Experimental psychology

Contents

Chapter *Pagb

Preface ix

I. Objective and Subjective

Preface

IN presenting these conclusions of Experimental Psychology which cover years of time and thousands of practical experiments, we will not attempt to prove many of our claims, such for Instance as Duality of Mind. Much has been written In opposition, but not one fact has been advanced In support of the opposition. We will, therefore, proceed upon the truth of the hypothesis, that Is that man has a duality of mind. If our readers desire a full explanation, reason advanced by Induction, deduction and synthetic analysis, we refer them to Hudson's "Law of Psychic Phenomena," and others, for duality of mind, and to Gray's "Anatomy" for corporal duality.

The old psychology Is passing away and the new experimental Is becoming standard, and as man becomes able to understand and know the Law, he will be enabled to say with KIngsley, —

"So fleet the works of man, back to earth again, Ancient and holy things fade like a dream."

This work Is not written for the purpose of founding a Cult, or to act as a text book, or for

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Preface

the purpose of enabling Its votaries to explain the unexplalnable, or to think the unthinkable. It is the outgrowth and conclusions arrived at after years of study and actual psychological experimentations. During this time, the seeming mysteries of past ages have been cleared up. Musty tomes, profound dissertations of the why and wherefore were laid aside, because the why and wherefore were not present. The claim that somewhere, some place, usually very remote or inaccessible, certain persons could be found who, by living along certain lines, rules and regulations had attained to certain powers and enlightenment, and being very desirous of spreading this enlightenment, had banded themselves together for this laudable and humanitarian purpose, and to attain at least a portion of this ambition, have appointed, commissioned and delegated the promulgator to act for them by establishing certain schools of mysticism in which only the favored few could find rest and peace for their weary souls — their claim has never been verified.

We have endeavored to condense this treatise Into as small a space as possible, objectively speaking, and to use only such terms as the scientifically untrained mind can fully understand. We are

Preface

aware that we are dealing with a subject which is the most important thing in the world to thinking men, a subject on which thousands of volumes have been written, and thousands more could be, and doubtless will be, written.

We have also endeavored to strip the subject of all the mass of verbiage which has been thrown around it through intention and ignorance, and have satisfied ourselves that we can answer Job's question, — "If a man die, shall he live again?"

We have not, at least to our knowledge, had the assistance in our work, of any visible or invisible objective personalities. Neither have we asked for nor been presented with any commission, seen or unseen, but are actuated simply by a desire to point out the way, to throw some light on the path that we have found that leads to peace and knowledge here, now, on this Earth.

Many repetitions will be found, and we have no excuses to offer because they are for the purpose of emphasis.

We wish to acknowledge our indebtedness to Hudson's "Law of Psychic Phenomena" and Binet's "The Psychic Life of Micro-Organisms." Perhaps we have quoted in substance, if not in the

Preface

same phraseology, the above and others, and again express our deep obligations to each.

Los Angeles, California, 1921.

"I am that which is, has been, and shall be. My veil no one has lifted."

— Isis.

YEARS ago the claim was made that man possessed two minds, but modern Experimental Psychology has proven without a shadow of doubt that two minds possess man, and modern writers have classified them as Liminal and Subliminal, Conscious and Subconscious, Objective and Subjective, each phrase meaning the same, that is: Material and Spiritual. We will, therefore, follow Hudson's classification into objective and subjective as best suited for our purposes, and when the objective is mentioned, it is to be understood that we are referring to things material, things that are manifest to our five senses; and when the subjective is referred to we are speaking about spiritual things. Keeping this strictly in view, we will avoid confusion and misunderstanding. Man is also in possession of a dual body, so to speak — we know this positively — classified as voluntary and involuntary, the voluntary part being under the control of the objective mind, under which will and reason function and all acts of volition occur. But with all our will power and reason, we cannot call into action, contract or relax, one involuntary muscle.

The subjective controls the involuntary system perfectly, unless it is in a perverted or diseased condition, in which event it gradually fails, and, being an entity that can exist separately, it abandons the body, when the body can be of no further use as a place of habitation. The subjective is of the All-Life, as found in every objective life. Nothing is found in, or exists to the objective senses, animate or inanimate, where the subjective is not present. Life, therefore, varies in degree only.

The objective manifests through the five corporal senses, reason being its highest function. It is the mind in action through our ordinary waking consciousness. Man in ordinary every-day life is using this objective mind function continually in trying to prove by objective reason the things that are spiritual, and he thus produces a mass of stuff which is ridiculous to a logical, analytical mind.

