Vril, or Vital Magnetism

Lesson III: The Mechanism of Vril

When we have learned to perform certain regular muscular movements so that they become habitual, we have actually transferred their execution to the cerebellum original: "cerebellum"; the part of the brain at the back of the skull that coordinates and regulates muscular activity.. As we all know, when we first learn to perform a new and difficult task—such as walking, riding, skating, writing, or operating a machine—we must pay conscious attention to it. The cerebrum original: "cerebrum"; the principal and most forward part of the brain, responsible for complex sensory and neural functions and the initiation of voluntary activity. is the part of the brain used during that learning phase.

But once we have mastered the basic movements so they can be performed with very little conscious attention, the cerebellum takes charge. From then on, the actions are performed almost automatically and unconsciously because of this. In habitual muscular activity, the cerebrum merely starts the motion, and then the cerebellum picks it up and continues it subconsciously. When the cerebellum is injured, a person’s way of walking is affected, and the individual often loses the power to perform many of their usual reflex actions.

Professor Halleck Reuben Post Halleck (1859–1936), an American psychologist and educator. says the following regarding the importance of these reflex activities:

"Thus, the mind is not only saved the trouble of attending to every little movement, but much time is gained. After a child has learned the difficult art of balancing himself on his feet, walking becomes largely a reflex act. At first, the child must center his whole attention on the movements required to balance the body. An adult can think out the most complex problems while walking because the reflex nervous centers are overseeing the balancing process. Few men remember which end of the collar they button first, or which shoe they put on first; yet the reflex nerve center, if left to itself, has an invariable order in executing these movements."

Professor Gordy John Pancoast Gordy (1851–1908), an American educator and psychologist. says:

"The cerebellum is the organ for many acquired reflexes... All that seems necessary for the mind or consciousness to do is to get the machine started, so to speak, and then some part of the nervous mechanism relieves consciousness of all further work in the matter."

The cerebrum, or "large brain," occupies the greater part of the entire cavity of the skull. It is the headquarters of consciousness, to which the nerves of sensation report. A blow that affects the cerebrum produces unconsciousness. The nervous connection with the cerebrum must be