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HPB-SB-12-115: Difference between revisions
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{{Style P-HPB SB. Title continued |"Communicating Spirits"|12-114}} | {{Style P-HPB SB. Title continued |"Communicating Spirits"|12-114}} | ||
... | {{Style P-No indent|is in the Magia of God.” This ''Magia'', therefore, and not Paradise, would appear to be the “rest” of the souls of both the first and second class, before they have attained the higher, or heavenly, body or substance. (Mrs. Penny’s suggestive comments should here be well noted, viz.: that the memory in this condition “is ''quiescent'', closed up in the interior life,” but may be awakened by the importunity of human faith and will, as Böhme expressly says. This is in strict accordance with the Brahmanical and Buddhist teaching, as recently reported in the ''Theosophist'', that communication is effected, not by the departed Spirits of this class with us, but by us with them.)}} | ||
(3) The third class of souls, according to Böhme, are those which have attained the “heavenly essentiality,” that is, the Divine embodiment. “None can stir them, except they will themselves, as when they bear a favour to a soul that is like themselves; they take no earthly thing upon them, unless it makes for the glory of God, and then they are restless to reveal something in a magical manner,” &c. It will thus be seen (1) that only the first, or earth-bound class, and the third, the perfected Spirits, have power ''voluntarily'' to communicate with us and to interfere in human affairs, and this by reason of the ''body'' (though of very different sort) which serves as the medium of communication; and (2) that the “earth-bound” condition supposes the continuance of the “astral” body. This, according to occultist teaching, is in process of disintegration—the communications becoming more and more incoherent as that ''process'' advances. According to the recent teaching in the ''Theosophist'', the ''Linga-sarira'' is dissolved ''with the external body'' at the death of the latter. This is quite opposed to what we are told by Eliphas Levi and many other authorities, and does not appear probable. | |||
Böhme is unfortunately silent, or impenetrably obscure, on the intermediate conditions of the soul, or its individuality in successive states. But he does, I think, make it clear that ''we'' are not objects of concern to our departed friends unless ''they'' are objects of deep concern to us. Then it is possible. “A living man hath such power that he is able with his Spirit to go into Heaven to the separated souls, and stir them up about some question by a hearty desire; but it must be earnest, it must be faith that can break open a Principle.” | |||
I wished to pursue this subject by some further comparison of the above ideas with those set forth in the ''Theosophist'', but my communication is already too long. | |||
{{Style P-Signature in capitals|C. C. M.}} | |||
February 6th. | |||
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... | <center>''To the Editor of'' “{{Style S-Small capitals|Light}}.”</center> | ||
{{Style S-Small capitals|Sir}},—It will be very desirable, if possible, that the following should appear in this week’s number of your journal, for obvious reasons. | |||
Some time in the week ending January 21st, I was sitting with a medium friend of Mr. Meugens, when he told me that on the previous Sunday he had been looking into a crystal that had been given him, and saw in it Mr. Meugens and Mr. Eglinton sitting in a verandah. He also said he saw the name of Gordon written up. I told him that Colonel and Mrs. Gordon were friends of Mr. Meugens in India. Shortly after the foregoing vision he sat down to write an account of the occurrence to Mr. Meugens, mentioning, I believe, the very thick fog that then prevailed, but something called him away before he had finished the letter and when he came back it was nowhere to be found and no one could give any account of it. He suspected himself that it had been carried away by his Controls, but he said nothing of this suspicion in a second letter which he wrote to Mr. Meugens, telling him merely of the singular loss of his former beginning, and giving an account of what he had seen. | |||
To-day I had another sitting with him, when one of his Controls informed me that finding his unfinished letter on his desk on the 15th January she carried it off to India and placed it in Mr. Meugens’ dining-room, while he and Mr. Eglinton were sitting at night in the verandah. Here she joined them and managed to rap out her name, telling them where they would find the letter, which they accordingly did. She further informed me that Mr. Meugens was now on his way home from India, in which case he will probably have left before receiving the letter that was sent by post. If this story should be confirmed by Mr. Meugens when he either comes or writes from India, it will be a singular corroboration of the evidence we have lately had of instantaneous communications between the most distant places. | |||
{{Style P-Signature in capitals| Hensleigh Wedgwood.}} | |||
31, Queen Anne-street. | |||
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... | <center>''To the Editor of'' “{{Style S-Small capitals|Light}}.”</center> | ||
{{Style S-Small capitals| Sir}},—The thanks of the community are due to Mrs. Algernon Kingsford, M.D., for her able and valuable essay in your last week’s impression. This contribution may be said to mark an epoch in the literature of Spiritualistic science. She has armed controversy with a new weapon; the phrase “Sorcery of Science” must not be allowed to die. | |||
She has, however, I think, weakened her otherwise impregnable position by some supplementary remarks that a man-eating tiger is probably a re-incarnated evil man. Here, I believe, she wanders into a region of vague, idle, fanciful, untenable supposition; besides, to change a vivisector into a tiger is to allot to him a fate more exalted, sympathetic, congenial, not to say jolly, than he deserves. The most suitable punishment is to leave him to the pangs of his conscience, when that callous faculty is fully awakened hereafter. He will then be an object of pity even to his enemies. | |||
It appears to me that the true position to take up with regard to vivisection is to consider it a vile thing, however much it may pretend to be practised for the benefit of humanity.—Yours, &c., | |||
{{Style P-Signature in capitals|Trident.}} | |||
London, February, 1882. | |||
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... | <center>''To the Editor of'' “{{Style S-Small capitals|Light}}.”</center> | ||
{{Style S-Small capitals|Sir,}}—In your issue of January 21st, C. E. Oyston, in a column headed “Re-Incarnation Problems,” asks this very pertinent question: “If it be really indispensable for every emanation from Deity to measure its strength with matter, what provision can be made for those infants who only inhale the breath of life for a few hours of earthly existence?” By a curious chance, an answer is given to this question on the same page, immediately opposite, in the next column, under the heading “Evenings with Mr. Morse.” It is this: “In such cases the life in the next world has to be at first the development up to the point which would have been gained had the life been extended on earth.” | |||
Now if that be the true solution of the difficulty, does not the correspondent I quote well ask, “Where is the necessity for us to come into contact with matter at all?” for if it be indeed a fact that the necessary experience for spiritual development can be obtained without subjection to the pains and troubles of a life on earth, would they be imposed upon us by the benevolent wisdom of the Supreme Ruler? One of the attributes of God, the All-loving Father, is impartial justice, and yet according to Mr. Morse’s guide, some of us are allowed to undergo the superior training of life on the material plane, while others, having to forgo that necessary probation, suffer from the want of it. The poet’s lines, | |||
{{Style P-Poem|poem= “Ere sin could blight or sorrow fade, | |||
Death came with timely care,”}} | |||
according to the opponents of the Re-Incarnation theory, are not happily inspired, for they all allow that it is a misfortune to die young. Being once favoured with an interview with one of “M.A. (Oxon.’s)” guides, I asked whether it was better to die before one could do wrong or live a long life, misspent to the greatest extent, and full of all manner of crimes. The answer was, “It is better to live the life; the result consequent upon the misuse of it is arranged for.” This Spirit maintains that one is only born once on earth and at the same time allows that it is a misfortune when the life is not lived out. So we must conclude that we are not all equally impartially treated. | |||
{{Style P-Signature in capitals|J. H. G.}} | |||
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