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vol. title: vol. period: 1876-1878 pages in vol.: 247 |
< The science of theosophical occultism (continued from page 4-78) >
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Washing the Disciples Feet
To the Editor of The Sun–Sir : At the ceremony of “feet-washing” which occurred at Limwood Camp ground, August 8th, and is described in The Sun of today, Elder Jones, of Mechanicsburg, Pa., professed to give the history of this ancient custom. The report says:
He claimed that its origin did not date anterior to the coming of Christ; neither was the matter of cleanliness to be thought of in this connection. Its observance was due exclusively to the fact that it was a scriptural injunction; it originated in Christ’s example, and it devolved upon his hearers to follow this example. Numerous scriptural passages were quoted in support of this argument.
The reverend gentleman is in error. The ceremony was first performed by the Hindoo Christna (or Krishna), who washed the feet of the Brahmins, as an example of humility, many thousand years anterior to the Christian era. Chapter and verse will be given, if required, from the Brahmanical books. Meanwhile, the reader is referred to the Rev. John P. Lundy’s Monumental Christianity, p. 154.
New York, August 12th.
Mad. Blavatsky`s Forthcoming Work
To the Editor of the Banner of Light:
As it has been my privilege to inspect some advance sheets of Mad. B.’s work, “Isis Unveiled,” whose publication is near at hand, I cannot refrain from briefly stating the expectations concerning the whole, which these few glimpses are apt to arouse in any unprejudiced reader. What the book itself will be, I do not, of course, assume to predict; but I scarcely doubt that the short specimens I have perused will justify a reference to the proverbial saying, “ex ungue leonem,” (from the claw know the lion). The pages with whose reading I was favored, though comprising not more than about a thirty-sixth part of the whole, satisfied me that the forthcoming book will be a standard work, so far as earnest and high purpose, deep and extended learning, extraordinary wealth of material, knowledge, clear and free thought, and adequate and masterly expression, are concerned.
Her work, says the authoress in the preface, “is the fruit of a somewhat intimate acquaintance with Eastern adepts, and the study of their science. It is offered to such as are willing to accept truth wherever it may be found, and to defend it, ever looking popular prejudice straight in the face.” “It is an attempt to aid the student, to detect the vital principles which underlie the philosophical systems of old.” “Its object is not,” we read in another place, “to force upon the public the personal views or theories of its author; nor has it the pretensions of a scientific work, which aims at creating a revolution in some department of thought. It is rather a brief summary of the religious, philosophy and universal traditions, and the exegesis of the same, in the spirit of those secret doctrines of which none — thanks to prejudice and bigotry — have reached Christendom in so unmutilated a form as to secure it a fair judgment.” The spirit in which the work is written will appear, among others, from the following words: “We believe in no magic which transcends the scope and capacity of the human mind, nor in ‘miracle,’ whether divine or diabolical, if such imply a transgression of the laws of nature, instituted from all eternity. Nevertheless, we accept the saying of the gifted author of ‘Festus,’ that the human heart has not yet fully uttered itself, and that we have never attained, or even understood, the extent of its powers. Is it too much to believe that man should be developing new sensibilities and a closer relation with nature? The logic of evolution must teach as much, if carried to its legitimate conclusions.”
