Lesson II. Omnipresent Life
In our
First Lesson of this series, we brought out the idea
that the human mind was compelled to report the
fact that it could not think of The Absolute except as
possessing the quality of Omnipresence- Present-Everywhere.
And, likewise, the human mind is compelled to think
that all there IS must be The Absolute, or of the Absolute. And if a
thing is of the Absolute, then the
Absolute must be in it, in some way-must be the essence of
it. Granting this, we must then think that
everything must be filled with the
essence of Life, for Life must be one of the qualities of the Absolute, or rather what we call
Life must be the outward expression
of the essential Being of the
Absolute. And if this be so, then it would follow that everything in the Universe must be Alive.
The mind cannot escape this
conclusion. And if the facts do not
bear out this conclusion then we must be forced to admit that the entire basic theory of the Absolute and its emanations must fall, and be considered as
an error. No chain is stronger than
its weakest link, and if this link be
too weak to bear the weight of the facts of the universe, then must the chain be discarded as imperfect and useless, and another substituted.
This fact is not generally mentioned
by those speaking and writing of All
being One, or an emanation of the One, but
it must be considered and met. If there is a single thing in the Universe that is "dead"-non-living-
lifeless-then the theory must fall.
If a thing is non-living,
then the essence of the Absolute cannot be in it-it
must be alien and foreign to the Absolute, and in that
case the Absolute cannot be Absolute for there is something outside of
itself. And so it becomes of the greatest
importance to examine into the evidences of the presence of Life in all things, organic or inorganic. The evidence is at hand-let us examine it.
The ancient occultists of all peoples always taught that
the Universe was Alive-that there was Life in everything-that
there was nothing dead in Nature- that
Death meant simply a change in form in the material of
the dead bodies. They taught that Life, in varying
degrees of manifestation and expression, was present
in everything and object, even down to the hardest
mineral form, and the atoms composing that form.
Modern Science is now rapidly advancing to the same
position, and each months investigations and discoveries serve only to emphasize the teachings.
Burbank. that wonderful moulder of plant life, has well expressed this
thought, when he says: "AH my investigations
have led me away from the idea of a dead
material universe tossed about by various forces, to
that of a universe which is absolutely all force, life, soul,
thought, or whatever name we may choose to call it.
Every atom, molecule, plant, animal or planet, is only
an aggregation of organized unit forces, held in place by stronger forces, thus holding them for a time latent, though
teeming with inconceivable power. AH life on our planet is, so to
speak, just on the outer fringe of
this infinite ocean of force. The universe is not half dead, but all
alive."
Science
today is gazing upon a living universe. She has not
yet realized the full significance of what she has
discovered, and her hands are raised as if to shade her
eyes from the unaccustomed glare that is bursting upon her. From the dark cavern of universal dead matter,
she has stepped out into the glare of the noonday sun
of a Universe All-Alive even to its smallest and apparently most inert
particle.
Beginning at Man, the highest form of Life known to us, we may pass
rapidly down the scale of animal life,
seeing life in full operation at each descending step.
Passing from the animal to the vegetable kingdom, we still see Life in full
operation, although in lessened degrees of expression. We shall not stop here to review the many manifestations of Life
among the forms of plant-life, for
we shall have occasion to mention
them in our next lesson, but it must be apparent to all that Life is constantly manifesting in the sprouting of
seeds; the putting forth of stalk, leaves, blossoms, fruit, etc., and in the enormous manifestation of force and energy in such growth and
development. One may see the life
force in the plant pressing forth
for expression and manifestation, from the first sprouting of the seed, until the last vital action on the
part of the mature plant or tree.
Besides the vital action observable in the growth and development of plants, we know, of course, that plants
sicken and die, and manifest all other attributes of
living forms. There is no room for argument about the presence of life in the plant kingdom.
But
there are other forms of life far below the scale of the plants. There is the world of the bacteria, microbes,
infusoria-the groups of cells with a common life-the
single cell creatures, down to the Monera, the
creatures lower than the single cells-the Things of the slime of the
ocean bed.
These
tiny Things-living Things-present to the sight
merely a tiny speck of jelly, without organs of any kind.
