the dore lectures on mental science-第1节

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The　Dore　Lectures　on　Mental　Science

by　Thomas　Troward



ENTERING　INTO　THE　SPIRIT　OF　IT
INDIVIDUALITY　
THE　NEW　THOUGHT　AND　THE　NEW　ORDER
THE　LIPS　OF　THE　SPIRIT
ALPHA　AND　OMEGA　
THE　CREATIVE　POWER　OF　THOUGHT
THE　GREAT　AFFIRMATIVE
CHRIST　THE　FULFILLING　OF　THE　LAW
THE　STORY　OF　EDEN
THE　WORSHIP　OF　ISHI
THE　SHEPHERD　AND　THE　STONE
SALVATION　IS　OF　THE　JEWS


FOREWORD。

The　addresses　contained　in　this　volume　were　delivered　by　me　at　the　Dore　Gallery；　Bond　Street；　London；　on　the　Sundays　of　the　first　three　months　of　the　present　year；　and　are　now　published　at　the　kind　request　of　many　of　my　hearers；　hence　their　title　of　〃The　Dore　Lectures。〃　A　number　of　separate　discourses　on　a　variety　of　subjects　necessarily　labours　under　the　disadvantage　of　want　of　continuity；　and　also　under　that　of　a　liability　to　the　frequent　repetition　of　similar　ideas　and　expressions；　and　the　reader　will；　I　trust；　pardon　these　defects　as　inherent　in　the　circumstances　of　the　work。　At　the　same　time　it　will　be　found　that；　although　not　specially　so　designed；　there　is　a　certain　progressive　development　of　thought　through　the　dozen　lectures　which　compose　this　volume；　the　reason　for　which　is　that　they　all　aim　at　expressing　the　same　fundamental　idea；　namely　that；　though　the　laws　of　the　universe　can　never　be　broken；　they　can　be　made　to　work　under　special　conditions　which　will　produce　results　that　could　not　be　produced　under　the　conditions　spontaneously　provided　by　nature。　This　is　a　simple　scientific　principle　and　it　shows　us　the　place　which　is　occupied　by　the　personal　factor；　that；　namely；　of　an　intelligence　which　sees　beyond　the　present　limited　manifestation　of　the　Law　into　its　real　essence；　and　which　thus　constitutes　the　instru…mentality　by　which　the　infinite　possibilities　of　the　Law　can　be　evoked　into　forms　of　power；　usefulness；　and　beauty。

The　more　perfect；　therefore；　the　working　of　the　personal　factor；　the　greater　will　be　the　results　developed　from　the　Universal　Law；　and　hence　our　lines　of　study　should　be　two…foldon　the　one　hand　the　theoretical　study　of　the　action　of　Universal　Law；　and　on　the　other　the　practical　fitting　of　ourselves　to　make　use　of　it；　and　if　the　present　volume　should　assist　any　reader　in　this　two…fold　quest；　it　will　have　answered　its　purpose。

The　different　subjects　have　necessarily　been　treated　very　briefly；　and　the　addresses　can　only　be　considered　as　suggestions　for　lines　of　thought　which　the　reader　will　be　able　to　work　out　for　himself；　and　he　must　therefore　not　expect　that　careful　elabora…tion　of　detail　which　I　would　gladly　have　bestowed　had　I　been　writing　on　one　of　these　subjects　exclusively。　This　little　book　must　be　taken　only　for　what　it　is；　the　record　of　somewhat　fragmentary　talks　with　a　very　indulgent　audience；　to　whom　I　gratefully　dedicate　the　volume。

JUNE　5；　1909。

T。T。



THE　DORE　LECTURES



ENTERING　INTO　THE　SPIRIT　OF　IT。

We　all　know　the　meaning　of　this　phrase　in　our　everyday　life。　The　Spirit　is　that　which　gives　life　and　movement　to　anything；　in　fact　it　is　that　which　causes　it　to　exist　at　all。　The　thought　of　the　author；　the　impression　of　the　painter；　the　feeling　of　the　musician；　is　that　without　which　their　works　could　never　have　come　into　being；　and　so　it　is　only　as　we　enter　into　the　IDEA　which　gives　rise　to　the　work；　that　we　can　derive　all　the　enjoyment　and　benefit　from　it　which　it　is　able　to　bestow。　If　we　cannot　enter　into　the　Spirit　of　it；　the　book；　the　picture；　the　music；　are　meaningless　to　us：　to　appreciate　them　we　must　share　the　mental　attitude　of　their　creator。　This　is　a　universal　principle；　if　we　do　not　enter　into　the　Spirit　of　a　thing；　it　is　dead　so　far　as　we　are　concerned；　but　if　we　do　enter　into　it　we　reproduce　in　ourselves　the　same　quality　of　life　which　called　that　thing　into　existence。

