The record-union., 1897-05-21
MADAM BESANq'S LECTURE.
Her Subject Last Night Was 1.-THE
Power Of Thought"
Astral and Mental Bodies and Their
Effect on Those of Others
Explained.

Mrs. Annie Besant, the well-knoWn
theosophist, lectured last night on
The Power Of Thought to far au-
dience at the Congregational Church
There is a department of study IN
theosophy, she said, that deals with
the invisible bodies that are around
us and with which we have to do. This
department might be called the study
Of occult science. In pursuing this we
have to study the forms of Wha- IS
called the invisible world. This has
been a study in all ages. Madame
Blavatsky used, in instructing her pu-
pills.. to lay great stress on the forces
and forms of the invisible world. Num-
ber form colors and sounds arise from
vibrations and are active in the in
visible world as in the visible or ply
steal world AS we are somewhat ia
miliar with these things, in the study
of the invisible world we do not find
ourselves in an utterly strange one.
These underlying principles are taken
for granted in the subject on which
she would speak.
She would take them with her into
the magnetic field. When iron filings
are shaken on a, paper over a magnet,
under the influence of the magnet. So
it is with individuals Within the in
fluence OF certain forces, the feelings
are affected by them. Each one has a
field around his body, more or less
large, within which the force soul eXer-
cises its power. With an ordinarily in
telHgent person this aura, or field, ex
tends for about two feet, and when one
-, ~, Il
aura of another person, he is conscious
often of a feeling of attraction or re-
pulsion. AS we can see the visible form
of another, so one who has developed
the keener sight of feeling, can see
the invisible or astral body of an
other
To take these points in order, each
one possesses an astral body, without
the action of which no feeling or emo
ton can be felt. We are not conscious of
circulation of the blood or the process Of
digestion. Just so we are not conscious
CT the astral body. Put side by side
a refined person and one that is en-
ployed in some occupation of a low
grade, We find that the former has a
more refined physical body than the
latter. So it is with the astral
body. That of the refined person will
be the more refined OF the two. The
colors of the astral body of the brutal
and low person are dull and dirty, while
those of the astral body of the high
type of character are bright They are
therefore very easy to distinguish.
The person of low type never likes
to be alone long. He wants excitement
and company When a person likes to
be alone and think, it shows that the
mental body is becoming raised to
higher grade and developed on a higher
plane. When highly developed the body
of such a person is seen by the occult
ist like a pillar of light, flashing bril-
liantly.
Just as we train ourselves our astral
bodies become. If we accustom our
selves to pursue high aims and purify
our passions, our astral bodies would
become brighter and brighter and we
would rise higher and higher. When We
arrive a. a high stage. distance will
have no power to separate friends.
Death would have no power to separ-
ate us. We are always affecting each
other by our emotions. We cannot be
angry without sending out into the
world vibrations Of anger that do in
jury We cannot have thoughts Of
love without sending out into the world
vibrations Of love that make it bet
ter.
The room was then darkened and rep
resentatives Of the astral and mental
bodies We're projected upon a screen.
showing by cOlors the influence the
emotions and thoughts have on them.
The low and coarse passions were rep
resented by gray, brown and lurid red,