CHAPTER VI.

THE SECRET DOCTRINE (CONTINUED).
The Septenary Nature of Man.
We may speak of Life, of Will, of Desire, and of Love as Principles manifesting in Nature and recog- nized by results. In themselves they may have no definite form, yet are they none the less potent. These principles may take the form of the body of man, as water takes the form of the vessel that con- tains it, which, if congealed, retains the form of the vessel. Still it is true that water as a body has no definite form of its own. So it is with the prin- ciples we are considering. They are metaphysical concepts, not tangible things, but they are causes that lead to tangible results.
It has already been stated that each principle is correlated to a plane, a planet, and a race; and that the human principles are, on every plane, correlated to sevenfold occult forces. It has already been shown how the substances of different planes inter-
The Secret Doctrine. 169
penetrate with the "dominant chord" determining the vibration on any plane. As to the general method of evolution in man, or the relation of An- thropogenesis to Cosmogenesis, it may here be noted that in the various processes of "cooling and harden- ing," by which the Earth has reached its present state from the "Fire-mist," or "nebulous mass" recognized by modern science, long ages are con- sumed and various definite stages are reached. The Secret Doctrine teaches that man, like the earth, ex- isted potentially in the fire-mist, and that he has evolved downward into matter, pari passu, with the earth he inhabits, and of which he is an integral part.
Each human being is, therefore, a miniature earth (Microcosm) evolving within the greater earth (Macrocosm). This is one of the meanings of Ezekiel's "wheels within wheels." In a metaphys- ical sense, every so-called atom of matter is com- posed in the same way, and is going through a sim- ilar process. It may thus be seen that the key to the whole process of evolution is Analogy. It must naturally result from such a process, and from man's intimate relation to every principle, process, and plane that he epitomizes the whole ; and that through expansion of consciousness, and differentiation
170 Mystic Masonry.
throughout his long experience, when the consum- mation of evolution is reached, man will be at one with the All. Knowing and being will be One in him. Hence, he will be a god in the Platonic sense. This is precisely the view set forth by Herbert Spencer as the consummation of human evolution where absolute power and supreme knowledge re- sult. Place over against this view of the infinite possibilities and transcendent destiny of man those of any of the exoteric religions or of materialistic science, and the old Wisdom Religion stands alone as the Divinest Revelation ever made to Humanity. During the life of man in the animal body on the physical plane, he is composed of the seven prin- ciples. These are Atma, Buddhi, Manas, Kama, Astral Body, Life Principle, and Physical Body. (The order in which they are here named is from highest to lowest, or from spirit to matter.) The first three, namely, Atma, Buddhi, Manas, are sym- bolized by a triangle. This is the oldest "Trinity" known to man, and is the origin of all the "Trin- ities" in all the exoteric Religions of the World. As already shown, the Ineffable Name written in the Triangle refers to the One Universal Principle, antedating creation, and lying back of all evolution. Christos is called the Word, but is not Ain Soph.
The Secret Doctrine. I7r
Atma in man represents Ain Soph in Cosmos. Hence it is called a "Spark of Divinity;" they are one in essence. Atma, Manas, and Buddhi repre- sent Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. When Christ "ascended to the Father," he raised his conscious- ness to the seventh or Atmic Plane, and became in, fact (no longer in essence only) One With God.
These three principles in man compose the Spirit- ual Soul; the Immortal part of man; while Atma- Buddhi constitute the Higher-Self, the latent or po- tential God in man. The lower quaternary Body, Life-Principle, Form-Body and Kama (or Desire), are symbolized by a square. To make it plain, let us say that the triangle incarnates in the square : that is, the Soul (spiritual) "descends into matter." 'It has already been shown in a previous chapter what is the orderly relation of the seven principles. The Body is the vehicle of Life; Life is the vehicle of the Astral Body; the Astral Body is the vehicle of Kama; Kama is the vehicle of Manas; Manas is the vehicle of Buddhi; and Buddhi is the vehicle of Atma. This is the orderly relation or sequence of the principles. But as already shown, man is not a mere aggregation of principles, any more than he is a conglomerate aggregation of atoms, molecules, or cells. Just as atoms form molecules; molecules,
172 Mystic Masonry.
cells; cells, tissues; tissues, organs; and organs, the whole body; so the Principles, while preserving a similar orderly sequence, in relation to each other, are, at the same time, organized in relation to the whole. That is, the Ego, the Thinker, unites with its vehicle, the Body.
Physiology has determined that certain functions are performed by certain organs, and that certain tracts are sensory, and others motor: that there are co-ordinating centers of motion, or of sensation, like the cerebellum, the medulla, or the sensory ganglia; and has assigned thought, memory, reason and volition, to the cerebrum. But neither phys- iology nor modern science has been able to arrive at the slightest conception as to what Mind, or Soul, really are, beyond functions of organs, or results of organization. Empirical facts in Hypnotism show processes actually taking place that can not be classified under any known physiological law.
