Path/Vol2/Text
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Electronic journal edition: articles by authors with dictionary entries are linked to their separate pages; other materials are reproduced here in journal order. The texts in this draft are prepared directly from the 1887 scan (Google Books digitization of the bound volume), checked page by page against the page images — not taken from Project Gutenberg or any other electronic edition.
No. 1 – April 1887
The Theosophical Society, as such, is not responsible for any opinion or declaration in this magazine, by whomsoever expressed, unless contained in an official document.
Where any article, or statement, has the author's name attached, he alone is responsible, and for those which are unsigned, the Editor will be accountable.
The Second Year
Heralds from the Unseen
6
"Seek Out the Way."
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F. T. S.
A Perplexed Inquirer
Studies in the Numeric Powers
Suggestions as to Primary Concepts
Thoughts in Solitude
16 III.
The ideas these words represent lie at opposite poles of the circle. The former should stand for the philosophic calm, the minor peace, the comparative equability of Soul which the disciple has attained, while the latter implies the stagnation of Will, the death of aspiration and of all true progress.
When the first impetuous burst of feeling is over and time with her slowly disenchanting hand has begun to blur the outlines of the first vivid creation of thought, the knowledge gained seems to be the only possession
17 left—the knowledge that there is a Path to tread and that no thought is worth thinking, and no word worth uttering that has not for its aim the one supreme object—the finding and the treading of this path that leads to deliverance from conditioned existence. But it is one thing to be possessed of this merely intellectual knowledge, and another to have the Will, the Courage and the Strength to find and to tread the path.
After much uncertain questioning and many anxious thoughts about the path, remembering always that "it is not found by devotion alone, by religious contemplation alone, by ardent progress, by self sacrificing labour, by studious observations of life, that none alone can take the disciple more than one step onwards, and that all steps are necessary to make up the ladder," a clue may yet be obtained from the lines in the Bhagavat-Gita, so beautifully rendered by Mr. Edwin Arnold
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Aye! "The aids to noble life are all within"—the path indeed lies there, in other words there are as many pathways to perfection as there are individual Souls.
There is no doubt a saturation point for Energy as there is for Truth in the individual—it may come in the form of lethargic weariness, or it may come in the form of satisfaction. To the old man, weary of life, the rest of death is sweet, but even though he may seem to have earned repose, such feeling still appertains to the quality of "Tamas," and should be resisted at any cost. The feeling of satisfaction is far more insidious—indeed it is the limit to any further possible advance placed by the man's own deepest sub-conscious self. Around us are to be seen men in all stages of moral growth who have attained to this satisfaction. Though the mere gratification of the senses and the social amenities of civilized countries may become to the majority of the votaries of pleasure a dull meaningless treadmill, we yet see some to whom such life affords true satisfaction. They have reached their goal. And if we turn to the Religious world who does not know one or two of the many happy Souls who have attained the complete rest of satisfaction? Burning questions do not exist for them—they deem that they have solved the insolvable—They too have reached their goal. Nor does this sphere of objective life in which we dwell alone exemplify the working of this law of nature. The realm of the Deva-lokas, could we penetrate to those serene heights of being, would show us Souls who had attained to their Saintly rest,
18 who had reached their supreme satisfaction—rest and satisfaction however that must along with all conditioned existence come to an end some time. But to the god in the Deva-loka as to the worldly epicure, the satisfaction he has reached is the evidence of the limit of advance—the advance made in the different cases being merely one of degree. Each has shown an incapacity for further endurance, whether of suffering or of joy, though in most cases it must be suffering, and their progress has therefore come to an end. But man has within him the potentiality of Godhead, not the Deva (god) in his realms of bliss, but the absolute unity with the divine Spirit of Life of which nature is a manifestation—the Being where all individuality is merged in one—the one ever-permanent state of Nirvana—the Peace of God that passeth all understanding.
When after long years of incessant goading, the goad within ceases to act, a minor peace is attained. It is a matter of wonder to the disciple, who cannot understand why it should be so—he has had no hand in the slackening of the torture cords—he only knows that the strain is withdrawn, and that in the quietude his thought can range undisturbed. But with the removal of the pain, he seems to feel as if his search were less intense, and then follows the inexplicable paradox of the actual invocation of pain by one part of his nature, while the other part of him regards with fear and dismay any recurrence of it. Nevertheless this tranquility of content continues. It goes without saying that this state includes the perfect content in all outward conditions. It may not have reached the transcendent light, where fear of any earthly catastrophy as well as desire for any earthly gain are alike non-existent. The disciple still remains a creature of habit, and imagination can easily conjure up situations where the equanimity would be entirely overthrown. But at least fresh desire for earthly objects has as a rule ceased to operate. All earthly life indeed stands before his mind in its true colour, as possessing value only so far as giving opportunity of recognizing its utter valuelessness, and of stretching forward to those things which have permanence and value, and the one-absorbing desire that remains, is that when the burden of earthly existence has again to be taken up, the progress gained in the last life may not be lost; that in the words of Plato we may so pass through the waters of Lethe as not to defile our souls with absolute oblivion.
In one of the early numbers of the Theosophist the aspirants for chelaship are warned against too soon undertaking a life for which they are not yet fitted, and all are advised to master first their most apparent weaknesses—their most besetting sins—The mastering of such, and the continuing to be
19 the master, until relapse is constitutionally impossible (though this may imply a period which one life may not cover) would indeed seem to be for most the necessary entrance to the Path. While by this exercise of self restraint the aspirant is acquiring the necessary Will, Strength and Courage for the treading of the Path when found, "new hands and new feet are being born within him" with which to scale the heights that lie beyond. The search for perfection may well find its simile in the scaling of some seemingly inaccessible peak. After journeying for long years through the dim forest on the plain, and falling into many a slough of despond, with torn garments and with bleeding feet the climber has at last emerged. The forest lies below him and he sees the dim plain stretching to the horizon, but it is only the first plateau of the mountain he has scaled, and straight in front of him rises a seemingly perpendicular face of rock. Yet up this face of rock he has to go, for there can be no turning back when it is realized that what he has undertaken is the one thing worth doing.
But while insisting on the necessity of the gradual strengthening of the character by victory over all the faults of which the disciple is conscious, the common mistake of the religious must not here be made, and the conquering of any one sin or of all sins is mistaken for the goal, instead of a mere preparation for the treading of the path. Indeed—given a sufficiently ardent desire for the ultimate goal—all sins and weaknesses that stand between the disciple and the object of his desire will by that very fire of desire be annihilated in a flash of thought. One of the most important means of keeping alive and intensifying this desire is by keeping the goal constantly in view. And as it must have been by the failure of all earthly things to satisfy the heaven-born longings of the aspirant that first set his face towards the path, so the bringing back before the mind's eye the past experience of futile longings and disillusions will best serve as impetus for the next transport of Heavenward flight.
