Wedescribethebroadmainfeaturesandfactsofmediumship，therebeingnoroominsuchanarticleforexceptionalcases。Wemaintain——havingunfortunatelypassedatoneperiodoflifepersonallythroughsuchexperiences——thatonthewhole，mediumshipismostdangerous；andpsychicexperienceswhenacceptedindiscriminatelyleadonlytohonestlydeceivingothers，becausethemediumisthefirstself—deceivedvictim。Moreover，atoocloseassociationwiththe"OldTerrestrialSerpent"isinfectious。
TheodicandmagneticcurrentsoftheAstralLightoftenincitetomurder，drunkenness，immorality，and，asEliphasLeviexpressesit，thenotaltogetherpurenatures"canbedrivenheadlongbytheblindforcessetinmotionintheLight"——bytheerrorsandsinsimposedonitswaves。
AndthisishowthegreatMageoftheXIXthcenturycorroboratestheforegoingwhenspeakingoftheAstralLight：——Wehavesaidthattoacquiremagicalpower，twothingsarenecessary：todisengagethewillfromallservitude，andtoexerciseitincontrol。Thesovereignwill[oftheadept]isrepresentedinoursymbolsbythewomanwhocrushestheserpent’shead，andbytheresplendentangelwhorepressesthedragon，andholdshimunderhisfootandspear；thegreatmagicalagent，thedualcurrentoflight，thelivingandastralfireoftheearth，hasbeenrepresentedintheancienttheogoniesbytheserpentwiththeheadofabull，aram，oradog。Itisthedoubleserpentofthecaduceus，itistheOldSerpentofGenesis，butitisalsothebrazenserpentofMosesentwinedaroundthetau，thatistosay，thegenerativelingam。Itisalsothegoatofthewitch—sabbath，andtheBaphometoftheTemplars；itistheHyleoftheGnostics；
itisthedouble—tailedserpentwhichformsthelegsofthesolarcockofdieAbraxas；finally，itistheDevilofM。EudesdeMirville。Butinveryfactitistheblindforcewhichsouls[i。e。，thelowerManasorNephesh]
havetoconquertoliberatethemselvesfromthebondsoftheearth；foriftheirwilldoesnotfree’themfromthisfatalattraction，theywillbeabsorbedinthecurrentbytheforcewhichhasproducedthem，andwillreturntothecentralandeternalfire。
（14）The"centralandeternalfire"isthatdisintegratingForce，thatgraduallyconsumesandburnsouttheKama—rupa，or"personality，"intheKama—loka，whitheritgoesafterdeath。Andverily，theMediumsareattractedbytheastrallight，itisthedirectcauseoftheirpersonal"souls"beingabsorbed"bytheforcewhichhasproduced"theirterrestrialelements。And，therefore，asthesameOccultisttellsus：Allthemagicaloperationsconsistinfreeingone’sselffromthecoilsoftheAncientSerpent；thentoplacethefootonitshead，andleaditaccordingtotheoperator’swill。’Iwillgiveuntothee，’
saystheSerpent，intheGospelmyth，’allthekingdomsoftheearth，ifthouwiltfalldownandworshipme。’Theinitiatedshouldreplytohim，’Iwillnotfalldown，butthoushaltcrouchatmyfeet；thouwiltgivemenothing，butIwillmakeuseoftheeandtakewhateverIwish。ForIamthyLordandMaster！’Andassuch，thePersonalEgo，becomingatonewithitsdivineparent，sharesintheimmortalityofthelatter。Otherwise……
Enough，however。BlessedishewhohasacquaintedhimselfwiththedualpowersatworkintheASTRALLight；thriceblessedhewhohaslearnedtodiscernthenoeticfromthePsychicactionofthe"Double—Faced"
Godinhim，andwhoknowsthepotencyofhisownSpirit——or"SoulDynamics。"
FOOTNOTES：
1。Wesay"so—called，"becausenothingofwhathasbeengivenoutpubliclyorinprintcananylongerbetermedesoteric。
（returntotext）
2。"Animalism"isquiteanappropriatewordtouse（whoeverinventedit）asacontrasttoMr。Tylor’sterm"animism，"whichheappliedtoallthe"LowerRaces"ofmankindwhobelievethesouladistinctentity。Hefindsthatthewordspsyche，pneuma，animus，spiritus，etc。，allbelongtothesamecycleofsuperstitionin"thelowerstagesofculture，"ProfessorA。Baindubbingallthesedistinctions，moreover，asa"pluralityofsouls"anda"doublematerialism。"ThisisthemorecuriousasthelearnedauthorofMindandBodyspeaksasdisparaginglyofDarwin’s"materialism"inZoonomia，whereinthefounderofmodernEvolutiondefinesthewordideaas"contractingamotion，orconfigurationofthefiberswhichconstitutetheimmediateorganofSense"（MindandBody，p。190，Note）。（returntotext）
3。PhysiologicalPsychology，etc。，p。545，byGeorgeT。Ladd，ProfessorofPhilosophyinYaleUniversity。
（returntotext）
4。OrwhattheKabalistscallNephesh，the"breathoflife。"（returntotext）
5。TheSanskritwordManas（Mind）isusedbyusinpreferencetotheGreekNous（noetic）becausethelatterwordhavingbeensoimperfectlyunderstoodinphilosophy，suggestsnodefinitemeaning。（returntotext）
6。TheTheosophist，Feb。1888，p。275，byRamaPrasad，PresidentoftheMeerutTheosophicalSociety。AstheOccultbookcitedbyhimsays："ItistheSvarathathasgivenformtothefirstaccumulationsofthedivisionsoftheuniverse；
theSvaracausesevolutionandinvolution；theSvaraisGod，ormoreproperlytheGreatPoweritself（Mahesvara）。TheSvaraisthemanifestationoftheimpressiononmatterofthatpowerwhichinmanisknowntousasthepowerwhichknowsitself[mentalandpsychicconsciousness]。Itistobeunderstoodthattheactionofthispowerneverceases……Itisunchangeableexistence"——andthisisthe"Motion"oftheScientistsandtheuniversalBreathofLifeoftheOccultists。（returntotext）
7。AnimalMechanism，atreatiseonterrestrialandaeriallocomotion。ByE。J。Marvey，ProfessorattheCollegeofFrance，andMemberoftheAcademyofMedicine。（returntotext）
8。"Thehighermanas"or"Ego"（Kshetrajna）
isthe"SilentSpectator，"andthevoluntary"sacrificialvictim"：thelowermanas，itsrepresentative——atyrannicaldespot，truly。（returntotext）
9。ElementsofPhysiologicalPsychology。Atreatiseoftheactivitiesandnatureofthemind，fromthePhysicalandExperimentalPointofView，pp。606and613。（returntotext）
10。W。Lawrence，LecturesonComparativeAnatomy，Physiology，Zoology，andtheNaturalHistoryofMan。8vo。London，1848，p。6。（returntotext）
11。OneofthenamesofBrahmaisanuor"atom。"
（returntotext）
12。Wefondlytrustthisveryunscientifictermwillthrowno"Animalist"intohystericsbeyondrecovery。（returntotext）
13。Anothernamefortheuniversalmind。（returntotext）
14。DogmeetRitueldelaHauteMagie，quotedinIsisUnveiled，I，138（returntotext）
StudiesinOccultismbyH。P。Blavatsky，"KosmicMind"KosmicMindWhatsoeverquitstheLaya（homogeneous）state，becomesactiveconsciouslife。Individualconsciousnessemanatesfrom，andreturnsintoAbsoluteconsciousness，whichiseternalMOTION。——EsotericAxioms。Whateverthatbewhichthinks，whichunderstands，whichwills，whichacts，itissomethingcelestialanddivine，anduponthataccountmustnecessarilybeeternal。——CICEROEdison’sconceptionofmatterwasquotedinourMarcheditorialarticle。
