The Complete Works of Yogy Ramacharaka. William Walker Atkinson
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friends and students, please remember always that when we speak of thoughts being real things, we mean just what we say. It may be necessary for you to fix this fact in your minds by picturing the mind as sending forth thought emanations. Some find the picture of the throwing off of light-waves an easy way to fix the idea in their minds. Others prefer the illustration of the throwing off of heat by a stove. Others find it easier to think of a flower throwing off a strong perfume. And one student (now far advanced) preferred to think of thought emanations as akin to the steam being projected from a boiling tea kettle. Take your choice or invent illustrations of your own, but get the idea fixed in your minds some way. It is much easier to work out these things by means of a material illustration than to attempt to carry an abstract idea in the mind.
While, as a rule, the power of thought of a certain kind depends upon the strength with which it has been projected, there is another element of strength which enables thoughts to manifest power. We allude to the tendency of thought to attract to itself other thoughts of a similar nature and thus combine force. Not only does thought along any lines tend to attract to the thinker corresponding thought attracted from the thought-atmosphere within the field of attraction, but thoughts have a tendency to flock together - to coalesce, to blend together. The average thought-atmosphere of a community is the composite thoughts of the people composing that community. Places, like persons, have their peculiarities, their characteristics, their strong and weak points, their prevailing atmosphere. This fact is apparent to all who have thought at all upon these lines, but the matter is usually dismissed without any attempt at explanation. But it must be apparent that the place itself is not an entity, and that these characteristics are not inherent in them, but must have some cause or origin. The occultist knows that this thought-atmosphere of a village, town, city, or nation is the composite thought of those dwelling in it or who have previously dwelt there. Strangers coming into the community feel the changed atmosphere about it, and, unless they find it in harmony with their own mental character, they feel uncomfortable and desire to leave the place. If one, not understanding the laws operating in the thought world, remains long in a place, he is most likely to be influenced by the prevailing thought-atmosphere, and in spite of himself a change begins to be manifest in him and he sinks or rises to the level of the prevailing thought.
In the older countries the characteristics of the leading cities of the nation have grown more or less alike, although there are still many points of difference which the stranger at once feels when he visits them. But in America, where the country is larger and newer, the differences to be noticed in localities are most marked. This is true not only in different sections of the country, but in cities near each other. Let the thoughtful stranger visit in turn the leading cities of the United States, and he will be struck with the spirit of each place, each having its own personality and characteristics, the result of certain lines of thought on the part of the early settlers of the place, which in turn affected the newcomers, who added their thought emanations to the atmosphere of the place, and so on, from time to time, until the several cities have grown farther apart in their characteristics than have many different nationalities. Let the stranger visit in turn, say Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Chicago, Denver, and San Francisco, and he will notice the greatest differences in the characteristics of each place. This difference does not appear so strongly when he talks to individual citizens, but is quite noticeable when he opens himself up to the "spirit of the place." People often speak of these characteristics as "the air" of the place, and the real explanation has been given above - it is the thought-atmosphere of the town. These characteristics may be modified or even greatly changed by a new set of people settling in a town. A few energetic thinkers will send forth strong waves of thought in their everyday life, which will soon color the composite thought of the place. The thought of one strong thinker will overcome the weak, purposeless thought of very many people who send forth only negative thoughts. The positive is a sure antidote to the negative. In the same way the "spirit" of the nation is a composite of the "spirit" of its several parts. If one removes to a town in which the greatest energy is being manifested, he soon feels the effect of the positive thought around him, which awakens similar thoughts within himself. If one removes to a sleepy, "dead" community, his activities will become deadened and he will gradually sink to the level of the town. Of course, the man or woman who has built up a strong, positive individuality will not be affected so easily as the one of opposite characteristics, and, in fact, he may even act as a leaven for the mass; but in a general way the average person is greatly influenced by the composite thought-atmosphere of the locality in which he spends most of his time.
In the same way dwellings, business-places, buildings, etc., take on the predominant thought of those inhabiting, them or who have dwelt in them. Some places are notoriously "unlucky," and, although this condition may be reversed by the man or woman of strong will, the average person is affected by it. Some houses carry with them an atmosphere of sunshine, good fellowship, and good cheer, while others are cold and repellent. A place of business is very apt to reflect the prevailing thought of those at the head of the enterprise or those who direct its affairs. Certain shops inspire confidence in patrons, while others cause one to keep a tight clutch on the pocketbook and a close eye on the clerks.
Places in which crimes have been committed often carry with them an unpleasant atmosphere, which originally arose from the strong thoughts sent forth from those participating in the occurrence, both the criminal and the victim. The atmosphere of a prison is horrifying to the sensitive. The atmosphere of a place of vice or scene of low animal pleasures is suffocating to one of higher mental traits.The atmosphere of a hospital is apt to influence those visiting it. The atmosphere of an old church is apt to produce in the mind of the visitor a feeling of quiet and calm. We are speaking in generalities, of course, as there are many influences modifying and changing these tendencies.
Thus it is with, individuals. Some carry about them an atmosphere of cheer, sunniness, and courage, while others bring into a room a feeling of inharmony, distrust, and uneasiness. Many act as "killjoys" and as dampers upon enthusiasm and free expression. Hundreds of instances illustrating this fact might be cited, but the student may supply these from his own experience and observation.
The various waves of thought sent forth by people attract and are attracted by thoughts of a similar character. They form thought strata in the astral space, just as clouds fall into groups in the atmosphere. This does not mean that each stratum of thought occupies a certain portion of space to the exclusion of all other thought clouds. On the contrary, these thought particles forming the clouds are of different degrees of vibration, and the same space may be filled with thought matter of a thousand kinds, passing freely about and interpenetrating, without interference with each other, but not assimilating except with thoughts of similar character, although temporary combinations may be formed in some cases. We cannot go into detail regarding this in this lesson, and merely wish to give the student a general idea of the subject, upon which he may build from time to time.
Each individual draws to himself the thoughts corresponding to those produced by his own mind, and he is of course in turn influenced by these attracted thoughts. It is a case of adding fuel to the fire. Let one harbor thoughts of malice or hate for any length of time, and he will be horrified at the vile flood of thoughts which come pouring into his mind. And the longer he persists in the mental state the worse matters will get with him. He is making himself a center for thoughts of that kind. And if he keeps it up until it becomes habitual to him, he will attract to himself circumstances and conditions which will give him an opportunity to manifest these thoughts in action. Not only does a mental state attract similar thoughts to it, but it leads the thinker into circumstances and conditions calculated to enable him to make use of these thoughts and inclinations which he has been harboring. Let one's mind dwell on the animal passions, and all nature will seem to conspire to lead him into position whereby these passions may be gratified.
On the other hand, let one cultivate the habit of thinking higher and better thoughts, and he will in time be drawn into conditions in harmony with the habit of thought, and will also draw to himself other thoughts which will readily coalesce with his own. Not only is this true, but each person will draw to himself other people of similar thoughts, and will in turn be drawn to them. We really make our own surroundings and company by our thoughts of yesterday or today. Yesterday's thoughts influence us to a greater or lesser. extent, but today's thought will gradually supplant and