This novel -or real story, you be the judge, has been in circulation for over 90 years, and has developed quite a following, because of it insights and intensity; the ‘secrets’ and wisdom it contains; and the mystery that has forever surrounded it.
It is the story of a man in a journey of self-discovery, of trying to make sense of the world and its mysteries, of trying to unveil that “something” which is the key to success in every aspect of life; only to realize that the power is within; that the secret is inside each and every one.
This profound and illuminating book was written under the pseudonymous “X”. Since the copyrights belong to “Edward E. Beals”, it has long been attributed to him.
However, in a previous book, we stated that, after an investigation on Beals, we found nothing on him except in relation to “his work” with William Walker Atkinson and the “Personal Power Series”. We concluded before, and sustain again, that Edward E. Beals is William Walker Atkinson, using an alias.
Therefore, now we are ready to advance the theory that this book was written by Atkinson.
This thesis is new. But after editing over 50 of Atkinson books, we cannot help but noticing the similitude in the styles, the use of certain key words and phrases, and the citing of the same authors.
Knowing Atkinson and his love for aliases (he wrote over 100 books, under a dozen different names) it actually makes a lot of sense. He did write other books as “Anonymous”; as “Magus Incognitus” or as “The Three Initiates”, so, the name “X” would not be strange.
It is worth noticing that the book was published by Atkinson’s publisher!
Also, if you analyze the story of the main character, it has so many similitudes and coincidences with the real life of Atkinson (a successful young man who lost everything, had a breakdown, then, all of the sudden, “found the path” and became an “illuminated”; or the fact that the writer wrote at “almost 60 years of age”, -Atkinson was 59 in 1922), that we can arrive to this conclusion with no hesitation.
This is an amazing book. It is written as a novel or “story”, but it has deep insights, almost a compendium of several of Atkinson’s previous works, and definitively, one of his masterpieces.
A book for enjoyment, learning, enlightenment and, if you pay close attention and open your eyes and your mind, for initiation.