The Todas cremate the dead and slaughter the whole herd of buffalo
belonging to him, in order to secure them to him in the after life.
I have by no means given a complete category of the primitive and
barbarous peoples who believe in a separate soul, and who believe in a
future state much like the present and in conformity with that belief bury
arms, ornaments, and utensils with the dead or place them on the grave,
and who slaughter horses, camels, wives, slaves, etc., in order that the
deceased may retain his possessions. How far these customs extend in case
of the death of woman I do not know, but as with most of these people the
women are regarded as chattels of the males, the case is doubtless very
different.
Now as to the origin of these beliefs and customs, their causes naturally
fall into two categories, the physical and the metaphysical. Modern
biological science regards the whole question from the physical side
almost exclusively, and facts and experiences that belong largely or
exclusively to the metaphysical realm are warped out of their natural
order to fit the theory of interpretation.
Every savage observes not only that he casts a shadow, but that shadows
attend all inanimate objects that stand so as to intercept the light, and
as shadows move as do objects that gives rise to the idea of animation.
Hence we have genii, dryads, naiads, ghosts, angels, demons, etc. To
fortify this belief we have echoes, which give voice to animate and
inanimate objects. Movement and voice are the universal accompaniment of
animation.
The part played by the breath, and its sudden cessation at death, are
believed to contribute to the belief in invisible existences.
The beating of the heart, and its cessation at death, adds another link to
the chain of phenomena, going to show that _something_ leaves the body at
death. This may be the origin of the sacrifice of the hearts of captives
to the gods, or to a deceased warrior or chief as with the ancient
Mexicans, with the belief that the heart is the seat of the soul, and the
soul of the captive or victim shall attend the departed chief in the other
world.
But the most important place should doubtless be assigned to dreams as
giving rise to belief in the world of spirits. Dreams are universal
amongst men, and animals like the dog also dream.
Most if not all primitive people are also aware that fasting promotes
dreaming, and while many of them practice long fasting, partly, no doubt,
to increase fortitude and bodily endurance, in very many cases it is known
to be practiced for the purpose of promoting dreams. Beyond this voluntary
fasting there is the enforced fast due to famine or the scarcity of food.
It will be noticed in many of the cases cited how much stress is laid on
the phenomena of dreams and how literally they are interpreted.
Among civilized races and those wise in philosophy dreams play a very
important part, and are classified as monitorial, prophetic, etc., etc.
The habit in modern times of regarding dreams as altogether fantastic and
unreal, is unscientific. In the mingling of the real and the apparently
unreal, in the dream state, while the experience itself is always real to
the dreamer, lies undoubtedly the source of many beliefs that influence
the lives of men.
Dreaming must be regarded as one of the states of consciousness, and
hence, of whatsoever stuff dreams are made, they represent an actual
experience of the individual. No greater mistake can be made than the
belief that no experience is real save that which brings us in contact
with gross matter through the agency of the five senses. The world of
ideas and the creations of the imagination are in fact no more evanescent
than matter itself. Here impermanency differs only in time. All in time
pass away.
I hold that dreams, in general, show more clearly the nature of the soul,
and the experiences of the waking state show the office of the bodily
organism, and that each _on its own plane_ is as valid as the other.
In other words, "the soul is such stuff as dreams are made of." It does
not hold true, nor need it, that the experiences in dreams shall be true
and valid on the physical plane, though this is often the case, or that
the experiences of the physical plane shall be literally repeated in
dreams, which, nevertheless, frequently happens.
It is an undeniable fact that the experiences of the conscious ego in man
compass the subjective no less than the objective planes of being. That
the subjective avenues should be closed when the ego is functioning on the
physical plane through the bodily organs by aid of the senses, is quite as
remarkable as that the physical avenues should be closed when in dreams,
or trance, or syncope, or under anaesthetics, the ego functions on the
subjective planes.
I hold, therefore, that here, more than anywhere else, is the source of
not only belief in the existence of the soul, but of the relatively
uniform conceptions everywhere attained. The common experience of man on
the one plane is as easily accounted for as on the other, and individual
experience differs no more widely in the one case than in the other. So
also is the persistence of the human type, or the _genus_, involved in the
one case no less than in the other.
All the agencies recognized in modern evolution tend to elevation only
through differentiation, and even the "eternal cell" of Weismann fails in
explaining permanency of form through any physical transmission. When
atavism and degeneracy are admitted as factors, as they certainly must be,
the perpetuity of the human species fails from physical causes alone.
I hold the idea of a separable soul to be innate in the human
consciousness, as a necessary deduction from the experience of the
continuity of self-consciousness which compasses both the objective and
subjective states. This deduction from experience occurs whenever the
evolving ego has advanced sufficiently above the animal plane to reason on
its own experience, and for this reason the belief in the separable soul
is universal.
It is no more strange that the experience of the individual should be
modified by traditions and the beliefs of others regarding, for example,
the dream state, than that the experience of the individual should in like
manner be modified or shaped by traditions and the ceremonies and usages
of others on the physical plane. The bond of unity and that of diversity
have one common root in humanity. What we need for larger knowledge is, I
think, a recognition of the breadth and sweep of human experience. To stop
either ignoring or quibbling over one-half of all our actual experience.
The inner world of thought and being is really the habitat of the soul,
while the physical body, like the diving-bell, enables us to explore and
gain experience on another plane which otherwise must remain to us forever
unknown.
The limitations of space and time are unknown to us in dreams. These are
the limitations of the fleshly casket. The consciousness of freedom, the
absence of pain and sorrow even under great trial, are often experienced
in the dream state. The range and character of experience in the
subjective state is modified, and held in check by that of the physical
plane, and the correspondence of an emotion to an idea, or of an act to a
thought, ought to give us the key to the two sets of experiences and
reveal the underlying basis of equilibrium.
A universal fact and a common experience argue a universal nature. Like
conditions everywhere come from like causes. These are neither accidental
nor incidental, nor are they left to the caprice of savages, nor to that
of the more advanced civilizations.
It is not at all strange that a common experience should result in a
universal belief. The range of experience and varying vicissitudes of life
on the outer physical plane differ as widely as do those of the dream
plane, and the conscious identity of the individual is equally preserved
on both planes.
I hold that here lies the origin of belief in the existence of a soul in
man, separable from the body, and the confines of matter, space, and time,
in an actual experience of every individual. The beating of the heart, the
phenomena of respiration, the cessation of these at death, and the shadows
cast by man and inanimate bodies serve as connecting links between the
experiences of the individual on the subjective and objective planes of
being.
The dream state and the experiences thence derived are subjects for
psychological science to investigate. The experiences allotted by du
Maurier to "Peter Ibbetson" are not altogether fantastic and unwarranted,
as the records of somnambulism and hypnotism abundantly prove. When we
remember that nothing deserving the name of Psychology or Psychic Science
exists in the western world to-day, we need not wonder why men eminent for
investigations in other departments prove themselves novices and
dogmatists here.
