The History and Power of Mind " by Richard Ingalese

Book Description
1902. Contents: Occultism: Its Past, Present and Future; Divine Mind; Dual Mind and Its Origin; Art of Self-Control; Law of Re-embodiment; Colors of Thought Vibration; Meditation, Creation and Concentration; Lesser Occult of Psychic Forces and their Dangers; Hypnotism and How to Guard Against It; Higher Occult or Spiritual forces and their Uses; Cause and Cure of Disease; Law of Opulence.

PREFACE

This book is made up from personal notes and stenographic reports of lectures delivered in New York City during the seasons of 1900-1901-1902, with the addition of some new matter in the form of amplifications. The compilation is made at the request of my students and is published primarily for their benefit. The material is left in the form in which it was delivered.

The book may not appeal to the orthodox religionist nor to the materialist; but may prove interesting, if not enlightening, to the agnostic and to the investigator of either psychic phenomena, or the phenomena of mental therapeutics.

The modern teachings of the Science of Mind have not appealed to many thinkers because of the vagueness of thought and expression of the majority of those who attempt to present them; and also because of the lack of a working hypothesis I needed to explain the law under which both psychic and mental phenomena occur. This book is an attempt toward supplying the latter deficiency by stating laws under which Mind evolves and operates.

The author does not claim any original research or discoveries along these lines, having had the matter herein contained given to him in the course of his study, under trained minds who had verified these facts for themselves and who required him to do the same.

The Occult forces of nature and their modes of manifestation have been known for ages to certain secret orders which have not deemed it wise heretofore to give their knowledge to the world. This age, however, seems, in their judgment, propitious for the wider spread of such knowledge both because many independent investigators are discovering for themselves something about these forces and, in their ignorance, are perverting the use of them - as witness hypnotism - and because the advanced men of the race have reached a point where they are desirous of this knowledge, and every mental demand brings its supply.

"THE HISTORY AND POWER OF MIND" was selected for a title because the history of mind is the history of man; and these lectures first trace mind's, or psychic man's, origin and development, and then describe the power of mind and its modes of manifestation.

It may not be amiss to state in conclusion that the book is not written for the purpose of propagandism. Something of the operation of Nature's Laws is described in these lectures, and the acceptance or rejection of the statements made will not change the Laws nor affect the author.

R. I.

New York City, October 1st, 1902.

RETROSPECTION AND FORECAST

The taking over of our books by Dodd, Mead & Company gives me an opportunity to revise this volume and to correct many verbal errors, some of them serious, which crept into, or were overlooked in former editions. In the two decades which have elapsed since first these teachings were given to the World my studies have continued and have been broadened; but I find nothing of a basic nature to revise in this book. Of course much could be added, but such knowledge as is permissible to be given out will be issued later in a separate volume.*

*The philosophic series now consist of the following books: "The History and Power of Mind," "Occult Philosophy," "Fragments of Truth" and "The Greater Mysteries."

I have received many hundreds of letters during the period stated, asking for elucidation on various points covered by the text. Most of these could have been self-answered if the writers had studied the text more carefully, or had read the two supplemental books * belonging to the series. But the constant recurrence of the same questions in so many letters has made it advisable to offer a few explanations which may prevent uncertainty in the minds of present or future readers.

Much perplexity has arisen over the subject of the "Period of Evolution," briefly sketched in Chapter 1, and more lightly touched upon elsewhere. This has been particularly true of readers who have studied the semi-esoteric teachings of modern Theosophy, of Astrology and of Oriental literature. The esoteric facts are these: Occultism commences to compute Periods of Evolution from the beginning of the next Solar Cycle after the stream of involution had brought the last of the human Egos or Minds from a previous planet to this Earth.

Now, as modern Astronomy correctly states, it takes the Sun something over twenty-five thousand years to complete its circuit through the Zodiacal signs, and this period of time is called a solar cycle. In occult or semi-occult literature a solar cycle is designated as an "Age of the Earth," a "Period of Mundane Evolution," or "Race Period." There are seven such Sun Cycles or Periods of activity in which man may evolve on this planet. These Sun Cycles are divided into twelve sub-cycles or periods, each consisting of about two thousand years, or the length of time it takes for the Sun to pass from one sign of the Zodiac to another.

In Oriental literature these are called " Sub-Race Periods," and they are also known, among Occultists, as a "Nation's Age," for it is during such a period that a Nation is born, matures, grows old and dies. It is interesting to verify this fact in history, especially in contemporaneous history, for the leading Nations of Europe are now ending their two thousand year cycle.

