DYNAMIC THOUGHT/PART 14
CHAPTER XIV
THE MYSTERY OF MIND
THE
writer, in this book, has treated the two manifestations of Life, viz.,
Mind and Substance, as if they were separate things, although he has hinted at
his belief that Substance, at the last, might be found to emanate from Mind,
and be but a cruder form of its expression. The better way to express the
thought would be to say that he believes that both Substance, and Mind as
we know it, are but expressions of a form of Mind as much higher than that
which we know as Mind, as the latter is higher than Substance. But he does
not intend to follow up this belief, in this book, as the field of the work
lies along other lines. The idea is mentioned here, merely for the purpose of
giving a clew to those who might be interested in the conclusions of the
writer, regarding this more remote regions of the general subject.
The
writer agrees with the Ancient Occult Teachings regarding the existence of The
Cosmic Mind, as he has stated in the last chapter. This Cosmic Mind, he
believes, is independent of Substance, in fact it is the Mother of Substance,
and its twin-brother, Mind as we know it.
Mind,
as we know it, and Substance are always found in connection with other. It is
true that the form of Substance, used by Mind as its body, may be far finer
than the rarest vapor that we know, but it is Substance nevertheless. The
working of the Great Plan of the Universe seems to require that Mind shall
always have a body with which to work, and this rule applies not only in the
case of the densest form of Substance and the Mind-principle manifesting
through it, but also in the case of the highest manifestation of Mind, as we
know it, which requires a body through which to manifest.
This
constant combination of Mind and Substance—the fact that no Substance has been
found without at least a trace of Mind, and no Mind except in relation to and
combination with Substance, has led many scientific thinkers to accept the
Materialistic idea that Mind was but a property of Substance, or a quality
thereof. Of course, these philosophers and thinkers have had to admit that they
could form no idea of the real nature of Mind, and could not conceive how
Substance really could "think," but they found the
Materialistic idea a simpler one that its opposite, and so they fell into
it. Notwithstanding the fact that there was always a Something Within that
would cry "Pshaw!" at the conclusion of the argument or illustration,
these men have thought it reasonable to believe that there was no such thing as
Mind, except as a result of "irritation of tissue," etc. But,
nevertheless, there is always a Something in us that, in spite of argument,
keeps crying like a child, "'taint so!" And, wonderful to
relate, we heed the little voice.
This
Materialistic theory is a curious reversal of the facts of the case. Even the
very conclusions and reasoning of these thinkers is made possible only by the existence
of that Mind which they would deny. The human reason is incapable of
"explaining" the inner operation of the Mind, upon a strictly and
purely physical basis. Tyndall, the great English scientist,
truthfully said, "the passage from the physics of the brain, to the
corresponding facts of consciousness, is unthinkable. Granted that a definite
thought and a definite molecular action of the brain occur simultaneously, we
do not possess the intellectual organ, nor apparently any rudiment of the
organ, which would enable us to pass by a process of reasoning from the one
phenomenon to the other."
The
Materialist is prone to an attempt to rout the advocates of
"Mind" with a demand for an answer to the question, "What is
Mind?" The best answer to that question lies along the proverbial
Irishman's lines of answering a question by asking another one, resulting in
the "answering question," "What is Matter?" As
a fact, the human reason is unable to give an intelligent answer to either
question, and the best opinion seems to be to consider them as but two aspects
of Something, the real origin of which lies in Something Higher, of which both
are aspects or forms of expression.
The
Occult Teaching, with which the writer agrees, is that the "Mind"
inherent in any portion of substance, from the Corpuscle up to the Brain of
Man, is but a segregated (or apparently separated) portion of the Universal
Mind-principle, or Cosmic Mind. This fragment of Mind is always connected with
Substance, and, in fact, it is believed that it is separated from the Universal
Mind, and the other Separate Minds by a "film" of the rarest
Substance, so fine as to be scarcely distinguishable from Mind. This separation
is not a total separation, however, for the fragment of Mind is in connection
with all other fragments of Mind, by "mental filaments," and besides
is never out of touch with the Cosmic Mind.
But,
comparatively, the fragment of Mind is apart from the rest,
and we must consider it in this way, at least for the purpose of study, consideration,
and illustration. It is like a drop in the Ocean of Mind, although connected,
in a way, with every other drop, and the Ocean itself.
The
individual Mind is not closely confined within the Substance in which it
abides, but extends beyond the physical limits of the Substance, sometimes to a
quite considerable distance. The Aura, or egg-shaped projection or emanation of
Mind, surrounding each Particle and each Individual, is an instance of this. In
addition to the Aura, there is possibly an extension of Mind to a considerable
distance beyond the immediate vicinity of the physical limits, the connection,
however, never being broken during the "life" term.
Mental
influence at a distance, however, does not always require the above mentioned
projection of the Mind. Thought-waves often answer the purpose, and, besides,
there is such a thing as the imparting of Mental vibrations to the small
particles of Substances with which the atmosphere is filled, which vibrations
continue for quite a time, often for a long period after the presence of the
individual producing them. These matters shall be discussed in later chapters
of this book.
The
Mind of Man is a far more complex thing that is generally imagined by the
average man. Not only in its varied manifestation of consciousness, but its
great region of "below-consciousness" or Infra Consciousness, as it
is called. It shall be the purpose of the sequel to this book (now in
preparation) which will be entitled "The Wonders of the Mind," to describe
these inner workings, and to point out methods of utilizing the same.
Our
next chapter, entitled "The Finer Forces of the Mind," will lead us
into this field.
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