1908 Atkinson Practical Mental Influence

PRACTICAL
MENTAL INFLUENCE
By WILLIAM WALKER ATKINSON
A COURSE OP LESSONS ON
MENTAL VIBRATIONS, PSYCHIC

INFLUENCE, P E R S O N A L M AG'
NETISM, FASCINATION. PSYCHIC
SELF'PRO TECTIO N , E T C ., E T C .
CONTAINING
Practical Instruction, Exercises, Directions, etc., capable

ol being understood, mastered and demonstrated
by any person ol average intelligence
PUBLISHED AND SOLD BY

ADVANCED THOUGHT PUBLISHING CO.
ISO N . S tate S treet CHICAGO. ILL.
LONDON AGENTS I
L N. FOWLER & CO.
f IMPERIAL ARCADE, LUDGATB CIRCUS, E . C.
(Mental Influence*
Copyright 1908, by
‘IH E LYAL BOOK CONCERN.
Copyright 1908, by
ADVANCED THOUGHT PUBLISHING CO
NOTICE—This book is protected by

Copyright and simultaneous publication
in Great Britain. France, Germany, Russia
and other countries. All foreign rights re-
aerved.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
L esson I — T he Law op V ib ration ...................................... 5

Records of Mysterious Influence of One Mind over Another.
The power has always existed.
L esson I I —T hou gh t W aves .................................................. 14

Waves of Mental Vibratory Energy. A burning up of
Brain Matter. Varieties of Thought Waves, and the Charac
teristics of each. How Thought Waves Manifest, and how
they affect other persons.
L esson I I I —M en ta l In d u ctio n ................................................. 22

How Thought Vibrations set up induction in the minds of
others. Comparison between Thought, Magnetism and Elec
tricity. How Mental States are transmitted.
L esson IV—M en ta l C o n c e n tr a tio n ..................................... 29

What Mental Concentration is and how it works. The Oc
cult Teachings regarding Concentration. How to Concentrate.
How to develop the Powers of Concentration. A course of
Training described and explained.
L esson V—M en ta l Im aging..................................................... 36

What occultists call a “ Mental Image. ' 9 W hat they use it
for and how they use it. The Mental Magic Lantern.
L esson VI—-F ascin a tio n ............................................................... 42

Mental Fascination. Personal Magnetism. **Charming.' '
Irresistible Influence. Alluring Qualities of the Mind. In
stances of Great Men. The Secret of Fascination. Examples.
Explanations and Instructions. A valuable Bit of Informa
tion.
L esson V II—H y p n o tic I n f l u e n c e 50
The distinction between Fascination and Hypnotism. How
Hypnotic Influence affects the person. The Truth about Hyp
notism. General Instruction of the Subject, with illustrative
examples and directions for producing the phenomena.
L esson V III— In flu e n c in g a t a D ista n c e ............................ 58

Exerting Mental Influence upon others at a distance. How
the Mental Currents flow to a distance. How Distant Treat
ments are given. The Occult Practices are given. A num
ber of the most effective methods are given, with particulars
of practice.
L esson IX —In flu e n c in g “ En M a s s e / 9............................. 66

How Mental Influence may be used to affect great num
bers of people at the same time. How the Great Men of
olitics, business and professional life manifest this form of
SCental influence. Valuable Information in a nutshell.
L esson X—T he Need o f t h e K n o w led g e ........................ 74

The need of this instruction on the part of the public. How
the force is being used against people, and why they should
learn to protect themselves by learning the principles of the
subject. The Good and the Bad features of Mental Influ
ence. Ignorance no protection.
L esson X I—Magic B la c k and W h ite .................................... 82

The differences between White Magic and Black Magic. A
word of Caution and Warning against the improper use of the
Power.
L esson X II— S e lf P r o te c tio n ................................................... 90

Full instructions in Self-Protection. The Source of Inner
Power. How it may be called into effect. The Powers of the
Ego, and how they may be employed and aroused. This les
son alone is worth more than the price of the book.
T H E LAW O F VIBRATION 6
C H A P T E R I.
T H E L A W O F V IB R A T IO N .
T U D E N T S of h isto ry find a continuous chain
S of reference to the m ysterious influence of

i _ _ J one hu m an m ind over th a t of others. In the
earliest records, traditions and legends m ay be found
reference to th e general belief th a t it w as possible
for an individual to ex ert som e w ierd uncanny
pow er over th e m inds o f o th er persons, w hich
w ould influence the la tte r fo r good o r evil. And
m ore th a n this, the stu d e n t w ill find a n accom pany
ing belief th a t certain individuals are possessed of
som e m en tal p ow er w hich bends even “th in g s”
and circum stances to its m ight.
A w ay back in th e dim p ast of m an’s h isto ry on
this p lan et th is belief existed, a n d it has steadily
persisted, in spite o f th e strenuous opposition of
m aterial science, even unto the p re sen t day. T he
y ea rs h av e n o t affected th e belief, and in these
daw ning days of th e T w e n tie th C en tu ry it has tak en
on a n ew stre n g th and v itality, for its adherents
have boldly step p ed to th e front, and confronting
th e d o u b tin g m aterialistic thinkers, have claim ed the
nam e o f "Science” fo r th is tru th and h av e insisted
th a t it be tak en , once and fo r all, from the category
of su p erstitio n , credulity and ig n o ran t phantasy.
6 MENTAL INFLUENCE
W ere it n o t so pitiable, it w ould be am using to

glance a t th e presum ptuous, com placent, sm ug, self-
satisfied position of th e m aterialistic school of think
ers, who w ould b ru sh aside as a foolish delusion th at
w hich m an y of the w isest m en of p ast ages have ac
cepted and ta u g h t as th e tru th . T h e m odern
“know -it-alls" w ould sneer contem ptuously a t facts
th a t are know n to be of actual occurrence in the
daily lives of thousands of intelligent people, and
w hich th e experience of hum ankind h as dem on
stra te d for m an y centuries, in all lands and am ong
all races.
T h e whole tro u b le lies in th e dogm atic assum p
tio n of the m aterialistic school th a t w h a t is know n
as “m ind” is m erely som e peculiar action o f the
m aterial brain, some w riters even holding th a t “ the
brain secretes th ought, ju st as the liver secretes bile.”
T h ey refuse to see th a t th e operation of M ind is a
m anifestation o f som e superlative form of energy
far h ig h er th a n th e form s of energy know n as elec
tricity, m agnetism , light, heat, gravitation, cohesion,
etc. B ecause m ental energy does n o t re g ister on
th eir in stru m en ts designed to catch a n d re g ister the
vib ratio n s o f these low er form s of energy, they
conclude th a t th e h ig h er m en tal en erg y does not
exist. H a v in g form ulated a th eo ry to su it th eir
m aterialistic conceptions, they try to ignore all facts
n o t consistent w ith th e ir theory. I f they find a fact
T H E LAW O F VIBRATION 7
th a t will not squeeze into th eir n arro w th eo ry —

well, “ so m uch the w orse for the fact,” as a w riter
h as said, a n d th ey p rom ptly ignore o r dispute it.
As a m a tte r of tru th , th e in v estig ato r is n o t com
pelled to re so rt to m etaphysical explanations to ac
co u n t fo r th e phenom ena of M ental Influence. T he
v ery facts o f physical science itself, if rightly
in terp reted , w ill give th e clue to th e m y stery , and
will p o in t th e step s of the honest in v estig ato r tow ard
th e p a th w here he m ay find the solution of the per
plexing riddle. A lthough w e know th a t th e real
solution lies in th e m etaphysical realm , still even
physical science w ill corroborate th e facts of its
m etaphysical siste r science, a n d in stead of co n tra
dictin g th e la tte r w ill actually go fa r tow ard fu r
nish in g analogous facts and principles th a t will
serve to give the scien tist a physical basis for a
th eo ry of m etaphysical facts.
T h e stu d e n t w ill see a t once th a t so far as p h y si
cal science is concerned, it m u st begin a t the
phenom enon of “ T h o u g h t T ransference,” fo r in
th a t phase of th e su b ject m ay be found a n ele
m en tary principle in evidence in m an y o th er form s
of phenom ena. W e h av e given m any instances of
“T h o u g h t T ran sferen ce” in th e tw o preceding vol
um es o f th is series, entitled “M ind R eadin g” and
“ P sychom ancy,” respectively, and so w e need not
repeat th e sam e in th is place. T he m ain fact is th a t
8 ME NTAL I NF L UE NC E
“T h o u g h t T ransference” does exist, a n d m ay be

accounted for upon purely scientific grounds, w ith
o u t calling in th e tru th s o f m etaphysical tho u g h t.
W e know th a t th is is a stro n g statem en t, a n d a
positive assertion, b u t w e also kn o w th a t th e sam e
m ay be d em onstrated. L e t us consider th is phase
of th e subject.
In th e first place, physical science teaches th a t
underlying all form s, degrees and ap p a re n t differ
ences in m a tte r and energy, th ere is to be found a
m an ifestatio n of som e elem entary energy w hich
m anifests in w h a t is know n as “ V ibrations.” E v ery
th in g in th e m aterial w orld is in vibration—ever
m anifesting a high degree of m otion. W ith o u t vi
b ratio n th ere w ould be no such th in g as a m aterial
universe. F ro m th e electronic-corpuscles w hich
science teach es com pose th e atom , u p th ro u g h the
atom and m olecule, u n til the m ost com plex form s of
m a tte r are m anifested, th ere is th e ever p resen t V i
b ratio n . A n d th ro u g h all form s o f energy, light,
heat, electricity, m agnetism and th e rest, V ibration
is also ev er present. In fact, physical science itself
teaches th a t n o t only is V ibration the basic force
underlying o th er forces a n d th e various form s of
m atter, b u t also th a t th e apparent differences be
tw een th e various form s o f m atter, and also betw een
th e various form s of energy, are caused sim ply and
T H E LAW OF VIBRATION 9
solely b y th e v ary in g degrees of V ibration m ani

fested.
J u s t as th e difference betw een the low est tone th a t
can be d istinguished by th e e a r of m an, a n d the
h ig h est n o te th a t can be distinguished b y th e sam e
org an o f sense, is m erely a difference of the ra te of
V ib ratio n —ju s t as is the difference betw een th e dull
red color a t one end of the spectrum , and the violet
a t th e o th er end, w ith th e in terv en in g colors know n
as indigo, blue, green, yellow a n d orange, w ith all
th e com binations of shades arisin g from th em —ju s t
as th e difference betw een th e g re a te st degree of
cold k n o w n to science, a n d the g re a te st degree of
h e a t th a t can be conceived of—ju s t as th ese g reat
differences due solely and w holly to v a ry in g rates
of V ib ratio n — so is th e difference betw een a n y and
all form s of m a tte r o r force sim ply a m a tte r of the
ra te of V ib ratio n. In sh o rt, all m aterial and physi
cal “T h in g s” are sim ply m anifestations of different
ra te s of V ib ration—and n o tw ith sta n d in g th e ir a p
p a re n t differences are all m erely m anifestations of
som e “ infinite and etern al en erg y from w hich all
th in g s proceed,” th e ir differences re su ltin g m erely
from th e different degree of V ib ratio n b eing m ani
fested in them . Rem em ber, th a t th is is n o t “vague
philosophy,” o r “airy m etaphysics,” o r “ spiritualistic
v ag aries” (to q uote from the m aterialistic w riters),
b u t fa c ts claim ed a n d ad m itted b y th e greatest
10 ME NTAL I NF LUENCE
physical scien tists of the age, as a reference to th eir

tc tu re s and te x t books will prove to anyone.
A nd, m o re th a n this, any intelligent physical
scientist w ill tell you th a t Science h as every reason
to believe th a t th ere are g reat fields of en erg y and
force, th e V ib ratio n s of w hich are far too high for
even th e delicate in stru m en ts of science to record,
b u t w hich nevertheless exist a n d m anifest effects.
I t w as o nly the o th er day th a t Science w as able to
"catch ” th e “ X -R ays” a n d o ther form s of high
R adio-A ctivity, and y e t these ra y s and forces had
alw ays existed. A nd tom orrow Science w ill perfect
in stru m en ts capable of registering still higher form s
of energy. A nd bye-and-bye, som e scientist will
perfect a n in stru m en t th a t w ill re g ister and record
th e su b tle vibrations of T ho u g h t, a n d perhaps in
tim e som e one w ill perfect th a t in stru m en t so th a t
i t w ill n o t only record such T h o u g h t vibrations and
w aves, b u t, like th e phonograph, it w ill be able to
reproduce and send fo rth sim ilar vibrations so th a t
o th ers m ay feel th e thoughts, ju st as th e y now hear
th e sounds from th e phonograph. Such a prediction
is no m ore w onderful th a n w ould have been the
prediction of th e telephone, th e phonograph, the
w ireless teleg rap h a n d su n d ry o ther discoveries
and inventions a h undred y ea rs ago.
Did you ev er th in k th a t there are colors th a t the
eye cannot see, b u t w hich delicate insLm m ents clear-
I
T H E LAW OF VIBRATION 11
ly re g ister? In fact, the ray s of lig h t w hich sunburn

th e face, and w hich reg ister on th e photographic
p late are n o t visible to the eye. T he eye sees the
lo w er rays, b u t th e hig h er ones are detected only
b y in stru m en ts adapted for th e purpose. Y o u r eye
cannot see th e X -R ay as i t passes th ro u g h th e room ,
b u t th e p late will catch it, and by its lig h t a pho
to g rap h m ay be m ade. T he ray s of lig h t visible to
th e eye are only th e low er ones— th e h ig h er ones
a re fa r beyond the pow er of the eye to record, and
beyond even th e ran g e of th e m ost delicate in stru
m e n t th ere exist ray s a n d w aves of lig h t of such
h ig h vib rato ry rate as to defy even its pow er to
record.
Did you ever know th a t th ere are sounds unheard
b y hum an ears th a t the m icrophone w ill catch and
m agnify? T h e scientific im agination dream s of in
stru m e n ts th a t w ill catch th e songs o f the m ite-like
insects and m agnify th em u n til they can be distin
guished. T h ere are w aves of electricity th a t m ay
p ass th ro u g h y o u r body, unperceived b y you, and
y e t pow erful enough to ru n m achinery o r light
electric lights. L isten to the w ords o f certain
em inent scien tists:
P rof. E lish a Gray, a celebrated scientist and
teacher, h as s a id : “T h ere is m uch food for specula
tio n in th e th o u g h t th a t th ere exist sound w aves
Jaat n o h u m an ear can hear, and color w aves of
lig h t th a t no eye can see. T h e long, dark, soundless

space betw een 40,000 a n d 400,000,000,000,000 v ibra
tions p er second, and the infinity of ran g e beyond
700,000,000,000,000 vibrations p e r second, w here
lig h t ceases, in th e universe o f m otion, m akes it
possible to indulge in speculation.”
P rof. W illiam s, th e w ell-know n scientific w riter,
h as sa id : “T h ere is no gradation betw een th e m ost
rap id u ndulations o r trem blings th a t produce our
sensations of sound, and th e slow est o f th o se w hich
give rise to o u r sensations o f g en tlest w arm th .
T h ere is a huge gap betw een them , w ide enough
to include a n o th er w orld of m otion, all lying be
tw een o u r w orld of sound and o u r w orld of h eat
and l ig h t; and th ere is no good reason w h atev er for
supposing th a t m a tte r is incapable of such interm e
d iate activ ity, o r th a t such activity m ay n o t give
rise to in term ediate sensations, provided th ere are
o rg an s for ta k in g u p and sensifying th e ir m ove
m ents.”
A nd, so y o u see, th a t in the scientific th eo ry of
V ibrations, th ere m ay be found p len ty of room for a
scientific ex planation of all th a t is claim ed b y the
adh eren ts of th e tru th of M ental Influence, w ithout
g e ttin g o u t of the region of physical science, and
w ith o u t invading th e plane of m etaphysics. And
th e re are m any m ore proofs from the sam e source,
w hich we m ay touch upon as we proceed.
T H E LAW OF VIBRATION IS
T h e re is b u t one T ru th , and it m anifests on all

planes— th e S p iritu a l; the M e n ta l; and th e P hysical
— a n d its m anifestations agree and coincide. So no
M en talist need fear the te s t of P h y sical Science,
fo r each plane w ill b ear o u t th e facts and phenom ena
o f th e ones below o r above it— th e T h ree are b u t
v a ry in g p h ases of th e O ne. I n th is little w ork we
shall h u g close to th e plane o f P h y sical Science,
becau se b y so doing w e w ill be able to m ake the
su b ject m uch clearer to m an y th a n if w e had a t
tem p ted to express th e teaching in M etaphysical
term s. T h e re is no contradiction in th e end. E ach
b it o f T r u th m u st dovetail into every o th er bit, fo r
all are p a rts of th e W hole.
C H A P T E R II.
T H O U G H T W A V ES.
N o u r last chapter w e have seen th a t
m V ib ration w as to b e found u n d erly in g all

