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diff --git a/44883-0.txt b/44883-0.txt index 3e5c33f..2646e09 100644 --- a/44883-0.txt +++ b/44883-0.txt @@ -1,35 +1,4 @@ -Project Gutenberg's The Drama of Love and Death, by Edward Carpenter - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with -almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org - - -Title: The Drama of Love and Death - A Study of Human Evolution and Transfiguration - -Author: Edward Carpenter - -Release Date: February 12, 2014 [EBook #44883] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE DRAMA OF LOVE AND DEATH *** - - - - -Produced by Sean (scribe_for_hire@yahoo.com) based on page -images made available by the Internet Archive -(http://archive.org/details/dramaoflovedeath00carprich). - - - - - +*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 44883 *** [Italics are marked with _underscores_.] @@ -7083,360 +7052,4 @@ alles dessen, was ausser der Gegenwartsenge liegt.” End of Project Gutenberg's The Drama of Love and Death, by Edward Carpenter -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE DRAMA OF LOVE AND DEATH *** - -***** This file should be named 44883-0.txt or 44883-0.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/4/4/8/8/44883/ - -Produced by Sean (scribe_for_hire@yahoo.com) based on page -images made available by the Internet Archive -(http://archive.org/details/dramaoflovedeath00carprich). - - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions -will be renamed. - -Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no -one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation -(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without -permission and without paying copyright royalties. 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You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org - - -Title: The Drama of Love and Death - A Study of Human Evolution and Transfiguration - -Author: Edward Carpenter - -Release Date: February 12, 2014 [EBook #44883] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE DRAMA OF LOVE AND DEATH *** - - - - -Produced by Sean (scribe_for_hire@yahoo.com) based on page -images made available by the Internet Archive -(http://archive.org/details/dramaoflovedeath00carprich). - - - - - - - [Italics are marked with _underscores_.] - - - - - THE DRAMA - OF LOVE AND DEATH - - _A Study_ - _of Human Evolution and_ - _Transfiguration_ - - - By - Edward Carpenter - - - NEW YORK AND LONDON - MITCHELL KENNERLEY - 1912 - - - - - _Copyright 1912 by_ - _Mitchell Kennerley_ - - - - - Contents - - - CHAP. PAGE - - _The Delphian Sibyl overlooking the Earth_ vii - - I. Introduction 1 - - II. The Beginnings of Love 5 - - III. Love as an Art 24 - - IV. Its Ultimate Meanings 48 - - V. The Art of Dying 69 - - VI. The Passage of Death 87 - - Note on Consciousness in the Body 107 - - VII. Is there an After-Death State? 111 - - VIII. The Underlying Self 131 - - Note on Mediumistic Trance 156 - - IX. Survival of the Self 162 - - X. The Inner or Spiritual Body 176 - - XI. The Creation and Materialization of Forms 192 - - XII. Reincarnation 215 - - XIII. The Divine Soul 237 - - XIV. The Return Journey 248 - - XV. The Mystery of Personality 262 - - XVI. Conclusion 284 - - Appendix 289 - - - - - _The Delphian Sibyl_ - - (_On her mountain-slope overlooking the Earth_) - - _The coastline ranges far, the skies unfold; - The mountains rise in glory, stair on stair; - The darting Sun seeks Daphne as of old - In thickets dark where laurel blooms are fair. - The ancient sea, deep wrinkled, ever young, - With salt lip kisses still the silver strand; - In caverns dwell the Nymphs, their loves among, - And Titans still with strange fire shake the land._ - - _A thousand generations here have come, - And wandered o'er these hills, and faced the light; - A thousand times slight man from mortal womb - Has leapt, and lapsed again into the night. - Here tribesmen dwelt, and fought, and curst their star, - And scoured both land and sea to sate their needs; - Prophetic eyes of youth gazed here afar, - With lips half open brooding on great deeds._ - - _Nor dreamed each little mortal of the Past, - Nor the deep sources of his life divined, - Watching his herds, or net in ocean cast, - Deaf to th' ancestral voices down the wind; - Nor guessed what strange sweet likenesses should rise, - Selves of himself, far in the future years, - With his own soul within their sunlit eyes, - And in their hearts his secret hopes and fears._ - - _Yet I--I saw. Yea, from my lofty stand - I saw each life continuous extend - Beyond its mortal bound, and reach a hand - To others and to others without end. - I saw the generations like a river - Flow down from age to age, and all the vast - Complex of human passion float and quiver-- - A wondrous mirror where the Gods were glassed._ - - _And still through all these ages scarce a change - Has touched my mountain slopes or seaward curve, - And still the folk beneath the old laws range, - And from their ancient customs hardly swerve; - Still Love and Death, veiled figures, hand in hand, - Move o'er men's heads, dread, irresistible, - To ope the portals of that other land - Where the great Voices sound and Visions dwell._ - - - - - THE DRAMA OF LOVE - AND DEATH - - - - - CHAPTER I - - INTRODUCTORY - - -Love and Death move through this world of ours like things -apart--underrunning it truly, and everywhere present, yet seeming to -belong to some other mode of existence. When Death comes, breaking into -the circle of our friends, words fail us, our mental machinery ceases to -operate, all our little stores of wit and wisdom, our maxims, our -mottoes, accumulated from daily experience, evaporate and are of no -avail. These things do not seem to touch or illuminate in any effective -way the strange vast Presence whose wings darken the world for us. And -with Love, though in an opposite sense, it is the same. Words are of no -use, all our philosophy fails--whether to account for the pain, or to -fortify against the glamour, or to describe the glory of the experience. - -These figures, Love and Death, move through the world, like closest -friends indeed, never far separate, and together dominating it in a kind -of triumphant superiority; and yet like bitterest enemies, dogging each -other's footsteps, undoing each other's work, fighting for the bodies -and souls of mankind. - -Is it possible that at length and after ages we may attain to liberate -ourselves from their overlordship--to dominate _them_ and make them our -ministers and attendants? Can we wrest them from their seeming tyranny -over the human race, and from their hostility to each other? Can we -persuade them to lay aside their disguise and appear to us for what they -no doubt are--even the angels and messengers of a new order of -existence? - -It is a great and difficult enterprise. Yet it is one, I think, which we -of this generation cannot avoid. We can no longer turn our faces away -from Death, and make as if we did not perceive his presence or hear his -challenge. This age, which is learning to look the facts of Nature -steadily in the face, and see _through_ them, must also learn to face -this ultimate fact and look through it. And it will surely--and perhaps -only--be by allying ourselves to Love that we shall be able to do -so--that we shall succeed in our endeavor. - -For after all it is not in the main on account of ourselves that we -cherish a grudge against the 'common enemy' and dispute his authority, -but for the sake of those we love. For ourselves we may be indifferent -or acquiescent; but somehow for those others, for those divine ones who -have taken our hearts into their keeping, we resent the idea that _they_ -can perish. We refuse to entertain the thought. Love in some mysterious -way forbids the fear of death. Whether it be Siegfried who tramples the -flaming, circle underfoot, or the Prince of Heaven who breaks his way -through the enchanted thicket, or Orpheus who reaches his Eurydice even -in the jaws of hell, or Hercules who wrestles with the lord of the -underworld for Alcestis--the ancient instinct of mankind has declared in -no uncertain tone that in this last encounter Love must vanquish. - -It is in the name, then, of one of these gods that we challenge the -other. And yet not without gratitude to both. For it is Azrael's -invasion of our world, it is his challenge to _us_, that (perhaps more -than anything else) rivets our loyalty to each other. It is his frown -that wakes friendship in human souls and causes them to tighten the -bonds of mutual devotion. In some strange way these two, though seeming -enemies, play into each other's hands; each holds the secret of the -other, and between them they conceal a kindred life and some common -intimate relation. We feel this in our inmost intuitions; we perceive it -in our daily survey of human affairs; and we find it illustrated (as I -shall presently point out) in general biology and the life-histories of -the most primitive cells. The theme, in fact, of the interplay of Love -and Death will run like a thread-motive through this book--not without -some illumination, as I would hope, cast by each upon the other, and by -both upon our human destiny. - - - - - CHAPTER II - - THE BEGINNINGS OF LOVE - - -As I have just suggested, the great human problems of Love and Death are -strangely and remarkably illustrated in the most primitive forms of -life; and I shall consequently make no apology for detaining the reader -for a few moments over modern investigations into the subjects of -cell-growth, reproduction and death. If this chapter is a little -technical and complex in places, still it may be worth while delaying -over it, and granting it some patient consideration, on account of the -curious light the study throws on the rest of the book and the general -questions therein discussed. - -Love seems to be primarily (and perhaps ultimately) an interchange of -essences. The Protozoa--those earliest cells, the progenitors of the -whole animal and vegetable kingdom--grow by feeding on the minute -particles which they find in the fluid surrounding them. The growth -continues, till ultimately, reaching the limit of convenient size, a -cell divides into two or more portions; and so reproduces itself. The -descendant cells or portions so thrown off are simply continuations, by -division, of the life of the original or parent cell--so that it has not -unfrequently been said that, in a sense, these Protozoa are immortal, -since their life continues indefinitely (with branching but without -break) from generation to generation. This form of reproduction by -simple budding or division extends even up into the higher types of -life, where it is sometimes found side by side with the later sexual -form of reproduction, as in the case of so-called _parthenogenesis_ -among insects. It is indeed a kind of virgin-birth; and is well -illustrated in the vegetable world by the budding of bulbs, or by the -fact that a twig torn from a shrub and placed in the ground will -commonly grow and continue the life of the parent plant; or in the lower -stages of the animal world, where, among many of the worms, insects, -sponges, &c., the life may similarly be continued by division, or by the -extrusion of a bud or an egg, without any sex-contact or sex-action -whatever. - -This seems in fact to be the original and primitive form of generation; -and it obviously depends upon _growth_. Generation is the superfluity, -the [Greek: hubris], of growth, and connects itself in the first instance with the -satisfaction of hunger. First hunger, then growth, then reproduction by -division or budding. And this process may go on apparently for many -generations without change--in the case of certain Protozoa even to -hundreds of generations. But a time comes when the growth-power and -energy decay, and the vitality diminishes[1]--at any rate, as a rule.[2] -But then a variation occurs. Two cells unite, exchange fluids, and part -again. It is a new form of nourishment; it is the earliest form of Love. -It is a very intimate form of nourishment; for it appears that in -general the nuclei themselves of the two cells are shared and in part -exchanged. And the vitality so obtained gives the cells a new lease of -life. They are in fact regenerated. And each partner grows again -actively and reproduces itself by budding and division as before. -Sometimes the two uniting cells will remain conjoined; and the joint -cell will then generate buds, or in some cases enlarge to bursting -point, and so, perishing itself, break up into a numerous progeny.[3] - -So far there seems to be but little differentiation between Hunger and -Love. Love is only a special hunger which leads cells to obtain -nourishment from other cells of the same species; and generation or -reproduction in these early stages, being an inevitable accompaniment of -growth, follows on the satisfaction of love just as it follows on the -satisfaction of hunger. Rolph's words on the relation of these two -impulses (quoted by Geddes and Thompson) are very suggestive. He -says:--"Conjugation occurs when nutrition is diminished.... It is a -necessity for satisfaction, a growing hunger, which drives the animal to -engulf its neighbor, to 'isophagy.' The process of conjugation is only a -special form of nutrition, which occurs on a reduction of the nutritive -income, or an increase of the nutritive needs." - -And so far there is no distinction of sex. It is true there may be sex -in the sense of union or fusion between two individuals; but there is no -distinction of sex, in the sense of male and female. In the Protozoa -generally there is simple union or conjugation between cells, which, as -far as can be observed, are quite similar to each other. It is a union -between similars; and it leads to growth and reproduction. But both -union and reproduction at this early stage exist quite independently of -any distinctive sex-action, or any differentiation of individuals into -male and female. - -At a later period, however, Sex comes in. It is obvious that for growth -(and reproduction) two things are necessary, which are in some degree -antagonistic to each other--on the one hand the pursuit and capture of -food, which means _activity_ and force, and on the other hand the -digestion and assimilation of the food, which means _quiescence_ and -passivity. And it seems that at a certain stage--in general, when -"animals" have already been formed by the conjunction of many protozoic -cells in co-operative colonies--this differentiation sets in, and some -individuals specialize towards activity and the chase, while others (of -the same species) specialize towards repose and assimilation. The two -sets of qualities are clearly only useful in combination with each -other, and yet, as I have said, they are to some degree contrary to each -other; and therefore it is quite natural that the two corresponding -groups of individuals should form two great branches in each race, -diverse yet united. - -These two branches are the male and female--the active, energy-spending, -hungry, food-obtaining branch; and the sessile, non-active, assimilative -and reproductive branch. And by the division of labor consequent on the -formation of these two branches the whole race is benefited; but only of -course on condition that the diverse elements are reunited from time to -time. It is in the fusion of these elements that the real quality and -character of the race is restored; and it is by their fusion that -development and reproduction are secured. - -In some of the Infusorians[4] there seems to be a beginning of -sex-differentiation, and fusion takes place between two individuals -slightly differing from each other; but as we have already seen, in -most of the Protozoa the union is a union of _similars_--that is, as -far as can at present be observed, though of course there is a great -probability that here also there is generally _some_ difference which -supplies the attraction and the value of union.[5] - -It is in the _Metazoa_ generally, and those forms of life which consist -of co-operative _colonies_ of cells, that sex-differentiation into male -and female begins to decisively assert itself. Here--since it is -obviously impossible for all the cells of one individual to fuse with -all the cells of another--certain special cells are set apart in each -organism for the purpose of union or conjugation; and it seems quite -natural that in the course of time the differentiation spoken of above, -into male and female, should set in--each individual tending to become -decisively either masculine or feminine--both in the sex-cells or -sex-apparatus, and (though in a less marked degree) in the general -'body' and structure. - -In the lower forms of life, generally, as among the amphibia, fishes, -molluscs, &c., the male and female sex-cells--the sperm and the germ--do -not conjugate within either of the parent bodies, but are expelled from -each, in order to meet and fuse in some surrounding medium, like water. -There the double cell, so formed, develops into the new individual. But -in higher forms the meeting takes place, and the first stages of -development ensue, _within_ one of the bodies. And, as one might expect, -this occurs within the body of the female. For the female, as we have -said, represents quiescence, growth, assimilation. The germ or ovum is -large compared with the spermatozoon; it is also sessile in habit. The -spermatozoon, on the other hand, is exceedingly active. And so it seems -natural that the latter should seek out the germ within the body of the -female. Just as, in general, the female animal remains impassive and -quiescent, and is sought out by the male, so the female germ remains at -home within the female body, and receives its visitor or visitors there. -And the whole apparatus of connection is symbolical of this relation. -The body of the female is the temple in which the sacred mystery of the -union or fusion of two individuals is completed, as a means to the birth -or creation of a new individual. - -Yet though the female is thus privileged to be the receptacle and -sanctum of the life-giving power, it must not be thought that this -argues superiority of the female, as such, over the male. The process of -conjunction is sometimes spoken of as a fertilization merely, implying -the idea that the ovum or female element is the main thing, and that -_this_ only requires a slight impulse or stimulus from the male side for -its powers of development to be started and set in operation. But though -it is true that the ovum can in many cases of the lower forms of life be -started developing by the administration of a chemical solution or even -a mechanical needle-prick, this development does not seem to continue; -and modern investigation shows that in normal fecundation an absolute -equality reigns, as far as we can see, between the two contracting -parties and their contributions to the new being that has to be formed. - -Nothing is more astounding than the results of these investigations; and -they not only show us that the protozoic cells (and sex-cells), instead -of being very simple in structure, are already extremely complex, and -that their changes in the act of fertilization or fusion are _strangely -elaborate and systematic_; but they suggest that though to us these -cells may represent the microscopic beginnings of life in its most -primitive stages, in reality they stand for the first visible results of -long antecedent operations, and indicate highly organized and, we may -say, intelligent forces at work within them. - -The mere process by which a primitive cell divides and reproduces itself -has an air of demonic intelligence about it. Roughly, the process may be -described as follows. The nucleus appears to be the most important -portion of a cell. Certainly it is so as regards the supply of -hereditary and formative material--the surrounding protoplasm fulfilling -more of a nutritive and protective function. Within and through the -liquid of the nucleus there spreads an irregular network of a substance -which is (for a purely accidental reason) called _chromatin_. As long as -the nucleus is at rest, this network is fairly evenly distributed -through it; but the first oncoming of division is signalled by the -break-up of the chromatin into a limited and definite number of short, -threadlike bodies--to which the name _chromosomes_ has been given. These -_chromosomes_, after some curious evolutions, finally arrange themselves -in a line across the middle of the nucleus; and they are apparently -governed in this operation, and the whole splitting of the cell is -governed, by a minute, starlike and radiating centre (called -_centrosome_), which first appearing outside the nucleus and in the -general protoplasm of the cell, seems to play a dominant part in the -whole process. This _centrosome_, when the time comes for the -cell-division, itself divides in two, and the two starlike centres so -formed (which are to become _centrosomes_ of the two new cells), slowly -move to opposite ends or poles of the original cell--all the time, as -they do so, throwing out raylike threads or fibrils which connect them -somehow with the chromosomes and which seem to regulate the movements of -the latter, till, as described, the latter form themselves in a line -across the centre of the cell, transversely to the line joining the -poles. At this stage, then, we have a tiny, starlike centrosome at each -end of the cell, and a transverse line of chromosomes between. (Also, -during the process the wall or enclosing membrane of the nucleus has -disappeared and the general contents of cell and nucleus have become -undivided.) It is at this moment that the real division begins. The -chromosomes--of which it is said that there are always a definite and -invariable number for every species of plant or animal,[6] and which are -now generally supposed to contain the hereditary elements or -determinants of the future individual--these chromosomes have already -arranged themselves longitudinally and end-on to each other across the -middle of the cell. They now, apparently under the influence of the -radiating points at each pole, split longitudinally (as one splits a log -of wood)--so that each chromosome, dividing throughout its length, -contributes one half of itself to one pole and one half to the other. -The halves so formed separate, and approach their respective poles; and -at the same time the cell-wall constricting itself along the equatorial -line, or line of separation, soon divides the original cell into two. -Meanwhile the chromosomes in each new division group themselves (not -round but) near their respective poles or centrosomes, and a new nucleus -membrane forming, encloses each group, so that finally we have two cells -of exactly the same constitution as the original one, and with exactly -the same number and quality of chromosomes as the original.[7] - -The whole process seems very strange and wonderful. No military -evolutions and formations, no complex and mystic dance of initiates in a -temple, with advances and retreats, and combinations and separations, -and exchanges of partners, could seem more fraught with intelligence.[8] -Yet this is what takes place among some of the very lowest forms of -life, on the division of a single cell into two. And it is exactly the -same, apparently, which takes place in the higher forms of life when the -single cell which is the result of the fusion together of the sperm-cell -and the germ-cell, divides and subdivides to form the 'body' of the -creature. As is well known, the joint cell divides first into two; then -each of the cells so formed divides into two, making four in all; then -each of these divides into two, making eight; then each into two again, -making 16, 32, 64, and so on--till they number the thousands, hundreds -of thousands, millions, which in effect build up and constitute the -body. And at each division the process is carried out with this amazing -care and exactness of partition described--so that every cell is verily -continuous and of the same nature with the original cell, and contains -the same nuclear elements, derived half from the father and half from -the mother. Yet in the process a differentiation has set in, so that in -the end each cell becomes so far modified as to be adapted for its -special position and function in the body--for the skin, mucous -membrane, blood corpuscles, brain, muscular tissue, and so forth.[9] It -is worth while looking carefully at the body of an animal, or one's own -body, in order to realize what this means--to realize that the entire -creature, in all its form and feature, its coloring, marking, swiftness -of limb, complexity of brain, and so on, has provably been exhaled from -a single cell, _is_ indeed that original cell with its latent powers and -virtue made manifest; and to remember that that original cell was itself -the fusion of two parent cells, the male and the female. - -A word, then, upon this matter of the fusion of the two parent cells in -one. Here, again, two very remarkable things appear. One refers to the -equality of the sexes; the other refers to the onesidedness (or -deficiency or imperfection) which seems to be the characteristic _and_ -the motive power of the phenomenon of sex. - -With regard to the first point, we saw that among the Protozoa -conjugation occurs for the most part between two individual cells which -are alike in size and (to all appearance) alike in constitution; and -this conjugation leads to reproduction. But when among the higher forms -sex begins to show, the conjugating cells--sperm-cell and germ-cell--are -generally unlike in size, and often in the higher animals extremely -unlike--as in the human _spermatozoon_ and _ovum_, of which the latter -is a thousand times the volume of the former;[10] and this has sometimes -led, as remarked before, to an exaggerated view of the preponderant -importance of one sex. But the curious fact seems to be that when the -spermatozoon of the human or higher animal penetrates the ovum, there is -a preliminary period before its nucleus actually combines with the -nucleus of the ovum, during which the nucleus rapidly absorbs -nourishment from the surrounding protoplasm, and _grows_--grows till it -becomes of _exactly the same size_ as the nucleus of the ovum. The -situation then is that there are two nuclei of the same size and both -charged with chromatin of the same general character, in close -proximity, and waiting to fuse with each other. - -The product of that fusion is a new being; and as far as can at present -apparently be observed, the parts played by the two sexes in the process -are quite equal. There may be _difference_ of function but there is no -inequality. "Both male and female cells," says Professor Rolleston,[11] -"prepare themselves for conjugation long before it takes place, and -neither of them can be said to be a more active agent in fertilization -than the other. Not 'fertilization' but 'fusion' is the keyword of the -process. The mystical conception, as old as Plato, of the male and -female as representing respectively the two halves of a complete being, -turns out to be no poetic metaphor. As regards the essential features of -reproduction, it is a literal fact." - -The second remarkable point has to do with the onesidedness of sexual -conjugation, and the complementary nature of the exchange involved. This -is truly noteworthy and interesting. It is evident that if the -sperm-cell and germ-cell simply coalesced, containing each the amount of -chromatin characteristic of the species--say sixteen chromosomes in the -case of the human being--the result would be a cell with double the -proper amount, _say thirty-two chromosomes_, i.e. _an amount belonging -to another species_. "What happens is that each of the reproductive -cells, male and female, prepares itself for conjugation _by getting rid -of half its_ chromosomes. Two divisions of the nucleus take place, _not_ -as in the ordinary fashion of cell-division, when the chromosomes split -longitudinally, but in such a way that, in each division, four of the -sixteen chromosomes (making eight in all) are bodily expelled from the -nucleus and from the cell, when they either perish, or, in some cases, -appear to help in forming an envelope of nutritive matter round the -germ-cell. These divisions are called 'maturation divisions,' and until -they are accomplished fecundation is impossible."[12] Thus the two -nuclei, having each their number of chromosomes reduced to half the -normal number (in this case to eight), are now ready to coalesce and so -form a new cell with the proper number belonging to the species (_i.e._ -sixteen). This cell is the commencement of the new being, and, as -already described, it divides and re-divides, and the innumerable cells -so formed differentiate themselves into different tissues, until the -whole animal is built up. - -Says Professor E. B. Wilson:--"The one fact of maturation that stands -out with perfect clearness and certainty amid all the controversies -surrounding it, is a reduction of the _number of chromosomes in the -ultimate germ [and sperm] cells_[13] to one half the number -characteristic of the somatic cells. It is equally clear that this -reduction is a preparation of the germ [and sperm] cells for their -subsequent union, and a means by which the number of chromosomes is held -constant in the species."[14] - -This extrusion or expulsion by each of the conjugating cells of half its -constituent elements is certainly very strange.[15] And it seems -strangely deliberate.[16] Various theories have been formed on the -subject, but at present there is apparently no satisfactory conclusion -as to what exactly takes place. Some think that in the one case certain -male elements are expelled, and in the other case certain female -elements; and anyhow it seems probable that a complementary action sets -in, by which each prepares itself to supply a different class of -elements from the other, thus rendering the conjunction more effectual. -Plato has been already quoted with regard to male and female being only -the two halves of a complete original being. He also says (in the speech -of Socrates in the _Banquet_) that the mother of Love was Poverty, and -that Love "possesses thus far his mother's nature that he is ever the -companion of Want." And it would appear that in the most primitive -grades of life the same is true, and that two cells combine or coalesce -in order to mutually supply some want or deficiency. - -Anyhow, in the process just described two points stand out pretty clear: -first, the exact quality of the number of chromosomes contributed by -sperm-cell and germ-cell to the fertilized ovum--which seems to indicate -that the descendant being has an equal heredity from each -parent[17]--though of course it does not follow that both heredities -become equally prominent or manifest in the descendant body; and -secondly, that the same is true of all the cells in this new body--that -they each contain the potentialities of the joint cell from which they -sprang, and therefore the potentialities of both parents. - -These amazing conclusions concerning the origins of life and -reproduction--here, of course, very briefly and imperfectly -presented--cannot but give us pause. Contemplating the evolutions and -affinities of these infinitely numerous but infinitely small organisms -which build up our visible selves, and the strange intelligence which -seems to pervade their movements, the mind reels--somewhat as it does in -contemplating the evolutions and affinities of the unimaginable -stars.[18] We seem, certainly, to trace the same laws or operations in -these minutest regions as we trace in our own corporeal and mental -relations. Cells attract each other just as human beings do; and the -attraction seems to depend, to a certain degree, on difference. The male -spermatozoon seeks the female ovum, just as the male animal, as a rule, -seeks and pursues the female. Primitive cells divide and redivide and -differentiate themselves, building up the animal body, just in the same -way as primitive thoughts and emotions divide and redivide and -differentiate themselves, building up the human mind. But though we thus -see processes with which we are familiar repeated in infinitesimal -miniature, we seem to be no nearer than before to any 'explanation' of -them, and we seem to see no promise of any explanation. We merely obtain -a larger perspective, and a suggestion that the universal order is of -the same character throughout--with a suspicion perhaps that the -explanation of these processes does not lie in any concatenation of the -things themselves, but in some other plane of being of which these -concatenations are an allegory or symbolic expression. In portions of -the following chapters I shall trace more in detail the resemblance or -parallelism between these processes among the Protozoa and some of our -own experiences in the great matters of Life and Love and Death.[19] - - - - - CHAPTER III - - LOVE AS AN ART - - -The astounding revelation of the first great love is a thing which the -youthful human being can hardly be prepared for, since indeed it cannot -very well be described in advance, or put into terms of reasonable and -well-conducted words. To feel--for instance--one's whole internal -economy in process of being melted out and removed to a distance, as it -were into the keeping of some one else, is in itself a strange -physiological or psychological experience--and one difficult to record -in properly scientific terms! To lose consciousness never for a moment -of the painful void so created--a void and a hunger which permeates all -the arteries and organs, and every cranny of the body and the mind, and -which seems to rob the organism of its strength, sometimes even to -threaten it with ruin; to forego all interest in life, except in one -thing--and that thing a person; to be aware, on the other hand, with -strange elation and joy, that this new person or presence is infusing -itself into one's most intimate being--pervading all the channels, with -promise (at least) of marriage and new life to every minutest cell, and -causing wonderful upheavals and transformations in tissue and fluids; to -find in the mind all objects of perception to be changed and different -from what they were before; and to be dimly conscious that the reason -why they are so is because the background and constitution of the -perceiving mind is itself changed--that, as it were, there is another -person beholding them as well as oneself--all this defies description in -words, or any possibility of exact statement beforehand; and yet the -actual fact when it arrives is overwhelming in solid force and reality. -If, besides, to the insurgence of these strange emotions we add--in the -earliest stages of love at least--their bewildering fluctuation, from -the deeps of vain longing and desire to the confident and ecstatic -heights of expectation or fulfilment--the very joys of heaven and pangs -of hell in swift and tantalizing alternation--the whole new experience -is so extraordinary, so unrelated to ordinary work-a-day life, that to -recite it is often only to raise a smile of dismissal of the subject--as -it were into the land of dreams. - -And yet, as we have indicated, the thing, whatever it is, is certainly -by no means insubstantial and unreal. Nothing seems indeed more certain -than that in this strange revolution in the relations of two people to -each other--called "falling in love"--and behind all the illusions -connected with it, _something is happening_, something very real, very -important. The falling-in-love may be reciprocal, or it may be onesided; -it may be successful, or it may be unsuccessful; it may be only a -surface indication of other and very different events; but anyhow, deep -down in the sub-conscious world, _something_ is happening. It may be -that two unseen and only dimly suspected existences are becoming really -and permanently united; it may be that for a certain period, or (what -perhaps comes to the same thing) that to a certain _depth_, they are -transfusing and profoundly modifying each other; it may be that the -mingling of elements and the transformation is taking place almost -entirely in one person, and only to a slight degree or hardly at all in -the other; yet in all these cases--beneath the illusions, the -misapprehensions, the mirage and the _maya_, the surface satisfactions -and the internal disappointments--something very real is happening, an -important growth and evolution is taking place. - -To understand this phenomenon in some slight degree, to have some -inkling of the points of the compass by which to steer over this -exceedingly troubled sea, is, one might say, indispensable for every -youthful human creature; but alas! the instruction is not provided--for -indeed, as things are to-day, the adult and the mature are themselves -without knowledge, and their eyes without speculation on the subject. -Treatises on the Art of Love truly exist--and some (for the field they -cover) very good ones, like the _Ars Amatoria_ of Ovid or the -_Kama-sutra_ of Vatsayana; but they are concerned mainly or wholly with -the details and technicalities of the subject--with the conduct of -intrigues and amours, with times and seasons, positions and -preparations, unguents and influences. It is like instructions given to -a boatman on the minuti of his craft--how to contend with wind and -wave, how to use sail and oar, to steer, to tack, to luff to a breaker, -and so forth; all very good and necessary in their way, but who is there -to point us our course over the great Ocean, and the stars by which to -direct it? The later works on this great subject--though not despising -the more elementary aspects--will no doubt have to proceed much farther, -into the deep realms of psychology, biological science, and ultimately -of religion.[20] - -As we have just said, Love is concerned with growth and evolution. It -is--though as yet hardly acknowledged in that connection--a root-factor -of ordinary human growth; for in so far as it is a hunger of the -individual, the satisfaction of that hunger is necessary for individual -growth--necessary (in its various forms) for physical, mental and -spiritual nourishment, for health, mental energy, large affectional -capacity, and so forth. And it is--though this too is not sufficiently -acknowledged--a root-factor of the Evolution process. For in so far as -it represents and gives rise to the union of two beings in a new form, -it plainly represents a step in Evolution, and plainly suggests that the -direction of that step will somehow depend upon the character and -quality of the love concerned. Thus the importance, the necessity, of -the study of the art of love is forced on our attention. It has to be no -longer a subterranean, unrecognized, and even rather disreputable cult, -but an openly acknowledged and honorable department of human life, -leading in its due time to broad and commonsense instructions and -initiations for the young. - - * * * * * - -Casting a glance back at the love-affairs of the Protozoa, as briefly -described in the preceding chapter, there certainly seems to be a kind -of naive charm about them. The simple and wholehearted way in which on -occasions they fuse with one another, losing or merging completely their -own separate individualities in the process; or again part from each -other after having exchanged essences in a kind of affectionate -cannibalism; the obvious and unconcealed relation between love and -hunger; the first beginnings of generation; and the matter-of-fact -manner in which one person, when he finds it convenient, divides in half -and becomes two persons, and after a time perhaps divides again and -becomes four persons, and again and again until he is many thousands or -millions--and yet it is impossible to decide (and he himself probably is -not quite clear) as to whether he is still one person or different -persons--all this cannot fail to excite our admiration and respect, nor -to give us, also, considerable food for thought. - -One of the first things to strike us, and to suggest an application to -human life, is the importance of Love, among these little creatures, for -the health of the individual. The authors of _The Evolution of Sex_ say -in one passage (p. 178): "Without it [conjugation], the Protozoa, which -some have called 'immortal,' die a natural death. Conjugation is the -necessary condition of their eternal youth and immortality. Even at this -low level, only through the fire of love can the phoenix of the species -renew its youth." And again, in another passage (p. 277), referring to -the conclusions of Maupas: "Already we have noted this important result, -that conjugation is essential to the health of the species." Thus it -appears that, in these primitive stages, fusion more or less complete, -or interchange of essences, leads to Regeneration and renewal of -vitality--and this long before the distinct phenomena of sex appear. It -leads to Regeneration first, and so collaterally, and at a later period, -to Generation. - -Somehow--though it is not quite clear how--this view of the importance -of love to personal health has been sadly obscured in later and -Christian times. The dominant Christian attitude converted love, from -being an expression and activity of the deepest human life and joy, into -being simply a vulgar necessity for the propagation of the species. A -violent effort was made to wrench apart the spiritual and corporeal -aspects of it. The one aspect was belauded, the other condemned. The -first was relegated to heaven, the second was given its _cong_ to -another place. Corporeal intercourse and the propagation of the race -were vile necessities. True affection dwelt in the skies and disdained -all earthly contacts. And yet all this was a vain effort to separate -what could not be separated. It was like trying to take the pigments out -of a picture; to call the picture "good," but the stuff it was painted -with "bad." - -And so, owing to this denial, owing to this non-recognition of love (in -all its aspects) as necessary to personal health, thousands and -thousands of men and women through the centuries--some "for the kingdom -of heaven's sake," and some for the sake of the conventions of -society--have allowed their lives to be maimed and blighted, their -health and personal well-being ruined. The deep well-spring and source -of human activity and vitality has been desecrated and choked with -rubbish. That some sort of purpose, in the evolution of humanity, may -have been fulfilled by this strange negation, it would be idle to deny; -indeed some such purpose--in view of the wide prevalence of the -negation, and its long continuance during the civilization period--seems -probable. But this does not in any way controvert the fact that it has -in its time caused a disastrous crippling of human health and vitality. -Human progress takes place, no doubt, in sections--one foot forward at a -time, so to speak; but this does not mean that the other foot can be -permanently left in the rear. On the contrary, it means its all the more -decided advance when its turn arrives. - -To-day we seem at the outset of a new era, and preparing in some way for -the rehabilitation of the Pagan conception of the world. The negative -Christian dispensation is rapidly approaching its close; the necessity -of love in its various forms, as part and parcel of a healthy life, is -compelling our attention. No one is so poor a physiognomist as not to -recognize the health-giving effects of successful courtship--the -heightened color, the brilliant eye, the elastic step; the active brain, -the prompt reflexes, the glad outlook on the world. Indeed the effect -upon all the tissues--their nourishment, growth, improvement in tone, -and so forth--is extraordinary; and yet--remembering what has been said -about Love and Hunger--quite natural. For, after all, we have seen that -every cell in the body is a _replica_ of the original cell from which it -sprang; and so the love which reaches one probably in some way reaches -all. And there is probably not only union and exchange (in actual -intercourse) between two special sex-cells; but there is also (_all -through_ the period of being "in love") an etheric union and exchange -going on between the body-cells generally on each side; and a -nourishment of each other by the interchange of finest and subtlest -elements. - -That this mutual exchange and nutrition may take place between the -general cells of two bodies is made all the more probable from the -experiments already alluded to with regard to chemical -fertilization--whereby it has been shown that some ova or egg-cells may -be started on a process of subdivision and growth by treatment with -certain chemicals, such as weak solutions of strychnine, or common salt, -apart from any fertilization by a spermatozoon.[21] Now since--when the -body is once fairly formed--its further growth and sustenance is -maintained by continued division and subdivision of the body-cells, this -stimulus to growth may easily (we may suppose) be supplied by the subtle -radiations and reactions from another body within whose sphere of -influence it comes--radiations and reactions sufficiently subtle to pass -through the tissues to the various cells, and of course sufficiently -characteristic and individual to be in some cases, as we have supposed, -highly vitalizing and stimulating--though in other cases of course they -may be poisonous and harmful. Of course, also, it is only love that -supplies and is the vitalizing relation. - -So intense, at times, is this vitalizing force, and so ardent the need -of it, that the whole body leaps and throbs in pain. Plato, in his -poetic way, explains the scorching sensation in all the skin and tissues -by feigning that it is caused by the wing-feathers of the soul sprouting -everywhere (_i.e._ according to our view, in every little cell). -Nevertheless, his words on the subject are singularly pregnant with -meaning. For he says (in the _Phdrus_): "Whenever indeed by gazing on -the beauty of the beloved object, and _receiving from that beauty -particles which fall and flow in upon it_ (and which are therefore -called 'desire'), the soul is watered and warmed, it is relieved from -its pain, and is glad; but as soon as it is parted from its love, and -for lack of that moisture is parched, the mouths of the outlets by which -the feathers start become so closed up by drought, that they obstruct -the shooting germs; and the germs being thus confined underneath, in -company of the desire which has been infused, leap like throbbing -arteries, and prick each at the outlet which is closed against it; so -that the soul, being stung all over, is frantic with pain."[22] - -This fusion of complementaries, then, which is the characteristic of -fertilization, takes place between the lovers--not only in respect of -their sex-cells, but probably also to a considerable degree in respect -of their body-cells. And though with any mortal lovers the complementary -nature of the fusion can hardly be so complete as to restore the full -glory of the race-life, yet very near to that point it sometimes comes, -filling them with mad and immortal-seeming ecstasies, and excusing them -indeed for seriously thinking that the wings of their souls have begun -to grow! In lesser degree this complementary fusion and exchange is -doubtless the explanation (or one explanation) of that very noticeable -point--the strange way in which lovers after some years come to resemble -each other--in form and feature, in facial expression, tone of voice, -carriage of body, handwriting, and all sorts of minute points. - - * * * * * - -I suppose at this point it will be necessary to explain that the -recognition of love (in all its aspects) as a general condition of human -health, does not mean a recommendation of wild indulgence in any and -every passion--necessary, because in these cases it seems to be -generally assumed that the proposer of a very simple thesis means a very -great deal more than he says! It is here that the necessity of education -comes in; for hitherto public instruction and discussion in these -matters have been so defective that folk have been unable to talk about -them except in a hysterical way--hysterical on the one side or the -other. The _positive_ value of love, its positive cultivation as a -gracious, superb, and necessary part of our lives has hardly (at least -in the Anglo-Saxon world) entered into people's minds. To teach young -things to love, and how to love, to actually instruct and encourage them -in the art, has seemed something wicked and unspeakable. Says Havelock -Ellis:[23] "Whether or not Christianity is to be held responsible, it -cannot be doubted that throughout Christendom there has been a -lamentable failure to recognize the supreme importance, not only -erotically but morally, of the art of love. Even in the great revival of -sexual enlightenment now taking place around us there is rarely even the -faintest recognition that in sexual enlightenment the one thing -essentially necessary is a knowledge of the art of love. For the most -part sexual instruction, as at present understood, is purely negative, a -mere string of thou-shalt-nots. If that failure were due to the -conscious and deliberate recognition that while the art of love must be -based on physiological and psychological knowledge, it is far too subtle -too complex, too personal, to be formulated in lectures and manuals, it -would be reasonable and sound. But it seems to rest entirely on -ignorance, indifference, or worse." - -It is, I think, not unfair to suppose that it is this indifference or -vulgar Philistinism which is largely responsible for the sordid -commercialism of the good people of the last century. Finding the lute -and the lyre snatched from their hands they were fain to turn to a -greater activity with the muck-rake. - - * * * * * - -Love is a complex of human relations--physical, mental, emotional, -spiritual, and so forth--all more or less necessary. And though seldom -realized complete, it is felt, and feels itself, to be imperfect without -some representation of every side. To limit it to the expression of one -particular aspect would be totally inadequate, if not absurd and -impossible. A merely physical love, for instance, on the sexual plane, -is an absurdity, a dead letter--the enjoyment and fruition of the -physical depending so much on the _feeling_ expressed, that without the -latter there is next to no satisfaction. At best there is merely a -negative pleasure, a relief, arising from the solution of a previous -state of corporeal tension. And in such cases intercourse is easily -followed by depression and disappointment. For if there is not enough of -the more subtle and durable elements in love, to remain after the -physical has been satisfied, and to hold the two parties close together, -why, the last state may well be worse than the first! - -But equally absurd is any attempt to limit, for instance, to the mental -plane, and to make love a matter of affectionate letter-writing merely, -or of concordant views on political economy; or again, to confine it to -the emotional plane, and the region of more or less sloppy sentiment; or -to the spiritual, with a somewhat lofty contempt of the material--in -which case it tends, as hinted before, to become too like trying to -paint a picture without the use of pigments. All the phases are -necessary, or at least desirable--even if, as already said, a quite -complete and all-round relation is seldom realized. The physical is -desirable, for many very obvious reasons--including corporeal needs and -health, and perhaps especially because it acts in the way of removal of -barriers, and _so opens the path_ to other intimacies. The mental is -desirable, to give form and outline to the relation; the emotional, to -provide the something to be expressed; and the spiritual to give -permanence and absolute solidity to the whole structure. - -It is probably on account of this complex nature that for any big and -permanent relationship of this kind there has to be a rather slow and -gradual culmination. All the various elements have to be hunted up and -brought into line. Like all great ideas love has its two sides--its -instantaneous inner side, and its complex outer side of innumerable -detail. In _consciousness_ it tends to appear in a flash--simple, -unique, and unchangeable; but in _experience_ it has to be worked out -with much labor. _All the elements have to come into operation_, and to -contribute their respective quota to the total result. If we remember -what happens when the spermatozoon and the ovum coalesce (see ch. ii. p. -19)--the extraordinary changes and disturbances which are induced in the -chromatin elements of both nuclei, the fusion of the nuclei, and the -ultimate ranging of the chromosomes in a line (for the formation of the -new being) in such a way that every element is represented and -contributes its share to the process--we cannot but be struck by the -strange similarity to our own inner experience: how love searches the -heart, drags every element of the inner nature forward from its -lurking-place, gives it definition and shape, and somehow insists on it -being represented, and, so to speak, toeing the line. We shall return to -this point later. Here I only wish to insist on the complexity of the -process, in order to show that for any big relationship plenty of time -has to be allowed. Whichever side of the nature--mental, emotional, -physical, and so forth--may have happened to take the lead, it must not -and cannot monopolize the affair. It must drag the other sides in and -give them their place. And this means time, and temporary bewilderment -and confusion. It is curious how 'falling in love' has this very -effect--how it paralyzes for a time--inhibiting the mental part and even -the physical; how the smart talker becomes a dumb ass, and the man about -town a modest fool, and the person who always does the right thing seems -compelled to do everything wrong--as if a confusion were being created -in the mind, analogous to that which we have observed in the cells. When -we add to these considerations the extraordinary differences between -persons, and between the proportions in which the elements of their -characters are mixed, it is obvious how extremely complex the conditions -of any one decent love-relation must be, and what tact and patience in -the handling it may require. - -The ignorance, therefore, which causes a young man, husband or lover, to -think that the hurried completion of the sexual act is at once the -initiation and the fulfilment of love, is fatal enough. It marks more -often the end than the beginning of the affair. For, contrariwise, time -and plenty of time has to be given in order to allow the central -radiation in each case to have its perfect work. Is it too fanciful to -suppose that the _centrosome_, which makes its appearance in the -protozon on its approach to conjunction, and which seems to rule the -rearrangement of the chromatin elements within it, is the analogue of -the radiating force in human courtship which so strangely sifts out and -remoulds the elements of the lover's personality? Does the magic of the -centrosome correspond in some sense to the glamour, so well known in -human affairs? And do they both proceed from some deep-hidden, -profoundly important manifestation of the life, the energy, the divinity -if you will, of the Race? - -How strange is this matter of the glamour, and its decisiveness in -awakening love by its presence, or leaving it cold by absence! Here is a -story of a woman who, dreadfully disfigured in countenance by an -accident in the hunting-field, called her _fianc_ to her, and nobly -offered him his freedom; and he ... accepted it! Accepted it, because, -quite really and truly, the destruction of her physical beauty had for -him shattered the Vision and the divinity. And here is another similar -story where, contrariwise, the man immediately confirmed his love and -devotion--because for _him_ the glory around her was more illumined by -her nobility of feeling than it could be darkened by her bodily defect. - -Such glamour, working away in the hidden caverns of being, may at last, -like Bruno's "fabro vulcano," weld two souls into one, and bring to -light a real, a profound, and perhaps eternal union. It is after all -that inner union which is the real thing; which gives all its joys to -intercourse, and penetrating down into the world of sense, redeems that -world into a thing of glory and beauty. For the complete action of that -creative and organizing force plentiful time must be given; and the two -lovers must possess their souls in patience till it has had its full and -perfect work. Ovid in his _Ars Amatoria_ has many lines on this subject. -"Let the youth," he says, "with tardy passion burn, like a damp torch" -... _"Non est Veneris properanda voluptas_" ... _"Quod datum ex facili -longum male nutrit amorem_" (Love easily granted may not long endure), -and so forth. And though these passages no doubt refer mainly to what -may be called the practical conduct of amours, yet they have also a very -pointed application to the more important aspects of the grand passion. -A long foreground of approach, time and tact, diffusion of magnetism, -mergence in one another, suffering, and even pain--all these must be -expected and allowed for--though the best after all, in this as in other -things, is often the unexpected and the unprepared. - -And if the man has to allow time for all the elements of his nature -to come forward and take their part in the great mystery, all the -more is it true that he has to give the woman time for the fulfilling -of _her_ part. For in general it may be said (though of course with -exceptions) that love culminates more slowly in women than in men. -Men concentrate obviously on the definite part they have to play; but -in women love is more diffused and takes longer to reach the point -where it becomes an inspired and creative frenzy of the whole being. -Caresses, tendernesses, provocation, sacrifices, and a thousand -indirect influences have to gradually conspire to the working out of -this result; and not infrequently the situation so arising demands -great self-control on the part of the man. Yet these things are worth -while. "The real marriage," says some one, "takes place when from their -intense love there comes to birth another soul--apart from each, and -invisible, yet joining them together, one hand ahold of each--a radiant -thing born of the sun and stars, which though tender and fragile at -first, grows just like a bodily child, and leads them on, and dances -with them." - -They are worth while, all these labors and troubles, and delays and -sacrifices, if only out of them can be forged a fair and infrangible -union. As in all the arts, so in the greatest of the arts, no lasting -result can be attained, without such labor. Nor indeed without some -degree of pain and suffering. Young folk and inexperienced may think it -is not so. They may think that by a lucky stroke and practically without -effort a man may write a "Blessed Damozel" or carve in marble a "Greek -Slave"; but all experience points differently, and shows that directly -or indirectly to such works have gone infinite labor and patience. And -so to the conceiving and shaping of a perfect alliance between a man and -a woman must always go much of suffering--for it is by suffering that -the souls of human beings are brought into form and carved to fitness -for each other. - -Is it seriously--when one comes to think of it--possible to imagine love -without pain? Figure to yourself, O man, a courtship absolutely -undenied, from the first accepted, even encouraged, with complaisantly -unresisting bride, smiling parents, fair-weather prospects, and cash -unlimited! How awfully dull! Does not the stoutest heart quail at the -suggestion? Or if such a mating might be deemed pleasant as far as its -accessories and conditions were concerned, could it yet be termed Love? - -For Love, if worth anything, seems to _demand_ pain and strain in order -to prove itself, and is not satisfied with an easy attainment. How -indeed should one know the great heights except by the rocks and -escarpments? And pain often in some strange way seems to be the measure -of love--the measure by which we are assured that love is true and real; -and so (which is one of the mysteries) it becomes transformed into a -great joy. Yes, if men could only understand, here is one of the most -precious of the mysteries, and the solving of a great riddle. - -But that the course of true love does generally not run smooth is -understood, more or less, by every one. And it is woman's strange and -imperious instinct--even though at considerable suffering to herself--to -see that it _doesn't_ run smooth. Ellis practically bases[24] the whole -of the evolution of modesty on this instinct--reaching far down in the -animal kingdom--by which the female constantly throws difficulties and -obstacles in the way of courtship (by her coynesses, contrarieties, -changeable moods, and so forth); thus calling out in the male all his -ingenuity, his impetuosity, his energy, in overcoming them; rousing -dormant elements of his nature; delaying consummation and giving time -for his character and all his qualities to concentrate; and indirectly -having a like effect upon herself. So that ultimately by this method a -maximum of passion and agitation is produced, and in the case of the -human being love penetrates to the very deeps and hidden caverns of the -soul. Such is the genesis of Modesty--not by any means Nature's _denial_ -of love, but rather the crafty old dame's method of rendering love, by -temporary obstacles, all the more insurgent and irresistible--her method -of making it less superficial, of deepening the channels and rendering -them more profound. - -Practically, and as a matter of policy, a too easy consent to another's -love is a mistake. The barb only sticks when the bait is withdrawn. -Ovid, it will be remembered, advises that "the lover should be admitted -by the _window_, even when the door is quite accessible, and really more -convenient";[25] and most girls (though they have not read Ovid) know -instinctively that this is the right policy! Nothing is so hateful to a -real lover as an easy, accommodating, altruistic affection--thoroughly -Christian in sentiment, and with no more shape of its own than a pillow! -Romance flies at the mere mention of Christian altruism; and the essence -of love is romance. - -Hence not only technical obstacles, but essential differences are -necessary to the growth of the passion. Differences of age, differences -of sex, differences of class, temperament, hereditary strain, learning, -accomplishment, and so forth--if not _too_ great--are all necessary and -valuable. They all mean romance, and contribute to that exchange of -essences which we saw was the primitive protozoic law. It is quite -probable that the abiding romance between the sexes--so much greater as -a rule than that between two of like sex--is due to the fact that the -man and the woman never really understand each other; each to the other -is a figure in cloudland, sometimes truly divine, sometimes alas! quite -the reverse; but never clear and obvious in outline, as a simple mortal -may be expected to be. - -But to return to the subject of pain and suffering. There is something -more in their work than merely to reveal to the lover the extent or the -depth of his own love. They have something surely to do with the inner -realities of the affair, with the moulding or hammering or welding -process whereby union is effected and, in some sense, a new being -created. It seems as if when two naked souls approach, or come anywhere -near contact with each other, the one inevitably burns or scorches the -other. The intense chemistry of the psychic elements produces something -like an actual flame. A fresh combination is entered into, profound -transformations are effected, strange forces liberated, and a new -personality perhaps created; and the accomplishment and evidence of the -whole process is by no means only joy, but agony also, even as -childbirth is. - -All one can reasonably do is to endure. It is no good _making a fuss_. -In affairs of the heart what we call suffering corresponds to what we -call labor or effort in affairs of the body. When you put your shoulder -to the cart-wheel you feel the pain and pressure of the effort, but that -assures you that you are exercising a force, that something is being -done; so suffering of the heart assures you that something is being done -in that other and less tangible world. To scold and scowl and blame your -loved one is the stupidest thing you can do. And worse than stupid, it -is useless. For it can only alienate. Probably that other one is -suffering as well as you--possibly more than you, possibly a good deal -less. What does it matter? The suffering is there and must be borne; the -work, whatever it is, is being done; the transformation is being -effected. Do you want your beloved to suffer instead of you, or simply -because you are suffering? Or is it Pity you desire rather than Love. - -On the other hand, these things borne in silence have, I believe, an -extraordinary effect. They pull people to you by quite invisible cords. -As I have said, the fact of heart-strain and tension shows that there is -a pressure or pull being exerted somewhere. Though the cord be -invisible, there is someone at the other end (though not perhaps quite -the one you supposed) who responds. - -Words anyhow, in matters of love, are rather foolish; they are worse -than foolish, they are useless; and again they are worse than useless, -for they are misleading. Love is an art. "It must be revealed by -_acts_," says a Swiss writer, "and not _betrayed_ by words." And -Havelock Ellis, speaking further of the mistake of relying on -declarations and asservations, says:[26] "This is scarcely realized by -those ill-advised lovers who consider that the first step in -courtship--and perhaps even the whole of courtship--is for a man to ask -a woman to be his wife. That is so far from being the case that it -constantly happens that the premature exhibition of so large a demand at -once and forever damns all the wooer's chances." And in another passage -he says:[27] "Love's requests cannot be made in words, nor truthfully -answered in words: a fine divination is still needed as long as love -lasts." - -Love is an art. As no mere talk can convey the meaning of a piece of -music or a beautiful poem, so no verbal declaration can come anywhere -near expressing what the lover wants to say. And for one very good and -sufficient reason (among others)--namely, that he does not know himself! -Under these circumstances to say anything is almost certainly to say -something misleading or false. And the decent lover knows this and holds -his tongue. To talk about your devotion is to kill it--moreover, it is -to render it banal and suspect in the eyes of your beloved. - -Nevertheless though he cannot describe or explain what he wants to say, -the lover can _feel_ it--is feeling it all the time; and this feeling, -like other feelings, he can express by indirections--by symbols, by -actions, by the alphabet of deed and gesture, and all the hieroglyphics -of Life and Art. Like the animals and the angels and all the blessed -creatures who don't _talk_, he can communicate in the ancient, primeval, -universal language of all creation, in the language which is itself -creation. - - - - - CHAPTER IV - - ITS ULTIMATE MEANINGS - - -"To talk about your devotion is to kill it." Perhaps one ought even to -say that to talk at all is to kill it! One often thinks what divine and -beautiful creatures--men and women--there are all around, how loving and -lovable, how gracious in their charm, how grand in their destiny!--if -indeed they could only be persuaded to remain within that magic circle -of silence. And then alas! one of these divinities begins to talk--and -it is like the fair woman in the fable, out of whose mouth, whenever she -opened it, there jumped a _mouse_! The shock is almost more than one can -bear. Not that the shock proceeds from the ignorance displayed--for the -animals and even the angels are deliciously ignorant--but from the -revelations which speech unconsciously makes of certain states of the -soul--from the strange _falsity_ which is too often heard in the words, -and in the very tones of the voice. - -But Love burns this falsity away. That is why love--even rude and -rampant and outrageous love--does more for the moralizing of poor -humanity than a hundred thousand Sunday schools. It cleans the little -human soul from the clustered lies in which it has nested itself--from -the petty conceits and deceits and cowardices and covert meannesses--and -all the things that fly from the tip of the tongue directly the mouth -opens. It burns and cleans them away, and leaves the lover -speechless--but approximately honest! - -Love is an art, and the greatest of the Arts--and the truth of it cannot -be said in words; that is, in any direct use of words. You may write a -sonnet, of course, to your mistress's eyebrow; but that is work, that is -doing something; it is or is trying to be, a work of Art--and anyhow -your mistress is not obliged to read it! Or you may take a more decisive -line to express your feelings--by slaying your rival, for instance, with -a sword. That is allowable. But to bore the lady with protestations, and -to demand definite replies (that is, to tell lies yourself, and to -compel her to tell lies), is both foolish and wicked. - -The expression of Love is a great art, and it needs man's highest -ingenuity and capacity to become skilled in it--but in the public mind -it is an art utterly neglected and despised, and it is only by a very -few (and those not always the most 'respectable') that it is really -cultivated. It is a great art, for the same reason that the expression -of Beauty is a great art--for the reason that Love itself (like Beauty) -belongs to another plane of existence than the plane of ordinary life -and speech. - -Speech is man's great prerogative, which differentiates him from the -other creatures, and of which he is, especially during the Civilization -period, so proud. The animals do not use it, because they have not -arrived at the need of it; the angels do not use it, because they -have passed beyond the need. It belongs to the second stage of human -consciousness, that which is founded on self-consciousness--on the -rooted consciousness of the self as something solitary, apart from -others, even antagonistic to them, the centre (strange contradiction -in terms!) even among millions of other centres, to which everything -has to be referred. The whole of ordinary speech proceeds, and has -proceeded, from this kind of self-consciousness--is generated from it, -describes it, analyzes it, pictures it forth and expresses it--and -in the upshot is just as muddled and illusive and unsatisfactory -as the thing it proceeds from. And _Love_, which is _not_ founded -on that kind of self-consciousness--which is in fact the denial of -self-centration--has no use for it. Love can only say what it wants by -the language of life, action, song, sacrifice, ravishment, death, and -the great panorama of creation. - -Self-consciousness is fatal to love. The self-conscious lover never -'arrives.' The woman looks at him--and then she looks at something more -interesting. And so too the whole modern period of commercial -civilization and Christianity has been fatal to love; for both these -great movements have concentrated the thoughts of men on their own -individual salvation--Christianity on the salvation of their souls, and -commercialism on the salvation of their money-bags. They have bred the -self-regarding consciousness in the highest degree; and so--though they -may have had their uses and their parts to play in the history of -mankind, they have been fatal to the communal spirit in society, and -they have been fatal to the glad expression of the soul in private life. - -Self-consciousness is fatal to love, which is the true expression of the -soul. And it is curious how (for some occult reason) the whole treatment -of the subject in our modern world drives it along this painful -mirror-lined ravine--how the child is brought up in ignorance and -darkness, amid averted faces and frowns, and always the thought of self -and its own wickedness is thrust upon it, and never the good and the -beauty of the loved one; how the same attitude continues into years of -maturity; how somehow self-forgetting heroisms for the sake of love are -made difficult in modern life; how even the act of intercourse itself, -instead of taking place in the open air--in touch with the great and -abounding life of Nature--is generally consummated in closed and stuffy -rooms, the symbols of mental darkness and morbidity, and the -breeding-ground of the pettier elements of human nature.[28] - -We have said that for any lasting alliance, or really big and -satisfactory love-affair, plenty of _time_ should be given. Perhaps -it is a good rule (if any rule in such matters can be good) never to -act until one is practically compelled by one's feelings to do so. At -any rate, the opposite policy--that of letting off steam, or giving -expression to one's sentiments, at the slightest pressure--is an obvious -mistake. It gives no chance for the depths to be stirred, or the big -forces to come into play. Some degree, too, of self-repression and -holding back on the part of the man gives time, as we have said, for -the woman's love-feelings to unfold and define themselves. But there -is a limit here, and even sympathy and consideration are not always in -place with love. There is something bigger--titanic, elemental--which -must also have its way. And, after all, Force (if only appropriately -used) is the greatest of compliments. I think every woman, in her heart -of hearts, _wishes_ to be ravished; but naturally it must be by the -right man. This is the compliment which is the most grateful of all to -receive, because it is most sincere; and this is the compliment which -is the most difficult of all to pay--because nothing but the finest -instinct can decide when it is appropriate; and if by chance it is -inappropriate the cause is _ipso facto_ ruined. - -Nature prizes strength and power; and so likewise does love, which moves -in the heart of Nature and shares her secrets. To regard Love as a kind -of refined and delicate altruism is, as we have already hinted, -drivelling nonsense. To the lover in general violence is more endurable -than indifference; and many lovers are of such temperament that blows -and kicks (actual or metaphorical) stimulate and increase their ardor. -Even Ovid--who must have been something of a gay dog in his -day--says,"_non nisi lsus amo_." There is a feeling that at all costs -one must come to close quarters with the beloved--if not in the mimic -battles of sex, then in quite serious and hostile encounters. To reach -the other one somehow, to leave one's mark, one's impress on the -beloved--or _vice versa_ to _be_ reached and to _feel_ the impress--is a -necessity. I sometimes think that this is the explanation of those -strange cases in which a man, mad with love, and unable to satisfy his -passion, _kills_ the girl he loves. I don't think it is hypothetical -jealousy of a possible other lover. I think it is something much more -direct than that--the blind urge to reach her very actual self, even if -it be only with knife or bullet. I am sure that this is the explanation -of those many cases of unhappily married folk who everlastingly nag at -each other, and yet will not on any account part company. They cannot -love each other properly, and yet they cannot leave each other alone. A -strange madness urges them into continual contact and collision. - -But yet possibly there is even something more in the whole thing, on and -beyond what is here indicated. In the extraordinary and often agonizing -experiences attending the matter of 'falling in love,' great changes, as -we have already suggested, are being wrought in the human being. -Astounding inner convulsions and conversions take place--rejections of -old habits, adoptions of new ones. The presence of the beloved exercises -this magical selective and reconstructive influence--and that -independently to a large degree of whether the relation is a happy and -'successful' one, or whether it is contrary and unsuccessful. The main -thing is contact, and the coming of one person into touch with the -other. - -We have seen, in the case of the Protozoa, the amazing fact of the -'maturation-divisions' and the 'extrusion of polar bodies' as a -preparation for conjugation--how, when the two cells which are about to -unite approach each other, changes take place already before they come -into contact, and half the chromatin elements from one cell are -expelled, and half the chromatin elements also from the other. What the -exact nature of this division and extrusion may be is a thing not yet -known, but there seems every reason to believe that it is of such a -character as to leave the residual elements on both sides complementary -to one another--so that when united they shall restore the total -attributes of the race-life, only perhaps in a new and unprecedented -combination. The Protozoa in fact 'prepare' themselves for conjugation -and realization of the race-life, by casting out certain elements which -would interfere with this realization. And we may well ask ourselves -whether in the case of Man the convulsions and conversions of which we -have spoken have not the same purpose and result, or something much -resembling it. Whatever really takes place in the unseen world in the -case of human Love, we cannot but be persuaded that it is something of -very far-reaching and long-lasting import; and to find that the process -should often involve great pain to the little mortals concerned seems -readily conceivable and by no means unnatural. - -The complementary nature of love is a thing which has often been pointed -out--how the dark marries the fair, the tall the short, the active the -lethargic, and so forth. Schopenhauer, in his _Welt als Wille und -Vorstellung_, has made a special study of this subject. Plato, Darwin, -and others have alluded to it. It seems as if, in Love, the creature--to -use Dante Rossetti's expression--feels a "poignant thirst and exquisite -hunger" for that other one who will supply the elements wanting in -himself, who will restore the balance, and fill up the round of the race -ideal. And as every one of us is eccentric and out of balance and -perfection on one side or another, so it almost seems as if for every -one there must be, on the other side, a complementary character to be -found--who needs _something_ at any rate of what we can supply. And this -consideration may yield us the motto--however painfully conscious we may -be of our own weaknesses and deficiencies and follies and vices and -general ungainliness--the motto of "Never despair!" Innocent folk, whose -studies of this subject have been chiefly perhaps derived from penny -novelettes--are sometimes inclined to think that love is a stereotyped -affair occurring in a certain pattern and under certain conditions -between the ages of 18 and 35; and that if you are not between these -ages and are not fortunate enough to have a good complexion and a nicely -formed aquiline nose, you may as well abandon hope! They suppose that -there is a certain thing called a Man, and another certain thing called -a Woman, and that the combination of these two forms a third quite -stereotyped thing called Marriage, _and there is an end of it_. - -But by some kind of Providential arrangement it appears that the actual -facts are very different--that there are really hundreds of thousands of -different kinds of men, and hundreds of thousands of different kinds of -women, and consequently thousands of millions of different kinds of -marriage; that there are no limits of grace or comeliness, or of -character and accomplishment, or even of infirmity or age, within which -love is obliged to move; and that there is no defect, of body or mind, -which is of necessity a bar--which may not even (to some special other -person) become an object of attraction. Thus it is that the ugly and -deformed have no great difficulty in finding their mates--as a visit to -the seaside on a bank-holiday speedily convinces us; a squint may be a -positive attraction to some, as it is said to have been to the -philosopher Descartes, and marks of smallpox indispensable to -others;[29] while I have read of a case somewhere, where the man was -immediately stirred to romance by the sight of a wooden leg in a -woman![30] - -But apart from these extreme instances which may be due to special -causes, the general principle of compensation through opposites is very -obvious and marked. The fluffy and absurd little woman is selected by a -tall and statuesque grenadier; the tall and statuesque lady is made love -to by a man who has to stand on a chair to kiss her; the society elegant -takes to a snuffy and preposterous professor; the bookish scholar (as in -_Jude the Obscure_) to a mere whore; the clever beauty (as in _L'homme -qui rit_) to a grinning clown; and of course the 'wicked' man is always -saved by the saintly woman. The masculine, virago-like woman, on the -other hand, finds a man who positively _likes_ being beaten with a -stick; and the miaowling, aimlessly amiable female gets a bully for a -husband (and one can only say, "Serve them both right")... Finally, the -well-formed aquiline nose insists on marrying a pug nose--and this -apparently quite regardless of what the other bodily and mental parts -may be, or what they may want. - -Everyone knows cases of quite young men who only love women of really -advanced age, beyond the limit of childbirth; and these are curious -because they seem to point to impelling forces in love beyond and -independent of generation and race-perpetuation, and therefore lying -outside of the Schopenhauerian explanations. And similarly we all know -cases of young girls who are deadly earnest in their affection for quite -old men, men who might well be their fathers or grandfathers, but -hardly, one would think, their husbands. In these cases it looks as if -the young thing needs and seeks a parent as well as a lover--the two in -one, combined. And where such love is returned, it is returned in a kind -of protective love, rather than an amative love--or at any rate as a -love in which the protective and amative characters are closely united. - -Similarly there are numbers of cases in which mature or quite grown men -and women only love (passionately and devotedly) boys and girls of -immature age--their love for them ceasing from its ardor and intensity -when the objects of devotion reach the age, say, of twenty or -twenty-one. And in many of these cases the love is ardently returned. -Here, again, it is evidently not a case of generation or -race-perpetuation, but simply of compensation--the young thing requiring -the help and protection of the older, and the older requiring an outlet -for the protective instinct--a case of exchange of essences and -qualities which (if at all decently and sensibly managed) might well go -to the building up of a full and well-rounded life on either side. - -In all these cases (and the above are of course only samples out of -thousands) we seem to see an effort of the race-life to restore its -total quality--to restore it through the operation of love--either by -completing and rounding out the life of the individuals concerned, or by -uniting some of their characteristics in the progeny. I say 'seem to -see,' because we cannot well suppose that this gives a _complete_ -account of the matter, or that it explains the whole meaning of Love; -but it at any rate suggests an important aspect of the question. The -full quality of the race-life is always building itself up and restoring -itself in this manner. A process of Regeneration is always going on. And -this process, as suggested before, is more fundamental even than -Generation--or it is a process of which Generation is only one -department. - -Regeneration is the key to the meaning of love--to be in the first place -born again _in_ some one else or _through_ some one else; in the second -place only, to be born again through a child. As in the Protozoa, so -among human beings, generation alone can hardly be looked upon as the -primary object of conjugation; for, among the latter, out of myriads of -unions vast numbers are as a matter of fact infertile, and a -considerable percentage (as indicated above) are quite _necessarily_ -infertile, and yet these infertile unions are quite as close, and the -love concerned in them quite as intense and penetrating, as in the case -of the fertile ones. "If a girl were free to choose according to her -inclinations," says Florence Farr in an eloquent plea for the economic -independence of women,[31] "there is practically no doubt that she would -choose the right father for her child, however badly she might choose a -life-long companion for herself." In this passage the authoress seems to -suggest (perhaps following Schopenhauer) that the generation of a -perfect child is the one main even though unconscious purpose of -love-union, and that the individual parent-lives may instinctively be -sacrificed for this object. And there no doubt is so far truth in this, -that the tremendous forces of love often pay little respect to the world -conveniences and compatibilities of the lovers themselves, and that -often (as indeed also among the Protozoa) the parent's life is rudely -and ruthlessly sacrificed for the birth of the next generation. Still, -even so, I think the statement as put here is risky, both as a matter of -fact and as a matter of theory. Would it not be more correct or less -risky to say: "If a girl were free to choose, she would choose the man -who most completely compensated and rounded out her own qualities, -physical and mental (and _so_ would be likely to get her a fine babe), -even though he might not prove the best of companions?" - -It is curious, as we have suggested before, how married folk often -quarrel to desperation on the surface, and yet seem to have a deep and -permanent hold on each other--returning together again even after -separation. It seems in these cases as if they mutually obtained a -stimulus from each other, even by their strife, which they could not get -elsewhere. _Ir amantium redintegratio amoris._ The idea, too, that the -great and primal object of union is to be sought in _the next -generation_ has something unsatisfactory about it. Why not in _this_ -generation? Why should the blessedness of mankind always be deferred to -posterity? It is not merely, I take it, the _perpetuation_ of the race -which is the purpose of love, but the perfection of the race, the -completeness and adequacy of its self-expression, which love may make -possible to-day just as well as to-morrow. Ellen Key, in that fine book, -_Liebe und Ehe_,[32] expresses this well when she says: "Love seeks -union, not only in connection with the creation of a new being, but also -because two beings _through one another_ may become a new being, and a -greater than either could be of itself alone." - -The complementary nature of sex-attraction was made much of by that -youthful genius Otto Weininger, who in his book, _Sex and -Character_,[33] has a chapter on the laws of Sexual Attractions in -which, in the true German manner, he not only gives an algebraic formula -for the different types of men and women, but a formula also for the -force of attraction between any two given individuals--which latter of -course becomes infinite when the two individuals are exactly -complementary to each other! Dr. Magnus Hirschfeld, in his very -interesting work, _Die Transvestiten_,[34] goes even more into detail -than does Weininger on the subject of the variations of human type in -special regard to sex-characteristics. Sex-characteristics, he explains, -may be divided into four groups, of which two are physiological, namely -the primary characteristics (the sex organs and adjuncts) and the -secondary (the hair, the voice, the breasts, and so forth); and two are -psychological or related (like love-sentiment, mental habit, dress, and -so forth). Each of the four groups includes about four different -elements; so that altogether he tabulates sixteen elements in the human -being--each of which may vary independently of the other fifteen, and -take on at least three possible forms, either distinctly masculine, -distinctly feminine, or intermediate. Calculating up the number of -different types which these variations would thus give rise to, he -arrives at the figure 43,046,721!--which figure, I think we may say, we -need not analyze further, since it is certainly quite large enough for -all practical purposes! And really though we may mock a little at these -fanciful divisions and dissections of human nature, they do help us to -realize the enormous, the astounding number of varieties of which it is -susceptible. And if again we consider that among the supposed -forty-three millions each variety would have its counter type or -complementary individual, then we realize the enormous number of perfect -unions which would be theoretically possible, and the enormous number of -distinct and different ways in which the race-life could thus find -adequate and admirable expression for itself. - -However, we are here getting into a somewhat abstract region. To return -to the practical, the complementary idea certainly seems to account for -much of human union; for though there are but few cases in which the -qualities of the uniting parties are really quite complementary to each -other, yet it is obvious that each person tends to seek and admire -attributes in the other which he himself possesses only in small degree. -At the same time, it must not be forgotten that _some_ common qualities -and common ground are necessary as a basis for affection, and that -sympathy and agreement in like interests and habits are at least as -powerful a bond as admiration of opposites. It sometimes happens that -there are immense romances between people of quite different classes and -habits of life, or of quite different race and color; and they see, for -the moment, flaming ideals and wonder-worlds in each other. But unions -in such cases are doubtful and dangerous, because so often the common -ground of sympathy and mutual understanding will be too limited; and -hereditary instincts and influences, deep-lying and deep-working, will -call the wanderers away, even from the star which they seek to follow. - -Sympathy with and understanding of the person one lives with must be -cultivated to the last degree possible, because it is a condition of any -real and permanent alliance. And it may even go so far (and should go so -far) as a frank understanding and tolerance of such person's _other_ -loves. After all, it seldom happens, with any one who has more than one -or two great interests in life, that he finds a mate who can sympathize -with or understand them all. In that case a certain portion of his -personality is left out in the cold, as it were; and if this is an -important portion it seems perfectly natural for him to seek for a mate -or a lover on that side too. Two such loves are often perfectly -compatible and reconcilable--though naturally one will be the dominant -love, and the other subsidiary, and if such secondary loves are -good-humoredly tolerated and admitted, the effect will generally be to -confirm the first and original alliance all the more. - -All this, however, does not mean that a man can well be 'in love' with -two women, for instance, at the same time. To love is a very different -thing from being 'in love'; and the latter indicates a torrent-rush of -feeling which necessarily can only move towards one person at a time. (A -standing flood of water may embrace and surround several islands, but it -cannot very well _flow_ in more than one direction at once.) But this -torrent-rush does not last forever, and in due time it subsides into the -quiescent and lake-like stage--unless indeed it runs itself out and -disappears altogether. - -Against this running out and disappearance it is part of the Art of Love -to be able to guard. It has sometimes been argued that familiarity is of -necessity fatal; and that it is useless to contend against this sinister -tendency implanted in the very nature of love itself. But this -contention contains only a very partial truth. It is true that in -physical love there is a certain physical polarity which, like electric -polarity, tends to equate itself by contact. The exchange of -essences--which we saw as a chief phenomenon of conjugation, from the -protozoa upwards--completes itself in any given case after a given time; -and after that becomes comparatively quiescent. The same with the -exchange of mental essences. Two people, after years, cease to exchange -their views and opinions with the same vitality as at first; they lose -their snap and crackle with regard to each other--and naturally, because -they now know each other's minds perfectly, and have perhaps modified -them mutually to the point of likeness. But this only means, or should -mean in a healthy case, that their interest in each other has passed -into another plane, that the _venue_ of Love has been removed to another -court. If something has been lost in respect of the physical rush and -torrent, and something in respect of the mental breeze and sparkle, -great things have been gained in the ever-widening assurance and -confidence of spiritual unity, and a kind of lake-like calm which indeed -reflects the heavens. And under all, still in the depths, one may be -conscious of a subtle flow and interchange, yet going on between the two -personalities and relating itself to some deep and unseen movements far -down in the heart of Nature. - -Of course for this continuance and permanence of love there must be a -certain amount of continence, not only physical, but on the emotional -plane as well. Anything like nausea, created by excess on either of -these planes, has to be avoided. New subjects of interest, and points of -contact, must be sought; temporary absences rather encouraged than -deprecated; and lesser loves, as we have already hinted, not turned into -gages of battle. Few things, in fact, endear one to a partner so much as -the sense that one can freely confide to him or her one's _affaires de -coeur_; and when a man and wife have reached this point of confidence in -their relation to each other, it may fairly then be said (however -shocking this may sound to the orthodox) that their union is permanent -and assured. - -Nothing can, in the longer enduring values of love, well take the place -of some such chivalrous mutual consideration which reaches the finest -fibres of the heart, and offers a perfect freedom even there. Ellen -Key--to quote her _Ueber Liebe und Ehe_[35] again--says, "Fidelity [in -love] can never be promised, but may be _won afresh_ every day;" and she -continues, "It is sad that this truth--which was clear enough to the -chivalrous sentiment of the old courts of Love--must still to-day be -insisted on. One of the reasons, in fact, which these courts gave, why -love was not compatible with Marriage, was 'that the wife could never -expect from her husband the fine consideration that the Lover is bound -to exhibit, because the latter only receives as a favor what the husband -takes as his right.'" To preserve love through years and years with this -halo of romance still about it, and this tenderness of devotion which -means a daily renewed gift of freedom, is indeed a great Art. It is a -great and difficult Art, but one which is assuredly "worth while." - -The passion altogether, and in all its aspects, is a wonderful thing; -and perhaps, as remarked before, the less said about it, the better! -When people--I would say--come (not without clatter) and offer you their -hearts, do not pay _too_ much attention. What they offer may be genuine, -or it may not--they themselves probably do not know. Nor do _you_ also -fall into a like mistake, offering something which you have not the -power to give--or to withhold. Silence and Time alone avail. These -things lie on the knees of the gods; which place--though it may seem, as -someone has said, 'rather cold and uncomfortable'--is perhaps the best -place for them. - - - - - CHAPTER V - - THE ART OF DYING - - -We have suggested in the last paper that some day possibly we may arrive -at an intelligent handling of love and its problems, by which at length -the passion may cease to be the cause of endless shipwreck and despair -to mortals, and become a favorable and friendly divinity obedient to our -service. Somewhat thus has been man's experience with all the great -powers of Nature--with fire and flood on the earth, with the winds and -lightning of heaven. With intelligent treatment they have become his -very ready helpers and allies. And, as indicated in the outset of this -book, we may fairly expect the same conclusion with regard to the great -natural event and process termed Death. The time has come when we are -really called upon to face up to the fact of our decease from the -present conditions of life, physical and mental; when we are called upon -to study and to understand this fact, and by understanding to become -masters of the change which it represents--and able to convert it to our -great use and advantage. - -Hitherto--as I shall have occasion presently to point out--there has -been singularly little study of this science, either from the clinical, -the physiological, or the psychological points of view; and the art of -dying, for example (which is the subject of this chapter), seems to have -been entirely neglected. - -No doubt it may be said that this is a difficult art--difficult to -study, and more difficult still to practise; yet, after all, that seems -only the more reason for approaching it. The art of _avoiding_ death -commands much attention, and there are hundreds and thousands of books -on that subject; yet since none can really avoid the experience and all -must sooner or later pass through it, it might be thought that the art -of meeting one's end with discretion and presence of mind would at least -command as much attention. - -There ought, one would say--and considering the continual presence of -this great ocean waiting to receive us--to be lessons on the subject of -its navigation free of charge, and available for all who wish, just as -there are lessons in swimming for sailors. And though it may be true -that since, as a rule, one cannot die more than once, it is difficult to -obtain the needed practice, yet even so one may with perseverance get -some approach to doing so. There are a good many recorded cases of -people who have apparently died, and after an interval of a few minutes -or a few hours have come to life again. I knew a married lady, some -years back, who after a long period of illness was given up by the -doctors, and gradually sank till to all appearances she passed away. The -medical man pronounced life to be extinct, and the relatives began to -make the usual arrangements for her funeral. However, being devoted to -her children, and anxious to see them through a critical period, she had -made up her mind _not_ to die, and being a woman of strong will she -clung to her resolution. Two or three hours elapsed, and then, to the -surprise and joy of her friends she returned from 'the other -side'--after which she lived three or four years, sufficiently long to -carry out what was needed for her family. And though in this case she -had no very distinct experience to report of another state of existence, -yet the fact of her 'will to live' having persevered through the sleep -or apparent death of her body and upper mind, was sufficient to convince -her of survival of some sort on a deeper plane, and to disarm all fear -and hesitation when death finally came. - -Probably, on the ordinary mental plane, death very much resembles sleep, -and its actual arrival is almost imperceptible; but, in the deeper -regions of the mind, there are not unfrequently signs or suggestions of -a great awakening. An expression of ecstasy often overspreads the -features; sometimes there are sudden apparent recognitions of friends -who have already passed away;[36] in many cases there seems to be a -great extension of memory and perception; and in not a few a distinct -sensation of flying or moving upwards.[37] To these and other similar -considerations I shall return later. At present I would prefer to keep -to the more physical aspects of the question; but even so far, one -cannot help feeling that--whatever collateral drawbacks there may be in -death--in the way of painful illness, parting with friends, disturbance -and abandonment of plans, and so forth--the experience itself must be -enormously interesting. Talk about starting on a journey; but what must -the longest sea-voyage be, compared with this one, with its wonderful -vista, and visions, and voices calling? And again, since it is an -experience that all must go through, and that countless millons of our -fellows _have_ gone through and are still continually going through, for -that very reason alone it has a fascination; and one feels that had one -the opportunity to avoid it one would hardly wish to do so. - -As I have said, it is curious that there is next to no instruction or -guidance commonly provided or accessible in this matter. I mean -especially on the physical side. What are our medical folk doing? There -are lots of books on childbirth and the science of parturition, and the -best methods of making the transition easy; but when it comes to the end -of life and the event corresponding and complementary to birth, there is -little except silence and dismay. - -The usual course of preparation for this most important event seems to -be (barring accidents) something as follows:--a physically unhealthy and -morally stupid life, which inevitably leads to degenerative tendencies -and ultimately to distinct disease; then one or two breakdowns, which -lead to panic, and the summoning of doctors; then partial recovery, -and a repetition _da capo_ of the whole series, without any of the -least improvement in the general style of life; then of course worse -breakdown and panic, leading at last to violent drugs, injections, -operations, and so forth, in the hope of prolonging existence a few -hours; and finally death arriving, not graciously, but in the sense of -a dismal defeat and rout to everybody concerned; and to the patient a -hurried, confused and embittered end, robbed of all decency and dignity. - -Now this won't do! When one thinks of the deaths of animals--so composed -on the whole--the calm, the quietude, the dignity even, and the absence -as a rule of very acute or obvious suffering; or when one thinks of the -very similar conditions of death among many savage peoples; one cannot -but ask, Why this difference? One cannot but say, It really _will not -do_ for us 'the heirs of all the ages' to go on behaving in this feeble -and foolish way--leading lives which utterly unfit us for the inevitable -end of life, and stricken with most incompetent panic and dismay when -the very thing arrives which we have foreseen and which we have had such -ample time to prepare for. - -Death--from whatever point of view we look at it--seems to be a break-up -of the unity of the creature.