What a man sets his whole heart on that he will undoubtedly attain sooner or later. The man whose desires do not rise above the gratification of his physical senses gets what he desires and that, as a rule, quickly. He whose life is concentrated in the emotional nature will in time achieve his "summum bonum" in the union of love he has dreamt of with another soul. He to whom the acquirement of knowledge is the one thing needful, must attain what he desires, and that in exact ratio with his energetic search for it, while the philanthropist whose aim is to do good to others—whether on the material or the moral plane, and who feels impelled to the so-called sacrifice of self in some definite course of action—though this lies far apart from the "killing out of all sense of separateness" which constitutes the true self-sacrifice—will doubtless also achieve his reward though in some less obvious way. But
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We who recognizes the finger of Maya in all these things, and whose search is for that intuitive Wisdom in which they are all embraced, but which transcends them all, does it not behoove us to lift our minds more and more continuously to the Supreme? and to free our thoughts more and more from all limitations? for as it was the inability to fix the soul in worship on the attributeless Deity (though he had freed himself from all personal desires) that prevented the devotee from straightway attaining Nirvana, and instead landed him in the heavens of the Devaloka, where the conditions of bliss he had pictured to his mind as the Supreme were his inevitable reward, so should we even now begin to free our minds from all limited conceptions, and strain our minds more and more towards the infinite.
I cannot better conclude than by quoting the last few lines in Faridu-d-din Attâr's description of the seven stages in the road leading to union with the Divine Essence.
"Last stage of all is the Valley of Annihilation of Self: of complete Poverty,[1]—the seventh and supreme degree which no human words can describe. There is the great ocean of Divine Love. The world present and the world to come are but as figures reflected in it—And as it rises and falls how can they remain? He who plunges in that sea and is lost in it finds perfect peace."
Pilgrim.
Paracelsus
The Bhagavad-Gita
On the Soul of Man
Tea Table Talk
The altar on which the sacrifice is offered is Man, O Gautama; its fuel speech itself, the smoke the breath, the light the tongue, the coals the eye, the sparks the ear.
No. 2 – May 1887
Grasping without hands, hasting without feet, he sees without eyes, he hears without ears. He knows what can be known, but no one knows him; they call him the first, the Great Person.
The Theosophical Society, as such, is not responsible for any opinion or declaration in this magazine, by whomsoever expressed, unless contained in an official document.
Where any article, or statement, has the author's name attached, he alone is responsible, and for those which are unsigned, the Editor will be accountable.
Reincarnation. A Western Study of the Subject
The Doctrine of Innate Ideas
Paracelsus
Suggestions as to Primary Concepts
Some Teachings of a German Mystic
Thoughts in Solitude
57 IV.
As said Solomon the wise, "there is no new thing under the sun." Our thoughts are but the thoughts of preceding ages. That this must be so will be apparent when one considers the Eternity behind. All possibilities of nature must have been realized and all thoughts thought in the—to us—dim past. And while the wheel of evolution still turns this must be so. At the apex of the orbit in each revolution, a few of the greatest souled ones have attained emancipation, a few have been able to lift the latch of the Golden Gate. But the remainder of the candidates in nature's school who have failed at the final test have again to begin the weary round, along
58 with those evolving from lower conditions, with only so much light to guide them through the labyrinth of life as may have been enshrined in the traditions or religions evolved during the previous efflorescence of Humanity. How are they to regain the thoughts of the past and obtain some true interpretation of the mystery of life? All thoughts indeed are writ in the Akasa from which the Prophets and Poets of all ages have drawn their inspiration, and in proportion to a man's striving to get below the mere surface of things, will be the degree in which he succeeds in making part of that inheritance of the ages his own possession.
The scholar too would seem to have a part to play. What worthier object can he be than that of rendering intelligible in the speech of his epoch, the thoughts and ideas enshrined in the dead languages of the great thinking races of the past? The scholars of to-day, those who have drunk deep at the wells of Sanscrit and Greek learning, have indeed a heavy responsibility upon their shoulders. Were it not a worthier aim of life to make common property the thoughts and ideas of the sublime ancients than to wrap themselves up in them as so many do—though there are one or two notable and glorious exceptions—in the self-gratulation of exclusive culture and stagnate in the memory of past achievement?
Those too who are animated by the Theosophic spirit, and who feel the supreme desirability of the path they are striving to tread, are bound to find words more or less appropriate to carry to the world a conviction of this supreme desirability, words which may convey some idea of the animating life within which is quite as much an embodiment of the scientific spirit of the seeker after truth, and the single-eyed determination of the man of the world to achieve his object, as of any devotional or religious feeling. Religion—in Christian countries at least—has made far too much a thing of sentiment, it has its use no doubt in prompting the initial effort, but when the path is chosen it would seem that singleheartedness of aim and firm determination were the dominant qualities required.
The thought that prompted the present paper was expressed in a foot note written by a friend in that mystical work of the middle ages "Theologia Germanica." The text expresses the thought that all that is, is well pleasing and in God's eyes, while the foot note by citing one out of the many instances of earthly action so diametrically opposed to what the most optimistic could consider as pleasing to God, commands as the necessary corollary to the text its converse proposition.
Search as deeply as we may into Nature's life, and obtain though we may some intuition of the love which may be regarded as "creation's final
59 law," that law in its working throughout all objective existence must still appear to us as unutterably hideous. The cosmos exists indeed for those who have extended enough vision, in other words the faith to see it, its picture may be seen in the depths of the soul, that very throne of God, but to us who tread the pathways of the world, who are daily brought in contact with the social evils of this generation, the crime, the ignorance, the poverty, the suffering, how can such existence appear to us other than as a chaos? Is it not a veritable Hell on Earth? But is there no "best Philosophy" such as Shelley speaks of
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The reproach of being unpractical is often made against those who are deeply imbued with the philosophic spirit—they may not have the ready panacea for the cure of existing evils demanded by the philanthropist, whose partial remedy he is so apt to consider as such, and to apply with ill-considered action—but they who look deep down see the real remedy, though their words may fall as vain sounds on the ears of the world.
The forces too that have long set in motion are not lightly to be diverted from the goal towards which they have been hastening, and that goal is for us beginning to loom but too clearly in view. That child born of man's deep sense of justice (perverted though it may be) out of the dam, dire poverty, the shrieking red-clad socialist stalks among us, and following the inevitable law of retribution, over the people who have fallen deepest in the slough of materialism, and have been most dominated by the lusts of the flesh, is beginning to tremble the moan of the coming storm, while in their most populous cities the cries rise loudest. It may be too late now entirely to ward off the storm, but surely its fury might be mitigated were we even now to read the lesson aright.
To a people whose upper classes are pandered to by nameless lusts, and whose lower classes breed like beasts of the field, without recognizing, as the beasts do, a non-breeding season, to this adulterous and lascivious generation were it not a worthy aim to show by word and deed that it is possible to dissociate love from lust, and that the loftiest emotion of which Humanity is capable has no necessary connection with the sexual bond? But what advance can be made till society recognizes that instead of offering a premium on marriage, they rather are worthy of admiration who can guard inviolate the sacred seed, under the influence of an aim the worldling knows not of—the aim of transferring the life-force from the material into the spiritual plane, with whatever results may accrue from this transformation of energy, of transcendental powers, or sweeter far the realization of the Platonic dream of union with our other half, the finding that within ourselves lay the twin soul which has been the object of our life-long search, in other words that in the microcosm, man, as in the macrocosm, God, are contained both the male and the female elements of existence.
What a contrast to this age of materiality to read of that old time
60 when to prevent the depopulation of the country, it was necessary to enjoin each true-hearted Brahman to marry and beget one child before devoting himself to the main object of existence which should be to-day as it was then, the practise of Yoga.
But besides helping to counteract the dominant evil of our time another reason can be given for the practise of celibacy, though this lies more on the interior plane, and is therefore more a subject of speculation. For it is a satisfaction to think that by refusing further to swell the already overteeming populations, the ranks of the unborn are lessened to a smaller degree, that a few more souls continue to enjoy the rosy dreams of Heaven.
