere mention of this fact will prove a revelation to\nthose who have not heard it before, and who have become entangled with\nthe several \"dual-mind\" theories of the recent Western writers. The more\none has read on this subject the more he will appreciate the superiority\nof the Oriental theory over that of the Western writers. It is like the\nchemical which at once clears the clouded liquid in the test-tube.\n\nIn our next lesson we shall go into this subject of the above-conscious\nplanes, and the below-conscious planes, bringing out the distinction\nclearly, and adding to what we have said on the subject in previous\nbooks.\n\nAnd all this is leading us toward the point where we may give you\ninstruction regarding the training and cultivation--the retraining and\nguidance of these out-of-conscious faculties. By retraining the lower\nplanes of mentation to their proper work, and by stimulating the higher\nones, man may \"make himself over.\" mentally, and may acquire powers of\nwhich he but dreams now. This is why we are leading you up to the\nunderstanding of this subject, step by step. We advise you to acquaint\nyourself with each phase of the matter, that you may be able to apply the\nteachings and instructions to follow in later lessons of the course.\n\n\nMANTRAM (AFFIRMATION).\n\nI recognize that my Self is greater than it seems--that above and below\nconsciousness are planes of mind--that just as there are lower planes of\nmind which belong to my past experience in ages past and over which I\nmust now assert my Mastery--so are there planes of mind into which I am\nunfolding gradually, which will bring me wisdom, power, and joy. I Am\nMyself, in the midst of this mental world--I am the Master of my\nMind--I assert my control of its lower phases, and I demand of its higher\nall that it has in store for me.\n\n\n\n\nTHE NINTH LESSON.\n\nTHE MENTAL PLANES.\n\n\nIn our last lesson we told you something about the operation of the mind\noutside of the field of consciousness. In this lesson we will attempt to\nclassify these out-of-consciousness planes, by directing your attention\nto the several mental planes above and below the plane of consciousness.\nAs we stated in the last lesson, over 90 per cent of our mental\noperations are conducted outside of the field of consciousness, so that\nthe consideration of the planes is seen to be an important subject.\n\nMan is a Centre of Consciousness in the great One Life of the Universe.\nHis soul has climbed a great many steps before it reached its present\nposition and stage of unfoldment. And it will pass through many more\nsteps until it is entirely free and delivered from the necessity of its\nswaddling clothes.\n\nIn his mental being man contains traces of all that has gone before--all\nthe experiences of himself and the great race movement of which he is a\npart. And, likewise, his mind contains faculties and mental planes which\nhave not as yet unfolded into consciousness, and of the existence of\nwhich he is but imperfectly aware. All of these mental possessions,\nhowever, are useful and valuable to him--even the lowest. The lowest\nmay be used to advantage, under proper mastery, and are only dangerous to\nthe man who allows them to master him instead of serving him as they\nshould, considering his present stage of development.\n\nIn this consideration of the several mental planes we shall not confine\nourselves to the technical occult terms given to these several planes,\nbut will place them in general groups and describe the features and\ncharacteristics of each, rather than branch off into long explanations of\nthe growth and reason of the several planes, which would take us far away\nfrom the practical consideration of the subject.\n\nBeginning at the lowest point of the scale we see that man has a body.\nThe body is composed of minute cells of protoplasm. These cells are built\nup of countless molecules, atoms and particles of matter--precisely the\nsame matter that composes the rocks, trees, air, etc., around him. The\nYogi philosophy tells us that even the atoms of matter have life and an\nelementary manifestation of mind, which causes them to group together\naccording to the law of attraction, forming different elements,\ncombinations, etc. This law of attraction is a mental operation, and is\nthe first evidence of mental choice, action and response. Below this is\nPrana or Force, which, strictly speaking, is also a manifestation of\nmind, although for convenience we designate it as a separate\nmanifestation of the Absolute.\n\nAnd therefore we find that this law of attraction between the atoms and\nparticles of matter is a mental action, and that it belongs to man's\nmental kingdom, because he has a body and this mental action is\ncontinually going on in his body. So therefore this is the lowest mental\nplane to be considered in the make-up of the man. This plane is, of\ncourse, far sunken beneath the plane of consciousness, and is scarcely\nidentified with the personality of the man at all, but rather belongs to\nthe life of the whole, manifest in the rock as well as in the man.\n\nBut after these atoms have been grouped by the law of attraction and have\nformed molecules of matter, they are taken possession of by a higher\nmental activity and built up into cells by the mental action of the\nplant. The life impulse of the plant begins by drawing to it certain\nparticles of inorganic matter--chemical elements--and then building them\ninto a single cell. Oh, mystery of the cell! The intellect of man is\nunable to duplicate this wonderful process. The Mind Principle on the\nVegetative Plane, however, knows exactly how to go to work to select and\ndraw to itself just the elements needed to build up the single cell. Then\ntaking up its abode in that cell--using it as a basis of operations, it\nproceeds to duplicate its previous performance, and so cell after cell\nis added, by the simple reproductive process of division and\nsubdivision--the primitive and elemental sex process--until the mighty\nplant is built up. From the humblest vegetable organism up to the\ngreatest oak the process is the same.\n\nAnd it does not stop there. The body of man is also built up in just this\nway, and he has this vegetative mind also within him, below the plane of\nconsciousness, of course. To many this thought of a vegetative mind may\nbe somewhat startling. But let us remember that every part of our body\nhas been built up from the vegetable cell. The unborn child starts with\nthe coalition of two cells. These cells begin to build up the new body\nfor the occupancy of the child--that is, the mind principle in the cells\ndirects the work, of course--drawing upon the body of the mother for\nnourishment and supplies. The nourishment in the mother's blood, which\nsupplies the material for the building up of the child's body, is\nobtained by the mother eating and assimilating the vegetable cells of\nplants, directly or indirectly. If she eats fruit, nuts, vegetables,\netc., she obtains the nourishment of the plant life directly--if she eats\nmeat she obtains it indirectly, for the animal from which the meat was\ntaken built up the meat from vegetables. There is no two ways about\nthis--all nourishment of the animal and human kingdom is obtained from\nthe vegetable kingdom, directly or indirectly.\n\nAnd the cell action in the child is identical with the cell action in the\nplant. Cells constantly reproducing themselves and building themselves up\ninto bodily organs, parts, etc., under the direction and guidance of the\nmind principle. The child grows in this way until the hour of birth. It\nis born, and then the process is but slightly changed. The child begins\nto take nourishment either from the mother's milk or from the milk of the\ncow, or other forms of food. And as it grows larger it partakes of many\ndifferent varieties of food. But always it obtains building material from\nthe cell life of the plants.\n\nAnd this great building up process is intelligent, purposeful, to a\nwonderful degree. Man with his boasted intellect cannot explain the real\n\"thingness\" of the process. A leading scientist who placed the egg of a\nsmall lizard under microscopical examination and then watched it slowly\ndevelop has said that it seemed as if some hand was tracing the outlines\nof the tiny vertebrae, and then building up around it. Think for a moment\nof the development of the germ within the egg of the humming-bird, or the\nant, or the gnat, or the eagle. Every second a change may be noticed. The\ngerm cell draws to itself nourishment from the other part of the egg, and\nthen it grows and reproduces another cell. Then both cells divide--then\nsubdivide until there are millions and millions and millions of cells.\nAnd all the while the building up process continues, and the bird or\ninsect assumes shape and form, until at last the work is accomplished\nand the young bird emerges from the egg.\n\nAnd the work thus commenced continues until the death of the animal. For\nthere is a constant using-up and breaking-down of cell and tissue, which\nthe organism must replace. And so the vegetative mind of the plant, or\ninsect, or animal, or man, is constantly at work building up new cells\nfrom the food, throwing out worn-out and used-up material from the\nsystem. Not only this, but it attends to the circulation of the blood in\norder that the materials for the building up may be carried to all parts\nof the system. It attends to the digestion and assimilation of the\nfood--the wonderful work of the organs of the body. It attends to the\nhealing of wounds, the fight against disease, the care of the physical\nbody. And all this out of the plane of consciousness--in the infant man\nthe animal world, the vegetable kingdom--ever at work, untiring,\nintelligent, wonderful. And this plane of mind is in man as well as in\nthe plant, and it does its work without aid from the conscious part of\nman, although man may interfere with it by adverse conscious thought,\nwhich seems to paralyze its efforts. Mental Healing is merely the\nrestoring of normal conditions, so that this part of the body may do its\nwork without the hindrance of adverse conscious thought.\n\nOn this plane of the mind is found all of the vital functions and\noperations. The work is done out-of-consciousness, and the consciousness\nis aware of this part of the mind only when it makes demands upon the\nconscious for food, etc. On this plane also resides the elementary\ninstinct that tends toward reproduction and sexual activity. The demand\nof this part of the mind is always \"increase and multiply,\" and according\nto the stage of growth of the individual is the mandate carried out, as\nwe shall see presently. The elementary impulses and desires that we\nfind rising into the field of consciousness come from this plane of the\nmind. Hunger, thirst and the reproductive desires are its messages to the\nhigher parts of the mind. And these messages are natural and free from\nthe abuses and prostitution often observed attached to them by the\nintellect of man in connection with his unrestrained animal impulses.\nGluttony and unnatural lust arise not from the primitive demand of this\nplane of the mind--for the lower animals even are free from them to a\ngreat extent--but it is reserved for man to so prostitute these primitive\nnatural tendencies, in order to gratify unnatural and artificial\nappetites, which serve to frustrate nature rather than to aid her.\n\nAs Life advanced in the scale and animal forms appeared on the scene new\nplanes of mind were unfolded, in accordance to the necessity of the\nliving forms. The animal was compelled to hunt for his food--to prey upon\nother forms, and to avoid being preyed upon by others. He was compelled\nto struggle for the unfoldment of latent powers of his mind that would\ngive him means to play his part in the scheme of life. He was compelled\nto do certain things in order to live and reproduce his kind. And he\ndemanded not in vain. For there came to him slowly an unfolding knowledge\nof the things necessary for the requirements of his life. We call this\nInstinct. But, pray remember, by Instinct we do not mean the still higher\nsomething that is really rudimentary Intellect that we notice in the\nhigher animals. We are speaking now of the unreasoning instinct observed\nin the lower animals, and to a certain degree in man. This Instinctive\nplane of mentality causes the bird to build its nest before its eggs are\nlaid, which instructs the animal mother how to care for its young when\nborn, and after birth; which teaches the bee to construct its cell and to\nstore up its honey. These and countless other things in animal life, and\nin the higher form of plant life, are manifestations of Instinct--that\ngreat plane of the mind. In fact, the greater part of the life of the\nanimal is instinctive although the higher forms of animals have developed\nsomething like rudimentary Intellect or Reason, which enables them to\nmeet new conditions where Intellect alone fails them.\n\nAnd man has this plane of mind within him, below consciousness. In fact\nthe lower forms of human life manifest but little Intellect, and live\nalmost altogether according to their Instinctive impulses and desires.\n\nEvery man has this Instinctive mental region within him and from it are\nconstantly arising impulses and desires to perplex and annoy him, as well\nas to serve him occasionally. The whole secret consists in whether the\nman has Mastery of his lower self or not.\n\nFrom this plane of the mind arise the hereditary impulses coming down\nfrom generations of ancestors, reaching back to the cavemen, and still\nfurther back into the animal kingdom. A queer storehouse is this.\nAnimal instincts--passions, appetites, desires, feelings, sensations,\nemotions, etc., are there. Hate, envy, jealousy, revenge, the lust of the\nanimal seeking the gratification of his sexual impulses, etc., etc., are\nthere, and are constantly intruding upon our attention until we have\nasserted our mastery. And often the failure to assert this mastery comes\nfrom an ignorance of the nature of the desire, etc. We have been taught\nthat these thoughts were \"bad\" without being told _why_, and we have\nfeared them and thought them the promptings of an impure nature, or a\ndepraved mind, etc. This is all wrong. These things are not \"bad\" of\nthemselves--they came to us honestly--they are our heritage from the\npast. They belong to the animal part of our nature, and were necessary to\nthe animal in his stage of development. We have the whole menagerie\nwithin us, but that does not mean that we should turn the beasts loose\nupon ourselves or others. It was necessary for the animal to be fierce,\nfull of fight, passionate, regardless of the rights of others, etc., but\nwe have outgrown that stage of development, and it is ignoble for us to\nreturn to it, or to allow it to master us.\n\nThis lesson is not intended as a discourse upon Ethics or morals. We do\nnot intend going into a discussion of the details of \"Right and Wrong,\"\nfor we have touched upon that phase of the subject in other works. But we\nfeel justified in calling your attention to the fact that the human mind\nintuitively recognizes the \"Rightness\" of the living up to that which\ncomes to us from the highest parts of the mind--the highest product of\nour unfoldment. And it likewise intuitively recognizes the \"Wrongness\" of\nthe falling back into that which belongs to the lower stages of our\nmentality--to the animal part of us, that is our heritage from the past\nand that which has gone before.\n\nWhile we may be puzzled about many details of morals and ethics and may\nnot be able to \"explain\" why we consider certain things right or wrong,\nwe still intuitively feel that the highest \"Right\" of which we are\ncapable is the acting out of that which is coming to us from the highest\npole of our mental being, and that the lowest \"Wrong\" consists in doing\nthat which carries us back to the life of the lower animals, in so far as\nmentality is concerned. Not because there is anything absolutely \"Wrong\"\nin the mental processes and consequent of the animals in themselves--they\nare all right and perfectly natural in the animals--but we intuitively\nrecognize that for us to fall back to the animal stage is a \"going\nbackward\" in the scale of evolution. We intuitively shrink at an\nexhibition of brutality and animality on the part of a man or woman. We\nmay not know just why, but a little reflection will show us that it is a\nsinking in the evolutionary scale, against which the spiritual part of us\nrevolts and protests.\n\nBut this must not be construed to mean that the advanced soul looks upon\nthe animal world with disgust or horror. On the contrary, there is\nnowhere to be found a higher respect for animal life and being than among\nthe Yogi and other advanced souls. They delight in watching the animals\nfilling their places in life--playing out their parts in the divine\nscheme of life. Their animal passions and desires are actions viewed\nsympathetically and lovingly by the advanced soul, and nothing \"Wrong\" or\ndisgusting is seen there. And even the coarseness and brutality of\nthe savage races are so regarded by these advanced souls. They see\neverything as natural according to the grade and degree of development of\nthese people.\n\nIt is only when these advanced souls view the degeneracies of \"civilized\"\nlife that they feel sorrow and pain. For here they see instances of\ndevolution instead of evolution--degeneration instead of regeneration\nand advancement. And not only do they know this to be the fact, but the\ndegenerate specimens of mankind themselves feel and know it. Compare\nthe expression of the animal or savage going through their natural life\nactions and performances. See how free and natural are their expressions,\nhow utterly apart are evidences of wrong doing. They have not as yet\nfound out the fatal secret of Good and Evil--they have not as yet eaten\nthe forbidden fruit. But, on the contrary, look into the faces of the\ndegenerates and fallen souls of our civilized life. See the furtive\nglance and the self-consciousness of \"Wrong\" evident in every face. And\nthis consciousness of \"Wrong\" bears heavily upon these people--it is\nheavier than the punishments heaped upon them That nameless something\ncalled \"conscience\" may be smothered for a while, but sooner or later it\ncomes to light and demands the pound of flesh from its victim.