Glass _BEUM Book_Jk<2 Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2011 with funding from The Library of Congress http://www.archive.org/details/answerstoeverrecOOdavi ... ANSWERS EVER-BECTJBBING QUESTIONS FROM THE PEOPLE (|^ gjeqxul to tlje penetralia.) BY ANDREW JACKSON" D .A. V I S. ATJTH0B. OF SEVERAL VOLUMES ON THE HARMOXIAL PHILOSOPHY. "Each, man is capable of rendering high service to humanity ; but whether humanity gets it from him, or the reverse, will ever remain for the world to decide. Now here am I, acting faithfully in accordance with my personalities and its boundaries. If you know how to use me, as my nature prescribes, I shall then yield you a permanent benefit ; but, if in your ignorance of yourself, (and, therefore, of me), you do not put me to the bes', service, you will soon feel the penalty.'' — Penetralia, p. 16. 1: J . DAVIS & No. 274 CANAL STREET 1862. ^ A- J. /S6 Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1862, BY ANDREW JACKSON DAVIS, In the Clerks Office of the District Court of the United States, in and for the Southern District of New York. 2 / HERALD OF PROGRESS" PRINT, 274 Canal St., New York \ PE E FAC E It may interest the reader, before entering upon an examination of this volume, to know what brought it into existence. About six years ago, I published a book entitled " The Penetra- lia." It was filled with replies to questions put by investigators who have been developed and multiplied, to an unexampled extent, by that extraordinary and influential movement of modern days, commonly denominated " Spiritual." In that volume is the following languago : " The author does not presume to believe that his replies will be either final or gratifying to those who occupy different positions in regard to the several subjects considered- and yet his spirit is ani- mated with the hope that, to such minds, the following pages may suggest, even more than they express, high thoughts and saving principles." That the " replies' 7 communicated in that book were neither fiual nor sufficient in variety to meet the ever-rising necessities of man's immortal mind, is proved by the appearance of this volume. Here are presented newly awakened " Answers " to newly arisen " Ques- tions," which have been freely and frequently put to the author during the last three years. The following interrogatories, which have not been replied to in any previous volume, are selected from a formida- ble pile of correspondence. Hundreds of questions have reached the author from persons who have not read anything on the subject. To such, the Answers hereby imparted will come like a revelation from LV preface. a new world of Truth • while to those who have read and investi- gated, the following pages will seem " familiar as household words.'* But the thinking, progressive public, will find in this volume many new, curious, useful, and interesting truths touching the great facts of Future Existence. These truths are to men's minds what air, light, and moisture are to grains, grasses, flowers and fruit — the means of fertility and expansion. Sometimes a single sentence will illuminate the uneducated and unhappy mind, as a single flash of lightning will light up a dark and dreary forest. I have not written with the fear of public opinion before my eyes, but have approached the " Questions ;; with the conviction that " the withholding of large truths from the world may be a betrayal of the greatest trust." That this sequel to the " Penetralia ;; may bring new light into the world, and be the means of spiritual growth and happiness to man- kind, is my very earnest prayer. A. J. DAVIS. New York, October, 1862. ANSWERS QUESTIONS FROM THE PEOPLE Mission of the True Spiritualist. I. — Question : " What is the position of the true Spiritualist ? Is it possible for hini to remain indifferent to the welfare of mankind ? Does not such a faith tend to render its recipients wiser, happier, and more useful ? ;; Answer : Light is pouring in from the eternal Spheres. It flings its radiance on every passing eye. The weary, benighted traveler beholds it afar off. Nature, with an impartial hand, scatters her truths everywhere ; the same at the poles as beneath the equator ; and thus the whole globe is abundantly filled with their beauty and fragrance. Unhappy, indeed, is that mind which can neither see their proportions nor enjoy their hallowed magnetic principles. Those immortal truths which " heal, and soothe, and bless, Are scattered at the feet of man. like flowers." Do they not deserve universal attention ? They are gentle in their lovingness, delightful in their fragrance, magical in their tender touches of wisdom, sublime in their moun- 6 ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS. tainous grandeur, holy in their significant teachings, and God-like in their boundless magnificence and eternal power. In such truths we perceive the "breath of Nature, and behold her endless bloom." She unbosoms her every grace to the truth-worshipper. Her disclosures are to those only who love her wisely ; to the uncertain child, the ruthless man, " her face is vailed " both day and night. But to her devoted lovers, Nature is lavish and tender forever, and she is also just in all her requirements. To the true Spiritualist (using the term in its largest sense) are vouchsafed those immortal principles of Truth, which exalt humanity and enrich eternity. The positive radiance of individual immortality, breaking with infinite light and luster upon this unhappy world, reveals our manifold imperfections. Antiquated errors, and time- cemented systems of injustice and wrong, betray their hideous proportions. The abundance of good light exhibits the darkness of evil in every place and nation. That mind which has stricken off the shackles of mental slavery, and which, with new-born gladness, realizes the eternal dignity and birthright of individual life, is certain to sing the songs of Freedom and of boundless Reform. Hence, it is the undoubted province of the true Spirit- ualist to reverence the principles of Progression, and, at the same tiuie, to stand like a mountain of adamant against the regressive waves of superstition. Perforce of his powerful convictions, and in consequence of the incessant urgings to righteous conduct emanating from his best guardians in the Spirit Land, the believer is, of necessity, an opponent to church-taught errors. A higher concep- tion of Father-God dawns upon his awakened understand- ing. Instead of infinite rage and inconceivable torments, of implacable wrath and unmerciful justice in the universe, MISSION OP THE TRUE SPIRITUALIST. 7 the true Spiritualist sees an unchangeably perfect Fount- ain of deific principles, consisting of equal parts of Love and Wisdom, by which the stupendous whole, with its countless families of life, is enlivened and progressively carried onward forever. Nothing is lost; everything is saved. " Not a sparrow falleth " beyond the realm of pro- gressive law. The infinite good pervades and persuades the material universe, which is the source of every imperfection. Mind is positive to matter ; therefore good (or God) is the master of evil (or matter); consequently, in opposition to all church-errors the Spiritualist must plant himself. He involuntarily works for the prevalence of the best thoughts and ideas. The principles of eternal and all-saving Progression are as dear to his heart as is the spirit of God to the bosom of Mother Nature. Won- der not, therefore, if the Spiritualist, instead of preaching "hell and heaven" to the world, proclaims the gospel of eternal advancement, with the philosophical effects attend- ing man's disobedience. Again, the Spiritualist must of necessity be an unselfish friend of good political government. He cannot vote for a well-known conservative in matters of national import. Although his worldly interests say one thing, and, notwith- standing the inducements of his most deeply-cherished acquaintances, the hand of the true Spiritualist will act responsive to his divine light. The degradations and dis- cordances of the world, and the everywhere visible causes of human unhappiness, move the noble nature to righteous deeds. He yearns for the universal realization of true spiritual and physical freedom. The palaces of the kings are nothing compared with the mansions of happiness in immortal spheres. The Presidential chair is a contempti- ble niche in the nation's structure compared with a seat in 8 ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS. the golden chariot of spiritual progression. The honor of the first is like the rosy tints on spring flowers, which excite and please for the brief season only ; but the honor of comprehending a truth is dignifying to the soul forever ; while no truth, even with worldly distinctions, is attended with selfish action and ultimate disgrace. The true Spirit- ualist, consequently, is a political reformer. But there is a work in which the true Spiritualist may be the agent of inconceivable benefit to the race. His truth-invigorated soul, while living and laboring practi- cally amid the din and bustle of the rudimental world, is lifted to a loftier sphere of communion. The summum bonum of his existence is not " to eat, drink, and be merry, for to-morrow we die ; " but, while doing justice to the physical opportunities of present life, he never sinks down beneath his manhood's noble station. He sees the great work of the world. With the poet he says : " Ages pass away, Thrones fall, and nations disappear, and worlds Grow old and go to wreck; the soul alone Endures, and what she chooseth for herself, The arbiter of her own destiny, That only shall be permanent." Impressed with the sublimity of this truth, the Spiritualist is prepared to stand unmoved and sweet-spirited amid the conflicting elements of sects and parties. His earnestness is deep as the- sea, and his opposition to prevailing errors may be mighty as that of truth itself. Yet it is well- tempered and universally charitable. He cannot say to any man, " I am holier than thou," but he can say : " Here is what I recognize as truth. I hold it as best for all men. I did not originate it. It is yours ; it is mine ; it is universal." To be uniformly kind-hearted in his reform efforts, and NATURAL PRINCIPLES AND DEDUCTIONS. 9 forbearing with those who, less favorably organized, or more unfortunately situated, do the deeds of darkness — - such is the privilege of the true Spiritualist. No fanatical reformatory schemes ; no invasion of others' homes and territories ; no embarrassments thrown around the rights of the neighbor ; no submission to palpable injustice done by your neighbor ; do right yourself, and so help keep others on the track — thus worketh the true Spiritualist. For he well knows that the laws of progress, that the opportunities for individual improvement, are not confined to the present world. Thus the true Spiritualist is a fount- ain of infinite hope. However dark the day, he never gives up to the treachery of despair. As germs of beauty burst their embarrassments, so " You and I, one day, Shall burst this prison-house of clay; And borne above by unseen hands, Shall blossom in celestial lands." Natural Principles and Deductions. II. — Question : " You say, ' to the true Spiritualist is vouch- safed those immortal truths, which exalt humanity and enrich eternity. ; Will you mention a few of such truths, with your deductions ? What is a natural principle ? and how is man's mind related to it ? " Answer: A natural principle, though million-phased and invisible to the senses, is forever one and inseparable. Man's mind, though submerged in matter and buried in abject ignorance, is destined for harmony and wisdom. Nature is the visible manifestation of God ; but God is equally a manifestation of Nature : each inspires, directs, companionates, and reflects the other. You cannot learn orthodox theology from Nature; neither can you obtain creedal religion from God ; for God and Nature, though infinitely diversified, are essen- tially and practically One. 10 ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS. The great living principles of interior truth and good- ness, which constitute the vitals of Christianity, are indige- nous to the spiritual constitution of man. When man's spirit is awakened in the direction of truth and righteousness, whether by an angel's influence or the tongue of man, then his intuitions arise to the pyra- midal hights wherefrom great truths become visible and attractive. The Mussulman and Methodist are equally subjects of inspiration. The Presbyterian is no nearer to God than the Persian, or the worshiper of Brahma and Buddha; for God and Nature are no respecters of persons or creeds. Man's success in life will be in exact proportion to the measure of his capacities, the propitiousness of his circum- stances, and the extent of his obedience to the natural laws of his body and mind. If he is good-spirited and truth- loving, he will be benefited by every error and chastened by every misfortune. If it be true that John saw an angel standing in the sun, or if it be true that any man at any time ever saw a spirit, it is most reasonable to presume that the same experi- ence will continue to form a part of all human history. There is a divine power working in all that occurs in human life and society — indeed, unless there be such a power, life and society would be impossibilities. Without rills and rivers there could be no lakes, no seas. " The river of life, clear as crystal," is from the heart-currents and love-rills of the infinite Father and Mother. True religion is derived from Nature. Miracles innu- merable are incessantly performed by Nature to attest the divinity of her mission. Stars in the sky, and the grass beneath, are her signs and wonders. And truth is the golden door of entrance to the human heart. NATURAL PRINCIPLES AND DEDUCTIONS. 