ThegreatAmericanelectricianisreportedbyMr。G。ParsonsLathropinHarper’sMagazineasgivingouthispersonalbeliefabouttheatomsbeing"possessedbyacertainamountofintelligence，"andshownindulginginotherreveriesofthiskind。ForthisflightoffancytheFebruaryReviewofReviewstakestheinventorofthephonographtotaskandcriticallyremarksthat"Edisonismuchgiventodreaming，"his"scientificimagination"
beingconstantlyatwork。
Wouldtogoodnessthemenofscienceexercisedtheir"scientificimagination"
alittlemoreandtheirdogmaticandcoldnegationsalittleless。Dreamsdiffer。Inthatstrangestateofbeingwhich，asByronhasit，putsusinaposition"withseal’deyestosee，"oneoftenperceivesmorerealfactsthanwhenawake。Imaginationis，again，oneofthestrongestelementsinhumannature，orinthewordsofDugaldStewartit"isthegreatspringofhumanactivity，andtheprincipalsourceofhumanimprovement……
Destroythefaculty，andtheconditionofmenwillbecomeasstationaryasthatofbrutes。"Itisthebestguideofourblindsenses，withoutwhichthelattercouldneverleadusbeyondmatteranditsillusions。Thegreatestdiscoveriesofmodernscienceareduetotheimaginativefacultyofthediscoverers。Butwhenhasanythingnewbeenpostulated，whenatheoryclashingwithandcontradictingacomfortablysettledpredecessorputforth，withoutorthodoxsciencefirstsittingonit，andtryingtocrushitoutofexistence？
Harveywasalsoregardedatfirstasa"dreamer"andamadmantoboot。
Finally，thewholeofmodernscienceisformedof"workinghypotheses，"
thefruitsof"scientificimagination"asMr。Tyndallfelicitouslycalledit。
Isitthen，becauseconsciousnessineveryuniversalatomandthepossibilityofacompletecontroloverthecellsandatomsofhisbodybyman，havenotbeenhonoredsofarwiththeimprimaturofthePopesofexactscience，thattheideaistobedismissedasadream？Occultismgivesthesameteaching。Occultismtellsusthateveryatom，likethemonadofLeibnitz，isalittleuniverseinitself；andthateveryorganandcellinthehumanbodyisendowedwithabrainofitsown，withmemory，therefore，experienceanddiscriminativepowers。TheideaofUniversalLifecomposedofindividualatomiclivesisoneoftheoldestteachingsofesotericphilosophy，andtheverymodernhypothesisofmodernscience，thatofcrystallinelife，isthefirstrayfromtheancientluminaryofknowledgethathasreachedourscholars。Ifplantscanbeshowntohavenervesandsensationsandinstinct（butanotherwordforconsciousness），whynotallowthesameinthecellsofthehumanbody？Sciencedividesmatterintoorganicandinorganicbodies，onlybecauseitrejectstheideaofabsolutelifeandalife—principleasanentity：otherwiseitwouldbethefirsttoseethatabsolutelifecannotproduceevenageometricalpoint，oranatominorganicinitsessence。ButOccultism，yousee，"teachesmysteries"theysay；andmysteryisthenegationofcommonsense，justasagainmetaphysicsisbutakindofpoetry，accordingtoMr。Tyndall。Thereisnosuchthingforscienceasmystery；andtherefore，asaLifePrincipleis，andmustremainfortheintellectsofourcivilizedracesforeveramysteryonphysicallines——theywhodealinthisquestionhavetobeofnecessityeitherfoolsorknaves。
Dixit。Nevertheless，wemayrepeatwithaFrenchpreacher："mysteryisthefatalityofscience。"Officialscienceissurroundedoneverysideandhedgedinbyunapproachable，foreverimpenetrablemysteries。Andwhy？
Simplybecausephysicalscienceisself—doomedtoasquirrel—likeprogressaroundawheelofmatterlimitedbyourfivesenses。Andthoughitisasconfessedlyignorantoftheformationofmatter，asofthegenerationofasimplecell；thoughitisaspowerlesstoexplainwhatisthis，that，ortheother，itwillyetdogmatizeandinsistonwhatlife，matterandtherestarenot。Itcomestothis：thewordsofFatherFelixaddressedfiftyyearsagototheFrenchacademicianshavenearlybecomeimmortalasatruism。"Gentlemen，"hesaid，"youthrowintoourteeththereproachthatweteachmysteries。Butimaginewhateverscienceyouwill；followthemagnificentsweepofitsdeductions……andwhenyouarriveatitsparentsourceyoucomefacetofacewiththeunknown！"
NowtolayatrestonceforallinthemindsofTheosophiststhisvexedquestion，weintendtoprovethatmodernscience，owingtophysiology，isitselfontheeveofdiscoveringthatconsciousnessisuniversal——
thusjustifyingEdison’s"dreams。"Butbeforewedothis，wemeanalsotoshowthatthoughmanyamanofscienceissoakedthroughandthroughwithsuchbelief，veryfewarebraveenoughtoopenlyadmitit，asthelateDr。PirogoffofSt。PetersburghasdoneinhisposthumousMemoirs。Indeedthatgreatsurgeonandpathologistraisedbytheirpublicationquiteahowlofindignationamonghiscolleagues。Howthen？thepublicasked：He，Dr。Pirogoff，whomweregardedasalmosttheembodimentofEuropeanlearning，believinginthesuperstitionsofcrazyalchemists？He，whointhewordsofacontemporary：——wastheveryincarnationofexactscienceandmethodsofthought；
whohaddissectedhundredsandthousandsofhumanorgans，makinghimselfasacquaintedwithallthemysteriesofsurgeryandanatomyaswearewithourfamiliarfurniture；thesavantforwhomphysiologyhadnosecretsandwho，aboveallmenwasonetowhomVoltairemighthaveironicallyaskedwhetherhehadnotfoundimmortalsoulbetweenthebladderandtheblindgut，——thatsamePirogoffisfoundafterhisdeathdevotingwholechaptersinhisliteraryWilltothescientificdemonstration……（NovoyeVremyaof1887）——ofwhat？Why，oftheexistenceineveryorganismofadistinct"VITAL
FORCE"independentofanyphysicalorchemicalprocess。LikeLiebigheacceptedthederidedandtabooedhomogeneityofnature——aLifePrinciple——thatpersecutedandhaplessteleology，orthescienceofthefinalcausesofthings，whichisasphilosophicalasitisunscientific，ifwehavetobelieveimperialandroyalacademies。Hisunpardonablesinintheeyesofdogmaticmodernscience，however，wasthis：Thegreatanatomistandsurgeon，hadthe"hardihood"todeclareinhisMemoirs，that：Wehavenocausetorejectthepossibilityoftheexistenceoforganismsendowedwithsuchpropertiesthatwouldmakeofthem——thedirectembodimentoftheuniversalmind——aperfectioninaccessibletoourown（human）mind……Because，wehavenorighttomaintainthatmanisthelastexpressionofthedivinecreativethought。Sucharethechieffeaturesoftheheresyofone，whorankedhighamongthemenofexactscienceofthisage。HisMemoirsshowplainlythatnotonlyhebelievedinUniversalDeity，divineIdeation，ortheHermetic"Thoughtdivine，"andaVitalPrinciple，buttaughtallthis，andtriedtodemonstrateitscientifically。ThushearguesthatUniversalMindneedsnophysico—chemical，ormechanicalbrainasanorganoftransmission。