2..<^./3 
 
 ^i tt^t Olliwlogfrf,/ 
 
 ^ PRINCETON, N.J. ^^ 
 
 BP 567 .K5 1891 
 Kingsland, William, 1855- 
 
 1936. 
 The esoteric basis of 
 
 Christianity,, or ^ JTheosoph 
 
I 
 
DEC fi 1913 
 
 The Esoteric Basis of CMstlaiiliy 
 
 OR 
 
 Tieosophy and Cliristian Doctrine. 
 
 A Paper read before the Buivatsky Lodge of the Theosophical Society 
 
 y 
 
 Wm. kingsland, f.t.s. 
 
 Author of " The Higher Science," " Concepts of Evolution and Religion,"' 
 " Theosophy and Orthodoxy," etc. 
 
 Wisdom in a Mystery, even the Wisdom that hath been hidden." 
 
 St. Paul. 
 
 .^xii^- 
 
 Theosophical Publishing Society, 7, Duke Street, 
 Adelphi, W.C. 
 
 The Path, 132, Nassau Street, New York, US. A. 
 
women's printing society, limited, 
 ib, grfat colltge street, \s-estminster, s.w. 
 
THE ESOTERIC BASIS OF CHRISTIANITY 
 
 OR 
 
 THEOSOPHY AND CHRISTIAN DOCTRINE. 
 
 A Papev vead before the Blavatsky Lodge of the Theosophica 
 
 Society, 
 
 By Wm. KINGSLAND, FT.S. 
 
 " Wisdom in a Mystery, even the Wisdom that hath been 
 ■bidden."- St Paul 
 
 THEOSOPHY claims to be the truth underlying all 
 religions in their exoteric or popular form ; and it 
 claims this in virtue of its being a presentation or 
 interpretation of a very ancient system known as the Secret 
 .Doctrine, or ancient Wisdom Religion. The world has 
 never been without its Initiates, who have preserved the 
 esoteric knowledge w^hich has assumed such numerous 
 .exoteric forms in all ages. This esoteric knowledge, how- 
 •ever, has always been guarded with the greatest care, 
 and preserved a profound secret, for reasons which have 
 been fully dealt with elsewhere. l-need merely instance 
 here the instruction of Jesus to his disciples, not to cast 
 their pearls before swine ; and also the statement of St. 
 Paul (I. Cor., iii., i) that he was only able to feed his 
 -converts with milk, not with meat. The "Wisdom in a 
 Mystery" has been reserved, as St. Paul says (I. Cor., 
 ii., 6), for the perfect or full-grown, for those who have 
 attained to spiritiLal manhood : something ' which is 
 altogether different from, and not coincident with, 
 physical or intellectual manhood. 
 
( 4 ) 
 
 The particular point however to which I wish to 
 direct your attention, and which is a fundamental one 
 before we can establish any relation between Theo- 
 sophy and Christian Doctrine, is this : that in 
 the nature of things, in the nature of history, of 
 human progress and development, in the nature 
 of man's capacity for grow^th, for the expansion 
 of his limited and relative mind and consciousness, in 
 the nature of the universe itself, there is and must be an 
 inner and an outer, an esoteric and an exoteric ; an 
 outward form, and an inner meaning ; an outward 
 expression, temporary, finite, mutable, an inner principle j. 
 eternal, unvarying. If there be any ideality whatever, 
 underlying what w^e term pr.cnomena, the objective 
 changeable world of sense and form, that reality must 
 constitute an inner mystery, which is a mystery simply on 
 account of our inability to sense and cognise it, owing^ 
 to our limited faculties. And if there be any reality in 
 that growth, development, or evolution, which is the 
 most prominent factor in our experience, that reality 
 consists in our coming into more and more intimate 
 conscious relation to this inner principle which underlies 
 phenomena ; consists in an apprehension of the nou- 
 mena; in the casting-off of the temporary illusion oi forniy 
 of that bondage of the senses which causes attachment 
 to form, attachment to the impermanent and temporary, 
 whereby the permanent and eternal is lost sight of; 
 consists, in short, of the development of that faculty 
 which cognises unity in diversity ; or in a word consists 
 of — spirituality. 
 
 In theosophical language this faculty resides in the 
 fifth principle, or Manas, in the immortal spiritual Ego. 
 (See diagram, page 23.) But setting aside specific theo- 
 sophical doctrines, let us see what relation this principle 
 of an inner spiritual reality and an outer expression in 
 form, and of a corresponding evolution or expansion of 
 human consciousness from particulars to universals, 
 bears to the subject before us. 
 
 It is well known that the claim which has been made 
 by the Church, from its earliest traditions down to our 
 
( 5 
 
 present day, on behalf of Christian doctrine, has been 
 that of a special divine revelation by a personal God. 
 Beginning with the first chapter of Genesis, and ending 
 with the last verse of Revelation, we are asked to 
 believe that the collection of ancient writings known as 
 the Bible has been specially prepared and inspired by 
 this personal God, as a record of his dealings with, and 
 his will towards, the creatures he originally created. 
 This I believe may be accepted as the fundamental basis 
 of Christian doctrine, the centre round which all the 
 teachings of the Church, whether Protestant or Catholic, 
 has revolved, and from which they cannot get away 
 without breaking up and destroying all that has ever 
 been known historically as Christianity. I say specifically 
 that this is the claim made by the Church, because it is a 
 fact commonly overlooked, and one indeed of which the 
 majority of professing Christians are ignorant, that what 
 is known as Christianity, in its doctrinal form, in its 
 traditions, and in the selection and compilation of the 
 subject matter of the Bible, is purely ecclesiastical. 
 The Bible in its present form, the creeds, and the rites 
 and ceremonies which go to make up the sum total of 
 what is known historically as Christianity, were com- 
 piled by the early Church authorities from miscellaneous 
 sources. This, however, is a matter of literary and 
 historical data into which I cannot enter now ; but I 
 wish it to be understood that in speaking of Christianity 
 and Christian doctrine I am dealing at present with its 
 ecclesiastical and historical forms, and not with the 
 personality or teachings of its supposed founder. 
 
 We have then this fundamental idea of Christianity as 
 a revelation of the personal relationship between a 
 creative God, and the creatures he created ; and upon 
 this basis is built up the doctrinal superstructure with 
 which we are all familiar in its many variations and 
 modifications. 
 
 Now the question which we have before us, in connec- 
 tion with the principle of expansion of the human mind 
 which I have already laid down, is simply this : — is 
 there room within the limits of Christian doctrine 
 
( 6 ) 
 
 within that system known as Christianity, for this 
 natural evolution and expansion ? Does Christianity 
 give us, as it claims to do, all that is necessary for man 
 to know of his spiritual nature and destiny ? We may 
 even narrow the question down, and setting aside all 
 the varied, and often conflicting teachings of the 
 churches, we ma}^ confine ourselves to the root idea, 
 and ask whether the relationship of man to a personal 
 creator which Christianity postulates, is a permanent or 
 only a temporary phase in the evolution of the human 
 mind and consciousness. 
 
 Let me point out here the great mistake which is 
 made by all religionists and sectarians with regard to 
 what they call the truili of their own particular doctrines. 
 A doctrine is simpl}- a formulated statement of a prin- 
 ciple : and since the human mind is only capable of 
 dealing with that which is relative, is only capable of 
 formulating principles which are relative to its limited 
 and finite consciousness : and since every mind differs in 
 some degree in its powers of observation and intuition : 
 what is called the truth of a doctrine is merely a term 
 for its relativity, for the relation which it bears to the 
 individual mind at a certain stage of its experience or 
 evolution. Uniformity of doctrine and belief is impossi- 
 ble, except in a world where every individual is at the 
 same level or point of evolution, and all progressing, or 
 it may be retrogressing, at the same rate. 
 
 The mistake which is made by the individual, the 
 sect, or the Church, (and Theosophists need to be 
 warned against this quite as much as others) is in 
 supposing that what is true to them, or true of their 
 own experience, must be true for all the rest of 
 humanity. It is this constant tendency to individualize 
 and restrict, which gives rise to dogmatism, hatred, 
 bigotry, and all the uncharitableness of sectarian 
 religion. 
 
 But, I can hear some say, if tndli be thus merely 
 relative, what test or assurance have we of anything ? 
 None whatever, I reply, save the assurance of your own 
 judgment, of your own mind and consciousness. Do 
 
( 7 ) 
 
 not deceive yourselves in this matter, as you value your 
 eternal salvation, as you wish to escape from this fatal 
 illusion of relativity, into the realm of eternal truth. 
 Those who make this fact of man's ignorance the basis 
 of doctrines of revelation and infallibility, are guilty of 
 self-deception and sophistry. The man who asserts his 
 belief in an infallible book, or an infallible church, is 
 exercising his ow^n individual judgment just as much as 
 the man who asserts his right to question both. The 
 final test in each case is the test of individual experience. 
 But although all that we call truth is thus relative, 
 there is one test, one principle, which cannot be 
 ignored, and which must always decide as to the value 
 of truth, must decide as between truth and error. 
 This principle may be defined as that of universality. 
 So long as we confine our attention to one set of 
 phenomena, to a limited area of experience, all that 
 is postulated as theory or doctrine may be true in re- 
 lation to that with which we are dealing. But when other 
 phenomena or experience is brought in as a factor, we 
 must, if it does not harmonize with our previous conclu- 
 sions, extend our conceptions and doctrines so as to include 
 the new area. The test of truth therefore is its univer- 
 sality ; it must harmonize all known phenomena, and 
 every factor in human experience ; and if we find any 
 set of doctrines dealing merely with a limited portion, 
 and inapplicable to the rest, we have to reject them for 
 wider and deeper principles. Ideas which are absolutely 
 absurd to those who have a wider range of experience, 
 are often " gospel truth " to lesser minds. The distinc- 
 tion between the untutored savage and the member of a 
 civilized community is a very marked one in this 
 respect, but where are we to draw a line, where fix 
 upon a limit, w^here find the individual who stands at the 
 furthest point of human progress ? We can only draw the 
 line where the possibility of further experience ceases. And 
 since man is finite, and the universe infinite, the possi- 
 bility is also infinite. The ideas of the most advanced 
 philosopher of to-day, will one day be regarded as we 
 now regard the primitive ideas of the savage. And if 
 
( 8 ) 
 
 this be not merely possible, but inevitable, as the human 
 race advances : why should there not be those who 
 have already reached that far point of development, 
 who already stand as far removed from the modern 
 scientist or philosopher as the latter does from the 
 savage ? 
 
