Copyright^0.
IVI*
COPYRIGHT DEPOSIT.
WISDOM OF THE AGES
REVELATIONS FROM ZERTOULEM
THE PROPHET OF TLASKANATA
AUTOMATICALLY TRANSCRIBED BY
Rev, George A; Fuller, M. D.
INTRODUCTION BY
SUSIE C. CLARK
SECOND EDITION
TlRISTOPjfEf^
PUBLISHING
HOUSE
BOSTON
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Copyright igi6
By Rev. George; A. Fueeer, M. D.
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INTRODUCTION
TRUTH is eternal, exhaustless, unfathomable. Its
Divine Fount is far beyond human discovery,
however rich the intellect which aspires towards its inac-
cessible heights. It lies far above the topmost clouds
which eye of man can scan, far beyond the Storm-King's
throne, whence the flashing lightnings are hurled, where
the mighty thunderbolts are forged ; far above the vast
waves of ether, that wide Planetary Sea where suns and
worlds float and sail their swift, majestic currents ; still
farther on beyond the boundaries of this entire Universe
of expressed Life, toward the Infinite, causeless Cause,
the Unmanifest, the Silence, from whose profound depths
all vibrations are stirred, all Light spoken, all Harmony
breathed — even there and only thence has Truth its pris-
tine, immaculate birth.
No human ear can catch its full-toned syllables, no
IV INTRODUCTION
heart conceive the beauty, the grandeur of its sub-
lime accents, but to the aspiring soul come glintings of
its full-orbed Glory, flash-lights of its Perfection. And to
that soul which likewise feels its own union with the same
wondrous Source, there come in-breathings, or inspira-
tions, of this Eternal Wisdom, whose translation into
human speech serves to illumine mundane shadows.
All down through the ages such souls have blessed and
enlightened the world. The messages received by such
seers, prophets and psalmists have been collected in
every cycle of human advancement, into Scriptures fitly
termed sacred, into Vedas, Sutras, Koran, Avesta and
Bible. No age, nation or teacher holds a copyright
above any other for the excellence or infallibility of its
particular message. The One Fountain has countless
rills, and were all these minute streams collected into one
great volume, the vast reservoir which feeds them would
still be scarcely touched.
But as humanity advances, as material, grovelling ten-
dencies are transcended and outgrown, and the Light of
the Spirit illumines mortal vision, as the yearning of the
soul increases and is felt above the clamor of the senses,
as the demand for more of Truth arises from the lips and
INTRODUCTION V
hearts of men, such earnest prayer is always answered.
Pure-hearted messengers are chosen and prepared through
discipline, through sorrows manifold, to hear this tran-
scendent Voice and transmit its potent accents to man-
kind.
The planet is now passing its sixth cyclical birthday.
The fifth grand cycle wanes, a new spiritual dispensation
is upon us; the sixth age advances, the opening of the
sixth seal. Our solar centre in his tireless revolution
around far distant Alcyone, with his attendant retinue of
worlds, passes from one sign of the Zodiac to another,
making marked planetary changes in physical, mental
and spiritual life. Wars, famine and pestilence abound
— the fermentation of unrest, which will work out the
necessary purification for the spiritual era, whose dawn
already is dimly discerned. Even now the angels of
preparation for this glad new Day are on the earth or in
the air, psychic gateways are being prepared among the
children of men for the entrance of new messages of
Truth, for deeper words of Wisdom, for grander paeans of
Harmony than have hitherto blessed the world.
Such a message is contained in the rare volume before
us, whose origin and manner of transmission are calcu-
VI INTRODUCTION
lated to inspire the soul with reverence and awe. Not
alone is it literally the work of angelic hands, but it
serves also as a valuable link with a prehistoric past, the
inspirer of these pages having once worn mortal form,
once trodden mundane pathways, in the earliest civiliza-
tion our planet has known, many thousand years ago,
in Central America.
The instrument through whom this grand, unique
message has been transmitted — Dr. George A. Fuller —
is admirably fitted to be thus chosen as a mouthpiece of
wise inspirers, being a man of pure, clean nature, a close
student, philosopher and aspirant for Truth, loving honor
and integrity better than fame or fortune. He has been
for years before the public as a teacher of spiritual truth,
constantly under observation when criticism was rife,
without a stain or breath of calumny. Some twenty-five
years ago, Dr. Fuller possessed to some degree the gift
of automatic writing, and at that time received communi-
cations purporting to come from an ancient dweller of
Central America. But these messages were chiefly his-
torical and personal, and after a time ceased; gradually
also the automatic gift was withdrawn, presumably for-
ever,
INTRODUCTION Vll
After the lapse of a quarter of a century, however, —
"The mills of the gods grind slow,
But they grind exceeding fine," —
to Dr. Fuller's great surprise, on the morning of June
fourth, suddenly and without warning, a peculiar pricking
of the hand and arm, with a strong impulse to take his
pen, resulted in the transcription of the first chapter in
this volume, followed an hour and two hours later by
succeeding chapters. At intervals during the current
summer, though busily engaged in other absorbing duties,
the volume grew, page by page, until the ancient Teacher
and Revel ator himself pronounced the Finis.
Who shall say that other sacred books have not been
similarly penned? The manner of inspiration, it is true,
matters little, or whether the angel is seen, as it was by
John in Patmos, and other early writers; it is the purport
of the message which decides its value, and surely the
exalted character of this scripture, its revealments of
spiritual truth, its advanced teachings, its lofty concep-
tions and ideals, the beauty of its musical rhythm, the
utterly impersonal feature of its authorship, must stamp
this work, whatever its source, as pure inspiration of a
high order.
Vlll INTRODUCTION
By the expressed wish of the intelligence inditing these
pages, the volume is now given to the world. The same
Power that had a use for it and thus called it into being
will direct that those souls who are ready, whose further
growth demands this nutriment, will attract it unto them,
while minds less ripened may pass it by until a more
convenient season. To sow the seed is all the disciple
can do. The Lord of the harvest can alone bring the
increase in His own time and way. May it prove an
hundred-fold to every thoughtful, earnest reader!
" Rise, oh my soul, to still loftier heights ; unfettered
be all thy wings!"
Susie C. Clark.
I.
r7ERT0ULEM spake unto the multitude
*-** and said: Inasmuch as ye are led by
the desire to gratify selfish propensities are ye
excluded from the higher light which is the
natural birthright of every soul.
Be ye seekers after the higher truths of the
spirit, not content with the vain babblings of
men who are puffed up with their own self-
conceits.
He that overcomes the flesh, not by cruci-
fixion and mortification, but by sublimation,
that leadeth to the complete purification of
this house in which spirit dwells, shall become
a leader among men, and shall know all things
in heaven and earth.
Knowledge is not always gained of books,
2 WISDOM OF THE AGES
for oft-times these are misleading and unsatis-
factory. Spirit must speak to spirit, and soul
must vibrate responsive to the inner harmo-
nies of the universe of God.
He who seeks of the spirit shall find the
royal road that leadeth to the great garner
house where is stored the rich fruitage of the
ages.
Be not deceived of men who occupy the
chief seats in the synagogues and universities
of the outer world, for these are puffed up
with their own self-conceits.
They conceive of theories, then search the
universe that they may find facts that seem to
prove their verity.
They go no deeper than the outer husk of
the external universe. Like children, they
play with these cast-off shells. Out of these
things are builded the sciences and religions
of the world.
WISDOM OF THE AGES 3
The teachings of the great masters have
been misunderstood and misapplied. The
world has been too engrossed with material
things to read aright the lessons given.
Only the things of the spirit are permanent.
All outward things are transitory and fleeting.
Vain pomp and glory of the world without life,
ye flaunt your gaudy rags before eyes whose
spiritual vision is sealed. Ye have no domin-
ion over him who is baptized of the spirit.
He rises glorified and exalted into the
atmosphere of gods.
He reflects no light of sun or star, but
glows and shines with the inexhaustible light
of spirit.
He acknowledges no leadership, either of
book or man, but follows the star of his own
destipy.
To him is given the broadest liberty, for the
wings of his spirit, at last, have been unfet-
4 WISDOM OF THE AGES
tered, and now they cleave the ethers of infi-
nite space.
The glory of the rapidly dying East, the
wealth of El Dorados, flicker, fade and are lost
in this newer glory and wealth of the spirit, ex-
haustless and undying.
I that speak unto ye am as deathless as
the Unspeakable One. I assist at the birth
of worlds and universes. I am my own star of
destiny.
What I am ye also may become. Through
the gateway of suffering and poverty ye must
be led until the spirit asserts itself.
Know then your oneness with the Infinite,
and claim the royal birthright that is thine
inheritance.
WISDOM OF THE AGES
II.
TXT" HEN the faithful ones were gathered
* * together Zertoulem appeared in their
midst and said unto them : Let peace and love
abide ever in your midst.
For without peace there can be no true
spiritual growth. It is the foundation upon
which all true life must rest. Discord and war
are great shadows that shut out the light of
Omn the Infinite.
My gospel is one of peace, although at first
it might seem to bring discord into the world.
For it shall separate families and break many
of the ties that the world calls sacred.
Peace cometh not by conforming to the out-
ward usages of the world, but by seeking the
way of the spirit that leadeth to a more perfect
life.
6 WISDOM OF THE AGES
Wealth and outward prosperity, the inordi-
nate desire for gain, these bring neither peace
nor love to the world. Instead they foster the
spirit of unrest and develop in man the selfish
propensities.
No man has ownership in material things.
Houses, lands, books and other properties are
loaned him for his use. Not even does he
own the body he occupies. This is loaned
him for a season, but when Omn calls the
spirit hence, he needs must return the body to
the great reservoir from whence at the bidding
of His spirit it was called.
War is inevitable when man seizes more of
this world's goods than he can utilize.
Peace comes when he takes that which he
can use for his or other's good.
The earth is Omn's, and the fruits thereof
are for the sustenance of his children.
There should be no private ownership in
WISDOM OF THE AGES J
land, but a portion should be set apart by wise
leaders sacred to the uses of each individual.
Remember, oh, my disciples, that ye are not
of this world of selfish, discordant, sensual
men, for ye have been called to the Higher
Life, where peace reigns evermore.
Ye are bound by indissoluble chains of love,
and not by the bonds of the flesh, of avarice, of
selfishness, and of passion, wherewith the peo-
ple of the Outer World are bound.
Love knows no evil, and only seeks to bless
all.
I would not condemn those who have not
the light of the spirit, and walk by the uncer-
tain light of the flesh alone. They are Otmar,
ones who have not awakened to the newer
light of the spirit.
They are neither to be condemned nor
pitied. They are walking where ye walked
ages ago. The divine spark will yet be
8 WISDOM OF THE AGES
kindled upon the altar of their souls, and then
the path of the spirit will be made plain and
clear to them.
Hold condemnation for no man. Be not so
conceited as to think ye are higher or wiser
than others. The veil has simply become thin
between your eyes and the Infinite Omn.
As brothers, commune together and enjoy
the serenity of a pure and noble life.
Walk among men, imparting of your peace
and love to those in need, and your influence
for good shall be felt afar in the world. Then
shall thy soul become as sweet and fragrant as
the air of morning, and Peace and Love the
wings that bear thee onward amid circling
spheres of light.
WISDOM OF THE AGES
III.
r)URPLE and gold are the mountains of
* Sebas-tha-ontu; above hang wavy billows
of golden fleece; for he that giveth life to all
terrestrial things, mighty Tha, sleeps in the
Chamber of the West.
The valleys are filled with purple mists and
gloom, for the arrows of Tha no longer speed
on their course.
The night winds laden with the heavy per-
fume of a thousand plants soothe the restless
breast of man, and seal down his eyelids with
a kiss.
Sleep, the shadow of death, is abroad in the
land, and all is quiet, save the shrill note of
the night bird and the voices of innumerable
insects.
Behold the grandeur of the heavens ! The
IO WISDOM OF THE AGES
crown that Omn wears sparkling with innum-
erable gems.
The soul is filled with awe and reverence at
the majesty of the scene.
All that the natural eye beholds pales into
insignificance before the illimitable depths and
numberless globes of amethyst, purple and
gold that burst upon the bewildered vision of
the spirit.
Who made these chariots of fire that circle
forever the throne of the Infinite One ?
Ever on and on ! from chaos to nebulae, —
from nebulae to suns, from suns to worlds !
Who the mighty Sculptor that shaped the
endless variety of forms?
Who the mighty Artist with brush dipped
in molten colors made the heavens shine with
new lights unknown before ?
What mighty Musician gave to each star
and sun its keynote, and made the heavens
WISDOM OF THE AGES II
vocal with a new song voicing the majesty
and glory of the One, Everlasting Omn ?
The Heavens give answer: Our Creator is
Spirit.
Archangels are the servants of Omn. They,
the framers and builders of universes. They,
the sculptors, artists, musicians, incomparable.
In their hands chaos assumes form. The
lightnings are their playthings. All the
mighty and subtle forces obey the mandates
of their wills.
They make the pathways for circling
spheres of fire. They determine when worlds
shall be born out of these spheres, and shape
and fashion them into things of exquisite
beauty.
Their work completed, angels of light are
placed over them and become the masters of
their destiny.
Innumerable spirits do the biddings of these
12 WISDOM OF THE AGES
angels. And thua from angels to spirits, and
from spirits to man terrestrial, throbs and
beats forever the Life that is that of the
Eternal One.
One Life in all and through all ! One pur-
pose, that of the Divine Will, pulsates in every
atom, making through all a most perfect
undertone of harmony.
Purple and gold are the mountains of
Sebas-tha-ontu, as the shades of evening settle
over the earth. Peace, sweet peace, spreads
her wings over all, and the questioning spirit
of man rests ere it takes again its upward
flight.
WISDOM OF THE AGES 1 3
IV.
r I ^HUS spake Zertoulem : Worlds age; suns
* grow cold and cease to give forth light;
both return to chaos whence they had birth.
Their substance never ceases to exist ; but
the form it had been compelled to take is no
more in the external world.
There are only two conditions of life, al-
though the manifestations may be infinite —
the External, or outer, and the Internal.
The first is the realm of shadows, reflections
of spirit as it passes across the great stage of
Infinite Action.
The second is the realm of the real — the
spirit that vitalizes all things.
Awful beyond description the spectacle of
dead world or sun rushing madly onward into
the wide opening arms of chaos.
14 WISDOM OF THE AGES
Sublime beyond description the birth of a
sun out from the dark clouds of chaos and
night.
With quickened vision the seer sees beyond
world or sun the all-powerful arms of spirit that
hurled to destruction or quickened into life.
Over the formless he beholds a sphere of
pure amethyst light. Innumerable rays flash
from this sphere, grasping the dead atoms ana
impregnating them with life. The atoms thus
vitalized rush together and a sun is born into
the universe.
Beyond the sphere of light the seer beholds
the form of the Archangel. But his eyes are
still veiled, for it is not given to mortal to be-
hold all the glory of those who stand nearest
to the Infinite Omn.
All power belongs to spirit. Here lies all
that is permanent. Elsewhere all is fleeting
and delusive.
WISDOM OF THE AGES 1 5
He who sets his heart on earthly things is
unwise, for these in time must return to the
formless.
Rather think of those imperishable things of
the spirit, for these abide with thee evermore.
Too great love of earthly things deadens all
the nobler instincts of the spirit.
< Much earthly possessions anchor the spirit
to the earth. These impedimenta must be re-
moved before spirit can spread its wings for
flight into the Higher Heavens.
Infinite possibilities slumber in every human
soul. These are wrought out through many
incarnations.
Ye may have already trod the dust of many
worMs.
But he of little faith says : If this be true
why do I not recall previous embodiments ?
In answer, Zertoulem would say : Many do
dimly see as in a glass the faint shadows of
1 6 WISDOM OF THE AGES
past experiences. But life holds within itself
the results of all experiences.
It is wise to assert what the spirit perceives;
and he who is ready to receive will accept.
The prophet speaks for all men — but all
men are not yet ready to receive his words.
Be patient, if the world receives not thy mes-
sage ; if it be of the spirit, thou canst afford to
bide thy time, for sooner or later the world will
listen for thy voice.
WISDOM OF THE AGES 1 7
V.
OPIRIT is not born, therefore dies not. It
^ is individualized not as a whole, but
as a part of the Infinite One.
Each soul possesses an atom of the Supreme
Consciousness. This atom possesses the power
to attract other atoms to itself.
Inasmuch as the outward body is a matter of
growth and development, so also the inner
body, or that which becomes the envelope of
the spirit after its transition from mundane life,
is made up out of emanations from the thought
life.
Spirit is a segregation of divine atoms.
These atoms never lose their relationship to
the Infinite One.
The Infinite One is more than father and
mother, brother and sister, wife and husband,
1 8 WISDOM OF THE AGES
children and friends, for it is all of these and
more.
