Self-Suggestion and the New Huna Theory of Mesmerism and Hypnosis, by Max Freedom Long, [1958], at sacred-texts.com
Self-Suggestion and the New Huna Theory of Mesmerism and Hypnosis, by Max Freedom Long, [1958], at sacred-texts.com
We come now to the place toward which we have been working by learning the theory and practice of self-suggestion. Here we crown the achievements, and pass from the great earthly benefits which self-suggestion can give into the world of pure magic and the miraculous—into the world of "PRAYER".
But PRAYER, within the meaning of Huna, is a very different thing from prayer with the meaning given it today in the churches. In Huna we have a knowledge of the three selves making up the man. In Huna-type prayer we find all three selves have a part in the prayer, and that each has special things to do which cannot be done by the others. If each does its part and uses its unique natural ability expertly, a miracle is possible. If only one self tries to pray, nothing happens.
Self-suggestion is the way by which we can cause all three of the selves of the triune man to work as a balanced and perfect team toward a single accomplishment.
The experimenters who are leading in the field of autoconditioning and autosuggestion are becoming vaguely aware that there should be this crowning step in the art of using suggestion to bring the low self into full agreement and cooperation (integration) with the middle self, then with something still higher.
Dr. Hornell Hart, in his lectures on the subject as well as in his writings, strongly urges that the religious aspect of the process be stressed. He describes the aim as, . . . "to live joyously and to create the kind of personality capable of profound service to our fellow men, to transcend the life we now live, reach out into the spiritual potentialities of life with courage and creative faith." This is a splendid aim and goal, but the student must turn to Huna to find the step-by-step directions needed to accomplish the work of putting the "potentialities" to practical use.
Dr. Rolf Alexander, who clings to the Freudian "id, ego and superego" in contrast to the ancient Polynesian low self, middle self and High Self, offers a method by which one learns to work with the superego. This is the method he has named "self realization". It resembles in flavor the Zen system of attaining "enlightenment" or "realization", but retains the vagueness of the original superego concept even while enlarging it.
Dr. Alexander falls back on the idea that we are all living in a continuous state of hypnotization in which the events of our lives and our surroundings act as hypnotic suggestions to bind and shape the ego, preventing it from realizing the world of reality which surrounds us. The recommended remedy is the breaking free from the hypnotized state and the emergence into the normal state in which the "true" and "real" are sensed and the superego begins to guide one's life. This condition is described as "salvation", as "liberation", and as the complete integration of the three parts of the Freudian self. It goes considerably farther toward metaphysics than the accepted system of Freud permits, but still falls
far short of recognizing the High Self as the end and aim of the autohypnotic efforts.
Some years ago in New England, a mesmerist traveled about and demonstrated Mesmer's healing methods. A man named Quimby became interested, learned to use mesmerism, and set himself up as a healer, evolving in the process a set of theories to explain what happens in the process of such healing. From his theories, which touched a little on religion and metaphysics, there evolved New Thought and Christian Science.
In New Thought circles one of the leaders was Judge Troward. He had served in India and had absorbed some of the concepts of Yoga and Vedanta. Hypnotism had come to the fore by the time he began to write, and he delightedly fastened upon the strange new theory of "suggestion" in building for himself a new set of explanations to cover that step which is to be taken as we move from the physical to the superphysical—from the low and middle self realm to in-include that of the High Self.
Oddly enough, Judge Troward failed to see in the miraculous answers obtained through prayers the evidence of a Higher Power. He carefully avoided the older concept of a close and personal God made in man's image, and, avoiding the Superconscious entirely, proposed a "UNIVERSAL SUBCONSCIOUS". This was, perhaps, less surprising than it would look on the surface. What had impressed him most was the apparently verified fact that when one "held the thought" long and well, after the budding New Thought method, one built up a mysterious compulsive force which in some way influenced something more powerful than man, causing it to bring into reality the thing
so pictured and demanded. The Yoga tradition was that the miraculous could be brought about by concentration, but in this there was little to offer scientific backing. On the other hand, hypnosis and suggestion were being generally accepted.
His postulated "Universal Subconscious" was a natural deduction for one following through from mesmerism to suggestion and reaching out toward the miraculous in the field of answered prayer. He had reasoned that a Superconscious of universal size and creative power must be too high to be controlled by the thoughts of men, so the thing that certainly was seen to accept control, must be similar to the subconscious of man. Ergo! A Universal Subconscious must be the answer And it must also have miraculous power, being part of the Superconscious. The only flaw which developed in this theory which was widely hailed and accepted in New Thought, was that the Universal Subconscious so often refused to obey "thought-held" suggestion.