[38] It is a dislocation and to some -degree a rending asunder. But such dislocation and break-up may be -of a healthy and normal type, or it may be unhealthy and of the -nature of disease. In the first case it may chiefly consist in the -getting rid or shedding off of an out-worn husk, which is simply left -behind--much in the same way as the chrysalis sheath of a moth or -other insect is left behind, or as the husks of a growing bud or bulb -are peeled off. Many an old person seems to die in this way--the body -being the scene of little or no disturbance or conflict, but simply -withering up, while often at the same time the spiritual nature of -the man becomes strangely luminous and penetrating. Here there is a -certain dislocation, but no painful rending asunder. The centre of -life seems merely to retire to a more inward and subtle region, where -it perchance nourishes an even brighter flame than before; and the -outer body is peeled off as a sort of outworn shell. But in other -cases death is undoubtedly very different. Instead of the one centre -simply withdrawing inward in the way indicated, while at the same -time preserving almost to the last a general unity of the creature, -rebellious and insubordinate centres spring up and introduce serious -conflict into the organism. These are of course diseases, or centres -of disease--either in the body, like tumors, alien growths, nests -of microbes, and so forth; or in the mind, like violent passions, -greeds, anxieties, fears, rigid habits. And forming thus independent -centres they tear and rend the body and mind between them till at last -death supervenes--not at all on account of the voluntary withdrawal -of the inner person to more ethereal regions, but simply through the -destruction of the organism in which that person functions. - -It is evident (whatever view one may take of that inner person and its -perduration into other regions of existence) that the former mode of -death is the more normal, natural and desirable of the two, and the one -which we should encourage and cultivate; and that the latter is likely -to be painful, undignified, and even repulsive. - -From this point of view, to strengthen the organizing, regulating power -of the body, as against local growths and insurgencies, seems (in -general terms) the best line to take--the best way of prolonging life, -and of rendering death fairly easy and negotiable. The outlying -centres--as represented by the various organs and faculties, both of the -body and of the mind--have to be kept during life in subordination to -the main centre, and as far as possible in decent harness and exercise, -so as to become neither too slack on the one hand, nor too rowdy and -insolent on the other. In this way, when the vital forces decay, these -organs and faculties remain still subservient to the central being, and -becoming comparatively quiescent make room for its further passage and -development. There are, indeed, some cases of death, in which the whole -inner spirit and consciousness of the man seems to pass on unchanged, -while the rabble rout of the body simply falls away, or is left behind, -like a disused garment or husk as we have said. - -It should, however, be noted that the strengthening of the organizing -and regulating forces does not and must not mean the introduction of -rigid and quasi-tyrannical habits (however 'good' such habits may be -supposed to be). The interior Person--as we shall see later--is far too -great and free to be adequately represented by any such habits or -regulations, even the 'best,' and they really belong to the lower mind -or body. Their dominance leads to an ossifying or woodening and -valetudinarian tendency in the organism, which is as bad in its way as -the uncontrolled or inflammatory tendency. - -To avoid these opposite pitfalls, and to live sanely and sensibly, in a -certain close touch with Nature and with the roots of human life, is no -doubt difficult, especially under the ordinary conditions of -civilization; yet it is surely well worth while--both for the sake of -life itself and for the termination of it. And to keep a certain command -of the situation during the mid-period of one's day is probably the best -way toward commanding the situation at the end. But the ordinary medical -methods--with their drugs, their stimulants, their sleeping-draughts, -their operations, their injections of morphia, serums, and so forth, are -surely acting all the time in the opposite direction. Their tendency -surely is to confuse and weaken the central agency, while at the same -time they excite and sometimes madden the local centres--till not -unfrequently the patient dies, confused, unconscious, wrecked, and a -mass of disorders and corruption. The launching of a ship on the great -ocean is a thing that is prepared for, even during all the period when -the vessel is being built and perfected. I am not a professional; but -will no one write a manual on the subject, even from the medical and -physiological point of view--How to prepare for death.... How to go -through this great change with some degree of satisfaction, command, and -intelligence? Above all, may we have a truce to the so common and -unworthy conspiracies between doctors, nurses, and relatives, by which -for the sake of keeping the patient a few hours (or at most a few days) -longer alive, the unfortunate one--instead of being let alone and -allowed to die peacefully as far as may be, and as indeed in nine cases -out of ten he himself desires--is on the contrary tormented (defenceless -as he is) with operations, inoculations and medical insults of all kinds -up to the very last? The thing has become a positive scandal; and though -the ignorant importunities of lay relatives may sometimes be deplorable, -yet the prospect in one's last moments of falling into the hands of -professionals is even worse, and adds a new terror to dissolution. It is -at any rate a consolation to know that whatever pains and torments of -illness may have preceded, they generally pass away before the end; and -notwithstanding such current expressions as 'death-agonies,' 'last -struggle,' and so forth, the hour of death itself is mercifully calm and -peaceful. Walt Whitman, who, in his hospital labors in the American -Civil War, must have been present at a vast number of deathbeds, has -recorded that in the great majority of cases the end comes quite simply, -as an ordinary event of the day, "like having your breakfast." "Death is -no more painful than birth," says Dr. Edward Clark in his book on -_Visions: a Study of False Sight_;[39] and most doctors will agree to -the general truth of this expression. - -There is a certain sacredness in Death, which should surely be -respected. There is too, we may say, in most cases, a sure instinct -which comes to the patient of what is impending and of what is needed; -and every effort should be made to secure to the sufferer a quiet period -during which he may effect the passage, for himself, disturbed as little -as possible by the grief of friends or the interferences of attendants. - - - II. PSYCHICAL - -We may now discuss the subject in hand somewhat more from the psychical -side. Not that in these matters the physical and the psychical can ever -be completely dissociated, but that having in the preceding section -leaned more to the physical side it may be convenient now to lean rather -to the psychical. - -And there is certainly an advantage here--namely, that from this side we -may not unreasonably say that the art of dying _can_ be practised: it is -really possible to approach or even perhaps to pass through Death on the -mental plane, by voluntary effort. Most people regard the loss of -ordinary consciousness (apart from sleep) with something like terror and -horror. The best way to dispel that fear is to walk through the gate -oneself every day--to divest oneself of that consciousness, and, -mentally speaking, to die from time to time. Then one may get accustomed -to it. - -Of all the hard facts of Science: as that fire will burn, that water -will freeze, that the earth spins on its axis, and so forth, I know of -none more solid and fundamental than the fact that if you inhibit -thought (and persevere) you come at length to a region of consciousness -below or behind thought, and different from ordinary thought in its -nature and character--a consciousness of quasi-universal quality, and a -realization of an altogether vaster self than that to which we are -accustomed. And since the ordinary consciousness, with which we are -concerned in ordinary life, is before all things founded on the little -local self, and is in fact _self_-consciousness in the little local -sense, it follows that to pass out of that is to die to the ordinary -self and the ordinary world. - -It is to die in the ordinary sense, but in another sense it is to wake -up and find that the 'I,' one's real, most intimate self, pervades the -universe and all other beings--that the mountains and the sea and the -stars are a part of one's body and that one's soul is in touch with the -souls of all creatures. Yes, far closer than before. It is to be assured -of an indestructible immortal life and of a joy immense and -inexpressible--"to drink of the deep well of rest and joy, and sit with -all the Gods in Paradise." - -So great, so splendid is this experience, that it may be said that all -minor questions and doubts fall away in face of it; and certain it is -that in thousands and thousands of cases the fact of its having come -even once to a man has completely revolutionized his subsequent life and -outlook on the world. - - * * * * * - -Of exactly how this inhibition of Thought may be practised, and of all -its collateral results and implications it would be out of place to -speak now.[40] Sufficient at present to say that with the completion of -this inhibition, and the realization of the consequent change of -consciousness--even if it be only for a time--the ordinary mental self, -with all its worries, cares, limitations, imperfections, and so forth, -falls completely off, and lies (for the time) like a thing dead; while -the real man practically passes onward into another state of being. - -To experience all this with any degree of fulness, is to know that you -have passed through Death; because whatever destruction physical death -may bring to your local senses and faculties, you know that it will not -affect that deeper Self. I mean that having already become aware of your -real self as pervading the life of other creatures, and moving in other -bodies than your so-called own, it clearly does not so very much matter -whether the one body remains or passes. It may make a difference -certainly, but not a fatal or insuperable difference. The vast ocean of -the consciousness into which you have been admitted will not be -profoundly affected, even by the abstraction of a pearl-shell from its -shore. - -We have spoken of the Protozoa more than once in these connections; and -it has been said that the Protozoa have been considered immortal -because, though they divide into separate cells or organisms, the life -remains continuous; and because though some of the descendant cells may -die yet the life goes on--so that even in the hundredth generation the -self or ego of a particular cell may be identical with that of the first -parent. And in the case we are considering we have something similar, -for when the common life of souls is once recognized and experienced, it -is clear that nothing can destroy it. It simply passes from one form to -another. And we may perhaps say that as the Protozoa attain to a kind of -immortality _below_ death, or prior to its appearance in the world, so -the emancipated or freed soul attains to immortality above and beyond -death--passing _over_ death, in fact, as a mere detail in its career. - -I say, this heart and kernel of a great and immortal self, this -consciousness of a powerful and continuing life within, _is_ -there--however deeply it may be buried--within each person; and its -discovery is open to everyone who will truly and persistently seek for -it. And I say that I regard the discovery of this experience--with its -accompanying sense of rest, content, expansion, power, joy, and even -omniscience and immensity--as the most fundamental and important fact -hitherto of human knowledge and scientific inquiry, and one verified and -corroborated by thousands and even millions of human kind. Doubtless, as -already suggested, questions may arise and will arise as to the exact -nature of this continuing life, its exact relation to the local personal -consciousness, as well as to what is called the sublimal self--how far -definite personality and memory go with it, and so forth. These -questions we may return to later. At present let us simply rest on the -experience itself. - -When Death is at hand, or its oncoming cannot long be delayed, there is -still _that_ to remember, to revert to, to cling to. And the more often -we have made the experience our very own, in life, the easier will it be -to hold on to at the close. Whatever physical death may bring--in the -way of pain or distress or dislocation of faculty--there still remains -that indefeasible fact, the certainty of the survival of the deepest, -most universal portion of our natures. In some cases this deepest -consciousness does itself remain so clear, so strong that--even through -all the obscurations of illness and bodily weakness--death practically -brings no break; the body is shed off, more or less like a husk or -chrysalis (with effort and struggle perhaps, but without anguish and -despair); and the human being passes on to realize under some other form -the divine life which he has already partially entered into. I think it -evident that this is the state of affairs which we ought to put before -ourselves as the goal of our endeavor. It would seem the only condition -which secures a sense of continuity in death, or which does not carry -with it some threat of failure or extinction. And it suggests to us that -our persistent and unremitted effort during ordinary life should be to -realize and lay hold of this immortal Thing, to conquer and make our own -this very Heart of the universe. It suggests that every magnanimous -deed, every self-forgetting enthusiasm, every great and passionate love, -every determined effort to get down into the heart and truth of things -and below the conventional crust, does really bring us nearer to that -attainment, and hasten the day when mankind at large shall indeed -finally obtain the victory; and the passage into and through death shall -appear natural and simple and clear of obstruction, and even in its due -time desirable. - -It is clear, however, that in a great number of cases this deepest -consciousness, even if it has occasionally during life been reached by -the person concerned, has not been sufficiently firmly established to -endure through times of sickness, bodily weakness, and mental decay; -while again, perhaps in the vast majority of cases, the previous -realizations have been almost _nil_, or at most have been too few or too -slight to count for much. What are we to say in such cases as these? -Even if with the eye of faith or philosophy the bystander may seem to -see the immortal spark shining, what consolation or assistance is that -to the sufferer himself, who does not perceive or feel it? What is -likely to be his experience of dissolution? and what may he fairly -expect or look to as any sort of solution of the obscure problem? - -To get any kind of answer to these questions and any clear idea of what -really happens in the great majority of cases--when the break-up which -we call dissolution arrives--it will be necessary to analyze roughly the -nature of Man. We shall then see what are the various elements of that -nature, and what their probable destination, respectively. And for the -purpose in hand I think we may divide the complete human being into four -sections--though remembering of course that the classification proposed, -or any such classification, can only be very rough and -tentative--namely, into (1) the eternal and immortal Self, of which we -have already spoken; (2) the inner personal ego or human soul; (3) the -outer personality or animal self; and (4) the actual body. Of these, -(1), the eternal Self, is the germ or root of the whole human being; and -I think we may even say that all the sections and elements of our human -nature are really manifestations or outgrowths from this root (though of -course in most cases unconscious of their real belonging or their real -source). Then (2), the inner personal self or human soul, includes the -finer and subtler elements of 'character'--which we know so well in our -friends, yet find so difficult to describe, but which are roughly -denoted by such words as affection, courage, wit, sympathy, love of -beauty, sense of equality, freedom, self-reliance, determination, and so -forth; while (3), the outer personality or animal soul (not at all of -course to be despised), is concerned with the more terrestrial desires -and passions like pride, ambition, love of possession, jealousy, and -especially those that relate themselves directly to the body, _e.g._ -desires of food, drink, sex, ease, sleep, and so forth; and finally, -(4), the body, includes all the material organs and parts. Other and -intermediate subdivisions may be and sometimes are made, but these four -will probably suffice for the present--remembering, as already said, -that they have only a rough value: hard and fast lines and divisions in -such matters being impossible, and the nature of man being really -continuous and not built in sections; remembering, too, with regard to -all four divisions, that the elements of them are not at all times -present in consciousness, but to a large degree remain conscious or -hidden or subliminal. - - - - - CHAPTER IV - - THE PASSAGE OF DEATH - - -Allowing, then, that our human nature may be roughly divided as above -into four main constituents, the destiny of two of these at death seems -pretty clear. It is clear that (1) the central self remains (whether -"we" know it or not) the same as it ever was, and ever will be, eternal, -shining in glory and irradiating the world. It goes on, to be the -birth-source, may be, of numberless lives to come. On the other hand, it -is equally clear that (4) the actual visible tangible body dies, -perishes, and is broken up. Though it may return, in its elements and -through what we call Nature, into the great birth-source, it ceases as -an individual body to exist, and passes even before the eyes of -onlookers into other forms. The fate of these two portions of the human -entity can hardly be doubted--of the innermost central portion, -continuance, with but slow or secular change, if any; of the outermost -material shell, immediate decay and dissolution. - -What, then, may we suppose is the destiny of the other two portions, the -human and the animal part? I think we may fairly suppose that they each -share to a considerable degree the destiny of that extreme to which they -are closest related. The outer personality or animal life, (3), is most -closely related to the body. Its passions and desires (though in -themselves psychical and mental entities) look always to the body for -their expression and satisfaction. It is difficult to suppose them -functioning _without_ the body. We cannot, for instance, very well -imagine the passion for drink without some kind of mouth or gullet -through which to work (though of course it may carry on a sort of -dream-activity by representing these channels to itself, or creating -mental images of them). And similarly of the passion of personal vanity, -or the passion of sex: they refer themselves always to the body, in some -degree or other. - -It is clear then, I think, that when the body in death breaks up, these -psychic elements which function through it and correspond to the various -parts and organs--these passions and desires, and with them the whole -animal being--are to some extent involved in the ruin. They are (in most -cases) smitten with dire suffering and confusion. A terrible misgiving -and dismay assault them; and with the break-up and disruption of the -body they too experience the agonies of disruption, and foresee their -own dissolution and death.[41] - -Yet to conclude from this that these elements do absolutely perish, -would, I think, be a mistake. For these passional entities and this -animal soul, though they seek the body and manifest themselves -through it, are not the same as the body. They have a creative power -within them.[42] The drunkard, as suggested, deprived of his liquor, -represents furiously to himself in imagination the act of drinking: he -dreams a gullet a yard long and an endless swallow--and in doing so he -actually moulds and modifies his swallowing apparatus. The vain man and -the sexual similarly mould and modify their bodies; they contribute to -the building of the shapes which they use. And this sort of process -going on through the ages has _created_ the forms of the animals and -mankind, and their respective members and organs.[43] All these things -are the expression and manifestation and output of the psychical -entities and passions and qualities underlying--which themselves are -implicit in the world-soul, which indeed have grown up and manifested -themselves out of the world-soul, and which still deeply though -hiddenly root back into it. - -The most reasonable and obvious answer, then, to the question, What -becomes of the animal life and its satellite passions when the body -dies? seems to be that under normal conditions they die too--in the -sense that they cease to be manifest. They die, like the body, only with -this difference, that _being_ psychical--_i.e._ having a consciousness -and a self underlying, while the body dies back into earth and air, they -die back into the psychic roots from which they originally sprang--that -is, into that form of the Self or World-soul of which they are the -manifestation--as, for instance, in the case of the animals, into the -self or soul of the race; in the case of undeveloped man, partly into -the soul of the race and partly into the human soul which is affiliated -to the soul of the race; and in the case of perfected man, entirely into -the human soul or inner personality which, having now found and -established its union with the supreme and eternal Self, is no longer -dependent on the soul of the race, but has entered into a divine and -immortal life of its own. - -Thus in entirely normal cases, both of animals and man, we should -conclude that the animal soul at the time of bodily death may return -perfectly calmly and naturally into its own roots (as fern-fronds die -back in winter), and the whole process may fulfil itself quite simply -and graciously and with a minimum of suffering. But this can only be -expected to happen in instances where instinctively (as in healthy -animals and primitive men) or intentionally (as among a few of mankind) -the perfect unity, physical and mental, of the organism has been -preserved. In such cases each desire and passion, standing in a close -and direct relationship to the spirit or self of the whole organism, is -easily and willingly indrawn again at the appointed time; and there is -little or no struggle or agony. But in the great masses of -mankind--especially in the domains of civilization--where this unity has -been lost, it is easily seen that many of the passional elements, loosed -from the true service of the informing spirit, carry on a mad and -violent career of their own; and to curb these or reduce them to orderly -acquiescence and subordination is almost impossible. On the contrary, -with the general weakening of the total organism they often break out -into greater activity. The ruling passions, "strong in death," push -themselves to the fore and tyrannize over the failing or ageing man, and -render his actual dissolution stormy and painful; and not only so, but -they sometimes generate phantasmal embodiments of themselves which haunt -the dying man, or even become visible to outsiders. - -Frederick Myers, dealing with this subject,[44] invents the term -_psychorrhagy_ for this tendency of portions of the _psyche_ under -certain conditions to break loose from the whole man; and thinks that -this process takes place not only at death, but that there are some folk -_born_ with what he calls a _psychorrhagic diathesis_, who are -consequently peculiarly apt for throwing off phantasms of one kind or -another. He says:[45]--"That which 'breaks loose' on my hypothesis is -not the whole principle of life in the organism; rather it is some -psychical element probably of very varying character, and definable -mainly by its power of producing a phantasm, perceptible by one or more -persons, in some portion or other of space. I hold that this -phantasmogenetic effect may be produced either on the mind, and -consequently on the brain of another person--in which case he may -discern the phantasm somewhere in his vicinity, according to his own -mental habit or prepossession--or else directly on a portion of space, -'out in the open,' in which case several persons may simultaneously -discern the phantasm in that actual spot." - -Myers then proceeds to give a great number of very interesting and -extremely well-attested cases of such phantasms, ranging from merely -momentary apparitions of persons during their life or at the hour of -their death to the persistent haunting of houses over a long period. And -I mention this in order to show that there is good authority now for -believing it possible not only that phantasms may be generated by the -disintegration of the diseased or dying organism, which will haunt the -patient himself; but that in cases the psychic elements generating these -phantasms may be powerful enough to create a ghostly body which may -endure, surviving the earth-body, and manifesting itself to outside -observers on occasions for a considerable time.[46] - -So much for the fate of the outer personality or animal part. Now with -regard to (2), the inner personality or human soul, we may ask, What -becomes of that? And the answer particularly interests us, because it is -with this section that we--or at least the more thoughtful of mankind -generally--identify "ourselves." It is probable that almost any reader -of these pages would credit his "I" or "self," not to the one universal -Being (to union with whom he may nevertheless distantly aspire), nor to -the group of terrestrial desires and interests which we have termed the -animal being, but rather to that constellation of nobler character which -we have called the human soul. This, he will say, is the self that truly -interests, that most deeply represents, me. Tell me, what becomes of -that? - -I think it is obvious that in the hour of death there are only two -directions in which that human soul can turn, in which "we" can turn. We -can turn for help either outwards toward the region of the animal self, -or inwards toward the central universal self. And I think it equally -obvious that the latter direction can alone really supply our need. At -first no doubt it may be natural to seek outwards; but now alas! in the -hour of dissolution the man discovers that all that region of his -nature, in which indeed he has often found comfort before, is becoming -involved in the ruin above described. Large portions of his animal -faculties are already being torn away--or are sinking into lethargy and -sleep. His bodily organs are losing their vitality; some of them have -already become useless. His mental faculties--especially the more -concrete and external faculties, like the memory of events and -names--are becoming disintegrated. True, his general outlook may in -cases seem to become wider and more serene as death approaches, and his -inner character and personality to become more luminous and gracious; -but it is a perilous passage on which he is embarked and in general -threatening clouds gather round. The consciousness is painfully invaded -by the lesser mentalities which surround it; the ruling passions -domineer; silly little habits and tricks, of mind and body, obsess the -man; phantoms and delirium overpower, or seek to overpower, him; he is -astonished and perturbed to find himself on the fringe of a world in -which figures, half-strange, half-familiar, come and go, and force -themselves upon him with an odd persistence and a rather terrible kind -of intelligence. It requires all his presence of mind to gather himself -together, to hold his own, to suppress the rebel rout, and to find amid -all the flux something indomitable and sure to which to cling. - -There is clearly only one thing to cling to--and this must be insisted -on--only that one great redeeming universal Self of which we have -spoken: only that superb omnipresent Life which we find in the very -central depth of our souls. (And fortunate he who has already so far -taken refuge in this, that the wreck and ruin of the visible world and -the mortal onset of Death cannot dislodge him!) That alone is fixed and -sure; and to that the personal man must turn. - -And I think we may say that it is not merely the personal soul's highest -duty and best welfare to turn in this direction; but that in a sense and -by the law of its nature it must do so. For even in those cases where -the man does not recognize this universal Being within, nor consciously -believe in and hold on to the same, still is it not true that -unconsciously he is very near and very closely related? For all the -great qualities which we have already described as characterizing the -most intimate human soul, are they not just those which must relate it -to the universal Self? I mean such things as Equality--the sense of -inner equality with all human and other creatures; Freedom--the sense of -freedom from local and material bonds; Indifference--indifference as to -fate and destiny; Magnanimity; abounding Charity and Love; dignity; -courage; power--all these things, are they not obviously the qualities -which dawn upon the personal soul and color it when it is coming into -touch with the universal? Are they not the natural 'sign and symbol' of -union or partial union with that Self? And more: are there not other -things belonging more distinctly to the unconscious and subliminal -region (which we shall deal with presently)--I mean such things as deep -memory, intuition, clairvoyance, telepathy, prophetic faculty, and so -forth--which point to the same conclusion? - -The inner personal soul of man is surely already conjoined to the -universal, and must cling to it by its very nature. And though the man -may not exactly be conscious of this union; though he may hardly really -know the depth of his own nature; though, notwithstanding his own -splendid qualities of character, some thin film may yet divide him from -awareness of the all-redeeming Presence; yet none the less that Presence -is there; and is the core and centre of his being. - -That being granted, it seems clear that in the disintegration of death -the inner personality (whether consciously or unconsciously) will cling -to the eternal self within it. And this seems to be the explanation of -the part played by Religion in the history of the world, and its close -connection with death. The different religions being lame attempts to -represent under various guises this one root-fact of the central -universal Life, men have at all times clung to the religious creeds and -rituals and ceremonials as symbolizing in some rude way the redemption -and fulfilment of their own most intimate natures--and this whether -consciously understanding the interpretations, or whether (as most -often) only doing so in an unconscious or quite subconscious way. - -Happy, I say, is the man who has so far consciously taken refuge and -identified himself with the great life that the onset of death fails to -disturb or dislodge him. For him a wonderful passage is -prepared--amazing indeed and bewildering, baffling at times and -exhausting, yet by no means dismaying or terrifying. But for the -ordinary mortal who has not yet arrived at this--for whom the Presence -(beheld perhaps intermittently before) is now clouded and withdrawn from -his decisive reach--for such a man it would seem best and most natural -simply to gather and compact himself together as firmly as possible, and -detaching his mind as well as he can from its earthly entanglements and -hindrances, to launch forth boldly, and with such faith and confidence -as he can muster, on his strange journey. There is a plant of the Syrian -deserts--the Rose of Jericho--about the size of our common daisy plant, -and bearing a similar flower, which in dry seasons, when the earth about -its roots is turned into mere sand, has the presence of mind to detach -itself from its hold altogether and to roll itself into a mere -ball--flower, root and all. It is then blown along the plains by the -wind and travels away until it reaches some moist and sheltered spot, -when it expands again, takes hold on the ground, uplifts its head, and -merrily blooms once more. Like the little Rose of Jericho, the human -soul has at times to draw in its roots (which we may compare to the -animal part) and separate them from their earthly entanglement; even the -sun in heaven, which it knows distantly for the source of its life, may -be obscured; but compacting itself for the nonce into a sturdy ball, it -starts gaily on its far adventure. - -May we presume at all to speculate on the soul's actual passage out of -this world and its experiences on the way? No doubt there are queer -things to be encountered! I think it is obvious that if the soul passes -out of this terrestrial world of ours into another state of existence -(definite, but quite imperceptible to our present senses) there must be -a borderland region in which phenomena occur of an intermediate -character--faintly and fitfully perceptible by our present faculties, -but lacking in the solidity and regularity of our present world; -borderland phenomena in two senses, as being due (_a_) partly to the -break-up of our present senses and the present stage of existence, and -(_b_) partly to the glimmering perception of forms and figures belonging -to a farther stage. - -With regard to (_a_), it is of course common for the mind to 'wander,' -and for all sorts of phantoms and hallucinations to obsess and cloud it -in the last stages of illness; and these vagaries of the mind are no -doubt due to or connected with excess or deficiency of circulation in -the brain, and morbid physical conditions of one kind or another. But it -is possible that a wider and more general view than that may be taken -concerning them. I have already referred the reader to the Note at the -end of this chapter. All our desires and passions are psychical -entities, having a life and consciousness of their own, though -affiliated to the total soul within which they work. All our organs and -functions are carried on by intelligences, similarly affiliated yet in -degree independent. Under normal conditions "we" are unaware of these; -entities and intelligences--it is only when they rebel that they come -decisively to our notice. In disease, mental and physical, there is -rebellion. We become painfully conscious of the independent and often -undesired activity of our organs, and of our passions--and so, -unfortunately for them, do our friends! In morbid states of mind and -body certain functions, certain passions, take on an independent -vitality to such a degree that at last they endue a kind of personality -and give rise to strings of phantasms which we believe to be real. In -dreams, though there is not exactly rebellion, the higher powers of the -mental organism being at rest, the lesser functionaries similarly -display an extraordinary and impish activity and present us with amazing -masquerades of actual life. - -What then, we may ask, does probably happen in the moment of death, when -the organism has become wasted and enfeebled by disease, and when the -nucleus of the man, the inner personality, has compacted itself together -into close compass in preparation for its long journey? What happens to -all those marginal desires which have chiefly occupied themselves with -the affairs of the body or lower mind--those innumerable little spirits -and imps which (as we discover in dreams, or by closely watching our -waking thoughts) are continually planning and scheming their own little -successes and gratifications? What happens to the thousand and one -intelligences which carry on the functions and processes of the -organism? and whose labors, now that the bodily life is coming to an -end, are no more needed? Is there not a danger--or at least a -likelihood--of this strange masquerade of dreamland, of these painful -obsessions of disease, being repeated with ever-increased intensity? -True, that if the organism has been kept so well in hand during life as -to cause all outlying passions and desires to weaken and become -quiescent simultaneously with the body--or at least to go back quietly -into the kennels of a long sleep--like a pack of hounds when the chase -is over--then these phantoms, these obsessions, may in that last hour be -conspicuous by their absence. But since in the vast majority of cases -this is not, and cannot be so, it seems more probable that as a rule the -departing soul will make its exit, not only through the perishing bodily -part, but through a mass of debris, as it may be called, of the mind -(chiefly though perhaps not entirely "the animal mind"), through a cloud -of tags and tatters of mentality, thrown off in the final crisis. It -seems probable that just as the actual body, bereft at death of its one -pervading vitality, breaks out in a mass of corruption or minute -multitudinous life, so there is a _tendency_, at any rate, for the lower -mind to break out into a strange ghostly rabble--a cloud of phantasms, -exhaled and projected from the dying person. Of these phantasms most, no -doubt, are only visible to the patient himself (though that does not -render them any more agreeable as visitors); others are discernible by -clairvoyants present; while others again are distinctly seen even by -persons at a distance in space or time--as in the numerous and -well-authenticated instances of "wraiths." The picture is not altogether -pleasant, but it has a certain general congruity with admitted facts, -and with a fairly-accepted body of tradition and theory; and -provisionally I suppose we may accept it. - -It seems likely, then, that the passage of the inner self, or human -soul, out of life and its delivery in another world, _the other side_ of -death, may very closely correspond to Birth--to the birth of a babe -under ordinary conditions _into_ this world. Just as the babe, when -being born, passes through the lower passages of the body, so the human -self at death is expelled inwardly through all the debris and litter of -the mind, into another less material and more subtle world than ours. -And just as the pangs of childbirth are bad--but they are so mainly -beforehand and in preparation, while the actual delivery is swift and a -vast relief--so, in cases, the pains and anguish in preparation for -death may be great (the squealing of demons torn from their hold on the -soul, the cries of intelligences cut off from their coperative life and -source of sustenance in the body, the fears and distress of the animal -mind, the yellow fury of the passions, and the death-struggles of the -various organs!) yet the final passage itself may be calm and gracious -and friendly. - -Anyhow, as in other cases of human experience, it would be a mistake to -depict this one as by any means uniform in its character. On the -contrary, it is probably susceptible of great variety. The Head of a -Department (if it becomes necessary for him to leave his post) may find, -in one case, that he is turned out, so to speak, with kicks--that he has -to run the gauntlet of the execrations of his subordinates; or in -another case he may leave amid the expression of every good wish, and -along a path made pleasant and easy for him; or again he may go -"trailing clouds of glory," and with a retinue of followers behind him, -who refuse to remain now that their leader is departing. Some such -differences possibly, and we may say probably, present themselves in the -passage of death. The experience of childbirth varies to an -extraordinary degree. We hear of Indian tribeswomen who only go aside -for an hour while their people are on the march, and then rejoin them -again at the next halting-place. And who knows but what Death and the -preparation for it might be as easy--if only the doctors and the -sky-pilots would hurry up and tell us something really useful, instead -of spending their time in vivisecting the wretched animals, or in -mumbling over ancient creeds? - -Now, with regard to the second kind of borderland phenomena, (_b_), the -glimmering perception in death of forms and figures or conditions of -being belonging to a farther stage of existence: I do not propose at -present to dwell upon this matter at any length. But with modern -psychical research there has come a good deal of evidence to show that -on deathbeds it not at all unfrequently happens that distinct and ardent -recognition of departed friends takes place; and though, no doubt, it -may seem possible to explain these as cases in which the simple _memory_ -of a departed friend is very powerfully resuscitated, still this -explanation hardly covers a good many cases--such as those for instance -in which the dying person was unaware that the friend had died, and yet -apparently recognized him as a visitor from the beyond-world.[47] Also -of course, modern research has brought forward some amount of testimony -in favor of actual communications with the departed through the agency -of entranced mediums; so that, though this whole matter is still _sub -judice_, we may with fair reason suppose that both in trance-conditions -and in the hour of death there are not merely apparitions and phenomena -due to disintegrations on _this_ side of the border, but also some kind -of real communications and manifestations from the other side. - -Anyhow, it is clear that each person's experience of death is likely to -depend a good deal on the question as to where the centre of gravity of -his self-consciousness is placed; and that--as a part of the Art of -dying--the object of our endeavor should be to throw (during life) the -self-consciousness inward into that part of our being which is durable -and immortal in its nature, into that part in which we are united, and -feel our union, with other creatures, into that portion where the word -itself (self-consciousness) ceases to have a petty and sinister meaning -and becomes transformed with a glorious signification. In that case it -is indeed likely that the soul may be endowed beforehand with divine -vision. It must be our object, by throwing our consciousness always that -way, to strengthen the power of the inner soul over the outer -personality and all its functions, and at the same time to rivet more -and more the hold of that inner soul on the One Self (the source of all -vitality and centre of limitless power, if we only understand it so)--so -that ultimately the outer and animal personality (though always -beautiful in its nature and not to be despised) ceases largely to have -an independent and uncordinated vitality of its own, or to be the scene -of uncontrolled activities and conflict, and becomes more the expression -and instrument of the inner self: to such a degree indeed that at the -dissolution of the body the animal soul, passing into slumber, easily -dies down to its deep roots in the human soul, there of course to await -its future reawakening, and thus leaving the latter liberated from -earth-entanglement and free to start (like the Syrian rose) on its long -journey. - -In this freeing for the forward journey there must, one would think, be -a great sense of joy and satisfaction--even as there must be in the -freeing of a May-fly from its water-bred pupa into the glory of air and -sunshine. Just as it obviously is (notwithstanding some drawbacks) a joy -to the Babe to enter upon its new life, so it may well be that to the -dying person--notwithstanding the perils of the change, the fears of the -unknown, the parting with friends, the apparent rending of cherished -ties--there is a strange joy in shelling off the old husks, and in -getting rid of the accumulations and dead rubbish of a lifetime. A -thousand and one tiresome old infirmities and bonds of body and -mind--now for the first time realized in their true meaning--slip off; -and the ship of the soul, "to port and hawser's tie no more returning," -departs with a strange thrill and quiver upon its "endless cruise." - -The details of this launch and departure we cannot of course ordain. The -mode of death is not always within our sphere to determine. Accident may -decide, or some hereditary weakness for which the individual can hardly -be held responsible. Some diseases are by their nature hard upon the -patient; others are kindly in their course. In those that bring great -weakness of body there is sometimes an easy passage--the earthly and -corporeal part relaxing its hold, while the mind and character become -heavenly-clear. In others of an inflammatory nature, or where there is -great organic vitality, there may be severe and prolonged struggle. -Anyhow, one can imagine the relief when the process is complete. It is -not uncommon to experience a strange expansion of the spirit on -occasions when the body is seriously weakened by ordinary illness. What -must this expansion be when the body finally succumbs--this sense of -immensely enlarged life, this impression of sailing forth toward a new -and boundless ocean! How strange to stand a moment on the brink of -terrestrial mortality, and to be conscious of--to _see_, even with the -inner visual power--the shell one has left behind, with all its -commonplace and banal surroundings: concrete indeed and material enough, -but lying now outside oneself--something almost foreign to one and -indifferent, abandoned on the very margin and shore of real life; to -stand for a moment; and then to turn and pass inward into that subtle -and immense ethereal existence, now to be learnt and explored, which -lies within and informs and transfuses all our solid world, and -surpasses all its boundaries! - - - NOTE TO CHAPTER VI - -In order not to burden this already rather lengthy chapter with matter -which may not be needed, I append here some general considerations for -those who have not given much attention to the subject of the various -grades of consciousness in the body--considerations tending to show that -the various parts and passions of the body and mind have a life and -intelligence of their own, and that the whole human organism is a -hierarchy (not always perfectly harmonious) of psychic entities. - -We generally allow of course that our central or dominant selves are -alive and conscious (though no doubt we use those epithets with a rather -sad vagueness). But having allowed that, the extraordinary phenomena of -variable and alternating personality compel us to admit that there may -be many such centres within one person, each of which though now buried -may in its turn become dominant and take conscious lead, and which must -therefore be credited with life and intelligence (even if an alien life -and intelligence to "our own"). Even the most ordinary brain-centres are -in the habit of carrying on whole departments of the bodily organization -with an independent intelligence of their own, and are sometimes liable -under the influence of some excitement (like drink, or religion, or some -enthusiasm) to take possession of the whole man and transform him into -another creature--exhibiting in doing so a strange degree of invasive -vitality and alertness. It is quite certain that the myriad microscopic -cells of the body are alive, each with its own little particular life; -and the more one studies these cells the more difficult it is not to -credit them each, in their degree, with a particular consciousness or -intelligence. And each body-organ again, composed of a congeries or -colony of body-cells, has a life of its own on and beyond that of its -component cells, and exhibits curious signs too of intelligence and -emotion, which often (especially in sickness) affect the moods and -thoughts of the entire man. - -The whole of the subconscious world, in fact--that world which only -occasionally breaks through into the upper consciousness--must be -allowed to be alive, and in its various degrees methodical and -calculating. This is well seen in the phenomena of dreams and of -hypnotism, in both of which the most acute and diabolical ingenuity is -often shown--as of weird imps working in dark chambers of the brain -quite unbeknown to their supposed lord and master; or in the -extraordinary phenomena of trance and "automatic" speaking and writing; -or in telepathy and clairvoyance; or again in the craftiness of utter -lunatics; or in the strange evasions and mental dodgery which (as just -hinted) are induced by diseases of certain organs; or in the phenomena -of mental healing, where an appeal to the subconscious intelligence in -any and every corner of the body is often followed by extraordinary -response; or in the subtle instinctive knowledge and perception of -babes, and of animals, long before _self_-consciousness has developed; -or again, in the sly cunning of ancient dotards; or in the complex -bodily reflexes carried on perfectly unknown to ourselves during life; -or in the continued functioning of some of the organs after death. In -all these cases, and in scores of others not mentioned, it is clear that -the majority of the processes of the human system are carried on by -minor intelligences. They are indeed carried on by _crowds_ of minor -intelligences--to which we accord the epithet "automatic," and which no -doubt we regard as mechanical, as long, that is, as they work smoothly -and without friction and opposition. But when they do not do so, when -pain, disease and lunacy cut in--when a violent burn sets the epithelial -cells screaming, and the scream comes into our consciousness as the -vibration of pain; when a diseased liver twists the events of life and -the faces of our friends into malignant shape and mien; when lust and -hypochondria people the mind with phantoms; and drink makes all the -functions mad--then we say we are "possessed with devils," then we -recognize, if only on the dark side, the pervading intelligence or -intelligences of the body. - -It is like the Head of a Department, as I have said, whose subordinate -officials are working under him agreeably and harmoniously. As long as -that is the case, he may have in his mind a general outline of the -working of the Department. He probably is ignorant of most of the -details; he certainly does not know personally many of his subordinates, -but he superintends the working of the whole. Presently, however, occurs -something of a strike or _meute_; whereupon he discovers that vast -numbers of his men are intelligently discussing questions or problems of -whose existence he was almost ignorant; personalities appear before him -whom, before, he knew at most only by name; and they argue their case -with an acumen and vitality which surprises him. For the first time, in -this revolt of his department, he comes to realize the amount of -intelligent activity which is at work within it, beneath the surface. So -it is with us in the case of disease. In health we have no trouble, -unity prevails. As long as "we" are on top, and the intelligences which -carry on the body are working on friendly terms with us, their minds do -not intrude into our realm, and we are practically unaware of them. But -when through our mismanagement or other cause dissension breaks out, -then indeed we realize what kind of forces they are with which we have -to deal, and of what a wonderful hierarchy of intelligences the body is -composed.[48] - - - - - CHAPTER VII - - IS THERE AN AFTER-DEATH STATE? - - -In the last chapter Death was compared to Birth, and it was said that -probably the passage of the human soul into another world, _on the other -side of death_, exactly corresponded to Birth--to the birth of a babe -into this world. And certainly, seeing these apparent movements _into_ -the visible and _away_ from it again, it is very natural to assume that -there _is_ such another and hidden world, and to speculate upon its -nature. - -But it may fairly be asked, is there after all any reason for supposing -that there is a definite state of existence of any kind on that side? Is -it not quite likely that there is only vacancy and nothingness, or at -best a mere formless pulp (of ether and electrons, or whatever it may -be) out of which souls are born and into which they return again at -death? It is this question which I propose to discuss in the present -chapter. - -Historically speaking, we know of course that early and primitive folk, -letting their imaginations loose, peopled that 'other side' and rather -promiscuously, with all sorts of fairy beings and phantom processions. -Giant grizzly bears, divine jackals, elves, dwarfs, satans, holy ghosts, -lunar pitris, flaming sun-gods, and so forth, ruled and raged behind the -curtain--in front of which the shivering mortal stood. But as time went -on, the growing exactitude of thought and science made it more and more -impossible to idly accept these imaginings; and it may be said that -about the middle of last century these cosmogonies--for the more -thoughtful among the populations of the Western world--finally perished, -and gave place for the most part to a simple negative attitude. It was -allowed that intelligences and personalities (human and animal) moved on -_this_ side of the veil, and were plainly distinguishable as operating -in the actual world; but they, it was held, were more or less isolated -and probably accidental products of a mechanical universe. That -mechanical arrangement of atoms, and so forth, which we could now -largely map out and measure, and which doubtless in the future we should -be able completely to define--that was the universe, and somehow or -other included everything. One of its properties was that it would run -down like a clock, and would eventuate in time in a cold sun and a dead -earth--and there was an end of it! Any intelligent existence behind or -on the other side of this veil of mechanism was too problematical to be -worth discussing; in all probability on that side was mere nothingness -and vacancy. - -Such, very roughly stated, was the attitude of the fairly intelligent -and educated man about fifty years ago, but since that time the -outgrowths of science and human inquiry have been so astounding as to -leave that position far behind. The obvious signs of intelligence in the -minutest cells, almost invisible to the naked eye, the very mysterious -arcana of growth in such cells (partly described in a former chapter), -the myriad action of similarly intelligent microbes, the strange -psychology of plants, and the equally strange psychic sensitiveness -(apparently) of _metals_, the sudden transformations and variations both -of plants and animals, the existence of the X and N rays of light, and -of countless other vibrations of which our ordinary senses render no -account, the phenomena of radium and radiant matter, the marvels of -wireless telegraphy, the mysterious facts connected with hypnotism and -the subliminal consciousness, and the certainty now that telepathic -communication can take place between human beings thousands of miles -apart--all these things have convinced us that the subtlest forces and -energies, totally unmeasurable by our instruments, and saturated or at -least suffused with intelligence, are at work all around us. They have -convinced us that gloomy phrases about cold suns and dead earths are -mere sentiment and nonsense. Cold worlds there may certainly be, but -nothing is more certain than that worlds on worlds, and spheres on -spheres, stretch behind and beyond the actually seen--spheres so -microscopic as to totally elude us, or so vast and cosmic as to elude, -spheres of vibration which elude, spheres of other senses than ours, -spheres aerial, ethereal, magnetic, mental, subliminal. The iris-veil of -our ordinary existence may truly be rent, but the visible world, the -world we know, is no longer now a film on the surface of an empty -bubble, but a curtain concealing a vast and teeming life, reaching down -endless, in layer on layer, into the very heart of the universe. And -whereas, in the former time of which I have been speaking, we might have -agreed that life could not well continue after the death of the body, -to-day we should, as a first guess, be inclined to think that life is -_more_ full and rich on the other side of death than on this side. "I do -not doubt," says Whitman, "that from under the feet and beside the hands -and face I am cognizant of, are now looking faces I am not cognizant of, -calm and actual faces--I do not doubt interiors have their interiors, -and exteriors have their exteriors, and that the eyesight has another -eyesight, and the hearing another hearing, and the voice another voice." - -We come, then, to this problem of Death and Birth in a similarly -modified spirit, and with a predisposition to believe that they do -really indicate passages from one definite world or plane or region of -existence to another. And here is the place to point out, and to guard -ourselves against, a common error in the use of the word Death. Death is -not a _state_. There may be an after-death state; but death itself is -the _passage_ into that state, or--better--the passage out of the -present state. So Birth is not a state. There may be a pre-birth state; -but birth itself is the passage into the present state. Either we pass -through death into another life and condition of being; or else we are -extinguished. In the former case there is clearly no _state_ of death; -and in the latter case there is no such state--because there is no self -to _be_ dead or to know itself dead. As Lucretius says,[49] endeavoring -to disabuse man of the fear of the grave:-- - - "So to be mortal fills his mind with dread, - Forgetting that in real death can be - No self, to mourn that other self as dead, - Or stand and weep at death's indignity." - -Birth and Death, then, we may look upon as two contrary movements, to -some degree complementary and balancing each other; and it is possible -that thus, from consideration of the one, we may be able to infer things -about the other. One such thing that we may be able to infer is that -Love presides over, or is intimately associated with, both movements. - -The connection of Love with Birth is of course obvious. In some profound -yet hidden way, almost throughout creation, the birth or generation of -one creature is connected with the precedent love and sex-fusion of two -others. And the connection of Love with Death, though not so prominent, -can similarly almost everywhere be traced. The whole of poetry in -literature teems with this subject; and so does the poetry of Nature! If -we are to believe the Garden of Eden story, Love and Death came into the -world together; and it certainly is curious that in the age-long -evolution of animal forms the same thing seems to have happened. The -Protozoa at first, propagating by simple division, were endued with a -kind of immortality. But then came a period when a pair found they could -enter into a joint life of renewed fecundity by fusing with each other. -They literally died in each other, and rose again in a numerous progeny; -so that love and death were simultaneous and synonymous. Sometimes -parturition and death were simultaneous. The mother-cell perished in the -very act of giving birth to her brood. Then again came the aggregation -of cells into living groups--the formation of 'colonial' organisms; and -it was then that distinctive sex-differentiation and sex-organs -appeared, and with the capacity of sex also the capacity of death -through the disruption of the colony. Everywhere love is associated with -death. The expenditure of seed in the male animal is an incipient death; -the formation of the seed vessel, and the glory and color of the -flowering plant, are already the signs of its decay. "Both Weismann and -Goette," say Geddes and Thomson,[50] "note how many insects (locusts, -butterflies, ephemerids, and so forth) die a few hours after the -production of ova. The exhaustion is fatal, and the males are also -involved. In fact, as we should expect from the katabolic temperament, -it is the males which are especially liable to exhaustion.... Every one -is familiar with the close association of love and death in the common -May-flies. Emergence into winged liberty, the love-dance, and the -process of fertilization, the deposition of eggs, and the death of both -parents, are often the crowded events of a few hours. In higher animals, -the fatality of the reproductive sacrifice has been greatly lessened, -yet death may tragically persist, even in human life, as the direct -Nemesis of love." - -George Macdonald, in one of his books (_Phantastes_, vol. i. p. 191), -feigns a race of beings, for whom death is not so much the 'nemesis' of -love, as its natural and inevitable outcome. Seized by a great love, too -great for mortal expression, "looking _too_ deep into each other's -eyes," they (with great presence of mind, it must be said!) breathe -their souls out in death, and so take their departure to another world. -Heine touches the same note in his poem, the "Asra":-- - - "Ich bin aus Jemen, - Und mein stamm sind jene Asra, - Welche sterben wenn sie lieben." - -And scores of scarcely noticed paragraphs in our daily papers, brief -tales of single or double suicide, present us with a dim outline of -how--even in the mean conditions and surroundings of our modern -days--every now and then there comes to one or other a longing, a -passion, and a revelation of a desire so intense, that, breaking the -bounds of a useless life, it demands swift utterance in death. - -Some deep and profound suggestion there is in all this--some hint of a -life whose very form and nature is love, and which finds its deliverance -and nativity only through the abandonment of the body--even as our -ordinary life, conceived in love, finds its delivery into this world -through what we call birth. At the very least it suggests that Death may -have a great deal more to do with Love, and may be more deeply allied to -it than is generally supposed. And it may suggest that the two things, -being in some sense the most important occupations of the human race, -should be frankly recognized as such, and should both be accordingly -prepared for. - -Another thing, about which we may be able to infer something from the -analogy between Birth and Death, is the fate of the soul at death. If we -can trace in any way the relation of the soul to the body at the time of -the first appearance of the latter, that may shed light on the relation -which will hold at its disappearance. We cannot certainly define very -strictly what we mean by the word 'soul'; but we are all very well aware -that associated with our bodies, and in some sense pervading them with -its intelligence, is a conscious (as well as subconscious) being which -we call the self or soul; and we are all puzzled at times to understand -what is the relation between this and the body. Now we have seen (ch. -ii.) the genesis of the body from a single fertilized cell or germ -almost microscopic in size, and its growth by continual and myriadfold -division into, say, a human form; and we have seen that every cell in -the perfect and final form--every cell, of eye, or liver, or of any part -or organ--is there by linear descent or division from that first cell, -though variously adapted and differentiated during the process. We are -therefore almost compelled to conclude that that intelligent self -(conscious or subconscious) which we are so distinctly aware of as -associated with our mature bodies was there also, associated with the -first germ.[51] It may not truly have been outwardly manifest or -unfolded into evidence at that primitive stage. It could not well be. -But it was there, even in its totality, and unless it had been there, we -could not now be what we are. The conscious and subconscious self has -been within us all along, unfolding and manifesting itself with the -unfoldment and development of the body; and indeed to all appearances -guiding that development. And more, we may fairly say--having regard to -the mode of development of the tissue--that it dwells even in its -entirety within every normal and healthy cell of our present bodies, and -is the formative essence thereof. - -Let me give an illustration. Sometimes in the morning you may see a bush -glittering all over with dewdrops; every leaf has such a tiny jewel -hanging from it. If now you look you will see in each dewdrop a -miniature picture of the far landscape. Or, to take a closer -illustration, some shrubs have, embedded in the very tissue of their -leaves, tiny transparent and lens-like glands which yield to close -scrutiny similar miniatures of the world beyond. Exactly, then, like -these plants, we may think of the whole human body as trembling in -light--each cell containing (if we could but see it!) a luminous image -of the presiding genius or self of the body. - -The question is often asked: _Where_ is the self? does it reside in the -head, or in the heart, or perhaps in the liver? is it an aural halo -pervading and surrounding the body, or is it a single microscopic cell -far hidden in the interior, or is it an invisible atom? Here apparently -is the answer. It animates _every_ cell. It pervades the whole body, and -seeks expression in every part of it. Some cells, as we have said -before, are differentiated so as to express especially _this_ faculty, -others to express especially _that_; but the human soul or self stands -behind them all. Look at a baby's face, and its growing sparkling -expression--an individual being coming newly into the world, obviously -seeking, feeling, tentatively finding its way forward--every morning a -thinnest veil falling from its features! Playing through the whole body, -is an intelligence, seeking expression. Helen Keller, the girl both deaf -and blind, describes most graphically her agonizing experiences at the -age of six or seven, when her growing powers of body and mind demanded -the expression which her physical disabilities so cruelly denied. "The -desire to express myself grew,"[52] she says; "the few signs I used -became less and less adequate, and my failures to make myself understood -were invariably followed by outbursts of passion. I felt as if invisible -hands were holding me, and I made frantic efforts to free myself." And -then most touching, the description of her relief, "the thrill of -surprise, the joy of discovery," when she at last, about the age of ten, -was able to utter her first intelligible words. In some degree like -Helen Keller's is perhaps the experience of every babe that is born into -the world. - -It seems to me, therefore, that each person is practically compelled to -think of his 'self' as moving behind or as associated with or animating -every cell in the healthy body; and as having been so associated with -the first germ of the same, even though that was a thing well-nigh -invisible to the naked eye. You were there, you are there now, at the -root of your bodily life. You may not, certainly, except at moments, be -distinctly conscious of this your complete relation to the body; but, as -we have already said, the term self must be held to include the large -subconscious tracts which occasionally flash up into consciousness, and -which, when they do so flash, almost always confirm this relation; nor -must we lose from sight the still more deeply buried physiological or -animal soul, whose operations we seem to be able to trace from earliest -days, guiding all the complex of organic growth and development, and -apparently conscious in its own way with a very wonderful sort of -intelligence.[53] - -All this compels us, I think, not only to picture to ourselves the -mental self or soul as associated with the body, and taking part in its -development from the first inception of the latter; but also to picture -that self as in its entirety considerably _greater_ and more extensive -than the ordinary conscious self, and even as greater than any bodily -expression or manifestation which it succeeds in gaining. We are -compelled, I think, to regard the real self as at all times only -_partially_ manifested. - -I think this latter point is obvious; for when, and at what period in -life, is manifestation complete? Certainly not in babyhood, when the -faculties are only unfolding; certainly not in old age, when they are -decaying and falling away. Is it, then, in maturity and middle life? But -during all that period the output of expression and character in a man -is constantly changing; and which of all these changes of raiment is -completely representative? Do we not rather feel that to express our -real selves _every_ phase from childhood through maturity even into -extreme old age ought to be taken into account? Nay, more than that; for -have we not--perhaps most of us--a profound feeling and conviction that -there are elements deep down in our natures, which never have been -expressed, and never can or will be expressed in our present and actual -lives? Do we not all feel that our best is only a fraction of what we -want to say? And what must we think of the strange facts of multiple -personality? Do they not suggest that our real self has facets so -opposite, so divergent, that for a long time they may appear quite -disconnected with each other; until ultimately (as has happened in -actual cases) they have been visibly reconciled and harmonized in a new -and more perfect character? - -With regard to this view that the real person is so much greater than -his visible manifestation, Frederick Myers and Oliver Lodge have used -the simile of a ship. And it is a fine one. A ship gliding through the -sea has a manifestation of its own, a very partial one, in the -waterworld below--a ponderous hull moving in the upper layers of that -world--a form encrusted with barnacles and sea-weed. But what denizen of -the deep could have any inkling or idea of the real life of that ship in -the aerial plane--the glory of sails and spars trimmed to the breeze and -glancing in the sun, the blue arch of heaven flecked with clouds, the -leaping waves and the boundless horizon around the ship as she speeds -onward, the ingenious provision for her voyage, the compass, the -helmsman and the captain directing her course? Surely (except in moments -of divination and inspiration) we have little idea of what we really -are! But there _are_ such moments--moments of profound grief, of -passionate love, of great and splendid angers and enthusiasms which dart -light back into the farthest recesses of our natures and astonish us -with the vision they disclose. And (perhaps more often) there are -moments which disclose the wonder-self in others. If we do not recognize -(which is naturally not easy!) our own divinity, it is certain that we -cannot really _love_ without discovering a divine being in the loved -one--a being remote, resplendent, inaccessible, who calls for and indeed -demands our devotion, but of whom the mortal form is most obviously a -mere symbol and disguise. There are times when this strange illumination -falls on people at large, and we see them as gods walking: when we look -even on the tired overworked mother in the slum, and her face is shining -like heaven; or on the ploughboy in the field with his team, and see the -mould and the material of ancient heroes. Yet of what is really nearest -to them all the time these folk say nothing, and we are astonished to -find them haggling over halfpence or seriously troubled about -wire-worms. It is as if a play, or some kind of deliberate -mystification, were being carried on--with disguises a little too thin. -We see, as plain as day--and nothing can contravene our conclusion--that -it is only a fraction of the real person that is concerned. - -Your self, then, I say--covering by that word not only all that you and -your friends usually include in it, but probably a good deal -more--existed, with all its potentialities and capacities even in -association with the first primitive germ of your present body.[54] That -germ was microscopic in size, and its inner workings and transformations -were ultra-microscopic in character. We do not know whence they -originated; and whether we think of the soul which was associated with -them as ultra-microscopic in _its_ nature or as fourth-dimensional does -not much matter. We only perceive that it, the soul, must have been -there, in an unseen world of some kind, pushing forward toward its -manifestation in the visible.[55] I do not think we can well escape this -conclusion. - -But if we conclude that the soul existed before Birth, or, more -properly, at or before conception, in some such invisible world, then -that it should so exist after Death is equally possible, nay, probable. -For after conception, by continual multiplication and differentiation of -cells, the soul framed for itself organs of expression and -manifestation, and thus gradually came into our world of sight and sense -and ordinary intelligence; and so, by some reverse process, we may -suppose that in decay and death the soul gradually loses these organs -and their cordination, and retires into the invisible. Whatever the -nature of this invisible may be--whether, as I say, a world of things -too minute for human perception, or too vast for the same, or whether a -world which eludes us by the simple artifice of everywhere and in -everything running parallel to the things of the world--only in another -dimension imperceptible to us--in any case it seems reasonable to -suppose that the soul is still _there_, fulfilling its nature and its -destiny, of which its earth-life has only been one episode.[56] - -And if the apparent loss of consciousness (the loss of the ordinary -consciousness at any rate) which often takes place during the -death-change, seems to point to extinction and not to continuance, I -think that that need not disturb us. For in sleep, in our nightly sleep, -the same suspension of the ordinary consciousness takes place, as we -very well know; yet all the time the subconsciousness is functioning -away--sorting out sounds, bidding us wake for some, allowing us to sleep -through others, discriminating disturbances, carrying on the -physiologies of the body, posting sentinels in the reflexes--and -guarding us from harm--till untired in the morning it knits together -again the ravelled thread of the ordinary consciousness and renews our -waking activities. And if this happens in our ordinary and nightly -sleep, it seems at any rate possible that something similar may happen -in death. Indeed there is much evidence to show that while at the hour -of death the supraliminal consciousness often passes into a state of -quiescence or abeyance, the subliminal, or at any rate some portion of -the subliminal, becomes unusually active. Audition grows strangely -keen--so much so that it is sometimes difficult to tell whether the -things heard have been apprehended by extension of the ordinary faculty -or whether by a species of clairaudience. Vision similarly passes into -clairvoyance, the patient becomes extraordinarily sensitive to -telepathic influences, and knows what is going on at a distance;[57] and -not only so, but he radiates influences _to_ a distance. All the -phenomena of wraiths and dying messages, now so well substantiated--of -apparitions and impressions projected with force at the moment of death -into the minds of distant friends--prove clearly the increased activity -and vitality (one may say) of the subliminal self at that time; and this -points, as I say, not to extinction and disorganization, but perhaps to -the transfer of consciousness more decisively into hidden regions of our -being. One hears sometimes of a dying person who, prevented from -departure by the tears and entreaties of surrounding friends, cries out -"Oh! _let_ me die!" and one remembers the case, above mentioned, of the -apparently dead mother who, so to speak, called herself back to life by -the thought of her orphaned children. Such cases as these do not look -like loss of continuity; rather they look as if a keen intelligence were -still there, well aware of its earth-life, but drawn onward by an -inevitable force, and passing into a new phase, of swifter subtler -activity in perhaps a more ethereal body. - -That the human soul does pass through great transformations--moultings -and sloughings and metamorphoses--and so forward from one stage to -another, we know from the facts of life. Physiologically the body takes -on a new phase at birth, and another at weaning and teething, and -another at puberty, and another in age at the 'change of life,' and so -on; and transformations of the soul or inner life (some of them very -remarkable) are associated with these outer phases. The last great -bodily change is obviously accompanied--as we have just indicated--by -the development or extension of hidden psychic powers. What exactly that -final transformation may be, we can only at present speculate; but we -can see that, like the others, when it arrives it has already become -very necessary and inevitable. At every such former stage--whether it be -birth, or teething, or puberty, or what not--there has been constriction -or strangulation. The growing inner life has found its conditions too -limited for it, and has burst forth into new form and utterance. In this -final change the bodily conditions altogether seem to have grown too -limited. With an irresistible impulse and an agonizing joy of liberation -the soul sweeps out, or is fearfully swept, into its new sphere. -Sometimes doubtless the passage is one of pain and terror; far more -often, and in the great majority of cases, it is peaceful and calm, with -a deep sense of relief; occasionally it is radiant with ecstasy, as if -the new life already cast its splendor in advance.[58] - -Yes, we cannot withhold the belief that there is an after-death state--a -state which in a sense is present with us, and has been present, all our -lives; but which--for reasons that at present we can only vaguely -apprehend--has been folded from our consciousness. - - - - - CHAPTER VIII - - THE UNDERLYING SELF - - -Allowing, then, the great probability of the existence of an after-death -state, and of a survival of some kind, the question further arises: Is -that survival in any sense personal or individual? or does it belong to -some, so to speak, formless region, either below or above personality? -It is conceivable of course that there may be survival of the outer and -beggarly elements of the mind, below personality; or it is conceivable -that the deepest and most central core of the man may survive, far -beyond and above personality; but in either case the _individual_ -existence may not continue. The eternity of the All-soul or Self of the -universe is, I take it, a basic fact; it is from a certain point of view -obvious; we have already discussed it, and, as far as this book is -concerned, it is treated so much as an axiom that to argue further -without it would be useless. That being granted, it follows that if the -soul of each human being roots down ultimately into that All-self, the -core of each soul _must_ partake of the eternal nature. But as far as it -does so it _may_ be beyond all reach or remembrance or recognition of -personality. - -Such a conclusion--whatever force of conviction may accompany it--is -certainly not altogether satisfactory. I remember that once--in the -course of conversation with a lady on this very subject--she remarked -that though she thought there would be a future life she did not -believe in the continuance of individuality. "What do you believe in, -then?" said I. "Oh," she replied, "I think we shall be a sort of Happy -Mass!" And I have always since remembered that expression. - -But though the idea of a happy mass has its charms, it does not, as I -say, quite satisfy either our feelings or our intelligence. There is a -desire for something more, and there is a perception that -Differentiation and Individuation represent a great law--a law so great -as probably to extend even to the ultimate modes of Being. And though a -vague generality of this kind cannot stand in the place of strict -reasoning or observation, it may make us feel that personal survival is -at any rate possible, and that a certain amount of speculation on the -subject is legitimate. - -At the same time we have to bear in mind that the subject altogether is -a very complex one, and that we have to move only slowly, if we want to -move forward at all, and to avoid having to retrace our steps. We must -not too serenely assume, for instance, that we at all know what we are! -We have already (ch. v.) analyzed to some degree the constitution of the -human being, and found it complicated enough in its successive planes of -development. We have now to remember that--at least on the two middle -planes, those of the human soul and the animal soul--there is another -subdivision to be made, namely between that part which is conscious and -that which is only subconscious; so that further complications -inevitably arise. We may not only have to consider, as in the chapter -referred to, which of these planes may possibly carry survival with it, -but again whether such survival may be in the conscious region, or only -in the subliminal or subconscious. This chapter will be largely occupied -with a consideration of the subliminal or underlying portion of the -self, and it will be seen that that is probably of immense extent and -variety of content compared with the surface or conscious portion; but -it will also be seen that there is no strict line of demarcation between -the two, and that a continual interchange betwixt them is taking place, -so that for the present at any rate it is safest to give the word 'self' -its widest scope and make it include both portions and every mental -faculty, rather than limit its application. - - * * * * * - -In attacking the subject, then, of the Survival of the Self, I suppose -our first question ought to be: What is the test of survival, what do we -mean by it? And to this, I imagine, the answer is, Continuity of -Consciousness. This would seem to be the only satisfying definition. -Consciousness is necessary in some form or other, as the base and -evidence of our existence; and continuity in some degree is also -necessary, in order to link our experiences together, as it were into -one chain. Continuity, however, need not be absolute. The chain of -consciousness may apparently be broken by sleep, or it may be broken by -a dose of chloroform, or by a blow on the head; but it may be re-knit -and resumed. It may pass from the supraliminal state to the subliminal, -and again emerge on the surface. It may even be discontinuous; but as -long as Memory bridges the intervals we get the _sense_ of continuity of -life or personality.[59] Supposing a body of memories--of life say in -some village of ancient Egypt--suddenly opened up in one's mind, as -vivid and consistent and enduring as one's ordinary memory of childhood -days, it would be natural to conclude that one really had pre-existed in -that village; it would be difficult not to make that inference. And -similarly if at some future time, and in far other than our present -surroundings, the memory of this one's earth-life should emerge again, -vivid and personal as now, the being thus having that memory would, we -suppose, conclude that he had once lived this life here on earth. - -Thus Memory would be the arbiter of survival and of the continuity (on -the whole) of consciousness. Frederick Myers, indeed, goes so far as to -define consciousness as that which is "potentially memorable"[60]--thus -suggesting that memory is a necessary accompaniment of any psychic state -to which we can venture to give the name of consciousness. - -It may indeed seem precarious to rest our test of survival on so -notoriously fallible, and even at times fallacious, a thing as Memory; -but one does not see that there is anything better, or that there is any -alternative! The memory may not be continuously enduring and operative; -but if at any future time one should be persuaded of having survived -from this present life, it must, one would say, be by memory in some -form or other, _of_ this present life. And it must be remarked that -though memory is fitful and fallible, these epithets apply mainly to the -supraliminal memory, to that superficial memory which we make use of by -conscious effort, and which often fails us in the moment of need. Deep -below this we dimly perceive, and daily are becoming more persuaded of, -the existence of vast and permanent but latent stores, which from time -to time emerge into manifestation; and more and more our psychologists -are inclining to think that the supraliminal self gains its memories by -tapping these stores, and that its lapses and oblivions are more due to -failure in the tapping process than to any failure of the memory stores -themselves. Indeed not a few psychologists are now asking whether it is -not likely that _every_ psychic experience carries memory with it, and -so is preserved in the great storehouse. - -I have already, in the last chapter, spoken of the so-called subliminal -self as, among other things, a wonderful storehouse of memory; and I -propose now to occupy a few pages with the more detailed consideration -of the nature of that self; because, as we are discussing the question -of survival, our discussion, as I have just said, ought obviously to -include the under as well as the upper strata of consciousness. We -cannot very well confine our meaning and our inquiry to the little -brain-self only, and leave out of consideration the great self of the -emotions and impulses--of genius, love, enthusiasm, and so forth.[61] -No, we must include both--the more intimate, though more hidden, self, -as well as the self of the faade and the front window. - -This hidden self is indeed an astounding thing, whose extent and -complexity grows upon us as investigation proceeds. For when the term -'subliminal' was first used it had apparently a fairly simple -connotation--as of some _one_ obscure and unexplored chamber of the -mind; but now instead of a single chamber it would seem rather some vast -house or palace at whose door we stand, with many chambers and -corridors--some dark and underground, some spacious and well lighted and -furnished, some lofty with extensive outlook and open to the sky; and -the modern psychologists are puzzling themselves to find suitable names -for all these new domains--which indeed they cannot satisfactorily do, -seeing they know so little of their geography! - -I can only attempt here--very roughly I am afraid, and -unsystematically--to point out _some_ of the properties and qualities of -the underlying or hidden or subconscious self--whichever term we may -like to use. In the first place, its memory appears to be little short -of perfect, and at any rate to our ordinary intelligence and estimate, -nothing short of marvellous. When a servant girl, who can neither read -nor write, reproduces, in her wandering speech during a nervous fever, -whole sentences of Latin, Greek, and Hebrew, which she could not -possibly understand, and which had only fallen quite casually on her -ears years before from the lips of an old scholar (who used to recite -passages to himself as he walked up and down a room adjoining the -kitchen in which the girl at that time worked[62]); we perceive that the -under or latent memory _may_ catch and retain for a lengthy period, and -with strange accuracy, the most fleeting and apparently superficial -impressions. When Dr. Milne Bramwell instructs a hypnotized subject to -make a cross on a bit of paper exactly 20,180 minutes after the giving -of the order; and the patient, having of course emerged from the -hypnotic sleep, and gone about her daily work, and having no conscious -remembrance of the command, does nevertheless at the expiration of the -stated number of days and minutes take a piece of paper and make the -said cross upon it,[63] we can only marvel both at the persistence and -accuracy of memory which the subliminal being displays, and at the -strict command which this being may exercise in its silent way over the -actions of the supraliminal self. When we are repeatedly told that in -the moment of drowning, people remember every action and event of their -past life, though we may doubt the exact force of the word 'every,' we -cannot but be convinced that an enormous and astounding resurgence of -memory does take place,[64] and we cannot but suspect that the -memorization is somehow on a different plane of consciousness from the -usual one, being simultaneous and in mass instead of linear and -successive. Or when, again, a 'calculating boy' or prodigy of quite -tender years on being asked to find the cube-root of 31,855,013 -instantly says 317, or being given the number 17,861 immediately remarks -that it consists of the factors 337 53,[65] we are reduced to the -alternative suppositions, either that the boy's subconscious self works -out these sums with a perfectly amazing rapidity, or that it has access -to stores of memory and knowledge quite beyond the experience of the -life-time concerned. In all these cases, and hundreds and thousands of -others which have been observed, the memory of the subliminal -self--whether manifested through hypnotism, or in sleep or dreams, or in -other ways--seems to exceed in range and richness, as well as in -rapidity, the memory of the supraliminal self; and indeed Myers goes so -far as to say that the deeper down one penetrates below the -supraliminal, the more perfect is the remembrance: that, in cases where -one can reach various planes of memory in the same subject, "it is the -memory furthest from waking life whose span is the widest, whose grasp -of the organism's upstored impressions is the most profound."[66] This -is, I think, a very important conclusion, and one to which we may recur -later. - -But the hidden being within us does not show this extraordinary command -of mental processes merely in technical matters. Its powers extend far -deeper, into such regions as those of Genius and Prophecy. The wonderful -flashes of intuition, the complex combinations of ideas, which at times -leap fully formed and with a kind of authority into the field of man's -waking consciousness, obviously proceed from a deep intelligence of some -kind, lying below, and are the product of an immensely extended and -rapid survey of things, brought to a sudden focus. They yield us the -finest flowers of Art; and some at any rate of the most remarkable -instances of Prediction. For though there may be--and probably is--a -purely clairvoyant prophetic gift, freed as it were from the obscuration -of Time, yet it cannot be doubted that much or most of prophecy is -simply very swift and conclusive inference derived from very extensive -observation. - -These flashes and inspirations are clearly not the product of the -conscious brain; they are felt by the latter to come from beyond it. -They are, in the language of Myers, "uprushes from the subliminal self." -And even beyond them there are things which come from the same -source--there are splendid enthusiasms, and overwhelming impulses of -self-sacrifice, as well as mad and dmonic passions. - -Yet again, it is not merely command of _mental_ processes that the -subconscious being displays, but of the bodily powers and processes too. -Intelligent itself to the marvellous degrees already indicated, it is -evident also that its intelligence penetrates and ordains the whole -body. Every one has heard of the _stigmata_ of the Crucifixion appearing -on the hands and feet of some religious devotee, as in the celebrated -case of Louise Lateau. Dr. Briggs of Lima once told a hypnotized patient -that "a red cross would appear on her chest every Friday during a period -of four months"--and obediently the mark appeared.[67] A whisper in such -cases is often sufficient; and the latent power swiftly but effectually -modifies all the complex activities and functions of the organism to -produce the desired result. What an extraordinary combination of -elaborate intelligence and detailed organizing power must here be at -work! And the same in the quite common yet very remarkable cases of -mental healing, with which we are all now familiar! - -Sometimes again--quite apart from any oral suggestion or apparent -outside influence--we find the subjective being taking most decisive -command of a person's faculties and actions. This happens, for instance, -in somnambulism, when the sleepwalker perhaps passes along the narrow -and perilous ridge of a roof or wall with perfect balance and sureness -of foot--adjusting a hundred muscles in the most delicate way, and yet -with total unconsciousness as far as the supraliminal self is concerned. -Or it happens sometimes--even more remarkably--to people in full -possession of their waking faculties, at some moment when extreme danger -threatens to overwhelm them. John Muir in his _The Mountains of -California_,[68] describes how when scaling the very precipitous face of -a cliff he found himself completely baffled, at a great height from the -ground, and unable to proceed either up or down. He was seized with -panic and a trembling in every limb, and was on the point of falling, -when suddenly a perfect calm and assurance took possession of him, and -somehow--he never quite knew how--with an astonishing agility and -sure-footedness he completed the ascent, and was saved. "I seemed -suddenly to become possessed of a new sense. The other Self--bygone -experiences, Instinct or Guardian Angel, call it what you will--came -forward and assumed control. My trembling muscles became firm again, -every rift and flaw in the rock was seen as through a microscope, and my -limbs moved with a positiveness and precision with which I seemed to -have nothing at all to do. Had I been borne aloft upon wings, my -deliverance could not have been more complete." - -Mterlinck, in his chapter on "The Psychology of Accident" (in _Life and -Flowers_), describes how in the nerve-commotion of danger, Instinct, "a -rugged, brutal, naked, muscular figure," rushes to the rescue. "With a -glance that is surer and swifter than the onrush of the peril, it takes -in the situation, then and there unravels all its details, issues and -possibilities, and in a trice affords a magnificent, an unforgettable -spectacle of strength, courage, precision, and will, in which -unconquered life flies at the throat of death." And similar -instances--of instinctive presence of mind, and an almost miraculous -development of faculty in extreme danger--are within the knowledge of -most people. The subliminal being steps in quite decisively, and the -ordinary conscious mind _feels_ that another power is taking over the -reins. - -But there is another faculty of the subjacent self which must not be -passed over, and which is very important--I mean the image-forming -power. This is one of the prime faculties of all intelligent beings, -lying at the very root of creation; and it is a faculty possessed to an -extreme and impressive degree by the self "behind the scenes." I have -discussed this subject generally at some length in my book _The Art of -Creation_, and need not repeat the matter here, except to allude to a -few points. The image-forming faculty is a natural attribute of the -conscious mind, in all perhaps but the lowest grades of evolution; at -any rate it is difficult to think of a mind at all like ours _without_ -this faculty. This faculty is most active when the mind is withdrawn -into itself, in quietude. In his study or when burning the midnight oil -the writer's brain teems, or is supposed to teem, with images! But in -sleep the image-forming activity is even greater. It then shows itself -in the subconscious mind, in the world of dreams, whose bodiless -creations are more vivid and energetic than those of our waking hours, -and have a strange sense of _reality_ about them. But again, in the -deeper sleep of trance still more vivid images are produced. A young -student hypnotized imagines himself to be Napoleon, then to be -Garibaldi, then to be an old woman of ninety, then to be a mere child. -He acts the parts of these characters, imitates their handwriting, their -voices, issues proclamations to his soldiers in the name of the first -two, assumes the shaky penmanship of childhood and of old age; and all -in the course of half-an-hour or so.[69] The images thus formed in the -deep trance of the young man are so vivid, so powerful, so dramatic, -that they take possession of the organism and compel it to become the -means of their manifestation. In mediumistic trance the same thing -happens. There may be suggestion from outside, or there may not, but in -the depth of the medium's mind images are formed which speak and act -through the entranced person, making use in doing so of the marvellous -stores of memory and knowledge which the inner mind has at command, and -sorely puzzling the spectators at times, as to whether the performance -is merely histrionic or whether by chance it indicates a _bona fide_ -communication from the dead.[70] - -This energetic dramatic quality of the image-forming faculty is -tremendously important. It has not been enough insisted upon; and it has -been greatly misunderstood and misrepresented. It is, as I say, a -root-property of creation. It is seen everywhere in the healthy activity -of the human mind, in its delight in romance and imagination, in the -play of children, the stage, literature, art, scientific invention--the -sheer joy of creation, going on everywhere and always. Lay the conscious -and controlling and selective power of the upper mind at rest, in the -trance-condition, and you have in the deeps of the subliminal self this -primal creative power exposed. Offer to it the lightest suggestion, and -there springs forth from that abyss a figure corresponding, or a dozen -figures, or a whole procession! The mere delight of creation calls them -forth. Could anything be more wonderful? What a strange glimpse it gives -us of the possibilities of Creation. - -Some people seem to be quite shocked at the idea that this subliminal -mind, or whatever it is that possesses these marvellous powers, should -act these parts, and lend itself to unsubstantial and quasi-fraudulent -representations. But why accuse of deception? It is a game--the great -game we are all of us playing--the whole Creation romancing away; with -endless inexhaustible fertility throwing out images, ideas, new shapes -and forms forever. Those forms which hold their own, which substantiate -themselves, which fill a place, fulfil a need--they win their way into -the actual world and become the originals of the plants, the animals, -human beings, works of art, and so forth, which we know. Those which -cannot hold their own pass back again into the unseen. In the far depths -of the entranced medium's mind we see this abysmal process going -on--this fountain-like production of images taking place--the very -beginnings of creation. It is the sheer joy of manifestation. As one -gives a musician a mere hint or clue--a theme of three or four -notes--and immediately he improvises a spirited piece of music; so is it -with the hypnotized person or with the medium. One gives him a -suggestion and he immediately creates the figures according. And so it -is for us, to direct this wonderful power, even in ourselves--not to -call it fraudulent, but to make use of it for splendid ends. - -Doubtless it can be used for unworthy ends. It is easy to understand -that the mediumistic person, finding this wonderful dramatic and -creative faculty within himself or herself, is sometimes tempted to turn -it to personal advantage; and succumbs to the temptation. The dramatic -habit catches hold of the waking self, and renders the person tricky and -unreliable.[71] But below it all is creation, and the instinct of -creation--the power that gives to airy nothing a local habitation, the -genius of the dramatist, of the artist, of the inventor, and the _very -source of the visible and tangible world_. - -For from the Under-self--as exposed in the state of trance, or in -extreme languor and exhaustion of the body, or in the moment of death, -or in dreams, or even in profound reverie--proceed (strange as it may -seem) Voices and Visions and Forms, things audible and visible and -tangible, things anyhow which are competent to impress the senses of -spectators so vividly as to be for the moment indistinguishable from the -phenomena, audible, visible and tangible, of our actual world. Amazing -as are the materializations connected with mediums--the figures which -appear, which speak, which touch and are touched, the faces, the -supernumerary feet and hands, the sounds, the lights, the movements of -objects--all in some way connected with the medium's presence--these -phenomena are now far too well established and confirmed by careful and -scientific observation to admit (in the mass) of any reasonable -doubt.[72] And similarly with the wraiths, or phantoms which are -projected from dying or lately dead persons, the evidence for them in -general is much too abundant and well attested to allow of -disbelief.[73] What an extraordinary story, for instance, is that given -by Sir Oliver Lodge in his _Survival of Man_ (p. 101)--of a workman who -having drunk poison by mistake, appeared in the moment of death, with -blue and blotched face to his employer, to whom he was greatly attached, -and told him not to be deceived by the rumor that he (the workman) had -committed suicide! Yet the story is fully and authoritatively given in -the _Proceedings of the Society for Psychical Research_, vol. iii. p. -97, and cannot well be set aside. But if such things happen in the hour -of death, so do they also happen in the dream-state.[74] The dreamer has -a vivid dream of visiting a certain person, and is accordingly and at -that time, seen by that person. And in the state of reverie the same. It -is at times sufficient to think profoundly of any one, or to let one's -inner self go out toward that person in order to cause an image of -oneself to be seen by him. - -It will of course be said, and often is said, that those phenomena are -only hallucinations, and have no objective existence. But the sufficient -answer to that is that the things also of our actual world are -hallucinations in their degree, and certainly have no full objective -existence. The daffodil in my garden is an hallucination in that degree -that with the smallest transposition of my senses, its color, its scent, -and even its form might be quite altered. What we call its objectivity -rests on the permanence of its relations--on its continued appearance in -one spot, its visibility to different people at one time, or to one -person at different times, and so forth. But if that is the definition -of objectivity, it is obvious that the forms which have been seen over -and over again, and under strict test-conditions, in connection with -certain mediums, have had in their degree an objective existence. - -In America, in connection with Kate Fox (one of the earliest and most -spontaneous and natural of modern mediums), a certain Mr. Livermore--a -thoroughly capable business man of New York--came into communication as -it seemed with his deceased wife. She appeared to him--not in one house -only, but in several houses--over and over again; sometimes only the -head, sometimes the whole figure; her appearance was accompanied by -inexplicable sounds and lights; she communicated sometimes by raps, -sometimes by visibly writing on blank cards brought for the purpose; and -these phenomena extended over a period of six years and 388 recorded -sittings, and at many of the sittings were corroborated by independent -witnesses.[75] It is difficult to imagine hallucinations or deceit -maintained under such circumstances. - -In England (in connection with the medium Florence Cook) the figure -"Katie King" appeared to Sir William Crookes a great number of times -during three years (1881-84) and was studied by him and Mr. C. F. -Varley, F.R.S., with the greatest scientific care. Her apparition often -spoke to those present, was touched by, and touched them, wrote, or -played with the children. It often came outside the cabinet, and three -times was seen by those present simultaneously with, and by the side of, -the entranced medium. The figure was taller than the medium and -different in feature; Crookes observed its pulse and found it making 75 -beats a minute to the medium's 90, and so forth.[76] - -Professor Richet, the French scientist, examined with great care the -phantasm "Beni Boa," which appeared to him some twenty times in -connection with the Algerian medium Aisha; he obtained several -photographs of it, and observed its pulse, its respiration, and so -forth.[77] Lombroso, the author of many scientific works, and a man who -to begin with was a complete sceptic on these matters, assures us that -at the sittings of Eusapia Paladino he saw his own mother (long dead) a -great number of times, and that she repeatedly kissed him.[78] In -connection with Mme. D'Esprance[79] the girlish figure of "Yolanda" -appeared and disappeared very frequently during a period of ten years, -and was well known to frequenters of her circle; and in 1896 a committee -formed by some twenty-five high officials and well-known persons in -Norway publicly attested the repeated appearance at her seances of a -very beautiful female figure who glided among the sitters, grasped their -hands, gave them messages, and so forth, and disappeared before their -eyes in a misty cloud.[80] Such evidence of the objectivity of seance -figures could be rather indefinitely multiplied. But the same may be -said, though perhaps less conclusively, of various ghosts and other -manifestations, whose relations to certain persons or places or houses -seem quite definite and well established--and not unfrequently steadily -recurrent under the same conditions.[81] - -Without going into the vexed question of whether these and the like -manifestations are merely products or inventions of the trance-mind of -the medium or other person concerned, or whether some at least of them -are the work or evidence of separate 'spirits'--leaving that question -open for the present--we may still say that all these things are actual -creations--creations of the hidden self of Man in some form or other; -not so assured, certainly, and not so permanent as the well-known shapes -of outer Nature; abortive creations, if you like, which come a little -way forward into manifestation, and then retreat again; but still -creations in the same sense as those more established ones; and -wonderfully revealing to us the secret of the generation and birth of -all the visible world. - - * * * * * - -That we should have, all of us, this magic source somewhere buried -within--this Aladdin's lamp, this vase of the Djinns, this Pandora box -of evil as well as of good, is indeed astounding; and must cause us, -when we have once fully realized the fact, to envisage life quite -differently from what we have ever done before. It must cause us to feel -that our very ordinary and daily self--which we know so well (and which -sometimes we even get a little tired of) is only a fraction, only a flag -and a signal, of that great Presence which we really are, that great -Mass-man who lies unexplored behind the very visible and actual. -Difficult or impossible as this being may be to define, enormously -complex as it probably is, and far-reaching, and hard to gauge, yet we -see that it is _there_, undeniably there--a being that apparently -includes far extremes of faculty and character, running parallel to the -conscious self from low to high levels,[82] having in its range of -manifestation the most primitive desires and passions, and the highest -feats of intellect and enthusiasm; and while at times capable of -accepting the most frivolous suggestions and of behaving in a humorous -or merely capricious and irresponsible manner, at other times capable, -as we have seen, of taking most serious command and control of the whole -physical organism, and as far as the spiritual organism is concerned, of -rising to the greatest heights of prophecy and inspiration.