1. The operations of the mind are produced by two parallel modes of activity, the one conscious, and the other subconscious. You who thinks to illuminate the whole range of mental action by the light of your own consciousness is not unlike one who should go about to illuminate the universe with a rushlight.
2. The subconscious, logical processes are carried on with a certainty and regularity which would be impossible if there existed the possibility of error. Your mind is so designed that it prepares you for the most important foundations of cognition, while you have not the slightest apprehension of your modus operandi.
3. The subconscious soul, like a benevolent stranger, works and makes provisions for your benefit; thus ultimate analysis of thought processes shows that the subconscious is the theatre of the most important mental phenomena. It is through the subconsious that Mr. Shakespeare must have perceived, without effort, great truths which are hidden from the conscious mind of the student; that Mr. Phidias fashioned marble and bronze; that Mr. Rapheal painted Madonnas and Mr. Beethoven composed symphonies.
4. Ease and perfection depend entirely upon the degree in which you cease to depend upon the consciousness; playing the piano, skating, operating the typewriter, the skilled trades, depend for their perfect execution on the processes of the subconscious mind. The marvel of playing a brilliant piece on the piano, while at the same time conducting a vigourous conversation, shows the greatness of your subconscious mind.
5. You are all aware how dependant you are upon the subconscious, and the greater, the nobler, the more brilliant your thoughts are, the more it is obvious to yourself that the origin lies beyond your ken. You find yourself endowed with tact, instinct, sense of the beautiful in art, music, etc., of whose origin or dwelling-place you are wholly unconscious.
6. The value of the subconscious is enormous; it inspires you; it warns you; it furnishes you with names, facts and scenes from the storehouse of memory. It directs your thoughts, and accomplishes tasks so intricate that no conscious mind, even if it had the power, has the capacity for them.
7. You can walk at will; you can raise the arm whenever you choose to do so; you can give your attention through eye or ear to any subject at pleasure. On the other hand, you cannot stop your heartbeats nor the circulation of the blood, nor the growth of stature, nor the formation of nerve and muscle tissue, nor the building of the bones, nor many other important vital processes.
8. If you compare these two sets of action, the one decreed by the will of the moment, and the other proceeding in majestic, rhythmic course, subject to no vacillation, but constant at every moment, you stand in awe of the latter, and ask to have the mystery explained. You see at once that these are the vital processes of your physical life, and you cannot avoid the inference that these all-important functions are designedly withdrawn from the domain of your outward will with its variations and transitions, and placed under the direction of a permanent and dependable unity within you .
9. Of these two powers, the outward and changeable has been termed the
"conscious mind" or the "objective mind", dealing with outward objects. The interior power is called the "subconscious mind" or the "subjective mind", and besides its work on the mental plane it controls the regular functions which make physical life possible. It is necessary to have a clear understanding of their respective functions on the mental plane, as well as of certain other basic principles. Perceiving and operating through the five physical senses, the conscious mind deals with the impressions and objects of the outward life.
10. It has the faculty of discrimination, carrying with it the responsibility of choice. It has the power of reasoning, whether inductive, deductive, analytical or syllogistic, and this energy, force and power may be developed to a high philosophy degree. It is the seat of will, with all the energies, forces and powers that flow from it.
11. Not only can it impress other minds, but it can direct the subconscious mind. In this way the conscious mind becomes the responsible ruler and guardian of the subconscious mind. It is this high function which can completely reverse conditions in your life. It is often true that conditions of fear, worry, poverty, disease, disharmony and evils of all kinds dominate you by reason of false suggestions accepted by the unguarded subconscious mind. All this the trained conscious mind can entirely prevent by its vigilant protective action. It may properly be called "the watchman at the gate" of the great subconscious domain.
12. The expressed chief distinction between the two phases of mind are thus: "conscious mind is reasoning will and subconscious mind is instinctive desire, the results of past reasoning will".
13. The subconscious mind draws just and accurate inferences from premises furnished from outside sources. Where the premise is true, the subconscious mind reaches a faultless conclusion, but where the premise or suggestion is an error the whole structure falls. The subconscious mind does not engage in the process of proving, it relies upon the conscious mind, "the watchman at the gate", to guard it from mistaken impressions.