The point at which the Triangle touches the square; that is, where the Spiritual-Soul forms its connecting link with the Physical-Body, is through Mind. Kama (the fourth principle, appetite, desire, passion, etc.) is not found in the upper triangle, but is the first in the square, or lower quaternary; and Kama has been called the vehicle of Manas. We
The Secret Doctrine. 173
have thus resulting from this association Kama- Manas; and the central organ of this conjoined or dual principle is the human brain. Here is the union of Thought and Sensation; or Knowing and Feeling; the union of the desire to know with the desire to feel. Here is, furthermore, the origin, seat, and nature of self-consciousness in man. On the upper side of the point of union we have the Will; on the lower side, Desire. This union of Manas with Kama, or Mind with Desire, is called the lower mind (Lower Manas), because it always involves the personal equation. Let the union exist, but the desire be entirely subordinate and imper- sonal, and the Higher-Mind becomes free. The terms of the personal equation are united with, or merged in the next higher. This is At-One-Ment of the lower man with the Divine: or Christ at-one with the Father. So long as the lower mind is held in bondage by desire, man can not seek or discern the Good or the True. He inquires, "What is good for met" Freed from Desire, or the personal bias, he inquires after and seeks for that which is good or true in itself. When this condition is reached and habitually maintained, the square is said to be in- closed in the triangle. The whole lower nature is said to be at one with the Divine, or Spiritual Soul.
174 Mystic Masonry.
Man's knowledge and power are no longer confined to, or circumscribed by, the lower plane, or the physical body ; but, transcending these by Regenera- tion (self-conquest), and becoming perfect in Hu- manity, man attains Divinity. In other words, he becomes Christos. This is the meaning, aim, and consummation of Human Evolution; and this Phi- losophy defines the one-only process by which it may be attained. The Perfect Man is Christ: and Christ is God. This is the birthright and destiny of every human soul. It was taught in all the Greater Mysteries _j}f Antiquity, but the Exoteric creeds of Christendom, derived from the parables and allegories in which this doctrine was concealed from the ignorant and the profane, have accorded this Supreme Consummation to Jesus alone, and made it obscure or impossible for all the rest of hu- manity. In place of this, the grandest doctrine ever revealed to man, theologians have set up Salvation by Faith in a man-made Creed, and the Authority of the Church to "bind or lose on Earth or in Heaven." Law is annulled; Justice, dethroned; Merit, ignored; Effort, discouraged; and Sectarian- ism, Atheism, and Materialism are the results.
All real Initiation is an internal, not an external, process. The outer ceremony is dead and useless
The Secret Doctrine. 175
only^-so far as it symbolizes and illustrates, and thereby makes clear the inward change. The cere- ' mony instructs, but it cannot transform. To trans- form means to regenerate; and this comes by trial, by effort, by self-conquest, by sorrow, disappoint- ment, failure; and a daily renewal of the conflict. It is thus that man must "work out his own salva- tion." The consummation of initiation is the Perfect Master, the Christos, for these are the same. They "are the goal, the perfect consummation of human evolution.
Now, with this idea of human evolution, and in the light of modern science, what is it to be a Master? Not a mythical Master, not one so holy, so Divine, so incomprehensible as to be the object of blind worship alone, and impossible to be imi- tated, an Idol, a Fetish, but one indeed to reverence, to love, and, above all, to approach and imitate; an Elder Brother, a Compassionate Teacher, a Helper of the Human Race.
By constant struggle and daily conflict the Master has conquered self. Life after life he has gathered experience. Truly hath he been a "man of sor- rows and acquainted with grief." He has assailed all problems; studied all sciences; exhausted all litanies; apprehended all philosophies; practiced all
176 Mystic Masonry.
arts. At every step he has loved and helped hu- manity more and more, and sought his own desires less and less. Grown familiar thus with all the I lower planes of life by sore trial, by bitter conflict, by frequent defeat, by hope deferred, almost despair- ing, he has at last renounced self utterly, and so become "dead to the world." This is the "Great Renunciation." An Infinite Compassion for all that lives takes possession of his soul, and an infinite peace settles within his spirit.
"Believe thou not that sitting in dark forests, in proud seclusion and apart from man; believe thou not that life on roots and plants, that thirst assuaged with snow from the great Range; believe thou not, O Devotee, that this will lead thee to the goal of final liberation."
"Step out from sunlight into shade, to make more room for others." . . .
" Tis from the bud of Renunciation of the Self that springs the sweet fruit of final liberation."
"The selfish devotee lives to no purpose. The man who does not go through his appointed work in life has lived in vain."
"So shalt thou be in full accord with all that lives; bear love to men as though they were thy
The Secret Doctrine. 177
brother-pupils, disciples of one Teacher, the sons of one sweet mother."
"Compassion speaks and saith : Can there be bliss when all that lives must suffer? Shalt thou be saved and hear the whole world cry?"*
But, says some modern Agnostic, this is all beau- tiful, very fine indeed, but mere sentiment; with no foundation in fact, and no possible realization in the life of man. It will do for sentimental women, for tramps, or lunatics. What, then, is the meaning, and what the goal of human evolution ? Is Tantalus the one Divinity of the universe?
