h p blavatsky - isis unviled vol i science

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ISISUNVEILED

AMASTERKEY

TOTHE

MYSTERIESOFANCIENTANDMODERNSCIENCEANDTHEOLOGY

BY

H.P.BLAVATSKY,CORRESPONDINGSECRETARYOFTHETHEOSOPHICALSOCIETY

CecyestunlivredebonneFoy. MONTAIGNE

VOL.ISCIENCE

Copyright2006TheosophyTrust

EasyReadFormatbyTheosophyTrust


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THEAUTHOR

DEDICATESTHESEVOLUMES

TOTHE

THEOSOPHICALSOCIETY,

WHICHWASFOUNDEDATNEWYORK,A.D.1875,

TOSTUDYTHESUBJECTSONWHICHTHEYTREAT.


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PREFACE

THEworknowsubmittedtopublicjudgmentisthefruitofasomewhatintimateacquaintancewithEasternadeptsandstudyoftheirscience.Itisofferedtosuchasarewillingtoaccepttruthwhereveritmaybefound,andtodefendit,evenlookingpopularprejudicestraightintheface.Itisanattempttoaidthestudenttodetectthevitalprincipleswhichunderliethephilosophicalsystemsofold.

Thebook is written in all sincerity. It is meant to do evenjustice, and to speak the truth alikewithout malice or prejudice. But it shows neither mercy for enthroned error, nor reverence forusurpedauthority.Itdemandsforaspoliatedpast,thatcreditforitsachievementswhichhasbeentoolongwithheld.Itcallsforarestitutionofborrowedrobes,andthevindicationofcalumniatedbutgloriousreputations.Towardnoformofworship,noreligiousfaith,noscientifichypothesishasitscriticismbeen directed in any other spirit. Men and parties, sects and schools arebut the mere

ephemera of the worlds day. TRUTH, highseated upon its rock of adamant, is alone eternal andsupreme.

Webelieve in no Magic which transcends the scope and capacity of the human mind, nor inmiracle, whetherdivineordiabolical,ifsuchimplyatransgressionofthelawsofnatureinstitutedfromalleternity.Nevertheless,weacceptthesayingofthegiftedauthorofFestus,thatthehumanhearthasnotyetfullyuttereditself,andthatwehaveneverattainedorevenunderstoodtheextent

ofitspowers.Isittoomuchtobelievethatmanshouldbedevelopingnewsensibilitiesandacloserrelation with nature? The logic of evolution must teach as much, if carried to its legitimateconclusions.If,somewhere,inthelineofascentfromvegetableorascidiantothenoblestmanasoulwasevolved,giftedwithintellectualqualities,itcannotbeunreasonabletoinferandbelievethatafacultyofperceptionisalsogrowing inman,enablinghimtodescryfactsandtruthsevenbeyondourordinaryken.YetwedonothesitatetoaccepttheassertionofBiff,that theessentialisforever

thesame.Whetherwecutawaythemarbleinwardthathidesthestatueintheblock,orpilestone


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Ourwork,then,isapleafortherecognitionoftheHermeticphilosophy,theancientlyuniversalWisdomReligion,astheonlypossiblekeytotheAbsoluteinscienceandtheology.Toshowthatwedonotatallconcealfromourselvesthegravityofourundertaking,wemaysayinadvancethatit

wouldnotbestrangeifthefollowingclassesshouldarraythemselvesagainstus:TheChristians,whowillseethatwequestiontheevidencesofthegenuinenessoftheirfaith.The

Scientists, who will find their pretensions placed in the samebundle with those of the RomanCatholicChurchforinfallibility,and,incertainparticulars,thesagesandphilosophersoftheancientworld classed higher than they. PseudoScientists will, of course, denounce us furiously. BroadChurchmen and Freethinkers will find that we do not accept what they do,but demand therecognitionof the whole truth. Men of letters and variousauthorities,who hide their realbelief indeferencetopopularprejudices.ThemercenariesandparasitesofthePress,whoprostituteitsmorethanroyalpower,anddishonoranobleprofession,willfinditeasytomockatthingstoowonderfulfor them to understand; for to them the price of a paragraph is more than the value of sincerity.Frommanywillcomehonestcriticism; frommanycant.Butwe look to the future.Thecontestnow going onbetween the party of public conscience and the party of reaction, has alreadydeveloped a healthier tone of thought. It will hardly fail to result ultimately in the overthrow oferrorandthetriumphofTruth.Werepeatagainwearelaboringforthebrightermorrow.Andyet,whenweconsiderthebitteropposition thatwearecalledupon to face,who isbetterentitledthanweuponenteringthearenatowriteuponourshieldthehailoftheRomangladiatortoCsar:MORITURUSTESALUTT!

NewYork,September,1877


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TABLEOFCONTENTS

PREFACE ..................................................................................................................................... iii

BEFORETHEVEIL

DOGMATICASSUMPTIONSOFMODERNSCIENCEANDTHEOLOGY......................................... xviiiTHEPLATONICPHILOSOPHYAFFORDSTHEONLYMIDDLEGROUND ........................................xx

REVIEWOFTHEANCIENTPHILOSOPHICALSYSTEMS ............................................................... xxiiiASYRIACMANUSCRIPTONSIMONMAGUS ...............................................................................xxxGLOSSARYOFTERMSUSEDINTHISBOOK ............................................................................... xxxi

VOLUMEFIRST

THE INFALLIBILITYOFMODERNSCIENCE


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CHAPTERI

OLD THINGS WITH NEW NAMES

THEORIENTALKABALA..................................................................................................................1ANCIENTTRADITIONSSUPPORTEDBYMODERNRESEARCH .........................................................2THEPROGRESSOFMANKINDMARKEDBYCYCLES........................................................................4ANCIENTCRYPTICSCIENCE ............................................................................................................6

