Here’s a very interesting quote by William Walter Atkinson:
“I have defined Volation as “the conscious effort of the Will, producing thought vibrations and impelling them toward a given object’ The vibratory force may be exerted in the ordinary way — at short range, upon the occasion of a personal interview; it also may be exerted in a much less understood way, by means of long range vibrations (sometimes called telepathy).
The prime, requisite for the acquirement of the art of Volation is the recognition of the power of the real self — the I AM. The more complete the recognition, the greater the power. I cannot give you specific directions for acquiring this faculty of recognition. You must feel it rather than reason it out. You will not be in doubt as to whether you are on the right track — you will realize it at once.
As near as I can express it to you, is to say that you will feel that your body is as a suit of clothes, which, whilst covering you temporarily, it not YOU ; that you are separate and apart from your body and superior to it, although for the time being connected with it. You will realize that even your mind is not YOU, but that it is merely the instrument through which YOU manifest yourself, and which, being imperfect, prevents the complete expression of your real self.
In short, when you say or think “I AM” you are conscious of the existence of your real self, and feel the growth of a new sense of power within you.
This recognition of the self may be but faint; but encourage it and it will grow, and whilst growing will manifest itself to your mind by impressing upon the latter the knowledge of the proper plan for further development.
It is an example of “to him who hath shall be given, and to him who hath not shall be taken away even that which he hath.” The mere calling of the attention to the fact may awaken the recognition in some, whilst others will find it necessary to reflect upon the idea and awaken to a recognition of the truth more slowly. Some will not feel the truth. To such say: The time is not yet ripe for your recognition of this great truth, but the seed is planted and the plant will appear in time.
This may seem like the veriest nonsense to you now, but the time will come when you will admit its literal correctness. To those who feel the first indications of the awakening of the real self, I say: Carry the thought with you and it will unfold like the lotus, naturally and gradually; the truth once recognized cannot be_lost,_and there is no standing still in nature. To those who recognize the truth, I would like to say more, but this is not the place.”
The students of 10 Steps of Inner Power and Will Mastery know exactly what it’s being talked about here. Even though the words chose can be different (“Volation” for example), it’s the exact same principle behind it.