William Walker Atkinson

“ And always remember that the virtue lies not in the mere sound of the words that happen to reach the organ or cells—they do not understand words as words, but they do understand the meaning behind the words. But without words it is very hard for you to think, or clearly express the feeling—and so, by all means use the words just as if the organ-mind understood the actual meaning thereof, for by so doing you can drive in the meaning of the word—and induce the mental state and conditions necessary to work the cure. ”

“ The physician’s personality, attitude and interest in the patient accomplishes vastly more than the drugs he prescribes or administers. If he is cheerful and hopeful, he gives potency to their action; if he is gloomy, pessimistic and hopeless, he nullifies their effects. The cure of the patient is effected through the subconscious mind, and the attitude and bearings of the physician, attendants, the surroundings and the medicines employed, become powerful suggestions. ”

“ Modern science has demonstrated that the human body is composed of a multitude of microscopic cells, that is, that the muscles, nerves, tissues, blood, bones, hair and nails are made up of minute cells, and groups of cells. Virchow says: “It is of the cells that the tissues are built up and the nerves formed. There is no part of the human body in which the cell is not seen. All these cells are neuclated—have in them a central life-spot like the yolk of an egg. Each cell is born, reproduces itself, dies and is absorbed. ”

“ We are all aware of the fact that digestion is promptly arrested upon the receipt of bad news. The appetite at once disappears. It ceases, and the whole system feels the effect of the depressing impulse—the mental and spiritual wave which lowers the vital thermometer. Fear not only suspends the digestive function but arrests the formation of the secretions upon which digestion depends. ”

“ Whoever be the individuals that compose it, however like or unlike be their mode of life, their occupation, their character, or their intelligence, the fact that they have been transformed into a crowd puts them in possession of a sort of collective mind, which makes them feel, think, and act in a manner quite different from that in which each individual of them would feel, think and act, were he in a state of isolation. There are certain ideas and feelings which do not come into being, or do not transform themselves into acts, except in the case of the individuals forming a crowd.... ”

“ The repair of a cell is as equally as intellectual a process as any other can be. If, for instance, blind force can repair one cell, it can many; if it can build one, it can all, and mind and intellect are then without causal efficacy, without spontaneity, and blind force, fatality and purposeless action reign supreme.... ”

“ And no less striking is the companion activities which make for the preservation of the individual. The instinctive tendency toward self-preservation is so strong that it overpowers the reason in the majority of cases. Men may decry the value of life, but let their life be threatened and the instinctive protective feeling causes them to fight for life against all odds. “All that a man hath will he give for his life.” And this instinctive activity is manifest not only in the individual as a whole, but in every cell of his body. ”

“ In the first place, Science now informs us that in all living substance, from cell to mam [Pg 10] moth, there is and must be Mind. There can be no Life without Mind. Mind, indeed, is held to be the very “livingness” of Life—the greater the degree of manifestation of Mind, the higher the degree of Life. Moreover, the New Psychology informs us that upon the activities of the Subconscious Mind depend all the processes of physical life—that the Subconscious Mind is the essence of what was formerly called the Vital Force—and is embodied in every cell, cell-group or organ of the body. ”

“ The will is the motive power and the controlling force in all aspects of our life, but we develop it especially for the concentration and control of thought. This is the higher self—the infinite will. ”

“ When the body is well nourished, the general system well toned up, and the mind cheerful and active, the repair work proceeds rapidly. But when the physical system is run down, the body poorly nourished, and the mind depressed and full of fear, the work is retarded and interfered with. It is this healing power inherent in the cells that physicians speak of as the vis vita or vis medicatrix naturae, or “the healing power of nature.” ”

“ In order to understand the important part played in the physical economy by the Subconscious Mind, it is only necessary to understand the various processes of the human system which are out of the ordinary field of the voluntary or conscious mind. We then realize that the entire process of nutrition, including digestion, assimilation, etc., the processes of elimination, the processes of circulation, the processes of growth, in fact the entire processes manifested in the work of the cells, cell-groups, ganglia, physical organs, etc., are in charge of and controlled by the Subconscious Mind. ”

“ That it is a mental energy that thus requires assistance, no one denies; for science teaches us that the whole body is made up of a confederation of intelligent entities, each of which performs its functions with an intelligence exactly adapted to the performance of its special duties as a member of the confederacy. There is, indeed, no life without mind, from the lowest unicellular organism up to man. It is therefore a mental energy that actuates every fiber of the body under all its conditions. ”

“ My feet can never be weary nor sore. God created my feet perfect. I walk the pathway of life in perfect ease and comfort. All the obstacles in my path have vanished, and my feet are bathed in a sea of pure love. ”

“ Thus, the New Psychology recognizes the importance of the Body, while the New Physiology recognizes the importance of the Mind. And, in the end, we feel that both physiology and psychology must be recognized as being but two different phases of one great science—the Science of Life. ”

“ We have become so accustomed to the natural healing of a wound, scratch or broken skin, that we have grown to regard it as an almost mechanical process. But, science shows us that there is manifested in the healing process a marvellous degree of life and mind in the cells. Let us consider the process of healing an ordinary wound, that we may see the cells at work. Let us [Pg 47] imagine that we are gazing at the wounded part through a marvellously strong microscope which enables us to see every cell at work. ”

