Wefindinthe\"Lotus\"ofSeptember，1887，thefollowing：AFrenchpaper，theParis，forAugust12th，containsalongandexcellentarticlebyG。Montorgueil，entitled，TheAccursedSciences，fromwhichweextractthefollowingpassage，sinceweare，unfortunately，unabletoquotethewhole：\"Somemonthsago，already，inIforgetwhatcase，thequestionof’suggestion’wasraisedandtakenaccountofbythejudges。Weshallcertainlyseepeopleinthedockaccusedofoccultmalpractices。Buthowwilltheprosecutiongotowork？Whatargumentswillitbringtobear？
Thecrimeby’suggestion’istheidealofacrimewithoutproof。Insuchacasethegravestchargeswillneverbemorethanpresumptions，andfugitivepresumptions。Onwhatfragilescaffoldingofsuspicionswillthechargerest？Noexamination，butamoralone，willbepossible。WeshallhavetoresignourselvestohearingtheSolicitor—generalsaytotheaccused：
’Accused，itappearsfromaperquisitionmadeintoyourbrain，etc。’\"Ah，thepoorjurymen！itistheywhoaretobepitied。Takingtheirtasktoheart，theyalreadyhavethegreatestdifficultyinseparatingthetruefromthefalse，eveninroughandreadycases，thefactsofwhichareobvious，allthedetailsofwhicharetangibleandtheresponsibilitiesclear。Andwearegoingtoaskthemontheirsoulandconsciencetodecidequestionsofblackmagic！Verilytheirreasonwillnotholdoutthroughthefortnight；itwillgivewaybeforethatandsinkintothaumaturgy。\"Wemovefast。Thestrangetrialsforsorcerywillblossomanew；somnambuleswhoweremerelygrotesquewillappearinatragiclight；
thecoffeegrounds，whichsofaronlyriskedthepolicecourt，willheartheirsentenceattheassizes。Theevileyewillfigureamongcriminaloffences。TheselastyearsoftheXIXthcenturywillhaveseenusstepfromprogresstoprogress，tillwereachatlastthisjudicialenormity：
asecondLaubardemontprosecutinganotherUrbainGrandier。\"Serious，scientific，andpoliticalpapersarefullofearnestdiscussionsonthesubject。ASt。Petersburg\"Daily\"hasalongfeuilletononthe\"BearingofHypnoticSuggestionsuponCriminalLaw。\"\"CasesofHypnotismwithcriminalmotiveshaveoflatebeguntoincreaseinaneverprogressingratio，\"ittellsitsreaders。Anditisnottheonlynewspaper，norisRussiatheonlycountrywherethesametaleistold。Carefulinvestigationsandresearcheshavebeenmadebydistinguishedlawyersandmedicalauthorities。
Datahavebeenassiduouslycollectedandhaverevealedthatthecuriousphenomenon——whichscepticshavehithertoderided，andyoungpeoplehaveincludedamongtheireveningpetitsjeuxinnocents——isanewandterribledangertostateandsociety。
Twofactshavenowbecomepatenttolawandscience：
（I）That，intheperceptionsofthehypnotizedsubject，thevisionaryrepresentationscalledforthby\"suggestion，\"becomerealexistingactualities，thesubjectbeing，forthemoment，theautomaticexecutorofthewillofthehypnotizer；and——
（II）Thatthegreatmajorityofpersonsexperimentedupon，issubjecttohypnoticsuggestion。
ThusLiebeaultfoundonlysixtysubjectsintractableoutofthesevenhundredheexperimentedupon；andBernheim，outof1，014subjects，failedwithonlytwenty—six。Thefieldforthenatural—bornjadoo—wala（sorcery—mongers），isvastindeed！Evilhasacquiredaplay—groundonwhichitmaynowexerciseitsswayuponmanyagenerationofunconsciousvictims。Forcrimesundreamtofinthewakingstate，andfeloniesoftheblackestdye，arenowinvitedandencouragedbythenew\"accursedscience。\"
Therealperpetratorsofthesedeedsofdarknessmaynowremainforeverhiddenfromthevengeanceofhumanjustice。Thehandwhichexecutesthecriminalsuggestionisonlythatofanirresponsibleautomaton，whosememorypreservesnotraceofit，andwho，moreover，isawitnesswhocaneasilybedisposedofbycompulsorysuicide——againunder\"suggestion。\"Whatbettermeansthanthesecouldbeofferedtothefiendsoflustandrevenge，tothosedarkPowers——calledhumanpassions——everonthelookouttobreaktheuniversalcommandment：\"Thoushaltnotsteal，normurder，norlustafterthyneighbor’swife？\"Liebeaultsuggestedtoayounggirlthatsheshouldpoisonherselfwithprussicacid，andsheswallowedthesupposeddrugwithoutonemoment’shesitation；Dr。Liegoissuggestedtoayoungwomanthatsheowedhim5，000francs，andthesubjectforthwithsignedacheckfortheamount。Bernheimsuggestedtoanotherhystericalgirlalongandcomplicatedvisionwithregardtoacriminalcase。Twodaysafter，althoughthehypnotizerhadnotexercisedanynewpressureuponherintheinterim，sherepeateddistinctlythewholesuggestedstorytoalawyersenttoherforthepurpose。Hadherevidencebeenseriouslyaccepted，itwouldhavebroughttheaccusedtotheguillotine。
Thesecasespresenttwodarkandterribleaspects。Fromthemoralstandpoint，suchprocessesandsuggestionsleaveanindeliblestainuponthepurityofthesubject’snature。Eventheinnocentmindofatenyearoldchildcanthusbeinoculatedwithvice，thepoison—germofwhichwilldevelopinhissubsequentlife。
Onthejudicialaspectitisneedlesstoenteringreatdetail。Sufficetosaythatitisthischaracteristicfeatureofthehypnoticstate——
theabsolutesurrenderofwillandself—consciousnesstothehypnotizer——whichpossessessuchimportance，fromitsbearinguponcrime，intheeyesoflegalauthorities。Forifthehypnotizerhasthesubjectentirelyathisbeckandcall，sothathecancausehimtocommitanycrime，acting，sotosay，invisiblywithinhim，thenwhatarenottheterrible\"judicialmistakes\"tobeexpected？Whatwonderthen，thatthejurisprudenceofonecountryaftertheotherhastakenalarm，andisdevising，oneaftertheother，measuresforrepressingtheexerciseofhypnotism！InDenmarkithasjustbeenforbidden。Scientistshaveexperimenteduponsensitiveswithsomuchsuccessthatahypnotizedvictimhasbeenjeeredandhootedthroughthestreetsonhiswaytocommitacrime，whichhewouldhavecompletedunconsciously，hadnotthevictimbeenwarnedbeforehandbythehypnotizer。
InBrusselsarecentandsadcaseiswell—knowntoall。Ayounggirlofgoodfamilywasseducedwhileinahypnotizedstatebyamanwhohadfirstsubjectedhertohisinfluenceatasocialgathering。Sheonlyrealizedherconditionafewmonthslater，whenherrelatives，whodivinedthecriminal，forcedherseducertomaketheonlypossiblereparation——thatofmarryinghisvictim。
TheFrenchAcademyhasjustbeendebatingthequestion：howfarahypnotizedsubject，fromamerevictim，canbecomearegulartoolofcrime。Ofcourse，nojuristorlegislatorcanremainindifferenttothisquestion；anditwasaverredthatthecrimescommittedundersuggestionaresounprecedentedthatsomeofthemcanhardlybebroughtwithinthescopeofthelaw。Hencetheprudentlegalprohibition，justadoptedinFrance，whichenactsthatnoperson，savethoselegallyqualifiedtoexercisethemedicalprofession，shallhypnotizeanyotherperson。Eventhephysicianwhoenjoyssuchlegalrightispermittedtohypnotizeapersononlyinthepresenceofanotherqualifiedmedicalman，andwiththewrittenpermissionofthesubject。
