Theosophical Siftings

An Elementary Note on the Seven Principles

Vol 4, No 16

An Elementary Note on the Seven Principles

by J.W. Brodie-Innes, F. .S.
Reprinted from Theosophical Siftings Vol!me 4 The Theosophical P!"lishing Society, England

PR#$A$%& there are fe' s!"(ects of occ!lt learning more essential for the "eginner to ac)!ire a firm grip of than 'hat are commonly *no'n as the seven principles, and fe', so far as my o'n e+perience goes, so generally and persistently either !tterly mis!nderstood or a"andoned as a hopeless tangle "y the elementary st!dent, The ca!se, - "elieve, lies partly in the 'ant of caref!l preliminary agreement as to the !se of 'ords, partly in the attempt of teachers to e+po!nd too m!ch at once, Nearly invaria"ly one finds the e+planation of the seven principles of h!manity set forth together 'ith that of planetary ro!nds and chains, 'ith foot.races and life.cycles, till the l!c*less st!dent/s "rain "egins to s'im, and he 'onders 'hether he is in fact living on the S!n or Sat!rn, or 'hether he has s'allo'ed the moon, a concl!sion 'hich the l!nacy of some of his ideas lends colo!r to, 0y aim in this paper is to o"viate a fe' of these diffic!lties, and "y attempting only to treat a very small portion of the s!"(ect to render that portion s!fficiently clear to ena"le the st!dent to read 'ith !nderstanding some of the more advanced 'or*s on occ!ltism, 1ith this vie' - propose to proceed on the method 'hich is certainly the "est for teaching, tho!gh not the most logical or philosophically correct, viz,, proceeding from partic!lars to generals, and in the present instance from the *no'n to the !n*no'n, Every fact of everyday life is a special e+ample of some general principle of science, and2 even so, every principle of science is "!t a special e+ample of the Scientia Scientiarum 3 #cc!ltism, A professor delivering a co!rse of lect!res on some special s!"(ect, 'ill pro"a"ly lay do'n first his general principles, then ded!ce his form!lae, and thro' in some e+periments "y 'ay of ill!stration, $!t not th!s do 'e teach a little child, 1e familiarise the mind 'ith the e+periment first, then lead it grad!ally !p'ard to grasp the ca!se and the ca!se of that ca!se, etc.. The "!l* of man*ind are, to'ards occ!ltism, as little children, and indeed most st!dents have to grasp it in this 'ay if they 'o!ld get it at all, - propose, therefore, freely to !se the terms and form!lae of science 'herever they s!it the p!rpose, sho'ing ho' the more profo!nd insight of the occ!ltist 'idens or restricts them, and - shall attempt to e+plain the nat!re of the seven principles "y reference to that 'hich each one *no's !Pa"e #$ "est, viz,, his o'n personality, 1hen the st!dent can realise th!s m!ch he 'ill "e fit to !nderstand something of the great doctrine of correspondences, and to attach some meaning to the Planetary Ro!nds and 4hains, etc., The first step is to grasp firmly the idea in more or less detail of 'hat each Principle is, 1hen this is done Page 1

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An Elementary Note on the Seven Principles

Vol 4, No 16

it 'ill "e fo!nd !sef!l to affi+ to it its Sanscrit name, partly "eca!se these names are commonly !sed in "oo*s on occ!ltism, and partly "eca!se, not "eing in common !se in the 1est, these names have not, as it 'ere, "ecome 'orn "y pop!lar !se, have not ac)!ired a string of connotations 'hich the st!dent has to "anish from his mind, and are therefore more fitted for technical terms, Everyone is pro"a"ly familiar 'ith the division of the material and spirit!al nat!res of man 5"y 'hatever names they may "e called6, the division 'hich regards the "ody as a tool or instr!ment 'hich some force or po'er, 'hich, for the time "eing, 'e may call !n*no'n, !ses d!ring the term of their association, This division "ecomes evident on considering the difference "et'een a dead man and a living one, -n the former case the tool is there "!t the !ser is a'ay, This, it 'ill appear, is not "y any means a precise analogy, for "efore the !ser has entirely left the tool is also gone, "!t for the present it is near eno!gh, No' it is precisely the tool 'hich is the lo'est of the seven principles, and the one therefore on 'hich the attention m!st first "e fi+ed, -n the So!th 7ensington 0!se!m and other places yo! may see the constit!ents of the h!man "ody 3 a large (ar of 'ater and vario!s pac*ets of chemicals, These, ho'ever, are "!t the constit!ents 3 the elements 3 red!ced not indeed so far as chemistry can red!ce them, for the 'ater for instance might "e decomposed into #+ygen and 8ydrogen, and the other salts, etc., might "e decomposed f!rther, still the red!ction is s!fficient for the p!rpose, No' 'hen a dead "ody lies "efore !s, 'e *no' that it is an acc!m!lation of these materials, of these elements, 'hich are in fact similar to those 'hich form the earth2 and 'ith regard to the arrangement of these science can give !s material help, Science tells !s, for instance, that the h!man "ody is composed of an aggregate of differentiated cells, carriers of a s!"stance termed protoplasm 5the chemical constit!ents of 'hich it also tells !s 6, $!t in the "ody "efore !s, the instant life departs 5or even "efore6 'hat is termed decomposition sets in, i.e,, the cells "egin to part company, and the "ond restraining them into the shape and formation of a h!man "ody is loosened, the cells ho'ever still retain vitality and a potential capacity for going into other forms of life, -f this rene'al of cell.life in other forms and conditions "e artificially prevented, or rendered impossi"le "y heat or other'ise, the condition of the pac*ets of chemicals in the !Pa"e %$ m!se!m is reached, -f 'e can conceive this condition to "e reached 'itho!t disintegration of a single cell of the "ody, merely retaining the chemical elements in the position they held d!ring life, "!t 'itho!t leaving in any cell any more potentiality of life than there is in the m!se!m pac*ets, then the condition is attained of the tool 'itho!t the !ser, The 'ell.*no'n case of the mammoth entom"ed in Si"erian ice, or the "odies of mon*s in the 9reat St, $ernard, or the dried.!p corpses in the 4ap!chin monastery at Palermo, are e+amples, pro"a"ly the nearest 'e can get, to the hypothetical conditions, -f the st!dent 'ill caref!lly realise this conception, e+amining "y the light of material science everything 'hich the idea connotes, he 'ill have a ro!gh sort of notion of the lo'est principle of the Septenary, and having formed and firmly grasped this conception, he may affi+ to it the name of Sthula Sharira, 1hether this "e spo*en of as the tool or the vehicle, or the "asis of the higher principles, matters "!t little, The st!dent m!st, ho'ever, notice that it connotes every possi"le or conceiva"le thing 'hich is, or can "e made, percepti"le to the ordinary five senses "y any scientific apparat!s, All modes of matter are therefore merely parts or f!nctions of Sthula Sharira, and science fi+ing its attention solely on this leads Page 2