This revolt against the older religious concept of prayer has been going on for some time, largely because of the failure to get results by orthodox prayer methods. Something "scientific" was demanded which could be used to get unfailing results. And, it should not be necessary for one to be kind, generous or good, as in orthodox circles, to be able to tip up the Horn of Plenty by some "action of mind", so that blessings could rain down. Many felt that God should stop playing favorites and answering the prayers of some while ignoring the prayers of others.
As the new religions springing from this revolt were partly founded on the old Quimby healing demonstrations, healing remained one of the things most
desired and expected. However, it was always very discouraging to a "practitioner" to have a client fail to become well, then go to a "natural healer" who might get excellent results from simple orthodox prayer.
But all is not easy to explain in orthodox circles. Some become famed for their "power in prayer", and others, often living seemingly far more worthy and devoted lives, suffer tragedies which prayer seldom alleviates.
Obviously, our knowledge of prayer is badly in need of overhauling.
A few famous psychologists have viewed this sad contradiction of current religious speculations, and have written learnedly about it. William James, in his book, "Varieties of Religious Experiences", made a classical contribution to the subject. In later years in his book, "Man the Unknown", Dr. Alexis Carrel gave the world a study of the miraculous answers to prayer occurring down the years at the shrine at Lourdes, in France, where those who came to pray for others were oftenest healed themselves—an odd state of affairs which contradicts all current beliefs and speculations.
Two features of effective prayer may be seen to be outstanding. (1) There must be a strong emotion of desire aroused in making a prayer, and (2) there must be confident expectation or faith that the prayer will be answered.
It makes little difference to whom the prayers are addressed so long as it is some Higher Being. This may be God, as named in any language or conceived in any religion. It can be prayer to any Savior in any religion, such as Jesus or Buddha. It
can be prayer addressed to saints or ancestors.
An additional discovery has been made, but its recognition has been so slow that today it is almost completely overlooked. This is the discovery that mesmerism, coupled with prayer, could and did bring about healings verging on the miraculous. We have already seen that Col. Henry S. Olcott, active in the early years of the Theosophical Society, had explored this angle. In his writings he described his experience in healing over fifty paralytics in Ceylon, saying that he had made use of the faith of the patients in Buddha. He encouraged them to believe that when they asked it, the Buddha would heal them. This brought in a strong element of prayer to add some ingredient (not discussed or defined) to the mesmeric force exerted by Col. Olcott. As there was the intention to heal mingled with the expectation of being healed, the element of suggestion was very strong, even if not recognized as part of the process. The combination of ingredients worked wonders—wonders which still puzzle the modern hypnotists who cannot understand how mesmerism can bring about healing results which they cannot begin to duplicate.
For the moment let us leave the line of thought which we have been following to consider a form of healing which is too important to be overlooked, although it falls under a rather different heading. This is healing brought about by people of mediumistic talent who claim no power in themselves but who give all the credit to the spirits of the disincarnate.
The spirits, speaking through their mediums, tell how they bring about healing. Their theories differ as widely as those of living non-medical healers, but while almost none of them appears to rely on
prayer to a Higher Being, they agree that a living person of mediumistic ability is needed to work with and through. Needed also is a supply of vital force.
The fact that some mediums are thrown into a trance state strongly hints that the spirits are able to use suggestion, and, if they draw from the living enough vital force for mesmeric-hypnotic use, this accounts in part for some of the healing which is accomplished.
An excellent little book for the curious who may wish to follow this line of healing and its spirit-given explanations, is "The Mediumship of Arnold Clare", by Harry Edwards, himself a famous mediumistic healer. In it may be found described things which remind one strongly of the Huna shadowy bodies which are owned by each of the three selves, the Huna grades of vital force, the "will" power, and the thought forms charged with vital force. A spirit named "Peter", said, when asked about the healing forces, "The nearest force we know comparable to that used in producing action is magnetic force, but this force (used by spirits) is of a different quality and is stronger in character."
Psychic healing, brought about with the help of the disincarnate, is not for the average person, but we find in this healing method additional proofs that Huna theories are valid and workable.
Reduced to its simplest terms, PRAYER is, according to Huna, the calling in of the High Self to join the team of the low and middle selves so that work of a miraculous nature can be undertaken and accomplished. It is the High Self which possesses the miraculous power and the wisdom to go with it. It can see into the future in so far as coming events have
been determined. It has evolved through the school of life and has accumulated all the wisdom to be gained by living for a time as a low self, and, later, as a middle self. It is the self we find at work in spirit healing where the diseased tissues of a patient are miraculously changed to healthy and normal tissues. It can give guidance and help of a marvelous nature if invited to do so.