Heevengoessofarastoadmititinthesesuggestivewords：——OurreasonmustacceptinallnecessityaninfiniteandeternalMindwhichrulesandgovernstheoceanoflife……Thoughtandcreativeideation，infullagreementwiththelawsofunityandcausation，manifestthemselvesplainlyenoughinuniversallifewithouttheparticipationofbrain—slush……Directingtheforcesandelementstowardtheformationoforganisms，thisorganizinglife—principlebecomesself—sentient，self—conscious，racialorindividual。Substance，ruledanddirectedbythelife—principle，isorganizedaccordingtoageneraldefinedplanintocertaintypes……Heexplainsthisbeliefbyconfessingthatnever，duringhislonglifesofullofstudy，observation，andexperiments，couldhe——acquiretheconviction，thatourbraincouldbetheonlyorganofthoughtinthewholeuniverse，thateverythinginthisworld，savethatorgan，shouldbeunconditionedandsenseless，andthathumanthoughtaloneshouldimparttotheuniverseameaningandareasonableharmonyinitsintegrity。AndheaddsaproposofMoleschott’smaterialism：HowsoevermuchfishandpeasImayeat，nevershallIconsenttogiveawaymyEgointodurancevileofaproductcasuallyextractedbymodernalchemyfromtheurine。If，inourconceptionsoftheUniverseitbeourfatetofallintoillusions，thenmy"illusion"has，atleast，theadvantageofbeingveryconsoling。For，itshowstomeanintelligentUniverseandtheactivityofForcesworkinginitharmoniouslyandintelligently；andthatmy"I"isnottheproductofchemicalandhistologicalelementsbutanembodimentofacommonuniversalMind。Thelatter，Isenseandrepresenttomyselfasactinginfreewillandconsciousnessinaccordancewiththesamelawswhicharetracedfortheguidanceofmyownmind，butonlyexemptfromthatrestraintwhichtrammelsourhumanconsciousindividuality。For，asremarkselsewherethisgreatandphilosophicmanofScience：Thelimitlessandtheeternal，isnotonlyapostulateofourmindandreason，butalsoagiganticfact，initself。Whatwouldbecomeofourethicalormoralprinciplewerenottheeverlastingandintegraltruthtoserveitasafoundation！Theaboveselectionstranslatedverbatimfromtheconfessionsofonewhowasduringhislonglifeastarofthefirstmagnitudeinthefieldsofpathologyandsurgery，showhimimbuedandsoakedthroughwiththephilosophyofareasonedandscientificmysticism。InreadingtheMemoirsofthatmanofscientificfame，wefeelproudoffindinghimaccepting，almostwholesale，thefundamentaldoctrinesandbeliefsofTheosophy。Withsuchanexceptionallyscientificmindintheranksofmystics，theidioticgrins，thecheapsatiresandflingsatourgreatPhilosophybysomeEuropeanandAmerican"Freethinkers，"becomealmostacompliment。Morethaneverdotheyappeartouslikethefrighteneddiscordantcryofthenight—owlhurryingtohideinitsdarkruinsbeforethelightofthemorningSun。
Theprogressofphysiologyitself，aswehavejustsaid，isasurewarrantthatthedawnofthatdaywhenafullrecognitionofauniversallydiffusedmindwillbeanaccomplishedfact，isnotfaroff。Itisonlyaquestionoftime。
For，notwithstandingtheboastofphysiology，thattheaimofitsresearchesisonlythesummingupofeveryvitalfunctioninordertobringthemintoadefiniteorderbyshowingtheirmutualrelationsto，andconnectionwith，thelawsofphysicsandchemistry，hence，intheirfinalformwithmechanicallaws——wefearthereisagooddealofcontradictionbetweentheconfessedobjectandthespeculationsofsomeofthebestofourmodernphysiologists。
WhilefewofthemwoulddaretoreturnasopenlyasdidDr。Pirogofftothe"explodedsuperstition"ofvitalismandtheseverelyexiledlifeprinciple，theprincipiumvitaeofParacelsus——yetphysiologystandssorelyperplexedinthefaceofitsablestrepresentativesbeforecertainfacts。Unfortunatelyforus，thisageofoursisnotconducivetothedevelopmentofmoralcourage。Thetimeformosttoactonthenobleideaof"principianonhomines，"hasnotyetcome。Andyetthereareexceptionstothegeneralrule，andphysiology——whosedestinyitistobecomethehand—maidenofOcculttruths——hasnotletthelatterremainwithouttheirwitnesses。Therearethosewhoarealreadystoutlyprotestingagainstcertainhithertofavoritepropositions。Forinstance，somephysiologistsarealreadydenyingthatitistheforcesandsubstancesofso—called"inanimate"nature，whichareactingexclusivelyinlivingbeings。For，astheywellargue：Thefactthatwerejecttheinterferenceofotherforcesinlivingthings，dependsentirelyonthelimitationsofoursenses。Weuse，indeed，thesameorgansforourobservationsofbothanimateandinanimatenature；andtheseorganscanreceivemanifestationsofonlyalimitedrealmofmotion。Vibrationspassedalongthefibersofouropticnervestothebrainreachourperceptionsthroughourconsciousnessassensationsoflightandcolor；vibrationsaffectingourconsciousnessthroughourauditoryorgansstrikeusassounds；allourfeelings，throughwhicheverofoursenses，areduetonothingbutmotions。SucharetheteachingsofphysicalScience，andsuchwereintheirroughestoutlinesthoseofOccultism，aeonsandmillenniumsback。Thedifference，however，andmostvitaldistinctionbetweenthetwoteachings，isthis：
officialscienceseesinmotionsimplyablind，unreasoningforceorlaw；
Occultism，tracingmotiontoitsorigin，identifiesitwiththeUniversalDeity，andcallsthiseternalceaselessmotion——the"GreatBreath。"（1）
Nevertheless，howeverlimitedtheconceptionofModernScienceaboutthesaidForce，stillitissuggestiveenoughtohaveforcedthefollowingremarkfromagreatScientist，thepresentprofessorofphysiologyattheUniversityofBasle，（2）whospeakslikeanOccultist。Itwouldbefollyinustoexpecttobeeverabletodiscover，withtheassistanceonlyofourexternalsenses，inanimatenaturethatsomethingwhichweareunabletofindintheinanimate。Andforthwiththelectureraddsthatmanbeingendowed"inadditiontohisphysicalsenseswithaninnersense，"aperceptionwhichgiveshimthepossibilityofobservingthestatesandphenomenaofhisownconsciousness，"hehastousethatindealingwithanimatenature"——aprofessionoffaithvergingsuspiciouslyonthebordersofOccultism。Hedenies，moreover，theassumption，thatthestatesandphenomenaofconsciousnessrepresentinsubstancethesamemanifestationsofmotionasintheexternalworld，andbaseshisdenialbythereminderthatnotallofsuchstatesandmanifestationshavenecessarilyaspatialextension。Accordingtohimthatonlyisconnectedwithourconceptionofspacewhichhasreachedourconsciousnessthroughsight，touch，andthemuscularsense，whilealltheothersenses，alltheeffects，tendencies，asalltheinterminableseriesofrepresentations，havenoextensioninspacebutonlyintime。
Thusheasks：——Wherethenisthereroominthisforamechanicaltheory？Objectorsmightarguethatthisissoonlyinappearance，whileinrealityallthesehaveaspatialextension。Butsuchanargumentwouldbeentirelyerroneous。