Publicsé；ancesofhypnotismareforbidden，andtheyarestrictlyconfinedtomedicalcliniquesandlaboratories。Thosewhobreakthislawareliabletoaheavyfineandimprisonment。
Butthekeynotehasbeenstruck，andmanyarethewaysinwhichthisblackartmaybeused——lawsnotwithstanding。Thatitwillbesoused，thevilepassionsinherentinhumannaturearesufficientguarantee。
Manyandstrangewillbetheromancesyetenacted；fortruthisoftenstrangerthanfiction，andwhatisthoughtfictionisstillmoreoftentruth。
Nowonderthenthatoccultliteratureisgrowingwitheveryday。Occultismandsorceryareintheair，withnotruephilosophicalknowledgetoguidetheexperimentersandthuscheckevilresults。\"Worksoffiction，\"thevariousnovelsandromancesarecalled。\"Fiction\"inthearrangementoftheircharactersandtheadventuresoftheirheroesandheroines——
admitted。Notso，astothefactspresented。Thesearenofictions，buttruepresentimentsofwhatliesinthebosomofthefuture，andmuchofwhichisalreadyborn——naycorroboratedbyscientificexperiments。Signofthetimes！Closeofapsychiccycle！Thetimeforphenomenawith，orthroughmediums，whetherprofessionalorotherwise，isgoneby。Itwastheearlyseasonoftheblossoming，oftheeramentionedevenintheBible（1）；thetreeofOccultismisnowpreparingfor\"fruiting，\"andtheSpiritoftheOccultisawakeninginthebloodofthenewgenerations。
Iftheoldmenonly\"dreamdreams，\"theyoungonesseealreadyvisions（2），and——recordtheminnovelsandworksoffiction。
Woetotheignorantandtheunprepared，andthosewholistentothesirensofmaterialisticscience！Forindeed，indeed，manywillbetheunconsciouscrimescommitted，andmanywillbethevictimswhowillinnocentlysufferdeathbyhanginganddecapitationatthehandsoftherighteousjudgesandthetooinnocentjurymen，bothalikeignorantofthefiendishpowerof\"SUGGESTION。\"
FOOTNOTES：
1。\"ItshallcometopassthatIwillpouroutmySpirituponallflesh；
yoursonsandyourdaughtersshallprophesy，youroldmenshalldreamdreamsyouryoungmenshallseevisions\"（Joelii。28）。（returntotext）
2。ItiscurioustonotethatMr。LouisStevenson，oneofthemostpowerfulofourimaginativewriters，statedrecentlytoareporterthatheisinthehabitofconstructingtheplotsofhistalesindreams，andamongothersthatofDr。Jekyll。\"Idreamed，\"hecontinued，\"thestoryofOlalla……andIhaveatthepresentmomenttwounwrittenstorieswhichIhavelikewisedreamed……EvenwhenfastasleepIknowthatitisIwhoaminventing。\"……Butwhoknowswhethertheideaof\"invention\"isnotalso\"adream\"！（returntotext）
StudiesinOccultismbyH。Blavatsky\"PsychicandNoeticAction\"PsychicandNoeticAction……Imademanjustandright，Sufficienttohavestood，thoughfreetofall，SuchIcreatedallth’etherealpowersAndspirits，boththemwhostoodandthemwhofail’d，Truly，theystoodwhostood，andfellwhofell……——Milton……Theassumptionthatthemindisarealbeing，whichcanbeacteduponbythebrain，andwhichcanactonthebodythroughthebrain，istheonlyonecompatiblewithallthefactsofexperience。——GeorgeT。Ladd，intheElementsofPhysiologicalPsychologyIAnewinfluence，abreath，asound——\"asofarushingmightywind\"——
hassuddenlysweptoverafewTheosophicalheads。Anidea，vagueatfirst，grewintimeintoaverydefiniteform，andnowseemstobeworkingverybusilyinthemindsofsomeofourmembers。Itisthis：ifwewouldmakeconvertsthefewex—occultteachings，whicharedestinedtoseethelightofpublicity，shouldbemade，henceforward，moresubservientto，ifnotentirelyatonewithmodernscience。Itisurgedthattheso—calledesoteric（1）（orlateesoteric）cosmogony，anthropology，ethnology，geology——psychologyand，foremostofall，metaphysics——havingbeenadaptedintomakingobeisancetomodern（hencematerialistic）
thought，shouldneverhenceforthbeallowedtocontradict（notopenly，atallevents）\"scientificphilosophy。\"Thelatter，wesuppose，meansthefundamentalandacceptedviewsofthegreatGermanschools，orofMr。HerbertSpencerandsomeotherEnglishstarsoflessermagnitude；andnotonlythese，butalsothedeductionsthatmaybedrawnfromthembytheirmoreorlessinstructeddisciples。
Alargeundertakingthis，truly；andone，moreover，inperfectconformitywiththepolicyofthemediaevalCasuists，whodistortedtruthandevensuppressedit，ifitclashedwithdivineRevelation。Uselesstosaythatwedeclinethecompromise。Itisquitepossible——nay，probableandalmostunavoidable——that\"themistakesmade\"intherenderingofsuchabstrusemetaphysicaltenetsasthosecontainedinEasternOccultism，shouldbe\"frequentandoftenimportant。\"Butthenallsuchhavetobetracedbacktotheinterpreters，nottothesystemitself。TheyhavetobecorrectedontheauthorityofthesameDoctrine，checkedbytheteachingsgrownontherichandsteadysoilofGuptaVidya，notbythespeculationsthatblossomforthtoday，todietomorrow——ontheshiftingsandsofmodernscientificguesswork，especiallyinallthatrelatestopsychologyandmentalphenomena。Holdingtoourmotto，\"Thereisnoreligionhigherthantruth，\"werefusemostdecidedlytopandertophysicalscience。
Yet，wemaysaythis：Iftheso—calledexactscienceslimitedtheiractivityonlytothephysicalrealmofnature：iftheyconcernedthemselvesstrictlywithsurgery，chemistry——uptoitslegitimateboundaries，andwithphysiology——sofarasthelatterrelatestothestructureofourcorporealframe，thentheOccultistswouldbethefirsttoseekhelpinmodernsciences，howevermanytheirblundersandmistakes。Butoncethatover—steppingmaterialNaturethephysiologistsof\"animalistic\"
（2）schoolpretendtomeddlewith，anddeliverexcathedradictaon，thehigherfunctionsandphenomenaofthemind，sayingthatacarefulanalysisbringsthemtoafirmconvictionthatnomorethantheanimalismanafree—agent，farlessaresponsibleone——thentheOccultisthasafargreaterrightthantheaveragemodern\"Idealist\"toprotest。AndtheOccultistassertsthatnomaterialist——
aprejudicedandone—sidedwitnessatbest——canclaimanyauthorityinthequestionofmentalphysiology，orthatwhichisnowcalledbyhimthephysiologyofthesoul。Nosuchnouncanbeappliedtotheword\"soul，\"unless，indeed，bysoulonlythelower，psychicmindismeant，orthatwhichdevelopsinman（proportionallywiththeperfectionofhisbrain）intointellect，andintheanimalintoahigherinstinct。ButsincethegreatCharlesDarwintaughtthat\"ourideasareanimalmotionsoftheorganofsense\"everythingbecomespossibletothemodernphysiologist。