Turning now from the ethical side of the prob- lem to the scientific, let us see what happens as the consciousness of man remounts from the lower animal-self toward the spiritual soul ; from the physical toward the higher planes.
We have shown Mind (Manas) to be the connect- ing link between the "Upper Triad" and the "Lower Quaternary." When man has once passed the plane of Savagery in his evolution, Mind becomes more and more apparent as the battle-ground of his evo- lution. He gradually relaxes tooth and claw, and, first, by instinct, then by cunning, and finally by
*Voice of the Silence.
178 Mystic Masonry.
reason and design, pursues the struggle for exist- ence. He changes continually his code of ethics, for he is continually compelled to compromise, and he finds that he can retain more by relinquishing a part. His very selfishness leads him to combine and co-operate with his fellows. At last his sympathies expand. By and by he learns that a "fellow feeling makes us wondrous kind." He reciprocates, and at last becomes generous. During all this long and weary struggle his mind is enlarging, and his con- sciousness expanding. He creates for himself a world of Thought. It is unreal and unsatisfying, because so impermanent; and yet he struggles on. He reflects over his varied experience ; seeks causes, and discerns principles. He realizes the saying, "My mind to me a kingdom is;" "On Earth there is nothing great but Man: In Man there is nothing great but Mind." Or, the older saying, "All that I am is the result of what I have Thought." Mind is like an alembic in which are precipitated all ex- periences. By evolution man is continually climb- ing upward to higher planes. His five senses are adjusted to observations and experiences of the physical plane; but he has other experiences. The senses are narrow and circumscribed; yet even these become refined. His tastes alter, his tendencies as-
The Secret Doctrine. 179
cend. He is reaching outward as his sympathies expand, and upward, as his ideals become higher. There is revealed to him a whole world of experi- ence in which the lower senses play no part: A world of aspiration in which Self is not the goal. The very physical bounds of self are loosening, ex- panding, disappearing. Hitherto he has been con- scious of flashes of intuition; of knowing things he has seemingly never learned. He sees inner mean- ings, and senses subtler powers. Not only in visions and intuitions of the day, but in dreams of the night he has experiences beyond the bounds of sense. He learns the power of Thought. By conquering Self, his Will becomes strong. By subduing passion, his mind becomes clear. He has premonitions of com- ing events; for all events and thoughts and things exist first on higher planes, and are precipitated thence into matter. He becomes clairaudient and clairvoyant. He has broken the bonds of Self and now functions on higher planes. As his senses and organs on the physical plane made him Master there of brutes, and of physical nature, even so on the higher plane, the senses and organs evolved by the same Evolutionary Law of experience and choice, make him, on the higher plane, Master of men and of higher Nature. All the time he is evolving organs
180 Mystic Masonry.
and functions, and dealing with matter and force. Just as experience and reflection taught him the laws and processes of the physical plane, so his ex- panded and refined experience and intuitions (spir- itual perceptions) teach him the laws of the higher plane.
But, says the physiologist, on the physical plane man has evolved physical organs which bring him in contact with Nature on that plane. Even so it is on all planes, for analogy is the key of interpreta- tion, "As below, so above."
Deep within the recesses of the skull, lying at the base of the brain, is a curious little structure known as the Pineal Gland — with the Restiform bodies. Modern physiology assigns to it no function. Des Cartes called it "the seat of the soul." In the aver- age individual it is small and apparently useless, though its focalized position and symmetrical rela- tions to surrounding structures would seem to assign to it some very important office. It presents a dif- ferent appearance in the very young, the very old, and in the idiotic, from that found in the prime of life, health, and vigor. It has been called "The Third Eye." The Ancient Hindoos called it the Eye of Siva, and it should be borne in mind that Siva is the third person in the Hindoo Trinity, and
The Secret Doctrine. 181
is the Renewer, or Regenerator (not simply the De- stroyer). The action of this little "gland" may be likened to the bridge of a violin. It renders the nerve chords more tense, and thus raises the vibra- tions of the brain tissues. It is atrophied, and therefore dormant in the average individual, be- cause the relaxed chords (using a symbol) cor- respond to the vibrations on the physical plane; and it is one of the well-known laws of physiology that every organ will become atrophied from disuse.
Going back to our problem of Consciousness, we find Mind to be the changes in our states of con- sciousness : orderly, when governed by the Will, and guided by Reason; disorderly, when swayed by the passions, or led by caprice. All the so-called Senses are differentiations of the One-Sense-Consciousness (Apperception).
Reference has elsewhere been made to empirical proof that in the case of Sight and Hearing; or, Light, Color, and Sound, the vibrations are conso- nant and interchangeable. Now it can easily be seen that if the one sense (consciousness) has dif- ferentiated into several Senses, so-called, in man's "descent" from higher to lower planes, on his "as- cent" from lower to higher planes, the differentia- tions must gradually disappear, and one center may
182 Mystic Masonry.
combine and synthesize two or more Senses. This is precisely what happens in the case of hearing and seeing, or in the vibrations producing sound and color. Since empirical science has demonstrated the fact, the theory may now, perhaps, no longer excite only a sneer; for it must be borne in mind that the foregoing is one of the theories taught in the Ancient Mysteries.
