a city some ten miles long by three or four wide. Its houses were of
laid stone, cemented with a white cement, unlike the black cement of
Mitla or the gray composition of Palenque. The rooms were of uniform
height--nine feet; the floors of tile--or, rather, of small squares of
cement, colored and traced in beautiful patterns; the walls ornamented
with frescoes and friezes showing a remarkable development of the color
art. _Paints used on these buildings, though evidently of vegetable
composition and more than 3000 years old, are fresh and do not fade
when exposed to light._
The skulls and arrowheads found in the soil above are similar to those
found in other parts, and relate to peoples having no connexion with
the occupants of this ancient city. Does not this prove that so-called
"primitive man" was merely odd tribes of lowly nomads or settlers,
belonging to fallen remnants of earlier civilizations; whereas many
anthropologists seem to try to make out that they represent an earlier
stage in evolution? This ancient city flourished long before the
owners of the skulls and arrow-heads. All through the period of Aztec
civilization it lay buried and unsuspected by the Aztecs.
[Illustration: Lomaland Photo. and Engraving Dept. PYRAMID, AND
BUILDING COMMONLY CALLED "THE CASTLE"--CHICHÉN ITZÁ, YUCATAN
(Photograph by A. P. Maudslay)]
[Illustration: ANOTHER VIEW OF CHICHÉN ITZÁ THE SO-CALLED "TEMPLE OF
THE TIGERS," AND "THE CASTLE"]
[Illustration: PORTION OF THE EASTERN FAÇADE OF THE SO-CALLED
"GOVERNOR'S HOUSE," UXMAL, YUCATAN]
[Illustration: Lomaland Photo. and Engraving Dept. PANORAMIC VIEW OF
SAN JUAN TEOTIHUACÁN, TAKEN FROM THE NORTH (Sketched by W. H. Holmes)
A. Pyramid of the Moon. B. Pyramid of the Sun. C. The Path of the Dead.
FF. San Juan River. G. Town of San Juan.]
The great age of this civilization is amply proved by the fact that the
city was buried under the wash of a great river that came down from the
mountains. Geological considerations enable us to fix the date of that
river back beyond other changes that have taken place in the ground
since. Hence the city must be older still. And even before this
flood the city was probably already abandoned--through pestilence, war,
or some such cause. It was quite by accident that it was found; the
exploring party chanced to step into a cave-in. It lies beneath the
thick and long-cultivated residual soil, and consequently there may be
an indefinite number of such cities almost anywhere.
Among objects found was _a dental cast of a human mouth_.
The more we discover, the more do we confirm the teaching that
civilization is not of recent growth. The older the civilization,
the more advanced--this seems to be the rule everywhere. Clearly the
arts of modern civilization have been known before and we are but
rediscoverers of them.
We might go on quoting indefinitely, but must pass on to comment. It
is very clear that these mighty builders, whose achievements have
never since been equaled or even approached by any race in any part
of the world were no barbarians or "primitive men." And we have to
remember that it is not only from America that such archaeological
accounts come, but from Asia, Africa, Europe, New Zealand--practically
everywhere. And always one tale is the same--that of ancient
civilizations and their prowess. Only recently the discoveries in Crete
have altered all our views of Greek history by showing the existence of
a great and widespread civilization in the Aegean, far preceding that
of Greece.
And side by side with all this we find the extraordinary fact that
many anthropologists are still deeply engaged in their attempts to
establish a gradual ascent of man from ape ancestors. Ignoring these
evidences, they are diligently seeking and collecting the bones of
unburied wanderers. But even these bones do not bear out the theory,
for the older bones are no more ape-like than the later ones. Men exist
on earth today, even among civilized peoples, as backward in type as
these bones. What is quite certain is that man degenerates as well as
evolves. Culture moves in waves, having ebbs and flows. The so-called
aboriginal peoples are the remote and degenerated descendants of
civilizations.
