The
vital forces and the consciousness of minerals and plants may be discovered
and studied, so that remedies may be applied which are exactly appropriate
to the nature of the disease.
A
vast field of useful research is open, therefore, to the clairvoyant
student of health and disease. In astronomy, the relation of the planets
to each other and to the sun, the play of the electro-magnetic energies
between and through them, the relation of the solar system to the
universe of which it is a part, the plan by which their ordered development
proceeds -all these may be studied by the clairvoyant student of astronomy.
The
life side of nature, the hidden energies behind the mineral, the plant,
the animal and man, the divine impetus which urges for ward the evolution
of the whole may be studied and understood.
The
great principles by means of which all will, ultimately, reach that
standard of perfection, which the Great Architect and Master Scientist
has planned that they should reach, may be studied. The governing
laws may be observed and taught to all the intelligent denizens of
the world which He has made.
The
other great kingdoms of nature to which conscious beings belong, now
come within the seer's range. The mighty orders of the angelic hosts,
our invisible neighbors in the solar system, may be seen, contacted
and their co-operation won. They are the great engineers of nature,
who manipulate the flowing forces of which all manifested worlds consist.
By their office, the relatively blind energies of nature are intelligently
directed to the fulfillment of the divine will. From such contact,
powerful and wise allies may be gained, both in the laboratory and
study, as also in the consulting room, the hospital and operating
theatre.
It
may perhaps be of interest to touch upon the method of approach to
the subject of the life after death, which distinguishes the trained
clairvoyant from the spiritualistic medium. As stated in my book,
The Science of Seership, the student of occultism approaches
the question of life after death in a strictly scientific attitude
of mind. He knows that no demonstrable proof of communication between
the living and the so-called dead, which will survive scientifically
applied tests, can be given. Yet he believes both in the life after
death and in the possibility of communication between incarnate and
discarnate beings.
His
methods of investigation are directly opposed to those of the spiritualist.
His knowledge is the result of personal experience, and not second,
third, or even fourth-hand, as when a medium, guide and intermediate
intelligences are employed for the purposes of investigation. The
occult student believes that such methods, even at their very best,
cannot possibly produce evidence which will stand the test of scientific
enquiry. The sorrowing and forlorn may gain satisfaction, comfort
and consolation by these methods, but they are in no way suited to
serious investigation.
Before
I proceed to outline the alternative methods of occultism, may I devote
a little space to my reasons for these somewhat sweeping statements
concerning those of spiritualism?
Let
us examine the claims of the spiritualist, made in support of his
belief in the continuance of life and consciousness after death, and
in the possibility of communication between the living and the dead.
He
says, at best, that through the guide of a certain medium -a person
of the highest morality and of scrupulous honesty, who had never met
or heard of him before- he received a communication concerning matters
with which only one other person in the world was conversant, and
of which the medium could not possibly have been aware. Further, he
claims that the other person was deceased and that the guide, speaking
through the medium, gave his name or initials, as the real communicator
from the unseen. Later, perchance, this individual himself entered
the medium, displayed certain peculiar tricks of manner and traits
of character which were personal to him, and communicated further
material which was known only to the two people concerned –the deceased,
and his living friend. He asserts that such demonstrations have been
multiplied indefinitely, and, in fact, are the common experience of
practically every spiritualist.
Such
an event, as the one here described, is undoubtedly startling, calculated
to shake the confidence of the most hardened skeptic, and to introduce
a predisposition in favor of acceptance into the most unprejudiced
mind. Yet, it is the contention of the occultist that it does not
contain one shred of evidence upon which an opinion could justly be
based.
There
are many facts which can be adduced in support of this somewhat drastic
statement. Two or three will be sufficient to indicate reasons for
the unreliability of spiritualistic methods as a guide to the truth
in this matter.
First,
a mildly developed clairvoyance or telepathy and a fair gift of mimicry
would quite easily enable the medium to elicit the information from
the memory of the sitter, and to give a reasonably good imitation
of the manner of his friend. Second, assuming that the medium does
not possess either of these gifts, it is well within the power of
any discarnate entity who may be in the neighborhood or of such a
one as may have attached himself to the medium as "guide,"
to obtain the information and to mimic the deceased through the medium's
entranced body. Such a manifestation may satisfy an unscientific observer
and even console a sorrowing relative but neither has any proof that
the supposed communicator is actually present.
It
follows, therefore, that however conclusive such a manifestation may
appear to be, it is never reliable, never trustworthy, unless the
sitter himself can see the communicator. If he can do this, then
all need for an intermediary vanishes, for the communication can be
made direct and in full waking consciousness. If, then, the seer's
power of vision is of a sufficiently skilled order to prevent his
being deceived by a set of circumstances similar to those which I
have described -and this is quite possible- then he has obtained for
himself proof of the life after death.
This
brings me back to the method of the occultist, for whom nothing less
than such direct personal proof is conclusive. There is a great gulf
fixed between second-hand information and first-hand knowledge.
The latter, alone, is capable of withstanding all tests and remaining
unshaken.
