,,the ,,edinburgh ,,lectures ,,on       
,,mental ,,science    ,,by ,,thomas     
,,troward ,,late ,,divisional ,,judge1  
,,punjab                  ,,the ,,writer
 ,,affectionately ,,dedicates ,,this    
,,little ,,volume ,,to ,,his ,,wife     
,,foreword4      ,this book contains the
 substance of a course of lectures      
recently given by  the writer in the    
,queen ,street ,hall1 ,edinburgh4 ,its  
purpose is to indicate  the ,natural    
,principles governing the relation      
between ,mental ,action and  ,material  
,conditions1 and thus to afford the     
student an intelligible  starting-point 
for the practical study of the subject4 
,t4,t4    ,march1 #aijd4                
,,contents4         ,i4--,,spirit ,,and 
,,matter4    ,,ii4--,,the ,,higher      
,,mode ,,of ,,intelligence ,,controls   
,,the ,,lower   ,,iii4--,,the ,,unity   
,,of ,,the ,,spirit                     
,,iv4--,,subjective ,,and ,,objective   
,,mind     ,v4--,,further               
,,considerations ,,regarding            

,,subjective ,,and ,,objective ,,mind   
,,vi4--,,the ,,law ,,of ,,growth        
,,vii4--,,receptivity4                  
,,viii4--,,reciprocal ,,action ,,of     
,,the ,,universal ,,and ,,individual    
,,minds    ,,ix4--,,causes ,,and        
,,conditions     ,x4--,,intuition       
,,xi4--,,healing   ,,xii4--,,the ,,will 
,,xiii4--,,in ,,touch ,,with            
,,subconscious ,,mind   ,,xiv4--,,the   
,,body    ,,xv4--,,the ,,soul           
,,xvi4--,,the ,,spirit          ,i4     
,,spirit ,,and ,,matter4      ,in       
commencing a course of lectures on      
,mental ,science1 it is somewhat        
difficult for the lecturer to fix upon  
the best method of opening the  subject4
 ,it can be approached from many sides1 
each with some peculiar  advantage of   
its own2 but1 after careful             
deliberation1 it appears to me  that1   
for the purpose of the present course1  
no better starting-point could  be      
selected than the relation between      
,spirit and ,matter4 ,i select this     

starting-point because the              
distinction--or what we believe to be   
such--  between them is one with which  
we are so familiar that ,i can safely   
assume  its recognition by everybody2   
and ,i may1 therefore1 at once state    
this  distinction by using the          
adjectives which we habitually apply as 
expressing  the natural opposition      
between the two--living spirit and dead 
matter4  ,these terms express our       
current impression of the opposition    
between spirit  and matter with         
sufficient accuracy1 and considered only
 from the point of  view of outward     
appearances this impression is no doubt 
correct4 ,the  general consensus of     
mankind is right in trusting the        
evidence of our  senses1 and any system 
which tells us that we are not to do so 
will never  obtain a permanent footing  
in a sane and healthy community4 ,there 
is  nothing wrong in the evidence       
conveyed to a healthy mind by the senses
 of a  healthy body1 but the point where

 error creeps in is when we come to     
judge  of the meaning of this testimony4
 ,we are accustomed to judge only by    
external appearances and by certain     
limited significances which we attach   
to words2 but when we begin to enquire  
into the real meaning of our words  and 
to analyse the causes which give rise to
 the appearances1 we find our  old      
notions gradually falling off from us1  
until at last we wake up to the  fact   
that we are living in an entirely       
different world to that we formerly     
recognized4 ,the old limited mode of    
thought has imperceptibly slipped away1 
and we discover that we have stepped out
 into a new order of things where  all  
is liberty and life4 ,this is the work  
of an enlightened intelligence          
resulting from persistent determination 
to discover what truth really is        
irrespective of any preconceived notions
 from whatever source derived1 the      
determination to think honestly for     
ourselves instead of endeavouring to    

get our thinking done for us4 ,let us   
then commence by enquiring what we      
really mean by the livingness which we  
attribute to spirit and the deadness    
which we attribute to matter4    ,at    
first we may be disposed to say that    
livingness consists in the power of     
motion and deadness in its absence2 but 
a little enquiry into the most  recent  
researches of science will soon show us 
that this distinction does  not go deep 
enough4 ,it is now one of the           
fully-established facts of  physical    
science that no atom of what we call    
dead matter is without  motion4 ,on the 
table before me lies a solid lump of    
steel1 but in the light  of up-to-date  
science ,i know that the atoms of that  
seemingly inert mass  are vibrating with
 the most intense energy1 continually   
dashing hither and  thither1 impinging  
upon and rebounding from one another1 or
 circling round  like miniature solar   
systems1 with a ceaseless rapidity whose
 complex  activity is enough to bewilder

 the imagination4 ,the mass1 as a mass1 
may  lie inert upon the table2 but so   
far from being destitute of the element 
of  motion it is the abode of the       
never-tiring energy moving the particles
 with  a swiftness to which the speed of
 an express train is as nothing4 ,it is1
  therefore1 not the mere fact of motion
 that is at the root of the  distinction
 which we draw instinctively between    
spirit and matter2 we must  go deeper   
than that4 ,the solution of the problem 
will never be found by  comparing ,life 
with what we call deadness1 and the     
reason for this will  become apparent   
later on2 but the true key is to be     
found by comparing one  degree of       
livingness with another4 ,there is1 of  
course1 one sense in which  the quality 
of livingness does not admit of degrees2
 but there is another  sense in which it
 is entirely a question of degree4 ,we  
have no doubt as to  the livingness of a
 plant1 but we realize that it is       
something very  different from the      

livingness of an animal4 ,again1 what   
average boy would  not prefer a         
fox-terrier to a goldfish for a pet8    
,or1 again1 why is it that  the boy     
himself is an advance upon the dog8 ,the
 plant1 the fish1 the dog1  and the boy 
are all equally alive2 but there is a   
difference in the  quality of their     
livingness about which no one can have  
any doubt1 and no  one would hesitate to
 say that this difference is in the     
degree of  intelligence4 ,in whatever   
way we turn the subject we shall always 
find that  what we call the livingness  
of any individual life is ultimately    
measured  by its intelligence4 ,it is   
the possession of greater intelligence  
that  places the animal higher in the   
scale of being than the plant1 the man  
higher than the animal1 the intellectual
 man higher than the savage4 ,the       
increased intelligence calls into       
activity modes of motion of a higher    
order corresponding to itself4 ,the     
higher the intelligence1 the more       

completely the mode of motion is under  
its control3 and as we descend in  the  
scale of intelligence1 the descent is   
marked by a corresponding  increase in  
automatic motion not subject to the     
control of a  self-conscious            
intelligence4 ,this descent is gradual  
from the expanded  self-recognition of  
the highest human personality to that   
lowest order of  visible forms which we 
speak of as things1 and from which      
self-recognition is entirely absent4    
,we see1 then1 that the livingness of   
,life consists in intelligence--in      
other words1 in the power of ,thought2  
and we may therefore say that the       
distinctive quality of spirit is        
,thought1 and1 as the opposite to this1 
we  may say that the distinctive quality
 of matter is ,form4 ,we cannot conceive
  of matter without form4 ,some form    
there must be1 even though invisible to 
the physical eye2 for matter1 to be     
matter at all1 must occupy space1 and   
to occupy any particular space          

necessarily implies a corresponding     
form4  ,for these reasons we may lay it 
down as a fundamental proposition that  
the  distinctive quality of spirit is   
,thought and the distinctive quality of 
matter is ,form4 ,this is a radical     
distinction from which important        
consequences follow1 and should1        
therefore1 be carefully noted by the    
student4    ,form implies extension in  
space and also limitation within certain
  boundaries4 ,thought implies neither4 
,when1 therefore1 we think of ,life as  
existing in any particular form we      
associate it with the idea of  extension
 in space1 so that an elephant may be   
said to consist of a vastly  larger     
amount of living substance than a mouse4
 ,but if we think of ,life as  the fact 
of livingness we do not associate it    
with any idea of extension1  and we at  
once realize that the mouse is quite as 
much alive as the  elephant1            
notwithstanding the difference in size4 
,the important point of  this           

distinction is that if we can conceive  
of anything as entirely devoid  of the  
element of extension in space1 it must  
be present in its entire  totality      
anywhere and everywhere--that is to say1
 at every point of space                
simultaneously4 ,the scientific         
definition of time is that it is the    
period  occupied by a body in passing   
from one given point in space to        
another1  and1 therefore1 according to  
this definition1 when there is no space 
there  can be no time2 and hence that   
conception of spirit which realizes it  
as  devoid of the element of space must 
realize it as being devoid of the       
element of time also2 and we therefore  
find that the conception of spirit  as  
pure ,thought1 and not as concrete      
,form1 is the conception of it as       
subsisting perfectly independently of   
the elements of time and space4 ,from   
this it follows that if the idea of     
anything is conceived as existing on    
this level it can only represent that   

thing as being actually present here    
and now4 ,in this view of things nothing
 can be remote from us either in  time  
or space3 either the idea is entirely   
dissipated or it exists as an  actual   
present entity1 and not as something    
that shall be in the future1  for where 
there is no sequence in time there can  
be no future4 ,similarly  where there is
 no space there can be no conception of 
anything as being at  a distance from   
us4 ,when the elements of time and space
 are eliminated all  our ideas of things
 must necessarily be as subsisting in a 
universal here  and an everlasting now4 
,this is1 no doubt1 a highly abstract   
conception1  but ,i would ask the       
student to endeavour to grasp it        
thoroughly1 since it  is of vital       
importance in the practical application 
of ,mental ,science1 as  will appear    
further on4    ,the opposite conception 
is that of things expressing themselves 
through  conditions of time and space   
and thus establishing a variety of      

relations  to other things1 as of bulk1 
distance1 and direction1 or of sequence 
in  time4 ,these two conceptions are    
respectively the conception of the      
abstract  and the concrete1 of the      
unconditioned and the conditioned1 of   
the absolute  and the relative4 ,they   
are not opposed to each other in the    
sense of  incompatibility1 but are each 
the complement of the other1 and the    
only  reality is in the combination of  
the two4 ,the error of the extreme      
idealist  is in endeavouring to realize 
the absolute without the relative1 and  
the  error of the extreme materialist is
 in endeavouring to realize the relative
  without the absolute4 ,on the one side
 the mistake is in trying to realize  an
 inside without an outside1 and on the  
other in trying to realize an  outside  
without an inside2 both are necessary to
 the formation of a  substantial entity4
          ,,ii4    ,,the ,,higher ,,mode
 ,,of ,,intelligence ,,controls ,,the   
,,lower4      ,we have seen that the    

descent from personality1 as we know it 
in ourselves1  to matter1 as we know it 
under what we call inanimate forms1 is a
 gradual  descent in the scale of       
intelligence from that mode of being    
which is able  to realize its own       
will-power as a capacity for originating
 new trains of  causation to that mode  
of being which is incapable of          
recognizing itself at  all4 ,the higher 
the grade of life1 the higher the       
intelligence2 from which  it follows    
that the supreme principle of ,life must
 also be the ultimate  principle of     
intelligence4 ,this is clearly          
demonstrated by the grand  natural order
 of the universe4 ,in the light of      
modern science the principle  of        
evolution is familiar to us all1 and the
 accurate adjustment existing  between  
all parts of the cosmic scheme is too   
self-evident to need  insisting upon4   
,every advance in science consists in   
discovering new  subtleties of          
connection in this magnificent universal

 order1 which already  exists and only  
needs our recognition to bring it into  
practical use4 ,if1  then1 the highest  
work of the greatest minds consists in  
nothing else than  the recognition of an
 already existing order1 there is no    
getting away from  the conclusion that a
 paramount intelligence must be inherent
 in the  ,life-,principle1 which        
manifests itself as this order2 and thus
 we see  that there must be a great     
cosmic intelligence underlying the      
totality of  things4    ,the physical   
history of our planet shows us first an 
incandescent nebula  dispersed over vast
 infinitudes of space2 later this       
condenses into a  central sun surrounded
 by a family of glowing planets hardly  
yet  consolidated from the plastic      
primordial matter2 then succeed untold  
millenniums of slow geological          
formation2 an earth peopled by the      
lowest  forms of life1 whether vegetable
 or animal2 from which crude beginnings 
a  majestic1 unceasing1 unhurried1      

forward movement brings things stage by 
stage to the condition in which we know 
them now4 ,looking at this steady       
progression it is clear that1 however we
 may conceive the nature of the         
evolutionary principle1 it unerringly   
provides for the continual advance of   
the race4 ,but it does this by creating 
such numbers of each kind that1  after  
allowing a wide margin for all possible 
accidents to individuals1 the  race     
shall still continue3--        ,so      
careful of the type it seems      ,so   
careless of the single life4    ,in     
short1 we may say that the cosmic       
intelligence works by a ,law of         
,averages which allows a wide margin of 
accident and failure to the  individual4
    ,but the progress towards higher    
intelligence is always in the direction 
of  narrowing down this margin of       
accident and taking the individual more 
and  more out of the law of averages1   
and substituting the law of individual  
selection4 ,in ordinary scientific      

language this is the survival of the    
fittest4 ,the reproduction of fish is on
 a scale that would choke the sea  with 
them if every individual survived2 but  
the margin of destruction is            
correspondingly enormous1 and thus the  
law of averages simply keeps up the     
normal proportion of the race4 ,but at  
the other end of the scale1             
reproduction is by no means thus        
enormously in excess of survival4 ,true1
  there is ample margin of accident and 
disease cutting off numbers of human    
beings before they have gone through the
 average duration of life1 but  still it
 is on a very different scale from the  
premature destruction of  hundreds of   
thousands as against the survival of    
one4 ,it may1 therefore1 be  taken as an
 established fact that in proportion as 
intelligence advances  the individual   
ceases to be subject to a mere law of   
averages and has a  continually         
increasing power of controlling the     
conditions of his own  survival4    ,we 

see1 therefore1 that there is a marked  
distinction between the cosmic          
intelligence and the individual         
intelligence1 and that the factor which 
differentiates the latter from the      
former is the presence of individual    
volition4 ,now the business of ,mental  
,science is to ascertain the relation   
of this individual power of volition to 
the great cosmic law which provides  for
 the maintenance and advancement of the 
race2 and the point to be  carefully    
noted is that the power of individual   
volition is itself the  outcome of the  
cosmic evolutionary principle at the    
point where it reaches  its highest     
level4 ,the effort of ,nature has always
 been upwards from the  time when only  
the lowest forms of life peopled the    
globe1 and it has now  culminated in the
 production of a being with a mind      
capable of abstract  reasoning and a    
brain fitted to be the physical         
instrument of such a mind4  ,at this    
stage the all-creating ,life-principle  

reproduces itself in a form  capable of 
recognizing the working of the          
evolutionary law1 and the unity  and    
continuity of purpose running through   
the whole progression until now         
indicates1 beyond a doubt1 that the     
place of such a being in the universal  
scheme must be to introduce the         
operation of that factor which1 up to   
this  point1 has been1 conspicuous by   
its absence--the factor1 namely1 of     
intelligent individual volition4 ,the   
evolution which has brought us up to    
this standpoint has worked by a cosmic  
law of averages2 it has been a  process 
in which the individual himself has not 
taken a conscious part4 ,but  because he
 is what he is1 and leads the van of the
 evolutionary procession1  if man is to 
evolve further1 it can now only be by   
his own conscious  co-operation with the
 law which has brought him up to the    
standpoint where  he is able to realize 
that such a law exists4 ,his evolution  
in the future  must be by conscious     

participation in the great work1 and    
this can only be  effected by his own   
individual intelligence and effort4 ,it 
is a process of  intelligent growth4 ,no
 one else can grow for us3 we must each 
grow for  ourselves2 and this           
intelligent growth consists in our      
increasing  recognition of the universal
 law1 which has brought us as far as we 
have  yet got1 and of our own individual
 relation to that law1 based upon the   
fact that we ourselves are the most     
advanced product of it4 ,it is a great  
maxim that ,nature obeys us precisely in
 proportion as we first obey ,nature4   
,let the electrician try to go counter  
to the principle that electricity  must 
always pass from a higher to a lower    
potential and he will effect  nothing2  
but let him submit in all things to this
 one fundamental law1 and  he can make  
whatever particular applications of     
electrical power he will4    ,these     
considerations show us that what        
differentiates the higher from the      

lower degree of intelligence is the     
recognition of its own self-hood1 and   
the more intelligent that recognition   
is1 the greater will be the power4  ,the
 lower degree of self-recognition is    
that which only realizes itself as  an  
entity separate from all other entities1
 as the ego distinguished from  the     
non-ego4 ,but the higher degree of      
self-recognition is that which1         
realizing its own spiritual nature1 sees
 in all other forms1 not so much  the   
non-ego1 or that which is not itself1 as
 the alter-ego1 or that  which is itself
 in a different mode of expression4     
,now1 it is this higher  degree of      
self-recognition that is the power by   
which the ,mental ,scientist  produces  
his results4 ,for this reason it is     
imperative that he should  clearly      
understand the difference between ,form 
and ,being2 that the one is  the mode of
 the relative and1 the mark of          
subjection to conditions1 and  that the 
other is the truth of the absolute and  

is that which controls  conditions4     
,now this higher recognition of self as 
an individualization of pure spirit     
must of necessity control all modes of  
spirit which have not yet reached  the  
same level of self-recognition4 ,these  
lower modes of spirit are in  bondage to
 the law of their own being because they
 do not know the law2  and1 therefore1  
the individual who has attained to this 
knowledge can  control them through that
 law4 ,but to understand this we must   
inquire a  little further into the      
nature of spirit4 ,i have already shown 
that the  grand scale of adaptation and 
adjustment of all parts of the cosmic   
scheme  to one another exhibits the     
presence somewhere of a marvellous      
intelligence1 underlying the whole1 and 
the question is1 where is this          
intelligence to be found8 ,ultimately we
 can only conceive of it as inherent  in
 some primordial substance which is the 
root of all those grosser modes  of     
matter which are known to us1 whether   

visible to the physical eye1 or         
necessarily inferred by science from    
their perceptible effects4 ,it is that  
power which1 in every species and in    
every individual1 becomes that which    
that species or individual is2 and thus 
we can only conceive of it as a         
self-forming intelligence inherent in   
the ultimate substance of which each    
thing is a particular manifestation4    
,that this primordial substance must be 
considered as self-forming by an        
inherent intelligence abiding in itself 
becomes evident from the fact that      
intelligence is the essential quality of
  spirit2 and if we were to conceive of 
the primordial substance as something   
apart from spirit1 then we should have  
to postulate some other power which  is 
neither spirit nor matter1 and          
originates both2 but this is only       
putting  the idea of a self-evolving    
power a step further back and asserting 
the  production of a lower grade of     
undifferentiated spirit by a higher1    

which  is both a purely gratuitous      
assumption and a contradiction of any   
idea we  can form of undifferentiated   
spirit at all4 ,however far back1       
therefore1 we  may relegate the original
 starting-point1 we cannot avoid the    
conclusion  that1 at that point1 spirit 
contains the primary substance in       
itself1 which  brings us back to the    
common statement that it made everything
 out of  nothing4 ,we thus find two     
factors to the making of all things1    
,spirit  and--,nothing2 and the addition
 of ,nothing to ,spirit leaves only     
spirit3  x  #j  x4    ,from these       
considerations we see that the ultimate 
foundation of every form  of matter is  
spirit1 and hence that a universal      
intelligence subsists  throughout       
,nature inherent in every one of its    
manifestations4 ,but this  cryptic      
intelligence does not belong to the     
particular form excepting in  the       
measure in which it is physically fitted
 for its concentration into             