The folklore, the traditions, and the mythology of dreams would form a
very interesting subject for discussion. It is true that the literature of
the subject is fantastic, mixed with fable and often altogether
unreliable; but these difficulties offer no more formidable bar to
scientific investigation than many another problem already classified and
formulated for systematic study.
I know a lady of very superior ability, the mother of a prominent jurist,
who all her life has had distinct premonitions of many calamities and
coming events, and there are those who dream true in every community.
Fantasies, nightmare, dreams from indigestion and delirium, form a
separate class where the dreamer is entangled in the meshes of the bodily
functions.
Here fasting, either voluntary or enforced, comes in, and drugs known to
the remotest times are found to promote and to determine the character of
dreams. There are furthermore processes of mental gymnastics whereby the
thinker withdraws himself from the bodily avenues of sense and functions
at will on the subjective plane of being.
"When then," said Socrates, in the _Phædo_, "does the soul light on the
truth? for when it attempts to consider anything in conjunction with the
body, it is plain that it is led astray by it."
"And surely," he continues, "the soul reasons best when none of these
things disturb it, neither hearing, nor sight, nor pain, nor pleasure of
any kind, but it retires as much as possible _within itself_, _taking
leave of the body_, and as far as it can, not communicating or being in
contact with it, _it aims at the discovery of that which is_."
I hold that the most valuable triumphs of science in the future lie in the
realm of psychology, and that by no means the least important contribution
in this direction will come from the study of Folklore, of which belief in
the separable soul, and the phenomena and universality of the dream state
must form a very important part.
One final consideration is suggested not without some degree of hesitation
and diffidence. If there be a soul in man destined to continued existence,
and if in any case perfection is the goal of evolution as formulated by
Herbert Spencer for a future residue of the human race, then this soul in
its essential elements is without beginning in time.
Pre-existence and evolution necessitate repeated re-embodiment on the
physical plane, and the continuity of self-consciousness in man I hold to
be the proof of life without beginning or end.
Viewed in this light, dreams and all subjective experiences in man must
mingle reminiscences of the soul with the experiences of the present life,
and the theory of innate ideas assumes a purely scientific form. We hence
arrive at the intuition of the soul to account for universal belief. The
experience of Socrates and the Fiji Islander agree as to the subjective
plane as perfectly as in regard to the beating of the heart. They differ
only in degree of evolution.
CHAPTER XIV
FROM CONFUSION TO CONSTRUCTION
A concise and detailed review of the past, in the long journey of man
toward civilization and independent self-knowledge, has not been herein
attempted. Only hints, here and there, and the barest outline have been
undertaken.
If, however, the intelligent student will follow these clews, he will find
a mass of material and abundant evidence to corroborate the general
thesis.
Every great religion has had its Avatar, its Redeemer, its _Christos_.
Each of these religions has adapted from its predecessors and transformed
the old, in whole or in part, to suit the conditions and apparent needs of
the time.
Each of these revivals of religion has been instituted on account of the
abominations of a dominant priesthood and the poverty and degradation of
the masses. What was at first claimed and instituted as a Divine
Revelation for the elevation and happiness of the whole people, has openly
and shamelessly degenerated into enslavement of the masses and the
creation of a despotic and arrogant class who enslaved both body and soul
in the name of Religion.
Priest, Prince, and Potentate generally, united to terrorize through
force, and by superstition and fear, in order to retain their power.
The reaction has invariably resulted from economic conditions, as in the
case of the Protestant Reformation, when the gold sent to Rome through the
shameless sale of Indulgences, threatened to impoverish the whole of
Northern Europe, and Princes broke allegiance to the Priesthood in
desperate self-protection.
Then, and then only, came sufficient protest and Reformation.
The religionist is apt to regard and designate Science as "profane," and
Religion _per se_, as essentially "holy."
Nothing can be really considered "holy" that does not elevate, encourage,
and inspire the whole human race and promote the Brotherhood of Man.
Whenever any religion fails to do this it becomes indeed a profanation of
holy things.
The only religion that ever became the inspiration of a whole people, so
far as history records, was that of Christna, with the teeming millions of
India. Buddhism was driven out of India by the powerful and unscrupulous
Brahmans, and took refuge in Ceylon, Thibet, and adjacent provinces.
The religion of Jesus met a similar fate from the Jews and the Roman
governors, until Pagan Rome adapted and transformed it on the principle of
dominance and exploitation inherent in the genius of the Latin Race.
Since which time no one will pretend to claim that the Religion of Jesus
has ever dominated the human race or any large part of it.
Rome to-day no more represents the religion of Jesus than the Brahmans of
to-day represent that of Christna, or Buddha, or the religion of the
Vedas.
Nothing is so amazing to-day as that the intelligence of the present age
fails to recognize this fact.
All of these religions of the past have adapted their teaching to the
multitude through parable and allegory. Nothing in literature can be found
more beautiful and inspiring, and at the same time comprehensible to the
commonest intelligence, than Christna's "Parable of the Fisherman."
Christna and Buddha, like Jesus, taught to their disciples a "Secret
Doctrine," apprehensible only to the few. "To you it is given to know the
mysteries," but to others, who are without, it is not given.
It can readily be proven from at least a half score of the early Church
Fathers (see page 70 _et seq._ of the author's "Mystic Masonry"), that the
early church practiced "Initiation," patterned after those of the
Gnostics, Therapeutia and the Mysteries of Egypt, and divided their
neophytes and postulants into three degrees, as in Blue Lodge Masonry
to-day.
While the great mass of mankind to-day are incapable of apprehending these
genuine mysteries of life, and of the individual soul of man, it is
doubtful if any civilization ever existed where so many were willing and
capable of understanding them as are found here in America to-day.
The reason for this and the growth of intelligence have already been
outlined.
A new race is slowly forming here, designated by the ancient Wisdom as the
"Fifth Race," and called the _Manasic_, the growth of Intelligence, or
"Mind."
It is above all things important that with this development of _Mind_
there should also develop that of _Buddhi_, or Loving Kindness, the
essential element in the Universal Brotherhood of Man; a thing largely
overlooked in the modern theory of Evolution, and ignored, or set at
naught by Romanism by its dogmas, anathemas, and persecutions. Instead of
the brotherhood of man, she has exhibited the cruelty and rapacity of
devils. (Establishment of Roman Catholic Caste.)
This all-around development of the whole man, as essential to human
evolution, is everywhere insisted upon by all the great Masters of
antiquity, and is illustrated and exemplified in the genuine Greater
Mysteries.
Hence, the saying in Kabala, "The wicked _obey_ the law through _fear_;
the wise _keep_ the law through _knowledge_." The Saviors all preached and
practiced the "Good Law," and obedience to legal mandates.
The explanation usually given of an Avatar by the ancient Masters, as "a
descent, embodiment, or incarnation of _Vishnu_," who is not only the
"Preserver," but the "Rejuvenator" of mankind, is rather a _blind_, and
was an interpretation given to the common people, or the "profane."
