THE SOUL OF THE SUBJECT
We may now turn to speculate a little on some conceivable application of
the general principle we have been considering. It seems to me that, as
a result of the generic creation of which I have just spoken, there is
in everything what, for want of a better name, I may call "The soul of
the subject."
Creation being by type, everything must have a _generic_ basis of being
in the Cosmic Law, not peculiar to that individual thing, but peculiar
to the class to which it belongs, an adaptation of the Cosmic Soul for
the production of all things belonging to that particular order, in
fact, what makes them what they are and not something else. Now just
because this basis is generic and common to the whole genus that is
built upon it, it is not specific, but it acquires _localization through
Form_; the form being that of the class to which it belongs, thus
producing the individual of that class, whether a cat or a cabbage. It
is this underlying _generic_ being of the thing, that I want the student
to understand by "the soul of the subject." In fact we may call it the
Noumenon or essential being of the class, as distinguished from the
specific characteristics that differentiate the individual from others
of the same class. It follows from this that this _generic_ soul has no
individuality of its own, and consequently is open to receive
impressions from any source that can penetrate the sheath of outward
form and specific characteristic that envelopes it. At the same time it
is a manifestation of Cosmic Law, and so cannot depart from its own
class-nature, and therefore any influence that may be impressed upon it
from some other source will always show itself _in terms of the sort of
generic soul that is thus impressed_; for instance, it would be
impossible so to impress a dog as to make it write a book; and we may
therefore generalize the statement, and lay down the rule, that "Every
_im_press receives _ex_pression in terms of the medium through which it
is expressed." This becomes almost a self-obvious truism when put into
plain language like this; thus, if I paint a picture in oils, my
impression is conveyed in terms of this medium, and if I paint one in
water-colours my conception will be conveyed in terms of that medium,
and the methods of handling will be perfectly different in the two
pictures.
This applies all round; and if we keep this generalization in mind, it
will render many things clear, especially in psychic matters, which
would otherwise seem puzzling.
Now we ourselves are included in the general creation, and consequently
we have in us a generic or _type basis_ of personality, which is
entirely impersonal. This is not a contradiction in terms, though it may
look like one. We belong to the class Genus Homo, the distinctive
quality of which is Personality, that is to say, the possession of
certain faculties which constitute us persons, and not things or
animals; but at the same time this merely generic personality is common
to all mankind, and is not that which distinguishes one individual from
another, and in this sense it is impersonal; so we may call it our
Cosmic or Impersonal Personality.
Now it is upon this cosmic element, inherent in all things from mineral
to man, that Thought-Power acts, because, being impersonal, it has no
private purpose of its own with which to oppose the suggestion that is
being impressed upon it. The only thing is, that according to the rule
just laid down, the response will always be in terms of the cosmic
element which we have thus set in motion. Therefore on the human plane
it will always be in terms of Personality.
The whole thing comes to this, that we impart to this impersonal element
the reflection of our own personality, and thereby create in it a
certain personality of its own, which will express itself in terms of
the inherent nature of the impersonal factor, which we have thus
temporarily invested with a personal quality; we are continually doing
this unconsciously, either for good or ill; but when we come to
understand the law of it, we must try so to regulate the habitual
current of our thoughts, that even when we are not using this power
intentionally, they may only exercise a beneficial influence.
In our normal state this cosmic element in ourselves is so closely
united with our more conscious powers of volition and reasoning, that
they constitute a single unity; and this is how it should be, only, as
we shall see later on, with a difference. But there are certain
abnormal states which are worth considering, because they make clearer
the existence in us of this impersonal self, which in academical
language is called the subliminal consciousness. The work of the
subliminal consciousness exhibits itself in various ways, such as
clairvoyance, clair-audience, and conditions of trance; all of which
either occur spontaneously, or are induced by experimental means, such
as hypnotism; but the similarity of the phenomena in either case shows,
that it is the same faculty that is in evidence.