What
then is the method of the occultist? Just as the fact of three-dimensional
existence can never be demonstrated to a two-dimensional being, so
discarnate life can never be demonstrated to a being in the flesh.
If, however, we postulate that the two-dimensional being possesses
a three-dimensional extension of himself, of the existence of which
he is entirely unaware; that he is really a three-dimensional being,
but, at the present stage of his evolution, is only using two-dimensional
consciousness, while his three-dimensional power lies dormant or latent;
then it will follow that, in his normal state, he cannot possibly
comprehend three-dimensional existence; he can only observe its two-dimensional
manifestations, and these are so imperfect and partial that no conclusive
evidence can possibly arise from a study of them. There will always
be the great unknown and unknowable behind, as it were. He may attempt
to study this unknown, through the known, may learn much of interest,
even of value, but nothing conclusive can ever emerge; the real facts
can never enter his two-dimensional mind.
Let
us further assume that it is possible for the latent three-dimensional
portion of this being to be prematurely awakened; that it may be forced,
by the application of known laws, as a horticulturist forces a plant.
The
two-dimensional being will then become capable of observing three-dimensional
phenomena. Gradually he could perfect his ability to function in the
three-dimensional world, and could then meet and study its denizens
on equal terms. Under these conditions it becomes possible for him
to obtain conclusive knowledge for himself.
Occultism
teaches that every man has a vehicle of consciousness and appropriate
organs of cognition by means of which he can study the invisible worlds
and such intelligences as dwell therein. The only satisfactory and
final test of their existence is that applied by the trained occultist.
Applying age-long knowledge and experience, he unfolds and learns
to use the necessary faculties. He awakens the latent seership, to
which every man is heir, and by its means is enabled to explore the
regions beyond the portal of death.
This
is not the place to attempt a statement of the results of such investigations;
but, in conclusion, I may say that the knowledge so gained places
death in its rightful place as an incident which marks the translation
of human consciousness from one plane of manifestation and growth
to another, and which differs from sleep only in that the translation
is permanent. During sleep we temporarily enter the after-death world,
and there meet our departed friends and relations whenever we choose.
At death we join them permanently, until the time comes for us to
pass still further onwards to the next stage in the cycle of life
and development.
Eventually
man withdraws from active manifested existence and passes through
a period in which all the experience and faculties, resulting from
the cycle which has just closed, are converted into capacity and character.
When this process is complete a new cycle opens. Again he descends
into manifested worlds and is born of woman, to complete once more
a pilgrimage through matter, further developing the faculties he already
possesses and at the same time acquiring new powers and new knowledge.
Thus is he laying up for himself those "treasures in heaven where
neither moth nor rust doth corrupt." (St. Matt. 6:20.)
In
the end all lessons are learned, all powers unfolded, and all knowledge
gained. Here the outgoing ceases, for there is no longer need for
experience in the flesh. New fields of evolution open up before the
perfected man; higher peaks are then to be climbed, wider powers to
be attained. For these no earthly form is needed, for "him that
overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall
go no more out." (Rev. 3:12.)
Such,
briefly stated, is the field open to each and all who will take the
necessary trouble to train and perfect themselves in the development
of their interior powers. One day, all men will possess them; all
life will be lived according to the dictates of the higher knowledge
which they will place within the hand of man-then, the interior and
essential unity of all life, will be observed facts-first-hand
knowledge to all men. Faith will then be founded upon first-hand experience
and be no longer blind; the facts of religion will become recognized
as fundamental realities of life. Then, and then alone, will mankind
enter the Golden Age, which has been promised him by those seers of
the past and present whose prophetic vision revealed the coming of
the millennium to man.
THE MISTRESS
OF VISION
XIX
Where
is the Land of Luthany,
Where is the tract of Elenore?
I am bound therefor.
XX
"Pierce
thy heart to find the key;
With thee take
Only what none else would keep;
Learn to dream when thou dost wake,
Learn to wake when thou dost sleep;
Learn' to water joy with tears,
Learn from fears to vanquish fears,
To hope, for thou dar'st not despair,
Exult, for that thou dar'st not grieve;
Plough thou the rock until it bear;
Know, for thou else couldst not believe
Lose, that the lost thou may'st receive;
Die, for none other way canst live.
When
earth and heaven lay down their veil,
And that apocalypse turns thee pale;
When thy seeing blindeth thee
To what thy fellow-mortals see;
Their living, death; their light, most lightless;
Search no more -
Pass the gates of Luthany, tread the region Elenore."
XXI
Where
is the land of Luthahy,
And where the region Elenore?
I do faint therefor.
XXII
"When
to the new eyes of thee
All things by immortal power, Near or far,
Hiddenly
To each other linked are,
That thou canst not stir a flower
Without troubling of a star;
When thy song is shield and mirror
To the fair snake-curled Pain,
Where thou dar'st affront her terror
That on her thou may'st attain
Persean conquest; seek no more,
O seek no more!
Pass the gates of Luthany, tread the region Elenore."
Francis
Thompson.