 In this vast universe, which appears as one grand 
 field of consciousness, individualized in innumerable 
 manifestations of varying degrees, and ever progressing 
 activity, we can conceive no break in the ever-widening 
 circle. The fundamental axiom of the Unity of the 
 Universe forbids us to conceive of any part or portion, 
 of any manifestation or individualization, which does 
 not share in degree and kind in the universal conscious- 
 ness. There is no single atom of so-called dead matter, 
 no single cell or organism, however minute or rudimen- 
 tary, which is not instinct with this universal principle 
 of consciousness, which is the basis of all manifestation, 
 phenomena, and sensation. Assuredly it was this idea 
 which inspired our own poet Tennyson to write : — 
 
 " Flower in the crannied wall, 
 I pluck you out of the crannies ; — 
 Hold you here, root and all, in my hand, 
 Little flower — but if I could understand 
 What you are, root and all, and all in all, 
 I should know what God and man is." 
 
 And as we can trace this principle in all stages of 
 evolution, in ever-widening spheres of consciousness up 
 to man, so we are bound to go on with the process, and 
 conceive of individual intelligences of higher, wider, and 
 nobler character, until the whole series is summed up in 
 that absolute consciousness of the whole, which we can 
 postulate and name, as God or otherwise, but of which 
 we can form no conception, and therefore formulate no 
 doctrine. 
 
 And this is not merely true as a speculation of the 
 mind, one which has found expression in all ages in 
 various conceptions of superior beings, in Gods, Angels 
 and Archangels, Dhyan Chohans, &c.: but it is claimed as 
 an actual fact that there are those human beings, with no 
 
( 9 ) 
 
 elements of supernaturalism or superstition about them, 
 who stand to-day where the majority of men will only 
 stand after thousands, and it may be millions of years. 
 Why not ? I ask again, where are you going to draw the 
 line at the possibility of further human progress ? And 
 if the gulf is so great to-day between the savage and the 
 philosopher, why should there not be as great a gulf 
 between the philosopher and the adept ? The existence 
 of these Masters of Wisdom is a fact, which all may 
 prove who are not too prejudiced to investigate and 
 form an unbiassed judgment. 
 
 And now observe in connection with this relativity of 
 doctrine to the experience of the individual, its applica- 
 tion to what has been called revealed truth, as distin- 
 guished from human discovery. There is no possibility 
 of revelation save in connection with the relative nature 
 and capabihties of the individual mind. " I have yet 
 many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them 
 now " (John xvi., 12). Revelation necessarily deals with 
 that which is subjective, with that which is supposed to 
 be beyond the reach of actual experience or observation ; 
 and it is just here that we have the special claim of 
 Christianity, that it supplies information which man 
 could not in the nature of things have found out for 
 himself. In Christian dogma the Bible is nothing if not 
 superhuman. 
 
 But the whole question is, what is superhuman ? To 
 the savage there is much that would appear super- 
 human in that which is familiar in the every-day 
 experience of the civilized man. To the average man 
 of to-day, even to the most advanced scientist — and 
 probably more so to him by reason of his one-sidedness 
 — the powers of the adept appear superhuman, and are 
 therefore denied. Much that has at one time been 
 denied as belonging to the category of the siipernatural is 
 now admitted, as having been brought within the line of 
 the natural. Science denied the facts of mesmerism, but 
 is now compelled to recognise them. It denies the facts 
 of spiritualism, and will not investigate because it has 
 settled beforehand that the phenomena are impossible. 
 
( lo ) 
 
 Professor Tyndall says : — " There are men of science 
 who would sell all that they have, and give the proceeds 
 to the poor, for a glimpse of phenomena which are mere 
 trifles to the spiritualist." And yet he will not investi- 
 gate, although one of the most eminent scientific men of 
 the day, Professor Crookes, has published scientific 
 researches which give something more than the required 
 glimpse. On the other hand Professor Huxley virtually 
 contradicts Professor Tyndall when he says : — " Sup- 
 posing the phenomena to be genuine, they do not 
 interest me." And so he also will not investigate. 
 These men have made up their minds that there cannot 
 be anything supernatural or superhuman, and they 
 define these as anything which lies outside the range of 
 their own particular experience. 
 
 The Christian makes exactly the same mistake in the 
 opposite direction. He has made up his mind that his 
 Bible is superhuman and revealed, and not only so, but that 
 there is no other record in the world which can make a 
 similar claim, or can be compared in any respect with 
 this book ; and starting from this as a first principle he 
 is compelled to reject all other records, relie^ions, and 
 experience as false and mischievous. 
 
 Before we can decide then as to the authority of the 
 Bible, as a supposed superhuman record, we must first 
 of all decide as to the limits of the human, as to the 
 line of demarcation between the human and the super- 
 human, between the natural and the supernatural. And 
 if there be no such line — or rather if the line be relative, 
 not absolute — if the possibility of human development 
 be infinite, as indeed all reason and analogy lead us to 
 conclude ; if further than this we have direct evidence 
 that there are, and ahvays have been, those who are so 
 much in advance of the race that they stand in the 
 position usually assigned to the superhuman : we have 
 offered to us at once a rational solution of the difficulties 
 in connection with the Bible record. Let us glance at a 
 few of these difficulties before presenting more specifi- 
 cally the solution which Theosophy offers. 
 
 We may divide these difficulties into two classes : {a) 
 
( II ) 
 
 historical, literary, and critical; (h) doctrinal; or 
 briefly : those which relate to facts, and those which 
 relate to doctrine. It is necessary to make this distinc- 
 tion because facts are so often confounded with doctrine 
 in matters of controversy. The facts of the Bible, and 
 the doctrines based thereon, are two totally different 
 things. A fact must underhe a doctrine, it is the basis 
 on which doctrine rests, and if the supposed fact be 
 found to be false, the doctrine must necessarily be false 
 also. In too many cases this is reversed, and fact is 
 made to rest upon doctrine, as in the instances I have 
 educed of the attitude of mind of the scientist and 
 rehgionist respectively. The position taken up by each 
 of these is, that if the facts and the doctrine do not 
 harmonize, so much the worse for the facts. We must 
 observe, however, that so long as the fact is 
 admitted, or supposed, or stands as a first principle, the 
 doctrine may be relatively true to that fact, although 
 absolutely false. On the other hand a fact may be 
 admitted, but the conclusions drawn from that fact be 
 widely different. 
 
 Now we have in the Bible a record which on the face 
 of it appears to be historical ; on what grounds are we 
 to decide its validity as history ; how are we to decide as 
 to the truth of the statements it puts forward as state- 
 ments of facts ? The common argument is, that it is 
 true because it is the inspired word of God, but that is 
 putting doctrine before fact ; and as such a large portion 
 of it is evidently untrue as matter of fact, the doctrine of 
 inspiration becomes a difficult one to accept. Modern 
 apologists endeavour to strike a kind of mean between the 
 old doctrine of Hteral inspiration, and the idea thafthe 
 Bible is purely human in its origin. This, how^ever, is 
 merely one of those forced concessions by which the 
 Church is dragged in the rear of advancing thought,, 
 which she vainly endeavours to retard. 
 
 We have then in the first place the fact of the exist- 
 ence of the Bible, and in the second place the doctrine 
 of the Church with regard to its origin and inspiration. 
 We have in the first place certain statements made in 
 
( 12 ) 
 
 the Bible with regard to supposed facts in history, and 
 in the second place the doctrines of the Church built up 
 upon these statements. 
 
 It is no part of my task now to enter into controversy 
 on these matters. What I wish to do is to state the ques- 
 tion so that we may see clearly where it is that Theosophy 
 offers a solution of the difficulties which beset the 
 earnest student, and more especially those who are 
 endeavouring to free themselves from the narrow and 
 inconsistent concepts of Christian orthodoxy. Theo- 
 sophy has much to offer to these enquirers ; a great 
 responsibility rests upon Theosophists in connection with 
 the revolution through which so many minds are passing 
 in connection with the elements of the faith in which 
 they have been brought up. There is, I fear, too much 
 tendency on the part of those who have passed through 
 this stage, and reached the goal of freedom, to look with 
 something approaching to contempt upon those who are 
 still unable to enter into that freedom. There is a con- 
 tempt of intellect, as well as a contempt of wealth ; an 
 air of nouveau riche in the one as in the other. There is 
 much need that we should bear in mind the injunctions 
 of St. Paul as to our behaviour towards our weaker 
 brethren, those who are not yet freed from the bondage 
 of forms and ceremonies, of custom, prejudice, and early 
 training and bias. While jealousty guarding our own 
 freedom, while boldly denouncing those systems which 
 are responsible for the moral and intellectual thraldom 
 of so many of our fellow-creatures : those systems which 
 take advantage of ignorance in order to enslave it by 
 means of superstitious fear ; let us be careful lest thereby 
 we cause our weaker brethren to stumble. There is a 
 flagrant and blatant atheism in vogue in some quarters 
 which delights in holding up to ridicule of the grossest 
 form, matters which are sacred to man}^ minds. I do 
 not think any Theosophists can be in sympathy with 
 such. But there are hundreds and thousands to-day, 
 who are questioning the basis of the Christian faith, 
 and are going through a mortal struggle in their efforts 
 to reach that something which is dimly perceived to lie 
 
( 13 ) 
 
 outside and beyond the teachings of the Church. The 
 success of Robert Elsmere was due to the skill with which 
 the author portrayed this stage of doubt and question- 
 ing through which so many are passing. Some of us 
 have passed through it in a more or less acute form in 
 this incarnation, others have not experienced it now, 
 having passed through it before ; but assuredly at some 
 time or another all must fight and conquer that 
 particular illusion which enslaves a man to some 
 special form of religion, constituting in its lowest phase 
 that bigoted and intolerant dogmatism of priestcraft 
 which is so indissolubly connected with the history of 
 Christianity. Our object is to help those who are 
 struggling for the light, and we can do this best, not by 
 fiercely denouncing and ridiculing those doctrines 
 which they have hitherto believed, but by showing 
 their relative nature and interpreting them on deeper 
 principles. 
 