self-recognizing individuality3 it lies 
hidden in that primordial substance  of 
which the visible form is a grosser     
manifestation4 ,this primordial         
substance is a philosophical necessity1 
and we can only picture it to  ourselves
 as something infinitely finer than the 
atoms which are themselves  a           
philosophical inference of physical     
science3 still1 for want of a better    
word1 we may conveniently speak of this 
primary intelligence inherent in  the   
very substance of things as the ,atomic 
,intelligence4 ,the term may1  perhaps1 
be open to some objections1 but it will 
serve our present purpose  as           
distinguishing this mode of spirit's    
intelligence from that of the  opposite 
pole1 or ,individual ,intelligence4     
,this distinction should be  carefully  
noted because it is by the response of  
the atomic intelligence to  the         
individual intelligence that            
thought-power is able to produce results
  on the material plane1 as in the cure 

of disease by mental treatment1 and  the
 like4 ,intelligence manifests itself by
 responsiveness1 and the whole  action  
of the cosmic mind in bringing the      
evolutionary process from its  first    
beginnings up to its present human stage
 is nothing else but a  continual       
intelligent response to the demand which
 each stage in the  progress has made   
for an adjustment between itself and its
 environment4  ,since1 then1 we have    
recognized the presence of a universal  
intelligence  permeating all things1 we 
must also recognize a corresponding     
responsiveness hidden deep down in their
 nature and ready to be called into     
action when appealed to4 ,all mental    
treatment depends on this               
responsiveness of spirit in its lower   
degrees to higher degrees of itself4    
,it is here that the difference between 
the mental scientist and the            
uninstructed person comes in2 the former
 knows of this responsiveness and  makes
 use of it1 and the latter cannot use it

 because he does not know it4           
,,iii    ,,the ,,unity ,,of ,,the       
,,spirit4      ,we have now paved the   
way for understanding what is meant by  
the unity of  the spirit4 ,in the first 
conception of spirit as the underlying  
origin of  all things we see a universal
 substance which1 at this stage1 is not 
differentiated into any specific forms4 
,this is not a question of some  bygone 
time1 but subsists at every moment of   
all time in the innermost  nature of all
 being2 and when we see this1 we see    
that the division between  one specific 
form and another has below it a deep    
essential unity1 which  acts as the     
supporter of all the several forms of   
individuality arising out  of it4 ,and  
as our thought penetrates deeper into   
the nature of this  all-producing       
spiritual substance we see that it      
cannot be limited to any  one portion of
 space1 but must be limitless as space  
itself1 and that the  idea of any       
portion of space where it is not is     

inconceivable4 ,it is one of  those     
intuitive perceptions from which the    
human mind can never get away  that this
 primordial1 all-generating living      
spirit must be commensurate  with       
infinitude1 and we can therefore never  
think of it otherwise than as  universal
 or infinite4 ,now it is a mathematical 
truth that the infinite  must be a      
unity4 ,you cannot have two infinites1  
for then neither would be  infinite1    
each would be limited by the other1 nor 
can you split the  infinite up into     
fractions4 ,the infinite is             
mathematically essential unity4  ,this  
is a point on which too much stress     
cannot be laid1 for there follow  from  
it the most important consequences4     
,unity1 as such1 can be neither         
multiplied nor divided1 for either      
operation destroys the unity4 ,by       
multiplying1 we produce a plurality of  
units of the same scale as the          
original2 and by dividing1 we produce a 
plurality of units of a smaller  scale2 

and a plurality of units is not unity   
but multiplicity4 ,therefore if  we     
would penetrate below the outward nature
 of the individual to that  innermost   
principle of his being from which his   
individuality takes its  rise1 we can do
 so only by passing beyond the          
conception of individual  existence into
 that of the unity of universal being4  
,this may appear to be  a merely        
philosophical abstraction1 but the      
student who would produce  practical    
results must realize that these abstract
 generalizations are the  foundation of 
the practical work he is going to do4   
,now the great fact to be recognized    
about a unity is that1 because it is  a 
single unit1 wherever it is at all the  
whole of it must be4 ,the moment  we    
allow our mind to wander off to the idea
 of extension in space and say  that one
 part of the unit is here and another   
there1 we have descended from  the idea 
of unity into that of parts or fractions
 of a single unit1 which  is to pass    

into the idea of a multiplicity of      
smaller units1 and in that  case we are 
dealing with the relative1 or the       
relation subsisting between  two or more
 entities which are therefore limited by
 each other1 and so  have passed out of 
the region of simple unity which is the 
absolute4 ,it is1  therefore1 a         
mathematical necessity that1 because the
 originating ,life-  principle is       
infinite1 it is a single unit1 and      
consequently1 wherever it  is at all1   
the whole of it must be present4 ,but   
because it is infinite1  or limitless1  
it is everywhere1 and therefore it      
follows that the whole  of spirit must  
be present at every point in space at   
the same moment4  ,spirit is thus       
omnipresent in its entirety1 and it is  
accordingly  logically correct that at  
every moment of time all spirit is      
concentrated  at any point in space that
 we may choose to fix our thought upon4 
,this is  the fundamental fact of all   
being1 and it is for this reason that ,i

 have  prepared the way for it by laying
 down the relation between spirit and   
matter as that between idea and form1 on
 the one hand the absolute from  which  
the elements of time and space are      
entirely absent1 and on the other  the  
relative which is entirely dependent on 
those elements4 ,this great fact  is    
that pure spirit continually subsists in
 the absolute1 whether in a  corporeal  
body or not2 and from it all the        
phenomena of being flow1 whether  on the
 mental plane or the physical4 ,the     
knowledge of this fact regarding  spirit
 is the basis of all conscious spiritual
 operation1 and therefore in  proportion
 to our increasing recognition of it our
 power of producing  outward visible    
results by the action of our thought    
will grow4 ,the whole  is greater than  
its part1 and therefore1 if1 by our     
recognition of this  unity1 we can      
concentrate all spirit into any given   
point at any moment1  we thereby include
 any individualization of it that we may

 wish to deal  with4 ,the practical     
importance of this conclusion is too    
obvious to need  enlarging upon4        
,pure spirit is the ,life-principle     
considered apart from the matrix in     
which  it takes relation to time and    
space in a particular form4 ,in this    
aspect it  is pure intelligence         
undifferentiated into individuality4 ,as
 pure  intelligence it is infinite      
responsiveness and susceptibility4 ,as  
devoid of  relation to time and space it
 is devoid of individual personality4   
,it is1  therefore1 in this aspect a    
purely impersonal element upon which1 by
 reason  of its inherent intelligence   
and susceptibility1 we can impress any  
recognition of personality that we will4
 ,these are the great facts that the    
mental scientist works with1 and the    
student will do well to ponder deeply   
on their significance and on the        
responsibilities which their realization
  must necessarily carry with it4       
,,iv4    ,,subjective ,,and ,,objective 

,,mind4      ,up to this point it has   
been necessary to lay the foundations of
 the  science by the statement of highly
 abstract general principles which we   
have reached by purely metaphysical     
reasoning4 ,we now pass on to the       
consideration of certain natural laws   
which have been established by a long   
series of experiments and observations1 
the full meaning and importance of      
which will become clear when we see     
their application to the general        
principles which have hitherto occupied 
our attention4 ,the phenomena of        
hypnosis are now so fully recognized as 
established scientific facts that  it is
 quite superfluous to discuss the       
question of their credibility4 ,two     
great medical schools have been founded 
upon them1 and in some countries  they  
have become the subject of special      
legislation4 ,the question before us  at
 the present day is1 not as to the      
credibility of the facts1 but as to  the
 proper inferences to be drawn from     

them1 and a correct apprehension of     
these inferences is one of the most     
valuable aids to the mental scientist1  
for it confirms the conclusions of      
purely a priori reasoning by an array   
of experimental instances which places  
the correctness of those conclusions    
beyond doubt4    ,the great truth which 
the science of hypnotism has brought to 
light is the  dual nature of the human  
mind4 ,much conflict exists between     
different  writers as to whether this   
duality results from the presence of two
  actually separate minds in the one    
man1 or in the action of the same mind  
in the employment of different          
functions4 ,this is one of those        
distinctions  without a difference which
 are so prolific a source of hindrance  
to the  opening out of truth4 ,a man    
must be a single individuality to be a  
man at  all1 and1 so1 the net result is 
the same whether we conceive of his     
varied  modes of mental action as       
proceeding from a set of separate minds 

strung1  so to speak1 on the thread of  
his one individuality and each adapted  
to a  particular use1 or as varied      
functions of a single mind3 in either   
case we  are dealing with a single      
individuality1 and how we may picture   
the  wheel-work of the mental mechanism 
is merely a question of what picture    
will bring the nature of its action home
 to us most clearly4 ,therefore1 as  a  
matter of convenience1 ,i shall in these
 lectures speak of this dual  action as 
though it proceeded from two minds1 an  
outer and an inner1 and  the inner mind 
we will call the subjective mind and the
 outer the  objective1 by which names   
the distinction is most frequently      
indicated in  the literature of the     
subject4    ,a long series of careful   
experiments by highly-trained observers1
 some of  them men of world-wide        
reputation1 has fully established       
certain remarkable  differences between 
the action of the subjective and that of
 the objective  mind which may be       

briefly stated as follows4 ,the         
subjective mind is only  able to reason 
deductively and not inductively1 while  
the objective mind  can do both4        
,deductive reasoning is the pure        
syllogism which shows why a  third      
proposition must necessarily result if  
two others are assumed1 but  which does 
not help us to determine whether the two
 initial statements are  true or not4   
,to determine this is the province of   
inductive reasoning which  draws its    
conclusions from the observation of a   
series of facts4 ,the  relation of the  
two modes of reasoning is that1 first by
 observing a  sufficient number of      
instances1 we inductively reach the     
conclusion that a  certain principle is 
of general application1 and then we     
enter upon the  deductive process by    
assuming the truth of this principle and
 determining  what result must follow in
 a particular case on the hypothesis of 
its  truth4 ,thus deductive reasoning   
proceeds on the assumption of the       

correctness of certain hypotheses or    
suppositions with which it sets out3  it
 is not concerned with the truth or     
falsity of those suppositions1 but  only
 with the question as to what results   
must necessarily follow supposing  them 
to be true4 ,inductive reasoning2 on the
 other hand1 is the process by  which we
 compare a number of separate instances 
with one another until we  see the      
common factor that gives rise to them   
all4 ,induction proceeds by  the        
comparison of facts1 and deduction by   
the application of universal            
principles4 ,now it is the deductive    
method only which is followed by the    
subjective mind4 ,innumerable           
experiments on persons in the hypnotic  
state  have shown that the subjective   
mind is utterly incapable of making the 
selection and comparison which are      
necessary to the inductive process1 but 
will accept any suggestion1 however     
false1 but having once accepted any     
suggestion1 it is strictly logical in   

deducing the proper conclusions from    
it1 and works out every suggestion to   
the minutest fraction of the results    
which flow from it4    ,as a consequence
 of this it follows that the subjective 
mind is entirely  under the control of  
the objective mind4 ,with the utmost    
fidelity it  reproduces and works out to
 its final consequences whatever the    
objective  mind impresses upon it2 and  
the facts of hypnotism show that ideas  
can be  impressed on the subjective mind
 by the objective mind of another as    
well  as by that of its own             
individuality4 ,this is a most important
 point1 for it  is on this amenability  
to suggestion by the thought of another 
that all the  phenomena of healing1     
whether present or absent1 of telepathy 
and the like1  depend4 ,under the       
control of the practised hypnotist the  
very personality  of the subject becomes
 changed for the time being2 he believes
 himself to  be whatever the operator   
tells him he is3 he is a swimmer        

breasting the  waves1 a bird flying in  
the air1 a soldier in the tumult of     
battle1 an  ,indian stealthily tracking 
his victim3 in short1 for the time      
being1 he  identifies himself with any  
personality that is impressed upon him  
by the  will of the operator1 and acts  
the part with inimitable accuracy4 ,but 
the  experiments of hypnotism go further
 than this1 and show the existence in   
the subjective mind of powers far       
transcending any exercised by the       
objective mind through the medium of the
 physical senses2 powers of             
thought-reading1 of                     
thought-transference1 of clairvoyance1  
and the like1  all of which are         
frequently manifested when the patient  
is brought into the  higher mesmeric    
state2 and we have thus experimental    
proof of the existence  in ourselves of 
transcendental faculties the full       
development and conscious  control of   
which would place us in a perfectly new 
sphere of life4    ,but it should be    

noted that the control must be our own  
and not that of  any external           
intelligence whether in the flesh or out
 of it4    ,but perhaps the most        
important fact which hypnotic           
experiments have  demonstrated is that  
the subjective mind is the builder of   
the body4 ,the  subjective entity in the
 patient is able to diagnose the        
character of the  disease from which he 
is suffering and to point out suitable  
remedies1  indicating a physiological   
knowledge exceeding that of the most    
highly  trained physicians1 and also a  
knowledge of the correspondences between
  diseased conditions of the bodily     
organs and the material remedies which  
can afford relief4 ,and from this it is 
but a step further to those numerous    
instances in which it entirely dispenses
 with the use of material remedies  and 
itself works directly on the organism1  
so that complete restoration to  health 
follows as the result of the suggestions
 of perfect soundness made  by the      

operator to the patient while in the    
hypnotic state4    ,now these are facts 
fully established by hundreds of        
experiments conducted  by a variety of  
investigators in different parts of the 
world1 and from  them we may draw two   
inferences of the highest importance3   
one1 that the  subjective mind is in    
itself absolutely impersonal1 and the   
other that it  is the builder of the    
body1 or in other words it is the       
creative power in  the individual4 ,that
 it is impersonal in itself is shown by 
its readiness  to assume any personality
 the hypnotist chooses to impress upon  
it2 and the  unavoidable inference is   
that its realization of personality     
proceeds from  its association with the 
particular objective mind of its own    
individuality4 ,whatever personality the
 objective mind impresses upon it1  that
 personality it assumes and acts up to2 
and since it is the builder of  the body
 it will build up a body in             
correspondence with the personality     

thus impressed upon it4 ,these two laws 
of the subjective mind form the         
foundation of the axiom that our body   
represents the aggregate of our         
beliefs4 ,if our fixed belief is that   
the body is subject to all sorts of     
influences beyond our control1 and that 
this1 that1 or the other symptom  shows 
that such an uncontrollable influence is
 at work upon us1 then this  belief is  
impressed upon the subjective mind1     
which by the law of its  nature accepts 
it without question and proceeds to     
fashion bodily  conditions in accordance
 with this belief4 ,again1 if our fixed 
belief is  that certain material        
remedies are the only means of cure1    
then we find in  this belief the        
foundation of all medicine4 ,there is   
nothing unsound in the  theory of       
medicine2 it is the strictly logical    
correspondence with the  measure of     
knowledge which those who rely on it are
 as yet able to  assimilate1 and it acts
 accurately in accordance with their    

belief that in  a large number of cases 
medicine will do good1 but also in many 
instances  it fails4 ,therefore1 for    
those who have not yet reached a more   
interior  perception of the law of      
,nature1 the healing agency of medicine 
is a most  valuable aid to the          
alleviation of physical maladies4 ,the  
error to be  combated is not the belief 
that1 in its own way1 medicine is       
capable of  doing good1 but the belief  
that there is no higher or better way4  
,then1 on the same principle1 if we     
realize that the subjective mind is the 
builder of the body1 and that the body  
is subject to no influences except      
those which reach it through the        
subjective mind1 then what we have to do
  is to impress this upon the subjective
 mind and habitually think of it as  a  
fountain of perpetual ,life1 which is   
continually renovating the body by      
building in strong and healthy material1
 in the most complete independence  of  
any influences of any sort1 save those  

of our own desire impressed upon  our   
own subjective mind by our own thought4 
,when once we fully grasp these         
considerations we shall see that it is  
just as easy to externalize healthy     
conditions of body as the contrary4     
,practically the process amounts to a   
belief in our own power of life2 and    
since this belief1 if it be thoroughly  
domiciled within us1 will necessarily   
produce a correspondingly healthy  body1
 we should spare no pains to convince   
ourselves that there are sound  and     
reasonable grounds for holding it4 ,to  
afford a solid basis for this           
conviction is the purpose of ,mental    
,science4          ,v4    ,,further     
,,considerations ,,regarding            
,,subjective ,,and ,,objective ,,mind4  
,an intelligent consideration of the    
phenomena of hypnotism will show us     
that what we call the hypnotic state is 
the normal state of the  subjective     
mind4 ,it always conceives of itself in 
accordance with some  suggestion        

conveyed to it1 either consciously or   
unconsciously to the mode  of objective 
mind which governs it1 and it gives rise
 to corresponding  external results4    
,the abnormal nature of the conditions  
induced by  experimental hypnotism is in
 the removal of the normal control held 
by the  individual's own objective mind 
over his subjective mind and the        
substitution of some other control for  
it1 and thus we may say that the  normal
 characteristic of the subjective mind  
is its perpetual action in  accordance  
with some sort of suggestion4 ,it       
becomes therefore a question of  the    
highest importance to determine in every
 case what the nature of the  suggestion
 shall be and from what source it shall 
proceed2 but before  considering the    
sources of suggestion we must realize   
more fully the place  taken by          
subjective mind in the order of ,nature4
    ,if the student has followed what   
has been said regarding the presence of 
intelligent spirit pervading all space  

and permeating all matter1 he will  now 
have little difficulty in recognizing   
this all-pervading spirit as  universal 
subjective mind4 ,that it cannot as     
universal mind have the  qualities of   
objective mind is very obvious4 ,the    
universal mind is the  creative power   
throughout ,nature2 and as the          
originating power it must  first give   
rise to the various forms in which      
objective mind recognizes  its own      
individuality1 before these individual  
minds can re-act upon it2  and hence1 as
 pure spirit or first cause1 it cannot  
possibly be anything  else than         
subjective mind2 and the fact which has 
been abundantly proved by  experiment   
that the subjective mind is the builder 
of the body shows us  that the power of 
creating by growth from within is the   
essential  characteristic of the        
subjective mind4 ,hence1 both from      
experiment and from  a priori reasoning1
 we may say that where-ever we find     
creative power at  work there we are in 

the presence of subjective mind1 whether
 it be working  on the grand scale of   
the cosmos1 or on the miniature scale of
 the  individual4 ,we may therefore lay 
it down as a principle that the         
universal  all-permeating intelligence1 
which has been considered in the second 
and  third sections1 is purely          
subjective mind1 and therefore follows  
the law of  subjective mind1 namely that
 it is amenable to any suggestion1 and  
will  carry out any suggestion that is  
impressed upon it to its most rigorously
  logical consequences4 ,the            
incalculable importance of this truth   
may not  perhaps strike the student at  
first sight1 but a little consideration 
will  show him the enormous             
possibilities that are stored up in it1 
and in the  concluding section ,i shall 
briefly touch upon the very serious     
conclusions  resulting from it4 ,for the
 present it will be sufficient to       
realize that  the subjective mind in    
ourselves is the same subjective mind   

which is at  work throughout the        
universe giving rise to the infinitude  
of natural forms  with which we are     
surrounded1 and in like manner giving   
rise to ourselves  also4 ,it may be     
called the supporter of our             
individuality2 and we may  loosely speak
 of our individual subjective mind as   
our personal share in  the universal    
mind4 ,this1 of course1 does not imply  
the splitting up of the  universal mind 
into fractions1 and it is to avoid this 
error that ,i have  discussed the       
essential unity of spirit in the third  
section1 but in order  to avoid too     
highly abstract conceptions in the      
present stage of the  student's progress
 we may conveniently employ the idea of 
a personal share  in the universal      
subjective mind4    ,to realize our     
individual subjective mind in this      
manner will help us to  get over the    
great metaphysical difficulty which     
meets us in our endeavour  to make      
conscious use of first cause1 in other  

words to create external  results by the
 power of our own thought4 ,ultimately  
there can be only one  first cause which
 is the universal mind1 but because it  
is universal it  cannot1 as universal1  
act on the plane of the individual and  
particular4  ,for it to do so would be  
for it to cease to be universal and     
therefore  cease to be the creative     
power which we wish to employ4 ,on the  
other hand1  the fact that we are       
working for a specific definite object  
implies our  intention to use this      
universal power in application to a     
particular  purpose1 and thus we find   
ourselves involved in the paradox of    
seeking to  make the universal act on   
the plane of the particular4 ,we want to
 effect a  junction between the two     
extremes of the scale of ,nature1 the   
innermost  creative spirit and a        
particular external form4 ,between these
 two is a  great gulf1 and the question 
is how is it to be bridged over4 ,it is 
here1  then1 that the conception of our 

