The law of mentalism; a practical, scientific explanation of thought or mind force: the law which governs all mental and physical action and phenomena: the cause of life and death

Front matter

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Preface

In acquiring the information contained in this book, I lay no claim to having possessed a knowledge or power superior to that possessed by many other persons. I simply claim that after many years of close, conscientious study, to have touched a chord in Nature that responded and revealed to me the law which governs all intelligence, life and the change called death. After thoroughly testing this great power, I have decided to give the knowledge to the world. I do so with the full conviction that it will revolutionize, to a more or less degree, the life of every person who reads it.

I intentionally avoided the use of scientific terms in this book, for it was written for the people as a whole, and not simply as a scientific textbook. I have also avoided all statements that in any way flavored of the sensational or mysterious, because I have no desire to play upon the superstition inherent in humanity. I have not dealt with suppositions or possibilities, but have held strictly to the knowledge that has been thoroughly tested and demonstrated to the entire satisfaction of logical, thinking minds, because I wish to appeal only to the reason and intelligence in man.

I believe that there is one great source of all intelligence called "God;" that the mental and spiritual (mind and soul) are as one in Him and in us; that intelligence has always existed and always will exist. That we are all entitled to share alike in this great gift, and that we each gain all the knowledge we rightly seek and work for. That we are slaves or masters as a result of our ignorance or our choice. That man was created a free and independent being, and that he is bound in slavery only through his ignorance of the source of intelligence and the laws that govern life. That we can make or mar our careers upon this earth and in the life to come, and that it remains entirely with us to decide.

If you, dear reader, are a lover of truth, knowledge and intelligence, the contents of this book will satisfy your desires and give you mental food that you can easily assimilate.

It is to the people who seek truth that they may develop within themselves greater power, that I dedicate this work. A. Victor Segno.

The Basis of Christian Science .... 205

"The laws of thought are the laws of the universe." — Buchner.

Chapter I. What is Ment a lismf

What is Mentalism? To answer that question is the purpose of this book. MentaHsm is a power or force so subtle and yet so potential, that to measure its breadth and depth, and to ascertain all its uses and purposes would require more years than are allotted to man on this earth, for its possibilities are unlimited. It is the source of all intelligence and of all physical, social, mental, spiritual, scientific, artistic and mechanical achievement and advancement. It underlies all knowledge; is the cause of all happiness or unhappiness, health or disease, success or failure, and without doubt will be closely associated with our lives after we leave this earth.

The power and principles of the Law of Mentalism are as old as humanity, having existed ever since man was created. In different ages of the world's progress, men have in some measure realized the existence of the Law, but heretofore man has been unable to grasp it with any degree of completeness. He has, however, from time to time, discovered a few of its mysteries, and, believing that he had the whole truth, formed and organized one of the sciences or religious sects known as Mesmerism, Hypnotism, Personal Magnetism, Magnetic Healing, Mental Science, Christian Science, Spiritualism, Clairvoyance, Clairaudience, Telepathy, Mediumship, etc.

There is but one law underlying all these sciences, and that is the Law of Mentalism. However the study of the various branches of this science has been the stepping stones in the onward march of mental supremacy. If one would learn any language, he must first learn the alphabet, and- then words of one syllable, before he can comprehend those of deeper meaning. Man cannot grasp all the truths and facts at once; therefore, it has been necessary for humanity to move forward slowly, step by step, in its education. All things exist, but man knows of them only so far as he is educated to comprehend them. What is a fact to one is an unreality to another ; thus, no two people will exactly agree upon a given subject. In the study of the previously mentioned sciences, man has been going through a school that has prepared him to receive and comprehend the greater truths which are contained in the Law of Mentalism.

Men have recognized the existence of this power or force, and have given it various names. Biology says this force is "Life." Physics says it is "Thought" or "Etheric Energy," and philosophy, as represented by Herbert Spencer, says it is "An infinite energy from which all things proceed." The Bible tells us that "Man was made in the image of God," is always loved by God ; partakes of all the Divine powers ; is "Heir with God and joint heir with Christ" to all the Divine potentiality ; that man actually inherits and shares the power of God.

