New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1895-09-23
TALKS ABOUT THEOSOPHT.

MIR MAIN on FIRST STEPS on THE PATH AND
MIR. WRIGHT on THE ASTRAL BODY"
William Main. OF No 299 Jefferson-ave., Brook
Ign. delivered an interesting lecture last evening
before the members OF the II. p b. Theosophicai
Society at No l42 West One-hLndred- and-twenty-
ffth-st. His subject was First steps on the fa'h'
Mr.. Main said in part
sef-conceit is the one great obstacle that binds
us fast in our tracks. We fancy that 1t is our
souls alone which are lighted with wisdom from
on high" while others are heather in their dark
ness. Jew. Christian and Mahometan have cor, cor,
Of blood and ashes through the b Sps have
told us. and yet it is the logical outcome of that
spirit Of separation and self-certanty when mas
got the upper. hand of so many of the followers
This path is not channel along which some;
forces it is charaeterized by Individual effort step
by step progress freedom and SCI ees in
diligently in a given direction and Is he'her
pushed. pulled nor carried. ..,-o,
ment. the survival of the fittest social evolution
etc. all relating to those tidal drifts OF change
forms flow of currents of life along certain chan
nels. which at times are full TO the briin ana al
thought the idea of orderly now and progress has
again come to the front Men call " evolution,
tlnruished from the medaevsi notion OF progress
the result of the arbitrary decisions OF man
like God Having recognized this method or prog
ress as in accordance both with observed Facts ana
with natural intentions. the Darwins ana Hulk.
for the underlying causes 30 NOT propose 70 ,h ua
either the adequacy the imperfectIon OF their
fact that waves and currents Of change and prog
have always in the past swept over 'ht taI 81
or creative Influences are still at work 40 actively
as ever The progress of the human rae MAJ hoad
compared TO the flow Of multitude along ploau
highway. which forms a channel for their passage
like the bed of stream.
The churches have amplifed the teachings OF me
central figure OF the Christian religion INTO uT 90
rine OF an eternal he'll for the malorly o, tdr
only called the elect. The fragments preserved
In the Gospels are but the scattered remnantss
material-minded generation, one against when me
Great Teacher Numbered His 'bitterest deDuncia-
lions If we would understand the true meaning
of all this. We must 20 back to those purer and
higher conceptions which We're once NE NJ ,base
spiritual denominations which belong TO the days OF
Calvin and Torquemado which have dehled
h tOn,. '"0"S"'' anu ''''"'' O'' ''s"'' '
There is no longer mere drifting with the mass
but a more distinct control of aims and destiny.
and this influence is carried from life to fe The
become clearer and brighter until t finally leads
to the perfect light.
Claude Falls Wright. who was for several years
the secretary of Nine Blavatsky and is well
known lecturer on theosophca subjects. last night
spoke at the house OF the Aryar Theosophical So
ciety, No 1A Madison-ave.. on "The Astral Body"
He began by describing the misrepresentation In
which the phrase astral body Is used. and the
various meanings commonly attached to it. some
times wrongly.
Life TO most people means routine" said Mr..
Wright. but sometimes you meet a philosopher who
gets away from the routine. Sometimes the person
" no tires OF the routine desires to think for him
self and possibly ne joins. after deber3tion,
church, where his thinking IL done for him and he
doesn't have TO think at all Others take to sell
ence and come to destroy the idea OF a hereafter
and a system OF rewards and punlshments, un.ess
they have spent too many years in learning not to
In
to every man. such as: Are there souls" Have
a soulg Are there souls on the planets? and
What is the great intelligence behind 1t all?
Chemically speaking, everything around us Is made
up of atoms 80 called ins;e gstSar bx stick
Inverness which really means nothing AT an. Inc
snmefhine Ike a Jelly and that the breath OF
spirits on this jely-ke SUBSTANCE made ~ Whlri
on ether II viii form matter, of which are formed
trees flowers and other substances -. ,o.,a ma
see and the action OF the highest intelligence VIII
form man. who. 1t used TO be said. was IKE
hand the five members OF his foot ana MS hVe
senses is really fvefold being ......os
atoms from the ether. and how the atoms are nsed
and over again An OF us ne $40 mus nas
iicles of all the earth's matter. Sickness means a
wrong combination OF matter; drawing matter from
Mr. WRIGHT then showed the influence of matter on
nearby matter. giving instances OF people VINO INed
long together coming to have the same appearance
He said that # man thought brutal thoughts he
would have brutal appearance. and wee versa
ard that atoms are taken from flowers and animals
and given back He spoke; in this connection
Of the words OF the Apostle: i VIII gather myself
up from the uttermost parts of the earth.
The lecturer spoke of the relation of crematon
and theosophy and favoraby Of the process OF burn
ing the body. which the Hindoos. for theosophcal
reasons. advocated. He said the mind could be
protected" but certainly not the astral BODY. After
showing the effect of death on the body's atoms,
and theosophcal explanation of talking in the
sleep" he spoke OF the influence Of desire on a
mans body. He said there were such things as
we're "a congloneration Of atoms full OF the desires
of the dead; when the desire is accomplished the
ghost disappears
The lecture closed with theosophical ex-
position Of the error in the common theory OF the
rite OF communion