Subjective mind is that intelligence which manifests in all subjective conditions as in somnambulism, trance, clairvoyance, sleep, or when the objective senses are partially or wholly inhibited.

The great function of the subjective is that of intuition. Do not confound intuition with premonition or perception, because they are not synonymous to the subjective. The subjective can reason only by deduction, axiomatic of Divinity, for Divinity needs not induction or deduction to prove anything. Divinity is reason.

The subjective is potentially perfect memory, therefore anything perfect is Divine. When we grasp this fully in our understanding we awake to the consciousness that to Divinity there is no beginning and no ending, no yesterday, no tomorrow, no time or space, but one everlasting and eternal NOW.

Time and space are artificial and really do not exist. They are but the production of the objective for convenience, and therefore cannot and do not exist to the subjective. Therefore if this be true, if there is no time or space, objective resistance and obstruction disappear, and things that were formerly incomprehensible or veiled are now made clear. Many things become like an

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open book to the initiate. Certain laws are present and certain conditions are necessary and must be complied with, and upon the ability to comply depends the success attained. Here comes in knowledge, wisdom and understanding.

Man's bodily functions, as well as the bodily functions of every living thing, are under the dominion of the subjective. Every minute cell receives its stimulus or life from this source, because it is from the All Life that the heart and all the organs of the organic body keep up their ceaseless vigil and labor; day and night they never cease. To this it is not sufficient to reply, Nature. While such a reply might be true as a whole, to the inquiring mind looking for truth, believing that there is a law governing all things, such a reply would be lacking in detail and unsatisfactory in logic. To deny simply or to affirm simply, proves nothing, and is the refuge of ignorance.

Another function of the subjective is that of self-protection; that is in all the organic world, in every living thing, this wonderful function is present. The subjective receives its impulses according to a natural law from the objective during normal conditions, but when an emergency exists, such as imminent danger to the body which the subjective has In charge, the subjective will forcibly assume for the time being full charge and protect the body perfectly, when, If the body were wholly left to the care of the objective reason, disaster would have occurred. Who has not experienced some accident, or known those who have and who were apparently saved In what to them seemed a miraculous way, because, when It was all over, and a return to their normal condition, as It were, had taken place, they had absolutely no recollection of how It all occurred?

Reproduction, we place third among the functions of the subjective; It Is the All Life manifesting. The great creating evolutionary force is at work In all sentient beings, without which all evolution would cease, and objective organic life on this planet would cease. It is most powerful, and unless held in control by objective reason, soon becomes dominant, or at least reaches a point when it becomes detrimental to the laws of God and man.

The subjective, in this life. Is under the guidance of objective reason. All Instructions that reach the subjective must do so through the objective mind, and because of the lack of this objective reason an unbalanced condition occurs. Subjective mind runs riot, and insanity in some form, perversions, etc., occur. The perfect objective Life mind is, therefore, the well balanced mind.

The subjective mind is the store house of memory — and the home of the emotions. It perceives by intuition, and while this function is usually suppressed or confused, it may be cultivated. Yes, this "still, small voice," so often sneered at, is the true voice of enlightenment, a power it becomes for good, teaching truth and righteousness, a voice from the Divine within man, only seeking to give that which so many are truly and earnestly seeking — ^but seeking in a maze of mystic vocabulary and a location somewhere, in some distant land, or in possession of some wonderful person, whom few have ever seen, and they only because of their alleged holiness.

The subjective performs its highest functions when the objective mind is in abeyance. It sees without the use of the human eye. For it, time or space does not exist; objective obstructions are absent. The subjective mind of others becomes an open book. It is in fact the power which seers in all ages have employed, a few knowingly, many unknowingly. When rightly understood and thrown on the dark pages of the distant past it becomes the light of Truth and perfect enlightenment.

The subjective mind accepts all statements as truth, no matter how false or unreasonable they may be to objective reason. Those who attempt to cultivate Intuition must beware of deception, knowingly or unknowingly. This is the reason why Truth teachers, in all ages, have insisted on the student leading an exemplary life, pushing aside all objective ambition which does not require right thinking, right dealing, right business occupation, and the maintenance of right and truth against all the world. You cannot use the power of God for commercial purposes. You cannot open a debit and credit account and use this Divine power to further your worldly desires. You cannot cultivate the power of the subjective with ulterior thoughts of furthering your ambition to shine before the multitude, and be considered a wise and holy man. Love of objective power, desire for worldly goods, and selfishness must be absolutely cast aside. Learn to do good for the love of good, without the thought of immediate or prospective reward, and when you have accomplished this, you are then on the Path, and true enlightenment will surely come. "The Kingdom of Heaven is within you."