And yet they exercise all the functions of life-movement,
nutrition, reproduction, sensation, and
dissolution. Some of these elementary forms are all
stomach, that is they are all one organ capable of performing
all the functions necessary for the life of the
animal. The creature has no mouth, but when it wishes
to devour an object it simply envelopes it-wraps
itself around it like a bit of glue around a gnat, and
then absorbs the substance of its prey through its whole body.
Scientists
have turned some of these tiny creatures inside out, and yet they have gone on
with their life functions undisturbed and
untroubled. They have cut them up into still tinier bits,
and yet each bit lived on as a separate animal, performing
all of its functions undisturbed. They are all the
same all over, and all the way through. They reproduce
themselves by growing to a certain size, and then separating into two, and so on. The rapidity of the increase is most remarkable.
Haekel says of the Monera: "The Monera are the simplest
permanent cytods. Their entire body consists of
merely soft, structureless plasm. However thoroughly
we may examine them with the help of the most
delicate reagents and the strongest optical instruments,
we yet find that all the parts are completely homogeneous.
These Monera are therefore, in the strictest
sense of the word, 'organisms without organs,' or even in a strict
philosophical sense they might not even be
called organisms, since they possess
no organs and since they are not composed of various particles. They can
only be called organisms in so far as they
are capable of exercising the organic
phenomena of life, of nutrition, reproduction, sensation and
movement."
Verworn records an interesting instance of life and mind among the Rhizopods, a very low form of living thing.
He relates that the Difflugiampula,
a creature occupying a tiny shell
formed of minute particles of sand, has a
long projection of its substance, like
a feeler or tendril, with which it searches on the bottom of the sea for sandy material with which to
build the shell or outer covering for its offspring, which are born by division from the parent body.
It grasps the particle of sand by
the feeler, and passes it into its
body by enclosing it. Verworn removed the sand from the bottom of the
tank, replacing it by very minute particles
of highly colored glass. Shortly afterward he noticed a collection of
these particles of glass in the body
of the creature, and a little later he saw a tiny speek of protoplasm
emitted from the parent by separation. At the same time he noticed that the bits of glass collected by the mother
creature were passed out and placed around the body of the new creature,
and cemented together by a substance secreted by the body
of the parent, thus forming a shell and covering for the offspring. This
proceeding showed the presence of a mental something sufficient to cause the
creature to prepare a shell for the offspring previous to its birth-or rather
to gather the material for such shell, to be afterward used; to distinguish
the proper material; to mould it into shape, and cement it. The scientist
reported that a creature always
gathered just exactly enough sand for its
purpose -never too little, and never an excess. And this in a creature
that is little more than a tiny drop of glue!
We may consider the
life actions of the Moneron a little further, for it is the lowest form of
so-called "living matter"-the point at which living forms pass off
into non-living forms (so-called). This tiny speck of glue-an organism without
organs-is endowed with the faculty called sensation. It draws away from that
which is likely to injure it, and toward that which it desires-all in response
to an elementary sensation. It has the instinct of self-preservation and
self-pro tection. It seeks and finds its prey, and then cats. digests and assimilates it. It is able to move
about by "false-feet," or bits of its body which it pushes
forth at will from any part of its substance. It reproduces itself, as we have seen, by separation and
self-division.
The
life of the bacteria and germs-the yeasty forms of life-are familiar to many
of us. And yet there are forms of life still below these. The line between
living forms and non-living forms is being set back further and further by
science. Living creatures are now known that resemble the non-living so closely
that the line cannot be definitely drawn.
Living creatures
are known that are capable of being dried and laid away for several years, and
then may be revived by the applicationof
moisture. They resemble dust, but are full of life and function. Certain forms of
bacilli are known to Science that have been subjected to degrees of heat and
cold that are but terms to any but the scientific mind.
Low forms of life
called Diatoms or "living crystals" are known. They are tiny
geometrical forms. They are composed of a
tiny drop of plasm, resembling glue,
covered by a thin shell of siliceous or sandy material. They are
visible only through the microscope, and are so small that thousands of them
might be gathered together on the head of a pin. They are so like chemical
crystals that it requires a shrewd and careful observer to distinguish them.
And yet they are alive, and perform all the functions of life.
