Summary and comments on Isis study held on October 8, 2012 at Bangalore ULT
Chapter XI : Realities and Illusions
Pages covered : p. 470 – 479
It was said in the Isis study report of 16th Sept – 1st October that for every discovery made by science there looms before it a hundred unexplained mysteries. For instance, what is Life ? What is the nature of the difference between the living organism and the dead organism ? So far as chemical and physical forces are concerned there is none till a considerable decomposition of the latter has taken place. Yet the difference is immense, inconceivably great. What is the nature of this different “something,” where has it gone ? This is a question on which there are speculations and controversies in the academies but nothing is known with certainty. This is because science confines itself merely to the physical, and Man and Nature is regarded as just physical machinery and no more. The Psyche and the Spirit of things are disbelieved in, and even ridiculed. Blind as it is to psychic and spiritual side of Nature and Man, it stands dumb before the mysteries of vital force, of mind, soul and spirit.
Only the ancient Oriental psychology has the answers with experimental proofs and ages of experience gathered from remotest past. For it there is no mystery of life remains to be discovered. Yet modern academies should ignore these is a commentary on the power of bias and prejudice which human mind is generally infested with. Bias, prejudice and scepticism are stumbling blocks in the way of true progress.
This mysterious Life, or Vital Force, which give vital activity, intelligence and consciousness to the organism, and the absence of which makes the organism dead, is demonstrated in innumerable experiments in the phenomenon of :
Reanimation of apparently dead people
Ancient science repudiates the idea of miracle. There are no miracles as the Christian Church proclaims to, and fastens on, the minds of its credulous followers. Apparent miracle is due to the working of laws of Nature not generally known and hence called miracle. If a knowledge of the laws are known it would seem to be perfectly natural, demonstrable and replicable.
In all ages and everywhere, and at the present time, there have been innumerable cases of reanimation of the dead. We have in the Gospels the story of Lazarus, who was dead, being restored to life by Jesus. Is it a miracle? Certainly not. Thousands of such revivals have been made and thousands, who were proclaimed dead, have naturally revived. Like Jesus, thaumaturgists have accomplished done it in all times.
The chief difficulty of science to explain this lies in the following two vital points :
1. The ultimate moment of separation of the Inner Man or Soul from the Outer Body, the casket, when the body is declared dead by science.
2. A prevailing unbelief in the existence of ether soul, or spirit, in Man.
Death results when the Inner Ethereal Soul, Inner Man, withdraws from the outer body, due to the body organism becoming too worn by disease or old age. But as long as the vital connection between the Inner Man and the outer body is not completely, irretrievably, ruptured, the Inner Man may re-enter its body, or made to re-enter it by the will power of the thaumaturgist.
Will-power of man is so tremendously potential that it can re-animate a body apparently dead, by drawing back the flitting soul that has not yet quite ruptured the thread that through life had bound the two together.
Experiments :
Many Fakirs in India have allowed themselves to be buried alive before thousands of witnesses, and weeks afterwards have been disinterred and resuscitated. The processes is analogous to hibernation. Jesus, Gymnosophists of India, Apollonius of Tyana and many other prophets and Seers knew the mysteries of life and death thoroughly, very much more than what modern science knows.
That Soul, the vital principle, which animates the body giving it life, vital activity, conscience and consciousness, the absence of which renders the body dead—what is it ? “Whence it came, whither it was going ?” asked Le Conte, the French scientist.
St. Paul, Jesus, Apollonius, Elsisha, ascetics and learned initiates might have recalled to life any man who “was not dead but sleeping” without any miracle.
The axiom is : If the molecules of the cadaver are imbued with the physical and chemical forces of the living organism what is it to prevent them from being set again in motion, provided we know the nature of the vital force, and who to command it.
Three hypotheses reg. re-animation of the apparently dead are in currency:
Comparison and contrast of them reveals wherein lies the truth.
1. Theory of science :
For the materialist there is no question of re-infusion of the soul for soul has no existence for him. Human body is looked upon as a vital engine—a locomotive which will start upon the application of heat and force, and stop when they are withdrawn.