Never until this the twentieth century have men understood the tremendous meaning of this statement. It is through advancement in the study of the relationship existing between the physical and mental forces of man that the great truth is dawning upon the minds of men that man's powers may safely be called magical, measureless, and all powerful. There is no longer any doubt in the minds of thinking men that the power of a man's mind over his body is actually superior to any microbe or any disease. Then, if man is master over disease, which we know to be a fact, who can doubt that he has power over the natural forces ? Christ says in John, "He that beheveth in me the works that I do, shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do."

Mentalism is the harmonious action of the three most powerful faculties of the mental organization. The first of these is Thought, the second, Etheric Energy, and the third is Will. Thought is the intelligence which is collected by the brain for the use of the mind, from such passing mental vibrations as are in harmony with it. Etheric Energy is the force generated in the brain by the process of thinking. It is upon this force that thoughts travel from the cells of the brain to their destination. The Will is the operator and director and dispatches and guides the thoughts to their respective stations. Thus, Thought conveyed by Etheric Energy, and guided and controlled by Will, becomes a power of such magnitude that neither material nor distance are a barrier to its transmission.

Thought produces energy and energy creates force, which in turn produces action and motion. Thought through motion displaces the atoms in the air which surrounds the body, thus causing vibrations or thought

What is Mentalism?

waves in the atmosphere. A weak thou.8:ht makes only a slight displacement just as a faint breeze sways hut gently the leaves of the trees; while strong, forceful thoughts displace the atoms over a greater area.

Marconi, the inventor of Wireless Telegraphy, says that a word or its equivalent creates a vibration in the air just as a pebble thrown into a pond creates a ripple in the water, and that this vibration travels with the speed of lightning to the terminus, however distant, and makes itself known and felt by every telegraph instrument that is tuned in harmony with the sender. In the same manner a thought from the brain of one person travels on despite all resistance until it is taken up by the brain or brains that are in harmony with the mind from which it was sent.

A thought of scorn or praise, when sent by the Will from the brain, becomes a living force, and is not lost in the multitude of sounds and vibrations, but goes on to find the individual against whom or in favor of whom it was directed. Such thoughts strike the person with an impact which either hurts or helps them. Those who do not understand the Law of Mentalism may not know when these thoughts have taken flight, and for the same reason the person receiving them may not know from whence they came; nevertheless, he is either uplifted or depressed by them.

Almost every person will admit of having often experienced a sudden depression of feeling, or a fear that something unfortunate had or was about to occur; and again at another time of being controlled by a sensation of hope and happiness, even in the face of seemingly unpleasant facts, and with no apparent cause for it. There are few people who have not been convinced at some time in their lives that they felt the thoughts of another influencing them, even when they knew that that person was a distance from them. Perhaps when deeply engrossed in work or study you have been startled by what seemed a living presence beside you, and the mental impression was so strong that you involuntarily reached out your hand as though to touch the living flesh, while your eyes were fixed upon space and you saw more from within than from without. Or, perhaps you experienced this same feeling of nearness of some friend whom you believed to be far away, and in a few moments he entered your presence and you in astonishment greeted him with "I was just thinking of you."

These or similar experiences demonstrate to what extent a person is sensitive to Mentalism, and to what degree other people are able to influence his thoughts and actions for good or evil.

For the want of a better explanation, knowledge acquired in this way has been credited to Telepathy or Intuition, which means that it was gained through some faculty other than the five senses. It is a recognized truth that we cannot feel or know of that which does not exist, therefore such experiences not only prove the existence of the power, but they prove that we have the faculty to perceive that power. As man possesses this faculty, it is his duty to develop and use it for his own advancement and for that of humanity.

It is an indisputable fact that Thought is the foundation or creative force back of every action, whether it be the simple lifting of the hand, or that used to build a city. The sculptor by his thoughts gives to his model shape and being ere he chisels it from the marble. The artist, likewise, had already created the picture in his brain by his thoughts before he attempted to reproduce it on canvas in colors. Statuary and pictures are but material reproductions of the artist's thoughts, and should you ask him. he would tell you that thev were but poor imitations of the mental pictures from which he copied them.

A thought is but a flash of intelHgence that illuminates the brain. Intelligence has always existed and always will exist, so there can be nothing new created. What we call new is but another spark of light that we have learned to recognize. Thoughts that cannot be measured or compared by the previous experiences of the person have been called Imagination. There is no such facultv, quality, or organ. Such thoughts are transferred to the A person by Mentalism. They are not original or imagin.T-^^/^ tive; they are real. They are a part of the great Intelligence, and w^e but perceive and use such parts of this Intelligence as we are able to understand. The thoughts that we think have been thought before by others, and will be thought by others after we have passed on and our little sun has gone down.