This, in a measure, answers the questions so often asked, "Have we finished the Sun Cycle of Pisces and are we in the Aquarian Age?" To both questions the Occultist would answer, No. We are now concluding the Age of Pisces and hence the disturbances in every line of human endeavor.

At the end of each Sub-Cycle and peculiarly at the end of each Solar Cycle, a re-adjustment in men's affairs and in the Earth takes place. Those are the days of Judgment for that Period or Cycle, and it was in reference to the end of the Piscean Age that the Nazarene Occultist gave the prophecy concerning the "end of the World," as the King James version has it, or the "Consummation of the Age," as the revised version of the New Testament puts it.

Connecting the two thousand year cycles are minor cycles, overlapping in an evolutionary sense the cycles they connect, as a link in a chain. And it is in these connecting, smaller cycles that the re-adjustments take place.

The writers of the letters referred to repeatedly asked, How can you continue to assert that there is an exact Law of Justice, as you do throughout the book, when all around us we see so much injustice?"

The answer is plain - as a man usually pays as he goes, but monthly or yearly settles all outstanding accounts, so evolving man usually sows and reaps in the same life, but outstanding, evolutionary debts are settled in full during the minor Cycles which connect the major ones.

For a concrete example we will take the thirty years commencing with 1895 and lasting through 1925. That Period constitutes an overlapping Cycle of Compensation. During that time all World, National, Community and Individual wrongs must be righted. It is the harvest time for men's thoughts and acts.

Necessarily undeveloped man has not sown wisely and hence the chaos into which we are rapidly whirling. But all evil must be swept away before man can commence a new Cycle of Evolution. It is a sub-conscious reminiscence of the beginning of a new Major Cycle that has led man to dream of Arcadias and to prophesy millenniums, for only the good endures.

Prior to 1900 and before the Custodians of Occult knowledge gave permission to reveal, in these lectures, esoteric truths, the World had never heard of the colors of thought vibration, of Cosmic Forces and their colors, of the vibratory color of man's aura and its connection with Cosmic Forces, nor of the practical use of such knowledge.

When the World first heard of these matters it was incredulous, and even students were in doubt, but time, which proves all things, has justified the claims of the Occultist and has shown that all mental phenomena of the modern cults are founded upon the vibratory theories of mind and matter herein set forth. And now, on every side, among thinking people and among those who pretend to think, these heretofore esoteric matters are discussed as common knowledge and too often are carried to absurd extremes by those who least understand them.

A careful study of this book, and particularly of Chapters VI, X and XI, will open new avenues of knowledge and show the way to spiritual development in the true and Occult sense - meaning the development in man of the attributes of the Spirit of God, which are Omniscience, Omnipotence and Omnipresence. As man raises his vibrations and draws the higher Cosmic Forces into his mind and body, his knowledge, force and consciousness expand and he grows more godlike, until at length, in the fruition of time, he becomes a god.

Too much stress cannot be laid upon this subject, for, after all, our evolutionary aim is to become something better than we are. One should not deprecate, in any manner, man's attempt to better his social, financial or intellectual condition, but man should know that these are all but means to an end - soul growth.

The struggle engendered by man in carrying out his material ambitions gives him courage, perseverance, patience and strength, also experience which ripens into knowledge. Thus is character built, the nature of which is dependent upon the means used by him. One who recognizes that his vocation is but a method of growth ceases to feel any burden in his work and enjoys the conflict and the conquest equally. To such a one there is no gradation of labor nor degradation in service.

By this is not meant that all labor is equal commercially, but is equally noble if used as a means to an end, and, as such, is well done - and in the New Era, after 1925, only the drones - if any are left - will be without honor.

Most earnestly is it recommended to each reader to peruse - not cursorily read - Chapter VIII dealing with psychic phenomena. The World War, with its necessary attendant famine and plagues, has swept out of physical manifestation millions of egos, many of whom carried with them hatred of those left behind. Hatred begets a desire for revenge, a primitive but powerful instinct. The medium, to gratify this impulse of excarnated egos, is necessarily limited to psychic instrumentalities, and herein lie the intensified dangers enumerated in the Chapter in question.

It is not at all surprising that a psychic wave is sweeping around the Earth at the present time and that tons of books are being weekly turned off the press to supply information and misinformation concerning the future state of man.