\n\nAnd yet you will say that it seems hard to think that the same thing can\nbe Right in one person and Wrong in another. This seems like a hard\nsaying and a dangerous doctrine, but it is the Truth. And man\ninstinctively recognizes it. He does not expect the same sense of moral\nresponsibility in a young child, or in a savage, that he does in a\nmature, developed, civilized man. He may restrain the child and the\nsavage, for self-protection and the welfare of all, but he realizes the\ndistinction, or at least should do so. And not only is this true, but as\nman advances in the scale he casts off many ideas of \"Wrong\" that he\nonce held, having outgrown the old ideas and having grown into new\nconceptions. And the tendency is always upward and onward. The tendency\nis constantly from Force and Restraint toward Love and Freedom. The ideal\ncondition would be one in which there were no laws and no necessity for\nthem--a condition in which men had ceased to do wrong because they had\noutgrown the desire rather than from fear or restraint or force. And\nwhile this condition as yet seems afar off, there is constantly going on\nan unfoldment of higher planes and faculties of the mind, which when once\nfully manifest in the race will work a complete revolution in ethics and\nlaws and government--and for the better, of course. In the meantime\nMankind moves along, doing the best it can, making a steady though slow\nprogress.\n\nThere is another plane of the mind which is often called the \"Instinct,\"\nbut which is but a part of the plane of the Intellect, although its\noperations are largely below the field of consciousness. We allude to\nwhat may be called the \"Habit Mind,\" in order to distinguish it from the\nInstinctive Plane. The difference is this: The Instinctive plane of mind\nis made up of the ordinary operations of the mind below the plane of the\nIntellect, and yet above the plane of the Vegetative mind--and also of\nthe acquired experiences of the race, which have been transmitted by\nheredity, etc. But the \"Habit Mind\" contains only that which has been\nplaced there by the person himself and which he has acquired by\nexperience, habit, and observation, repeated so often until the mind\nknows it so well that it is carried below the field of consciousness and\nbecomes \"second nature,\" and akin to Instinct.\n\nThe text books upon psychology are filled with illustrations and examples\nof the habit phase or plane of the mental operations, and we do not think\nit necessary to repeat instances of the same kind here. Everyone is\nfamiliar with the fact that tasks which at first are learned only by\nconsiderable work and time soon become fixed in some part of the mind\nuntil their repetition calls for little or no exercise of conscious\nmental operation. In fact, some writers have claimed that no one really\n\"learns\" how to perform a task until he can perform it almost\nautomatically. The pupil who in the early stages of piano playing finds\nit most difficult to control and manage his fingers, after a time is able\nto forget all about his fingering and devote his entire attention to the\npages of his music, and after this he is able to apparently let his\nfingers play the entire piece of music by themselves without a thought on\nhis part. The best performers have told us that in the moments of their\nhighest efforts they are aware that the out-of-conscious portion of their\nmind is doing the work for them, and they are practically standing aside\nand witnessing the work being done. So true is this that in some cases it\nis related that if the performer's conscious mind attempts to take up the\nwork the quality is impaired and the musician and the audience notice the\ndifference.\n\nThe same thing is true in the case of the woman learning to operate the\nsewing machine. It is quite difficult at first, but gradually it grows to\n\"run itself.\" Those who have mastered the typewriter have had the same\nexperience. At first each letter had to be picked out with care and\neffort. After a gradual improvement the operator is enabled to devote her\nentire attention to the \"copy\" and let the fingers pick out the keys for\nthemselves. Many operators learn rapid typewriting by so training the\nhabit mind that it picks out the letter-keys by reason of their position,\nthe letters being covered over in order to force the mind to adapt itself\nto the new requirements. A similar state of affairs exists wherever men\nor women have to use tools of any kind. The tool soon is recognized by\nthe mind and used as if it were a part of the body, and no more conscious\nthought is devoted to the manipulation than we devote to the operation of\nwalking, which, by the way, is learned by the child only by the\nexpenditure of time and labor. It is astonishing how many things we do\n\"automatically\" in this way. Writers have called our attention to the\nfact that the average man cannot consciously inform you how he puts on\nhis coat in the morning--which arm goes in first, how the coat is held,\netc. But the habit mind knows--knows very well. Let the student stand up\nand put on his coat in the regular way, following the leadings of the\nhabit mind. Then, after removing it, let him attempt to put it on by\ninserting the other arm first, for instance. He will be surprised to find\nout how awkward it will be for him, and how completely he has been\ndepending upon the habit mind. And tomorrow morning let him find out\nwhich shoe the habit mind has been putting on him first and then try to\nreverse the order and notice how flurried and disturbed the habit mind\nwill become, and how frantically it will signal to the conscious mind:\n\"Something wrong up there!\" Or try to button on your collar, reversing\nthe order in which the tabs are placed over the button--right before\nleft, or left before right, as the case may be, and notice the\ninvoluntary protest. Or, try to reverse the customary habit in walking\nand attempt to swing your right arm with the movement of your right leg,\nand so on, and you will find it will require the exercise of great will\npower. Or, try to \"change hands\" and use your knife and fork. But we must\nstop giving examples and illustrations. Their number is countless.\n\nNot only does the habit mind attend to physical actions, etc., but it\nalso takes a hand in our mental operations. We soon acquire the habit of\nceasing to consciously consider certain things, and the habit mind takes\nthe matter for granted, and thereafter we will think automatically on\nthose particular questions, unless we are shaken out of the habit by a\nrude jolt from the mind of someone else, or from the presentation of some\nconflicting idea occasioned by our own experience or reasoning processes.\nAnd the habit mind hates to be disturbed and compelled to revise its\nideas. It fights against it, and rebels, and the result is that many of\nus are slaves to old outgrown ideas that we realize are false and untrue,\nbut which we find that we \"cannot exactly get rid of.\" In our future\nlessons we will give methods to get rid of these old outgrown ideas.\n\nThere are other planes of mind which have to do with the phenomena known\nas \"psychic,\" by which is meant the phases of psychic phenomena known as\nclairvoyance, psychometry, telepathy, etc., but we shall not consider\nthem in this lesson, for they belong to another part of the general\nsubject. We have spoken of them in a general way in our \"Fourteen Lessons\nin Yogi Philosophy, etc.\"\n\nAnd now we come to the plane of mind known to us as Intellect or the\nReasoning Faculties. Webster defines the word Intellect as follows: The\npart or faculty of the human soul by which it knows, as distinguished\nfrom the power to feel and to will; the thinking faculty; the\nunderstanding. The same authority defines the word Reason as follows:\n\"The faculty or capacity of the human mind by which it is distinguished\nfrom the intelligence of the inferior animals.\" We shall not attempt to\ngo into a consideration of the conscious Intellect, for to do so we\nwould be compelled to take up the space of the remaining lessons of the\ncourse, and besides, the student may find extended information on this\nsubject in any of the text books on psychology. Instead we will consider\nother faculties and planes of mind which the said text books pass by\nrapidly, or perhaps deny. And one of these planes is that of Unconscious\nReasoning, or Intellect. To many this term will seem paradoxical, but\nstudents of the unconscious will understand just what is meant.\n\nReasoning is not necessarily conscious in its operations, in fact, a\ngreater part of the reasoning processes are performed below or above the\nconscious field. In our last lesson we have given a number of examples\nproving this fact, but a few more remarks may not be out of place, nor\nwithout interest to the student.\n\nIn our last lesson you will see many instances stated in which the\nsub-conscious field of the Intellect worked out problems, and then after\na time handed to the conscious reason the solution of the matter. This\nhas occurred to many of us, if not indeed to all of us. Who has not\nendeavored to solve a problem or question of some sort and after \"giving\nit up\" has had it suddenly answered and flashed into consciousness when\nleast expected. The experience is common to the race. While the majority\nof us have noticed these things, we have regarded them as exceptional and\nout of the general rule. Not so, however, with students of the mental\nplanes. The latter have recognized these planes of reason, and have\navailed themselves of their knowledge by setting these unconscious\nfaculties to work for them. In our next lesson we will give directions to\nour students regarding this accomplishment, which may prove of the\ngreatest importance to those who will take the trouble to practice the\ndirections given. It is a plan that is known to the majority of men who\nhave \"done things\" in the world, the majority of them, however, having\ndiscovered the plan for themselves as the result of a need or demand upon\nthe inner powers of mind.\n\nThe plane of mind immediately above that of Intellect is that known as\nIntuition. Intuition is defined by Webster as follows: \"Direct\napprehension or cognition; immediate knowledge, as in perception or\nconsciousness, involving no reasoning process; quick or ready insight or\napprehension.\" It is difficult to explain just what is meant by\nIntuition, except to those who have experienced it--and these people do\nnot need the explanation. Intuition is just as real a mental faculty as\nis Intellect--or, to be more exact, is just as much a collection of\nmental faculties. Intuition is above the field of consciousness, and its\nmessages are passed downward, though its processes are hidden. The race\nis gradually unfolding into the plane of Intuition, and the race will\nsome day pass into full consciousness on that plane. In the meantime it\ngets but flashes and glimpses from the hidden region. Many of the best\nthings we have come from that region. Art, music, the love of the\nbeautiful and good poetry, the higher form of love, spiritual insight to\na certain degree, intuitive perception of truth, etc., etc., come from\nthis region. These things are not reasoned out by the intellect, but seem\nto spring full born from some unknown region of the mind.\n\nIn this wonderful region dwells Genius. Many, if not all of the great\nwriters, poets, musicians, artists and other examples of genius have felt\nthat their power came to them from some higher source. Many have thought\nthat it emanated from some being kindly to them, who would inspire them\nwith power and wisdom. Some transcendent power seemed to have been called\ninto operation, and the worker would feel that his product or creation\nwas not his handiwork, but that of some outside intelligence. The Greeks\nrecognized this something in man, and called it man's \"Daemon.\" Plutarch\nin his discourse on the daemon that guided Socrates speaks of the vision\nof Timarchus, who, in the case of Trophonius, saw spirits which were\npartly attached to human bodies, and partly over and above them, shining\nluminously over their heads. He was informed by the oracle that the part\nof the spirit which was immersed in the body was called the \"soul,\" but\nthat the outer and unimmersed portion was called the \"daemon.\" The oracle\nalso informed him that every man had his daemon, whom he is bound to\nobey; those who implicitly follow that guidance are the prophetic souls,\nthe favorites of the gods. Goethe also spoke of the daemon as a power\nhigher than the will, and which inspired certain natures with miraculous\nenergy.\n\nWe may smile at these conceptions, but they are really very close to the\ntruth. The higher regions of the mind, while belonging to the individual,\nand a part of himself, are so far above his ordinary consciousness that\nto all intents and purposes messages from them are as orders from another\nand higher soul. But still the voice is that of the \"I,\" speaking through\nits sheaths as best it is able.\n\nThis power belongs to every one of us, although it manifests only in the\ndegree that we are able to respond to it. It grows by faith and\nconfidence, and closes itself up, and withdraws into its recesses when\nwe doubt it and would question its veracity and reality. What we call\n\"originality\" comes from this region. The Intuitive faculties pass on to\nthe conscious mind some perception of truth higher than the Intellect has\nbeen able to work out for itself, and lo! it is called the work of\ngenius.\n\nThe advanced occultist knows that in the higher regions of the mind are\nlocked up intuitive perceptions of all truth, and that he who can gain\naccess to these regions will know everything intuitively, and as a matter\nof clear sight, without reasoning or explanation. The race has not as yet\nreached the heights of Intuition--it is just beginning to climb the\nfoothills. But it is moving in the right direction. It will be well for\nus if we will open ourselves to the higher inner guidance, and be willing\nto be \"led by the Spirit.\" This is a far different thing from being led\nby outside intelligence, which may, or may not, be qualified to lead. But\nthe Spirit within each of us has our interests at heart and is desirous\nof our best good, and is not only ready but willing to take us by the\nhand and lead us on. The Higher Self is doing the best it can for our\ndevelopment and welfare, but is hampered by the confining sheaths. And\nalas, many of us glory in these sheaths and consider them the highest\npart of ourselves. Do not be afraid to let the light of the Spirit pierce\nthrough these confining sheaths and dissolve them. The Intuition,\nhowever, is not the Spirit, but is one of its channels of communication\nto us. There are other and still higher planes of mind, but the Intuition\nis the one next in the line of unfoldment, and we should open ourselves\nto its influence and welcome its unfoldment.\n\nAbove the plane of Intuition is that of the Cosmic Knowing, upon which we\nwill find the consciousness of the Oneness of All. We have spoken of this\nplane in our lesson on the Unfoldment of Consciousness. When one is able\nto \"conscious\" on this plane--this exalted plane of mind--he is able to\nsee fully, plainly and completely that there is One Great Life underlying\nall the countless forms and shapes of manifestation. He is able to see\nthat separateness is only \"the working fiction of the Universe.\" He is\nable to see that each Ego is but a Centre of Consciousness in the great\nOcean of Life--all in pursuance of the Divine Plan, and that he is moving\nforward toward higher and higher planes of manifestation, power and\nindividuality, in order to take a greater and grander part in the\nUniversal work and plans.\n\nThe Cosmic Knowing in its fulness has come to but few of the race, but\nmany have had glimpses, more or less clear, of its transcendent wonder,\nand others are on the borderland of this plane. The race is unfolding\ngradually, slowly but surely, and those who have had this wonderful\nexperience are preparing others for a like experience. The seed is being\nsown, and the harvest will come later. This and other phases of the\nhigher forms of consciousness are before the race. The individuals who\nread this lesson are perhaps nearer to it than they think; their interest\nin the lessons is an indication of that hunger of the soul which is a\nprophecy of the satisfaction of the cry for spiritual bread. The Law of\nLife heeds these cries for aid and nourishment and responds accordingly,\nbut along the lines of the highest wisdom and according to the _real\nrequirements_ of the individual.\n\nLet us close this lesson with a quotation from \"Light on the Path,\" which\nbears directly upon the concluding thought. Read it carefully and let it\nsink down deep into your inner consciousness, and you will feel the\nthrill of joy that comes to him who is nearing the goal.\n\n\"Look for the flower to bloom in the silence that follows the storm; not\ntill then.\n\n\"It shall grow, it will shoot up, it will make branches and leaves, and\nform buds while the storm lasts. But not until the entire personality of\nthe man is dissolved and melted--not until it is held by the divine\nfragment which has created it, as a mere subject for grave experiment and\nexperience--not until the whole nature has yielded and become subject\nunto its higher self, can the bloom open. Then will come a calm such as\ncomes in a tropical country after the heavy rain, when nature works so\nswiftly that one may see her action. Such a calm will come to the\nharassed spirit. And in the deep silence the mysterious event will occur\nwhich will prove that the way has been found. Call it by whatever name\nyou will. It is a voice that speaks where there is none to speak, it is a\nmessenger that comes--a messenger without form or substance--or it is the\nflower of the soul that has opened. It cannot be described by any\nmetaphor. But it can be felt after, looked for, and desired, even among\nthe raging of the storm. The silence may last a moment of time, or it may\nlast a thousand years. But it will end. Yet you will carry its strength\nwith you. Again and again the battle must be fought and won. It is only\nfor an interval that nature can be still.