"Many are called but few are chosen." This was said by One long years ago. It was true then and is true now, for it is a most difficult thing for mortal man to lay aside the objective advantages of a business life with which objective nature has endowed him. Perhaps he is better educated, better informed in business methods, has greater advantage, possesses an inheritance and has greater opportunities for worldly advancement, and he would employ all these to gain worldly acclaim. Can he not have all these and advance in spiritual enlightenment? Yes, this is possible, but the burden will be heavy and the way long, and the objective life is so short.

To such a one the path is open, but the progress will be slow, and many there be who will fall by the wayside, because temptations are plentiful — to take advantage in business deals, to live close to the letter of objective laws, to drive shrewd bargains, to cover up, to do that, in many instances, which he knows in his heart is wrong; to climb up to objective heights, no matter who may suffer thereby, to do all this and much more. If any of these be your goal, then it would be better that you never try to cultivate the power of Intuition, better that you never begin; because you shall surely fail, and woe unto you because of this knowledge; you will have placed on your soul a blot you will carry with you into eternity.

The law of God cannot be trifled with. There is no forgiveness, no shifting the burden to another, no blood atonement, no ceremonies of priests that will aid one iota. Nothing but absolute Truth and Justice will be yours.

Your Soul will be just what you make it, for eternity, now and here on this earth. The way to immortality is along pleasant paths. Beautiful flowers strew the several ways and perfume fills the air, harmonious thoughts fill the mind, and the objective man is at peace. With every step the way grows shorter, trials and tribulations come not, the light grows brighter and brighter and immortality is here.

Who can say with any degree of accuracy where genius ceases and insanity begins? To become expert in anything material, man must give his unrestrained attention to the subject. He must concentrate his objective mind with all his force, he must keep everlastingly at work. The inventor must experiment and produce model after model ; the musician, artist or sculptor must work and practice such hours of slavery and toil as few can conceive or imagine. Some one has said that "Genius is simply the capacity for hard work." This is certainly true and if it be true in the objective sense, it is likewise true when seeking subjective truths of enlightenment.

Music being a function of the subjective mind, no one can become a great instrumentalist without training — and this is usually done without understanding the reason, namely, to elevate the subjective mind above that of the objective mind. In other words, he learns to hold the objective mind in abeyance. The musician who cannot do this never achieves greatness; he may become an expert, technically, but his music will be without magnetism, so called — it will lack what is called Soul. This is true because the subjective mind, man's soul, is not finding expression.

The poet is also in this class. True, he may be able to compose poetry, but there is always something lacking. He gives promise of coming greatness, but as time flows on, unless he learns to allow the subjective to give expression without hindrance, the promise is all that will ever arrive. This is the reason we hear so often the remark that great artists, great sculptors and great musicians are born great.

No man ever achieved greatness as an orator without learning this truth. Orators have told us how they lose sight of the presence of their audiences. They become oblivious, so to speak, of everything around them at the time, and are en-rapport only with their theme, and when this occurs they are full of so-called magnetism, and are at their very best.

In allowing the subjective to give expression, we must hold fast to objective reason. This is the strong tow line that keeps us from drifting down the stream of life into the ocean of insanity, or at least eccentricity; this is why so many great are said to be strange or peculiar, not to use a stronger term.

Thus we see that science has lifted a veil when we learn the "know how" and "why." Then we know that nature's laws are immutable, that they are as unchangeable now as in the remote past, as when the prophets of old talked with their God. Man must comply with the law, and not endeavor to make the law comply with his desire for power or personal aggrandizement. With this knowledge, this understanding and this compliance can we realize fully the teaching of the Master.

Objective man is puffed up with his egotism, his selfishness, his worldly pleasure, but when he learns, as Solomon said, "All is vanity," after he has experienced all these desires and their attainments, after he has become surfeited and not found rest or peace, he turns to things spiritual, and tries to accomplish his desires in the same way that he secured his objective success. First, he will demand enlightenment because he is sure he is worthy, that he is entitled to knowledge, wisdom and understanding, that it is his right — and has he not always demanded and secured his rights, has he not always secured that which he wanted? Has he not sufficient mental capacity to read and understand? Has he not been considered a good and wise man among men? Has he not gained worldly goods and given of his goods to charity associations when the solicitor came around? Has he not paid his pew rent to the Church? Then why in the name of things holy should he not be entitled here and now to that which he most desires, — namely, Light. And he stands ready to pay any fee, any admission charge, take any vow or pledge that may be required, and is ready to stand any ordeal to attain this object.