individual subjective mind as our       
personal  share in the universal        
subjective mind affords the means of    
meeting the  difficulty1 for on the one 
hand it is in immediate connection with 
the  universal mind1 and on the other it
 is immediate connection with the       
individual objective1 or intellectual   
mind2 and this in its turn is in        
immediate connection with the world of  
externalization1 which is  conditioned  
in time and space2 and thus the relation
 between the subjective  and objective  
minds in the individual forms the bridge
 which is needed to  connect the two    
extremities of the scale4    ,the       
individual subjective mind may therefore
 be regarded as the organ of  the       
,absolute in precisely the same way that
 the objective mind is the organ  of the
 ,relative1 and it is in order to       
regulate our use of these two organs    
that it is necessary to understand what 
the terms absolute and relative         
actually mean4 ,the absolute is that    

idea of a thing which contemplates it   
as existing in itself and not in        
relation to something else1 that is to  
say1 which contemplates the essence of  
it2 and the relative is that idea of  a 
thing which contemplates it as related  
to other things1 that is to say as      
circumscribed by a certain environment4 
,the absolute is the region of  causes1 
and the relative is the region of       
conditions2 and hence1 if we wish  to   
control conditions1 this can only be    
done by our thought-power operating  on 
the plane of the absolute1 which it can 
do only through the medium of  the      
subjective mind4 ,the conscious use of  
the creative power of thought  consists 
in the attainment of the power of       
,thinking in the ,absolute1 and  this   
can only be attained by a clear         
conception of the interaction between   
our different mental functions4 ,for    
this purpose the student cannot too     
strongly impress upon himself that      
subjective mind1 on whatever scale1 is  

intensely sensitive to suggestion1 and  
as creative power works accurately  to  
the externalization of that suggestion  
which is most deeply impressed  upon it4
 ,if then1 we would take any idea out of
 the realm of the relative1  where it is
 limited and restricted by conditions   
imposed upon it through  surrounding    
circumstances1 and transfer it to the   
realm of the absolute  where it is not  
thus limited1 a right recognition of our
 mental  constitution will enable us to 
do this by a clearly defined method4    
,the object of our desire is necessarily
 first conceived by us as bearing  some 
relation to existing circumstances1     
which may1 or may not1 appear           
favourable to it2 and what we want to do
 is to eliminate the element of         
contingency and attain something which  
is certain in itself4 ,to do this is  to
 work upon the plane of the absolute1   
and for this purpose we must  endeavour 
to impress upon our subjective mind the 
idea of that which we  desire quite     

apart from any conditions4 ,this        
separation from the elements  of        
condition implies the elimination of the
 idea of time1 and  consequently we must
 think of the thing as already in actual
 existence4  ,unless we do this we are  
not consciously operating upon the plane
 of the  absolute1 and are therefore not
 employing the creative power of our    
thought4 ,the simplest practical method 
of gaining the habit of thinking in     
this manner is to conceive the existence
 in the spiritual world of a  spiritual 
prototype of every existing thing1 which
 becomes the root of the  corresponding 
external existence4 ,if we thus         
habituate ourselves to look on  the     
spiritual prototype as the essential    
being of the thing1 and the  material   
form as the growth of this prototype    
into outward expression1 then  we shall 
see that the initial step to the        
production of any external fact  must be
 the creation of its spiritual          
prototype4 ,this prototype1 being       

purely spiritual1 can only be formed by 
the operation of thought1 and in  order 
to have substance on the spiritual plane
 it must be thought of as  actually     
existing there4 ,this conception has    
been elaborated by ,plato in  his       
doctrine of archetypal ideas1 and by    
,swedenborg in his doctrine of          
correspondences2 and a still greater    
teacher has said ,all things  whatsoever
 ye pray and ask for1 believe that ye   
have received them1 and  ye shall       
receive them4 7,mark xi4 #bd1 ,r4,v47   
,the difference of the tenses  in this  
passage is remarkable4 ,the speaker bids
 us first to believe that  our desire   
has already been fulfilled1 that it is a
 thing already  accomplished1 and then  
its accomplishment will follow as a     
thing in the  future4 ,this is nothing  
else than a concise direction for making
 use of the  creative power of thought  
by impressing upon the universal        
subjective mind  the particular thing   
which we desire as an already existing  

fact4 ,in  following this direction we  
are thinking on the plane of the        
absolute and  eliminating from our minds
 all consideration of conditions1 which 
imply  limitation and the possibility of
 adverse contingencies2 and we are thus 
planting a seed which1 if left          
undisturbed1 will infallibly germinate  
into  external fruition4    ,by thus    
making intelligent use of our subjective
 mind1 we1 so to speak1  create a       
nucleus1 which is no sooner created than
 it begins to exercise  an attractive   
force1 drawing to itself material of a  
like character with  its own1 and if    
this process is allowed to go on        
undisturbed1 it will  continue until an 
external form corresponding to the      
nature of the nucleus  comes out into   
manifestation on the plane of the       
objective and relative4  ,this is the   
universal method of ,nature on every    
plane4 ,some of the most  advanced      
thinkers in modern physical science1 in 
the endeavour to probe the  great       

mystery of the first origin of the      
world1 have postulated the  formation of
 what they call vortex rings formed from
 an infinitely fine  primordial         
substance4 ,they tell us that if such a 
ring be once formed on  the minutest    
scale and set rotating1 then1 since it  
would be moving in pure  ether and      
subject to no friction1 it must         
according to all known laws of  physics 
be indestructible and its motion        
perpetual4 ,let two such rings  approach
 each other1 and by the law of          
attraction1 they would coalesce into  a 
whole1 and so on until manifested matter
 as we apprehend it with our  external  
senses1 is at last formed4 ,of course no
 one has ever seen these  rings with the
 physical eye4 ,they are one of those   
abstractions which  result if we follow 
out the observed law of physics and the 
unavoidable  sequences of mathematics to
 their necessary consequences4 ,we      
cannot account  for the things that we  
can see unless we assume the existence  

of other  things which we cannot2 and   
the vortex theory is one of these       
assumptions4 ,this theory has not been  
put forward by mental scientists but  by
 purely physical scientists as the      
ultimate conclusion to which their      
researches have led them1 and this      
conclusion is that all the innumerable  
forms of ,nature have their origin in   
the infinitely minute nucleus of the    
vortex ring1 by whatever means the      
vortex ring may have received its       
initial impulse1 a question with which  
physical science1 as such1 is not       
concerned4    ,as the vortex theory     
accounts for the formation of the       
inorganic world1 so  does biology       
account for the formation of the living 
organism4 ,that also  has its origin in 
a primary nucleus which1 as soon as it  
is established1  operates as a centre of
 attraction for the formation of all    
those physical  organs of which the     
perfect individual is composed4 ,the    
science of  embryology shows that this  

rule holds good without exception       
throughout the  whole range of the      
animal world1 including man2 and botany 
shows the same  principle at work       
throughout the vegetable world4 ,all    
branches of physical  science           
demonstrate the fact that every         
completed manifestation1 of  whatever   
kind and on whatever scale1 is started  
by the establishment of a  nucleus1     
infinitely small but endowed with an    
unquenchable energy of  attraction1     
causing it to steadily increase in power
 and definiteness of  purpose1 until the
 process of growth is completed and the 
matured form  stands out as an          
accomplished fact4 ,now if this be the  
universal method of  ,nature1 there is  
nothing unnatural in supposing that it  
must begin its  operation at a stage    
further back than the formation of the  
material  nucleus4 ,as soon as that is  
called into being it begins to operate  
by the  law of attraction on the        
material plane2 but what is the force   

which  originates the material nucleus8 
,let a recent work on physical science  
give  us the answer2 ,in its ultimate   
essence1 energy may be incomprehensible 
by  us except as an exhibition of the   
direct operation of that which we call  
,mind or ,will4 ,the quotation is from a
 course of lectures on ,waves in        
,water1 ,air and ther1 delivered in     
#aijb1 at the ,royal ,institution1 by   
,j4  ,a4 ,fleming4 ,here1 then1 is the  
testimony of physical science that the  
originating energy is ,mind or ,will2   
and we are1 therefore1 not only making  
a logical deduction from certain        
unavoidable intuitions of the human     
mind1  but are also following on the    
lines of the most advanced physical     
science1  when we say that the action of
 ,mind plants that nucleus which1 if    
allowed  to grow undisturbed1 will      
eventually attract to itself all the    
conditions  necessary for its           
manifestation in outward visible form4  
,now the only  action of ,mind is       

,thought2 and it is for this reason that
 by our thoughts  we create             
corresponding external conditions1      
because we thereby create the  nucleus  
which attracts to itself its own        
correspondences in due order until  the 
finished work is manifested on the      
external plane4 ,this is according to   
the strictly scientific conception of   
the universal law of growth2 and we  may
 therefore briefly sum up the whole     
argument by saying that our thought  of 
anything forms a spiritual prototype of 
it1 thus constituting a nucleus  or     
centre of attraction for all conditions 
necessary to its eventual               
externalization by a law of growth      
inherent in the prototype itself4       
,,vi4    ,,the ,,law ,,of ,,growth4     
,a ,,correct understanding of the law of
 growth is of the highest importance  to
 the student of ,mental ,science4 ,the  
great fact to be realized regarding     
,nature is that it is natural4 ,we may  
pervert the order of ,nature1 but it    

will prevail in the long run1 returning1
 as ,horace says1 by the back door  even
 though we drive it out with a          
pitchfork2 and the beginning1 the       
middle1 and the end of the law of       
,nature is the principle of growth from 
a  vitality inherent in the entity      
itself4 ,if we realize this from the    
outset  we shall not undo our own work  
by endeavouring to force things to      
become  that which by their own nature  
they are not4 ,for this reason when the 
,bible  says that he who believeth shall
 not make haste1 it is enunciating a    
great natural principle that success1   
depends on our using1 and not  opposing1
 the universal law of growth4 ,no doubt 
the greater the vitality we  put into   
the germ1 which we have agreed to call  
the spiritual prototype1  the quicker it
 will germinate2 but this is simply     
because by a more  realizing conception 
we put more growing-power into the seed 
than we do by  a feebler conception4    
,our mistakes always eventually resolve 

themselves  into distrusting the law of 
growth4 ,either we fancy we can hasten  
it by  some exertion of our own from    
without1 and are thus led into hurry and
  anxiety1 not to say sometimes into the
 employment1 of grievously wrong        
methods2 or else we give up all hope and
 so deny the germinating power of  the  
seed we have planted4 ,the result in    
either case is the same1 for in  either 
case we are in effect forming a fresh   
spiritual prototype of an  opposite     
character to our desire1 which therefore
 neutralizes the one first  formed1 and 
disintegrates it and usurps its place4  
,the law is always the  same1 that our  
,thought forms a spiritual prototype    
which1 if left  undisturbed1 will       
reproduce itself in external            
circumstances2 the only  difference is  
in the sort of prototype we form1 and   
thus evil is brought to  us by precisely
 the same law as good4    ,these        
considerations will greatly simplify our
 ideas of life4 ,we have no  longer to  

consider two forces1 but only one1 as   
being the cause of all  things2 the     
difference between good and evil        
resulting simply from the  direction in 
which this force is made to flow4 ,it is
 a universal law that  if we reverse the
 action of a cause we at the same time  
reverse the effect4  ,with the same     
apparatus we can commence by mechanical 
motion which will  generate electricity1
 or we can commence with electricity    
which will  generate mechanical motion2 
or to take a simple arithmetical        
instance3 if  #aj_/b  #e1 then #aj_/e   
#b2 and therefore if we once recognize  
the power of  thought to produce any    
results at all1 we shall see that the   
law by which  negative thought produces 
negative results is the same by which   
positive  thought produces positive     
results4 ,therefore all our distrust of 
the law of  growth1 whether shown in the
 anxious endeavour to bring pressure to 
bear  from without1 or in allowing      
despair to take the place of cheerful   

expectation1 is reversing the action of 
the original cause and consequently     
reversing the nature of the results4 ,it
 is for this reason that the ,bible1    
which is the most deeply occult of all  
books1 continually lays so much  stress 
upon the efficiency of faith and the    
destructive influence of  unbelief2 and 
in like manner1 all books on every      
branch of spiritual  science            
emphatically warn us against the        
admission of doubt or fear4 ,they  are  
the inversion of the principle which    
builds up1 and they are therefore  the  
principle which pulls down2 but the ,law
 itself never changes1 and it is  on the
 unchangeableness of the law that all   
,mental ,science is founded4 ,we  are   
accustomed to realize the               
unchangeableness of natural law in our  
every  day life1 and it should therefore
 not be difficult to realize that the   
same  unchangeableness of law which     
obtains on the visible side of nature   
obtains  on the invisible side as well4 

,the variable factor is1 not the law1   
but our  own volition2 and it is by     
combining this variable factor with the 
invariable one that we can produce the  
various results we desire4 ,the         
principle of growth is that of inherent 
vitality in the seed itself1 and  the   
operations of the gardener have their   
exact analogue in ,mental ,science4  ,we
 do not put the self-expansive vitality 
into the seed1 but we must sow  it1 and 
we may also1 so to speak1 water it by   
quiet concentrated  contemplation of our
 desire as an actually accomplished     
fact4 ,but we must  carefully remove    
from such contemplation any idea of a   
strenuous effort on  our part to make   
the seed grow4 ,its efficacy is in      
helping to keep out  those negative     
thoughts of doubt which would plant     
tares among our wheat1  and therefore1  
instead of anything of effort1 such     
contemplation should be  accompanied by 
a feeling of pleasure and restfulness in
 foreseeing the  certain accomplishment 

of our desires4 ,this is that making our
 requests  known to ,god with           
thanksgiving which ,st4 ,paul           
recommends1 and it has its  reason in   
that perfect wholeness of the ,law of   
,being which only needs our  recognition
 of it to be used by us to any extent we
 wish4    ,some people possess the power
 of visualization1 or making mental     
pictures  of things1 in a greater degree
 than others1 and by such this faculty  
may  advantageously be employed to      
facilitate their realization of the     
working  of the ,law4 ,but those who do 
not possess this faculty in any marked  
degree1  need not be discouraged by     
their want of it1 for visualization is  
not the  only way of realizing that the 
law is at work on the invisible plane4  
,those  whose mental bias is towards    
physical science should realize this    
,law of  ,growth as the creative force  
throughout all nature2 and those who    
have a  mathematical turn of mind may   
reflect that all solids are generated   

from  the movement of a point1 which1 as
 our old friend ,euclid tells us1 is    
that  which has no parts nor magnitude1 
and is therefore as complete an         
abstraction as any spiritual nucleus    
could be4 ,to use the apostolic words1  
we are dealing with the substance of    
things not seen1 and we have to attain  
that habit of mind by which we shall see
 its reality and feel that we are       
mentally manipulating the only substance
 there ultimately is1 and of which  all 
visible things are only different modes4
 ,we must therefore regard our  mental  
creations as spiritual realities and    
then implicitly trust the ,law  of      
,growth to do the rest4          ,,vii4 
,,receptivity4      ,in order to lay the
 foundations for practical work1 the    
student must  endeavour to get a clear  
conception of what is meant by the      
intelligence of  undifferentiated       
spirit4 ,we want to grasp the idea of   
intelligence apart  from individuality1 
an idea which is rather apt to elude us 

until we grow  accustomed to it4 ,it is 
the failure to realize this quality of  
spirit that  has given rise to all the  
theological errors that have brought    
bitterness  into the world and has been 
prominent amongst the causes which have 
retarded the true development of        
mankind4 ,to accurately convey this     
conception in words1 is perhaps1        
impossible1 and to attempt definition is
  to introduce that very idea of        
limitation which is our object to avoid4
 ,it  is a matter of feeling rather than
 of definition2 yet some endeavour must 
be made to indicate the direction in    
which we must feel for this great  truth
 if we are to find it4 ,the idea is that
 of realizing personality  without that 
selfhood which differentiates one       
individual from another4 ,i  am not that
 other because ,i am myself--this is the
 definition of  individual selfhood2 but
 it necessarily imparts the idea of     
limitation1  because the recognition of 
any other individuality at once affirms 

a point  at which our own individuality 
ceases and the other begins4 ,now this  
mode  of recognition cannot be          
attributed to the ,universal ,mind4 ,for
 it to  recognize a point where itself  
ceased and something else began would be
 to  recognize itself as not universal2 
for the meaning of universality is the  
including of all things1 and therefore  
for this intelligence to recognize      
anything as being outside itself would  
be a denial of its own being4 ,we  may  
therefore say without hesitation that1  
whatever may be the nature of  its      
intelligence1 it must be entirely devoid
 of the element of  self-recognition as 
an individual personality on any scale  
whatever4 ,seen  in this light it is at 
once clear that the originating         
all-pervading ,spirit  is the grand     
impersonal principle of ,life which     
gives rise to all the  particular       
manifestations of ,nature4 ,its absolute
 impersonalness1 in the  sense of the   
entire absence of any consciousness of  

individual selfhood1  is a point on     
which it is impossible to insist too    
strongly4 ,the  attributing of an       
impossible individuality to the         
,universal ,mind is one of  the two     
grand errors which we find sapping the  
foundations of religion and  philosophy 
in all ages4 ,the other consists in     
rushing to the opposite  extreme and    
denying the quality of personal         
intelligence to the ,universal  ,mind4  
,the answer to this error remains1 as of
 old1 in the simple question1  ,he that 
made the eye shall ,he not see8 ,he that
 planted the ear shall ,he  not         
hear8--or to use a popular proverb1 ,you
 cannot get out of a bag more  than     
there is in it2 and consequently the    
fact that we ourselves are  centres of  
personal intelligence is proof that the 
infinite1 from which  these centres are 
concentrated1 must be infinite          
intelligence1 and thus we  cannot avoid 
attributing to it the two factors which 
constitute  personality1 namely1        

intelligence and volition4 ,we are      
therefore brought to  the conclusion    
that this universally diffused essence1 
which we might think  of as a sort of   
spiritual protoplasm1 must possess all  
the qualities of  personality without   
that conscious recognition of self which
 constitutes  separate individuality3   
and since the word personality has      
became so  associated in our ordinary   
talk with the idea of individuality it  
will  perhaps be better to coin a new   
word1 and speak of the personalness of  
the  ,universal ,mind as indicating its 
personal quality1 apart from            
individuality4 ,we must realize that    
this universal spirit permeates all     
space and all manifested substance1 just
 as physical scientists tell us  that   
the ether does1 and that wherever it is1
 there it must carry with it  all that  
it is in its own being2 and we shall    
then see that we are in the  midst of an
 ocean of undifferentiated yet          
intelligent ,life1 above1 below1  and   

all around1 and permeating ourselves    
both mentally and corporeally1 and  all 
other beings as well4    ,gradually as  
we come to realize the truth of this    
statement1 our eyes will  begin to open 
to its immense significance4 ,it means  
that all ,nature is  pervaded by an     
interior personalness1 infinite in its  
potentialities of  intelligence1        
responsiveness1 and power of expression1
 and only waiting to  be called into    
activity by our recognition of it4 ,by  
the terms of its  nature it can respond 
to us only as we recognize it4 ,if we   
are at that  intellectual level where we
 can see nothing but chance governing   
the world1  then this underlying        
universal mind will present to us       
nothing but a  fortuitous confluence of 
forces without any intelligible order4  
,if we are  sufficiently advanced to see
 that such a confluence could only      
produce a  chaos1 and not a cosmos1 then
 our conceptions expand to the idea of  
universal ,law1 and we find this to be  

the nature of the all-underlying        
principle4 ,we have made an immense     
advance from the realm of mere accident 
into a world where there are definite   
principles on which we can calculate    
with certainty when we know them4 ,but  
here is the crucial point4 ,the laws  of
 the universe are there1 but we are     
ignorant of them1 and only through      
experience gained by repeated failures  
can we get any insight into the laws    
with which we have to deal4 ,how painful
 each step and how slow the  progress6  
ons upon ons would not suffice to grasp 
all the laws of the  universe in their  
totality1 not in the visible world only1
 but also in the  world of the unseen2  
each failure to know the true law       
implies suffering  arising from our     
ignorant breach of it2 and thus1 since  
,nature is infinite1  we are met by the 
paradox that we must in some way        
contrive to compass the  knowledge of   
the infinite with our individual        
intelligence1 and we must  perform a    

pilgrimage along an unceasing ,via      
,dolorosa beneath the lash of  the      
inexorable ,law until we find the       
solution to the problem4 ,but it will   
be asked1 ,may we not go on until at    
last we attain the possession of all    
knowledge8 ,people do not realize what  
is meant by the infinite1 or they  would
 not ask such questions4 ,the infinite  
is that which is limitless and          
exhaustless4 ,imagine the vastest       
capacity you will1 and having filled it 
with the infinite1 what remains of the  
infinite is just as infinite as  before4
 ,to the mathematician this may be put  
very clearly4 ,raise x to any  power you
 will1 and however vast may be the      
disparity between it and the  lower     
powers of x1 both are equally           
incommensurate with xn4 ,the  universal 
reign of ,law is a magnificent truth2 it
 is one of the two great  pillars of the
 universe symbolized by the two pillars 
that stood at the  entrance to          
,solomon's temple3 it is ,jachin1 but   

