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Mental Fascination · Mental Fascination

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  Preface. This book is side Light Manual number one, accompanying my main work
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  entitled The Secret of Mental Magic, and being in the nature of a sequel,
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  supplement or side light there too. The side light manuals, of which
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  this is the first, are designed to bring out the details and special features
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  of several of the lessons of which The Secret of Mental Magic is composed,
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  and to give something in the nature of special instruction regarding the actual operation or
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  workings of the principles referred to in the lessons of my main work. The
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  present manual bears the above mentioned relation to that lesson in my main work entitled
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  Personal Influence. In order to obliviate the repetition of the information contained in my
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  main work, I have been obliged to constantly refer to the latter. This
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  would be inexcusable were the present book offered as a separate and independent work,
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  for it might be justly considered as an effort to force my main work upon
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  the attention of the reader for the purpose of increasing its sale. But insomuch
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  as the present book is advertised as a side light, and its relation to
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  my main work is plainly stated in every notice, and particularly as its sale
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  will be almost exclusively among those who have already purchased and studied my main work.
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  I think I may reasonably ask to be absolved from such suspicion. I
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  think that I have condensed much valuable information within the pages of this book,
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  and I trust that my readers will like the work as well as I do.
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  But be that as it may, I defy any one to read it
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  without gaining a strong practical realization of the powerful part for good or ill that
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  mental fascination is playing in this twentieth century world of ours. And I feel
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  that the majority will agree with me that it is time that this post an
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  influence should be studied, understood, mastered, and its string extracted by such
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  universal knowledge of its principles as will serve to destroy its improper employment. To
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  those who may consider this rather dangerous knowledge to be spread broadcast, I will
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  say that ignorance is no protection. I believe that in all cases, the
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  best way to dispel darkness and all that goes with it, is to turn
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  on the light. And this, then, is the spirit in which this
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  book has been written. May you so receive it? William Walker Atkinson,
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  Chicago, Illinois, USA, May thirteenth, nineteen oh seven. What is
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  mental fascination? Fascination means the act of fascinating or state of being fascinated.
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  The word fascinate springs from the Latin word fastenar, meaning to an chant,
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  be which charmed by eyes or tongue, captivate, attract, etc. The
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  definition of the English word fascinate is as follows, to act upon by some
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  powerful or irresistible influence. To influence by an irresistible charm, to allure or
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  excite irresistibly or powerfully, to charm, captivate, or attract powerfully. To
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  influence the imagination, reason, or will of another in an uncontrollable manner.
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  To enchant, captivate, or allure powerfully or irresistibly. The above definition is
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  condensed from a number of the best dictionaries and gives the cream of the idea
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  embodied in the word. My definition. In this manual, I shall use
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  the term mental fascination in the sense of the action of a mental force that
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  powerfully influences the imagination, desire, or will of another. This is my
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  own broad definition, which includes all the varied phenomena of personal magnetism, psychological
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  influence, hypnotism, mesmerism, charming, et cetera, et cetera, all
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  of which I hold to be but varying phases of phenomena of one force.
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  These things are all a bit of the same piece, In spite of the
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  claims to the contrary on the part of those who did not like the relationship.
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  The nature of the force? What is the nature of the force which
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  produces that which we call mental fascination, which latter I have defined as the
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  action of a mental force that powerfully influences the imagination, desire, or will
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  of another. Mental fascination is the manifestation? What is the nature of the
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  mental falf that powerfully influences? As you will see in some of the following
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  chapters, there have been many theories advanced to account for this force, the
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  theories varying from magnetic fluids to mere simple suggestions on the part of the influencing
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  person. Nearly every writer on the subject has had his own pet theory.
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  But although these theories varied and differed greatly, the effects produced were about the
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  same, which naturally leads us to look for some common basic principle operating under
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  all forms. Regardless of the many theories advanced by those producing the effects.
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  It is the old story here, as elsewhere. A man finds that he
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  is able to produce certain phenomena by certain methods. He works along practical lines
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  for a time, endeavoring to perfect his methods and increase the variety and effectiveness
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  of the phenomena. He has advanced. Along these lines, he begins to
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  look around him for a theory to fit the facts of the case. And
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  here is where he usually makes his mistake. He evolves some fantastic theory which
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  seems to him to account for the effects produced, and then he endeavors to
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  fit the facts into the theory. If the facts will not so fit in
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  well, so much worse for the facts, and he either discards the non
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  conforming facts, or else ignores or denies them. This has been the course
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  of theorists since the beginning. After a while, some man of a more
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  scientific mind examines the recorded facts and discovers the true underlying principle and reconciles the
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  differing theories of the original theorists by a new synthesis which combines the true principles
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  in all the other theories, discarding the pet hobbies or prejudices of the previous
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  authorities. And so it is the case of mental fascination, as we shall
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  see the underlying theory. I shalt not have much to say about theory in
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  this book. I have explained the theory and principle underlying mental fascination in my
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  larger book entitled The Secret of Mental Magic, of which this little manual is
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  a sidelight. In that book, I have explained the underlying force beneath all
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  forms of mental magic, and mental fascination is one of those forms. It
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  is the universal mentative energy, of which and in which each individual mind is
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  a center of activity. I have also explained that the mentative energy of each
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  individual mind is and may be transmitted from one person to another by means of
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  mentative currents or waves, and that these mentative currents and waves tend to induce
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  in the minds of other persons the emotions feelings existing in the mental states of
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  the person sending out the waves or currents the mental polls. I have also
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  explained that there are two mental poles, known as the motive and emotive poles,
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  respectively, which manifest will power and desire force respectively. Desire force acts
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  in the direction of drawing pulling, attracting, luring, coaxing, charming,
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  etc. While willpower acts in the direction of compelling, forcing, driving,
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  impelling, commanding, demanding, etc. Desire always draws its object toward itself,
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  while will always overpowers and compels its object, generally in the sense of
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  driving it into action. In mental fascination, both desire force and willpower are
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  employed generally in combination. Desire force has been called the feminine phase of menative
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  energy, and will power the masculine, And in this as in everything else,
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  the combination of those two qualities produces the most marked results. The student
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  will be able to distinguish between the action of these two phases of the force
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  as he reads the pages of this book in which instances of mental fascination are
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  given. That is all that I shall have to say about theory in this
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  book, except where the various points are brought out in illustrating the examples given,
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  I must refer my students to My Secret of Mental Magic for details of
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  theory and principle. The present book deals with the how, rather than the
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  why mental fascination among the animals. Even before the human race was evolved,
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  mental fascination was known instinctively to the lower forms of life. It is said
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  that the fels in the blood of living things become aware of the presence of
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  each other at distances which must preclude any theory of ordinary sense awareness. Not
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  only do they recognize or sense the presence of each other, but they seem
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  to be attracted toward each other by some force or fascination, which must operate
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  along the lines of desire and will. Eminent scientists inform us that even the
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  atoms manifest an attraction for each other, varying in degree according to the nature
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  of the respective atoms, and the same authorities tell us that this attracting operates
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  along the lines of a desire for each other and a will which causes them
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  to fly to each other. Is it not reasonable to suppose that in this
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  instinctive manifestation of attraction and the response to attraction among the atoms, there is
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  to be found the elemental principle of mental fascination, And are not the phenomena
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  of electrical attraction and magnetic attraction related to the human phenomena by a long series
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  of links in a grand chain the two phases. But leaving the above questions
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  without further consideration, we may find an abundance of proof among the higher forms
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  of the lower animals. Among the animals, we find many instances of the
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  power of charming or fascinating, both of which I hold to be but varying
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  forms of manifestation of mental fascination, as I use the term, i e.
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  The action of a mental force that powerfully influences the imagination, desire,
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  or will of another. This mental fascination among the animals manifests along two lines,
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  viz. One along the lines of desire, operating in the direction of
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  sex manifestation, such as the winning of mates et cetera, and two along
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  the lines of will operation in the direction of overcoming the prey of the animal,
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  such as the charming of birds by serpents or of the smaller animals by
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  tigers, et cetera. These cases are capable of liberal illustration and proof,
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  and natural history affords us full authority for accepting the same instances of animal fascination.
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  I recently read an account of a naturalist who related that one day in
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  a tropical country, he noticed a winged insect circling around and around a scorpion.
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  After a bit, the insect made a series of desperate plunges at the
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  scorpion, as if in a frantic desire to terminate the charm, the scorpions
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  soon striking down the insect and afterwards devouring it. It is related by travelers
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  that when one comes suddenly in the presence of a lion, tiger, or
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  leopard, his legs seem paralyzed, and the eyes of the beast seem to
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  exert a peculiar fascination and power over him. I have seen a mouse manifest
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  the same emotion in the presence of a cat, and the same is true
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  of a rat in the presence of a ferret or similar enemy. On the
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  other hand, every observer had noticed the wonderful charming power that animals exert over
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  others of their kind of the opposite sex. If you have ever witnessed the
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  courting of a bird during the mating season, you will have a keen sense
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  of the reality of the power employed one of the birds. And it may
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  be either the male or female will be seen to actually fascinate or charm the
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  one of the opposite sex, the latter lying still with quivering wings and a
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  helpless expression in its eyes. When compared with the attitude of the same bird
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  when charmed by a serpent, the resemblance will be striking. Scientific testimony.
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  I have before me a book written in eighteen forty seven which relates quite a
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  number of instances in the operation of mental fascination among the lower animals. I
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  will give you a few of them, condensed and abbreviated. Professor Silliman is
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  quoted as stating that one day, while crossing the Hudson River at Catskill,
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  he passed along a narrow road with the river on one side and a steep
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  bank covered by bushes on the other side. His attention was attracted by the
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  sight of a number of birds of a variety of species, who were flying
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  forward and backwards across the road, turning and wheeling in strange gyrations, and
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  with noisy chirpings, seemingly centering over a particular point of the road. Upon
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  examination, the professor found an enormous black snake, partly coiled and partly erect,
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  showing an appearance of great animation, with his eyes flashing like a brilliant
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  diamond, and his tongue darting in and out. The snake was the center
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  of the motion of the birds. The professor adds that although the snake disappeared
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  in the bushes, frightened that the approach of the men. Still the birds
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  seemed too dazed to escape, and perched on the nearby bushes, evidently awaiting
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  the reappearance of their charmer. The charming by snakes. The same book relates
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  an instant of a man in Pennsylvania who saw a large black snake charming a
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  bird. The bird described gradually decreasing circles around the snake, at the same
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  time uttering piteous cries. It seemed almost ready to drop into the jaws of
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  the snake when the man drove off the latter when the bird arose with a
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  song of joy. Another case is related of a ground squirrel which was observed
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  running to and fro between a creek and a large tree a few yards distant.
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  The squirrel's fur was badly ruffled, and he exhibited fright and distress.
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  Investigation disclosed the head and neck of a rattlesnake protruding from the whole of the
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  tree and pointing directly at the squirrel. The poor squirrel at last gave up
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  the fight, and, yielding to the fascination, laid himself down with his
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  head very close to the snake's mouth. The snake then proceeded to swallow the
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  squirrel when his meal was interrupted with a cut of a carriage whip in the
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  hands of the observer, and the squirrel, released from the spell, ran
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  briskly away. Interesting instances. Doctor Good is quoted as having made quite a
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  study of the curious, fascinating power that rattlesnakes manifest over small animals such as
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  birds, squirrels, and young hairs, et cetera. He relates that these
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  animals seem incapable of drawing their eyes away from those of the snake, and
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  although seemingly struggling to get away, they still gradually approach the snake as though
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  urged toward him, re attracted by a power superior to their natural instincts.
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  He goes on to state that the animals creep nearer and nearer, until at
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  last it is drawn into the serpent's mouth, which has been open all the
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  while to receive them. Doctor Barrow is quoted as relating many instances of this
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  kind known to peasants in all parts of the world. Valiant, the African
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  traveler, tells of an instance in which he witnessed a shrike at the very
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  act of being fascinated by a large snake at a distance, the fiery eyes
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  and open mouths of which was gradually approaching the bird, the latter manifesting convulsive
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  trembling and uttering, piercing shrieks of distress. The travelers shot the snake,
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  but upon picking up the bird, he found it dead, killed either by
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  fear or the power of the serpent, or perhaps by the violent breaking of
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  the spell. He measured the distance between the snake and the bird and found
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  it to be three and one half feet strange stories. A case is related
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  in one of the early reports of the Philosophical Society, in which a mouse
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  was put in a cage with a viper by way of an experiment. The
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  mouse at first seemed greatly agitated, which state was followed by a condition of
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  fascination, the mouse drawing nearer and nearer to the viper, which remained motionless
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  with distended jaws and glistening eyes. The mouse finally actually entered the jaws of
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  the viper and was devoured. Bruce, the African traveler, relates that the
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  natives of an interior tribe seemed to be protected by nature against the bite of
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  scorpions and vipers. They are said to handle these creatures fearlessly, the latter
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  seeming to be robbed of their power of resistance. He states that the creatures
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  seemed to sicken the moment they are touched by the natives, and are sometimes
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  so exhausted by the invisible fascinating power that they perish shortly. He says,
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  I have constantly observed that, however lively the viper was before, upon being
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  seized by any of these barbarians, he seemed as if taken with sickness and
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  feebleness, and frequently would shut his eyes and would never turn his mouth toward
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  the arm that held him. Snake charmer personally, I have seen a somewhat
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  similar case. When I was a boy in Maryland. I knew of a
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  farm hand who was called a snake charmer. How he did it, I
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  could never find out. But he would exert some kind of influence over all
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  kinds of snakes, poisonous ones included, and would cause them to remain fascinated
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  until, with a quick movement he would grab them by the neck with his
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  bare hands. This man generally carried a few pet snakes around with him for
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  company. They seemed perfectly contented, and would poke their heads up out of
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  his pocket in order to look at someone else with whom he might be talking.
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  The negroes on the farm had a mortal terror of this man, and
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  would walk a couple of miles rather than pass by his house. Fascinating fierce
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  animals. The power of charming animals, dogs and wild beasts is undoubtedly possessed
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  by some men in varying degrees, and nearly every one has known of men
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  who could charm the wildest horses as if by magic. I have read of
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  some burglars who seemed able to quiet the most ferocious watch dogs. The Swedish
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  writer Linda Krantz tells of certain natives of Lapland who are possessed of some process
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  of charming dogs to such an extent that they have been known to cow the
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  most savage greathound, causing him to fly from them with all the signs of
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  abject fear. Many of my readers have seen or heard of the horse whisperers
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  found in various parts of the country, who will shut themselves in a stable
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  with a fierce horse, and by whispering to him, will manage to tame
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  him completely and make him passive to their will. Charmed by a snake,
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  there are cases recorded in which men who have been charmed by a snake have
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  afterwards given in their experience. One of these cases relates that a man was
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  walking in his garden when he suddenly came into the presence of a snake,
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  whose eyes gleamed in a peculiar manner. He found himself fascinated, as if
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  by a spell, and unable to withdraw his eyes from those of the creature.
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  The snake, he stated afterward, seemed to begin to increase immensely in
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  size and assumed, in rapid succession a mixture of brilliant colors. He grew
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  dizzy and would have fallen in the direction of the snake had not his wife
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  approached, throwing her arms around him and breaking the spell. Another similar case
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  is related in which a man found his companion standing still on the road with
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  his eyes fixed intently upon those of a large rattlesnake, which was regarding him
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  fixedly with gleaming eyes scintillating in its raised head. The man was leaning toward
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  the snake, and would have fallen toward it in a few moments. He
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  was crying, feebly but piteously. He will bite me, he will kill
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  me, Sure he will, replied his friend, why don't you run away?
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  Why are you staying here? But the man seemed perfectly dazed and distracted
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  and could not answer. The companion finally picked up a stick and struck at
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  the snake, which glided away savagely. The fascinated man was sick for several
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  hours afterward. A personal experience. When I was a boy, I had
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  somewhat similar experience, although not nearly so serious. Walking one day among a
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  grove of trees belonging to my grandfather, I found myself standing staring intently at
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  a snake about two feet long, whose eyes glistened like large diamonds. In
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  a moment, I ceased to see anything but those awful eyes, which glistened
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  and displayed all the prismatic colors to my frightened glance. It lasted but a
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  moment, however, for the snake glided away, seemingly as anxious to get
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  away from me as I was to part company with him. I cannot say
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  whether the spell would have been broken by me if the snake had not moved
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  away. Perhaps it might, or perhaps not. All that I remember now
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  after the passage of thirty five years or more, is that I did not
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  seem to feel fear after the first shock, my feeling and emotion seemingly being
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  that of great wonder and amazement, arising from what I saw in those eyes
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  an elemental force. But I have said enough regarding the manifestation of mental fascination
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  among the lower animals. There are many interesting instances of this sort scattered through
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  the pages of books on animal life, and nearly every one who has lived
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  in the woods or among wild life knows of many cases illustrating this fact,
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  which have come under his own observation. I have mentioned these features of the
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  subject merely for the purpose of showing you that we have to deal with a
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  general natural principle which manifests throughout all life. This book has to deal with
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  the manifestation of this force among men. But in closing this chapter, I
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  would ask you to notice the resemblance between the manifestation of the force among the
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  animals on the one hand, and among mankind on the other. The animals
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  employ the force for two purposes, i e. The captivating of mates and
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  the capture of prey. And how do men and women use it among similar
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  lines? Yes, I mean this as startling as it may appear, For
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  it is not the use of fascination in direction of attracting the opposite sex,
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  akin to the sex charming noticed among the birds and animals. And is not
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  the use of fascination in the direction of influencing men and women along the lines
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  of business or personal interest, akin to the charming of prey by wild animals,
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  serpents, etc. You may see that evolution simply changes the form of
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  use in this and other natural qualities and power, the force or power remaining
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  the same under all of the changes. And does it not become important for
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  us to understand, study, and guard ourselves against the employment of such an
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  elemental force as this, which manifests along all planes of life, from lowest
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  to highest. I emphatically answer yes. The story of mental fascination. The
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  story of mental fascination runs along with the history of the human race, for
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  it has always been known to man in some form, coming to primitive man,
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  along with other inheritances from still lower forms, it was used from the
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  beginning. Its earliest forms were similar to its employment by the lower animals,
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  such as has been mentioned in the preceding chapter. The strong willed of the
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  race influenced and dominated the weaker willed ones without understanding its laws. The strong
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  willed barbarians discovered that they possessed a strange power of inducing mental states among their
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  weaker willed companions, and were thus enabled to work their will upon them.
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  Many of the leaders of barbarian races owe their positions of prominence and leadership to
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  this law of mental induction the magic of the priests. But along with the
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  rise of leaders there was manifested a similar rise in power and influence of the
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  priests. All races have had their priests and have to day. A priest
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  is a man whose office is that of a mediator between men and their divinities,
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  one who claims to represent the supernatural entities in their dealings with men,
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  a religious or spiritual middle man, as it were. I used this expression
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  in all seriousness, and with no desire to sneer at the priestly offices,
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  which have played an important part in the history of the race. The priests,
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  not being occupied with warfare or agriculture, and by reason of their support
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  being contributed by the people, found plenty of time to think a somewhat rare
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  privilege in the early days, and even in these times, for that matter,
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  And so there gradually arose among all peoples a priestly caste that possessed the
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  bulk of intelligence of the race. These priests soon began to recognize the importance
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  of the mental forces, and they studied the underlying principles and laws of operation.
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  This, of course, gave them an additional hold on the people and
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  a power over them. There seems to be no doubt but that even in
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  the early days of the race, the priestly caste held a very wide knowledge
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  of the laws and practice of mental fascination mystic powers. In the heart of
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  Africa. Today we find the voodoo men, or conjurors or medicine men well
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  versed in the application of mental fascination. It was known among the early American
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  Indians, although their degenerated descendants seemed to have lost the knowledge except in a
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  few instances. The power of the priesthood among primitive races is based almost entirely
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  upon some form of mental fascination. And as we see the race ascending in
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  the scale, so do we see the priests displaying a broader and fuller knowledge
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  of the subject in question. The history of the Oriental races show that a
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  full knowledge of the operation of mental fascination has been possessed by them for thousands
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  of years. In the pictured stories of the Egyptians, the traces of which
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  appear in the ruined temples and other buildings, we see that they understood the
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  art perfectly. In ancient Persia and Chaldea, the art arose to great heights.
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  In fact, among all of the advanced ancient races of Men, we
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  find an important place given to the subject before us the ancient mysteries. Among
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  the ancient mysteries, the various ceremonies of the temples of the early races,
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  we see many instances of the use of mental fascination. Back of the rites
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  and ceremonies was always the same underlying principle of menative induction. In the early
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  use of the force, its employment was largely along the lines of healing,
• 28:07
  which phase of the subject does not concern us in this particular manual, although
• 28:12
  it belongs to the general subject of mental magic. But still we read in
• 28:17
  the pages of early history of many instances of mental fascination, pure and simple,
• 28:22
  that which was afterward called mesmerism, hypnotism, et cetera. Was well
• 28:27
  known to the ancients, and in fact, some of the recorded results coming
• 28:33
  down to us from the past have never been equalled by modern experimenters. Some
• 28:37
  of the feats of the modern Hindu magicians or fakirs, which will be mentioned
• 28:42
  in detail as we proceed, have never been equalled by Western hypnotists. The
• 28:48
  tale of the Magi, as I have stated in less than four of mental
• 28:52
  magic, the name magnet given to the load stone or natural magnet, was
• 28:57
  bestowed by the ancients because the observed properties of the loadstone resembled the mental power
• 29:03
  of the magi or esoteric priesthood of ancient Persia and Medeia. These priests were
• 29:08
  the magi or wise men of the East, who had developed wonderful manative powers,
• 29:14
  and who were known as wonder workers. The word magic comes from the
• 29:18
  same source. When the attracting power and quality of induction of the loadstone were
• 29:23
  noticed, it was remarked that the physical phenomena closely resembled the mental phenomena of
• 29:29
  the magi, and therefore the loadstone was called the magian stone or the magic
• 29:34
  stone from which sprung the terms magnet and magnetism. As the sentries rolled by
• 29:41
  and the Western world had its attention called to the mysterious phenomena of mesmerism et
• 29:47
  cetera. In the eighteenth century, the public mind instinctively connected the phenomena with
• 29:52
  that of magnetism, and the terms animal, magnetism, personal magnetism, et
• 29:59
  cetera came into general use, and these terms persist to this day, and
• 30:04
  we hear the terms very magnetic, lacking magnetism, magnetic personality, et cetera,
• 30:11
  et cetera as applied to people. And so history worked out an instance
• 30:15
  of the law of compensation. The magnet, which took its name because its
• 30:21
  properties resembled the phenomena resulting from the use of menative influence by the magi,
• 30:26
  repaid the debt after many centuries and served to give a name to mental manifestations
• 30:33
  resembling those of the magi in the dim past. The magnet gives back to
• 30:37
  the modern magi the name it borrowed from the magi of ancient Persia. This
• 30:42
  is an interesting bit of occult history, little known to the general public.
• 30:48
  Julius Caesar's fascination ancient history as full of instances of the operation of mental fascination
• 30:55
  among the people of the early days. It is related that Julius Caesar,
• 31:00
  while quite a young man, fell in with pirates near the Isle of Rhodes,
• 31:03
  who captured his ship and took him prisoner. They held him for several
• 31:07
  weeks while awaiting the ransom money being raised by his relatives. Plutarch writes that
• 31:14
  while the young Caesar was a captive of the pirates, he asserted his mastery
• 31:18
  over them to such an extent that he seemed a ruler rather than a prisoner.
• 31:22
  When he wished to rest or sleep, he forbade them to make any
• 31:26
  noise, and they obeyed him without question. He abused them and ordered them
• 31:30
  around like servants, and they did not seem to disobey him. He did
• 31:36
  not hesitate to threaten them with death when he regained his liberty, and they
• 31:40
  did not resent it, and he afterward made good his threat. The mystic
• 31:45
  power of Alcibiades. It is related of Alcibiades the Athenian that he once made
• 31:52
  a bet with some of the young Athenian nobles that he would publicly box the
• 31:56
  ears of Hipponicus, a venerable and greatly respected citizen. Not only did he
• 32:01
  bet that he would do this thing, but he also claimed that he would
• 32:05
  afterward compel the old man to give him his favorite daughter in marriage. The
• 32:09
  day following, when Hipponicus came out, Alcibiades walked up to him and gave
• 32:15
  him a resounding box on the ears. The old man seemed dazed and bewildered
• 32:20
  and retired to his home. A great public outcry arose, and the young
• 32:24
  man seemed likely to fall a victim to the indignation of the citizens. But
• 32:30
  the next day Alcibiades went to the home of Epponicus, and after making a
• 32:35
  pretense of bearing his back for punishment, he managed to induce in the old
• 32:38
  man a feeling of good humor and mirth, and obtained his pardon and good
• 32:44
  will, the latter increasing daily thereafter, until finally he grew so devoted to
• 32:47
  the young man that he offered him the hand of his daughter in marriage,
• 32:52
  which was accepted. Anyone who is acquainted with the recorded character of the Athenians
• 32:58
  will realize what a wonderful occurrence this was. It was a striking exhibition of
• 33:01
  mental fascination. Without a question, the Napoleonic charm. All the great generals
• 33:09
  of history have possessed this quality. Caesar, Alexander the Great, Napoleon,
• 33:15
  Frederick the Great, and the modern mystic warrior General Gordon all managed their men
• 33:20
  in a mysterious and wonderful manner, so that their troops worshiped them as almost
• 33:25
  gods, and went to their death willingly and joyfully. The single instance of
• 33:31
  Napoleon, when he returned from Elba and confronted the Bourbon army drawn up to
• 33:37
  capture him, should satisfy any one of the possession of the greatest fascinating power
• 33:42
  by this wonderful man. You remember that the troops were drawn up confronting Napoleon,
• 33:47
  their muskets leveled at his breast in obedience to the command aim. Napoleon,
• 33:53
  who was on foot, marched deliberately toward the troops with measured tread,
• 34:00
  gazing directly into their eyes. Then the officers shouted fire. A single shot
• 34:06
  would have killed Napoleon and would have brought to the man who fired it a
• 34:09
  fortune from the Bourbon king. But not a man obeyed the order, so
• 34:15
  completely were they under the spell of Napoleon's fascination. Instead of firing, they
• 34:22
  threw down their guns and ran joyfully toward the Corsicans, shouting vive l'm pore.
• 34:28
  Their officers fled a. Napoleon, placing himself at the head of the
• 34:30
  troops, marched on to Paris. Other troops flocked to his standard at each
• 34:37
  point where he confronted them, although they had been sent out to capture or
• 34:40
  kill him. By the time the gate of Paris were reached, he was
• 34:45
  at the head of an immense army. The fascination manifested by this man was
• 34:50
  one of the marked instances of its possession of which we have any record,
• 34:54
  and it seems to endure to this day, almost a century after his death.
• 34:59
  The very mention of his name makes one's blood tingle. Modern examples,
• 35:06
  all great leaders of men, statesmen, orators, politicians, et cetera,
• 35:10
  have the power of mental fascination developed to a considerable degree. If you have
• 35:15
  ever come in contact with a man of this sort, you will always remember
• 35:20
  the impression he made upon you. Every man who knew James G. Blaine
• 35:24
  will remember his personal magnetism, of which so much was said during his lifetime.
• 35:30
  Anyone who heard the famous speech of William J. Bryan at the Chicago
• 35:35
  Convention, in which he made use of the famous expression thou shalt not press
• 35:39
  upon the brow of labor the crown of thorns, Thou shalt not crucify mankind
• 35:45
  upon the cross of gold. Needs no further proof of the reality of mental
• 35:50
  fascination. Brian was almost unknown to the majority of the delegates, and no
• 35:54
  thought of nominating him was entertained by them. But his magnetism was so great
• 36:00
  that it swept the convention like a mighty tidal wave, carrying all before it,
• 36:05
  and Brian was carried around the hall on the shoulders of the delegates,
• 36:07
  who afterward made him their nominee for president. And although defeated twice, this
• 36:14
  man still possesses a wonderful fascination over hundreds of thousands of people in this country,
• 36:19
  who would rally around his standard at any time that he would sound the
• 36:22
  call. Henry Ward Beecher, at the Great Meeting in England manifested the same
• 36:29
  power. The whole meeting was against him and drowned his words by hoots,
• 36:34
  yells, and other noises. But Beecher looked them straight in the eye and
• 36:37
  gradually cowed them into subjection, and then talked to them for two hours,
• 36:43
  and fairly carried the meeting by storm. He was but one man, facing
• 36:47
  thousands of other men hostile to him and determined to prevent him from speaking.
• 36:52
  But the single man won by the power of his mental fascination, manifesting in
• 36:58
  the phase of will. It was not alone the words. In these cases,
• 37:02
  it was the will behind the words. The will is an actual living
• 37:07
  force, and as one of the two great phases or poles of mental fascination.
• 37:14
  Mesmer and his work. Coming down to the latter part of the eighteenth
• 37:19
  century, and omitting all reference to the phenomena of mental fascination recorded in the
• 37:22
  Middle Ages, we reach what may be called the beginning of the revival of
• 37:28
  the subject among the Western peoples. I allude to the work of Frederick Anton
• 37:32
  Mesmer, a man who understood far more than he taught, but who was
• 37:37
  regarded as a charlatan and a trickster by the ignorant learned men of his day.
• 37:43
  Those who are informed regarding the secret history of Mesmer know that he was
• 37:46
  an occultist of no mean attainments, who was compelled to cloak his real teachings
• 37:52
  with popular theories and sensational phenomena in order to gain the attention of the world
• 37:58
  and also to escape religious partions. Mesmer was born in seventeen thirty four and
• 38:02
  in seventeen seventy five began his work in Vienna by writing and teaching about a
• 38:07
  mysterious universal fluid which was able to control the wills of people and also cure
• 38:14
  them of diseases, and which could be controlled and operated by man. He
• 38:19
  taught that there was a universal fluid which permeated everything and was capable of receiving
• 38:23
  and communicating all kinds of motions and impressions. This fluid, he thought,
• 38:30
  acted immediately upon the nerves in which it is embodied and produced in the human
• 38:35
  body, phenomena similar to that of the lodestone or magnet. He called this
• 38:39
  fluid animal magnetism. He taught that this magnetism flowed rapidly from body to body,
• 38:46
  acted at a distance, was reflected by a mirror like light, et
• 38:51
  cetera, et cetera. Mesmer attracted to himself great attention and great abuse.
• 38:57
  On the one hand, he was sneered and scoffed at, and also driven
• 39:00
  out of the church for possessing the power of the devil. And witchcraft.
• 39:05
  But on the other hand he gathered around him a body of supporters and students.
• 39:09
  He was investigated by a royal commission and by scientific bodies, with varying
• 39:15
  results. The coming of the French Revolution interfered with a general interest in the
• 39:19
  subject. For a number of years, Mesmer's followers adhered to his general lines
• 39:23
  of theory and practice, with unimportant additions or changes. The Abpipharia in eighteen
• 39:32
  fourteen. The Abpipharia attracted much interest in Paris. His theories were different from
• 39:38
  those of Mesmer inasmuch as he claimed that the sleep produced by Mesmer and his
• 39:43
  followers was not the result of any outside force, but was caused by the
• 39:47
  patient himself. For a number of years, a spirited contest was waged between
• 39:52
  the two schools of Mesmerists, and much bad feeling was developed. Braid and
• 40:00
  hypnotism. Then came James Braid, the Manchester surgeon, who proceeded to tear
• 40:06
  down the accepted theories, substituting one of his own. Braid may be called
• 40:10
  the father of hypnotism, the term being first employed in connection with his work.
• 40:15
  His theory was that there was no such thing as animal magnetism, but
• 40:20
  the phenomena obtained by Mesmer and his followers were caused by physiological condition brought about
• 40:25
  by physical means such as fixing the eyes, rigidity of the muscles, et
• 40:30
  cetera. Braid made some very important contribution to the knowledge on the subject,
• 40:37
  although of course all that he wrote or taught was colored by his own particular
• 40:40
  theories. Braid regarded the hypnotic sleep produced by his methods as the necessary condition
• 40:46
  and cause of the phenomena of animal magnetism. Braid's writings brought the subject before
• 40:52
  the attention of physicians who had up to his time avoided it as unprofessional et
• 40:58
  cetera, and a series of investsstigations where medical men in France and Germany were
• 41:01
  begun and have continued up to this time. The result of such investigation has
• 41:07
  been the placing of the subject upon a scientific basis. Les Baux and suggestion,
• 41:15
  doctor Libeu of the school of Nanci France, first brought into prominence the
• 41:21
  theory of suggestion, which has since found so many followers. Doctor Burnham,
• 41:25
  a people of Libaux, in his work Suggestive Therapeutics, carried his teacher's theories
• 41:30
  on still Further, the theory of suggestion as taught by Libaux and Bernheim,
• 41:37
  was that the cause of the phenomena of mesmerism and animal magnetism, et cetera
• 41:42
  lay in the verbal suggestion or verbal command of the hypnotist to the subject,
• 41:46
  given and received while the subject was in a deep hypnotic sleep. This hypnotic
• 41:52
  sleep was considered to be an essential and fundamental prerequisite of the phenomena. It
• 41:58
  was all sleep with the teachers, students, and investigators at that day,
• 42:02
  and the majority of them are still under the spell of the old teachings.
• 42:07
  Burnham's mistake as an instance of how near a man may come to a thing
• 42:13
  and still miss it. I may mention that Burnham has recorded that in rare
• 42:17
  cases where the conditions were exceptionally favorable, he could obtain results even when the
• 42:22
  subject was not asleep. But he missed his opportunity of following up this promising
• 42:29
  lead, and to the end he proceeded upon the belief and theory that the
• 42:32
  hypnotic sleep was a necessary precedent to the phenomena obtained. He endeavored to produce
• 42:38
  the condition of deep sleep or profound hypnosis, believing that the same was a
• 42:45
  necessary condition for suggestibility. The very word hypnosis arises from the Greek word meaning
• 42:52
  to lull, to sleep, so you can see how deeply this idea of
• 42:55
  sleep was and is among hypnotists. Remember this, always please, Hypnosis means
• 43:01
  a condition of sleep, so never use the word in any other way.
• 43:07
  Mental fascination is not hypnosis, although hypnosis is a form of application of mental
• 43:14
  fascination the New School. During the past ten years or so there has arisen
• 43:21
  a new school of investigators of the phenomena of mesmerism, etc. This new
• 43:25
  school proceeds upon the theory that the hypnotic sleep is merely an incident, and
• 43:31
  that all the phenomena obtained by the earlier authorities is possible without the production of
• 43:37
  a sleep condition. In other words, sleep is not a necessary condition of
• 43:42
  suggestibility. This brings a new school of the suggestionists very near to the occult
• 43:47
  idea of mental fascination, although there are some radical differences, as I shall
• 43:52
  show in a moment. In eighteen eighty four, doctor Bremond announced that he
• 43:58
  had made the discovery that there is a fourth hypnotic state, which he called
• 44:02
  fascination, which left the subject in full consciousness of his surroundings and remembrance of
• 44:07
  what had taken place. If Ramond had only had the courage to omit the
• 44:12
  fetish word hypnotic from his statement, he would have founded a new school.
• 44:16
  But he didn't. The German Freeman wrote a large book on the subject of
• 44:22
  fascination, which he defined as hypnotism without the putting to sleep, The Truth
• 44:29
  about Suggestion. Some of the best work along the without sleep hypnotism has been
• 44:35
  done by American experimenters and investigators, principally physicians, nearly all of whom believe
• 44:40
  that suggestion is the explanation of the whole thing, and that there is no
• 44:45
  such thing as a passage of mental currents. These suggestionists hold that the subject
• 44:51
  act upon the command and suggestion and does what he is told, and that
• 44:55
  that is all there is to it. The suggestible condition, to them,
• 45:00
  means a condition in which the subject yields up his whole attention to the operator
• 45:05
  and thus becomes suggestible, the degrees varying with the temperament, et cetera of
• 45:08
  the subject. While the suggestionists believe that suggestion is a whole explanation and cause,
• 45:15
  I hold that it is but one of the methods of producing the effects
• 45:20
  and that back of suggestion, is the induction of the mental state by the
• 45:23
  suggestors. I have stated in my work on Mental Magic, and as I
• 45:28
  shall bring out in the present manual Personal Magnetism. Along with the new theories
• 45:36
  of suggestion without sleep, there has arisen a great interest in personal magnetism.