PRICELESSVALUEOFTHEVEDAS..................................................................................................10MUTILATIONSOFTHEJEWISHSACREDBOOKSINTRANSLATION................................................11MAGICALWAYSREGARDEDASADIVINESCIENCE .....................................................................22ACHIEVEMENTSOFITSADEPTSANDHYPOTHESESOFTHEIRMODERNDETRACTORS................22MANSYEARNINGFORIMMORTALITY ..........................................................................................32

CHAPTERII

PHENOMENAANDFORCES

THESERVILITYOFSOCIETY ...........................................................................................................34PREJUDICEANDBIGOTRYOFMENOFSCIENCE ............................................................................35THEYARECHASEDBYPSYCHICALPHENOMENA ........................................................................36LOSTARTS .....................................................................................................................................43THEHUMANWILLTHEMASTERFORCEOFFORCES ...................................................................50

SUPERFICIALGENERALIZATIONSOFTHEFRENCHSAVANTS.......................................................53

MEDIUMISTICPHENOMENA,TOWHATATTRIBUTABLE ..............................................................59


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THEIRRELATIONTOCRIME ..........................................................................................................63

CHAPTERIII

BLINDLEADERSOFTHEBLIND

HUXLEYSDERIVATIONFROMTHEOROHIPPUS............................................................................65COMTE,HISSYSTEMANDDISCIPLES ............................................................................................66THELONDONMATERIALISTS........................................................................................................75BORROWEDROBES .........................................................................................................................79EMANATIONOFTHEOBJECTIVEUNIVERSEFROMTHESUBJECTIVE .............................................82

CHAPTERIV

THEORIESRESPECTINGPSYCHICPHENOMENA

THEORYOFDEGASPARIN .............................................................................................................88THEORYOFTHURY ........................................................................................................................88THEORYOFDESMOUSSEAUX,DEMIRVILLE .................................................................................88THEORYOFBABINET......................................................................................................................89THEORYOFHOUDIN......................................................................................................................90THEORYOFMM.ROYERANDJOBARTDELAMBALLE ..................................................................90THETWINSUNCONSCIOUSCEREBRATIONANDUNCONSCIOUSVENTRILOQUISM...............93

THEORYOFCROOKES ....................................................................................................................99


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THEORYOFFARADAY..................................................................................................................103THEORYOFCHEVREUIL...............................................................................................................103THEMENDELEYEFFCOMMISSIONOF1876 .................................................................................104SOULBLINDNESS .........................................................................................................................107

CHAPTERV

THEETHER,

OR

ASTRAL

LIGHT

ONEPRIMALFORCE,BUTMANYCORRELATIONS ......................................................................111TYNDALLNARROWLYESCAPESAGREATDISCOVERY...............................................................113THEIMPOSSIBILITYOFMIRACLE .................................................................................................114NATUREOFTHEPRIMORDIALSUBSTANCE .................................................................................118

INTERPRETATIONOFCERTAINANCIENTMYTHS .......................................................................119EXPERIMENTSOFTHEFAKIRS......................................................................................................123EVOLUTIONINHINDUALLEGORY..............................................................................................136

CHAPTERVI

PSYCHOPHYSICALPHENOMENA

THEDEBTWEOWETOPARACELSUS..........................................................................................145MESMERISMITSPARENTAGE,RECEPTION,POTENTIALITY ...................................................146

PSYCHOMETRY ..........................................................................................................................162


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TIME,SPACE,ETERNITY...............................................................................................................163TRANSFEROFENERGYFROMTHEVISIBLETOTHEINVISIBLEUNIVERSE ...................................165THECROOKESEXPERIMENTSANDCOXTHEORY .......................................................................174

CHAPTERVII

THEELEMENTS,ELEMENTALS,ANDELEMENTARIES

ATTRACTIONANDREPULSIONUNIVERSALINALLTHEKINGDOMSOFNATURE.....................183PSYCHICALPHENOMENADEPENDONPHYSICALSURROUNDINGS ..........................................188OBSERVATIONSINSIAM ..............................................................................................................191MUSICINNERVOUSDISORDERS .................................................................................................192THEWORLDSOULANDITSPOTENTIALITIES ..........................................................................193

HEALINGBYTOUCH,ANDHEALERS ..........................................................................................193DIAKKAANDPORPHYRYSBADDEMONS................................................................................195THEQUENCHLESSLAMP .............................................................................................................200MODERNIGNORANCEOFVITALFORCE .....................................................................................212ANTIQUITYOFTHETHEORYOFFORCECORRELATION..............................................................215

UNIVERSALITYOFBELIEFINMAGIC ...........................................................................................221

CHAPTERVIII

SOMEMYSTERIESOFNATURE


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DOTHEPLANETSAFFECTHUMANDESTINY?............................................................................226VERYCURIOUSPASSAGEFROMHERMES ....................................................................................227THERESTLESSNESSOFMATTER ..................................................................................................229PROPHECYOFNOSTRADAMUSFULFILLED .................................................................................232SYMPATHIESBETWEENPLANETSANDPLANTS ..........................................................................236HINDUKNOWLEDGEOFTHEPROPERTIESOFCOLORS ...............................................................236COINCIDENCESTHEPANACEAOFMODERNSCIENCE ............................................................240THEMOONANDTHETIDES ........................................................................................................244

EPIDEMICMENTALANDMORALDISORDERS.............................................................................245THEGODSOFTHEPANTHEONSONLYNATURALFORCES.........................................................250PROOFSOFTHEMAGICALPOWERSOFPYTHAGORAS ................................................................253THEVIEWLESSRACESOFETHEREALSPACE ...............................................................................254THEFOURTRUTHSOFBUDDHISM ...........................................................................................260

