Excerpts from

  The Mind's Attainment
by Uriel Buchanan




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INTRODUCTION

The suggestions given in this very rare 1902 book, while dealing with truths which are as old as humanity, are presented in such a way as to stimulate original thinking, and to assist the reader to obtain a better understanding of principles which, if recognized and acted upon, will insure the realization of perfect peace, power, happiness and the highest possible success.

Inherent in every mind are potentialities for reaching the highest goal of human attainment. Man shapes his environment and determines his place in the world in exact accord with the use he makes of interior forces.

The aim of this work is distinctly practical. It reveals some of the great laws that govern the workings of human thought. It points out how best to show forth the ideal, to materialize our dreams and yearnings in everyday life.

That the diffusion of this knowledge will aid man to enrich his own life, to help others, and to always be kind, is the earnest desire of the author.


CONTENTS

CHAPTER 1 - THE SUPREME FORCE
Power immanent in all nature - The source of beauty and strength -How to receive and appropriate - The law of persistent demand - How to attract the good - Faith a factor of success - Every desire a prophecy of its possible fulfillment - Live in the present - A foregleam of nobler achievements - The mind's awakening.

CHAPTER 2 - MAN'S DIVINITY
The eternal builder - The cause of suffering - Self-control - Aspiration The value of co-operation - Conservation of energy - The power of well defined thought - Magnetic Sympathy - Confidence and persistent desire - Constructive force - How to overcome adverse influences - A keen intellect - A magnetic personality.

CHAPTER 3 - MYSTERIES
The three brains - The mind a globe of light - Evolution of the brain cells - How to increase the capacity of the brain - Active and passive attention - How to intensify the mind action - The three realms of mind - The inner ether - How to concentrate - The law of thought transference - How to receive and interpret a thought-wave.

CHAPTER 4 - THE SCIENCE OF BREATH
Laws of Health - Natural way in diet - How to control the appetites and passions - Concentration and deep breathing - Helpful exercises - How to eliminate impurities from the blood - Detrimental habits - The way to self-mastery - The universal energy - Atomic rays - How to attract force from the air.

CHAPTER 5 - SELF-MASTERY
Desire an attribute of life - The power to do and dare - Straightforward thought -Harmonic mental action - The value of well-directed effort - Electricity and Magnetism - How to direct magnetic currents.

CHAPTER 6 - MENTAL. CONTROL
Imagination: the eye of the mind - How to train the imagination - How to make every undertaking successful - Force omnipresent - Threshold of the perfect way - Health and prosperity - Permanent moods determine surrounding conditions - The organ of thought perpetually changing - Mental and physical drills.

CHAPTER 7 - THE LAW OF SUGGESTION
All thought a result of stimulation - Proofs of brain light - The mind a fathomless sea of untouched thought - Intense thinking - Thought waves - The influence of environment - Inspired by the higher faculties - How to unfold the divine nature -Transmutation of force - Useful exercises.

CHAPTER 8 - THE SOVEREIGN WILL
Solitude - Communion with nature - How to grow in wisdom - Incessant change the law of life - Renewal of mental and physical strength Intensity of desire - The universal will - Cultivating will power - Help from unseen sources.

CHAPTER 9 - THE POWER OF SILENCE
The self-existent principle - Invisible influences - A foregleam of man's possibilities - No place for drones - Activity the law of nature - Affirmation - Practical application - A refuge - The sanctuary - Beauties and realities of the present.

CHAPTER 10 - INDIVIDUAL SUPREMACY
The primary cell - Life's gradations - The evolutionary impulse - The mind builds - Desire brings things desired - Our divine heritage - The call for workers - The demand for freedom - No vicarious atonement - Each has a place to fill - The only way.

CHAPTER 11 - THE SPIRIT OF YOUTH
Perfect development - How to prolong life - Talisman of the adept - The strong survive - Character building - The use of knowledge and experience - Infinite capacities awaiting recognition.

CHAPTER 12 - MENTAL INFLUENCES
Thought acts apart from the body - The value of cheerfulness and courage -Thought a moving force - Success determined by the state of mind - In touch with the Supreme Power - Destructive forces - Self-assertion the first principle of selfhood -Enkindling sympathies.

CHAPTER 13 - ELEMENTS OF SUCCESS
The value of perseverance - The Right use of natural talents - Irresolution a detrimental habit - Faith and courage - Clearness of mental vision - The power of repose - The value of diversion.

CHAPTER 14 - DEMAND AND SUPPLY
Preparation of the mind - Power of thought to satisfy desire - How to realize every hope - Sympathetic relationship awakens higher harmonies - How to attract a helpful element from others - How to acquire health, happiness and prosperity - How to increase the drawing force of the mind.

CHAPTER 15 - THE HIGHER LIFE
Within reach of all - The supreme aim of man - The harmony and goodness of natural law - Man created in the image of the Infinite - Unlimited possibilities - Truth and freedom - The inner life - Lifting the veil - In touch with the Infinite Supply - The mystical river of life.

CHAPTER 16 - OUR DESTINY
Man has enslaved the elements - Everything points to a higher goal - The will and mind are supreme - Under the influence of the divine nature - Long cherished ideals preparing the way for expression.

