The Arcane Teaching · 17 of 21

Lesson XVII. Mentalism

Under the head of “Mentalism” we shall group that general class of occult phenomena which consists of the manifestations of what has been called Mental Influence, Mind Power, Thought Force, Mental Magic, Mental Suggestion, etc., the distinguishing feature of which is the exerting of the influence of one mind over other minds. This phase of occult phenomena is well known to the general public of to‑day, by reason of the great interest which has been manifested in late years regarding the influence of the mind over physical states, and the investigations and literature which have resulted by reason thereof. But this power, and the knowledge thereof, is no new thing, by any means. We find traces of it in the history of everyone of the ancient peoples, as well as in the records of the nations of comparatively modern times. The hierophants of ancient Egypt, Chaldea and Greece were adepts in all of the various branches of mentalism and understood the true underlying principles far better than do the majority of the teachers and writers upon the subject to‑day. The traditions and legends coming to us from old Atlantis, inform us of the high degree of knowledge of these things were possessed by that wonderful people who inhabited what is now the “Lost Continent.”

To understand Mentalism, one must understand the nature of Telepathy, or Transference of Thought. We hear much of Telepathy in these latter days in the many books and magazines devoted to the subject, in plays, and in the teachings of the various metaphysical cults which have sprung into prominence. Many are the theories advanced to account for the phenomena, and manifold is the error that has arisen from imperfect and incorrect statements of the underlying principles. On the one hand, we hear much of theories of “the ether waves” which carry the “thought vibrations,” both being likened to, and held as, but higher forms, of the other vibrations of the ether. On the other hand, we hear many theories which seek to account for the phenomena on supernatural grounds—the desirable forms being considered the evidences of divine power, and the undesirable being regarded as arising from diabolical sources. But there is nothing supernatural about the matter, nor are the waves and vibrations “etheric.” We have explained the matter in the preceding lesson, and have shown how the Circulation of Mind is sufficient to account for the phenomena.

That the Thought of man is an actual, moving force, is a fact well known to all occultists, ancient and modern. That thought waves travel in currents and waves is a fact not only believed because of the ancient teachings, but also because those who are able to sense on the Astral Plane are able to see the passage of these thought waves, and currents, as they pass from one mind to others. Not only is thought‑force exerted consciously, and with direct intent, but also unconsciously and with direct intent and purpose on the part of the person who exerts it. Thought is as real a force as is electricity, although it operates on an entirely different plane. It may be compared to magnetism and electricity, because it is the correspondence of the physical fine forces, on the mental plane. But one must not make the mistake of supposing that these thought waves or currents, or other forms of influence, travel through the ether as do light, electricity and material magnetism. On the contrary, they have nothing to do with the ether as a medium. They travel through the Universal Principle of Mind.

We have seen, in preceding lessons, that the Three Cosmic Principles pervade all space—the Cosmos—and one of those Principles is Consciousness—Mind. Do you realize just what this means? That all the space there is, or can be—Infinite Space—is occupied by the Mind Principle of the Cosmos? That pervading all space there is a great Cosmic Ocean of Mind, living throbbing, pulsating with life and energy, in the depths of which there is the quietude of eternal calm and peace—on the surface of which are ripples, eddies, waves, currents and whirlpools—upon and in which there is manifested the phases of the fiercest tempest and of absolute calm, rest and peace. And in this great Ocean of Mind—in the Cosmic Mind Principle—occur all the multitude of manifestations of Consciousness that are known on the lower planes of life—on the human plane—and on the planes far beyond any possible conceptions of beings on the lowly scale of mankind of to‑day?

The would‑be authorities and instructors on the subject of Mentalism speak learnedly of the “etheric waves” by which Thought is carried from mind to mind. They do not dream, these founders of latter‑day schools and cults, that for thousands of years the Arcane Teachers have known and taught that even this much vaunted Universal Ether in which is supposed to abide the foundation principles of all things—this Something which Science says is a No‑Thing containing the infinite possibilities of Everything— is but the lowest of the scale of the seven Ethers known to the occultists, and which highest and lowest Ethers are but manifestations in the Cosmic Brain, a result of Mind! And to suppose that Mind needs this lowest Ether to convey its currents of mental energy is as much a folly and inversion of Truth as that conveyed in the materialistic dogmas that “mind is a secretion and by‑product of Matter!” These pseudo‑mentalists do not know the first principle of Mentalism, when they assert that Mental Currents are but higher forms of “etheric waves” and energy.