[83] - -I say, then, that we must include in this problem of survival both the -ordinary upper and conscious self and the deep-lying subjective and -subconscious (or superconscious) being. Just as the organizing power of -the Body includes the Cerebro-spinal system of nerves on the one hand, -and the Great-Sympathetic system on the other, so the organism of the -soul includes the supraliminal and subliminal portions. The two must be -taken together, and either alone could only represent a fraction of the -real person. The exact relation of these two selves to each other is a -matter which can only become clear with long time and study of this -difficult subject. It may be that the subliminal self is destined to -become conscious in our ordinary sense of the word. It may be, on the -other hand, that the conscious self is destined to rise into the much -wider consciousness of the subjective being. There is a great deal to -suggest that the supraliminal self is only the front as it were of the -great wave of life; and that the brain consciousness is only a very -special instrument for dealing with the surroundings and conditions of -our terrestrial existence--an instrument which will surrender much of -its value at death and on mergence with the larger and differently -constituted consciousness which underruns and sustains it. That the two -selves are in constant communication with each other, and that they are -both intelligent in some sense, is obvious from the facts of -_suggestion_, by which often the lightest whisper so to speak from the -upper is understood and attended to by the under self; while, on the -other hand, the under-self communicates with the upper, sometimes by -inner Voices heard and Visions seen, sometimes by automatic actions, as -in dream- or trance-writing, sometimes even by Sounds and Apparitions so -powerful as to _appear_ at least external. - -So we cannot but think that the question of survival may ultimately -resolve itself very much into the question of the more complete and -effectual understanding between these different portions of the self. -When they come into clear relation with each other, when the unit-man -and the Mass-man merge into a perfect understanding and harmony, when -they both become conscious of their affiliation to the great Self of the -universe, then the problem will be solved--or we may perhaps say, the -problem will cease to exist. - - - NOTE TO CHAPTER VIII - - ON TRANCE-PHENOMENA - -It may seem rash or unbalanced to dwell, in the preceding chapters, on -trance and mediumistic phenomena as much as I have done, considering -that they are in some sense abnormal--that is, they are unusual, and -comparatively few people have an opportunity of verifying them; also -they may (it is said) be abnormal in the sense of being the products of -conditions so special or even so morbid that conclusions drawn from them -can have no general importance or value. - -There is a certain fashion in such matters, and with large sections of -the public and during a long period it has no doubt been the habit -simply to dismiss all consideration of this subject, as for one reason -or another unadvisable. But now these phenomena in general (or enough of -them to constitute a solid body of observation) are so thoroughly -corroborated that it would be mere affectation to pass them by; and the -best science nowadays refuses to ignore exceptional happenings on -account of their exceptionality--recognizing that these very happenings -often afford the key to the explanation of more common events. - -The phenomena connected with mediums and seances have been so amazing -and unexpected that they have often produced a kind of fear and dismay. -The religious people have been terrified at the prospect of having to -acknowledge miracles not connected with the Church; or of having to -confess to the resurrection of John Smith as well as of Jesus Christ. -The scientific folk (in many or most quarters) being always just on the -point of completing their pet scheme of the universe--whatever it may -happen to be at the time--have naturally been in no mood to admit new -facts which would totally disarrange their systems; and have, therefore, -with a few brilliant exceptions, consistently closed their eyes or -looked another way. And the general public, not without reason, has -feared to embark on a subject which might easily float it away from the -dry land of practical life, into one knows not what sea of doubt or even -delusion. - -But these difficulties attend at all times the introduction of a new -subject--or at least of one which is new to the generation concerned; -and can of course not be allowed to interfere with the candid and -impartial examination of the subject, or with the assimilation, as far -as feasible, of its message. It should certainly, I think, be admitted -that there are dangers attending the new science--or rather attending -the hasty and careless investigation of it--just as there are attending -any other science. There is no doubt that the phenomena connected with -it are so astounding that they in some cases unhinge people's minds, or -at least for the time upset them; and what we have already said once or -twice of the frequent bodily exhaustion of the Medium, not to mention -the occasional exhaustion of the sitters, must convince us that the -greatest care should be exercised in connection with trance-conditions, -and that the whole subject should be studied with a view to discovering -its proper and best handling. It is clear--whatever view is taken of the -process--that a certain disintegration of the organism, and even of the -personality of the medium, is liable to occur, one portion of the -organism acting in a manner and under influences foreign to another -portion, and that such disintegration oft repeated or long continued may -be liable to produce a permanent degeneration of physique or even -possibly demoralization of character. If there is a danger in this -direction--and the extent of the danger should certainly be -gauged--equally certainly it ought to be minimized or averted by the -proper conditions. On the other hand, while noting this danger, we -should not leave out of mind that some evidence points in the other -direction--namely, to the favorable effects and influences of trance -when rightly conducted.[84] We may also in this connection allude to the -changed attitude of the general mind to-day toward Hypnotism--a subject -allied to that which we are considering. Fifty years ago the word had a -sinister sound, and hypnotism and mesmerism were thought to be -inventions of the devil and agencies of all evil. To-day they are -recognized as a great power for good, and in at least two hospitals (in -France) as the main instrument of healing. Naturally, when people are -ignorant of a subject, or only in the first stages of knowledge with -regard to it, they mishandle and misunderstand it. It may well happen -therefore that with better understanding of mediumship and -trance-conditions, some of their drawbacks or less favorable aspects may -pass out of sight. - -Mediums and trance-phenomena--prophecy, second sight, speaking in -strange tongues, the appearance of flames and lights, and of figures -apparently from the dead--are things that have been known all down -history, and recognized almost as a matter of course, both among quite -primitive peoples like the Kaffirs, or the Aleuts or the Mongolians, or -among the more cultured like the Greeks, the Romans, the Hindus, -Chinese, and so forth. The Bible teems with references to wizards and -"necromancers" (note the meaning of the word); and the story of the -Witch of Endor gives us a penetrating glimpse into what was evidently a -common practice of "consultation." These phenomena have never been so -common as to break up and disorganize the routine of ordinary life, yet -they have always been there, and recognized, as on the fringe or -borderland--in somewhat the same way as the knowledge or recognition of -Death does not interfere with daily life or prevent us making -engagements; though we know it _may_ do so at any time. And beyond any -direct uses that trance-communication and manifestations may have now, -or may have had in the past (a matter on which no doubt there is a good -deal of difference of opinion), we may fairly suppose that as examples -of real things and of a real world lying just outside the sphere of our -ordinary and actual experience they may be of immense value--both as -delivering us from a cramped and petty belief that we have already -fathomed the possibilities of the universe, and as giving us just a hint -and a glimpse of directions in which we may fairly look for the future. -That we should for the present be limited for the most part to a -definite sphere of activity, or to a definite region of creation, seems -only natural. "One world, please, at a time!" said Thoreau when on his -deathbed he was plagued by some pious person about the future life; and -if _we_ in our daily life were entangled in the manifestations of two -very different planes of existence it might be greatly baffling. At the -same time, the occasional hint or message from another plane may be of -the greatest help. - -Condensations and manifestations (as of beings from such other plane) -may be abnormal at present. They may be rare, they may occur under -unexpected and even unhealthy conditions, they may cause dislocations of -mind and of morals, they may be confused and confusing. All these things -we should indeed in some degree _expect_; and yet it may not follow that -these objections will continue. It is quite possible that in the future -they will disappear. As I have had occasion to say many times, every new -movement or manifestation of human activity, when unfamiliar to people's -minds, is sure to be misrepresented and misunderstood. It appears in -humble guise, without backing or patronage, forcing its way to light in -the most unlikely places, "to the Jews a stumbling-block, to the Greeks -foolishness," often distorted and out of shape owing to its very -birth-struggles, and for the very same reason diffident at first and -uncertain of its own mission. Possibly a time is coming when Mediumship, -instead of being left over (as not unfrequently now) to quite ignorant -and uncultured specimens of humanity, and being exercised in haphazard, -careless fashion, or for monetary gain, or personal vanity, will be -looked upon as a sacred and responsible office, worthy of and requiring -considerable preparation and instruction, demanding the respect of the -public, yet thoroughly criticized, both in method and result, by -intelligent examination and logic. Possibly a time is coming when -messages and manifestations from another plane than that of our daily -life will come to us under the most obviously healthy and sane -conditions, and will be fully recognized as having value and even, in -their way, authority. - - * * * * * - -For the present--allowing (as I do) the absolute genuineness of a great -body of "spiritualistic" phenomena--there still is (owing to various -causes already indicated) considerable doubt as to _who_ or _what_ the -manifesting beings or forces are. I suppose the main theories on the -subject may be gathered under the following heads: that the manifesting -powers are (1) Images, more or less unconsciously projected from the -Medium's own mind; or, in case of raps, and so forth, emissions of force -from the medium's body; (2) that they are the same projected from the -minds or bodies of other persons present; (3) that they are independent -Beings, making _use_ of the medium's or other person's organism for the -purpose of expression; or (4) that there is a blending of these actions. - -I think everyone who has studied the matter practically admits the first -explanation in some degree; most people perhaps allow the second and -fourth; but a good many--though not all--exclude the third. With regard, -however, to this last theory (that there really are occasional messages -or manifestations from the dead--or from "the other side") there -certainly seems to be a very considerable residuum of evidence which, -though not absolutely conclusive, is favorable to it; and there -certainly are a considerable number of eminent and responsible men--like -Myers, Lodge, Lombroso, and others--who, though not dogmatic, profess -themselves inclined to accept the theory, on the evidence so far -available. For myself--having so little personal and direct experience -in this field--I do not feel in a position to form a definite opinion, -and am content to leave the evidence to accumulate. - - - - - CHAPTER IX - - SURVIVAL OF THE SELF - - -In the last chapter we pointed out that for any adequate understanding -of the subject before us the self must be taken to include the more -obscure and subconscious portion of the mind, as well as the specially -conscious portion with which we are most familiar. There is a constant -interaction and flow taking place between the two parts, and to draw a -strict line dividing them would be impossible. Indeed it would rather -appear that growth comes largely by their blending and throwing light on -each other. We also brought forward some considerations to show the -nature of the underlying or subconscious self--its immense extent, the -swiftness of its perceptions, and so forth. If then, to continue our -argument, there should come a time (in death) when the outer and more -obvious ego merges, or at least comes into closer relation, with the -under-self, it would seem likely that the surviving consciousness would -be greatly changed from its present form, and would take on something of -the instantaneous wide-reaching character of what has been called the -Cosmic Consciousness. And this is a conclusion much to be expected, and -surely also much to be desired. However one may envisage the matter, it -hardly seems possible to imagine an after-death consciousness quite on -the same plane as our present consciousness. (This, too--one may say in -passing--probably explains the difficulty we experience in holding -direct communication with the dead--the same sort of difficulty, in -fact, that the outer mind during life has in directly reaching the inner -mind.) Myers[85] speaks of our supraliminal life as merely a special -phase of our whole personality, and suggests that there are good reasons -for thinking that there is a relation--"obscure but -indisputable--between the subliminal and the surviving self." Under -these circumstances it would seem natural to inquire what definite -reasons there may be for thinking that the subliminal self survives; and -I shall occupy this chapter largely with that question. - -(1) In the first place, from the observed process of the generation and -growth of the body from a microscopic origin, we have already argued -(chapter vii.) the probability of the pre-existence in a sub-atomic or -fourth-dimensional state of the being which is manifested in the body, -and therefore the probability of the continuance of that being after the -dissolution of the body. And this argument must include the Under-self, -which is responsible for so much of the organization and growth and -sustentation of the body, as well as the Upper; and may well lead us to -infer that both upper and under selves continue after death--only -conjoined in some way, and with some added experience gained during -life. - -(2) In the second place, we are struck by the fact that continuous -Memory--which we decided to be the very necessary condition of -survival--is just the thing which is so strong in the subjective being -and so characteristic of it. The huge stores of memory--and of quite -_personal and individual_ memory--which this being has at command, their -long dormancy and their extraordinary resurgence at times when -conditions call them forth, are a marvel to the investigator, and make -us feel that it is hardly probable that they are all swept away at -death. Even if dormant _at_ the time of death, it seems not unlikely -that here again later conditions may awake them once more to life. - -But (3), we have a great deal of evidence to show that, as a matter of -fact, the underlying self is especially _active_ at the moment of death. -The whole phenomenon of 'wraiths'--now in the mass so amply -proved[86]--the projection of phantasms sometimes to an immense -distance,[87] by persons _in articulo mortis_--goes to show its intense -energy and _vitality_ (if one may use the word) at that moment. And the -vivid resurgences of memory at the same moment (or in any hour of -danger) point in the same direction. T. J. Hudson, and others, insist -that the subjective mind _never sleeps_--that whatever drowsiness, or -faintness, or languor may overpower the upper or self-conscious mind, -the under mind is still acutely awake and operant, and if this is (as it -appears) true with regard to sleep, it may well also be so even with -regard to death. - -Again (4), the Telsthetic faculty of the under-self (I mean during -life)--its power of clairvoyantly perceiving things and events at a -distance, even in minutest details--is a very wonderful fact--a fact -that is amply established, and one that must give us pause. Here are -vision and perception at work without eyes or ears, or any of the usual -bodily end-organs[88]--and acting in such a way as to suggest or -practically to prove that the soul has other channels or instruments of -perception than those connected with the well-known outer body. Every -one has heard of cases of this kind. They are common on the borderland -of sleep, or in dreams, and--what especially appeals to us here--they -are very common in the hour of death. If the soul (as is evidently the -case) can perceive without the intermediation of mortal eye or ear; -then--though we may conclude that these special organs have been -fashioned or developed for special terrene use--we may also conclude -that, without them, it would still continue to exercise perception, -developing sight and hearing and other faculties along lines with which -at present we are but slightly acquainted. These faculties spring -inevitably deep down out of ourselves, and will recur again doubtless -wherever we are.... "Were your eyes destroyed, still the faculty of -sight were not destroyed; out of the same roots again as before would -another optic apparatus spring."[89] - -And the same may be said, (5), about the telepathic faculty--that is, -the power (not of perceiving, but) of _sending_ impressions or messages -to a distance. This power which the under-self has of communicating with -the under-selves of other persons, and often at a great distance, is one -of the best-established facts in the new psychology; and again, it is -very pregnant with inference. It shows us the soul acting vividly along -certain lines independent as far as we can see of the known body, -certainly along lines independent of the known organs of expression. It -compels us to conclude a possible and even probable activity quite apart -from that body. With this telepathic power, or as an extension of it, -may be classed the image-projecting faculty, which we have already seen -to be peculiarly active in death. And it may be appropriate here to -notice that in quite a number of the cases of wraiths or phantasms -projected (in forty cases out of three hundred and sixteen as given by -Edmund Gurney in _Proceedings S.P.R._ vol. v. p. 408) the apparition was -seen after the death had occurred--though within twenty-four hours -after. This may directly indicate an after-death activity of the person -who projected the image, or it _may_ merely indicate a relay of the -telepathic impression on its way, or in the subconscious mind of the -recipient, previous to emerging in the latter's _conscious_ mind.[90] - -All these things are strongly indicative. They do not give the -impression that at death the underlying self is in the act of perishing. -On the contrary, they point to its continuance, and if anything -_increased_ activity; while at the same time the strongly _personal_ -character of many of the phenomena referred to--the wonderfully distinct -personal memories, the very personal images or phantasms projected, the -telepathic appeal to nearest and dearest friends--all suggest that the -continuing activity does not merely tail off into an abstract life-force -or vague stream of tendency, but is of a distinctly personal or -individual character. - -There is another consideration, (6), on which I may dwell for a moment -here. The passion of Love, whether considered in its physical or in its -psychical and emotional aspects, is notably a matter of the subjective -or subliminal life. The little self-conscious, logical, argumentative -personality is completely routed by this passion, which seems to spring -from the great depths of being with Titanic force, full-armed in its own -convictions, and overturning all established orders and conventions. It -surely must give us a deep insight into the nature of that hidden self -from which it springs. Yet nothing is more noticeable about the passion -than its recklessness of mortal life--nothing more noticeable than its -willingness to sacrifice all worldly prospects and the body itself in -the pursuit of its ends. Even the most physical love, as we have said -already (chapter vi.), has a strange relation to Death, and often slays -the very object of its desire:-- - - "For each man kills the thing he loves, - Though each man does not die." - -While the more emotional form of the passion almost rejoices in its -contempt of life and its willingness to face dangers and death for the -sake of the beloved. It says as plain as words:--"I can fulfil myself -and my purposes all right, even without this mortal part which you hold -so dear"; and unless we think that the hidden being who thus speaks is a -perfect fool, we must conclude that it is _aware_ of a life surpassing -that of the body. - -Such a continuing life we no doubt have evidence of, and indeed commonly -admit to exist, in the Race-life; and as a first approximation it seems -natural and obvious to interpret the underlying or subliminal self as -being simply the Race-self. In the case of the lower and less developed -forms of creation, perhaps this is the wisest thing to do. In default of -more detailed and perfect knowledge, we may easily assume that in a -shoal of several million herrings or in a 'culture' of several billion -microbes the underlying self of each particular herring or microbe is -practically identical with the self of the race concerned. But in the -case of man and some of the higher animals it is not so easy to do this. -We find a strongly individual element in his subconscious mind, which -must also be accounted for. I have already alluded to the stores of -individual memory which this mind retains, thus differentiating it from -others; and I have alluded to the intensely individual phantasms which -it projects. And now again we are brought face to face with the greatly -individual character of its love-passion. However much the love-passion -may be symbolical of the life of the race, and deeply implicated in the -same (and both of these it certainly is), still--except in its lower -forms--there is nothing vague and general and undifferentiated about -that passion; on the contrary, it is most strongly personal and sharply -outlined. Why is it that out of the hundred thousand people that a man -may meet only _one_ will arouse this tremendous response? Why is it that -every great love in its depth seems different from every other? Do not -these things suggest a profound difference of outline in the -subconscious beings themselves from whom these loves proceed? These -beings are manifestations and organic expressions of the Race--yes. But -they are also deeply individual and different--each one from the other. - -And here we seem to come upon the first emergence of the solution of the -problem before us. The self of which we are in search _has_--especially -through its subconscious part--a vast continuing life, affiliated to the -life of the race and beyond that to the cosmic life of the All; but it -also has a strongly individual outline and character. Nursed in the womb -of the Race during countless ages, like a babe within its mother, -passing through numberless reincarnations in a kind of collective way, -and in more or less unconsciousness of its supreme and separate destiny, -it at last in Man attains to the clear sense of individuality, and -(through much suffering) is set free to an independent existence; being -finally exhaled from earth-mortality into a cosmic life under other -conditions of space and time than ours. - -Difficult as this conception of a continued individual existence may be -to hold to in view of the terrible and external flux of general Nature, -and difficult as it may be to understand in all detail; yet, as I say, -it is Love which compels us to the insight of its truth. It is Love -which has the clear conception of the uniqueness of the beloved, it is -love which positively refuses to believe in her (or his) annihilation, -it is love alone which in the hour of loss can face the awful midnight -sky, and dare to sing:-- - - "Sleep sweetly, tender heart, in peace, - Sleep, holy Spirit, blessed soul! - _While the stars burn, the moons increase,_ - _And the great ages onward roll._" - -And it is in the meeting of lovers that the heavens open, allowing them -to see--if only for a moment--the eternities to which they both belong. - -There are no doubt other considerations--I mean those connected with -mediumistic and so-called spiritualistic phenomena--which point toward -the conclusion of an individual survival of some kind after death; but -although this kind of evidence is likely to prove in the end of immense -value, it is possible that the time has not yet quite come when it can -be completely substantiated, tabulated, and effectively utilized; at any -rate I do not feel myself in a position to so deal with it. It has also -to be said that a great deal of this evidence (relating to actual -communications from the dead) is necessarily of so very personal a -character that it can only appeal to the individual persons concerned, -and however convincing it may be to them does naturally not carry the -same conviction to the world at large. I shall therefore for the present -pass these considerations by, and, on the strength of the arguments -already brought forward, assume the general truth of man's survival. - -The course of the argument has been somewhat as follows. In the first -place, we have urged the enormous possibilities (disclosed by modern -investigation) of other life than that which we know--thus enlarging the -bounds of the likely, and weakening the argument from improbability. -In the second place, we have pointed out that continuance of _memory_ -seems the best test of survival; that even in our law courts (as in -a Tichborne case) it is not so much the facts of feature and form as -the facts of memory which are relied on to prove identity. Thirdly, we -have argued that not only the supraliminal but also the subliminal self -must be considered in this matter, and that probably the surviving self -will arise from a harmony or conjunction between these two. Fourthly, -we have shown that in respect of memory and many other matters the -subliminal self shows a quite remarkable activity even in the hour of -bodily death--which does not certainly suggest its decease and cessation -from existence. Fifthly, we have seen that all through life the soul -has faculties (of clairvoyance, transposition of senses, and so forth) -which point to its independence of the material body. Sixthly, that -through _love_ it reaches a deep conviction of its own duration beyond -the life of the body. And, seventhly, we have suggested that it is -largely through the supraliminal and self-conscious life that the -sense of identity and individuality is educed and finally established. - -Proceeding, then, further along these lines, the next and obvious -question which arises is, In what sort of body is this continuing life -manifested? That it must be manifested in some sort of body is, I -think, clear. If we had only arrived at the conclusion that at death -the human being merged in the All-soul, or became an indistinguishable -portion of the 'Happy Mass'--that his individual memory flowed out -into the great ocean of the world-memory and became lost in it, and -that his power of individual action or perception passed away in like -manner--why then the question of a continuing body could not well arise, -or at farthest stretch such body could only be thought of as something -indistinguishable from the entire universe. But if there is any truth -in the idea of an individual survival, then it seems clear that there -must be some kind of _form_, to mark the bounds of the individual, and -to give outline to his relations to other individuals--whether those -relations be active and invasive or passive and receptive; there must -be some surface of resistance and separation. - -With this question I shall deal in the next chapter. Before, however, -going into any definite theory of this 'soul-body,' it may be useful to -dwell for a moment on general considerations. In the first place, it is -clear that if the individual survives, he does not do so in any fixed -and unchanging form. The form of the individual is not fixed in this -earth-life; nor can we expect or wish it to be so in any other life. As -long as there is a continuous stream of experience and memory, going on -from this life to another life, and from that perchance to others--that -is all we can expect to find. There may, indeed, be a fixed and -transcendent Individuality, an aspect of the Universal, at the root of -all these experiences, but with that we are hardly concerned at this -moment--only with the stream of personal manifestations which proceed -from it--everchanging yet linked together from hour to hour. In the -second place, though we have dwelt upon and emphasized the idea of -separateness and differentiation, in the surviving self, in -contra-distinction to the idea of fusion in a formless aggregate, yet it -is clear here too that the common life and bonds must hold individuals -together, just as much as, if not more than, in the earth-life. The -salient facts of telepathy, sympathy, clairvoyance, and so forth -convince us that souls, freed to some extent from their grosser present -envelopes, will react upon each other in the future, or in that farther -world, more swiftly and more intimately than they do now. And as they -progress from stage to stage, developing individualities and differences -always on a grander and grander scale, so they will also develop through -love their organic union with each other. It seems possible, indeed, -that growth will largely take place _through_ love-fusion; till at -length, rising into the highest ranges of combined Individuality and -Universality, the transformed consciousness of each soul will take on -its true quality--"that of space itself--which is at rest everywhere." - - - - - CHAPTER X - - THE INNER OR SPIRITUAL BODY - - -In order to form a conception of what kind of body the surviving Self -may have, it seems best for the moment to go back to the genesis of our -present body. We saw (chapter vii.) that we were compelled to suppose, -even in the first germ of our actual body an intelligent form of some -kind at work, which while gathering up and representing race-memories of -the past, presided over and directed their rehabilitation in the -present, thus building up the present body according to a certain -pattern--(though subject of course to modification by outer difficulties -and obstacles). From the very first, the exceeding complexity and -delicacy of the movements within the germ-cells, combined with the -decisiveness of their divisions and differentiations, and the perfection -and adaptation of the bodily structures and organs ultimately produced, -all point in the suggested direction.[91] At the same time, we were -compelled to conclude that this form, whose first manifestations in the -tiny germ-cell evidently originate from quite ultra-microscopic -movements, was itself invisible, invisible through belonging either to -an ultra-microscopic world, or to a world of a fourth-dimensional or -other order of existence. I think, therefore, that for the present we -may accept that conclusion, and fairly suppose that some such invisible -form underlies the genesis of each of our bodies. - -But at the same time the conclusion of invisibility must not be supposed -to carry with it the conclusion of immateriality. Quite the contrary. A -creature living in the two-dimensional world formed by the water-film on -the surface of a pond might have no conception of the water-world below -or the air-world above--both of which might be quite invisible to it; -all the same a fish or a bird breaking through the surface would -instantly cause some very powerful and very material phenomena there! -And again, though atoms and electrons individually may be quite -invisible, it is only a question of their number and the force of their -electric charges, as to how far they intrude upon what we call the -material world. Also, we must remember that invisibility or -imperceptibility does not by any means imply non-occupation of space. On -the contrary again. For four-dimensional existence carries with it an -occupation of space which is quite miraculous to us--as, for instance, -the power of appearing in two places at the same time; while a number of -ultra-microscopic atoms, by their electrostatic attractions and -repulsions, may maintain definite relations of distance from each other, -and may altogether constitute a cloud of considerable size and complex -organization--quite imperceptible as a rule, yet occupying a definite -area and fully capable of affecting material things. - -It may be a question, then, whether it is not some such invisible -cloud--perhaps of quite human size and measurement--which at conception -begins to enter the fertilized germ-cell, stimulating it to division, -and penetrating further and further into the newly-formed body-cells, as -by thousands and millions they divide and multiply to form the growing -organism. Whatever it is, it is something of infinitely subtle -organization and constitution, representing the inmost vitality of the -body, and not that inmost vitality in a merely general sense, but the -vitality of every portion and section of the body. It establishes itself -within the gross body (or it builds that body round itself) and becomes -the organizer and provider of its life; maintains its form and structure -during life, fortifies it against change and disease, and wards off as -long as it can the arrival of death. - -What, then, of Death? Why, granted so much as we have supposed, it seems -easy to suppose that at death this inner body passes away again. It just -leaves the gross body behind and passes out of it. For a -fourth-dimensional being this must be easy to do! But not to presume too -much on other-dimensional conditions, if we only assume the inner body -to be such a cloud of atoms or electrons as already mentioned, the -passage of such atoms through the tissues of the gross body would be -entirely in accordance with the well-known facts of _osmose_ and the -diffusion of liquids and gases, and would present no exceptional or -impossible problem. Through cell-walls and muscular and other tissues -such atoms would pass, conceivably maintaining still their relative -'form' and organization with regard to each other, and forming a cloud -similar to that which entered the germ and other cells at conception -(though of course so far modified by the life-experience), and leaving -now the gross body devitalized, and doomed to slow corruption and to -serve only as material for lower forms. - - * * * * * - -One would not, of course, venture on conjectures so speculative as the -above, if it were not that long tradition and history, and even modern -experience, so singularly confirm or favor their general truth. The -conception of a cloud-like ghost--sometimes visible, sometimes -invisible[92]--leaving the body at death, roaming through the fields of -Hades or some hidden world, and from time to time revisiting the -glimpses of the moon and the gaze of wondering mortals--penetrates all -literature and tradition. Among all primitive peoples it seems to be -accepted as a matter of course; it informs the legends and the drama and -the philosophies of the more cultivated; it claims detailed historical -instances and proofs[93] (as in the case of Field-marshal von Grumbkoff, -to whom the wraith of King Frederick Augustus announced his own -death--which had just occurred; or in the case of the poet Petrarch, to -whom Bishop Colonna made a similar announcement); and in modern times it -has met with extraordinary and in many quarters quite unexpected -confirmation at the hands of scientific investigation. - -To this evidence of general probability that at death a vital and subtle -yet substantial inner body is withdrawn from every part and portion of -the gross body, we may add the evidence, such as it is, from actual -_sensation_ and _experience_. In the hour of death and in allied -physical changes sensations are experienced corresponding to such a -conclusion. Though necessarily there is little quite direct evidence, -for the actual moment of death, yet in the just preceding stage, of -extreme weakness, the sensation of depletion in every part of the body, -and of withdrawal, as of a hand being drawn out of a glove, is very -noticeable. (And it may be remarked that clairvoyants not unfrequently -observe, at death itself, a luminous cloud of the general outline and -shape of the dying person being slowly distilled, head first, from his -or her head.) Furthermore, in the state of _ecstasy_--which is closely -allied to death--the same sensation of withdrawal is experienced. The -person seems to himself to stand outside and a little beyond his own -body--and doubtless this experience is denoted in the very etymology of -the word. In trance the same: the medium experiences the extreme of -exhaustion while some portion of her vital being is functioning (as it -appears) outside. Under ansthetics it is a common experience to dream -that one has left the body and is flying through space. (See _The Art of -Creation_, p. 18.) And again, in the case of love--whose close relation -to death we have several times already noted--whether it be in the -strain of emotional desire or the stress of the physical orgasm this -'hand from the glove' sensation is often most acute and seems to suggest -that every portion of the body is contributing its part to the process -in hand; which indeed in this case of love may very fairly be supposed -to consist in a transfer of the cloud-like organism (or a large part of -it) to the other person concerned. - -There are cases, too, where in a kind of dream-consciousness the -sensation of the self passing out through walls and other obstacles is -so powerful as to leave an impress on the mind ever after. Such is the -case already alluded to (chapter viii. p. 148, _supra_) from _Footfalls -on the Boundary of Another World_, where a lady half waking from sleep -"felt herself carried to the wall of her room, with a feeling that it -must arrest her further progress. But no; she seemed to pass through it -into the open air. Outside the house was a tree; and this also she -appeared to traverse as if it interposed no obstacle." She thus passed -to the house of a lady friend, held a conversation with her, and in her -dream returned. But afterward the friend reported that she had _seen_ -the apparition that night and conversed with it. Similarly a young -friend of mine, dreaming one night that his mother (in the same house) -was ill, was intensely conscious of dashing--not along corridors and -through doorways but _through the partition walls of two rooms_--into -the chamber where his mother slept, when finding her all right he -returned; and the experience was so vivid that it remained with him for -days afterward. - -Taking all these considerations together, we may say that there is a -strong general probability in favor of the proposition put forward. And -it is interesting and important to find that at this juncture modern -science is coming out from her old haunts and beginning seriously to -tackle a question which she has hitherto for the most part evaded or -ignored. The whole of the psychology and even physiology of Death have -(as I have previously remarked) been sadly neglected; but now and of -late quite a number of books on this subject have been published,[94] -and a good deal of scientific activity is moving in that direction. - -Professor Fournier d'Albe, in his book _New Light on Immortality_,[95] -has made some very interesting suggestions--which though they may not as -yet be accounted more than suggestions, seem to be in the right -direction, and certainly acquire some authority from his intimate -command of the modern discoveries in Physics as well as in the field of -Psychical Research. His view is that every one of the twenty-five -thousand million million cells which constitute say the human body has -probably some 'centrosome' or other vital point within it, which is in -fact the governing and organizing power of that cell. Such point or -collection of points, though 'material,' may likely weigh only a -ten-thousandth part of the cell-weight. Hence if this 'soul' was -abstracted from each cell, the total weight of the twenty-five thousand -billion souls resulting would be only a ten-thousandth part of the body -weight, or about a fifth of an ounce! But these soul-fragments or -_psychomeres_ as he calls them, would together make up the total soul of -the man, and--as already explained--might not only by their negative and -positive charges maintain certain spatial relations and organization -with regard to each other, but would, owing to their extreme minuteness, -easily pass through the tissues and liberate themselves from the gross -body. Thus a human soul, weighing a fraction only of an ounce, but of -like shape and size to the human body, and of intense vitality and -subtlety, might disengage itself at death, to begin a fresh career and -to enter into a new life--leaving the existing body to fall to ruin and -decay. Further, Professor Fournier d'Albe, greatly bold in speculation, -surmises that such a spiritual body, discharging the atmosphere from its -interior frame, might quite naturally rise in the air till it attained -its position of equilibrium at a great height up--say in a region 35-80 -miles over the earth, which would thus become the (first) abode of the -departed. - -Whatever may be said about the details of this theory, and whatever -difficulties they may present, the main outlines--as I have already -indicated--seem quite feasible and probable, and in line with world-old -belief and tradition. And certain details (which we shall return to -again) are powerfully corroborated by modern observation. - -Meanwhile it is interesting to find, in corroboration of the general -theory, that some experiments lately carried out, in weighing the body -before and after death, have apparently yielded the result of a decided -loss of weight at or very shortly after, the moment of Death. Dr. Duncan -M'Dougall, experimenting with considerable care, found that one of his -patients lost ounce precisely at death;[96] another lost ounce, with -an additional loss of 1 ounce during the next few minutes, after which -no further loss took place; another yielded very nearly the same result; -and so on. Thus we have the old Egyptian idea of the weighing of the -soul after death resuscitated in a very practical form in modern -times--only with the medical practitioner in the place of Thoth, the -great assessor of the Underworld! And it would be satisfactory to know -how far modern observation of a normal soul weight corresponds with -ancient speculation in the matter. It is curious anyhow to find that -Fournier d'Albe's estimates are so nearly corroborated by Dr. M'Dougall; -and we must await with interest further and perhaps more detailed -observations along the same line. - -Another line along which something seems to have been done by hard and -fast science to corroborate the general theory of the extrusion of a -cloud-like spirit form from the body at death, is in the matter of -photography. Dr. Baraduc, in his book, _Mes Morts: leurs manifestations_ -(1908), gives an account of photographs which he took of his wife's body -within an hour after death and of his son's body (in the coffin) nine -hours after death. When developed the plates all showed cloud-like -emanations hovering over the corpses, not certainly having definite -human outline, but apparently shot through by lines and streaks of -light. And though here again the experiments are not conclusive, they so -far are corroborative, and may be taken to indicate a direction for -further inquiry. - -This last I think we are especially entitled to say, on account of what -has been already done in the way of photographing the cloud-figures -(some of them very definite in outline) which are found to emanate on -occasions from mediums in the state of trance. For notwithstanding the -doubt which has commonly been cast on all such photographs and -notwithstanding the very obvious ease with which cameras can be -manipulated and shadow-figures of some kind fraudulently produced, the -evidence for the genuineness of some such 'spirit' photographs is--to -any one who really studies it--beyond question. The celebrated "Katie -King," who appeared at seances in connection with the medium Florence -Cook, and during a period of two years or more was seen by some hundreds -of people--and especially studied by Sir William Crookes--was -photographed several times under test conditions.[97] Professor Charles -Richet, who when he first heard of Crookes' conclusions was convulsed -with laughter over their supposed absurdity, afterward confessed his -error,[98] for time after time he not only saw a phantasm ("Beni Boa") -in connection with the Algerian medium Aisha, but obtained photographs -of the same.[99] Dr. A. R. Wallace, in a long note, pp. 190, 191 of his -book, _Miracles and Modern Spiritualism_, gives a careful description of -his own experiments in this line. Several different figures were at -different times photographed in connection with Mme. D'Esprance; and -the very detailed account, with illustrations, which she gives of these -phenomena in ch. xxvii. of her book, _Shadowland_, must give the -unbeliever pause. And so on.[100] The evidence is so abundant, and so on -the whole so well confirmed, that we are practically now compelled to -admit (and this is the point in hand) that cloud-like forms of human -outline emanating from a medium's or other person's living body may at -times be caught by the photographic plate. And this is important because -it removes the phenomenon from the region of the fanciful or imaginative -and gives it automatic and objective registration. - -That these forms occurring and occasionally photographed in connection -with mediums are independent 'spirits' or souls is of course in no way -assumed. They may be such, or (what seems more likely) they may be -simply extensions of the spiritual or inner body of the medium. The -point that interests us here is that their appearance in either case -points to the actual existence of such an inner body, capable of -becoming extruded from the gross body, and of becoming the seat and -manifestation of intelligence. Further than that we need not go at -present. - -But it will be objected, if the inner or spiritual body is, as has just -been supposed, of such a subtle and tenuous nature as to be in itself -quite invisible, what connection can this have with phantoms that can be -photographed, or that can be seen, or that can be actually touched and -handled? This question--the question as to how an excessively rare and -tenuous and invisible being may gradually condense and materialize so as -to come first within the region of photographic activity, and then -within the region of normal visibility, and so on into audible and -tangible and material existence and operation, I shall discuss more at -length in the next chapter. Suffice it here to point out that the -general consensus of thoughtful opinion on this subject at the present -time points to a probable condensation of some kind, and utilization of -such suitable materials as may be to hand, by which the subtle inner -body gradually clothes itself in an outer and denser garment. Whether -with Fournier d'Albe we suppose a soul-like core to every single cell, -or whether we take a more diffused and general view, in any case we seem -compelled to believe that our actual bodies are carried on by organizing -powers distributed in centres throughout the body.[101] If by any means -these vital centres were separated from the gross body, it would still -seem natural for them to continue their organizing activity whenever -they were surrounded with suitable material. And if, as seems likely, in -the case of mediums and seances, a considerable quantity of loose -floating organic material is commonly evolved from the bodies of those -present, such effluences might be quickly caught up and condensed by any -such vital centres present into more or less visible forms and figures. - -If, by way of illustration, we were to suppose an army-corps to -represent a gross body, then the officers, from corporals to general, -would represent the inner or organizing soul; and all these officers -together, though really being a 'body,' would constitute a mass so small -and so scattered compared with the mass-body of the army, that in -comparison they would be invisible, and might easily all pass out and -away from the army without being observed. They might pass out and -conceivably organize another army-corps elsewhere; but the result on -that left behind (of which they were really the soul) would soon be seen -in its complete disintegration and collapse. Now suppose further that in -a neighboring nation, across the frontier, there was a great deal of -disaffection existing--that large masses of the people there were out of -touch with their own Government (the case of a medium in trance), and -waiting for some one to come and organize them. Then it is easy to -imagine the small group of officers aforesaid passing across the -frontier (quite unseen and unobserved) and immediately on doing so -finding ready to their hands a quantity of material just suitable for -their activity. In a wonderfully short time the various officers would -begin to organize the various departments of a new army-corps; the -people would flock to their standard. Even in a day or two the faint -outline of a new political form or movement would show itself; and in a -week this might become substantial enough to exhibit serious -manifestations of force! - -The general application of this to the question in hand is obvious -enough. But there is another point which it illustrates--a point which -we have raised before. I am convinced that science will never yield any -very fruitful understanding of the world, until it recognizes that -_life_ and _intelligence_ (of course in the broadest signification) -pervade all the phenomena of Nature. It is perfectly useless to try to -explain human development, human destiny, mental activity, the forces of -nature, and so forth, in terms of dead matter. No explanation of such a -kind could possibly be satisfying. And more and more it is becoming -clear that even what we call the inorganic world is as subtle and swift -in its responses as what we call the organic. Many difficulties must -inevitably arise in any attempted solution of the problem before -us--that problem which is generally denoted by "the nature of the soul -and its relation to the body"; but we shall never arrive at any -harmonious view of the whole question until we are persuaded, and -practically assume, that life and intelligence in some degree are -characteristic of all that we call 'matter' as well as of all we call -mind, and pervade the whole structure of the universe. We shall then see -that the forces, for instance, which organize and direct the human body, -even down to its minutest parts, are probably just as individual and -intelligent in their action as those (to take the example just given) -which organize and direct an army-corps. - - - - - CHAPTER XI - - ON THE CREATION AND MATERIALIZATION OF FORMS - - -I have suggested more than once, in preceding chapters of this book, and -in _The Art of Creation_ and elsewhere, that in the ordinary evolution -of thought, in dreams, in trance and in other psychic states, we are -witness of a process which is continually and eternally going on, by -which the faintest invisible forms and outlines, the nearest -cloud-currents of the inner soul, gradually condense themselves, pass -into visibility, tangibility, and so forth, and (if the process is -continued) ultimately take their place among the substantial things of -the outer world. - -Hitherto this thought has been applied in certain departments of -inquiry, but I am of impression that its considerable and world-wide -significance has been missed. Freud, in his _Traumdeutung_, insists that -behind the dream, and inspiring its action and symbolism there always -lurks an emotion, a desire, a wish. And Havelock Ellis (though with due -caution) corroborates this. He speaks[102] of "the controlling power of -emotion on dream-ideas," and says, "the fundamental source of our -dream-life may be said to be emotion." That is, an emotion (from -whatever source) arises in the mind. Vague and cloudlike at first, it -presently takes form, and (if in sleep) clothes itself with the imagery -of a dream, which becomes at last vivid and dramatic and _real_, to a -degree which astounds us. But dream-life is only a paraphrase, so to -speak, of waking life--a phase largely corresponding to the waking life -of children[103] and animals; and in waking life the same thing happens. -A wish or desire appears in the background of the mind; it moves forward -and becomes a definite thought and a plan; then it moves forward again -and becomes an action; the action creates a result; and the desire -finally establishes itself or its image in the actual world. These -emotions and desires and the images which sprung from them have a -certain vitality and growth-power of their own. The figures in dreams -move of themselves and concatenate with each other of their own -accord--much as the figures do in a drama, as Coleridge long ago -observed--and as the waking thoughts of all of us do, when we leave them -a little to themselves and to go with loose rein. More than that; in -some cases waking thoughts or passions become powerful enough to take -possession of the whole man and embody themselves in his -deeds--sometimes to heroic, sometimes to criminal ends. Or, taking -possession of _portions_ of the man, they precipitate conflict within -him. The dramatic quality of dreams is evidently due to the different -figures or incidents of the dream being inspired by different qualities -or experiences of the dreamer; and in the waking man the same process -may lead to tragic struggles and disintegrations of personality. In -hysteric patients, where the central controlling power is weak, the very -thought or fear of a disease may seize upon a certain centre in the body -and stimulate there all the symptoms of that disease; or a mental image -may seize upon a certain portion of the brain, and break up the -personality with strange new manifestations. - -In all these cases, and scores of others which we cannot consider now, -the same action is taking place--by which invisible psychic and -spiritual forces, for good or evil, are ever pressing forward into the -manifest, and condensing themselves into visible and even tangible -forms, or taking possession of existing forms for the purpose of -expression and manifestation. And here we have (as I think will be seen -one day) the whole rationale of Creation--we have the conception which -brings into line the phenomena of the visible and material world and -their genesis, with the genesis of thoughts in our own minds, and -_their_ passage into visibility and expression; we have the conception -which unites the mental and material, and which makes the whole Creation -luminous with meaning. Especially is this obvious to-day, when the -theory of electrons is introducing us to a world as far finer and -subtler than the atom, as the atom is finer and subtler than the -tangible world of our experience; and is suggesting that these finest -states of matter are of the nature of electrical charges, which, again, -are quite analogous to mental states.[104] Thus we have, almost forced -upon us as the key to the creation of visible forms, the conception, of -a process of condensation by which the most subtle thought and emotion -does in course of time (brief or lengthy) tend to manifest itself in -material shape, and may ultimately take on the most persistent and -quasi-indestructible forms. - - * * * * * - -Reverting, then, to the subject of last chapter, we see that a -'spiritual' body--that is, a material body of a texture so fine and so -swiftly plastic as to be the analogue of thought--is a conception quite -in line with the conclusions of modern science; and that granted the -existence of such a thing, it is quite in line also to conclude that it -would tend toward condensation and manifestation in grosser and more -visible form. I gave in that chapter some general outline of how such -condensation might take place. I now propose to consider this process -more in detail, and to give some evidence as to its actually taking -place. - -There is something perhaps a little comic about the idea of spirit -photography--something which has thus helped to retard its acceptance. -The busy photographer with his camera is so banal, and sometimes so -obnoxious, a figure, that to think of him photographing a ghost, or the -spirit of a dead relation, verges on bathos or the burlesque. -Nevertheless, Nature does not attend to our canons in such matters, and -in reality the thing is perfectly feasible and in order. It is well -known that the photographic plate is most sensitive to the violet end of -the spectrum--that it is this end which has the actinic quality. -Moreover, it is known that the actinic quality extends _beyond_ this -end, and that there are ultra-violet rays which we cannot see, and which -yet are photographically powerful. But the violet rays, as is also well -known, are those whose light-waves are smallest--being only about half -the size of the red waves;[105] and the ultra-violet rays are still -smaller. Consequently, by means of the violet end of the spectrum, -information can be got about small objects and infinitesimal details -which would elude the more ordinary light. A particle, in fact, may be -so small that it would reflect the violet waves, while it would be -unable to reflect the red--just as a boat floating on the water will -reflect and turn back tiny ripples, while it will simply be tossed about -by good-sized waves. Advantage has been taken of this in microscopy, and -by ingenious arrangements photographs of objects under the microscope -can now be taken by ultra-violet light, so as to show the very minutest -details. - -The application of this to the question before us is clear. If there be -a spiritual body, composed of particles so infinitesimal as to be--to -begin with--far beyond the limits of visibility, yet gradually -condensing and accreting to themselves other and subsidiary particles, -there might come a time when such a cloud-form would approach the limit -of visibility--the molecules of which it was composed having grown so -far. It would be perfectly natural, then, for a body composed of such -molecules to come into the region of possible photography in the camera -through the ultra-violet rays _before_ it came into the region of -visibility to the human eye by means of ordinary light. And thus the -seeming paradox may be accounted for--of the appearance of spirit-forms, -or even thought-forms, on the photographic plate which are not yet -discernible by the eye. At a later stage of materialization the form may -of course yield an image both to the eye and to the camera.[106] - -Again, in this connection, it is often urged against the reality of -spirit-forms, ghosts, and so forth, that they cannot bear a strong -light; and this is held to dispose of all their claims for -consideration. But what has just been said shows that on the contrary -such an effect is just what might be expected. The delicate growing -structure, whose particles were just large enough to reflect the smaller -light-waves, might easily be broken up and quite disintegrated by the -larger and more powerful weaves of a strong glare--just as, in fact, -_our_ forms, which can endure light, are broken up and disintegrated by -the still larger waves of intense _heat_. Katie King, who, as before -mentioned, appeared so many times in connection with the medium Florence -Cook, was frequently seen to fade away if the light was too strong. "At -the earlier seances she could only come out of the cabinet for a few -seconds at a time, once or twice during the seance; she had to go back -quickly into the cabinet to gather fresh power from her medium, saying -that the strong and unaccustomed brilliancy of the light made her 'melt -quite away.'"[107] And Nepenthes, that finely formed and beautiful -figure which appeared in connection with Mme. D'Esprance, was more than -once seen, by a large company assembled, to walk by the side of the -medium up to the open French window at the end of the room and then to -disappear as she came into the full daylight.[108] - -Photographs, it may be noticed, of forms appearing at seances, or in -connection with sitters, vary from mere cloudlike masses without or -almost without shape to very distinct human figures with much detail of -feature and dress,[109]--the same figure being often recognized in -various stages of clearness and definition. And this is interesting -because it entirely corroborates the observations made in hundreds of -seances, and in other cases, in which a form is first distinguished by -the eye as a faintly luminous cloud, and gradually grows in distinctness -and definition till it becomes visible in all detail, and even tangible. -Mme. D'Esprance, whose book, _Shadowland_, should be read on account of -its intelligent handling and obvious sincerity, as well as on account of -the remarkable phenomena reported, describes (p. 151) the first occasion -on which a 'materialization' appeared to her:--"One evening, for some -reason or other, we were sitting without a lighted lamp. The daylight -had not faded when we commenced the sitting, but though it grew dark no -one suggested making a light. Happening to glance over to the part of -the room where the shadows were deepest it seemed to me that there was a -curious cloudy luminosity standing out distinct and clear from the -darkness. I watched it for a minute or two without saying anything, -wondering where it came from and how it was caused. I thought it must be -a reflection from the street lamps outside, though I had never seen it -like that before. While I watched, the luminous cloud seemed to -concentrate itself, become substantial, and form itself into a figure of -a child, illuminated as it were by daylight that did not shine on it -but, somehow, from within it--the darkness of the room seeming to act as -a background, throwing up by contrast every curve of the form and every -feature into strong relief." And in another passage she says:--"As soon -as I have entered the mediumistic cabinet my first impression is of -being covered with spider webs. Then I feel that the air is filled with -substance, and a kind of white and vaporous mass, quasi-luminous, like -the steam from a locomotive, is formed in front of the abdomen. After -this mass has been tossed and agitated in every way for some minutes, -sometimes even for half-an-hour, it suddenly stops, and then out of it -is born a living being close by me."[110] - -Another figure--that of Yolande (a young woman)--is mentioned in the -same book (p. 254) as appearing again and again out of such a filmy -cloudy patch on the floor. Similarly, Professor Richet noticed over and -over again the outgrowth of a figure (Beni Boa) from a white cloud. -"Near the cabinet we could see, betwixt the curtain and the table, a -whitish globe forming, luminous, and rotating on the floor; from this -globe Beni Boa sprang." The figure would then walk round the room and -disappear again; but after a time the white cloud would again form and -Beni Boa reappear. And Professor Lombroso, alluding to this, -says:[111]--"This observation is of great importance, since it is not -possible to attribute to fraud the formation of a luminous patch on the -floor which transforms itself into a living being." Further, Lombroso -says:--"Five photographs were obtained at these sittings by magnesium -and chlorate of potash light, with a Kodak and with a Richard -stereoscopic apparatus simultaneously, which fact excludes the -possibility of photographic fraud; and all the plates were developed in -Algeria by an optician who was unaware of what had preceded. On the -plates appeared a tall figure wrapped in a white mantle" (and similar to -the figure which the seven sitters present at the seances had seen). - -I have alluded to this cloud-formation before as characteristic of an -early stage of the appearance of these figures, and as suggesting a -process of condensation going on. Lombroso, from various considerations -which he brings forward (p. 185),[112] seems convinced that the -phenomena of these forms are largely connected with radio-activity. He -says:--"It would seem that these bodies belong to that further state of -matter, the radiant state, which now at last has established a firm -footing in science--and which thus offers the only hypothesis which can -reconcile the ancient and universal belief in the persistence of some -form of life after death with the postulates of science which maintain -that without organ there can be no function." This radio-active -condition of matter is of course that finest and most active state -represented by the electrons--in which each electron is excessively -minute,[113] yet moves at enormous speed, and carries with it an -electric charge. It connects itself with condensation in this way, that -"an electric charge assists vapor to condense," and "where ions (_i.e._ -positively or negatively charged particles) are present in considerable -numbers a thick mist will form whenever the space is saturated with -vapor."[114] And Fournier d'Albe says:[115]--"In the physical theory of -ionization and condensation we have become familiar with the fact that -the smallest charged particles are the most effective promoters of -condensation. In fact, it would suffice to extract a very small -proportion of the innumerable electrons within the body to bring about a -vigorous condensation in the moist air around it." - -Thus it is quite probable that the cloud-formation, which in general -precedes the manifestation of distinct figures, is due to condensation, -and in part at any rate to a condensation of water-vapor on the -accreting particles of the spirit-body. And this is made the more -probable by the strong sensation of _cold_ which so frequently -accompanies these appearances, and which is a common accompaniment of -condensation. Crookes, in his _Researches_, emphasizes this in -connection with almost all the phenomena, and says[116] they "are -generally preceded by a peculiar cold air, sometimes amounting to a -decided wind. I have had sheets of paper blown about by it, and a -thermometer lowered several degrees. On some occasions ... the cold has -been so intense that I could only compare it to that felt when the hand -has been within a few inches of frozen mercury." Some such sensation -seems to be quite a common experience, and the authoress of -_Shadowland_, speaking of her earlier sittings (p. 228), says:--"It was -not long before the same strange disturbances in the air began as on the -previous occasion. I felt my hair blown and lifted by currents of air, -and cool breezes played about my face and hands." - -Thus (with the corroborating evidence of Crookes' thermometer) we may -suppose that, after all, the cold airs and shivering sensations which -seem so often to accompany apparitions may not be merely subjective to -the observer, but may be real phenomena due to physical condensations -taking place in his immediate proximity. Moreover, it has to be noted -that the condensations may not be merely of water-vapor, but of other -substances as well, namely (according to an opinion now gaining ground), -of fine matter or effluences provided by the bodies of the sitters -present (or some of them) as well as by the body of the medium. The -passage last quoted from _Shadowland_ continues: "then began a strange -sensation, which I had sometimes felt at seances. Frequently I have -heard it described by others as of cobwebs being passed over the face, -but to me, who watched it curiously, it seemed that I could feel fine -threads being drawn out of the pores of my skin." And in another -passage[117] the same writer describes the cloud which precedes a -materialization as "a slightly luminous haze" which often appears "about -the head, shoulders, elbows and sometimes the knees and feet (of the -medium). Frequently it gathers slowly at the fingers, increasing in -density till it resembles a slight transparent film of slightly luminous -cotton wool." Further, she explains that it goes on condensing till it -becomes cobwebby and perceptible to touch. The evidence generally seems -to show that these clouds are of the nature of effluences from the -medium or other person present; and the above quotation affords -corroboration of that view and makes easily intelligible the great -exhaustion from which mediums often suffer on these occasions. It -suggests also that the condensation is by no means of water-vapor only, -but of other substances drawn from the interior vitality of the persons -concerned, and necessary for the building up of the apparitional form. - -It is difficult in the case, for instance, of "Katie King," who, as -already said, appeared hundreds of times during two or three years, or -of Estella Martha, who appeared to her husband during five years and in -380 or more seances in connection with the medium Kate Fox,[118] not to -believe that such figures are (as we should say) _really_ the -individuals they profess to be, and not mere thought-forms or images -projected from the medium's under-mind. But whichever view we take, it -is obvious that they are centres in some degree, of intelligent force or -vitality, centres which, though in their essence rare and tenuous as -thought or feeling, succeed in clothing themselves with a certain grade -of corporeality by the use of the materials at hand, and in so coming -into visible manifestation. And this general view is confirmed by the -fact, so often observed, that when the same figure appears repeatedly, -it does, as time goes on, acquire skill and adroitness in carrying out -the process of condensation or whatever it is, which is concerned, and -consequently comes into manifestation and activity more quickly and -decisively. Also, it may be noted, and has often been observed (as in -the case of the said Estella Martha and many others), that by practice -the figure attains the power of enduring strong light--that is, its -state of condensation reaches a point of solidity almost comparable with -that of _our_ tissues, which are not as a rule disintegrated by light. - -The radio-activity of the 'inner being' also helps to explain the -extraordinary manifestations of sheer physical force in these -connections. Some of these manifestations have been so astonishing, that -the fact alone has caused them to be disbelieved; but though, of course, -fraud has played a part in such phenomena, and has to be guarded -against, it is now quite evident that in a multitude of cases fraud does -not enter at all. - -Eusapia Paladino, for instance--though capable of little -fraudulences--was obviously the seat of extraordinary powers not to be -explained by these. Mr. Carrington, who made a special study of this -medium, and who (as I have said before) has also made a special study of -fraudulent methods in so-called spiritualism, vouches most strongly for -the great exhibitions of inexplicable _force_ in her -vicinity--especially perhaps in the way of _levitations_. He -says:--"Every one who has studied Eusapia's phenomena knows that -practically every seance (for some reason) commences with -table-levitations--this, whether they are wanted or not! It seems the -necessary programme, and it is almost invariably carried out. Seeing -them time after time, one can obtain a very fair idea of their nature -and reality. And I may say that I now consider levitations as well -established as any other physical facts. They are not open to the -objection to which most psychical phenomena are subjected--that they -cannot be repeated or induced and studied experimentally, as one would -study other physical facts--for they can be induced and studied in just -this laboratory manner. I have probably seen several hundreds of these -levitations now, under every conceivable condition and in _excellent -light_, and I consider them so far established that, as Count Solovovo -said, "the burden of proof is now on the man who asserts that they are -_not_ real, not upon the man who asserts that they _are_." These are -pretty strong words, and by a very responsible observer! And then Mr. -Carrington proceeds with a detailed account of these and other physical -phenomena.[119] - -Some years ago, the reports and accounts of such phenomena were -generally at once dismissed as absurd and incredible; but by a -remarkable coincidence the last few years have seen the wonderful -development of the science of radio-activity--dating from the -epoch-making experiments of Crookes, in 1879 and earlier. These -experiments, curiously enough, were worked out during much of the same -period as Crookes' researches into spiritualistic phenomena, and have -led to the shedding of much light upon the latter. For the new science -developed from them, and already more or less popularized,[120] compels -us to suppose that the most enormous forces lurk all around, within the -very structure of the atom itself--which of course is totally invisible -to our eyes. The new facts observed, with regard to radium and other -such substances, seem to compel the supposition that each atom is -composed of an immense number (say 100,000) of highly charged electrical -particles moving each with huge velocity--a velocity at any rate -comparable to that of light. The dissociation of such atoms and the -liberation of their constituent particles develops a fabulous energy. -When it is calculated that one gramme or fifteen grains of matter (say -the weight of thirty postage stamps) moving with the speed of light, -would have energy enough to lift the British Navy to the top of Ben -Nevis (Crookes); or that one milligramme (say the sixty-sixth part of a -grain of wheat) at the same speed would represent the energy of fifteen -million foot-tons (Lodge); or when, according to J. J. Thomson, the -combined speed and mass of the electrons within such a milligramme of -matter would total up to the work represented by a hundred million -kilogram-metres;[121] then we can at any rate see--whatever small -variations there may be in the estimates--how immense are the -potentialities of the tiniest points of matter; how each minutest atom -comprehends, as Shelley says, "a world of loves and hatreds" (_i.e._ -positive and negative electric charges); we realize that no -manifestations of unexpected power are _per se_ incredible; and we are -indeed rather inclined to wonder how it is that these great inter-atomic -energies do not more often force themselves on our attention! - -It is evident that any such condition of being as we have supposed in -the case of the 'inner' or 'spiritual' body, might afford means for the -liberation--even from a single atom--of forces amply sufficient for the -most 'miraculous' phenomena; and we are led to wonder and to ask whether -it may not be the case that, after all, our gross bodies are really a -hindrance rather than a help--whether it may not be true that the powers -we could exert _without_ them and independently of muscles and sinews -and hands and feet would be far greater than those we actually do exert -by means of these organs and appendages; whether, in fact, our gross -bodies do not exercise a _limiting_ effect, confining our activities to -certain very clearly specified directions, and within certain very -definite bounds? At any rate, this point of view is worth considering. - -Certainly the well-established facts of telepathy, and the equally -well-established facts of the projection of phantoms from persons dying, -or passing through great danger, to friends even at a great distance, -seem to show that the inner self of one person can send out rays or in -some way impress itself on the inner self of another far-off -person;[122] and this, under the theory of electrons moving at -prodigious speed, seems not impossible. For though there is a difficulty -in supposing ordinary physical vibrations or radiations to reach -effectively from one person to another (say a thousand miles away) on -account of the law of space itself, which makes such radiations diminish -in intensity as the square of the distance increases, yet in the case of -electrical radiations it seems possible to suppose two people related to -each other as positive and negative poles--in which case the radiations -of electric charges would pass along lines connecting the two, and with -comparatively little loss of intensity. Our present rather crude and -lumbering bodies probably impede these subtle exertions of force; and -the fact (already noted once or twice) of the greater activity of people -in the telepathic or phantasmogenetic directions, when they are -themselves outwardly in a dying or exhausted condition, seems to point -to a considerable liberation of these powers after death. - -On the other hand, the well-established facts of perceptivity at a great -distance, or without the mediation of the gross body and the usual -end-organs, point in the same direction. Considerable investigations -have been made in this subject; and not only is the evidence for -occasional clairvoyance at a distance well established, but there are -curious cases in which the faculty of sight or of hearing seems to be -transferred from its natural organ to some other part of the body, as of -seeing with the knee, or the stomach, or the finger-tips. Myers gives -considerable attention to this subject, and thinks that Professor -Fontan's experiments[123] "cannot lightly be set aside"; while Lombroso -quotes an hysterical patient of his own, a girl of fourteen, who lost -the sight of her eyes, but was able to read perfectly with the lobe of -her left ear! Later on, in the same patient, the sense of smell -concentrated itself in the heel of her foot! Mrs. Piper, as is well -known, commonly raises her _hand_ for the sitter to speak into, as if it -were her ear. And in cases of somnambulism the sleepwalker will -sometimes move securely through difficult or dangerous places with eyes -absolutely closed. All these things seem to point to an aboriginal power -of perception independent of the end-organs. It is obvious that if in -the course of evolution our present faculties of sight, hearing, and so -forth have been developed from the diffused sensitivity of an amoeba or -some such creature, then those faculties must have existed, in their -undifferentiated state, in the amoeba; or, to put the matter another way, -the faculty of sight clearly does not reside in the cornea of the eye, -or in the crystalline lens, or even in the retina itself; which are -merely an apparatus evolved for dealing with the details of the matter. -The retina catches the light-disturbance, and the optic nerve conveys it -to the brain, and the brain-cells are agitated by it; but where does -_sight_ come in? At some point, doubtless, the agitations of the -brain-cells or of their internal molecules are _seen_ and interpreted; -but the being that sees and interprets them may (we had almost said -_must_) be capable of directly seeing and interpreting similar -agitations in the outer world--that is, it may or must by its nature be -capable of seeing the events of the outer world without the mediation of -the end-organs or the brain. Frederick Myers, dealing with this subject, -says:--"I start from the thesis that the perceptive power within us -precedes and is independent of the specialized sense-organs, which it -has developed for earthly use. 'It is the mind that sees and the mind -that hears, the other things are blind and deaf.'"[124] He thinks that -in the development or unfolding of life on our planet "certain -sensibilities got themselves defined and stereotyped upon the organism -by the evolution of end-organs. Others failed to get thus externalized; -but may, for aught we know, persist nevertheless in the central -organs."[125] It is evident--however we may explain the matter--that -activities and sensibilities do persist and manifest themselves in the -human organism quite independent of the ordinary and stereotyped -end-organs, and this fact must go far to persuade us, not only that -there is an inner, a more subtle, and a more durable body than that -which we usually recognize, but that in some respects this latter body -is a limitation and a hindrance to the activity of the former, and to -the swiftness and range of the perceptions of the soul. - - * * * * * - -What, then, it will naturally be asked, is the object or purpose or use -of our incarnation in this grosser body?--why, if there is such an -ethereal or spiritual frame within, should it thus tend to accrete -denser particles upon itself and ultimately to clothe itself in a -vesture of so opaque and material a nature? It would be rash to attempt -to answer so profound a question offhand--off one's own bat as it were; -and still more rash perhaps to accept any of the ready-made answers -which are offered in such profusion, and in so many different jargons -and lingos, by the sects and schools, from the Gnostics and Theosophists -to the most philistine of the chapels and churches. Yet if one may -venture a suggestion, it would seem rather likely that the object and -purpose and use of this process by which the soul is entangled in -matter, and its operation and perception so strangely hampered and -limited, is--limitation; that _limitation_ itself and even _hindrance_ -are part and parcel of the great scheme of the soul's deliverance. But -the further consideration of this I will defer to a later chapter.[126] - - - - - CHAPTER XII - - REINCARNATION - - -There is a good deal of talk indulged in, on the subject of -Reincarnation--talk of a rather cheap character. One does not quite see -what is the use of saying that the _ego_ will be reincarnated again some -day, unless one has some sort of idea what one means by the _ego_, and -unless one has some understanding of the sense in which the word -"reincarnation" is used. If it is meant that your local and external -self, approximately as you and your friends know it to-day--including -dress, facial outline, professional skill, accomplishments, habits of -mind and body, interests and enthusiasms--is going to repeat itself -again in five or five hundred years, or has already appeared in this -form in the past; one can only say "impossible!" and "I trust not!" For -all these things depend on date, locality, heredity, surrounding -institutions, social habits, current morality, and so forth, -which--though they have certainly played their part in the spirit's -growth--must infallibly be different at any other period (short of the -whole universe repeating itself). And anyhow to have them repeated again -_da capo_ at some future time would be terribly dull. But if you say "Of -course I don't mean anything so silly as _that_," it becomes incumbent -on you to say what you do mean. - -Supposing, for instance, you had been planked down a baby in the Arabian -desert, and grown up to maturity or middle age there, instead of where -you are, would any of your present-day friends recognize you? Where -would be your charming piano-playing, your excellent cricket, your -rather sloppy water-color painting, your up-to-dateness in the -theatrical world? Where your morality (with three wives of course) or -your religion (something about "Christian dogs"), or where your British -_sang froid_ and impeccability? And if it is obvious that in such a case -as this you would, owing to the changed conditions, be changed out of -all recognition, much more--one might say--would this be the case if you -had been born five hundred years ago, or were to be born again five -hundred years hence. Your whole outlook on life, and its whole impress -on you, would be different. - -Of course I am not meaning, by these remarks, to say that reincarnation -is in itself impossible or absurd; that would be prejudging the -question. All I mean at present is that if we are going to study this -subject, or theorize upon it, it is really necessary to define in some -degree the terms which we use. I do not say that you, the reader, might -not be reincarnated, but I think it is clear that if you were, we should -have a good deal of trouble in following and finding you! It is clear -that the _you_, so reappearing, would not be your well-known local and -external self, but some deep nucleus, difficult perhaps for your best -friend to recognize, and possibly even unknown or unrecognized by -yourself at present. And similarly of some friend that you love for a -thousand little tricks and ways. We all have such friends, and at times -cherish a sentimental romance of their being restored to us in some -future on habited in their old guise and with their well-worn frocks -and coats. But surely it is no good playing at hide-and-seek like that. -The common difficulties about the conventional heaven--the difficulty -about meeting your old friend who used to be so good at after-dinner -stories, about meeting him with a harp in his hand and sitting on a damp -cloud--is no whit the less a difficulty whatever future world may be the -_rendezvous_. He would be changed (externally) and we should be changed, -and it might well happen that if we did seem to recall any former -intimacy we should both feel like strangers, and be as shy and tentative -in our approaches to each other as school-children. - -What do we mean by the letter "I"? and what do we mean by the word -Reincarnation? These two questions wait for a reply. - -The first is a terribly difficult question. It lies (though neglected by -the philosophers themselves) at the root of all philosophy. Perhaps -really all life and experience are nothing but an immense search for the -answer. What do we mean by the Ego? It is a sort of fundamental -question, which it might be supposed would precede all other questions, -but which as a matter of fact seems to be postponed to all others, and -is the last to be solved. All we can at the outset be sure of in the way -of answer is the enormous extent and depth of the being we are setting -out to define. We sometimes think of the _ego_ as a mere point of -consciousness, or we think of the ordinary self of daily life as a -fragile and ephemeral entity bounded by a few bodily tissues and a few -mental views and habits. But even the slight discussion of the subject -in former chapters of this book (chapters vi., vii., and so forth) has -revealed to us the vast underlying stores and faculties which must be -included--the wonderful powers of memory, the subtle capacities of -perception at a distance, or without the usual organs of sight and -hearing, the power of creating images out of the depths of one's mind, -and of impressing them telepathically upon others, the faculty of -clairvoyance in past and future time, and so forth. The more we try to -fathom this ego, with which we supposed ourselves so familiar, the more -we are amazed at its labyrinthine profundity, and the more we are -astonished to think that we should ever have ventured to limit it to -such a petty formula and conventional symbol as we commonly do--not only -in our judgment of friends, but even in our estimate of ourselves. - -Reincarnation, as we have already said, can hardly be the reappearance, -in a new life on earth (or even in some other sphere), of the very local -and superficial traits which we know so well in ourselves and our -friends--which are mainly a response to local and superficial -conditions, and which mainly constitute what we call our personalities. -If reincarnation does occur, it must obviously consist in the -reappearance or remanifestation of some such very interior self as we -have just spoken of--some deep individuality (as opposed to -personality), some divine onian soul, some offshoot perhaps of an -age-long enduring Race-soul, or World-self--and in that sort of sense -only shall I use the word in future. - -In that sense the idea is feasible and illuminative. It explains the -obvious limitations and localism of our personalities, as being more or -less passing and temporary embodiments of our true selves; and it -represents the latter as immense storehouses of experience from all -manner of places and times, and similarly as centres of world-activity -operating in different fields of time and space. At the same time, it -presents various difficulties. For one thing, it poses the difficulty -that for each of us this vast interior being is, as a rule, so deeply -buried that both oneself and one's friends are only faintly -conscious--if at all--of its true outline. And if one does not recognize -this being, of what use is it to us? It is true that we sometimes meet -people who at first sight give us a strong impression of far-back -intimacy; but this is only a vague impression and hardly sufficient to -afford proof of pre-existence. The only way of meeting this difficulty -seems to be to suppose, as residing in this inner being or true self, -another order of consciousness, faint intimations of which we even now -have, and by which, as it grows and develops, we may some day clearly -recognize our true selves and true nature. - -Another difficulty is that (as already said) for any satisfactory sense -of survival continuity of memory is needed; and we should have to -suppose that the memory of each earth-life was continued into and stored -up in this deeper soul or onian self. Memory would not normally pass -from one embodiment or incarnation to another, but each stream would -flow into the central self and there be stored. And I think we may admit -that this is by no means impossible. Indeed there are not a few facts -(some already mentioned) with regard to the recovery of memory which -make the mater probable. Though any given earth-life in a given form -could not be repeated, the _memory_ of such an earth-life, fresh and -clear, may survive for an indefinite time in the crystal mirror of the -deeper consciousness.[127] And it is perhaps allowable to suppose that -in this way, and with the lifting of the opaque veil of our present -consciousness, we may some day come clearly into the presence of friends -we have lost. - -Here again, however, one has to be on one's guard. The mere fact of -remembering (or thinking one remembers), in this our terrestrial life -and with our terrestrial consciousness, some detail or other of a -previous terrestrial life proves little--for, for aught we know, quite -apart from our psychic selves, a streak of memory of more physical -origin from some ancestor may have come down even several generations, -and may be surviving in one's brain.[128] Indeed it is extremely -probable that all organic matter carries memory with it, and not -unlikely that inorganic matter does so too. If you thought, for -instance, that you remembered seeing Charles the First beheaded--if you -had a rather distinct picture in your mind of the scene at Whitehall, -which you afterwards found by investigation to be corroborated in its -details, you might at first jump to the conclusion that you had really -lived at that time, and witnessed the scene. But after all it might -merely be that an ancestor of yours had been there, and that the vividly -impressed picture had somehow persevered in some subterranean channel of -memory and emerged again in your mind. Even then you might contend that, -since it was _your_ memory, _you_ must have been there--or at any rate -some fraction of yourself in the ancestor, which now has become -incorporated in your personality. There are a good many stories of this -kind going about, which point to the possibility of the transmission of -shreds of remembrance through hereditary channels, and suggest the idea -of an active Race-memory, or Earth-memory, in itself continuous--a -storehouse of experiences, but fed continually by the individuals of the -race, and coruscating forth again in other individuals.[129] Indeed one -can hardly withhold belief in the existence of such a larger life, or -identity, 'reincarnated' if one likes to use the expression, in -thousands or millions of individuals; but to be satisfactorily assured -of the reincarnation of one distinct and individual person is another -thing, and would almost demand that there should be forthcoming not only -shreds and streaks of remembrance, but a pretty continuous and -consistent memory of a whole former life. - -Thus the whole question which we are discussing is baffled and rendered -the more complex by the doubt as to what is meant by the word "I." It is -clear, from what we have already said, that one person may use it to -indicate (1) the quite local and superficial self; while another may -have in mind (2) a much profounder being (the underlying self) whose -depths and qualities we have by no means fathomed; while others, again, -may be thinking (3) of the self of the Race or the Earth, or (4) the -All-self of the universe. - -I present these questions and doubts, not--as I have said--for the -purpose of discrediting the possibility of Reincarnation, but by way of -showing how complex and difficult the problem is, and how much _some_ -exact thought and definition is needed in dealing with it. At the same -time, in pleading for exact thought I would also urge that in avoiding -the whirlpools of sentimentalism we should be careful not to fall upon -the rocks of a dry and barren formalism. Systems of hard and fast -doctrines on these subjects--even though issued with all the authority -of ancient tradition, and enunciated in a long-dead jargon--are the most -unfruitful and uninspiring of things. They seem to contain no germ of -vitality and are liable to paralyze the mind that feeds upon them. -Besides the drawback--as I have pointed out before--that all such -systems are inevitably false. Nature does not, in any department, work -upon a cut-and-dried system; and while at the outset of an investigation -we often seem to discern something of that kind, further study -invariably discloses an astounding variety of order and method. It may -be well therefore to be prepared to find a general principle of -Reincarnation in operation in the world, but worked out, in actual fact, -in a great variety of ways. - -Certainly there comes into our minds, at a certain grade of their -development, a deep persuasion of the truth, in _some_ sense, of -reincarnation--that "the Soul that rises with us, our life's Star, -hath had elsewhere its setting." It blossoms, this persuasion, in a -curious way, in the very depths of the mind; and in moments of inner -illumination, or deep feeling, is discerned in a way that seems to -leave no room for doubt. At the same time, it not only has this -intuitive sanction, but it commends itself also to the intellect, -because at a certain stage we perceive very clearly both how vast is -the whole curve of progress which the soul has to cover from its first -birth to its final liberation, and how tiny is the arc represented by -a single lifetime--the two thoughts almost compelling us to believe -in a succession of lives as the only explanation or solution. We are -compelled towards a practical belief in Reincarnation, and yet (as -above) we have to confess that our conception of what it really is, -or what we mean by it, is only vague. This, however, is no more than -what happens in a hundred other cases. The young bird starts building -a nest for the first time, driven by some strange instinct to do so, -and yet it can only have a very dim notion of the meaning and uses -the nest will subserve when finished. And _we_ found our lives on -deep intuitions--of social solidarity, of personal responsibility, of -free will, and so forth--and yet it is only later and by degrees that -we learn what these things actually mean. - -Referring, then, to the four alternative forms of the self given two -or three pages back, and taking the last first, we may say definitely, -I think, that as far as the self of each one of us is identified (4) -with the All-self of the universe, its reincarnation is assured. -Its reincarnation indeed is perpetual, inexhaustible, multitudinous -beyond words, filling all space and time. Though the consciousness -of this self is deeply buried, yet it is there, in each one of us. -Occasionally--if even only for a moment--it rises to the surface, -bringing a sense of splendor and of joy indescribable--the absolute -freedom and password of all creation, the recognition of oneself -everywhere and in all forms. But this phase of the self--I need hardly -say--is for the most part hidden; and more common is it perhaps for the -Race-self (3) to rise into our consciousness with more or less distinct -assurance that we live again and are re-embodied in other members of -the race to which we belong. The common life of the race carries us -away and overmasters us with a strange sense of identity and community -of being. Heroisms and devotions--as of men dying for their country, -or bees for their hive--spring from this; and superb intoxications of -joy. The whole of the life of primitive races and tribes, and the life -of the animals and insects, illustrates it--in warfares, migrations, -crusades, frantic enthusiasms, mad festivals--the genius of the race -rushing on from point to point, inspiring its children, incarnating -itself without end in successive individuals. - -It is not so uncommon, I say, for us to be able to identify ourselves -with this great Race-self, and to feel its thrill and pulse within -our veins. And it might well be thought that, with these two forms of -reincarnation (3) and (4) and the immense joy they bring, we should -be content: even as all the tribes of the animals and the angels are -content. - -But it seems that man--when the civilization-period sets in, and after -that--is not content. The little individual soul, now first coming to -the consciousness of its own separateness, sets up a claim for an -immortality and a reincarnation of its very own--apart from the -Race-self, apart even from the Divine self. It demands that its _ego_ -should continue indefinitely into the farthest fields of Time--a -separate entity, perpetually re-embodied. Can such a claim--in the light -of what has been said above--be possibly conceded? - -Certainly not. We have seen the absurdity of supposing that the local -and superficial self (1) can ever recur again or be re-embodied in that -form, except as a mere matter of memory (or possibly of a repetition of -the whole universal order). And as to the underlying self (2), whatever -exactly it may be, there are a thousand reasons for seeing that _as a -wholly separate entity_ the same must be true of that. I may refer the -reader to _The Art of Creation_, the whole argument of which is to show -that even the mere attempt to _think_ of itself as a separate entity -involves the human soul in hopeless confusion and disintegration; and I -may remind the reader that we know nothing in the whole universe which -is thus separate and apart, and that the conception, whether from a -physical point of view or a psychological point of view, is impossible -to maintain. That being so, there remains only to consider the -possibility of the underlying self or individual soul being -re-embodied--not as an absolutely separate entity, but as affiliated to -some greater Life which shall afford the basis of successive -incarnations. The problem is narrowed down, practically to the question -whether the individual may not obtain some kind of individual -reincarnation through the Race-self, or possibly through the All-self of -the universe. - -And here I will state what I personally think and believe about this -problem, leaving the reasons for the present to commend themselves. I -think that in the early stages--in animal and primitive human life--the -Race-self is paramount; that each individual self proceeds from it, in -much the same way as a bud proceeds from the stem of a growing plant, or -even as a single cell forms part of the tissue of the stem; and is -absorbed into it again at death. There are no individual and -death-surviving souls produced, apart from the Race-soul. In the great -race or family of bunny-rabbits, for instance--though there are -certainly individual differences of character--just as there are -differentiations of tissue-cells in the stem of a plant--it is difficult -to believe that there are individual and immortal souls. Each little -self springs from the race, and is an embodiment of it, representing in -various degree its characteristics; and at death--in some way which we -do not yet quite understand[130]--returns thither, yielding its -experiences to the stores of the race-experience. The same is probably -true of the great mass of the higher animals, even up to the primitive -and earliest Man. The Race-self in all these cases moves onward, -upgathering the experiences of the individuals, wise with their united -knowledge, and rich with their countless memories. And these tracts -again, of experience, knowledge and memory, largely in a vague and -generalized form, but sometimes in sharp, individualized and detailed -form, are transmitted from the Race-self to its later individuals and -offshots. Thus a kind of broken reincarnation occurs, by which streaks -of memory and habit pass down time from one individual to another, and -by which perhaps--in us later races--the persistent 'intimations of -immortality' and persuasions of having lived before are accounted for. - -I think that this process, of mixed and broken reincarnation, may go on -for countless generations--the animal or animal-human souls so -differentiated from the race-soul returning continually to the latter at -death. But that a period may come when the Race-self (illustrated by the -growing plant-stem) may exhibit distinct _buds_--the embryos, as it -were, of independent souls--which will not return and be lost again in -the race-soul, but will persevere for a long period and continually -attain to more differentiation and internal coherence and sense of -identity. In such cases any reincarnations that occur connected with -these buds--though mingled with the race-life--will become much less -broken than before, and more distinctly individual; till at last a phase -is reached when such a soul-bud, almost detached from the race-life, may -be reincarnated (or let us say 're-embodied') as a separate entity, with -a kind of immortality of its own. - -It must be at this stage that the characteristic human soul of the -Civilization-period is evolved--which coheres quite firmly round itself, -which protests and revolts against death, which even largely throws off -its allegiance to the race-soul, and to the laws and solidarities of the -race-life, and which has an enormous and overweening sense of identity -and self-importance, claiming for itself, as I have just said, a kind of -separate persistence. Here ensues, as may be imagined, a terrible period -of confusion and trouble--the whole period of competitive civilization. -The splendid claim of identity and immortality is made; but for the time -being it is spoiled by what we call 'selfishness,' the mirror is cracked -through ignorance. The Soul has disowned her allegiance to mere instinct -and the race-self, and has yet not found a firm footing beyond--is only -floundering in the bogs of self-consciousness and anxiety. What kind of -Re-embodiment may belong to this period we shall best perhaps see when -we have considered the further course of the argument. - -For at last the process of transition completes itself. The human soul -tossed about beyond endurance at length discovers within itself a divine -Nucleus--a nucleus of growth and life and refuge and security, apart -from its own fragility, quite apart from the race-life, independent of -all the latter's laws and conventions and sanctions and traditions, -independent of caste or color, of world-period or locality; and from -that moment it (the soul) rests; it ceases (like the little rose of -Jericho) from its desert wanderings; it radiates itself and begins to -grow from a new centre; it is born again; it becomes the beginning of -what may be called a Divine Soul. The man becomes conscious of an -ethereal body forming within, unassailable or at least undestroyable by -Death; and it is probable that, during this period, the subtle organism -which we have already termed the Inner or Spiritual Body (ch. x.) _is_ -actually forming and defining and, so to speak, consolidating itself. -The subtle body of a more perfect being is forming--a body which can -pass unharmed through walls, fire, water, which can navigate the air and -the planetary spaces, and which is built on the basis of the ether, -itself the all-pervading life-substance of creation. A divine soul is -coming to expression, an _ego_ indeed, marvellously different and -distinct from all other _egos_, and ever more majestic and unique -growing; but rooted deep in the universal self, and ever from that root -expanding and sharing the life of that self and of all its children. - -With the formation of this divine soul, re-embodiment in its complete -and adequate sense commences. The spiritual or subtle body formed within -the gross body retains its characteristics after the death of the latter -(many of which characteristics no doubt hardly gained expression in the -one life just ended)--and passes on to other spheres, there to assume -more or less definitely material bodies according to the sphere and the -conditions in which it may need to move. It may seek re-embodiment on -earth through ordinary heredity and childbirth--in which case presumably -it enters into the growing germ, and moulds the development of the -latter to an adequate, if not to a quite perfect and unsullied, -expression of itself. If the reincarnation is to be into ordinary human -and terrestrial life, this is probably the only available method. And it -would seem that some advanced and well-nigh perfect souls do adopt this -method, appearing as infants with a kind of divinity about them, and a -germinal purity so great as to seem to proceed from an 'immaculate -conception.' - -But to most, in this stage, the toil and tedium of passing through -embryonic life and physical birth and infancy may well appear -intolerable; and since by now they have developed the subtle or -spiritual body and the powers belonging to it, this ordeal is no longer -necessary. The subtle body can--as we have gathered from former -chapters--by a process of condensation clothe itself in a visible or -even tangible vesture,[131] and may function, at any rate for a time, in -such outer or apparitional form without going through all the -_abracadabra_ of birth. If on the earth, such functioning can only be -very temporary, owing to the difficulty here of the conditions, and of -the supply of the necessary condensation-material; but in other and less -ponderous spheres the difficulty is probably much less, and the -formation of suitable bodies comparatively easy. Anyhow, it will be seen -that reincarnation of this second kind is unitary and single in -character instead of being divided or fragmentary; it is unalloyed -instead of being broken and mixed;[132] and a vision rises before us, in -connection with it, of ever-growing forms and more perfect -life-embodiments carrying out, one after another in long succession, the -evolution and expression of each divine soul or separate ray of -universal being. - -Thus in answer to query two, on an early page of this chapter, we may -say that there are two kinds of reincarnation proper--quite different -from each other:--(1) That of the race-self in which the individual -members of the race share only in a streaky fashion, each going back at -death into the race-soul, and emptying its memories and experiences into -that soul for general sporadic inheritance, but not for transmission in -mass to any one later individual; and (2) that of the individual who has -found his divine soul and evolved his inner body to a point where it -cannot be broken up again; and who is thus reincarnated or re-embodied -complete through successive materializations or condensations, in other -spheres and without again undergoing the ordinary race-birth and death. - -But though these two represent the normal forms of reincarnation, a -third kind should be added which represents the transition from one to -the other, and which is important for us because it mainly covers the -period in which we now are--the great period of civilization. We saw how -the soul of the animal is so close to the race-self, and so little -differentiated from it, that it probably returns quite easily into the -race-self at death; and this is likely to be the same with very early or -primitive man. But when the distinctly human soul begins to form and to -shape itself, it does not so easily forget its individuality and -obliterate itself in that from which it sprang. And so we have the -tentative, half-formed human soul, by no means well assured of itself, -or certain of its own powers, and by no means perfect or contented, but -much persuaded of its own importance and anxiously seeking reincarnation -as a separate entity--and seeking this by the only means available to -it, _i.e._ through heredity and birth as a member of the race. - -It is a painful situation and experience. The soul, as human and not -animal soul, is longing to separate itself from the race, to mark its -distinction and independence--yet it has not, so far, found the divine -nucleus which alone can give it real independence; and it can only gain -expression and manifestation through the race-self and the ordinary -paraphernalia of birth and death. It has learned no other way. Moreover, -it is not yet completely differentiated from the race-self. It thus -arrives at what can only be a very mingled and broken expression. Some -father-stream and some mother-stream uniting, as it were, in the -psychological neighborhood of this half-formed soul give it the desired -opportunity; and blending itself with them it comes down into the -world--a being of triple nature, embryonic and incompletely formed in -itself, and utilizing as best it can the diverse elements of its -maternal and paternal sources. Its career, consequently, and its life on -earth are marked by a continual inner struggle and conflict--both -physiological and psychological (due to the effort of the soul to bend -the race-life and the elements of corporeal heredity to its own uses), -and in strange contrast both with the hardihood and calm insouciance of -the animals, in whom the race-life is untampered, and with the -transparent health and serenity of those other beings in whom the divine -soul has finally established its sovereignty. - -Such, briefly described, are I believe the outlines of the reincarnation -story. To put it in a few words, the whole process by which the -race-self evolves and finally gives birth to myriads of free, -independent and deathless individuals curiously resembles and may well -be illustrated by a certain biological phenomenon common both in the -vegetable and the animal worlds. Some growing stem or portion of tissue, -perhaps of a plant, perhaps of a sponge or higher organism, is at first -of a simple homogeneous character, fairly uniform and undifferentiated: -but after a time it exhibits knobs and inequalities, which presently -define themselves in a sort of _botryoidal_ or clustered bud-like growth -(as, for instance, in the spadix of an arum or the ovary of a mammal); -finally these knobs or buds become entirely distinct and fully formed, -and are thrown off 'free,' as seeds (in the case of plants and animals), -or gemmules (in the case of sponges), or spores (in ferns and mosses), -or as fresh and complete individuals in many aquatic creatures--in any -case to enter on the beginnings of a free and independent life of their -own. This kind of process, anyhow, is found in every department of -biology, and it may well be that it extends upward even into the highest -domains. The growing stem--proliferating cells without number, which are -born and die in a kind of even uniformity within the limits of the -stem--corresponds to the race-self in its early stages; the formation of -knobs and buds in various degrees of clustered development corresponds -to the partial growth of human souls out of the race-soul; and the -liberation of the buds and germs corresponds to the liberation of the -human souls into the freedom of a universal life. - - - - - CHAPTER XIII - - THE DIVINE SOUL - - -The liberation of buds and germs, as in the biological processes alluded -to in the last chapter, is in general connected with sex, and brought -about by its operation. And, similarly, I think we may say that the -liberation of human souls and their disengagement from the race-matrix -is brought about by love. I have already pointed out (ch. ix.) the -intensely personal and individualizing character of human love. If one -can imagine a love-relation going on between two members of a race--two -portions, as it were, of the race-soul--at present only slightly -individualized, one can see how the attraction to each other, the -drawing away from their surroundings, the excitement, the agitation, all -tend to further their growth as individuals--to give them form, apart -from the matrix in which they are embedded, and definition and -character. Of course all experience does this, but most of all and most -deeply does love. It breeds souls out of the Race-self, and finally -brings them away to an independent life. "It is for this that the body -exercises its tremendous attraction--that mortal love torments and tears -asunder the successive generations of mankind--That underneath and after -all the true men and women may appear, by long experience emancipated." - -As said in an early chapter, in love, though we do not know exactly what -is happening, we are persuaded that something very profound and -far-reaching is working itself out. And one such thing, I am sure, is -the liberation of the soul of the lover--and, in less degree, the soul -of the loved one. The tremendous experiences and convulsions, the -profound stirrings, and the wrenchings from old ties and associations, -do at last not only build the soul up into a distinct individuality, but -they dig it up from its roots in the race and plant it out in the great -Eden garden of emancipated humanity--the beginning of a new career.