• 45:42
  During the past few years. There has been much written on the subject,
• 45:45
  some good and some ridiculous, and some between the two extremes. The laws
• 45:51
  of the subject are being studied by the thinking public. There has been a
• 45:54
  great revival in the interest in occultism, which, together with the various phases
• 46:00
  of mental science, theosophy, new Thought, and kindred subjects, has attracted
• 46:05
  the attention of a large portion of the public to the general subject of mental
• 46:09
  magic and to the special subject of mental fascination in particular. And to this
• 46:15
  manual is written in response to the present demand for definite information on the subject.
• 46:21
  I feel sure that I will be able to show you that the law
• 46:23
  of menative energy, in its operation along the line of menative currents, as
• 46:28
  stated in my book on Mental Magic, will account for all the phenomena mentioned
• 46:32
  above. In the history of the general subject, as well as many other
• 46:36
  forms. I believe that I can bring it all under the definition of the
• 46:40
  action of a mental force that powerfully influences the imagination, desire, or will
• 46:45
  of another, which is my definition of mental fascination the reconciliation. In my
• 46:53
  last chapter I have shown you the opposing theories of the various schools which have
• 46:58
  investigated and experimented along the lines of mental fascination under some of its many names.
• 47:04
  All of these schools obtained results, notwithstanding their varying in diametrically opposite theories,
• 47:08
  the same kinds of results. Remember, and more than this, they
• 47:13
  all obtained these results in very much the same way. When we come to
• 47:16
  examine the essence of the procedure, after discarding the forms added to fit in
• 47:21
  with the particular theories of the practitioner, a new synthesis. I believe that
• 47:27
  all the opposing theories of the schools may be reconciled by a new synthesis,
• 47:30
  that of meditative energy, with its incidental phenomenon of meditative induction, as set
• 47:36
  forth in My Mental Magic, and further expounded in this little manual of which
• 47:40
  this chapter is a part, I believe that theories so far are divergent as
• 47:45
  Mesmer's universal magnetic fluid, Abipharia's sleep, Braid's hypnotism, Bovi, Dodd's electro
• 47:52
  biology, Lebolt's suggestion, Bernheim's suggestion, the later suggestion without slap, Bremen's
• 48:00
  fascination, and the various other theories advanced since the time of Mesmer can be
• 48:06
  reconciled and harmonized by a careful application of the theory of mentitative induction, as
• 48:10
  advanced in my work on mental magic. And I believe that all the phenomena
• 48:15
  obtained by any and all of the above schools, as well as the phenomena
• 48:20
  of the ancient fascinators, and the phenomena known as personal magnetism, charming,
• 48:24
  personal influence, magnetic personality, etc. Et cetera, of ancient and modern
• 48:30
  times, may be accounted for by the same theory. And so this chapter
• 48:34
  shall be devoted to the reconciliation of the various old theories with this basic principle
• 48:37
  of mentitative induction. Mesmer explained. Let us first examine the real facts underlying
• 48:45
  Mesmer's theory of the universal magnetic fluid. Mesmer taught that there existed a peculiar,
• 48:50
  subtle fluid, magnetic in its nature, which was diffused throughout all space,
• 48:54
  which permeated everything, and which was capable of receiving and communicating all sorts
• 48:59
  of mine and impressions. He taught that this fluid flowed freely from one body
• 49:04
  to another, acted at a distance, and could be reflected by a mirror,
• 49:07
  et cetera. He did not explain what this fluid was, except that
• 49:10
  it produced magnetic effects and must therefore be magnetic in its nature. He proved
• 49:16
  that he could produce effects, and he gave out a theory to fit in
• 49:20
  with the facts, and that was within the comprehension of the people of his
• 49:22
  time. Now let us apply the idea of universal meditative energy with its incidental
• 49:28
  phenomenon of meditative induction, to Mesmer's theory, and see how easily the reconciliation
• 49:34
  is effected. The meditative energy, like Mesmer's fluid, is universal, is
• 49:38
  diffused through all space, permeates everything. Like the fluid, it apparently passes
• 49:44
  from body to body, and communicates impressions, et cetera. But now we
• 49:47
  know that the energy is transmitted in waves or vibrations, which reproduce the original
• 49:52
  feeling by meditative induction. In the second person, there is no necessity for
• 49:57
  the flowing fluid anymore than there is for an electric fluid flowing over wires or
• 50:00
  through the air. The fluid idea has been superseded by the wave idea in
• 50:05
  both physics and metaphysics the nature of the magnetic fluid. We may readily see
• 50:10
  that this magnetic fluid theory of Mesmer may be explained by the theory of meditative
• 50:15
  energy and mentitative induction. There is no magnetic fluid. The energy is mental
• 50:21
  in nature, in operation, and the phenomena arising therefrom is mentitative. Also
• 50:25
  Mesmer sought for his answer in physics, but we find it in metaphysics.
• 50:30
  The force is not physical, it is mental. All the phenomena obtained by
• 50:34
  Mesmer and his followers may be accounted for by the theory of meditative energy and
• 50:37
  meditative induction. The mental states of the mesmerist may be communicated to his subject
• 50:43
  by waves of meditative energy, and a corresponding feeling or mental state is induced
• 50:47
  by meditative induction. As we shall see as we proceed, the sleep of
• 50:52
  the Mesmerists and hypnotists is merely an induction condition, arising from the desire in
• 50:58
  the mind of the operator, accompanied by the suggestion on his part. Fabria
• 51:02
  explained the theory of abbe Pharia, that the sleep condition was not the result
• 51:07
  of any outside force, but arose from within the patient himself, is also
• 51:12
  reconciled by the theory of menditative energy and induction. Of course, the sleep
• 51:15
  arises from within the patient himself, but it is induced by the waves of
• 51:20
  menditative energy of the operator accompanied by his active suggestions. Braid reconciled. Braid's
• 51:25
  theory is also reconciled. He held that the phenomenon was of a physical nature
• 51:30
  rather than a mental and that it was a reflex physical action, arising from
• 51:35
  fixing the eyes, rigidity of the muscles, et cetera. His hypnotic sleep
• 51:38
  was undoubtedly heightened by his practice of tiring the eyes and muscles, on the
• 51:43
  same principle that one is tired mentally by unusual exertion of the eyes, as
• 51:46
  in the case of visiting an art gallery, museum, strange city, et
• 51:50
  cetera, and that the power of resistance is thereby weakened, and one is
• 51:53
  far more likely to then accept suggestions of menditative waves. How many of us
• 51:59
  have felt mentally done out after visiting a museum, or after witnessing a long
• 52:01
  parade, or after sitting through a modern circus performance with its three rings going
• 52:06
  at one time. And who does not remember how many foolish things he had
• 52:08
  done at times when he was too tuckered out to object to the suggestions and
• 52:13
  influences of those around him a danger signal. Many a girl has gone to
• 52:17
  our ruin by the subtle suggestions and influence of some male scoundrel directed toward her
• 52:22
  after an evening of the show or circus, or after a day of sight
• 52:24
  seeing in a strange city. I tell you, friends, that in such
• 52:28
  cases, the will becomes tired by overuse, arising from unaccustomed tasks, and
• 52:32
  it becomes woozy and incapable of resisting the attacks upon it. As I have
• 52:37
  told you in my larger work, beware of all suggestions, et cetera.
• 52:39
  When in a tired state, make a habit of saying no to attempts to
• 52:43
  make you commit yourself. At such times, wait until you feel fresh and
• 52:46
  strong and the will is able to attend its business for you. Many a
• 52:51
  man has said yes, to his sorrow to propositions advanced to him when he
• 52:53
  was tired by the day's work, and his will was weak and unable to
• 52:57
  resist. I cannot say this to you too often, and have therefore dragged
• 53:00
  it in again at this place. There is a great psychological principle involved in
• 53:05
  this point, and you will do well to fasten it in your memory.
• 53:07
  Braid's theory may be reconciled to the idea of meditative energy and induction when we
• 53:12
  see that his eye fixation and muscular rigidity is merely the means of producing a
• 53:15
  suggestible condition, that is to say, a condition in which suggestions are more
• 53:21
  readily accepted and meditative currents are more readily received. In both cases, the
• 53:25
  tired will allowing the outside influence to enter suggestion explained. The theories of suggestion
• 53:34
  are not contrary to those of meditative energy and induction when properly understood. The
• 53:38
  facts of the suggestionists are undoubted, but they make the mistake of ignoring the
• 53:42
  mental states of the suggestionist. They think that their effects are produced by suggestion
• 53:46
  alone, and forget the mental state behind the suggestion, which is the real
• 53:50
  motive force. If their theories be true. Why is it that two men
• 53:53
  using the same words of suggestion upon the same subject produce varying degrees of effect.
• 53:58
  It is because the mental state or dynamic mentation of the two men varying
• 54:01
  quality and degree. The suggestionist thinks that he is merely directing his suggestion by
• 54:06
  words, etc. Towards the subject, but all the time he is pouring
• 54:08
  out a current of menditative energy which rapidly induces the desired mental state in the
• 54:13
  subject. The best suggestionists are those who have acquired the suggestive manner, which
• 54:17
  is developed by the exercise of authoritative utterances and commands, the physical appearance,
• 54:22
  manner and tones arising from a reflection of the mental state within. I have
• 54:27
  seen this in the case of one of America's most celebrated suggestionists, a prominent
• 54:30
  physician and scientist with whom I was associated in magazine and other work in the
• 54:35
  year's nineteen hundred and one. I have seen the doctor giving the most powerful
• 54:39
  suggestions at one of his classes or clinics. So powerful were the emanations of
• 54:44
  menditative energy or currents of the same that the members of the class could distinctly
• 54:47
  feel the same and at times could almost see them. And yet the doctor,
• 54:52
  who was wedded to his particular theories of suggestion pure and simple, after
• 54:57
  such a wonderful manifestation, would calmly inform his class that that it was nothing
• 55:00
  but suggestion, nothing more to it, and he believed it. But hundreds
• 55:04
  who attended his classes went away more firmly convinced than ever that there was something
• 55:07
  more to it, and that there was a cause behind his suggestions. The
• 55:12
  theory of suggestion is all right, But what lies back of suggestion? What
• 55:15
  gives the suggestion its force? Of what inner and invisible thing is the suggestion?
• 55:20
  The visible and outward sign menditative energy in harmony harmonized and my theory of
• 55:27
  meditative energy and induction may be reconciled with the theories of the later suggestionists,
• 55:31
  including those who still adhere to the sleep delusion, as well as those who
• 55:35
  have advanced beyond it. And it explains all the phenomena of the ancients with
• 55:38
  the religious and mystic rights. The phenomena of charming, fascination, personal magnetism,
• 55:44
  personal influence, et cetera, is all embraced under the theory advanced in
• 55:46
  this work, and my larger work which preceded it. As we proceed with
• 55:51
  this work, we shall see the menditative energy and menditative induction in actual active
• 55:54
  operation in these various phases of phenomena. But I trust that this chapter will
• 55:59
  have show you that there is one principle underlying all of the various theories and
• 56:02
  phenomena, and that the facts of meditative energy and the operation of the same
• 56:07
  in its phenomenal incident a meditative induction, are sufficient to include and cover all
• 56:12
  of the varying manifestations of the force observable under the disguises of the conflicting theories
• 56:17
  of the various schools and cults. There is but one underlying cause, and
• 56:21
  that is meantitative energy. There is but one underlying law of the operation of
• 56:24
  this force in the direction of affecting other minds, and that law is menditative
• 56:29
  induction, either direct i e. By meditative currents or indirect i e.
• 56:34
  By suggestion, or, as is generally the case, by both combined the
• 56:39
  rationale of fascination. In this chapter, I shall proceed to lay before you
• 56:44
  the rationale of fascination, that is, an exposition of the principles of its
• 56:47
  operation. While the phenomena of fascination extends over a very wide area or field.
• 56:53
  There is still to be found a certain unity of principle of operation underlying
• 56:58
  all of the forms and phases. From this point of view, we may
• 57:00
  speak of the science of fascination as well as of the philosophy of fascination.
• 57:06
  The fundamental principle, the fundamental principle of the operation of the mental phenomena known
• 57:12
  as fascination is found in the theory of mentitative induction, as stated in my
• 57:15
  work on Mental Magic, and which is briefly stated in the first chapter of
• 57:19
  the present book. This theory, you will remember, holds that each individual
• 57:22
  mind is a center of menditative energy, and that the menditative energy of an
• 57:27
  individual mind may be and is transmitted from one person to another by means of
• 57:31
  menditative waves or currents. That these meditative waves or currents tend to induce in
• 57:37
  the minds of other persons the emotions or feelings existing in the mental states of
• 57:40
  the person sending out the waves or currents. In this connection, we must
• 57:45
  also remember that there are two mental poles, known as the motive and emotive
• 57:49
  poles, respectively. The motive pole manifesting as will power, and the emotive
• 57:53
  pole manifesting as desire force. Desire force acts in the direction of drawing,
• 57:59
  pulling a train, luring, coaxing, charming, et cetera, while will
• 58:02
  power acts in the direction of compelling, forcing, driving, impelling, commanding,
• 58:07
  demanding, et cetera. Desire force always draws its object towards itself,
• 58:14
  while will power always overpowers and compels its object, generally in the sense of
• 58:17
  driving it into action meantitative induction. This mentitative induction acts along similar lines to
• 58:25
  the induction of electricity and magnetism. That is, it sets up similar states
• 58:30
  in the object affected. And the resemblance is even still further marked when we
• 58:34
  consider that the phenomena of electricity closely resemble the action of the will inasmuch as
• 58:38
  both tend to drive outward in the form of an impelling force, and that
• 58:43
  the phenomena of magnetism resemble the action of desire inasmuch as both tend to draw
• 58:47
  inward in the form of an attracting energy. An interesting question in this connection,
• 58:54
  however, I would direct the attention of the student to one fact concerning
• 58:58
  the effect of induced states, which some have failed to grasp in my teachings
• 59:01
  in my work on mental magic. The matter may be stated by the inquiry
• 59:06
  of a student of the last mentioned work who inquires as follows, Please inform
• 59:09
  me how it is that an induced mental state reproduces the original mental state of
• 59:15
  the mentator. In the following case, a man desires to have another perform
• 59:20
  a certain act and sends a meditative current which acts by induction on the mind
• 59:23
  of the second person, setting up an induced mental state therein. The second
• 59:28
  person then performs the act desired by the first person. Now, if the
• 59:31
  induced mental state was the same as the original one, would not the second
• 59:36
  party simply also desire that the first party should do the act, just as
• 59:39
  the first party desired that the second should do it. But it does not
• 59:44
  work so, for the second party does not so desire, but instead merely
• 59:46
  desires to do just what the first party desired him to do. That is,
• 59:51
  he feels within himself a desire to do that which the first party desires
• 59:54
  shall be done. It seems to me that the induced state is really the
• 59:58
  opposite of the original state. Please set me straight on this the answer.
• 1:00:02
  I am very glad to have the opportunity to set straight my students on this
• 1:00:07
  point. A careful examination will show that both states are similar. For instance,
• 1:00:12
  A desires that B shall do a certain thing and induces a similar state
• 1:00:15
  in B. The induced state produces in B a like desire that the things
• 1:00:20
  shall be done as he proceeds to do it. No opposite action here is
• 1:00:23
  there. The essence of the desire in both cases is the same, namely
• 1:00:28
  that the thing shall be done. The expression of the feeling of the two
• 1:00:30
  persons in the case as one I desire that you shall do and two I
• 1:00:35
  desire to do, respectively, are merely the personal forms of expression and not
• 1:00:39
  the essence of the desire or feeling. The desire or feeling in its real
• 1:00:45
  essence is I desire this thing done, and both hold the same desire.
• 1:00:49
  A holding the original desire or feeling, and be the induced desire or feeling.
• 1:00:53
  Think this over a little until you see the point. Induced will acts
• 1:00:59
  in the same way as the above mentioned instance of the action of the induced
• 1:01:01
  desire. Of course, in all cases of the action of desire, the
• 1:01:06
  will is also called into operation. In the above cited case, it works
• 1:01:09
  as follows. A feels the desire to have the thing done, and so
• 1:01:14
  his will is called into operation to concentrate the meditative currents and to project them
• 1:01:19
  to a focused point on the mind of B. Then B, feeling the
• 1:01:22
  induced desire that the thing shall be done, awakens his will and does the
• 1:01:25
  thing. Do you see this also, You had better fix this process firmly
• 1:01:30
  in your minds, for it is the key to the operation of the principle
• 1:01:32
  of fascination and other meditative phenomenon making another feel like doing. Now to get
• 1:01:38
  back to the first principle, which is that one person may make a second
• 1:01:43
  person feel like doing a thing that the first person wishes to have done.
• 1:01:45
  That is the thing in a nutshell. And in the degree that the second
• 1:01:50
  person so feels like doing the thing, so will be the degree of desire
• 1:01:52
  and will induced in him, and consequently, so will be the likelihood of
• 1:01:57
  his actually doing it. You see, the matter of feeling like is at
• 1:02:00
  the bottom of it all. And this being so, it is readily seen
• 1:02:04
  that if one is able to induce a state of feeling like in another,
• 1:02:07
  he has the secret of the control of the other person's actions. Now this
• 1:02:10
  is the basis of mental fascination. Now let us see how this principle works
• 1:02:15
  out in a case of mesmerism or hypnotism so called, which after all,
• 1:02:20
  is but a phase of mental fascination governed by the above mentioned principle. I
• 1:02:23
  prefer the term mesmerism for several reasons, among them being the fact that it
• 1:02:28
  is a recognition of mesmer its discoverer or rediscoverer, and also the fact that
• 1:02:31
  hypnotism means sleep, while mesmerism covers the whole phenomena in both its waking or
• 1:02:37
  sleep conditions. A case of mesmerism, well, let us suppose a case
• 1:02:42
  of mesmerism. The mesmerist, whom I will call the operator, faces the
• 1:02:45
  subject. The operator assumes a positive state of mind, his will power being
• 1:02:49
  active and concentrated. Practice having improved him along these lines. The subject naturally
• 1:02:53
  assumes a negative mental state, opening his emotive mental poll to the influence of
• 1:02:58
  the mind or will of the operator, and allowing his motive mental pull to
• 1:03:01
  remain quiescent or relaxed. That is to say, he opens his desire mind
• 1:03:07
  to the influence of the operator and lets his will remain inactive and relaxed.
• 1:03:10
  The operator desires and wills that the subject be influenced, and the subject degrees
• 1:03:15
  consciously or unconsciously to be so influenced. One wills and the other is willing,
• 1:03:20
  which latter paradoxical expression means that he is not willing. The operator naturally
• 1:03:25
  asserts his positivity, while the subject assumes a decided state of negativity. One
• 1:03:30
  asserts a supremacy of will, and the others submits. I would call your
• 1:03:34
  attention to the fact that there is no physical compulsion or influence in the matter.
• 1:03:37
  It is all a matter of mentation, and both parties fully recognize the
• 1:03:40
  reality of the phenomenon the silent conflict. The above relative mental state of the
• 1:03:46
  two persons is apparent in a greater or lesser degree. Whenever two persons meet,
• 1:03:52
  one is always stronger meantitatively than the other, and a silent conflict ensues,
• 1:03:55
  from which one or the other emerges a victor, and the result is
• 1:03:59
  wrecked, ignized, and acquiesced in by both victor and vanquished ord Narrowly,
• 1:04:02
  However, the distinction is not nearly so marked or great as in the case
• 1:04:06
  of a strong mesmerist and his negative subject, the latter having probably been trained
• 1:04:11
  in negativity by repeated trials and experiments in private and in public. For know
• 1:04:16
  you that even as positivity may be cultivated, developed, and strengthened by practice
• 1:04:20
  in actual performance, so alas may negativity be encouraged, developed, and made
• 1:04:25
  habitual by a continued practice of giving in to the will of another or others.
• 1:04:30
  It is all a matter of habit, positive and negative. It will
• 1:04:35
  be seen at once that given a subject and operator bearing the stated degrees of
• 1:04:40
  relative positivity and negativity, the subject will have a tendency to accept and obey
• 1:04:44
  the wishes and commands of the operator with a minimum degree of resistance. The
• 1:04:47
  operator will strongly wish the subject to feel in a certain way and to act
• 1:04:51
  upon the feeling. To accomplish this result, he will concentrate his desire by
• 1:04:56
  his will, and then direct a combined and focused attack on the mon of
• 1:05:00
  the subject. He is likely to call suggestion to his aid in the attack,
• 1:05:03
  for by so doing he is able to obtain an additional advantage. For
• 1:05:08
  a suggestion, as I have stated in my work on mental magic, is
• 1:05:11
  a physical agent inducing mental states, or an outward invisible sign of an inward
• 1:05:15
  feeling or mental state which tends to induce a similar feeling in the mind of
• 1:05:18
  accepting the suggestion the suggestive command. The operator gives the subject in the suggestion
• 1:05:26
  by command and in accordance with the phrase of suggestion known as suggestion through obedience
• 1:05:30
  see my work on mental magic. The subject obeys. It must not be
• 1:05:34
  forgotten, however, that the suggestion is merely the outward symbol of the inward
• 1:05:38
  mental state of the operator, and becomes effective only by reason of this fact.
• 1:05:42
  The operator throws his intensified desire, force, and will power into the
• 1:05:45
  suggestion and receives an effect along the line of the threefold activity. With his
• 1:05:50
  will, he produces a dual effect i e. One, he captivates the
• 1:05:54
  desire of the subject and induces in it the desired feeling like state. Two,
• 1:05:59
  he takes captive the will of the subject and subjugates it to his own,
• 1:06:02
  and at the same time, by his desire, he also produces a
• 1:06:05
  dual effect i e. One, he induces a similar desire in the mind
• 1:06:10
  of the subject by meditative waves or currents, and two he allures or seduces
• 1:06:14
  the will of the subject by the strength of his desire. The result of
• 1:06:16
  this combined attack causes the mind of the subject to act as follows, which
• 1:06:20
  adds a third dual effect to the operation, i e. One, the
• 1:06:25
  subject's desire, being induced as stated by the operator, acts to influence his
• 1:06:30
  own will, thus making the latter fall in with the induced desire. Two,
• 1:06:33
  the subject's will, controlled as stated by the operator, acts upon its
• 1:06:36
  own desire, thus making the latter fall in with the seduced will. It
• 1:06:41
  must be remembered that the three mental operations above mentioned are concurrent, that is,
• 1:06:45
  they act at the same time and exercise joint action and control upon the
• 1:06:48
  mind of the subject, and neither the operator nor the subject are necessarily conscious
• 1:06:53
  of there being three dual actions underway. The operator simply desires and wills with
• 1:06:58
  or without suggestion, while the subject simply feels like as before stated and accepts
• 1:07:02
  the suggestion if one is given, without recognizing the various mental operations going on
• 1:07:06
  to reduce the feeling like. The detailed explanation may make the operation seem complicated,
• 1:07:12
  while in reality it appears to both the operator and subject as quite a
• 1:07:15
  simple matter. Indeed, the day dream state the above process is the same
• 1:07:19
  whether the operator merely produces the simplest result upon the subject or whether he secures
• 1:07:25
  the most remarkable and startling exhibitions of the control of one mind by another.
• 1:07:29
  The principle of operation is the same in all cases, with sleep or without
• 1:07:32
  sleep. It is the same. In fact, as we shall see,
• 1:07:35
  the very sleep condition is produced just as are the other effects, and its
• 1:07:40
  production merely tends to produce a day dream state in the subject and thus makes
• 1:07:45
  him act in a daydreamlike manner with appropriate illusions. Sleep phenomena are merely one
• 1:07:49
  of the side issues of mesmerism when the true principle is understood. Habit and
• 1:07:55
  reputition. Habit and repetition. In our consideration of the operation of mesmerism,
• 1:08:00
  we must not forget the part that habit and repetition play in the matter.
• 1:08:03
  For instance, the operator may be able to produce only the simplest effects at
• 1:08:08
  first trial, but at each subsequent trial, in which he gains more and
• 1:08:11
  more control over the subject and a greater acquiescence and degree of obedience, he
• 1:08:15
  is able to obtain a still more marked effect. If you will read my
• 1:08:18
  remarks on the suggestion by repetition in my work on mental Magic, page one
• 1:08:23
  twenty, you will realize the awful force of repetition and habit, as well
• 1:08:27
  as the power of repeated statement. This psychological fact is like the operation of
• 1:08:30
  the wedge. Admit the thin edge in each additional blow drives it further.
• 1:08:34
  In this works along the lines of both good and evil. Remember, the
• 1:08:39
  wise use it to their own strengthening, while the foolish allow it to be
• 1:08:42
  their undoing. Beware of the thin edge of the wedge of undesirable habits of
• 1:08:45
  thought and action, a psychological law. The mesmerist understands well, often too
• 1:08:51
  well, the nature and results of the above mentioned psychological law. He has
• 1:08:55
  found out by experience that although it may be difficult to control a subject the
• 1:09:00
  first time, it will be easier than next, and so on and on
• 1:09:02
  until perfect control is obtained. And knowing this, he bends his endeavors to
• 1:09:06
  inserting the very thinnest edge of the wedge, understanding that in this he has
• 1:09:12
  his hardest task before him. And alas, how many of us know that
• 1:09:15
  the same principle is in operation in everyday life, although seemingly having nothing to
• 1:09:19
  do with mesmerism. How many of us are able to regret the day of
• 1:09:24
  the entry of the thin edge of the wedge. Another point to be remembered
• 1:09:28
  is that the subject, who is under a fair degree of control, does
• 1:09:30
  not feel as if he were obeying the commands or wishes of the operator alone.
• 1:09:33
  That is not, in the main. It is true that he instinctively
• 1:09:36
  obeys the command of the suggestion, just as a horse quickens his gait when
• 1:09:41
  spoken to, or a soldier acts quickly in obedience to orders, et cetera,
• 1:09:44
  et cetera. But the motive for the action or feeling seems to come
• 1:09:48
  from within himself. To a great degree, it has the force and effect
• 1:09:51
  of an instinctive action proceeding along subconscious lines. He seems to want to do
• 1:09:57
  the thing of his own accord. This is the dangerous fee. This,
• 1:10:00
  then, in a general way, is the rationale of mental fascination, as
• 1:10:03
  shown in its phase of mesmerism, and its corresponding exhibitions along less pronounced lines.
• 1:10:08
  If you will acquaint yourselves with these principles of operation, you will have
• 1:10:11
  a grasp on the whole subject. In our next chapter we shall have a
• 1:10:15
  view of the mental states of operator and subject, which will throw additional light
• 1:10:18
  upon the subject before us impressionability. In the last chapter I laid before you
• 1:10:25
  an exposition of the principles of the operation of mental fascination, particularly in its
• 1:10:29
  phases of mesmerism. The student who has followed what I have said therein has
• 1:10:33
  seen that there must of necessity be a marked difference in the degree of impressionability
• 1:10:39
  or to receptivity to mental induction, manifested by the operator in subject, respectively,
• 1:10:44
  in order that the pronounced phenomena may be manifested. But this difference of
• 1:10:47
  degree of impressionability is manifested by all men and women. Between the one extreme
• 1:10:53
  point and the scale of impressionability to the other extreme, there are many degrees,
• 1:10:56
  and each person has his or her own degree, subject of course to
• 1:11:00
  change by development magnetic positivity. I would like to quote from my work on
• 1:11:05
  mental magic illustrating this last mentioned point I have said therein. I do not
• 1:11:10
  mean that the degree of magnetic positivity is fixed permanently in either person. For
• 1:11:15
  the contrary is the case. One of the persons who is really the stronger
• 1:11:19
  usually may be weaker at that particular moment, owing to his will being fatigued,
• 1:11:24
  or by reason of his having relaxed his will power, as often is
• 1:11:27
  the case, And in such case the defeated, one may be the victor
• 1:11:30
  at the last encounter, or may even rally his energies a moment later and
• 1:11:33
  thus turn the tables. One may have a strong will in moments of activity,
• 1:11:38
  and yet in moments of passivity he may relax it very much. And
• 1:11:42
  this is a still more important fact. One may so increase his will power
• 1:11:45
  that he will be able to completely dominate those who formerly overmastered and then overawed
• 1:11:48
  him. All of us know of instances of this kind in our own personal
• 1:11:53
  experience. The two extremes. At the extreme point of mental positivity are the
• 1:11:59
  wonderfully strong willed men who are natural leaders and managers. At the extreme of
• 1:12:03
  negative menative point are those people who are moved by every passing suggestion or mental
• 1:12:08
  current with which they may come in contact. Those impressionable people who seem to
• 1:12:12
  live in the emotional plane of their being and who are always open to outside
• 1:12:15
  influences and are like weathercocks, moved by every passing breeze. These people are
• 1:12:20
  really the reflection of the thoughts, desires, and wills of others, the
• 1:12:23
  last person who catches their attention being the right one to follow. You all
• 1:12:27
  know the type don't you. I do not mean by this that only persons
• 1:12:30
  naturally weak willed may be mesmerized. But I do say that when strong willed
• 1:12:34
  people allow themselves to be mesmerized, they must relax their wills and become passive
• 1:12:38
  or negative to the operator, else there will be no result gained. A
• 1:12:42
  strong willed man may voluntarily relax and become negative in order to be mesmerized.
• 1:12:46
  I have seen this done in many cases, although I have always urged against
• 1:12:49
  it, for I consider it inadvisable for one to surrender his will in this
• 1:12:53
  way, even for the purpose of scientificate investigation. I am sure that I
• 1:12:58
  would not do so myself, and therefore I cannot approve of the practice on
• 1:13:00
  the part of others. The artistic temperament. Then again, I have known
• 1:13:05
  people of a highly developed artistic temperament, such as actors, poets, artists,
• 1:13:10
  writers, and others, who possessed strong wills, to allow themselves to
• 1:13:14
  become very impressionable by reason of their active imaginations. That is to say,
• 1:13:17
  they would allow themselves to be so carried away with the idea of being impressed
• 1:13:20
  that they would throw themselves into the parts of the mesmerized subject. And actually
• 1:13:25
  mesmerize themselves, although allowing the operators to take the credit. This last explanation
• 1:13:30
  will throw light on a phase of phenomena that apparently presents an exception to the
• 1:13:33
  rule, but which, when viewed in the light of the above explanation,
• 1:13:36
  may be seen to come strictly within the rule of positivity and negativity, a
• 1:13:42
  mesmerist's trick. Public performers of mesmerism, when they meet with an imaginative subject
• 1:13:46
  whose will is too strong to subdue, often begin to bend their efforts toward
• 1:13:50
  arousing the imagination of the person, and thus causing him to become passive and
• 1:13:54
  in a subjective condition of acting out to the part suggested by the operator.
• 1:13:59
  In such caseis there is no conflict of wills whatever, but on the contrary,
• 1:14:03
  the subject wills to act out the part and becomes the partner of the
• 1:14:08
  mesmerists instead of his opponent. The subject in such cases mesmerizes himself and voluntarily
• 1:14:13
  allows himself to be led by the suggestions of the operator, so long as
• 1:14:16
  the suggestions are not contrary to the subject's own interests. This act or instinct
• 1:14:20
  is very strong in some people, and this self mesmerism is far more common
• 1:14:25
  than people imagine. It is seen on the stage and among speakers and writers
• 1:14:30
  mesmeric subjects. Even many of the best mesmeric subjects who travel around with the
• 1:14:34
  professional mesmerists are of this last mentioned class to a certain degree. They are
• 1:14:39
  able to throw themselves into the parts and play them well, so long as
• 1:14:42
  they are not adversely affected thereby. They are far different beings from the weak
• 1:14:45
  willed, flabby creatures that are so often seen following around after the professional mesmerists.
• 1:14:51
  The imaginative professional subject is alive to his own interests, And as a
• 1:14:56
  somewhat cynical friend of mine, who had made a close study of the subject,
• 1:14:59
  one said, even the most obedient subject of this class would utterly fail
• 1:15:03
  to act upon the suggestion of his powerful operator, to effect that the subject
• 1:15:08
  consent to a reduction of his weekly wages paid by the operator, even though
• 1:15:12
  the deep stage of hypnotic sleep be produced. Don't surrender your will, But
• 1:15:17
  I consider that even this imaginative class of subjects are unwise in allowing themselves to
• 1:15:21
  be guided and governed by the suggestions and commands of any operator. For I
• 1:15:26
  believe that even such a habit is injurious to the will. The will is
• 1:15:29
  a precious thing and should not be prostituted in this way. I cannot urge
• 1:15:31
  this too strongly upon my students. I say to them, surrender your will
• 1:15:35
  into no one's keeping, regarded as a woman should her virtue, and allow
• 1:15:39
  no one to take liberties with it. Who can exert fascination? The average
• 1:15:45
  person possessing self confidence in force can and does exert mental fascination over others with
• 1:15:49
  whom he comes in contact, although it requires a developed will to become an
• 1:15:53
  expert in this line of mental work. Besides this, there is undoubtedly a
• 1:15:58
  certain knack and technique about the work, which is acquired by practice, although
• 1:16:00
  some seem to have it considerably developed. Naturally, there are geniuses in fascination
• 1:16:05
  as well as an art, and there are others who have acquired the mastery
• 1:16:09
  in both by careful practice and determination. The requisite for fascination. In considering
• 1:16:15
  the qualities that go to make up the person in whom mental fascination is likely
• 1:16:17
  to be strongly developed, I may mention the following one physical well being.
• 1:16:21
  For there is a certain strength about a man or woman in strong, robust
• 1:16:25
  health that must be taken into consideration. It is true that some persons not
• 1:16:29
  physically well but unhealthy have exercised strong powers of fascination. But this was in
• 1:16:33
  spite of their lack of physical health and owing to a strong will which allowed
• 1:16:36
  them to master even this obstacle. But all else being equal, there is
• 1:16:41
  a power about a strong, healthy, vigorous person that makes itself felt.
• 1:16:45
  Two Belief in oneself. For without this, no one manifests positivity. Believe
• 1:16:49
  in your own power and ability, and you impress others with the same belief.
• 1:16:54
  Confidence is contagious. Cultivate the I can and I will. Three Poise,
• 1:17:00
  for the calm, well poised, imperturbable man has an enormous advantage over
• 1:17:03
  one lacking these qualities. The man who meets any emergency without losing his head
• 1:17:06
  has something about him that makes him looked up to as a natural leader.
• 1:17:11
  He has one of the qualities of positivity. Cultivate the calm, masterful mood.
• 1:17:15
  Four fearlessness, for fear is the most negative emotion in the being of
• 1:17:18
  man. Fearlessness is a most positive quality, just as fear is the most
• 1:17:23
  negative. Cultivate the I do, I dare. Five Concentration for this one
• 1:17:30
  pointedness focuses the will power upon the object. Do one thing at a time,
• 1:17:33
  and do it with all the power there is in you. Six fixity
• 1:17:38
  of purpose, For you must learn to know what you want to do and
• 1:17:41
  then stick to it until it is done. Cultivate the bulldog quality. It
• 1:17:45
  is needed to those who recognize the need of the above mentioned qualities, but
• 1:17:48
  who lack them, I would recommend the careful study and determined application of the
• 1:17:53
  principles of mental architecture, as stated in my seventh lesson in my work on
• 1:17:57
  mental Magic, in which the matter is gone into detail with exercises et cetera.
• 1:18:02
  Nonsense exposed. There has been much nonsense written about who make good subjects
• 1:18:06
  et cetera. And works upon mesmerism, hypnotism, et cetera. And many
• 1:18:11
  amusing rules for the determination of the degree of impressionability have been given by many
• 1:18:15
  writers. Some say that brunettes are the most impressionable, while others assert that
• 1:18:18
  blonds yield more readily et cetera, et cetera. But the experienced investigator laughs
• 1:18:23
  at such distinctions. Some consider that women make the best subjects, while others
• 1:18:27
  assert that men really are more readily influenced. My own opinion is that the
• 1:18:30
  percentage is about the same in both sexes. Then again, one must remember
• 1:18:33
  that the degrees of impressionability are relative. For instance, A may be positive
• 1:18:39
  to B, while B may be positive to C, and so on to
• 1:18:42
  the end of the alphabet. And using the same illustration, M is negative
• 1:18:45
  to L though positive to N. Do you see this a line nailed?