m anifestations of energy, and all form s of
m a tte r. W e also quoted tw o distinguished scientists
w hose w ords show ed th a t there w ere fields of
v ib rato ry energy not filled b y a n y know n form s of
energy, th e inference being th a t inasm uch as there
are no gaps in n a tu re ’s processes th ese unknow n
fields m u st be occupied b y certain form s of energy
n o t know n as y e t to physical science. T h e teachings
of th e o ccultists of all lands and ages, as also those
of m odern M ental Science, are to th e effect th a t the
M ind, in its m anifestation of T h o u g h t in the brain,
g en erates a form of en erg y of intensely h ig h V ibra
tion, which energy m ay be, and is, projected in
v ib rato ry w aves from th e b rain of th e thinker, and
w hich th en affects the brains of o th e r persons
w ith in its field of influence.
All stu d en ts o f M ental Influence have noticed the
close resem blance th a t is m anifested betw een the
phenom ena of electrical and m agnetic energy on the
one han d and the phenom ena of m en tal energy on
th e o th er. So close is the analogy th a t one m ay take
th e p ro v en facts of science relatin g to electrical and
T H O U G H T WAVES 15
m ag n etic phenom ena and confidently proceed w ith

th e ce rtain ty o f finding a strik in g ly close corre
spondence in th e field of m ental phenom ena. And
th e recognition of th is fact is helping th e w orkers
in th e m ental field to group to g eth er th e varied
phenom ena th a t com e u n d er th e ir notice, and to
w o rk out th e th eo ry and practice of M ental
Influence.
I n th e first place it is n ow a fact w ell know n and
accep ted b y in v estig ato rs th a t th e generation of
T h o u g h t and the m anifestation of M ental S tates
occasions a “b u rn in g u p ” of brain m atter, a n d the
consequent production of a form o f energy of high
v ib rato ry pow er. P hysiologists recognize th is fact,
and th e te x t books m ake reference to it. E xperi
m ents have sh o w n th a t the tem p eratu re of th e brain
is increased in accordance w ith th e in ten sity of
F eelin g a n d T h o u g h t, a n d th a t th e re is undoubtedly
a g en e ratio n of energy and a consum ption of brain
m a tte r w hich bears a very close resem blance to the
process of th e generation of electrical energy. A nd
this b ein g conceded, it follow s th a t th is energy once
released m u st be em anated o r sen t forth from the
brain in a m an n er akin to th e em anation of o th er
know n form s of energy, i. e., in th e form of “ w aves”
of v ib ra to ry force. L ig h t and H e at travel in this
way— so do electricity and m agnetism —so do the
forces o f R adio-A ctivity. A nd the in v estig ato rs of
i
la ME NTAL I NF L UE NC E
M ental Influence have dem onstrated b y th e ir ex

p erim en ts th a t th e re a re such things as T hought-
W aves, T hought-R adiation, T h o u g h t-In d u ctio n ,
and m an y o th e r phases of m anifestation sim ilar to
th a t exhibited b y electricity a n d m agnetism .
F lam m arion, th e w ell-know n and em in en t F re n c h
scientist, h as said on th is su b je c t: “ W e su m up,
therefore, o u r preceding observations b y th e conclu
sion th a t one m ind can act a t a distance upon
another, w ith o u t th e hab itu al m edium of w ords, o r
a n y o th er visible m eans of com m unication. I t
appears to u s alto g eth er unreasonable to re je c t th is
conclusion if w e accept the facts. T h is conclusion
will be ab u n dantly dem onstrated. T h ere is n o th in g
unscientific, n o th in g rom antic in ad m ittin g th a t a n
idea can influence a b ra in from a distance. T h e
action of one hu m an being upon another, fro m a
distance, is a scientific fa c t; i t is as certain as the
existence o f P a ris, of Napoleon, o f O xygen, o r o f
S irius.” T h e sam e a u th o rity also s ta te s: “ T h ere
can be no doubt th a t o u r physical force creates a
m ovem ent in th e eth er w hich tran sm its itself a fa r
like all m ovem ents of ether, and becom es perceptible
to b ra in s in harm ony w ith o u r ow n. Thfe tra n s
fo rm ation of a psychic action into a n ethereal m ove
m ent, and the reverse, m ay be analogous to w h a t
tak es place on a telephone, w here th e receptive
plate, w hich is identical w ith the p late a t the o th er
T HO U G H T WAVES 17
en d , reco n stru cts th e sonorous m ovem ent tra n sm it

te d , n o t b y m eans of sound, b u t by electricity. B ut
th ese are only com parisons.”
W h e n a T h o u g h t o r F eeling is generated in the
m in d o r b ra in of a person th e en erg y generated
flows fo rth from the b rain of th e person in th e form s
of w aves of m en tal energy, spreading from th e im
m ediate neighborhood of th e th in k er to a distance
proportioned to th e stre n g th of th e th o u g h t o r feel
ing. T h ese T h o u g h t-W av es have th e p ro p e rty of
aw akening sim ilar vibrations in th e m inds of o ther
p erso n s com ing w ith in th e ir field of force, according
to th e law s of M ental Induction, w hich law shall be
explained in th e n e x t chapter.
A s w e proceed w ith o u r consideration o f the sub
je c t of M ental Influence, in the succeeding chapters,
w e shall see th e m any and varied form s of m ani
festatio n of T h o u g h t-W av es. A t th is p oint w e shall
m erely v iew th e phenom ena in a general w ay.
T h o u g h t-W av es are m anifested in a v arie ty of
form s and phases. Some are the w aves em anated
from th e m inds o f all th in k ers, unconsciously and
w ith o u t purpose, a n d usually w ith o u t m uch force.
O th ers are s e n t fo rth w ith g reat force, and travel
far, m an ifestin g a degree o f influence com m ensurate
w ith th e force w ith w hich th e y are projected. O th ers
a re d irected p u rposely to w ard certain individuals or
places, a n d trav e l along rapidly in a stra ig h t line to
■
th e p o in t to w ard s w hich they h av e been directed o r

aim ed. O th ers a re sen t fo rth w ith g re a t stren g th
and pow er, b u t instead o f being directed tow ard any
p articu lar person o r place, are designed to sw eep
aro u n d in g re a t w hirlpools of en erg y affecting all
w ho happen to fall w ith in th e ir field of force.
You w ill readily un d erstan d th a t th ere is a g reat
difference betw een T h o u g h t-W av es sen t fo rth idly
and unconsciously, and w ith o u t know ledge of the
underlying law s of M ental Influence, a n d those pro
jected w ith a full know ledge o f th e law s governing
th e phenom ena and urged on a n d directed b y a
pow erful W ill of th e sender. T h e force is th e sam e,
b u t th e degree of its pow er, and the m easure of its
effect, is d eterm ined b y th e conditions o f its sending
forth.
T h e v ib rato ry force of these T h o u g h t-W av es
does n o t cease w ith the sending fo rth of th e w ave,
b u t p ersists for a long tim e afterw ard. J u s t as h eat
in a room p ersists long a fte r the fire in th e stove has
been extinguished— ju st as th e perfum e o f the
flower exists in a room long after th e flower h a s been
rem oved—ju s t as a ra y of lig h t trav els th ro u g h
space for m illions of miles, and fo r centuries a fte r
th e s ta r itself h as been b lo tte d o u t of existence—
ju s t as a n y and all form s o f v ib rato ry en erg y persist
in m an ifestation a fte r th e initial im pulse h as been
w ith d raw n — so do th e vibrations of T h o u g h t con-
T HO U G H T WAVES 1C
tin u e long after the th ought, yes, long a fte r the

b rain w hich s e n t th em fo rth has passed into dust.
T here are m any places today filled w ith the
th o u g h t-v ib ratio n s of m inds long since passed out
of th e body. T h ere are places filled w ith th e stro n g
vib ratio n s of tragedies long since enacted there.
E v e ry place h a s a n atm osphere o f its ow n, arising
from th e th o u g h t vibrations se t in m otion b y the
various persons w ho have inhabited o r occupied
them . E v ery city h a s its o w n m ental atm osphere
w hich has its effect upon persons m oving into them .
Som e are lively, som e dull, some progressive, som e
old-fogyish, som e m oral, som e im m oral— the result
of th e ch aracter of th e early settlers and leading
sp irits of th e places. P erso n s m oving into these
to w n s a re affected b y the atm osphere, and either
sink to th e g en eral level, o r else, if stro n g enough,
help to ch an g e the m en tal tone of the place. Som e
tim es a change in conditions bring a large influx
of new people to the tow n, a n d the m ental w aves of
th e new com ers te n d to bring ab o u t a m arked change
in th e local m en tal atm osphere. T hese facts have
b een noticed by m an y observing people w ho were,
perhaps, n o t fam iliar w ith the law s and principles
u n d erly in g th e phenom ena.
M any h av e of course noticed th e differing atm os
ph eres o f sto res, offices and o th er places of business.
Som e o f su ch places give one a n air of confidence
and tr u s t; o th ers create a feeling of suspicion and

d is tr u s t; som e convey an im pression of active, w ide
aw ake m anagem ent, w hile others im press one as
being behind th e tim es and suffering from alert
activ e m anagem ent. Did y o u ever sto p to think
th a t th ese different atm ospheres w ere caused b y the
prevailing m ental attitu d e s of those in charge of
th e places? T he m anagers of business places send
fo rth T h o u g h t-W av es of th eir ow n, and th e ir em
ployees n atu ra lly falling into th e pace set fo r them ,
send fo rth sim ilar vibrations, and before long the
w hole place is v ib ratin g on a certain scale. L e t a
change in th e m anagem ent occur and see w h a t a
change soon m anifests itself.
D id you ever notice th e m ental atm ospheres of
th e h o u ses y o u happened to v isit? Y ou m ay experi
ence a n d recognize all of th e v ary in g notes in the
m en tal scale of th e ir occupants. F ro m som e th resh
olds H arm o n y m anifests itself, w hile others breathe
In h a rm o n y as soon as y o u step o v er th e threshold.
Some ra d ia te m en tal w arm th , w hile o th ers seem as
cold as a n iceberg. T h in k fo r a m om ent and recall
th e v ario u s houses o r places you visit, and see how
th e m en tal vibrations of the inm ates m anifest
them selves to a visitor.
T h e low q u a rte rs of o u r cities, th e dens of vice
and h au n ts o f dissipation vibrate w ith th e character
of th o u g h t and feeling of those in h ab itin g them .
T H O U G H T WAVES 21
A nd th e w eak-w ili visitor is th u s tem pted. A nd,

in th e sam e w ay, certain places are filled w ith
stro n g , helpful, elevating vibrations w hich ten d to
lift up and elevate those com ing w ithin th eir circle of
influence. T h o u g h t and F eeling are contagious, by
reason of th e L aw of V ibration and M ental In d u c
tio n . W h e n th is law is understood th e individual
is enabled to p rotect and im prove him self. S uch
K now ledge b rin g s S trength.
22 MENTAL I NF L UE NC E
C H A PT E R IIL
M E N T A L IN D U C T IO N .
S w e stated in the preceding chapter, the
S phenom ena of M ental Influence b ea rs a

strik in g analogy to th a t of electrical o r m ag
n etic energy. N o t only is th is so in th e phase of
w ave m otion and transm ission, b u t also in th e phase
of induction, as w e shall see presently.
In physical science th e te rm Induction is used to
indicate th a t quality in a m anifestation of energy
w hich ten d s to reproduce in a second o b ject the
vibrations m anifesting in th e first object, w ith o u t
direct co n tact betw een th e tw o bodies. A m agnet
w ill induce m agnetism in an o th er object rem oved
from it in space. A n electrified object w ill te n d to
produce sim ilar vibrations in a n o th er o b ject by
induction, o v er g re a t spaces. H e a t w aves travel
along th e ether, and te n d to produce h e a t v ibra
tions in o b jects fa r rem oved, n o tab ly in th e case of
th e su n and th e earth. E ven sound w aves w ill af
fect o th er o b jects in th is w ay, as in the w ell know n
instance of the glass o r vase “singing” in response
to th e m usical note sounded a la r off. In faet, we
see and h ear by processes sim ilar to those described.
A nd in th is sam e m anner do the T hought-W aves
carry th e vibrations of th e m ind sending them forth
ME NTAL INDUCTION 23
to g re a t distances, o r lesser ones, tending to se t up

sim ilar vibrations in the m inds of o th e r persons
w ith in th eir field of force. T h u s a person feeling a
s tro n g degree of an g e r w ill p o u r fo rth w aves of
th a t degree of m ental vibration, w hich, com ing in
co n tact w ith th e b ra in s of o th er persons, te n d to
set up a sim ilar feeling o r em otion and th u s cause
th e p erson to “feel cross” o r “peevish” o r even to
m an ifest a sim ilar a n g ry s ta te of m ind. W e all
know h o w easily a fight is sta rte d b y a very an g ry
p erso n in a room sending fo rth violent vibrations.
O ne h as b u t to rem em ber th e instances o f m ob vio
lence to see h o w easily th e “contagion o f h a te and
an g er” sp read am ong people w ho allo w them selves
to be influenced. A nd n o t only is th is tru e of u n
desirable em otions and feelings, b u t also of desira
ble ones. T h e influence o f a good m an w ho happens
to b e stro n g m entally spreads am ong those around
him , influencing th em fo r good.
O rato rs, actors, preachers and teachers send forth
stro n g m en tal cu rren ts w hich te n d to produce
m ental conditions on th e p a rt of th e ir h earers cor
responding to th e feeling held b y th e m ind of the
speaker. W h e n you rem em ber how th is speaker
sw ayed y o u r feelings, o r h ow th a t a c to r m ade you
w eep w ith pity , shiver w ith fear, o r laugh w ith joy,
y o u w ill see how M ental Induction acts.
B u t n o t on ly is th is tru e w hen we are in the
actu al presence of the person sending o u t the

T h o u g h t-W av es, b u t it is equally tru e th a t w e are
influenced by persons fa r rem oved from us in space,
often w ith o u t th e ir know ledge o r in ten t, although
som etim es (in th e case of one w ho u n d erstan d s the
principle) w ith full know ledge and intent.
T h e eth er w ith w hich space is filled carries these
th o u ght-w aves in all directions, a n d the su rface of
th e earth, p articu larly in th e densely occupied por
tions, is filled w ith these waves. T h ese w aves,
ca rry in g th e m en tal vibrations, com ing in contact
w ith each other, tend to set u p com binations o n one
hand, o r else n eu tralize each o th er on th e o th er
hand. T h a t is to say, if tw o sets of w aves o f a sim
ilar n a tu re m eet th ere is likely to be a com bination
form ed betw een them ju s t as betw een tw o chem icals
h av in g an affinity fo r each oth er. I n th is w a y the
“m en tal atm ospheres” o f places, tow ns, houses, etc.,
are form ed. O n the o th er h a n d if tw o cu rre n ts of
opposing vib rations com e in co n tact w ith each
o th er, th e re w ill be m anifested a conflict betw een
th e tw o, in w hich each w ill lose p o w er in p ro p o r
tio n to its w eakness, a n d th e resu lt w ill be either
a n eu tralization of both o r else a com bination hav
ing vib ratio n s of a n average rate. F o r instance, if
tw o cu rren ts o f m ental energy m eet, one bein g a
th o u g h t of L ove and the o th er o f H a te , they will
n eutralize each o th e r if th e y are equal, o r if one be
MENTAL INDUCTION 25
stro n g e r th a n the other, i t w ill p ersist b u t robbed

of m uch of its stren g th . If i t w ere n o t fo r thiB neu
tralizin g effect w e w ould be largely a t th e m ercy of
s tra y cu rren ts o f th o u g h t. N atu re p ro tects us in
th is way, and also by rendering us im m une to a
considerable extent.
B u t nevertheless w e are affected b y th ese w aves
to a considerable extent, unless w e have learned to
th ro w th em off b y a know ledge of th e law s and an
enforcem ent of them b y practice. W e all know
h o w g re a t w aves of feeling spread over a tow n, city
o r co untry, sw eeping people off th e ir balance.
G re at w aves of political enthusiasm , o r w ar-spirit,
o r prejudice for o r against certain people, o r groups
of people, sw eep over places a n d cause m en to act
in a m an n er th a t th e y w ill afterw ard re g re t w hen
th e y com e to them selves a n d consider th e ir acts in
cold blood. T h ey will be sw ayed b y dem agogues
o r m ag n etic leaders w ho w ish to gain th e ir votes or
p a tro n a g e ; a n d th e y w ill be led into acts of m ob
violence, o r sim ilar atrocities, b y yielding to these
w aves o f “ contagious” th o u g h t. O n the o th er hand
w e a ll k n o w h o w g re a t w aves of religious feeling
sw eep ov er a com m unity upon th e occasion of some
g re a t “rev iv al” excitem ent o r fervor.
T h e effect of th ese T h o u g h t-W av es, so fa r as the
p o w er o f induction is concerned, of course depends
v ery m a te ria lly upon th e stren g th of th e th o u g h t o r
feeling being m anifested in th e m ind sending them