It is by the Law of Mentalism that we read or understand the thoughts sent to us by others. What people think of us influences and afifects us. and plays an important part in our lives. What we say (speech is but an expression of thought) or think of others excites in them some emotion or passion. To what extent these influences are effective is determined by the strength of the Will that guides them and the sensitiveness of the person to whom they are sent. Thoughts not guided by the Will may travel in any direction and affect those for whom they were not intended. To illustrate : The subtle (Etheric) force upon which Thought travels is contained ia the cells of the brain, and is set into action through the process of thinking, and emanates from the brain in waves or currents similar to electricity. As these currents are generated they must of a necessity find space to occupy, and in so doing pass off into the atmosphere. In this condition the force is similar to electricity or steam, which, after being generated, is allowed to escape in every direction because no measures are taken to control it. It can be readily seen that in order to control this valuable force which is constantly going to waste, the guidance of the Will is necessary.

When economically controlled, steam and electricity are valuable agents in executing man's desires, but they are not as valuable as Mentalism, for without Thought and Mentalism these forces would never have been controlled. Steam and electricity uncontrolled are dangerous elements and so are uncontrolled thoughts. One cannot estimate the amount of damage they do and the number of lives they destroy.

V

"Force is not gravity, nor electricity, nor magnetism, nor chemical affinity. But Will is the typical idea of force." — Dr. Brown.

Chapter II. T'he Importance of JVill Power

The Will governs the amount of mental force that shall be produced, and also the direction and distance it shall travel. Like the rudder of a ship it guides and directs the course of our thoughts. The Will being the controlling mental faculty, it is able to make a decision and to send out to the world, or to an individual, the ideas and opinions which were collected by the brain, or those thoughts which came to the brain from other people. It determines the extent of our influence over other people, and it also counteracts the effect of the thoughts and ideas conveyed to our brain by others or by circumstances. It can through concentration attract thoughts to the brain, but it cannot prevent their coming when the mental faculties are in harmony with those thoughts, for it is the harmony that attracts like to like. It can, however, change the mental tone of the person and thus throw him out of harmony with certain people or a certain line of thought. In this way evil may be turned to good, or good to evil.

A great many people possess strong Wills, but the majority do not. The person who is so fortunate can send his thoughts a greater distance than the person having a weak Will. This fact accounts for some people being successful and famous, while others are not known outside of their immediate neighborhood. The famous man is he, who by his strong Will, started thought waves in motion that have traveled around the earth. People are made successful and famous by sending out to the public a series of thoughts which are taken up by thousands of people, who in turn send them on to thousands of others. If this person is an actor or a musician, there is then a grand rush to see him, and if he is a writer, thousands buy and read his book. The thoughts of all these people are centered on the one man and they make him successful. The thoughts that he sent out were at first similar to a faint breeze, but in

The Importance of Will Power

passing through the brains of others the force was multiplied until it became as powerful as a hurricane. Success of this character is not won through personal magnetism, as some people claim, because the public is not within the circle of his magnetism. He reaches the minds of the people by the use of Mentalism. They feel his thoughts and unconsciously obeyed his wishes.

It often happens that the successful man in his assurance of continued success, becomes indifferent or egotistical, and discontinues sending out the strong thought vibrations to the public, and immediately his success begins to decrease and someone else, who is sending out stronger vibrations, reaches and controls for a time the public's mind. Thus one rises while another falls and the people continue to be the servants that worship at the shrine of him who makes use of the Mentalism under his control. We read of and see such experiences every day.

Wireless telegraphy is an acknowledged fact. Messages have been sent and received over a distance of thousands of miles with only the ether of the atmosphere acting as a conductor. Thoughts are sent from the brain exactly as a wireless message is sent from a transmitter. The waves produced in the atmosphere are identical, and the process corresponds exactly with the principles of wireless telegraphy. ( Whenever an action occurs in the brain, a chemical change of its substances also takes place, and the result is an electrical manifestation that produces force and motion. J It therefore necessarily follows that no brain action can take place without creating a wave or undulation in the atmosphere, for the movement of any solid particle submerged ( as we are in atmosphere) in any medium must create a wave. Each acting, thinking brain is the center of the undulations which are transmitted in all directions through space. These undulations or waves vary in character and intensity in accordance with the nature of the person and the strength of the Will that dispatches them. The thoughts of love or hate, of life or death, of murder or rescue, of consent or refusal, each have their corresponding tone or intensity, as each emotion or passion has its corresponding tone of voice.