Thus，tothegreatdistressofourscientificallyinclinedFellows，itisoncemoreLucifer’sdutytoshowhowfarweareatloggerheadswithexactscience，orshallwesay，howfartheconclusionsofthatsciencearedriftingawayfromtruthandfact。By\"science\"wemean，ofcourse，themajorityofthemenofscience；thebestminority，wearehappytosay，isonourside，atleastasfarasfreewillinmanandtheimmaterialityofthemindareconcerned。Thestudyofthe\"Physiology\"oftheSoul，oftheWillinmanandofhishigherConsciousnessfromthestandpointofgeniusanditsmanifestingfaculties，canneverbesummarizedintoasystemofgeneralideasrepresentedbybriefformulae；nomorethanthepsychologyofmaterialnaturecanhaveitsmanifoldmysteriessolvedbythemereanalysisofitsphysicalphenomena。Thereisnospecialorganofwill，anymorethanthereisaphysicalbasisfortheactivitiesofself—consciousness。\"Ifthequestionispressedastothephysicalbasisfortheactivitiesofself—consciousness，noanswercanbegivenorsuggested……Fromitsverynature，thatmarvelousverifyingactusofmindinwhichitrecognizesthestatesasitsown，canhavenoanalogousorcorrespondingmaterialsubstratum。Itisimpossibletospecifyanyphysiologicalprocessrepresentingthisunifyingactus；itisevenimpossibletoimaginehowthedescriptionofanysuchprocesscouldbebroughtintointelligiblerelationwiththisuniquementalpower。\"
（3）Thus，thewholeconclaveofpsycho—physiologistsmaybechallengedtocorrectlydefineConsciousness，andtheyaresuretofail，becauseSelf—consciousnessbelongsalonetomanandproceedsfromtheSELF，thehigherManas。Only，whereasthepsychicelement（orKama—manas）
（4）iscommontoboththeanimalandthehumanbeing——thefarhigherdegreeofitsdevelopmentinthelatterrestingmerelyonthegreaterperfectionandsensitivenessofhiscerebralcells——nophysiologist，noteventhecleverest，willeverbeabletosolvethemysteryofthehumanmind，initshighestspiritualmanifestation，orinitsdualaspectofthepsychicandthenoetic（orthemanasic），（5）oreventocomprehendtheintricaciesoftheformeronthepurelymaterialplane——unlessheknowssomethingof，andispreparedtoadmitthepresenceofthisdualelement。Thismeansthathewouldhavetoadmitalower（animal），andahigher（ordivine）mindinman，orwhatisknowninOccultismasthe\"personal\"andthe\"impersonal\"Egos。For，betweenthepsychicandthenoetic，betweenthepersonalityandtheindividuality，thereexiststhesameabyssasbetweena\"JacktheRipper，\"andaholyBuddha。Unlessthephysiologistacceptsallthis，wesay，hewilleverbeledintoaquagmire。Weintendtoproveit。
Asallknow，thegreatmajorityofourlearned\"Didymi\"rejecttheideaoffreewill。Nowthisquestionisaproblemthathasoccupiedthemindsofthinkersforages；everyschoolofthoughthavingtakenitupinturnandleftitasfarfromsolutionasever。Andyet，placedasitisintheforemostranksofphilosophicalquandaries，themodern\"psycho—physiologists\"
claiminthecoolestandmostbumptiouswaytohavecuttheGordianknotforever。Forthemthefeelingofpersonalfreeagencyisanerror，anillusion，\"thecollectivehallucinationofmankind。\"Thisconvictionstartsfromtheprinciplethatnomentalactivityispossiblewithoutabrain，andthattherecanbenobrainwithoutabody。Asthelatteris，moreover，subjecttothegenerallawsofamaterialworldwhereallisbasedonnecessity，andwherethereisnospontaneity，ourmodernpsycho—physiologisthasnolensvolenstorepudiateanyself—spontaneityinhumanaction。Herewehave，forinstance，aLausanneprofessorofphysiology，A。A。Herzen，towhomtheclaimoffreewillinmanappearsasthemostunscientificabsurdity。
Saysthisoracle：——\"Intheboundlessphysicalandchemicallaboratorythatsurroundsman，organicliferepresentsquiteanunimportantgroupofphenomena；andamongstthelatter，theplaceoccupiedbylifehavingreachedtothestageofconsciousness，issominutethatitisabsurdtoexcludemanfromthesphereofactionofagenerallaw，inordertoallowinhimtheexistenceofasubjectivespontaneityorafreewillstandingoutsideofthatlaw\"——PsychophysiologieGeneraleFortheOccultistwhoknowsthedifferencebetweenthepsychicandthenoeticelementsinman，thisispuretrash，notwithstandingitssoundscientificbasis。Forwhentheauthorputsthequestion——ifpsychicphenomenadonotrepresenttheresultsofanactionofamolecularcharacterwhitherthendoesmotiondisappearafterreachingthesensorycenters？——weanswerthatweneverdeniedthefact。Butwhathasthistodowithafreewill？
ThateveryphenomenoninthevisibleUniversehasitsgenesisinmotion，isanoldaxiominOccultism；nordowedoubtthatthepsycho—physiologistwouldplacehimselfatloggerheadswiththewholeconclaveofexactscientistswerehetoallowtheideathatatagivenmomentawholeseriesofphysicalphenomenamaydisappearinthevacuum。Therefore，whentheauthoroftheworkcitedmaintainsthatthesaidforcedoesnotdisappearuponreachingthehighestnervouscenters，butthatitisforthwithtransformedintoanotherseries，viz。，thatofpsychicmanifestations，intothought，feeling，andconsciousness，justasthissamepsychicforcewhenappliedtoproducesomeworkofaphysical（e。g。，muscular）charactergetstransformedintothelatter——Occultismsupportshim，foritisthefirsttosaythatallpsychicactivity，fromitslowesttoitshighestmanifestations，is\"nothingbut——motion。\"
Yes；itisMOTION；butnotall\"molecular\"motion，asthewritermeansustoinfer。MotionastheGREATBREATH（videSecretDoctrine，vol。I，subvoce）——ergo\"sound\"atthesametime——isthesubstratumofKosmic—Motion。Itisbeginninglessandendless，theoneeternallife，thebasisandgenesisofthesubjectiveandtheobjectiveuniverse；forLIFE（orBe—ness）isthefonsetorigoofexistenceorbeing。Butmolecularmotionisthelowestandmostmaterialofitsfinitemanifestations。Andifthegenerallawoftheconservationofenergyleadsmodernsciencetotheconclusionthatpsychicactivityonlyrepresentsaspecialformofmotion，thissamelaw，guidingtheOccultists，leadsthemalsotothesameconviction——andtosomethingelsebesides，whichpsycho—physiologyleavesentirelyoutofallconsideration。Ifthelatterhasdiscoveredonlyinthiscenturythatpsychic（wesayevenspiritual）
actionissubjecttothesamegeneralandimmutablelawsofmotionasanyotherphenomenonmanifestedintheobjectiverealmofKosmos，andthatinboththeorganicandtheinorganic（？）worldseverymanifestation，whetherconsciousorunconscious，representsbuttheresultofacollectivityofcauses，theninOccultphilosophythisrepresentsmerelytheA，B，C，ofitsscience。\"AlltheworldistheSvara；SvaraistheSpirititself\"——theONELIFEormotion，saytheoldbooksofHinduOccultphilosophy。\"ThepropertranslationofthewordSvaraisthecurrentofthelifewave，\"saystheauthorofNature’sFinerForces，（6）andhegoesontoexplain：——Itisthatwavymotionwhichisthecauseoftheevolutionofcosmicundifferentiatedmatterintothedifferentiateduniverse……Fromwhencedoesthismotioncome？Thismotionisthespirititself。
Thewordatma（universalsoul）usedinthebook（videinfra），itselfcarriestheideaofeternalmotion，comingasitdoesfromtheroot，AT，oreternalmotion；anditmaybesignificantlyremarked，thattherootATisconnectedwith，isinfactsimplyanotherformof，therootsAH，breath，andAS，being。Alltheserootshavefortheiroriginthesoundproducedbythebreathofanimals（livingbeings）……Theprimevalcurrentofthelife—waveisthenthesamewhichassumesinmantheformofinspiratoryandexpiratorymotionofthelungs，andthisistheall—pervadingsourceoftheevolutionandinvolutionoftheuniverse……Somuchaboutmotionandthe\"conservationofenergy\"fromoldbooksonmagicwrittenandtaughtagesbeforethebirthofinductiveandexactmodernscience。Forwhatdoesthelattersaymorethenthesebooksinspeaking，forinstance，aboutanimalmechanism，whenitsays：