Here then is the physiological, no less than the philosophical basis of Clairvoyance and Clairaudi- ence.
The Eye of Siva is, in fact, an All-Seeing- Eye ; for it practically annuls Space and Time as con- cepts on the physical plane.
Whether or not modern Masonry has any such tradition, or any such metaphysical or scientific con- cept regarding the All-Seeing-Eye so conspicuous in its symbolism, such, at least, is its meaning in the Secret Doctrine of Antiquity.
A real Master, then, has the Eye of Siva; the pineal gland, dormant in others, is active in him; and the vibrations of his brain correspond to the synthesis of sound and light. Henceforth, for him, Space and Time are no longer illusions, as he lives in the one and is Master of all lower planes. Says the Voice of the Silence —
The Secret Doctrine. 183
"Alas, alas, that men should possess Alaya, be one with the great Soul, and that possessing it, Alaya should so little avail."
"Unless thou hearest thou canst not see."
"Unless thou seest thou canst not hear."
"To hear and see, this is the second stage."
So much as to the meaning of the word Master, and the methods by which Adeptship is attained.
Now, as to the nature of the Power he possesses, or, the Master's Word. A man's words express his ideas, and reveal his character. In this sense the creative power of Deity is called the Word of God, or the Logos; and the whole process of crea- tion, being an outward expression of Divinity, is called the Logos.
"There is in Nature one most potent force, by means whereof a single man, who could possess himself of it, and should know how to direct it, could revolutionize and change the face of the world.
"This force was known to the ancients. It is a universal agent, whose Supreme Law is equilibrium, and whereby, if science can but learn how to con- trol it, it will be possible to change the order of
184 Mystic Masonry.
the Seasons; to produce in night the phenomena of day; to send a thought in an instant around the world; to heal or slay at a distance; to give our words universal success, and make them reverberate everywhere."
"This agent, partially revealed by the blind guesses of the disciples of Mesmer, is precisely what the Adepts of the middle ages called the 'elementary matter of the Great Work.' The Gnostics held that it composed the igneous body of the Holy Spirit; and it was adored in the secret rites of the Sabbat or the Temple, under the hieroglyphic figure of Baphomet, or the hermaphroditic goat of Mendes.*"
Modern Science is slowly re-discovering some of the secrets of Antiquity. The "Radiant matter" of Professor Crooks, the Cathode ray of Roentgen, and other advancements in psychic photography, the Mayava Rupa of Baraduc, and, greatest of all, the discoveries of J. W. Keely, trench so closely on the "elementary matter" of the old Alchemists and the Akas of the more ancient Adepts of old India, that a student of occultism need no longer be afraid to reveal himself.
There is an old legend which declares that the
*Morais and Dogma, p. 734,
The Secret Doctrine. 185
ancient Atlanteans, not those of Plato's island which was a fragment of the great continent, but of the Continent which sank, it is said, 50,000 years ago, possessed the secret of this "most potent force," re- ferred to by Bro. Pike, that they were great Magi- cians, and that they did thus "change the face of the earth," as Bro. Pike declares possible, and that the sinking of the continent was the result. Per- haps, if our "rain-makers" succeed in solving a little further the problem of vibrations in their rela- tions to atmospheric changes, this and many other ancient "Fables" may seem less fabulous to modern "scientific materialism." When it is stated that these terrible forces exist, and may be known and utilized, people are not scandalized in this age of dynamite. But when it is also stated that the knowledge of these forces is concealed from all but trained Adepts who have demonstrated their unqualified beneficence to man, and that in the hands of vicious, unquali- fied, or ignorant persons, they are capable of work- ing untold misery to man, the statement usually ex- cites derision.
If this embargo were removed, doubtless mankind would not long remain in any uncertainty as to the existence of the terrible vrill of Bulwer Lytton. If it were revealed to the Spanish Generals or the
1 86 Mystic Masonry.
Cuban Rebels at the present time, the contest would soon be ended on that unhappy island.
This force is the universal Life agent, as Bro. Pike says, "wherein are two natures and a double cur- rent of love and wrath." This ambient fluid pene- trates everything. Hence it is the "First Matter" of the Alchemists. It is concentrated in man as the magnetic living force directed by the Will. He who knows its "chord of mass" or the "key-note" of its vibrations can, by his Will, waken it from Space and send it in mighty waves to do his bidding. The real Word of the Master, therefore, in a scientific sense, is this tone-key by which the "Principalities and Powers of the Air" can be made to do his bidding. That any one should possess such power and withhold its use, is not easily conceived by the average man of today; and that such a Master should also conceal his own existence, seems alto- gether incredible to an age of Syndicates, and Trades Unionists. Such a power would, indeed, be a knockdown argument in all competition, and fur- nish a very ready way of settling all disputes.