11 Where Nature is, there is no man-made theology. Where there is a true child of Nature, there is no creed, no falsehood, no hypocrisy. The children of Nature are perpetually young. Selfishness is the bitter lesson of existing forms of society. Benevolence and natural generosity are checked by the artificial restraints of civilization* Nature is democratic, and maketh haste to break down the barriers of selfishness and aristocracy, but creeds and bigotry erect insurmountable fortifications. The age of Nature will not come until men become wiser and more respectful of whatsoever is natural and reasonable. The chaotic mind, viewing Nature with the senses, sees no harmony or unity. The ancients believed in many contradictory gods, because they experienced many contradictory influences from invisible sources — somewhat as mediums in these days, under similar influences, are impressed with different theo- ries of the next world. Polytheists were ancient Spiritualists. Their gods, in these days, are called " spirits." Men have faith or doubts from the operations of their own minds ; but their daily conduct is determined by that influence which is the most powerful, either from within or without. The reason why Nature does not impart to some minds a knowledge of God, is because such persons do not inter- rogate her in the fullness of their hearts. If you know what it is to love a Principle, though it be only the common law of chemistry or gravitation, then you so far know what God is, and what his will is, in Nature and in you. It is, however, more elevating to love the principle of Love, 12 ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS. or Justice, or Truth, or Freedom, or Beauty, or Harmony ; for by the sanctity and spirituality of love for such princi- ples your soul is lifted magnetically toward the heart of Nature, which is God. Men love what is nearest to their state of mind and body. A change in condition necessitates a change of appetite. All persons who are monotonous in character are unchangeable in habits. Like strong wagons they roll in the same ruts for a whole generation. Death is the lever that lifts thousands of human-wagons out of earthly tracks. Death is a pivotal event in human progress. The Order of Things Eternal. III. — Question : Is it possible for man to thwart the designs of God ? Pardon me for seeking your impression upon this matter. I am especially desired by my husband to write you, because our minis- ter last Sunday preached a sermon, in which he took strong ground in favor of man's power to break God's moral laws, and against the fatality or Hindooism of modern times. Answer : The stupendous panorama of material and spiritual existence moveth to its appointed end, because the whole is actuated by inter-intelligent principles, which perform grand revolutions through eternal ages, with sure and undeviating effects. The most trivial occurrence that can be imagined, interfering with the established purpose and universal order of things, would result in universal dismay and destruction. Tell your minister that Father G-od " Feeds the sacred fire By which the mighty process is maintained, Who sleeps not, nor is weary : in whose sight, Slow circling ages are as transient days ; Whose work is without labor, whose Designs No flaw defects, nor difficulty thwarts, And whose Beneficence no change exhausts. And tell your minister, further, that the Bible (his THE ORDER OF THINGS ETERNAL. 13 authority,) is full of this " Hindooism of modern times." For example (See Phil, ii : 13,) " God worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure." If this be true, if the New Testament authority is reliable, then the Great Positive Mind is beyond the reach of alteration. Every- thing must occur in harmony with the unbounded sov- ereignty of his unchangeable attributes. The old medium Ezekiel (See ch. xxxvi, v. 26, 27,) makes God say, " A new heart also will I give you And I will take away the stony heart- out of your flesh And I will put my spirit within you. . . . And ye shall keep my judgments and do them." Is this fatality? Is this Hindooism? We think it is, and also that it embodies a great truth. It is innate, and therefore natural, to all human consciousness. Only the ignorant egotist is filled with the imaginary power to over- throw the designs of eternal intelligence. More wisdom reaches down to intuition, the well-springs whereof over- flow with this sublime universal dependence and unchangea- bly. Bailey, in his " Festus," thus writes : " With God Time is not ; unto Him all is Present eternity. Worlds, beings, years, With all their natures, powers, and events, The bounds whereof He fashions and ordains, Unfold themselves like flowers. Time must not be Contrasted with eternity; 'tis not A second of the Everlasting Year." Ill another place the same theological, yet intuitive poet expresses the completeness of the all-powerful Father: "In thy hand is every spirit, And the meed the same may merit, All which all the worlds inherit, Thine! 'Tis not to thy creatures given To scale the lofty ways of Heaven— Always just and kind; 14 ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS. But, before Thy mighty breath, Life and Spirit, Dust and Death — The boundless All is driven, Like clouds by wind ! " But no Poet hath better written our philosophy than Pope, thus: " If plagues or earthquakes break not Heaven's design Then doth a Borgia or a Cataline ? Who knows but He whose hand the lightning forms,, Who heaves old ocean, and who wings the storms — Pours fierce ambition in a Csesar's mind, And turns young Ammon loose to scourge mankind? Account for moral as for natural things ; God's Wisdom good from seeming evil brings. Why charge we Him in those, in these acquit ? In both, to reason right, is to submit. Better for us, perhaps it might appear, Were there all harmony, all virtue here ; That never air or ocean felt the wind ; That neverpassiondiscomposed the mind. But Nature lives by elemental strife, And passions are the elements of life. The general order since the whole began, Is kept in Nature, and is kept in man." The System of Existence. IV. — Question : " Are the doctrines of Aristotle — * The fortui- tous concourse of Atoms' — an all-sufficient explanation of the existence of the world. Many think the hypothesis of ' A Great First Cause ; is uncalled for ; since, by the light of science, all the phenomena of creation may be accounted for on strictly atheistic principles. Will you give a statement of the order of things from your standpoint ? " Answer: The system of existence, as seen from our standpoint, is, in brief, as follows : Gross and angular par- ticles of matter make mineral organizations. When the atoms become more symmetrical, they pass into the forma- tion of plants. The vegetable kingdom achieves an alteration and improvement in the shape and condition of the particles, and THE CENTER OP THE UNIVERSE. 15 then the latter ascend the scale of being, and unfold the animal. From this point of atomic refinement, the human king- dom commences ; and this connects the material and the spiritual — the mortal with immortality. The human race has gone, or is now passing, through a similar system of progression. All development goes by waves and cycles ; the links in the endless, spirally ascending scale of progress. All things throughout the immeasurable domain of ter- restrial and celestial existence — with their forces, laws, movements, and developments — are reciprocally related to, and inseparably connected with each other ; so that there is formed or constituted a magnificent unitary system of existence and causation, of which the Divine Being is the great positive life-principle and regulating power. In the subordinate departments of Nature, the order of the system stands thus: Earth, Minerals, Yegetables, Animals, Man. The same identical system of cycles has been, or is being, manifested by the progressions of mankind. The order stands historically and absolutely, thus : Savagism, Barbar- ism, Patriarchalism, Civilism, Republicanism. The same system is exhibited in the normal life of every individual, thus: Infancy, Youth, Adolescence, Manhoood, Maturity. The analogy is none the less perfect in the development and association of moving principles, thus: Motion, Life, Sensation, Organization, Intelligence. The Center of the Universe. V. — Question : " Do you recognize any center to this Universe ? so, docs not a cei ing to the six groat If so, docs not a center imply a circumference? Do the suns belong- ;ix great circles revolve around the Sensoriuni ? " 16 ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS. Answer : We are necessarily limited to the sphere of our clairvoyant penetrations, aided by the observations and conclusions of Reason. Consequently, it is not sup- posable that our answer to any questions is a finality, but a stepping-stone rather to analyzations and conclusions far more profound and satisfactory. With this understanding we make answer that the uni- verse of matter (organically speaking,) is not boundless ; yet that the universe of unorganized, but organizing mate- terial, is boundless, so far as we can comprehend. Of that portion of the already organized matter which men term " the universe," the Sensorium is the Center. Of course there is a circumference, but not to the infinite ocean of perpetually forming material, which has countless centers of positive powers. The different circles of suns revolve about each other, or around solar centers in the depths of space, and all, as one rolling system of harmony, around the all-sustaining Sensorium. The First Indubitable Certainty. VI. — Question : " Debating lately with a friend on the prevalent systems of metaphysics, I had occasion to refer to the celebrated say- ing, ' I think, therefore I am/ but could not recall the name of the Greek Philosopher who uttered it Will you please give the author's name, and your impression of the doctrine of the saying ? ;; Answer : The famous utterance — J think, therefore 1 am — was made by a French philosopher, Descartes. He ascended to the Summer Land more than two hundred years ago. His was a mathematical mind ; lucid in its logic; skeptical to the verge of a demonstration. The sum total of all his thinking and reasoning on the existence of God and of immortality — was cogito ergo sum, or " I think, therefore I am." This climax of metaphysical investigation is substantially the " know thyself" of Plato, OBJECTIVITY AND SUBJECTIVITY. 17 Thales, and Socrates. But Descartes, not a Greek, but a Frenchman, gave the master-stroke to the statement. Our impression of the doctrine is, that Consciousness is the only indubitable fact. All else is relative and ques- tionable. Self-existence is the primary demonstration of existence. Mind is known to itself by and through its consciousness. Your only perfectly clear idea is that of your existence. You can mistrust every fact but the fact of yourself. Consciousness is irresistible, absolute, irre- versible, and beyond controversy. It is that which you accept without question. You live in it, because it is your- self. Descartes gave the world the true method of all interior philosophical reasoning. He showed conclusively, that it is vain to ask for a proof of that which is self- evident. This statement is the basis of all spiritual philosophy. " The consciousness of my existence is to me the assurance of my existence." All else is secondary, relative, and may be doubted. " I know I exist, because I feel that I exist." This makes consciousness the basis of all truth. [See " Central Ideas " in Harmonia, vol. 5.] Objectivity and Subjectivity. VII. — Question : " In reading the jargon of German Rationalism, I encounter such terms as ' Objectivity,' and ' Inner Life,' and ' Sub- jectivity,' &c, &c. Now, sir, do these terms mean anything that a man of sense can comprehend ? To the mass of the people such words are utterly unintelligible, and I am inclined to the opinion that even Rationalists don't comprehend their meaning, if they have any. Now and then I meet these terms in your volumes. What on earth do they mean ? " Answer : These words do convey very good thoughts. For example : You (the subject) see a tree (an object); at the same time you may be an object to another pair of eyes ; or, closing your eyes, your mind beholds the tree (just seen) pictured in memory. First, the tree is seen objectively, and subjectively; or, it is seen first out of yourself, next 2* 18 ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS. within yourself; and by virtue of memory, or consciousness, it has become a part of yourself. Hence, although you may never again behold the tree objectively, its subjective existence and presence are absolute. It remains a part of your consciousness (or memory,) for an unknown period of time. Go where you will, the tree continues a part of you. But let us give our answer a more practical turn, thus: The Rationalist would say—" Man, first of all, sees his nature as if out of himself, then he finds it in himself. His own nature is first contemplated by him as that of another being.' 3 This explains why it is that theology everywhere precedes philosophy. Self-knowledge is the last, because it is best knowledge, to occupy the mind. That is, " Object- ive " information is much older than " Subjective " information ; which explains the reason why mythology and old theology precede the Religion of Intuition and the theology of Nature. Therefore the Rationalist would say : " Religion (in the popular use of the term) is a childlike or rudimental devel- opment of humanity; because the child always sees himself — man— out of himself; in childhood, a man is an 6 object ' to himself, under the form of another man. Hence the historical progress of religion consists in this : That what by an earlier religion was regarded as Objective is now regarded as ' Subjective. 5 For example : What was for- merly contemplated and worshiped as G-od (or Jesus) is now perceived to be something human, or identical with what is in us i Subjectively ' — awaiting a resurrection or practical expression. Hence, what was at first regarded as a religion « Objectively,' becomes at a later period mere idolatry ; because man, by investigation into his own religious history, discovers that he has been adoring the higher attributes of his own nature." MIND, REASON, SPIRIT, SOUL. 19 Thus, by knowing a man "subjectively," you know the character of his God " objectively ; " for whatever is God to a man, the same is a revelation of the man himself. The difference or paradox consists simply in the unlimited expansion of consciousness, as compared with the limited contractions of one's physical proportions. When a man thinks of the latter, his God then seems to be " objective," and not at all a component part of himself; but the true thinker is always enabled to see that a marts God is the largest statement of the man himself. The proof is, that a Presbyterian never sees a Universalist God, nor that the disciple of Methodism sees the God of the Swedenborgians ; but, as before stated, each man's " objective " God is mere- ly a magnificent statement of his own " subjective " nature and condition. Therefore we re-affirm that the words convey good thoughts. Mind, Reason, Spirit, Soul. VIII. — Question : " The following six words are frequently used in both speech and writing, but they are often confounded — viz : Mind, Reason, Spirit, Soul, Conscience, Judgment. Please give your spi- ritual definition of these six words." Answer: Careful and conscientious thinkers employ terms with fixed and definite meanings. For example, a correct thinker will never use the word " infinite," unless he intends to speak of that which is absolutely beyond all human comprehension ; nor the term " eternal," unless he really designs to convey an impression of unending ages. But the world is full of persons who do not study the best employment of language, and the consequence is manifested in the " confusion of tongues " which everywhere prevails. We would give our correspondent the following defi- nition as the meaning we attach to the terms, both in speech and writing : 20 ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS. 1. "Mind." This word is a general term, used to sig- nify all the opposites of Matter. Thus " Mind and Matter " are natural counterparts, or friendly opponents in the organization of everything, from the worm in the oozy bottom of the sea to the brightest angel in the sky-homes of eternity. 