William Walker Atkinson Quotes

“A careful examination will show that what we call 'Chance' is merely an expression relating to obscure causes; causes that we cannot perceive; causes that we cannot understand.

The word Chance is derived from a word meaning 'to fall' (as the falling of dice), the idea being that the fall of the dice (and many other happenings) are merely a 'happening' unrelated to any cause. And this is the sense in which the term is generally employed.

But when the matter is closely examined, it is seen that there is no chance whatsoever about the fall of the dice. Each time a die falls, and displays a certain number, it obeys a law as infallible as that which governs the revolution of the planets around the sun.

Back of the fall of the die are causes, or chains of causes, running back further than the mind can follow. The position of the die in the box; the amount of muscular energy expended in the throw; the condition of the table, etc., etc., all are causes, the effect of which may be seen.

But back of these seen causes there are chains of unseen preceding causes, all of which had a bearing upon the number of the die which fell uppermost.”

“All are on the Path, whose end is THE ALL. All progress is a Returning Home. All is Upward and Onward, in spite of all seemingly contradictory appearances. Such is the message of the Illumined.”

“By establishing the Mental Nature of the Universe, easily explains all of the varied mental and psychic phenomena that occupy such a large portion of the public attention, and which, without such explanation, are non-understandable and defy scientific treatment.”

“Death is not real, even in the Relative sense — it is but Birth to a new life — and You shall go on, and on, and on, to higher and still higher planes of life, for aeons upon aeons of time.

The Universe is your home, and you shall explore its farthest recesses before the end of Time.”

“Do not feel insecure or afraid — we are all held firmly in the Infinite Mind of The All, and there is naught to hurt us or for us to fear.

There is no Power outside of The All to affect us. So we may rest calm and secure. There is a world of comfort and security in this realization when once attained.

Then 'calm and peaceful do we sleep, rocked in the Cradle of the Deep' — resting safely on the bosom of the Ocean of Infinite Mind, which is The All. In The All, indeed, do we live and move and have our being.”

“Do not make the mistake of supposing that the little world you see around you – the Earth, which is a mere grain of dust in the Universe – is the Universe itself.

There are millions upon millions of such worlds, and greater. And there are millions of millions of such Universes in existence within the Infinite Mind of the All.

And even in our own little solar system there are regions and planes of life far higher than ours, and beings compared to which we earth-bound mortals are as the slimy life-forms that dwell on the ocean's bed when compared to Man.”

“Everything flows out and in; everything has its tides; all things rise and fall.

The pendulum-swing manifests in everything; the measure of the swing to the right, is the measure of the swing to the left; rhythm compensates.”

“Everything happens according to Law; that nothing ever 'merely happens'; that there is no such thing as Chance; that while there are various planes of Cause and Effect, the higher dominating the lower planes, still nothing ever entirely escapes the Law.”

“He who grasps the truth of the Mental Nature of the Universe is well advanced on The Path to Mastery.”

“How few original thoughts or original actions are performed by the average person? Are not the majority of persons mere shadows and echoes of others having stronger wills or minds than themselves?

The trouble is that the average person dwells almost altogether in his 'Me' consciousness, and does not realize that he has such a thing as an 'I'.

He is polarized in his Feminine Principle of Mind, and the Masculine Principle, in which is lodged the Will, is allowed to remain inactive and not employed.”

“If you are possessed of Fear, do not waste time trying to 'kill out' Fear, but instead cultivate the quality of Courage, and the Fear will disappear.”

“In the degree that Man realizes the existence of the Indwelling Spirit immanent within his being, so will he rise in the spiritual scale of life.

This is what spiritual development means — the recognition, realization, and manifestation of the Spirit within us.

Try to remember this last definition — that of spiritual development. It contains the Truth of True Religion.”

“Just as a man has two parents, and four grandparents, and eight great-grandparents, and sixteen great-great-grandparents, and so on until when, say, forty generations are calculated the numbers of ancestors run into many millions — so it is with the number of causes behind even the most trifling event or phenomena, such as the passage of a tiny speck of soot before your eye.

It is not an easy matter to trace the bit of soot back to the early period of the world's history when it formed a part of a massive tree-trunk, which was afterward converted into coal, and so on, until as the speck of soot it now passes before your vision on its way to other adventures.

And a mighty chain of events, causes and effects, brought it to its present condition, and the latter is but one of the chain of events which will go to produce other events hundreds of years from now.

One of the series of events arising from the tiny bit of soot was the writing of these lines, which caused the typesetter to perform certain work; the proofreader to do likewise; and which will arouse certain thoughts in your mind, and that of others, which in turn will affect others, and so on, and on, and on, beyond the ability of man to think further and all from the passage of a tiny bit of soot, all of which shows the relativity and association of things, and the further fact that 'there is no great; there is no small; in the mind that causeth all'.”