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!s at last to a "lan* 'all, for no possi"le mode or com"ination of the elements of Sthula Sharira can prod!ce any higher principle, At the same time, "y the doctrine of correspondences, every fact "elonging to the lo'est principle is the analog!e, and reflection of a fact on each higher principle, every discovery of science and every recorded fact interpreted "y the f!ller and deeper insight of the occ!ltist, may "e of a val!e far transcending anything 'hich the scientist 'ho discovered it ever dreamed of, Th!s the chemist can tell !s m!ch of the elements of 'hich this Sthula Sharira is "!ilt2 he can decompose them, predicate something of their )!alities, and set do'n 'hat he calls their com"ining n!m"ers, &et these very com"ining n!m"ers, if the chemist 'ere "!t also an occ!ltist, 'o!ld give him the cl!e to the great science of proportion and mystery n!m"ers, 'hich is at the root of all sciences, and is the very mystery of 4reation itself, -n fact, the positive teachings of science, so far as they represent the caref!l st!dy of facts of o!r material 'orld, tr!thf!lly and honestly set forth, 'ith sincere devotion to tr!th, and not gar"led or tin*ered to fit in 'ith the scientist/s o'n theories, are of infinite val!e, -t is only 'hen in the arrogance of his o'n vanity, leading him to ass!me that his o'n little meas!re of *no'ledge represents the height and depth of final and !ncontroverti"le 'isdom, the scientist ta*es on himself to limit and to deny, that he "ecomes pernicio!s, %et !s then conceive of Sthula Sharira as the lifeless chemical elements !Pa"e &$ simply p!t together in the form, do'n to the min!test details, of cells and n!clei of the h!man "ody, -t is plain that the 'hole form is "!t li*e a child/s sand castle, 'hich merely holds together till the first 'ash of the 'ave passes over it, There m!st "e some principle in the living man 'hich holds these elements together, that principle in fact 'hich, separating from Sthula Sharira at death, allo's the elements to fall apart and decompose, As the "ody maintains its form d!ring life, and decomposes at death, this force m!st in fact "e the life principle, 4onsidering no' the phenomena of death in the h!man or animal "eing, 'e see that the decomposition of the form occ!rs first, "!t the life of the separate cells contin!es, and this passes into other forms of life, -f the cell "e s!"(ected to heat or other infl!ence 'hich 'o!ld destroy its life, the cell.form itself disintegrates, and th!s "ecomes p!re Sthula Sharira2 the life in fact leaves the "ody in inverse order to that in 'hich it came, for it is no' fairly 'ell esta"lished that the primordial cell 'as a very early, if not the first, form of life on this planet, and that the m!lticell!lar organisms 'ith a corporate life of their o'n grad!ally evolved from cell.colonies, and that, s!ch corporate life ceasing at the death of the organism, the cells are released from the "ond 'here"y the "ody 'as composed, and they promptly decompose, The life principle is then confined to each separate cell, 'hich is in fact itself a highly differentiated organism, "!ilt in all pro"a"ility of m!ltit!des of cell!les 5if 'e may coin a ne' 'ord for a conception not yet 'ithin the p!rvie' of modern science6, This in its t!rn 'ill decompose 'hen the life.principle leaves it, or is driven o!t, "!t in the meantime it Page 3

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An Elementary Note on the Seven Principles

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may go to form some other "ody, And even after death or destr!ction of the cell, the protoplasmic s!"stance 5rashly ass!med "y some scientists to "e some *ind of primordial life matter6 may pass into and vivify other cells of different organisms, The f!nction of the life principle then, first and chiefly, is to hold together the elements composing Sthula Sharira, and to prevent decomposition, and to this principle the name of Prana is given, : S!ch 'as the teaching of 8, P, $, and of learned #rientals, the modern transposition of Prana and Linga Sharira is very conf!sing to those trained on 8, P, $,/s system, 'itho!t any very o"vio!s gain ; $!t since there is a "road distinction "et'een a mar"le stat!e and a living man, tho!gh the molec!les of "oth are prevented "y some force from falling as!nder, and in the latter case the force involves a contin!al thro'ing off of 'aste matter and ta*ing in of fresh, and therefore involves also po'ers of perceiving and responding to imp!lses from 'itho!t 5tho!gh it "e "!t in the a!tomatic 'ay that a flo'er e+pands its c!p in the s!nshine62 therefore all this vital f!nctioning "elongs to Prana, the fac!lty, that is, of !Pa"e '$ responding to those etheric thrills 5no more appropriate name pro"a"ly 'o!ld "e intelligi"le to the "eginner6 'hich Easterns term Tatwas, and 'hich 1esterns may recognise as the means 'here"y e+ternal o"(ects appeal to their five senses, there "eing a Tatwa 5or scheme or system of thrills6 for each sense, Prana therefore, li*e Sthula Sharira, is manifold< indeed, it is "roadly septenary, each of its divisions "eing s!scepti"le of s!"division, A conception may no' "e formed of the relation of Prana and Sthula Sharira, for if protoplasm 'ere 'hat it 'as originally s!pposed to "e, an !ndifferentiated homogeneo!s primordial matter endo'ed 'ith life, this 'o!ld present these t'o principles in their simplest form, -t is needless ho'ever to say that protoplasm 5so.called6 tho!gh a highly interesting form of matter from a scientific point of vie', is not 'ithin many tho!sand miles of "eing the primordial life. st!ff 2 it is something gained that the scientist can conceive of the e+istence of s!ch life.st!ff and try to find it, As the la"o!rs of the chemist and anatomist 'ere essential to the st!dy of Sthula Sharira, so those of the "iologist and physiologist prove a great assistance at the present stage, Science indeed tells !s very little as to the constit!tion of cells, "!t tells !s many facts of s!preme importance as to the association of cells in organic "odies, from 'hich "y analogy 'e may infer m!ch concerning the pro"a"le constit!tion of the primordial cell, Th!s 1eissmann, after post!lating the primordial cell as the origin of life on this planet, and !nicell!lar organisms s!ch as Rhi=opoda and -nf!soria as among the earliest forms, ass!mes 5as he is pro"a"ly (!stified in doing6 that in the co!rse of development of the organised 'orld it m!st have happened that certain !nicell!lar organisms did not separate from each other, "!t lived together, at first as e)!ivalent elements, each of 'hich retained all the animal f!nctions, incl!ding that of reprod!ction, No' "e it caref!lly noted that reprod!ction in these single.cell organisms proceeds "y means of fission, Each cell gro's to a certain si=e and then divides into t'o parts e+actly ali*e in si=e and str!ct!re, There is no s!ggestion of se+ here, it 'o!ld "e a"s!rd to term s!ch an !nicell!lar organism male, or female, or even androgyno!s or hermaphrodite, this comes later in the life of the cell.colony, -t is th!s clear that the division of se+ "elongs only to the development 5not to the primordial forms6 of Sthula Sharira, the lo'est principle, And tho!gh these pages are really intended for the most elementary "eginners, - 'arn them as they proceed 'ith their st!dies, to "e very caref!l in the interpretation of the 'ords male and female, as applied to s!persens!al )!alities and po'ers, :See Transactions of the Page 4

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$lavats*y %odge ;