2. " Reason." This is also a general term, used to sig- nify the total harmony of all the elements and attributes of Mind. Without such balance and equilibrium of all the feeling and thinking powers, it is incorrect to apply the term ; for, in such case, the state of the mind would be. more or less discordant, and consequently only partially or proximately, and not absolutely possessed of Reason. 3. " Spirit." This term is employed to signify the cen- termost principle of man's existence — the eternizing, divine, and mid-most energy in man's motion, life, sensa- tion, and intelligence, or the life of the Soul of Nature in the constitution of the human mind. 4. " Soul." This term is used to express that fine, impal- pable, almost immaterial body, which clothes the spirit from the moment of death to all eternity. In this life the " soul " is composed of all the magnetisms, electricities, forces, and vital principles, which, in more general terms, are called motion, life, and sensation, including instinct. 5. " Conscience." This word, when correctly used, signifies the internal knowledge of what constitutes right and wrong — the intuitive power by which the spirit informs the judgment what is, and what is not, just and righteous for the individual to do under all circumstances. But it should be observed that conscience is subject to education, and, until Reason prevails over folly, the individual is as liable to make mistakes as a child is to stumble while learning to walk. NO ACCIDENTS IN NATURE. 21 6. " Judgment." This term is used to signify the occu- pation and decision of the intellectual faculties. The word " understanding " has a similar application and signifi- cance. It is common for people to use the terms reason, mind, judgment, intellect, spirit, soul, understanding, &c, synonymously, as though they mean one and the same thing ; but by reflection you will perceive that you cannot properly employ these words without meanings similar to, if not identical with, the definitions above briefly given. No Accidents in Nature. IX. — Question : " Do you believe that there are no accidents in Nature ? Is everything pre-determined, decreed, and over-ruled to occur just as and where it does? Some persons deny everything of the kind, while others insist that the events of earth, and even of individual life, result from the direct pleasure of God. What is your opinion ?" Answer : It is our present impression that the Universe is intrinsically, vitally, organically unchangeable and or- derly throughout. The omnipotent attraction of the cen- tral Soul is irresistible, and unto it the humblest as well as the mightiest beings instinctively yield all power and praise. All ends are involved in all beginnings, and nothing hangs loose over the abyss of uncertainty. The minutest consummation of things is secured by the irre- fragible logic of unchangeable laws. The sublime har- mony of the universe is not jeopardized by the presence of unfriendly accidents or by chaotic possibilities. The attri- butes of the central Soul are illimitable. They sweep with omnipotent force through the stupendous machinery of this beautiful and harmonious system of Cause and Effect. And the unerring lines and the fixed courses of the interwoven series of mutual dependencies are suffi- ciently perfect to comprehend and accomplish the least with the greatest ends. 22 ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS. Therefore, although we may believe that slight impulses and trifling contingencies are not decreed or pre- ordained, yet the spiritual philosopher cannot resist the intu- ition that every event, that each item of earth or life, is provided for in the workings of the all-comprehensive system. The most trivial circumstance ever thrown up by the ceaseless waves of Time, is not a stranger — is not an enemy — to the boundless Order, to the progressive develop- ment, of the noiselessly rolling universe. Christian and heathen alike intuitively believe in the all-lovingness, in the all-comprehensiveness, in the all-mightiness of the God of Nature. It is an affair of temperament and of country, whether this Divine Mind is worshiped as a Personality or as a Principle ; and to the true believer in the immutability of Truth, the form, which this worship assumes is of little moment, the only question being, whether the worshipper is emancipated from the horrible doctrine of the ancients, that a portion of mankind is doomed to endless burnings ! With reference to the general question of our correspond- ent, we would, while protesting to the personification of a principle, quote the words of Akenside : u From the wide complex Of co- existent, natures, there shall rise One Order, all involving and entire ; For He, beholding in the sacred light Of His essential Reason, all the shapes Of swift Contingence, all successive ties Of action propagated through the sum Of possible existence — He, at once, Down the long series of eventful time, So fixed the dates of being, so disposed To every living soul of every kind The field of motion and the hour of rest, That all conspired to His Supreme Design — To UNIVERSAL GOOD." SURFACE OF THE MOON — NATURE OF COMETS. 23 The Surface of the Moon. X. — Question : " Did you ever investigate the surface of the moon by the use of clairvoyant sight ? ;; Answer : The moon was the first heavenly object we remember to have seen by clairvoyance. It was made visible in this way, near the spring of ] 845. Its appear- ance filled our soul with unutterable amazement. Forget- ting, for the moment, the earthly existence, we seemed to stand on the brink of an awful precipice, behind which was a boundless prairie of broken rocks. It looked like a sea of shattered strata, as if innumerable volcanoes had broken thousands of miles of solid rock into fragments of every imaginable shape. These rocky fragments were tumbled in one confused mass over the vast field behind. In front was the almost bottomless abyss — the fearfully deep precipice — with rivers of lava pouring from its ragged slopes. Not a drop of water, not a tree, not a shrub, was visible in any direction. Deep down the fearful chasm we saw volumes of black vapor issuing and ascending like storm-clouds, and there seemed to be showers of fiery or meteoric bodies, which appeared to form and fall incessantly over the abyss. There were desolation, and gloom, and destruction on every side. The vision was horrible — reminding one of the pit of darkness, or the hell of popu- lar theology. But all at once we realized that we were the only visitor and spectator, and this thought had the effect to terminate our observations. Since, we have made many interesting and instructive excursions thither. The Nature and Motion of Comets. XI. — Question : " Do Comets have a fixed path or orbit in the heavens ? The prediction by an American Astronomer, that the Comet of 1856 would return to us some time this season, calls out some discussion in reference to them." Answer : Nothing can produce such universal interest 24 ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS. as the approach of a mighty and brilliant comet. Such a celestial phenomenon has been in all ages associated with great events in the history of .nations. Comets have been superstitiously regarded as extemporized " signs in the heavens," as precursors of calamities, as supernatural images indicative of wonderful and fearful changes in the affairs of humanity. Though the appearance of fiery comets cannot fail to ' excite universal wonder and admiration, not unmingled with reverential awe, we do not appreciate any reason in the superstitious trepidation which some persons experience on the event of their near approach to the earth's orbit. For the principle of logic is not more exact and immutable than is the path of the fire-clad comet. Its nucleus is faithful to the fixed laws of attraction and repulsion. The wondrous " tail," though of vast magnitude and far- extending, is invariably obedient to the dictates of the " head." No eccentric character is less to be feared than a comet — the youngest born of the solar mother— the wild, yet obedient child of the central producing cause. Behold, how constitutionally well-balanced such offspring are — how well-established in habits of good will and punctuality — never so much as deceiving those who calculate accurately their magnitude and period of revolution. The Chinese, 178 years before the Christian era, and about the time of the birth of Mithridates, described a comet as bright as the sun. Its nucleus was tinged with red, like the blaze of an intense coal fire, and its append- age extended over a fourth of the sky. But its departure was as noiseless as its advent, leaving our globe,' and its superstitious inhabitants, without spot or blemish. The sword-shaped comet which appeared with a very remarka- ble nucleus in the East, in 389. of our era, filled the THE NATURE AND MOTION OF COMETS. 25 supernaturalists with the greatest consternation. But no harm came of it, neither could there have been any evil from it ; for like every other juvenile of sidereal space, it honored its parents and fulfilled the conditions of immu- table law. And such, in truth, is the established character of every solar youth. And yet nothing is more amazing than the speed of these apparently reckless saurians of the upper sea. Newton measured the comet of 1681, and determined its velocity at the time of perihelion passage, and found that its flight was 880,000 miles an hour ! Hundreds of comets are yet to be discovered, for some of them require from ten to twenty thousand years to traverse their appro- priate orbits, and such have not, therefore, come within the written history of mankind. The last great comet of 1858, and which, on the eleventh of October of that year, was seen from pole to pole, called Donati's, was among the most brilliant and gorgeous spectacles ever presented in our firmament. Many comets almost graze the bosom of the sun. They seem to seek the closest perihelion possible, without doing their mother an injury. This close approximation to their maternal source is powerfully suggestive of the inherent principle of filial love in all matter. Although some warm-hearted comets would seem to plunge headlong into the homestead property, and appear with their unrestrained impetuosity to threaten immediate contact and destruction, yet never was the time when one of these eccentric children of the sun wrought the least harm in the nebula-fields and star-gardens of immensity. That the saurian-like monster comets of the stellar sea are harmless is established by science. And that these wondrous bodies have fixed orbits is proved by the fact 26 ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS. that astronomers have calculated their magnitude, ascer- tained their speed of motion in perihelion, comprehended their relative proportions, and, stranger than all, have pre- dicted the precise period of revolution, and some of the comets do not disappoint their earthly friends and observers. If others have, the fact is attributable to the mistakes of the astronomer in fixing his data ; for the comet is orderly in its travelings, and should not be blamed for non-appearance at the appointed time. But we have some- thing more to offer on these solar matters, which is reserved for another day more fitting. The Sun's Rays and the Earth. XII. — Question : "Does the sun lose anything by parting with its heat and light ? Does the earth gain anything by receiving them ? n Answer: According to observations, made in the clairvoyant state, the sun is very gradually diminishing in size ; but so imperceptibly, that a million of years could hardly make the fact appreciable to our instruments of solar measurement. The cause is referable to the incessant formation of cometary bodies in the sidereal gardens of space, and not to the impartation of heat, light, elec- tricity, etc. The earth, on the contrary, is slowly enlarging and increasing in rarity. All solar and cosmical bodies follow the law of growth, perfection, and decay. The earth, however, is yet in its youth. Its greatest eras are to come. Snakes, spiders, wild beasts, thorns, and every unwholesome thing, will one day all die. Explanation of Geologic Developments. XIII. — Question : " In the foregoing reply you say : 'Th is slowly enlarging and increasing in rarity. All solar and c bodies follow the law of growth, perfection, and decay.' " In ' Nature's Divine Revelations,' page 219, sec. page 219, sec. 33 you say: EXPLANATION OF GEOLOGIC DEVELOPMENTS. 