THE POWER OF MIND. William Walker Atkinson
or, at least like modern Science, learn to frankly state: Here our knowledge of the subject ends; to-morrow we may know more, but sufficient for the day is the knowledge thereof—and an inch of knowledge of facts is worth a mile of unsupported speculation and theory. As Thomas L. Harris has said:
"The theorist who dreams a rainbow dream, And calls hypothesis 'philosophy,' At best is but a paper financier Who palms his specious promises for gold Facts are the basis of philosophy; Philosophy, the harmony of facts. Seen in their right relation."
And, now, having confessed your ignorance and mine, let us proceed to a consideration of Mind-Power as known by its activities.
In the first place, let me say that I do not hold that Mind-Power is identical with mind. Rather does it seem to me to be correlated to mind, particularly in the operation of mind known as desire, will, and imagination. If you like, we may consider it to be the acting aspect of mind. Mind has three aspects—the aspect of being, or substance; the aspect of thought, with the sub-divisions of reason, feeling, emotion, desire, will, etc., on both conscious and subconscious planes; and third, the aspect of ACTING. And it is in this aspect of action that mind is known as Mind-Power.
While it is extremely likely that there is a certain employment and manifestation of Mind-Power in the ordinary processes of reasoning, intellectual effort, etc., still Mind-Power seems to be more closely connected with the more elementary phase of mentation, such as feeling, emotion, and particularly desire and will. We know that it is possessed by the lower forms of animal and plant life; even the inorganic forms; all of which existed and employed the force before intellect and reason manifested itself in man. And so I would impress upon you that while Mind-Power may be called into operation by, and still more certainly may be directed by the intellect—still you must not make the mistake of identifying it with that phase of mind or attributing it solely to creatures possessing the same. It is a far more elementary and basic force, as you have seen in the preceding chapter.
Indeed, in order that you may understand the operations of Mind-Power you may as well get into the habit of considering it as correlated to that which we call will, (as distinguished from intellect and reason).
By "will" I do not mean that phase or faculty of the mind which decides, determines, or chooses—although this customary use of the term is quite correct as applied to one phase of will. This deciding, choosing, determining faculty is one of the attributes of intellect and Self-consciousness superimposed upon the elemental will in the direction of guiding, directing, turning and restraining—it is the Ego at the wheel, directing the Ship of Life by the Chart of Reason, the motive-power being will, or Mind-Power. Choice in the lower forms of life and activity, simply means yielding to the strongest desire, or aggregate of strongest desires, or average of strongest desires.
No, I did not mean will in the above sense, but in the more elementary sense of the term—the original sense, for the word is derived from the root meaning "to wish; to desire strongly." And, in this elementary sense, the word "will" is used to designate that primitive, original, universal mental principle in life, which manifests in desire for action, and in the response to that desire. In this sense will may be considered as Desire-Will, both being held to be phases of the same thing—or rather the two poles of the same thing. The desire-pole of this Desire-Will is connected with that which we call emotion, feeling, etc., which arouses it into action. The will-pole of this Desire-Will is connected with that principle of mental activity which we are considering under the name of Mind-Power—the dynamic aspect of mind. I ask that you re-read this paragraph, that you may fix this idea firmly in your mind, for upon it depends the correct understanding of much that I shall have to say in this work.
In Desire we find the first step toward Dynamic Mentation. Desire precedes action of will which releases the dynamic force of the mind—the Mind-Power. Desire is the coiling up the steel-spring of Will—there is always a state of "tension" about desire—a state of "coiled-up energy" caused by "feeling," "emotion" or similar state which has been aroused by the sight of, or memory of, or thought of, some attractive object. The feeling" inspired by the attractive object coils up the spring of desire, and this "coiled-up" energy supplies the "motive-power" of the will. But, remember this, some desires are acted upon, while others are rejected—neither men nor things act upon every desire. There is the other pole of the Desire-Will which must be called into action—and this leads us to a consideration of the matter of choice, determination, or decision, which is so often expressed by the term" "Will, "as I said a little further back.
This choosing or determining phase of will, is little more than an empty name or term, so far as is concerned the relation between desire and will action in the cases of things and creatures lower in the scale than man. For in these cases this choice, determination, or decision is based entirely upon the degree of "feeling," or the degree of attractiveness of the objects presenting themselves to the attention—the strongest feeling, attraction, or motive-interest winning the day. (Fear is one of the strongest feelings influencing desire, and acts usually as a neutralizer of other feelings and desires, and is most potent as a motive influencing choice or decision—in fact, one is justified in regarding fear as the negative form of desire, being really a "desire-not-to.") With the advent of reason, and intellect, particularly when the self-conscious ego appears, new elements are introduced, by reason of which man is enabled to deliberate and weigh motives, desires, feelings, emotions, etc., and thus the will of man is held to contain elements lacking in the general principle of will.
But the aspect of will with which we are much concerned is the aspect of action—the will-pole of Desire-Will. Just where desire passes into will is impossible to decide—the chances are that they blend into each other. But this we do know, that "something happens" at a certain stage of the mental operation, whereby the attention of the thing, or ego, passes from the pole of desire to the pole of will—and then, one of two things happens, i. e., (1) either the "coiled-up" spring of desire is released by the will, and the energy of desire is transmuted into the energy of will, which thus releases the Mind-Power or dynamic quality of mind into action; or else: (2) the will refuses to be aroused, and desire slowly uncoils her spring, and the tension is relieved, gradually or at once. The will may be cultivated and developed so as to refuse to release the spring of desire into action—and in this inhibiting quality lies much of that which is called "strength of will"—it often requires more will not to do, than to do.
The aspect of "action" is the true dynamic quality of will. And with action all will is intimately and inseparably connected. As Prof. Halleck says: "Will concerns itself with action. The student must keep that fact before him, no matter how complex the matter seems." Action is the. "inner meaning" and reason of the will. And it is with this phase that we are concerned in the present work. Action is the essential aspect of Mind-Power— the latter exists for the purpose of Acting. It is the essence of activity.
And so you will see that this "universal dynamic mental principle"—which I have called "Mind-Power," is not that phase of mind which manifests as intellectual, reasoning processes; but is that phase of mind which is aroused by desire-will— and which acts. It is manifest in the universe among forms of life below the plane of reason, as well as among those on that plane, and therefore precedes Reason in evolution. It also manifests along unconscious and automatic lines, and precedes the self-conscious stage of man. It represents an elementary, primitive, fundamental, dynamic, mental force; and may be thought of as a raw, crude, undeveloped force, manifesting along the lines of instinctive action or appetency, rather than along the lines of intellect, reason, or the higher cognitive faculties. It is something far more elemental and basic than intellect. It is more nearly akin to the elemental life forces which we personify under the name of "Nature."
Whether or not that which we know as reason or intellect were evolved from an elemental Mind-Stuff; or whether these higher forms of mentality are something of an entirely higher and distinct nature; or whether, as the occultists hold, intelligence is the result of the influence of a Spiritual Ego (something distinct from mind) upon an elementary Mind-Stuff—these are questions belonging to other phases of the general subject of Being, with which we have nothing to do in the consideration of the subject before us. I have my own opinions and beliefs on these points, and so have each of you—we may differ regarding the same, but may still be able to examine