But though the general acceptance of a less gross form of life would greatly tend towards the amelioration of human existence, to expect it from this generation would seem like putting the effect before the cause, for what is there to impel towards any curbing of the passions while Ignorance holds almost undivided sway? All evils under which Humanity groans may indeed be ascribed to that baleful influence, and it is useless to lop off one of the hydra heads of the monster, while she is capable of replacing it by a still more hideous growth. Andromeda truly pictures Humanity to-day, but where is the redeemer Perseus to be looked for save under the shining garb of the occult wisdom? The worldly knowledge with its glittering train of physical sciences and mechanical inventions can never set Humanity free, but it weaves round its votaries still more deluding webs of darkness. But we may hope that Reason will once more "shed her beams of dawn" over the dim world, and that true faith will once more shine in the hearts of men, for when the knowledge has filtered in that this life is but one of an endless chain of similar existences, will not the futility of gratifying every whim of the senses, which must so often before have been gratified give place to the desire for freedom from such dominance, and to the yearning for some lasting bliss? and when it is realized that our present thoughts and acts are the factors that determine our future lives and that the pain (or joy) of the present is the retribution of the past, will not a goad be fixed in the hearts of many to drive them on the right way? and finally, when it is dimly perceived that the soul in past existences has experienced all heights and depths of earthly things—has realized all the sweets of wealth, of honor, of power, of love—that the bitter has been very bitter indeed and that the sweetest of the sweet has failed to give permanent satisfaction, will there not spring up in the soul a deep distaste for this loathsome life, a firm intent to pierce the veil of Maya that hides from us the celestial region?
This piercing of the veil, or to adopt a simile which will carry us a little
61 further, this scaling of the mountain is conceived of in very different ways. To some it seems as the culmination of one gigantic effort, to others the result of infinitely slow progress. It is now pictured as "the killing of the deadly serpent of self for which Supreme moment is needed a strength such as no hero of the battle field needs." Elsewhere it is described as the steadfast toil of the will "till efforts end in ease and thought has passed from thinking," as the gradual centreing of all thought in the eternal thought till all earth-born desires and fears die out through sheer lack of the nourishment whereby they may be kept alive. The truth may lie in the union of these two apparently contradictory modes of thought, or it may be that as the different natures of men impel them to different lines of action, the pathways are really different though conducting to the same goal, or it may be suggested that the desperate effort referred to above, the supreme moment when the strength of the hero is needed, may be symbolised in the action of one of the mountain climbers, who has strayed from the true mountain side, into some rocky cul-de-sac, up some misleading pinnacle. A desperate leap will doubtless be required of him to reach the true breast of the mountain again. But he who has started on the ascent with a true guide will not mistake the rocky pinnacle for the snow-clad summit. His progress will be fast or slow as the strength and will within him shall decide. Therefore to the aspirant should it ever seem like the steady ascent of the mountain for which are demanded all his combined energies of courage, prudence and steadfastness. And as the summit is approached, all dread anticipation of what the future may bring as well as the fever of personal desire and earthly passion will be left behind like the mist of the valley. Hope and Fear alike will disappear in the purity of that serene air.
And the love which could no longer identify itself with any one object of desire, or find any resting place on earth will have been gradually purged from all taint of animal passion, until personal likes and dislikes melt away before the intensity of its diffusion, until Godlike in its worship of the one supreme Perfection. All appearances of difference will then be blotted out—friends and enemies, kinsmen and aliens, yea, good and evil men—all will appear alike—for God only will be seen in all, and the bliss of Yoga will be attained.
Pilgrim.
Tea Table Talk
One moment in eternity is of as great consequence as another moment, for eternity changes not, neither is one part better than another part.
No. 3 – June 1887
The Theosophical Society, as such, is not responsible for any opinion or declaration in this magazine, by whomsoever expressed, unless contained in an official document.
Where any article, or statement, has the author's name attached, he alone is responsible, and for those which are unsigned, the Editor will be accountable.
Letters on the True
Suggestions as to Primary Concepts
The Lake and the Pool
Notes on the Astral Light
77 To the student of occultism few more absorbing subjects present themselves than that of the Astral Light; and when one considers its strange sights and sounds, the mysterious creatures by whom it is inhabited, the enormous and incalculable influence it exerts on our lives and destinies, it is not surprising that information should eagerly be sought from the explorers of so fascinating a region. One of the most indefatigable of these inquirers was the late Abbé Constant—better known, perhaps, under the non de plume of "Eliphas Lévi." As his works, however, are not translated, there are many would-be readers to whom they are not accessible; and it is in the belief that, to such, a brief compendium of his more important remarks would be not unwelcome, the following Notes made by a theosophist in the course of his own studies are offered.
If they should seem lacking in symmetry, or even entire continuity, it must be borne in mind that they are only what they profess to be—"Notes"; or, more correctly speaking, verbatim extracts from the various volumes in
78 which this subject is treated of, often in connection with other, though kindred topics; they may fairly claim to be faithful and accurate translations—as any one may verify—but they make no pretense to literary finish; they are simply the words of the author, without alteration or comment; for this reason quotation marks are unnecessary, all that follows this paragraph being translation pure and simple.
The primordial light vehicle of all ideas, is the Mother of all forms, and transmits them from emanation to emanation, diminished or altered only by the density of the surroundings; the forms of objects, being modifications of this light, remain in the light where they are reflected back; thus the Astral Light, or the terrestrial fluid termed the Grand Magical Agent, is saturated with images or reflections of all kinds, which the soul can evoke and submit to what the Cabalists call its "lucidity."
These images are always before us, and are only temporarily obscured by the more obtrusive impressions of reality during our waking hours, or by the pre-occupation of our thoughts, which render our imagination inattentive to the shifting panorama of the Astral Light; when we are asleep, they present themselves to us of their own accord and thus dreams are produced; dreams which are vague and incoherent, unless some dominant wish remains active during our sleep and gives, although unknown to us, a direction to the dream, which thus becomes a vision.
The Astral Light acts directly upon the nerves, which are its conductors to the brain; thus a somnambulist can see by the nerves, without needing material light; the astral fluid containing latent light, just as science recognizes latent heat.
The empire of the Will over the Astral Light, which is the physical soul of the four elements, is symbolized in Magic by the Pentagram; by means of this we can compel spirits to appear in visions, either when awake or asleep, by bringing before our lucidity their reflection which exists in the Astral Light, if they have lived, or the reflection of their spiritual nature, if they have never lived; this explains all visions, and demonstrates, especially, why those who see the dead see them always either as they were when alive, or as they are while yet in the grave, and never as they are in that state of existence which escapes the perception of our present organization.
When the Magician has attained perfect lucidity, he can direct at will the magnetic vibrations in the whole mass of the Astral Light; by means of these vibrations he can influence the nervous systems of persons, quicken or retard the currents of life, soothe or trouble, cure or make ill—in a word, kill or raise from the dead. The lucid will is able to act upon the mass of the Astral Light, and, in concert with other wills which it thus absorbs and utilizes, compels immense and irresistible currents. It should also be noted that the Astral Light can render itself denser or rarer, accord-
79 ing as the currents accumulate or scatter it, at given centres; when it lacks sufficient energy to nourish life, there result diseases which terminate with fatal suddenness, and are the despair of physicians.