It is so difficult for man trained in objective thinking to understand that it is impossible to apply the same methods subjectively — as he does objectively, because he has not learned first of all the functions of the objective mind and its limits, and the functions of the subjective mind and its purposes. He has not learned that the objective mind is concerned entirely with his material body and will perish when his material body perishes, that it is concerned only with things of this world, and that it is by its development and use he is enabled to make a worldly success, to acquire man-made money, man-made greatness, man-made power, man-made laws and man-made reputation.

He is unaware that the subjective is not concerned with his worldly greatness, his material money, his reputation, his power over others, his learnings, his goodness, his church membership, his desires or his ambitions; that the subjective is concerned only with the life of his body, its damage and repair as a place of abode, its protection and reproduction. And when the time comes, as it surely will, that the body, by accident or years, can no longer be used as a habitation, the subjective being an entity, the image of God, the temple not made with hands, will depart to the one great cause that gave it being, for weal or woe, bearing in it as it were a photographic plate of every thought, every act, every deed done while a resident of man's material body.

It was said by one of old, "As a man thinketh so is he," and this is absolutely true because it is now proven by thousands of experiments in the new Experimental Psychology. It is not a speculation, not a supposition, but a fact.

Experimental Psychology proves to us that man has a Soul, and that his Soul will depart into eternity just as he has made it while a resident of his body here on this planet. Experimental Psychology teaches us that the Soul is the warp of life furnished man as a life ray from the Divine All Life, and that he places therein as woof, every thought and thought acts, from the cradle to the grave.

Man, then, to get knowledge, wisdom or understanding, no matter how wise and exalted he has been or may become in this material world, must approach the subjective with desires and ambitions in full accord with the functions of the subjective mind — the Soul — not with fear and trembling, not with a purchase price in his hand, not with a demand because he thinks he is entitled, or it is his right. It must be with clean hands, an open heart and mind humbly seeking The Light, searching, thinking, acting at all times as dictated by consciousness and consciousness is the function of the collective thoughts for good or evil as stored up in the subjective soul with good or evil predominating accordingly.

If a man's thoughts are mostly evil for a length of time, his conscience so becomes, and the "still, small voice" for good grows steadily weaker and weaker and finally ceases. His conscience has then become mostly evil. Good thoughts will develop a conscience entirely for good, which will speak in thunder tones to its possessor when evil approaches.

Man cannot mingle together, with success, things objective and subjective. But he can understand and know them separately. He cannot acquire subjective power and a knowledge of the law and use this power for purposes objective, that is, to accumulate money for any purpose for what he might consider the good of mankind, — without disaster. It has been tried in hundreds of

Instances, but always with disaster to soul and body, and a resulting failure of the enterprise.

Man cannot place the Kingdom of God on a commercial basis; he cannot open a debit and credit account with Jehovah.

Man's objective mind is much more developed than woman's; woman stands much closer to the line of demarkation than does man, and this Is according to nature's laws. Were this not so, reproduction would cease, and all objective, human life come to an end. Because of woman's egoism and man's egotism, life continues on neverceasing. We have heretofore described the subjective as egoistic, boastful, self-centered and domineering, and we find this scientifically demonstrated In woman's very nature, and it must be so because nature requires her to be so. The subjective cannot be criticized when the objective Is even very slightly in abeyance, and woman, because of her mental construction, cannot stand criticism or argument. It is against her very nature. Man, because of his ignorance In this, as In many other affairs of life, is continually prating about his inability to understand woman's mental make-up, and he never will until he disgorges some of his excessive egotism, which is purely artificial on his part, the result of his own cultivation and accumulation, wholly false and not as in woman, nature's product, because of nature's law and Divine wisdom. True, woman, because of her egoism, neglects to cultivate objective reason, and she is not to be censured too much because of this. She is prone to follow her emotions at the expense of her nervous system, and becomes a victim of nerves when she fondly believes herself "psychic." This, however, is misdirected effort. Man struts about, brimful of egotism, as the lord of creation, without one iota of nature's laws to back him up. Dominating, criticizing, expounding ignorance, blissfully unconscious of his own nothingness, a victim of his own changeless stupidity, because of lack of what is and always should be, namely, objective reason — a veritable weather-cock to every wind that blows for good or evil. Man without reason, his highest mental function, is an object of pity, and there are millions whose reason is almost nil, so little is it developed.