——Fromthevisibleatomtothecelestialbodylostinspace，everythingissubjecttomotion……keptatadefinitedistanceonefromtheother，inproportiontothemotionwhichanimatesthem，themoleculespresentconstantrelations，whichtheyloseonlybytheadditionorthesubtractionofacertainquantityofmotion。
（7）ButOccultismsaysmorethanthis。Whilemakingofmotiononthematerialplaneandoftheconservationofenergy，twofundamentallaws，orrathertwoaspectsofthesameomnipresentlaw——Svara，itdeniespointblankthatthesehaveanythingtodowiththefreewillofmanwhichbelongstoquiteadifferentplane。TheauthorofPsychophysiologieGenerale，treatingofhisdiscoverythatpsychicactionisbutmotion，andtheresultofacollectivityofcauses——remarksthatasitisso，therecannotbeanyfurtherdiscussionuponspontaneity——inthesenseofanynativeinternalpronenesscreatedbythehumanorganism；andaddsthattheaboveputsanendtoallclaimforfreewill！TheOccultistdeniestheconclusion。Theactualfactofman’spsychic（wesaymanasicornoetic）individualityisasufficientwarrantagainsttheassumption；
forinthecaseofthisconclusionbeingcorrect，orbeingindeed，astheauthorexpressesit，thecollectivehallucinationofthewholemankindthroughouttheages，therewouldbeanendalsotopsychicindividuality。
Nowby\"psychic\"individualitywemeanthatself—determiningpowerwhichenablesmantooverridecircumstances。Placehalfadozenanimalsofthesamespeciesunderthesamecircumstances，andtheiractionswhilenotidentical，willbecloselysimilar；placehalfadozenmenunderthesamecircumstancesandtheiractionswillbeasdifferentastheircharacters，i。e。，theirpsychicindividuality。
Butifinsteadof\"psychic\"wecallitthehigherSelf—consciousWill，thenhavingbeenshownbythescienceofpsycho—physiologyitselfthatwillhasnospecialorgan，howwillthematerialistsconnectitwith\"molecular\"motionatall？AsProfessorGeorgeT。Laddsays：——\"ThephenomenaofhumanconsciousnessmustberegardedasactivitiesofsomeotherformofRealBeingthanthemovingmoleculesofthebrain。Theyrequireasubjectorgroundwhichisinitsnatureunlikethephosphorizedfatsofthecentralmasses，theaggregatednerve—fibersofnerve—cellsofthecerebralcortex。ThisRealBeingthusmanifestedimmediatelytoitselfinthephenomenaofconsciousness，andindirectlytoothersthroughthebodilychanges，istheMind[manas]。Toitthementalphenomenaaretobeattributedasshowingwhatitisbywhatitdoes。Theso—calledmental’faculties’areonlythemodesofthebehaviorinconsciousnessofthisrealbeing。Weactuallyfind，bytheonlymethodavailable，thatthisrealbeingcalledMindbelievesincertainperpetuallyrecurringmodes：therefore，weattributetoitcertainfaculties……Mentalfacultiesarenotentitiesthathaveanexistenceofthemselves……Theyarethemodesofthebehaviorinconsciousnessofthemind。Andtheverynatureoftheclassifyingactswhichleadtotheirbeingdistinguished，isexplicableonlyupontheassumptionthataRealbeingcalledMindexists，andistobedistinguishedfromtherealbeingknownasthephysicalmoleculesofthebrain’snervousmass。\"
（8）Andhavingshownthatwehavetoregardconsciousnessasaunit（anotheroccultproposition）theauthoradds：——Weconclude，then，fromthepreviousconsiderations：thesubjectofallthestatesofconsciousnessisarealunit—being，calledMind；whichisofnon—materialnature，andactsanddevelopsaccordingtolawsofitsown，butisspeciallycorrelatedwithcertainmaterialmoleculesandmassesformingthesubstanceoftheBrain。\"（9）This\"Mind\"ismanas，orratheritslowerreflection，whichwheneveritdisconnectsitself，forthetimebeing，withkama，becomestheguideofthehighestmentalfaculties，andistheorganofthefreewillinphysicalman。Therefore，thisassumptionofthenewestpsycho—physiologyisuncalledfor，andtheapparentimpossibilityofreconcilingtheexistenceoffreewillwiththelawoftheconservationofenergyis——apurefallacy。
Thiswaswellshowninthe\"ScientificLetters\"of\"Elpay\"inacriticismofthework。Buttoproveitfinallyandsetthewholequestiondefinitelyatrest，doesnotevenrequiresohighaninterference（highforus，atanyrate）astheOccultlaws，butsimplyalittlecommonsense。Letusanalyzethequestiondispassionately。
Itispostulatedbyoneman，presumablyascientist，thatbecause\"psychicactionisfoundsubjecttothegeneralandimmutablelawsofmotion，thereis，therefore，nofreewillinman。\"The\"analyticalmethodofexactsciences\"hasdemonstratedit，andmaterialisticscientistshavedecreedto\"passtheresolution\"thatthefactshouldbesoacceptedbytheirfollowers。
Butthereareotherandfargreaterscientistswhothoughtdifferently。
Forinstance，SirWilliamLawrence，theeminentsurgeon，declaredinhislectures（10）that：Thephilosophicaldoctrineofthesoul，anditsseparateexistence，hasnothingtodowiththisphysiologicalquestion，butrestsonaspeciesofproofaltogetherdifferent。Thesesublimedogmascouldneverhavebeenbroughttolightbythelaborsoftheanatomistandphysiologist。Animmaterialandspiritualbeingcouldnothavebeendiscoveredamidthebloodandfilthofthedissectingroom。Now，letusexamineonthetestimonyofthematerialisthowthisuniversalsolventcalledthe\"analyticalmethod\"isappliedinthisspecialcase。
TheauthorofthePsychophysiologiedecomposespsychicactivityintoitscompoundelements，tracesthembacktomotion，and，failingtofindinthemtheslightesttraceoffreewillorspontaneity，jumpsattheconclusionthatthelatterhavenoexistenceingeneral；noraretheytobefoundinthatpsychicactivitywhichhehasjustdecomposed。\"Arenotthefallacyanderrorofsuchanunscientificproceedingself—evident？\"
