Latent Powers
The majority of you know by actual experience in everyday life that
we have within our physical organism that which we call "second-wind."
We have essayed some physical task, and after a bit found ourselves
"winded," that is short of breath, and we are tempted to stop and rest
our panting bodies. But, we have also found by experience that if we
will stick to the task at hand the feeling of physical distress will
usually pass away, and we will gain what is called our "second-wind."
Now just what this "second-wind" is, is a matter that has long
perplexed physiologists, and even today they have not been able to
hand us down a very good guess at the underlying cause of the
phenomenon. It seems to be a fresh start acquired by reason of the
opening up of reserve stores of vital energy latent physical power
stored away for such emergencies. All persons who have engaged in
athletic sports know very well the details of this peculiar
physiological phenomenon its actuality is too firmly established to
admit any doubt.
And, as is often the case, examination shows a curious parallel
between the working of Nature on the mental plane and on the physical.
Just as there is a physical "second-wind," so is there a mental
reserve force or latent energy upon which we can draw and thus get a
fresh start. The phenomena attendant upon physical "second-wind," as
noted above, is almost exactly duplicated by certain mental phenomena.
We may be jaded while performing some tedious bit of mental work, and
we begin to feel that we are "all in," when lo! Some new in and away
we are off with a full mental "second-wind" doing our work with a
freshness, vigor and enthusiasm far surpassing the original effort. We
have tapped into a fresh source or supply of mental energy.
The majority of us have little or no conception of the reserve
mental energies and forces contained within our being. We jog along at
our customary gait, thinking that we are doing our best and getting
all out of life that there is in it think we are expressing
ourselves to our utmost capacity. But we are living only in the
first-wind mental state, and behind our working mentality are stores
of wonderful mental energy and power faculties lying dormant power
lying latent awaiting the magic command of the Will in order to
awaken into activity and outward expression. We are far greater beings
than we have realized we are giants of power, if we did but know it.
Many of us are like young elephants that allow themselves to be
mastered by weak men, and put through their paces, little dreaming of
the mighty strength and power concealed within their organisms. Those
of you who have read our little manual entitled "The Inner
Consciousness" will recall what we said therein regarding the regions
above and below the plane of the ordinary outer consciousness. And on
those hidden planes of the mind, are untold possibilities the raw
materials for mighty mental tasks and achievement the storage
batteries of wonderful accomplishment. The trouble with us is that we
do not realize the existence of these faculties. We think that we are
merely what we manifest in our ordinary dogtrot gait. Another problem
is that we have not had the incentive to take action we have lacked
the interest to do great things we havent wanted to hard enough.
This "want-to-hard-enough" is the great inciting power in life. Desire
is the fire which rouses up the steam of Will. Without Incentive and
that means Desire we accomplish nothing. Given the great, earnest,
burning ardent Desire as an animating force the great incentive to
take action, and we are able to get up this mental "second-wind"
yes, third, fourth, and fifth winds tapping one plane of inward
power after another, until we work mental miracles.
We wonder at the achievements of the great men in all walks of
life, and we are apt to excuse ourselves by the sad remark that these
people seem to "have it in them," while we have not. Nonsense, we all
have it in us to do things a hundred times greater than we are doing.
The trouble is not in greater than we are doing. The trouble is not in
the lack of power and mental material, but in the Desire and Interest,
and Incentive to arouse into activity those wonderful storehouses of
dynamic power within our mentality we fail to call into our
disposal, and which is like all other natural powers and forces eager
and anxious to be manifested and expressed. Yes, thats what we said
"anxious and eager," for all natural forces, penned up and in a static
condition seem to be bursting with desire to manifest and express into
outer dynamic activity. This seems to be a law of life and nature.
Nature and all in it seems to be eager for active expression. Have you
not been surprised at yourselves at times, when under some slightly
higher pressure and incentive Something Within you seemed to break its
bounds and fairly carry you off of your feet in its rush into active
work? Have you not accomplished tasks under the s tress of a sudden
urgent need, that you would have deemed impossible in cold-blood. Have
you not carried all before you when you "warmed-up" to the task,
whereas your ordinary self would have stood around doing nothing under
ordinary circumstances.
Earnestness and Enthusiasm are two great factors in bringing into
operation these latent forces, and dormant powers of the mentality.
But one need not stand by and wait until you work yourself into a fit
of fervor before the energies spring into action. You can by a careful
training of the Will or rather, by a carefully training of yourself
use you Will manage to get hold of the mental throttle, so that you
may pull it down and turn on a full head of steam whenever necessary.
And when you have once mastered this, you will find that you are not
any more tired when running under full pressure, than when you are
crawling along - this being one of the Secrets of Success.