But what is the real import of these discoveries? Are they mere
subjects of curiosity and wonder? No; the interest lies in what they
imply. For if there is to be any coherence in our views, we must make
the rest of our ideas agree with our enlarged view of past history. And
the conventional views of man and his life do not thus agree; they are
too insignificant, and out of tune with increasing knowledge.
THE PARABLE OF THE CRUCIFIXION:
by Cranstone Woodhead
For nearly two thousand years the story of the Crucifixion which we
find in the four Gospels of the New Testament has appealed in various
ways to the deepest and most sacred feelings of the human heart. Yet it
may possibly be questioned whether its history and deeper meaning have
been entirely comprehended by more than a very small fraction of those
who have fashioned the framework of their lives and aspirations upon
the tragic story.
Before attempting the explanation which modern enlightenment and
research have thrown upon this deeper meaning, it may be useful to
consider what we really know of the origin of the gospels themselves;
for the investigations of the last half century or so, have thrown much
light upon this question.
It is now the opinion of most well-informed biblical critics, that the
gospels, as we now know them, did not exist until about two centuries
after the beginning of the Christian era. They are merely different
editions of the manuscripts containing the sayings and teachings of the
Nazarene initiate, which were handed round and copied by his disciples
after his death, with additions and interpolations added by later
writers.
It would not be profitable, nor have we time within the compass of this
paper, to sketch even in outlines, the almost endless arguments which
have been educed in the elucidation of the questions involved. Only a
vast library could contain all the books which have been written upon
the history of the gospels. Nearly all of them were written in days
when the psychological influence of the ecclesiasticism of the middle
ages still enthralled the judgment of even the most learned. But as
time passes on, and the vast literary and archaeological treasures
of the Eastern home of the gospels become more widely known, several
points stand out more and more clearly from the haze of controversy and
dogmatic prejudice.
For instance, it is now well known that the gospel of Matthew is but a
later and much-changed edition in Greek, of the original gospel of the
Hebrews (a work constantly referred to by early Christian writers),
which is now almost entirely lost, only a few fragments remaining.
But none of the numerous references to it lead us to suppose that it
contained anything more than a collection of the logia or especial
"sayings" of the Master whom they revered and followed.
The gospel of Luke, on the other hand, was originally the gospel used
by Marcion the Gnostic, derived from similar sources; and this gospel
also suffered the same kind of mutilation and addition at the hands of
the patristic fathers.
The early Christian writers of the first two centuries, such as Papias
and his contemporaries, do not appear to have been aware of the
existence of the gospels which have come down to us in the present
canon of the New Testament. Their quotations from what they call the
"scriptures," are almost entirely from the books of the Old Testament.
And when they quote the sayings of their Nazarene Master, they do it
in such a way as to show that they reverenced them as ethical precepts
to be followed, each man for himself, as counsels of perfection. Then
the words used in these quotations vary considerably from those of our
present gospels, and some of the quotations most often used, are not
to be found in any of the four. They are evidently not drawn from that
source. Nor is there any word or sign in these early Christian writers
that they regarded their Teacher other than as a great philosopher.
We find no reference whatever to the Man-God whom later dogmatism
represented as a sacrifice for the sins of Humanity.
It is therefore evident that before these earlier books were
incorporated into our present gospels, a mystical story was superadded
containing an account of his supposed death upon the cross. This story
was perfectly well understood by its writers to have an entirely
different meaning to that which has been given to it in later
centuries. It was a superb piece of poetic imagery derived partly from
the traditions of the ancient Mysteries, then just fading away into
oblivion, and partly from the teaching of the apostle Thomas, who, on
his return from India, had brought home the mystical parable of the
deified Krishna.[4]
[4] _Isis Unveiled_, Vol. II, p. 539.
The contemporary history of the Christian era has been so beclouded by
the benumbing effect of misconceptions that it is exceedingly difficult
to bring into play a dispassionate judgment of such data as are left to
us. But there is no doubt that the gospels cannot be trusted as regards
historical detail. The more reliable accounts show, however, that Jesus
was condemned to death by the Jewish Sanhedrim after he had wandered
about in Judaea for many years as a teacher. One definite tradition
says that when about sixty years of age, he was stoned to death, and
his body was hung upon a tree.
