THOUGHT VIBRATION/PART 2

 

CHAPTER 2.

THOUGHT-WAVES AND THEIR

PROCESS OF REPRODUCTION

 

Like a stone thrown into the water, thought produces ripples and waves which spread out over the great ocean of thought. There is this difference, however: the waves on the water move only on a level plane in all directions, whereas thought-waves move in all directions from a common center, just as do the rays from the sun.

Just as we here on earth are surrounded by a great sea of air, so are we surrounded by a great sea of Mind. Our thought-waves move through this vast mental ether, extending, however, in all directions, as I have explained, becoming somewhat lessened in intensity according to the distance traversed, because of the friction occasioned by the waves coming in contact with the great body of Mind surrounding us on all sides.

These thought-waves have other qualities differing from the waves on the water. They have the property of reproducing themselves. In this respect they resemble sound-waves rather than waves upon the water.

Just as a note of the violin will cause the thin glass to vibrate and "sing," so will a strong thought tend to awaken similar vibrations in minds attuned to receive it. Many of the "stray thoughts" which come to us are but reflections or answering vibrations to some strong thought sent out by another. But unless our minds are attuned to receive it, the thought will not likely affect us. If we are thinking high and great thoughts, our minds acquire a certain keynote corresponding to the character of the thoughts we have been thinking. And, this keynote once established, we will be apt to catch the vibrations of other minds keyed to the same thought. On the other hand, let us get into the habit of thinking thoughts of an opposite character, and we will soon be echoing the low order of thought emanating from the minds of the thousands thinking along the same lines.

We are largely what we have thought ourselves into being, the balance being represented by the character of the suggestions and thought of others, which have reached us either directly by verbal suggestions or telepathically by means of such thought-waves. Our general mental attitude, however, determines the character of the thought-waves received from others as well as the thoughts emanating from ourselves.

We receive only such thoughts as are in harmony with the general mental attitude held by ourselves; the thoughts not in harmony affecting us very little, as they awaken no response in us.

The man who believes thoroughly in himself and maintains a positive strong mental attitude of Confidence and Determination is not likely to be affected by the adverse and negative thoughts of Discouragement and Failure emanating from the minds of other persons in whom these last qualities predominate. At the same time these negative thoughts, if they reach one whose mental attitude is pitched on a low key, deepen his negative state and add fuel to the fire which is consuming his strength, or, if you prefer this figure, serve to further smother the fire of his energy and activity.

We attract to us the thoughts of others of the same order of thought. The man who thinks success will be apt to get into tune with the minds of others thinking likewise, and they will help him, and he them. The man who allows his mind to dwell constantly upon thoughts of failure brings himself into close touch with the minds of other "failure" people, and each will tend to pull the other down still more. The man who thinks that all is evil is apt to see much evil, and will be brought into contact with others who will seem to prove his theory. And the man who looks for good in everything and everybody will be likely to attract to himself the things and people corresponding to his thought. We generally see that for which we look.

You will be able to carry this idea more clearly if you will think of the Marconi wireless instruments, which receive the vibrations only from the sending instrument which has been attuned to the same key, while other telegrams are passing through the air in near vicinity without affecting the instrument. The same law applies to the operations of thought. We receive only that which corresponds to our mental attunement. If we have been discouraged, we may rest assured that we have dropped into a negative key, and have been affected not only by our own thoughts but have also received the added depressing thoughts of similar character which are constantly being sent out from the minds of other unfortunates who have not yet learned the law of attraction in the thought world. And if we occasionally rise to heights of enthusiasm and energy, how quickly we feel the inflow of the courageous, daring, energetic, positive thoughts being sent out by the live men and women of the world. We recognize this without much trouble when we come in personal contact with people and feel their vibrations, depressing or invigorating, as the case may be. But the same law operates when we are not in their presence, although less strongly.

The mind has many degrees of pitch, ranging from the highest positive note to the lowest negative note, with many notes in between, varying in pitch according to their respective distance from the positive or negative extreme.

When your mind is operating along positive lines you feel strong, buoyant, bright, cheerful, happy, confident and courageous, and are enabled to do your work well, to carry out your intentions, and progress on your road to Success. You send out strong positive thought, which affects others and causes them to co-operate with you or to follow your lead, according to their own mental keynote.

When you are playing on the extreme negative end of the mental keyboard you feel depressed, weak, passive, dull, fearful, cowardly. And you find yourself unable to make progress or to succeed. And your effect upon others is practically nil. You are led by, rather than leading others, and are used as a human door-mat or football by more positive persons.

