“Yoga is the inhibition of the functions of the mind,” says Patanjali. The functions of the mind must be suppressed, and in order that we may be able to follow out really what this means, we must go more closely into what the Indian philosopher means by the word “mind”. Read more »

We must now deal with the mental body, which is taken as equivalent to mind for practical purposes. The first thing for a man to do in practical Yoga is to separate himself from the mental body, to draw away from that into the sheath next above it. And here remember what I said previously, that in Yoga the Self is always the consciousness plus the vehicle from which the consciousness is unable to separate itself. Read more »

You cannot be surprised that under these conditions of continued disappearance of functions, the unfortunate student asks: ” What becomes of the mind itself? If you suppress all the functions, what is left?” In the Indian way of teaching, when you come to a difficulty, someone jumps up and asks a question. And in the commentaries, the question which raises the difficulty is always put. Read more »

I propose now to deal first with the two great methods of Yoga, one related to the Self and the other to the Not-Self. Let me remind you, before I begin, that we are dealing only with the science of Yoga and not with other means of attaining union with the Divine. The scientific method, following the old Indian conception, is the one to which I am asking your attention. I would remind you, however, that, though I am only dealing with this, there remain also the other two great ways of Bhakti and Karma. The Yoga we are studying specially concerns the Marga of Jnanam or knowledge, and within that way, within that Marga or path of knowledge, we find that three subdivisions occur, as everywhere in nature.

With regard to what I have just called the two great methods in Yoga, we find that by one of these a man treads the path of knowledge by Buddhi–the pure reason; and the other the same path by Manas–the concrete mind. You may remember that in speaking yesterday of the sub- divisions of Antah-karana, I pointed out to you that there we had a process of reflection of one quality in another; and within the limits of the cognitional aspect of the Self, you find Buddhi, cognition reflected in cognition; and Ahamkara, cognition reflected in will; and Manas, cognition reflected in activity. Read more »

Let us look at this a little more closely, with its appropriate methods. The path on which the faculty of Buddhi is used predominantly is, as just said, the path of the metaphysician. It is the path of the philosopher. He turns inwards, ever seeking to find the Self by diving into the recesses of his own nature. Knowing that the Self is within him, he tries to strip away vesture after vesture, envelope after envelope, and by a process of rejecting them he reaches the glory of the unveiled Self. Read more »

Turn from him to the seeker for the Self through the Not- Self. This is the way of the scientist, of the man who uses the concrete, active Manas, in order scientifically to understand the universe; he has to find the real among the unreal, the eternal among the changing, the Self amid the diversity of forms. Read more »

The next point that I would pause upon, and ask you to realise, is the fact that Yoga is a science of psychology. I want further to point out to you that it is not a science of ethic, though ethic is certainly the foundation of it. Psychology and ethic are not the same. The science of psychology is the result of the study of mind. The science of ethic is the result of the study of conduct, so as to bring about the harmonious relation of one to another. Ethic is a science of life, and not an investigation into the nature of mind and the methods by which the powers of the mind may be developed and evolved. Read more »

Let us pass now to the “states of the mind” as they are called. The word which is used for the states of the mind by Patanjali is Vritti. This admirably constructed language Sanskrit gives you in that very word its own meaning. Vrittis means the “being” of the mind; the ways in which mind can exist; the modes of the mind; the modes of mental existence; the ways of existing.
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Let us pass again from that to another statement made by this great teacher of Yoga: “Pentads are of two kinds, painful and non-painful.” Why did he not say: “painful and pleasant”? Because he was an accurate thinker, a logical thinker, and he uses the logical division that includes the whole universe of discourse, A and Not-A, painful and non-painful. Read more »

In dealing with the third section of the subject, I drew your attention to the states of mind, and pointed out to you that, according to the Samskrit word vritti, those states of mind should be regarded as ways in which the mind exists, or, to use the philosophical phrase of the West, they are modes of mind, modes of mental existence. Read more »

It is with no ordinary feelings that we address ourselves to our students of the Yogi class. We see, as they perhaps do not, that to many of them this series of lessons will be as seed planted in fertile soil, which will in due time put forth sprouts which will force their way gradually into the sunlight of consciousness, where they will put forth leaves, blossom, and fruit. Many of the fragments of truth which will be presented to you will not be recognized by you at this time, but in years to come you will recognize the verity of the impressions which will be conveyed to you in these lessons, and then, and then only, will you make these truths your own. Read more »