In time, they will learn that the Ether is the byproduct of Mind, and rests in the Ocean of Mind just as the dissolved salt rests in the Ocean of Water. We do not say this in the spirit of captious criticism—that would be a waste of words and time—but because we realize that unless the fundamental Truth is comprehended and realized the study of Mentalism will be but a phase of the study of physical science, which it infinitely transcends in importance.

Mind requires Substance in order to manifest itself, but it travels in its own medium. Its waves are waves of Mind—its currents are currents of Mind—its vibrations are vibrations of Mind. Activities in a Centre of Consciousness are not confined to that particular centre of manifestation, but extend in all directions in rapidly widening circles, unless the sender deliberately concentrates his thought force in a special and particular direction, either by conscious intent, or else by reason of intense Desire. This Thought‑force flows out in currents and waves, exerting more or less influence upon all minds with which it comes in contact, the degree depending upon the degree of harmony to the particular vibrations which are manifested in the receptive minds.

But all this is an old story to the majority of our readers. There is scarcely need for us to write regarding these fundamental facts of Mentalism. They have been told, and often very well told, by the many writers on the subject, who have discovered the facts of the operation of these mental forces, although often in ignorance of the fundamental principles involved in the phenomena. Every student of these lessons has read much regarding the operations of thought influence, and to repeat these familiar facts would be akin to repeating the instructions in kindergarten work, and the alphabet, to advanced students. We shall, therefore, take it for granted that the student is informed regarding these elementary facts in Mentalism, and shall now merely show how they are explained by the underlying principles of the Arcane Teaching. In our supplementary work, “The Arcane Formulas; or, Mental Alchemy,” we shall give the formulas for the actual demonstration and manifestation of these principles. These lessons are not for beginners, but for those who have acquainted themselves with the reality of Mental Influence and Thought‑Force, and who have passed the kindergarten stage of occult attainment and knowledge.

The existence of Mental Influence in its various phases has been fully established to the satisfaction of thousands of investigators. The facts of hypnotism are now common property. The existence of “absent treatments” and other phases of telepathic influence is now accepted as fact by the majority of students of the subject. What is known as “personal magnetism” is now understood to result from purely mental causes. The Attractive power of Thought—the Drawing Power of Mind—the operation of the great Law of Mental Attraction—these things are recognized by students of the subject, and hundreds of books have been written explaining (?) them under one hypothesis or another, and giving more or less valuable instructions in their use. We shall not dwell upon these details at this place—our little book “The Arcane Formulas; or, Mental Alchemy” will furnish the “how” side of this subject, in a condensed, plain, practical and “usable” form. What we wish to do now is to acquaint you with the real underlying principle of Mental Influence—the one fact which illumines the entire subject—which has been known to and taught by the Arcane Teachers for thousands of years, but which does not seem to be known to the latter‑day teachers along these lines. We ask you to pay close attention to what we have to say on this point, for when you grasp this underlying principle you have the key to the whole range of phenomena.

The secret of Mental Influence—the effect of one mind over the other minds—lies in the fact that there is sex in mind. Under the Law of Opposites, in its phase of Sex Polarity, we find the interesting fact that there is to be found evidences of Sex Polarity on all planes of activity and in all forms of activity, inorganic as well as organic. Sex Polarity is manifested even by the atoms, in the attractions and repulsions. In electricity and magnetism the polarity manifested is all along the lines of Sex Polarity. (We explain this in our supplementary work entitled, “The Mystery of Sex; or, Sex Polarity.”) And on the mental plane this principle is found in full operation. The manifestation of Will is the action of the Masculine Principle. Desire and Imagination are phases of the Feminine Principle. Thought, Reason and Intellectual activities result from the union of the two principles. Desire, the female principle of Mind, arouses and attracts the Will, the Masculine element, and draws it into action. Imagination, another phase of the feminine principle, acts in the same way. But, yet, the action of Will is the inciting cause of the activities of Desire and Imagination. The Will can create only by its action upon the feminine principles of Desire and Imagination—it cannot create by itself. On the other hand, the feminine principles of Desire and Imagination cannot produce and create without the union with the Will. This is merely the general outline of the activities.

But, and here is where the explanation of Mental Influence is seen, both the feminine Desire and, the masculine Will of a person may be incited into activity by the Will or Desire, as the case may be, of another person. The Will of another person may incite and arouse the activities of one’s Desire and Imagination, and render it so active that it will drag into action its own mate, the Will of the person affected. And, in the same way, a strong Desire in the mind of a person, may act to arouse into activity the Will of another, taking the latter away from its lawful mate—the Desire of the person affected. In the same way, two Wills (that of the person affected and that of the person affecting) may struggle for the control, mastery and possession of the Desire and Imagination of the first mentioned person. And, likewise, there is often found the struggle between the feminine principle of Desire in two persons, each wishing to maintain and exert influence over the Will of one of the persons. In this statement is contained the actual secret of the Mental Influence of one person over another in direct personal relations and contact. It is the secret underlying hypnotism, mental influence, personal magnetism, psychic influence, and all the other forms of direct mental influence.