As all who have studied Huna theories will know, the High Selves do not encroach on the privilege of free will which is the birthright of the lower selves. It must allow them to learn by experience. But, when the lower selves become aware of the fact that there is a High Self watching over them as a Guardian Angel, and come to invite it to take its full share in living, it can then guide and guard and help in endless ways. This complete integration involves the three selves, not just the lower two. It brings the good life to replace the life in which the pair of lower selves stumble along without guidance, and often bring disaster upon themselves by their conflicts and differences of beliefs, desires and dislikes.
In the books, "The Secret Science Behind Miracles" and "The Secret Science At Work", the entire question of prayer has been discussed as the central theme of Huna. While self-suggestion has been lightly touched upon in both books, it has not been until now that the full value of the use of this method as an addition to prayer has been realized and presented.
Prayer, to be effective, must be started by the middle self. It must realize some need and must decide what is to be asked of the High Self in prayer. Once the work is begun, it must cause the low self to perform its important part in making the prayer.
The low self has, as a natural talent, the ability to use telepathy. All prayer is telepathic and involves the sending of a message of thought forms over the connecting shadowy-body-substance cord to the High Self, wherever it happens to be at the time. Only the low self can send such a message. More than that, only the low self can supply the needed vital force to flow along the aka cord to the High Self and, on the flow, to carry the thought forms embodying the prayer.
The middle self needs to draw on the low self for its supply of vital force in order to change the force to the more potent thing we call "will". In a like way the High Self must be supplied with its vital force by the low self. As it observes the inviolableness of the free will of the lower selves, the High Self will draw only the slight amount of force needed for its necessary work of furnishing over-all guidance. But, when invited to direct, help and take its full part in living the triune life of its man, and when it is supplied with all the vital force necessary, it can answer prayers, the more force supplied, the swifter the answer.
We have seen how the low self is given the "seed" ideas in suggestion and how these need to be filled with the commanding force of the "will". The same thing happens in relation to the High Self when we pray, except that no suggestive force can be used to compel the High Self to react as does the low self when a set of ideas is presented. The High Self, having vastly greater wisdom and experience, has a level of free will all its own, and this is as inviolate on its level as is that of the lower selves. The High Self must be allowed to decide whether or not the
thing asked for in prayer is good and wise and best in the long run. It may look into the future and see that if a certain prayer were answered, it would cause upsets and trouble later on. But if the prayer is good, and if time is given to bring the answer about as a condition or circumstance, and if the vital force is supplied and the prayer is renewed daily, the answer will eventually appear.
The average person, when confronted by an urgent need demanding prayer, cries out to God or a Higher Being with a great upsurge of emotion, asking for help. The upsurge of emotion guarantees that the low self is thoroughly impressed with the urgency of the situation. It, and it alone, creates emotions. They are a part of its hallmark, just as are memory and telepathy. Where emotion is aroused strongly, there is invariably a sudden building up of the vital force supply. This may be used in many ways. In sudden anger it is used in attacking or fighting off something or someone. In fear it is used in flight if flight is possible. And in urgent prayer, it is used automatically by the low self to make the telepathic contact with the High Self and to send the empowering flow of force with the prayer.
On the other hand, the average person, when NOT confronted with a situation of great urgency, simply does not pray. Experience of the past has usually taught the futility of such prayer. One begins to meet the situation as best one can unless desperation comes. This is a sad condition, indeed. In the High Self lies more wisdom and power than we can imagine. It is there for us to draw upon even in very small matters, for the High Self takes part fully in ALL of the life of its man, when the door is opened
to it and the invitation is daily extended to do so.
Ordinary prayer is child's play. It is a hit and miss repetition of set prayers, the voicing of which has too often become only a religious duty. The child who is taught the duty of reciting a prayer at bedtime may carry on the habit, once it is formed, and pray nightly, but at best, it is an amateurish performance in imitation of the very fine art of complete, effective and proper prayer.
The elements of the complete and perfect prayer are:
(1) The cooperation of all three selves.
(2) The making of the decision as to what is to be asked in prayer. This is the work of the middle self, even if guidance from the High Self is the thing which is to be asked.
(3) The making of the mental picture of the condition desired. In this task the middle self reasons from the memories furnished to it on request by the low self.
