William Atkinson - THE SCIENCE OF PSYCHIC HEALING

The constant work of repair, replacement, change, digestion, assimilation, elimination, etc., is performed by this part of the mind, all below the plane of consciousness. The wondrous work of the body is carried on on this plane of mind, without our conscious knowledge. The intelligent work of the cells, cell-groups, ganglia, organ intelligences, etc., are under the superintendence of this plane of mind.

In our next chapter we give you a short account of this wonderful world of cell-life that exists in every human organism. We advise you to read that chapter, as it will throw light on many puzzling questions, and will enable you to direct your healing powers intelligently.

The Instinctive Mind is not confined to the brain as a seat of operations, but is distributed over the entire nervous system, the spinal column and solar plexus being important centers for its operations.

One of the most important facts that we have to consider in connection with the Instinctive Mind, in this book, is that it is susceptible of interference on the part of the Conscious Mind. This interference may be for good or bad, according to the nature of the "suggestions" passed on by the Conscious Mind.

In our chapter on Suggestion we have given a number of instances to illustrate the effect of the mind on the bodily functions. This effect of thought is occasioned by the Conscious Mind passing on suggestions to the Instinctive Mind, which then proceeds to act upon them. Many a man has become sick by reason of adverse and hurtful suggestions accepted by him and passed on to his Instinctive Mind. In the same way a sick man has been restored to health, by positive and helpful suggestions accepted and passed on in the same manner. And in both cases, remember, the diseased condition and the restored healthy condition were occasioned by perfectly natural process, by the Instinctive Mind passing on its orders to its subordinate parts, cells, organs, etc.

We do not think it worth while to enter into a long discussion of the various theories advanced to account for the existence and operation of the Instinctive Mind. This book is intended to tell you "how" to make cures, and all the theory we think it worth while to give you is a mere general outline for the purpose of an intelligent comprehension of the process of the cure. To wander off into an extended discussion of the theories regarding mind, or the speculations regarding life and what lies back of life, would be out of place. We believe in keeping each subject to itself, believing that in this way the student is better able to concentrate upon the particular subject under consideration.

The workings of the Instinctive Mind will appear as you proceed with the study of the methods of treatment. The next chapter, which deals with Cell-life, will also throw further light on the subject.

Table of Content

IN ORDER to understand the nature of Psychic Healing one must have an acquaintance with the nature of the mental side of the Body. Not only has the Central Mind a number of Planes of Manifestation, but each organ has something which might be called an "organic mind," made up of a "group-mind" of a number of cells, each of which cells moreover has a cell-mind of its own. This idea is somewhat startling to those who have not acquainted themselves with the details of the subject, but it is known to be correct, not only by the Yogis, but also by those who have familiarized themselves with the recent discoveries of Western Science. Let us take a hasty look at this cell-life.

As we told you in the " Fourteen Lessons ," the Yogi Philosophy teaches that the physical body is built up of "little lives" or cell-lifes, and that each cell had an independent action, in addition to a cell-community action. These little "lives" are really minds of a certain degree of development, sufficient to enable them to do their work properly. These bits of mind are, of course, subordinate to the control of the Instinctive Mind of the individual, and will readily obey orders from that source, as well as from the Intellect.

These cell minds manifest a peculiar adaptation for their particular work. Their selective action in extracting from the blood the nourishment needed, and rejecting that which is not needed, is an instance of this intelligence. The process of digestion, assimilation, etc., shows the "mind" of the cell, either individual or in groups. The healing of wounds—the rush of the cells to the point where they are required, and many other instances familiar to physiologists are evidence of this cell life and mental action.

The entire body is built up of these tiny cells. This is true not only of the soft tissue and muscle, but also of the hard bony parts, including the enamel of the teeth. These cells are shaped in accordance with the particular work that they are designed to perform, such shapes and forms varying materially. Each cell is, practically, an individual, separate and more or less independent, although subject to the control of the organic mind, and, still higher, the Instinctive Mind.

The cells are constantly at work—each performing his own particular task, like a well-trained soldier in an army. Some of the cells are active workers, and others are of the reserve force, kept awaiting some sudden and urgent call to duty. Some are stationery, and others are moving about attending to their particular duties and tasks. Some of them act as the scavengers of the system, carrying away the refuse and debris of the system, while others carry the nourishing elements of the food to all parts of the body.

Cell life has been compared to a large and well ordered community, each individual doing his own particular work— all for the common good. The community is a large one, it being estimated that there are at least 75,000,000,000 of the red blood cells alone. These red blood cells are the common carriers of the body, and float in the arteries and veins, carrying a load of oxygen from the lungs and delivering particles of it to the various tissues of the body, which give life and strength to the particular parts. On their return journey through the veins the cells carry with them the waste products of the system. Like a merchant vessel, these cells carry a cargo on their outgoing trip, and bring back a second cargo on their return.

Other cells perform police work and protect the system from bacteria, etc., which might produce trouble in the system. These policemen are quite savage, and usually get rid of the intruder by devouring him, but if unable to so dispose of him they rally in number and finally eject him from the system in the shape of a boil, pimple, etc.

The cells enable the body to carry on its work of continual regeneration. Every part of our bodies are being repaired constantly by fresh material. And the cells do the work. Millions of these little workers are constantly moving along, or else working in a fixed position in the parts of our bodies, renewing the worn-out tissues and replacing them with new material, and at the same time throwing out of the system the worn-out and discarded material.

Each of the cells of the body, no matter how humble may be its functions, is possessed of an instinctive knowledge of that which is vital to its life-work, and its own life. It takes nourishment, and reproduces itself by increasing in size and then separating. It seems to have a memory, and in other ways manifests mind action. We do not consider it necessary to go deeply into this matter at this point, and merely mention these facts that the reader may understand that these cells are "living things," having mind action.

These cells are built up into organs, parts, tissue, muscle, etc., and form what is known as cell communities, in which their minds seem to combine, in addition to their having independent mental action. In the case of the liver, for instance, the millions of cells composing that organ have a community-mind, which may be called the "liver-mind," and which acts as an "entity"— subject, always, to the control of the Instinctive Mind. This is a most important fact to remember, in connection with psychic healing, for the whole principle of the latter depends upon the fact that these organs, through their minds, are amenable to Mental Control and Direction.