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TUE HIDDEN SPDUTU.AL SarENeES.<br />
. .<br />
Ing remains only the esoterio formula, lOhi"" ,<br />
Is 1t.e11 disguised nnd changed by Christian<br />
devices, legendary and docuinal. Yet., not<br />
cntlrely Io..t; there has alwaja en.ted minds<br />
here and there' who could penetrate the obscuryty,.a.D,lread<br />
In the r .... u femnant.. of the<br />
past, by that light which Iightelh every mao<br />
who <strong>com</strong>eth Inlo tho world, something of the<br />
great tnlths of antiquity included In tho' obscure<br />
term occult philosophy.<br />
O~llIt philosopby, as tbe term implies, has<br />
special reference to hidden causes, is au ell'ort<br />
to go beneath the surface of appearances and<br />
detect tlie reality.<br />
Its stlldy Is tbJ'ee.fold: FJeinentary, Celello<br />
tial and Theological. The fih.t Includes all<br />
that is known as natural' philosophy; the<br />
second. asl.ronomy or celestial dynamies; the<br />
origin and end of all things. ceremonial relip,ion<br />
and divine worship. Permeating all<br />
these brancbes of occult philosophy was tho<br />
. ,ever present Idea of spirit; Were was no ex<br />
Istence, buteupplemented by a spiritual interl!retation,<br />
which was Indeed ~he real existence,<br />
and that which appeared to oar senses,<br />
Was only an appearanCe.<br />
Tbe revelations, discoverieS and general<br />
cnUghtment of the world sinCe !.be days of<br />
Gailleo has brought occult phll()sophy Into<br />
_ disrepote, partly because Its ideas were ob<br />
.cure and Ilttlo understood, and 'mainly boo<br />
cause It had througb Its reprt!sentations upheld<br />
doctrines concerning the uDiverse, which<br />
were demonstrably false, and In the presence<br />
01 greater IIgbt unteQablo.<br />
lIut anotber and a greater reason remained<br />
for ito belngewept away amongst tberubbi.b<br />
01 the past as the. vilest and mbst pernicious<br />
. superstition. It bad a spiritUal philosopby<br />
wbicb embrsced even that terrible nigbt-marc<br />
of bumanity-wltcberaJt, and. wltcilcraJt by<br />
tho bigotry and cruelty of reJlgloni,;ts, bad<br />
beeu the cause of oue of the most frlgbtful<br />
. rcligiollS epidemics whicb ha.. ever dl"grsced<br />
tbe w ... rld. ·Ailythlng unllSual, whether in<br />
learning, wealth, virtue, beauty or uglines..,<br />
was sufficient to Institute slllt for witcbcraft.<br />
':vory misfortune, disease or calamity sougbt<br />
for Its cause witchcraft, and a subject for<br />
punisbment was easily found, No one was<br />
.afc from the ravages of this malevolent r~<br />
igiou. epiderulo, and both sexes of every age<br />
&lid. station in life suffered from Ita ravages.<br />
Little or no attempt was made to show that<br />
tbe rellglon whlcb burned witches was wroug,<br />
the progress of 'the epidemic was ollly stayed<br />
by proving to an IUIlvllliIlg priesthood thnt<br />
witchcraft Itself did not exist. And though<br />
the 'World and We persecutors of witches. dld<br />
not know wbat witchcraft really meant, even<br />
while they burned wltcheo, yet tho world wllS .<br />
glad to have Its noo.e:lIstenC8 proven. Glod.<br />
because It was tired of bbn·6re., boo-fires red<br />
by faggolS aud men J.nd women, who were<br />
only guilt}- or'dilteriog from tbelr neigbbo ...<br />
So the world moved, wltchcraft'became a d~<br />
Imloo and occult philosophy only a thing 10<br />
be laugbcll at, or beld up as the curious .<br />
phantasy, of even men of intellect., a thillg<br />
to sbow tbe world bo~ much it had advanced<br />
and enligbtene4 it wllS.<br />
But the world waS moving In another dl-·<br />
rection. The church was gradually losing ita<br />
. supervisorShip of learning, and did at langtn<br />
be<strong>com</strong>o an object of defiance to man, who<br />
would think, w!lo woUld Investigate, nOt even<br />
subjects f~rbiddiln by the church. but the<br />
very church Itself. Ito right even to an ex<br />
Istence waS qo""Uoned. '!I'd men did noL<br />
beoitate to say that tJll. gigantic power and .<br />
monstrous error shoUld find Ito place with<br />
dead and burled witelJcraft. StIlrdlly h811 the<br />
churcb fougbt for it. Cx'8tence; and steadily<br />
has It cast contumely 011 the efforts ot mel\ of<br />
science, lOeh of thougbt, and liberty loving<br />
mell, men ,,'1'0 ~aw ill every prl •.sthood a<br />
<strong>com</strong>bination of conspirators ..g,unst buman<br />
liberty and ;mllghienmtlnt.: and this oppo.itlon<br />
of tbe church h"" engendered h. the minds ot<br />
tbese mell, a dislike, a hatred. a po_itlve disbelief<br />
in every thing' of a spiritual cbaracter.<br />
And why? . Uecause the cburcb, having con·<br />
vertcd itself into an eDgineof oppreqsloo, ball<br />
. its ba.~is on the doctrine of the Immortality<br />
of tbc 80ul, aDd its power for oppression depends<br />
upon the belief of Ito adberen18 In that<br />
doctrine, therefore Ir ...e.tbinken. attack the<br />
foundation as tile surest method of ridding<br />
humanity of sllperstition and servile fear to<br />
an In&tltulloo wblcb holds or pretends to hold<br />
hum au welfare beyono the grave In its own<br />
h""ds. J)estroy tbe b.lIef In spiritual entl·<br />
~t • .s and the Immortality of tbe aoul,then the .<br />
power of the church Is destroyed and science<br />
IS emancl pated.<br />
, It i. not strange theil, tbat men 01 science<br />
"ave an aversion to spiritual things and look<br />
with a j.alouo eye· uPon Spiritualism and<br />
kludred subjects, and Imagine that this mod.<br />
em revival at oCcultism Is oDly a revival of<br />
·tb~ power (If tbel.r enemy, suwing tbe seeds .'<br />
of superslltion trom wblcb will grow all oh·<br />
stacle to tbe scientific growth at hnmanlty,<br />
and luaugurate another era of clarkDess and<br />
degradation •<br />
•
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