(4) The giving of the mental picture of the desired condition to the low self to present telepathically to the High Self.
(5) Here the low self takes over and begins its work behind the scenes and out of reach of the middle self. It may either obey the order to make the telepathic contact with the High Self and deliver the prayer picture, or it may pay no attention to the order. It may simply drop the mental picture of the desired condition and the memory of the order into the limbo of its vast memory storage vaults, and then go on with whatever else it may have been doing or thinking. Most prayers get no farther than this limbo. That is why self-suggestion is the incomparable tool,
over and beyond its use in bringing about the usual benefits of suggestion where prayer has no part.
With the ability to use self-suggestion, the middle self can at last go confidently about the business of making ready a prayer. Then, by using the method already described, it can charge the prayer picture with vital force to such an extent that, when the low self is relaxed, it will accept the command, together with the prayer. In both will be charges of force that will demand instant consideration and close attention. It will obey the built-in order to contact the High Self telepathically, and send to it the ideas as thought forms—together with the invaluable gift of vital force.
It is as simple as that. But it is something of inestimable value. It furnishes us with a way of getting the prayer delivered and empowered every time. It may take considerably more time to concentrate on the mental image of the desired condition to be embodied in the prayer, but the reward justifies the expenditure of endless time and effort. How else can one take thought of one's future and settle down happily to the work of making it fall along pleasant and useful paths?
Self-suggestion, therefore, is a two part process. It begins with the integration of the low and middle selves and brings the life into harmonious conditions within the limits of the two lower levels. The second part comes with the integration of the third or High Self into the team, and the laying of the broad plans for the future—plans which will take shape under intuitional guidance from the High Self, which often uses circumstances and so manipulates them that a chance happening may switch the whole
course of life from one path to another in a most beneficial way.
If no other satisfaction were gained, the making of daily contact with the High Self would be a reward sufficient in itself. Here is the deep and enduring love which one can sense and on which one can rely in any and all circumstances. Here is the vast wisdom of the Father half of the Utterly Trustworthy Parental Pair. Here is the love and maternal care of the Mother half who is one with the Father, and still separate.
The religious injunction to pray "in my name", has a deeper Huna meaning, but for its outward use, one may pray to the High Self direct, and depend upon it to send the prayer on to other and higher Entities, even to Ultimate God, if this is necessary. If one wishes to pray directly to God, that is permissible, but all prayer must first go to the High Self Pair before there is any chance that it may be passed on.
A prayer to God, offered in the name of the High Self Father-Mother Pair, fulfills all the conditions and requirements of the Biblical injunction. We may rely completely upon the superior wisdom and love which works always for our good. If we do our part to the best of our limited ability, the rest will be done for us, exactly as it should be done.
Furthermore, the High Selves form, with others of their stage of evolution, the Great Companies of Shining Spirits. They are not divided and held apart as are we who reside in physical bodies. Space and time limit them but little. Communication is by means of telepathy of a more advanced kind, and distance is no barrier. For this reason, groups of us who are held apart on the lower levels are guided and
watched over by closely associated companies of High Selves—the blessed "Poe Aumakua" of the kahunas.
If one should wish to make many wonderful and powerful friends in the highest places, the Great Company is the place to begin. And how does one go about contacting and attracting the helpful love and friendship of those in such high places?
Simply help those on this level of life who need help, and the gratitude of their High Selves—who are often cut off and are unable to help their stumbling charges—will be as an enduring light on one's path. These friends of the Great Company may be asked, through your own High Self, to help you help those over whom they brood as Guardian Angels. And they will help mightily. If one wishes to receive life's most radiant and enduring gifts, the way leads to and through SERVICE.
If one serves faithfully and demonstrates trustworthiness with what is given of material things or of wisdom—if one uses the increasing gifts to help others on the physical or mental side of life—there will never be a lack of means with which to serve.
Of all human satisfactions, there is none greater than that of being able to serve and to love. And loving and selfless service is the shortest and most direct road leading to evolutionary growth and progress. It is the road leading to growth from the level of the middle self to that of the High Self. It is the Royal Road. It is a very high and exclusive road guarded against intrusion by all the barriers of ignorance, selfishness and hate. But even the most humble of us can enter it freely if we make our first hesitant step one into Service-With-Love. Once this step is purposefully taken with eyes fastened on the
shining goal of progression, it will be discovered that there is no need to wait for a distant day of reward. The reward is waiting on the road at the end of each smallest step, and it is called by the sages who have passed that way, "The Joy of Service," than which there is none greater—none more enduring.