The air taken into the lungs gives new life
and tone to the physical body. Inflate, then,
the lungs of thy soul and draw from the Infi-
nite Reservoir more atoms throbbing and pul-
sating with the life that is divine.
Death holds his carnival only in the exter-
nal world. He cannot cross the threshold of
spirit.
Things created alone come within his do-
main. The realm of the uncreate lies beyond
his reach.
Spirit triumphs over the grave and charnel-
house. It is the only victor that fears no con-
queror.
It counts not time either by years or
cycles, for it knows only the ever-present
Now, which is Eternity.
As in the realm of the external those things
WISDOM OF THE AGES 1 9
that approach the nearest to the imponderables
are the mightiest of all, so in the internal world
spirit is the power that controls all.
Think of the external life, then, as only-
one incident along the endless journey of
spirit.
And know this much of the future — it holds
divine possibilities in store for all.
Think not that there are favored ones of the
Infinite, unless all are favored ones.
Even the meanest life holds its measure of
sacredness, and even here the struggle of the
good for supremacy is apparent.
The divinest life cannot hold more than its
measure will contain of that which maketh for
righteousness.
Omn is not a jealous God ; neither does He
love the few and hate the many. Over all are
stretched His protecting arms ; all bask in the
sunshine of His love.
20 WISDOM OF THE AGES
Oh, Omn, our souls reflect the light and
glory of Thy presence !
Our souls are ever filled with devotion to
Thee, the one true God, whose love is the
source of our growth and strength.
We would worship Thee through sacrifices
placed on humanity's altar.
Deeds, and not words alone, are the gifts we
would bring unto Thee.
Oh, may the world learn the lesson of sacri-
fice, and love season humanity's every act !
WISDOM OF THE AGES 21
VI.
IV TEONTU asked Zertoulem, What is Re-
* ^ ligion?
The Master plucked a wayside flower, and
turning to Neontu, said : Perceivest thou this
flower I hold in my hand ? How beautiful in
form and color! And how exquisite its fra-
grance ! Man with all his art and skill could
not make one of these. It has taken Nature
millions of years to prepare the conditions
necessary for its development. Might we not
almost call it the soul of the world ?
Few there are who truly understand the
nature of religion. Far too often the world
takes the outward form for the real essence of
religion.
Religion is more than belief and its atten-
dant ceremonies.
2 2 WISDOM OF THE AGES
It is the flower of the soul, whose expanding
petals are Charity, and whose fragrance is
Love.
Like as millions of years were required to
make the flower I hold in my hand, and Nat-
ure broke and threw away many moulds before
this flower came, so the soul has discarded
many forms of religion that served their day
and purpose, before the Higher Religion was
found.
The petals of true Charity seasoned with
Mercy and Justice shall be for the healing of
the nations.
The all-abiding fragrance of Love shall ce-
ment all races and peoples into one great
brotherhood.
Without religion the soul wanders darkling
in eternal night.
With religion it rises to celestial heights
and basks in the light of the Infinite One.
WISDOM OF THE AGES 23
As the body requires food, shelter and rai-
ment for its sustenance, likewise the soul need-
eth spiritual food.
In the silence flndeth the soul the food it
needeth the most, for there only is perfect
communion with Omn.
All that harasses and perplexes the soul is
made clear, for the soul then perceives that the
undeviating path leadeth to victory at last.
Through religion is revealed the at-one-ment
with the Infinite One.
In its widespread and sheltering arms it
holds the tired heads of all humanity.
Over the troubled waters of restless ones its
voice cries out, " Be still," and the waters are
troubled no more, and the souls rest in peace
and harmony.
Here the tired and weary ones of earth find
rest; and those who have been disposed to do
evil are led to perceive the true light that in
24 WISDOM OF THE AGES
time will guide every soul to peace and right-
eousness.
Not creed, not outward ceremony, not pious
cant, is that religion that leadeth to a more de-
vout and holy life ; but it is the pure white
flower of Charity, whose fragrance is Love.
Hasten the day, oh, Omn, when man shall
turn from the outward symbols, and the mam-
mon worship of the hour, to the things of the
spirit that giveth life, and to the acceptance of
Charity and Love as the basis upon which re-
ligion needs must rest.
WISDOM OF THE AGES 25
VII.
j\ TO longer is anything new unto me. Sur-
* ^ prise never overtakes me. For back of
all outward forms I perceive spirit, that pro-
duces all things.
I have stood with universes without num-
ber; have assisted at many births celestial
and have watched with calm, unwavering
spirit the breaking up of worlds and suns
into the formless chaos out of which they
had their birth.
Life is that which gives motion and unrest;
being withdrawn all things fall into Not- Being,
the formless, primeval chaos.
Spirit and life are one — or, rather, life is
the manifestation of spirit.
We are told that there are mineral,
vegetable and animal life; but these are
26 WISDOM OF THE AGES
all one, differing only in the intensity of
vibration.
The more rapid the vibration the nearer
we approach to the pure white light in
which Omn forever drapes himself.
As in music vibrations determine the note,
so in man vibrations determine the degree of
spiritual growth and culture.
Ask not the man of low vibrations to the
feast where falls the manna of Heaven, for he
is not yet ready to assimilate such food.
Spread for him the rich viands of the
earth, for he is of the earth, earthy, and has
hardly risen above the vibrations of the min-
eral world.
Invite unto the spiritual feast those who
knock at the door.
Despise not those who are yet in the val-
ley, and see not for fogs and mists the light
and beauty of the mountain tops.
WISDOM OF THE AGES 27
Remember, once thou mayst have stood
where they are standing, and with feeble
vision failed to pierce the thick clouds that
were around thee.
Unmindful of what others may think move
onward, ever obeying the voice within, and
nothing shall prevail against thee.
What are the riches of the world com-
pared with those of the spirit? Like as the
flower perishes in a day, so these shall not
remain after this day has faded into the All
that Is.
Poverty is more of a blessing than a curse.
It is the fire of purification that sublimates
and strengthens the soul, and prepares it for a
fitting habitation of the spirit.
At the gate that opens upon celestial glo-
ries, he who was poorest in worldly goods
may find himself richer than he who was the
possessor of much lands and worldly goods.
28 WISDOM OF THE AGES
Yet despise not riches, and turn not away
from worldly possessions.
Not the possession of these things con-
demns the man, but the uses he makes of
them.
If he clings to these things that his appe-
tites and passions may be gratified, then they
become stumbling blocks along his path.
But if he uses them for his own and others'
welfare, they will become stepping stones to
the higher.
Each man's spirit must determine the uses
to be made of all things. Obey the Voice
that speaketh when all other voices are silent,
and all will be well with thee.
WISDOM OF THE AGES 29
VIII.
SPEAK the universal language of the
spirit, and in time all men will hear me
and understand. The language of the spirit
translates itself into all dialects.
The stars speak the same language to all
men, yet are they ever understood, for the
truths they voice are heard of the spirit.
Likewise the prophet uses the universal lan-
guage of spirit.
If he spake in one dialect his message would
be lost to many men. But if he speaks in that
which is universal his message is never lost.
He strikes the chords of sympathy and love
that must vibrate in time in every human soul.
He does not stop to argue, but from the
heights he has attained announces what he
perceives to be true.
30 WISDOM OF THE AGES
He is above all controversy, and will not dis-
cuss that which he knows to be true.
Out of the many discussions and contro-
versies of men come the Babel-like confusion
apparent in the so-called sciences and relig-
ions of the world.
The prophet calls to his own, and his own
know his voice.
What if he dwells on mountain heights?
He is not afar from the hearts and souls of
men. For the spirit knows neither space nor
time.
He draws unto himself those who are led
of the spirit to approach him.
His voice unto them is like sweetest music
and his words are the winged arrows of love.
His thought finds lodgment in their souls
and produces in due time the harvest of per-
fected lives.
The strongholds of ignorance and supersti-
WISDOM OF THE AGES 3 1
tion are overthrown from within and not from
without.
The world throws aside its old garments no
longer of service to humanity.
Customs outgrown, rites once held to be sa-
cred disappear simply because the vitalizing
spirit is withdrawn.
Foolish is the man who has no more profit-
able labor than to batter down the old.
Leave it alone and soon it will fall, for spirit
is slowly but surely withdrawing from it.
Speak boldly thy message to the world!
Not as one angered with thy fellow-men, but
as one whose heart is fired with love and good-
will.
Then shall thy words live in the world, and
thy message become a living power that leads
to good.
One might as well find fault with the snail
because he travels not with the fleetness of the
32 WISDOM OF THE AGES
horse as with the theologians whose eyes see
no glory save that of the past.
In time the snail will acquire the agility
and fleetness of the horse, but it may be mill-
ions of years hence. Nature does not cen-
sure the snail, but awaits with patience its
slow but inevitable progress.
Then, oh, man, be possessed of the patience
of Nature. Wait, and thou shalt perceive that
the theologian has felt the thrill of eternal
progress.
If thou art a prophet of the soul thou shalt
perceive what is to be, and the equanimity of
thy soul shall not be disturbed by the slow
progress of the world.
WISDOM OF THE AGES 33
IX.
T3 ISE, oh, my soul, to still loftier heights —
* ^ Unfettered be all thy wings!
Let earth's empurpled mountains fade upon
my vision.
Rise, oh, my soul, to still loftier heights —
Unfettered be all thy wings !
Let the great sun sink and fade from out
the heavens.
Rise, oh, my soul, to still loftier heights —
Unfettered be all thy wings !
Fade from my vision, oh, ye mighty worlds
and suns, flaming with amber, and gold and
purple light.
Rise, oh, my soul, to still loftier heights —
Unfettered be all thy wings !
Past the great abysses of the formless and
34 WISDOM OF THE AGES
the void where suns are born and worlds and
suns sink in their graves.
Rise, oh, my soul, to still loftier heights —
Unfettered be all thy wings !
Through spaces limitless and heavens im-
measurable I fain would wing my way.
Rise, oh, my soul, to still loftier heights —
Unfettered be all thy wings !
Through circling spheres of light where
spirits and angels dwell I still would cleave
my way.
Rise, oh, my soul, to still loftier heights —
Unfettered be all thy wings !
Past globes of dazzling brightness where
earth's Messiahs live still would I wend my
way.
Rise, oh, my soul, to still loftier heights —
Unfettered be all thy wings !
On, on, with maddening rush through
trackless azure fields, thick sown with spark-
WISDOM OF THE AGES 35
ling gems, on wings of love, oh, soul, pursue
thy way.
Rise, oh, my soul, to still loftier heights —
Unfettered be all thy wings !
Swift, oh, soul, be thy onward flight be-
yond those white-lighted spheres where arch-
angels dwell.
Rise, oh, my soul, to still loftier heights —
Unfettered be all thy wings !
Behold where dwell the sons of God in In-
finite light and splendor.
Rise, oh, my soul, to still loftier heights —
Unfettered be all thy wings !
With bowed and reverent head approach
the centre where dwells the Infinite Omn,
whose splendor, beauty and glory no artist
soul can depict.
Yet rise, oh, my soul, to loftier heights —
Unfettered be all thy wings !
Within thyself unfold all that thine enrapt-
2,6 WISDOM OF THE AGES
ured spirit has beheld. Put from thee all that
is unclean and impure !
Awake, oh, my soul, to loftier ideals !
Aroused be all thy latent powers !
Let thy destiny as revealed spur thee on
to greater efforts, to nobler sacrifices !
Be clean, oh, soul ; be pure, oh, soul !
Around thee shines the halo of immortal
light !
Rise, then, oh, my soul, to loftier heights —
Unfettered be all thy wings !
WISDOM OF THE AGES 37
X.
T PROCLAIM the gospel of myself. Be ye
* not copies of me — but instead be ye first
originals.
The light, although it may still be beautiful,
is weakened by reflection.
Let the light that is within thee shine out
through all the windows of thy soul.
Repeat not the thoughts of others, unless
thy soul gives sanction to their verity.
Speak out what is within thee struggling for
utterance. Not only speak out, but live out
the thought within.
Say not thou art too poor for this, that, or
the other. Thou art rich indeed if thou livest
near to thine ideals.
And no man in all the world is so rich as he
who lives out the life of the soul.
38 WISDOM OF THE AGES
Be not content with the living of other peo-
ple's thoughts. Let thine own life have an
individuality all its own.
Every flower in the field lives its own life,
reflects its own thoughts, externalizes the ideal
of the spirit.
In the external life be like a crystal, reflect-
ing the pure white light of spirit within.
The Schools declare: Think as we think,
and we will place upon thee the seal of our
approval.
Rather live without the approval of the
Schools if to gain this prize thy reason and
conscience are stultified.
Let nothing stand between thee and the
light of thy soul.
Within the orbit of thy spirit revolve
worlds, suns, stars, universes.
Spaces and times illimitable are thine own.
Then be ye masters of self.
WISDOM OF THE AGES 39
Let not the soul be troubled by the discus-
sions of the sects. Thou art superior to all
sects, and the voice within will determine for
thee what is right and best.
Once having found the way, walk with
unfaltering footsteps therein.
Fear no evils, for what men call evils are but
shadows of ignorance and superstition that fall
across thy pathway that needs must fade into
nothingness before the blazing light of spirit.
Men fail only when they attempt in their
lives to copy others.
If thou art a musician, sink not thine indi-
viduality in the composition of the master, but
instead give it thine own interpretation.
If thou art an artist, copy not the work of
the master unless thou canst make it glow with
the fervor of thine own soul.
If a sculptor, make the marble speak the
highest ideals of the soul.
4-0 WISDOM OF THE AGES
Be no mere copyist in whatever field of life
thou occupiest.
Let the fervent passion of the soul be mani-
fest even in the most trivial things of thy daily
life.
Seek not to be like Zertoulem and to think
his thoughts after him, unless these thoughts
strike responsive chords in thy soul.
Then shall they awaken the dormant con-
sciousness within that will reveal to thee thy
true individuality.
WISDOM OF THE AGES 4 1
XL
UPHEAVALS toward perfection are met
everywhere in the universe.
Yet matter has its metes and bounds ; these
are determined by indwelling spirit.
As the child fashions out of wet clay vari-
ous forms and gives to them names that suit
its fancy, so do the Archangels determine the
forms world-stuff shall assume.
At the approach of these mighty geniuses
the formless assume shape and the depths of
space become vocal with the everlasting song
of progress.
Trace the history of one globe and the
march of progress is revealed.
All forms emerge from darkness into the light.
Night hangs her sable curtains before the
enchanted chamber of transformation.
42 WISDOM OF THE AGES
Darkness ever hides the formless, and light
ever reveals the radiant forms of beauty.
For vast aeons of time was the world pre-
paring for the advent of man.
Myriad forms of life paved the way for his
coming.
Every form of life prophesied the coming of
the higher.
When man came, weak and lowly though
he was, yet within his soul lay dormant infi-
nite possibilities, and these declared his home
from afar.
While through evolution may have come
the outward man, yet the spirit was not born
through the gates of many deaths, but came
from the heights or depths of the universe,
leaving behind the shining pathway of its
glory.
Its mission to subdue and conquer a new
world, to pass through struggles and experi-
WISDOM OF THE AGES 43
ences, that in time it may hold within itself
the results of all experiences.
By devious pathways the spirit marches on-
ward — its life here but one of its many ex-
pressions, and, although much of the life is
seemingly unimportant and trivial, the whole
is essential when viewed from celestial heights.
Ask not now the reason of certain experi-
ences in life, but wait patiently until the reve-
lation comes from the spirit within.
Grieve not over the past, and sigh not fol
lost opportunities. No opportunity that was
really thine has ever been lost.
Let the Now be the better on account of the
past. Rise, oh, soul, out of all thy shadows !
He who spends his time grieving and la-
menting over the past lets the golden opportu-
nities of the Now slip by unnoticed.
Arise, then : be not controlled and swayed
by phantoms that stretch their hands from out
44 WISDOM OF THE AGES
the past. Be superior to all experiences, mak-
ing all to serve the divine purposes of the
spirit.
If ye stay in shadows it is because ye will
to do so. The sunlight is as much yours as
any one's. Then arise, oh, royal soul, and
claim it as thine own.
That which is really thine no one can take
away from thee. Thou mayst be deprived of
chattels and lands, for these never were really
thine own.
But the fruitage of the spirit, the results of
many experiences, thine inheritance from the
ages, is thine forever, and none can deprive
thee of it.
WISDOM OF THE AGES 45
XII.
JE who entertains the truly religious life
*■ * and takes pleasure only in things spirit-
ual has already become immortal.
That which is gross and material is not for-
bidden him, but instead he rises above it and
it becomes repulsive to him.
From the eminence he has gained he can
never fall, because he has gained it by his own
efforts.
He will require less and less food for the
support of his physical body because he draws
more and more of his sustenance from the
akasa, or ether.
