The next thing is to learn how this wonderful and valuable power may be acquired. The answer is: by the mastery of the law of Mental Control. That is the secret of not only Personal Magnetism, but also of Success in Life and of Happiness as well. To the man or woman who masters this law, the world is an oyster to be opened and enjoyed in comfort. Even he, who lacks the application and perseverance to follow up the exercises for the development of his latent power, will be stronger and more positive from a mere acquaintance with the subject. "This is all very well," you say, "but tell us how we may develop this power." That is just what I am doing now. I am leading you up to an understanding of the theory, by easy steps. I wish the idea to unfold naturally, so as to avoid giving you mental dyspepsia.
Now, for a summing up of the general theory, before I take up the subject in detail.
I have told you that the power of thought could be used in a number of ways in the direction of influencing men and gaining success. I have given you an idea of how thought operates in the direction named. Before proceeding to our next lesson, I think it well to again call your attention to the several different ways in which thought can aid you in attaining success, through the influencing of men.
Thought will aid you in the following manner:
1. By the use of your positive thought force in the direction of directly influencing men in person, through the law of Suggestion. By this I mean that you will be able to interest men in your schemes and plans, enlist their aid, secure their patronage, and influence them generally. This faculty, natural to some men, can be acquired by any man or woman who has the will power and perseverance to develop it within them. Most students of the subject are desirous of acquiring knowledge of this branch of Mental Control before the other phases of the subject, and I, therefore, will take it up in my next lesson.
2. By the power of direct thought vibrations set in motion by your mind, which will exert a powerful effect upon the minds of others, unless they understand the secret of guarding against these forces and rendering themselves positive to others. An understanding of this law will also enable you to present a positive mental attitude toward the thought waves emanating from the minds of others.
3. By the power of the adductive qualities of thought, which works upon the theory "like attracts like." By holding certain thoughts constantly, in your mind, you attract to you thoughts and influences of the like nature, from the great body of thought surrounding us, unseen, but all powerful. This power is one of the strongest forces in nature, and if properly used will attract assistance from the most unexpected quarters. "Thoughts are Things," and possess a wonderful power of attracting to themselves other thought waves of the same vibratory pitch and quality.
4. By the power of thought in shaping your character and temperament to meet the requirements of your organization. You lack certain qualities needful for your success. You know it as well, if not better, than anyone else, but you have been deluded by a belief that these shortcomings were a part of you and that "the leopard cannot change his spots." To you the study of the Law of Mental Control comes as a might ally, for you can overcome these deficiencies, and can acquire new characteristics and qualities, as well as learning how to strengthen those which you have already. I will endeavor to start you on the right road, by this series of lessons. I will print out the way for you, but you must do the work yourself. Every man must work out his own salvation in this study, as in every other branch of human endeavor.
Direct Psychic Influence
Influence in a personal interview - The three great methods - Direct suggestion - Thought waves - The adductive quality of thought - What is suggestion? - The Dual Mind -Hypnotic Suggestion - The Active and Passive functions - The qualities of the two functions - Human sheep - The two brother partners - The Passive brother - The active brother - Their respective traits - The "dead-easy" man - The "hard-as-nails man - How to elude the vigilant partner - Never take No! for an answer, in business or in love - Fortune is feminine - Love laughs at locksmiths - Confidence will win the day.
In this and the next lesson I will endeavor to make plain to you the process whereby an individual exerts and influence over his fellow men, in a personal interview, and interests them in his schemes and plans; enlists their aid and support; secures their patronage; and influences them generally. We all know men who are able to accomplish these results, and yet we content ourselves with wondering about their strange power, without endeavoring to acquire it.
The art of influencing men or women whilst we are in their presence, of necessity includes the other several methods of mental influence mentioned in the preceding lessons, and partakes of the nature of each. It is difficult to speak intelligently of this phase of mental influences, without covering the entire grounds that will be explained in subsequent lessons. I must content myself with a general reference to these several different branches of the subject; as you will meet them later on, at which time I will take them up at greater length. I would suggest that after completing this series of lessons you take up this particular lesson again, and go over it carefully a second time. You will have a much clearer idea of this subject, and many things which now seem more or less vague and unsatisfactory, will appear clear and easily understood.
In influencing men who we meet face to face, we affect them in a number of ways, which may be roughly summed up in three forms, viz.:
1. By direct suggestion through the voice, manner, appearance and eye. This includes not only voluntary suggestions on our part, but also the suggestions made involuntarily by every earnest man.
2. By thought waves directed to the other person by a voluntary effort of our mind.
3. By the adductive quality of thought, resulting from the process of controlled thought, of which I spoke in the preceding lesson. This force, once generated, operates involuntarily and constitutes the most striking phase of what we call Personal Magnetism.
In this lesson I shall confine myself to the first mentioned form of personal influence, and will take up the succeeding forms in subsequent lessons.
It is a most difficult task to give an intelligent comprehensive idea of the subject of Suggestion, in the limited space at my disposal. If the student has acquainted himself with the principles underlying Hypnotism or Hypnotic Suggestion, he will readily understand just what I mean when I say "Suggestion." To those who have not had this advantage, I will say that a suggestion is "an impression, consciously or unconsciously received through any of our senses." We are constantly accepting or rejecting suggestions, the acceptance or rejection depending upon the degree of suggestibility in ourselves, the degree being caused by the development or cultivation of the non-receptive qualities of the mind. We cannot attempt to go deeply into the subject of what is known as the Dual Mind in man, which has been variously designated as the Objective and Subjective minds; the Voluntary and involuntary minds; the Conscious and Subconscious minds, etc. If the student is desirous of acquainting himself fully with this subject, I would suggest that he take up some good work on Hypnotism or Hypnotic Suggestion. There are several good books on this subject, but I would suggest the occult books published by The Library Shelf (known as Series A, B, C, and D), which are courses of instruction in the basic principles of personal magnetism, hypnotism, suggestion and kindred branches of psychic research.
In order that the student may grasp the idea that I wish to convey regarding the use of suggestion as a means of exerting personal influence, I would have him understand that the mind has two general functions, which (following the terms used by me in my other writings) are known as the Active Function and the Passive Function, respectively. The Active function does the voluntary, volitional thinking, and also manifests what we call "will power." It is the function used frequently by the active, energetic, vigorous, wide-awake man, in his busy moments. The Passive function does the instinctive, automatic, and involuntary thinking, exhibiting no "will power" and manifesting on entirely contrary lines from the Active