E-text prepared by John Hagerson, Kevin Handy,
and Project Gutenberg Distributed Proofreaders
THE WRITER AFFECTIONATELY DEDICATES THIS LITTLE VOLUME TO HIS WIFE
This book contains the substance of a course of lectures recently givenby the writer in the Queen Street Hall, Edinburgh. Its purpose is toindicate the Natural Principles governing the relation betweenMental Action and Material Conditions, and thus to afford the student anintelligible starting-point for the practical study of the subject.
T.T.
March, 1904.
II.--THE HIGHER MODE OF INTELLIGENCE CONTROLS THELOWER
III.--THE UNITY OF THE SPIRIT
IV.--SUBJECTIVE AND OBJECTIVE MIND
V.--FURTHER CONSIDERATIONS REGARDING SUBJECTIVE ANDOBJECTIVE MIND
VI.--THE LAW OF GROWTH
VII.--RECEPTIVITY.
VIII.--RECIPROCAL ACTION OF THE UNIVERSAL ANDINDIVIDUAL MINDS
X.--INTUITION
XI.--HEALING
XII.--THE WILL
XIII.--IN TOUCH WITH SUBCONSCIOUS MIND
XIV.--THE BODY
XV.--THE SOUL
XVI.--THE SPIRIT
In commencing a course of lectures on Mental Science, it is somewhatdifficult for the lecturer to fix upon the best method of opening thesubject. It can be approached from many sides, each with some peculiaradvantage of its own; but, after careful deliberation, it appears to methat, for the purpose of the present course, no better starting-point couldbe selected than the relation between Spirit and Matter. I select thisstarting-point because the distinction--or what we believe to besuch--between them is one with which we are so familiar that I can safelyassume its recognition by everybody; and I may, therefore, at once statethis distinction by using the adjectives which we habitually apply asexpressing the natural opposition between the two--living spirit anddead matter. These terms express our current impression of theopposition between spirit and matter with sufficient accuracy, andconsidered only from the point of view of outward appearances thisimpression is no doubt correct. The general consensus of mankind is rightin trusting the evidence of our senses, and any system which tells us thatwe are not to do so will never obtain a permanent footing in a sane andhealthy community. There is nothing wrong in the evidence conveyed to ahealthy mind by the senses of a healthy body, but the point where errorcreeps in is when we come to judge of the meaning of this testimony. We areaccustomed to judge only by external appearances and by certain limitedsignificances which we attach to words; but when we begin to enquire intothe real meaning of our words and to analyse the causes which give rise tothe appearances, we find our old notions gradually falling off from us,unt