Priesthood has ever held out hope to the bereaved ones left behind; but braver souls, feeling doubt corroding their creeds, have sought from age to age to prove for themselves the persistency of the personality after physical death. So general is this impulse at the present time that modern necromancy has become a parlor pastime, when it is not an effort of love to reach a dear but unwilling pioneer upon the subjective side of life.

Every Occultist willingly concedes that mind is the master of matter and persists after the material form has disappeared. It is also conceded that in many instances the communicating excarnated ego is the one whose identity is claimed. But this does not change the sad fact that more often the identity cannot be established and that impersonation is practiced to the detriment of the investigator. There is no certainty in psychic inquiry unless the investigator is himself an independent clairvoyant, and then there is but little safety for him unless he has learned to permanently remain positive or to protect himself with Cosmic Forces.

Many inquirers have erroneously concluded that, since all disease has its origin in a mental cause, only mind can cure; and therefore refuse all material aid in sickness. This is not necessarily a logical nor a wise conclusion. The mental cause may have ceased to operate after the physical manifestation, and in such a case proper material remedies would bring about chemical and physical changes for the better. If the mental cause still persists, then both mind and medicine must be used. It is always safer at this stage of our development to use mental and Cosmic Forces as well as the natural remedies which a kindly Providence has provided. This is not meant as recommendatory of mineral drugs, poisons and serums, such as are too frequently used by some practitioners of the present day. But, by natural remedies, are meant the various drugless systems, diet, hygiene and herbs. Nature has provided in most localities herbal remedies for the diseases most likely to be generated in those localities, and it is man's privilege to study nature and to learn to work with her in preserving the physical body so that, in and through it, he may more highly evolve.

It stands to reason that if a man can preserve his body, as an efficient instrument, for a longer period than is the present average age of men, he has thereby the greater advantage in the evolutionary race.

For ages an Occult School of medicine has existed in which the few accepted students are taught the vibratory rate and chemical action of grasses, roots, herbs and trees, and particularly the oils and quintessences derived therefrom.

But by far the greatest number of inquiries received in all these years pertained to Chapter XII. So many quaint, queer and pathetic letters were written about the Law of Opulence that sometimes one wondered if the other parts of the book were often read. The teachings were intended to supply the demands that earnest hearts had made along Spiritual, mental and material lines. It was natural to suppose that the great majority of readers would prefer to have rather than to be; but one was scarcely prepared to find that eighty per cent of all inquiries were concerning material possessions. This was compensated for, in a measure, by those letters which told of the conquest of self.

Many students, by study and experimentation, gained a comprehension of the Law of Attraction and used it successfully along all lines. Many more persons, however, told of failure, but the letters written clearly revealed the reason - the writers had failed to understand either the text or themselves. So many persons had daydreamed, thinking that they were creating and concentrating. Others who had never earned more than one or two hundred dollars a month, and were working eight hours a day for that amount, were disappointed because their mental work of fifteen minutes a day for a few months had not brought independent wealth.

The majority of the letters showed that vanity had been the obstruction to success. Persons who had never before heard of the power of mind, upon reading the book, determined that henceforth they would cease to work physically and would use mind exclusively. They concluded that they were able to dispense with all centers through which to work - all occupations - and, not having the requisite knowledge and experience with the Law, and lacking in their power of concentration, naturally they failed.

The attention of readers is again called to the fact that most of us belong to the class designated as "Physico-mental workers," and that it takes time, effort and experience to remove ourselves from this class.

The Law of Attraction is the source from which we receive; but we must do more than sit at our desks and demand money, travel, good times and nothing to do. We will find that all who have succeeded have had an occupation, a center, in the beginning, which grew enormously under the application of the Law of Demand.

To acquire wealth, be it soul wealth or material wealth, one must possess desire, determination and the power of concentration. And it is according to the degree in which one possesses these three attributes of mind that one succeeds. It is so important to realize this fact that a repetition of it, in a slightly different form, may be excused, for it embodies the general principles which bring success.

To use the Law of Attraction successfully, therefore, one should:

First. Desire intently to possess a thing or quality.

Second. Determine, or will to possess it.

Third. Concentrate all mental and physical effort to acquire possession. This is mental efficiency.

Never yield to disappointment, for that is a counter force to the Creative. Never stop working to attain your object, but keep persistently at it until success crowns your efforts. By so doing you create a condition which cannot be ignored by men or by Law; for a pathway of invisible, magnetic cords stronger than steel is created between you and your object - if you choose to make it so by your power of Concentration.

