Vril, or Vital Magnetism
by William Walker Atkinson
Lesson VI.
Vril in Food and Water
ORDINARY physiology does not recognize the element of Vril in food, but concerns itself with much important discussion of "calories," "proteids," "food-units," all of which is very well and proper, for a scientific knowledge of food elements and the values thereof is important. In the state of nature man instinctively selects the class and variety of food best adapted for his needs. The centuries of human experience have built up an almost infallible instinct in this respect which man may safely follow under normal conditions. But so artificial are the conditions under which the majority of us live that instinct is almost stifled, and a most unnatural system of nourishment prevails. Accordingly, instruction upon this point is much needed by the race. But we have no intention of discussing this phase of the question of nourishment or food. The work has been well done by many others and the information concerning the same is at the [55] call of nearly every person. Our purpose here is to consider food merely from the standpoint of its Vril-containing properties.
There is a vast difference in the amount and form of Vril in the various forms and kinds of foods. The foods rich in proteids contain much Vril in a form readily available to man. The carbohydrates are also charged with considerable Vril. The fats contain but little Vril in a form available for man — very little real energy, but much heat-producing material. But man in his unscientific methods of obtaining nourishment fails to secure either the best food-value or the greatest amount of Vril from any class of foods. Modern science, as well as the ancient teachings, in forms man regarding the wasteful methods employed by him, and the methods which will obviate these. Human food material may be divided into three general classes, as follows: (1) Proteid or nitrogenous foods, such as meats, nuts, peas, beans, etc., which are the plastic foods or tissue-builders of the system; (2) the carbohydrates, such as sugars, starches, gums, etc., which are both tissue-builders and heat-producers; (3) the fats, such as animal fats, vegetable [56] oils, butter, etc., which serve principally as heat-producers.
Various authorities have many differing theories regarding the proportions in which the various food-elements should enter into the ordinary diet. But all agree that a variety is needed, and that a well balanced diet consists of articles of food from each class, in about the proportion usually observed in the usual menu of "middle-class" families. The very poor often are unable to obtain many articles of nourishing food, while the very rich often neglect the truly nourishing foods in favor of the "fancy dishes." The average gives us the best selection. A well-known authority was fond of stating that in his opinion the well balanced diet was clearly represented by the sentence: "Bread and butter, beefsteak, potatoes, eggs, and milk," and that variations of the menu would be equally well balanced, providing the same general rule was followed.
It was one of the favorite theories of the ancient occultists that all "sex foods" contain more Vril than other classes of food. By "sex foods" is meant such animal or vegetable products as contain either the reproductive cell or seed, or else serve to nourish the young animal [57] or plant. In the first mentioned class we find eggs, nuts, fruits, grain, corn, berries, which contain the "seed" of reproductive life. In the second class we have milk, cream, butter, the fruit juices, syrups. The theory was that nature gave in concentrated form the Vril needed by the young growing animal or plant. While modern science has not as yet adopted this idea of the ancient occultists, there are indications that such recognition and approval is not so very far off. The growing popularity of nuts and fruits as articles of diet, the increase of interest in the milk diet, the increasing use of fruit juices, show that human experience is verifying the ancient theories.
But we are only indirectly concerned with the question of "what kind of food." Our principal concern in this book is rather "how food should be eaten." The ancient occultists laid great stress upon the importance of the proper mastication of food, and modern science is becoming very much interested in the subject. In actual practice the old occultists practised many of the fundamental principles that are found in the modem popular theory called "Fletcherism," except that they did not carry the matter to such an extreme as some of the [58] modern teachers on the subject. The ancient teachers held that all food should be thoroughly masticated until it was reduced to a pulp and was then almost unconsciously swallowed. They carried this to such an extent that they even followed the plan of mastication when a mouthful of milk was taken, and when the softest foods were placed in the mouth. They did not have the knowledge of the chemistry of foods possessed by modern science, but their experience taught them that food masticated in this way gave the greatest nourishment, and, what to them was equally important, that in this way the nerve-ends of the tongue and mouth absorbed a supply of concentrated Vril from the food. They held that the nerves of the tongue and mouth alone were capable of performing this office, and that after the food passed down the throat there was no possibility of the absorption of Vril from it.