CHAPTER 17 - HUMAN PROGRESS
Primary processes of world building - Story of the earth's unfoldment - Primitive races - Symbols an evidence of the unity of life - Man's marvelous skill in the fine arts - Love, a power for good - The infallible oracle - Man's glorious possibilities.

CHAPTER 18 - DIVINE GUIDANCE
The chief aim of life - The path to power - How man is warned - How to realize every desire and demand - Faith as an element of success - Happiness and peace.

CHAPTER 19 - A LESSON FROM NATURE
When the earth was young - The growth of a tree - A symbol of man's development - The eternal presence - Goodness and peace - Questioning the oracles of life - Close to the Infinite Source.

CHAPTER 20 - ASPIRATION
The mind builds - Thoughts determine environment - How to make the best use of talents - The mood of cheerfulness - Courage and resolution - Opportunities for all - The Infinite Mind in nature - The attainment of every desire - The abuse of power the cause of suffering - Aspiration attracts the good.

CHAPTER 21 - THE HIGHEST GOAL
Mankind near to the realization of cherished ideals - A knowledge of self - Laws of heredity and instinct - The unfettered will - Opposing forces - Man a victim of wavering feebleness - Training the faculties to act in unison - Man the master - The fountain of happiness - An abiding sense of the Infinite - A protecting power.
THE SUPREME FORCE

There is but one force in the universe, which is inseparably related to all created things. It is in the whirlwind and surging sea, in the earthquake and the lightning's flash, in cloud and sunbeam, in the growing plant and bursting bud. It gives brilliancy to the bird's plumage and harmony to its song. It gives to the animal its strength and beauty, and endows man with courage and will. Think of the wonders of chemistry and the magic of alchemy, to have shaped from the one primordial essence the infinite variety of forms which inhabit the universe. The atoms which now pulsate to every throb of the human heart have responded to life in other forms—in beast and bird; in plant and stone; in sea and air and fire—through eons of time. And these forces bounding through our veins possess the attributes of Infinity - being indestructible, immortal, undying. They are concentrated in man in great volume and variety of power, and he has made use of them to conquer the earth and sea.

There is no possible source for anything outside of the Infinite Power, for it embraces everything that is. There is no center or place which confines it, yet it is not absent from the minutest point in space. No object or idea can have existence apart from it, for it is omnipresent. It is the only reality of life. It is impossible for the human mind to fathom the mystery of this power, which had no beginning and can have no ending.

The more we apprehend of its workings the more evidence we have that its manifestation is governed by immutable laws. Every individuality composing mankind is an inseparable part of this power. The recognition and faith in its reality will enable you to appropriate intelligently and draw upon it as much as you will for your happiness and success.

It is a never-failing force which you may learn to use in all efforts. It will manifest through you in greater fullness as you keep your mind in the right current of thought. You must cease trying to generate force by a spasmodic effort. Call your wandering thoughts to a peaceful center within the mind, places your reliance on the Supreme Power which you feel flowing to you from the unseen, and use your will only to direct that power as it plays through you, as you would steer a boat that is moved by the wind.

To you, as a part of the Supreme Power belong knowledge and wisdom, and all things you can receive and appropriate. You will gain increasing power to draw from the exhaustless source in proportion to the force of demand. Keep in mind the idea that you are a magnet drawing from the universe all things necessary for happiness. You are made of forces which you have drawn to yourself by repeated demands. These forces have been built into your body, and have become literally a part of your flesh and blood. If you have entertained negative, timid, despondent thoughts, you have a corresponding weak, disordered body. If you have earnestly demanded of the Infinite the things which will elevate and ennoble and give strength and courage, these principles are incorporated and will act on you for perfect wholeness, beauty and refinement.

Persistent, silent demand of the Infinite Power for positive, imperative thoughts, for abundant energy, for enthusiasm, determination and courage, if held in the mind with unwavering confidence, will bring to you the desired response. Every aspiration which goes out from the heart as a positive, earnest demand will attract a power to effect results By your desire you can create for yourself a thought atmosphere corresponding to your motive and purpose. If your thoughts are high and lofty and you ask for wisdom and purity, you will attract similar influences from the unseen and from kindred minds whose thoughts are in unison and sympathy with your own.
MAN'S DIVINITY

The divinity in man is the eternal builder, transmuting the cells into a physical form of ever-increasing symmetry and beauty. It arouses the mind to effort, kindles the fire of unrest and gives a longing to push forward to greater achievements. There is never a time in the career of the most brilliant and gifted when they cannot feel their incompleteness. What they have done is only prophetic of the greater capacity for attainment, when the divine power is permitted to unfold itself without hindrance. The pain we suffer, the dissatisfaction and disappointment, is the punishment inflicted by the Divine Law, giving the lessons needed to reveal the way to happiness and peace. When we know the law and are faithful to the duties that progression claims, every sincere desire will obtain an answer.

It is the universal law that man should live in harmony, gratitude and unselfishness, and whoever departs from this law must suffer the penalty of the transgression. Sorrow and pain are not the result of an evil power, but come as ripening experiences to force mankind into truer conditions.

