Fourteen Lessons in Yogi Philosophy and Oriental Occultism by Yogi Ramacharaka (bts books to read TXT) 📕

The Cerebro Spinal System attends to all the seeing, hearing, tasting, smelling, feeling, etc. It sets things in motion; it is used by the Ego to think - to manifest consciousness and Intellect. It is the instrument by which the Ego is enabled to communicate with the outside world by means of the physical senses. This system has been likened to a great telephone system, with the brain as the central office, and the spinal column and nerves as cable and wires respectively.

The brain is a great mass of nerve tissue, and consists of three parts, viz., the Cerebrum, or brain proper, which occupies the upper, front, middle and back portion of the skull; the Cerebellum, or “little brain,” which fills the lower and back portion of the skull; and the Medulla Oblongata, which is the broadened commencement of the spinal cord, lying before and in front of the Cerebellum.

The Cerebrum is the organ of the Intellect, and also of the unfolding Spiritual Mind - the organ of manifestation, remember, not the thing itself.

The Cerebellum is the organ of the Instinctive Mind. The Medulla Oblongata is the upper enlarged part of the spinal cord, and from it and the Cerebrum branch forth the cranial nerves which reach to various parts of the head; to the organs of special sense, and to some of the thoracic and abdominal organs, and to the organs of respiration.

The Spinal Cord, or spinal marrow, fills the spinal canal in the vertebral column, or “backbone.” It is a long mass of nerve tissue, branching off at the several vertebrae to nerves communicating to all parts of the body. The Spinal Cord is like a great telephone cable, and the emerging nerves are like the private wires connecting therewith.

The Sympathetic System is composed of a double chain of ganglia on each side of the spinal column, and scattered ganglia in the head, neck, chest, and abdomen. (A ganglion is a mass of nervous matter, including nerve cells.) These ganglia are connected with each other by filaments, and are also connected with the Cerebro-Spinal System by motor and sensory nerves. From these ganglia numerous fibres branch out to the organs of the body, blood vessels, etc. At various points, the nerves meet together and form what are known as plexi, or plexuses. The Sympathetic System practically controls the involuntary processes, such as the circulation, respiration and digestion.

Over this wonderful system operates the Human Magnetism or Pranic Energy (or “Nervous Force,” if you prefer the term of the physical scientists.) By means of the impulses from the mind, through the brain, the magnetism is drawn from its storage batteries, and sent to all parts of the body, or to any particular part of the body, over the wires of the nervous system. Without this magnetism, the heart cannot beat; the blood cannot circulate; the lungs cannot breathe; the various organs cannot function; in fact, the entire machinery of the body comes to a stop if the supply of magnetism be shut off. Nay, more, even the brain itself cannot perform its functions as the physical organ of the mind, unless a supply of Prana or magnetism be present.

And yet, the physical scientists smile at the mention of the subject of “Human Magnetism,” and dismiss it by giving it another name, “Nervous Force,” but limiting its scope.

The Yogi teachings go further than does Western Physical science regarding one particular part of the nervous system. We allude to that which physical scientists call “the Solar Plexus,” or “Abdominal Brain,” and which they consider as merely one of a series of certain matted nets of sympathetic nerves which, with their ganglia are found in various parts of the body. Yogi science teaches that this Solar Plexus is really a most important part of the nervous system, and that it is the great storehouse of Prana, which supplies the minor storage batteries, and the entire system. The Solar Plexus is situated in the Epigastric region, just back of the pit of the stomach, on either side of the spinal column. It is composed of white and gray brain matter, similar to that composing the other brains of man. It plays a much more important part in the life of man than is generally supposed. Men have been killed instantly by a severe blow over this region, and prize fighters recognize its vulnerability, and frequently paralyze their opponents by a blow over it. The name “Solar” is well bestowed, as, in fact, it does radiate energy and strength to all parts of the body, even the upper brains depending upon it for energy with which to work.

Just as the blood penetrates all parts of the system, by means of the arteries, and smaller blood vessels, terminating in tiny, fine hair-like vessels called capillaries, and the system is thereby kept supplied with rich, red blood, building up and repairing the cells of the body, and supplying the material required for that endless work of repair and rebuilding which is constantly going on in every part of the body, under the direction of that faithful servant, the Instinctive Mind - so does this Human Magnetism, or Pranic Energy, penetrate every portion of the system, by means of this wonderful and complex machinery called the Nervous System, with its complicated systems within systems of cables, wires, relays, storage batteries, and the like. Without this magnetism there could be no life, as even the machinery and apparatus for the carrying on of the work of the circulation of the blood depends for motive power upon this Pranic Energy.