,jachin must be  equilibriated by ,boaz4
    ,it is an enduring truth1 which can 
never be altered1 that every infraction 
of the ,law of ,nature must carry its   
punitive consequences with it4 ,we can  
never get beyond the range of cause and 
effect4 ,there is no escaping from  the 
law of punishment1 except by knowledge4 
,if we know a law of ,nature and  work  
with it1 we shall find it our unfailing 
friend1 ever ready to serve  us1 and    
never rebuking us for past failures2 but
 if we ignorantly or  wilfully          
transgress it1 it is our implacable     
enemy1 until we again become  obedient  
to it2 and therefore the only redemption
 from perpetual pain and  servitude is  
by a self-expansion which can grasp     
infinitude itself4 ,how is  this to be  
accomplished8 ,by our progress to that  
kind and degree of  intelligence by     
which we realize the inherent           
personalness of the divine              
all-pervading ,life1 which is at once   
the ,law and the ,substance of all that 

is4 ,well said the ,jewish rabbis of    
old1 ,the ,law is a ,person4 ,when we   
once  realize that the universal ,life  
and the universal ,law are one with the 
universal ,personalness1 then we have   
established the pillar ,boaz as the     
needed complement to ,jachin2 and when  
we find the common point in which  these
 two unite1 we have raised the ,royal   
,arch through which we may  triumphantly
 enter the ,temple4 ,we must dissociate 
the ,universal  ,personalness from every
 conception of individuality4 ,the      
universal can  never be the individual3 
that would be a contradiction in terms4 
,but  because the universal personalness
 is the root of all individual          
personalities1 it finds its highest     
expression in response to those who     
realize its personal nature4 ,and it is 
this recognition that solves the        
seemingly insoluble paradox4 ,the only  
way to attain that knowledge of the     
,infinite ,law which will change the    
,via ,dolorosa into the ,path of ,joy is

 to  embody in ourselves a principle of 
knowledge commensurate with the         
infinitude of that which is to be known2
 and this is accomplished by  realizing 
that1 infinite as the law itself1 is a  
universal ,intelligence in  the midst of
 which we float as in a living ocean4   
,intelligence without  individual       
personality1 but which1 in producing us1
 concentrates itself  into the personal 
individualities which we are4 ,what     
should be the relation  of such an      
intelligence towards us8 ,not one of    
favouritism3 not any more  than the ,law
 can it respect one person above        
another1 for itself is the  root and    
support for each alike4 ,not one of     
refusal to our advances2 for  without   
individuality it can have no personal   
object of its own to conflict  with     
ours2 and since it is itself the origin 
of all individual  intelligence1 it     
cannot be shut off by inability to      
understand4 ,by the very  terms of its  
being1 therefore1 this infinite1        

underlying1 all-producing  ,mind must be
 ready immediately to respond to all who
 realize their true  relation to it4 ,as
 the very principle of ,life itself it  
must be infinitely  susceptible to      
feeling1 and consequently it will       
reproduce with absolute  accuracy       
whatever conception of itself we impress
 upon it2 and hence if we  realize the  
human mind as that stage in the         
evolution of the cosmic order  at which 
an individuality has arisen capable of  
expressing1 not merely the  livingness1 
but also the personalness of the        
universal underlying spirit1  then we   
see that its most perfect mode of       
self-expression must be by  identifying 
itself with these individual            
personalities4    ,the identification   
is1 of course1 limited by the measure of
 the individual  intelligence1 meaning1 
not merely the intellectual perception  
of the  sequence of cause and effect1   
but also that indescribable reciprocity 
of  feeling by which we instinctively   

recognize something in another making   
them akin to ourselves2 and so it is    
that when we intelligently realize  that
 the innermost principle of being1 must 
by reason of its universality1  have a  
common nature with our own1 then we have
 solved the paradox of  universal       
knowledge1 for we have realized our     
identity of being with the  ,universal  
,mind1 which is commensurate with the   
,universal ,law4 ,thus we  arrive at the
 truth of ,st4 ,john's statement1 ,ye   
know all things1 only  this knowledge is
 primarily on the spiritual plane4 ,it  
is not brought out  into intellectual   
statement whether needed or not2 for it 
is not in itself  the specific knowledge
 of particular facts1 but it is the     
undifferentiated  principle of knowledge
 which we may differentiate in any      
direction that we  choose4 ,this is a   
philosophical necessity of the case1 for
 though the  action of the individual   
mind consists in differentiating the    
universal  into particular applications1

 to differentiate the whole universal   
would  be a contradiction in terms2 and 
so1 because we cannot exhaust the       
infinite1 our possession of it must     
consist in our power to differentiate   
it as the occasion may require1 the only
 limit being that which we  ourselves   
assign to the manifestation4    ,in this
 way1 then1 the recognition of the      
community of personality  between       
ourselves and the universal             
undifferentiated ,spirit1 which is the  
root and substance of all things1 solves
 the question of our release from  the  
iron grasp of an inflexible ,law1 not by
 abrogating the ,law1 which would  mean 
the annihilation of all things1 but by  
producing in us an intelligence  equal  
in affinity with the universal ,law     
itself1 and thus enabling us to         
apprehend and meet the requirements of  
the ,law in each particular as it       
arises4 ,in this way the ,cosmic        
,intelligence becomes individualized1   
and the  individual intelligence becomes

 universalized2 the two became one1 and 
in  proportion as this unity is realized
 and acted on1 it will be found that    
the ,law1 which gives rise to all       
outward conditions1 whether of body or  
of  circumstances1 becomes more and more
 clearly understood1 and can therefore  
be more freely made use of1 so that by  
steady1 intelligent endeavour to  unfold
 upon these lines we may reach degrees  
of power to which it is  impossible to  
assign any limits4 ,the student who     
would understand the  rationale of the  
unfoldment of his own possibilities must
 make no mistake  here4 ,he must realize
 that the whole process is that of      
bringing the  universal within the grasp
 of the individual by raising the       
individual to  the level of the         
universal and not vice-versa4 ,it is a  
mathematical truism  that you cannot    
contract the infinite1 and that you can 
expand the  individual2 and it is       
precisely on these lines that evolution 
works4 ,the  laws of nature cannot be   

altered in the least degree2 but we can 
come into  such a realization of our own
 relation to the universal principle of 
,law  that underlies them as to be able 
to press all particular laws1 whether of
  the visible or invisible side of      
,nature1 into our service and so find   
ourselves masters of the situation4     
,this is to be accomplished by          
knowledge2 and the only knowledge which 
will effect this purpose in all its     
measureless immensity is the knowledge  
of the personal element in ,universal   
,spirit in its reciprocity to our own   
personality4 ,our recognition of this   
,spirit must therefore be twofold1 as   
the principle of necessary sequence1    
order or ,law1 and also as the principle
 of ,intelligence1 responsive to our    
own recognition of it4          ,,viii4 
,,reciprocal ,,action ,,of ,,the        
,,universal ,,and ,,individual ,,minds4 
,it must be admitted that the foregoing 
considerations bring us to the  borders 
of theological speculation1 but the     

student must bear in mind that  as a    
,mental ,scientist it is his business to
 regard even the most exalted  spiritual
 phenomena from a purely scientific     
standpoint1 which is that of  the       
working of a universal natural ,law4 ,if
 he thus simply deals with the  facts as
 he finds them1 there is little doubt   
that the true meaning of many           
theological statements will become clear
 to him3 but he will do well to lay  it 
down as a general rule that it is not   
necessary either to the use or          
understanding of any law1 whether on the
 personal or the impersonal side of     
,nature1 that we should give a          
theological explanation of it3 although1
  therefore1 the personal quality       
inherent in the universal underlying    
spirit1 which is present in all things1 
cannot be too strongly insisted  upon1  
we must remember that in dealing with it
 we are still dealing with a  purely    
natural power which reappears at every  
point with protean variety of  form1    

whether as person1 animal1 or thing4 ,in
 each case what it becomes to  any      
individual is exactly measured by that  
individual's recognition of it4  ,to    
each and all it bears the relation of   
supporter of the race1 and where  the   
individual development is incapable of  
realizing anything more1 this is  the   
limit of the relation2 but as the       
individual's power of recognition       
expands1 he finds a reciprocal expansion
 on the part of this intelligent  power 
which gradually develops into the       
consciousness of intimate  companionship
 between the individualized mind and the
 unindividualized  source of it4    ,now
 this is exactly the relation which1 on 
ordinary scientific principles1  we     
should expect to find between the       
individual and the cosmic mind1 on the  
supposition that the cosmic mind is     
subjective mind1 and for reasons        
already given we can regard it in no    
other light4 ,as subjective mind it     
must reproduce exactly the conception of

 itself which the objective mind of  the
 individual1 acting through his own     
subjective mind1 impresses upon it2  and
 at the same time as creative mind1 it  
builds up external facts in             
correspondence with this conception4    
,quot homines tot sententi3 each one    
externalizes in his outward             
circumstances precisely his idea of the 
,universal ,mind2 and the man who       
realizes that by the natural law of mind
 he  can bring the ,universal ,mind into
 perfectly reciprocal action with its   
own1  will on the one hand make it a    
source of infinite instruction1 and on  
the  other a source of infinite power4  
,he will thus wisely alternate the      
personal and impersonal aspects         
respectively between his individual mind
  and the ,universal ,mind2 when he is  
seeking for guidance or strength he will
  regard his own mind as the impersonal 
element which is to receive  personality
 from the superior wisdom and force of  
the ,greater ,mind2 and  when1 on the   

other hand1 he is to give out the stores
 thus accumulated1 he  must reverse the 
position and consider his own mind as   
the personal  element1 and the          
,universal ,mind as the impersonal1     
which he can therefore  direct with     
certainty by impressing his own personal
 desire upon it4 ,we  need not be       
staggered at the greatness of this      
conclusion1 for it follows  necessarily 
from the natural relation between the   
subjective and the  objective minds2 and
 the only question is whether we will   
limit our view to  the lower level of   
the latter1 or expand it so as to take  
in the limitless  possibilities which   
the subjective mind presents to us4     
,i have dealt with this question at some
 length because it affords the key  to  
two very important subjects1 the ,law of
 ,supply and the nature of  ,intuition4 
,students often find it easier to       
understand how the mind can  influence  
the body with which it is so intimately 
associated1 than how it  can influence  

circumstances4 ,if the operation of     
thought-power were  confined exclusively
 to the individual mind this difficulty 
might arise2  but if there is one lesson
 the student of ,mental ,science should 
take to  heart more than another1 it is 
that the action of thought-power is not 
limited to a circumscribed              
individuality4 ,what the individual does
 is to  give direction to something     
which is unlimited1 to call into action 
a  force infinitely greater than his    
own1 which because it is in itself      
impersonal though intelligent1 will     
receive the impress of his personality1 
and can therefore make its influence    
felt far beyond the limits which bound  
the individual's objective perception of
 the circumstances with which he  has to
 deal4 ,it is for this reason that ,i   
lay so much stress on the  combination  
of two apparent opposites in the        
,universal ,mind1 the union of          
intelligence with impersonality4 ,the   
intelligence not only enables it to     

receive the impress of our thought1 but 
also causes it to devise exactly  the   
right means for bringing it into        
accomplishment4 ,this is only the       
logical result of the hypothesis that we
 are dealing with infinite              
,intelligence which is also infinite    
,life4 ,life means ,power1 and infinite 
life therefore means limitless power2   
and limitless power moved by  limitless 
intelligence cannot be conceived of as  
ever stopping short of the              
accomplishment of its object2 therefore1
 given the intention on the part  of the
 ,universal ,mind1 there can be no doubt
 as to its ultimate  accomplishment4    
,then comes the question of intention4  
,how do we know what  the intention of  
the ,universal ,mind may be8 ,here comes
 in the element of  impersonality4 ,it  
has no intention1 because it is         
impersonal4 ,as ,i have  already said1  
the ,universal mind works by a law of   
averages for the  advancement of the    
race1 and is in no way concerned with   

the particular  wishes of the           
individual4 ,if his wishes are in line  
with the forward  movement of the       
everlasting principle1 there is nowhere 
in ,nature any power  to restrict him in
 their fulfilment4 ,if they are opposed 
to the general  forward movement1 then  
they will bring him into collision with 
it1 and it  will crush him4 ,from the   
relation between them it results that   
the same  principle which shows itself  
in the individual mind as ,will1 becomes
 in the  universal mind a ,law of       
,tendency2 and the direction of this    
tendency must  always be to             
life-givingness1 because the universal  
mind is the  undifferentiated           
,life-spirit of the universe4 ,therefore
 in every case the  test is whether our 
particular intention is in this same    
lifeward  direction3 and if it is1 then 
we may be absolutely certain that there 
is no  intention on the part of the     
,universal ,mind to thwart the intention
 of our  own individual mind2 we are    

dealing with a purely impersonal force1 
and it  will no more oppose us by       
specific plans of its own than will     
steam or  electricity4 ,combining then1 
these two aspects of the ,universal     
,mind1 its  utter impersonality and its 
perfect intelligence1 we find precisely 
the  sort of natural force we are in    
want of1 something which will undertake 
whatever we put into its hands without  
asking questions or bargaining for      
terms1 and which1 having undertaken our 
business1 will bring to bear on it  an  
intelligence to which the united        
knowledge of the whole human race is as 
nothing1 and a power equal to this      
intelligence4 ,i may be using a rough   
and  ready mode of expression1 but my   
object is to bring home to the student  
the  nature of the power he can employ  
and the method of employing it1 and ,i  
may  therefore state the whole position 
thus3--,your object is not to run the   
whole cosmos1 but to draw particular    
benefits1 physical1 mental1 moral1 or   

financial into your own or someone      
else's life4 ,from this individual point
  of view the universal creative power  
has no mind of its own1 and therefore   
you can make up its mind for it4 ,when  
its mind is thus made up for it1 it     
never abrogates its place as the        
creative power1 but at once sets to work
  co carry out the purpose for which it 
has thus been concentrated2 and  unless 
this concentration is dissipated by the 
same agency 7yourself7 which  first     
produced it1 it will work on by the law 
of growth to complete  manifestation on 
the outward plane4    ,in dealing with  
this great impersonal intelligence1 we  
are dealing with the  infinite1 and we  
must fully realize infinitude as that   
which touches all  points1 and if it    
does1 there should be no difficulty in  
understanding that  this intelligence   
can draw together the means requisite   
for its purpose  even from the ends of  
the world2 and therefore1 realizing the 
,law according  to which the result can 

be produced1 we must resolutely put     
aside all  questioning as to the        
specific means which will be employed in
 any case4 ,to  question this is to sow 
that very seed of doubt which it is our 
first  object to eradicate1 and our     
intellectual endeavour should therefore 
be  directed1 not to the attempt to     
foretell the various secondary causes   
which  will eventually combine to       
produce the desired result1 laying down 
beforehand what particular causes should
 be necessary1 and from what  quarter   
they should come2 but we should direct  
our intellectual endeavour  to seeing   
more clearly the rationale of the       
general law by which trains of          
secondary causes are set in motion4     
,employed in the former way our         
intellect becomes the greatest hindrance
 to our success1 for it only helps  to  
increase our doubts1 since it is trying 
to grasp particulars which1 at  the time
 are entirely outside its circle of     
vision2 but employed in the  latter it  

affords the most material aid in        
maintaining that nucleus without  which 
there is no centre from which the       
principle of growth can assert  itself4 
,the intellect can only deduce          
consequences from facts which it is     
able to state1 and consequently cannot  
deduce any assurance from facts of      
whose existence it cannot yet have any  
knowledge through the medium of the     
outward senses2 but for the same reason 
it can realize the existence of a  ,law 
by which the as yet unmanifested        
circumstances may be brought into       
manifestation4 ,thus used in its right  
order1 the intellect becomes the        
handmaid of that more interior power    
within us which manipulates the unseen  
substance of all things1 and which we   
may call relative first cause4          
,,ix4    ,,causes ,,and ,,conditions4   
,the expression relative first cause has
 been used in the last section  to      
distinguish the action of the creative  
principle in the individual  mind from  