Thought is Nature's method of communication. Speech is a cultivated talent. If speech had been the only possible means of communicating one with another, we would have been born with that faculty developed and ready for use as the other'^five senses are. An infant cannot speak, but nevertheless it can read the thought

The Importance of Will Power

language. Every mother is confident that her baby knows just what she is thinking and doing. She will assure you that when she is thinking of leaving the room that it will protest and refuse to sleep, while at other times it would go to sleep quickly. Only mothers fully realize to what extent thought language is understood by children. As we grow from infancy to childhood we are taught to use speech as a means of expressing ourselves, and thus the natural faculty is held in check and its development dwarfed. The deaf and dumb converse by a system of their own without the use of speech, and it is a well known fact that the greater part of their understanding is due to thought reading and very little of it to sign reading. That animals also possess the faculty of receiving thought communications, is proven in many ways, but as this work is intended to deal only with that power in man, I shall only mention a few of the facts that have come under our observation. Without the power to think, intelligence could not exist, for thought is intelligence in action. Every one will admit that animals have a marked degree of intelligence. Then animals must be capable of thinking. This faculty, or power, is developed to a greater degree in domestic animals, and especially in the dog and horse. There is a sympathy existing between these animals and man that can only be the result of a mutual mental understanding. Any person who has ever been the owner of a horse or a dog will need no further proof of the ability of animals to understand their master's thoughts and desires. Where is there to be found greater faithfulness than that displayed by a dog toward his master? One cannot help but observe with what quickness a dog will know if you fear him or not, and a horse if you have the confidence to drive him.

That animals possess a marked amount of intelligence is clearly shown by their leaving a forest some days previous to a forest fire, and by rats in leaving a condemned ship, and by birds in migrating from North to South and from South to North with the changes of the seasons. A little investigation along this line will well repay anyone for the time and efforts used.

I repeat, that speech is only an expression of thought. It is one method of conveying thought from one person to another, but its use is limited, because sourld can be propelled only a short distance by the human voice. Wires are not necessary to telegraphy nor is speech necessary to thought. We can send a telegraph message without wires, and we can send a thought message without speech. A thought message may be sent to one per-

The Importance of Will Power

son only, or it may be sent so that it can be taken up by thousands. A proof of this is to be found in the various suicide and murder epidemics, and in the fads and crazes that spread over the country from time to time. Another strong evidence is the series of so-called coincidences on record in the Patent Office at Washington. It is a matter of record that there is seldom an important invention entered for a patent without almost the same thing being entered by several other people at about the same time, thus demonstrating that each one had either been working from one man's thoughts, or upon the combined thoughts of all. although none of them knew that the others had such an idea.

Is it necessary to use words to express ourselves in prayer to God? No. A prayer is recognized as being more sincere when offered up in thought, without unnecessary display. There are reasons why a silent prayer should be the most effective. In quietude the entire mental force and energy are concentrated upon the desire, and the Will is given every opportunity for dispatching the message. Where one expresses a prayer aloud, the sound of his own voice and the attention he attracts by so doing, must necessarily cause his thoughts to wander from the desire and thus reduce the force and efficacy of the prayer.

Christ did not need to be informed of a man's wishes, for He read the mind of man as an open book, and the man's story was already told. Lips had nothing to do with it. The Master knew, felt and shared the joys and sorrows of humanity. This subtle force was thoroughly understood by Him as verified by the record of His life in the New Testament.

"Great men are they who see that mental force is stronger than material force; that thought rules the world." — Emerson.

Chapter III

We all know that underlying every sign of life and in the movement of the heavenly bodies, there is some unseen, unexplained force. The world recognizes in electricity, which now furnishes us with light and heat, and turns the great wheels of machinery, and carries messages from continent to continent, the highest form of mechanical power. Yet this force is not made by machinery. Man has simply learned to control a force which exists everywhere in the air and in the earth. Man is greater and more powerful than any and all the forces he brings under his control, or he would not be able to master them and make them serve him. Man's superiority over all the forces is due to his mind.