\"\n\n       *       *       *       *       *\n\nThe concluding three lessons of this series will be devoted to a\npractical course of instruction in the development of the hidden planes\nof the mind, or rather, in the development of the power of the individual\nto master the same and make use of them in his life. He will be taught to\nmaster the lower principles, not only in the surmounting of them, but in\nthe transmitting of the elemental forces toward his higher ends. Power\nmay be obtained from this part of the mind, under the direction of the\nWill. And the student will be told how to set the unconscious Intellect\nto work for him. And he will be told how to develop and train the Will.\nWe have now passed the line between the theoretical and the practical\nphases of the subject, and from now on it will be a case of train,\ndevelop, cultivate and apply. Knowing what lies back of it all, the\nstudent is now prepared to receive the instructions which he might have\nmisused before. Peace be with thee all.\n\n\nMANTRAM (AFFIRMATION).\n\nI AM THE MASTER OF MY SOUL.\n\n\n\n\nTHE TENTH LESSON.\n\nSUB-CONSCIOUSING.\n\n\nIn the Ninth Lesson we called your attention to the fact that Reasoning\nwas not necessarily conscious in its operations, and that, in fact, a\nlarge part of the rational processes of the mind are performed below or\nabove the field of consciousness. And in the Eighth Lesson we gave you a\nnumber of examples illustrating this fact. We also gave you a number of\ncases in which the sub-conscious field of the Intellect worked out\nproblems, and then after a time passed on to the conscious field of the\nIntellect the solution of the matter. In this lesson we purpose\ninstructing you in the methods by which this part of the Intellect may be\nset to work for you. Many have stumbled upon bits of this truth for\nthemselves, and, in fact, the majority of successful men and men who have\nattained eminence in any walk of life have made more or less use of this\ntruth, although they seldom understand the reason of it.\n\nVery few Western writers have recognized the work of this plane of the\nmind. They have given us full and ingenious theories and examples of the\nworkings of the Instinctive Mind, and in some cases they have touched\nupon the workings and operations of the Intuitional planes, but in nearly\nevery case they have treated the Intellect as something entirely confined\nto the Conscious plane of mentation. In this they have missed some of the\nmost interesting and valuable manifestations of sub-conscious mentation.\n\nIn this lesson we will take up this particular phase of mentation, and\ntrust to be able to point out the way to use it to the best advantage,\ngiving some simple instructions that have been given by the Hindu\nteachers to their students for centuries past, such instructions of\ncourse, being modified by us to conform to the requirements and\nnecessities of the Western student of today.\n\nWe have taken the liberty of bestowing a new title upon this phase of\nmentation--we have thought it well to call it \"Sub-consciousing.\" The\nword \"Sub,\" of course means \"under; below;\" and the word \"Consciousing\"\nis a favorite term employed by Prof. Elmer Gates, and means receiving\nimpressions from the mind. In a general way, \"Sub-consciousing,\" as used\nin this lesson, may be understood to mean \"using the subconscious mind,\nunder orders of the conscious mind.\"\n\nBy referring to our Eighth Lesson, we see mention made of the case of the\nman who indulged in \"unconscious rumination,\" which happened to him when\nhe read books presenting new points of view essentially opposed to his\nprevious opinion. You will note that after days, weeks, or months, he\nfound that to his great astonishment the old opinions were entirely\nrearranged, and new ones lodged there.\n\nOn the same page you will see mentioned the case of Sir William Hamilton,\nwho discovered an important law of mathematics while walking with his\nwife. In this case he had been previously thinking of the missing link in\nhis chain of reasoning, and the problem was worked out for him by the\nsub-conscious plane of his Intellect.\n\nOn the same page, and the one following, is found the case of Dr.\nThompson, who gives an interesting account of the workings of this part\nof his mind, which caused him at times to experience a feeling of the\nuselessness of all voluntary effort, coupled with a feeling that the\nmatter was working itself clear in his mind. He tells us that at times he\nseemed to be merely a passive instrument in the hands of some person\nother than himself, who compelled him to wait until the work was\nperformed for him by some hidden region of the mind. When the\nsubconscious part of the mind had completed its work, it would flash the\nmessage to his conscious mind, and he would begin to write.\n\nOn page 178 mention is also made of the great French chemist Berthelot,\nwho relates that some of his best conceptions have flashed upon him as\nfrom the clear sky. In fact, the Eighth Lesson is largely made up of\nexamples of this kind, and we ask the student to re-read the same, in\norder to refresh his mind with the truth of the workings of the\nsub-conscious mentality.\n\nBut you will notice in nearly all the cases mentioned, that those who\nrelated instances of the help of the sub-conscious mind had merely\nstumbled upon the fact that there was a part of the mind below\nconsciousness that could and would work out problems for one, if it could\nsomehow be set in operation. And these people trusted to luck to start\nthat part of the mind in operation. Or rather, they would saturate\ntheir conscious mind with a mass of material, like stuffing the stomach\nwith food, and then bid the subconscious mind assort, separate, arrange\nand digest the mental food, just as does the stomach and digestive\napparatus digest the natural food--outside of the realm of consciousness\nor volition. In none of the cases mentioned was the subconscious\nmind _directed_ specially to perform its wonderful work. It was simply\nhoped that it might digest the mental material with which it had been\nstuffed--in pure self defense. But there is a much better way, and we\nintend to tell you about it. The Hindu Yogis, or rather those who\ninstruct their pupils in _\"Raja Yoga,\"_ give their students directions\nwhereby they may _direct_ their sub-conscious minds to perform mental\ntasks for them, just as one may direct another to perform a task. They\nteach them the methods whereby, after having accumulated the necessary\nmaterials, they may bid the sub-conscious mentality to sort it out,\nrearrange, analyze, and build up from it some bit of desired knowledge.\nMore than this, they instruct their pupils to direct and order the\nsub-conscious mentality to search out and report to them certain\ninformation to be found only within the mind itself--some question of\nphilosophy or metaphysics. And when such art has been acquired, the\nstudent or Yogi rests assured that the desired result will be forthcoming\nin due time, and consequently dismisses the matter from his conscious\nmind, and busies himself with other matters, knowing that day and night,\nincessantly, the sub-consciousing process is going on, and that the\nsub-conscious mind is actively at work collecting the information, or\nworking out the problem.\n\nYou will see at once the great superiority of this method over the old\n\"hit-or-miss,\" \"hope-it-will-work\" plan pursued by those who have\nstumbled upon bits of the truth.\n\nThe Yogi teacher begins by impressing upon his students the fact that the\nmind is capable of extending outward toward an object, material or\nmental, and by examining it by methods inherent in itself, extracting\nknowledge regarding the object named. This is not a startling truth,\nbecause it is so common, everyone employing it more or less every day.\nBut the process by which the knowledge is extracted is most wonderful,\nand really is performed below the plane of consciousness, the work of the\nconscious mind being chiefly concerned in _holding the Attention_ upon\nthe object. We have spoken of the importance of Attention in previous\nlessons, which it will be well for you to re-read, at this time.\n\nWhen the student is fully impressed with the details of the process of\nAttention, and the subsequent unfoldment of knowledge, the Yogi proceeds\nto inform him that there are other means of obtaining knowledge about an\nobject, by the employment of which the Attention may be firmly directed\ntoward the object and then afterwards held there _unconsciously_--that\nis, a portion of the Attention, or a sub-conscious phase of mentation,\nwhich will hold the sub-conscious mind firmly upon the work until\naccomplished, leaving the conscious Attention and mentality free to\nemploy itself with other things.\n\nThe Yogis teach the students that this new form of Attention is far more\nintense and powerful than is the conscious Attention, for it cannot be\ndisturbed or shaken, or distracted from its object, and that it will work\naway at its task for days, months, years, or a lifetime if necessary,\naccording to the difficulty of the task, and in fact carries its work\nover from one life to another, unless recalled by the Will. They teach\nthe student that in everyone's life there is going on a greater or less\ndegree of this sub-conscious work, carried on in obedience to a strong\ndesire for knowledge manifested in some former life, and bearing fruit\nonly in the present existence. Many important discoveries have been made\nin obedience to this law. But it is not of this phase of the matter that\nwe wish to speak in this lesson.\n\nThe Yogi theory is that the sub-conscious intellectual faculty may be set\nto work under the direction of orders given by the Will. All of you know\nhow the sub-conscious mentality will take up an order of the Will, or a\nstrong wish, that the person be awakened at a certain hour in order to\ncatch a train. Or, in the same way how the remembrance of a certain\nengagement at, say, four o'clock, will flash into the mind when the hands\nof the clock approach the stated hour. Nearly every one can recall\ninstances of this sort in his own experience.\n\nBut the Yogis go much further than this. They claim that any and all\nfaculties of the mind may be \"set going,\" or working on any problem, if\nordered thereto by the Will. In fact, the Yogis, and their advanced\nstudents have mastered this art to such a surprising extent that they\nfind it unnecessary to do the drudgery of thinking in the conscious\nfield, and prefer to relegate such mental work to the sub-conscious,\nreserving their conscious work for the consideration of digested\ninformation and thought presented to them by the sub-conscious mind.\n\nTheir directions to their students cover a great deal of ground, and\nextend over a long period of time, and many of the directions are quite\ncomplicated and full of detail. But we think that we can give our\nstudents an abbreviated and condensed idea in a few pages of the lesson.\nAnd the remaining lessons of the course will also throw additional light\non the subject of sub-conscious mental action, in connection with\nother subjects.\n\nThe Yogi takes the student when the latter is much bothered by a\nconsideration of some knotty and perplexing philosophical subject. He\nbids the student relax every muscle,--take the tension from every\nnerve--throw aside all mental strain, and then wait a few moments. Then\nthe student is instructed to grasp the subject which he has had before\nhis mind firmly and fixedly before his mental vision, by means of\nconcentration. Then he is instructed to pass it on to the sub-conscious\nmentality by an effort of the Will, which effort is aided by forming a\nmental picture of the subject as a material substance, _or bundle of\nthought,_ which is being bodily lifted up and dropped down a mental\nhatch-way, or trap-door, in which it sinks from sight. The student is\nthen instructed to say to the sub-conscious mentality: \"I wish this\nsubject thoroughly analyzed, arranged, classified (and whatever else is\ndesired) and then the results handed back to me. Attend to this.\"\n\nThe student is taught to speak to the sub-conscious mentality just as if\nit were a separate entity of being, which had been employed to do the\nwork. He is also taught that _confident expectation_ is an important part\nof the process, and that the degree of success depends upon the degree of\nthis confident expectation.\n\nIn obstinate cases, the student is taught to use the Imagination freely,\nuntil he is able to make a mental image or picture of the sub-conscious\nmind doing what is required of it. This process clears away a mental\npath for the feet of the sub-conscious mind, which it will choose\nthereafter, as it prefers to follow the line of least resistance.\n\nOf course much depends upon practice--practice makes perfect, you know,\nin everything else, and sub-consciousing is no exception to the rule.\n\nThe student gradually acquires a proficiency in the art of\nsub-consciousing, and thereafter devotes his time to acquiring new facts\nfor mental digestion, rather than bestowing it upon the mechanical act of\nthinking.\n\nBut a very important point to be remembered is that the Will-power back\nof the transferred thought-material, which Will-power is the cause of the\nsubconscious action, depends very greatly upon the attention and interest\ngiven to the acquired material. This mass of thought-material which is to\nbe digested, and threshed out by the sub-conscious mind, must be well\nsaturated with interest and attention, in order to obtain the best\nresults. In fact interest and attention are such important aids to the\nWill, that any consideration of the development and acquirement of\nWill-power is practically a development and acquirement of attention and\ninterest. The student is referred to previous lessons in this course in\nwhich the importance of interest and attention is explained and\ndescribed.\n\nIn acquiring the mass of thought-material which is to be passed on to the\nsub-conscious digestion, one must concentrate a great degree of interest\nand attention upon each item of thought-material gathered up. The\ngathering of this thought-material is a matter of the greatest\nimportance, and must not be lightly passed by. One cannot hastily gather\ntogether all sorts of thought-material, and then expect the subconscious\nmind to do its work properly--it will not, in fact, and the student\nproceeding upon any such erroneous supposition is doomed to\ndisappointment.\n\nThe proper way to proceed, is to take up each bit of thought-material in\nturn, and examine it with the greatest possible interest, and\nconsequently the greatest attention, and then after having fairly\nsaturated it with this interested attention, place it with the pile of\nmaterial which, after a while, is to be passed on to the sub-conscious\nmentality. Then take up the next bit of material, and after giving it\nsimilar treatment, pass it along to the pile also. Then after a while\nwhen you have gathered up the main facts of the case, proceed to consider\nthe mass as a whole, with interest and attention, giving it as it were a\n\"general treatment.\" Then drop it down the trap-door into the\nsub-conscious mind, with a strong command, \"Attend to this\nthought-material,\" coupled with a strong expectant belief that your\norder will be obeyed.\n\nThe idea underlying this treatment of the thought-material with interest\nand attention is that by so doing a strong \"Mental Image\" is created,\nwhich may be easily handled by the sub-conscious mind. Remember that you\nare passing on \"thoughts\" for the sub-consciousness to act upon, and that\nthe more tangible and real these thoughts are, the better can they be\nhandled. Therefore any plan that will build these thoughts up into \"real\"\nthings is the plan to pursue. And attention and interest produce just\nthis result.\n\nIf we may be pardoned for using a homely and commonplace illustration we\nwould say that the idea may be grasped by the illustration of boiling an\negg, whereby the fluid \"white\" and \"yolk\" becomes solid and real. Also\nthe use of a shaving brush by a man, by which the thin lather is\ngradually worked up into a rich, thick, creamy mass, is an illustration.\nAgain, the churning of butter is a favorite illustration of the Hindus,\nwho thus call the attention of their students to the fact that\nthought-material if worked upon with attention and interest become\n\"thought-forms\" that may be handled by the mind just as the hands handle\na material object. We ask you to think of these illustrations, for when\nyou once grasp the idea that we wish to convey to you, you will have the\nsecret of great thinking powers within your grasp.\n\nAnd this power of sub-consciousing is not confined alone to the\nconsideration of philosophical questions. On the contrary it is\napplicable to every field of human thought, and may be properly employed\nin any and all of them. It is useful in solving the problems of every-day\nlife and work, as well as to the higher flights of the human mind. And we\nwish every one of our students to realize that in this simple lesson we\nare giving them the key to a great mental power.\n\nTo realize just what we are offering to you, we would remind you of the\nold fairy tales of all races, in which there is to be found one or more\ntales telling of some poor cobbler, or tailor, or carpenter, as the case\nmay be, who had by his good deeds, gained favor with the \"brownies\" or\ngood fairies, who would come each night when the man and his family were\nasleep, and proceed to complete the work that the artisan had laid out\nfor the morrow. The pieces of leather would be made into shoes; the cloth\nwould be sewed into garments; the wood would be joined, and nailed\ntogether into boxes, chairs, benches and what not. But in each case the\nrough materials were prepared by the artisan himself during the day.\n\nWell, that is just what we are trying to introduce to you. A clan of\nmental brownies, loving and kindly disposed toward you, who are anxious\nand willing to help you in your work. All you have to do is to give\nthem the proper materials, and tell then what you want done, and they\nwill do the rest. But these mental brownies are a part of your own\nmentality, remember, and no alien and foreign entities, as some have\nimagined.