Theosophist V3 N30 March 1882

A MONTHLY JOURNAL DEVOTED TO ORIENTAL PHILOSOPHY, ART, LITERATURE AND OCCULTISM: EMBRACING MESMERISM, SPIRITUALISM, AND OTHER SECRET SCIENCES. " THE HERMETIC BRETHREN.”* sTrsrirN qrftrr Tfr : I ........We of the secret knowledge do wrap ourselves in mystery, to THERE IS NO RELIGION HIGHER THAN TRUTH. avoid the objurgation and importunity of those who conceive that [.fVttnVu motto of the Maharajahs of Ben a m . ] we cannot be philosophers unless we put our knowledge to some worldly use. There is scarcely one who thinks about us who does not believe that our Society has uo existence ; because, as he truly The Editors disclaim responsibility for opinions expressed by con declares, he never met any of us. We do not come, as he assuredly tributors in their articles, with some of which they agree, with others expects, to that conspicuous stage, upon which, like himself, as he not. Qreat latitude is aHowed to correspondents, and they alone are desires the gaze of tlie vulgar, every fool may enter, winning wonder accountable for what they write. The journal is offered ai a vehicle if the m ail’s appetite be that empty way ; and when he has obtain for the wide dissemination of facts and opinions connected with the ed it, crying out, “ Lo, this is also vanity !” Asiatic religions, philosophies and sciences, All who have anything “Dr. Edmond Dickenson,” says Mr. Hargreave Jennings, (Rosicru worth telling are made welcome, and not interfered with. Rejected cians p. 34-35) physician to King Charles the Second, a professed MSS. are not returned. seeker of the hermetic knowledge, produced a book entitled, De Quinta Essentia Philosophorum which was printed at Oxford in 1C86, and a second time in 170f>...ln correspondence with a French adept, the latter explains the reasons why the Brothers of the Rosy Cross NOTICE TO CORRESPONDENTS. concealed themselves. As to the universal medicine E lix ir Vitce, or potable form of the preternatural menstruum , he positively asserts igT77ic Correspondents of the T h eo so ph ist are particularly requested that it is in the hands of the 1 Illuminated,’butthat, by the time they to send their manuscripts vc>y legibly written, and with seme space discover it, they have ceased to desire its uses, being far above them ; Itft between the lines, in order to facilitate the work of the printer, and and as to life for centuries, being wistful for other things, they de to present typographical mistakes which are as vexatious to us as cline availing themselves of it. He adds that the adepts are obliged they must be to the correspondents themselves. All communications to conceal themselves for the sake of safely, because tliey would be should be written on one side of the paper only. abandoned in the consolations of the intercourse of this world (if they were not, indeed, exposed to worse risksj, supposing that their gifts were proven to the conviction of the bystanders as more than human ; when they would become simply abhorrent. Thus, there are excellent reasons for their conduct ; they proceed with the ut A NEEDED EXPLANATION. most caution, and instead of making a.display of their powers, as vain-glory is the least distinguishing characteristic of these great A valued friend and correspondent in Upper India writes :— men, they studiously evade the idea that they have any extraordi nary or separate knowledge. They live simply as mere spectators “ We h ave not lmd the pleasure of hearing from you in the world, and they desire to make no disciples, converts, nor since your return to Bombay. We do not want to tres confidants. They subm it to the obligations of life, and to relation pass upon your most valuable time, but we do earnestly ships—fenjoying tho fellowship of none, admiring none, following pray that you will be pleased to write to us once a month, none, but themselves. They obey all codes, are excellent citizens, should you find leisure.” nnd only preserve silence in regard to theirown private beliefs, giving the world the benefit of their acquirements upto a certain point; This is from the President of one of our Indian branch Societies, seeking only sympathy at some angles of their multiform character, and we print the extract that we may thus answer to many of like but shutting out curiosity when they do not wish its imperative tenor that are received by the Founders. Since the Theosophical eyes....This is the reason that the Uosicrucians pass through the Society was established we two have had to do all its more import world mostly unnoticed, and that people generally disbelieve that ant work ; not because our colleagues have been at all unwilling to there are such persons ; or believe that, if there