THEOSOPHY.

Auckland Star, Volume XXX, Issue 203, 28 August 1899, Page 2

THEOSOPHY.

Mr F. M. Parr lectured last night in the Theosophical Society's rooms, Mutual Life Buildings, Lower Queenstreet, his subject being "Consciousness." Investigate consciousness as closely as we choose, he said, still we shall find that we lose ourselves in mystery, try as we may to fathom its depths, still our efforts prove futile. The vastness of the difficulty, is demonstrated by the fact that the giant intellects who have studied the matter differ in their final- conclusions. Profound philosophies are biiilt up to try and give some solution to- the many problems that face us in the study of consciousness. It is only the hard thinkers of science and philosophy that have braved its investigation. Religion, which should surely have some say in the matter, says next to nothing regarding it, at least in a clear and plain manner. Our past science has been materialistic in the extreme, and it has been averred in a most dogmatic manner that consciousness could not exist apart from the physical body. To-day the position is changed, and the materialist is disappearing from our midst, for evidence of such an overwhelming nature is now obtainable that it is almost a case of changing their opinions against their will. It is therefore well to leave the materialistic position and study the matter from the non-materialist, or spiritual, side. If it be a fact that consciousness can and does exist apart from the physical body, and that its manifestation is less hindered and is rendered more efficient in a more subtle body, then a new world is opened to our view'; a world that must be vaster and possess greater potentialities than our present one. And though it is true that the knowledge of it is not yet widespread, yet there are members of the Theosophical Society who can and do explore this wider world, and a general de-

scription of it has been given by Mr C. W. Leadbeater in his little books on the Astral and Derachanic Planes. Behind all phenomena there is force, science has demonstrated that; there must therefore be a force which produces brain action, and hence thought. The force is the active and the brain the passive principle; and naturally one must consider the active principle the chief one, which brings the conclusion that a force working through the brain and producing consciousness must be a conscious and intelligent force. This, in Theosophical terms is the thinking principle in man. It is ! this thinking principle that draws a i broad line of demarcation between man and the animals; it is this that is i the connecting link between physical i man and spiritual man; to rise to a ! fuller state of consciousness than that ! common to us at present, and so un- ! derstand the true nature of man as a i spiritual being, it is necessary to ob- ! tain full control of the physical senses, | and also a certain mastery over all ; our thoughts as well as over our actions. By this thought control we shall eventually fathom all the mys- ! teries of consciousness and of being. i The subject was then discussed by a fair audience.