The same principle is operative in the case of mental influence at a distance. In it is found the explanation of the Law of Attraction; the Drawing Power of the Mind; Absent Treatments; etc., as well as in the various forms of phenomena generally grouped together under the head of Mental Magic. There is found the effect of the masculine Will principle in the thought‑waves and mental currents upon the feminine principle of Desire in the minds of those affected. And likewise there is found the attractive force of the strong feminine Desire thought‑waves or mental currents, which tend to attract and arouse into activity the masculine principle or Will of those affected. It should be unnecessary to state that every person, male or female, has this dual‑principle of mind within him or her—the masculine and the feminine mental phases of mind.

The feminine principle of mind acts always in the direction of exerting an attracting, drawing influence upon the will; and also in the direction of creating and conceiving ideas, mental images and other forms of mental creative activity. The masculine principle of mind always acts in the direction of inciting activity within the feminine principles of mind. The feminine principles of mind may be said to be dominated and ruled by the masculine principle, so far as the apparent workings of the mind is concerned; but as a matter of fact, a closer examination will disclose the interesting fact that the masculine principle is always attracted and “managed” by the feminine principle, either its own lawful mate, or else the feminine principle of some other mind. We have seen in a preceding lesson, that the Will is “free” and theoretically at least may act without restraint from within, but that in reality it never does act unless aroused by Desire. It can “act as it pleases,” but the “pleases” depends upon Desire, the feminine principle. So that in mental phenomena, as in human life, while the masculine is apparently, and theoretically, the master, as a matter of fact, the feminine causes her mate to do as she “pleases,” at the same time allowing him to think that it is he who “pleases.”

The men and women of strong Will Power, who dominate all around them, and often those far removed from them in space, really emanate strong currents charged with Will Power, which coming in contact with the feminine principles in the minds of others arouse the latter and cause the desires of those persons to be in accord with the Will of the strong individual. Great masters of men possess this power to a great degree, and then “work their Will” upon others in this way. Their influence is felt far and near, and they make people do as they like by making them “want to” do that way, or else by causing them to “fear,” which is but a negative form of Desire, as we have said in another lesson. In the same way, men of strong Desire and Imagination—feminine principles of the mind—may and do exert powerful influence over the minds and Wills of others, and lead them their way. The “magnetic” persons manifest these feminine principles—they attract, allure, draw on, and often actually seduce the Wills of other people. They are emotional, and capture the Will of others, and at the same time produce a consequent reaction on the emotional natures of the others, by sympathetic vibration. The “electric” persons manifest the masculine principle and cause others to “want to” do as the person wishes. They are “motional” and not only arouse the Desire in others, but also overawe and terrorize the Will of the others. The men and women of the greatest power are those who manifest both the masculine and the feminine principles and consequently affect others on the lines of both poles of their mentality. One moment they exert the power of Will; the next the attracting, drawing, charming power of Desire. If you will test all instances and classes of the phenomena of Mentalism by this principle of Mental Sex Polarity, you will see that it affords an explanation and a reason for them all. We shall have more to say on this subject in our supplementary book, “The Mystery of Sex; or, Sex Polarity,” of which general subject it forms a phase and part. The principle of Sex is strongly in evidence on the mental plane—as it is on the physical—and as it also is on the spiritual. He who leaves Sex Polarity out of the consideration loses the Master Key to the Creative Activities of the Cosmos. It lies indeed at the very heart of the cosmos itself.

So much for the influence of mind over mind. What of the influence of Mind over Things? The answer to this question is very simple. There is mind in everything, to respond to the more positive mind. Moreover, everything is in mind—in the Cosmic Brain. As we have said elsewhere: If Thoughts become Things in the Cosmic Brain, then following the Law of Analogy, it is possible for Thoughts to materialize as Things on other planes of activity. The same principle is involved—the principle of mental creative activity.… With a Cosmos, mental in its nature, with energy and substance; matter and motion; all receptive, responsive, and plastic, and obedient to Mind—what cannot be accomplished by those who understand the Laws of Mentalism? With Will as the great creative Power in the Cosmos—what is not possible to him who understands the Art of Willing? With Desire as the great creative energy, can we not see why Desire should be harnessed, controlled, directed, mastered and employed in our lives, careers and destinies?