askshiscritic；andthenarguesverycorrectlythat：——Atthisrate，andstartingfromthestandpointofthisanalyticalmethod，onewouldhaveanequalrighttodenyeveryphenomenoninnaturefromfirsttolast。For，donotsoundandlight，heatandelectricity，likeallotherchemicalprocesses，oncedecomposedintotheirrespectiveelements，leadtheexperimenterbacktothesamemotion，whereinallthepeculiaritiesofthegivenelementsdisappearleavingbehindthemonly’thevibrationsofmolecules’？Butdoesitnecessarilyfollowthatforallthat，heat，light，electricity——arebutillusionsinsteadoftheactualmanifestationsofthepeculiaritiesofourrealworld？Suchpeculiaritiesarenot，ofcourse，tobefoundincompoundelements，simplybecausewecannotexpectthatapartshouldcontain，fromfirsttolast，thepropertiesofthewhole。Whatshouldwesayofachemist，who，havingdecomposedwaterintoitscompounds，hydrogenandoxygen，withoutfindinginthemthespecialcharacteristicsofwaterwouldmaintainthatsuchdidnotexistatallnorcouldtheybefoundinwater？Whatofanantiquarywhouponexaminingdistributedtypeandfindingnosenseineveryseparateletter，shouldassertthattherewasnosuchthingassensetobefoundinanyprinteddocument？Anddoesnottheauthorof’Psychophysiology’actjustinthiswaywhenhedeniestheexistenceoffreewillorself—spontaneityinman，onthegroundsthatthisdistinctivefacultyofthehighestpsychicactivityisabsentfromthosecompoundelementswhichhehasanalyzed？Mostundeniablynoseparatepieceofbrick，ofwood，oriron，eachofwhichhasoncebeenapartofabuildingnowinruins，canbeexpectedtopreservethesmallesttraceofthearchitectureofthatbuilding——inthehandsofthechemist，atanyrate；thoughitwouldinthoseofapsychometer，afacultybythebye，whichdemonstratesfarmorepowerfullythelawoftheconservationofenergythananyphysicalsciencedoes，andshowsitactingasmuchinthesubjectiveorpsychicworldsasantheobjectiveandmaterialplanes。Thegenesisofsound，onthisplane，hastobetracedbacktothesamemotion，andthesamecorrelationofforcesisatplayduringthephenomenonasinthecaseofeveryothermanifestation。Shallthephysicist，then，whodecomposessoundintoitscompoundelementofvibrationsandfailstofindinthemanyharmonyorspecialmelody，denytheexistenceofthelatter，Anddoesnotthisprovethattheanalyticalmethodhavingtodealexclusivelywiththeelements，andnothingtodowiththeircombinations，leadsthephysicisttotalkverygliblyaboutmotion，vibration，andwhatnot，andtomakehimentirelylosesightoftheharmonyproducedbycertaincombinationsofthatmotionorthe\"harmonyofvibrations\"？Criticism，then，isrightinaccusingMaterialisticpsycho—physiologyofneglectingtheseall—importantdistinctions；inmaintainingthatifacarefulobservationoffactsisadutyinthesimplestphysicalphenomena，howmuchmoreshoulditbesowhenappliedtosuchcomplexandimportantquestionsaspsychicforceandfaculties？Andyetinmostcasesallsuchessentialdifferencesareoverlooked，andtheanalyticalmethodisappliedinamostarbitraryandprejudicedway。Whatwonder，then，if，incarryingbackpsychicactiontoitsbasicelementsofmotion，thepsycho—physiologistdeprivingitduringtheprocessofallitsessentialcharacteristics，shoulddestroyit，andhavingdestroyedit，itonlystandstoreasonthatheisunabletofindthatwhichexistsinitnolonger。Heforgets，inshort，orratherpurposelyignoresthefact，thatthough，likeallotherphenomenaonthematerialplane，psychicmanifestationsmustberelatedintheirfinalanalysistotheworldofvibration（\"sound\"beingthesubstratumofuniversalAkasa），yet，intheirorigin，theybelongtoadifferentandahigherWorldofHARMONY。Elpayhasafewseveresentencesagainsttheassumptionsofthosehecalls\"physico—biologists\"whichareworthyofnote。Unconsciousoftheirerror，thepsycho—physiologistsidentifythecompoundelementsofpsychicactivitywiththatactivityitself：hencetheconclusionfromthestandpointoftheanalyticalmethod，thatthehighest，distinctivespecialityofthehumansoul——freewill，spontaneity——isanillusion，andnopsychicreality。Butaswehavejustshown，suchidentificationnotonlyhasnothingincommonwithexactscience，butissimplyimpermissible，asitclasheswithallthefundamentallawsoflogic，inconsequenceofwhichalltheseso—calledphysico—biologicaldeductionsemanatingfromthesaididentificationvanishintothinair。Thustotracepsychicactionprimarilytomotion，meansinnowaytoprovethe’illusionoffreewill。’
And，asinthecaseofwater，whosespecificqualitiescannotbedeprivedoftheirrealityalthoughtheyarenottobefoundinitscompoundgases，sowithregardtothespecificpropertyofpsychicaction：itsspontaneitycannotberefusedtopsychicreality，thoughthispropertyisnotcontainedinthosefiniteelementsintowhichthepsycho—physiologistdismemberstheactivityinquestionunderhismentalscalpel。Thismethodis\"adistinctivefeatureofmodernscienceinitsendeavortosatisfyinquiryintothenatureoftheobjectsofitsinvestigationbyadetaileddescriptionoftheirdevelopment，\"saysG。T。Ladd。
AndtheauthorofTheElementsofPhysiologicalPsychologyadds：
——Theuniversalprocessof’Becoming’hasbeenalmostpersonifiedanddeifiedsoastomakeitthetruegroundofallfiniteandconcreteexistence……Theattemptismadetoreferalltheso—calleddevelopmentofthemindtotheevolutionofthesubstanceofthebrain，underpurelyphysicalandmechanicalcauses。Thisattempt，then，deniesthatanyrealunit—beingcalledtheMindneedstobeassumedasundergoingaprocessofdevelopmentaccordingtolawsofitsown……Ontheotherhand，allattemptstoaccountfortheorderlyincreaseincomplexityandcomprehensivenessofthementalphenomenabytracingthephysicalevolutionofthebrainarewhollyunsatisfactorytomanyminds。Wehavenohesitationinclassingourselvesamongthisnumber。Thosefactsofexperiencewhichshowacorrespondenceintheorderofthedevelopmentofthebodyandthemind，andevenacertainnecessarydependenceofthelatterupontheformer，are，ofcourse，tobeadmitted；buttheyareequallycompatiblewithanotherviewofthemind’sdevelopment。Thisotherviewhastheadditionaladvantagethatitmakesroomformanyotherfactsofexperiencewhichareverydifficultofreconciliationwithanymaterialistictheory。Onthewhole，thehistoryofeachindividual’sexperiencesissuchasrequirestheassumptionthatarealunit—being（aMind）isundergoingaprocessofdevelopment，inrelationtothechangingconditionorevolutionofthebrain，andyetinaccordancewithanatureandlawsofitsown（p。616）。Howcloselythislast\"assumption\"ofscienceapproachestheteachingsoftheOccultphilosophywillbeshowninPartIIofthisarticle。Meanwhile，wemayclosewithananswertothelatestmaterialisticfallacy，whichmaybesummarizedinafewwords。Aseverypsychicactionhasforitssubstratumthenervouselementswhoseexistenceitpostulates，andoutsidewhichitcannotact；astheactivityofthenervouselementsisonlymolecularmotion，thereisthereforenoneedtoinventaspecialandpsychicForcefortheexplanationofourbrainwork。Free—WillwouldforceSciencetopostulateaninvisibleFree—Willer，acreatorofthatspecialForce。
Weagree：\"nottheslightestneed，\"ofacreatorof\"thatspecial\"oranyotherForce。Norhasanyoneeverclaimedsuchanabsurdity。Butbetweencreatingandguiding，thereisadifferenceandthelatterimpliesinnowayanycreationoftheenergyofmotion，or，indeed，ofanyspecialenergy。Psychicmind（incontradistinctiontomanasicornoeticmind）onlytransformsthisenergyofthe\"unit—being\"accordingto\"anatureandlawsofitsown\"——touseLadd’sfelicitousexpression。
