temporaryreality

For purposes of this book club, this post will be a periodically updated collection of the The Mystic Will quotes that catch my attention, an online version of something I've long done both on paper and in assorted word-processing documents often eventually printed out for reflection and use. Newest (most recently read) quotes will be at the top.

For as I hope clearly to prove it is an easy matter to create a strong will, or strengthen that which we have, to a marvelous extent, yet he who would do this must first give his Attention firmly and fixedly to his intent or want, for which purpose it is absolutely necessary that he shall first know his own mind regarding what he means to do, and therefore meditate upon it, not dreamily, or vaguely, but earnestly. And this done he must assure himself that he takes a real interest in the subject, since if such be the case I may declare that his success is well nigh certain....For there would in very truth be few failures in life if those who undertake anything first gave to it long and careful consideration by leading observation into every detail, and, in fact, becoming familiar with the idea, and not trusting to acquire interest and perseverance in the future. Nine-tenths of the difficulty and doubt or ill-at-easeness which beginners experience...and which often inspires them to retreat is due entirely to not having begun by training the Attention or awakened and Interest in the subject.(pp. 25-26)

That is simply to say, there is active or passive observation -- the things which we seek or which come to us unsought. And the "seeking for," or spontaneous action can be materially aided and made persevering, if before we begin the search or set about devoting attention to anything, we pause, as it were, to determine or resolve that we will be thorough, and not leave off until we have mastered it. For strange as it may seem, the doing this actually has in most cases a positive, and very often remarkable result, as the reader may very easily verify for himself. This Forethought is far more easily awakened, or exerted, than Attention itself, but it prepares it, just as Attention prepares Interest. (p. 21)

[an interesting point - thinking of the things I accomplish, there's an un-thought thought that I'm just going to complete the activity, whereas the things that remain dangling tend to be approached with "I'm going to work on ____" which is probably why breaking larger things into their many smaller steps is so helpful to me. So, not "Today I will work on a short story" but "I will write a scene" or "I will write 500 words." My earlier attempt at putting this book's lessons into practice was probably unaccompanied by such forethought or small-step consideration.]

Chapter 1 starts off with the story of "the screw pencil" - describing an incident in which the author mistook something for another until attention revealed it for what it was. He says,

There is an exact spiritual parallel for this incident...in innumerable ideas, at which well-nigh everybody in the hurrying stream of life has glanced, yet no one has ever examined, until someone with a poetic spirit of curiosity, or inspired by quaint superstition, pauses, picks one up, looks into it, and finds that it has ingenious use, and is far more than it appeared to be. Thus, if I declare that by special attention to a subject, earnestly turning it over and thinking deeply into it, very remarkable results may be produced, as regards result in knowledge, every human being will assent to it as the veriest truism ever uttered; in the fullest belief that he or she assuredly knows all that. (pp.19-20)

[the example he uses sounds to me like discursive meditation]