Vril, or Vital Magnetism
by William Walker Atkinson
Lesson XI.
Conserving Vril-Power
THE Arcane teachings hold that not only does the wise person store up a sufficient supply of Vril to meet sudden and unexpected demands — not only does he direct and distribute Vril to meet the requirements of his physical and mental system — but he also avoids unnecessary waste and dissipation of Vril power, and strives to stop all leaks of energy. Such person practices not only industry and thrift in relation to Vril, but also manifests a wise economy regarding its conservation.
Vril waste and dissipation occurs in two ways, viz.: (1) emotional waste; and (2) physical waste. The majority of persons are more or less prodigals along one or both of the above stated lines. They turn on the emotional or physical faucet, and allow Vril to drip and dribble almost constantly — pure waste.
Emotional waste is habitual with many persons who fail to realize that in every useless flow of emotional activity they are really [107] dissipating a portion of the life-power and vital energy. Not only does this emotional dissipation result in a drain on the life energies, but, like any other form of dissipation, it results also in killing the healthy and normal emotional expression, replacing the latter with a false emotional activity which is without real feeling and which seeks constant excitement and stimulus as the drunkard seeks drink, and the drug habituate his particular narcotic or stimulant.
One may avoid this emotional waste by watching carefully the formation of emotional habits. As an authority says: "All emotions deepen by repetition. If one allows an undesirable feeling to master him once, he should be on the watch to check that feeling at the start on the occasion of the second manifestation. The man who falls into a rage once, falls into the same emotion easier a second time; the man who keeps cool once under trying circumstances, will be more easily able to control himself the next time. . . The truth cannot be too strongly emphasized, that a habit of emotional feeling is, at the outset, often the result of an intellectual habit. Summon different ideas to the mind, and notice how the emotion [108] changes with the idea. . . to repress certain trains of feeling, repress the ideas that give them birth. This will have restraining power, even when the emotional state tends to bring up a consonant idea, just as a fire may suggest putting fuel on it."
Emotional waste may also be prevented by carefully training oneself to control the physical expression usually accompanying the feeling or emotion. An authority says: "By restraining the expression of an emotion, we can frequently throttle it; by inducing an expression, we can often cause its allied emotion. . . We know that animals, barbarians, and children generally allow motor discharges without inhibition, and that control comes in some way or other with culture." Another eminent authority says: "Even if we cannot prevent a feeling from arising, we may possibly prevent it from spreading, by inhibiting the organic movement which accompanies it, and indulgence in which augments it."
An authority says: "Novices frequently make the mistake of thinking that intense expression of emotion indicates not only a character rich in feeling, but also one that will make great unselfish sacrifices for the welfare of [109] others. The truth lies generally in the opposite direction. Many persons expend all their energies in the expression of emotion and have none left for action. Some demonstrative people find it difficult to understand that to feel intense sympathy is not the same as to exert themselves in actually relieving distress. The world could very well spare a million of those who only feel for a dozen of those who act."
In the volume of this series entitled "The Arcane Formulas," we have devoted considerable space to instruction along the lines of mastering and controlling the emotional nature, not in the direction of killing out or destroying that part of one's mental and spiritual being, but rather in the direction of attaining perfect mastery and control thereof. We have therein instructed the student in the art of "mastering the opposites" of feeling and emotion, that he may secure and maintain the true mental, moral, and spiritual balance and poise. We have said therein: "Acquire the mental 'knack' of rising above the plane of emotional feeling, on to the plane of will, and there calmly watch and observe the storm of emotion without being influenced by it. This is like one sailing in a balloon above the storm clouds which [110] are thundering and flashing lightning beneath him. On the plane of will there is peace and power undreamt of by those still on the emotional plane. . . Never allow yourself to become enmeshed and involved in the emotional storms or activities. Handle the emotions as the master does an instrument — but never yield yourself to the power and influence of slave or instrument, any more than you would yield yourself to the power and influence of some entity outside of yourself."
The study of the Arcane teachings, in the preceding volumes of the series, will do much for anyone who has found himself or herself carried away by emotional storms, or cyclones of feeling, which result in Vril dissipation and waste. The principles therein taught, and the methods therein stated, will do much to impart balance and poise, self-control and self-mastery to those who seek "poise and power." Emotion and feeling play an important part in our lives, and when properly employed are good for us to use — but, even when normally good, they become bad when we allow them to use us to the extent that we become subject to them and under their control. Even "the divine gift of sympathy" may become a veritable curse [111] in this way, and may tend to wreck the mental and physical well-being of a person, without in the least benefiting the objects which aroused it originally. We must be strong ourselves before we may help others. As in everything else in life, so in this case we must avoid the extremes or "opposites," and preserve the happy mean in the centre, where alone is poise, power and balance to be found.
