Vril, or Vital Magnetism
by William Walker Atkinson
Lesson II.
Vril in Organic Life
VRIL, in the third sense of the term, or the third phase of its manifestation or existence, is the life-force or vital-energy of all organic forms of life — of all living creatures. From the single cell or moneron in the slime of the ocean-bed, or the lowly quasi-organic forms of green sediment or deposits on rocks and old trees, to the highest forms of animal and human life, Vril is ever present and operative. Just as protoplasm is the peculiar phase of matter which serves as the body of living organisms, so is this phase or form of Vril the peculiar force or energy which always accompanies organic life. In fact it is the distinctive property or attribute of organic life. When science is forced to decide whether or not a thing is "living" in the ordinary sense of the term, it is the possession or non-possession of this form of Vril which serves to decide the matter and make the distinction. It is this third phase of manifestation of Vril which forms the subject [18] matter of our present consideration in this book.
Vril, in its third phase of manifestation, is the energy which performs the functions of life in the living organism. It is the power by which the living creature carries on the processes of digestion, assimilation, excretion, nourishment, repair, and elimination. It is the power by which it moves its body by conscious will, and by which the subconscious movements of the cells and organs of the body are performed. Vril causes the heart to beat, and the arteries and veins to carry and propel the blood in its outward and inward course. It causes the intestines and other canals to manifest their peculiar peristaltic action. It is the power by which the will moves the hand and fingers, and by means of which these words are written. We are accustomed to thinking that the will causes these movements, and so it does, but only indirectly. The will is a mental phase; it chooses to make the movement, after which it releases or projects the Vril along the channels of the nerves to the muscles. The muscles then contract, and the movement is effected. The will is like the operator managing one of the great cranes in a modern steel [19] works, who touching a button here, and a lever there, swings the mighty instrument in any direction, causing it to descend upon a great mass of steel, lift it up, and swing it to any desired point. But the man and the machinery could never cause the crane to do this work if there was not available the power (electricity or steam) subject to the control and direction of the operator. Vril in the human body is like electricity in the trolley car — it is that which makes things "go."
While Vril is distributed all over the human body — even the tiniest cell having its share — it is found principally in the two great nervous systems, and is stored up in the great reservoirs of the brain, the spinal-cord, and the various plexi or ganglia of the nervous system. For the purposes of simple conception and easy thinking, we may regard this phase of Vril as the "nervous fluid," or nerve-force, of physiology, remembering always, however, that it is no more a "fluid" than is magnetism or electricity, and that it is not a mechanical force. It is much nearer to mind-power than it is to ordinary physical force, and yet it is different from either. Its place is between mind-power and physical force, while somewhat [20] resembling both. All attempts to identify Vril with mind-power or physical force must fail, for it is a thing of itself — a distinct manifestation of nature or that which lies behind nature.
There is manifested in some quarters a disposition to consider "vital force" or "vitality" as a distinct entity or "soul" which energizes the physical body, and the same disposition may be manifested by students in their consideration of the third phase of Vril. This is an error, and all the best authorities positively condemn it as such. For instance, Huxley, in speaking of the principle of "vitality," says: "Considered apart from the phenomena of consciousness, the phenomena of life are all dependent upon the working of the same physical and chemical forces as those which are active in the rest of the world. It may be convenient to use the terms 'vitality,' and 'vital force' to denote the causes of certain great groups of natural operations, as we employ the names of 'electricity' and 'electrical force' to denote others, but it ceases to be proper to do so if such a name implies the absurd assumption that either 'electricity' or 'vitality' are [21] entities playing the part of efficient causes of electrical or vital phenomena."
In the same way, it is erroneous to consider Vril as an entity or soul, directly and immediately causing the activities and movements of the body. Vril is not the soul, spirit, or mind, of the person any more than it is his physical body, but is a mighty natural force operating upon the body under the control of the conscious or subconscious mental faculties. Its activities manifest in and by means of the physical bodily forms and structure, it is true, but they are inspired and directed by the mind, conscious or subconscious. The physical form may and does carry its charge of Vril, but does not produce the latter. Vril energizes and moves the physical structure, but does not cause it. In a similar manner, while Vril is active in every process of thought, it is not produced by thought; and while it energizes thought processes, it does not produce thought in the sense of causing it. Mind (in the ordinary sense); Vril, either as a principle or in its manifestation; and Matter, either as a principle or in manifestation: are the three co-ordinate manifested principles of the Infinite, and depend upon each other for their activities. [22] This is the teaching not only of modern science, but also of the ancient Arcane sages.