,universal ,first ,cause on the one hand
 and from secondary causes  on the      
other4 ,as it exists in us1 primary     
causation is the power to  initiate a   
train of causation directed to an       
individual purpose4 ,as the  power of   
initiating a fresh sequence of cause and
 effect it is first cause1  and as      
referring to an individual purpose it is
 relative1 and it may  therefore be     
spoken of as relative first cause1 or   
the power of primary  causation         
manifested by the individual4 ,the      
understanding and use of this  power is 
the whole object of ,mental ,science1   
and it is therefore necessary  that the 
student should clearly see the relation 
between causes and  conditions4 ,a      
simple illustration will go further for 
this purpose than any  elaborate        
explanation4 ,if a lighted candle is    
brought into a room the room  becomes   
illuminated1 and if the candle is taken 
away it becomes dark again4  ,now the   
illumination and the darkness are both  

conditions1 the one positive  resulting 
from the presence of the light1 and the 
other negative resulting  from its      
absence3 from this simple example we    
therefore see that every  positive      
condition has an exactly opposite       
negative condition corresponding  to it1
 and that this correspondence results   
from their being related to the  same   
cause1 the one positively and the other 
negatively2 and hence we may  lay down  
the rule that all positive conditions   
result from the active  presence of a   
certain cause1 and all negative         
conditions from the absence  of such a  
cause4 ,a condition1 whether positive or
 negative1 is never  primary cause1 and 
the primary cause of any series can     
never be  negative1 for negation is the 
condition which arises from the absence 
of  active causation4 ,this should be   
thoroughly understood as it is the      
philosophic basis of all those denials  
which play so important a1 part in      
,mental ,science1 and which may be      

summed up in the statement that evil    
being  negative1 or privation of good1  
has no substantive existence in itself4 
,conditions1 however1 whether positive  
or negative1 are no sooner called  into 
existence than they become causes in    
their turn and produce further          
conditions1 and so on ad infinitum1 thus
 giving rise to the whole train  of     
secondary causes4 ,so long as we judge  
only from the information conveyed  to  
us by the outward senses1 we are working
 on the plane of secondary  causation   
and see nothing but a succession of     
conditions1 forming part of  an endless 
train of antecedent conditions coming   
out of the past and  stretching away    
into the future1 and from this point of 
view we are under  the rule of an iron  
destiny from which there seems no       
possibility of  escape4 ,this is because
 the outward senses are only capable of 
dealing with  the relations which one   
mode of limitation bears to another1 for
 they are  the instruments by which we  

take cognizance of the relative and the 
conditioned4 ,now the only way of escape
 is by rising out of the region of      
secondary causes into that of primary   
causation1 where the originating  energy
 is to be found before it has yet passed
 into manifestation as a  condition4    
,this region is to be found within      
ourselves2 it is the region  of pure    
ideas2 and it is for this reason that ,i
 have laid stress on the two  aspects of
 spirit as pure thought and manifested  
form4 ,the thought-image or  ideal      
pattern of a thing is the first cause   
relatively to that thing2 it  is the    
substance of that thing untrammelled1 by
 any antecedent conditions4    ,if we   
realize that all visible things must    
have their origin in spirit1  then the  
whole creation around us is the standing
 evidence that the  starting-point of   
all things is in thought-images or      
ideas1 for no other  action than the    
formation of such images can be         
conceived of spirit prior  to its       

manifestation in matter4 ,if1 then1 this
 is spirit's modus operandi  for        
self-expression1 we have only to        
transfer this conception from the  scale
 of cosmic spirit working on the plane  
of the universal to that of             
individualized spirit working on the    
plane of the particular1 to see that    
the formation of an ideal image by means
 of our thought is setting first  cause 
in motion with regard to this specific  
object4 ,there is no difference  in kind
 between the operation of first cause in
 the universal and in the  particular1  
the difference is only a difference of  
scale1 but the power  itself is         
identical4 ,we must therefore always be 
very clear as to whether  we are        
consciously using first cause or not4   
,note the word consciously  because1    
whether consciously or unconsciously1 we
 are always using first  cause2 and it  
was for this reason ,i emphasized the   
fact that the ,universal  ,mind is      
purely subjective and therefore bound by

 the laws which apply to  subjective    
mind on whatever scale4 ,hence we are   
always impressing some  sort of ideas   
upon it1 whether we are aware of the    
fact or not1 and all our  existing      
limitations result from our having      
habitually impressed upon it  that idea 
of limitation which we have imbibed by  
restricting all  possibility to the     
region of secondary causes4 ,but now    
when investigation  has shown us that   
conditions are never causes in          
themselves1 but only the  subsequent    
links of a chain started on the plane of
 the pure ideal1 what we  have to do is 
to reverse our method of thinking and   
regard the ideal as the  real1 and the  
outward manifestation as a mere         
reflection which must change  with every
 change of the object which casts it4   
,for these reasons it is  essential to  
know whether we are consciously making  
use of first cause with  a definite     
purpose or not1 and the criterion is    
this4 ,if we regard the  fulfilment of  

our purpose as contingent upon any      
circumstances1 past1  present1 or       
future1 we are not making use of first  
cause2 we have descended  to the level  
of secondary causation1 which is the    
region of doubts1 fears1  and           
limitations1 all of which we are        
impressing upon the universal           
subjective mind with the inevitable     
result that it will build up            
corresponding external conditions4 ,but 
if we realize that the region of        
secondary causes is the region of mere  
reflections we shall not think of  our  
purpose as contingent on any conditions 
whatever1 but shall know that  by       
forming the idea of it in the absolute1 
and maintaining that idea1 we  have     
shaped the first cause into the desired 
form and can await the result  with     
cheerful expectancy4    ,it is here that
 we find the importance of realizing    
spirit's independence  of time and      
space4 ,an ideal1 as such1 cannot be    
formed in the future4 ,it  must either  

be formed here and now or not be formed 
at all2 and it is for  this reason that 
every teacher1 who has ever spoken with 
due knowledge of  the subject1 has      
impressed upon his followers the        
necessity of picturing to  themselves   
the fulfilment of their desires as      
already accomplished on the  spiritual  
plane1 as the indispensable condition of
 fulfilment in the  visible and         
concrete4    ,when this is properly     
understood1 any anxious thought as to   
the means to  be employed in the        
accomplishment of our purposes is seen  
to be quite  unnecessary4 ,if the end is
 already secured1 then it follows that  
all the  steps leading to it are secured
 also4 ,the means will pass into the    
smaller  circle of our conscious        
activities day by day in due order1 and 
then we  have to work upon them1 not    
with fear1 doubt1 or feverish           
excitement1 but  calmly and joyously1   
because we know that the end is already 
secured1 and  that our reasonable use of

 such means as present themselves in the
 desired  direction is1 only one portion
 of a much larger co-ordinated movement1
 the  final result of which admits of no
 doubt4 ,mental ,science does not offer 
a  premium to idleness1 but it takes1   
all work out of the region of anxiety   
and toil by assuring the worker of the  
success of his labour1 if not in the    
precise form he anticipated1 then in    
some other still better suited to his   
requirements4 ,but suppose1 when we     
reach a point where some momentous      
decision has to be made1 we happen to   
decide wrongly8 ,on the hypothesis  that
 the end is already secured you cannot  
decide wrongly4 ,your right  decision is
 as much one of the necessary steps in  
the accomplishment of the  end as any of
 the other conditions leading up to it1 
and therefore1 while  being careful to  
avoid rash action1 we may make sure that
 the same ,law  which is controlling the
 rest of the circumstances in the right 
direction  will influence our judgment  

in that direction also4 ,to get good    
results we  must properly understand our
 relation to the great impersonal power 
we are  using4 ,it is intelligent and we
 are intelligent1 and the two           
intelligences  must co-operate4 ,we must
 not fly in the face of the ,law by     
expecting it to  do for us what it can  
only do through us2 and we must         
therefore use our  intelligence with the
 knowledge that it is acting as the     
instrument of a  greater intelligence2  
and because we have this knowledge we   
may1 and  should1 cease from all anxiety
 as to the final result4 ,in actual     
practice  we must first form the ideal  
conception of our object with the       
definite  intention of impressing it    
upon the universal mind--it is this     
intention  which takes such thought out 
of the region of mere casual            
fancies--and then  affirm that our      
knowledge of the ,law is sufficient     
reason for a calm  expectation of a     
corresponding result1 and that therefore

 all necessary  conditions will come to 
us in due order4 ,we can then turn to   
the affairs of  our daily life with the 
calm assurance that the initial         
conditions are  either there already or 
will soon come into view4 ,if we do not 
at once see  them1 let us rest content  
with the knowledge that the spiritual   
prototype  is already in existence and  
wait till some circumstance pointing in 
the  desired direction begins to show   
itself4 ,it may be a very small         
circumstance1 but it is the direction   
and not the magnitude which is to be    
taken into consideration4 ,as soon as we
 see it we should regard it as the      
first sprouting of the seed we have sown
 in the ,absolute1 and do calmly1  and  
without excitement1 whatever the        
circumstances may seem to require1 and  
then later on we shall see that this    
doing will in turn lead to further      
circumstances in the same direction     
until we find ourselves conducted step  
by step to the accomplishment of our    

object4 ,in this way the understanding  
of the great principle of the ,law of   
,supply will1 by repeated experiences1  
deliver us more and more completely out 
of the region of anxious thought  and   
toilsome labour and bring us into a new 
world where the useful  employment of   
all our powers1 whether mental or       
physical1 will only be an  unfolding of 
our individuality upon the lines of its 
own nature1 and  therefore a perpetual  
source of health and happiness2 a       
sufficient  inducement1 surely1 to the  
careful study of the laws governing the 
relation  between the individual and the
 ,universal ,mind4          ,x4         
,,intuition4      ,we have seen that the
 subjective mind is amenable to         
suggestion by the  objective mind2 but  
there is also an action of the          
subjective mind upon the  objective4    
,the individual's subjective mind is his
 own innermost self1 and  its first care
 is the maintenance of the individuality
 of which it is the  foundation2 and    

since it is pure spirit it has its      
continual existence in  that plane of   
being where all things subsist in the   
universal here and the  everlasting now1
 and consequently can1 inform the lower 
mind of things  removed from its ken    
either by distance or futurity4 ,as the 
absence of the  conditions of time and  
space must logically concentrate all    
things into a  present focus1 we can    
assign no limit to the subjective mind's
 power of  perception1 and therefore the
 question arises1 why does it not keep  
the  objective mind continually informed
 on all points8 ,and the answer is that 
it would do so if the objective mind    
were sufficiently trained to recognize  
the indications given1 and to effect    
this training is one of the purposes  of
 ,mental ,science4 ,when once we        
recognize the position of the subjective
  mind as the supporter of the whole    
individuality we cannot doubt that much 
of what we take to be the spontaneous   
movement of the objective mind has  its 

origin in the subjective mind prompting 
the objective mind in the right         
direction without our being consciously 
aware of it4 ,but at times when the     
urgency of the case seems to demand it1 
or when1 for some reason yet  unknown1  
the objective mind is for a while more  
closely en rapport with  the subjective 
mind1 the interior voice is heard       
strongly and persistently2  and when    
this is the case we do well to pay heed 
to it4 ,want of space  forbids me to    
give examples1 but doubtless such will  
not be wanting in the  reader's         
experience4    ,the importance of       
understanding and following the         
intuition cannot be  exaggerated1 but ,i
 candidly admit the great practical     
difficulty of keeping  the happy mean   
between the disregard of the interior   
voice and allowing  ourselves to be run 
away with by groundless fancies4 ,the   
best guide is the  knowledge that comes 
of personal experience which gradually  
leads to the  acquisition of a sort of  

inward sense of touch that enables us to
  distinguish the true from the false1  
and which appears to grow with the      
sincere desire for truth and with the   
recognition of the spirit as its        
source4 ,the only general principles the
 writer can deduce from his own         
experience are that when1 in spite of   
all appearances pointing in the         
direction of a certain line of conduct1 
there is still a persistent  feeling    
that it should not be followed1 in the  
majority of instances it  will be found 
that the argument of the objective mind1
 however correct on  the facts          
objectively known1 was deficient from   
ignorance of facts which  could not be  
objectively known at the time1 but which
 were known to the  intuitive faculty4  
,another principle is that our very     
first impression  of feeling on any     
subject is generally correct4 ,before   
the objective mind  has begun to argue  
on the subject it is like the surface of
 a smooth lake  which clearly reflects  

the light from above2 but as soon as it 
begins to  argue from outside           
appearances these also throw their      
reflections upon its  surface1 so that  
the original image becomes blurred and  
is no longer  recognizable4 ,this first 
conception is very speedily lost1 and it
 should  therefore be carefully observed
 and registered in the memory with a    
view to  testing the various arguments  
which will subsequently arise on the    
objective plane4 ,it is however         
impossible to reduce so interior an     
action  as that of the intuition to the 
form of hard and fast rules1 and beyond 
carefully noting particular cases as    
they occur1 probably the best plan for  
the student will be to include the whole
 subject of intuition in the  general   
principle of the ,law of ,attraction1   
especially if he sees how this  law     
interacts with that personal quality of 
universal spirit of which we  have      
already spoken4          ,,xi4          
,,healing4      ,the subject of healing 

has been elaborately treated by many    
writers and  fully deserves all the     
attention that has been given to it1 but
 the object  of these lectures is rather
 to ground the student in those general 
principles on which all conscious use of
 the creative power of thought is       
based1 than to lay down formal rules for
 specific applications of it4 ,i  will  
therefore examine the broad principles  
which appear to be common to  the       
various methods of mental healing which 
are in use1 each of which  derives its  
efficacy1 not from the peculiarity of   
the method1 but from it  being such a   
method as allows the higher laws of     
,nature to come into play4  ,now the    
principle universally laid down by all  
mental healers1 in whatever  various    
terms they may explain it1 is that the  
basis of all healing is a  change in    
belief4 ,the sequence from which this   
results is as follows3--the  subjective 
mind is the creative faculty within us1 
and creates whatever the  objective mind

 impresses upon it2 the objective mind1 
or intellect1  impresses its thought    
upon it2 the thought is the expression  
of the belief2  hence whatever the      
subjective mind creates is the          
reproduction externally  of our beliefs4
 ,accordingly our whole object is to    
change our beliefs1 and  we cannot do   
this without some solid ground of       
conviction of the falsity of  our old   
beliefs and of the truth of our new     
ones1 and this ground we find  in that  
law of causation which ,i have          
endeavoured to explain4 ,the wrong      
belief which externalizes as sickness is
 the belief that some secondary  cause1 
which is really only a condition1 is a  
primary cause4 ,the knowledge  of the   
law shows that there is only one primary
 cause1 and this is the  factor which in
 our own individuality we call          
subjective or sub-conscious  mind4 ,for 
this reason ,i have insisted on the     
difference between placing an  idea in  
the sub-conscious mind1 that is1 on the 

plane of the absolute and  without      
reference to time and space1 and placing
 the same idea in the  conscious        
intellectual mind which only perceives  
things as related to time  and space4   
,now the only conception you can have of
 yourself in the  absolute1 or          
unconditioned1 is as purely living      
,spirit1 not hampered by  conditions of 
any sort1 and therefore not subject to  
illness2 and when this  idea is firmly  
impressed on the sub-conscious mind1 it 
will externalize it4  ,the reason why   
this process is not always successful at
 the first attempt  is that all our life
 we have been holding the false belief  
in sickness as a  substantial entity in 
itself and thus being a primary cause1  
instead of  being merely a negative     
condition resulting from the obsence of 
a  primary cause2 and a belief which has
 become ingrained from childhood  cannot
 be eradicated at a moment's notice4 ,we
 often find1 therefore1 that  for some  
time after a treatment there is an      

improvement in the patient's  health1   
and then the old symptoms return4 ,this 
is because the new belief in  his own   
creative faculty has not yet had time to
 penetrate down to the  innermost depths
 of the subconscious mind1 but has only 
partially entered  it4 ,each succeeding 
treatment strengthens the sub-conscious 
mind in its  hold of the new belief     
until at last a permanent cure is       
effected4 ,this is  the method of       
self-treatment based on the patient's   
own knowledge of the  law of his being4 
,but there is not in all men this       
knowledge1 or at any rate not such a    
full recognition of it as will enable   
them to give successful treatment to    
themselves1 and in these cases the      
intervention of the healer becomes      
necessary4 ,the only difference between 
the healer and the patient is that  the 
healer has learnt how to control the    
less self-conscious modes of the  spirit
 by the more self-conscious mode1 while 
the patient has not yet  attained to    

this knowledge2 and what the healer does
 is to substitute his  own objective or 
conscious mentality1 which is will      
joined to intellect1  for that of the   
patient1 and in this way to find        
entrance to his  sub-conscious mind and 
impress upon it the suggestion of       
perfect health4    ,the question then   
arises1 how can the healer substitute   
his own conscious  mind for that of the 
patient8 and the answer shows the       
practical  application of those very    
abstract principles which ,i have laid  
down in the  earlier sections4 ,our     
ordinary conception of ourselves is that
 of an  individual personality which    
ends where another personality begins1  
in  other words that the two            
personalities are entirely separate4    
,this is an  error4 ,there is no such   
hard and fast line of demarcation       
between  personalities1 and the         
boundaries between one and another can  
be increased  or reduced in rigidity    
according to will1 in fact they may be  

temporarily  removed so completely that1
 for the time being1 the two            
personalities  become merged into one4  
,now the action which takes place       
between healer and  patient depends on  
this principle4 ,the patient is asked by
 the healer to  put himself in a        
receptive mental attitude1 which means  
that he is to  exercise his volition for
 the purpose of removing the barrier of 
his own  objective personality and thus 
affording entrance to the mental power  
of  the healer4 ,on his side also the   
healer does the same thing1 only with   
this  difference1 that while the patient
 withdraws the barrier on his side with 
the intention of admitting a flowing-in1
 the healer does so with the  intention 
of allowing a flowing-out3 and thus by  
the joint action of the  two minds the  
barriers of both personalities are      
removed and the direction  of the flow  
of volition is determined1 that is to   
say1 it flows from the  healer as       
actively willing to give1 towards the   

patient as passively  willing to        
receive1 according to the universal law 
of ,nature that the flow  must always be
 from the plenum to the vacuum4 ,this   
mutual removal of  the external mental  
barrier between healer and patient is   
what is termed  establishing a rapport  
between them1 and here we find one most 
valuable  practical application of the  
principle laid down earlier in this     
book1 that  pure spirit is present in   
its entirety at every point             
simultaneously4 ,it is  for this reason 
that as soon as the healer realizes that
 the barriers of  external personality  
between himself and his patient have    
been removed1 he  can then speak to the 
sub-conscious mind of the patient as    
though it were  his own1 for both being 
pure spirit the thought of their        
identity makes  them identical1 and both
 are concentrated into a single entity  
at a single  point upon which the       
conscious mind of the healer can be     
brought to bear1  according to the      

universal principle of the control of   
the subjective mind  by the objective   
mind through suggestion4 ,it is for this
 reason ,i have  insisted on the        
distinction between pure spirit1 or     
spirit conceived of  apart from         
extension in any matrix and the         
conception of it as so extended4  ,if we
 concentrate our mind upon the diseased 
condition of the patient we  are        
thinking of him as a separate           
personality1 and are not fixing our mind
  upon that conception of him as pure   
spirit which will afford us effectual   
entry to his springs of being4 ,we must 
therefore withdraw our thought from  the
 contemplation of symptoms1 and indeed  
from his corporeal personality          
altogether1 and must think of him as a  
purely spiritual individuality1 and  as 
such entirely free from subjection to   
any conditions1 and consequently  as    
voluntarily externalizing the conditions
 most expressive of the vitality  and   
intelligence which pure spirit is4      

