Chapter 9

Projecting Nerve-Force

At the beginning of Chapter IV, I stated that the physical phase of personal magnetism depends upon two coordinated manifestations of nerve-force, namely: (1) The generation of nerve-force; and (2) the conscious projection, by the will, of that supply of nerve-force into the personal atmosphere, and even to a greater distance under special conditions. I have instructed you regarding the phase of nerve-force generation. Let us now consider the second phase, i.e., that of the projection of the same.

Of all of the mental forces of the individual, the will is the most powerful, and at the same time the one least understood. It is hard even to define the will. Enough for our purpose to realize that it is the power within the mind whereby man is able to do things. Not only does man do the ordinary things of life by means of the will, but also he is able to do some extra-ordinary things when he learns how.

The old occultist fully realized the mighty power of the will of man; and their teachings convey some very valuable information on this subject. One of their teachings was that by the use of his will man is able not only to project thought-waves from his mentality, but that he is also able to consciously project his physical magnetism, or vital energy, in the same way. The discoveries of the most advanced students of the subject, in our times, verify the old teachings of the occultists in this respect. The system I am herein teaching is therefore based not only on the advanced discoveries of modern science, but also upon the world-old teachings of the ancient occultists. Truth knows no special age or time – it is the property of the ages.

The average man projects his physical magnetism, or nerve-force, into his personal atmosphere, or aura, more or less unconsciously – just as he walks or breathes, for that matter. He has naturally acquired the habit, and does not concern himself about the matter – in fact, he is usually unconscious of and ignorant of the process itself. The differences in the degree of physical magnetism projected or radiated by such persons is determined solely by the degree of nerve-force generated by them, in absence of any special power of projection.

There is a second class, however, the members of which, while not fully informed of their power to project physical magnetism, nevertheless, by their habitual use of the will in the direction of impressing others, powerfully, though unconsciously, direct waves of the nerve-force outward, so that their personal atmosphere becomes well charged with it, and their influence is felt by those coming in contact with it. In this class of individuals will be found the active, energetic, masterful men in various walks of life, who direct others rather than are directed by others, who give orders rather than receive them. These men generally radiate enough physical magnetism to make itself felt by those with whom they come in contact, and are generally felt to be “strong men.” But even these persons do not manifest the greatest amount of physical magnetism.

The third class of persons is that composed of individuals who have acquired a greater or less knowledge of fact that physical magnetism may be projected beyond the limits of the brain or body, and who have learned, at least in a degree, the art of so projecting it by the use of the will. These individuals range from those who have acquired merely a glimpse of the truth, up, by degrees, to those who may be spoken of as Masters of the Art. This last named class of persons are those whose power is readily felt and acknowledged, and who leave their impression upon those who come in contact with them.

The projection of the physical magnetism, by the will, is, in a way, a very simple procedure, consisting of two processes, as follows: (1) The belief in, or realization of, one’s powers to so project the force; and (2) the actual willing or commanding the force to be projected.

At first it may seem somewhat strange to learn that “belief” has anything to do with this matter, but a little consideration will explain this general law of psychology. It is this way: The will never acts in a direction, which the mind believes impossible. One never tries to reach the moon, because his mind refuses to believe that he can do it – but the child, believing that it is possible, will use his will to move his hand in that direction. The disbelief acts as a brake on the will – do you see the point?

But, you may say, the belief of the child does not enable him to reach the moon. Certainly not, but it caused his will to operate so as to move the hand. Belief does not necessarily render accomplishment certain – but it removes the barriers of disbelief, the latter preventing any accomplishment by the will. There are many things that we would be able to do if we could only believe that we could do – but disbelief acts as a brake and a barrier to the efforts of the will. Realization of one’s power will often gain half the battle of accomplishment for him.

In the case before us, the one needs only to believe enough to make the attempt. Then, each time the attempt is made, and one perceives a result, the task becomes easier for the next time. And, at last, the sense of full realization of the power of the will dawns upon the person, and after that the rest is easy.

The second process, i.e., the actual willing, or commanding, by the will, is simply what the words actually say. How can you “will” or “command” the physical magnetism to move into your personal atmosphere, and energize it? – Will it obey me? - you ask. Certainly it will. And the willing or commanding is simply effort the same that you employ, instinctively, when you will or command that your hand be raised. What makes the hand rise? It has no power to raise itself, neither have the muscles any such power in themselves. It is only when you WILL it to move, that things begin to move. The mere willing sends a current of nerve-force over the nerves, and into the muscles, and the hand rises. Sounds simple, doesn’t it? And yet it is one of the most wonderful things in the world – only we have grown so accustomed to it that we fail to note the wonder of it all.

The command of the will to the physical magnetism acts in the same manner as the command of the will to the hand. Now, right here, is a point to be remembered. You do not merely say to the hand “raise up.” Try it on your own hand – say to it “raise up” without actually willing it to rise, and nothing happens, it is only when you accompany the command with the mysterious effort of the will, that movement occurs.

I cannot tell you how to move your hand by willing – all that I can say is that you must WILL it to rise, and you will understand exactly what I mean. Well, then WILL the physical magnetism to flow out into your personal atmosphere, just as you will the hand to rise, and the thing happens.

But, you may say, you can see the hand move, and know whether your command has been obeyed, while you cannot see the physical magnetism flow. Certainly, but you can feel the magnetism flow, and thus be certain of it.

The flow of physical magnetism soon becomes perfectly apparent to a person, and he is as certain of his radiation as he is that he is radiating heat on a warm day. It is one of those things which cannot well be explained, but which is readily understood by those who experience it.

Try it yourself, and you will soon become conscious of the flow of nerve-force from you, into the field of your personal atmosphere or aura, to a distance of several feet on all sides of you. You will become aware of the effect of your physical magnetism upon others who come in contact with you. You will be able to perceive the reaction and response to your strong magnetic influence on them. They will, unconsciously, let you know that they feel the power of your presence, and acknowledge your strength. You will find a puzzled expression on the part of some of your old acquaintances and associates who will be dimly conscious that there is something different about you, which they cannot explain satisfactorily
to themselves. Do not, however, make the mistake of informing them, for this will invite unpleasant comment and criticism, and will also tend to make persons assume a defensive attitude toward you – and even an offensive one, perhaps – in self protection.

You will also become aware of the healing and strengthening effect of your magnetism upon delicate and sick persons who come in contact with you. Such persons will feel strengthened by your presence, and will dislike leaving you. You may experience some difficulty in preventing them from attaching themselves to you, and seeking to live on your magnetism. But when you learn the art of using the mind-force, or mental magnetism, you will be able to shake them off when necessary. In the meantime, you may do much good by giving these persons magnetic treatments, either by consciously directing a stream of magnetism towards them – by the use of the will – or by the use of the hand. Your magnetism will flow freely out of your hands, and will invigorate weak persons, tend to remove painful conditions, etc. A little experience will make you a “magnetic healer” if you should so desire.

In this matter of hand shaking, you will notice strange things. Persons who take your hand will be impressed by something strange and powerful about you, for your magnetism will flow out toward them and through their body, sometimes in a most marked manner, but more often in an easy current.

You may project your physical magnetism in a direct current, quite a distance from your body, by the simple effort of your will, when once you have learned the little points of practice by repeated trials.

I shall not speak at this place of the use of the physical magnetism in connection with the mental currents, for that topic will be taken up in a later chapter, or chapters rather. But do not wait until that time to practice – get to work and practice with the physical magnetism, now, so that you will have it well in hand when you receive the higher instruction regarding the mental currents. Plant your feet firmly on each step of the ladder – then you will not slip when climbing. Do you see the point?