 And so we may take one by one the difficulties which 
 arise in the minds of those who first suspect, and finally 
 conclude, that Christian doctrine cannot be literally and 
 historically true ; and we may show that all these doc- 
 trines have a basis in deep and abiding principles of 
 human nature ; that when the shell has been cracked 
 and thrown away, the kernel will be found. The shell 
 is the result of human sin and ignorance ; it is the 
 encrustation of matter and form which is inevitable 
 when the spiritual is brought down into the material. 
 The Word must be made manifest in the Flesh, other- 
 wise it is not seen of men ; but the Flesh is never the 
 Word, is never the reality, though men in their ignor- 
 ance fail to discriminate, and the Church has per- 
 petuated the error, and materialized the Word into 
 grosser and still grosser forms ; so that now when men 
 cry for the spiritual bread of life, it has nothing to offer 
 them but a stone. 
 
 The Church gives us no alternative but to accept or 
 reject its dogmas. There is no inner or spiritual mean- 
 ing in its teachings apart from their literal acceptation. 
 There is no Esoteric Christianity in the Church, we 
 
( 14 ) 
 
 must go elsewhere for it ; and it is Theosophy which 
 now proclaims it. 
 
 So, taking this first and fundamental difficulty with 
 regard to the origin and nature of the Bible, we do not 
 deny, but we assert that it is a revelation ; that it is an 
 inspiration ; that it is if you like superhuman, inasmuch 
 as it comes from those who, in virtue of their position 
 and knowledge, would be generally regarded as super- 
 human. But the Bible as we have it now is not the 
 original record. It has passed through many hands and 
 many translations, and the process is inevitably a 
 deteriorating one. The faults and errors and discrepan- 
 cies are human, the result of ignorant intervention ; the 
 underlying truth is divine, inasmuch as it deals with 
 eternal verities. 
 
 How are we to distinguish the truth, how are we to 
 get at these verities ? By accepting facts, knowledge, 
 revelation, from every other source available, and inter- 
 preting the Bible by these facts, not the facts by the 
 Bible. If we ignorantly and superstitiously suppose 
 that the whole of revelation is contained between the 
 covers of the Bible, and refuse to accredit — as the 
 Church has done in all ages — anything which appears 
 to conflict with the Scriptures, we shall never reach the 
 truth. All that history, all that science, all that 
 symbology and m3/thology can teach us, must be applied 
 to correct and interpret the record. 
 
 And here we must notice another fact. The Bible as 
 we now have it is a collection of a number of scattered 
 records, selected from a great many more of a similar 
 character. There is no reason for regarding those 
 which have been selected as of greater value or inspira- 
 tion than those which have been left out. Not only is 
 this so, but we have in other languages, and coming 
 down to us from nations antedating the Jewish race, 
 similar records, dealing with the creation of the world 
 and the relation of man to the universe, in a totally 
 different way, though still to all appearances historically. 
 
 Now these accounts cannot be all true ; they are on 
 the face of them quite at variance with each other. 
 
( ^5 ) 
 
 Either the Bible is true as history — I am referring now 
 to the account in Genesis — and the others false, or the 
 Bible is false and the others true ; or there is a third 
 alternative, that they are all allegorical. Up to a cer- 
 tain point men may be satisfied to accept one or other 
 of these records as historically true. There are thou- 
 sands even to-day who accept literally the narrative in 
 Genesis. But if we reject them as history, how shall we 
 deal with them ? Shall w^e throw them aside as worth- 
 less fables, belonging to a primitive and ignorant age ? 
 The answer is, No ! We must call to our aid the result 
 of literary research into ancient civilizations, customs, 
 religions, and symbology ; and by careful comparison 
 we shall soon discover the key which we require. For 
 there is a great mass of research and literature now 
 available for those who really desire to get at the truth. 
 
 And when we do this we shall find that the collection 
 of writings known as the Bible, constitutes but one of a 
 number of records which are all derived from, and based 
 upon one unifying system, known at times as the 
 Ancient Wisdom Religion, or Secret Doctrine. We shall 
 find that these teachings were always symbolical and 
 mythological ; that they have been given out from time 
 to time, and from age to age, in a form appropriate to 
 the particular nation or age for whom they were written ; 
 and that they were usually based upon some actual histo- 
 rical narrative, which thus gave a colour of hteral truth 
 to them. As in our childhood we demand fairy stories, 
 and delight in fancies, so in the spiritual childhood of a 
 man, of a nation, or a race, there is much which 
 naturally takes the form of allegory. But these alle- 
 gories are not the invention of primitive man, any more 
 than children invent their own fairy tales. They were 
 put forward by the divine hierarchy of Initiates, as the 
 only available method of presenting truths which as yet 
 could not be grasped in any other form. 
 
 And as it was with the early Initiates from whom all 
 the sacred records were originally derived, so it has 
 been with all the great teachers of whom we have his- 
 torical records. Confucius and Buddha ; Moses, Jesus, 
 
{ i6 ) 
 
 and Paul ; one and all have, had to teach in accordance 
 with the capacity of their hearers ; veiling the deeper 
 spiritual truth in a form which was comprehensible to 
 the people they addressed. Yet they have all indicated 
 plainly that there was a spiritual truth underlying the 
 form in which they taught ; they have all had their 
 esoteric doctrine, and their initiated disciples. 
 
 And this esoteric doctrine is the same all the world 
 over, and in all ages ; for it is the spiritual truth of 
 man's relation to the universe, the spiritual mystery of 
 his life and consciousness, and can only be discerned 
 and understood by those who have risen above the 
 illusions of time and sense, of matter and form. Let 
 those who deny the existence of this esoteric truth 
 explain what St. Paul means when he tells the Corin- 
 thians : " And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as 
 unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, as unto babes in 
 Christ. I fed you with milk, not with meat ; for ye were 
 not yet able to bear it : nay, not even now are ye able : 
 for ye are yet carnal." (I. Cor. iii., i.) 
 
 And it is just this esoteric truth, this inner spiritual 
 meaning of the great teachers of the world, and the 
 records they have given us, which Theosophy offers. 
 Not by any means the whole of it, for there must still 
 remain mystery within mystery, until the final triumph^ 
 but assuredly enough to point the way to those who are 
 striving after a deeper knowledge, and a purer light. 
 
 And the proof that the key which Theosophy offers 
 is the true one is its universality. The proof lies in 
 the fact, which each one must verify for himself, that it 
 does unify the records and teachings, which, taken in 
 their mere outward form, appear to be contradictory 
 and mutually destructive. 
 
 This point cannot be emphasized too strongly ; it is 
 ever the letter that killeth, but the spirit that giveth 
 life. We have learnt nothing of our own individual 
 life, or of the universe around us, until we have learnt 
 to recognise the unity which underlies diversity, 
 until we have learnt to detach the underlying spiritual 
 principle from any mere form of doctrine, from any 
 
{ 17 ) 
 
 mere arrangement of letters in the name of deity, from 
 any particular scriptural record, or conventional form 
 of worship. How many professing Christians are there 
 who can conceive of deity — using the term for the 
 ultimate spiritual basis of the manifested universe — 
 apart from the conventional name of the personal God, 
 Jehovah ? They regard with pious horror, if not with 
 contempt, the "heathen" whose conception of deity is 
 expressed in some other arrangement of letters. To 
 whisper to them the name of Brahmn is to call up in 
 their minds vague notions of idol worship, strange 
 figures of Hindu gods, and a mysterious and super- 
 stitious worship. They send missionaries to convert 
 these ignorant heathen from a worship of Brahma to a 
 worship of Jehovah, and the missionaries soon find out 
 that far from being ignorant the Brahmins are more 
 than a match for them on every point. However, they 
 send home a few^ samples of the four-headed Brahma and 
 other "idols", and these serve to keep up the pity and 
 contempt — and the subscriptions. And all the time 
 Brahma and Jehovah are essentially identical ! Even 
 exoterically, in the mere external form they are identical, 
 Jehovah as the tetragrammaton or " four-lettered word " 
 I.H.V.H. ; Brahma, as the four-headed god. To under- 
 stand this in its deeper meaning, you must understand 
 the relation between the triad and the quaternary (See 
 diagram, page 23), as symbols of the spiritual and 
 the material, the eternal and the temporal, the subjec- 
 tive and the objective. The Brahmin will explain this 
 to you, the Christian will commonly deny the whole 
 subject. 
 