• 1:18:50
  Some writers have tried to make people believe that only strong minded people may be
• 1:18:55
  mesmerized, and give as proof thereof the fact that idiots and insane people are
• 1:18:59
  almost immune from hypnotic and mesmeric influence. This is a favorite argument of the
• 1:19:02
  professional hypnotists, who use it in order to put at easther subjects or possible
• 1:19:06
  subjects who might not wish to appear as weak minded people. The truth is
• 1:19:11
  that the reason that the above classes are exempt is because one the idiots have
• 1:19:15
  little or no power of attention and are like mere machines, and consequently cannot
• 1:19:18
  be induced to pay attention long enough to be mesmerized. But all advanced students
• 1:19:23
  of mental influence know that idiots as well as animals, may be influenced by
• 1:19:26
  mental vibrations or mental waves et cetera. By treatments. Two insane people are
• 1:19:30
  usually carried away with a fixed idea or delusion, and are in fact practically
• 1:19:34
  in a state akin to that produced by hypnotic or mesmeric process to a market
• 1:19:39
  degree. Their minds are centered on the delusion and cannot be taken off of
• 1:19:43
  it. If the attraction could be removed, the patient would no longer be
• 1:19:45
  insane. And although the sleep condition cannot well be induced in insane patients,
• 1:19:49
  still the best authorities know that such people often yield to strong suggestions and mental
• 1:19:54
  treatments to a certain degree, so that the rule does not always holdtionable people.
• 1:20:00
  The class of people who yield most readily to the mesmeric influence, outside
• 1:20:03
  of the subclass of imaginative people mentioned a few pages further back, are those
• 1:20:08
  who have not manifested their will, determination, and self reliance very much,
• 1:20:13
  people who have led a life in which implicit obedience or reliance upon others have
• 1:20:16
  been cultivated. These are the people who are the most impressionable. They have
• 1:20:19
  not used their wills and are more readily ruled by the wills of others or
• 1:20:23
  through their emotions. As I have said my larger work, the degree of
• 1:20:27
  response to suggestion by command is to be observed in the highest degree among those
• 1:20:30
  who have always depended upon others for orders or instruction, and have not had
• 1:20:34
  to use their own wits and resources in life. Unskilled laborers and the sons
• 1:20:39
  of rich men who have had someone to think for them often belong to this
• 1:20:42
  class. These people seem to want someone else to do their thinking for them,
• 1:20:45
  even in the smallest event of their lives, and are most impressionable along
• 1:20:48
  the proper lines. Then, the degree of positivity rises as we consider the
• 1:20:53
  people who have had to do things for themselves and who have not depended so
• 1:20:57
  much upon others. Positivity is the greatest among people who have had the ordering
• 1:21:00
  of others to do, or who have had to depend upon their own resources
• 1:21:04
  and their own wits in getting through life. The men of marked initiative have
• 1:21:09
  scarcely a trace of this form of suggestibility. Initiative, you know, is
• 1:21:13
  a term for doing things without being told, using one's own wits and resources
• 1:21:16
  and will. The above applies equally to the subject of impressionability to mesmeric influence
• 1:21:23
  and what does it all mean when it is boiled down? Just this that
• 1:21:26
  the degree of impressionability depends upon the degree of the lack of will development.
• 1:21:30
  The word will is the keynote, and this in spite of all the talk,
• 1:21:33
  twaddle and nonsense written spoken by those who are interested in having the people
• 1:21:38
  appreciate the wonderful virtue of hypnotism the mob's spirit. The reason that mobs allow
• 1:21:45
  themselves to be influenced is because they surrender their individuality and individual will and allow
• 1:21:48
  it to become merged with the wills of others, until a mob will is
• 1:21:51
  created which represents the average of the crowd, the weaker wills, diluting the
• 1:21:56
  strength of the whole. When this mess of mingled and weakened will is proper
• 1:22:00
  mixed, it remains in a dazed and excited condition until some individual springs to
• 1:22:03
  the front, some leader of men who has held on to his individual will,
• 1:22:06
  and impresses his will upon the more negative will of the crowd, and
• 1:22:10
  the mob accepts his suggestions and follows like sheep or mesmerized subjects, and does
• 1:22:14
  his bidding until some other leader catches its attention and interest. Emotionability, there
• 1:22:19
  is another phase of mentality that has its bearing upon the degree of impressionability.
• 1:22:24
  I refer to the quality known as emotion ability. An emotional person is one
• 1:22:28
  who more readily throws off the influence of his own will and reason and gives
• 1:22:31
  himself up to the play of the emotional side of his nature. Such a
• 1:22:34
  person is more impressionable than one who is not so emotional, but whose will
• 1:22:38
  is really no stronger. The reason is that by his mental habits, he
• 1:22:42
  has accustomed himself to open up his emotive poll of mentality to outside influences,
• 1:22:46
  and allowing him his motive poll to remain inactive, he allows his feelings to
• 1:22:50
  rule him. Instead of ruling his feelings, he allows his emotional nature to
• 1:22:54
  usurp the throne of his will, the latter being relegated to second place.
• 1:22:58
  And the consequence is that is a motive nature has become more open to unresisted
• 1:23:01
  outside influences and impressions, and responds more readily to the same It has acquired
• 1:23:05
  the impressionable habit. Do you see this last explanation will throw some light on
• 1:23:11
  the fact that certain races of people are far more impressionable than others. They
• 1:23:14
  are emotional, that's all. Who is an impressionable? In the following chapters,
• 1:23:18
  I shall use the term impressionable as a noun designating a person who is
• 1:23:23
  sufficiently impressionable to respond to the influence of a mesmerist or hypnotist to a greater
• 1:23:28
  or lesser degree. These impressionables are comparatively easily impressed by the mentitative force and
• 1:23:32
  suggestions of the experimenter. Along these lines, please remember the sense in which
• 1:23:36
  I shall use the term Later on, I shall use the term hyper impressionable
• 1:23:41
  as a noun indicating a person excessively or abnormally impressible by mesmeric influence. The
• 1:23:45
  latter class will be further described to the proper place in the book. Let
• 1:23:48
  me give you a fanciful illustration of the subject of impressionability. It will form
• 1:23:53
  the subject of our next chapter, which will be entitled the Fable of the
• 1:23:56
  mentitative Couple. It will explain not only the matter of response to the mesmeric
• 1:24:00
  influence, but will also throw light on the exercise of personal mental influence that
• 1:24:03
  is going on around us in everyday life, all the time, everywhere.
• 1:24:08
  You will have a much clearer idea of the matter after reading this fable,
• 1:24:11
  and you will also be much more on your guard because of the lesson taught
• 1:24:14
  therein, do not fail to read it carefully and seek for the secret contained
• 1:24:17
  within its lines. The fable of the Mentative Couple. Once upon a time
• 1:24:25
  there lived in the land of mental Vania, in a wonderful building called the
• 1:24:29
  Mentative Castle, a man and a woman, called the mentative couple. They
• 1:24:33
  were happy though married. They lived in harmony because they were useful to one
• 1:24:39
  another, and neither was complete without the presence of the other, and neither
• 1:24:44
  did his or her best work unless the other was present and assisting. Well.
• 1:24:50
  Now, the man was called Volus, which is the same as the
• 1:24:54
  English name Will, and the women was called Imosione, which in the life
• 1:25:00
  language of that country meant something like the combination of emotion, desire, and
• 1:25:04
  imagination. Now the chronicle's informosts that these two people had natures entirely different from
• 1:25:12
  each other. As has been said, we are told that Vullus was of
• 1:25:16
  a stern, inflexible, strong, positive nature, apt to stick to a
• 1:25:21
  thing once begun, full of the will to live and vitality, full of
• 1:25:27
  determination and spirit, with the strong dash of the let me alone and get
• 1:25:31
  out of my way. In his makeup, with a taste for meeting difficulties
• 1:25:38
  and overcoming obstacles, with a goodly degree of habit of reaching out and taking
• 1:25:44
  hold of what emotionone wanted and needed, and a powerful lot of self respect
• 1:25:49
  and self reliance in him, he was apt to be firm, although his
• 1:25:55
  firmness was not the stubbornness of the mule, and his general keynote strength.
• 1:26:00
  He was a good warrior and defender of his castle. But Emocione was of
• 1:26:06
  an entirely different type temperament and character. She was most impressionable, imaginative,
• 1:26:14
  emotional, credulous, fanciful, full of desire, curious, sympathetic, and
• 1:26:20
  easily persuaded. While Volus was all willing and thinking, Emocione was all feeling
• 1:26:30
  fullas was a strong character, but lacked certain qualities that make for success.
• 1:26:35
  But these qualities Emocione possessed, and she supplied the deficiency in Vulus. Vulus
• 1:26:43
  had to figure out everything, while Emocione had intuition and jumped at a conclusion
• 1:26:49
  in a way remarkable to Volus, who couldn't understand the process at all.
• 1:26:55
  When he would ask Emocione for an explanation, she would say lightly, oh,
• 1:27:00
  just because, which answer would often provoke profane and irreverent discourse on the
• 1:27:06
  part of Volus. But nevertheless he learned to respect these becauses of emotionone and
• 1:27:15
  found that they helped him in his business. Emocione would dream out things and
• 1:27:19
  see things a long way ahead, and then Vulus would proceed to put these
• 1:27:24
  plans into operation. Vulus couldn't see very far ahead of his nose. Well,
• 1:27:30
  Emocione could see miles beyond and years ahead. And besides this faculty of
• 1:27:36
  mental imagery that came in so useful in Vulus's business, Emocione also possessed a
• 1:27:43
  burning and ardent desire for things, which he managed to communicate to Vulus,
• 1:27:48
  thereby causing him to get out and do things that otherwise he would never have
• 1:27:54
  dreamed of doing. Emocione was like fire and Vulus like water. The water
• 1:28:00
  would hold the fire in check, but at the same time the fire would
• 1:28:04
  heat up the water, and the result would be the steam of action.
• 1:28:09
  And so you see these two. This mintative couple formed a fine co partnership
• 1:28:15
  and prospered mightily. But alas the tempter entered Eden and the attractive stranger meandered
• 1:28:24
  in the direction of the mentative castle and when he reached there, trouble occurred,
• 1:28:30
  And this is what happened. One day Volus was absent from the castle,
• 1:28:35
  being engaged in some arduous enterprise, and consequently the castle was unguarded.
• 1:28:42
  Volos had provided against this by instructing Emotionone that she was to keep the castle
• 1:28:46
  gate closed tight when he was away from home, and never to gaze without
• 1:28:53
  in his absence, for there was some mysterious danger looking without when he was
• 1:28:59
  away. Emotionone had faithfully followed the directions of her liege lord, although her
• 1:29:05
  womanly curiosity was picked thereat. Many the time she had heard the strange knockings
• 1:29:13
  at the castle gate, but she heeded them not, and even refrained from
• 1:29:17
  looking out of the little peep hole in the gate, though this last was
• 1:29:23
  much against her inclination, for she could see no harm in just looking.
• 1:29:29
  But to return to our tale, this particular day, when Vulus was absent
• 1:29:33
  from home, her curiosity was too much for Emocione when she heard the strange
• 1:29:39
  knocking at the gate, and, breaking her rule, she ventured to peep
• 1:29:45
  without looking down. She saw a most attractive stranger with a fascinating smile on
• 1:29:51
  his lips. He looked almost as strong as Wolace, but he seemed to
• 1:29:57
  have a dash of the woman in him. Besides, he had the strength
• 1:30:01
  but also the charm that Emocione recognized as being part of her own nature.
• 1:30:08
  Ah, sighed Emotionione, here is a man who can understand me. The
• 1:30:15
  fascinating stranger smiled sweetly, and looking her in the eyes, masterfully asked to
• 1:30:19
  be admitted. No. No, replied Emocione. I cannot let you in,
• 1:30:27
  for Folos told me not to. Ah, fair lady, said the
• 1:30:31
  stranger softly. Volos means all right, but he is rather old, fogische,
• 1:30:40
  and behind the times he does not understand as do you. And I
• 1:30:45
  pray let me in. And like mother Eve, Emocione took the bait well
• 1:30:56
  to make a long story short. When Folos came home, he found that
• 1:31:00
  Emotiononi had subscribed to a set of the Levieux More than Art, a beautiful
• 1:31:06
  work issued by the Deluxe Brothers of Fifth Avenue, to be issued in eight
• 1:31:13
  hundred and twenty four weekly parts at the nominal price of five dollars apart,
• 1:31:17
  seven hundred and thirty nine parts of which were already out and would be delivered
• 1:31:23
  shortly She had also given a number of side orders for manifold wares, which
• 1:31:30
  had dazzled her untrained and unguarded fancy. Bolos cried to the gods of his
• 1:31:35
  lad but it was too late. The contracts had been signed. But that
• 1:31:43
  was but the beginning. Bolos did not understand just what was the matter,
• 1:31:46
  and contented himself with scolding emotionone whereat. She wept bitterly, but the poison
• 1:31:56
  went on with its deadly work, And when Bulus again was absent from home,
• 1:32:01
  the habit reasserted itself, and when the fascinating stranger again called at the
• 1:32:05
  castle, he was admitted. And when Ullos returned he found the castle furnished
• 1:32:12
  from dungeon to watch tower, with costly rugs and furniture and various other articles
• 1:32:17
  bought from Morgenstern's popular installment house at one thousand down and one hundred dollars per
• 1:32:25
  week. He also found that the castle had been lightning rotted from ground to
• 1:32:30
  turret on each wing tower and annex, and that notes containing a law proof
• 1:32:36
  judgment confessed clause had been given in exchange. Therefore, and then Ullos sware
• 1:32:43
  by the beard of Mars. The war God that he would have no more
• 1:32:45
  of this, he would remain at home thereafter, and he did. But
• 1:32:51
  the subtle stranger was onto the game in all of its details, and this
• 1:32:58
  is how he played it on Volus, even though the latter remained at home.
• 1:33:03
  A few days later, after Vulus had determined to remain at home,
• 1:33:08
  there came a band of Montebanks, singing, dancing, and performing juggling tricks.
• 1:33:14
  Volos sat on the great stone beside the open castle gate, and his
• 1:33:17
  attention was attracted by the sounds and sights. Faster the dancer's world louder beat,
• 1:33:24
  the drums sweeter grew, the singing, more bewildering, grew the feats
• 1:33:29
  of jugglery, until poor Volas forgot all about the open castle gate, so
• 1:33:33
  wrapped was he at the strange sights, sounds, dances and feats of jugglery.
• 1:33:40
  Then one of the Montebank gang, who was really the attractive stranger,
• 1:33:44
  disguised in motley array, slipped unseen past Bolus and in a moment was engaged
• 1:33:49
  in eager conversation with the impressionable emotion Ma. Bolos watched the crowd until it
• 1:33:58
  moved away, and entering the castle and closing the gate behind him. He
• 1:34:02
  was confronted by e Muscione and tears, for she dreaded the coming storm.
• 1:34:10
  Alack a day wowes me, she cried, I am again in trouble.
• 1:34:15
  O volus, my liege lord, I have just ordered from the fascinating stranger
• 1:34:21
  who slipped past you at the gate, a baby grand self plain, automatic
• 1:34:27
  liquid air, valved, radium, carburetor, harpsichord, upon which I may
• 1:34:32
  play for you all classes of music, ranging from Wagner's Gotta Damum to the
• 1:34:38
  popular ragtime air entitled Kiss You Babe Goodbye, with feeling, depth of expression,
• 1:34:46
  and soulful understanding. According to the words of the fascinating stranger who took
• 1:34:51
  my order, god zouks ejaculated walis fain would I cry aloud the name of
• 1:34:59
  that production of Wagner's just mentioned by THEE and by my halidam e'en shalt thou
• 1:35:04
  soon be singing to me? The words of that ragtime melody just quoted by
• 1:35:10
  thy false red lips zounds the truth. I have been stung again by that
• 1:35:16
  fascinating stranger. I must gaze no more upon these fleeting scenes of merriment.
• 1:35:21
  And amazement. Lest I be again decorated with the ass's ears. Aha,
• 1:35:29
  Vallas is himself again, And the next time the fascinating stranger appears upon the
• 1:35:34
  scene, he shall be smitten hip and thigh with my trusty battle axe and
• 1:35:41
  my snicker see shall pierce his foul carcass. But alas even once more was
• 1:35:47
  poor Volas deceived and trifled with. What's more, was poor Emocione fascinated by
• 1:35:55
  the stranger. And it came about in this way. On the day of
• 1:36:00
  his last end doing, Vulus sat on the open step in front of the
• 1:36:03
  narrowly opened castle door. No man shall pass me, now, cried he.
• 1:36:11
  But fate willed otherwise, For as he sat there, there approached many
• 1:36:16
  people who took seat upon the steps before the gate and engaged Vulus in long,
• 1:36:21
  heated and wearisome discourses regarding the outlook for the crops, the presidential campaign,
• 1:36:29
  the Japanese question, raced Suicide, the New theology, how old was
• 1:36:34
  Anne, the problem of the final outcome of the collision between the irresistible force
• 1:36:41
  and the immovable body, the canals on Mahars, what Roosevelt will do when
• 1:36:46
  his term expires, and many other weighty, interesting, and fascinating topics of
• 1:36:53
  general interest. Most agreeable were these visitors, and most considered of Vullus's feelings
• 1:37:00
  were they. And although they seemed to differ from him at the beginning of
• 1:37:04
  each argument, still they courteously allowed him to convince them inch by inch,
• 1:37:11
  until they finally acknowledged that he was invincible in argument and invulnerable in logic.
• 1:37:17
  Tis passing strange, quoth Bullis. But nevertheless tis true that I always find
• 1:37:25
  myself on the right side of every question. And the wonder grows when they
• 1:37:30
  all admit it. In the end, verily I am developing into a wise
• 1:37:36
  guy and pondering. Thus he fell sweetly asleep from the rigor of his disputes,
• 1:37:46
  the flattering attentions shown him, the joys of the victory, and the
• 1:37:51
  exceeding amount of attention and interest he had expended. For human nature has its
• 1:37:58
  limitations, even in the case of one so strong as Vallas. And while
• 1:38:03
  he slumbered, the fascinating stranger, who was really the leader of the argumentative
• 1:38:10
  visiting committee, crept into the house and unloaded upon emotionone a choice collection of
• 1:38:16
  guilt edged mining stock, pure guilt all the way through in fact a bunch
• 1:38:23
  of flying machine bonds and five thousand donkey power vestibuled drawing room observation car automobile
• 1:38:31
  called the Yellow Peril. And when Vollos discovered what had happened, he wept
• 1:38:38
  aloud, crying bitterly odds Bones's death of assert m I the baron e z
• 1:38:46
  Mark, and thereupon he sent for the wise man who dwelt in the next
• 1:38:50
  barony. The wise man came, and, after hearing the story, said,
• 1:38:58
  my children, yours is a sad case, but matters and may be
• 1:39:04
  adjusted without a visit to sue falls and without the raising of the question of
• 1:39:11
  alimony. The trouble is as follows. Vullus without emotione has no desire or
• 1:39:19
  incentive to do things. He has no wants to satisfy, and therefore does
• 1:39:27
  nothing. He needs emotionone to supply the desire, and without her he has
• 1:39:33
  no feeling. He is nothing but a hard shell clam Therefore he needs her
• 1:39:41
  to supply the feeling, for verily and of a truth. Feeling is the
• 1:39:45
  spice of life, and without her he has no imagination and cannot see beyond
• 1:39:53
  the end of his nose. And what is life without imagination god zeuks one
• 1:40:00
  might as well be a mummy. And on the other hand, emotion one
• 1:40:04
  without Bulus is a consuming fire of desire, an unrestrained imagination, an intuitive
• 1:40:13
  faculty degenerated into the basis superstition, most deplorable credulity, and the idlest fancy.
• 1:40:23
  Vulus has no desire, emotion, or imagination of his own, and
• 1:40:29
  emotion one has no will of her own. Barely cannot it be seen by
• 1:40:36
  all that this couple needs one another the worst way. Each alone is but
• 1:40:43
  an incomplete half. United. They stand divided, they fall, and union
• 1:40:48
  alone is their strength for them. And more than this, each without the
• 1:40:55
  other falls a prey to the wiles of some fascinating stranger. We have seen
• 1:41:00
  how Emocione was fascinated and controlled by the will of the stranger who gained access
• 1:41:06
  to the castle. But I have also seen by my magic art that when
• 1:41:12
  Volus was away from home on important business, without having emotionone along to keep
• 1:41:17
  him straight, he fell a victim to the wiles of the desire and imagination
• 1:41:23
  of a fair stranger across the river, and did her bidding and used his
• 1:41:29
  will to perform her tasks. Instead of those desired by his own Emotionone verily
• 1:41:35
  art these people quits with one another, and should now begin over again.
• 1:41:42
  True it is that harmony will be theirs only when they are together, And
• 1:41:46
  this is the secret of the undoing of Emotionone without the will of oulas to
• 1:41:51
  protect her, direct her, and advise her emotionone allowed her desire, imagination,
• 1:41:59
  and emotion to run wild and unrestrained. And so she became so impressionable
• 1:42:05
  as to allow herself to be mastered by the will of the stranger, who
• 1:42:10
  took advantage of the same and gathered to himself many choice orders for things.
• 1:42:15
  And even when Vullus sat by the door watching the players, dancers and jugglers,
• 1:42:20
  his attention was so centered on what he saw that the fascinating stranger slipped
• 1:42:27
  through the gate. It was even as if Wallace had been absent from home.
• 1:42:31
  And again, when Vullus allowed himself to become engaged in weighty discourse with
• 1:42:36
  the visiting committee, and used up his energy and force in argument and dispute
• 1:42:42
  with them, and when he permitted himself to be jollied into a false security
• 1:42:46
  by these united brethren of the Blarney Stone, he relaxed his vigilance and allowed
• 1:42:53
  himself to become tired, drowsy and sleeping, and so fell into a doze
• 1:42:59
  at his post, And the stranger again entered and took Emocione's orders for goods.
• 1:43:04
  And this then is the remedy, as my successor, Lawson of Boston,
• 1:43:09
  will say in the centuries to follow, this is the remedy. Each
• 1:43:15
  person of this mentative couple must stick close to the other. Volos must have
• 1:43:20
  no important business across the river, which will allow Emocione to be without a
• 1:43:26
  protector and adviser. And emotionone must stick close to Vulus and satisfy her curiosity,
• 1:43:32
  imagination, emotion, and desire by setting him to work out things for
• 1:43:38
  her, to do things dreamed of by her, to get her things she
• 1:43:42
  desires, to express the things felt by her. This is the secret of
• 1:43:47
  success. Dear mentative couple, mutual work by desire and will, working in
• 1:43:54
  unison and harmony, each faithful to the other, each guarding the other from
• 1:43:59
  the fascinating stone strangers that be set each when separated. Now then children get
• 1:44:04
  to work, And saying this, the wise man vanished from sight and the
• 1:44:10
  moral of this fable of the mentative couple. Is this that the mind of
• 1:44:14
  every man and woman is a mentative castle, wherein dwells a vullus and an
• 1:44:19
  emotionone. And what happened to the couple in the fable may happen and does
• 1:44:26
  happen to many in everyday life. The will, straying from home and paying
• 1:44:30
  attention to other attractions, leaves the castle unguarded, and the fascinating stranger enters.
• 1:44:38
  And again the will has its attention distracted by passing objects of interest and
• 1:44:44
  forgets the castle door. And again the will allows itself to be fatigued,
• 1:44:48
  tired, and jollied by useless argument and talk and cogitation at the instigation of
• 1:44:56
  the designing fascinating stranger, and the latter slips past the gate. And in
• 1:45:01
  each case inside the gate is emotion one, unprotected, an innocent, true
• 1:45:08
  to her own nature, credulous, imaginative, fanciful, desireful, and emotional.
• 1:45:15
  Is it any wonder that she orders goods that are not wanted by the
• 1:45:18
  family. And the remedy of the wise man as given to the mentative couple,
• 1:45:24
  may be and should be applied to every man and woman in his or
• 1:45:29
  her mental castle, And This, then, is the moral of the fable
• 1:45:35
  experimental fascination. In this work, I shall get the student an idea of
• 1:45:43
  the methods of conducting experimental work in that phase of fascination, which has been
• 1:45:48
  called mental impression, et cetera, following the lines of the best investigators and
• 1:45:56
  experimenters in America and Europe. My reason for so doing is that the student
• 1:46:02
  may have a thorough idea of the practical work, even though he may not
• 1:46:08
  wish to conduct such experiments in person. I think that everyone should be made
• 1:46:14
  acquainted with these things as a matter of knowledge, and also for purposes of
• 1:46:19
  the self protection which arises from an understanding of the subject startling phenomena explained.
• 1:46:30
  I also desire to satisfy the careful student and investigator that defeats tests and phenomena
• 1:46:38
  which have heretofore been regarded by the general public as inseparably connected with mesmerism,
• 1:46:44
  hypnotism, and sleep conditions may be reproduced without the aid of sleep conditions and
• 1:46:51
  without the hocus pocus of the public performer. The entire phenomena of mesmerism hypnotism
• 1:46:59
  at some may be produced by simple and scientific methods along the line of mental
• 1:47:04
  fascination by means of mentative induction, without any attempt to produce sleep as a
• 1:47:12
  necessary precedent condition. When this matter is thoroughly understood by the public, the
• 1:47:19
  glamour and sensationalism of public mesmeric and hypnomic performances will vanish, and the subject
• 1:47:28
  will receive the scientific consideration that it merits. But at the same time,
• 1:47:34
  people will begin to realize the mighty power of the mental influence that is capable
• 1:47:40
  of producing such styling manifestations in a waking state, and will seek to guard
• 1:47:45
  themselves against the abuse of the power. Hypnomic performances condemned. It should be
• 1:47:55
  almost unnecessary for me to add that I have no sympathy with the the public
• 1:48:00
  performances of that phase of mental impression known as hypnotism, mesmerism, etc.
• 1:48:08
  In which subjects are made to go through all sorts of foolish and absurd performances.
• 1:48:14
  Outside of my objection to people surrendering their will to another in this way,
• 1:48:19
  I feel that such exhibitions are lacking in feeling, good taste, and
• 1:48:25
  often indecency. To say the least, it is making horseplay of a scientific
• 1:48:31
  phenomenon. I have nothing in sympathy with such manifestations or exhibitions, and shall
• 1:48:40
  speak of them in this work only to condemn the methods employed scientific methods in
• 1:48:49
  my remarks and instruction along the line of dentific methods, along the lines of
• 1:48:56
  the best authorities upon the subject, and in accordance with the rules observed at
• 1:49:00
  the best conducted experiments of such authorities, at which experiments I have frequently been
• 1:49:06
  present. I wish my students to place themselves in a scientific attitude of mind,
• 1:49:15
  just as if they were attending lectures on the subject at some leading university
• 1:49:19
  in its scientific course. The subject is a strictly scientific one and should be
• 1:49:26
  approached, considered, and investigated only in accordance with the scientific spirit of investigation.
• 1:49:34
  It is not a matter of fun or idle amusements. I trust that
• 1:49:40
  I have made my position on this point sufficiently clear to all, so that
• 1:49:45
  there may be no understanding regarding the same the importance of the knowledge. I
• 1:49:54
  do not advise all of my students to engage in this experimental work, for
• 1:49:59
  there is no necess yes for them, so doing what I am really trying
• 1:50:03
  to do is to acquaint them with the methods used in these experiments and the
• 1:50:09
  results obtained. In this way, they may acquire an extended knowledge of the
• 1:50:15
  subject, which will enable them to really understand the different phases and prevent them
• 1:50:21
  from entertaining erroneous ideas concerning the matter. This knowledge will also enable them to
• 1:50:29
  detect any symptoms of an attempt to use this force upon them in everyday life.
• 1:50:35
  When a person becomes acquainted with the true inwardness of a thing, so
• 1:50:41
  that he recognizes it whenever he sees it, there is little danger of his
• 1:50:45
  falling into error regarding it. The knowing of a thing is half the battle
• 1:50:50
  of repulsing it. And with this understanding, and with this explanation, I
• 1:50:59
  shall now proceed to describe the work in experimental fascination now being performed by scientific
• 1:51:05
  investigators in the colleges and other places in this country and in Europe favorable environments.
• 1:51:15
  The investigator of experimental fascination soon learns that certain environmental conditions have a marked
• 1:51:23
  effect on the degree of success attending his experiments, and accordingly he endeavors to
• 1:51:30
  surround his experiments with the best conditions possible, as indicated by his experience.
• 1:51:39
  A knowledge of these conditions is an important thing for an uninvestigator and experimenter.
• 1:51:44
  Along these lines desirable conditions, the investigator finds that he can obtain much better
• 1:51:54
  results when his experiments are conducted in a quiet place, the atmosphere of which
• 1:52:00
  is conducive to calm, undisturbed, peaceful mental states. This atmosphere affects both
• 1:52:06
  operator and subjects, allowing the former to concentrate his mind and the latter to
• 1:52:13
  give his full attention and to rest in the passive mental state. It is
• 1:52:18
  well if the experiments be conducted in a room remote from the street and as
• 1:52:25
  far as possible apart from the rest of the house, so that noises of
• 1:52:30
  either cannot well penetrate. The experimenter should also take measures to prevent interruption,
• 1:52:38
  for the latter will interfere with its concentration and the subject's attention sense impressions.
• 1:52:47
  The best experimenters see that their experimenting room is furnished plainly, having no pictures
• 1:52:55
  or decorations, et cetera, calculated to attract the subjects attention. A soft
• 1:53:02
  carpet which will deaden the sound of footsteps is advisable. I have seen some
• 1:53:09
  experimenters go even so far as to place rubber tips or cushions on the feet
• 1:53:15
  of the chairs, tables, et cetera. In the experimenting room. In
• 1:53:20
  order to obviate such noises, the room should be kept at a comfortable temperature,
• 1:53:28
  neither too warm nor too cold, as either extreme will make the subject
• 1:53:32
  uncomfortable and less able to give his full attention to the experimenter. I have
• 1:53:40
  heard of cold rooms, drafts, et cetera interfering with the best conducted experiments,
• 1:53:47
  and every experimenter is aware of the fact that a close sultry day will
• 1:53:53
  interfere seriously with his experiments. Care should be taken to avoid the glare of
• 1:54:00
  light in the room. Shades of soft greens or blues are advised, and
• 1:54:05
  these same colors should be used in the decoration of the rooms by the experimenter
• 1:54:12
  who wishes to obtain the best results. Remember the expression a dim religious light,
• 1:54:19
  and you will get the right idea psychological effects. Some experimenters burn a
• 1:54:29
  little incense in the room before the experiment is performed, the same having a
• 1:54:33
  tendency to quiet the nerves and impart a feeling of restfulness to those in the
• 1:54:40
  room. You will notice that the conditions that tend to produce the most successful
• 1:54:45
  results in these experiments are the same that the ceremonial churches of all races have
• 1:54:51
  adopted in their services, et cetera. This fact needs but bear mention to
• 1:54:59
  the thinker. It is well known that soft, quiet religious music will produce
• 1:55:04
  a psychological condition in which persons become quite impressionable, and some of the French
• 1:55:11
  psychologists have taken advantage of this fact. The whole theory rests upon the production
• 1:55:17
  of the feeling of ease in the subject. Consequently, it is scarcely necessary
• 1:55:25
  to add that the cheers should be very comfortable and easy. The room of
• 1:55:31
  a leading suggestionist. I may conclude these remarks upon desirable conditions by quoting from
• 1:55:41
  an article for a magazine written by myself about seven years ago under a pseudonym.
• 1:55:47
  The article described the experimenting room of a leading American suggestionist and a series
• 1:55:54
  of experiments conducted before a class of investigators and students at which I had been
• 1:56:00
  present. I think that the description will convey to your minds the ideal conditions
• 1:56:08
  for experiments along these lines. I said in the article. The room is
• 1:56:14
  well ventilated and lighted, although there is an absence of glare. It is
• 1:56:20
  remarkably quiet and free from disturbing sounds and sights, the air of seclusion and
• 1:56:28
  remoteness from the scenes. Without being very marked, the impression grows upon one
• 1:56:34
  and reminds him of the interior of some quiet, old rural chapel on the
• 1:56:40
  summer afternoon, when all around seems to indicate the lack of existence of an
• 1:56:45
  outside world, save the occasional breeze faintly fanning the cheek, and some muffled
• 1:56:53
  sound seeming to come from some far distant point, and perhaps the droning of
• 1:56:59
  some gray bumblebee that had chanced to float in the open door. The semi
• 1:57:05
  religious air is heightened by the dim religious light and by the voice of the
• 1:57:12
  experimenter as he gives the repeated suggestion to the patient in the same monotonous tone,
• 1:57:19
  encouraging and hopeful, and at times reminding one of an earnest prayer.
• 1:57:28
  The surroundings, the stillness, the tone of the operator, the reclining position
• 1:57:33
  of the patient all give the strongest suggestion of quiet, calm, peace,
• 1:57:41
  ease and rest, freed them from care and worry, relief from pain and
• 1:57:46
  trouble, Nirvana the influence of these suggestive surroundings is distinctly felt by the visitor,
• 1:57:56
  and he also unconsciously assumes the role of the attendant at the chapel.
• 1:58:02
  The writer was told by some of the patients that they soon become totally oblivious
• 1:58:08
  of the presence of the class and are to all intents and purposes known with
• 1:58:14
  the operator, with no other thoughts than the suggestions being made to them.
• 1:58:20
  I might add that the suggestions given to the patients at the beginning of the
• 1:58:26
  treatment were calculated to increase the desired mental state of rest, calm, and
• 1:58:30
  quiet. How to determine impressionability. The first thing that the experimenter does is
• 1:58:41
  to determine the degree of impressionability of the impressionable. There are a number of
• 1:58:48
  ways to determine this. One of the methods that have been found the most
• 1:58:54
  effective is to have the impressionable partially extend his left hand and arms until an
• 1:59:00
  easy position is obtained. Then have him hold the hand with palm downward,
• 1:59:08
  and then raise or elevate the third finger of that hand, generally known as
• 1:59:15
  the ring finger, holding the other fingers steady and down on a level with
• 1:59:20
  the palm. Then tell him that you will proceed to will that he shall
• 1:59:28
  feel a tingling sensation in the finger, which feeling will increase gradually and will
• 1:59:34
  then begin to extend up the hand and wrist, and then up the arm
• 1:59:40
  to the shoulder. Tell him that the feeling will be faint at first,
• 1:59:45
  but that it will begin to tingle more and more in a few moments,
• 1:59:50
  and then it will extend in the manner stated. Then concentrate your own mind
• 1:59:58
  on the feeling you desire to produce in him, and will strongly that it
• 2:00:02
  be produced. After a moment, ask him whether he does not feel the
• 2:00:09
  faint tingling sensation, But note this, ask him in such a way as
• 2:00:15
  to give him the positive suggestion that he does this way, For instance,
• 2:00:23
  you feel the tingling already, don't you. This form of question is really
• 2:00:30
  a suggestion for you state the thing before asking the question. When you say
• 2:00:35
  don't, you emphasize the don't sharply and positively. You will find that the
• 2:00:44
  sensation is perceived in a moment or two. In a large percentage of cases,
• 2:00:50
  and in many cases, the more pronounced results are obtained the degree of
• 2:00:58
  sensation produced. The determines the degree of impressionability of the person tested. When
• 2:01:04
  you conclude the test, in each case, be sure to take the subject's
• 2:01:10
  hand, grasping it firmly and shaking it gently, saying your hand is all
• 2:01:16
  right, now, all right, emphasizing the words all right, and saying
• 2:01:24
  them firmly and positively. Always say these things with an air of conviction and
• 2:01:30
  assurance, for there is a great suggestive quality in such tones testing a roomful
• 2:01:40
  of people. If you are testing a number of people a roomful, for
• 2:01:46
  instance, you should pass rapidly over the number to be tested until you have
• 2:01:51
  finished. You may test the whole roomful at one time, as above,
• 2:01:58
  if you desire. Do not act as if you were attaching much importance to
• 2:02:03
  the test, telling them that you are merely testing them for impressionability, et
• 2:02:10
  cetera. But when you have finished, you will know just the degree of
• 2:02:15
  impressionability of each person in the room, and you will thereby be enabled to
• 2:02:21
  select the most impressionable for the next test, impressing the subject. Having selected
• 2:02:31
  the desired number of impressionables, pick out one of them and ask him to
• 2:02:36
  stand up before you, looking you straight in the eye. See direction for
• 2:02:44
  acquiring the magnetic asee in the later chapter, saying to him in a quiet
• 2:02:49
  but firm, positive tone, words to this effect. Now give me your
• 2:02:57
  entire attention. I wish you to fix your attention firmly upon me and what
• 2:03:03
  I am saying. For in this way only can the best results be obtained.
• 2:03:12
  You must forget everything and everybody else in the room, and must hear
• 2:03:16
  only my voice and feel my thoughts. Make yourself perfectly receptive and passive to
• 2:03:25
  my thoughts and words. There must seem to be no one else here but
• 2:03:30
  you and I. You must see no one else, must hear no other
• 2:03:36
  voice, must think no other thoughts but mine. Give me your full attention
• 2:03:45
  now, and open yourself to the inflow of my thoughts. Talk to him
• 2:03:51
  a few moments in this strain, and then say, that's right. Now.