The ethical training to which reference has been made, and which began at the first step of initiation, preceded all scientific training in the ancient mys- teries; and the Masters are spoken of by Plato,
The Secret Doctrine. 187
Iamblichus, and many other writers, as the "Im- mortal Gods." But it must not be concluded that because the real Master does not enter into competi- tion on the physical plane, or parade his gifts for the applause of men, that he makes no use of his sub- lime Wisdom and transcendent Powers. It would be childish to use smch powers for display, to awe the ignorant, or to amuse the curious; and such Men have long since put away childish things. From their secure retreat on the inner or higher planes of being, they influence, but do not dominate the affairs of men; and many a beneficent move- ment is due to their timely aid.
According to our conception of energy as correla- tive throughout Nature's boundless domain, Fohat is the synthesis of all the so-called forces of nature. It is "Cosmic Electricity Endowed with Intelli- gence." In the manifested Universe, Fohat is "that Occult electric vital power, which, under the Will of the Creative Logos, unites and brings together all forms, giving them the first impulse which becomes in time law." It is "the Constructive Force of Cos- mic Electricity." Fohat has "seven sons, who are also his brothers."* These are Electricity, Mag-
*See Plate I.
1 88 Mystic Masonry.
netism, Sound, Light, Heat, Cohesion, etc. What modern science calls the "modes of motion," can fairly be called definite vibrations. The forces just named all manifest on the lower physical plane. That is, we see there their effects. If back of all forces there is One Force, and if this one force dif- ferentiates first into seven, and these seven are in their turn divisible into other Sevens, we get the idea that the Solar spectrum and the musical scale reveal the universal modulus; and that what is known to exist in the realm of Light and Sound, must also exist in the realm of Electricity, Chem- ism; and, in short, with every force and on every plane in Nature.* If, therefore, one can discover the rate of vibration, the quality and amplitude of the "wave-length" in any given case, he will hold the Key to that plane.
Fohat is not only the synthesis of all known forces, and endowed with intelligence, but poten- tially, before differentiation begins, is the Author of the Law of all subsequent correlations, differentia- tions, or action whatsoever.
If this view is considered carelessly it might seem to involve materialism or pantheism. But such is
*See Plate I.
The Secret Doctrine. 189
not the case. When one realizes that Fohat is one of the highest of the Elohim, or Builders, the Cre- ators spoken of in Genesis, the direct agents of Di- vinity through which the Ancient of Days or Ain Soph creates, this view will be seen to be spiritual to the last degree.
The first impulse of Fohat becomes, in time, the law of all subsequent vibration. Fohat is, more- over, in the Secret Doctrine, likened to an "Intelli- gent Force moved by Will."
As the various forces and planes in the constitu- tion of man are derived from and correspond to similar forces and planes in Nature, it can readily be seen what potencies are latent in man; and that the possession of the knowledge of these planes and forces, and a Trained Will to use and direct them, would naturally constitute one an Adept, or Master. The mere power of thought or of the imagination, with a strong concentration of will power, would, at all times, enable a real Master to say, "take notice thereof, and let it be done." The ignorant would naturally say: "What manner of man is this, that even the winds and the waves obey him?"
It is said of the Word A. \U. \M. \ that it has seven meanings applicable to seven planes, requir- ing, therefore, seven keys; and similar traditions
190 Mystic Masonry.
exist with regard to the Tetragramaton of the Ka- balah — "He who maketh the earth to quake and an- gels and men to tremble" — even Jehovah. For the ignorant and superstitious, this has one meaning. For the intelligent student of Kabalah, it has many and very different meanings.
The physical plane, that of the body of man, is such by virtue of the co-ordinate vibrations of all the principles that enter into its construction. The physical exists by virtue of the maintenance of the Key or dominant chord of that plane. As long as this key can be maintained in perfect concord, health exists. Whenever the harmony is disturbed, disease results; and when the key can no longer exist, dissolution of the organism occurs, and death is the result.
The problem of genuine initiation, or training in occultism, consists in placing all the operations of the body under the dominion of the will; in freeing the Ego from the dominion of the appetites, pas- sions, and the whole lower nature. The idea is not to despise the body, but to purify it; not to destroy the appetites, but to elevate and control them abso- lutely. This mastery of the lower nature does not change the Key of the physical nature as such; but subordinates it to that of a higher plane. Without
The Secret Doctrine. 191
this subordination, the clamorous lower animal na- ture drowns out all higher vibrations; as if in an orchestra the bass-viols and the drums only could be heard; and noise, rather than harmony, would result. Hence the old saying — "He that conquers himself is greater than he who taketh a city."
From such mastery of the lower nature by intelli- gent effort and Will power, there results not only peace, the silencing of the clamorous lower nature, but clearness of vision and power of discernment. There results also a sense of freedom and of power, and a certainty of Knowledge. In the Bhagavad Gita this training is called Yoga, and is denned as equal-mindedness and skill in the performance of actions. It is distinguished from Hatha Yoga, which is mere straining after special powers (medium- ship), and is called Raja Yoga; that of the Kingly or Divine sort; and is everywhere portrayed as a permanent subjugation of the whole lower nature. It is, in fact, in science and in a philosophical sense, the higher evolution of man. Whatever is gained in one life in this direction is carried over to the next incarnation; while all apparent gain of "powers" in Hatha Yoga (mediumship) is lost in future births, or else is a detriment to evolution.
