Excerpts from
"The Gateway to Prosperity"
Leading to
HEALTH
—
HAPPINESS AND
SUCCESS
by
Victor Dane
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in Adobe PDF eBook or printed form for $11.95 (+ printing charge)
Book
Description
In this hard to find book from
1937,
Consulting Psychologist and well-known English Lecturer-Scientist
Victor Dane gives practical methods by which one can develop greater
will-power, concentration, memory, and thought-control, overcome bad
habits, conquer fear, develop personality, and create success.
The book is especialy dedicated to those who are seeking a
bigger, finer, and more successful life, and
who, weary of words, are ready for practical instruction.
CONTENTS
FOREWORD...........................................
|
Lesson 1 - "KNOW THYSELF"..........................
|
Lesson 2 - "THE WILL AND ITS DEVELOPMENT"..........
|
Lesson 3 - "THE
IMAGINATION AND
ITS
DEVELOPMENT"...
|
Lesson 4 - "THE MEMORY AND ITS TRAINING"........... |
Lesson 5 - "HOW TO CONCENTRATE".................... |
Lesson 6 - "HOW TO CONCENTRATE"(Continued)......... |
Lesson 7 - "HOW TO CONCENTRATE"(Continued)......... |
Lesson 8 - "HOW TO
RELAX".......................... |
Lesson 9 - "BREATHING AND
ITS
CONTROL"............. |
Lesson 10 - "HOW TO
CONTROL
THOUGHT"............... |
Lesson 11 - "THE MAGNETIC
EYE"..................... |
Lesson 12 - "HOW TO READ
CHARACTER AT A GLANCE".... |
Lesson 13 - "AS WE SOW, SO
WE
REAP"................ |
Lesson 14 - "HOW TO
DEVELOP
PERSONALITY"........... |
Lesson 15 - "HOW TO
CONQUER
FEAR".................. |
Lesson 16 - "HOW TO CURE
BAD
HABITS"............... |
Lesson 17 - "HOW TO GET A
JOB"..................... |
Lesson 18 - "HOW TO CREATE
SUCCESS"................
|
Lesson 19 - "HOW TO
INSPIRE
INSPIRATION"...........
|
Lesson 20 - "THE HEALING
POWER".................... |
Lesson 21 - "UNKNOWN
POWERS OF
SEX"................ |
FOREWORD
by
MAJOR REGINALD F. E. AUSTIN R.A.M.C. (Retired),
M.R.C.S.Eng., L.R.C.P.Lond.
As a general rule
books on
the subject of self-development leave
one
with a sense of incompleteness. They set off with glorious promises,
fill up page after page with long words, and only succeed in leaving
the reader disappointed. I therefore welcomed with eager anticipation,
a book on the subject written by my old friend Victor Dane, and since
reading the manuscript, I have realized my faith was not unfounded.
What, in my opinion,
gives this book
its main value is its
complete
balance. Every exercise has been carefully worked out and the author
never expects his reader to do what he has not mastered himself.
Furthermore the book strikes one as being absolutely practical. Whilst
there is no doubt as to his psychological ability, Victor Dane has a
knack of explaining in one paragraph what it usually takes the average
writer on the subject a chapter.
Reading over this
work I begin to
realize its tremendous value to
the
average man and woman who, not satisfied with his or her condition,
wishes to find a way out of the rut. The author has in this book
neglected nothing and I was astonished at the storehouse of knowledge
it contains. At this there is no cause for wonder. Victor Dane is
himself a man who has achieved what he is preaching, though he will
always say that he considers himself a long way from what he ought to
be. On the other hand surveying his life, we find that he has reached
the top rung of the ladder in more than one walk of life. Besides being
a professional psychologist, a subject which he knows from every
possible angle, he is also a first-class athlete—not one of those
trainers who sit back and tell their men what to do, but one who shows
them how to do it.
Outside his
professional abilities
he is known as a philosopher, a
linguist, and is a formidable chess player. He is one of the few
Europeans to be initiated into the mysteries of the Eastern Yogis, and
can practice some of the physical as well as the mental processes of
that philosophy in a manner which is doubtful if any other living
European can duplicate.
The reader will
therefore readily
understand that when Victor Dane
asked me to write a Foreword to his book I was only too pleased to do
so. Since reading the manuscript I have become all the more eager that
the book should find a resting place in every home.
His three chapters
on concentration
alone make the work a good
investment. He elaborates this subject in a manner far and away
superior to any other I have read. There is no doubt that if people
will practise as he suggests they will develop exceptional mental
ability. The beauty of the system he proposes lies to a great extent in
the manner in which he leads the reader through the work of training he
suggests their doing by easy steps, and yet when the last exercises
have been mastered he will find himself capable of mental feats of
which he would previously have thought himself, or herself, quite
incapable.
