Transcription by M.R.J.
AE In The Irish Theosophist
—By "AE" (George William Russell)
Contents:
1—A Word Upon the Objects of the Theosophical Society2—The Twilight Hour3—The Mask of Apollo4—The Secret of Power5—The Priestess of the Woods6—A Tragedy in the Temple7—Jagrata, Svapna and Sushupti8—Concentration9—Verse by AE in "The Irish Theosophist" (39 verses)10—The Element Language11—At the Dawn of the Kali Yuga12—The Meditation of Parvati13—A Talk by the Euphrates14—The Cave of Lilith15—A Strange Awakening16—The Midnight Blossom17—The Story of a Star18—How Theosophy Affects One's View of Life19—Comfort20—The Ascending Cycle21—The Mystic Night's Entertainment22—On the Spur of the Moment23—The Legends of Ancient Eire24—Review: Lyrics of Fitzpatrick25—"Yes, And Hope"26—Content27—The Enchantment of Cuchullain28—Shadow and Substance29—On the Passing of W.Q. Judge30—Self-Reliance31—The Mountains32—Works and Days33—The Childhood of Apollo34—The Awakening of the Fires35—Our Secret Ties36—Priest or Hero?37—The Age of the Spirit38—A Thought Along the Road39—The Fountains of Youth
A Word Upon the Objects of the Theosophical Society
1st:—To form the nucleus of a Universal Brotherhood of Humanity,without distinction of race, creed, sex, caste or color.
2nd:—-To promote the study of Aryan and other Eastern literatures,religions, philosophies and sciences, and demonstrate the importanceof that study.
3rd:—-To investigate unexplained laws of nature and the psychicpowers latent in man.
Started a little under a quarter of a century ago, in an agegrown cold with unbelief and deadened by inexplicable dogmas, theTheosophical Society has found adherents numerous enough to makeit widely known, and enthusiastic enough to give it momentum andmake it a living force. The proclamation of its triple objects—brotherhood, wisdom and power, acted like a trumpet call, and manycame forth to join it, emerging from other conflicts; and out ofsilence and retirement came many who had grown hopeless but whohad still the old feeling at heart.
For the first object no explanation is necessary; but a word ortwo of comment upon the second and third may help to show how theydo not weaken, by turning into other channels, the intellectualenergies and will, which might serve to carry out the first. Inthese old philosophies of the East we find the stimulus to brotherlyaction which might not be needed in an ideal state, but which isa help to the many, who, born into the world with a coldness ofheart as their heritage, still wish to do their duty. Now out dutyalters according to our conception of nature, and in the East therehas been put forward, by men whom we believe to be the wise andgreat of the earth, a noble philosophy, a science of life itself,and this, not as a hypothesis, but as truth which is certain, truthwhich has been verified by eyes which see deeper than ours, andproclaimed by the voices of those who have become the truth theyspeak of; for as Krishna teaches Arjuna in the Dayanishvari:"on this Path to whatever place one would go that place one's selfbecomes!" The last word of this wisdom is unity. Underneath allphenomena and surviving all changes, a great principle enduresfor ever. At the great white dawn of existence, from this principlestream spirit and primordial matter; as they flow away furtherfrom their divine source, they become broken up, the one life intocountless lives, matter into countless forms, which enshrine theselives; spirit involves itself into matter and mat