Sex Transmutation, by Napoleon Hill

The meaning of the word transmute is, in simple language, the changing or transferring of one form of energy into another.

The emotion of sex brings into being a state of mind. Because of ignorance on the subject, this state of mind is generally associated with the physical. And because of improper influences to which most people have been subjected in acquiring knowledge of sex, things essentially physical have highly biased the mind.

The emotion of sex has, behind it, the possibility of three constructive potentialities:

1. The perpetuation of mankind. As a main reproduction purpose.

2. The maintenance of health. As a therapeutic agency, it has no equal.

3. The transformation of Mediocrity into Genius through transmutation.

Sex transmutation is simple and easily explained. It means the switching of the mind from thoughts of physical expression to thoughts of some other nature.

Sex desire is the most powerful of human desires. When driven by this desire, men develop keenness of imagination, courage, willpower, persistence, and creative ability unknown to them at other times.
So strong and impelling is the desire for sexual contact that men freely risk life and reputation to indulge it. When harnessed and redirected along other lines, this motivating force maintains all its attributes of keenness of imagination, courage, etc., which may be used as powerful creative forces in literature, art, or in any other profession or calling, including, of course, the accumulation of riches.

The transmutation of sex energy calls for the exercise of willpower, to be sure, but the reward is worth the effort. The desire for sexual expression is inborn and natural. The desire cannot & should not be submerged or eliminated.
However, it should be given an outlet through such forms of expression that enrich the body, mind, and spirit of man. If not given this form of outlet through transmutation, it will seek outlets through purely physical channels.

A river may be dammed, and its water controlled for a time, but eventually, it will force an outlet. The same is true of the emotion of sex. It may be submerged and controlled for a time, but its very nature causes it to be ever seeking means of expression. If it is not transmuted into some creative effort, it will find a less worthy outlet.

Fortunate indeed is the person who has discovered how to give sex emotion an outlet through some form of creative effort, for he has, by that discovery, lifted himself to the status of a genius.

Scientific research has disclosed these significant facts:

1. The men of greatest achievement are men with highly developed sex natures—men who have learned the art of sex transmutation.

2. The men who have accumulated great fortunes and achieved outstanding recognition in literature, art, industry, architecture, and the professions were motivated by the influence of a woman.

The research from which these astounding discoveries were made went back through the pages of biography and history for more than 2000 years. Wherever there was evidence available in connection with the lives of men & women with great achievements, it indicated most convincingly that they possessed highly developed sex natures.

The emotion of sex is an irresistible force, against which there can be no such opposition as an immovable body. When driven by this emotion, men become gifted with a superpower for action. Understand this truth, and you will catch the significance of the statement, "Sex transmutation will lift one to the status of a genius."

The emotion of sex contains the secret of creative ability. Destroy the sex glands, whether in man or beast, and you remove the major source of action. For proof, observe what happens to any animal after it has been castrated. A bull becomes as docile as a cow after it has been altered sexually. Sex alteration takes out, whether man or beast, all the fight that was in him. Sex alteration of the female has the same effect.

The Ten Mind Stimuli The human mind responds to stimuli through which it may be keyed up to high rates of vibration, known as enthusiasm, creative imagination, intense desire, etc.

The stimuli to which the mind responds most freely are:

1. The desire for sex expression.

2. Love.

3. A burning desire for fame, power, or financial gain (money).

4. Music.

5. Friendship between either those of the same sex or those of the opposite sex.

6. A mastermind alliance based upon the harmony of two or more people who ally themselves for spiritual/temporal advancement.

7. Mutual suffering, such as that experienced by people who are persecuted.

8. Auto-suggestion.

9. Fear.

10. Narcotics and alcohol.

The desire for sex expression comes at the head of the list of stimuli which most effectively step up the vibrations of the mind and start the wheels of physical action. 8 of these stimuli are natural and constructive; 2 are destructive.
The list is presented for the purpose of enabling you to make a comparative study of the major sources of mind stimulation. From this study, it will be readily seen that the emotion of sex is by great odds the most intense and powerful of all mind stimuli.
This comparison is necessary as a foundation for proof of the statement that transmutation of sex energy may lift one to the status of a genius.

Let us find out what constitutes a genius. Some wiseacre has said that a genius is a man who wears long hair, eats queer food, lives alone, and serves as a target for the joke-makers. A better definition of a genius is a man, who has discovered how to increase the vibrations of thought to the point where he can freely communicate with sources of knowledge not available through the ordinary rate of vibration of thought.

The person who thinks will want to ask some questions concerning this definition of genius.
The first question will be: How may one communicate with sources of knowledge which are not available through the ordinary rate of vibration of thought?
The next question will be: Are there known sources of knowledge which are available only to geniuses, and if so, what are these sources and exactly how may they be reached?
We shall offer proof of the soundness of some of the more important statements made here, or at least we shall offer evidence through which you may secure your own proof through experimentation. In doing so, we shall answer both of these questions.