To many a person, the term "The Will," means merely a firm,
steadfastness of mind, akin to Determination and Fixity of Purpose. To
others it means something like Desire. To others, it means "the power
of choice," etc. But to occultists, the Will is something far more
than these things it means a Vital Power an Acting Force of the
Mind capable of dominating and ruling the other mental faculties as
well as projecting itself beyond the mental organs of the individual
and affecting others coming within its field of influence. And it is
in this sense that we use the word "Will" in this lesson.
We have no desire to take the reader into the dim realms of
metaphysics, or even into the lighter but still arduous paths of
scientific psychology, but we must acquaint him with the fact of the
existence of this thing that we call Will Power, and its relation to
the "I." Of all the mental faculties or powers, that of the Will is
the closest to the "I" or Ego of the person. It is the Sword of Power
clasped in the hand of the Ego. One may divorce himself in thought
from the other mental faculties and states, but when he thinks of the
"I" he is bound to think of it as possessing that power which we call
Will. The Will is a primal, original power of the "I" which is always
with it until the end. It is the force with which he rules (or should
rule) his mental and physical kingdom the power of which his
Individuality manifests itself upon the outside world.
Desire is the great motive power inciting the Will to action in
life. As we have shown you the action of Will without the motive power
of Desire is unthinkable, and therefore it follows that the culture
and right direction of Desire carries with it the channel of
expression and manifestation of the Will. You cultivate certain
Desires, in order that the Will may flow out along these channels. By
cultivating the Desire along certain lines, you are making channels
along which the Will may flow in its rush toward expression and
manifestation. So be sure to map out your Desire channels clearly by
making the proper Mental Images of what you want be sure and make
the Desire channels deep and clear-cut by the force of repeated
attention and autosuggestion.
History is filled with examples of men who have developed the use
of the Will. We say "developed the use" rather than "developed Will,"
for man does not develop his Will his Will is always there ready for
use a man develops his ability to use the Will perfects himself in
its use. We have frequently used the following illustration, and have
not been able to improve upon it: Man is like a trolley car, with the
upraised trolley-pole of his mind reaching out to the live wire of
Will. Along that wire is flowing the current of Will Power, which it
"taps" and draws down into his mind, and by which he is able to move,
and act and manifest power. But the power is always in the Wire, and
his "developing" consists in the ability to raise the pole to the
Wire, and thus "tap into" its energy. If you will carry this idea in
your mind, you will be able to apply this truth more easily in your
everyday life.
A great promoter of the steel-pen, and electroplating industries,
possesses this quality to a marked degree. It has been said of him
that: "He had, to begin with, a strong, powerful, almost irresistible
Will; and whoever and whatever he opposed, he surely conquered in the
end." Buxton said: "The longer I live, the more certain I am that the
great difference between men, between the feeble and the powerful, the
great and the insignificant, is Energy Invincible Determination a
purpose once fixed, and the Victory or Death. That quality will do
anything that can be done in this world and no talents, no
circumstances, no opportunities, will make a two-legged creature a man
without it. In this last quotation and the one preceding it, the idea
of Persistence and Determination is identified closely with that of
Will. And they are closely identified, the idea being that the Will
should be held close, fast, and steadily against the task to be
accomplished, just as the steel chisel is held firmly up against the
object on the lathe, until its work is accomplished. It is not the
mere Determination or Persistency that does the work these would be
of no avail unless the Will were there to do the cutting and shaping.
But then again, there is a double-aspect of Will here the Will in
one phase does the work, while in another it forces the mind to hold
it up against the task. So, in a sense the Will is the power back of
Determination and persistency, as well as the force doing the work
the cutting-edge of the chisel, as well as the firm hand that holds it
to its work.
Simpson has said: "A passionate Desire, and an unwearied Will can
perform impossibilities, or what would seem to be such, to the cold
and feeble." Disraeli said: "I have brought myself by long meditation
to the conviction that a human being with a settled purpose must
accomplish it, and that nothing can resist a Will which will stake
even existence upon its fulfillment." Foster says: "It is wonderful
how even the casualties of life seem to bow to a spirit that will not
bow to them, and yield to sub-serve a design which they may, in their
first apparent tendency, threaten to frustrate. When a firm, decisive
spirit is recognized, it is curious to see how the space clears around
a man and leaves him room and freedom." Mitchell has said:"Resolve is
what makes a man manifest; not puny resolve; not crude determination;
not errant purpose but that strong and indefatigable Will which
treads down difficulties and danger, as a boy treads down the heaving
frost lands of winter, which kindles his eye and brain with a proud
pulse-beat toward the unattainable. Will makes men giants. "
So, raise that mental trolley-pole, and touch the live wire of
Will.
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