are, their preten share the burden, but because enquirers have seemedlike tho patients sions are an imposition. It is easy to discredit things which we do of a popular doctor, or tlie clients of a leading lawyer—reluctant to not understand.........” take advice or instructions from any one in the Society, but ourselves. We came across the above, the other day, in the course This was well enough in the infancy of our movement, and by work ing late in the night, sometimes all night long, the year round, of reading, and copy it to show that the difficulty which we managed for the first three years to keep up with our official our sceptical public feels in crediting the existence of the duties. But our coming to India doubled, perhaps trebled, the calls irans-Himalayan recluses is no new thing. The jeering upon our time. We were not relieved from our Western corre pleasantry of Archdeacon Baly, who told the Church spondence, while at the same time the whole volume of enquiries, Missionary Convention that “Theosophy was a new religion naturally provoked among the people of Asia by our coming, poured in upon us besides- So our magazine was determined upon, nnd iu based on juggling tricks” is but the echo of the sneers of the 1’rospcctus issued at Bombay, in July 1879, it was stated that the generations in which Thomas Vaughan, Robert Flood, ,l the rapid growth of the Society and of the correspondence between Count St. Germain, Theophrastus Paracelsus and other the Executive and the Society’s branches in various European coun “ Hermetic” philosophers lived and studied. Our Theo tries, and with the Aryan, Buddhist, Parsi and Jain scholars who take a deep interest in its work...........lias made necessary sophical Society pays the penalty of its reaffirmation the publication of the present journal.” There is a limit both of the Truth of Hermetic Science, not merely in receiving to physical endurance and to the number of hours in a day- With the world’s ridicule, but also in having it try to ignore the most benevolent wishes to oblige, the Founders cannot enguge to regularly correspond with anybody, whether in or outside the Society. • Extracted from The Rosicrucians by Hargveave Jennings. (John Camden They will do their best, but our friends will kindly remember that Hottcn, Piccadilly, W. London.) Further on, we give a review by this ublo neither Col- Olcott, with lecturing engagements enough to break writer of Mr Sinnett's “ Occult W orld." Those passages, as theauthor tells us, “ occur in a M .tcr published by some anonymous member# of the Rose- down a man of less iron endurance, nor the Editor of the T h e o s o - Croix, and are adduced in a translation from tho Latin by one of the most l’H lS T with the cares of its management and her indispensable famous men of the order, who addressed from the University of Oxford about journeys about India for several months each year, can in fairness tho period of Oliver Cromwell ; to which University tho great ICnglUk lie reproached for failure to keep up private correspondence even Rosicrucian, Robertas De Fluctibus {Robert Flood) also belongod in the with relatives or nearest personal friends. The more so, when time of Tames tho Fir.st nnd Charles tho First.” they reflect that much of the guidance aud instruction usktd, can + Not at all in every instance : it depends upon tho dogreo of their ad vancement, thair earthly ties snapping ono after tho othor as thoir new be found in tjie pages of our Magazine. spiritual ones aro formed.—E d . a deal of honest work of the practical sort, which we have mankind is to be conferred upon the candidate. Some done, and are doing. even think that the ultimate result of their initiation It is cheering, therefore, to find a bit of sound sense will perhaps be exemption from that dissolution which is in, at least, one Indian paper. Says our excellent Avirita called the common lot of mankind. The traditions of the Bazar Fatrika: “ Elixir of Life ” said to be in the possession of Kabalists “ We hail tho appearance of tho January number of the T h e o s o and Alchemists are still cherished by students of Hcditeval p h i s t with more than ordinary pleasure, It is as usual replete with interesting matter, but the chief interest of thS number is centered Occultism—-in Europe. Tlie allegory of the Ab-4-Hi/aA, in au account of the doings ot Colonel Olcott iu Ceylon published iu or Water of Lifo, is still credited as a fact by the degraded t.he Supplement. We are worry we have not space enough to re remnants of the Asiatic esoteric sects ignorant, of the real cord all that lie hag done there, but this we say that the Colonel Great Secret.

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