All things--even heaven and earth--pass away, and all things are renewed.
This renewal, or regeneration, through the constructive principle of
evolution, is "designed" to be continually on higher and still higher
planes.
It is not the range of experience, nor the growth of intelligence alone,
that elevates man, but the progressive and constructive growth of the
soul, from the physical toward the spiritual plane of Being.
This actual growth means Knowledge, Wisdom, Understanding, Knowledge of
the Law, Obedience to its Commands, and Realization of its Rewards.
This Constructive Psychology is the _growth of the Soul_.
Man passes, therefore, from the age of Fable, Superstition, and Fear, to
the age of Faith and Obedience, and finally to that of actual Knowledge.
This _age of Knowledge_--not for all of mankind, but for a larger number
who are worthy and well-qualified, duly and truly prepared than was ever
known at one time before--has at last dawned.
The question is continually asked, "Why do the Masters of Wisdom Conceal
their Knowledge?"
The only adequate answer is that so few are ready, willing, and able to
receive it in the right way, and to use and not abuse it.
Those who deny that any such knowledge has ever existed, or exists to-day,
or can exist, had better waste no time over it. They cannot alter it, nor
destroy it, as their predecessors have tried to do for ages, often
murdering or crucifying all who were even suspected of possessing it. They
might as well try to destroy the law of gravitation, or imagine that by
murdering the foremost mathematician of the day that they had destroyed
the science of mathematics. I am speaking of _Knowledge_ of Spiritual
things.
A new Avatar, therefore, is not simply an individual, though many
individuals may understand and exemplify it--the Initiated, the
Illuminati--and one man may lead in representing it.
To call it "the descent and embodiment, or Incarnation of Vishnu," in a
metaphysical sense, the Spirit (generically), that renews, rejuvenates,
transforms, and regenerates, is by no means an empty metaphor.
In the same sense we speak of the "Genius of Greece," or of Rome, or of
Civilization.
The _idea_ is composite, and represents an underlying and _universal
principle and potency_.
But after all metaphor and generalization, each Avataric movement centered
around an individual _Man_, and this _Man_ embodied the principle and
undertook the special work of an evangel, or _Christos_, or "Avatar,"
amongst men.
Not only have there been many Avatars, and many Buddhas, but when we
realize the meaning of these terms and the mysteries they represent, we
discover that while it may be the special mission of one, like Christna,
or Buddha, or Jesus, to undertake the work of enlightening and redeeming
any age; there are other Masters, or Illuminati, engaged in other work, on
different planes, to promote the same general results.
The result with each of the great Saviors of mankind has been, that the
common people, or the priesthood, have eventually either crucified or
deified them.
In the case of Jesus they have done both. Eight separate and deliberate
attempts have already been made to assassinate the present representative
of the School of Natural Science, who was educated in the order of the
Illuminati, and delegated by that Order to present these great truths to
the world to-day.
This individual is only in the broadest _metaphysical_ sense (as already
defined), an Avatar, which, as shown, is a _composite idea_, _focused_ in
and _represented by_ an individual man or teacher.
The work of this Master is to instruct, to exemplify, and to demonstrate,
the ancient Wisdom on Scientific lines, in keeping with the needs, the
opportunities, and the scientific spirit of the present age.
He does not preach to the multitude in parables. He undertakes to instruct
the few who are ready and qualified to receive such instruction, and who
will properly use and not abuse it, and he does this "without money and
without price"; "without the hope of fee or reward." (Herein is the
Avataric Spirit of Freemasonry.)
What his reward will be with the rabble, or with the "money changers," he
knows too well, but to such as he, fear is unknown.
I am speaking not _for_ him, but _of_ him, after the blessed privilege of
seven years of the most intimate association, and such co-operation as I
have been capable of giving.
His plan and motive seem to be to get as much as possible of this
knowledge of the soul, and of spiritual things, to the attention of the
"progressive intelligence of the present age," in order that it may become
exemplified and diffused among all classes, and for the benefit of the
whole human race.
We have passed the age of fable, and of blind faith, and have come to the
age of fact and law. _Kali Yuga_ means the Iron Age.
As two natures, the physical and spiritual, meet and mingle in the
constitution of man, so do his faculties, capacities, and powers mingle
and function on the two planes, the physical and the spiritual, though
very largely on the former, with the great majority in any age or time.
There is implanted in the very foundation of man's being the idea or the
consciousness of a separable soul. It would seem to be an intuition, for
with nearly every people of which we have any knowledge, no matter how
near the animal plane, the belief or the folklore of a separable soul
exists, in many cases held to be separable during life, and in most cases
believed to survive the death of the physical body. (See folio editions of
Herbert Spencer's "Descriptive Sociology," and Chapter XIII, herein.)
It has generally been held by scientists and commentators, that this
intuition, or belief, results largely from dreams.
To say that dreams, in general, are mere fantasies, or the results of
imagination, and have no real basis in consciousness, is folly; for dreams
are of many kinds, and present great varieties.
They are, moreover, both reminiscent and prophetic, sometimes moving like
any other conscious experience, from fact to fruition, and in others, we
are unable to relate them to any other conscious experience.[1]
Hypnosis and Telepathy are related to the same states, so much so, that
the modern scientist has been constrained to coin two new terms to avoid
endless repetitions, viz.: "subliminal" and "supraliminal" states of
consciousness.
Bearing in mind all these subjective states and experiences, including the
whole range of so-called mediumship, the _theorem_ of the Masters and
adepts of all ages may be made exceeding plain.
[Footnote 1: For a very valuable and suggestive treatise on "Sleep," see
F. W. H. Myers "Human Personality," Chap. IV.]
It consists in the _dominance of the Will_ over all conscious states.
This is the _Alpha_ and the _Omega_--the principle, the potency, and the
act--of Mastership.
The mind of the Master no longer drifts in a boundless sea of fantasy, but
with rudder and compass, he guides his ship whithersoever he would go.
This does not mean that there are not still degrees and related states and
conditions of consciousness in his experience.
It does mean, however, that all these states and conditions, with all his
faculties, capacities, and powers, are _co-ordinated_, not only in his
_awareness_ of them as a whole, but in the exercise of each and its
relation to the others, dominated by his own Will.
He has "Mastered" them, and can incite or repress them, while they can no
longer dominate him. Can the reader imagine such a degree of
_Self-Control_?
This, however, is but the beginning, as the "Secret of Power," and by no
means the end.
Controlling the phases and forms of consciousness, there comes next the
determination to extend their boundary and to _refine and elevate the
powers of the Soul_.
In the first case, that of co-ordination, the ancient Wisdom admonishes
the student or _chela_ to "_make the mind one pointed, like a light
burning in a quiet place_." Light a candle and put it in a corner where no
draught can reach it, and the flame will seem as though cut out of solid
fire, and "one pointed."
