William Walker Atkinson is an American lawyer, writer, and occultist. He is widely known for his books on the power of the mind and the use of the resources of human memory to achieve success.
Biography
Little is known about the life of William Walker Atkinson. He was born in 1862 in the American city of Baltimore (Maryland). Like all teenagers of that time, at the age of fifteen he began to work. First, he helped his father in the field of trade. Then he started his own professional career.
Career
At 20, he began to provide legal services, and two years later became a member of the Pennsylvania Bar Association. William was also engaged in commercial activities, publishing, translation, writing. He worked very hard and hard - this affected his health. Constant stress and overwork led to a breakdown. It was at this moment that Atkinson became imbued with the ideas of the New Thinking movement. New knowledge and thoughts helped him get out of depression and cope with stress.
Atkinson moves to Chicago and devotes a lot of time to writing books and articles and publishing. A significant part of the works written by him were published under pseudonyms. There are no direct indications that William Atkinson recognized himself as the author of these works. But the publication of stories and articles always took place in those magazines where Atkinson carried out editorial work. Therefore, many researchers agree that it is he who owns these articles. Among the most famous pseudonyms, Theron V. Dumont, Swami Pankadashi and the yogi Ramacharak are usually distinguished.
In Chicago, he founded his own Psychic Club and the so-called Atkinson School of Mental Science. At the same time, he was president of the International New Thought Union.
Creation
Having become acquainted with the basic principles of the New Thinking movement, Atkinson became seriously interested in the occult. Like all adherents of this movement, William accepted the existence of forces unknown to science. They are not available to everyone, but those who own them can control their desires and influence the course of their own lives.
Peru Atkinson is credited with about 105 works. The most recognizable to this day are "The Worldview of Indian Yogis", "The Law of Attraction and the Power of Thought", "Mystical Christianity" and others. He was also engaged in translations, in particular the works of the French spiritualist Kardek ("The Book of Spirits" and "The Book of Mediums").
Under the pseudonym Yog Ramacharka, mainly books were published about Indian culture, oriental practices, and the life of Indian yogis. Atkinson became interested in Hinduism and yoga in the 1890s and after that he was mainly engaged in the dissemination of this philosophy and Eastern occultism. At the same time, no evidence of his travels to India or of his training with yoga teachers has survived.
Books by William Atkinson
Passion for Hinduism led to the fact that Atkinson's most famous works are associated with the occult and parapsychology. The power of thought, as understood by the author, is a very concrete energy, not an abstraction. This is what his book "The Power of Thought in Business and Life" is about. The writer gives specific advice on how to channel energy and get results, how to set goals and achieve them. The technology of "correct thoughts" will help not only in work, but also in personal relationships, in everyday life. This work first appeared in Russian only in 2012.
The Sofia Publishing House issued a series of "Psychology of Success" in Russia. Several of Atkinson's books were featured in it, such as The Law of Attraction and the Power of Thought (2008). At the heart of the story is a simple principle: people themselves attract events into their lives. What they fear, what they think, happens. Realizing this pattern, you can control the flow of energy. To achieve harmony, happiness, and success, one must understand how the Law of Attraction works.
Memory and Its Development is another book by William Atkinson. It contains simple tips for developing memory, mindfulness and sensitivity. Having mastered them, it will be easier for a person to remember the events that the brain has put into the "distant box".
All of Atkinson's books were written in the early twentieth century. But so far they have not lost their relevance. They are simply written and well received. They contain instructions and practical tips. With each new reading of the book, new truths appear, which at the first reading passed by consciousness.
The articles and books by William Atkinson influenced the worldview of Rhonda Byrne (Australian writer), who later created the film "The Secret" ("The Secret") and the book of the same name on their basis.
Atkinson's contribution to psychology
William Atkinson had a rather unconventional outlook on life. But no one questions its influence on the development of the psychology of motivation. He conducted research in this area and described them in works, showing how the combination of motives affects the solution of the task.
Atkinson did not advertise his personal life, because there is still very little information about him and his family. There is evidence that he was married to Margrethe Foster Black Beverly (since 1889) and they had two children.
Many works are associated more with his pseudonyms and readers are unaware of the existence of the real author. In the United States, references to Atkinson can be found on the Who's Who in America and America's Religious Leaders lists.
Atkinson died on November 22, 1932 in Los Angeles, California at the age of 69 after 50 years of successful careers in business, writing, the occult, and the legal profession.