CHAPTERIX

CYCLICPHENOMENA

MEANINGOFTHEEXPRESSIONCOATSOFSKIN ......................................................................262NATURALSELECTIONANDITSRESULTS .....................................................................................264THEEGYPTIANCIRCLEOFNECESSITY .....................................................................................265PREADAMITERACES ..................................................................................................................268DESCENTOFSPIRITINTOMATTER ..............................................................................................270

THETRIUNENATUREOFMAN...................................................................................................276

THELOWESTCREATURESINTHESCALEOFBEING ....................................................................277


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ELEMENTALSSPECIFICALLYDESCRIBED .....................................................................................279PROCLUSONTHEBEINGSOFTHEAIR.........................................................................................279VARIOUSNAMESFORELEMENTALS ...........................................................................................281SWEDENBORGIANVIEWSONSOULDEATH................................................................................284EARTHBOUNDHUMANSOULS ..................................................................................................286IMPUREMEDIUMSANDTHEIRGUIDES ....................................................................................291PSYCHOMETRYANAIDTOSCIENTIFICRESEARCH .....................................................................298

CHAPTERX

THEINNERANDOUTERMAN

PEREFELIXARRAIGNSTHESCIENTISTS ......................................................................................302

THEUNKNOWABLE ..................................................................................................................304DANGEROFEVOCATIONSBYTYROS ...........................................................................................306LARESANDLEMURES ..................................................................................................................308SECRETSOFHINDUTEMPLES ......................................................................................................313REINCARNATION .........................................................................................................................314

WITCHCRAFTANDWITCHES ......................................................................................................315THESACREDSOMATRANCE .......................................................................................................319VULNERABILITYOFCERTAINSHADOWS .................................................................................324EXPERIMENTOFCLEARCHUSONASLEEPINGBOY.....................................................................326THEAUTHORWITNESSESATRIALOFMAGICININDIA.............................................................329

CASEOFTHECEVENNOIS............................................................................................................331


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CHAPTERXI

PSYCHOLOGICALANDPHYSICALMARVELS

INVULNERABILITYATTAINABLEBYMAN ...................................................................................338PROJECTINGTHEFORCEOFTHEWILL ........................................................................................339INSENSIBILITYTOSNAKEPOISON ...............................................................................................340CHARMINGSERPENTSBYMUSIC ................................................................................................342

TERATOLOGICALPHENOMENADISCUSSED................................................................................344THEPSYCHOLOGICALDOMAINCONFESSEDLYUNEXPLORED ..................................................363DESPAIRINGREGRETSOFBERZELIUS ..........................................................................................368TURNINGARIVERINTOBLOODAVEGETABLEPHENOMENON .................................................370

CHAPTERXII

THE IMPASSABLECHASM

CONFESSIONSOFIGNORANCEBYMENOFSCIENCE...................................................................373

THE

PANTHEONOF

NIHILISM .....................................................................................................377

TRIPLECOMPOSITIONOFFIRE.....................................................................................................379INSTINCTANDREASONDEFINED ...............................................................................................380PHILOSOPHYOFTHEHINDUJAINS .............................................................................................384DELIBERATEMISREPRESENTATIONSOFLEMPRIERE ...................................................................386MANSASTRALSOULNOTIMMORTAL.......................................................................................387THEREINCARNATIONOFBUDDHA.............................................................................................391


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MAGICALSUNANDMOONPICTURESOFTHIBET ......................................................................396VAMPIRISMITSPHENOMENAEXPLAINED .............................................................................402BENGALESEJUGGLERY.................................................................................................................410

CHAPTERXIII

REALITIESANDILLUSION

THERATIONALEOFTALISMANS .................................................................................................414UNEXPLAINEDMYSTERIES ..........................................................................................................418MAGICALEXPERIMENTINBENGAL ............................................................................................420CHIBHCHONDORSSURPRISINGFEATS ......................................................................................423THEINDIANTAPECLIMBINGTRICKANILLUSION ....................................................................425

RESUSCITATIONOFBURIEDFAKIRS ............................................................................................428LIMITSOFSUSPENDEDANIMATION............................................................................................432MEDIUMSHIPTOTALLYANTAGONISTICTOADEPTSHIP ............................................................437WHATAREMATERIALIZEDSPIRITS? .......................................................................................443THESHUDALAMADAN...............................................................................................................444

PHILOSOPHYOFLEVITATION ......................................................................................................446THEELIXIRANDALKAHEST ........................................................................................................452


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CHAPTERXIV

EGYPTIANWISDOM

ORIGINOFTHEEGYPTIANS .........................................................................................................462THEIRMIGHTYENGINEERINGWORKS .......................................................................................464THEANCIENTLANDOFTHEPHARAOHS ...................................................................................468ANTIQUITYOFTHENILOTICMONUMENTS ................................................................................475ARTSOFWARANDPEACE ..........................................................................................................476MEXICANMYTHSANDRUINS.....................................................................................................489RESEMBLANCESTOTHEEGYPTIAN .............................................................................................495MOSESAPRIESTOFOSIRIS ..........................................................................................................498

THELESSONSTAUGHTBYTHERUINSOFSIAM ..........................................................................505THEEGYPTIANTAUATPALENQUE ............................................................................................514

CHAPTERXV

INDIATHECRADLEOFTHERACE

ACQUISITIONOFTHESECRETDOCTRINE.................................................................................516TWORELICSOWNEDBYAPALISCHOLAR ..................................................................................518JEALOUSEXCLUSIVENESSOFTHEHINDUS..................................................................................519

LYDIAMARIACHILDONPHALLICSYMBOLISM .........................................................................524THEAGEOFTHEVEDASANDMANU .........................................................................................527