It is at the point of refining and elevating the individual consciousness
that Ethics or Morals come in. It is just at this point also that the
_Path_ is determined.
What our ancient Brothers called "the power of Will and
Yoga"--self-control--_may_ ignore Ethics. Here the paths separate, and
are called "the Right-hand Path" and "the Left-hand Path," determining
the "White" and the "Black Magician," about whom so much is said in all
ancient scriptures and traditions regarding "Sorcery" and "Black Magic,"
of which Egypt and Rome and Modern Mediumship and Hypnotism, are
illustrations.
The _supreme importance_ of this natural division or "parting of the way"
reveals the real and final reason why the Masters of the "right-hand path"
conceal their knowledge from the profane and reveal it only after an
ethical formulary has been learned and once for all _ingrained_.
The "Thugs" of India are no more an idle dream nor a bugaboo to frighten
children and old women than are the Mafia and the Roman Jesuit to-day.
In Egypt the time came when these "Black Magicians" dominated the people
and drove out those of the right-hand path who built the great pyramid and
gave to Egypt the wisdom and glory of its prime.
The consciousness and power of these evil men, however, was limited to the
lower planes. Whenever they wished to transcend these lower planes they
were powerless. Hence arose the _Sibyl_; young boys or virgins were
hypnotized, and being pure, they could thus be inducted into a somewhat
higher plane. (See Mabel Collins' "Idyll of the White Lotus.")
Margrave, in Bulwer's "Strange Story," is a fine picture of an "adept of
the left-hand path." He would sacrifice the whole human race in order to
gain his personal and selfish ends, just as would "Mother Church" to-day.
The Master of the White Lodge would readily lay down his life for the
benefit of his fellowmen. Herein is the vital difference.
Here lies the meaning and the complete antithesis represented by
_Christos_ and _Satan_. Both names are generic and Avataric, and yet, may
be personified.
This elevating and refining process to which I have referred is not a
matter of sentiment or emotion, but a matter of fact, with a definite,
scientific formula.
In a previous chapter belief in the existence AND SEPARABILITY OF THE
HUMAN SOUL HAS BEEN SHOWN to be virtually universal, and in some cases,
even with people of very low development, the belief is held that the soul
may be separated from the body and reunited again during life.
This is, however, a _belief_, and proves nothing as to _fact_, _science_,
and _law_, beyond the existence of the belief, with all the appurtenances,
concomitants, and subjective experiences of individuals thereunto
belonging.
We thus arrive at the real _theorem_ as a cold psychological problem.
Can the existence and separability of the soul of man, during his physical
embodiment on earth, and its survival of the death of the physical body,
be scientifically demonstrated as a _fact_?
If so, then the principles involved, the methods employed and the whole
_modus operandi_ must be capable of exact, scientific formulation, the
same as any other theorem of science.
Furthermore, granting that this is true, and that it can be done according
to exact formulary, the value, the effect of such a demonstration upon the
character and the normal faculties, capacities, and powers of the
individual who undertakes and accomplishes such a demonstration, must be
revealed and taken fully into account.
Does it elevate or degrade him? Is it in line with normal evolution, and
therefore, potentially the birthright, and finally, through spiritual
evolution, the higher destiny of all men?
Nor is this all. The effect of the existence of such Knowledge and of its
teaching, upon communities, as a substitute for blind superstition,
credulity, or belief, must also be taken into account.
It may thus be seen how much even beyond the mere _fact_ of demonstration,
is included in this transcendent problem; this question of all ages, "If a
man die, shall he live again?" or, "Does the real man ever die at all?"
Now it is a demonstrated fact, proven in every case of a genuine Master,
and held inviolable in the "Greater Mysteries" of every age and time, that
the ethical question above raised, as to the effect upon individuals and
society, _comes first_, and is made a _test_ of the "first step" in the
way of demonstration.
This is the meaning of the oft repeated quotation, the candidate for
initiation must first be "worthy and well-qualified, duly and truly
prepared."
This comprises and constitutes the "Lesser Mysteries," as in the School of
Pythagoras, viz.: the instruction of the neophyte in ethics or morals.
Nor is this instruction sufficient in any case. The candidate must himself
demonstrate that he has absorbed, apprehended, and utilized such
instruction by "_Living the Life_."
In other words, it must have become so ingrained in his character as to
govern absolutely all his acts and impulses to action, i.e., automatic,
habitual, and natural.
In the School of Natural Science this comprises and constitutes the
"Ethical Section of the General Formulary."
In the School of Pythagoras we are informed that students sometimes
remained for years in the "outer court," and sometimes they failed
entirely and hopelessly, and went back to the outer world. Whereupon a
white stone was erected to their memory as though they were dead. They
were indeed, for the time being, dead to the School.
This fully answers the ethical question as to the effect of this real
knowledge on the individual and on mankind.
The real Master sees to it that all that precaution can provide, or human
wisdom can suggest, is done to insure beneficent _use_ of the knowledge
gained.
It is here that "degrees" in initiation become a necessity. Every step, or
passage of the candidate from a lower to a higher degree, is marked and
determined finally and solely by his "proficiency in the preceding
degree."
The question of Morals, or the ethical effect, therefore, is
pre-determined, and as far as possible, solved first.
But even with all this wise precaution, the unprepared and the unqualified
have sometimes entered the outer courts; and when compelled at last to
reveal their character, have turned to rend their teachers, and have done
their utmost to destroy the School and demoralize mankind.
If these moral renegades could only realize the _meaning to themselves_ of
thus entering the "Left-hand Path" of devolution and of starting
voluntarily "down the deep descent," as portrayed in Dante's "Inferno," or
in Ahrinzeman, they would, indeed, hesitate long before "turning to the
left," for inevitable destruction lies that way.
Here lies the scientific explanation of the "Fall of Lucifer," portrayed
in some form in the pantheons and mythologies of every philosophy and
religion known to man.
The ordinary "sinner" may yet possess an "average" of all the virtues, and
the ordinary "saint" an "average" of all the vices. Concerning these it
was said, "I would have you either hot or cold, but because ye are neither
hot nor cold, I have spewed you out of my mouth." No lukewarm soul ever
entered the Kingdom of Heaven.
But a time at last comes when the soul of man, enmeshed in the "lusts of
the flesh and the deceitfulness of riches," _must make his choice_. He
_realizes_ that he can no longer "serve two masters." He will make his
choice knowingly, deliberately, and voluntarily. Happy and blessed will be
he if with his whole soul, and with every impulse of his being, he
declares, "I know not what others may do, _but as for me and my house, we
will serve the Lord_."
If there are real Masters (and there are), they have to work under both
Natural and Divine Law, and in strict harmony with the higher evolution of
the whole human race.
It is only a low, feeble, and undeveloped intelligence that finds God and
Nature at cross-purposes.
