The herald., 1896-03-09
A, L, Gibson

A. +. Gibson
A. E. Gibson from Portland. Ore, de-
livered lecture last night at 1880 in the
Odd Fellows hall upon the subject, Man
Know rhyseif.
The aim and object, the speaker said,
of all evolution is to establish self-knowl-
edge or self-consciousness upon all planes
of existence. For this purpose the evolv-
ing soul has at his disposal the complex in
strument of seven-fod constitution,
through which he may establish relations
with the shifting aspects of universal life
The number of the elements or principles
constituting the human being differs with
the different religious concepts of the
world. Thus Brahmanism postulates four
principles; Buddhism, seven; Confucia-
nism, five; Gnostcism, seven; kabala,
seven; Christianity. three. These differ
ences, however. are not fundamental. as
for Instance, the Christian three principles
in their final analysis yield seven.
The number seven is not fortuitous
number selected by chance. On the con-
trary, the whole eweep of nature as we'll as
of culture operates in terms of sevens. In
the history of the two worlds culture we
meet 1.-THE seven wonders of the world"
the seven-armed golden candlestick in the
coveuant; the seven rounded Jakobslad-
der (see ka5ala); the seven figured pyra-
mids with their square base and triangular
sides; the Babel tower with its seven
stories tsee kabala): in the Persian mys-
teres of Mithra the soul had to climb up
seven rounds of perfection; seven colors
in the rainbow: seven perceptible octaves
in sound; seven days in week: seven
ages; seven states of matter; seven ele-
mental gods Of Egypt: the seven Elohims
of the Hebrews; the seven sages of Greece:
seven cervical vertibrae i'll the neck of
~,,fs I'll hNnl
seven layers in the epidermis: seven kinds
of tissues in the body: seven divisions of
the eye; seven layers of the retina: seven
functions of the nervous system; seven dl-
visions of the brain; the blood goes through
seven distinct processes in clotting. ETC.;
the human physiology in itself revealing
an almost inti lite number of sevens.
Now. the principles or elements of which
the constitution of man is made up are:
The physical body, the principle of life, the
astral model seat of sensation), the prin-
cipie of desire and passion. the principle of
thought. the principle of feeling, and
finally spirit per Sc. of which all the other
principles are evolutionary expressions or
modes of manifestations. From the watch
tower of time the spirit observes through
its Elk windows or avenues the ever.movng
panorama of universal existence. Through
the physical body the spiritual spectator
reviews the illusions of earthly existence;
serves the phantasmagoria of dreams.
visions and other psychic per-
fofmances; through the body of desire
and passion( kamie) principle he witnesses
the play of passions and desires with its
hopes and fears. hates and loves. anXieties.
etc; through the principle of thought
(Manasl lie views the grand expanse of
pure calm thought, uncolored by passion
and desire through the principle of feel
ing (Buddhi) he feels the pulsations of
universal life, descerns the sorrow and
joys, the ideals and aspirations of every
creature; the principles of vitality (Prsna)
finally supplies the heat or dynamcs which
drives with untiring energy the complex
machinery of the human constitution.
Thus tAtma) the spiritual essence, in
order to become aware of itself and its
mystery, had to partake of the vicissitudes
of conditioned existence. For this pur-
pose it had to ''sink into generation and
be exposed to the Temporal! disturbance
consequent upon its encounter with the
two stupendous world illusions, time and
space. Hurled into the awful conflict by
life and death, the limitations thus i'm
posed upon its pure. unmiXed being gave
rise TO disorder and illusion. Abnormal
changes set to work in its hitherto homoge-
neous relations. sprlnging into effects as
passion, desire. sin. for only through
the agency of sin could conscience
be discovered, and the reaction of sin upon
the latter, and the interaction between
both gave rise TO ntrospection and to
dscernment of individuality, or self, the
ego beginning to analyze the processes at
work in it's own mysterious being. For il
was not the aim of spiritual existence to be
perfect and divine merely, nor was life
given for the mere sake of living, but
rather in order to know the causes that
took effect in such perfectbility, and
thereby furnish means for explaining the
realm of spirit-the element and essence
which constitutes being per Sc.
DIR. Alexander Patterson
The musical part of the services at the
Young Mems Christian Association was