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1As a general principle of phenomenal expression, it may be said that Nature embodies, within some external form, every idea, thought and motive which mankind evolves. The only limit to her possibil¬ ities in this direction is the mental and magnetic condition of the race. In fact, every organic form that we see around us is Nature’s expres¬ sion of thoughts and ideas. These thoughts and ideas are representa¬ tive of spiritual qualities which react upon the astral light, and these spiritual qualities emanate from Mind or mental being, either human or divine. As an illustration of the process of death, and change, let us select two cases, one from the vegetable world, and one from the animal kingdom;—a tree and a tiger. The tree dies, decay sets in, and very soon it appears to be gone forever. But this disappearance is only an illusion, for the tree not only exists but exerts a very powerful in¬ fluence upon the material plane. The tree, so far as its phenomenal outcome is concerned, has only been a means by which the progressive cycle of evolution works upward from the mineral state. It is composed of millions of atoms of life undergoing their various cyclic rounds within the vegetable circuit, and as a natural consequence of this inGooqle O MORTALITY AND IMMORTALITY 147
2temal spiritual activity the tree possesses a karmic sphere within the astral spaces of its life wave. The astral tree, if we may so call this karmic counterpart, is far more beautiful in its wonderful details, and more perfect in its symmetry and geometrical proportions than the physical tree of earth. When the material tree no longer exists as a living earthly organism, the arboreal image within Nature’s wonder¬ ful laboratory becomes the means of reflecting the outlines of a still more perfect vegetable organism upon the outward planes of mat¬ ter. These outlines of astral skeletons of future trees possess the at¬ tractive force which draws within them the living germs of the young seedlings growing upon the earth. This action feeds the physical tree, then goes to lower forms. The greatest perfection of one tree becomes impressed within the astral light and becomes the means of developing a more perfect or¬ ganism of its kind in the next generation. The ideal of the tree becomes externalized in its offspring.
3The trained psychic, and those who naturally possess spiritual lucidity, can see this ethereal vegetation within the astral world. Therefore, proofs of the two planes of existence may be quickly ob¬ tained, should they ever be required. The internal plane is more alive than the external, but to resume. The physical tree disappears, but does not die as we suppose. When physical death transpires it undergoes a change; the sphere of its activities become translated, re¬ moved from the external to the internal, in strict obedience to the higher laws of its internal nature. Thus we see that the tree, having served its purpose on earth, vanishes from external sight, while its ethereal counterpart performs another cycle upon a higher plane. When each has fulfilled its purpose the various evolving atoms which constituted its life form, obeying the interior laws of their cyclic round, seek re-incarnation. They separate and the cycle is complete. The individual tree no longer exists as a tree. But there has been no death in any case; only a change of form; for the atomic forces of the tree re-appear upon a higher plane in a million varying forms throughout every department of Nature. Having considered death in regard to the tree, let us now exam¬ ine, in the animal kingdom, the case of the tiger. We have already stated that Nature ever strives to externalize ideas and thoughts in some form or other. This statement must be borne in mind. The c iooqle 148
The source text as printed, transcribed diplomatically. Where the source language uses a non-Latin script that reaches us only through a Victorian romanisation, this layer is labelled transliteration, because that is what we hold.
1As a general principle of phenomenal expression, it may be said that Nature embodies, within some external form, every idea, thought and motive which mankind evolves. The only limit to her possibil¬ ities in this direction is the mental and magnetic condition of the race. In fact, every organic form that we see around us is Nature’s expres¬ sion of thoughts and ideas. These thoughts and ideas are representa¬ tive of spiritual qualities which react upon the astral light, and these spiritual qualities emanate from Mind or mental being, either human or divine. As an illustration of the process of death, and change, let us select two cases, one from the vegetable world, and one from the animal kingdom;—a tree and a tiger. The tree dies, decay sets in, and very soon it appears to be gone forever. But this disappearance is only an illusion, for the tree not only exists but exerts a very powerful in¬ fluence upon the material plane. The tree, so far as its phenomenal outcome is concerned, has only been a means by which the progressive cycle of evolution works upward from the mineral state. It is composed of millions of atoms of life undergoing their various cyclic rounds within the vegetable circuit, and as a natural consequence of this inGooqle O MORTALITY AND IMMORTALITY 147
2temal spiritual activity the tree possesses a karmic sphere within the astral spaces of its life wave. The astral tree, if we may so call this karmic counterpart, is far more beautiful in its wonderful details, and more perfect in its symmetry and geometrical proportions than the physical tree of earth. When the material tree no longer exists as a living earthly organism, the arboreal image within Nature’s wonder¬ ful laboratory becomes the means of reflecting the outlines of a still more perfect vegetable organism upon the outward planes of mat¬ ter. These outlines of astral skeletons of future trees possess the at¬ tractive force which draws within them the living germs of the young seedlings growing upon the earth. This action feeds the physical tree, then goes to lower forms. The greatest perfection of one tree becomes impressed within the astral light and becomes the means of developing a more perfect or¬ ganism of its kind in the next generation. The ideal of the tree becomes externalized in its offspring.
3The trained psychic, and those who naturally possess spiritual lucidity, can see this ethereal vegetation within the astral world. Therefore, proofs of the two planes of existence may be quickly ob¬ tained, should they ever be required. The internal plane is more alive than the external, but to resume. The physical tree disappears, but does not die as we suppose. When physical death transpires it undergoes a change; the sphere of its activities become translated, re¬ moved from the external to the internal, in strict obedience to the higher laws of its internal nature. Thus we see that the tree, having served its purpose on earth, vanishes from external sight, while its ethereal counterpart performs another cycle upon a higher plane. When each has fulfilled its purpose the various evolving atoms which constituted its life form, obeying the interior laws of their cyclic round, seek re-incarnation. They separate and the cycle is complete. The individual tree no longer exists as a tree. But there has been no death in any case; only a change of form; for the atomic forces of the tree re-appear upon a higher plane in a million varying forms throughout every department of Nature. Having considered death in regard to the tree, let us now exam¬ ine, in the animal kingdom, the case of the tiger. We have already stated that Nature ever strives to externalize ideas and thoughts in some form or other. This statement must be borne in mind. The c iooqle 148
The source text as printed, transcribed diplomatically. Where the source language uses a non-Latin script that reaches us only through a Victorian romanisation, this layer is labelled transliteration, because that is what we hold.
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