• 2:03:59
  You are giving me your full attention. You are now feeling my thought.
• 2:04:04
  All is going well, et cetera, et cetera, in an encouraging
• 2:04:11
  tone, in the same spirit as you would to a child who is trying
• 2:04:15
  to perform some task under your direction, inducing relaxation, instruct him to relax
• 2:04:26
  all his muscles to take the attension off of them. Tell him that in
• 2:04:31
  so doing, he will draw his will away from his muscles, which is
• 2:04:36
  just about what really happens. If he seems to be slow at grasping the
• 2:04:42
  idea, give him a practical illustration of relaxation by lifting one of his hands
• 2:04:48
  and then letting it drop. If it does not drop freely, then he
• 2:04:55
  has not relaxed. Try him until he learns just what relaxation means. This
• 2:05:02
  practice will bring about a state of passivity which will tend toward success in your
• 2:05:09
  experiments exercises in relaxation. It is of the greatest importance that the subject of
• 2:05:17
  the experiments be brought into a passive condition of mind, and the best way
• 2:05:25
  to induce this desired condition is to bring about a passive condition of body,
• 2:05:30
  for the latter will have a reflex action on the mind. According to well
• 2:05:35
  established laws, the following exercises will aid you to bring about the condition preparatory
• 2:05:45
  to your psychological experiments. Exercises instruct the subject to withdraw his will from his
• 2:05:54
  right hand, making it perfectly limber, so that he may it loosely from
• 2:06:00
  his wrist. Then have him so swing it backward and forward. Repeat with
• 2:06:08
  the left hand. Then have him impart to the hands a twisting motion to
• 2:06:14
  and fro from the wrist, of course, letting them twist about limply.
• 2:06:21
  Then have him withdraw the will from his arms, and then shake and twist
• 2:06:27
  them about the shoulder like a pair of empty coat sleeves. Then lift his
• 2:06:33
  arms up above his head and allow them to fall like a dead weight to
• 2:06:39
  his sides. The following must be occasioned by the weight of the arm,
• 2:06:44
  and not aided by his will. His will must be withdrawn entirely. The
• 2:06:50
  above exercises may be varied and amplified as found desirable. Putting subjects at ease.
• 2:07:01
  Some of the best experimenters take considerable time in putting at ease the persons
• 2:07:09
  who offer themselves as subjects for psychological experiments, and at the same time they
• 2:07:15
  bring about the desired state of relaxation. They realize the distaste and fear that
• 2:07:21
  anything like hypnotism inspires in the minds of people owing to the public performances thereof,
• 2:07:30
  and they avoid any suggestion of similar conditions. They generally begin by talking
• 2:07:36
  of the value of relaxation and how few people are able to relax their muscles.
• 2:07:45
  Then they illustrate the matter by showing the subjects, how few of them
• 2:07:49
  are able to relax easily. This leads to the trying of the above mentioned
• 2:07:56
  relaxation exercise or similar ones, which, as you will see in a moment,
• 2:08:03
  leads directly to the first real test of mental induction and suggestion, which
• 2:08:09
  is known as the falling forward test, which is one of the simplest tests
• 2:08:13
  known to the psychological laboratory. From that test to others is merely a matter
• 2:08:20
  of successive steps, So the experimenter really begins his work with the process of
• 2:08:28
  putting the subject at ease and training him in relaxation. In this connection,
• 2:08:35
  I would say that very few people know how to relax, and some teaching
• 2:08:41
  is necessary. In the majority of cases, the above exercises should be sufficient
• 2:08:50
  the primary test. After instructing the subject in relaxation, say to him,
• 2:08:58
  now look me straight in the eyes, and let my thought act through you.
• 2:09:05
  You are feeling an inclination to fall forward, fall forward, fall forward
• 2:09:11
  toward me. Do not fight it, but yield to it. Yield to
• 2:09:16
  it. I say, I will catch you as you fall. Now,
• 2:09:22
  fall forward toward me slowly. That's it. You are leaning a little.
• 2:09:28
  Now, come on, come on, come on now, this way this
• 2:09:35
  way. Now, extend your two hands, one on each side of his
• 2:09:41
  head, but a little in front of him, so that he can see
• 2:09:46
  the palms of your hands, which should face each other. Then, as
• 2:09:50
  you repeat the suggestions mentioned above, draw your hands slowly away from him,
• 2:09:56
  as if you are drawing him by some physical power. This is a strong
• 2:10:03
  suggestion which will render him more susceptible to your will. The more reality you
• 2:10:09
  throw into the acting out this drawing, the more strength you will put into
• 2:10:16
  your willing, and the more readily will he obey. Using the will.
• 2:10:24
  While saying these words, look contently into his eyes and will that he fall
• 2:10:30
  forward. In a moment, he will begin to sway forward a little,
• 2:10:35
  And if you keep up the concentrated will and suggestions, he will fall forward
• 2:10:41
  toward you. Be ready for him, and catch him with your hands.
• 2:10:48
  This test is far more simple than it would seem from reading the description of
• 2:10:52
  it, and is capable of being produced in a large percentage of cases.
• 2:10:58
  The persons will allow their minds to become passive to yours. Where there seems
• 2:11:05
  to be a resistance, tell the person to hold the thought that he is
• 2:11:11
  inclining forward towards you. Some find it easier to feel the falling forward sensation
• 2:11:16
  with their eyes closed than with them open. With others, the reverse is
• 2:11:22
  true reversing the test. After you have succeeded in this experiment, stand behind
• 2:11:31
  the person about one yard and concentrate your case upon a point at the base
• 2:11:37
  of the skull, that is where the neck joins the head. Then tell
• 2:11:43
  him that he will experience a falling backward sensation, just as he did before
• 2:11:48
  in the falling forward test. Be sure to tell him that you will catch
• 2:11:54
  him when he falls, et cetera. In order to reassure him. Use
• 2:12:01
  the same tones, et cetera as in the falling forward test, except that
• 2:12:05
  you will substitute the word backward for forward. In a few moments, you
• 2:12:11
  will obtain the same result as in the falling forward. Both of the above
• 2:12:18
  experiments are among the easiest tests known to experimenters, but they are important inasmuch
• 2:12:24
  as they serve to inspire confidence in himself in the mind of the experimenter,
• 2:12:31
  and a passive confidence in the mind of the impressionable. Then it is always
• 2:12:37
  well to begin by some easy tests and then work up by degrees to the
• 2:12:43
  more difficult ones. Even upon subsequent occasions. The fastened palm test. The
• 2:12:52
  next test may be as follows. Tell the impressionable to place the palm of
• 2:12:58
  his hand upon your own, allowing it to rest there a few moments,
• 2:13:05
  withdrawing all of his will from his hand and leaving it perfectly relaxed and like
• 2:13:11
  a dead weight. Then tell him that you are going to fasten his hand
• 2:13:16
  to yours by thought. Then, looking him straight in the eyes, say
• 2:13:22
  in a strong, firm, positive tone, now you can't take your hand
• 2:13:30
  away. You can't, I say, Try, but you can't. Try,
• 2:13:37
  Try, Try, you can't. You can't, you can't, I
• 2:13:41
  say, et cetera. Always accent the word can't in these experiments, for
• 2:13:48
  that is the word you wish to emphasize and drive home in his mind.
• 2:13:54
  And you must, of course accompany your words by the thought you can't.
• 2:14:00
  You must will that he cannot remove the impression by saying all right, now,
• 2:14:07
  all right. The locked fingers test. Your next test is that of
• 2:14:15
  fastening his own hands together. This is accomplished by getting him to lock the
• 2:14:20
  fingers of his two hands together, holding them as tight together as he is
• 2:14:26
  able to do, using his will actively in so doing, Then say to
• 2:14:31
  him, now, do not resist me, but remain as you are.
• 2:14:39
  Now. You can't unloose your hands. You can't, I say, you
• 2:14:43
  can't. Try but you can't, et cetera, et cetera. At the
• 2:14:50
  same time, concentrating your gaze and will upon his hands, thus holding them
• 2:14:56
  together. It may help you in the beginning to hold his hands together with
• 2:15:03
  your own at the first, and then gradually loosen your own until they are
• 2:15:11
  entirely away from his hands, repeating your suggestions. Meanwhile, remove the impression
• 2:15:18
  as previously instructed. The clenched fist test. Your next test may be that
• 2:15:26
  of preventing him from unclenching his fist. Proceed as in the last test,
• 2:15:33
  telling him to clench his fist together as tight as he can, and then
• 2:15:39
  you must say to him, now you can't unclench it. You can't,
• 2:15:45
  I say, et cetera. It will be some time before he can get
• 2:15:50
  his fist unclenched. Remove the impression. Rotating hands test. The next test
• 2:16:01
  may be that of making him rotate his hands. Proceed by telling him to
• 2:16:07
  relax his hands somewhat, but begin to rotate them around each other in an
• 2:16:13
  outward direction. Then say to him faster, faster, faster, faster,
• 2:16:22
  as fast as you can. Then, when his hands are rotating rapidly,
• 2:16:28
  say to him, now you can't stop them. You can't, I say,
• 2:16:35
  try, but you can't, you can't, et cetera. And it
• 2:16:41
  will be some time before he will be able to stop. Remove the impression
• 2:16:48
  by the suggestion all right, all right. The drawing test. Your next
• 2:16:58
  test may be that of drawing him forward or backward toward you. This is
• 2:17:03
  accomplished by standing before or behind him, as the case may be, and
• 2:17:09
  telling him that he will walk toward you, backward or forward as you wish.
• 2:17:16
  The command must be accompanied by the will remove the impression akin to the
• 2:17:24
  last two tests as follows, one preventing him from stepping out at all,
• 2:17:31
  and two preventing him from stepping outside of an imaginary circle that you have drawn
• 2:17:39
  on the floor. These tests are of course accompanied by the appropriate suggestions and
• 2:17:46
  use of the will remove the impression. The chair tests Similar tests, such
• 2:17:56
  as preventing him from sitting down in a chair or causing him to remain seated
• 2:18:01
  in a chair unable to rise, may be made in the same way remove
• 2:18:07
  the impression other tests. Another common test is that of giving the impressionable a
• 2:18:16
  cane, telling him to hold it fast, and then telling him sharply that
• 2:18:22
  he cannot throw it down, for it is sticking to your hands, et
• 2:18:26
  cetera. Remove the impression. A similar test is preventing him from lifting a
• 2:18:35
  light weight, a box, or a chair by your suggestions of you can't,
• 2:18:41
  accompanied by the use of your will remove the impression. The name test.
• 2:18:52
  Some experimenters try the test of preventing the impressionable from speaking his name by
• 2:18:58
  their Kent suggestions. A variation of this is making him say his name is
• 2:19:03
  Tom Jones or some other fictitious name by the mere strong suggestion of Tom Jones.
• 2:19:11
  It's Tom Jones, I say, following upon the sharp question what's your
• 2:19:16
  name? Strange as it may appear, this test is successful in many instances.
• 2:19:24
  Remove the impression. The eyelid test. The test of fastening the eyelids
• 2:19:33
  is accomplished by having the impressionable fasten his eyelids tied together, keeping them in
• 2:19:39
  that position for a few moments, when the experimenter says, now you can't
• 2:19:46
  open them. You can't try, but you can't, et cetera, et
• 2:19:52
  cetera. As above described release the impression. Stiffening the arm or leg is
• 2:20:01
  accomplished along the same general lines using the appropriate suggestions, and will remove the
• 2:20:09
  impression. The catalepsy test, the catalepsy feet of the professional hypnotists, is
• 2:20:20
  but an enlargement of the above muscular tests, and consists of producing a condition
• 2:20:26
  of rigidity all over the body of the subject. I do not advise conducting
• 2:20:33
  this test, for accidents have occurred in some cases, and there are other
• 2:20:39
  reasons why it is not advisable. I mention it here merely as a matter
• 2:20:46
  of scientific interest. Notwithstanding the claims of the hypnotists that this test is capable
• 2:20:54
  of being produced only when the subject is in the deep stage of hypnosis known
• 2:21:00
  as a cataleptic stage, all psychologists know that it may be produced in the
• 2:21:05
  wide awake condition, and is merely a muscular test, having nothing whatever to
• 2:21:11
  do with the sleep condition. One underlying principle. You will see that one
• 2:21:20
  law governs all of these tests and thousands of others of a similar nature,
• 2:21:26
  which may occur to the experimenter. It is all a matter of the use
• 2:21:31
  of the will and the suggestion of the experimenter, accompanied by the relaxation of
• 2:21:37
  the will of the other person. The law of mentative induction is the real
• 2:21:45
  cause behind the phenomena. The suggestions render doubly efficient the will power of the
• 2:21:52
  experimenter by giving the mind of the impressionable a mental image, around which is
• 2:21:58
  mental polls materialize on action muscular tests and beyond the above tests are what are
• 2:22:09
  known as muscular tests, all depending upon the control of the muscles of the
• 2:22:13
  impressionable by the will of the experimenter. Many of these tests are believed by
• 2:22:22
  the hypnotists and mesmerists to be possible of production only when their subjects are in
• 2:22:28
  the sleep condition, or at least only after they have been put to sleep
• 2:22:33
  and then aroused. As a matter of fact, sleep conditions have nothing whatever
• 2:22:41
  to do with this phenomena, as may be proven by the fact that all
• 2:22:46
  of the above tests may be performed without any suggestion of sleep or similar condition.
• 2:22:54
  There is a more remarkable class of phenomena than the above mentioned, which
• 2:22:58
  will be conceded hither in the next chapter, all of which also may be
• 2:23:05
  produced without any attempt to induce sleep. This sleep delusion has led people astray
• 2:23:11
  for many years, but now it is known that the phenomena of sleep itself
• 2:23:16
  is merely an effect of mental impression and suggestion, instead of being the cause
• 2:23:24
  of the various phenomena known as mesmerism and hypnotism. Removing the impression. Referring
• 2:23:33
  to my repeated caution to remove the impression, I wish to call your attention
• 2:23:39
  to the fact that the best experimenters lay much stress upon the advisability, if
• 2:23:45
  not the absolute necessity, of removing the induced condition from the mind of the
• 2:23:50
  person experimented upon, Otherwise he might carry away with him the induced condition or
• 2:23:58
  impression, which which is often far deeper and stronger than is commonly believed to
• 2:24:03
  be the case. I urge this upon you specially, do not neglect it.
• 2:24:11
  The conditions may readily be removed by the suggestion of now you are all
• 2:24:18
  right, all right, Now you understand you are now all right, accompanying
• 2:24:26
  the suggestion by the mental picture of their being relieved from the induced condition.
• 2:24:31
  The gentle touch of the hand, as in patting the part that has been
• 2:24:35
  controlled, will help to accentuate the effects of suggestion of all right, removing
• 2:24:45
  undesirable conditions. In this connection, it may be as well to mention that
• 2:24:52
  If you ever happen to come across unimpressionable or the tendency to manifest a drowsy
• 2:24:58
  condition, or the so called sleep state of hypnotism, probably arising from previous
• 2:25:05
  suggestions, either direct from a hypnotist or from having witnessed a hypnotic exhibition,
• 2:25:13
  you may proceed to awaken him to the method just given for removing the impression.
• 2:25:20
  In such cases, you may make upward passes along the sides of his
• 2:25:24
  head, saying to him, sharply and positively, wake up, Wake up
• 2:25:31
  now, I say, wake up, wide awake. Now you're wide awake?
• 2:25:39
  Why awake? All right? Now? All right? I say,
• 2:25:45
  all right, all right, and whide awake? All right, all right.
• 2:25:54
  You may heighten the effect by snapping your fingers close to his face and
• 2:25:58
  slapping his shoulders sharply. Be sure to speak positively, firmly, and sharply,
• 2:26:07
  just as a father would in rousing up a sleepy boy in the morning,
• 2:26:13
  and don't lose your head. You are not likely to have need for
• 2:26:18
  this advice in ordinary experiments, but I give it in case you happen to
• 2:26:24
  come across some impressionable or hyper impressionable see lay their chapters, who may have
• 2:26:31
  been previously hypnotized by some operator who believed in the sleep condition and brought the
• 2:26:39
  same about by suggestion see lay their chapters. Or else some subject of the
• 2:26:46
  same class who has seemed hypnotic subjects go asleep and induce the same state in
• 2:26:54
  himself by imitative self impression. In such a case, I would advise that
• 2:27:00
  you afterwards give the subject a good sound suggestive treatment to the effect that he
• 2:27:07
  will never again go to sleep in this way, that he is immune to
• 2:27:13
  abnotic sleep suggestions, and in other ways build up in him a resistance to
• 2:27:18
  this deplorable condition. These sleep condition hypnotists have much to answer for, for
• 2:27:26
  which their plea of ignorance is not quite sufficient. Chapter nine of Mental Fascination.
• 2:27:33
  This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain.
• 2:27:41
  For more information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox dot org. Mental
• 2:27:50
  Fascination by William Walker Atkinson. Chapter nine Experiments in induced sensation. In the
• 2:28:01
  last chapter we considered instances of tests of experimental fascination along the lines of muscular
• 2:28:09
  control. In this chapter, we will consider the phenomena a tendant upon induced
• 2:28:16
  sensation, all of which follows the same law of cause and is produced in
• 2:28:22
  the same manner and by the same methods as the muscular phenomena. Let us
• 2:28:30
  begin our consideration of sense control by the familiar test of the burning hand,
• 2:28:37
  the burning hand test. This test is performed in the following manner. You
• 2:28:43
  stand before the impressionable, the latter extending his hand toward you, palm downward.
• 2:28:52
  You place the first two fingers of your right hand upon the back of
• 2:28:54
  his hand, holding them there for a moment, and concentrate your gaze and
• 2:29:00
  will upon his hand. Then you say to him sharply, rapidly, and
• 2:29:07
  positively, I am burning your hand. I am burning your hand. It
• 2:29:13
  is hot, hot, hot, It is burning, burning, burning you,
• 2:29:18
  burning you. I say, take it away quick, I tell you,
• 2:29:24
  it is burning you, et cetera, et cetera, always emphasizing the
• 2:29:31
  words hot and burning, and at the same time willing that your fingers will
• 2:29:35
  feel hot to him. It is surprising how many people will experience the sensation
• 2:29:41
  of heat. If you perform the test properly and are able to concentrate your
• 2:29:48
  will sufficiently well and accompany the same with vivid suggestions A variation of this test
• 2:29:56
  is to give the impressionable a silver coin, telling him to hold it between
• 2:30:01
  his thumb and forefinger, then, after a moment, give him the suggestions
• 2:30:07
  of it being hot, hot, hot, it's burning you, burning you,
• 2:30:11
  et cetera. You may even impress upon him the idea that while it
• 2:30:18
  is burning him, he is unable to let go of it, et cetera.
• 2:30:24
  Induced pain. Another test of the sense of feeling is that shown by
• 2:30:31
  having the impressionable hold out his hand, his arm being extended full length,
• 2:30:37
  then standing before him with a pin between the finger and thumb of your right
• 2:30:43
  hand, pretend to prick your own hand, jabbing the pin into it,
• 2:30:48
  and grimacing as if with pain, at the same time saying to him,
• 2:30:54
  you, see you feel the pain of this pen is her? It hurts
• 2:31:01
  you, I say, you feel the pain instead of my feeling it.
• 2:31:07
  See you feel it now, making a feint of dabbing the pin into your
• 2:31:13
  own hand. You feel it, I say, et cetera. It is
• 2:31:18
  remarkable how many persons will take on the pain you are supposed to be feeling.
• 2:31:26
  Of course, your imagination should be exercised under the control of your will,
• 2:31:31
  so that you will allow yourself to imagine that you feel the pain.
• 2:31:37
  I have seen the above experiment tried before a roomful of people, and many
• 2:31:41
  of the audience shared the induced pain with the impressionable upon whom the experiment was
• 2:31:48
  being tried. Do not forget what I said in the last chapter about taking
• 2:31:54
  away the induced condition after the test. In the above cases, rub your
• 2:32:01
  finger over the burnt or hurt spot, saying it's all right now, all
• 2:32:07
  right, the pain is all gone. If you do not do so,
• 2:32:13
  the impressionable may carry away with him a sensation that his hand had been subjected
• 2:32:18
  to heat or pain. Remarkable phenomena. In this connection, it may be
• 2:32:26
  proper to call your attention to the fact that the history of the subject shows
• 2:32:31
  cases in which burns have actually been produced on the bodies of persons by strong
• 2:32:35
  suggestion coupled with physical aids. For instance, postage stamps have been placed in
• 2:32:43
  portions of the body with the suggestion that they were fly blisters, and the
• 2:32:48
  blister appeared. You will see that it is all a matter of induced feeling.
• 2:32:56
  The more marked results merely evidencing the power of the mind of the individual
• 2:33:01
  over the mind. In the portions of his body, as I have shown
• 2:33:05
  in the chapter entitled mental Therapeutics in my work on mental magic. Many other
• 2:33:13
  experiments along the line of sense control might be mentioned, but they are all
• 2:33:20
  but different forms of the same thing. The ingenuity of the experimenter will indicate
• 2:33:28
  manifold variations if he sees fit to follow up the subject induced sense of smell.
• 2:33:37
  The sense of smell may be induced by the experimenter suggesting to the impressionable
• 2:33:43
  that a bottle contains a liquid smelling like certain perfumes, etc. This may
• 2:33:50
  be varied by changing the suggestion so that all the well known perfumes may be
• 2:33:54
  sensed, like the legend of the magic perfume Bottle of the Wizard, which
• 2:34:01
  probably was nothing more than a case of clever induction of the sense of smell
• 2:34:05
  by the method mentioned Herein personal experiences, I have seen a number of cases
• 2:34:15
  of this kind in my personal experience in which large numbers of people were impressed
• 2:34:20
  in this way. In one case, I was attending a play, the
• 2:34:26
  scene of which was laid in the south, and in which one of the
• 2:34:31
  characters remarked, Oh, smell the magnolia, How strong is their odor?
• 2:34:37
  In this heavy, warm night? Air, and in a moment the audience
• 2:34:43
  noticed a plain odor of magnolias floating over the house. So strong was the
• 2:34:50
  impression that many insisted that the management had actually introduced the olor in order to
• 2:34:56
  heighten the effect, But inquiry showed this to be erroneous, for no odor
• 2:35:01
  was actually used. More recently, I attended a play The Girl with the
• 2:35:09
  Green Eyes, in which one of the characters was supposed to have committed suicide
• 2:35:15
  by turning on the gas in full sight of the audience. The room was
• 2:35:20
  large, and jet after jet of the many chandeliers, bracket lights, et
• 2:35:26
  cetera. Were turned on by the woman. In a short time, people
• 2:35:31
  and the audience began to sniff and say smell the gas, until everyone thought
• 2:35:39
  they smelt it, and some women felt faint. Of course, the original
• 2:35:46
  impression was given by the physical suggestion, but as soon as people took on
• 2:35:50
  the impression, it spread like a contagion by the law of mental induction,
• 2:35:56
  until all felt it more or less the Professor's experiments, There are cases recorded
• 2:36:07
  of the effect being deliberately produced. For instance, the tale of the old
• 2:36:11
  German professor, who, after telling his class that he would uncork a bottle
• 2:36:16
  containing a chemical compound noted for its foul odor, uncorked a bottle of the
• 2:36:22
  stilled waller, possessing no odor at all. The class soon perceived the supposed
• 2:36:28
  odor, and row after row of students showed their disgust. The waves of
• 2:36:35
  the supposed vapor floated over the room, just as would have been the case
• 2:36:41
  if the genuine liquid had been uncorked. Those nearest the platform perceiving it first,
• 2:36:46
  and then the next row, and so on, until the whole room
• 2:36:52
  was filled with it. Even after the professor explained the nature of the experiments,
• 2:36:56
  the class still sniffed away, and many refused to believe the explanation,
• 2:37:03
  so strong was the impression these cases were nothing else than instances of induced sensation
• 2:37:09
  of smell. Along the lines of mental impression induced sight, A sense of
• 2:37:18
  sight may be induced in the same way. A common experiment with a very
• 2:37:24
  impressionable person is as follows. Tell him to extend his hand palm down,
• 2:37:31
  then mark a cross on the back of his hand with their forefinger pressing well
• 2:37:35
  into the skin, at the same time saying, see, I have marked
• 2:37:41
  a black cross on your hand. On your hand, a black cross.
• 2:37:46
  See it there you see it there now, black black, a black cross.
• 2:37:54
  You see it there, don't you, et cetera. And if he
• 2:38:00
  be sufficiently impressionable, he will see it. The more that you can imagine
• 2:38:05
  the black cross there, the stronger will be his impression of it. If
• 2:38:09
  you will call the attention of people to the extraordinary blueness of the sky,
• 2:38:15
  they will be very apt to acquiesce, some of them going into raptures over
• 2:38:20
  it, although the sky is no bluer than at any other time. It
• 2:38:26
  is astonishing how many of these impressions are given and taken in every day life.
• 2:38:33
  Someone thinks the room is very close, and immediately many people begin to
• 2:38:39
  feel suffocated and to wish the windows raised. Someone suggests a draft, and
• 2:38:46
  people begin to shiver. Someone remarks how extremely warm the day is, and
• 2:38:50
  people begin to mop their foreheads, and so on, all being bits from
• 2:38:56
  the same piece induced hearing. The sense of hearing may be induced in the
• 2:39:05
  same way. Tell your impressionable that he hears the song of a bird or
• 2:39:11
  the whistle of a locomotive at the same time, using your own imagination vigorously
• 2:39:16
  and giving the suggestions sufficiently vividly, and he will hear the sounds mentioned.
• 2:39:24
  You may try this on several people in a room on an ordinary occasion by
• 2:39:30
  pretending to hear the humming of a bee, or a distant whistle, or
• 2:39:35
  some other faint sound such as the distant will of a child, and a
• 2:39:39
  certain percentage of those present, after a moment or two of intent listening,
• 2:39:45
  will affirm that they heard the sound. Induced taste, the sense of taste
• 2:39:52
  is easily induced. The well known experiment of suggesting the taste of lemons with
• 2:39:58
  the accompany flow of saliva and taste of acid is a good example. With
• 2:40:05
  a good impressionable you may induce a sense of changing tastes from extreme sweetness to
• 2:40:11
  extreme acidity in a simple tasteless glass of water. It all depends upon the
• 2:40:18
  degree of impressionability of the person's tested and the strength of your own imagination and
• 2:40:24
  suggestion. It is all a question of induced sensation. The professional hypnotist turns
• 2:40:33
  this to good account in his entertainment personal experiments. In this connection, I
• 2:40:41
  would say that several years ago, when I was devoting much time to experimental
• 2:40:46
  work, I cured many cases of tobacco chewing, cigarette habit, et cetera.
• 2:40:52
  By a course of vivid suggestion accompanied by visualization manifesting as mental induction.
• 2:41:00
  I would create a mental image of the tobacco or cigarettes as having a disgusting
• 2:41:05
  taste, a taste that produced a feeling akin to nausea, and then would
• 2:41:11
  concentrate my mind and feeling upon the other person, giving him, at the
• 2:41:16
  same time the most vivid suggestions of disgusting, nauseating, sickening taste, et
• 2:41:24
  cetera, et cetera, et cetera, until he would be unable to chew
• 2:41:28
  the tobacco or smoke the cigarette. Then by following up the matter by giving
• 2:41:35
  him the strongest future impression that he would always remember the sensation of disgusting taste
• 2:41:43
  whenever he attempted to chew or smoke, and that the tobacco or cigarette would
• 2:41:48
  always induce those feelings in him. A cure of the habit would be affected
• 2:41:56
  sleep condition not necessary. Some practitioners of suggestive therapeutics have met with much success
• 2:42:05
  and the treatment of undesirable habits in this way. It is true that many
• 2:42:11
  of these practitioners have believed that it was necessary to produce the hypnotic sleep in
• 2:42:16
  order to get the results, but this is simply because they themselves are self
• 2:42:22
  hypnotized with the sleep delusion. And if they would but throw off their spell
• 2:42:28
  and begin to experiments along the other lines, they would see that the same
• 2:42:33
  results could be obtained without the slightest attempt to produce sleep senses inhibited. Just
• 2:42:43
  as the senses may be rendered by induction, so may they be inhibited in
• 2:42:46
  the same way. Any of the above experiments with the senses may be reversed.
• 2:42:54
  At will, tell your impersonable that he cannot hear a certain sound,
• 2:43:00
  smell a certain odor, taste a certain taste, feel a certain sensation,
• 2:43:07
  see a certain thing, And if you be sufficiently positive, and tea sufficiently
• 2:43:13
  impressionable, and if you use your imagination and suggestion sufficiently well, the senses
• 2:43:20
  will be inhibited in his mind for the time being. Remarkable instances in the
• 2:43:30
  matter of inhibition of the sense of feeling, some most remarkable results may be
• 2:43:35
  obtained. In fact, all of the results along this line secured by the
• 2:43:41
  hypnotists with the aid of the deep sleep may be obtained without attempt at sleep.
• 2:43:48
  I have seen minor operations performed under the influence of induced inhibition of the
• 2:43:54
  sense of feeling I have seen teeth extracted with little or no pain. In
• 2:44:00
  this way, I have seen nervous patients unusually sensitive to pain, able to
• 2:44:05
  stand dental work with practically no discomfort by means of such inhibition of the sense
• 2:44:13
  of feeling. Even the brutal experiments of many of the stage hypnotists who run
• 2:44:20
  needles through hypnotized patient's cheeks without causing pain, even these can be duplicated without
• 2:44:28
  sleep being induced. Although I consider such exhibitions deplorable and disgusting and worthy of
• 2:44:35
  the severe condemnation, I merely mention these last to show the power of induced
• 2:44:43
  feeling or inhibition of the same by induction. The secret of inhibition, the
• 2:44:52
  secret of the inhibition of the senses, is that the will is directed to
• 2:44:58
  shutting off the attention to the part or organ. If the attention can be
• 2:45:03
  removed or shut off, no pain will be felt. Many persons have practiced
• 2:45:11
  on themselves until they can inhibit pain in portance of their body, and in
• 2:45:18
  inducing the effect in another person. The same methods are used accompanied by suggestion
• 2:45:26
  mental anesthesia. It may be of interest to many students to have me make
• 2:45:31
  a little more detailed reference to this subject. Of anesthesia by mental induction.
• 2:45:39
  Anesthesia, you know, is on entire or partial laws or absence of feeling
• 2:45:45
  or sensation. We generally think of this condition as being brought about only by
• 2:45:52
  something like ether, gas, et cetera. But anything that will tend to
• 2:45:58
  inhibit sensation is an anesthetic. The word inhibit, you know, means to
• 2:46:05
  check, to hold back, to restrain, et cetera. And pain and
• 2:46:11
  sensation may be inhibited by pure mental impression Historical instances History is full of instances
• 2:46:22
  of inhibition of pain by strong mental feeling, emotion, ecstasy, et cetera.
• 2:46:31
  Religious fanatics have mutilated themselves barbarously without the feeling of pain. The American
• 2:46:37
  Indians in their wild dances wound themselves without feeling the pain. In India,
• 2:46:46
  the fanatical deviltees torture themselves in horrible ways as a religious right and seem entirely
• 2:46:52
  callous to pain. People have been burned at the stake chanting joyful songs,
• 2:47:00
  and martyrs have been crunched in the jaws of the wild beasts with laughter and
• 2:47:05
  joy fully manifest. All of these instances, and many others of the same
• 2:47:11
  kind, show that it is possible for the mind of a person to inhibit
• 2:47:16
  pain in himself, and the inhibition of pain in a person by another person
• 2:47:22
  is merely a calling into play of the same power by means of induction and
• 2:47:28
  suggestion. It is not a creation of the power in the person, but
• 2:47:35
  merely a calling forth that which is already there how to inhibit pain in another.
• 2:47:43
  The following, simple but very effective method is that used in the best
• 2:47:48
  psychological laboratories. The impressionable is comfortably seated or placed in a reclining position before
• 2:47:58
  the experimenter. Let us suppose that it is wished to inhibit sensation in his
• 2:48:03
  arm. In that case, the experimenter will begin to stroke the arm upward
• 2:48:11
  from finger tips to shoulder. The effect of this stroking is to restrain the
• 2:48:16
  circulation, which latter responds readily to such suggestion, As we shall see a
• 2:48:24
  little later on, The experimenter says, now I am taking the circulation away
• 2:48:31
  from your arm and putting the nerves to rest. You will begin to feel
• 2:48:35
  a sensation of coolness and numbness coming over your arm from finger tips to shoulder.
• 2:48:45
  Now you feel it. Your arm is getting numb. Numb, I
• 2:48:50
  say, quite numb, getting numb, getting numb, getting numb, numb,
• 2:48:58
  numb, numb. It is now quite numb. You cannot feel pain
• 2:49:03
  in it. See, I will prick it with this needle, but you
• 2:49:09
  will not feel pain. You can feel the touch, but cannot feel any
• 2:49:15
  pain, and so on until complete inhibition is affected. When you first prick
• 2:49:22
  with the point of the needle, do so but gently, although appearing to
• 2:49:26
  do it with force. This will reassure the patient and will make him relax.
• 2:49:33
  His resisting will the more result of repetition. The above process, continued
• 2:49:43
  in the right person and in the proper manner, will produce wonderful results.
• 2:49:48
  In fact, in this way is the inhibition of sensation produced in order that
• 2:49:54
  minor operations may be performed without the use of either et cetera. A little
• 2:50:01
  practice for several days renders the effect more marked each time, until the desired
• 2:50:07
  degree is obtained. The above method is the most simple and yet the most
• 2:50:13
  effective known to experimental psychologists, and if persisted in and performed intelligently, is
• 2:50:22
  capable of wonderful development. It should be unnecessary for me to add that the
• 2:50:30
  experimenter should keep before his own mind vividly the condition he wishes to produce in
• 2:50:37
  the patient. He should endeavor to actually see him insensible to pain, and
• 2:50:43
  should throw his whole belief and earnestness into the suggestions. More than lip service
• 2:50:50
  is necessary. Directing the circulation in connection with the above experiments following is interesting.
• 2:51:01
  You may take an impressionable person and increase the circulation in any part of
• 2:51:07
  the body or else inhibit a partially just as you wish. You may prove
• 2:51:15
  this by ordering the circulation back in one arm and increasing it in another,
• 2:51:20
  the result being that one hand will be a ghastly white and the other a
• 2:51:26
  deep red color. Blood may be drawn away from the head in this manner,
• 2:51:33
  and headaches thereby relieved. But I must stop this, for I am
• 2:51:39
  encroaching upon the subject of mental therapeutics. In this direction of the circulation upward
• 2:51:46
  or downward, as the case may be, passes of the hands will prove
• 2:51:50
  of great assistance, for this motion is followed by the attention, And an
• 2:51:56
  axiom and suggestive therapeutic is that the circulation follows the attention. Downward passes increase
• 2:52:05
  the circulation to the limbs. Upward ones inhibit it. I have spoken of
• 2:52:13
  the above effects being produced upon the impressionables. I mean by this that such
• 2:52:20
  people are the more readily affected. But remember this that even the strongest willed
• 2:52:28
  man or woman may be affected in this manner if he or she, by
• 2:52:33
  directing this, will actually co operate in the matter. For instance, the
• 2:52:39
  very strength of a man's will may aid in the inhibition of pain by suggestion,
• 2:52:45
  because he will be cooperating with the suggest All the effect comes from the
• 2:52:52
  power within in any case, and all the experimenter, a suggester does is
• 2:52:56
  to call that power into effect. It is akin to driving a team of
• 2:53:03
  strong horses, or the running of a one thousand horse power engine. The
• 2:53:09
  power is not in the driver or engineer, but they make the thing go.
• 2:53:15
  Nevertheless, in closing this chapter, let me again impress upon the experimenter
• 2:53:22
  the importance of always removing the impression after the experiment. Remember the important final
• 2:53:30
  Now you're all right, all right, now, all right, the phenomena
• 2:53:37
  of induced imagination. I will now lead you to a consideration of a class
• 2:53:43
  of experiments more marked and sensational features than those related in the previous two chapters.
• 2:53:52
  These experiments are the ones usually alluded to as the higher hypnotic phenomena,
• 2:53:58
  although they are as distinct from the hypnotic or sleep condition as the ones already
• 2:54:05
  considered. Any and all forms of the hypnotic phenomena may be produced without resorting
• 2:54:11
  to the methods of the hypnotists. So far as producing the sleep condition is
• 2:54:16
  concerned. I call this class of phenomena induced imagination. What imagination is?