Genius is developed through the sixth sense. The reality of a sixth sense has been fairly well established. This sixth sense is creative imagination. The faculty of creative imagination is one which the majority of people never use during an entire lifetime. If used at all, it usually happens by mere accident. A relatively small number of people use, with deliberation and purpose of forethought, the faculty of creative imagination. Those who use this faculty voluntarily and with understanding of its functions are genii.

The faculty of creative imagination is the direct link between the finite mind of man and infinite intelligence. All so-called revelations referred to in the realm of religion and all discoveries of basic or new principles in the field of invention take place through the faculty of creative imagination. When ideas or concepts flash into one's mind through what is popularly called a hunch, they come from one or more of the following sources:

1. Infinite intelligence.

2. One’s subconscious mind, wherein is stored every sense impression and thought impulse which ever reached the brain through any of the five senses.

3. From the mind of some other person who has just released the thought or picture of the idea or concept through conscious thought.

4. From the other person's subconscious storehouse.

There are no other known sources from which inspired ideas or hunches may be received. The creative imagination functions best when the mind is vibrating, due to some form of mind stimulation, at an exceedingly high rate.
That is, when the mind is functioning at a rate of vibration higher than that of ordinary normal thought. When brain action has been stimulated through one or more of the ten mind stimulants, it has the effect of lifting the individual far above the horizon of ordinary thought and permits him to envision distance, scope, and quality of thoughts not available on the lower plane, such as that occupied while one is engaged in the solution of the problems of business and professional routine.

When lifted to this higher level of thought through any form of mind stimulation, an individual occupies relatively the same position as one who has ascended in an airplane to a height from which he may see over and beyond the horizon line which limits his vision while on the ground.
Moreover, while on this higher level of thought, the individual is not hampered or bound by any of the stimuli which circumscribe and limit his vision while wrestling with the problems of gaining the three basic necessities e.g. food, clothing, and shelter.
He is in a world of thought in which the ordinary workaday thoughts have been as effectively removed as are the hills and valleys and other limitations of physical vision when he rises in an airplane.

While on this exalted plane of thought, the creative faculty of the mind is given freedom for action. The way has been cleared for the sixth sense to function. It becomes receptive to ideas which could not reach the individual under any other circumstances.
The sixth sense is the faculty which marks the difference between a genius and an ordinary individual. The creative faculty becomes more alert and receptive to vibrations originating outside the individual's subconscious mind, the more this faculty is used and the more the individual relies upon it and makes demands upon it for thought impulses. This faculty can be cultivated and developed only through use.

That which is known as one's conscience operates entirely through the faculty of the sixth sense. The great artists, writers, musicians, and poets become great because they acquire the habit of relying upon the still small voice which speaks from within through the faculty of creative imagination.
It is a fact well known to people who have keen imaginations that their best ideas come through so-called hunches. There is a great orator who does not attain greatness until he closes his eyes and begins to rely entirely upon the faculty of creative imagination. When asked why he closed his eyes just before the climaxes of his oratory, he replied,
"I do it because then I speak through ideas which come to me from within One of America's most successful and best-known Financiers followed the habit of closing his eyes for 2/3 minutes before making a decision".
When asked why he did this, he replied, "With my eyes closed, I am able to draw upon a source of Superior Intelligence."

The late Dr. Elmer R. Gates of Chevy Chase, Maryland, created more than 200 useful patents, many of them fundamental, through the process of cultivating and using his creative faculty. His method is both significant and interesting to anyone interested in attaining the status of genius, a category in which Dr. Gates unquestionably belonged.

Dr. Gates was one of the truly great, though less publicized, scientists of the world. In his laboratory, he had what he called his personal communication room. It was practically soundproof and arranged so that all light could be shut out. It was equipped with a small table on which he kept a pad of writing paper. In front of the table, on the wall, was an electric push button that controlled the lights.

When Dr. Gates desired to draw upon the forces available to him through his creative imagination, he would go into this room, seat himself at the table, shut off the lights, and concentrate on the known factors of the invention on which he was working. He remained in that position until ideas began to flash into his mind in connection with the unknown factors of the invention.

On one occasion, ideas came through so rapidly that he was forced to write for almost 3 Hours straight! When the thoughts stopped flowing and he examined his notes, he found they contained a detailed description of Principles that had no parallel among the known data of the scientific world. Moreover, the answer to his problem was intelligently presented in those notes. In this manner, Dr. Gates completed over 200 patents that had been begun but not completed by others.

Evidence of the truth of this statement can be found in the United States Patent Office.
Dr. Gates earned his living by generating ideas for individuals and corporations. Some of the largest corporations in America paid him substantial fees by the hour for his creative insights.

