The record-union., 1897-05-19
THBOSOPHICAL TEACHINGS.
Lecture on the Mysteries Of Sleep and
Death.
Their Various Stages Explained by
DR.. Griffiths i'm Last Eve
ning's Discourse.

The second lecture of DR.. Grif1iths'
course on Theosophy was given last
night in Pythfan Castle to large and
cultivated audience. The subject was
"Sleep and Death" Among other
things the speaker said:
"All phases of life are states Of con-
sciousness, thus states of conscious
ness and planes of nature are synony-
nous terms. Heaven and hell are not
localities, but states of consciousness,
and it is not necessary to emlgrate 10
find either, since both are possible now
uuon Our earth Furthermore, each
man, by his own thought and action
during his many earth lives makes OF
this earth either a heaven or hell.
Present happiness or unhappiness are
the result of right or wrong thought
and action of past earth lives, and the
many future earth lives of each one
will be happy or unhappy as he obeys
or disobeys law in his present life.
sleep and death are analogous
states, and produced by the same cause
too much life Year after year the
life forces indigenous to the physical
body and those drawn from the great
reservoirs of life from without, course
can no longer Withstand the assault
and its molecules and brain cells break
down. causing dissolution. Rest (sleep
or DEATH succeeds each period Of act
ivity. Death is but rest, a sleep and
a dreaming, after which the soul, the
true inner man, awakens and builds
another human body which it inhab-
its and uses for further experience and
he Of int nit
The three stages of sleep are: Night
mare, deep sleep and conscious slum
ber. The three stages of death are ex
actly analogous. Those who live in
the lower nature and are dominated by
envy. suspicion, jealousy and selfish
ness, do not pass beyond the nightmare
states of either sleep or death. When
they awaken from both they are old,
wrinkled and unrested. Then, too,
some people are always tired out The
cause is they think more of themselves
and their own little interests than of
anybody or thing else. Escape to
health and happiness lies along the line
of forgetting self and striving to make
others happy. That is hard nut to
crack, and it is also one that is car
ried about, uncracked. in the pockets
of many. The kernel contains possi-
bilities Of health and happiness, now
and hereafter.
Most so-called spirit communica
tions' emanate from those in the night
mare state of death and are unreliable.
The partial warnings and indistinct
Impressions of coming events. which
are usually wrongly interpreted, come
from the second stage of sleep. And
the higher miscalled spiritual mes
sages' come from the second stage of
death, and are also unreliable. In the
first and second stages of death it is
the animal and passionate part of the
deceased which communicates and
not the spirit of the departed friends
No new knowledge is thereby attaina
BILE, since the dead in this state know
no more than the living.
The third and highest stage of sleep
and death is that of perfect freedom
from the illusions of the physical senses
and passions, and all the earthly ma
ture with its likes and dislikes. narrow
prejudices and distorted conceptions
of truth. This is the adept state. and
may be reached by the man of high as
pirations pure thoughts and noble act
ions in the progress of time, even dur
ing waking hours.
In sleep the mental and physical
food accumulated during waking hours
is digested and assimulated 10 mind
and body. If we are healthy. upon
awakening We are refreshed and
strengthened. SO in the longer sleep
miscalled death (for in it only the body,
not the soul or real man, is dissolved)
the mental food acquired during the
last past earth life is digested and as
simulated to the soul. If the mind has
been healthy, altruistic and high toned,
the soul viii have much wisdom to as
simulate, and upon reaWakening will be
best prepared to enter upon another
earth life properly equipped to further
evolve. and to help others progress.
The first object of reincarnation of
the soul is not its own individual pro-
gress; but. while affording opportuni-
ties to that end, individual progress is
only possible when desire for it is lost
in the aim and effort 10 help other souls
advance, for all souls are but our other
selves whose origin. process Of devel-
opment and possible goal. are the same.
The man who buries his talent will
loose it; he who would be first viii be
last-which is only another way of
saying that the selfish. varicious. cru
tl VAIN anu arrogant man VIII ioSe
his soul If he persists in that course
while he who seeks knowledge and
power to better fit himself to help and
teach others will lay up treasures in
the kingdom Of heaven and inherit i'm
mortal life"
DR.. Griffiths gives his third lecture
next Sunday evening in Pythian Cas-
tie, when the subject win be. Suns
Moons and Planets; Their Origin OBJ
ject and End" Blackboard diagrams
will be used to illustrate the action OF
trade winds. ocean currents, the moon
which neither revolves nor causes the
tides, and other phenomena. The 9th
er lectures of the course will be given
on Tuesday. the 18th; Wednesday. the
26th, and Sunday, the 30th. Meetings
are free and all are cordially invited.
Military Election.