He who has found "the place of peace," harmonized his own nature, purified
his own life, and elevated all his desires and aspirations, has discerned
the "harmony of the morning stars," and caught the symphony of the
heavenly hosts. In other words, he is already functioning on the Spiritual
Plane.
This would seem to make clear the ethical problem raised, the stress
placed upon it, and how it is met and answered by every genuine Initiate
throughout the ages.
It has to be solved _first_ in each individual case. Only "he who _lives
the life_ shall know the doctrine," or advance to power.
CHAPTER XV
THE SCIENCE OF PSYCHOLOGY AS A KNOWLEDGE OF THE HUMAN SOUL
The writer of the present treatise is quite well aware that the great
majority of intelligent and educated people at the present day will deny
that any real knowledge of the human soul as a spiritual entity, separable
from the physical body during life and demonstrably surviving its death,
exists now, has heretofore existed, or, if possible for man, is likely to
exist for some time to come. Some will unhesitatingly declare such a thing
_unknowable_ for man.
I hold the firm _conviction_ that this knowledge has been for ages the
possession of certain individuals, few in number in any age or country,
and that this knowledge has resulted through conformity to certain
definite and specific requirements, formulated under well-known laws of
man's spiritual being, involving a definite individual experience and
resulting in a scientific and exact demonstration.
I ask the reader to note two points in the foregoing statement: First,
that for myself I use the word "conviction," and not "knowledge"; and,
second, that the demonstration of real knowledge referred to, is made by,
and confined to an individual, in each instance.
With these individuals the knowledge is a _scientific demonstration
through personal experience_. With me, the "firm conviction" is a matter
of "circumstantial evidence," supported by analogy, and fortified by
empirical testimony, such as acquaint the world with the facts and
findings of science, and which I think admit of no other consistent and
rational interpretation.
In the foregoing pages I have endeavored to give outlines, analogies, and
suggestions which seem to fortify the conviction referred to.
While these are fragmentary and desultory, owing to the fact that the
circumstances are so varied, the subject so vast, and the materials so
abundant, yet, taken as a whole, they seem overwhelming, and, except to
the careful, persistent, and intelligent student, confusing.
It must be clearly apprehended that no one familiar with the subject can
reasonably suppose, nor has it ever been claimed by a real Master of the
"Art," that this knowledge ever has been, or can be, communicated to, or
acquired by groups of individuals at any time, or under any
circumstances.
Through all the past, and at the present time, it is designated as an
_individual experience_.
True, the ethics, and the philosophy, and even the principles of exact
psychic science that in the past constituted the "Lesser Mysteries," can
be, and often have been, taught to groups, or classes.
In the present "School of Natural Science," this preparatory training
constitutes the "Ethical Section."
But above and beyond all the foregoing general considerations the
"empirical facts" and the "circumstantial evidence," if we know personally
one who claims to have had the specific instruction, the personal
experience, and to have made the scientific demonstration referred to and
outlined in the problem, our opportunity for instruction, and for the
application of tests for validity and reasonableness as to the whole
problem, is exceedingly valuable.
This personal acquaintance may become the nearest possible criterion,
short of our own personal experience, as to demonstration.
In previous chapters this phase of the subject has, perhaps, been
sufficiently dwelt upon.
The Master may say, "I know; I have had the personal experience; I have
demonstrated."
The student may at last say, "I believe; I am convinced; I am satisfied."
All through the foregoing pages the effort has continually been made to
preserve clearly this distinction.
In tracing analogies through the history of the past, the conditions,
premonitory, present, and subsequent to great world-movements have often
been referred to.
Nothing is more common or more patent than the oft-repeated saying, "This
is the age of science." Any great movement that undertakes at the present
day to deal with the deeper problems of individual and social life, must
fit in and conform to the "spirit of the present age."
To that platform it must appeal; in that language it must be addressed,
and by such judgment and criterion must it stand or fall.
All these tests and criteria have been fully met by the School of Natural
Science, and they are clearly outlined and set forth in the "Great Work,"
addressed to "the Progressive Intelligence of the Age."
There need be no misconception or misinterpretation at this point.
It is true that superficial thinkers and readers, enthusiasts and
emotionalists, are likely to infer that the science of the soul can now be
had "for a consideration" and in "a dozen easy lessons."
All such are doomed to disappointment.
It is furthermore likely, if the average "physical scientist" pays any
heed at all, that he will devise a series of "tests" and "experiments" of
his own, to fit his preconceived notion of things psychical, with the
latent conviction, at least, that he will be able to prove the whole thing
a humbug.
These, also, are doomed to disappointment. Physical tests of psychical and
spiritual laws and processes are unscientific. No spiritual problem can be
solved in terms of physical matter alone.
So-called psychological science to-day is in the condition of one
possessing a fine piece of ground, and gathering materials for a house, a
superstructure.
The ground is already covered with bricks and stones, and sand and lumber,
piled in every direction, with the purpose of one day beginning the work
of construction, and the slogan, "Wait! Not yet!" "Some day we are hoping
to build."
No architect, "no designs on the trestle-board," and so they go on
accumulating "facts" and "evidence" day after day, year after year,
century after century.
They have a "working hypothesis," but no definite _theorem_, and they may
work till doomsday on this line without a glimmer of real scientific
knowledge of the human soul, yet with mountains of "facts" or of
"rubbish."
They can never prove the existence of a _spiritual entity_ in terms of
matter on the physical plane.
Their work has been, and still is, of great interest and value, but it is
in no scientific sense, _Constructive_, backed by the laws of proportion
and harmony, nor the "Canon of Architecture."
The apotheosis of Natural Science is like the "canon of proportion" in
architecture, introduced by Vitruvius (an Initiate) centuries ago. It is
the verification of Plato's saying, "God geometrizes," and his concept of
"the World of Divine Ideas."
Plato further declares, "He who knows not the common things of life is a
brute among men. He who knows the common things of life is a man among
brutes. But he who knows all that can be learned by diligent inquiry is a
god among men."
Natural Science, as shown in the Great Work, includes scientific knowledge
on all planes of being on which the soul of man functions: The physical,
moral, psychical, and spiritual; for man is a composite being.
The apotheosis of Natural Science, therefore, is Fact, Law, Demonstration,
and Knowledge; before theory, conjecture, creed, dogma, superstition, or
fear, intuition, inspiration, revelation, and "holy men" or "holy books"
that must be accepted without evidence, or "believed" against evidence.
The _Avatars_ of all the past have originated great reformations which
have at last degenerated into dogma and superstition.
The people, incapable of understanding the Law, have been taught in
parables, while the few in all religions and in every age have apprehended
the law and learned the "Secret Doctrine."
To-day, for the first time in centuries, for the reasons already assigned,
and in keeping with the scientific spirit of the age, and because
superstition in power, dogma, and persecution are politically dethroned,
these great truths, this Great Work, is openly declared and outlined so
that he who wills may apprehend.