Through sublimation the outward is becom-
ing more and more rarefied, and the spirit,
asserting itself more and more, scintillates
through and around the outward in an aura
46 WISDOM OF THE AGES
suffused with a blending of amethyst and
topaz light.
Through efforts of the will he arises to those
heights where disease and suffering are known
no more.
The body is swayed by mental states as the
trees of the forest are rocked by hurricanes.
Let thy mental states be peaceful ones, free
from anger, hate, selfishness and thoughts of
disease, and health shall be thine.
Thy power is infinite; then, why be con-
quered by things which are inferior to thee ?
Let them have no place in thy mind. Drive
them out with higher and worthier thoughts.
Think health, live in the atmosphere of
health, and thou shalt be strong and well.
Thought is the mighty sculptor that shapes
and fashions thy body. By individual effort
thou canst bring it completely under the con-
trol of the will.
WISDOM OF THE AGES 47
Learn the secret of concentration, and all
that the soul desires shall be thine.
Keep a fixed purpose in thy mind, and no
matter how unattainable it may seem to the
world, in time it shall be thine.
Nothing can withstand the power of spirit.
The soul possesses the power of drawing unto
itself everything it needs.
Sayest thou that the one thing needed lies
afar in the depths of space, and thinkest thou
the spirit cannot reach it and draw it unto
itself ?
Be not too certain of this, for the spirit
knows neither time nor space. That which
seemeth to thy finite vision afar, may be near
unto the spirit.
Not only does the spirit recognize its own
but it calls its own unto itself.
What ye would have, strive after, and in time
it shall be thine.
48 WISDOM OF THE AGES
But the wise man strives after that which is
good and pure, and these things become the
bright gems that stud the crowns of immortal
spirits.
WISDOM OF THE AGES 49
XIII.
LET not thy heart be troubled ; thou be-
lievest in God, believe also in thyself.
Think not I speak of the outward, the tran-
sitory and fleeting, but of that which is as per-
manent as the Eternal One.
Thine own self is changeless, deathless, and
in expression ever new.
The expression is not thyself, more than the
coat is the real man.
Yet the coat is impregnated with the indi-
viduality of the man.
Likewise the expression hints of that which
caused it to be.
Beautiful, indeed, are the clouds at the rising
and setting of mighty Tha.
Yet are they but a feeble expression of the
ineffable glory that caused them to be.
50 WISDOM OF THE AGES
Beautiful, indeed, may be these temples
which are one of the expressions of the inner
self, but it is not for mortal pen to portray
the beauty and glory that creates.
Infinite are the possibilities of thyself. Dost
think the works of art beautiful ? Genius has
produced them all.
What, then, is genius but the awakening of
thyself ?
Sleep, and the world sleeps with thee!
Awake, and the world echoes and reechoes
the voiceless song of the soul.
Admire the sculptured form, the painted
canvas, the evoked harmonies of the musician,
and think that these may all come out of thy-
self, even as they have come out of other
selves.
No genius has yet sounded the depths, nor
scaled the heights of the soul's possibilities.
Say not when ye look at the products of art :
WISDOM OF THE AGES 5 1
I would that I had created thee ! Rather, be-
come thou the creator, not of what thou seest
in the external world, but of that which until
thou earnest this way had not been given out-
ward expression.
Thyself hast been stultified by the teaching
of the ages.
The cry has gone up from valley and moun-
tain top : Conform ! Conform ! Paint as
painted the masters. And even music, the most
wayward child of human genius, hath been con-
fined within the narrow walls of man-made
rules. Only they who have scorned all rules
have reached the heights and ravished the
souls of men with celestial harmonies.
Listen well ; be sure thou catchest the low-
breathed intonations of thyself — and then
voice them to the world.
What matters it if thy voice is not heard
amid the Babel sounds of earth ? If thou art
52 WISDOM OF THE AGES
true to thyself, thy voice shall still speak on in
the world, and they for whom it hath a mes-
sage shall hear and receive.
Thyself shalt call to thee thine own.
Be not impatient with others who fail to
grasp the import of thy message, but still be
true to thyself and speak right on, and thy
thought shall yet help to shape the destiny of
the world.
WISDOM OF THE AGES 53
XIV.
TJ OW unwise to say : How substantial and
* * real is matter?
For matter is only a state of that which is
substantial and real, an expression of energy.
Truly may it be said, matter is the appear-
ance and not the reality.
Matter is ever changing, assuming many
forms.
The substantial and real is unchanging and
without form.
The undying energy of the universes is with-
out form or shadow of variableness.
He alone establishes all things.
He alone of all things is permanent, eternal,
infinite.
From Him all things proceed and unto Him
all shall yet return.
54 WISDOM OF THE AGES
I do not say that it is unwise to study the
external that ye may know something of the
house in which spirit dwells. Yet, would I
ask, Is it not far better for man to know the
real than the appearance ?
The child busies itself with blocks of wood,
building houses and castles as his fancy may
direct. So the man of science far too often
busies himself with things of no greater
value, those that belong to the outer rim of
things.
Would it not be wiser if he would seek the
fountain-head, the source whence all proceed ?
Yet, I would not be dictatorial, for each man
must determine for himself the path he shall
pursue.
Some will ever choose the longer way that
leadeth at last to the truth ; while others per-
ceive the open way that leadeth straight as an
arrow flieth to the coveted goal.
WISDOM OF THE AGES 55
It is not necessary for them who perceive the
truth to linger in the valley because the many
are not ready for the journey that leadeth to
the heights where Peace dwells.
Once having fully recognized the power of
the spirit, all power is thine to overcome and
utilize the seeming obstacles of the world.
What were yesterday thine infirmities may
become to-day the source of thy strength.
An error once conquered never shows its
head to thyself again.
Ye are all children of the light, and darkness
is your abiding place only through ignorance.
Be ye not obedient slaves to circumstances
and conditions, but rise in the majesty of thy
spirit, superior to all that hinders thy upward
flight.
Live in the Higher Thought thyself think-
est — bask not only in the sunshine of spirit,
but, in a measure, be that sunshine unto others,
56 WISDOM OF THE AGES
who are yet in the thick clouds of ignorance,
and thou shalt rise higher and higher as the
spirit ever wills.
Then, to thyself there shall be no other
thought, save that of peace and love ; and from
out thine atmosphere shall melt all thought of
evil and disease, as the fogs and mists melt
from the earthly atmosphere at the coming of
the morning sun.
Then, in spirit find the mighty solvent that
dissipates all clouds that have obscured the
inner vision.
WISDOM OF THE AGES 57
XV.
FNTO the Silence, oh, soul, would I walk
* with thee.
Into that chamber whose walls are adorned
with the unexpressed ideals of the soul.
Here are thoughts that never yet were
given outward expression.
Here are poems excelling in beauty and
grandeur those of earth's greatest masters.
Songs sweeter and diviner than the incom-
parable Wagner ever voiced to an astounded
world.
Here are thoughts more creative than those
of the great philosophies and religions.
For now we have crossed the threshold of
the unexpressed.
In the Silence characters are formed and
developed.
58 WISDOM OF THE AGES
In the Silence geniuses are born.
Out of the infinite depths of Silence pro-
ceeds all that is.
When I walk with thee, oh, soul, into the
Silence, awe and reverence abide with me.
For that which is formless, uncreated, ready
for the Master fills me with awe.
Stand I thus in the Silence in the presence
of Depths abysmal and fronting immeasura-
ble Heights.
The waters from the great Depths sur-
round me. Plunge, oh, soul, beneath the
mighty surging waves, and come up out of
them purified.
Cleave with thy wings, oh, soul, the ethers
that encircle the Heights, and be glorified
by the light that glows and plays forever
above their summits.
Into the Silence and commune with self;
find there thy mission in the world.
WISDOM OF THE AGES 59
There let the message come to thee that
thou shalt give unto those who have become
seekers after the light.
Into the Silence, oh, soul, and there find
the glowing pathway of the spirit.
Humble though thy work may be, lowly
thy mission in the world, in the Silence
thou shalt learn its meaning, and thy soul
shall be content to labor and to wait.
In the Silence great truths shall come to
thee and thy soul be blessed with the rich
increase of celestial knowledge.
In the Silence all perplexities shall vanish,
all troubles shall cease, all sorrow be as-
suaged.
In the Silence the clouds shall lift, and the
light that is ineffable encompass thy soul.
In the Silence thy soul shall find its own,
and commune with the loved in the voiceless
language of the soul.
60 WISDOM OF THE AGES
From the Silence, oh, soul, thou shalt re-
turn, seeking no longer far and wide thy
mission in the world, for the message of
thyself in glowing and burning eloquence
speaks in thine every act.
WISDOM OF THE AGES 6 1
XVI.
ONE asked the Master: What shall be
the nature of our homes in the world
of the Lomkatos?
Just then Zertoulem came near to a shallow
pool of water, and he stooped and picked up
a pebble from his path and cast it into the
water, and it sank out of sight in the slimy
ooze at its bottom.
Then he turned toward the one who asked
the question and replied as follows :
Behold, how the stone cast from my hand
into the pool makes for itself a place in the
slime and ooze under the water. Ye might at
first think that my hand gave it the bed in
which it should lie, but this is so only in
seeming. My hand imparted the force that
hurled the stone into the water, but the stone
62 WISDOM OF THE AGES
formed and shaped its own bed. The stone
was spherical in shape and the bed in which it
lies adapted itself to the shape of the stone.
If the stone had been rough or angular in
shape, its abiding place would have been the
same.
Now, it was neither my hand, nor the force
behind the hand that shaped the bed in which
the stone lies. But, as ye can readily per-
ceive, it was the stone that shaped its own
bed.
Now, in speaking of the Lomkatos, the
superficial observer might say, Inasmuch as
Omn takes the spirit out of the terrestrial
life, he must of necessity make the home in
which it shall abide. How unwise this con-
clusion! Omn simply takes hence the spirit,
but the power that hurls the spirit out of the
physical body does not determine either the
house or world in which it shall dwell.
WISDOM OF THE AGES 63
If I ride in the chariot, neither the chariot
nor the horse determines the direction I shall
go. My spirit determines this and guides
the horse and chariot accordingly.
So is it with the Lomkatos. The houses
in which they dwell are moulded out of the
deeds and thoughts that gave prominence to
the lives they lived here.
Truly, we ought to be familiar with the
nature of that world into which we shall be
called to enter, for it has been builded up out
of our desires and motives.
Special acts have greater effects upon the
bodies of the Lomkatos than upon the worlds
in which they shall live.
Desires and motives are the stuffs out of
which their worlds are builded.
A world undesired and toward which no
strong motive draws the soul would prove
most unprofitable to the Lomkatos.
64 WISDOM OF THE AGES
As the object of that life is not for sense
gratification, but for intellectual and spiritual
growth, it needs must follow close upon the
confines of this terrestrial life and yet prove
more fully adapted to all the soul's needs.
Easy are the gradations that lead upward
in the land to which they have gone.
Well may it be called the land where all
the desires of the soul are fulfilled, the land
where the motives that underlaid the acts
of the past become the stepping stones of
the spirit.
Each one of the Lomkatos becomes the
architect of his own home.
WISDOM OF THE AGES 65
XVII.
THINK ye that life is not worth the living
because it is a ceaseless struggle after
the unattained?
Because so many of thy hopes and aspira-
tions fall to the ground seemingly fruitless?
If thou thinkest thus thy view is narrow
and limited.
How know ye that thy hopes and aspira-
tions are fruitless?
May not their branches extend so far above
thy head that their fruits are beyond the circle
of thy vision ?
Trouble not the limpid waters of thy soul
with fear and doubt.
Cultivate that faith that leads to belief in
the divine possibilities of the soul. And when
I say the soul, I mean thy soul, every soul
66 WISDOM OF THE AGES
that is. For these possibilities are not for the
few, but the all.
Life never can be a failure even in the poor-
est expressed soul of earth.
Even in the reeking haunts of vice and
crime life is fulfilling its sacred and holy
mission.
All life is sacred, holy, divine, but much of
life is as yet poorly expressed.
As, in the world of music, not all are
geniuses who touch chords that vibrate afar,
so in the great world of the ordinary ex-
pression of life, the movement is slow and
sluggish — yet, even in the meanest, it is an
upward movement.
Sorrow, as well as joy, hath its mission in
the world, for like the refiner's fire it purifies
of all dross.
Thy desires are not attained ! Thy hopes
fall fruitless to the ground!
WISDOM OF THE AGES 67
Stop, my child ! As much of life lies before
thee as is behind.
Why spend thy time in worthless grieving
over the seeming failures of life, when eter-
nity and all her years are thine ?
That for which thou grievest to-day, to-mor-
row, laughingly, thou wilt throw aside.
Thy hopes dead ! Thy desires unattained !
Never was hope more alive than when clouds
of sorrow come sweeping in upon thee. Never
were thy desires nearer thy grasp.
Through the pearly gate of sorrow the soul
rises on wings of triumph.
Hope is the bright star whose light gives
the silver lining to every cloud.
Struggle on, brave soul; be not overcome
with discontent. Look up, for lo ! the morn-
ing dawns upon thee that dispels all shadows
that have dimmed thy vision.
Be not led astray by the cunning sophistries
68 WISDOM OF THE AGES
of the world, the pessimism of the night that
only points to chaos and to death. But follow
the light within that points to the ultimate
victory of knowledge over ignorance, and
reveals good emanating out of all the evils
of earth.
Over all tired and weary hearts Peace shall
yet fold her wings and Love shall lull to quiet
slumbers, out of which the soul shall awaken
into that serene and perfect life that fully
reveals the true worth of striving and living.
WISDOM OF THE AGES 69
XVIII.
TJOW beautiful is Life!
* * Radiant with the attributes divine !
How beautiful in its morning time,
When the jewels of innocence and purity
sparkle upon its brow!
How sweet the prattle of childhood, like
the murmur of the laughing brook !
Tireless its outgoing, and tireless its in-
coming ;
For the springs of life are near whence
it is perpetually fed.
Rosy-tinted are thy visions, for thy young
heart yet knows no guile.
Thy breath is as fragrant as the air of
morning, for thou hast brought with thee
the odors of innumerable celestial flowers.
Indeed, thou art an angel from some dis-
70 WISDOM OF THE AGES
tant star. Earth is not thy home, only
thy resting place for a morning and an even-
ing of thy life.
How beautiful is Life!
Radiant with attributes divine!
How beautiful in those days that give
expression to perfected manhood and woman-
hood.
Reason, like a star, sitteth upon thy brow,
and Love guideth the every act of thy
hands.
Thy limbs have the strength of giants, and
thy body the beauty and loveliness of a god.
Thy intellect scintillates afar its rays of
light, for knowledge is the crown that graces
thy brow.
Thy feet are upon the earth, but thy head
towers aloft where heavenly breezes are ever
playing.
WISDOM OF THE AGES 7 1
Indeed, thou art a god given human ex-
pression, for in thee only that which is no-
blest and best finds a lasting abiding place.
How beautiful is Life !
Radiant with attributes divine!
When the snows and frosts of many win-
ters have settled upon thy head, and the
outer shell worn so thin that the pure white
light of the spirit permeates and radiates
through it all, how much more beautiful
than e'er before thou art become, oh, Life!
Thy beauties now are all of the spirit.
Thy life nearer the ideal thou hast ever been
chasing throughout the long journey that lies
behind thee.
A ripened sheaf; yea, thou art indeed a
garner house of divinest wisdom.
The glory of a new day like a halo rests
upon thy brow, and thine eyes are wistfully
72 WISDOM OF THE AGES
gazing towards the sunset for some sign or
token that thy faithful spirit nears its home.
The music thy soul hears is not that of
earth, but of voices long lost to thine earthly
hearing, calling thee to thy home in the
heavens, the well-merited reward of a life
that has been well and nobly spent.
How beautiful is Life!
Radiant with attributes divine !
With tear-dimmed eyes we watch thee as
amid the glories of the upper ethers thou
meltest from our sight.
WISDOM OF THE AGES 73
XIX.
THE Illuminated One is he whose spiritual
faculties have all been quickened.
This the one whose illumination is perfect.
Of course there are many degrees of illumi-
nation.
One faculty may be quickened into newer
and higher life while all the others remain
in their natural or in a dormant condition.
But when I say Illuminated One, I mean
one whose faculties have been exalted or
quickened.
He, truly, is an Avatar, for all knowledge is
placed at his disposal.
Memory opens to him the door of all experi-
ences in past embodiments.
Oft-times he uses knowledge that has been
brought from afar.
74 WISDOM OF THE AGES
Think not that all the knowledge revealed
through illuminated ones was acquired either
in one embodiment, or while attached to one
world.
Spirit calls no world home, but has been a
traveller from remotest time along an infinite
journey.
Yet, caprice and fancy play no part in these
wanderings.
Law controls all things, and order reigns
throughout all universes.
