William Atkinson - The Complete Works of William Walker Atkinson

If a man lacks certain qualities, he may develop and grow these desirable qualities by constantly carrying them in mind and manifesting them in action as often as may be. And if one wishes to overcome certain weak thoughts and tendencies he may do so by holding the thought exactly opposite to the one he wishes to overcome. He is in control if he will only assert himself. He is master of the warehouse and has the power to admit only such goods as he considers desirable.

Auto-suggestions and affirmations are practically the same. They consist of certain statements, which, constantly repeated or affirmed by one, will cause to grow within him the qualities corresponding to the auto-suggestion or affirmation.

If one lacks confidence in himself and is timid, bashful or faint-hearted, the affirmation, “I can and I will,” will prove a wonderful mental tonic. Let him repeat it over and over again, not like a parrot, but with a full conception of its meaning, and before long he will find the “I Can and I Will” vibrations beginning to manifest themselves in him. And when he is suddenly confronted with a proposition, or task, he will find the thought, “I Can and I Will,” springing into being and the action following on its heels. Before this change he felt nothing but “I Can’t” and “I’m Afraid” when confronted with anything new. He will have made himself over.

And so it is with any line of thought. Get into the habit of thinking of yourself as you wish yourself to be, and before long you will find yourself growing into just that thing.

You are building up your mind constantly—you are erecting the edifice of character every day. How are you building it— what materials are you using in the edifice? Are you using the best material possible—the positive, bright, confident thought materials? Or are you using the defective, imperfect, negative, fearful materials that so many have used?

While you are building up your mind, why don’t you do it right? Why don’t you insist upon nothing but the best material being used and reject all of the undesirable kind? You have the operation in hand—you are the builder. If you make a poor job of it, don’t blame anyone but yourself. You are building today— what kind of material are you using?

Table of Content

Bulwer Lytton’s creation—The frightful monster confronting the neophyte in the secret chamber—The real meaning of the occult figure of speech—Fear the great obstacle to success and happiness, and spiritual attainment—Stands at the door to Freedom—Keeps the race in bondage—No advancement possible until it is overcome—And it can be overcome—Confront it boldly and it retreats—Assert the I Am—Fear is as much a magnet as Desire—Fear the parent of all the brood of negative thought—Illustrations—Fear has hypnotized the race—Fear never did Man any good, and never will—The cry of “I’m afraid” has always been heard—Opposition to new ideas—How Fear may be defeated—Fear a humbug and a bugaboo, without any real power over us except that which we allow him.

MANY OF you have read Edward Bulwer Lytton’s occult story, “Zanoni,” and remember the “Dweller of the Threshold,” that frightful monster which confronted the neophyte, Glyndon, in the secret chamber of the master, Mejnour, and of which Mejnour speaks when he says: “Amidst the dwellers of the Threshold is One, too, surpassing in malignity and hatred all her tribe—one whose eyes have paralyzed the bravest and whose power increases over the spirit precisely in proportion to its fear.”

In another chapter Glyndon seeks to penetrate the mysteries of the secret chamber and meets the hideous keeper of the door, which is described thus: “… The casement became darkened with some object undistinguishable at the first gaze, but which sufficed mysteriously to change into ineffable horror the delight he had before experienced. By degrees this object shaped itself to his sight. It was that of a human head, covered with a dark veil, through which glared with livid and demoniac fire eyes that froze the marrow of his bones. Nothing else of the face was distinguishable—nothing but those intolerable eyes. … It seemed rather to crawl as some vast misshapen reptile; and, pausing at length, it cowered beside the table which held the mystic volume and again fixed its eyes through the filmy veil on the rash invoker. … Clinging with the grasp of agony to the wall, his hair erect, his eye-balls starting, he still gazed back upon that appalling gaze. The Image spoke to him—his soul rather than his ear comprehended the words it said: ‘Thou hast entered the immeasurable region. I am the Dweller of the Threshold’.”

Those familiar with occult symbols and figures recognize in Lytton’s Dweller of the Threshold that enemy of Man’s progress—that frightful figure that stands before the door to freedom—Fear

Fear is the first and great enemy to be overcome by the man or woman who wishes to escape from bondage and attain Freedom. The door to Freedom is pointed out and the seeker makes a few steps in that direction, but is halted by the sight of the malignant Dweller of the Threshold—Fear. Lytton has not painted it in too frightful form—words cannot describe the hideousness of this monster.

Fear stands in the road of all progress—all advancement— escape. Fear is at the bottom of all of Man’s failures—sorrows— unhappinesses. The Fear of the race keeps it in bondage—the Fear of the individual keeps him a slave. Until Fear is overcome there can be no advancement for either individual or race. This enemy must be overcome before there can be escape. And it can be overcome by those who will face it calmly and boldly. Look Fear square in the eyes and her eyes drop and she retreats before you. Assert the I am, and know, in the depths of your soul, that nothing can injure the real “I,” and Fear flies before you, fearing that you will conquer her and bind her with chains— she knows the power of the I am consciousness.

When a man allows Fear to enter his heart he attracts to him all that which he fears. Fear is a powerful magnet and exercises a wonderful attracting power. Besides this it paralyzes the efforts and energy of the man and prevents him from doing that which he could easily do were he free of the monster. Man succeeds in proportion as he frees himself from Fear. Show me the successful man and I will show you a man who has dared and who has turned his back upon Fear.

Take your own life, for instance. You have had many opportunities offered you which you have allowed to pass you because of Fear. You have met with a fair degree of success, and, at the last moment, when the prize was in sight, you have drawn back your hand and fled to the rear. Why? Because you “lost your nerve” and Fear entered your heart. When the microbe of Fear enters the system the entire body is paralyzed.

Fear is the parent of the entire brood of negative thoughts which keep men in bondage. From her womb spring Worry, Jealousy, Hate, Malice, Envy, Uncharitableness, Bigotry, Intolerance, Condemnation, Anger and the rest of the foul brood. You doubt this, do you? Well, let us see. You do not worry about things unless you fear them; you do not feel jealous unless fear is also present; hate is always mingled with fear and springs from it—one does not hate a thing that is beyond the power of hurting him; envy shows its origin; bigotry, intolerance and condemnation all arise from fear—persecution begins only when the object is feared; a close analysis will show that anger springs from a vague sense of fear of the thing which causes the anger—a thing that is not feared causes amusement and derision rather than anger. Analyze closely and you will find that all of these negative, hurtful thoughts bear a close family resemblance to their parent—Fear. And if you will start in to work and will abolish Fear the foul brood of youngsters will die for want of nourishment.