Excerpts from
How The Mind
Works
by
Christian D. Larson
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Book Description
Every
man or woman is as
they
think. Therefore they can change themselves, their life, and even their
circumstances, by changing their thought. But before they can change
their
thought they must understand those laws and processes through which
thought is produced;
that is, they must know how the mind works.
The mind
that masters itself creates its own ideas, thoughts and desires
through the original use of its own imaging faculty, while the mind
that does
not master itself forms its thoughts and desires after the likeness of
impressions received through the senses; and is therefore controlled by
the
conditions from which those impressions come.
Accordingly
the mastermind is a mind that thinks what it wants to think
regardless of what circumstances, environments or associations may
suggest.
The
destiny of every individual is being created hourly by themselves,
and that something that determines what they are to create at any
particular
period in time is the sum total of their desires and ideals.
How the Mind Works is a book of
exceptional value, and is of vital
interest to anyone who wants to live their life fully and completely –
more
health, more wealth, and more happiness.
CONTENTS
Chapter 1 - THE GREATEST
POWER
IN MAN
Chapter 2 - THE BEST USE
OF
THE MIND
Chapter 3 - WHAT
DETERMINES
MENTAL
ACTION
Chapter 4 - THE LEADING
METAPHYSICAL
LAW
Chapter 5 - HOW THE MIND
MAKES
THE
MAN
Chapter 6 - HOW MENTAL
PICTURES
BECOME REALITIES
Chapter 7 - THE INCREASE
OF
MENTAL
POWER
Chapter 8 - THE WITHIN
AND THE
WITHOUT
Chapter 9 - FINDING YOUR
PLACE
IN
LIFE
Chapter 10 - WHEN ALL
THINGS
WORK
FOR GOOD
Chapter 11 - WITH WHAT
MEASURE
YE
METE
Chapter 12 - FINDING
MATERIAL
FOR
MIND BUILDING
Chapter 13 - BUILDING
THE
SUPERIOR
MIND
Chapter 14 - THE SECRET
OF THE
MASTER MIND
Chapter 15 - THE POWER
OF MIND
OVER
BODY
Chapter 16 - THE POWER
OF MIND
OVER
DESTINY
Chapter 17 - THE X-RAY
POWER
OF THE
MIND
Chapter 18 - WHEN MIND
IS
BROAD AND
DEEP
Chapter 19 - THE
GREATEST MIND
OF ALL
Chapter 20 - WHEN MIND
IS ON
THE
HEIGHTS
CHAPTER 1
THE GREATEST POWER IN MAN
It is now a demonstrated
fact
that
the powers and the possibilities that are inherent in
the mind of man are
practically
unbounded. And this conclusion is based upon the
discovery that no limit
can be
found
to anything in human nature, and that everything
in human nature contains
a
latent
capacity for perpetual development. This discovery,
and no discovery of
greater
importance has appeared in any age, gives man a new
conception of himself, a
conception
which when applied will necessarily
revolutionize the entire
sphere of
human thought and action.
To be able to discern
the real
significance of this new conception will naturally
constitute the greatest
power
in
man, and should therefore be given the first thought in
all efforts that have
advancement,
attainment or achievement in view. The purpose of
each individual should
be not
simply
to cultivate and apply those possibilities that are
now in evidence, but
also to
develop
power to discern and fathom what really exists
within him. This power
is the
greatest power because it prepares the way for the
attainment and
expression of
all
other powers. It is the power that unlocks the door to
everything that is great
and
wonderful in man, and must therefore be understood and
applied before anything
of
real
value can be accomplished through human thought or
action.
The principal reason why
the
average
person remains weak and incompetent is found
in the fact that he
makes no
effort
to fathom and understand the depths of his real
being. He tries to use
what is
in
action on the surface, but is unconscious of the fact
that enormous powers are
in
existence in the greater depth of his life. These powers
are dormant simply
because
they have
not been called into action, and they will
continue to lie dormant
until
man
develops his greatest power; that is, the power to
discern what really
exists
within
him.
The fundamental cause of
failure is
found in the belief that what exists on the surface
is all there is of man.