The healthy human body is filled from head to toe with this wonderful force, which keeps its machinery moving, and which is used not only on the physical but on the astral plane, as we shall see later on.

But, it must be remembered that the Instinctive Mind is back of all this distribution, for it keeps up a continual demand and draught upon the storage batteries of the system for a sufficient supply of magnetism to supply all parts of the body, and only calls for a special amount in response to a sudden and immediate demand. But the Instinctive Mind regards the supply and demand question in this continuous draught upon the storage batteries, and the consequent sending forth of the magnetism to all parts of the body. It sends forth only a certain reasonable percentage of the amount stored up, otherwise it would soon bankrupt the system. If one has an abundant supply of magnetism, the Instinctive Mind is quite liberal in disbursing that amount, for it is no miser - it is merely prudent and such a person fairly radiates magnetism, so that others coming in contact with him feel the healthy outpouring which leaps beyond the confines of the nervous system, and fills the astral atmosphere around him. We have described the human Aura in our Fourth Lesson, and in the same lesson have touched upon the Aura of the third principle, or Prana, which is practically the Aura of Human Magnetism.

This Aura may be felt by many, and seen by those having a certain degree of clairvoyant vision. In fact, a good clairvoyant may see the magnetism as it moves along within the nervous system of a person. When in or very near the body, it has a faint rosy tint, which leaves it as it moves away from the body. At a little distance from the body, it resembles a vapory cloud of the color and appearance of an electric spark, or rather of the radiations from an X-ray tube. Clairvoyants see spark-like particles of it being shaken from the fingertips of those giving “magnetic treatments” or mesmeric passes. It is also seen by some persons who do not consider themselves clairvoyants, to whom it appears like the heated air arising from a stove, or from the heated ground; that is, like a colorless, vapory something, pulsating and vibrating.

A person of strong concentration or trained powers of thought, also throws off a considerable amount of magnetism along with the thoughtwaves emanating from his brain. In fact, all thought waves are more or less charged with magnetism, but those of poor concentration and negative character throw off so little that we do not generally take it into consideration as compared to the heavily charged thought waves of the positive or developed person.

The great point of difference between the physical scientist and the occultist, is in the question of the possible transference of magnetism, or nervous force as the physical scientist calls it. The physical scientist insists that although the nervous force undoubtedly exists and does all within the body that the occultist claims, yet it is confined to the nervous systems, and cannot traverse their limits. He consequently denies the existence of much of the phenomena incident to Human Magnetism, and considers the occult teachings as fit only for visionary and imaginative people: The occultist, on the other hand, knows by experience that this magnetism, or nervous force, can and repeatedly does traverse the boundaries of the nervous system, and is projected, at times, to distances far remote from the person in whose system it was stored up. The proof of this occult teaching is to be found by anyone who will experiment for himself, providing he will divest his mind of prejudice and will be willing to accept facts as they are presented to him.

Before proceeding further, we wish to again remind our students that this Human Magnetism is merely a manifestation or form of Prana, and that Prana is not made to order by people to supply their needs. When one increases the amount of magnetism, in his system, he does it not by making a fresh supply of it, but by drawing to himself an increased supply of Prana from the great source of supply, by breathing, eating, or drinking. The amount so absorbed or extracted from air, food, and fluid may be greatly increased by the mental desire, or will power, as we will presently see. There is a certain amount of Prana in existence this amount cannot be added to or diminished. It is unchangeable. It is Force.

In our Fifth Lesson, we told you that when a thought is sent forth with strength, it usually carries with it a considerable amount of Prana, or magnetism, which gives to it additional strength, and sometimes produces startling effects. This Prana, or magnetism, practically vitalizes the thought, and makes it almost a living force. All positive thought, good or bad, is more or less heavily charged with Prana or magnetism. The man of strong will sending forth a vigorous, positive thought unconsciously (or consciously, if he understand the subject) sends with it a supply of Prana, or magnetism, proportioned to the force or energy with which the thought is propelled. A thought sent forth when one is laboring under a strong emotion is likewise heavily charged with magnetism. Thoughts, so charged, are often sent like a bullet to the mark, instead of drifting along slowly like an ordinary thought emanation. Some public speakers have acquired this art, and send forth their words with such force that one can fairly feel the impact of the thought. A strong, vigorous thinker, whose thoughts are heavily charged with Prana, will sometimes impart such vitality to his thoughts that they will live for a time as Thought Forms - that is to say, will possess such vitality, from the Prana with which they are charged, that they will become almost like living forces.

We may have something to say on this subject in our Lesson on the Astral World (Lesson X). Such Thought Forms, coming into one’s psychic atmosphere, possess almost the same degree of power that would be experienced were the person present in person talking to you. Read