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TRADITIONSOFPREDILUVIANRACES.......................................................................................529ATLANTISANDITSPEOPLES........................................................................................................532PERUVIANRELICS ........................................................................................................................536THEGOBIDESERTANDITSSECRETS ...........................................................................................538THIBETANANDCHINESELEGENDS ............................................................................................539THEMAGICIANAIDS,NOTIMPEDES,NATURE ..........................................................................555PHILOSOPHY,RELIGION,ARTSANDSCIENCESBEQUEATHEDBY

MOTHERINDIATOPOSTERITY ...............................................................................................556


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Deeply sensible of the Titanic struggle that is now inprogressbetweenmaterialismandthespiritualaspirationsofmankind,ourconstantendeavorhasbeentogather intoour

several chapters, like weapons into armories, every fact andargument that canbe used to aid the latter in defeating theformer. Sickly and deformed child as it now is, thematerialismofToDayisbornofthebrutalYesterday.Unlessits growth is arrested, it maybecome our master. It is the

bastard progeny of the French Revolution and its reaction

against ages of religiousbigotry and repression. To preventthe crushing of these spiritual aspirations, theblighting ofthese hopes, and the deadening of that intuition whichteachesusofaGodandahereafter,wemustshowourfalsetheologiesintheirnakeddeformity,anddistinguishbetweendivine religion and human dogmas. Our voice is raised for

spiritual freedom, and our plea made for enfranchisementfromalltyranny,whetherofSCIENCEorTHEOLOGY.


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nearer to the point where they willbe forced to consider CHAPTER II


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p ythem. Physical science has already reached its limits ofexploration; dogmatic theology sees the springs of itsinspiration dry. Unless we mistake the signs, the day isapproachingwhentheworldwillreceivetheproofsthatonlyancient religions were in harmony with nature, and ancientscience embraced all that canbe known. Secrets long keptmayberevealed;bookslongforgottenandartslongtimelostmaybebroughtouttolightagain;papyriandparchmentsofinestimableimportancewillturnupinthehandsofmenwhopretend to have unrolled them from mummies, or stumbledupon them in buried crypts; tablets and pillars, whosesculpturedrevelationswillstaggertheologiansandconfoundscientists,mayyetbeexcavatedandinterpreted.Whoknowsthepossibilitiesofthefuture?Aneraofdisenchantmentandrebuilding will soonbegin nay, has alreadybegun. Thecyclehasalmostrun itscourse;anewone isabouttobegin,and the future pages of history may contain full evidence,andconveyfullproofthat

Ifancestrycanbeinaughtbelieved,Descendingspiritshaveconversedwithman,

Andtoldhimsecretsoftheworldunknown.

CHAPTERII

Pride,wherewitfails,stepsintoourdefence

Andfillsupallthemightyvoidofsense....POPE

Butwhyshouldtheoperationsofnaturebechanged?Theremaybeadeeperphilosophythanwedreamofaphilosophythatdiscoversthesecretsofnature,butdoesnot

alter,

by

penetrating

them,

its

course. BULWER

THESERVILITYOFSOCIETY

Isitenoughformantoknowthatheexists?Isitenoughtobe formed a human being to enable him to deserve the

appellation of MAN? It is our decided impression andconviction, that tobecome a genuine spiritual entity, whichthatdesignation implies,manmustfirstcreatehimselfanew,so to speak i.e., thoroughly eliminate from his mind andspirit, not only the dominating influence of selfishness andother impurity, but also the infection of superstition and

prejudice.Thelatterisfardifferentfromwhatwecommonlyterm antipathy or sympathy. We are at first irresistibly orunwittingly drawn within its dark circleby that peculiarinfluence, that powerful current of magnetism whichemanatesfromideasaswellasfromphysicalbodies.Bythiswe are surrounded, and finally prevented through moral

cowardicefearofpublicopinionfromsteppingoutofit.


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theurgic mysteries and he very naturally became thefounderoftheschoolofmagnetismandofmedivalmagicoh B M h li d l h h d d

CHAPTERIII


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theurgy.ButMesmer,who livednearly threehundredyearsafterhim,andasadiscipleofhisschoolbroughtthemagnetic

wondersbefore thepublic,reapedtheglorythatwasduetothefirephilosopher,whilethegreatmasterdiedinahospital!

So goes the world: new discoveries, evolving from oldsciences;newmenthesameoldnature!

Themirrorof thesoulcannotreflectbothearthandheaven;and the one vanishes from its surface,as the other is glasseduponitsdeep.

ZANONI

Qui,donc,tadonnelamissiondannonceraupeuplequelaDivinitenexistepasquelavantagetrouvestuapersuadera

lhommequuneforceaveuglepresideasesdestineesetfrappeauhasardlecrimeetlavertu?

ROBESPIERRE(Discours)May7,1794

Webelieve that few of those physical phenomena whichare genuine are causedby disembodied human spirits. Still,eventhosethatareproducedbyoccultforcesofnature,suchas happen through a few genuine mediums, and areconsciouslyemployedbythesocalled jugglers ofIndiaandEgypt,deserveacarefulandseriousinvestigationbyscience;

especially now that a number of respected authorities havetestifiedthatinmanycasesthehypothesisoffrauddoesnothold. No doubt, there are professed conjurors who canperform cleverer tricks than all the American and EnglishJohnKings together.RobertHoudinunquestionablycould,

but this did not prevent his laughing outright in the face of

the academicians, when they desired him to assert in the


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But for the opportune appearance of Bertis authoritativework,wewouldhavecontinuedtorevereBrunoasamartyr,whosebustwasdeservedlysethighinthePantheonofExactS i d i h l l b h h d f D B

CHAPTERIV


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Science,crownedwithlaurelbythehandofDraper.Butnow

weseethattheirheroofanhourisneitheratheist,materialist,nor positivist, but simply a Pythagorean who taught thephilosophyofUpperAsia,andclaimedtopossessthepowersof the magicians, so despised by Drapers own school!Nothing more amusing than this contretemps has happenedsince the supposed statue of St. Peter was discoveredby

irreverentarchologiststobenothingelsethantheJupiterofthe Capitol, and Buddhas identity with the Catholic St.