An Elementary Note on the Seven Principles

Vol 4, No 16

-t is tr!e the terms are !sed, and "y some of the most advanced occ!ltists, and that, as - "elieve, not from any inherent fitness in the terms !Pa"e ($ "!t "eca!se some 'ords e+pressing a distinction 'ere necessary and these seemed as good as any2 m!ch the same reason in fact as ind!ced electricians to !se the terms positive and negative in relation to electricity, $!t to 'riters on occ!ltism - 'o!ld respectf!lly plead for the !se of some terms less li*ely to conf!se the ordinary mind, so that 'e might at least "e spared the v!lgar immoralities 5to say no more or 'orse6 of the soi-disant Spirit."rides, et hoc genus omne, incl!ding the very )!estiona"le t'in.so!l doctrine2 for, as there can "e no se+ a"ove Sthula Sharira, nor in the primal forms of that, the se+!al attri"!tes "esto'ed on spirit!al e+istences are either p!rely metaphorical, 'hich is the case in a 0aster/s 'riting, or an imp!re and gross imaginary prod!ct of the lo'est dregs of Astral light poisoned "y emanations of h!man licentio!sness, 'hich is the case 'ith some ninety percent of readers, The grad!al decadence and corr!ption of the "ise+!al pantheon of ancient 9reece, so p!re and no"le in its original sym"olism, so gross and filthy in its latter corr!ption, sho!ld "e a 'arning, :4ompare also the history of the 8, $,of %, the %a*e 8arris 4omm!nity and the li*e; The precise point of evol!tion of se+ is 'ell sho'n in >ie Entsteh!ng der Se+!al=ellen "ei den 8ydromed!sen "y 1eismann, ?ena, 1@@A, Ret!rning from this digression 'e find that after s!ch homogeneo!s cell.colony had lived together for some time, division of la"o!r 'o!ld prod!ce a differentiation, th!s certain cells 'o!ld "e set apart for o"taining food, others for locomotion, etc,, 'hile some 'o!ld "e e+cl!sively reprod!ctive, 1e th!s get the Somatic and the 9erm plastic cells, 'hat in pop!lar lang!age 'e call an !nited life of the cell.colony2 in other 'ords, a ne' and collective Prana "inding the cells as s!ch into a corporate life, as each separate cell is itself "o!nd together as an organic !nit, S!ch a cell colony may reprod!ce "y fission or gemmation, or in any other 'ay2 it may "e androgyno!s or hermaphrodite or "ise+!al, oviparo!s or viviparo!s, or vario!s types "y t!rns, as the Polypi and the 0ed!sae for instance, "!t tho!gh the reprod!ction and the "irth of a ne' cell.colony depends on the tiniest spec* of a germ.plastic cell, the progeny 'ill acc!m!late aro!nd itself somatic and germ cells 'ith the same arrangement, the same f!nctions in a 'ord, as the parent colony, -t is evident therefore that there m!st "e some scheme of arrangement, some ideal plan, according to 'hich the cells, 'hether somatic, or germ.plastic, and the molec!les of the "ody, are directed to their proper places2 e)!ally certain that Prana, 'hose f!nctions merely consist in retaining all the elements together, and ass!ming or casting them o!t in accordance 'ith s!ch plan, co!ld never of itself generate s!ch plan, this 'o!ld "e as a"s!rd as to conceive of Sthula Sharira itself evolving Prana. To !se a some'hat s!ggestive analogy, the magnetic c!rrents, raying from a magnet, s'eep !Pa"e )$ steel filings into ordered lines, "!t the direction of these c!rrents, and the form of these lines, is determined "y other forces, a"ove and "eyond the magnetic c!rrents and controlling them, Science, strictly so called, gives very little help here, for the ideal plan or scheme of arrangement does not appeal to the five senses nor even respond to any test applica"le to matter, $!t the phenomena of hypnotism, no' "eing s!"(ected to the strictest scientific investigation, has familiari=ed the mind 'ith the Page 5

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conception of tho!ght.forms, 'hich 'itho!t any material presentment can "e made percepti"le to the conscio!sness of another, >isc!ssions on tho!ght transference, on telepathy and *indred s!"(ects, have helped in the same direction, and honest in)!irers among the spirit!alists have done something, so that no' the conception of the e+istence of any ideal "!t impercepti"le form is no strange one, -f may "e said that a tho!ght.form post!lates a thin*er, tho!gh some schools of philosophy deny this, $!t it 'ill "e 'ell for the st!dent to pass "y this )!estion for the present, and ta*ing the simple fact that any particle or molec!le ta*en into the "ody can rest no'here "!t in its appropriate place, reflect that this post!lates the pre.e+istence of some ideal scheme, some plan on 'hich that partic!lar "ody 'as "!ilt, B!rther that as that same plan on 'hich that partic!lar "ody 'as "!ilt e+isted "efore the material "ody it 'ill contin!e to e+ist after, yet it is not immortal, This plan or scheme is the ne+t principle and is called in Sanscrit Linga Sharira. According to occ!lt philosophy it has an e+istence, apart from the partic!lar "ody of 'hich it is the plan or ideal, as a separate entity2 any modification of the material "ody ta*es place first in Linga Sharira, then "y means of Prana the chemical constit!ents of Sthula Sharira are made to respond and to follo' as nearly as may "e the modification prod!ced in Linga Sharira, An artist/s vision of the pict!re he is a"o!t to create, a m!sician/s dream of the divine harmonies of oratorio and opera to "e composed, are in a certain sense e+amples of Linga Sharira. Since this is the plan in accordance 'ith 'hich Prana restrains the material molec!les, this is o"vio!sly the principle 'hich fears and resists death, the principle 'hich is operative in the >ar'inian Cstr!ggle for e+istence , The !nicell!lar organisms or monoplastides a"ove referred to 'hich have "!t these three principles are accordingly, as 1eismann has sho'n, immortal, CEach individ!al of any s!ch !nicell!lar species living on earth today is far older than man*ind, and is almost as old as life itself 51eismann on Heredity, page DE6, This principle appears in pop!lar lang!age as instinct of self.preservation, -t may assist the st!dent some'hat in forming a conception of this rather diffic!lt s!"(ect, to consider the ill!stration of a regiment, say for !Pa"e *$ instance the $lac* 1atch, The regiment is composed of a certain n!m"er of men, 'ho apart from the organi=ation of the regiment 'o!ld "e simply a chaotic incoherent mass of h!man "eings, as it is the discipline and esprit de corps representing the regimental Prana 'hich hold them together, assigning to each his proper place in the scheme or organi=ation of the regiment 5its Linga Sharira6, th!s giving it a corporate life as a distinct entity, separate from any of the men 'ho compose it or from the aggregate of them all2 for all these perish "!t the $lac* 1atch goes on, 'ith its history, its memories, its hopes, aspirations, and tri!mphs, 'herein every man 'ho composes that regiment has a share, "!t 'hich are )!ite independent of his o'n personal memories, hopes, etc,, S!ch are the three lo'er principles, constit!ting, it has "een said, a vegeta"le e+istence, This, ho'ever, m!st not "e ta*en literally, for every vegeta"le no' gro'ing has more than these three principles, as 'ill appear, -n fact every vegeta"le has not only the three lo'er, 'hich may "e called the vegeta"le principles, constit!ting an e+istence 'hich simply lives 5so far as meta"olism or the ta*ing in of fresh molec!les and casting o!t 'aste can "e called life, !nconscio!s, 'itho!t tho!ght or desire, a mere a!tomatic machine6, "!t has the dormant "!t (!st a'a*ening fac!lties 'hich "elong to the higher life, and Page 6