Let no one say, "This is an effort to _deify_ an individual." It _is_ an
effort to enthrone Truth; to remove the barriers to the rights of
conscience, the shackles of reason, private judgment and Individual
Responsibility, and to free the soul of man from all the fetters of
ignorance, superstition, and fear, in order that he may be "first a man,"
"then a Master," and at length on a higher plane of being, something more
than man has yet realized, or ever dreamed.
Something "that eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, nor hath it yet entered
into the heart of man to conceive the glory that shall be revealed."
The beginning is here and now, when man shall achieve the Mastery of Self
and really possess his own soul, and not hold it tremblingly as a _pawn_
of some pretentious potentate of the soul.
The right of Light, Knowledge, and further progress by "_Being a Man_,"
and not a chattel, an asset, a pawn, or a slave.
This is the coming _Avatar_, and the dawn is already here.
Will the day darken, the Light be quenched? Who can tell?
The redemption of Woman from the slavery of all the past is well under
way, and it is indeed a glorious sign.
No lesson in history is plainer nor more readily demonstrated than the
fact that the degeneracy of a religion and the degradation of woman go
hand in hand.
Demonstrate to-day in any country on earth the status of woman as a whole,
and no mistake need be made as to the prevailing religion.
Woman's political disability is another matter entirely; for she is
dominated by man only because, and only so far as, she is handicapped or
degraded by the dominant religion.
Take woman from the churches, Protestant or Romish, to-day, and no church
could do business for a twelvemonth.
For these reasons the immense and rapidly growing movements, Women's Clubs
and the like, to-day, are of great significance, backed and illuminated as
they are by all past history.
In the new movement, the School of Natural Science, the door is as wide
open to woman as to man. I might paraphrase the slogan of the Robber
Barons of the middle ages. "_She_ may seize who hath the power, _She_ may
hold who can."
In the coming Illuminati woman will stand by the side of man in all
opportunity, endeavor, or achievement.
In the new age woman will be something few men have even yet dreamed of.
We might call this new age "_the Woman's Avatar_," without doing violence
to either religion, tradition, history, or science; while the sacred Hymns
of the Vedas, with the angel of the household and the inspirer of the soul
of man, the worship of Divinity, by both men and women, opened a new
heaven on this old earth.
And then--such children as will be born, without pain, not through chance,
caprice, nor under protest, but even as they were in Greece, as an
offering of Love on the altar of divine man-womanhood, with a song of joy
to heaven.
Prof. Fiske somewhere said, "The evolution of man by Natural Selection
draws near its close, to be followed by that of Divine Selection."
The Divinity _in_ man is _Christos_, the "son of the Father," the Divine
and Eternal _Avatar_.
Belief is rather a superficial process, the intellect ("mortal mind")
mingled with the emotions, changing and evanescent. "Now you see it, and
now you don't." It is mingled with hope that alternates with fear and
doubt.
Faith, when once analyzed and apprehended, is another thing entirely,
though nearly every one, and most writers, confuse "belief" and "faith."
"Faith is the soul's _intuitive conviction_ of that which both _Reason_
and _Conscience_ approve."
Genuine faith rarely wavers or changes, because it is an evolution, a
"growth of the soul," a spiritual experience, and it becomes the "dominant
chord" in the symphony of life, determining Harmony.
It is in this deliberate and discriminative sense that I have used the
term _conviction_ in relation to the Master and his "Great Work." He never
dogmatizes, nor undertakes to "indoctrinate."
In answer to a question on some deep and perplexing problem of the soul or
of the spiritual plane, he replies, "So far as we _know_, it is so and
so." "A new experience, or an added light, may alter our conclusion."
The average individual scarcely realizes what absolute sincerity, with no
motive save Love of Truth, and beneficence to man guided by clear
intelligence, and dominated by the rational Will, means, or can
accomplish.
These are the natural powers of the human soul. There is nothing
mysterious or miraculous about them, more than in the art of music of a
Beethoven or a Paganini, or in gymnastics and the winner of the Marathon.
"To _shape_ and _use_, arise and fly,
The reeling Faun, the sensual feast,
Move upward, working out the beast,
And let the ape and tiger die."
My _conviction_ is strong, and my Faith unwavering.
"The great and peaceful ones live, regenerating the world like the coming
of spring: and having themselves crossed the ocean of embodied existence,
help those who try to do the same thing without personal motive." ("Crest
Jewel of Wisdom.")
CHAPTER XVI
THE NEW AVATAR
From all the foregoing general considerations it may be discerned that the
"New Avatar" is strictly that of _Scientific Demonstration_.
As we use terms in vogue at the present day, it pertains to the field of
Natural Science.
This does not imply that it is irreligious, nor unreligious, nor
sacrilegious.
When it is clearly apprehended it will be found to be the only thing that
harmonizes--not the Institutions of man--but Science, Philosophy, and
Religion _per se_, as departments in human intelligence.
Man will thus discern "the rational order that pervades the universe."
The purpose and result of such knowledge to man are Harmony,
Enlightenment, Courage, and Hope.
Man _is_ the arbiter of his own destiny. He may _become_ the Master of his
own Fate. Such are the _Illuminati_, the "Masters of the Great White
Lodge," the Benefactors of the whole human race, the members of the
"School of Natural Science."
What would I have my readers do? I answer, _Investigate_! Study! Think!
Wait! Hope! Anticipate!
Careful, intelligent, and conscientious investigation will determine the
fact that we possess in America to-day _one_ who can fill all the
requirements that I have endeavored to designate and portray--not as a
"reincarnation" of Buddha or Jesus, but as a "Master"--one who has been
duly instructed and prepared, who has had the personal experience, and has
made a _practical demonstration_, that determines Mastership.
He has demonstrated that "there is no death," but transition only (except
through conscious and determined devolution, or _suicide of the soul_).
Man is, after all, and in the last analysis, a "free moral agent."
As a Member of the "Great School" he was educated and initiated many years
ago, and has consecrated his life to this service. He has demonstrated the
separability of the soul by leaving and returning to his body at will.
The School of Natural Science; the Great Work; the Individual
Representative; the conditions of the present age; the opportunities
offered; the demand for real knowledge everywhere; the falling in pieces
of creeds and dogmas; the expectancy so often voiced--all of these
correspond intimately with what the ancient Aryans designated as
"_Avataric_."
It is not now the deification of any Individual, but the "_apotheosis of
Natural Science_," as the foundation and method in the achievement of
actual knowledge.
From this actual knowledge will arise a new Faith, not a new religion, but
the old Religion of Humanity, precisely as taught and lived by Jesus,
Christna, Buddha, and all the other "Redeemers," and real Avatars of the
past.
The "Enemy of all Righteousness," as already said, have made many attempts
to assassinate this Representative of the Great School, but he goes
steadily about his own work. These enemies realize the danger to their
unholy work, but not the _Power_ back of this great movement. This they
can never destroy.
