VOL. II. There is this city of Brahman-the body-and in it the palace, the small lotus of the heart, and in it that small ether. Both heaven and earth are contained within it, both fire and air, both sun and moon, both lightning and stars; and whatever there is of the Self, here in the world, and whatever has been or will be, all that is contained within it.-Chandogya-Upanishad. The Kingdom of Heaven is within you.-Jesus of Nazareth. THE PATH. APRIL, 1887. No. I. The Theosophical Society, as such, is not responsible for any opinion or declaration in this magazine, by whomsoever expressed, unless contained in an official document. Where any article, or statement, has the author's name attached, he alone is responsible, and for those which are unsigned, the Editor will be accountable. THE SECOND YEAR. The first number of this magazine naturally appealed to the future, to show whether there was any need for its existence, any field ripe already unto the harvest. The beginning of the second volume may be claimed to mark the turning point of THE PATH, in its upward spiral from the regions of experiment, to the plane of assured and growing success; and while the Editor tenders his hearty thanks to the friends who have loyally served it with pen and purse, he deems it proper to express his conviction that a mighty, if unseen power, has been behind it from the first, and will continue to aid it. In no other way can its phenomenal success be accounted for. Starting without money or regular contributors, treating of matters not widely known, and too little understood; entering a field entirely new, and appealing, as was feared, to a comparatively small class, it has steadily grown in favor from the very first number; none of the ordinary means of pushing it into notice have been resorted to, and not ten dollars spent in advertising; yet new names are added to its list almost daily, and of the hundreds of its old subscribers only three have withdrawn. In this country its regular circulation extends from Sandy Hook to the Golden Gate, and from the Green Mountains to the Crescent City; it reaches through England, France, Germany, Italy and Russia; it is read alike beneath the North Star in Sweden, and under the Southern Cross in New Zealand; it is a welcome guest on the immemorial shores of India, and has received the cordial approval of the heads of the Theosophical Society in Adyar. It would be impossible not to feel gratification at such results, even were it an ordinary money-making enterprise; how much more when it is remembered that it is devoted, not to any selfish end, but to the spread of that idea of universal Brotherhood which aims to benefit all, from highest to lowest. THE PATH will continue its policy of independent devotion to the Cause of Theosophy, without professing to be the organ either of the Society or of any Branch; it is loyal to the great Founders of the Society, but does not concern itself with dissensions or differences of individual opinion. The work it has on hand, and the end it keeps in view, are too absorbing, and too lofty, to leave it the time or inclination to take part in side issues; yet its columns are open to all Theosophists who may desire to express their views on matters of real importance to the cause in which all should be interested. New features will be added, as the need seems to arise; the first will probably be a department devoted to answers to correspondents. A large and constantly increasing number of letters of inquiry are received, and the present editorial staff finds it impossible to answer each separately; besides which, many of them naturally relate to the same or similar matters. By thus printing general replies, not only will the inquirers be answered, but others may have their unspoken questions replied to, or a similar line of thought will be suggested, or other views be elicited, to the mutual advantage of writers and readers. In this joyous season of returning Spring, THE PATH wishes all its readers a "Happy New Year," in the fullest and best sense of the term—a progress in the knowledge of the great and vital truths of Theosophy, a truer realization of The Self, a profounder conviction of Universal Brotherhood. HERALDS FROM THE UNSEEN. (Concluded.) "Yet mark it well, man cannot compel the God. The self cannot be gained by the Veda, nor by the understanding, nor by much learning. He whom the Self chooses, by him alone the Self can be gained. The Self chooses him as His own." How then would you attract the Shining One? You must first strive to raise your own vibrations. Tension does this, the tension of lofty thought, benevolent feelings, the living spirit of holy books, communion with high minds, any and every elevating practice, the mind fixed on the True. And look you, this is no matter where you may dissect from the outset; you must have Faith. If you institute the conditions, the event follows; such is the economy of the occult world. What is Faith but the institution of conditions? "He cannot be reached by speech, by mind or by the eye: He cannot be apprehended except by him who says, 'He is. You must bear some relation to Spirit, or its eterne vibrations cannot raise you. Knowledge attained, you will find it submitting triumphantly to every test. Calm is the essence of Faith because a similitude of vibration with Truth (in its living record) is only possible when you are no longer at the mercy of astral currents. Then "regard most earnestly your own heart." The soul is there; all may feel its heat, some hear its musical tones as it expands. Sink your thoughts down to that heat: the Spirit (Buddhi) enters by the head and your final object is to bind heart and head together in an abiding consciousness of Unity. The Bhagavad-Gita tells us plainly that when the mind roams man "should subdue it, bring it back, and place it within his own breast;" not, as you see, in the brain. Now by "mind" the intellect is not meant, but manas, the collective thoughts and desires upon which Reason, (or Buddhi) may act as guide or control. You will find that you can think from the heart, just as all strong emotions,—such as fear, love, suspense,―take their rise in the heart and spread wave-like over the chest, and have no similarity to the flash of an idea in the brain. In the ordinary man the brain is only the focus for the thoughts streaming in through the solar plexus and many are lost, just as millions of seeds in nature are lost. So the Upanishad echoes the warning:-" The mind must be restrained in the heart till it comes to an end;-that is knowledge, that is liberty; all the rest are extensions of the ties." When we are able to think from the centre we shall realise what is now difficult to believe--that our present intellection is not the highest avenue of knowledge. 1 Vedanta. 2 Light on the Path. |