The reasoning faculty is often faulty because it is largely guided by one’s accumulated experience. However, not all knowledge gained through experience is accurate. Ideas received through the creative faculty are much more reliable because they come from sources more dependable than those available to the reasoning faculty of the mind.

The major difference between a genius and an ordinary crank inventor lies in the fact; a genius works through his faculty of creative imagination, while the crank knows nothing of this faculty. The scientific inventor, such as Dr. Gates, makes use of both the synthetic and creative faculties of imagination.

For example, the scientific inventor or genius begins an invention by organizing and combining known ideas or principles accumulated through experience via the synthetic faculty, or reasoning faculty. If this accumulated knowledge proves insufficient for completing the invention, the inventor then draws upon the sources of knowledge available to him through his creative faculty.

The method by which he does this varies with the individual, but this is the essence of his procedure:

1. He stimulates his mind so that it vibrates at a higher-than-average level,
   using one or more of the ten mind stimulants
   or another stimulant of his choice.
2. He concentrates on the known factors (the finished part of his invention)
   and creates in his mind a perfect picture of the unknown factors
   (the unfinished part of his invention). 
3. He holds this picture in his mind until
   it has been taken over by his subconscious mind. 
4. He then relaxes by clearing his mind of all thought
   and waits for his answer to flash into his mind.

Sometimes the results are definite and immediate, while at other times the results are negative, depending on the state of development of the sixth sense or creative faculty.

There is plenty of reliable evidence that the faculty of creative imagination exists. This evidence is available through the accurate analysis of men who have become leaders in their respective fields without having had extensive educations. 

Abraham Lincoln was a notable example of a great leader who achieved greatness through the discovery and use of his creative imagination. He discovered and began to use this faculty as a result of the stimulation of love he experienced after meeting Anne Rutledge.

A statement of the highest significance in connection with the study of the source of genius: The pages of history are filled with the records of great leaders whose achievements may be traced directly to the influence of women, who aroused the creative faculties of their minds through the stimulation of sex desire.
Napoleon Bonaparte was one of them. When inspired by his first wife, Josephine, he was irresistible and invincible.
When his better judgment, or reasoning faculty, prompted him to put Josephine aside, he began to decline. His defeat and exile to Saint Helena followed soon after.

If good taste would permit, we might easily mention scores of men well-known to the American people who climbed to great heights of achievement under the stimulating influence of their wives, only to drop back into destruction after money and power went to their heads and they replaced their first wives with new ones.
Napoleon was not the only man to discover; the right sex influence is more powerful than any substitute created by mere reasoning.

The human mind responds to stimulation. Among the greatest and most powerful of these stimuli is the urge of sex. When harnessed and transmuted, this driving force is capable of lifting men into a higher sphere of thought, enabling them to master sources of worry and petty annoyance that beset them on the lower plane.

Unfortunately, only a few have made this discovery. Others have accepted the experience of sex urge without realizing one of its major potentialities. This accounts for the great number of people compared to the limited number of geniuses.

To refresh the memory with facts from the biographies of certain men, we present the names of a few individuals of outstanding achievement, each of whom was known to have been highly sexed. The genius that they exhibited undoubtedly found its source of power in transmuted sex energy:

• George Washington
• Napoleon Bonaparte
• William Shakespeare
• Abraham Lincoln
• Ralph Waldo Emerson
• Robert Burns
• Thomas Jefferson
• Albert Hubbard
• Albert H. Gary
• Oscar Wilde
• Woodrow Wilson
• John H. Patterson
• Andrew Jackson
• Enrico Caruso

Your own knowledge of biography will enable you to add to this list. If you can find a single man in the history of civilization who achieved outstanding success in any field who was not driven by a well-developed sex nature, I would be interested to know.

If you do not wish to rely on biographies of men who are no longer living, take inventory of those whom you know to be men of great achievement, and see if you can find one among them who is not highly sexed.
Sex energy is the creative energy of all geniuses. There has never been, and never will be, a great leader, builder, or artist who lacks this driving force of sex.

No one should misunderstand these statements to mean that all highly sexed individuals are geniuses. A man attains the status of genius only when he stimulates his mind to draw upon the forces available through the creative faculty of imagination.
Chief among the stimuli that produce this heightened mental vibration is sex energy. Mere possession of this energy is not sufficient to produce a genius. The energy must be transmuted from a desire for physical contact into some other form of desire & action before it can elevate one to the status of genius.

Far from becoming geniuses, because of great sexual desires, the majority of men lower themselves through misunderstanding and misuse of this great force, reducing themselves to the status of lower animals.

Why Men seldom Succeed before 40?