THE CLAIRVOYANT STUDY OF MOTHERHOOD
IN
ORDER that the ideas which I am about to put forward may be more easily
understood, I propose to present a brief statement of their place
in the fundamental philosophy upon which they are based. The purpose
of human existence in the flesh -according to this philosophy- is
that of growth. As a result of repeated incarnations in human form,
the immortal Spirit, which is Man, eventually attains to a standard
of perfection which has been set for him by that Major Intelligence
of which he is at once a projection and a part.
Each incarnation in the flesh is in reality a fifth part or stage
of a cycle of existence. This cycle opens at the time when the immortal
Spirit, which is man clothed in that undying principle which the Greeks
called the Shining Augoeides, under the impulse of the divine will,
feels a thirst for wider powers of self-expression and an urge to
enter new fields of evolution. Under that impulse, he projects a portion
of himself, downward. As I shall seek to explain later, assisted by
certain intelligent agents of the Logos he builds for himself vehicles
of expression in the worlds of thought, of feeling and of physical
matter. When the process of building is sufficiently advanced, he
is born as a helpless infant and enters upon the physical stage of
the life cycle. After that stage is completed, the process of descent
is reversed. The physical body is cast off, its material disintegrates,
and the man then finds himself functioning in his emotional body;
that vehicle, in its turn, wears out and is laid aside, leaving the
man with no vehicle of consciousness lower than the mental level.
Likewise the mental body eventually disintegrates, and that portion
of himself which was put forth at the beginning of the life cycle
is then withdrawn, bearing with it in terms of memory and capacity
the products of all the experiences through which the man has passed.
Then follows a gestatory period, during which all experiences are
translated into faculty, into powers and gifts, and are added to those
which have already been developed in previous life cycles. When that
stage is over the thirst for new experience is felt once more, and
the process is repeated over and over again until the time when every
possible power has been unfolded, every human lesson learned. All
necessity for birth has then been transcended and a new phase of unfoldment
begins: man enters the superhuman fields of evolution, continuing
there his long pilgrimage back to That from which he came.
Such is the story of the prodigal son, who is man: such is the philosophic
basis for the ideas which I am about to expound. They are not put
forward in the least as dogmatic assertions, but rather as suggestions
to provoke thought and to provide a possible explanation of many things
which are difficult of comprehension without them. They represent
the age-old teachings of the Ancient Wisdom tested and examined by
the occult researches of an unbroken succession of investigators into
nature's hidden mysteries.
The faculty used in such researches is that known in modern days
-as clairvoyance. By "clairvoyance," I do not in the least
wish to imply conditions of mediumship, trance or any of the supposed
phenomena surrounding the spiritualistic concept of psychic powers.
I refer to the positively controlled seership which is latent in every
man, and is awakened in the few. This power is capable of being developed
into that sixth-or even seventh-sense which, one day, all humanity
will possess and which, by the application of certain principles,
can be aroused in advance of the time of its normal evolution. (I
have written of this subject in The Science of Seership and
must refer the interested student to that book for further elucidation
of this engrossing subject.)
Clairvoyant research-applied to the processes of birth and death-discloses
the fact that amid the myriad of atoms of which the three mortal bodies
of man are composed, there is one in each of them which does not share
in the general dissipation of material which occurs at death. It is
an essential part of the mechanism of incarnation and plays a most
important part in the life cycle referred to above. These three permanent
atoms -the physical, emotional and mental- are attached to the ego
or spiritual man by a thread of light, and they become the store-house
of all the experiences through which the man passes in each of his
three vehicles. All these experiences are indelibly implanted upon
these atoms in terms of power of vibratory response. Nothing that
happens to the man is ever lost, but is permanently imprinted upon
the atoms of which his bodies are composed.
We may picture, then, the opening of the life cycle-at which point
the ego is making ready to plunge, once more, down into the material
worlds, in search of knowledge and of power. Hanging below him on
a glowing golden thread are his three permanent atoms, each quiescent
during the gestatory period, but now answering to the thrill of his
life, as he turns his attention outwards to the lower worlds.
Under that impulse each becomes a magnet, and draws towards itself
material appropriate to the type of vibrations which it is emitting.
By this means, as the months of prenatal life are passing, an agglomeration
of matter is gathered around the three permanent atoms and is gradually
organized into a vehicle of consciousness -one in each of the three
lower worlds. This attraction of material appears to be governed by
electromagnetic laws, and the result of it is that each vehicle is
built of matter which is exactly appropriate to the development and
needs of the man himself. It follows, therefore, that injustice is
impossible, and the bodies with which we are equipped represent absolute
justice for each one of us.
This process, however, is not entirely automatic; for clairvoyant
observation reveals the presence of intelligent beings who are guarding
and guiding the growing vehicles.
It is necessary, at this point, to explain, briefly, the nature of
such intelligences and their place in nature.