The\"unit—being\"createsnothingbutonlycausesanaturalcorrelationinaccordancewithboththepsychicallawsandlawsofitsown；havingtousetheForce，itguidesitsdirection，choosingthepathsalongwhichitwillproceed，andstimulatingittoaction。And，asitsactivityissuigeneris，andindependent，itcarriesthisenergyfromthisworldofdisharmonyintoitsownsphereofharmony。Wereitnotindependentitcouldnotdoso。Asitis，thefreedomofman’swillisbeyonddoubtorcavil。Therefore，asalreadyobserved，thereisnoquestionofcreation，butsimplyofguidance。Becausethesailoratthewheeldoesnotcreatethesteamintheengine，shallwesaythathedoesnotdirectthevessel？
And，becausewerefusetoacceptthefallaciesofsomepsycho—physiologistsasthelastwordofscience，dowefurnishtherebyanewproofthatfreewillisanhallucination？Wederidetheanimalisticidea。Howfarmorescientificandlogical，besidesbeingaspoeticalasitisgrand，istheteachingintheKathopanishad，which，inabeautifulanddescriptivemetaphor，saysthat：\"Thesensesarethehorses，bodyisthechariot，mind（kama—manas）isthereins，andintellect（orfreewill）thecharioteer。\"Verily，thereismoreexactscienceinthelessimportantoftheUpanishads，composedthousandsofyearsago，thaninallthematerialisticravingsofmodern\"physico—biology\"and\"psychophysiology\"
puttogether！IITheknowledgeofthepast，present，andfuture，isembodiedinKshetrajna（the\"Self\"）。——OccultAxiomsHavingexplainedinwhatparticulars，andwhy，asOccultists，wedisagreewithmaterialisticphysiologicalpsychology，wemaynowproceedtopointoutthedifferencebetweenpsychicandnoeticmentalfunctions，thenoeticnotbeingrecognizedbyofficialscience。
Moreover，we，Theosophists，understandtheterms\"psychic\"and\"psychism\"
somewhatdifferentlyfromtheaveragepublic，science，andeventheology，thelattergivingitasignificancewhichbothscienceandTheosophyreject，andthepublicingeneralremainingwithaveryhazyconceptionofwhatisreallymeantbytheterms。Formany，thereislittle，ifany，differencebetween\"psychic\"and\"psychological，\"bothwordsrelatinginsomewaytothehumansoul。SomemodernmetaphysicianshavewiselyagreedtodisconnectthewordMind（pneuma）fromSoul（psyche），theonebeingtherational，spiritualpart，theother——psyche——thelivingprincipleinman，thebreaththatanimateshim（fromanima，soul）。Yet，ifthisisso，howinthiscaserefuseasoultoanimals？Theseare，nolessthanman，informedwiththesameprincipleofsentientlife，thenepheshofthe2ndchapterofGenesis。TheSoulisbynomeanstheMind，norcananidiot，bereftofthelatter，becalleda\"soul—less\"being。Todescribe，asthephysiologistsdo，thehumanSoulinitsrelationstosensesandappetites，desiresandpassions，commontomanandthebrute，andthenendowitwithGod—Likeintellect，withspiritualandrationalfacultieswhichcantaketheirsourcebutinasupersensibleworld——istothrowforevertheveilofanimpenetrablemysteryoverthesubject。Yetinmodernscience，\"psychology\"and\"psychism\"
relateonlytoconditionsofthenervoussystem，mentalphenomenabeingtracedsolelytomolecularaction。ThehighernoeticcharacteroftheMind—Principleisentirelyignored，andevenrejected，asa\"superstition\"
bybothphysiologistsandpsychologists。Psychology，infact，hasbecomeasynonyminmanycasesforthescienceofpsychiatry。Therefore，studentsofTheosophybeingcompelledtodifferfromallthese，haveadoptedthedoctrinethatunderliesthetime—honoredphilosophiesoftheEast。Whatitis，maybefoundfurtheron。
Tobetterunderstandtheforegoingargumentsandthosewhichfollow，thereaderisaskedtoturntotheeditorialintheSeptemberLucifer（\"TheDualAspectofWisdom，\"p。3），andacquainthimselfwiththedoubleaspectofthatwhichistermedbySt。JamesinhisThirdEpistleatonce——thedevilish，terrestrialwisdomandthe\"wisdomfromabove。\"
Inanothereditorial，\"KosmicMind\"（April，1890），itisalsostated，thattheancientHindusendowedeverycellinthehumanbodywithconsciousness，givingeachthenameofaGodorGoddess。Speakingofatomsinthenameofscienceandphilosophy，ProfessorLaddcallstheminhiswork\"supersensiblebeings。\"Occultismregardseveryatom（11）
asan\"independententity\"andeverycellasa\"consciousunit。\"Itexplainsthatnosoonerdosuchatomsgrouptoformcells，thanthelatterbecomeendowedwithconsciousness，eachofitsownkind，andwithfreewilltoactwithinthelimitsoflaw。Norareweentirelydeprivedofscientificevidenceforsuchstatementsasthetwoabovenamededitorialswellprove。
Morethanonelearnedphysiologistofthegoldenminority，inourownday，moreover，israpidlycomingtotheconviction，thatmemoryhasnoseat，nospecialorganofitsowninthehumanbrain，butthatithasseatsineveryorganofthebody。
\"Nogoodgroundexistsforspeakingofanyspecialorgan，orseatofmemory，\"writesProfessorG。T。Ladd。（12）
\"Everyorgan，indeed，everyarea，andeverylimitofthenervoussystemhasitsownmemory\"（ElementsofPhysiologicalPsychology，p。553）。
Theseatofmemory，then，isassuredlyneitherherenorthere，buteverywherethroughoutthehumanbody。TolocateitsorganinthebrainistolimitanddwarftheUniversalMindanditscountlessRays（theManasaputra）
whichinformeveryrationalmortal。AswewriteforTheosophists，firstofall，wecarelittleforthepsychophobianprejudicesoftheMaterialistswhomayreadthisandsniffcontemptuouslyatthementionof\"UniversalMind\"andtheHighernoeticsoulsofmen。But，whatismemory，——weask。\"Bothpresentationofsenseandimageofmemory，aretransitoryphasesofconsciousness，\"weareanswered。ButwhatisConsciousnessitself？
——weaskagain。WecannotdefineConsciousness，ProfessorLaddtellsus。（Ibid。）Thus，thatwhichweareaskedtodobyphysiologicalpsychologyis，tocontentourselveswithcontrovertingthevariousstatesofConsciousnessbyotherpeople’sprivateandunverifiablehypotheses；andthis，on\"questionsofcerebralphysiologywhereexpertsandnovicesarealikeignorant，\"tousethepointedremarkofthesaidauthor。Hypothesisforhypothesis，then，wemayaswellholdtotheteachingsofourSeers，astotheconjecturesofthosewhodenybothsuchSeersandtheirwisdom。Themoreso，aswearetoldbythesamehonestmanofscience，that\"ifmetaphysicsandethicscannotproperlydictatetheirfactsandconclusionstothescienceofphysiologicalpsychology……inturnthissciencecannotproperlydictatetometaphysicsandethicstheconclusionswhichtheyshalldrawfromfactsofConsciousness，bygivingoutitsmythsandfablesinthegarbofwellascertainedhistoryofthecerebralprocesses\"
（p。544）。
Now，sincethemetaphysicsofOccultphysiologyandpsychologypostulatewithinmortalmananimmortalentity，\"divineMind，\"orNous，whosepaleandtoooftendistortedreflectionisthatwhichwecall\"Mind\"andintellectinmen——virtuallyanentityapartfromtheformerduringtheperiodofincarnation——wesaythatthetwosourcesof\"memory\"areinthesetwo\"principles。\"ThesetwowedistinguishastheHigherManas（MindorEgo），andtheKama—Manas，i。e。，therational，butearthlyorphysicalintellectofman，incasedin，andboundby，matter，thereforesubjecttotheinfluenceofthelatter：theall—consciousSELF，thatwhichreincarnatesperiodically——verilytheWORDmadeflesh！——andwhichisalwaysthesame，whileitsreflected\"Double，\"changingwitheverynewincarnationandpersonality，is，therefore，consciousbutforalife—period。