The day of enlightenment has come, and the cry has gone forth, Ho! all ye
who are heavy-laden, involved in fear and doubt and uncertainty;
bewildered, discouraged, despairing, and committing suicide! There is no
death! Man is the Arbiter of his own Fate! Look up and Live, and Hope and
_Realize_!
And there shall dawn for you a new heaven and a new earth in which
dwelleth Love and Peace and Righteousness; with Jesus--the
_Christos_--your "elder Brother," leading the way, and the downtrodden,
the poor and despised children of men, shouting Hosanna! for the Loving
Kindness that will have taken the place of selfishness, strife, cruelty,
superstition, and Dogma.
Religion will no longer be a matter of mere sentiment, nor of emotion, of
blind belief, nor of fear, superstition, dogma, nor creed--but a _Great
Work_. So Mote it be.
The author of this volume can lay no claim for it as a systematic treatise
on Psychology, either according to the rules of composition or the orderly
sequence of science.
It is rather a number of essays, some of which were written without
reference to publication, or the design, at the time, of putting them
together in a single volume.
There is, therefore, more or less repetition, the same subject under a
different title, viewed from a different aspect, yet involving the same
principles, motives, and aims.
But the subject of Psychology is so vast, so intricate, so interesting and
important, and yet, in the average mind, so confused, and so little known,
that considerations from many sides, and even repetitions in the
application of a given principle in various ways, are believed more likely
to make the whole subject apprehensible to the general reader to whom it
is addressed.
Moreover, the author believes that the time has come when Psychology, as a
_Constructive Science_ of the nature, laws, and destiny of the Human Soul,
need no longer be regarded as unknown or unattainable, but open to all who
seek it in the right way, giving to it the consideration, time, and
loyalty it so amply deserves.
To such as these, it is hoped, the foregoing pages may give many clews and
sidelights, suggestions, encouragement, and hope.
Psychology, to the Author of this volume, means literally _A Knowledge of
the Human Soul_, rather than of treatises upon the subject, or of the
opinions, beliefs, or dogmas of men.
NOTES
The oligarchy of creeds, and the autocrats of Rome no more represent the
"Coming of the Son of Man," the Divine Logos that was and is "in the bosom
of the Father in heaven," than do the Rockefellers, the Morgans and the
Harrimans, constituting the oligarchy of wealth, or than the political
grafters and bosses of our municipalities represent the "New Commandment,"
"that ye love one another." The barons of wealth have not yet resorted
directly to murder, as has Rome for ages.
St. Augustine says, "What is now called the Christian religion existed
among the ancients and was not absent from the human race until Christ
came, from which time, the true Religion, which existed already, began to
be called 'Christian.'" (See Heckethorne's "Secret Societies," page 12,
Introduction.)
As to the basis of scientific chronology regarding the Wisdom of the
Masters, and their indestructible records, I quote the following from a
modern student of Astrology. His method of reckoning is correct, even
though his dates may not be absolutely exact, as he is not a "Master."
CHRONOLOGY AND THE "RIDDLE OF THE SPHINX."
Ancient religious symbols bear a striking resemblance to the
constellations of the heavens, especially those of the Zodiac, and if this
be their true meaning, we have an infallible key to their chronology. At
the beginning of the Christian Era, the constellation Aries, or Ram,
occupied the equinoctial place, being in the first degree of that
constellation. About 2150 B.C. the first degree of Taurus, or Bull,
contained the Equinox. When the constellation Taurus, or the Bull, was in
the first division, or the equinoctial place, the people used a symbol
representing a bull, described as giving fecundity, a deity of vegetation
as at Dodona, in their religious ceremonies. One of the statuettes found
recently in the excavations of Crete, was a woman figured between bulls
and lions, with a dove or eagle on her head, and holding serpents in her
hand. This figure would seem to represent mother earth between the
constellations Taurus, Leo, Scorpio, and Aquarius. She is figured between
Taurus (the Bull) on one side, Leo (the Lion) at her feet, Aquila (or
Eagle) in the constellation, Aquarius on her head, and Scorpio (or the
Serpent) in her hand; all forming the sacred cross or 'Swastika,' with the
constellations Taurus in the vernal Equinox; Leo beneath the earth, the
Eagle or Aquarius overhead, and Scorpio held in her hand toward the west.
Archæologists place the date in which this symbol was in use in Crete at
1100 to 1500 B.C. These dates are included between 2150 B.C. and the year
1 A.D. By the same method we are enabled to calculate the age of the
Sphinx.
This Sphinx apparently represents the constellations Leo (the Lion) and
Virgo (the Virgin). It has a lion's body, and a woman's head and breast.
When the Sphinx was built, it seems the spring equinox occupied a point
between these two constellations, and as the spring, or Easter, festivals
of the ancients were held on or about March 21st of our calendar, this
Sphinx was the representation of Leo and Virgo, the point in which the Sun
crossed the equator, or equinoctial line.
Now as the equinox retrogrades from east to west in the reverse order of
the constellations, as well as the reverse order of the movement of the
planets, the Sun will not cross the equator at the same point each year,
but at a point a little to the west, amounting to about fifty and a third
seconds of arc. At this rate the equinox will pass backward through the
constellations, making a complete revolution in a little less than
twenty-six thousand years, or at the rate of about twenty-one hundred and
fifty years to a constellation of thirty degrees. Now by taking the
present position of the equinox in the constellation Pisces, we find that
it has nearly reached the constellation Aquarius. About 1909 years ago it
was in the first point of Aries. If we begin at its present point in
Pisces, and count back to the Junction of Leo-Virgo, we will have to count
1909 years to first point of Aries; 2150 years to the first point of
Taurus; 2150 years to Camini; 2150 years to Cancer; 2150 years to Leo and
2150 years to the constellation Virgo. This indicates that the Sphinx was
built 12,659 years ago, or approximately 10,750 B.C. (John Kilduff.)
THE HARMONIC SERIES
These are the text books of that Ancient School of Wisdom whose members
have ever been "Masters of the Law" of Life and of Death, able at will,
independently at all times, to travel in the Spiritual World and
communicate with those who live there--your friends and our friends,--who
have passed through the gates of death and now live another life beyond
the grave.
Vol. I. HARMONICS OF EVOLUTION
By Florence Huntley
This book is a clear statement of the philosophy of Individual Life, as
taught by modern Masters of the Law. Its teachings mean the dawn of a "New
Day" in the intellectual and ethical evolution of the whole world.
Mrs. Huntley has sensed the very soul of mankind and understands and
explains its yearnings for what Drummond names "the greatest thing in the
world, LOVE." 463 pages; illustrated.
Vol. II. THE GREAT PSYCHOLOGICAL CRIME
By TK
This remarkable book deals with the imminent dangers of the day, and
covers the most mysterious and fascinating phenomena and experiences of
human life. The author's analysis of Hypnotism and Mediumship is masterly
and complete. For fifteen chapters, by the most relentless and
unanswerable facts, he _proves_ that Hypnotism and subjective Mediumship
are vitally destructive to the physical body and _the human soul_.