Josaphatwassatisfactorilyproven.

Thus, search where we may through the archives ofhistory, we find that there is no fragment of modernphilosophy whether Newtonian, Cartesian, Huxleyian oranyotherbuthasbeendugfromtheOrientalmines.EvenPositivism and Nihilism find their prototype in the exotericportion of Kapilas philosophy, as is well remarkedby MaxMller. It was the inspiration of the Hindu sages thatpenetrated the mysteries of Pragn Pramit (perfectwisdom); their hands that rocked the cradle of the firstancestorofthatfeeblebutnoisychildthatwehavechristenedMODERNSCIENCE.

IchoosethenoblerpartofEmerson,when,aftervarious

disenchantments,heexclaimed,IcovetTruth. Thegladnessoftrueheroismvisitstheheartofhimwhoisreallycompetenttosaythis.

TYNDALLAtestimonyissufficientwhenitrestson:

1st.Agreatnumberofverysensiblewitnesseswhoagreein

havingseenwell.2d.Whoaresane,bodilyandmentally.3d.Whoareimpartialanddisinterested.4th.Whounanimouslyagree.5th.Whosolemnlycertifytothefact.

VOLTAIRE

DictiannairePhilosophiqueTHECount AgenordeGasparin is adevoted Protestant. His

battle with des Mousseaux, de Mirville and other fanaticswholaidthewholeofthespiritualphenomenaatthedoorofSatan, was long and fierce. Two volumes of over fifteenhundredpagesaretheresult,provingtheeffects,denyingthe

cause, and employing superhuman efforts to invent everyother possible explanation that couldbe suggested ratherthanthetrueone.


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Thus the time has come when the scientists have lost allrighttobeaddressedwiththeMiltonianverse, Othouwho,for the testimony of truth, hastborne universal reproach!Saddegeneration,andonethatrecallstheexclamationofthat

understood in our day than it was when the heavy hand ofthe Vatican sent thosebrave unfortunates to their untimelydoom,andbrandedtheirmemorieswiththestigmaofheresyandsorcery.


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doctor of physic mentioned one hundred and eighty yearsagobyDr.HenryMore,andwho,uponhearingthestorytoldof the drummer of Tedworth andof Ann Walker, cryedoutpresently,Ifthisbetrue,Ihavebeeninawrongboxallthistime,andmustbeginmyaccountanew.*

But in our century, notwithstanding Huxleys

endorsement of the value of human testimony, even Dr.HenryMorehasbecome anenthusiastandavisionary,bothof which, united in the same person, constitute a cantingmadman.

Whatpsychology has long lacked to make its mysteriouslawsbetterunderstoodandappliedtotheordinaryaswellasextraordinary affairs of life, is not facts. These it has had inabundance. The need has been for their recording andclassificationfortrainedobserversandcompetentanalysts.Fromthescientificbodytheseoughttohavebeensupplied.Iferror has prevailed and superstition run riot these many

centuriesthroughoutChristendom,itisthemisfortuneofthecommon people, the reproach of science. The generationshavecomeandgone,eachfurnishingitsquotaofmartyrstoconscienceandmoralcourage,andpsychologyislittlebetter

*Dr.More,LettertoGlanvil,authorofSaducismusTriumphatus.

J.S.Y.,Demonologia,orNaturalKnowledgeRevealed, 1827,p.219.


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IsisUnveiledphenomenon of the enchanted circle of Baron Du Potet andRegazzoni, isascontrarytotheaccepted lawsofphysiologyastherisingofatablewithoutcontactistothelawsofnaturalphilosophy.Asstrongmenhaveoftenfounditimpossibletoraise a small table weighing a few pounds, andbroken it topiecesintheeffort,soadozenofexperimenters,amongthemsometimes,academicians,wereutterlyunabletostepacrossah lk li d th fl b D P t t O i

sentence and making it read Scientists deny then itmustbetrue.


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chalklinedrawnonthefloorbyDuPotet.OnoneoccasionaRussian general, well known for his skepticism, persisteduntilhefellonthegroundinviolentconvulsions.Inthiscase,themagneticfluidwhichopposedsucharesistancewasMr.Coxs psychic force, which endows the tables with anextraordinary and supernatural weight. If they produce thesame psychological and physiological effects, there is goodreasontobelievethemmoreorlessidentical.Wedonotthinkthedeductioncouldbeveryreasonablyobjectedto.Besides,werethefactevendenied,thisisnoreasonwhyitshouldnot

be so. Once upon a time, all the Academies in Christendomhad agreed to deny that there were any mountains in themoon;andtherewasacertaintimewhen,ifanyonehadbeensoboldastoaffirmthattherewaslifeinthesuperiorregionsof theatmosphereaswellas in the fathomlessdepthsof theocean, he would have been set down as a fool or anignoramus.

The Devil affirms it mustbe a lie! the pious AbbAlmiguanaused tosay, inadiscussionwitha spiritualizedtable. We will soon be warranted in paraphrasing the


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scientists tousean expression of the same Dr. Cudworth are afraid that if they admit spirits and apparitions theymust admit a God too; and there is nothing too absurd, headds,forthemtosuppose,inordertokeepouttheexistenceof God. The greatbody of ancient materialists, skeptical as

theynowseemtous,thoughtotherwise,andEpicurus,whorejected the souls immortality,believed still in a God, andDemokritus fully conceded the reality of apparitions. Theprexistence and Godlike powers of the human spirit were

epochinwhichhelived,applieswithstillmorejusticetoourperiodofutterskepticism.Ihaveheard, writesthiseminentman, Ihaveheardandreadofmyriadsofgoodjokesontheignorance of the ancients, who were always seeing spiritseverywhere;methinksthatweareagreatdealmoreimbecile

than our forefathers, in never perceiving any such now,anywhere.