\n\nA number of people who have accidentally discovered this power of the\nsub-conscious mind to work out problems, and to render other valuable\nservice to its owner, have been led to suppose that the aid really came\nfrom some other entity or intelligence. Some have thought that the\nmessages came from friends in the spirit land, and others have believed\nthat some high intelligence--God or his angels--was working in their\nbehalf. Without discussing spirit communication, or Divine messages, in\nboth of which we believe (with certain provisional reservations) we feel\njustified in saying that the majority of cases of this kind may be\nreferred to the sub-conscious workings of one's own mentality.\n\nEach of us has \"a friend\" in our own mind--a score of them in fact, who\ndelight in performing services for us, if we will but allow them to do\nso. Not only have we a Higher Self to whom we may turn for comfort and\naid in times of deep distress and necessity, but we have these invisible\nmental workers on the sub-conscious plane, who are very willing and glad\nto perform much of our mental work for us, if we will but give them the\nmaterial in proper shape.\n\nIt is very difficult to impart specific directions for obtaining\nthese results, as each case must depend to a great extent upon the\npeculiar circumstances surrounding it. But we may say that the main thing\nneeded is to \"lick into shape\" the material, and then pass it on to the\nsub-conscious mind in the manner spoken of a few moments ago. Let us run\nover a few cases wherein this principle may be applied.\n\nLet us suppose that you are confronted with a problem consisting of an\nuncertainty as to which of two or more courses to adopt in some affair of\nlife. Each course seems to have advantages and disadvantages, and you\nseem unable to pass upon the matter clearly and intelligently. The more\nyou try the more perplexed and worried do you become. Your mind seems to\ntire of the matter, and manifests a state which may be called \"mental\nnausea.\" This state will be apparent to any one who has had much\n\"thinking\" to do. The average person, however, persists in going over\nthe matter, notwithstanding the tired condition of the mind, and its\nevident distaste for a further consideration of the subject. They will\nkeep on forcing it back to the mind for consideration, and even at night\ntime will keep thrashing away at the subject. Now this course is absurd.\nThe mind recognizes that the work should be done by another part of\nitself--its digestive region, in fact--and naturally rebels at the\nfinishing-up machinery being employed in work unsuited for it.\n\nAccording to the Sub-consciousing plan, the best thing for the man to do\nwould be for him first to calm and quiet his mind. Then he should arrange\nthe main features of the problem, together with the minor details in\ntheir proper places. Then he should pass them slowly before him in\nreview, giving a strong interest and attention to each fact and detail,\nas it passes before him, _but without the slightest attempt to form a\ndecision, or come to a conclusion_. Then, having given the matter an\ninterested and attentive review, let him _Will_ that it pass on to his\nsub-conscious mind, forming the mental image of dropping it through the\ntrap-door, and at the same time giving the command of the Will, \"Attend\nto this for me!\"\n\nThen dismiss the matter from your conscious mind, by an effort of command\nof the Will. If you find it difficult to do this, you may soon acquire\nthe mastery by a frequent assertion, \"I have dismissed this matter from\nmy conscious mind, and my sub-conscious mind will attend to it for me.\"\nThen, endeavor to create a mental feeling of perfect trust and confidence\nin the matter, and avoid all worry or anxiety about it. This may be\nsomewhat difficult at the first trial, but will become a natural feeling\nafter you have gained the confidence arising from successful results in\nseveral cases. The matter is one of practice, and, like anything else\nthat is new, must be acquired by perseverance and patience. It is well\nworth the time and trouble, and once acquired will be regarded as\nsomething in the nature of a treasure discovered in an unexpected place.\nThe sense of tranquillity and content--of calm and confidence--that comes\nto one who has practiced this plan, will of itself be worth all the\ntrouble, not to speak of the main result. To one who has acquired this\nmethod, the old worries, frettings, and general \"stewed up\" feeling, will\nseem like a relic of barbarism. The new way opens up a world of new\nfeelings and content.\n\nIn some cases the matter will be worked out by the sub-conscious\nmind in a very short time, and in fact we have known cases in which\nthe answer would be flashed back almost instantly, almost like an\ninspiration. But in the majority of cases more or less time is required.\nThe sub-conscious mind works very rapidly, but it takes time to arrange\nthe thought-material properly, and to shape it into the desired forms. In\nthe majority of cases it is well to let the matter rest until the next\nday--a fact that gives us a clue to the old advice to \"sleep over\" an\nimportant proposition, before passing a final decision.\n\nIf the matter does not present itself the following day, bring it up\nagain before the conscious mind for review. You will find that it has\nshaped itself up considerably, and is assuming definite form and\nclearness. But right here--and this is important--do not make the mistake\nof again dissecting it, and meddling with it, and trying to arrange it\nwith your conscious mind. But, instead, give it attention and interest\nin its new form, and then pass it back again to the sub-conscious mind\nfor further work. You will find an improvement each time you examine it.\nBut, right here another word of caution. Do not make the mistake of\nyielding to the impatience of the beginner, and keep on repeatedly\nbringing up the matter to see what is being done. Give it time to have\nthe work done on it. Do not be like the boy who planted seeds, and who\neach day would pull them up to see whether they had sprouted, and how\nmuch.\n\nSooner or later, the sub-conscious mind will, of its own choice, lift up\nthe matter and present it to you in its finished shape for the\nconsideration of the conscious mind. The sub-conscious mind does not\ninsist that you shall adopt its views, or accept its work, but merely\nhands out to you the result of its sorting, classifying and arranging.\nThe choice and will still remains yours, but you will often find that\nthere is seen to be one plan or path that stands out clearly from the\nothers, and you will very likely adopt that one. The secret is that the\nsub-conscious mind with its wonderful patience and care has analyzed the\nmatter, and has separated things before apparently connected. It has also\nfound resemblances and has combined things heretofore considered opposed\nto each other. In short it has done for you all that you could have done\nwith the expenditure of great work and time, and done it well. And then\nit lays the matter before you for your consideration and verdict.\n\nIts whole work seems to have been in the nature of assorting, dissecting,\nanalyzing, and arranging the evidence, and then presenting it before you\nin a clear, systematic shape. It does not attempt to exercise the\njudicial prerogative or function, but seems to recognize that its work\nceases with the presentation of the edited evidence, and that of the\nconscious mind begins at the same point.\n\nNow, do not confuse this work with that of the Intuition, which is a very\ndifferent mental phase or plane. This sub-conscious working, just\nmentioned, plays an entirely different part. It is a good servant, and\ndoes not try to be more. The Intuition, on the contrary, is more like a\nhigher friend--a friend at court, as it were, who gives us warnings and\nadvice.\n\nIn our directions we have told you how to make use of this part of the\nmind, consciously and knowingly, so as to obtain the best results, and to\nget rid of worry and anxiety attendant upon unsettled questions. But,\nin fact, every one of us makes more or less use of this part of the mind\nunconsciously, and not realizing the important part it plays in our\nmental life. We are perplexed about a matter and keep it \"on our minds\"\nuntil we are forced to lay it aside by reason of some other demand, or\nwhen we sink to sleep. Often to our surprise we will find that when we\nnext think of it the matter has somehow cleared up and straightened\nitself out, and we seem to have learned something about it that we did\nnot know before. We do not understand it, and are apt to dismiss it as\n\"just one of those things.\" In these lessons we are attempting to explain\nsome of \"those things,\" and to enable you to use them consciously and\nunderstandingly, instead of by chance, instinctively, and clumsily. We\nare teaching you Mastery of the Mind.\n\nNow to apply the rule to another case. Suppose you wish to gather\ntogether all the information that you possess relating to a certain\nsubject. In the first place it is certain that you know a very great deal\nmore about any subject than you think you do. Stored away in the various\nrecesses of the mind, or memory if you prefer that term, are stray bits\nof information and knowledge concerning almost any subject. But these\nbits of information are not associated with each other. You have never\nattempted to think attentively upon the particular question before you,\nand the facts are not correlated in the mind. It is just as if you had\nso many hundred pounds of anything scattered throughout the space of a\nlarge warehouse, a tiny bit here, and a tiny bit there, mixed up with\nthousands of other things.\n\nYou may prove this by sitting down some time and letting your thoughts\nrun along the line of some particular subject, and you will find emerging\ninto the field of consciousness all sorts of information that you had\napparently forgotten, and each fitting itself into its proper place.\nEvery person has had experiences of this kind. But the work of gathering\ntogether the scattered scraps of knowledge is more or less tedious for\nthe conscious mind, and the sub-conscious mind will do the work equally\nwell with the wear and tear on the attention. In fact, it is the\nsub-conscious mind that _always_ does the work, even when you think it is\nthe conscious mind. All the conscious mind does is to hold the attention\nfirmly upon the object before it, and then let the sub-consciousness pass\nthe material before it. But this holding the attention is tiresome work,\nand it is not necessary for it to expend its energies upon the details of\nthe task, for the work may be done in an easier and simpler way.\n\nThe best way is to follow a plan similar to the one mentioned a few pages\nback. That is, to fix the interested attention firmly upon the question\nbefore you, until you manage to get a clear, vivid impression of _just\nwhat you want answered_. Then pass the whole matter into the\nsub-conscious mind with the command \"Attend to this,\" and then leave it.\nThrow the whole matter off of your mind, and let the sub-conscious\nwork go on. If possible let the matter run along until the next morning\nand then take it up for consideration, when, if you have proceeded\nproperly you will find the matter worked out, arranged in logical\nsequence, so that your conscious attention will be able to clearly\nreview the string of facts, examples, illustrations, experiences, etc.,\nrelating to the matter in question.\n\nNow, many of you will say that you would like this plan to work in cases\nin which you have not the time to sleep over it. In such cases we will\nsay that it is possible to cultivate a rapid method of sub-consciousing,\nand in fact many business men and men of affairs have stumbled upon a\nsimilar plan, driven to the discovery by necessity. They will give a\nquick, comprehensive, strong flash of attention upon the subject,\ngetting right to the heart of it, and then will let it rest in the\nsub-conscious mind for a moment or two, killing a minute or two of time n\n\"preliminary conversation,\" until the first flash of answer comes to\nthem. After the first flash, and taking hold of the first loose end of\nthe subject that presents itself to them, they will unwind a string of\ninformation and \"talk\" about the subject that will surprise even\nthemselves. Many lawyers have acquired this knowledge, and are what is\nknown as \"resourceful.\" Such men are often confronted with questions of\nconditions utterly unsuspected by them a moment before. Practice has\ntaught them the folly of fear and loss of confidence at such moments, and\nhas also impressed upon them the truth that something within them will\ncome to the rescue. So, presenting a confident air, they will manage to\nsay a few platitudes or commonplaces, while the sub-conscious mind is\nmost rapidly gathering its materials for the answer. In a moment an\nopening thought \"flashes upon\" the man, and as he continues idea after\nidea passes before his conscious and eager attention, sometimes so\nrapidly that it is almost impossible to utter them and lo! the danger is\nover, and a brilliant success is often snatched from the jaws of an\napparent failure and defeat. In such cases the mental demand upon the\nsub-conscious mind is not voiced in words, but is the result of a strong\nmental need. However, if one gives a quick verbal command \"_Attend to\nthis_,\" the result will be heightened.\n\nWe have known of cases of men prominent in the world's affairs who made a\npractice of smoking a cigar during important business interviews, not\nbecause they particularly cared for tobacco, but because they had learned\nto appreciate the value of a moment's time for the mind to \"gather itself\ntogether,\" as one man expressed it. A question would be asked, or a\nproposition advanced suddenly, demanding an immediate answer. Under the\nwatchful eyes of the other party the questioned party tried not to show\nby his expression any indication of searching for an answer, for obvious\nreasons. So, instead, he would take a long puff at the cigar, then a slow\nattentive look at the ashes on its tip, and then another moment consumed\nin flicking the ash into the receptacle, and then came the answer,\nslowly, \"Well, as to that--\" or some other words of that kind, prefacing\nthe real answer which had been rapidly framed by the sub-conscious mind\nin time to be uttered in its proper place. The few moments of time gained\nhad been sufficient for the sub-conscious mind to gather up its\nmaterials, and the matter to be shaped properly, without any appearance\nof hesitation on the part of the answerer. All of this required practice,\nof course, but the principle may be seen through it all and in every\nsimilar case. The point is that the man, in such cases, sets some hidden\npart of his mind to work for him, and when he begins to speak the matter\nis at least roughly \"licked into shape for him.\"\n\nOur students will understand, of course, that this is not advice to smoke\ncigars during interviews of importance, but is merely given to illustrate\nthe principle. We have known other men to twirl a lead pencil in their\nfingers in a lazy sort of fashion, and then drop it at the important\nmoment. But we must cease giving examples of this kind, lest we be\naccused of giving instructions in worldly wisdom, instead of teaching the\nuse of the mind. The impressive pause of the teacher, before answering\nhis pupil's question, is also an example of the workings of this law. One\noften says \"stop, let me think a moment,\" and during his pause he does\nnot really consciously think at all, but stares ahead in a dreamy\nfashion, while his sub-conscious mind does the work for him, although he\nlittle suspects the nature of the operation. One has but to look around\nhim to realize the importance and frequent application of this truth.\n\nAnd not only may the sub-conscious mind be used in the directions\nindicated on preceding pages, but in nearly every perplexity and problem\nof life may it be called upon for help. These little sub-conscious\nbrownies are ever at our disposal, and seem to be happy to be of service\nto us.\n\nAnd so far from being apt to get us in a position of false dependence, it\nis calculated to make us self-confident--for we are calling upon a part\nof _ourselves_, not upon some outside intelligence. If those people who\nnever feel satisfied unless they are getting \"advice\" from others would\nonly cultivate the acquaintance of this little \"home adviser\" within\nthem, they would lose that dependent attitude and frame of mind, and\nwould grow self-confident and fearless. Just imagine the confidence of\none who feels that he has within him a source of knowledge equal to that\nof the majority of those with whom he is likely to come in contact, and\nhe feels less afraid to face them, and look them fearlessly in the eyes.\nHe feels that his \"mind\" is not confined to the little field of\nconsciousness, but is an area infinitely greater, containing a mass of\ninformation undreamed of. Everything that the man has inherited, or\nbrought with him from past lives--everything that he has read, heard or\nseen, or experienced in this life, is hidden away there in some quarter\nof that great sub-conscious mind, and, if he will but give the command,\nthe \"essence\" of all that knowledge is his. The details may not be\npresented to his consciousness (often it is not, for very good occult\nreasons) by the result, or essence of the knowledge will pass before his\nattention, with sufficient examples and illustrations, or arguments to\nenable him to make out \"a good case\" for himself.\n\nIn the next lesson we will call your attention to other features and\nqualities of this great field of mind, showing you how you can put it to\nwork, and Master it. Remember, always, the \"I\" is the Master. And its\nMastery must always be remembered and asserted over all phases and planes\nof the mind. Do not be a slave to the sub-conscious, but be its MASTER.\n\n\nMANTRAM (OR AFFIRMATION).