The life that is is willed to be by Higher
Powers.
What if some say, This is the only life, the
first and last incarnation?
Do not stop to dispute with them. Thou
canst not make them see as thou seest.
Wait, and they will grow to thy thought.
But keep not thy thought to thyself. Utter
it in world language and it shall vibrate on
WISDOM OF THE AGES 75
and through the world until all prejudice shall
be overcome, and souls shall become respon-
sive to its harmonious notes.
Study thine own soul, ponder well its les-
sons, before thou art ready to accept the
lessons that others may offer.
If thou art illuminated, thou wilt assimilate
the food thy soul needs.
Give raiment, material food and shelter to
the physical body, but give the soul unmeas-
ured love and knowledge.
Open all the storehouses of Nature and
wrench from her her time-honored secrets,
ransack the universe if thou wilt in search
of new truths, but if thou wilt only be
patient and wait, these shall all come to
thee.
For the soul knows its own and draws all
things it wishes unto itself.
Be ye content with fewer things in the
76 WISDOM OF THE AGES
external world, and seek to draw unto thee
the higher ideals of the spirit.
But despise not the means that leadeth to
the coveted end.
Perform the duties of every-day life uncom-
plainingly, for these may be made the step-
ping stones to true spiritual growth.
WISDOM OF THE AGES 77
XX.
CALL no one great, unless I call all
* great.
Each fills his place in the great plan of
Omn.
Each has come at his own time.
Some have travelled farther than others,
have seen more, have heard more, have lived
more than others.
And some who have seen much and heard
much may not yet have been aroused so that
they can comprehend the meaning of all that
has been.
Not all that is within thee has yet been
lived. For thou encirclest all things.
I condemn not the thief, the murderer, the
adulterer, no more than I condemn the wild
beast for its ferocity.
j8 WISDOM OF THE AGES
Thou shalt outgrow all things, poor troub-
led soul.
Are these things committed against thee,
my brother? I grieve with thee, but I pity
thee not. Rise above all annoyances ; it is
possible for thee to ascend where these things
shall trouble thee no more.
I have come up through the ages, un-
counted and untold. On many of the stars
thou wilt find the imprint of my feet. Rest
upon me ages and ages.
Still on ! presses my indomitable and rest-
less spirit.
Long have been my sleeps, yet longer by
far have been my awakenings.
The memory of all, dim and illusive, save
at the quickening of the spirit, is never pres-
ent with me.
From the star-depths stretch the great all-
powerful arms that have upheld me !
WISDOM OF THE AGES 79
For my coming great indeed have been
the preparations.
From star-dust to blazing sun all have la-
bored for me.
Tenderly all have cared for me, — the er-
ratic comet has smiled upon me, and great
stars have given me their protecting love.
Room has always been made for me
throughout all my journeyings.
Rocked in the cradle of the universe the
stars have sung my infant soul to sleep.
Yet was that soul a child only in its ex-
pression, for countless cycles even then were
its own.
On, ever on, has been its swift flight.
And, as thou hast journeyed, angels and
archangels have called unto thee from out
the depths.
I am the unmeasured, bent on an endless
journey.
80 WISDOM OF THE AGES
Try not to follow me, for do thy best to
keep my track, I shall ever elude thee.
Blaze out, oh, brother soul, among the stars
and nebulae thine own path.
I shall lead thee, but it shall be unto
thyself.
I shall point the way, but it shall ever be
unto thine own path.
See, the mountain heights, purple-misted
and indistinct in the distance, they stand
ready and waiting for thy feet to sink deep
within their virgin soil.
Make delays if thou wilt, yet sooner or
later thou shalt reach their summits, and thy
soul exalted shall know the meaning of the
thirst unquenched and the hunger unap-
peased.
WISDOM OF THE AGES 8 1
XXI.
SING, oh, my soul, thy sweetest song!
Strife is but for a day, while love en-
dures forever!
Over the miasma fields and swamps filled
with dank and poisonous growths,
Let its clear sweet tones echo far and wide !
Over the valleys richly laden with flowers,
fruit and grain;
Over the world's great cities, where discord
and lust and strife are ever breeding ;
Over the wretched haunts where the sun-
beams never lick up the dews of night, where
children live and work midst awful curses,
discords, and fruits of riotous passion ;
Send forth, oh, soul, thy noblest song!
And let love's sweet sunbeams disperse all
clouds of gloom.
82 WISDOM OF THE AGES
Into prison cells, into hospitals, into re-
treats, where'er dwarfed and stunted ones
may dwell ;
Into peasants' huts, into kingly palaces,
into factories, where swarm earth's toiling
millions ;
Into the busy marts of men, where mer-
chants bicker and strive for that which far
oftener lays a curse than a blessing upon
him who receives ;
Into the great colleges and universities,
where men oftener give their time and tal-
ents to the acquiring of that knowledge that
leads more to strife and disquietude than
to that peace and serenity which is the goal
toward which all wisdom leads ;
Into the churches, where the preaching
and the living far too often fail to accord
with one another ;
Into the great battlefields, hells of dis-
WISDOM OF THE AGES 83
cordant notes, agonizing cries, and shrieks
of despair ;
Yea, into all places man dwells, where
either peace is not, or love may not yet
abide ;
Send forth, oh, soul, thy noblest song !
For where thy voice is heard, no discord
is!
Not over the hills and mountains of the
earth ;
Not from star to star, where angels and
archangels dwell ;
Not up to the centre of things terrestrial
and spiritual, where the ineffable light ever
is;
But on through abysmal depths where
darkness reigns ;
Through hells mundane and supra-mun-
dane, where souls are struggling upward;
Where the light is just beginning to pen-
84 WISDOM OF THE AGES
etrate, and souls lethargic, shaking themselves
free from chains and fetters, awake to the
first faint glimmer of that which is to be
their glorious destiny.
Then sing aloud, oh, soul !
Let thy voice be heard afar !
Send forth thy sweetest, noblest lay!
Wake all the hills, and shake all the
depths of earth.
Yea, tremble, oh, ye hills, at the sound
of my voice !
For thy doom is sealed ; hate and anger
cannot withstand the all-conquering power
of love that endureth forever !
WISDOM OF THE AGES 85
XXII.
NEONTU said unto Zertoulem : Behold
how the people suffer! Go into the
homes of the people, likewise into the great
hospitals and asylums, and the sights thou
shalt see and the sounds thou shalt hear will
make even one like thee think the world is
anything but beautiful. My heart is sad
within me and my soul is sick unto death at
what it has seen and heard. Pray, tell me, is
there any way to overcome all this suffering ?
When he ceased speaking, Zertoulem said
unto him: Oh, Neontu, has all my teaching
been in vain ? Have I not already told thee
that pain and disease are to be conquered
only through efforts of the will, and that back
of the will lies the illimitable ocean of spirit,
the source of all power?
86 WISDOM OF THE AGES
Dost thou think that one may find a pana-
cea for all human ills in the bottles and jars
of the apothecary? That some of these things
are palliative I most fully believe. But I
would not look to them for the cure of dis-
ease any more than I would look to war for
the cure of the lust of the nations. Health is
the natural condition of the physical body
when spirit fully asserts itself through all its
members. When there are obstructions along
the pathway of spirit they must be removed,
else will pain declare the presence of disease.
Spirit holds the atoms of matter together;
when it is withdrawn, disintegration com-
mences and the atoms fly apart. The strug-
gle of these atoms to obtain their liberty is
what causes the sensation of pain. As mat-
ter approaches the formless it becomes gro-
tesque and repulsive in appearance.
When man not only learns the way but also
WISDOM OF THE AGES 87
walks therein, pain and disease shall be known
no more.
Oh, Neontu, if thou shouldst suffer great
pain, it would not be necessary for thee to
have faith in me in order that I might relieve
thee. The two things necessary are these —
that I have faith in myself, and also believe
that at my command is the exhaustless power
of the Infinite One.
Bear in mind, oh, Neontu, also this impor-
tant fact, that if thou art the possessor of the
pearl without price, faith in the divine possi-
bilities of thine own soul, thou wilt never need
other physician than thyself.
Thou canst call unto thee from across the
depths and over the heights All that Is.
If this power was not thine, thou couldst not
be a son of the Infinite One.
If thou art that son, thy power can be no
less.
88 WISDOM OF THE AGES
When the world accepts these thoughts and
lives them, the way to overcome pain, suffer-
ing and disease shall be made clear. Then
the sons and daughters of earth shall walk
forth clad in new garments of dazzling white-
ness, for Truth and Love, Peace and Purity
shall claim them as their own.
Until that day pain and suffering shall not
be completely overcome.
Hold, oh, Neontu, the Higher Thought, and
from thy soul, and also from all noble souls,
let its vibrations stream forth until the last
groan of agony shall cease and hells on earth
be no more.
WISDOM OF THE AGES 89
XXIII.
T I THAT sayest thou, Neontu, that thou
^ * hast fallen away from the Higher
Thought ?
Nay, nay, say not so, because it is not,
cannot be true.
Rather say that the Higher Thought never
was thine own —
For once thine, always thine !
If thou perceiveth the truth and graspeth it
with the firm hand of ownership, thou canst
not fall away from it.
Never didst thou fully perceive the truth
and grasp its full meaning, if thou thinkest
that thou hast fallen away from it.
Yet it hath not entered into thee and be-
come a part of thy very life, for if it had thou
couldst not think that thou hadst fallen away.
90 WISDOM OF THE AGES
Thou hast only reached its outer rim, and
thy senses have become intoxicated with its
fragrance.
When thoushalt perceive its inherent beauty
and recognize its real worth thou canst no
longer say that thou hast fallen from the
Higher Thought.
Thought becomes higher and higher only as
its vibrations are intensified by the spirit that
creates it.
If its vibrations are sluggish it hugs the
earth. If rapid it cleaves the ethers.
Thy soul selects that which affinitizes with
itself, and cannot fall from that which is on
its own level.
Thou dost not yet fully believe in thyself.
Cultivate, then, oh, Neontu, a more thorough
knowledge of thy soul.
Know of its possibilities limitless and its
resources exhaustless.
WISDOM OF THE AGES 9 1
Do not read the limitations of the physical
into the atmosphere of the soul.
But read all that the soul is or yet may
become into the physical.
As the moon is ever faithful to the sun,
daily receiving and transmitting its light, so
should the body ever be true to the soul,
receiving and transmitting its light.
The soul is not fettered by metes and bounds
— if thou dwellest in its world thy vision shall
be limitless, and thy powers infinite.
Give not to these thoughts merely the as-
sent of the intellect, for that availeth little.
But if thou canst receive them let them
sweep through thee with all the power of
conviction.
Then are they truly thine, and thou canst
no more fall away from them than the earth
can fall out of the solar system, of which it
is an integral part.
92 WISDOM OF THE AGES
It has been with thee, oh, Neontu, as with
many others. Thou hast tried in vain to grasp
the whole as a whole, before thou hast mas-
tered its separate parts.
Step by step, degree by degree, must the
neophyte move forward until adeptship is
attained.
Through the gates of Meditation and Con-
centration thou shalt proceed, until at last
Truth's golden crown shall grace thy brow.
WISDOM OF THE AGES 93
XXIV.
r I ^HERE are so many opinions abroad
* in the world, asked Neontu, how can
one know the right?
The Master replied in substance as fol-
lows : There are many rights, and it con-
cerns thee only to know that which is right
for thyself.
Be not troubled with the opinions of men.
Thine own opinion is of more value to thee
than that of any other.
That which is right for thee to-day may
not be right on the morrow.
There can be for thee only one right, that
on which the Now places the seal of its ap-
proval.
In thy childhood it was both right and
good for thee to have playthings, but grown
94 WISDOM OF THE AGES
to manhood thou hast ceased to take inter-
est in such things and it is right no longer
for thee to have them.
Yet there are many men who have not
advanced beyond their childhood days and
are ever content with things of the past.
In science many men are content to while
away their time in the study of the external
universe, and never cross the border where
Titanic forces are ever playing.
In religion the masses care only for that
which comes up out of the grave of the
past.
It is right for the man of science to deal
with the externals until his soul is quick-
ened into new life by the touch of all-per-
vading spirit.
It is also right for the devotee at the
shrine of religion to bow at the altars that
contain nothing but ashes of the past until
WISDOM OF THE AGES 95
his soul shall glow and flame with the light
of the newer faith that proclaims Universal
Brotherhood.
That which shows thee the more excel-
lent way is best for thee and is always right.
Even in the midst of the confusion of
the world thou canst always determine
what is best, for that which thy soul ap-
proves is right for thee.
Each flower, herb and tree takes out of
the soil only those elements needed for its
growth and complete unfoldment. Each is
too busy about its own work to stop to dis-
cuss the other elements it leaves behind.
Why not learn a lesson from the vege-
table kingdom ? Out of the great mass of
facts and theories offered in the philosophies
and religions of the world, the soul should
select those that appeal to the Inner Con-
sciousness, neither accepting nor rejecting
96 WISDOM OF THE AGES
the remainder, but leaving them inviolate for
those to whom they appeal.
I denounce no science, no philosophy, no
religion.
One might as well kick with bared foot
the wayside nettles ; they would not be
harmed, but thy foot would be stung.
I declare nothing is false for others. I
only affirm what is right for myself.
Then, oh, Neontu, test all sciences, all
philosophies, all religions, by the light of
thine own soul, and if they are for thee,
are right for thee to hold, they shall be
drawn unto thee, and no amount of dispu-
tation can dispossess thee of them.
WISDOM OF THE AGES 97
XXV.
T^HE world declares, oh, Death, that thou
* art cruel and relentless.
That thy mission is to shatter and destroy
all that it holds of the beautiful.
That thou lovest to wound the mother-
heart, and to rock and sway the proud father-
heart with grief that will not be assuaged.
That thou bringest to one common level
those whom the world respects and loves and
those whom the world styles its outcasts.
That all hearts are vulnerable to thine ar-
rows, and each form matter assumes must bow
before thy stern decree.
Speaketh the world wisely?
Thy vision must be obscured and all thy
spiritual faculties blunted, or thou wouldst not
speak as thou hast spoken.
98 WISDOM OF THE AGES
Thou art neither cruel nor relentless, oh,
Death, for thy mission is one of love and not
of anger.
Thou art, indeed, the most beautiful of all
the messengers of Omn !
Thou art not as poets and artists have pict-
ured thee : old, haggard and terrible.
Thy cheeks have stolen the roseate tints of
the morn ; thou art as graceful in all thy move-
ments as the fawns, and thy features reflect
nothing more terrible than peace and love!
Thy mission is not that of destruction more
than it is that of re-creation.
The golden bowl that held the prize of life
is broken only that the spirit might find else-
where a more glorious setting.
The temple that had grown too small to hold
longer its proud inmate has fallen — but there
are other temples more spacious and beautiful
awaiting the advent of the soul.
WISDOM OF THE AGES 99
Oh, Death, thou hast given a broader lib-
erty, a more glorious freedom to the soul.
Thy door swings inward, noiselessly opening
upon enchanted chambers radiant with un-
wonted light and glory such as earth hath
never known.
Thou kissest down the eyelids in sleep, oh,
Death, and imprinteth upon the lips the seal
■ of immortality.
Beautiful, indeed, at thy gentle touch hath
been the awakening into newer experiences.
Not, as some have said, into a new life, for
it is the same old life that has unfalteringly
kept its march through the ages, but thou
hast simply brought it a little nearer to its
ideals.
Behold the great company with which the
soul now stands! For the call of the spirit
has been answered, and its own have come
at its bidding.
IOO WISDOM OF THE AGES
New fields lie open before thee, loftier
heights than e'er thy feet have scaled stretch
on and on before thee, oh, soul.
Death hath not robbed thee of thy treasures,
oh, soul. All the good that thou hast done,
all the noble thoughts thou hast expressed,
live and are with thee still.
Instead of Death thou shouldst be called
Life, for thou holdest within thy hands the
keys that unlock the doors of space and
time.
wisdom of the ages ioi
XXVI.
AM tired and sick of the cry, I can't do
* this and I can't do that.
The world cares only for what thou canst
do.
Show the world, then, that thou art capable
of doing something.
No man ruled by "I can't" ever amounted
to anything.
It is possible for the man who says " I can "
to conquer and rule the world.
Receive then, oh, soul, thine own message!
Be true to its light and the shadow of
"Can't" will never cross thy pathway.
Art thou merely a creature of circumstances,
ruled in all thy thoughts and actions by the
stars ?
Shame on thee, if such be thy thought!
102 WISDOM OF THE AGES
Arise in the dignity of the god thou art
intended to be, and rule in the universe that
is thine own.
Instead of thou being subject to the stars,
they should obey the mandates of thy will.
The sturdy oak-tree, sound at its core, is
rocked and swayed by the hurricane that
sweeps over it, but when the storm has
passed, undaunted it lifts once more its
branches toward the heavens.
