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Add No. 4 (July 1887) electronic text, checked page by page against the 1887 scan
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{{Style P-Quote|Only when men shall roll up the sky like a hide, will there be an end of misery, unless God has first been known. | {{Style P-Quote|Only when men shall roll up the sky like a hide, will there be an end of misery, unless God has first been known. | ||
| Svetasvatara-Upanishad | | Svetasvatara-Upanishad | ||
}} | |||
{{Style P-No indent|<center>OM.</center>}} | |||
{{Page aside in Path|v=2|n=4|p=117}} | |||
{{Style P-Title small caps|level=3|1=Some Poetry of the Sufis.}} | |||
{{Style P-No indent|''Dear Path'': I send you a little fragment from the Sufi poetry, and hope you will find it acceptable.}} | |||
{{Style P-Signature|Rome, Italy. | |||
K. H.}} | |||
{{Style P-Title small caps|level=4|plain=yes|1=A Parable of Jellaleddin.}} | |||
{{Style P-Poem|At the Beloved's door a timid knock was heard; | |||
And a voice came from within, sweeter than morning b'rd, | |||
Softer than silver drops that from plashing fountains fall, | |||
''"Who is there?"''—And the stillness stirred | |||
For a moment and that was all. | |||
And the lover who stood without, eager and full of fear, | |||
Answered the silver Voice,—"It is I, who am waiting here; | |||
Open then, my Beloved, open thy door to me!" | |||
But he heard the response ring clear | |||
"This house will not hold Me and Thee!" | |||
And the door remained fast shut, and the lover went away | |||
Far into the desert's depths, to wait and fast and pray: | |||
To dwell in the tents of Sorrow and drink of the cup of Grief: | |||
And Solitude taught him each day, | |||
And Silence brought him relief. | |||
And after a year he returned, and knocked at the close-shut door, | |||
And he heard the Beloved's Voice as it answered him once more, | |||
"Who is there?" And soft as the dew, or the velvety roseleaf's fall, | |||
And low as when angels adore, | |||
He said—"'Tis Thyself that doth call!" | |||
And his heart stood still with fear, and his eager eyes were dim;— | |||
Then through the silent night rang the sound of a marriage hymn; | |||
And the bolts and bars flew back, and the door was open wide, | |||
And fair on the threshold's rim | |||
Stood his Beloved, his Bride!}} | |||
{{Page aside in Path|v=2|n=4|p=118}} | |||
{{Style P-Title small caps|level=3|1=Thoughts in Solitude.}} | |||
{{Style P-Title small caps|level=4|plain=yes|1=VI.}} | |||
{{Style P-Subtitle|Sir Philip Sidney.}} | |||
When sickened with the petty aims of the world around—when wearied and despairing in the quest of the ideal brotherhood, it is refreshing to recognise a kinship of spirit even across the gulf of centuries, and to feel that the brotherhood of love we seek for is no vain dream, and that when we are worthy to enter its ranks, comrades such as Sydney will be there to welcome us. | |||
On reading over the life of this paragon of the Elizabethan period, though his actual achievement seems at first sight scarcely to warrant the renown he won, the aroma of his character which so captivated his contemporaries, is still felt to be the truest criterion by which to judge the man. | |||
But the chief lesson to be learned by students of occultism from the life of Sidney is that in proportion as passion rises to intensity is its power to act as the true alchahest in the transmutation of the baser metals of our nature into the pure gold of the heart. | |||
For the mass of men who stagnate through life without one intense passion to fire their nature, the formula of Eliphas Levi—modified as follows would indeed seem to be appropriate—though of course referring to the ultimate destiny, not to the result of any one earth-life. "The spiritual passion towards good and the spiritual passion towards evil are the two poles of the world of souls: between these two poles vegetate and die without remembrance the useless portion of mankind." | |||
To see that Sidney was made in a more fiery mould, it needs but to read his "Astrophel and Stella." Though the complete purging of his nature and the conquest of self is only made apparent in the concluding sonnets, the passionate outbursts of his love, and the fiery path he had to tread are manifest throughout the poem, and naturally form a bond of union—all the closer when the culmination of the desire has been identical—with those who have had analogous experience. | |||