• 2:54:28
  The term imagination, you know, means the power of the mind to create
• 2:54:35
  mental images of objects of sense, the power to reconstruct or recombine the materials
• 2:54:41
  furnished by experience, memory, or fancy, a mental image formed by the
• 2:54:48
  faculty of imagination, et cetera, et cetera. The word is derived from
• 2:54:54
  the English word image, which in turn has for its root the Latin word
• 2:55:01
  immatari, meaning to imitate, imagination and fancy. The imagination is creative in
• 2:55:11
  its nature and works with the plastic material of the mind. The writers usually
• 2:55:18
  make a distinction between what is called imagination proper on the one hand, and
• 2:55:22
  what is called fancy on the other. By imagination proper is meant the higher
• 2:55:30
  forms of activity of the image creating faculty, such as is manifested in the
• 2:55:35
  creation of literature, art, music, philosophical theory, scientific hypothesis, et
• 2:55:43
  cetera. By fancy is meant the lither forms of the manifestation of the image
• 2:55:50
  creating faculty, such as the ideal fancies and day dreams of people, the
• 2:55:56
  arbortruary and capricious imaginings fantasy, et cetera. Imagination proper may be considered as
• 2:56:05
  a positive phase and fancy as the negative phase of the image creating faculty.
• 2:56:13
  Positive imagination imagination, in its positive phase is a most important faculty of the
• 2:56:20
  human being. It lies at the basis of active mental manifestation. One must
• 2:56:28
  form a mental image of a thing before he can manifest it in objective form.
• 2:56:35
  It is distinctly creative in its nature and really forms the mold in which
• 2:56:41
  deeds and actions are cast. It forms the architect's plan which we use to
• 2:56:48
  build our life of actions and deeds and mind you this it is the faculty
• 2:56:56
  used in the occult practice known as visualization, which is spoken of in my
• 2:57:01
  work on mental magic. Positive imagination is very far from being the fanciful,
• 2:57:09
  capricious, light, whimsical thing that many suppose it to be. It is
• 2:57:16
  one of the most positive manifestations of the mind, not only does it proceed
• 2:57:22
  and is necessary to the performance of objective acts and the producing of material things.
• 2:57:31
  But it is also the faculty by which we impress our mental images upon
• 2:57:35
  the minds of others, by menative induction and by the use of desire and
• 2:57:41
  will. Positive imagination is the mother of ideas, and idea is but an
• 2:57:50
  image formed in the mind Webster, and the imagination is the faculty in which
• 2:57:58
  the image or I do idea is formed. And in proportion to the activity
• 2:58:05
  of the imagination, so is the strength of the image or idea. And
• 2:58:11
  as is the strength of the image or idea, so is the degree of
• 2:58:15
  its power to impress itself upon the minds of others. So you see,
• 2:58:22
  imagination in its positive phase is a strong real thing. But it is largely
• 2:58:28
  with its negative phase that we shall have to do with here the nature of
• 2:58:35
  mesmeric control. All of you who have witnessed an exhibition of mesmerism or hypnotism,
• 2:58:45
  or else read descriptions of the same, have doubtless marveled at the phenomenon
• 2:58:50
  of the subject performing all sorts of ridiculous and peculiar actions under the direction of
• 2:58:58
  the hypnotist. There have been many theories advanced to account for this phenomenon,
• 2:59:05
  some of them very complicated and labored. But I have discarded theory after theory
• 2:59:11
  of this kind, finding them inadequate to explain the mental processes involved, much
• 2:59:20
  less the underlying principle. I have come to a conclusion, arising from my
• 2:59:26
  own investigation and experiments, which I shall give you here. This theory,
• 2:59:33
  or explanation for it is scarcely a theory, does not attempt to go into
• 2:59:39
  the what is mind? Question, nor does it attempt to divide or subdivide
• 2:59:46
  the mind. It merely explains the workings of the mind in this class of
• 2:59:52
  phenomena. An explanation the explanation just mentioned is as follows. I hold that
• 3:00:03
  the action of the hypnotic subject may be explained upon the hypothesis that his negative
• 3:00:09
  imagination or fancy, if you prefer to call it such, is acted upon
• 3:00:15
  by the suggestions and menative currents of the operator, and an induced state of
• 3:00:20
  negative imagination is set up. That is to say that, in hypnotic phenomena,
• 3:00:30
  instead of the subject's negative imagination being aroused by his own desire or will,
• 3:00:35
  or other planes of his mentality, such condition is aroused by menative induction
• 3:00:43
  caused by the menative currents of the operator, and aided by suggestion. Let
• 3:00:50
  us see whether this is reasonable induced imagination. All of you know that your
• 3:01:00
  negative imagination may be aroused by outward persons or things. You hear a piece
• 3:01:05
  of music, and before you know it, your fancy is running along paintings,
• 3:01:11
  all the sorts of pictures in your mind, and inducing all sorts of
• 3:01:15
  feelings. A picture may affect you in the same way A piece of poetry
• 3:01:22
  or poem may lift you out of yourself on the wings of fancy. A
• 3:01:28
  book may carry you along in a world of fantasy and unreality until you forget
• 3:01:33
  the actual world around you. Have you not had this experience? And more
• 3:01:41
  marked than any of the above mentioned cases, is the effect of a perfect
• 3:01:46
  stage performance, in which the world and characters of the play take such a
• 3:01:52
  hold upon you as the same reality itself, and you laugh and cry with
• 3:01:58
  the characters in the play. You scowl let the villain and tremble at the
• 3:02:03
  danger of the heroine, You glory in the hero's success and shed tears at
• 3:02:11
  the sorrows and trials of the suffering characters. And you feel these things in
• 3:02:16
  proportion that your negative imagination or fancy is caused into activity by induction. But
• 3:02:26
  remember this, The actor's poets, writer, composer, or artist created his
• 3:02:33
  effect by the exercise of his or her positive imagination, while the effect upon
• 3:02:41
  you is induced in your negative imagination. The first is an act of positive
• 3:02:48
  creation, while the second is merely a reflection impressed upon your mind by either
• 3:02:56
  the suggestion or the manative energy of the actor. In your consideration of the
• 3:03:01
  above, remember what I have said about suggestion in an earlier chapter. Suggestion
• 3:03:09
  is merely the presentation of the outward symbol of the inner feeling. The mistake
• 3:03:18
  of the suggestionists, the radical school of suggestionists pooh pooh at the idea of
• 3:03:26
  menative energy having anything to do with the phenomena which we are now considering.
• 3:03:33
  They claim that suggestion is sufficient to account for it all. Without going deeply
• 3:03:39
  into a discussion of this matter, I would ask these gentlemen, why is
• 3:03:46
  it that the same words uttered in the same tone by two different suggestors produce
• 3:03:52
  widely different degrees of effect. Also, what is that peculiar person force that
• 3:04:01
  we feel when certain persons suggest that is absent? In the suggestions of others.
• 3:04:09
  My answer is that the difference lies in the degree of feeling called into
• 3:04:13
  activity in the mind of the suggest the degree of mandative energy released by him.
• 3:04:22
  And I think that any careful investigator will agree with me in this if
• 3:04:26
  he will open his mind to all the impressions received during his investigations instead of
• 3:04:33
  tying himself to a previously conceived theory highly impressionable subject. Now Here is an
• 3:04:43
  important feature of this manner of the phenomena which we are considering. The investigator
• 3:04:50
  will find that while the conditions mentioned in the two last chapters, the muscular
• 3:04:56
  and sense induction respectively, may be produced in a large percentage of the impressionables,
• 3:05:03
  still there are comparatively few of them in which the more startling faces may
• 3:05:07
  be induced. Why is this. The answer is that there are a certain
• 3:05:15
  number of persons who combine within themselves the negative qualities of the impressionables, combined
• 3:05:22
  with a highly developed faculty or fancy or negative imagination. This combination causes the
• 3:05:31
  person possessing it to be an ideal subject for these strange experiments. Referred to
• 3:05:39
  such a person is what the French hypnotists call a somnambule or hyper sensitive,
• 3:05:46
  by which terms I discard because of the hypnotic association, and I substitute the
• 3:05:52
  term hyper impressionables. I have explained the sense in which I use the term
• 3:06:00
  impressionable. The word hyper is a prefect meaning over above, excessive or abnormally
• 3:06:09
  great, etcetera. The term hyper impressionables, as I shall use it,
• 3:06:16
  means an abnormally impressionable person. This excessive or abnormally great impressionability, as I
• 3:06:26
  have said, arises from the combination of a negative will with an excessive faculty
• 3:06:31
  of fancy, the latter being a form of negative imagination. Remember, so
• 3:06:39
  you see that the taint of negativity is all over these persons, a psychological
• 3:06:48
  combination. In order to show that I am correct in this classification, I
• 3:06:54
  will call your attention to the fact that an ordinary impressionable, even though his
• 3:07:00
  will power be the weakest, cannot be induced to perform the tests of the
• 3:07:05
  hyper impressionable if his faculty of fancy be not excessive. And on the other
• 3:07:13
  hand, one may take a person of highly developed positive imagination. And our
• 3:07:18
  great people in all lines are such, and today are most difficult to influence
• 3:07:24
  in this way. In fact, they are constantly affecting and influencing others.
• 3:07:33
  The strongest influencers of men belong to this last mentioned class. So you see,
• 3:07:41
  the ideal hyper impressionable may have the combination of negativity and fancy. He
• 3:07:50
  is in the class all by himself. Let us examine him the hyper impressionable.
• 3:08:00
  In the first place, he is most credulous, superstitious, fanciful,
• 3:08:05
  bigoted, and unstable. He is of the class whose fancy is easily aroused
• 3:08:11
  and induced, and whose general tendency is toward giving airy nothings a local habitation
• 3:08:18
  and a name, and to whom, when shown an egg the next minute,
• 3:08:24
  the air is full of feathers. He is also prone to imitation,
• 3:08:30
  and is inclined to follow my leader rather than to strike out a new path
• 3:08:35
  for himself. He has but little originality and initiative, which are highly developed
• 3:08:43
  in the man of strong positive imagination. He resembles the sheep and goose rather
• 3:08:50
  than the eagle or lion. He is always dependent upon others for ideas,
• 3:08:58
  information, advice, and often material support. His imagination is negative, that
• 3:09:05
  is, has little or no original action, and acts only and easily when
• 3:09:11
  induced or excited. By another's mentality or suggestion. He has no executive ability
• 3:09:20
  and feels easier when he has someone to order him around and tell him what
• 3:09:26
  to do. He is a good copier, mimic and imitator, and is
• 3:09:31
  often quite surfaceable in positions where the work is mechanical and a good copier is
• 3:09:39
  needed. The mysterious and unusual has a fascination for him, akin to the
• 3:09:46
  fascination exerted over some birds by a waving pit of colored cloth. He is
• 3:09:52
  governed by his emotions rather than his reason. He is excessively fanciful and imagine
• 3:09:58
  that as the term is generally used, and has a decided hysterical tendency and
• 3:10:07
  a disposition to see things and to feel strangely. He has many strange experiences.
• 3:10:16
  He has bought a minimum of self control and is apt to fly off
• 3:10:22
  readily. He lacks voluntary attention and application, and his mind is apt to
• 3:10:30
  go a wandering. The only time that he can be kept study is when
• 3:10:35
  some positive individual controls and superintends him. The excitable, emotional colored man who
• 3:10:43
  gets religion at every camp meeting, only to backslide next week is an illustration
• 3:10:50
  of one class of this type. He takes on the mental states of those
• 3:10:56
  around him readily and accepts readily a strong positive suggestion. These are some of
• 3:11:05
  his characteristics, the earmarks. There are many of these people in the world
• 3:11:13
  in high and low life, but high or low there is a strong family
• 3:11:18
  resemblance in their mental make up. The two great characteristics by which they may
• 3:11:24
  be distinguished are, as stated, one a negative will, and two an
• 3:11:33
  excessive faculty of fancy. These two combine to manifest a highly marked example of
• 3:11:39
  negative imagination the prize subjects of the hypnotists. Now, the reason that I
• 3:11:50
  have gone into the matter of the nature and character of the hyper impressionable people
• 3:11:56
  is this. It is from the ranks of of these people that the subjects
• 3:12:01
  of the hypnotists are recruited. If you understand the nature of these people,
• 3:12:09
  you will understand how the phenomena are produced. Of course, the majority of
• 3:12:15
  professional hypnotists deny this, and make great claims that their subjects belong to a
• 3:12:20
  class of people having peculiar qualities owing to ability to concentrate, et cetera.
• 3:12:28
  But every one of them knows in his heart that my above statement is true.
• 3:12:37
  Those who have had the opportunity of personal acquaintance with these subjects. Know
• 3:12:41
  that they all come under the above classification, with the exception of those persons
• 3:12:48
  known as horses, the name which the professional hypnotists give to people who travel
• 3:12:54
  around as professional subjects and to play their parts just as any other actor does.
• 3:13:03
  These horses are trained to go through their parts and also to serve as
• 3:13:07
  bellwethers or leaders of the flock of harper impressionables who are taken from the audience.
• 3:13:16
  I know just what I am talking about when I make this statement,
• 3:13:22
  notwithstanding the commonly accepted opinion of the uninformed public to the effect that the prize
• 3:13:28
  subjects are just the average run of folks. Now, let us attend an
• 3:13:35
  imaginary public hypnomic performance in order to form a clear understanding of the matter,
• 3:13:43
  an inquiry into certain phenomena, and now for our public hypnotic performance. Take
• 3:13:52
  your seats please the hypnotic performance, the audience is seated and the hypnotist appears.
• 3:14:05
  He makes a nice little introductory speech in which he gives the history of
• 3:14:09
  hypnotism and mesmerism. He avoids the scientific side of the subject, except such
• 3:14:16
  parts of it as served to arouse the interest of the audience. He points
• 3:14:24
  out to the audience that the commonly accepted opinion of the subjects being weak,
• 3:14:28
  willed, et cetera, is erroneous, and that so far from this being
• 3:14:35
  the fact no one accepts persons having will power and the ability to concentrate may
• 3:14:41
  be hypnotized. He mentions the time worn tale that idiots and insane people and
• 3:14:50
  very young children are not amenable to hypnotic influence, and from these things he
• 3:14:58
  draws the moral that the abel to be hypnotized is an honor and a proof
• 3:15:03
  of one's strong mentality, rather than otherwise. This, of course flatters the
• 3:15:11
  hyper impressionables, who always flock to a public hypnotic performance, being drawn there
• 3:15:18
  by their love of the curious and the fascination that such exhibitions seem to have
• 3:15:24
  for these people. The call for subjects, the hypnotist then calls for volunteer
• 3:15:33
  subjects. The audience does not seem to be in a hurry to respond,
• 3:15:39
  although some are found to be fidgeting in their chairs, and a few almost
• 3:15:45
  rise from their seats as if to go forward. The hypnotist encourages and commands,
• 3:15:52
  come on, come on, now, write up this way come right
• 3:15:58
  up, et cetera, and the inclination to come forward grows stronger. Then
• 3:16:05
  a young man starts forward with a rush, and then another from the other
• 3:16:09
  side of the house. Then maybe a third or a fourth, and then
• 3:16:15
  comes the grand rush. These first people to move forward are usually the paid
• 3:16:20
  performers who travel with the hypnotists, and their coming to the front starts up
• 3:16:26
  the impressionables and hyper impressionables among the audience, and perhaps a few curiosity seekers.
• 3:16:37
  These paid performers act as bellweathers for the flock of human sheep, testing
• 3:16:43
  and selecting subjects. The volunteer subjects, including the paid ones, are now
• 3:16:52
  grouped around the back of the stage in a large semicircle, and then the
• 3:16:56
  hypnotist proceeds to test them. He usually starts off by bidding the semicircle gaze
• 3:17:05
  at their hands or upon some bright object placed in their fingers. After they
• 3:17:11
  have quieted down and have been rendered passive and attentive, he calls them one
• 3:17:16
  by one to the front and gives them a test for impressionability. He usually
• 3:17:24
  begins with the paid subjects, for he knows just what they will do and
• 3:17:30
  to their actions have a powerful impression on the others. Along the lines of
• 3:17:33
  imitative suggestion. He usually tries the falling backward and forward test, and perhaps
• 3:17:43
  the fastening of the hands or some other simple muscular test. Those who respond
• 3:17:50
  readily to these tests are accepted and instructed to sit down again, while those
• 3:17:58
  who fail to respond are told that they are not needed and resumed their places
• 3:18:03
  in the audience. The hypnotist must have reasonably sure things to work upon for
• 3:18:09
  his success upon producing a quick result, and he cannot afford to devote the
• 3:18:16
  time to developing subjects that the experimenter in the laboratory does. Finally, he
• 3:18:24
  has weeded the goats from the sheep, the former being retired to the audience,
• 3:18:30
  and the latter exalted to places of honor on the stage, having successfully
• 3:18:35
  passed their initiation and now being accepted subjects. The story of the paid subjects
• 3:18:46
  now just a moment here About the paid subjects. Some of them are genuine
• 3:18:52
  hyper impressionables who are fascinated by the mysterious nature of the business and fathers by
• 3:19:00
  the position of prominence given them in the performance, and to travel around with
• 3:19:05
  the hypnotist on a small salary and board paid the horses are different kinds of
• 3:19:13
  people. They are out for the money alone and are generally fakirs all the
• 3:19:20
  way through. They have trained themselves to stand pain and to allow needles to
• 3:19:26
  be thrust through their cheeks and similar rough treatment to be accorded them. They
• 3:19:33
  learn to act out their parts with a surprising degree of ability in some cases,
• 3:19:39
  and many of them in time graduate into the cheaper grade of variety actors,
• 3:19:45
  and a few mount even higher up and develop genuine talent as actors.
• 3:19:52
  The majority of them, however, belonged to the cigarette type of youth who
• 3:19:58
  is out for a good time and who is glad to play his part in
• 3:20:03
  the performance for his board traveling expenses, cigarette money, a little loose change,
• 3:20:09
  and the cheap notoriety of public performance. Some of the more expert of
• 3:20:16
  them demand and receive larger salaries as they advance in the scale, and a
• 3:20:22
  few star performers in the business receive quite good salaries and to earn it too.
• 3:20:31
  These horses often display considerable ability in the line of suggestion and really lead
• 3:20:37
  the volunteer subjects through their acts, the latter obeying the line of least resistance
• 3:20:45
  along the general lines of imitative suggestion. These star performers among the horses are
• 3:20:52
  often just as expert hypnotists as their employers, and consequently much of the success
• 3:21:01
  of the entertainment is due to their efforts producing sleep. The next stage of
• 3:21:11
  the performance is to induce sleep in the subjects. This is done by first
• 3:21:16
  inducing fixation of the eyelids along the lines of muscular control of which I have
• 3:21:24
  spoken. Then suggestions of sleep are given by the hypnotists, such as,
• 3:21:31
  you are getting drowsy, drowsy, drowsy, your eyelids are heavy, heavy,
• 3:21:39
  heavy as lead, you are falling asleep, falling asleep, et cetera.
• 3:21:48
  And soon the heads of the horses and the hyper impressionables are nodding.
• 3:21:54
  The impressionables who are not affected by the sleep suggestions are sorted out and sent
• 3:22:01
  back to the audience, until there is left only the horses and hyper impressionables,
• 3:22:07
  including the paid performers among the latter, as well as those who have
• 3:22:13
  volunteered. Then the hypnotist has obtained that what he has tried for, he
• 3:22:22
  has a circle of hyper impressionables and horses who will accept every suggestion that he
• 3:22:28
  may give them, and be responsive to every demand upon their negative imagination that
• 3:22:33
  he may induce in them the day dream condition. But are they not really
• 3:22:43
  asleep, you may ask, No, they are not asleep. Their condition
• 3:22:50
  is one of a drowsy day dreamy state, such as many of us have
• 3:22:54
  felt when lost in revere or absent mindedness. They have had the feeling of
• 3:23:01
  drowsiness induced in them by the suggestions and influence of the hypnotist, and have
• 3:23:09
  had their negative imagination acted upon by him until they are in a state of
• 3:23:13
  day's day dream. They know what is going on about them and to realize
• 3:23:20
  the illusion which they are acting out, but are so passive that their imagination
• 3:23:26
  is partially beyond their own control and is induced and managed by the hypnotist through
• 3:23:33
  his positive imagination and his suggestions. It is a queer state. I have
• 3:23:39
  talked with many of these people, and I think I have measured the mental
• 3:23:43
  state existing in them. They are living in two worlds. Their wills are
• 3:23:50
  passive, and the negative imagination or fancy is most active and under the control
• 3:23:58
  of the hypnotist. The playing bear explanation, an illustration that I have used
• 3:24:07
  in some of my lectures on this subject, may give you a clearer idea
• 3:24:11
  of the matter. It is as follows. A party of children are playing
• 3:24:18
  bear. One of them is the bear and goes growling, wagging his head
• 3:24:24
  and showing his teeth in a ferocious manner. The other children pretend to be
• 3:24:30
  frightened, but after a bit they induced in themselves a feeling of real terror.
• 3:24:37
  The assumed becomes almost real to them. Children have very vivid negative imaginations
• 3:24:45
  and often suffer great torture by foolish suggestions of Boogeyman, big bear, catch
• 3:24:52
  you, something will grab you when you go upstairs, et cetera. An
• 3:24:58
  understanding of suggestion which show the folly and criminality of such things. The terror
• 3:25:05
  among the children grows more acute, and tears mingle with laughter as they run
• 3:25:11
  from the bear. At last, one of the youngest runs with a shriek
• 3:25:18
  to its mother and buries its little face in her lap, crying out,
• 3:25:22
  make him go away. Why that isn't a bear, Mary, that's only
• 3:25:30
  Johnny dressed up like one, says the mother, endeavoring to quite the little
• 3:25:35
  one. Yes, I know it is, sobs little Mary, venturing a
• 3:25:41
  frightened glance behind her, But I'm scared anyhow, Well, that is the
• 3:25:48
  condition of the hyper impressionable, who is hypnotized. He knows it's only Johnny,
• 3:25:56
  but he is scared anyhow. It is not all a make believe,
• 3:26:03
  as some radical iconoclastic investigators have affirmed. It's half real and half unreal.
• 3:26:11
  The hypnotized taper impressionable is not a fakir or a willful deceiver. He is
• 3:26:18
  a make believe whose illusion seems half real, or even more so, although
• 3:26:24
  less than half in some cases, the degree of reality varying with the degree
• 3:26:30
  of impressionability on the one hand, and the vividness of the negative imagination on
• 3:26:35
  the other, opposing views reconciled. I have gone into this matter of the
• 3:26:43
  mental state of the genuine hypnotic subject rather fully for the reason that the statements
• 3:26:50
  of the two schools of investigators are diametrically opposed to each other on the subject.
• 3:26:56
  The old school of mesmerists and hypnotists insists that the subjects are in a
• 3:27:03
  true sleep condition and are absolutely oblivious to all that goes around them outside of
• 3:27:09
  their allusions that they are acting out dreams suggested to them. The new school
• 3:27:16
  of suggestion, on the other hand, claims that the subjects are wide awake
• 3:27:20
  as usual and merely acquiesce in the suggestions made them, just as they would
• 3:27:28
  in any other and are fully conscious of what they are doing and are make
• 3:27:33
  believe all the way through, from beginning to end. I think that my
• 3:27:39
  theory or explanation will supply the reconciliation or missing link between these two opposing views,
• 3:27:48
  and I believe that it will meet with the approval of many, who,
• 3:27:54
  like myself, have had the opportunity of examining these people and getting close
• 3:27:58
  to the heart part of the matter. It is true that many of these
• 3:28:03
  subjects will tell you that they were totally unconscious of what they were doing,
• 3:28:09
  but that is because in so doing they are carrying out the suggestions expressed or
• 3:28:15
  implied of the hypnotist, who tells them that they are hypnotized and know nothing
• 3:28:22
  else. A funny thing about these subjects is that each one of them thinks
• 3:28:28
  that he is the only one who was half awake, and that all of
• 3:28:33
  his companions were completely under the influence. Remember now, I am now talking
• 3:28:41
  of transconditions, which belong to another phase on the subject. Nor am I
• 3:28:46
  talking about the horses on the stage who are fakirs all the way through,
• 3:28:52
  although contributing much to the interest and action of the show, my description of
• 3:28:58
  the men of the subject applies only to the genuine cases of hyper impressionability in
• 3:29:05
  the day dream state the hypnotic show. I shall not take up your time
• 3:29:13
  and space by describing the many features of the public hypnotic performance, the barbershop
• 3:29:18
  scene, the balloon trip, the baseball game, the hive of bees,
• 3:29:24
  the school session, as the thousands of variations shown by the many hypnotic exhibitors
• 3:29:30
  and performers, some of whom are artists in their line and show a wonderful
• 3:29:37
  ability in the direction of making their performances interesting and akin to a vaudeville show.
• 3:29:46
  Nearly everyone who reads these lines has seen a performance of this sort and
• 3:29:50
  will know to what I refer. Their principle is the same in all of
• 3:29:56
  these acts or performances. The horses and the hyper impressionables, except the suggestions
• 3:30:05
  and the latter, are also impressed by the hypnotist's positive imagination acting upon their
• 3:30:11
  negative imagination through mental currents by induction. But even the most startling and complicated
• 3:30:20
  experiments are but combinations of the experiments in induced sensation mentioned in chapter nine of
• 3:30:28
  this book raised to a superlative degree by means of induced imagination. The experiments
• 3:30:37
  I have given you, and others of the same kind, are the building
• 3:30:41
  blocks by which the mismatic structures are built. The style, variety, decoration,
• 3:30:48
  and stability depending upon the art of the operator or manager. There are
• 3:30:54
  many books on stage hypnotism that instruct the performer in constructing effective scenes. It
• 3:31:01
  is a matter of stage art rather than of scientific knowledge. The successful hypnotist
• 3:31:11
  must be a man of strong suggestive ability when able to focus his force in
• 3:31:16
  his tones, and also of strong active, positive imagination, and thus able
• 3:31:24
  to form a clear, vivid mental picture of the scene he wishes to be
• 3:31:28
  enacted on the stage before him. By forming this mental picture, and by
• 3:31:35
  using his will to project and focus his menative energy upon the subjects, he
• 3:31:41
  is able to induce in them the feelings and daydreams desired. His success as
• 3:31:48
  an entertainer, of course, requires ability as an originator of scenes et cetera,
• 3:31:54
  which have nothing whatever to do with his ability as a hypnotist. When
• 3:32:01
  both qualities are combined, the man comes to the front as a financial success.
• 3:32:09
  While the above has dealt solely with public performances of hypnotism. Still,
• 3:32:13
  the principles called into play in the private psychological experimental work are the same.
• 3:32:22
  In the latter, there is no audience to be entertained, and much more
• 3:32:26
  time may be devoted to developing a subject and producing interesting phenomena, and the
• 3:32:33
  horses are eliminated the dangers of psychism. In the preceding chapters, I have
• 3:32:41
  gone into the subject of the rationale of mesmerism for the purpose of pointing out
• 3:32:46
  to you that the phenomena of mesmerism and hypnotism is not dependent upon sleep conditions,
• 3:32:54
  but may be readily produced by mental fascination, pure and simple, without
• 3:32:58
  any attempt to bring about the sleep which is publicly associated with the phenomena.
• 3:33:05
  I have not only pointed out the general principles underlying this subject, but have
• 3:33:11
  given in detail the technique and methods whereby the phenomena may be produced by any
• 3:33:16
  experimenter. The methods given therein are the ones in constant use in the leading
• 3:33:22
  psychological experimental laboratories of this and other countries, and the results mentioned may be
• 3:33:28
  duplicated by any person who will put into operation the principles mentioned why the information
• 3:33:35
  is imparted. But I wish to state that my primary object in imparting the
• 3:33:41
  said information was not that the students of the book must necessarily undertake a series
• 3:33:46
  of psychological experiments, but principally that they might understand the power and force of
• 3:33:54
  the mental principle known as mental fascination, and see its practical operation in all
• 3:34:00
  of its varied phases. I wish them to know the experiments in the psychological
• 3:34:05
  laboratory, the performance of the public mesmerist or hypnotist, and the use of
• 3:34:11
  mental influence in business and every day life that we see in operation around us
• 3:34:16
  on all sides and at all times, or all phases of the same underlying
• 3:34:20
  principle. I wish to show them the oneness in essence of all these varying
• 3:34:26
  phases of operation of this great mental principle certain phases mentioned. There is one
• 3:34:33
  phase of mesmeric or hypnotic phenomena, however, that I have omitted. I
• 3:34:39
  shall call your attention to this briefly, that you may know that I have
• 3:34:43
  not overlooked the same, and also that you may recognize my reasons for not
• 3:34:46
  going into detail regarding this class of phenomena I allude to the so called higher
• 3:34:52
  phases of mesmeric or hypnotic phenomena, the various forms of the trance condition.
• 3:35:00
  The abnormal conditions this trance phenomena, whether produced by mesmeric processes or by other
• 3:35:07
  means, are abnormal, unhealthy, and undesirable phases of mental condition. I
• 3:35:13
  cannot speak too strongly against the encouragement of an instruction in the development. I
• 3:35:18
  had almost said the devil openment of these abnormal states, either by self practice
• 3:35:24
  or by means of hypnotic or mesmeric practices. It is high time that someone
• 3:35:30
  should call the attention of the public to the dangers of this so called psychism.
• 3:35:35
  I know positively that this psychism is not the desirable thing that it is
• 3:35:39
  supposed to be. I know also that it is very far from true occult
• 3:35:45
  development. This psychism, when compared with true occultism, is but as the
• 3:35:50
  baleful glare of the moon, as contrasted with the bright, warm, life
• 3:35:54
  giving rays of the sun. This false occultism, which is not of ocultism
• 3:36:00
  at all, but as merely psychism, has deluded many into its fold and
• 3:36:05
  has led its followers onto planes which are akin to mental quagmires and swamps.
• 3:36:11
  Following the ignis fatuus or will of the wisp of psychism, the antiquity of
• 3:36:18
  the practices. Nearly all races of men have discovered that there are means possible
• 3:36:22
  to people whereby they may produce in themselves abnormal conditions known as the trance,
• 3:36:30
  and men from the dim past to the present time have seen fit to indulge
• 3:36:35
  in these deplorable practices. The means by which these states are obtained are various,
• 3:36:41
  the favorite methods being the gazing at a bright object, of fixing the
• 3:36:46
  gaze at the root of the nose, staring at the umbilichis, staring at
• 3:36:50
  a drop of ink, inhaling vapors, listening to weird music, et cetera,
• 3:36:56
  et cetera. Much back occultism, which is really psychism, depends upon
• 3:37:01
  these methods for its results, manifestations, and phenomena. The Hindu Fakirs and
• 3:37:07
  the Arab dervishes indulge freely in these methods and produce results which, while highly
• 3:37:13
  esteemed by themselves, are viewed with discussed horror and repulsion by true occultis of
• 3:37:20
  all lands, including of course, the real Hindu yogis, the Persian sufis,
• 3:37:26
  both of which last mentioned bodies of Oriental occultists regard these practices as harmful
• 3:37:31
  and the phenomena resulting therefrom as bogus and misleading Western fallacies, and much of
• 3:37:39
  the latter day Western psychism is also based upon the same practices and brings about
• 3:37:45
  like results. In this connection, I would say that some of the practices
• 3:37:50
  adopted by some of the New thought people belong to this class. I have
• 3:37:54
  seen methods advised for going into the silence, in which the student is advised
• 3:38:00
  to focus his gaze on the root of his nose, etc. Which is
• 3:38:03
  the identical method used by Braid to produce hypnotic conditions, and which is also
• 3:38:09
  used by the Hindu fakirs to produce trance conditions. Is it not time that
• 3:38:16
  the truth regarding these things should be known low states, not high conditions.
• 3:38:22
  These self induced abnormal conditions may also be produced by hypnotic methods by leading the
• 3:38:28
  subject into the deeper stages, which some authority speak of as if they were
• 3:38:33
  highly spiritual, but which are nothing more than the miserable, abnormal, deplorable
• 3:38:39
  transconditions just referred to. These conditions may be produced by hypnotic methods simply because
• 3:38:46
  any mental state may be so produced, and not because of any mystic process
• 3:38:52
  or knowledge or connection. Let us take another hasty glance at the so called
• 3:38:58
  sleep conditions of hypnotism that we may get a clear idea of the subject the
• 3:39:03
  sleep delusion. In the first place, there is no real sleep condition.
• 3:39:09
  Let us say why this is well. To start from a beginning, much
• 3:39:15
  of the sleep does not exist at all. In some cases, the subject
• 3:39:18
  merely acquiesces in the suggestion that he is asleep, and then he acts out
• 3:39:24
  the suggestion, just as he would act out any suggestion. He plays out
• 3:39:28
  his part. That's all. This phase is far more common than the majority
• 3:39:33
  of students of hypnotism are aware of. They hear the subject say that he
• 3:39:37
  was asleep and did not remember a thing that was said to him or what
• 3:39:41
  he did. But all of this is merely in the line of acquiescence and
• 3:39:46
  playing the part, which fact has been positively proven by advanced experimenters. But
• 3:39:52
  there are other stages of sleep. The next in order is the daydream stage,
• 3:39:58
  which I have described as the playing phase. Even this is not true
• 3:40:03
  sleep, but a condition resembling a day dream. It is in this stage
• 3:40:07
  that the majority of instances of hypnotic phenomena are produced. Sometimes the day dream
• 3:40:13
  becomes very deep, and the transcondition is almost reached, but still it is
• 3:40:18
  not sleep, as the word is generally used. Hypnotic trances deplored. Next
• 3:40:26
  in order come the several stages of the condition which hypnotists speak of as deep
• 3:40:31
  sleep conditions, but which I state positively are nothing more or less than the
• 3:40:37
  well known transconditions into which people of all nations and times have plunged themselves by
• 3:40:43
  the methods before mentioned. The only difference is that the operator induces the condition
• 3:40:48
  by mental influence and suggestion, just as he would induce any other mental state,
• 3:40:54
  instead of the subject inducing it in himself. It is the same old,
• 3:40:58
  abnormal, harmful practice in another guise, and anything that is said against
• 3:41:03
  the self induced condition is equally applicable to the operator induced one. They are
• 3:41:09
  the same thing, well meaning practices. I shall not describe the conditions at
• 3:41:18
  further length, nor shall I give any instruction in the production of them.
• 3:41:22
  I consider them essentially harmful, and my object in speaking of them here is
• 3:41:28
  to warn off and caution anyone from allowing themselves to be placed in this condition
• 3:41:33
  by experimenters. The practice is weakening to the will for the reason that it
• 3:41:39
  depends upon tiring out the will by straining the eyes or other organs of sense.
• 3:41:45
  Practitioners of mental influence in all ages have recognized this fact and have employed
• 3:41:50
  objects calculated to tire out the will. Bright objects to stare at and thus
• 3:41:56
  tire out the sense of sight have been employed. Monotonous sounds ending in are
• 3:42:03
  used in the Orientals to tire out the sense of hearing by its monotonous and
• 3:42:07
  soothing sound. Vapors and perfumes and incense are used to overcome the sense of
• 3:42:13
  smell, all tending to tire out the will and to reduce it to a
• 3:42:18
  passive, non resisting stage. Then, when the will has been rendered passive
• 3:42:24
  or tired, the mind becomes receptive and impressionable, and in extreme cases becomes
• 3:42:31
  as wax in the hands of the operator. Remember these things, students,
• 3:42:35
  and you will see this principle called into operation many times in unexpected places.
• 3:42:41
  Beware of the methods that tend to drug the will. Psychism like a poisonous
• 3:42:48
  cobra. Let me urge upon you to avoid psychism. Put it away from
• 3:42:54
  you as you would a poisonous cobra, for it seeks to strike at the
• 3:42:58
  heart of your will, and would thus paralyze your mentality. Beware of all
• 3:43:03
  that tends to make you weak. Beware of the claims of soul development or
• 3:43:09
  spiritual unfoldment that are accompanied by these methods, for they are but psychism masquerading
• 3:43:15
  as occultism or spiritual philosophy. Remember my test, does this make me strong?