Thou mayst be rocked and swayed, oh, man,
by influences both mundane and celestial, but
learn to keep the equipoise of the soul.
Many times thou wilt be disturbed by others
even in the life thou art living. Remember
thou mayst disturb others.
Let these disturbances and these annoy-
ances fall off from thee. Rise, and in the
majesty of thy spirit show that thou art
superior to these things.
WISDOM OF THE AGES IO3
Neither the pleasant nor the unpleasant
things are the all-important ones in life. As
results tower aloft above all experiences, so do
motives become by far more important than
acts.
Trials are good for thee when thou art not
conquered by them. They lift the curtains to
many a window and reveal in part the work-
ings of the soul within.
Be patient; the universe was not made by
thee, neither were the men and women in it.
Let them alone, to either live their own
lives or become victims of unseen vampires.
It is enough for thee to look out for thine
own life, for it is a most difficult thing to
keep clear from all the snares that surround
thee.
Rise out of the realm of / cant into that of
I can, and then shall all the divine possibilities
of the soul be revealed unto thee.
104 WISDOM OF THE AGES
Only truth should sway and bend thee;
only the wings of love and mercy uplift thee,
and only justice dictate thy course.
Out of strife shall come peace, and out of
the performance of the most unpleasant and
unwelcome duties of life come rest to thy
soul.
WISDOM OF THE AGES IO5
XXVII.
[NASMUCH as the higher spiritual states
^ are those of Wisdom and Love, so may
the earthly states approach unto these.
If thou art self-centred thou canst draw
near unto these gates of Light even when
thou art in the midst of seeming discord.
It is not necessary that all men should
behold the Light of the Love and Wisdom
spheres that thou shouldst perceive it.
One may know with the mortal mind and
not perceive with the spirit.
That which a man knows may never enter
into his life of the spirit, but that which he
perceives must sooner or later be incorporated
into his very self.
Knowledge is no more than a bundle of
dry facts and the understanding of a few
106 WISDOM OF THE AGES
laws and their application in the realm of
use, unless the perception of the spirit gives
to it life.
Perception of the spirit is an offspring of
Love and Wisdom.
Love and Wisdom are expressions of the
one great underlying energy of the universe,
which is known as spirit.
Thus are we led to perceive in all things
a divine unity reaching from star-dust to
man, and from man to the highest expres-
sion of the Infinite.
In mortal conditions all that is usually
known as Love should be called selfishness.
Here too often it is expressed in favors, a
kind of coin placed at compound interest.
But there are times and instances when
true love is manifested, for instance, as re-
vealed in the display of heroism and sacrifice
by the mother for her offspring, and, like-
WISDOM OF THE AGES IO7
wise, in every noble act and effort on the part
of one for another.
Love's fires are not dead on earth, although
covered far too often by the ashes of selfish-
ness.
True love is an attribute of the soul
that leaps upward like fire from the heart
of the volcano, illuminating far and wide the
night whose sky is overcast with clouds of
hate and discord.
This is a reflection of the Light that for-
ever plays about the heights where angels,
Sons of God, Messiahs and Archangels have
their abiding place.
And Wisdom is not merely the acquiring
of knowledge, but also the understanding of
its practical uses.
The Wisdom Soul is not only the one that
knows, but also the one who perceives the
value of truth.
IOS WISDOM OF THE AGES
How many there are of the earth children
who have simply buried themselves in the dry
details of technical science !
How many there are who have gathered,
analyzed and classified flowers, insects and
fossils, yet know not their uses in the Di-
vine Economy of Things, and, with equal truth
it might be declared, know not of that Divine
life that throbs and pulsates through them all.
While mere earthly knowledge may be con-
fined to the realm of physical data, Wisdom
has its wings ever spread for flight into the
realms of Cause and Use.
Thus clouds are dissipated, difficulties over-
come, and the pure white Light of Spirit re-
veals the path that leadeth on forevermore !
WISDOM OF THE AGES IO9
XXVIII.
NEONTU asked the Master: Why is it
that I am affected by all individuals
that come into my presence, not only men-
tally but also physically? Some give me
the sensations of peace and joy, while others
almost completely destroy my equilibrium?
It is not necessary for me to come into men-
tal communion with people to be thus affected,
neither is it necessary for me to come into
physical contact with them.
The Master walked some little distance by
the side of Neontu before replying to his in-
terrogations. All this time he was noting
the change that was rapidly stealing over the
physical body of his companion. When they
met that morning Neontu's body was terribly
agitated, as if all the chords of his being were
IIO WISDOM OF THE AGES
swept by a storm. But now all the nerve
currents were calmed and brought under the
control of the peace-loving Soul that dwelt
within.
Then spake the Master: A moment ago,
oh, Neontu, thou wast restless as an untamed
steed, but now thou art calm as a philosopher.
These conditions have been brought about by
the mental states of others. Thou hast seen
some delicate piece of mechanism affected not
only by every change of temperature but also
by every passing cloud. The most sensitive
and delicate piece of mechanism when com-
pared with the human body is crude and
unresponsive. Not only one but many spirits
may cause this sounding board to vibrate.
Ever the dominant chord should be struck
from within. But through ignorance and
lack of spiritual growth it is often struck
from without. Therefore the body is often
WISDOM OF THE AGES III
swayed by other mental states than those of
its own spirit.
Understand, oh, Neontu, that everything in
the universe has its own aura. Rocks, trees,
flowers, animals and human beings, each have
the characteristic aura. We have now only to
deal with auras of human beings. The color
and nature of this aura is determined by the
mental and moral states of the individual.
In the gross and sensual it is dark and
repulsive; around the purely intellectual it is
blue ; those reaching toward the spiritual,
golden; and the truly spiritual, of dazzling
whiteness. Generally speaking, no person is
all gross and sensual, and no one in the physi-
cal body at all times purely intellectual or
spiritual. Therefore in the aura of every per-
son there must be a blending of different col-
ors. The predominating color determines the
bent of the individual. In disturbed mental
112 WISDOM OF THE AGES
states the aura is disturbed. In anger the
aura becomes dark and through these clouds
are fitful flashes of flame-colored light. At
other times love sways the whole being and
the aura takes on the roseate tints of the
morning. These auras extend perceptibly
about three feet in every direction from the
individual. But the sphere of their influence
no one yet has been able to measure. So,
Neontu, when thou comest into the presence
of individuals of pronounced mental states,
thou art affected by their auras.
Protection can only come from within.
Thou must be self-centred and self-poised;
thy will upon its throne, and thine own aura
well defined by deeds in keeping with the
higher attributes of the spirit.
WISDOM OF THE AGES II3
XXIX.
A S in the wild-wood there is a great
-** variety of form, color and odor of the
flowers we meet with, so is it with the auras
of human beings.
Some of the flowers are regular and beau-
tiful in form, others irregular, and some few
apparently distorted.
So is it with auras of individuals; some
are exquisitely beautiful in design, others
very commonplace, and still others almost
without form.
Some of the flowers in color rival the
rainbow, others are modest and nearly neu-
tral, while still others are murky and dark.
We have already seen that it is the same
with the auras of human beings.
Among the flowers there are those that
114 WISDOM OF THE AGES
emit odors that are ravishing and almost
entrancing, others are pungent, and still
others are repulsive.
It is even so of human auras.
The so-called criminal, brutal and sensual
class emit odors characteristic of the indi-
viduals, which are repulsive in their nat-
ure.
Many individuals of strong character, yet
not specially inclined either to Intellectuality
or Spirituality, emit a pungent odor possess-
ing in no great degree either the power to
attract or repel.
The intellectually inclined emit an odor
very similar to that of the modest little
flower known as mignonette.
And those highly developed spiritually
emit odors that exert a magic spell upon
all who come within the sphere of their in-
fluence.
WISDOM OF THE AGES I 1 5
These characteristic odors are not of the
outer, physical body, but belong to the
sphere of human auras.
There are undertones or musical notes to
be discovered in connection with these auras.
Those who have not yet awakened to the
knowledge of the better-self send forth dis-
cordant notes that ever fail to blend and
to produce harmony.
There are those who live quiet, peaceful,
unassuming and unpretentious lives, the
waves of whose auras are ever vibrating
with low, soft and sweet melody.
There are also those grand souls, ever
struggling upward, ever breaking away from
all restraints, ever promoting the higher
interests of humanity, these are surrounded
by auras vibrating with the grand, triumphal
notes of victory.
With physical eyes you may not behold
Il6 WISDOM OF THE AGES
all these colors and forms ; with physical
ears you may not catch all these notes, —
for in the universe there are forms and col-
ors invisible to the physical eye of man,
and notes either too low or too high to
be heard by his external ears.
These truths can appeal, then, only to
the spiritually awakened, for these have both
heard and seen many things all unknown and
unperceived by those who have not risen
above the valley mists of materiality.
Then, oh, Neontu, let the real Neontu,
not that which appears or seems to be the
Neontu, assert itself, and thou shalt be led
out of the world of shadows, into the world
of light, where all things may be revealed
unto the waiting spirit.
WISDOM OF THE AGES 117
XXX.
\/EA, Neontu, I did say, One Life throbs
* and pulsates through all from star-dust
on through man up to the Infinite, a kind
of vital spirit making out of the infinite
variety of forms a divine unity;
Yet, I did not intend to imply that man
was not more than star-dust. He is all the
outer universe implies and infinitely more, for
in external worlds there can be neither per-
ception nor apperception. The star-dust of
itself is not conscious of the existence of man,
cannot reason with regard to things, neither
can it grasp intuitively eternal verities, nor
realize the power of Soul.
There is a power within thee, oh, man,
possessed not by other things. While the
Infinite Omn breathes in and through all
I 1 8 WISDOM OF THE AGES
things, yet His majesty unspeakable is only
revealed in the spirit of man.
All else in nature has limitations. Con-
sciousness, reason, intuition — these three
reveal that which is absolutely limitless in its
capacities and powers.
The ignorant alone place metes and bounds
to the possibilities of spirit.
Thus far shalt thou go, is the command of
unreason.
Thus far canst thou go, is the assertion of
one whose interior consciousness has never
been aloft on the wings of intuition.
If in thee a fragment of the Absolute and
Real finds an abiding place, thou must of
necessity be limitless in all thy powers and
capacities, for the Absolute and Real cannot
be composed of limited and circumscribed
fragments.
The true poet, artist, musician are prophet
WISDOM OF THE AGES II9
souls, that never bide the limitations of re-
ligions and schools.
New paths of light are opened unto them
and they walk forth where mortal feet have
never pressed before. When they return they
bring with them the rich vintage of the
spirit.
The world, filled with self-conceit and
blinded by ignorance, cries out: Our most
sacred things are violated — our usages and
customs ignored — these are but false prophets
that needs must lead the unsophisticated
astray.
Hold thy peace, oh, brother, thou who
dwellest in the valley, thou art not yet aware
that the sun is up ; through the dense fogs of
thine own pride and ignorance thou failest
to perceive that the mountain tops are already
bathed with the light of a new day.
Only a little longer canst thou stay where
120 WISDOM OF THE AGES
thou art. Through the thick clouds around
thee hands are reaching toward thee that
sooner or later will impart a quickening im-
pulse to thy soul.
Light will yet break around thee, and the
message of the spirit be made known unto
thee.
Then clouds shall disappear — earthly taints
of anger, selfishness and distrust be super-
seded by peace, love and confidence — and
the Divinity within be revealed in its infinite
glory.
i
WISDOM OF THE AGES 12 1
XXXI.
'r I ^IS well for every one to seek spiritual
1 gifts, but it is far better first for every
one to know his own spirit and something of
its possibilities.
First let character, the sweet flower of the
soul, be well developed.
It is to the man or woman what the per-
fume is to the flower, a revelation of the
soul-life within.
The characterless man is always vacillating,
never certain of anything.
The man of character is far more stable
than the rock-ribs of the earth.
He is never swayed save by influences that
lead either to his own or others' good.
His voice is like the deep, rich, melodious
tones of the organ.
122 WISDOM OF THE AGES
And through his whole life sweeps the
rhythm of the universe.
To such an one is revealed the Divine attri-
butes of the soul, possibilities beyond the
comprehension of him who dwells in the
valley land of vacillation and selfishness.
The gifts he seeks are above the plane of
sense, and are not confined to those that take
form and shape in the realms of materiality,
but instead, pertain to the spheres of Wisdom
and Love, therefore lead to the uplifting and
spiritualizing of all humanity.
He does not deny physical phenomena as
gifts of the spirit, for they may have been
the rungs in the ladder up which he has
been slowly and painfully climbing through
the lapse of years.
But, as far as he is concerned, they have
served their day and purpose. After a man
has acquired a knowledge of geometry, cal-
WISDOM OF THE AGES 1 23
cuius and the higher mathematics, he does
not need to dwell longer in the realm of its
first principles. He is far too wise either to
deny their existence or to remain bound by
the magic charm of their influence. There-
fore he leaves the study of the self-evident
truths upon which the science is founded for
the neophyte. So ever must it be with
psychic science. Those living in closest
relationship with the sense-plane can only be
reached through the cruder manifestations.
That ye may not be led astray by these
into snares and pitfalls innumerable see that
thy reason is alert, thy character well de-
veloped, and thy higher spiritual nature
awakened.
Seek ye the higher gifts of the spirit, but
seek through living nearer and nearer to the
higher and better self.
If simply the doors are open unto the realm
124 WISDOM OF THE AGES
of sense ye need not expect to hear the en-
trancing music of the spheres.
Thou needst not stop to close the doors
behind thee, for they close of their own ac-
cord when influences from the realms into
which they open cease to reach and affect
thee.
Be sure the doors are never closed before
thee through thine own selfishness and lack
of true spirituality.
They of the higher spheres will minister
unto thee, if thou in word or deed art worthy
of their ministrations.
WISDOM OF THE AGES 1 25
XXXII.
ET no sound of martial strain be heard
-" throughout thy world, oh, soul !
March not forth with banners flying and
trumpets echoing afar.
Let not, oh, soul, thy path be strewn with
human wrecks and tortured forms.
Let not thy way be o'er earthly battlefields
gory with human blood.
Let not thy onward course be paved with
hopes and aspirations lost.
Let not splendor of outward expression dim
the inner light and glory.
Strike, then, the grandest note of all, of
peace and love to all mankind.
Over all the strife and discord of the world
then let this thought prevail —
Peace, soft, sweet, like fleecy night-clouds.
126 WISDOM OF THE AGES
Enfolding and enwrapping all in folds of
perfect trust and love !
Light ineffable, glorious, all-potent, yet soft
and silent as that of distant star, slowly, yet
surely, lifting every soul out of the dark and
dismal earthly hells.
Angels, not blaming earth's wayward ones,
but with tender, loving arms encircling all,
rescuing from maelstroms of anger and pas-
sion; supporting tottering footsteps along
life's wearisome way, until, at last, the soul
is quickened, and the master spirit asserts
itself.
Not the assertion of self in the merely
outward expression of things through martial
power, brutal strength, and accumulation of
worldly goods.
But that only real and true assertion of self
that is forgetful of all outward expressions,
WISDOM OF THE AGES 1 27
resultants of power, strength, and worldly
goods, save as they lead to the higher in-
terests and greater benefits of the many.
Light, dispelling clouds of ignorance, re-
moving obstacles, overcoming difficulties, mak-
ing smooth the path where human feet needs
must press ;
Light, revealing unto enraptured vision new
earths and new heavens, homes of contented
and happy beings;
Light, making plain that which before per-
plexed and troubled;
Light, servant of spirits, angels and arch-
angels, mighty and all-potent for human good
when wisely directed;
Lead thou our spirits on,
From night unto day,
From discord and strife unto peace,
From selfishness unto that true love of self
that can bide no ill unto others.
I2tf WISDOM OF THE AGES
Lead thou our spirits on,
Away from charnel-houses of sin and death,
From battlefields and dismal prison cells,
From anger and hate's accursed fires,
Unto that love knowing no my nor mine
save only that which leads to good of all.
Lead thou our spirits on,
Oh, light, messenger of Tha and Omn,
Through all the devious paths of life,
Thick-strewn with many a fret and care,
Until all clouds are gone, all strifes are
gone,
And burn forever upon the altar of human
hearts the fires of love and peace.
WISDOM OF THE AGES 1 29
XXXIII.
r I "'HESE little jars and perturbations in
* everyday life simply emphasize the har-
monies of the deeper spirit-life.
The All-Pervading Life that in time must
overcome and master all things, in thy pres-
ent life is only revealed by partial liftings of
the veil.
No man knows its depth and full meaning.
For it is out of sight save when it flashes
through the thick clouds which far too often
enshroud the life of man.
Much of the disturbances in thy life are
caused by outside influences.
That these may be avoided do not cut thy-
self off from others, for thy life of life must be
associated with that of others.