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believedinbymostallthesagesofancientdays.ThemagicofBabylon and Persia based upon it the doctrine of their

machagistia.TheChaldeanOracles,onwhichPlethoandPsellushave so much commented, constantly expounded andamplified their testimony. Zoroaster, Pythagoras,Epicharmus, Empedocles, Kebes, Euripides, Plato, Euclid,Philo, Boehius, Virgil, Marcus Cicero, Plotinus, Iamblichus,Proclus, Psellus, Synesius, Origen, and, finally, Aristotle

himself, far from denying our immortality, support it mostemphatically. Like Cardon and Pompanatius, who were nofriends to the souls immortality, as says Henry More,Aristotleexpresslyconcludesthattherationalsoulisbothadistinctbeingfromthesouloftheworld,thoughofthesameessence, and that it does prexistbefore it comes into the

body.*YearshaverolledawaysincetheCountJosephDeMaistre

wrote a sentence which, if appropriate to the Voltairean

*DeAnima, lib.i.,cap.3. DeMaistre,SoiresdeSt.Petersburg.

IsisUnveiled

CHAPTERVIII

ThinknotmymagicwonderswroughtbyaidOfStygianangelssummonedupfromHell;

ScornedandaccursedbythosewhohaveessaydHergloomyDivsandAfritestocompel.Butbyperceptionofthesecretpowers

Ofmineralsprings,innaturesinmostcell,

DOTHEPLANETSAFFECTHUMANDESTINY?

THE preface of Richard A. Proctors latest work onastronomy, entitled Our Place among Infinities, contains thefollowingextraordinarywords: Itwastheirignoranceofthe

earths place among infinities, which led the ancients toregard the heavenlybodies as ruling favorably or adverselythefatesofmenandnations,andtodedicatethedaysinsetsofseventothesevenplanetsoftheirastrologicalsystem.


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p gOfherbsincurtainofhergreenestbowers,

Andofthemovingstarsoermountaintopsandtowers.

TASSO,CantoXIV,xliii

WhodaresthinkonethingandanothertellMyheartdetestshimasthegatesofHell!

POPE

Ifmanceasestoexistwhenhedisappearsinthegrave,youmustbecompelledtoaffirmthatheistheonlycreatureinexistencewhomnatureorprovidencehascondescendedtodeceiveandcheatbycapacitiesforwhichtherearenoavailableobjects.

BULWERLYTTON,StrangeStory

p g y

Mr.Proctormakestwodistinctassertionsinthissentence:

1.Thattheancientswereignorantoftheearthsplaceamonginfinities; and 2. That they regarded the heavenlybodies asruling,favorablyoradversely,thefatesofmenandnations.*We are very confident that there is at least good reason tosuspect that theancientswere familiarwith themovements,emplacement, and mutual relations of the heavenlybodies.

ThetestimonyofPlutarch,ProfessorDraper,andJowett,aresufficiently explicit. But we would ask Mr. Proctor how ithappens, if the ancient astronomers were so ignorant of thelawofthebirthanddeathofworldsthat,inthefragmentary

bits which the hand of time has spared us of ancient lorethereshouldbealbeit couched inobscure language so

much information which the most recent discoveries ofscience have verified? Beginning with the tenth page of the

*Weneednotgosofarbackasthattoassureourselvesthatmanygreatmenbelievedthesame.Kepler,theeminentastronomer,fullycreditedthe idea that the stars and all heavenlybodies, even our earth, areendowedwithlivingandthinkingsouls.


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afterdeath,soerroneouslythoughtimpenetrable,thanthosemen who having, through selfdiscipline and purity of lifeand purpose, succeeded in uniting themselves with theirGod, were afforded some glimpses, however imperfect, ofthegreattruth.*Andtheseseerstellusstrangestoriesabout

the variety of forms assumedby disembodied astral souls;forms of which each one is a spiritual though concretereflection of the abstract state of the mind, and thoughts oftheoncelivingman.

ToaccuseBuddhisticalphilosophyofrejectingaSupremeBeing God and the souls immortality of atheism in short

CHAPTERIX

Thoucanstnotcallthatmadnessofwhichthouartprovedtoknownothing.

TERTULLIAN,Apology

Thisisnotamatteroftoday,Oryesterday,buthathbeenfromalltimes;Andnonehathtolduswhenceitcameorhow!

SOPHOCLES


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BeingGod,andthesoul simmortality,ofatheism,inshort,

on the ground that according to their doctrines, Nirvanameansannihilation,andSvabhvtisNOTaperson,butnothing,is simply absurd. The En (or Ayn) of theJewish EnSoph,alsomeansnihilornothing,thatwhichisnot(quoadnos);butno one has ever ventured to twit theJews with atheism. In

bothcasestherealmeaningofthetermnothingcarrieswithit

theideathatGodisnotathing,notaconcreteorvisibleBeingto which a name expressive of any object known to us onearthmaybeappliedwithpropriety.

*PorphyrygivesthecredittoPlotinushismaster,ofhavingbeenunitedwith God six timesduringhis life,andcomplainsofhavingattainedtoitbuttwice,himself.