In the previous volumes of this series devoted to the Arcane Teaching, we have seen that Matter exists in forms far more tenuous, subtle, and fine than any known to the senses of man; and also in forms far more gross than the imagination of man can picture. In the same teaching we may see that, even more subtle than the finest forms of matter mentioned, there exist etheric substances infinitely rare, tenuous and refined. The same is true regarding the teaching concerning Vril. Not only do we see Vril manifesting in the inner movements of the ions, atoms, and molecules of matter, and again in its finer phases of animal and human life, but the teaching is that there are forms and manifestations of Vril so much higher than the latter that the ordinary human mind would be unable to conceive of them. But the principle of Vril is ever the same, in high or low manifestation. Much that is called "psychic phenomena" is explainable only by a knowledge of the existence, principles, and laws of Vril, as set forth in the Arcane Teachings. Even the ordinary processes of thought are performed by the aid of Vril in a manner [23] not as yet understood by ordinary men, or even by the physical scientists. It remains for the occultist to state and understand the finer forces of nature, as manifest in the processes which we call "thought."
Many of us confuse the idea of "thought" with that of "mind," but the occultist and scientist know better than this. Mind, in itself, is a great principle the exact nature of which cannot be grasped by the ordinary mind. Thought, on the contrary, is a manifestation of mind, assisted by Vril. The material scientist who perceives the operation of Vril in the processes of thought, and who recognizes the relationship between these processes and that of the physical world, is right so far as he goes, for the activities of Vril are employed therein, just as they are in many physical and chemical processes for reasons which we have already stated. But he makes a wrong induction who holds that, by reason thereof, thought is merely "a secretion of matter," or "a by-product of matter." He fails to realize that Mind is the original cause of thought, and that it employs Vril in its thought processes just as it employs the fine matter of the brain-cells in these processes. It is only when we recognize [24] the co-existence and co-ordination of Mind, Vril, and Matter, that we are able to perceive the real underlying causes of the phenomena of thought.
Physical science is also in error when it attempts to limit the activities of "vital-force" or "nerve-force" (which are but names for the activities of one phase of Vril) to the particular human body in which it is generated or stored. Science loses the opportunity to satisfactorily account for much perplexing phenomena, by insisting upon this antiquated and narrow conception. That which is generally termed "psychic phenomena" is explainable only when the fact of the "long-distance" effect of Vril is perceived and admitted. Likewise, many of the metaphysicians and pseudo-occultists are in error when they attempt to account for certain psychic phenomena by the hypothesis of "mind action" alone. The mind cannot produce effect at a distance without the employment of the power of Vril, any more than the wireless-telegraph operator can produce his long-distance effects by his own will unaided by the power employed in his wonderful instruments.
The physiologist who leaves Vril out of his [25] calculations is no more at sea than is the modern metaphysician or "mental scientist" who omits it from his theories, explanations, and experiments. Without the power of Vril there could be none of the phenomena of mentalism, made so popular by the new schools of mental science and the great revival of interest in ancient occultism which has distinguished the present generation. The mental scientist who understands the nature and methods of employment of Vril, is enabled to double his successes. He uses Vril, of course, unconsciously and unknowingly, in all of his experiments and work — but he wastes more energy than he uses. It is only when he understands the nature of Vril, and the methods of its employment in his mental science work, that he can hope to project his mental power effectively and efficiently. Yet so carried away with their metaphysical theories are some of these practitioners, that they iterate and reiterate "all is mind" and deny even the existence of such a principle as Vril.
Those who assert that "thoughts are things" are right so far as they go — but they do not go far enough. A thought cannot be generated without Vril. Neither can it be [26] projected to a distance without a peculiar employment of the force of Vril. The earnest belief and active faith of many practitioners of mental science causes them to unconsciously energize their thought with Vril, in spite of their denials of its existence. If they would lay aside some of their prejudices, and investigate the subject of Vril, they could and would be enabled so to energize their thought that their power and success would be redoubled. The narrow metaphysician is as much in error as is the narrow materialist. It is only when the triangle of being — Mind, Vril, and Matter — is recognized, that one's full powers and energies may be manifested.
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