Those that annoy and fret thee are always
130 WISDOM OF THE AGES
on a plane below thee. Intellectually they
may be above thee, but always spiritually
they are far beneath thee.
Cut not entirely loose from them, and yet be
independent in thy way of living and thinking.
The light of thine own soul may arouse
them to better things.
Nature's forces are silent until the work
they seek to do is accomplished.
Say not thou art better or wiser than others,
and, above all, pronounce not thy curse upon
any one.
If any one hath done thee an injury, do thou
no injury in return, for the first will never be
righted by a second.
Poor mortal, thou art desirous of injuring
another! Thou canst not afford to do it.
The blow will fall upon thine own head with
greater might than it does upon the one thou
art seeking to injure.
WISDOM OF THE AGES 131
Wouldst thou have friends in the world?
Then be a friend to all men. Conquer thy
meaner self, and let the spirit be more per-
fectly revealed each day of thy life.
Think not that thou shalt gain anything by
striving to ride over others. Thy horses will
balk and throw thee to the ground.
Be humble, not exalting thyself above
others, and the true glory of thy higher
spiritual nature will shine forth, blessing all
humanity.
Then, if others seek to injure thee and
put thee down, be not discouraged and
disheartened.
But let thine own acts be seasoned with
charity, justice and love, and in the end thou
shalt arise in the majesty of thy spirit and
be glorified in the presence of the highest.
132 WISDOM OF THE AGES
XXXIV.
OPIRIT not only moulds and shapes the
^ physical body which becomes its outward
expression, but is also vibrating in its every
atom.
If a part or portion of this outward expres-
sion of spirit is loaned another individualized
spirit, the original creator of that part or por-
tion never entirely disassociates itself from it.
In fact, the every atom called within the at-
mosphere of the indwelling spirit reflects in
greater or less degree the attributes of that
spirit.
Even when a member is loaned another, the
personality whose vibrations are felt by the
remotest atoms of the outward expression is
never entirely submerged in the personality
that usurps and controls the organ for the time
WISDOM OF THE AGES 1 33
being ; therefore, in spite of every precaution,
it flashes across the pathway of the thought
being expressed.
But the spirit speaking cares little for this
unless it may interfere with the expression of
truth.
Then, is it not far wiser for men to be seek-
ers after spiritual truths than for the evidences
of special spirit control ?
I that indite these papers speak far oftener
for the many than for the one individuality
known as Zertoulem.
What matters it whether the truth is found
struggling in the mind of the medium, and
is quickened into outward expression by the
touch from without, or cometh entirely from
an extraneous source?
The all-important thing is the clear percep-
tion of the truth.
Truth owns no special country as the land
134 WISDOM OF THE AGES
of its birth ; neither the East nor the West
can claim it as its own.
Prophet-souls in every land and every age
have heard its voice.
Obedient to the message received, they have
gone forth into the world as Heaven-sent mes-
sengers.
The truths they uttered in the long ages
past have never been lost.
No word, no wisdom is lost past recovery.
Sigh not, then, over the esoteric wisdom
of the past; if thou art ready for it, thou shalt
receive it all.
It has been seemingly lost because the world
was engrossed in material things, and had no
time for those of the spirit.
Spirit needs no introduction to the ages
past and gone. The ancient peoples are not
stranger men and women to it, and the civ-
ilizations of old are not unknown to it.
WISDOM OF THE AGES 1 35
It is for me and you to press the hands
of these people, to walk with them shoulder
to shoulder, to read with them the records of
their struggles and triumphs, to reap the re-
sults of their civilizations, and to be exalted
by the wisdom they possessed.
And this exaltation, not because the wisdom
is ancient and belonged to a peculiar people,
but because the wisdom contained within it-
self a spring of perpetual youth, and belongs
neither to one age nor one people, but to
eternity and to all men.
It is for thee to perceive as great truths
as the world has ever perceived.
If thou wilt thou canst stand where the
greatest have stood.
Thou must lift the clouds that hang over
thee. Thou must plant thy feet firmly upon
the earth beneath thee.
For it is not well to forget the needs
136 WISDOM OF THE AGES
of the outward, the external expression of
spirit.
A god dwells within; the house should be
beautiful and clean.
Through its every door should shine the
ineffable light and glory of the exalted spirit,
the inmate of the house not less beautiful.
WISDOM OF THE AGES 1 37
XXXV.
HE who sends the healing thought is
doubly blest, blest in giving that which
others need, and blest in receiving that
which he had not before.
Send forth no vacillating thought, freighted
with the hope and trust for better conditions
and higher things.
Instead, let thy thought be charged with
the positive currents of love that know no
defeat.
Hast thou not declared Omn to be om-
nipotent and omnipresent?
Believest thou this to be a truth? Then,
inasmuch as thou art a part of the divine, all
power centres in thee.
Thou art circumscribed and limited only
by thy denials.
I38 WISDOM OF THE AGES
Ignorance builds up a wall that crumbles
and falls at the approach of knowledge.
So all difficulties fade and disappear when
one arises above the sphere of denial into
that of affirmation.
When thou sittest in the silence to help
or benefit another, concentrate thy mind upon
the object to be accomplished. Be so de-
sirous of doing good that no other thought
shall possess thee.
Be not so foolish as to deny the existence
of disease, poverty and sorrow, but affirm
the possibility of rising above all that clogs
or hampers the spirit.
Spirit, assert thyself!
Arise! shake off all that impedes thine
upward progress.
Thou art creator of opportunities.
At thy bidding all the doors of knowledge
are opened.
WISDOM OF THE AGES 1 39
There are no secrets Nature holds that may
not be revealed unto thee.
To the awakened soul there are no occult
or hidden forces in nature. All are luminous
with the light of spirit, and none are hidden
save by the flimsy veil of ignorance.
Every breeze that sweeps over the land,
every wave that beats against the shore, every
ray of light that cometh from most distant
star, has a message for thee, oh, man, if thou
wilt only receive it.
Star-dust and earth-dust are one and the
same, save only in the one the vibrations may
be intenser than in the other.
On earth varied names are given to the
so-called primal elements, but he whose
spiritual vision is quickened perceives that
there is but one substance in all universes.
Under all must be one, — that one we
term spirit, the only substance.
140 WISDOM OF THE AGES
Elements are the clothes that spirit wears.
Hence all the varied forces are ever directed
by spirit.
If the individual spirit is both self-conscious
and self-centred, it calls other spirits to itself
to aid in its every beneficent work.
A legion of spirits may do thy bidding if
thy commands are wise and right.
A good thought speeding on its mission of
love and beneficence calls to its aid the powers
of many wise and good spirits.
Live above the atmosphere of ignoble
thoughts and thy life will reflect only the
noblest of impulses.
And these impulses shall be made to live
in the lives of others.
They shall bring up out of despair, suffer-
ing and gloom those who never before have
felt or known the sweet sunbursts of love.
In him from whom they proceed shall be
WISDOM OF THE AGES 141
wrought as great a transformation as in the
ones they reach.
He who gives the most receives the most.
For angels are ever showering upon the
head of the giver benedictions that are not of
this world.
142 WISDOM OF THE AGES
XXXVI.
REST, oh, my soul, not in the slumbers of
the night,
Nor in the idleness that far too often
accompanies the day,
But in the ceaseless doing of that which is
right and good !
Out of turmoil and strife, thou shalt arise,
oh, my soul ;
And new courage and strength shall be
given thee.
Fear not to trust that power within that
with ceaseless urge presses thee ever on-
ward !
Rest and peace can only come to thee, oh,
soul, through ceaseless effort.
Sayst thou, the way is dark before thee, oh,
soul, and thy feet have lost the way?
WISDOM OF THE AGES 1 4
7
Nay, there are no lost trails, the path,
though rough and strewn with obstacles, was
thine own. The expression of thy life would
have been incomplete without the discipline.
If thou wilt only learn the lesson these
experiences hold thou wilt find rest even in
the midst of the trials that beset thee.
Turmoil and strife about thee ! Thy soul
engulfed with waves of discord and inharmony.
Complain, if thou must, until the soul per-
ceives that divine wisdom underlies every
experience of life.
I find no fault with thee because thou dost
complain, for even this is required by the soul
as it pursues its endless journey.
Rest may come in the midst of all this tur-
moil and strife, for peace shall abide with
the soul when the meaning of all is made
clear.
Art thou bereft of friends and loved ones ?
144 WISDOM OF THE AGES
Doth sorrow rest heavily its hand upon thine
aching head ? And seeketh in vain thy tired
spirit for rest?
Thou art not left alone ! Thy friends and
loved ones were never so near thee as now.
All fetters broken, thy friends can draw nearer
to thee than e'er before !
The sweet communion of spirit with spirit
shall cool thy fevered and aching brow, and
assuage thy sorrow. Thy heart bowed down
shall beat again in ecstasy and love.
Rest shalt thou find, oh, soul, in the midst
of that sorrow that produces the divinest of
communion between spirit and spirit.
What more exalting and uplifting than
the communion of spirit ? Not with outward
words of expression, but in the inward sense
of things. No word is spoken. Thought
leaps forth unexpressed save in the universal
language of spirit.
WISDOM OF THE AGES 1 45
What ecstasy more divine than when soul
touches soul, and spirit reaches spirit through
the limitless expanses of ether ?
What a thrill of joy that is not born of the
flesh pulsates through the interior conscious-
ness!
Then thou art uplifted indeed ! Thou hast
scaled the spiritual Alps, and caught glimpses
of things unspeakable and untranslatable into
the language of the world.
Thou hast then, oh, soul, realized as ne'er
before thy relationship with the One Eter-
nal Omn !
Through all thy being waves of a new light
have found their way, and rest, more perfect,
more peaceful, than the soul has ever known
before has come to thee.
Then, oh, soul, rest not in the slumbers
of the night,
I46 WISDOM OF THE AGES
Nor in the idleness that far too often ac-
companies the day,
But in the all-pervading peace that cometh
from the doing of that which is right and
good,
Thou shalt fold thy wings in perfect rest.
WISDOM OF THE AGES 1 47
XXXVII.
^ROM spaces inconceivable, from depths
* beyond human comprehension, from
heights incalculable, voices call out to us, and
hands reach down, through and up to us.
We are ministered unto by all that is.
Our way is not solitary and alone, even if
our path is our own.
Innumerable the throng that attends us.
For us the beauty of the morn, and the
glory of the expiring day.
For us the upheaval of earthquake and
volcano, and the destruction that follows in
the wake of the tornado.
For us the distant star emits its dim and
misty light, and the comet flashes with fitful
glare across the astounded heavens.
For us the herbs of the field, the proud and
148 WISDOM OF THE AGES
stately trees of the forest, and the humble
lichen on the rock.
For us every form of life that peoples forest,
stream, lake or ocean.
For us all movements, all rests, all strivings,
all down-goings, and all uprisings, all emo-
tions, all sympathies, all loves, all hates, all
envies, all jealousies; in a word, all that is
in part or in whole the expression of life,
terrestrial or celestial.
These all wait upon us, minister unto us,
and we through them gain the discipline
needed for the higher spiritual attainment.
Then some might say, Why battle against
the adverse ? Why strive after the higher ?
Brother, sister, know this and thou shalt
question no more :
Vantage ground is only gained by battling
and striving. The awakened soul is ever
trying its wings.
WISDOM OF THE AGES 1 49
The heights never come down to thee ; thou
must ascend unto them.
Omn speaks on and on evermore — yet His
voice is only heard by those who listen for it.
Not in the external shall its sweetest and
divinest song be heard, but only when man
withdraws himself from all that belongs to
the outward, and centres his whole life and
thought upon that which is more than shadow,
more than blazing sun, or world teeming with
expressions of life, shall the soul be flooded
with music whose notes are the vibrations of
the light ineffable.
I would introduce thee to thy real self —
the one very few in the world are acquainted
with.
Thou hast lived so far away from thyself
that thou hast become acquainted with its
feeblest expressions.
Come ye nearer unto self — enter the holy
I50 WISDOM OF THE AGES
of holies — the citadel whence consciousness
proceeds. Behold the God upon the throne !
The real knowledge of self shall throw
light upon others and make it possible for
thee to sense the mission of each life.
Growth shall come from the possession of
this knowledge, and through it shall come the
understanding of the message that every ex-
pression of the All conveys to thee.
Through the darkness around thee shall
flash the light that is not on land or sea, the
light of spirit that ever lifteth to higher and
better things.
And in the interior consciousness shall be
made plain and clear the real meanings of the
adverse experiences and the strivings that
enter into thy life.
When thou shalt become submissive to
indwelling spirit, all shall be full)' understood.
For God knows all!
WISDOM OF THE AGES 151
XXXVIII.
IF others near thee in the sense-world annoy
thee, shut them out from thy real life.
The ego may drive from itself all conscious-
ness of that which it does not need.
The ego, the vital spark, that which is
divine, dwells afar and apart from all that
belongs to the external world.
It belongs to the depths, and not to the
surface of things.
The imago and not the ego is incarnate.
The ego builds for its creations houses, but
these are not for itself to dwell in. One with
the eternal, it is as houseless as the eternal.
It is well and right for thee to live much of
the time apart from others, for in the interior
consciousness thou shalt find all that is essen-
tial for thee.
152 WISDOM OF THE AGES
Yet, leadings to this interior consciousness
are necessary ; books, men and things may be
necessary to lead thee to thyself, but the
time will come when these leadings will be
needed no longer, for the dewdrop shall have
touched the heart of the lotus and be merged
in its interior consciousness.
He who walks through the world with his
elbows in contact with other elbows never
receives the leadings of the spirit.
Spirit needs neither props nor outside influ-
ences to make its mission known to thee. Its
throne room is within, and only one can have
audience at a time.
Thou must go alone if thou wouldst receive
its blessings and commands.
Others cannot hear for thee ; others cannot
see for thee; others cannot receive for thee.
Spirit never calls two at a time. Its path-
way does not admit of two walking abreast.
WISDOM OF THE AGES 153
Through the same ethers and at the same
times travel the varied forces of the universe,
yet they never interfere with one another.
Each is bent on its own mission.
In this world there is plenty of room for all,
and there will be no jostling when all find
their rightful places.
Yet, even as it is, the self-centred one is
never disturbed.
Only those who are trying orbits that
belong to others disturb and are disturbed.
Alone thou must be, and yet not alone, for
the ethereal currents from interstellar spaces
sweep around thee freighted with priceless
cargoes.
Influences are about and with thee that
know not earth as their home.
From all around thee Nature stretches
out her hands encouragingly, and from above
all power is showered upon thee.
154 WISDOM OF THE AGES
Indeed, the favors of heaven are thine own,
and thine associates kindred spirits from uni-
verses unnumbered.
Out of thine own sphere thou art hampered,
cramped and besieged by forces, powers and
influences that impede thy onward progress.
In thine own sphere thou art the ruler.
Even the stars, nebulae, universes lay their
tribute at thy feet.
Indeed, the golden crown, sparkling with
jewels, brighter and richer by far than the
earth affords, sits gracefully upon the brow of
the king who has become the ruler in the
sphere of his own self-consciousness.
To him, all winds are alike ; all experiences
as they should be ; all influences good ; for
all yield unto him a subtle essence that giveth
strength and power.
None can bring evil unto him, for his feet
walk the shining pathway of the spirit.
WISDOM OF THE AGES 1 55
XXXIX.
71 li Y soul is an hungered and it lifteth up its
•*• * * voice to the angels, yea, even unto the
Infinite, pleading for food such as earth giveth
not.
Every oracle and every book in the world
faileth to give me the supply my soul needeth.
These all give freely of what they possess,
yet my soul hungereth and thirsteth for the
food and drink of the higher spheres.
The thirsty trees lick up the waters that
fall from the heavens, and their hungry
roots draw from Nature's breast sustenance,
and they are satisfied.
Yet, oh, God, my spirit is never satisfied
with what Nature giveth, no matter how boun-
teous the supply.
Even the granite rock crumbles to powder
I56 WISDOM OF THE AGES
that it may feed the lichen that clings to its
bosom.
And the great deeps hold a bounteous sup-
ply for all the myriad forms of life that swarm
in their caverns.
I thirst, oh, God, for the great draughts of
light that flood the upper heavens, and I
hunger, oh, God, for the ripe fruitage of the
ages.
Let me drink in the light that leaps from
star to star, from universe to universe, until
every chamber of my soul is flooded with un-
wonted light and glory.
Let the wisdom of the angels and arch-
angels appease the hunger of my soul.
In the midst of darkness, surrounded by
clouds of sable, I cry out for light! I stretch
out my hands towards the heavens and I lift
up mine eyes that they may behold the glory
of Thy creations!
WISDOM OF THE AGES 1 57
Worlds without number burst upon my
vision ; suns beyond human calculation flash
and flame along the Eternal Ways.