27 1 The primitive diameter of this great agglomeration of particles (the earth) could not be well determined, for it subsequently and continually decreased in magnitude according to the condensation and consolida- tion of the particles of the whole mass.' " This last quotation, which is in harmony with geology, as I under- stand it, seems to be contradicted in the reply referred to. Will you please explain for the satisfaction of an inquirer ? " Answer : Nature, interpreted by logical Reason, will explain. She teaches us to behold consistency in opposites. In obvious contradictions, confounding the senses and judgments of her children, (men and women,) she pronoun- ces the choicest benedictions. Her antipodes are left and right handed pivots. She converges and diverges, and returns from the large to the small, whence she started, with the precision of musical vibrations. "All discord is harmony not understood." A planet is one of Nature's significant beads on the endless rosary, which consists of countless decades of orbs. Our earth rolled out of the Sun's constitution — a vast body of fire-mist, a comet at first, with a great nucleus, and with a tail of most respectable length and dimensions. How the principles of progressive solidification straight- way proceeded to accomplish their appointed ends, and how the vastly expanded primordial fire, fogs and chaotic nebula, were cooled down and stratified into existing spheroidal proportions, you will find fully set forth in the aforementioned Revelations. And such descriptive pro- cess is, we believe, sustained by the investigations and deductions of the most learned geologists and astronomers. Strictly speaking, however, there was no earth until the condensation had reduced the elemental chaos to the smallest dimensions. When, in other words, the globe- germ was formed, when the cooling-off process had reached the minimum degree of reduction, when the smallest demi- semi-quaver in the music of geologic progress was sounded, 28 ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS. then, strictly speaking, the earth began to exist upon its own account, with enough material centrifugated to form for itself one satellite, and, as we are impressed, eventually still another ! Now let us inquire, and briefly: What are Nature's methods subsequent to the organization of her minimum points ? After the elements from surrounding space are gathered together in the form of a germ, or globe, (which is an egg,) what does she then proceed to accomplish ? We answer, that, after condensing and solidifying her fluids and gases down into a germ-center, Nature con- tinues her work of progression through a series of growths, expansions, rarifications, or until the maximum degree of maturity is reached ; then the process of disorganization commences, which is characterized by a shriveling, and contraction, and reduction of the body; and thus, when our planet shall have moved onward in its expansion and organic growth, until the maximum point of maturity is established, then will it, like a fully ripened human being, begin to dwindle, grow less year by year, contract and shrink, (as its vitality departs,) and thus will our yet youth- ful earth pass away. The Earth a Magnetic Machine. XIV. — Question: "Have you ever made any new discoveries in regard to the subject of electricity, &c. ? ;; Answer: The question respecting the generation of the earth's magnetic currents has riot occupied our atten- tion for a long time. But the readers of Nature's Divine Revelations, and of the Harmonia, vol. 1, will be pleased to learn that " proud Science " has at last approached the outlines of the Harmonial Philosophy on the subject of terrestrial magnetism. Professor Challis, of Cambridge, MATERIALISM OF CHEMICAL SCIENCE. 29 England, has put forth the theory that magnetic currents are induced in the mass of the earth by its rotation. These currents are subject to modification by the earth's movement of translation, and also by the want of perfect symmetry in form. These deviations from symmetry deter- mine the direction of the magnetic streams which appear from experiment to enter the earth on the north side of the magnetic equator, and to issue from it on the south side. The earth is thus a vast magnet, the streams of which are of constant intensity, excepting so far as they may be disturbed by cosmical influence. In this matter the sun and each of the planets act their part. That of Jupi- ter is likely to be predominant, on account of his large size and rapid rotatory motion ; and the Professor says, it is not a little singular that the periodic time of Jupiter should coincide with the magnetic period discovered by General Sabine. This period has been shown in this coun- try to be the same as that of the waxing and waning of the sun's spots ; and it may very well be that the three are produced by the same cause. It is worthy of remark that our philosophy of the terrestrial generation of the mag- netic currents was promulgated over twelve years ago. Why did nature reveal her secrets in advance of inductive and speculative Science ? Materialism of Chemical Science. XV. — Question : " I have read somewhere, in one of your volumes, a statement to the effect that Chemistry does not, and cannot, in its present state, detect the real changes that occur in man's phy- sical organism. What do you mean by this ? ;; Answer : We mean that chemical knowledge at this day is too material, or, rather, it is not enough spiritual at the verge of its limitations, to reveal the relations sub- sisting between soul and the corporeal parts. 3* 30 ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS. Theoretical chemistry establishes as truth what practical chemistry proves to be erroneous. No modern chemist pretends to tell why ten men, with varied temperaments and different dispositions, can feed and maintain their phy- sical individuality and opposite traits of character on pre- cisely the same articles of food and drink. Theoretical chemistry proves that there is enough poison in every pint of French coffee to kill an individual. But practical chemistry establishes the fact that coffee-drinkers do not terminate their earthly existence by such poison. Theo- retical chemistry proves that the foul air of a small, unventilated bedroom, is sufficient to extinguish life ; but, practically, no individual was ever known to lose his life solely from the exhalations of his own lungs, no matter how confined his apartment. Chemistry can see no difference between certain substances and compounds, which produce very unlike effects when consigned to man's system, or fed to animals. Oxygen in water is chemically the same • as oxygen in atmospheric air ; but, practically, the oxygen in the air is capable of firing man's nerves and brain, while the oxygen of water can only cool his fluids and tranquillize his mental structure. Opium is a deadly poison in theoretical chemistry, but in practice twenty times the " deadly 1 ' portion can be taken without producing even sleep. . The active principle of tobacco is a perfect poison, yet in practical life the individual can chew and smoke, and exist for half a century. The acid of the common rhubarb plant is chemically known as " oxalic " — the active property of which is enough poisonous to destroy the consumer — but practical chemistry establishes the fact that the plant is good both as a food and as a medicine. We are not by these remarks saying anything derogatory to Science, nor in favor of using the poisons THE SOURCES OP VEGETATION. 31 named, but we wish simply to impress the reader that chemistry, in its present status, is pre-eminently material and short-sighted. It is becoming conventional, inexact, and atheistic. Because it cannot detect by its tests and retorts the presence of a " spirit," it is inclined to repu- diate its existence. It is skeptical on Spiritualism because it cannot detect and analyze the electricity by which a spirit is said to lift a table from the floor. We hold chemistry in high esteem, as the great pioneer science of all the modern sciences, but it is not clairvoyant in realms where matter is lost in ether and spirit. There is a limit to the investigation of matter. The science of the schools stops just where life is conjoined with matter in the organic sphere. Until chemistry is capable of reveal- ing the causes why the same articles of food will feed, and preserve, and perpetuate black men as well as white men — or sustain and reproduce a good-spirited man the same as the discordant and vicious — it had better walk humbly along the paths of human experience, and pretend to know only what is material. Our best practical agriculturalists are better chemists than those who live in the laboratory and plod over records in the studio. The true science of chemistry is yet to be discovered. It will come down out of mind, not up out of matter ; and yet finer links in truth will shine effulgently. The Sources of Vegetation. XVI. — Question : " Whence came the materials which enter into the composition of the varied forms in earth's vegetable kingdom ? " J Answer : The vegetable kingdom is composed of mate- rials derived from the mineral kingdom, which is hidden in the earth's deep bosom. Whence the materials composing the mineral world ? From the four primal elements of all matter — viz: Fire, Heat, Light, % and Electricity. 32 ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS. Iii all searchings, we terminate in these four original principles. By " Fire " is not meant the condition of matter in flame or combustion, but the finest state of mate- rial motion, out of which issue Heat, Light, and Electricity. The finest motion of matter results in the illumination of matter from its own inward sources. Electricity of immen- sity is the conveyance of all vital action in the universe. Fire, Heat, and Light are passengers in the omnibus of Electricity. They get in this chariot of infinitude, and the integral motive-principles propel it through every avenue of boundless Nature. The omnibus stops for a moment at the different stations along the interminable highways of infinity ; and, at such a moment, passengers enough leave it to start the organiza- tion of a world like this globe on which we live. Fire, Heat, and Light — -the three grand primal principles of matter — retire from the Electrical chariot in minute parti- cles, and forthwith unite, chemically, for the origination of a planet. [The first stage of a planet is invariably that of a comet.] Then onward rolls the triumphant chariot of Electricity ! Passengers are permitted to terminate their ride at just that point in space where they experience more attraction to sojourn than to proceed. But it is very strange, yet true always, that only a sufficient number of passengers (or particles) alight from the shining vehicle, to commence the new planet in that particular locality. Now you can easily trace out the answers to all your other interrogatories. You perceive that Fire, Heat, and Light — 'the primary principles of all matter — contain the requisite properties for the composition and ultimation of all mineral, vegetable, animal, and human bodies. Of the life-forces and spiritual sources of these different bodies, we do not now say anything; believing that, with the fore- GROWTH OF PLANTS AND TREES ON EARTH. 33 going sketch of the origin of planets and of their elemental primaries, you can settle the other problems to your own satisfaction. Think, contemplate ! and you will see "This vast terrestrial frame. How Father God, From the mute shell-fish gasping on the shore, From men to angels, to celestial minds, Forever leads the generations on To higher scenes of being ; while supplied From day to day with his enlivening breath, Inferior orders in succession rise, To fill the void below." Growth of Plants and Trees on Earth. XVII. — Question : '< Perhaps I am asking something out of keep- ing with your knowledge about creation. I am a gardener and farmer, but cannot determine in my own mind what it is, or where it is, which gives bulk and growth to plants, trees, &c. Have you ever investi- gated such matters ? " Answer : We do not know as much of the minutice, of plant-growing as we mean to ; every day this beautiful Spring is tempting us to study ss the tree of knowledge." But what we now know on this question is at your dis- posal. Thus : The surrounding air contains all the essential elements of vegetables, plants, vines, berries, &c: oxygen, hydrogen, nitrogen, and carbon ; these, in certain fixed proportions, are the organic constituents of plants. The old belief that plants derive all constructive sub- stances and organic essential elements directly from the ground, is well-nigh dead. "We are every day drifting further," says a chemist, " from what but a few years ago was considered one of the most fixed and beneficial princi- ples of agricultural science ; viz : that a substance is chiefly a fertilizer because it directly feeds the plant; and are learning from the numerous recent and carefully 34 ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS. conducted experiments with manures, that in very many cases we cannot safely venture to predict what will be the influence of a given application ; but find in practice the strangest aud most discordant results, it being possible to show from the experiments of the farmer that almost every fertilizer in use has, in some instances, proved beneficial to every cultivated crop, and in other cases has been indiffer- ent or even detrimental." Our investigations in the kingdom of plant existence have compelled us to affirm that the invisible atmosphere is the immediate fountain of substances by which vegetable productions increase in size and growth. The earth is, of course, the original source of the atmosphere. The chief value of fertilizers consists in the temporary equilibrium that they establish between the mineral ele- ments of the ground and the organic constituents of the air. Magnesia, soda, lime, potash, phosphate, &c, are the mineral elements of vegetable formations ; and unless the soil be bal- anced in these qualities with the serial constituents, the growth of the plant is imperfect ; but it cannot, we think, be said that manures contribute to the development of quantity in any other sense. Let every horticulturist, gardener, and farmer remem- ber that just between "the sun and the soil" is that wondrous source of substantial life — the atmosphere. The Perpetual Verdure of Evergreens. XVIIL — Question : " I am engaged in rearing evergreens, fruit trees, vines, shrubbery, &c I am anxious to obtain your opinion in relation to the cause or causes which keep the evergreen verdant all the year round Can you find the cause of this wonderful, yet common fact ? ;; Answer : This subject has never before come to us for investigation. The question was asked fifteen months ago, and no doubt the interrogator has long since ceased THE PERPETUAL VERDURE OF EVERGREENS. 35 to look for our answer, but we have not been able to reach it until within the last fifteen minutes. We think it is good to study such manifestations of Nature. On the im- pulse of this thought we proceed to divulge in general terms what we deem the true explanation of such phe- nomenon. It will be found that evergreens, like certain vines and grasses, are verdant all the year round, because they are constituted, in their extremities, so that they can attract and absorb more magnetism than other forms of vegetation. From our first insight into the vegetable departments of the earth, we have maintained that all matter is per- meated by two distinct principles, called Electricity and Magnetism. These principles are both latent and free. In the earth they are cold, crude, and inert, and are often inappreciable to the thermometer and to human sensibility ; while in the atmosphere, although essentially the same, they are genial, refined, and inconceivably vivacious, and are detectable by both man's sensation and the electro- nometer. These principles, being positive and negative (or mas- culine and feminine) are concerned in the production and perpetuation of all vegetable and organic life. Evergreens flourish in Arctic regions and on the mountain-tops better than in the tropics and in the valleys. Why ? Because they attract and absorb abundantly of the earth's mag- netic or warming principle. Their extremities are loaded with innumerable fine-pointed termini, which serve as lightning rods to attract from the atmosphere the warm principle, while the electricity, (which is cold,) is dis- charged and liberated in the same proportion. Hence the atmosphere is invariably " cool " or chilly, often cold, in the immediate neighborhood of an evergreen grove or forest. 