This volume carries a hope, a message, a suggestion and a warning to all
who are honestly, patiently and persistently seeking to prove that Death
does not end all. 464 pages; illustrated.
Vol. III. THE GREAT WORK
By TK
This is the book which tells _how_ one must live and _what_ he must do to
become able himself to demonstrate the fact of another life.
"_The Great Work_" _and_ "_The Great Psychological Crime_" were written by
the American Representative of that "Venerable School of Wisdom," whose
records are the most ancient at this time known to man, and which for many
thousands of years, has influenced the civilization and work of every
great nation of earth. 464 pages; illustrated.
These books are founded upon an exact science. More impressive, more
fascinating and "stranger than fiction." "When a man dies, he shall live
again," is the inspiring message of the Great Work in America,--and this
message is written in clear, concise, simple and easily readable English.
Bound in red silk, gold stamped. Price single copy, $2.00. _Per set $6.00,
express prepaid._
In Persian Morocco, _de luxe_ edition $3.50 each. _The set at one time,
$10.00._
[Illustration]
THREE-IN-ONE
"As beautiful a volume as the mind can imagine."
The HARMONIC SERIES--Three Volumes--Bound in FULL, PERSIAN MOROCCO (Oxford
Bible style), round corners, silk head-bands and markers, red-under-gold
edges, _Genuine Gold Stamped_. Printed on Japan French paper; several
beautiful full-page half-tones. Durable, practical, artistic. Name stamped
on cover in pure gold, if desired.
Price _de luxe_ edition, all charges prepaid, $12.00.
All orders filled the same day they are received.
INDO-AMERICAN BOOK CO. 5705 South Boulevard, Chicago, Ill.
QUESTIONS ON NATURAL SCIENCE
[Illustration]
This volume is an aid to the study of the "Harmonic Series." While it
commands the attention of the casual reader of the Text Books, it is
intended more especially for those who contemplate a closer relationship
with the philosophy and for those who _have been admitted to
studentship_.
To the aspiring student it opens up the entire Harmonic Philosophy in a
manner that invites and facilitates the most intense interest,
satisfaction and progress.
355 pages, 20 chapters, and 3,857 carefully formulated questions, all of
which are _authoratatively_ answered in the Text Books. Three-quarter
leather, price $2.00.
KEY TO QUESTIONS ON NATURAL SCIENCE. Leather, $1.00.
--------------------
THE SPIRIT OF THE WORK
[Illustration]
_By TK._
These beautiful and inspiring essays by the Beloved Elder Brother are now
printed in book form, for ready reference, and will prove to be quite as
interesting and helpful to the beginner in Natural Science, as they are
useful to instructors and regularly admitted students.
They unfold in simple language a wealth of spiritual light that leads at
once to a most searching soul--analysis and readjustment of the entire
intelligence to the Constructive Principle in Nature. Every page breathes
the very inmost meaning and spirit of the educational work of the Great
School. If you are in earnest this book will help you. 331 pages, cloth,
price $1.00.
--------------------
THE QUESTION BOX SERIES
[Illustration]
_By TK._
These two volumes consist of Questions from Students and Friends of the
Work of the Great School, touching all manner of interesting subjects,
together with answers by the TK. Volume I contains about 40 general
topics, 217 pages. Volume II has over 75 topics and 245 pages.
Charming and valuable aids to readers, students and instructors, and
strictly authoritative in their teaching.
Large, clear, beautiful type; carefully indexed, and attractively
arranged.
Price, $1.00 each.
--------------------
HARMONIC BIRTHDAY BOOK
[Illustration]
A large book--310 pages. There are quotations from the "Harmonic
Philosophy" for every day in the year (with space for writing) and the
following valuable and unique features: A section devoted to Birthstones;
Wedding Anniversaries; the Meaning of Flowers; section devoted to the
deaths of Relatives and Friends, and a frontispiece and beautiful
half-tone portrait of _Florence Huntley_.
It is really a family record, that will increase in value with the years
and become priceless to the fortunate owner. Bound in leather, gold
stamped and embossed, gold edges and printed on heavy parchment paper.
Without doubt the most beautiful gift book ever sold. Price, $2.00.
THE DREAM CHILD (GIFT EDITION)
[Illustration]
_By Florence Huntley_
This is doubtless one of the most beautiful, masterful and mystical books
ever written. The descriptive incidents in this book could only emanate
from the brilliant and fertile brain of Florence Huntley.
Florence Huntley was the first instructed student of the TK, dating from
the year 1887; and from 1894 the Work commanded her undivided time and
effort.
"_The Dream Child_"--the first result of that interest--was written in
1889, and stands for that earlier and therefore more poetic and less exact
treatment of the Great Law than her later writings.
A book that EVERYBODY reads and re-reads with the keenest appreciation and
enthusiasm. Price $1.00
--------------------
THE GAY GNANI OF GINGALEE.
[Illustration]
_By Florence Huntley_
Only those who knew Mrs. Huntley's earlier humorous writings will be
prepared for such a book from the serious Author of "_Harmonics of
Evolution_."
The publishers feel entirely safe in saying there is nothing like "The Gay
Gnani" in the whole range of modern satirical fiction.
The most extraordinary feature of this indescribable satire lies in
Chapter XII, "THE WAGES Of SIN IS DEATH," contributed by the TK. This
chapter is a masterpiece of concept, treatment and beauty, setting forth
the meaning and purpose of the whole extravaganza.
Don't miss reading this book. Red cloth, gold stamped. Price, $1.00.
--------------------
ZANONI AND ZICCI
[Illustration]
_By Sir Edward Bulwer Lytton_
As a work of art this romance is one of great power and original
conception.
No other works of this great author have provoked such diversity of
criticism as "_Zanoni_." To some, this book represents a temporary
aberration of genius without definite purpose. To others it represents
surpassing, bold and original speculation, profound analysis of character
and thrilling interest; but _to the one who knows_, every character in
this book is recognized by a familiar sign and symbol which, though
hidden, is nevertheless patent to the initiated.
The TWO books, "Zanoni" and "Zicci" in one, SPECIAL EDITION, cloth, gold
stamped. Price, $1.00.
--------------------
A STRANGE STORY and THE HAUNTED AND THE HAUNTERS
[Illustration]
This is another of those marvelous books by _Sir Edward Bulwer Lytton_. "A
Strange Story" is the antithesis of "Zanoni." It is a most absorbingly
interesting story depicting the destructive psychic practices and
possibilities against which "_The Great Psychological Crime_" so timely
warns the human race.
As a matter of fact, both "A Strange Story" and "Zanoni" are carefully
veiled exposes of the two oldest and most powerful centers of Spiritual
knowledge extant, and are revelations of the loftiest pursuits and the
most malign practices known to human Intelligence.
Be sure to read both of these books.
Special edition. Price, $1.00.