SUPERPHYSICAL EVOLUTION
If we accept the idea of evolution at all we cannot escape the
conclusion that there is superphysical evolution. The belief that man is
the highest intelligence in the universe, except God himself, would be
utterly inconsistent with evolutionary facts and principles. Evolution
is a continuous unfolding from within, and it is only the limitation of
our senses that leads us to set limitations to it. The one great life of
the universe expresses itself in myriad forms and at innumerable levels
of development. One of those levels is humanity. But as certainly as our
consciousness has evolved to its present stage it shall go on to higher
ones.
Orderly gradation is clearly nature's method of expression. A
continuous, unbroken line of life reaches downward from man. Its
successive stages are seen in the animals, the reptiles, the insects and
the microbes. Even the great kingdoms into which the biologist divides
life fade into each other almost imperceptibly and it becomes difficult
to say where the vegetable kingdom stops and the animal kingdom begins.
Just as that continuous chain of life runs downward from man it must
also rise above him until it merges in the Supreme Being. There must
necessarily be the higher as well as the lower products of evolution.
Man is merely one link in the evolutionary chain. The human level is the
point where consciousness has become completely individualized and is
capable of turning back upon itself and studying its own inner
processes.
The thought of Occidental civilization has been sadly fettered with
materialism. It has scarcely dared to think beyond that which could be
grasped with the hands. The physical senses were its outposts of
investigation. What could not be seen or heard or felt had no existence
for it. Modern science explored the material universe and perfected its
methods until the vast panorama of worlds could be intimately studied,
and its illimitable scope and colossal grandeur be somewhat
comprehended. But there was no study of life comparable to the vast
stretch of worlds; for material science had made the remarkable blunder
of assuming that the last word on the nature of matter had been said.
Then came the startling discoveries that revolutionized the accepted
views of matter, that proved that the supposedly indivisible atom was a
miniature universe, a tiny cosmos of force. The old theories about
matter had to be thrown aside. They were as much out of date as the
belief that the earth is flat. Stripped of technical terms of expression
the revised view of matter is, substantially, that it is the lowest
expression of life; and now modern science is turning tardy attention to
a study of the life side of the universe. The moment that is done the
sense of consistency and the law of correspondence compel us to
postulate a gradation of intelligences rising above man as man does
above the insects.
The scientific mind instantly grasps the inherent reasonableness of the
existence of superphysical beings. Writing on the subject of energy,
Nicola Tesla says:
"We can conceive of organized beings living without
nourishment and deriving all the energy they need for the
performance of their life functions from the ambient
medium.*** There may be *** individualized material systems
of beings, perhaps of gaseous constitution, or composed of
substance still more tenuous. In view of this
possibility--nay, probability--we cannot apodictically deny
the existence of organized beings on a planet merely
because the conditions on the same are unsuitable for the
existence of life as we conceive it. We cannot even, with
positive assurance, assert that some of them might not be
present here in this our world, in the very midst of us,
for their constitution and life manifestation may be such
that we are unable to perceive them."[N]
Alfred Russell Wallace, who was called "the grand old man of science,"
wrote in one of his latest books:
"I think we have got to recognize that between man and the
ultimate God there is an almost infinite multitude of
beings working in the universe at large, at tasks as
definite and important as any we have to perform on earth.
I imagine that the universe is peopled with spirits--that
is, with intelligent beings with powers and duties akin to
our own, but vaster. I think there is a gradual ascent from
man upward and onward."
While the scientist, still lacking the absolutely conclusive evidence,
goes only to the point of asserting that it is reasonable and probable
that supermen exist, the occultist asserts it as a fact within his
personal knowledge.[O] So we have the direct testimony of the
occultists, the endorsement of the scientists as to its probability,
and, perhaps the most important of all, the inherent reasonableness of
the idea.
The relationship of the supermen, or great spiritual hierarchy, to the
human race is that of teachers, guardians and directors. They
superintend human evolution. But this does not mean in the very least
the relationship that is expressed in the term "spirit guides" so
frequently use by the spiritualist. That is a totally different thing.
They seem to imply that the "spirit guide" gives direct instructions or
orders to the person known as a "medium." If we were all thus controlled
and directed what would become of free will? Evolution can proceed only
if we use our initiative in the affairs of life. If we were to be
directed by the wisdom and will of others we would not evolve at all. We
would be merely automata directed by others, and no matter how great
they were we could never thus develop our judgment and self-reliance. It
is not thus that the great spiritual hierarchy directs human evolution.
It is, in part, by working with mankind en masse and bringing mental and
moral forces to play upon them, thus stimulating latent spiritual forces
from within. It is also by directly, or indirectly placing ideals
instead of commands before the race. In another direction it is actual
superintendence, or administration, or teaching, in a way that does not
interfere with one's initiative or will. If the soul is to evolve it
must have liberty--even the freedom to make mistakes.