“Knowledge without Use and Expression is a vain thing, bringing no good to its possessor, or to the race. Beware of Mental Miserliness, and express into Action that which you have learned. Study the Axioms and Aphorisms, but practice them also.”

“Mastery consists not in abnormal dreams, visions, and fantastic imaginings or living, but in using the higher forces against the lower—escaping the pains of the lower planes by vibrating on the higher.”

“Next above the Plane of Ethereal Substance comes the Plane of Energy (A), which comprises the ordinary forms of Energy known to science, its seven sub-planes being, respectively, Heat; Light; Magnetism; Electricity, and Attraction (including Gravitation, Cohesion, Chemical Affinity, etc.) and several other forms of energy indicated by scientific experiments but not as yet named or classified.

The Plane of Energy (B) comprises seven sub-planes of higher forms of energy not as yet discovered by science, but which have been called "Nature's Finer Forces" and which are called into operation in manifestations of certain forms of mental phenomena, and by which such phenomena becomes possible.

The Plane of Energy (C) comprises seven sub-planes of energy so highly organized that it bears many of the characteristics of 'life', but which is not recognized by the minds of men on the ordinary plane of development, being available for the use on beings of the Spiritual Plane alone — such energy is unthinkable to ordinary man, and may be considered almost as 'the divine power'.

The beings employing the same are as 'gods' compared even to the highest human types known to us.”

“No event 'creates' another event, but is merely a preceding link in the great orderly chain of events flowing from the creative energy of The All.

There is a continuity between all events precedent, consequent and subsequent. There is a relation existing between everything that has gone before, and everything that follows.

A stone is dislodged from a mountain side and crashes through a roof of a cottage in the valley below. At first sight we regard this as a chance effect, but when we examine the matter we find a great chain of causes behind it.

In the first place there was the rain which softened the earth supporting the stone and which allowed it to fall; then back of that was the influence of the sun, other rains, etc., which gradually disintegrated the piece of rock from a larger piece; then there were the causes which led to the formation of the mountain, and its upheaval by convulsions of nature, and so on ad infinitum.

Then we might follow up the causes behind the rain, etc. Then we might consider the existence of the roof. In short, we would soon find ourselves involved in a mesh of cause and effect, from which we would soon strive to extricate ourselves.”

“Nothing stands still – everything is being born, growing, dying – the very instant a thing reaches its height, it begins to decline – the law of rhythm is in constant operations.”

“On the Seven Minor Planes of the Great Spiritual Plane exist Beings of whom we may speak as Angels; Archangels; Demi-Gods. On the lower Minor Planes dwell those great souls whom we call Masters and Adepts.

Above them come the Great Hierarchies of the Angelic Posts, unthinkable to man; and above those come those who may without irreverence be called 'The Gods', so high in the scale of Being are they, their being, intelligence and power being akin to those attributed by the races of men to their conceptions of Deity.

These Beings are beyond even the highest flights of the human imagination, the word 'Divine' being the only one applicable to them. Many of these Beings, as well as the Angelic Host, take the greatest interest in the affairs of the Universe and play an important part in its affairs.

These Unseen Divinities and Angelic Helpers extend their influence freely and powerfully, in the process of Evolution, and Cosmic Progress. Their occasional intervention and assistance in human affairs have led to the many legends, beliefs, religions and traditions of the race, past and present.

They have super-imposed their knowledge and power upon the world, again and again, all under the Law of The All, of course.”

“One of the old Hermetic Masters wrote, long ages ago: "He who grasps the truth of the Mental Nature of the Universe is well advanced on The Path to Mastery."

And these words are as true today as at the time they were first written. Without this Master-Key, Mastery is impossible, and the student knocks in vain at the many doors of The Temple.”

“Rather follow the example of the wise, which the same authority states, "use Law against Laws; the higher against the lower; and by the Art of Alchemy transmute that which is undesirable into that which is worthy, and thus triumph.”

“The All creates in its Infinite Mind countless Universes, which exist for aeons of Time.

And yet, to The All, the creation, development, decline and death of a million universes is as the time of the twinkling of an eye.”

“The All is Infinite Living Mind — The Illumined call it Spirit!”

“The All must be Infinite, for there is nothing else to define, confine, bound, limit; or restrict The All.

It must be Infinite in Time, or Eternal — it must have always continuously existed, for there is nothing else to have ever created it, and something can never evolve from nothing, and if it had ever 'not been', even for a moment, it would not 'be' now.