Because of nature's laws, woman will find much difficulty in excelling man's efforts. Take the practice of law, for example. Woman is sure to fail here in her efforts to equal, let alone excel, because her subjective mind will not allow her to stand punishment in debate or argument in public places, and her objective mental acuteness becomes confused and confounded. We are aware that this view of ours will also be seriously denied and decried by the women, but this denial and indignation will only go to prove our assertions, that the subjective mind cannot stand criticism to any mild extent.

Dreams are produced by the subjective mind function, while the objective mind is in abeyance, such as normal sleep. The subjective mind never sleeps. It is symbolically described by the ancients by a picture of the All-seeing eye. Dreams are instantaneous, and when recollected by the sleeper on awaking, occurred during light sleep. Every person dreams constantly while asleep, but does not recollect the dreams occurring in deep, normal sleep.

Nightmares, so-called, the product of the subjective, produced by irritation, internal or external, upon the objective body for whose care the subjective is responsible, and it is presumed to be an effort on the part of the subjective to awaken the objective. This is largely speculative, and hence has no place in our discourses or experimentations.

If man could understand Experimental Psychology sufficiently to be able to apply it scientifically to the raising and education of children, primary, as well as advanced, what a very different race of human beings would inhabit this earth, mentally and physically! Those who have but gleaned a slight knowledge of this most important science in the world, are fully enthused with its marvelous possibilities, and are most enthusiastic for the time to arrive when man will begin to really and truly live. We are also most enthusiastic for such a time, for our long experience in public life, the routine of the people to do what every one else does, to have, if possible, what everybody has, to study or read what every one is studying or reading; to dress as fashion dictates; to follow like sheep to the slaughter, without cause or reason, convinces one that, that day is far in the distant future objectively. True, there are those few noble and sacrificial entities who have seen the light, realized the greatness and magnitude of the cause, who are now, and will, while objective life exists for them, bear the taunts, sneers, jibes, lies hurled on them by the ignorant and superstitious masses, knowing as they do, that they are on the real road which leads to contentment and a life of happiness, health and objective beauty, because the knowledge of the great law enables them to work with and not against man here, and in the life to come, and that the life to come is as fully within his power as the one that he is now experiencing.

The law of evolution you will realize must, and does apply to collective man as a collective mass in education and learning as well as in other affairs, and Experimental Psychology will in time come forth to claim its own, because, being Divine, truth must prevail. It will, like other reforms and advances, suffer most from its own adherents, and the enthusiastic and misguided efforts of its teachers. This has always been true in the past, and we are sure it will be so in the future. Experimental Psychology is doomed to suffer most because of its friends.

The blood of the propagandist is abroad among men, and the very audacity and perfection of the science will attract those who are thus constituted, who will feel that they have a call to teach or a mission to fill among the masses and because of the unpreparedness, or real, true understanding

[32] ^, of the subject, will make huge mistakes and ridiculous nonsense of the truth, because "Fools rush in where angels fear to tread." It was ever thus and it ever will be.

II

EXPERIMENTAL Psychology— (and no word in the English language is so universally abused and misused today as Psychology, and by those who should know better, if they do not) — depends on the duality of mind for a hypothesis. That this is an established, proven fact, we stand ready to demonstrate by actual experiments should the occasion require, and at short notice.

Man has two minds, or one mind with two separate and distinct functions. We classify these two sets of functions into objective and subjective. The objective mind functions exclusively through the media of the five physical senses.

The subjective mind finds expression also through the physical sense, and also has functions which are of no objective earthly use to the objective body which it occupies during the objective life.

And as nature does not operate heedlessly, but because of and according to law, we insist that these extra subjective functions, which are of no earthly use, convince us that the subjective is a part of the Divine first cause.

The objective mind, we hold, depends for functions on the quality and quantity of the gray matter composing the brain; that its functions entirely cease when man is asleep or unconscious, and that the body is then entirely under the control of the subjective mind.

Man possesses the ability to place the objective mind, knowingly or unknowingly. In a condition of abeyance differing In degree from the very slightest, in a waking state, to deep lethargy. And this condition we recognize as abnormal, because the objective, being in abeyance, reason, the highest objective function, is powerless to function normally.

The objective mind being potentlonalized matter or material, ceases to function when the body is deserted by the subjective mind, and death ensues. That the body then becomes a mass of static energy, that decomposition occurs, that new combinations of molecular or dynamic energy are formed, are all according to law. Not one atom or molecule of force or energy Is lost or destroyed.