 Alas ! for the illusion of forms and formulas ; how 
 shall we teach men to escape from it ? How shall we 
 combat that fatal disease which is the cause of all the 
 cruelty, intolerance and bigotry which has ever been 
 associated with the name of religion. There is only one 
 way in which it can be done — by disclosing the unifying 
 principle, the basis upon which all religions rest, and 
 from which they have all been derived. And for those 
 Avho cannot enter into the literary and critical evidences 
 
 c 
 
( i8 ) 
 
 of this unity, we must present a few easily understood 
 principles which will enable them to appreciate its 
 practical and moral aspect. And this is done in our 
 Theosophy by the doctrines of Reincarnation and 
 Karma. Reincarnation and Karma do not apply 
 merely to our individual lives, the}' are universal 
 principles. They find a reflection in our individual 
 lives, because they are universal principles ; for there is 
 nothing in man, the microcosm, that does not exist in 
 the universe, the macrocosm ; nor is there anything in 
 the universe which does not exist in man. We are 
 sometimes asked to prove the truth of Reincarnation 
 and Karma in their individual aspect by chapter and 
 verse from the Bible, but those who demand such proof 
 are those who are still in bondage to the letter, and the 
 least likely to grasp an underlying principle. What is 
 there that cannot be proved or disproved at will, by 
 taking mere isolated texts of Scripture ? " The Devil 
 can quote Scripture for his own ends ", has become a 
 proverb. And so although there are many isolated 
 texts and incidents in evidence of these doctrines as 
 applied to the individual, as for instance the reference 
 to the reincarnation of Elijah (Mat. xvii., lo) ; the 
 mystical application of the principle in John iii., 3-15; 
 and the reference to Karma operating at birth in the 
 case of the man who w^as born blind (John ix., i). In 
 this case Jesus is made to say that the blindness was not 
 the result of sin, either in the case of the man himself 
 before birth — for^t is evident that the sin which would 
 cause a man to be born blind could only be accomplished 
 in a previous life — or of his parents ; and the rest of the 
 chapter is made to turn upon this incident in order to 
 convey deeper spiritual truths, which those who read 
 the mere narrative will inevitably miss. The key to 
 the whole chapter is contained in the last three verses : 
 *' And Jesus said, For judgment came I into this world, 
 that they which see not may see ; and that they which 
 
 see may become blind The Pharisees 
 
 said unto him, Are we also blind ? Jesus safd unto them, 
 If ye were blind, ye would have no sin : but now ye say 
 
( 19 ) 
 
 we see : your sin remaineth." Thus the man who 
 was born bUnd in the narrative stands for the natural 
 spiritual blindness of those whose evolution has not yet 
 reached that point where the "works of God" became 
 manifest in them through the indwelling Christ 
 principle, the " light of the world ". To this natural 
 blindness no sin attaches, but the sin remains with 
 those who say " We see ", yet cast out of the synagogue 
 those whose eyes have really been opened by the 
 divine Master. Are there no such Pharisees to-day ? 
 The whole chapter is a good illustration of the 
 method which pertains all through the Bible. "The 
 narratives of the Doctrine are its cloak. The simple 
 look only at the garment, that is, upon the narrative of 
 the Doctrine ; more they know not. The instructed, 
 however, see not merely the cloak, but what the cloak 
 covers." And it is only when you have grasped this 
 principle, when you have understood that the genius 
 of the Bible is not in its narrative, that you will be able 
 to understand the value of the book, or harmonize it 
 with natural law, and with those factors which enter 
 into man's spiritual aspirations in all ages, and in every 
 form of religion. And when you have been able to do 
 this, you will see how the whole relation of man to the 
 universe, of humanity to divinity, which the Bible 
 discloses to those who can put aside the narrative, is 
 based on the principles of Reincarnation and Karma ; on 
 Reincarnation as the principle which is ever operating in 
 the manifestation of life, or the constant interchange 
 between the subjective and the objective, the alter- 
 nate bringing into objectivity, and as constant dis- 
 appearance into subjectivity, known to us as birth 
 and death ; on Karma as the principle of the conservation 
 of energy, or the co-relation of forces, operating between 
 the subjective and the objective, applied to the universe 
 as a whole, and to man in all his relations, physical, 
 psychic, mental, and spiritual. For just as the whole 
 objective universe comes into existence out of subjectivity, 
 so does our individual life. Nothing that exists in the 
 universe can ever cease to Be. It may change its form, 
 
( 20 ) 
 
 or disappear altogether from our present objective 
 plane of phenomena, but it is only the form which has 
 been destroyed, and death is ever coincident with 
 birth. 
 
 Let us now proceed to examine more in detail the 
 l:>ible narrative, and the key which Theosophy offers 
 for its interpretation. I cannot stay to point out 
 the application of the key to the book of GenesiSy 
 or the other writings of the Old Testament, but must 
 pass on to the more specific doctrines of Christianity^ 
 based upon the New Testament record ; and in doing 
 so, I will remark upon the solution which Theosophy 
 offers as to the supposed connection between the Old 
 and the New Testaments in the fulfilment of prophecy. 
 
 The prophetic utterances with reference to the Messiah, 
 and their supposed fulfilment in Jesus Christ, constitute 
 one of the most difficult subjects in connection with 
 Biblical criticism, as well as one of the fundamental 
 doctrines upon which Christianity rests. If there be 
 no connection between the Old and New Testaments 
 in this matter, Christianity falls to the ground. The 
 necessit}' for the coming of a Messiah according to 
 Christian doctrine was owing to the "fall" of man ; he 
 was pre-ordained, prophesied, and awaited from the 
 moment of that fall. 
 
 Now that " fall " is allegorically represented in Genesis.. 
 I am not speaking now to those who believe that the 
 whole of humanity is sinful and degraded because Eve- 
 ate an apple some six thousand years ago. There is 
 no spiritual knowledge possible for those who are so 
 wedded to the letter, for the letter kills the spirit. But 
 the question is : was there in the history of man's- 
 evolution, in his relation to the spiritual world, any- 
 thing equivalent to a ''fall"? The Esoteric Doctrine 
 answers, yes ; and explains this fall in connection 
 with certain well recognised cyclic laws of involution 
 and evolution. Spiritual man " falls " ever}^ time he 
 incarnates in physical life : for all are agreed that our 
 present state of existence is not merely temporary, but 
 subject to conditions which are much lower than those 
 
( 21 ) 
 
 of a spiritual state. And so also Adam, representing 
 generically the whole human race, " fell " from his 
 original state of freedom and purity by eating the fruit 
 of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. In other 
 words, in order that there may be evolution there must 
 be involution. Man as a spiritual being can only 
 become self-conscious through experience of " good and 
 ovil " ; that is to say, through a descent into matter 
 and physical life, by passage through those lower 
 planes of cosmic life and consciousness which consti- 
 tute the phenomenal world of manifestation, where 
 everything is inseparably connected in our conscious- 
 ness with its opposite; for it is this opposition or 
 duality in all things — good and evil, light and darkness, 
 life and death, here and there, then and now — which is 
 the basis of all phenomena. And so when we look 
 beneath the mere words of the allegory we find the 
 deepest philosophical meaning ; we have room for the 
 mind to expand towards those deeper problems of life 
 and consciousness which have occupied the profoundest 
 thinkers in all ages, and in which the mystery of our 
 spiritual life lies hidden. 
 
 But as man has fallen, so he must also rise ; and his 
 final triumph over evil, or Satan, or matter — for the 
 three are synonymous — is foreshadowed in the type of 
 the Messiah, and fully represented in the New Testa- 
 ment by the resurrected Christ. " For as in Adam all 
 die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive." (I. Cor. 
 XV., 22.) Do you suppose this refers to mere physical 
 death ? It does so apply on the lowest or physical 
 plane of consciousness, but "as above so below", and 
 there is a spiritual death as well as a physical ; they 
 are only synonymous inasmuch as every mystery in 
 ^'heaven" is repeated on "earth"; and they are not 
 coincident. 
 
 Spiritual man must "die", otherwise there could be 
 no resurrection from the dead in a spiritual sense ; and 
 since spiritual man is immortal and eternal, he "dies" 
 every time he incarnates upon this earth, for verily 
 this world is the grave of the spirit, where it sleeps, 
 
( 22 ) 
 
 unconscious of, or but dimly recollecting, its higher and 
 nobler life. 
 
 And as with the individual, so with the race. As 
 Adam is the type, so also is Christ. As the Old Testa- 
 ment deals with the history of man in his " fall'', fore- 
 shadowing at intervals his final redemption under the 
 type of the Messiah, so the New Testament is the 
 natural fulfilment of that prophecy, because it deals 
 with the nature and conditions of this redemption under 
 the type of Jesus Christ. 
 
 Is not that a natural and rational explanation of the 
 nature of prophecy, and of the connection between ihe 
 Old and the New Testaments ? You wdll see at once how 
 it places in the background, as of quite secondary im- 
 portance, all those supposed discrepancies between the 
 actual words of a prophecy, and their literal fulfilment 
 in the historical narrative of Jesus of Nazareth. We 
 pass over the lowest aspect of the question, we ignore 
 those controversial points over which such an enormous 
 amount of learning and sophistry has been expended, 
 and draw our inspiration from the deep philosophical 
 and spiritual meaning of the record. 
 
 The Old Testament contains the record of man's 
 " fall ", contains under the form of an historical allegory 
 the secret of those vast cosmic cycles b}' which spirit 
 manifests in matter, by which the divine becomes 
 human. These cycles are portrayed in the sacred 
 books of the East as the outbreathing and inbreathing 
 of Brahma. Even modern philosophy, which as yet is 
 but the echo of the ancient Wisdom, has given a hint 
 at the philosophic rationale of the " fall ". According to 
 Hegel, the "Unconscious" would never have under- 
 taken the vast and laborious task of evolving the 
 Universe, except in the hope of attaining self-conscious- 
 ness. As above so below : our individual sentient life is 
 the reflection of the macrocosmic principle. 
 
 And as in the Old Testament the divine becomes 
 human, so in the New Testament the human re-becomes 
 divine. The New Testament contains in the form of 
 an historical allegory the conditions of man's " redemp- 
 
( 23 ) 
 
 tion ", that is to say, of his return to the spiritual planes 
 of being, plus that self- consciousness, that "knowledge 
 of good and evil ", which is the purpose of his incarna- 
 tion. 
 
 The eternal law of ceaseless motion which lies at the 
 root of cosmic evolution, finds its reflection in both 
 small and great ; in the tiniest atom and in the most 
 glorious sun ; in the sentient life of the lowest organism, 
 up to man, and from man onward through all the divine 
 hierarchies to that sum total which is unnameable. 
 
 To those who are familiar with the teachings of the 
 Secret Doctrine this is readily understandable, but for the 
 sake of those who are not I must now call your attention 
 to a symbohsm which will be found to apply to these 
 principles under whatever form they may be given, 
 whether in the Bible or in other ancient records. 
 