Man is a far more complete being than is generally imagined. He has not only a body and a soul, but he is a spirit possessing a soul, which soul has several vehicles for expression, these several vehicles being of different degrees of density, the body being the lowest form of expression. These different vehicles manifest upon different “planes,” such as the “physical plane,” the “astral plane,” etc., all of which will be explained as we proceed. The real self is pure spirit, a spark of the divine fire. This spirit is encased within numerous sheaths, which prevent its full expression. As man advances in development, his consciousness passes from the lower planes to the higher, and he becomes more and more aware of his higher nature. Read more »

Of all the seven principles of man, the physical body is of course the most apparent. It is the lowest in the scale, and is the crudest manifestation of the man. But this does not mean that the physical should be despised or neglected. Read more »

This second principle of man is not nearly so well known as its physical brother, although it is closely connected with the latter and is its exact counterpart in appearance. The astral body has been known to people in all ages, and has given rise to many superstitions and mysteries, owing to a lack of knowledge of its nature. It has been called the “ethereal body”; the “fluidic body”; the “double”; the “wraith”; the “Doppelganger,” etc. Read more »

We have said something of Prana in our little book, “The Science of Breath,” which many of you have read. As we said in that book, Prana is universal energy, but in our consideration of it we will confine ourselves to that manifestation of Prana which we call vital force. This vital force is found in all forms of life - from the amoeba to man - from the most elementary form of plant life to the highest form of animal life. Read more »

In our First Lesson we called your attention briefly to the three lower principles of man - i.e., (1) the physical body; (2) the astral body; (3) Prana, or vital force. We also led up to the subject of the mental principles, which form the fourth, fifth, and sixth, respectively, of the seven principles of man. Read more »

This plane of mentation we share in connection with the lower animals, in, at least, its lower forms. It is the first plane of mentation reached in the scale of evolution. Its lowest phases are along lines in which consciousness is scarcely evident, and it extends from this lowly place in the scale until it manifests a very high degree of consciousness in comparison with its lowest phases; in fact, when it begins to shade into the fifth principle, it is difficult to distinguish it from the lowest forms of the latter. Read more »

We now reach the mental principle which distinguishes man from the brute. The first four principles man shares in common with the lower forms of life, but when the fifth principle begins to unfold he has reached an important stage of the journey along the path of attainment. He feels his manhood manifesting within him. Read more »

In our Second Lesson we gave you a brief outline of the Fourth and Fifth Principles of Man, i.e.; (4) Instinctive Mind, and (5) Intellect. As we have told you before, man has passed through the Fourth Principle stage to its extreme, and has now passed on to a consciousness of the Fifth Principle, Intellect. Read more »

The Sixth Principle, Spiritual Mind, has been styled by some writers “The Superconscious Mind,” which term is a fairly good one, as it distinguishes between the lower Subconscious Mind or Instinctive Mind, the Conscious Mind or Intellect, and itself, which latter, while outside of the realm of ordinary human consciousness, is still a very different thing from the lower or Instinctive Mind. Read more »

How shall we approach this subject, which even the most advanced minds in the flesh today can but faintly comprehend? How can the finite express or comprehend the infinite? Spirit, man’s Seventh Principle, is the Divine Spark - our most precious inheritance from the Divine Power - a ray from the Central Sun - the Real Self. Read more »

With many, Spiritual Mind unfolds gradually and slowly, and, while one may feel a steady increase of spiritual knowledge and consciousness, he may not have experienced any marked and startling change. Others have had moments of what is known as “Illumination,” when they seemed lifted almost out of their normal state, and where they seemed to pass into a higher plane of consciousness or being, which left them more advanced than ever before, although they could not carry back into consciousness a clear recollection of what they had experienced while in the exalted state of mind. Read more »

In our previous three lessons we called your attention briefly, in turn, to the Seven Principles of Man. The subject of the Constitution of Man, however, is incomplete without a reference to what occultists know as the Human Aura. Read more »

The grossest form of the human Aura is, of course, that emanating from the physical body. This is sometimes spoken of as the “Health Aura,” as it is a sure indication of the state of the physical health of the person from whose body it radiates. Read more »

The Aura of the third principle, or Prana, is difficult to describe except to those who have seen the “X-Ray.” It looks something like a vapory cloud of the color and appearance of an electric spark. In fact, all manifestations of Prana resemble electric light or sparks. Read more »

