Book Review: Thought Vibration by William Walker Atkinson

I will open with a video discussing the book followed by remarks based on reading the book.

Introductory Video

The following video by Daniel Moreno about the book Thought Vibration by William Walker Atkinson summarize a number of points (1:01:40 minutes).

1. Thoughts have degree, passing thoughts to dominant thoughts. Passing thoughts are largely of a one-off nature. Thoughts that repeat strengthen themselves until they have a dominant impact on our mind and nature. Their strength accumulates through repetition and they become more integrated into one’s personality. In the process they become less distinct or noticeable.
2. Similar thoughts attract each other and gather together and reinforce the dominant thought. The dominant thought selects evidence which strengthens its conviction.
3. A thought can influence a decision before you know it. Mental attitude enters into all decisions.
4. Other people respond to the state that you bring into the room. Your state influences your perceptions, actions and your responses to others.
5. A thought reaches its greatest power when it becomes an identity as in part of your personality.
6. Fighting a thought can give it more power. Recognize the thought but do not organize attention around it. Practice a behaviour.
7. Will power is the faculty that chooses where the mind returns to. Repeated return builds mental strength.

From this we can create a five step process to manage thoughts:

1. Observe the dominant thought without immediately arguing with it.
2. Separate the thought from identity.
3. Choose a direction specific enough to guide one action.
4. Return to that action when the mind becomes scattered.
5. Allow completed actions to become permanent.

The invisible thought moves through attention, behaviour, influence and identity.

The Invisible Circuit (50:01)

Thought becomes attention, attention becomes interpretation, interpretation becomes action, action affects results, results become belief. Understanding this circuit provides us with a mechanism for changing our identity.

Comments

Thoughts that arose from watching the video.

• It occurred to me that a thought may have an emotional component that provides the thought’s power.
• Dominant thoughts may in other words be called beliefs.
• The video does not discuss how thoughts are vibrations. This leads to the greater question as to what a vibration is.

Extracting from the Book

I’m working from the PDF¹ copy from the list of resources.I’ll comment section by section.

The Law of Attraction in the Thought World

Atkinson describes thought as a force with the power of attraction. He speaks of thoughts as vibrations or waves. We broadcast them and they attract like vibrations.

Atkinson discusses experience in terms of vibrations. The problem is that the science of the day and his personal understanding of it has lead to an erroneous presentation of vibration. Sound is a vibration in air mass. Light is a vibration in an electromagnetic field. We don’t know what thoughts are a vibration of.

He discusses a law of attraction” as the greatest universal law. This needs detailed examination that he doesn’t provide here.

Thought Waves and their Process of Reproduction

He describes thoughts as vibrations of a mind or mental form of ether. We are affected by the thoughts of others to the extent that they resonate with the frequency of our own thoughts. Such resonance can be strong or weak affecting us accordingly. He says we are a product of our thoughts.

We attract to us others of the same mental keynotes. We can use affirmations to raise our keynote making us more susceptible to positive thoughts from others. He says we generally see that for which we look. He says we receive the thoughts of others to which we are attuned.

He doesn’t say it directly but there is an emotional correspondence between a thought vibration and what we feel. We can change our thought vibration by using our will. He advocates a comfortable positive state of mind in ordinary life and not one focused on raising one’s vibratory state continually.

A Talk about the Mind 

Atkinson says the mind has several distinct faculties. Each faculty has an active effort and a passive one. Active efforts arise from immediate circumstances while passive ones are inherited from the past (lives). He talks about hoe they interact, especially how active efforts alter or destroy passive ones. The interaction of efforts are the basis for habits.

Atkinson talks about active and passive forms of mentation. He considers persons using active rather than passive mentation to be higher on the evolutionary scale. He says that the Will is the outward manifestation of the I AM.

Mind Building  

Atkinson says that the ʺIʺ is the sovereign of the mind and “Will” is its instrument. Before we advance spiritually he says that we must use the will to bring under control those aspects that are of the lower self. Her recommends using the affirmation: “I AM Asserting the Mastery of My Real Self “. Repeat this affirmation once an hour and more at bedtime.

As an exercise, every time that you feel thoughts or urges coming from the lower self, immediately replace them with higher thoughts.

The Secret of the Will  

The will can be developed and strengthened. Our problem is that we rarely exercise our will with sufficient determination. We usually lack the resolve to exert the power of the will. He proposes the autosuggestion: “I AM Using My Will Power “, repeating it during the day. As an exercise, perform a disagreeable task once a month to exert your will power.

How to become immune to injurious Thought Attraction  

The first step is to cut out Fear and Worry in your life. Do this when they arise by switching to a positive thought as an antidote. Use an affirmation of Courage to counteract a fear. Fear paralyses effort and courage promotes activity. Fear is the first obstacle to spiritual growth and abundance that must be overcome.

