THOUGHT VIBRATION/PART 3

 

CHAPTER 3.

A TALK ABOUT THE MIND

Man has  but  one mind,  but  he has  many mental  faculties,  each faculty being capable of  functioning along two different  lines  of  mental  effort. There are  no distinct  dividing lines  separating the two several  functions of  a  faculty,  but  they shade into each  other  as  do the colors  of  the spectrum.

An Active  effort  of  any  faculty  of the  mind is the  result  of  a  direct  impulse imparted  at  the time of  the effort.  A  Passive effort  of  any faculty  of  the mind  is  the  result  of  either  a  preceding Active  effort  of  the same  mind;  an Active effort  of  another  along the lines  of  suggestion;  Thought  Vibrations from  the mind  of  another;  Thought  impulses  from  an  ancestor, transmitted by  the  laws of heredity  (including  impulses  transmitted  from generation  to  generation  from  the  time of  the original vibratory impulse imparted by the Primal Cause—which impulses  gradually  unfold,  and un-sheath,  when the proper  state of  evolutionary  development  is reached).

The Active effort  is  new-born—fresh from  the  mind,  whilst  the  Passive effort  is of less recent  creation,  and,  in  fact,  is often the  result  of vibratory  impulses  imparted  in  ages  long past.  The Active  effort  makes its  own  way,  brushing aside the impeding vines  and  kicking from  its  path the obstructing stones.  The Passive effort  travels  along the beaten  path.

A thought-impulse,  or  motion-impulse,  originally  caused by  an Active effort  of  faculty,  may  become by continued  repetition,  or habit,  strictly automatic, the  impulse  given  it  by  the repeated  Active effort  developing a strong momentum, which carries it on,  along Passive lines,  until  stopped by another  Active effort  or its  direction  changed  by  the same cause.

On the other hand, thought-impulses, or motion-impulses,  continued along Passive lines  may  be  terminated  or  corrected  by an  Active effort. The Active function  creates,  changes  or  destroys.  The Passive function carries  on  the work  given  it  by  the Active function  and  obeys  orders  and suggestions.

The Active function  produces  the thought-habit,  or  motion-habit,  and imparts  to it  the vibrations  which carry it  on  along the Passive lines thereafter. The Active function also has the power  to send  forth vibrations  which neutralize  the momentum  of  the thought-habit,  or motion-habit;  it also is able to launch a new thought-habit, or motion-habit, with stronger  vibrations,  which overcomes  and  absorbs  the first thought,  or  motion,  and  substitutes  the new  one.

All thought-impulses,  or  motion-impulses,  once  started on their  errands, continue  to  vibrate  along passive lines  until corrected  or terminated  by subsequent impulses imparted by the  Active function,  or other controlling power. The continuance of the original impulse adds momentum and  force to it,  and  renders  its  correction  or  termination more  difficult.  This  explains that  which  is called  "the  force  of habit."  I think  that  this  will  be readily  understood  by  those who have struggled  to overcome a  habit  which had  been  easily acquired.  The Law  applies  to good habits as well  as bad.  The  moral  is obvious.

Several of  the faculties  of  the  mind  often  combine to produce a  single manifestation. A task to be performed  may call  for  the combined  exercise of several faculties,  some  of which  may  manifest  by  Active  effort  and others by  Passive  effort.

The meeting of  new  conditions—new  problems—calls  for  the exercise of Active effort; whilst  a  familiar  problem,  or  task,  can be  easily  handled by the Passive effort  without  the assistance of  his  more enterprising brother.

There is  in  Nature  an  instinctive tendency  of living  organisms to  perform certain  actions,  the  tendency of  an  organized  body to seek  that  which satisfies  the  wants  of its organism.  This tendency is sometimes called Appetency.  It  is  really  a  Passive mental  impulse,  originating with  the impetus  imparted  by  the  Primal Cause, and transmitted along the lines of evolutionary development, gaining strength and power as  it progresses.  The impulse of  the Primal  Cause is  assisted  by the powerful upward  attraction  exerted  by  The Absolute.

In plant  life  this  tendency is  plainly discernible,  ranging from  the lesser exhibitions  in  the lower  types  to the greater in  the higher  types. It is  that which is generally spoken of as the "life force" in plants. It is,  however,  a manifestation  of  rudimentary mentation,  functioning along the lines  of Passive effort.  In  some of  the  higher  forms  of  plant  life there appears  a faint  color  of  independent  "life action"—a  faint  indication  of  choice of volition. Writers on  plant  life relate  many remarkable instances  of  this phenomenon.  It  is,  undoubtedly,  an  exhibition  of  rudimentary Active mentation.

In  the lower  animal  kingdom  a very  high degree of  Passive mental  effort is found.  And,  varying  in degree  in the  several  families and species,  a considerable amount  of  Active mentation  is  apparent.  The lower  animal undoubtedly possesses  Reason  only in  a  lesser  degree than  man,  and,  in fact,  the display  of  volitional  mentation  exhibited  by  an  intelligent animal is  often  nearly as  high as  that  shown  by the lower types  of  man  or by a young child.