In those hypnotic experiments in which the operator merely makes the
subject do some external act, we get no further than the fact that the
person's individual will has been temporarily put to sleep, and that of
the hypnotist has taken its place; still even this shows a power of
impressing upon the subliminal consciousness a personal quality of its
own, but it does not enable it to exhibit its own powers. The object of
such experiments is, to exhibit the powers of the hypnotist, not to
investigate the powers of the subliminal personality, which is of more
importance in the present connection. But where the hypnotist employs
his power of command to tell the subliminal self of the patient to
exercise its own powers, merely directing it as to the subject upon
which it is to be exercised, very wonderful powers indeed are exhibited.
Places unknown to the percipient are accurately described; correct
accounts are given of what people are doing elsewhere; the contents of
sealed letters are read; the symptoms of disease are diagnosed and
suitable remedies sometimes prescribed; and so on. Distance appears to
make no difference. In many cases time also does not count, and
historical events of long ago, with the details of which the seer had no
acquaintance, are accurately described in all their minutiæ, which have
afterwards been corroborated by contemporary documents. Nor are cases
wanting in which events still future have been correctly predicted, as,
for example, in Cazotte's celebrated prediction of the French
Revolution, and of the fate that awaited each member of a large
dinner-party when it should occur--though this was a spontaneous case,
and not under hypnotism, which perhaps gives it the greater value.
The same powers are shown in spontaneous cases also, of which my own
experiences related in a previous chapter may serve as a small example;
but as there are many books exclusively devoted to the subject I need
not go into further details here. If the reader be curious for further
information, I would recommend him to read Gregory's "Letters on Animal
Magnetism." It was published some fifty years ago, and, for all I know,
may be out of print, but if the reader can procure it, he will find that
it is a book to be relied upon, the work of a Professor of Chemistry in
the University of Edinburgh, who investigated the matter calmly with a
thoroughly trained scientific mind. But what I want the reader to lay
hold of is the fact, that whether the action occur spontaneously or be
induced by experimental means, these powers actually exist in us, and
therefore in reckoning up the faculties at our disposal they must not be
omitted.
In our more usual condition however, these faculties are subordinate to
those which put us in touch with the every-day world, and I cannot help
thinking, that at our present stage this is the best place for them. In
this place they have a special function to perform, which I will speak
of in another chapter, and in the meanwhile for my own part I should
prefer to leave their development to the ordinary course of Nature,
neither stimulating them by hypnotic influence, or auto-suggestion, nor
repressing them if they manifest themselves of their own accord.
However, every one must follow his or her own discretion in this matter;
the only thing is, do not deny the existence of these faculties in
yourself because you may not consciously exercise them, for they hold a
very important place in our complex personality.
All such evidence on the subject as has come my way, appears to me to
point to the fact, that it is through this impersonal or cosmic portion
of our mind that Thought-Power operates upon us, whether in the form of
telepathy, or of healing treatment, or in any other way; and it is
through this channel also that thought currents, not specially directed
towards ourselves, nevertheless affect us, just as the first wireless
telephone message sent on September 29, 1915, from the office of the
American Telephone Company in New York, and directed to San Francisco,
was simultaneously heard at San Diego, at Darien in Panama, and even as
far away as Pearl Island, Honolulu, in the Pacific Ocean.
We sometimes pick up messages which are not intended for us; so we must
keep our receiver in perfect syntony of reciprocal vibration with the
stations from which we require to receive messages, to the exclusion of
others which would produce confusion.
But I have strayed a little from our present point, which is rather that
of giving out influence than of receiving it. Through the
instrumentality of this impersonal cosmic soul we can send out our
Thought for the healing of disease, for the suggestion of good and happy
ideas, and for many other beneficial purposes; though the extent of the
result will of course be considerably influenced by the mental attitude
of the recipient, which is therefore a factor to be reckoned with.