,thinking of him thus1 we then make     
mental affirmation that he shall build  
up outwardly the correspondence of  that
 perfect vitality which he knows himself
 to be inwardly2 and this  suggestion   
being impressed by the healer's         
conscious thought1 while the  patient's 
conscious thought is at the same time   
impressing the fact that he  is         
receiving the active thought of the     
healer1 the result is that the          
patient's sub-conscious mind becomes    
thoroughly imbued with the recognition  
of its own life-giving power1 and       
according to the recognized law of      
subjective mentality proceeds to work   
out this suggestion into external       
manifestation1 and thus health is       
substituted for sickness4    ,it must be
 understood that the purpose of the     
process here described is to  strengthen
 the subject's individuality1 not to    
dominate it4 ,to use it for  domination 
is inversion1 bringing its appropriate  
penalty to the  operator4    ,in this   

description ,i have contemplated the    
case where the patient is  consciously  
co-operating with the healer1 and it is 
in order to obtain this  co-operation   
that the mental healer usually makes a  
point of instructing  the patient in the
 broad principles of ,mental ,science1  
if he is not already  acquainted with   
them4 ,but this is not always advisable 
or possible4  ,sometimes the statement  
of principles opposed to existing       
prejudices  arouses opposition1 and any 
active antagonism on the patient's part 
must  tend to intensify the barrier of  
conscious personality which it is the   
healer's first object to remove4 ,in    
these cases nothing is so effective as  
absent treatment4 ,if the student has   
grasped all that has been said on  the  
subject of spirit and matter1 he will   
see that in mental treatment time  and  
space count for nothing1 because the    
whole action takes place on a  plane    
where these conditions do not obtain2   
and it is therefore quite  immaterial   

whether the patient be in the immediate 
presence of the healer  or in a distant 
country4 ,under these circumstances it  
is found by  experience that one of the 
most effectual modes of mental healing  
is by  treatment during sleep1 because  
then the patient's whole system is      
naturally in a state of relaxation which
 prevents him offering any  conscious   
opposition to the treatment4 ,and by the
 same rule the healer also  is able to  
treat even more effectively during his  
own sleep than while  waking4 ,before   
going to sleep he firmly impresses on   
his subjective mind  that it is to      
convey curative suggestion to the       
subjective mind of the  patient1 and    
then1 by the general principles of the  
relation between  subjective and        
objective mind this suggestion is       
carried out during all the  hours that  
the conscious individuality is wrapped  
in repose4 ,this method is  applicable  
to young children to whom the principles
 of the science cannot  be explained2   

and also to persons at a distance3 and  
indeed the only  advantage gained by the
 personal meeting of the patient and    
healer is in  the instruction that can  
be orally given1 or when the patient is 
at that  early stage of knowledge where 
the healer's visible presence conveys   
the  suggestion that something is then  
being done which could not be done in   
his  absence2 otherwise the presence or 
absence of the patient are matters      
perfectly indifferent4 ,the student must
 always recollect that the sub-         
conscious mind does not have to work    
through the intellect or conscious  mind
 to produce its curative effects4 ,it is
 part of the all-pervading  creative    
force of ,nature1 while the intellect is
 not creative but  distributive4        
,from mental healing it is but a step to
 telepathy1 clairvoyance and other1     
kindred manifestations of transcendental
 power which1 are from time to time     
exhibited by the subjective entity and  
which follow laws as accurate as  those 

which govern what we are accustomed to  
consider our more normal  faculties2 but
 these subjects do not properly fall    
within the scope of a  book whose       
purpose is to lay down the broad        
principles which underlie all  spiritual
 phenomena4 ,until these are clearly    
understood the student cannot           
profitably attempt the detailed study of
 the more interior powers2 for to  do so
 without a firm foundation of knowledge 
and some experience in its  practical   
application would only be to expose     
himself to unknown dangers1  and would  
be contrary to the scientific principle 
that the advance into the  unknown can  
only be made from the standpoint of the 
known1 otherwise we  only come into a   
confused region of guess-work without   
any clearly defined  principles for our 
guidance4          ,,xii4    ,,the      
,,will4      ,the ,will is of such      
primary importance that the student     
should be on his  guard against any     
mistake as to the position which it     

holds in the mental  economy4 ,many     
writers and teachers insist on          
will-power as though that were  the     
creative faculty4 ,no doubt intense     
will-power can evolve certain  external 
results1 but like all other methods of  
compulsion it lacks the  permanency of  
natural growth4 ,the appearances1 forms1
 and conditions  produced by mere       
intensity of will-power will only hang  
together so long as  the compelling     
force continues2 but let it be exhausted
 or withdrawn1 and  the elements thus   
forced into unnatural combination will  
at once fly back  to their proper       
affinities2 the form created by         
compulsion never had the  germ of       
vitality in itself and is therefore     
dissipated as soon as the  external     
energy which supported it is withdrawn4 
,the mistake is in  attributing the     
creative power to the will1 or perhaps  
,i should say in  attributing the       
creative power to ourselves at all4 ,the
 truth is that man  never creates       

anything4 ,his function is1 not to      
create1 but to combine and  distribute  
that which is already in being1 and what
 we call our creations  are new         
combinations of already existing        
material1 whether mental or  corporeal4 
,this is amply demonstrated in the      
physical sciences4 ,no one  speaks of   
creating energy1 but only of            
transforming one form of energy into    
another2 and if we realize this as a    
universal principle1 we shall see that  
on the mental plane as well as on the   
physical we never create energy but     
only provide the conditions by which the
 energy already existing in one  mode   
can exhibit itself in another3 therefore
 what1 relatively to man1 we  call his  
creative power1 is that receptive       
attitude of expectancy which1 so  to    
say1 makes a mould into which the       
plastic and as yet undifferentiated     
substance can flow and take the desired 
form4 ,the will has much the same  place
 in our mental machinery that the       

tool-holder has in a power-lathe3 it  is
 not the power1 but it keeps the mental 
faculties in that position  relatively  
to the power which enables it to do the 
desired work4 ,if1 using  the word in   
its widest sense1 we may say that the   
imagination is the  creative function1  
we may call the will the centralizing   
principle4 ,its  function is to keep the
 imagination centred in the right       
direction4 ,we are  aiming at           
consciously controlling our mental      
powers instead of letting them  hurry us
 hither and thither in a purposeless    
manner1 and we must therefore           
understand the relation of these powers 
to each other for the production of     
external results4 ,first the whole train
 of causation is started by some        
emotion which gives rise to a desire2   
next the judgment determines whether  we
 shall externalize this desire or not2  
then the desire having been  approved by
 the judgment1 the will comes forward   
and directs the  imagination to form the

 necessary spiritual prototype2 and the 
imagination  thus centred on a          
particular object creates the spiritual 
nucleus1 which in  its turn acts as a   
centre round which the forces of        
attraction begin to  work1 and continue 
to operate until1 by the law of growth1 
the concrete  result becomes perceptible
 to our external senses4    ,the        
business of the will1 then1 is to retain
 the various faculties of our  mind in  
that position where they are really     
doing the work we wish1 and  this       
position may be generalized into the    
three following attitudes2 either  we   
wish to act upon something1 or be acted 
on by it1 or to maintain a  neutral     
position2 in other words we either      
intend to project a force1 or  receive a
 force or keep a position of inactivity 
relatively to some  particular object4  
,now the judgment determines which of   
these three  positions we shall take up1
 the consciously active1 the consciously
  receptive1 or the consciously neutral2

 and then the function of the will is   
simply to maintain the position we have 
determined upon2 and if we maintain  any
 given mental attitude we may reckon    
with all certainty on the law of        
attraction drawing us to those          
correspondences which exteriorly        
symbolize  the attitude in question4    
,this is very different from the        
semi-animal  screwing-up of the nervous 
forces which1 with some people1 stands  
for  will-power4 ,it implies no strain  
on the nervous system and is            
consequently  not followed by any sense 
of exhaustion4 ,the will-power1 when    
transferred  from the region of the     
lower mentality to the spiritual plane1 
becomes  simply a calm and peaceful     
determination to retain a certain mental
  attitude in spite of all temptations  
to the contrary1 knowing that by doing  
so the desired result will certainly    
appear4    ,the training of the will and
 its transference from the lower to the 
higher  plane of our nature are among   

the first objects of ,mental ,science4  
,the man  is summed up in his will4     
,whatever he does by his own will is his
 own act2  whatever he does without the 
consent of his will is not his own act  
but  that of the power by which his will
 was coerced2 but we must recognize     
that1 on the mental plane1 no other     
individuality can obtain control over   
our will unless we first allow it to do 
so2 and it is for this reason that  all 
legitimate use of ,mental ,science is   
towards the strengthening of the  will1 
whether in ourselves or others1 and     
bringing it under the control of  an    
enlightened reason4 ,when the will      
realizes its power to deal with first   
cause it is no longer necessary for the 
operator to state to himself in  extenso
 all the philosophy of its action every 
time he wishes to use it1  but1 knowing 
that the trained will is a tremendous   
spiritual force acting  on the plane of 
first cause1 he simply expresses his    
desire with the  intention of operating 

on that plane1 and knows that the desire
 thus  expressed will in due time       
externalize itself as concrete fact4 ,he
 now sees  that the point which really  
demands his earnest attention is not    
whether he  possesses the power of      
externalizing any results he chooses1   
but of  learning to choose wisely what  
results to produce4 ,for let us not     
suppose  that even the highest powers   
will take us out of the law of cause and
  effect4 ,we can never set any cause in
 motion without calling forth those     
effects which it already contains in    
embryo and which will again become      
causes in their turn1 thus producing a  
series which must continue to flow  on  
until it is cut short by bringing into  
operation a cause of an opposite        
character to the one which originated   
it4 ,thus we shall find the field for   
the exercise of our intelligence        
continually expanding with the expansion
  of our powers2 for1 granted a good    
intention1 we shall always wish to      

contemplate the results of our action as
 far as our intelligence will  permit4  
,we may not be able to see very far1 but
 there is one safe general  principle to
 be gained from what has already been   
said about causes and  conditions1 which
 is that the whole sequence always      
partakes of the same  character as the  
initial cause3 if that character is     
negative1 that is1  destitute of any    
desire to externalize kindness1         
cheerfulness1 strength1  beauty or some 
other sort of good1 this negative       
quality will make itself  felt all down 
the line2 but if the opposite           
affirmative character is in the         
original motive1 then it will reproduce 
its kind in forms of love1 joy1         
strength and beauty with unerring       
precision4 ,before setting out1         
therefore1  to produce new conditions by
 the exercise of our thought-power we   
should  weigh carefully what further    
results they are likely to lead to2 and 
here1  again1 we shall find an ample    

field for the training of our will1 in  
learning to acquire that self-control   
which will enable us to postpone an     
inferior present satisfaction to a      
greater prospective good4    ,these     
considerations naturally lead us to the 
subject of concentration4 ,i  have just 
now pointed out that all duly controlled
 mental action consists  in holding the 
mind in one of three attitudes2 but     
there is a fourth mental  condition1    
which is that of letting our mental     
functions run on without our  will      
directing them to any definite purpose4 
,it is on this word purpose  that we    
must fix our whole attention2 and       
instead of dissipating our  energies1 we
 must follow an intelligent method of   
concentration4 ,the1 word  means being  
gathered up at a centre1 and the centre 
of anything is that  point in which all 
its forces are equally balanced4 ,to    
concentrate  therefore means first to   
bring our minds into a condition of     
equilibrium  which will enable us to    

consciously direct the flow of spirit to
 a  definitely recognized purpose1 and  
then carefully to guard our thoughts    
from inducing a flow in the opposite    
direction4 ,we must always bear in mind 
that we are dealing with a wonderful    
potential energy which is not yet       
differentiated into any particular mode1
 and that by the action of our mind  we 
can differentiate it into any specific  
mode of activity that we will2  and by  
keeping our thought fixed on the fact   
that the inflow of this energy  is      
taking place and that by our mental     
attitude we are determining its         
direction1 we shall gradually realize a 
corresponding externalization4  ,proper 
concentration1 therefore1 does not      
consist of strenuous effort which       
exhausts the nervous system and defeats 
its own object by suggesting the        
consciousness of an adverse force to be 
fought against1 and thus creating  the  
adverse circumstances we dread2 but in  
shutting out all thoughts of a  kind    

that would disperse the spiritual       
nucleus we are forming and dwelling     
cheerfully on the knowledge that1       
because the law is certain in its       
action1  our desire is certain of       
accomplishment4 ,the other great        
principle to be  remembered is that     
concentration is for the purpose of     
determining the  quality we are going to
 give to the previously undifferentiated
 energy  rather than to arrange the     
specific circumstances of its           
manifestation4  ,that is the work of the
 creative energy itself1 which will     
build up its  own forms of expression   
quite naturally if we allow it1 thus    
saving us a  great deal of needless     
anxiety4 ,what we really want is        
expansion in a  certain direction1      
whether of health1 wealth1 or what not3 
and so long as  we get this1 what does  
it matter whether it reaches us through 
some channel  which we thought we could 
reckon upon or through some other whose 
existence  we had not suspected4 ,it is 

the fact that we are concentrating      
energy of a  particular kind for a      
particular purpose that we should fix   
our minds upon1  and not look upon any  
specific details as essential to the    
accomplishment  of our object4    ,these
 are the two golden rules regarding     
concentration2 but we must not  suppose 
that because we have to be on our guard 
against idle drifting there  is to be no
 such thing as repose2 on the contrary  
it is during periods of  repose that we 
accumulate strength for action2 but     
repose does not mean a  state of        
purposelessness4 ,as pure spirit the    
subjective mind never rests3  it is only
 the objective mind in its connection   
with the physical body that  needs rest2
 and though there are no doubt times    
when the greatest possible  rest is to  
be obtained by stopping the action1 of  
our conscious thought  altogether1 the  
more generally advisable method is by   
changing the  direction of the thought  
and1 instead of centering it upon       

something we  intend to do1 letting it  
dwell quietly upon what we are4 ,this   
direction  of thought might1 of course1 
develop into the deepest philosophical  
speculation1 but it is not necessary    
that we should be always either         
consciously projecting our forces to    
produce some external effect or  working
 out the details of some metaphysical   
problem2 but we may simply  realize     
ourselves as part of the universal      
livingness and thus gain a quiet        
centralization1 which1 though maintained
 by a conscious act of the  volition1 is
 the very essence of rest4 ,from this   
standpoint we see that all  is ,life and
 all is ,good1 and that ,nature1 from   
her clearly visible surface  to her most
 arcane depths1 is one vast storehouse  
of life and good entirely  devoted to   
our individual use4 ,we have the key to 
all her treasures1 and we  can now apply
 our knowledge of the law of being      
without entering into all  those details
 which are only needed for purposes of  

study1 and doing so we  find it results 
in our having acquired the consciousness
 of our oneness  with the whole4 ,this  
is the great secret3 and when we have   
once fathomed  it we can enjoy our      
possession of the whole1 or of any part 
of it1 because  by our recognition we   
have made it1 and can increasingly make 
it1 our own4  ,whatever most appeals to 
us at any particular time or place is   
that mode of  the universal living      
spirit with which at that moment we are 
most in touch1  and realizing this1 we  
shall draw from it streams of vital     
energy which  will make the very        
sensation of livingness a joy and will  
radiate from us  as a sphere of         
vibration that can deflect all injurious
 suggestion on  whatever plane4 ,we may 
not have literary1 artistic1 or         
scientific skill to  present to others  
the results of our communings with      
,nature1 but the joy of  this           
sympathetic indrawing will nevertheless 
produce a corresponding  outflow        

manifesting itself in the happier look  
and kindlier mien of him who  thus      
realizes his oneness with every aspect  
of the whole4 ,he realizes--and  this is
 the great point in that attitude of    
mind which is not directed to  any      
specific external object--that1 for     
himself1 he is1 and always must be  the 
centre of all this galaxy of ,life1 and 
thus he contemplates himself as  seated 
at the centre of infinitude1 not an     
infinitude of blank space1 but          
pulsating with living being1 in all of  
which he knows that the true essence  is
 nothing but good4 ,this is the very    
opposite to a selfish  self-centredness2
 it1 is the centre where we find that we
 both receive from  all and flow out to 
all4 ,apart from this principle of      
circulation there is  no true life1 and 
if we contemplate our central position  
only as affording  us greater advantages
 for in-taking1 we have missed the whole
 point of our  studies by missing the   
real nature of the ,life-principle1     

which is action  and re-action4 ,if we  
would have life enter into us1 we       
ourselves must enter  into life--enter  
into the spirit of it1 just as we must  
enter into the  spirit of a book or a   
game to enjoy it4 ,there can be no      
action at a centre  only4 ,there must be
 a perpetual flowing out towards the    
circumference1 and  thence back again to
 the centre to maintain a vital         
activity2 otherwise  collapse must ensue
 either from anaemia or congestion4 ,but
 if we realize  the reciprocal nature of
 the vital pulsation1 and that the      
outflowing  consists in the habit of    
mind which gives itself to the good it  
sees in  others1 rather than in any     
specific actions1 then we shall find    
that the  cultivation of this           
disposition will provide innumerable    
avenues for the  universal livingness to
 flow through us1 whether as giving or  
receiving1  which we had never before   
suspected3 and this action and re-action
 will so  build up our own vitality that

 each day will find us more thoroughly  
alive  than any that had preceded it4   
,this1 then1 is the attitude of repose  
in  which we may enjoy all the beauties 
of science1 literature and art or may   
peacefully commune with the spirit of   
nature without the aid of any third     
mind to act as its interpreter1 which is
 still a purposeful attitude  although  
not directed to a specific object3 we   
have not allowed the will to  relax its 
control1 but have merely altered its    
direction2 so that for  action and      
repose alike we find that our strength  
lies in our recognition  of the unity of
 the spirit and of ourselves as         
individual concentrations of  it4       
,,xiii4    ,,in ,,touch ,,with          
,,sub-,,conscious ,,mind4      ,the     
preceding pages have made the student in
 some measure aware of the  immense     
importance of our dealings with the     
sub-conscious mind4 ,our  relation to   
it1 whether on the scale of the         
individual or the universal1 is  the key

 to all that we are or ever can be4 ,in 
its unrecognized working it  is the     
spring of all that we can call the      
automatic action of mind and  body1 and 
on the universal scale it is the silent 
power of evolution  gradually working   
onwards to that divine event1 to which  
the whole  creation moves2 and by our   
conscious recognition of it we make it1 
relatively to ourselves1 all that we    
believe it to be4 ,the closer our       
rapport with it becomes1 the more what  
we have hitherto considered  automatic  
action1 whether in our bodies or our    
circumstances1 will pass  under our     
control1 until at last we shall control 
our whole individual  world4 ,since1    
then1 this is the stupendous issue      
involved1 the question how  we are to   
put ourselves practically in touch with 
the sub-conscious mind is  a very       
important one4 ,now the clue which gives
 us the right direction is to  be found 
in the impersonal quality of            
sub-conscious mind of which ,i have     

spoken4 ,not impersonal as lacking the  
elements of personality2 nor even1  in  
the case of individual subjective mind1 
as lacking the sense of  individuality2 
but impersonal in the sense of not      
recognizing the  particular external    
relations which appear to the objective 
mind to  constitute its personality1 and
 having a realization of itself quite   
independent of them4 ,if1 then1 we would
 come in touch with it we must meet  it 
on its own ground4 ,it can see things   
only from the deductive standpoint1  and
 therefore cannot take note of the      
inductive standpoint from which we      
construct the idea of our external      
personality2 and accordingly if we would
  put ourselves in touch with it1 we    
cannot do so by bringing it down to the 
level of the external and non-essential 
but only by rising to its own level  on 
the plane of the interior and essential4
 ,how can this be done8 ,let two        
well-known writers answer4 ,rudyard     
,kipling tells us in his story of ,kim  

how the boy used at times to lose his   
sense of personality by repeating to    
himself the question1 ,who is ,kim8     
,gradually his personality would seem to
  fade and he would experience a feeling
 of passing into a grander and a  wider 
life1 in which the boy ,kim was unknown1
 while his own conscious  individuality 
remained1 only exalted and expanded to  
an inconceivable  extent2 and in        
,tennyson's life by his son we are told 
that at times the  poet had a similar   
experience4 ,we come into touch with the
 absolute exactly  in proportion as we  
withdraw ourselves from the relative3   
they vary  inversely to each other4     
,for the purpose1 then1 of getting into 
touch with our sub-conscious mind we    
must endeavour to think of ourselves as 
pure being1 as that entity which        
interiorly supports the outward         
manifestation1 and doing so we shall    
realize that the essential quality of   
pure being must be good4 ,it is in      
itself pure ,life1 and as such cannot   

desire anything detrimental to pure     
,life under whatever form manifested4   
,consequently the purer our intentions  
the more readily we shall place ourself 
en rapport with our subjective  entity2 
and a fortiori the same applies to that 
,greater ,sub-conscious  ,mind of which 
our individual subjective mind is a     
particular manifestation4  ,in actual   
practice the process consists in first  
forming a clear conception  in the      
objective mind of the idea we wish to   
convey to the subjective mind3  then1   
when this has been firmly grasped1      
endeavour to lose sight of all  other   
facts connected with the external       
personality except the one in  question1
 and then mentally address the          
subjective mind as though it were  an   
independent entity and impress upon it  
what you want it to do or to  believe4  
,everyone must formulate his own way of 
working1 but one method1  which is both 
simple and effective is to say to the   
subjective mind1 ,this  is what ,i want 

you to do2 you will now step into my    
place and do it1  bringing all your     
powers and intelligence to bear1 and    
considering yourself  to be none other  
than myself4 ,having done this return to
 the realization  of your own objective 
personality and leave the subjective    
mind to perform  its task in full       
confidence that1 by the law of its      
nature1 it will do so  if not hindered  
by a repetition of contrary messages    
from the objective  mind4 ,this is not a
 mere fancy but a truth daily proved by 
the experience  of increasing numbers4  
,the facts have not been fabricated to  
fit the  theory1 but the theory has been
 built up by careful observation of the 
facts2 and since it has been shown both 
by theory and practice that such is  the
 law of the relation between subjective 
and objective mind1 we find  ourselves  
face to face with a very momentous      
question4 ,is there any reason  why the 
laws which hold good of the individual  
subjective mind should not  hold good of