At no time more than
the present is
there a need in this country
for
people who are mentally fit and, with Victor Dane,
I believe that Mental and Physical fitness walk hand in
hand. When we are fitter both in mind and body, we shall
see our way clear from the general turmoil which years of
muddle-headedness have brought about. There can be no doubt
that Victor Dane is not muddle-headed, and I hope that every reader
will practise his advice and clear away any psychological inferiority
they may possess.
For years the author
has been
training people's minds as well as
their
bodies. A good proportion of the people who consult him are not ill.
There are many who do not seem to fit in with life; by using methods he
outlines in his book he has taught them to face life and make a success
of it. Having himself such a keen balance between the physical, mental
and spiritual, he has been able to apply that almost uncanny knack of
being able to see right into the hearts of people to help them in their
difficulties.
No one wants to read a long
Foreword. This book speaks loudly
enough
for itself not to need any praise. All I would say is that it will do
for people all and more than the author pretends.
LESSON 1
"KNOW
THYSELF"
IT has been said that all
modern
philosophies are no more than
commentaries on Plato, greatest of the Greek Sages. It was these very
Greeks who brought the fundamental axiom of wisdom down to the two
words "Know Thyself." Wonderful words! Words which every student of
this book should keep perpetually in mind because with
self-understanding comes an understanding of others.
It is all very well
to say " Know
Thyself." It gives the teacher
an air
of wisdom. But, that he may deserve his cognomen as a wise man, he must
go further and teach others how to set about doing this. To walk around
in small circles repeating " Know Thyself " is quite useless. We are
living in a practical age. We are not interested in high-sounding
phrases. What our readers want is useful knowledge.
The purpose of this
book is to teach
people how they may
understand
their own natures, how they may be strengthened in every part of their
make-up, and how they may thus be equipped to make a success of their
lives, in health, business, and in their personal relationships with
society. It is hardly necessary to stress the
fact that anyone who puts
into practice the instructions given herein will find his, or her, life
changed beyond belief.
No one is asked for
blind faith.
Faith in this system will develop
as
you find that the practices give definite results. Faith will come
through the obvious evidence of the senses. Experiments will bring
about results.
Before going any
further and showing
how self-knowledge may be
obtained
by following a simple reasoning process, which anyone can carry out
irrespective of rank, education or profession, it is necessary to put
forward the bases on which these lessons are worked. You know what is
being offered, now you should know what is expected of you.
The mere reading of
a book like this
will only help in so far as
it
will stimulate thought and create new ideas. In order that those ideas
should bear fruit, work is necessary. So the first thing you should do
is to put aside half an hour each day, or more if possible, for
practice. At the end of each lesson full instructions are given
regarding how to practise, so you have a guide with you the whole time.
It is now necessary
to anticipate an
old, well-worn excuse—"I have
no
time."
Nothing is easier to
destroy than
that phrase. First of all it is
absolutely against the whole principle of self-development! A negative
statement of this kind should be cut right out of one's vocabulary!
Time is the easiest of all things to make. The obvious way to make time
is to "Rise half an hour earlier."
On the other hand if
you make a
careful study of your daily life
you
will be surprised to see how much time you have to spare. Time spent in
wasting time. Time which can be made by a better organization of your
day. So the first exercise is: "Work out how much time you waste or
could put to a better use; and if there is no wasted time in your
day—rise
half an hour earlier."
The time problem
being solved, we
can come down to other points.
First
of all the more you put into it the quicker will the results be
obtained. There is a great deal more to this than meets the eye at
first. Putting a great deal into one's practice does not necessarily
mean spending a great deal of time. Half an hour well spent is better
than two hours spent in lackadaisical practice. As the gym-instructor
who first set the writer's feet in the path of physical health and
strength told him many years ago, "an exercise done once correctly is
better than the same done six times incorrectly." Therefore what is
asked of you is to carry out the exercises conscientiously and as well
as possible for whatever period of time you allot for the purpose.
Everything has been done to make the exercises as interesting as
possible; in fact there is no doubt but that the majority of readers
will be fascinated by them.
This leads one to
another point.
Many persons will become so
interested
in the exercises that they will want to go on and on. Control your
enthusiasm. Too much work can cause strain, and the aim of this book
is to make each reader a fine example of its teachings. Do the work
conscientiously but, for the first few weeks, do not spend more than one hour each day in practice.
You should buy an
exercise book or a
large diary. In this keep a
record
of your doings. For instance: —
Ex. Description.