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event!ally 'o!ld lin* the vegeta"le and animal *ingdoms, A caref!l st!dy of the lo'est *no'n forms of life thro's m!ch light on this point, En)!iring no' 'hat man has "eyond this simple vegeta"le e+istence, the ans'er 'o!ld almost certainly "e volition and self.conscio!sness, This pro"a"ly appears to nearly everyone 'ho thin*s o!t the s!"(ect th!s far, the real man 'ho !ses the three lo'er principles as a 'or*man !ses his tool, To prod!ce any physical effect 5setting aside for the moment the )!estion of occ!lt, falsely called s!perh!man, po'ers6 physical means m!st "e employed, i.e,, the "ody m!st someho' "e set to do something, To !se the tool in this 'ay 'e see no' that Linga Sharira is the *ey, -f a man sho!ld 'ish to operate any change in Sthula Sarira, his physical flesh and "lood, even to the e+tent of changing his position, or carrying a "oo* from the shelf, or even moving a single m!scle, he m!st first operate that change in Linga Sharira, in other 'ords perform the act mentally2 then 'hen Linga Sharira is modified the action of Prana is to prod!ce a corresponding modification in Sthula Sharira, Again, any *no'ledge apprehended "y the senses 'hich are the gates of Sthula Sharira m!st, "y the mediation of Prana, affect Linga Sharira2 other'ise seeing he sees not and hearing he hears not, 'hich is the case in 'hat 'e term a"straction or inattention, or in the case of a somnam"!list or hypnoti=ed s!"(ect 'ho, 'ith 'ide open eyes, is yet !nconscio!s of the images that fall !pon them, The principle then, 'hich can perceive the modifications of Linga !Pa"e +$ Sharira proceeding from 'itho!t, and can "y 'ill.force prod!ce modifications therein, to affect Sthula Sharira, is the ne+t principle, 8o' is this doneF 8o' does the 'or*man handle the tool F $y 'hat means is he a"le to prod!ce 'hat, in ordinary lang!age, are called physical effectsF 1e have gro'n so familiar 'ith this phase of the great pro"lem that most of !s fail to see 'here the diffic!lty lies, -t seems so simple for instance to desire that a thing sho!ld "e done, and to go and do it, &et it is a"sol!tely necessary for the st!dent to reali=e 'hat the pro"lem is, and ho' very far from o"vio!s is the sol!tion, 1e need only as* o!rselves 3 ho' does a single m!scle moveF 1e 'ish an arm thr!st o!t, and promptly it goes2 'e 'ish it dra'n "ac* and it comes2 "!t ho'F To say that the 'ill can affect the material fa"ric of the "ody is an o"vio!s tr!ism, "!t the reali=ation of the operation, and all it involves, is a great occ!lt lesson 'hich cannot "e ta!ght, "!t 'hich can "e learned "y any st!dent 'hose fac!lties are s!fficiently developed and 'ho 'ill ta*e the tro!"le, 1e arrive then at the fac!lty called Will, and in considering this several correlative ideas at once attach themselves, 1ill implies a choice "et'een t'o possi"le co!rses, -t is needless conf!sion to pres!ppose more than t'o2 everything 'hich 'e can possi"ly do at any moment is either A or not A , Gnless there are t'o possi"ilities there is no 'ill, it is necessity, and the man is an a!tomaton, B!rther, the impelling force m!st come from 'ithin and "e personal to the man, Th!s a (elly fish is 'ashed to and fro "y the c!rrents e+ternal to itself, the verte"rate fish s'ims 'hither it 'ills "y internal resolve, 1hat is it then 'hich determines the choiceF The Gtilitarian philosophy gives an immediate ans'er, Pleas!re or Pain 3 to ac)!ire the one and to avoid the other is the spring and so!rce of every action, 4aref!lly reasoned o!t it is evident that this means simply the endeavo!r to esta"lish a different condition in Sthula Sharira from that 'hich e+ists, e.g,, "eing cold the endeavo!r to get hot 3 and if the st!dent sho!ld as* himself 'hyF the )!estion 'ill appear so a"s!rdly irrelevant as hardly to "e 'orth stating, yet the more the st!dent meditates the more diffic!lt 'ill the ans'er seem, There are certain gro!ps of sensations affecting the nerves 'hich he 'ill at once desire to inhi"it, and others 'hich in the same 'ay he 'ill desire to repeat, "!t caref!l and concentrated analysis 'ill modify "oth these desires, even if it Page 7

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does not act!ally reverse them, B!rther, on caref!lly st!dying them, the sensations 'ill "egin to differentiate themselves, Pain for instance 'ill divide itself into the pain act!ally felt, and 'hich the man 'ill desire to cease feeling, and the fear lest that pain sho!ld contin!e indefinitely, or increase in intensity, the latter "eing the image of a f!t!re pain added to the present e+isting pain 'hich he !Pa"e ,-$ feels, -f a man can only s!cceed in separating the pain presently felt, from the pain dreaded, he 'ill often "e s!rprised to find ho' little real difference there is "et'een act!al pleas!re and pain, A good classification of pleas!res and pains as motives of action 'ill "e of considera"le assistance to the st!dent at this point, s!ch as may "e fo!nd in ?eremy $entham/s Principles of orals and Legislation, 8aving this classification in his head, if the st!dent 'ill once more consider the springs of his o'n actions he 'ill "e a"le to realise ho' the "rain ca!ses the m!sc!lar action in o"edience to the dictates of the 'ill, 'hich latter no' appears as a "lind force travelling in the line of least resistance, avoiding pain and follo'ing pleas!re, 5!ote, of co!rse these terms are here !sed in the sense the Gtilitarians ascri"e to them, of 'ell."eing and ill."eing, th!s the helping of another is according to this philosophy the avoidance of one/s o'n sympathetic pain at another/s misfort!ne, the attainment of one/s o'n sympathetic (oy at another/s re(oicing2 these "eing, to sympathetic persons, more *een than mere self. regarding (oys and sorro's,6 0ost thin*ers 'ill no' "e a"le to see at once that these motives of pleas!re and pain are not the chief factors in directing h!man action, -n order to o"tain a clear mental image it 'as necessary to st!dy these first "y themselves, and get a clear idea of their effect on the 'ill, and the effect of the 'ill !nder their infl!ence on physical actions, "!t the great so!rces of energy, *no'n pop!larly as the passions, 'ere for the time "eing left o!t of co!nt, These, s!ch for instance as gl!ttony, dr!n*enness, personal vanity and am"ition, contentio!sness, or p!gnacity, se+!al appetites, and the li*e, 'ill "e recognised almost at the first "l!sh, as prod!cing effects !tterly dis.proportioned to, and sometimes having no possi"le relation to, the amo!nt of pleas!re or pain involved, -t may "e that a man, impelled "y passion, *no's perfectly 'ell that no satisfaction "!t the reverse m!st infalli"ly res!lt from his ind!lgence in his passion, yet he is !na"le to restrain himself, These passions have "een 'ell termed "y some 'riters The 1hirlpools or vortices, and they m!st "e acc!rately investigated, and mar*ed as dangero!s c!rrents at sea2 s!ch investigation, ho'ever, is no more for the elementary st!dent than the investigation of physical 'hirlpools is for the novice at s'imming 3 *no'ledge, strength, a clear cool head, and perfect self.control, are the e)!ipment a"sol!tely necessary for the e+plorer of these dangero!s localities, As to the investigation and treatment of the passion 'hirlpools, the st!dent may very profita"ly cons!lt ?eremy Taylor/s Holy Living, a 'or* 'hich contains far more real occ!ltism than is generally s!pposed, -t is f!rther said that these 'hirlpools have a 'ell defined s!"(ection to planetary infl!ences, and that they are differently developed in different !Pa"e ,,$ individ!als2 and f!rther, that the partic!lar vortices 'hich are specially developed are indicated in vario!s 'ays, "y mar*s on the "ody, the lines on the hand, the position and character of moles, etc,, %avater fo!nd indications of the relative strength of vario!s passions in the feat!res of the face 5for character is really nothing "!t the res!lting "alance of all the passions, changing as each one is con)!ered of developed6, and phrenologists find the same in the Page 8

