William Walker Atkinson was a
very important and influential figure in the early days of the New
Thought Movement. Little is known about his early years, except that he
was born in Baltimore, Maryland on December 5, 1862, to William and Emma
Atkinson, both of whom were born in Maryland also.
He married Margaret Foster
Black of Beverley, New Jersey on October 1889 and they had two children.
He pursued a business career from 1882 onwards and in 1894 he was
admitted as an attorney to the Bars of Pennsylvania. Whilst he gained
much material success in his profession as a lawyer, the stress and
over-strain eventually took its toll, and during this time he
experienced a complete physical and mental breakdown, and financial
disaster. He looked for healing and in the late 1880's he found it with
New Thought. From mental and physical wreck and financial ruin, he
wrought through its principles, perfect health, mental vigor and
material prosperity.
Some time after his healing,
Atkinson began to write some articles on the Truths which he had
discovered which was then known as Mental Science, and in 1889 an
article by him entitled "A Mental Science Catechism," appeared
in Charles Fillmore's
new periodical, Modern Thought.
By the early 1890's Chicago
had become a major centre for New Thought, mainly through the work of Emma
Curtis Hopkins, and Atkinson decided to move there and he became an
active promoter of the movement as an editor and author. In 1900 he
worked as an associate editor of Suggestion, a New Thought
journal, and wrote his first book, Thought-Force in Business and
Everyday Life, being a series of lessons in personal magnetism,
psychic influence, thought-force, concentration, will-power &
practical Mental Science.
He then met Sydney Flower, a
well-known New Thought publisher and businessman and teamed up with him.
In December, 1901 he assumed editorship of Flower's popular New
Thought magazine, a post which he held up until 1905. During these
years he built for himself an enduring place in the hearts of its
readers. Article after article of wonderful strength and vital force
flowed from his pen. Meanwhile he also founded his own Psychic Club and
the so-called "Atkinson School of Mental Science." Both were
located in the same building as Flower's Psychic Research Company and
New Thought Publishing Company.
While performing his New
Thought editor job, Atkinson became interested in Hinduism, and met
up with one Baba Bharata, a pupil of the late Yogi Ramacharaka, who had
become acquainted with Atkinson's writings. They both shared similar
ideas, and the men collaborated, and with Bharata providing the material
and Atkinson the writing talent, they wrote a series of books which they
attributed to Yogi Ramacharaka as a measure of their respect. Atkinson
started writing these books under the name Yogi Ramacharaka in 1903. He
wrote about 13 books under this pseudonym. They were published by the
Yogi Publication Society in Chicago and reached more people than his New
Thought works did. In fact, all his books on yoga are still reprinted
today. The very fact that after all these years their books are well
known around the world and sell better with every passing year is a
credit, too, to the two men who wrote them.
Atkinson wrote a great many
books on New Thought as well, which became very popular and influential
among New Thought devotees and practitioners and achieved wide
circulation. In 1903, he was admitted to the Bars of Illinois, which
means he did not leave that part of his life aside. If we assume that he
also practised himself what he preached, then that must have helped him
quite a lot to strengthen his nervous system. Beginning 1916 he started
writing articles for Elizabeth Towne's magazine The Nautilis, and
from 1916 to 1919 he edited the journal Advanced Thought, and was
for a time honorary president of the International New Thought Alliance.
William Walker Atkinson died
on November 22, 1932, in California -- one of the truly greats of The
New Thought Movement.
William
Walker Atkinson Collection
"The Secret of Success" by William W. Atkinson
- A course of Nine Lessons on the subject of the Application of the
latent Powers of the individual Toward Attainment of Success in Life.
"Thought Vibration"
by William W. Atkinson - Contents: Law of attraction in the
thought world; Thought-waves and their power of reduction; About the
mind; Mind building; Secret of the will; Law, not chance; Training the
habit mind; and much more.
"Thought-Force in Business and Everyday Life" by William
W. Atkinson - Being a series of Lessons in Personal Magnetism
Psychic Influence, Thought Force Concentration, Will Power and practical
mental Science.
"Practical Mental Influence" by William W. Atkinson
- A course of lessons on Mental Vibrations, Psychic Influence, Personal
Magnetism, Fascination, Psychic Self Protection. Containing Practical
Instruction, Exercises, Directions etc.
William Walker
Atkinson Collection
"The Power of Concentration" by Theron Q. Dumont -
A book about concentration: its importance, and how to train the mind to
concentrate.
"The Art and Science of Personal Magnetism" by Theron
Q. Dumont - 'Magnetism' is what these old-timers coined what we now
know as Energy. This book by Theron Q. Dumont will show you how to
harness and use that energy.
ALL
(6 eBooks) FOR JUST $11.95
(That's a $75.00 Value)
e
Readers
Rating:
5
out
of 5 stars
Download
"The Atkinson/Dumont Collection" Now
More William
Walker Atkinson Works
I have recently discovered the titles of several other
books by William Walker Atkinson and fortunately for all of us, they are still in
print. All of these may be purchased directly from, or ordered through
your normal book retailer.
|
Dynamic Thought or the
Law of Vibrant Energy (1906)
Law of the New Thought:
A Study of Fundamental Principles & Their Application (1902)
Mastery of Being: A
Study of the Ultimate Principle of Reality & the Practical
Application Thereof (1911)
Memory Culture: The
Science of Observing, Remembering and Recalling (1903)
Mental Fascination
(1907)
Mind & Body or
Mental States & Physical Conditions (1910)
Mind Power: The Secret
of Mental Magic (1912)
Thought-Force in
Business & Everyday Life (1900)
Your Mind and How to
Use It: A Manual of Practical Psychology (1911)
|
New Psychology Its
Message, Principles and Practice (1909)
Practical Mental
Influence (1908)
Practical New Thought:
Several Things that Have Helped People (1911)
Practical Psychomancy
and Crystal Gazing (1907)
Reincarnation and the
Law of Karma (1908)
Secret of Success
Self-Healing by Thought Force (1907)
Subconscious and the
Superconscious Planes of Mind (1909)
Suggestion and
Auto-Suggestion (1915)
Telepathy: Its Theory,
Facts, and Proof (1910)
Thought Vibration or
the Law of Attraction in the Thought World (1906)
|
William
Walker Atkinson
