Lesson IX. The “Leland Method.”
1908 original text, YOGeBooks typeset transcription; original text extent only
wonderful idea, that Man has within himself, if he did but know it,
tremendous powers or transcendental faculties of which he has really
never had any conception. One reason why such bold thought has
been subdued is that he always felt according to tradition, the existence
of superior supernatural beings, by whose power and patronage he has
been effectively restrained or kept under. It may seem a bold thing to
say that it did not occur to any philosopher through the ages, that
Man, resolute, noble and free, might Will himself into a stage of mind
defying devils and phantasms, or that amid the infinite possibilities
of human nature, there was the faculty of assuming the Indifference
habitual to animals when not alarmed. Our method renders potent
and grand, pleasing or practically useful, to all who practice it, a faculty
which has the great advantage that it may enter into all the relations or
acts of life; will give to everyone something to do, something to occupy
his mind, even in itself, and if we have other occupations.”
The student will recognize in the “Leland Method” the same principles of Auto‑Suggestion, of Self‑Command, that we have referred to in other lessons, together with the principle of the “Mental Helpers” already spoken of. But he will also notice the stress and importance that Mr. Leland attaches to the idea of giving the Command or Auto‑Suggestion just before one goes to sleep. This idea, in fact, forms the key‑note of the Leland Method, and Mr. Leland’s ideas have attracted much attention by reason thereof, notwithstanding that the idea of Suggestion before sleep has been referred to and written upon by other writers, before and since the date of Mr. Leland’s work. But, inasmuch as the latter brought out this phase of the subject so clearly, it is but just that any presentation of the general subject contain a liberal reference to his work, theories and ideas, and full credit for the same.
There is a good psychological reason underlying the fact that Mental Commands given to one’s own mind just before sleep should prove so efficacious. The reason lies in the fact that sleep is a state induced by nature not only for the purpose of resting the physical body and enabling the reparative and recuperative processes to work to the best advantage—important as is this work, there is still another purpose behind the phenomena of sleep. During sleep there is a mental work going on, as well as a physical. The tiny worker of the mind (to follow the figurative illustration already used by us)—the “brownies” of the mind, do much of their work during the time of sleep. The period of sleep is the time of “great doings” on some of the planes of the Inner Consciousness. Then is to be found the performance of the work of mental assimilation, analysis, collation, combining, adjusting, storing‑away, arranging, etc., of the material gathered by the outer consciousness, through its sense organs and reasoning faculties during the waking hours just past.
The workers of the mind gather up the material roughly stored at the end of the day, and store it away systematically, each impression according to its kind, and according to the law of association, so that when one starts on a certain subject he will find arranged in order all that he knows concerning that subject—the process is like the arrangement of books in a large modern reference library, so that anyone familiar with the system may go from one book to another until he has acquainted himself with all the library contains concerning that particular subject.
But this is not all. During the day the conscious mind has made numerous demands for certain information—answers— work—solutions, etc., more or less unconsciously, and the little workers of the mind take this their first chance to do this work, now that the outer consciousness is asleep and not bothering them with demands for the performance of the numerous tasks of the day that demand immediate attention. They gather together the scattered material, and like the brownies work up the material into perfected articles, so that the next day the individual is surprised to find how his mind has worked out many matters for him while he was asleep. These little brownies “work while you sleep,” as the current slang expresses it.
And so now you see the value of the “Leland Method.” Just before going to sleep you formulate a definite demand upon the brownies, and then dismiss the subject from your outer consciousness. Then while you are asleep the desired task is accomplished—the missing link to the chain of knowledge is forged and adjusted into place—the puzzling problem is solved—the perplexing riddle is answered. But you must always remember that after you have said to your Inner Consciousness, “Attend to this for me while I sleep,” you must then positively dismiss the matter from your outer consciousness, just as a great executive dismisses a matter when he gives it over to a tried and trusted assistant. Until you do this the Inner Consciousness cannot do its work properly. Always remember this in connection with this phase of the subject. It is highly important.