LESSON II
THE CORPOREAL MIND

One of the first things that the student of Mental Therapeutics should learn is this: That the human body is not a mass of mindless matter, but is, instead, as truly an organ of the mind as is the brain, although its mental work is along different lines. This may seem like a startling statement to the person who has not acquainted himself with the discoveries of modern psychology and physiology.

Not only is the body as a whole the outward aspect of an inward mentality, but every part of it (even the cells themselves) has mind immanent within it and acting through it. And, more than this, every part has its own particular mental nature; and every cell its own mental being. There is no part of the body, no organ of the body, no cell of the body, that is without its own mental being or nature.

When this important fact is perceived, the fundamental explanation of mental healing is had. The student then no longer speaks of the power of “mind over matter, ” for he sees that it is really a manifestation of mind over mind—of one kind of mind over another kind of mind. This fact being grasped thoroughly, the whole system of mental cure is perceived as a reasonable and logical idea, instead of a theory opposed to the accepted facts of Nature.

Just as the activities of the brain-cells in performing their own allotted work are so closely correlated and combined that they are regarded as a unity, and form our thinking “mind” as a. whole; so are the activities of our cells, parts, organs and members of our bodies so closely correlated and combined in their actions and interaction that they form a unity, and may be regarded as one mind working in harmony and unity. For the want of a better name this combined mind may be called“The Corporeal Mind." This term will be used in these lessons to indicate this great indwelling mind which is the active spirit of our physical functions and bodily life.

The term"corporeal" means: “pertaining to a material body." Therefore Corporeal Mind means “the bodily mind.” As we proceed we shall discover the qualities, properties, and attributes of the Corporeal Mind

The Corporeal Mind, however, must not be thought of as dwelling apart and separate from the other fields of mental activity which exist in every person. In fact, no part or field of activity in the human being, whether physical or psychical, so dwells apart; everything is correlated, interdependent, and interactive—all coordinated and harmonious parts of one Whole. The Corporeal Mind is really one of the phases or planes of that great field of human mentality known as the Subconscious Mind. The Subsconcious Mind performs about eighty percent of the mental activity of the person; the remaining twenty percent being left for the Conscious Mind to perform. Just as the Conscious Mind consists and is composed of the many faculties of sensation, perception, thought, etc., so is the Subconscious Mind composed of numerous distinct planes or fields of subconscious mental activity. The many excellent works on the Subconscious Mind have given the world full information regarding the activities of this great field or plane of mentality. It is not necessary for us to consider the general subject here; so we shall confine ourselves to merely that part of the Great Subconsciousness that relates to the functions of the human body, i. e., the Corporeal Mind.

But, in our consideration of the subject we must not omit the consideration of the important fact that the Corporeal Mind, like all other phases or aspects of the Subconscious Mind, responds to the ideas, suggestions, and orders given it by the Conscious Mind of its owner. And, also it “takes up,” or accepts the ideas, suggestions, or commands of the minds of others, unless its owner orde