 Considering man as dual in his nature, or spiritual 
 and material, we have as a symbol of spiritual man, a 
 triad, represented geometrically by the triangle ; and as 
 the symbol of material or physical man we have a 
 quaternary, or square. I cannot stay to explain now 
 why spiritual man is a trinity and material man a 
 quaternary, but the fact that you find it so in every 
 system, is a significant one. Now^ the three and the 
 four together make up seven, or the seven Principles of 
 man as taught in Theosophy. 
 
 7 A Atma 
 
 6 / \ Buddhi 
 =; / \ Manas 
 
 Kama 
 Prana 
 Astral 
 Physical 
 
 Spirit ] The Immortal Spiritual Man 
 Spiritual Soul [- or 
 
 Mind J Divine Ego. 
 
 Animal Soul 
 
 Vitality , ^j^g Mortal Physical Man 
 
 Double r 
 
 ^"'^y J Temporary Personality. 
 
 The three higher principles constitute the immortal, 
 divine, spiritual man ; or the individuality, the Ego 
 sum. The four lower belong to the temporary person- 
 ality of physical, material man. 
 
 At death, the four lower principles disappear, or 
 disinteo^rate into their natural elements on the four 
 
 't>' 
 
( H ) 
 
 planes to which they belong, while the consciousness of 
 the man that was is withdrawn into the higher triad. 
 At rebirth, or reincarnation, this is outbreathed again, 
 clothes itself in the elements of the four lower planes, 
 or " matter ", and becomes again a human being for the 
 purpose of a new cycle of experience. Thus you will 
 see that at every birth into this world, or at every re- 
 incarnation, there is relatively a "fall", though 
 absolutely it is a rise, on account of the experience 
 gained. Now we see this great law of cyclic motion, 
 or of outbreathing and inbreathing, in operation in 
 every form of manifestation in the universe, taking the 
 form of a law of periodicity, or of alternate subjectivity 
 and objectivit}^ ; smaller cycles operating within larger 
 ones in ever-increasing magnitude, to infinity. And 
 just as individual man in his repeated manifestations or 
 incarnations follows this law, so does the whole ot 
 humanity in its aggregate of evolution upon this earth, 
 during its period of manifestation ; and this descent into 
 matter constitutes the allegory of the Book of Genesis, 
 and is continued under other symbols in other books of 
 the Old Testament. 
 
 But man has to win his way back to his original free- 
 dom. Having entered " matter " he must hght and 
 overcome it. The necessity for reincarnation is con- 
 ditioned by his not having as yet accomplished the 
 object for w^hich the original impulse to incarnation was 
 given. When that object is accomplished, man rises as 
 the conqueror over death — because the conqueror over 
 the necessity of rebirth — as the glorified Christos, the 
 perfected Adept, or full Initiate. " Then shall come to 
 pass the saying that is written. Death is swallowed up 
 in victory." (I. Cor. xv., 54.) Audit is this victory, this 
 conquest, and the conditions under which it must be 
 obtained, which is portrayed in the New Testament. 
 
 I think I have said enough now to show the connec- 
 tion between the Old and New Testaments, and to 
 give you the clue to their interpretation ; for it is 
 impossible to do more than give the clue to those whose 
 minds are open to the underlying mysteries; and I must 
 
( 25 ) 
 
 now pass on to deal more specifically with some of the 
 doctrines based on the New Testament record. 
 
 The first thing which is necessary in doing this is 
 to dispose of the historical difficulty. There are many 
 who will accept an allegorical Adam as a type- of 
 humanity, who will not accept an allegorical and 
 typical Christ. But the one without the other is an 
 impossibility, as indeed is plainly seen in the writings 
 of St. Paul. " As we have borne the image of the 
 earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly." 
 {II. Cor. XV., 49.) There is no choice between the literal 
 personal and historical character of both, and the doc- 
 trines of the fall and atonement as taught by the Church, 
 or the allegorical and typical character of the one as of 
 the other. They are indissolubly connected, and what- 
 ever key is used for the one must be used for the other. 
 
 But the difficulty is not so great as it appears, and 
 admits of a very simple solution. Just as in the Old 
 Testament we have the historical Jewish race, into 
 whose history is cunningly woven the thread of the 
 mystical allegory of man's evolution, so in the New 
 Testament we have the historical Jesus, into whose life 
 and teachings is woven the mystical truths of the nature 
 of the divine man. There cannot be an historical Christ, 
 any more than an historical Adam ; for every man is 
 Adam, and every man will become Christos, or 
 "anointed". But we have an actual historical Jesiis^ 
 and everyone i at liberty to believe what he likes as to 
 that historical character being already Chvistos, the 
 perfect man, or Initiate. 
 
 Thus we may reconcile in whatever way we please, 
 from literary and critical evidences, the difficulties 
 which arise in the Gospel narratives respecting the 
 personality of Jesus of Nazareth, without interfering in 
 the slightest degree with the divine nature and mystery 
 of the Christ. 
 
 It will be seen at once how this disposes of the 
 importance of those difficulties over which so much 
 controversy has been wasted, during centuries of eccle- 
 siastical teaching, and which still rages in the present 
 
( 26 ) 
 
 day. The "divinity of Christ" has been the great 
 dogma of the Church, and at the same time the great 
 stumbhng-block of rational thought, simply because the 
 blind was so complete — or rather because the early Church 
 authorities were so successful in destroying the clue, so 
 that the derivation of their doctrines from the Gnostic 
 and Egyptian Mysteries could not be traced — that the 
 personal Jesus became absolutely identified with the 
 typical Christ. 
 
 But the truth cannot be withheld from the world 
 much longer. Literary and historical research, and 
 comparative symbology and mythology, is gradually 
 disclosing the fraud which has been imposed upon the 
 world for centuries. The truth will soon be clearly and 
 undeniably demonstrated, and w^hile ecclesiastical Chris- 
 tianity may remain as a remnant of superstition, the 
 truth as it is in Christ will shine forth as the spiritual 
 light upon the inmost mystery of man's nature. 
 
 The divinity of Christ is as certain as the humanity 
 of Adam. The one completes the other. If Christ was 
 not divine, then is humanity not divine ; and there is no 
 salvation possible for it. If humanity is not divine, then 
 there could have been no Christ, and all men's spiritual 
 aspirations are empty dreams. 
 
 The doctrine of the divine incarnation was taught in 
 all the Ancient Mysteries. We have the story, incident 
 by incident, almost word for w^ord as in the Gospels, in 
 many other so-called heathen systems. In the Egyptian, 
 as Horus, the son of Osiris and Isis, we have the same 
 typical Messiah in connection with a solar or astrono- 
 mical glyph. So also wdth Krishna, the son of \'ishnu 
 and Lakshmi, we have so near an approach to the 
 Gospel narrative, that it has been the greatest puzzle, 
 and has led to the most flagrant literary dishonesty, to 
 endeavour to account for the narratives, without deriv- 
 ing the one from the other. But all these difficulties 
 \anish the moment we understand the real nature of the 
 divine incarnation, and its connection with natural 
 evolution and universal laws. 
 
 And observe further how this is the bridge which 
 
{ 27 ) 
 
 spans the gulf between science and religion. We are- 
 often told that there can be no conflict between true 
 science and true religion ; yet nothing is more notorious 
 than the open conflict between the representatives of 
 the one and of the other. The Church has ever been 
 the deadliest enemy of scientific discovery, and to-day, 
 if she had the power, she would burn its votaries as she 
 did of old. But there can be no conflict with the 
 religion we now advance, based upon the relation of 
 man to the universe, instead of upon an anthropomorphic 
 God. The scientific materialist may doubt our conclu- 
 sions, but we have no quarrel wath the facts he brings 
 to light. If his special line of research blinds him to 
 higher spiritual possibilities, so much the worse for him*^ 
 but we welcome as so much gain all that he can teach 
 us as to nature's methods of w^orking. And so also in 
 other departments of research, all that is brought to 
 light is clear gain to us. There is no longer any fear 
 lest our favourite dogmas should be overturned, lest the 
 foundations of our faith should crumble to dust before 
 the advancing tide of knowledge. We welcome know- 
 ledge in every shape and form, for in knowledge there is 
 freedom, but in ignorance is superstition, fear, cruelty, 
 and death. 
 
 Let us now turn for a moment to the symbol of the 
 cross, which is supposed to be so pre-eminently origi- 
 nated by, and associated with, Christian doctrine. It 
 is a matter of secondary importance to us whether the 
 personal Jesus was or was not crucified in the manner 
 described ; as to whether he did or did not rise from the 
 grave, and appear afterwards to his disciples. The 
 speculations, and arguments, and physical probability 
 or improbability of this event may be left to those who 
 still cling to the idea of a carnalised personal Christ.. 
 Supposing for a moment that it did happen as narrated, 
 it by no means follows that the dogmas built thereon 
 are true ; but whether it did or did not happen, does 
 not interfere with the spiritual meaning and significance.. 
 Here again the Church is a blind leader of the blind. 
 We must go further and deeper, we must study symbology ,, 
 
( 28 ) 
 
 mythology, and astronomy even, before we can under- 
 stand how the symbol of the cross came to be associated 
 with spiritual man, as the Chvistos. In selecting and 
 editing the books of the New Testament as we now 
 have them, the Church took care to obliterate all traces 
 which would disclose the real source and meaning of 
 this symbol. They did more. The hordes of fanatical 
 Christians searched for and ruthlessly destroyed all the 
 ancient manuscripts, sculptures, hieroglyphs, and other 
 records which bore testimony to its use prior to the 
 Christian era. Some of the hieroglyphs, cut into the 
 hard stone of the Egyptian rock temples, which they 
 could not deface, they plastered over with stucco, thus 
 taking the very best precautions to preserve the writing 
 clear and well-defined for our use. But the evidences 
 are now too numerous to be denied, that the cross has 
 been a universal symbol in all ages. What did it 
 mean ? 
 
 The cross in its simplest form, as -f, is the gl3'ph for 
 the quaternary or square, representing as we have 
 already seen the four lower planes of consciousness, or 
 more simply, matter. Astronomically also, in conjunc- 
 tion with the circle, as it is the symbol for the 
 earth. It is also known as the " mundane cross", and 
 s expressed in various forms in different systems, as the 
 *' swastica " 4^, the "ansated cross" f , the"tau" T , &c. 
 On our three dimensional plane the square becomes 
 the cube, and the cube unfolded again displays the cross. 
 