Date. Time Spent
Remarks
x
5/9/37 15
mins Much more successful today.
Steady concentration.
I feel a definite
improvement.
x
8/9/37 10 mins
Not as good as I would like.
I must keep my
attention from
straying. Promise myself that
tomorrow will be done much better.
The above is just a
rough
idea of what can be done in the way of
keeping a record. The diary is also useful for putting down matters on
which one's brain is not quite clear. Also for putting down new ideas,
new realizations, and for making plans to which one has to adhere. You
will be surprised, after a few weeks, to see how much you have learned
and to note the difference in yourself. Further words would be
redundant. Do it and no suggestions will be necessary to show you the
value of this diary.
Now comes a
suggestion which many
people will not like but which
is
strongly recommended all the same. Each lesson can be
mastered in one week. But the time necessary will
depend upon the work put into it, and upon personal difficulties with
regard to certain lessons (for example "A" may master the lesson on
"Will" very easily, but have trouble with that on "Imagination." "B" on
the other hand may find that he makes
quicker progress with "Imagination" but is slow in
"Concentration"). Therefore the length of time given to
mastering each
lesson may, and probably will, vary. So, after having read the
whole book through, start again at Lesson One and master it
thoroughly. When you are easy in your practice go on
to the next lesson. The plan at the end of each chapter will include
work from previous lessons so that the training may make one
comprehensive whole. Let us remember the old adage, "More haste less
speed."
Now you have all the
requisites,
viz., yourself, the book, time,
notebook, the desire to develop, and the necessary cautions, so that we
can carry on with our subject "KNOW THYSELF."
This brings forth
the natural
question: "What am I?"
You are a human
being; a
psycho-biological entity functioning in a
three-dimensional world and endowed with a mind which, properly
trained, will do anything you may want. It will give you health of body
and mind, absolute self-control, money as much as you want, and will
lead you into unexplored regions of consciousness whose wonder lies
beyond human understanding.
You are composed of
body, mind and
soul. For the purpose of this
book
it is better not to delve into the nature of the soul. With practice
each reader will form his or her own opinions. Though the writer
believes that nothing great can be achieved without the inner self
aiding, without working hand in hand with that unknown but sublime
quantity, yet to avoid long metaphysical discussions it is better to
keep within observable fact.
As far as one can
observe man is
made up of mind and body, the
third
element being left out for our present purpose. These two, mind and
body, are linked together by that wonderfully sensitive organization
known as the nervous system. Through the nervous system the mind can
send messages to the body and the body messages to the mind. The two
can never be separated during life, and the one affects the other all
the time. For instance, if anyone is so foolish as to sit down to a
meal after being in a bad temper that person will most surely suffer
from indigestion. The other way round, if anyone is constipated, that
person will feel depressed, thinking will be difficult, and everything
will become of a negative aspect.
By thinking
correctly the mind
influences the body beneficially.
Through the subconscious the whole body can be re-formed and made into
what we wish it to be. This does not mean that the body, as such, must
be neglected. However wonderful may be the latent powers of the mind we
are not to become unbalanced. The simple way is the easiest way, and
the best way. Everyone should keep the body fit by right exercise and
diet, and thereby help the mind to function clearly by having a clean
organism through which the mind can work.
Have you ever
realised the powers of
this mind of yours? Do you
know
that a trained mind can project its influence over thousands of miles?
Do you realise that you can follow the training which gives these
powers?
The writer has
travelled over a
goodly part of the globe. He has
met
all kinds of strange, and some rather terrible, people and been taught
by them. This is not written in order to boast, but to show that he is
speaking from personal experience. In fact there is not one statement
or exercise in this book which has not been thoroughly and personally
studied or practised by its writer. In India messages travel across
country quicker than by telegraph—how? By the knowledge and application
of telepathy.
The writer has
frequently been able
to make himself appear miles
away
from his place of residence in order to help patients and friends in
trouble. There is nothing wonderful in this, simply mind used as it can
be used.
In this way people
can be influenced
either nearby or at a
distance.
But here a word of caution is necessary. See to it that your intentions
are pure because, as will be shown in a further lesson, whatever we
send out we receive back again one day. As a proof of this law, which
the writer is constantly seeing at work, a small confession will be in
place.
Several years ago
the writer was
studying philosophy with so
earnest an
endeavour that money matters were forgotten. However pleasant one's
inner experiences may be, in our present social conditions it is
necessary to remember that we must eat and pay the
landlord—occasionally, anyway! The writer found himself almost without
money and he decided to produce this commodity by a magical process.
