PRACTICAL MENTAL INFLUENCE/PART 1
CHAPTER 1
–
THE LAW OF VIBRATION
Students of history find a continuous chain of reference
to the mysterious influence of one human mind over that of others. In the
earliest records, traditions and legends may be found giving reference to the
general belief that it was possible for an individual to exert some weird
uncanny power over the minds of other persons, which would influence the latter
for good or evil. And more than this, the student will find an accompanying
belief that certain individuals are possessed of some mental power which bends
even "things" and circumstances to its might.
Way back in the dim past of man's history on this planet,
this belief existed, and it has steadily persisted in spite of the strenuous
opposition of material science, even unto the present day. The years have not
affected the belief, and in these dawning days of the Twentieth Century it has
taken on a new strength and vitality, for its adherents have boldly stepped to
the front, and confronting the doubting materialistic thinkers, have claimed
the name of "Science" for this truth and have insisted that it be
taken, once and for all, from the category of superstition, credulity and
ignorant phantasm.
Were it not pitiable, it would be amusing to glance at
the presumptuous, complacent, smug, self-satisfied position of the
materialistic school of thinkers, who would brush aside as a foolish delusion
that which many of the wisest men of a past age have accepted and taught as the
truth. The modern "know-it-alls" would sneer contemptuously at facts
that are known to be of actual occurrence in the daily lives of thousands of
intelligent people, and which the experience of humankind has demonstrated for
many centuries, in all lands and all races.
The trouble lies in the
dogmatic assumption of the materialistic school that what is known as
"mind" is merely some peculiar action of the material brain, some
writers even holding that "the brain secretes thought, just as the
liver secretes bile." They refuse to see that the operation of Mind is a
manifestation of energy known, as electricity, magnetism, light, heat,
gravitation, cohesion, etc. Because mental energy does not register the
vibrations of these lower forms of energy, they conclude that the higher mental
energy does not exist. Having formulated a theory to suit their materialistic
conceptions, they try to ignore all facts not consistent with their theory. If
they find a fact that will not squeeze into their narrow theory well, "so
much the worse for the fact," as a writer has said and they promptly
ignore or dispute it.
As a matter of truth, the investigator is not compelled
to resort to metaphysical explanations to account for the phenomena of Mental
Influence. The very facts of physical science itself, if rightly interpreted,
will give the clue to the mystery; and will point the steps of the honest
investigator toward the path where he may find the solution of the perplexing
riddle. Although we know that the real solution lies in the metaphysical realm,
still even physical science will corroborate the facts of its metaphysical
sister science, and instead of contradicting the latter will actually go far
toward furnishing analogous facts and principles basis for a theory of
metaphysical facts.
The student will see at once that so far as physical
science is concerned, it must begin at the phenomenon of "Thought
Transference," for in that phase of the subject may be found an elementary
principle in evidence in many other forms of phenomena. We have given many
instances of "Thought Transference" in the two proceeding volumes of
this series, entitled "Mind Reading" and "Psychomancy,"
respectively, and so we need not repeat the same in this place. The main fact
is that "Thought Transference" does exist, and may be accounted for
upon purely scientific grounds, without calling in the truths of metaphysical
thought. We know that this is a strong statement, and a positive assertion, but
we also know that the same may be demonstrated. Let us consider this phase of
the subject.
In the first place, physical
science teaches that underlying all forms, degrees and apparent differences in
matter and energy, there is to be found a manifestation of some elementary
energy, which manifests in what is known as "Vibrations." Everything
in the material world is in vibration - ever manifesting a high degree of
motion. Without vibration there would be no such thing as a material universe.
From the electronic-corpuscles which science teaches compose the atom; up
through the atom and molecule, until the most complex forms of matter are
manifested, there is the ever-present Vibration. And through all forms of
energy, light, heat, electricity, magnetism and the rest, Vibration is also
ever present. In fact, physical science itself teaches that not only is
Vibration the basic force underlying other forces and the various forms of
matter, but also that the apparent differences between the various forms of
matter, and also between the various forms of energy, are caused simply and
solely by the varying degrees of Vibration manifested.