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"!mps of the head2 "!t these are some'hat empirical sciences as compared 'ith the indications of the hand, 'hereon the vortices are mapped and meas!red for all 'ho can read the chart, To these vortices also "elong the infl!ence 'hich the elementals, famo!s in occ!lt literat!re, e+ercise over h!man "eings2 they are the slaves of those 'ho have learned to r!le themselves, "!t the cr!el tyrants of those 'ho are helplessly dragged along in the vorte+, 0eantime, the st!dent/s tas* is to realise that the infl!ences 'hich !se and g!ide the force 'hich 'e call the will, are either the sane and rational ones of pleas!re and pain, each "eing of vario!s degrees of higher and lo'er, or the insane and irrational domination of the passions2 other motives there are of a still more important *ind, 'hich cannot "e f!lly !nderstood till, after the st!dy of the higher principles, this fo!rth principle is once more ta*en !p, 8aving th!s far realised 'hat this fo!rth principle is, let the st!dent no' attach to it the name of "ama #upa 5literally the "ody of desire6 and consider caref!lly the nat!re of its relations 'ith the three principles already st!died, -t is o"vio!s at once that "ama #upa, the seat of the 'ill, is also the seat of the conscio!s perception 5this is o"vio!s if 'e reflect that all the three lo'er principles may "e operative 'hile the "ody is in a state of !nconscio!sness6, it is in fact Cthe self , This is clear even from pop!lar lang!age, for a man spea*s of my "ody, my life, etc,, "!t 'hen he means "ama #upa he says myself, %et !s no' trace the image of a sense.impression prod!cing all action, An image falls, say, on the eye, and the arrangement of lenses ca!ses a pict!re to "e pro(ected on the retina, as in a camera o$scura2 this "elongs to Sthula Sharira, it 'o!ld "e the same in a dead eye as a living one 5!ntil disintegration commenced6, $y Prana this pict!re is translated into nerve.thrills and conveyed to the "rain, and "y Prana also the image "ecomes incorporated into Linga Sharira, prod!cing a modification thereof, To assist in follo'ing o!t this some'hat comple+ process these considerations may "e fo!nd !sef!l 3 living nerves carry sensations "y thrills2 nerves of a "ody (!st dead, i.e., 'itho!t Prana, do not2 therefore the force 'hatever it is 'hich traverses the nerves is a f!nction of Prana2 the Linga Sharira or image of the ideal man m!st incl!de inter alia every pict!re on his "rain, !Pa"e ,#$ every so!nd that greets his ear, etc,, and since these vary from moment to moment they may appropriately "e called modifications of Linga Sharira6, This modification "ama #upa perceives, receives as it 'ere into its o'n sphere 5for it m!st "e noted that sensations may traverse the nerves 'itho!t affecting the conscio!sness, as a patient 'ith a "ro*en "ac* does not feel conscio!s of his feet "eing tic*led, yet the feet are (er*ed a'ay, sho'ing that there has "een nerve action6, The said modification "eing s!"(ected in "ama #upa, to the test of pleas!re or pain, or stirring into action one of the vortices, the determination of the 'ill is affected, and this force acting on Linga Sharira prod!ces a fresh modification thereof, the modification "eing in fact the mental image of the act to "e done2 this mental image al'ays really preceding the act!al doing of the act, 'hence the saying that a good 'or*man sho!ld al'ays see his (o" done "efore he "egins, meaning that the mental image sho!ld "e clear and of the 'hole, not a part only, of his finished 'or*, The modification 'ill "e more or less clear according to the amo!nt of 'ill.force e+erted and this !s!ally depends on the amo!nt of concentration, 5-n very many cases the formation of the mental image and the doing of the act are practically so nearly sim!ltaneo!s that the former can hardly "e perceived at all2 very caref!l attention 'ill ho'ever sho' to the sensitive st!dent that it al'ays in fact e+ists,6 Page 9

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The amo!nt of 'ill.force 'hich practically lies at a man/s disposal is enormo!s, only a very small proportion "eing !s!ally e+erted, Sometimes, !nder the infl!ence of a vorte+, an invol!ntary concentration occ!rs, 'hence the saying that a man in a passion has s!perh!man strength, and the li*e, The modification prod!ced from 'ithin "y 'ill.force on Linga Sharira is faithf!lly translated and conveyed "y Prana, and receives 'hat is called physical effect in Sthula Sharira, -t 'ill "e fo!nd a !sef!l e+ercise to follo' this comple+ series of mental and physical operations in s!ch a simple action for instance as loo*ing at a "all and pic*ing it !p2 after caref!lly going over and over this, the st!dent 'ill "egin to reali=e "ama #upa, and to see inter alia that he can perceive nothing "!t modifications of Linga Sharira, effect nothing "!t the prod!ction of modifications of Linga Sharira, So he *no's not his friend, he *no's only the image of his friend prod!ced in his o'n Linga Sharira, ta*en !p and e+amined "y "ama #upa and therefore "ecome a part of himself, and so the 'hole o"(ective !niverse, the 4osmos, is to each man part of "ama #upa, To f!lly e+plain this in 'ords is 'holly impossi"le, "!t caref!l and concentrated meditation 'ill "ring it home to the diligent st!dent, and the a"ove 'ords may then "e for him the sym"ol of a tr!th, for he 'ill have 'on an elementary initiation 5'hich every st!dent m!st 'in for !Pa"e ,%$ himself, it cannot "e given e+cept to those 'ho "y diligent striving and long and caref!l tho!ght have fitted themselves to receive the *no'ledge6 "!t 'itho!t s!ch initiation these 'ords 'ill appear the veriest nonsense, 8ere it may "e !sef!l to note that the anatomist, the physician, the nat!ralist, are 'or*ing diligently at the el!cidation of Sthula Sharira, The "iologist and physiologist are e+ploring Prana, The spirit!alist, so far as he is an honest en)!irer and not a money.see*ing professional charlatan 'ith a fe' easy psychic tric*s as his stoc*.in.trade 'here'ith to "e'ilder a dra'ing.room a!dience, is doing !sef!l 'or* in investigating the phenomena connected 'ith Linga Sharira, 1hile metaphysicians, theologians and ethical philosophers of every *ind are endeavo!ring to indicate the po'ers and dangers of "ama #upa, each of these loo*s 'ith distr!st and disfavo!r on the 'or* of the others, and the epithets 0aterialist , S!perstitio!s >reamer , Sacerdotalist are freely thro'n a"o!t, The occ!ltist alone in virt!e of his 'ider range of tho!ght and clearer insight !nderstands the 'or* of all, *no'ing that their relative val!e depends on the principle they are investigating2 the higher the principle the more val!a"le the 'or*, and *no'ing also that "y the system of correspondences2 the la"o!rs of each are m!t!ally ill!strative, &et once more, 'e have seen that in Sthula Sharira 'e have matter in its primordial state, emerged from nothingness, "!t as yet 'itho!t form2 or even if accidentally, as it 'ere, laid together in a form, 'ith no "inding principle to retain it there 3 chaotic in fact, Prana gives the principle 'hich "inds these chaotic molec!les into form, 3 !s!ally this is a magnetic or some *indred force s!ch as gravitation, 3 from this principle 'e have all forms of matter, the mineral *ingdom in fact 3 elementary in stones, more highly developed in crystals, Linga Sharira gives an ideal form 'ith a special po'er of its o'n, perhaps most nearly descri"ed "y the 'ord arrangement 2 this gives, in the first place, individ!ality and separateness, it may "e seen in its elementary form in crystals, more highly developed in vegeta"les2 from this principle springs 'hat is properly *no'n as the >ar'inian instinct of self.preservation and the str!ggle for e+istence so important to the development theory as !s!ally !nderstood, for it is this principle 'hich most Page 10

