The Volic Force
Distinction between the adductive Quality of Thought
and the Volic Force – Varying manifestations of thought vibrations -
Definition of Volation and Volic Force - A most potent force - The
real man - The "I Am"- Its recognition - Its importance - Man
attains hither to unknown powers - The Soul of Man - The will - The
secret of the development of the will - Active and Passive mentation
- The projection of thought waves.
In the preceding lessons, I have given you an explanation of the
manner whereby one person may attract another, in a personal
interview, by means of the power of suggestion, etc. The person thus
making the impression upon another is aided in his work by two other
forces. The first of these assisting forces is what is known as the
Adductive Quality of Thought, of which I will speak in subsequent
lessons; the second is the Volative influence of the mind of one
person over the mind of another. There is a marked difference in
these two manifestations of the power of the mind. In the first
instances, the Adductive Quality of Thought, once being set in
motion, affects others without a conscious effort of your mind; your
mere thinking strongly of certain things, setting a mighty force in
motion which influences others. In the case of Volation, the mental
vibrations are sent out and impelled by the conscious exercise of
the will power of the sender, and are directed toward some special
object; when the impelling power is withdrawn, the vibrations cease.
I find no term in general use, which is especially applicable to
this form of thought force, and I do not desire to continue to speak
of it as "the conscious effort of the will, producing
thought-vibrations, and impelling the same toward a given object." I
am driven, by necessity, to the coining of a name to express this
idea. I shall, accordingly, hereafter use the term Volation, to
indicate the idea above defined, the said word being derived from
the Latin word Volos, the will. This word must not be confounded
with Volition, meaning the free exercise of the will in making a
choice. I shall also use the term VOLIC (from the same source),
meaning "of the will." The Volic power is one of nature's most
potent forces, and at the same time is the least understood. It is
exerted, more or less, unconsciously by all men. Some are aware of
its effects without understanding the laws of its production and
development. It may be greatly increased by intelligent practice and
training, if one will devote to the task the necessary time and
effort. I will give you exercises for the proper development of this
power, in the lesson on Concentration.
To be able to make intelligent use of the Volic Force, it is
necessary to understand the real nature of the will; and to
understand the real nature of the will; you must realize what is the
real MAN.
Many of us have been in the habit of thinking of the Ego - the
"I" of ourselves - as merely the physical body. This is the
materialistic point of view. Others think of their "I" as a mental
creature having control of the body, and having his abode in the
brain. This is partially correct, but is only half the truth. Others
realize that there is a "higher self" in the man, and a few have
recognized that "higher self," and live in accord with its dictates.
The real Ego, or "I," is as much higher than Mind, as Mind is higher
than the body; and both body and mind are subordinate to it. Both
are its tools and are used for its work, when it sees fit to use
them. The real self is that which we feel when in times of reverie
and introspection, we think or say, "I AM." All of us have felt this
consciousness of the real self, at certain times in our lives, but
have failed to realize its full importance. Lay down this book for a
few moments, and, relaxing the muscles of your body and assuming a
passive state of mind, think quietly and calmly on the words "I AM,"
and endeavor to picture your real self, superior to both mind and
body. If you have secured the proper state of mind and body, you
will perceive a glimmer of the presence of the real self within you.
Continue the practice. It will awaken in your mind a perception of
the truth. Nothing can injure or destroy the real self. The body and
mind may pass away, but the "I AM" is eternal, and impregnable to
harm. It is powerful, and, when the mind has learned to adapt itself
to its influence, man becomes like another being, and acquire hither
to unknown powers.
The purpose of this series of lessons does not permit me to dwell
at length upon this subject. Its importance demands a work of many
volumes to do it even faint justice, but I wish, at this point, to
direct the attention of the student to this vital truth, with all
the earnestness of which I am capable. Take whatever view you wish
regarding the instructions given you in this course, accept its
teachings or reject them, as you see fit, but let this one thought
sink deeply into your mind: THE I AM IS YOUR REAL SELF. When your
mind recognizes its master, you will have learned the secret of
Life. I have planted this thought seed in you mind, and it will grow
and evolve into a beautiful plant bearing a flower whose fragrance
will surpass that of earth's fairest blossoms. When its leaves
unfold and show the flower in all its beauty, then will you know
that you have found yourself.
Lord of a thousand worlds am I,
And I reign since time began;
And night and day, in cyclic sway,
Shall pass while their deeds I scan.
Yet time shall cease ere I find release,
FOR I AM THE SOUL OF MAN.
Charles H. Orr
That which we mean when we say "the will" is a manifestation of;
the I AM of the individual, bearing nearly the same relation to it
that thought it does to the mind. When we speak of "developing the
will," we really mean the developing of the mind to recognize and be
controlled by the will. The will is strong enough; it does not need
"developing." This is contrary to the generally accepted doctrine,
but is it correct, nevertheless. A strong will current is flowing
over the psychic wires, but you must learn to raise the trolley pole
to the wire, before you are able to move the mental car.
Man thinks along different lines. One class of thinking which we
have called Passive Mentation is little more that instinctive effort
- it sort of "thinks itself," and requires little or no Volic Force
for its production. Another class of mental effort, which we will
call Active Mentatioin, is produced by a greater or lesser demand of
the mind upon the power of the will. I can merely call your
attention to this fact, as a detailed treatment of the matter is
without the scope of this work. I have gone deeper into you. In this
work I am called upon to teach "How" and not "Why," and, therefore,
I do not care to take you beyond the border of the realm of theory.
The more man thinks along the lines of Active Mentation, the
stronger and more forceful are his thoughts. The reverse is, of
course, likewise true. The man who understands the law of Mental
Control is placed at the immense advantage over his brother, who
follows the "calf path" of Passive mental effort.
Thoughts of all kinds are projected by the mind, and their
vibrations go out from the individual, influencing others to a
greater or lesser degree, according to the force of the impelling
effort. Passive thoughts are less powerful than active thoughts, but
the former, if constantly repeated, have much force. It will be
seen, readily, that in order to produce a direct effect upon the
mind of another by thought vibrations, an effort of Volation is
required; the stronger the effort, the stronger the effect.
The next lesson will be devoted to the subject of the exercise of
the power of Volation.
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