Leaving these
creatures, we enter the kingdom of the crystals, in our search for life. Yes,
the crystals manifest life, as strange as this statement may appear to those who have not followed the march of
Science. The crystals are born, grow, live, and may be killed by
chemicals or electricity. Science has
added a new department
called "Plasmology," the purpose of which is the study of crystal life. Some investigators have progressed so far as to claim that they have discovered signs of
rudimentary sex functioning among crystals.
At any rate, crystals are born and grow like living
things. As a recent scientific writer has said: "Crystallization,
as we are to learn now, is not a mere mechanical
grouping of dead atoms. It is a
birth."
The crystal forms from the mother liquor, and its body is built up systematically, regularly, and according to a well defined plan or pattern, just as are the body and bones of the animal form, and the wood and bark of the tree. There is life at work in the growth of the crystal. And
not only does the crystal grow, but it also
reproduces itself by separation or splitting-off, just as is the case with the lower forms of life, just mentioned.
The principal point of difference between the growth and development of the crystals and that of the lower forms of life referred to is that the crystal takes its nourishment
from the outside, and builds up from its outer
surface, while the Monera absorbs its nourishment
from within, and grows outwardly from within. If the crystal had a soft center,
and took its nourishment in that way, it would be
almost identical with the Diatom, or, if the Diatom grew
from the outside, it would be but a crystal. A very fine dividing line.
Crystals,
like living forms, may be sterilized and rendered
incapable of reproduction by chemical process, or electrical
discharges. They may also be "killed"
and future growth prevented in this manner. Surely this looks like
"Life," does it not?
To realize the importance of this idea of life among the crystals, we must remember that our hardest rocks and metals are composed of crystals, and that the dirt and earth upon
which we grow and live are but crumbled rock
and miniature crystals. Therefore the very dust under our feet is alive.
There is nothing dead. There is no transformation of "dead
matter" into live plant matter,
and then into live animal matter.
The chemicals are alive, and from chemical to man's body there is but a
continuous change of shape and form of
living matter. Any man's body, decomposing,
is again resolved into chemicals, and the
chain begins over again. Merely changes in living forms-that's all, so far as the bodies are
concerned.
Nature furnishes us with many examples of this presence
of life in the inorganic world. We have but to look
around to see the truth of the statement that All is Alive. There is that
which is known as the "fatigue of elasticity" in metals. Razors get
tired, and require a rest. Tuning forks
lose their powers of vibration, to a
degree, and have to be given a vacation.
Machinery in mills and manufactories needs an occasional day off. Metals are
subject to disease and infection,
and have been poisoned and restored by antidotes. Window glass, especially stained glass, is subject to a disease spreading from pane to pane.
Men accustomed to handling and using tools and machinery
naturally drop into the habit of speaking of these tilings as if they were alive. They seem to recognize the
presence of "feeling" in tools or machine, and to perceive in each a
sort of "character" or
personality, which must be respected, humored, or coaxed in order to get
the best results.
Perhaps the most
valuable testimony along these lines, and
which goes very far toward proving the centuries-old theories of the Yogis
regarding Omnipresent Life, comes from Prof. J. Chunder Hose, of the Calcutta University, a Hindu educated in the
English Universities, under the
best teachers, and who is now a
leading scientific authority in the western world. He has given to the
world some very valuable scientific
information along these lines in his book entitled "Response in the Living and
Non-living," which has caused the widest comment and created the greatest
interest among the highest
scientitic authorities. His experiments along the lines of the gathering
of evidence of life in the inorganic forms have revolutionized the theories
of modern science, and have done much to further the idea that life is present
everywhere, and that there is no such thing as dead matter.
He bases his work upon the theory that the best and only
true test for the presence of life in matter is the response of matter to external
stimulus. Proceeding from this fundamental
theory he has proven by innumerable
experiments that so-called inorganic matter, minerals,
metals, etc., give a response to such stimulus, which response is
similar, if not identical, to the response
of the matter composing the bodies of plants, animals, men.
He devised delicate apparatus for the measurement of the response to the outside stimulus, the degree, and other evidence
being recorded in traces on a revolving cylinder. The tracings or
curves obtained from tin and other metals,
when compared with those obtained from living muscle, were found to be identical.