Beliefinthesupernaturalisafactnatural,primitive,universal,andconstantinthelifeandhistoryofthehumanrace.Unbeliefinthesupernaturalbegetsmaterialism;materialism,sensuality;sensuality,socialconvulsions,amidwhosestormsmanagainlearnstobelieveandpray.

GUIEOT

Ifanyonethinkthesethingsincredible,lethimkeephisopinionstohimself,andnotcontradictthosewho,bysuchevents,areincitedtothestudyofvirtue.

JOSEPHUS

MEANINGOFTHE

EXPRESSION

COATSOF

SKIN

FROM the Platonic and Pythagorean views of matter andforce, we will now turn to the kabalistic philosophy of theorigin of man, and compare it with the theory of naturalselection enunciatedby Darwin and Wallace. It maybe that


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a peddling quack. . . . And when, transported beyondyourself, your face ablaze, and anger tumefying, you shallhave displacedyourfluids; when your fury has reached thepointofbursting,wewillcauseyourturgescentmusclestobestruck with powerfulblows; your friends shall show us themost insensible places; we will let a perfect shower, an

avalancheofstonesfalluponthem...forsowastreatedthefleshoftheconvulsedwomenwhoseappetiteforsuchblowscouldneverbesatisfied.But,inordertoprocureforyouthegratification of a salutary shampooing as you deliciouslyexpress it your limbs shall onlybe pounded with objectshaving blunt surfaces and cylindrical shapes, with clubs and

sticks devoid of suppleness, and, if you prefer it, neatlyturnedinalathe.

CHAPTERXI

Strangeconditionofthehumanmind,whichseemstorequirethatitshouldlongexerciseitselfinERROR,beforeitdareapproachtheTRUTH.

MAGENDIE

LaveritequejedefendsestempreintesurtouslesmonumentsdupassePourcomprendrelhistoire,ilfautetudierlessymbolesanciens,lessignessacresdusacerdoce,etlartdeguerirdanslestempsprimitifs,artoublieaujourdhui.

BARONDUPOTETItisatruthperpetually,thataccumulatedfacts,lyingin


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So liberal is des Mousseaux, so determined toaccommodate his antagonists with every possible chance toprovetheirtheory,thatheoffersthemthechoicetosubstitutefor themselves in the experiment their wives, mothers,daughters, and sisters, since, he says, you have remarkedthat the weaker sex is the strong and resistant sex in thesedisconcertingtrials.

Useless to remark that des Mousseauxs challengeremainedunanswered.

p p y y gdisorder,begintoassumesomeorderifanhypothesisisthrownamongthem.

HERBERTSPENCER

ANDnowwemustsearchMagicalHistoryforcasessimilarto those given in the preceding chapter. This insensibility ofthehumanbodytotheimpactofheavyblows,andresistanceto penetration by sharp points and musketbullets, is aphenomenon sufficiently familiar in the experience of alltimes and all countries. While science is entirely unable to

giveanyreasonableexplanationofthemystery,thequestionappears to offer no difficulty to mesmerists, who have wellstudied the properties of the fluid. The man, whoby a fewpasses over a limb can produce a local paralysis so as torenderitutterlyinsensibletoburns,cuts,andtheprickingsof


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andturnethaboutuntothenorth;itwhirlethaboutcontinually,andthewindreturnethagainaccordingtohiscircuits. *

Alltheriversrunintothesea;yettheseaisnotfull:untothe place from whence the rivers come, thither they returnagain.

Thephilosophyofthedistributionofheatandmoisturebymeans of ascending and descending currentsbetween theequatorandthepoles,hasaveryrecentorigin;butherehasthehintbeen lyingunnoticed inourmost familiarbook, fornearlythreethousandyears.Andevennow,inquotingit,weareobligedtorecallthefactthatSolomonwasakabalist,and

in the above texts, simply repeats what was writtenthousandsofyearsbeforehistime.

Cutoffastheyarefromtheaccumulationoffactsinonehalf of the universe and that the most important modern

and the shadowy and profitless fancy that their names maynotbe forgotten for some years after the grave has closedover their remains. Death to them means extinction of theflameoflife,andthedispersionofthefragmentsofthelampoverboundlessspace.SaidBerzelius,thegreatchemist,athislasthour,asheburstintotears: DonotwonderthatIweep.

Youwillnotbelievemeaweakman,northinkIamalarmedbywhatthedoctorhastoannouncetome.Iampreparedforall. But Ihave tobidfarewell toscience;and you ought not towonderthatitcostsmedear.


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half of the universe, and that the most important, modernscholars are naturally unable to construct a system ofphilosophy which will satisfy themselves, let alone others.

They are like men in a coal mine, who work all day andemerge only at night,being thereby unable to appreciate orunderstandthebeautyandgloryofthesunshine.Lifetothemmeasuresthetermofhumanactivity,andthefuturepresentstotheirintellectualperceptiononlyanabyssofdarkness.Nohopeofaneternityofresearch,achievement,andconsequent

pleasure, softens the asperities of present existence; and norewardisofferedforexertionbutthebreadearningoftoday,

*Ibid.,i.6.Ibid.,i.7. Siljestrm, MinnesfestfverBerzelius, p.79.


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Professor Huxley, compels us tobelieve, 1, That there wasreally such a thing as magic arts; and, 2, That they wereknownandpracticedbytheEgyptianmagiciansandpriests,whomevenSirDavidBrewsterconcedestohavebeenmenofprofoundscientificattainments.

CHAPTERXII

Youneverhearthereallyphilosophicaldefendersofthedoctrineofuniformityspeakingofimpossibilitiesinnature.Theyneversaywhattheyareconstantlychargedwithsaying,thatitis

impossiblefortheBuilderoftheuniversetoalterhiswork....Notheoryupsetsthem(theEnglishclergy)....Letthemostdestructivehypothesisbestatedonlyinthelanguagecurrentamonggentlemen,andtheylookitintheface.

