THE POWER OF MIND. William Walker Atkinson
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what is the force that traverses the space across which the particles themselves cannot travel? It is not electricity, or magnetism, for those forces are but the results of these circling and vibrations, and not their cause—and moreover science has not discovered electricity or magnetism between the atoms. And what holds the atoms and molecules of matter together, or rather in proximity—what causes their propinquity? Science answers: chemical affinity, and cohesion! But these terms are merely names, and science does not explain the nature of the force employed,—but it knows that it is not electricity or magnetism, or any other known physical force. I answer: It is Mind-Power exerted over the intervening spaces by Telementation that attracts and holds these atoms and molecules in their places, and yet keeps them "at their distance." Mind-Power, the existence of which in the atoms was postulated by Haeckel, and which always has been taught by the occultists.
And, so finding that telementation exists in the elementary forms of substance and physical things, I am justified in looking for its presence and manifestation from that point of the scale upward. And I believe that the vibrations of mental states, feelings, desires, etc., are transmitted from one mind to another by telementation, arousing similar states, feelings, desires, etc., in the receiving mind along the lines of what we call "induction" in physical science. But before considering induction, I would ask you to consider the following quotation from Flammarion, the eminent French scientist, who says:
"We sum up, therefore, our preceding observations by the conclusion that one mind can act at a distance upon another, without the habitual medium of words, or any other visible means of communication. It appears to us altogether unreasonable to reject this conclusion if we accept the facts. This conclusion will be abundantly demonstrated. There is nothing unscientific, nothing romantic in admitting that an idea can influence a brain from a distance. The action of one human being upon another, from a distance, is a scientific fact; it is as certain as the existence of Paris, of Napoleon, of Oxygen, or of Sirius." He further states: "There can be no doubt that our psychical force creates a movement in the ether, which transmits itself afar like all movements of ether, and becomes perceptible to brains in harmony with our own. The transformation of a psychic action into an ethereal movement, and the reverse, may be analogous to what takes place on a telephone, where the receptive plate, which is identical with the plate at the other end, reconstructs the sonorous movement transmitted, not by means of sound, but by electricity."
As I have said, I account for the transference of mental states, etc., by the theory of "Mentative Induction," which I believe to be the theory more fully meeting the requirements of the case than any of the "dual-mind" or similar hypotheses. The term "Mentative Induction" will be readily understood by those familiar with the phenomena of electricity. The word "induction" comes from the word "induce," which means "to influence." In electrical science the word induction is used in the sense of "the process whereby one body possessing magnetic or electrical properties reproduces that property in another body without direct contact."
In text-books on physics a simple experiment is often given students to illustrate magnetic induction, as follows: A magnet is so placed that its poles project over the edge of a table upon which it rests. An iron nail, or steel needle, is held a little distance below the magnet so that it will not actually touch the latter but will be near enough to be magnetized by "induction," that is, without direct contact. The nail, or needle, will have an induced property of magnetism produced by the current from the magnet, and will support another nail, or needle, by direct contact. This induced magnetism renders the nail, or needle, a magnet, possessing all the properties of the original magnet, so long as the current flows.
And, just as a magnet may communicate its properties by induction so may an electrified body communicate electrical states in another body without actual contact. The text-books are full of examples to illustrate this law. The theory accepted by Science is that the induction is the action of the electrical current through the ether, by waves of vibration. And I hold that just as the vibratory-waves of magnetism and electricity pass through the ether and produce similar properties in other bodies by means of induction, so do the vibratory waves of Mind-Power, from one mind, pass through the ether, and by induction set up similar mental states in the minds of other persons within the "field of induction."
I hold that just as the "excitement" of the particles of matter ("excitement" being merely "aroused activity") may manifest an energy that may be transmitted to another object, removed in space from the first, and then may arouse by induction a similar state of "excitement" in the particles of the second object—so may the "excitement" of the mind among the brain cells of the animal or person be transmitted by telementation to another animal or person in whom, by mentative induction, a similar state of excitement is generated or induced. I hold that there is the closest possible relationship between motive energy and emotive energy—in fact, that both are forms of the same thing. I shall not attempt to go into details regarding telementation or mentative induction at this place, for the reason that I shall bring out the principle in detail, from time to time, by pointing out the manifestations and activities of these principles. But I wish you to fix in your mind the elementary principles of Mind-Power in its phases of telementation or "long-distance effect," and of mentative induction, or the process by which "like begets like" on the mental plane as on the physical. The machinery of the mentative processes and activities being hidden from physical sight, we may understand these processes and activities better by using the illustration of corresponding physical processes and activities—particularly when the correspondences are more than mere resemblances, being operations of the same underlying natural laws. For this reason, the illustration or symbol of wireless-telegraphy will help us to understand telementation; and electrical or magnetic induction will help us to understand the phenomena of mentative induction.
And, now let us pass on to a consideration of the activities and manifestations of Mind-Power, in its phases of telementation and mentative induction, in living creatures, beginning with the lower animals.
Chapter IV
Mental Magic in Animal Life
I HAVE spoken of the manifestation of Mind-Power among the atoms and particles of matter, whereby the tiny corpuscles become aware of each other's proximity, and whereby they move voluntarily in response to the desire aroused by the attraction or affinity of the other atoms; and whereby they also exert a pull or drawing power on the other atoms, and respond to the same attracting force of the other particle. Ascending the scale, we find the crystals building up their forms by drawing material from the fluids in which they are immersed, and then building upon a set pattern and style, as truly as does the builder among the animals or among men.
Passing on to the low forms of animal life, we find tiny life-forms in the slime of the ocean-bed, which are apparently no more than tiny drops of glue—cells without a nucleus— which nevertheless perform the functions of all organic forms, being born, taking nutrition, assimilating, eliminating, growing old, and finally dying, after reproducing their kind by growth and division. But, the point that most concerns us is that although these creatures have no senses, or even rudimentary sense organs, they are aware of the approach of other creatures, and of their food. In some way they become "aware" of these things—how, man does not know. Moreover they are possessed of the power of motion, and exert their will in the direction of moving from place to place. Some of these forms of life, when viewed under even a strong microscope are seen to move by gliding from place to place, apparently at will, and with no perceptible employment of organs of motion such as false-feet, fins, etc. They seem simply to move by pure will. How do they do this? How do they become aware of the approach of other creatures, without sense-organs, or the rudiments of the same? It seems that mentation and telementation are manifested here.
Rising higher in the scale, we find many insects seemingly endowed with the faculty of becoming aware of the presence of other insects at distances so great as to render the ordinary senses of no avail. Students of ant-life relate many remarkable instances of this kind. Ants at a distance seem to be able to communicate with their fellows, summoning assistance, and directing the movements of ant-armies. A professor in an American university has related that upon one