Never give up working because results do not come when you desire or expect them. Discouragement, disappointment, anger, impatience and doubt in your power to succeed are the only things that can delay or prevent the consummation of your hopes and desires.

R. I.
Los Angeles, California,
February, 1920.


THE HISTORY AND POWER OF MIND

LECTURE ONE

OCCULTISM, ITS PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE

To many persons the subjects discussed in these lectures may appear preposterous, and therefore those of you who have not studied along metaphysical lines are requested to hold yourselves agnostically until this entire course shall be finished. You do not know whether Occultism is true or not; you are now ready to examine the subject and, after having heard the entire exposition, you will be in a position to judge whether it offers a logical, working hypothesis, and whether it is worthy to receive more of your time and consideration. If it is true it can be demonstrated, for truth is always demonstrable. You can prove by demonstration each of the fundamental statements that will be made, as you can prove a proposition in mathematics. When I say truth is demonstrable, do not understand me to mean that it is capable of being demonstrated immediately upon hearing it. Everything must unfold. You cannot raise your body on a horizontal bar the first time you try because your muscles are not strong enough; but after your muscles have become strengthened by practice you may be capable of raising your body to any position you desire. So it is with a person who has never used his mind in scientific reasoning or in concentration. He should not flatter himself that he can immediately accomplish what a person who has practiced for many years can do. If you use your mind along the lines indicated in these lectures you will find that there will be a continuous growth for you, and that the time will come when you can do anything that you desire. A very large promise, you may say, but if it is true I assure you it is demonstrable.

Our first subject is "Occultism, Its Past, Present and Future." This is an introductory lecture, giving something of the history of Occultism and of the Occultists in order that we may know the source from which our information is derived.

The Century Dictionary gives the definition of Occultism as: "The doctrine, practice or rites of things occult or mysterious; the Occult Sciences or their study; mysticism; esotericism." In the Middle Ages Occult Science or Occultism embraced primarily what is now known as the physical sciences. It was understood to mean those things which were unknown, but which by experimentation might become known. Chemistry, as a branch of Alchemy, was regarded as one of the Occult Sciences because it was largely unknown, but through investigation and experimentation it constantly became better known. But Occultism also had a secondary meaning which was coupled with the first, namely, mysticism, esotericism.

In ancient days people thought it not unwise to attempt the discovery of the unknown through experimentation with the subjective as well as the objective side of nature, and the two meanings, that which pertained to the objective, which was unknown but could be ascertained, and that which pertained to the subjective, which was unknown but could be ascertained, were both included in the term Occultism.

Materialism as it grew in strength called the unknown (which was becoming known on the objective or visible side of life) "Science," but stamped the belief in or the investigation of the subjective side of life as "superstition." And most people became very much afraid of that word, and became afraid of being known as superstitious even more than to be known as ignorant; and such persons preferred to remain ignorant of the Occult. In time the word Occultism grew to mean that which pertained to the subjective - that which pertained to esotericism, and at present it is defined as esotericism.

As you go back in history you will find that esotericism has everywhere played a large part in moulding the thoughts of men. There were always the esoteric and the exoteric religions and sciences. There always has been and there will be for ages yet to come one religion for the masses and another for the students. There have been for a long time, and for some time yet to come there will be two sciences - one for the materialist, diluted for the masses, and another for the students of Occultism. You will find traces of this duality in any religion at any period in history. The Nazarene, the inspired leader of the Christians, after having taught the multitude in parables and having withdrawn to one side, was questioned by His disciples: "Why speakest thou to them in parables?" He answered: "Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given." And afterward He unfolded to His disciples the esoteric side of His teachings, thus giving them truths that were not for the masses. And in all religions, whether it be the Egyptian, Buddhism, or that precursor of the Christian religion - Judaism, there are truths which are revealed only to the student. In Judaism there was the Jehovic teaching for the masses, the Cabalistic for the most secret students, and between these two was a third, the Talmudic, which partook of the nature of both. So the truth reached all grades of society according to the comprehension of each - a plan that was adopted later by the Church of Rome with very great success.

Of course many religionists, especially those calling themselves Christians, will deny that there is any esotericism in their faith. But those who are acquainted with the history of the early Christian Church and the writings of the Fathers, and those who are familiar with the philosophy of The Logos, and the mysticism of Paul as shown in his Epistles, will never attempt to deny it to the educated.