One of the most striking results which follow the awakening of the
clairvoyant faculty, is the discovery of the fact that the human race
is not the only order of intelligences using this planet and solar
system as an evolutionary field. In addition to the growing mineral,
vegetable, animal and human consciousness, there exist many other
orders of beings evolving side by side with the known occupants of
our planet and mingling, in varying degree, with them. One such race
is that called -in the East- by the name of Devas, which means Shining
Ones -so called because the bodies of its members are built of material
which is self-luminous. These "Shining Ones" are the angels
of the Christian Scriptures, and they constitute a parallel stream
of evolution, existing side by side with the stream to which we belong,
and though normally invisible, very closely associated with ourselves.
I have not time to dwell long on this subject, but would refer
those interested to my books: The Brotherhood of Angels and of
Men and The Angelic Hosts. For our present purpose it is
sufficient to say that the body used by both the human and the angelic
races is apparently taken from the same model; for angels appear with
human forms, human faces; their expression differs from our own, however,
in that their countenances are stamped with a superhuman beauty and
"other-worldliness."
To return to our subject, members of this race were found to be assisting
in the processes of human birth. As a rule, it would appear that at
least three members of the angelic hierarchy are present from the
time of the opening of the life cycle. One of these operates from
the higher mental level and is in possession of full knowledge concerning
the karmic situation of the ego about to incarnate; he co-operates
with his subordinates at the lower mental and emotional levels, and
passes on to them sufficient knowledge of the particular aspect and
measure of karma which is to be worked out in the forthcoming incarnation.
An understanding of their work will, perhaps, best be grasped from
a brief account of the activities of the deva working at the emotional
level. The function of this being is to supervise the construction
of the astral, etheric and physical bodies. In the pursuance of his
tasks he continually endeavors to produce the best possible result
which the karma of the individual will permit. For the most part,
he achieves this by enclosing the growing forms within his own aura,
allowing his own potent and vivid life-force to play upon, purify
and vitalize them: by this means, also, he insulates both mother and
child -particularly the latter- from the effects of external adverse
circumstances, maternal shocks, emotional disturbances and inharmonious
psychic environment. He remains in this close contact up to the very
moment of delivery, watching the increase in the size and development
of the bodies, taking advantage of every favorable circumstance and
serving as a channel for the force of his hierarchy to the embryo.
In addition, he pays the greatest attention to the process of linking
the consciousness of the ego with that of his vehicles. The extremely
fine adjustment that is necessary for the perfect working of the superphysical
and physical mechanism of consciousness is brought about by his agency.
No great effort of imagination is needed to realize how strenuous
and important the work of this deva must so often be in the crowded
areas of great cities where, frequently, both parents are addicted
to vices. The child itself is unwanted and the psychic environment
is coarse and vicious in the extreme. The wonder is that under such
conditions the miracle of birth can possibly occur; yet such is the
adaptability of nature and the work of the angels that splendid bodies
continue to be born in spite of these conditions.
The etheric and physical bodies are built by a dual process: this
is partly automatic and partly the product of the semi-intelligent
activity of a number of subordinate workers called nature-spirits.
These tiny beings, who stand on the lower rungs of the angelic adder
of evolution, fulfill the office of builder in our worlds of form
as constructed by them. The methods by which they work are so interesting
that it is worth while describing them in some detail.
At the formation of the zygote or first cell, from which the foetus
develops, and the attachment of the permanent atom, a distinctive
vibration is emitted from that composite body. This vibration belongs
to the order of sound; though not physically audible it is occultly
discernible, and is seen to produce the following effects
1.
The insulation of the sphere of influence within which the building
operations are to occur.
2.
The magnetization or specialization of all material within that sphere.
3.
The production of an etheric form which is the mould into which the
new body is to be built.
4.
The calling of appropriate nature-spirit builders (i. e., those on
that particular wave-length).
These builders, called by the fundamental note of their own nature,
enter the insulated sphere; they find within it an atmosphere peculiarly
suited to them, in which they can conveniently work, and material
which has been magnetized to the same wave-length as themselves -as
a result of the original emitted vibrations. They then work like a
hive of bees: they absorb this material, assimilate it and implant
upon it still more definitely their own specific vibration, and then
deposit it in and around the growing form. The position which this
material assumes is governed by the lines of force which represent,
etherically, the shape and structure of the body-to-be. Free matter
is also being attracted into position by similar laws. As the different
types of tissue are to be constructed such as bone, nerve, brain,
muscle, etc., further modification of the original vibration is emitted
and governs both the choice of material and its arrangement in the
body.
The foundation on which the body is built, as also the planet and
solar system, is not a foundation of solid matter, but of flowing
electro-magnetic energies. Just as man reaches the standard of perfection
set for him by association with and mastery of matter, so the angelic
hosts reach their goal by association with and manipulation of these
flowing energies and forces of the solar system. In the process which
I have just previously described, we see them at work. When the eighth
month is reached, a change begins to occur in the appearance of the
emotion-deva ; gradually the semblance of a bright blue cloak is to
be seen covering his head and shoulders as he assumes more and more
the likeness of the Madonna. The astral, etheric and physical bodies
are held by him within a tender and reverent embrace: the blue mantle
rests upon the mother, and to those who can see, a vision of wondrous
beauty is revealed as this change becomes more and more marked.