In some persons the positive element seems to predominate; and in others the negative quality seems to be more in evidence. There are, of course, widely varying degrees of positiveness and negativeness, and B may be negative to A, while positive to C. When two people first meet there is generally a silent mental conflict in which their respective minds test their quality of positiveness, and fix their relative position toward each other. This process may be unconscious in many cases, but it occurs nevertheless. The adjustment is often automatic, but occasionally the struggle is so sharp— the opponents being so well matched—that the matter forces itself into the consciousness of the two people. Sometimes both parties are so much alike in their degrees of positiveness that they practically fail to come to terms, mentally; they never really are able to get along with each other, and they are either mutually repelled and separate or else stay together amid constant broils and wrangling.

We are positive or negative to everyone with whom we have relations. We may be positive to our children, our employees and dependents, but we are at the same time negative to others to whom we occupy inferior positions, or whom we have allowed to assert themselves over us.

Of course, something may occur and we will suddenly become more positive than the man or woman to whom we have heretofore been negative. We frequently see cases of this kind. And as the knowledge of these mental laws becomes more general we will see many more instances of persons asserting themselves and making use of their new-found power.

But remember you possess the power to raise the keynote of your mind to a positive pitch by an effort of the will. And, of course, it is equally true that you may allow yourself to drop into a low, negative note by carelessness or a weak will.

There are more people on the negative plane of thought than on the positive plane, and consequently there are more negative thought vibrations in operation in our mental atmosphere. But, happily for us, this is counterbalanced by the fact that a positive thought is infinitely more powerful than a negative one, and if by force of will we raise ourselves to a higher mental key we can shut out the depressing thoughts and may take up the vibrations corresponding with our changed mental attitude. This is one of the secrets of the affirmations and auto-suggestions used by the several schools of Mental Science and other New Thought cults. There is no particular merit in affirmations of themselves, but they serve a twofold purpose: (1) They tend to establish new mental attitudes within us and act  wonderfully in the direction of character building—the science of making ourselves over. (2) They tend to raise the mental keynote so that we may get the benefit of the positive thought-waves of others on the same plane of thought.

Whether or not we believe in them, we are constantly making affirmations.  The man who asserts that he can and will do a thing—and asserts it earnestly— develops in himself the qualities conducive to the well doing of that thing, and at the same time places his mind in the proper key to receive all the thought-waves likely to help him in the doing. If, on the other  hand,  one says  and  feels  that  he is  going to fail,  he will choke and  smother  the  thoughts  coming from  his  own  subconscious mentality  which are intended  to help  him,  and  at  the same time  will place himself  in  tune with the Failure—thought  of  the  world—and  there is  plenty  of  the latter  kind  of  thought  around,  I  can  tell  you.

Do not allow yourselves to be affected by the adverse and negative thoughts of those around you. Rise to  the upper chambers  of  your  mental dwelling, and key yourself up to  a  strong pitch,  away  above the vibrations on  the lower  planes  of  thought.  Then  you  will not  only  be  immune  to their negative vibrations but will be in touch with  the great  body  of strong positive  thought  coming from  those of  your  own  plane of development.

My aim will be to direct  and  train  you  in  the proper  use of  thought  and will,  that  you  may  have  yourself well in hand and may  be  able  to  strike the positive key at any moment you may feel it necessary. It is not necessary to strike  the extreme note on  all occasions. The better plan is to keep yourself  in  a  comfortable key,  without  much strain,  and  to have the means  at  command  whereby you  can  raise  the pitch  at  once when occasion  demands.  By this  knowledge  you  will  not  be  at  the mercy  of  the old  automatic  action  of  the mind,  but  may  have it  well  under  your own control.

Development of the will is very much  like  the  development  of a  muscle— a matter  of  practice  and  gradual  improvement.  At first it  is  apt  to  be tiresome,  but  at  each trial one grows  stronger  until the new  strength becomes  real  and  permanent.  Many  of  us  have made ourselves  positive under sudden  calls  or  emergencies.  We are in  the habit  of  "bracing up" when occasion demands. But  by intelligent  practice  you  will  be  so  much strengthened  that  your habitual  state  will  be  equal  to  your "bracing  up" stage now,  and  then  when  you  find it  necessary  to  apply the  spur  you  will be  able  to  reach  a stage  not dreamed  of  at  present. Do not  understand  me as  advocating  a  high  tension  continuously.  This  is not  at  all  desirable,  not  only because it  is  apt  to  be too  much of  a  strain upon you but  also  because you  will find  it  desirable  to relieve the tension at  times  and  become receptive that  you  may  absorb  impressions.  It  is well to be  able to  relax  and  assume a  certain  degree of  receptiveness, knowing  that you  are  always  able  to  spring  back  to  the  more positive state at  will.  The  habitually  strongly  positive  man loses much  enjoyment and  recreation.  Positive, you give out expressions; receptive, you take in impressions.  Positive,  you  are  a  teacher;  receptive,  a  pupil.  It  is not  only a  good  thing to  be  a  good  teacher,  but  it  is  also  very  important to  be  a good  listener  at  times.