Oursolereasonforbelievingthatobjectsperceivedbythesenseshavesuchextensionintheexternalworld，restsontheideathattheyseemtodoso，asfarastheycanbewatchedandobservedthroughthesensesofsightandtouch。Withregard，however，totherealmofourinnersenseseventhatsupposedfoundationlosesitsforceandthereisnogroundforadmittingit。ThewindingupargumentofthelecturerismostinterestingtoTheosophists。
SaysthisphysiologistofthemodernschoolofMaterialism——Thus，adeeperandmoredirectacquaintancewithourinnernatureunveilstousaworldentirelyunliketheworldrepresentedtousbyourexternalsenses，andrevealsthemostheterogeneousfaculties，showsobjectshavingnoughttodowithspatialextension，andphenomenaabsolutelydisconnectedwiththosethatfallundermechanicallaws。Hithertotheopponentsofvitalismand"life—principle，"aswellasthefollowersofthemechanicaltheoryoflife，basedtheirviewsonthesupposedfact，that，asphysiologywasprogressingforward，itsstudentssucceededmoreandmoreinconnectingitsfunctionswiththelawsofblindmatter。Allthosemanifestationsthatusedtobeattributedtoa"mysticallife—force，"theysaid，maybebroughtnowunderphysicalandchemicallaws。Andtheywere，andstillareloudlyclamoringfortherecognitionofthefactthatitisonlyaquestionoftimewhenitwillbetriumphantlydemonstratedthatthewholevitalprocess，initsgrandtotality，representsnothingmoremysteriousthanaverycomplicatedphenomenonofmotion，exclusivelygovernedbytheforcesofinanimatenature。
Butherewehaveaprofessorofphysiologywhoassertsthatthehistoryofphysiologyproves，unfortunatelyforthem，quitethecontrary；andhepronouncestheseominouswords：Imaintainthatthemoreourexperimentsandobservationsareexactandmany—sided，thedeeperwepenetrateintofacts，themorewetrytofathomandspeculateonthephenomenaoflife，themoreweacquiretheconviction，thateventhosephenomenathatwehadhopedtobealreadyabletoexplainbyphysicalandchemicallaws，areinrealityunfathomable。Theyarevastlymorecomplicated，infact；andaswestandatpresent，theywillnotyieldtoanymechanicalexplanation。Thisisaterribleblowatthepuffed—upbladderknownasMaterialism，whichisasemptyasitisdilated。AJudasinthecampoftheapostlesofnegation——the"animalists"！ButtheBasleprofessorisnosolitaryexception，aswehavejustshown；andthereareseveralphysiologistswhoareofhiswayofthinking；indeedsomeofthemgoingsofarastoalmostacceptfree—willandconsciousness，inthesimplestmonadicprotoplasms！
Onediscoveryaftertheothertendsinthisdirection。TheworksofsomeGermanphysiologistsareespeciallyinterestingwithregardtocasesofconsciousnessandpositivediscrimination——oneisalmostinclinedtosaythought——intheAmoebas。NowtheAmoebasoranimalculaeare，asallknow，microscopicalprotoplasms——astheVampyrellaSirogyraforinstance，amostsimpleelementarycell，aprotoplasmicdrop，formlessandalmoststructureless。Andyetitshowsinitsbehaviorsomethingforwhichzoologists，iftheydonotcallitmindandpowerofreasoning，willhavetofindsomeotherqualification，andcoinanewterm。ForseewhatCienkowsky（3）saysofit。Speakingofthismicroscopical，bare，reddishcellhedescribesthewayinwhichithuntsforandfindsamonganumberofotheraquaticplantsonecalledSpirogyra，rejectingeveryotherfood。Examiningitsperegrinationsunderapowerfulmicroscope，hefounditwhenmovedbyhunger，firstprojectingitspseudopodiae（falsefeet）bythehelpofwhichitcrawls。ThenitcommencesmovingaboutuntilamongagreatvarietyofplantsitcomesacrossaSpirogyra，afterwhichitproceedstowardthecellulatedportionofoneofthecellsofthelatter，andplacingitselfonit，itburststhetissue，sucksthecontentsofonecellandthenpassesontoanother，repeatingthesameprocess。Thisnaturalistneversawittakeanyotherfood，anditnevertouchedanyofthenumerousplantsplacedbyCienkowskyinitsway。MentioninganotherAmoeba——theColpadellaPugnax——hesaysthathefounditshowingthesamepredilectionfortheChlamydomonasonwhichitfeedsexclusively；"havingmadeapunctureinthebodyoftheChlamydomonasitsucksitschlorophylandthengoesaway，"hewrites，addingthesesignificantwords："Thewayofactingofthesemonadsduringtheirsearchforandreceptionoffood，issoamazingthatoneisalmostinclinedtoseeinthemconsciouslyactingbeings！"
NotlesssuggestivearetheobservationsofTh。W。Engelman（BeitraegezurPhysiologiedesProtoplasm），ontheArcella，anotherunicellularorganismonlyatriflemorecomplexthantheVampyrella。Heshowstheminadropofwaterunderamicroscopeonapieceofglass，lyingsotospeak，ontheirbacks，i。e。，ontheirconvexside，sothatthepseudopodiae，projectedfromtheedgeoftheshell，findnoholdinspaceandleavetheAmoebahelpless。Underthesecircumstancesthefollowingcuriousfactisobserved。Undertheveryedgeofoneofthesidesoftheprotoplasmgas—bubblesbeginimmediatelytoform，which，makingthatsidelighter，allowittoberaised，bringingatthesametimetheoppositesideofthecreatureintocontactwiththeglass，thusfurnishingitspseudoorfalsefeetmeanstogetholdofthesurfaceandtherebyturningoveritsbodytoraiseitselfonallitspseudopodiae。Afterthis，theAmoebaproceedstosuckbackintoitselfthegas—bubblesandbeginstomove。Ifalikedropofwaterisplacedonthelowerextremityoftheglass，then，followingthelawofgravitytheAmoebawillfindthemselvesatfirstatthelowerendofthedropofwater。Failingtofindthereapointofsupport，theyproceedtogeneratelargebubblesofgas，when，becominglighterthanthewater，theyareraiseduptothesurfaceofthedrop。
InthewordsofEngelman：——Ifhavingreachedthesurfaceoftheglasstheyfindnomoresupportfortheirfeetthanbefore，forthwithoneseesthegas—globulesdiminishingononesideandincreasinginsizeandnumberontheother，orboth，untilthecreaturestouchwiththeedgeoftheirshellthesurfaceoftheglass，andareenabledtoturnover。Nosooneristhisdonethanthegas—globulesdisappearandtheArcellaebegincrawling。Detachthemcarefullybymeansofafineneedlefromthesurfaceoftheglassandthusbringthemdownoncemoretothelowersurfaceofthedropofwater；andforthwiththeywillrepeatthesameprocess，varyingitsdetailsaccordingtonecessityanddevisingnewmeanstoreachtheirdesiredaim。
