D1. Mental Tyranny.

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No tyranny is more widely spread and more subtle than that coming of the control of one mind over another or others. It is often a tyranny in which the tyrant knows not that he rules, nor do those in subjection know they are ruled. The tyrant also is generally in complete ignorance of the means and manner by which he rules, and in similar ignorance are those ruled by him or her.

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It is possible for you to come under the rule of another person’s mind and act in accordance with that person’s wishes, when you think you are consulting and acting out your own.

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No control is more complete than when those who are ruled by others think themselves entirely free.

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The child in this way sometimes rules the parent. The child (a spirit with a new body) may have the most powerful mind or quality of thought.

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That child’s spiritual existence may be far older than that of the parent who has given it another physical body. It may have through many successive earthly existences grown in spiritual power far greater than the parent. It is ignorant of its power as is the parent. But in its possible humors and whims or in the assertion of its own character that mind acting on the parent’s mind may largely govern it, and the child will do very much as it pleases.

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By the terms “powerful mind” or “superior mind or thought,” we do not mean what is commonly termed “learning.” We mean the superior power of that force which goes from one mind to another, though their physical bodies be apart.

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An uneducated person may be endowed with this stronger force. That person will probably be successful in what he or she undertakes. The world terms this “force of character.” The real education means the power inherent in a mind as drawn out and exercised—not opinions, facts (often errors) and figures put on or memorized.

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If your thought is superior to mine it will the stronger effect influence or sway others on whom you put it. As an element it goes literally to them and has on them what we must term for lack of a better phrase of illustration a mesmeric influence. In such way, the First Napoleon threw his mind on his troops. Every soldier under him felt it, and had it acting in him. Their minds felt his spirit—as a more powerful element of thought emanating from him, exactly as the physical sense feels the sun’s rays.

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Then why you may ask did not his power for victory continue? Because be fell through ignorance into the common error, of allowing his mind to become adulterated with an inferior force or thought. He mixed his mental gunpowder with sawdust and lessened its strength; when he deserted Josephine for an inferior woman he absorbed the mind of that inferior woman. His thought then no longer acted on others with its old power. Josephine was Napoleon’s natural mate or complement not by man’s law, but the Law of the Infinite. When he received her thought and it was blended with his own, he received an actual power which worked on others separate and apart from his body as does our thought act all the time on others apart from our bodies.

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By the same law, the superior element of thought put out by the mind of a great financier like Jay Gould acts in the domain of finance on other minds far and near.

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If you have any purpose in life, any well defined undertaking which you are determined to achieve, it may be very injurious for you to come in very close association and sympathy with another or others who have no interest or sympathy with your purpose. You can associate with them to such extent as is necessary for business purposes. But be careful whom you take in close companionship. If in such companionship you admit a person inferior to yourself—making such person the sharer of your leisure hours, depending continually on him or her for company, you are in the way of having your force or thought largely drawn from your undertaking. That other mind may to greater or less extent sway and influence you to some line of action damaging to your purpose.

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Is there danger to us then from our associations? Yes, and a great deal. You get from your intimate companion or companions in thought, element either life or death, courage or cowardice, confidence or despair a clear mind or a muddled one. Thought as absorbed by you from others and after being so absorbed necessarily acted out and lived out—is the most powerful, most subtle agency in the universe for bringing you good or ill.

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You need not from the foregoing suddenly withdraw yourself from any association you now have, for fear of ill to you or as suddenly connect yourself with any other. Let you spirit do this work for you. If separation is better between you and others, the spiritual law and force if relied upon will bring about such separation easily, gradually and without jar or disturbance. It will by degrees interpose agencies, events and material conditions between you and others so that their lives and yours will gradually diverge into other channels and yet all will be peace between you. The infinite brings events to pass by means far wiser than those of man who so often loves to be noisy, turbulent, severe and rough in his methods.