\n\nI have within me a great area of Mind that is under my command, and\nsubject to my Mastery. This Mind is friendly to me, and is glad to do\nmy bidding, and obey my orders. It will work for me when I ask it, and\nis constant, untiring, and faithful. Knowing this I am no longer\nafraid, ignorant or uninformed. The \"I\" is master of it all, and is\nasserting its authority. \"I\" am master over Body, Mind, Consciousness,\nand Sub-consciousness. I am \"I\"--a Centre of Power, Strength, and\nKnowledge. I am \"I\"--and \"I\" am Spirit, a fragment from the Divine Flame.\n\n\n\n\nTHE ELEVENTH LESSON.\n\nSUBCONSCIOUS CHARACTER BUILDING.\n\n\nIn our last lesson (the Tenth Lesson) we called your attention to the\nwonderful work of the sub-conscious regions of mentation in the direction\nof the performance of Intellectual work. Great as are the possibilities\nof this field of mentation in the direction named, they are equaled by\nthe possibilities of building up character by similar methods.\n\nEvery one realizes that one may change his character by a strenuous\ncourse of repression and training, and nearly all who read these lines\nhave modified their characteristics somewhat by similar methods. But it\nis only of late years that the general public have become aware that\nCharacter might be modified, changed, and sometimes completely altered by\nmeans of an intelligent use of the sub-conscious faculties of the mind.\n\nThe word \"Character\" is derived from ancient terms meaning \"to mark,\" \"to\nengrave,\" etc., and some authorities inform us that the term originally\narose from the word used by the Babylonian brickmakers to designate the\ntrade mark impressed by them upon their bricks, each maker having his own\nmark. This is interesting, in view of the recent theories regarding the\ncultivation of characteristics which may be found in the current Western\nworks on psychology. But these theories are not new to the Yogi teachers\nof the East, who have employed similar methods for centuries past in\ntraining their students and pupils. The Yogis have long taught that a\nman's character was, practically, the crude character-stuff possessed by\nhim at his birth, modified and shaped by outside influences in the case\nof the ordinary man, and by deliberate self-training and shaping by the\nwise man. Their pupils are examined regarding their characteristics, and\nthen directed to repress the undesirable traits, and to cultivate the\ndesirable ones.\n\nThe Yogi practice of Character Building is based upon the knowledge of\nthe wonderful powers of the sub-conscious plane of the mind. The pupil is\nnot required to pursue strenuous methods of repression or cultivation,\nbut, on the contrary, is taught that such methods are opposed to nature's\nplans, and that the best way is to imitate nature and to gradually unfold\nthe desired characteristics by means of focusing the will-power and\nattention upon them. The weeding out of undesirable characteristics is\naccomplished by the pupil cultivating the characteristics directly\nopposed to the undesirable ones. For instance, if the pupil desires to\novercome Fear, he is not instructed to concentrate on Fear with the idea\nof killing it out, but, instead, is taught to mentally deny that he has\nFear, and then to concentrate his attention upon the ideal of Courage.\nWhen Courage is developed, Fear is found to have faded away. The positive\nalways overpowers the negative.\n\nIn the word \"ideal\" is found the secret of the Yogi method of\nsub-conscious character building. The teachings are to the effect that\n\"ideals\" may be built up by the bestowal of attention upon them. The\nstudent is given the example of a rose bush. He is taught that the plant\nwill grow and flourish in the measure that care and attention is bestowed\nupon it and _vice versa_. He is taught that the ideal of some desired\ncharacteristic is a mental rosebush, and that by careful attention it\nwill grow and put forth leaves and flowers. He is then given some minor\nmental trait to develop, and is taught to dwell upon it in thought--to\nexercise his imagination and to mentally \"see\" himself attaining the\ndesired quality. He is given mantrams or affirmation to repeat, for the\npurpose of giving him a mental center around which to build an ideal.\nThere is a mighty power in words, used in this way, providing that the\nuser always thinks of the meaning of the words, and makes a mental\npicture of the quality expressed by them, instead of merely repeating\nthem parrot fashion.\n\nThe Yogi student is trained gradually, until he acquires the power of\nconscious direction of the sub-conscious mind in the building up process,\nwhich power comes to anyone--Oriental or Occidental--who will take the\ntrouble to practice. In fact, nearly everyone possesses and actively uses\nthis power, although he may not be aware of it. One's character is\nlargely the result of the quality of thoughts held in the mind, and of\nthe mental pictures or ideals entertained by the person. The man who\nconstantly sees and thinks of himself as unsuccessful and down-trodden\nis very apt to grow ideals of thought forms of these things until his\nwhole nature is dominated by them, and his every act works toward the\nobjectification of the thoughts. On the contrary, the man who makes an\nideal of success and accomplishment finds that his whole mental nature\nseems to work toward that result--the objectification of the ideal. And\nso it is with every other ideal. The person who builds up a mental ideal\nof Jealousy will be very apt to objectify the same, and to unconsciously\ncreate condition that will give his Jealousy food upon which to feed. But\nthis particular phase of the subject, properly belongs to our next\nlesson. This Eleventh Lesson is designed to point out the way by which\npeople may mould their characters in any way they desire--supplanting\nundesirable characteristics by desirable ones, and developing desirable\nideals into active characteristics. The mind is plastic to him who knows\nthe secret of its manipulation.\n\nThe average person recognizes his strong and weak points of character,\nbut is very apt to regard them as fixed and unalterable, or practically\nso. He thinks that he \"is just as the Lord made him,\" and that is the end\nof it. He fails to recognize that his character is being unconsciously\nmodified every day by association with others, whose suggestions are\nbeing absorbed and acted upon. And he fails to see that he is moulding\nhis own character by taking interest in certain things, and allowing his\nmind to dwell upon them. He does not realize that he himself is really\nthe maker of himself, from the raw and crude material given him\nat his birth. He makes himself negatively or positively. Negatively, if\nhe allows himself to be moulded by the thoughts and ideals of others,\nand positively, if he moulds himself. Everyone is doing one or the\nother--perhaps both. The weak man is the one who allows himself to be\nmade by others, and the strong man is the one who takes the building\nprocess in his own hands.\n\nThe process of Character-building is so delightfully simple that its\nimportance is apt to be overlooked by the majority of persons who are\nmade acquainted with it. It is only by actual practice and the\nexperiencing of results that its wonderful possibilities are borne home\nto one.\n\nThe Yogi student is early taught the lesson of the power and importance\nof character building by some strong practical example. For instance, the\nstudent is found to have certain tastes of appetite, such as a like for\ncertain things, and a corresponding dislike for others. The Yogi teacher\ninstructs the student in the direction of cultivating a desire and taste\nfor the disliked thing, and a dislike for the liked thing. He teaches the\nstudent to fix his mind on the two things, but in the direction of\nimagining that he likes the one thing and dislikes the other. The student\nis taught to make a mental picture of the desired conditions, and to say,\nfor instance, \"I loathe candy--I dislike even the sight of it,\" and, on\nthe other hand, \"I crave tart things--I revel in the taste of them,\"\netc., etc., at the same time trying to reproduce the taste of sweet\nthings accompanied with a loathing, and a taste of tart things,\naccompanied with a feeling of delight. After a bit the student finds that\nhis tastes are actually changing in accordance with his thoughts, and in\nthe end they have completely changed places. The truth of the theory is\nthen borne home to the student, and he never forgets the lesson.\n\nIn order to reassure readers who might object to having the student left\nin this condition of reversed tastes, we may add that the Yogi teachers\nthen teach him to get rid of the idea of the disliked thing, and teach\nhim to cultivate a liking for all wholesome things, their theory being\nthat the dislike of certain wholesome eatables has been caused by some\nsuggestion in childhood, or by some prenatal impression, as wholesome\neatables are made attractive to the taste by Nature. The idea of all this\ntraining, however, is not the cultivation of taste, but practice in\nmental training, and the bringing home to the student the truth of the\nfact that his nature is plastic to his Ego, and that it may be moulded at\nwill, by concentration and intelligent practice. The reader of this\nlesson may experiment upon himself along the lines of the elementary Yogi\npractice as above mentioned, if he so desires. He will find it possible\nto entirely change his dislike for certain food, etc., by the methods\nmentioned above. He may likewise acquire a liking for heretofore\ndistasteful tasks and duties, which he finds it necessary to perform.\n\nThe principle underlying the whole Yogi theory of Character Building by\nthe sub-conscious Intellect, is that the Ego is Master of the mind, and\nthat the mind is plastic to the commands of the Ego. The Ego or \"I\" of\nthe individual is the one real, permanent, changeless principle of the\nindividual, and the mind, like the body, is constantly changing, moving,\ngrowing, and dying. Just as the body may be developed and moulded by\nintelligent exercises, so may the mind be developed and shaped by the Ego\nif intelligent methods are followed.\n\nThe majority of people consider that Character is a fixed something,\nbelonging to a man, that cannot be altered or changed. And yet they show\nby their everyday actions that at heart they do not believe this to be a\nfact, for they endeavor to change and mould the characters of those\naround them, by word of advice, counsel, praising or condemnation, etc.\n\nIt is not necessary to go into the matter of the consideration of\nthe causes of character in this lesson. We will content ourselves by\nsaying that these causes may be summed up, roughly, as follows: (1)\nResult of experiences in past lives; (2) Heredity; (3) Environment;\n(4) Suggestion from others; and (5) Auto-suggestion. But no matter how\none's character has been formed, it may be modified, moulded, changed,\nand improved by the methods set forth in this lesson, which methods are\nsimilar to what is called by Western writers, \"Auto-suggestion.\"\n\nThe underlying idea of Auto-suggestion is the \"willing\" of the individual\nthat the changes take place in his mind, the willing being aided by\nintelligent and tried methods of creating the new ideal or thought-form.\nThe first requisite for the changed condition must be \"desire\" for the\nchange. Unless one really desires that the change take place, he is\nunable to bring his Will to bear on the task. There is a very close\nconnection between Desire and Will. Will is not usually brought to bear\nupon anything unless it is inspired by Desire. Some people connect the\nword Desire with the lower inclinations, but it is equally applicable to\nthe higher. If one fights off a low inclination or Desire, it is because\nhe is possessed of a higher inclination or Desire. Many Desires are\nreally compromises between two or more conflicting Desires--a sort of\naverage Desire, as it were.\n\nUnless one desires to change his character he will not make any move\ntoward it. And in proportion to the strength of the desire, so will be\nthe amount of will-power that is put in the task. The first thing for\none to do in character building is to \"want to do it.\" And if he finds\nthat the \"want\" is not sufficiently strong to enable him to manifest the\nperseverance and effort necessary to bring it to a successful conclusion,\nthen he should deliberately proceed to \"build up the desire.\"\n\nDesire may be built up by allowing the mind to dwell upon the subject\nuntil a desire is created. This rule works both ways, as many people have\nfound out to their sorrow and misery. Not only may one build up a\ncommendable desire in this way, but he may also build up a reprehensible\none. A little thought will show you the truth of this statement. A young\nman has no desire to indulge in the excesses of a \"fast\" life. But after\na while he hears, or reads something about others leading that sort of\nlife, and he begins to allow his mind to dwell upon the subject, turning\nit around and examining it mentally, and going over it in his\nimagination. After a time he begins to find a desire gradually sending\nforth roots and branches, and if he continues to water the thing in his\nimagination, before long he will find within himself a blossoming\ninclination, which will try to insist upon expression in action. There is\na great truth behind the words of the poet:\n\n\"Vice is a monster of so frightful mien,\nThat to be hated needs but to be seen.\nYet seen too oft, familiar with her face,\nWe first endure, then pity, and then embrace.\"\n\nAnd the follies and crimes of many a man have been due to the growing of\ndesire within his mind, through this plan of planting the seed, and then\ncarefully watering and tending to it--this cultivation of the growing\ndesire. We have thought it well to give this word of warning because it\nwill throw light upon many things that may have perplexed you, and\nbecause it may serve to call your attention to certain growing weeds of\nthe mind that you have been nourishing.\n\nBut remember, always, that the force that leads downward may be\ntransmuted and made to lead upward. It is just as easy to plant and grow\nwholesome desires as the other kind. If you are conscious of certain\ndefects and deficiencies in your character (and who is not?) and yet find\nyourself not possessed of a strong enough desire to make the changes\nnecessary, then you should commence by planting the desire seed and\nallowing it to grow by giving it constant care and attention. You should\npicture to yourself the advantages of acquiring the desirable traits of\ncharacter of which you have thought. You should frequently go over and\nover them in your mind, imaging yourself in imagination as possessing\nthem. You will then find that the growing desire will make headway and\nthat you will gradually begin to \"want to\" possess that trait of\ncharacter more and more. And when you begin to \"want to\" hard enough, you\nwill find arising in your consciousness a feeling of the possession of\nsufficient Will-power to carry it through. Will follows the Desire.\nCultivate a Desire and you will find back of it the Will to carry it\nthrough. Under the pressure of a very strong Desire men have accomplished\nfeats akin to miracles.\n\nIf you find yourself in possession of desires that you feel are hurtful\nto you, you may rid yourself of them by deliberately starving them to\ndeath, and at the same time growing opposite desires. By refusing to\nthink of the objectionable desires you refuse them the mental food upon\nwhich alone they can thrive. Just as you starve a plant by refusing it\nnourishing soil and water, so may you starve out an objectionable\ndesire by refusing to give it mental food. _Remember this, for it is most\nimportant_. Refuse to allow the mind to dwell upon such desires, and\nresolutely turn aside the attention, _and, particularly, the\nimagination_, from the subject. This may call for the manifestation of a\nlittle will-power in the beginning, but it will become easier as you\nprogress, and each victory will give you renewed strength for the next\nfight. But do not temporize with the desire--do not compromise with\nit--refuse to entertain the idea. In a fight of this kind each victory\ngives one added strength, and each defeat weakens one.\n\nAnd while you are refusing to entertain the objectionable guest you must\nbe sure to grow a desire of an entirely opposite nature--a desire\ndirectly opposed to the one you are starving to death. Picture the\nopposite desire, and think of it often. Let your mind dwell upon it\nlovingly and let the imagination help to build it up into form. Think of\nthe advantages that will arise to you when you fully possess it, and let\nthe imagination picture you as in full possession of it, and acting out\nyour new part in life strong and vigorous in your new found power.\n\nAll this will gradually lead you to the point where you will \"want to\"\npossess this power. Then you must be ready for the next step which is\n\"Faith\" or \"Confident Expectation.\"\n\nNow, faith or confident expectation is not made to order in most persons,\nand in such cases one must acquire it gradually. Many of you who read\nthese lines will have an understanding of the subject that will give you\nthis faith. But to those who lack it, we suggest that they practice on\nsome trivial phases of the mental make-up, some petty trait of character,\nin which the victory will be easy and simple. From this stage they should\nwork up to more difficult tasks, until at last they gain that faith or\nconfident expectation that comes from persevering practice.\n\nThe greater the degree of faith or confident expectation that one carries\nwith him in this task of character building, the greater will be his\nsuccess. And this because of well established psychological laws. Faith\nor confident expectation clears away the mental path and renders the work\neasier, while doubt or lack of faith retards the work, and acts as\nobstacles and stumbling blocks. Strong Desire, and Faith, or confident\nexpectation are the first two steps. The third is Will-power.\n\nBy Will-power we do not mean that strenuous,\nclenching-of-fist-and-frowning-brow thing that many think of\nwhen they say \"Will.\" Will is not manifested in this way. The\ntrue Will is called into play by one realizing the \"I\" part of\nhimself and speaking the word of command from that center of\npower and strength. It is the voice of the \"I.\" And it is needed\nin this work of character building.