fo rth . T h e m ajo rity of persons p u t b u t little force
in to th e m en tal m anifestations, b u t h e re a n d th ere
is to be found a thinker w hose T h o u g h t-W a v es are
p ractically “ a strea m of living will,” and w hich of
course h av e a very stro n g inductive effect upon the
m inds of o th ers w ith w hom th e w aves com e in con
tact. B u t it likew ise follow s th a t a n u m b er of
p erso n s th in k in g alo n g th e sam e lines w ill produce
a g re a t volum e of pow er by a com bination of th eir
th o u g h t cu rren ts into g reat stream s of m en tal force.
T h en ag ain th ere is a n o th er feature of th e case
th a t w e m u st n o t lose sig h t of, and th a t is the A ttra c
tio n betw een m inds, b y v irtu e of w hich one draw s
to him self th e T h o u g h t-W av es of others w hose
th o u g h ts are in accord w ith h is ow n. T h e contrary
is tru e, fo r th e re is a R epulsion betw een th e m inds
of p ersons and th e T h o u g h t-W av es of o th ers an
tag o n istic to th e ir thoughts. T o q uote a w ell-w orn
and m uch-used expression to illu strate th is tru th ,
“ L ik e a ttra c ts L ike,” and “ B irds of a F e a th e r flock
to g eth er.” T h e re is ever in o peration th is m arvelous
law of A ttra c tio n and R epulsion of M ental E n erg y .
P e rso n s allow ing th e ir th o u g h ts to ru n alo n g c e r
ta in lines, a n d p erm ittin g the feelings to be ex
pressed in ce rtain w ays, d raw to them selves th e
T h o u g h t-W a v es a n d m ental influences o f o th e rs
keyed to th e sam e m ental key-note. A nd likew ise
ME NTAL INDUCTION 27
th e y repel th e w aves and influences of a n opposing

n atu re . T h is is an im p o rtan t fact t o rem em ber in
o ne’s everyday life. Good a ttra c ts Good and repels
E vil. E v il a ttra c ts E v il a n d repels Good. T h e pre
d o m in an t M en tal A ttitu d e serves to a ttra c t sim ilar
influences and to repel th e opposing ones. T h e re
fore w atch carefully th e ch aracter and n a tu re of
y o u r th o u g h ts— cultivate th e desirable ones and
rep ress th e undesirable ones. V erily “ As a m an
th in k e th in h is h e a rt, so is he.”
Some T h o u g h t-W av es sent fo rth w ith b u t little
s tre n g th trav e l slow ly and do n o t proceed very far
fro m th e ir place of em anation, b u t creep along like
so m e sm oke o r fog, lazily a n d yielding. O ther
th o u g h ts ch arg ed w ith a g re a te r intensity of desire
o r will, d a rt fo rth vigorously like a n electric spark,
a n d often trav el g reat distances. T h e w eak th o u g h t-
w aves do n o t la st a very long tim e, b u t fade aw ay
o r becom e n eu tralized o r dissipated b y stro n g er
forces. B u t th e stro n g th o u g h ts persist fo r a long
tim e, re ta in in g m u ch of th e ir v itality and energy.
In th e sam e m anner th e T h o u g h t-W av es o f a per
son w ill continue to v ib rate around him w herever
he goes, a n d th o se com ing in co n tact w ith him will
be im pressed b y th e ch aracter of h is vibrations in
th is w ay. Some m en send fo rth gloom y vibrations
which you feel w h en y o u come in co n tact w ith
them . O th ers ra d ia te good-cheer, courage and
28 ME NTAL I N F L UE NC E
happiness, w hich conditions are induced in those

w ith w hom th e y come in contact. M any people
m anifest th ese qualities so stro n g ly th a t o n e can
notice th e effect the m om ent such persons e n te r a
room . T h e y carry th e ir atm ospheres w ith them ,
and th e sam e is induced in the m inds of o th e rs
aro u n d them .
I n th e sam e w ay some people carry w ith them
v ib ratio n s of W ill P o w er a n d M asterfulness w hich
b e a t upon th e m inds of others, m aking th e m feel
th e p ow er of such persons a n d conquering th e ir ow n
w ill pow er a n d changing th e ir desires. O thers
m anifest a stro n g pow er of F ascin atio n o r A ttrac
tion, in a sim ilar m anner, w hich ten d s to draw
o th ers to th em a n d to th eir desires and w ishes. N o t
only does th is principle operate in the phase of
general m en tal atm ospheres, b u t also in th e phase
of d irect personal influence.
All form s of M ental Influence operate alo n g the
lines of M ental Induction, as herein described. T he
principle is th e sam e in all cases and instances, al
th o u g h th e m anner o f operation varies according to
th e p artic u la r phase o f the phenom ena m anifested.
R em em ber th is as w e proceed, and y o u w ill be ablo
to u n d erstan d the subject m uch better.
ME NTAL CONCENTRATI ON 29
C H A P T E R IV .
M E N T A L C O N C E N T R A T IO N .
H E tw o p rincipal facto rs in the m anifestation
m of M ental Influence, in all of its form s, are

w h a t are know n as ( i ) C oncentration, and
(2 ) M ental Im agining. T h e first of these factors
sh all be considered in th is chapter, the succeeding
c h a p te r ta k in g up the consideration o f th e second
factor.
“C o n cen tratio n” is a w ord derived from tw o
L a tin w ords, i. e., “con,” a prefix m eaning “t o ; ”
and "cen tru m ,” m eaning "cen ter” o r “ fixed central
p o i n t ” T h e tw o w ords com bined m ean, literally,
" to b rin g to a com m on p o in t; to focus,” etc. T h u s
th e w o rd “C o n centration” is seen to m ean, literally,
“th e a c t o r sta te of bringing to a fixed point or
focus.”
B o rro w in g a n analogous illustration from physi
cal science, w e readily see th a t th e hig h est form s of
energy, force o r pow er are m anifested b y brin g in g
th e force to a focus, center, o r com m on point,
th ereb y d irecting to th a t p o in t th e entire energy em
ployed, in stead of allow ing it to becom e dissipated
over a larg er area. T h e electricity generated by a
battery o r dynam o, if allow ed to diffuse itself over
a large surface m anifests b u t a sm all degree of the
p o w er th a t m ay be obtained from i t by com pelling

it to discharge itself from a sm all p oint o f focus.
T h e sam e is tru e reg ard in g th e pow er o f steam ,
w h ich m an ifests g re a t pow er b y being forced to
discharge itself th ro u g h a sm all point o r opening
in stead of being p erm itted to spread itse lf w idely
in th e air. T h e sam e law applies to gunpow der,
w hich m an ifests force by its gases being com pelled
to escape th ro u g h th e sm all gun-barrel in stead of
sp read in g in all directions, w hich i t w ould do if
unconfined. A nother fam iliar exam ple is th a t of
th e sun-glass, o r “b urning-glass,” w hich b rin g s the
ra y s of th e su n to a com m on p oint o r focus, greatly
intensifying th e h eat and lig h t b y reason thereof.
T h e occult m asters have ever im pressed upon
th eir p u p ils th e im portance a n d necessity o f ac
q u irin g th e p ow er of M ental C oncentration, a n d all
train e d and developed occultists have practiced and
persevered to w ard th is end, th e re su lt being th at
som e of th em attain ed alm ost m iraculous m ental
pow ers a n d influence. All occult phenom ena is
caused in th is w ay, a n d all occult p o w er depends
upon it. T h erefore the stu d e n t of M ental Influence
should devote m uch th o u g h t, tim e and practice to
this m ost im p o rtan t branch of the subject.
I t is a fact know n to all stu d en ts of m en tal phe
nom ena th a t very few persons possess m ore th a n a
v ery sm all degree o f concentration. T h ey allow
ME NTAL CONCENTRATION 31
th e ir m en tal forces to becom e scattered and dis

sip ated in all directions, and obtain little o r n o re
su lts from th e sam e. I n th e degree th a t a m an is
able to concentrate, so is h e able to m anifest m ental
pow er. A m an ’s pow er of m en tal concentration is
to a g reat ex ten t his m easure of greatness.
M ental C oncentration, in practice, consists in
focusing th e m ind upon a given subject, o r object,
firm ly a n d fixedly, and then holding i t th e re for a
certain tim e, fully in te n t u p o n its object, and n o t al
low ing itself to be diverted o r a ttra c te d from its
object. I t likew ise consists in th e correlative pow er
of th e n d etach in g the m ind from th a t subject, or
object, a n d eith er allow ing it to rest, o r else focus
ing i t upon an o th er object. In o th er w ords, it either
gives undivided atten tio n o r else inhibits (o r “ shuts
off” ) atten tio n from given su b ject o r object.
T o th e read er w ho has h ad n o experience along
th e lines of M en tal C oncentration, it m ay seem like
a v ery easy ta s k to focus the m ind upon a subject,
a n d th e n h old i t th ere firm ly and fixedly. B u t a
little p ractice w ill undeceive such a person, and will
b rin g h im to a realizing sense of th e difficulty of
th e task . T h e m ind is a v ery restless thing, and its
ten d en cy is to dance from one th in g to another,
d a rtin g h e re a n d there, soon tirin g of continued a t
ten tio n , a n d like a spoiled child, seeking a new
object upon w h ich to exercise itself. O n th e other
32 MENTAL I NF LUENCE
hand, m any people allow th e ir m inds to concentrate

(in v o lu n tarily ) upon w h atev er m ay strik e the
fancy, and, fo rg ettin g every th in g else, th e y give
them selves u p to th e object a ttra c tin g th e ir a tte n
tio n fo r th e m om ent, o ften neglecting duties and
im p o rtan t interests, and becom ing day-dream ers
in stead of firm thinkers. T h is invo lu n tary concen
tra tio n is a th in g to be avoided, for i t is the allow ing
of th e atte n tio n to escape the control o f the will.
T h e M ental C oncentration of the occultists is a
v ery different thing, and is solely in control of the
will, being applied w hen desirable, and tak en off or
inhibited w hen desirable.
T h e train e d occultist w ill concentrate upon a sub
ject or object w ith a w onderful intensity, seem ingly
com pletely absorbed in th e subject o r object before
him , and oblivious to all else in th e w orld. A nd yet,
th e ta s k accom plished, o r th e given tim e expired, he
will detach his m ind from the object and w ill be
p erfectly fresh, w atchful and w ide-aw ake to the
n ex t m atter before him . T here is ev ery difference
in being controlled b y invo lu n tary atten tio n , w hich
is a species of self-hypnotization, and th e control of
th e atten tio n , w hich is an evidence o f m astery.
T h e secret of M ental C oncentration lies in th e con
tro l of th e A ttention. A nd th e control o f th e
A tten tio n lies in the exercise of the W ill.
A celebrated F ren c h psychologist h as w ell said :
“ T h e a u th o rity is subject to th e superior au th o rity

o f th e E go. I yield it, o r I w ith h o ld it, as I please.
I direct it in tu rn to several points. I concentrate
i t upon each p o in t as long as m y w ill can stan d the
effort." Sully s a y s: “A tten tio n m ay be roughly
defined as th e active self-direction of th e m ind to
a n y ob ject w hich p re sen ts itself a t th e m om ent.”
A ll of th e occult au th o rities begin teaching th eir
p u p ils A tten tio n as th e first step to w ard M ental
C oncentration. T h ey in stru ct th e p u p il to exam ine
som e fam iliar object, and endeavor to see as m any
details as possible in the object. T h en a fte r hear
in g th e p u p il’s report, th e m aster sends him b ack to
th e task , b id d in g h im seek fo r new details, and so
o n u n til a t la st th e pupil h as discovered ab o u t all
concerning th e object th a t can be discovered. T he
n e x t d ay a n ew object is given him , and th e process
is repeated. F irs t sim ple o bjects are given, and
th e n m ore com plex ones, u n til a t la st o bjects of
g re a t com plexity are easily m astered. I n th is w ay
n o t on ly is th e pow er of close observation highly
developed, b u t th e faculty of A tten tio n becom es so
h ig h ly stren g th en ed th a t th e pupil is able to exert
th e g re a te st am o u n t of M ental C oncentration w ith
scarcely th e consciousness of effort. A nd such a
p erso n th e n becom es a very g ian t in the m anifesta
tio n o f M ental Influence. F o r he is able to nold his
m in d “one-pointed,” as th e O rientals describe it.
u n til he h as focused and directed a m ig h ty degree

of M ental Influence to w ard th e desired object.
A m ong the practices im posed upon th eir pupils
by th e occult m asters m ay be nam ed M athem atics,
D raw ing, A nalysis, etc. Y ou w ill readily see w hy
th is is. T o begin w ith, M athem atics req u ires the
undivided atten tio n of the stu d en t— unless he con
ce n trates upon h is exam ples, he w ill n o t be able
to w o rk o u t th e ir solution. A nd, according to the
principle in N atu re th a t “practice m akes perfect,”
and th a t “ exercise develops pow er,” th e p ractice of
th e m ind along lines req u irin g v o lu n tary atten tio n
and m en tal concentration w ill inevitably re su lt in
th e acquirem ent of the m ental control and power,
w hich ren d ers possible th e stro n g est m anifestation
of M en tal Influence.
T h e p erson w ho uses M ental Influence m u s t cer
tain ly possess th e pow er o f focusing the force to
a com m on point, in o rd e r to m anifest the g re atest
am o u n t o f pow er a n d influence. A nd th a t faculty
of focusing re su lts from th e train in g of th e m ind
alo n g th e lines of C oncentration. A nd C oncentra
tio n arises from th e m astery of V o lu n tary A ttention.
So th ere you have the w hole m a tte r in a nut-shell.
So your first step to w ard acquiring M ental Influence
should be to cultivate V o lu n tary A ttention.
W e m ig h t fill page a fte r page w ith exercises de
sig n ed to stre n g th e n y o u r faculty o f V oluntary
A tten tio n , b u t w h a t w ould be th e use. T h e best

plan is to set you to w ork to find som ething upon
w hich to concentrate, for the v ery search w ill de
velop atten tio n . L ook aro u n d you for som e object
to stu d y in detail. T h e n concentrate y o u r atten tio n
upon it u n til you have seen all th ere is ab o u t it to
be seen, th e n tak e up an o th er object and pursue the
practice fu rth er. T a k e a page— this page, if you
will, and co u n t th e nu m b er of w ords o n it. T h en
see how m any w ords are required to fill each line,
on an a v e ra g e ; th e n see how m any letters th e re are
in each w ord, in each line, on the w hole page. T h en
go o v er th e page and see if a n y w ords are m isspelled,
o r if any of th e le tte rs a re im perfect, etc. I n short,
get acq u ain ted w ith th is page, u n til you know all
ab o u t it. T h en tak e u p an o th er page, and after
stu d y in g i t in th e sam e w ay, com pare th e tw o. A nd
so on. O f course th is w ill be very d ry and tedious
unless you tak e a n in tere st in it. A nd th e in tere st
m ay be aroused b y rem em bering ju s t w h a t the
exercise is designed for.
A fte r practicing th is w ay for a sh o rt tim e each
day, you w ill begin to find th a t you are able to
bestow g re a te r atten tio n upon o bjects upon w hich
you are try in g to m anifest M ental Influence. Y ou
are developing C oncentration, a n d th a t is th e g reat
secret of th e use o f M ental Influence, and explains
the differences in its m anifestation am ong men.
T hink o v e r this.
C H A P T E R V.
M E N T A L IM A G IN G .
N o u r la st ch a p te r w e called y o u r a tte n tio n to
m th e first of the tw o principal facto rs in th e

m anifestation of M ental Influence, nam ely,
“ M en tal C oncentration.” I n th e p resen t c h a p te r w e
shall consider the second facto r tending to ren d er
possible th e said m anifestation, nam ely, “ M ental
Im ag in g .”
W h a t is know n as a “ M ental Im age,” in occult
ism , is th e m en tal creation, in th e im agination, of a
"p ictu re” of th e things, ev en ts o r conditions th a t
o ne desires to be m anifested o r m aterialized in
actu al effect. A m om ent’s th o u g h t w ill show you
th a t unless you know “ju s t w h a t” you desire, you
can tak e no step s to w ard attain in g it o n a n y plane
of m anifestation. A nd th e m ore clearly y o u r de
sires are perceived in y o u r im agination, th e clearer
is th e w o rk of proceeding to w ard th e realization of
th a t desire. A M ental Im ag e gives you a fram e
w o rk u p o n w hich to w ork. I t is like th e d ra w in g of
th e arch itect, o r th e m ap of th e explorer. T hink
o v er th is for a few m om ents u n til you g e t th e idea
firm ly fixed in y o u r m ind.
A nd now th e sam e rule holds good on th e plane
in w hich th e m anifestations of M ental Influence
ME NTAL IMAGING 87
tak es place. T h e occultist first builds up, in his

im agination, a M ental Im ag e o r P ic tu re o f th e con
ditions h e w ishes to b rin g about, and th e n b y con
c e n tratin g his influence th ro u g h a n d around th a t
pictu re he is able to m anifest h is influence strongly,
in stead of in a h ap h azard w ay as is th e case w ith
th e m ajo rity of people w ho do n o t un d erstan d the
law s and principles underlying the m anifestations
of th e forces of m ind. T h e M ental Im ag e gives
shape and d irections to th e force w hich is being
co n cen trated upon th e desired object o r subject.
I t m ay b e com pared to th e im age on the glass of
th e M agic L an tern , th ro u g h w hich th e focussed
ra y s of th e lam p pass, th e re su lt being th a t a cor
responding im ag e is reproduced upon th e screen o r
c u rta in beyond. T h e analogy is a very close one
indeed, if w e rem em ber th a t the m inds o f th e m a
jo rity of people are m ore o r less blank screens or
cu rtain s upon w hich p lay th e pictures produced
th e re b y outside influences, suggestions, environ
m ents, etc., fo r very few people realize th eir
individuality, a n d a re m erely reflections of the
th o u g h ts a n d ideas of o th er people.
A n em inent au th o rity . S ir F rancis G alton, w ho
w as one o f th e leading au th o rities upon psychology
of preceding generations, h a s said on th is su b ject:
“ T h e free action o f a high visualizing faculty is of
m uch im portance in connection w ith th e hig h er pro-
38 MENTAL INFLUENCE
cesses of generalized th ought. A v isual im age is

