The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1891-06-07

mated that the last of these extraordinary
people persisted just before the be-
ginning of the tertiary epoch.
Then arrived the fourth race. which
lived on the continent of Atlantis. which
has since been submerged beneath the
Atlantic ocean, and the last of these folks
passed away $4,000 years ago. From the
melancholy accident which occasioned
their destruction is derived the legend of
the Flood. We are now in the fifth race,
The seventh and last will be wonder.
The black magicians accomplish their
evil work chiefly through the instru-
mentality of what is called ''astral light"
This is the same thing as what is known
to physical science as the ''interstellar
ether"-an extremely tenuous fluid which
pervades and fills the entire universe, the
planets and systems of stars travelling
through it wherever they go. Every
thing that is done, or said, or even
thought IS photographed, as it were, per-
manently in this thin but elastic medium,
which is thus crowded everywhere with
phantasms of ideas. 1t is these that are
seen in dreams, when the normal thresh-
old of consciousness Is shifted under the
conditions of sleep, and what is usually in
visible becomes visible. The sorcerers are
able to view these fantasms at any dis
lance, so as to perceive what IS happening
anywhere they wish, and they can so con-
troll them as to convey into peoples
minds wicked suggestions For their own
protection, they have the power to so con-
centrate this astral light around them
selves as to be enveloped in an armour i'm
pervious to all weapons, and If they
choose, they can employ ii for the purpose
of destroying life by launching current
of it against any one. 1t is this fluid which
Lord Lytton referred to under the name
OF viii in his novel of The Coming
Race" the author being an occultist of no
small knowledge. 1t will be remembered
how the people of the strange region he
visited could launch it with fatal and
enormously destructive effect against a
foe, or even burst asunder the mountains
by its agency. From such means ofharm as
this, utilized by INSCRIPTIONS hands, no
one can be safe. although the nature
of the weapon may be no more suspected
than is the peril which sometimes threat
ems from the elemental spirits of the fire,
water, the earth and the air. Theosophists
are aware that the Rosicrucian philos-
ophers of old were not mistaken in their
recognition of these strange astral Great
ures, which they designated respective
ly as "salamanders," ''undines," gnomes
and "sylphs.' Theosophy is the sum-
ming-up of all mystical systems, each of
which contributes something of truth.
1t is by means of this extraordinary
agent. known as astral light, that the
which appear miraculous TO the uninitiat-
ed With its aid they are able to hold con-
versation, one with another, across any in
terval of space and without mechanical
apparatus. Not only can the "illumin-
ated" employ this physical process of
telegraphy with perfect ease, but he finds
no difficulty in projecting his own astral
body to any distance desired, SO that his
ghost or likeness may appear to a friend
on the other side of the world. In this
spectral shape, a bodiless intelligence, he
can stand upon the uttermost confines of
the infinite and view with incorporeal
eye the awful mechanism of the
universe. Nine. Blavatsky, though
not herself claiming to be an adept,
had received such instructions from the
Mahatmas that on occasions she could
produce many wonders. 1t is recorded
by friends who witnessed them how she
used to receive letters in England that fell
literally out of the air into her lap or upon
the table she was sitting ct. In some
cases missives sent by her through this
psychic post all the way to India ELECTED
replies delivered in the manner described
within five minutes. On occasions mes
sages from Thibet would be found by her
inslosed in kilograms from places quite
from the blank ceiling of the room
where she was-presumably a tribute
from an adept admirer. The tingling of
mysterious, sweet-toned bell in the air,
though invisible, usually announced the
visitation of spook from the Orient,
which could not be seen by others. One
day Koot Hoomi painted q portrait of
himself for her in London while he was in
Thibet. Another time, when a picnic
party was one cup and saucer short owing
to breakage, Nine. Blavatsky created an
extra one off-hand, which was found by
digging at the root of certain tree under
her direction.
A phantasm of the aforementioned de-
scription is of nature very different from
the ghost of a dead person. To explain
the latter phenomenon, 1t should be said
that the astral shells of the dead float
about near the earth for long time before
they finally disintegrate. If their owners
have died sudden deaths by murder or SUI
eide, the shells go to pieces very much
more slowly than is otherwise the case.
Ordinarily, they disturb nobody and ex-
cite no attention, having no con-
sciousnes and being invisible to the
living. But sometimes they are galya-
nized into seeming vitality by coming
near to persons Who are alive and who
possess medIUmistic powers. The mediums
are able TO utilize these automata so as to
make them do what they wish, exhibiting
them as "spirits" and causing them fire.
Quently to perform fool actions. When
the astral shells become visible to people
who have not sought the privilege OF gaz-
ing upon them, they are termed ghosts"
Such ghosts of suicides and murdered peo-
pie are apt to Iinger long while about
the places where the tragedies took place.
The theosophist does not profess to
learn things through the ordinary chan
nels, perceptive and intellectual, which
the physical scientist uses for acquiring
knowledge. He relies upon ''illumina-
ton" fo- his information r~-recting the
truths of nature. This means OF instruc-
ton can only be made serviceable by the
development of special clairvoyant fac
ulty, which is only to be cultivated by the
pursuit of the esoteric philosophy along
the lines laid down By the Mahtamas. Ab.
solute purity, unselhshness and freedom
from worldly desires are essential to him
who aspires 10 approach this light of the
world. After seven years of faithful effort
the candidate for initiation to the brother
hood may be accepted as probationer.
though he may never advance so far. For
any one to entertain confidence in the
prospect OF becoming an adept by giving
up his life TO the work would be an abSur-
lily. The possibility OF such thing is
granted TO very few.
All that exists springs from one original
source, which has two poles--positive and
negative, or male and female. From the
conjunction of these poles proceeds all
mind and matter by radiation. Nature il
governed by alternate periods of existence
and non-existence. For billions of cen
turtles everything is peryaded with con-
scIouSness and movement. Then all that
Is grayitates toward the great center from
which 1t first proceeded, and there follows
another epoch billions of centuries long
during which all is nOthinguexS apo.ba9