 the ,universal ,mind also8 and the     
answer is that there is not4  ,as has   
been already shown the ,universal ,mind 
must1 by its very  universality1 be     
purely subjective1 and what is the law  
of a part must also  be the law of the  
whole3 the qualities of fire are the    
same whether the  centres of combustion 
be great or small1 and therefore we may 
well conclude  these lectures by        
considering what will be the result if  
we apply what we  have learnt regarding 
the individual subjective mind to the   
,universal ,mind4    ,we have learnt    
that the three great facts regarding    
subjective mind are its  creative power1
 its amenableness to suggestion1 and its
 inability to work  by any other than   
the deductive method4 ,this last is an  
exceedingly  important point1 for it    
implies that the action of the          
subjective mind is  in no way limited by
 precedent4 ,the inductive method works 
on principles  inferred from an already 
existing pattern1 and therefore at the  

best only  produces the old thing in a  
new shape4 ,but the deductive method    
works  according to the essence or      
spirit of the principle1 and does not   
depend on  any previous concrete        
manifestation for its apprehension of   
it2 and this  latter method of working  
must necessarily be that of the         
all-originating  ,mind1 for since there 
could be no prior existing pattern from 
which it  could learn the principles of 
construction1 the want of a pattern     
would  have prevented its creating      
anything had its method been inductive  
instead  of deductive4 ,thus by the     
necessity of the case the ,universal    
,mind must act  deductively1 that is1   
according to the law which has been     
found true of  individual subjective    
mind4 ,it is thus not bound by any      
precedent1 which  means that its        
creative power is absolutely unlimited2 
and since it is  essentially subjective 
mind1 and not objective mind1 it is     
entirely  amenable to suggestion4 ,now  

it is an unavoidable inference from the 
identity of the law governing subjective
 mind1 whether in the individual or  the
 universal1 that just as we can by      
suggestion impress a certain  character 
of personality upon the individual      
subjective mind1 so we can1  and do1    
upon the ,universal ,mind2 and it is for
 this reason that ,i have  drawn        
attention to the inherent personal      
quality of pure spirit when             
contemplated in its most interior plane4
 ,it becomes1 therefore1 the most       
important of all considerations with    
what character we invest the ,universal 
,mind2 for since our relation to it is  
purely subjective it will  infallibly   
bear to us exactly that character which 
we impress upon it2 in  other words it  
will be to us exactly what we believe it
 to be4 ,this is  simply a logical      
inference from the fact that1 as        
subjective mind1 our  primary relation  
to it can only be on the subjective     
plane1 and indirectly  our objective    

relations must also spring from the same
 source4 ,this is the  meaning of that  
remarkable passage twice repeated in the
 ,bible1 ,with1 the  pure thou wilt show
 thyself pure1 and with the froward thou
 wilt show  thyself froward4 7,ps4      
xviii41 #bf1 and ,,ii4 ,sam4 xxii41     
#bg71 for the context  makes it clear   
that these words are addressed to the   
,divine ,being4 ,the  spiritual kingdom 
is within us1 and as we realize it there
 so it  becomes to us a reality4 ,it is 
the unvarying law of the subjective life
  that as a man thinketh in his heart so
 is he1 that is to say1 his inward      
subjective states are the only true     
reality1 and what we call external      
realities are only their objective      
correspondences4 ,if we thoroughly      
realize the truth that the ,universal   
,mind must be to us exactly according   
to our conception of it1 and that this  
relation is not merely imaginary but  by
 the law of subjective mind must be to  
us an actual fact and the  foundation of

 all other facts1 then it is impossible 
to over-estimate the  importance of the 
conception of the ,universal ,mind which
 we adopt4 ,to the  uninstructed there  
is little or no choice3 they form a     
conception in  accordance with the      
tradition they have received from       
others1 and until  they have learnt to  
think for themselves1 they have to abide
 by the results  of that tradition3 for 
natural laws admit of no exceptions1 and
 however  faulty the traditional idea   
may be1 its acceptance will involve a   
corresponding reaction upon the         
,universal ,mind1 which will in turn be 
reflected into the conscious mind and   
external life of the individual4 ,but   
those who understand the law of the     
subject will have no one but themselves 
to blame if they do not derive all      
possible benefits from it4 ,the greatest
  ,teacher of ,mental ,science the world
 has ever seen has laid down            
sufficiently plain rules for our        
guidance4 ,with a knowledge of the      

subject  whose depth can be appreciated 
only by those who have themselves some  
practical acquaintance with it1 ,he bids
 ,his unlearned audiences1 those  common
 people who heard ,him gladly1 picture  
to themselves the ,universal  ,mind as a
 benign ,father1 tenderly compassionate 
of all and sending the  common bounties 
of ,nature alike on the evil and the    
good2 but ,he also  pictured ,it as     
exercising a special and peculiar care  
over those who  recognize ,its          
willingness to do so3--the very hairs of
 your head are all  numbered1 and ye are
 of more value than many sparrows4      
,prayer was to be  made to the unseen   
,being1 not with doubt or fear1 but with
 the absolute  assurance of a certain   
answer1 and no limit was to be set to   
its power or  willingness to work for   
us4 ,but to those who did not thus      
realize it1 the  ,great ,mind is        
necessarily the adversary who casts them
 into prison until  they have paid the  
uttermost farthing2 and thus in all     

cases the ,master  impressed upon his   
hearers the exact correspondence of the 
attitude of this  unseen ,power towards 
them with their own attitude towards it4
 ,such  teaching was not a narrow       
anthropomorphism but the adaptation to  
the  intellectual capacity of the       
unlettered multitude of the very deepest
  truths of what we now call ,mental    
,science4 ,and the basis of it all is   
the  cryptic personality of spirit      
hidden throughout the infinite of       
,nature  under every form of            
manifestation4 ,as unalloyed ,life and  
,intelligence it  can be no other than  
good1 it can entertain no intention of  
evil1 and  thus all intentional evil    
must put us in opposition to it1 and so 
deprive  us of the consciousness of its 
guidance and strengthening and thus     
leave us  to grope our own way and fight
 our own battle single-handed against   
the  universe1 odds which at last will  
surely prove too great for us4 ,but     
remember that the opposition can never  

be on the part of the ,universal  ,mind1
 for in itself it is sub-conscious mind2
 and to suppose any active  opposition  
taken on its own initiative would be    
contrary to all we have  learnt as to   
the nature of sub-conscious mind whether
 in the individual or  the universal2   
the position of the ,universal ,mind    
towards us is always the  reflection of 
our own attitude4 ,therefore although   
the ,bible is full of  threatening      
against those who persist in conscious  
opposition to the ,divine  ,law of      
,good1 it is on the other hand full of  
promises of immediate and full          
forgiveness to all who change1 their    
attitude and desire to co-operate with  
the ,law of ,good so far as they know   
it4 ,the laws of ,nature do not act     
vindictively2 and through all           
theological formularies and traditional 
interpretations let us realize that what
 we are dealing with is the supreme  law
 of our own being2 and it is on the     
basis of this natural law that we  find 

such declarations as that in ,ezek4     
xviii41 #bb1 which tells that if we     
forsake our evil ways our past          
transgressions shall never again be     
mentioned to us4 ,we are dealing with   
the great principles of our subjective  
being1 and our misuse of them in the    
past can never make them change their   
inherent law of action4 ,if our method  
of using them in the past has brought   
us sorrow1 fear and trouble1 we have    
only to fall back on the law that if  we
 reverse the cause the effects will be  
reversed also2 and so what we have  to  
do is simply to reverse our mental      
attitude and then endeavour to act up   
to the new one4 ,the sincere endeavour  
to act up to our new mental attitude  is
 essential1 for we cannot really think  
in one way and act in another2 but  our 
repeated failures to fully act as we    
would wish must not discourage us4  ,it 
is the sincere intention that is the    
essential thing1 and this will in  time 
release us from the bondage of habits   

which at present seem almost            
insuperable4    ,the initial step1 then1
 consists in determining to picture the 
,universal  ,mind as the ideal of all we
 could wish it to be both to ourselves  
and to  others1 together with the       
endeavour to reproduce this ideal1      
however  imperfectly1 in our own life2  
and this step having been taken1 we can 
then  cheerfully look upon it as our    
ever-present ,friend1 providing all     
good1  guarding from all danger1 and    
guiding us with all counsel4 ,gradually 
as the  habit of thus regarding the     
,universal ,mind grows upon us1 we shall
 find  that in accordance with the laws 
we have been considering1 it will become
  more and more personal to us1 and in  
response to our desire its inherent     
intelligence will make itself more and  
more clearly perceptible within as a    
power of perceiving truth far beyond any
 statement of it that we could          
formulate by merely intellectual        
investigation4 ,similarly if we think of

 it  as a great power devoted to        
supplying all our needs1 we shall       
impress this  character also upon it1   
and by the law of subjective mind it    
will proceed  to enact the part of that 
special providence which we have        
credited it with  being2 and if1 beyond 
the general care of our concerns1 we    
would draw to  ourselves some particular
 benefit1 the same rule holds good of   
impressing  our desire upon the         
,universal ,subjective ,mind4 ,and if we
 realize that above  and beyond all this
 we want something still greater and    
more enduring1 the  building-up of      
character and unfolding of our powers so
 that we may expand  into fuller and yet
 fuller measures of joyous and          
joy-giving ,life1 still  the same rule  
holds good3 convey to the ,universal    
,mind the suggestion of  the desire1 and
 by the law of relation between         
subjective and objective  mind this too 
will be fulfilled4 ,and thus the deepest
 problems of  philosophy bring us back  

to the old statement of the ,law3--,ask 
and ye shall  receive1 seek and ye shall
 find1 knock and it shall be opened unto
 you4  ,this is the summing-up of the   
natural law of the relation between us  
and  the ,divine ,mind4 ,it is thus no  
vain boast that ,mental ,science can    
enable us  to make our lives what we    
will4 ,we must start from where we are  
now1 and by  rightly estimating our     
relation to the ,divine ,universal ,mind
 we can  gradually grow into any        
conditions we desire1 provided we first 
make  ourselves in habitual mental      
attitude the person who corresponds to  
those  conditions3 for we can never get 
over the law of correspondence1 and the 
externalization will always be in accord
 with the internal principle that  gives
 rise to it4 ,and to this law there is  
no limit4 ,what it can do for us  to-day
 it can do to-morrow1 and through all   
that procession of to-morrows  that     
loses itself in the dim vistas of       
eternity4 ,belief in limitation is  the 

one and only thing that causes          
limitation1 because we thus impress     
limitation upon the creative principle2 
and in proportion as we lay that  belief
 aside our boundaries will expand1 and  
increasing life and more  abundant      
blessing will be ours4    ,but we must  
not ignore our responsibilities4        
,trained thought is far more  powerful  
than untrained1 and therefore the more  
deeply we penetrate into  ,mental       
,science the more carefully we must     
guard against all thoughts and  words   
expressive of even the most modified    
form of ill-will4 ,gossip1              
tale-bearing1 sneering laughter1 are not
 in accord with the principles of       
,mental ,science2 and similarly even our
 smallest thoughts of good carry with   
them a seed of good which will assuredly
 bear fruit in due time4 ,this is  not  
mere goodie1 goodie1 but an important   
lesson in ,mental ,science1 for  our    
subjective mind takes its colour from   
our settled mental habits1 and an       

occasional affirmation or denial will   
not be sufficient to change it2 and  we 
must therefore cultivate that tone which
 we wish to see reproduced in  our      
conditions whether of body1 mind1 or    
circumstance4    ,in these lectures my  
purpose has been1 not so much to give   
specific rules  of practice as to lay   
down the broad general principles of    
,mental ,science  which will enable the 
student to form rules for himself4 ,in  
every walk in  life1 book knowledge is  
only a means to an end4 ,books can only 
direct us  where to look and what to    
look for1 but we must do the finding for
  ourselves2 therefore1 if you have     
really grasped the principles of the    
science1 you will frame rules of your   
own which will give you better  results 
than any attempt to follow somebody     
else's method1 which was  successful in 
their hands precisely because it was    
theirs4 ,never fear to be  yourself4 ,if
 ,mental ,science does not teach you to 
be yourself it teaches  you nothing4    

,yourself1 more yourself1 and yet more  
yourself is what you  want2 only with   
the knowledge that the true self        
includes the inner and  higher self     
which is always in immediate touch with 
the ,great ,divine ,mind4    ,as ,walt  
,whitman says3--,you are not all        
included between your hat and your      
boots4           99       99       99   
99       99    ,the growing popularity  
of the ,edinburgh ,lectures on ,mental  
,science has led  me to add to the      
present edition three more sections on  
,body1 ,soul1 and  ,spirit1 which it is 
hoped will prove useful by rendering the
 principles of  the interaction of these
 three factors somewhat clearer4        
,,xiv4    ,,the ,,body4      ,some      
students find it difficult to realize   
that mental action can produce  any real
 effect upon material substance2 but if 
this is not possible there  is no such  
thing as ,mental ,science1 the purpose  
of which is to produce  improved        
conditions both of body and environment1

 so that the ultimate  manifestation    
aimed at is always one of demonstration 
upon the plane of the  visible and      
concrete4 ,therefore to afford          
conviction of an actual  connection     
between the visible and the invisible1  
between the inner and the  outer1 is one
 of the most important points in the    
course of our studies4    ,that such a  
connection must exist is proved by      
metaphysical argument in  answer to the 
question1 ,how did anything ever come   
into existence at all8  ,and the whole  
creation1 ourselves included1 stands as 
evidence to this  great truth4 ,but to  
many minds merely abstract argument is  
not completely  convincing1 or at any   
rate it becomes more convincing if it is
 supported by  something of a more      
concrete nature2 and for such readers ,i
 would give a  few hints as to the      
correspondence between the physical and 
the mental4 ,the  subject covers a very 
wide area1 and the limited space at my  
disposal will  only allow me to touch on

 a few suggestive points1 still these   
may be  sufficient to show that the     
abstract argument has some corresponding
 facts  at the back of it4    ,one of   
the most convincing proofs ,i have seen 
is that afforded by the  biometre1 a    
little instrument invented by an eminent
 ,french scientist1  the late ,dr4      
,hippolyte ,baraduc1 which shows the    
action of what he calls the  vital      
current4 ,his theory is that this force1
 whatever its actual nature  may be1 is 
universally present1 and operates as a  
current of physical  vitality           
perpetually1 flowing with more or less  
energy through every  physical organism1
 and which can1 at any rate to some     
extent1 be controlled  by the power of  
the human will4 ,the theory in all its  
minutiae is  exceedingly elaborate1 and 
has been described in detail in ,dr4    
,baraduc's  published works4 ,in a      
conversation ,i had with him about a    
year ago1 he told  me he was writing    
another book which would throw further  

light on the  subject1 but a few months 
later he passed over before it was      
presented to  the world4 ,the fact1     
however1 which ,i wish to put before the
 reader1 is the  ocular demonstration of
 the connection between mind and matter1
 which an  experiment with the biometre 
affords4    ,the instrument consists of 
a bell glass1 from the inside of which  
is  suspended a copper needle by a fine 
silken thread4 ,the glass stands on a   
wooden support1 below which is a coil of
 copper wire1 which1 however1 is  not   
connected with any battery or other     
apparatus1 and merely serves to         
condense the current4 ,below the needle1
 inside the glass1 there is a  circular 
card divided into degrees to mark the   
action of the needle4 ,two of  these    
instruments are placed side by side1 but
 in no way connected1 and the           
experimenter then holds out the fingers 
of both hands to within about an  inch  
of the glasses4 ,according to the       
theory1 the current enters at the  left 

hand1 circulates through the body1 and  
passes out at the right hand1  that is  
to say1 there is an indrawing at the    
left and a giving-out at the  right1    
thus agreeing with ,reichenbach's       
experiments on the polarity of the      
human body4    ,i must confess that1    
although ,i had read ,dr4 ,baraduc's    
book1 ,les  ,vibrations ,humaines1 ,i   
approached the instrument in a very     
sceptical frame  of mind2 but ,i was    
soon convinced of my error4 ,at first1  
holding a mental  attitude of entire    
relaxation1 ,i found that the left-hand 
needle was  attracted through twenty    
degrees1 while the right-hand needle1   
the one  affected by the out-going      
current1 was repelled through ten       
degrees4 ,after  allowing the instrument
 to return to its normal equilibrium ,i 
again  approached it with the purpose of
 seeing whether a change of mental      
attitude would in the least modify the  
flow of current4 ,this time ,i assumed  
the strongest mental attitude ,i could  

with the intention of sending out a     
flow through the right hand1 and the    
result as compared with the previous    
one was remarkable4 ,the left-hand      
needle was now attracted only through   
ten  degrees1 while the right-hand one  
was deflected through something over    
thirty1 thus clearly indicating the     
influence of the mental faculties in    
modifying the action of the current4 ,i 
may mention that the experiment was     
made in the presence of two medical men 
who noted the movement of the  needles4 
,i will not here stop to discuss the    
question of what the actual             
constitution of this current of vital   
energy may be--it is sufficient for  our
 present purpose that it is there1 and  
the experiment ,i have described  brings
 us face to face with the fact of a     
correspondence between our own  mental  
attitude and the invisible forces of    
nature4 ,even if we say that  this      
current is some form of electricity1 and
 that the variation of its  action is   

determined by changes in the            
polarization of the atoms of the  body1 
then this change of polarity is the     
result of mental action2 so that  the   
quickening or retarding of the cosmic   
current is equally the result of  the   
mental attitude whether we suppose our  
mental force to act directly  upon the  
current itself or indirectly by inducing
 changes in the molecular  structure of 
the body4 ,whichever hypothesis we adopt
 the conclusion is the  same1 namely1   
that the mind has power to open or close
 the door to  invisible forces in such a
 way that the result of the mental      
action becomes  apparent on the material
 plane4    ,now1 investigation shows    
that the physical body1 is a mechanism  
specially  adapted for the transmutation
 of the inner or mental power into modes
 of  external activity4 ,we know from   
medical science that the whole body is  
traversed by a network of nerves which  
serve as the channels of  communication 
between the indwelling spiritual ego1   

which we call mind1 and  the functions  
of the external organism4 ,this nervous 
system is dual4 ,one  system1 known as  
the ,sympathetic1 is the channel for all
 those activities  which are not        
consciously directed by our volition1   
such as the operation  of the digestive 
organs1 the repair of the daily wear and
 tear of the  tissues1 and the like4    
,the other system1 known as the         
,voluntary or  ,cerebro-spinal system1  
is the channel through which we receive 
conscious  perception from the physical 
senses and exercise control over the    
movements  of the body4 ,this system has
 its centre in the brain1 while the     
other has  its centre in a ganglionic   
mass at the back of the stomach known as
 the  solar plexus1 and sometimes spoken
 of as the abdominal brain4 ,the        
cerebro-  spinal system is the channel  
of our volitional or conscious mental   
action1  and the sympathetic system is  
the channel of that mental action which 
unconsciously supports the vital        

functions of the body4 ,thus the        
cerebro-  spinal system is the organ of 
conscious mind and the sympathetic is   
that of  sub-conscious mind4    ,but the
 interaction of conscious and           
subconscious mind requires a similar    
interaction between the corresponding   
systems of nerves1 and one  conspicuous 
connection by which this is provided is 
the vagus nerve4 ,this  nerve passes out
 of the cerebral region as a portion of 
the voluntary  system1 and through it we
 control the vocal organs2 then it      
passes onwards  to the thorax sending   
out branches to the heart and lungs2 and
 finally1  passing through the          
diaphragm1 it loses the outer coating   
which  distinguishes the nerves of the  
voluntary system and becomes identified 
with those of the sympathetic system1 so
 forming a connecting link between  the 
two and making the man physically a     
single entity4    ,similarly different  
areas of the brain indicate1 their      
connection with the  objective and      

subjective activities of the mind       
respectively1 and speaking  in a general
 way we may assign the frontal portion  
of the brain to the  former and the     
posterior portion to the latter1 while  
the intermediate  portion partakes of   
the character of both4    ,the          
intuitional faculty has its             
correspondence in this upper area of the
  brain situated between the frontal and
 posterior portions1 and                
physiologically speaking1 it is here    
that intuitive ideas find entrance4     
,these at first are more or less        
unformed and generalized in character1  
but  are nevertheless perceived by the  
conscious mind1 otherwise we should not 
be aware of them at all4 ,then the      
effort of nature is to bring these ideas
  into more definite and usable shape1  
so the conscious mind lays hold of  them
 and induces a corresponding vibratory  
current in the voluntary system  of     
nerves1 and this in turn induces a      
similar current in the involuntary      