He used a galvanometer, a very delicate and
accurate scientific instrument, in his experiments. This instrument is so finely adjusted that the faintest
current will cause a deflection of
the registering needle, which is delicately swung on a tiny pivot. If
the galvanometer be attached to a human nerve, and the end of the nerve be irritated, the needle will register.
Prof.
Bose found that when he attached the galvanometer to bars of various metals
they gave a similar response when struck or twisted. The
greater the irritation applied to the metal, the greater
the response registered by the instrument. The analogy between the response of the metal and that of the living
muscle was startling. For instance,
just as in the case of the living
animal muscle or nerve matter, the response becomes fatigued, so in the case
of the metal the curve registered by the needle became fainter and still
fainter, as the bar became more and more
fatigued by the continued irritation. And again, just after such fatigue the muscle would become rested, and would again respond actively, so would the metal when
given a chance to recuperate.
Tetanus due to
shocks constantly repeated, was caused and recovered. Metals recorded evidences of fatigue.
Drugs caused identical effects on metals and animals-some
exciting: some depressing; some killing.
Some poisonous chemicals killed pieces of metal, rendering
them immobile and therefore incapable of registering
records on the apparatus. In some cases antidotes
were promptly administered, and saved the life of the metal.
Prof.
Bose also conducted experiments on plants in the same
way. Pieces of vegetable matter were found to be capable of stimulation,
fatigue, excitement, depression, poison. Mrs. Annie
Besant, who witnessed some of these experiments in
Calcutta, has written as follows regarding the experiments on plant life:
"There is something rather pathetic in
seeing the way in which the tiny spot of light which
records the pulses in the plant, travels in ever weaker
and weaker curves, when the plant is under the influence
of poison, then falls into a final despairing straight
line, and-stops. One feels as though a murder has
been committed-as indeed it has."
In
one of Prof. Bose's public experiments he clearly demonstrated
that a bar of iron was fully as sensitive as the
human body, and that it could be irritated and stimulated
in the same way, and finally could be poisoned
and killed. "Among such phenomena," he asks,
"how can we draw the line of demarkation, and say, 'Here the physical
ends, and there the physiological begins'? No such barrier exists."
According to his theory, which agrees with
the oldest occult theories, by the way, life is present in every object
and form of
Nature, and all forms respond to external stimulus, which
response is a proof of the presence of life in the form.
Prof.
Hose's great book is full of the most startling results of experiments. He
proves that the metals manifest something
like sleep; can be killed; exhibit torpor and sluggishness; get tired or
lazy; wake up; can be roused into activity; may be stimulated, strengthened, weakened; suffer from extreme cold
and heat; may be drugged or intoxicated, the different metals
manifesting a different response to certain drugs, just as different men and
animals manifest a varying degree of similar resistance. The response of a piece of sleel subjected to the influence
of a chemical poison shows a gradual
fluttering and weakening until it
finally dies away, just as animal matter does when similarly poisoned. When revived in time by an
antidote, the recovery was similarly
gradual in both metal and muscle. A remarkable fact is noted by the scientist
when he tells us that the very poisons that kill the metals are themselves
alive and may he killed, drugged,
stimulated, etc., showing the same "response as in the case of the
metals, proving the existence in them of the
same life that is in the metals and animal matter that they influence.
Of course when
these metals are "killed" there is merely
a killing of the metal as metal-the atoms and principles of which the metal is composed remaining fully alive
and active, just as is the case with the atom of the human body after the soul
passes out the body
is as much alive after death as during the life of
the person, the activity of the parts being along the
lines of dissolution instead of construction in that case.
We
hear much of the claims of scientists who announce
that they are on the eve of "creating life" from non-living
matter. This is all nonsense-life can come only from life. Life from
non-life is an absurdity. And all Life comes
from the One Life underlying All. Hut it is true that Science has done, is
doing, and will do, something very much like "creating life," but of course this is merely changing the form of Life
into other forms-the lesser form into
the higher-just as one produces a
plant from a seed, or a fruit from a plant.
The Life is always there, and responds to the proper stimulus and
conditions.