Just as the difference between the lowest tone that can
be distinguished by the ear of man, and the highest note that can be
distinguished by the same organ of sense, is merely a difference between the
rate of Vibration - just as is the difference between the dull red color at one
end of the spectrum, and the violet at the other end, with the intervening
colors known as indigo, blue green, yellow and orange, with all the
combinations of shades arising from them - just as the difference between the
greatest degree of cold known to Science, and the greatest degree of heat that
can be conceived of - just as these great differences due solely and wholly to
varying rates of Vibration - so is the difference between and all forms of
matter or force simply a matter of the rate of Vibration. In short, all
material and physical "Things" are simply manifestations of some
"infinite and eternal energy from which all things proceed," their
differences resulting merely from the different degree of Vibration being
manifested in them. Remember, that this is not "vague philosophy" or
"airy metaphysics" or "spiritualistic vagaries" (to quote
from the materialistic writers), but facts claimed and admitted by the greatest
physical scientists of the age, as a reference to their lectures and textbooks
will prove to anyone.
And, more than this, any
intelligent physical scientist will tell you that Science has every reason to
believe that there are great fields of energy and force, the Vibrations of
which are far too high for even the delicate instruments of science to record,
but which nevertheless exist and manifest effects. It was only the other day
that Science was able to "catch" the "X-rays" and other
forms of high Radio-activity, and yet these rays and forces had always existed.
And tomorrow Science will perfect instruments capable of registering still
higher forms of energy. And bye-and-bye, some scientist will perfect an
instrument capable of registering and recording the subtle vibrations of
Thought, and perhaps in time someone will perfect that instrument so that it
will not only record such Thought vibrations and waves, but, like the
phonograph, it will be able to reproduce and send forth similar vibrations so
that others may feel the thoughts, just as they now hear the sounds from the
phonograph. Such a prediction is no more wonderful then would have been the
prediction of the telephone, the phonograph, the wireless telegraph and sundry
other discoveries and inventions a hundred years ago.
Did you ever think that there are colors that the eye cannot
see, but which delicate instruments clearly register? In fact, the rays of light
which sunburn the face, and which register on the photographic plate are not
visible to the eye. The eye sees the lower rays, but only instruments adapted
for the purpose detect the higher ones. Your eye cannot see the X-ray as it
passes through the room, but the plate will catch it, and its light may make a
photograph. The rays of light visible to the eyes are only the lower ones - the
higher ones are far beyond the power of the eye to record, and beyond even the
range of the most delicate instrument there exist rays and waves of light of
such high vibratory rate as to defy even its power to record.
Did you ever know that there are sounds unheard by human
ears that the microphone will catch and magnify? Scientific imagination dreams
of instruments that will catch the songs of the mite - like insects, and
magnify them until they can be distinguished. There are waves of electricity
that may pass through your body, unperceived by you, and yet powerful enough to
run light electric lights. Listen to the words of certain eminent scientists.
Prof. Elisha Gary, a celebrated scientist and teacher,
has said: "There is much food for speculation in the thought that there
exists sound waves that no human ear can hear, and color waves of light that no
eye can see. The long, dark, soundless space between 40, 000 and
400,000,000,000,000 vibrations per second, and the infinity of range beyond
700,000,000,- 000,000 vibrations per second, where light ceases, in the
universe of motion, makes it possible to indulge in speculation."
Prof. Williams, the
well-known scientific writer, has said: "There is no gradation between the
most rapid undulations or trembling that produces our sensations of sound, and
the slowest of those which give rise to our sensations of gentlest warmth.
There is a huge gap between them, wide enough to include another world of
motion, all lying between our world of sound and our world of heat and light;
and there is no good reason whatever for supposing that matter is incapable of
such intermediate activity, or that such activity may not give rise to
intermediate sensations, provided that there are organs for taking up and
sensitizing their movements."
And, so you see that in the scientific theory of
Vibrations, there may be found plenty of room for a scientific explanation of
all that is claimed by adherents of the truth of Mental Influence, without getting
out of the region of physical science, and without invading the plane of
metaphysics. And there are many more proofs from the same source, which we may
touch upon as we proceed.
There is but one Truth, and it manifests on all planes -
the Spiritual; the Mental; and the Physical - and manifestations agree and
coincide. So no Mentalist need fear the test of Physical Science, for each
plane will bear out the facts and phenomena of the ones below or above it - the
Three are but varying phases of One. In this little work we shall hug close to
the plane of Physical Science, because by so doing we will be able to make the
subject much clearer to many than if we had attempted to express the teaching
in Metaphysical terms. There is no contradiction in the end. Each bit of Truth
must dovetail into every other bit, for all are parts of the Whole.
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