The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1894-02-12
THE TRUE THEosoPHY.
.sThe Odd VoIumes'' Listen to Al
other Lecture,of Prof. .Rjerregaarde


At a recent meeting of the sOdd Vol
umes, . held at the residence of Mrs. Grace
Marshall, Prof. B-jerregaarde, in the course
of an address upon the philosophy of Des-
cartes, used the term, ''true theosophy,' as
applied to q department of metaphysics, at
the same time disclaiming any reference to
modern so-called theosophy of the Blavatsky
school. AS a result of the interest then
manifested, Prof. B~ierregaarde consented to
set forth the principles of true theosophy in
a second address. This was given before a
large audience at the residence of Mrs.
Marcus E. Beach, Hoboken avenue, on
Saturday afternoon.
Prof. Bjerregaarde introduced his subject
by ~emphatically disclaiming its connection
with the quasi-Oriental neo-Buddhist Occult
tism of the followers of Madame Blavatsky
and her associates. With this system he is
clearly not in sympathy, regarding it as
neither the heritage of ancient philosophers
nor the outcome of modern metaphysical re-
search. In reference to its claims to Orien-
tai origin, he said that, although there were
those in New York who had cast aside the
ereeds of their fathers, and announced them
selves Budhists, yet it was impossible for a
Christian, for an American, for an individ-
uai of the Nineteenth century to turn back
the progress of civilization two thousand
| years so that with Oriental instincts and I'M
der Oriental conditions they might become
actual Buddhists.
The word t~heosophy is an old one. It was
used by Paul in the New Testament: it was
accepted as denoting a department of meta
physics, Derived from the Greek theos god,
and sophia, wisdom, its general reference is
to that system of philosophy which seeks for
the uniting principle in Deity. 1t is knowl-
edge not from God, but of God, since it is
Deity which ~pervades all nature and ami
mates mankind; that is stthe, Soul of all"
The theosophist, believing that the spirit
within him is one with Deity, believes also
that this spirit possesses a direct and init
mate understanding of the will and work Of
Deity. OF himself he does not claim to
know; sit is the spirit within him that
speaks" He believes that Deity is nearer
to us than we are to ourselves; that not
only spiritual assistance but the appeal for it
and the instinct that prompted the appeal,
are directly of the divine spirit in US. So
that he defines theosophy as knowledge not
from God, for that would signify that God
and the soul were apart, but of God, be-
cause they are one.
In entering upon a discussion of the prin-
ciples of theosophy, it is necessary to bear
in mind these points. First, the distinction
made in the use of the terms "God" and
"Deity." The first refers to the principle
manifest-the Elohim of Genesis. The sec
ond refers to the ~pervading principle, ami
mating all creation, but is not used to indi-
cate God manifest. The second point is that
is that Deity is imminent in creation; pres
ent in the lustre of the gem, in the mote, in
the sun ray, in the sun itself, animating the
human mind, ~pulsating in the life of a
flower. Prof. Bjerregaarde presented the
doctrine in its most effective form by read
ing its statement by Jellaludin, the Persian
Sufi poet, in which, beginning with the
broad statement, II am the Chain of living
things; 1 am the Soul of ALL" he goes on
through a mass of separate instances, find
ing God. so tospeak, by differentiation, re-
turning to the first statement at the close.
The third point was the conception of illus
ion; that is, hat material things exist only
as the embodiment of ideas, that, to put it
plainly, matter is really n-on-existant. Now,
no matter how deliberately we may reason
ourselves into admitting this, we don't any
usual i~ncredulity on the part of the audi
ence.
In answer to inquiries, Professor Bjere-
gaarde said that the ancient th~eosophists did,
in a certain way, believe in r-eincarnation
They however, held to a continual progress
ion, not -countenancing the idea of the rein
carnation of the spirit in lower forms of
life, to work out its Karma. Karma, the
law of cause and effect operating through
the meriJ and demerit of a persons deeds in
Efe-as a hard moral truth, did not enter
into a purely contemplative philosophy,
There will be still another address by Pro-
fessor B~ierregaarde, on the subject of "The-
| illogical Theosophy and Aids to the Inner
Life" at Hasbrouck Hall IN the evening of
January "A. Thu Odd Volumes will be in
charge, and will issue cards of invitation