AE in the Irish TheosophistRussell, George William
Religion
AE in the Irish Theosophist
Russell, George William
Theosophy
"I wonder at your capacity for believing in these invisible spheres.
As for me I cannot go beyond the world I live in. When I think of
these things some dreadful necessity seems heaped upon me to continue
here--or, as you might put it, an angel with a flaming sword keeps
everywhere the avenues to the Tree of Life."
"Oh!" said Willie, "it seems to me a most reasonable theory. After
all, what else could the soul do after death but think itself out?
It has no body to move about in. I am going to dream over it now.
Good-night!"
He turned into the tent and Robert followed him. "Well, I cannot
rest yet," said Bryan, "I am going up for a little to the top of
the hill. Come, Felix, these drowsy fellows are going to hide
themselves from the face of night." We went up, and leaning on a
boulder of rock looked out together. Away upon the dream-built
margin of space a thousand tremors fled and chased each other all
along the shadowy night. The human traditions, memories of pain,
struggle, hope and desire floated away and melted in the quietude
until at last only the elemental consciousness remained at gaze.
I felt chilled by the vacancies. I wondered what this void was
to Bryan. I wished to see with his eyes. His arm was around my
shoulder. How I loved him--my nearest--my brother! The fierce
and tender flame, comrade to his spirit, glowed in my heart. I
felt a commingling of nature, something moved before my eyes.
"Look, Bryan!" I whispered, "this is faery!" A slight upright
figure, a child, stood a little apart shedding a delicate radiance
upon the dusky air. Curiously innocent, primeval, she moved,
withdrawn in a world only half-perceived of gorgeous blossoms and
mystic shadows. Through her hair of feathery brown drifting about
her the gleam of dust of gold and of rich colour seemed to come
from her dress. She raised her finger-tips from the flowers and
dashed the bright dew aside. I felt something vaguely familiar
about the gesture. Then Bryan said, "It is one of the Children
of Twilight." It was a revelation of his mind. I had entered
into the forms of his imagination.
"This is wonderful Bryan! If I can thus share in the thought of one,
there can be no limit to the extension of this faculty. It seems
at the moment as if I could hope to finally enter the mind of
humanity and gaze upon soul, not substance."
"It would be a great but terrible power. As often as not we imagine
ourselves into demons. Space is thronged with these dragon-like
forms, chimaeras of the fearful mind. Every thought is an entity.
Some time or other I think we will have to slay this brood we have
brought forth."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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