The Magnet ( Audio Book )

The Magnet – Lida Churchill / Chapter One

The Magnet

“You are seeking the essence of things,” said one to a chemist who was known to be making some searching experiments. “No, the quintessence,” was the reply. The aim of “The Magnet” is to secure for its readers the quintessence of the teachings for the acquirement of magnetism in words so few that they may be remembered, so strong that they may have lasting power.

LIDA A. CHURCHILL.

CONTENTS PAGE

I. How to Avoid Demagnetism – 4

II. How to Create Inward Magnetism – 7

III. How to Establish Outward Magnetism – 10

IV. How to Have a Magnetic Personality – 13

V. How to Magnetize Circumstances – 16

VI. How to Win and to Keep Love – 19

VII. How to Remain a Magnet – 23

HOW TO AVOID DEMAGNETISM Have I any magnetism? This question has been timidly and privately asked by thousands, and thousands more have longed to ask it. It is not a foolish or an unimportant question. If there lives a person, which I strongly doubt, who does not care whether he is magnetic or not, he is not wise or philosophical. Prosperity, success, health and happiness are things to which everyone has a right, and of which no one should allow himself to be defrauded. Magnetism is the master key which not only unlocks these things to man, but is also the sentinel which guards them and keeps them intact for him. “What is the kingdom of heaven?” asked a Bible-class teacher. “Magnetism,” replied a student, “for it draws all other things unto it.” We shall see that this seemingly irreverent reply was a perfectly legitimate statement. Divine magnetism (and all worthy magnetism is divine) is nothing less than the kingdom of heaven, and is to be coveted and sought for as such. “Yes,” sighed a woman, “magnetism is something I long for, but I haven’t a bit, and it cannot be cultivated. I suppose I’m too honest and sincere to be called magnetic, but I work so hard scrubbing and sewing and cooking for my family that I get all worn out, and cannot help feeling cross. I believe even my own children love sister Jennie better than they do me, though she never does much for them but listen to all their stories, and talk with them, and kiss them good-night. I’m too busy for all that.” This speech betrays ignorance, misapprehension, and want of understanding. The declaration that she entirely lacked magnetism was this woman’s first misstatement. No one is without some degree of magnetism. How do we know that everyone has magnetism? Because we know that everyone has life. Magnetism is life. Perfect magnetism is the highest and most vital, as well as the most subtle, form of life. Whatever increases and vitalizes life increases and vitalizes magnetism. Whatever decreases or devitalizes life decreases and devitalizes magnetism. An important and frequent reason why one thinks of himself, and others think of him, as having no magnetism is that he so decreases and wastes the magnetism which he naturally possesses that it becomes so weak as to almost or wholly lose its power to attract. In other words, he works according to the law of demagnetism. This waste is wholly unnecessary, and can easily be avoided.

He who is to cease working according to the law of demagnetism must burn in upon his consciousness the truth that all action is not life. We hear certain people spoken of as being “all alive,” when the truth is they have very little real life. Useless nervous activity is not life, but the waster and destroyer of life. There is as much significant, magnetic life in the contortions of a galvanized frog, or the gyrations of a mechanical toy, as in the majority of the movements of many people. Just as the contortions or antics of the frog or the toy dissipate the motor power which causes them, so the useless movements of the always in-motion individual dissipate his magnetism. A certain man declared that his wife had scrubbed and scolded all the love out of his home. The woman quoted above had evidently done nearly or quite the same thing as far as she herself was concerned. This leads to the realization of another truth: unneeded and useless activity never increases, but always decreases, magnetism. This woman scrubbed a clean house and made fancy clothing where plainer raiment would have served to better purpose. Unneeded sacrifices, especially when they are constantly held up as sacrifices, are never appreciated, and the almost never-ceasing motion of the hands acts as a leak for magnetism. It is Martha, careful, industrious, made irritable and fretful by her fear that everything would not be properly done, over-anxious, uselessly busy, who has come down through history as the unmagnetic woman, while to Mary, the quiet, reposeful, unworried one, was given the tender regard which magnetism always claims. “How utterly destitute he is of charm!” is constantly said of a certain man. This man is never still. Every waking moment he is swaying in a rocking-chair, twisting about on his seat, drumming with his fingers, tapping with his foot or some object held in his hand, nervously whining, complaining, fault-finding, worrying, creating and indulging in suspicions of others, thus breaking every law of repose and harmony, working according to every law of demagnetism. Again, the woman quoted made the mistake of confounding sharp, rude, unkind words with sincerity and honesty. Nothing is more magnetic than honest kindness of word and deed, nothing is more demagnetizing than cross, unsympathetic expressions and actions. We all know, and dread, the electric person, who is aggressive in manner, dogmatic in speech, quick to suspect that insult or impertinence is intended, and who prides himself upon never “giving in” in an argument, and upon always “having the last word.” This kind of person deprives his natural magnetism of all power. “The last word” has often cost a friend or a cause. He who habitually argues, quarrels, or indulges in recrimination, may be sure that effective magnetism can no more be his than drawing power can belong to the lightning bolt or the crashing tornado.

Noise, bustle, confusion, hurry, in’ harmony, unkind words and irritable ways are all wasters and destroyers of magnetism. The earth, which is the mightiest magnet of which we have any knowledge, keeps its way in space and revolves on its axis with no irritation, no sound, no confusion. Everywhere and always the absence of friction and useless motion and emotion helps to create and sustain the highest and most effective magnetism. Then cease to demagnetize yourself by ceasing to have inharmony in your life, ceasing to do useless things, to make useless movements and unkind speeches, and, above all, by ceasing to think of yourself as having no magnetism. SUMMARY AND EXERCISE Everyone has some degree of magnetism. This magnetism may be much decreased, or nearly all wasted, by inharmony of mind, constant useless and nervous movements, violent or irritable expressions, and disbelief in its existence. Sit alone, and as nearly as possible absolutely still, not even winking, twenty minutes at least (a longer time is better) every day, and say, audibly or mentally: / will to stop all waste of magnetism. I will to cease all inharmony in thought or speech. I will to avoid all undue motion or emotion, and I hereby cease to believe that I have no magnetism.