The occultist, on the contrary, masters his attention, and controls his imagination.  He forces the one to concentrate when he wishes it to do so; and he compels the latter to form the mental images he wishes to visualize.  But this a far different thing from the self-hypnotization which some persons imagine to be concentration.  A writer on the subject has well said:  “The trained occultist will concentrate upon a subject or object with a wonderful intensity, seemingly completely absorbed in the subject or object before him, and oblivious to all else in the world.  And yet, the task accomplished, or the given time expired, he will detach his mind from the object and will be perfectly fresh, watchful and wide-awake to the next matter before him.  There is every difference between being controlled by involuntary attention, which is species of self-hypnotization, and the control of the attention, which is an evidence of mastery.”  An eminent French psychologist once said:  “The authority of the attention is subject to the superior authority of the Ego.  I yield it, or I withhold it, as I please.  I direct it in turn to several points.  I concentrate it upon each point, as long as my will can stand the effort.”

In an earlier lesson of this series, I have indicated in a general way the methods whereby one may develop and train his powers of concentration.  There is no royal road to concentration; it may be developed only by practice and exercise.  The secret consists in managing the attention, so as to fix it upon a subject, no matter how uninteresting; and to hold it there for a reasonable length of time.  Practice upon some disagreeable study or other task is good exercise, for it serves to train the will in spite of the influence of more attractive objects or subjects.  And this all serves to train the will, remember; for the will is actively concerned in every act of voluntary attention.  In fact, attention of this kind is one of the most important and characteristic acts of the will.

So, as you see, in order to be successful in influencing the minds of others by means of mental induction, you must first cultivate a strong feeling of interest in the idea which you wish to induce in the other person, or a strong desire to produce the thing.  Interest and desire constitute the fire which generates the stream of will from the water of mind, as some occultists have stated it.  Secondly, you must cultivate the faculty of forming strong and clear mental images of the idea or feeling you wish to so induce; you must learn to actually “see” the thing in your imagination, so as to give the idea strength and clearness.  Thirdly, you must learn to concentrate your mind and attention upon the idea or feeling, shutting out all other ideas and feelings for the time being; thus you give concentrated force and power to the vibrations and thought-forms which you are projecting.