We now approach the most interesting features concerning the Human Aura, and we think that some of the facts to be stated in this lesson will be a revelation even to many who are perfectly familiar with the three manifestations of the Aura which we have just mentioned. Read more »

We think it better, before proceeding further, to give you a general idea of these Auric colors, and the thought, feeling, or emotion to which each belongs. These colors shade and blend into thousands of combinations, but the following table will perhaps give you a fair idea of the subject, and will enable you more readily to understand what we will say a little later on in this lesson. Read more »

Right here it would be well to state that even when the mind is calm there hover in the Aura the shades indicative of the predominant tendencies of the man, so that his stage of advancement and development as well as his “tastes” and other features of his personality may be easily distinguished. When the mind is swept by a strong passion, feeling, or emotion, the entire Aura seems to be colored by the particular shade or shades representing it. Read more »

Had these lessons been written twenty years ago, instead of today, it would have been a most difficult task to have awakened the understanding of the Western public to the importance of the power of thought, its nature, its effects. Read more »

The majority of those who read this lesson will have heard something of this subject of the power of thought, and will have doubtless had many experiences of its effect. So this lesson may come as an old story to nearly all of the members of the Class, but we will endeavor to give a brief, plain outline of the Yogi teachings upon the subject, which may help to reconcile some of the apparently conflicting theories which have been previously considered. Read more »

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. Read more »

Our strong desires create thought-forms which work toward the gratification of those desires, be they good or bad. We draw things toward us and are drawn toward things by these thought-forms. They become powerful helpers, and never sleep in their work. Read more »

Telepathy may be roughly defined as the communication of mind with mind, other than by means of the five senses to which material science limits man, viz: sight; hearing; smell; taste and touch - sight, hearing and touch, being the senses most commonly used. Read more »

It is very difficult for us to speak intelligently of the phenomena coming under the head of Clairvoyance without getting into the subject of the Astral Plane, as Clairvoyance is an incident of the Astral Plane and belongs to that subject. Read more »

In order to intelligently understand the several forms of clairvoyant phenomena, more particularly those forms which manifest in what we will call “space clairvoyance,” i.e., the power to see things at great distances, we must accept as facts the occult teachings (which the latest discoveries of modern physical science are verifying) that all forms of matter are constantly throwing forth radiations in all directions. Read more »

There are several means whereby the psychic or developed occultist may perceive people, things, scenes and events far removed from the observer, and far beyond the range of the physical vision. Read more »

Time clairvoyance, so far as regards the sensing of past events, is not a rare faculty among advanced occultists - in fact, it may be termed a common one among such people. And the same faculty, imperfectly manifested, is found among many ordinary psychics who are not acquainted with the nature of their power. Read more »

Time clairvoyance, so far as “seership” or the seeing into the future is concerned, is even still more difficult to explain. We shall not attempt it, except to say that in the astral light there are to be found faint and imperfect reflections, the workings of the great law of cause and effect, or rather of the shadows cast before the coming events. Read more »

We are often asked the question which is probably in the minds of the majority of our students, at least those who have not yet manifested any marked exhibition of psychic power: “How can one develop the psychic power which is latent within him?” Read more »

Human Magnetism, as the term is used in these lessons, is a very different thing from that which the public generally terms “Personal Magnetism.” Personal Magnetism is an attribute of the mind, and belongs to the subject of the Dynamics of Thought. Read more »

The Yogi teachings go further than does Western Physical science regarding one particular part of the nervous system. We allude to that which physical scientists call “the Solar Plexus,” or “Abdominal Brain,” and which they consider as merely one of a series of certain matted nets of sympathetic nerves which, with their ganglia are found in various parts of the body. Read more »

A person of strong concentration or trained powers of thought, also throws off a considerable amount of magnetism along with the thought-waves emanating from his brain. In fact, all thought waves are more or less charged with magnetism, but those of poor concentration and negative character throw off so little that we do not generally take it into consideration as compared to the heavily charged thought waves of the positive or developed person. Read more »

A number of interesting experiments along the lines of Human Magnetism may be tried. If you have a number of friends interested in this subject you may try this experiment: Let a party sit around in a circle, holding hands, and all concentrate their minds on the common purpose of sending a Pranic current, or current of magnetism, around the circle. There must be a common understanding of the direction, else some will be sending in one direction and some in another, and the benefit of cooperation will be lost. Read more »