 The two members counted separately give 
 
 us 3 and 4, or together 7 ; while the addi- 
 
 -1 tion of the three nail marks gives us the 
 
 _l| suggestion of the triangle, or the divine 
 
 man crucified on the cross of matter. 
 We shall thus see, in accordance with 
 
 what has already been explained, that 
 every incarnation of the divine spirit, whether indivi- 
 dually or collectively, constitutes of necessity a cruci- 
 fixion. The incarnated Christ must needs be crucified. 
 It is simply the summing up in one glyph, in one 
 allegory, of the whole mystery, the consummation in 
 
( 29 ) 
 
 one figurative emblem of the whole drama of human 
 existence. And as he must needs be crucified, must 
 needs descend into matter, so he must needs resurrect, 
 and re-ascend to claim his spiritual birthright. " If" 
 Christ hath not been raised, then is our preaching 
 vain." (I Cor. xv., 14.) 
 
 There are other applications and interpretations of" 
 this symbol, too numerous and complicated to enter 
 into here. Each of these symbols has seven meanings^, 
 corresponding to the seven planes of consciousness 
 through which the man passes, or in which he lives. 
 In its lowest signification the cross is a purely physio- 
 logical symbol, and as such led to its identification 
 with phallic worship. 
 
 The astronomical key, the connection of the twelve 
 tribes of Israel and the twelve apostles with the twelve 
 signs of the zodiac, and of the Messiah, in the various 
 events and characteristics of his history, with the 
 yearly passage of the sun through these twelve signs, is 
 full of interest and significance. Some writers having 
 discovered this astronomical key in connection with the 
 Messiah, and its equal apphcation to other mythical 
 characters, more particularly to Osiris and Horus, in 
 the Egyptian system, have supposed that this was the 
 real source and origin of the Christian Mythos, and the 
 only explanation of which it is capable. The Secret 
 Doctrine, however, draws aside the veil from some of the 
 other interpretations, gives the clue to other of the 
 seven keys, and thereby raises it once more from the 
 physical and material into the psychic and spiritual. 
 
 The symbolism of the zodiac was, and still is, one of 
 the greatest secrets of the Mysteries. It is the type of 
 that great law, which, operating universally in periodic 
 cycles, brings about that change which we call evolution. 
 Working eternally througti the material basis of the 
 universe, through "root substance", it brings to life 
 and brings to death, and brings to life again. Atoms 
 and worlds, organic life in every phase, from tiniest 
 cell, from the first germs of sentient hie onward through 
 all its grades, from the first dawn of individual con- 
 
( 30 ) 
 
 sciousness, chroiigh plant and animal, to men and gods : 
 this great law holds its sway. Cycle within cycle in 
 ever-widening magnitude, until the mind of man is lost 
 in contemplation of the infinite ; and yet, through all 
 and in all such unity and harmony that could we but 
 •see and understand, we should find at every mathematical 
 point in space — the whole universe. And thus one 
 type stands for all, one S3mibology is of universal appli- 
 cation ; and were we wise as those ancient sages who 
 gave to the world that symbology, of which we have now 
 but the broken fragments, we should indeed be able to 
 read man's destiny in the stars. 
 
 We must now turn our attention for a few moments 
 to the Christian doctrine of the Atonement, or as it 
 ought more properly to be called, the at-one-ment. I 
 am not supposing now that any of my hearers are 
 believers in the dogma that the actual sufferings of a 
 physical Christ were the propitiation of an angry God. 
 One would think that the actual sufferings of humanity 
 itself since the " fall " was propitiation enough to satisfy 
 any God with a sense of justice at least equal to our 
 own. But be that as it may, I must now show that this 
 doctrine, grossly as it has been materialized, can still 
 he reconstructed on esoteric lines. 
 
 Turn to our diagram of the seven principles of man. 
 (Page 23.) We have spiritual or divine man as a 
 trinity, corresponding to the supreme divine trinity which 
 is found in every ancient system, and from which the 
 Christian trinity was derived, and ultimately promul- 
 gated as a dogma when Athanasius triumphed over 
 Arius. Now in this trinity of Atma-Buddhi-Manas, 
 Atma corresponds to the "Father" and "Manas" to 
 the " Son ". Manas is always spoken of as the incar- 
 nating Ego, that which is the informing principle of our 
 successive re-births upon earth. This statement how- 
 ever is only partial in its application. The mystery of 
 the trinity, the three in one and the one in three, is 
 repeated on earth. Atma-Buddhi-Manas are not three 
 but one, yet viewed relatively, or in their individual 
 capacity, they have to be treated as separate entities. 
 
( 31 ) 
 
 A very familiar analogy will illustrate this, and indeed, 
 under the form of "divine ideation," lies at the root of 
 this metaphysical trinity. Wherever you have a thinker^ 
 you must also have a thought and a thing thought of. You 
 cannot separate these three, the one cannot exist with- 
 out the other, yet each of these three principles may be 
 individualized and treated separately. In other words, 
 wherever there is the action of conscious intelligence, 
 whether of God or man, there must be a trinity. Now 
 just as Manas is an individualized aspect of Atma — the 
 seventh or highest, the one universal principle, or 
 synthesis of all the others — being so to speak a ray oi 
 Mahat, or universal mind, so our personal consciousness, 
 the thinking principle of the lower quaternary — -or in 
 short, ourselves — is but an individualized aspect, or ray 
 of Manas. In other words, Manas, the divine Ego, is 
 not comprised in the personality, but overshadows and 
 guides it. We have already seen that in doing this it 
 is symbolically crucified on the cross of matter, for it 
 attaches to itself and becomes responsible for all the 
 deeds of the personality, good or evil. Thus it is truly 
 the sacrificial victim, suffering for our transgressions, 
 for the sins of humanity. 
 
 And observe how the only hope of salvation for the 
 personality — for ourselves— the onl}-^ way in which we 
 can escape from the evil of matter, from the "great 
 illusion", the "great deceiver" — or in short the Devil — 
 the only way in which we can reach that perfection of 
 our humanity which is typified in Christ : is by union 
 with our Alter Ego, our Higher Self; or by means of that 
 indwelling Christ which Paul preached. If we persist- 
 ently turn from the light, if we refuse to follow the 
 promptings of our conscience, and choose the path of 
 evil, we weaken more and more the bond which connects 
 the higher with the lower, until at last perchance the 
 link is snapped, and there is no longer an}?- possibility 
 of salvation. This is the " sin against the Holy Ghost ". 
 
 Observe how this is taught all through St. John's 
 Gospel. "I am the way, and the truth, and the life : 
 no one cometh unto the Father, but throusfh Me " 
 
32 ) 
 
 (John xiv., 6). For as Manas is one with Atma, we can 
 only reach the latter, or the " Father " through union 
 with Manas. And this is something which must take 
 place here and now, by our own conscious efforts, and 
 not as a miraculous dispensation of " providence ". At 
 death all that is spivitual in our character becomes 
 indrawn, so to speak, by the overshadowing Ego. All 
 that belongs to the four lower principles is dissolved 
 and disintegrated, or awaits us as Karma for our next 
 rebirth, while the personal consciousness realises in full 
 all its spiritual aspirations in a state of bliss or 
 " Heaven ". But this is only possible to the extent to 
 which each individual has cherished and intensified 
 those aspirations. Each one goes to his appointed 
 place, or rather state. The judgment book is opened, 
 the imperishable record of every thought and deed, 
 traced in the great law of cause and effect, will assign 
 to each his appropriate reward, and in rebirth his appro- 
 priate penalty. Let none hope to escape the law of 
 absolute justice. 
 
 " It seeth everywhere and marketh all : 
 
 Do right — it recompenseth ! do one wrong — 
 The equal retribution must be made, 
 Though Dharma tarry long. 
 
 It knows no wrath nor pardon ; utter true 
 
 Its measures mete, its faultless balance weighs ; 
 
 Times are as nought, to-morrow it will judge. 
 Or after many days." 
 
 And if we would escape rebirth, if we would triumph 
 over death and the cross, we can only do so by this 
 perfect union with our Higher Self, with the Christ 
 within us. And just as the accomplishment of this 
 individually is the complete union of the personality 
 with the higher triad, so for the race collectively it is 
 the return of that cycle when spirit will once more 
 triumph over matter, typified in the New Testament as 
 the " second coming of Christ." And then the " Son " 
 having accomplished his work, becomes once more one 
 with the " Father". This is the Pralaya, or " inbreath- 
 ing of Brahma", in Eastern phraseology; while St, 
 
( 33 ) 
 
 Paul expresses it by saying: "And when all things 
 have been subjected unto him, then shall the Son also 
 himself be subjected to him that did subject all things 
 unto him, that God may be all in all " (I. Cor., xv., 
 28). 
 
 Read the mystical Gospel of St. John in the light of 
 this interpretation, and see what a flood of light it 
 throws upon the constant references to the relationship 
 between the " Father "and the " Son", personified in Jesus. 
 The "Father" of John's Gospel never was and never 
 can be the personal tribal God of the Israelites — Jehovah; 
 although the Church has fathered him upon Christen- 
 dom. The sayings and claims of Jesus are absurd when 
 personified, but are pregnant with meaning, and the 
 deepest truth when applied to universal principles. 
 "As the living Father sent me, and I live because of 
 the Father ; so he that eateth me, he also shall live 
 because of me. This is the bread which came down 
 from heaven : not as the fathers did eat, and died : he 
 that eateth this bread shall live for ever ". (John vi. 57.) 
 This passage bears on the face oJ it its mystical and 
 figurative character. Yet because the Church has 
 materialized it, and succeeded in imposing upon the 
 world a personal Christ, it has given rise to some of the 
 grossest forms of superstitious ritual. 
 