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Men absorb thought more readily from women than from their own sex. Women absorb thought more readily from men than from their own sex. Men are more easily ruled by women than by men. Women are more easily ruled by men. Women sway men through their unconscious mesmeric control. Men so swayed and governed may not know it.

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If you are a man, bent on certain undertakings and you find amusement in your leisure hours with a woman in little or no sympathy with your aims and you become attached to her and find her often in your thought, you will thereby lose a great amount of force which would otherwise have gone to aid your project. You may find yourself at times unaccountably discouraged and in no proper mental frame for pushing things. Or you may find yourself regarding your purpose with indifference. You will lack that flow of calm, steady enthusiasm which makes success certain.

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What is the matter? This: You have absorbed of that woman’s mind. You are thinking her thought of indifference or incredulity as to your aim. If you think it you will act it. You have in your mind grafted a part of her inferior mind. You have so made her a part of yourself. You are then to an extent ruled by her, though she may not know it.

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She may be agreeable and fascinating. Time passes rapidly in her company. There is in her for you a peculiar charm. You do not for the time care though you find she is not in accord with your deepest convictions. You brush quickly away the momentary pang and disappointment as you find her at times trifling and flippant regarding what you hold most deeply in belief and respect.

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If it be the woman who has the superior mind (i. e., the greatest mental force) and she become similarly entangled and charmed with an inferior masculine mind, she will suffer injury.

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The charm under these circumstances lasts but for a season. With closer acquaintance it vanishes for one or the other, sometimes fortunately for both. But ere it has gone, the material marriage of the world may in name and form only have united them. Then comes the long years for one or the other or both of disappointment, for such marriage is in the highest sense no marriage at all.

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Here we see the force and application of the Apostolic admonition “Be ye not unequally yoked together.”

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No single man or single woman, who has any real belief and trust in the Infinite and Supreme mind will ever be led astray in this matter. They will be guarded. It is Humanity’s recklessly rushing forward in life without asking for counsel a guidance of the Infinite Wisdom that causes all its troubles.

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Mesmerism or “hypnotism” is but one form of mental tyranny. In the public exhibition the operator may gain that control over another that even his body is moved and controlled by the operator’s thought. In other words the person mesmerized allows unconsciously his own mind to be displaced, cut off from control of its body while the operator’s thought uses his body as if it were his (the mesmerizer’s) own.

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How the mesmerizer does this even he cannot fully explain. He has found that by placing his mind in a certain attitude toward another of certain temperament, be can control that other’s mind. Sometimes, he commences this process by fixing subject’s attention on some material object—say a coin in the palm of his hand. On such coin the subject’s mind may become concentrated and is then less positive or antagonistic to the other’s will. Meanwhile the operator’s mind is in the attitude of silently thinking “must” to the other. He is saying in thought to the other, “You must do this or that” or “you must think yourself in this or that situation. Your arm is rigid. Your leg is immovable. You cannot stir a step.”

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As a person is made to think so will he act. The subject is made to think completely the operator’s thought. That thought takes complete possession of him or her and is then acted out physically.

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The mesmerizer finds he cannot do this with everyone. Why? Because if you have made up your mind thoroughly and are determined that your mind shall not be so ruled by another you will not be.

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The same mood of mind on your part will prevent you from being influenced and controlled by those about you in your daily life, where the process of control of mind over mind is continually going on.

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A mind having the use of a body can be controlled, and its body to an extent used by a mind without a body. This phase of mental action of mind on mind goes now by the name of “mediumship.” The mind not having the use of a physical body may be ignorant, shallow, silly and pretentious. It may lie. It may, in using the other person’s organ of speech, assert itself falsely as some famous character of ancient or modern times. It may be of any shade of character and motive. If weak and erring, it will probably be attracted to and use the organization of some mortal weak and erring as itself.

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This form of action of mind on mind can under certain conditions be a means of great good. It is as used to‑day productive of much evil as are all new developments of force on this planet until better understood.