The potency of the planes in man increases from
192 Mystic Masonry.
the lower to the higher, and the whole process we have been considering consists symbolically, in "placing the square within the triangle :" that is, of so purifying the whole lower nature as to make it at-one with the higher. The mind that functions through the physical brain, governed by the senses and appetites, and that first gives man self-con- sciousness, now moves one plane higher. Passion no longer rules the man and blinds him to universal laws and higher principles. The Higher Self in man, called his "God," or Christos, was formerly "crucified between two thieves;" namely, the Higher and Lower Manas. Hence the saying, "when I would do good, evil is present with me." As the body is crucified (a symbol of death and suf- fering), the Christos says to one of the thieves — "This day shalt thou be with me in paradise." This refers to the Higher Manas, now freed from the lower nature. The other "thief," or the brain mind, is left to perish with the physical body of Christos on the Cross of Time. It may thus be seen how the battle-ground of man's lower nature with the higher is the mind, and that self-conquest and the higher evolution are synonymous. The process of this evolution can be expressed in mathematics and terms of exact science. Hence the old saying
The Secret Doctrine. 193
in the Bible — "I praise thee with my lips, / know not the numbers." Silence the dominant chord of the lower animal nature, and change the vibration to that of the Higher Mind, and "Thou shalt be-' come as gods knowing good and evil."
This change of vibration, with a knowledge of the dominant chord and the combination of the key- board directed by the Will, is the discovery of J. W. Keely. The Roentgen ray is one of the "seven forces" into which light, sqund and electricity are divisible. The secret of the Crooks tubes has been clearly shown to consist in getting rid of a surplus of molecules or atoms, and thereby increasing the vibration (bombardment) of the remainder; and thus liberating, not creating, a "new light." The trained will of the Adept can do this, and more. He has been seen to make his whole body luminous. Since the experiments of Von Reichenbach have been verified, and the "illusion-body" photographed, such a result can no longer be declared to be a sci- entific impossibility.
It should be borne in mind that our entire phi- losophy as related to man proceeds from the em- pirical fact of Consciousness, with appeal taken at every step to the facts of experience. Our theory does not consist in any speculation or assertion re-
194 Mystic Masonry.
garding the nature of consciousness itself, but rather in using both facts and experiences in the natural order of their relations. In the case of the Master or Adept, the same potencies and processes are in- volved as in ordinary evolution; and none others. The different results arise from the fact that in the case of the Adept, these ordinary processes are no longer trammeled or delayed.
"The Wise Ones tarry not in pleasure-grounds of the senses."
'The Wise Ones heed not the sweet-tongued voices of illusions."
"Thou shalt not let thy senses make a play-ground of thy mind."*
It may thus be seen that neither causes nor results are involved in an untried "working hypothesis."
This philosophy not only explains the nature and origin of all the Christs of history, as the result of evolution under natural law, but these all stand as "Landmarks," pointing out "the Way, the Life and the Truth," in the journey of the soul, and the im- mortal destiny of man. Furthermore, every point herein made is but a crude fragment derived from the Ancient Mysteries, held by the Gnostics and
* Voice of the Silence.
The Secret Doctrine. 195
early Christians, and embodied in or implied by the parables, allegories, and glyphs of Freemasonry.
Initiation therefore must be seen to be both evo- lutionary and regenerative; and not a mere empty farce or a dead ceremony.
Taking now this evolutionary process as a fact, we may profitably consider further the change that occurs in the structure of man's complex organism as evolution proceeds.
We have shown Mind to be the active theater in which the real battle is fought for the supremacy of the Higher or Spiritual-Soul, as distinguished from the lower Animal-Soul.
"Thou shalt not let thy senses make a play-ground of the mind." No doubt many who have read this sentence have regarded it as a moral precept only ignorant, perhaps, of the fact that there is not only a philosophical concept but scientific facts and Laws back of all moral truths.
The mind is the realm of thought, and the sum of all experience on both the physical (senses and feel- ings) and metaphysical (reason, imagination, Will, intuition, etc.) sides of Consciousness. Experience may be called the moving panorama of events in the conscious life of man. Thought is, therefore, the changes in our states of consciousness. Thought is