 The Pharisees of old were the representatives of all 
 that was narrow, formal, mechanical, and material in 
 religion. They practised a ritual from which the spirit 
 had fled, of which the key had been lost ; they made 
 clean the outside of the vessel, but inwardly it was full 
 of extortion and wickedness. And so it was the 
 Pharisees who cried out, " Crucify him ! Crucify him !" 
 Do you suppose that was merely an historical event, or 
 rather that it stood as the type of what happens in all 
 ages, when the truth is sacrificed at the hands of 
 formalism and bigotry. The crucifixion as we have 
 already seen, stands for the descent of spirit into 
 matter, in whatever aspect we may regard it ; whether 
 definitely and individually in our own nature, or in 
 a more abstract way as the bringing into objectivity, 
 
( 34 ) 
 
 the giving shape and form, or the representation on the 
 hmited and conditioned plane of materiahty, of univer- 
 sal spiritual principles. So, whenever we endeavour to 
 give these spiritual mysteries a definite shape and 
 form, to confine them within the limits of some system, 
 of some cut and dried formula, of some dogma and 
 creed, we crucify the divine on the cross of matter. 
 . And as it was with the Pharisees, so it is with the 
 church to-day. It daily and hourly cries out : 
 " Crucify him ! Crucify him ! " In every promulgation 
 of its dogmas ; in every frantic effort which it makes 
 to stay the advancing tide of knowledge, and keep back 
 the truth from mankind ; in every anathema it utters 
 against those who have awakened to a sense of the 
 deeper mysteries of their being, and seeking in vain for 
 any light in christian teachings have turned elsewhere : 
 the Church crucifies the Son of God afresh, and puts 
 him to an open shame. 
 
 We do not deny or destroy christian doctrine ; we 
 affirm and re-estabhsh it. It is the church which 
 destroys it by making it limited and conditioned ; refus- 
 ing to recognise its elasticity and application to natural 
 laws and universal principles. All that belongs to the 
 world of form and formulas is subject to change, decay, 
 death. There can be no change in Truth; yet nothing 
 is more palpable than the ever-fluctuating value oi 
 what is termed — orthodoxy. Nothing is of less value to- 
 day than the teachings of the church in its practical 
 influence on the conduct and social relations of the 
 nation. The vast majority of thinkers are alienated 
 from the church, the masses are scarcely touched by its 
 influence. Those who profess, do not practice ; they 
 quietly ignore everything in the teaching's of Jesus which 
 would interfere with their social affairs. All that affects 
 our social relationships is decided on grounds of expe- 
 diency which have no special basis in Christian doctrine. 
 The Church itself has decided that it shall be so. 
 What it teaches has reference to a future life, to a 
 future spiritual state, not to the eternal spiritual 
 present. It has no ethical standard which is not found 
 
( 35 ) 
 
 elsewhere, for on those very points where the ethics of 
 Jesus are in advance of the common morals of expedi- 
 ency, it tacitly admits, and even expressly declares, 
 that they are impvacticahle. If one tithe of professing 
 christians believed all that they profess, there would 
 be no " submerged tenth." 
 
 We have no quarrel with the sincere and devout 
 religionist, with those who are striving to the best of 
 their ability, with the light they have, to live up to 
 their ideal. There are hundreds of thousands w4io 
 cannot in the nature of the case enter into the esoteric 
 teachings. The truth must be presented to theni in 
 some familiar and understandable form, otherwise it is 
 a dead letter, and a sealed book. To many, the personal 
 Saviour is a living reality, because they have made it 
 such by daily and hourly dwelling upon the ideal. To 
 ruthlessly destroy that ideal, without substituting an 
 equivalent, might lead to untold evil. Let us deal 
 gently and carefully with such. 
 
 Nor is there any need to destroy that ideal which is 
 so dear to many sincere christians. The personal 
 attachment to the life and character of Jesus of Nazareth 
 may still remain in all degrees and forms. It even 
 becomes greater and stronger when we understand the 
 true nature of his divinity, and the true nature of his 
 humanity. Jesus Christ is both human and divine, 
 because we are such. 
 
 Understand this matter well — Jesus is the personal 
 historical character, Chvist is the type, which has been 
 grafted upon and associated with that character. Chvist, 
 the " second Adam", could no more be historical than 
 the " first Adam " ; and those who have accepted the 
 mythical and allegorical character of the one, have no 
 choice but to do so for the other. Both are types of 
 humanity. " The first man is of the earth, earthy : the 
 second man is of heaven. As is the earthy, such are 
 they also that are earthy ; and as is the heavenly, such 
 are they also that are heavenly. And as we have home 
 the image of the earthy, we shall also hear the image of the 
 heavenly ". (I Cor. xv. 47.) 
 
( 36 j 
 
 There always has been and niust_be an exoteric and 
 an esoteric ; a religion for the masses, an initiation lor 
 the few. But when we see the blind leading the blind 
 we are bound to step in. Even as Jesus denounced the 
 Scribes and Pharisees of his time, so we are bound to 
 denounce the formalism and bigotry of to-day. The 
 Church has no esoteric doctrine, no initiated priesthood. 
 To-day the priest nominates himself; his qualihcations 
 are for the most part social or sermonizing. Read the 
 hlth chapter of the Epistle to the Hebrews, as to the 
 connection between Christ and Melchizedek as the type 
 of the high priest, of whom Paul says : " We have many 
 things to say, and hard of inteypretation, seeing ye are 
 become dull of hearing. Eor when by reason of the 
 time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need again that 
 someone teach you the rudiments of the hrst principles 
 of the oracles ol God, and are become such as have need 
 of milk, and not of sohd food.'" (Heb. v., ii.) And so 
 history repeats itself. 
 
 but those who would understand that ''wisdom 
 hidden in a mystery," which Paul preached, and which 
 may still be discerned like a thread of gold running 
 through his Epistles, sadly as they have been tampered 
 with, must lay aside the "weak and beggarly elements" 
 which hold men in bondage to the letter. And it is 
 only when you have done this that you will know what 
 IS that "glorious liberty of the gospel of Christ," which 
 Paul preached. " Ye observe days, and months, and 
 oeasons, and years ", he says : " 1 am afraid of you lest 
 by any means 1 have bestowed labour upon you in vain." 
 (Oal. IV., lo.) It is only when we can say with Paul, 
 " I have been crucihed with Christ; yet I live; and 
 yet no longer I, but Christ liveth in me" (Gal. ii., 20), 
 that we can lay claim to be either Christians or Theoso- 
 phists. Paul meant just what Theosophists mean when 
 they speak of union with their Highcv Self. 
 
 "O foohsh Galatians'" — he says again — "Who did 
 bewitch you before whose eyes Jesus Christ was openly 
 set lorth crucihed; " that is to say: to whom he had 
 openly taught the knowledge of the mystic Christ, 
 
( 37 ) 
 
 which had been kept a profound secret hitherto by the 
 initiated Gnostics; for he adds : " Are ye so fooHsh ? 
 having begun in the spirit, do ye now make an end in 
 the flesh '" ? ; that is to say, having begun with the 
 highest or spiritual signification, do ye now return to 
 the outward worship of a carnal Christ ? Nor is it 
 difficult to trace the connection between these words 
 and the relation of Paul's teachings to those of Peter 
 ^nd the other apostles who founded the Church of 
 Rome. Paul w^as an Initiate and a Gnostic. Just as 
 St. John's Gospel is Gnostic, so are St. Paul's Epistles ; 
 and in spite of the interpolations and emendations 
 which w^ere made by the Church Fathers before they 
 w^ould allow them to be placed in the Canon, the fact 
 cannot be disguised when once the clue is found. It 
 was Peter, and those Avho with him, as apostles of the 
 " circumcision "', preached a personal and carnal Christ, 
 against whom Paul warned the Galatians. The 
 subject is too large to deal with here, but it is necessary 
 to give this hint in order that the question of Christian 
 doctrine, derived from the authority of the church may 
 be understood. 
 
 I have thus traversed briefly the whole ground of 
 Biblical narrative in its connection with Christian 
 doctrine. I have shown how every doctrine— inspira- 
 tion and prophecy, the fall and the redemption, the 
 crucifixion and the resurrection, the divinity of Christ 
 and the atonement— are one and all susceptible of an 
 esoteric interpretation. How these doctrines are based 
 upon earlier teachings, known as the Mystevies or Gnosis, 
 but were perverted and obscured by the Church, until 
 finally the key was lost, and the Church, gaining the 
 temporal powder it coveted, imposed upon the world 
 those dogmas which have ever been synonymous with 
 all that is most opposed to the teachings of Jesus of 
 Nazareth, and Paul the Apostle. 
 
 All that I have been able to do however is to point out 
 the landmarks, to give the clue to the complicated and 
 intricate question of Biblical history and authority. To 
 those who are familiar with the endless controversies on 
 
( 38 ) 
 
 the subject, with the frantic efforts "which are made to 
 reconcile legend with history, and the supernatural 
 element with the known laws and facts of nature, this 
 interpretation may come like cool and refreshing w^aters 
 m a parched and arid desert. If they will follow up the 
 clue they \vill find that the difficulties are but mirage — 
 illusion. They will rise to a high and serene level of 
 thought where such contentions cannot affectthem. They 
 will " shun foolish questionings, and genealogies, and 
 strifes, and fightings about the law ; for they are unprofit- 
 able and vain." And Paul adds to this a piece of advice 
 which Theosophists would do well to remember : "A 
 man that is factious after a first and second admonition 
 — avoid." (Titus 3, g.) It is impossible to teach the 
 underlying spiritual truth to those who are still in 
 bondage to the law, to those who have not yet cast 
 aside the material form, but can rise to no higher ideal 
 than that of a material heaven of endlessj-enjoyment, 
 and an equally material hell of endless torment. 
 
 It is time that the Christian world should lay aside 
 the spell wdiich has been so long cast over it. It is time 
 that all thinking men should awake to the spiritual 
 realities which constitute the ever-present now. And 
 it is the work of Theosophy to lead the way in this 
 spiritual revival ; to free mankind from ignorance, 
 superstition, sin, and death. Would that it might ring 
 through the world like a trumpet-call — " AWAKE 
 THOU THAT SLEEPEST, AND ARISE FROM 
 THE DEAD, AND CHRIST SHALL SHINE 
 UPON THEE." 
 