Beneath all is dark, above all is light.
Then, oh, my soul, be lifted up into realms
celestial !
Let that calmness and peace steal over thee
that the world on account of its passion and
ignorance fails to receive.
As I cry out, voices from out the silence
answer the voiceless cry of the spirit.
As I stretch out my hands the very heavens
reach down toward me.
As I lift up mine eyes, lo, the heavens are
ablaze with light for my spirit.
Truly may I cry out :
All, all that is, is for me !
The spaces are for me,
The light is for me, and
The Voiceless Silence mine own !
158 WISDOM OF THE AGES
Blessed indeed am I, for all blessings are
for me. If one helps my brother or sister, I
am likewise helped.
Even in the remotest corner of the world a
deed of kindness done unto the humblest of
the children of men is done unto me.
Every good act, every good thought, no
matter when or where uttered, blesses me.
I am not so narrow as to be blessed only by
that which is done directly to me, but so broad
that the universe alone is large enough for me,
therefore, whatsoever of the good the universe
holds touches me somewhere.
In me blend all races !
In me smoulder the loves and the aspira-
tions of every age.
In me, the orator, the poet, the philosopher,
the artist, the musician, the seer, the prophet —
all either are now or have been expressed.
When I cry out for light, it is not so much
WISDOM OF THE AGES 1 59
for myself as for others, for the blessing comes
not so much in the receiving as in the giving.
Like a crystal reflect all light that comes to
thee, and then shall the light of thine own soul
become more and more brilliant.
l6o WISDOM OF THE AGES
XL.
THE hills of earth rejoice, yea, the moun-
tains shake their hoary heads with joy;
For a new religion is born unto the sons
of men.
It is mightier by far than all other religions,
for incorporated into it is the life of all.
The awakening of the real self has made
this religion possible.
At present it only appeals unto the few
whose souls are rilled with divine fervor, but
on the morrow, when the multitude awake
from their long sleep, it shall appeal unto
all.
Out of the peace and harmony of souls
recognizing the real self and dwelling in the
atmosphere of its consciousness must this
religion spring forth.
WISDOM OF THE AGES l6l
These are the ones who recognize the
beauty of truth as a whole and not simply
in its fragmentary form.
The great ethnic religions contain only
fragments of the truth. But these fragments
are so beautiful that man has mistaken them
for the whole truth.
Truth never dies, neither does it grow old;
although changeless as the Eternal One, its
aspects are ever changing.
The form it assumes is ever suited to the
age in which it is presented.
Every religion that has outlived the age in
which it was given to the world contains some
fragment of truth of value to mankind.
If one searches long and patiently he may
find this fragment of truth in every religion
that still persists in the world.
In order that his researches may be re-
warded he must be able to give a spiritual
1 62 WISDOM OF THE AGES
interpretation to the symbols and ceremonies
associated with each and every form of
religion.
Nothing lives in vain, and there must be a
reason for all these religions living on in the
world.
Truth being in all, the reason is found in
the persistency of truth.
Now the world has waited long for a great
cosmic religion that should absorb all the
truth of the ages.
Not only has the world waited long for a
religion that should absorb all truth, but also
for a new setting of the truth that will adapt
it to the intellectual, moral and spiritual
demands of each and every age.
It has also waited for a religion that would
appease the heart hunger of all ages, and also
one that would contain within itself a fountain
of perpetual inspiration.
WISDOM OF THE AGES 1 63
Such a religion needs must be the centre of
the thought and life of the world.
It must touch the humblest life as well as
the most exalted.
Under its brooding wings even the meanest
may find shelter and the way that leadeth at
last unto peace.
To possess this religion in its fulness one
must be able to find the oneness of self with
the Infinite.
When he senses this royal kinship of the
soul, he can cry out, I am not of this outward
physical body, therefore birth, suffering, sen-
sual attractions, death, are not mine, since I
am as eternal and changeless as Omn !
This, the triumphant note of freedom that
has rung down through the ages, heard and
realized in its fulness by every awakened one
of earth.
What Messiahs and sons of God have heard
164 . WISDOM OF THE AGES
and realized all earth shall hear, and all her
sons and daughters realize.
Not only do the hills of earth rejoice and
the mountains shake their hoary heads, but
all its plains and valleys vibrate with the new
song of freedom at the birth of a religion that
lifteth all, and not merely a few, into the reali-
zation of true manhood.
WISDOM OF THE AGES 1 65
XLI.
PHE Master continued: The new religion
* lightens every labor and will give rest
to the weary ones of earth.
Does it not also reveal the fact that much
of the labor of the world is both unneces-
sary and a hindrance to man's true spir-
itual growth ?
Under the influence of this religion man
should be led to want fewer things that be-
long to the external world, and only those
things that conduce to the growth of his
spiritual nature.
Under the new order of things works of
art shall no longer be considered as either
superfluities or luxuries simply to adorn the
homes of wealth.
For then everything made by man will
1 66 WISDOM OF THE AGES
be a work of art. There can be no valid
excuse for the existence of that which is
ugly.
The time will come when it will be an
unpardonable sin to create that which is
not a work of art.
Man's labor becomes irksome only when
he is forced to create that which is distaste-
ful to him.
When everything that falls from his hands
is a thing of beauty, his labor becomes one
of love, and never rests heavily upon him.
Both the monotony and drudgery of every-
day life oppress him.
Rest comes not in ceasing from labor, but
from the doing of that which gives joy and
satisfaction to the real self.
The new religion, taking a deep interest
in the welfare of all mankind, seeks through
art to elevate all.
WISDOM OF THE AGES 1 67
In every one it reveals the God within,
but, alas, too often looking out through
stained-glass windows.
In time the stains shall all be removed
from the windows, and then the real self
in all its beauty shall stand revealed.
Until man's earthly condition is greatly
improved we must look for spiritual illumi-
nation only in the few.
So long as man is looked upon merely as
an animal, with no life save that of the
physical, these conditions cannot be greatly
altered.
All reform starts in the realm of the spir-
itual, and there, also, is found the greatest
battleground of the opposition.
Not only the recognition of man's spirit-
ual nature is a necessity of the hour, but
also the recognition of the source of oppos-
ing forces and elements that antagonize
1 68 WISDOM OF THE AGES
everything that leads to the betterment of
his condition.
The wise men, or seers, of Tlaskanata held
that there were seven distinct and separate
parts which united formed a human being.
Commencing at the outward and proceeding
towards the centre these parts arrange them-
selves after this plan :
i. The Physical Body.
2. The Vital Spark, or Life.
3. The Ethereal Form.
4. The Double Self, or, Will and Emo-
tions.
5. The Mind — the home of Thoughts,
Ideas, and Associations.
6. The Soul — that which as an Indi-
viduality is unaffected by death.
7. The breath of Omn.
In the self-centred one these separate parts
are blended into the most perfect harmony.
WISDOM OF THE AGES 1 69
The esoteric, or inner, meaning of religion
stands revealed only unto those who realize
this perfect harmony.
Those who are loaded down with the
degrees of universities are generally too
heavily weighted with the refuse ballast of
the ages to rise to that altitude of soul-life
where the secrets of Nature and of man
alike are revealed.
170 WISDOM OF THE AGES
XLII.
A GAIN the Master spake concerning re-
^ *- ligion as follows: Yea, I did say, oh,
Neontu, that man had drifted away from God,
and it was the purpose of religion to show him
the trail that leadeth to the source of all
wisdom and truth.
Man living in the sense-world is always in
the midst of delusions. He lifts one veil from
the face of Nature only to find another con-
fronting him.
One mystery is made plain only to reveal a
more inexplicable one.
Man will ever seek in vain in the realm of
sensation for the cause of things.
Here he will find an infinite variety of forms
— but the maker of these forms is ever out of
sight.
WISDOM OF THE AGES 17I
That which eludes his grasp on the plane
of sensation may be easily discovered on the
astral and spiritual planes.
According to Tlaskan philosophy, the first
four of the parts entering into the composition
of man belong to the world of sensation, while
the last three belong to the higher spiritual
planes of thought and life.
By means of the first four parts he takes
hold of the material side of the universe.
These unite him with all mineral, vegetable
and animal forms of life in all universes.
The transitory and delusive are ever weav-
ing their web with finer and finer meshes
around him.
Even the will is rocked and swayed by the
emotions that oft-times have their birth in the
realm of physical sensation.
It is a difficult task to classify the emotions,
yet they may be readily divided into two great
172 WISDOM OF THE AGES
divisions. Those dominated by the passions
may be known as physical emotions ; those
under the control of the higher attributes of
the mind as love and wisdom emotions.
When the will is under the control of the
physical emotions, or is hampered by these
emotions, then man drifts away from all knowl-
edge or conception of the Infinite.
When under the control of love and wisdom
emotions he is led to perceive his relationship
with the Divine.
It is the office of religion to cultivate these
higher emotions, and thus lead man to the
consciousness of his divine relationship.
But this consciousness can only come to the
spiritually awakened.
Physical man can only know the manifesta-
tions of the absolute — but the soul may know
the absolute, because in the soul the Breath
of Omn, calm and steady in rhythmic vibra-
WISDOM OF THE AGES 1 73
tions, is ever ebbing and flowing like the tides
of the sea.
Religion divested of all creedal associations
will yet lead man to the realization of the higher
self within, its relationship with the Infinite,
and its possibility not only to conceive an ideal
humanity, but also to bring about in the
external world this long desired event.
Love is the only creative force of the
universe with which religion deals. Love
alone hath within itself the power to redeem,
lift up and enlighten the world. Its fire once
kindled upon the altar within burns on and
on forever. From this fire religion borrows
the Light that shall yet illuminate the whole
world.
174 WISDOM OF THE AGES
xliii.
[ OW strange that thou, Neontu, shouldst
* * ask concerning the moral code of the
new religion ! For have I not again and
again tried to make plain unto thee that ethi-
cal codes were of little value, because they can
never usurp the place of that higher law
known as that of conscience ? While we may
teach that right thought engenders right
speech and right living, yet is it impossible to
present a rule which followed by every man
shall bring about such desired ends.
Each man must become a law unto himself.
And when he recognizes that all strength and
power comes from the Eternal then shall be
revealed unto him the true path that leadeth
to personal purity and righteousness.
Indeed, he has followed the true path a long
WISDOM OF THE AGES 1 75
way when he has learned that the consequence
of every act must rest upon himself, and that
no power will relieve him of this consequence.
The moral realm is as much the domain of
cause and effect as is the physical realm.
Here no mediator stands ready to brush
away the effects of long antecedent causes.
It may take many incarnations before these
effects are all outgrown.
If ye sow the seeds of the distorted and
spiny cactus ye cannot hope to see grow up
out of the earth the graceful and well-propor-
tioned tree. So must it ever be in thine every-
day life. Love, wisdom and purity alone give
strength of character and right expression to
thine every act.
If man desires that which is good and true
he will grow in no other direction.
If his desires are base, false and selfish his
whole life will become either weak and vacil-
176 WISDOM OF THE AGES
lating or lashed into fury by the wild, boister-
ous waves of anger and passion.
Spiritual growth comes only when man is
in most perfect harmony with all Nature — for
then only can the better self be awakened.
If I were to give thee, oh, Neontu, one law
to govern all the acts of thy life, it would be
this :
Ever prove true to the light within !
What the soul affirms, as I have before
stated, alone is right for thee.
The acts of thv life must conform to the
dictations of the interior monitor.
The external should reflect the emotions,
the hopes, and the aspirations of the higher
nature.
When this is so thou shalt stand near to an
immortality that is freed from the physical
world.
To-day thou art suffering the consequences
WISDOM OF THE AGES 1 77
of acts in previous embodiments. In a great
measure thou art the maker of thine own
future.
All evil deeds must be expiated; all wrongs
must be righted, for there is no forgiveness
of SIN.
Thou art both thine own judge and exe-
cutioner.
Yet there is no escape for thee. The judge
will be impartial and just, and the execu-
tioner will see that the sentence is duly car-
ried out.
Then, is it not wiser for thee to cease thy
mad, impetuous rush through life, and allow
prudence and caution to exercise their be-
nign influences over thine every act?
Through the gateway of thy new birth let
not dark shadows stream forth from the
tombs of the past.
Instead, may the golden beams radiating
178 WISDOM OF THE AGES
from noble acts and impulses make the smiles
and laughter of the newborn prophetic of the
incarnation upon which it is just entering.
WISDOM OF THE AGES I 79
XLIV.
1VTATURE unbosoms all her secrets to the
^ ^ votary at her shrine.
But when the crude and materialistic ap-
proach, they find thick veils interposing be-
tween their eyes and spiritual realities.
To the physical scientist the spiritual side
of Nature needs must remain a terra incognita,
so long as he seeks to explain all phenomena
by means of physical laws.
Simply because a man fails to understand
the occult side of Nature, that is no reason why
he should deride and ridicule those who have
seen the light and know whence it cometh.
The wise man ridicules no one ; accepts
what appeals to his spiritual and intellectual
nature, and leaves the rest for those who can
make use of it.
l8o WISDOM OF THE AGES
To him Nature seems broken up into is-
olated points until the spiritual, that which
unites them all into one perfect whole, stands
revealed.
In order that one may have a correct appre-
hension of truth, it is necessary to know what
has been as well as what now is, and also un-
derstand the rationale of the whole.
The problem of life will never be solved by
investigations conducted solely on the physical
plane.
Truly may it be said, only to the seer or
mystic does the grain of sand unbosom all its
secrets.
He who listens to the myriad voices of Nat-
ure patiently and long will be rewarded by
hearing the low, soft, sweet undertone which
is the voice of indwelling spirit.
Having heard the voice and interpreted its
message, the man must become all that it im-
WISDOM OF THE AGES l8l
ports before he can gain that freedom from
animality that leads to true spirituality.
To him the gates of other worlds shall fly
open, and the soul travel at will amid the
splendors and glories of the Upper Worlds.
Not merely the thinking and the knowing
that a thing is so, but the being that very
thing gives this power to the soul.
Not all who knock at the temple and cry
out, " Lo, I am here ! Open unto me ! " shall be
received.
They only who have met and conquered the
adverse experiences in life, and who have come
up out of deep sorrows and the bitterest of
tribulations, shall be admitted to the inmost
mysteries.
These are they whose footprints are visi-
ble along the shores of time, whom the ages
have crowned with the laurel wreath of the
victor.
1 82 WISDOM OF THE AGES
Indeed are they worthy of all truth, for they
have been weighed in the balances of the ages,
and have not been found wanting.
Thorns have pierced their brows, sharp
stones their feet, envy and malice their souls.
Yet they have proven true to the light
within; have ever obeyed the mandates of
the spirit; have ministered to the poor and
lowly ; have bound up aching and bleeding
hearts; and have caused the light of love to
illuminate many a darkened pathway.
From the heights the angels cry out: Hail,
all hail ! Immortal and deathless soul ! Thou hast
completed the task, henceforth only the perfect
form shall be thine own! Thou shalt blaze
like a star at midnight, and thy light shall be
like that of a beacon along the darksome way
of so many human lives. Pursue thine ever
onward journey from star to star, from uni-
verse to universe !
WISDOM OF THE AGES 1 83
XLV.
FN vision of the spirit I beheld the man
* that is to be !
He who wearily had climbed up through
the ages until he had reached the summit of
physical development.
Beneath him lay Error's mangled form and
by its side that of Selfishness.
All the passions were under the control of
the magic wand of Reason.
And even the emotions which to-day rock
and sway the strongest of men bowed in
humble allegiance to the indwelling con-
sciousness.
No longer a creature of circumstances and
a prey to the unseen vampires of the ethereal
realms, for the inmate of this perfected form
had become master of himself.
184 WISDOM OF THE AGES
In the man of the yet-to-be, the spiritual
nature in its unfoldment will always be in
advance of the development of the physical.
All outward things are correspondences or
results of things that are of the spirit —
therefore the physical state is determined
from within. All growth is from the centre
toward the circumference, and man's physical
body is not an exception to this law that
obtains throughout all universes.
One of the most marvellous manifestations
of spirit-power is presented in the physical
development of this man.
Here the house will always indicate the
nature and attributes of its inmate.
The mind encased in the physical body
can hardly conceive of anything more beau-
tiful than the perfected physical body, through
which at times flashes the light of indwell-
ing spirit.
WISDOM OF THE AGES 1 85
Well may this house be termed a temple
fit for the habitation of Omn !
Fresh from the Master's hands, perfect in
the adjustment of all its parts, it throbs and
pulsates with the all-pervading light that is
eternal !
The fire that ever burns upon the altar
of the soul has been kindled by the hand of
Omn, and shall die out only when Omn
ceases to glow and burn as the central fire
of all universes.
Beneath his feet smoulder the fires of
earthly lust, greed and selfishness, but over
his head, like a coronet fit for an immortal
god, glow forevermore the stars of Faith,
Hope and Love.