Tryasmuchasyouwilltoplacetheminuncomfortablepositions，andtheyfindmeanstoextricatethemselvesfromthem，eachtime，byonedeviceortheother；andnosoonerhavetheysucceededthanthegas—bubblesdisappear！ItisimpossiblenottoadmitthatsuchfactsasthesepointtothepresenceofsomePSYCHICprocessintheprotoplasm。（4）AmonghundredsofaccusationsagainstAsiaticnationsofdegradingsuperstitions，basedon"crassignorance，"thereexistsnomoreseriousdenunciationthanthatwhichaccusesandconvictsthemofpersonifyingandevendeifyingthechieforgansof，andin，thehumanbody。Indeed，donotwehearthese"benightedfools"ofHindusspeakingofthesmall—poxasagoddess——thuspersonifyingthemicrobesofthevariolicvirus？DowenotreadaboutTantrikas，asectofmystics，givingpropernamestonerves，cellsandarteries，connectingandidentifyingvariouspartsofthebodywithdeities，endowingfunctionsandphysiologicalprocesseswithintelligence，andwhatnot？Thevertebrae，fibers，ganglia，thecord，etc。，ofthespinalcolumn；theheart，itsfourchambers，auricleandventricle，valvesandtherest；stomach，liver，lungsandspleen，everythinghasitsspecialdeificname，isbelievedtoactconsciouslyandtoactunderthepotentwilloftheYogi，whoseheadandheartaretheseatsofBrahmaandthevariouspartsofwhosebodyareallthepleasuregroundsofthisoranotherdeity！
Thisisindeedignorance。Especiallywhenwethinkthatthesaidorgans，andthewholebodyofmanarecomposedofcells，andthesecellsarenowbeingrecognizedasindividualorganismsand——quiensabe——willcomeperhapstoberecognizedsomedayasanindependentraceofthinkersinhabitingtheglobe，calledman！Itreallylookslikeit。Forwasitnothithertobelievedthatallthephenomenaofassimilationandsuckinginoffoodbytheintestinalcanal，couldbeexplainedbythelawsofdiffusionandendosmosis？Andnow，alas，physiologistshavecometolearnthattheactionoftheintestinalcanalduringtheactofabsorbing，isnotidenticalwiththeactionofthenon—livingmembraneinthedialyser。
Itisnowwelldemonstratedthat——thiswalliscoveredwithepitheliumcells，eachofwhichisanorganismperse，alivingbeing，andwithverycomplexfunctions。
Weknowfurther，thatsuchacellassimilatesfood——bymeansofactivecontractionsofitsprotoplasmicbody——inamannerasmysteriousasthatwhichwenoticeintheindependentAmoebaandanimalcules。Wecanobserveontheintestinalepitheliumofthecold—bloodedanimalshowthesecellsprojectshoots——pseudopodiae——outoftheircontractive，bare，protoplasmicbodies——whichpseudopodiae，orfalsefeet，fishoutofthefooddropsoffat，suckthemintotheirprotoplasmandsenditfurther，towardthelymph—duct……Thelymphaticcellsissuingfromthenestsoftheadiposetissue，andsqueezingthemselvesthroughtheepitheliumcellsuptothesurfaceoftheintestines，absorbthereinthedropsoffatandloadedwiththeirprey，travelhomewardtothelymphaticcanals。
Solongasthisactiveworkofthecellsremainedunknowntous，thefactthatwhiletheglobulesoffatpenetratedthroughthewallsoftheintestinesintolymphaticchannels，thesmallestofpigmentalgrainsintroducedintotheintestinesdidnotdoso，——remainedunexplained。Butto—dayweknow，thatthisfacultyofselectingtheirspecialfood——ofassimilatingtheusefulandrejectingtheuselessandtheharmful——iscommontoalltheunicellularorganisms。（5）Andthelecturerqueries，why，ifthisdiscriminationintheselectionoffoodexistsinthesimplestandmostelementaryofthecells，intheformlessandstructurelessprotoplasmicdrops——whyitshouldnotexistalsointheepitheliumcellsofourintestinalcanal。Indeed，iftheVampyrellarecognizesitsmuchbelovedSpirogyra，amonghundredsofotherplantsasshownabove，whyshouldnottheepitheliumcell，sense，chooseandselectitsfavoritedropoffatfromapigmentalgrain？Butwewillbetoldthat"sensing，choosing，andselecting"
pertainonlytoreasoningbeings，atleasttotheinstinctofmorestructuralanimalsthanistheprotoplasmiccelloutsideorinsideman。
Agreed；butaswetranslatefromthelectureofalearnedphysiologistandtheworksofotherlearnednaturalists，wecanonlysay，thattheselearnedgentlemenmustknowwhattheyaretalkingabout；thoughtheyareprobablyignorantofthefactthattheirscientificproseisbutonedegreeremovedfromtheignorant，superstitious，butratherpoetical"twaddle"oftheHinduYogisandTantrikas。
Anyhow，ourprofessorofphysiologyfallsfoulofthematerialistictheoriesofdiffusionandendosmosis。Armedwiththefactsoftheevidentdiscriminationandamindinthecells，hedemonstratesbynumerousinstancesthefallacyoftryingtoexplaincertainphysiologicalprocessesbymechanicaltheories；suchforinstanceasthepassingofsugarfromtheliver（whereitistransformedintoglucose）intotheblood。Physiologistsfindgreatdifficultyinexplainingthisprocess，andregarditasanimpossibilitytobringitundertheendosmosiclaws。Inallprobabilitythelymphaticcellsplayjustasactiveapartduringtheabsorptionofalimentarysubstancesdissolvedinwater，asthepepticsdo，aprocesswelldemonstratedbyF。Hofmeister。（6）Generallyspeaking，poorconvenientendosmoseisdethronedandexiledfromamongtheactivefunctionariesofthehumanbodyasauselesssinecurist。Ithaslostitsvoiceinthematterofglandsandotheragentsofsecretion，intheactionofwhichthesameepitheliumcellshavereplacedit。Themysteriousfacultiesofselection，ofextractingfromthebloodonekindofsubstanceandrejectinganother，oftransformingtheformerbymeansofdecompositionandsynthesis，ofdirectingsomeoftheproductsintopassageswhichwillthrowthemoutofthebodyandredirectingothersintolymphaticandbloodvessels——
suchistheworkofthecells。"Itisevidentthatinallthisthereisnottheslightesthintatdiffusionorendosmose，"saystheBaslephysiologist。"Itbecomesentirelyuselesstotryandexplainthesephenomenabychemicallaws。"
Butperhapsphysiologyisluckierinsomeotherdepartment？Failinginthelawsofalimentation，itmayhavefoundsomeconsolationforitsmechanicaltheoriesinthequestionoftheactivityofmusclesandnerves，whichitsoughttoexplainbyelectriclaws？Alas，saveinafewfishes——innootherlivingorganisms，leastofallinthehumanbody，coulditfindanypossibilityofpointingoutelectriccurrentsasthechiefrulingagency。Electro—biologyonthelinesofpuredynamicelectricityhasegregiouslyfailed。Ignorantof"Fohat"noelectricalcurrentssufficetoexplaintoiteithermuscularornervousactivity！
Butthereissuchathingasthephysiologyofexternalsensations。
