OR THE LAW OF ATTRACTION IN THE THOUGHT WORLD
by William Walker Atkinson
Chapter IV
MIND BUILDING
MAN can build up his mind and make it what he wills. In fact, we are mind-building
every hour of our lives, either consciously or unconsciously. The majority
of us are doing the work unconsciously, but those who have seen a little
below the surface of things have taken the matter in hand and have become
conscious creators of their own mentality. They are no longer subject
to the suggestions and influences of others but have become masters of
themselves. They assert the "I," and compel obedience from the
subordinate mental faculties. The "I" is the sovereign of the
mind, and what we call WILL is the instrument of the "I." Of
course, there is something back of this, and the Universal Will is higher
than the Will of the Individual, but the latter is in much closer touch
with the Universal Will than is generally supposed, and when one conquers
the lower self, and asserts the "I," he becomes in close touch
with the Universal Will and partakes largely of its wonderful power. The
moment one asserts the "I," and "finds himself," he
establishes a close connection between the Individual Will and the Universal
Will. But before he is able to avail himself of the mighty power at his
command, he must first affect the Mastery of the lower self.
Think of the absurdity of Man claiming to manifest powers, when he is
the slave of the lower parts of his mental being, which should be subordinate.
Think of a man being the slave of his moods, passions, animal appetites
and lower faculties, and at the same time trying to claim the benefits
of the Will. Now, I am not preaching asceticism, which seems to me to
be a confession of weakness. I am speaking of Self-Mastery - the assertion
of the "I" over the subordinate parts of oneself. In the higher
view of the subject, this "I" is the only real Self, and the
rest is the non-self; but our space does not permit the discussion of
this point, and we will use the word "self' as meaning the entire
man. Before a man can assert the "I" in its full strength he
must obtain the complete mastery of the subordinate parts of the self.
All things are good when we learn to master them, but no thing is good
when it masters us. Just so long as we allow the lower portions of the
self to give us orders, we are slaves. It is only when the "I"
mounts his throne and lifts the scepter, that order is established and
things assume their proper relation to each other.
We are finding no fault with those who are swayed by their lower selves
- they are in a lower grade of evolution, and will work up in time. But
we are calling the attention of those who are ready, to the fact that
the Sovereign must assert his will, and that the subjects must obey. Orders
must be given and carried out. Rebellion must be put down, and the rightful
authority insisted upon. And the time to do it is Now.
You have been allowing your rebellious subjects to keep the King from
his throne. You have been allowing the mental kingdom to be misgoverned
by irresponsible faculties. You have been the slaves of Appetite, Unworthy
Thoughts, Passion and Negativeness. The Will has been set aside and Low
Desire has usurped the throne. It is time to re-establish order in the
mental kingdom. You are able to assert the mastery over any emotion, appetite,
passion or class of thoughts by the assertion of the Will. You can order
Fear to go to the rear; Jealousy to leave your presence; Hate to depart
from your sight; Anger to hide itself; Worry to cease troubling you; Uncontrolled
Appetite and Passion to bow in submission and to become humble slaves
instead of masters - all by the assertion of the "I." You may
surround yourself with the glorious company of Courage, Love and Self-Control,
by the same means. You may put down the rebellion and secure peace and
order in your mental kingdom if you will but utter the mandate and insist
upon its execution. Before you march forth to empire, you must establish
the proper internal condition - must show your ability to govern you own
kingdom. The first battle is the conquest of the lesser self by the Real
Self.
AFFIRMATION.
I AM Asserting the Mastery of My Real Self.
Repeat these words earnestly and positively during the day at
least once an hour, and particularly when you are confronted with conditions
which tempt you to act on the lines of the lesser self instead of following
the course dictated by the Real Self. In the moment of doubt and hesitation
say these words earnestly, and your way will be made clear to you. Repeat
them several times after you retire and settle yourself to sleep. But
be sure to back up the words with the thought Inspiring them, and do not
merely repeat them parrot-like. Form the mental image of the Real Self
asserting its mastery over the lower planes of your mind - see the King
on his Throne. You will become conscious of an influx of new thought,
and things which have seemed hard for you will suddenly become much easier.
You will feel that you have yourself well in hand, and that YOU are the
master and not the slave. The thought you are holding will manifest itself
in action, and you will steadily grow to become that which you have in
mind. EXERCISE
Fix the mind firmly on the higher Self and draw inspiration from it when
you feel led to yield to the promptings of the lower part of your nature.
When you are tempted to burst into Anger - assert the "I," and
your voice will drop. Anger is unworthy of the developed Self. When you
feel vexed and cross, remember what you are, and rise above your feeling.
When you feel Fearful, remember that the Real Self fears nothing, and
assert Courage. When you feel Jealousy inciting, think of your higher
nature, and laugh. And so on, asserting the Real Self and not allowing
the things on the lower plane of mentality to disturb you. They are unworthy
of you, and must be taught to keep their places. Do not allow these things
to master you - they should be your subjects, not your masters. You must
get away from this plane, and the only way to do so is to cut loose from
these phases of thought which have been "running things" to
suit themselves. You may have trouble at the start, but keep at it and
you will have that satisfaction which comes only from conquering the lower
parts of our nature. You have been a slave long enough - now is the time
to free yourselves. If you will follow these exercises faithfully you
will be a different being by the end of the year, and will look back with
a pitying smile to your former condition. But it takes work. This is not
child's play but a task for earnest men and women, Will YOU make the effort?