And
the
reason why greatness is the rare exception instead of
the universal rule can
be
traced to
the same cause. When the mind discovers that its
powers are inexhaustible
and
that
its faculties and talents can be developed to the very
highest degree
imaginable, and
to
any degree beyond that, the fear of failure will
entirely disappear. In
its
stead
will come the conviction that man may attain anything
or achieve anything,
provided,
of
course, he works within the natural sphere of
universal law. Whatever
circumstances may be today such a mind will know that all
can be changed; that
this
condition
can be made to pass away, and that the vacancy
may be filled with the
heart's
most
cherished desire.
That mind that can
discern
what
exists in the depths of the real life of man does not
simply change its views
as to
what
man may attain or achieve, but actually begins to
draw upon the
inexhaustible
power
within, and begins at once to develop and apply
the greater
possibilities that
this
deeper discernment has revealed. When man can see,
feel and understand what
exists
beneath the surface of his life, the expression of this
deeper life begins,
because
whatever
we become conscious of that we invariably
bring forth into
tangible
expression. And since the deeper life contains innumerable
possibilities as well as
unbounded
power, it is evident that when the deeper life is
clearly discerned,
anything
within
the human sphere may be attained or achieved.
The idea that there is
more
and more
of man than what appears on the surface should
be so constantly and so
deeply
impressed upon the mind that it becomes a positive
conviction, and no
thought
should be
placed in action unless it is based upon this
conviction. To live,
think and
act
in the realization of the fact that there is "more of
me" should be the
constant
purpose
of every individual. When this is done the more
will constantly develop,
coming
forth in greater and greater measure, giving added
power, capacity and life
to
everything that is in action in the human system.
When the average person
fails
he
either blames circumstances or comes to the
conclusion that he was
not
equal to
the occasion. He is therefore tempted to give up,
and tries to be content
with
the
lesser. But if he knew that there was more in him than
what he had applied in
this
undertaking he would not give up. He would know that by
developing this "more"
he
positively
would succeed where he had previously failed. It
is therefore evident
that when
man
gives attention to his greatest power, that is, the
power to discern the
more that
is in
him, he will never give up until he does succeed;
and in consequence he
invariably
will succeed.
That individual who
knows his
power
does not judge according to appearances. He
never permits himself to
believe
that this or that cannot be done. He knows that those
things can be done
because he
has
discovered the more which really exists within
him. He works in the
conviction that
he must and will succeed because he has the
power. And this is the
truth.
He
does have the power. We all have the power.
To live, think and work
in the
attitude that there is more of you within the great
depths of your being,
and to
know
that there is more of you within the great depths of
your being, and to know
that
this
"more" is so immense that no limit to its power can
be found, will cause the
mind
to
come in closer and closer touch with this greater
power. And you will in
consequence
gain more and more of this power. The mind
that lives in this
attitude
opens
the door of consciousness, so to speak, to everything in
human life that has real
quality and
worth. It places itself in that position where it can
respond to the best that
exists
within itself. And modern psychology has discovered
that this "best" is
extraordinary in
quality, limitless in power, and contains
possibilities that
cannot be
numbered.
It is the truth that man
is a
marvelous being, and the greatest power in man is the
power to discern this
marvelousness
that really does exist within him. It is the law
that we steadily develop
and
bring
forth whatever we think of the most. We shall
therefore find it highly
profitable
to think constantly of our deeper nature and to try in
every manner and form
imaginable to
fathom the limitlessness and the inexhaust-
ibleness of these great
and
marvelous depths.
In practical life this
mode of
thinking will have the same effect upon the personal
mind as that which is
secured
when
placing an ordinary wire in contact with a wire
that is charged. The
great
within is
a live wire. When the mind touches the great
within it becomes
charged with
the
same immense power. And the mind is more or
less in touch with the
great
within
when it lives, thinks, and works in the firm
conviction that there is
"more
of
me" so much more that it cannot be measured.
We can receive from the
deeper
life
only that which we recognize, because
consciousness is the
power
between
the outer life and the great within; and we open
the door only to those
things
of
which we become conscious. The principal reason,
therefore, why the
average
person
does not possess greater powers and talents is
because he is not
conscious of
more.
And he is not conscious of more because he has
not recognized the
depths of
his
real life, and has not tried to fathom the possibilities
that are latent within
him.
The average person lives
on
the
surface. He thinks that the surface is all there is of
him, and therefore does
not
place
himself in touch with the live wire of his great and
inexhaustible nature
within.
He does
not exercise his greatest power the power to
discern what his whole
nature
may
contain, and therefore does not unlock the door to
any of his other powers.