Herewearenolongeronterraincognita，andallsuchphenomenahavealreadyfoundpurelyphysicalexplanations。Nodoubt，thereisthephenomenonofsight，theeyewithitsopticalapparatus，itscameraobscura。Butthefactofthesamenessofthereproductionofthingsintheeye，accordingtothesamelawsofrefractionasontheplateofaphotographicmachine，isnovitalphenomenon。Thesamemaybereproducedonadeadeye。Thephenomenonoflifeconsistsintheevolutionanddevelopmentoftheeyeitself。Howisthismarvelousandcomplicatedworkproduced？Tothisphysiologyreplies，"Wedonotknow"；for，towardthesolutionofthisgreatproblem——Physiologyhasnotyetmadeonesinglestep。True，wecanfollowthesequenceofthestagesofthedevelopmentandformationoftheeye，butwhyitissoandwhatisthecausalconnection，wehaveabsolutelynoidea。Thesecondvitalphenomenonoftheeyeisitsaccommodatingactivity。Andhereweareagainfacetofacewiththefunctionsofnervesandmuscles——ouroldinsolubleriddles。Thesamemaybesaidofalltheorgansofsense。Thesamealsorelatestootherdepartmentsofphysiology。Wehadhopedtoexplainthephenomenaofthecirculationofthebloodbythelawsofhydrostaticsorhydrodynamics。Ofcoursethebloodmovesinaccordancewiththehydrodynamicallaws：butitsrelationtothemremainsutterlypassive。Astotheactivefunctionsoftheheartandthemusclesofitsvessels，noone，sofar，haseverbeenabletoexplainthembyphysicallaws。TheunderlinedwordsintheconcludingportionoftheableProfessor’slectureareworthyofanOccultist。Indeed，heseemstoberepeatinganaphorismfromthe"ElementaryInstructions"oftheesotericphysiologyofpracticalOccultism：——Theriddleoflifeisfoundintheactivefunctionsofalivingorganism（7），therealperceptionofwhichactivitywecangetonlythroughself—observation，andnotowingtoourexternalsenses；byobservationsonourwill，sofarasitpenetratesourconsciousness，thusrevealingitselftoourinnersense。Therefore，whenthesamephenomenonactsonlyonourexternalsenses，werecognizeitnolonger。Weseeeverythingthattakesplacearoundandnearthephenomenonofmotion，buttheessenceofthatphenomenonwedonotseeatall，becausewelackforitaspecialorganofreceptivity。
Wecanacceptthatesseinamerehypotheticalway，anddoso，infact，whenwespeakof"activefunctions。"Thusdoeseveryphysiologist，forhecannotgoonwithoutsuchhypothesis；andthisisafirstexperimentofapsychologicalexplanationofallvitalphenomena……Andifitisdemonstratedtousthatweareunablewiththehelponlyofphysicsandchemistrytoexplainthephenomenaoflife，whatmayweexpectfromotheradjunctsofphysiology，fromthesciencesofmorphology，anatomy，andhistology？Imaintainthatthesecanneverhelpustounriddletheproblemofanyofthemysteriousphenomenaoflife。For，afterwehavesucceededwiththehelpofscalpelandmicroscopeindividingtheorganismsintotheirmostelementarycompounds，andreachedthesimplestofcells，itisjustherethatwefindourselvesfacetofacewiththegreatestproblemofall。Thesimplestmonad，amicroscopicalpointofprotoplasm，formlessandstructureless，exhibitsyetalltheessentialvitalfunctions，alimentation，growth，breeding，motion，feelingandsensuousperception，andevensuchfunctionswhichreplace"consciousness"——thesoulofthehigheranimals！Theproblem——forMaterialism——isaterribleone，indeed！Shallourcells，andinfinitesimalmonadsinnature，doforusthatwhichtheargumentsofthegreatestPantheisticphilosophershavehithertofailedtodo？Letushopeso。Andiftheydo，thenthe"superstitiousandignorant"EasternYogis，andeventheirexotericfollowers，willfindthemselvesvindicated。
Forwehearfromthesamephysiologistthat——Alargenumberofpoisonsarepreventedbytheepitheliumcellsfrompenetratingintolymphaticspaces，thoughweknowthattheyareeasilydecomposedintheabdominalandintestinaljuices。Morethanthis。
Physiologyisawarethatbyinjectingthesepoisonsdirectlyintotheblood，theywillseparatefrom，andreappearthroughtheintestinalwalls，andthatinthisprocessthelymphaticcellstakeamostactivepart。IfthereaderturnstoWebster’sDictionaryhewillfindthereinacuriousexplanationatthewords"lymphatic"and"Lymph。"EtymologiststhinkthattheLatinwordlymphaisderivedfromtheGreeknymphe，"anymphorinferiorGoddess，"theysay。"TheMusesweresometimescallednymphsbythepoets。Hence（accordingtoWebster）allpersonsinastateofrapture，asseers，poets，madmen，etc。，weresaidtobecaughtbythenymphs。"
TheGoddessofMoisture（theGreekandLatinnymphorlymph，then）isfabledinIndiaasbeingbornfromtheporesofoneoftheGods，whethertheOceanGod，Varuna，oraminor"RiverGod"islefttotheparticularsectandfancyofthebelievers。Butthemainquestionis，thattheancientGreeksandLatinsarethusadmittedlyknowntohavesharedinthesame"superstitions"astheHindus。Thissuperstitionisshownintheirmaintainingtothisdaythateveryatomofmatterinthefour（orfive）ElementsisanemanationfromaninferiorGodorGoddess，himselforherselfanearlieremanationfromasuperiordeity；and，moreover，thateachoftheseatoms——beingBrahma，oneofwhosenamesisAnu，oratom——nosoonerisitemanatedthanitbecomesendowedwithconsciousness，eachofitskind，andfree—will，actingwithinthelimitsoflaw。Now，hewhoknowsthatthekosmictrimurti（trinity）composedofBrahma，theCreator；Vishnu，thePreserver；andSiva，theDestroyer，isamostmagnificentandscientificsymbolofthematerialUniverseanditsgradualevolution；andwhofindsaproofofthis，intheetymologyofthenamesofthesedeities（8），plusthedoctrinesofGuptaVidya，oresotericknowledge——knowsalsohowtocorrectlyunderstandthis"superstition。"ThefivefundamentaltitlesofVishnu——addedtothatofAnu（atom）commontoallthetrimurticpersonages——whichare，Bhutatman，onewiththecreatedoremanatedmaterialsoftheworld；Pradhanatman，"onewiththesenses；"Paramatman，"SupremeSoul"；andAtman，KosmicSoul，ortheUniversalMind——showsufficientlywhattheancientHindusmeantbyendowingwithmindandconsciousnesseveryatomandgivingitadistinctnameofaGodoraGoddess。PlacetheirPantheon，composedof30crores（or300millions）
ofdeitieswithinthemacrocosm（theUniverse），orinsidethemicrocosm（man），andthenumberwillnotbefoundoverrated，sincetheyrelatetotheatoms，cells，andmoleculesofeverythingthatis。
This，nodoubt，istoopoeticalandabstruseforourgeneration，butitseemsdecidedlyasscientific，ifnotmoreso，thantheteachingsderivedfromthelatestdiscoveriesofPhysiologyandNaturalHistory。
FOOTNOTES：
1。VideSecretDoctrine，Vol。I，pp。2and3。（returntotext）
2。Fromapaperreadbyhimsometimeagoatapubliclecture。（returntotext）
3。L。Cienkowsky。SeehisworkBeitraegezurKentnissderMonaden，Archivf。mikroskop，Anatomie。（returntotext）
4。Loc。Cit，Pfluger’sArchiv。，II。
387。（returntotext）
5。FromthepaperreadbytheProfessorofphysiologyattheUniversityofBasle，previouslyquoted。（returntotext）
6。UntersuchungenuberResorptionu。AssimilationderNahrstoffe（Archiv。f。ExperimentalePathologieundPharmakologie，Bd。XIX，1885）。（returntotext）
7。Lifeandactivityarebuttwodifferentnamesforthesameidea，or，whatisstillmorecorrect，theyaretwowordswithwhichthemenofscienceconnectnodefiniteideawhatever。Nevertheless，andperhapsjustforthat，theyareobligedtousethem，fortheycontainthepointofcontactbetweenthemostdifficultproblemsoverwhich，infact，thegreatestthinkersofthematerialisticschoolhaveevertripped。
