the dore lectures on mental science-第2部分

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The　creative　process　thus　in　the　first　instance　is　purely　a　matter　of　feelingexactly　what　we　speak　of　as　〃motif〃　in　a　work　of　art。

Now　it　is　this　original　feeling　that　we　need　to　enter　into；　because　it　is　the　fons　et　origo　of　the　whole　chain　of　causation　which　subsequently　follows。　What　then　can　this　original　feeling　of　the　Spirit　be？　Since　the　Spirit　is　Life…in…itself；　its　feeling　can　only　be　for　the　fuller　expression　of　Lifeany　other　sort　of　feeling　would　be　self…destructive　and　is　therefore　inconceivable。　Then　the　full　expression　of　Life　implies　Happiness；　and　Happiness　implies　Harmony；　and　Harmony　implies　Order；　and　Order　implies　Proportion；　and　Proportion　implies　Beauty；　so　that　in　recognizing　the　inherent　tendency　of　the　Spirit　towards　the　production　of　Life；　we　can　recognise　a　similar　inherent　tendency　to　the　production　of　these　other　qualities　also；　and　since　the　desire　to　bestow　the　greater　fulness　of　joyous　life　can　only　be　described　as　Love；　we　can　sum　up　the　whole　of　the　feeling　which　is　the　original　moving　impulse　in　the　Spirit　as　Love　and　Beautythe　Spirit　finding　expression　through　forms　of　beauty　in　centres　of　life；　in　harmonious　reciprocal　relation　to　itself。　This　is　a　generalized　statement　of　the　broad　principle　by　which　Spirit　expands　from　the　innermost　to　the　outermost；　in　accordance　with　a　Law　of　tendency　inherent　in　itself。

It　sees　itself；　as　it　were；　reflected　in　various　centres　of　life　and　energy；　each　with　its　appropriate　form；　but　in　the　first　instance　these　reflections　can　have　no　existence　except　within　the　originating　Mind。　They　have　their　first　beginning　as　mental　images；　so　that　in　addition　to　the　powers　of　Intelligence　and　Selection；　we　must　also　realise　that　of　Imagination　as　belonging　to　the　Divine　Mind；　and　we　must　picture　these　powers　as　working　from　the　initial　motive　of　Love　and　Beauty。

Now　this　is　the　Spirit　that　we　need　to　enter　into；　and　the　method　of　doing　so　is　a　perfectly　logical　one。　It　is　the　same　method　by　which　all　scientific　advance　is　made。　It　consists　in　first　observing　how　a　certain　law　works　under　the　conditions　spontaneously　provided　by　nature；　next　in　carefully　considering　what　principle　this　spontaneous　working　indicates；　and　lastly　deducing　from　this　how　the　same　principle　would　act　under　specially　selected　conditions；　not　spontaneously　provided　by　nature。

The　progress　of　shipbuilding　affords　a　good　example　of　what　I　mean。　Formerly　wood　was　employed　instead　of　iron；　because　wood　floats　in　water　and　iron　sinks；　yet　now　the　navies　of　the　world　are　built　of　iron；　careful　thought　showed　the　law　of　floatation　to　be　that　anything　could　float　which；　bulk　for　bulk；　is　lighter　than　the　mass　of　liquid　displaced　by　it；　and　so　we　now　make　iron　float　by　the　very　same　law　by　which　it　sinks；　because　by　the　introduction　of　the　PERSONAL　factor；　we　provide　conditions　which　do　not　occur　spontaneouslyaccording　to　the　esoteric　maxim　that　〃Nature　unaided　fails。〃　Now　we　want　to　apply　the　same　process　of　specializing　a　generic　Law　to　the　first　of　all　Laws；　that　of　the　generic　life…giving　tendency　of　Spirit　itself。　Without　the　element　of　INDIVIDUAL　PERSONALITY　the　Spirit　can　only　work　cosmically　by　a　GENERIC　Law；　but　this　law　admits　of　far　higher　specialization；　and　this　specialization　can　only　be　attained　through　the　introduction　of　the　personal　factor。　But　to　introduce　this　factor　the　individual　must　be　fully　aware　of　the　PRINCIPLE　which　underlies　the　spontaneous　or　cosmic　action　of　the　law。　Where；　then；　will　he　find　this　principle　of　Life？　Certainly　not　by　contemplating　Death。　In　order　to　get　a　principle　to　work　in　the　way　we　require　it　to；　we　must　observe　its　action　when　it　is　working　spon〃　taneously　in　this　particular　direction。　We　must　ask　why　it　goes　in　the　right　direction　as　far　as　it　doesand　having　learnt　this　we　shall　then　be　able　to　make　it　go　further。　The　law　of　floatation　was　not　discovered　by　contemplating　the　sinking　of　things；　but　by　contemplating　the　floating　of　things　which　floated　naturally；　and　then　intelligently　asking　why　they　did　so。