The correct procedure will not be divulged as there are far better and
wiser ways of doing it, but anyone reading The Book of Sacred
Magic of
Abramelin the Mage, will find many a good hint. The money came, plenty
of it, within one week. But the fates were not to be denied—over the
period of two years during which the writer paid, the interest worked
out finally to about 500 percent. Verbum
sap!
Among the strange
powers of
the mind comes that of prophecy. No
faculty
is easier to develop. None is less worthwhile. As a child the writer
found this faculty a great nuisance. When he grew up he conquered it
with philosophy, and now views its manifestations with interest but no
concern one way or the other. A sixth sense does develop with the
exercises advised in this book, but you will find that your will is so
strong that it can be used and will be of definite benefit, especially
in business, where it may serve you often.
In order to apply
the old adage
"Know Thyself " in a practical way
you
should practise certain mental exercises. First of all ask yourself,
"What am I? " and then think it out. You will find that you are a
combination of many things. You are body, nerves, ideas, functions and
everything which you can observe about yourself. Write down in your
diary what conclusions you come to concerning yourself. Observe
yourself quite detachedly, summing up the good and the bad with an
equally impartial hand. Notice what you need, whether it be a healthier
body, calmer nerves, a stronger will, more concentration, and whatever
it is, decide to obtain it. The lessons that follow will show you how.
In practising the
exercise of
self-analysis you may find that you
are
lacking in certain qualities. Do not let this discourage you. Many
people completely devoid of personality, or lacking in "push and go,''
have all by steady practice of correct mental exercise developed
themselves in a manner almost unbelievable. The following will show how
this can happen.
One day a pale-faced
man of medium
height came into the writer's
consulting room. He expressed negation itself. He was the sort who
would be hectored and bullied by everyone with whom he came into
contact.
"What is your
trouble?" He said that
he was fairly well physically, that he had a good
brain,
but that he could never make headway against others with stronger
personalities. Did Mr. Dane undertake such cases? Could anything be
done about
it?
He was told that a
great deal could
be done if he followed
instructions
right away. "Sit up!" No one can have personality unless they know
how to sit up and tilt their chins at the world.
From the first day
when he was told
to sit up he made steady
progress.
Now he is staff manager of a large continental firm. He has to deal
with all sorts and conditions of men, sum up the staff for jobs, sack
useless men, drive them when a greater output is called for, and
generally do a job which one would think would be all that a hectoring
giant could manage. Yet this man was the worst possible material to
work upon, but six months showed the complete metamorphosis.
EXERCISE
SCHEME
FOR CARRYING OUT
LESSON 1.
MORNING.—(1) Stand in
front
of a looking glass (a full-length one
if
possible) without any clothes on. Consider your body. Is it
satisfactory? Could I not improve it in any way? What does my body mean
to me? Is it just a mass of bone, muscle, etc., or does it express
something definite? Looking at yourself squarely in the eyes, in the
glass, take a slow deep breath and say "BODY, YOU MUST EXPRESS MY TRUE
SELF!" Do this three times first thing every morning and you will find
that two things will happen, one physical and one mental.
(a) Physically you
will become
conscious of your body which will,
somehow, feel as if it were expanding.
(b) Mentally you
will find yourself
asking yourself questions
concerning your own nature. This will be quite as it should be. I do
not propose to elaborate those questions as that would suggest ideas to
you and these must really spring upon the mind itself.
(2) Make a plan of
your day's doings
and try to adhere to it
strictly.
DURING THE DAY.—For
this first week
just spend all your spare time
in
buses or walking to and from your office, or instead of reading a
newspaper or book—your mind is a far more interesting book than any
ever written—pondering that question, "What am I? " Analyse yourself
as much as possible and put down your results on a piece of paper.
EVENING.—(1) Read
Lesson 1 each
evening. New ideas will sink into
your
consciousness.
(2) Make a careful
study of your
emotional system. Suggested
questions:—
Am I bad-tempered?
Hasty tempered?
Nervous? Nervy? Unreasonable?
Too
passionate? Too cold? Merciful? Selfish? Vain?
Think of other
questions. Always put
these down in
your diary and note your answers. Only put down the notes
when you have sat down in an armchair and thought out each problem. If
at the end of the first week you feel that you can elaborate more
fully, do so, and wait a little before going on to the next lesson.
Very often bigger brains take longer to finish an analysis as they can
see more points and wish to go deeper.
You will astonish
yourself at what
you will find in your mind. The
above exercises carried out regularly for five days will show you a
definite improvement in your faculty for reasoning and seeing more
sides of a subject than one.
"The Gateway to Prosperity"
Leading to
HEALTH
—
HAPPINESS AND
SUCCESS
by
Victor Dane
Order
in Adobe PDF eBook or printed form for $11.95 (+ printing charge)
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