（returntotext）
8。Brahmacomesfromtherootbrih，"toexpand，"to"scatter"；Vishnufromtherootvisorvish（phonetically）"toenterinto，""topervade"theuniverse，ofmatter。
AstoSiva——thepatronoftheYogis，theetymologyofhisnamewouldremainincomprehensibletothecasualreader。（returntotext）
StudiesinOccultismbyBlavatsky，"TheDualAspectofWisdom"TheDualAspectofWisdomNodoubtbutyearethepeopleandwisdomshalldiewithyou。
——Jobxii，2Butwisdomisjustifiedofherchildren。——Matthewxi，19Itistheprivilege——asalsooccasionallythecurse——ofeditorstoreceivenumerouslettersofadvice，andtheconductorsofLuciferhavenotescapedthecommonlot。Rearedintheaphorismsoftheagestheyareawarethat"hewhocantakeadviceissuperiortohimwhogivesit，"andarethereforereadytoacceptwithgratitudeanysoundandpracticalsuggestionsofferedbyfriends；butthelastletterreceiveddoesnotfulfillthecondition。
Itisnotevenhisownwisdom，butthatoftheagewelivein，whichisassertedbyouradviser，whothusseriouslyriskshisreputationforkeenobservationbysuchactsofdevotiononthealtarofmodernpretensions。
Itisindefenseofthe"wisdom"ofourcenturythatwearetakentotask，andchargedwith"preferringbarbarousantiquitytoourmoderncivilizationanditsinestimableboons，"withforgettingthat"ourown—daywisdomcomparedwiththeawakeninginstinctsofthePastisinnowayinferiorinphilosophicwisdomeventotheageofPlato。"Wearelastlytoldthatwe，Theosophists，are"toofondofthedimyesterday，andasunjusttoourglorious（？）present—day，thebrightnoon—hourofthehighestcivilizationandculture"！！
Well，allthisisaquestionoftaste。Ourcorrespondentiswelcometohisownviews，butsoarewetoours。LethimimaginethattheEiffelTowerdwarfsthePyramidofGhizehintoamole—hill，andtheCrystalPalacegroundstransformthehanginggardensofSemiramisintoakitchen—garden——ifhelikes。Butifweareseriously"challenged"byhimtoshow"inwhatrespectourageofhourlyprogressandgiganticthought"——aprogressatriflemarred，however，byourHuxleysbeingdenouncedbyourSurgeons，andtheUniversityladies，seniorclassicsandwranglers，bythe"hallelujahlasses"——isinferiortotheagesof，say，ahen—pecked"Socratesandacross—leggedBuddha，"thenwewillanswerhim，givinghim，ofcourse，ourownpersonalopinion。
Ourage，wesay，isinferiorinWisdomtoanyother，becauseitprofesses，morevisiblyeveryday，contemptfortruthandjustice，withoutwhichtherecanbenoWisdom。Becauseourcivilization，builtupofshamsandappearances，isatbestlikeabeautifulgreenmorass，abog，spreadoveradeadlyquagmire。Becausethiscenturyofcultureandworshipofmatter，whileofferingprizesandpremiumsforevery"bestthing"
undertheSun，fromthebiggestbabyandthelargestorchiddowntothestrongestpugilistandthefattestpig，hasnoencouragementtooffertomorality；noprizetogiveforanymoralvirtue。BecauseithasSocietiesforthepreventionofphysicalcrueltytoanimals，andnonewiththeobjectofpreventingthemoralcrueltypracticedonhumanbeings。Becauseitencourages，legallyandtacitly，viceundereveryform，fromthesaleofwhiskeydowntoforcedprostitutionandtheftbroughtonbystarvationwages，Shylock—likeexaction，rentsandothercomfortsofourculturedperiod。Because，finally，thisistheagewhich，althoughproclaimedasoneofphysicalandmoralfreedom，isintruththeageofthemostferociousmoralandmentalslavery，thelikeofwhichwasneverknownbefore。SlaverytoStateandmenhasdisappearedonlytomakeroomforslaverytothingsandSelf，toone’sownvicesandidioticsocialcustomsandways。Rapidcivilization，adaptedtotheneedsofthehigherandmiddleclasses，hasdoomedbycontrasttoonlygreaterwretchednessthestarvingmasses。Havingleveledthetwoformerithasmadethemthemoretodisregardthesubstanceinfavorofformandappearance，thusforcingmodernmanintoduressvile，aslavishdependenceonthingsinanimate，touseandtoservewhichisthefirstboundeddutyofeveryculturedman。
WherethenistheWisdomofourmodernage？
Intruth，itrequiresbutaveryfewlinestoshowwhywebowbeforeancientWisdom，whilerefusingabsolutelytoseeanyinourmoderncivilization。
Buttobeginwith，whatdoesourcriticmeanbytheword"wisdom"？ThoughwehavenevertoounreasonablyadmiredLactantius，yetwemustrecognizethateventhatinnocentChurchFather，withallhiscuttinginsultsanenttheheliocentricsystem，definedthetermverycorrectlywhensayingthat"thefirstpointofWisdomistodiscernthatwhichisfalse，andthesecond，toknowthatwhichistrue。"Andifsowhatchanceisthereforourcenturyoffalsification，fromtherevisedBibletextsdowntonaturalbutter，toputforthaclaimto"Wisdom"？Butbeforewecrosslancesonthissubjectwemaydowell，perchance，todefinethetermourselves。
LetuspremisebysayingthatWisdomis，atbest，anelasticword——
atanyrateasusedinEuropeantongues。Thatityieldsnoclearideaofitsmeaning，unlessprecededorfollowedbysomequalifyingadjective。
IntheBible，indeed，theHebrewequivalentChockmah（inGreek，Sophia）isappliedtothemostdissimilarthings——abstractandconcrete。Thuswefind"Wisdom"asthecharacteristicbothofdivineinspirationandalsoofterrestrialcunningandcraft；asmeaningtheSecretKnowledgeoftheEsotericSciences，andalsoblindfaith；the"fearoftheLord，"andPharaoh’smagicians。ThenounisindifferentlyappliedtoChristandtosorcery，forthewitchSedeclaisalsoreferredtoasthe"wisewomanofEn—Dor。"FromtheearliestChristianantiquity，beginningwithSt。James（iii，13—17），downtothelastCalvinistpreacher，whoseesinhellandeternaldamnationaproofof"theAlmighty’swisdom，"thetermhasbeenusedwiththemostvariedmeanings。ButSt。Jamesteachestwokindsofwisdom；ateachingwithwhichwefullyconcur。Hedrawsastronglineofseparationbetweenthedivineornoetic"Sophia"
——theWisdomfromabove——andtheterrestrial，psychic，anddevilishwisdom（iii，15）。ForthetrueTheosophistthereisnowisdomsavetheformer。WouldthatsuchanonecoulddeclarewithPaul，thathespeaksthatwisdomexclusivelyonlyamongthem"thatareperfect，"i。e。，thoseinitiatedintoitsmysteries，orfamiliar，atleast，withtheABCofthesacredsciences。But，howevergreatwashismistake，howeverprematurehisattempttosowtheseedsofthetrueandeternalgnosisonunpreparedsoil，hismotiveswereyetgoodandhisintentionunselfish，andthereforehashebeenstoned。Forhadheonlyattemptedtopreachsomeparticularfictionofhisown，ordoneitforgain，whowouldhaveeversingledhimoutortriedtocrushhim，amidthehundredsofotherfalsesects，daily"collections"andcrazy"societies"？Buthiscasewasdifferent。Howevercautiously，stillhespoke"notthewisdomofthisworld"