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No person can without great injury give themselves up passively to the mental control or influence of all and any manner of mind whether that mind use a physical body or be without one.

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These forms of mental control known as “mediumship” and “mesmerism” are but a small part of the operation of this law. Minds are all the time acting upon and controlling other minds or being controlled all through society.

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Distance of bodies apart has little effect on these mental forces. Given a previous close companionship and some person’s mind whose body is a thousand miles away may act on yours for good or ill, until its power is weakened or diverted by the action of some other mind.

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You may be to an extent placed unconsciously more or less under the power of another person’s mind, and that person may put the power of his or her thought on you, and may or may not be ignorant of the method of throwing their mind on yours.

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If such person has a strong and incessant desire that you act in accordance with his or her wishes, and you are much in sympathy and association with him or her and not positively antagonistic to such wish, you are very liable to act in accordance with it, and at the same time think that you so act entirely of your own accord and of your best judgment.

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In such case you may possess the stronger mind and more positive will. But ignorant of this law, ignorant of the fact that mind so works on mind separate from any physical effort, ignorant of the fact that whether physically near or apart, that other mind still works on yours, you are taken at great disadvantage, for you have still this unseen, unknown and subtle force of the others thought and desire ever working on you and you never dream of the necessity of resisting it. For asleep as it were, you may come eventually into a state of complete subjection to that person.

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The weaker mind may then rule the stronger because the stronger blindly allows itself to be bound by these mental chains.

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This tyranny is going on everywhere. Husband so rules it over wife or vice versa. Sister wields it over sister and brother over brother. The one you think your best friend may carry in his mind this strong desire to sway you in some way to his or her purpose and yet be blind to its utter selfishness. But blind or not, the force so put out from that mind will work its results unless you know something of this law and make yourself positive to it.

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The evil for you in such case does not stop with mere subjection. As this action goes on you will have grafted on your mind the turbulent moods of the other, their beliefs in, error and some form of physical weakness or disease will result of it. Because as so ruled you live in that person’s current of thought and that current is not a healthy one. You are swayed and your life turned from its proper direction, not only by the other person’s mind but by the force also of their unseen following of mind.

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You may in such case think your aspirations to be “whims” or “idle notions” and to be impossible for you to realize. You may doubt your own powers when you should believe in them. Because belief in a power is a Demand for it and the Demand in time will bring more of it. Under such influence you may pine and worry in a life of inaction, because of absorbing so much of another’s trifling and purposeless life and thought. You, your real self is by this unconscious mesmeric process thrust aside and an inferior life substituted for your own.

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You may also in such case act out the other person’s moods, tempers and whims exactly as in the public demonstration of mesmerism the subject acts out such mood as the mesmerist may choose to throw upon him.

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If a man fall upon you without intent and knock you in the gutter, may not the injury to you be as great as if he did so willfully? So works this power of mind as put out and received from one mind to another all the world over. The mother may throw it on the child. The child may throw it on the mother.

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The mother from the child’s infancy upward may have at heart this unspoken desire: “I want my child as to occupation or aim in life to be what I wish; I do not want it to go in this or that path in life.”

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But the child’s real self or spirit may be as to inclinations and tastes totally at valiance with the mother. In its earlier years it may outwardly act the mother’s thought, having absorbed so much of it. But as it gains more experience, its own individuality may more and more assert itself. It wants to travel a different path, to live its own life, to be its own being. The mother resists. The child may rebel and then there is open war. Or it may outwardly conform to the mother’s wishes in a passive mechanical fashion and become eventually neither one thing nor the other.”

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If both mother and child have strong wills, the result may be the death of the child’s body. Its spirit thwarted, in all its inclinations, frets the body, wears it out and breaks at last the chord which unites body and spirit.