Passing from the consideration of this first form of emotional waste of Vril-power, we perceive that the average person manifests an equally harmful waste in his physical life. Waste motion, waste nervous strain, excessive nervous tension, and excessive purposeless physical motion is seen on all sides. The majority of persons are in a state of unrelaxed nervous and muscular tension during their waking hours. Their nerves are tense, and the muscles contracted, without any real cause. Their fingers are beating the "devil's tattoo," and they waste nervous energy to no purpose whatsoever. They whittle pencils, chew tooth-picks, or masticate chewing-gum. They do not know the meaning of the word relaxation, and have no conception of its physical expression. When talking, these persons throw into the [112] task sufficient energy to sustain a vigorous orator through the strain of his greatest effort. When walking, they expend enough energy to carry a giant up a steep hill. When riding they sit on the edge of the car seat, leaning forward as if they imagined that they were using their energy to help propel the train to their destination. Poise is unknown to these people who are burning their Vril candle at both ends.
Such persons should take an object lesson from a young resting infant, or from a cat in a relaxed position. The child "lets go" to perfection. The cat relaxes every muscle and nerve, and yet so finely organized is it that in the twinkling of an eye when necessity for possible action arises, its muscles become as steel, and its nerves as hair-triggers. The cat crouching before a mouse-hole gives one of nature's best object lessons in the quality of "relaxed power." Here we find the latent hair-trigger nerves, and the potential steel muscles, in a state of perfection.
The only way to relax properly is to withdraw the Vril tension from the muscles. And this is not so easy for those who have contracted the unnatural habits of unnecessary tension. They must first learn how to "let go." [113] The student wishing to learn how to relax should begin by practicing with the hands, first taking away all tension, and then swinging the hands from the wrists, until they become perfectly limp. Then practise "limbering up" the fingers. Then swing the arms to and fro in the same manner. Then, tense the upper arm and swing the fore-arms freely from the elbow. Then follow the same general course with the legs, until you haye them thoroughly "loosened up." Then swing the head about, the neck being made limp. And, finally, lying down, manage to take every bit of Vril-force from the muscles of the whole body, imitating the attitude, position and general condition of the tired baby who has dropped to sleep over its play.
A variation of the "loosening up" exercises may be found in the imitation of a Newfoundland dog shaking himself vigorously — this will give you a good general "limbering up." "Stretching" the limbs, in the familiar motion of the lazy boy, will also be found to give relaxation and rest, and to relieve tension. Conclude the relaxation exercises with the "Bracing-up exercise" given below, which will also be found excellent in case of the tired feeling caused by sitting or standing in one [114] position, or when the brain feels fagged and tired, or when from any mental or physical cause one may feel "stale" and "not fit."
BRACING-UP EXERCISE. Stand erect, and take several natural, easy, "fun breaths," combining with them the mental exercise of Vril absorption. Then, holding your arms out in front of you, clench your fists and draw them slowly toward your breast, gradually increasing the muscular tension. Then push your fists out and draw them in (muscles still tensed) several times. Then drop your fists to your sides, and gradually draw them straight up as far as they will go, tensing the muscles as the fists ascend. Repeat several times. Then moving your arms about (with clenched fists) alternately tense and relax the muscles. A few moments of this exercise will fill the upper part of the body with fresh Vril, and will impart a wonderful feeling of energy and power. Similar exercises, employing the legs in alternate tension and relaxation, will likewise vitalize and energjze the body below the waist. There are no set motions in this exercise, the whole principle being that of alternate tension and relaxation. The benefits of this exercise, or any similar light exercise, [115] will be doubled if one will throw his mind into it. Picture the benefit to be derived from it, and while performing the exercise, endeavor to enter into the consciousness of the action of Vril, and you will find that the action of the mind will serve to give to Vril a mighty force and impulse in the direction of the exercised parts and their vicinity.
In the field of emotional Vril waste, we find that the emotional states of anger, hate, jealousy, fear, worry, and over-anxiety, and the attempt to vicariously live out the life of another for him or her, are the ones which produce the greatest strain, tension, waste and dissipation. Steady, calm mental work seldom wrecks one, while the above emotional states, and others, expressed to too great a degree, slowly but surely undennine the nervous system, and react upon mind and body. In the same way steady, normal physical exercise or work seldom affects one injuriously, while the unnatural nervous and muscular tension before mentioned, and the nervous physical actions resulting from the presence of the injurious emotions to which we have alluded, frequently strain the physical nature to the utmost. And, as in the majority of cases the emotional waste [116] is manifested in connection with the physical waste, — each serving to feed the other by action and reaction — we may readily see that in Vril waste and dissipation we have the secret of that curse of the age known as neurasthenia or nervous prostration. This is not the result of overwork, as is generally supposed, but is the result of over-worry, undue tension, and lack of mental balance and poise, which serve to waste the life-forces, the vital energies, or Vril. To overcome this trouble it is first necessary to recognize its cause, and then to counteract the cause by following the course directly opposed to it. We trust that in this book we have explained the former, and pointed the way toward the latter.
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