buttruthorthe"hiddenwisdom……whichnoneofthePrincesofthisWorldknow（ICorinth。ii。）leastofallthearchonsofourmodernscience。Withregardto"psychic"wisdom，however，whichJamesdefinesasterrestrialanddevilish，ithasexistedinallages，fromthedaysofPythagorasandPlato，whenforonephilosophustherewereninesophistae，downtoourmodernera。Tosuchwisdomourcenturyiswelcome，andindeedfullyentitled，tolayaclaim。Moreover，itisanattireeasytoputon；thereneverwasaperiodwhencrowsrefusedtoarraythemselvesinpeacock’sfeathers，iftheopportunitywasoffered。
Butnowasthen，wehavearighttoanalyzethetermsusedandinquireinthewordsofthebookofJob，thatsuggestiveallegoryofKarmicpurificationandinitiationrites："Whereshall（true）wisdombefound？Whereistheplaceofunderstanding？"andtoansweragaininhiswords："Withtheancientiswisdomandinthelengthofdaysunderstanding。"（Jobxxviii，12andxii，12）
Herewehavetoqualifyoncemoreadubiousterm，viz：theword"ancient，"
andtoexplainit。Asinterpretedbytheorthodoxchurches，ithasinthemouthofJobonemeaning；butwiththeKabalist，quiteanother；whileintheGnosisoftheOccultistandTheosophistithasdistinctlyathirdsignification，thesamewhichithadintheoriginalBookofJob，apre—MosaicworkandarecognizedtreatiseonInitiation。Thus，theKabalistappliestheadjective"ancient"totheManifestedWORDorLOGOS（Dabar）oftheforeverconcealedanduncognizabledeity。Daniel，inoneofhisvisions，alsousesitwhenspeakingofJahve——theandrogynousAdamKadmon。TheChurchmanconnectsitwithhisanthropomorphicJehovah，the"LordGod"ofthetranslatedBible。ButtheEasternOccultistemploysthemystictermonlywhenreferringtothereincarnatinghigherEgo。For，divineWisdombeingdiffusedthroughouttheinfiniteUniverse，andourimpersonalHIGHERSELFbeinganintegralpartofit，theatmiclightofthelattercanbecenteredonlyinthatwhichthougheternalisstillindividualized——i。e。，thenoeticPrinciple，themanifestedGodwithineachrationalbeing，orourHigherManasatonewithBuddhi。Itisthiscollectivelightwhichisthe"Wisdomthatisfromabove，"
andwhichwheneveritdescendsonthepersonalEgo，isfound"pure，peaceable，gentle。"Hence，Job’sassertionthat"WisdomiswiththeAncient，"orBuddhi—Manas。FortheDivineSpiritual"I，"isaloneeternal，andthesamethroughoutallbirths；whereasthe"personalities"itinformsinsuccessionareevanescent，changingliketheshadowsofakaleidoscopicseriesofformsinamagiclantern。Itisthe"Ancient，"because，whetheritbecalledSophia，Krishna，Buddhi—ManasorChristos，itiseverthe"first—born"ofAlaya—Mahat，theUniversalSoulandtheIntelligenceoftheUniverse。Esotericallythen，Job’sstatementmustread："WiththeAncient（man’sHigherEgo）isWisdom，andinthelengthofdays（ornumberofitsre—incarnations）isunderstanding。"NomancanlearntrueandfinalWisdominonebirth；andeverynewrebirth，whetherwebereincarnatedforwealorforwoe，isonemorelessonwereceiveatthehandsofthesternyeteverjustschoolmaster——KARMICLIFE。
Buttheworld——theWesternworld，atanyrate——knowsnothingofthis，andrefusestolearnanything。Forit，anynotionoftheDivineEgoorthepluralityofitsbirthsis"heathenfoolishness。"TheWesternworldrejectsthesetruths，andwillrecognizenowisemenexceptthoseofitsownmaking，createdinitsownimage，bornwithinitsownChristianeraandteachings。Theonly"wisdom"itunderstandsandpracticesisthepsychic，the"terrestrialanddevilish"wisdomspokenofbyJames，thusmakingoftherealWisdomamisnomerandadegradation。Yet，withoutconsideringhermultipliedvarieties，therearetwokindsofeven"terrestrial"
wisdomonourglobeofmud——therealandtheapparent。Betweenthetwo，thereisevenforthesuperficialobserverofthisbusywickedworld，awidechasm，andyethowveryfewpeoplewillconsenttoseeit！Thereasonforthisisquitenatural。Sostrongishumanselfishness，thatwhereverthereisthesmallestpersonalinterestatstake，theremenbecomedeafandblindtothetruth，asoftenconsciouslyasnot。Noraremanypeoplecapableofrecognizingasspeedilyasisadvisablethedifferencebetweenmenwhoarewiseandthosewhoonlyseemwise，thelatterbeingchieflyregardedassuchbecausetheyareverycleveratblowingtheirowntrumpet。Somuchfor"wisdom"intheprofaneworld。
Astotheworldofthestudentsinmysticlore，itisalmostworse。
Thingshavestrangelyalteredsincethedaysofantiquity，whenthetrulywisemadeittheirfirstdutytoconcealtheirknowledge，deemingittoosacredtoevenmentionbeforethehoipolloi。WhilethemediaevalRosecroix，thetruephilosopher，keepingoldSocratesinmind，repeateddailythatallheknewwasthatheknewnothing，hismodernself—styledsuccessorannouncesinourday，throughpressandpublic，thatthosemysteriesinNatureandherOccultlawsofwhichheknowsnothing，haveneverexistedatall。TherewasatimewhentheacquirementofDivineWisdom（Sapientia）requiredthesacrificeanddevotionofaman’swholelife。Itdependedonsuchthingsasthepurityofthecandidate’smotives，onhisfearlessnessandindependenceofspirit；butnow，toreceiveapatentforwisdomandadept—shiprequiresonlyunblushingimpudence。Acertificateofdivinewisdomisnowdecreed，anddeliveredtoaself—styled"Adeptus"byaregularmajorityofvotesofprofaneandeasilycaughtgulls，whileahostofmagpiesdrivenawayfromtheroofoftheTempleofSciencewillheraldittotheworldineverymarketplaceandfair。Tellthepublicthatnow，evenasofold，thegenuineandsincereobserveroflifeanditsunderlyingphenomena，theintelligentco—workerwithnature，may，bybecominganexpertinhermysteriestherebybecomea"wise"man，intheterrestrialsenseoftheword，butthatneverwillamaterialistwrenchfromnatureanysecretonahigherplane——andyouwillbelaughedtoscorn。Add，thatno"wisdomfromabove"descendsonanyonesaveonthesinequanonconditionofleavingatthethresholdoftheOcculteveryatomofselfishness，ordesireforpersonalendsandbenefit——andyouwillbespeedilydeclaredbyyouraudienceacandidateforthelunaticasylum。Nevertheless，thisisanold，veryoldtruism。Naturegivesupherinnermostsecretsandimpartstruewisdomonlytohim，whoseekstruthforitsownsake，andwhocravesforknowledgeinordertoconferbenefitsonothers，notonhisownunimportantpersonality。And，asitispreciselytothispersonalbenefitthatnearlyeverycandidateforadept—shipandmagiclooks，andthatfewarethey，whoconsenttolearnatsuchaheavypriceandsosmallabenefitforthemselvesinprospect——thereallywiseOccultistsbecomewitheverycenturyfewerandrarer。Howmanyarethere，indeed，whowouldnotpreferthewill—o’—the—wispofevenpassingfametothesteadyandever—growinglightofeternal，divineknowledge，ifthelatterhastoremain，forallbutoneself——alightunderthebushel？