196 Mystic Masonry.
the active movement, and consciousness the passive theater of the varied experiences of life. Con- sciousness is, therefore, to the life of man what Space is to the existence and movements of Cosmos — the all-container. The Ego is a self-centered "ray ;" a focus ; the "mathematical point" in con- sciousness. That which the nucleus is to the living cell, the point from which all forces and movements emanate, and to which all counter-movements and forces tend, such is the Ego — the Thinker of man. The first point to be made in real initiation is for the Thinker to control the thought. Instead of passively and helplessly receiving all suggestions that come from the physical senses, or appetites; or all that come from ambition, selfishness and pride; he selects, and chooses, and Wills what thoughts shall come. In this manner he acquires mastery over his own mind, and frees his will from the dominion of Desire; or rather elevates and purifies Desire. He is no longer hag-ridden by vagrant thoughts ; or a victim to the ghosts of a remorseful memory, or a depraved imagination. That one can thus choose the subjects of his own thoughts is really within the experience of every one when he comes to reflect upon the subject. But few people are aware that the mind can be divested of all thought
1 he Secret Doctrine. 197
on the physical or brain-side of experience. Yet what is revery, or day-dream, or absent-minded- ness? We have only to analyze and reflect on our ordinary experiences in order to see how natural and really commonplace are the operations of these oc- cult laws.
When this process is intelligently conceived and persisted in, the mind grows clear and the Will strong, and for this change there is a physical basis and a scientific law; and there must be correspond- ing changes in the physical structure. This change occurs on the Kamic plane, Which is now subordi- nated to Reason and Will; and also in the Astral or Form-body, which is the vehicle of Kama (passion and desire). This Astral body is the mold or pat- tern around which the physical structure is built, which it precedes and survives for a short time after death. In relation to the molecules and cells which constitute the tissues of the body the Astral structure is Atomic. The Astral body of each sepa- rate incarnation is the immediate result of the thoughts and experiences of the preceding life; modified, however, by all previous lives. It is in- visible to ordinary vision, but, fortified by the strong dregs of Karma, in a gross and passionate individ- ual, it may appear as the Ghost of Wraith seen at
198 Mystic Masonry.
times near cemeteries. It has also much to do with the "ghosts" and "materializations" of the Seance rooms. This Astral principle, like all the other seven (really six, exclusive of the highest) is seven- fold in its constitution in man; and it is the lowest of which we have been speaking. This Astral is one of the principles of the "square," or lower quaternary, and is not, therefore, the real spiritual soul, or immortal part in man.
With this crude outline of the Form-Body we may now return to the process of regeneration. The change resulting from self-mastery and the subjuga- tion of the lower animal nature, strengthens the Form-Body and liberates it from the physical shell. Instead of this Astral or Form-Body saturated with the gross animal spirits (kama) being held to the vibrations of the mere animal and physical nature, and thus holding consciousness to the key-note of the physical plane, involved in the lower animal life, the vibrations are now raised one plane higher. The action of the Pineal Gland and Restiform Bodies heretofore described, now come into play with the purified and liberated Form-Body. The physical body is still the vehicle of the Ego on the physical plane; but is is no longer a dark prison-house with animal lust and pride as Goalers. It is a common
The Secret Doctrine. 199
experience, and often consciously so, that we "jour- ney when we sleep." We go out of the body and visit scenes, and gain experiences during the sleep of the physical senses, but it is rare that we remem- ber, or really understand what happens, for the rea- son that all that we know as memory concerns the brain on the lower side. Now, in case of the grow- ing Adept these experiences become continually more frequent and lucid. He retains distinct recol- lection, and understands more and more of what occurs. By and by he observes the process of "going out" and "coming back;" and at length learns to repeat the process at will; a perfectly nat- ural evolution, be it observed. The story of Peter Ibbetson gives an exceedingly graphic and phil- osophical description of this "double conscious- ness," which is more than justified by the phenom- ena of Hypnotism and Somnambulism. The Adept from the time he is able to change at will his habi- tat, leads a double life, and lives at once in two worlds. He has, moreover, "put the last enemy under foot." He has, by self-conquest and Will, conquered Death. These are they whom Plato and the old Initiates call the Immortals. At the death or dissolution of the physical body such a one is not precipitated into a new world, as a helpless infant
200 Mystic Masonry.
is born into the physical, with organs undeveloped, and functions untried ; but, already familiar with the inner realm from experience, he preserves con- sciousness on that plane and is there like an adult on the physical plane. It is true that he can not function or manifest on the physical plane as be- fore, for he has now no longer the physical body. But he has learned to live so little on that plane, and found thereon so little of real enjoyment, that unless he has a special work to do for humanity, or an obligation to discharge to others, he finds nothing to regret in dying. He has fulfilled the Law of Necessity (Karma) by obeying it!
'This is peace, To conquer love of self and lust of life, To tear deep-rooted passion from the breast, To still the inward strife."
"For love, to clasp Eternal Beauty close;
For glory, to be Lord of self, for pleasure To live beyond the gods; for countless wealth
To lay up lasting treasure."
''Then sorrow ends, for Life and Death have ceased: How should lamps flicker when their oil i3 spent?
The old sad count is clear, the new is clean; Thus hath a man content."
The Secret Doctrine. 201
"Hark ! from the deep unfathomable vortex of that golden light in which the Victor bathes All Na- ture's wordless voice in thousand tones ariseth to proclaim: "Joy unto ye, oh men of Myalba.
