Many students of the occult have sought to keep from the general public a knowledge of the fundamental principles of the great law of nature underlying the phenomena of Mind-Power. They have claimed that it was "dangerous" for people generally to know that such a force existed and could be used. They have held that such knowledge should be carefully guarded by the few, and that its very existence should be denied to the many.
This may have been good reasoning in the earlier days of the world, when the masses were grossly ignorant, and when the only knowledge was locked up in the minds of the caste of priests and other leaders of the race. But the argument no longer applies, for the general intelligence of the race has refused to allow any locked doors in the Temple of Knowledge, and has insisted that all doors be thrown open to them. The result has been that a considerable body of occult knowledge has been opened to the gaze of the public, and they are clamoring for more. Much of the knowledge possessed by the public regarding Mind-Power is but quasi-knowledge—half-truths— and the time has come when the whole truth should be taught.
The time has arrived when the public should be made acquainted with the great force underlying the phenomena of Mind-Power. People should be instructed regarding this force; its laws and operation; its intelligent and proper use, with directions designed to protect people against its improper use against them, on the part of others—this latter a most important matter in these days of occult and psychic investigation on the part of the public, and the attempted base and selfish uses to which some are putting the occult mental forces of Nature.
It is too late to deny or ignore the existence of the mighty mental force in Nature that underlies the various forms of phenomena that go to form the outward phase of Mind-Power, good and bad. Too much has been witnessed by the public concerning these matters for them to be hushed by the old cry, "There's nothing in it but imagination." On the one hand they have witnessed the various "treatments" of the healers, tending toward the cure of disease, the attainment of success, etc. And on the other, they have heard whispers of "adverse treatments," etc., and have heard of, or read, the various courses of instruction in hypnotism, mesmerism, etc., etc., and have seen evidences of the good and bad effects of what has been called "suggestion," in all of its forms. And they are beginning to realize that all of these things, differing as they may seem, have a common root in some one natural force. And they are demanding, like the man from Missouri, to "be shown." And they have a right to demand this.
The race has always recognized the existence of a mighty force of Nature which man has employed, consciously or unconsciously, in the direction of influencing his fellow men; other forms of life, and even the so-called lifeless things around him. In the earlier days this use of the force was called "magic" (black and white); mystical art; divine power; miracle; fascination; charming; enchantment; wonder-working; necromancy, etc., and in its more base and evil uses, black art; witchcraft; sorcery; voodooism, etc. For it must be remembered that this great force of nature is capable of base as well as of noble use.
Like any other great natural force—like electricity; the power of explosives; steam; the X-rays; radium, etc.—this great force is capable of the highest and most beneficial uses by man when properly applied and is also capable of being applied to the most harmful purposes. Different as are the results arising from the varying applications, the force is the same in each case. The forces of Nature are not possessed of a sense of good and evil— their function and purpose is to act in obedience to the laws of their nature without regard to the question of good and evil to those by whom, or against whom, they are employed. This may seem like a terrible thing, but a moment's thought will satisfy you that it is true of all natural forces, and the question of good and evil, and its reward or punishment, belongs to another plane of life.
But, it may be asked, why do I wish to inform the public about a force, unknown to many, which is capable of evil as well as of good use and results. The answer is simple. Ignorance is no protection against anything, for the knowledge is always possessed of the few who may use it on the ignorant many without suspicion; the greater publicity is given to a thing, and the better it is understood, the better may its good effects be obtained and the less the danger of its improper use— forewarned is forearmed. If a thing is good, the greater publicity given it the greater the good—if it is evil, the brighter the searchlight turned upon it, the less danger is there attendant upon it.
The danger of all evils lies in the darkness of concealment, not in the daylight of publicity. "Turn on the Light" has always been the watchword of progress and civilization. And more particularly is this so at this, the first decade of the Twentieth Century, when the interest in occultism and kindred subjects has made a number of people acquainted with Mind-Power, and has acquainted them with its uses, under various names and theories. And in many cases it is being practiced upon people who are unfamiliar with the subject, and therefore it is time that some one should "turn on the light," that it may be seen by all men and known for what it is—capable of the highest and the lowest uses, but a great force of Nature.
And with this exposition of it, goes the remedy and protection against improper use, as well as the knowledge of its wonderful proper uses. If it be a bane—here is the antidote. But it is not necessarily a bane, any more than steam, electricity, and explosives are a bane to mankind. What would be thought of people who would suppress knowledge of all natural laws, because of the possibility of improper use? Ignorance is no protection. Truth and fact must be followed to the end, and it will be discovered that, in Nature, every force that may be possible of hurtful use, may be guarded against by natural means.
So much for the unpleasant side. But there is a very pleasant side to this subject of Mind-Power. This force has come to man just when he most needs it. He has used the so-called mechanical forces to clear away the obstacles that Nature put into his way in order to develop him into a Man, and now he turns to higher forms of energy and work—he is crying for new worlds to conquer. And these new worlds will be conquered by the mind, rather than by the muscle. Great things are before the race, and one of the greatest forces in Nature in the work of the building up of the Super-Man, will be this force called Mind-Power. By it man will be enabled to fight off the forces of ignorance and materialism, and to draw to himself knowledge from the Universal Mind that will enable him to accomplish the heretofore Impossible.
In this book I shall treat Mind-Power as I would any other great force or energy of Nature, i. e., in a scientific manner, stating the principles plainly and without concealment, and also giving in full what I and other experimenters along the lines of this subject have learned of the methods beneficial, and the reverse, concerning the applications of these principles. In the case of the beneficial application, full directions will be given that the student may avail himself of the force to the fullest extent. In the cases where the subject of the harmful use of the force is alluded to, the student will be instructed how the same may he prevented, obviated, and neutralized, so that full protection is assured. This is what I should do in lessons upon electricity, steam, or explosives—and that is the course I purpose following in this work.
It is possible that this course may bring upon me the adverse criticism of those who believe "that the public is not ready for such knowledge," and that "such things should be reserved for the few." To such people, and all others, I would say that I have no sympathy with such an attitude, and I believe that the race is ready for all the Truth, and that that which is proper for the few is proper for the many. I believe that the greater the degree of knowledge the greater the degree of power and advancement. I believe that ignorance is not happiness; and that to keep a man ignorant of a natural fact, in order that he may escape its effect, is like allowing him to smoke when seated on a keg of powder rather than to acquaint him with a knowledge of explosives— or, to use another figure, to advise him to bury his head in the sand like an ostrich, rather than to look upon the approach of a possible danger. I do not believe in such sophistry! I do not