But however violent the denial of esotericism may be by the religionist, it will not exceed in violence the denial of the term "science" to anything pertaining to the occult by the majority of the modern physicists; yet scorn, laughter or denial will not blot from the pages of either sacred or profane history the fact that Magic was and is practiced among all people. The existence of magic necessitates the knowledge of certain laws and forces which are as yet unknown to the materialist, though modern science, having gone almost to the limit of the visible, is now beginning to knock at the door of the Occult Sciences and to pry into the invisible. It is already studying the ether, ions, electrical invisibles, atoms and radiant matter. It is only a few weeks since Flammarion, in one of his articles, said that he was a student of Occultism, and that henceforth all progressive men of science would have to study along that line.

According to the teachings of esotericism Occultism is the science of Divine Unfoldment. The student of Occultism regards Deity as the All; and is taught that there is not nor cannot be any manifestation outside of Deity. Whether we look at a blade of grass, or a drop of water, or upon our planet with its teeming myriads of men and animals, or look away into space at system after system of worlds, all is Deity in various states of manifestation. The Occultist is primarily an evolutionist and says that all evolution is carried on during vast periods of time, which he calls Cosmic Days; that Deity idealizes a picture of what It will accomplish during a Cosmic Day, and then the whole impulse of evolution - which is Divine Energy or Impulse - is onward and upward, striving ever to reach that idealization.

Everything in the universe is an unfoldment of Deity Itself, and Occultism is the science of that Unfoldment. It teaches the laws under which that Unfoldment takes place, not only upon the objective plane of life but also upon the subjective plane. The Occultist finds that where he merely studies the modern sciences he is only studying the sciences of effects, for there is not one of the modern sciences that teaches the cause of phenomena. Take the subject where modern science has perhaps made as much progress as in any other line - embryology. We find there is a germ; it has a form of life; a method of accretion; it reaches a certain point of development; then ask a scientific man what it is going to be, a fish, a bird, a reptile or a man, and he cannot answer. Up to this point the formation of a germ of each kind is identical with the others. But after this point has been reached there is new accretion, a new form is assumed, and the germ may become a bird, a fish, a reptile or a man; but the form that it takes was indelibly stamped upon it from the beginning. How was it stamped? What determines the diverging point, what determines the form of consciousness, the form of expression? In the science of embryology there is no satisfactory answer to be had because here, as you see, is the study of effects. The cause is not looked for, is not found.

The student of Occultism says, I want to know when the ideal which determined all its future growth was stamped upon that germ. I want to know why, when it reached that point, it became a man instead of a bird; why it drew to itself certain elements and threw off others. I want to know the laws that govern the subjective side of life; I want the veil to be torn away, that I may see the cause of form, and not only its effects. This is why he attempts to study first upon the objective side of life and then upon the subjective, or to study them contemporaneously.

As materialistic as was the Nineteenth Century, we find that a few men once more began to turn their thoughts toward the realm of the unknown and unseen in order to discover, if possible, the "why" of existence. And certain scientific men thought it not unreasonable nor undignified to investigate the Occult or to organize The Society for Psychical Research for the purpose of investigating these occult subjects. We have seen the great cult of Spiritualism spreading through the world and have witnessed the revival of Palmistry and of Astrology and other quasi Occult Sciences. Then following these, the crowning effort of all, we find that a great psychic wave swept over the world and man began to realize that he was Mind and as such was neither bound by time nor by space, but could send his thoughts in any given direction and could communicate without words with distant minds; and that mind could compel matter to obey it. With the awakening of the world the Occult Sciences have again challenged the attention of the most progressive men of the race.

But man grows tired of externals and life after life as he evolves he studies deeper and deeper into Nature's laws. We do not always accomplish the same amount of study in each life because we think we have not the time for study. We believe we have so much else to do that is of much more importance to us. Then there is the external world with its duties and pleasures and our attention is so deeply engaged with these things that we have no time left for more serious subjects. But in each life we take up as much of the study of these sciences as we have the time and inclination for, and gradually after many ages have passed we become earnest and devoted students.

A knowledge of Occult Law may be gained in two ways, by original research and by teachers. There are courageous souls who choose to progress along the lines of personal experimentation instead of taking the easier and perhaps the better way of gaining a knowledge of its principles through the aid of teachers. These strong souls often make terrible mistakes and unnecessary sacrifices, for, after leaving the objective plane, they come upon the hidden or subjective side where there are forces and agencies that turn to naught man's thought and efforts unless both be properly directed. But even when knowledge has been gained through teachers it does not put an end to experimentation; because the teacher explains the law and leaves the pupil to make his own verification after having been taught how it should be done. The knowledge comes, however, as all real knowledge must, by experimentation and by experience.