The ancient occultists held that so long as there remains "taste" in the mouthful of food, there is Vril to be found in it. When the "taste" disappears, the Vril has been absorbed. Consequently they ate slowly, and masticated each mouthful carefully so as to extract the greatest amount of "taste" from it. [59] They claimed that this method of eating not only served to extract the largest amount of Vril from the food, but also gave to the person eating it the fullest epicurean pleasure. They claimed that they obtained a pleasure from eating that the glutton could never experience or even conceive. Accepting this as true, it is further evident, by reason of the physiological principles involved, that food so eaten is thoroughly saturated with saliva and more easily digested by the stomach and intestines when finally swallowed, and that there is consequently but a trifling amount of waste, and a freedom from overloading the stomach. By giving the stomach only an easy task to perform, we are enabled to employ the energy and blood (generally used in the processes of digestion) for service in the brain. The occultists were always "clear in the head," and never suffered the feeling of over-eating and brain-lethargy, neither did they acquire dyspepsia or other disorders of the digestive organism. The student will do well to experiment with this plan of eating, or at least partially adopt it in his everyday life. We promise that if he does this, he will before long experience a new feeling of energy, health, [60] vigor, vitality, and virility, which will prove to him the soundness of the method.
We have no intention of prescribing a dietary for students of this book. Such information must be looked for in works on the subject of nutrition and diet. But in order to answer the very natural questions which frequently arise in this connection, we would say that the ancient occultists, as a rule, lived very simply and followed the rule of "eating to live" rather than" living to eat." Yet such is the law of compensation to be found throughout nature, that they obtained far greater pleasure in their nourishment than did the gourmands and gluttons of their times. This principle is true throughout all nature — avoid excesses and thus experience the true normal satisfaction in all of nature's functionings. He who would seek satisfaction in excess but defeats his object; while he who religiously avoids excess attains that which the extremists miss. The ancient occultists, while avoiding artificial systems, and while keeping as close to nature as possible, found that their natural instincts (freed from excesses of any kind) inclined them toward a diet of nuts, fruits, milk, eggs, grain, butter, juices, vegetable oils, all of [61] which, it will be noticed, come under the classification of "sex foods," as previously mentioned. Even the vegetable oils, such as olive oil, are found to have some association with "seeds" or the material surrounding the same. Milk, butter, and the fruit juices come under the category of nourishment for the sprouting seed, or growing young thing. We are of the opinion that the ancient occultists did not deliberately select this dietary from any specially preconceived theory, but that, on the contrary, they found by experiment and experience that this class of foods served their purposes better than any other. Of course the very natural explanation is seen in the fact that nature bends special energy toward supplying the embryo with the most nourishing and the most vitally powerful material — this being true in both animal and plant life. It is very probable that this theory will be worked out in detail, in the light of modern science, by some scientific investigators in the near future. In the meantime, we may do well to take this leaf of experience from the book of life of the ancient occultists, even in the absence of a detailed theory.
The ancient occultists also held that water [62] contains a certain amount of available Vril, which man may extract to advantage by scientific methods of drinking. Accordingly they drank only in small sips, allowing the water to remain in the mouth a few moments before swallowing, during which time it came in continued contact with the nerves of the tongue and mouth. They held that after being swallowed, the water yields no Vril to the body, and serves merely the very useful purpose of the irrigation of the system and the carrying away of refuse material; that no one could ever experience the real pleasure of drinking except in this way. So long as available Vril remains in the water, the tongue and mouth experience a peculiar feeling or sense of satisfaction and gratification, which is unknown to those who pour the water down their throats. The increasing use of "straws," or "sippers" by modern persons in drinking lemonade, iced-tea, and other liquids, would seem to indicate that this satisfaction or gratification is becoming known, even though its reason is not suspected. In this way the very essence of the water or cooling beverage is absorbed, and the person feels correspondingly refreshed. The plan may be employed to equal advantage in [63] hot drinks, although the ancient occultists refrained from hot drinks except for the purpose of occasionally "washing out" the stomach and intestines, or of correcting some physical indisposition, the latter, however, being quite rare among them by reason of the life they led.
We trust that in the spirit of investigation and knowledge, at least, the student will experiment with the above indicated methods of eating and drinking, in order to demonstrate to his own satisfaction the advantages of obtaining the Vril contained in food and water. In connection with the methods of breathing which will now be taken up, the aforesaid methods will be found to afford a method of cultivating and preserving physical well-being which will be far ahead of the more complicated systems advised and exploited by the teachers of hygiene and physical culture. The advantage lies in the quick results obtained, as well as in the fact that one does not have to seek for material outside of the everyday things of nature. All that is required is that one manifests his appreciation of nature's bounty in a rational manner. It is merely an intelligent "return to nature."
"Vril, or Vital Magnetism: The Secret Doctrine of Ancient Atlantis, Egypt, Chaldea, and Greece" (1909; 1911) — by William Walker Atkinson — remains available in our BSRF xerographic edition. Every purchase of print helps support the Foundation and allows us to provide our unique service to all seekers.
Use our online cart to place your print order now.
Or call us at +1 (707) 497-6911 and let us help you find what you're looking for.
Return to Vril Research index.