I use the masculine for convenience only; the deva is a-sexual.
Investigation shows that this remarkable phenomenon is the result
of the work of the feminine aspect of the Deity, of Whom all women
are representatives and in Whose service every mother officiates.
This aspect of the Logos has been represented on our planet by a succession
of great Beings, known to the ancients under various names -such as
Isis, Ishtar, Venus and, in our own times, the Virgin Mother of our
Lord.
Understanding of the work of this aspect of the Deity may be helped,
perhaps, by consideration of one mode of its action on our planet.
It would appear that there is a department in the great Hierarchy
of Perfected Beings -Who guide and guard the evolution of life and
form upon earth and are known as the Great White Brotherhood- which
is concerned with the feminine aspect of existence, and particularly
with maternity. At the head of that department is a great Being known
as the World Mother, who is assisted in Her work by countless hosts
of angelic beings. These serve as Her representatives at every human
birth and, ultimately, by a process which is somewhat difficult of
comprehension She, Herself, is manifested in every chamber of birth.
Just as Our Lord is said to be present on a thousand altars at the
celebration of the Holy Eucharist, and yet to be one and indivisible,
so is the World Mother present at every birth and yet remains Her
own most glorious and wondrous Self. She broods over the women of
the race, guarding, guiding and inspiring them; sharing their sufferings
and their joys. She stands beside every human mother, enduring with
her the pangs of birth, helping in the great expansion of consciousness
which comes to every woman at this time, and turning every chamber
of birth into a sanctuary in the Temple of Motherhood.
We are told that on these occasions she is seeking to awaken
mankind to a higher conception of womanhood, marriage and parenthood.
She is calling for those who will serve Her in bringing about reforms
in these departments of human life, which are so necessary for the
well-being and future development of the race.
A vast field of research is awaiting the investigators of the future.
The help which is now given by the angels to man is at present received
all unconsciously by him; the presence of our Blessed Lady by the
mother's side, though sometimes revealed and realized, is, for the
most part, unknown. The time approaches, however, when the scales
will fall from the eyes of men and they will see: seeing, they will
learn to co-operate, to work consciously and intelligently
with the great forces and beings with whom they are so intimately
associated in the working out of their own destiny and in the fulfillment
of the divine plan.
That day is drawing near, and the veil which hides these inner worlds
from our eyes is already growing thinner. A wonderful opportunity
is now being offered to us all to enter these worlds; so that we may
be armed with the wider knowledge which we shall gain from them and
thus render ourselves more useful in the service of our fellow men.
THE
CLAIRVOYANT STUDY OF FAIRIES, NATURE SPIRITS AND DEVAS
IT
MAY be asked whether my lecture is designed for children or for adults,
for the title certainly suggests that the subject matter will be more
suitable for the former. In spite of that fact, however, I propose
to put before you, in all seriousness, an account of the denizens
of fairyland which will very closely resemble the narration of an
explorer concerning the inhabitants of a newly-discovered land.
You
may ask, on hearing this, whether I seriously believe that there is
a basis of fact behind the folk lore of all nations of the world concerning
the existence of invisible intelligences associated with nature. My
reply is most definitely in the affirmative; and I might well base
it upon the fact of the persistence and universality of these legends
and myths of all peoples of the earth, both ancient and modern, saying
that wherever there is a persistent legend there is always a basis
of truth, and arguing that legends, myths and folk lore form the most
reliable history, when once the key to their interpretation has been
discovered and applied.
Or
I might draw attention to the fact that large numbers of people have
had first-hand experience of these invisible intelligences of various
orders and degrees, their evidence forming a great body of individual
testimony. I do not, however, base my answer upon these alone, but
upon actual explorations of fairyland which I myself have attempted.
By
what method may such explorations be made, and how may we test the
truth or otherwise of the testimony to which I have just referred?
Only by scientific methods of investigation, and until we have, each
one of us, fitted ourselves for, and carried out, such investigations,
we surely had best withhold our opinion upon the subject, and silence
well becomes us.
Let
us consider first how we may investigate the kingdom of faerie, study
the little folks of nature, enter their world and discover their appearance,
habits and methods of evolution. Why are they normally invisible?
Modern science immediately provides us with two possible answers to
that question; one, "Because their vibratory rate may differ
so largely from our own that we are unable to contact them";
two, "Because they may be occupying another dimension of space;
they may be living in a fourth, fifth, sixth or even seventh dimension."
With
regard to the first of these answers, we know that there are many
rates of vibration beyond the range of our normal physical senses,
and we are witnessing the gradual extension of that range by means
of scientific instruments. The invisible X-rays, N-rays, ultra-violet,
infra-red and cosmic rays have all been detected by means of mechanical
detectors, though, as yet, there have been no instruments devised
which have picked up the fairy wave-length.
How,
then, can we become conscious of the invisible fairy rays? Though,
eventually, science may succeed in developing machines of such delicacy
and refinement as to enable the operator to contact worlds and intelligences
at present invisible to us, it is more reasonable, and more immediately
practical, to assume that man possesses within himself the means of
cognition necessary to the attainment of that result.