36 ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS. Grasses and certain vines are perpetually verdant for the same reason. Countless, indeed, are the points pre- sented to the atmosphere by an acre of grass. The meadow is covered with fine green points, like the back of an ani- mal with hair ; the ground, like the beast, presents innu- merable points of attraction ; and thus the Arctic animals, unlike those of the temperate or torrid regions, are thickly covered with hair. And thus, too, the animals of the " icy mountains" are as warm blooded and physically com- fortable as those under the equator. Because, like the evergreens, their innumerable line points attract the warm principle, (magnetism,) and give off the cold principle, (electricity,) thus producing an equilibrium of temperature. Such animals and trees are the recipients of larger amounts of heat to sustain them. The air is consequently cool or cold wherever such beasts or trees are most abundant. Development of Stones and Minerals. XIX. — Question : " I have read "both your ' llevelations ; and * Great Harmonia,' and beg to address you three questions, which I trust you will answer. " 1st. You say in your Revelations that, as everything material develops itself, the mineral, as well as all other earthly bodies, grow. Now, I would remark that this statement is antagonistical to the Prin- ciples of Geology. Moreover, any body which grows must live, and matter which lives must therefore want nourishment. According to your classification, minerals belong to the first class of matter, subject to motion only. Being deeply interested in all that concerns minerals, their origin, development, &c, I should feel very thankful if you would explain that which, to your mind, may be quite plain. " 2d. 1 do not want any more proof of immortality than that which you have already given, but what I wish to know, is, * What compensation does Nature offer us for remaining here on earth while eternal bliss, love, and happiness are in store for us above ? ; If man has a duty to fulfill on earth, what is that duty ? " 3d. I have not seen the name of Spinoza in your ' Pantheon of Progress/ or fifth volume of the Great Harmonia. If ever any human being has declared and defended a progressive principle or ' Idea,' it was he who first declared the immortality of God and His Laws. I have always considered him as the father of Pantheism, and the forerunner of Spiritualism. It will give me pleasure to hear from you in reference to the omission of the name of ' Spinoza.' ' ; DEVELOPMENT OF STONES AND MINERALS. 37 Answer : All the so-called primaries (sixty-four in num- ber) are discoverable in the original rocks and subsequent stratifications. The debriclation of such rocks ultimates in the formation of all the soils, which differ invariably in exact proportion to the presence or absence of the original elements. In the primordial epochs of our globe, we observe the universal fluidity of what are now denomina- ted "solids." Fluids and gases, and not solidified sub- stances, prevailed everywhere. When the condensational process commenced, the primitive minerals were rapidly formed and disposed in fragments and beds beneath the equatorial zone first, then at the polar regions, by slow deposit. During this process of solidification the earth was enveloped in dark folds composed of all the elements and gases — oxygen, hydrogen, nitrogen, carbonic acid, etc. — which, by means of such solidification, began very soon to disappear from the enveloping atmosphere. Metals, water, and the oxydes, absorbed oxygen. Carbonic acid withdrew to the secret laboratories of limestone and coal- beds, also into deeper crystallizations directly capping the earth's igneous surface. And in like manner the many and various elements did hide themselves from the atmos- phere in the recesses and constitutions of rocks, minerals, and dense fluids in valleys between them. Now you will observe the necessity of growth among the minerals, by absorption and appropriation of their proper elements of nutrition, in manner analogous to the growth of vegetable and animal organisms. The latter, differing only in the method of attraction and digestion, receive aliment from the atmosphere, increase their bulk and weight, and unfold. In this way we teach that the atmospheric sea, in which our globe is perpetually rolling, 38 ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS. contains all the elements (but in a finer state) which are found in the mineral or other ponderable bodies. Hence coal minerals, lime-stone, iron, copper, zinc, silver, gold, diamonds, &c, &c, are capable of feeding upon, and growing by means of the congenial constituents which they find in the everywhere present atmosphere. If the different mineral beds and bodies do not grow and increase in size, or in quality, the cause thereof is, for the most part, attributable to the action of adverse electrical and magnetic currents over and through the globe. Add to this another cause, namely, the isolation of the mineral beds by the breakage or removal of the feeding-layers, by sink- ing shafts and indiscriminate digging. The destruction of . these electric veins on opening a mineral bed, is tanta- mount to cutting a tree's roots by which it grows and bears fruit. Those who own valuable mines should study the principle by which Nature deposited them for man's benefit. If, in reviewing the foregoing brief reply, my Brother, you should not find the explanation you need, we shall expect to hear from you again. Your second interrogatory is, perhaps, not less difficult to answer. But our spirit goeth forth in joy to proclaim that every part of Nature compensates and justifies the existence of all other parts. The duty of this life is to make progress in. unfolding a materio-spiritual body within the physical organization. This middle-most body is that which clothes the innermost spirit at the moment of death. Hence the importance of working and eating and sleeping. These outward habits and periodical processes are essen- tial to the elaboration of what is invisible and eternal. The unfoldment of the social faculties and of the intellect- ual endowments is also a duty. But in the final verdict of science and common sense we are persuaded, that "to THE CAUSE OP THE WIND. 39 live righteously " in all physical respects, will be esteemed the grand primal peg, on which will hang " all the law and the prophets." Secure ye first the kingdom of har- mony in material things — in diet, activities, dress, &c. — then all the innumerable blessings of virtue and progress shall be added. The law of equilibrium is the Nemesis which keeps watch in all spheres. No merit is overlooked ; no offense goes unpunished. The sanctuary of intuition is made very holy by the presence of the fine conviction, that nothing lives in vain, or is left to blind Destiny ; but otherwise, that every existence is indispensable to the welfare and harmony of the whole, wherein is found the complete gospel of compensa- tion, and the fulfillment of every inherent expectation. But the full value of this life to each mind cannot be com- prehended except by much intuition and reasonable experience in the ways of wisdom. Your third question is answerable by the fact, that Spinoza's Central " Idea " did not differ from that of several minds who taught the unity of God and the immu- tability of his Laws. Bat his philosophy should receive far more attention. The Cause of the Wind. XX. — Question : " Can you explain the cause of wind ? "Why does it change so frequently ? Whence comes it ? " Answer: The ancients, of every race and country, entertained the most extravagant hypotheses concerning the origin of wind. In the 10th chapter of Jeremiah, 13th verse, we read that the Lord "maketh lightnings with rain, and bringeth forth the wind out of his treasures." This explanation is beautifully poetic, but it is far from being philosophical and practical. The Prophet Ezekiel 40 ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS. [37 ch. 9 v.] writes how the Lord God commanded him to prophecy " to the wind ; " and further he relates that the Lord himself said : « Come from the four winds, breath, and breathe upon the slain, that they may live." The Apostle John, [iii ch. 8 v.] said : " The wind bloweth ' where it listeth, and thou nearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth — so is every one that is born of the spirit." How unsatisfactory is all this ? Prof. Maury's philoso- phy of storms and oceanic currents was not known in the days of the apostles. The law of storms is the same, as the law of calms. The causes of atmospheric stillness are the same as those by which the winds are awakened and made to blow ; and there is no more mystery in being " born of the spirit " than there is in the cause of sunshine in one place and of storms in another. Any solar power or local influence, which rarefies and heats the air in one quarter of a country or continent, will cause the dense and cold air of an opposite direction to rush in and fill the comparative vacuum. Kindle a hot fire in a tightly closed room, the windows and doors all firmly secured, and in a few minutes, as soon as the air in the room is sufficiently rarefied by the heat, you will hear the wind rushing in through every crevice and crack communicating with the outside. Thus, in like manner, if the sun has been for a long term showering its heat upon a level country, as upon the prairies of the Great West, the atmosphere will become heated and rarefied, so that the rushing in of wind and of tempestial hurricanes from other regions, are effects as natural as the entrance of cold air into a heated room. On this principle, the true plan to render a public hall or church cool and comfortable in the summer time, would THE PHILOSOPHY OF STORMS. 41 consist of kindling fires in attic stoves ; because, as soon as the upper stratum of atmosphere becomes duly rarefied by heat, the cool breezes would begin to fan the brows of the congregation. This effect is certain to follow, although the outside air might be so still that not even a leaf would stir on the nearest tree. Chains of mountains, plains and valleys, the tides of the oceans, directions of streams, the absence or abundance of trees — all have to do in deter- mining the violence or mildness of winds, and in procuring the development of rain. The law is as definite as the growth of vegetation. The Philosophy of Storms. XXI. — Question: "Thy reply to the query, 'What causes the winds ? ; to my mind is not satisfactory when applied to what we call ' Storms.' I will state an objection or two : Suppose the air in some section or district of country becomes rarefied to any conceivable pos- sible extent. It is obvious, on a moment's reflection, that, instead of causing what we commonly call a storm — such as tear down forests, unroof buildings, &c, and which generally traverse but narrow strips of country in width, and sometimes travel hundreds of miles in length — the air would press in from all directions to fill the vacuum. This might make a kind of general breeze or blow from all points in the direction of the vacuum, but it could hardly make a storm. Again : If we could imagine some barrier that would keep the air back from all but one direction, it is obvious that the air nest the vacuum would rush in first : then the air which was farther back would follow, thus making a Storm to commence at the vacuum and travel backward from it, crab fashion, till exhausted in distance, which is plainly not the case. Will not somebody give a better theory ? " Answer : We supposed our explanation of the cause of wind at once plain and practical, and our statements to be supported by the results of careful observation. One thing, however, we should have added and dwelt upon at considerable length, namely : that sudden changes of tem- perature and violent storms are due in part to the action of certain electrical currents, which take their rise from all parts of the earth, and thence flow incessantly to the north pole, from which they ascend in a combined body or mighty 4* 42 ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS. stream, somewhat like a water-spout at sea, and pour forth onward and upward through the heavens, mingling ulti- mately with the vital forces of immensity. Whenever a volume or stream of these earthly currents is suddenly formed, as from the electrical emanations of a recently opened volcano or iron bed, the distant strata of the atmosphere are suddenly convulsed with perhaps tempestial disturbances. These disturbances correspond to " pains " in the human body, or to the fitful " paroxysms " consequent upon a disturbance of harmonies between organ and nerve. As the earthly electrical currents move from various angles towards the north, with a winding or twisting motion, and as their inconceivable flight has the effect to rarefy the sections of air through which they pass, so it is natural to expect that tornadoes and cold storms will be developed, and that they will follow very nearly in the same direction. Sometimes, however, the exact opposite course would be taken by the storm, owing to other and superior electrical attractions, to which the air and clouds would yield. You will find some account of these electri- cal currents in " Nature's Divine Revelations ; " also in the first volume of the Harmonia series, and in the " Har- monial Man." Of the Superior Condition. XXII. — Question : " My mind is wholly at a loss to determine exactly wherein the Superior Condition differs from that state in which certain persons discern spirits and converse with them, as it were, face to face. If there be a radical difference between these two states, will you please define that difference, so that I may compre- hend the facts ? ;; Answer : The Superior Condition, in contradistinction to one's ordinary state, consists of a practical and conscious growth of the intellectual and moral endowments. These OF THE SUPERIOR CONDITION. 