th e m o st perfect form of m en tal re p resen ta tio n
w h atev er th e shape, position and relations of objects
to space are concerned. T h e best w orkm en are
those w ho visualize the w hole of w h a t they propose
to do before th e y tak e a tool in th eir hands. S tra te
gists, a rtis ts o f all denom inations, physicists w ho
co n triv e new experim ents, and in sh o rt, all w ho
do not follow routine, have need of it. A faculty
th a t is of im portance in all technical a n d a rtistic
occupations, th a t gives accuracy to o u r perceptions
and ju stic e to o u r generalizations, is starv ed b y
lazy disuse instead of bein g cultivated judiciously
in such a w ay as will, on th e w hole, b rin g th e b est
retu rn . I believe th a t a serious stu d y of th e best
w ay of developing and u tilizing th is faculty, w ith
o u t prejudice to the practice o f a b stra c t th o u g h t in
sym bols, is one of th e m any p ressin g desirata in th e
y et unform ed science of education.”
A nd w h a t G alton h a s said of the value o f th e use
of th is facu lty of th e m ind in th e affairs of th e m a
terial plane, so it is likew ise tru e o f the m anifesta
tions on th e m en tal plane. Y ou know th a t the
clearer a M ental P ictu re you possess of an y th in g
th a t you w ant— the b e tte r do you know ju s t w h a t
you do w a n t—and th e b e tte r you know th e latter,
th e b e tte r able are you to take step s to g e t it. M any
people g o th ro u g h life w a n tin g “som ething,” b u t
ME NTAL IMAGING 38
not re ally know ing “ju s t w h a t” they do w ant. Is

it any w onder th a t they do not realize o r m aterialize
th e ir desires any b etter? A nd th e sam e th in g holds
good o n th e plane of th e m anifestation o f M ental
Influence. If one w ishes to m aterialize an y th in g
by th e use o f th e influence, is he not handicapped
b y a lack of a M ental Im ag e of ju st w h a t he w ants
to m aterialize, a n d is he n o t helped very m uch b y
th e creation o f a m en tal “p a tte rn ” o r plan, in the
shape of a m en tal picture, th ro u g h a n d around
w hich he m ay d irect his th o u g h t-cu rren ts?
T h e occultists m anifesting th e g re atest degree of
M ental Influence acquire by practice th is a rt
of creatin g M en tal Im ag es of th a t w hich th e y w ish
to m aterialize. T h ey tra in th e ir Im ag in atio n s in
th is w ay u n til th e very act of creatin g th e M ental
Im ag e acts stro n g ly tow ard th e actual m aterializa
tio n of th e th in g itself. T hey see th e desired thing,
o r event, as “ actually ex istin g ” in th e ir m inds before
th ey a tte m p t to concentrate th eir T h o u g h t-W av es
upon th e ta s k of accom plishing it. T h en th e M ental
P ictu re, being com pleted and stan d in g in stro n g
outline, th e y focus th eir m ental force th ro u g h it,
ju s t a s in th e case o f th e m agic la n te rn before re
ferred to, and lo! th e picture is reproduced on the
screen of m en tality of o th er people.
T h e im agination m ay be stren g th en ed in m any
w ays, th e principle b eing co n stan t and persistent
40 MENTAL I NF L UE NC E
practice. T h e practice of recalling to th e m em ory

of scenes previously w itnessed, a n d th e n e ith e r de
scribing them to others o r else d ra w in g a ro u g h
picture of th em w ill help in th is m atter. D escribe
to o th ers scenes th a t you h av e w itnessed, occu r
rences, details of appearances, etc., etc., u n til y o u
are able to reproduce m entally th e aspects a n d
appearances o f th e things. T h en y o u m ay beg in to
draw m en tal pictures of things desired as if th e y
w ere being d raw n o n th e screen o f your m ind. See,
m entally, th e th in g s as actu ally occurring— create
a little play-house of y o u r ow n, in y o u r m ind, and
th ere en act th e plays th a t you w ish to w itn ess in
actu al life. W h e n you have acquired this, y o u w ill
be able to p ro jec t y o u r m en tal p ictu res on th e screen
of o b jectivity in actual life w ith fa r g re ater effect.
In th in k in g of th is subject, you w ould do w ell to
rem em ber th e illu stratio n of th e m agic lantern, for
th e figure is a good one, a n d w ill enable y o u to
c a rry th e idea b e tte r in your m ind. You see, in giv
in g you th is suggestion, we are really tellin g y o u to
form a m en tal picture of the m en tal m agic lantern,
using th e illustration given—y o u see how m uch
easier it is for you to think o f it in th is w ay and
h o w m uch easier i t is fo r you to m anifest i t in
practice.
B uild y o u r M ental Im ages by degrees, com m enc
ing w ith th e general outlines, a n d then filling in
ME NTAL IMAGING 41
th e details. A lw ays com m ence b y try in g sim ple

and easy thin g s, and then w orking u p to th e m ore
com plex a n d difficult feats.
A nd n o w a w o rd of w arn in g a t th is point. Do
n o t allow y o u r im agination to “ ru n aw ay w ith y o u ”
— do n o t becom e a d ream er of dream s and a doer of
n o th in g . Y ou m u st m a ste r y o u r im agination and
m ake i t y o u r serv an t and n o t y o u r m aster. You
m u st m ake it do y o u r bidding, instead of allow ing
it to d ictate to you.
Y ou will see in th e succeeding ch ap ters th e im
p o rta n t p a rt th a t M ental Im aging plays in the
different p h ases of M ental Influence. E ven w hen
we do n o t refer directly to it b y nam e, you w ill see
th a t th e “idea” so u g h t to be conveyed b y one m ind
to ano th er—th e feeling, desire o r m ental sta te so u g h t
to be tran sferred from one m ind to others— m ust
and does depend very m aterially for stre n g th upon
th e clearness and com pleteness o f the M ental
Im ag e held in the m ind of th e person seeking to do
th e influencing, th e “p rojector” of th e M ental
Im ag e of his m en tal m agic lantern, upon th e screen
of th e m inds of others. C arry th is principle well
in m ind th a t you m ay see its operation in its
different form s.
42 ME N T A L I NF LUENCE
C H A P T E R V I.
F A S C IN A T IO N .
N th is and th e next ch a p te r w e sh all present
m to y o u inform ation re g ard in g th e effect of

M en tal Influence m anifested w hen th e re is
p ersonal contact betw een th e persons u sin g the
p ow er and th e person affected. T h en w e shall pass
o n to a consideration of the effect produced w hen
th e persons are n o t in d irec t co n tact w ith each other.
T h ere are tw o general form s of th e direct use of
M en tal Influence, w hich, alth o u g h som ew hat re
sem bling each other, m ay still be separated into
tw o classes. T h e first w e shall call “F ascin atio n ”
and th e second “H ypnotism .”
B y F ascin atio n w e m ean th e m anifestation of
M en tal Influence w hen th e tw o persons a re to
g ether, w ith o u t passes o r th e u su al hypnotic m eth
ods. B y H y p notism we m ean th e uses of the power,
also w hen th e tw o parties are together, b u t accom
p an ied by passes o r hypnotic m ethods.
U nder th e h ead of F ascin atio n a re to be found the
m an ifestatio n s generally know n as “P ersonal M ag
netism ,” “C harm ing,” etc. I t is quite com m only
em ployed, in vary in g degrees b y m any persons,
o ften w ith o u t th e ir conscious know ledge o f the
principles em ployed. M any persons are possessed
FASCINATION 43
of th e p ow er of F ascination "n atu rally ” a n d w ith

o u t h av in g studied o r practiced th e principles. M any
oth ers, n o t originally possessing th e pow er, have
acquired b y stu d y and practice the pow er to in
fluence people in th is w ay. F or, it m u st be know n,
th e p ow er m ay be acquired b y stu d y and practice
ju s t as m ay any o ther pow er of m ind a n d body. T o
som e it is easy, to o th ers difficult—b u t all m ay
acquire a v ery g re a t degree of th e pow er b y intelli
g e n t stu d y and practice of the u nderlying principles.
F ascin atio n is one of the o ldest form s of the
m anifestations of M ental Influence. I t w as know n
to, and em ployed by, th e earliest races of men. I t
is even found am ong th e low er anim als w ho pursue
th e ir p re y o r capture th e ir m ates by its use. A
recen t w rite r o n th e su b ject h as defined the word,
used in th is connection, a s : “A ctin g upon by some
pow erful o r irresistible influence; influencing b y an
irresistib le c h a rm ; alluring, exciting, irresistibly or
po w erfu lly ; charm ing, captiv atin g o r a ttra ctin g
po w erfu lly ; influencing the im agination, reason or
w ill of an o th er in an uncontrollable m a n n e r;
en ch an tin g , cap tiv a tin g o r alluring, pow erfully or
irresistibly.”
A s w e have ju s t said, th is pow er is observable
even am ong th e low er anim als in som e cases. In
stan ces are related b y n atu ra lists in w hich scorpions
have fascin ated o th er insects, causing th em to circle
44 ME NTAL I N F LU E N C E
aro u n d and aro u n d u n til finally th e in se c t w ould

plunge dow n rig h t w ith in strik in g distance o f the
scorpion, w hich w ould th e n d evour its prey. B ird s
of p re y unquestionably fascinate th e ir gam e, and
m en w ho h av e been b ro u g h t in co n tact w ith w ild
tig ers, lions, etc., have testified th a t th e y felt
paralyzed in som e m anner, th e ir legs refusing to
obey th e ir will, and th e ir m inds seem ing to becom e
n um bed a n d stunned. T hose w ho h av e seen a m ouse
in th e presence of a c a t w ill testify to th e effect of
som e p ow er exerted b y th e latter. B irds in the
presen ce of cats and serp en ts also m anifest sym p
to m s of a conquered w ill. A nd n a tu ra lists cite
m an y instan ces of th e em ploym ent of th is force by
b ird s seeking to cap tiv ate and ch arm th e ir m ates at
th e beg in n in g of th e season.
A m ong m en it h a s been noticed th a t certain in
dividuals possess th is pow er to a g re a t degree, some
o f th e “g re a t m en” of ancient and m o d em tim es
h av in g been so filled w ith th e pow er th a t th e y could
m anage th e ir follow ers alm ost as one w ould move
autom atons. Ju liu s Caeser had th is pow er developed
to a g re a t degree, and used i t from y o u th to his
la s t days. H e w as w orshipped alm ost as a god by
h is soldiers, w ho w ould u n dertake alm ost a n y task
a t his bidding. N apoleon also possessed th is charm
to a w onderful degree. I t enabled him to control
m en w ith w hom he cam e in contact, and to bend
FASCINATION 45
th em to h is will. H e rose from a poor stu d en t to

th e d ig n ity and pow er o f th e E m p ero r of F rance.
W h e n banished to E lb a h e escaped, and landing in
F ran c e he, alone and unarm ed, confronted the ranks
of th e F ren ch arm y d raw n up to capture him , and
w alking to w ard s th e soldiers com pelled th e latter
to th ro w dow n th e ir g uns a n d flock to h is support.
H e en tered P a ris a t the h ead of th e g re a t arm y
w hich had been sen t fo rth to ca p tu re him . T h is is
no w ild legend, b u t a sober fact of history. And
in o u r o w n tim es w e see how certain leaders of
m en sw eep people before them and m ove them
aro u n d like paw ns on th e chess-board of life.
All of th e above m entioned phenom ena com es
u n d er th e h ead o f F ascination, and is th e re su lt of
th e em anation of stream s of active T h o u g h t-W av es
from th e m ind of a person, th e sam e being strongly
con cen trated a n d directed to w ard th o se w hom the
p erson w ishes to affect. T he person form s a stro n g
th o u g h t in his m ind and sends it o u t to th e o ther
ch arg ed w ith th e force of a concentrated will, so
th a t th e o th er perso n feels it m o st stro n g ly and
forcibly. T h e fundam ental idea is the form ing of
th e th o u g h t, and then sending it o u t to the o th er
person.
F o r instance, if you w ish a person to like you,
you should form in y o u r m ind th is th o u g h t: “T h a t
p erso n likes m e,” fixing i t in y o u r o w n m ind a s a
fact. T h en project to him the concentrated th o u g h t,

“ Y ou like me— you like m e v e ry m uch,” w ith an
a ir of assurance and confidence, and th e o th e r p er
so n is b o und to feel th e effect unless he o r sh e has
acquired a know ledge of th e su b ject a n d is using
self-protection. T h e th o u g h t should be sen t forth
w ith th e stren g th th a t usu ally accom panies a stro n g
spoken statem en t, b u t y o u m u st n o t actu ally
“speak” th e w ords aloud— you should m erely say
them stro n g ly “in y o u r m ind.”
If you w ish to produce an effect o r im pression
S tren g th upon an o th er person, th e sam e process
m ay be used, changing th e T h o u g h t and vibrations
to th e idea th a t you have a stro n g er W ill th a n the
o th e r person, and are able to overcom e his W ill—
using th e silen t m essage of “I am S tro n g er than
you— m y W ill overcom es yours,” etc.
Some successful ag e n ts a n d salesm en use th e fol
low ing m ethod in reaching th e ir custom ers. T hey
form a th o u g h t th a t th e o th er person desires th eir
goods v ery m uch, a n d then th e y send o u t th e
T h o u g h t-W a v e th a t “ Y ou desire m y goods— you
w a n t th em v ery m uch—y o u have an irresistible
longing for them ,” etc.
O th ers use the follow ing w hen they w ish an o th er
to com ply w ith th e ir w ish es: “Y ou w ill do as I say
— w ill do as I say—y o u w ill yield to m e fully and
com pletely,” etc.
I
FA8 CI NATI 0 N 47
Y ou w ill readily see from th e above exam ples

th a t th e w hole principle em ployed in any and all
of th ese cases consists o f :
1. T h e T h o u g h t o f w h a t th e person w ishes the
o th er to do held firm ly in th e m in d ; and
2. T h e projection of th a t T h o u g h t to th e other,
silently, in th e shape of unspoken words.
In th e above you h av e th e w hole secret of F a s
cination condensed to a sm all space.
Y ou w ill u n d erstan d , of course, th a t the w ords
a re on ly m eans o f co n cen tratin g and vitalizing th e
th o u g h t. A nim als m erely feel D esires, b u t are able
to fascinate b y the stren g th of them , alth o u g h they
can n o t u se w ords. A nd one person m ay fascinate
an o th er w ith o u t u n d erstan d in g a w ord of h is lan
guage, th e real stre n g th com ing from th e stren g th
of th e desire behind th e w ords. T h e form ation of
th e d esire-th o u g h t in to w ords, is m erely fo r the
purpose of concentrating and focusing th e th ought,
for w o rd s are concentrated sym bols o f ideas,
th o u g h ts o r feelings.
T h e ex act process of “ sending fo rth ’’ the T h o u g h t-
W ave to th e o th er is difficult to describe. Y ou know
how y o u feel w hen you say som ething very forcible
and em p h atic to an o th er person. Y ou can fairly
“feel’’ th e force of the w ords being hu rled a t the
o th e r p erson. W ell, cultivate th a t sam e pow er in
sending fo rth th e “unspoken w ord” in th e above

m an n er, and y o u w ill soon be able to notice the
effect of th e th o u g h t on th e oth er. I t m ay help
you to im agine th a t y o u can see th e force flying
from y o u to th e oth er. T he im agination pro p erly
used help s v ery m uch in these m atters, fo r it
creates a m en tal p a th over w hich th e force m ay
travel.
Y ou m u st n o t act aw kw ardly w h en sending out
th e T h o u g h t-W av es, b u t converse in an o rd in ary
m anner, sending y o u r T h o u g h t-W av es betw een
y o u r speeches, w hen th e o ther person is ta lk in g to
you, o r a t a n y pause in the conversation. I t is a l
w ays w ell to send first a pow erful T h o u g h t-W a v e
before th e conversation is opened, preferably w hile
you are approaching th e person. A nd i t is likew ise
w ell to term in ate the interview w ith a “ p artin g
sh o t” of considerable stren g th . Y ou w ill find th a t
these T h o u g h t-W av es are of far g re a te r pow er th a n
spoken w ords, and th e n again, y o u can in th is w ay
send o u t im pressions th a t y o u could n o t u tte r in
spoken w ords for obvious reasons.
A n d n o w do you see how you have been affected
b y persons w ho have influenced y o u a t tim e s in
y o u r p ast life? N ow th a t y o u know the secret you
w ill be in a m easure im m une from fu rth e r im pres
sions from others. A nd w hen you read o u r conclud-
FASCI NATI ON 40
in g chapter, entitled “ S elf-P rotection,” you w ill be