2. The Christian Theological view :
To the theologian death cuts asunder the tie which binds the soul and the body, and one no more be returned into the other without a miracle than the born infant can be compelled to resume its foetal life after parturition and the severing of the umbilicus.
3. The doctrine of the Hermetic philosopher
He stands between the above two irreconcilable antagonists, master of the situation. He knows the nature of the soul—a form composed of nervous fluid and atmospheric ether—and knows how the vital force can be made active or passive at will, so long as there is no final destruction of some necessary organ.
The 4 of the 10 axioms of ancient psychology, given in the previous study class blog notes, may be referred to. They throw clear light on the phenomenon and show the relative merits of the forgoing three views.
Experiments to show that Astral Soul is distinct and separable from the body :
1. Presence of the Astral form in the ashes of the burnt body of plants.
It was not unknown to European science as far back as 16th century that the ethereal form of plants were retained in the ashes of the plants and which could be resuscitated. Ashes of burned plants contained in vials, when heated, exhibited their forms. Du Chesne, eminent chemist, assured himself of the fact.
If the astral form of a plant still lingers in its ashes when the plant is dead and burned, could the soul of man, the inner Ego, disappear when the human body is dead ? It must persist and, given proper conditions, should be capable of re-entering and re-animating the body it had cast off. Philosophers say that at death one body exudes the other, by osmose and through the brain. It is held near its old garment by a double attraction, physical and spiritual, till the physical is decomposed. If before decomposition, if proper conditions are furnished, the soul can re-inhabit the body and resume suspended life. It happen in sleep, in trance, and an Adept in Occultism, by the exercise of his Will, can force it back into the body, like Jesus is reported to have done, in the Gospels, in the case of Lazarus. Such Adepts are “full of God,” says Iamblichus. All the subordinate spirits of the upper sphere are at his command, as he no longer a mortal, but a god.
2. Telepthy and Astral projection or travel
Proposition no. 9 says :
One of the phases of magical skill is voluntary withdrawal of the inner man from the outer body, at will, and cause it to perform long journeys.
Numerous unimpeachable evidences are on record of persons having witnessed such performances. Hermotinus, according to Pliny and Plutarch, could at will fall into trance, and his second soul proceeded to any distant place he chose.
Abbe Fretheim in 17th century could converse with friends, irrespective of great distance that separated them, by the power of his will, convey his thoughts to whomsoever he wished, even caused dreams to be seen by others far away whatever he wished them to dream. He also caused his double to appear to several persons, far away, at the same time. His power to project his double was demonstrated without doubt.
3. Burial and resuscitation of Fakirs in India
Thousands of witnesses testify to this. Fakirs allow their bodies to be buried for as much as 6 feet under the ground for an indefinite period and come back alive when disinterred. In the book, “Camp and Court of Ranjit Singh,” Osborne describes such a feat by a Fakir in the court of the Prince Ranjit Singh. The Fakir was buried for 6 weeks under ground. Care was taken to ensure that no deception was practiced. When he was disinterred his body was clinically dead, as ascertained by a physician. There was no heat in the body and no pulse, but there was some warmth in the region of the brain. After treatment, such as, pouring hot water in the body, friction, removal of wax and pledgets from ears and nostrils etc. pulse returned, he slowly recovered and spoke to people around. His tongue had been thrust back to block the gullet. The Fakir explained that this was done to prevent air from entering the body interior which, otherwise, would have caused germs of decay to enter the bodily organ and destroy organs.
What do these phenomena prove ?
That there is a vital principle and a soul in, and separable from the body, that at death separation of the two take place, and that one can learn this science and be able to consciously withdraw from the body and re-enter it at will.
Another question it raises is ; When is dead really dead ? What is the criteria for declaring a person who has died that he is really dead ? Modern medicine has certain criteria but there have been innumerable cases of resuscitation long after clinical death has been pronounced. There is no certain standard test by which modern medicine can say that a person is really dead despite the fact that by its known clinical tests death has occurred. Are there not innumerable revivals inside the grave after the persons were declared dead and buried ?
To be continued in the next installment.
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