• 3:43:22
  Apply the touchstone, and then govern yourself accordingly. This is a word
• 3:43:28
  to the wise, Heed it the proof. Concluding this part of the subject,
• 3:43:33
  I would say that if any of you are disposed to question the correctness
• 3:43:39
  of my above statement, then you have but to examine the types of psychic
• 3:43:43
  seen on all sides. Are they not all hyper impressionable, excessively sensitive,
• 3:43:48
  neurotic, hysterical, passive negative people. Do they not become as mere psychic
• 3:43:56
  harps upon which the passing mental reasons play produces weird sounds? Remember now I
• 3:44:03
  am speaking of genuine psychics, not the bogus psychics who are out for the
• 3:44:07
  money and who are a shrewd, cunning lot, far from being impressionable,
• 3:44:11
  and in reality using their mesmeric power to impress and influence the credulous persons coming
• 3:44:18
  under their influence. I am not alluding to these people, but to the
• 3:44:22
  poor, frail willed negative sensitives, who are as impressionable as the photographer's negative,
• 3:44:31
  and to whom also the development means but the bringing out of impressions from
• 3:44:35
  outside. I pray you be a human positive, not a human negative.
• 3:44:43
  Oriental fascination. At this point, I wish to call your attention to a
• 3:44:48
  feature of the subject that has received but scant attention at the hands of Western
• 3:44:52
  writers. I allude to the wonderful manifestations of mental fascination displayed by some one
• 3:45:00
  of the magicians of the Orient, particularly of India and Persia. These feats
• 3:45:05
  are being performed today in those lands and are equal to any of the wonderful
• 3:45:09
  instances related of the ancient Persian and Egyptian magicians mental fascination in the East.
• 3:45:18
  Without going in to an extended consideration of the subject in question, I will
• 3:45:24
  mention a few of the recorded instances of mental fascination among the Oriental people,
• 3:45:30
  in order to give you an idea of the degree of power possible to an
• 3:45:33
  adept in the practice of mental influence. One writer describes an exhibition of this
• 3:45:39
  kind in India, witnessed by himself. The writer was a profound skeptic who
• 3:45:45
  believed that it was all hanky panky along the lines of sleight of hand or
• 3:45:50
  similar methods. That is, he so believed until he actually witnessed the demonstration.
• 3:45:56
  He goes on to relate that the magician was a native Hindu of dignified
• 3:46:01
  and imposing appearance, surrounded by a number of assistants of his own race,
• 3:46:07
  the serpent feet. The magician seated himself on the ground with several jars,
• 3:46:13
  boxes, implements, and other paraphernalia before him. He opened the seance by
• 3:46:18
  the production of a number of tiny snakes, which he lifted from one of
• 3:46:22
  the boxes and placed on the ground before him in full sight of the audience.
• 3:46:28
  After allowing the latter to examine the serpents and thereby satisfy themselves regarding their
• 3:46:33
  reality, an English naturalist present identified the snakes as belonging to a well known
• 3:46:39
  native variety. The magician then began a slow, mournful, droning, monotonous
• 3:46:46
  song, the predominant sound of which was um like the droning of a bumblebee
• 3:46:56
  or a distant sawmill. The snakes reared themselves up and move their heads from
• 3:47:01
  side to side at the sound of the chant, the magician touching them softly
• 3:47:05
  with his wand from time to time to the eyes of the audience, the
• 3:47:09
  snakes seemed to gradually grow from their original tiny proportions, until finally they appeared
• 3:47:16
  as immense boa constrictors, which caused great alarm among the audience, both Englishmen
• 3:47:22
  and native The magician bade the audience remain quiet and assure them that there was
• 3:47:28
  no danger. Then he reversed the process, and the snakes were seen to
• 3:47:33
  gradually decrease in size until they vanished from sight altogether, the vanishing Hindu.
• 3:47:41
  The next act was equally as wonderful. The magician placed one of his assistants
• 3:47:46
  in the center of a circle described on the sand, and with appropriate gestures
• 3:47:52
  and ceremony, went through some magical incantation. The boy was then seen to
• 3:47:56
  spin around faster and faster like a large type, and then began to gradually
• 3:48:01
  ascend in the air, still spinning around until he vanished from sight. Then
• 3:48:07
  the magician reversed the process and brought him down from the aerial heights, the
• 3:48:11
  boy appearing like a small speck at first, gradually growing larger as he neared
• 3:48:16
  the earth, until he stood before the audience, bowing and smiling. The
• 3:48:22
  mango feet. The next act was the placing of some mango seeds in the
• 3:48:28
  sand, building a tiny hillock around them. The magician then began his chant
• 3:48:33
  and waved his hands over the hillock. In a moment, a tiny shoot
• 3:48:37
  was seen to appear, and then a little bush, which gradually grew up
• 3:48:41
  until a mature mango tree was seen bearing leaves. The blossoms were seen,
• 3:48:46
  and the ripe fruit appeared, which was passed among the audience. Then reversing
• 3:48:52
  the process, the tree disappeared gradually, and at the end, the magician
• 3:48:56
  dug up the original seeds and showed them to his audience, and wonderful to
• 3:49:01
  relate. The fruit that had been distributed among the people also disappeared. The
• 3:49:09
  rope feet. The concluding act was as startling as those preceding it. The
• 3:49:15
  magician produced a coil of real rope, which was passed around for examination.
• 3:49:20
  Then he knotted one end of it and then tossed the knot into the air.
• 3:49:24
  The rope rapidly uncoiled itself, and the knot was seen away up in
• 3:49:28
  the air and still ascending. When the rope was completely uncoiled and the end
• 3:49:35
  left dangling on the ground as if supported by some hook holding the knotted in
• 3:49:39
  hundreds of feet in the air, one of the assistants approached the rope and
• 3:49:45
  took hold of it. At a shout from the magician, he began climbing
• 3:49:48
  rapidly up the rope and in a short time disappeared from view after appearing as
• 3:49:54
  a tiny speck in the air. Then at another word from the magician,
• 3:49:58
  the rope itself flew up in the air and vanished from sight the test and
• 3:50:05
  explanation this concluded the performance, but here is a remarkable sequel. An Englishman
• 3:50:13
  present took a snapshot with a pocket camera just as the boy began to climb
• 3:50:16
  the rope. When the negative was developed, there was no trace of rope
• 3:50:20
  boy or anything else appertaining to the manifestation. Even the magician was absent from
• 3:50:28
  the center of the scene and was shown on the plate as sitting down on
• 3:50:31
  one side with an amused smile on his face. This fact demonstrated that which
• 3:50:39
  similar tests have also proven i e. That the facts were not really performed
• 3:50:45
  at all, but were simply illusions produced by impressions upon the minds of the
• 3:50:50
  audience. In fact, they were examples of mental magic along the phase of
• 3:50:56
  mental fascination and arising from concentrated will and visualization of mental images transmitted by mentative
• 3:51:05
  currents and acting by mentative induction. I shall give you another proof of this
• 3:51:09
  in a moment or two, after I have related a few more instances of
• 3:51:13
  this wonderful manifestation of mental influence. A wonderful man. Another writer, a
• 3:51:22
  correspondent of an American paper, relates that he was once on a steamer plying
• 3:51:26
  up one of the rivers in India, when at a stopping place there scrambled
• 3:51:31
  up the side as nimbly as a monkey, a native Hindu, clad only
• 3:51:37
  in a loin cloth and having a tight rolled red bundle fastened at the back
• 3:51:41
  of his neck to keep it safe from the water while swimming from shore.
• 3:51:46
  There was nothing about the man to distinguish him from the ordinary fakirs, but
• 3:51:50
  he soon showed his quality his startling feats. Passing along the deck, he
• 3:51:56
  picked up a ball of thin rope which was lying there and unwinding an end,
• 3:52:01
  He nootted it and tossed the knot up in the air, where it
• 3:52:03
  ascended rapidly, unwinding the ball, until the whole of the rope disappeared in
• 3:52:09
  the air, just as in the instance previously related. Then, passing a
• 3:52:13
  sailor who was holding in his hand a broken cocoanut shell containing the liquid or
• 3:52:18
  water of the nut, he lifted the shell from his hand, and holding
• 3:52:22
  it high up over a ship's bucket standing near by, he emptied the liquid
• 3:52:26
  until it filled the bucket, and repeated the process upon another bucket, and
• 3:52:31
  so on, until twelve buckets had been filled from the half cocoanut shell.
• 3:52:37
  Then he picked up one of the buckets filled with the liquid, and holding
• 3:52:41
  it in his hand, he caused it to gradually shrink until it completely disappeared.
• 3:52:46
  Then a moment later he exhibited a tiny speck in his hand, which
• 3:52:50
  gradually grew until it was again the bucket of water filled to the brim with
• 3:52:54
  the liquid, which he then poured out on the deck. A strain occurrence.
• 3:53:01
  Witnessing the strange performance was a young mother with her babe beside her,
• 3:53:05
  and a young nurse girl several feet away. To her horror, the mother
• 3:53:09
  then beheld the nurse girl rising a few feet in the air and moving rapidly
• 3:53:15
  toward the babe, reaching down for the infant as she glided over it,
• 3:53:18
  and then rising high into the air with the child clasped in her arms,
• 3:53:22
  until both were lost in the clouds. The mother burst into frantic cries and
• 3:53:28
  shrieks and gazed upward, and as she gazed, she saw a fleecy cloud
• 3:53:33
  appear, which gradually took the shape of the nurse girl, who grew larger
• 3:53:37
  and larger as she descended, until she finally reached the deck again and handed
• 3:53:41
  the babe to the rejoiced mother. The mother, after clasping her babe close
• 3:53:46
  to her bosom, cried out, how dare you take my child away?
• 3:53:50
  When, to her surprise, the girl answered, why, ma'am. The
• 3:53:54
  baby has been asleep all the time and I have not touched him. And
• 3:53:58
  then the Fakir smiled and said, mem Saib has been dreaming strange things.
• 3:54:05
  It was merely an instance of mental impression of a remarkable degree of power produced
• 3:54:11
  by the will and mental imagery of the Fakir and his previous feats were also
• 3:54:16
  so performed wonders upon wonders, But this was only the beginning. The fakir
• 3:54:24
  then untied his red bundle, and extracting therefrom a cocoanut, he exhibited it
• 3:54:28
  to the passengers, passing it around for inspection. Then placing the nut on
• 3:54:33
  the end of a bamboo stick and balancing it there, he commanded it in
• 3:54:39
  Hindi to spout as a fountain, and immediately a great jet of water sprang
• 3:54:43
  from it, falling over the deck in great showers. He then caused it
• 3:54:50
  to stop flowing, and it obeyed. Then he restarted it. This he
• 3:54:54
  repeated several times. Then he materialized a cobra from the air and caused it
• 3:55:00
  to disappear at his command, after he had terrified the passengers with it.
• 3:55:05
  Then he materialized several human forms in broad sunlight in full view of the passengers,
• 3:55:11
  and afterwards caused them to melt away gradually until they disappeared like a cloud
• 3:55:16
  of steam. Then, taking up a collection which was quite liberal, he
• 3:55:22
  jumped over the side and swam rapidly to shore. The real secret. The
• 3:55:26
  natives among the ship's passengers smiled at the wonder of the Europeans present and laughed
• 3:55:33
  at the latter's talk of jugglery or magic power, informing them that it was
• 3:55:37
  merely an instance of Hindoo mesmerism or mental influence, and that those among them
• 3:55:45
  who resisted the spell saw nothing of the phenomena except the Fakir with glistening eyes
• 3:55:50
  and every evidence of a powerful and concentrated exercise of his will. These feats
• 3:55:56
  are quite common in some parts of India, but they are known to be
• 3:56:00
  but mental illusions, for all attempts to catch the exhibition on photographic plates have
• 3:56:05
  failed, the plate showing nothing but the magician in a state of mental concentration.
• 3:56:11
  These magicians have developed the power of causing many persons at the same time
• 3:56:16
  to have the illusion of seeing, hearing, tasting, and smelling things that
• 3:56:20
  have no material existence. It is induced mental imagery in a developed degree,
• 3:56:26
  but differs only in degree from the phenomena more familiar to the Western world.
• 3:56:31
  Testimony of a Hindu sage. In this connection, I would like to add
• 3:56:37
  the testimony and explanation given to me personally by a greatly esteemed friend of mine,
• 3:56:43
  a Hindu sage traveling in this country, who, in addition to his
• 3:56:48
  oriental learning, has received the highest English education, and who is a highly
• 3:56:52
  educated man in both the Eastern and Western meanings of the terms. This gentleman
• 3:56:58
  told me that when a youth, he had witnessed exhibitions of the kind just
• 3:57:03
  related in his native land. At first he was puzzled and mystified by them,
• 3:57:09
  but his naturally scientific turn of mind caused him to seek for the solution.
• 3:57:15
  He began experimenting, and soon at least was able to classify the phenomena
• 3:57:20
  as pure mental illusion. He found that the crowd would gather close around the
• 3:57:26
  magician in order to see what was going on, Although all were required to
• 3:57:31
  keep a certain number of yards away from the wonder worker by the latter's instructions
• 3:57:35
  and requirements. My friend found that if he retreated a few yards beyond the
• 3:57:41
  outer edge of the crowd, he could see nothing but the magician, all
• 3:57:46
  the material doings disappearing. When he would join the crowd, the mystic appearances
• 3:57:52
  were again plainly seen. He tried the experiment in several ways with the same
• 3:57:58
  result. Then he tried to riskuee and pushed nearer to the magician than was
• 3:58:03
  allowable, and with the same result. In short, the influence was confined
• 3:58:07
  to a certain area, and the mental influence was doubtless increased by the contagion
• 3:58:13
  of the different minds in the crowd. My friend tested the well known mango
• 3:58:18
  feet and the rope disappearing feat as related in these pages in this way,
• 3:58:24
  and was determined that they came well under the rule of mental illusion, instead
• 3:58:31
  of being an occurrence defying the established laws of nature. The testimony of this
• 3:58:37
  gentleman corroborated the opinion that I had already formed to that effect, which opinion
• 3:58:41
  agrees with that of the best authorities. An erroneous Western idea. In closing
• 3:58:50
  this chapter, I wished to point out to the students of the work an
• 3:58:52
  erroneous idea that has crept into some of the Western works along the lines of
• 3:58:58
  hypnotism, its das, et cetera, and which I shall now mention and
• 3:59:01
  explain. The Hindu magicians or mesmerists frequently sit in a squatting position during their
• 3:59:09
  enchantments, droning a monotonous soothing chant as has been described, and at the
• 3:59:16
  same time moving the body from the waist upward in a circling twisting motion from
• 3:59:22
  the hips at the same time fixing their gaze firmly upon their audience. This
• 3:59:28
  motion in twisting is merely an accompaniment to the droning chant, akin to the
• 3:59:33
  motions of the Oriental dancers, who twist their bodies in a similar manner in
• 3:59:39
  rhythm to the music. The motion is merely a custom among these people and
• 3:59:43
  has nothing to do with the production of the phenomena, as all Hindu occultists
• 3:59:50
  know and will tell you. In fact, the higher magicians among the Hindus
• 3:59:54
  do nothing of the sort, but maintain a dignified, calm standing position,
• 4:00:00
  or the firm yogi seat, in which the body is evenly and firmly poised
• 4:00:05
  in a position of dignified rest, the hands resting on the lap, the
• 4:00:09
  back of one hand in the palm of the other. A foolish idea.
• 4:00:16
  All native Hindus understand the above matter, but Western visitors jump at the conclusion
• 4:00:22
  that this gyrating circling of the body from the hips has something to do with
• 4:00:26
  the power manifested. And as I have said, some of the Western works
• 4:00:33
  on the subject have gone into considerable detail regarding this wonderful Oriental hypnotism, which
• 4:00:39
  they assert is accomplished because of this twisting of the body. They might just
• 4:00:43
  as well point out some physical trick of motion of each leading Western hypnotists and
• 4:00:50
  assert that the motion was the secret of his power. I do not think
• 4:00:54
  that further common is necessary in this case. The motions and attitudes, etc.
• 4:01:00
  Are merely part of the setting of the piece, or possibly bits of
• 4:01:03
  stage business designed to heighten the impression of mystery. That's all Oriental methods of
• 4:01:11
  developing power. I've been informed by an authority whose word is entitled to the
• 4:01:16
  greatest respect, and who has spent many years in India and other Oriental countries,
• 4:01:20
  that the following method is used by these Oriental magicians in developing within themselves
• 4:01:26
  the power to create these strong mental images in the minds of those witnessing their
• 4:01:31
  performances. The magician starts when a youth and practices mental imagery in his own
• 4:01:37
  mind. This process is akin to visualization. As mentioned by me in my
• 4:01:43
  work on mental magic. The magician at first uses his will in an endeavor
• 4:01:48
  to form a clear and distinct mental image of some familiar object arose, for
• 4:01:54
  instance. He practices until he is able to actually see the thing before him.
• 4:02:00
  In his mind's eye, just as certain eminent painters have acquired the faculty
• 4:02:05
  of visualizing the faces of persons they meet, so that they can reproduce them
• 4:02:09
  on canvas without further sittings. Superlative sense induction attained, then the magician experiments
• 4:02:20
  upon larger objects, and then upon groups of objects, and so on to
• 4:02:24
  more complex pictures. After years of constant experimentation and practice, a few of
• 4:02:31
  those undertaking the work find themselves able to picture any of the scenes described in
• 4:02:37
  this chapter as feats. That is, they are able to clearly picture them
• 4:02:41
  in their own minds, And this being accomplished, the magician is able,
• 4:02:46
  by his highly developed concentrated will, to project the mental image into the mind
• 4:02:52
  of those around him. It is the sense induction described by me in this
• 4:02:56
  work, only raised to a much higher degree of manifestation. Oriental versus occidental.
• 4:03:05
  The people of the West will not devote the time and attention to the
• 4:03:09
  cultivation of such faculties, while the Oriental will willingly give up half of his
• 4:03:13
  life for the attainment. But on the other hand, the Western man will
• 4:03:18
  devote his time to the acquirement of will power and concentration in the direction of
• 4:03:24
  becoming a ruler of men and a general of finance, each to his taste
• 4:03:30
  in temperament, and neither would trade places or power with the other. They
• 4:03:33
  are both dealing with the same force, however, as little as they realize
• 4:03:37
  it. Future impression. Now, I wish to call to your attention to
• 4:03:43
  what may be called future impression, or as the hypnotists call it, post
• 4:03:48
  hypnotism, et cetera. Future impressions are like seeds planted in the mind,
• 4:03:54
  which grow, blossom, and bear fruit at some future time. Hypnotists produce
• 4:04:01
  this phenomena by giving the subject, while in the hypnotic sleep, the suggestion
• 4:04:05
  that at a certain time, either in a few minutes or hours or days,
• 4:04:09
  he will do certain things or feel certain things. But the newer school
• 4:04:15
  of psychologists have discovered that these future impressions may be made in the ordinary receptive
• 4:04:20
  state, just as is the case with any of the other forms of mental
• 4:04:24
  impressions, and the result will be the same as that obtained by the hypnotists.
• 4:04:30
  In spite of their theories and methods the general principles, I do not
• 4:04:35
  propose going into detail regarding this class of phenomena, because all that is necessary
• 4:04:39
  to be said can be comprised in the following two statements. One that generally
• 4:04:46
  speaking, all the phenomena of the ordinary immediate mental impression may be produced as
• 4:04:52
  future impression, and two that all the phenomena of future impression produced by the
• 4:04:58
  operation on the subject may be likewise produced by auto impression of the subject,
• 4:05:05
  that is, by the subject inducing impressions in himself. How future impressions are
• 4:05:11
  given in the first of the above stated principles, the subject is merely told
• 4:05:16
  that you will do so and so at such and such a time, instead
• 4:05:20
  of do so and so now. For instance, instead of telling the impressionable
• 4:05:26
  that the chair is burning him now, you may tell him that in two
• 4:05:28
  minutes he will feel the chair burning him. The result will be similar in
• 4:05:33
  both cases. Apply the same principle to any of the mesmeric phenomena mentioned in
• 4:05:39
  previous chapters, and the result will be similar. The force of the impression,
• 4:05:43
  the degree of impressionability, etc. Will play the same part in both
• 4:05:48
  immediate impression and future impression. This principle is called into operation by suggestionists in
• 4:05:54
  treating for habits, the suggestions being given along the lines of every time you
• 4:06:00
  pick up a cigar, you will feel nauseated and will think of a disgusting
• 4:06:03
  bar room spittoon, et cetera, et cetera. It is always a case
• 4:06:07
  of you will in future impression instances from everyday life. Many foolish suggestions are
• 4:06:16
  given in everyday life along the lines of future impression, and alas many of
• 4:06:22
  them are accepted carelessly, owing to a lack of knowledge of the principle.
• 4:06:26
  How many times has it been said to an impressionable young bride, never mind,
• 4:06:31
  you'll grow tired of him after a while, et cetera. Or to
• 4:06:35
  a man, wait until the novelty wears off, and you'll see how sick
• 4:06:37
  of the job you'll get. Or you'll lose your interest and enthusiasm by and
• 4:06:43
  by, or you'll find him out after a while, and we'll see that
• 4:06:48
  he's not what he seems, and so on. You may add to these
• 4:06:52
  instances from your own experience. And too often these suggestions are recalled and have
• 4:06:58
  a tendency to cause the person to make them come true. Many fortune tellers
• 4:07:03
  prophecies have been made come true in this way by impressionable and ignorant people.
• 4:07:09
  I have given you a key to this principle. Now heed the lesson.
• 4:07:13
  If you feel that an attempt at future impression is being made on you headed
• 4:07:18
  off with a mental no, I won't. That is the antidote for the
• 4:07:22
  bane. Remember this, It may save you trouble some day. The secret
• 4:07:28
  of future auto impressions the second principle in the statement made several paragraphs further back.
• 4:07:35
  I e. That all the phenomena of future impressions may be duplicated by
• 4:07:39
  auto impression or impressions made by one's self is true and worthy of consideration.
• 4:07:46
  You make up your mind that you must awaken to catch a train at four
• 4:07:50
  tomorrow morning, and you awaken in time. You have set your mental alarm
• 4:07:54
  clock. If you have an engagement at three this afternoon, you may set
• 4:07:58
  your alarm as follows. Talking to yourself. Of course, now see here,
• 4:08:03
  Remember that you must see Smith at three this afternoon. Three three I
• 4:08:09
  say. Remember now three I say, And if you impress it sufficiently strong
• 4:08:16
  upon your mind a little before three, you will begin to feel uneasy.
• 4:08:20
  And then suddenly your Smith engagement will pop into your mind from your subconscious region,
• 4:08:24
  and you will reach out for your hat and overcoat mental alarm clock.
• 4:08:30
  Remember that tells the whole tale. The mental alarm clock. You see,
• 4:08:35
  the experimenter giving future impressions simply sets the mental alarm clock going along impressionable lines.
• 4:08:43
  He makes the mental impression and attaches it to the mental alarm clock.
• 4:08:48
  When the alarm goes off, the impression emerges into the field of consciousness and
• 4:08:52
  acts just as if it had been freshly made. That's the whole story,
• 4:08:56
  in plain homely terms self protection. But don't be frightened, you timid people.
• 4:09:03
  Remember this that you will not accept a future impression unless you would also
• 4:09:09
  accept a present impression. The degree of impressionability is the same in both cases.
• 4:09:15
  The only reason a future impression has the advantage over a present one is
• 4:09:20
  that it is more subtle, and people are not as much on guard about
• 4:09:24
  future things as they are about things to be done right now. You will
• 4:09:28
  resent an impression that you do this thing right now, while you pay but
• 4:09:33
  little attention to the earnest impression that in a year from now you will feel
• 4:09:39
  so and so about this matter, and dismiss the subject with a shrug of
• 4:09:43
  the shoulders instead of saying, at least mentally, no, I won't the
• 4:09:48
  present impression is apt to attract your attention, the more forcibly, because it
• 4:09:52
  is more apparent, while the future impression is more insinuating. But now that
• 4:09:58
  you know the facts of the you may laugh at them both and take the
• 4:10:01
  sting out of them by your little no, I won't how to kill out
• 4:10:07
  old adverse impressions. And just one word more, if you feel that you
• 4:10:11
  are harboring any future impressions made on you in the past, but upon which
• 4:10:16
  the alarm has not yet gone off, you may kill them by direct self
• 4:10:20
  impression or auto suggestions. To the contrary, That is, you may say,
• 4:10:26
  I will not act upon any adverse impressions that may have been made to
• 4:10:31
  me. I will them out of my mind. I kill them this moment
• 4:10:37
  by the power of my will, and at the same time make a mental
• 4:10:41
  picture of the impression being obliterated by the action of your will, just as
• 4:10:46
  the chalk mark is erased from the blackboard by the passing over of it of
• 4:10:50
  the eraser. Try this plan and be free. Some of you will thank
• 4:10:54
  me for this mark my words establishing amnative sinner. We now approach that part
• 4:11:01
  of this work in which each individual student is called upon to decide for himself,
• 4:11:05
  whether or not he wishes to take his place in the world as alive,
• 4:11:11
  active center of mentative energy, or whether he wishes to remain a negative,
• 4:11:16
  passive, half alive center. No matter which plan you may choose,
• 4:11:20
  you cannot avoid being a center of some kind. The question for you to
• 4:11:26
  decide is what kind of a ciner do I wish to become? Each individual
• 4:11:33
  a center. I have explained in my work on mental magic, and again
• 4:11:37
  in the first chapter of the present work, that each individual is a center
• 4:11:41
  of life, energy, and force in the great ocean of universal mentative energy.
• 4:11:48
  Each individual is a center around which revolves his own world, be that
• 4:11:52
  world great or small. The principle is the same in all cases, and
• 4:11:56
  each man's world is largely what he makes in what he attracts to himself.
• 4:12:01
  From the time that the child begins to assert the eye in him, he
• 4:12:07
  begins to create for himself his world. He draws this person and thing and
• 4:12:11
  repels that person or thing in accordance with his mental nature, and he is
• 4:12:18
  constantly changing his little world according to the growth of his nature mental world building.
• 4:12:24
  In view of this law of life, does it not become of importance
• 4:12:28
  to us to begin to build our mental world with care and with the best
• 4:12:33
  possible material. Should we not begin to make ourselves active centers of energy that
• 4:12:39
  we may have the necessary power to build strongly and well. Should we not
• 4:12:43
  develop within us our powers of attraction, that we may draw to us the
• 4:12:48
  things, persons, and circumstances that are conducive to our well being and content.
• 4:12:54
  Should we not develop the will power within us in order to exert that
• 4:12:58
  force which is now necessary to push our way through the tangled underbrush of life
• 4:13:03
  and make a wide path for ourselves. Answer these questions as you will.
• 4:13:09
  I have answered them for myself, and you must do the same for yourselves.
• 4:13:13
  The important decision, and so I shall proceed with this work with the
• 4:13:18
  understanding that you have answered my questions in the affirmative and have decided to create
• 4:13:24
  an active mentative ciner for yourself. If you have decided in the negative,
• 4:13:31
  you might as well close this book, for from now on the instruction will
• 4:13:35
  be along the lines above indicated the dual force. Let us pause for a
• 4:13:41
  moment and see what forces are combined in this active mentative cinner. In the
• 4:13:46
  first place, we see that the dual aspect of the mental energy manifests itself
• 4:13:50
  always that which we have called the desire force, and that which we have
• 4:13:56
  called the will power. Here as the two mentative polls. You know this
• 4:14:03
  well, for you have studied my main work on mental magic, wherein this
• 4:14:07
  point is brought out and illustrated. But here is an aspect of the matter
• 4:14:13
  that I did not take the time to bring out at great length in the
• 4:14:16
  said book. I allude to the resemblance of the two phases of mentative energy,
• 4:14:20
  i e. Desire force and will power to the physical phenomena of magnetism
• 4:14:28
  and electricity, respectively, physical laws in the mental world. Desire force like
• 4:14:37
  magnetism, manifests in a drawing, pulling, attracting power, while will power,
• 4:14:43
  like electricity, manifest in a pushing, compelling, driving power. Desire
• 4:14:50
  force like magnetism, tends to draw things inward and to itself, while will
• 4:14:56
  power, like electricity, tends to drive things outward and away from itself.
• 4:15:01
  This dual manifestation of energy is seen all through nature in all of its manifold
• 4:15:07
  forms and conditions. There is ever the drawing in to a center, and
• 4:15:11
  there is ever the pushing outward from the center, and This law manifests upon
• 4:15:16
  the mental plane as well as upon the physical plane mental electromagnetism. We have
• 4:15:26
  heard much of people being magnetic, that is, having the power to attract
• 4:15:31
  persons to them, but that is merely one phase of the operation of mentative
• 4:15:35
  energy. We do not hear so much about people being electric, and yet
• 4:15:39
  the term is just as proper and applicable as the term magnetic. Electric.
• 4:15:46
  People are the people in whom will power is strongly developed and manifest. These
• 4:15:52
  people get after others and make them do things. They are the active,
• 4:15:56
  energetic, forceful men and women who get behind things and push them along.
• 4:16:03
  All great leaders possess this phase of energy to a marked degree. The mere
• 4:16:07
  mention of the matter to you will cause you to think of instances of people
• 4:16:11
  who possess menative electricity. There are men who are able to make the crowd
• 4:16:18
  around them do their bidding. They are able to work their will upon the
• 4:16:22
  mass of people. These men are seen to possess a strange power, but
• 4:16:26
  very few understand it. It is entirely different from the fascinating, alluring,
• 4:16:33
  charming, attractive personality of the magnetic man, for it forces and compels by
• 4:16:38
  sheer forces of character and will instead of drawing and attracting. You will see
• 4:16:45
  why I have spoken of these two phases of masculine and feminine respectively when you
• 4:16:51
  consider their different manner of manifestation the electromagnetic individual. But while both of these
• 4:17:00
  forms of power, the magnetic and the electric, have their strong points and
• 4:17:04
  advantages, I hold that the highly developed individual must have both of these phases
• 4:17:11
  developed highly. In short, instead of being merely a very magnetic individual on
• 4:17:17
  the one hand, or a very electric individual on the other hand, the
• 4:17:21
  ideal man must be an electro magnetic individual. In other words, he must
• 4:17:26
  have both sides of his mentative energy highly developed and in full operation. In
• 4:17:33
  this way, he is able to manifest a combined influence which will make him
• 4:17:37
  a very giant of mentative energy. From theory to practice. Now I have
• 4:17:45
  said enough about the theory of the thing. I shall ask you to read
• 4:17:48
  over what I have said above several times, in fact, reread it until
• 4:17:53
  you thoroughly understand it, and then I shall take you on to the practical
• 4:17:59
  work and exercise is calculated to develop in you the qualities mentioned. Taking it
• 4:18:04
  for granted that you have carefully considered what I have just said, I shall
• 4:18:08
  ask you to perform the following exercises et cetera. First exercise for realizing the
• 4:18:17
  center Exercise one. In order to realize the reality of the statement that you
• 4:18:22
  are a center of mentative power, you must first enter into a realization of
• 4:18:27
  the existence of a great ocean of mentative energy itself. Do not pass over
• 4:18:33
  this lightly, for it is most important. You must begin to create a
• 4:18:38
  mental picture of the universe as a great ocean of living energy, vibrating with
• 4:18:44
  life and force and power. Endeavor to make this mental picture so clear that
• 4:18:48
  you can see it with your mind's eye, and until it becomes a reality
• 4:18:53
  to you. Picture yourself as alone in the universe, and surround it on
• 4:18:57
  all sides with a vibe, pulsating sea of energy or power. See that
• 4:19:03
  all power is locked up in that ocean, and that the ocean exists everywhere.
• 4:19:10
  Cut out from your mental field all other persons, things, or conditions.
• 4:19:15
  Imagine yourself as alone in the great ocean of power. You must practice
• 4:19:21
  frequently upon this mental picture until you are able to visualize it distinctly. This
• 4:19:26
  does not mean that you have to actually see it. Just as you do.
• 4:19:30
  This printed page, but that you should be able to actually feel.
• 4:19:36
  You will begin to understand just what I mean after you have practiced this a
• 4:19:40
  little. This great ocean of universal power must become real to you, and
• 4:19:45
  you must practice until it does. So become the importance of the exercise.
• 4:19:52
  The importance of the above exercise may be understood when I tell you that it
• 4:19:57
  will be impossible for you to manifes more than a moderate degree of power until
• 4:20:03
  you are able to realize yourself as a real center. And it will be
• 4:20:07
  impossible for you to realize yourself as such a center until you realize the existence
• 4:20:11
  of the ocean of power itself. For how can you think of yourself as
• 4:20:17
  a center of power in an ocean of power until you realize the existence of
• 4:20:21
  the ocean itself. The universal ocean of mentative energy contains within itself all the
• 4:20:27
  power, force, and energy that there is. It is the source from
• 4:20:32
  which all forms of energy arise. It is filled with an infinite number of
• 4:20:37
  tiny centers of energy, of which you are one. And in the degree
• 4:20:41
  that you draw upon it for strength, so will you receive strength. By
• 4:20:47
  all means. Endeavor to clearly visualize the great mentative ocean, for it is
• 4:20:52
  the source of all the force with which you are filled and which you hope
• 4:20:56
  to acquire. Enter into the great realization, friends, for it is the
• 4:21:03
  first step to power. Second exercise for realizing the center Exercise two. The
• 4:21:10
  second exercise which will tend to increase your vibration as a center of force,
• 4:21:15
  is as follows. Picture yourself clearly as a center of force and the mentat
• 4:21:21
  devotion. While seeing the ocean on all sides of you, you must see
• 4:21:25
  yourself as the center of it. Do not be frightened at this idea,
• 4:21:30
  for it is based on the truth. The highest occult teaching informs us that
• 4:21:37
  the great mentat devotion has its center everywhere and its circumference nowhere. That is
• 4:21:45
  that, being infinite in space, there is no finite spot that is really
• 4:21:49
  its center. And yet on the other hand, every point of activity may
• 4:21:53
  be called its center, being extended in every direction infinitely, its circumference is
• 4:22:00
  non existence. Therefore, you are entitled and justified in considering yourself as a
• 4:22:07
  center of the ocean of power. Each individual is such a center, and
• 4:22:12
  each has his world circling and revolving around him. Some have a small world
• 4:22:18
  and some have mighty ones. There are centers so mighty and exalted that the
• 4:22:23
  human mind cannot grasp their importance. But even the tiniest point of activity is
• 4:22:30
  his center in itself. So hesitate not, but begin to form a mental
• 4:22:36
  picture of yourself as a center of power, a focal point of force.
• 4:22:44
  Practice this exercise until you can clearly feel yourself as a center of power.
• 4:22:49
  You must learn to think of yourself as a focal point of force in the
• 4:22:53
  great mentative ocean. Just as the great body of electricity manifests itself and tiny
• 4:23:00
  points of activity, so does the menative energy so express itself in you,
• 4:23:06
  who are a point of activity within itself. In urging you to perfect yourself
• 4:23:11
  in this realization, I would impress upon you the fact known to all advanced
• 4:23:17
  occultists, that in the measure of your realization of this real nature of the
• 4:23:22
  ego will be the measure of the power possessed by you. All of the
• 4:23:27
  strong men of our times and of all ages had this realization intuitively or instinctively.
• 4:23:34
  That is, although they did not know the philosophy or science of the
• 4:23:38
  matter, they still felt and feel this sense of the power of the ego
• 4:23:44
  in themselves, which gives them the confidence to do things and the will power
• 4:23:48
  and desire force to carry out their undertakings. It is this feeling of inherent
• 4:23:53
  strength that makes men strong and successful and positive. And this feeling and realization
• 4:24:00
  may be developed and unfolded within anyone, providing he wants it sufficiently hard By
• 4:24:07
  the exercise of your desire and will, you may build up this realization of
• 4:24:11
  power, and in the building up there will come to you a constantly increasing
• 4:24:17
  stream of desire and will. In the measure of your expression will be the
• 4:24:22
  measure of your impression from the source of all positive impression. Third exercise for
• 4:24:30
  realizing the center Exercise three. The third exercise consists in the realization of the
• 4:24:37
  nature of the force. This force, energy or power with which you are
• 4:24:41
  being filled and which you are now attracting toward your center, consists of the
• 4:24:45
  electrical manifestation of will power and the magnetic manifestation of desire force. These two
• 4:24:53
  constitute the dual phases of the one force, and therefore you must begin to
• 4:24:59
  realize that the these qualities are within you, in order that you may be
• 4:25:02
  able to express the same and thus gain the addition and increased force that comes
• 4:25:07
  to those who express the same. You must begin to realize that you have
• 4:25:14
  a will which is capable of impressing itself on the things, persons, and
• 4:25:18
  circumstances of your world. And you must begin to realize that you have a
• 4:25:22
  desire which attracts to you the things, people, and circumstances of your world,
• 4:25:29
  and which in fact draws to you the very material form which your world
• 4:25:33
  is made. When you realize this dual force within you, it will begin
• 4:25:38
  to express itself automatically. The act of realization causes the mental machinery to begin
• 4:25:45
  to work smoothly and effectively. Therefore, picture to yourself this dual force within
• 4:25:52
  you. See yourself as influencing and acting upon the world around you. See
• 4:25:57
  yourself as a power in the land, and also see yourself as an attracting
• 4:26:03
  force drawing to you that which you need and want and require. Consciously and
• 4:26:08
  unconsciously, picture yourself as an electromagnetic individual. You are an individual because you
• 4:26:17
  are a center of power. You are electromagnetic because you possess the electric will
• 4:26:22
  and the magnetic desire. A strong statement, carry with you this thought constantly,
• 4:26:30
  and repeat it often to yourself and you will find it a source of
• 4:26:33
  strength. You will find the strength pouring into you when you say or think
• 4:26:37
  it. When you feel weak or when you feel the need of additional strength.