able to su rro u n d y ourself w ith a protective arm or
th ro u g h w hich th e T h o u g h t-W av es can n o t p en e
tra te , b u t w h ich w ill tu rn aside th e sh afts directed
to w ard you.
C H A P T E R V II.
H Y P N O T IC IN F L U E N C E .
| A ]S w e have m entioned in the previous lesson.
11 \I t^iere *s a I cneral resem blance b etw een the
*•! m anifestation of M ental Influence, kn o w n
as “ F ascination,” and th a t know n as H y p n o tic I n
fluence. I n th e m anifestation know n as F ascin a
tion, th e influence is exerted solely by T h o u g h t-
W av es passing from m ind to m ind w ith o u t a
physical m edium o r channel o th er than the ether.
In H y p n o tic Influence, on th e co n trary , the influ
ence is heightened b y m eans of passes, stro k in g s o r
eye-influence.
In H y pnotic Influence the m ind of th e person
affected, w hom w e shall call the “ subject,” is ren
dered passive b y a flow of m ental energy calculated
to ren d er it m ore o r less drow sy o r sleepy, and
therefore less calculated to set up pow ers of resist-
ence to th e T h o u g h t-W av es of th e person using
th e influence. B u t th e pow er em ployed is th e sam e
in all cases, no m a tte r w h eth er they fall under the
classification of F ascin atio n o r w h e th e r th a t of
H y p n o tic Influence. T he tw o classes of m anifesta
tion, as a m a tte r of fact, really blend into each other,
and it is difficult to d raw a dividing line in some
cases.
HYPNOTIC I NF LUENCE 51
H y p n o tic Influence is a form of th a t w hich was

form erly term ed M esm erism , w hich nam e w as given
to it in h o n o r of its discoverer, F rederick A nton
M esm er, w ho practiced th is form of M ental Influ
ence du rin g th e la tte r half of th e E ig h teen th Cen
tu ry . A s a fact, how ever, the force and its use was
know n to th e ancients centuries before M esm er’s
tim e, th e la tte r person having m erely re-discovered
it.
M esm er ta u g h t th a t the pow er w as based upon
th e presence of a stran g e universal fluid w hich per
vaded everything, and w hich had a peculiar effect
upon th e nerves and brains of people. H e and his
follow ers believed th a t it w as necessary to p u t the
su b jects in to a sound sleep before they could be
influenced. B u t b o th o f these ideas have given
w ay to th e new theories on the su b ject now held by
in v estig ato rs and stu d e n ts of the subject.
I t is now know n th a t th e “m agnetic fluid” be
lieved in by M esm er and h is follow ers is nothing
else th an th e cu rren ts of T h o u g h t-W av es em an at
ing from th e m ind of the operator. A nd it is also
know n th a t th e “deep sleep” condition is not neces
sary to ren d er the w ill of th e subject subservient
to th a t of th e operator. I t is also now know n th a t
th e nerves of the arm s and fingers afford a highly
sensitive conductor for the m en tal cu rren ts which
m ay be propelled over them to the m ind of the
subject, o r to h is nerves and m uscles. T h is fact is

explained by th e w ell know n scientific fact t h a t the
m aterial of w hich the nerves are com posed is alm ost
identical w ith th a t o f th e brain — in fact th e nervous
sy tem m ay be spoken of as a continuation of the
brain itself. I t is now also know n th a t th e eye has
a p eculiar p ro p e rty o f tran sm ittin g th e m en tal cur
re n ts along the ray s of lig h t en terin g it and from
thence to th e eyes of th e o th er person. T he above
fact explains the phenom ena of hypnotic influence
as it is now know n to science. T h e question of
“ S uggestion” also h as a bearing on the su b ject, as
w e shall see presently.
M odern o p erato rs do n o t produce th e “deep sleep”
condition usually except in cases w hen it is desired
to produce som e form of psychic phenom ena ap art
from th e su b ject of M ental Influence— th a t is, in
w hich th e y are m erely inducing the deep hypnotic
condition in order to g e t th e subject into a psychic
condition in w hich th e phenom ena m entioned m ay
be m anifested o r exhibited. W e shall n o t e n te r into
th is ph ase of th e su b ject in th is book, fo r i t is o u t
side of th e im m ediate subject. T h e m odern hypnotic
in v estig ato r m erely induces a passive s ta te in the
m ind, nerves o r m uscles of th e su b ject sufficient to
reduce th e pow ers of resistance, a n d then h e gives
h is o rders o r “verbal suggestions” accom panied by
HYPNOTIC I NF LUENCE G3
a projection of h is T h o u g h t-W av es into the m ind

of th e subject.
I n o rd e r to illu stra te th e subject, w e w ill give you
a few experim ents w hich m ay be easily perform ed
by anyone m anifesting th e pow er of concentration
and th o u g h t-p rojection. T h e re is of course a g reat
difference in th e degrees o f im pressionability of dif
feren t p ersons to hypnotic influence—th a t is to say,
difference o f d egrees of resistance. Som e persons
w ill interpose a stro n g resistance, w hile o th ers will
set up a v ery feeble resistance, w hich is easily beaten
dow n b y th e w ill of the operator. In th e follow ing
experim ents you h ad b e tte r begin by g e ttin g som e
person w ho is perfectly w illing for th e experim ent,
a n d w ho w ill not interpose a resistance b u t w ho is
w illing to becom e passive. Some person friendly,
to you a n d in terested in th e experim ents, we m ean.
B egin b y h av in g the person stan d before you.
T h en m ake sw eeping passes in fro n t of th e person
from head to feet. T h en m ake a few passes in front
of th e face of th e subject, th e n along his arm s. T h en
tak e hold of h is hands and hold th em a little while,
looking him s tra ig h t in th e eyes. M ake all passes
dow nw ard. A void lev ity o r la u g h te r and m aintain
a serious, earn est expression and fram e o f m ind.
T h e n stan d in g in fro n t of th e subject tell him to
tak e h is w ill off of h ir legs a n d stan d perfectly
passive and relaxed. T hen looking him stra ig h t in
th e eyes, say to h im : “ Now, I am going to draw

you fo rw ard to w ard m e b y m y m en tal pow er—you
will feel yourself falling forw ard tow ard me— don’t
re sist b u t let y ourself com e tow ard me— I w ill catch
you, d o n ’t be afraid— n ow come— come— com e—
now y o u ’re com ing, th is w ay, com ing— here, y o u ’re
com ing, th a t’s rig h t,” etc. Y ou w ill find th a t he
w ill begin to sw ay to w ard you and in a m om ent or
tw o will fall forw ard in y o u r arm s. I t is unneces
sary to say th a t you should concentrate y o u r m ind
steadily upon the idea of his falling forw ard, using
y o u r w ill firm ly to th a t e ffe c t I t will help m atters
if y o u h old y o u r hands on each side of h is head,
b u t ju s t in fro n t o f him , n o t to u ch in g him , how ever,
and th e n d ra w aw ay your hands, to w ard yourself,
saying a t th e sam e tim e : “ Come now — come—y o u ’re
com ing,” etc. T h is experim ent m ay be rev ersed by
stan d in g behind th e subject and draw ing him back
w ard. Be sure and catch him in y o u r arm s when
he falls and protect him from a fall to th e floor.
In th e sam e m anner you m ay fa ste n h is hands
to g eth er, telling him th a t h e can n o t d raw them
ap art. O r y o u m ay s ta rt him revolving h is hands,
a n d th e n giving him orders th a t h e can n o t stop
them . O r y o u m ay d raw him all around th e room
after you, follow ing y o u r finger th a t y o u have
pointed a t his nose. O r y o u m ay m ake him experi
ence a feeling of h e a t and pain b y touching your
HYP NOTI C I NF L UE NC E 55
finger to his han d and telling him th a t i t is hot. All

of th e fam iliar sim ple experim ents m ay be p er
form ed successfully upon a large percentage of per
sons, in th is w ay, b y follow ing th e above general
directions. W e shall n o t go into d etail o f the
h ig h er experim ents in H ypnotism , as th a t form s a
special su b ject b y itself. W e give the above experi
m ents m erely fo r the purpose of show ing you th a t
th e phenom ena o f H y p n o tic Influence does n o t re
quire a n y ‘‘m agnetic fluid” theory, and is all ex
plainable upon the hypothesis of M ental Influence
by m eans of T h o u g h t-W av es and M ental Induction.
In th e above experim ents, be sure you “ take off”
th e influence afterw ard, b y m aking upw ard passes,
and w illing th a t the influence pass off. Do n o t
neglect this.
I n y o u r experim ents, if y o u care to undertake
them , y o u will soon discover th e pow er of y o u r eye
upon th e o th er persons. Y ou w ill be able to alm ost
feel th e force p assing from your gaze to theirs.
A nd th is is tru e in th e case of the passes and strok-
ings of th e hands. You will feel th e v ib rato ry
w aves flowing from y o u r hands into th eir nervous
system . I t is w onderful w h a t pow er is aroused in
a person after conducting a few experim ents along
these lines. T h ose w ho care to follow th e subject
fu rth e r are referred to a forthcom ing book of this
series, to be issued shortly, and w hich w ill be called
56 ME N TA L I NF L UE NC E
“T h e N ew H y p n o tism /’ in w hich full in stru ctio n s

w ill be given in th e h ig h er phenom ena, in com plete
detail.
A nd now a w ord of w arning. B ew are of people
w ho are alw ays p u ttin g th e ir h an d s on you, o r
p a ttin g o r stro k in g you, o r w ishing to hold y o u r
han d s a long tim e. M any persons do th is from
force of habit, an d innocently, b u t o th ers do so w ith
th e in ten tio n of producing a m ild form of hypnotic
influence upon you. If you m eet such persons, and
find th em attem p tin g an y th in g of th is sort, y o u can
co u n teract th eir influence by sending th em a stro n g
th o u g h t c u rre n t (as stated in o u r la st c h a p te r),
sending th em th e th o u g h t: “ You can’t affect m e—
I am too stro n g for you—you can’t play y o u r trick s
on me.” I t is a good plan to practice th is co u n ter
actin g force w hen you are shaking h an d s w ith a
“m agnetic” person w ho seem s to affect people.
Y ou w ill soon be able to distinguish these people by
a certain force ab o u t them and a peculiar expression
in th e ir eyes. D o n o t be afraid to look th e m in
th eir eyes, a t th e sam e tim e using y o u r p ro tectiv e
will upon them .
C aution you n g girls ag ain st allow ing y o u n g m en
to be too free in usin g th e ir h an d s in caressing
them , an d a w ord of advice to you n g m en of y o u r
fam ily w ould n o t be o u t of place in th is respect.
T h ere are m any cases of sex-attraction, leading to
HYP NOTI C I N F L U E N C E 67
very deplorable results, arising from a conscious or

unconscious use of this simple form of Hypnotic
Influence. The danger lies in the fact that it ren
ders one passive to other influences, and more
readily led into temptation and to yield to the de
sires or will of the other person. A word to the
wise should be sufficient. The use of this power
for immoral purposes is a terrible crime and brings
down upon the user deplorable results, as all occult
ists know and teach. Every one should learn to
resist such influences when exerted upon them.
Forewarned is Forearmed.
C H A P T E R V III.
IN F L U E N C IN G A T A D IS T A N C E .
N th e tw o preceding ch ap ters we invited your
m consideration of th e m anifestation of M ental

Influence w hen th e u ser o r p rojector of the
force w as in actual co n tact w ith, o r in presence of,
th e p erson o r persons he w as aim ing to influence.
I n th is chapter, and the one im m ediately follow ing
it, w e shall pass to a consideration of th e m anifes
ta tio n of th e influence w h en the persons affected
are rem oved in space from the person u sin g the
influence.
T h e general public are fam iliar in a general w ay
w ith th e phenom ena o f hypnotism , and to a lesser
degree w ith the phenom ena of F ascination in its
m ore com m on form s of P erso n al M agnetism , etc.
B u t as reg ard s th e use of th e influence a t a distance
people are m ore o r less sceptical ow ing to a lack
of know ledge of th e subject. A nd still every day
is b rin g in g to th e m ind of the public new facts and
in stan ces o f such influence, and th e teach in g of the
various cu lts alo n g th ese lines is now aw akening
a new in tere st in th e subject, and a desire to learn
som ething re g ard in g the law s and principles u n d er
lying th e same.
As stran g e as it m ay appear a t first glance, the
INFLUENCI NG AT A DISTANCE 50
p rinciples u n d erlying M ental Influence a t a dis

tan ce a re precisely the sam e as those underlying
th e use of th e influence w hen th e persons are in the
presence of each oth er. A little th o u g h t m ust show
th e tr u th o f this. I n th e case o f p resen t influence
th e m en tal-cu rren ts flow across a n intervening
space betw een th e tw o m inds—th ere is a space o u t
side of th e tw o m inds to be trav ersed b y th e cu r
re n ts. A nd a m om ents’ th o u g h t will show you th a t
th e difference betw een p resen t influence a n d d istan t
influence is m erely a m a tte r of degree— a question
of a little m o re o r less space to be trav ersed b y the
cu rren ts. D o y o u see th is plainly?
W e ll, th en , th is being so, it follow s th a t the
m eth o d s used m u st be id e n tic a l O f course, in the
case o f p erso n al influence th e added effect of the
voice, m an n er, suggestive m ethods, th e eye, etc.,
a re p re sen t, w hich ren d er th e resu lt m ore easily
o b tain ed , a n d causes the “ra p p o rt” condition to be
m ore easily established. B u t w ith this exception
th e m eth o d s a re identical, and even th e advantages
ac cru in g from th e exceptions m entioned m ay be
d u p licated b y p ractice and developm ent in th e case
o f d is ta n t influence.
T h e re a re a num ber of m ethods given by the
a u th o ritie s in th is m atter of d istan t influencing, b u t
th e y a re all b ase d upon the sam e principles nam ed
in th e p rev io u s ch ap ters of this book, i. e., V ibra-
tions, T h o u g h t-W av es, M ental Induction, Concen

tra tio n and M ental Im aging—in these w o rd s you
have th e key to th e subject— the re st is all a m atter
of practice and developm ent, and variation.
O ne of th e m ost elem entary, and y e t one o f the
m ost effective, m ethods know n to occultists is that
of creatin g a M ental Im ag e of th e person “tre a te d ”
(fo r th a t is the com m on term am ong m o d ern w rit
ers on th e su b ject) in the sense of im agining him
to be seated in a chair in fro n t of th e perso n tre a t
ing him a t a distance. T h e tre a te r proceeds to give
b oth v erbal com m ands, and a t th e sam e tim e directs
T h o u g h t-W av es tow ard the im aginary person seated
before him . T h is process establishes a psychic
condition betw een the tre a to r a n d the ac tu a l person,
alth o u g h th e la tte r m ay be rem oved from the
tre a to r b y m an y m iles o f space. T h is w a s the
m ethod of th e an cien t m agicians and w onder-w ork
ers, and h a s alw ays been a favorite am ong persons
pu rsu in g these experim ents, o r desirous of m entally
influencing o th ers a t a distance.
A v ariatio n of the above, very com m on in form er
days, w as to m ould a clay o r w ax figure, calling it
by th e nam e of th e person treated, and identifying
it in th e m in d a n d im agination w ith th e o th er per
son. A v ariatio n is also noticed in th e cases w here
a pho to g rap h, lock of hair, article of clothing, etc.,
is used in this w ay as a psychic connecting link
I NFLUENCI NG AT A DISTANCE 61
betw een th e tw o persons. T h e practitioners of

B lack M agic, W itch c raft and o th er nefarious p er
versions of M en tal Influence seem ed to prefer these
m ethods, alth o u gh, on th e contrary, th e y a re used
w ith th e v ery b est results to-day by m any in giving
beneficial tre a tm e n ts to absent patients, friends and
o th ers w hose w elfare is desired. T h e only effect
th e M en tal Im ag e of th e person, o r th e picture, etc.,
h as is th e fact th a t b y these m eans a psychic con
n ectin g link is set u p along w hich th e T hought-
W av es tra v e l m ore readily.
I n th e above form s of trea tm e n t the tre a to r tre a ts
th e M en tal Im age, picture, etc., precisely as he
w ould if th e p erson w ere actually presen t. He
fo rg ets for th e tim e being th a t the person m ay be
hu n d red s of m iles aw ay, and concentrates his in
fluence on th e im age, o r picture, etc., because the
la tte r is really the sta rtin g point of the psychic
chain w hich leads direct to th e person. T h e trea to r
sends h is T h o u g h t-W av es to w ard the object, and in
som e cases actu ally talk s (m en tally ) to th e person
b y m eans of th e m edium m entioned. H e m ay give
com m ands, argum ents, rem onstrances, persuasion,
etc., ju s t as if th e person w ere actually presen t. In
sh o rt, he acts as if the person w ere sittin g before
him , w ide aw ake, and receptive to his influence.
A n o th er w ay, em ployed by som e, is to begin d a rt
in g T h o u g h t-W av es tow ard th e o ther person, form -
62 ME N T A L I NF LUENCE
in g in th e im agination a g radually lengthening