43 faculties are opened and lifted to a higher degree of opera- tion. They are then inspired by their own constitutional essences, and next by conscious contact with the life and principles of things, by virtue of which they appreciate Principles and analyze the essences of substances. The result of such superior exercises is stamped upon the indi- vidual's character, and the ultimate effects are interior elevation and an education of the whole mind. The inspired poet has truthfully described the " Superior Condition " as "That blessed mood, In which the heavy and the weary weight Of all this unintelligible world Is lightened — that serene and blessed mood, In which the affections gently lead us on, Until the breath of our corporeal frame. And even the motion of our human blood, Almost suspended, we are laid asleep In body, and become a living soul ; While with an eye made quiet by the power Of harmony, and the deep power of joy, We see into the life of things ." The medium state, on the other hand, while as a condi- tion it tends to enlarge the judgment and spiritualize the character, is not necessarily beneficial to the medium, individually. Those who receive the lessons and witness the tests of higher powers are more likely to be perma- nently benefited. The true medium state is one of complete positiveness or isolation to this world, and of passive receptivity to the influences that may be showered from higher realms of intelligence and love. The faculties of the medium may be greatly excited, and very generally stimulated to extraordinary activity, but it does not neces- sarily follow that the medium's mind will be thereby per- manently developed and improved. And yet it will be observed that no good-minded and loving-hearted person 44 ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS. can be a true medium for one year without manifesting considerable moral growth and intellectual refinement. But it is possible for a medium to be the channel of lessons the most exalted and glorious, and at the same time it is possible for that same person to feel nothing higher than any other stranger to the truth. This fact, which cannot be denied, is owing to the utter indifference in which some mediums indulge themselves with respect to the divine lessons of which they are the bearers to their fellow men. In the Superior Condition nothing of this passivity or indifference is possible. The mind is not only exalted to the fellowship of eternal principles, where it can discern the essences and properties of visible bodies, but the facul- ties are active and conscious of inherent energy and truth. One who methodically enters upon the Superior Condi- tion is like an industrious student whose mind seeks and finds the penetralia of things ; and the luxurious fruits are intellectual refinement and moral growth, in musical accord with immutable principles of Father God. Human Character in the Hand- writing XXIII. — Question : " Is there anything in a man's hand-writing which is a true index to his character? Can a person's motives be detected by those who have the power to ' psychometrize ; a letter or a bit of writing by the hand of the person ? What is the name of such a power ? Answer : Our interrogator is evidently but just enter- ing the vast realm of truth in science and life. He seems not to know that the writing of a human hand is a certain indication of character. It is very natural to suppose that the hand-writing may be artificial, or so trained as not to exhibit the nature and feelings of the penman ; and it is also natural to suppose that the uniformities and efforts of the teacher may modify, or greatly remove the predominant characteristics of the pupil's menta.1 organization ; but let HUMAN CHARACTER IN THE HAND-WRITING. 45 the world rest assured that, however modifying and restraining such influences may be at first, the hand-writing is absolutely certain, sooner or later, to indicate and per- fectly exhibit the mental condition and internal peculiarities of the individual. A close observer of human nature will detect the cha- racter and disposition of an individual in every muscular movement. Walking, talking, eating, as well as writing, denote condition and character. The rowdy may be seen beneath every external appearance of a gentleman; the 'profligate may be detected behind a mask of virtue and good manners ; the ignoramus cannot hide himself in the assumed robes of refinement and cultivation ; for this is true, that notwithstanding the artificial restraints and studied disguises of the ingenious — the brain (the spirit's fulcrum) is the source of every nervous and muscular move- ment. In the writing movement, as much as in any other action, the magnetism and condition of the individual come spontaneously uppermost, and are therefore distinctly visible to the perceptions of the clairvoyant and psy- chometrist. The spirit letter-reader — L e., one who can read the spirit of the person who wrote the letter— is the best phrenologist. It is not unfrequent to observe a variable hand-writing in one and the same letter which denotes a person of sensitive and variable disposition ; while another person, inflexible in character and stern in feeling, will write legibly, and rigidly, and uniformly, from first to last. Few changes of style are visible in persons who, although exceedingly sensitive and variable, habitually practice great self-control ; but the lack of freedom, and the imper- fect expression of the writer's real sentiments, are unfail- ingly detected by the chirognoinist. And from this point 46 ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS. it is easy to penetrate behind the physical letter to the real character of the penman. You ask : « What is the philosophy of this wonderful power ?" The explanation of the mystery is easy, as already hinted at — namely, the brain-origin of every nervous and muscular movement. If you carefully analyze the movements of a man's hand while writing, you will be inductively led to the source of such movements — the brain; and inasmuch as the brain is but the physical agent of the mind, will, and character, so it is easy to trace the primal cause of the movements to the inmost disposition of the individual. In the writing of a well-trained penman may be detected a magnetic sphere — a concealed emanation, permeating the very substance of the paper on which the beautiful and graceful characters are traced — which, to the true seer, is certain to identify and unravel the mental qualities of the writer. An emotion of the intellect, a gush of affection, a throb of passion or anger, will leave its impression on the paper, and it seems to matter not how many years elapse, or through how many strange hands the letter or manuscript may pass, the aural impregnations remain, undi- luted and unchanged, as indelibly as if written by the finger of an angel in the Book of Life. The moral influence of this power is mighty for good. By means of its exercise a person may be measured and analyzed, and furnished with the best principles of refor- mation and progression. But there are as yet only a limited number of mediums and seers so gifted. And even such seem not to improve their endowments to the best advan- tage. They wait seemingly for an unseen power to supply them with all requisite perception for the reading of cha- racter by letter ; whereas it is a divine power, like the THE SOUL AS DISTINGUISHED FROM SPIRIT. 47 voice, and every other natural faculty, capable of develop- ment and perfection at the option of the possessor. The Eternity of an Idea. XXIV. — Question : " Is the human mind so framed that it can recall all of its past thoughts ? Or, is there any reason to believe that ideas are immortal ? And does the mind improve forever ? ;; Answer : The mind has no power to destroy the impres- sion which an idea has made upon it. The inner memory is immortal. In fact, man's spirit is a magazine of eternal ideas, or impersonal principles. [See Harmonia, vol. 5.] "The capacity of the mind for knowledge," says Prof. Hitchcock, " is another of its wonderful powers. By every accession of knowledge is that capacity enlarged ; nor have the limits of that expansion ever been reached or imagined. Indeed, the nature of the mind leads to the conclusion that there are no limits. And it has already been shown that whatever knowledge the mind acquires, it can never lose. What a magnificent conception, to attempt to follow the mind along the path of its immortal existence, and to see it forever drinking in the stream of knowledge, whereby it constantly accumulates strength, and has the sphere of its capacity enlarged, yet remaining eternally infinitely inferior to that of the Deity ! Yet who can conceive of the vast amount of knowledge it will ultimately attain, or its more than angelic intellectual might? " The Soul as distinguished from Spirit. XXV. — Question : " I perceive you make a clear distinction between the soul and spirit of a man. If you will define the soul as distinguished from a' spirit, to the understanding of an imspiritually minded man, you will confer a favor upon one who has been by the phenomena of spiritual manifestations, so far converted from " infi- delity " as to entertain strong hopes of a rational immortality." Answer: You can easily comprehend the philosophical 48 ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS. difference between " soul " and " spirit." But it will be first necessary to fix firmly in your understanding the struc- tural facts on which we predicate the distinction. We will explain : It is correct to say that a man is a two-fold or dual individuality — compounded, in general terms, of Body and Soul. By " Body " we mean everything physical ; by " Soul," everything mental or spiritual. But suppose, after a close and conscientious analysis and classification of these two grand counterparts of man, you should find several subdivisions, or a " wheel within a wheel " — what would you do ? You would do what we have clone ; and what is always natural— viz : Make a more particular statement of the structure, and give a name appropriate to each coun- terpart or subdivision. Finding man's body animated by a " soul," which, in every attribute and property, is the same as the motion, life, and sensation of all lower organi- zations, and that this " soul " was the cause of all corpo- real sensations and propensities, we said : " There must be in man something deeper, more interior, and higher, than this 'soul' of the external organization." Obeying the lead of this conclusion, just as the astrono- mer discovered a new planet by the faultless logic of legitimate induction, we approached the presence of the deeper life, and, because of its inexpressible superiority to the elements of physical sensation, we called it " spirit." But we have met persons, who, while adopting this classi- fication, prefer to transpose the terms — employing the word "soul" as expressive of the centermost of man's men- tality, and "spirit" as the part that animates the physical structures. We have no controversy with terms ; only it is certainly more convenient for many minds, of one faith, to speak the same language — using the same words to con- DYING SENSATIONS ON THE BATTLE-FIELD. 49 vey the same meaning; for thus much misunderstanding may be avoided. Having been led by the light of reason to infer the existence of a still more interior principle to man's being, we entered clairvoyantly and interiorly upon the investi- gation, and the result was the announcement of the distinc- tion between " soul/' and " spirit," to which our correspondent refers. In brief, then, the human structure is trifold instead of dual, and there is as much difference between "soul" and "spirit" as there is -between the body and the soul. The " soul " is compounded of all the motive forces, life-principles, and sensational elements which may be found, to a greater or lesser degree of perfection, .in all the lower organizations of matter. But the " spirit " is the divine part — the essence of all motion, the master of all life, the lord of all sensations, and the immortalizing crown of all intelligence in man. " Spirit " is the fountain of every sublime Aspiration — the flower of immortal fragrance in the middle of the heart of man's life — the indwelling "image and likeness" of whatsoever is holy, beautiful, lovely and eternal. " Spirit " is the source of Love and Wisdom — " soul " is the source of pas- sion and knowledge. " Soul " is the life of the outer body — " spirit " is the life of the soul. After physical death, the soul or life of the natural body becomes the form or " body " of the eternal spirit ; and hence, in the Spirit Land, the spirit is surrounded by the physical imperfections of the " soul." But the soul (or spirit body) is ultimately purified by the " spirit," which is King. Dying Sensations on the Battle-field. XXVI. — Question : " My faith in the principles of the ITarmo- nial Philosophy, aud in the fact of spiritual intercourse, grows firmer as I grow older. In contemplating the possibility of my' becoming a 5 50 ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS. victim to the misfortunes of War, I do not fear death from any fore- bodings as to what my fate may he after the process is over ; but whatever dread I have, seems to be instinctive rather than rational. I dread the physical suffering attendant on an unnatural and violent dissolution, and also, as I am led to believe, by a perusal of spiritual works, on the subsequent reorganization of the spirit. Were it not for this dread I could face the cannon's throat, belching forth the instruments of destruction, without a quiver of fear. If possible, will you please describe what the sensations of death in battle usually are ? I refer particularly to those which occur immediately after the body appears lifeless. What changes* and sensations does the spirit pass through before its organization is completed ? " Answer : # It may be said with truth that, until the advent of modern Spiritual Philosophy, mankind have known almost nothing concerning the occult facts of death. That every living organization, including man, is destined to mature and die, has been the universally recognized fact ; but the world has not known until recently precisely what sensations and changes occur during the process. But true scientific light has really dawned upon this hith- erto dark and dreadful event at the end of life, and by that light we are enabled to reply to the most interesting interrogatory of our correspondent. The true answer, which every man's reason can readily apprehend, will be found in the character of the relations subsisting between the body and the spirit. If the phy- sical organism, with its multiform parts and forces, was nothing more than a foreign habiliment, worn by the spirit, as the body puts on and takes off a coat or dress, then the changes and sensations experienced at death would be analogous to those felt by the body when merely deprived of its superficial garments. But the truth is that there are numerous and most delicate chemical relations subsisting between the spirit and the corresponding parts of the phy- sical organization ; and these relations impress the intui- tions of all men with the unavoidable conviction that DYING SENSATIONS ON THE BATTLE-FIELD. 