But this power of sending out a subtle influence, call it magnetism or
what you will, is not confined to operations upon the human subject. Two
ladies of my acquaintance experimented on two rose-trees, which, to all
appearances, were both in equally good condition. They daily blessed one
and cursed the other, with the result that at the end of a month the
anathematized plant had withered up from the roots, while the other was
in an abnormally flourishing condition. Nor are we entirely without
scientific backing even in such a case as this; for Professor Bose tells
us in his work on the "Response of Metals," that not only can they be
poisoned by certain chemicals, so as to deprive them of their normal
qualities, but that they can be mesmerized into a similar condition.
Such facts as these therefore give considerable support to the theory of
the existence in everything of a "soul of the subject," which responds
after its own manner to the power of human thought.
In what manner, then, is this influence conveyed? It is here that our
study of etheric waves comes to our assistance, by carrying the same
principle further, and picturing the working of the known Law under
unknown conditions. It will at least enable us to form a working
hypothesis. I have stated that our actual commercial application of the
etheric waves extends from the ultra-violet waves used in photography,
and measuring only 1/254,000 of an inch, to those measuring many miles
employed in wireless telegraphy; but this practical application by no
means exhausts the conceivable possibilities of etheric vibrations; for
not only do we find a gap of five octaves of as yet unknown waves
between the dark heat group and the Hertzian group, but mathematically
there is no limit to the greatness or smallness of the waves, and the
scale may be prolonged indefinitely in either direction. Nor is this to
be wondered at; for if we consider that vibration is not a progress of
individual particles from one place to another, but the alternate rising
and falling of the substance at the same point, and that the ether is a
homogeneous and universally present substance, it is obvious that there
is nothing to limit the minuteness or the greatness of the intervals at
which the rising and falling will occur. Therefore we have an unlimited
field for our imagination to play about in. Then, if we further reflect
that all forms are built up of denser or finer aggregations of ether,
and that what determines the generic form of anything is its cosmic
soul, or the generating principle of the _class_ to which it belongs, it
follows that this soul must have a corresponding form, however
inconceivably fine may be the etheric condensation which thus
differentiates it from other souls, and prevents it from all being
mixed up together in an indistinguishable mass. If now, we combine these
two facts, that the soul of anything must have a form, however fine, and
that there is no limit either to the greatness or the minuteness of
etheric vibrations, we can draw certain deductions from these premises.
It is an established fact of ordinary science that, however closely
particles of any substance may seem to cohere, they are in reality
separated by interstices through which etheric waves can penetrate.
The principle may be illustrated by the power of the X-rays to penetrate
apparently solid bodies, such as iron. Then, if we combine with this the
fact, that there is no limit to the minuteness of etheric waves, we see
that however fine may be the particles constituting any form, it is
always possible to have etheric waves still finer and thus able to
penetrate that form and set up vibrations in it. It is our familiarity
with the denser modes of matter that makes it difficult for us to grasp
the idea of these finer activities; but there is nothing in what we know
of the denser modes to contradict the conception; on the contrary, it is
just by what we have learned of these denser modes that we reach the
principles on which these further conceptions are founded. Looking at
this, therefore, in the light of a mathematical proposition, there is
absolutely no limit to the fineness of any form, or to its
susceptibilities to etheric vibrations.
Finally, to this add the power of the Word to start trains of etheric
vibration, and you get the following series: The Word starts the etheric
waves; these waves produce corresponding vibration in the soul of the
subject; and the soul of the subject in turn communicates corresponding
vibration to its body. We may thus explain the Creative Power of Thought
on the basis of recognizable Law, and so we believe, because we know
_why_ we believe, not because somebody else has told us so. Doubt is
still the creative action of Thought, only it is creating negatively; so
it is helpful to feel that we have some reason for confidence in the
Power of the Word. There are a great many "Thomases" among us, and as
one of the number I shall be glad if I can help my "Brother Tommies" to
get a grip of the why and wherefore of the things which appear at first
sight so fantastic and improbable.
