In the earlier lessons of this course, I explained to you that all Mental Healing is really the effect of Mind over minds-of the higher Mind over the minds in the organs, parts, and cells of the body. When this fact and principle is once grasped by the student, he begins to realize that the work of healing must be directed to the cell-minds and organ-minds, either directly or else through the Corporeal Mind which is but the sum-total of these subordinate cell-minds and organ-minds. And he likewise realizes that the most effective mental treatment must be along the lines of inducing normal activities in the organs and cells. While a general appeal and course of energizing sugges-> tions directed to the Corporeal Mind generally acts in the direction of cure, and often is all that is needed; nevertheless scientific practice should include specific and special direction of the treatment to the particular organ, part, or cells which are manifesting imperfectly.

The student also grasps the idea that his treatment must not be along negative lines-that it must not consist of thoughts and words about the diseased conditions; but rather it should be expressly and invariably along positive and constructive lines; that is, it must consist of thoughts and words about the normal, natural, healthy condition of the organ or part affected.

The thought of the practitioner, and his every word and suggestion, must be along the lines of the condition he wishes to produce in the patient. He must always see and think of the desired condition as already existing.

But (and here we come to a most important question) how is the practitioner to picture and treat for the normal, natural, healthy condition unless he knows just what these healthy, normal, natural conditions really are? The answer is obvious-there is no need of further argument about it. The answer is simply "He cannot!" This being so, I have deemed it advisable to include in these lessons, just as I do in my personal class lessons, a simple, plain, non-technical, (dear presentation of the basic and fundamental facts of physiology-the facts of the natural and normal processes of the physical organs of a man or woman in the state of health. Those who have an acquaintance with this subject already will be none the worse for refreshing their memory; and those who have not an acquaintance therewith will be greatly benefited by a careful study of the following lessons in which these things are pointed out.

The student will notice, however, that in such instruction I shall not dwell upon the diseased conditions of the parts or organs, excepting perhaps here and there a passing reference thereto. My plan is entirely different from that of the teacher of drug-healing, who keeps the minds and thoughts of his students always on the diseased condition and never on the healthy condition. Is it any wonder that so many physicians grow morbid on the subject of disease- particularly the subject of the special class of diseases upon which they specialize? Is it any wonder that they are always looking for symptoms of their favorite disease, and always imagining that they find it? In view of what we know of the effect of mental images upon the physical states and conditions, it is no wonder that so many of these disease-specialists finally fall victims to their own favorite diseases-it would indeed be wonderful if such were not the case, in view of the known facts of psychological influence over the organ-minds and cell-minds. And, alas! it is also to be feared that in many cases the mental attitudes and mental images of these specialists actually induce corresponding diseased conditions in the bodies of the patients under their care. A simple understanding of the laws of mental suggestion should be sufficient to show the reasonableness of this suspicion.

So I have pursued an entirely opposite policy in these lessons. Instead of following the method of the orthodox teachers of medicine who, as an authority has well said, "stick to the old materialistic ideas and cultivate the thoughts engendered by close association with cadavers, morbid specimens, bacterial cultures, microscopic slides, and pathology in general," I have adopted the plan of pointing out to my students the Healthy, Natural, Normal Human Body; bidding them always to hold this in their minds as a pattern to be used in building up a like condition in the bodies of their patients. This may seem like a small thing to those who do not look beneath the surface of things-but to those who look beneath the superficial appearance of things the fact is a most significant one, and one of the greatest importance in the practice of Mental Healing.

I have found that very many students at first have failed to recognize the great importance of the normal processes of that which we call "Nature," as manifested in the human body. Many have in a general way thought of Nature as merely a totality of mechanical forces, which operated by action and reaction, relation and interrelation, and general co-ordination, which have caused the "happening" of the processes of the physical body. This is a grave error of judgment, and important results may depend upon its correction. If it were merely a question of philosophy or general belief, I should not stop to speak of it here. But inasmuch as the success of the practitioner of Mental Therapeutics depends materially upon his conception of the activities underlying the processes of Nature, I deem it of the highest importance that students of the subject be correctly informed regarding this question.