51 " death" is a very solemn and radical event — something vastly more, and very different in effect, than the common transaction of putting off artificial dresses from the surface of the physical form. Between the body and its ordinary daily garments there exist no inter-amalgamated affinities, no commixture of kindred elements, and hence the separa- tion of the two does not effect any radical changes in the feelings and habitation of the individual. But the fact is exactly otherwise with the event under consideration. The relation of the body to the spirit is homogenous and essentially chemical, and the premature separation of them is accomplished only by snapping and violently sun- dering the countless threads of that relation. First, then, what is the nature of the relation between the body and the spirit ? We answer that the twain are chemically associated by an intermediate combination of elements which we term the "soul." Thus — 1. % 3. BODY— SOUL— SPIEIT. Q. Of what is the soul composed ? A, Of motion, life, sensation, and intelligence. Q. What constitutes the spirit ? A. The spirit is composed of impersonal princi- ples — the life-element of Father God and Mother Nature. Q. Of what is the physical body composed ? A. Of all the elements of matter below man. Q. How is the soul chemically related to the body ? A. By vital electricity. Q. To what clement of the soul does this electricity belong ? A. To the element of Motion. Q. How, then, is the spirit chemically related to the " soul" ? A. By vital magnetism. Q. From what does this magnetism emanate ? A. From the soul. It is an emanation from the soul, like the aroma from the life of a rose, which is its atmosphere and fra- 52 ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS. grance. Q. Do you mean to teach that the soul is united to the body by vital electricity, and the spirit to the soul by vital magnetism ? A. Yes, and the following scale is the illustration : MATERIAL ORGANIZATION, VITAL ELECTRICITY, INTERMEDIATE, OR SOUL, VITAL MAGNETISM, INNERMOST, OR SPIRIT. The above scale gives the organization of man as it is. Below the material organism are the lower kingdoms and the physical world ; while above and around the Innermost, or " spirit," is the spirit-world, and all that pertains to a supernal existence. If a human being lives out the full measure of life, then the vital electricity (which connects the soul with the body) imperceptibly loosens its hold, and dissolves the relation so gradually, that the spirit is not even conscious of death until after the change is all over, like the birth of an infant into this world. If, however, the change is forced and premature, the spirit is compelled to realize the fact, and also something of the unnatural shock which had occasioned the death. Within the past ten years we have observed several deaths by concussions, strangulation, drowning, &c, and the result to the spirit was in each case identical. Each person, whether young or old, spiritually experienced the same singular sensations, which were caused by the unnatu- ral and violent separation of the spirit from the body. It is well-known that a sudden shock, sufficient to cause death, produces instant insensibility. This fact is owing to the confusion of the elements of the " soul " throughout the nervous system. Its chemical affinities have been broken up into a confused mass, making intelligent sensations of DYING SENSATIONS ON THE BATTLE-FIELD. 53 any kind utterly impossible. It is as though you had struck a small stone with a hammer so powerfully and sud- denly that the cohesion between the atoms was instantly dissipated ; and what was before a solid mass, is now onhj smoke and dust flying in the wind. In like manner th( surprise of the chemical relations between soul and body by means of a powerful concussion, results in the temporary suspension of all sensation, and the spirit is simply intuition- ally apprised of what has just occurred in the region of its environments. Several soldiers have returned from their new homes in the Summer Land to tell the particulars concerning their sensations immediately after falling dead by rifle or cannon ball. They relate how they intuitively or spiritually (of course somewhat vaguely) realized the nature of the acci- dent, and that they had just died in the usual sense of the word, but they did not feel anything like pain — being only disposed to sleep very profoundly, regardless of the place, and forgetful of what had happened to them. This indif- ference has in many instances resulted in a kind of slumber for many days in the other world. Now it will be remembered that the " Soul " becomes the body of the spirit after death. This, however, is not the work of a moment. Whole hours, sometimes days, are consumed in perfecting the work of this final organization. While this beautiful process is going forward, the spirit does not feel anything physical or sensuous. It is all intui- tion, and memory, and meditation, and love. Its person- ality is not self-conscious, until the new senses in the new body are completed and opened, and adapted to the use and everlasting duration of the spirit. We repeat, when the death is natural — and no death is natural, save that of " ripe old age " — then the Spirit is immediately clothed 54 ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS. with its new body. It does not sleep, feels no suspension of identity, realizes no penalty for physiological injury, which is the effect of an accidental death, and thus the aged one is young and happy, and free as is an uncaged bird among the trees of the mountain. Our correspondent need not " dread " the temporary suspension of his personal consciousness, should he fall in battle, because there is in the experience no pain — only a confusion for a moment, a surprise of an instant's duration, as though the whole world had burst into countless atoms, succeeded by a flash of universal light which reveals a vast darkness, and then — indifference, rest, happiness, slumber. Directly the atoms composing the " Soul " begin to assem- ble about you — the spirit— while you live in intuition, in memory, in meditation, and in love — all unconscious of a personality or locality, without apprehension, perfectly free — indifferent, restful, slumbering. The sublime assur- ance that you are floating in the Spirit of the infinite Father and Mother — that no sparrow falleth unobserved — that nothing is wrong — that everything is right where you are — this assurance, singing like the affectionate song of a loving mother in your spirit's depths, will lull you to sleep, dreamlessly and yet alive and thoughtful, in the downy cradle of eternity. Therefore fear not the physical sensations consequent upon a sudden death at the " cannon's mouth." Fear, rather, the moral disadvantages accruing from a struggle in which the inspiration of universal Freedom is not at once the main-spring and the end to be attained. Questions Concerning Body, Soul ; and Spirit. XXVII. — Question : " 1. Does the ' vital magnetism ; connecting the soul with the spirit ever dissolve, leaving the spirit without a body, and could the spirit exist thus disembodied ? CONCERNING BODY, SOUL, AND SPIRIT. 55 " 2. Is the organization of the soul — from the ' chaotic and discord- ant elements' composing it in this life — ever possible with any human being after throwing off the mortal body ? " 3. You say, ' In common with the animals, each man has a soul;' but has "each human soul a spirit, which, in conjunction with the soul, is to be rocked « in the downy cradle of eternity ; "? : Answer: 1. It is impossible that the magnetic connec- tion, which links the soul to the spirit, should ever be dis- sipated or rendered ineffective. The vital magnetism is an enveloping ethereal emanation— a perpetual atmosphere — and is not only generated and renewed every moment, but its intimacy and agency are every moment made more chemically perfect and organically indissoluble. Spirit, without a body, is not individualized. Spirit is the imper- sonal essence of the omnipresent Father and Mother. It is personalized and secreted from the universal ocean of divine principles by means of the forming and containing soul. Hence spirit cannot exist disembodied. It would be swallowed up, like a drop of water, in the common sea of infinite principles. 2. It is impossible for a spirit identity to be formed and established independently of the physical organization and its psychical energies. The material organism is designed specifically and fundamentally to perform the function of giving individuality to the spiritual elements. The body is a mill. It puts, air, water, light, heat, vegeta- bles, fruits, animal substances, and chemicals, into its hop- per, and pulverizes them by digestion. The soul is fed and manufactured out of the finest elements and essences extracted from the above-named substances. No body but man's can elaborate the soul of a man ; and no soul but man's can ever subserve the eternal ends of the indwelling spirit. If it were possible for any spirit to be clothed upon for immortal life, without the aid of the physical 56 ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS. body, it would then be absurd for any human being to be born into this world. The fact that every inhabitant of supernal lands was once born of woman, on this planet, or on some other like this, in material development, demon- strates the absolute indispensableness of the corporeal organism to a future individualized existence. Therefore, we answer that it is never possible for a new soul to be organized about the spirit after death, except in the man- ner heretofore explained. The spirit, after leaving the mortal body, is always immediately clothed upon with that particular soul which was manufactured for it by the physical mechanism. 3. We do most distinctly affirm that every human soul has a spirit adapted to an eternal life. But we do not say that every form in human shape is necessarily human in its internal organism. Sometimes it happens that human parents produce false progeny, such as idiots and phreno- logical monstrosities, who do not possess the functions ade- quate to the manufacturing of the psychical organism. And sometimes, also, among the inferior tribes of earth, we observe bodies in human shape, possessing souls in common with the animal world, but who do not reach sufficiently high in the phrenological scale to take in and clothe a spi- rit for eternity. Among all races of men these exceptions exist. The farther back we investigate the physical history of mankind, the more frequent the exceptions, until we reach a point in the far past,- where the animal world was brought in its foetal development to the inception of the imperfect human type in shape merely, when the exception was on the side of immortality, and the rule in harmony with the mortal destiny of the brute creation. Now it is rare, among the so-called civilized races, that a child is born on the strictly mortal side of life. But that there are such NEARNESS OF THE SPIRIT LAND. 57 cases is as certain as that there are counterfeit coins in daily circulation in trade. Every peach-blossom does not produce a peach ; nor is every peach capable of reproducing its kind. Nearness of the Spirit Land. XXVIII. — Question : " Do you believe that mankind in general will ever realize the close proximity of the Spirit Land ? " Answer : It is not possible for everybody to become clairvoyant this side of the tomb. But this fact will not shut the Spirit Lund from the world's consciousness. We have the happiness to believe that the day will dawn when the pathway to the tomb will be smooth and fragrant with the breathings of angelic association. Harmonious intelli- gence, if not positive clairvoyance, and intuitive conscious- ness, if not open vision, will bring the Summer Land close to the sympathy and affections of mankind. This blessed reality will become a part of the world's every-day con- sciousness, like the fact of existence itself, and thus will " ministering spirits " form a part of human experience and society. The sweet, mournful tones of the asolian harp, when breathed upon the midnight wind, sound not more attractive and holy than do the whisperings of gen- tle visitants from other spheres. Where is the Spirit World? XXIX. — Question : " Does the spirit of man ever enter the spirit -world before the death of the mortal organism ? n Answer : The spirit of man is never out of the spirit world. [By the " spirit world " we do not mean the Second Sphere, or Summer Land.] By the term " spirit world " is meant the " silver lining to the clouds of mat- ter " with which the mind of man is thickly enveloped. There is no space between the spirit of man and this 58 ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS. immense universe of inner life. Man's spirit touches the material world solely by means of spiritualized matter both within and without his body. Thus the five senses come into contact with matter : 1. The eyes by light. 2. The ears by atmosphere. 3. The taste by fluids. 4. The smell by odors. 