As a  child,  before  birth,  shows in its  body  the  stages of  the  physical evolution of man, so does a child,  before and  after  birth—until maturity—  manifest  the stages  of  the  mental  evolution  of  man.

Man,  the  highest  type of  life yet  produced,  at  least  upon  this  planet, shows  the highest  form  of  Passive mentation,  and  also a  much higher development  of  Active mentation  than  is  seen  in  the lower  animals,  and yet  the degrees  of  that  power  vary  widely  among the different  races  of men.  Even  among  men  of  our  race  the different  degrees  of  Active mentation  are  plainly noticeable;  these degrees  not  depending by any means upon the amount of "culture," social position  or  educational advantages possessed by the individual. Mental Culture and Mental Development  are  two  very  different  things.

You  have  but  to look  around  you  to see the different  stages  of  the development  of  Active mentation  in  man.  The reasoning of  many  men  is scarcely  more  than  Passive  mentation,  exhibiting but  little of  the qualities  of  volitional thought.  They  prefer  to let  other  men  think  for them. Active mentation tires them and they find the instinctive, automatic,  Passive  mental  process much  easier.  Their  minds work  along the lines  of  least  resistance. They are  but  little  more  than  human  sheep.

Among the lower  animals  and  the lower  types  of  men  Active mentation  is largely confined  to  the grosser  faculties—the more material plane;  the higher  mental faculties  working along the instinctive,  automatic  lines  of the  Passive  function.

As the  lower  forms of  life progressed  in  the evolutionary  scale,  they developed  new  faculties,  which were latent  within  them.  These faculties always  manifested  in  the form  of  rudimentary  Passive functioning,  and afterwards  worked  up,  through higher  Passive forms,  until the Active functions were brought into play. The evolutionary  process  still continues,  the invariable  tendency being toward  the goal  of  highly developed  Active  mentation. This evolutionary progress  is  caused  by  the vibratory  impulse  imparted  by  the  Primal  Cause,  aided  by the uplifting attraction  of  The Absolute.

This law of evolution is  still  in  progress,  and  man  is  beginning to  develop new powers of mind,  which,  of course,  are  first  manifesting  themselves along the lines  of  Passive effort.  Some  men  have developed  these new faculties  to a  considerable degree,  and  it  is  possible that  before long Man will be  able to exercise them  along the line of  their  Active  functions.  In fact,  this  power  has already  been attained by  a  few.  This is the  secret  of the  Oriental  occultists,  and  of  some of  their  Occidental  brethren.

The amenability of  the mind  to the  Will can  be  increased  by  properly directed  practice.  That  which we are  in  the habit  of  referring to  as  the "strengthening of the Will" is in reality the training of the mind to recognize and absorb the Power Within. The Will is  strong enough;  it does  not  need  strengthening,  but  the  mind  needs  to be  trained  to  receive and  act  upon  the suggestions  of  the Will.  The  Will is  the outward manifestation  of  the I  AM.  The Will  current  is  flowing in  full strength along the spiritual  wires;  but  you  must  learn  how  to  raise  the trolley-pole to touch it  before the mental ca  will move.  This  is  a somewhat  different idea  from  that  which you  have been  in  the habit  of  receiving from  writers on  the  subject  of  Will Power,  but  it  is correct,  as you  will demonstrate  to your  own  satisfaction if you  will  follow up  the  subject  by  experiments along the proper lines.

The attraction of The Absolute is drawing  man  upward,  and  the  vibratory force of  the Primal  Impulse  has  not  yet  exhausted  itself.  The time  of evolutionary development  has  come  when  man  can  help  himself.  The man who  understands  the Law  can  accomplish  wonders  by means  of  the development  of  the  powers  of  the mind;  whilst  the man  who turns  his back  upon the  truth  will suffer  from  his lack  of  knowledge  of the  Law.

He who understands  the laws  of  his  mental  being,  develops  his  latent powers  and  uses  them  intelligently.  He does  not  despise his  Passive mental  functions,  but  makes  good  use of  them  also,  charges  them  with the duties  for  which they are  best  fitted,  and  is  able  to obtain  wonderful results  from  their  work,  having mastered  them  and  trained  them  to do the bidding of  the Higher  Self.  When  they  fail  to  do their  work  properly he regulates  them,  and his knowledge  prevents  him  from  meddling  with them  unintelligently, and  thereby doing himself  harm.  He develops  the faculties  and  powers  latent  within  him  and  learns  how  to manifest  them along the line of  Active mentation  as  well as  Passive.  He knows  that  the real  man  within  him  is  the  master  to  whom  both  Active  and  Passive functions  are  but  tools.  He has  banished  Fear,  and  enjoys  Freedom.  He has found himself.  He has  learned  the secret  of  the  I  am.