It is sometimes asked why, if the supermen exist, those who are in
incarnation do not come out into the world and give us ocular evidence
of the fact. It is pointed out that they could speedily convince the
world by a display of superphysical force. But they are probably not in
the least interested in convincing anybody of their existence. They
_are_ interested in raising the general level of morality, of course,
but such an exhibition would not make people morally better. The work of
the supermen can best be done from higher planes than the physical. As
for the very small number of the supermen who take physical bodies to
better do their special work, they can best accomplish it from secluded
places; and if they sometimes have reason to come out into the seething
vibrations of our modern civilization it is easy to understand that they
would not be conspicuously different from other men, to the ordinary
observer.
It is from the spiritual hierarchy that come all the religions of the
world. There the question may arise, "Then why do they differ so
greatly?" Because the peoples to whom they are given differ greatly. The
difference of temperament and viewpoint between the Orient and the
Occident is enormous. We are evolving along the outer, the objective,
and our civilization represents the material conquest of nature. They
are evolving the inner, the subjective. In the Orient the common trend
of conversation is philosophical, just as in the Occident it is
commercial. Such different types of mind require somewhat different
statements of ethics, but the fundamental principles of all religions
are identical.
When a new era in human evolution begins a World Teacher comes into
voluntary incarnation and founds a religion that is suited to the
requirements of the new era. Humanity is never left to grope along
alone. All that it can comprehend and utilize is taught it in the
various religions. World Teachers, the Christs and saviours of the race,
have been appearing at propitious times since humanity began existence.
Most readers will probably agree that a World Teacher known as the
Christ did come and found a religion nearly two thousand years ago. Why
do they think so? They reply that God so loved the world that he sent
his Son, the Christ, to bring it light and life. If that is true how can
we avoid the conclusion that He, or his predecessors, must have come
many a time before? The belief that He came but once is consistent only
with the erroneous notion that Genesis is history instead of allegory,
and that the earth is about six thousand years old! Science has not
determined its age but we know that it is very old, indeed. Many eminent
scientists have made rough estimates, taking into consideration all that
we have learned from astronomy, geology and archeology. Phillips, the
geologist, basing his calculations upon the time required for the
depositions of the stratified rocks, put the minimum age at thirty-eight
million years and the maximum age at ninety-six million years. Sir
George Darwin, basing his calculation wholly upon astronomical data,
puts the earth's age at a minimum of fifty-six million years. Joly
arrived at his estimate by a calculation of the time required to produce
the sodium content of the ocean, and concluded that the age of the earth
is between eighty million and one hundred million years. Sollas is said
to have made careful study of the matter and he finds the minimum to be
eighty million, and the maximum age to be one hundred and fifty million
years. But perhaps the most exhaustive study of the matter, and that
made by the use of the later scientific knowledge, was by Bosler, of the
French scientists. He bases his calculations upon the radio-activity of
rocks and arrives at a minimum earth age of seven hundred and ten
millions of years. Thus it will be observed that as our knowledge grows
the estimated age of the earth increases.
In the face of such facts what becomes of the assertion that God so
loved the world that he sent His Son to help ignorant humanity about two
thousand years ago--but never before? What about the hundreds of
millions of human beings who lived and died before that time? Did He
care nothing for them? Did He give his attention to humanity for a
period of only two thousand years and neglect it for millions of years?
Two thousand years, compared to the age of the earth, is less than an
hour in the ordinary life of a man. Does anybody believe that God, in
his great compassion, sent just one World Teacher for that brief period?
What would we say of a father who gave one hour of his whole life to his
child and neglected him absolutely before and after that? Countless
millions of the people who lived and died prior to the coming of the
Christ were very much like ourselves. They belonged to ancient
civilizations that often surpassed our own in many desirable
characteristics. They were educated and cultured in their time and
fashion. They were fathers and sons and mothers and daughters and
husbands and wives, with the same kind of heart ties that we have. What
of them? Were they permitted to grope in the moral wilderness without a
Teacher or a ray of light? Of course the idea is preposterous. If God so
loved the world that He sent his Son two thousand years ago He sent Him,
or some predecessor, very many times before. By the same token He will
come again. The only logical escape from such a conclusion is in the
materialist's belief that He never came at all.
All religions crystalize, become materialized, and lose their spiritual
significance. That is precisely what has happened to the various great
religions of the modern world, including Christianity. It is no longer
the dynamic thing in the lives of the people it once was. That's why a
world war was possible. The fault is not with the teachings of the
Christ. The trouble is that the world has not lived by them. We need a
restatement of the old teachings in the terms of modern life that shall
again make it a living force in the lives of men. It is when the World
Teacher is most needed that he comes; and when has the need been greater
than now? The world war has demonstrated the failure of so-called
Christian civilization. We have seen the highest type of that
civilization revert to the law of the jungle, deliberately disregard
the usages of civilized warfare, and commit atrocities that would shame
barbarians. We surely need no further proof that the Christian religion
has not accomplished all that the spiritual hierarchy had a right to
hope for, and that the coming of the Christ again is a necessity.
