William Walker Atkinson’s First Published Work: The Four-Part Series in Herbert A. Parkyn’s Suggestion Magazine

Document Description

The Law of Mental Control Series (1900–1901)

This four-part series marks William Walker Atkinson‘s first published contribution to the New Thought movement and his public debut as a writer within Dr. Herbert A. Parkyn‘s circle. Appearing in Suggestion magazine between December 1900 and March 1901, the articles introduced many of the themes that would define Atkinson’s later career, including mental control, self-development, will-power, character building, and the practical application of psychological principles to everyday life.

Published only months after Atkinson’s arrival in Chicago, the series presented a systematic explanation of the principles underlying Suggestive Therapeutics while expanding them beyond their traditional therapeutic applications. The articles challenged several accepted theories within Mental Science, proposed an alternative understanding of the functions of the mind, explored the concept of the “I AM” as the true center of human consciousness, and outlined practical methods for reshaping character through suggestion, auto-suggestion, concentration, and habit formation.

The series also served as an introduction to the intellectual direction being developed through Parkyn’s newly established University of Psychic Science. Blending psychology, self-culture, and metaphysical concepts, these articles laid the foundation for the lesson courses and books that would soon make Atkinson one of the most influential writers in the New Thought movement.

The four articles in the series are:

• The Law of Mental Control: The Functions of the Mind (December 1900)
• The Law of Mental Control: The Real Self (January 1901)
• The Law of Mental Control: Character Building by Mental Control (March 1901)
• The Law of Mental Control: I Can and I Will (April 1901)

They provide a rare glimpse into the formative period of Atkinson’s writing career and the emergence of the ideas that would later appear in his books on personal magnetism, thought-force, concentration, will-power, and practical mental science.