The daily morning journal and courier., 1897-07-26
THE SECOND AND THIRD BASIC
 C,LIIAIGG lE LEIIEASApLIN

In our last article we briefly consid- cred the Frst Basic Teaching of "The Secret Doctrine" Let us now examine the second and third.
 The second Basic teaching deals first with the manifestation of the Infinite as a whole and afIirms the eternity of the universe In its entirety as bound- less, and second, that this is periodi- cally the play ground of numberless un- iVerses necessarily manifesting and disappearing;" that still lesser manifes- 1 tations evolve within these universes and as part of them, according to the same lava law of cyclic change-or birth, growth, decay and death. The law governing thls periodical appear ance, disappearance and reappearance is fixed, and is called in the east the | law of Karma. It is the law of cause and effect, action and reaction. It is a law of adjustment and compensation, which makes for harmony and equili- brium. It, however, must not be taken to indicate fatalism, since it's operation admits the play of free will, as will be shown later
 The third basic teaching deals with the evolution of the various manifesto tions of Deity in the Kosmos. It teaches the fundamental identity of all souls with the Universal Oversoul," which is itself an aspect of the Un- known Deity or Substance Principle. The Oversoul Is the basis of all growth. l It is the Spirit-an expression of Deity Itself Every soul Is spark of this. | This spark begins in the very lowest forms of life and gradually evolves in cyclic progress upwards. In this evolu- | tion it evolves latent qualities from it. l self and so grows into more and more | completeness, first as germ soul, then, | in succession, as a mineral soul, Vegeta- | ble soul, animal soul, man soul and di- | vine soul. In the process of this up ward growth 1t takes on and casts off many outward forms of embodiment | and re-embodiment, appearing in all | the lower kingdoms before 1t arrives at the kingdom of man. In the human kingdom 1t likewise Is re-embodied, or, | in other words, it reincarnates, is re- 1 born, many times on earth, until it Is prepared by experience for still higher | forms of evolution. In it's evolution up | to mans estate it Is pushed on by the energizing, indwelling Spirit of the Un- l iversal Soul, the Over Soul, within it. l When, however, the Kingdom of man 1 has been reached this spark of the di-
 vine flame this Logos,s the Monad, as 1t l sometimes is called, the Eye, as some philosophers call 1t, has become more or
 less self-conscious and therefore is then | the maker of it's own destiny, subject to the destiny which it has made for it. self in the past. The fundamental law
 of evolution is in no wise changed by
 this process. Only there being a great.
 CT amount of consciousness in the soul form itself, 1t has become to a certain
 extent acquainted with itself and its powers. It, therefore, has become tt
 that extent either a co-worker with oi an opposer of the Universal Soul Sucf
 being the case, inasmuch as it is now
 endowed with free will, it can direct its growth for evil or for good, as it choos- es, with this condition only-that ii
 cannot rid itself of the reaction upon il of the actions which it has previously
 performed until those reactions have l worn themselves out.
 | In short the first basic teaching as- serts the infinite basis of all life and the unity of all things and creatures in that l "Rootless Root of all manifestation. l The second basic teaching asserts the constant and periodical change of al
 forms of life under the law of Karma
 in and upon that boundless plane Whicf
 Is the first manifestation of Deity.
 The third basic teaching Is an unfold
 ment of the first and second and de.
 clares that under the law indicated ir
 basic teaching two the Deity, or Sub stance Principle, through the Over l Soul, is expressed in evolution from the
 low and more material to the high anG
 more spiritual forms of life and con.
 sciousness; that all of these forms are
 animated by a divine spark from the l Over Soul and in their evolution must
 begin in low forms before they car
 evolve in those of higher degree
 The fundamental unity, which is the basis of ali life and consciousness and
 the real brotherhood of all things ana creatures; the one law of Karma, whicf
 governs all expressions of mind force
 and matter; the fact of the continual
 re-embodiment or reincarnation of al
 souls of whatever quality until the pos
 sibility of freedom from re- birth has
 not been granted, but won-such, ir
 simplified form are the teachings of the
 secret doctrine.
 | In succeeding articles we shall fur
 ther explain these basic teachings, and show some reasons for believing ir l tLa,3 PJTFITS MoIJ