It is perhaps difficult at first to realize how the love of an actual living woman should have the same purging and purifying effect as a similar love idealised, but nature is not to be bound by rules of our making in her methods of drawing different souls towards perfection. Both may be taken as illustrations of the fact that whether emotion starts from a pleasurable or a painful source, on reaching a high enough degree of intensity, it enters the region where pleasure and pain are merged in one, and then it is that it becomes the solvent of the man's lower nature. | |||
{{Page aside in Path|v=2|n=4|p=119}} | |||
It must indeed have been a fiery ordeal that Sidney passed through, for the earthly love by its intensity so to burn itself clean out of the heart, and leave only the lofty aspirations expressed in the following sonnet, which truly seem to formulate the very sum and substance of Theosophic thought. | |||
{{Style P-Poem|"Thou blind man's mark, thou fool's self chosen snare, | |||
Fond fancies' scum, and dregs of scattered thought; | |||
Band of all evils; cradle of causeless care; | |||
Thou web of will whose end is never wrought! | |||
Desire, Desire! I have too dearly bought | |||
With price of mangled mind thy worthless ware; | |||
Too long, too long, asleep thou hast me brought, | |||
Who shouldst my mind to higher things prepare. | |||
But yet in vain thou hast my ruin sought; | |||
In vain thou mad'st me to vain things aspire; | |||
In vain thou kindlest all thy smoky fire: | |||
For virtue hath this better lesson taught— | |||
Within myself to seek my only hire, | |||
Desiring naught but how to kill desire."}} | |||
{{Style P-Signature|Pilgrim.}} | |||
{{Style P-Title small caps|level=3|1=Some Theosophical Statistics.}} | |||
Inasmuch as some interested persons have seen fit to publish in denominational papers, statements that the Theosophical Society has gone to pieces in India, and that those few who still remain in it are either weak dupes or else persons of obscure life and no influence, the following may be of interest. | |||
In 1879 the two great pioneers of this movement, Mme. H. P. Blavatsky and Col. H. S. Olcott, landed at Bombay in India, with no followers and but few adherents. They were met by a very small gathering composed of some Brahmins, Parsees and others, who had joined the society by correspondence, while it was only in its infancy. It may be interesting to know that the Diplomas of these gentlemen were engrossed and sent to them by the Editor of this magazine who was drawing up all the Diplomas that were being then issued. These men entered the pioneer ranks because some of them had received intimations through their own teachers that this was a movement having power behind it, and the others having intuitions that way. | |||
In a short time interest arose, and when ''The Theosophist'' was started it had an immediate recognition. Branch societies were started as follows: | |||
In the year 1880, eight in Ceylon, and one in Bombay. | |||
In 1881, seven in the following towns: Allahabad, Bareilly, Berhampore, Bhavnagar, Muddehpoorah. | |||
{{Page aside in Path|v=2|n=4|p=122}} | |||
In 1882, 26 divided among these towns: | |||
{{Style P-No indent|Adoni, Arrah, Bankipore, Baroda, Bellary, Bhagulpore, Bhaunagar, Bolaram, Calcutta, Cawnpore, Dharjeeling, Guntoor, Gya, Hyderabad, Jamalpore, Jeypore, Kishnaghur, Lucknow, Madras, Meerut, Nellore, Palghat, Poona, Secunderabad, Sholapore, Simla.}} | |||
In 1883, 37 as follows: | |||
{{Style P-No indent|Aligarh, Bankura, Bara Banki, Beauleah, Bhowanipore, Burdwan, Chakdighi, Chingleput, Chinsurah, Coimbatore, Combaconum, Cuddalore, Dacca, Delhi, Dumraon, Durbhanga, Fyzabad, Ghazipore, Gooty, Gorakhpur, Howrah, Jessore, Jubbulpore, Kapurthala, Karwar, Kurnool, Madura, Mayaveram, Midnapore, Moradabad, Narail, Negapatam, Ootacamund, Pondicherry, Rae Bareli, Searsole, Srivilliputtur, Tanjore, Trevandrum, Trichinopoly.}} | |||
In 1884, in Arcot, Chittoor, Dindigul, Tiruppatur, Periya-Kulam, Saidpur, Vellore, Vizianagram. | |||
In 1885, 12 in: Anantapur, Arni, Benares, Cocanada, Dakshineswar, Fatehgarh, Hoshangabad, Karur, Nagpur, Paramakudi, Rangoon, Seoni-Chappara, Siliguri. | |||
In 1886, in Bangalore, Cuddapah, Noakhali, Orai. | |||
{{Page aside in Path|v=2|n=4|p=123}} | |||
