etc.
Then the body must have means of moving around in the world. It has outgrown the plantlike inherited tendencies, and wants to "move on." Besides this it wants to reach out after things and turn them to its own use. Nature has provided limbs, and muscles, and tendons, with which to work the limbs.
Then the body needs a frame work to keep it in shape, to protect it from shock; to give it strength and firmness; to prop it up, as it were. Nature gives it the bony frame known as the skeleton, a marvelous piece of machinery, which is well worthy of your study.
The soul needs a physical, means of communication with other embodied souls. Nature supplies the means of communication in the organs of speech and hearing.
The body needs a system of carrying repair materials to all of its system, to build up; replenish; repair; and strengthen all the several parts. It also needs a similar system whereby the waste, refuse matter may be carried to the crematory, burned up and sent out of the system. Nature gives us the life carrying blood - the arteries and veins through which it flows to and fro performing its work - the lungs to oxygenize the blood and to burn up the waste matter. (See "Science of Breath." Chapter III.) The body needs material from the outside, with which to build up and repair its parts. Nature provides means of eating the food; of digesting it; of extracting the nutritious elements; of converting it into shape for absorption by the system; of excreting the waste portions.
And, finally, the body is provided with means of reproducing its kind, and providing other souls with fleshly tenements.
It is well worth the time of anyone to study something of the wonderful mechanism and workings of the human body. One gets from this study a most convincing realization of the reality of that great Intelligence in nature - he sees the great Life Principle in operation - he sees that it is not blind chance, or haphazard happening, but that it is the work of a mighty INTELLIGENCE.
Then he learns to trust that Intelligence, and to know that that which brought him into physical being will carry him through life - that the power which took charge of him then, has charge of him now, and will have charge of him always.
As we open ourselves to the inflow of the great Life Principle, so will we be benefitted. If we fear it, or trust it not, we shut the door upon it and must necessarily suffer. The student may well ask what has all this to do with Occult Therapeutics, and may complain that we are giving him a lesson in Hatha Yoga, in which latter statement he would be near the truth. But we cannot get away from the idea that there is that in Nature which tends towards keeping a man in perfect health, and we cannot help feeling that the true teaching is rather to instruct people how to keep well in the first place rather than to point out how they may get well after they have violated Nature's laws. The Yogis think that it is illogical to build up a cult around methods of healing - they feel that if cults must be built up let them rally around the centre of Health, allowing the curing of disease to be merely incidental.
In "Hatha Yoga", our forthcoming book, we will give the principles of the Yogi Philosophy of perfect health, in which is taught the doctrine that Health is the normal condition of man, and that disease is largely a matter of ignorance and the disobeying of natural laws of living and thinking. We will teach there that the healing power exists in every man, and may be called into operation consciously or unconsciously. Occult healing is merely the calling into play of this inner force within the individual (sometimes with the assistance of other individuals) , and the opening up of the system to the recuperative energies already within itself.
All healing is occasioned by what we have called the "Vital Force" in the individual. The active principle of this Vital Force is, as we have explained, that manifestation of universal force - Prana. In order to avoid repetition we would refer you to "Science of Breath" and to "Lesson Seventh" of this course, for an explanation of the Nervous System and how Prana operates over it. Read over what we have said on this subject, and you will be able to more clearly understand what we are about to say regarding the different forms of occult healing.
Let us suppose that a person has neglected the rules of right living and thinking, as set forth in "Hatha Yoga" and other works on the subject, and has "run down" in health. He has tried different forms of material treatment, and wishes to avail himself of what may be found in the several forms of Occult Therapeutics. He finds himself offered several forms of occult healing. We will try to make plain to you how these different forms of healing operate, and the explanation behind each. We cannot give you detailed information and methods in a lesson of this size, for each system would require a volume to do that, but we hope to give you a general idea of the several forms of treatment.
MAGNETIC HEALING.
This is a form of Pranic Healing in which either the sick person or some "healer" sends an increased supply of Prana to the affected parts. Pranic healing really accompanies nearly every other form of healing, although its use is not suspected by those administering it. In what is known as "Magnetic Healing" the operator passes his hand over the body of the sick person, and by an effort of will, or strong desire, generates within himself a strong supply of Prana which he passes out to the patient. This Prana acts as would a supply sent from the system of the patient himself, and tends to strengthen and invigorate the afflicted part of the body and to cause it to function normally. In Magnetic Healing the hands are usually passed over the body, the actual touch usually being employed. We have given general directions regarding this form of healing in "Science of Breath," and may, some day, issue a little manual on the subject, giving specific directions. We will give some general directions at the close of this lesson, if space permits. We have said so much about Prana in previous lessons, and in "Science of Breath" that the student should be able to understand the principle behind this form of healing, without much more explanation.
MENTAL HEALING.
Mental Healing covers a great deal of ground, and has a number of apparently differing forms. There is a form of Self-Healing which consists of the repetitions of affirmations, or auto-suggestions, by the patient, which tends to create a more cheerful and uplifting mental attitude, which reacts upon the body and enables it to function properly. We would say right here that the principal benefit derived from this and kindred forms of healing lies in the fact that it compels the patient to "let go" of adverse thoughts which have prevented Nature from doing its work, rather than in any special virtue of the affirmations.
We have been refusing to let the Divine Life Principle work freely through us, and have hampered it with adverse auto-suggestion. When we change our mental attitude we cease to interpose this obstacle, and Nature soon reasserts herself. Vigorous auto-suggestion, of course, stimulates the system and spurs up the Instinctive Mind to its work.
In the form of mental treatment known as "Suggestion" the same principle operates. The mind of the patient is relieved of adverse auto-suggestions by the positive suggestions of the healer, and the brake is taken off of the Instinctive Mind and Nature soon reasserts herself, and a sufficient supply of Prana is sent to the parts and soon a normal condition of affairs is reestablished. In Suggestive Treatment the healer usually, although often unconsciously, sends forth to the patient a supply of his own Prana which stimulates the parts to action and which renders easier the efforts of the patient's mind to reestablish normal Pranic conditions.
In what is ordinarily known as "Mental Healing" there is generally a considerable amount of suggestion used, although the healer may not be aware of it. The mental attitude of the healer is impressed upon the patient by the attitude, words, tone, and demeanor of the healer, and the mind taking upon the suggestion is benefited thereby. But, besides this, the healer is pouring into the minds of the patient a strong current of uplifting, strengthening, and invigorating thought, which the patient receives telepathically, particularly as a receptive mental attitude is manifested. The joining together of the two minds in a common purpose produces a greatly increased directive force, and besides the mind of the patient being turned away from negative thoughts, a greater supply of Prana is absorbed and distributed through the body. The best form of Mental Treatment benefits both the mind and the body of the patient.
What is known as "Absent Mental Treatment" acts along precisely the same lines as the above mentioned form of Mental Treatment - the distance between patient and healer proving no obstacle to a strong healing