Man
himself is far from being fully developed. We have no reason for concluding
that the present five senses mark the limit of his development of
means of cognition; there may be a sixth, seventh and still higher
senses latent within man, waiting to be developed.
Even
now, we all differ in our power of response to various rates of vibration.
Many men can hear sounds which are pitched too high to be audible
to others with less sensitive ears. If we place a number of people
before the band of the spectrum, and ask them to mark the point at
which their vision of the band ceases, we shall find that some see
much further than others, both at the ultra-violet and infra-red ends.
This
variation seems to suggest the possibility of extension still further
beyond the normal. In fact, the name of clairvoyance has been given
to all such extension into the realm of super-normal cognition.
I
am aware that it is not easy for the practical, and still less so
for the scientific mind to acknowledge the findings of clairvoyants
as worthy of recognition. The subject is, unfortunately, surrounded
by an atmosphere which is repellant to the scientific mind. But I
would draw attention to the fact that there is a type of clairvoyance
which does not demand darkness, sitting in circles, mediumship or
trance for its manifestation; that man does possess a faculty which,
if developed and used, is of the utmost value in scientific investigation.
It is with this faculty-and this faculty alone-that reliable research
into the invisible worlds can be made.
To
the second answer, concerning the dimensions of space and the statement
that there exist an infinite number of dimensions, it may well be
objected that there is no evidence for more than three; and that while
accepting the mathematical theory, we are, by no means, obliged to
admit as fact that which cannot be tested by means of our normal senses.
In reply to this quite legitimate objection, one might say that we
do, in fact, accept a great many theoretical statements of scientists
which cannot be tested by the senses as actual facts. Examples of
this are the existence of such everyday conceptions as that of the
atom, the electron and the vitamin. No one has ever seen these bodies,
and there are, at present, no instruments delicate enough to photograph
or magnify them sufficiently to render them visible. Yet we accept
the statements of science that the apparently solid objects, with
which we are surrounded, are not solid at all; that they consist of
a countless number of ultramicroscopic bodies called atoms, and, despite
their apparent solidity and density, no two of their constituent atoms
are actually touching; each, in fact, is vibrating in its own magnetic
field.
In
the circumstances, we shall do no violence to our reason if we admit
the possibility of the existence of higher dimensions of space than
those with which we are normally familiar. The answer of the mathematician,
concerning the existence of a higher dimension, may best be understood
by the non-mathematical mind if we consider, for a moment, the limitations
of a two-dimensional being when endeavoring to understand three-dimensional
phenomena. Living on a surface, having length and breadth but no thickness,
he can only contact such portions of objects as pass through his flat
plane of existence. A pencil, for example, passed vertically through
that plane, would be visible to him as a flat disc, for he would see
only that part of it which was on his plane and would know nothing
of its existence above and below.
Mathematically,
there are an infinite number of dimensions, and it is not impossible
that the evolution of man will be found to consist of the gradual
increase in the number of dimensions in which he is able to function.
If
we postulate that man himself is far more than the physical body,
which we know, and that he has extensions into an infinite number
of dimensions, then we can see that it would be possible for him gradually
to develop the power to manifest in an increasing number of dimensions
of space. At this point, the two answers would seem to meet; and we
have a definition of supernormal cognition which is that it enables
its observer to see and hear upon wave lengths beyond the normal rate,
and to function in dimensions of space in which man is not yet accustomed
to live.
The
information which I am about to put before you, concerning fairies,
nature-spirits and angels, has been gained by attempts to employ that
supernormal cognition for purposes of research.
What
does the explorer find when he steps out of the third dimension into
the fourth? What does the receiving set within his brain convey to
him when he tunes in to the wave lengths of fairyland?
An
important fact which he immediately discovers in his first attempt
to cross the frontier is that there is no necessity for any motion
through space or for travel to far-distant lands for the purposes
of his exploration. Fairyland is here-in our gardens, fields, woodlands
and landscapes. The change which is needed is not of place, not of
geographical area, but of consciousness. He withdraws his attention
from the physical worlds and directs it towards the superphysical.
Most
probably the first phenomenon which will become apparent to him is
that the numbers of the inhabitants of fairyland are infinitely greater
than those of our own physical earth. The air is seen to be filled
with countless millions of beauteous beings of varying stature, power
and intelligence. The earth, now transparent to the explorer's gaze,
is a densely populated world. Lake, pool, river, stream, ocean and
cloud have their appropriate inhabitants; while a slight change in
the focus of consciousness shows that all about him is a sensation
of the presence of fire, of the roaring of flames and the near approach
of the spirits of the fire. Let us with the mind of the explorer examine
these four great races of superphysical beings in some detail. Each
race is at once seen to consist of a graded order of intelligences,
with very lowly-evolved creatures at the level of the infusoria, insect,
bird, at one end of the scale of their existence, and the most glorious
and splendid spiritual intelligences, far outshining man in power,
and knowledge, at the other.