• 4:26:41
  Use this statement of strength. I am a living electromagnet. And when
• 4:26:48
  you say it or think it, you must picture to yourself just what you
• 4:26:52
  mean by the statement. Hence the importance of knowing just what is meant.
• 4:26:56
  Do not pass over this statement of strength as unimportant, but try it in
• 4:27:02
  actual practice, and you will soon see what a battery of strength it will
• 4:27:06
  be for you and those around you will soon become aware of a new sense
• 4:27:10
  of power within you. Don't lean on others, don't let others lean on
• 4:27:15
  you. Keep this statement to yourself. Do not invite the ridicule of those
• 4:27:21
  around you by telling them the source of your strength. Do not bother about
• 4:27:25
  them. If they are individuals themselves, they will understand without being told.
• 4:27:30
  And if they are not, why all the telling in the world would not
• 4:27:33
  make it clear to them. Hoe your own row and mind your own business,
• 4:27:37
  and let them do the same. No one can build up his individuality
• 4:27:41
  except from within, and each must work out his own salvation and climb the
• 4:27:47
  ladder of attainment for himself. And the sooner that people learn this, the
• 4:27:51
  better will it be for all. Don't be a leaner or a leaning post.
• 4:27:56
  Don't lean on any one else, and don't let anyone lean on you.
• 4:27:59
  You live your own life and let others live theirs. There's been too
• 4:28:04
  much of this fool business about living other people's lives for them, or letting
• 4:28:10
  other people live your life for you. Each man or woman must grow into
• 4:28:14
  an individual by his or her own work and life. There is no such
• 4:28:18
  thing as vicarious individuality. Don't be afraid to assert the eye to claim your
• 4:28:25
  rightful heritage and birthright to be an individual and not a parasite. And don't
• 4:28:30
  be afraid to shake off and trim off the parasitic persons that have encumbered your
• 4:28:36
  own unfoldment toward individuality. Let the parasites take root in the earth just as
• 4:28:41
  you have done. Let them fasten their roots in the great body of strength
• 4:28:45
  and power instead of in the mental body of someone else. Let them stop
• 4:28:49
  their second hand nourishment and learn to draw from the first source. This is
• 4:28:55
  the only way, and the lack of the knowledge of it is filling the
• 4:28:59
  world with weaklings instead of with individuals. Therefore, think of these things,
• 4:29:04
  hold them well in mind when you make your statement of strength. I am
• 4:29:08
  a living electromagnet. Personal atmosphere the menative force emanating from each individual creates a
• 4:29:18
  mental atmosphere around him which often extends a considerable distance from his body, especially
• 4:29:23
  in the case of strong individuals, whose mental atmosphere is felt when they enter
• 4:29:30
  a room or public place. Persons whose personality is weaker have a mental atmosphere
• 4:29:36
  extending only a few inches from their bodies, and which is scarcely perceptible to
• 4:29:41
  those coming in contact with them. The positive ara the man of positive individuality,
• 4:29:48
  Our man who feels himself to be a living electromagnet carries with him an
• 4:29:55
  aura of mental atmosphere of positive strength, which is plainly felt by those coming
• 4:30:00
  in contact with him. People say about such a man that he has something
• 4:30:06
  about him which impresses them, but which they fail to understand. It will
• 4:30:11
  be worth your while to study this mental atmosphere of some strong men with whom
• 4:30:17
  you come in contact, for now that you have the secret of the matter,
• 4:30:21
  that you may take some valuable lessons from him. The air about strong
• 4:30:26
  individuals as I have said in my Mental Magic, I cannot very well describe
• 4:30:32
  this air to you, for unless you have met a man of this kind,
• 4:30:36
  you will not understand it. But it is a very different thing from
• 4:30:40
  the pompous, self sufficient, self important, fussy air and demeanor manifested by
• 4:30:45
  the cheap imitators of these great men. The magnetic man does not tell you
• 4:30:51
  how great or smart or important he is. He leaves that for his cheap
• 4:30:56
  imitators. He makes you feel his strength by his very men atmosphere, without
• 4:31:00
  saying a word. He has that something about him that people notice and wonder
• 4:31:07
  at, and that something comes from his conscious or unconscious relation to the universal
• 4:31:14
  will individuality, not personality. In the above paragraph I have pointed out to
• 4:31:21
  the student the kernel of the matter. The little fellow who thinks he is
• 4:31:26
  one of the big ones believes that his strength comes from his personality, and
• 4:31:30
  sooner or later he trips himself up because of this error. But the real
• 4:31:34
  big ones of life no better. They may not understand it all, but
• 4:31:40
  some way they feel that there is a something back of them from which they
• 4:31:44
  are able to draw strength and power, and believing this they are filled with
• 4:31:48
  courage, and daring and radiate their strength on all sides. They may talk
• 4:31:55
  of their lucky star or special providence, or else believe themselves to be specially
• 4:32:00
  favored of God, as is the case with at least one of the big
• 4:32:04
  men of modern finance. But no matter what may be their special interpretations of
• 4:32:11
  this something, they all recognize its existence and trust to it. And this
• 4:32:17
  conviction and realization gives to the strong individuals that air of calm, positive power,
• 4:32:22
  and self confidence that impresses those with whom they come in contact, and
• 4:32:27
  which forms their mental atmosphere. Back to first principles, and in giving you
• 4:32:34
  instructions in the art of building for yourselves a positive mental atmosphere, I can
• 4:32:41
  do no better than to refer you back to the first principles and again bid
• 4:32:45
  you to realize that you are a dynamic focus, a center of force in
• 4:32:49
  the great universal will, having the dual attribute of will power and desire force.
• 4:32:56
  In short, that you are a living a life electromagnet. Realization brings
• 4:33:03
  power if you will but get this realization firmly fixed in your mind, you
• 4:33:07
  will automatically create for yourself a most positive mental atmosphere that will be felt by
• 4:33:14
  all with whom you come in contact. So first, last, and all
• 4:33:18
  the time build up this realization. Say to yourself, I am a living
• 4:33:23
  electromagnet. Think it out, dream it out, act it out, and
• 4:33:29
  of course always realize what all this means. You are the electromagnet through which
• 4:33:33
  is pouring the universal will power. And in the degree that you will allow
• 4:33:38
  the current to so flow through you, so will be the power you are
• 4:33:42
  able to manifest. How to use the realization When you wish to manifest a
• 4:33:49
  special degree of power, just let this statement flame out in vivid letters in
• 4:33:55
  your mind. When you feel that you are being approached by some other person
• 4:33:59
  of spe strong will whom you do not wish to influence, you just bring
• 4:34:03
  this statement into effect, and you will actually see the effect of it upon
• 4:34:07
  the other person. He will feel your strong mental atmosphere and will cease to
• 4:34:12
  try to affect you. And even when there is no special need for making
• 4:34:17
  the statement of power, it will be well for you to keep it burning
• 4:34:19
  bright within you, for by so doing you strengthen your realization, and your
• 4:34:25
  mental atmosphere reflects the inner mental state. Special mental atmospheres so much for the
• 4:34:33
  general mental atmosphere. As we proceed, we shall see that the electromagnetic individual
• 4:34:38
  creates special mental atmospheres around him by his mental states, depending upon his will
• 4:34:45
  or desire at the time. Not only does his will and desire affect other
• 4:34:49
  persons directly by means of mental currents, but menative induction is also set up
• 4:34:55
  by the mental atmosphere without any special effort on his part. Maintain your positivity
• 4:35:02
  in this place, I wish to call your attention to the importance of always
• 4:35:06
  maintaining your positivity as a means of mental training. Do not allow yourself to
• 4:35:11
  become negative to others, even where there is nothing lost by doing so,
• 4:35:15
  For by this neglect you create a negative habit which will cause you trouble to
• 4:35:21
  overcome later. If a person comes into your presence whose personality seems likely to
• 4:35:26
  dominate or overpower yours by all means, interpose a mental resistance right then and
• 4:35:32
  there. It is not necessary for you to manifest the same in words,
• 4:35:36
  for that would make you ridiculous in many cases. Nor is it necessary for
• 4:35:40
  you to give any special physical expression to your mental state. Simply look the
• 4:35:45
  person in the eye carelessly and without any special effort. At the same time
• 4:35:49
  making the mental statement I am a living electromagnet, and you will find that
• 4:35:55
  your positivity will rise until it is equal with his, and your feeling of
• 4:35:59
  negativity will disappear. In exceptional cases, you may add mentally, I am
• 4:36:04
  as positive as you how to create positive auras? It will be well for
• 4:36:11
  you to practice the creation of special mental atmospheres in order to establish the habit
• 4:36:15
  and thus render it easier to avail yourself of the same on special occasions.
• 4:36:21
  Opportunities of all kinds will present themselves to you in everyday life. The gist
• 4:36:26
  of the matter is to surround yourself with a mental aura of such a nature
• 4:36:30
  that people will act toward you as you wish them to do. A few
• 4:36:34
  examples may help you to get a clearer idea of what I mean, so
• 4:36:38
  I herewith give you the same. An interesting example, I know a lady
• 4:36:45
  living in Chicago who was constantly complaining that people were always running over her on
• 4:36:51
  State Street, the crowded retail street of the great Western metropolis. She said
• 4:36:56
  that they were always crowding her off the sidewalk and pushing, bumping, in
• 4:36:59
  joing her in a most annoying manner. She asked me for instructions as to
• 4:37:03
  what thought she should use to prevent individuals from so acting. I answered that
• 4:37:08
  I did not think it was necessary to consider the separate individuals in the case,
• 4:37:14
  but that she should treat the crowd as a whole by means of a
• 4:37:18
  protective mental atmosphere. I then advised her to build up a mental atmosphere around
• 4:37:23
  this statement, people respect my rights. They will not unduly impose on me
• 4:37:29
  in the street. I deny the power of the crowd to impose on me.
• 4:37:33
  And she followed this advice and in a short time had built up a
• 4:37:37
  protective mental atmosphere which acted almost magically upon the crowd, who stepped aside and
• 4:37:42
  gave her a full right of way on the pavement. She would simply go
• 4:37:47
  on her way, calmly, serenely, and undisturbed, and the crowd let
• 4:37:52
  her alone. I must add that I think that the original trouble arose from
• 4:37:56
  a subconscious dislike to the crowds and an extreme shrinking from people, the result
• 4:38:02
  being that this dislike acted almost as does fear, and really attracted to her
• 4:38:07
  the inference of people. The new mental atmosphere dispelled the old one and gave
• 4:38:12
  her an additional positivity beside fear as an attracting force. In this connection,
• 4:38:19
  I would call your attention to that remarkable psychological fact that fear acts as an
• 4:38:25
  attracting force in a negative way. If you want a thing very much,
• 4:38:30
  you attract it to you, and if you fear it very much, you
• 4:38:33
  do likewise. This apparent contradiction has bothered many students of the subject, but
• 4:38:38
  it seems very plain to me. I think the explanation is that in both
• 4:38:44
  cases, a vivid mental picture is held and the attraction results along the line
• 4:38:48
  of visualization, which always tends to materialize the mental image. Do you see
• 4:38:55
  what I mean? Think over it a bit and you will see it plainly
• 4:39:00
  the transformation of a human doormat. Another case, from actual experience, another
• 4:39:07
  lady, also a resident of Chicago, complained that the clerks in the Great
• 4:39:11
  department stores would not treat her courteously, but would keep her waiting without paying
• 4:39:15
  her any attention, and in other ways would treat her like a human doormat.
• 4:39:21
  She said she would not have minded this so much if other women were
• 4:39:23
  treated likewise, but that while she was ignored, others would receive the greatest
• 4:39:29
  attention, the clerks falling over themselves to wait upon them. I told her
• 4:39:33
  that she had gradually built up around her a mental atmosphere of expectancy, that
• 4:39:40
  she had fallen into the habit of expecting such treatment, and consequently she got
• 4:39:45
  what she expected. I think that in the beginning she had manifested a timid,
• 4:39:48
  humble, meek worm of the dust state of mind when she entered the
• 4:39:52
  big stores, which somewhat overawed her, and then after this drew upon her
• 4:39:57
  the neglect of the clerk works, who seem very ready to wipe their feet
• 4:40:02
  on human door mats. She grew to regularly expect the shabby treatment. It
• 4:40:07
  was not a matter of dress or anything of that kind, for she dressed
• 4:40:11
  well, And for that matter, I know women who dress poorly who never
• 4:40:15
  got any such treatment, for they understand the underlying mental laws too well.
• 4:40:19
  For that. It was simply a matter of a negative mental atmosphere. As
• 4:40:25
  many of you will clearly see how the change occurred. Well, I told
• 4:40:30
  her to brace up and create a new mental atmosphere around this general statement.
• 4:40:34
  The clerks like me. They liked to wait on me. They give me
• 4:40:38
  every attention. They do this because they like me, and also because I
• 4:40:44
  insist upon it as my right. The charm worked in a short time,
• 4:40:48
  and now the good lady reports that the clerks not only treat her well,
• 4:40:52
  but even take the trouble to call her attention to desirable selections, special bargains,
• 4:40:57
  and all the rest of it. The cure was perfect. An analysis,
• 4:41:03
  I call your attention to the above statement. Please note that the first
• 4:41:07
  part of it operated along the lines of desire force, and the latter part
• 4:41:12
  along the lines of will power. The statement of the first mentioned lady,
• 4:41:17
  the one who objected to street crowding, was altogether along the lines of will
• 4:41:22
  power. I asked the students to study and dissect each of these cases,
• 4:41:26
  because by doing so they will be able to apply the principles in cases coming
• 4:41:30
  under their own observation, and also in their own cases direct personal influence.
• 4:41:37
  In the last chapter, I spoke of the effect of mental atmospheres with which
• 4:41:41
  people may indue surround themselves. You will notice that in my discussion of that
• 4:41:47
  part of the subject, I spoke only of the general influence exerted upon others,
• 4:41:52
  and not of the direct personal influence exerted by one man upon another in
• 4:41:56
  personal intercourse. The present chap in those following it shall be devoted to the
• 4:42:02
  part of the subject just referred to, the direct personal influence, the silent
• 4:42:07
  mental conflict. As I have told you elsewhere, every time two people meet,
• 4:42:12
  there ensues a silent mental conflict or struggle for supremacy, from which one
• 4:42:18
  or the other emerges a victor, and which victory is fully recognized by both
• 4:42:22
  of the parties to the preceding. The mental struggle is usually the combat between
• 4:42:27
  the general mental powers of the two, without regard to special mental states induced
• 4:42:33
  at the time. But the man who is skilled in the art of mental
• 4:42:37
  fascination goes further than this, for he recognizes that he may concentrate his menative
• 4:42:42
  energy into different shape and form, and focus the force of his mental imagery
• 4:42:48
  direct upon the other person with such force and power that the second person will
• 4:42:52
  have a similar mental state induced in him along the lines familiar to the students
• 4:42:59
  of this book, the lines of operation. This direct personal influence operates along
• 4:43:06
  the lines of both desire, force and will power. Of course, I
• 4:43:10
  have explained elsewhere how the will power may be used to awaken desire in another,
• 4:43:15
  and how it may also capture the will of the second person. I
• 4:43:18
  have also explained how desire force induces a similar desire in the second person,
• 4:43:25
  and also how it is often used to captivate the will of the other person.
• 4:43:30
  It is not necessary for me to repeat these things. You are supposed
• 4:43:33
  to be fully acquainted with them from your study of this book and mental magic,
• 4:43:37
  and so I shall proceed to a consideration of the instruments of expression of
• 4:43:41
  personal influence and the methods usually employed by those using it, the instruments of
• 4:43:48
  expression. These instruments of expression may be classified as follows. One suggestive instruments,
• 4:43:56
  consisting of a the suggestion of manner and be the suggestive tone, and
• 4:44:03
  c the suggestive word. Two the instrument of the eye, three the instrument
• 4:44:11
  of the touch. And all of these three forms are, of course merely
• 4:44:15
  the instruments by which and through which the mind expresses itself the channel through which
• 4:44:21
  pours the manative energy. Let us consider them in the above order suggestive instruments.
• 4:44:27
  I will ask you now to turn to my chapter on mental suggestion in
• 4:44:33
  my work on Mental Magic. You will see therein stated the active principles of
• 4:44:37
  mental suggestion, with which you should thoroughly familiarize yourself, for I shall not
• 4:44:42
  repeat the instructions in this book. You will see there that suggestion is the
• 4:44:48
  outward symbol of the inward mental state, and that it is the inner state
• 4:44:52
  that gives vitality to the suggestion. Get this idea fixed firmly in your mind,
• 4:44:57
  and always think of the behind the suggestion. I have explained to you
• 4:45:03
  also that when one receives a suggestion through a physical agent, he has induced
• 4:45:07
  in himself the mental state corresponding to the one originating that physical suggestion. For
• 4:45:14
  example, if you feel yourself filled with confidence, energy and fearlessness, your
• 4:45:18
  outward appearance will reflect that inner state, and the outer appearance will become a
• 4:45:23
  suggestion to others. These others will instinctively feel that your inner state is as
• 4:45:30
  I have stated, and this being so, a physical suggestion made stronger than
• 4:45:34
  usual will produce a deeper impression on others than would any ordinary suggestion the suggestive
• 4:45:42
  manner. In view of the above, you will see why it is that
• 4:45:47
  those familiar with the subject deem it important to cultivate the suggestive instruments, Beginning
• 4:45:52
  with a the suggestive manner. You will see why it is that we are
• 4:45:57
  impressed with the manner of a man who manifest energy, self confidence, and
• 4:46:02
  power in every motion, and also why we have confidence in a man whose
• 4:46:07
  manner indicates that he is a person used to being trusted by others, accustomed
• 4:46:11
  to having confidence reposed in him. And so I might mention hundreds of examples
• 4:46:17
  tending to show that if a man's manner conveys the impression that he is used
• 4:46:22
  to being treated in a certain way, and that he is accustomed to acting
• 4:46:26
  in a certain way, we are very apt to accept the suggestion of manner
• 4:46:30
  and fall into line with the rest of people. And if the man happens
• 4:46:34
  to be a good actor, we may be imposed upon and fooled by his
• 4:46:38
  suggestive manner. The rule works both ways. Not only does this law hold
• 4:46:45
  good in the case of the manner and appearance of success, strength, confidence,
• 4:46:48
  et cetera, but it also operates along the lines of the appearance and
• 4:46:52
  manner of failure, weakness, and distrust. Do you not know of cases
• 4:46:57
  wherein you have felt that certain persons were not worthy of confidence or were not
• 4:47:03
  to be depended upon, where strength of character was required or were not likely
• 4:47:07
  to succeed. Of course you have, and you acted upon the suggestion too.
• 4:47:14
  An illustration. In illustrating this point, I have frequently used the illustration
• 4:47:18
  of the two dogs, the one carrying himself in a manner betokening self respect
• 4:47:23
  and an ability to prevent and resent undue liberties, and the other carrying his
• 4:47:30
  tail between his legs in a manner and appearance indicating that he expected to be
• 4:47:33
  kicked and cuffed. The first dog is almost invariably treated with respect, even
• 4:47:40
  by the most mischievous youngsters, while the second one almost always invites to himself
• 4:47:45
  the kicks, tin cans and brick bats of the young hoodlums of the neighborhood.
• 4:47:49
  And this illustration is as true in the case of people as in the
• 4:47:53
  case of dogs. Better take the hint how to acquire this manner? But
• 4:47:59
  you may, I say, how is one to acquire the proper suggestive manner?
• 4:48:03
  My answer is that there is but one sure way, and that is
• 4:48:07
  to begin to think out the part, visualize it, and act it out.
• 4:48:11
  You will see the philosophy of this in my lesson on mental architecture,
• 4:48:15
  in my work on mental magic. In other words, if you wish to
• 4:48:21
  convey a suggestive manner of confidence, you must begin to think confidence from morning
• 4:48:27
  until night, and you must also begin to visualize confidence when you have the
• 4:48:32
  chance to do so. That is, you must make a mental picture of
• 4:48:36
  yourself as manifesting confidence, and you must also begin to act out the part
• 4:48:42
  acting out your part. Now, about this acting out, I would say
• 4:48:47
  that I mean not only the playing the part in your interviews with people,
• 4:48:52
  but I also mean an actual series of rehearsals in private, just as you
• 4:48:56
  would do if you were preparing to play a part on the stage in public,
• 4:49:02
  you must form a mental image of how you would look and act if
• 4:49:04
  you were filled with confidence and were approaching people. You will find that practice
• 4:49:11
  will improve you very much in this way, and that you will soon acquire
• 4:49:15
  a manner that will be like second nature and will really serve to give the
• 4:49:19
  suggestion of your manner to others with whom you come in contact. And more
• 4:49:26
  than this, it will actually tend to build up confidence in yourself. Imagine
• 4:49:30
  yourself as approaching strange people, and then act out the part the best you
• 4:49:34
  know how, improving a little in ease and smoothness of action. Each day,
• 4:49:41
  think of how the actor on the stage impresses you, and then remember
• 4:49:45
  that the manner was acquired by constant practice and work, and you may do
• 4:49:51
  the same, and may manage to impress other people just as the actor does
• 4:49:56
  you. And what is true in the case of confidence is true regarding any
• 4:50:00
  character that you wish to play. Any and all characters may be played out
• 4:50:04
  in this way, and an appearance and manner acquired which will give the suggestion
• 4:50:10
  to others. I wish I could make you realize how much there is in
• 4:50:15
  this method. If you could realize how some men have used it to acquire
• 4:50:18
  qualities that have enabled them to prey upon the public, you would realize how
• 4:50:23
  important it might be for you for legitimate and honorable use. Practice makes perfect.
• 4:50:30
  In this acting out, you must remember that the practice will make you
• 4:50:33
  so perfect that the part will appear natural when you play it in public.
• 4:50:38
  But without practice, an attempt to play it in public will make one ridiculous.
• 4:50:44
  Remember the illustration of the real actor, and you will have the secret
• 4:50:48
  of acting out. And also remember this that in the measure that you throw
• 4:50:52
  your mind into the part, so will be your success. When you practice.
• 4:50:56
  You must throw your mind into the acting, just as you would if
• 4:51:00
  you were in earnest. It is the mind back of it all. Remember
• 4:51:06
  the suggestive tone. The suggestive instrument is the suggestive tone. This too may
• 4:51:12
  be acquired by acting out. You must practice until you are able to express
• 4:51:17
  your meaning with feeling that all who hear may be impressed. You should begin
• 4:51:22
  your practice by choosing some simple words in every day use good morning, for
• 4:51:26
  instance. Try it now and see how roughly, clumsily and crudely you give
• 4:51:32
  the morning greeting. Then try to imagine that you are full of good,
• 4:51:36
  cheer, energy and brightness, and then throw your feeling into your good morning,
• 4:51:41
  and see how different it seems. Practice this a while, and you
• 4:51:45
  will soon acquire a natural, cheery, bright and invigorating tone when you say
• 4:51:51
  good morning. You will not need a teacher in elocution to tell you how
• 4:51:55
  to do this. Try to feel the part and you will express it naturally.
• 4:52:00
  Make your feelings more flexible, and your tones will reflect them. After
• 4:52:06
  you have mastered the simpler terms of expression, work up to larger sentences and
• 4:52:11
  speeches. Try them on the chairs in your room, in imagining that people
• 4:52:15
  are seated therein speak to them feelingly and with expression. Until you acquire the
• 4:52:21
  art, you will not realize how much you may gain by such practice until
• 4:52:26
  you actually try it. I wish that you could hear the testimony of some
• 4:52:30
  people to whom I have taught this thing the importance of it. There is
• 4:52:34
  nothing more important in personal influence than a good suggestive tone. Think of the
• 4:52:41
  people that you know, and then remember what an influence their voices have on
• 4:52:44
  you, not only the quality of the voice, but the tone. You
• 4:52:48
  readily recognize the difference between the tone of the hesitating, timid, self doubting
• 4:52:53
  person and that of the confident, self reliant individual. There is a subtle
• 4:52:59
  vibration of the tone of the latter that causes one to feel confidence and respect,
• 4:53:03
  and which exects obedience in a quiet, calm way, devoid of bluster
• 4:53:08
  or rant. Read what I have said on this subject in my lesson on
• 4:53:12
  personal influence, in my work on mental magic, examples of its use.
• 4:53:19
  If you will read the part of the present book dealing with psychological experimentation,
• 4:53:23
  you will see that much depends upon the tone. You will see that when
• 4:53:29
  you say to a subject, you can't the tone in which you say can't
• 4:53:33
  goes a long way toward producing the response. And so it is with the
• 4:53:37
  suggestive tone. No matter what it is made to express, it always impresses
• 4:53:42
  upon one that the speaker using it means what he says. And that is
• 4:53:47
  why many public men practice year after year in mastering this instrument of influence,
• 4:53:52
  the suggestive tone. Again, I would refer you to the example of the
• 4:53:56
  actor. See how he manages to throw feeling into his tone, and you
• 4:54:02
  may do likewise if you will but practice in earnest and throw your mind into
• 4:54:06
  the work. Think of the thing you wish to express, visualize it,
• 4:54:11
  and then act it out in your tone. You will be surprised at the
• 4:54:14
  rapid progress that you will make. Remember, always, though the tone is
• 4:54:18
  but the instrument of expression of the mind back of it. Use nerves,
• 4:54:23
  not muscles. Many people make the mistake of speaking with the muscles instead of
• 4:54:30
  with their nerves, as one writer has expressed it. In other words,
• 4:54:33
  they seem to throw muscular force into their tones instead of nervous energy, and
• 4:54:38
  in so doing they make a great mistake, for the former has a dull,
• 4:54:44
  non penetrating effect, whereas the latter vibrates subtly and reaches the feeling part
• 4:54:48
  of one's mind. Feel Feel feel when you wish to speak impressively, and
• 4:54:55
  your tones will reflect the same and induce a corresponding feeling in it others the
• 4:55:02
  suggestive word. The third form of the suggestive instrument is the suggestive word.
• 4:55:07
  I may be able to explain this more clearly when I call your attention to
• 4:55:11
  the fact that each word is a crystallized In every word, there is an
• 4:55:17
  imprisoned thought. And when you lodge a word in the mind of another person,
• 4:55:22
  the crystal covering is dissolved and the released thought manifests itself. And this
• 4:55:26
  being so, it becomes important for one to carefully choose the crystallized thoughts or
• 4:55:32
  words which he wishes to implant in the mind of another. I have spoken
• 4:55:37
  of this in my larger work, in my lesson on mental suggestion, to
• 4:55:41
  which I refer you, But I wish here to say to you again that
• 4:55:45
  you should study words until you are able to distinguish between those which carry a
• 4:55:51
  live, active, feeling thought and those less strong. Examples. Take the
• 4:55:56
  word strong, for instance, does it not make you feel strength when you
• 4:56:00
  hear it? Forcibly and feelingly pronounced. Take the word kind and see what
• 4:56:07
  feelings it arouses in you. Pronounce the words lion and lamb, and see
• 4:56:14
  the different feelings you experience from the differing sounds. Take the word crash and
• 4:56:19
  see how it suggests the crashing, crunching, tearing, startling thing for which
• 4:56:25
  it stands. Compare the sound of the words rough and smooth, and you
• 4:56:30
  will see what I mean. The only way that I can point out to
• 4:56:34
  you to acquire the use of suggestive words is to study words themselves. Listen
• 4:56:41
  to the words used by others and note their effect on you. Take a
• 4:56:45
  small dictionary and run over its pages, and you will soon have a collection
• 4:56:48
  of good, strong, effective terms for handy use when occasion demands. A
• 4:56:53
  man does not have to be highly educated in the usual sense of that term
• 4:56:59
  in order to use strong suggestive words. Some instinctively choose vital words charged with
• 4:57:06
  feeling, and such make their words felt. Think over this matter nutshell instructions
• 4:57:12
  and the use of all the three suggestive instruments. Remember that the object is
• 4:57:18
  to make others feel the mental state you are expressing. That is the whole
• 4:57:22
  thing in a nutshell I expression. Next, in order in our list of
• 4:57:30
  instruments of mentative expression. Is the eye, that most wonderful of all the
• 4:57:34
  human organs, and which is as much an instrument for all the expression of
• 4:57:41
  mentative force as it is an instrument for receiving the sense impression of sight.
• 4:57:47
  Let us consider it in its former aspect, the eye as a suggestive instrument.
• 4:57:53
  In the first place, the eye is one of the most potent and
• 4:57:56
  effective instruments of suggestion. Although I have not included it in that class,
• 4:58:03
  the expression of the eye will induce mental conditions in others along the lines of
• 4:58:07
  suggestion, and those who understand and have mastered this art of using the eyes
• 4:58:14
  have at their disposal a wonderful instrument of suggestive influence. Those of us who
• 4:58:19
  have ever met a very magnetic man or a charming and fascinating woman have carried
• 4:58:26
  away with us a lively recollection of the expression of the eyes of such a
• 4:58:30
  person. Actors and public speakers, as well as those whose business it is
• 4:58:37
  to meet and impress people, often make a close study of eye impression in
• 4:58:41
  order to produce a heightened effect along these lines. While this phase of the
• 4:58:45
  subject belongs more properly to the various schools of expression in various parts of the
• 4:58:52
  country. It may be worth while to pause a moment and examine some of
• 4:58:56
  the leading principles of this art of eye expression, considered without reference to the
• 4:59:02
  phase of menative energy. Exercises in eye expression begin by studying your eyes in
• 4:59:08
  a mirror. You will see that in the center of the eyeball there is
• 4:59:12
  a black spot. This is called the pupil of the eye. The larger
• 4:59:17
  circle surrounding the pupil is called the iris. The white of the eye surrounds
• 4:59:22
  the iris. The upper eyelid moving over the eyeball produces a variety of expressions,
• 4:59:27
  each giving to the face a totally different appearance expression of suggestive meaning.
• 4:59:33
  We all recognize the meaning of these different expressions, but very few of us
• 4:59:40
  understand the mechanism producing the expression. Standing before your mirror, study these various
• 4:59:45
  expressions. The following exercises may help you. Eyelid exercises. One, hold
• 4:59:53
  the upper eyelid in such a position that its edge rests half way between the
• 4:59:59
  pupil and top of the iris. This gives an expression of calmness. Two,
• 5:00:04
  rest the edge of the upper eyelid at the top of the pupil.
• 5:00:08
  This gives an expression of indifference. Three, the edge of the eyelid resting
• 5:00:15
  at the top of the iris gives an expression of strong interest. Four the
• 5:00:21
  edge of the eyelid resting halfway over the pupil gives an expression of deep thought.
• 5:00:26
  Five the edge of the eyelid resting just above the edge of the iris,
• 5:00:32
  and thus showing a narrow strip of white between the edge of the lid
• 5:00:36
  and the edge of the iris, gives an expression of emotional activity. Six
• 5:00:42
  The above position exaggerated so as to show as much of the white as possible
• 5:00:48
  between the edge of the iris and the edge of the lid, will give
• 5:00:51
  an expression of emotional excitement. How to practice the exercises. Teachers of the
• 5:00:59
  article expression instruct their pupils to practice the above expressions and positions. They find
• 5:01:04
  that with a little practice, nearly everyone may easily acquire the art of expression
• 5:01:10
  in the first four exercises, but that the last two are more difficult of
• 5:01:15
  acquirement. The last exercise, emotional excitement, especially, is found to be
• 5:01:21
  quite difficult at attainment, and teachers claim that but a small percentage are able
• 5:01:26
  to produce the expression without considerable practice, practice these movements until you can reproduce
• 5:01:33
  them without the aid of the mirror, just as a man may learn to
• 5:01:37
  shave without a mirror by constant practice before one. The exercises will not only
• 5:01:42
  enable you to express the different mental states easily and freely, but will also
• 5:01:48
  tend to strengthen the muscles and nerves of the eyes themselves, providing that you
• 5:01:53
  proceed gradually and do not overtask the eyes at the beginning. Do not scale
• 5:01:59
  or contract the brows in the practices. A few minutes at a time is
• 5:02:03
  all that you should use in practicing the seventh exercise. When you have mastered
• 5:02:11
  the above exercises, especially numbers five and six, you may try the following,
• 5:02:17
  which is the most difficult of all seven. Rest the eyelid in the
• 5:02:22
  position of strong interest number three, and then, at the same time lift
• 5:02:26
  the edge of the under lid to the lower edge of the pupil. This
• 5:02:32
  position gives the expression of close scrutiny the power of expression. You will be
• 5:02:40
  surprised at the added power of expression that the careful practice of the above exercises
• 5:02:45
  will give you. You will be able to manifest more suggestive feeling and will
• 5:02:49
  induce emotional states of feeling in others. A little practice will give you such
• 5:02:55
  convincing proof of this that you will not need urging to further perfect yourself in
• 5:03:00
  them. The expressions of emotional activity and emotional excitement especially, will produce a
• 5:03:07
  startling result if used on appropriate occasions when you wish to exhibit the appearance of
• 5:03:11
  the deepest emotional excitement and force development exercises. The following development exercises are highly
• 5:03:22
  recommended by teachers who have devoted years of study and practice along these lines.
• 5:03:29
  One open the eyes quite widely, but not so widely as to strain them,
• 5:03:34
  and hold them in that position for a few seconds, gazing into your
• 5:03:37
  mirror, which must be directly in front of you, on a level with
• 5:03:41
  your eyes. While gazing, open them a trifle wider still without straining,
• 5:03:48
  and throw an intense expression into them. Do not move the eyebrows, but
• 5:03:52
  allow them to remain normal. Two. Resume the above position, and then
• 5:03:57
  change to the expression of strong interest see previous exercises looking at yourself in the
• 5:04:03
  glass just as you would and looking at another person with that expression. Three
• 5:04:10
  resume position one, and then gradually change to the expression of emotional activity.
• 5:04:17
  See previous exercises gazing at yourself in the mirror. Four Resume position one,
• 5:04:23
  and then gradually changed to the expression of emotional excitement. See previous exercises gazing
• 5:04:30
  at yourself in the mirror. Five Resume position one, and then gradually change
• 5:04:37
  to the expression of close scrutiny See previous exercises gazing at yourself in the mirror.
• 5:04:45
  In the above exercises, you must act as if the reflection of yourself
• 5:04:48
  in the mirror were in reality another person whom you wished to influence. The
• 5:04:53
  better you act the south, the better your results will be. Six.
• 5:05:00
  Practice the expression of strong interest on persons to whom you are listening until you
• 5:05:03
  feel that you have awakened a response in them. I may add that the
• 5:05:07
  expression of deep interest consists of but the same expression heightened by more feeling behind
• 5:05:15
  it, and the expression of loving interest is the same, only more so.
• 5:05:21
  This more feeling may be either real or assumed, as in the case
• 5:05:26
  of the good actor. Seven. Practice the expression of close scrutiny upon other
• 5:05:32
  persons upon appropriate occasions in which you desire to appear as taking a deep critical
• 5:05:38
  interest in some proposition undertaking theory, et cetera. Many persons have built up
• 5:05:45
  a reputation for being good listeners and keen observers by this practice. I mention
• 5:05:52
  it for what it may be worth to you. I am merely giving you
• 5:05:56
  the rules of the game, not necessarily advising you to play it. Mental
• 5:06:02
  Fascination by William Walker Atkinson. And now I have reached the part of my
• 5:06:07
  subject in which I must speak of the power of the eye to convey manative
• 5:06:11
  force. Owing to some law of nervous mechanism not fully understood as yet,
• 5:06:17
  the eye is one of the most effective mediums for the passage of menative currents
• 5:06:19
  from one person to another. I shall not attempt to indulge in any special
• 5:06:25
  theory on the subject, but shall proceed to the description of the facts of
• 5:06:29
  the case. I may add, however, that advanced occultist inform us that
• 5:06:33
  portions of the human brain during a manifestation or strong emotional effort or exercise of
• 5:06:38
  will, resembles an incandescent surface, glowing and phosphorescent, and that also there
• 5:06:45
  are seeing great beams of this incandescent energy streaming out out from the eyes of
• 5:06:52
  the person and reaching the mind of other persons. And more than this,
• 5:06:57
  these beams of energy transmit mental state thoughts, et cetera of the person.