The Astral Light is the omnipresent tempter, symbolized by the serpent of Genesis; this subtle agent, ever active, ever abounding in power, flowing with seductive dreams and pleasing images; this force blind in itself, and swayed by the wills of others either for good or evil; this circulating medium, ever vivified with unquenchable life, that causes vertigo to the rash spectator; this material spirit, this fiery body, this impalpable and all-pervading ether, this enormous seduction of Nature—how shall we define its entirety, how qualify its actions? Indifferent, so to speak, in its nature, it lends itself alike to good or evil—it diffuses light and brings darkness; it is a serpent, but also an aureole; it is fire, but it may either be that which belongs to the torments of Hell, or that which carries up the incense offered to Heaven.
To be its master, we must, like the woman of the Bible, trample its head under our feet.
To vanquish the serpent, that is to dominate the circle of the Astral Light, we must be able to place ourselves outside of its currents; in other words, to insulate ourselves. This torrent of universal life is also pictured in religious dogmas as the expiatory fire of Hell. It is the instrument of Initiation, the monster to be subdued, the enemy to be vanquished; it produces the larvae and phantoms that respond to the evocations and conjurations of Black Magic; in it are preserved those forms whose fortuitous and fantastic assemblage people our nightmares with such abominable monsters. To allow ourselves to be swept away by this raging flood is to fall into abysses of madness more frightful than death, to drive away the darkness of this chaos and compel it to give perfect forms to our ideas, is to create, to have triumphed over Hell. The Astral Light directs the instincts of animals, and combats the intelligences of man, which it tends to pervert by the splendour of its reflections and the falsity of its images; this fatal and unavoidable tendency guides and renders still more injurious, the Elementals and Elementaries; whose restless desires seek sympathy in our weakness, and tempt us not so much in order to cause our destruction, as for their own benefit. The Book of Conscience, which according to the christian dogmas is to be made manifest at the Last Judgment, is nothing more or less than the Astral Light, in which are preserved the impressions of all our words and deeds and of all forms.
Those who renounce the empire of reason, and allow their will to wander after the reflections of the Astral Light are subject to alternations of madness and melancholy, which lead them to imagine these wonders to be the result of possessions of a demon; and there is no doubt that by means
80 of these reflections evil spirits are able to influence impure souls and make them their docile instruments, and cause them to torment the organisms in which they dwell. It is, therefore, extremely dangerous to trifle with the mysteries of Magic, and above all supremely rash to practice its rites from curiosity, and by such experiments to tempt the higher powers; and the inquisitive who, not being Adepts, meddle with evocations or occult magnetism, are like children playing on a barrel of gunpowder—sooner or later they will be the victims of a terrible explosion. To insulate ourselves from the Astral Light, it does not suffice merely to envelope ourselves in a mantle of wool, as did Appolonius of Tyana; above and beyond all, the heart and spirit must be absolutely calm, freed from the dominion of the passions, and assured of perseverance in action by an inflexible will; and these acts of will must be ceaselessly repeated, for only by persistence in such acts does the will become strong. There are certain intoxicating substances which, by heightening the nervous susceptibility, augment the power of the representations of the Astral Light and consequently increase its seductions; by means of these, also, when used in a contrary direction, spirits can be terrified or subdued.
In order to command the Astral Light, it is necessary to understand its double vibration, and the balance of forces known as magic equilibrium. This equilibrium, regarded in its primal cause, is the will of God: in man, it is liberty; in matter, it is mathematical equilibrium. Equilibrium produces stability and duration. Liberty brings forth the immortality of man, and the will of God formulates the laws of eternal right. Equilibrium in ideas is wisdom; in forces it is power; equilibrium is rigorous, if the law is kept, it exists; if it be violated, though ever so little, it does not exist. It is for this reason that nothing is useless, or wasted, every word, every motion, is for or against equilibrium, for or against Truth; for equilibrium represents Truth, which is composed of contraries which are reconciled, or at least equilibrated. Almighty power is the most absolute Liberty; but absolute Liberty cannot exist without perfect equilibrium; magic equilibrium is therefore one of the first conditions of success in the operations of science; and we must seek it even in occult chemistry by learning to combine contraries without neutralizing them. By magic equilibrium is explained the great and ancient mystery of the existence and relative necessity of Evil; this relative necessity, in Black Magic, furnishes a measure of the power of demons, or evil spirits, to whom the virtues practised on earth impart more fury, and apparently more power.
B. N. Acle, F. T. S.
(To be continued.)
Some Teachings of a German Mystic
Thoughts in Solitude
85 V.
In man's attempt to pierce the dark mists of ignorance that surround him, in his search after the perfect life, two ideas alternately dominate his horizon—two pathways seem alternately to invite his footsteps. These may roughly be designated as the Scientific and the Religious.
86 When full consideration is given to the stupendousness of the undertaking, to the almost inconceivable heights at which we aim; when it is realized that we aspire to reach the ranks of the Dhyan Chohans, the rulers of our Planetary System; to become, in fact, part of that diffused Divine consciousness in which is upheld the life of the World, does it not seem reasonable to conclude that all knowledge and all power must have been realized and beneficently practised by such an one in his upward course—that the conquering of the desires of the outer senses must have been accompanied by the development of the inner senses, through whose agency the whole elemental kingdom must have been cognised and conquered, and the hearts and minds of men read as in an open book?
But when the disciple realizes that all earthly power, honor, dominion, has long been put aside by him as valueless—that the one word which has dominated his being is love—that the failure to realize any perfect union on earth has created and intensified the desire to plunge and to be lost in the Nirvanic ocean of Divinity, will not the attainment of powers and the development of inner senses appear to him as mere circumlocution and surplusage? Why not make for his goal at once? The bondage of material life being but the impulse to act, liberation consists not by suppression, but by the knowledge that the ego is independent of it. This knowledge is attained through faith, but the faith that leads up to it is liable to die if not fed by obedience to the will of God—"If thou wouldst enter the life, keep the commandments"—the commandments set in the various Scriptures of Humanity—then in long-suffering patience work out the term of imprisonment in flesh.
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till the "dark" and "passionate" qualities of Nature have melted away, and the serenity of "Satwa" alone remains. And the soul, which will find its earthly ties centred more and more on the Supreme Soul, will gradually dissolve, until the last one disappears, and it naturally gravitates to its eternal home.
This is a lovely picture, and there are many to whom such a pathway—the pathway of Religion—must have inconceivable attractions; but let us pause and consider well whether it is one which we in this Kali Yug are yet fitted to follow to the exclusion of all others.
If we were such complete masters of the physical nature as to be absolutely fearless under any conceivable circumstances, and if our hearts were filled with such an all-embracing love for Humanity that at no moment
87 would we hesitate to lay down our lives for it, we might, perhaps, consider ourselves worthy of passing through the final gateway of contemplative devotion. Doubtless there are few men, worthy of the name, who have not risen, in moments of exaltation, to the thought that even the physical well-being—let alone the eternal salvation!—of suffering Humanity would be cheaply purchased by his death. It needs not to turn for an example to the Cross of Calvary, though that is regarded by Christians who fail to realize the inner meaning of their own faith as something uniquely transcendental in its self-sacrifice. Heroism is not so far to seek, and History can point to many a martyr who has braved as painful and ignominious a death without the stupendous motive for the sacrifice, such as might well goad any high-souled man to make it. But it is another thing to live constantly in the devoted frame of mind referred to, from merely rising to it in moments of exaltation.