The　knowledge　of　a　principle　is　to　be　gained　by　the　study　of　its　affirmative　action；　when　we　understand　THAT　we　are　in　a　position　to　correct　the　negative　conditions　which　tend　to　prevent　that　action。

Now　Death　is　the　absence　of　Life；　and　disease　is　the　absence　of　health；　so　to　enter　into　the　Spirit　of　Life　we　require　to　contemplate　it；　where　it　is　to　be　found；　and　not　where　it　is　not…　…we　are　met　with　the　old　question；　〃Why　seek　ye　the　living　among　the　dead？〃　This　is　why　we　start　our　studies　by　considering　the　cosmic　creation；　for　it　is　there　that　we　find　the　Life　Spirit　working　through　untold　ages；　not　merely　as　deathless　energy；　but　with　a　perpetual　advance　into　higher　degrees　of　Life。　If　we　could　only　so　enter　into　the　Spirit　as　to　make　it　personally　IN　OURSELVES　what　it　evidently　is　in　ITSELF；　the　magnum　opus　would　be　accomplished。　This　means　realizing　our　life　as　drawn　direct　from　the　Originating　Spirit；　and　if　we　now　understand　that　the　Thought　or　Imagination　of　the　Spirit　is　the　great　reality　of　Being；　and　that　all　material　facts　are　only　correspondences；　then　it　logically　follows　that　what　we　have　to　do　is　to　maintain　our　individual　place　in　the　Thought　of　the　Parent　Mind。

We　have　seen　that　the　action　of　the　Originating　Mind　must　needs　be　GENERIC；　that　is　according　to　types　which　include　multitudes　of　individuals。　This　type　is　the　reflection　of　the　Creative　Mind　at　the　level　of　that　particular　GENIUS；　and　at　the　human　level　it　is　Man；　not　as　associated　with　particular　circumstances；　but　as　existing　in　the　absolute　ideal。

In　proportion　then　as　we　learn　to　dissociate　our　conception　of　ourselves　from　particular　circumstances；　and　to　rest　upon　our　ABSOLUTE　nature；　as　reflections　of　the　Divine　ideal；　we；　in　our　turn；　reflect　back　into　the　Divine　Imagination　its　original　conception　of　itself　as　expressed　in　generic　or　typical　Man；　and　so　by　a　natural　law　of　cause　and　effect；　the　individual　who　realizes　this　mental　attitude　enters　permanently　into　the　Spirit　of　Life；　and　it　becomes　a　perennial　fountain　of　Life　springing　up　spontaneously　within　him。

He　then　finds　himself　to　be　as　the　Bible　says；　〃the　image　and　likeness　of　God。〃　He　has　reached　the　level　at　which　he　affords　a　new　starting　point　for　the　creative　process；　and　the　Spirit；　finding　a　personal　centre　in　him；　begins　its　work　de　nova；　having　thus　solved　the　great　problem　of　how　to　enable　the　Universal　to　act　directly　upon　the　plane　of　the　Particular。

It　is　in　this　sense；　as　affording　the　requisite　centre　for　a　new　departure　of　the　creative　Spirit；　that　man　is　said　to　be　a　〃microcosm；〃　or　universe　in　miniature；　and　this　is　also　what　is　meant　by　the　esoteric　doctrine　of　the　Octave；　of　which　I　may　be　able　to　speak　more　fully　on　some　other　occasion。

If　the　principles　here　stated　are　carefully　considered；　they　will　be　found　to　throw　light　on　much　that　would　otherwise　be　obscure；　and　they　will　also　afford　the　key　to　the　succeeding　essays。

The　reader　is　therefore　asked　to　think　them　out　carefully　for　himself；　and　to　note　their　connection　with　the　subject　of　the　next　article。



INDIVIDUALITY。

Individuality　is　the　necessary　complement　of　the　Universal　Spi