[133] - -Another thing that I think is happening is that when love is strongly -reciprocated the elements (as we have seen several times already), -whether physical or psychical, pass over from one to the other and are -interchanged--regenerating and immensely enlarging the life and capacity -of each individual. This happens, I believe, in all grades of the -universal life, from the Protozoa upwards. Two individuals drawn -together interchange some elements of their being, and grow thereby into -a larger and grander life; or may even in cases fuse completely into one -individual person. As Swedenborg says somewhere:--"Those who are truly -married on earth are in heaven one Angel." - -Thirdly, I think that the reciprocated love of two sometimes creates a -_new soul_. We are familiar with the idea that the love (sexual) of two -bodies commonly creates a new body; and there is an age-long tradition -that the same is true in the world of souls. There is in that world -also, not only regeneration but generation. "Love is the desire of -generation in the beautiful, both _with relation to the soul and the -body_," says Plato;[134] and Ellen Key, in a passage already quoted -above (ch. iv., p. 61), says that "two beings _through_ one another may -become a new being, and a greater than either could be of itself alone." -By love a new soul is sometimes generated which takes possession of both -persons, and which suggests--as in the Swedenborg phrase above--that in -some other sphere they really become one. And by love, we may also -think, between man and wife, a new soul or soul-bud is sometimes -created, which may descend into and vivify the physical germ of their -future child. - -To consider this last point a moment. The connection between heredity -and the individual self is very mysterious. We acknowledge our descent, -and what we owe, both mentally and bodily, to our parentage; but we are -fain to think of our _ego_ as something apart, something not to be -confused with parents, and by no means merely derivative from them. -Sometimes indeed there is great harmony between this _ego_ and the -parental inheritance, sometimes much the reverse; sometimes the line -between the two is doubtful and uncertain. What is the explanation of -all this? and what are the true facts of the relationship? - -Does it not seem likely that, in the intense organic excitement which -attends sexual union, this excitement--especially if strong love be also -present--reaches right down into the soul-depths of each person, -stirring these also, and the race oversoul at that point, most -profoundly? So that, at the same moment that the germ of a bodily child -is being fertilized, there is formed in the race-soul a soul-bud -corresponding, which consequently descends into the physical germ and -becomes its organizing life--the soul-bud thus being related to the -souls of the parents, somewhat as the physical germ is related to their -bodies? It springs, in fact, from a related portion of the -race-oversoul. - -Or again, does it not seem likely that in some cases, instead of a quite -new bud being formed, the profound stirring of the race-life in that -vicinity causes some older and more developed soul-bud--which has -perhaps already had some earth-experiences--to wake into activity and -take possession of the germ? In the first case mentioned the child born -will be singularly like the parents, and in nature harmonious with them, -with very little extraneous in its character, and with the fair prospect -before it of a smooth and even career. But in this latter case, though -the child will be harmonious with the parents it will have great depths -beside, of authentic character of its own which will show out as time -goes on. - -And again, if deep love be absent, and consequently there is no special -birth or awakening of souls in that region where they should be related -to the body which is being born--what is likely to happen? Is it not -likely that some other soul-bud, or soul which chance or other -indication of destiny may bring that way, may enter in and possess the -developing organism? And is it not likely, then, that strife and -conflict and doubt may also enter in, causing a character of mixed -elements, possibly leading to heroic developments, but also probably to -a broken or tragic life-story? - - * * * * * - -As in the earliest and most primitive developments of life, so in the -latest and most exalted, the soul is born through love, and through love -it grows and expands. It may indeed be asked whether any other way is -possible. Oppositions and conflicts may give form to the growing thing, -and help to carve its outlines; but this gives it expansion. Every -profound attachment necessarily modifies and enlarges the man. It pulls -him out of his little orbit into a wider path--even if for the moment -with some amount of eccentricity. Something is incorporated in his life -which was not part of it before--something possibly which he did not -before appreciate or understand. What we now are--whether mentally or -physically--is an epitome of multitudinous loves in the past. The very -cell-alliances which constitute our bodies are the records of endless -heart-yearnings and romances (dating from far-back ages, and even now -enduring) among a tiny people to us well-nigh invisible. And we may ask -ourselves whether in the regions above and beyond our present life there -may not be soul-alliances and even soul-fusions, by which we humans in -our turn build up the very life of the gods? Plato in his _Symposium_, -speaking of the strange desire of lovers for each other, makes -Aristophanes say:[135]--"But the soul of each manifestly thirsts for, -from the other, something which there are no words to describe, and -divines that which it seeks, and traces obscurely the footsteps of its -obscure desire. If Vulcan should say to persons thus affected, 'My good -people, what is it that you want with one another?' And if, while they -were hesitating what to answer, he should proceed to ask--'Do you not -desire the closest union and singleness to exist between you, so that -you may never be divided night or day? If so, I will melt you together, -and make you grow into one, so that both in life and death ye may be -undivided. Consider, is this what you desire? Will it content you if you -become that which I propose?'--We all know that no one would refuse such -an offer, but would at once feel that this was what he had ever sought; -and intimately to mix and melt and to be melted together with his -beloved, so that one should be made out of two." And we may -think--though this strange and intimate longing is never fulfilled, as -we know, in the actual earth-life--that it still may possibly be an -indication (as happens in other cases) of something which really is -working itself out in the unseen world. - -It was suggested, in the end of chapter xi. above, that limitation and -hindrance are a part of the cosmic scheme of the creation of souls, and -that there is a purpose in these things in regard to this mortal life. -It was also suggested that the profound soul-stuff of which we are made -is capable of infinitely swifter and more extended perceptions than -those of which we are usually aware; and that there is a good deal of -evidence to show that perceptive powers of this kind--quite independent -of the usual end-organs of sight, hearing, taste, and so forth, still -linger buried deep down within us. The question then naturally arises, -If this limitation of faculty really exists as a fundamental fact of our -mortal life, what purpose does it subserve?--And the answer to this is, -I think, very clear. - -It subserves the evolution of Self-consciousness and of the sense of -Identity. It is obvious that diffused faculties and perceptions, however -swift and powerful, could never have brought these gifts with them. It -was only by pinning sensitiveness down to a point in space and time, by -means of a body, and _limiting_ its perceptions by means of bodily -end-organs, that these new values could be added to creation--the local -self and the sense of Identity. All the variety of human and animal -nature, all the endless differences of points of view, all diversity and -charm of form and character and temperament must be credited to this -principle; and whatever vagaries and delusions the consequent growth of -self-consciousness and selfness may have caused, it is incontestable -that through the development of Identity mankind and all creation must -ultimately rise to a height of glory and splendor otherwise -unimaginable. - -And not only limitation but also hindrance. These things give an -intensity and passion to life, and a power and decisiveness to -individuality, the absence of which would indeed be sad. As a -water-conduit by limiting the spread of the stream and confining it in a -close channel gives it velocity and force to drive the mill, so -limitation and hindrance in human life give the individualized energy -from which, for good or evil, all our world-activities spring. As the -Lord says in Goethe's Prologue to _Faust_:-- - - "Of all the spirits of denial - The mischief-maker I most tolerate, - For man's activity doth all too soon unravel; - Of slumber he seems never satiate; - Therefore I gladly hand him to a mate - Who'll plague and prick, and play in fact the Devil." - -Over a long period in this cosmic process this action, we may think, -goes on. The vast and pervasive soul-stuff of the universe, in its -hidden way omniscient and omnipresent, suffers an obscuration and a -limitation, and is condensed into a bodily prison in a point of space -and time; but with a consequent explosive energy incalculable. The -Devil--_diabolos_ the slanderer and the sunderer, the principle of -division--reigns. To him, the 'milk and water' heaven of universal but -vague benevolence is detestable. He builds up the actual, fascinating, -tragic, indispensable world that we know. Selfishness and ignorance, the -two great Powers of discord and separation, are his ministers; the earth -is his theatre of convulsive hatreds and soul-racking passion; and our -mortal life, instead of being the fair channel of cosmic activities, -becomes a "stricture knot," as Whitman calls it, and a symbol of -disease. - -But this diabolonian process is only one segment of the whole. After the -long descent and condensation and imprisonment of the spirit in its most -limited and inert and self-regarding forms, after its saturation in -matter, and its banishment in the world of death and suffering, the -rising curve of liberation sets in, and the long process of its return. -It is through love mainly, as we have seen, that this second process -works itself out. From point to point through unison with others, by -absorbing something from their experience, by sharing a wider life, the -spirit's manifestation grows. By this the great tree of organic life -spreads upon the earth; by this each race-stem multiplies its tissues -and expands; by this the buds of human souls are formed; and by this the -souls themselves are freed to independent life, and ultimately to circle -again "dancing and sporting" as Plutarch says, "like joyous satellites -round about their sun in heaven." There is continual Transformation; but -there is also continuity from end to end. For every being there is -continuance, but continuance only by change. Each soul is a gradual -rising to consciousness of the All-soul; a gradual liberation and -self-discovery of the divine germ within it. First the race-soul rising -toward this consciousness, and then the individual souls thrown off, -rising each independently toward the same. It is when the latter are -moving over from their (instinctive and so to speak organic) community -with the race-soul to a distinct and separate knowledge of and -allegiance to the divine germ now declaring within themselves, that all -this period of confusion and dismay, naturally enough, occurs--this that -we have called the period of Civilization and the Fall of man--the -period in which indeed we are now so fatefully involved. But it is in -this period too that 'divine souls' are formed, and their feet first set -upon the path of splendor. - -Love indicates immortality. No sooner does the human being perceive -this divine nucleus within himself than he knows his eternal destiny. -Plunged in matter and the gross body he has learned the lesson of -identity and separateness. All that the devil can teach him he has -faithfully absorbed. Now he has to expand that identity, for ever -unique, into ever vaster spheres of activity--to become finally a -complete and finished aspect of the One. - - - - - CHAPTER XIV - - THE RETURN JOURNEY - - -We have seen that there is some reason for believing that, -simultaneously with the birth or coming to consciousness of what we have -called the divine soul, there occurs within us the formation of a -'spiritual' or very subtly material body. This body, if only composed of -atoms, may easily be so fine and subtle as to pass practically unchanged -through ordinary gross matter--the walls, for instance, and other -obstacles that surround us. (At this moment there is an astronomical -theory current that the stellar universe consists of two vast -star-systems which are passing in nearly opposite directions right -_through each other_.) If composed of electrons its subtlety and -pervasive powers must be much greater. Moreover, its fineness and -subtlety would make it difficult of destruction. The ordinary agents of -death--physical violence, water, fire, and so forth--would, as already -pointed out, hardly reach it; and it is easy to suppose that it might -continue onwards and perdure in stability and activity for thousands of -years. Even the Atom of matter, which is now regarded as a complex -system of electrons, is supposed to have an immensely extended -lifetime--nearly two thousand years in the case of Radium, and much -longer in the case of all other substances; and if two thousand years or -thereabouts is the minimum lifetime of an atom, it is not difficult to -suppose that the lifetime of a subtle body composed as above described -may be equally or much more extended. - -During its lifetime, the radio-active atom, slowly disintegrating, pours -out a prodigious amount of energy; and in the process apparently is -transformed and takes on other characters and qualities. Radium for -instance, or rather some products of its disintegration, are thought to -take on the characters of Helium and of Lead. And similarly we have -every reason to believe that the subtle body of Man is continually -pouring out energy on all sides, radiating like a sun--pouring out -mental states, sensible forms, influences of all kinds, even images of -itself, and so continually entering into a wider life and touch with -others, and undergoing a slow transformation of its outer form. At the -same time--and leading to the same results--it is continually storing up -in its recesses impressions and memories for the seed of future -expression and development. - -It may be imagined that the gross terrestrial body--though splendidly -necessary for the localizing of the Self, and the establishment of the -sense of identity, and for the electric accumulation of stores of -emotion and passion, and so forth--acts on the whole in such a way as to -greatly hamper and limit the activities of the inner body; and we can -imagine that (as at death and under other special conditions) the -liberation from the gross body is naturally accompanied by an enormous -extension of faculty. The soul in its new and subtler form passes out -into an immensely wider sphere of action and perception--so much so, -indeed, as to make direct converse between the two worlds (the new world -it is in, and the old one it has left) difficult to establish and very -difficult permanently to maintain. The author of _Interwoven_ says (p. -221) that the first body and the second body differ greatly in their -chemical particles, "and so the same degree of sight and hearing is not -possible.... _We_ have just as much trouble to see the outsides of -things as mortals have to see the insides." - -Nor can we place a necessary limit to the birth of finer bodies. There -may be a succession of such things. The electron brings us very near to -a _mental_ state; for whereas an Atom--conceived as similar to the speck -of dust which one can roll between one's fingers, only much more -minute--seems to have no relation to mentality, a tiny electric charge, -capable of conveying a _shock_, comes very close! And at that stage the -truth becomes apparent that the inner intelligent being in all things is -the core, and the body is only the surface of contact--the surface, in -fact, along which one intelligence administers shocks to another! With -liberation from the gross body that surface may grow enormously -extended, and it may become possible to _touch_ or _see_, or to render -oneself visible or tangible, to others far beyond all ordinary -possibilities of contact or perception. - -The succession of finer bodies may exist in any gradation, from what we -call gross matter to the subtlest ether of emotion. At any rate we can -see that at every stage there will be a finer body which is _more_ of -the nature of thought, and an outer and coarser which is less so. As the -gifted author of _The Science of Peace_, Bhagavan Das, says:--"At each -stage the Jiva-core (_i.e._ the core of the living individual) consists -of matter of the inner plane, while its outer updhi (or sheath) -consists of matter of the outer plane; and when a person says, I think, -I act, it means that the matter of the inner core, which is the I, for -the time being, is actually, positively, modified by, or is itself -modifying in a certain manner, the outer real world." The inner film of -matter (or mind), as he says, "is posing and masquerading, for the time -being, as the truly immaterial self." - -This central Self we can never _wholly_ reach, but the movement of each -divine soul is toward it; and the assurance and salvation of each soul -is in the growing sense of union with it. The personal self can only -'survive' by ever fading and changing toward the universal. Our inner -identity is fixed, but our outward identity we can only preserve by, as -it were, forever losing it. - -After life's fitful fever--after the insurgence and resurgence of -passions; after the heart-breaking struggles which are forced upon -some for the sake of a mere material footing upon the earth; after the -deadly sufferings which others must undergo in order to gain scantiest -allowance and expression of their inner and spiritual selves; after the -mortal conflict and irreconcilableness of material and mental needs; -the battles with opponents, the betrayal of friends, the fading and -souring of pleasures, and the dissipation of ideals--the consent of -mankind goes to affirm and confirm the conclusion that sleep is well, -sleep is desirable. As after a hard day's labor, when the sinews are -torn and the mind is racked, Nature's soft nurse commends a period of -rest and healing--so it would seem fitting that a similar period should -follow, for the human soul, on the toil and the dislocation of life. - -It seems indeed probable--and a long tradition confirms the idea--that -the human soul at death does at first pass, with its cloud-vesture of -memories and qualities, into some intermediate region, _astral_ rather -than _celestial_ (if we may use words which we do not understand), some -Purgatory or Hades, rather than Paradise or Olympus; and for a long -period does remain there quiescent, surveying its past, recovering from -the shocks and outrages of mortal experience, knitting up and smoothing -out the broken and tangled threads, trying hard to understand the -pattern. It seems probable that there is a long period of such digestion -and reconcilement and slow brooding over the new life which has to be -formed. Indeed when one comes to think of it, it seems difficult--if -there is to be continuance at all--to imagine anything else. When one -thinks of the strange contradictions of our mortal life, the hopelessly -antagonistic elements, the warring of passions, the shattering of -ideals, the stupor of monotony: the soul like a bird shut in a cage, or -with bright wings draggled in the mire; the horrible sense of sin which -torments some people, the mad impulses which tyrannize over others; the -alternations of one's own personality on different days, or at different -depths and planes of consciousness; the supraliminal and the subliminal; -the smug Upper-self with its petty satisfactions and its precise and -precious logic, and the great Under-self now rising (in the hour of -death) like some vast shadowy figure or genius, out of the abyss of -being--when one thinks of all this one feels that if there is to be any -sanity or sequence in the conclusion, it must mean a long period of -brooding and reconciliation, and of readjustment, and even of sleep. - -At first it may well be a troubled period, of nightmare-like confusion; -but at last there must come a time when harmony is restored. The past -lifetime is spread out like a map before one--all its events fall into -their places, composed and clear. The genius, rising from the depths, -throws a strange light upon them. "This was necessary. That could not -have been otherwise. And that again which seemed so fatal, do you not -now see its profound meaning?" The soul surveying gradually redeems the -past. It comes to understand. _Tout comprendre, c'est tout pardonner._ -It beholds, far down, the little fugitive among the shadows, pursued by -the hideous and imbecile mask--the sense of Sin--and, recognizing a -fleeting embodiment of itself, it smiles: for that mask has been seen -through and is useless any longer. It beholds another--or is it the -same?--pursued by the Terror of Death; and again it smiles: for _that_ -shadow--like the vast moonshadow in a total eclipse of the sun, which -seemed so solid and all-devouring, has swept by; it has been passed -through, and it was only a shadow. - -And it may well be also that this whole process of reconciliation and -adjustment and the building up of diverse elements into one harmonious -being may occupy more than one such interval between two lifetimes; it -may require several periods of incubation, so to speak. Looking at the -matter from the physical side, and seeing how the inner and subtle body -has probably to be formed during all this time--as in a chrysalis--and -differentiated into an independent life, it seems likely that several -intervals of outer rest and inner growth may be needed, and a series of -successive moultings! But in the end, when the string of earth-lives is -finished, and the reconciliation is complete, then the essential, the -divine, self has become manifest, and is ready for a whole new world, a -new order of experience, even to the farthest confines of the universe. - - * * * * * - -I have suggested in a former chapter that Memory--that very wonderful -faculty--is probably our best test of Identity, our best test of -Survival. If we apply this canon to the evolution of the independent -soul out of the race-life, it may help us. When an animal dies, the -group of memories, which is its life's-experience, probably passes back -and is transmitted in a more or less diffused way into the general -race-life or soul.[136] In the case of some higher animals it is -possible that the memory-group thus returning may cohere for a time or -to a certain degree, and not be immediately diffused. In the case of the -higher types of _Man_ it is probable that such group may cohere for a -long time and rather persistently; and though embedded in the general -race-life and memory, and much mingled with and modified by these, it -may still form to some degree an independent centre of intelligence and -organization (something like a nerve-plexus in the brain or body). It -will form, in fact, what I have already called a soul-bud or budding -soul, and will be capable of that mixed or partial reincarnation of -which I have spoken--in which some truly individual streaks of memory -will be mixed with general memories of race-life. - -But after each successive reincarnation the group of memories -returning--and allying themselves to the former groups--will necessarily -give more and more definition to such budding soul, till at last the -time will come when its individuality will be complete; its severance -from the race-life will follow as a matter of course; and it will float -out into the sea of the all-pervading and divine consciousness. - -During this budding period of the human soul, which generally speaking -may be said to coincide with the civilization-period of human history, -the memory of each earth-life will go back into the race-soul there to -swell the nucleus of the individual soul which is being brought to -birth; but it will not generally revive into _evidence_ in the next -earth-life, for, being so deeply buried within, it will be too much -overlaid by external layers and happenings to come distinctly into -consciousness. It is not probably till the completion of the whole -series of its earth-lives that the soul will resume all these memories -and come into its complete heritage. Then, at some deep stage or state -all its incarnations (clarified and comprehended) will become manifest -to it--a glorious kingdom beyond the imagination of man at present to -conceive. All its various lives it may live over again; but with as much -difference in its understanding of their meaning as there is between an -accomplished player's rendering of a piece of music, and a child's first -stumbling performance of the same. - -It will perceive that, in a sense, it has _pre-existed_ from eternity. -For though certainly there was a time when it first sprang as a bud from -the Race, and entered into a gradually evolving and self-defining series -of personal lives, yet that first bud was itself but a particular -limitation and condensation of the Race-self; and _that_ again, far back -and beyond, a limitation through many intermediate stages of the -All-self. It (the human-divine soul) will perceive that it pre-existed -from eternity as the All-self; that it suffered in its time the -necessary obscurations and limitations; that it abdicated the high -prerogative of universal consciousness; and that it was born again as a -tiny Cinderella-spark; destined to rise through all the circles of -personal and individual life, and the enacting of the great drama of -Love and Death--the great cycle of Evolution and Transfiguration--once -more to the eternal Throne. - - * * * * * - -The glory of that Heaven where the All-self dwells radiant as the Sun, -and each lesser or partial soul knows itself as a ray conveying the -whole light, but in a direction of its own--we need not dwell on or -attempt to portray. As the emancipated soul, just described, may include -the personalities of many earth-lives and bodies, so there may -be--probably are--larger inclusive selves, special gods, having troops -of souls united to them in the bonds of love and devotion. Telepathic -radiations, travelling as it were on lines of light, and with the -velocity and directness of light, bring each unit into possible touch -with every other, and over an enormous field. As the modern theory of -electricity supposes that every electric charge, however small, or -associated with the smallest atom, is connected by lines of force with -some other and complementary charge _somewhere_--even perhaps at a -practically infinite distance--negative with positive, and positive with -negative; so the idea is suggested that in the free world of the spirit -every need felt by one atom of personality anywhere is felt also and -answered to by some complementary impulse and personality _somewhere_. -In the bringing together of these needs and affections, in the recovery -and the building up and the presentation in sensible form of all the -worlds of memory, slumber infinite possibilities, and the outlines of -endless situations and developments. The individual is clearly not lost -in any 'Happy Mass'; but may contribute to the formation of such a thing -in the sense that he comes into such wide and extended touch with others -as to have a practically unlimited range of experience, memory, -knowledge, creative power, and so forth, to draw on. - -Nor is there any call to think of a _bodiless_ heaven or bodiless state -of being in any plane of existence. The body in any stage or state is, I -repeat, a surface of contact. Wherever one intelligent being comes into -touch with another--whether actively, by impressing itself on the other, -or passively by being impressed--there immediately arises a body. There -arises the sense of matter, which is in fact the _impression_ made by -one being upon another. The external senses, of sight, hearing and the -rest, are modifications or limitations of more extended inner faculties, -of vision, audition, and so forth. The actual world of Nature which we -know, in the bodies of the woods and streams, and of animals and men, is -built up out of the material of our senses; out of the kind of -impressionability of which our senses are susceptible; but if these -materials, of our sight and hearing and touch and taste, were altered -but slightly in their range, the whole world would be different. They -would create for us another world. And so, if these present end-organs -of sense were destroyed, the soul, furnished with the inner faculties -corresponding, would create another world of sense and of Nature, which -would become the medium of expression and communication on that new -plane, and the material of its bodily manifestation there. At present, -owing to entanglement in the grosser senses, life is certainly in the -main a matter of food and drink, of sex, of money-making, and the -exercise of rather rude recreations and arts. With a finer range of -sense, there would still remain the roots and realities of these things; -the need of sustenance would still survive in the finer body, and the -need of interchange and the indrawing of vitality; the hunger of union -and of intercourse would remain--to be expressed in some shape or other; -the delight in music and in beauty of form would be no less, though -sounds and colors might be different from those we know; and all the -faculties that we have--and others too that are now only embryonic with -us--would demand their exercise and expression. Out of such demands and -needs would arise a corresponding world. - -I have suggested above (ch. xi.) how, deep in the subliminal self, there -lies a marvellous faculty of producing visible and audible -phenomena--Visions and Voices and Forms. Out of the depths of being -these can be evoked, and bodied forth into the actual world.[137] In -other words, each such Self, in its moods of power, can call forth its -own thoughts and mental images with such force as to impress them -irresistibly on others within its range--with such force, in fact, as to -give them a material vesture and location. What we have said of the -vastness and range of the human Under-self, of its swift interrelation -with others, of the immensity of its memory extending far back into the -deeps of time, must convince us that its powers of creation must be -correspondingly wonderful. The phenomena exhibited by entranced mediums, -and by hypnotized subjects, are only a sample of these powers; but they -hint dimly to us that when we understand ourselves, and what we are, and -when we understand others, and what they are, Time and Space and -Estrangement will no longer avail against us; they will no longer hinder -us from recognition of each other, nor hold us back from the spheres to -which we truly belong, and the fulfilment of our real needs and desires. - -Man is the Magician who whether in dreams or in trance or in actual life -can, if he wills it, raise up and give reality to the forms of his -desire and his love. It is not necessary for us feverishly to pursue our -loved ones through all the fading and dissolving outlines of their -future or their past embodiments. They are ours already, in the deepest -sense--and one day we shall wake up to know we can call them at any -moment to our side; we shall wake up to know that they are ever present -and able to manifest themselves to us out of the unseen. - - - - - CHAPTER XV - - THE MYSTERY OF PERSONALITY - - -It will have been noticed that throughout this book there has been a -tendency to return again and again to the question of what we mean by -the Self. As I have said before (see ch. xii., _supra_), one might very -naturally suppose that as the _ego_ underruns all experience, and we -cannot make any observation of the world at all except through its -activity, the general problem of the nature of the ego would be the -first to be attacked, and the very first to be solved; whereas, -curiously enough, it seems to be the last! Only towards the conclusion -of philosophical speculation does the importance of this problem force -itself on men's minds. Nevertheless, I think we may say that in the -department of philosophy it is the great main problem which lies before -this age for solution; and that one of the greatest services a man can -do is--by psychologic study and manifold experience, by poetical -expression, especially in lyrical form, and by philosophic thought and -investigation--to make clear to himself and the world what he means by -the letter 'I,' what he means by his 'self.' - -To the unthinking person nothing seems simpler, more obvious, than his -own existence--and hardly needing definition. Yet the least thought -shows how complex and elusive this 'self' is. It is one of those cases -with which the world teems--a juggle of the open daylight--in which an -object _appears_ so perfectly simple, frank, innocent, and without -concealment, and yet is really profoundly complex, deliberate, and -unfathomable. - -The most elementary considerations easily illustrate what I mean.[138] -When we speak of the ego, do we mean the self of to-day, or of -yesterday, or of some years back--or possibly some years in the future -when we shall have found the expression now unhappily denied us? Do we -mean the self of boyhood, or even of babyhood? or do we mean that of -maturity, or of old age? Do we mean the self indicated by the mind -alone, or by the spirit, apart from the body? or do we mean that -indicated specially by the body, or even (as some folk seem to consider) -by the _clothes_? It would be very puzzling to be asked to place one's -finger, so to speak, on any one of these manifestations as really and -completely representative. Rather perhaps we should be inclined, if -pressed, to say that our real self was something underrunning _all_ -these forms--that it required all the expressions, from infancy, through -maturity, even to old age, and all the apparatus of body and mind, in -order to convey its meaning; and that to pin it down to any particular -moment of time, or to any particular phase of the material or spiritual, -would be to do it a great injustice. - -If so, we seem at once compelled to think of the Self as something -greatly larger than any ordinary form of it that we know, as something -perhaps on a different plane of being--underrunning, and therefore in a -sense beyond, Time; and similarly underrunning, and therefore in a sense -beyond, both body and mind. And this all the more, because, as I have -said on an earlier page, we all feel that at best much of our real -selves remains in life-long defect of expression; and that there are -great deeps of the Under-self (as in chapter viii.) which, though -organically related to our ordinary consciousness, are still for the -most part hidden and unexplored. All, in fact, points to the existence -within us of a very profound self, which so far we may justifiably -conclude to be much greater than any one known manifestation of it; -which requires for its expression the forms of a lifetime; and still -stretches on and beyond; which perhaps belongs to another sphere of -being--as the ship in the air and the sunlight belongs to another sphere -than the hull buried deep in the water. - -But we may go further in our exploration of the "abysmal deeps." We have -once or twice in the foregoing chapters alluded to the possibility of -the self dividing into two personalities, or even more. We have -supposed, for instance, that at death the psychic organism may possibly -split up--some more terrestrial portion remaining operant and active on -the earth-plane, and some other portion removing to a subtler and more -ethereal region. Are we--we may ask--and those others who propound the -same ideas talking nonsense in doing so? Is it anyhow possible for a -self to be active in two bodies or in two places at the same time? It -may indeed seem impossible and absurd--until we envisage the actual -facts; but when we do so, when we study the facts of the alternation of -personalities, so much in evidence at the present time, when we find -that two or more personalities, or coherent bodies of consciousness, may -not only succeed each other in one human organism, but may -_simultaneously_ be active in the same,[139] when we find that there is -such a thing as 'bilocation,' and that the apparition of a person may -come and deliver a message while the original person is far away and -otherwise engaged, when we notice carefully our own internal psychology -and find that we not unfrequently "talk to ourselves" and in other ways -behave as two persons in one body--we see that the absurdity or -unlikelihood of the suggestion may not by any means be so great as -supposed, and that we may after all be forced to largely remodel our -conception of what Personality is.[140] - -That one Personality should divide into two or more may seem to be -foreign to our habitual views; yet we must remember that worms, -annelids, and molluscs of various kinds commonly so divide; and -though it is puzzling to think what becomes of the 'I' or 'self' of -a sea-anemone when the latter is cut in twain and each part goes its -way as a new creature, we must not therefore refuse to envisage the -fact and the problem thus flowing from it. As to the Protozoa, which -certainly exhibit signs of considerable intelligence, _fission_ of one -cell into two or more is one of the most normal and frequent events of -their lives. The same, of course, is true of the elementary cells of -the human body; the fission even of whole organs of the body is not -uncommon, though more pathological in character; and the fission of the -personality, as just mentioned, is quite frequent; and in some cases--as -in the well-known case of Sally Beauchamp--very striking, on account -of the furious apparent opposition developed between one portion and -another.[141] - -The conception therefore of Personality must, it would seem, include the -thought of possible bilocation--that is, of possible manifestation in -two places at the same time; and it must not refuse the thought of -inclusion--_i.e._ of one personality being possibly included within -another--as of living and intelligent cells within the body.[142] -Furthermore, we must not only allow _division_ of self as one of the -attributes of personality, but also, apparently, _fusion_ with other -selves. This may seem far-fetched and unreasonable at first, but on -consideration we cannot but see that in one degree or another it is -quite in the order of Nature. The Protozoa, of course, quite frequently -combine with each other, and so make a new start in life; in the higher -organisms the sperm-cell and germ-cell fuse completely for the -conception of the offspring, and the organisms themselves fuse partially -and interchange elements during the process of conjunction; and in the -psychology of love among human beings we notice a similar fusion, and -sometimes also almost a confusion, of personalities. - -The little self-conscious mind (of the civilized man) no doubt protests -against all this. It desires to think of itself as a separate and -definite entity, distinct from (and perhaps superior to) all others; and -it finds any theories of possible fission or fusion of personalities -quite baffling and impracticable. Yet in the light of the All-self--the -key-thought of this book--the whole thing is obvious, and there is -really no difficulty, except perhaps in the linking up (through memory) -of the continuity of each lesser self. - -What we said in the last chapter, namely that "the personal -self-consciousness can only survive by ever fading and changing toward -the universal," must be borne in mind. Continual _expansion_ is a normal -condition of consciousness. Time is an integral element of it.[143] -Consciousness must continually grow. Through memory it preserves the -past, through the present it adds to its stores. The author of _The -Science of Peace_ illustrates the subject (p. 303) by asking us to -consider the spheres of consciousness of various officials in a country -whose departments more or less overlap each other: "There are -administrative officers in charge of each department, whose -consciousness may be said to include the consciousness of their -subordinates in that department, to exclude those of their compeers, and -to be in turn included in those of their superiors. The more complicated -the machinery of the government, the better the illustration will be of -inclusions and exclusions and partial or complete coincidences, and -overlappings and communions of consciousness. At last we come to the -head of the government, whose consciousness may be said to include the -consciousnesses, whose knowledge and power include the knowledges and -powers of all the public servants in the land, and whose consciousness -is so expanded as to enable him to be in touch with them all and feel -and act through them all constantly. An officer promoted through the -grades of such an administration would clearly pass through expansions -of consciousness.... Such expansion of consciousness, then, is not in -its nature more mysterious and recondite than any other item in the -world-process, but a thing of daily and hourly occurrence. In terms of -metaphysic it is the coming of an individual Self into relation with a -larger and larger not-self." - -In the light of the All-self, I say, the difficulties disappear. It is -the question of Memory (explicit or implicit) which seems to decide the -limits of personalities and their survival. The One Self is experiencing -in all forms, but the stores of experience and memory are kept separate. -Here is a man who has a Town house and a Country house and an Italian -villa. When he changes his abode from one to the other he becomes to a -great extent a different person. His surroundings and associations, his -pursuits and occupations, his dress and habits, his language may be, are -changed. It may even happen that each of his three lives goes on growing -and expanding after its own pattern, and becoming more and more -different from the two others; and yet the ultimate person behind them -all remains the same. Is it not possible that the lives of us human -beings may go on expanding and growing each according to its own law, -and yet the ultimate individual or Being behind them all may remain the -same? - -If a worm be supposed to have memory (and worms no doubt have memory in -some degree), then it might well be supposed that, if divided in two, -each of the parts would inherit the said memory complete. But from that -moment the experiences of the two portions, moving in different -directions, would bifurcate, and the future stores of memory would be -different. Thus we should have a bifurcation of the stream of memory, -and a bifurcation of personality--until ultimately, as time went on, and -the common memory faded into the background, the two new personalities -would begin to feel themselves almost quite separate. Is not this again -something like what may have happened to ourselves from Creation's -birth? The stream of life has bifurcated and bifurcated till we have -lost our common memory and have become convinced of the absolute -separation of our personalities one from the other. - -On the other hand, the conjunction and fusion of two streams of memory -in one is as probable and intelligible as the bifurcation of one into -two. Two protozoa fuse; but the race-self in one is the same as in the -other, and in reality the process is only a fusion of organic memories -and experiences. A man who had been in the habit of changing every year -from his Town to his Country house might some day find it convenient to -combine his establishments in one suburban residence. Certainly if he -had so far forgot _himself_ that in changing houses he had always -_quite_ changed his memories, then it would seem impossible to him to -combine the two lives in one. Otherwise there would be no difficulty in -the process. The stores of one establishment, with their associations -and memories would after a time (and not without some -maturation-divisions and extrusions!) be got into relation with the -stores of the other establishment; and the two bodies of memory and -association would settle down together. - - * * * * * - -All this seems to suggest to us that our conception of personality must -be considerably altered from its ordinary form, and rendered more -fluent, in order to tally with the real facts. There is no such thing as -a fixed and limited personality, of definite content and character, -which we can credit to our account, or to the account of our friends. -All is in flux and change, the consciousness ever enlarging, the _ego_ -which is at the root of that consciousness ever growing in the knowledge -of itself as a vital portion of the All-self. That last alone is fixed; -that alone as the 'universal witness' is permanent. But the streams of -memory and experience, by which from all sides that central fact and -consciousness is reached, are infinite in number and variety. It is in -the continuity of a stream of memory that what we call personality must -be supposed to consist; and when this continuity covers not only a -single life, but extends from life to life, then we must find a new name -for the persistent being and call him not a personality, but, if we -will, an _individuality_. Such individualities must exist by millions -and billions; they must be as numerous as all the possible lines of -experience (and these are quasi-infinite in number) by which the soul -may grow from its birth in the simplest speck of matter to its -realization of divine and universal life. The author (Bhagavan Das) of -_The Science of Peace_ illustrates this infinitude of individualities, -and how they are all contained in the All-self, and each in a sense as -an aspect of the One, by the simile of a museum or gallery. "If a -spectator," he says (p. 289), "wondered unrestingly through the halls of -a vast museum or great art gallery, at the dead of night, with a single -small lamp in one hand, each of the natural objects, the pictured -scenes, the statues, the portraits, would be illumined by that lamp in -succession for a single moment, while all the rest were in darkness, and -after that single moment would fall into darkness again. Let there now -be not one but countless such spectators, as many in endless numbers as -the objects of sight within the place, each spectator wandering in and -out incessantly through the great crowd of all the others, each lamp -bringing momentarily into light one object, and for only that spectator -who holds that lamp." Then he goes on to say that each line or -succession of experiences might represent an individuality; each -individuality in the end would reach the totality of experience, but in -a different order and in a different manner from any other; and all the -individualities would all the time--though changing themselves--remain -within the unchanging intelligence of the absolute, and would only be -exploring that intelligence each in a different order. "For," he again -says (p. 317), "an individuality can no otherwise be described, -discriminated and fixed, than by enumerating the experiences of that -individual, by narrating its biography." - -We may also illustrate the matter by the conception of a Tree. A single -leaf at the end of a twig may seem to have a little separate self of its -own; but it is very ephemeral. It perishes with the season and another -leaf takes its place. There is a deeper self, in the twig, which -endures, and from which new leaves spring. And again the twig springs -from a small spray, which is the source of other twigs and leaves. -Should the leaf desire to trace its complete and total self it would -have to follow its life-line through the twig and the spray, to the -branch, and so right down to the central trunk. It could not stop at any -halfway point, and say, This is my final self. But on its way to the -trunk, at different points, it would find that its sap or life was -flowing into other twigs and leaves, as well as the twig and leaf first -mentioned. It would come into relation, so to speak, with other bodies -beside the first. If we were to call the first leaf and twig a -personality we should have to call some deeper self involving many twigs -and leaves an Individuality, and so on to the All-self of the tree. The -self of every leaf would approach the main trunk along a different line, -and through various ranges of individuality; but all would ultimately -participate in one whole. - -I think some such view is clearly the most satisfactory way of looking -at the matter. We are all essentially one; our differentiation from -each other does not consist in differences in the central ego, but in -the different lines of experience and memory. We can none of us boast, -at any point, of a rounded, definite and stationary self, apart from -all others; but we are all approaching the universal from different -sides. Yet, also, it is perfectly true that consciousness is born in us -first _through_ our very limitations. Through the very obstacles that -surround us, and through the things that seem to divide us from others, -first simple consciousness and then self-consciousness are born. Then -comes a time when the limitations and the barriers become intolerable. -The soul that at first gloried in them comes to find the burden of -self-consciousness too great. Why should it be forever John Smith? As -Mrs. Stetson says:-- - - "What an exceeding rest 'twill be - When I can leave off being Me!... - Done with the varying distress - Of retroactive consciousness!... - Why should I long to have John Smith - Eternally to struggle with?" - -When the consciousness arises of this fact, that we need not be tied to -John Smith forever--that our real self is far vaster, and essentially -one with others, then in each of us the Divine Soul is born; a vista of -glory and splendor opens in front, and on all sides the barriers fall to -the ground. On the way to this supreme conclusion the stream of memories -which one calls oneself may of course take on form after form; it may -bifurcate, or it may fuse with other streams. That does not very much -matter. The real identity, once established, can hardly be lost. For -every leaf there is a channel of sap which connects it with the main -trunk. Personality is real, but it yields itself up in the greater -Individual of which it is the expression; and the individual or divine -soul is real--enduring perhaps many thousands of years--but it yields -itself up ultimately in the All. Finally, in that union, Memory itself, -in its mortal form, ceases, for it is swallowed up in actual -realization, in the power of actual presence in all space and time. The -divine soul which has thus completed its union needs memory no more. It -is there wherever it desires to be. As the author of _Siderische Geburt_ -(Berlin, 1910) says, "We mortals are separated from the divine -all-embracing universal Vision; and Memory is only a first glimmering -reawakening--a beginning of renewed seraphic life and a coming into -relation with all that lies beyond the little world-corner of our -presence."[144] - - * * * * * - -At first sight, and to one who does not yet realize the inner unity of -being, these views on the nature of Personality and Individuality may -appear strange and even painful. For such a person the thought of the -dissociation of his 'self,' of its separation into two or more -parts--either in life or in death--and the divergence of the two parts -from each other, must be grotesque and terrible, and verging even -towards madness. And so also must be the thought of the possible -dissociation of the personalities of his friends. And yet it may be -necessary for us at length and by degrees to understand and assimilate -such a view. Certain it is that, as we come to understand it, we shall -see that any dissociation that may occur can only be of the superficial -elements--something of the nature of a divergence of the chains of -memory; and that dissociation of the real and intimate self is a thing -quite impossible. We shall see that by degrees the self may learn to -deal with such dissociations, and to express itself in various guises, -and in more than one personality at a time. If, for instance, there does -occur at death a certain break-up of the psychic organism--if the animal -soul, and the human soul, and the divine soul do to a certain extent -part from each other and go along different ways, we may see that it is -quite possible that the personal stream of memory may correspondingly -branch in different directions. One portion of the consciousness, having -always been animal and terrestrial in character, may identify itself -mainly with the animal vitality of the residue and its corresponding -memories--and may persevere for some time as a wandering passional -centre, liable to attach itself to the organisms of living folk, or to -figure as a 'ghost' of very limited activities and occupied with eternal -repetitions of the same action; another portion, more distinctly human, -may linger in some intermediate state, partly in touch with the -earth-life and the souls of mortal friends, yet partly drawn onward into -wider spheres; and may function on for a long time in a kind of -dreamland--creating perhaps the objects of its own consumption till it -wearies of them, or building up imaginative worlds of occupations and -activities similar to our own, as in "the happy hunting grounds" of -Indians, or the worlds described from time to time by mediumistic -'controls.' And again a third portion may pass into that far wider and -grander state of being which we have described--that of the 'divine' -soul which recognizes its equality and unity with all others, and its -freedom of the whole universe. In all these cases the main stream of -memory, branching, must pour itself into the section of life which -follows, and render the latter quite continuous with the former--though -naturally with some differences, both in the memories transmitted, and -in the degrees of community, in each case. - -We may apply these considerations to the question of the messages and -apparitions from the unseen world which have been alluded to in former -chapters. How far or in what special way these communications really -represent the active and continuing consciousness of our departed -friends is a question which is generally admitted to be most doubtful -and difficult. And its difficulty is not lessened, I think, by our -conclusions (so far) on the nature of Personality. If the stream of a -man's earth-life memory may diverge at death into two or more streams, -then it must remain difficult for us to say whether the communication -which is coming to us proceeds from a mere overflow of that stream, -which has eddied itself, so to speak, into the brain of the medium; or -from some 'astral' shell of the departed one, which has already begun -decaying and dissipating, in our atmosphere; or again from the true soul -of the man which is pushing forward into the world beyond. Probably we -do not yet know enough about the matter to form decisive judgments. In -either case the memory exhibited may be surprisingly perfect. And it -seems to me that in most cases nothing but personal evidence and -personal detail, even down to the minutest points, can decide--and even -then not in such a way as to decide for others. And perhaps it is best -and most natural so. In our world of ordinary life it is so. If an -apparent stranger turns up from the other side of the earth and claims a -far-back acquaintance; if another makes the same claim over the -telephone; if a known friend behaves strangely, and we are in doubt -whether to attribute his conduct to _bona fides_ or to incipient -madness; in these and a thousand other cases, personal relationship and -personal understanding (though by no means unerring) count for more than -all science and legal proof. And perhaps this is the healthiest way to -take the subject: not to be over-curious or speculative or sentimental, -but where solid help and a permanent and useful relationship seems to be -gained, there to accept the communications as so far commending and -justifying themselves. - -If, as I have just said, there is something a little disquieting and -even terrible in the thought that our personality may thus be subject to -rupture or dissociation into two or more portions, that matter after all -depends upon how we look upon it--whether from below, as it were, or -from above. There is nothing particularly terrible in the thought that -our bodily organs and parts--our "Little Marys," and so forth--may have -(probably do have) very distinct personalities of their own. We look -down upon them, so to speak, and include them. And we shall one day no -doubt, and in the realization of our greater selves, have the splendid -experience of including two (or more) bodies--of having them at our -service, and available for command and expression. Even now we are -sometimes conscious of having one envelope of a more ethereal and -intense nature, swift and far-reaching both in movement and perception -in the innermost regions, and another more local body, in touch with -terrestrial life. And there would be nothing surprising or dreadful in -finding, after death, that an ethereal and a terrestrial body were both -still at our command--though both perhaps more developed and more -differentiated from each other than at present;--or even that we might -be capable of inhabiting several such bodies. - -It is of course puzzling, under our ordinary conceptions of Space and -Time, to imagine how it could be possible to deal with several bodies at -the same time; but in reality it is no more puzzling than the problem -which we habitually solve every day and every hour of our lives. How do -we, for instance, deal with and dispose the activities of our hands and -our feet and our eyes and our brain, with simultaneous care, say, in -walking through the streets? We inhabit these separate organs, these -distinct personalities, simultaneously, and ordain their movements and -gather in their perceptions by the act of _attention_. Attention in the -world of the spirit corresponds to _extension_ in the physical world. -Whatever your spirit attends to, that some physical radiation from -yourself extends to. And similarly if you had bodies in different worlds -and regions, by the simple act of attention your spirit would reach -them. Nevertheless--to return to the one body and the various organs, -like hands and feet and eyes, which we seem to have under control--it is -clear that our minds could not possibly overlook all the details of -their management, unless there were some general ordaining spirit in the -body which was in close touch and sympathy, and ready to act with and -aid us; and similarly it is clear that we could not ordain and organize -any movement of a secondary body at a distance--even though 'belonging' -to us--unless there were a spirit, in that body and the intervening -spaces, in touch and sympathy with ours. It is the knowledge that there -is such a community of life, such an abounding Self, which gives the -'divine' soul its great joy and its great power--"for whatever he -desires, that he obtains from the Self." He who knows has indeed the -freedom of the universe, and of all its powers--who knows that the -Spirit of the whole _is_ his own. - -It is natural therefore to suppose that that portion of the -consciousness which has circled and centred very definitely and -conclusively round the All-self--or such aspect of the same as specially -belongs to it; or (what perhaps comes to the same thing) has circled -very definitely round the divine soul of a loved one; will pass through -death easily and without much loss of continuity. It will with its -attendant memories pass easily and continuously into the inmost sphere; -or (to put the matter in another way) _remaining_ in that sphere it will -simply become aware that a mass of husks have been shed off, which -clouded it. It will become aware of the glorious state of being to which -it has always implicitly belonged, and of its connection with not one -only but many bodies. - -It may be--and I think one almost feels that it must be--that the most -intimate self of any of us cannot be realized short of externalization -in a vast number of separate manifestations or lives. One has the -impression with regard to one's body, that "this is one of my bodies"; -or that "this body represents a portion of myself"; but one does _not_ -feel "this body represents my total, complete and final self." And as we -have just suggested that in a more intimate state of being we may become -distinctly aware of having relation to several bodies simultaneously, so -the world-old doctrine of reincarnation in its general form has long -suggested that our most intimate selves are related to a great number of -bodies in _succession_ to each other in Time. The higher or inner -Individual--of agelong and onian life--is reincarnated (it is said) -thousands of times; thus to embody that aspect of the Divine which it -represents. - -These embodiments may be in forms by no means resembling each -other--though doubtless there will be a thread of similarity running -through; and one embodiment may have little idea (except in moments of -inspiration) of its relation to the others, or of any continuity of -memory between itself and the others. Yet the memories of these lives -and embodiments passing into the inner sphere are ultimately gathered -together and drawn up to constitute that most glorious world of each -Being of which we have spoken--a world in which each overlooks and -ordains its various lives and manifestations as from a mountain-top. -These are indeed "the ageless immortal gods who seek ever to come in the -forms of men"--whom we ever and anon seem to feel and hear knocking at -the inner door of our little local selves, as though they would gain -admittance and acknowledgment. - - - - - CHAPTER XVI - - CONCLUSION - - -And so we seem to find--in the farthest and loftiest reaches of life, as -in its first beginnings--Love and Death strangely linked and strangely -related. Changing their form but not their essence they accompany us to -the last; and we forebode them, in the final account, as no longer the -tyrannous and often terrible over-lords of our mortal days, but rather -our most indispensable companions without whom life in its higher ranges -could not well be maintained. - -For a time, certainly, we cling to our limited and tiny self-life and -consciousness; and deem that all good resides in the careful guarding of -the same. But again there comes a time when the bounds of personality -confine and chafe beyond endurance, when an immense rage sweeps us far -out into the great ocean; when to save our lives we deliberately lose -them; when Death becomes a passion even as Love is. - -The mystery of mortal life clears, or dissolves away, by our passing in -a sense beyond personality; and the hour arrives when we look down on -these local days, these self-limitations, as phases--phases of some far -vaster state of being. Death is the necessary door by which we pass from -one such phase to another; and Love is even a similar door. - -Growing silently within there emerges at last something which has its -home in the great spaces, which dives under and through Death, and is -the companion of Titanic and Cosmic beings; something strangely -surpassing all barriers and limits, and strangely finding identity by -fusing and losing it in the life of others; something which at times -seems almost mockingly to abandon its own identity and rise creative in -new forms--sporting in the great ocean; and yet can somehow instantly -recall its past and the tiny limits from which it first sprang--trailing -forever with it the wonderful cloud-wreaths of earth-memory and -association, and the myriad fragrance of personal remembrance. "What are -thou then?" says the poet, addressing his departed friend:-- - - "What art thou then?--I cannot guess; - But tho' I seem in star and flower - To feel thee some diffusive power - I do not therefore love thee less." - -Even in the farthest spheres the poignant syllables 'I' and 'Thou' will -surely still be heard; and a thousand deaths shall not avail to exhaust -their meaning or to make of Love a pale and cold abstraction. - -The memory of the earth-life and of personal identity is never lost; but -it passes out into that far greater form, the memory and resumption into -a coherent Whole of many lives, and the sense of an Individuality which -has value because it is merged in and is an expression of the All. -Memory indeed changes from being the faint dream-shadow that we know, of -things in the past, to being the things _themselves_, actual and ever -present at our command; and with this finding of the inner soul and -heart's core of all beings it becomes possible to live over again with -them the days gone by, in all detail and with ever deeper understanding -of their true meaning. - -The supra-liminal returns into harmony with the subliminal; the -individual life and the mass-life are reunited. With the overpassing of -the local and terrestrial self we are liberated into a fluid region -where a thousand personalities yield their secrets and their -co-operation into our hands. With the releasing of our attention from -personal objects and terrestrial gains, materials and people -correspondingly cease to obstruct. They find nothing which they _can_ -obstruct! The body moves freely about the world; life ceases to be the -'obstacle race' and the queer perpetual vista of barricades which it -mostly now is; and _a fortiori_ the soul moves freely, because truly for -the redeemed soul it is possible to feel that all things and creatures -are friendly, all beings a part of itself. These and many other such -realizations are indeed possible now--even in our present terrestrial -state--under those rare conditions when the divine creature which is -within the mortal body achieves a momentary deliverance, and under which -we sometimes pass out of our little mundane dream into that other land -where the great Voices sound and Visions dwell. - - - - - APPENDIX - - SUMMARY OF CHAPTER II - - -1. Every kind of cell or other organism has a natural limit of size -(dependent partly on the relation between surface and volume). - -2. When that limit is reached, superfluity of nutrition and growth tends -to bring about Reproduction. - -3. Reproduction begins with simple division or budding. - -4. Conjugation in its primitive form (as among protozoa where there is -no distinction of sex) takes place between similars, and is an exchange -to some degree of cell-contents. - -5. It apparently affords a superior nutrition, and is a kind of -Regeneration, essential to the continued health of the species, and -favorable to reproduction. - -6. Hunger and Love are thus related at this stage. - -7. Later, conjugation takes place between dissimilars (of the same -species); and the distinct phenomena of sex appear--of male and female. - -8. Reproduction by simple division or budding leads to a kind of -'immortality,' since each descendant cell is continuous, in a sense, -with the original one. - -9. This simple division or virgin-birth process may go on to many -generations--even to hundreds among the Protozoa. - -10. But since at some time or other conjugation is apparently necessary -in order to restore vitality, the immortality at this point ceases to be -an individual immortality, and becomes rather a joint or racial -immortality. - -11. The main thing in conjugation would appear to be that the two -factors should be complementary to each other, however differentiated, -so that in their union the whole race-life should be restored, and the -Regeneration therefore be complete. - -12. The special sex-differentiation called male and female depends on -the separation of the active from the sessile qualities (and other -qualities respectively related to each) into two great branches. - -13. Since the female takes the sessile part she appears sometimes as the -goal and object of conjugation, and the more important factor; but -actual observation so far shows each factor, male and female, to be -equally important. - -14. In the fertilized ovum there are an equal number of chromosomes -derived from each parent; and if the female provides the shrine in which -the new development takes place, the male (centrosome) appears as the -organizing genius of the process. - -15. This process, by which a fertilized germ-cell divides and redivides, -and so builds up a "body," is quite similar to that by which a protozon -divides and redivides to form a numerous colony. - -16. A 'body' indeed _is_ such a colony, coperatively associated in -definite form, of which all the millions of cells are practically -continuous with the original fertilized germ, and one with it. - -17. Every cell in such a body has apparently the same nuclear elements -as the original cell, equally derived from both parents; but is -differentiated so far as to be able to fulfil its special part in the -body. - -18. The process of division of these microscopic cells is strangely -exact and complex; and the various elements of the nucleus seem to be -themselves divided into two, on each occasion, with strange preciseness. - -19. The constituent cells of each race of animals have always a certain -number of nuclear threads or chromosomes--fixed for that particular -race. - -20. When, therefore, a sperm-cell and germ-cell unite, they each first -extrude or expel half the number of their chromosomes, so that after -union the joint cell is provided again with the precise number of -chromosomes characteristic of the race. - -21. The exact nature of these 'maturation' divisions and expulsions is -far from clear; but it would seem that they are carried out in such a -way as, while retaining always the basic elements of the Race, to secure -a continual and endless sorting of these into new combinations. - -22. These complex evolutions occurring, as described, in the interior of -the most primitive cells, look as much like the last results of some far -antecedent or invisible operations (of which we know nothing) as like -the first commencement of the visible organic world with which we are -acquainted. - - - - - [Footnotes] - - -[1] "In November 1885, M. Maupas isolated an infusorian (_Stylonichia -pustulata_), and observed its generations till March 1886. By that -time there had been 215 generations produced by ordinary division, -and since these lowly organisms do not conjugate with near relatives, -there had of course been no sexual union.--What was the result? At the -date referred to, the family was observed to have exhausted itself. -The members, though not exactly old, were being born old. The sexual -division came to a standstill, and the powers of nutrition were also -lost" (_Evolution of Sex_, Geddes and Thomson, 1901, p. 177). - -[2] See, however, _Evolution of Sex_, p. 178, where a case is -recorded of 458 generations of another infusorian apparently without -degeneration. See also _The Cell_, by Dr. Oscar Hertwig (Sonnenschein, -1909), p. 292. - -[3] The _exchange_ of life-elements between two individuals is well -illustrated in the case of the infusorian _Noctiluca_. Two Noctilucas, -A and B, [Illustration: small diagram of conjunction of A and B] -coalesce; and then later divide again along a plane (indicated -by dotted line) at right angles to the plane of contact. Two new -individuals are thus formed, and each Noctiluca has absorbed half of -the other. Their activities are regenerated and they begin a new life. - -[4] As in Volvox; see _Evolution of Sex_, p. 138. - -[5] And we may say also here that it is even supposable that the -special differentiation which we call male and female is only one -out of many possible sex-differentiations--the important and main -condition being that the differentiations, whatever they are, should -be complementary to each other, and should together make up the total -qualities and character of the race. - -[6] As sixteen for a human being, twelve for a grasshopper, twenty-four -for a lily, and so forth. - -[7] For diagram and illustration of this whole process, see Appendix, -_infra_, p. 289. Also see August Forel's _The Sexual Question_ (English -translation; Rebman, 1908), pp. 6 and 11; _The World of Life_, by A. -R. Wallace, ch. xvii, p. 343; _The Plant Cell_, by H. A. Haig (Griffin, -1910), ch. viii; and other books. - -[8] Stephane Leduc, in his _Thorie Physico-chmique de la vie_ (Paris, -1910), endeavors to trace all the above phenomena to the simple -action of diffusion and osmose (see ch. viii, on _Karyokinesis_) -but though the resemblance of some of the forms above described to -diffusion-figures is interesting--as also is their resemblance to the -forms of magnetic fields--this does not prove their genesis either -from diffusion or magnetism. It only makes probable that some of -the phenomena in question are related to the very obscure forces of -diffusion or magnetism--a thing which, of course, is already admitted -and recognized. With regard to all this the reader should study the -astonishing resurrection of the mature blow-fly from the mere milky pap -which is all that the pupa at a certain stage consists of. (See _The -Biology of the Seasons_, by J. Arthur Thomson, 1911.) - -[9] "In every known case an essential phenomenon of fertilization is -the union of a sperm nucleus of paternal origin with an egg nucleus -of maternal origin, to form the primary nucleus of the embryo. This -nucleus ... gives rise by division to all the nuclei of the body, and -hence every nucleus of the child may contain nuclear substance derived -from both parents" (_The Cell in Development and Inheritance_, by E. B. -Wilson, Macmillan Co., 1904, p. 182). - -[10] The latter, of course, being just discernible by the naked eye. - -[11] _Parallel Paths_, by T. W. Rolleston (Duckworth, 1908), p. 53. - -[12] _Parallel Paths_, p. 52. See also, for further accounts, _The -Evolution of Sex_, pp. 112-14; _The Plant Cell_, by H. A. Haig, pp. -121, 123 _et seq._; Die Vererbung, by Dr. E. Teichmann (Stuttgart, -1908), pp. 39, 40, &c. Throughout it must be remembered that these -'maturation' processes in the generative cells are not only exceedingly -complex, but also very various in the various plants and animals; and -the reader should be warned against too easily accepting ready-made -descriptions and generalizations supposed to fit all cases. - -[13] Here and elsewhere in his book Professor Wilson uses "germ-cells" -to include "sperm-cells"; and I have indicated this by the bracket. - -[14] _The Cell_, p. 285. - -[15] It appears that in the ordinary conjugation of Protozoa a quite -similar process is observable. - -[16] "Nowhere in the history of the cell do we find so unmistakable and -striking an adaptation of means to ends or one of so marked a prophetic -character, since maturation looks not to the present but to the future -of the germ [and sperm] cells" (_The Cell_, p. 233). - -[17] It might be said that, notwithstanding this, the female obviously -has the greater sway, on account of the conjunction taking place within -the body of the mother, and subject to all her influences. But there is -a curious compensation to this in the fact that while after conjugation -the centrosome of the germ-cell disappears, the male centrosome is -retained and becomes the organ of division for the new cell, and -consequently for the whole future body. (See _Parallel Paths_, p. 56; -also Professor E. B. Wilson in _The Cell_, p. 171.) - -[18] "That a cell can carry with it the sum total of the heritage of -the species, that it can in the course of a few days or weeks give rise -to a mollusk or a man, is the greatest marvel of biological science" -(_The Cell_, p. 396). - -[19] For summary of the conclusions of this chapter, see Appendix, -_infra_, p. 289. - -[20] Havelock Ellis's very fine essay on "The Art of Love" (see -his _Studies in the Psychology of Sex_, vol. vi, ch. xi) must also -be mentioned, as including much of the subject matter of the above -treatises, but having a very much wider scope and outlook. - -[21] See _The Cell_, by E. B. Wilson, p. 391; _Das Leben_, by Jacques -Loeb (Leipzig, 1911), pp. 10-20, &c. It seems also to be thought that -gall-formations on plants, tumors on animal bodies, &c., are instances -of such chemical or indirect fertilization. - -[22] Translation by J. Wright, M.A., _Golden Treasury Series_, p. 57. - -[23] _Psychology of Sex_, vol. vi. p. 517. - -[24] _Studies in the Psychology of Sex_, vol. i. - -[25] _Ars. Am._ iii. 605. - -[26] _Psychology of Sex_, vol. vi. p. 542. - -[27] _Ibid._, p. 544. - -[28] "The disgrace which has overtaken the sexual act, and rendered it -a deed of darkness, is doubtless largely responsible for the fact that -the chief time for its consummation among modern civilized peoples is -the darkness of the early night in stuffy bedrooms when the fatigue of -the day's labors is struggling with the artificial stimulation produced -by heavy meals and alcoholic drinks. This habit is partly responsible -for the indifference or even disgust with which women sometimes view -coitus" (H. Ellis, _Studies in the Psychology of Sex_, vol. vi. p. -558). - -[29] See H. Ellis, vol. v. pp. 11 and 12. - -[30] See also Kraft-Ebing, _Psychopathia sexualis_, 7th edition, p. 165. - -[31] _Modern Woman: Her Intentions_, p. 30. - -[32] English edition; Heinemann, 1906. - -[33] Fischer, Berlin, p. 192. - -[34] Berlin, 1910, p. 290. - -[35] Berlin, 1905, p. 332. English translation, _Love and Marriage_; -Putnam's, 1911. - -[36] See chapter on "Visions of the Dying" in _Death: its Causes and -Phenomena_, by Carrington and Meader (1911); also _infra_, ch. vi. p. -103. - -[37] See H. Pieron, "Contribution la Psychologie des Mourants," in -_Revue Philosophique_, Dec., 1902. - -[38] See _Civilization: its Cause and Cure_ (George Allen, 2s. 6d.), -pp. 11-21. - -[39] See Carrington and Meader on _Death: its Causes and Phenomena_, p. -300. - -[40] Reference may be made to the _Upanishads_ ("Sacred books of the -East," vols. i. and xv.); to the _Bhagavat Gita_; to R. M. Bucke's -_Cosmic Consciousness_ (Purdy Publishing Co., Chicago); to the _Raja -Yoga Lectures_, by Vivekananda (New York, 1899); to the _Ancient -Wisdom_, by Annie Besant; _The Art of Creation_, and _A Visit to a -Gnani_, by E. Carpenter; and to many other works, of course. - -[41] If I seem here to personify unduly these psychic elements and to -ascribe to them too much in the way of consciousness and intelligence, -I must refer for explanation to the Note at the end of this chapter. - -[42] See ch. vii., _infra_, p. 119. - -[43] See _The Art of Creation_, ch, xii. pp. 209, 210. - -[44] _Human Personality_, &c., ch. vi. - -[45] _Ibid._ p. 196, edition 1909, edited by L. H. Myers. - -[46] For evidence on the subject of Phantasms, Wraiths, Haunted Houses, -and so forth, see _Phantoms of the Living_, by Gurney, Myers, and -Podmore; and _The Report on the Census of Hallucinations_, Proceedings -of the Psychical Research Society, vol. x.; also _L'inconnu et les -problems psychiques_, by Camille Flammarion; and Lombroso's chapter -on Haunted Houses, in his book _Fenomeni Ipnotici e Spiritici_ (Turin, -1909), ch. xii.; also ch. viii. of the present book, _infra_. - -[47] See Carrington and Meader, _op. cit._ pp. 318-27. - -[48] Dr. Morton Prince's study, _The Dissolution of a Personality_ -(Longmans, 1906), should be read, as going deeply into the whole -subject. He suggests (p. 530) the use of the word "co-consciousness," -to indicate the secondary chains of mental operation which coexist side -by side with or beneath the primary. Dr. R. Assagioli, in his pamphlet -_Il Subcosciente_ (Florence, 1911), also follows the same line. - -[49] _De Rerum Natura_, iii. 890, translated by Mr. H. S. Salt. - -[50] See Geddes and Thomson, _Evolution of Sex_ (1901), p. 275. - -[51] See ch. ii. p. 18, _supra_; also, for amplification of this view, -Myers's _Human Personality_, _op. cit._, edition 1909, pp. 90, 91. - -[52] _The Story of My Life_, by Helen Keller (1908), p. 17. - -[53] For a further account of the subliminal or underlying self, see -next chapter. - -[54] The only alternative to this seems to be to suppose that the -"soul" comes into association with the body, not at the very first -inception of the latter, but at some later pre-natal or post-natal -stage, when the body is already partially or wholly built up by the -primitive process of cell-division--that the soul then takes possession -of the organism so formed, and makes use of it for self-expression; -and finally at death discards it. This theory--though it seems a -possible one, and in accordance with the apparent "possession" and -control of the bodies of trance mediums by independent spirits--presents -some difficulties. One difficulty is the absence of any obvious or -acknowledged period when such entry of the soul takes place; another -is the difficulty of seeing how a real and effective harmony could be -permanently established between a body already formed and organized on -hereditary lines, and an independent soul entering on its own errand -at a later date. These (and other) difficulties, however, are not -insuperable, and it may well be, in the great variety of Nature, that -the process of incarnation actually does take place in both ways--_i.e._ -in the way outlined in this note, as well as (more generally) in the -way mentioned in the text. - -[55] See _The Art of Creation_, 1908, p. 82 _et seq._ Compare also -Bergson's "elan vital," in _L'volution Cratrice_, p. 100 _et seq._ - -[56] The _Upanishads_, whose authority on these subjects is surely -great, seem often to try to express the other-dimensional nature of -the soul by a paradox of opposites. "The self, smaller than small (or -more subtle than subtle), greater than great, is hidden in the heart of -each creature" (Katha-Up. I. Adh. 2 valli. 20; also Svetasvatara-Up. -III. Adh. 20)--or again, "The embodied soul is to be thought like the -hundredth part of the point of a hair, divided into a hundred parts; -he is to be thought infinite" (Svet.-Up. v. 9). And the last quoted -passage continues: "He is not woman, he is not man, nor hermaphrodite; -whatever body he assumes, with that he is joined (only); and as by the -use of food and drink the body grows, so the individual soul, by means -of thoughts, touching, seeing and the passions, assumes successively in -various places various forms in accordance with his deeds." - -[57] See Myers, _op. cit._ p. 233, on Clairvoyance of the Dying. - -[58] Even on the battlefield, after the battle, faces of the dead have -been observed with this expression upon them. - -[59] It is, of course, quite possible that our ordinary consciousness -is discontinuous, even down to its minutest elements, and that it -is only made up of successive and separate sensations which, as in -a cinematograph, follow each with lightning speed. But even this -almost compels us to the assumption of another and profounder and more -continuous consciousness beneath, which is the means of the synthesis -and comparison of these sensations. - -[60] _Human Personality_, _op. cit._ p. 29. - -[61] See _The Art of Creation_, pp. 105-8. - -[62] This well-known case, given by Coleridge in his _Biographia -Literaria_, is amply confirmed by scores of similar cases which have -been carefully examined into and described by modern research. - -[63] See _Proceedings S.P.R._ vol. xii, pp. 176-203; quoted by -Frederick Myers, _Human Personality_, ch. v. - -[64] This is contested by H. Ellis in his _World of Dreams_, p. 215, -but not very successfully, I think. - -[65] See Myers, _op. cit._ ch. iii. p. 66; also T. J. Hudson's -interesting account of Zerah Colburn, in _Psychic Phenomena_ (1893), p. -64. - -[66] _Op. cit._ p. 100. De Quincey, it will be remembered, in a -well-known passage of his _Confessions_, says: "Of this at least I -feel assured, that there is no such thing as _forgetting_ possible to -the mind; a thousand accidents may and will interpose a veil between -our present consciousness and the secret inscriptions on the mind; -accidents of the same sort will also rend away this veil; but alike, -whether veiled or unveiled, the inscription remains forever." - -[67] See _Journal S.P.R._, vol. iii. p. 100; also T. J. Hudson, _op. -cit._, p. 153. - -[68] New York, 1903, p. 64. - -[69] See Lombroso, _Fenomeni ipnotici e spiritici_, Turin, 1909, pp. -28-31. - -[70] I leave the question of the possibility of the latter open for the -present. See Note at end of this chapter. - -[71] This was no doubt, for instance, the case with Eusapia -Paladino--as admitted by her warmest supporters. But it does not -contravene the fact, proved by most abundant evidence and experiment, -of the astounding physical phenomena which from her early childhood -accompanied her, and in some strange way exhaled from her. - -[72] It is impossible, for instance, to read slowly and in detail such -works as A. R. Wallace's _Miracles and Modern Spiritualism_, William -Crookes' _Researches into Spiritualism_, C. Lombroso's _Fenomeni -ipnotici e spiritici_, and to note the care and exactness with which -in each case experiments were conducted, tests devised, and results -recorded, without being persuaded that in the mass the conclusions -(confirmed in the first two instances by the authors themselves after -an interval of twenty or thirty years) are correct. Already a long list -of scientific and responsible men, like Charles Richet (professor of -physiology at Paris), Camille Flammarion (the well-known astronomer), -Professor Zllner of the Observatory at Leipzig, C. F. Varley the -electrician, Sir Oliver Lodge of Birmingham, have made important -contributions to the evidence; while others, like Professor De Morgan -the mathematician, Professor Challis the astronomer, Sergeant Cox the -lawyer, and Professor William James the psychologist, have signified -their general adhesion. - -[73] For references see _supra_, ch. vi. p. 92, footnote. - -[74] See _Phantasms of the Living_, vol. ii. p. 289, also the -experience of Mrs. A., given in _Footfalls on the Boundary of Another -World_, by R. Dale Owen, 1881, p. 256 _et seq._ This latter book, which -is a mine of well-authenticated information, has suffered somewhat -from its rather sensational title. The author, however, was an able, -distinguished, and reliable man, son of Robert Owen of Lanark, Member -of Congress in the United States, and U. S. Minister at Naples. - -[75] See R. Dale Owen, _The Debatable Land_ (1871), pp. 385-400. - -[76] See Crookes' _Researches in Spiritualism_, pp. 104 _et seq._ See -also the book _New Light on Immortality_, by Fournier d'Albe, pp. 218 -_et seq._, where the evidence is given in great detail. - -[77] See _Phnomnes de la Ville Carmen, avec documents nouveaux_; -Paris, 1902. - -[78] C. Lombroso, _Fenomeni ipnotici e spiritici_, p. 193. - -[79] See _Shadow-land_ (1906). - -[80] See pamphlet _Materializations, by Mme. D'Esprance_ (Light -Publishing Co.). - -[81] See, for instance, the account of the haunted mill at Willington, -given at some length by Mr. W. T. Stead in the _Review of Reviews_ -for Jan., 1892; also the _Memoirs of the Wesley Family_, vol. i, pp. -253-60; and Whitehead's _Lives of the Wesleys_, vol. ii, pp. 120-66; -also _Footfalls_, b; R. Dale Owen, book iii, ch. ii. - -[82] See Myers, _op cit._, p. 154. As many writers have remarked, -the term "superconscious" might often be more applicable than -"subconscious." - -[83] With regard to this question of hypnotism and crime, T. J. Hudson -says (_Psychic Phenomena_, p. 129) that it is almost impossible to -persuade a hypnotic to do what he firmly believes to be wrong. And -Myers maintains that whatever the subliminal being may be, it is -never malignant. "In dealing with automatic script, for instance, we -shall have to wonder whence come the occasional vulgar jokes or silly -mystifications. We shall discuss whether they are a kind of dream -of the automatist's own, or whether they indicate the existence of -unembodied intelligences on the level of the dog or the ape. But, -on the other hand, all that world-old conception of Evil Spirits, -of malevolent powers, which has been the basis of so much of actual -devil-worship and so much more of vague supernatural fear--all this -insensibly melts from the mind as we study the evidence before us." -(_Op. cit._, p. 252.) - -[84] See _Mediumship_, by James B. Tetlow (Keighley, 1910), price 6d. - -[85] _Op cit._, pp. 168-69. - -[86] See a long chapter on "Manifestations de Mourants" in C. -Flammarion's _L'Inconnu_. - -[87] As in the case of a man drowning in a storm off the island of -Tristan d'Acunha, who was seen at the same hour in a Norfolk farmhouse. -_Phantasms of the Living_, vol. ii. p. 52. - -[88] See further on this subject ch. xi. _infra_, p. 211. - -[89] _Towards Democracy_, p. 490. - -[90] For a discussion of this question, see Myers, _op. cit._, ch. vii. -on _Phantasms of the Dead_. - -[91] See _supra_, ch. ii. p. 15; also _The World of Life_, by A. R. -Wallace, ch. xvii. "The Mystery of the Cell." - -[92] Of the conditions which may cause the invisible cloud to become -visible we shall speak farther on. - -[93] See, for a list of these, Flammarion's _L'Inconnu_, pp. 565-69; -also Lombroso's _Fenomeni ipnotici_, &c., p. 199. The numerous -quasi-historical records of the appearance after death of the saints -(generally in a cloud-like form) must also not be passed over; though, -on account of these records being connected with the various churches, -they are necessarily subject to suspicion! - -[94] We may mention _Death: Its Causes and Phenomena_, Carrington & -Meader (London, 1911); and the list of works quoted in the same book, -p. 540 _et seq._ - -[95] Longmans, 1908. - -[96] "At the end of three hours and forty minutes he expired, and -suddenly, coincident with death, the beam end of the scale dropped with -an audible stroke, hitting against the lower limiting bar and remaining -there with no rebound. The loss was ascertained to be three-fourths of -an ounce." See reference given by Carrington and Meader, _op. cit._, p. -373. The reports of the experiments are apparently given in the annals -of the American Society for Psychical Research for June, 1907. - -[97] See a long account in the _Spiritualist_ for 15th May, 1873; also -given by F. d'Albe, _op. cit._, p. 220, _et seq._ - -[98] See R. J. Thompson's _Proofs of Life after Death_ (1906). - -[99] See _Phnomnes de la Villa Carmen_, by Charles Richet, Paris, -1902; also Lombroso, _op. cit._, pp. 194-96. - -[100] Mr. H. Carrington, in his _Physical Phenomena of Spiritualism_, -has described in detail fraudulent methods of photography with which he -is well acquainted. Nevertheless he seems to believe that some cases -of "spirit photography" are genuine, and gives instances; see his -book already quoted _Death_, &c., pp. 359, _et seq._ See also Mr. E. -T. Bennett's book on _Spiritualism_, with introduction by Sir Oliver -Lodge, pp. 113-20. - -[101] See _The Art of Creation_, ch. vi. - -[102] _The World of Dreams_ (Constable, 1911), p. 107. - -[103] _The World of Dreams_, p. 190. - -[104] See _Electrons_, by Sir Oliver Lodge (George Bell, 1910). - -[105] Say, in millionths of an inch, fifteen millionths for the violet -(at the dark line A), and twenty-seven millionths for the red (at B). - -[106] See, for examples, ch. x. pp. 186-7, _supra_. - -[107] See document signed by five responsible witnesses and published -in the _Spiritualist_ of 15th May, 1873. - -[108] See _Materializations_, by Mme. D'Esprance, a lecture given in -1903 in London (Light Publishing Co.). - -[109] See illustrations in _Shadowland_, _passim_. - -[110] The cobwebby sensation alluded to above is often mentioned -by other writers. Dr. J. Maxwell, in his _Metaphysical Phenomena_ -(Duckworth, 1905), p. 329, describes a case in which the radiation -of force from the fingers of a medium was great enough to move a -small statuette five or six inches distant, and absolutely without -contact; but the phenomenon was accompanied by a "Spider-web or -cobwebby sensation in the hands." The author of that interesting book -_Interwoven_ (Boston, 1905, copyright by S. L. Ford), speaks of "the -protoplasmic vapor of the inner man," and says (p. 15): "It is this -frail vapor which comes out at death and tries to form into spiritual -body"; and again (p. 19): "I notice at death that nature draws or -relieves the fire of the ganglia first and all the lines of sensation -in light which were running down the nerves. It looks like white -seaweed, very light and airy and fragile ... a veil of shining which is -scarcely substance because of its white fire." - -[111] _Fenomeni ipnotici_, &c., p. 195. - -[112] Namely, the highly charged electrostatic condition of mediums, -the luminous clouds floating near them, the stars and rays of light in -their vicinity, the photographic activity of their emanations, and so -forth. - -[113] So much smaller than the atom that "if the earth represented an -electron, an atom would occupy a sphere with the sun as centre and four -times the distance of the earth as radius." See _Electrons_, by Oliver -Lodge, p. 98. - -[114] _Ibid._, pp. 82, 83. - -[115] _Immortality_, p. 148. - -[116] _Researches in the Phenomena of Spiritualism_ (Burns, 1874), p. -86. - -[117] _Materializations_, p. 12. - -[118] R. Dale Owen, _The Debatable Land_, p. 399. - -[119] See _Annals of Psychical Science_, Report 1910-11. - -[120] See Gustave Le Bon's _Evolution of Matter_ (Walter Scott -Publishing Co., 1907). - -[121] See Le Bon, p. 45. - -[122] For cases of hypnotic trance induced in one person by the -telepathic action of another person at a distance, see Myers, _op. -cit._, p. 160. - -[123] _Revue Philosophique_, August, 1887. - -[124] Myers, _op. cit._, p. 149. - -[125] _Ibid._, p. 144. See also Henri Bergson's _L'volution -Cratrice_, p. 102, on the _canalization_ of the senses. - -[126] See chapter xiii. p. 243. - -[127] It seems probable, from many considerations, that at a certain -depth within us--in the region of what has been called the cosmic -consciousness--memory does in nowise fade, and the past is always -present, but, as Bergson says, the ordinary conscious intellect tends -to only select from this mass what is needed for impending action, and -has consequently become limited by this tendency. - -[128] See the work of Richard Semon on the _mneme_ as a main factor -of organic life (_Die Mneme als erhaltendes Prinzip im Wechsel des -organischen Geschehens_, Leipzig, 1904); also quoted by Auguste Forel, -_The Sexual Question_ (English edition, Rebman, 1908), pp. 14-17. - -[129] See _An Adventure_, Macmillan & Co., 1911. - -[130] See _infra_, ch. xiv. p. 255; also E. B. Wilson, _The Cell_, p. -433. - -[131] Though this process, it would appear, requires _practice_, and is -not learned at once. - -[132] See the frequent description of the unusual beauty and radiancy -of the forms seen in connection with trance-mediums and circles. - -[133] It may easily be understood, I think, that the process by -which the distinct soul is thus built up may last several lifetimes. -That is, there may be a long period during which the budding soul -still entangled in the race-life may be reincarnated jointly with -the race-soul in a kind of mixed way--family and race-characteristics -mingling with and obscuring its expression--though these incarnations -would become ever less mixed and more individual in character till the -day of the soul's final disentanglement. - -[134] In the _Symposium_--Shelley's translation. - -[135] Shelley's translation. - -[136] What the _physical_ medium of this transmission may be--whether -the germ-plasm of Weismann, or some subtle _aura_ which connects the -members of a race together, or anything else--is a question to which the -answer at present is not very clear. - -[137] And not only out of the abysmal deeps of Man, but also out of the -hidden soul of the Earth, and other cosmic beings. - -[138] See _supra_, ch. vii. p. 122. - -[139] See note at end of chapter vi. - -[140] See, for instance, Homer's _Odyssey_, bk. xi., lines 601 _et -seq._, where Odysseus speaks with the ghost of Hercules in Hades; but -it is explained that Hercules himself is in Heaven: - - "Then in his might I beheld huge Hercules, phantom terrific, - Phantom I say, for the hero himself is among the immortals." - -[141] In this case, described by Dr. Morton Prince in his _Dissociation -of a Personality_ (see note to ch. vi., _supra_), at least four or five -distinct personalities were recognizable in the one woman. - -[142] See _The Art of Creation_, pp. 80, 81. - -[143] See Bergson's _L'volution Cratrice_ throughout. - -[144] "Der Beginn des erneuten seraphischen Lebens und Einbeziehung -alles dessen, was ausser der Gegenwartsenge liegt." - - - - - -End of Project Gutenberg's The Drama of Love and Death, by Edward Carpenter - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE DRAMA OF LOVE AND DEATH *** - -***** This file should be named 44883-8.txt or 44883-8.