Doubtless, also, there are men who, by the judicious use of right emotion, can, at times, so nerve themselves that fear shall seem an unknown word; but who is able to live in constant disregard of consequences, even on the physical plane with which we are tolerably well acquainted? So long as the horrors of the unknown psychic plane transcend anything we can conceive of on the physical, or while the realms of darkness contain one thought of terror for our imaginations, how can we consider ourselves worthy of the final crown of being? For is it not Perfection that we aim at? And where a trace of fear is present, or where love in its plenitude is absent, how can we expect to be within measurable distance of our goal? Four lines from one of Matthew Arnold's poems, many of which seem to breathe a subtle, though possibly unintentional aroma of occult thought, may here partially help to express the idea intended:
{{{poem}}} |
Though it must be remembered that fear is an attribute of the physical only, there is an interblending of the elements of our nature, and it stands to reason that the unknown sights and sounds of the plane just beyond that of which the physical is cognisant are capable of striking a far deeper terror, as well as of fascinating with a more subtle power.
And is it not logical to suppose that, as the disciple has gradually realized the unsatisfying nature of all earthly things—has learned to put aside its temptations, and to rise occasionally to a standpoint where its fears
88 cannot assail him, so he must start on his journey of discovery in the unknown psychic world—armed always with the firm will and the lofty aspirations towards the Spirit—till he has learned also that its attractions cannot detain him, and that he has the power within him to dominate its terrors?
Until, therefore, we can stand as master in our house of life, and until the "Enthusiasm of Humanity" has possessed our Being, we must not imagine that we can discard the Scientific pathway before we have really begun to tread it. Indeed, the desire to tread the Religious path alone may, in some cases, have a partially selfish origin not altogether unallied to the slothful quality of "Tamas."
When it is realized, too, that work for Humanity "all up the line" is the prevailing rule, that the Divine and Semi-divine beings whom we know under the name of Mahatmas and Adepts are unremitting in their arduous work for the race, it will become apparent that the breaking down of the walls of our personality, and the merging of our individual being in the universal Divine Being, is a very far-off goal, which not all of them even have yet reached.
The attitude of mind of all students of Occultism towards the great mass of Humanity, must be, as stated in Zanoni, be one either of pity or of scorn—as a fact, it seems to fluctuate between these two. The feeling of scorn, indeed, easily rises in the breast when contemplating the petty aims and prejudiced views of even the noblest and worthiest specimens of the race we have known; and when to a naturally proud disposition is added the conviction that the objects of desire striven for by the mass of men are below contempt; and when it is felt that through pain and suffering heights of thought have been scaled, and that contemporaries, and even those who were once looked up to as teachers, have been left below, it often seems as if the lonesome isolation were to be found the only refuge from the scornful pride. But surely pity is the truer feeling, and it must be with relief that the disciple turns to the softer memories of past years, when the mere glance of a passer in the street carried home a tale of untold endurance and uncomplaining suffering, or when a modulation of voice opened the flood-gates of emotion, and the deep pathos of the fate of this suffering Humanity seemed to bind all together in community of being. It is in such moments as these, when it is realized that the supremest bliss would be obtained by the utter abandonment of "self" for the Great Cause, that the two pathways really merge in one, and it is felt that the "great renunciation" must be the final outcome alike of the love of God and of the service of Man.
It would seem, then, that our efforts to identify ourselves with the great whole must not be confined to yearnings after the ineffable Perfection, but must also take the form of work, on whatever plane it may be, for a more or less recognisedly concrete Humanity. It is very difficult to know what special form this work should take. While fully accepting the ideas ex-
89 pressed in Number II. of this series, as to the futility of attempting to exert paramount influence on the thoughts of others, Ignorance must yet be recognised as the prime curse of mankind; the attempts at diffusion of the true philosophic thought must, therefore, ever stand in the first place; and doubtless, along with the increased effort to enlighten Humanity, there will arise in the heart of the worker a greater love for and identification with Humanity which must lead to a more or less partial breaking down of the partition walls of his individuality.
If we turn from the evolution of the individual to the evolution of the race as a whole, the analogous thoughts which occur are, that while the veil of obscurity must ever hide the future, and while it must remain impossible for us to know whether our special efforts in this or that direction are destined to be successful, it may broadly be stated that—at least in this Western civilization of ours—individualism seems to have reached its zenith, and that the problems for the race to work out in the future will probably lie in the altruistic effort to supplant individualism by schemes which will more or less recognise the underlying Brotherhood of Humanity. The societies of to-day that call themselves Socialistic put forward plans that may be utterly inchoate and unworkable—and some of their members certainly appear to hold opinions as to the rights of revolution and violence which are alike hateful and fearsome to all true lovers of order—but those who think their work lies in this direction will doubtless feel impelled to try and discover the truth that underlies all these manifestations, with the view of guiding, if possible, the forces towards a peaceful issue.
The development of the inner senses is also one of the many pathways that must be pursued for the attainment of the real knowledge and power whereby we may potently help this suffering humanity, and give our aid to the few strong hands who hold back the powers of darkness "from obtaining complete victory." When by the unfoldment of the inner perceptions, we have reached the platform whence earthly life is seen as from a height, the physical nature will have become a mighty tool in our hands to be used in the service of man. What vistas of work for the race will then unfold to our view! Of those who can grasp this idea by strong immaginative power, some will, no doubt, feel urged to force the development, though such forcing must doubtless be attended with danger. That it can be forced is a fact known to many students of occultism, and he who is in earnest will doubtless find a more or less competent instructor. To step consciously into situations where previous experience will be unavailing and where dangers are known to exist certainly requires courage, but how is greater strength to be gained or courage to be acquired save by undertaking the task and facing the danger? Nothing should be done rashly, and every step should be taken with due caution, but the path will have to be trod
90 some day, and if only a little courage and a little strength are already possessed, this would seem to be a means of increasing our store of them. A sudden stoppage of the heart by an access of sheer terror, or a death in life dragged on to the grave through the delirium of madness, are awful possibilities to contemplate, but even were the investigator by some rash attempt to make utter wreck of himself in conflict with one of the elemental forces of nature, it should always be remembered that it would only be of his present earth-life that the wreck would be made, and that when his time came to appear again on the earthly scene, he would doubtless come back endowed with greater powers than if he had not made the attempt at all.
The separation throughout this paper of the two pathways, the Scientific and the Religious, has been made, it must be remembered, for purposes of contrast. Such division is purely arbitrary. Man's nature is indeed complex, but it is a unity in complexity; similarly, the path, though multiform, is one. But it is more especially in carrying out such investigations or developments as those just dwelt on that the supreme necessity of the qualities known as the devotional or religious is apparent. Indeed, it may safely be asserted that the searcher who starts with a mere scientific interest, and in his own strength only, runs the greatest possible danger, and is certain of success whose animating motive is the all-embracing love of Humanity, or the still intenser worship of the Supreme Perfection. If the old self regains its dominance, the disciple may well tremble, for in such moments the "Dweller of the Threshold" has a secret ally in the man's inner stronghold; but while the love and the faith continue to be his guiding impulses failure is impossible, for when "Self" is cast aside, what is there to fear for? and when God dwells in the heart, then is strength made perfect.
Pilgrim.
Tea Table Talk
Literary and Theosophical Notes
93
Prayer Book of the Aryans.