Playing
on the earth round his feet, passing in and out of the tree trunks,
roots and branches, will be seen tribes of little men, known in folk
lore as brownies, kobolds, elves and pixies, closely resembling the
traditional figures which those names denote. An air of business surrounds
the brownie men. For the most part, their work is an imitation of
the activities of such primitive men as they have been able to contact
and observe. They dig and delve and frequently carry in their belts
tiny tools such as shovels, picks, axes and pincers which they materialize
by thought-power, and which last as long as their attention is focused
upon them. Their intelligence is just about at the level of the chicken;
they are actuated by a group consciousness and communicate in gruff
tones, somewhat resembling the language of the country in which they
live and practically impossible to translate. The real communication,
as with all their brethren of fairyland, is by a system of thought-transference.
Deep
down in the depths of the earth, huge etheric earth creatures are
to be found. These differ, in a striking way, from all their brethren,
in that they are not beautiful according to human standards. The gnome
is the most unattractive of all the nature-spirits; his body appears
to be made of some dark brown spongy substance, resembling peat; his
limbs are loose and disproportionately long; his feet end in a point
and his arms have the appearance of a closed fist. He is thin, his
face is cadaverous, his eyes are deep sunk and slanting and upon his
face is a weird and somewhat learing grin. He is generally unclothed
and may be seen in open moorland, mountainsides and sometimes on newly-ploughed
fields, floating or drifting with loosely-hanging limbs, just above
the surface of the ground. He varies in height, from six to eight
inches up to twelve or fifteen feet according to his evolutionary
standing. There would seem to be a principle that the stature of the
nature spirit increases in proportion to his evolutionary progress,
the most highly evolved angels being of colossal stature. A height
of thirty feet is not uncommon in the higher ranks of the angelic
hosts.
If
we follow the race of the spirits of the earth until we reach those
standing on the higher rungs of their ladder of life, we observe the
angels of woods, fields, mounds, hills, mountains and mountain-ranges
and of vast landscapes. These have grown out of the relative uncouthness
of the nature-spirit of earth and in their angelhood or individualized
state are beautiful in the extreme; they ensoul the district which
they have adopted or of which they have been put in charge, and they
labor to quicken the evolution of the form and the unfolding of the
consciousness of all things within the area of their influence.
The
greatest of these Great Ones is that mysterious and inscrutable Being
who is known as the Spirit of the Earth, who is said to ensoul the
whole planet with His life and to be responsible to the Solar Logos
for certain aspects of the evolution of the planet.
All
the physical planets of a solar system are said similarly to be ensouled,
while there is also one mighty Being Who is in charge of all the physical
globes of a solar system and whose Subordinates are the Spirits of
the Planets and Their lesser Brethren. This Hierarchy reaches right
up to the Spirit of the Sun itself-a mighty Being of inconceivable
splendor and power.
Of
the element of earth it is said that it provides the quality of stability
to the solar system; it is the mighty fulcrum by means of which the
solar forces, sent forth outwards in their vitalizing and quickening
mission throughout the whole wide confines of the universe, obtain
the resistance and the leverage essential to the fulfillment of their
tasks. All these varied phenomena the explorer may examine at his
leisure and, as will be seen, vast fields of research lie open for
his investigation.
While
the spirits of earth are definitely masculine in their character,
although a-sexual, the spirits of the water present for the most part
a definitely feminine appearance. If the explorer wanders beside the
flowing river or gazes at the waterfall with opened eyes, he will
see most beautifully modelled roseate female human forms reveling
in the vital forces of the cataract, hanging poised in the spray,
rejoicing in the bright sunlight and ever and anon plunging downwards
into the pool below. The water spirits are of many degrees, from the
tiny nymphs, undines and nereids of the lesser pools and streams,
up to the stately water queens of the larger rivers, who may be seen,
madonna-like, serene and lovely, floating over the green meadowland
or hovering high in the air above a river's source.
The
nature-spirits of the sea differ some what from their fresh-water
sisters, they are more active, more vital and less definitely feminine
in appearance and character. On the whole, they are somewhat less
easy to contact and communicate with. Far out at sea huge etheric
monsters are to be seen, and, on rare occasions, glimpses may be had
of the old sea gods riding on their strange shell-like chariots, and
closely resembling the classical figures of Neptune and his court.
The
large rivers, such as the Thames, the Severn and the great continental
rivers, also have their gods, who may be seen rising and descending
above and below the surface of their river homes.
The
clouds, too, are peopled by a race closely resembling the water queens
and the undines, though partaking also sometimes of the appearance
of the spirits of the air.
Water
is said to be the great conducting element of Nature, the conveying
medium on every plane for certain aspects of the energy of the Solar
Logos.
Let
the explorer in thought leap outwards from the clouds, high into the
air, and he will instantly find himself surrounded by countless hosts
of sylphs or spirits of air. Marvellously dynamic creatures these,
charged to the full with the vitality of their elements. They may
be seen flying, floating, shooting, diving, combining in large companies
to perform the aerial gambols in which they engage as they swiftly
sweep down "the long savannahs of the blue," as Francis
Thompson so beautifully called the aerial fields of space.