The student of the history of Man will find in the legends, folklore, and history of all peoples evidences of the fact that healing by some form of Occult practice has been followed by all races - all peoples - at all times. Read more »

This is a form of Pranic Healing in which either the sick person or some “healer” sends an increased supply of Prana to the affected parts. Read more »

Mental Healing covers a great deal of ground, and has a number of apparently differing forms. There is a form of Self-Healing which consists of the repetitions of affirmations, or auto-suggestions, by the patient, which tends to create a more cheerful and uplifting mental attitude, which reacts upon the body and enables it to function properly. Read more »

There is another form of healing, very rarely observed, in which a highly developed spiritual person is able to let his spiritual aura and essence so descend upon an afflicted person that the entire system becomes filled with it temporarily, and all abnormality disappears, as Spirit being perfect transforms all that with which it comes in contact. Read more »

We find, to our satisfaction, that we will have sufficient space in which to give our students a few brief experiments in actual Occult Healing which they may practice. These experiments are given merely as examples, of course, and are not to be taken as being full instructions in the various forms of Occult Healing. Read more »

Magnetized water is often employed by “magnetic healers”, and many good results are reported to have been obtained in this way. The simplest form of magnetizing water is to hold the glass by the bottom, in the left hand, and then, gathering together the fingers of the right hand, shake them gently over the glass of water just as if you were shaking drops of water into the glass from your finger tips. Read more »

Suggestions of healing, given to others, operate on the same principle as do the auto-sugges,tions just described, except that the healer must impress upon the mind of the patient the desired conditions instead of the patient’s doing it for himself. Much better results may be obtained where the healer and patient both cooperate in the mental image and when the patient follows the healer’s suggestions in his mind, and forms the mental picture implied by the healer’s words. Read more »

Distant healing, or “absent treatment,” is performed in precisely the same way as is the treatment when the patient is present. Read more »

One of the things which have puzzled scientific investigators and students of the history of mankind is the persistent recurrence of stories, legends and traditions relating to the possession and practice of some form of Psychic Influence by men of all races and in all ages. Read more »

But outside of this bit of elementary “Black Magic,” of which we have spoken more in the way of a warning and a caution, many people are endowed with faculties which make them powers among their fellow - men and women, and their influence is felt in everyday life, just as the influence of the physically strong man is felt in a crowd of weaker people. It needs but a moment’s glance at one’s acquaintances to show that some of them have a greater influence than have others. Read more »

Now as to the means whereby the Instinctive Mind is influenced. There are innumerable methods and forms of practices, conscious and unconscious, whereby such effects are produced, but they may be roughly grouped into three general classes. Read more »

We will now consider the third form of Psychic Influence, which is known as Mesmerism, Hypnotism, etc. We can merely touch upon that subject here, as its varied forms and phenomena would fill books, if spread out. Read more »

Cultivate the feeling of immortality and reality, and you will gradually begin to realize that you really exist and will always exist, and Fear will drop from you like a discarded cloak, for Fear is really the thought weakening the ill-guarded Instinctive Mind - once get rid of Fear, and the rest is easy. Read more »

Student! Your life is your own. You have only yourself to thank for what you are, have been and will be. Take your present into your own hand. Consciously shape out of it your future. Direct your forces along lines of study and endeavour that have the strongest attraction for you. Such attraction is the indication of need. Read more »

Concentration signifies the state of being at a centre (»con« and »centrum«). Applied to thought, it is the act of bringing the mind to a single point. Each human being must practise concentration »subjectively« and »objectively«. In other words, each human being aims with more or less precision at concentration on a point »within« and a point »without« his own world. Read more »

Now, first of all, what is Maya (ignorance of the real)? Take the dial-plate of a watch. You know quite well that the hands of the watch are governed by the mechanism behind. Both are necessary. Ignorance exists in thinking that the hands of the watch move by themselves. Read more »

(»a«) In all undertakings whether of small or great importance shut off all thoughts and ideas except such as have any immediate and direct bearing upon the thing in hand. Pay attention. Bend all the energies of your mind and will upon it till it is completed to your satisfaction. Divert your attention from one thing to another only when you sanction by a resolve and understand why you do so. Your daily work which you must choose according to the special bent of your mind, will present you opportunities. Read more »