"A Pilgrim Hath Returned back from the other shore."
"A new Arhan is born"*
Such in philosophy, in science, in fact, and in truth is a Master; as the natural product of self- conquest and evolution, and not as a miraculous creation.
The knowledge possessed by such a Master, and the power which he finds subject to his Will, are derived, as in all ordinary cases, from the whole range of his experience. One has only to use good judgment and thoughtful observation in experiment- ing along the lines indicated, and to go but a little way to become convinced of the truth involved in the philosophy of self-conquest. It is no "go-as- you-please''' evolution. It is rather using the Will and subordinating the lower nature to accomplish "the Will of God concerning us ;" in place of ringing the everlasting changes in sensation and ennui life
*Voice of the Silence.
202 Mystic Masonry.
after life upon earth. In comparison with the ordi- nary process of drifting with any tide, it is, indeed, a forcing process; but the force is derived from the higher nature, and the result is plainly within the law of man's moral and intellectual life.
The term Astral-Body has been used because it is somewhat familiar to Western students. The term is a very loose one at best, and the plane and struc- ture to which it refers are so metaphysical and com- plex that it is difficult to find terms in which to de- scribe it. The conception of what we ordinarily call "matter and force" is, moreover, entirely in- adequate in dealing with such problems. Electric- ity, for example, is not simply a "mode of motion," or a "fluid," but a correlate involving life and intel- ligence, with latent consciousness, and moved by Will: a duality in itself, according as it manifests as the substance of one plane or the energy of another.
Furthermore, the problem of consciousness as re- lated to Space and Time already pointed out, makes it difficult to put in exact terms the experience of the Ego on the supra-physical planes. In "going out of the body," for example, there is a freeing of the centers of action always resident in the Astral, or the Atomic Body, from the physical organs and tissues; and a consequent change of the planes of
The Secret Doctrine. 203
consciousness. Synchronous vibrations now occur between the centers of consciousness in the Astral- Body and the whole Astral Plane; just as before, this synchronism existed between the physical body and the physical plane in relation to physical con- sciousness. The Astral-Body, therefore, need not leave the vicinity of the physical, or "travel through space," to take cognizance of events elsewhere transpiring. This, furthermore, remains true, even in cases where the apparition of the individual is seen at great distances from where the physical body is, at the time, reposing.* Thought is, in every case, a vibration molding substance into definite forms. Whenever we think of a person near or far, we create a thought image of that person. This form necessarily varies according to the clearness of memory or imagination, and the strength of Will. Furthermore, our thought is characteristic of our- selves, and in thinking intently of a distant object or person, a thought-form of ourselves may appear at that place. This may occur or be visible to others, and exist unconsciously to ourselves. With a per- son of trained habits of thought, who thinks clearly
*Dr. Baraduc has demonstrated this, by the "Thought-Body."
204 Mystic Masonry.
and connectedly, and who is possessed of a strong will; who knows, also, how to fix and hold the thought on an object or a person, the projection of the Thought-Body, as above described, becomes a comparatively easy matter. Such an Illusion might or might not be perceived by another ; nor, except in the case of an Adept, could the individual causing the Illusion be certain himself whether his experi- ment had been successful or not.
While these facts have been familiar to students of occultism for ages, they have seldom been dis- cussed in print for the reason that such discussion could do no good and would only excite ridicule. But now that modern scientific experiment trenches so closely on the subject, the discussion may not seem so unprofitable.
In a communication from Paris dated June 27, 1896, a description of psychic photography is given as presented to the Paris Academie de Medicine by Dr. Baraduc:
"Dr. Baraduc explains in part his methods of psychic photography, which seem simple enough. The experimenter locks himself in a dark room where he has previously placed a sensitive plate. After seating himself and divesting his mind of vagrant thoughts and deliberations, and after steady-
The Secret Doctrine. 205
ing his nerves, he concentrates ail his ideas on a certain image, be it man, beast, or inanimate object, and it will be found that the accuracy of the image will be in proportion to the power of his will. If no other image has intruded, a perfect likeness will have been obtained. In conclusion, Dr. Baraduc says that not everybody has this power to control his volition, and in order to succeed, a strong imagi- nation is absolutely necessary, and an energetic Will indispensable."
Mr. James M. Rusk, of Ohio, reports the same result from a similar experiment made by himself and confirmed by Colonel De Rochas.
The only new feature in these experiments is the introduction of photography and the consequent fixation of the images, and this result is, of course, of paramount importance to materialistic science. Ten thousand persons will be convinced by a fact or an ocular demonstration, where one will perceive the truth from reason, philosophy, or intuition. Let us have the ocular demonstration, then, by all means. Experiment might be facilitated immensely by as- sistance derived from the old philosophy, but as this is usually ignored or derided, Science will have a long and toilsome journey before it apprehends the real nature of these illusory images, or deduces from
206 Mystic Masonry.
experiment the nature of the Soul. The death-knell of materialism is, however, already sounded. "For this, and that which we are about to receive, the Lord make us truly thankful !"
The Secret Doctrine. 207