This
being
true, we can readily understand why mortals are
weak. They are weak
simply
because
they have chosen weakness. But when they
choose power and
greatness
they
shall positively become what they have chosen to
become. And we all can
choose
power
and greatness, because it is in us.
We all admit that there
is
more in
man than what is expressed in the average person.
We may differ as to how
much
more,
but the more should be developed, expressed
and applied. It is
unjust both
to
the individual and to the race to remain in the lesser
when it is possible to
attain
the
higher, the richer and the greater. It is right that we all
should ascend to the
higher
and the
greater now. And the greatest power in man
reveals the fact that we
all
can.
CHAPTER 2
THE BEST USE OF THE MIND
We have at the present
time a
number
of metaphysical systems, and though they
differ considerably in
many
respects
they all produce practically the same results. We
find that no one system
is
more
successful than the others, and yet they are all so
remarkably successful
that
modern
metaphysics is rapidly becoming one of the most
popular studies of
today. The
real
secret of all these systems is found in their power to
draw consciousness more
deeply
into
the realization of the absolute.
The absolute is
unconditioned;
therefore the more deeply consciousness enters the
absolute the less
conscious
will the
mind become of conditions. That is, the mind will
be emancipated more and
more
from
conditions as it grows into the realization of that
which is unconditioned,
or
rather
above conditions.
Any method that will
tend to
develop
in the mind the consciousness of the absolute
will produce
emancipation from
physical or mental ills, the reason being that there are
no ills in the absolute,
and
it is
not possible for the mind to be conscious of ills when
it is in the
consciousness of
that
which is absolutely free from ills. In other words, the
mind cannot be in
darkness,
weakness
or disease when it is in light, power and health.
Although it is not exact
science to
state that all is mind, because it can easily be
proven that all is not
mind;
nevertheless, the statement that all is mind has a tendency
to resolve consciousness
into
the
allness of infinite mind, that is, the mind of the
absolute. This will
eliminate
from
the personal mind the consciousness of personal
limitations and thus
produce
the
realization of the absolute, that state of being that is
free from conditions. It
will
also
cause the personal mind to function in the
consciousness of its
unity
with the
impersonal mind which again is the infinite mind.
In like manner it is not
scientific
to deny the existence of matter, because matter does
exist. Nevertheless the
persistent
denial of the existence of matter has a tendency to
eliminate from mind the
consciousness of shape and form, also the limitations and the
conditions of shape and
form.
The
result will be a certain degree of emancipation
from conditions, and
accordingly the
ills that may have existed in those conditions
will disappear.
The purpose of
metaphysical
methods
is to prevent superficial mental action by
deepening thought into
the
understanding of real action; that is, to prevent bondage to
the limitations of form
by
awakening
the consciousness of that limitless life that
animates all form, and
also to
prevent the creation of imperfect conditions by
producing in the mind
the
realization of absolutely perfect states. Any method that
will tend to promote
these
objects
in view will prove healthful to a degree in
producing personal
emancipation from
sickness, adversity or want; but if the method
is not strictly
scientific its
value
will be very limited, and will prove to be nothing
more than a temporary
aid in
the
lesser aspects of life.
In this connection we
must
remember
that no metaphysical method can fully promote
the purpose in view
unless it
recognizes the reality of the whole universe and aims to
produce advancement in
every
individual expression of universal life. However,
every method is at first
incomplete,
therefore not strictly scientific. But to be
scientific we must give
everything
due credit for what it is doing, no matter how
limited it may be in its
personal
power.
To awaken the
consciousness of
the
real, the unconditioned and the absolute, it is not
necessary to declare
that all
is
mind, nor is it necessary to deny the existence of
matter. On the contrary,
such
methods should be avoided, because they will prove
detrimental to the
highest
development of the individual if employed for any length of
time. And we realize
that our
purpose is not simply to emancipate man from the
ordinary ills of
personal
life, but
also to develop man to the very highest heights of
real greatness.
There is a world of
absolute
reality
that exists within and about all things. It
permeates all things and
surrounds
all things. It is an infinite sea in which all things
live and move and have
their
being.
It is the source of everything, and being limitless
can give limitless life
and
power to
anything. All science recognizes this world of
absolute reality, and it
is
the
purpose of metaphysics, that is, the best use of the mind,
to gain that
understanding
that will
enable any individual to place himself in perfect
conscious touch with
that
world.