Had it not been for the mad fanaticism which in the early centuries,
time and again, destroyed so much of the priceless literature of the
past, all this would doubtless be widely known. All we can do now,
therefore, is to rise above the shadows which have obscured our vision
for so many centuries, and in reading for ourselves the true story
of the crucifixion, find therein a message which is of the deepest
importance for man's real salvation. For the crucifixion is a parable
and simile of the supreme mystery of evolution, the goal towards
which every human soul is progressing in the course of its spiritual
development.
The student who has realized the teachings of Theosophy that man is a
divine soul inhabiting a material body, on a dual line of evolution for
the perfection of both, knows well the opposing nature of the forces
continually at work within his inner consciousness. He knows that in
his real Self, he is not the body in which he finds himself; and that
the task before him is the conquest and mastery of the lower animal
nature by the aid of the God within him, which is, indeed, that real
Self, when he can so realize the fact so as to assume his own potential
godhood.
Such has been the teaching of the Wisdom-Religion of Humanity for
countless ages, and such has been the doctrine of all the divine
Teachers whose wisdom has come down to us in the sacred books of the
world. Of these Teachers and Sages, Jesus was one of the illustrious.
Those who have studied the religions of ancient times, the myths
and allegories of all nations, especially in the poetic East from
whence all historical religions have sprung, have found that there
are countless records of men who have so far advanced on the line of
interior enlightenment and evolution, that they have solved the supreme
mystery of their own inner godhood, and have thenceforward devoted
themselves to the help and enlightenment of souls less advanced in the
scale of spiritual progress. There have been such men in all ages of
the world, men who have accomplished the union with their own Higher
Selves, and such men there are today, although little known to the
world at large.
The contest which thus takes place within the human heart, has been
symbolized in the imagery of every ancient civilization. The conquest
of the dragon by St. Michael, of the python by Apollo, and the labors
of Hercules to cleanse the Augean stable, are examples of these ancient
allegories. Life after life, again and again, we slowly evolve towards
the great goal. And though the end may be far away, for the great mass
of humanity, yet there are ages in advance of us, as there have been
ages in the past, and the Law must be fulfilled.
Thus the provision of the divine law of evolution is, that all have the
potentiality of godhood. Yet some are in advance of the rest. There
are gradations. Still, the unity of the one divinity in its countless
aspects is preserved by the law of love and helpfulness to one another.
Each man becomes his brother's keeper, and the more he realizes this,
the nearer he is to his own divinity.
It is now well known that the symbolism of the crucifixion is many
thousands of years older than the days of Jesus. It was created by some
of the divine sages of prehistoric times to represent a great ideal,
and to serve as a permanent metaphor for a great event which must come
sooner or later in the history of every seeker for divine truth. This
has been expressed by a modern writer as follows.
To put on armor and go forth to war, taking the chances of death
in the hurry of the fight is an easy thing; to stand still amid
the jangle of the world, to preserve stillness amid the turmoil of
the body, to hold silence amid the thousand cries of the senses
and desires, and then, stripped of all armor and without hurry or
excitement, take the deadly serpent of self and kill it, is no easy
thing. Yet that is what has to be done.
It will be evident that in these days, comparatively few attain the
great enlightenment which follows this supreme victory. Yet, on our way
thither, and in the experiences which follow the repeated conquests
which must precede it, we may realize, that the voice of conscience,
_when obeyed_, will gradually grow into intuition, and that intuition
in its final victory becomes enlightenment. Thus self-denial, which is
only another name for self-conquest, is transmuted from a dismal task
into a joyful duty performed as a sacrifice to the God within.
Thus we see that the symbolism of the crucifixion is that of the
conquest of the lower passional material self. Fixed upon the cross of
matter the body is pierced by the spear of the spiritual will, and the
soul is freed from the tyranny of the lower human self. Thenceforth,
whether in or out of a body, it lives not for self but for humanity.