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/4/4/8/8/44883/ - -Produced by Sean (scribe_for_hire@yahoo.com) based on page -images made available by the Internet Archive -(http://archive.org/details/dramaoflovedeath00carprich). - - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions -will be renamed. - -Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no -one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation -(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without -permission and without paying copyright royalties. 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You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org - - -Title: The Drama of Love and Death - A Study of Human Evolution and Transfiguration - -Author: Edward Carpenter - -Release Date: February 12, 2014 [EBook #44883] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ASCII - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE DRAMA OF LOVE AND DEATH *** - - - - -Produced by Sean (scribe_for_hire@yahoo.com) based on page -images made available by the Internet Archive -(http://archive.org/details/dramaoflovedeath00carprich). - - - - - - - [Italics are marked with _underscores_.] - - - - - THE DRAMA - OF LOVE AND DEATH - - _A Study_ - _of Human Evolution and_ - _Transfiguration_ - - - By - Edward Carpenter - - - NEW YORK AND LONDON - MITCHELL KENNERLEY - 1912 - - - - - _Copyright 1912 by_ - _Mitchell Kennerley_ - - - - - Contents - - - CHAP. PAGE - - _The Delphian Sibyl overlooking the Earth_ vii - - I. Introduction 1 - - II. The Beginnings of Love 5 - - III. Love as an Art 24 - - IV. Its Ultimate Meanings 48 - - V. The Art of Dying 69 - - VI. The Passage of Death 87 - - Note on Consciousness in the Body 107 - - VII. Is there an After-Death State? 111 - - VIII. The Underlying Self 131 - - Note on Mediumistic Trance 156 - - IX. Survival of the Self 162 - - X. The Inner or Spiritual Body 176 - - XI. The Creation and Materialization of Forms 192 - - XII. Reincarnation 215 - - XIII. The Divine Soul 237 - - XIV. The Return Journey 248 - - XV. The Mystery of Personality 262 - - XVI. Conclusion 284 - - Appendix 289 - - - - - _The Delphian Sibyl_ - - (_On her mountain-slope overlooking the Earth_) - - _The coastline ranges far, the skies unfold; - The mountains rise in glory, stair on stair; - The darting Sun seeks Daphne as of old - In thickets dark where laurel blooms are fair. - The ancient sea, deep wrinkled, ever young, - With salt lip kisses still the silver strand; - In caverns dwell the Nymphs, their loves among, - And Titans still with strange fire shake the land._ - - _A thousand generations here have come, - And wandered o'er these hills, and faced the light; - A thousand times slight man from mortal womb - Has leapt, and lapsed again into the night. - Here tribesmen dwelt, and fought, and curst their star, - And scoured both land and sea to sate their needs; - Prophetic eyes of youth gazed here afar, - With lips half open brooding on great deeds._ - - _Nor dreamed each little mortal of the Past, - Nor the deep sources of his life divined, - Watching his herds, or net in ocean cast, - Deaf to th' ancestral voices down the wind; - Nor guessed what strange sweet likenesses should rise, - Selves of himself, far in the future years, - With his own soul within their sunlit eyes, - And in their hearts his secret hopes and fears._ - - _Yet I--I saw. Yea, from my lofty stand - I saw each life continuous extend - Beyond its mortal bound, and reach a hand - To others and to others without end. - I saw the generations like a river - Flow down from age to age, and all the vast - Complex of human passion float and quiver-- - A wondrous mirror where the Gods were glassed._ - - _And still through all these ages scarce a change - Has touched my mountain slopes or seaward curve, - And still the folk beneath the old laws range, - And from their ancient customs hardly swerve; - Still Love and Death, veiled figures, hand in hand, - Move o'er men's heads, dread, irresistible, - To ope the portals of that other land - Where the great Voices sound and Visions dwell._ - - - - - THE DRAMA OF LOVE - AND DEATH - - - - - CHAPTER I - - INTRODUCTORY - - -Love and Death move through this world of ours like things -apart--underrunning it truly, and everywhere present, yet seeming to -belong to some other mode of existence. When Death comes, breaking into -the circle of our friends, words fail us, our mental machinery ceases to -operate, all our little stores of wit and wisdom, our maxims, our -mottoes, accumulated from daily experience, evaporate and are of no -avail. These things do not seem to touch or illuminate in any effective -way the strange vast Presence whose wings darken the world for us. And -with Love, though in an opposite sense, it is the same. Words are of no -use, all our philosophy fails--whether to account for the pain, or to -fortify against the glamour, or to describe the glory of the experience. - -These figures, Love and Death, move through the world, like closest -friends indeed, never far separate, and together dominating it in a kind -of triumphant superiority; and yet like bitterest enemies, dogging each -other's footsteps, undoing each other's work, fighting for the bodies -and souls of mankind. - -Is it possible that at length and after ages we may attain to liberate -ourselves from their overlordship--to dominate _them_ and make them our -ministers and attendants? Can we wrest them from their seeming tyranny -over the human race, and from their hostility to each other? Can we -persuade them to lay aside their disguise and appear to us for what they -no doubt are--even the angels and messengers of a new order of -existence? - -It is a great and difficult enterprise. Yet it is one, I think, which we -of this generation cannot avoid. We can no longer turn our faces away -from Death, and make as if we did not perceive his presence or hear his -challenge. This age, which is learning to look the facts of Nature -steadily in the face, and see _through_ them, must also learn to face -this ultimate fact and look through it. And it will surely--and perhaps -only--be by allying ourselves to Love that we shall be able to do -so--that we shall succeed in our endeavor. - -For after all it is not in the main on account of ourselves that we -cherish a grudge against the 'common enemy' and dispute his authority, -but for the sake of those we love. For ourselves we may be indifferent -or acquiescent; but somehow for those others, for those divine ones who -have taken our hearts into their keeping, we resent the idea that _they_ -can perish. We refuse to entertain the thought. Love in some mysterious -way forbids the fear of death. Whether it be Siegfried who tramples the -flaming, circle underfoot, or the Prince of Heaven who breaks his way -through the enchanted thicket, or Orpheus who reaches his Eurydice even -in the jaws of hell, or Hercules who wrestles with the lord of the -underworld for Alcestis--the ancient instinct of mankind has declared in -no uncertain tone that in this last encounter Love must vanquish. - -It is in the name, then, of one of these gods that we challenge the -other. And yet not without gratitude to both. For it is Azrael's -invasion of our world, it is his challenge to _us_, that (perhaps more -than anything else) rivets our loyalty to each other. It is his frown -that wakes friendship in human souls and causes them to tighten the -bonds of mutual devotion. In some strange way these two, though seeming -enemies, play into each other's hands; each holds the secret of the -other, and between them they conceal a kindred life and some common -intimate relation. We feel this in our inmost intuitions; we perceive it -in our daily survey of human affairs; and we find it illustrated (as I -shall presently point out) in general biology and the life-histories of -the most primitive cells. The theme, in fact, of the interplay of Love -and Death will run like a thread-motive through this book--not without -some illumination, as I would hope, cast by each upon the other, and by -both upon our human destiny. - - - - - CHAPTER II - - THE BEGINNINGS OF LOVE - - -As I have just suggested, the great human problems of Love and Death are -strangely and remarkably illustrated in the most primitive forms of -life; and I shall consequently make no apology for detaining the reader -for a few moments over modern investigations into the subjects of -cell-growth, reproduction and death. If this chapter is a little -technical and complex in places, still it may be worth while delaying -over it, and granting it some patient consideration, on account of the -curious light the study throws on the rest of the book and the general -questions therein discussed. - -Love seems to be primarily (and perhaps ultimately) an interchange of -essences. The Protozoa--those earliest cells, the progenitors of the -whole animal and vegetable kingdom--grow by feeding on the minute -particles which they find in the fluid surrounding them. The growth -continues, till ultimately, reaching the limit of convenient size, a -cell divides into two or more portions; and so reproduces itself. The -descendant cells or portions so thrown off are simply continuations, by -division, of the life of the original or parent cell--so that it has not -unfrequently been said that, in a sense, these Protozoa are immortal, -since their life continues indefinitely (with branching but without -break) from generation to generation. This form of reproduction by -simple budding or division extends even up into the higher types of -life, where it is sometimes found side by side with the later sexual -form of reproduction, as in the case of so-called _parthenogenesis_ -among insects. It is indeed a kind of virgin-birth; and is well -illustrated in the vegetable world by the budding of bulbs, or by the -fact that a twig torn from a shrub and placed in the ground will -commonly grow and continue the life of the parent plant; or in the lower -stages of the animal world, where, among many of the worms, insects, -sponges, &c., the life may similarly be continued by division, or by the -extrusion of a bud or an egg, without any sex-contact or sex-action -whatever. - -This seems in fact to be the original and primitive form of generation; -and it obviously depends upon _growth_. Generation is the superfluity, -the [Greek: hubris], of growth, and connects itself in the first instance with the -satisfaction of hunger. First hunger, then growth, then reproduction by -division or budding. And this process may go on apparently for many -generations without change--in the case of certain Protozoa even to -hundreds of generations. But a time comes when the growth-power and -energy decay, and the vitality diminishes[1]--at any rate, as a rule.[2] -But then a variation occurs. Two cells unite, exchange fluids, and part -again. It is a new form of nourishment; it is the earliest form of Love. -It is a very intimate form of nourishment; for it appears that in -general the nuclei themselves of the two cells are shared and in part -exchanged. And the vitality so obtained gives the cells a new lease of -life. They are in fact regenerated. And each partner grows again -actively and reproduces itself by budding and division as before. -Sometimes the two uniting cells will remain conjoined; and the joint -cell will then generate buds, or in some cases enlarge to bursting -point, and so, perishing itself, break up into a numerous progeny.[3] - -So far there seems to be but little differentiation between Hunger and -Love. Love is only a special hunger which leads cells to obtain -nourishment from other cells of the same species; and generation or -reproduction in these early stages, being an inevitable accompaniment of -growth, follows on the satisfaction of love just as it follows on the -satisfaction of hunger. Rolph's words on the relation of these two -impulses (quoted by Geddes and Thompson) are very suggestive. He -says:--"Conjugation occurs when nutrition is diminished.... It is a -necessity for satisfaction, a growing hunger, which drives the animal to -engulf its neighbor, to 'isophagy.' The process of conjugation is only a -special form of nutrition, which occurs on a reduction of the nutritive -income, or an increase of the nutritive needs." - -And so far there is no distinction of sex. It is true there may be sex -in the sense of union or fusion between two individuals; but there is no -distinction of sex, in the sense of male and female. In the Protozoa -generally there is simple union or conjugation between cells, which, as -far as can be observed, are quite similar to each other. It is a union -between similars; and it leads to growth and reproduction. But both -union and reproduction at this early stage exist quite independently of -any distinctive sex-action, or any differentiation of individuals into -male and female. - -At a later period, however, Sex comes in. It is obvious that for growth -(and reproduction) two things are necessary, which are in some degree -antagonistic to each other--on the one hand the pursuit and capture of -food, which means _activity_ and force, and on the other hand the -digestion and assimilation of the food, which means _quiescence_ and -passivity. And it seems that at a certain stage--in general, when -"animals" have already been formed by the conjunction of many protozoic -cells in co-operative colonies--this differentiation sets in, and some -individuals specialize towards activity and the chase, while others (of -the same species) specialize towards repose and assimilation. The two -sets of qualities are clearly only useful in combination with each -other, and yet, as I have said, they are to some degree contrary to each -other; and therefore it is quite natural that the two corresponding -groups of individuals should form two great branches in each race, -diverse yet united. - -These two branches are the male and female--the active, energy-spending, -hungry, food-obtaining branch; and the sessile, non-active, assimilative -and reproductive branch. And by the division of labor consequent on the -formation of these two branches the whole race is benefited; but only of -course on condition that the diverse elements are reunited from time to -time. It is in the fusion of these elements that the real quality and -character of the race is restored; and it is by their fusion that -development and reproduction are secured. - -In some of the Infusorians[4] there seems to be a beginning of -sex-differentiation, and fusion takes place between two individuals -slightly differing from each other; but as we have already seen, in -most of the Protozoa the union is a union of _similars_--that is, as -far as can at present be observed, though of course there is a great -probability that here also there is generally _some_ difference which -supplies the attraction and the value of union.[5] - -It is in the _Metazoa_ generally, and those forms of life which consist -of co-operative _colonies_ of cells, that sex-differentiation into male -and female begins to decisively assert itself. Here--since it is -obviously impossible for all the cells of one individual to fuse with -all the cells of another--certain special cells are set apart in each -organism for the purpose of union or conjugation; and it seems quite -natural that in the course of time the differentiation spoken of above, -into male and female, should set in--each individual tending to become -decisively either masculine or feminine--both in the sex-cells or -sex-apparatus, and (though in a less marked degree) in the general -'body' and structure. - -In the lower forms of life, generally, as among the amphibia, fishes, -molluscs, &c., the male and female sex-cells--the sperm and the germ--do -not conjugate within either of the parent bodies, but are expelled from -each, in order to meet and fuse in some surrounding medium, like water. -There the double cell, so formed, develops into the new individual. But -in higher forms the meeting takes place, and the first stages of -development ensue, _within_ one of the bodies. And, as one might expect, -this occurs within the body of the female. For the female, as we have -said, represents quiescence, growth, assimilation. The germ or ovum is -large compared with the spermatozoon; it is also sessile in habit. The -spermatozoon, on the other hand, is exceedingly active. And so it seems -natural that the latter should seek out the germ within the body of the -female. Just as, in general, the female animal remains impassive and -quiescent, and is sought out by the male, so the female germ remains at -home within the female body, and receives its visitor or visitors there. -And the whole apparatus of connection is symbolical of this relation. -The body of the female is the temple in which the sacred mystery of the -union or fusion of two individuals is completed, as a means to the birth -or creation of a new individual. - -Yet though the female is thus privileged to be the receptacle and -sanctum of the life-giving power, it must not be thought that this -argues superiority of the female, as such, over the male. The process of -conjunction is sometimes spoken of as a fertilization merely, implying -the idea that the ovum or female element is the main thing, and that -_this_ only requires a slight impulse or stimulus from the male side for -its powers of development to be started and set in operation. But though -it is true that the ovum can in many cases of the lower forms of life be -started developing by the administration of a chemical solution or even -a mechanical needle-prick, this development does not seem to continue; -and modern investigation shows that in normal fecundation an absolute -equality reigns, as far as we can see, between the two contracting -parties and their contributions to the new being that has to be formed. - -Nothing is more astounding than the results of these investigations; and -they not only show us that the protozoic cells (and sex-cells), instead -of being very simple in structure, are already extremely complex, and -that their changes in the act of fertilization or fusion are _strangely -elaborate and systematic_; but they suggest that though to us these -cells may represent the microscopic beginnings of life in its most -primitive stages, in reality they stand for the first visible results of -long antecedent operations, and indicate highly organized and, we may -say, intelligent forces at work within them. - -The mere process by which a primitive cell divides and reproduces itself -has an air of demonic intelligence about it. Roughly, the process may be -described as follows. The nucleus appears to be the most important -portion of a cell. Certainly it is so as regards the supply of -hereditary and formative material--the surrounding protoplasm fulfilling -more of a nutritive and protective function. Within and through the -liquid of the nucleus there spreads an irregular network of a substance -which is (for a purely accidental reason) called _chromatin_. As long as -the nucleus is at rest, this network is fairly evenly distributed -through it; but the first oncoming of division is signalled by the -break-up of the chromatin into a limited and definite number of short, -threadlike bodies--to which the name _chromosomes_ has been given. These -_chromosomes_, after some curious evolutions, finally arrange themselves -in a line across the middle of the nucleus; and they are apparently -governed in this operation, and the whole splitting of the cell is -governed, by a minute, starlike and radiating centre (called -_centrosome_), which first appearing outside the nucleus and in the -general protoplasm of the cell, seems to play a dominant part in the -whole process. This _centrosome_, when the time comes for the -cell-division, itself divides in two, and the two starlike centres so -formed (which are to become _centrosomes_ of the two new cells), slowly -move to opposite ends or poles of the original cell--all the time, as -they do so, throwing out raylike threads or fibrils which connect them -somehow with the chromosomes and which seem to regulate the movements of -the latter, till, as described, the latter form themselves in a line -across the centre of the cell, transversely to the line joining the -poles. At this stage, then, we have a tiny, starlike centrosome at each -end of the cell, and a transverse line of chromosomes between. (Also, -during the process the wall or enclosing membrane of the nucleus has -disappeared and the general contents of cell and nucleus have become -undivided.) It is at this moment that the real division begins. The -chromosomes--of which it is said that there are always a definite and -invariable number for every species of plant or animal,[6] and which are -now generally supposed to contain the hereditary elements or -determinants of the future individual--these chromosomes have already -arranged themselves longitudinally and end-on to each other across the -middle of the cell. They now, apparently under the influence of the -radiating points at each pole, split longitudinally (as one splits a log -of wood)--so that each chromosome, dividing throughout its length, -contributes one half of itself to one pole and one half to the other. -The halves so formed separate, and approach their respective poles; and -at the same time the cell-wall constricting itself along the equatorial -line, or line of separation, soon divides the original cell into two. -Meanwhile the chromosomes in each new division group themselves (not -round but) near their respective poles or centrosomes, and a new nucleus -membrane forming, encloses each group, so that finally we have two cells -of exactly the same constitution as the original one, and with exactly -the same number and quality of chromosomes as the original.[7] - -The whole process seems very strange and wonderful. No military -evolutions and formations, no complex and mystic dance of initiates in a -temple, with advances and retreats, and combinations and separations, -and exchanges of partners, could seem more fraught with intelligence.[8] -Yet this is what takes place among some of the very lowest forms of -life, on the division of a single cell into two. And it is exactly the -same, apparently, which takes place in the higher forms of life when the -single cell which is the result of the fusion together of the sperm-cell -and the germ-cell, divides and subdivides to form the 'body' of the -creature. As is well known, the joint cell divides first into two; then -each of the cells so formed divides into two, making four in all; then -each of these divides into two, making eight; then each into two again, -making 16, 32, 64, and so on--till they number the thousands, hundreds -of thousands, millions, which in effect build up and constitute the -body. And at each division the process is carried out with this amazing -care and exactness of partition described--so that every cell is verily -continuous and of the same nature with the original cell, and contains -the same nuclear elements, derived half from the father and half from -the mother. Yet in the process a differentiation has set in, so that in -the end each cell becomes so far modified as to be adapted for its -special position and function in the body--for the skin, mucous -membrane, blood corpuscles, brain, muscular tissue, and so forth.[9] It -is worth while looking carefully at the body of an animal, or one's own -body, in order to realize what this means--to realize that the entire -creature, in all its form and feature, its coloring, marking, swiftness -of limb, complexity of brain, and so on, has provably been exhaled from -a single cell, _is_ indeed that original cell with its latent powers and -virtue made manifest; and to remember that that original cell was itself -the fusion of two parent cells, the male and the female. - -A word, then, upon this matter of the fusion of the two parent cells in -one. Here, again, two very remarkable things appear. One refers to the -equality of the sexes; the other refers to the onesidedness (or -deficiency or imperfection) which seems to be the characteristic _and_ -the motive power of the phenomenon of sex. - -With regard to the first point, we saw that among the Protozoa -conjugation occurs for the most part between two individual cells which -are alike in size and (to all appearance) alike in constitution; and -this conjugation leads to reproduction. But when among the higher forms -sex begins to show, the conjugating cells--sperm-cell and germ-cell--are -generally unlike in size, and often in the higher animals extremely -unlike--as in the human _spermatozoon_ and _ovum_, of which the latter -is a thousand times the volume of the former;[10] and this has sometimes -led, as remarked before, to an exaggerated view of the preponderant -importance of one sex. But the curious fact seems to be that when the -spermatozoon of the human or higher animal penetrates the ovum, there is -a preliminary period before its nucleus actually combines with the -nucleus of the ovum, during which the nucleus rapidly absorbs -nourishment from the surrounding protoplasm, and _grows_--grows till it -becomes of _exactly the same size_ as the nucleus of the ovum. The -situation then is that there are two nuclei of the same size and both -charged with chromatin of the same general character, in close -proximity, and waiting to fuse with each other. - -The product of that fusion is a new being; and as far as can at present -apparently be observed, the parts played by the two sexes in the process -are quite equal. There may be _difference_ of function but there is no -inequality. "Both male and female cells," says Professor Rolleston,[11] -"prepare themselves for conjugation long before it takes place, and -neither of them can be said to be a more active agent in fertilization -than the other. Not 'fertilization' but 'fusion' is the keyword of the -process. The mystical conception, as old as Plato, of the male and -female as representing respectively the two halves of a complete being, -turns out to be no poetic metaphor. As regards the essential features of -reproduction, it is a literal fact." - -The second remarkable point has to do with the onesidedness of sexual -conjugation, and the complementary nature of the exchange involved. This -is truly noteworthy and interesting. It is evident that if the -sperm-cell and germ-cell simply coalesced, containing each the amount of -chromatin characteristic of the species--say sixteen chromosomes in the -case of the human being--the result would be a cell with double the -proper amount, _say thirty-two chromosomes_, i.e. _an amount belonging -to another species_. "What happens is that each of the reproductive -cells, male and female, prepares itself for conjugation _by getting rid -of half its_ chromosomes. Two divisions of the nucleus take place, _not_ -as in the ordinary fashion of cell-division, when the chromosomes split -longitudinally, but in such a way that, in each division, four of the -sixteen chromosomes (making eight in all) are bodily expelled from the -nucleus and from the cell, when they either perish, or, in some cases, -appear to help in forming an envelope of nutritive matter round the -germ-cell. These divisions are called 'maturation divisions,' and until -they are accomplished fecundation is impossible."[12] Thus the two -nuclei, having each their number of chromosomes reduced to half the -normal number (in this case to eight), are now ready to coalesce and so -form a new cell with the proper number belonging to the species (_i.e._ -sixteen). This cell is the commencement of the new being, and, as -already described, it divides and re-divides, and the innumerable cells -so formed differentiate themselves into different tissues, until the -whole animal is built up. - -Says Professor E. B. Wilson:--"The one fact of maturation that stands -out with perfect clearness and certainty amid all the controversies -surrounding it, is a reduction of the _number of chromosomes in the -ultimate germ [and sperm] cells_[13] to one half the number -characteristic of the somatic cells. It is equally clear that this -reduction is a preparation of the germ [and sperm] cells for their -subsequent union, and a means by which the number of chromosomes is held -constant in the species."[14] - -This extrusion or expulsion by each of the conjugating cells of half its -constituent elements is certainly very strange.[15] And it seems -strangely deliberate.[16] Various theories have been formed on the -subject, but at present there is apparently no satisfactory conclusion -as to what exactly takes place. Some think that in the one case certain -male elements are expelled, and in the other case certain female -elements; and anyhow it seems probable that a complementary action sets -in, by which each prepares itself to supply a different class of -elements from the other, thus rendering the conjunction more effectual. -Plato has been already quoted with regard to male and female being only -the two halves of a complete original being. He also says (in the speech -of Socrates in the _Banquet_) that the mother of Love was Poverty, and -that Love "possesses thus far his mother's nature that he is ever the -companion of Want." And it would appear that in the most primitive -grades of life the same is true, and that two cells combine or coalesce -in order to mutually supply some want or deficiency. - -Anyhow, in the process just described two points stand out pretty clear: -first, the exact quality of the number of chromosomes contributed by -sperm-cell and germ-cell to the fertilized ovum--which seems to indicate -that the descendant being has an equal heredity from each -parent[17]--though of course it does not follow that both heredities -become equally prominent or manifest in the descendant body; and -secondly, that the same is true of all the cells in this new body--that -they each contain the potentialities of the joint cell from which they -sprang, and therefore the potentialities of both parents. - -These amazing conclusions concerning the origins of life and -reproduction--here, of course, very briefly and imperfectly -presented--cannot but give us pause. Contemplating the evolutions and -affinities of these infinitely numerous but infinitely small organisms -which build up our visible selves, and the strange intelligence which -seems to pervade their movements, the mind reels--somewhat as it does in -contemplating the evolutions and affinities of the unimaginable -stars.[18] We seem, certainly, to trace the same laws or operations in -these minutest regions as we trace in our own corporeal and mental -relations. Cells attract each other just as human beings do; and the -attraction seems to depend, to a certain degree, on difference. The male -spermatozoon seeks the female ovum, just as the male animal, as a rule, -seeks and pursues the female. Primitive cells divide and redivide and -differentiate themselves, building up the animal body, just in the same -way as primitive thoughts and emotions divide and redivide and -differentiate themselves, building up the human mind. But though we thus -see processes with which we are familiar repeated in infinitesimal -miniature, we seem to be no nearer than before to any 'explanation' of -them, and we seem to see no promise of any explanation. We merely obtain -a larger perspective, and a suggestion that the universal order is of -the same character throughout--with a suspicion perhaps that the -explanation of these processes does not lie in any concatenation of the -things themselves, but in some other plane of being of which these -concatenations are an allegory or symbolic expression. In portions of -the following chapters I shall trace more in detail the resemblance or -parallelism between these processes among the Protozoa and some of our -own experiences in the great matters of Life and Love and Death.[19] - - - - - CHAPTER III - - LOVE AS AN ART - - -The astounding revelation of the first great love is a thing which the -youthful human being can hardly be prepared for, since indeed it cannot -very well be described in advance, or put into terms of reasonable and -well-conducted words. To feel--for instance--one's whole internal -economy in process of being melted out and removed to a distance, as it -were into the keeping of some one else, is in itself a strange -physiological or psychological experience--and one difficult to record -in properly scientific terms! To lose consciousness never for a moment -of the painful void so created--a void and a hunger which permeates all -the arteries and organs, and every cranny of the body and the mind, and -which seems to rob the organism of its strength, sometimes even to -threaten it with ruin; to forego all interest in life, except in one -thing--and that thing a person; to be aware, on the other hand, with -strange elation and joy, that this new person or presence is infusing -itself into one's most intimate being--pervading all the channels, with -promise (at least) of marriage and new life to every minutest cell, and -causing wonderful upheavals and transformations in tissue and fluids; to -find in the mind all objects of perception to be changed and different -from what they were before; and to be dimly conscious that the reason -why they are so is because the background and constitution of the -perceiving mind is itself changed--that, as it were, there is another -person beholding them as well as oneself--all this defies description in -words, or any possibility of exact statement beforehand; and yet the -actual fact when it arrives is overwhelming in solid force and reality. -If, besides, to the insurgence of these strange emotions we add--in the -earliest stages of love at least--their bewildering fluctuation, from -the deeps of vain longing and desire to the confident and ecstatic -heights of expectation or fulfilment--the very joys of heaven and pangs -of hell in swift and tantalizing alternation--the whole new experience -is so extraordinary, so unrelated to ordinary work-a-day life, that to -recite it is often only to raise a smile of dismissal of the subject--as -it were into the land of dreams. - -And yet, as we have indicated, the thing, whatever it is, is certainly -by no means insubstantial and unreal. Nothing seems indeed more certain -than that in this strange revolution in the relations of two people to -each other--called "falling in love"--and behind all the illusions -connected with it, _something is happening_, something very real, very -important. The falling-in-love may be reciprocal, or it may be onesided; -it may be successful, or it may be unsuccessful; it may be only a -surface indication of other and very different events; but anyhow, deep -down in the sub-conscious world, _something_ is happening. It may be -that two unseen and only dimly suspected existences are becoming really -and permanently united; it may be that for a certain period, or (what -perhaps comes to the same thing) that to a certain _depth_, they are -transfusing and profoundly modifying each other; it may be that the -mingling of elements and the transformation is taking place almost -entirely in one person, and only to a slight degree or hardly at all in -the other; yet in all these cases--beneath the illusions, the -misapprehensions, the mirage and the _maya_, the surface satisfactions -and the internal disappointments--something very real is happening, an -important growth and evolution is taking place. - -To understand this phenomenon in some slight degree, to have some -inkling of the points of the compass by which to steer over this -exceedingly troubled sea, is, one might say, indispensable for every -youthful human creature; but alas! the instruction is not provided--for -indeed, as things are to-day, the adult and the mature are themselves -without knowledge, and their eyes without speculation on the subject. -Treatises on the Art of Love truly exist--and some (for the field they -cover) very good ones, like the _Ars Amatoria_ of Ovid or the -_Kama-sutra_ of Vatsayana; but they are concerned mainly or wholly with -the details and technicalities of the subject--with the conduct of -intrigues and amours, with times and seasons, positions and -preparations, unguents and influences. It is like instructions given to -a boatman on the minutiae of his craft--how to contend with wind and -wave, how to use sail and oar, to steer, to tack, to luff to a breaker, -and so forth; all very good and necessary in their way, but who is there -to point us our course over the great Ocean, and the stars by which to -direct it? The later works on this great subject--though not despising -the more elementary aspects--will no doubt have to proceed much farther, -into the deep realms of psychology, biological science, and ultimately -of religion.[20] - -As we have just said, Love is concerned with growth and evolution. It -is--though as yet hardly acknowledged in that connection--a root-factor -of ordinary human growth; for in so far as it is a hunger of the -individual, the satisfaction of that hunger is necessary for individual -growth--necessary (in its various forms) for physical, mental and -spiritual nourishment, for health, mental energy, large affectional -capacity, and so forth. And it is--though this too is not sufficiently -acknowledged--a root-factor of the Evolution process. For in so far as -it represents and gives rise to the union of two beings in a new form, -it plainly represents a step in Evolution, and plainly suggests that the -direction of that step will somehow depend upon the character and -quality of the love concerned. Thus the importance, the necessity, of -the study of the art of love is forced on our attention. It has to be no -longer a subterranean, unrecognized, and even rather disreputable cult, -but an openly acknowledged and honorable department of human life, -leading in its due time to broad and commonsense instructions and -initiations for the young. - - * * * * * - -Casting a glance back at the love-affairs of the Protozoa, as briefly -described in the preceding chapter, there certainly seems to be a kind -of naive charm about them. The simple and wholehearted way in which on -occasions they fuse with one another, losing or merging completely their -own separate individualities in the process; or again part from each -other after having exchanged essences in a kind of affectionate -cannibalism; the obvious and unconcealed relation between love and -hunger; the first beginnings of generation; and the matter-of-fact -manner in which one person, when he finds it convenient, divides in half -and becomes two persons, and after a time perhaps divides again and -becomes four persons, and again and again until he is many thousands or -millions--and yet it is impossible to decide (and he himself probably is -not quite clear) as to whether he is still one person or different -persons--all this cannot fail to excite our admiration and respect, nor -to give us, also, considerable food for thought. - -One of the first things to strike us, and to suggest an application to -human life, is the importance of Love, among these little creatures, for -the health of the individual. The authors of _The Evolution of Sex_ say -in one passage (p. 178): "Without it [conjugation], the Protozoa, which -some have called 'immortal,' die a natural death. Conjugation is the -necessary condition of their eternal youth and immortality. Even at this -low level, only through the fire of love can the phoenix of the species -renew its youth." And again, in another passage (p. 277), referring to -the conclusions of Maupas: "Already we have noted this important result, -that conjugation is essential to the health of the species." Thus it -appears that, in these primitive stages, fusion more or less complete, -or interchange of essences, leads to Regeneration and renewal of -vitality--and this long before the distinct phenomena of sex appear. It -leads to Regeneration first, and so collaterally, and at a later period, -to Generation. - -Somehow--though it is not quite clear how--this view of the importance -of love to personal health has been sadly obscured in later and -Christian times. The dominant Christian attitude converted love, from -being an expression and activity of the deepest human life and joy, into -being simply a vulgar necessity for the propagation of the species. A -violent effort was made to wrench apart the spiritual and corporeal -aspects of it. The one aspect was belauded, the other condemned. The -first was relegated to heaven, the second was given its _conge_ to -another place. Corporeal intercourse and the propagation of the race -were vile necessities. True affection dwelt in the skies and disdained -all earthly contacts. And yet all this was a vain effort to separate -what could not be separated. It was like trying to take the pigments out -of a picture; to call the picture "good," but the stuff it was painted -with "bad." - -And so, owing to this denial, owing to this non-recognition of love (in -all its aspects) as necessary to personal health, thousands and -thousands of men and women through the centuries--some "for the kingdom -of heaven's sake," and some for the sake of the conventions of -society--have allowed their lives to be maimed and blighted, their -health and personal well-being ruined. The deep well-spring and source -of human activity and vitality has been desecrated and choked with -rubbish. That some sort of purpose, in the evolution of humanity, may -have been fulfilled by this strange negation, it would be idle to deny; -indeed some such purpose--in view of the wide prevalence of the -negation, and its long continuance during the civilization period--seems -probable. But this does not in any way controvert the fact that it has -in its time caused a disastrous crippling of human health and vitality. -Human progress takes place, no doubt, in sections--one foot forward at a -time, so to speak; but this does not mean that the other foot can be -permanently left in the rear. On the contrary, it means its all the more -decided advance when its turn arrives. - -To-day we seem at the outset of a new era, and preparing in some way for -the rehabilitation of the Pagan conception of the world. The negative -Christian dispensation is rapidly approaching its close; the necessity -of love in its various forms, as part and parcel of a healthy life, is -compelling our attention. No one is so poor a physiognomist as not to -recognize the health-giving effects of successful courtship--the -heightened color, the brilliant eye, the elastic step; the active brain, -the prompt reflexes, the glad outlook on the world. Indeed the effect -upon all the tissues--their nourishment, growth, improvement in tone, -and so forth--is extraordinary; and yet--remembering what has been said -about Love and Hunger--quite natural. For, after all, we have seen that -every cell in the body is a _replica_ of the original cell from which it -sprang; and so the love which reaches one probably in some way reaches -all. And there is probably not only union and exchange (in actual -intercourse) between two special sex-cells; but there is also (_all -through_ the period of being "in love") an etheric union and exchange -going on between the body-cells generally on each side; and a -nourishment of each other by the interchange of finest and subtlest -elements. - -That this mutual exchange and nutrition may take place between the -general cells of two bodies is made all the more probable from the -experiments already alluded to with regard to chemical -fertilization--whereby it has been shown that some ova or egg-cells may -be started on a process of subdivision and growth by treatment with -certain chemicals, such as weak solutions of strychnine, or common salt, -apart from any fertilization by a spermatozoon.[21] Now since--when the -body is once fairly formed--its further growth and sustenance is -maintained by continued division and subdivision of the body-cells, this -stimulus to growth may easily (we may suppose) be supplied by the subtle -radiations and reactions from another body within whose sphere of -influence it comes--radiations and reactions sufficiently subtle to pass -through the tissues to the various cells, and of course sufficiently -characteristic and individual to be in some cases, as we have supposed, -highly vitalizing and stimulating--though in other cases of course they -may be poisonous and harmful. Of course, also, it is only love that -supplies and is the vitalizing relation. - -So intense, at times, is this vitalizing force, and so ardent the need -of it, that the whole body leaps and throbs in pain. Plato, in his -poetic way, explains the scorching sensation in all the skin and tissues -by feigning that it is caused by the wing-feathers of the soul sprouting -everywhere (_i.e._ according to our view, in every little cell). -Nevertheless, his words on the subject are singularly pregnant with -meaning. For he says (in the _Phaedrus_): "Whenever indeed by gazing on -the beauty of the beloved object, and _receiving from that beauty -particles which fall and flow in upon it_ (and which are therefore -called 'desire'), the soul is watered and warmed, it is relieved from -its pain, and is glad; but as soon as it is parted from its love, and -for lack of that moisture is parched, the mouths of the outlets by which -the feathers start become so closed up by drought, that they obstruct -the shooting germs; and the germs being thus confined underneath, in -company of the desire which has been infused, leap like throbbing -arteries, and prick each at the outlet which is closed against it; so -that the soul, being stung all over, is frantic with pain."[22] - -This fusion of complementaries, then, which is the characteristic of -fertilization, takes place between the lovers--not only in respect of -their sex-cells, but probably also to a considerable degree in respect -of their body-cells. And though with any mortal lovers the complementary -nature of the fusion can hardly be so complete as to restore the full -glory of the race-life, yet very near to that point it sometimes comes, -filling them with mad and immortal-seeming ecstasies, and excusing them -indeed for seriously thinking that the wings of their souls have begun -to grow! In lesser degree this complementary fusion and exchange is -doubtless the explanation (or one explanation) of that very noticeable -point--the strange way in which lovers after some years come to resemble -each other--in form and feature, in facial expression, tone of voice, -carriage of body, handwriting, and all sorts of minute points. - - * * * * * - -I suppose at this point it will be necessary to explain that the -recognition of love (in all its aspects) as a general condition of human -health, does not mean a recommendation of wild indulgence in any and -every passion--necessary, because in these cases it seems to be -generally assumed that the proposer of a very simple thesis means a very -great deal more than he says! It is here that the necessity of education -comes in; for hitherto public instruction and discussion in these -matters have been so defective that folk have been unable to talk about -them except in a hysterical way--hysterical on the one side or the -other. The _positive_ value of love, its positive cultivation as a -gracious, superb, and necessary part of our lives has hardly (at least -in the Anglo-Saxon world) entered into people's minds. To teach young -things to love, and how to love, to actually instruct and encourage them -in the art, has seemed something wicked and unspeakable. Says Havelock -Ellis:[23] "Whether or not Christianity is to be held responsible, it -cannot be doubted that throughout Christendom there has been a -lamentable failure to recognize the supreme importance, not only -erotically but morally, of the art of love. Even in the great revival of -sexual enlightenment now taking place around us there is rarely even the -faintest recognition that in sexual enlightenment the one thing -essentially necessary is a knowledge of the art of love. For the most -part sexual instruction, as at present understood, is purely negative, a -mere string of thou-shalt-nots. If that failure were due to the -conscious and deliberate recognition that while the art of love must be -based on physiological and psychological knowledge, it is far too subtle -too complex, too personal, to be formulated in lectures and manuals, it -would be reasonable and sound. But it seems to rest entirely on -ignorance, indifference, or worse." - -It is, I think, not unfair to suppose that it is this indifference or -vulgar Philistinism which is largely responsible for the sordid -commercialism of the good people of the last century. Finding the lute -and the lyre snatched from their hands they were fain to turn to a -greater activity with the muck-rake. - - * * * * * - -Love is a complex of human relations--physical, mental, emotional, -spiritual, and so forth--all more or less necessary. And though seldom -realized complete, it is felt, and feels itself, to be imperfect without -some representation of every side. To limit it to the expression of one -particular aspect would be totally inadequate, if not absurd and -impossible. A merely physical love, for instance, on the sexual plane, -is an absurdity, a dead letter--the enjoyment and fruition of the -physical depending so much on the _feeling_ expressed, that without the -latter there is next to no satisfaction. At best there is merely a -negative pleasure, a relief, arising from the solution of a previous -state of corporeal tension. And in such cases intercourse is easily -followed by depression and disappointment. For if there is not enough of -the more subtle and durable elements in love, to remain after the -physical has been satisfied, and to hold the two parties close together, -why, the last state may well be worse than the first! - -But equally absurd is any attempt to limit, for instance, to the mental -plane, and to make love a matter of affectionate letter-writing merely, -or of concordant views on political economy; or again, to confine it to -the emotional plane, and the region of more or less sloppy sentiment; or -to the spiritual, with a somewhat lofty contempt of the material--in -which case it tends, as hinted before, to become too like trying to -paint a picture without the use of pigments. All the phases are -necessary, or at least desirable--even if, as already said, a quite -complete and all-round relation is seldom realized. The physical is -desirable, for many very obvious reasons--including corporeal needs and -health, and perhaps especially because it acts in the way of removal of -barriers, and _so opens the path_ to other intimacies. The mental is -desirable, to give form and outline to the relation; the emotional, to -provide the something to be expressed; and the spiritual to give -permanence and absolute solidity to the whole structure. - -It is probably on account of this complex nature that for any big and -permanent relationship of this kind there has to be a rather slow and -gradual culmination. All the various elements have to be hunted up and -brought into line. Like all great ideas love has its two sides--its -instantaneous inner side, and its complex outer side of innumerable -detail. In _consciousness_ it tends to appear in a flash--simple, -unique, and unchangeable; but in _experience_ it has to be worked out -with much labor. _All the elements have to come into operation_, and to -contribute their respective quota to the total result. If we remember -what happens when the spermatozoon and the ovum coalesce (see ch. ii. p. -19)--the extraordinary changes and disturbances which are induced in the -chromatin elements of both nuclei, the fusion of the nuclei, and the -ultimate ranging of the chromosomes in a line (for the formation of the -new being) in such a way that every element is represented and -contributes its share to the process--we cannot but be struck by the -strange similarity to our own inner experience: how love searches the -heart, drags every element of the inner nature forward from its -lurking-place, gives it definition and shape, and somehow insists on it -being represented, and, so to speak, toeing the line. We shall return to -this point later. Here I only wish to insist on the complexity of the -process, in order to show that for any big relationship plenty of time -has to be allowed. Whichever side of the nature--mental, emotional, -physical, and so forth--may have happened to take the lead, it must not -and cannot monopolize the affair. It must drag the other sides in and -give them their place. And this means time, and temporary bewilderment -and confusion. It is curious how 'falling in love' has this very -effect--how it paralyzes for a time--inhibiting the mental part and even -the physical; how the smart talker becomes a dumb ass, and the man about -town a modest fool, and the person who always does the right thing seems -compelled to do everything wrong--as if a confusion were being created -in the mind, analogous to that which we have observed in the cells. When -we add to these considerations the extraordinary differences between -persons, and between the proportions in which the elements of their -characters are mixed, it is obvious how extremely complex the conditions -of any one decent love-relation must be, and what tact and patience in -the handling it may require. - -The ignorance, therefore, which causes a young man, husband or lover, to -think that the hurried completion of the sexual act is at once the -initiation and the fulfilment of love, is fatal enough. It marks more -often the end than the beginning of the affair. For, contrariwise, time -and plenty of time has to be given in order to allow the central -radiation in each case to have its perfect work. Is it too fanciful to -suppose that the _centrosome_, which makes its appearance in the -protozoon on its approach to conjunction, and which seems to rule the -rearrangement of the chromatin elements within it, is the analogue of -the radiating force in human courtship which so strangely sifts out and -remoulds the elements of the lover's personality? Does the magic of the -centrosome correspond in some sense to the glamour, so well known in -human affairs? And do they both proceed from some deep-hidden, -profoundly important manifestation of the life, the energy, the divinity -if you will, of the Race? - -How strange is this matter of the glamour, and its decisiveness in -awakening love by its presence, or leaving it cold by absence! Here is a -story of a woman who, dreadfully disfigured in countenance by an -accident in the hunting-field, called her _fiance_ to her, and nobly -offered him his freedom; and he ... accepted it! Accepted it, because, -quite really and truly, the destruction of her physical beauty had for -him shattered the Vision and the divinity. And here is another similar -story where, contrariwise, the man immediately confirmed his love and -devotion--because for _him_ the glory around her was more illumined by -her nobility of feeling than it could be darkened by her bodily defect. - -Such glamour, working away in the hidden caverns of being, may at last, -like Bruno's "fabro vulcano," weld two souls into one, and bring to -light a real, a profound, and perhaps eternal union. It is after all -that inner union which is the real thing; which gives all its joys to -intercourse, and penetrating down into the world of sense, redeems that -world into a thing of glory and beauty. For the complete action of that -creative and organizing force plentiful time must be given; and the two -lovers must possess their souls in patience till it has had its full and -perfect work. Ovid in his _Ars Amatoria_ has many lines on this subject. -"Let the youth," he says, "with tardy passion burn, like a damp torch" -... _"Non est Veneris properanda voluptas_" ... _"Quod datum ex facili -longum male nutrit amorem_" (Love easily granted may not long endure), -and so forth. And though these passages no doubt refer mainly to what -may be called the practical conduct of amours, yet they have also a very -pointed application to the more important aspects of the grand passion. -A long foreground of approach, time and tact, diffusion of magnetism, -mergence in one another, suffering, and even pain--all these must be -expected and allowed for--though the best after all, in this as in other -things, is often the unexpected and the unprepared. - -And if the man has to allow time for all the elements of his nature -to come forward and take their part in the great mystery, all the -more is it true that he has to give the woman time for the fulfilling -of _her_ part. For in general it may be said (though of course with -exceptions) that love culminates more slowly in women than in men. -Men concentrate obviously on the definite part they have to play; but -in women love is more diffused and takes longer to reach the point -where it becomes an inspired and creative frenzy of the whole being. -Caresses, tendernesses, provocation, sacrifices, and a thousand -indirect influences have to gradually conspire to the working out of -this result; and not infrequently the situation so arising demands -great self-control on the part of the man. Yet these things are worth -while. "The real marriage," says some one, "takes place when from their -intense love there comes to birth another soul--apart from each, and -invisible, yet joining them together, one hand ahold of each--a radiant -thing born of the sun and stars, which though tender and fragile at -first, grows just like a bodily child, and leads them on, and dances -with them." - -They are worth while, all these labors and troubles, and delays and -sacrifices, if only out of them can be forged a fair and infrangible -union. As in all the arts, so in the greatest of the arts, no lasting -result can be attained, without such labor. Nor indeed without some -degree of pain and suffering. Young folk and inexperienced may think it -is not so. They may think that by a lucky stroke and practically without -effort a man may write a "Blessed Damozel" or carve in marble a "Greek -Slave"; but all experience points differently, and shows that directly -or indirectly to such works have gone infinite labor and patience. And -so to the conceiving and shaping of a perfect alliance between a man and -a woman must always go much of suffering--for it is by suffering that -the souls of human beings are brought into form and carved to fitness -for each other. - -Is it seriously--when one comes to think of it--possible to imagine love -without pain? Figure to yourself, O man, a courtship absolutely -undenied, from the first accepted, even encouraged, with complaisantly -unresisting bride, smiling parents, fair-weather prospects, and cash -unlimited! How awfully dull! Does not the stoutest heart quail at the -suggestion? Or if such a mating might be deemed pleasant as far as its -accessories and conditions were concerned, could it yet be termed Love? - -For Love, if worth anything, seems to _demand_ pain and strain in order -to prove itself, and is not satisfied with an easy attainment. How -indeed should one know the great heights except by the rocks and -escarpments? And pain often in some strange way seems to be the measure -of love--the measure by which we are assured that love is true and real; -and so (which is one of the mysteries) it becomes transformed into a -great joy. Yes, if men could only understand, here is one of the most -precious of the mysteries, and the solving of a great riddle. - -But that the course of true love does generally not run smooth is -understood, more or less, by every one. And it is woman's strange and -imperious instinct--even though at considerable suffering to herself--to -see that it _doesn't_ run smooth. Ellis practically bases[24] the whole -of the evolution of modesty on this instinct--reaching far down in the -animal kingdom--by which the female constantly throws difficulties and -obstacles in the way of courtship (by her coynesses, contrarieties, -changeable moods, and so forth); thus calling out in the male all his -ingenuity, his impetuosity, his energy, in overcoming them; rousing -dormant elements of his nature; delaying consummation and giving time -for his character and all his qualities to concentrate; and indirectly -having a like effect upon herself. So that ultimately by this method a -maximum of passion and agitation is produced, and in the case of the -human being love penetrates to the very deeps and hidden caverns of the -soul. Such is the genesis of Modesty--not by any means Nature's _denial_ -of love, but rather the crafty old dame's method of rendering love, by -temporary obstacles, all the more insurgent and irresistible--her method -of making it less superficial, of deepening the channels and rendering -them more profound. - -Practically, and as a matter of policy, a too easy consent to another's -love is a mistake. The barb only sticks when the bait is withdrawn. -Ovid, it will be remembered, advises that "the lover should be admitted -by the _window_, even when the door is quite accessible, and really more -convenient";[25] and most girls (though they have not read Ovid) know -instinctively that this is the right policy! Nothing is so hateful to a -real lover as an easy, accommodating, altruistic affection--thoroughly -Christian in sentiment, and with no more shape of its own than a pillow! -Romance flies at the mere mention of Christian altruism; and the essence -of love is romance. - -Hence not only technical obstacles, but essential differences are -necessary to the growth of the passion. Differences of age, differences -of sex, differences of class, temperament, hereditary strain, learning, -accomplishment, and so forth--if not _too_ great--are all necessary and -valuable. They all mean romance, and contribute to that exchange of -essences which we saw was the primitive protozoic law. It is quite -probable that the abiding romance between the sexes--so much greater as -a rule than that between two of like sex--is due to the fact that the -man and the woman never really understand each other; each to the other -is a figure in cloudland, sometimes truly divine, sometimes alas! quite -the reverse; but never clear and obvious in outline, as a simple mortal -may be expected to be. - -But to return to the subject of pain and suffering. There is something -more in their work than merely to reveal to the lover the extent or the -depth of his own love. They have something surely to do with the inner -realities of the affair, with the moulding or hammering or welding -process whereby union is effected and, in some sense, a new being -created. It seems as if when two naked souls approach, or come anywhere -near contact with each other, the one inevitably burns or scorches the -other. The intense chemistry of the psychic elements produces something -like an actual flame. A fresh combination is entered into, profound -transformations are effected, strange forces liberated, and a new -personality perhaps created; and the accomplishment and evidence of the -whole process is by no means only joy, but agony also, even as -childbirth is. - -All one can reasonably do is to endure. It is no good _making a fuss_. -In affairs of the heart what we call suffering corresponds to what we -call labor or effort in affairs of the body. When you put your shoulder -to the cart-wheel you feel the pain and pressure of the effort, but that -assures you that you are exercising a force, that something is being -done; so suffering of the heart assures you that something is being done -in that other and less tangible world. To scold and scowl and blame your -loved one is the stupidest thing you can do. And worse than stupid, it -is useless. For it can only alienate. Probably that other one is -suffering as well as you--possibly more than you, possibly a good deal -less. What does it matter? The suffering is there and must be borne; the -work, whatever it is, is being done; the transformation is being -effected. Do you want your beloved to suffer instead of you, or simply -because you are suffering? Or is it Pity you desire rather than Love. - -On the other hand, these things borne in silence have, I believe, an -extraordinary effect. They pull people to you by quite invisible cords. -As I have said, the fact of heart-strain and tension shows that there is -a pressure or pull being exerted somewhere. Though the cord be -invisible, there is someone at the other end (though not perhaps quite -the one you supposed) who responds. - -Words anyhow, in matters of love, are rather foolish; they are worse -than foolish, they are useless; and again they are worse than useless, -for they are misleading. Love is an art. "It must be revealed by -_acts_," says a Swiss writer, "and not _betrayed_ by words." And -Havelock Ellis, speaking further of the mistake of relying on -declarations and asservations, says:[26] "This is scarcely realized by -those ill-advised lovers who consider that the first step in -courtship--and perhaps even the whole of courtship--is for a man to ask -a woman to be his wife. That is so far from being the case that it -constantly happens that the premature exhibition of so large a demand at -once and forever damns all the wooer's chances." And in another passage -he says:[27] "Love's requests cannot be made in words, nor truthfully -answered in words: a fine divination is still needed as long as love -lasts." - -Love is an art. As no mere talk can convey the meaning of a piece of -music or a beautiful poem, so no verbal declaration can come anywhere -near expressing what the lover wants to say. And for one very good and -sufficient reason (among others)--namely, that he does not know himself! -Under these circumstances to say anything is almost certainly to say -something misleading or false. And the decent lover knows this and holds -his tongue. To talk about your devotion is to kill it--moreover, it is -to render it banal and suspect in the eyes of your beloved. - -Nevertheless though he cannot describe or explain what he wants to say, -the lover can _feel_ it--is feeling it all the time; and this feeling, -like other feelings, he can express by indirections--by symbols, by -actions, by the alphabet of deed and gesture, and all the hieroglyphics -of Life and Art. Like the animals and the angels and all the blessed -creatures who don't _talk_, he can communicate in the ancient, primeval, -universal language of all creation, in the language which is itself -creation. - - - - - CHAPTER IV - - ITS ULTIMATE MEANINGS - - -"To talk about your devotion is to kill it." Perhaps one ought even to -say that to talk at all is to kill it! One often thinks what divine and -beautiful creatures--men and women--there are all around, how loving and -lovable, how gracious in their charm, how grand in their destiny!--if -indeed they could only be persuaded to remain within that magic circle -of silence. And then alas! one of these divinities begins to talk--and -it is like the fair woman in the fable, out of whose mouth, whenever she -opened it, there jumped a _mouse_! The shock is almost more than one can -bear. Not that the shock proceeds from the ignorance displayed--for the -animals and even the angels are deliciously ignorant--but from the -revelations which speech unconsciously makes of certain states of the -soul--from the strange _falsity_ which is too often heard in the words, -and in the very tones of the voice. - -But Love burns this falsity away. That is why love--even rude and -rampant and outrageous love--does more for the moralizing of poor -humanity than a hundred thousand Sunday schools. It cleans the little -human soul from the clustered lies in which it has nested itself--from -the petty conceits and deceits and cowardices and covert meannesses--and -all the things that fly from the tip of the tongue directly the mouth -opens. It burns and cleans them away, and leaves the lover -speechless--but approximately honest! - -Love is an art, and the greatest of the Arts--and the truth of it cannot -be said in words; that is, in any direct use of words. You may write a -sonnet, of course, to your mistress's eyebrow; but that is work, that is -doing something; it is or is trying to be, a work of Art--and anyhow -your mistress is not obliged to read it! Or you may take a more decisive -line to express your feelings--by slaying your rival, for instance, with -a sword. That is allowable. But to bore the lady with protestations, and -to demand definite replies (that is, to tell lies yourself, and to -compel her to tell lies), is both foolish and wicked. - -The expression of Love is a great art, and it needs man's highest -ingenuity and capacity to become skilled in it--but in the public mind -it is an art utterly neglected and despised, and it is only by a very -few (and those not always the most 'respectable') that it is really -cultivated. It is a great art, for the same reason that the expression -of Beauty is a great art--for the reason that Love itself (like Beauty) -belongs to another plane of existence than the plane of ordinary life -and speech. - -Speech is man's great prerogative, which differentiates him from the -other creatures, and of which he is, especially during the Civilization -period, so proud. The animals do not use it, because they have not -arrived at the need of it; the angels do not use it, because they -have passed beyond the need. It belongs to the second stage of human -consciousness, that which is founded on self-consciousness--on the -rooted consciousness of the self as something solitary, apart from -others, even antagonistic to them, the centre (strange contradiction -in terms!) even among millions of other centres, to which everything -has to be referred. The whole of ordinary speech proceeds, and has -proceeded, from this kind of self-consciousness--is generated from it, -describes it, analyzes it, pictures it forth and expresses it--and -in the upshot is just as muddled and illusive and unsatisfactory -as the thing it proceeds from. And _Love_, which is _not_ founded -on that kind of self-consciousness--which is in fact the denial of -self-centration--has no use for it. Love can only say what it wants by -the language of life, action, song, sacrifice, ravishment, death, and -the great panorama of creation. - -Self-consciousness is fatal to love. The self-conscious lover never -'arrives.' The woman looks at him--and then she looks at something more -interesting. And so too the whole modern period of commercial -civilization and Christianity has been fatal to love; for both these -great movements have concentrated the thoughts of men on their own -individual salvation--Christianity on the salvation of their souls, and -commercialism on the salvation of their money-bags. They have bred the -self-regarding consciousness in the highest degree; and so--though they -may have had their uses and their parts to play in the history of -mankind, they have been fatal to the communal spirit in society, and -they have been fatal to the glad expression of the soul in private life. - -Self-consciousness is fatal to love, which is the true expression of the -soul. And it is curious how (for some occult reason) the whole treatment -of the subject in our modern world drives it along this painful -mirror-lined ravine--how the child is brought up in ignorance and -darkness, amid averted faces and frowns, and always the thought of self -and its own wickedness is thrust upon it, and never the good and the -beauty of the loved one; how the same attitude continues into years of -maturity; how somehow self-forgetting heroisms for the sake of love are -made difficult in modern life; how even the act of intercourse itself, -instead of taking place in the open air--in touch with the great and -abounding life of Nature--is generally consummated in closed and stuffy -rooms, the symbols of mental darkness and morbidity, and the -breeding-ground of the pettier elements of human nature.[28] - -We have said that for any lasting alliance, or really big and -satisfactory love-affair, plenty of _time_ should be given. Perhaps -it is a good rule (if any rule in such matters can be good) never to -act until one is practically compelled by one's feelings to do so. At -any rate, the opposite policy--that of letting off steam, or giving -expression to one's sentiments, at the slightest pressure--is an obvious -mistake. It gives no chance for the depths to be stirred, or the big -forces to come into play. Some degree, too, of self-repression and -holding back on the part of the man gives time, as we have said, for -the woman's love-feelings to unfold and define themselves. But there -is a limit here, and even sympathy and consideration are not always in -place with love. There is something bigger--titanic, elemental--which -must also have its way. And, after all, Force (if only appropriately -used) is the greatest of compliments. I think every woman, in her heart -of hearts, _wishes_ to be ravished; but naturally it must be by the -right man. This is the compliment which is the most grateful of all to -receive, because it is most sincere; and this is the compliment which -is the most difficult of all to pay--because nothing but the finest -instinct can decide when it is appropriate; and if by chance it is -inappropriate the cause is _ipso facto_ ruined. - -Nature prizes strength and power; and so likewise does love, which moves -in the heart of Nature and shares her secrets. To regard Love as a kind -of refined and delicate altruism is, as we have already hinted, -drivelling nonsense. To the lover in general violence is more endurable -than indifference; and many lovers are of such temperament that blows -and kicks (actual or metaphorical) stimulate and increase their ardor. -Even Ovid--who must have been something of a gay dog in his -day--says,"_non nisi laesus amo_." There is a feeling that at all costs -one must come to close quarters with the beloved--if not in the mimic -battles of sex, then in quite serious and hostile encounters. To reach -the other one somehow, to leave one's mark, one's impress on the -beloved--or _vice versa_ to _be_ reached and to _feel_ the impress--is a -necessity. I sometimes think that this is the explanation of those -strange cases in which a man, mad with love, and unable to satisfy his -passion, _kills_ the girl he loves. I don't think it is hypothetical -jealousy of a possible other lover. I think it is something much more -direct than that--the blind urge to reach her very actual self, even if -it be only with knife or bullet. I am sure that this is the explanation -of those many cases of unhappily married folk who everlastingly nag at -each other, and yet will not on any account part company. They cannot -love each other properly, and yet they cannot leave each other alone. A -strange madness urges them into continual contact and collision. - -But yet possibly there is even something more in the whole thing, on and -beyond what is here indicated. In the extraordinary and often agonizing -experiences attending the matter of 'falling in love,' great changes, as -we have already suggested, are being wrought in the human being. -Astounding inner convulsions and conversions take place--rejections of -old habits, adoptions of new ones. The presence of the beloved exercises -this magical selective and reconstructive influence--and that -independently to a large degree of whether the relation is a happy and -'successful' one, or whether it is contrary and unsuccessful. The main -thing is contact, and the coming of one person into touch with the -other. - -We have seen, in the case of the Protozoa, the amazing fact of the -'maturation-divisions' and the 'extrusion of polar bodies' as a -preparation for conjugation--how, when the two cells which are about to -unite approach each other, changes take place already before they come -into contact, and half the chromatin elements from one cell are -expelled, and half the chromatin elements also from the other. What the -exact nature of this division and extrusion may be is a thing not yet -known, but there seems every reason to believe that it is of such a -character as to leave the residual elements on both sides complementary -to one another--so that when united they shall restore the total -attributes of the race-life, only perhaps in a new and unprecedented -combination. The Protozoa in fact 'prepare' themselves for conjugation -and realization of the race-life, by casting out certain elements which -would interfere with this realization. And we may well ask ourselves -whether in the case of Man the convulsions and conversions of which we -have spoken have not the same purpose and result, or something much -resembling it. Whatever really takes place in the unseen world in the -case of human Love, we cannot but be persuaded that it is something of -very far-reaching and long-lasting import; and to find that the process -should often involve great pain to the little mortals concerned seems -readily conceivable and by no means unnatural. - -The complementary nature of love is a thing which has often been pointed -out--how the dark marries the fair, the tall the short, the active the -lethargic, and so forth. Schopenhauer, in his _Welt als Wille und -Vorstellung_, has made a special study of this subject. Plato, Darwin, -and others have alluded to it. It seems as if, in Love, the creature--to -use Dante Rossetti's expression--feels a "poignant thirst and exquisite -hunger" for that other one who will supply the elements wanting in -himself, who will restore the balance, and fill up the round of the race -ideal. And as every one of us is eccentric and out of balance and -perfection on one side or another, so it almost seems as if for every -one there must be, on the other side, a complementary character to be -found--who needs _something_ at any rate of what we can supply. And this -consideration may yield us the motto--however painfully conscious we may -be of our own weaknesses and deficiencies and follies and vices and -general ungainliness--the motto of "Never despair!" Innocent folk, whose -studies of this subject have been chiefly perhaps derived from penny -novelettes--are sometimes inclined to think that love is a stereotyped -affair occurring in a certain pattern and under certain conditions -between the ages of 18 and 35; and that if you are not between these -ages and are not fortunate enough to have a good complexion and a nicely -formed aquiline nose, you may as well abandon hope! They suppose that -there is a certain thing called a Man, and another certain thing called -a Woman, and that the combination of these two forms a third quite -stereotyped thing called Marriage, _and there is an end of it_. - -But by some kind of Providential arrangement it appears that the actual -facts are very different--that there are really hundreds of thousands of -different kinds of men, and hundreds of thousands of different kinds of -women, and consequently thousands of millions of different kinds of -marriage; that there are no limits of grace or comeliness, or of -character and accomplishment, or even of infirmity or age, within which -love is obliged to move; and that there is no defect, of body or mind, -which is of necessity a bar--which may not even (to some special other -person) become an object of attraction. Thus it is that the ugly and -deformed have no great difficulty in finding their mates--as a visit to -the seaside on a bank-holiday speedily convinces us; a squint may be a -positive attraction to some, as it is said to have been to the -philosopher Descartes, and marks of smallpox indispensable to -others;[29] while I have read of a case somewhere, where the man was -immediately stirred to romance by the sight of a wooden leg in a -woman![30] - -But apart from these extreme instances which may be due to special -causes, the general principle of compensation through opposites is very -obvious and marked. The fluffy and absurd little woman is selected by a -tall and statuesque grenadier; the tall and statuesque lady is made love -to by a man who has to stand on a chair to kiss her; the society elegant -takes to a snuffy and preposterous professor; the bookish scholar (as in -_Jude the Obscure_) to a mere whore; the clever beauty (as in _L'homme -qui rit_) to a grinning clown; and of course the 'wicked' man is always -saved by the saintly woman. The masculine, virago-like woman, on the -other hand, finds a man who positively _likes_ being beaten with a -stick; and the miaowling, aimlessly amiable female gets a bully for a -husband (and one can only say, "Serve them both right")... Finally, the -well-formed aquiline nose insists on marrying a pug nose--and this -apparently quite regardless of what the other bodily and mental parts -may be, or what they may want. - -Everyone knows cases of quite young men who only love women of really -advanced age, beyond the limit of childbirth; and these are curious -because they seem to point to impelling forces in love beyond and -independent of generation and race-perpetuation, and therefore lying -outside of the Schopenhauerian explanations. And similarly we all know -cases of young girls who are deadly earnest in their affection for quite -old men, men who might well be their fathers or grandfathers, but -hardly, one would think, their husbands. In these cases it looks as if -the young thing needs and seeks a parent as well as a lover--the two in -one, combined. And where such love is returned, it is returned in a kind -of protective love, rather than an amative love--or at any rate as a -love in which the protective and amative characters are closely united. - -Similarly there are numbers of cases in which mature or quite grown men -and women only love (passionately and devotedly) boys and girls of -immature age--their love for them ceasing from its ardor and intensity -when the objects of devotion reach the age, say, of twenty or -twenty-one. And in many of these cases the love is ardently returned. -Here, again, it is evidently not a case of generation or -race-perpetuation, but simply of compensation--the young thing requiring -the help and protection of the older, and the older requiring an outlet -for the protective instinct--a case of exchange of essences and -qualities which (if at all decently and sensibly managed) might well go -to the building up of a full and well-rounded life on either side. - -In all these cases (and the above are of course only samples out of -thousands) we seem to see an effort of the race-life to restore its -total quality--to restore it through the operation of love--either by -completing and rounding out the life of the individuals concerned, or by -uniting some of their characteristics in the progeny. I say 'seem to -see,' because we cannot well suppose that this gives a _complete_ -account of the matter, or that it explains the whole meaning of Love; -but it at any rate suggests an important aspect of the question. The -full quality of the race-life is always building itself up and restoring -itself in this manner. A process of Regeneration is always going on. And -this process, as suggested before, is more fundamental even than -Generation--or it is a process of which Generation is only one -department. - -Regeneration is the key to the meaning of love--to be in the first place -born again _in_ some one else or _through_ some one else; in the second -place only, to be born again through a child. As in the Protozoa, so -among human beings, generation alone can hardly be looked upon as the -primary object of conjugation; for, among the latter, out of myriads of -unions vast numbers are as a matter of fact infertile, and a -considerable percentage (as indicated above) are quite _necessarily_ -infertile, and yet these infertile unions are quite as close, and the -love concerned in them quite as intense and penetrating, as in the case -of the fertile ones. "If a girl were free to choose according to her -inclinations," says Florence Farr in an eloquent plea for the economic -independence of women,[31] "there is practically no doubt that she would -choose the right father for her child, however badly she might choose a -life-long companion for herself." In this passage the authoress seems to -suggest (perhaps following Schopenhauer) that the generation of a -perfect child is the one main even though unconscious purpose of -love-union, and that the individual parent-lives may instinctively be -sacrificed for this object. And there no doubt is so far truth in this, -that the tremendous forces of love often pay little respect to the world -conveniences and compatibilities of the lovers themselves, and that -often (as indeed also among the Protozoa) the parent's life is rudely -and ruthlessly sacrificed for the birth of the next generation. Still, -even so, I think the statement as put here is risky, both as a matter of -fact and as a matter of theory. Would it not be more correct or less -risky to say: "If a girl were free to choose, she would choose the man -who most completely compensated and rounded out her own qualities, -physical and mental (and _so_ would be likely to get her a fine babe), -even though he might not prove the best of companions?" - -It is curious, as we have suggested before, how married folk often -quarrel to desperation on the surface, and yet seem to have a deep and -permanent hold on each other--returning together again even after -separation. It seems in these cases as if they mutually obtained a -stimulus from each other, even by their strife, which they could not get -elsewhere. _Irae amantium redintegratio amoris._ The idea, too, that the -great and primal object of union is to be sought in _the next -generation_ has something unsatisfactory about it. Why not in _this_ -generation? Why should the blessedness of mankind always be deferred to -posterity? It is not merely, I take it, the _perpetuation_ of the race -which is the purpose of love, but the perfection of the race, the -completeness and adequacy of its self-expression, which love may make -possible to-day just as well as to-morrow. Ellen Key, in that fine book, -_Liebe und Ehe_,[32] expresses this well when she says: "Love seeks -union, not only in connection with the creation of a new being, but also -because two beings _through one another_ may become a new being, and a -greater than either could be of itself alone." - -The complementary nature of sex-attraction was made much of by that -youthful genius Otto Weininger, who in his book, _Sex and -Character_,[33] has a chapter on the laws of Sexual Attractions in -which, in the true German manner, he not only gives an algebraic formula -for the different types of men and women, but a formula also for the -force of attraction between any two given individuals--which latter of -course becomes infinite when the two individuals are exactly -complementary to each other! Dr. Magnus Hirschfeld, in his very -interesting work, _Die Transvestiten_,[34] goes even more into detail -than does Weininger on the subject of the variations of human type in -special regard to sex-characteristics. Sex-characteristics, he explains, -may be divided into four groups, of which two are physiological, namely -the primary characteristics (the sex organs and adjuncts) and the -secondary (the hair, the voice, the breasts, and so forth); and two are -psychological or related (like love-sentiment, mental habit, dress, and -so forth). Each of the four groups includes about four different -elements; so that altogether he tabulates sixteen elements in the human -being--each of which may vary independently of the other fifteen, and -take on at least three possible forms, either distinctly masculine, -distinctly feminine, or intermediate. Calculating up the number of -different types which these variations would thus give rise to, he -arrives at the figure 43,046,721!--which figure, I think we may say, we -need not analyze further, since it is certainly quite large enough for -all practical purposes! And really though we may mock a little at these -fanciful divisions and dissections of human nature, they do help us to -realize the enormous, the astounding number of varieties of which it is -susceptible. And if again we consider that among the supposed -forty-three millions each variety would have its counter type or -complementary individual, then we realize the enormous number of perfect -unions which would be theoretically possible, and the enormous number of -distinct and different ways in which the race-life could thus find -adequate and admirable expression for itself. - -However, we are here getting into a somewhat abstract region. To return -to the practical, the complementary idea certainly seems to account for -much of human union; for though there are but few cases in which the -qualities of the uniting parties are really quite complementary to each -other, yet it is obvious that each person tends to seek and admire -attributes in the other which he himself possesses only in small degree. -At the same time, it must not be forgotten that _some_ common qualities -and common ground are necessary as a basis for affection, and that -sympathy and agreement in like interests and habits are at least as -powerful a bond as admiration of opposites. It sometimes happens that -there are immense romances between people of quite different classes and -habits of life, or of quite different race and color; and they see, for -the moment, flaming ideals and wonder-worlds in each other. But unions -in such cases are doubtful and dangerous, because so often the common -ground of sympathy and mutual understanding will be too limited; and -hereditary instincts and influences, deep-lying and deep-working, will -call the wanderers away, even from the star which they seek to follow. - -Sympathy with and understanding of the person one lives with must be -cultivated to the last degree possible, because it is a condition of any -real and permanent alliance. And it may even go so far (and should go so -far) as a frank understanding and tolerance of such person's _other_ -loves. After all, it seldom happens, with any one who has more than one -or two great interests in life, that he finds a mate who can sympathize -with or understand them all. In that case a certain portion of his -personality is left out in the cold, as it were; and if this is an -important portion it seems perfectly natural for him to seek for a mate -or a lover on that side too. Two such loves are often perfectly -compatible and reconcilable--though naturally one will be the dominant -love, and the other subsidiary, and if such secondary loves are -good-humoredly tolerated and admitted, the effect will generally be to -confirm the first and original alliance all the more. - -All this, however, does not mean that a man can well be 'in love' with -two women, for instance, at the same time. To love is a very different -thing from being 'in love'; and the latter indicates a torrent-rush of -feeling which necessarily can only move towards one person at a time. (A -standing flood of water may embrace and surround several islands, but it -cannot very well _flow_ in more than one direction at once.) But this -torrent-rush does not last forever, and in due time it subsides into the -quiescent and lake-like stage--unless indeed it runs itself out and -disappears altogether. - -Against this running out and disappearance it is part of the Art of Love -to be able to guard. It has sometimes been argued that familiarity is of -necessity fatal; and that it is useless to contend against this sinister -tendency implanted in the very nature of love itself. But this -contention contains only a very partial truth. It is true that in -physical love there is a certain physical polarity which, like electric -polarity, tends to equate itself by contact. The exchange of -essences--which we saw as a chief phenomenon of conjugation, from the -protozoa upwards--completes itself in any given case after a given time; -and after that becomes comparatively quiescent. The same with the -exchange of mental essences. Two people, after years, cease to exchange -their views and opinions with the same vitality as at first; they lose -their snap and crackle with regard to each other--and naturally, because -they now know each other's minds perfectly, and have perhaps modified -them mutually to the point of likeness. But this only means, or should -mean in a healthy case, that their interest in each other has passed -into another plane, that the _venue_ of Love has been removed to another -court. If something has been lost in respect of the physical rush and -torrent, and something in respect of the mental breeze and sparkle, -great things have been gained in the ever-widening assurance and -confidence of spiritual unity, and a kind of lake-like calm which indeed -reflects the heavens. And under all, still in the depths, one may be -conscious of a subtle flow and interchange, yet going on between the two -personalities and relating itself to some deep and unseen movements far -down in the heart of Nature. - -Of course for this continuance and permanence of love there must be a -certain amount of continence, not only physical, but on the emotional -plane as well. Anything like nausea, created by excess on either of -these planes, has to be avoided. New subjects of interest, and points of -contact, must be sought; temporary absences rather encouraged than -deprecated; and lesser loves, as we have already hinted, not turned into -gages of battle. Few things, in fact, endear one to a partner so much as -the sense that one can freely confide to him or her one's _affaires de -coeur_; and when a man and wife have reached this point of confidence in -their relation to each other, it may fairly then be said (however -shocking this may sound to the orthodox) that their union is permanent -and assured. - -Nothing can, in the longer enduring values of love, well take the place -of some such chivalrous mutual consideration which reaches the finest -fibres of the heart, and offers a perfect freedom even there. Ellen -Key--to quote her _Ueber Liebe und Ehe_[35] again--says, "Fidelity [in -love] can never be promised, but may be _won afresh_ every day;" and she -continues, "It is sad that this truth--which was clear enough to the -chivalrous sentiment of the old courts of Love--must still to-day be -insisted on. One of the reasons, in fact, which these courts gave, why -love was not compatible with Marriage, was 'that the wife could never -expect from her husband the fine consideration that the Lover is bound -to exhibit, because the latter only receives as a favor what the husband -takes as his right.'" To preserve love through years and years with this -halo of romance still about it, and this tenderness of devotion which -means a daily renewed gift of freedom, is indeed a great Art. It is a -great and difficult Art, but one which is assuredly "worth while." - -The passion altogether, and in all its aspects, is a wonderful thing; -and perhaps, as remarked before, the less said about it, the better! -When people--I would say--come (not without clatter) and offer you their -hearts, do not pay _too_ much attention. What they offer may be genuine, -or it may not--they themselves probably do not know. Nor do _you_ also -fall into a like mistake, offering something which you have not the -power to give--or to withhold. Silence and Time alone avail. These -things lie on the knees of the gods; which place--though it may seem, as -someone has said, 'rather cold and uncomfortable'--is perhaps the best -place for them. - - - - - CHAPTER V - - THE ART OF DYING - - -We have suggested in the last paper that some day possibly we may arrive -at an intelligent handling of love and its problems, by which at length -the passion may cease to be the cause of endless shipwreck and despair -to mortals, and become a favorable and friendly divinity obedient to our -service. Somewhat thus has been man's experience with all the great -powers of Nature--with fire and flood on the earth, with the winds and -lightning of heaven. With intelligent treatment they have become his -very ready helpers and allies. And, as indicated in the outset of this -book, we may fairly expect the same conclusion with regard to the great -natural event and process termed Death. The time has come when we are -really called upon to face up to the fact of our decease from the -present conditions of life, physical and mental; when we are called upon -to study and to understand this fact, and by understanding to become -masters of the change which it represents--and able to convert it to our -great use and advantage. - -Hitherto--as I shall have occasion presently to point out--there has -been singularly little study of this science, either from the clinical, -the physiological, or the psychological points of view; and the art of -dying, for example (which is the subject of this chapter), seems to have -been entirely neglected. - -No doubt it may be said that this is a difficult art--difficult to -study, and more difficult still to practise; yet, after all, that seems -only the more reason for approaching it. The art of _avoiding_ death -commands much attention, and there are hundreds and thousands of books -on that subject; yet since none can really avoid the experience and all -must sooner or later pass through it, it might be thought that the art -of meeting one's end with discretion and presence of mind would at least -command as much attention. - -There ought, one would say--and considering the continual presence of -this great ocean waiting to receive us--to be lessons on the subject of -its navigation free of charge, and available for all who wish, just as -there are lessons in swimming for sailors. And though it may be true -that since, as a rule, one cannot die more than once, it is difficult to -obtain the needed practice, yet even so one may with perseverance get -some approach to doing so. There are a good many recorded cases of -people who have apparently died, and after an interval of a few minutes -or a few hours have come to life again. I knew a married lady, some -years back, who after a long period of illness was given up by the -doctors, and gradually sank till to all appearances she passed away. The -medical man pronounced life to be extinct, and the relatives began to -make the usual arrangements for her funeral. However, being devoted to -her children, and anxious to see them through a critical period, she had -made up her mind _not_ to die, and being a woman of strong will she -clung to her resolution. Two or three hours elapsed, and then, to the -surprise and joy of her friends she returned from 'the other -side'--after which she lived three or four years, sufficiently long to -carry out what was needed for her family. And though in this case she -had no very distinct experience to report of another state of existence, -yet the fact of her 'will to live' having persevered through the sleep -or apparent death of her body and upper mind, was sufficient to convince -her of survival of some sort on a deeper plane, and to disarm all fear -and hesitation when death finally came. - -Probably, on the ordinary mental plane, death very much resembles sleep, -and its actual arrival is almost imperceptible; but, in the deeper -regions of the mind, there are not unfrequently signs or suggestions of -a great awakening. An expression of ecstasy often overspreads the -features; sometimes there are sudden apparent recognitions of friends -who have already passed away;[36] in many cases there seems to be a -great extension of memory and perception; and in not a few a distinct -sensation of flying or moving upwards.[37] To these and other similar -considerations I shall return later. At present I would prefer to keep -to the more physical aspects of the question; but even so far, one -cannot help feeling that--whatever collateral drawbacks there may be in -death--in the way of painful illness, parting with friends, disturbance -and abandonment of plans, and so forth--the experience itself must be -enormously interesting. Talk about starting on a journey; but what must -the longest sea-voyage be, compared with this one, with its wonderful -vista, and visions, and voices calling? And again, since it is an -experience that all must go through, and that countless millons of our -fellows _have_ gone through and are still continually going through, for -that very reason alone it has a fascination; and one feels that had one -the opportunity to avoid it one would hardly wish to do so. - -As I have said, it is curious that there is next to no instruction or -guidance commonly provided or accessible in this matter. I mean -especially on the physical side. What are our medical folk doing? There -are lots of books on childbirth and the science of parturition, and the -best methods of making the transition easy; but when it comes to the end -of life and the event corresponding and complementary to birth, there is -little except silence and dismay. - -The usual course of preparation for this most important event seems to -be (barring accidents) something as follows:--a physically unhealthy and -morally stupid life, which inevitably leads to degenerative tendencies -and ultimately to distinct disease; then one or two breakdowns, which -lead to panic, and the summoning of doctors; then partial recovery, -and a repetition _da capo_ of the whole series, without any of the -least improvement in the general style of life; then of course worse -breakdown and panic, leading at last to violent drugs, injections, -operations, and so forth, in the hope of prolonging existence a few -hours; and finally death arriving, not graciously, but in the sense of -a dismal defeat and rout to everybody concerned; and to the patient a -hurried, confused and embittered end, robbed of all decency and dignity. - -Now this won't do! When one thinks of the deaths of animals--so composed -on the whole--the calm, the quietude, the dignity even, and the absence -as a rule of very acute or obvious suffering; or when one thinks of the -very similar conditions of death among many savage peoples; one cannot -but ask, Why this difference? One cannot but say, It really _will not -do_ for us 'the heirs of all the ages' to go on behaving in this feeble -and foolish way--leading lives which utterly unfit us for the inevitable -end of life, and stricken with most incompetent panic and dismay when -the very thing arrives which we have foreseen and which we have had such -ample time to prepare for. - -Death--from whatever point of view we look at it--seems to be a break-up -of the unity of the creature.