Who are the teachers? They may be grouped into three great classes, Masters, Adepts and Students. The Masters of Occultism are those who, in a prior period of Cosmic evolution, passed upward through the human stage until they reached the Divine, and became Gods. When a new Cosmic Day commences, and new planets are formed, and men are brought into existence for the purpose of unfolding more and more of the Deity within themselves and enlarging their consciousness as individualized parts of nature, the Masters are they who lead and teach the evolving race. The Adepts are those advanced men of our race who are students of the Masters, while at the same time they are teachers of their less developed brothers. They are men who have perfected themselves along certain lines, but have not reached perfection along all lines. The Students are they who are studying under these Adepts; they are persons who desire to know the truth, and have devoted themselves to the study of these particular sciences. They hold the same relation to the Adepts as the Adepts hold to the Masters.

There are different grades of Masters because they who finished their evolution upon their system of worlds earlier in the great Cosmic Day are stronger than they who finished later. And so there are grades of Adepts and of Students. We find that there are everywhere grades of intelligence. In other words, that which Huxley speaks of as a scientific necessity is true, and there are intelligences in this Universe as superior to man as man is superior to a black beetle. Take, for instance, a Patagonian or an Australian Bushman, and contrast him with an Emerson. What a vast gulf separates these two intelligences! Yet both are proceeding upward in their evolutionary career; the one, of course, being in advance of the other.

And it does not require much scientific imagination to conceive that there is an infinite gradation of intelligence because we see such a diversity everywhere. Then it is only logical to suppose that what is true upon the lower plane of our daily experience is also true throughout nature.

The Masters and Adepts are the custodians of the Occult Sciences, which are perfected sciences, it is claimed, because they cover all departments of nature, both physical and metaphysical, the objective and the subjective.

Now, all the facts and principles of these sciences must be verified by each person as he progresses along his evolutionary path. I may tell you something that may seem absurd to you; or you may say "that sounds reasonable," and therefore you believe it. I may tell you something else, and you say, "I believe that is true because both the intuitive and rational portions of my nature endorse it." But you do not know whether it is true or not. In the first case you have a disbelief, in the next two cases a belief; but before you have a knowledge, you must verify the truth of my assertion. And so it is that every student of Occultism must verify each statement of his teacher in order that he may make it a part of his own being - that he may know that it is true; otherwise it would be only a belief, and beliefs do not amount to much, because there are almost as many beliefs and theories as there are individuals.

In this Cosmic Day Occultism commenced when the Masters came upon this planet to teach mankind. The evolution on this planet is divided into a certain number of periods, and we are at the present time in what the Occultists know as the fifth period. In the first and second periods very little was accomplished by man. He was, as it were, in a new world with new sensations and new experiences, and his life was entirely objective, and largely animal. His theater of activity was that continent known to tradition as "The Land of the Gods ... .. Mount Muru," "The Imperishable Isles," or what we would prosaically call the "Continent of the North Pole."

During the third period of evolution, man lived upon the continent known as Lemuria - a continent lying in the Pacific Ocean, Arabian Sea and Indian Ocean. Its Northern portion was much in the present location of Australia, the Philippines, and the Islands of the Southern Pacific; all of which constitute the remnants of that continent now sunken beneath the seas. That periods occur in which there is a sinking of certain continents, and a rising of others, is as well known to Physicists as to Occultists. In Lemuria man passed from his lowest state of animal existence into what we may call a more rational or human state. His development during this time is substantially shown in the history of primitive man. Some of the egos, outstripping the others, succeeded in reaching adeptship along certain lines, but the great mass of the people lived sensuous and sensual lives. There was very little spirituality manifested by the race during this period, and the perversion of natural laws and forces became marked toward its close.

The most notable event which occurred on that continent, immediately prior to the cataclysm which swept it beneath the waters, was the establishment of colonies in India. The colonists consisted of Masters, the Adepts and the cream of the race. It was these colonists who built the rock temples of Elephanta and the other great temples of India - those temples in which mysticism seems to have had its earlier home; and where, upon their walls, are painted the strange old symbols, in colors, that indicate the history and the growth of man.

Those were the souls who gave to India its riches in literature and philosophy, and established the mighty empires which even tradition has forgotten. But it was the degenerate descendants of these colonists who spread Northward and Westward, and populated first Asia, and later, Europe.