I discovered through the analysis of over 25,000 people that men who succeed in an outstanding way seldom do so before the age of 40.
More often, they do not strike their real pace until they are well beyond the age of 50. This fact was so astounding that it prompted me to study its cause in depth, an investigation that took over 12 years.

This study revealed that the major reason why most men do not succeed before the age of 40 to 50 is their tendency to dissipate their energies through over-indulgence and the physical expression of sexual emotion.
The majority of men never learn that the urge of sex has other possibilities that far transcend the importance of mere physical expression.

Many who make this discovery do so after having wasted years during the period when their sex energy was at its height, prior to the age of 45 to 50. This usually leads to noteworthy achievement thereafter.

The lives of many men up to & past the age of 40 reflect a continued dissipation of energies that could have been more profitably directed elsewhere. Their finer and more powerful emotions are scattered aimlessly, a habit that led to the term "sowing his wild oats."

The desire for sexual expression is by far the strongest and most impelling of all human emotions. For this reason, when harnessed and transmuted into actions other than physical expression, it can elevate a person to the status of a genius.

One of America's most able businessmen frankly admitted that his attractive secretary was responsible for most of the plans he created. He acknowledged that her presence lifted him to heights of creative imagination that he could experience under no other stimulus.

One of the most successful men in America owes much of his success to the influence of a very charming young woman who has served as his source of inspiration for more than 12 years. Everyone knows the man to whom this reference is made, but not everyone is aware of the real source of his achievements.

History is not lacking in examples of men who attained the status of geniuses as a result of using artificial mind stimulants in the form of alcohol and narcotics. Edgar Allan Poe wrote The Raven while under the influence of liquor, dreaming such dreams that mortals never dared to dream before.
James Whitcomb Riley did his best writing while intoxicated. Perhaps it was in this state that he saw the ordered intermingling of the real and the dream, such as in The Mill Above the River and the Mist Above the Stream.

However, let it be remembered that many such men have destroyed themselves in the end. Nature has prepared her own potions with which men may safely stimulate their minds so that they vibrate on a plane that enables them to tune into fine and rare thoughts that come from no other known source.

No satisfactory substitute for nature’s stimulants has ever been found. It is a fact well known to psychologists that there is a very close relationship between sex desires and spiritual urges, which explains the peculiar behavior of people participating in religious revivals, especially among more primitive types.

The world is ruled, and the destiny of civilization is shaped by human emotions. People are often influenced in their actions more by feelings than by reason. The creative faculty of the mind is activated entirely by emotions and not by merely cold reason. The most powerful of all human emotions is that of sex.

There are other mind stimulants, some of which have been listed, but none of them, nor all of them combined, can equal to the driving power of sex. A mind stimulant is any influence that temporarily or permanently increases the vibrations of thought.
The 10 major stimulants described are those most commonly used. Through these sources, one may commune with infinite intelligence or enter the storehouse of the subconscious mind, either one's own or that of another person.
This procedure is the essence of a genius.

A teacher who has trained and directed the efforts of more than 30,000 salespeople made the astounding discovery that highly sexed men are the most efficient salespeople. The explanation lies in the fact that the factor of personality known as personal magnetism is nothing more or less than sex energy.
Highly sexed people always have a plentiful supply of magnetism, which may be drawn upon and used to attain great advantage in relationships through cultivation and understanding.

This energy can be communicated to others through the following media:

1. The handshake: The touch of the hand instantly indicates the presence or lack of magnetism.
2. The tone of voice: Magnetism or sex energy is the factor that colors or makes the voice musical & charming.
3. Posture and carriage of the body: Highly sexed people move briskly, gracefully, and easily.
4. The vibrations of thought: Highly sexed people mix the emotion of sex with their thoughts, influencing those around them.
5. Body adornment: People who are highly sexed usually take great care in their appearance, selecting clothing that complements their personality, physique, and complexion.

When employing salespeople, the most capable sales managers look for the quality of personal magnetism as the first requirement.
People who lack sex energy will never become enthusiastic, nor inspire others with enthusiasm. Enthusiasm is one of the most important requisites in salesmanship, regardless of what one is selling.

The public speaker, orator, preacher, lawyer, or salesperson who lacks sex energy will struggle to influence others. Coupled with the fact that most people can only be influenced through an appeal to their emotions, you can understand the importance of sex energy as a part of the inherent ability of a salesperson.

Master salespeople attain the status of mastery in selling because they consciously or subconsciously transmute their sex energy into sales enthusiasm. In this statement lies a very practical suggestion about the true meaning of sex transmutation.
A salesperson who knows how to shift their mind off the subject of sex and apply their enthusiasm and determination to sales effort, as much as they would to the original subject, has mastered the art of sex transmutation; whether they know it or not. The majority of salespeople who transmute their sex energy do so without being fully aware of what they are doing or how they are doing it.