l phenomena, still
there were two planes of its manifestation so far as mental phenomena
are concerned. They discovered that there were two general planes of
Consciousness, the Lower and the Higher, the understanding of which fact
enabled them to rise to the higher plane and thus escape the swing of
the Rhythmic pendulum which manifested on the lower plane. In other
words, the swing of the pendulum occurred on the Unconscious Plane, and
the Consciousness was not affected. This they call the Law of
Neutralization. Its operations consist in the raising of the Ego above
the vibrations of the Unconscious Plane of mental activity, so that the
negative-swing of the pendulum is not manifested in consciousness, and
therefore they are not affected. It is akin to rising above a thing and
letting it pass beneath you. The Hermetic Master, or advanced student,
polarizes himself at the desired pole, and by a process akin to
"refusing" to participate in the backward swing or, if you prefer, a
"denial" of its influence over him, he stands firm in his polarized
position, and allows the mental pendulum to swing back along the
unconscious plane. All individuals who have attained any degree of self-
mastery, accomplish this, more or less unknowingly, and by refusing to
allow their moods and negative mental states to affect them, they apply
the Law of Neutralization. The Master, however, carries this to a much
higher degree of proficiency, and by the use of his Will he attains
a degree of Poise and Mental Firmness almost impossible of belief on the
part of those who allow themselves to be swung backward and forward by
the mental pendulum of moods and feelings.

The importance of this will be appreciated by any thinking person who
realizes what creatures of moods, feelings and emotion the majority of
people are, and how little mastery of themselves they manifest. If you
will stop and consider a moment, you will realize how much these swings
of Rhythm have affected you in your life--how a period of Enthusiasm has
been invariably followed by an opposite feeling and mood of Depression.
Likewise, your moods and periods of Courage have been succeeded by equal
moods of Fear. And so it has ever been with the majority of
persons--tides of feeling have ever risen and fallen with them, but they
have never suspected the cause or reason of the mental phenomena. An
understanding of the workings of this Principle will give one the key to
the Mastery of th