Читать книгу The Astral World—Higher Occult Powers. Clairvoyance, Spiritism, Mediumship, and Spirit-Healing Fully Explained онлайн

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Now here is an affirmation which I believe every man in the audience will agree to be an affirmation of every one’s consciousness, and that it lies at the basis of all our investigation of this and every other subject. (I will say further, that, if any individual in the audience disagrees with me, he will confer a favor by manifesting that disagreement at any time; because I wish to be exceedingly near to you as a lecturer, and wish you to be exceedingly near to me, so that there may be the most perfect freedom of intercourse of thought and expression between us.)

Then the first affirmation of the consciousness is this: That the mind can perceive nothing but its own consciousness, and that which is inwrought into that consciousness.

Now I wish you to try that in every possible way, to see if be true. We talk about getting information and forming ideas from subjects outside of ourselves, as though it were independent of our minds. My proposition is, that the mind can perceive nothing but its own consciousness, and that which is inwrought into that consciousness; and, furthermore, that its perception of being and existence will be according as it is inwrought into its consciousness; and by no possibility can it be anything else to the individual; and, as a matter of course, if there be any standard anywhere by which to try truth, and know that it is true, that standard must be inwrought into the consciousness of the individual who has to apply it; and he will apply it accordingly as it is inwrought into his consciousness. Now is there any one that does not perceive that this is absolutely true? Then receiving that as a truth which every mind affirms—it can not suppose the contrary of it to be true—we must set down every thing as false which conflicts with this proposition, no matter whether it overthrows authority or not. Whatever conflicts with this self-evident truth, or affirmation of universal consciousness, must be false. Truth does not conflict with truth. You may be assured that falsehood always exists where you find conflict and antagonism. It follows then, that all there is of being or of existence in the universe that will ever be known to you or me will be that which is inwrought into our consciousness. It follows, as a matter of course, the universe can be no larger and no more perfect, than it can be inwrought into our consciousness; and it will be limited to us by our mental unfolding. Hence it will necessarily follow, that different individuals who are differently unfolded in the different departments of their intellectual and perceptional natures, will perceive being and existence in very different lights; and yet each will suppose that each sees it in the same lights, until we begin to compare notes. There will be as many different New Yorks as there are different minds to form images or conceptions of New York. So there will be as many different mental Earths or mental universes as there are minds to form conceptions of our Earth and the universe; and each mind will have the Earth or the universe fashioned into his own consciousness, and when it will investigate, it will investigate that which is then fashioned therein, and study it as fashioned there. It follows then, as a matter of course, that when the image of the existence within our consciousness corresponds to the actuality, that is, when the ideal in man corresponds to the real in God, then man has the truth—not till then. That is, when my perception of being and existence corresponds with the being and existence, then I have the truth of being and existence. But just so far as my idea or perception of being or existence deviates from its actuality, just so far my impression is false. These conclusions follow as a matter of necessity. Hence you and I will learn at once, that the first lesson for us to learn in commencing the study of the universe, is to learn ourselves. The very first volume that is opened before us, is that which God has given us in giving us a conscious being. Here we must commence our first lesson, because every thing must be recorded in the pages of this volume. God can never manifest any part of the universe or himself to us beyond the capacity of the pages of this volume to receive that manifestation. It follows then, as a matter of course, that truth can never be communicated by authority; and when a man tells me that a certain thing is true upon his authority, I can not receive it simply upon his statement. You will understand that I distinguish between stating a truth and narrating a fact. I may receive a statement of fact upon authority.