A
number of scientists are working on the problem of generating living forms
from inorganic matter. The old idea of
"spontaneous generation." for many years relegated to the scrap-pile
of Science, is again coming to the
front. Although the theory of Evolution
compels its adherents to accept the idea that at one time in the past living forms sprung from the non-living (so-called), yet it has been generally
believed that the conditions which
brought about this stage of evolution has forever passed. But the indications
now all point to the other view that this stage of evolution is, and always has been, in operation, and that new forms of life are constantly evolving
from the inorganic forms. "Creation," so-called (although the word
is an absurdity from the Yogi point of view), is constantly being performed.
Dr. Charlton
Bastian, of London, Eng., has long been a prominent advocate of this theory of
continuous spontaneous generation. Laughed
down and considered defeated by the leading scientific minds of a
generation ago, he still pluckily kept at work, and his recent books were like bombshells in the orthodox scientific
camp. He has taken more than five thousand photo-micrographs, all showing most
startling facts in connection with the origin of living forms from the
inorganic. He claims that the microscope reveals the development in a
previously clear liquid of very minute black spots, which gradually enlarge and
transform into bacteria-living forms of a very low order. Prof. Burke, of
Cambridge, Eng., has demonstrated that he
may produce in sterilized boullion, subjected to the action of
sterilized radium chloride, minute living
bodies which manifest growth and subdivision. Science is being gradually
forced to the conclusion that living forms are still arising in the world by natural processes, which is not at
all remarkable when one remembers that natural law is uniform and
continuous. These recent discoveries go to
swell the already large list of modern scientific ideas which correspond with the centuries-old Yogi
teachings. When the Occult explanation that there is Life in everything, inorganic as well/ as organic, and that evolution
is constant, is heard, then may we see that these experiments simply prove that
the forms of life may be changed and developed-not
that Life may be "created."
The chemical and mineral world furnish us with many instances of the growth and development of forms closely resembling the forms of the vegetable world. What is known as "metallic vegetation," as shown in the "lead tree," gives us an interesting example
of this phenomenon. The experiment is performed
by placing in a wide-necked bottle a clear acidulated
solution of acetate of lead. The bottle is corked, a
piece of copper wire being fastened to the cork,
from which wire is suspended a piece of zinc. the
latter hanging as nearly as possible in the center of the lead solution. When
the bottle is corked the copper wire immediately begins to surround itself with a growth of metallic lead resembling fine moss.
From this moss spring branches and limbs, which in turn manifest a growth similar to foliage, until
at last a miniature bush or tree is
formed. Similar "metallic vegetation"
may be produced by other metallic solutions.
All
of you have noticed how crystals of frost form on
window panes in shapes of leaves, branches, foliage, flowers, blossoms,
etc. Saltpeter when subjected to the effect
of polarized light assumes forms closely resembling the forms of the
orchid. Nature is full of these resemblances.
A German scientist recently performed a remarkable
experiment with certain metallic salts. He subjected the salts to the action
of a galvanic current, when to his surprise the particles of the salts
grouped themselves around the negative pole of the battery, and then grew into
a shape closely resembling a miniature mushroom, with tiny stem and umbrella
top. These metallic mushrooms at
first presented a transparent appearance, but gradually developed color, the top
of the umbrella being a bright red, with a faint rose shade on the under
surface. The stems showed a pale straw color. This was most interesting, but the important fact of the experiment consists in
the discovery that these mushrooms have fine veins or tubes running
along the stems, through which the nourishment,
or additional material for growth, is transported, so that the growth is
actually from the inside, just as is the case with fungus life. To ail intents
and purposes, these inorganic metallic growths were low forms of vegetable
life.
But the search for Life does not end
with the forms of the mineral world as we know them. Science has
separated the material forms into smaller forms, and again still smaller. And
if there is Life in the form composed of countless particles, then must there
be Life in the particles themselves. For Life cannot come from non-Life, and if
there be not Life in the particles, the theory of Omnipresent Life must fall.
So we must look beyond the form and shape of the mineral-must separate it into
its constituent parts, and then examine the parts for indications of Life.