14. Receiving any suggestions as true, the subconscious mind at once proceeds to act thereon in the whole domain of its tremendous field of work. The conscious mind can suggest either truth or error. If the latter, it is at the cost of wide-reaching peril to the whole-being.
15. The conscious mind ought to be on duty during every waking hour. When the "watchman" is "off guard", or when its calm judgment is suspended, under a variety of circumstances, then the subconscious mind is unguarded and left open to suggestions of all sources. During the wild excitement of panic, or during the height of anger, or the impulses of the irresponsible mob, or at any other time of unrestrained passion, the conditions are most dangerous. The subconscious mind is then opened to suggestions of fear, hatred, selfishness, greed, self depreciation and others negative forces, derived from surrounding persons or circumstances. The result is usually unwholesome in the extreme, with effects that may endure to destress it for a long time. Hence the great importance of guarding the subconscious mind from false impressions.
16. The subconscious mind perceives by intuition. Hence its processes are rapid. It does not wait for the slow methods of conscious reasoning. In fact, it cannot employ them.
17. The subconscious mind never sleeps, never rests, any more than does your heart, or your blood. It has been found that by plainly stating to the subconscious mind certain specific things to be accomplished, energies, forces and powers are set in operation that lead to the results desired. Here, then, is a source of unity which places you in touch with omnipotence. Herein is a deep principle which is well worth your most earnst study.
18. The operation of this law is interesting. Those who put it into operation find that they go out to meet the person with whom they anticipate a difficult interview, Hey! Something has been there before them and dissolved the supposed differences; everthing is changed, all is harmonious; they find out when some difficult business problem presents itself, they can afford to make delay and something suggests the proper solution; everything is properly arranged; in fact those who have learned to trust the subconscious mind find that they have infinite resources at their command.
19. The subconscious mind is the seat of your principles and your aspirations. It is the fount of your artistic and altruistic ideals. These instincts can only be overthrown by an elaborate and gradual process of undermining the inate principles.
20. The subconscious mind cannot argue controversially. Hence, if it has accepted wrong suggestions, the sure method of overcoming them is by the use of a strong counter-suggestion, frequently repeated, which the mind must accept, thus eventually forming new and healthy habits of thought and life, for the subconscious mind is the seat of habit. That which you do over and over becomes mechanical ; it is no longer an act of judgement, but has worn its deep grooves in the subconscious mind. This is favourable for you if the habit be wholesome and right. If it be harmful and wrong, the remedy is to reconize the omnipotence of the subconscious mind and suggest present actual freedom. The subconscious being creative and one with your divine source will at once create the freedom suggested.
21. To sum up: the normal functions of the subconscious on the physical side have to do with the regular and vital processes, with the preservation of life and the restoration of health; which includes an instinctive desire to preserve all life and improve conditions generally.
22. On the mental side, it is the storehouse of memory; it harbors the wonderful thought messengers, who work unhampered by time or space; it is the fountain of the practical initiative and constructive energies, forces and powers of life. It is the seat of habit.
23. On the spiritual side, it is the source of ideals, of the imagination and is the channel through which you recognize your divine source, and in proportion as you recognize this divinity do you come into an understanding of the source of unity.
24. Someone may ask: "How can the subconscious change conditions?" The reply is, because the subconscious is a part of the universal mind and a part must be the same in kind and quality as the whole; the only difference is one of degree. The whole, as you know, is creative; in fact, it is the only creator there is; consequently you find that mind is creative and as thought is the only activity which the mind prossesses thought must necessarily be creative also.
25. But you shall find that there is a vast difference between simply thinking and directing your thought consciously, systematically and constructively; when you do this you place your mind in harmony with the universal mind, you come in tune with the infinite, you set in operation the mightiest energy, force and power in existence, the creative power of the universal mind, this, like everything else, is governed by natural law, and this law is the "Law of Attraction", which is that mind is creative, and will automatically correlate with your object and bring it into manifestation.