\n\nSo now you are ready for work, being possessed of (1) Strong Desire;\n(2) Faith or Confident Expectation; and (3) Will-power. With such a\ntriple-weapon nothing but Success is possible.\n\nThen comes the actual work. The first thing to do is to lay the track for\na new Character Habit. \"Habit?\" you may ask in surprise. Yes, Habit! For\nthat word gives the secret of the whole thing. Our characters are made up\nof inherited or acquired habits. Think over this a little and you will\nsee the truth of it. You do certain things without a thought, because you\nhave gotten into the habit of doing them. You act in certain ways because\nyou have established the habit. You are in the habit of being truthful,\nhonest, virtuous, because you have established the habit of being so. Do\nyou doubt this? Then look around you--or look within your own heart, and\nyou will see that you have lost some of your old habits of action, and\nhave acquired new ones. The building up of Character is the building up\nof Habits. And the changing of Character is the changing of Habits. It\nwill be well for you to settle this fact in your own mind, for it will\ngive you the secret of many things connected with the subject.\n\nAnd, remember this, that Habit is almost entirely a matter of the\nsub-conscious mentality. It is true that Habits originate in the\nconscious mind, but as they are established they sink down into the\ndepths of the sub-conscious mentality, and thereafter become \"second\nnature,\" which, by the way, is often more powerful than the original\nnature of the person. The Duke of Wellington said that habit was as\nstrong as ten natures, and he proceeded to drill habits into his army\nuntil they found it natural to act in accordance with the habits pounded\ninto them during the drills. Darwin relates an interesting instance of\nthe force of habit over the reason. He found that his habit of starting\nback at the sudden approach of danger was so firmly established that no\nwill-power could enable him to keep his face pressed up against the cage\nof the cobra in the Zoological Gardens when the snake struck at him,\nalthough he knew the glass was so thick that there could be no danger,\nand although he exerted the full force of his will. But we venture to say\nthat one could overcome even this strongly ingrained habit, by gradually\ntraining the sub-conscious mentality and establishing a new habit of\nthought and action.\n\nIt is not only during the actual process of \"willing\" the new habit that\nthe work of making the new mental path goes on. In fact, the Yogis\nbelieve that the principal part of the work goes on sub-consciously\nbetween the intervals of commend, and that the real progress is made in\nthat way, just as the real work of solving the problem is performed\nsub-consciously, as related in our last lesson. As an example, we may\ncall your attention to some instances of the cultivation of physical\nhabits. A physical task learned in the evening is much easier to perform\nthe following-morning than it was the night before, and still easier\nthe following Monday morning than it was on the Saturday afternoon\nprevious. The Germans have a saying that \"we learn to skate in summer,\nand to swim in winter,\" meaning that the impression passed on to the\nsubconscious mentality deepens and broadens during the interval of rest.\nThe best plan is to make frequent, sharp impressions, and then to allow\nreasonable periods of rest in order to give the sub-conscious mentality\nthe opportunity to do its work. By \"sharp\" impressions we mean\nimpressions given under _strong attention_, as we have mentioned in some\nof the earlier lessons of this series.\n\nA writer has well said: \"Sow an act, reap a habit; sow a habit, reap a\ncharacter; sow a character, reap a destiny,\" thus recognizing habit as\nthe source of character. We recognize this truth in our training of\nchildren, forming goods habits of character by constant repetition, by\nwatchfulness, etc. Habit acts as a _motive_ when established, so that\nwhile we think we are acting without motive we may be acting under the\nstrong motive power of some well established habit. Herbert Spencer has\nwell said: \"The habitually honest man does what is right, not consciously\nbecause he 'ought' but with simple satisfaction; and is ill at ease till\nit is done.\" Some may object that this idea of Habit as a basis of\nCharacter may do away with the idea of a developed moral\nconscientiousness, as for instance, Josiah Royce who says: \"The\nestablishment of organized habit is never in itself enough to ensure\nthe growth of an enlightened moral conscientiousness\" but to such we\nwould say that one must \"want to\" cultivate a high character before he\nwill create the habits usual to the same, and the \"want to\" is the\nsign of the \"moral conscientiousness,\" rather than the habit. And the\nsame is true of the \"ought to\" side of the subject. The \"ought to\" arises\nin the conscious mind in the beginning, and inspires the cultivation\nof the habit, although the latter after a while becomes automatic, a\nmatter of the sub-conscious mentality, without any \"ought to\" attachment.\nIt then becomes a matter of \"like to.\"\n\nThus we see that the moulding, modifying, changing, and building of\nCharacter is largely a matter of the establishing of Habits. And what is\nthe best way to establish Habits? becomes our next question. The answer\nof the Yogi is: \"Establish a Mental Image, and then build your Habit\naround it.\" And in that sentence he has condensed a whole system.\n\nEverything we see having a form is built around a mental image--either\nthe mental image of some man, some animal, or of the Absolute. This is\nthe rule of the universe, and in the matter of character-building we but\nfollow a well established rule. When we wish to build a house, we first\nthink of \"house\" in a general way. Then we begin to think of \"what kind\"\nof a house. Then we go into details. Then we consult an architect, and he\nmakes us a plan, which plan is his mental image, suggested by our mental\nimage. Then, the plan once decided upon, we consult the builder, and at\nlast the house stands completed--an objectified Mental Image. And so it\nis with every created thing--all manifestation of a Mental Image.\n\nAnd so, when we wish to establish a trait of Character, we must form a\nclear, distinct Mental Image of what we wish to be. This is an important\nstep. Make your picture clear and distinct, and fasten it in your mind.\nThen begin to build around it. Let your thoughts dwell upon the mental\npicture. Let your imagination see yourself as possessed of the desired\ntrait, and _acting it out_. Act it out in your imagination, over and over\nagain, as often as possible, persevering, and continuously, seeing\nyourself manifesting the trait under a variety of circumstances and\nconditions. As you continue to do this you will find that you will\ngradually begin to express the thought in action--to objectify the\nsubjective mental image. It will become \"natural\" for you to act more and\nmore in accordance with your mental image, until at last the new habit\nwill become firmly fixed in your mind, and will become your natural mode\nof action and expression.\n\nThis is no vague, visionary theory. It is a well known and proven\npsychological fact, and thousands have worked marvelous changes in their\ncharacter by its means.\n\nNot only may one elevate his moral character in this way, but he may\nmould his \"work-a-day\" self to better conform to the needs of his\nenvironment and occupation. If one lacks Perseverance, he may attain\nit; if one is filled with Fear, he may supplant it with Fearlessness; if\none lacks Self-confidence, he may gain it. In fact, there is no trait\nthat may not be developed in this way. People have literally \"made\nthemselves over\" by following this method of character-building. The\ngreat trouble with the race has been that persons have not realized that\nthey _could_ do these things. They have thought that they were doomed to\nremain just the creatures that they found themselves to be. They did not\nrealize that the work of creation was not ended, and that they had within\nthemselves a creative power adapted to the needs of their case. When man\nfirst realizes this truth, and proves it by practice, he becomes another\nbeing. He finds himself superior to environment, and training--he finds\nthat he may ride over these things. He makes _his own environment_, and\n_he trains himself_.\n\nIn some of the larger schools in England and the United States, certain\nscholars who have developed and manifested the ability to control\nthemselves and their actions are placed on the roll of a grade called\nthe \"Self-governed grade.\" Those in this grade act as if they had\nmemorized the following words of Herbert Spencer: \"In the supremacy of\nself-control consists one of the perfections of the ideal man. Not to be\nimpulsive--not to be spurred hither and thither by each desire--but to be\nself-restrained, self-balanced, governed by the just decision of the\nfeelings in council assembled * * * that it is which moral education\nstrives to produce.\" And this is the desire of the writer of this\nlesson--to place each student in the \"Self-governed class.\"\n\nWe cannot attempt, in the short space of a single lesson, to map out a\ncourse of instruction in Character Building adapted to the special needs\nof each individual. But we think that what we have said on the subject\nshould be sufficient to point out the method for each student to map out\na course for himself, following the general rules given above. As a help\nto the student, however, we will give a brief course of instruction for\nthe cultivation of one desirable trait of character. The general plan of\nthis course may be adapted to fit the requirements of _any other case_,\nif intelligence is used by the student. The case we have selected is that\nof a student who has been suffering from \"a lack of Moral Courage--a lack\nof Self-Confidence--an inability to maintain my poise in the presence\nof other people--an inability to say 'No!'--a feeling of Inferiority to\nthose with whom I come in contact.\" The brief outline of the course of\npractice given in this case is herewith given:\n\nPRELIMINARY THOUGHT. You should fix firmly in your mind the fact that you\nare the Equal of any and every man. You come from the same source. You\nare an expression of the same One Life. In the eyes of the Absolute you\nare the equal of any man, even the highest in the land. Truth is \"Things\nas God sees them\"--and in Truth you and the man are equal, and, at the\nlast, One. All feelings of Inferiority are illusions, errors, and lies,\nand have no existence in Truth. When in the company of others remember\nthis fact and realize that the Life Principle in you is talking to the\nLife Principle in them. Let the Life Principle flow through you, and\nendeavor to forget your personal self. At the same time, endeavor to see\nthat same Life Principle, behind and beyond the personality of the person\nin whose presence you are. He is by a personality hiding the Life\nPrinciple, just as you are. Nothing more--nothing less! You are both\nOne in Truth. Let the conscious of the \"I\" beam forth and you will\nexperience an uplift and sense of Courage, and the other will likewise\nfeel it. You have within you the Source of Courage, Moral and Physical,\nand you have naught to Fear--Fearlessness is your Divine Heritage, avail\nyourself of it. You have Self-Conscience, for the Self is the \"I\" within\nyou, not the petty personality, and you must have confidence in that \"I.\"\nRetreat within yourself until you feel the presence of the \"I,\" and then\nwill you have a Self-Confidence that nothing can shake or disturb. Once\nhaving attained the permanent consciousness of the \"I,\" you will have\npoise. Once having realized that you are a Center of Power, you will have\nno difficulty in saying \"No!\" when it is right to do so. Once having\nrealized your true nature--your Real Self--you will lose all sense of\nInferiority, and will know that you are a manifestation of the One Life\nand have behind you the strength, power, and grandeur of the Cosmos.\nBegin by realizing YOURSELF, and then proceed with the following methods\nof training the mind.\n\nWORD IMAGES. It is difficult for the mind to build itself around an idea,\nunless that idea be expressed in words. A word is the center of an idea,\njust as the idea is the center of the mental image, and the mental image\nthe center of the growing mental habit. Therefore, the Yogis always lay\ngreat stress upon the use of words in this way. In the particular case\nbefore us, we should suggest the holding before you of a few words\ncrystallizing the main thought. We suggest the words \"I Am\"; Courage;\nConfidence; Poise; Firmness; Equality. Commit these words to memory, and\nthen endeavor to fix in your mind a clear conception of the meaning of\neach word, so that each may stand for a Live Idea when you say it. Beware\nof parrot-like or phonographic repetition. Let each word's meaning stand\nout clearly before you, so that when you repeat it you may _feel_ its\nmeaning. Repeat the words over frequently, when opportunity presents\nitself, and you will soon begin to notice that they act as a strong\nmental tonic upon you, producing a bracing, energizing effect. And each\ntime you repeat the words, understandingly, you have done something to\nclear away the mental path over which you wish to travel.\n\nPRACTICE. When you are at leisure, and are able to indulge in \"day\ndreams\" without injury to your affairs of life, call your imagination\ninto play and endeavor to picture yourself as being possessed of the\nqualities indicated by the words named. Picture yourself under the most\ntrying circumstances, making use of the desired qualities, and\nmanifesting them fully. Endeavor to picture yourself as acting out your\npart well, and exhibiting the desired qualities. Do not be ashamed to\nindulge in these day-dreams, for they are the prophecies of the things to\nfollow, and you are but rehearsing your part before the day of the\nperformance. Practice makes perfect, and if you accustom yourself to\nacting in a certain way in imagination, you will find it much easier to\nplay your part when the real performance occurs. This may seem childish\nto many of you, but if you have an actor among your acquaintances,\nconsult him about it, and you will find that he will heartily recommend\nit. He will tell you what practice does for one in this direction, and\nhow repeated practice and rehearsals may fix a character so firmly in a\nman's mind that he may find it difficult to divest himself of it after a\ntime. Choose well the part you wish to play--the character you wish to be\nyours--and then after fixing it well in your mind, practice, practice,\npractice. Keep your ideal constantly before you, and endeavor to grow\ninto it. And you will succeed, if you exercise patience and perseverance.\n\nBut, more than this. Do not confine your practice to mere private\nrehearsal. You need some \"dress rehearsals\" as well--rehearsals in\npublic. Therefore, after you get well started in your work, manage to\nexercise your growing character-habits in your everyday life. Pick out\nthe little cases first and \"try it on them.\"\n\nYou will find that you will be able to overcome conditions that formerly\nbothered you much. You will become conscious of a growing strength and\npower coming from within, and you will recognize that you are indeed a\nchanged person. Let your thought express itself in action, whenever you\nget a good chance. But do not try to force chances just to try your\nstrength. Do not, for instance, try to force people to ask for favors\nthat you may say \"No!\" You will find plenty of genuine tests without\nforcing any. Accustom yourself to looking people in the eye, and feeling\nthe power that is back of you, and within you. You will soon be able to\nsee through their personality, and realize that it is just one portion of\nthe One Life gazing at another portion, and that therefore there is\nnothing to be afraid of. A realization of your Real Self will enable you\nto maintain your poise under trying circumstances, if you will but throw\naside your false idea about your personality. Forget yourself--your\nlittle personal self--for a while, and fix your mind on the Universal\nSelf of which you are a part. All these things that have worried you are\nbut incidents of the Personal Life, and are seen to be illusions when\nviewed from the standpoint of the Universal Life.\n\nCarry the Universal Life with you as much as possible into your everyday\nlife. It belongs there as much as anywhere, and will prove to be a tower\nof strength and refuge to you in the perplexing situations of your busy\nlife.\n\nRemember always that the Ego is master of the mental states and habits,\nand that the Will is the direct instrument of the Ego, and is always\nready for its use. Let your soul be filled with the strong Desire to\ncultivate those mental habits that will make you Strong. Nature's plan is\nto produce Strong Individual expressions of herself, and she will be glad\nto give you her aid in becoming strong. The man who wishes to strengthen\nhimself will always find great forces back of him to aid him in the work,\nfor is he not carrying out one of Nature's pet plans, and one which she\nhas been striving for throughout the ages. Anything that tends to make\nyou realize and express your Mastery, tends to strengthen you, and\nplaces at your disposal Nature's aid. You may witness this in everyday\nlife--Nature seems to like _strong_ individuals, and delights in pushing\nthem ahead. By Mastery, we mean mastery over your own lower nature, as\nwell as over outside nature, of course. The \"I\" is Master--forget it not,\nO student, and assert it constantly. Peace be with you.\n\n\nMANTRAM (OR AFFIRMATION).\n\nI am the Master of my Mental Habits--I control my Character. I Will to be\nStrong, and summon the forces of my Nature to my aid.\n\n\n\n\nTHE TWELFTH LESSON.\n\nSUB-CONSCIOUS INFLUENCES.\n\n\nIn this lesson we wish to touch upon a certain feature of sub-conscious\nmentation that has been much dwelt upon by certain schools of western\nwriters and students during the past twenty years, but which has also\nbeen misunderstood, and, alas, too often misused, by some of those who\nhave been attracted to the subject. We allude to what has been called the\n\"Power of Thought.