The work will be essentially critical and polemic, since its principal aim is to destroy the poorly-founded pretensions of the old Church, as well as modern science, of having solved, or being able to solve, the enigma of life and the mysteries of psychology. We read in the introductory chapter, (“Before the Veil”): “We wish to show how inevitable were their innumerable failures, and how they must continue until these pretended authorities of the West go to the Brahmins and Lamaists of the far Orient, and respectfully ask them to impart the alphabet of true science.” As the main foe to contend with, the authoress denounces the materialism of the present age. The introductory chapter ends with the following forcible sentences: “Deeply sensible of the Titanic struggle that is now in progress between materialism and the spiritual aspirations of mankind, our constant endeavor has been to gather into our several chapters every fact and argument that can be used to aid the latter in defeating the former. Sickly and deformed child as it now is, the materialism of to-day is born of the brutal yesterday. Unless its growth is arrested, it may become our master. It is the bastard progeny of the French Revolution, and its reaction against ages of religious bigotry and repression. To prevent the crushing of these spiritual aspirations, the blighting of these hopes, and the deadening of that intuition which teaches us of a God and a hereafter, we must show our false theologies in their naked deformity, and distinguish between divine religion and human dogmas. Our voice is raised and our plea made for enfranchisement from all tryanny, whether of science or theology.” Of the thorny arduousness of her task, the authoress is fully aware, to judge from the formidable array of opponents she expects to arouse against her book, among whom she mentions the Christians, the scientists, the pseudo-scientists, the broad-churchmen and free-thinkers, the mercenaries and parasites of the press, etc. It is, however, to be hoped that the convincing evidence of the pure and ardent love of truth which will certainly appear in her work, will at least save her from sharing, as she expects, the cruel fate of the Roman gladiator, who, entering the arena, used to salute the emperor as “a dying man.”
In the first chapter, the authoress places the reader “Before the Veil.” This gives a brief exposition of the philosophy of Plato and his principle disciples, which, as she says, “as the most elaborate compend of the abstruse systems of old India, can alone afford a (suitable) middle-ground” (for their introduction). I quote from this part as referring to the much vexed question of darkness in spiritual manifestations, this passage: “Hence we may understand why the sublimer scenes in the mysteries, were always in the night. The life of the interior spirit is the death of the external nature; and the night of the physical world denotes the day of the spiritual.”
The rest of this chapter is taken up by the definitions of a series of certain terms, which, as the authoress says, will be used in a sense different from that familiar to the reader. I cannot forbear quoting a few specimens of this nomenclature, as illustrative of the exceeding wealth of the book. I choose such passages as have particular reference to facts or notions familiar to Spiritualists, and are apt to indicate where the authoress may have to expect opposition from some votaries of Spiritualism proper.
The brief but interesting disquisitions on “Aethrobacy,” (Levitation) “Alchemists,” “Astral Light,” etc., can only be mentioned. Under “Anthropology,” we read: “The science of man; embracing among other things: Physiology, etc., Psychology, or the great, and in our days so neglected science of the soul, both as an entity distinct from the spirit, and in its relations with the spirit and body. In modern science psychology relates only or principally to conditions of the nervous system, and almost absolutely ignores the psychical essence and nature. Physicians denominate the science of insanity psychology, and name the lunatic chair in medical colleges by that designation.”
Under “Elemental and Elementary” Spirits — a highly commendable distinction — we read, “‘Elemental Spirits’—the creatures evolved in the four kingdoms of earth, air, fire and water, and called by the Cabalists Gnomes, Sylphs, Salamanders and Undines. They may be termed the forces of nature, and will either operate effects as the servile agents of general laws, or may be employed by the disembodied spirits—whether pure or impure—and by living adepts of magic and sorcery, to produce desired phenomenal results. Such beings never become men.”
“They have been seen, feared, blessed, banned and invoked in every quarter of the globe, and in every age. Shall we, then, concede that all who have met them were hallucinated?
“These elementals are the principal agents of disembodied, but never visible, spirits, at séances, and the producers of all the phenomena except the subjective.” <... continues on page 4-80 >
# This is the same Dr. Bloede who a year before ... me & Theosophy then made acquaintance, begged my pardon & – joined us, and over remained a friend.
Editor's notes
- ↑ Washing the Disciples Feet by Blavatsky H.P., Sun, The, Thursday, August 16, 1877. Text was copied from [http katinkahesselink.net] and needs a proofread against original newspaper text.
... in "A Modern Panarion," p. 120.. – Archivist - ↑ Mad. Blavatsky`s Forthcoming Work by Bloede, G., Banner of the Light, Boston, Saturday, September 8, 1877. Under heading "The Reviewer"