But the conception we are considering is not limited to concrete
entities, whether persons or things. It applies to abstractions also,
and it is for this reason that I have called it the "Soul of the
Subject." We often speak of the "Soul of Music," or the "Soul of
Poetry," and so on. Thus our ordinary talk stands on the threshold of a
great mystery, which, however, is simple enough in practice. If you want
to get a clearer view of any subject than you have at present, address
yourself mentally to the abstract soul of that subject, and ask it to
tell you about itself, and you will find that it will do so. I do not
say that it will do this in any miraculous manner, but what you already
know of the subject will range itself into a clearer order, and you will
see connections that have not previously occurred to you. Then again,
you will find that information of the class required will begin to flow
towards you through quite ordinary channels, books, newspapers, or
conversation, without your especially laying yourself out to hunt for
it; and again, at other times, ideas will come into your mind, you do
not know how, but illuminating the subject with a fresh light. I cannot
explain how all this takes place. I can only say from personal
experience that it happens. But of course we must not throw aside
ordinary common-sense. We must sort out the information that comes to
us, and compare it with our previous knowledge; in fact we must _work_
at it: there is no premium for laziness. Nor must we expect to receive
by a sudden afflatus a complete acquaintance with some subject of which
we are entirely ignorant. I do not say that such a thing is altogether
impossible, for I cannot venture to limit the possibilities of the
Universe; but it is certainly not to be looked for in the ordinary
course. I have sometimes been shown specimens of "inspirational
painting" done by persons said to be entirely ignorant of art, and the
ignorance is very apparent on the face of the work. I dare say an artist
may be inspired in the production of a picture, but the technical
training comes first, and the inspiration afterwards. The same I believe
to be true of all other subjects, so that we come back to the maxim of
the power always expressing itself in terms of the instrument through
which it works. With this reservation, however, it appears to me, that
every class of subject has a sort of soul of its own with which we can
put ourselves _en rapport_ by, so to say, mentally unifying our own
personality with its abstract principle.
We are told by some teachers, that we can in the same way even construct
entities in the nature of our Thought, and possessing a personality of
their own with which we have endowed them. Whether this be the case I
cannot say--I do not know all the secrets of the invisible. But if our
thoughts do not create personal entities able to hang "on their own
hook," they create forces which come to much the same thing. They start
waves in the Universal etheric medium, which, like the electro-magnetic
waves of telegraphy, spread all round from the point of initial impulse,
and are picked up whenever a centre happens to be attuned to a similar
rate of vibration, and each new centre energizes these vibrations again
with a fresh impulse of its own; so in this way thought-currents become
very real things.
Such, then, is the power of our Word, whether spoken or only dwelt upon
in Thought, to impress itself upon the impersonal element around us,
whether in persons or things. We cannot divest it of the power, though
we may intensify its action by deliberate use of it, with knowledge of
the principle involved, and therefore, whether consciously or
unconsciously, we are sending out the influence of our personality all
the time.
Now the more we know of these things the greater becomes our
responsibility, and I would therefore solemnly warn the reader against
any attempt to use the powers now indicated to the injury of any other
person, or for the purpose of depriving any one else of that liberty of
action which he would wish to enjoy himself. Such use of our mental
powers is in direct opposition to the Law of Unity which I have spoken
of; and since that Law is the basic principle of the whole Universe, any
opposition to it places us in antagonism with a force immeasurably
greater than ourselves.
Our Thought always continues to be creative; but in destructive use it
becomes creative for destructive forces, and, since it has its origin in
our own personality, we are certain sooner or later to feel its effects,
on the principle that every action always produces a corresponding
reaction. As we have seen, the Law knows nothing of persons, but acts
automatically in strict accord with the nature of the power which has
set it in motion. Under negative conditions the great Law of the
Universe becomes your adversary, and must continue to be so, until by
your altered mode of Thought you put yourself in line with it.
But on the other hand, if our intention be to co-operate with the Great
Law, we shall find that in it also exists a mysterious "Soul of the
Subject," which will respond to us, however imperfectly we may
understand its _modus operandi_. It is the intention that counts, not
the theoretical knowledge. The knowledge will grow by experience and
meditation, and its value is measured entirely by the intention that is
at the back of it.