William Walker Atkinson

Your Mind and How to Use It William Walker Atkinson

Your Mind and How to Use It: A Manual of Practical Psychology by William Walker Atkinson. Mind is defined as "the faculty or power whereby thinking creatures, feel, think, and will." This definition is inadequate and circular in nature, but this is unavoidable, for mind can be defined only in its own terms and only by reference to its own processes. Perhaps the simplest method of conveying the idea of the existence and nature of the mind is that attributed to a celebrated German teacher of psychology who was wont to begin his course by bidding his students think of something, his desk, for example. Then he would say, "Now think of that which thinks about the desk." Then, after a pause, he would add, "This thing which thinks about the desk, and about which you are now thinking, is the subject matter of our study of psychology." The professor could not have said more had he lectured for a month. In recent times the philosophy and practices promoted by the New Thought movement have attracted much attention through the burgeoning of the self-help industry and films such as The Secret. Among New Thought authors, William Walker Atkinson was not only one of the most eminent, but also one of the most prolific. Using a number of pseudonyms, he wrote extensively on a wide range of subjects, including yoga, religious history, reincarnation, and, in particular, training of the mind. Although they have been criticized for their lack of academic rigour, his works have enjoyed enduring popularity due to the power of the concepts the author presents, as well as his succinct style of writing. One of his most notable works is the mental training manual, Your Mind and How to Use It, first published in 1911. A new recording of a self-help classic, narrated by Denis Daly.