This absolute reality is the perfect state of being
upon which all
individual
being is
based. Therefore the more perfectly conscious the
individual becomes of
the
absolute,
the less imperfection there will be in the life of
the individual. And when
individual
consciousness is completely resolved in absolute
consciousness, the
cosmic
state is
realized - a state with such marvelous beauty and
such indescribable joy
that it
is
worth a thousand ages of pain to come within its gates
for just one single
moment.
To develop the
consciousness
of the
absolute and to grow steadily into the realization
of the reality of
perfect
being the
fundamental essential is to live habitually in the
metaphysical attitude.
This is
a
distinct attitude, by far the most desirable attitude of
the mind, and comes as a
natural
result of the mind's discernment of the existence, the
reality and the
absoluteness
of the
universal sea of unconditioned life. This attitude is
emancipating because it
removes the
imperfect by resolving the mind into the
consciousness of the
perfect.
It
produces the realization of the real and thus floods
human life with the
light of
the
real, that light that invariably dispels all darkness,
whether it be ignorance,
adversity,
want, weakness, illusion or evil in any form or
condition.
The secret of all
metaphysical
methods of cure is found in the peculiar power of the
metaphysical attitude.
To
enter this
attitude is to resolve mind in the consciousness of
the absolute, and since
there
is no
sickness in the absolute it is not possible for any
mind to feel sickness
while in
the
consciousness of the absolute. For this reason any
method that will cause
the
mind to
enter the metaphysical attitude will give that mind
the power to heal
physical or
mental
ailments. However, it is not the method that
heals. It is that
peculiar
power or
consciousness that comes when the mind is in the
metaphysical attitude.
And
this
power simply implies the elimination of imperfect
conditions by resolving
consciousness into the perfection of absolute states.
The actions of the mind
are
back of
all personal conditions, therefore when the mind
begins to act in the
consciousness
of absolute states it will express the perfection, the
health, the wholeness
and the
power
of those states. And when, the qualities of such
states are expressed,
imperfect
conditions must necessarily disappear. Light and
darkness cannot exist in
the
same
place at the same time; neither can health and
disease. When the former
comes
the
latter is no more. When the mind is placed in the
metaphysical attitude
the
conscious
realization of the more powerful forces of life is
gained. This means
possession
and
mastery of those forces, at least in a measure, and
the result will be a
decided
increase in the power, the capacity and the ability of every
active faculty of the
mind.
It is therefore evident
that
every
person who desires to become much and achieve
much should live
habitually in
the
metaphysical attitude, for it is in this attitude that
the best use of the mind
is
secured.
The metaphysical attitude is distinct from the
psychical attitude, and
it is
highly
important for every person to clearly understand
this distinction. Both
attitudes
will place the mind in touch with the more powerful
forces of life, but the
metaphysical
is based upon the conviction that all power is in
itself good, and that
the mind
naturally controls all power; but the psychical attitude
has no definite
conviction or
purpose regarding the real nature of power. The
metaphysical attitude
takes
hold of
those finer powers and applies them
constructively; while in
the
psychical attitude those powers are more or less in a
chaotic state. For this
reason
the
psychical attitude is nearly always detrimental, while
the metaphysical is
never
otherwise
than highly beneficial.
To approach the
universal life
of
unbounded wisdom and limitless power is usually
termed occultism. We
find
therefore
that metaphysics and occultism have the same
general purpose, and
deal
largely
with the same elements and powers, but they do not
make the same use of
those
elements
and powers, nor are the results identical in any
sense whatever. The
psychical
attitude opens the mind to more power but takes no
definite steps in
directing
that
power into constructive channels. If the mind is
wholesome and
constructive
while in
the psychical attitude the greater powers thus
gained will be
beneficial
because it
will in such a mind be directed properly. But to
enter the psychical
while
there are
adverse tendencies, false ideas or perverted desires
in mind, is decidedly
detrimental
because this greater power will at such times be
misdirected. And the
greater
the
power the worse will be the consequence when
misdirection takes
place.
To state it briefly, no
mind
can
safely enter the psychical attitude unless it has a
spotless character, a
masterful
mind, and knows the truth about everything in this
present state of
existence.
But as
this requirement is practically beyond everybody,
we must conclude that no
one
can
safely enter the psychical state. To enter the
psychical attitude is to
fill
the
personality with new forces, some of which will be
very strong, and if the
mind
is not
constructive through and through, at the time, some
or all of those forces
will
become
destructive.