“ The actual value of faith cure as a therapeutic method has been the subject of much discussion. It can no longer be denied that it has value. From divine healing to patent medicine and Father Kneipp’s water cure, all cure disease. Each appeals to a particular type of mind, but the results are practically the same in all—same diseases cured, same successes, same failures. Many faith-curists claim that all diseases in all persons can be cured by their method ”

“ If the Subconscious Mind, the [Pg 38] builder, is influenced by Suggestion to neglect his work, or to build wrongly, it is likewise possible for him to heed proper Suggestion and to repair his mistakes and to rebuild properly. This principle being grasped, the rest will seem to be merely an understanding of the best methods of reaching the Subconscious Mind by Suggestion or Auto-Suggestion. We may now begin to understand the truth of the old axiom: “As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he”—physically. And as Thought is based largely upon Belief, can we not see the dynamic force of Faith? ”

“ We perceive, of course, clearly, that the best of qualities—regulation, control, etc., etc.—are all mental qualities, and at the same time we are equally clear that by no self-examination can we say we consciously exercise any of these mental powers over the organic processes of our bodies. One would think, then, that the conclusion is sufficiently simple and obvious—that they must be used unconsciously; in other words, it is, and can be nothing else than unconscious mental powers that control, guide and govern the functions and organs of the body. ”

“ The ignorant have done their work. They have persecuted the believers, jeered at them, or damned them with a vacuous smile. The world will never lack ballast. It is only the scientists that have failed of their duty. They have stalked through a routine of elevated lectures, written a few incomprehen [Pg 157] sible books, and kept the science of psychology, so far as the hungry world goes, sealed up in their own proud bosoms. In all this uproar of faith-cures, and miracles, and shouting prophets, we have heard few illuminating words from the universities. ”

“ From the same source is taken this treatment for periodical nausea in a child:
“Dear child, every organ of your body is designed to represent the ideal and perfect organ in your real spiritual being; and every function of your body must respond to the word of truth which is now sent forth to establish harmony in your consciousness. The infinite Love that is omnipresent and all-powerful permeates and penetrates every organ and function of your body, and corrects every tendency to discord or disease. By that infinite Love you are now made free. You are fearless and free. ”

“ Just as an army, or a congregation, has a mind common to the whole, in addition to the individual minds of its units, so has every organ of the body an “organ mind” in addition to the individual cell minds of its unit cells. The fact of the existence of “group-mind,” or “collective-mind” is recognized by the best authorities in modern psychology, and the study of its principles throws light on some hitherto perplexing phenomena. ”

“ Disease, in its essential nature, has a deeper significance than simply abnormal manifestations. It is really a remedial effort, not necessarily successful, but an attempt to change, or have changed existing conditions. And for this reason any improper relation of the living organism to external agents necessarily results in an injury to that organism, which by virtue of its being self-preservative, immediately sets up defensive action, and begins as soon as possible to repair the damages that have accrued. ”

“ The blood supply of each organ is not mechanical, but is carefully regulated from minute to minute in health, exactly according to its needs and activities, and when this ever fails, we at once recognize it as disease, and call it congestion and so forth. The very heart-beat itself is never constant, but varies pro rata with the amount of exercise, activity of vital functions, of conditions of temperature, etc., and even of emotions and other direct mental feelings. The whole reproductive system is obviously under the sway and guidance of more than blind material forces. ”

“ Remember that each individual cell lives, and has an office that no other cell can fill to save it. If the other cell does the work, it will live, but the failing cell will not profit thereby. By co-operating they may lighten each other’s labors, but no cell is or can be exempt from doing its part. Any failure of this kind is disease either local or general, according to the degree and nature of the failure, or according to the importance of the mutinous or weakened cell. A cure results when the cells again do their work. ”

“ And, so the problem of Life, Health and Disease once more loses its simplicity, and the mystery again deepens. The deeper we dig into the subject, the more do we become impressed with the idea of the universal principle of Action and Reaction so apparent in all phenomena. The Mind acts upon the Body; the Body reacts upon the Mind ”

“ May not the stimulation we see be a condition only, and the real cause of the act be within the cell itself?... The cell is not a mere machine, but a living entity, doing everything that the body does. ”

“ Our question is: can the physical conditions of the brain affect the physical condition of the stomach? We know that the brain-building condition which accompanies the idea of raising our hand can affect the condition of the muscles of our arm—and we call that a voluntary function. Now the question is whether the brain condition which accompanies the idea of enlivening our stomach can have an effect upon that involuntary function. Experiments with suggestion have proved that in some cases it can, if it continues long enough. ”

“ Understanding the mental and physical changes which follow a certain thought, the suggestionist is able to bring about those mental or physical changes, by using direct suggestion in such a way that his patient is bound to think the thoughts which will produce the results. A man may not have faith in the statement that the thought of lemon juice will stimulate the flow of saliva, but if he will imagine for a moment that he is squeezing the juice of a lemon into his mouth the saliva will immediately flow more freely than usual, regardless of his faith. ”