[38] It is a dislocation and to some -degree a rending asunder. But such dislocation and break-up may be -of a healthy and normal type, or it may be unhealthy and of the -nature of disease. In the first case it may chiefly consist in the -getting rid or shedding off of an out-worn husk, which is simply left -behind--much in the same way as the chrysalis sheath of a moth or -other insect is left behind, or as the husks of a growing bud or bulb -are peeled off. Many an old person seems to die in this way--the body -being the scene of little or no disturbance or conflict, but simply -withering up, while often at the same time the spiritual nature of -the man becomes strangely luminous and penetrating. Here there is a -certain dislocation, but no painful rending asunder. The centre of -life seems merely to retire to a more inward and subtle region, where -it perchance nourishes an even brighter flame than before; and the -outer body is peeled off as a sort of outworn shell. But in other -cases death is undoubtedly very different. Instead of the one centre -simply withdrawing inward in the way indicated, while at the same -time preserving almost to the last a general unity of the creature, -rebellious and insubordinate centres spring up and introduce serious -conflict into the organism. These are of course diseases, or centres -of disease--either in the body, like tumors, alien growths, nests -of microbes, and so forth; or in the mind, like violent passions, -greeds, anxieties, fears, rigid habits. And forming thus independent -centres they tear and rend the body and mind between them till at last -death supervenes--not at all on account of the voluntary withdrawal -of the inner person to more ethereal regions, but simply through the -destruction of the organism in which that person functions. - -It is evident (whatever view one may take of that inner person and its -perduration into other regions of existence) that the former mode of -death is the more normal, natural and desirable of the two, and the one -which we should encourage and cultivate; and that the latter is likely -to be painful, undignified, and even repulsive. - -From this point of view, to strengthen the organizing, regulating power -of the body, as against local growths and insurgencies, seems (in -general terms) the best line to take--the best way of prolonging life, -and of rendering death fairly easy and negotiable. The outlying -centres--as represented by the various organs and faculties, both of the -body and of the mind--have to be kept during life in subordination to -the main centre, and as far as possible in decent harness and exercise, -so as to become neither too slack on the one hand, nor too rowdy and -insolent on the other. In this way, when the vital forces decay, these -organs and faculties remain still subservient to the central being, and -becoming comparatively quiescent make room for its further passage and -development. There are, indeed, some cases of death, in which the whole -inner spirit and consciousness of the man seems to pass on unchanged, -while the rabble rout of the body simply falls away, or is left behind, -like a disused garment or husk as we have said. - -It should, however, be noted that the strengthening of the organizing -and regulating forces does not and must not mean the introduction of -rigid and quasi-tyrannical habits (however 'good' such habits may be -supposed to be). The interior Person--as we shall see later--is far too -great and free to be adequately represented by any such habits or -regulations, even the 'best,' and they really belong to the lower mind -or body. Their dominance leads to an ossifying or woodening and -valetudinarian tendency in the organism, which is as bad in its way as -the uncontrolled or inflammatory tendency. - -To avoid these opposite pitfalls, and to live sanely and sensibly, in a -certain close touch with Nature and with the roots of human life, is no -doubt difficult, especially under the ordinary conditions of -civilization; yet it is surely well worth while--both for the sake of -life itself and for the termination of it. And to keep a certain command -of the situation during the mid-period of one's day is probably the best -way toward commanding the situation at the end. But the ordinary medical -methods--with their drugs, their stimulants, their sleeping-draughts, -their operations, their injections of morphia, serums, and so forth, are -surely acting all the time in the opposite direction. Their tendency -surely is to confuse and weaken the central agency, while at the same -time they excite and sometimes madden the local centres--till not -unfrequently the patient dies, confused, unconscious, wrecked, and a -mass of disorders and corruption. The launching of a ship on the great -ocean is a thing that is prepared for, even during all the period when -the vessel is being built and perfected. I am not a professional; but -will no one write a manual on the subject, even from the medical and -physiological point of view--How to prepare for death.... How to go -through this great change with some degree of satisfaction, command, and -intelligence? Above all, may we have a truce to the so common and -unworthy conspiracies between doctors, nurses, and relatives, by which -for the sake of keeping the patient a few hours (or at most a few days) -longer alive, the unfortunate one--instead of being let alone and -allowed to die peacefully as far as may be, and as indeed in nine cases -out of ten he himself desires--is on the contrary tormented (defenceless -as he is) with operations, inoculations and medical insults of all kinds -up to the very last? The thing has become a positive scandal; and though -the ignorant importunities of lay relatives may sometimes be deplorable, -yet the prospect in one's last moments of falling into the hands of -professionals is even worse, and adds a new terror to dissolution. It is -at any rate a consolation to know that whatever pains and torments of -illness may have preceded, they generally pass away before the end; and -notwithstanding such current expressions as 'death-agonies,' 'last -struggle,' and so forth, the hour of death itself is mercifully calm and -peaceful. Walt Whitman, who, in his hospital labors in the American -Civil War, must have been present at a vast number of deathbeds, has -recorded that in the great majority of cases the end comes quite simply, -as an ordinary event of the day, "like having your breakfast." "Death is -no more painful than birth," says Dr. Edward Clark in his book on -_Visions: a Study of False Sight_;[39] and most doctors will agree to -the general truth of this expression. - -There is a certain sacredness in Death, which should surely be -respected. There is too, we may say, in most cases, a sure instinct -which comes to the patient of what is impending and of what is needed; -and every effort should be made to secure to the sufferer a quiet period -during which he may effect the passage, for himself, disturbed as little -as possible by the grief of friends or the interferences of attendants. - - - II. PSYCHICAL - -We may now discuss the subject in hand somewhat more from the psychical -side. Not that in these matters the physical and the psychical can ever -be completely dissociated, but that having in the preceding section -leaned more to the physical side it may be convenient now to lean rather -to the psychical. - -And there is certainly an advantage here--namely, that from this side we -may not unreasonably say that the art of dying _can_ be practised: it is -really possible to approach or even perhaps to pass through Death on the -mental plane, by voluntary effort. Most people regard the loss of -ordinary consciousness (apart from sleep) with something like terror and -horror. The best way to dispel that fear is to walk through the gate -oneself every day--to divest oneself of that consciousness, and, -mentally speaking, to die from time to time. Then one may get accustomed -to it. - -Of all the hard facts of Science: as that fire will burn, that water -will freeze, that the earth spins on its axis, and so forth, I know of -none more solid and fundamental than the fact that if you inhibit -thought (and persevere) you come at length to a region of consciousness -below or behind thought, and different from ordinary thought in its -nature and character--a consciousness of quasi-universal quality, and a -realization of an altogether vaster self than that to which we are -accustomed. And since the ordinary consciousness, with which we are -concerned in ordinary life, is before all things founded on the little -local self, and is in fact _self_-consciousness in the little local -sense, it follows that to pass out of that is to die to the ordinary -self and the ordinary world. - -It is to die in the ordinary sense, but in another sense it is to wake -up and find that the 'I,' one's real, most intimate self, pervades the -universe and all other beings--that the mountains and the sea and the -stars are a part of one's body and that one's soul is in touch with the -souls of all creatures. Yes, far closer than before. It is to be assured -of an indestructible immortal life and of a joy immense and -inexpressible--"to drink of the deep well of rest and joy, and sit with -all the Gods in Paradise." - -So great, so splendid is this experience, that it may be said that all -minor questions and doubts fall away in face of it; and certain it is -that in thousands and thousands of cases the fact of its having come -even once to a man has completely revolutionized his subsequent life and -outlook on the world. - - * * * * * - -Of exactly how this inhibition of Thought may be practised, and of all -its collateral results and implications it would be out of place to -speak now.[40] Sufficient at present to say that with the completion of -this inhibition, and the realization of the consequent change of -consciousness--even if it be only for a time--the ordinary mental self, -with all its worries, cares, limitations, imperfections, and so forth, -falls completely off, and lies (for the time) like a thing dead; while -the real man practically passes onward into another state of being. - -To experience all this with any degree of fulness, is to know that you -have passed through Death; because whatever destruction physical death -may bring to your local senses and faculties, you know that it will not -affect that deeper Self. I mean that having already become aware of your -real self as pervading the life of other creatures, and moving in other -bodies than your so-called own, it clearly does not so very much matter -whether the one body remains or passes. It may make a difference -certainly, but not a fatal or insuperable difference. The vast ocean of -the consciousness into which you have been admitted will not be -profoundly affected, even by the abstraction of a pearl-shell from its -shore. - -We have spoken of the Protozoa more than once in these connections; and -it has been said that the Protozoa have been considered immortal -because, though they divide into separate cells or organisms, the life -remains continuous; and because though some of the descendant cells may -die yet the life goes on--so that even in the hundredth generation the -self or ego of a particular cell may be identical with that of the first -parent. And in the case we are considering we have something similar, -for when the common life of souls is once recognized and experienced, it -is clear that nothing can destroy it. It simply passes from one form to -another. And we may perhaps say that as the Protozoa attain to a kind of -immortality _below_ death, or prior to its appearance in the world, so -the emancipated or freed soul attains to immortality above and beyond -death--passing _over_ death, in fact, as a mere detail in its career. - -I say, this heart and kernel of a great and immortal self, this -consciousness of a powerful and continuing life within, _is_ -there--however deeply it may be buried--within each person; and its -discovery is open to everyone who will truly and persistently seek for -it. And I say that I regard the discovery of this experience--with its -accompanying sense of rest, content, expansion, power, joy, and even -omniscience and immensity--as the most fundamental and important fact -hitherto of human knowledge and scientific inquiry, and one verified and -corroborated by thousands and even millions of human kind. Doubtless, as -already suggested, questions may arise and will arise as to the exact -nature of this continuing life, its exact relation to the local personal -consciousness, as well as to what is called the sublimal self--how far -definite personality and memory go with it, and so forth. These -questions we may return to later. At present let us simply rest on the -experience itself. - -When Death is at hand, or its oncoming cannot long be delayed, there is -still _that_ to remember, to revert to, to cling to. And the more often -we have made the experience our very own, in life, the easier will it be -to hold on to at the close. Whatever physical death may bring--in the -way of pain or distress or dislocation of faculty--there still remains -that indefeasible fact, the certainty of the survival of the deepest, -most universal portion of our natures. In some cases this deepest -consciousness does itself remain so clear, so strong that--even through -all the obscurations of illness and bodily weakness--death practically -brings no break; the body is shed off, more or less like a husk or -chrysalis (with effort and struggle perhaps, but without anguish and -despair); and the human being passes on to realize under some other form -the divine life which he has already partially entered into. I think it -evident that this is the state of affairs which we ought to put before -ourselves as the goal of our endeavor. It would seem the only condition -which secures a sense of continuity in death, or which does not carry -with it some threat of failure or extinction. And it suggests to us that -our persistent and unremitted effort during ordinary life should be to -realize and lay hold of this immortal Thing, to conquer and make our own -this very Heart of the universe. It suggests that every magnanimous -deed, every self-forgetting enthusiasm, every great and passionate love, -every determined effort to get down into the heart and truth of things -and below the conventional crust, does really bring us nearer to that -attainment, and hasten the day when mankind at large shall indeed -finally obtain the victory; and the passage into and through death shall -appear natural and simple and clear of obstruction, and even in its due -time desirable. - -It is clear, however, that in a great number of cases this deepest -consciousness, even if it has occasionally during life been reached by -the person concerned, has not been sufficiently firmly established to -endure through times of sickness, bodily weakness, and mental decay; -while again, perhaps in the vast majority of cases, the previous -realizations have been almost _nil_, or at most have been too few or too -slight to count for much. What are we to say in such cases as these? -Even if with the eye of faith or philosophy the bystander may seem to -see the immortal spark shining, what consolation or assistance is that -to the sufferer himself, who does not perceive or feel it? What is -likely to be his experience of dissolution? and what may he fairly -expect or look to as any sort of solution of the obscure problem? - -To get any kind of answer to these questions and any clear idea of what -really happens in the great majority of cases--when the break-up which -we call dissolution arrives--it will be necessary to analyze roughly the -nature of Man. We shall then see what are the various elements of that -nature, and what their probable destination, respectively. And for the -purpose in hand I think we may divide the complete human being into four -sections--though remembering of course that the classification proposed, -or any such classification, can only be very rough and -tentative--namely, into (1) the eternal and immortal Self, of which we -have already spoken; (2) the inner personal ego or human soul; (3) the -outer personality or animal self; and (4) the actual body. Of these, -(1), the eternal Self, is the germ or root of the whole human being; and -I think we may even say that all the sections and elements of our human -nature are really manifestations or outgrowths from this root (though of -course in most cases unconscious of their real belonging or their real -source). Then (2), the inner personal self or human soul, includes the -finer and subtler elements of 'character'--which we know so well in our -friends, yet find so difficult to describe, but which are roughly -denoted by such words as affection, courage, wit, sympathy, love of -beauty, sense of equality, freedom, self-reliance, determination, and so -forth; while (3), the outer personality or animal soul (not at all of -course to be despised), is concerned with the more terrestrial desires -and passions like pride, ambition, love of possession, jealousy, and -especially those that relate themselves directly to the body, _e.g._ -desires of food, drink, sex, ease, sleep, and so forth; and finally, -(4), the body, includes all the material organs and parts. Other and -intermediate subdivisions may be and sometimes are made, but these four -will probably suffice for the present--remembering, as already said, -that they have only a rough value: hard and fast lines and divisions in -such matters being impossible, and the nature of man being really -continuous and not built in sections; remembering, too, with regard to -all four divisions, that the elements of them are not at all times -present in consciousness, but to a large degree remain conscious or -hidden or subliminal. - - - - - CHAPTER IV - - THE PASSAGE OF DEATH - - -Allowing, then, that our human nature may be roughly divided as above -into four main constituents, the destiny of two of these at death seems -pretty clear. It is clear that (1) the central self remains (whether -"we" know it or not) the same as it ever was, and ever will be, eternal, -shining in glory and irradiating the world. It goes on, to be the -birth-source, may be, of numberless lives to come. On the other hand, it -is equally clear that (4) the actual visible tangible body dies, -perishes, and is broken up. Though it may return, in its elements and -through what we call Nature, into the great birth-source, it ceases as -an individual body to exist, and passes even before the eyes of -onlookers into other forms. The fate of these two portions of the human -entity can hardly be doubted--of the innermost central portion, -continuance, with but slow or secular change, if any; of the outermost -material shell, immediate decay and dissolution. - -What, then, may we suppose is the destiny of the other two portions, the -human and the animal part? I think we may fairly suppose that they each -share to a considerable degree the destiny of that extreme to which they -are closest related. The outer personality or animal life, (3), is most -closely related to the body. Its passions and desires (though in -themselves psychical and mental entities) look always to the body for -their expression and satisfaction. It is difficult to suppose them -functioning _without_ the body. We cannot, for instance, very well -imagine the passion for drink without some kind of mouth or gullet -through which to work (though of course it may carry on a sort of -dream-activity by representing these channels to itself, or creating -mental images of them). And similarly of the passion of personal vanity, -or the passion of sex: they refer themselves always to the body, in some -degree or other. - -It is clear then, I think, that when the body in death breaks up, these -psychic elements which function through it and correspond to the various -parts and organs--these passions and desires, and with them the whole -animal being--are to some extent involved in the ruin. They are (in most -cases) smitten with dire suffering and confusion. A terrible misgiving -and dismay assault them; and with the break-up and disruption of the -body they too experience the agonies of disruption, and foresee their -own dissolution and death.[41] - -Yet to conclude from this that these elements do absolutely perish, -would, I think, be a mistake. For these passional entities and this -animal soul, though they seek the body and manifest themselves -through it, are not the same as the body. They have a creative power -within them.[42] The drunkard, as suggested, deprived of his liquor, -represents furiously to himself in imagination the act of drinking: he -dreams a gullet a yard long and an endless swallow--and in doing so he -actually moulds and modifies his swallowing apparatus. The vain man and -the sexual similarly mould and modify their bodies; they contribute to -the building of the shapes which they use. And this sort of process -going on through the ages has _created_ the forms of the animals and -mankind, and their respective members and organs.[43] All these things -are the expression and manifestation and output of the psychical -entities and passions and qualities underlying--which themselves are -implicit in the world-soul, which indeed have grown up and manifested -themselves out of the world-soul, and which still deeply though -hiddenly root back into it. - -The most reasonable and obvious answer, then, to the question, What -becomes of the animal life and its satellite passions when the body -dies? seems to be that under normal conditions they die too--in the -sense that they cease to be manifest. They die, like the body, only with -this difference, that _being_ psychical--_i.e._ having a consciousness -and a self underlying, while the body dies back into earth and air, they -die back into the psychic roots from which they originally sprang--that -is, into that form of the Self or World-soul of which they are the -manifestation--as, for instance, in the case of the animals, into the -self or soul of the race; in the case of undeveloped man, partly into -the soul of the race and partly into the human soul which is affiliated -to the soul of the race; and in the case of perfected man, entirely into -the human soul or inner personality which, having now found and -established its union with the supreme and eternal Self, is no longer -dependent on the soul of the race, but has entered into a divine and -immortal life of its own. - -Thus in entirely normal cases, both of animals and man, we should -conclude that the animal soul at the time of bodily death may return -perfectly calmly and naturally into its own roots (as fern-fronds die -back in winter), and the whole process may fulfil itself quite simply -and graciously and with a minimum of suffering. But this can only be -expected to happen in instances where instinctively (as in healthy -animals and primitive men) or intentionally (as among a few of mankind) -the perfect unity, physical and mental, of the organism has been -preserved. In such cases each desire and passion, standing in a close -and direct relationship to the spirit or self of the whole organism, is -easily and willingly indrawn again at the appointed time; and there is -little or no struggle or agony. But in the great masses of -mankind--especially in the domains of civilization--where this unity has -been lost, it is easily seen that many of the passional elements, loosed -from the true service of the informing spirit, carry on a mad and -violent career of their own; and to curb these or reduce them to orderly -acquiescence and subordination is almost impossible. On the contrary, -with the general weakening of the total organism they often break out -into greater activity. The ruling passions, "strong in death," push -themselves to the fore and tyrannize over the failing or ageing man, and -render his actual dissolution stormy and painful; and not only so, but -they sometimes generate phantasmal embodiments of themselves which haunt -the dying man, or even become visible to outsiders. - -Frederick Myers, dealing with this subject,[44] invents the term -_psychorrhagy_ for this tendency of portions of the _psyche_ under -certain conditions to break loose from the whole man; and thinks that -this process takes place not only at death, but that there are some folk -_born_ with what he calls a _psychorrhagic diathesis_, who are -consequently peculiarly apt for throwing off phantasms of one kind or -another. He says:[45]--"That which 'breaks loose' on my hypothesis is -not the whole principle of life in the organism; rather it is some -psychical element probably of very varying character, and definable -mainly by its power of producing a phantasm, perceptible by one or more -persons, in some portion or other of space. I hold that this -phantasmogenetic effect may be produced either on the mind, and -consequently on the brain of another person--in which case he may -discern the phantasm somewhere in his vicinity, according to his own -mental habit or prepossession--or else directly on a portion of space, -'out in the open,' in which case several persons may simultaneously -discern the phantasm in that actual spot." - -Myers then proceeds to give a great number of very interesting and -extremely well-attested cases of such phantasms, ranging from merely -momentary apparitions of persons during their life or at the hour of -their death to the persistent haunting of houses over a long period. And -I mention this in order to show that there is good authority now for -believing it possible not only that phantasms may be generated by the -disintegration of the diseased or dying organism, which will haunt the -patient himself; but that in cases the psychic elements generating these -phantasms may be powerful enough to create a ghostly body which may -endure, surviving the earth-body, and manifesting itself to outside -observers on occasions for a considerable time.[46] - -So much for the fate of the outer personality or animal part. Now with -regard to (2), the inner personality or human soul, we may ask, What -becomes of that? And the answer particularly interests us, because it is -with this section that we--or at least the more thoughtful of mankind -generally--identify "ourselves." It is probable that almost any reader -of these pages would credit his "I" or "self," not to the one universal -Being (to union with whom he may nevertheless distantly aspire), nor to -the group of terrestrial desires and interests which we have termed the -animal being, but rather to that constellation of nobler character which -we have called the human soul. This, he will say, is the self that truly -interests, that most deeply represents, me. Tell me, what becomes of -that? - -I think it is obvious that in the hour of death there are only two -directions in which that human soul can turn, in which "we" can turn. We -can turn for help either outwards toward the region of the animal self, -or inwards toward the central universal self. And I think it equally -obvious that the latter direction can alone really supply our need. At -first no doubt it may be natural to seek outwards; but now alas! in the -hour of dissolution the man discovers that all that region of his -nature, in which indeed he has often found comfort before, is becoming -involved in the ruin above described. Large portions of his animal -faculties are already being torn away--or are sinking into lethargy and -sleep. His bodily organs are losing their vitality; some of them have -already become useless. His mental faculties--especially the more -concrete and external faculties, like the memory of events and -names--are becoming disintegrated. True, his general outlook may in -cases seem to become wider and more serene as death approaches, and his -inner character and personality to become more luminous and gracious; -but it is a perilous passage on which he is embarked and in general -threatening clouds gather round. The consciousness is painfully invaded -by the lesser mentalities which surround it; the ruling passions -domineer; silly little habits and tricks, of mind and body, obsess the -man; phantoms and delirium overpower, or seek to overpower, him; he is -astonished and perturbed to find himself on the fringe of a world in -which figures, half-strange, half-familiar, come and go, and force -themselves upon him with an odd persistence and a rather terrible kind -of intelligence. It requires all his presence of mind to gather himself -together, to hold his own, to suppress the rebel rout, and to find amid -all the flux something indomitable and sure to which to cling. - -There is clearly only one thing to cling to--and this must be insisted -on--only that one great redeeming universal Self of which we have -spoken: only that superb omnipresent Life which we find in the very -central depth of our souls. (And fortunate he who has already so far -taken refuge in this, that the wreck and ruin of the visible world and -the mortal onset of Death cannot dislodge him!) That alone is fixed and -sure; and to that the personal man must turn. - -And I think we may say that it is not merely the personal soul's highest -duty and best welfare to turn in this direction; but that in a sense and -by the law of its nature it must do so. For even in those cases where -the man does not recognize this universal Being within, nor consciously -believe in and hold on to the same, still is it not true that -unconsciously he is very near and very closely related? For all the -great qualities which we have already described as characterizing the -most intimate human soul, are they not just those which must relate it -to the universal Self? I mean such things as Equality--the sense of -inner equality with all human and other creatures; Freedom--the sense of -freedom from local and material bonds; Indifference--indifference as to -fate and destiny; Magnanimity; abounding Charity and Love; dignity; -courage; power--all these things, are they not obviously the qualities -which dawn upon the personal soul and color it when it is coming into -touch with the universal? Are they not the natural 'sign and symbol' of -union or partial union with that Self? And more: are there not other -things belonging more distinctly to the unconscious and subliminal -region (which we shall deal with presently)--I mean such things as deep -memory, intuition, clairvoyance, telepathy, prophetic faculty, and so -forth--which point to the same conclusion? - -The inner personal soul of man is surely already conjoined to the -universal, and must cling to it by its very nature. And though the man -may not exactly be conscious of this union; though he may hardly really -know the depth of his own nature; though, notwithstanding his own -splendid qualities of character, some thin film may yet divide him from -awareness of the all-redeeming Presence; yet none the less that Presence -is there; and is the core and centre of his being. - -That being granted, it seems clear that in the disintegration of death -the inner personality (whether consciously or unconsciously) will cling -to the eternal self within it. And this seems to be the explanation of -the part played by Religion in the history of the world, and its close -connection with death. The different religions being lame attempts to -represent under various guises this one root-fact of the central -universal Life, men have at all times clung to the religious creeds and -rituals and ceremonials as symbolizing in some rude way the redemption -and fulfilment of their own most intimate natures--and this whether -consciously understanding the interpretations, or whether (as most -often) only doing so in an unconscious or quite subconscious way. - -Happy, I say, is the man who has so far consciously taken refuge and -identified himself with the great life that the onset of death fails to -disturb or dislodge him. For him a wonderful passage is -prepared--amazing indeed and bewildering, baffling at times and -exhausting, yet by no means dismaying or terrifying. But for the -ordinary mortal who has not yet arrived at this--for whom the Presence -(beheld perhaps intermittently before) is now clouded and withdrawn from -his decisive reach--for such a man it would seem best and most natural -simply to gather and compact himself together as firmly as possible, and -detaching his mind as well as he can from its earthly entanglements and -hindrances, to launch forth boldly, and with such faith and confidence -as he can muster, on his strange journey. There is a plant of the Syrian -deserts--the Rose of Jericho--about the size of our common daisy plant, -and bearing a similar flower, which in dry seasons, when the earth about -its roots is turned into mere sand, has the presence of mind to detach -itself from its hold altogether and to roll itself into a mere -ball--flower, root and all. It is then blown along the plains by the -wind and travels away until it reaches some moist and sheltered spot, -when it expands again, takes hold on the ground, uplifts its head, and -merrily blooms once more. Like the little Rose of Jericho, the human -soul has at times to draw in its roots (which we may compare to the -animal part) and separate them from their earthly entanglement; even the -sun in heaven, which it knows distantly for the source of its life, may -be obscured; but compacting itself for the nonce into a sturdy ball, it -starts gaily on its far adventure. - -May we presume at all to speculate on the soul's actual passage out of -this world and its experiences on the way? No doubt there are queer -things to be encountered! I think it is obvious that if the soul passes -out of this terrestrial world of ours into another state of existence -(definite, but quite imperceptible to our present senses) there must be -a borderland region in which phenomena occur of an intermediate -character--faintly and fitfully perceptible by our present faculties, -but lacking in the solidity and regularity of our present world; -borderland phenomena in two senses, as being due (_a_) partly to the -break-up of our present senses and the present stage of existence, and -(_b_) partly to the glimmering perception of forms and figures belonging -to a farther stage. - -With regard to (_a_), it is of course common for the mind to 'wander,' -and for all sorts of phantoms and hallucinations to obsess and cloud it -in the last stages of illness; and these vagaries of the mind are no -doubt due to or connected with excess or deficiency of circulation in -the brain, and morbid physical conditions of one kind or another. But it -is possible that a wider and more general view than that may be taken -concerning them. I have already referred the reader to the Note at the -end of this chapter. All our desires and passions are psychical -entities, having a life and consciousness of their own, though -affiliated to the total soul within which they work. All our organs and -functions are carried on by intelligences, similarly affiliated yet in -degree independent. Under normal conditions "we" are unaware of these; -entities and intelligences--it is only when they rebel that they come -decisively to our notice. In disease, mental and physical, there is -rebellion. We become painfully conscious of the independent and often -undesired activity of our organs, and of our passions--and so, -unfortunately for them, do our friends! In morbid states of mind and -body certain functions, certain passions, take on an independent -vitality to such a degree that at last they endue a kind of personality -and give rise to strings of phantasms which we believe to be real. In -dreams, though there is not exactly rebellion, the higher powers of the -mental organism being at rest, the lesser functionaries similarly -display an extraordinary and impish activity and present us with amazing -masquerades of actual life. - -What then, we may ask, does probably happen in the moment of death, when -the organism has become wasted and enfeebled by disease, and when the -nucleus of the man, the inner personality, has compacted itself together -into close compass in preparation for its long journey? What happens to -all those marginal desires which have chiefly occupied themselves with -the affairs of the body or lower mind--those innumerable little spirits -and imps which (as we discover in dreams, or by closely watching our -waking thoughts) are continually planning and scheming their own little -successes and gratifications? What happens to the thousand and one -intelligences which carry on the functions and processes of the -organism? and whose labors, now that the bodily life is coming to an -end, are no more needed? Is there not a danger--or at least a -likelihood--of this strange masquerade of dreamland, of these painful -obsessions of disease, being repeated with ever-increased intensity? -True, that if the organism has been kept so well in hand during life as -to cause all outlying passions and desires to weaken and become -quiescent simultaneously with the body--or at least to go back quietly -into the kennels of a long sleep--like a pack of hounds when the chase -is over--then these phantoms, these obsessions, may in that last hour be -conspicuous by their absence. But since in the vast majority of cases -this is not, and cannot be so, it seems more probable that as a rule the -departing soul will make its exit, not only through the perishing bodily -part, but through a mass of debris, as it may be called, of the mind -(chiefly though perhaps not entirely "the animal mind"), through a cloud -of tags and tatters of mentality, thrown off in the final crisis. It -seems probable that just as the actual body, bereft at death of its one -pervading vitality, breaks out in a mass of corruption or minute -multitudinous life, so there is a _tendency_, at any rate, for the lower -mind to break out into a strange ghostly rabble--a cloud of phantasms, -exhaled and projected from the dying person. Of these phantasms most, no -doubt, are only visible to the patient himself (though that does not -render them any more agreeable as visitors); others are discernible by -clairvoyants present; while others again are distinctly seen even by -persons at a distance in space or time--as in the numerous and -well-authenticated instances of "wraiths." The picture is not altogether -pleasant, but it has a certain general congruity with admitted facts, -and with a fairly-accepted body of tradition and theory; and -provisionally I suppose we may accept it. - -It seems likely, then, that the passage of the inner self, or human -soul, out of life and its delivery in another world, _the other side_ of -death, may very closely correspond to Birth--to the birth of a babe -under ordinary conditions _into_ this world. Just as the babe, when -being born, passes through the lower passages of the body, so the human -self at death is expelled inwardly through all the debris and litter of -the mind, into another less material and more subtle world than ours. -And just as the pangs of childbirth are bad--but they are so mainly -beforehand and in preparation, while the actual delivery is swift and a -vast relief--so, in cases, the pains and anguish in preparation for -death may be great (the squealing of demons torn from their hold on the -soul, the cries of intelligences cut off from their cooperative life and -source of sustenance in the body, the fears and distress of the animal -mind, the yellow fury of the passions, and the death-struggles of the -various organs!) yet the final passage itself may be calm and gracious -and friendly. - -Anyhow, as in other cases of human experience, it would be a mistake to -depict this one as by any means uniform in its character. On the -contrary, it is probably susceptible of great variety. The Head of a -Department (if it becomes necessary for him to leave his post) may find, -in one case, that he is turned out, so to speak, with kicks--that he has -to run the gauntlet of the execrations of his subordinates; or in -another case he may leave amid the expression of every good wish, and -along a path made pleasant and easy for him; or again he may go -"trailing clouds of glory," and with a retinue of followers behind him, -who refuse to remain now that their leader is departing. Some such -differences possibly, and we may say probably, present themselves in the -passage of death. The experience of childbirth varies to an -extraordinary degree. We hear of Indian tribeswomen who only go aside -for an hour while their people are on the march, and then rejoin them -again at the next halting-place. And who knows but what Death and the -preparation for it might be as easy--if only the doctors and the -sky-pilots would hurry up and tell us something really useful, instead -of spending their time in vivisecting the wretched animals, or in -mumbling over ancient creeds? - -Now, with regard to the second kind of borderland phenomena, (_b_), the -glimmering perception in death of forms and figures or conditions of -being belonging to a farther stage of existence: I do not propose at -present to dwell upon this matter at any length. But with modern -psychical research there has come a good deal of evidence to show that -on deathbeds it not at all unfrequently happens that distinct and ardent -recognition of departed friends takes place; and though, no doubt, it -may seem possible to explain these as cases in which the simple _memory_ -of a departed friend is very powerfully resuscitated, still this -explanation hardly covers a good many cases--such as those for instance -in which the dying person was unaware that the friend had died, and yet -apparently recognized him as a visitor from the beyond-world.[47] Also -of course, modern research has brought forward some amount of testimony -in favor of actual communications with the departed through the agency -of entranced mediums; so that, though this whole matter is still _sub -judice_, we may with fair reason suppose that both in trance-conditions -and in the hour of death there are not merely apparitions and phenomena -due to disintegrations on _this_ side of the border, but also some kind -of real communications and manifestations from the other side. - -Anyhow, it is clear that each person's experience of death is likely to -depend a good deal on the question as to where the centre of gravity of -his self-consciousness is placed; and that--as a part of the Art of -dying--the object of our endeavor should be to throw (during life) the -self-consciousness inward into that part of our being which is durable -and immortal in its nature, into that part in which we are united, and -feel our union, with other creatures, into that portion where the word -itself (self-consciousness) ceases to have a petty and sinister meaning -and becomes transformed with a glorious signification. In that case it -is indeed likely that the soul may be endowed beforehand with divine -vision. It must be our object, by throwing our consciousness always that -way, to strengthen the power of the inner soul over the outer -personality and all its functions, and at the same time to rivet more -and more the hold of that inner soul on the One Self (the source of all -vitality and centre of limitless power, if we only understand it so)--so -that ultimately the outer and animal personality (though always -beautiful in its nature and not to be despised) ceases largely to have -an independent and uncoordinated vitality of its own, or to be the scene -of uncontrolled activities and conflict, and becomes more the expression -and instrument of the inner self: to such a degree indeed that at the -dissolution of the body the animal soul, passing into slumber, easily -dies down to its deep roots in the human soul, there of course to await -its future reawakening, and thus leaving the latter liberated from -earth-entanglement and free to start (like the Syrian rose) on its long -journey. - -In this freeing for the forward journey there must, one would think, be -a great sense of joy and satisfaction--even as there must be in the -freeing of a May-fly from its water-bred pupa into the glory of air and -sunshine. Just as it obviously is (notwithstanding some drawbacks) a joy -to the Babe to enter upon its new life, so it may well be that to the -dying person--notwithstanding the perils of the change, the fears of the -unknown, the parting with friends, the apparent rending of cherished -ties--there is a strange joy in shelling off the old husks, and in -getting rid of the accumulations and dead rubbish of a lifetime. A -thousand and one tiresome old infirmities and bonds of body and -mind--now for the first time realized in their true meaning--slip off; -and the ship of the soul, "to port and hawser's tie no more returning," -departs with a strange thrill and quiver upon its "endless cruise." - -The details of this launch and departure we cannot of course ordain. The -mode of death is not always within our sphere to determine. Accident may -decide, or some hereditary weakness for which the individual can hardly -be held responsible. Some diseases are by their nature hard upon the -patient; others are kindly in their course. In those that bring great -weakness of body there is sometimes an easy passage--the earthly and -corporeal part relaxing its hold, while the mind and character become -heavenly-clear. In others of an inflammatory nature, or where there is -great organic vitality, there may be severe and prolonged struggle. -Anyhow, one can imagine the relief when the process is complete. It is -not uncommon to experience a strange expansion of the spirit on -occasions when the body is seriously weakened by ordinary illness. What -must this expansion be when the body finally succumbs--this sense of -immensely enlarged life, this impression of sailing forth toward a new -and boundless ocean! How strange to stand a moment on the brink of -terrestrial mortality, and to be conscious of--to _see_, even with the -inner visual power--the shell one has left behind, with all its -commonplace and banal surroundings: concrete indeed and material enough, -but lying now outside oneself--something almost foreign to one and -indifferent, abandoned on the very margin and shore of real life; to -stand for a moment; and then to turn and pass inward into that subtle -and immense ethereal existence, now to be learnt and explored, which -lies within and informs and transfuses all our solid world, and -surpasses all its boundaries! - - - NOTE TO CHAPTER VI - -In order not to burden this already rather lengthy chapter with matter -which may not be needed, I append here some general considerations for -those who have not given much attention to the subject of the various -grades of consciousness in the body--considerations tending to show that -the various parts and passions of the body and mind have a life and -intelligence of their own, and that the whole human organism is a -hierarchy (not always perfectly harmonious) of psychic entities. - -We generally allow of course that our central or dominant selves are -alive and conscious (though no doubt we use those epithets with a rather -sad vagueness). But having allowed that, the extraordinary phenomena of -variable and alternating personality compel us to admit that there may -be many such centres within one person, each of which though now buried -may in its turn become dominant and take conscious lead, and which must -therefore be credited with life and intelligence (even if an alien life -and intelligence to "our own"). Even the most ordinary brain-centres are -in the habit of carrying on whole departments of the bodily organization -with an independent intelligence of their own, and are sometimes liable -under the influence of some excitement (like drink, or religion, or some -enthusiasm) to take possession of the whole man and transform him into -another creature--exhibiting in doing so a strange degree of invasive -vitality and alertness. It is quite certain that the myriad microscopic -cells of the body are alive, each with its own little particular life; -and the more one studies these cells the more difficult it is not to -credit them each, in their degree, with a particular consciousness or -intelligence. And each body-organ again, composed of a congeries or -colony of body-cells, has a life of its own on and beyond that of its -component cells, and exhibits curious signs too of intelligence and -emotion, which often (especially in sickness) affect the moods and -thoughts of the entire man. - -The whole of the subconscious world, in fact--that world which only -occasionally breaks through into the upper consciousness--must be -allowed to be alive, and in its various degrees methodical and -calculating. This is well seen in the phenomena of dreams and of -hypnotism, in both of which the most acute and diabolical ingenuity is -often shown--as of weird imps working in dark chambers of the brain -quite unbeknown to their supposed lord and master; or in the -extraordinary phenomena of trance and "automatic" speaking and writing; -or in telepathy and clairvoyance; or again in the craftiness of utter -lunatics; or in the strange evasions and mental dodgery which (as just -hinted) are induced by diseases of certain organs; or in the phenomena -of mental healing, where an appeal to the subconscious intelligence in -any and every corner of the body is often followed by extraordinary -response; or in the subtle instinctive knowledge and perception of -babes, and of animals, long before _self_-consciousness has developed; -or again, in the sly cunning of ancient dotards; or in the complex -bodily reflexes carried on perfectly unknown to ourselves during life; -or in the continued functioning of some of the organs after death. In -all these cases, and in scores of others not mentioned, it is clear that -the majority of the processes of the human system are carried on by -minor intelligences. They are indeed carried on by _crowds_ of minor -intelligences--to which we accord the epithet "automatic," and which no -doubt we regard as mechanical, as long, that is, as they work smoothly -and without friction and opposition. But when they do not do so, when -pain, disease and lunacy cut in--when a violent burn sets the epithelial -cells screaming, and the scream comes into our consciousness as the -vibration of pain; when a diseased liver twists the events of life and -the faces of our friends into malignant shape and mien; when lust and -hypochondria people the mind with phantoms; and drink makes all the -functions mad--then we say we are "possessed with devils," then we -recognize, if only on the dark side, the pervading intelligence or -intelligences of the body. - -It is like the Head of a Department, as I have said, whose subordinate -officials are working under him agreeably and harmoniously. As long as -that is the case, he may have in his mind a general outline of the -working of the Department. He probably is ignorant of most of the -details; he certainly does not know personally many of his subordinates, -but he superintends the working of the whole. Presently, however, occurs -something of a strike or _emeute_; whereupon he discovers that vast -numbers of his men are intelligently discussing questions or problems of -whose existence he was almost ignorant; personalities appear before him -whom, before, he knew at most only by name; and they argue their case -with an acumen and vitality which surprises him. For the first time, in -this revolt of his department, he comes to realize the amount of -intelligent activity which is at work within it, beneath the surface. So -it is with us in the case of disease. In health we have no trouble, -unity prevails. As long as "we" are on top, and the intelligences which -carry on the body are working on friendly terms with us, their minds do -not intrude into our realm, and we are practically unaware of them. But -when through our mismanagement or other cause dissension breaks out, -then indeed we realize what kind of forces they are with which we have -to deal, and of what a wonderful hierarchy of intelligences the body is -composed.[48] - - - - - CHAPTER VII - - IS THERE AN AFTER-DEATH STATE? - - -In the last chapter Death was compared to Birth, and it was said that -probably the passage of the human soul into another world, _on the other -side of death_, exactly corresponded to Birth--to the birth of a babe -into this world. And certainly, seeing these apparent movements _into_ -the visible and _away_ from it again, it is very natural to assume that -there _is_ such another and hidden world, and to speculate upon its -nature. - -But it may fairly be asked, is there after all any reason for supposing -that there is a definite state of existence of any kind on that side? Is -it not quite likely that there is only vacancy and nothingness, or at -best a mere formless pulp (of ether and electrons, or whatever it may -be) out of which souls are born and into which they return again at -death? It is this question which I propose to discuss in the present -chapter. - -Historically speaking, we know of course that early and primitive folk, -letting their imaginations loose, peopled that 'other side' and rather -promiscuously, with all sorts of fairy beings and phantom processions. -Giant grizzly bears, divine jackals, elves, dwarfs, satans, holy ghosts, -lunar pitris, flaming sun-gods, and so forth, ruled and raged behind the -curtain--in front of which the shivering mortal stood. But as time went -on, the growing exactitude of thought and science made it more and more -impossible to idly accept these imaginings; and it may be said that -about the middle of last century these cosmogonies--for the more -thoughtful among the populations of the Western world--finally perished, -and gave place for the most part to a simple negative attitude. It was -allowed that intelligences and personalities (human and animal) moved on -_this_ side of the veil, and were plainly distinguishable as operating -in the actual world; but they, it was held, were more or less isolated -and probably accidental products of a mechanical universe. That -mechanical arrangement of atoms, and so forth, which we could now -largely map out and measure, and which doubtless in the future we should -be able completely to define--that was the universe, and somehow or -other included everything. One of its properties was that it would run -down like a clock, and would eventuate in time in a cold sun and a dead -earth--and there was an end of it! Any intelligent existence behind or -on the other side of this veil of mechanism was too problematical to be -worth discussing; in all probability on that side was mere nothingness -and vacancy. - -Such, very roughly stated, was the attitude of the fairly intelligent -and educated man about fifty years ago, but since that time the -outgrowths of science and human inquiry have been so astounding as to -leave that position far behind. The obvious signs of intelligence in the -minutest cells, almost invisible to the naked eye, the very mysterious -arcana of growth in such cells (partly described in a former chapter), -the myriad action of similarly intelligent microbes, the strange -psychology of plants, and the equally strange psychic sensitiveness -(apparently) of _metals_, the sudden transformations and variations both -of plants and animals, the existence of the X and N rays of light, and -of countless other vibrations of which our ordinary senses render no -account, the phenomena of radium and radiant matter, the marvels of -wireless telegraphy, the mysterious facts connected with hypnotism and -the subliminal consciousness, and the certainty now that telepathic -communication can take place between human beings thousands of miles -apart--all these things have convinced us that the subtlest forces and -energies, totally unmeasurable by our instruments, and saturated or at -least suffused with intelligence, are at work all around us. They have -convinced us that gloomy phrases about cold suns and dead earths are -mere sentiment and nonsense. Cold worlds there may certainly be, but -nothing is more certain than that worlds on worlds, and spheres on -spheres, stretch behind and beyond the actually seen--spheres so -microscopic as to totally elude us, or so vast and cosmic as to elude, -spheres of vibration which elude, spheres of other senses than ours, -spheres aerial, ethereal, magnetic, mental, subliminal. The iris-veil of -our ordinary existence may truly be rent, but the visible world, the -world we know, is no longer now a film on the surface of an empty -bubble, but a curtain concealing a vast and teeming life, reaching down -endless, in layer on layer, into the very heart of the universe. And -whereas, in the former time of which I have been speaking, we might have -agreed that life could not well continue after the death of the body, -to-day we should, as a first guess, be inclined to think that life is -_more_ full and rich on the other side of death than on this side. "I do -not doubt," says Whitman, "that from under the feet and beside the hands -and face I am cognizant of, are now looking faces I am not cognizant of, -calm and actual faces--I do not doubt interiors have their interiors, -and exteriors have their exteriors, and that the eyesight has another -eyesight, and the hearing another hearing, and the voice another voice." - -We come, then, to this problem of Death and Birth in a similarly -modified spirit, and with a predisposition to believe that they do -really indicate passages from one definite world or plane or region of -existence to another. And here is the place to point out, and to guard -ourselves against, a common error in the use of the word Death. Death is -not a _state_. There may be an after-death state; but death itself is -the _passage_ into that state, or--better--the passage out of the -present state. So Birth is not a state. There may be a pre-birth state; -but birth itself is the passage into the present state. Either we pass -through death into another life and condition of being; or else we are -extinguished. In the former case there is clearly no _state_ of death; -and in the latter case there is no such state--because there is no self -to _be_ dead or to know itself dead. As Lucretius says,[49] endeavoring -to disabuse man of the fear of the grave:-- - - "So to be mortal fills his mind with dread, - Forgetting that in real death can be - No self, to mourn that other self as dead, - Or stand and weep at death's indignity." - -Birth and Death, then, we may look upon as two contrary movements, to -some degree complementary and balancing each other; and it is possible -that thus, from consideration of the one, we may be able to infer things -about the other. One such thing that we may be able to infer is that -Love presides over, or is intimately associated with, both movements. - -The connection of Love with Birth is of course obvious. In some profound -yet hidden way, almost throughout creation, the birth or generation of -one creature is connected with the precedent love and sex-fusion of two -others. And the connection of Love with Death, though not so prominent, -can similarly almost everywhere be traced. The whole of poetry in -literature teems with this subject; and so does the poetry of Nature! If -we are to believe the Garden of Eden story, Love and Death came into the -world together; and it certainly is curious that in the age-long -evolution of animal forms the same thing seems to have happened. The -Protozoa at first, propagating by simple division, were endued with a -kind of immortality. But then came a period when a pair found they could -enter into a joint life of renewed fecundity by fusing with each other. -They literally died in each other, and rose again in a numerous progeny; -so that love and death were simultaneous and synonymous. Sometimes -parturition and death were simultaneous. The mother-cell perished in the -very act of giving birth to her brood. Then again came the aggregation -of cells into living groups--the formation of 'colonial' organisms; and -it was then that distinctive sex-differentiation and sex-organs -appeared, and with the capacity of sex also the capacity of death -through the disruption of the colony. Everywhere love is associated with -death. The expenditure of seed in the male animal is an incipient death; -the formation of the seed vessel, and the glory and color of the -flowering plant, are already the signs of its decay. "Both Weismann and -Goette," say Geddes and Thomson,[50] "note how many insects (locusts, -butterflies, ephemerids, and so forth) die a few hours after the -production of ova. The exhaustion is fatal, and the males are also -involved. In fact, as we should expect from the katabolic temperament, -it is the males which are especially liable to exhaustion.... Every one -is familiar with the close association of love and death in the common -May-flies. Emergence into winged liberty, the love-dance, and the -process of fertilization, the deposition of eggs, and the death of both -parents, are often the crowded events of a few hours. In higher animals, -the fatality of the reproductive sacrifice has been greatly lessened, -yet death may tragically persist, even in human life, as the direct -Nemesis of love." - -George Macdonald, in one of his books (_Phantastes_, vol. i. p. 191), -feigns a race of beings, for whom death is not so much the 'nemesis' of -love, as its natural and inevitable outcome. Seized by a great love, too -great for mortal expression, "looking _too_ deep into each other's -eyes," they (with great presence of mind, it must be said!) breathe -their souls out in death, and so take their departure to another world. -Heine touches the same note in his poem, the "Asra":-- - - "Ich bin aus Jemen, - Und mein stamm sind jene Asra, - Welche sterben wenn sie lieben." - -And scores of scarcely noticed paragraphs in our daily papers, brief -tales of single or double suicide, present us with a dim outline of -how--even in the mean conditions and surroundings of our modern -days--every now and then there comes to one or other a longing, a -passion, and a revelation of a desire so intense, that, breaking the -bounds of a useless life, it demands swift utterance in death. - -Some deep and profound suggestion there is in all this--some hint of a -life whose very form and nature is love, and which finds its deliverance -and nativity only through the abandonment of the body--even as our -ordinary life, conceived in love, finds its delivery into this world -through what we call birth. At the very least it suggests that Death may -have a great deal more to do with Love, and may be more deeply allied to -it than is generally supposed. And it may suggest that the two things, -being in some sense the most important occupations of the human race, -should be frankly recognized as such, and should both be accordingly -prepared for. - -Another thing, about which we may be able to infer something from the -analogy between Birth and Death, is the fate of the soul at death. If we -can trace in any way the relation of the soul to the body at the time of -the first appearance of the latter, that may shed light on the relation -which will hold at its disappearance. We cannot certainly define very -strictly what we mean by the word 'soul'; but we are all very well aware -that associated with our bodies, and in some sense pervading them with -its intelligence, is a conscious (as well as subconscious) being which -we call the self or soul; and we are all puzzled at times to understand -what is the relation between this and the body. Now we have seen (ch. -ii.) the genesis of the body from a single fertilized cell or germ -almost microscopic in size, and its growth by continual and myriadfold -division into, say, a human form; and we have seen that every cell in -the perfect and final form--every cell, of eye, or liver, or of any part -or organ--is there by linear descent or division from that first cell, -though variously adapted and differentiated during the process. We are -therefore almost compelled to conclude that that intelligent self -(conscious or subconscious) which we are so distinctly aware of as -associated with our mature bodies was there also, associated with the -first germ.[51] It may not truly have been outwardly manifest or -unfolded into evidence at that primitive stage. It could not well be. -But it was there, even in its totality, and unless it had been there, we -could not now be what we are. The conscious and subconscious self has -been within us all along, unfolding and manifesting itself with the -unfoldment and development of the body; and indeed to all appearances -guiding that development. And more, we may fairly say--having regard to -the mode of development of the tissue--that it dwells even in its -entirety within every normal and healthy cell of our present bodies, and -is the formative essence thereof. - -Let me give an illustration. Sometimes in the morning you may see a bush -glittering all over with dewdrops; every leaf has such a tiny jewel -hanging from it. If now you look you will see in each dewdrop a -miniature picture of the far landscape. Or, to take a closer -illustration, some shrubs have, embedded in the very tissue of their -leaves, tiny transparent and lens-like glands which yield to close -scrutiny similar miniatures of the world beyond. Exactly, then, like -these plants, we may think of the whole human body as trembling in -light--each cell containing (if we could but see it!) a luminous image -of the presiding genius or self of the body. - -The question is often asked: _Where_ is the self? does it reside in the -head, or in the heart, or perhaps in the liver? is it an aural halo -pervading and surrounding the body, or is it a single microscopic cell -far hidden in the interior, or is it an invisible atom? Here apparently -is the answer. It animates _every_ cell. It pervades the whole body, and -seeks expression in every part of it. Some cells, as we have said -before, are differentiated so as to express especially _this_ faculty, -others to express especially _that_; but the human soul or self stands -behind them all. Look at a baby's face, and its growing sparkling -expression--an individual being coming newly into the world, obviously -seeking, feeling, tentatively finding its way forward--every morning a -thinnest veil falling from its features! Playing through the whole body, -is an intelligence, seeking expression. Helen Keller, the girl both deaf -and blind, describes most graphically her agonizing experiences at the -age of six or seven, when her growing powers of body and mind demanded -the expression which her physical disabilities so cruelly denied. "The -desire to express myself grew,"[52] she says; "the few signs I used -became less and less adequate, and my failures to make myself understood -were invariably followed by outbursts of passion. I felt as if invisible -hands were holding me, and I made frantic efforts to free myself." And -then most touching, the description of her relief, "the thrill of -surprise, the joy of discovery," when she at last, about the age of ten, -was able to utter her first intelligible words. In some degree like -Helen Keller's is perhaps the experience of every babe that is born into -the world. - -It seems to me, therefore, that each person is practically compelled to -think of his 'self' as moving behind or as associated with or animating -every cell in the healthy body; and as having been so associated with -the first germ of the same, even though that was a thing well-nigh -invisible to the naked eye. You were there, you are there now, at the -root of your bodily life. You may not, certainly, except at moments, be -distinctly conscious of this your complete relation to the body; but, as -we have already said, the term self must be held to include the large -subconscious tracts which occasionally flash up into consciousness, and -which, when they do so flash, almost always confirm this relation; nor -must we lose from sight the still more deeply buried physiological or -animal soul, whose operations we seem to be able to trace from earliest -days, guiding all the complex of organic growth and development, and -apparently conscious in its own way with a very wonderful sort of -intelligence.[53] - -All this compels us, I think, not only to picture to ourselves the -mental self or soul as associated with the body, and taking part in its -development from the first inception of the latter; but also to picture -that self as in its entirety considerably _greater_ and more extensive -than the ordinary conscious self, and even as greater than any bodily -expression or manifestation which it succeeds in gaining. We are -compelled, I think, to regard the real self as at all times only -_partially_ manifested. - -I think this latter point is obvious; for when, and at what period in -life, is manifestation complete? Certainly not in babyhood, when the -faculties are only unfolding; certainly not in old age, when they are -decaying and falling away. Is it, then, in maturity and middle life? But -during all that period the output of expression and character in a man -is constantly changing; and which of all these changes of raiment is -completely representative? Do we not rather feel that to express our -real selves _every_ phase from childhood through maturity even into -extreme old age ought to be taken into account? Nay, more than that; for -have we not--perhaps most of us--a profound feeling and conviction that -there are elements deep down in our natures, which never have been -expressed, and never can or will be expressed in our present and actual -lives? Do we not all feel that our best is only a fraction of what we -want to say? And what must we think of the strange facts of multiple -personality? Do they not suggest that our real self has facets so -opposite, so divergent, that for a long time they may appear quite -disconnected with each other; until ultimately (as has happened in -actual cases) they have been visibly reconciled and harmonized in a new -and more perfect character? - -With regard to this view that the real person is so much greater than -his visible manifestation, Frederick Myers and Oliver Lodge have used -the simile of a ship. And it is a fine one. A ship gliding through the -sea has a manifestation of its own, a very partial one, in the -waterworld below--a ponderous hull moving in the upper layers of that -world--a form encrusted with barnacles and sea-weed. But what denizen of -the deep could have any inkling or idea of the real life of that ship in -the aerial plane--the glory of sails and spars trimmed to the breeze and -glancing in the sun, the blue arch of heaven flecked with clouds, the -leaping waves and the boundless horizon around the ship as she speeds -onward, the ingenious provision for her voyage, the compass, the -helmsman and the captain directing her course? Surely (except in moments -of divination and inspiration) we have little idea of what we really -are! But there _are_ such moments--moments of profound grief, of -passionate love, of great and splendid angers and enthusiasms which dart -light back into the farthest recesses of our natures and astonish us -with the vision they disclose. And (perhaps more often) there are -moments which disclose the wonder-self in others. If we do not recognize -(which is naturally not easy!) our own divinity, it is certain that we -cannot really _love_ without discovering a divine being in the loved -one--a being remote, resplendent, inaccessible, who calls for and indeed -demands our devotion, but of whom the mortal form is most obviously a -mere symbol and disguise. There are times when this strange illumination -falls on people at large, and we see them as gods walking: when we look -even on the tired overworked mother in the slum, and her face is shining -like heaven; or on the ploughboy in the field with his team, and see the -mould and the material of ancient heroes. Yet of what is really nearest -to them all the time these folk say nothing, and we are astonished to -find them haggling over halfpence or seriously troubled about -wire-worms. It is as if a play, or some kind of deliberate -mystification, were being carried on--with disguises a little too thin. -We see, as plain as day--and nothing can contravene our conclusion--that -it is only a fraction of the real person that is concerned. - -Your self, then, I say--covering by that word not only all that you and -your friends usually include in it, but probably a good deal -more--existed, with all its potentialities and capacities even in -association with the first primitive germ of your present body.[54] That -germ was microscopic in size, and its inner workings and transformations -were ultra-microscopic in character. We do not know whence they -originated; and whether we think of the soul which was associated with -them as ultra-microscopic in _its_ nature or as fourth-dimensional does -not much matter. We only perceive that it, the soul, must have been -there, in an unseen world of some kind, pushing forward toward its -manifestation in the visible.[55] I do not think we can well escape this -conclusion. - -But if we conclude that the soul existed before Birth, or, more -properly, at or before conception, in some such invisible world, then -that it should so exist after Death is equally possible, nay, probable. -For after conception, by continual multiplication and differentiation of -cells, the soul framed for itself organs of expression and -manifestation, and thus gradually came into our world of sight and sense -and ordinary intelligence; and so, by some reverse process, we may -suppose that in decay and death the soul gradually loses these organs -and their coordination, and retires into the invisible. Whatever the -nature of this invisible may be--whether, as I say, a world of things -too minute for human perception, or too vast for the same, or whether a -world which eludes us by the simple artifice of everywhere and in -everything running parallel to the things of the world--only in another -dimension imperceptible to us--in any case it seems reasonable to -suppose that the soul is still _there_, fulfilling its nature and its -destiny, of which its earth-life has only been one episode.[56] - -And if the apparent loss of consciousness (the loss of the ordinary -consciousness at any rate) which often takes place during the -death-change, seems to point to extinction and not to continuance, I -think that that need not disturb us. For in sleep, in our nightly sleep, -the same suspension of the ordinary consciousness takes place, as we -very well know; yet all the time the subconsciousness is functioning -away--sorting out sounds, bidding us wake for some, allowing us to sleep -through others, discriminating disturbances, carrying on the -physiologies of the body, posting sentinels in the reflexes--and -guarding us from harm--till untired in the morning it knits together -again the ravelled thread of the ordinary consciousness and renews our -waking activities. And if this happens in our ordinary and nightly -sleep, it seems at any rate possible that something similar may happen -in death. Indeed there is much evidence to show that while at the hour -of death the supraliminal consciousness often passes into a state of -quiescence or abeyance, the subliminal, or at any rate some portion of -the subliminal, becomes unusually active. Audition grows strangely -keen--so much so that it is sometimes difficult to tell whether the -things heard have been apprehended by extension of the ordinary faculty -or whether by a species of clairaudience. Vision similarly passes into -clairvoyance, the patient becomes extraordinarily sensitive to -telepathic influences, and knows what is going on at a distance;[57] and -not only so, but he radiates influences _to_ a distance. All the -phenomena of wraiths and dying messages, now so well substantiated--of -apparitions and impressions projected with force at the moment of death -into the minds of distant friends--prove clearly the increased activity -and vitality (one may say) of the subliminal self at that time; and this -points, as I say, not to extinction and disorganization, but perhaps to -the transfer of consciousness more decisively into hidden regions of our -being. One hears sometimes of a dying person who, prevented from -departure by the tears and entreaties of surrounding friends, cries out -"Oh! _let_ me die!" and one remembers the case, above mentioned, of the -apparently dead mother who, so to speak, called herself back to life by -the thought of her orphaned children. Such cases as these do not look -like loss of continuity; rather they look as if a keen intelligence were -still there, well aware of its earth-life, but drawn onward by an -inevitable force, and passing into a new phase, of swifter subtler -activity in perhaps a more ethereal body. - -That the human soul does pass through great transformations--moultings -and sloughings and metamorphoses--and so forward from one stage to -another, we know from the facts of life. Physiologically the body takes -on a new phase at birth, and another at weaning and teething, and -another at puberty, and another in age at the 'change of life,' and so -on; and transformations of the soul or inner life (some of them very -remarkable) are associated with these outer phases. The last great -bodily change is obviously accompanied--as we have just indicated--by -the development or extension of hidden psychic powers. What exactly that -final transformation may be, we can only at present speculate; but we -can see that, like the others, when it arrives it has already become -very necessary and inevitable. At every such former stage--whether it be -birth, or teething, or puberty, or what not--there has been constriction -or strangulation. The growing inner life has found its conditions too -limited for it, and has burst forth into new form and utterance. In this -final change the bodily conditions altogether seem to have grown too -limited. With an irresistible impulse and an agonizing joy of liberation -the soul sweeps out, or is fearfully swept, into its new sphere. -Sometimes doubtless the passage is one of pain and terror; far more -often, and in the great majority of cases, it is peaceful and calm, with -a deep sense of relief; occasionally it is radiant with ecstasy, as if -the new life already cast its splendor in advance.[58] - -Yes, we cannot withhold the belief that there is an after-death state--a -state which in a sense is present with us, and has been present, all our -lives; but which--for reasons that at present we can only vaguely -apprehend--has been folded from our consciousness. - - - - - CHAPTER VIII - - THE UNDERLYING SELF - - -Allowing, then, the great probability of the existence of an after-death -state, and of a survival of some kind, the question further arises: Is -that survival in any sense personal or individual? or does it belong to -some, so to speak, formless region, either below or above personality? -It is conceivable of course that there may be survival of the outer and -beggarly elements of the mind, below personality; or it is conceivable -that the deepest and most central core of the man may survive, far -beyond and above personality; but in either case the _individual_ -existence may not continue. The eternity of the All-soul or Self of the -universe is, I take it, a basic fact; it is from a certain point of view -obvious; we have already discussed it, and, as far as this book is -concerned, it is treated so much as an axiom that to argue further -without it would be useless. That being granted, it follows that if the -soul of each human being roots down ultimately into that All-self, the -core of each soul _must_ partake of the eternal nature. But as far as it -does so it _may_ be beyond all reach or remembrance or recognition of -personality. - -Such a conclusion--whatever force of conviction may accompany it--is -certainly not altogether satisfactory. I remember that once--in the -course of conversation with a lady on this very subject--she remarked -that though she thought there would be a future life she did not -believe in the continuance of individuality. "What do you believe in, -then?" said I. "Oh," she replied, "I think we shall be a sort of Happy -Mass!" And I have always since remembered that expression. - -But though the idea of a happy mass has its charms, it does not, as I -say, quite satisfy either our feelings or our intelligence. There is a -desire for something more, and there is a perception that -Differentiation and Individuation represent a great law--a law so great -as probably to extend even to the ultimate modes of Being. And though a -vague generality of this kind cannot stand in the place of strict -reasoning or observation, it may make us feel that personal survival is -at any rate possible, and that a certain amount of speculation on the -subject is legitimate. - -At the same time we have to bear in mind that the subject altogether is -a very complex one, and that we have to move only slowly, if we want to -move forward at all, and to avoid having to retrace our steps. We must -not too serenely assume, for instance, that we at all know what we are! -We have already (ch. v.) analyzed to some degree the constitution of the -human being, and found it complicated enough in its successive planes of -development. We have now to remember that--at least on the two middle -planes, those of the human soul and the animal soul--there is another -subdivision to be made, namely between that part which is conscious and -that which is only subconscious; so that further complications -inevitably arise. We may not only have to consider, as in the chapter -referred to, which of these planes may possibly carry survival with it, -but again whether such survival may be in the conscious region, or only -in the subliminal or subconscious. This chapter will be largely occupied -with a consideration of the subliminal or underlying portion of the -self, and it will be seen that that is probably of immense extent and -variety of content compared with the surface or conscious portion; but -it will also be seen that there is no strict line of demarcation between -the two, and that a continual interchange betwixt them is taking place, -so that for the present at any rate it is safest to give the word 'self' -its widest scope and make it include both portions and every mental -faculty, rather than limit its application. - - * * * * * - -In attacking the subject, then, of the Survival of the Self, I suppose -our first question ought to be: What is the test of survival, what do we -mean by it? And to this, I imagine, the answer is, Continuity of -Consciousness. This would seem to be the only satisfying definition. -Consciousness is necessary in some form or other, as the base and -evidence of our existence; and continuity in some degree is also -necessary, in order to link our experiences together, as it were into -one chain. Continuity, however, need not be absolute. The chain of -consciousness may apparently be broken by sleep, or it may be broken by -a dose of chloroform, or by a blow on the head; but it may be re-knit -and resumed. It may pass from the supraliminal state to the subliminal, -and again emerge on the surface. It may even be discontinuous; but as -long as Memory bridges the intervals we get the _sense_ of continuity of -life or personality.[59] Supposing a body of memories--of life say in -some village of ancient Egypt--suddenly opened up in one's mind, as -vivid and consistent and enduring as one's ordinary memory of childhood -days, it would be natural to conclude that one really had pre-existed in -that village; it would be difficult not to make that inference. And -similarly if at some future time, and in far other than our present -surroundings, the memory of this one's earth-life should emerge again, -vivid and personal as now, the being thus having that memory would, we -suppose, conclude that he had once lived this life here on earth. - -Thus Memory would be the arbiter of survival and of the continuity (on -the whole) of consciousness. Frederick Myers, indeed, goes so far as to -define consciousness as that which is "potentially memorable"[60]--thus -suggesting that memory is a necessary accompaniment of any psychic state -to which we can venture to give the name of consciousness. - -It may indeed seem precarious to rest our test of survival on so -notoriously fallible, and even at times fallacious, a thing as Memory; -but one does not see that there is anything better, or that there is any -alternative! The memory may not be continuously enduring and operative; -but if at any future time one should be persuaded of having survived -from this present life, it must, one would say, be by memory in some -form or other, _of_ this present life. And it must be remarked that -though memory is fitful and fallible, these epithets apply mainly to the -supraliminal memory, to that superficial memory which we make use of by -conscious effort, and which often fails us in the moment of need. Deep -below this we dimly perceive, and daily are becoming more persuaded of, -the existence of vast and permanent but latent stores, which from time -to time emerge into manifestation; and more and more our psychologists -are inclining to think that the supraliminal self gains its memories by -tapping these stores, and that its lapses and oblivions are more due to -failure in the tapping process than to any failure of the memory stores -themselves. Indeed not a few psychologists are now asking whether it is -not likely that _every_ psychic experience carries memory with it, and -so is preserved in the great storehouse. - -I have already, in the last chapter, spoken of the so-called subliminal -self as, among other things, a wonderful storehouse of memory; and I -propose now to occupy a few pages with the more detailed consideration -of the nature of that self; because, as we are discussing the question -of survival, our discussion, as I have just said, ought obviously to -include the under as well as the upper strata of consciousness. We -cannot very well confine our meaning and our inquiry to the little -brain-self only, and leave out of consideration the great self of the -emotions and impulses--of genius, love, enthusiasm, and so forth.[61] -No, we must include both--the more intimate, though more hidden, self, -as well as the self of the facade and the front window. - -This hidden self is indeed an astounding thing, whose extent and -complexity grows upon us as investigation proceeds. For when the term -'subliminal' was first used it had apparently a fairly simple -connotation--as of some _one_ obscure and unexplored chamber of the -mind; but now instead of a single chamber it would seem rather some vast -house or palace at whose door we stand, with many chambers and -corridors--some dark and underground, some spacious and well lighted and -furnished, some lofty with extensive outlook and open to the sky; and -the modern psychologists are puzzling themselves to find suitable names -for all these new domains--which indeed they cannot satisfactorily do, -seeing they know so little of their geography! - -I can only attempt here--very roughly I am afraid, and -unsystematically--to point out _some_ of the properties and qualities of -the underlying or hidden or subconscious self--whichever term we may -like to use. In the first place, its memory appears to be little short -of perfect, and at any rate to our ordinary intelligence and estimate, -nothing short of marvellous. When a servant girl, who can neither read -nor write, reproduces, in her wandering speech during a nervous fever, -whole sentences of Latin, Greek, and Hebrew, which she could not -possibly understand, and which had only fallen quite casually on her -ears years before from the lips of an old scholar (who used to recite -passages to himself as he walked up and down a room adjoining the -kitchen in which the girl at that time worked[62]); we perceive that the -under or latent memory _may_ catch and retain for a lengthy period, and -with strange accuracy, the most fleeting and apparently superficial -impressions. When Dr. Milne Bramwell instructs a hypnotized subject to -make a cross on a bit of paper exactly 20,180 minutes after the giving -of the order; and the patient, having of course emerged from the -hypnotic sleep, and gone about her daily work, and having no conscious -remembrance of the command, does nevertheless at the expiration of the -stated number of days and minutes take a piece of paper and make the -said cross upon it,[63] we can only marvel both at the persistence and -accuracy of memory which the subliminal being displays, and at the -strict command which this being may exercise in its silent way over the -actions of the supraliminal self. When we are repeatedly told that in -the moment of drowning, people remember every action and event of their -past life, though we may doubt the exact force of the word 'every,' we -cannot but be convinced that an enormous and astounding resurgence of -memory does take place,[64] and we cannot but suspect that the -memorization is somehow on a different plane of consciousness from the -usual one, being simultaneous and in mass instead of linear and -successive. Or when, again, a 'calculating boy' or prodigy of quite -tender years on being asked to find the cube-root of 31,855,013 -instantly says 317, or being given the number 17,861 immediately remarks -that it consists of the factors 337 x 53,[65] we are reduced to the -alternative suppositions, either that the boy's subconscious self works -out these sums with a perfectly amazing rapidity, or that it has access -to stores of memory and knowledge quite beyond the experience of the -life-time concerned. In all these cases, and hundreds and thousands of -others which have been observed, the memory of the subliminal -self--whether manifested through hypnotism, or in sleep or dreams, or in -other ways--seems to exceed in range and richness, as well as in -rapidity, the memory of the supraliminal self; and indeed Myers goes so -far as to say that the deeper down one penetrates below the -supraliminal, the more perfect is the remembrance: that, in cases where -one can reach various planes of memory in the same subject, "it is the -memory furthest from waking life whose span is the widest, whose grasp -of the organism's upstored impressions is the most profound."[66] This -is, I think, a very important conclusion, and one to which we may recur -later. - -But the hidden being within us does not show this extraordinary command -of mental processes merely in technical matters. Its powers extend far -deeper, into such regions as those of Genius and Prophecy. The wonderful -flashes of intuition, the complex combinations of ideas, which at times -leap fully formed and with a kind of authority into the field of man's -waking consciousness, obviously proceed from a deep intelligence of some -kind, lying below, and are the product of an immensely extended and -rapid survey of things, brought to a sudden focus. They yield us the -finest flowers of Art; and some at any rate of the most remarkable -instances of Prediction. For though there may be--and probably is--a -purely clairvoyant prophetic gift, freed as it were from the obscuration -of Time, yet it cannot be doubted that much or most of prophecy is -simply very swift and conclusive inference derived from very extensive -observation. - -These flashes and inspirations are clearly not the product of the -conscious brain; they are felt by the latter to come from beyond it. -They are, in the language of Myers, "uprushes from the subliminal self." -And even beyond them there are things which come from the same -source--there are splendid enthusiasms, and overwhelming impulses of -self-sacrifice, as well as mad and daemonic passions. - -Yet again, it is not merely command of _mental_ processes that the -subconscious being displays, but of the bodily powers and processes too. -Intelligent itself to the marvellous degrees already indicated, it is -evident also that its intelligence penetrates and ordains the whole -body. Every one has heard of the _stigmata_ of the Crucifixion appearing -on the hands and feet of some religious devotee, as in the celebrated -case of Louise Lateau. Dr. Briggs of Lima once told a hypnotized patient -that "a red cross would appear on her chest every Friday during a period -of four months"--and obediently the mark appeared.[67] A whisper in such -cases is often sufficient; and the latent power swiftly but effectually -modifies all the complex activities and functions of the organism to -produce the desired result. What an extraordinary combination of -elaborate intelligence and detailed organizing power must here be at -work! And the same in the quite common yet very remarkable cases of -mental healing, with which we are all now familiar! - -Sometimes again--quite apart from any oral suggestion or apparent -outside influence--we find the subjective being taking most decisive -command of a person's faculties and actions. This happens, for instance, -in somnambulism, when the sleepwalker perhaps passes along the narrow -and perilous ridge of a roof or wall with perfect balance and sureness -of foot--adjusting a hundred muscles in the most delicate way, and yet -with total unconsciousness as far as the supraliminal self is concerned. -Or it happens sometimes--even more remarkably--to people in full -possession of their waking faculties, at some moment when extreme danger -threatens to overwhelm them. John Muir in his _The Mountains of -California_,[68] describes how when scaling the very precipitous face of -a cliff he found himself completely baffled, at a great height from the -ground, and unable to proceed either up or down. He was seized with -panic and a trembling in every limb, and was on the point of falling, -when suddenly a perfect calm and assurance took possession of him, and -somehow--he never quite knew how--with an astonishing agility and -sure-footedness he completed the ascent, and was saved. "I seemed -suddenly to become possessed of a new sense. The other Self--bygone -experiences, Instinct or Guardian Angel, call it what you will--came -forward and assumed control. My trembling muscles became firm again, -every rift and flaw in the rock was seen as through a microscope, and my -limbs moved with a positiveness and precision with which I seemed to -have nothing at all to do. Had I been borne aloft upon wings, my -deliverance could not have been more complete." - -Maeterlinck, in his chapter on "The Psychology of Accident" (in _Life and -Flowers_), describes how in the nerve-commotion of danger, Instinct, "a -rugged, brutal, naked, muscular figure," rushes to the rescue. "With a -glance that is surer and swifter than the onrush of the peril, it takes -in the situation, then and there unravels all its details, issues and -possibilities, and in a trice affords a magnificent, an unforgettable -spectacle of strength, courage, precision, and will, in which -unconquered life flies at the throat of death." And similar -instances--of instinctive presence of mind, and an almost miraculous -development of faculty in extreme danger--are within the knowledge of -most people. The subliminal being steps in quite decisively, and the -ordinary conscious mind _feels_ that another power is taking over the -reins. - -But there is another faculty of the subjacent self which must not be -passed over, and which is very important--I mean the image-forming -power. This is one of the prime faculties of all intelligent beings, -lying at the very root of creation; and it is a faculty possessed to an -extreme and impressive degree by the self "behind the scenes." I have -discussed this subject generally at some length in my book _The Art of -Creation_, and need not repeat the matter here, except to allude to a -few points. The image-forming faculty is a natural attribute of the -conscious mind, in all perhaps but the lowest grades of evolution; at -any rate it is difficult to think of a mind at all like ours _without_ -this faculty. This faculty is most active when the mind is withdrawn -into itself, in quietude. In his study or when burning the midnight oil -the writer's brain teems, or is supposed to teem, with images! But in -sleep the image-forming activity is even greater. It then shows itself -in the subconscious mind, in the world of dreams, whose bodiless -creations are more vivid and energetic than those of our waking hours, -and have a strange sense of _reality_ about them. But again, in the -deeper sleep of trance still more vivid images are produced. A young -student hypnotized imagines himself to be Napoleon, then to be -Garibaldi, then to be an old woman of ninety, then to be a mere child. -He acts the parts of these characters, imitates their handwriting, their -voices, issues proclamations to his soldiers in the name of the first -two, assumes the shaky penmanship of childhood and of old age; and all -in the course of half-an-hour or so.[69] The images thus formed in the -deep trance of the young man are so vivid, so powerful, so dramatic, -that they take possession of the organism and compel it to become the -means of their manifestation. In mediumistic trance the same thing -happens. There may be suggestion from outside, or there may not, but in -the depth of the medium's mind images are formed which speak and act -through the entranced person, making use in doing so of the marvellous -stores of memory and knowledge which the inner mind has at command, and -sorely puzzling the spectators at times, as to whether the performance -is merely histrionic or whether by chance it indicates a _bona fide_ -communication from the dead.[70] - -This energetic dramatic quality of the image-forming faculty is -tremendously important. It has not been enough insisted upon; and it has -been greatly misunderstood and misrepresented. It is, as I say, a -root-property of creation. It is seen everywhere in the healthy activity -of the human mind, in its delight in romance and imagination, in the -play of children, the stage, literature, art, scientific invention--the -sheer joy of creation, going on everywhere and always. Lay the conscious -and controlling and selective power of the upper mind at rest, in the -trance-condition, and you have in the deeps of the subliminal self this -primal creative power exposed. Offer to it the lightest suggestion, and -there springs forth from that abyss a figure corresponding, or a dozen -figures, or a whole procession! The mere delight of creation calls them -forth. Could anything be more wonderful? What a strange glimpse it gives -us of the possibilities of Creation. - -Some people seem to be quite shocked at the idea that this subliminal -mind, or whatever it is that possesses these marvellous powers, should -act these parts, and lend itself to unsubstantial and quasi-fraudulent -representations. But why accuse of deception? It is a game--the great -game we are all of us playing--the whole Creation romancing away; with -endless inexhaustible fertility throwing out images, ideas, new shapes -and forms forever. Those forms which hold their own, which substantiate -themselves, which fill a place, fulfil a need--they win their way into -the actual world and become the originals of the plants, the animals, -human beings, works of art, and so forth, which we know. Those which -cannot hold their own pass back again into the unseen. In the far depths -of the entranced medium's mind we see this abysmal process going -on--this fountain-like production of images taking place--the very -beginnings of creation. It is the sheer joy of manifestation. As one -gives a musician a mere hint or clue--a theme of three or four -notes--and immediately he improvises a spirited piece of music; so is it -with the hypnotized person or with the medium. One gives him a -suggestion and he immediately creates the figures according. And so it -is for us, to direct this wonderful power, even in ourselves--not to -call it fraudulent, but to make use of it for splendid ends. - -Doubtless it can be used for unworthy ends. It is easy to understand -that the mediumistic person, finding this wonderful dramatic and -creative faculty within himself or herself, is sometimes tempted to turn -it to personal advantage; and succumbs to the temptation. The dramatic -habit catches hold of the waking self, and renders the person tricky and -unreliable.[71] But below it all is creation, and the instinct of -creation--the power that gives to airy nothing a local habitation, the -genius of the dramatist, of the artist, of the inventor, and the _very -source of the visible and tangible world_. - -For from the Under-self--as exposed in the state of trance, or in -extreme languor and exhaustion of the body, or in the moment of death, -or in dreams, or even in profound reverie--proceed (strange as it may -seem) Voices and Visions and Forms, things audible and visible and -tangible, things anyhow which are competent to impress the senses of -spectators so vividly as to be for the moment indistinguishable from the -phenomena, audible, visible and tangible, of our actual world. Amazing -as are the materializations connected with mediums--the figures which -appear, which speak, which touch and are touched, the faces, the -supernumerary feet and hands, the sounds, the lights, the movements of -objects--all in some way connected with the medium's presence--these -phenomena are now far too well established and confirmed by careful and -scientific observation to admit (in the mass) of any reasonable -doubt.[72] And similarly with the wraiths, or phantoms which are -projected from dying or lately dead persons, the evidence for them in -general is much too abundant and well attested to allow of -disbelief.[73] What an extraordinary story, for instance, is that given -by Sir Oliver Lodge in his _Survival of Man_ (p. 101)--of a workman who -having drunk poison by mistake, appeared in the moment of death, with -blue and blotched face to his employer, to whom he was greatly attached, -and told him not to be deceived by the rumor that he (the workman) had -committed suicide! Yet the story is fully and authoritatively given in -the _Proceedings of the Society for Psychical Research_, vol. iii. p. -97, and cannot well be set aside. But if such things happen in the hour -of death, so do they also happen in the dream-state.[74] The dreamer has -a vivid dream of visiting a certain person, and is accordingly and at -that time, seen by that person. And in the state of reverie the same. It -is at times sufficient to think profoundly of any one, or to let one's -inner self go out toward that person in order to cause an image of -oneself to be seen by him. - -It will of course be said, and often is said, that those phenomena are -only hallucinations, and have no objective existence. But the sufficient -answer to that is that the things also of our actual world are -hallucinations in their degree, and certainly have no full objective -existence. The daffodil in my garden is an hallucination in that degree -that with the smallest transposition of my senses, its color, its scent, -and even its form might be quite altered. What we call its objectivity -rests on the permanence of its relations--on its continued appearance in -one spot, its visibility to different people at one time, or to one -person at different times, and so forth. But if that is the definition -of objectivity, it is obvious that the forms which have been seen over -and over again, and under strict test-conditions, in connection with -certain mediums, have had in their degree an objective existence. - -In America, in connection with Kate Fox (one of the earliest and most -spontaneous and natural of modern mediums), a certain Mr. Livermore--a -thoroughly capable business man of New York--came into communication as -it seemed with his deceased wife. She appeared to him--not in one house -only, but in several houses--over and over again; sometimes only the -head, sometimes the whole figure; her appearance was accompanied by -inexplicable sounds and lights; she communicated sometimes by raps, -sometimes by visibly writing on blank cards brought for the purpose; and -these phenomena extended over a period of six years and 388 recorded -sittings, and at many of the sittings were corroborated by independent -witnesses.[75] It is difficult to imagine hallucinations or deceit -maintained under such circumstances. - -In England (in connection with the medium Florence Cook) the figure -"Katie King" appeared to Sir William Crookes a great number of times -during three years (1881-84) and was studied by him and Mr. C. F. -Varley, F.R.S., with the greatest scientific care. Her apparition often -spoke to those present, was touched by, and touched them, wrote, or -played with the children. It often came outside the cabinet, and three -times was seen by those present simultaneously with, and by the side of, -the entranced medium. The figure was taller than the medium and -different in feature; Crookes observed its pulse and found it making 75 -beats a minute to the medium's 90, and so forth.[76] - -Professor Richet, the French scientist, examined with great care the -phantasm "Beni Boa," which appeared to him some twenty times in -connection with the Algerian medium Aisha; he obtained several -photographs of it, and observed its pulse, its respiration, and so -forth.[77] Lombroso, the author of many scientific works, and a man who -to begin with was a complete sceptic on these matters, assures us that -at the sittings of Eusapia Paladino he saw his own mother (long dead) a -great number of times, and that she repeatedly kissed him.[78] In -connection with Mme. D'Esperance[79] the girlish figure of "Yolanda" -appeared and disappeared very frequently during a period of ten years, -and was well known to frequenters of her circle; and in 1896 a committee -formed by some twenty-five high officials and well-known persons in -Norway publicly attested the repeated appearance at her seances of a -very beautiful female figure who glided among the sitters, grasped their -hands, gave them messages, and so forth, and disappeared before their -eyes in a misty cloud.[80] Such evidence of the objectivity of seance -figures could be rather indefinitely multiplied. But the same may be -said, though perhaps less conclusively, of various ghosts and other -manifestations, whose relations to certain persons or places or houses -seem quite definite and well established--and not unfrequently steadily -recurrent under the same conditions.[81] - -Without going into the vexed question of whether these and the like -manifestations are merely products or inventions of the trance-mind of -the medium or other person concerned, or whether some at least of them -are the work or evidence of separate 'spirits'--leaving that question -open for the present--we may still say that all these things are actual -creations--creations of the hidden self of Man in some form or other; -not so assured, certainly, and not so permanent as the well-known shapes -of outer Nature; abortive creations, if you like, which come a little -way forward into manifestation, and then retreat again; but still -creations in the same sense as those more established ones; and -wonderfully revealing to us the secret of the generation and birth of -all the visible world. - - * * * * * - -That we should have, all of us, this magic source somewhere buried -within--this Aladdin's lamp, this vase of the Djinns, this Pandora box -of evil as well as of good, is indeed astounding; and must cause us, -when we have once fully realized the fact, to envisage life quite -differently from what we have ever done before. It must cause us to feel -that our very ordinary and daily self--which we know so well (and which -sometimes we even get a little tired of) is only a fraction, only a flag -and a signal, of that great Presence which we really are, that great -Mass-man who lies unexplored behind the very visible and actual. -Difficult or impossible as this being may be to define, enormously -complex as it probably is, and far-reaching, and hard to gauge, yet we -see that it is _there_, undeniably there--a being that apparently -includes far extremes of faculty and character, running parallel to the -conscious self from low to high levels,[82] having in its range of -manifestation the most primitive desires and passions, and the highest -feats of intellect and enthusiasm; and while at times capable of -accepting the most frivolous suggestions and of behaving in a humorous -or merely capricious and irresponsible manner, at other times capable, -as we have seen, of taking most serious command and control of the whole -physical organism, and as far as the spiritual organism is concerned, of -rising to the greatest heights of prophecy and inspiration.