Speaker 1: Things as they are. Note that the word universe is
derived from the Latin word unus, meaning one, and versor,
meaning to turn, the combined word meaning literally one that
turns or moves. The Latin words indicate a close meaning, namely,
one thing in motion, turning its several aspects and assuming
many changes of appearance. The writer does not intend touching
upon theories of the origin of the universe, nor of
its purpose, or of any design in its production or management,
nor of its possible or probable end. These questions do
not belong to our subject. And then again, as was
said in the last chapter, speculation regarding it is devoid
of results and leads one to quicksands and bogs of
mental reasoning from which it is difficult to extract oneself.
The answer to the riddle of the universe rest in
the infinite, but it is different with the case of
the manifested universe that is evidenced by our senses. Science
is a different thing from metaphysics, and its process and
mode of work are along different lines, and much knowledge
of things may be obtained from a consideration of it,
remembering always that its knowledge is confined to things and
not to that which is back of things, and so
let us consider the universe of things. Material science has
held that the universe is composed of two principles, one matter,
two energy or force. Some hold that these two principles
really are aspects of the same thing, and that there
is really but one principle, one aspect of which is shape, form,
et cetera, and called matter, the other equality manifesting in motion,
which quality is called force. Others, the most radical, hold
that there is nothing but matter, and that force and
energy is but a quality or power inherent in matter.
Others hold that force is the real thing, and matter
but a form of force. All branches hold to the
idea that matter and energy are always found together and
cannot be thought of separately. Matter and force are held
to be eternal and infinite. It following that there can
be no addition to or subtraction from either, All apparent
loss and gain, creation and destruction being but change of
form or mode. God is declared unnecessary, and the universe
is held to operate according to certain laws of matter
or force, either or both, which are unchangeable and immutable,
eternal and always valid. Mind and thought are held to
be products of properties of matter or force one or
both secreted, evolved, or produced in the brain. The soul
is relegated to the waist heap and discarded as useless.
In the new philosophy, Molleshot said thought is a motion
of matter, and Hulbeck that matter enjoys the power of thinking.
Natural laws are held to be sufficient for the explanation
of all phenomena, although ignoring the fact that the reason
has never before formed the conception of a law without thinking,
it necessary to think of a law maker or a
power to enforce and administer the law. However, the philosophers
hold that it is no more difficult to think of
such a law than to try to form an idea
of space or eternity, both of which are unthinkable to
the human reason, but both of which are admitted as
self evident facts. But notwithstanding this somewhat crude and raw reasoning,
materi ferial science has accomplished a wonderful work in the world,
and has brought to light facts of inestimable value to
man and mastering the material world and informing correct ideas
of the solution of material difficulties. The facts of material
science enables the world to cheerfully overlook its theories, and
even the theories are rapidly undergoing a change. And as
we have stated, some of the most advanced scientists are
rapidly reaching the position of the occultists and mystics, bringing
with them a mass of facts to back them up,
to exhibit to the occultists who dealt with principles rather
than with details or material facts, so far as fundamental
theories were concerned. Each is boring his way through the
mountain tunnel of the unknown, and both will meet in
the center, their lines meeting each other without a variation.
But the occultist will call the tunnel center mind, and
the scientists will call it matter. But both will be
speak of the same thing, and the causer of the
mountain will probably know that they both are right. But
we are speaking of the new school of advanced material
science now, not of the old conservative all is matter
people who have been left behind. The new school speaks
of substance now instead of matter, and ascribes to substance
the properties of matter, energy, and something that they will
call sensation, by which they mean mind in a crude form,
and from which they say mind and soul evolved. This
new school of scientists are very different from their predecessors.
They are less hide bound and far from being so cockture.