This is a small pamphlet published in India by R. C. Bary, at Lahore,[2] as an attempt to give to the world in English garb, the prayerful utterance of the ancient Aryans. The arrangement of the Vedic Mantras observed is in accordance with the ideas of the late Dayanand Saraswati, Swami. The perusal of this pamphlet will convince any candid man that the ancient Aryans were not ignorant of true science nor devoid of the highest religious feeling. The verses translated are the Sandhia and Gayatree, and the original Sanscrit text is also printed. This pamphlet can be had of the publisher, and we presume the price is not over 50 cents, as it is not advertized.
The Vedas, in English.
[3] Ruttan Chand Bary, proprietor of the "Arya" Magazine, at Lahore, India, has begun a translation, with a commentary, of the Vedas into English in the 46th number of his Magazine. He begins with the Rig Veda Sanhita, going as far as Arinvaka 1, Sukta 3 and Varga 6, that is in all thirty verses. Mr. Bary's purpose is to bring out the translation of the Rig, the Yagur, the Artharva and the Sama, Vedas, following the commentaries of the Rishis of the pre-Mahabharat period and as much of present scientific light as possible. Single handed the work is beyond his means, as he says in his introduction, and he appeals to his fellow countrymen and all lovers of truth for assistance in getting on with his mighty task. We wish him all success, and hope the day will come when we shall see the Vedas properly annotated by some Indian pundits who shall combine a knowledge of Western science, methods and idiom with a deep insight into the real meaning of the Vedas.
Light on the Path.
The very beautiful edition of this book gotten out by a devoted Theosophist, met a ready sale, and the work is now in the hands of hundreds of students in this country. Some copies went to Europe, as none of the editions sold there were as well done. It is a book which might be called a test because those who take to it naturally always have some spiritual insight or leaning. This work has just been translated into French and published by Mr. F. Krishna Gaboriau.
Solar Biology.
—"A scientific method of delineating character, diagnosing disease, etc., from date of birth," by Hiram E. Butler (1887). Esoteric Publishing Co., Boston. Illustrated. This is a book of 290 pages, with an appendix of nearly as much more giving the positions of the moon and planets from 1820 to 1900. This work is the author's idea of what true astrology is as related to character and the method of cultivating and strengthening the same. Before going to press we have not had sufficient time to master the work, and so cannot give it an extended notice; but we know that the author is sincere and has tried to lay before his readers what he believes to be true.
Bagavad-Gita.
—A new translation of this poem, sacred in the eyes of millions in India, and highly respected by many Europeans and Americans, will be issued in Boston in a few months. It will be well printed and is thought at a price that will make it easily obtained by all students. There is great need for such an edition.
94
A Woman in the Case.
—By Elliott Coues, M.D., etc., Washington, Brentano's (1887). This is an address delivered at the Annual Commencement of the National Medical College, in the Congregational Church of Washington, March 16, 1887, and has probably stirred up the Faculty of that College more than anything else that has happened to them during the last ten years. It is a plea for Theosophy and for the advancement of woman, and is written in a clear and sparkling manner. The charter of that College prohibits religious discussion, but as all the proceedings had been opened by prayers to the Christian gods, Dr. Coues took advantage of the opening to utter some wholesome truths. The Faculty refused to print any of the addresses, so Dr. Coues got out his address on his own account.
The Lotus—A New Theosophical Magazine
—has been brought out at Paris, by Mr. F. Krishna Gaboriau, "under the inspiration of Mme. Blavatsky." It is full of interesting matter, and promises to be another strong warrior for the great Theosophical cause.
The Krishna Theosophical Society
, of Philadelphia, was organized on the 21st of last month. Carl F. Redwitz is President, E. H. Sanborn, Secretary, and Swaim Stewart, Treasurer. It has begun a theosophical library and promises to do good work in the future.
The Christian Advocate
, of April 24th, has two long contributions by Indian missionaries, which state that Theosophy is dead in India, and that only a few native theosophists remain, who sadly think they have been duped. It is contrary to our usual custom to notice such things, but as there are 105 Branches of the Society in India—one of them being in the very city (Lucknow) from which the letter emanates—we are constrained to say that our respected contemporary is aiding in spreading a very thin illusion in the place of a well known matter of fact. Another fact is that instead of Theosophy being dead in India, it is the cause of Christian mission which has come to a stand-still so far as converts are concerned, while the money is yet received in large sums from Europe and America; and this statement we make after having been on the ground and knowing whereof we speak. The slanderous letter from Lucknow concludes by encouraging the faithful to continue contributions for foreign missions.
Existence of Mahatmas
95 We have received many inquiries, growing out of the conversation on the above subject between Edwin Arnold and the High Priest of Ceylon, and therefore we select the following one, which well represents the rest, together with the answer to it:
To Julius:—
Edwin Arnold, in "India Revisited," relates a conversation which took place in Ceylon between himself and one of the celebrated Buddhist pundits, or teachers of the Island, in which the pundit replies to Arnold's question—"Are there any Mahatmas or men of exalted wisdom and goodness positively known to you to be in existence?"—substantially as follows: "No. You may look for them in India, you may seek them in Thibet or in China, or in Ceylon, but you will not find them, as no such men exist."
In view of the teachings of the Theosophical Society, I cannot account for the reply of the Buddhist. Will you please enlighten me?
C. F. B.
Dear Sir:—
In reply to your inquiry concerning the answer made to Edwin Arnold, I would say:
1st. That I do not attempt to square the Universal Truths of Theosophy by the opinions of any persons whomsoever. Either a man finds sufficient evidence of them within himself and sown broadcast through the world, or he does not. In either case he need have no concern about persons.
2d. The reply is not quite as you state it "substantially." You have not seen through it; why should Arnold have done so, then? Read it again, and remember that the Beings there spoken of are not considered "men" in the East. It also appears that Arnold does not give his question just as it was put.
3d. We have no evidence that (a) Arnold correctly reported the reply, or (b) that he correctly understood it. This last is vital. It is difficult for the Western mind to understand or accept the attitude of the East in this regard. The Hindu is backed by centuries of silence and religious mystery. Occult laws, not to be here detailed, render it inadvisable for chela, initiate or believer to talk much with general outsiders upon such subjects. To put it briefly and crudely, they would engender inimical forces uselessly.
96 Again, the Hindu and Buddhist alike look upon these subjects with profound veneration, and upon the foreigner with profound suspicion. He has seen his holiest beliefs idly dissected and jestingly profaned—from his point of view. He then feels that he has "cast down his pearls" and brought dishonour upon himself. Hence it is his habit to make an evasive or double-edged reply; sometimes it is a denial, but couched in a significant tone. In nine cases out of ten he finds the querist is only actuated by surface curiosity and accepts his answer without perceiving its disguised meaning. Then he rejoices that he has not desecrated his faith or bared his soul. But the earnest inquirer either catches the hidden spirit of the answer, or persists; that man gets satisfaction. He who is not ripe for the truth would not profit by it if it were told him, but would go away and gibe at so much as he did get.
Observe that Arnold did not persist, but accepted the answer. Did he take much interest in it? Would you have been put off so briefly in his place?
In conclusion, if you will test the fact yourself, you will find that you can make such an answer on almost any subject; and few will be the persons who take the trouble to get at your real meaning; appearances satisfy most men. Finding this, you, too, will test both.
"Julius."