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dreads and resists the disintegration of physical death, "ama #upa gives !s the self.conscio!s perception and energi=ing 'ill, 'ith the desires act!ating it, "oth the sane 'ishes and the insane vortices of passion2 this principle is common to the 'hole animal creation, in 'hat 'e call the lo'er animals "ama #upa is pop!larly called instinct, Strictly spea*ing man also has instinct2 the constit!tion of "ama #upa is the same thro!gho!t the animal *ingdom, the difference "ecoming percepti"le only in the consideration of the higher principles, #nce more, in the light of 'hat 'e have no' arrived at, 'e may consider !Pa"e ,&$ the phenomenon of physical death, The "ody, 'hether of a man or an animal, is composed of enormo!s m!ltit!des of cells, each a perfect and to some e+tent a semi.independent, organism, each f!lfilling a certain appointed f!nction in the mechanism of the "ody, Each of these cells has also its seven principles, therefore of co!rse its Sthula Sharira or molec!les of matter 'hich compose it2 its Prana, or principle 'hich retains the cell in form, its life.principle, as 'e sho!ld say2 and its Linga Sharira, or ideal form of the cell, 'itho!t 'hich it co!ld not f!lfil its appointed f!nction in the economy of the "ody, Neglecting, for the moment, the higher principles, 'hich in lo' organisms may often "e considered to "e dormant, it is clear that 'e have here a Prana of the cell, and also a collective Prana of the 'hole "ody, "!ilt !p, so to spea*, of these cells2 also that the Prana of the cells "eing the principle tending to separateness 'ill resist the action of the collective Prana 'hich tends to hold the cells together2 in old age then or physical 'ea*ness the strength of the Prana of the separate cells is increased, and that of the 'hole "ody 5the collective Prana6 proportionally diminished, till at last the latter is no longer strong eno!gh to prevent the disintegration res!lting from the more a"!ndant life and conse)!ent separateness of the cells, The "ody as an entity then ceases to "e, its Prana has in fact passed into the separate cells 'hich formerly composed it, and these having no longer any "ond of !nion nat!rally disintegrate, The, cell ho'ever is itself composed of cell!les, if 'e may coin the 'ord, held together "y the cell!lar Prana, and these 'ill in their t!rn disintegrate "y a precisely analogo!s process, -f fire or other destr!ctive agency has passed over the "ody, it may "e that the Prana of the "ody and the Prana of the cells is dislodged from the material particles, or Sthula Sharira, sim!ltaneo!sly, The Linga Sharira, ho'ever, does not perish "eca!se Prana is loosed from Sthula Sharira, any more than an architect/s conception of a s!"lime cathedral is lost "eca!se the material edifice em"odying his dream has "een "!rnt do'n, The clearer conceptions the st!dent can form of Linga Sharira, Prana, and Sthula Sharira, the easier 'ill he find the more advanced s!"(ects of planetary chains and the Tatwas, 8e sho!ld recogni=e Prana to "e a !niversal force li*e electricity, acting on every material "ody, and acting in different 'ays according to its different modifications, Th!s the l!minifero!s ether !niting the 'hole of the visi"le !niverse may in one sense "e considered as a cosmic Prana, and the thrills of light passing thro!gh it, 'here"y o"(ects "ecome visi"le to !s, a modification thereof2 th!s this, 'hich is called a Tatwa, is seen to "e a modification of Prana, percepti"le to !s, "eca!se thro!gh the material molec!les or Sthula Sharira of o!r "odies it affects the Prana 'hich holds them together, (!st as the c!rrents of electricity r!nning thro!gh the 'orld affect the electricity, in the charged needle, !Pa"e ,'$ These fo!r lo'er principles constit!te an animal, that is to say, more acc!rately, constit!te man/s conception of an animal, 'hich is not necessarily a tr!e one, The 'ill, res!lt of self.conscio!sness and "elonging to "ama #upa, acts in o"edience to motives 'hich may either "e the sane ones of pleas!re and pain or the mad force of the passion 'hirlpools, %aying the latter o!t of co!nt for the moment, the motives of pleas!re and pain "elonging to "ama #upa are only those operating immediately, and that Page 11

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'hether they "e higher or lo'er, A man or an animal feels h!ngry and at once sets a"o!t proc!ring food2 feels cold and sets a"o!t getting 'arm, #r the sight of a friend in distress from h!nger or cold may s!ggest the greater pleas!re of relieving that friend, and th!s prod!ce an action apparently contrary to the la'2 3 apparently, "!t not really, !nselfish, for it "elongs to "ama #upa, 'hich is self, and so it can only "e a higher or lo'er type of selfishness, As soon, ho'ever, as 'e come to estimate pleas!res and pains not directly presented to !s as motives "!t f!t!re or contingent, 'e get the first glimpse of a ne' principle 'hich is not animal, To ma*e this clear "y an ill!stration, no one ever *ne' animals to "arter or e+change, 0on*eys have "een constantly *ept 'ith men, and mon*eys are the most imitative of all animals, 0on*eys may "e, and have "een, ta!ght as a tric* to light a fire, yet no one ever *ne' a mon*ey to light a fire for the p!rpose of 'arming himself, -n pop!lar lang!age 'e say this implies the possession of reason, "!t this reason is so mi+ed in o!r ideas 'ith the ordinary operations of "ama #upa, that for the most part 'e strive vainly to disentangle them, This in fact can only "e done "y an e+ercise at once most diffic!lt and most val!a"le, termed casting o!t the self , -n all consideration of, or philosophy fo!nded on, the lo'er principles, the *ey note is the leading a+iom in Professor Berrier/s %nstitute of etaphysics, viz., Along 'ith 'hatsoever any intelligence perceives it m!st have cogni=ance of itself, Self is an integral and essential part of every o"(ect of cognition , -n the st!dy of the higher principles that a+iom has to "e thro'n over"oard, and henceforth every self. element in every conception has to "e diligently eradicated if the st!dent 'ishes to ma*e anything li*e satisfactory progress, To sho' ho' general and ho' persistent these self.elements are, let the st!dent endeavo!r to form a conception of so simple an o"(ect, for instance, as a 'ooden c!"e 3 he 'ill at once perceive some elements relating to self, -t has, for instance, a side t!rned to'ards himself and a side t!rned a'ay, a side to the right of himself and a side to the left, an !pper and a lo'er side as regards himself2 these are all self.elements, let him endeavo!r to form an idea of the c!"e from 'hich these elements are a"sent,
!Pa"e ,($