Science teaches us that all forms of
matter are composed of minute particles called molecules. A molecule is the smallest particle of
matter that is possible, unless the
chemical atoms composing the matter fly apart and the matter be resolved into its original elements. For
instance, let us take the familiar instance of a drop of water. Let us divide
and subdivide the drop, until at last we
get to the smallest possible particle of water. That smallest possible
particle would be a "molecule" of
water. We cannot subdivide this molecule
without causing its atoms of hydrogen and oxygen to fly apart-and then there would be no water at all. Well, these molecules manifest a something called
Attraction for each other. They attract other molecules of the same
kind, and are likewise attracted. The operation
of this law of attraction results in the formation of masses of matter, whether those masses be mountains of solid rock, or a drop of water, or a
volume of gas. All masses of matter
are composed of aggregations of molecules, held together by the law of
attraction. This law of attraction is called Cohesion. This Cohesive Attraction is not a mere mechanical force,
as many suppose, but is an exhibition of Life action, manifesting in the
presence of the molecule of a "like" or "love" for the
similar molecule. And when the Life energies begin to manifest on a certain plane, and proceed to mould the
molecules into crystals, so that we may see the actual process under
way, we begin to realize very clearly that there is "something at
work" in this building up.
Hut wonderful as this may seem to those
unfamiliar with the idea, the manifestation of Life among the atoms is
still more so. The atom, you will remember, is the
chemical unit which, uniting with other atoms, makes up
the molecule. For instance, if we take two atoms of
the gas called hydrogen and one atom of the gas
called oxygen, and place them near each other, they will
at once rush toward each other and form a partnership,
which is called a molecule of water. And so it is
with all atoms-they are continually forming partnerships,
or dissolving them. Marriage and divorce is
a part of the life of the atoms. These evidences
of attraction and repulsion among the atoms are receiving much attention from
careful thinkers, and some of the most advanced
minds of the age see in this phenomena the
corroboration of the old Yogi idea that there is Life
and vital action in the smallest particles of matter.
The
atoms manifest vital characteristics in their attractions
and repulsions. They move along the lines of their
attractions and form marriages, and thus combining
they form the substances with which we are familiar.
When they combine, remember, they do not lose
their individuality and melt into a permanent substance, but merely unite and yet remain distinct. If the
combination be destroyed by chemical action, electrical discharge, etc., the atoms fly apart, and again live their
own separate lives, until they come in contact with
other atoms with which they have affinities, and form
a new union or partnership. In many chemical changes
the atoms divorce themselves, each forsaking its mate
or mates, and seeking some newer affinity in the shape
of a more congenial atom. The atoms manifest a
fickleness and will always desert a lesser attraction
for a greater one. This is no mere bit of imagery, or scientific poetry. It is
a scientific statement of the action of atoms along the
lines of vital manifestation.
The
great German scientist, Haekel, has said: "I cannot imagine the simplest chemical and physical processes
without attributing the movement of the material
particles to unconscious sensation. The idea of
Chemical Affinity consists in the fact that the various chemical elements perceive differences in the qualities
of other elements, and experience pleasure or revulsion
at contact with them, and execute their respective
movements on this ground." He also says: "We may ascribe the feeling
of pleasure or pain (satisfaction or dissatisfaction) to all atoms, and
thereby ascribe the elective affinities of chemistry to
the attraction between living atoms and repulsion
between hating atoms." He also says that "the
sensations in animal and plant life are
connected by a long series of evolutionary stages with
the simpler forms of sensation that we find in the
inorganic elements, and that reveal themselves in
chemical affinity." Naegli says: "If
the molecules possess something that is related, however
distantly, to sensation, it must be comfortable for them to be able to follow
their attractions and repulsions, and uncomfortable for them when they are forced to do otherwise."
We
might fill page after page with quotations from eminent thinkers going to
prove the correctness of the old
Yogi teachings that Life is Omnipresent. Modem
Science is rapidly advancing to this position, leaving
behind her the old idea of "dead matter." Even the new theories of the electron-the little particles
of electrical energy which are now believed to constitute the base of the
atom-does not change this idea, for the electrons manifest
attraction, and response thereto, and form themselves into
groups composing the atom. And even if we pass beyond matter into the mystical Ether which Science assumes to be the
material base of things, we must believe that there is life there too, and that as Prof. Dolbear says:
"The Ether has besides the
function of energy and motion, other
inherent properties, out of which could emerge, under proper circumstances, other phenomena, such as life, mind, or whatever may be in the
substratum," and, that as Prof. Cope has hinted, that the basis of Life lies back of the atoms and may be found in
the Universal Ether.