But the spiritual hierarchy sends its great ambassadors only when the
time is propitious, only when the world is ready to listen. Perhaps such
an event can never be predicted in terms of time, but only in those of
conditions. When the strength of the nations is spent, when the slain
totals appalling numbers, when few homes of high or low degree are
without their terrible sacrifice, when the heart of the race is filled
with anguish, when famine and disease have done their awful work, and
humanity fully realizes what the reaction from greed, lust, cruelty and
revenge actually means, the world will be ready to listen as it never
listened before, and after that we may reasonably expect the Christ to
again appear to re-proclaim the ancient truth in terms of modern life.
The supermen are not myths nor figments of imagination. They are as
natural and comprehensive as human beings. In the regular order of
evolution we shall reach their level and join their ranks while younger
humanities shall attain our present estate. As the supermen rose we,
too, shall rise. Our past has been evolution's night. Our present is its
dawn. Our future shall be its perfect day. Think of that night from
which we have emerged--a chaos of contending forces, a world in which
might was the measure of right, a civilization of scepter and sword, of
baron and serf, of master and slave. That, we have left behind us.
Think of the grey dawn that our civilization has reached--the dawn of a
public conscience, of individual liberty, of collective welfare, of the
sacredness of life, but with armed force still dominant, with war the
arbiter of national destiny, with industrial slavery still lingering,
with conflict between the higher aspirations and the lower desires still
raging--a world of selfishness masked by civilized usage, a world of
veneered cruelty and refined brutality. In all that we now live. But
think of the coming results of evolution!--an era in which love shall
replace force, when saber and cannon shall be unknown, when selfish
desires shall be transmuted into noble service, when, finally, we shall
finish the painful period of human evolution and join the spiritual
hierarchy to direct the faltering steps of a younger race.
FOOTNOTES:
[N] "The Conservation of Energy," Nicola Tesla, Century Magazine, June
1900.
[O] An Outline of Theosophy, C. W. Leadbeater, pp. 6-12.
[Transcriber's Note:
The following corrections were made:
p. 6: pretention to pretension (no pretension is made)
p. 12: An to In (In another aspect it is a religion.)
p. 12: thesosophy to theosophy (While theosophy is distinctly a science)
p. 13: discusison to discussion (A detailed discussion of such methods)
p. 16: nevertheelss to nevertheless (is nevertheless just that
relationship)
p. 17: explicilt to explicit (is certainly very explicit)
p. 19: period to semi-colon (who's true to man;)
p. 34: communciating to communicating (dead man who is communicating?)
p. 35: extra 'the' removed (more convincing than the evidence)
p. 46-47: envelopes to envelops (because it envelops it)
p. 63: oftens to often (often requires death)
p. 74: repreduces to reproduces (exactly reproduces emotion)
p. 82: consciouness to consciousness (finally loses consciousness)
p. 83: of to or (or by cleverly combining)
p. 86: strengthend to strengthened (strengthened and vivified)
p. 89: slight to sight (has not lost sight of us)
p. 91: communciate to communicate (had to communicate with him)
p. 91: communcation to communication (subject of communication)
p. 92: communciate to communicate (desires to communicate)
p. 93: influnces to influences (sensitive to psychic influences)
p. 94: persist to persists (who persists in occupying)
p. 95: confidenty to confidently (will confidently assert himself)
p. 96: close quote added (What can I do?")
p. 103: missing comma added (While we do not yet know a great deal about
life, science)
p. 105: perect to perfect (perfect agreement)
p. 109: extra 'and' removed (new and undeveloped)
p. 115: thoughtul to thoughtful (a thoughtful matron)
p. 117: methematical to mathematical (a mathematical problem)
p. 120: If to It (It often puzzles)
p. 121: from to form (highest possible form)
p. 124: missing apostrophe added (of nations' condemned prisoners)
p. 128: extra 'to' removed (civilization today could arise)
p. 129: two erroneously reversed lines corrected (consciousness. The
young quails of this season come / they are attached to the same
group-soul, or source of)
p. 138: crminal to criminal (a noted criminal)
p. 142: possesing to possessing (we find others possessing)
p. 146: blockquote formatted to match others in text
p. 158: meed to need (no need of praise)
p. 181: incalcuable to incalculable (is incalculable and altogether
beyond)
p. 185: responsibilty to responsibility (personal responsibility and
therefore)
p. 191: hapen to happen (may happen to fall)
p. 191-192: extinquished to extinguished (Before the fire could be
extinguished)
p. 193: beneficient to beneficent ("beneficent working of the law")
p. 193: phsical to physical (from the physical plane)
p. 195: mistate to misstate (misstate facts)
p. 196: atain to attain (and surely attain)
p. 203: idocy to idiocy (In idiocy we have)
p. 204: Maesfield to Masefield (Masefield put it well)
p. 204: blest to blessed (I shall be helped and healed and blessed.)
p. 207: appodictically to apodictically (cannot apodictically deny)
p. 209: superman to supermen (small number of the supermen)
p. 209: it to is (it is easy to understand)
p. 211: calcualations to calculations (He bases his calculations upon)
p. 212: chrystalize to crystalize (All religions crystalize)
p. 213: embassadors to ambassadors (sends its great ambassadors)
Irregularities in hyphenation (e.g. wide-spread vs. widespread,
class-room vs. classroom) and variant spellings (e.g. cigaret) have not
been corrected.]