But as the Buddhist priest has not himself written on this matter, it is well to hear all witnesses. In an article in the Revue Belgique, by the Comte Goblet D'Alviella, and quoted in The Theosophist for March, 1885, (vol. 6, p. 137), the Count says:
"Those Arhats or Arahats (venerable men) are found in Tibet, and Col. Olcott says that what little of real Buddhism he knows he has learned from one of them. He also says that the High Priest Sumangala told him that only the adepts of the secret science (Iddividhannana) know the true nature of Nirvana."
Now as it appears from Arnold's own report neither he nor Sumangala could know this science, it must follow that only those called Mahatmas (great souls) can know the science referred to by the priest in the above quotation. Furthermore, in all parts of India Mahatmas are admitted to exist; so much so that the word has passed into common use.
Only when men shall roll up the sky like a hide, will there be an end of misery, unless God has first been known.
117
Some Poetry of the Sufis.
Dear Path: I send you a little fragment from the Sufi poetry, and hope you will find it acceptable.
Rome, Italy. K. H.
A Parable of Jellaleddin.
{{{poem}}} |
118
Thoughts in Solitude.
VI.
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.
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.
{{{poem}}} |
Pilgrim.
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.
122 In 1882, 26 divided among these towns:
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:
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
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:
"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.
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."
138
Notes on the Astral Light.
(Continued.)
That which is true in cause, is real in effect; that which is not realized does not exist. The realization of speech is the Word, properly so called; a thought is realized in becoming a word—realized by signs, by sounds, by figures. This is the first degree of realization. Then it impresses itself upon the Astral Light by these signs or words, it influences other minds by repeating itself in them, refracts itself in traversing the imaginations of others, assumes therein new forms and proportions, and finally transmutes itself into actions and modifies society and the world. This is the last degree of realization. Those who are born in a world which is modified by an idea, bear the imprint of it, and it is thus that the word is made flesh.
The Astral Light, figured in ancient symbology by the serpent biting its tail, represents in turn folly and prudence, time and eternity, the Tempter and the Redeemer; thus this Light, being the vehicle of life, serves as an auxiliary alike to good or evil, assumes the fiery shape of Satan as well as the form of the Holy Spirit. It is the universal weapon in the wars of the Angels, feeds the fires of Hell, and furnishes the lightning of Saint Michael. It may be likened to a horse that has the attributes of the chameleon, and reflects always the armor of its rider.
139 The law of realization produces what may be called magnetic respiration; which impregnates objects and places, and communicates to them an influence corresponding to our dominant wishes. In a word, the universal agent, the latent Astral Light, tends ever to equilibrium; it fills every void, and aspires ever to repletion. For this reason vice is contagious, just as are certain physical maladies, and so it works powerfully for the proselytism of either vice or virtue. For this reason, also, relics, be they either of saints or of great criminals, may produce marvellous effects either of sudden conversion or perversion. The soul breathes just as the body does; it draws in that which it esteems happiness, and gives out the ideas which result from its inmost sensations. So diseased souls have a bad breath, and vitiate the moral atmosphere; that is to say, they mingle impure reflections with the Astral Light which penetrates them, and thus establish deleterious currents.
We are often astonished, when in society, at being assailed by evil thoughts and suggestions that we would not have imagined possible, and we are not aware that we owe them solely to the presence of some morbid neighbor; this fact is of great importance, since it relates to the manifestation of conscience—one of the most terrible and incontestable secrets of the magic art.
This magnetic respiration throws about the soul a halo, of which it is the centre, and surrounds it with the reflection of its own actions, which make for it a heaven or a hell.
No actions are isolated, and none can be hidden; everything that we really wish, that is to say, everything that we confirm by our acts, remains in the Astral Light, in which its reflections are preserved; these reflections again influence our thoughts, by mingling with our lucidity, and thus a man becomes, and continues to be, the author of his destiny.
The Astral Light, combining with ethereal fluids, forms the astral phantom of which Paracelsus speaks in his philosophy of intuition. This astral body, being freed at death, attracts to itself, and preserves for a long time, by the sympathy of likeness, the reflections of the past life; if a powerfully sympathetic will draws it into the proper current, it manifests itself in the form of an apparition.
The Astral Light, transmuted into human light at the moment of conception, is the primary envelope of the soul. This fluidic body, like the mass of the Astral Light, has two contrary movements, attractive on the right hand, and repulsive on the left; or reciprocal, as in the case of the two sexes; this produces in us the strife of contending emotions, and contributes to the terrors of conscience; thus are produced in us sometimes temptations, sometimes subtile or unexpected graces.
140 This is the explanation of the traditional dogma of the two attendant Angels who help us or oppose us: these two movements of the Astral Light may be represented by a Balance, in which are weighed our resolutions.
The Astral body is not always of the same sex as the material body; that is to say, these two forces, swaying, so to speak, from right to left, often seem to contradict the visible organization; thus are produced the striking errors of the human passions, and thus may be explained, although without in the least justifying them, the amorous peculiarities of an Anacreon or a Sappho.
There are persons who cannot be offended with impunity, and one who does them an injury may begin to die from that very moment; there are some men whose influence is felt at once, and whose mere glance may change the direction of the current of our life.
The basilisk who killed by his look, is not a fable, but a magic allegory. As a rule, it is injurious to the health to have enemies, and it is not possible, with impunity, to brave the reprobation of anyone; before opposing ourselves to a force or a current, we should be sure that the person or the current is not stronger than we are; otherwise, we shall be overwhelmed or even annihilated. Many sudden deaths are attributable to no other cause than this. The dramatic deaths of Nadab and Abihu, of Ananias and Sapphira, were caused by the electric currents of the faith that they outraged.
The intense reprobation that was aroused by the massacre of St. Bartholemew was the sole cause of the horrible malady and death of Charles IX; and Henry IV, if he had not been sustained by the enormous popularity which he owed to his personal magnetism, or the sympathetic power of his astral life, could scarcely have survived his conversion, and would have perished beneath the contempt of the Protestants, combined with the distrust and hatred of the Catholics.
Unpopularity may be a proof of integrity and courage, but it is never a proof of political wisdom. Outrages to public opinion are fatal to statesmen; and it is possible to recall the premature and violent death of more than one illustrious man, of which it is not fitting to speak here. These verdicts of public opinion may be very unjust, but they are none the less causes of failure, or even sentences of death. On the other hand, injuries done to a single human being may, and unless reparation is made, must, cause the destruction of a community or of a whole nation. This is what is meant by "the cry of blood"—for at the bottom of every injustice, lies the germ of a homicide.
It is because of these terrible laws of solidarity, that christianity insists so strenuously upon the forgiveness of injuries, and the necessity of reconciliation. He who dies without forgiving his enemy, hurls himself into eternity armed with a dagger, and devotes himself to the horrors of eternal murder.
B. N. Acle, F. T. S.
147
Thoughts in Solitude.
VII.
When the mental vision has been searching with troubled and anxious gaze for some sure clue to the heavenward path, or when it has recoiled in horror before the picture of an effete civilization breaking up, and anarchy and violence taking the place of order, it is an intense relief to realize that there is an inner stronghold where the worn warrior may retire to, that there is a sure harbour where the storm tossed bark may find rest. And this harbour is ever at hand, this stronghold may be entered any moment. It requires but the conviction of its paramount necessity, it requires but the surrender—absolute and unconditional—of the man's lower nature to the other pole of his Being, and lo! he has attained a peace and a strength that the crumbling of the world in ruins at his feet could not shake. To be able to live in this state permanently is to have attained the condition of the Yogi or the Saint, but to have experienced it even for one moment teaches that it is the first step on the true spiritual path, which the mental vision might grope for through eternity without finding.