However, it is not
possible to
make
the mind constructive through and through
without entering the
metaphysical
attitude; that is, the mind is not fit to enter the
psychical attitude until
it
has
entered the metaphysical attitude. But as the same
powers are secured in
the
metaphysical attitude, the psychical attitude becomes
superfluous. Therefore,
to
give a
single moment of thought or attention to occultism is
a waste of time.
When a mind enters the
metaphysical
attitude it becomes constructive at once,
because the metaphysical
attitude is
naturally a constructive attitude, being based
upon the conviction that
all
things
are in themselves good and working together for
greater good. All power
is
good and
all power is constructive. All power is beneficial
when applied according
to its
true
purpose, but no mind can apply power according to
its true purpose until
it
becomes
thoroughly constructive, and no mind can become
thoroughly constructive
until
it
enters the metaphysical attitude.
In this attitude all
thought
and
attention is given to that which makes for better things
and greater things. The
mind
is
placed in such perfect harmony with the absolute that
it naturally follows the
law
of the
absolute, and to follow this law is to be all that you
can be. It is therefore
the
very
soul of advancement, attainment and achievement,
having nothing but
construction in
view.
The fact that the
practice of
occultism produces extraordinary phenomena, either
upon the physical plane
or in
the
world of mental imagery gives it an atmosphere of
the marvelous, and
therefore
it
becomes extremely fascinating to the senses.
Metaphysics, however,
does not
aim
to appeal directly to the senses nor does it
produce mere phenomena.
On the
contrary, metaphysics appeals directly to the
superior understanding,
and
its
purpose is to develop worth, greatness and superiority
in man.
Those persons who live
habitually in
the metaphysical attitude have a wholesome,
healthful appearance.
They are
bright, happy, contented, and they look clean. They
are thoroughly alive,
but in
their
expression of life there is a deep calmness that
indicates extraordinary
power
and
the high attainment of real harmony. We realize,
therefore, why it is
only in
the
metaphysical attitude that we can secure the best use of
the mind.
The metaphysical
attitude is
rich in
thoughts and ideas of worth. Such ideas are
always constructive, and
when
applied will invariably promote practical and tangible
advancement. To
entertain pure
metaphysical thought is to grow in the power to
create higher thought
and also
to
grow in the conscious realization of the real, thereby
eliminating imperfect
conditions of
mind, thought or personality by resolving the
mind in the
consciousness of
the
unconditioned.
Metaphysics deals
fundamentally with
the understanding of the principle of absolute
reality, that is, that
complete
something that underlies all things, permeates all things
and surrounds all
things: It
deals
with the all that there is in the world of fact and
reality, and we can
readily
understand that the mind must aim to deal with the all if its
use is to be the best.
In
other
words the best use of the mind naturally implies that use
of the mind that gives
the
highest,
the largest and the most comprehensive application
of everything there is
in the
mind.
And this the metaphysical attitude invariably tends
to do.
The understanding of the
principle
of absolute reality, that is the soul, so to speak, of
all that is real, also
reveals
the
great truth that all individual expressions of life have
their source in the
perfect
state of
being, and that the growth of the individual mind in
the consciousness of
this
perfect
state of being will cause that same perfection of
being to be expressed
more and
more
in the personal man. The term "perfection,"
however, in this sense
implies
that
state of being that is all that it can be now, and that
is so much that nothing
in the
present state of being can be added.
We all seek perfection,
that
is,
that state where the mind realizes in itself those ideals
that are discerned as
possibilities
within itself; and this form of perfection the
metaphysical attitude
has the
power
to produce in any mind at any time. In fact to
enter the metaphysical
attitude is
to give higher and higher degrees of this perfection
to every power, every
faculty,
every
function and every talent in human life.
There are various
methods for
producing the metaphysical attitude, but the better way
is to give the first
attention
to
the development of a metaphysical sense; that is, to
train the mind to think
more
and
more of that state of consciousness wherein the
perfection of the real
is the
one
predominating factor. When this sense is awakened
each mind will find its
own
best
methods. The majority, however, have this sense and
need only to place it in
action. To
give full action to the metaphysical sense we should
aim to discern the
absolutely
real
that is within everything of which the mind can be
conscious. We should try
to
carry
out this aim in connection with every process of
thought, especially
those
processes
that involve the exercise of the imagination
|
"How The Mind Works"
by
Christian D. Larson
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