A st!dy of 8inton/s !ew &ra of Thought 'ill sho' the great diffic!lties of forming s!ch an idea as is a"ove indicated, so o"stinate are the self.elements2 the final conception 'hen reached is s!ch as "y no s*ill of 'riter can "e em"odied in 'ords, "!t perhaps may "e dimly indicated as a state 'herein the st!dent find himself alone in a"sol!tely void space 'ith only that c!"e, and the st!dent himself "ecomes, fills, is a"sol!te space2 here there is no !p nor do'n, for there is nothing to meas!re "y, no right nor left, no inside nor o!t2 for the st!dent having no', in idea, freed himself from all material limitations, is all mind 5as it 'ere6 and has no material form, "!t s!rro!nds, occ!pies, permeates, and em"odies that c!"e in void immensity, These 'ords are "!t a faint attempt to e+press that 'hich is really ine+pressi"le, and have no val!e 'hatever, save in so far as they may serve to raise some vag!e idea of 'hat is, for the ma(ority of man*ind, 'ell.nigh !nthin*a"le, -n this region of tho!ght the only s!"(ect 'hich is really to "e comprehended is p!re mathematics, s!ch as is fo!nd in the first si+ "oo*s of E!clid, 'hich in fact are an occ!lt revelation to those 'ho are a"le to Page 12

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read them in this light, and 'hich are intelligi"le precisely in the ratio in 'hich the reader is a"le to reach this condition, Bor this gives an a"stract fac!lty, occ!pied 'ith a"stract matters, p!re and simple, and all the self cast o!t, No', as "efore, having this fac!lty in its p!re condition, let the st!dent affi+ to it the name anas, this is also the %atin mens or mind, tho!gh not 'hat is ordinarily designated mind in pop!lar lang!age, -t is plain that this selfless thin*ing 'ill get rid, among other things, of the idea of si=e, for si=e "eing p!rely relative is of necessity a self.idea2 th!s that 'hich appears enormo!s to the gnat, seems p!ny to the elephant, and hence the 'hole e+panse of the starry heavens 'ill have no more of the elements of a'e or magnificence than a 'hirl in the 'aters of a tiny "roo* or the motions of an ant.hill, 1hen this m!ch is gained the st!dent 'ill "egin to find that ideas of time are self.ideas also, and that the doctrine of an eternal present, so often insisted on, so little !nderstood, "ecomes an act!al and patent fact, This e+planation of the f!nctions of anas sho!ld give a cl!e to the real meaning of that terri"le st!m"ling."loc* to so many, called the fo!rth dimension , 1hen the f!nctions of anas, 'hich in the mass of man*ind are almost dormant, can "e f!lly stim!lated into action, so that p!re tho!ght 'itho!t any self.element "ecomes possi"le, it 'ill also "e possi"le to thin* in the fo!rth dimension, $!t those 5and they are "y far the greater part of h!manity6 to 'hom this is impossi"le, m!st al'ays find the fo!rth dimension a foolish dream, 'itho!t any s!"stantial reality e+pressed there"y, The definitions of 'hat "y a some'hat conf!sed, "!t still comprehensi"le, !Pa"e ,)$ metaphor are called Planes, really involve and re)!ire the notion of other dimensions2 this appears very clearly in The "ey to Theosophy, hence the possi"ility of o"taining an entrance to other planes depends on the po'er of thin*ing in the fo!rth dimension, -n other 'ords anas, if f!lly developed, is a"le to pass to other planes, and 'hen there to modify Linga Sharira according to circ!mstances and to the conditions of the plane on 'hich it is, so as to impress the conscio!sness in "ama #upa, for this is practically 'hat ta*es place 'hen a fo!rth dimensional pro"lem "ecomes thin*a"le, -t is common, "!t profo!ndly !nphilosophic, for the mass of man*ind, to 'hom selfless tho!ght is impossi"le, to assert ro!ndly that it is impossi"le for all, and that those 'ho pretend to have made any progress to'ards it are either liars or !nder a psychic del!sion, As 'ell might a "lind man assert that all the 'orld is "lind, -t is no' necessary to o"serve the 'or*ings of anas on the lo'er principles, anas is the (!dge, the comparer, the arranger of the images presented to it2 it has indeed a fac!lty of creating impressions, "!t these are p!re a"stractions, li*e the propositions of E!clid2 and even as to these it 'o!ld pro"a"ly "e more correct to say that they are e+ternal verities perceived "y anas, "!t 'ith no self.regarding element, -n fact, the diffic!lty of disting!ishing "et'een perception and creation is enormo!s in the higher principles, and in the highest the t'o are one, The images presented to anas from the lo'er principles are more familiar and more easy to deal 'ith, -f the st!dent 'ill ta*e any ordinary intellect!al operation of the day, and disentangle the sense.images, 'hich "elong to the three lo'er principles, and differentiate them from the operation of immediate pleas!re and pain, noting caref!lly 'hether a stream from any of the 'hirlpools of the passions has "een felt2 and having e+tracted all this, o"serve caref!lly the intellect!al operation 'hich sets the 'ill in motion, he 'ill have a conception of the f!nction of anas more or less clear in proportion to his po'er, of mental analysis, The development of anas gives !s the man of science, the materialist, the agnostic, the rationalist in religion2 it is, in its highest development, selfless, and therefore may form the "asis of altr!ism, -t is plain that a very high degree of moral goodness may "e reached "y the development of anas alone, and this is the goodness 'e are often Page 13

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"idden to admire in the agnostic, atheist, materialist, and other types of rationalist, incl!ding the "!l* of Gnitarians, Socinians, and the li*e, 0any of the #riental faiths, e+oterically at all events, o'e their goodness to the development of anas, 'hich is often a very high one in their case, far higher in fact than 'e in the 1est have any idea of, anas is said "y the #riental occ!ltists to "e d!al2 in fact, li*e all the other principles, it is sevenfold, "!t the st!dent 'ill do 'ell to defer the consideration of the s!".divisions of the principles till he has mastered the !Pa"e ,*$ elementary conception of the principles themselves, 0eantime he may !nderstand that 'hat is called the higher anas corresponds in the s!"division of the principle to the three higher principles, the lo'er 0anas to the fo!r lo'er principles, The higher anas reflects the higher principles and is in itself p!rely selfless, the lo'er 0anas reflects and has to do 'ith "ama #upa, is therefore tangled 5so to spea*6 'ith self, and is the selfish intellect, forming, if not co!nteracted "y the other principles, a 0ephisto of this type 'as 0argrave in The Strange Story, So!lless, "eca!se all the principles a"ove the lo'er 0anas had "ecome detached from the onad, and nothing 'as left "!t the selfish intellect developed to an a"normal e+tent, As in the animal nat!re there call "e no conception of the p!re intellect, so in the nat!re 'herein anas alone is developed, it is clear that anas can recogni=e nothing higher than itself, in fact the 9od of the lo'er anas is simply the higher anas, an intellect!al a"straction, and prayer therefore "ecomes an a"s!rdity2 indeed 'e are told that the So!thern $!ddhists so regard it, and fran*ly ac*no'ledge it to "e a hindrance, and that all o!t'ard ceremonies are vain, religio!s dogmas a"s!rd2 that there can "e no s!ch thing as conscience or love of 9od2 that every good action is the res!lt of a p!re intellect!al process, 0ost 1esterns, ho'ever, at all events, 'ill agree in thin*ing that in the average h!man "eing certain motives of action may "e discovered, refera"le directly to conscience or love of 9od, and 'hich cannot possi"ly "e resolved into any intellect!al process, -ndeed it may "e safely laid do'n that s!ch motives e+ist in every h!man "eing 'ho 'as ever "orn into the 'orld 5'ith the e+ception of those so!lless persons, the 0argraves, to 'hom all!sion has already "een made6, tho!gh occasionally it is so dormant as to "e !nrecogni=a"le2 and it is from these motives that 'e derive the ne+t highest principle, #f co!rse there can "e no proof of their e+istence to those 'ho are !nconscio!s of e+periencing the action of s!ch motives2 if these choose to deny their e+istence it 'o!ld "e as !seless to try and convince them as it 'o!ld "e to try and convince a "lind man 'ho denied the possi"ility of sight, $e it remem"ered that denial is the easiest of all things to ma*e, the hardest to ref!te, >r, ?ohnson/s cele"rated 'ords to $os'ell 'hen the learned >octor sho'ed ho' easy it 'o!ld "e to s!pport a denial of so patent a fact, at that time, as that 4anada had "een ta*en from the Brench, may "e st!died 'ith advantage on this point, Seeing that in many of the #riental systems the development of anas has "een p!shed to its e+tremest point, to the e+cl!sion 5or rather the s!ppression6 of everything, "eyond, it is only nat!ral that this ne+t highest principle, to 'hich they give the name of 'uddhi, sho!ld "e shro!ded in mystery, -t is stated that the mysteries of 'uddhi, 'hich involve the highest occ!lt po'ers, are only comm!nicated to pledged chelas, 'ho may "e tr!sted !Pa"e ,+$ to ma*e no "ad !se of them, : See the C"ey to TheosophyH also CSecret >octrineH on this point ;, S!ch is the #riental system, and a very little tho!ght ma*es it evident that this is the only possi"le system for peoples of the partic!lar type of development 'hich is associated 'ith the East,

