THEOSOPHICAL LECTURE

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIV, Issue 238, 6 April 1912, Page 4

THEOSOPHICAL LECTURE

Miiss Christie's lecture last night upon "The .Riddle of Life, and its Answer," was listened to throughout with great interest. Th,e lectureT traced the' journey of the divine sparks' from the beginning of manifestation out to the circumference of the Apld' circumscribed! by the Logos or manifested deity, and "back again io the bosom of "the Fa'ther. These sparks, Approximately 60,000,000,000 in number, enwrapped themselves in the gradually coarseipng matter of the universe or planet, -until they retieh--4hl their coa.rsest enfoldment in the mineral .kingdom. There Ithe forces of nature, Ibeait, cold, volcanic fire, biting frost, soft rain, etc., played upon the mineral body until it aroused a. response from the sleeping spark within; the •farce from within meeting t>hat from without, disintegrated 'the body, and the life escaped into the vegetable kingdom. 'Vegetable boldaes are more pliable, eo the spark gains moro 'experience. - It can (turn its blossoms 'to the light, and, ■if a creeping plant, can choose its eup- ! ports, .rejecting 'those it dlialikes. The \ spark ensouling a great forest tree gradually erases the .return of ithe sea- ! sons, and even likes some people and ianiimiaJs (better 'than others. After a long lilf,e on the body of a great tree, 'such as an oak, the 'escaping life takes on a fairly high animal form—'bhait of a mammal, and then evolve* much mare Quickly., Its body has ,now the power to change its environment, but ft 'is only ia part of the group-soul. The cow, ihorse, .elephant, dog and <cat are each ■at the head of a group-soul. 'When the body of any otf these dies, its experiences are pmssekl on do the group. •■ Thus a newly-ha'tch.ed chicken runs for shelter tot it's mother's Icry la.t the sight of a jhalwk. Coming in touch with man, jt Mas experiences- which cannot he passed 'on to the group, so a dividing Vail appears, and, ( it livw? alone on the edge of •thje (group-soul, till at last, in a great burst of enrdtiion, love .or hate for He •human master, it breaiks away altogether and becomes an individual, 'and • 'the Human ,being has made icrther p friend or an enemy for the rest of his many earth-lives. The animal-soul, plus ■ Ithe humanising .effect of his master tadnd, is now human and possesses, (through 'the state df savage man and the Various stages .of civilisation, till jhe reached the point where he knows the plan off the .universe, bakes Mfe| "evolution into kg own hand, and (fin*anig hig teacher t one of the groat Masters, or superman (wiho take pupils, ia ted tby Him through the strait gate of SnStiatdon and on bo the marrow path, at the end of which ih,e faces eternal Mias, and sees before him seven patina, five of which ta*ke him right away from earth. One of tlhe'se is chosen by those •■whom w,e call masters. THre man .who (returns renounces 'the bliss he has enrnedeldi and returns ito earth, taking again a human body and teaches wfcere be was taught. Of such pjrealt on.es- we know the Lord Jesus, jtlie Christ and the Buddha, and »we owe them eternal love ;and gratrtude. ' Several question were lanSwered 'flit Hhe close of 'the lecture.