After the continent of Lemuria had passed away, then came the fourth period, with man's field of activity in Atlantis. Atlantis extended from the West Indies to the coast of Central and Northern Africa, as we know from the investigations of the British Government, which spent many years, and large sums of money, in detemining the extent of the sunken continent; and it was here that civilization proceeded with tremendous strides. All the accumulated knowledge of the other periods was stored in the minds of those who had been the Lemurians, and were then incarnating as Atlanteans. As they acquired greater and greater knowledge, they not only reached a point in mechanical development almost as great as our own, but they also took up the study of Occultism, which became common among the people.

By that time the great Masters had retired from physical contact with men, and the Adepts had taken their places as direct teachers of the people. They moved among men, and were the kings and rulers, the law-givers and inventors; in fact, they were the inspirers of the race up to the time it reached its highest point of development in that period.

Then the continent became divided into five great kingdoms, and in each of these there were lodges of Adepts. At the height of Atlantis' glory, once more the people turned to sensual abandonment, and the Adepts withdrew into Retreats with their pupils, for the people refused to listen to them, or to be aided by them any longer. In the course of time, materialism swept over that continent, as it has swept over Europe and America; and Occultism was forgotten by the masses, and remembered only by the few; and then, gradually, that which was pure Occultism became perverted, and men began to use their powers criminally. Those who remembered or practiced Occultism, put into operation mental and certain other forces which enslaved all those who had forgotten how to use their own forces, or who were not developed to the same point as themselves. And thus Atlantis became a continent where a few immensely wealthy, powerful and strong egos ruled the majority of the people, and made them their slaves.

But the misuse of Occult forces brought its reaction, as it always does, and, as Plato tells us, Atlantis suddenly became submerged. You remember that when he went to Egypt he was informed that the last remnants of Atlantis had disappeared about five thousand years prior to his visit; and also that the priests had records of the old continent, as well as of their own country, which extended back thousands of years. These records were kept by the Occultists who were priests in the time of Plato, and are still kept in triplicate; one copy has been placed in each of the three great repositories situated on separate continents.

Before Atlantis went down those of the inhabitants who had preserved their purity and who were trying to lead upright lives, were taken by the Adepts out of the country. Those living in the Western Empires were colonized in Central and South America. In Central America that rare civilization which preceded our own was founded, and was the duplicate in every respect of the one formerly established in India. The degenerate descendants from the Central American civilization emigrated to North and South America and populated them. The degeneracy of these aboriginal Americans was due to the fact that at this time in that Fourth Period the undeveloped souls of the Atlanteans were incarnating in those bodies; for it was with the Atlanteans as it had been with the Lemurians, the strongest souls came first and became the pioneers. They bore the heaviest burdens and thus prepared the way for the less developed souls who had not the strength to do the work that their elder brothers had done. And it should not be forgotten that the history of the Lemurians and the Atlanteans is but the history of ourselves. Our strongest and bravest souls came forward to start the Fifth Period onward in its evolution, as even a cursory reading of general history will disclose, and they have reappeared from time to time to manifest their energies in the several lines of human achievement, in order to teach, help and direct the course of events.

From the Eastern Empires of Atlantis the advanced souls went into Africa and laid the foundation of what is known now as the Egyptian Empire. And this brings us to the Fifth Period, in which Occultism was again taught popularly and openly among the people. A study of Egyptian history reveals that during its entire period there were Occultists-Magicians they were called - who could produce great phenomena. They were teachers of the people and were the priests and law-givers; they were the friends of kings and were consulted whenever there was sickness or national calamity. These teachers were the Adepts who came in contact with the people.

In the Fifth Period, which is the present one, the descendants of the colony which remained in India, having reached the height of its prosperity and development, passed Westward and founded the Assyrian and Babylonian Empires. There again the Adepts moved among men. In both sacred and profane history of those times we find that the Magi were able to cure all manner of diseases and to manipulate the laws of nature. Passing upward from Babylon and Syria to the Mediterranean on the one side and through Egypt to the Mediterranean on the other, we find that the great remnants of the Third and Fourth Periods were merged and blended in the Fifth Period in the Phoenician, the Grecian, the Carthaginian and the Roman peoples.

This is not a statement of occult history in full; but is merely the barest outline in order to show you how Occultism has been presented in the past, and how it has been preserved for us.

