The Washington herald., 1917-02-21
Attracting Our Affinities.
BY ORIsON SWEET MARDEN,

tract only the products of iron ore. 1t
has no affinity for wood, copper, rub
Der, or any other substance that has not
iron in it When you were a boy you
very soon found that your little steel
magnet would pick up a needle but not
match or toothpick. 1t would draw
to itself only that like itself, the thing
for which it had an affinity.
Men and women are human mag
nets. The ego or individuality of
each is a magnet which attracts its
affinities. We have three points of
attraction, physical, mental, and
spiritual, and through those three
points of contact we arc constantly
establishing relations with the things
and the people that respond to our
thoughts and ideals. Just as a steel
magnet drawn through a pile OF rub
bish will pull out only the things
which have an affinity for it so we go
about among all sorts of people and
things, attracting only whoever and
whatever harmCnizes with our per-
sonality, drawing to ourselves only
that for which we have an affinity.
Young men and young women who
have strong physical affinity for
each other may marry under the in
fluence of a temporary fascination,
only to find that mentally, and per-
haps spiritually, they repel each other.
Then there is trouble, because after
the exchange of the powerful mag
netic affinity is satisfied, after these
people have been together for a while,
there is nothing left to hold them to-
gether. In fact, they may soon repel
each other mentally and spiritually.
This accounts for so many disap-
pointments, so many tragedies among
those who marry on short acquaint-
ance. Falling in love at first sight
usually comes from strong physical
affinity. If this is backed up by
mental and spiritual affinity, we'll and
good; but if not, if people arc not
married by strong threefold- affinity,
physical, mental and spiritual, there
will be friction and finally divorce, or
perpetual discord.
The great trouble with those mis-
mated peoplc-with all OF us who are
struggling with unhappy or unfortu-
nate conditions, is that we have sepa-
rated ourselves in some way from the
great magnetic center of creation We
are not thinking right, and so we are
not attracting the right things.
Our environment, our associates,
our general conditions are the result
of our mental attraction. These
things have come to US on the physi-
cal plane because we have related
ourselves to them mentally; they are
our affinities, and will remain with
us as long as the affinity for them
continue to exist in our minds.
A mental magnet cannot attract
opposite qualities. Like the steel
magnet it can only attract things like
itself. But it is our privilege to give
the magnet its quality. 1t is for us
to decide the nature of the magnet
current that shall flow out from us,
but the mind is always a magnet
sending out and attracting some
thing, and this something which flows
back to us always corresponds to the
mental outflow.
Every new thought, every new mo-
tive, every new suggestion which
comes into the mind its strengthening
or changing the nature of the magnet.
If we charge it with love, sincerity,
genuineness, helpfulness, great spirit
ual hunger for the good, the beautiful
and the true, a longing for a larger
and fuller life, we shall make it a
powerful magnet to attract the af-
finities OF these qualities. But in an
inconceivably short time we can so
completely change our mental mag
net with thoughts of hatred, spite
and bitterness that it, will drive away
all the good and attract the opposite,
Strengthening the hatred and bitter
ness in our souls.
In short, whatever is in the mind at
the moment is the thing you are in
viting to come live with you. So
beware what you hold in your mind,
beware of your motives, beware of
your mental attitude toward others.
Your suspicion attracts suspicion.
Jealousy brings more jealousy, hate
more hate, just as love brings love
to meet it, as fricndliness brings more
friendliness, as sympathy and good
will toward all draw the same to you
from others and increase your popu-
larity and magnetic power.
tCoryright. l9r7O