Nature is not a totality of blind, lifeless forces. On the contrary, all Nature is alive, and is permeated with Mind in every part. There is nothing lifeless or mindless in all of Nature. Without attempting to explain the almost inconceivable mystery of Nature's operations, I wish to be understood as positively asserting that the processes manifested in the physical body of every human being in a state of health show the presence of instinctive mind working toward the end of efficient work. More than this, the human body as it exists today is the result of long ages of evolution, of efforts on the part of this instinctive mind to manifest better and still better results. Disease results from some interference with Nature's laws. If Nature in the body can have her own way, unhindered by external forces, she will build up and maintain a perfectly healthy physical system-for her aim and ideal always is Perfect Health.

One thing that the practitioner may always count upon in his treatments, and that is that Nature is always on his side in his healing work. Nature has as her twofold purpose (a) the preservation and well-being of the life of the individual, and (b) the reproduction and survival of the species. She is constantly working toward those ends. When she is thwarted in her ends she makes the best of it, and does the best she can in view of the imperfect material with which she has to work and the obstacles interfering with her full expression and manifestation. Away down in the depths of the Corporeal Mind will be found this primitive and elementary urge of Nature toward Perfect Health.

It may be urged that Nature kills a man as well as bringing him into life. This is true in a way, but it remains true that while man is in the limits of his natural years of life, Nature is always striving to keep him in health and strength. She intends that every man shall live out his normal period of time, and she intends that he shall live it in health and strength. If Nature's laws were not interfered with, disease and short-life would be but as accidents. So truly does Nature work always in the interests of health and life, that even many conditions called "disease" are but Nature's remedial processes-processes designed to cast from the system that which is harmful to it. Nearly all acute disease is really a remedial process, when rightly understood. But when Nature is unable to accomplish her work, she apparently resigns herself to the task of making the best of it, and struggles along in a halting and limping fashion -this allows the diseased condition to become "chronic." In our treatments we really help Nature by imparting energy and activity to the cell-minds and organ-minds, and thus throwing off the abnormal conditions. All healing consists in restoring Nature's normal rule and operations.

All this leads up to what I shall have to say to you in the succeeding lessons of this course, in which I shall show you Nature in normal action-her processes performed in the natural, normal way which maintain physical health and well-being. Any deviation from this normal standard of operations means ill-health or disease. The closer you study the conditions maintained by Nature when the body is in a state of Perfect Health, the better able will you be to direct your thought, suggestions, and other suggestions, and other treatment to the best effect.

General Directions: I wish here to give you certain general directions regarding the study of the following lessons, and the application of the principles therein contained:

(1) Take up each lesson in turn, and carefully study the principles of Nature's operations as manifested in the particular department treated upon in the lesson. Do not leave the lesson until you have formed a clear, general idea of the operations of Nature in that particular office and function, or class of the same. Go back to the subject over and over again until you have mastered it completely. It may help you in your study if you will write down a short synopsis of each lesson, without reference to the book during the writing-use your own words and ways of stating the principle. Then compare what you have written with the lesson itself, and note your mistakes and omissions. Stick to it until you have a very clear idea of the subject in your mind; so clear that you may easily describe it to a friend in conversation.

(2) When you have gained a clear idea of the subject of the lesson, in fact even while you are gaining it, you should practice visualizing or forming a clear mental picture in your imagination of the process you have been studying. Try to picture it just as you would if you were actually viewing the process in a human body, if this were possible. I want you to be able to picture these leading physiological processes just as clearly as you would picture the workings of a piece of familiar machinery-the running of a train, a typewriter, or a sewing-machine, for instance.

(3) When you come to actual practice, I want you to reproduce the idea and mental picture of this normal, natural, functioning of the organs in question, so that you may actually picture the corresponding organs of the patient as acting in the same way. By doing this you actually set up processes in the body of the patient which will bring about just this kind of activity and normal functioning. Do you get the point ? By creating the correct mental pattern in your mind, and then reproducing it in connection with your thought of the patient's body, you tendio make the ideal pattern take on objective form and activity in the patient's system. Do you see now why I dwell so strongly upon the necessity of your creating the right kind of mental pattern? To this end the instruction given in the following lessons has been written.