They are seeing matter melting into energy and giving signs
of sensation, and they are beginning to feel that, after all,
there must be a thing in itself that is the
real basis of or real thing in substance. There is
heard very little among them about dead matter, blind force,
or the mechanical theory of life. Life in the universe,
instead of it being a big machine operated under mechanical laws,
with life as the steam, the universe is beginning to
be regarded as somehow filled with life, and science is
finding new examples of life in unexpected quarters, and the
dead matter area is being narrowed. Men who have followed
the advances made by recent science are holding their breaths
in awe and earnest expectation, and those who are pushing
the inquiries and investigations to the fullest extent are showing
by their eager faces and trembling hands that they feel
that they are very close to the borderline separating the
old materialism from a new science that will give thought
and philosophy a new impetus and a new platform. Such
men are feeling that they are seeing the old matter
melting away into something else. The old theories are falling
apart under the light of new discoveries, and these men
feel that they are penetrating a new and hitherto unexplored
region of the unknown. May success be theirs, for they
are now on the right road to truth. In the
following chapters, we shall see frequent references to science, and
when we use the word we shall know it means
this new school of scientists rather than the older school
that is now being superseded. There is no conflict between
true occultism and true science, notwithstanding their directly opposite theories
and ideals. They are merely looking at the truth from
different viewpoints, at different sides of the same shield. A
better day is coming when they shall work together instead
of in opposition. There should be no partisanship in the
search for truth. Things have worked out this way. Occultism
would enunciate a theory a principle, but would not attempt
to prove it by material facts, for it had not
gathered the facts, having found the principle within the mind
rather than without. Then, after laughing at the occult theory
or principle, science would search diligently for material facts to
prove an opposite theory, and in doing so would unearth
new facts that would support the occultist contention. Then science
would discard its old theory, that is, the younger men
would the old ones never and proceed to proclaim a
new theory or principle under a new name and backed
up with a mass of facts and experiments that would
create a new school with many enthusiastic followers. The old
claim of the occultist would then be forgotten, or else
go unrecognized under its old name, or disguised by the
fantastic and bizarre coverings which some so called occultist had
draped around the original truth. But so long as truth
is being uncovered, what matters it who does the work,
or by what name he calls his school. The movement
is ever forward and upward. What matter the banner under
which the armies move. In this book, the writer will
advance a very different theory of the universe of all
things from that of modern science, although he feels that
his theory may easily be reconciled with the most advanced
views of that school. In the first place, as he
has stated in the first chapter. He does not hold
that the universe as we know it is self sufficient,
but he recognizes a something back of all phenomena and appearances,
which something he calls the infinite. And he differs very
materially from the views of those who claim that mind
is but a property or quality, or something proceeding from
matter or force, or matter force or force matter, according
to the views of the respected schools. He takes an
entirely different and opposite position. He holds that all that
we call matter or substance, and mind as we know it,
are but aspects of something infinitely higher, and which may
be called the cosmic mind. He holds that what we
call mind is but a partial manifestation of the cosmic mind,
and that substance or matter is but a cruder or
growth of that which we call mind, and which has
been manifested in order to give mind a body through
which to operate. But this view he merely states in passing,
for he makes no attempt to demonstrate or prove the same,
his idea being that it forms a different part of
the general subject than the phase of dynamic thought to
the consideration of which this book is devoted. He also
differs very materially from the materialistic school in his conception
of force or energy. Instead of regarding force as a
distinct principle and as something of which mind is but
a form, he walks boldly out into the arena of
scientific thought, and, throwing down his gauntlet, proclaims his theory
that there is no such thing as force apart from
life and mind. All force and energy is the product
of life and mind. All force, energy and motion result
from vital mental action. All force, energy and motion is
vital mental force, energy, and motion. The mind, abiding in
and permeating all substance, not only has the power to think,
but also the power to act and to manifest force
and energy, which are its inherent and essential properties. He
also takes the position that mind is in and about
and around everything, and that everything is alive in thinking,
and that there is no such things as dead matter
or blind force, but that all substance, even to the
tiniest particle, is permeated with life and mind, and that
all force and motion is caused and manifested by mind.
He holds that all forms of force, energy, and motion
from the attraction of the particles of matter and their
movements in response. There too, up to the attraction of
gravitation and the response of the worlds and suns and
stars and planets, there too are forms of mental energy
and force and action, and that from the tiniest atom
or particle to the greatest sun, all obey this great
action of mind, this great force of mind, this great
energy of mind, this great power of mind. And upon
this rock, this rock of truth, he believes it to be.
He takes his stand and announces his belief, and bids
all comers take notice of what he believes to be
a germ thought that will grow, develop an increase, so
that it will eventually permeate all scientific thought as the
years roll along. He calls this theory the theory of
dynamic thought.