All of the foregoing are in India. Ceylon has 8 branches, in these towns: Bentota, Colombo (2), Galle, Kandy, Matara, Panadure, Welitara, and have among their number some of the best known men of that historic Island. | |||
The officers and members of the Indian Societies include well known Hindus, who are officials in many instances under the English and native governments, others being lawyers and merchants, who, if they have not the honor of the acquaintance of the English and American missionaries, possess the respect and confidence of the community and the government. In Baroda the secretary is a judge; at Beauleah he is the head master of a school; in Berhampore a government executive engineer is in charge of the Branch; at Bhaunagar, the president is His Highness Prince Harisingji Rupsinghji; at Burdwan, the secretary is a professor in the Maharajah's college; at Hyderabad the president is a pensioned English official, and the members include government servants of the Nyzam; at Madras we find the eminent pleader T. Subba Row, and Judge Srinivasa Row; at Poona the president is Judge, Khan Bahadur Navroji Dorabji Khandallavalla; at Secunderabad nearly all the best young Hindus and Parsees are members—they, however, do not know the missionaries since their caste is not low enough. | |||
The reason why English and American missionaries are found writing in our papers about the death of the movement there, is, that they mix with uninterested Englishmen and very low caste Hindus and these latter necessarily know but little of the Theosophical Society being too much engaged in tilling the soil or in acting as servants in missionaries' houses to have the time to enter Branches. They are in precisely the position of the millions of poor working people in America whose spare time is spent in resting from labor. The missionaries ''do not'' mix with the better class Hindus. This we know by actual experience. How then can they pretend to report correctly. It would therefore seem wise for them to enquire at the proper quarter when seeking information to send to denominational papers here, and not to depend solely on imaginations which have a proneness for clothing fictions in fair words. | |||
Our readers should also know that through the Theosophical Society many Sanscrit schools have been started all over India, devoted to arousing interest in ancient religious books. Several papers in various languages have come on the field. Sunday schools of Buddhism are carried on in Ceylon; a theosophical paper called ''Saddarsanah Sindaresah'' is published there, and altogether the interest and activity in the Society's work have increased in all directions. The Ceylon work is so important that there is a separate headquarters there. | |||
{{Page aside in Path|v=2|n=4|p=124}} | |||
Since the foundation of the Society but four charters have lapsed, and in January, 1887, there were in existence all over the world 132 Branches. The distribution of these Branches, is as follows: | |||
In India:—In Bengal, 21; in Behar, 8; N. W. P., Oudh, and Punjab, 21; Cent. Prov., 4; Bombay, 6; Kathiawar, 2; Madras Pres., 38. | |||
In Burmah there are 3; in Ceylon, 8; in England, 1; Scotland, 1; Ireland, 1; France, 1; Germany, 1; in America, 13; Greece, 1; Holland, 1; Russia, 1; West Indies, 2; Africa, 1; Australia, 1. | |||
The king of Burmah at one time requested Col. Olcott to go over there. | |||
The Branch in Greece has been long established and includes men of influence. The American Branches are in New York, Philadelphia, Boston, Malden, Rochester, Cincinnati, Chicago, Washington, San Francisco, Los Angeles and St. Louis. | |||
We have not published the foregoing in order to arouse controversy with papers printed in the interest of any sect, but solely to put theosophists and inquirers in America in possession of the actual facts. A faithful picture of what we have ourselves seen in India would show a wider interest than we have been able in small space to outline, and we therefore feel increased confidence that the work begun in New York in 1875 is not yet near its close. | |||
{{Vertical space|1em}} | |||
On June 1st a large convention of pundits, princes and instructors assembled at Hardwar, India, to discuss plans for revival of Sanscrit and Aryan literature. Col. Olcott was present by invitation to give his views. | |||
''Cincinnati.'' At a recent meeting of this Branch, Bro. J. Ralston Skinner read a valuable paper on ''Cycles of Time''. On this subject Bro. Skinner is an authority. The Branch is active and prospering. | |||