These terms imply two different distinct functions of the human mind. The active function performs the volitional, voluntary thinking. It is the conscious focusing of the mind on some mental problem. Banishing from the mind all thoughts and ideas not in harmony with your special subject of study implies Active Mentation. Read more »

This is a vast subject. If you practise earnestly my instructions on Thought-Control, Will-Culture, and take the Meditation Exercise I am going to give you, you will realize greater strength than average humanity. But you must study and think hard for yourself before any considerable benefit can be derived from even these. Remember please, you alone can teach yourself through intuition. Intuition is tuition from within. Follow strictly the general rules I give you and you cannot but unfold your Inner Soul Vision which includes intuition in its fullest sense. Read more »

Now as you think, the quality of your thoughts and feelings sets up a magnetic centre within your Aura, vortices are created, attracting to yourself similar forms of thought and mentative energy and combining with other similar forms of energy, reacting upon you and your circumstances and also wielding an influence upon all such as may come within its area, radius or field of Force. Read more »

There are four special classes of thoughts that are poisoning the lives of almost all humanity. They are:–(1) Fear-thoughts, (2) Hate-thoughts, (3) Sensual-thoughts, (4) Selfish-thoughts. All worry, doubt, timidty, lack of self-respect, jealousy, spite, malice, envy, slander, dirty, vicious, will-weakening, health-destroying, poverty-breeding, soul-killing influences radiate from one or all of these four. You must cut at their roots and utterly destroy them. In your efforts follow assiduously the following four rules. They alone can give you absolute thought-control. Read more »

You can accomplish this result by tensing the will and by strengthening the active function of your mind and thus enabling it to “step in” and simply ‘command’ the passive function to drop the old thought-habit and take up the new one. Read more »

i. Go away by yourself to some place where you will not be disturbed. Of course, not always and very rarely can you obtain this condition. Never mind. Do your best where you are and the great law will at least find for you all necessary conditions. Shut out all distracting conditions and impressions from the outer world. After a little effort you will be able to do so anywhere, at any time, and under any condition. All mental disturbance is within you. Read more »

You grow by absorption and assimilation. In order to quicken your progress you need abstract as well as concrete ideals. The secret of all rapid and startling spiritual development is man-worship. By man-worship I mean devotion to, reverence, and intense and all-absorbing passion for the perfect individual man of realization–a Mahapurusha, Christ, Buddha and Vivekananda were all such-type men. Read more »

Personal Magnetism is the individual expression of a subtle irresistible and dynamic »Force« in man, which enables him to exert an unusual influence upon others. You all have come into contact with men of this type. They are endowed with marvelous, almost miraculous powers of influencing, persuading, attracting, fascinating, ruling and bending to their own Will-Force men of widely varying mental peculiarities and temperaments. Men actually go out of their way to please them. They attract others without any visible effort and others feel drawn to them in spite of themselves. Various are the examples of such power as afforded by history. Read more »

Will-Force is the power of Re-action. It can render all the other mental functions »active« or »passive«. It is the DETERMINATIVE faculty and is affected most of all by the JUDGMENT. Read more »

If you just turn in and examine the report of your consciousness regarding the »self«-dwelling within, you will become conscious of the “I”. But if you press your examination a little closer you will find that this “I” may be split up into two distinct aspects which, while working in unison and conjunction, may nevertheless be set apart in thought. There is an “I” function and there is a “me” function and these mental twins develop distinct phenomena. Read more »

(»a«) Teach Thy Will to “Resist and Renounce.” Strengthen your Will-Power by Renunciation. By Resistance is not meant outer resistance or aggressiveness. I find that all the modern teachers of Hypnotism advise their students to develop Will-Power by exercising it upon others. This is placing the cart before the horse. Read more »

Rightly has it been remarked that is easy to talk of and write upon this subject but most difficult to possess it. Perfect Self-Control means infinite power. Only the Buddas and the Christs of this World manifested Perfect Self-Control. Read more »

“The first requisite,” says Mr. Atkinson, “of concentering is the ability to shut out outside thoughts, sights and sounds; to conquer inattention; to obtain perfect control over the body and mind. The body must be brought under the control of the mind; the mind under the direct control of the Will. The Will is strong enough, but the mind needs strengthening by being brought under the direct influence of the will. The mind, strengthened by the impulse of the will, becomes a much more powerful projector of thought vibrations than otherwise and the vibrations have much greater force and effect.” Read more »