"psychic-w ire” com posed o f thought-vibrations.
T h o se p racticin g th is form sta te th a t w h e n the
psychic-w ire is projected sufficiently fa r (a n d it
trav e ls w ith incredible speed) and com es in con
tact w ith th e m ind of th e o th er person, th e trea to r
feels a t once th a t co n tact has been established, by
a peculiar faint "shock” sim ilar to th a t of a very
m ild galvanic current. T h en th e tre a to r proceeds
to send his th o u g h t-cu rren ts along the psychic-w ire
in th e sam e m anner as if the person w ere actually
in his presence, as described under the h ead of
"F ascin atio n ," in a preceding chapter. In fact, such
trea tm e n t, and th e o th ers m entioned in th is chapter,
are really and practically “long distance F ascin a
tion."
A n o th er form of d istan t tre a tm e n t co n sists in
form ing th e "astral-tu b e,” m entioned in o th er books
of th is series. T he astral-tu b e is set u p in a sim ilar
m anner to th e “psychic-w ire,” and projected tow ard
th e p erson desired to influence. I t is form ed in the
im agination as a “vortex-ring,” sim ilar to th e little
rin g of sm oke puffed o u t b y the cigar-sm oker, only
larger— about six inches to one-foot wide—o r, bet
te r still, like the ring of sm oke ejected from the
stack of a locom otive som etim es w hen i t is puffing
rapidly. T h is vortex-ring is then seen, in the
im agination, by th e use of th e will, to lengthen out
P
I NFLUENCI NG A T A DISTANCE 63
in th e shape of a tube w hich rapidly extends and

travels to w ard th e perso n treated , in a m anner
identical w ith th a t of the psychic-w ire. T h is tube
is know n to occultists as th e “astral-tu b e,” a n d is
em ployed in various form s of occult and psychic
phenom ena, such as clairvoyance and o th er form s
of “ P sychom ancy,” as described by us in o u r vol
um e of th is series, so entitled. T hose follow ing this
m ethod of d istan t influencing re p o rt th a t they
recognize th e com pletion of the tube b y a sensa
tio n of sto ppage a n d a feeling of “ra p p o rt” having
been established betw een them selves a n d th e o ther
person. In some cases they re p o rt th a t they are
able to faintly “see” th e figure of the o th er person
in m in iatu re a t th e o th er end of the tube, b u t this
is u n d oubtedly due to th e possession of “ psycho-
m antic” pow ers, suddenly aw akened into effect.
T h e tu b e once established the treatm en t is pro
ceeded w ith as if th e y w ere in the actual presence
of th e person treated . In m any respects the
“ psychic-w ire” and th e “astra l-tu b e” m ethods are
sim ilar, and a sta te m e n t concerning one is gen
erally tru e of th e other.
T h ere are tw o o th er m ethods frequently used in
d ista n t influencing w hich w e shall now briefly de
scribe.
T h e first of these tw o m ethods consists in sittin g
o r stan d in g in a q u iet place, o r ra th e r in som e place
in w hich you can co n cen trate (th e advanced occult

ist can find peace in the m id st of th e noise) and
th e n directing y o u r T h o u g h t-W av es to w a rd the
o th er person, form ing in th e im agination a m ental
picture of th e force flying from you to w a rd the
other, like tin y sparks of electricity, o r o f a subtle
fluid. T h is m en tal picture tends to give a concen-
tra tiv e force to th e current, w hich renders them
pow erful, and sends th em direct to th e desired spot.
T h e second of these tw o m ethods is th a t used by
th e m ost advanced occultists w ho have advanced
beyond th e use of th e m ethods described ju s t now.
T h ese people sim ply stan d o r sit quietly a n d con
cen trate th e ir m inds u n til th e y a tta in the s ta te of
M ental Calm know n to m an y as “th e Silence.”
T h en th ey create a stro n g m en tal picture o f the
p erson treated , surrounded by th e conditions de
sired to be created, o r doing th e things desired to
be done. T h is is one of th e hig h est form s of M en
tal Influence and really approaches a h ig h er phase
of influence th a n th a t of th e m ental plane as gener
ally know n. A picture of a person held in the m ind
in th is w ay— the person being seen in perfect, ro b u st
health, and happy and successful— ten d s to m ate
rialize th e sam e conditions in the person in real life.
T h is form of trea tm e n t, how ever, is possible only
to th o se of g re a t concentration, and w ho h av e m as
tered th e a c t of M ental Im aging, and w ho also
INFLUENCI NG AT A DI8TANCE 65
possess C reative W ill-pow er to a m arked degree.

Som e degree of success in it, how ever, is open to
n early every stu d e n t w ho practices along these
lines.
B efore p racticing an y of these experim ents read
w h a t w e have said in th e ch ap ter on “ M agic B lack
an d W h ite,” and g u ard ag a in st em ploying th e
pow er for evil purposes, fo r th e fate of th e B lack
M agician is a sad one*
a# ME NTAL I NF L UE NC E
C H A P T E R IX .
IN F L U E N C IN G “E N M A S S E .”
N o u r la st chapter w e considered th e m ani
m festation of M ental Influence a t a distance

in so fa r as w as concerned the influencing
c f one o r m ore persons by another. T h e re is an
o th er phase of th e su b ject w hich m u st n o t be over
looked, and th a t is the influencing of larg e n u m bers
of people b y som e active, stro n g p ro jecto r o f M ental
Influence. T h is form of the m anifestation of the
p ow er is know n as ‘‘M ental Influencing E n M asse”
— “E n M asse,” of course, m eans “in a b o d y "—o r “ in
a crow d,” and M ental Influencing E n M asse m eans
th e use of th e influence in th e phase of e x e rtin g a
stro n g a ttra c tin g o r directing pow er to th e m ind of
“th e crowd,” o r rath er, “th e public,” o r a larg e num
b er of people.
T his form of th e use of the pow er is th a t con
sciously o r unconsciously exerted b y th e g reat
leaders of m en in th e fields of statesm enship, poli
tics, business, finance o r m ilitary life. Y ou w ill at
once recall a num ber of the so-called “ g reat m en”
of h isto ry from ancient tim es dow n to o u r own
tim es w ho seem ed to ex ert a w onderfully, alm ost
m iraculous, effect upon the m inds of th e people,
causing m en to see th in g s th ro u g h the eyes of the
I NFL UE NCI NG “ EN MASSE 67
s tro n g m an, a n d m aking of all instrum ents to carry

o u t th e ideals, w ill o r desires of th ese g re a t m asters
of M en tal Influence. A nd o n a sm aller scale are
th e m ajo rity o f th e successful people w ho depend
u p o n pubjic su p p o rt. I n fact, th is influence in
som e degree is used b y nearly all w ho succeed in
a n y form o f b u siness o r profession, in w hich suc
cess calls fo r th e a ttra c tin g of o th er people tow ard
th e occupation o f th e person in question. T h is m ay
seem like a stran g e th o u g h t to m any, b u t i t is
know n to o ccultists as a tru th , notw ithstanding.
T h e m ost com m on form o f Influencing E n M asse
is th e lesser d egree m anifestation, alo n g uncon
scious lines, m anifested b y th e m ajo rity o f people
b y reaso n o f th e ir desire for th e success of certain
th in g s. B y desire w e do n o t m ean the m ere “w a n t
in g ” o r “w ish in g” sta te o f m ind, b u t ra th e r th a t
eag er longing, craving, dem anding m ental sta te
th a t evinces a h u n g ry reaching o u t fo r th e desired
th in g . Y o u w ill notice th a t th e m en and w om en
w ho “g e t th in g s” are generally those w h o a re pos
sessed of a stro n g , b u rn in g desire fo r th e th in g s in
q u estion, w hich prom pts th em to be m ore o r less
aggressive in th e search fo r satisfaction o f th e de
sire possessing them . T hese people a re constantly
sen d in g o u t stro n g w aves of thought-vib rations,
w hich h a s a draw ing, a ttra c tin g influence u p o n all
w ith w hom th e y com e in contact, a n d ten d in g to
68 ME N T A L I N F L UE NC E
d raw such persons to w ard th e ce n tre o f attraction,

w hich is, o f course, th e m ind of th e p erso n sending
o u t such th o u g h ts. A nd in the sam e w a y a person
possessed o f a stro n g F e a r of a th in g w ill sen d out
sim ilar a ttra c tin g w aves, w hich have a ten d en cy to
a ttra c t o r d raw to him the people calculated to
b rin g ab o u t th e m aterialization of th e th in g feared.
T his m ay sound paradoxical, b u t th e secret lies in
th e fact th a t in b o th th e case o f D esire a n d F ear
th e m ind form s th e M ental Im ag e, w hich te n d s to
becom e m aterialized. F ear, a fte r all, is a fo rm of
“expectation,” w hich, alas! to o o ften te n d s to
m aterialize itself. " T h e th in g th a t I have feared,
h a th com e upon m e,” says Job, a n d in th a t saying
he h as stated th e experience of th e race. T h e w ay
to fight th in g s y o u m ay fear is to create a b urning
desire for th e opposite thing.
O th er persons w ho have either studied th e p rin
ciples of M ental Influence, o r else have stum bled
upon certain facts concerning the sam e, im prove
upon th is elem entary form of Influencing E n M asse
ju s t m entioned. T h ey send o u t the T h o u g h t-
W a v es consciously and deliberately, erectin g the
m en tal im age, and holding stro n g ly to it, so th a t
in tim e th e ir sw eeps of m ental cu rren ts reach fu r
th e r and fu rth e r aw ay and b rin g a g re ater num ber
of people u n d er the influence and into th e field of
attractio n . T hey “tre a t" the public “en m asse” by
I
INFLUENCI NG “ EN MASSE 09
holding th e stro n g m en tal picture of th a t w hich

th e y desire, and then sending o u t stro n g tho u g h t-
cu rre n ts o f desire in all directions, w illing th a t
th o se com ing w ith in th e ir ra d iu s shall be attra c te d
to w ard th e p erson a n d tow ard th e ideas expressed
in th e M en tal Im age projected in all directions.
T h e co n stan t dw elling upon som e special object
o r subject, b y m en w ho have developed concentra
tio n , stro n g w ills and fixity of purpose, has th e
effect o f sending o u t from the m ind of th a t person
g re a t circles, co nstantly w idening, of T hought-
W aves, w hich sw eep ever o u tw ard like w aves in
a pond caused b y dropping in a stone. T h ese
w aves reach a n d affect a g re a t nu m b er o f people
a n d in te re st th em in th e su b ject u p o n w hich the
p erson is thin k ing. T his, k e p t u p d ay a fte r day
w ith th e force inherent in a stro n g centered m ind,
w ill in tim e affect a g re a t nu m b er o f people, and
w ill render th e m a t le a st “in tere ste d ” in th e object
o r su b ject th o u g h t of, a n d th e indifference has
been overcom e. O th e r appeals to th e m inds o f these
people w ill b e fa r m ore likely to reach th em th a n
otherw ise, fo r “in te re st” is th e first step tow ard
atten tio n , a n d atten tio n is an o th er step to w ard
action.
O f course, there a re very m an y people sending
o u t circles of T h o u g h t-W av es, a n d these cu rren ts
come in co n tact w ith each o th er a n d te n d to neu-
tralize each. B u t now and th e n a p articularly

stro n g m an w ill send o u t w aves th a t w ill persist
even a fte r m eeting o th er cu rren ts, a n d w ill reach
th e m inds of th e public in spite o f th e opposition.
T hese th o u g h t-cu rren ts h av e the p ersonality o f the
sender, and reflect th e ch aracter o f h is w ill, be it
stro n g o r w eak. T h e M ental Influence se n t o u t by
a stro n g b u siness m an in a to w n will soon make
itself felt in a subtle m anner, and the sto re becom es
a cen tre of attra c tiv e influence, alth o u g h th e public
does n o t u n d ersta n d ju s t w hy. In th e sam e w ay
som e law yers sp rin g into public favor, although
n o t possessing g re ater ab ility th a n th e ir legal
breth ren . A nd po p u lar preachers m ake th eir in
fluence felt in a com m unity in sim ilar w ays, al
th o u g h o ften th e y are n o t conscious o f ju s t w h a t
force th e y are using, th e ir only know ledge being
th a t th e y have a feeling of inw ard stre n g th a n d an
attra c tiv e influence over people, a n d a t th e sam e
tim e a b u rn in g a rd en t desire to d raw people th eir
w ay, a n d a stro n g will to b ack it up w ith . And
th ese a re ju s t th e m en tal qualities w hich c reate and
m anifest th e stro n g est kind of M ental Influence.
A nd, besides, these people alm ost invariably
"k n o w ju s t w h a t they w a n t”— th ere is n o m ere
vague "w ish ing” about them — th e y m ake a clear
m ental p ictu re o f the things th a t th e y w ish to bring
about, a n d then th e y bend every effort to w ard
INFLUENCI NG “ EN M A S S E " 71
m aterializing th e picture. E v e ry th in g th e y do
to w ard s accom plishing th e ir ends gives a n addi
tional im p etu s to th eir co nstantly w idening and
co n stan tly stren g th en in g circle of p o w er and in
fluence.
Som e m asters of th is a rt of influencing th e public
create a m en tal picture of them selves sending o u t
g re a t volum es of T h o u g h t-W av es fo r a tim e, and
th e n afterw ard m entally im p artin g a ro ta ry m otion
to th e w aves, u n til a t la st th e y form a m en tal w hirl
pool ru sh in g round a n d ro u n d and alw ays sucking
in to w ard th e centre. A n effort of th is kind acts
o n th e m en tal plane ju s t as a physical w hirlpool
a c ts o n th e physical plane, th a t is, i t d raw s in to its
p o w er all th a t com es in co n tact w ith its force.
T h is is one of th e m ost pow erful form s of Influenc
in g E n M asse, and is used w ith g re a t effect by
m an y of th e “stro n g m en” of th is age, w ho have
acq u ain ted them selves fully w ith th e secrets of the
an c ie n t occultists. A ncient O ccultism and M odem
F in an ce seem fa r ap art, b u t th e y a re really w o rk
ing to g e th e r to fu rth e r th e in tere sts of som e of these
pow erful m inds o f the day— a n d th e public is p ay
in g th e bill.
Y o u will readily see fro m w h a t h as been said th a t
a n individual w ho h a s cultivated th e facu lty of con
c e n tratio n a n d h a s acquired th e a rt of creating
sh arp , clear, stro n g m en tal im ages, and w ho when
72 ME N T A L I NF L UE NC E
engaged in a n u n d ertak in g w ill so charge h is mind

w ith th e idea o f success, w ill be bound to become
an a ttra c tin g centre. A nd if such an individual will
keep h is m en tal p ictu re ever in h is m ind, even
th o u g h it be in th e background o f h is m ind, w hen
he is a tte n d in g to the details a n d p lan n in g of his
affairs—if h e w ill give h is m en tal picture a prom i-
m en t place in his m en tal gallery, tak in g a freq u en t
glance a t it, and using h is w ill upon i t to create
new scenes of actual success, he w ill create for
him self a centre o f ra d ia tin g th o u g h t th a t will
surely be felt by those com ing w ithin its field of
influence.
Such a m an frequently “sees” people com ing to
him and h is en terp rises and falling in line w ith his
plans. H e m entally “sees” m oney flow ing in to
him , a n d all o f h is plans w orking o u t rig h t. In
short, h e m entally im agines each step of h is plans
a little ahead of th e tim e fo r th e ir execution and
he co n centrates forcibly a n d earnestly upon them.
I t is asto n ish in g to w itness how events, people, cir
cum stances a n d th in g s seem to m ove in place in
actu al life as if u rg e d b y som e m ig h ty pow er to
serve to m aterialize th e conditions so im aged in the
m ind of th e m an. B ut, understood, th ere h as got
to be active m ental effort behind the im aging. D ay
dream ers do n o t m aterialize th o u g h t—th e y m erely
dissipate energy. T h e m an w ho converts th o u g h t
I NFLUENCI NG “ EN M A 8 S E " 78
in ac tiv ity an d m aterial being th ro w s energy into

th e task , an d p u ts fo rth his w ill-pow er th ro u g h th e
pictu re o n th e slide. W ith th e ra y s of th e w ill th ere
w ill b e no p ictu re projected, no m a tte r how b eau ti
fu lly th e im agination h as pictured it. Thought
pictu red in m en tal im ages and th e n vitalised b y th e
force o f th e desire and w ill ten d to objectify th em
selves into m aterial being. T h a t is th e w hole th in g
in a nutshell.
C H A P T E R X.
TH E NEED OF T H E KNOW LEDGE.
A lth o u g h th e tru e scientific principles underlying
th e su b ject of M ental Influence h av e been b u t re
cently recognized and ta u g h t to th e general public,
still th e know ledge is fa r from being new. The
occultists of th e old civilizations undoubtedly u n
derstood th e underlying principles and used th e m
in practice, th u s gaining an ascendency over the
m asses. A nd m ore th a n this, th e m asses th em
selves h ad a m ore o r less com prehensive know ledge
of th e w o rk ing principles of th e subject, fo r w e find
am ong all peoples, in all tim es, records of th e use
of th is pow er. U n d er one nam e o r an o th er— under
o ne form o r another— M ental Influence h a s been
operated and used from the earliest tim es. And
to-day, even in the m ost rem ote portions of the
globe, and am ong the m ost savage and barbarous
races w e find instances o f th e em ploym ent o f this
force.
T h e form s of the m anifestation of M ental In
fluence are m any a n d varied. In som e cases it
m anifests u n d er th e form o f a fascinating, a ttra c t
ing pow er exerted b y som e people, w hich causes
such persons to d raw o r a ttra c t o ther p ersons to
them . P erso n s are allured or “charm ed” b y others
1
NEE D OF T H E KNOWLEDGE 75
possessing this pow er, a n d th e ir affections are taken

captive b y th is m ysterious force. Some persons
are spoken of as "fascinating,” “possessing pow ers
of charm ing,” hav in g “w inning w ays,” having
“g re a t personal m agnetism ,” etc. O th ers ex e rt a n
o th er form of th e pow er in th e driv in g of and com
pelling o th ers to do th eir bidding, and people speak
of th em as h av in g “a com pelling w ill,” being able
“to w o rk th e ir w ill” o n those around them , possess
ing “do m in atin g pow ers,” etc. T h en w e w itness
th e varied phenom ena of H ypnotism , M esm erism ,
P sychologism , etc. W e are also b ro u g h t face to
face w ith th e w onderful effects of “ M ental Science”
un d er one form o r another, u n d er th is nam e o r th a t
term , w ith th e m any form s of “tre a tm e n ts” followed
b y th e different schools a n d cults. T h en w e read
in th e pages of h isto ry about th e m ysterious pow ers
reco rd ed u n d er the nam e of W itch craft, H exism ,
Voodism , B lack M agic, including th e H aw aiian
“ K ah u n a” w ork. A nd tu rn in g back th e pages of
h isto ry to A ncient R om e, Greece, P ersia and E gypt,
n o t to speak of In d ia, ancient and m odern, w e find
innum erable instances of th e em ploym ent of, and
know ledge of, M ental Influence in som e of its
form s.
A nd alth o u g h m any w ill seek to deny th e fact,
scientific in v estig ato rs a n d students realize th a t
th e re is b u t one re a l underlying principle u n d er and
I
back of all of th e various form s of m an ifestatio n .