At the beginning of this Fifth Period we had a new burst of occult knowledge and force, because all the knowledge acquired in the preceding periods by the egos had been brought over in these later incarnations, and in the early history of each of the Nations mentioned Occultism was taught to the people once more. The Adepts were friends of the people and were freely consulted by them. But gradually as materialism advanced and sensuality became the dominant trait of each of these peoples, the Adepts withdrew again from personal contact with the world - as the great Masters had withdrawn in previous periods of time.

In Greece materialism in its most artistic form began to stamp itself upon the minds of the people, who turned from spiritual teachings and caused the Adepts to withdraw entirely from the world. And it came to pass that all magic or Occultism, for they were identical in those days, was confined to what is known now as temple magic and was practiced by the priests who were students of the Adepts. In various Grecian temples mechanical or ceremonial magic was taught; that is, a knowledge of mental forces united with a knowledge of chemistry and alchemy, by the blending of which great phenomena were produced. Some record of this great knowledge is preserved even in the histories which you have.

Before Occultism in Greece passed away one final attempt was made to counteract materialism, and the Eleusinian Mysteries were founded. In these mysteries the development and evolution of the human soul were taught in symbolic form and the wisest men of that age thought it a privilege to be initiated into these Mysteries. But even this proved unavailing to stem the tide of materialism and therefore the priests ceased to publicly proclaim or exert their occult powers. Occasionally some enthusiastic student came forward and exhibited his knowledge of the Occult by the performance of a few miracles and marvelous phenomena; but the people as a whole were too materialistic to be taught anything better or higher than their own gross beliefs and soon such students had to retire from public work.

Then Christianity arose, and its doctrines were received by a great many who, after a brief period of genuine revival of spirituality, used them for political purposes. The different orders of the priesthood became the Occult Bodies within the Christian Church, and up to the Middle Ages the priests in the Church possessed all the knowledge of Occultism that the world had. And the Catholic Church is now the only one that has preserved a trace of this ancient truth. It was during the Middle Ages that the Occultists as a class withdrew from the Church of Rome and formed secret bodies or societies, such as the Rosicrucians, in various parts of the world.

At the present day almost all occult knowledge is possessed and preserved by secret societies; and the members of these societies or bodies only teach such individuals as have reached a point in their evolution which has made them capable of receiving the higher truths. In this way portions of this secret knowledge are given to the world from time to time as the world becomes able to receive them.

The culmination of what is known as the Dark Age, in this period of evolution, came in the nineteenth century, for at that time the world reached its lowest point in materialism, and from now the tendency will continue to be upward toward Spirituality. A few Occultists believe that the time has passed when there is a necessity for guarding these secrets with such jealous care, and believe that the world is ready to receive more of these truths than formerly. Then, too, many persons are making discoveries along these lines and are ignorantly misusing the forces they are learning to use. So it has been decided to teach the people something about these forces and how they can and should be used, in the hope of averting, if possible, the fate of the Lemurians and Atlanteans.

Almost every day you may see in the newspapers advertisements in which the offer is made to instruct people concerning personal magnetism and how to use it; how to be successful, how to become popular and how to dominate other minds until they become enslaved. The people are awakening and are beginning to feel a great desire to know about these Occult forces; and if they do not use them rightly they will surely use them wrongly.

At the present time various efforts are being made to give the occult teachings to such persons as are fitted to receive them, but they cannot yet be taught in full to the great mass of people; but should only be given to those who desire to know the truth and who wish to ally their forces with those of Nature for the good of others and for benefit to themselves.

Now you are not going to be taught all there is about Occultism in these lectures, but only that particular portion which teaches what the great Universal Mind is; and after that what you are, what your subjective and objective minds are and what occult forces each of these minds reaches and controls. Then you shall be taught how to use these forces for your own upbuilding and for the hastening of your evolution. We shall confine ourselves to mental lines, taking fragments of occult history and bringing them together into a small mosaic which will show you your relationship to the Universal Mind and how all humanity is but a manifestation of that great Mind. We shall learn how to build ourselves up along spiritual, mental and material lines, because this knowledge can be used successfully along all three. We all want to succeed in life materially, and most of us want to grow in knowledge and power; and it is through the use of these forces that we accomplish our heart's desire. The time is fast approaching when man must learn to use his mental forces or fail in the great evolutionary struggle - fail for this entire period - not to take the battle up again until some other Cosmic Day shall come. In the course of time all men who survive will become Occultists.

"The History and Power of Mind " by Richard Ingalese

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