ld--I am the Master of my
Mind--I assert my control of its lower phases, and I demand of its higher
all that it has in store for me.

THE NINTH LESSON.

THE MENTAL PLANES.

In our last lesson we told you something about the operation of the mind
outside of the field of consciousness. In this lesson we will attempt to
classify these out-of-consciousness planes, by directing your attention
to the several mental planes above and below the plane of consciousness.
As we stated in the last lesson, over 90 per cent of our mental
operations are conducted outside of the field of consciousness, so that
the consideration of the planes is seen to be an important subject.

Man is a Centre of Consciousness in the great One Life of the Universe.
His soul has climbed a great many steps before it reached its present
position and stage of unfoldment. And it will pass through many more
steps until it is entirely free and delivered from the necessity of its
swaddling clothes.

In his mental being man contains traces of all that has gone before--all
the experiences of himself and the great race movement of which he is a
part. And, likewise, his mind contains faculties and mental planes which
have not as yet unfolded into consciousness, and of the existence of
which he is but imperfectly aware. All of these mental possessions,
however, are useful and valuable to him--even the lowest. The lowest
may be used to advantage, under proper mastery, and are only dangerous to
the man who allows them to master him instead of serving him as they
should, considering his present stage of development.

In this consideration of the several mental planes we shall not confine
ourselves to the technical occult terms given to these several planes,
but will place them in general groups and describe the features and
characteristics of each, rather than branch off into long explanations of
the growth and reason of the several planes, which would take us far away
from the practical consideration of the subject.

Beginning at the lowest point of the scale we see that man has a body.
The body is composed of minute cells of protoplasm. These cells are built
up of countless molecules, atoms and particles of matter--precisely the
same matter that composes the rocks, trees, air, etc., around him. The
Yogi philosophy tells us that even the atoms of matter have life and an
elementary manifestation of mind, which causes them to group together
according to t