Now　if　this　is　a　general　principle；　why　can　we　not　carry　it　to　a　higher　range　of　things？　Why　not　to　the　highest　point　of　all？　May　we　not　enter　into　the　originating　Spirit　of　Life　itself；　and　so　reproduce　it　in　ourselves　as　a　perennial　spring　of　livingness？　This；　surely；　is　a　question　worthy　of　our　careful　consideration。

The　spirit　of　a　thing　is　that　which　is　the　source　of　its　inherent　movement；　and　therefore　the　question　before　us　is；　what　is　the　nature　of　the　primal　moving　power；　which　is　at　the　back　of　the　endless　array　of　life　which　we　see　around　us；　our　own　life　included？　Science　gives　us　ample　ground　for　saying　that　it　is　not　material；　for　science　has　now；　at　least　theoretically；　reduced　all　material　things　to　a　primary　ether；　universally　distributed；　whose　innumerable　particles　are　in　absolute　equilibrium；　whence　it　follows　on　mathematical　grounds　alone　that　the　initial　movement　which　began　to　concentrate　the　world　and　all　material　substances　out　of　the　particles　of　the　dispersed　ether；　could　not　have　originated　in　the　particles　themselves。　Thus　by　a　necessary　deduction　from　the　conclusions　of　physical　science；　we　are　compelled　to　realize　the　presence　of　some　immaterial　power　capable　of　separating　off　certain　specific　areas　for　the　display　of　cosmic　activity；　and　then　building　up　a　material　universe　with　all　its　inhabitants　by　an　orderly　sequence　of　evolution；　in　which　each　stage　lays　the　foundation　for　the　development　of　the　stage；　which　is　to　followin　a　word　we　find　ourselves　brought　face　to　face　with　a　power　which　exhibits　on　a　stupendous　scale；　the　faculties　of　selection　and　adaptation　of　means　to　ends；　and　thus　distributes　energy　and　life　in　accordance　with　a　recognizable　scheme　of　cosmic　progression。　It　is　therefore　not　only　Life；　but　also　Intelligence；　and　Life　guided　by　Intelligence　becomes　Volition。　It　is　this　primary　originating　power　which　we　mean　when　we　speak　of　〃The　Spirit；〃　and　it　is　into　this　Spirit　of　the　whole　universe　that　we　must　enter　if　we　would　reproduce　it　as　a　spring　of　Original　Life　in　ourselves。

Now　in　the　case　of　the　productions　of　artistic　genius　we　know　that　we　must　enter　into　the　movement　of　the　creative　mind　of　the　artist；　before　we　can　realize　the　principle　which　gives　rise　to　his　work。　We　must　learn　to　partake　of　the　feeling；　to　find　expression　for　which　is　the　motive　of　his　creative　activity。　May　we　not　apply　the　same　principle　to　the　Greater　Creative　Mind　with　which　we　are　seeking　to　deal？　There　is　something　in　the　work　of　the　artist　which　is　akin　to　that　of　original　creation。　His　work；　literary；　musical；　or　graphic　is　original　creation　on　a　miniature　scale；　and　in　this　it　differs　from　that　of　the　engineer；　which　is　constructive；　or　that　of　the　scientist　which　is　analytical；　for　the　artist　in　a　sense　creates　something　out　of　nothing；　and　therefore　starts　from　the　stand…point　of　simple　feeling；　and　not　from　that　of　a　pre…existing　necessity。　This；　by　the　hypothesis　of　the　case；　is　true　also　of　the　Parent　Mind；　for　at　the　stage　where　the　initial　movement　of　creation　takes　place；　there　are　no　existing　conditions　to　compel　action　in　one　direction　more　than　another。　Consequently　the　direction　taken　by　the　creative　impulse　is　not　dictated　by　outward　circumstances；　and　the　primary　movement　must　therefore　be　entirely　due　to　the　action　of　the　Original　Mind　upon　itself；　it　is　the　reaching　out　of　this　Mind　for　realization　of　all　that　it　feels　itself　to　be。

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　obs