Thought Power: Radio-Mentalism

I. THE POWER OF THOUGHT

In this book you are asked to consider a strange phase of Personal Power—a mysterious phase of your mental power—an aspect of your individual power which perhaps intuitively you have realized to be possessed by you, but which in all probability you have not understood in the same way in which you have understood the other phases of your Personal Power. Yet this strange phase of your power is quite as natural as are those most familiar to you. There is nothing supernatural about it. It falls into its place in the natural order of things. It is governed by natural law and order.

Like all the other forms of Personal Power to which we have directed your attention in the several other volumes of this series, this phase or form of Personal Power is one of the instruments or channels of expression of the powers of the “I” element of your Self—of that fundamental Something, the existence of which you assert when you say “I AM I,” and which is the base and ground, the centre and the focal point, of all of your conscious states. This “I AM I,” in fact, is a focalized centre of expression of that All-Power from which all power proceeds, and in which we live, and move, and have our being—an expression of that which in this instruction is known as POWER.

The particular phase of Personal Power which you are here asked to consider is known as “Thought Power.” By this term, however, we do not mean the exercise of the faculties of thought along the lines of logical reasoning, induction, analogy, judgment, etc.; nor along the lines of creative and constructive imagination, inventive effort, etc.; both of which lines we have considered in detail in other volumes of this series. The phase before you for consideration is that which is concerned with the influence of your mental states—particularly your ideas and mental pictures—over persons, things, and conditions external to yourself: with the influence exerted by your “thoughts” over your environment in general.

Up until about forty years ago the serious assertion that one’s thoughts exerted an influence extending far beyond the physical organ in which they were generated, which influence produced effects upon distant persons, things and conditions, would have been received with the utmost incredulity, disbelief, ridicule and derision on the part of the general public. Such a statement would have been interpreted as an expression of gross superstition, credulity, and lack of common-sense; in fact, in many cases the sanity of the person making the statement actually would have been questioned.

But during the past forty years—particularly during the last twenty years—there has been quite a change in the public belief concerning this general subject. At the present time the statement above alluded to is regarded as quite familiar, trite and commonplace, even though the hearer may not accept it as correct. It would be difficult in these times to find a person of ordinary intelligence who has not at least heard frequent references made to “the power of thought” operating actively in affecting physical states for better or worse, and in affecting one’s environment in the same way. Indeed, it is not too much to say that at the present time the great majority of persons accept the theory and principle of Thought Power (as above explained to some extent; the degree of acceptance ranging from complete and earnest belief down to the general belief that “there is something in it.”

The principles of Thought Power, in fact, have been adopted by many schools, cults, sects, quasi-religious organizations, etc., and have been employed as the base and ground of numerous “ologies” and “isms.” In many such cases, however, the fundamental principles have been so embellished with non-essential coverings of theory, doctrine, dogma and claimed authority, that the basic truths and facts are in danger of being lost sight of by the ordinary individual who is ignorant of the history of the thought on the subject, and of the true principles involved. In many cases the extraneous materials which have been added are of such fantastic and bizarre character that the ordinary observer is bewildered and confused, and is apt to dismiss the whole subject as “too much for me.” Yet the elemental principles involved are quite simple, and the laws under which they manifest and operate are quite easily understood by any person of average intelligence.

In the present book we shall confine ourselves to the presentation of the plain, simple, scientific principles which careful thought has discovered to underlie the entire subject and to explain the entire range of the phenomena; we shall accompany this presentation of scientific principles with instruction along the lines of the most effective and scientific methods of applying those principles in the practical affairs of everyday life. The entire treatment of principle and practice shall be scientific—quite as scientific as would be an efficient treatment and presentation of the subject of electricity, or of any other branch of physical science. This, because Thought Power, like every other form of power manifested in the universe, has a natural, scientific foundation, ground, and base, and is under natural law and order.

There is no more reason for the subject of Thought Power being surrounded by a mass of non-essential, extraneous material of quasi-religious, technical, metaphysical, or esoteric theories, doctrines or dogmas, than there is for the subject of electricity, physical power of any kind, or any phase of physical science, being so conditioned. What would be thought of one who would seriously attempt to teach the subject of the principles and application of electricity as a part of some quasi-religious, metaphysical doctrines, or esoteric teaching? The verdict would be that such a person was “going a long distance out of his way,” and that he was attempting to obscure simple natural principles by a covering of supernatural teaching. Yet this is just what many of the cults and schools have been more or less successfully doing in the case of Thought Power.

This does not mean that the subject of Thought Power is opposed in any way to true religious feeling or thought, or to rational metaphysical or philosophical teachings. On the contrary, we hold that true religious feeling and thought constitute a true Tower of Strength for the individual, and that rational metaphysical and philosophical knowledge enables the individual more intelligently to apply any and all of his powers. The distinction we wish to make is merely that Thought Power, like any other form of natural power, does not depend upon any particular religious, quasi-religious, metaphysical, philosophical, or esoteric doctrine, theory, dogma, or teaching. Like any other natural force, Thought Power operates along well-established natural lines, and may be successfully applied by any one intelligently understanding the laws and order of its manifestation.

Again, like any other natural force, Thought Power is no respecter of persons—it has no favorites among individuals. It affects all who come under its influence, unless they know how to divert its energy; it may be misused as well as used properly; it may bring pain as well as pleasure—harm as well as benefit—according to its direction and application. It may be “bad” as well as “good,” according to its use and direction, and according to the moral character of the person employing it. Like electricity, gravitation, light, heat, mechanical force, it is open to all persons, good and bad, high and low, just and unjust, provided that they know how to call into operation its forces. It may be set into operation by subconscious effort as well as conscious. Anyone, everyone, who can “think” has at his disposal that which we call Thought Power, which will respond to his efforts to set it into activity. In Nature’s plans, it follows the same general rule which governs all of the natural forces, energies and powers.

In our presentation of this important subject of Thought Power, however, we do not ask you to set aside or to discard, even for the time being, any of your favorite religious, quasi-religious, metaphysical, or philosophical beliefs or doctrines. The writers of this book entertain certain beliefs of this kind—perhaps the very ones entertained by you; and they hold fast to these, even though they may not introduce them into these pages. They merely ask you to be willing to follow them in their consideration of Thought Power as a purely natural force or power, just as you would have them consider electricity, gravitation, etc. They ask you to accompany them in their consideration of the subject of Thought Power along the lines of scientific treatment, rather than that of metaphysical, philosophical or religious speculation, doctrine, or dogma.

With the above understanding, let us now proceed to the consideration of the principles of Thought Power, and of the methods underlying the efficient application of those principles.