These,
too, are of many ranks, and if he descends once more to earth and
enters some fair garden full of flowers, he will find that every plant
has its fairy attendant -the fairy of the fairy tale- the winged maiden,
the lovely fairy queen.
If
he watches, he will see the fairy hover near her charge and ever and
anon descend into the very heart of the plant or clump of flowers,
lose her fairy shape and become spread out as it were, as an essence
pervading every cell of stem, leaf, tendril and of flower. In this
state she is pouring her own life forces into those of the flower,
quickening its growth beautifying and, in some measure, guiding its
form and giving an added thrill of conscious existence to the life
force which is evolving within. As thus she labors, she herself evolves,
and gradually is liberated from her joyful service to the flowers
and shares the freedom of the upper air with her elder brethren, the
sylphs.
A
curious phenomenon is presented here, in that her appearance is distinctly
female, but when angelhood is entered, the masculine tends to predominate.
In
the higher ranks of the spirits of the air we find the mighty aerial
lords, the gods of power, the angels of sound, the gandharvase
of the Hindu. These mighty ones are the external embodiment of the
power of the word of God. In their world all life is expressed in
terms of sound; every being, every form, has its appropriate sound;
every idea, every thought, gives forth its song. This world may be
thought of as the kingdom of music, a universe of harmony, the veritable
apotheosis of the power of sound.
Vast
throngs of these glorious beings inhabit that wondrous world, singing,
playing and chanting throughout eternity. Vast oratories, glorious
symphonies, ever praising, worshipping and adoring the Creator of
Whose outflowing life and beauty They are the conscious embodiments.
Echoes of the music of that world of sound find their way down to
the dull ears of man, and at times favored human beings become the
direct and inspired channels of the music of the Lords of Sound.
By
their music, the angels of sound manipulate, and direct and control
the mighty forces of the creative Word, ever shaping the forms of
the solar system nearer and nearer to the archetype in the Creator's
mind; ever attuning His many worlds nearer and nearer to the perfect
sound -the note which He sings eternally, and which eventually must
be echoed from all the forms which He has made. He works by the law
of resonance, governs by the rule of rhythm, creates and unfolds by
the power of sound. The aerial lords, with their subordinates, are
His intelligent lieutenants in this aspect of His vast activities.
From
the aerial heights, let the explorer descend deep into the centre
of the earth, where he will find raging a mighty fire, a portion of
the primal flame which forms the planet's solar heart. Amid the flames,
vast fire spirits work -for this is the laboratory of the planet,
and here labors the chemist and the physicist aspect of God. Here
dwells and works unceasingly the power of the Holy Ghost.
Every
fire on earth is a reflection of the solar fire which burns within
the centre of the planet, and is but a manifestation of the fire aspect
of the solar system life.
Fire
spirits exist in many grades, from the salamander of the fire on the
hearth, through the larger fire spirits of the great conflagrations,
the burning prairies and forest lands and up to the mighty fiery sun
itself where dwell the solar fire lords. Between the lowest and the
highest, countless millions of fire spirits stand, ever laboring in
the service of fire. The function of their element is to regenerate,
transform and renew, ever to produce change; to resist and destroy
stagnation and to ensure a steady and continuous growth.
Such,
briefly, are four of the great races of the denizens of fairyland
whom the explorer will meet. Variations in type and appearance occur
in different parts of the world. Each country and even departments
in a country has its typical nature-spirit and angelic life.
Outside
these four races, many other orders may be found. In the Bible we
are taught of the nine orders of angels, and even these do not include
them all -for they are as numerous as the sands of the seashore.
At
various epochs in the history of human life, the veil which hides
them from our sight grows thin and angels walk with men. There have
been periods in each of the great civilizations of the past when communication
and co-operation between angels and men have been employed for the
fulfilment of the divine plan and for the perfecting of the civilization
concerned.
Many
seers and mystics believe that we are once more approaching such an
epoch; that even now the angels are standing on the threshold of human
life, waiting to enter in. Their beauty, their power, their splendor
and their knowledge are at the disposal of those who will prepare
themselves to work with them. There is no field of humanitarian endeavor
in which their co-operation may not usefully be attained. The healers
of men, the medical scientist, the priest, the physician and the nurse,
may learn to invoke their fiery and vital energy for the healing of
the sick; may call upon the great race of healing angels, under the
Archangel Raphael, who is their head, to descend into the sickrooms,
nursing homes, hospitals and asylums of men and to flood the sufferers
with their vital energy and fill them with their healing power and
love.
The
horticulturist and agriculturist may gain the aid of the nature-spirit
and angel builders of form upon our planet, and by conscious co-operation,
evolve new examples of floral beauty, may develop cereals, vegetables
and fruits more nutritious and life-giving, by the angels' aid.
The
climate of the globe may be forecast and, in a measure, controlled
by the aid of the elementals of air.
The angels of motherhood, childbirth and infancy already help in every
chamber of birth. If human hearts were open to their gentle presence
and human minds would learn to listen consciously to their guidance
and advice, the pain with which mankind is born might be banished
and motherhood become a time of joy undimmed by pain.