T h e good resu lts, and th e evil results, all arise fro m
th e em ploym ent of th e sam e force, stran g e a s it
m ay ap pear a t first th ought. T h e secret lies in th e
fact th a t th is M ental Influence is a g re at n a tu ra l
force, ju s t as is electricity o r an y o th er n a tu ra l
force o r energy. A nd, like these o th er n a tu ra l
forces, it m ay be, and is, used fo r bo th good a n d
evil purposes. T h e electricity w hich ru n s o u r
m achines, lig h ts o u r houses and perform s c o u n t
less o th er beneficent task s in th e service of m a n is
also used to electrocute crim inals, and th e u n fo r
tu n a te person w ho touches a “live w ire” m ay b e
stru ck w ith in sta n t death. T h e sun w hich w a rm s
o ur e a rth an d renders life possible also kills co u n t
less persons exposed to its ray s on th e d esert, o r
even in o u r large cities. F ire, th a t g re a t friend of
m an, w hich h as been one of th e m o st p o te n t fa cto rs
in th e evolution of th e race from barbarism to civili
zation, is also a m ighty enem y, destro y in g b o th
p ro p e rty and lives. W a te r, th a t m ost necessary
elem ent, w hich renders life possible, and w hich is
necessary to grow ou r g rain and to p erfo rm co u n t
less o th er good services for us, also ac ts a s an
enem y a t tim es, drow ning people an d sw eeping
aw ay th e ir hom es. G ravitation, w hich ho ld s all
th in g s in place, from su n s and sta rs dow n to th e
tin ie st ato m of m atter, also causes people to fall to
N EE D OF T H E K NOWLE DGE 77
their d eath from h ig h places, o r b rin g s dow n on

th eir head s objects from above them . I n short,
every n atu ra l force o r pow er is capable of produc
ing eith er beneficent o r baleful effects to m an,
according to th e circum stances of the case. W e
recognize th ese things, and accept th em as a law
of n atu re. A n d y e t som e w ould deny th e identity
of th e pow er of M ental Influence as m anifested in
its good a n d b ad uses.
T h e re be people w ho ascribe to God all the good
q u alities o f M ental Influence, and ascribe to the
D evil all o f its evil uses. T h ese people have prim i
tive m inds. T h e ir co u n terp arts are seen in those
w ho w ould credit God w ith the helpful rain o r sun,
and w h o ascribe to th e D evil th e sam e th in g s w hen
th ere occurs a flood o r a drought. Such reasoning
is w o rth y only of th e savage m ind. T he forces are
n a tu ra l forces, and w o rk according to th eir own
law s, im m inent in th e ir co n stitu en t qualities and
n ature, and are in th a t sense “above good and evil.”
W h e n th e y w ork for m an 's in tere st a n d com fort
m an calls th em “ good”—w hen they w o rk h arm and
discom fort to him m an calls th em “bad”— b u t the
force rem ains unchanged, being n eith er “ good” n o r
“bad.” A nd th u s i t is w ith th e pow er of M ental
Influence— it is above “good” and “ bad” in itself—
it is a g re a t n atu ra l force, capable of being used for
eith er w eal o r w oe to m ankind.
78 ME NTAL I N F L U E N C E
B u t, rem em ber this, th e re is th is difference.

W h ile th e force in itself is n eith er good n o r b ad
th e individual w ho em ploys it m ay be, a n d is,
“good” o r “bad,” according to its use. J u s t a s a
m an com m its a good o r bad a c t w hen h e u se s h is
g u n to slay a w ild b east attac k in g an o th er m a n , o r
else tu rn s it u pon his b ro th er o r neighbor, a s th e
case m ay be— so is a m an good o r bad ac co rd in g to
his use of M ental Influence. T h e m erit o r d e m e rit
lies in th e intention and purpose of th e u ser, n o t
in th e force o r pow er em ployed by him . T h e re in
lies th e difference.
O n all sides of u s w e m ay see th e m an ife sta tio n
of th e possession of M ental Influence. W e see m e n
w ho are able to sw ay those aro u n d th em in som e
m y sterious and w onderful w ay, eith er b y th e ir
pow ers o f persuasion o r b y th e ir dom in an t w ill
pow er. Som e spring into prom inence an d p o w e r
suddenly, in a w ay unaccountable to th o se w h o a re
ig n o ran t of th e secret of M ental Influence. A s w e
have said in a previous chapter, certain people seem
to have “so m ething ab o u t th em ” th a t m akes th e m
a ttra c tiv e o r successful in th e ir relations w ith o th e r
people. T h e “personal m agnetism ” of leaders m an i
fests itself strongly, som e h av in g th is p o w e r to
such an e x te n t th a t th e m asses follow th em like a
g re at flock of sheep afte r th e “bell-w ether” w ith th e
tinkling bell arcvnd his neck.
N EE D O F T H E KNOWLEDGE 79
W e h av e all com e in contact w ith th e “a g e n t”

or salesm an w ho m anaged in som e w ay to sell us
th in g s th a t w e did n o t w a n t and h ad no use for,
and a fte r he h ad gone we w ondered and w ondered
how i t all happened. If we had b u t understood the
law s of M ental Influence th is could n o t have h ap
pened. W e have all felt ourselves, a t som e tim e or
an o th er in o u r lives, in the presence of individuals
w ho alm ost com pelled us to do w h a t w e knew in
o u r h ea rts we should n o t do. A know ledge of the
law s of M ental Influence w ould have enabled us
to have overcom e the tem ptation.
A n d n o t o nly in th e case of personal interview s
have w e been affected. T h ere is a fa r m ore subtle
and d an gerous use of th e pow er, i. e., in the shape
of " d ista n t influence,” o r “absent trea tm e n t,” as it
has been called. A hd the increase in the in tere st
and know ledge of O ccult m atters during th e p ast
tw e n ty years h a s resulted in a w idely diffused
know ledge of th is g reat force, and its consequent
em ploym ent, w o rth ily and unw orthily, b y m an y
people w ho are thereby enabled to gain an influence
ov er th e ir n eig hbors and fellow m en, w ho a re not
fam iliar w ith th e law s of the force. I t w ould su r
prise m an y people if they knew th a t some of the
m ulti-m illionaires of the co u n try , and som e of its
g re atest politicians and leaders, w ere secret stu d en ts
—I - .
of O ccultism , and w ho w ere u sin g th e ir forces upon
the m asses of the people.
N ot only this, b u t th ere are Schools o f Occultism
w hich teach th e ir pupils the theory, p ra ctice and art
of M ental Influence, under one nam e o r another—
under this guise o r th a t—th e re su lt being t h a t there
are a g re a te r nu m b er of people equipped for the
use of th is force and instructed in th e practice of
em ploying i t tu rn ed o u t every year th a n is generally
im agined. T h e re are Schools for Salesmanship
g iv in g disguised instruction in the a rt of Mental
Influence. N early ev ery large concern employing
selling ag en ts has p riv ate in stru cto rs fo r their
m en, w ho teach th em the principles o f Mental
Influence disguised u n d er the nam e of “ Psychology
of B usiness,” o r som e such nam e.
A nd besides these, th e re are a nu m b er of people
w ho have studied a t the feet of som e of th e great
m etaphysical, sem i-religious cults of the day, who
have received instru ctio n in M ental Influence dis
guised un d er th e nam e of som e creed o r religious
teachings, w ho h av e departed from the m oral p rin
ciples inculcated b y th e ir teachers, and w ho are
using th eir know ledge in the shape of “tre a tm e n ts”
of o th er persons for th e purpose of influencing th em
to accede to th e ir w ishes o r to act so as to bring
financial gain to th e person giving the treatm en t.
T h e a ir is full o f th is B lack M agic to-day, and it is
NEED OF T H E KNO WLE D GE 81
xrely tim e th a t th e general m asses w ere in stru cted

n th is subject. A nd th is is th e purpose of th is
ttle book, published and sold a t a popular price in
rd e r to b rin g it w ithin th e reach of th e purses of
te “p lain p eo p le/9 w ho have been exploited and in-
uen ced b y th o se w ho have acquired a know ledge
E th e principles of M ental Influence, and w ho are
u n g it u n w o rth ily upon th eir fellow m en.
T h e re is self p rotection possible to all, and this
ttle book purposes to teach you how to use it.
C H A P T E R X I.
M A G IC B L A C K A N D W H IT E .
T h e use o f the w o rd “ M agic” in connection w ith
M ental Influence is quite ancient. O ccu ltists m ake
a clear distinction betw een th e use of M ental In
fluence in a m an n er conducive to th e w elfare of
others, a n d its u se in a selfish, b ase m an n er calcu
lated to w ork h arm on others. B oth form s are
com m on and are frequently m entioned in all occult
w ritings.
W h ite M agic has m any form s, both in its ancient
m an ifestatio n s and in these la tte r days of revived
occult know ledge. T he use of M ental Influence in
th is w ay generally takes th e form of kindly “ tre a t
m en ts” of persons b y o th ers hav in g th e ir w elfare a t
h eart. I n th is p articu lar class fall the various
trea tm e n ts of th e several cults a n d schools o f w h a t
is know n as M ental Science, o r sim ilar nam es.
T h ese people m ake a practice of giv in g trea tm e n ts,
b o th “ p resen t” and “absent,” for th e purpose of
h ealin g physical ailm ents and brin g in g ab o u t a nor
m al physical condition of h ea lth and stren g th . Sim
ilar tre a tm e n ts are given b y some to b rin g ab o u t a
condition of Success to others, b y im p artin g to the
m in d s o f such persons th e vibrations of courage.
MAGIC BLACK AND W H I T E 63
confidence, energy, etc., w hich surely m ake fo r suc

cess along th e lines of m aterial occupation, etc.
In th e sam e w ay one m ay “ tre a t” adverse condi
tio n s su rro u n d in g others, brin g in g the force of the
m ind and w ill to b ear on these conditions w ith the
idea of changing th e prevailing vibrations and
b rin g in g h arm o n y from inharm ony, and success
from failure.
T h e m ajo rity o f persons, not inform ed along
th ese lines, are surrounded by a m en tal atm osphere
arisin g from th e prevailing m ental states, thoughts,
feelings, etc., and also arisin g from th e th o u g h t-
cu rre n ts w hich th e y have attra c te d to th em b y the
L aw of M ental A ttractio n . T h ese M ental A tm os
pheres, w hen once firm ly settled around a person,
ren d er it m ost difficult for him to “break aw ay ”
from th e ir vibrations. H e struggles and fights, b u t
th e p rev ailin g v ib ratio n s are beating dow n upon
him all th e tim e a n d m ust produce a stro n g effect
upon even persons of stro n g w ills, unless indeed
they have fully acquainted them selves w ith th e law s
of M en tal Influence a n d have acquired th e pow er
of C oncentration. T h e h ab it of a lifetim e, perhaps,
has to be overcom e, and besides th e co n stan t sug
gestive vib ratio ns from th e m ental atm osphere are
co n stan tly b rin g in g a pressure to b ear upon the
person, so th a t indeed he has a m ig h ty task before
him to th ro w off th e old conditions, unaided and
alone. A nd, so, w hile individual effort is p re fer

able, th ere com es a tim e in th e lives of m an y people
w hen " a helping hand,” or ra th e r a ‘‘helping m ind,”
is of g re a t service and aid.
T h e person com ing to the m ental aid of a perso n
needing h is o r h er services is perform ing a m ost
w o rth y and proper act. V /e h e a r a g re a t deal ab o u t
‘‘in terferin g w ith o th er people’s m inds” in such kind
a n d w o rth y "treatm en ts,” b u t in m any cases th ere
is b u t little real interference done. T h e w o rk of
th e helper is really in th e n a tu re of n eu tra liz in g and
d issip atin g th e unfavorable M ental Influence su r
rounding th e o ther person, and th ereb y giv in g the
o th er p erson a chance to w ork o u t h is ow n m ental
salvation. I t is tru e th a t every one m u st do his
ow n w ork, b u t help of a kind above indicated is
surely m ost w o rth y and proper.
In th ese W h ite M agic trea tm e n ts th e person giv
ing th e tre a tm e n ts form s the M ental P ictu re of the
desired condition in h is m ind, a n d th e n sends his
th o u g h t-cu rren ts to the o th er perso n endeavoring
to reproduce th e M ental P ic tu re in the m ind or
tho u g h t-atm o sphere of th e o th er person. T h e best
w ay of doing this, of course, is to a sse rt m entally
th a t th e desired condition actually exists. O ne m ay
be of g re a t help and aid to o th ers in th is w ay, and
th ere is n o good reason w hy it should not be done.
A nd n o w fo r th e reverse side o f th e shield. W e
w ish it w ere possible to avoid even a m ention of

th is hatefu l form and m anifestation of M ental In
fluence, b u t w e feel th a t ignorance is no protection,
a n d th a t it is useless and foolish to pursue th e policy
of th e ostrich w hich sticks its h ead in th e sand
w hen pu rsu ed , th a t n o t seeing th e h u n te r th e latter
m ay n o t see him . W e believe th a t i t is b e tte r to
look th in g s in the face, p articu larly w here it is a
case of “forew arned being forearm ed.”
I t is a fact know n to all stu d e n ts of occultism
th a t B lack M agic h as been frequently em ployed in
all tim es to fu rth e r th e selfish, b ase aim s of some
people. A n d i t is also know n to advanced th in k ers
to -d ay th a t even in th is enlightened age th ere are
m an y w ho do n o t scruple to stoop to th e use of this
h atefu l practice in order to serve th e ir ow n ends,
n o tw ith sta n d in g th e punishm ent th a t occultists
k n o w aw aits such persons.
T h e an n als o f history are full of records of vari
ou s form s of w itchcraft, conjuration and sim ilar
form s of B lack M agic. A ll th e m uch talk ed of
form s o f “p u ttin g spells” upon people are really
form s of B lack M agic, heightened b y the fear and
su p erstitio n of those affected.
O ne h as b u t to read th e history of w itc h c ra ft to
see th a t th ere w as undoubtedly some force a t w ork
behind all of th e appalling superstition a n d igno
rance show n b y the people o f those tim es. W h a t
86 ME N T A L I N F L UE NC E
th ey attrib u te d to the influence o f people “in league

w ith th e devil” really arose from th e use o f B lack
M agic, o r a n u n w o rth y use of M ental Influence, the
tw o th in g s being one. A n exam ination o f the
m ethods used b y these “w itches,” as show n b y th eir
confessions, give u s a key to th e m ystery. T h ese
“w itches” w ould fix th e ir m inds u p o n o th er people,
o r th eir anim als, and b y holding a concentrated
m ental p ictu re th ere, w ould send fo rth T h o u g h t-
W av es affecting th e w elfare of th e persons being
“adversely trea ted ,” w hich w ould influence a n d d is
tu rb them , a n d often b rin g on sicknesses. Of
course, th e effect of these “tre a tm e n ts” w ere g re atly
heig h ten ed b y th e ex trem e ig n o ran t fear a n d su p er
stition held b y th e m asses of people a t th e tim e,
for F e a r is ever a w eakening facto r in M ental I n
fluence, and th e superstitions a n d credulity of the
people caused th e ir m inds to v ib rate in such a m an
n er as to re n d er them extrem ely passive to the ad
verse influences bein g directed ag ain st them .
I t is w ell know n th a t the V oodoos of A frica, and
sim ilar cu lts am ong o ther savage races, practice
B lack M agic am ong th e ir people w ith g re a t effect.
A m ong th e n ativ es of H aw aii th ere are certain
m en know n as “ K ahunas,” w ho p ra y people sick,
o r well, w hichever w ay th e y a re paid for. T hese
in stan ces could be m ultiplied h ad w e the space and
inclination to proceed fu rth e r w ith th e m atter.
A n d in o u r ow n civilized lands th ere a re m any

people w h o have learned th e principles of M ental
Influence, and w ho are using the sam e fo r u n w o rth y
pu rp o ses, seeking to in ju re o th ers and defeat th e ir
u n d ertak in g s, o r else try in g to b rin g th e m around
to th e ir ow n (th e “tre a to r’s” ) p oint o f view and
inclinations. T h e m odern revival of occult know l
edge h as o p erated alo n g tw o lines. O n the one
h a n d w e see and h e a r of th e m ig h ty pow er fo r
good M ental Influence is ex ertin g am ong th e people
to-day, raisin g up th e sick, stren g th en in g th e weak,
p u ttin g courage into th e despondent and m aking
successes o f failures. B u t o n th e o ther h an d the
hatefu l selfishness and greed of unprincipled p er
sons in ta k in g adv an tag e of th is m ig h ty force of
n a tu re and p ro stitu tin g it to th e ir ow n hateful ends,
w ith o u t heeding the dictates o f conscience o r the
teac h in g of religion o r m orality. T h ese people are
sow ing a baleful w ind w hich w ill re su lt in th eir
reap in g a frig h tfu l w hirlw ind o n th e m en tal plane
T h ey are b rin g in g dow n upon them selves pain and
m isery in th e future.
A t th is p o in t we w ish to u tte r a solem n w arning
to th o se w ho have been, o r are tem pted, to em ploy
th is m ig h ty force fo r unw orthy purposes. T he
law s of th e m en tal plane are such th a t “as one sows
so sh all he reap.” T he m ig h ty L aw of A ttraction
acts w ith th e accuracy of a m achine, a n d those w ho
I %•
seek to entangle o th ers in a n e t of M ental Influence