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As a parent you do not and cannot form any other person’s life or being, no matter what may be the tie of relationship between you. You can to an extent protect and guard it during a certain period of its earlier physical existence, but the time must come, when the spirit with a new body must have its own way, get its own experience, be the path or method what it may, and if it is your “influence” and that alone that keeps it in any certain path of life, you have but temporarily enslaved another mind. You are controlling it after your own fashion. It is but a mental puppet you are working. You are retarding the real growth of that mind, and when your influence is removed, it will no longer live the life you have made it seem to live.

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To‑day there are thousands on thousands of such mesmerized children—it may be added of all ages. They are spirits who have never sundered a link of the mental tyranny unconsciously placed on them by the parents and so they go on believing as the parents believed, erring as the parents erred, suffering in consequence as the parents suffered and in pain and agony losing at last another physical body as the parents lost theirs.

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Demand to be free from this tyranny and ultimately you will be. You will come to know more of these laws. Your spirit will feel and know when there is danger of being so tied to and led by another.

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If you are in a strange city and have any particular business aim in view keep much to yourself. If while there you go and live in a private family and you are by nature sympathetic and what is termed “susceptible,” you are liable to be mesmerized and to an extent controlled by that family. If being in a sense a temporary member of such family, you become interested in its people, if you get into their cares and lives and troubles as acquaintance and association unfolds and reveals them to you, you may have, unconscious to yourself, too much of their mind on you. You will then be thinking of and carrying their cares and troubles. If you do you take just so much force or thought out of your own business. You can not well carry two loads at once. Thousands of plans and business projects are seriously crippled or ruined from this cause. If we do not well guard our sympathy but let it go out freely whenever it is called upon we fritter it away on hundreds and do little good to anyone.

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Many a person is subject to certain mental tyrannies who would scarcely dare acknowledge it did they realize it. We are so overpowered at times by officials behind gratings and pigeon holes. We find ourselves in such cases hesitating or weak in asserting what after reflection shows to be for us right and reasonable. Similarly are we afraid at times and places to ask questions for fear of showing ignorance. And before whom? People with whom, if better acquainted, we should not hold in the highest estimation. Some suffer and endure the little extortions and “tricks of trade,” because of being afraid to protest or “make a row” over such matter. We may try and excuse ourselves on the ground that the matter is not worthy our serious attention. That is not in many cases the real reason. We are afraid of protesting for fear of the opinion of certain people. We are under their smaller minds. We fear being called “stingy” or “mean” over a matter of a few cents. But justice knows neither of large or small things in its dealings.

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A servant in this way may rule an entire household. So soon as the mistress fears the servant—the cook possibly— fears to interfere with the servant—fears to assert her own authority in the kitchen lest said cook “up and leaves,” then the mistress is under the servant’s mind and is dominated by it. This tyranny goes on in thousands of households. The mistress has then given way, become negative to the servant and is by one mesmeric method, ruled by that servant. It is not merely that one servant’s mind which acts on and rules the mistress. It is also a large following of mind attendant on the servant— invisible to the physical eye which assists in such ruling.

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Many a business is ruled in like manner not by the reputed bead or master, but some employee or assistant whose usefulness has made him indispensable and who while seeming to serve, really governs that business. In every shop, every store, every factory, every household, some particular mind rules, though possibly unaware itself of its power. If the reputed head has not the force to rule, some head behind it will. That business then is “mesmerized” by another save the reputed head.

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There is, however, much more reason for our bending to this tyranny than we may imagine. The supercilious official in his office is in his fortress. His room is charged and full of his dominating tyrannical thought as well as an unseen following of mind who are in accord with him and can act on another in accord with their dominating mood. You may go to such a place, tired, exhausted and therefore in a negative state of mind. You are in no mental condition to resist these influences—nay you are ignorant of their very existence and action on you. But they do act on you in such place. A mesmeric or spiritual power is there seeking to dominate you and you may retire, chagrined, baffled, snubbed and brow beaten. You get indignant when by yourself. You can readily tell friends of these troubles. But there, in presence of your tyrant you were really powerless to assert yourself, for you knew nothing possibly of the power arrayed against you.