system1 thus handing the idea over to   
the subjective mind4 ,the vibratory     
current which had first descended from  
the apex of the brain to the frontal    
brain and thus through the voluntary    
system to the solar plexus is now       
reversed and ascends from the solar     
plexus through the sympathetic system   
to the posterior brain1 this return     
current indicating the action of the    
subjective mind4    ,if we were to      
remove the surface portion of the apex  
of the brain we should  find immediately
 below it the shining belt of brain     
substance called the  corpus callosum4  
,this is the point of union between the 
subjective and  objective1 and as the   
current returns from the solar plexus to
 this point  it is restored to the      
objective portion of the brain in a     
fresh form which  it has acquired by the
 silent alchemy of the subjective mind4 
,thus the  conception which was at first
 only vaguely recognized is restored to 
the  objective mind in a definite and   

workable form1 and then the objective   
mind1 acting through the frontal        
brain--the area of comparison and       
analysis--proceeds to work upon a       
clearly perceived idea and to bring out 
the potentialities that are latent in   
it4    ,it must of course be borne in   
mind that ,i am here speaking of the    
mental  ego in that1 mode of its        
existence with which we are most        
familiar1 that is  as clothed in flesh1 
though there may be much to say as to   
other modes of  its activity4 ,but for  
our daily life we have to consider      
ourselves as we  are in that aspect of  
life1 and from this point of view the   
physiological  correspondence of the    
body to the action of the mind is an    
important item2  and therefore1 although
 we must always remember that the origin
 of ideas is  purely mental1 we must not
 forget that on the physical plane every
 mental  action implies a corresponding 
molecular action in the brain and in the
  two-fold nervous system4    ,if1 as   

the old ,elizabethan poet says1 the soul
 is form1 and doth the body  make1 then 
it is clear that the physical organism  
must be a mechanical  arrangement as    
specially adapted for the use of the    
soul's powers as a  steam-engine is for 
the power of steam2 and it is the       
recognition of this  reciprocity between
 the two that is the basis of all       
spiritual or mental  healing1 and       
therefore the study of this mechanical  
adaptation is an  important branch of   
,mental ,science4 ,only we must not     
forget that it is the  effect and not   
the cause4    ,at the same time it is   
important to remember that such a thing 
as reversal  of the relation between    
cause and effect is possible1 just as   
the same  apparatus may be made to      
generate mechanical power by the        
application of  electricity1 or to      
generate electricity by the application 
of mechanical  power4 ,and the          
importance of this principle consists in
 this4 ,there is  always a tendency for 

actions which were at first voluntary to
 become  automatic1 that is1 to pass    
from the region of conscious mind into  
that of  subconscious mind1 and to      
acquire a permanent domicile there4     
,professor  ,elmer ,gates1 of           
,washington1 has demonstrated this      
physiologically in his  studies of brain
 formation4 ,he tells us that every     
thought produces a  slight molecular    
change in the substance of the brain1   
and the repetition  of the same sort of 
thought causes a repetition of the same 
molecular  action until at last a       
veritable channel is formed in the brain
 substance1  which can only be          
eradicated by a reverse process of      
thought4 ,in this way  grooves of       
thought are very literal things1 and    
when once established the  vibrations of
 the cosmic currents flow automatically 
through them and thus  react upon the   
mind by a process the reverse of that by
 which our voluntary  and intentional   
in-drawing from the invisible is        

affected4 ,in this way are  formed what 
we call habits1 and hence the importance
 of controlling our  thinking and       
guarding it against undesirable ideas4  
,but on the other hand this reactionary 
process may be used to confirm good  and
 life-giving modes of thought1 so that  
by a knowledge of its laws we may       
enlist even the physical body itself in 
the building up of that perfectly  whole
 personality1 the attainment of which is
 the aim and object of our  studies4    
,,xv4    ,,the ,,soul4      ,having now 
obtained a glimpse of the adaptation of 
the physical organism to  the action of 
the mind we must next realize that the  
mind itself is an  organism which is in 
like manner adapted to the action of a  
still higher  power1 only here the      
adaptation is one of mental faculty4 ,as
 with other  invisible forces all we can
 know of the mind is by observing what  
it does1  but with this difference1 that
 since we ourselves are this mind1 our  
observation is an interior observation  

of states of consciousness4 ,in this    
way we recognize certain faculties of   
our mind1 the working order of which  ,i
 have considered at page #hd2 but the   
point to which ,i would now draw        
attention is that these faculties always
 work under the influence of  something 
which stimulates them1 and this stimulus
 may come either from  without through  
the external senses1 or from within by  
the consciousness of  something not     
perceptible on the physical plane4 ,now 
the recognition of  these interior      
sources of stimulus to our mental       
faculties1 is an important  branch of   
,mental ,science1 because the mental    
action thus set up works just  as       
accurately through the physical         
correspondences as those which start    
from the recognition of external facts1 
and therefore the control and right     
direction of these inner perceptions is 
a matter of the first moment4    ,the   
faculties most immediately concerned are
 the intuition and the  imagination1 but

 it is at first difficult to see how the
 intuition1 which  is entirely          
spontaneous1 can be brought under the   
control of the will4 ,of  course1 the   
spontaneousness of the intuition cannot 
in any way be  interfered with1 for if  
it ceased to act spontaneously it would 
cease to be  the intuition4 ,its        
province is1 as it were1 to capture     
ideas from the  infinite and present    
them to the mind to be dealt with at its
 discretion4  ,in our mental            
constitution the intuition is the point 
of origination and1  therefore1 for it  
to cease to act spontaneously would be  
for it to cease to  act at all4 ,but the
 experience of a long succession of     
observers shows that  the intuition can 
be trained so as to acquire increased   
sensitiveness in  some1 particular      
direction1 and the choice of the general
 direction is  determined by the will of
 the individual4    ,it will be found   
that the intuition works most readily in
 respect to those  subjects which most  

habitually occupy our thought2 and      
according to the  physiological         
correspondences which we have been      
considering this might be  accounted for
 on the physical plane by the formation 
of brain-channels  specially adapted for
 the induction in the molecular system  
of vibrations  corresponding to the     
particular class of ideas in question4  
,but of course  we must remember that   
the ideas themselves are not caused by  
the molecular  changes but on the       
contrary are the cause of them2 and it  
is in this  translation of thought      
action into physical action that we are 
brought face  to face with the eternal  
mystery of the descent of spirit into   
matter2 and  that though we may trace   
matter through successive degrees of    
refinement  till it becomes what1 in    
comparison with those denser modes that 
are most  familiar1 we might call a     
spiritual substance1 yet at the end of  
it it is  not the intelligent thinking  
principle itself4 ,the criterion is in  

the word  vibrations4 ,however          
delicately etheric the substance its    
movement  commences by the vibration of 
its particles1 and a vibration is a wave
  having a certain length1 amplitude1   
and periodicity1 that is to say1        
something which can exist only in terms 
of space and time2 and as soon as  we   
are dealing with anything capable of the
 conception of measurement we  may be   
quite certain that we are not dealing   
with ,spirit but only with one  of its  
vehicles4 ,therefore although we may    
push our analysis of matter  further and
 ever further back--and on this line    
there is a great deal of  knowledge to  
be gained--we shall find that the point 
at which spiritual  power or            
thought-force is translated into etheric
 or atomic vibration will  always elude 
us4 ,therefore we must not attribute the
 origination of ideas  to molecular     
displacement in the brain1 though1 by   
the reaction of the  physical upon the  
mental which ,i have spoken of above1   

the formation of  thought-channels in   
the grey matter of the brain may tend to
 facilitate the  reception of certain   
ideas4 ,some people are actually        
conscious of the  action of the upper   
portion of the brain during the influx  
of an intuition1  the sensation being   
that of a sort of expansion in that     
brain area1 which  might be compared to 
the opening of a valve or door2 but all 
attempts to  induce the inflow of       
intuitive ideas by the physiological    
expedient of  trying to open this valve 
by the exercise of the will should be   
discouraged  as likely to prove         
injurious to the brain4 ,i believe some 
,oriental systems  advocate this method1
 but we may well trust the mind to      
regulate the action  of its physical    
channels in a manner suitable to its own
 requirements1  instead of trying to    
manipulate the mind by the unnatural    
forcing of its  mechanical instrument4  
,in all our studies on these lines we   
must remember  that development is      

always by perfectly natural growth and  
is not brought  about by unduly         
straining any portion of the system4    
,the fact1 however1 remains that the    
intuition works most freely in that     
direction in which we most habitually   
concentrate our thought2 and in         
practice it will be found that the best 
way to cultivate the intuition in  any  
particular direction is to meditate upon
 the abstract principles of  that       
particular class of subjects rather than
 only to consider particular  cases4    
,perhaps the reason is that particular  
cases have to do with specific          
phenomena1 that is with the law working 
under certain limiting conditions1      
whereas the principles of the law are   
not limited by local conditions1  and so
 habitual meditation on them sets our   
intuition free to range in an           
infinitude where the conception of      
antecedent conditions does not limit it4
  ,anyway1 whatever may be the          
theoretical explanation1 you will find  

that the  clear grasp of abstract       
principles in any direction has a       
wonderfully  quickening effect upon the 
intuition in that particular direction4 
,the importance of recognizing our power
 of thus giving direction to the        
intuition cannot be exaggerated1 for if 
the mind is attuned to sympathy  with   
the highest phases of spirit this power 
opens the door to limitless             
possibilities of knowledge4 ,in its     
highest workings intuition becomes      
inspiration1 and certain great records  
of fundamental truths and supreme       
mysteries which have come down to us    
from thousands of generations           
bequeathed by deep thinkers of old can  
only be accounted for on the            
supposition that their earnest thought  
on the ,originating ,spirit1 coupled    
with a reverent worship of ,it1 opened  
the door1 through their intuitive       
faculty1 to the most sublime            
inspirations regarding the supreme      
truths of  the universe both with       

respect to the evolution of the cosmos  
and to the  evolution of the individual4
 ,among such records explanatory of the 
supreme  mysteries three stand out      
pre-eminent1 all bearing witness to the 
same ,,one  ,truth1 and each throwing   
light upon the other2 and these three   
are the  ,bible1 the ,great ,pyramid1   
and the ,pack of ,cards--a curious      
combination some  will think1 but ,i    
hope in another volume of this series to
 be able to  justify my present         
statement4 ,i allude to these three     
records here because  the unity of      
principle which they exhibit1           
notwithstanding their wide  divergence  
of method1 affords a standing proof that
 the direction taken by  the intuition  
is largely determined by the will of the
 individual opening  the mind in that   
particular direction4    ,very closely  
allied to the intuition is the faculty  
of imagination4 ,this  does not mean    
mere fancies1 which we dismiss without  
further consideration1  but our power of

 forming mental images upon which we    
dwell4 ,these1 as ,i  have said in the  
earlier part of this book1 form a       
nucleus which1 on its  own plane1 calls 
into action the universal ,law of       
,attraction1 thus giving  rise to the   
principle of ,growth4 ,the relation of  
the intuition to the  imagination is    
that the intuition grasps an idea from  
the ,great ,universal  ,mind1 in which  
all things subsist as potentials1 and   
presents it to the  imagination in its  
essence rather than in a definite form1 
and then our  image-building faculty    
gives it a clear and definite form which
 it presents  before the mental vision1 
and which we then vivify by letting our 
thought  dwell upon it1 thus infusing   
our own personality into it1 and so     
providing  that personal element through
 which the specific action of the       
universal  law relatively to the        
particular individual always takes      
place4#a ,whether  our thought shall be 
allowed thus to dwell upon a particular 

mental image  depends on our own will1  
and our exercise of our will depends on 
our belief  in our power to use it so as
 to disperse or consolidate a given     
mental  image2 and finally our belief in
 our power to do this depends on our    
recognition of our relation to ,god1    
,who is the source of all power2 for it 
is an invariable truth that our life    
will take its whole form1 tone1 and     
color from our conception of ,god1      
whether that conception be positive or  
negative1 and the sequence by which it  
does so is that now given4    ,in this  
way1 then1 our intuition is related to  
our imagination1 and this  relation has 
its physiological correspondence in the 
circulus of molecular  vibrations ,i    
have described above1 which1 having its 
commencement in the  higher or ideal    
portion of the brain flows through the  
voluntary nervous  system1 the physical 
channel of objective mind1 returning    
through the  sympathetic system1 the    
physical channel of subjective mind1    

thus  completing the circuit and being  
then restored to the frontal brain1     
where  it is consciously modelled into  
clear-cut forms suited to a specific    
purpose4    ,in all this the power of   
the will as regulating the action both  
of the  intuition and the imagination   
must never be lost sight of1 for without
 such  a central controlling power we   
should lose all sense of individuality2 
and  hence the ultimate aim of the      
evolutionary process is to evolve       
individual  wills actuated by such      
beneficence and enlightenment as shall  
make them  fitting vehicles for the     
outflowing of the ,supreme ,spirit1     
which has  hitherto created cosmically1 
and can now carry on the creative       
process to  its highest stages only     
through conscious union with the        
individual2 for  this is the only       
possible solution of the great problem1 
,how can the  ,universal ,mind act in   
all its fulness upon the plane of the   
individual and  particular8    ,this is 

the ultimate of evolution1 and the      
successful evolution of the  individual 
depends on his recognizing this ultimate
 and working towards it2  and therefore 
this should be the great end of our     
studies4 ,there is a  correspondence in 
the constitution of the body to the     
faculties of the  soul1 and there is a  
similar correspondence in the faculties 
of the soul to  the power of the        
,all-originating ,spirit2 and as in all 
other adaptations of  specific vehicles 
so also here1 we can never correctly    
understand the  nature of the vehicle   
and use it rightly until we realize the 
nature of the  power for the working of 
which it is specially adapted4 ,let us1 
then1 in  conclusion briefly consider   
the nature of that power4               
,,xvi4    ,,the ,,spirit4      ,what    
must the ,supreme ,all-originating      
,spirit be in itself8 ,that is the      
question before us4 ,let us start with  
one fact regarding it about which we    
cannot have any possible doubt--it is   

creative4 ,if it were not creative      
nothing could come into existence2      
therefore we know that its purpose1 or  
,law of ,tendency1 must be to bring     
individual lives into existence and to  
surround them with a suitable           
environment4 ,now a power which has this
 for  its inherent nature must be a     
kindly power4 ,the ,spirit of ,life     
seeking  expression in individual lives 
can have no other intention towards them
  than that they might have life1 and   
that they might have it more            
abundantly4 ,to suppose the opposite    
would be a contradiction in terms4 ,it  
would be to suppose the ,eternal        
,principle of ,life acting against      
itself1  expressing itself as the       
reverse of what it is1 in which case it 
would not  be expressing itself but     
expressing its opposite2 so that it is  
impossible  to conceive of the ,spirit  
of ,life acting otherwise than to the   
increase of  life4 ,this is as yet only 
imperfectly apparent by reason of our   

imperfect  apprehension of the position1
 and our consequent want of conscious   
unity  with the ,,one ,eternal ,life4   
,as our consciousness of unity becomes  
more  perfect so will the               
life-givingness of the ,spirit become   
more apparent4 ,but  in the realm of    
principles the purely ,affirmative and  
,life-giving nature of  the             
,all-originating ,spirit is an          
unavoidable conclusion4 ,now by what    
name  can we call such an inherent      
desire to add to the fulness of any     
individual  life--that is1 to make it   
stronger1 brighter1 and happier8 ,if    
this is not  ,love1 then ,i do not know 
what else it is2 and so we are          
philosophically led  to the conclusion  
that ,love is the prime moving power of 
the ,creating  ,spirit4    ,but         
expression is impossible without ,form4 
,what ,form1 then1 should ,love  give to
 the vehicles of its expression8 ,by the
 hypothesis of the case it  could not   
find self-expression in forms that were 

hateful or repugnant to  it--therefore  
the only logical correlative of ,love is
 ,beauty4 ,beauty is not  yet           
universally manifested for the same     
reason that ,life is not1 namely1  lack 
of recognition of its ,principle2 but1  
that the principle of ,beauty is        
inherent in the ,eternal ,mind is       
demonstrated by all that is beautiful in
  the world in which we live4    ,these 
considerations show us that the inherent
 nature of the ,spirit must  consist in 
the eternal interaction of ,love and    
,beauty as the ,active and  ,passive    
polarity of ,being4 ,then this is the   
,power for the working of which  our    
soul faculties are specially adapted4   
,and when this purpose of the           
adaptation is recognized we begin to get
 some insight into the way in which  our
 intuition1 imagination1 and will should
 be exercized4 ,by training our  thought
 to habitually dwell upon this          
dual-unity of the ,originating ,forces  
of ,love and ,beauty the intuition is   

rendered more and more sensitive to     
ideas emanating from this supreme       
source1 and the imagining faculty is    
trained in the formation of images      
corresponding to such ideas2 while on   
the physical side the molecular         
structure of the brain and body becomes 
more and more perfectly adjusted to the 
generating of vibratory currents        
tending to the outward manifestation of 
the ,originating ,principle4 ,thus the  
whole man is brought into unison with   
himself and with the ,supreme ,source   
of ,life1 so that1 in the words of ,st4 
,paul1 he is being day by day renewed   
after the image of ,him that created    
him4    ,our more immediately personal  
recognition of the ,all-originating     
,love and  ,beauty will thus flow out as
 peace of mind1 health of body1         
discretion in  the management of our    
affairs1 and power in the carrying out  
of our  undertakings2 and as we advance 
to a wider conception of the working of 
the  ,spirit of ,love and ,beauty in its

 infinite possibilities1 so our         
intuition  will find a wider scope and  
our field of activity will expand along 
with  it--in a word we shall discover   
that our individuality is growing1 and  
that  we are becoming more truly        
ourselves than we ever were before4     
,the question of the specific lines on  
which the individual may be most        
perfectly trained into such recognition 
of his true relation to the             
,all-embracing ,spirit of ,life is      
therefore of supreme importance1 but it 
is  also of such magnitude that even to 
briefly sketch its broad outlines would 
require a volume to itself1 and ,i will 
therefore not attempt to enter upon  it 
here1 my present purpose being only to  
offer some hints of the  principles     
underlying that wonderful three-fold    
unity of ,body1 ,soul1 and  ,spirit     
which we all know ourselves to be4      
,we are as yet only at the commencement 
of the path which leads to the          
realization of this unity in the full   

development of all its powers1 but      
others have trodden the way before us1  
from whose experiences we may learn2    
and not least among these was the       
illustrious founder of the ,most        
,christian  ,fraternity of the          
,rosicrucians4 ,this master-mind1       
setting out in his youth  with the      
intention of going to ,jerusalem1       
changed the order of his journey  and   
first sojourned for three years in the  
symbolical city of ,damcar1 in  the     
mystical country of ,arabia1 then for   
about a year in the mystical  country of
 ,egypt1 and then for two years in the  
mystical country of ,fez4  ,then1 having
 during these six years learned all that
 was to be acquired in  those countries1
 he returned to his native land of      
,germany1 where1 on the  basis of the   
knowledge he had thus gained1 he founded
 the ,fraternity ,r4,c41  for whose     
instruction he wrote the mystical books 
,m4 and ,t4 ,then1 when he  realized    
that his work in its present stage was  

accomplished1 he of his own  free will  
laid aside the physical body1 not1 it is
 recorded1 by decay1 or  disease1 or    
ordinary death1 but by the express      
direction of the ,spirit of  ,life1     
summing up all his knowledge in the     
words1        ,jesus mihi omnia4    ,and
 now his followers await the coming of  
the ,artist ,elias1 who shall  bring the
 ,magnum ,opus to its completion4       
,let him that readeth understand4       
,,footnotes      ,footnote #a3 ,see my  
,dor ,lectures4