5. The touch by vibration. Reflection will satisfy you that you (a spirit) never did and never can come in contact with solid matter. Matter must be first attenu- ated and set in motion before you can reach out and take hold of it. Between your Will and the solid rock at your feet there are several gradations of matter spiritualized, but less and less refined as you go downward, until the lowest condition of life [i. e., vibration, or motion,) reaches and touches the stone. By such conditions and attenuations of matter your spi- rit (yourself) comes in contact with the outward world. Interiorly you are already in the spirit world. You feel, think, decide, and act as a resident of the inner life. Death removes the " cloud of matter " from before your spiritual senses. Then you see, hear, taste, smell, and touch, more palpably and intelligently, the facts and forces of the world in which, perhaps as a stranger, you have lived from the first moment of your individualized exist- ence, "it is not necessary to move an inch from your death- bed to obtain a consciousness of the spirit world, or inner life. Instantly you perceive the life of things, and the shape and situation of the things themselves are also visi- ble in a new golden light, and yet you may not have moved twelve inches from the body just deserted. The duality of man's nature is physiologically and spiritually perfect. Being a spirit, in the spirit world every moment, man can face matter and mold it into countless shapes. The Summer Land is a vast localized sphere within this universal spirit world. CAN SPIRITS SEE MATERIAL OBJECTS/ 59 The Summer Land. XXX. — Question : " What do you mean by the expression ' Summer Land ' ? If you designate the heavenly world by this expression, why do you use these words more frequently than other terms, such as Spirit Land, Spirit W orld, &c. ? ,; Answer : There is a philosophical reason for the ex- pression : " Summer Land." The difference between this world and the adjoining sphere is as wide and as marked as between the seasons of winter and summer. In this world we find, at best, nothing but the rudiments of the next. Sickness and death terminate man's career on earth. In the next world he can know, by experience, nothing of either death or sickness. The minutes of man's life on earth are counted by grains of iron and sand. In the next life his time is measured by the ripples of love and wisdom. Evil converts the present life into a stormy winter, and the darkness of ignorance and suffering flings sadness over the whole race ; but in the next world there is a summery- bloom on the cheek of every one, from the least to the greatest, and the song of the thronging millions is filled with the music of perpetual summer. But the time is coming on earth when the will of the great Good " will be done" as it is in the Summer World. The realities of the upper life will at last shine into this life, and the " king- dom of heaven" will have come with its everlasting ver- dure, blending the two worlds so perfectly, that every part of earth will be supremely blest and beautiful. Until that holy day, with its omnipotent love and endless glory, dawns all over the earth, it will be naturally and truth- fully expressive by way of contrast, to think and speak of the spirit world as the Summer Land. Can Spirits See Material Olyects ? XXXI. — Question : " In some of your writings you have put forth this proposition : ' It is a law of Nature that Spiritual things are 60 ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS. seen only by Spiritual eyes, and material things by material eyes.' Then, on page 174, Penetralia, you say: * While the party enter- tained themselves in conversation concerning the diagrams that were hanging on the wall, we (Catherine and I) &c, &c. ? Some persons seem to think the statement of Spirits seeing the diagrams ' on the wall, ; contradicts the above proposition. Will you please explain f /} Answer : Simplicity in expression is a partial test of truth — not crudity nor flaunting extravagance of style — and yet, some truths are so fine, so exquisitely attenuated, that to treat them with simple words seems somewhat like dressing a divine and gentle spirit in home- spun sackcloth. We must bespeak attention, close and patient, to the brief explanation we have to give. It has been asked, — " Who can paint a sunbeam to the blind, Or make him feel a shadow with his mind ? '? Still, it becomes necessary to " paint a sunbeam," and to feel a shadow, in classifying and explaining the class of truths to which our correspondent refers. Spirit eyes discern material and corporeal objects, by means of the aura which emanates from the objects ; that is, the eternal eye sees the rose through its fragrance and its qualities, a stone through its latent life-principle, a tree through its expanded life, a physical man through his ani- mating soul, a diagram on the wall through the nervaura within the markings of the artist, (by which subtile prin- ciple a letter is psychometrized) and so on, throughout the whole empire of material forms, the Spiritual eye discerns physical bodies only through their Spiritual qualities, showing that spirit-sight is exactly the reverse of bodily- sight, just as matter is the opposite of mind ; and yet, these exact opponents meet in one common center, as all extremes do and must. ANIMALS IN THE SPIRIT WORLD. 61 Animals in the Spirit World. XXXII. — Question : " There seem to be contradictory accounts through mediums, concerning the existence and non-existence of birda and animals in the Spirit World — some affirming, some denying Can you throw any light on this question ? " Answer : Almost all misunderstandings, even contra- dictions and animosities among men, arise from the use of the same words with different meanings. If mankind could use language so judiciously that one word would always and everywhere stand for one meaning, the contro- versies of the world would quickly terminate, because at heart all men are the same as one man, with identical intui- tions, and with similar likes and dislikes under similar circumstances. Joy and sorrow, happiness and misery — birth, growth, maturity, death — are common to all men everywhere. But men will use the same words with very dissimilar meanings, and thus, where there is no essential difference of conviction, they will quarrel with and hate each other. Id nothing has this confusion of tongues been worse confounded than in the revelations through mediums from the inner life. And yet in nothing is there more essential harmony and mutually supporting testimony. For exam- ple : An investigator, thinking of the Summer Land, will ask a medium, or a spirit through the medium, " Do you see any Birds and Animals ? " The answer will be, perhaps, "Yes;" or, perhaps, "No;" and yet both statements are truthful. Because what is the spirit world to one medium or spirit, in one particular state of mediumship, is no the spirit world to another in a different state. The words are used, by different persons, in different states, with very widely different meanings. We have defined the " spirit world" as the boundless inner life, in which all physical planets, with their vegeta- 6 62 ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS. tion, and animals, and inhabitants, swim and revolve through space. Consequently, to spirit eyes all objects, both animate and still, are visible as parts of that inner life, or spirit world. Men, houses, villages, horses, cows, dogs, fruit trees, vegetation, the landscapes, &c, on this globe, are all distinctly visible (in a new light) to every dweller of the Summer Land. Hence, in a certain sense, it is true to say that in the spirit world everything contin- ues to be just as it was on 'earth. This was Swedenborg's gospel, and it is reaffirmed by hundreds now-a-days. But, remember, the spirit world is not the Second Sphere. Conflicting Testimony on Important Facts. XXXIII. — Question : " I am much troubled with what I deem irreconcilable statements concerning the location of the spirit world. You seem to differ widely from Dr. Hare and the author of the ' Arcana of Nature.' Why is this ? " Answer : We do not feel called upon to explain the causes why one mind has been impressed to differ from another on this subject. If we had written after the authors named, and had found cause to differ as widely from them as they have from us, it would then seem import- ant to give the world a sufficient reason for the discrepancy. We think it is an author's duty to give his readers what he deems good reasons for making statements in conflict with those who have preceded him. If a man should affirm that the planet Saturn was located only 100 miles from the earth, he should give his reasons for so " widely differing " from the received demonstrations of astronomers ; but we can see no justice in the public calling upon the astrono- mers to explain why some particular author has been influ- enced to make statements adverse to their system. There- fore, would it not be wise and just to the general cause of progress, if persons, who have been moved to differ so POE'S CLAIRVOYANT — SPIRIT OP PRANCES WRIGHT. 63 conspicuously and widely from us, would furnish the world with their interior reasons for such differences? The con- flict of testimony must necessarily be very embarrassing to readers and investigators. For our own part, we have up to this day found no reason to essentially modify anything we have published relating to the spiritual spheres. It is important that investigators should have all the data of correct reasoning. The Story of Poe's Clairvoyant. XXXIV. — Question : " In regard to your interview with Edgar A. Poe some years ago, as reported in the ' Magic Staff/ in which you treated his story as a reality — can you explain how the mistake occurred?" Answer : There was no mistake in this circumstance. We remember to have affirmed on two or three occasions, previous to the interview with the gifted poet, that the philosophy of ultimates, unpar tided matter, etc., (as set forth by the clairvoyant in Poe's article) was a true philosophy — but this endorsement did not extend to an assertion that the clairvoyant was an actual personage. Upon this point we did not seek any information. But we used the poet's invention, by name, as men speak of Shakspeare's or Mil- ton's characters — all equally fabulous, but none the less real, in common conversation. The Spirit of Frances Wright. XXXV. — Question : " I have been credibly informed that you saw the spirit of Frances Wright, at High Rock Tower, in your vision of the Spiritual Congress, some months previous to her death. If so, how could it occur ? 7) Answer : Your informant is wholly mistaken. The authentic record of that memorable Vision may be found in " The Present Age and Inner Life." On the occasion referred to, the Seer is reported to have seen but four glori- 64 ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS. fied beings. The members of the Congress were not indi- vidually visible to his perceptions. He saw them en masse, not particularly as to their features, and in conversation he was addressed by only one of the four. (See the book.) Months subsequently the same spirit, Galen, came with an account of the proceedings of the* different Sessions of the Congress ; at which time the Seer acted in the capacity of reporter simply, and reduced to writing the " exordia," with the names given as members of the different Delega- tions, as imparted by the spirit of Galen. Why the name of Frances Wright was given as a member of the Ameri- can Delegation we do not know, unless it was done in pro- phetic anticipation of her arrival and co-operation. Spiritual Habitations after Death. XXXVI. — Question : " Will you he kind enough to answer the following- questions : 1st. Do spirits have local habitations ? 2d. Are those habitations as diversified as on earth ? 3d. Do the races of men retain their original color ? ;; Answer : The homes of the loved, and not lost, are visi- ble on every side of the Summer Land. Brotherhoods are likewise visible — immense congregations of mutually attracted natures — just beyond the homes and habitations of the less gregarious. The divine light of immortality glorifies the pathway of every inhabitant. In our Father's and Mother's " house there are many " apartments — lovely to the loving, glorious to the hopeful, filled with rest to the harmonious — but you will discover that a man will certainly find in his next life the effects of this, for it is a fixed law that " as a man thinketh " so will the externals of that world seem- to him. The spirit's Home is a natural world, regulated by natural laws, covered by a natural firmament, animated by a natural Deity, populated by natural spirits and ancrels who were once men and women, and it is there- WEIGHT OP THE SPIRIT BODY. 65 fore natural that dwelling-places should diversify the landscape. The physiological color of races does not continue, though their mental peculiarities do ; but it is distinctly made manifest that persons, in the spirit world, have complexions in accordance with the state and degree of their moral development. For example: An immoral Anglo Saxon after death is likely to appear with a blacker face than that of his simple-hearted, faithful African servant ; for it is a fixed principle of mind that the exterior shall corres- pond, both in shape and complexion, to the interior spirit- ual state. Weight of the Spirit Body. XXXVII. — Question : " I would like explained a certain para- graph which I find in the fifth volume of the Great Harmonia, page 406, in relation to the weight of the spiritual body, to wit : ' The entire form would not, perhaps, weigh at spiritual birth more than three ounces 1 ' Now what I should like to know is this — how can a substance which weighs three ounces escape my sight and touch ? I can both see and feel a substance, of the size of the human body, which will weigh less than one ounce. I had supposed, and still think, that the human spirit is as light as air. ;; Answer : Our interrogator is mistaken in regard to the powers of his natural vision. He thinks he can " both see and feel a substance of the size of the human body which will weigh less than one ounce." Did he ever try the experiment in a manner parallel to what the spiritual body would be ? Atmospheric air weighs 15 pounds to the square inch. Can our interrogator discern the immense weight that would fall within the compass of a human form ? A grain of musk will diffuse its odor through every part of a large house, and a pound of the same would saturate a wide area of country air, yet neither the eye or the touch could detect its presence or existence. 6* 66 ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS. Trees and plants grow from substances absorbed out of the circumambient air, but who can see or touch those substances until they concentrate, through months and years, in the appropriate external forms? So with the spirit substance. It might weigh pounds instead of ounces, and that substance and that weight might exist within the dimensions of the physical body out of which it emanated, yet no human eye or hand is fine enough to detect its pres- ence. It is so rare, so refined, so ethereal, so attenuated ; but neither of these attributes can lessen the actual weight of the substance. The Spiritual Substance. XXXVIII. — Question : " You say that spirits' souls (their bodies) are composed of substances. If this be so, does the earth grow smaller by their leaving it. ... I ask for knowledge • will you instruct me V ) Answer: Take an acre of treeless and shrubless ground. Weigh it, and mark the exact number of tons of earth it contains. Now add a definite quantity of fertiliz- ing soils and manures. Know how much it all weighs. (There should be no communication between this acre and the earth either beneath or at the sides.) Plant it with apple trees. In ten years the trees are large, and their combined weight would be many tons ; but, on weighing the earth in which they grow, you would be astonished to find not a pound missing. This is true. The experiment may be tried in an earthen flower-pot. The leeching,