Such was the well-understood symbolism of the crucifixion in ancient
times. It was the supreme ceremonial enacted in the divine Mysteries
of Ancient Egypt, India, and Greece. And the reason why we do not
now hear more about it, is that in recent centuries, these ancient
teachings have been forgotten in the rush and strain of nations armed
to the teeth, and in the allurements of material prosperity.
In the ignorance and darkness which followed the death of the ancient
Mysteries, the beautiful ancient symbolism of the Crucifixion was soon
forgotten. It was very early degraded into a materialistic dogma which
has come down to our own times. The earliest Christians knew nothing of
the crucifixion as _now_ taught in the churches. It is entirely absent
from their writings. All they had were manuscripts containing the words
of their Master, and it was not till long afterwards that this poetic
symbol was added to the early versions.
Of the esoteric teachings of Jesus, one version alone has come down
to later times, the _Pistis-Sophia_, of the Gnostics; and it is to be
noted that therein, the teachings of Jesus are distinctly stated to
have been given for years _after his crucifixion_, implying thereby his
initiation into the mysteries of his own divinity.
IS LIGHT CORPUSCULAR? by T. Henry
The latest scientific contribution to the reinstated corpuscular
theory of light has been made by Professor Bragg, of Leeds University,
England, who in a recent lecture at the Royal Institution announced his
conclusion that the _x_-rays are corpuscular. He said, as reported,
that the alpha and beta rays are considered to be electrons, while the
gamma rays and the _x_-rays are held to be etheric vibrations. But he
thinks that all four are corpuscular, also that ultra-violet light may
be corpuscular; and from this he infers that even ordinary light may
be so. As we have frequently found occasion to point out, the nature
of either a corpuscle on the one hand or a vibration on the other has
not yet been sufficiently accurately defined to enable us to state
definitely whether anything is the one or the other of the two. Light,
and also electricity and other forces, are manifestations of _life_;
and we view their effects alternately under their positive and negative
aspects, as best suits our temporary convenience, thus forming the
ideas of energy and matter. Speaking of matter or substantiality, as
contrasted with force or energy, what distinctive attributes may we
assign to it? "Mass" or "inertia" is one of its supposed attributes;
yet there is no definite idea of what this is; often it seems to reduce
itself to a passive force or resistance. But then if we are to express
everything, even matter, in terms of force and energy, how can we
conceive a force without a substratum or vehicle? Is not the quantity
"mass" a component of the mathematical definitions of force and energy?
All this confusion comes from the attempt to define physical matter in
terms of physical matter. There are in physics certain primary notions
of space, mass, dimension, etc., correlative with our five-sense
physical consciousness. These we may either accept as axioms without
attempting to resolve them any further, or, if we do make that attempt,
we must resolve them into something other than themselves. This latter
course means that we must leave the field of physics altogether; for it
is necessary to conceive of things that are not in physical space and
have none of the attributes of physical nature. To analyse dimension,
space, etc., is a metaphysical inquiry. Yet it is surely essential if
we are to arrive at an explanation of the phenomena _antecedent_ to
physical phenomena.
Then there is the purely practical side of physical science--applied
science. The worker in this field may leave metaphysics alone perhaps;
but let him either leave it alone or not--one of the two. And above
all, let him not overstep that sphere to lay down laws for the
governance of human life; such laws being based on a knowledge that is
admittedly restricted in its scope.
To return to the point at which we started--the corpuscles of light--we
may suggest a new way of looking at such matters. We have been
accustomed to regard the minuteness of these corpuscles as a negative
quality--to say that they are deficient in size. But why not speak of
bulk as a negative quality and say that physical objects are deficient
in smallness? The less bulk a thing has the quicker it gets about,
the more active and potent it is. There seems no limit to velocity,
except the presence of objects that impede the motion of a body. Given
the absence of matter, a corpuscle can get across any distance in a
practically negligible time. Thus what we call "space" seems rather
like an _obstacle_, and when we remove the matter we seem to remove
the distance also--for practical purposes. Logically, when two things
have nothing between them they are in contact; and the corpuscles
seem to recognize this conclusion. The condition of greatest activity,
power, and omnipresence, is that a thing shall have as little size as
possible; size is a weakness. What we call space and dimension is a
delusion correlative with our physical consciousness. It is a reality
relatively to that consciousness, but a delusion relatively to those
deeper strata of consciousness which we penetrate when we try to
analyse our ideas.