''Aryan Theosophical Society.'' The library of this Branch is increasing. It now contains 221 books, and recently Mrs. M. L. Ritler donated to it 21 volumes. | |||
''St. Louis.'' The Pranava Theosophical Society has just been formed here, with Bros. Throckmorton and Thos. M. Johnson as prime movers. Fuller particulars will appear in August. | |||
{{Style P-Title small caps|level=3|1=Literary Notes.}} | |||
''Through the Gates of Gold''.—The authorship of ''Through the Gates of Gold'' is now announced. It proceeds, as many have surmised, from the same source as ''Light on the Path'' and ''The Idyll of the White Lotus'', "M. C." being the initials of Miss Mabel Collins, a gifted English writer widely known in London, the writer of various popular novels before her attention | |||
{{Page aside in Path|v=2|n=4|p=125}} | |||
was occupied by Theosophical work, and a member of a literary family of eminence. The knowledge of the fact that she is the author of these works is likely to make something of a stir in London literary circles. A new edition of ''Through the Gates of Gold'' is forthcoming with the author's name on the title-page and with these words preceding the prologue: | |||
{{Style P-Quote|"Once, as I sat alone writing, a mysterious Visitor entered my study, unannounced, and stood beside me. I forgot to ask who he was or why he entered so unceremoniously, for he began to tell me of the Gates of Gold. He spoke from knowledge; and from the fire of his speech I caught faith. I have written down his words; but alas, I cannot hope that the fire shall burn as brightly in my writing as in his speech. M. C." | |||
}} | |||
''The Yoga Way'', a new theosophical work, is announced by the Eastern Publishing Company. As the writer has had exceptional advantages for witnessing the wondrous and touching sympathy of the Esoteric Teachers with the sorrows and troubles of humanity, and has been favored with opportunities for studying psychic phenomena not common to students, the announcement of this new book on occultism will be welcomed by all students and readers of such literature in this country. | |||
The work is in course of publication and orders can be addressed to the Eastern Publishing Company, P. O. Box 784, New York. | |||
"''United''."—This is a Theosophical novel by Mr. A. P. Sinnett, the author of ''Occult World'', ''Karma'', &c. It shows considerable skill in vivid descriptions. There will always be found a great difficulty by writers who attempt "theosophical romances," inasmuch as ''Theosophy'' is incongruous with ''romance'', for if the latter be anything it is untrue, while ''Theosophy'' should have no other tendency than toward truth. Hence it will be found for yet a long time, that the best theosophical romancers are such writers as Anstey who make a travesty of the thing as he did in "A Fallen Idol." Not being trammeled by adherence to a principle Anstey gave much theosophical truth under a garment of ridicule. | |||
''United'' is devoted to bringing the reader face to face with the possibility of a "life-transfer" from one human being to another. It differs from ''Karma'' in omitting all phenomena except such as are connected with clairvoyance, in discussing another side of Occultism, and in appealing more to the sentimental side of our nature. | |||
The idea of "life-transfer" is not new, however, as it was exemplified in "Ghostland" which appeared some years ago anonymously and which ought to be read by those who are studying this subject. | |||
''The Staff of Adam and the Shem-Hammephorash'', is a paper read by Bro. S. C. Gould viii.°, F. T. S., before Massachusetts College, Boston, at Convocation S. R. of June 2, 1887. This staff was "given by the Holy and Blessed God, to the first man in Paradise," and descended to Joseph. It was put away with the special treasures of Pharoah. The pamphlet will repay perusal. Address S. C. Gould, Manchester, N. H. | |||
{{Vertical space|2em}} | |||
<hr> | |||
{{Style P-Quote|The wise man, the preacher, who wishes to expound this Sutra, must absolutely renounce falsehood, pride, calumny, and envy. He should never speak a disparaging word of anybody; never engage in a dispute on religious belief; never say to such as are guilty of shortcomings: "You will not obtain superior knowledge." | |||
| Saddharma-Pundarika | |||
}} | }} | ||