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An Elementary Note on the Seven Principles

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-n the 1est also it is impossi"le to set do'n in 'riting the f!nctions and properties of this principle2 4hristians, those at least 'ho have learned the esoteric aspects of their o'n faith, term it the ind'elling Spirit of 4hrist2 others call it the higher self, a term open to many o"(ections, for in the first place it is "y hypothesis selfless, also the Spirit 5according to the classification of St, Pa!l6 as far more properly represented "y the three highest principles, the !pper triad, (tma-'uddhi- anas, Passing "y this, ho'ever, 'e *no' that to the sincere 4hristian 'ho tries to live the 4hrist life, conscience and the love of 9od are a po'er more or less, and a po'er moreover 'hich, if s!fficiently developed, claims to dominate the entire "ody and to direct all the other principles do'n to Sthula Sharira, in other 'ords to "e incarnated, There are some 'ho say that there is no other 4hrist.so!l than the higher Ego in man, it 'o!ld "e as 'ise to say that there is no magnetic c!rrent e+cept that 'hich is in the needle of the compass2 'hen the 4hrist 'ithin is s!fficiently developed en rapport 'ith the 4hrist 'itho!t can "e esta"lished, e+actly in proportion as the professing 4hristian lives the 4hrist.-ife of prayer, self.a"negation, self.command, !niversal love, p!rity, etc,, does he develop the 4hrist 'ithin, and ac)!ire the po'er of comm!nicating 'ith the 4hrist 'itho!t 3 the 0aster 3 "y 'hom his initiation proceeds "y grad!al stages, and there'ith his po'ers, according to the promise 9reater 'or*s than these shall ye do and Nothing shall "e impossi"le for yo! , -t is, ho'ever, !seless to p!rs!e this "ranch of the s!"(ect f!rther2 those 'ho are not 4hristians 'ill not either "elieve or !nderstand, "eca!se these things cannot "e seen from o!tside and they ref!se to come in, in order to learn, Those 'ho are 4hristians 'ill have already gathered eno!gh from these fe' 'ords to reali=e the tr!e meaning and f!nctions of 'uddhi, #ne principle, the highest of all, o"vio!sly not to "e e+pressed in 'ords, save "y some s!ch a"straction as the Gniversal So!l , the All.Bather , the >ivine Spar* , 8o' this can "e !niversal and yet a principle in each individ!al man is a mystery only to "e solved "y the *no'ledge of 'uddhi 3 No man cometh !nto the Bather "!t "y me , &et tho!gh a mystery it plainly m!st "e the case, for !nion 'ith this Gniversal So!l is the hope of all great religions, the Nirvana of the $!ddhist, the Eternal 8ope of the 4hristian2 and !nless s!ch Gniversal So!l 'ere already someho' part of o!rselves, no s!ch idea 'o!ld "e possi"le, The !nion in fact already e+ists, "!t is rendered imperfect "y the separatenesses, and the !Pa"e #-$ separatenesses proceed from self, 'hose home is in "ama #upa 5the $ody of >esire6, "!t 'hose chief manifestation is in Sthula Sharira,, To this highest principle of all is given the name (tma, and (tma is to the individ!al man 'hat 9od the Bather of the 4hristians or Para"rahm of the Easterns is to h!manity, Easterns, and more especially E!ropeans 'ith an Eastern "ias, 'ill o"(ect here that Para"rahm does not correspond to the 4hristian/s 9od the Bather, The only ans'er to this is that if the correspondence of the (tma of man to the Para"rahm of the 4osmos is clear to them, they may "e content to leave the analogy "elonging to a system 'hich they rep!diate for the !se of those to 'hom it may "e helpf!l, Th!s in the higher triad of the principles of man 'e get a reflection as it 'ere in the microcosm of the Trinity of the 4osmos, 'hich has "een *no'n and recogni=ed "y every great religion in the 'orld in some form or another, more or less f!lly, and only denied in comparatively modern times "y ignorant eccentrics in search of a ne' idea 'ith 'hich to tic*le the ears of their follo'ers,

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- have said that the common metaphor of planes is some'hat conf!sed2 in fact planes and spheres and glo"es are all meas!rements of space li*e the stories of a ho!se, and novices are apt to as* wherea$outs the spirit!al plane is sit!ated, (!st as some 4hristians might as* where the *ingdom of heaven 'as2 it is not easy to find any terms 'hich are free from o"(ection, "!t the st!dent sho!ld "ear this diffic!lty in mind, To concl!de, since (tma is the highest, the !niversal Gnion, and Sthula Sharira is the most !tter separateness, 'e see ho' the one is as it 'ere the inverse image of the other, C)aemon est )eus inversus 3 so Prana is the inverse image of 'uddhi, (!st as the 4hristian Bathers tell !s that Adam is of 4hrist, So also Linga Sharira, the senseless form, the mere spoo* of the s*ances, is the inverse of anas, the p!re intellect!al concept, and th!s the >ivine sees itself as in a mirror inverted, and the mirror is "ama #upa. A !sef!l image may "e dra'n of a man sitting !nder a pentho!se on an island, in the midst of a clear la*e, fi+ed it is tr!e to his island and !na"le to stir off it, !na"le also "y reason of his pentho!se to loo* !p, yet in the la*e he sees mirrored the real o"(ects "eyond, the stars of heaven on the one side it may "e, on the other a d!ng.hill2 give him po'er "y spea*ing to those on shore to affect the realities of the things 'hose reflection he sees, and the analogy tho!gh ro!gh is 'or*a"le, 1hen the self, 'hich is the "ar that separates the higher from the lo'er, is finally cast o!t, 'hen the atonement is accomplished, and Nirvana is 'on, then there is no more need for the pentho!se, the man is let loose from his island, and thenceforth is a"le to see all things clearly, not as in a glass reflected, "!t 'ith straight vision, as they are,

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