It must continuously exist forever, for there is nothing to destroy it, and it can never 'not-be', even for a moment, because something can never become nothing.

It must be Infinite in Space — it must be Everywhere, for there is no place outside of The All — it cannot be otherwise than continuous in Space, without break, cessation, separation, or interruption, for there is nothing to break, separate, or interrupt its continuity, and nothing with which to 'fill in the gaps'.

It must be Infinite in Power, or Absolute, for there is nothing to limit, restrict, restrain, confine, disturb or condition it — it is subject to no other Power, for there is no other Power.”

“The differences between different manifestations of Matter, Energy, Mind, and even Spirit, result largely from varying rates of Vibrations. The higher the vibration, the higher the position in the scale.”

“The Hermetic teaching does not imply a real duality — The All is One — the Two Aspects are merely aspects of manifestation. The teaching is that The Masculine Principle manifested by The All stands, in a way, apart from the actual mental creation of the Universe.

It projects its Will toward the Feminine Principle (which may be called 'Nature') whereupon the latter begins the actual work of the evolution of the Universe, from simple 'centres of activity' on to man, and then on and on still higher, all according to well-established and firmly enforced Laws of Nature.

If you prefer the old figures of thought, you may think of the Masculine Principle as God, the Father, and of the Feminine Principle as Nature, the Universal Mother, from whose womb all things have been born. This is more than a mere poetic figure of speech — it is an idea of the actual process of the creation of the Universe.

But always remember, that The All is but One, and that in its Infinite Mind the Universe is generated, created and exists.”

“The Hermetic Teachings go much further than do those of modern science. They teach that all manifestation of thought, emotion, reason, will or desire, or any mental state or condition, are accompanied by vibrations, a portion of which are thrown off and which tend to affect the minds of other persons by 'induction'.

This is the principle which produces the phenomena of 'telepathy'; mental influence, and other forms of the action and power of mind over mind, with which the general public is rapidly becoming acquainted, owing to the wide dissemination of occult knowledge by the various schools, cults and teachers along these lines at this time.

Every thought, emotion or mental state has its corresponding rate and mode of vibration. And by an effort of the will of the person, or of other persons, these mental states may be reproduced, just as a musical tone may be reproduced by causing an instrument to vibrate at a certain rate — just as color may be reproduced in the same way.

By a knowledge of the Principle of Vibration, as applied to Mental Phenomena, one may polarize his mind at any degree he wishes, thus gaining a perfect control over his mental states, moods, etc. In the same way he may affect the minds of others, producing the desired mental states in them.

In short, he may be able to produce on the Mental Plane that which science produces on the Physical Plane — namely, 'Vibrations at Will'.

This power of course may be acquired only by the proper instruction, exercises, practice, etc., the science being that of Mental Transmutation, one of the branches of the Hermetic Art.”

“The Hermetists claim that the Master or advanced student is able, to a great degree, to escape tile swing toward Pain, by the process of Neutralization before mentioned. By rising on to the higher plane of the Ego, much of the experience that comes to those dwelling on the lower plane is avoided and escaped.

The Law of Compensation plays an important part in the lives of men and women. It will be noticed that one generally 'pays the price' of anything he possesses or lacks. If he has one thing, he lacks another the balance is struck.

No one can 'keep his penny and have the bit of cake' at the same time. Everything has its pleasant and unpleasant sides. The things that one gains are always paid for by the things that one loses. The rich possess much that the poor lack, while the poor often possess things that are beyond the reach of the rich.

The millionaire may have the inclination toward feasting, and the wealth wherewith to secure all the dainties and luxuries of the table while he lacks the appetite to enjoy the same; he envies the appetite and digestion of the laborer, who lacks the wealth and inclinations of the millionaire, and who gets more pleasure from his plain food than the millionaire could obtain even if his appetite were not jaded, nor his digestion ruined, for the wants, habits and inclinations differ.

And so it is through life. The Law of Compensation is ever in operation, striving to balance and counterbalance, and always succeeding in time, even though several lives may be required for the return swing of the Pendulum of Rhythm.”

“The Hermetists go still further in this matter. They teach that before one is able to enjoy a certain degree of pleasure, he must have swung as far, proportionately, toward the other pole of feeling.

They hold, however, that the Negative is precedent to the Positive in this matter, that is to say that in experiencing a certain degree of pleasure it does not follow that he will have to 'pay up for it' with a corresponding degree of pain; on the contrary, the pleasure is the Rhythmic swing, according to the Law of Compensation, for a degree of pain previously experienced.”

“The Infinite Mind of The All is the womb of Universes.”