\" While this power is very real, and like any other of\nthe forces of nature may be properly used and applied in our every day\nlife, still many students of the power of the Mind have misused it and\nhave stooped to practices worthy only of the followers of the schools of\n\"Black Magic.\" We hear on all sides of the use of \"treatments\" for\nselfish and often base ends, those following these practices seeming to\nbe in utter ignorance of the occult laws brought into operation, and the\nterrible reaction inevitably falling to the lot of those practicing this\nnegative form of mental influence. We have been amazed at the prevailing\nignorance concerning the nature and effects of this improper use of\nmental force, and at the same time, at the common custom of such selfish,\nimproper uses. This, more particularly, when the true occultist knows\nthat these things are not necessary, even to those who seek \"Success\" by\nmental forces. There is a true method of the use of mental forces, as\nwell as an improper use, and we trust that in this lesson we may be able\nto bring the matter sharply and clearly before the minds of our students.\n\nIn our first course (The Fourteen Lessons) in the several lessons\nentitled, respectively, \"Thought Dynamics,\" \"Telepathy, etc.,\" and\n\"Psychic Influence,\" we have given a general idea of the effect of one\nmind upon other minds, and many other writers have called the attention\nof the Western world to the same facts. There has been a general\nawakening of interest in this phase of the subject among the Western\npeople of late years, and many and wonderful are the theories that have\nbeen advanced among the conflicting schools regarding the matter. But,\nnotwithstanding the conflicting theories, there is a general agreement\nupon the fundamental facts. They all agree that the mental forces may be\nused to affect oneself and others, and many have started in to use these\nmental forces for their own selfish ends and purposes, believing that\nthey were fully justified in so doing, and being unaware of the web of\npsychic causes and effects which they were weaving around them by their\npractices.\n\nNow, at the beginning, let us impress upon the minds of our students the\nfact that while it is undoubtedly true that people who are unaware of the\ntrue sources of strength within them, may be, and often are affected by\nmental force exerted by others, it is equally true that no one can be\nadversely affected in this way providing he realizes the \"I\" within\nhimself, which is the only Real part of him, and which is an impregnable\ntower of strength against the assaults of others. There is no cause for\nall of this fear that is being manifested by many Western students of\nthought-power, who are in constant dread of being \"treated\" adversely by\nother people. The man or woman who realizes the \"I\" within, may by the\nslightest exercise of the Will surround himself with a mental aura which\nwill repel adverse thought-waves emanating from the minds of others. Nay,\nmore than this--the habitual recognition of the \"I,\" and a few moments'\nmeditation upon it each day, will of itself erect such an aura, and will\ncharge this aura with a vitality that will turn back adverse thought, and\ncause it to return to the source from which it came, where it will serve\nthe good purpose of bringing to the mistaken mind originating it, the\nconviction that such practices are hurtful and to be avoided.\n\nThis realization of the \"I,\" which we brought out in the first few\nlessons of the present series, is the best and only real method of\nself-protection. This may be easily understood, when we remind you that\nthe whole phenomena of mental influencing belongs to the \"illusion\" side\nof existence--the negative side--and that the Real and Positive side must\nof necessity be stronger. Nothing can affect the Real in you--and the\nnearer you get to the Real, in realization and understanding, the\nstronger do you become. _This is the whole secret_. Think it over.\n\nBut, there are comparatively few people who are able to rest firmly in\nthe \"I\" consciousness all the time and the others demand help while they\nare growing. To such, we would say \"Creep as close the Realization of the\nI, as possible, and rest your spiritual feet firmly upon the rock of the\nReal Self.\" If you feel that people, circumstances, or things are\ninfluencing you unduly, stand up boldly, and deny the influence. Say\nsomething like this, \"I DENY the power or influence of persons,\ncircumstances, or things to adversely affect me. I ASSERT my Reality,\nPower and Dominion over these things.\" These words may seem very simple,\nbut when uttered with the consciousness of the Truth underlying them,\nthey become as a mighty force. You will understand, of course, that there\nis no magic or virtue in the words themselves--that is, in the grouping\nof the letters forming the words, or the sounds of the words--the virtue\nresting in the _idea_ of which the words are the expression. You will be\nsurprised at the effect of this STATEMENT upon depressing, or adverse\ninfluences surrounding you. If you--_you_ who are reading these words\nnow--feel yourself subject to any adverse or depressing influences, will\nthen stand up erect, throwing your shoulders back, raising your head, and\nlooking boldly and fearlessly ahead, and repeat these words firmly, and\nwith faith, you will feel the adverse influences disappearing. You will\nalmost see the clouds falling back from you. Try it now, before reading\nfurther, and you will become conscious of a new strength and power.\n\nYou are perfectly justified in thus denying adverse influence. You have a\nperfect right to drive back threatening or depressing thought-clouds. You\nhave a perfect right to take your stand upon the Rock of Truth--your Real\nSelf--and demand your Freedom. These negative thoughts of the world in\ngeneral, and of some people in particular, belong to the dark side of\nlife, and you have a right to demand freedom from them. You do not belong\nto the same idea of life, and it is your privilege--yes, your duty--to\nrepel them and bid them disappear from your horizon. You are a Child of\nLight, and it is your right and duty to assert your freedom from the\nthings of darkness. You are merely asserting the Truth when you affirm\nyour superiority and dominion over these dark forces. And in the measure\nof your Recognition and Faith, will be the power at your disposal. Faith\nand Recognition renders man a god. If we could but fully recognize and\nrealize just what we are, we could rise above this entire plane of\nnegative, dark world of thought. But we have become so blinded and\nstupefied with the race-thought of fear and weakness, and so hypnotized\nwith the suggestions of weakness that we hear on all sides of us, that\neven the best of us find it hard to avoid occasionally sinking back into\nthe lower depths of despair and discouragement. But, let us remember\nthis, brothers and sisters, that these periods of \"back-sliding\" become\nless frequent, and last a shorter time, as we proceed. Bye-and-bye we\nshall escape them altogether.\n\nSome may think that we are laying too much stress upon the negative side\nof the question, but we feel that what we have said is timely, and much\nneeded by many who read these lessons. There has been so much said\nregarding this negative, adverse power of thought, that it is well that\nall should be taught that it is in their power to rise above this thing--\nthat the weapon for its defeat is already in their hand.\n\nThe most advanced student may occasionally forget that he is superior to\nthe adverse influence of the race-thought, and other clouds of thought\ninfluence that happen to be in his neighborhood. When we think of how few\nthere are who are sending forth the positive, hopeful, thought-waves, and\nhow many are sending forth continually the thoughts of discouragement,\nfear, and despair, it is no wonder that at times there comes to us a\nfeeling of discouragement, helplessness, and \"what's the use.\" But we\nmust be ever alert, to stand up and _deny these things out of existence_\nso far as our personal thought world is concerned. There is a wonderful\noccult truth in the last sentence. We are the makers, preservers, and\ndestroyers of our personal thought-world. We may bring into it that which\nwe desire to appear; we may keep there what we wish, cultivating,\ndeveloping and unfolding the thought-forms that we desire; we may\ndestroy that which we wish to keep out. The \"I\" is the master of its\nthought-world. Think over this great truth, O student! By Desire we\ncall into existence--by affirmation we preserve and encourage--by\nDenial we destroy. The Hindus in their popular religious conceptions\npicture the One Being as a Trinity, composed of Brahma, the Creator;\nVishnu, the Preserver, and Siva, the Destroyer--not three gods, as is\ncommonly supposed, but a Trinity composed of three aspects of Deity or\nBeing. This idea of the threefold Being is also applicable to the\nIndividual--\"as above so below.\" The \"I\" is the Being of the Individual,\nand the thought-world is its manifestation. It creates, preserves, and\ndestroys--as it Will. Carry this idea with you, and realize that your\nindividual thought-world is your own field of manifestation. In it you\nare constantly creating--constantly preserving--constantly destroying.\nAnd if you can destroy anything in your own thought-world you remove it\nfrom its field of activity, so far as you are concerned. And if you\ncreate anything in your own thought-world, you bring it into active\nbeing, so far as you are concerned. And if you preserve anything, you\nkeep it by you in effect and full operation and influence in your life.\nThis truth belongs to the higher phases of the subject, for its\nexplanation is inextricably bound up in the explanation of the\n\"Thing-in-Itself\"--the Absolute and Its Manifestations. But even what we\nhave said above, should give to the alert student sufficient notice to\ncause him to grasp the facts of the case, and to apply the principles in\nhis own life.\n\nIf one lives on the plane of the race-thought, he is subject to its laws,\nfor the law of cause and effect is in full operation on each plane of\nlife. But when one raises himself above the race-thought, and on to the\nplane of the Recognition of the Real Self--The \"I\"--then does he\nextricate himself from the lower laws of cause and effect, and places\nhimself on a higher plane of causation, in which he plays a much higher\npart. And so we are constantly reminding you that your tower of strength\nand refuge lies on the higher plane. But, nevertheless, we must deal with\nthe things and laws of the lower plane, because very few who read these\nlessons are able to rest entirely upon the higher plane. The great\nmajority of them have done no more than to lift themselves partially on\nto the higher plane, and they are consequently living on both planes,\npartly in each, the consequence being that there is a struggle between\nthe conflicting laws of the two planes. The present stage is one of the\nhardest on the Path of Attainment, and resembles the birth-pains of the\nphysical body. But you are being born into a higher plane, and the pain\nafter becoming the most acute will begin to ease, and in the end will\ndisappear, and then will come peace and calm. When the pain becomes the\nmost acute, then be cheered with the certainty that you have reached the\ncrisis of your new spiritual birth, and that you will soon gain peace.\nAnd then you will see that the peace and bliss will be worth all the pain\nand struggle. Be brave, fellow followers of The Path--Deliverance is\nnigh. Soon will come the Silence that follows the Storm. The pain that\nyou are experiencing--ah, well do we know that you are experiencing the\npain--is not punishment, but is a necessary part of your growth. All Life\nfollows this plan--the pains of labor and birth ever precede the\nDeliverance. Such is Life--and Life is based upon Truth--and all is well\nwith the world. We did not intend to speak of these things in this\nlesson, but as we write there comes to us a great cry for help and a word\nof encouragement and hope, from the Class which is taking this course of\nlessons, and we feel bound to respond as we have done. Peace be with\nyou--one and all.\n\nAnd, now we will begin our consideration of the laws governing what we\nhave called \"Sub-conscious Influence.\"\n\nAll students of the Occult are aware of the fact that men may be, and\nare, largely influenced by the thoughts of others. Not only is this the\ncase in instances where thoughts are directed from the mind of one person\nto the mind of another, but also when there is no special direction or\nintention in the thought sent forth. The vibrations of thoughts linger in\nthe astral atmosphere long after the effort that sent forth the thought\nhas passed. The astral atmosphere is charged with the vibrations of\nthinkers of many years past, and still possesses sufficient vitality to\naffect those whose minds are ready to receive them at this time. And we\nall attract to us thought vibrations corresponding in nature with those\nwhich we are in the habit of entertaining. The Law of Attraction is in\nfull operation, and one who makes a study of the subject may see\ninstances of it on all sides.\n\nWe invite to ourselves these thought vibrations by maintaining and\nentertaining thoughts along certain lines. If we cultivate a habit of\nthinking along the lines of Cheerfulness, Brightness and Optimism, we\nattract to ourselves similar thought vibrations of others and we will\nfind that before long we will find all sorts of cheerful thoughts pouring\ninto our minds from all directions. And, likewise, if we harbor thoughts\nof Gloom, Despair, Pessimism, we lay ourselves open to the influx of\nsimilar thoughts which have emanated from the minds of others. Thoughts\nof Anger, Hate, or Jealousy attract similar thoughts which serve to feed\nthe flame and keep alive the fire of these low emotions. Thoughts of Love\ntend to draw to ourselves the loving thoughts of others which tend to\nfill us with a glow of loving emotion.\n\nAnd not only are we affected in this way by the thoughts of others, but\nwhat is known as \"Suggestion\" also plays an important part in this matter\nof sub-conscious influence. We find that the mind has a tendency to\nreproduce the emotions, moods, shades of thought, and feelings of other\npersons, as evidenced by their attitude, appearance, facial expression,\nor words. If we associate with persons of a gloomy temperament, we run\nthe risk of \"catching\" their mental trouble by the law of suggestion,\nunless we understand this law and counteract it. In the same way we find\nthat cheerfulness is contagious, and if we keep in the company of\ncheerful people we are very apt to take on their mental quality. The same\nrule applies to frequenting the company of unsuccessful or successful\npeople, as the case may be. If we allow ourselves to take up the\nsuggestions constantly emanating from them, we will find that our minds\nwill begin to reproduce the tones, attitudes, characteristics,\ndispositions and traits of the other persons, and before long we will be\nliving on the same mental plane. As we have repeatedly said, these things\nare true only when we allow ourselves to \"take on\" the impressions, but\nunless one has mastered the law of suggestion, and understands its\nprinciples and operations he is more or less apt to be affected by it.\nAll of you readily recall the effect of certain persons upon others with\nwhom they come in contact. One has a faculty of inspiring with vigor and\nenergy those in whose company he happens to be. Another depresses those\naround him, and is avoided as a \"human wet-blanket.\" Another will cause a\nfeeling of uneasiness in those around him, by reason of his prevailing\nattitude of distrust, suspicion, and low cunning. Some carry an\natmosphere of health around them, while others seem to be surrounded with\na sickly aura of disease, even when their physical condition does not\nseem to indicate the lack of health. Mental states have a subtle way of\nimpressing themselves upon us, and the student who will take the trouble\nto closely observe those with whom he comes in contact will receive a\nliberal education along these lines.\n\nThere is of course a great difference in the degree of suggestibility\namong different persons. There are those who are almost immune, while at\nthe other end of the line are to be found others who are so constantly\nand strongly impressed by the suggestions of others, conscious or\nunconscious, that they may be said to scarcely have any independent\nthought or will of their own. But nearly all persons are suggestible\nto a greater or lesser degree.\n\nIt must not be supposed from what we have said that all suggestions are\n\"bad,\" harmful, or undesirable. Many suggestions are very good for us,\nand coming at the right time have aided us much. But, nevertheless, it is\nwell to always _let your own mind pass upon_ these suggestions, before\nallowing them to manifest in your sub-conscious mind. Let the final\ndecision be your own--and not the will of another--although you may have\nconsidered outside suggestions in connection with the matter.\n\nRemember always that YOU are an Individual, having a mind and Will of\nyour own. Rest firmly upon the base of your \"I\" consciousness, and you\nwill find yourself able to manifest a wonderful strength against the\nadverse suggestions of others. Be your own Suggestor--train and influence\nyour sub-conscious mind Yourself, and do not allow it to be tampered with\nby the suggestions of others. Grow the sense of Individuality.\n\nThere has been much written of recent years in the Western world\nregarding the effect of the Mental Attitude upon Success and attainment\nupon the material plane. While much of this is nothing but the wildest\nimagining, still there remains a very firm and solid substratum of truth\nunderlying it all.\n\nIt is undoubtedly true that one's prevailing mental attitude is\nconstantly manifesting and objectifying itself in his life. Things,\ncircumstances, people, plans, all seem to fit into the general ideal of\nthe strong mental attitude of a man. And this from the operation of\nmental law along a number of lines of action.