We have arrived at the conception of light as a very refined,
omnipresent, and active form of matter. We might as well call it a
spirit; those who did so meant the same thing. At any rate it is a
reality. When we call it a vibration in the ether, we reduce it to an
abstraction; for a vibration is nothing in itself; nor does the device
help us, for we are obliged to suppose an ether.
The universe is full of _life_ guided by _mind_. The life is on various
planes, in various grades. These forces we are studying are its
physical manifestation.
ASTRONOMICAL LORE: by a Student
Among the exhibits in the Science Section at the Coronation Exhibition
in London, was a Chinese planisphere from the Royal Scottish Museum,
which records observations that must have been made some thousands of
years before the Christian era and handed down to the time of the maker.
Ancient Hindû astronomy is a standing puzzle to modern astronomers,
for its records have preserved from the remotest antiquity accurate
calculations of the revolution periods of the heavenly bodies, their
nodes, apsides, etc.; and the ordinary theories respecting the
evolution of human knowledge are flatly contradicted thereby. The
_Sûrya-Siddhânta_ gives the number of revolutions performed by each
planet in a period of 4,320,000 years; and the quotients obtained by
dividing the period by the number of revolutions give in each case
figures agreeing with our own to a nicety. How were these results
obtained?
Moreover there are in some of these ancient treatises calculations
that go beyond anything our astronomy has yet accepted, dealing as
they do with those larger cycles concerned with apparent displacements
of the fixed stars. The celebrated French astronomer Bailly made a
careful study of these. Despite certain limitations due to a natural
reluctance to concede superiority to an ancient Oriental people, and
confessedly poor translations, he arrived at the conclusion that this
people had attained profound knowledge in astronomy, and drew the
general inference that civilization is extremely old, and that this
earth has witnessed its rise and fall many times. Some of Bailly's
conclusions are considered at length by H. P. Blavatsky in _The Secret
Doctrine_, where they are used, together with those of other later
well-known writers, to show the consensus of evidence in support of
this branch of the teachings she outlines.
Was this knowledge obtained by observations or deductively? In both
ways, probably. We know that ancient civilizations lasted for long
ages, and we known that indelible records in stone were kept. Modern
astronomers have discovered that one object at least of Stonehenge
and similar monuments was to fix epochs depending on the precessional
movement. But there is also a strong presumption that the ancient
calculators possessed numerical keys. In this case their method
would have been partly observation and partly deduction from general
principles; a method we all apply, whether intentionally or not.
The existence of such mathematical clues--applicable to the measurement
both of time and of space--has often been suspected; and in our own
times isolated workers have labored in this field of speculation,
discovering sundry fragments. Their efforts being usually solitary,
however, and unsupported (when not actually opposed) by the generality
of workers, have not achieved recognized success. Some of such
speculations are considered in _The Secret Doctrine_, where it is shown
that not infrequently these so-called "cranks" arrived at results
commensurate with what we learn about the ancient science from other
sources. Among these isolated workers may be mentioned Ralston Skinner
and even Piazzi Smyth in connexion with the measurements of the Great
Pyramid and certain integral approximations to the ratio π.
Doubtless mankind in bygone times, having brains and other faculties,
as we have, but having studied for far longer periods than our
civilization has yet had time to study, reached results which for us
are still in prospect. It is conceivable too that their faculties
may have been superior to ours in some respects--less materialistic,
perhaps; and they may have been more united among themselves. Ancient
astronomy is certainly a hard nut to crack for conventionalists.
THE MYSTERY OF THE MOLARS: by Medicus
The hero of Artemus Ward's story languished for twenty-seven long and
weary years in jail. At last a happy thought struck him--he raised the
window and got out.