Vril, or Vital Magnetism
by William Walker Atkinson
Lesson V.
The Transformation of Vril
WE have seen that Vril, in its second phase, is inherent in all forms of atomic matter, and consequently in all forms of matter resulting from combinations of material atoms. As all matter is composed of material atoms, it follows then that Vril is to be found in all matter. But there is a vast difference in the forms and the conditions in and under which it so appears. Just as matter is the same whether appearing in the form and condition of the diamond or hardest steel, or in the form and condition of bread and butter, so in the same way it may be said that Vril is the same in principle whether it appears in the granite rock or in the air. But it is likewise true that just as steel and diamond cannot be used by man as a source of physical nourishment in the same way that bread and butter can be so used, so Vril in the granite rock is not available to man in the same way as is Vril in the air, the water, and in protoplasmic food material.
While all things in nature are, at the last, one in substance and principle, nevertheless the laboratory of nature forms many combinations and imposes many conditions upon these things, thereby fitting some things to one purpose and other things to other purposes. Here is where science steps in and insists upon the practical side of things as opposed to the "pure principles" of metaphysics. As an authority once said: "Those who like to study the puzzles as to what mind and matter really are, must go to metaphysics. Should we ever find that salt, arsenic, and all things else, are the same substance with a different molecular arrangement, we should still not use them interchangeably." And so to the man who may object that "Vril is Vril," we would remark that, while "matter is matter," he would do well to select protoplasmic forms of matter for food, rather than diamonds or steel — the same principle applying to Vril in its application to human requirements.
Nature has so wisely arranged matters that the supply of Vril, in its second phase, is found in its most usable form for man — in the precise combinations which meet the requirements of its transmutation into the third-phase condition, [51] in which alone man may use it — in those very forms of substances which man employs in his physical economy for other purposes. Vril, in the precise combination required for transmutation for man's requirements, is found (1) in the protoplasmic substances which man naturally partakes of as food and nourishment; (2) in a lesser degree, in the water which man drinks in order to preserve his fluid-balance and to eliminate from his system the waste matter; and (3) in a high degree in the atmospheric air which man breathes into his lungs for the purpose of obtaining oxygen to serve in maintaining bodily heat, and to burn up the waste-matter of the system, both in the cell itself and in the lungs. Thus, we see, man may know nothing whatever regarding the principle and uses of Vril, and yet will be compelled by nature to partake of those very substances to which it inheres.
Under normal circumstances the individual will secure sufficient Vril by the "hit or miss" system of eating, drinking, and breathing practiced by him, without any particular instruction on the subject. But, as we have said, the unusual conditions in which modern man lives, particularly in the large cities, are such that [52] there is a greater waste and a greater use of Vril than Nature has intended or provided for, and, accordingly, the man who so dissipates one of Nature's greatest forces must replace and replenish it by extraordinary means. He must bring his intellect to the aid of his subconscious mind, and supply that which in the ordinary course of his life he may fail to secure. This is in no way contrary to nature. It is merely aiding nature in her work. We see instances of this in other features connected with the physical well-being of man. For instance, man in the natural state does not need to be urged to exercise, for his ordinary vocation and day's work supplies him with all the exercise he requires. But the man whose work keeps him indoors and at the desk does not obtain the normal amount of exercise or out-of-doors experience, and accordingly he is compelled to walk for his health and to practise various forms of "artificial" exercise. The natural man does not need to take a vacation and indulge in fishing, boating, golfing, for his physical well-being, while his brother in the city is advised to do that for recreation which the natural man does from necessity. The example of an eminent statesman felling trees for [53] exercise and recreation, while the woodcutter finds nothing but "work" in the same employment, is another illustration of this fact.
So in this little book we shall have something to say regarding the means and methods whereby one who is deficient in Vril-force may obtain that which he needs and which he can not get in the ordinary way. The man leading the natural life in the woods and with sufficient physical exercise to bring into action the Vril-absorbing functions, will not need this instruction — it is not for him. But it is highly important that the average individual who reads this book should take advantage of the simple, natural, rational system and methods herein advanced. This ancient teaching is highly practicable and applicable to modern conditions. We may apply these teachings of a past civilization to the requirements of our own, with great benefit.
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