Start using the thought “I can” in your daily activity. Fight fear with fearlessness.

The Transmutation of Negative Thought  

Worry derives from fear and stops when Fear is gone. Desire and Interest or ambition replace Fear. Replace them with Confidence and Hope. Desire drives change and action. One may have many desires but the strongest will override the weaker ones. Desire, Confidence, and Will will lead to Attainment.

Worry is a focus on the future in a form that rarely comes to pass. Substitute concentration of on something positive at hand. Look for bright, cheerful and happy thoughts.

The Law of Mental Control  

Replace an objectionable thought with a positive or desirable one. Concentration when awake can be used to focus the mind on a desirable thought stream. Use the Will to focus the mind and change direction.

Asserting the Life‐Force  

Atkinson tells us to allow the Life-Force within us to flow through expression of interest. He tells us to create an affirmation of thought that the ʺIʺ within is alive and that we are manifesting life fully. Repeat throughout the day. Keep active.

Training the Habit‐Mind  

Make new habits from useful actions in your life. Build these habits using enthusiasm. Use resolutions repeatedly to build good habits.

The Psychology of Emotion  

Habits may be associated with emotions. Repeating a habit strengthens the associated emotion. In building habits be careful that the associated emotion is desirable. Conversely, an undesirable emotion such as anger can build habits that produce it. Worry is a strong source of building undesirable habits. Faultfinding and nagging are other habits that produce negative emotions.

When negative emotions and thoughts arise, command them to “get out”. Repetition of rejection will weaken them. Count to 10 before venting your anger.

Developing new Brain Cells

Replace undesirable mental states with new positive ones. This may be through the natural creation of new brain cells allowing the less desirable ones to die. Atkinson says we are a bundle of mental thoughts and habits. Cultivating positive thoughts will displace others. New thoughts must not only be held but MUST be acted out. Keep a state of cheerfulness.

The Attractive Power ‐ Desire Force 

To attain something it must be central to your functioning. You must earnestly “love” what you want to attain. Keep your mental force focused on the one thing desired.

The Great Dynamic Forces 

Energy and invincible determination with concentration are the two most critical elements to achieve results. Maintaining focus of the use of power is the key to achievement. He does not explain “energy”.

Claiming your Own  

He states that you have a right to all good things that the “universe” has to offer. The work to attain them is in identifying all the counter arguments that we generate. These must be in turn countered and overcome to attain the desired goal. He urges that having attained these things that we not become attached to them so as to prevent us from moving on.

Atkinson ignores the possibility that individuals may be in this incarnation to experience lack and want, What he is proclaiming must be tailored to the individual circumstance.

Law, not Chance  

Autosuggestion is usually used negatively by us but is a powerful force. Nothing is due to “chance” but is the result of some law operating.

Partner with good minds. Expect to receive like thoughts. Thoughts are real things. Attraction is between like things and like nature.

Comments

Atkinson is writing in an era when metaphysics was blossoming under the writings of many. Hence, knowledge of concepts and terms which are a background of his ideas would be common knowledge in that era but foreign to the novice reader of today. His appeal to scientific knowledge is a hundred years out of date, a fact that the reader must make allowances for. Still, key concepts remain and what struck me are summarized next.

Key Points

1. Thoughts are vibrations of a mental field. What this means requires deep exploration.
2. Thoughts, repeated, reinforce and strengthen themselves. They can grow into beliefs and become part of our persona or identity.
3. Thoughts “attract” similar thoughts of similar vibrational frequency. This may be a form of resonance. He doesn’t explore how the mind generates or receives thoughts. Rather than attraction, it may be a case of filtering. The mind may only receive thoughts around its characteristic frequency with other thoughts simply passing through. With some thoughts filtered out, the exclusion may appear as attraction of thoughts the filter allows in.
4. Thoughts are associated with emotions which may be what gives a thought power (needs to be explored since he doesn’t).
5. Fear and worry are two of the most destructive emotions operating. They must be conquered for mental advancement which requires a singular mind. Attacking these thoughts directly strengthens them. Rather use the will to switch to a simple positive thought which one can strengthen by repeated use.
6. He doesn’t define a “habit” but I would define it as a set of actions that produce an outcome that can be strengthened by repetitive use. A “good” habit may have specific thoughts and emotions associated with it. Beliefs are static while habits are dynamic.
7. Tools for mind development include positive affirmation, repetition, concentration or focus, determination and will power.

Resources

1. Thought Vibration. Best Copy that I found. Fairy Books (PDF).
2. Thought Vibration, or the Law of Attraction in the Thought World. The Internet Archive (PDF).
3. Thought Vibration. YogeBooks. Possibly a more readable copy. (PDF).

Articles in This Series

Refer to the series index in Gnostic Wisdom.

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