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This habit of mental subjection to the minds of others becomes so fixed with some that they are slaves to every one who assumes an air of authority with them. They are controlled even by the thought atmosphere of a place or room. They cringe before anyone in a little temporary authority.

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Never cringe or feel yourself abased before anyone. If you do you draw on you the slavish current of fear and abject humiliation. You can admire another’s talent. You may respect it. You may rightfully desire to emulate it (not borrow of it).

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By such desire or demand you will draw to you such shade or quality of such talent as belongs to you.

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You can be and are often mesmerized and controlled by a current of thought as by an individual. Or the individual who in some way discourages you may be but the channel for the conveyance of this thought to you.

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The cringing thought, the fear of something, of poverty or sickness as put out by millions of minds on the one hand, and the tyrannical dominating thought which the same order of slavish mind may put out when it can tyrannize, all unite to form a vast volume or current of thought. Open your mind in the least to it and it rushes upon you like a torrent, overwhelms you, forces you for a time to see only the dark side, only poverty, only failure, only people all about you who never will under any circumstances assist you when you show a disposition to assist yourself.

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All this would be very discouraging. But all these evil or immature forces are as nothing when compared with the Supreme or Overruling Power. They cannot endure when once you begin to open your mind to that Greater Power.

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It is natural for this question to occur to some on reading the preceding, “In view of the dangers of intimate association, who should be my associates? How am I to judge in choosing them? From what you say here, it looks as if to live aright was to live something like a hermit. Or are we to measure every man and woman we meet or to whom we are attracted, and still regard them with distrust for fear they may injure us?”

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We answer first that there is the very best result coming to us through knowledge of the fact that mind influences and flows into other mind. If we can be influenced for evil, so we can for good. There is, as we often say (and it bears oft repetition), a mind above all individual or human mind—the Supreme Mind and Infinite Force.

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If through silent prayer or demand we seek to come into association and company with that Infinite Mind, we shall receive it. We shall be swayed and influenced by it. We might even say we shall be “mesmerized” or controlled by it. We can have no objection to such control when it is all for our growing happiness—when our mind becomes clearer and clearer, our bodies stronger, and every faculty more vigorous, keen and alert.

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We need to place our association and intimacy with the Infinite Mind above all individual association. Then we are led by Supreme Wisdom to the very best individual association. Then are we by the Infinite Mind given judgment, keenness and intuition which immediately tells us who is best for such association.

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When you put yourself in the influence and thought current of the Supreme Power, you cannot long be influenced, controlled or dominated by any human mind or minds. You will grow beyond their reach. God cannot be dominated by man or anything material. Then the closer is your alliance with the Supreme, the more will you have and use of the powers and qualities of the Supreme.

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To be “one with God” or the Supreme Power takes nothing from your individuality. It increases it.

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The tendency with us all is to think we must work out or study out some complicated and elaborate process for our “salvation.” We must, according to the reason and teaching of our material minds, be ever on the look‑out for dangers, snares and pit‑falls—we must be rigid in observances—we must ever be in fear and trembling over something.

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This is man’s teaching—not God’s. That Power needs only an infinite trust from us, and it will do all the rest.

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A Demand.

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We ask here—we Demand to come nearer and nearer the Infinite Mind—to feel more and more sure of its reality—to have proof of its reality—to learn that we can trust it to any extent.

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We demand to be cleared of all doubt in this matter. We ask that this Infinite Mind be taken more and more into our daily companionship—that we walk with it as with a friend—that we know in the most literal and practical sense that we are dealing with a Grand Reality, which involves and assists in the minutest details of our every‑day life as much as it does in controlling worlds and systems of worlds. We ask to feel with this Power that sense of rest and security from all harm—security from want, from sickness, from all the ills, which men dread so that we may say in the fullest belief: “Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil.”

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Q's note:

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Forgive yourself.  Forgive others.  Don't let guilt or anger control you! 

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