The proper way to proceed, is to take up each bit of thought-material in turn, and examine it with the greatest possible interest, and consequently the greatest attention, and then after having fairly saturated it with this interested attention, place it with the pile of material which, after a while, is to be passed on to the sub-conscious mentality.  Then take up the next bit of material, and after giving it similar treatment, pass it along to the pile also.  Then after a while when you have gathered up the main facts of the case, proceed to consider the mass as a whole, with interest and attention, giving it as it were a “general treatment.”  Then drop it down the trap-door into the sub-conscious mind, with a strong command, “Attend to this thought-material,” coupled with a strong expectant belief that your order will be obeyed.

The idea underlying this treatment of the thought-material with interest and attention is that by so doing a strong “Mental Image” is created, which may be easily handled by the sub-conscious mind.  Remember that you are passing on “thoughts” for the sub-consciousness to act upon, and that the more tangible and real these thoughts are, the better can they be handled.  Therefore any plan that will build these thoughts up into “real” things is the plan to pursue.  And attention and interest produce just this result.

If we may be pardoned for using a homely and commonplace illustration we would say that the idea may be grasped by the illustration of boiling an egg, whereby the fluid “white” and “yolk” becomes solid and real.  Also the use of a shaving brush by a man, by which the thin lather is gradually worked up into a rich, thick, creamy mass, is an illustration.  Again, the churning of butter is a favorite illustration of the Hindus, who thus call the attention of their students to the fact that thought-material if worked upon with attention and interest become “thought-forms” that may be handled by the mind just as the hands handle a material object.  We ask you to think of these illustrations, for when you once grasp the idea that we wish to convey to you, you will have the secret of great thinking powers within your grasp.

And this power of sub-consciousing is not confined alone to the consideration of philosophical questions.  On the contrary it is applicable to every field of human thought, and may be properly employed in any and all of them.  It is useful in solving the problems of every-day life and work, as well as to the higher flights of the human mind.  And we wish every one of our students to realize that in this simple lesson we are giving them the key to a great mental power.

To realize just what we are offering to you, we would remind you of the old fairy tales of all races, in which there is to be found one or more tales telling of some poor cobbler, or tailor, or carpenter, as the case may be, who had by his good deeds, gained favor with the “brownies” or good fairies, who would come each night when the man and his family were asleep, and proceed to complete the work that the artisan had laid out for the morrow.  The pieces of leather would be made into shoes; the cloth would be sewed into garments; the wood would be joined, and nailed together into boxes, chairs, benches and what not.  But in each case the rough materials were prepared by the artisan himself during the day.