William Atkinson - The Complete Works of William Walker Atkinson

If we do not think thoughts for ourselves, somebody else’s thoughts and suggestions will fill up our sub-conscious storehouse, and we will be a creature of their thoughts, instead of having a stock of self-made original thoughts. Many of us have placidly accepted the world’s thoughts of Fear, Superstition, Worry, Disease, Poverty, Narrowness, Condemnation, Bigotry, etc., without hesitation, and our mental store-house has been filled with such trash. When we break our fetters and shake off our bonds, and are free, then we dare to think for ourselves and we soon begin to stock up our Sub-consciousness with bright, fresh, new thoughts of our own, and the old negative thoughts find themselves crowded out or neutralized by the positive thoughts which are now pouring in.

New fields of consciousness are opening out before Man, and he is progressing rapidly in knowledge. He is drawing on the Super-conscious faculties for knowledge, and after bringing the results into the field of consciousness, he passes them along, mentally digested, to the Sub-conscious plane, to be used without effort whenever needed. All that which is in our Sub-consciousness is having a continual influence upon our lives, our actions, our health, our character. To a man whose Sub-consciousness has been filled with thoughts of disease it is the easiest thing in the world to become sick. Of course, all the work of producing the disease is on the Sub-conscious plane, and the work is done silently and quietly, but surely, all without his conscious knowledge. All at once he finds himself sick, without knowing how it happened. When he changes his front, and begins to steadily send healthy thoughts along to the Sub-consciousness, he finds that he no longer is troubled with the old complaints which formerly made life a burden to him. The Sub-consciousness no longer has the old materials to work with, and consequently starts to work and uses the new materials, and, instead of producing sickness, it builds up a strong, healthy body.

If you will carry in your minds the idea of the Sub-consciousness being a great store-house, filled with thoughts which you have passed along to it from the Conscious plane, and which thoughts are constantly manifesting themselves in action, you will be careful to allow nothing but the very best thought material to pass along to be stored up. You will refuse admittance to the negative thoughts arising in your own mind, and you will refuse admittance to the adverse suggestions of others.

What would you think of a man who was laying in a stock of supplies for the winter who would fill his cellars with poisonous foods, disease producing things, death-giving articles? You would think that he was worse than insane, would you not? And yet that is just what many of you have been doing. You have been filling up this storehouse of the mind with the vilest things. Poisons, deadly things, filthy objects, all of which have sooner or later injured you. Away with them. Cast them out. Fill their places with the strong, healthy thoughts which are coming into your minds since you have become acquainted with The New Thought.

Remember THOUGHTS TAKE FORM IN ACTION. This being true, what kind of thoughts do you wish to take form in action within you, and through you? Ask yourselves this question, and act accordingly. When you find yourselves thinking along a certain line, ask yourselves the question, “Do I wish this thought to take form in action?” If the answer is “Yes!” pass the thought along. If the answer is “No!” stop thinking along those lines at once and start to work thinking of things exactly opposed to the objectionable line of thoughts. Remember, a positive thought will always neutralize a negative thought. By a positive thought I mean a thought of Courage, Hope, Fearlessness, Determination—an “I Can and I Will” thought. By a negative thought I mean a thought of Fear, Worry, Hate, Malice, Disease, “I Can’t,” “I’m Afraid.”

“As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he,” is true for the reason that a man is largely the result of his store of Sub-conscious thoughts, and that Sub-conscious store is dependent to a very great degree upon what the Conscious thought has made it.

You are laying in your supplies of Thoughts, and these thoughts will sooner or later take form in action. Be careful in your choice. The best is none too good for you, and is just as cheap as the inferior grade. Use a little common sense and select a good supply of the best in the market

Table of Content

Faculties outside the realm of consciousness—Latent but unfolding—Super-conscious faculties not a part of a sub-conscious mind, although often manifested along sub-conscious lines—The distinction between sub-conscious thoughts and those of the super-conscious faculties—Above consciousness, not below it—Developing super-conscious faculties—The sub-conscious contains only what has been placed there—The super-consciousness contains knowledge heretofore unrevealed to Man—Drawing on the super-consciousness—What the super-consciousness reveals to Man—What it has revealed—The most important truths come in this way—The higher psychic powers latent within the super-consciousness—Productions which have “soul” in them come from the super-conscious faculties—The dwelling place of the Spirit—The Spirit and its domain—Recognition of the Spirit.

THERE ARE in the mind of Man many faculties which are outside of the realm of consciousness. They seem to be faculties which have lain latent, and which, from time to time, are unfolded into the realm of consciousness. Of some of these faculties we have at the present time no actual knowledge; of others, a few advanced men in all ages have become aware, and of this class many of us are now catching occasional glimpses, but as yet do not see clearly, and will not until the process of unfoldment has progressed further. Other super-conscious faculties, which were once hidden from man, have unfolded and we are becoming more and more aware of their existence.

Many writers have treated these faculties as forming a part of that which they called the “Subjective Mind” or the “Sub-conscious Mind,” etc., but a little reflection will show that the sub-conscious mentality only contains that which has been placed there by the Conscious plane of the mind; the suggestions of others, either verbal or by thought-transference, heredity, etc., or by the reflection from these super-conscious faculties before they have unfolded into the conscious plane. The sub-conscious mentality contains only that which has been placed there, while the super-conscious faculties contain that which Man has never known before, either consciously or sub-consciously .

Just as the sub-conscious field of mentation is below consciousness, so are these super-conscious faculties above consciousness. And just as that which is on the conscious plane to-day will be passed on to the sub-conscious to-morrow, so will much of that which is now locked up in the latent super-conscious faculties be unfolded into consciousness at a later period. Much that is now a part of our every day life was at an earlier stage in man’s evolution a part of his super-consciousness and afterwards unfolded into its present consciousness, then was mentally digested and assimilated and passed on to the sub-conscious plane.

A man by concentration, meditation, and other means of spiritual development may at times so awaken some of the latent super-conscious faculties that he will receive distinct impressions and knowledge from them, and will be able to use them. Many so-called mystics and occultists both in the Orient and the Occident have been able to accomplish this, but the majority of us have to be content with the occasional gleams, or the faint reflections, of the light coming from the unfolding faculties. Some of these faculties will not unfold until Man has reached a much higher plane of spiritual development than is now possible; others are just beginning to unfold, and none but the most advanced has any knowledge of them, while others are now well under way in the unfoldment, and a greater number of people are becoming aware of this inner awakening every year.