\n\nIn the first place, the mind when directed toward a certain set of\nobjects becomes very alert to discover things concerning those\nobjects--to seize upon things, opportunities, persons, ideas, and facts\ntending to promote the objects thought of. The man who is looking for\nfacts to prove certain theories, invariably finds them, and is also quite\nlikely to overlook facts tending to disprove his theory. The Optimist and\nthe Pessimist passing along the same streets, each sees thousands of\nexamples tending to fit in with his idea. As Kay says: \"When one is\nengaged in seeking for a thing, if he keep the image of it clearly before\nthe mind, he will be very likely to find it, and that too, probably,\nwhere it would otherwise have escaped his notice. So when one is engaged\nin thinking on a subject, thoughts of things resembling it, or bearing\nupon it, and tending to illustrate it, come up on every side. Truly, we\nmay well say of the mind, as has been said of the eye, that 'it perceives\nonly what it brings within the power of perceiving.'\" John Burroughs has\nwell said regarding this that \"No one ever found the walking fern who did\nnot have the walking fern in his mind. A person whose eye is full of\nIndian relics picks them up in every field he walks through. They are\nquickly recognized because the eye has been commissioned to find them.\"\n\nWhen the mind is kept firmly fixed upon some ideal or aim, its whole and\nvaried powers are bent toward the realization and manifestation of that\nideal. In thousands of ways the mind will operate to objectify the\nsubjective mental attitude, a great proportion of the mental effort being\naccomplished along sub-conscious lines. It is of the greatest importance\nto one who wishes to succeed in any undertaking, to keep before his\nmind's eye a clear mental image of that which he desires. He should\npicture the thing desired, and himself as securing it, until it becomes\nalmost real. In this way he calls to his aid his entire mental force and\npower, along the sub-conscious lines, and, as it were, makes a clear path\nover which he may walk to accomplishment. Bain says regarding this: \"By\naiming at a new construction, we must clearly conceive what is aimed at.\nWhere we have a very distinct and intelligible model before us, we are in\na fair way to succeed; in proportion as the ideal is dim and wavering, we\nstagger or miscarry.\" Maudsley says: \"We cannot do an act voluntarily\nunless we know what we are going to do, and we cannot know exactly what\nwe are going to do until we have taught ourselves to do it.\" Carpenter\nsays: \"The continued concentration of attention upon a certain idea gives\nit a dominant power, not only over the mind, but over the body.\" Muller\nsays: \"The idea of our own strength gives strength to our movements. A\nperson who is confident of effecting anything by muscular efforts will do\nit more easily than one not so confident of his own power.\" Tanner says:\n\"To believe firmly is almost tantamount in the end to accomplishment.\nExtraordinary instances are related showing the influence of the will\nover even the involuntary muscles.\"\n\nAlong the same lines, many Western writers have added their testimony to\nthe Yogi principle of the manifestation of thought into action. Kay has\nwritten: \"A clear and accurate idea of what we wish to do, and how it is\nto be effected, is of the utmost value and importance in all the affairs\nof life. A man's conduct naturally shapes itself according to the ideas\nin his mind, and nothing contributes more to success in life than having\na high ideal and keeping it constantly in view. Where such is the case\none can hardly fail in attaining it. Numerous unexpected circumstances\nwill be found to conspire to bring it about, and even what seemed at\nfirst to be hostile may be converted into means for its furtherance;\nwhile by having it constantly before the mind he will be ever ready to\ntake advantage of any favoring circumstances that may present\nthemselves.\" Along the same lines, Foster has written these remarkable\nwords: \"It is wonderful how even the casualties of life seem to bow to\na spirit that will not bow to them, and yield to subserve a design which\nthey may, in their first apparent tendency, threaten to frustrate. When a\nfirm, decisive spirit is recognized, it is curious to see how the space\nclears around a man and leaves him room and freedom.\" Simpson has said:\n\"A passionate desire and an unwearied will can perform impossibilities,\nor what seem to be such to the cold and feeble.\" And Maudsley gives to\naspiring youth a great truth, when he says: \"Thus it is that aspirations\nare often prophecies, the harbingers of what a man shall be in a\ncondition to perform.\" And we may conclude the paragraph by quoting\nLytton: \"Dream, O youth, dream manfully and nobly, and thy dreams shall\nbe prophets.\"\n\nThis principle of the power of the Mental Image is strongly impressed\nupon the mind of the _chela_, or student, by the Yogi teachers. The\nstudent is taught that just as the house is erected in accordance with\nthe plan of the architect, so is one's life built in accordance with the\nprevailing Mental Image. The mind sub-consciously moulds itself around\nthe prevailing mental image or attitude, and then proceeds to draw upon\nthe outer world for material with which to build in accordance with the\nplan. Not only is one's character built in this way, but the\ncircumstances and incidents of his life follow the same rule. The Yogi\nstudent is instructed into the mysteries of the power of the mind in this\ndirection, not that he may make use of it to build up material success,\nor to realize his personal desires--for he is taught to avoid these\nthings--but he is fully instructed, nevertheless, that he may understand\nthe workings of the law around him. And it is a fact well known to close\nstudents of the occult, that the few who have attained extraordinarily\nhigh degrees of development, make use of this power in order to help the\nrace. Many a world movement has been directed by the mind, or minds, of\nsome of these advanced souls who were able to see the ideal of evolution\nahead of the race, and by visualizing the same, and concentrating upon it\nin meditation, actually hastened the progress of the evolutionary wave,\nand caused to actually manifest that which they saw, and upon which they\nhad meditated.\n\nIt is true that some occultists have used similar plans to further their\nown selfish personal ends--often without fully realizing just what power\nthey were employing--but this merely illustrates the old fact that the\nforces of Nature may be used rightly and wrongly. And it is all the more\nreason why those who are desirous of advancing the race--of assisting in\nthe evolution of the world--should make use of this mighty power in their\nwork. Success is not reprehensible, notwithstanding the fact that many\nhave interpreted and applied the word in such a matter as to make it\nappear as if it had no other meaning or application other than the crude,\nmaterial selfish one generally attributed to it, by reason of its misuse.\nThe Western world is playing its part in the evolution of the race, and\nits keynote is \"Accomplishment.\" Those who have advanced so high that\nthey are able to view the world of men, as one sees a valley from a\nmountain peak, recognize what this strenuous Western life means. They see\nmighty forces in operation--mighty principles being worked out by those\nwho little dream of the ultimate significance of that which they are\ndoing. Mighty things are before the Western world to-day--wonderful\nchanges are going on--great things are in the womb of time, and the hour\nof birth draws near. The men and women in the Western world feel within\nthem the mighty urge to \"accomplish\" something--to take an active part in\nthe great drama of life. And they are right in giving full expression to\nthis urge, and are doing well in using every legitimate means in the line\nof expression. And this idea of the Mental Attitude, or the Mental Image,\nis one of the greatest factors in this striving for Success.\n\nIn this lesson we do not purpose giving \"Success Talks\" for our students.\nThese lessons are intended to fill another field, and there are many\nother channels of information along the lines named. What we wish to do\nis to point out to our students the meaning of all this strenuous\nstriving of the age, in the Western world, and the leading principle\nemployed therein. The great achievements of the material world are being\naccomplished by means of the Power of the Mind. Men are beginning to\nunderstand that \"Thought manifests itself in Action,\" and that Thought\nattracts to itself the things, persons and circumstances in harmony with\nitself. The Power of Mind is becoming manifest in hundreds of ways. The\npower of Desire, backed by Faith and Will, is beginning to be recognized\nas one of the greatest of known dynamic forces. The life of the race is\nentering into a new and strange stage of development and evolution, and\nin the years to come MIND will be seen, more clearly and still more\nclearly, to be the great principle underlying the world of material\nthings and happenings. That \"All is Mind\" is more than a dreamy,\nmetaphysical utterance, is being recognized by the leaders in the world's\nthought.\n\nAs we have said, great changes are before the world and the race, and\nevery year brings us nearer to the beginning of them. In fact, the\nbeginning is already upon us. Let any thinker stop and reflect over the\nwonderful changes of the past six years--since the dawning of the\nTwentieth Century, and he will be dull indeed if he sees not the trend of\naffairs. We are entering into a new Great Cycle of the race, and the old\nis being prepared for being dropped off like an old worn out husk. Old\nconventions, ideals, customs, laws, ethics, and things sociological,\neconomical, theological, philosophical, and metaphysical have been\noutgrown, and are about to be \"shed\" by the race. The great cauldron of\nhuman thought is bubbling away fiercely, and many things are rising to\nits surface. Like all great changes, the good will come only with much\npain--all birth is with pain. The race feels the pain and perpetual\nunrest, but knows not what is the disease nor the remedy. Many false\ncases of diagnosis and prescription are even now noticeable, and will\nbecome still more in evidence as the years roll by. Many self-styled\nsaviours of the race--prescribers for the pain of the soul and mind--will\narise and fall. But out of it all will come that for which the race\nnow waits.\n\nThe changes that are before us are as great as the changes in thought and\nlife described in the late novel by H. G. Wells, entitled \"_In the Days\nof the Comet_.\" In fact, Mr. Wells has indicated in that story some of\nthe very changes that the advanced souls of the race have informed their\nstudents are before the race--the prophetic insight of the writer named\nseems marvelous, until one realizes that even that writer is being used\nas a part of the mental machinery of The Change itself. But the change\nwill not come about by reason of the new gas caused by the brushing of\nthe earth's surface by a passing comet. It will come from the unfolding\nof the race mind, the process being now under way. Are not the signs of\nmental unrest and discomfort becoming more and more apparent as the days\ngo by? The pain is growing greater, and the race is beginning to fret and\nchafe, and moan. It knows not what it wants, but it knows that it feels\npain and wants something to relieve that pain. The old things are\nbeginning to totter and fall, and ideas rendered sacred by years of\nobservance are being brushed aside with a startling display of\nirreverence. Under the surface of our civilization we may hear the\nstraining and groaning of the ideas and principles that are striving to\nforce their way out on to the plane of manifestation.\n\nMen are running hither and thither crying for a leader and a savior. They\nare trying this thing, and that thing, but they find not that which they\nseek. They cry for Satisfaction, but it eludes them. And yet all this\nsearch and disappointment is part of the Great Change, and is preparing\nthe race for That-which-must-Come. And yet the relief will not come\nfrom any Thing or Things. It will come from Within. Just as when, in\nWell's story, things righted themselves when the vapor of the comet had\ncleared men's minds, so will Things take their new places when the mind\nof the race becomes cleared by the new unfoldment that is even now under\nway. Men are beginning to feel each other's pains--they find themselves\nunsatisfied by the old rule of \"every man for himself, and the devil take\nthe hindmost\"--it used to content the successful, but now it doesn't seem\nto be so satisfying. The man on top is becoming lonesome, and\ndissatisfied, and discontented--his success seems to appall him, in some\nmysterious manner. And the man underneath feels stirring within himself\nstrange longings and desires, and dissatisfaction. And new frictions are\narising, and new and startling ideas are being suddenly advanced,\nsupported and opposed.\n\nAnd the relations between people seem to be unsatisfactory. The old\nrules, laws, and bonds are proving irksome. New, strange, and wild\nthoughts are coming into the minds of people, which they dare not utter\nto their friends--and yet these same friends are finding similar ideas\nwithin themselves. And somehow, underneath it all is to be found a\ncertain Honesty--yes, there is where the trouble seems to come, _the\nworld is tiring of hypocrisy and dishonesty in all human relations_, and\nis crying aloud to be led back, someway, to Truth and Honesty in Thought\nand Action. But it does not see the way out! And it will not see the way\nout, until the race-mind unfolds still further. And the pain of the new\nunfoldment is stirring the race to its depths. From the deep recesses of\nthe race-mind are rising to the surface old passions, relics from the\ncave-dweller days, and all sorts of ugly mental relics of the past. And\nthey will continue to rise and show themselves until at last the bubbling\npot will begin to quiet down, and then will come a new peace, and the\nbest will come to the surface--the essence of all the experiences of the\nrace.\n\nTo our students, we would say: During the struggle ahead of the race,\nplay well your part, doing the best you can, living each day by itself,\nmeeting each new phase of life with confidence and courage. Be not\ndeluded by appearances, nor follow after strange prophets. Let the\nevolutionary processes work themselves out, and do you fall in with the\nwave without struggling, and without overmuch striving. The Law is\nworking itself out well--of that be assured. Those who have entered into\neven a partial understanding and recognition of the One Life underlying,\nwill find that they will be as the chosen people during the changes that\nare coming to the race. They have attained that which the race is\nreaching toward in pain and travail. And the force behind the Law will\ncarry them along, for they will be the leaven that is to lighten the\ngreat mass of the race in the new dispensation. Not by deed, or by\naction, but by Thought, will these people leaven the mass. The Thought is\neven now at work, and all who read these words are playing a part in the\nwork, although they may know it not. If the race could realize this truth\nof the One Life underlying, to-day, the Change would occur in a moment,\nbut it will not come in that way. When this understanding gradually dawns\nupon the race--this new consciousness--then will Things take their proper\nplaces, and the Lion and the Lamb lie down together in peace.\n\nWe have thought it well to say these things in this the last lesson of\nthis course. They are needed words--they will serve to point out the way\nto those who are able to read. \"_Watch and wait for the Silence that will\nfollow the Storm_.\"\n\nIn this series of lessons we have endeavored to give you a plain,\npractical presentation of some of the more important features of \"Raja\nYoga.\" But this phase of the subject, as important and interesting as it\nis, is not the highest phase of the great Yoga teachings. It is merely\nthe preparation of the soil of the mind for what comes afterward. The\nphase called \"Gnani Yoga\"--the Yoga of Wisdom--is the highest of all\nthe various phases of Yoga, although each of the lower steps is important\nin itself. We find ourselves approaching the phase of our work for which\nwe have long wished. Those who have advised and directed this work have\ncounseled us to deal with the less advanced and simpler phases, in order\nto prepare the minds of those who might be interested, so that they would\nbe ready for the higher teachings. At times we have felt an impatience\nfor the coming of the day when we would be able to teach the highest that\nhas come to us. And now the time seems to have come. Following this\ncourse, we will begin a series of lessons in \"GNANI YOGA\"--the Yoga of\nWisdom--in which we will pass on to our students the highest teachings\nregarding the Reality and its Manifestations--the One and the Many. The\nteachings that \"All is Mind\" will be explained in such a manner as to be\nunderstood by all who have followed us so far. We will be able to impart\nto you the higher truths about Spiritual Evolution, sometimes called\n\"Reincarnation,\" as well as Spiritual Cause and Effect, often called\n\"Karma.\" The highest truths about these important subjects are often\nobscured by popular misconceptions occasioned by partial teaching. We\ntrust that you--our students--will wish to follow us still higher--higher\nthan we have ventured so far, and we assure you that there is a Truth to\nbe seen and known that is as much higher than the other phases upon which\nwe have touched, as those phases have been higher than the current\nbeliefs of the masses of the race. We trust that the Powers of Knowledge\nmay guide and direct us that we may be able to convey our message so that\nit may be accepted and understood. We thank our students who have\ntraveled thus far with us, and we assure them that their loving sympathy\nhas ever been a help and an inspiration to us.\n\nPeace be with you.","title":"A Series of Lessons in Raja Yoga","tradition":"scripture-revelation","translated_text":null,"word_count":75314}