Chapter 7. Attention, Dirigation, and the Newest ... - ElmerGates.com

Origin and Development of the Art of Mind-Usinginto greater vividness. It would then be more easily and accuratelyand completely introspected, with many details that wouldotherwise escape notice. In this Newest Introspection theAwareness became a predominant factor the introspective act nowwitnessed but did not interfere with what it witnessed.There were three remarkable degrees of this NewestIntrospection in which the dirigative effect was continued to thestage that was characterized by the “memorial image,” the “dreamimage,”and the “phasm” (phantasm).These were steps of great importance toward a more intimateand extensive knowledge of the mind, preparing the way forculminating discoveries. Gates had by now become anintrospective specialist (the description of him as a naturalpsychologist was a fitting one). He did this work with the utmostreligious seriousness, combined with deeply joyous interest. Hedid it with an overflowing zeal and a purpose that recognized nolimitations— “just as well as I could and just as well as I knewhow.”In this respect he made another psychologic discovery ofdeepest significance: that a disapproval (intellective, esthetic,emotive, moral, religious) with reference to the plans, motives, oracts bearing upon any line of original thinking, any qualms of[page 123]conscience or judgment or taste (justified or not), amounted to aninhibitive dirigation that diminished or prevented further originalresults. Of this he had much direct proof. “A successfuldirigation,” he said, “must be one without disapprovals; hence itmust be based on that which is true, just, and desirable.” The planor purpose of dirigative effort must be changed until it does meetthe approvals, he further emphasized; and when every datum ofthe plan has been associatively integrated with an approval, andevery datum dropped that does not get approval, then dirigationwill successfully accomplish its purpose according to the abilitiesand “Plane” of the person doing it. The method by which a newtruth is revealed is largely a moral achievement, the outcome oforganized aspiration or desire-prayer—not a verbal invocation to aBeing who grants it as a gift, but the direct effect of a natural andlong interest that keeps the mind intended.Gates found he was getting experiences so uniquely personalthat any serious attempt to explain them to others was useless. Hewas able to find but two people who had sufficient repose andintrospective ability to repeat his experiments, and then only a fewof the experiments because of the great amount of time andpractice required. Until the great utility of this line of workbecame known, few would ever have enough patience to attempt aElmer Gates and the Art of Mind-Using© 1971 Donald Edson Gates