Thelatter\"principle\"istheLowerSelf，orthat，whichmanifestingthroughourorganicsystem，actingonthisplaneofillusion，imaginesitselftheEgoSum，andthusfallsintowhatBuddhistphilosophybrandsasthe\"heresyofseparateness。\"Theformer，wetermINDIVIDUALITY，thelatterPersonality。Fromthefirstproceedsallthenoeticelement，fromthesecond，thepsychic，i。e。，\"terrestrialwisdom\"atbest，asitisinfluencedbyallthechaoticstimuliofthehumanorratheranimalpassionsofthelivingbody。
The\"HigherEGO\"cannotactdirectlyonthebody，asitsconsciousnessbelongstoquiteanotherplaneandplanesofideation：the\"lower\"Selfdoes：anditsactionandbehaviordependonitsfreewillandchoiceastowhetheritwillgravitatemoretowardsitsparent（\"theFatherinHeaven\"）orthe\"animal\"whichitinforms，themanofflesh。The\"HigherEgo，\"aspartoftheessenceoftheUNIVERSALMIND，isunconditionallyomniscientonitsownplane，andonlypotentiallysoinourterrestrialsphere，asithastoactsolelythroughitsalterego——thePersonalSelf。Now，althoughtheformeristhevehicleofallknowledgeofthepast，thepresent，andthefuture，andalthoughitisfromthisfountain—headthatits\"double\"catchesoccasionalglimpsesofthatwhichisbeyondthesensesofman，andtransmitsthemtocertainbraincells（unknowntoscienceintheirfunction），thusmakingofmanaSeer，asoothsayer，andaprophet；yetthememoryofbygoneevents——especiallyoftheearthearthy——hasitsseatinthePersonalEgoalone。Nomemoryofapurelydaily—lifefunction，ofaphysical，egotistical，orofalowermentalnature——suchas，e。g。，eatinganddrinking，enjoyingpersonalsensualpleasures，transactingbusinesstothedetrimentofone’sneighbor，etc。，etc。，hasaughttodowiththe\"Higher\"MindorEGO。Norhasitanydirectdealingsonthisphysicalplanewitheitherourbrainorourheart——forthesetwoaretheorgansofapowerhigherthanthePersonality——butonlywithourpassionalorgans，suchastheliver，thestomach，thespleen，etc。Thusitonlystandstoreasonthatthememoryofsuch—likeeventsmustbefirstawakenedinthatorganwhichwasthefirsttoinducetheactionrememberedafterwards，andconveyedittoour\"sense—thought，\"whichisentirelydistinctfromthe\"supersensuous\"thought。Itisonlythehigherformsofthelatter，thesuperconsciousmentalexperience，thatcancorrelatewiththecerebralandcardiaccenters。Thememoriesofphysicalandselfish（orpersonal）deeds，ontheotherhand，togetherwiththementalexperiencesofaterrestrialnature，andofearthlybiologicalfunctions，can，ofnecessity，onlybecorrelatedwiththemolecularconstitutionofvariousKamicorgans，andthe\"dynamicalassociations\"
oftheelementsofthenervoussystemineachparticularorgan。
Therefore，whenProfessorLadd，aftershowingthateveryelementofthenervoussystemhasamemoryofitsown，adds：——\"Thisviewbelongstotheveryessenceofeverytheorywhichconsidersconsciousmentalreproductionasonlyoneformorphaseofthebiologicalfactoforganicmemory\"——
hemustincludeamongsuchtheoriestheOccultteaching。FornoOccultistcouldexpresssuchteachingmorecorrectlythantheProfessor，whosays，inwindinguphisargument：\"Wemightproperlyspeak，then，ofthememoryoftheend—organofvisionorofhearing，ofthememoryofthespinalcordandofthedifferentso—called’centers’ofreflexactionbelongingtothechordsofthememoryofthemedullaoblongata，thecerebellum，etc。\"
ThisistheessenceofOccultteaching——evenintheTantraworks。Indeed，everyorganinourbodyhasitsownmemory。Forifitisendowedwithaconsciousness\"ofitsownkind，\"everycellmustofnecessityhavealsoamemoryofitsownkind，aslikewiseitsownpsychicandnoeticaction。RespondingtothetouchofbothaphysicalandametaphysicalForce，（12）theimpulsegivenbythepsychic（orpsycho—molecular）
Forcewillactfromwithoutwithin；whilethatofthenoetic（shallwecallitSpiritual—dynamical？）Forceworksfromwithinwithout。For，asourbodyisthecoveringoftheinner\"principles，\"soul，mind，life，etc。，sothemoleculeorthecellisthebodyinwhichdwellits\"principles，\"the（tooursenseandcomprehension）immaterialatomswhichcomposethatcell。Thecell’sactivityandbehavioraredeterminedbyitsbeingpropelledeitherinwardlyoroutwardly，bythenoeticorthepsychicForce，theformerhavingnorelationtothephysicalcellsproper。
Therefore，whilethelatteractundertheunavoidablelawoftheconservationandcorrelationofphysicalenergy，theatoms——beingpsycho—spiritual，notphysicalunits——actunderlawsoftheirown，justasProfessorLadd’s\"Unit—Being，\"whichisour\"Mind—Ego，\"does，inhisveryphilosophicalandscientifichypothesis。Everyhumanorganandeachcellinthelatterhasakey—boardofitsown，likethatofapiano，onlythatitregistersandemitssensationsinsteadofsounds。Everykeycontainsthepotentialityofgoodorbad，ofproducingharmonyordisharmony。Thisdependsontheimpulsegivenandthecombinationsproduced；antheforceofthetouchoftheartistatwork，a\"double—facedUnity，\"indeed。Anditistheactionofthisortheother\"Face\"oftheUnitythatdeterminesthenatureandthedynamicalcharacterofthemanifestedphenomenaasaresultingaction，andthiswhethertheybephysicalormental。Forthewholelifeofmanisguidedbythisdouble—facedEntity。Iftheimpulsecomesfromthe\"Wisdomabove，\"theForceappliedbeingnoeticorspiritual，theresultswillbeactionsworthyofthedivinepropeller；iffromthe\"terrestrial，devilishwisdom\"（psychicpower），man’sactivitieswillbeselfish，basedsolelyontheexigenciesofhisphysical，henceanimal，nature。Theabovemaysoundtotheaveragereaderaspurenonsense；buteveryTheosophistmustunderstandwhentoldthatthereareManasicaswellasKamicorgansinhim，althoughthecellsofhisbodyanswertobothphysicalandspiritualimpulses。
Verilythatbody，sodesecratedbyMaterialismandmanhimself，isthetempleoftheHolyGrail，theAdytumofthegrandest，nay，ofall，themysteriesofnatureinoursolaruniverse。ThatbodyisanAeolianharp，chordedwithtwosetsofstrings，onemadeofpuresilver，theotherofcatgut。WhenthebreathfromthedivineFiatbrushessoftlyovertheformer，manbecomeslikeuntohisGod——buttheothersetfeelsitnot。Itneedsthebreezeofastrongterrestrialwind，impregnatedwithanimaleffluvia，tosetitsanimalchordsvibrating。Itisthefunctionofthephysical，lowermindtoactuponthephysicalorgansandtheircells；