[83] - -I say, then, that we must include in this problem of survival both the -ordinary upper and conscious self and the deep-lying subjective and -subconscious (or superconscious) being. Just as the organizing power of -the Body includes the Cerebro-spinal system of nerves on the one hand, -and the Great-Sympathetic system on the other, so the organism of the -soul includes the supraliminal and subliminal portions. The two must be -taken together, and either alone could only represent a fraction of the -real person. The exact relation of these two selves to each other is a -matter which can only become clear with long time and study of this -difficult subject. It may be that the subliminal self is destined to -become conscious in our ordinary sense of the word. It may be, on the -other hand, that the conscious self is destined to rise into the much -wider consciousness of the subjective being. There is a great deal to -suggest that the supraliminal self is only the front as it were of the -great wave of life; and that the brain consciousness is only a very -special instrument for dealing with the surroundings and conditions of -our terrestrial existence--an instrument which will surrender much of -its value at death and on mergence with the larger and differently -constituted consciousness which underruns and sustains it. That the two -selves are in constant communication with each other, and that they are -both intelligent in some sense, is obvious from the facts of -_suggestion_, by which often the lightest whisper so to speak from the -upper is understood and attended to by the under self; while, on the -other hand, the under-self communicates with the upper, sometimes by -inner Voices heard and Visions seen, sometimes by automatic actions, as -in dream- or trance-writing, sometimes even by Sounds and Apparitions so -powerful as to _appear_ at least external. - -So we cannot but think that the question of survival may ultimately -resolve itself very much into the question of the more complete and -effectual understanding between these different portions of the self. -When they come into clear relation with each other, when the unit-man -and the Mass-man merge into a perfect understanding and harmony, when -they both become conscious of their affiliation to the great Self of the -universe, then the problem will be solved--or we may perhaps say, the -problem will cease to exist. - - - NOTE TO CHAPTER VIII - - ON TRANCE-PHENOMENA - -It may seem rash or unbalanced to dwell, in the preceding chapters, on -trance and mediumistic phenomena as much as I have done, considering -that they are in some sense abnormal--that is, they are unusual, and -comparatively few people have an opportunity of verifying them; also -they may (it is said) be abnormal in the sense of being the products of -conditions so special or even so morbid that conclusions drawn from them -can have no general importance or value. - -There is a certain fashion in such matters, and with large sections of -the public and during a long period it has no doubt been the habit -simply to dismiss all consideration of this subject, as for one reason -or another unadvisable. But now these phenomena in general (or enough of -them to constitute a solid body of observation) are so thoroughly -corroborated that it would be mere affectation to pass them by; and the -best science nowadays refuses to ignore exceptional happenings on -account of their exceptionality--recognizing that these very happenings -often afford the key to the explanation of more common events. - -The phenomena connected with mediums and seances have been so amazing -and unexpected that they have often produced a kind of fear and dismay. -The religious people have been terrified at the prospect of having to -acknowledge miracles not connected with the Church; or of having to -confess to the resurrection of John Smith as well as of Jesus Christ. -The scientific folk (in many or most quarters) being always just on the -point of completing their pet scheme of the universe--whatever it may -happen to be at the time--have naturally been in no mood to admit new -facts which would totally disarrange their systems; and have, therefore, -with a few brilliant exceptions, consistently closed their eyes or -looked another way. And the general public, not without reason, has -feared to embark on a subject which might easily float it away from the -dry land of practical life, into one knows not what sea of doubt or even -delusion. - -But these difficulties attend at all times the introduction of a new -subject--or at least of one which is new to the generation concerned; -and can of course not be allowed to interfere with the candid and -impartial examination of the subject, or with the assimilation, as far -as feasible, of its message. It should certainly, I think, be admitted -that there are dangers attending the new science--or rather attending -the hasty and careless investigation of it--just as there are attending -any other science. There is no doubt that the phenomena connected with -it are so astounding that they in some cases unhinge people's minds, or -at least for the time upset them; and what we have already said once or -twice of the frequent bodily exhaustion of the Medium, not to mention -the occasional exhaustion of the sitters, must convince us that the -greatest care should be exercised in connection with trance-conditions, -and that the whole subject should be studied with a view to discovering -its proper and best handling. It is clear--whatever view is taken of the -process--that a certain disintegration of the organism, and even of the -personality of the medium, is liable to occur, one portion of the -organism acting in a manner and under influences foreign to another -portion, and that such disintegration oft repeated or long continued may -be liable to produce a permanent degeneration of physique or even -possibly demoralization of character. If there is a danger in this -direction--and the extent of the danger should certainly be -gauged--equally certainly it ought to be minimized or averted by the -proper conditions. On the other hand, while noting this danger, we -should not leave out of mind that some evidence points in the other -direction--namely, to the favorable effects and influences of trance -when rightly conducted.[84] We may also in this connection allude to the -changed attitude of the general mind to-day toward Hypnotism--a subject -allied to that which we are considering. Fifty years ago the word had a -sinister sound, and hypnotism and mesmerism were thought to be -inventions of the devil and agencies of all evil. To-day they are -recognized as a great power for good, and in at least two hospitals (in -France) as the main instrument of healing. Naturally, when people are -ignorant of a subject, or only in the first stages of knowledge with -regard to it, they mishandle and misunderstand it. It may well happen -therefore that with better understanding of mediumship and -trance-conditions, some of their drawbacks or less favorable aspects may -pass out of sight. - -Mediums and trance-phenomena--prophecy, second sight, speaking in -strange tongues, the appearance of flames and lights, and of figures -apparently from the dead--are things that have been known all down -history, and recognized almost as a matter of course, both among quite -primitive peoples like the Kaffirs, or the Aleuts or the Mongolians, or -among the more cultured like the Greeks, the Romans, the Hindus, -Chinese, and so forth. The Bible teems with references to wizards and -"necromancers" (note the meaning of the word); and the story of the -Witch of Endor gives us a penetrating glimpse into what was evidently a -common practice of "consultation." These phenomena have never been so -common as to break up and disorganize the routine of ordinary life, yet -they have always been there, and recognized, as on the fringe or -borderland--in somewhat the same way as the knowledge or recognition of -Death does not interfere with daily life or prevent us making -engagements; though we know it _may_ do so at any time. And beyond any -direct uses that trance-communication and manifestations may have now, -or may have had in the past (a matter on which no doubt there is a good -deal of difference of opinion), we may fairly suppose that as examples -of real things and of a real world lying just outside the sphere of our -ordinary and actual experience they may be of immense value--both as -delivering us from a cramped and petty belief that we have already -fathomed the possibilities of the universe, and as giving us just a hint -and a glimpse of directions in which we may fairly look for the future. -That we should for the present be limited for the most part to a -definite sphere of activity, or to a definite region of creation, seems -only natural. "One world, please, at a time!" said Thoreau when on his -deathbed he was plagued by some pious person about the future life; and -if _we_ in our daily life were entangled in the manifestations of two -very different planes of existence it might be greatly baffling. At the -same time, the occasional hint or message from another plane may be of -the greatest help. - -Condensations and manifestations (as of beings from such other plane) -may be abnormal at present. They may be rare, they may occur under -unexpected and even unhealthy conditions, they may cause dislocations of -mind and of morals, they may be confused and confusing. All these things -we should indeed in some degree _expect_; and yet it may not follow that -these objections will continue. It is quite possible that in the future -they will disappear. As I have had occasion to say many times, every new -movement or manifestation of human activity, when unfamiliar to people's -minds, is sure to be misrepresented and misunderstood. It appears in -humble guise, without backing or patronage, forcing its way to light in -the most unlikely places, "to the Jews a stumbling-block, to the Greeks -foolishness," often distorted and out of shape owing to its very -birth-struggles, and for the very same reason diffident at first and -uncertain of its own mission. Possibly a time is coming when Mediumship, -instead of being left over (as not unfrequently now) to quite ignorant -and uncultured specimens of humanity, and being exercised in haphazard, -careless fashion, or for monetary gain, or personal vanity, will be -looked upon as a sacred and responsible office, worthy of and requiring -considerable preparation and instruction, demanding the respect of the -public, yet thoroughly criticized, both in method and result, by -intelligent examination and logic. Possibly a time is coming when -messages and manifestations from another plane than that of our daily -life will come to us under the most obviously healthy and sane -conditions, and will be fully recognized as having value and even, in -their way, authority. - - * * * * * - -For the present--allowing (as I do) the absolute genuineness of a great -body of "spiritualistic" phenomena--there still is (owing to various -causes already indicated) considerable doubt as to _who_ or _what_ the -manifesting beings or forces are. I suppose the main theories on the -subject may be gathered under the following heads: that the manifesting -powers are (1) Images, more or less unconsciously projected from the -Medium's own mind; or, in case of raps, and so forth, emissions of force -from the medium's body; (2) that they are the same projected from the -minds or bodies of other persons present; (3) that they are independent -Beings, making _use_ of the medium's or other person's organism for the -purpose of expression; or (4) that there is a blending of these actions. - -I think everyone who has studied the matter practically admits the first -explanation in some degree; most people perhaps allow the second and -fourth; but a good many--though not all--exclude the third. With regard, -however, to this last theory (that there really are occasional messages -or manifestations from the dead--or from "the other side") there -certainly seems to be a very considerable residuum of evidence which, -though not absolutely conclusive, is favorable to it; and there -certainly are a considerable number of eminent and responsible men--like -Myers, Lodge, Lombroso, and others--who, though not dogmatic, profess -themselves inclined to accept the theory, on the evidence so far -available. For myself--having so little personal and direct experience -in this field--I do not feel in a position to form a definite opinion, -and am content to leave the evidence to accumulate. - - - - - CHAPTER IX - - SURVIVAL OF THE SELF - - -In the last chapter we pointed out that for any adequate understanding -of the subject before us the self must be taken to include the more -obscure and subconscious portion of the mind, as well as the specially -conscious portion with which we are most familiar. There is a constant -interaction and flow taking place between the two parts, and to draw a -strict line dividing them would be impossible. Indeed it would rather -appear that growth comes largely by their blending and throwing light on -each other. We also brought forward some considerations to show the -nature of the underlying or subconscious self--its immense extent, the -swiftness of its perceptions, and so forth. If then, to continue our -argument, there should come a time (in death) when the outer and more -obvious ego merges, or at least comes into closer relation, with the -under-self, it would seem likely that the surviving consciousness would -be greatly changed from its present form, and would take on something of -the instantaneous wide-reaching character of what has been called the -Cosmic Consciousness. And this is a conclusion much to be expected, and -surely also much to be desired. However one may envisage the matter, it -hardly seems possible to imagine an after-death consciousness quite on -the same plane as our present consciousness. (This, too--one may say in -passing--probably explains the difficulty we experience in holding -direct communication with the dead--the same sort of difficulty, in -fact, that the outer mind during life has in directly reaching the inner -mind.) Myers[85] speaks of our supraliminal life as merely a special -phase of our whole personality, and suggests that there are good reasons -for thinking that there is a relation--"obscure but -indisputable--between the subliminal and the surviving self." Under -these circumstances it would seem natural to inquire what definite -reasons there may be for thinking that the subliminal self survives; and -I shall occupy this chapter largely with that question. - -(1) In the first place, from the observed process of the generation and -growth of the body from a microscopic origin, we have already argued -(chapter vii.) the probability of the pre-existence in a sub-atomic or -fourth-dimensional state of the being which is manifested in the body, -and therefore the probability of the continuance of that being after the -dissolution of the body. And this argument must include the Under-self, -which is responsible for so much of the organization and growth and -sustentation of the body, as well as the Upper; and may well lead us to -infer that both upper and under selves continue after death--only -conjoined in some way, and with some added experience gained during -life. - -(2) In the second place, we are struck by the fact that continuous -Memory--which we decided to be the very necessary condition of -survival--is just the thing which is so strong in the subjective being -and so characteristic of it. The huge stores of memory--and of quite -_personal and individual_ memory--which this being has at command, their -long dormancy and their extraordinary resurgence at times when -conditions call them forth, are a marvel to the investigator, and make -us feel that it is hardly probable that they are all swept away at -death. Even if dormant _at_ the time of death, it seems not unlikely -that here again later conditions may awake them once more to life. - -But (3), we have a great deal of evidence to show that, as a matter of -fact, the underlying self is especially _active_ at the moment of death. -The whole phenomenon of 'wraiths'--now in the mass so amply -proved[86]--the projection of phantasms sometimes to an immense -distance,[87] by persons _in articulo mortis_--goes to show its intense -energy and _vitality_ (if one may use the word) at that moment. And the -vivid resurgences of memory at the same moment (or in any hour of -danger) point in the same direction. T. J. Hudson, and others, insist -that the subjective mind _never sleeps_--that whatever drowsiness, or -faintness, or languor may overpower the upper or self-conscious mind, -the under mind is still acutely awake and operant, and if this is (as it -appears) true with regard to sleep, it may well also be so even with -regard to death. - -Again (4), the Telaesthetic faculty of the under-self (I mean during -life)--its power of clairvoyantly perceiving things and events at a -distance, even in minutest details--is a very wonderful fact--a fact -that is amply established, and one that must give us pause. Here are -vision and perception at work without eyes or ears, or any of the usual -bodily end-organs[88]--and acting in such a way as to suggest or -practically to prove that the soul has other channels or instruments of -perception than those connected with the well-known outer body. Every -one has heard of cases of this kind. They are common on the borderland -of sleep, or in dreams, and--what especially appeals to us here--they -are very common in the hour of death. If the soul (as is evidently the -case) can perceive without the intermediation of mortal eye or ear; -then--though we may conclude that these special organs have been -fashioned or developed for special terrene use--we may also conclude -that, without them, it would still continue to exercise perception, -developing sight and hearing and other faculties along lines with which -at present we are but slightly acquainted. These faculties spring -inevitably deep down out of ourselves, and will recur again doubtless -wherever we are.... "Were your eyes destroyed, still the faculty of -sight were not destroyed; out of the same roots again as before would -another optic apparatus spring."[89] - -And the same may be said, (5), about the telepathic faculty--that is, -the power (not of perceiving, but) of _sending_ impressions or messages -to a distance. This power which the under-self has of communicating with -the under-selves of other persons, and often at a great distance, is one -of the best-established facts in the new psychology; and again, it is -very pregnant with inference. It shows us the soul acting vividly along -certain lines independent as far as we can see of the known body, -certainly along lines independent of the known organs of expression. It -compels us to conclude a possible and even probable activity quite apart -from that body. With this telepathic power, or as an extension of it, -may be classed the image-projecting faculty, which we have already seen -to be peculiarly active in death. And it may be appropriate here to -notice that in quite a number of the cases of wraiths or phantasms -projected (in forty cases out of three hundred and sixteen as given by -Edmund Gurney in _Proceedings S.P.R._ vol. v. p. 408) the apparition was -seen after the death had occurred--though within twenty-four hours -after. This may directly indicate an after-death activity of the person -who projected the image, or it _may_ merely indicate a relay of the -telepathic impression on its way, or in the subconscious mind of the -recipient, previous to emerging in the latter's _conscious_ mind.[90] - -All these things are strongly indicative. They do not give the -impression that at death the underlying self is in the act of perishing. -On the contrary, they point to its continuance, and if anything -_increased_ activity; while at the same time the strongly _personal_ -character of many of the phenomena referred to--the wonderfully distinct -personal memories, the very personal images or phantasms projected, the -telepathic appeal to nearest and dearest friends--all suggest that the -continuing activity does not merely tail off into an abstract life-force -or vague stream of tendency, but is of a distinctly personal or -individual character. - -There is another consideration, (6), on which I may dwell for a moment -here. The passion of Love, whether considered in its physical or in its -psychical and emotional aspects, is notably a matter of the subjective -or subliminal life. The little self-conscious, logical, argumentative -personality is completely routed by this passion, which seems to spring -from the great depths of being with Titanic force, full-armed in its own -convictions, and overturning all established orders and conventions. It -surely must give us a deep insight into the nature of that hidden self -from which it springs. Yet nothing is more noticeable about the passion -than its recklessness of mortal life--nothing more noticeable than its -willingness to sacrifice all worldly prospects and the body itself in -the pursuit of its ends. Even the most physical love, as we have said -already (chapter vi.), has a strange relation to Death, and often slays -the very object of its desire:-- - - "For each man kills the thing he loves, - Though each man does not die." - -While the more emotional form of the passion almost rejoices in its -contempt of life and its willingness to face dangers and death for the -sake of the beloved. It says as plain as words:--"I can fulfil myself -and my purposes all right, even without this mortal part which you hold -so dear"; and unless we think that the hidden being who thus speaks is a -perfect fool, we must conclude that it is _aware_ of a life surpassing -that of the body. - -Such a continuing life we no doubt have evidence of, and indeed commonly -admit to exist, in the Race-life; and as a first approximation it seems -natural and obvious to interpret the underlying or subliminal self as -being simply the Race-self. In the case of the lower and less developed -forms of creation, perhaps this is the wisest thing to do. In default of -more detailed and perfect knowledge, we may easily assume that in a -shoal of several million herrings or in a 'culture' of several billion -microbes the underlying self of each particular herring or microbe is -practically identical with the self of the race concerned. But in the -case of man and some of the higher animals it is not so easy to do this. -We find a strongly individual element in his subconscious mind, which -must also be accounted for. I have already alluded to the stores of -individual memory which this mind retains, thus differentiating it from -others; and I have alluded to the intensely individual phantasms which -it projects. And now again we are brought face to face with the greatly -individual character of its love-passion. However much the love-passion -may be symbolical of the life of the race, and deeply implicated in the -same (and both of these it certainly is), still--except in its lower -forms--there is nothing vague and general and undifferentiated about -that passion; on the contrary, it is most strongly personal and sharply -outlined. Why is it that out of the hundred thousand people that a man -may meet only _one_ will arouse this tremendous response? Why is it that -every great love in its depth seems different from every other? Do not -these things suggest a profound difference of outline in the -subconscious beings themselves from whom these loves proceed? These -beings are manifestations and organic expressions of the Race--yes. But -they are also deeply individual and different--each one from the other. - -And here we seem to come upon the first emergence of the solution of the -problem before us. The self of which we are in search _has_--especially -through its subconscious part--a vast continuing life, affiliated to the -life of the race and beyond that to the cosmic life of the All; but it -also has a strongly individual outline and character. Nursed in the womb -of the Race during countless ages, like a babe within its mother, -passing through numberless reincarnations in a kind of collective way, -and in more or less unconsciousness of its supreme and separate destiny, -it at last in Man attains to the clear sense of individuality, and -(through much suffering) is set free to an independent existence; being -finally exhaled from earth-mortality into a cosmic life under other -conditions of space and time than ours. - -Difficult as this conception of a continued individual existence may be -to hold to in view of the terrible and external flux of general Nature, -and difficult as it may be to understand in all detail; yet, as I say, -it is Love which compels us to the insight of its truth. It is Love -which has the clear conception of the uniqueness of the beloved, it is -love which positively refuses to believe in her (or his) annihilation, -it is love alone which in the hour of loss can face the awful midnight -sky, and dare to sing:-- - - "Sleep sweetly, tender heart, in peace, - Sleep, holy Spirit, blessed soul! - _While the stars burn, the moons increase,_ - _And the great ages onward roll._" - -And it is in the meeting of lovers that the heavens open, allowing them -to see--if only for a moment--the eternities to which they both belong. - -There are no doubt other considerations--I mean those connected with -mediumistic and so-called spiritualistic phenomena--which point toward -the conclusion of an individual survival of some kind after death; but -although this kind of evidence is likely to prove in the end of immense -value, it is possible that the time has not yet quite come when it can -be completely substantiated, tabulated, and effectively utilized; at any -rate I do not feel myself in a position to so deal with it. It has also -to be said that a great deal of this evidence (relating to actual -communications from the dead) is necessarily of so very personal a -character that it can only appeal to the individual persons concerned, -and however convincing it may be to them does naturally not carry the -same conviction to the world at large. I shall therefore for the present -pass these considerations by, and, on the strength of the arguments -already brought forward, assume the general truth of man's survival. - -The course of the argument has been somewhat as follows. In the first -place, we have urged the enormous possibilities (disclosed by modern -investigation) of other life than that which we know--thus enlarging the -bounds of the likely, and weakening the argument from improbability. -In the second place, we have pointed out that continuance of _memory_ -seems the best test of survival; that even in our law courts (as in -a Tichborne case) it is not so much the facts of feature and form as -the facts of memory which are relied on to prove identity. Thirdly, we -have argued that not only the supraliminal but also the subliminal self -must be considered in this matter, and that probably the surviving self -will arise from a harmony or conjunction between these two. Fourthly, -we have shown that in respect of memory and many other matters the -subliminal self shows a quite remarkable activity even in the hour of -bodily death--which does not certainly suggest its decease and cessation -from existence. Fifthly, we have seen that all through life the soul -has faculties (of clairvoyance, transposition of senses, and so forth) -which point to its independence of the material body. Sixthly, that -through _love_ it reaches a deep conviction of its own duration beyond -the life of the body. And, seventhly, we have suggested that it is -largely through the supraliminal and self-conscious life that the -sense of identity and individuality is educed and finally established. - -Proceeding, then, further along these lines, the next and obvious -question which arises is, In what sort of body is this continuing life -manifested? That it must be manifested in some sort of body is, I -think, clear. If we had only arrived at the conclusion that at death -the human being merged in the All-soul, or became an indistinguishable -portion of the 'Happy Mass'--that his individual memory flowed out -into the great ocean of the world-memory and became lost in it, and -that his power of individual action or perception passed away in like -manner--why then the question of a continuing body could not well arise, -or at farthest stretch such body could only be thought of as something -indistinguishable from the entire universe. But if there is any truth -in the idea of an individual survival, then it seems clear that there -must be some kind of _form_, to mark the bounds of the individual, and -to give outline to his relations to other individuals--whether those -relations be active and invasive or passive and receptive; there must -be some surface of resistance and separation. - -With this question I shall deal in the next chapter. Before, however, -going into any definite theory of this 'soul-body,' it may be useful to -dwell for a moment on general considerations. In the first place, it is -clear that if the individual survives, he does not do so in any fixed -and unchanging form. The form of the individual is not fixed in this -earth-life; nor can we expect or wish it to be so in any other life. As -long as there is a continuous stream of experience and memory, going on -from this life to another life, and from that perchance to others--that -is all we can expect to find. There may, indeed, be a fixed and -transcendent Individuality, an aspect of the Universal, at the root of -all these experiences, but with that we are hardly concerned at this -moment--only with the stream of personal manifestations which proceed -from it--everchanging yet linked together from hour to hour. In the -second place, though we have dwelt upon and emphasized the idea of -separateness and differentiation, in the surviving self, in -contra-distinction to the idea of fusion in a formless aggregate, yet it -is clear here too that the common life and bonds must hold individuals -together, just as much as, if not more than, in the earth-life. The -salient facts of telepathy, sympathy, clairvoyance, and so forth -convince us that souls, freed to some extent from their grosser present -envelopes, will react upon each other in the future, or in that farther -world, more swiftly and more intimately than they do now. And as they -progress from stage to stage, developing individualities and differences -always on a grander and grander scale, so they will also develop through -love their organic union with each other. It seems possible, indeed, -that growth will largely take place _through_ love-fusion; till at -length, rising into the highest ranges of combined Individuality and -Universality, the transformed consciousness of each soul will take on -its true quality--"that of space itself--which is at rest everywhere." - - - - - CHAPTER X - - THE INNER OR SPIRITUAL BODY - - -In order to form a conception of what kind of body the surviving Self -may have, it seems best for the moment to go back to the genesis of our -present body. We saw (chapter vii.) that we were compelled to suppose, -even in the first germ of our actual body an intelligent form of some -kind at work, which while gathering up and representing race-memories of -the past, presided over and directed their rehabilitation in the -present, thus building up the present body according to a certain -pattern--(though subject of course to modification by outer difficulties -and obstacles). From the very first, the exceeding complexity and -delicacy of the movements within the germ-cells, combined with the -decisiveness of their divisions and differentiations, and the perfection -and adaptation of the bodily structures and organs ultimately produced, -all point in the suggested direction.[91] At the same time, we were -compelled to conclude that this form, whose first manifestations in the -tiny germ-cell evidently originate from quite ultra-microscopic -movements, was itself invisible, invisible through belonging either to -an ultra-microscopic world, or to a world of a fourth-dimensional or -other order of existence. I think, therefore, that for the present we -may accept that conclusion, and fairly suppose that some such invisible -form underlies the genesis of each of our bodies. - -But at the same time the conclusion of invisibility must not be supposed -to carry with it the conclusion of immateriality. Quite the contrary. A -creature living in the two-dimensional world formed by the water-film on -the surface of a pond might have no conception of the water-world below -or the air-world above--both of which might be quite invisible to it; -all the same a fish or a bird breaking through the surface would -instantly cause some very powerful and very material phenomena there! -And again, though atoms and electrons individually may be quite -invisible, it is only a question of their number and the force of their -electric charges, as to how far they intrude upon what we call the -material world. Also, we must remember that invisibility or -imperceptibility does not by any means imply non-occupation of space. On -the contrary again. For four-dimensional existence carries with it an -occupation of space which is quite miraculous to us--as, for instance, -the power of appearing in two places at the same time; while a number of -ultra-microscopic atoms, by their electrostatic attractions and -repulsions, may maintain definite relations of distance from each other, -and may altogether constitute a cloud of considerable size and complex -organization--quite imperceptible as a rule, yet occupying a definite -area and fully capable of affecting material things. - -It may be a question, then, whether it is not some such invisible -cloud--perhaps of quite human size and measurement--which at conception -begins to enter the fertilized germ-cell, stimulating it to division, -and penetrating further and further into the newly-formed body-cells, as -by thousands and millions they divide and multiply to form the growing -organism. Whatever it is, it is something of infinitely subtle -organization and constitution, representing the inmost vitality of the -body, and not that inmost vitality in a merely general sense, but the -vitality of every portion and section of the body. It establishes itself -within the gross body (or it builds that body round itself) and becomes -the organizer and provider of its life; maintains its form and structure -during life, fortifies it against change and disease, and wards off as -long as it can the arrival of death. - -What, then, of Death? Why, granted so much as we have supposed, it seems -easy to suppose that at death this inner body passes away again. It just -leaves the gross body behind and passes out of it. For a -fourth-dimensional being this must be easy to do! But not to presume too -much on other-dimensional conditions, if we only assume the inner body -to be such a cloud of atoms or electrons as already mentioned, the -passage of such atoms through the tissues of the gross body would be -entirely in accordance with the well-known facts of _osmose_ and the -diffusion of liquids and gases, and would present no exceptional or -impossible problem. Through cell-walls and muscular and other tissues -such atoms would pass, conceivably maintaining still their relative -'form' and organization with regard to each other, and forming a cloud -similar to that which entered the germ and other cells at conception -(though of course so far modified by the life-experience), and leaving -now the gross body devitalized, and doomed to slow corruption and to -serve only as material for lower forms. - - * * * * * - -One would not, of course, venture on conjectures so speculative as the -above, if it were not that long tradition and history, and even modern -experience, so singularly confirm or favor their general truth. The -conception of a cloud-like ghost--sometimes visible, sometimes -invisible[92]--leaving the body at death, roaming through the fields of -Hades or some hidden world, and from time to time revisiting the -glimpses of the moon and the gaze of wondering mortals--penetrates all -literature and tradition. Among all primitive peoples it seems to be -accepted as a matter of course; it informs the legends and the drama and -the philosophies of the more cultivated; it claims detailed historical -instances and proofs[93] (as in the case of Field-marshal von Grumbkoff, -to whom the wraith of King Frederick Augustus announced his own -death--which had just occurred; or in the case of the poet Petrarch, to -whom Bishop Colonna made a similar announcement); and in modern times it -has met with extraordinary and in many quarters quite unexpected -confirmation at the hands of scientific investigation. - -To this evidence of general probability that at death a vital and subtle -yet substantial inner body is withdrawn from every part and portion of -the gross body, we may add the evidence, such as it is, from actual -_sensation_ and _experience_. In the hour of death and in allied -physical changes sensations are experienced corresponding to such a -conclusion. Though necessarily there is little quite direct evidence, -for the actual moment of death, yet in the just preceding stage, of -extreme weakness, the sensation of depletion in every part of the body, -and of withdrawal, as of a hand being drawn out of a glove, is very -noticeable. (And it may be remarked that clairvoyants not unfrequently -observe, at death itself, a luminous cloud of the general outline and -shape of the dying person being slowly distilled, head first, from his -or her head.) Furthermore, in the state of _ecstasy_--which is closely -allied to death--the same sensation of withdrawal is experienced. The -person seems to himself to stand outside and a little beyond his own -body--and doubtless this experience is denoted in the very etymology of -the word. In trance the same: the medium experiences the extreme of -exhaustion while some portion of her vital being is functioning (as it -appears) outside. Under anaesthetics it is a common experience to dream -that one has left the body and is flying through space. (See _The Art of -Creation_, p. 18.) And again, in the case of love--whose close relation -to death we have several times already noted--whether it be in the -strain of emotional desire or the stress of the physical orgasm this -'hand from the glove' sensation is often most acute and seems to suggest -that every portion of the body is contributing its part to the process -in hand; which indeed in this case of love may very fairly be supposed -to consist in a transfer of the cloud-like organism (or a large part of -it) to the other person concerned. - -There are cases, too, where in a kind of dream-consciousness the -sensation of the self passing out through walls and other obstacles is -so powerful as to leave an impress on the mind ever after. Such is the -case already alluded to (chapter viii. p. 148, _supra_) from _Footfalls -on the Boundary of Another World_, where a lady half waking from sleep -"felt herself carried to the wall of her room, with a feeling that it -must arrest her further progress. But no; she seemed to pass through it -into the open air. Outside the house was a tree; and this also she -appeared to traverse as if it interposed no obstacle." She thus passed -to the house of a lady friend, held a conversation with her, and in her -dream returned. But afterward the friend reported that she had _seen_ -the apparition that night and conversed with it. Similarly a young -friend of mine, dreaming one night that his mother (in the same house) -was ill, was intensely conscious of dashing--not along corridors and -through doorways but _through the partition walls of two rooms_--into -the chamber where his mother slept, when finding her all right he -returned; and the experience was so vivid that it remained with him for -days afterward. - -Taking all these considerations together, we may say that there is a -strong general probability in favor of the proposition put forward. And -it is interesting and important to find that at this juncture modern -science is coming out from her old haunts and beginning seriously to -tackle a question which she has hitherto for the most part evaded or -ignored. The whole of the psychology and even physiology of Death have -(as I have previously remarked) been sadly neglected; but now and of -late quite a number of books on this subject have been published,[94] -and a good deal of scientific activity is moving in that direction. - -Professor Fournier d'Albe, in his book _New Light on Immortality_,[95] -has made some very interesting suggestions--which though they may not as -yet be accounted more than suggestions, seem to be in the right -direction, and certainly acquire some authority from his intimate -command of the modern discoveries in Physics as well as in the field of -Psychical Research. His view is that every one of the twenty-five -thousand million million cells which constitute say the human body has -probably some 'centrosome' or other vital point within it, which is in -fact the governing and organizing power of that cell. Such point or -collection of points, though 'material,' may likely weigh only a -ten-thousandth part of the cell-weight. Hence if this 'soul' was -abstracted from each cell, the total weight of the twenty-five thousand -billion souls resulting would be only a ten-thousandth part of the body -weight, or about a fifth of an ounce! But these soul-fragments or -_psychomeres_ as he calls them, would together make up the total soul of -the man, and--as already explained--might not only by their negative and -positive charges maintain certain spatial relations and organization -with regard to each other, but would, owing to their extreme minuteness, -easily pass through the tissues and liberate themselves from the gross -body. Thus a human soul, weighing a fraction only of an ounce, but of -like shape and size to the human body, and of intense vitality and -subtlety, might disengage itself at death, to begin a fresh career and -to enter into a new life--leaving the existing body to fall to ruin and -decay. Further, Professor Fournier d'Albe, greatly bold in speculation, -surmises that such a spiritual body, discharging the atmosphere from its -interior frame, might quite naturally rise in the air till it attained -its position of equilibrium at a great height up--say in a region 35-80 -miles over the earth, which would thus become the (first) abode of the -departed. - -Whatever may be said about the details of this theory, and whatever -difficulties they may present, the main outlines--as I have already -indicated--seem quite feasible and probable, and in line with world-old -belief and tradition. And certain details (which we shall return to -again) are powerfully corroborated by modern observation. - -Meanwhile it is interesting to find, in corroboration of the general -theory, that some experiments lately carried out, in weighing the body -before and after death, have apparently yielded the result of a decided -loss of weight at or very shortly after, the moment of Death. Dr. Duncan -M'Dougall, experimenting with considerable care, found that one of his -patients lost 3/4 ounce precisely at death;[96] another lost 1/2 ounce, with -an additional loss of 1 ounce during the next few minutes, after which -no further loss took place; another yielded very nearly the same result; -and so on. Thus we have the old Egyptian idea of the weighing of the -soul after death resuscitated in a very practical form in modern -times--only with the medical practitioner in the place of Thoth, the -great assessor of the Underworld! And it would be satisfactory to know -how far modern observation of a normal soul weight corresponds with -ancient speculation in the matter. It is curious anyhow to find that -Fournier d'Albe's estimates are so nearly corroborated by Dr. M'Dougall; -and we must await with interest further and perhaps more detailed -observations along the same line. - -Another line along which something seems to have been done by hard and -fast science to corroborate the general theory of the extrusion of a -cloud-like spirit form from the body at death, is in the matter of -photography. Dr. Baraduc, in his book, _Mes Morts: leurs manifestations_ -(1908), gives an account of photographs which he took of his wife's body -within an hour after death and of his son's body (in the coffin) nine -hours after death. When developed the plates all showed cloud-like -emanations hovering over the corpses, not certainly having definite -human outline, but apparently shot through by lines and streaks of -light. And though here again the experiments are not conclusive, they so -far are corroborative, and may be taken to indicate a direction for -further inquiry. - -This last I think we are especially entitled to say, on account of what -has been already done in the way of photographing the cloud-figures -(some of them very definite in outline) which are found to emanate on -occasions from mediums in the state of trance. For notwithstanding the -doubt which has commonly been cast on all such photographs and -notwithstanding the very obvious ease with which cameras can be -manipulated and shadow-figures of some kind fraudulently produced, the -evidence for the genuineness of some such 'spirit' photographs is--to -any one who really studies it--beyond question. The celebrated "Katie -King," who appeared at seances in connection with the medium Florence -Cook, and during a period of two years or more was seen by some hundreds -of people--and especially studied by Sir William Crookes--was -photographed several times under test conditions.[97] Professor Charles -Richet, who when he first heard of Crookes' conclusions was convulsed -with laughter over their supposed absurdity, afterward confessed his -error,[98] for time after time he not only saw a phantasm ("Beni Boa") -in connection with the Algerian medium Aisha, but obtained photographs -of the same.[99] Dr. A. R. Wallace, in a long note, pp. 190, 191 of his -book, _Miracles and Modern Spiritualism_, gives a careful description of -his own experiments in this line. Several different figures were at -different times photographed in connection with Mme. D'Esperance; and -the very detailed account, with illustrations, which she gives of these -phenomena in ch. xxvii. of her book, _Shadowland_, must give the -unbeliever pause. And so on.[100] The evidence is so abundant, and so on -the whole so well confirmed, that we are practically now compelled to -admit (and this is the point in hand) that cloud-like forms of human -outline emanating from a medium's or other person's living body may at -times be caught by the photographic plate. And this is important because -it removes the phenomenon from the region of the fanciful or imaginative -and gives it automatic and objective registration. - -That these forms occurring and occasionally photographed in connection -with mediums are independent 'spirits' or souls is of course in no way -assumed. They may be such, or (what seems more likely) they may be -simply extensions of the spiritual or inner body of the medium. The -point that interests us here is that their appearance in either case -points to the actual existence of such an inner body, capable of -becoming extruded from the gross body, and of becoming the seat and -manifestation of intelligence. Further than that we need not go at -present. - -But it will be objected, if the inner or spiritual body is, as has just -been supposed, of such a subtle and tenuous nature as to be in itself -quite invisible, what connection can this have with phantoms that can be -photographed, or that can be seen, or that can be actually touched and -handled? This question--the question as to how an excessively rare and -tenuous and invisible being may gradually condense and materialize so as -to come first within the region of photographic activity, and then -within the region of normal visibility, and so on into audible and -tangible and material existence and operation, I shall discuss more at -length in the next chapter. Suffice it here to point out that the -general consensus of thoughtful opinion on this subject at the present -time points to a probable condensation of some kind, and utilization of -such suitable materials as may be to hand, by which the subtle inner -body gradually clothes itself in an outer and denser garment. Whether -with Fournier d'Albe we suppose a soul-like core to every single cell, -or whether we take a more diffused and general view, in any case we seem -compelled to believe that our actual bodies are carried on by organizing -powers distributed in centres throughout the body.[101] If by any means -these vital centres were separated from the gross body, it would still -seem natural for them to continue their organizing activity whenever -they were surrounded with suitable material. And if, as seems likely, in -the case of mediums and seances, a considerable quantity of loose -floating organic material is commonly evolved from the bodies of those -present, such effluences might be quickly caught up and condensed by any -such vital centres present into more or less visible forms and figures. - -If, by way of illustration, we were to suppose an army-corps to -represent a gross body, then the officers, from corporals to general, -would represent the inner or organizing soul; and all these officers -together, though really being a 'body,' would constitute a mass so small -and so scattered compared with the mass-body of the army, that in -comparison they would be invisible, and might easily all pass out and -away from the army without being observed. They might pass out and -conceivably organize another army-corps elsewhere; but the result on -that left behind (of which they were really the soul) would soon be seen -in its complete disintegration and collapse. Now suppose further that in -a neighboring nation, across the frontier, there was a great deal of -disaffection existing--that large masses of the people there were out of -touch with their own Government (the case of a medium in trance), and -waiting for some one to come and organize them. Then it is easy to -imagine the small group of officers aforesaid passing across the -frontier (quite unseen and unobserved) and immediately on doing so -finding ready to their hands a quantity of material just suitable for -their activity. In a wonderfully short time the various officers would -begin to organize the various departments of a new army-corps; the -people would flock to their standard. Even in a day or two the faint -outline of a new political form or movement would show itself; and in a -week this might become substantial enough to exhibit serious -manifestations of force! - -The general application of this to the question in hand is obvious -enough. But there is another point which it illustrates--a point which -we have raised before. I am convinced that science will never yield any -very fruitful understanding of the world, until it recognizes that -_life_ and _intelligence_ (of course in the broadest signification) -pervade all the phenomena of Nature. It is perfectly useless to try to -explain human development, human destiny, mental activity, the forces of -nature, and so forth, in terms of dead matter. No explanation of such a -kind could possibly be satisfying. And more and more it is becoming -clear that even what we call the inorganic world is as subtle and swift -in its responses as what we call the organic. Many difficulties must -inevitably arise in any attempted solution of the problem before -us--that problem which is generally denoted by "the nature of the soul -and its relation to the body"; but we shall never arrive at any -harmonious view of the whole question until we are persuaded, and -practically assume, that life and intelligence in some degree are -characteristic of all that we call 'matter' as well as of all we call -mind, and pervade the whole structure of the universe. We shall then see -that the forces, for instance, which organize and direct the human body, -even down to its minutest parts, are probably just as individual and -intelligent in their action as those (to take the example just given) -which organize and direct an army-corps. - - - - - CHAPTER XI - - ON THE CREATION AND MATERIALIZATION OF FORMS - - -I have suggested more than once, in preceding chapters of this book, and -in _The Art of Creation_ and elsewhere, that in the ordinary evolution -of thought, in dreams, in trance and in other psychic states, we are -witness of a process which is continually and eternally going on, by -which the faintest invisible forms and outlines, the nearest -cloud-currents of the inner soul, gradually condense themselves, pass -into visibility, tangibility, and so forth, and (if the process is -continued) ultimately take their place among the substantial things of -the outer world. - -Hitherto this thought has been applied in certain departments of -inquiry, but I am of impression that its considerable and world-wide -significance has been missed. Freud, in his _Traumdeutung_, insists that -behind the dream, and inspiring its action and symbolism there always -lurks an emotion, a desire, a wish. And Havelock Ellis (though with due -caution) corroborates this. He speaks[102] of "the controlling power of -emotion on dream-ideas," and says, "the fundamental source of our -dream-life may be said to be emotion." That is, an emotion (from -whatever source) arises in the mind. Vague and cloudlike at first, it -presently takes form, and (if in sleep) clothes itself with the imagery -of a dream, which becomes at last vivid and dramatic and _real_, to a -degree which astounds us. But dream-life is only a paraphrase, so to -speak, of waking life--a phase largely corresponding to the waking life -of children[103] and animals; and in waking life the same thing happens. -A wish or desire appears in the background of the mind; it moves forward -and becomes a definite thought and a plan; then it moves forward again -and becomes an action; the action creates a result; and the desire -finally establishes itself or its image in the actual world. These -emotions and desires and the images which sprung from them have a -certain vitality and growth-power of their own. The figures in dreams -move of themselves and concatenate with each other of their own -accord--much as the figures do in a drama, as Coleridge long ago -observed--and as the waking thoughts of all of us do, when we leave them -a little to themselves and to go with loose rein. More than that; in -some cases waking thoughts or passions become powerful enough to take -possession of the whole man and embody themselves in his -deeds--sometimes to heroic, sometimes to criminal ends. Or, taking -possession of _portions_ of the man, they precipitate conflict within -him. The dramatic quality of dreams is evidently due to the different -figures or incidents of the dream being inspired by different qualities -or experiences of the dreamer; and in the waking man the same process -may lead to tragic struggles and disintegrations of personality. In -hysteric patients, where the central controlling power is weak, the very -thought or fear of a disease may seize upon a certain centre in the body -and stimulate there all the symptoms of that disease; or a mental image -may seize upon a certain portion of the brain, and break up the -personality with strange new manifestations. - -In all these cases, and scores of others which we cannot consider now, -the same action is taking place--by which invisible psychic and -spiritual forces, for good or evil, are ever pressing forward into the -manifest, and condensing themselves into visible and even tangible -forms, or taking possession of existing forms for the purpose of -expression and manifestation. And here we have (as I think will be seen -one day) the whole rationale of Creation--we have the conception which -brings into line the phenomena of the visible and material world and -their genesis, with the genesis of thoughts in our own minds, and -_their_ passage into visibility and expression; we have the conception -which unites the mental and material, and which makes the whole Creation -luminous with meaning. Especially is this obvious to-day, when the -theory of electrons is introducing us to a world as far finer and -subtler than the atom, as the atom is finer and subtler than the -tangible world of our experience; and is suggesting that these finest -states of matter are of the nature of electrical charges, which, again, -are quite analogous to mental states.[104] Thus we have, almost forced -upon us as the key to the creation of visible forms, the conception, of -a process of condensation by which the most subtle thought and emotion -does in course of time (brief or lengthy) tend to manifest itself in -material shape, and may ultimately take on the most persistent and -quasi-indestructible forms. - - * * * * * - -Reverting, then, to the subject of last chapter, we see that a -'spiritual' body--that is, a material body of a texture so fine and so -swiftly plastic as to be the analogue of thought--is a conception quite -in line with the conclusions of modern science; and that granted the -existence of such a thing, it is quite in line also to conclude that it -would tend toward condensation and manifestation in grosser and more -visible form. I gave in that chapter some general outline of how such -condensation might take place. I now propose to consider this process -more in detail, and to give some evidence as to its actually taking -place. - -There is something perhaps a little comic about the idea of spirit -photography--something which has thus helped to retard its acceptance. -The busy photographer with his camera is so banal, and sometimes so -obnoxious, a figure, that to think of him photographing a ghost, or the -spirit of a dead relation, verges on bathos or the burlesque. -Nevertheless, Nature does not attend to our canons in such matters, and -in reality the thing is perfectly feasible and in order. It is well -known that the photographic plate is most sensitive to the violet end of -the spectrum--that it is this end which has the actinic quality. -Moreover, it is known that the actinic quality extends _beyond_ this -end, and that there are ultra-violet rays which we cannot see, and which -yet are photographically powerful. But the violet rays, as is also well -known, are those whose light-waves are smallest--being only about half -the size of the red waves;[105] and the ultra-violet rays are still -smaller. Consequently, by means of the violet end of the spectrum, -information can be got about small objects and infinitesimal details -which would elude the more ordinary light. A particle, in fact, may be -so small that it would reflect the violet waves, while it would be -unable to reflect the red--just as a boat floating on the water will -reflect and turn back tiny ripples, while it will simply be tossed about -by good-sized waves. Advantage has been taken of this in microscopy, and -by ingenious arrangements photographs of objects under the microscope -can now be taken by ultra-violet light, so as to show the very minutest -details. - -The application of this to the question before us is clear. If there be -a spiritual body, composed of particles so infinitesimal as to be--to -begin with--far beyond the limits of visibility, yet gradually -condensing and accreting to themselves other and subsidiary particles, -there might come a time when such a cloud-form would approach the limit -of visibility--the molecules of which it was composed having grown so -far. It would be perfectly natural, then, for a body composed of such -molecules to come into the region of possible photography in the camera -through the ultra-violet rays _before_ it came into the region of -visibility to the human eye by means of ordinary light. And thus the -seeming paradox may be accounted for--of the appearance of spirit-forms, -or even thought-forms, on the photographic plate which are not yet -discernible by the eye. At a later stage of materialization the form may -of course yield an image both to the eye and to the camera.[106] - -Again, in this connection, it is often urged against the reality of -spirit-forms, ghosts, and so forth, that they cannot bear a strong -light; and this is held to dispose of all their claims for -consideration. But what has just been said shows that on the contrary -such an effect is just what might be expected. The delicate growing -structure, whose particles were just large enough to reflect the smaller -light-waves, might easily be broken up and quite disintegrated by the -larger and more powerful weaves of a strong glare--just as, in fact, -_our_ forms, which can endure light, are broken up and disintegrated by -the still larger waves of intense _heat_. Katie King, who, as before -mentioned, appeared so many times in connection with the medium Florence -Cook, was frequently seen to fade away if the light was too strong. "At -the earlier seances she could only come out of the cabinet for a few -seconds at a time, once or twice during the seance; she had to go back -quickly into the cabinet to gather fresh power from her medium, saying -that the strong and unaccustomed brilliancy of the light made her 'melt -quite away.'"[107] And Nepenthes, that finely formed and beautiful -figure which appeared in connection with Mme. D'Esperance, was more than -once seen, by a large company assembled, to walk by the side of the -medium up to the open French window at the end of the room and then to -disappear as she came into the full daylight.[108] - -Photographs, it may be noticed, of forms appearing at seances, or in -connection with sitters, vary from mere cloudlike masses without or -almost without shape to very distinct human figures with much detail of -feature and dress,[109]--the same figure being often recognized in -various stages of clearness and definition. And this is interesting -because it entirely corroborates the observations made in hundreds of -seances, and in other cases, in which a form is first distinguished by -the eye as a faintly luminous cloud, and gradually grows in distinctness -and definition till it becomes visible in all detail, and even tangible. -Mme. D'Esperance, whose book, _Shadowland_, should be read on account of -its intelligent handling and obvious sincerity, as well as on account of -the remarkable phenomena reported, describes (p. 151) the first occasion -on which a 'materialization' appeared to her:--"One evening, for some -reason or other, we were sitting without a lighted lamp. The daylight -had not faded when we commenced the sitting, but though it grew dark no -one suggested making a light. Happening to glance over to the part of -the room where the shadows were deepest it seemed to me that there was a -curious cloudy luminosity standing out distinct and clear from the -darkness. I watched it for a minute or two without saying anything, -wondering where it came from and how it was caused. I thought it must be -a reflection from the street lamps outside, though I had never seen it -like that before. While I watched, the luminous cloud seemed to -concentrate itself, become substantial, and form itself into a figure of -a child, illuminated as it were by daylight that did not shine on it -but, somehow, from within it--the darkness of the room seeming to act as -a background, throwing up by contrast every curve of the form and every -feature into strong relief." And in another passage she says:--"As soon -as I have entered the mediumistic cabinet my first impression is of -being covered with spider webs. Then I feel that the air is filled with -substance, and a kind of white and vaporous mass, quasi-luminous, like -the steam from a locomotive, is formed in front of the abdomen. After -this mass has been tossed and agitated in every way for some minutes, -sometimes even for half-an-hour, it suddenly stops, and then out of it -is born a living being close by me."[110] - -Another figure--that of Yolande (a young woman)--is mentioned in the -same book (p. 254) as appearing again and again out of such a filmy -cloudy patch on the floor. Similarly, Professor Richet noticed over and -over again the outgrowth of a figure (Beni Boa) from a white cloud. -"Near the cabinet we could see, betwixt the curtain and the table, a -whitish globe forming, luminous, and rotating on the floor; from this -globe Beni Boa sprang." The figure would then walk round the room and -disappear again; but after a time the white cloud would again form and -Beni Boa reappear. And Professor Lombroso, alluding to this, -says:[111]--"This observation is of great importance, since it is not -possible to attribute to fraud the formation of a luminous patch on the -floor which transforms itself into a living being." Further, Lombroso -says:--"Five photographs were obtained at these sittings by magnesium -and chlorate of potash light, with a Kodak and with a Richard -stereoscopic apparatus simultaneously, which fact excludes the -possibility of photographic fraud; and all the plates were developed in -Algeria by an optician who was unaware of what had preceded. On the -plates appeared a tall figure wrapped in a white mantle" (and similar to -the figure which the seven sitters present at the seances had seen). - -I have alluded to this cloud-formation before as characteristic of an -early stage of the appearance of these figures, and as suggesting a -process of condensation going on. Lombroso, from various considerations -which he brings forward (p. 185),[112] seems convinced that the -phenomena of these forms are largely connected with radio-activity. He -says:--"It would seem that these bodies belong to that further state of -matter, the radiant state, which now at last has established a firm -footing in science--and which thus offers the only hypothesis which can -reconcile the ancient and universal belief in the persistence of some -form of life after death with the postulates of science which maintain -that without organ there can be no function." This radio-active -condition of matter is of course that finest and most active state -represented by the electrons--in which each electron is excessively -minute,[113] yet moves at enormous speed, and carries with it an -electric charge. It connects itself with condensation in this way, that -"an electric charge assists vapor to condense," and "where ions (_i.e._ -positively or negatively charged particles) are present in considerable -numbers a thick mist will form whenever the space is saturated with -vapor."[114] And Fournier d'Albe says:[115]--"In the physical theory of -ionization and condensation we have become familiar with the fact that -the smallest charged particles are the most effective promoters of -condensation. In fact, it would suffice to extract a very small -proportion of the innumerable electrons within the body to bring about a -vigorous condensation in the moist air around it." - -Thus it is quite probable that the cloud-formation, which in general -precedes the manifestation of distinct figures, is due to condensation, -and in part at any rate to a condensation of water-vapor on the -accreting particles of the spirit-body. And this is made the more -probable by the strong sensation of _cold_ which so frequently -accompanies these appearances, and which is a common accompaniment of -condensation. Crookes, in his _Researches_, emphasizes this in -connection with almost all the phenomena, and says[116] they "are -generally preceded by a peculiar cold air, sometimes amounting to a -decided wind. I have had sheets of paper blown about by it, and a -thermometer lowered several degrees. On some occasions ... the cold has -been so intense that I could only compare it to that felt when the hand -has been within a few inches of frozen mercury." Some such sensation -seems to be quite a common experience, and the authoress of -_Shadowland_, speaking of her earlier sittings (p. 228), says:--"It was -not long before the same strange disturbances in the air began as on the -previous occasion. I felt my hair blown and lifted by currents of air, -and cool breezes played about my face and hands." - -Thus (with the corroborating evidence of Crookes' thermometer) we may -suppose that, after all, the cold airs and shivering sensations which -seem so often to accompany apparitions may not be merely subjective to -the observer, but may be real phenomena due to physical condensations -taking place in his immediate proximity. Moreover, it has to be noted -that the condensations may not be merely of water-vapor, but of other -substances as well, namely (according to an opinion now gaining ground), -of fine matter or effluences provided by the bodies of the sitters -present (or some of them) as well as by the body of the medium. The -passage last quoted from _Shadowland_ continues: "then began a strange -sensation, which I had sometimes felt at seances. Frequently I have -heard it described by others as of cobwebs being passed over the face, -but to me, who watched it curiously, it seemed that I could feel fine -threads being drawn out of the pores of my skin." And in another -passage[117] the same writer describes the cloud which precedes a -materialization as "a slightly luminous haze" which often appears "about -the head, shoulders, elbows and sometimes the knees and feet (of the -medium). Frequently it gathers slowly at the fingers, increasing in -density till it resembles a slight transparent film of slightly luminous -cotton wool." Further, she explains that it goes on condensing till it -becomes cobwebby and perceptible to touch. The evidence generally seems -to show that these clouds are of the nature of effluences from the -medium or other person present; and the above quotation affords -corroboration of that view and makes easily intelligible the great -exhaustion from which mediums often suffer on these occasions. It -suggests also that the condensation is by no means of water-vapor only, -but of other substances drawn from the interior vitality of the persons -concerned, and necessary for the building up of the apparitional form. - -It is difficult in the case, for instance, of "Katie King," who, as -already said, appeared hundreds of times during two or three years, or -of Estella Martha, who appeared to her husband during five years and in -380 or more seances in connection with the medium Kate Fox,[118] not to -believe that such figures are (as we should say) _really_ the -individuals they profess to be, and not mere thought-forms or images -projected from the medium's under-mind. But whichever view we take, it -is obvious that they are centres in some degree, of intelligent force or -vitality, centres which, though in their essence rare and tenuous as -thought or feeling, succeed in clothing themselves with a certain grade -of corporeality by the use of the materials at hand, and in so coming -into visible manifestation. And this general view is confirmed by the -fact, so often observed, that when the same figure appears repeatedly, -it does, as time goes on, acquire skill and adroitness in carrying out -the process of condensation or whatever it is, which is concerned, and -consequently comes into manifestation and activity more quickly and -decisively. Also, it may be noted, and has often been observed (as in -the case of the said Estella Martha and many others), that by practice -the figure attains the power of enduring strong light--that is, its -state of condensation reaches a point of solidity almost comparable with -that of _our_ tissues, which are not as a rule disintegrated by light. - -The radio-activity of the 'inner being' also helps to explain the -extraordinary manifestations of sheer physical force in these -connections. Some of these manifestations have been so astonishing, that -the fact alone has caused them to be disbelieved; but though, of course, -fraud has played a part in such phenomena, and has to be guarded -against, it is now quite evident that in a multitude of cases fraud does -not enter at all. - -Eusapia Paladino, for instance--though capable of little -fraudulences--was obviously the seat of extraordinary powers not to be -explained by these. Mr. Carrington, who made a special study of this -medium, and who (as I have said before) has also made a special study of -fraudulent methods in so-called spiritualism, vouches most strongly for -the great exhibitions of inexplicable _force_ in her -vicinity--especially perhaps in the way of _levitations_. He -says:--"Every one who has studied Eusapia's phenomena knows that -practically every seance (for some reason) commences with -table-levitations--this, whether they are wanted or not! It seems the -necessary programme, and it is almost invariably carried out. Seeing -them time after time, one can obtain a very fair idea of their nature -and reality. And I may say that I now consider levitations as well -established as any other physical facts. They are not open to the -objection to which most psychical phenomena are subjected--that they -cannot be repeated or induced and studied experimentally, as one would -study other physical facts--for they can be induced and studied in just -this laboratory manner. I have probably seen several hundreds of these -levitations now, under every conceivable condition and in _excellent -light_, and I consider them so far established that, as Count Solovovo -said, "the burden of proof is now on the man who asserts that they are -_not_ real, not upon the man who asserts that they _are_." These are -pretty strong words, and by a very responsible observer! And then Mr. -Carrington proceeds with a detailed account of these and other physical -phenomena.[119] - -Some years ago, the reports and accounts of such phenomena were -generally at once dismissed as absurd and incredible; but by a -remarkable coincidence the last few years have seen the wonderful -development of the science of radio-activity--dating from the -epoch-making experiments of Crookes, in 1879 and earlier. These -experiments, curiously enough, were worked out during much of the same -period as Crookes' researches into spiritualistic phenomena, and have -led to the shedding of much light upon the latter. For the new science -developed from them, and already more or less popularized,[120] compels -us to suppose that the most enormous forces lurk all around, within the -very structure of the atom itself--which of course is totally invisible -to our eyes. The new facts observed, with regard to radium and other -such substances, seem to compel the supposition that each atom is -composed of an immense number (say 100,000) of highly charged electrical -particles moving each with huge velocity--a velocity at any rate -comparable to that of light. The dissociation of such atoms and the -liberation of their constituent particles develops a fabulous energy. -When it is calculated that one gramme or fifteen grains of matter (say -the weight of thirty postage stamps) moving with the speed of light, -would have energy enough to lift the British Navy to the top of Ben -Nevis (Crookes); or that one milligramme (say the sixty-sixth part of a -grain of wheat) at the same speed would represent the energy of fifteen -million foot-tons (Lodge); or when, according to J. J. Thomson, the -combined speed and mass of the electrons within such a milligramme of -matter would total up to the work represented by a hundred million -kilogram-metres;[121] then we can at any rate see--whatever small -variations there may be in the estimates--how immense are the -potentialities of the tiniest points of matter; how each minutest atom -comprehends, as Shelley says, "a world of loves and hatreds" (_i.e._ -positive and negative electric charges); we realize that no -manifestations of unexpected power are _per se_ incredible; and we are -indeed rather inclined to wonder how it is that these great inter-atomic -energies do not more often force themselves on our attention! - -It is evident that any such condition of being as we have supposed in -the case of the 'inner' or 'spiritual' body, might afford means for the -liberation--even from a single atom--of forces amply sufficient for the -most 'miraculous' phenomena; and we are led to wonder and to ask whether -it may not be the case that, after all, our gross bodies are really a -hindrance rather than a help--whether it may not be true that the powers -we could exert _without_ them and independently of muscles and sinews -and hands and feet would be far greater than those we actually do exert -by means of these organs and appendages; whether, in fact, our gross -bodies do not exercise a _limiting_ effect, confining our activities to -certain very clearly specified directions, and within certain very -definite bounds? At any rate, this point of view is worth considering. - -Certainly the well-established facts of telepathy, and the equally -well-established facts of the projection of phantoms from persons dying, -or passing through great danger, to friends even at a great distance, -seem to show that the inner self of one person can send out rays or in -some way impress itself on the inner self of another far-off -person;[122] and this, under the theory of electrons moving at -prodigious speed, seems not impossible. For though there is a difficulty -in supposing ordinary physical vibrations or radiations to reach -effectively from one person to another (say a thousand miles away) on -account of the law of space itself, which makes such radiations diminish -in intensity as the square of the distance increases, yet in the case of -electrical radiations it seems possible to suppose two people related to -each other as positive and negative poles--in which case the radiations -of electric charges would pass along lines connecting the two, and with -comparatively little loss of intensity. Our present rather crude and -lumbering bodies probably impede these subtle exertions of force; and -the fact (already noted once or twice) of the greater activity of people -in the telepathic or phantasmogenetic directions, when they are -themselves outwardly in a dying or exhausted condition, seems to point -to a considerable liberation of these powers after death. - -On the other hand, the well-established facts of perceptivity at a great -distance, or without the mediation of the gross body and the usual -end-organs, point in the same direction. Considerable investigations -have been made in this subject; and not only is the evidence for -occasional clairvoyance at a distance well established, but there are -curious cases in which the faculty of sight or of hearing seems to be -transferred from its natural organ to some other part of the body, as of -seeing with the knee, or the stomach, or the finger-tips. Myers gives -considerable attention to this subject, and thinks that Professor -Fontan's experiments[123] "cannot lightly be set aside"; while Lombroso -quotes an hysterical patient of his own, a girl of fourteen, who lost -the sight of her eyes, but was able to read perfectly with the lobe of -her left ear! Later on, in the same patient, the sense of smell -concentrated itself in the heel of her foot! Mrs. Piper, as is well -known, commonly raises her _hand_ for the sitter to speak into, as if it -were her ear. And in cases of somnambulism the sleepwalker will -sometimes move securely through difficult or dangerous places with eyes -absolutely closed. All these things seem to point to an aboriginal power -of perception independent of the end-organs. It is obvious that if in -the course of evolution our present faculties of sight, hearing, and so -forth have been developed from the diffused sensitivity of an amoeba or -some such creature, then those faculties must have existed, in their -undifferentiated state, in the amoeba; or, to put the matter another way, -the faculty of sight clearly does not reside in the cornea of the eye, -or in the crystalline lens, or even in the retina itself; which are -merely an apparatus evolved for dealing with the details of the matter. -The retina catches the light-disturbance, and the optic nerve conveys it -to the brain, and the brain-cells are agitated by it; but where does -_sight_ come in? At some point, doubtless, the agitations of the -brain-cells or of their internal molecules are _seen_ and interpreted; -but the being that sees and interprets them may (we had almost said -_must_) be capable of directly seeing and interpreting similar -agitations in the outer world--that is, it may or must by its nature be -capable of seeing the events of the outer world without the mediation of -the end-organs or the brain. Frederick Myers, dealing with this subject, -says:--"I start from the thesis that the perceptive power within us -precedes and is independent of the specialized sense-organs, which it -has developed for earthly use. 'It is the mind that sees and the mind -that hears, the other things are blind and deaf.'"[124] He thinks that -in the development or unfolding of life on our planet "certain -sensibilities got themselves defined and stereotyped upon the organism -by the evolution of end-organs. Others failed to get thus externalized; -but may, for aught we know, persist nevertheless in the central -organs."[125] It is evident--however we may explain the matter--that -activities and sensibilities do persist and manifest themselves in the -human organism quite independent of the ordinary and stereotyped -end-organs, and this fact must go far to persuade us, not only that -there is an inner, a more subtle, and a more durable body than that -which we usually recognize, but that in some respects this latter body -is a limitation and a hindrance to the activity of the former, and to -the swiftness and range of the perceptions of the soul. - - * * * * * - -What, then, it will naturally be asked, is the object or purpose or use -of our incarnation in this grosser body?--why, if there is such an -ethereal or spiritual frame within, should it thus tend to accrete -denser particles upon itself and ultimately to clothe itself in a -vesture of so opaque and material a nature? It would be rash to attempt -to answer so profound a question offhand--off one's own bat as it were; -and still more rash perhaps to accept any of the ready-made answers -which are offered in such profusion, and in so many different jargons -and lingos, by the sects and schools, from the Gnostics and Theosophists -to the most philistine of the chapels and churches. Yet if one may -venture a suggestion, it would seem rather likely that the object and -purpose and use of this process by which the soul is entangled in -matter, and its operation and perception so strangely hampered and -limited, is--limitation; that _limitation_ itself and even _hindrance_ -are part and parcel of the great scheme of the soul's deliverance. But -the further consideration of this I will defer to a later chapter.[126] - - - - - CHAPTER XII - - REINCARNATION - - -There is a good deal of talk indulged in, on the subject of -Reincarnation--talk of a rather cheap character. One does not quite see -what is the use of saying that the _ego_ will be reincarnated again some -day, unless one has some sort of idea what one means by the _ego_, and -unless one has some understanding of the sense in which the word -"reincarnation" is used. If it is meant that your local and external -self, approximately as you and your friends know it to-day--including -dress, facial outline, professional skill, accomplishments, habits of -mind and body, interests and enthusiasms--is going to repeat itself -again in five or five hundred years, or has already appeared in this -form in the past; one can only say "impossible!" and "I trust not!" For -all these things depend on date, locality, heredity, surrounding -institutions, social habits, current morality, and so forth, -which--though they have certainly played their part in the spirit's -growth--must infallibly be different at any other period (short of the -whole universe repeating itself). And anyhow to have them repeated again -_da capo_ at some future time would be terribly dull. But if you say "Of -course I don't mean anything so silly as _that_," it becomes incumbent -on you to say what you do mean. - -Supposing, for instance, you had been planked down a baby in the Arabian -desert, and grown up to maturity or middle age there, instead of where -you are, would any of your present-day friends recognize you? Where -would be your charming piano-playing, your excellent cricket, your -rather sloppy water-color painting, your up-to-dateness in the -theatrical world? Where your morality (with three wives of course) or -your religion (something about "Christian dogs"), or where your British -_sang froid_ and impeccability? And if it is obvious that in such a case -as this you would, owing to the changed conditions, be changed out of -all recognition, much more--one might say--would this be the case if you -had been born five hundred years ago, or were to be born again five -hundred years hence. Your whole outlook on life, and its whole impress -on you, would be different. - -Of course I am not meaning, by these remarks, to say that reincarnation -is in itself impossible or absurd; that would be prejudging the -question. All I mean at present is that if we are going to study this -subject, or theorize upon it, it is really necessary to define in some -degree the terms which we use. I do not say that you, the reader, might -not be reincarnated, but I think it is clear that if you were, we should -have a good deal of trouble in following and finding you! It is clear -that the _you_, so reappearing, would not be your well-known local and -external self, but some deep nucleus, difficult perhaps for your best -friend to recognize, and possibly even unknown or unrecognized by -yourself at present. And similarly of some friend that you love for a -thousand little tricks and ways. We all have such friends, and at times -cherish a sentimental romance of their being restored to us in some -future aeon habited in their old guise and with their well-worn frocks -and coats. But surely it is no good playing at hide-and-seek like that. -The common difficulties about the conventional heaven--the difficulty -about meeting your old friend who used to be so good at after-dinner -stories, about meeting him with a harp in his hand and sitting on a damp -cloud--is no whit the less a difficulty whatever future world may be the -_rendezvous_. He would be changed (externally) and we should be changed, -and it might well happen that if we did seem to recall any former -intimacy we should both feel like strangers, and be as shy and tentative -in our approaches to each other as school-children. - -What do we mean by the letter "I"? and what do we mean by the word -Reincarnation? These two questions wait for a reply. - -The first is a terribly difficult question. It lies (though neglected by -the philosophers themselves) at the root of all philosophy. Perhaps -really all life and experience are nothing but an immense search for the -answer. What do we mean by the Ego? It is a sort of fundamental -question, which it might be supposed would precede all other questions, -but which as a matter of fact seems to be postponed to all others, and -is the last to be solved. All we can at the outset be sure of in the way -of answer is the enormous extent and depth of the being we are setting -out to define. We sometimes think of the _ego_ as a mere point of -consciousness, or we think of the ordinary self of daily life as a -fragile and ephemeral entity bounded by a few bodily tissues and a few -mental views and habits. But even the slight discussion of the subject -in former chapters of this book (chapters vi., vii., and so forth) has -revealed to us the vast underlying stores and faculties which must be -included--the wonderful powers of memory, the subtle capacities of -perception at a distance, or without the usual organs of sight and -hearing, the power of creating images out of the depths of one's mind, -and of impressing them telepathically upon others, the faculty of -clairvoyance in past and future time, and so forth. The more we try to -fathom this ego, with which we supposed ourselves so familiar, the more -we are amazed at its labyrinthine profundity, and the more we are -astonished to think that we should ever have ventured to limit it to -such a petty formula and conventional symbol as we commonly do--not only -in our judgment of friends, but even in our estimate of ourselves. - -Reincarnation, as we have already said, can hardly be the reappearance, -in a new life on earth (or even in some other sphere), of the very local -and superficial traits which we know so well in ourselves and our -friends--which are mainly a response to local and superficial -conditions, and which mainly constitute what we call our personalities. -If reincarnation does occur, it must obviously consist in the -reappearance or remanifestation of some such very interior self as we -have just spoken of--some deep individuality (as opposed to -personality), some divine aeonian soul, some offshoot perhaps of an -age-long enduring Race-soul, or World-self--and in that sort of sense -only shall I use the word in future. - -In that sense the idea is feasible and illuminative. It explains the -obvious limitations and localism of our personalities, as being more or -less passing and temporary embodiments of our true selves; and it -represents the latter as immense storehouses of experience from all -manner of places and times, and similarly as centres of world-activity -operating in different fields of time and space. At the same time, it -presents various difficulties. For one thing, it poses the difficulty -that for each of us this vast interior being is, as a rule, so deeply -buried that both oneself and one's friends are only faintly -conscious--if at all--of its true outline. And if one does not recognize -this being, of what use is it to us? It is true that we sometimes meet -people who at first sight give us a strong impression of far-back -intimacy; but this is only a vague impression and hardly sufficient to -afford proof of pre-existence. The only way of meeting this difficulty -seems to be to suppose, as residing in this inner being or true self, -another order of consciousness, faint intimations of which we even now -have, and by which, as it grows and develops, we may some day clearly -recognize our true selves and true nature. - -Another difficulty is that (as already said) for any satisfactory sense -of survival continuity of memory is needed; and we should have to -suppose that the memory of each earth-life was continued into and stored -up in this deeper soul or aeonian self. Memory would not normally pass -from one embodiment or incarnation to another, but each stream would -flow into the central self and there be stored. And I think we may admit -that this is by no means impossible. Indeed there are not a few facts -(some already mentioned) with regard to the recovery of memory which -make the mater probable. Though any given earth-life in a given form -could not be repeated, the _memory_ of such an earth-life, fresh and -clear, may survive for an indefinite time in the crystal mirror of the -deeper consciousness.[127] And it is perhaps allowable to suppose that -in this way, and with the lifting of the opaque veil of our present -consciousness, we may some day come clearly into the presence of friends -we have lost. - -Here again, however, one has to be on one's guard. The mere fact of -remembering (or thinking one remembers), in this our terrestrial life -and with our terrestrial consciousness, some detail or other of a -previous terrestrial life proves little--for, for aught we know, quite -apart from our psychic selves, a streak of memory of more physical -origin from some ancestor may have come down even several generations, -and may be surviving in one's brain.[128] Indeed it is extremely -probable that all organic matter carries memory with it, and not -unlikely that inorganic matter does so too. If you thought, for -instance, that you remembered seeing Charles the First beheaded--if you -had a rather distinct picture in your mind of the scene at Whitehall, -which you afterwards found by investigation to be corroborated in its -details, you might at first jump to the conclusion that you had really -lived at that time, and witnessed the scene. But after all it might -merely be that an ancestor of yours had been there, and that the vividly -impressed picture had somehow persevered in some subterranean channel of -memory and emerged again in your mind. Even then you might contend that, -since it was _your_ memory, _you_ must have been there--or at any rate -some fraction of yourself in the ancestor, which now has become -incorporated in your personality. There are a good many stories of this -kind going about, which point to the possibility of the transmission of -shreds of remembrance through hereditary channels, and suggest the idea -of an active Race-memory, or Earth-memory, in itself continuous--a -storehouse of experiences, but fed continually by the individuals of the -race, and coruscating forth again in other individuals.[129] Indeed one -can hardly withhold belief in the existence of such a larger life, or -identity, 'reincarnated' if one likes to use the expression, in -thousands or millions of individuals; but to be satisfactorily assured -of the reincarnation of one distinct and individual person is another -thing, and would almost demand that there should be forthcoming not only -shreds and streaks of remembrance, but a pretty continuous and -consistent memory of a whole former life. - -Thus the whole question which we are discussing is baffled and rendered -the more complex by the doubt as to what is meant by the word "I." It is -clear, from what we have already said, that one person may use it to -indicate (1) the quite local and superficial self; while another may -have in mind (2) a much profounder being (the underlying self) whose -depths and qualities we have by no means fathomed; while others, again, -may be thinking (3) of the self of the Race or the Earth, or (4) the -All-self of the universe. - -I present these questions and doubts, not--as I have said--for the -purpose of discrediting the possibility of Reincarnation, but by way of -showing how complex and difficult the problem is, and how much _some_ -exact thought and definition is needed in dealing with it. At the same -time, in pleading for exact thought I would also urge that in avoiding -the whirlpools of sentimentalism we should be careful not to fall upon -the rocks of a dry and barren formalism. Systems of hard and fast -doctrines on these subjects--even though issued with all the authority -of ancient tradition, and enunciated in a long-dead jargon--are the most -unfruitful and uninspiring of things. They seem to contain no germ of -vitality and are liable to paralyze the mind that feeds upon them. -Besides the drawback--as I have pointed out before--that all such -systems are inevitably false. Nature does not, in any department, work -upon a cut-and-dried system; and while at the outset of an investigation -we often seem to discern something of that kind, further study -invariably discloses an astounding variety of order and method. It may -be well therefore to be prepared to find a general principle of -Reincarnation in operation in the world, but worked out, in actual fact, -in a great variety of ways. - -Certainly there comes into our minds, at a certain grade of their -development, a deep persuasion of the truth, in _some_ sense, of -reincarnation--that "the Soul that rises with us, our life's Star, -hath had elsewhere its setting." It blossoms, this persuasion, in a -curious way, in the very depths of the mind; and in moments of inner -illumination, or deep feeling, is discerned in a way that seems to -leave no room for doubt. At the same time, it not only has this -intuitive sanction, but it commends itself also to the intellect, -because at a certain stage we perceive very clearly both how vast is -the whole curve of progress which the soul has to cover from its first -birth to its final liberation, and how tiny is the arc represented by -a single lifetime--the two thoughts almost compelling us to believe -in a succession of lives as the only explanation or solution. We are -compelled towards a practical belief in Reincarnation, and yet (as -above) we have to confess that our conception of what it really is, -or what we mean by it, is only vague. This, however, is no more than -what happens in a hundred other cases. The young bird starts building -a nest for the first time, driven by some strange instinct to do so, -and yet it can only have a very dim notion of the meaning and uses -the nest will subserve when finished. And _we_ found our lives on -deep intuitions--of social solidarity, of personal responsibility, of -free will, and so forth--and yet it is only later and by degrees that -we learn what these things actually mean. - -Referring, then, to the four alternative forms of the self given two -or three pages back, and taking the last first, we may say definitely, -I think, that as far as the self of each one of us is identified (4) -with the All-self of the universe, its reincarnation is assured. -Its reincarnation indeed is perpetual, inexhaustible, multitudinous -beyond words, filling all space and time. Though the consciousness -of this self is deeply buried, yet it is there, in each one of us. -Occasionally--if even only for a moment--it rises to the surface, -bringing a sense of splendor and of joy indescribable--the absolute -freedom and password of all creation, the recognition of oneself -everywhere and in all forms. But this phase of the self--I need hardly -say--is for the most part hidden; and more common is it perhaps for the -Race-self (3) to rise into our consciousness with more or less distinct -assurance that we live again and are re-embodied in other members of -the race to which we belong. The common life of the race carries us -away and overmasters us with a strange sense of identity and community -of being. Heroisms and devotions--as of men dying for their country, -or bees for their hive--spring from this; and superb intoxications of -joy. The whole of the life of primitive races and tribes, and the life -of the animals and insects, illustrates it--in warfares, migrations, -crusades, frantic enthusiasms, mad festivals--the genius of the race -rushing on from point to point, inspiring its children, incarnating -itself without end in successive individuals. - -It is not so uncommon, I say, for us to be able to identify ourselves -with this great Race-self, and to feel its thrill and pulse within -our veins. And it might well be thought that, with these two forms of -reincarnation (3) and (4) and the immense joy they bring, we should -be content: even as all the tribes of the animals and the angels are -content. - -But it seems that man--when the civilization-period sets in, and after -that--is not content. The little individual soul, now first coming to -the consciousness of its own separateness, sets up a claim for an -immortality and a reincarnation of its very own--apart from the -Race-self, apart even from the Divine self. It demands that its _ego_ -should continue indefinitely into the farthest fields of Time--a -separate entity, perpetually re-embodied. Can such a claim--in the light -of what has been said above--be possibly conceded? - -Certainly not. We have seen the absurdity of supposing that the local -and superficial self (1) can ever recur again or be re-embodied in that -form, except as a mere matter of memory (or possibly of a repetition of -the whole universal order). And as to the underlying self (2), whatever -exactly it may be, there are a thousand reasons for seeing that _as a -wholly separate entity_ the same must be true of that. I may refer the -reader to _The Art of Creation_, the whole argument of which is to show -that even the mere attempt to _think_ of itself as a separate entity -involves the human soul in hopeless confusion and disintegration; and I -may remind the reader that we know nothing in the whole universe which -is thus separate and apart, and that the conception, whether from a -physical point of view or a psychological point of view, is impossible -to maintain. That being so, there remains only to consider the -possibility of the underlying self or individual soul being -re-embodied--not as an absolutely separate entity, but as affiliated to -some greater Life which shall afford the basis of successive -incarnations. The problem is narrowed down, practically to the question -whether the individual may not obtain some kind of individual -reincarnation through the Race-self, or possibly through the All-self of -the universe. - -And here I will state what I personally think and believe about this -problem, leaving the reasons for the present to commend themselves. I -think that in the early stages--in animal and primitive human life--the -Race-self is paramount; that each individual self proceeds from it, in -much the same way as a bud proceeds from the stem of a growing plant, or -even as a single cell forms part of the tissue of the stem; and is -absorbed into it again at death. There are no individual and -death-surviving souls produced, apart from the Race-soul. In the great -race or family of bunny-rabbits, for instance--though there are -certainly individual differences of character--just as there are -differentiations of tissue-cells in the stem of a plant--it is difficult -to believe that there are individual and immortal souls. Each little -self springs from the race, and is an embodiment of it, representing in -various degree its characteristics; and at death--in some way which we -do not yet quite understand[130]--returns thither, yielding its -experiences to the stores of the race-experience. The same is probably -true of the great mass of the higher animals, even up to the primitive -and earliest Man. The Race-self in all these cases moves onward, -upgathering the experiences of the individuals, wise with their united -knowledge, and rich with their countless memories. And these tracts -again, of experience, knowledge and memory, largely in a vague and -generalized form, but sometimes in sharp, individualized and detailed -form, are transmitted from the Race-self to its later individuals and -offshots. Thus a kind of broken reincarnation occurs, by which streaks -of memory and habit pass down time from one individual to another, and -by which perhaps--in us later races--the persistent 'intimations of -immortality' and persuasions of having lived before are accounted for. - -I think that this process, of mixed and broken reincarnation, may go on -for countless generations--the animal or animal-human souls so -differentiated from the race-soul returning continually to the latter at -death. But that a period may come when the Race-self (illustrated by the -growing plant-stem) may exhibit distinct _buds_--the embryos, as it -were, of independent souls--which will not return and be lost again in -the race-soul, but will persevere for a long period and continually -attain to more differentiation and internal coherence and sense of -identity. In such cases any reincarnations that occur connected with -these buds--though mingled with the race-life--will become much less -broken than before, and more distinctly individual; till at last a phase -is reached when such a soul-bud, almost detached from the race-life, may -be reincarnated (or let us say 're-embodied') as a separate entity, with -a kind of immortality of its own. - -It must be at this stage that the characteristic human soul of the -Civilization-period is evolved--which coheres quite firmly round itself, -which protests and revolts against death, which even largely throws off -its allegiance to the race-soul, and to the laws and solidarities of the -race-life, and which has an enormous and overweening sense of identity -and self-importance, claiming for itself, as I have just said, a kind of -separate persistence. Here ensues, as may be imagined, a terrible period -of confusion and trouble--the whole period of competitive civilization. -The splendid claim of identity and immortality is made; but for the time -being it is spoiled by what we call 'selfishness,' the mirror is cracked -through ignorance. The Soul has disowned her allegiance to mere instinct -and the race-self, and has yet not found a firm footing beyond--is only -floundering in the bogs of self-consciousness and anxiety. What kind of -Re-embodiment may belong to this period we shall best perhaps see when -we have considered the further course of the argument. - -For at last the process of transition completes itself. The human soul -tossed about beyond endurance at length discovers within itself a divine -Nucleus--a nucleus of growth and life and refuge and security, apart -from its own fragility, quite apart from the race-life, independent of -all the latter's laws and conventions and sanctions and traditions, -independent of caste or color, of world-period or locality; and from -that moment it (the soul) rests; it ceases (like the little rose of -Jericho) from its desert wanderings; it radiates itself and begins to -grow from a new centre; it is born again; it becomes the beginning of -what may be called a Divine Soul. The man becomes conscious of an -ethereal body forming within, unassailable or at least undestroyable by -Death; and it is probable that, during this period, the subtle organism -which we have already termed the Inner or Spiritual Body (ch. x.) _is_ -actually forming and defining and, so to speak, consolidating itself. -The subtle body of a more perfect being is forming--a body which can -pass unharmed through walls, fire, water, which can navigate the air and -the planetary spaces, and which is built on the basis of the ether, -itself the all-pervading life-substance of creation. A divine soul is -coming to expression, an _ego_ indeed, marvellously different and -distinct from all other _egos_, and ever more majestic and unique -growing; but rooted deep in the universal self, and ever from that root -expanding and sharing the life of that self and of all its children. - -With the formation of this divine soul, re-embodiment in its complete -and adequate sense commences. The spiritual or subtle body formed within -the gross body retains its characteristics after the death of the latter -(many of which characteristics no doubt hardly gained expression in the -one life just ended)--and passes on to other spheres, there to assume -more or less definitely material bodies according to the sphere and the -conditions in which it may need to move. It may seek re-embodiment on -earth through ordinary heredity and childbirth--in which case presumably -it enters into the growing germ, and moulds the development of the -latter to an adequate, if not to a quite perfect and unsullied, -expression of itself. If the reincarnation is to be into ordinary human -and terrestrial life, this is probably the only available method. And it -would seem that some advanced and well-nigh perfect souls do adopt this -method, appearing as infants with a kind of divinity about them, and a -germinal purity so great as to seem to proceed from an 'immaculate -conception.' - -But to most, in this stage, the toil and tedium of passing through -embryonic life and physical birth and infancy may well appear -intolerable; and since by now they have developed the subtle or -spiritual body and the powers belonging to it, this ordeal is no longer -necessary. The subtle body can--as we have gathered from former -chapters--by a process of condensation clothe itself in a visible or -even tangible vesture,[131] and may function, at any rate for a time, in -such outer or apparitional form without going through all the -_abracadabra_ of birth. If on the earth, such functioning can only be -very temporary, owing to the difficulty here of the conditions, and of -the supply of the necessary condensation-material; but in other and less -ponderous spheres the difficulty is probably much less, and the -formation of suitable bodies comparatively easy. Anyhow, it will be seen -that reincarnation of this second kind is unitary and single in -character instead of being divided or fragmentary; it is unalloyed -instead of being broken and mixed;[132] and a vision rises before us, in -connection with it, of ever-growing forms and more perfect -life-embodiments carrying out, one after another in long succession, the -evolution and expression of each divine soul or separate ray of -universal being. - -Thus in answer to query two, on an early page of this chapter, we may -say that there are two kinds of reincarnation proper--quite different -from each other:--(1) That of the race-self in which the individual -members of the race share only in a streaky fashion, each going back at -death into the race-soul, and emptying its memories and experiences into -that soul for general sporadic inheritance, but not for transmission in -mass to any one later individual; and (2) that of the individual who has -found his divine soul and evolved his inner body to a point where it -cannot be broken up again; and who is thus reincarnated or re-embodied -complete through successive materializations or condensations, in other -spheres and without again undergoing the ordinary race-birth and death. - -But though these two represent the normal forms of reincarnation, a -third kind should be added which represents the transition from one to -the other, and which is important for us because it mainly covers the -period in which we now are--the great period of civilization. We saw how -the soul of the animal is so close to the race-self, and so little -differentiated from it, that it probably returns quite easily into the -race-self at death; and this is likely to be the same with very early or -primitive man. But when the distinctly human soul begins to form and to -shape itself, it does not so easily forget its individuality and -obliterate itself in that from which it sprang. And so we have the -tentative, half-formed human soul, by no means well assured of itself, -or certain of its own powers, and by no means perfect or contented, but -much persuaded of its own importance and anxiously seeking reincarnation -as a separate entity--and seeking this by the only means available to -it, _i.e._ through heredity and birth as a member of the race. - -It is a painful situation and experience. The soul, as human and not -animal soul, is longing to separate itself from the race, to mark its -distinction and independence--yet it has not, so far, found the divine -nucleus which alone can give it real independence; and it can only gain -expression and manifestation through the race-self and the ordinary -paraphernalia of birth and death. It has learned no other way. Moreover, -it is not yet completely differentiated from the race-self. It thus -arrives at what can only be a very mingled and broken expression. Some -father-stream and some mother-stream uniting, as it were, in the -psychological neighborhood of this half-formed soul give it the desired -opportunity; and blending itself with them it comes down into the -world--a being of triple nature, embryonic and incompletely formed in -itself, and utilizing as best it can the diverse elements of its -maternal and paternal sources. Its career, consequently, and its life on -earth are marked by a continual inner struggle and conflict--both -physiological and psychological (due to the effort of the soul to bend -the race-life and the elements of corporeal heredity to its own uses), -and in strange contrast both with the hardihood and calm insouciance of -the animals, in whom the race-life is untampered, and with the -transparent health and serenity of those other beings in whom the divine -soul has finally established its sovereignty. - -Such, briefly described, are I believe the outlines of the reincarnation -story. To put it in a few words, the whole process by which the -race-self evolves and finally gives birth to myriads of free, -independent and deathless individuals curiously resembles and may well -be illustrated by a certain biological phenomenon common both in the -vegetable and the animal worlds. Some growing stem or portion of tissue, -perhaps of a plant, perhaps of a sponge or higher organism, is at first -of a simple homogeneous character, fairly uniform and undifferentiated: -but after a time it exhibits knobs and inequalities, which presently -define themselves in a sort of _botryoidal_ or clustered bud-like growth -(as, for instance, in the spadix of an arum or the ovary of a mammal); -finally these knobs or buds become entirely distinct and fully formed, -and are thrown off 'free,' as seeds (in the case of plants and animals), -or gemmules (in the case of sponges), or spores (in ferns and mosses), -or as fresh and complete individuals in many aquatic creatures--in any -case to enter on the beginnings of a free and independent life of their -own. This kind of process, anyhow, is found in every department of -biology, and it may well be that it extends upward even into the highest -domains. The growing stem--proliferating cells without number, which are -born and die in a kind of even uniformity within the limits of the -stem--corresponds to the race-self in its early stages; the formation of -knobs and buds in various degrees of clustered development corresponds -to the partial growth of human souls out of the race-soul; and the -liberation of the buds and germs corresponds to the liberation of the -human souls into the freedom of a universal life. - - - - - CHAPTER XIII - - THE DIVINE SOUL - - -The liberation of buds and germs, as in the biological processes alluded -to in the last chapter, is in general connected with sex, and brought -about by its operation. And, similarly, I think we may say that the -liberation of human souls and their disengagement from the race-matrix -is brought about by love. I have already pointed out (ch. ix.) the -intensely personal and individualizing character of human love. If one -can imagine a love-relation going on between two members of a race--two -portions, as it were, of the race-soul--at present only slightly -individualized, one can see how the attraction to each other, the -drawing away from their surroundings, the excitement, the agitation, all -tend to further their growth as individuals--to give them form, apart -from the matrix in which they are embedded, and definition and -character. Of course all experience does this, but most of all and most -deeply does love. It breeds souls out of the Race-self, and finally -brings them away to an independent life. "It is for this that the body -exercises its tremendous attraction--that mortal love torments and tears -asunder the successive generations of mankind--That underneath and after -all the true men and women may appear, by long experience emancipated." - -As said in an early chapter, in love, though we do not know exactly what -is happening, we are persuaded that something very profound and -far-reaching is working itself out. And one such thing, I am sure, is -the liberation of the soul of the lover--and, in less degree, the soul -of the loved one. The tremendous experiences and convulsions, the -profound stirrings, and the wrenchings from old ties and associations, -do at last not only build the soul up into a distinct individuality, but -they dig it up from its roots in the race and plant it out in the great -Eden garden of emancipated humanity--the beginning of a new career.