Mental influence

From the book

The Kybalion

Three Initiates · Diotimos Editions · 2026

Orientation

At a Glance

The wordMental influence is the alteration of another person's mental state.
In The KybalionIII extends transmutation from the pupil's own state to the states of others, including people said to lack knowledge of self-protection.
In this editionMental influence, mental induction, and personal magnetism are retained as the source's groupings.
A place to readIII.12: “Not only may the mental states, etc., of one's self be changed or transmuted by Hermetic” …

Meaning

Mental influence is the alteration of another person's mental state. The source groups ordinary persuasion, suggestion, personal magnetism, and alleged transmission of thought within one proposed explanation.

Use in the book

III extends transmutation from the pupil's own state to the states of others, including people said to lack knowledge of self-protection. IX describes the influence through vibration and induction. X applies it to changing another person's emotional pole.

XIV supplies the gender model: a directing mind projects a seed-thought into a receptive one. Actors, orators, preachers, and writers are offered as familiar examples of people who move others emotionally.

Places to read

III Mental Transmutation · Block 12“Not only may the mental states, etc., of one's self be changed or transmuted by Hermetic Methods; but also the states of others may be, and are, constantly transmuted in the” …
IX Vibration · Block 10… “the principle which produces the phenomena of "telepathy"; mental influence, and other forms of the action and power of mind over mind, with which the general public is rapidly becoming acquainted,” …
X Polarity · Block 11… “of the art of Polarization, the phenomena of Mental Influence, in its manifold phases, shows us that the principle may be extended so as to embrace the phenomena of the influence” …
XIV Mental Gender · Block 14“In the phenomena of Telepathy it is seen how the Vibratory Energy of the Masculine Principle is projected toward the Feminine Principle of another person, and the latter takes the seed-thought” …
XIV Mental Gender · Block 16… “indicated. In this principle lies the secret of personal magnetism, personal influence, fascination, etc., as well as the phenomena generally grouped under the name of Hypnotism.”

In this edition

Mental influence, mental induction, and personal magnetism are retained as the source's groupings. The edition does not certify all of them as one phenomenon.

Reading the argument

The familiarity of persuasion does not establish a separate transmission mechanism beyond ordinary communication. Each type of influence needs its own evidence and conditions. The question of how an effect occurs also remains distinct from the question of whether attempting it respects the other person.

“Mental Influence” — 7 occurrences in 7 text blocks: III.10; IX.10; X.11; XIV.4, 10, 13, 19.

Mental Induction

“Mental Induction” — 1 occurrence in 1 text block: X.11.

personal magnetism

“personal magnetism” — 1 occurrence in 1 text block: XIV.16.