The further you progress, the more closely will you come into relationship with the law which will protect you from all harm. You will control your thought so that you will rise superior to adverse environment. You will control your feelings so that the heart will obey the dictates of reason, leading no more to harmful entanglements. You will have that happiness and serenity which will make your presence magnetic, drawing others within the charmed circle where all is contentment.

The time will come, if it has not already come, when you will know the cause of your seeming failures. You will know why your efforts were futile. You will know why the events were shaped by influences beyond your control. You have had visions of things which you cried out for in the darkness; you have caught glimpses of what you are, but had not the strength to reach out and claim them. You thought then that it was a cruel, inexorable fatality which had implanted yearnings without the possibility of their attainment. But all the past struggles have been the result of the evolutionary impulse—the incarnated ray of divinity—consuming the dross and preparing the mind for its awakening.

When reason's torch burns brightly, when you come into the conscious possession of your rightful inheritance, you will know why it is that nature guards zealously the portals which open to the storehouse of her treasures. You will know that he who would partake of her bounties must prove his worthiness to receive.

We have learned that there is no avenging Deity, no stern judge sitting on his throne in the supreme court of heaven, whose chief pleasure consists in punishing humanity for every violation of law; we know that the universe is governed by the Infinite Spirit of Love, which constantly inspires to greater goodness, purity and unselfishness, lifting us up to a happier and finer state of being. Every noble impulse awakens a multitude of helpful thoughts which rush to us to give strength and encouragement, while every evil thought or act is instantly rebuked by the monitor within, from whose judgment there is no escaping.

To obtain more of the spirit of love, to acquire power from the Infinite Source, to grow in knowledge and wisdom and overcome the defects of our nature, we must have a mind that ever aspires to the highest and best. As a part of the Infinite Mind, we should reach up and demand what we most need. We will have power to obtain results in proportion to the force and earnestness of our thought and desire. Persistent earnest desire is a magnetic power which, when encouraged by faith and strengthened by effort, will invariably draw to you the thing wished for. Every obstacle that is conquered, every new victory gained, will give you more faith in your power, and you will have greater ability to win.

If you have an unfaltering purpose, and are determined to push your plans to completion, if you are not vexed or discouraged by those who oppose you, if you can always persist in your work and keep your enthusiasm, energy and faith, you will draw to you an ever-increasing power from the unseen, which will act on you and on other minds, establishing magnetic currents of sympathy which will awaken great confidence and hope and give the ability to achieve success. The greater the number who cooperate with you and give you their sympathy, the more power will you receive. The force you will obtain may be transmuted by thought, desire and will into a vital attractive power which, if wisely expended, will give unlimited capacity for material accomplishment. We are continually sending out a mental force which establishes invisible connections with other minds on the same plane of unfoldment; and to send out with this force an attractive influence will draw to us sympathetic thoughts which will aid us.
MYSTERIES

There are three distinct divisions in the brain of man, the cerebrum, the cerebellum, and medulla-oblongata. This third brain is the upper portion of the spinal column. It controls the systems of respiration, circulation and digestion. The cerebellum, which is the small brain at the back and base of the head, controls all the voluntary muscles. The cerebrum is the large front brain, the seat of intelligence. Folded within the convolutions of this brain are countless millions of electro-magnetic cells capable of being aroused from the hypnotic sleep and their potentialities converted into a dynamo of resistless energy. The perfectly developed brain is omni-relative, and is capable of receiving and reflecting all possible knowledge and power. The mind is a concretion of the finest forces of man's being, a globe of light, a star, shining through the brain. All changes which the mind undergoes are accompanied by a corresponding change in the cells of the brain. If man's nature is coarse his perception is relatively dull. He is slow in forming conclusions, hesitating in speech, vacillating and uncertain in everything he does. The man who is refined has a keenness of perception and delicacy of distinction which enables him to outwit others, to think quickly and to accomplish more.

The brain cells are living entities, subject to the laws of evolution. All physical, mental or moral discipline have a direct influence on these cells, endowing them with higher qualities. The brain cell may be compared to an egg. It has an outside covering which contains a certain quantity of protoplasmic matter, and the matter holds within its mass a more refined material. The outside of this cell may be compared to the shell, the protoplasmic matter to the white, and the more refined substance to the yolk. In the center of this yolk is a tiny speck which emits a light that grows in brilliancy by self-discipline. This luminous point indicates that the cell is fructified, receiving within itself a concretion, or spark, from the Divine Mind. An aggregation of these sparks creates a magnetic fire which gives power to heal, to effect psychic phenomena, and to help others in their upward endeavor. This fire illuminates the brain of the genius, lighting the way to inconceivable heights of power and attainment. The different faculties of the brain may be compared to an army of men. The will is the captain. If the will has no commanding power and is governed by no fixed purpose, the various mind organs will act just as they are played upon, and very little can be accomplished. But when each faculty is made to act in its appropriate place, and all are collectively controlled by a trained and invincible will, a power for achievement is at command which is unlimited.
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  "The Mind's Attainment" by Uriel Buchanan


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