For one whose imagination can conjure up scenes of that human earthquake, a social revolution, where the impossibility of gauging the forces or of foreseeing the developments, adds so awfully to the horror of
148 the situation. Surely strength and courage must be the paramount qualities required, courage to keep the heart from fainting at the dread anticipation, and strength to keep the brain from reeling in the conflict.
But if the man has so fixed his soul on the Supreme soul, has so surrendered his will to the divine Will, has so identified himself with the Deity, that he feels he is but a tool in the omnipotent hand, the divine carelessness will have entered into him, and that will give him strength. There will be no looking forward with dread anticipation, for he cares not what happens to him—the duty that lies at his hand he will do with a clear brain and a steadfast will, caring not for the result though it may be danger and death—but what matters that? the flesh may quail at the final parting, but the man who has identified himself with the spirit within, which has inhabited many a house of flesh, has raised himself above mortal fears.
It is only in moments of supreme concentration and by intense imaginative power that we who toil on on lower levels can occasionally get a glimpse of this serene condition, which as far as words can describe it would seem to be portrayed in the second part of Light on the Path (Rule 8). "You can stand upright now, firm as a rock amid the turmoil, obeying the warrior who is thy king. Unconcerned in the battle save to do his bidding, having no longer any care as to the result of the battle—for one thing only is important; that the warrior shall win; and you know he is incapable of defeat, standing thus, cool and awakened, use the hearing you have acquired by pain and by the destruction of pain, &c."
Even these who are still bound by the desires of action may occasionally reach in imagination the exalted serenity of this state of being, and such contemplation must doubtless help in freeing from the bondage of desire. Philanthropic work for Humanity will no longer seem an object for action, for the devotee will have become conscious that the Supreme Power that acts by him, is also guiding by invisible hands the whole course of human affairs, and the well-meant remedial actions of purblind men will, under the new illumination of the eternal light, appear to him in their true character as the ineffectual gropings of captives in a cavern. And the very fact of his no longer desiring to garner the fruit of his actions will cause his actions to be all the more far reaching in their results. The will becomes omnipotent when dissociated from human desire, for it is then part of the divine will.
His attitude towards Humanity will also find a parallel in his attitude towards Divinity, for the passionate adoration will have been left behind, and will have given place to the carelessness of the divine serenity.
149 The conquering of all earthly desires must be a work of ages, and many lessons will doubtless still remain to be learned by him who has attained to this state. It is written that the aspirant must always look forward with awe, and always be prepared for the battle, but in the vast scale of Being, great distance is lost in the infinite beyond, and from our present standpoint this higher carelessness would indeed seem to be the ultimate state realizable by man while still he bears the body, for what other is it than a foretaste while in the body of that "peace of God which passeth all understanding"?
Pilgrim.
159
Theosophical Notes.
Philadelphia.—The Krishna Theosophical Society, which was organized May 21, is now in shape for active work. Two new members have been added and although the membership is still small there is all the interest and activity of a much larger body. Meetings are held every Sunday evening and will be continued through the summer. Just now Mr. Sinnett's "Esoteric Buddhism" is under discussion. There is a strong undercurrent of Theosophic thought in the city and every now and then it makes itself manifest. The friends of the movement are increasing in numbers although not rapidly, yet with pleasing assurance of permanence. Many are interested who are not desirous of making public avowal of the fact, but when the traditional conservatism shall have been overcome there will undoubtedly be a strong and numerous membership here. California.—The Branches on the Pacific Slope are active. Light on the Path is being carefully studied and distributed. New centers of theosophy may soon be organized here. Chicago.—The Branch here has taken a vacation during the hot weather. Many of the members, however, are to be met and recently had an interesting gathering.
Literary Notes.
In The Hour of July there is a very well written short article asking "Where are the Theosophists?" It is evidently from the pen of one accustomed to writing for the press. It takes the ground that the report of the Psychical Research Society on Mme. Blavatsky did no damage to the movement, and says that the doctrines put forward by theosophists are elevating and inspiring in the extreme.
Thoughts of Healing.—This is a little brochure by a New York Theosophist, Miss Lydia Bell, who has given great attention to the study of the "Mind Cure," of which the text treats.
159b The Hidden Way Across the Threshold.—By J. C. Street, A. B. N. (Lee & Shepard, Boston, 1887.) Of this pretentious volume it may be said that whatever in it is new, is not true, and whatever is true, is not new; scattered through its six hundred pages, are wholesale thefts from the Vedas, Paracelsus, Isis, The Path, and other authorities; which are not less intrinsically valuable, because the compiler, doubtless led away by enthusiastic admiration, omits the formality of using quotation marks to acknowledge the obligation that ordinary mortals are wont to recognize under similar circumstances. Injected among these, and with absolute irrelevancy, appears the new matter—presumably the efforts of the compiler—in the shape of explosive absurdities, such as one expects to hear in Methodist Camp Meetings.
The book would be beneath serious criticism, were it not for the fact that it bears the imprint of a leading publishing house; and in view of the increasing interest in occult matters, might thereby mislead people into the belief that it was worth reading, especially as the claim is made that it is inspired by great adepts both living and dead, who condescended to relent and give out these six hundred pages, with certain restrictions which prevent their going into any detail or explanation beyond those given by the unfortunate or unprogressed authors from whose writings they have either allowed or directed their humble disciple, Mr. Street, to steal.
The introduction is magnificently pretentious. It says that Mr. Street is writing by no rushlight, but under Divine inspiration, and then proceeds to use a well turned paragraph which he had the fortune to write for the opening article of the first number of The Path a year and a half ago; we were not then conscious of being inspired by Mr. Street's guides. On page 364 he has as his own a passage taken bodily from the Mundaka Upanishad, 1st mun, 1 Kh., 3 v. On page 365, while converting matter from v. i, pp 36 of The Path to his own use, by way of variation he attributes to Pythagoras that which the Upanishad states. On page 394 he has abstracts from pages 52 and 53 of Path from an article on Primary Concepts, written by Dr. Buck. He then takes up Reincarnation, and on pages 413, 414, inserts much of the article written for Path by Madame Blavatsky (Vol. i, pages 232, 233) as also extracts from Isis Unveiled. This is all his guides know on the subject.
The remarks on Sacred Symbols consist of a deliberate steal from an article which appeared in The Path, Vol. I, upon Theosophical Symbolism, inserted entire, and in which this inspired (sic.) compiler stops short at the very place where the author of that article stops. He then adds a dash from Hargrave Jennings and others, uniting these abstractions by some nonsensical remarks from his own easy going brain.
It is always pleasant to find some point on which one can agree with an opponent; and at first we were disposed to admit the compiler's assertion that a charge of plagiarism might justly be brought against him; but as we understand the thought or ideas of the word, it means the assimilation of the thought or ideas of another, rather than that wholesale and unaltered appropriation of paragraphs or pages, either verbatim or with unimportant changes, which is usually designated by an Anglo-Saxon word of one syllable and much less euphonious sound.
Having said this, we feel that our duty is done: and we are content to leave the book to sink to that place to which its merits may entitle it.
Nature is upheld by antagonism. Passions, resistance, danger, are educators. We acquire the strength we have overcome.—Emerson.
Footnotes