sooner o r la te r are cau g h t by th e ir ow n snare. T h e
B lack M agician involves him self in a m en tal w h irl
w ind w hich sooner or la te r sw eeps him off h is feet
an d dashes him to pieces. H e is sucked dow n in to
th e w hirlpool of his ow n m aking, a n d is d ra g g ed
dow n to th e low est depths. T hese are n o t idle re
m arks, b u t a statem en t of certain law s of n a tu re ,
o p eratin g on th e m ental plane, w hich all sh o u ld
know and heed.
A nd to those w ho m ay feel appalled a t th is m en
tion of th e existence and possibilities of B lack
M agic w e w ould say th a t th ere is one th in g to be
rem em bered, and th a t is th a t G O O D alw ays o v er
com es E V IL o n th e m en tal plane. A Good th o u g h t
alw ays h as th e pow er to neutralize th e E v il one,
and a person w hose m ind is filled w ith L ove a n d
F a ith m ay com bat a m u ltitu d e w hose m inds a re
filled w ith H a te and Evil. T h e tendency of all n a
tu re is u p w ard and to w ard Good. A nd h e w ho
w ould pull it back to w ard E vil sets him self ag a in st
th e law of S piritual E volution, and sooner o r la te r
falls a victim to his folly.
A nd th en , rem em ber th is : T h o u g h t-W a v es find
entrance only to those m inds w hich are accustom ed
to th in k sim ilar th o u g h ts. H e w ho th in k s H a te
m ay be affected b y H a te th o u g h ts, w hile h e w hose
m in d is filled w ith F a ith an d L ove is su rro u n d ed b y
a re siste n t arm o r w hich repels th e invading w aves,

an d causes th em to be deflected, or else driven back
to th e ir senders. B ad th o u g h ts, like chickens, com e
hom e to roost. T h o u g h ts are like B oom erangs, in
th e ir ten d en cy to re tu rn to th eir sender. T o th e
poison of B lack M agic N atu re gives th e antidote
of R ig h t-T h in k ing.
C H A P T E R X II.
S E L F -P R O T E C T IO N .
T h e read er of th e preceding chapters w ill see the
p ow er of M ental Influence in its various phases of
m anifestation, and w ill recognize the possibility of
th e force b ein g u sed to influence him self. The
q u estion th a t will n atu ra lly arise in th e m ind of
ev ery stu d en t and in v estig ato r of th is im portant
su b ject, and w hich com es to all a t som e tim e, is :
“H o w m ay I p ro tec t m yself from the use o f this
p ow er ag ain st m yself—h ow m ay I ren d er m yself
im m une from these influences w hich m ay be
d irected ag ain st m e?”
I t is tru e th a t we, a n d o ther w riters on the sub
ject, have show n you th a t one is fa r less liable to
influence if he w ill m ain tain a m ental atm osphere
of h ig h vibration— th a t is keeping oneself su r
rounded by a th o u g h t atm osphere filled w ith v ib ra
tions of th e hig h est kind of th o u g h ts and free from
th o u g h ts and desire of a base, selfish character,
w hich ten d s to a ttra c t sim ilar thoughts. I n this
w ay one creates a state of m en tal hygienic cleanli
ness w hich re n d ers him im m une from th e “con
tagious th o u g h ts o f the selfish plane of desire,” etc.
T h is should be rem em bered and tak en advantage of
by everyone, fo r ju st as physical cleanliness gives
I
S E LF- PROTECTI ON 91
n o congenial lodgm ent fo r th e germ s of disease, so

m en tal cleanliness refuses to adm it th e m en tal mi
crobes.
B u t th ere is a m ethod far m ore efficacious than
even th e above m entioned plan. A nd th is m ethod
is really th a t em ployed b y th e ad ep ts in Occultism ,
a n d th e m eth o d and practice ta u g h t th e initiates of
th e occult bro therhoods and lodges all over the
w orld. L e t u s consider it here.
I n th e first place, w ith o u t en terin g into a s ta te
m e n t o f th e details of the h ig h occult teachings,
w e w ish to inform you th a t th e B asic P rinciple of
all such teach in g and in stru ctio n is the fact th a t
w ith in each o f us, in the v ery centre o f th e being
of each individual—in th e very h e a rt o f h ea rts of
th e Im m o rtal Ego— is w h a t occultists know as the
F lam e o f th e Spirit. T h is is w h a t you recognize in
consciousness as th e “I A M ” consciousness— th a t
consciousness of B eing w hich is far above th e con
sciousness of P ersonality, o r th e th in g s o f person
ality. I t is th a t consciousness w hich inform s each
individual, unm istakably, th a t he IS ac tu ally an
In d iv id u al B eing. T h is consciousness com es to
th e in d iv id u al by reason o f his co n tact w ith the
g re a t O ne L ife of the U niverse—it is the p o in t of
co n tact betw een th e P A R T and th e A L L .
A nd in th is p a rt of a m an’s consciousness, coupled
w ith th e sense of B E IN G an “I,” th e re resides a
92 ME NTAL INFLUENCE
sp ark from the D ivine F lam e of L ife and P ow er,

w hich is w h a t h as been called th e W I L L o f m an.
N ow , do n o t m istake us and confuse th is w ith the
so-called W ill of personality, w hich is m erely a D e
sire, o r else a certain firm ness, w hich o ften is little
m ore th a n S tubbornness. T h is inner W ill is R eal
P ow er, and w hen once recognized m ay be draw n
upon as a source of un en d in g and unfailing
S tren g th . T h e occult ad ep ts have developed the
consciousness of th is P o w er W ith in , and u se it
freely. T h is is th e re su lt of years of practice, and
co rrect living a n d thinking. B ut, still, each and
every p erson m ay d raw upon th is source of stren g th
w ith in them to aid them in th e life a n d to repel the
th o u g h t-v ib rations of the low er plane.
T h is consciousness m ay be developed b y a reali
zatio n of its existence, and b y a practice of brin g in g
th e idea in every-day consciousness, by th ought,
m ed itatio n and practice. T h e v ery fact of o u r h av
in g called y o u r atte n tio n to its existence has aw ak
ened w ith in the m ind of Y ou w ho a re reading these
lines a new stre n g th and sense of power. T h in k a
m om ent and see w h eth er you do n o t feel a daw ning
sense of a S tren g th w ithin you th a t you have not
realized so fully before th is m om ent! A continued
reco g n itio n in y o u r every-day consciousness of this
S om ething W ith in w ill develop y o u r ability to
m anifest it. P articu larly in an h o u r of need will
S E LF - P ROT ECT I CN 93
i t sp rin g to y o u r assistance, giving you a sense of

a p a rt of y o u rself crying out to y o u in w ords of
en co u rag em en t: “ I A m H e re ! E e N o t A fraid!”
I t is v ery difficult to give you th is m ethod in
w ritte n o r p rin ted w ords, b u t if you will en ter fully
in to a recognition of th is In w a rd P o w er you will
find yourself developing a new pow er of resisting
outside influences th a t w ill astonish you.
W h e n y o u com e in co n tact w ith people w ho are
seeking to influence you in a n y of th e w ays m en
tioned in th e preceding chapters of this book, or
in o th er w ays, y o u will find yourself able to defy
th e ir m en tal attac k s b y sim ply rem em bering the
s tre n g th im m inent in y o u r “I,” aided b y the sta te
m en t (m ade silently to y o u rse lf): “ I am an Im
m o rtal S pirit, u sin g th e W ill w ithin m y E go.”
W ith th is M ental A ttitu d e you m ay m ake th e slight
est m ental effort in th e direction of throw ing out
fro m y o u r m ind v ib ratio n s w hich w ill sc a tte r the
ad v erse influences in all directions, and w hich, if
p ersisted in, will cause th e o th er person to become
confused and anxious to let you alone.
W ith th is consciousness h eld in m ind, y o u r m en
ta l com m and to an o th er “ L e t me alone— I cast off
y o u r influence b y th e pow er of m y S pirit,” w ill act
so stro n g ly th a t you w ill be able to actually see the
effect a t once. If th e o ther person be stu b b o rn and
determ ined to influence y o u by w ords of suggestion,
coaxing, th reaten in g , o r sim ilar m ethods, look him

o r h er s tra ig h t in the eyes, saying m entally " I defy
you— m y in n er pow er casts off your influence.”
T ry th is th e n e x t tim e th a t a n y one atte m p ts to
influence y o u either verbally o r b y T h o u g h t-W av es
and see h o w stro n g and positive you w ill feel, and
how th e effo rts o f th e o th er person w ill fail. T his
sounds sim ple, b u t the little secret is w o rth th o u
sands of dollars to every individual w ho w ill p u t it
into practice.
A bove all, p u t out of y o u r m ind all F e a r o f o ther
persons. T h e feeling of fear p rev en ts y o u from
m anifesting th e pow er w ithin you to its full extent.
C ast o u t fear as u n w o rth y and hurtful.
N o t only in th e case o f personal influence in the
actu al presence of th e o th er person m ay b e defeated
in th is w ay, b u t th e sam e m ethod w ill act equally
as w ell in th e m a tte r of repelling th e m en tal in
fluence of o th ers directed a g a in st you in th e form
of "ab sen t trea tm e n ts,” etc. I f you feel yourself
inclining to w ard doing som ething w hich in y o u r
h eart you feel th a t is n o t to y o u r b est interests,
ju d g ed from a tru e standpoint, y o u m ay know th at,
consciously o r unconsciously, som eone is seeking
to influence you in th is w ay. T h en sm ile to y o u r
self and m ake the statem en ts m entioned above, or
som e sim ilar one, and holding th e pow er of the
S p irit w ith in y o u r “I ” firm ly in y o u r m ind, send
I
S E LF- PROTECTI ON 95
o u t a m en tal com m and ju s t as you w ould in the

case o f th e actual presence of th e person him self
or herself. Y ou m ay also deny th e influencing
p ow er out of existence b y assertin g m e n tally : “ I
D E N Y y o u r p ow er to influence me—y o u have no
such pow er over me— I am restin g on m y know l
edge of S pirit a n d its W ill w ith in me— I deny
y o u r pow er out of existence.” T his form of denial
m ay be used eith er in th e case of ab sen t influence or
personal influence. T he ru le is the sam e in all
cases.
In repelling these ab se n t influences you w ill at
once experience a feeling o f relief and stre n g th , and
w ill be able to sm ile a t th e defeated efforts of the
o th er person. If you feel sufficiently broad and
full of love for m ankind you m ay then “tre a t” the
o th er person for h is error, sending him th o u g h ts of
L o v e and K now ledge w ith the idea of dispelling his
ignorance and selfishness, and brin g in g him to a
realizatio n of th e h ig h er tru th s of life.
You will d oubtless have m any in tere stin g ex
periences arisin g from th u s repelling these attacks.
I n som e cases you w ill find th a t the n e x t tim e you
m eet th e person in question he w ill ap p ear con
fused and puzzled a n d ill a t ease. I n o th e r cases
th e p erson w ill begin to m anifest a n ew respect and
re g ard fo r you, and disposed to aid you instead of
try in g to influence y o u to h is w ay and desire. In
o th er cases th e person w ill still h av e th e desire, and

w ill endeavor to “arg u e” y o u into doing th a t w hich
h e h as tried to influence y o u into doing b y M en tal
Influence, b u t h is efforts w ill “fall flat," a n d w ith
o u t effect, particu larly if y o u give him “a n o th er
dose” of th e assertion of th e P o w er of th e S pirit
w ith in you.
I n th e sam e w ay you should call upon y o u r
H ig h e r Self fo r aid and stre n g th w hen y o u feel
y o u rself being affected by a n y o f th e g re a t M ental
W av es o f feeling o r em otion sw eeping over th e
public m ind, a n d w hich have a tendency to “ stam
pede” people into ad o p tin g certain ideas, o r of fol
low ing certain leaders. In such case the assertion
of th e “ I ” w ith in y o u w ill dissipate th e influence
around you, and y o u will find yourself stan d in g in
a cen tre of P eace surrounded on all sides by th e
ocean o f m ental tu m u lt a n d ag itatio n w hich is
sw eeping o ver o r circling around the place. In
th e sam e w ay you will be able to n eu tralize the
u n p leasan t m en tal atm ospheres o f places, localities,
houses, etc., and ren d er yourself positive to and
im m une from the sam e. I n sh o rt, we h av e given
you h ere a recipe th a t m ay be used in a n y and
every in stan ce of th e em ploym ent of M ental I n
fluence. I t m ay sound sim ple to you, b u t a little
use of it w ill m ake you deem i t th e m ost im p o rta n t
b it of practical know ledge y o u m ay possess.

1908 Atkinson Practical Mental Influence

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PRACTICAL

MENTAL VIBRATIONS, PSYCHIC

Practical Instruction, Exercises, Directions, etc., capable

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L esson I — T he Law op V ib ration ...................................... 5

L esson I I —T hou gh t W aves .................................................. 14

L esson I I I —M en ta l In d u ctio n ................................................. 22

L esson IV—M en ta l C o n c e n tr a tio n ..................................... 29

L esson V—M en ta l Im aging..................................................... 36

L esson VI—-F ascin a tio n ............................................................... 42

L esson V III— In flu e n c in g a t a D ista n c e ............................ 58

L esson IX —In flu e n c in g “ En M a s s e / 9............................. 66

L esson X—T he Need o f t h e K n o w led g e ........................ 74

L esson X I—Magic B la c k and W h ite .................................... 82

L esson X II— S e lf P r o te c tio n ................................................... 90

S of reference to the m ysterious influence of

W ere it n o t so pitiable, it w ould be am using to

th a t will not squeeze into th eir n arro w th eo ry —

“T h o u g h t T ransference” does exist, a n d m ay be

solely b y th e v ary in g degrees of V ibration m ani­

physical scien tists of the age, as a reference to th eir

ly re g ister? In fact, the ray s of lig h t w hich sunburn

lig h t th a t no eye can see. T h e long, dark, soundless

T h e re is b u t one T ru th , and it m anifests on all

m V ib ration w as to b e found u n d erly in g all

m ag n etic phenom ena and confidently proceed w ith

M ental Influence have dem onstrated b y th e ir ex­

en d , reco n stru cts th e sonorous m ovem ent tra n sm it­

th e p o in t to w ard s w hich they h av e been directed o r

tin u e long after the th ought, yes, long a fte r the

and tr u s t; o th ers create a feeling of suspicion and

A nd th e w eak-w ili visitor is th u s tem pted. A nd,

S phenom ena of M ental Influence b ea rs a

to g re a t distances, o r lesser ones, tending to se t up

actu al presence of the person sending o u t the

stro n g e r th a n the other, i t w ill p ersist b u t robbed

feeling being m anifested in th e m ind sending them

th e y repel th e w aves and influences of a n opposing

happiness, w hich conditions are induced in those

m of M ental Influence, in all of its form s, are

p o w er th a t m ay be obtained from i t by com pelling

th e ir m en tal forces to becom e scattered and dis­

hand, m any people allow th e ir m inds to concentrate

“ T h e a u th o rity is subject to th e superior au th o rity

u n til he h as focused and directed a m ig h ty degree

A tten tio n , b u t w h a t w ould be th e use. T h e best

m th e first of the tw o principal facto rs in th e

tak es place. T h e occultist first builds up, in his

cesses of generalized th ought. A v isual im age is

not re ally know ing “ju s t w h a t” they do w ant. Is

practice. T h e practice of recalling to th e m em ory

th e details. A lw ays com m ence b y try in g sim ple

m to y o u inform ation re g ard in g th e effect of

of th e p ow er of F ascination "n atu rally ” a n d w ith­

aro u n d and aro u n d u n til finally th e in se c t w ould

th em to h is will. H e rose from a poor stu d en t to

fact. T h en project to him the concentrated th o u g h t,

Y ou w ill readily see from th e above exam ples

sending fo rth th e “unspoken w ord” in th e above

in g chapter, entitled “ S elf-P rotection,” you w ill be

H y p n o tic Influence is a form of th a t w hich was

subject, o r to h is nerves and m uscles. T h is fact is

solely b y th e v ary in g degrees of V ibration m ani

M ental Influence have dem onstrated b y th e ir ex

en d , reco n stru cts th e sonorous m ovem ent tra n sm it

th e ir m en tal forces to becom e scattered and dis

of th e p ow er of F ascination "n atu rally ” a n d w ith

p rinciples u n d erlying M ental Influence a t a dis

tions, T h o u g h t-W av es, M ental Induction, Concen

in w hich you can co n cen trate (th e advanced occult

confidence, energy, etc., w hich surely m ake fo r suc

alone. A nd, so, w hile individual effort is p re fer