Faith in all the true, beautiful and good
time has gathered up as his most sacred
treasure ;
Hope, kindling the fires of Charity, inas-
1 86 WISDOM OF THE AGES
much as it compels all to perceive that good
is the final goal of all, and
Love, whose influence, the divinest of all,
causeth man to work no evil, but to do good
even to the humblest and meanest of all
created things.
Blessed trinity, whose light shall become
brighter and brighter in the world, until the
love of my and mine shall be lost in that
deeper love of the All, that shall foster in
every human heart a sense of the brother-
hood of all, that shall yet usher in the
Golden Age foretold by seer and prophet of
every race and age the world has seen or
man has ever known.
The age when man shall own no master
save that of his own spirit, bow at no altar
save that over which the stars of Truth and
Reason never set, and offer to the Unspeak-
able One only that worship which consists
WISDOM OF THE AGES 1 87
in the doing of that which is right and
good.
Then shall appear what I beheld in the
vision of the spirit as the man that is to
be!
1 88 WISDOM OF THE AGES
XLVI.
T^HEN spake Neontu: Oh, Master, I would
*■ seek the easier pathway. My feet are
torn and bleeding, and my heart is sore from
many a dagger thrust. Why labor for others
to make their pathway easier while ours lies
over the untrodden fields and up the steep and
trackless ascents? The multitudes are but
slaves that bow and kiss the hands that op-
press whilst they either spurn or strike the
hand outstretched to bless and assist them.
Why not go on our way, as thou hast already
taught, alone, and leave them to stumble along
as best they may ?
When Neontu ceased speaking, the Master
turned toward him with a smile, and said:
Oh, Neontu, how canst thou have ease of
mind without freedom and self-government?
WISDOM OF THE AGES 1 89
And how canst thou obtain these unless thine
every duty is performed ? If the smallest duty
is neglected ease cannot come to thee. The
man who governs himself is the one who is
willing to forego much of the so-called pleasure
of the world provided that thereby his life may
prove a blessing unto others. No man is self-
centred and consequently self-governed unless
he heeds every dictate of the soul. The soul
speaks not merely for the one, but for the
all.
No man can afford to have plenty while
poverty is all about him, neither can a man
afford to be negatively good and pure because
he keeps himself away from all that is unclean
and impure. The pure can touch and handle
the impure and unclean and not be polluted
thereby. Thou mayst infuse the best qualities
of thy life into those who are impure and un-
clean, and thus be able to lead them step by
I90 WISDOM OF THE AGES
step away from all that impedes the upward
journey of the soul.
Can thy soul be at ease in any other walk
of life than that which it prompts thee to
take? Certainly, I did say, thou must blaze
out thine own path, but whilst thou art doing
that, nothing hinders thee from becoming a
light unto others. Thou mayst lead them to
a knowledge of self. Thou mayst lift the
clouds that hang over them, and reveal the fire
that burns forever on the altars of their souls.
Thou canst not make the path for their feet
to walk in, neither canst thou compel them to
walk in any especial path. Thou mayst show
them a more excellent way and thus become
a means that leads to their advancement.
In the doing of good and also the leading
of others to do good, thou wilt find ease thou
canst not find, search as thou wilt, in any
other way.
WISDOM OF THE AGES I9I
Thy feet torn and bleeding! If thou find-
est thy rightful path thy feet will not longer
press upon thorns and jagged stones. If thou
art only self-centred and self-governed, the
poison arrows of malice and envy will no
longer pierce thy heart. Thou art too firmly
centred in thine own selfish desires to rise
to those altitudes where malice and envy can
harm thee no longer. Do the good and
RIGHT NOT BECAUSE THOU EXPECTEST TO BE
REWARDED FOR THY SERVICES WITH THE SMILES
AND KINDLY WORDS OF THE RECIPIENT, BUT
BECAUSE THE DOING OF THE GOOD AND RIGHT
BRINGS ITS OWN REWARD IN THE SATISFACTION
IT CAUSES TO PERMEATE THY WHOLE BEING.
Stop not to think what others may say or do,
for thou canst never find valid excuse for
doing wrong in the thought that the multi-
tudes love that which is evil.
Rise, oh, Neontu, to that sublime height
I92 WISDOM OF THE AGES
of the soul wher thou wilt no longer feel the
waves of contention and strife rolling over
thee, but by thee and around thee and through
thee shall sweep the breath of Omn on its
eternal way, bearing the message of peace and
love to all souls who have conquered the lower
nature and have attained the freedom that is
that of the self-governed.
WISDOM OF THE AGES 1 93
XLVII.
A GAIN my teachings have been misunder-
* ** stood when thou sayest, oh, Neontu,
that man should ever look inward. I have
declared again and again that the source of all
truth is within, but, at the same time, its
streams are ever flowing outward toward the
circumference. It is always well for thee to
know the results that obtain in the physical
domain. I have not found fault with the phys-
ical scientist because he studies the shell of
the universe, but have tried to impress upon
thee that it would be far wiser on his part if
he would occasionally look within, and thus
learn the source of all phenomena. Curb not
the aspirations of thy nature that reach out-
wardly. Like ships sailing over unknown seas
they may return laden with the richest of car-
194 WISDOM OF THE AGES
goes. Yet do I boldly declare unto thee that
all the riches thou mayst be able to gather
from the material realms will prove of little
value unto thee unless thou art able to per-
ceive in and through all the underlying spirit
of all things. Here alone wilt thou be able to
find permanency. The clothing thou wearest
to protect thy body after a time is laid aside
for new. And even the atoms that compose
thy body are continually being discarded that
their places may be given to others. The
compelling power of all Nature that causes
the ceaseless urge in every atom as well as
in every flaming sun and star is spirit, the
only Absolute Reality. Yet as spirit worketh
in all, the humblest forms may teach thee
important lessons. Ever have I sought to im-
press upon thee the sacredness of all things —
that nothing is moving across the infinite stage
of action aimless and purposeless. While I
WISDOM OF THE AGES 1 95
would not have thee ignore the organization,
yet I would not have thee linger too long in
the form-realm, for I would have thy spiritual
sight opened, so that thou couldst behold the
architect of each and every form. The form
may be indeed beautiful, but far more beau-
tiful is always the builder of that form. If
ye delve simply amid the outward forms, mys-
tery will ever enshroud all things. To thy
vision the face of Nature will ever wear an
impenetrable veil. But if thou wilt cultivate the
interior senses, they that be of the spirit, it
shall be thy privilege to lift the veil from the
face of Nature, and in ecstacy almost divine,
behold such beauty and glory as never before
fell upon the vision of thy spirit.
It is true, oh, Neontu, that thou wouldst not
have been placed in this outward world unless
its lessons were of importance and value to
thee. Therefore it is well that thou shouldst
I96 WISDOM OF THE AGES
become a close student of all the many things
that surround thee, but at the same time thou
shouldst not allow thyself to become so thor-
oughly entangled in the meshes of the web
that \ aya weaves around thee that thou canst
not at any moment free thyself and soar on
the pinions of the soul to those heights around
which the ethers of the heavenly spheres are
ever playing. Be not content to plod on thy
way, grovelling ever in the midst of those con-
ditions that hold thee in the sphere of mate-
riality, but instead develop that higher spir-
ituality at whose bidding shall open all the
secret chambers of being.
WISDOM OF THE AGES 1 97
XLVIII.
PHE states after death are dependent upon
* the states before death.
I have sought, whenever the opportunity of-
fered, oh, Neontu, to impress upon thee the
great law of Consequences. In other words,
that it is impossible for man to escape the con-
sequence of his every act. Therefore, habits
must necessarily cling to him after the body
physical has been thrown aside. No miracle
occurs to transform him in a moment's time
from a demon to a saint. If his home has
been in the realm of the carnal appetites and
passions, death will not lift him out of that
realm, for it can destroy only that through
which these appetites and passions were grat-
ified. Such spirits attach themselves as par-
asites to susceptible subjects, and through
198 WISDOM OF THE AGES
these usurped bodies seek to gratify their
unhallowed desires. Inasmuch as there are
malignant spirits encased in physical bodies,
there are also malignant spirits denuded of
physical habiliments, who disturb the equi-
librium of everyday life, break down health
and harass these physical bodies by sowing in
them the seeds of disease. Much of the insan-
ity of the world has been caused by unhappy
suggestions and melancholy thoughts that
emanate from these evil spirits that still hug
the lower strata of physical life. Many times
the holy sanctuary of life is not only invaded
but also desecrated by these spirits. The
rightful owner of the house for the time being
is deposed and sometimes fairly driven away.
The most powerful adversaries man is called
upon to meet are they of the invisible realms.
Because of their invisibility they are the more
dangerous. Their attacks are all carefully
WISDOM OF THE AGES I 99
arranged and planned without our knowledge.
The powers and principalities thou art called
upon to wrestle with are not of this world
of physical sensations, but of the great realm
of the unseen, out of which everything that is
proceeds.
Not only are men directly controlled and
influenced by these spirits, but the great social,
political and religious worlds are invaded by
them. Thus, oft-times are they enabled to
wield a powerful influence over the affairs
as well as the lives of men. Here may be
found in part the cause of the perversions
in the great religions of the world. The social
and political conditions that obtain in the
world are also in a great measure influenced
by these denizens of the lower spheres.
Oft-times they invade the aura surround-
ing the sensitive and live on his very life.
Through him they again live the old life,
200 WISDOM OF THE AGES
drink in once more its delights and revel in its
associations.
This species of vampirism is far more prev-
alent in the world to-day than many are willing
to believe. The great body of men and
women who are prone to investigate along the
line of psychical phenomena are ever ready
to hear of all that which is good and beautiful,
while they turn away in disgust from him who
would show them the darker side of human ex-
istence. Man cannot afford to wander longer
in the realm of half-truths. In order that
he may be well armed and fully equipped
for the battles of life he must know the whole
truth. Therefore he must be led to realize the
dangers that confront him. Knowledge is one
of the greatest sources of our strength and
power. Ignorance makes slaves of even the
wisest of the earth. Ignorance draws dark
curtains before the eyes of man, while spirit
WISDOM OF THE AGES 201
vampires creep upon him unawares. Knowl-
edge lifts all curtains, dispels all fogs and
clouds, revealing the enemy in his lair. When
we know our enemy and the source of his
strength, the battle is more than half won.
Victory comes when we are led to realize our
own strength and power.
202 WISDOM OF THE AGES
XLIX.
T "X 7 ELL dost thou ask, oh, Neontu, How
» * can we deal with these conditions ?
How free the unfortunate one of the para-
sites that have attached themselves to him ?
First, bear in mind this great truth: Oc-
cult Science never interferes with effects,
but always seeks for the causes that lie
behind them. The inner life, the realm of
thoughts, emotions and desires, is of so great
importance, since hence proceed all exter-
nal conditions, that it demands from us
more than a passing notice. Here centre all
the forces that build up and replenish the
physical body. Right thought, right emo-
tion, right desire, must give a well-developed,
properly nourished and well balanced physi-
cal body. Perversion of thought, emotion or
WISDOM OF THE AGES 203
desire gives the opposite. Out from the
process of thinking spring the mental im-
ages with which we are surrounded. These
images are our constant attendants. They
take on the color and aspect of our
thoughts. Our outward lives may be ap-
parently pure; we may walk in the path-
way that the world terms that of virtue, and
yet know absolutely nothing of what real
virtue and goodness consists. The mental
images may assume the libidinous features
of earth's most depraved, and with such im-
ages, the creations of our own thoughts, may
we feed the smouldering fires of lust. Thus
may the emotions and desires be turned
from their legitimate channels. On the side
of the lower self man is linked with all be-
neath him, while on the side of the Higher
Self he claims kinship with angels and arch-
angels. It is right here on the side of the
204 WISDOM OF THE AGES
lower self that man lays himself open to at-
tacks from the evilly disposed. There must
be not only bodily purity, but also mental
purity, if we would be invulnerable to such
attacks. On the side of the Higher Self man
opens doors to divine possibilities, which are
revealed in the realm of the interior good.
If this one thought is fully grasped, thy
questions, oh, Neontu, are completely an-
swered. Lower conditions are never dealt
with successfully on their own plane. One
must deal either from above or within. To
grapple with these conditions one must real-
ize that he stands where neither the arrows
of malice nor envy can reach him. His
whole being must be charged with the knowl-
edge of his superiority.
The unfortunate can be reached and res,
cued from the meshes that have been woven
around him, but it is necessary that his spirit
WISDOM OF THE AGES 205
shall be reached, awakened from its lethargy,
and the mind encouraged to call into exist-
ence new images whose countenances shall
reflect only love and goodness.
If thou art conscious of thy divine powers,
and revolving in thine own orbit, possessed
of right thoughts, right emotions and right
desires, none can ever injure thee. Only
those who have not found their rightful
place in the universe and are not fully aware
of their own powers are subject to the in-
fluence of those winds that blow across the
marsh lands of the astral realms.
Be as firm and as unyielding in what thou
knowest to be right as Truth itself ; keep thy
whole life near to the ideal thou hast set up
before thee ; let love lead thee ever with her
gentle, yet firm, hand along the pathway
that makes for true righteousness ; then mayst
thou walk forth as a god among men, fearing
206 WISDOM OF THE AGES
no evil, unharmed even in the midst of the
vilest and most malicious of earth's children,
for thou hast found the Perfect Way that
leads to complete mastery of all things.
WISDOM OF THE AGES 207
L.
f~\ PEN, ye pearly gates that lead to eternal
^-^ bliss! A soul imprisoned would seek
the freedom of the Upper Spheres !
While yet enrobed in flesh, he fain would
partake of the celestial viands and sip the
nectar of the gods.
Thou art long in coming, oh, Death, and the
soul, grown impatient at the delay, knocks at
the gates of life eternal, demanding that they
no longer keep it from its divine birthright.
Thou hast served me well, old body, moulded
into most exquisite form from out the potter's
clay. Through constant use and contact with
the rough, wild elements of space and time
thou hast grown more and more ethereal, each
day reflecting more and more perfectly the
workings of spirit within.
208 WISDOM OF THE AGES
Soon thou shalt fall off from me as the
leaves in autumn time fall from the trees of
the forest. I would declare that thou hast
been a most faithful servant, for most faithfully
hast thou reflected all the fancies, caprices and
imaginings of the arbitrary ruler who sits upon
his throne within. I shall miss thee and drop
a tear of sincere regret when the last vestige of
thy form fades into the All of Nature.
Yet, whilst we two walk hand in hand to-
gether, I would peer out along that path the
soul must take when we shall part company
never to meet again.
Open, ye pearly gates ! I knock ! I knock !
A soul imprisoned seeks to know the secrets
of the Upper Spheres !
Silently, as the coming of the morn, the
gates swing inward. A light sweeps by me in
billowy waves that make all earthly light seem
WISDOM OF THE AGES 209
but shade and deepest shadow, revealing far,
far off in the distance, mountains of amethyst,
topaz, chrysolite, turquoise, flaming and flash-
ing with light, leaping from peak to peak,
on and on throughout the vast empyrean
of heaven !
Filled with awe and reverence, my upturned
eyes drink in the unspeakable glory of the
celestial realms; trees with iridescent foliage;
flowers that seem to express the very thought
of the angels ; seas of burnished gold and
silver and soft greens and blues, and hanging
dreamily over all fleecy clouds.
Here and there the eye beholds forms of
divinest beauty, either speeding on errands
of mercy and love or seeking mid the ever-
changing forms about them the processes of
their evolution.
Overcome with awe and reverence, the
bewildered soul turns once more earthward.
2IO WISDOM OF THE AGES
For it is not yet prepared to dwell in the
midst of such glory and magnificence. For it
still must come the toil, the disappointments,
the inharmonies of the sense-world, until all
bonds are broken, all fetters loosened, and
purified of all earthly dross it shall rise from
sphere to sphere, ever nearer and nearer to
the light ineffable that flashes on from cen-
tury to century, from aeon to aeon, from
time to eternity, the light that ever veils the
countenance of the Eternal
Omn! !
WISDOM OF THE AGES 2 I I
TLASKAN WORDS.
Akasa. The great ocean of ether sweep-
ing in and through all things.
Lomkatos. Omn taken; those who have
passed through the change called death.
Neontu. One of the disciples of Zertoulem
most deeply loved by the Master.
Omn. The Eternal; God.
Otmar. Under clouds; not yet awakened
to the light of the spirit.
Sebas-tha-ontu. Sebas, mountains ; tha, the
sun ; ontu, setting. " The Mountains of the
Setting Sun. "
Tha. The sun.
Tlaskan. The sacred race that peopled a
portion of Central America many thousands of
years ago.
Tlaskan ata. The Land of the Sacred
Record ; so called because the people were led
to this land by a prophecy in their sacred writ-
ings.
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