Some scientists go even further, and assert that not only is Life present in everything, but that Mind is present
where Life is. Verily, the dreams of the Yogi fathers are coming true, and from
the ranks of the materialists are coming the
material proofs of the spiritual teachings. Listen to
these words from Dr. Saleeby, in his recent valuable
scientific work, "Evo~ lution, the Master
Key." He says:
"Life is potential in matter; life-energy is not a thing unique and created at a particular time in the past. If evolution be true, living matter has
been evolved
by natural processes from matter which is, apparently,
not alive. But if life is potential in matter, it
is a thousand times more evident that Mind is potential
in Life. The evolutionist is impelled to believe that Mind is potential in
matter. (I adopt that form of words for the moment,
but not without future criticism.) The microscopic
cell, a minute speck of matter that is to become man, has
in it the promise and the germ of mind. May we not
then draw the inference that the elements of
mind are present in those chemical elements-carbon,
oxygen, hydrogen, nitrogen, sulphur, phosphorus,
sodium, potassium, chlorine-that are found in the
cell. Not only must we do so, but we must go further, since we know that each of these elements, and every other, is
built up out of one invariable unit,
the electron, and we must therefore assert that Mind is potential in the unit
of Matter-the electron itself. * * * It is to assert
the sublime truth first perceived by Spinoza, that Mind and Matter are the warp and woof of what Goethe called 'the living garment of God.' Both
are complementary expressions of the
Unknowable Reality which underlies both."
There is no such thing as non-vital attraction or repulsion.
All inclinations for or against another object, or
thing, is an evidence of Life. Each thing has sufficient
life energy to enable it to carry on its work. And as
each form advances by evolution into a higher form, it
is able to have more of the Life energy manifest
through it. As its material machinery
is built up, it
becomes able to manifest a greater and higher degree of Life. It is
not that one thing has a low life, or
another a high life-this cannot be, for there is but One Life. It is
like the current of electricity that is able
to run the most delicate machinery or manifest a light in the incandescent
lamp. Give it the organ or machinery
of manifestation, and it manifests-give it a low form, and it will manifest a low degree-give it a high form, and
it will manifest a high degree. The same
steam power runs the clumsy engine, or the perfect apparatus which drives the most delicate mechanism. And so it is with the One Life-its manifestations may seem low and clumsy, or high and
perfect- but it all depends upon the
material or mental machinery through which it works. There is but One Life, manifesting in countless forms and shapes,
and degrees. One Life underlying All-in All.
From the highest forms of Life down through the animal,
vegetable and mineral kingdoms, we see Life everywhere
present-Death an illusion. Back of all visible
forms of material life there is still the beginnings of
manifested life pressing forward for expression and manifestation.
And underneath all is the Spirit of Life-longing, striving, feeling, acting.
In the mountain and the ocean-the flower and the tree-the
sunset-the dawn-the suns-the stars-all is
Life-manifestations of the One Life. Everything is Alive, quick with living
force, power, action; thrilling with
vitality; throbbing with feeling; filled with activity. All is from the One Life-and all that is from
the One Life is Alive. There is no dead substance in
the Universe-there can be none-for Life cannot
Die. All is Alive. And Life is in All. Carry
with you this Central Thought of the Lesson: CENTRAL THOUGHT: There is
but One Life, and its manifestations comprise alt the forms and, shapes of the Universe. From Life comes but Life- and Life can come only from Life.
Therefore we have the right to expect that
all manifestations of the One Life should be Alive. And we are not
mocked in such belief. Not only do the
highest Occult Teachings inform us
that Everything is Alive, but Modern Science
has proven to us that Life is present everywhere-even in that
which was formerly considered dead matter, ft now sees that even
the atom, and what lies back of the atom, is
charged with Life Energy and Action. Forms ami shapes may change, and do change-but Life remains eternal and infinite. It cannot Die-for
it is LIFE. Peace be with thee.
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