( 39 
 
 THE THEOSOPHICAL SOCIETY. 
 
 The Theosophical Society was formed at New York, 
 November 17th, 1875. Its founders believed that the 
 best interests of Rehgion and Science would be 
 promoted by the revival of Sanskrit, Pali, Zend, and 
 other ancient literature, in which the Sages had 
 preserved for the use of mankind truths of the highest 
 value respecting man and nature. A Society of an 
 absolutely unsectarian character, whose work should be 
 amicably prosecuted by the learned of all races, in a 
 sp)irit of unselfish devotion to the research of truth, and 
 with the purpose of disseminating it impartially, 
 seemed likely to do much to check materialism and 
 strengthen the waning spirit of true Religion, Science, 
 and Philosophy. The simplest expression of the objects 
 of the Society is the following : — 
 
 First. — To form the nucleus of a Universal Brotherhood oj 
 Humanity, without distinction of race, creed, sex, caste, or 
 colour. 
 
 Second. — To promote the study of Aryan and other Eastern 
 literatures, religions, philosophies, and sciences, and to demon- 
 strate their importance to Humanity. 
 
 Third. — To investigate imexplained laws of nature and the 
 psychical pollers latent in man. 
 
 The Theosophical Society is not connected with any 
 creed or party. Its members are united by the bond of 
 a common ideal — Brotherhood ; by a common rule of 
 conduct — the attempt to realize that ideal ; and by a 
 common study — that set forth in the second and third 
 *' Objects " stated above. The acceptance of these 
 latter, however, is optional with members. 
 
 Those who join the Society are asked to part with no 
 rehgious or other beliefs, consistent with a respect for, 
 and toleration of the beliefs of other members. Few 
 
( 40 ) 
 
 persons are without a preference for some form of creed 
 or doctrine, not accepted by others, who are, intellec- 
 tually and morally, their equals. But the motto of the 
 Theosophical Society, " There is no religion higher 
 than Truth," forbids all bigotry or exclusiveness, by 
 holding up as the goal of effort something which lies 
 above and beyond all systems, whether of philosophy, 
 religion, or science — which admit of any doubt or 
 question. Thus there are in its ranks, and cooperating 
 in its work, followers of the most divergent schools of 
 thought— Christians, Buddhists, Hindus, Parsees, 
 Alahommedans, Freethinkers, etc. 
 
 The promoters of the Society's objects do not even 
 dream of being able to establish upon earth during 
 their time an actual Brotherhood of peoples and 
 governments. But what they do hope and mean to 
 achieve is to induce a large body of the more reasonable 
 and better educated persons of all races and religious 
 groups extant, to accept and put into practice the 
 theory that by mutual help and a generous tolerance of 
 each other's pre-conceptions, mankind will be largely 
 benefited and the chances of discovering hidden truth 
 immensely increased. The policy they advocate is that 
 of benevolent reciprocity — the Golden Rule of " doing 
 as one v/ould be done by," which was preached by most 
 of the great Sages of old, and has been the watchword 
 of true philanthropists in all epochs. They go on 
 sowing this seed, leaving it to germinate in the fulness 
 of time and to ultimately bear a rich harvest for the 
 coming generations. 
 
 The Society, then, represents not any one creed, but 
 all creeds; not one, but every branch of science. It is 
 the opponent of bigotry, superstition, credulity, and 
 dogmatism wherever found or by whomsoever taught. 
 So, also, it is the opponent of vice in every form and 
 of all that tends to feed or propagate it. It expects 
 every one who becomes a member to avoid doing what 
 will be likely to throw discredit upon the Society and 
 dishonour his fellow-members, \\liile it does not look 
 for saint-like perfection in applicants for membership, 
 
( 41 ) . 
 
 it does hope, by holding up to them the ideal of a 
 nobler Humanity, to make them ashamed of their vices 
 and eager to extirpate them. 
 
 As regards the possibility of acquiring spiritual 
 knowledge and powers, it is enough to remark here that 
 we learn from a study of the literature of the past that 
 the Ancients gained great psychical powers and a deep 
 insight into Nature's secrets, and working by the rules 
 they laid down, modern experience confirms many of 
 their claims. 
 
 Theosophy. 
 
 The mystical philosoph)- which gives its name to 
 the Society, and is vaguely known under the general 
 title '• Theosophy ", is put forward by certain members 
 as at once a result of and an incentive to that particular 
 line of study described in " Objects " 2 and 3. They 
 believe that the doctrines, or leading ideas, of Theosophy, 
 both Eastern and Western, are especially worthy of 
 attention at the present time, as suggesting the probable 
 solution of many of the most vexed religious, social, 
 and scientific questions of the day. An extensive 
 literature has sprung up in connection with the 
 Theosophical movement, in which many of these ideas 
 are explained and discussed. 
 
 It must be borne in mind, however, that these 
 doctrines are not advanced as dogmas, but merely as 
 reasonable hypotheses throwing light upon many 
 phases and conditions of life which otherwise appear 
 incomprehensible or inconsistent. The Theosophical 
 Society aims at assisting its members by the 
 spread of literature, and by all other methods within 
 its power, in their search after Truth. But the 
 Theosophical Society itself formulates no creed, and is 
 not bound down to any doctrines. It places no 
 restriction upon its members beyond that of loyalty to 
 its one fundamental principle of thought and action — 
 Universal Brotiierhood ; nor is it as a society account- 
 
( 42 ) 
 
 able for the opinions expressed by any of its members. 
 It may, however, be stated that the majority of the 
 members, as individuals, believe that the realization of 
 this first object of the Theosophical Society can best be 
 attained by a thorough grasp of the principles of 
 Theosophy, which, in their opinion, place Universal 
 Brotherhood on a scientific and logical basis. 
 
 THE EUROPEAN SECTION OF THE 
 THEOSOPHICAL SOCIETY. 
 
 The Theosophical Society has many branches scattered 
 over the world, and in America as w^ell as in India, 
 enough already to make it possible for a Theosophist 
 to find in almost every large city a group of brother 
 Theosophists to welcome him. 
 
 The Lodges and Unattached Members in Europe 
 form the European Section of the Society. This 
 Section has its Headquarters at 19, Avenue Road, 
 Regent's Park, London, N.\\'., where inquirers can 
 obtain all information. Inquirers and members at a 
 distance are assisted by being placed in correspondence 
 with other members of the Society. 
 
 All inquiries and correspondence should be addressed 
 to: 
 
 The General Secretary, 
 
 19, Avenue Road, 
 
 Regent's Park, 
 London, N.W. 
 
 To assist students of Theosophy, the following list of 
 books has been drawn up for their guidance, so as to 
 form a graduated course of reading on the subject : 
 
 scientific and philosophical. £ s. d. 
 
 The Key to Theosophy, by H. P. Blavatsky 060 
 Esoteric Buddhism, by A. P. Sinnett -040 
 
( 43 ) 
 
 Reincarnation, by E. D. Walker - -036 
 
 The Purpose of Theosopliy, by Mrs. A. P. 
 
 Sinnett - - - - -036 
 
 Isis Unveiled (2 vols.), by H. P. Blavatsky -220 
 Echoes from the Orient, by Wm. Q. Judge -030 
 The Secret Doctrine (2 vols.), by H. P. 
 
 Blavatsky - - - -220 
 
 MYSTICAL AND METAPHYSICAL. 
 
 The Voice of the Silence, by H. P. Blavatsky 026 
 The Bhagavad-Gita - - -046 
 
 Patanjali's Yoga Sutras - - -036 
 
 The following low-priced pamphlets are also recom- 
 mended : 
 
 Wilkesbarre Letters on Theosophy - - 6d. 
 
 Epitome of Theosophical Teachings - - 3d. 
 
 The Higher Science . - - - 2d. 
 
 The Old Wisdom-Religion - - - 6d 
 
 Theosophy and its Evidences - - 3d. 
 
 May be obtained from the Theosophical Publishing Society, 
 7, Duke Street, Adelphi, London, W.C. 
 
 THEOSOPHICAL SIFTINGS. 
 
 Annual Subscription 5/-. 
 
 [The Fourth Year commenced /uafch 1891). 
 
 A series of 18 deeply interesting pamphlets on Theosophy, 
 Mysticism and Occultism are issued every year and are sent post 
 free to subscribers as they appear. 
 
 Subscribers to the Siftings have the use of the 
 T.P.S. Library, paying 2d. per week for the loan ol 
 books. Carriage extra. Send stamp for Library 
 Catalogue. 
 
 THE THEOSOPHICAL PUBLISHING SOCIETY, 
 7, Duke Street, Adelphi, London, YI,C, 
 
THE THEOSOPHICAIi PUBLISHING SOCIETY, 
 7, Duke street, Adelphi, London, \Sr.C. 
 
 s. d. 
 Gems from the East, a Birthday Book, compiled. 
 
 By H.P.B - - - - 3 6 
 
 Nature's Finer Forces. By Rama Prasad - 3 6 
 
 In the Pronaos of the Temple. By Franz 
 
 Hartmann, M.D. - - - 7 6 
 
 The Life and Teachings of Jacob Boehme. By 
 
 Franz Hartmann, M.D. - - - 10 6 
 
 The IflTonder-Light, and other tales - -30 
 
 The Astral Light. By Nizida - - 2 6 
 
 The Transactions of the Blavatsky Lodge. Parti. 1 6 
 
 The Transactions of the Blavatsky Lodge. Part II. 1 O 
 
 Glossary of Terms used in the Key to Theosophy 1 
 
 Lucifer : The best Occult Magazine, edited by 
 
 H. P. Blavatsky and Annie Besant, monthly 1 6 
 
 Numbers: Their Occult power and Mystic 
 Virtue. By VI. Vlynn Westcott - - 4 
 
 The Mystery of the Ages. By Countess Caith- 
 ness - - - - - 8 6