[133] - -Another thing that I think is happening is that when love is strongly -reciprocated the elements (as we have seen several times already), -whether physical or psychical, pass over from one to the other and are -interchanged--regenerating and immensely enlarging the life and capacity -of each individual. This happens, I believe, in all grades of the -universal life, from the Protozoa upwards. Two individuals drawn -together interchange some elements of their being, and grow thereby into -a larger and grander life; or may even in cases fuse completely into one -individual person. As Swedenborg says somewhere:--"Those who are truly -married on earth are in heaven one Angel." - -Thirdly, I think that the reciprocated love of two sometimes creates a -_new soul_. We are familiar with the idea that the love (sexual) of two -bodies commonly creates a new body; and there is an age-long tradition -that the same is true in the world of souls. There is in that world -also, not only regeneration but generation. "Love is the desire of -generation in the beautiful, both _with relation to the soul and the -body_," says Plato;[134] and Ellen Key, in a passage already quoted -above (ch. iv., p. 61), says that "two beings _through_ one another may -become a new being, and a greater than either could be of itself alone." -By love a new soul is sometimes generated which takes possession of both -persons, and which suggests--as in the Swedenborg phrase above--that in -some other sphere they really become one. And by love, we may also -think, between man and wife, a new soul or soul-bud is sometimes -created, which may descend into and vivify the physical germ of their -future child. - -To consider this last point a moment. The connection between heredity -and the individual self is very mysterious. We acknowledge our descent, -and what we owe, both mentally and bodily, to our parentage; but we are -fain to think of our _ego_ as something apart, something not to be -confused with parents, and by no means merely derivative from them. -Sometimes indeed there is great harmony between this _ego_ and the -parental inheritance, sometimes much the reverse; sometimes the line -between the two is doubtful and uncertain. What is the explanation of -all this? and what are the true facts of the relationship? - -Does it not seem likely that, in the intense organic excitement which -attends sexual union, this excitement--especially if strong love be also -present--reaches right down into the soul-depths of each person, -stirring these also, and the race oversoul at that point, most -profoundly? So that, at the same moment that the germ of a bodily child -is being fertilized, there is formed in the race-soul a soul-bud -corresponding, which consequently descends into the physical germ and -becomes its organizing life--the soul-bud thus being related to the -souls of the parents, somewhat as the physical germ is related to their -bodies? It springs, in fact, from a related portion of the -race-oversoul. - -Or again, does it not seem likely that in some cases, instead of a quite -new bud being formed, the profound stirring of the race-life in that -vicinity causes some older and more developed soul-bud--which has -perhaps already had some earth-experiences--to wake into activity and -take possession of the germ? In the first case mentioned the child born -will be singularly like the parents, and in nature harmonious with them, -with very little extraneous in its character, and with the fair prospect -before it of a smooth and even career. But in this latter case, though -the child will be harmonious with the parents it will have great depths -beside, of authentic character of its own which will show out as time -goes on. - -And again, if deep love be absent, and consequently there is no special -birth or awakening of souls in that region where they should be related -to the body which is being born--what is likely to happen? Is it not -likely that some other soul-bud, or soul which chance or other -indication of destiny may bring that way, may enter in and possess the -developing organism? And is it not likely, then, that strife and -conflict and doubt may also enter in, causing a character of mixed -elements, possibly leading to heroic developments, but also probably to -a broken or tragic life-story? - - * * * * * - -As in the earliest and most primitive developments of life, so in the -latest and most exalted, the soul is born through love, and through love -it grows and expands. It may indeed be asked whether any other way is -possible. Oppositions and conflicts may give form to the growing thing, -and help to carve its outlines; but this gives it expansion. Every -profound attachment necessarily modifies and enlarges the man. It pulls -him out of his little orbit into a wider path--even if for the moment -with some amount of eccentricity. Something is incorporated in his life -which was not part of it before--something possibly which he did not -before appreciate or understand. What we now are--whether mentally or -physically--is an epitome of multitudinous loves in the past. The very -cell-alliances which constitute our bodies are the records of endless -heart-yearnings and romances (dating from far-back ages, and even now -enduring) among a tiny people to us well-nigh invisible. And we may ask -ourselves whether in the regions above and beyond our present life there -may not be soul-alliances and even soul-fusions, by which we humans in -our turn build up the very life of the gods? Plato in his _Symposium_, -speaking of the strange desire of lovers for each other, makes -Aristophanes say:[135]--"But the soul of each manifestly thirsts for, -from the other, something which there are no words to describe, and -divines that which it seeks, and traces obscurely the footsteps of its -obscure desire. If Vulcan should say to persons thus affected, 'My good -people, what is it that you want with one another?' And if, while they -were hesitating what to answer, he should proceed to ask--'Do you not -desire the closest union and singleness to exist between you, so that -you may never be divided night or day? If so, I will melt you together, -and make you grow into one, so that both in life and death ye may be -undivided. Consider, is this what you desire? Will it content you if you -become that which I propose?'--We all know that no one would refuse such -an offer, but would at once feel that this was what he had ever sought; -and intimately to mix and melt and to be melted together with his -beloved, so that one should be made out of two." And we may -think--though this strange and intimate longing is never fulfilled, as -we know, in the actual earth-life--that it still may possibly be an -indication (as happens in other cases) of something which really is -working itself out in the unseen world. - -It was suggested, in the end of chapter xi. above, that limitation and -hindrance are a part of the cosmic scheme of the creation of souls, and -that there is a purpose in these things in regard to this mortal life. -It was also suggested that the profound soul-stuff of which we are made -is capable of infinitely swifter and more extended perceptions than -those of which we are usually aware; and that there is a good deal of -evidence to show that perceptive powers of this kind--quite independent -of the usual end-organs of sight, hearing, taste, and so forth, still -linger buried deep down within us. The question then naturally arises, -If this limitation of faculty really exists as a fundamental fact of our -mortal life, what purpose does it subserve?--And the answer to this is, -I think, very clear. - -It subserves the evolution of Self-consciousness and of the sense of -Identity. It is obvious that diffused faculties and perceptions, however -swift and powerful, could never have brought these gifts with them. It -was only by pinning sensitiveness down to a point in space and time, by -means of a body, and _limiting_ its perceptions by means of bodily -end-organs, that these new values could be added to creation--the local -self and the sense of Identity. All the variety of human and animal -nature, all the endless differences of points of view, all diversity and -charm of form and character and temperament must be credited to this -principle; and whatever vagaries and delusions the consequent growth of -self-consciousness and selfness may have caused, it is incontestable -that through the development of Identity mankind and all creation must -ultimately rise to a height of glory and splendor otherwise -unimaginable. - -And not only limitation but also hindrance. These things give an -intensity and passion to life, and a power and decisiveness to -individuality, the absence of which would indeed be sad. As a -water-conduit by limiting the spread of the stream and confining it in a -close channel gives it velocity and force to drive the mill, so -limitation and hindrance in human life give the individualized energy -from which, for good or evil, all our world-activities spring. As the -Lord says in Goethe's Prologue to _Faust_:-- - - "Of all the spirits of denial - The mischief-maker I most tolerate, - For man's activity doth all too soon unravel; - Of slumber he seems never satiate; - Therefore I gladly hand him to a mate - Who'll plague and prick, and play in fact the Devil." - -Over a long period in this cosmic process this action, we may think, -goes on. The vast and pervasive soul-stuff of the universe, in its -hidden way omniscient and omnipresent, suffers an obscuration and a -limitation, and is condensed into a bodily prison in a point of space -and time; but with a consequent explosive energy incalculable. The -Devil--_diabolos_ the slanderer and the sunderer, the principle of -division--reigns. To him, the 'milk and water' heaven of universal but -vague benevolence is detestable. He builds up the actual, fascinating, -tragic, indispensable world that we know. Selfishness and ignorance, the -two great Powers of discord and separation, are his ministers; the earth -is his theatre of convulsive hatreds and soul-racking passion; and our -mortal life, instead of being the fair channel of cosmic activities, -becomes a "stricture knot," as Whitman calls it, and a symbol of -disease. - -But this diabolonian process is only one segment of the whole. After the -long descent and condensation and imprisonment of the spirit in its most -limited and inert and self-regarding forms, after its saturation in -matter, and its banishment in the world of death and suffering, the -rising curve of liberation sets in, and the long process of its return. -It is through love mainly, as we have seen, that this second process -works itself out. From point to point through unison with others, by -absorbing something from their experience, by sharing a wider life, the -spirit's manifestation grows. By this the great tree of organic life -spreads upon the earth; by this each race-stem multiplies its tissues -and expands; by this the buds of human souls are formed; and by this the -souls themselves are freed to independent life, and ultimately to circle -again "dancing and sporting" as Plutarch says, "like joyous satellites -round about their sun in heaven." There is continual Transformation; but -there is also continuity from end to end. For every being there is -continuance, but continuance only by change. Each soul is a gradual -rising to consciousness of the All-soul; a gradual liberation and -self-discovery of the divine germ within it. First the race-soul rising -toward this consciousness, and then the individual souls thrown off, -rising each independently toward the same. It is when the latter are -moving over from their (instinctive and so to speak organic) community -with the race-soul to a distinct and separate knowledge of and -allegiance to the divine germ now declaring within themselves, that all -this period of confusion and dismay, naturally enough, occurs--this that -we have called the period of Civilization and the Fall of man--the -period in which indeed we are now so fatefully involved. But it is in -this period too that 'divine souls' are formed, and their feet first set -upon the path of splendor. - -Love indicates immortality. No sooner does the human being perceive -this divine nucleus within himself than he knows his eternal destiny. -Plunged in matter and the gross body he has learned the lesson of -identity and separateness. All that the devil can teach him he has -faithfully absorbed. Now he has to expand that identity, for ever -unique, into ever vaster spheres of activity--to become finally a -complete and finished aspect of the One. - - - - - CHAPTER XIV - - THE RETURN JOURNEY - - -We have seen that there is some reason for believing that, -simultaneously with the birth or coming to consciousness of what we have -called the divine soul, there occurs within us the formation of a -'spiritual' or very subtly material body. This body, if only composed of -atoms, may easily be so fine and subtle as to pass practically unchanged -through ordinary gross matter--the walls, for instance, and other -obstacles that surround us. (At this moment there is an astronomical -theory current that the stellar universe consists of two vast -star-systems which are passing in nearly opposite directions right -_through each other_.) If composed of electrons its subtlety and -pervasive powers must be much greater. Moreover, its fineness and -subtlety would make it difficult of destruction. The ordinary agents of -death--physical violence, water, fire, and so forth--would, as already -pointed out, hardly reach it; and it is easy to suppose that it might -continue onwards and perdure in stability and activity for thousands of -years. Even the Atom of matter, which is now regarded as a complex -system of electrons, is supposed to have an immensely extended -lifetime--nearly two thousand years in the case of Radium, and much -longer in the case of all other substances; and if two thousand years or -thereabouts is the minimum lifetime of an atom, it is not difficult to -suppose that the lifetime of a subtle body composed as above described -may be equally or much more extended. - -During its lifetime, the radio-active atom, slowly disintegrating, pours -out a prodigious amount of energy; and in the process apparently is -transformed and takes on other characters and qualities. Radium for -instance, or rather some products of its disintegration, are thought to -take on the characters of Helium and of Lead. And similarly we have -every reason to believe that the subtle body of Man is continually -pouring out energy on all sides, radiating like a sun--pouring out -mental states, sensible forms, influences of all kinds, even images of -itself, and so continually entering into a wider life and touch with -others, and undergoing a slow transformation of its outer form. At the -same time--and leading to the same results--it is continually storing up -in its recesses impressions and memories for the seed of future -expression and development. - -It may be imagined that the gross terrestrial body--though splendidly -necessary for the localizing of the Self, and the establishment of the -sense of identity, and for the electric accumulation of stores of -emotion and passion, and so forth--acts on the whole in such a way as to -greatly hamper and limit the activities of the inner body; and we can -imagine that (as at death and under other special conditions) the -liberation from the gross body is naturally accompanied by an enormous -extension of faculty. The soul in its new and subtler form passes out -into an immensely wider sphere of action and perception--so much so, -indeed, as to make direct converse between the two worlds (the new world -it is in, and the old one it has left) difficult to establish and very -difficult permanently to maintain. The author of _Interwoven_ says (p. -221) that the first body and the second body differ greatly in their -chemical particles, "and so the same degree of sight and hearing is not -possible.... _We_ have just as much trouble to see the outsides of -things as mortals have to see the insides." - -Nor can we place a necessary limit to the birth of finer bodies. There -may be a succession of such things. The electron brings us very near to -a _mental_ state; for whereas an Atom--conceived as similar to the speck -of dust which one can roll between one's fingers, only much more -minute--seems to have no relation to mentality, a tiny electric charge, -capable of conveying a _shock_, comes very close! And at that stage the -truth becomes apparent that the inner intelligent being in all things is -the core, and the body is only the surface of contact--the surface, in -fact, along which one intelligence administers shocks to another! With -liberation from the gross body that surface may grow enormously -extended, and it may become possible to _touch_ or _see_, or to render -oneself visible or tangible, to others far beyond all ordinary -possibilities of contact or perception. - -The succession of finer bodies may exist in any gradation, from what we -call gross matter to the subtlest ether of emotion. At any rate we can -see that at every stage there will be a finer body which is _more_ of -the nature of thought, and an outer and coarser which is less so. As the -gifted author of _The Science of Peace_, Bhagavan Das, says:--"At each -stage the Jiva-core (_i.e._ the core of the living individual) consists -of matter of the inner plane, while its outer upadhi (or sheath) -consists of matter of the outer plane; and when a person says, I think, -I act, it means that the matter of the inner core, which is the I, for -the time being, is actually, positively, modified by, or is itself -modifying in a certain manner, the outer real world." The inner film of -matter (or mind), as he says, "is posing and masquerading, for the time -being, as the truly immaterial self." - -This central Self we can never _wholly_ reach, but the movement of each -divine soul is toward it; and the assurance and salvation of each soul -is in the growing sense of union with it. The personal self can only -'survive' by ever fading and changing toward the universal. Our inner -identity is fixed, but our outward identity we can only preserve by, as -it were, forever losing it. - -After life's fitful fever--after the insurgence and resurgence of -passions; after the heart-breaking struggles which are forced upon -some for the sake of a mere material footing upon the earth; after the -deadly sufferings which others must undergo in order to gain scantiest -allowance and expression of their inner and spiritual selves; after the -mortal conflict and irreconcilableness of material and mental needs; -the battles with opponents, the betrayal of friends, the fading and -souring of pleasures, and the dissipation of ideals--the consent of -mankind goes to affirm and confirm the conclusion that sleep is well, -sleep is desirable. As after a hard day's labor, when the sinews are -torn and the mind is racked, Nature's soft nurse commends a period of -rest and healing--so it would seem fitting that a similar period should -follow, for the human soul, on the toil and the dislocation of life. - -It seems indeed probable--and a long tradition confirms the idea--that -the human soul at death does at first pass, with its cloud-vesture of -memories and qualities, into some intermediate region, _astral_ rather -than _celestial_ (if we may use words which we do not understand), some -Purgatory or Hades, rather than Paradise or Olympus; and for a long -period does remain there quiescent, surveying its past, recovering from -the shocks and outrages of mortal experience, knitting up and smoothing -out the broken and tangled threads, trying hard to understand the -pattern. It seems probable that there is a long period of such digestion -and reconcilement and slow brooding over the new life which has to be -formed. Indeed when one comes to think of it, it seems difficult--if -there is to be continuance at all--to imagine anything else. When one -thinks of the strange contradictions of our mortal life, the hopelessly -antagonistic elements, the warring of passions, the shattering of -ideals, the stupor of monotony: the soul like a bird shut in a cage, or -with bright wings draggled in the mire; the horrible sense of sin which -torments some people, the mad impulses which tyrannize over others; the -alternations of one's own personality on different days, or at different -depths and planes of consciousness; the supraliminal and the subliminal; -the smug Upper-self with its petty satisfactions and its precise and -precious logic, and the great Under-self now rising (in the hour of -death) like some vast shadowy figure or genius, out of the abyss of -being--when one thinks of all this one feels that if there is to be any -sanity or sequence in the conclusion, it must mean a long period of -brooding and reconciliation, and of readjustment, and even of sleep. - -At first it may well be a troubled period, of nightmare-like confusion; -but at last there must come a time when harmony is restored. The past -lifetime is spread out like a map before one--all its events fall into -their places, composed and clear. The genius, rising from the depths, -throws a strange light upon them. "This was necessary. That could not -have been otherwise. And that again which seemed so fatal, do you not -now see its profound meaning?" The soul surveying gradually redeems the -past. It comes to understand. _Tout comprendre, c'est tout pardonner._ -It beholds, far down, the little fugitive among the shadows, pursued by -the hideous and imbecile mask--the sense of Sin--and, recognizing a -fleeting embodiment of itself, it smiles: for that mask has been seen -through and is useless any longer. It beholds another--or is it the -same?--pursued by the Terror of Death; and again it smiles: for _that_ -shadow--like the vast moonshadow in a total eclipse of the sun, which -seemed so solid and all-devouring, has swept by; it has been passed -through, and it was only a shadow. - -And it may well be also that this whole process of reconciliation and -adjustment and the building up of diverse elements into one harmonious -being may occupy more than one such interval between two lifetimes; it -may require several periods of incubation, so to speak. Looking at the -matter from the physical side, and seeing how the inner and subtle body -has probably to be formed during all this time--as in a chrysalis--and -differentiated into an independent life, it seems likely that several -intervals of outer rest and inner growth may be needed, and a series of -successive moultings! But in the end, when the string of earth-lives is -finished, and the reconciliation is complete, then the essential, the -divine, self has become manifest, and is ready for a whole new world, a -new order of experience, even to the farthest confines of the universe. - - * * * * * - -I have suggested in a former chapter that Memory--that very wonderful -faculty--is probably our best test of Identity, our best test of -Survival. If we apply this canon to the evolution of the independent -soul out of the race-life, it may help us. When an animal dies, the -group of memories, which is its life's-experience, probably passes back -and is transmitted in a more or less diffused way into the general -race-life or soul.[136] In the case of some higher animals it is -possible that the memory-group thus returning may cohere for a time or -to a certain degree, and not be immediately diffused. In the case of the -higher types of _Man_ it is probable that such group may cohere for a -long time and rather persistently; and though embedded in the general -race-life and memory, and much mingled with and modified by these, it -may still form to some degree an independent centre of intelligence and -organization (something like a nerve-plexus in the brain or body). It -will form, in fact, what I have already called a soul-bud or budding -soul, and will be capable of that mixed or partial reincarnation of -which I have spoken--in which some truly individual streaks of memory -will be mixed with general memories of race-life. - -But after each successive reincarnation the group of memories -returning--and allying themselves to the former groups--will necessarily -give more and more definition to such budding soul, till at last the -time will come when its individuality will be complete; its severance -from the race-life will follow as a matter of course; and it will float -out into the sea of the all-pervading and divine consciousness. - -During this budding period of the human soul, which generally speaking -may be said to coincide with the civilization-period of human history, -the memory of each earth-life will go back into the race-soul there to -swell the nucleus of the individual soul which is being brought to -birth; but it will not generally revive into _evidence_ in the next -earth-life, for, being so deeply buried within, it will be too much -overlaid by external layers and happenings to come distinctly into -consciousness. It is not probably till the completion of the whole -series of its earth-lives that the soul will resume all these memories -and come into its complete heritage. Then, at some deep stage or state -all its incarnations (clarified and comprehended) will become manifest -to it--a glorious kingdom beyond the imagination of man at present to -conceive. All its various lives it may live over again; but with as much -difference in its understanding of their meaning as there is between an -accomplished player's rendering of a piece of music, and a child's first -stumbling performance of the same. - -It will perceive that, in a sense, it has _pre-existed_ from eternity. -For though certainly there was a time when it first sprang as a bud from -the Race, and entered into a gradually evolving and self-defining series -of personal lives, yet that first bud was itself but a particular -limitation and condensation of the Race-self; and _that_ again, far back -and beyond, a limitation through many intermediate stages of the -All-self. It (the human-divine soul) will perceive that it pre-existed -from eternity as the All-self; that it suffered in its time the -necessary obscurations and limitations; that it abdicated the high -prerogative of universal consciousness; and that it was born again as a -tiny Cinderella-spark; destined to rise through all the circles of -personal and individual life, and the enacting of the great drama of -Love and Death--the great cycle of Evolution and Transfiguration--once -more to the eternal Throne. - - * * * * * - -The glory of that Heaven where the All-self dwells radiant as the Sun, -and each lesser or partial soul knows itself as a ray conveying the -whole light, but in a direction of its own--we need not dwell on or -attempt to portray. As the emancipated soul, just described, may include -the personalities of many earth-lives and bodies, so there may -be--probably are--larger inclusive selves, special gods, having troops -of souls united to them in the bonds of love and devotion. Telepathic -radiations, travelling as it were on lines of light, and with the -velocity and directness of light, bring each unit into possible touch -with every other, and over an enormous field. As the modern theory of -electricity supposes that every electric charge, however small, or -associated with the smallest atom, is connected by lines of force with -some other and complementary charge _somewhere_--even perhaps at a -practically infinite distance--negative with positive, and positive with -negative; so the idea is suggested that in the free world of the spirit -every need felt by one atom of personality anywhere is felt also and -answered to by some complementary impulse and personality _somewhere_. -In the bringing together of these needs and affections, in the recovery -and the building up and the presentation in sensible form of all the -worlds of memory, slumber infinite possibilities, and the outlines of -endless situations and developments. The individual is clearly not lost -in any 'Happy Mass'; but may contribute to the formation of such a thing -in the sense that he comes into such wide and extended touch with others -as to have a practically unlimited range of experience, memory, -knowledge, creative power, and so forth, to draw on. - -Nor is there any call to think of a _bodiless_ heaven or bodiless state -of being in any plane of existence. The body in any stage or state is, I -repeat, a surface of contact. Wherever one intelligent being comes into -touch with another--whether actively, by impressing itself on the other, -or passively by being impressed--there immediately arises a body. There -arises the sense of matter, which is in fact the _impression_ made by -one being upon another. The external senses, of sight, hearing and the -rest, are modifications or limitations of more extended inner faculties, -of vision, audition, and so forth. The actual world of Nature which we -know, in the bodies of the woods and streams, and of animals and men, is -built up out of the material of our senses; out of the kind of -impressionability of which our senses are susceptible; but if these -materials, of our sight and hearing and touch and taste, were altered -but slightly in their range, the whole world would be different. They -would create for us another world. And so, if these present end-organs -of sense were destroyed, the soul, furnished with the inner faculties -corresponding, would create another world of sense and of Nature, which -would become the medium of expression and communication on that new -plane, and the material of its bodily manifestation there. At present, -owing to entanglement in the grosser senses, life is certainly in the -main a matter of food and drink, of sex, of money-making, and the -exercise of rather rude recreations and arts. With a finer range of -sense, there would still remain the roots and realities of these things; -the need of sustenance would still survive in the finer body, and the -need of interchange and the indrawing of vitality; the hunger of union -and of intercourse would remain--to be expressed in some shape or other; -the delight in music and in beauty of form would be no less, though -sounds and colors might be different from those we know; and all the -faculties that we have--and others too that are now only embryonic with -us--would demand their exercise and expression. Out of such demands and -needs would arise a corresponding world. - -I have suggested above (ch. xi.) how, deep in the subliminal self, there -lies a marvellous faculty of producing visible and audible -phenomena--Visions and Voices and Forms. Out of the depths of being -these can be evoked, and bodied forth into the actual world.[137] In -other words, each such Self, in its moods of power, can call forth its -own thoughts and mental images with such force as to impress them -irresistibly on others within its range--with such force, in fact, as to -give them a material vesture and location. What we have said of the -vastness and range of the human Under-self, of its swift interrelation -with others, of the immensity of its memory extending far back into the -deeps of time, must convince us that its powers of creation must be -correspondingly wonderful. The phenomena exhibited by entranced mediums, -and by hypnotized subjects, are only a sample of these powers; but they -hint dimly to us that when we understand ourselves, and what we are, and -when we understand others, and what they are, Time and Space and -Estrangement will no longer avail against us; they will no longer hinder -us from recognition of each other, nor hold us back from the spheres to -which we truly belong, and the fulfilment of our real needs and desires. - -Man is the Magician who whether in dreams or in trance or in actual life -can, if he wills it, raise up and give reality to the forms of his -desire and his love. It is not necessary for us feverishly to pursue our -loved ones through all the fading and dissolving outlines of their -future or their past embodiments. They are ours already, in the deepest -sense--and one day we shall wake up to know we can call them at any -moment to our side; we shall wake up to know that they are ever present -and able to manifest themselves to us out of the unseen. - - - - - CHAPTER XV - - THE MYSTERY OF PERSONALITY - - -It will have been noticed that throughout this book there has been a -tendency to return again and again to the question of what we mean by -the Self. As I have said before (see ch. xii., _supra_), one might very -naturally suppose that as the _ego_ underruns all experience, and we -cannot make any observation of the world at all except through its -activity, the general problem of the nature of the ego would be the -first to be attacked, and the very first to be solved; whereas, -curiously enough, it seems to be the last! Only towards the conclusion -of philosophical speculation does the importance of this problem force -itself on men's minds. Nevertheless, I think we may say that in the -department of philosophy it is the great main problem which lies before -this age for solution; and that one of the greatest services a man can -do is--by psychologic study and manifold experience, by poetical -expression, especially in lyrical form, and by philosophic thought and -investigation--to make clear to himself and the world what he means by -the letter 'I,' what he means by his 'self.' - -To the unthinking person nothing seems simpler, more obvious, than his -own existence--and hardly needing definition. Yet the least thought -shows how complex and elusive this 'self' is. It is one of those cases -with which the world teems--a juggle of the open daylight--in which an -object _appears_ so perfectly simple, frank, innocent, and without -concealment, and yet is really profoundly complex, deliberate, and -unfathomable. - -The most elementary considerations easily illustrate what I mean.[138] -When we speak of the ego, do we mean the self of to-day, or of -yesterday, or of some years back--or possibly some years in the future -when we shall have found the expression now unhappily denied us? Do we -mean the self of boyhood, or even of babyhood? or do we mean that of -maturity, or of old age? Do we mean the self indicated by the mind -alone, or by the spirit, apart from the body? or do we mean that -indicated specially by the body, or even (as some folk seem to consider) -by the _clothes_? It would be very puzzling to be asked to place one's -finger, so to speak, on any one of these manifestations as really and -completely representative. Rather perhaps we should be inclined, if -pressed, to say that our real self was something underrunning _all_ -these forms--that it required all the expressions, from infancy, through -maturity, even to old age, and all the apparatus of body and mind, in -order to convey its meaning; and that to pin it down to any particular -moment of time, or to any particular phase of the material or spiritual, -would be to do it a great injustice. - -If so, we seem at once compelled to think of the Self as something -greatly larger than any ordinary form of it that we know, as something -perhaps on a different plane of being--underrunning, and therefore in a -sense beyond, Time; and similarly underrunning, and therefore in a sense -beyond, both body and mind. And this all the more, because, as I have -said on an earlier page, we all feel that at best much of our real -selves remains in life-long defect of expression; and that there are -great deeps of the Under-self (as in chapter viii.) which, though -organically related to our ordinary consciousness, are still for the -most part hidden and unexplored. All, in fact, points to the existence -within us of a very profound self, which so far we may justifiably -conclude to be much greater than any one known manifestation of it; -which requires for its expression the forms of a lifetime; and still -stretches on and beyond; which perhaps belongs to another sphere of -being--as the ship in the air and the sunlight belongs to another sphere -than the hull buried deep in the water. - -But we may go further in our exploration of the "abysmal deeps." We have -once or twice in the foregoing chapters alluded to the possibility of -the self dividing into two personalities, or even more. We have -supposed, for instance, that at death the psychic organism may possibly -split up--some more terrestrial portion remaining operant and active on -the earth-plane, and some other portion removing to a subtler and more -ethereal region. Are we--we may ask--and those others who propound the -same ideas talking nonsense in doing so? Is it anyhow possible for a -self to be active in two bodies or in two places at the same time? It -may indeed seem impossible and absurd--until we envisage the actual -facts; but when we do so, when we study the facts of the alternation of -personalities, so much in evidence at the present time, when we find -that two or more personalities, or coherent bodies of consciousness, may -not only succeed each other in one human organism, but may -_simultaneously_ be active in the same,[139] when we find that there is -such a thing as 'bilocation,' and that the apparition of a person may -come and deliver a message while the original person is far away and -otherwise engaged, when we notice carefully our own internal psychology -and find that we not unfrequently "talk to ourselves" and in other ways -behave as two persons in one body--we see that the absurdity or -unlikelihood of the suggestion may not by any means be so great as -supposed, and that we may after all be forced to largely remodel our -conception of what Personality is.[140] - -That one Personality should divide into two or more may seem to be -foreign to our habitual views; yet we must remember that worms, -annelids, and molluscs of various kinds commonly so divide; and -though it is puzzling to think what becomes of the 'I' or 'self' of -a sea-anemone when the latter is cut in twain and each part goes its -way as a new creature, we must not therefore refuse to envisage the -fact and the problem thus flowing from it. As to the Protozoa, which -certainly exhibit signs of considerable intelligence, _fission_ of one -cell into two or more is one of the most normal and frequent events of -their lives. The same, of course, is true of the elementary cells of -the human body; the fission even of whole organs of the body is not -uncommon, though more pathological in character; and the fission of the -personality, as just mentioned, is quite frequent; and in some cases--as -in the well-known case of Sally Beauchamp--very striking, on account -of the furious apparent opposition developed between one portion and -another.[141] - -The conception therefore of Personality must, it would seem, include the -thought of possible bilocation--that is, of possible manifestation in -two places at the same time; and it must not refuse the thought of -inclusion--_i.e._ of one personality being possibly included within -another--as of living and intelligent cells within the body.[142] -Furthermore, we must not only allow _division_ of self as one of the -attributes of personality, but also, apparently, _fusion_ with other -selves. This may seem far-fetched and unreasonable at first, but on -consideration we cannot but see that in one degree or another it is -quite in the order of Nature. The Protozoa, of course, quite frequently -combine with each other, and so make a new start in life; in the higher -organisms the sperm-cell and germ-cell fuse completely for the -conception of the offspring, and the organisms themselves fuse partially -and interchange elements during the process of conjunction; and in the -psychology of love among human beings we notice a similar fusion, and -sometimes also almost a confusion, of personalities. - -The little self-conscious mind (of the civilized man) no doubt protests -against all this. It desires to think of itself as a separate and -definite entity, distinct from (and perhaps superior to) all others; and -it finds any theories of possible fission or fusion of personalities -quite baffling and impracticable. Yet in the light of the All-self--the -key-thought of this book--the whole thing is obvious, and there is -really no difficulty, except perhaps in the linking up (through memory) -of the continuity of each lesser self. - -What we said in the last chapter, namely that "the personal -self-consciousness can only survive by ever fading and changing toward -the universal," must be borne in mind. Continual _expansion_ is a normal -condition of consciousness. Time is an integral element of it.[143] -Consciousness must continually grow. Through memory it preserves the -past, through the present it adds to its stores. The author of _The -Science of Peace_ illustrates the subject (p. 303) by asking us to -consider the spheres of consciousness of various officials in a country -whose departments more or less overlap each other: "There are -administrative officers in charge of each department, whose -consciousness may be said to include the consciousness of their -subordinates in that department, to exclude those of their compeers, and -to be in turn included in those of their superiors. The more complicated -the machinery of the government, the better the illustration will be of -inclusions and exclusions and partial or complete coincidences, and -overlappings and communions of consciousness. At last we come to the -head of the government, whose consciousness may be said to include the -consciousnesses, whose knowledge and power include the knowledges and -powers of all the public servants in the land, and whose consciousness -is so expanded as to enable him to be in touch with them all and feel -and act through them all constantly. An officer promoted through the -grades of such an administration would clearly pass through expansions -of consciousness.... Such expansion of consciousness, then, is not in -its nature more mysterious and recondite than any other item in the -world-process, but a thing of daily and hourly occurrence. In terms of -metaphysic it is the coming of an individual Self into relation with a -larger and larger not-self." - -In the light of the All-self, I say, the difficulties disappear. It is -the question of Memory (explicit or implicit) which seems to decide the -limits of personalities and their survival. The One Self is experiencing -in all forms, but the stores of experience and memory are kept separate. -Here is a man who has a Town house and a Country house and an Italian -villa. When he changes his abode from one to the other he becomes to a -great extent a different person. His surroundings and associations, his -pursuits and occupations, his dress and habits, his language may be, are -changed. It may even happen that each of his three lives goes on growing -and expanding after its own pattern, and becoming more and more -different from the two others; and yet the ultimate person behind them -all remains the same. Is it not possible that the lives of us human -beings may go on expanding and growing each according to its own law, -and yet the ultimate individual or Being behind them all may remain the -same? - -If a worm be supposed to have memory (and worms no doubt have memory in -some degree), then it might well be supposed that, if divided in two, -each of the parts would inherit the said memory complete. But from that -moment the experiences of the two portions, moving in different -directions, would bifurcate, and the future stores of memory would be -different. Thus we should have a bifurcation of the stream of memory, -and a bifurcation of personality--until ultimately, as time went on, and -the common memory faded into the background, the two new personalities -would begin to feel themselves almost quite separate. Is not this again -something like what may have happened to ourselves from Creation's -birth? The stream of life has bifurcated and bifurcated till we have -lost our common memory and have become convinced of the absolute -separation of our personalities one from the other. - -On the other hand, the conjunction and fusion of two streams of memory -in one is as probable and intelligible as the bifurcation of one into -two. Two protozoa fuse; but the race-self in one is the same as in the -other, and in reality the process is only a fusion of organic memories -and experiences. A man who had been in the habit of changing every year -from his Town to his Country house might some day find it convenient to -combine his establishments in one suburban residence. Certainly if he -had so far forgot _himself_ that in changing houses he had always -_quite_ changed his memories, then it would seem impossible to him to -combine the two lives in one. Otherwise there would be no difficulty in -the process. The stores of one establishment, with their associations -and memories would after a time (and not without some -maturation-divisions and extrusions!) be got into relation with the -stores of the other establishment; and the two bodies of memory and -association would settle down together. - - * * * * * - -All this seems to suggest to us that our conception of personality must -be considerably altered from its ordinary form, and rendered more -fluent, in order to tally with the real facts. There is no such thing as -a fixed and limited personality, of definite content and character, -which we can credit to our account, or to the account of our friends. -All is in flux and change, the consciousness ever enlarging, the _ego_ -which is at the root of that consciousness ever growing in the knowledge -of itself as a vital portion of the All-self. That last alone is fixed; -that alone as the 'universal witness' is permanent. But the streams of -memory and experience, by which from all sides that central fact and -consciousness is reached, are infinite in number and variety. It is in -the continuity of a stream of memory that what we call personality must -be supposed to consist; and when this continuity covers not only a -single life, but extends from life to life, then we must find a new name -for the persistent being and call him not a personality, but, if we -will, an _individuality_. Such individualities must exist by millions -and billions; they must be as numerous as all the possible lines of -experience (and these are quasi-infinite in number) by which the soul -may grow from its birth in the simplest speck of matter to its -realization of divine and universal life. The author (Bhagavan Das) of -_The Science of Peace_ illustrates this infinitude of individualities, -and how they are all contained in the All-self, and each in a sense as -an aspect of the One, by the simile of a museum or gallery. "If a -spectator," he says (p. 289), "wondered unrestingly through the halls of -a vast museum or great art gallery, at the dead of night, with a single -small lamp in one hand, each of the natural objects, the pictured -scenes, the statues, the portraits, would be illumined by that lamp in -succession for a single moment, while all the rest were in darkness, and -after that single moment would fall into darkness again. Let there now -be not one but countless such spectators, as many in endless numbers as -the objects of sight within the place, each spectator wandering in and -out incessantly through the great crowd of all the others, each lamp -bringing momentarily into light one object, and for only that spectator -who holds that lamp." Then he goes on to say that each line or -succession of experiences might represent an individuality; each -individuality in the end would reach the totality of experience, but in -a different order and in a different manner from any other; and all the -individualities would all the time--though changing themselves--remain -within the unchanging intelligence of the absolute, and would only be -exploring that intelligence each in a different order. "For," he again -says (p. 317), "an individuality can no otherwise be described, -discriminated and fixed, than by enumerating the experiences of that -individual, by narrating its biography." - -We may also illustrate the matter by the conception of a Tree. A single -leaf at the end of a twig may seem to have a little separate self of its -own; but it is very ephemeral. It perishes with the season and another -leaf takes its place. There is a deeper self, in the twig, which -endures, and from which new leaves spring. And again the twig springs -from a small spray, which is the source of other twigs and leaves. -Should the leaf desire to trace its complete and total self it would -have to follow its life-line through the twig and the spray, to the -branch, and so right down to the central trunk. It could not stop at any -halfway point, and say, This is my final self. But on its way to the -trunk, at different points, it would find that its sap or life was -flowing into other twigs and leaves, as well as the twig and leaf first -mentioned. It would come into relation, so to speak, with other bodies -beside the first. If we were to call the first leaf and twig a -personality we should have to call some deeper self involving many twigs -and leaves an Individuality, and so on to the All-self of the tree. The -self of every leaf would approach the main trunk along a different line, -and through various ranges of individuality; but all would ultimately -participate in one whole. - -I think some such view is clearly the most satisfactory way of looking -at the matter. We are all essentially one; our differentiation from -each other does not consist in differences in the central ego, but in -the different lines of experience and memory. We can none of us boast, -at any point, of a rounded, definite and stationary self, apart from -all others; but we are all approaching the universal from different -sides. Yet, also, it is perfectly true that consciousness is born in us -first _through_ our very limitations. Through the very obstacles that -surround us, and through the things that seem to divide us from others, -first simple consciousness and then self-consciousness are born. Then -comes a time when the limitations and the barriers become intolerable. -The soul that at first gloried in them comes to find the burden of -self-consciousness too great. Why should it be forever John Smith? As -Mrs. Stetson says:-- - - "What an exceeding rest 'twill be - When I can leave off being Me!... - Done with the varying distress - Of retroactive consciousness!... - Why should I long to have John Smith - Eternally to struggle with?" - -When the consciousness arises of this fact, that we need not be tied to -John Smith forever--that our real self is far vaster, and essentially -one with others, then in each of us the Divine Soul is born; a vista of -glory and splendor opens in front, and on all sides the barriers fall to -the ground. On the way to this supreme conclusion the stream of memories -which one calls oneself may of course take on form after form; it may -bifurcate, or it may fuse with other streams. That does not very much -matter. The real identity, once established, can hardly be lost. For -every leaf there is a channel of sap which connects it with the main -trunk. Personality is real, but it yields itself up in the greater -Individual of which it is the expression; and the individual or divine -soul is real--enduring perhaps many thousands of years--but it yields -itself up ultimately in the All. Finally, in that union, Memory itself, -in its mortal form, ceases, for it is swallowed up in actual -realization, in the power of actual presence in all space and time. The -divine soul which has thus completed its union needs memory no more. It -is there wherever it desires to be. As the author of _Siderische Geburt_ -(Berlin, 1910) says, "We mortals are separated from the divine -all-embracing universal Vision; and Memory is only a first glimmering -reawakening--a beginning of renewed seraphic life and a coming into -relation with all that lies beyond the little world-corner of our -presence."[144] - - * * * * * - -At first sight, and to one who does not yet realize the inner unity of -being, these views on the nature of Personality and Individuality may -appear strange and even painful. For such a person the thought of the -dissociation of his 'self,' of its separation into two or more -parts--either in life or in death--and the divergence of the two parts -from each other, must be grotesque and terrible, and verging even -towards madness. And so also must be the thought of the possible -dissociation of the personalities of his friends. And yet it may be -necessary for us at length and by degrees to understand and assimilate -such a view. Certain it is that, as we come to understand it, we shall -see that any dissociation that may occur can only be of the superficial -elements--something of the nature of a divergence of the chains of -memory; and that dissociation of the real and intimate self is a thing -quite impossible. We shall see that by degrees the self may learn to -deal with such dissociations, and to express itself in various guises, -and in more than one personality at a time. If, for instance, there does -occur at death a certain break-up of the psychic organism--if the animal -soul, and the human soul, and the divine soul do to a certain extent -part from each other and go along different ways, we may see that it is -quite possible that the personal stream of memory may correspondingly -branch in different directions. One portion of the consciousness, having -always been animal and terrestrial in character, may identify itself -mainly with the animal vitality of the residue and its corresponding -memories--and may persevere for some time as a wandering passional -centre, liable to attach itself to the organisms of living folk, or to -figure as a 'ghost' of very limited activities and occupied with eternal -repetitions of the same action; another portion, more distinctly human, -may linger in some intermediate state, partly in touch with the -earth-life and the souls of mortal friends, yet partly drawn onward into -wider spheres; and may function on for a long time in a kind of -dreamland--creating perhaps the objects of its own consumption till it -wearies of them, or building up imaginative worlds of occupations and -activities similar to our own, as in "the happy hunting grounds" of -Indians, or the worlds described from time to time by mediumistic -'controls.' And again a third portion may pass into that far wider and -grander state of being which we have described--that of the 'divine' -soul which recognizes its equality and unity with all others, and its -freedom of the whole universe. In all these cases the main stream of -memory, branching, must pour itself into the section of life which -follows, and render the latter quite continuous with the former--though -naturally with some differences, both in the memories transmitted, and -in the degrees of community, in each case. - -We may apply these considerations to the question of the messages and -apparitions from the unseen world which have been alluded to in former -chapters. How far or in what special way these communications really -represent the active and continuing consciousness of our departed -friends is a question which is generally admitted to be most doubtful -and difficult. And its difficulty is not lessened, I think, by our -conclusions (so far) on the nature of Personality. If the stream of a -man's earth-life memory may diverge at death into two or more streams, -then it must remain difficult for us to say whether the communication -which is coming to us proceeds from a mere overflow of that stream, -which has eddied itself, so to speak, into the brain of the medium; or -from some 'astral' shell of the departed one, which has already begun -decaying and dissipating, in our atmosphere; or again from the true soul -of the man which is pushing forward into the world beyond. Probably we -do not yet know enough about the matter to form decisive judgments. In -either case the memory exhibited may be surprisingly perfect. And it -seems to me that in most cases nothing but personal evidence and -personal detail, even down to the minutest points, can decide--and even -then not in such a way as to decide for others. And perhaps it is best -and most natural so. In our world of ordinary life it is so. If an -apparent stranger turns up from the other side of the earth and claims a -far-back acquaintance; if another makes the same claim over the -telephone; if a known friend behaves strangely, and we are in doubt -whether to attribute his conduct to _bona fides_ or to incipient -madness; in these and a thousand other cases, personal relationship and -personal understanding (though by no means unerring) count for more than -all science and legal proof. And perhaps this is the healthiest way to -take the subject: not to be over-curious or speculative or sentimental, -but where solid help and a permanent and useful relationship seems to be -gained, there to accept the communications as so far commending and -justifying themselves. - -If, as I have just said, there is something a little disquieting and -even terrible in the thought that our personality may thus be subject to -rupture or dissociation into two or more portions, that matter after all -depends upon how we look upon it--whether from below, as it were, or -from above. There is nothing particularly terrible in the thought that -our bodily organs and parts--our "Little Marys," and so forth--may have -(probably do have) very distinct personalities of their own. We look -down upon them, so to speak, and include them. And we shall one day no -doubt, and in the realization of our greater selves, have the splendid -experience of including two (or more) bodies--of having them at our -service, and available for command and expression. Even now we are -sometimes conscious of having one envelope of a more ethereal and -intense nature, swift and far-reaching both in movement and perception -in the innermost regions, and another more local body, in touch with -terrestrial life. And there would be nothing surprising or dreadful in -finding, after death, that an ethereal and a terrestrial body were both -still at our command--though both perhaps more developed and more -differentiated from each other than at present;--or even that we might -be capable of inhabiting several such bodies. - -It is of course puzzling, under our ordinary conceptions of Space and -Time, to imagine how it could be possible to deal with several bodies at -the same time; but in reality it is no more puzzling than the problem -which we habitually solve every day and every hour of our lives. How do -we, for instance, deal with and dispose the activities of our hands and -our feet and our eyes and our brain, with simultaneous care, say, in -walking through the streets? We inhabit these separate organs, these -distinct personalities, simultaneously, and ordain their movements and -gather in their perceptions by the act of _attention_. Attention in the -world of the spirit corresponds to _extension_ in the physical world. -Whatever your spirit attends to, that some physical radiation from -yourself extends to. And similarly if you had bodies in different worlds -and regions, by the simple act of attention your spirit would reach -them. Nevertheless--to return to the one body and the various organs, -like hands and feet and eyes, which we seem to have under control--it is -clear that our minds could not possibly overlook all the details of -their management, unless there were some general ordaining spirit in the -body which was in close touch and sympathy, and ready to act with and -aid us; and similarly it is clear that we could not ordain and organize -any movement of a secondary body at a distance--even though 'belonging' -to us--unless there were a spirit, in that body and the intervening -spaces, in touch and sympathy with ours. It is the knowledge that there -is such a community of life, such an abounding Self, which gives the -'divine' soul its great joy and its great power--"for whatever he -desires, that he obtains from the Self." He who knows has indeed the -freedom of the universe, and of all its powers--who knows that the -Spirit of the whole _is_ his own. - -It is natural therefore to suppose that that portion of the -consciousness which has circled and centred very definitely and -conclusively round the All-self--or such aspect of the same as specially -belongs to it; or (what perhaps comes to the same thing) has circled -very definitely round the divine soul of a loved one; will pass through -death easily and without much loss of continuity. It will with its -attendant memories pass easily and continuously into the inmost sphere; -or (to put the matter in another way) _remaining_ in that sphere it will -simply become aware that a mass of husks have been shed off, which -clouded it. It will become aware of the glorious state of being to which -it has always implicitly belonged, and of its connection with not one -only but many bodies. - -It may be--and I think one almost feels that it must be--that the most -intimate self of any of us cannot be realized short of externalization -in a vast number of separate manifestations or lives. One has the -impression with regard to one's body, that "this is one of my bodies"; -or that "this body represents a portion of myself"; but one does _not_ -feel "this body represents my total, complete and final self." And as we -have just suggested that in a more intimate state of being we may become -distinctly aware of having relation to several bodies simultaneously, so -the world-old doctrine of reincarnation in its general form has long -suggested that our most intimate selves are related to a great number of -bodies in _succession_ to each other in Time. The higher or inner -Individual--of agelong and aeonian life--is reincarnated (it is said) -thousands of times; thus to embody that aspect of the Divine which it -represents. - -These embodiments may be in forms by no means resembling each -other--though doubtless there will be a thread of similarity running -through; and one embodiment may have little idea (except in moments of -inspiration) of its relation to the others, or of any continuity of -memory between itself and the others. Yet the memories of these lives -and embodiments passing into the inner sphere are ultimately gathered -together and drawn up to constitute that most glorious world of each -Being of which we have spoken--a world in which each overlooks and -ordains its various lives and manifestations as from a mountain-top. -These are indeed "the ageless immortal gods who seek ever to come in the -forms of men"--whom we ever and anon seem to feel and hear knocking at -the inner door of our little local selves, as though they would gain -admittance and acknowledgment. - - - - - CHAPTER XVI - - CONCLUSION - - -And so we seem to find--in the farthest and loftiest reaches of life, as -in its first beginnings--Love and Death strangely linked and strangely -related. Changing their form but not their essence they accompany us to -the last; and we forebode them, in the final account, as no longer the -tyrannous and often terrible over-lords of our mortal days, but rather -our most indispensable companions without whom life in its higher ranges -could not well be maintained. - -For a time, certainly, we cling to our limited and tiny self-life and -consciousness; and deem that all good resides in the careful guarding of -the same. But again there comes a time when the bounds of personality -confine and chafe beyond endurance, when an immense rage sweeps us far -out into the great ocean; when to save our lives we deliberately lose -them; when Death becomes a passion even as Love is. - -The mystery of mortal life clears, or dissolves away, by our passing in -a sense beyond personality; and the hour arrives when we look down on -these local days, these self-limitations, as phases--phases of some far -vaster state of being. Death is the necessary door by which we pass from -one such phase to another; and Love is even a similar door. - -Growing silently within there emerges at last something which has its -home in the great spaces, which dives under and through Death, and is -the companion of Titanic and Cosmic beings; something strangely -surpassing all barriers and limits, and strangely finding identity by -fusing and losing it in the life of others; something which at times -seems almost mockingly to abandon its own identity and rise creative in -new forms--sporting in the great ocean; and yet can somehow instantly -recall its past and the tiny limits from which it first sprang--trailing -forever with it the wonderful cloud-wreaths of earth-memory and -association, and the myriad fragrance of personal remembrance. "What are -thou then?" says the poet, addressing his departed friend:-- - - "What art thou then?--I cannot guess; - But tho' I seem in star and flower - To feel thee some diffusive power - I do not therefore love thee less." - -Even in the farthest spheres the poignant syllables 'I' and 'Thou' will -surely still be heard; and a thousand deaths shall not avail to exhaust -their meaning or to make of Love a pale and cold abstraction. - -The memory of the earth-life and of personal identity is never lost; but -it passes out into that far greater form, the memory and resumption into -a coherent Whole of many lives, and the sense of an Individuality which -has value because it is merged in and is an expression of the All. -Memory indeed changes from being the faint dream-shadow that we know, of -things in the past, to being the things _themselves_, actual and ever -present at our command; and with this finding of the inner soul and -heart's core of all beings it becomes possible to live over again with -them the days gone by, in all detail and with ever deeper understanding -of their true meaning. - -The supra-liminal returns into harmony with the subliminal; the -individual life and the mass-life are reunited. With the overpassing of -the local and terrestrial self we are liberated into a fluid region -where a thousand personalities yield their secrets and their -co-operation into our hands. With the releasing of our attention from -personal objects and terrestrial gains, materials and people -correspondingly cease to obstruct. They find nothing which they _can_ -obstruct! The body moves freely about the world; life ceases to be the -'obstacle race' and the queer perpetual vista of barricades which it -mostly now is; and _a fortiori_ the soul moves freely, because truly for -the redeemed soul it is possible to feel that all things and creatures -are friendly, all beings a part of itself. These and many other such -realizations are indeed possible now--even in our present terrestrial -state--under those rare conditions when the divine creature which is -within the mortal body achieves a momentary deliverance, and under which -we sometimes pass out of our little mundane dream into that other land -where the great Voices sound and Visions dwell. - - - - - APPENDIX - - SUMMARY OF CHAPTER II - - -1. Every kind of cell or other organism has a natural limit of size -(dependent partly on the relation between surface and volume). - -2. When that limit is reached, superfluity of nutrition and growth tends -to bring about Reproduction. - -3. Reproduction begins with simple division or budding. - -4. Conjugation in its primitive form (as among protozoa where there is -no distinction of sex) takes place between similars, and is an exchange -to some degree of cell-contents. - -5. It apparently affords a superior nutrition, and is a kind of -Regeneration, essential to the continued health of the species, and -favorable to reproduction. - -6. Hunger and Love are thus related at this stage. - -7. Later, conjugation takes place between dissimilars (of the same -species); and the distinct phenomena of sex appear--of male and female. - -8. Reproduction by simple division or budding leads to a kind of -'immortality,' since each descendant cell is continuous, in a sense, -with the original one. - -9. This simple division or virgin-birth process may go on to many -generations--even to hundreds among the Protozoa. - -10. But since at some time or other conjugation is apparently necessary -in order to restore vitality, the immortality at this point ceases to be -an individual immortality, and becomes rather a joint or racial -immortality. - -11. The main thing in conjugation would appear to be that the two -factors should be complementary to each other, however differentiated, -so that in their union the whole race-life should be restored, and the -Regeneration therefore be complete. - -12. The special sex-differentiation called male and female depends on -the separation of the active from the sessile qualities (and other -qualities respectively related to each) into two great branches. - -13. Since the female takes the sessile part she appears sometimes as the -goal and object of conjugation, and the more important factor; but -actual observation so far shows each factor, male and female, to be -equally important. - -14. In the fertilized ovum there are an equal number of chromosomes -derived from each parent; and if the female provides the shrine in which -the new development takes place, the male (centrosome) appears as the -organizing genius of the process. - -15. This process, by which a fertilized germ-cell divides and redivides, -and so builds up a "body," is quite similar to that by which a protozoon -divides and redivides to form a numerous colony. - -16. A 'body' indeed _is_ such a colony, cooperatively associated in -definite form, of which all the millions of cells are practically -continuous with the original fertilized germ, and one with it. - -17. Every cell in such a body has apparently the same nuclear elements -as the original cell, equally derived from both parents; but is -differentiated so far as to be able to fulfil its special part in the -body. - -18. The process of division of these microscopic cells is strangely -exact and complex; and the various elements of the nucleus seem to be -themselves divided into two, on each occasion, with strange preciseness. - -19. The constituent cells of each race of animals have always a certain -number of nuclear threads or chromosomes--fixed for that particular -race. - -20. When, therefore, a sperm-cell and germ-cell unite, they each first -extrude or expel half the number of their chromosomes, so that after -union the joint cell is provided again with the precise number of -chromosomes characteristic of the race. - -21. The exact nature of these 'maturation' divisions and expulsions is -far from clear; but it would seem that they are carried out in such a -way as, while retaining always the basic elements of the Race, to secure -a continual and endless sorting of these into new combinations. - -22. These complex evolutions occurring, as described, in the interior of -the most primitive cells, look as much like the last results of some far -antecedent or invisible operations (of which we know nothing) as like -the first commencement of the visible organic world with which we are -acquainted. - - - - - [Footnotes] - - -[1] "In November 1885, M. Maupas isolated an infusorian (_Stylonichia -pustulata_), and observed its generations till March 1886. By that -time there had been 215 generations produced by ordinary division, -and since these lowly organisms do not conjugate with near relatives, -there had of course been no sexual union.--What was the result? At the -date referred to, the family was observed to have exhausted itself. -The members, though not exactly old, were being born old. The sexual -division came to a standstill, and the powers of nutrition were also -lost" (_Evolution of Sex_, Geddes and Thomson, 1901, p. 177). - -[2] See, however, _Evolution of Sex_, p. 178, where a case is -recorded of 458 generations of another infusorian apparently without -degeneration. See also _The Cell_, by Dr. Oscar Hertwig (Sonnenschein, -1909), p. 292. - -[3] The _exchange_ of life-elements between two individuals is well -illustrated in the case of the infusorian _Noctiluca_. Two Noctilucas, -A and B, [Illustration: small diagram of conjunction of A and B] -coalesce; and then later divide again along a plane (indicated -by dotted line) at right angles to the plane of contact. Two new -individuals are thus formed, and each Noctiluca has absorbed half of -the other. Their activities are regenerated and they begin a new life. - -[4] As in Volvox; see _Evolution of Sex_, p. 138. - -[5] And we may say also here that it is even supposable that the -special differentiation which we call male and female is only one -out of many possible sex-differentiations--the important and main -condition being that the differentiations, whatever they are, should -be complementary to each other, and should together make up the total -qualities and character of the race. - -[6] As sixteen for a human being, twelve for a grasshopper, twenty-four -for a lily, and so forth. - -[7] For diagram and illustration of this whole process, see Appendix, -_infra_, p. 289. Also see August Forel's _The Sexual Question_ (English -translation; Rebman, 1908), pp. 6 and 11; _The World of Life_, by A. -R. Wallace, ch. xvii, p. 343; _The Plant Cell_, by H. A. Haig (Griffin, -1910), ch. viii; and other books. - -[8] Stephane Leduc, in his _Theorie Physico-chemique de la vie_ (Paris, -1910), endeavors to trace all the above phenomena to the simple -action of diffusion and osmose (see ch. viii, on _Karyokinesis_) -but though the resemblance of some of the forms above described to -diffusion-figures is interesting--as also is their resemblance to the -forms of magnetic fields--this does not prove their genesis either -from diffusion or magnetism. It only makes probable that some of -the phenomena in question are related to the very obscure forces of -diffusion or magnetism--a thing which, of course, is already admitted -and recognized. With regard to all this the reader should study the -astonishing resurrection of the mature blow-fly from the mere milky pap -which is all that the pupa at a certain stage consists of. (See _The -Biology of the Seasons_, by J. Arthur Thomson, 1911.) - -[9] "In every known case an essential phenomenon of fertilization is -the union of a sperm nucleus of paternal origin with an egg nucleus -of maternal origin, to form the primary nucleus of the embryo. This -nucleus ... gives rise by division to all the nuclei of the body, and -hence every nucleus of the child may contain nuclear substance derived -from both parents" (_The Cell in Development and Inheritance_, by E. B. -Wilson, Macmillan Co., 1904, p. 182). - -[10] The latter, of course, being just discernible by the naked eye. - -[11] _Parallel Paths_, by T. W. Rolleston (Duckworth, 1908), p. 53. - -[12] _Parallel Paths_, p. 52. See also, for further accounts, _The -Evolution of Sex_, pp. 112-14; _The Plant Cell_, by H. A. Haig, pp. -121, 123 _et seq._; Die Vererbung, by Dr. E. Teichmann (Stuttgart, -1908), pp. 39, 40, &c. Throughout it must be remembered that these -'maturation' processes in the generative cells are not only exceedingly -complex, but also very various in the various plants and animals; and -the reader should be warned against too easily accepting ready-made -descriptions and generalizations supposed to fit all cases. - -[13] Here and elsewhere in his book Professor Wilson uses "germ-cells" -to include "sperm-cells"; and I have indicated this by the bracket. - -[14] _The Cell_, p. 285. - -[15] It appears that in the ordinary conjugation of Protozoa a quite -similar process is observable. - -[16] "Nowhere in the history of the cell do we find so unmistakable and -striking an adaptation of means to ends or one of so marked a prophetic -character, since maturation looks not to the present but to the future -of the germ [and sperm] cells" (_The Cell_, p. 233). - -[17] It might be said that, notwithstanding this, the female obviously -has the greater sway, on account of the conjunction taking place within -the body of the mother, and subject to all her influences. But there is -a curious compensation to this in the fact that while after conjugation -the centrosome of the germ-cell disappears, the male centrosome is -retained and becomes the organ of division for the new cell, and -consequently for the whole future body. (See _Parallel Paths_, p. 56; -also Professor E. B. Wilson in _The Cell_, p. 171.) - -[18] "That a cell can carry with it the sum total of the heritage of -the species, that it can in the course of a few days or weeks give rise -to a mollusk or a man, is the greatest marvel of biological science" -(_The Cell_, p. 396). - -[19] For summary of the conclusions of this chapter, see Appendix, -_infra_, p. 289. - -[20] Havelock Ellis's very fine essay on "The Art of Love" (see -his _Studies in the Psychology of Sex_, vol. vi, ch. xi) must also -be mentioned, as including much of the subject matter of the above -treatises, but having a very much wider scope and outlook. - -[21] See _The Cell_, by E. B. Wilson, p. 391; _Das Leben_, by Jacques -Loeb (Leipzig, 1911), pp. 10-20, &c. It seems also to be thought that -gall-formations on plants, tumors on animal bodies, &c., are instances -of such chemical or indirect fertilization. - -[22] Translation by J. Wright, M.A., _Golden Treasury Series_, p. 57. - -[23] _Psychology of Sex_, vol. vi. p. 517. - -[24] _Studies in the Psychology of Sex_, vol. i. - -[25] _Ars. Am._ iii. 605. - -[26] _Psychology of Sex_, vol. vi. p. 542. - -[27] _Ibid._, p. 544. - -[28] "The disgrace which has overtaken the sexual act, and rendered it -a deed of darkness, is doubtless largely responsible for the fact that -the chief time for its consummation among modern civilized peoples is -the darkness of the early night in stuffy bedrooms when the fatigue of -the day's labors is struggling with the artificial stimulation produced -by heavy meals and alcoholic drinks. This habit is partly responsible -for the indifference or even disgust with which women sometimes view -coitus" (H. Ellis, _Studies in the Psychology of Sex_, vol. vi. p. -558). - -[29] See H. Ellis, vol. v. pp. 11 and 12. - -[30] See also Kraft-Ebing, _Psychopathia sexualis_, 7th edition, p. 165. - -[31] _Modern Woman: Her Intentions_, p. 30. - -[32] English edition; Heinemann, 1906. - -[33] Fischer, Berlin, p. 192. - -[34] Berlin, 1910, p. 290. - -[35] Berlin, 1905, p. 332. English translation, _Love and Marriage_; -Putnam's, 1911. - -[36] See chapter on "Visions of the Dying" in _Death: its Causes and -Phenomena_, by Carrington and Meader (1911); also _infra_, ch. vi. p. -103. - -[37] See H. Pieron, "Contribution a la Psychologie des Mourants," in -_Revue Philosophique_, Dec., 1902. - -[38] See _Civilization: its Cause and Cure_ (George Allen, 2s. 6d.), -pp. 11-21. - -[39] See Carrington and Meader on _Death: its Causes and Phenomena_, p. -300. - -[40] Reference may be made to the _Upanishads_ ("Sacred books of the -East," vols. i. and xv.); to the _Bhagavat Gita_; to R. M. Bucke's -_Cosmic Consciousness_ (Purdy Publishing Co., Chicago); to the _Raja -Yoga Lectures_, by Vivekananda (New York, 1899); to the _Ancient -Wisdom_, by Annie Besant; _The Art of Creation_, and _A Visit to a -Gnani_, by E. Carpenter; and to many other works, of course. - -[41] If I seem here to personify unduly these psychic elements and to -ascribe to them too much in the way of consciousness and intelligence, -I must refer for explanation to the Note at the end of this chapter. - -[42] See ch. vii., _infra_, p. 119. - -[43] See _The Art of Creation_, ch, xii. pp. 209, 210. - -[44] _Human Personality_, &c., ch. vi. - -[45] _Ibid._ p. 196, edition 1909, edited by L. H. Myers. - -[46] For evidence on the subject of Phantasms, Wraiths, Haunted Houses, -and so forth, see _Phantoms of the Living_, by Gurney, Myers, and -Podmore; and _The Report on the Census of Hallucinations_, Proceedings -of the Psychical Research Society, vol. x.; also _L'inconnu et les -problems psychiques_, by Camille Flammarion; and Lombroso's chapter -on Haunted Houses, in his book _Fenomeni Ipnotici e Spiritici_ (Turin, -1909), ch. xii.; also ch. viii. of the present book, _infra_. - -[47] See Carrington and Meader, _op. cit._ pp. 318-27. - -[48] Dr. Morton Prince's study, _The Dissolution of a Personality_ -(Longmans, 1906), should be read, as going deeply into the whole -subject. He suggests (p. 530) the use of the word "co-consciousness," -to indicate the secondary chains of mental operation which coexist side -by side with or beneath the primary. Dr. R. Assagioli, in his pamphlet -_Il Subcosciente_ (Florence, 1911), also follows the same line. - -[49] _De Rerum Natura_, iii. 890, translated by Mr. H. S. Salt. - -[50] See Geddes and Thomson, _Evolution of Sex_ (1901), p. 275. - -[51] See ch. ii. p. 18, _supra_; also, for amplification of this view, -Myers's _Human Personality_, _op. cit._, edition 1909, pp. 90, 91. - -[52] _The Story of My Life_, by Helen Keller (1908), p. 17. - -[53] For a further account of the subliminal or underlying self, see -next chapter. - -[54] The only alternative to this seems to be to suppose that the -"soul" comes into association with the body, not at the very first -inception of the latter, but at some later pre-natal or post-natal -stage, when the body is already partially or wholly built up by the -primitive process of cell-division--that the soul then takes possession -of the organism so formed, and makes use of it for self-expression; -and finally at death discards it. This theory--though it seems a -possible one, and in accordance with the apparent "possession" and -control of the bodies of trance mediums by independent spirits--presents -some difficulties. One difficulty is the absence of any obvious or -acknowledged period when such entry of the soul takes place; another -is the difficulty of seeing how a real and effective harmony could be -permanently established between a body already formed and organized on -hereditary lines, and an independent soul entering on its own errand -at a later date. These (and other) difficulties, however, are not -insuperable, and it may well be, in the great variety of Nature, that -the process of incarnation actually does take place in both ways--_i.e._ -in the way outlined in this note, as well as (more generally) in the -way mentioned in the text. - -[55] See _The Art of Creation_, 1908, p. 82 _et seq._ Compare also -Bergson's "elan vital," in _L'Evolution Creatrice_, p. 100 _et seq._ - -[56] The _Upanishads_, whose authority on these subjects is surely -great, seem often to try to express the other-dimensional nature of -the soul by a paradox of opposites. "The self, smaller than small (or -more subtle than subtle), greater than great, is hidden in the heart of -each creature" (Katha-Up. I. Adh. 2 valli. 20; also Svetasvatara-Up. -III. Adh. 20)--or again, "The embodied soul is to be thought like the -hundredth part of the point of a hair, divided into a hundred parts; -he is to be thought infinite" (Svet.-Up. v. 9). And the last quoted -passage continues: "He is not woman, he is not man, nor hermaphrodite; -whatever body he assumes, with that he is joined (only); and as by the -use of food and drink the body grows, so the individual soul, by means -of thoughts, touching, seeing and the passions, assumes successively in -various places various forms in accordance with his deeds." - -[57] See Myers, _op. cit._ p. 233, on Clairvoyance of the Dying. - -[58] Even on the battlefield, after the battle, faces of the dead have -been observed with this expression upon them. - -[59] It is, of course, quite possible that our ordinary consciousness -is discontinuous, even down to its minutest elements, and that it -is only made up of successive and separate sensations which, as in -a cinematograph, follow each with lightning speed. But even this -almost compels us to the assumption of another and profounder and more -continuous consciousness beneath, which is the means of the synthesis -and comparison of these sensations. - -[60] _Human Personality_, _op. cit._ p. 29. - -[61] See _The Art of Creation_, pp. 105-8. - -[62] This well-known case, given by Coleridge in his _Biographia -Literaria_, is amply confirmed by scores of similar cases which have -been carefully examined into and described by modern research. - -[63] See _Proceedings S.P.R._ vol. xii, pp. 176-203; quoted by -Frederick Myers, _Human Personality_, ch. v. - -[64] This is contested by H. Ellis in his _World of Dreams_, p. 215, -but not very successfully, I think. - -[65] See Myers, _op. cit._ ch. iii. p. 66; also T. J. Hudson's -interesting account of Zerah Colburn, in _Psychic Phenomena_ (1893), p. -64. - -[66] _Op. cit._ p. 100. De Quincey, it will be remembered, in a -well-known passage of his _Confessions_, says: "Of this at least I -feel assured, that there is no such thing as _forgetting_ possible to -the mind; a thousand accidents may and will interpose a veil between -our present consciousness and the secret inscriptions on the mind; -accidents of the same sort will also rend away this veil; but alike, -whether veiled or unveiled, the inscription remains forever." - -[67] See _Journal S.P.R._, vol. iii. p. 100; also T. J. Hudson, _op. -cit._, p. 153. - -[68] New York, 1903, p. 64. - -[69] See Lombroso, _Fenomeni ipnotici e spiritici_, Turin, 1909, pp. -28-31. - -[70] I leave the question of the possibility of the latter open for the -present. See Note at end of this chapter. - -[71] This was no doubt, for instance, the case with Eusapia -Paladino--as admitted by her warmest supporters. But it does not -contravene the fact, proved by most abundant evidence and experiment, -of the astounding physical phenomena which from her early childhood -accompanied her, and in some strange way exhaled from her. - -[72] It is impossible, for instance, to read slowly and in detail such -works as A. R. Wallace's _Miracles and Modern Spiritualism_, William -Crookes' _Researches into Spiritualism_, C. Lombroso's _Fenomeni -ipnotici e spiritici_, and to note the care and exactness with which -in each case experiments were conducted, tests devised, and results -recorded, without being persuaded that in the mass the conclusions -(confirmed in the first two instances by the authors themselves after -an interval of twenty or thirty years) are correct. Already a long list -of scientific and responsible men, like Charles Richet (professor of -physiology at Paris), Camille Flammarion (the well-known astronomer), -Professor Zoellner of the Observatory at Leipzig, C. F. Varley the -electrician, Sir Oliver Lodge of Birmingham, have made important -contributions to the evidence; while others, like Professor De Morgan -the mathematician, Professor Challis the astronomer, Sergeant Cox the -lawyer, and Professor William James the psychologist, have signified -their general adhesion. - -[73] For references see _supra_, ch. vi. p. 92, footnote. - -[74] See _Phantasms of the Living_, vol. ii. p. 289, also the -experience of Mrs. A., given in _Footfalls on the Boundary of Another -World_, by R. Dale Owen, 1881, p. 256 _et seq._ This latter book, which -is a mine of well-authenticated information, has suffered somewhat -from its rather sensational title. The author, however, was an able, -distinguished, and reliable man, son of Robert Owen of Lanark, Member -of Congress in the United States, and U. S. Minister at Naples. - -[75] See R. Dale Owen, _The Debatable Land_ (1871), pp. 385-400. - -[76] See Crookes' _Researches in Spiritualism_, pp. 104 _et seq._ See -also the book _New Light on Immortality_, by Fournier d'Albe, pp. 218 -_et seq._, where the evidence is given in great detail. - -[77] See _Phenomenes de la Ville Carmen, avec documents nouveaux_; -Paris, 1902. - -[78] C. Lombroso, _Fenomeni ipnotici e spiritici_, p. 193. - -[79] See _Shadow-land_ (1906). - -[80] See pamphlet _Materializations, by Mme. D'Esperance_ (Light -Publishing Co.). - -[81] See, for instance, the account of the haunted mill at Willington, -given at some length by Mr. W. T. Stead in the _Review of Reviews_ -for Jan., 1892; also the _Memoirs of the Wesley Family_, vol. i, pp. -253-60; and Whitehead's _Lives of the Wesleys_, vol. ii, pp. 120-66; -also _Footfalls_, b; R. Dale Owen, book iii, ch. ii. - -[82] See Myers, _op cit._, p. 154. As many writers have remarked, -the term "superconscious" might often be more applicable than -"subconscious." - -[83] With regard to this question of hypnotism and crime, T. J. Hudson -says (_Psychic Phenomena_, p. 129) that it is almost impossible to -persuade a hypnotic to do what he firmly believes to be wrong. And -Myers maintains that whatever the subliminal being may be, it is -never malignant. "In dealing with automatic script, for instance, we -shall have to wonder whence come the occasional vulgar jokes or silly -mystifications. We shall discuss whether they are a kind of dream -of the automatist's own, or whether they indicate the existence of -unembodied intelligences on the level of the dog or the ape. But, -on the other hand, all that world-old conception of Evil Spirits, -of malevolent powers, which has been the basis of so much of actual -devil-worship and so much more of vague supernatural fear--all this -insensibly melts from the mind as we study the evidence before us." -(_Op. cit._, p. 252.) - -[84] See _Mediumship_, by James B. Tetlow (Keighley, 1910), price 6d. - -[85] _Op cit._, pp. 168-69. - -[86] See a long chapter on "Manifestations de Mourants" in C. -Flammarion's _L'Inconnu_. - -[87] As in the case of a man drowning in a storm off the island of -Tristan d'Acunha, who was seen at the same hour in a Norfolk farmhouse. -_Phantasms of the Living_, vol. ii. p. 52. - -[88] See further on this subject ch. xi. _infra_, p. 211. - -[89] _Towards Democracy_, p. 490. - -[90] For a discussion of this question, see Myers, _op. cit._, ch. vii. -on _Phantasms of the Dead_. - -[91] See _supra_, ch. ii. p. 15; also _The World of Life_, by A. R. -Wallace, ch. xvii. "The Mystery of the Cell." - -[92] Of the conditions which may cause the invisible cloud to become -visible we shall speak farther on. - -[93] See, for a list of these, Flammarion's _L'Inconnu_, pp. 565-69; -also Lombroso's _Fenomeni ipnotici_, &c., p. 199. The numerous -quasi-historical records of the appearance after death of the saints -(generally in a cloud-like form) must also not be passed over; though, -on account of these records being connected with the various churches, -they are necessarily subject to suspicion! - -[94] We may mention _Death: Its Causes and Phenomena_, Carrington & -Meader (London, 1911); and the list of works quoted in the same book, -p. 540 _et seq._ - -[95] Longmans, 1908. - -[96] "At the end of three hours and forty minutes he expired, and -suddenly, coincident with death, the beam end of the scale dropped with -an audible stroke, hitting against the lower limiting bar and remaining -there with no rebound. The loss was ascertained to be three-fourths of -an ounce." See reference given by Carrington and Meader, _op. cit._, p. -373. The reports of the experiments are apparently given in the annals -of the American Society for Psychical Research for June, 1907. - -[97] See a long account in the _Spiritualist_ for 15th May, 1873; also -given by F. d'Albe, _op. cit._, p. 220, _et seq._ - -[98] See R. J. Thompson's _Proofs of Life after Death_ (1906). - -[99] See _Phenomenes de la Villa Carmen_, by Charles Richet, Paris, -1902; also Lombroso, _op. cit._, pp. 194-96. - -[100] Mr. H. Carrington, in his _Physical Phenomena of Spiritualism_, -has described in detail fraudulent methods of photography with which he -is well acquainted. Nevertheless he seems to believe that some cases -of "spirit photography" are genuine, and gives instances; see his -book already quoted _Death_, &c., pp. 359, _et seq._ See also Mr. E. -T. Bennett's book on _Spiritualism_, with introduction by Sir Oliver -Lodge, pp. 113-20. - -[101] See _The Art of Creation_, ch. vi. - -[102] _The World of Dreams_ (Constable, 1911), p. 107. - -[103] _The World of Dreams_, p. 190. - -[104] See _Electrons_, by Sir Oliver Lodge (George Bell, 1910). - -[105] Say, in millionths of an inch, fifteen millionths for the violet -(at the dark line A), and twenty-seven millionths for the red (at B). - -[106] See, for examples, ch. x. pp. 186-7, _supra_. - -[107] See document signed by five responsible witnesses and published -in the _Spiritualist_ of 15th May, 1873. - -[108] See _Materializations_, by Mme. D'Esperance, a lecture given in -1903 in London (Light Publishing Co.). - -[109] See illustrations in _Shadowland_, _passim_. - -[110] The cobwebby sensation alluded to above is often mentioned -by other writers. Dr. J. Maxwell, in his _Metaphysical Phenomena_ -(Duckworth, 1905), p. 329, describes a case in which the radiation -of force from the fingers of a medium was great enough to move a -small statuette five or six inches distant, and absolutely without -contact; but the phenomenon was accompanied by a "Spider-web or -cobwebby sensation in the hands." The author of that interesting book -_Interwoven_ (Boston, 1905, copyright by S. L. Ford), speaks of "the -protoplasmic vapor of the inner man," and says (p. 15): "It is this -frail vapor which comes out at death and tries to form into spiritual -body"; and again (p. 19): "I notice at death that nature draws or -relieves the fire of the ganglia first and all the lines of sensation -in light which were running down the nerves. It looks like white -seaweed, very light and airy and fragile ... a veil of shining which is -scarcely substance because of its white fire." - -[111] _Fenomeni ipnotici_, &c., p. 195. - -[112] Namely, the highly charged electrostatic condition of mediums, -the luminous clouds floating near them, the stars and rays of light in -their vicinity, the photographic activity of their emanations, and so -forth. - -[113] So much smaller than the atom that "if the earth represented an -electron, an atom would occupy a sphere with the sun as centre and four -times the distance of the earth as radius." See _Electrons_, by Oliver -Lodge, p. 98. - -[114] _Ibid._, pp. 82, 83. - -[115] _Immortality_, p. 148. - -[116] _Researches in the Phenomena of Spiritualism_ (Burns, 1874), p. -86. - -[117] _Materializations_, p. 12. - -[118] R. Dale Owen, _The Debatable Land_, p. 399. - -[119] See _Annals of Psychical Science_, Report 1910-11. - -[120] See Gustave Le Bon's _Evolution of Matter_ (Walter Scott -Publishing Co., 1907). - -[121] See Le Bon, p. 45. - -[122] For cases of hypnotic trance induced in one person by the -telepathic action of another person at a distance, see Myers, _op. -cit._, p. 160. - -[123] _Revue Philosophique_, August, 1887. - -[124] Myers, _op. cit._, p. 149. - -[125] _Ibid._, p. 144. See also Henri Bergson's _L'Evolution -Creatrice_, p. 102, on the _canalization_ of the senses. - -[126] See chapter xiii. p. 243. - -[127] It seems probable, from many considerations, that at a certain -depth within us--in the region of what has been called the cosmic -consciousness--memory does in nowise fade, and the past is always -present, but, as Bergson says, the ordinary conscious intellect tends -to only select from this mass what is needed for impending action, and -has consequently become limited by this tendency. - -[128] See the work of Richard Semon on the _mneme_ as a main factor -of organic life (_Die Mneme als erhaltendes Prinzip im Wechsel des -organischen Geschehens_, Leipzig, 1904); also quoted by Auguste Forel, -_The Sexual Question_ (English edition, Rebman, 1908), pp. 14-17. - -[129] See _An Adventure_, Macmillan & Co., 1911. - -[130] See _infra_, ch. xiv. p. 255; also E. B. Wilson, _The Cell_, p. -433. - -[131] Though this process, it would appear, requires _practice_, and is -not learned at once. - -[132] See the frequent description of the unusual beauty and radiancy -of the forms seen in connection with trance-mediums and circles. - -[133] It may easily be understood, I think, that the process by -which the distinct soul is thus built up may last several lifetimes. -That is, there may be a long period during which the budding soul -still entangled in the race-life may be reincarnated jointly with -the race-soul in a kind of mixed way--family and race-characteristics -mingling with and obscuring its expression--though these incarnations -would become ever less mixed and more individual in character till the -day of the soul's final disentanglement. - -[134] In the _Symposium_--Shelley's translation. - -[135] Shelley's translation. - -[136] What the _physical_ medium of this transmission may be--whether -the germ-plasm of Weismann, or some subtle _aura_ which connects the -members of a race together, or anything else--is a question to which the -answer at present is not very clear. - -[137] And not only out of the abysmal deeps of Man, but also out of the -hidden soul of the Earth, and other cosmic beings. - -[138] See _supra_, ch. vii. p. 122. - -[139] See note at end of chapter vi. - -[140] See, for instance, Homer's _Odyssey_, bk. xi., lines 601 _et -seq._, where Odysseus speaks with the ghost of Hercules in Hades; but -it is explained that Hercules himself is in Heaven: - - "Then in his might I beheld huge Hercules, phantom terrific, - Phantom I say, for the hero himself is among the immortals." - -[141] In this case, described by Dr. Morton Prince in his _Dissociation -of a Personality_ (see note to ch. vi., _supra_), at least four or five -distinct personalities were recognizable in the one woman. - -[142] See _The Art of Creation_, pp. 80, 81. - -[143] See Bergson's _L'Evolution Creatrice_ throughout. - -[144] "Der Beginn des erneuten seraphischen Lebens und Einbeziehung -alles dessen, was ausser der Gegenwartsenge liegt." - - - - - -End of Project Gutenberg's The Drama of Love and Death, by Edward Carpenter - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE DRAMA OF LOVE AND DEATH *** - -***** This file should be named 44883.txt or 44883.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/4/4/8/8/44883/ - -Produced by Sean (scribe_for_hire@yahoo.com) based on page -images made available by the Internet Archive -(http://archive.org/details/dramaoflovedeath00carprich). - - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions -will be renamed. - -Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no -one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation -(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without -permission and without paying copyright royalties. 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