• 5:07:03
  Just as scientists have found that beams of light will carry waves of electricity and
• 5:07:07
  have thus been able to send telegraphic and even telephonic messages over such beams of
• 5:07:14
  light, menative beams of energy. One who has mastered the fascination of the
• 5:07:18
  eye is able to convey most readily to others the mentative currents which tend to
• 5:07:23
  produce similar mental states by menative induction, as explained elsewhere in this book and
• 5:07:30
  in Mental magic. If you will but remember the above illustration of the beam
• 5:07:34
  of light, along with the electric and magnetic currents travel and will form a
• 5:07:38
  mental picture of these mentative beams from the eye, you will understand the process
• 5:07:44
  much better, and you will, at the same time tend to give to
• 5:07:48
  your own mentative beams a substantial reality along the lines of visualization. That is,
• 5:07:53
  when you wish to use these mentative beams, you should imagine them as
• 5:07:59
  actually existing in full force and reality. This will tend to cause to give
• 5:08:03
  them a material reality and thus render them a highly efficient medium for the passage
• 5:08:11
  of your menative currents the fascinating gaze, And now right here is the best
• 5:08:15
  place to instruct you in the proper use of the eye in what has been
• 5:08:18
  called the magnetic gaze, but which would be more properly styled the fascinating gaze.
• 5:08:26
  There has been much nonsense written on this subject, and in some of
• 5:08:30
  my own earlier writings I gave directions along these lines, which I am now
• 5:08:33
  able to replace with more approved methods and later discoveries coming from the study and
• 5:08:38
  experimentation of myself and others. Along these lines. I am willing to improve
• 5:08:45
  upon my own methods as well as upon those of others. I have no
• 5:08:48
  false pride upon this subject, and if tomorrow I find that I can improve
• 5:08:52
  upon my work of to day, I will do so and give my students
• 5:08:56
  the benefit of the change, instead of stubbornly sticking to it just because I
• 5:09:00
  had once stated a theory, fact or result. There is no standing still
• 5:09:06
  in scientific work. He who stands still really goes backward. The former method.
• 5:09:12
  The former instructions regarding the magnetic gaze told the student to concentrate his gaze
• 5:09:17
  at the root of the nose of the other person, that is right between
• 5:09:21
  his two eyes. Now, this was all very well, but there is
• 5:09:23
  a far better plan. This Focusing the gaze between the eyes of the other
• 5:09:29
  person really results in crossing your gaze and thus robbing it of a portion of
• 5:09:33
  the direct electromagnetic power that it possesses. You may prove this by holding up
• 5:09:38
  a pencil before your eyes and focusing your eyes upon it as you jar it
• 5:09:44
  nearer and nearer to your eyes. The nearer you get to the pencil or
• 5:09:47
  to the other person, the more will your gaze be crossed and the effect
• 5:09:52
  impaired. A gaze from a pair of crossed eyes is not nearly so fascinating
• 5:09:56
  as one from a pair of straight eyes, giving out a direct, forceful
• 5:10:00
  impression. The new method, the new fascinating gaze, is performed as follows.
• 5:10:06
  You do not focus your gaze at a point between the two eyes of
• 5:10:10
  the other person, but instead you gaze directly and straightly into his two eyes
• 5:10:15
  with your two eyes. You will find this difficult and tiring if you perform
• 5:10:18
  it in the ordinary way, and herein lies the secret. Instead of focusing
• 5:10:23
  your eyes upon his as if you really wish to see the color of his
• 5:10:27
  eyes, you might so focus your eyes that you are really gazing through him,
• 5:10:33
  as if you were transparent, and you wish to see something beyond him.
• 5:10:37
  A little practice before a mirror will show you what I mean better than
• 5:10:41
  I can explain it to you in words. Practice at gazing through objects will
• 5:10:45
  aid you in acquiring this gaze. Try, for instance, focusing your eyes
• 5:10:49
  upon the wall opposite you as you raise your eyes from this page. Then,
• 5:10:55
  as you look at the wall, slowly pass your hand before your eyes
• 5:10:57
  at a distance of about two feet, but don't change your focus. Don't
• 5:11:03
  see the hand plainly, but keep your gaze focused on the wall as if
• 5:11:07
  you could see it through the hand. How to practice this case must not
• 5:11:12
  consist of a blank, vacant, stupid state, but must be intense and
• 5:11:17
  earnest. Practice on objects as above stated, and with your mirror will aid
• 5:11:22
  you in perfecting the gaze. It will help you if you have some friend
• 5:11:26
  with whom you can practice the effect upon others. The other person will not
• 5:11:32
  be aware that you are not seeing him and are gazing through him. To
• 5:11:36
  him, it will appear that you are giving him a very deep, intense,
• 5:11:38
  steady, earnest glance. He will see your pupils dilate as they always
• 5:11:42
  do when looking at a distant object, and your expression will be one of
• 5:11:47
  calm, serene power. It does not tire the eyes. And another important
• 5:11:52
  point about this gaze is that you may maintain it a long time without tiring
• 5:11:57
  the eyes, and without the eye watering or blinking. You may outstair another
• 5:12:03
  person or animal in this way without fatigue, while the other's eyes grow tired
• 5:12:08
  and weak. So much is this true that the results of my own investigation
• 5:12:12
  of the subject have convinced me that the animals who manifest the fascinating gaze as
• 5:12:18
  mentioned in the previous chapter really focus their eyes beyond the object in just this
• 5:12:23
  way. If ever, you get a chance to observe an animal fascinating another,
• 5:12:27
  you will see that I am right in this theory. The scientific explanation
• 5:12:33
  this gazing through the other person is accomplished by a certain accommodation of the eye,
• 5:12:37
  as oculist and opticians call it. And while you are performing it,
• 5:12:42
  you cannot examine distinctly or see distinctly the eyes of the other person because your
• 5:12:47
  focus is different. To show you why you are able to maintain this caze
• 5:12:51
  such a long time without tiring your eyes. I would remind you of the
• 5:12:53
  case with which you may maintain the expression of being wrapped in thought, lost
• 5:13:00
  in a brown study, just thinking about things, et cetera, with which
• 5:13:04
  you all are familiar. In such a mental state, you're able to gaze
• 5:13:10
  into space for a long time without the slightest fatigue, while a few seconds
• 5:13:15
  focusing your eyes upon a nearby subject will tire them very much. Indeed,
• 5:13:19
  and then again, you know how long you are able to gaze at an
• 5:13:22
  object far out at sea, or far across the desert, or far down
• 5:13:26
  or across the mountain without tiring your eyes. The whole secret is that short
• 5:13:33
  range focusing upon an object tires the eyes much more than does long range gazing
• 5:13:40
  into space. This being the case, it will tire you far less seeing
• 5:13:44
  through a person than gazing at him and seeing him at a short range.
• 5:13:49
  Rules for practice in practicing the maintaining of the gaze for a long time,
• 5:13:55
  I would advise against tiring the eyes by gazing at short range objects. Better
• 5:13:59
  practice at game at distant objects until you are able to maintain the gaze a
• 5:14:03
  long time, as you will be able to do after a little practice In
• 5:14:07
  fact, I advise you to practice the gazing into space, because proficiency in
• 5:14:11
  that will enable you to perfect the fascinating gaze. After you have practices gazing
• 5:14:18
  through method a bit, you will be able to look at an object a
• 5:14:21
  couple of feet away and gaze right through it. And that is you will
• 5:14:26
  not consciously see it objectively, although apparently staring hard at it. Make haste,
• 5:14:33
  slowly, avoid all exercising tiring the eyes, and proceeds slowly working from
• 5:14:41
  trifling successes to more important ones. You will be surprised how a little intelligent
• 5:14:45
  practice along these lines will give you a penetrating glance, firm, earnest,
• 5:14:51
  and full of magnetism and fascination, without the slightest sense of strain, fatigue,
• 5:14:56
  or effort. You have long wished for such an expression. Here it
• 5:15:00
  is for you the use of the mentative instruments in the use of the eyes
• 5:15:07
  for the purpose of conveying mentative currents. You should always remember that the feeling
• 5:15:12
  is the real power behind these currents of force, and that the brain is
• 5:15:18
  the dynamo from which the currents originate. The brain, you know, is
• 5:15:23
  the great transformer or converter of the menative energy and acts just as does a
• 5:15:30
  dynamo in the direction of sending forth great waves of force. Consequently, if
• 5:15:36
  you wish to send out mentative currents for the purpose of inducing feeling in others,
• 5:15:41
  you must first have feeling generated in your mental dynamo. Valuable exercises,
• 5:15:47
  it will be well for two people to practice the eye exercises together, but
• 5:15:52
  in the absence of a friend in whom you have confidence, you may obtain
• 5:15:56
  excellent results by practicing before your friendly mirror. In either case, you must
• 5:16:00
  first arouse in your mind the feeling that you wish to express in mentative currents.
• 5:16:07
  Put your feeling into your glance, and it will be felt. Exercise
• 5:16:11
  one, Look into the eyes of your friend or your own in the mirror,
• 5:16:17
  and then say, mentally, I am stronger than you. Throw into
• 5:16:21
  your glance as much of the feeling of strength as you can. Exercise two
• 5:16:26
  say mentally, I am more positive than you. I am out gazing you,
• 5:16:33
  throwing as much positivity as possible into your gaze, the same being inspired,
• 5:16:38
  of course by your feeling. Exercise three, say and feel you are
• 5:16:45
  afraid of me, I am making you feel my strength, throwing the feeling
• 5:16:51
  into your gaze actual practice. After you have acquired the faculty of making your
• 5:16:57
  strength felt by the exercises, you may use same upon other people when the
• 5:17:03
  occasion renders it advisable. If you are addressed by some person whom you think
• 5:17:10
  is trying to master you menatively, or whose strong influence you wish to ward
• 5:17:15
  off, you may use the above method on him. As a rule,
• 5:17:18
  the person who is doing the talking has a slight advantage over the listener,
• 5:17:23
  all else being equal, the speaker is the more positive because he is expressing
• 5:17:29
  more energy. But you may counteract this if you are the listener by simply
• 5:17:33
  sending him a glance accompanied by the feeling of I scatter your force into bits
• 5:17:40
  you cannot affect me. Points of practice in resisting an attack of this sort,
• 5:17:47
  keep your mouth closed with the teeth touching, for this bite denotes strength
• 5:17:52
  and firmness and brings into play the parts of the brain manifesting these qualities,
• 5:17:57
  and thus charges your manative currents with these feelings. At the same time,
• 5:18:03
  gaze firmly and steadily into the eyes of the other, using the fascinating gaze.
• 5:18:10
  I would bid you remember my remarks and mental magic about the person standing
• 5:18:15
  having the advantage of the one sitting avoid the sitting position when the other person
• 5:18:21
  is standing. Do not give him this advantage, but take it for yourself
• 5:18:25
  if you can. Mental commands and refusals. In speaking to persons and requesting
• 5:18:32
  them to do something, you should accompany the verbal request by a mental command.
• 5:18:37
  For instance, if you say you will do this for me, won't
• 5:18:41
  you? This is the suggestive form of questioning. Remember you should accompany the
• 5:18:48
  question with the command made mentally, with the proper glance you will do this.
• 5:18:55
  If you are the person requested to do something that you do not wish
• 5:18:59
  to do, you should answer no, I do not care to do this,
• 5:19:03
  or I do not see my way clear to do it, or I
• 5:19:07
  am unable to oblige you, et cetera, et cetera. But at the
• 5:19:12
  same time you must send the mental answer with its accompanying glance, I will
• 5:19:18
  not do it, and you cannot make me certain dangerous teaching. A well
• 5:19:25
  known teacher along these lines several years ago taught his pupils to gaze into the
• 5:19:29
  eyes of persons whom they wished to affect, at the same time saying mentally,
• 5:19:34
  I am looking at you. I am looking through your eyes into your
• 5:19:37
  brain. My willpower is stronger than yours. You are under my control.
• 5:19:42
  I will compel you to do what I wish. You must do what I
• 5:19:47
  say. You shall do this, Do it at once. It will readily
• 5:19:52
  be seen that this will generate a powerful mentative current if there is a sufficiently
• 5:19:56
  strong feeling, will and disaire behind it. But right here I shall give
• 5:20:03
  you an antidote for this kind of influence. In all cases where you are
• 5:20:07
  attacked mentally in this way, you may dissolve the force by a positive denial.
• 5:20:12
  The positive denial, the positive denial is the powerful force that scatters into
• 5:20:18
  tiny bits, the force directed against one. It is a destructive agent,
• 5:20:25
  just as is the positive statement a constructive or creative one. One who understands
• 5:20:30
  the scientific use of this destructive force may undo the mentative work of others to
• 5:20:36
  a surprising degree. Someday I shall have more to say regarding these two warring
• 5:20:41
  forces along the broader lines of the entire subject of telementation. But at present
• 5:20:48
  I shall confine myself to their use in personal influence. By a strong positive
• 5:20:53
  denial, you may scatter and disintegrate any mentative influence directed against you. This
• 5:21:00
  formula will give you a general idea of it. Suppose that you are repelling
• 5:21:04
  a statement such as given above. In that case, you should say mentally
• 5:21:10
  accompanying it with the proper glance, with feeling back of it, I deny
• 5:21:15
  positively your power over me. I deny it out of existence. I will
• 5:21:21
  not do your bidding, and I deny your right and power to command me.
• 5:21:26
  I deny your power, and I affirm my own. How to cultivate
• 5:21:33
  this power? You may cultivate this power to use the positive denial by practicing
• 5:21:38
  on an imaginary person whom you may suppose is trying to influence you. Imagine
• 5:21:44
  the strong, positive person before you trying to influence you, and then start
• 5:21:48
  in to practice the positive denial on him until you feel that you have beaten
• 5:21:53
  him off and have sent him flying away in retreat. These imaginary mental battles
• 5:22:00
  will develop a great power of menative resistance in you, and I advise you
• 5:22:04
  to strengthen yourself along these lines. If you feel that you are weak,
• 5:22:11
  you may improve on the above exercise by imagining that after your enemy is in
• 5:22:15
  full retreat, you follow him up and poor statement after statement into him,
• 5:22:22
  changing your position from a defender into an attacking force. The secret of effective
• 5:22:26
  speaking. In personal conversation with another you will find it of the greatest value
• 5:22:33
  to see as clearly as possible a mental picture, chart, or map of
• 5:22:37
  what you are saying to him. By so doing, you will impress most
• 5:22:41
  forcibly upon his mind that which you wish him to see and feel. In
• 5:22:45
  this statement is compressed the secret of effective speaking. In the degree that you
• 5:22:52
  see and feel the thought that you are expressing in words will be the degree
• 5:22:57
  of impression made upon and mentative induction produced in the other person. The secret,
• 5:23:03
  of course, lies in the law of visualization, as explained in Mental
• 5:23:08
  Magic, and in this book Psychological Experiments. You may find an evidence of
• 5:23:15
  your increasing mentative influence by trying the physiological experiment of willing people to move this
• 5:23:22
  way or that way by gazing intently at them. In this experiment, it
• 5:23:27
  is not necessary for you to gaze into their eyes. Gazing at their back,
• 5:23:32
  preferably at the upper part of the neck at the base of the brain,
• 5:23:34
  will answer. You may try willing persons to look around on the street
• 5:23:40
  or in public places, et cetera, or you may will that they turn
• 5:23:45
  to the right or left of you when approaching each other on the street or
• 5:23:49
  in stores. You may will that a certain clerk from out of a number
• 5:23:53
  will step forward to wait upon you. These and many similar experiments have an
• 5:23:59
  interest to the majority of students, and are accomplished with comparative ease after sufficient
• 5:24:04
  practice. The whole theory and practice consist of a steady gaze and the mental
• 5:24:11
  command and will that the person will act so and so, together with the
• 5:24:15
  earnest expectation that they will obey the command and the mental picture of their doing.
• 5:24:21
  So that is all there is to it. General advice and the use
• 5:24:26
  of the eye as a menative instrument. Remember, first, last, and
• 5:24:30
  all the time that desire and will are the phases of the mentative energy,
• 5:24:37
  and that in the degree that desire is kindled and will is exerted, so
• 5:24:41
  will be the power expressed by yourself and impressed upon others. Read mental magic
• 5:24:48
  over a number of times until you have fully grasped the underlying principles. Then
• 5:24:52
  reread the present book and commit its exercises and instructions to memory. Then practice
• 5:24:59
  frequently and perfect yourself and the methods pointed out. Until you render them second
• 5:25:04
  nature, you will be conscious of a gradual growth and development along the lines
• 5:25:11
  of mentative power and influence. The flame of electromagnetic power, once lit,
• 5:25:15
  will never die out. Tend the flame carefully, keep the trimmed clean,
• 5:25:21
  and fill the lamp with oil, and it will ever burn bright and emit
• 5:25:25
  heat and light and power. The magnetic touch. The last mentative instrument mentioned
• 5:25:32
  in a previous chapter is the touch. There was a time in my early
• 5:25:36
  stages of experimentation and psychological research when I laughed at the idea of the touch
• 5:25:42
  playing any real part in the work of mentative influence. Of course, I
• 5:25:47
  saw the effect of the touch in certain phases of psychological work, but I
• 5:25:52
  believe that it was all merely suggestion. But I soon learned that the touch
• 5:25:56
  was really a most potent instrument of mentative energy. I now explain it by
• 5:26:03
  the idea of the nerves being like the wires upon which the electric current travels.
• 5:26:07
  The brain is the dynamo or converter of the energy. And while the
• 5:26:11
  latter travels in waves and currents without any wires, just as does the wave
• 5:26:15
  of the wireless telegraph. Still, if there is a wire to be had.
• 5:26:21
  Then it follows the lines of least resistance and takes the advantage of the
• 5:26:26
  nerve wire. Certain parts of the body have nerve cells very highly developed in
• 5:26:32
  them, and are in fact miniature brains. In the cases of some persons
• 5:26:37
  of sensitive and trained touch, there exist little clusters of nerve cells at the
• 5:26:41
  ends of the fingers that act like miniature brains. The lips are also highly
• 5:26:47
  developed in this respect, as the well known phenomena of kissing evidences, the
• 5:26:53
  fingers in hand are excellent polar mediums for conveying the manative energy that pours down
• 5:27:00
  over the nerves from the brain and through which it passes to the other person.
• 5:27:07
  How to use the hands The use of the touch of the hands as
• 5:27:11
  a channel for conveying mentative energy depends greatly upon the development of the hands by
• 5:27:17
  the individual. Those who understand this matter develop the conductivity of the hands by
• 5:27:22
  treating them as follows. Think of your hands as excellent conductors of mentative energy,
• 5:27:29
  and imagine that you can feel the energy pouring down the nerves of your
• 5:27:33
  arms and out your hands obeying your will. When you shake hands with people,
• 5:27:37
  you will soon develop your hands to such a degree that some sensitive persons
• 5:27:42
  will actually feel the current passing into them. Always accompany the passage of the
• 5:27:48
  current with the thought or feeling that you wish to induce in the other person,
• 5:27:52
  just as you do when you use the fascinating gaze. In fact,
• 5:27:56
  the gaze and the hand clasp should be used together when possible, for by
• 5:28:02
  doing so you double the effect the magnetic hand clasp. When you shake hands
• 5:28:07
  with a person, throw mind and feeling into it, and do not fall
• 5:28:11
  into the mechanical lifeless method so common among people. Throw your feeling down to
• 5:28:18
  your hand, and at the same time make a mental command or statement appropriate
• 5:28:22
  to the case. For instance, grasp the person's hand with feeling and interest,
• 5:28:27
  saying mentally at the same time you like me. Then, when you
• 5:28:33
  draw your hand away, if possible, let your fingers slide over the palm
• 5:28:37
  of his hand in a caressing manner, allowing his first finger to pass between
• 5:28:41
  your thumb and forefinger, close up in the crotch of the thumb. Practice
• 5:28:47
  this well until you can perform it without thinking of it, that is,
• 5:28:51
  make it your natural way of shaking hands. You will find that this method
• 5:28:56
  of shaking hands will open up a new interest in people toward you, and
• 5:29:00
  in other ways you will discover its advantage. You will never know a fascinating
• 5:29:06
  person who did not have a good hand clasp. It is a part of
• 5:29:10
  the fascinating personality. Other uses of the hands. There are many persons well
• 5:29:17
  grounded on the psychological principles underlying mental fascination, who use the hands as a
• 5:29:22
  medium formentative energy without shaking hands. For instance, they sit near the other
• 5:29:27
  person and place their hands so that their fingers will point toward him. At
• 5:29:32
  the same time, willing that the current flow through the fingers and toward the
• 5:29:37
  other. They also use their hands in conversation so as to have the tips
• 5:29:41
  of their fingers pointing toward the other. This last plan becomes highly effective when
• 5:29:48
  used with the appropriate gestures, for it is akin to the mesmeric pass of
• 5:29:52
  the hands. In this connection, I would say, beware of the person
• 5:29:56
  who is always trying to put his hands on you, of the pawing over
• 5:30:00
  process avoided in the ordinary way, if possible, or else deliberately practice the
• 5:30:06
  positive denial toward the person holding the idea and mental statement that I deny the
• 5:30:12
  power of your magnetism. I scatter it by my denial. A warning to
• 5:30:18
  women. In concluding this chapter, I would especially caution young women and older
• 5:30:23
  ones for that matter, against allowing men to be familiar with them in the
• 5:30:29
  direction of holding hands or similar practices. Not only does this familiarity breed contempt,
• 5:30:36
  but there are good psychological reasons why the practice is to be condemned.
• 5:30:41
  You have seen what part the hands play in magnetizing, as it is called,
• 5:30:45
  and is it not clearly discernible how one may use the hands in this
• 5:30:49
  petting and all that sort of thing in order to psychologically affect another person.
• 5:30:56
  I am not speaking now of the caresses indulged in by allnvulnerable true lovers,
• 5:31:00
  for all the talk in the world would not change that sort of thing.
• 5:31:04
  But I am alluding to the indiscriminate pawing over on the part of strange men
• 5:31:08
  that some young girls allow. There is a danger in this sort of thing,
• 5:31:12
  and I want you to know it. If you have daughters or young
• 5:31:17
  female relatives, warn them against this thing and tell them the reasons why.
• 5:31:22
  A caution to men, and the same thing is true of the man who
• 5:31:26
  is always patting other men on the shoulder or resting his arm around them,
• 5:31:32
  or else taking hold of them in a friendly caressing way during a conversation.
• 5:31:37
  Such men may not know the psychology of the thing, but they have found
• 5:31:41
  out that this sort of padding up makes other men more impressionable and amenable to
• 5:31:48
  their influence, and so they practice it. Make them stop it, either
• 5:31:52
  by moving away or by positive denial. The protective armor now once more the
• 5:32:00
  power of this positive denial as a disperser and disintegrator of adverse influence. If
• 5:32:07
  this book taught you nothing else, it would still be with while to you
• 5:32:11
  because of this one point of instruction for this positive denial is a menative armor
• 5:32:17
  that will protect you, a menative sword that will defend you, a menative
• 5:32:22
  lightning flash that will clear the mental atmosphere. Learn the secretive positive statement and
• 5:32:26
  positive denial, and your clad in an invulnerable armor and armed with the weapon
• 5:32:33
  of strength. And so you may, like the warrior bold, go gayly
• 5:32:37
  to the fray. May the victory be yours. Concluding instruction, We have
• 5:32:44
  now reached the end of our consideration of the subject of mental fascination in this
• 5:32:48
  book, but you have reached only the beginning of the subject. When you
• 5:32:53
  close these pages, for the real subject rests in the action of the principles
• 5:32:57
  in real life the effect of the instruction. Though you may not feel disposed
• 5:33:04
  to put into operation much of the instruction given herein, yet from your very
• 5:33:08
  acquaintance with what has been taught in these pages, you will be compelled to
• 5:33:14
  see the operation of the principles in the every day life around you. You
• 5:33:18
  will see them in operation on every side, now that you are familiar with
• 5:33:22
  their laws of operation, and you will find yourself instinctively guarding against its influence,
• 5:33:29
  just as you would guard against a threatened physical blow. And you will
• 5:33:33
  be surprised and perhaps pained sometimes at seeing people trying to influence you in this
• 5:33:37
  way whom you would not have suspected of doing so. On the whole,
• 5:33:42
  you will be a much stronger man or woman by reason of the information herein
• 5:33:48
  given you, and you will have the advantage of knowing how to resist,
• 5:33:52
  defeat, and dispel the adverse influences that may be used to influence you.
• 5:33:56
  Remember the assertion of the positive will and the use of the positive denial additional
• 5:34:03
  information. There is one thing more that I wish to call your attention to
• 5:34:08
  before closing, although strictly speaking it forms part of the subject of telemental influence
• 5:34:15
  rather than that of mental fascination. I have mentioned this matter in my work
• 5:34:19
  on mental magic. In my lesson on the Science of Telementation, I allude
• 5:34:26
  to the use of telementation for the purpose of mental fascination, which is performed
• 5:34:32
  by some persons who have become acquainted with the subject distant fascination. The person
• 5:34:38
  wishing to influence another at a distance, just as he would in the case
• 5:34:44
  of personal interview, forms a mental image of the person whom he wishes to
• 5:34:48
  influence, and then proceeds just as if the person was actually before him,
• 5:34:53
  according to the methods mentioned in this book, I know of at least one
• 5:34:57
  teacher who advises his students to treat prospective customers and others with whom they expect
• 5:35:03
  to have dealings or relations as follows. Imagine your prospective customer or other person
• 5:35:10
  as seated in a chair before you which you are standing. Make the imagined
• 5:35:15
  picture as strong as possible, for upon this depends your success. Then proceed
• 5:35:22
  to treat the person just as you would if he were actually present. Concentrate
• 5:35:26
  your will upon him, and tell him just what you expect to tell him
• 5:35:30
  when you meet him. Use all of the arguments that you can think of,
• 5:35:34
  and at the same time hold the thought that he must do as you
• 5:35:37
  say. Try to imagine him as complying with your wishes in every respect,
• 5:35:44
  for this imagining will tend to come true when you really meet the person.
• 5:35:48
  This rule may be used not only in the case of prospective customers, but
• 5:35:52
  also in the cases of persons whom you wish to influence in any way whatsoever,
• 5:35:57
  How to counteract the influence? Now, all this is very plain to
• 5:36:03
  the student of this book and of my work on mental magic, for the
• 5:36:06
  principles employed are familiar to my students. The result of a practice like the
• 5:36:11
  above would undoubtedly tend to clear a menative path in the other person's mind and
• 5:36:17
  make easier the effect of a subsequent interview. For the other person would be
• 5:36:22
  thus accustomed to the idea of thought or feeling, and the work of clearing
• 5:36:26
  away the mental underbrush would be done in advance. But fortunately for us all
• 5:36:30
  we have the antidote for this bane. If we have acquainted ourselves with the
• 5:36:34
  underlying principles of the subject so important do I regard this matter of self protection
• 5:36:41
  against this telemental influencing that I propose adding to my remarks on the subject several
• 5:36:48
  paragraphs from my book on Mental Magic, which, although you have already read
• 5:36:52
  them, should appear right in this place in order to be impressed upon your
• 5:36:56
  mind and connection with what I have just said, I want you all to
• 5:37:02
  read again what I have said on this subject of self protection. So here
• 5:37:06
  is the reproduction of a few rules to use on occasions when you think that
• 5:37:10
  someone is trying to treat or influence you better study them carefully. Here they
• 5:37:15
  are valuable rules. One in the first place, steady your mind and calm
• 5:37:22
  your feelings. Then pause for a moment and say the words I am calmly
• 5:37:29
  and forcibly. At the same time, forming a mental picture of yourself as
• 5:37:33
  a center of force and power in the great ocean of mind. See yourself
• 5:37:37
  as standing alone and full of power. Then mentally form a picture of your
• 5:37:42
  aura extending about a yard on all sides of you in an egg shaped form.
• 5:37:49
  See that this aura is charged with your will power, which is flowing
• 5:37:53
  outward, repelling any adverse mental suggestions that are being sent to you and causing
• 5:38:00
  them to fly back to the source from whence they came. A little practice
• 5:38:04
  will enable you to perfect this picture, which will greatly aid you in creating
• 5:38:10
  a strong, positive aura of will, which will prove to be a magnetic
• 5:38:15
  armor and shield. It has helped many. I assert my individuality as a
• 5:38:21
  center of force, power and being. Nothing can adversely affect me. My
• 5:38:27
  mind is mine own, and I refuse admittance to unwelcome suggestions for influences.
• 5:38:33
  My desires are my own, and refuse to admit undesirable variations by induction or
• 5:38:40
  otherwise. My will is my own, and I charge it with power to
• 5:38:45
  beat off and repel all undesirable influences. I am surrounded by an aura of
• 5:38:51
  positive will which protects me absolutely. A useful denial the following denial has proved
• 5:38:59
  of the great greatest value to many. I deny to all or any the
• 5:39:03
  power to influence me against my best interest. I am my own master.
• 5:39:11
  These words may seem simple, but if you will use them, you will
• 5:39:15
  be surprised at their efficacy. You realize, of course, that it is
• 5:39:18
  the mental state aroused by the words that does the work, rather than any
• 5:39:23
  special virtue. In the words themselves guard against impulses. Two, guard yourself
• 5:39:32
  from acting upon impulses. When you feel a sudden or unaccountable impulse to do
• 5:39:37
  this thing or that thing, stop and assert your positive individuality, and then
• 5:39:42
  drive out all outside influences by repeating the affirmations et cetera given above, and
• 5:39:49
  by creating the proper mental picture. Then, when you have recovered your balance,
• 5:39:55
  consider the impulse and decide whether it is to your best interests or otherwise.
• 5:40:00
  You will be able to see this clearly by reason of your mental house
• 5:40:04
  cleaning a moment before. Then, if the impulse seems to be against your
• 5:40:10
  best interests, drive it from you, saying I drive you away from me,
• 5:40:15
  you do not belong to me, return to those who sent you,
• 5:40:18
  or other words to that effect. This may be rendered more forceful if you
• 5:40:23
  will but create a mental picture of the discarded idea flying away from you in
• 5:40:29
  the shape of a tiny thought wave. These mental pictures aid one very materially
• 5:40:33
  in such matters, both in the sending forth of an idea as well as
• 5:40:37
  in the discarding of one. The positive ara. Three, cultivate the picture
• 5:40:45
  and idea of a positive ara, and always think of yourself as being encased
• 5:40:49
  in such a one see yourself as a strong positive eye, a center of
• 5:40:55
  power encased in an impregnable sheath of auric force. You will thus be able
• 5:41:00
  to build up yourself into a mighty center. You will be surprised at the
• 5:41:04
  confused manner of people who try to influence you when they come in contact with
• 5:41:10
  this aura and find their suggestions and menative currents being cast back upon themselves.
• 5:41:15
  Such people find themselves all broken up when they meet a condition like this,
• 5:41:21
  which they do not understand, for a very few of them are practical occultists.
• 5:41:26
  The mental picture of yourself as a center of power surrounded with a positive
• 5:41:30
  aura, will, if persisted in, render you extremely positive, so that
• 5:41:36
  your influence is sure to be felt by the world with which you come in
• 5:41:40
  contact. Amusing sequels, you will often be amused by occurrences following after the
• 5:41:47
  rejection of these stray impulses, etc. You will find that if you have
• 5:41:52
  had an impulse to buy a certain thing or sell a certain thing at a
• 5:41:56
  sacrifice, that in a day or so, perhaps an hour or so,
• 5:42:00
  you will be approached by some person who will advise you personally to do that
• 5:42:04
  same thing. The person being likely to be benefited by the scheme or plan.
• 5:42:10
  I do not mean that such person has necessarily tried to influence you by
• 5:42:15
  mentative currents, for he may not have consciously done so. But nevertheless,
• 5:42:21
  that is just what has happened, and his desire or will has caused these
• 5:42:26
  currents to flow in your direction, and you have felt them. Now that
• 5:42:30
  your eyes have been open to this fact, you will be amused and surprised
• 5:42:33
  to see how many cooberative proofs you will receive. But always insert your individuality
• 5:42:40
  as a center of power, and all will be well with you in these
• 5:42:42
  matters. The protective agent. I hope that the above reproduction of the advice
• 5:42:51
  given in mental magic will do you good. And once more, remember the
• 5:42:55
  power of the positive denial as a protective agent. Use you may disperse and
• 5:43:00
  scatter the mentative currents of others and surround yourself with an impregnable armor of mentative
• 5:43:07
  energy. And also remember this which I have not said elsewhere, that the
• 5:43:12
  law of life is concerned with the protection of the individual and gives to each
• 5:43:18
  the weapons with which to preserve his individuality. So true is this that occultists
• 5:43:25
  know that there is the greatest difference in the use of the mentative power as
• 5:43:29
  an attacking force and as a protective force. I will illustrate this briefly protective
• 5:43:36
  individuality. A man's mentative force is immensely more powerful when he uses it to
• 5:43:41
  protect his individuality than when he uses it to attack the individuality of another.
• 5:43:48
  In fact, if everyone understood the laws of mentative defense and would avail himself
• 5:43:53
  of the information given by me under this head, there would be almost a
• 5:43:59
  total absence of mentative attack, for the futility of the same would soon be
• 5:44:03
  recognized. The only reason that the strong individuals are able to affect the weaker
• 5:44:10
  ones so frequently is because the other do not know their inner power and make
• 5:44:15
  no defense. In fact, the majority of people do not know of these
• 5:44:18
  laws at all, and if one tells them, they sneer and smile,
• 5:44:22
  knowingly tapping their foreheads to indicate that their informant is just a little off.
• 5:44:30
  Poor sheep and geese, they are so happy in their ignorance and conceit that
• 5:44:34
  it almost seems a pity to disturb them Nature's protective armor. But to return
• 5:44:41
  to my subject, you will find that it will require a much less effort
• 5:44:45
  of will to protect your individuality than at will to attack the individuality of another.
• 5:44:52
  You will find that the law is on your side. When you say
• 5:44:56
  I won't be influenced, I deny the power of another to weaken my individuality.
• 5:45:02
  For you have then called into operation that law of nature which is always
• 5:45:06
  in operation, and which she gives to her creatures in the way of an
• 5:45:10
  instinctive protective force. So there is no occasion to be afraid. You are
• 5:45:15
  immune from attacks if you will but assert the force within you, the glory
• 5:45:22
  of individuality. And Now, friends, in conclusion, I beg of you
• 5:45:26
  to remember that you are individuals, centers of mind, power, force and
• 5:45:33
  energy. Yes, centers of life in the great ocean of being. Each
• 5:45:37
  of you is something different from any other sinner, and the law wishes you
• 5:45:42
  to live your own life, develop your own individuality, assert your own birthright.
• 5:45:48
  And in the measure that you do so, so will the law be
• 5:45:52
  on your side. Do not let the snare of personal pride trip you up
• 5:45:56
  and entangle you in its meshes, for it is but an illusion, but
• 5:46:02
  glory in your pride of individuality. And do not be frightened, coaxed,
• 5:46:07
  seduced, lured or driven by the race thought into the condition of the worm
• 5:46:12
  of the dust person. Do not be a human doormat. Do not be
• 5:46:18
  a human sheep or goose following some fool leader in a stately goose step,
• 5:46:23
  or the sheep like follow my leader fashion. Remember that you are men and
• 5:46:29
  women, That you are individuals for which the cosmic machinery has been laboring for
• 5:46:34
  ages in order to evolve the statement of individuality. The statement of individuality,
• 5:46:41
  that I am here now is a mighty one. It will always be I
• 5:46:47
  am with you. It will always be here with you. It will always
• 5:46:52
  be now with you, no matter what state your individuality may reach, no
• 5:46:59
  matter what point of space you may occupy, no matter what period of time
• 5:47:03
  it may be, it will always be true that I am here now,
• 5:47:08
  For it will always be your eye that is speaking. It will always be
• 5:47:15
  am with you. Everywhere, place will be here to you. All time
• 5:47:19
  will be now with you. May you unfold into a perception of this statement
• 5:47:26
  of individuality, for when you do, you will have reached a mental plain
• 5:47:30
  where even the principles herein taught will seem elementary to you, for you will
• 5:47:34
  have soared above them and their operation. May this and other works of mine
• 5:47:40
  be as ladders upon which you may mount, and which you may then kick
• 5:47:44
  away from under your feet as no longer needed students, I thank you and
• 5:47:49
  bid you off Wiedersen. May the law protect you till we meet again.