TYNDALL,LectureontheScientificUseoftheImagination

Theworldwillhaveareligionofsomekind,eventhoughitshouldflyforittotheintellectualwhoredomofSpiritualism.

TYNDALL,FragmentsofScience

But first on earth as vampires sent


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ButfirstonearthasvampiressentThycorpseshallfromitstombberent....Andsuckthebloodofallthyrace.

LORDBYRON,Giaour

CONFESSIONSOFIGNORANCEBYMENOFSCIENCE

WE are now approaching the hallowed precincts of thatJanusgod the molecular Tyndall. Let us enter them

barefoot. As we pass the sacred adyta of the temple oflearning, we are nearing the blazing sun of theHuxleyocentricsystem.Letuscastdownoureyes,lestwebe

blinded.


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Professor W. B. Carpenter, President of the BritishAssociation,inhisManchesterLectureonEgypt.HemakesitclearthattheJewishbookofGenesisisnothingmorethananexpressionoftheearlyJewishideas,baseduponthepictorialrecords of the Egyptians among whom they lived. But hedoes not make it clear, except inferentially, whether he

believeseithertheDenderapicturesortheMosaicaccounttobe an allegory or a pretended historical narrative. How ascientist who had devoted himself to the most superficialinvestigation of the subject can venture to assert that theancientEgyptianshadthesameridiculousnotionsabouttheworlds instantaneous creation as the early Christian

theologians, passes comprehension! How can he say thatbecause the Dendera picture happens to represent theircosmogonyinoneallegory,theyintendedtoshowthesceneasoccurringinsixminutesorsixmillionsofyears?Itmayaswell indicate allegorically six successive epochs or ons or

markedbyimmenselylengthenedcycles.ButtoreturntothewondersofThibet.


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well indicate allegorically six successive epochs or ons, oreternity, as six days. Besides, the Books ofHermes certainly

givenocolortothecharge,andtheAvestaspecificallynamessix periods, each embracing thousands of years, instead ofdays. Many of the Egyptian hieroglyphics contradict Dr.Carpenters theory, and Champollion has avenged theancients in many particulars. From what is gonebefore, itwill,wethink,bemadecleartothereaderthattheEgyptian

philosophy had no room for any such crude speculations, iftheHebrewsthemselveseverbelievedthem;theircosmogonyviewedmanastheresultofevolution,andhisprogresstobe


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entirelytotheDevil.Hedies,andthereaderhaslearnedthesequelintheprecedingchapters.

The thought isbeautifully expressedby Dr. Ennemoser:Religion did not here [Europe and China] strike root sodeeply as among the Hindus, says he, arguing upon thissuperstition. ThespiritoftheGreeksandPersianswasmore

volatile. . . . The philosophical idea in the good andbadprinciple, and of the spiritual world . . . must have assistedtradition in forming visions of heavenly and hellish shapes,andthemostfrightfuldistortions,whichinIndiaweremuchmore simply producedby a more enthusiastic fanaticism;theretheseerreceivedbydivinelight;herehelosthimselfina

multitudeofoutwardobjects,withwhichheconfoundedhisown identity. Convulsions, accompanied by the mindsabsence from the body, in distant countries, were herecommon, for the imagination was less firm, and also lessspiritual.

Letthestudentofoccultsciencesmakehisownnatureaspure and his thoughts as elevated as those of these Indianseers,andhemaysleepunmolestedbyvampire,incubus,orsuccubus. Around the insensible form of such a sleeper theimmortalspiritshedsapowerdivinethatprotectsitfromevilapproaches,asthoughitwereacrystalwall.

Hcmurusneusesto:nilconsciresibi,nullapallascereculpa.


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The outwardcauses are alsodifferent; the modesof life,

geographicalposition,andartificialmeansproducingvariousmodifications. The mode of life in Western countries hasalwaysbeenveryvariable,andthereforedisturbsanddistortsthe occupation of the senses, and the outward life is thereforereflected upon the inner dreamworld. The spirits, therefore,are of endless varieties of shape, and incline men to gratify

their passions, showing them the means of so doing, anddescendingeven to theminutestparticulars,whichwassofarbelowtheelevatednaturesofIndianseers.


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nature to manifest themselves in what is termed asupernaturalmanner. WhereverPliny,thenaturalist,lian,and even Diodorus, who sought with such a laudableperseverance to extricate historical truth from its medley ofexaggerations and fables, have attributed to some plant ormineralanoccultpropertyunknowntoourmodernbotanists

and physicists, their assertions havebeen laid aside withoutfurtherceremonyasabsurd,andnomorereferredto.

It hasbeen the speculation of men of science from timeimmemorial what this vital force or lifeprinciple is. To ourmind the secret doctrine alone is able to furnish the clew.Exact science recognizes only five powers in nature one

molar, and fourmolecular; kabalists, seven; and in these twoadditionalonesisenwrappedthewholemysteryoflife.Oneof these is immortal spirit, whose reflection is connectedbyinvisiblelinksevenwithinorganicmatter;theother,weleavetoeveryonetodiscoverforhimself.SaysProfessorJosephLeC Wh i h f h diff b h

Yet it isjust this losswhich takes place indeath,andbeforedecomposition,whichisinthehighestsensevitalforce!


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Conte: What is the nature of the differencebetween the

livingorganismandthedeadorganism?Wecandetectnone,physical or chemical. All the physical and chemical forceswithdrawnfromthecommonfundofnature,andembodiedinthelivingorganism,seemtobestillembodiedinthedead,until littleby little it is returnedby decomposition. Yet thedifference is immense, is inconceivably great. What is the

natureofthisdifferenceexpressedin

h p blavatsky - isis unviled vol i science

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