but，itisthehighermindalonewhichcaninfluencetheatomsinteractinginthesecells，whichinteractionisalonecapableofexcitingthebrain，viathespinal\"center\"cord，toamentalrepresentationofspiritualideasfarbeyondanyobjectsonthismaterialplane。Thephenomenaofdivineconsciousnesshavetoberegardedasactivitiesofourmindonanotherandahigherplane，workingthroughsomethinglesssubstantialthanthemovingmoleculesofthebrain。Theycannotbeexplainedasthesimpleresultantofthecerebralphysiologicalprocesses，asindeedthelatteronlyconditionthemorgivethemafinalformforpurposesofconcretemanifestation。
Occultismteachesthattheliverandthespleen—cellsarethemostsubservienttotheactionofour\"personal\"mind，theheartbeingtheorganparexcellencethroughwhichthe\"Higher\"Egoacts——throughtheLowerSelf。
Norcanthevisionsormemoryofpurelyterrestrialeventsbetransmitteddirectlythroughthementalperceptionsinthebrain——thedirectrecipientoftheimpressionsoftheheart。Allsuchrecollectionshavetobefirststimulatedbyandawakenedintheorganswhichweretheoriginators，asalreadystated，ofthevariouscausesthatledtotheresults，or，thedirectrecipientsandparticipatorsofthelatter。Inotherwords，ifwhatiscalled\"associationofideas\"hasmuchtodowiththeawakeningofmemory，themutualinteractionandconsistentinter—relationbetweenthepersonal\"Mind—Entity\"andtheorganofthehumanbodyhavefarmoreso。Ahungrystomachevokesthevisionofapastbanquet，becauseitsactionisreflectedandrepeatedinthepersonalmind。ButevenbeforethememoryofthepersonalSelfradiatesthevisionfromthetabletswhereinarestoredtheexperiencesofone’sdailylife——eventotheminutestdetails——thememoryofthestomachhasalreadyevokedthesame。Andsowithalltheorgansofthebody。Itistheywhichoriginateaccordingtotheiranimalneedsanddesirestheelectro—vitalsparksthatilluminatethefieldofconsciousnessintheLowerEgo；anditisthesesparkswhichintheirturnawakentofunctionthereminiscencesinit。Thewholehumanbodyis，assaid，avastsoundingboard，inwhicheachcellbearsalongrecordofimpressionsconnectedwithitsparentorgan，andeachcellhasamemoryandaconsciousnessofitskind，orcallitinstinctifyouwill。
Theseimpressionsare，accordingtothenatureoftheorgan，physical，psychic，ormental，astheyrelatetothisoranotherplane。Theymaybecalled\"statesofconsciousness\"onlyforthewantofabetterexpression——astherearestatesofinstinctual，mental，andpurelyabstract，orspiritualconsciousness。Ifwetraceallsuch\"psychic\"actionstobrain—work，itisonlybecauseinthatmansioncalledthehumanbodythebrainisthefront—door，andtheonlyonewhichopensoutintoSpace。Alltheothersareinnerdoors，openingsintheprivatebuilding，throughwhichtravelincessantlythetransmittingagentsofmemoryandsensation。Theclearness，thevividness，andintensityofthesedependonthestateofhealthandtheorganicsoundnessofthetransmitters。Buttheirreality，inthesenseoftruenessorcorrectness，isduetothe\"principle\"theyoriginatefrom，andthepreponderanceintheLowerManasofthenoeticorthephrenic（\"Kamic，\"terrestrial）element。
For，asOccultismteaches，iftheHigherMind—Entity——thepermanentandtheimmortal——isofthedivinehomogeneousessenceof\"Alaya—Akasa，\"
（13）orMahat——itsreflection，thePersonalMind，is，asatemporary\"Principle，\"oftheSubstanceoftheAstralLight。Asapurerayofthe\"SonoftheUniversalMind，\"itcouldperformnofunctionsinthebody，andwouldremainpowerlessovertheturbulentorgansofMatter。
Thus，whileitsinnerconstitutionisManasic，its\"body，\"orratherfunctioningessence，isheterogeneous，andleavenedwiththeAstralLight，thelowestelementofEther。ItisapartofthemissionoftheManasicRay，togetgraduallyridoftheblind，deceptiveelementwhichthoughitmakesofitanactivespiritualentityonthisplane，stillbringsitintosoclosecontactwithmatterastoentirelybeclouditsdivinenatureandstultifyitsintuitions。
Thisleadsustoseethedifferencebetweenthepurenoeticandtheterrestrialpsychicvisionsofseershipandmediumship。Theformercanbeobtainedbyoneoftwomeans：（a）ontheconditionofparalyzingatwillthememoryandtheinstinctual，independentactionofallthematerialorgansandevencellsinthebodyofflesh，anactwhich，oncethatthelightoftheHigherEgohasconsumedandsubjectedforeverthepassionalnatureofthepersonal，lowerEgo，iseasy，butrequiresanadept；and（b）ofbeingareincarnationofone，who，inapreviousbirth，hadattainedthroughextremepurityoflifeandeffortsintherightdirectionalmosttoaYogi—stateofholinessandsaintship。ThereisalsoathirdpossibilityofreachinginmysticvisionstheplaneofthehigherManas；butitisonlyoccasionalanddoesnotdependonthewilloftheSeer，butontheextremeweaknessandexhaustionofthematerialbodythroughillnessandsuffering。TheSeeressofPrevorstwasaninstanceofthelattercase；andJacobBoehmeofoursecondcategory。Inallothercasesofabnormalseership，ofso—calledclairaudience，clairvoyanceandtrances，itissimply——mediumship。
Nowwhatisamedium？Thetermmedium，whennotappliedsimplytothingsandobjects，issupposedtobeapersonthroughwhomtheactionofanotherpersonorbeingiseithermanifestedortransmitted。Spiritualistsbelievingincommunicationswithdisembodiedspirits，andthatthesecanmanifestthrough，orimpresssensitivestotransmit\"messages\"fromthem，regardmediumshipasablessingandagreatprivilege。WeTheosophists，ontheotherhand，whodonotbelieveinthe\"communionofspirits\"asSpiritualistsdo，regardthegiftasoneofthemostdangerousofabnormalnervousdiseases。
AmediumissimplyoneinwhosepersonalEgo，orterrestrialmind（psyche），thepercentageof\"astral\"lightsopreponderatesastoimpregnatewithittheirwholephysicalconstitution。Everyorganandcelltherebyisattuned，sotospeak，andsubjectedtoanenormousandabnormaltension。Themindiseverontheplaneof，andquiteimmersedin，thatdeceptivelightwhosesoulisdivine，butwhosebody——thelightwavesonthelowerplanes，infernal；fortheyarebuttheblackanddisfiguredreflectionsoftheearth’smemories。Theuntrainedeyeofthepoorsensitivecannotpiercethedarkmist，thedensefogoftheterrestrialemanations，toseebeyondintheradiantfieldoftheeternaltruths。Hisvisionisoutoffocus。
Hissenses，accustomedfromhisbirth，likethoseofanativeoftheLondonslums，tostenchandfilth，totheunnaturaldistortionsofsightsandimagestossedonthekaleidoscopicwavesoftheastralplane——areunabletodiscernthetruefromthefalse。Andthus，thepalesoullesscorpsesmovinginthetracklessfieldsof\"Kamaloka，\"appeartohimthelivingimagesofthe\"deardeparted\"ones；thebrokenechoesofoncehumanvoices，passingthroughhismind，suggesttohimwellcoordinatedphrases，whichherepeats，inignorancethattheirfinalformandpolishwerereceivedintheinnermostdepthsofhisownbrain—factory。Andhencethesightandthehearingofthatwhichifseeninitstruenaturewouldhavestruckthemedium’sheartcoldwithhorror，nowfillshimwithasenseofbeatitudeandconfidence。Hereallybelievesthattheimmeasurablevistasdisplayedbeforehimaretherealspiritualworld，theabodeoftheblesseddisembodiedangels。