Mentalism or thought force as it manifests itself in the human brain, is the highest known type of power, the mysteries of which have been called nature, life, spirit, soul, and even God. QThis great force is the opposite of matter, and does not conform to any of the laws or possess any of the attributes of matter. J It cannot be contained in a given space for it pervades all space^ Its products are indestructible even after the death of the person from whose brain they were dispatched.

We know that every change produced in matter is due to the influence of some force acting upon it, also that force always controls matter. i\s Thought is the greatest known force, it therefore must underlie all human activity. In the human body we find the most perfect type of force acting upon matter. It possesses all the qualities of matter in motion, with the addition of the highest form of intelligence. The life of man is governed by three influences : personal thoughts, the thoughts of others, and circumstances. The strength of the Will, will always determine to what extent Mentalism or circumstances shall be permitted to govern the person.

Mentalism is the^prime motive power back of all human actions. It is not only the architect and builder, but it is also the laborer that carries the material that pro-

Man's Superior Power

duces the growth and makes the necessary repairs for the body. This applies not only to our own body, but to any or all on whom our mental force is concentrated.

The power of Mentalism over physical ailments is well illustrated by the following historical fact :

At the siege of Buda, in 1625, the garrison was in the direst straits, the scurvy had become epidemic, and there seemed to be nothing left to do but to surrender, and no doubt it would have done so, had the Prince not conceived an idea and saved the day by the use of Mentalism. He sent the officers to announce to the men that he had secured an infallible cure for the dread disease, and that he would personally administer the remedy to each man. He gave each man a few drops of the precious fiuid, and at the same time impressed upon his mind the assurance that it would cure him. The effect produced upon the mind of every man was so strong that the result was instantaneous. They were all cured and the garrison made whole in a few days and ready to fight for victory. {The medicine that achieved this marvelous result was not a drug, but the power of Thought guided by a strong Will, the fluid administered being nothing but pure water. )

This incident illustrates the power of Mentalism to arouse the stagnant pool of the physical vitality, and change it into a swift flowing current of healthy, vigorous life.

In the domain of the mind, distance and density of matter are not recognized ; therefore, one portion of physical matter can as easily be influenced and controlled

as another, for all men are made of the same materials and are governed by the same law. The difference in the build and physical features of every man is but a record of the influence made by his personal thoughts and by the thoughts of the people with whom he has associated. ("As a man thinks, so is he." "The outer man is but an expression of the inner man." That is why we are able to read character from the physical form. No man can live a pure Jife and think only pure and beautiful thoughts, and in so doing enjoy perfect happiness, and not show the result of those thoughts in his face and in his manner. Neither can a man who has led an impure life, where his thoughts have been low and material, cover up these signs. J Every thought and its expression calls into action certain parts of the face, and this exercise develops that particular parj^. The law that governs one governs all humanity, and the force that is used to influence one is used to influence all.

Man's Superior Power

Every thought stimulates certain brain cells, and exercises some physical tissue or muscle. This exercise must produce a minute change in the construction of the tissue. This being so, and we know that it is a fact, it is then only necessary for a man to have a sufficient number of thoughts on a new subject to produce an entire change in both his physical and mental organization. It is estimated by scientists that the cells of the brain are completely destroyed and rebuilt once every sixty days. This is the secret of the wonderful cures made by Mentalism. It eliminates the diseased or waste material and develops healthy tissue in its place.

By Thought we not only shape and control our own physical body, but we also, in a degree, form and control the bodies of others. The mother who understands the Law of Mentalism can by the correct use of her thoughts, have and keep her children beautiful, talented and healthy. In fact, she can influence and direct them to fulfill her highest ambition.

Does not history tell us that the woman who sat for weeks watching the painters decorate the interior of a cathedral became the mother of Michael Angelo, the great artist? Then did not the mother of Napoleon, before his birth, visit the battle fields, study military tactics, review troops, and experience with her husband the life of a soldier? Every mother, and often the father, whose offspring shows special physical or mental development, whether for good or evil, can recognize the influence that was the cause of it. The numerous, well authenticated instances of this kind demonstrate conclusively that Thought does form the physical and mental life of the unborn. That the same effect can be produced upon those immediately connected with us is also proven by the resemblance to one another of husband and wife after a few years of married life, where the two have lived happily together. It is noticed that even their tastes and talents change until they think alike and enjoy the same pursuits. If it is possible to project this power beyond the limits of the brain, who can determine the limits to which it may be sent under favorable conditions?