The Law and the Word by Thomas Troward

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I think, then, that the scientific idea of the ether, as a universal
medium pervading all space, and permeating all substance, will help us
to see that many things which are popularly called supernatural, are to
be attributed to the action of known laws working under, as yet, unknown
conditions, and therefore, when we are confronted with strange
phenomena, a knowledge of the general principles involved, will show us
in what direction to look for an explanation. Now applying this to the
present subject, we may reasonably argue, that since all physical matter
is scientifically proved to consist of the universal ether in various
degrees of condensation, there may be other degrees of condensation,
forming other modes of matter, which are beyond the scope of physical
vision and of our laboratory apparatus. And similarly, we may argue,
that just as various effects can be produced on the physical plane, by
the action of etheric waves of various lengths, so other effects might
be produced on these finer modes of matter, by etheric waves of other
lengths. And in this connection we must not forget that a gap occurs
between the "dark heat" groups and the Hertzian group, consisting of
five octaves of waves, the lengths of which have been theoretically
calculated, but whose action has not yet been discovered. Here we
admittedly have a wide field for the working of known laws under as yet
unknown conditions; and again, how can we say that there are not ranges
of unknown waves, yet smaller than the minute ultra-violet ones, which
commence the present known scale, or transcending those largest ones,
which bear our messages across the Atlantic? Mathematically, there is no
limit to the scale in either direction; and so, taking our stand on the
demonstrated facts of science, we find, that the known laws of Nature
point to their continuation in modes of matter and of force, of which we
have as yet no conception. It is therefore not at all necessary to
spurn the ground of established science to spread the wings of our
fancy; rather it affords us the requisite basis from which to start,
just as the aeronaut cannot rise without a solid surface from which to
spring.

Now if we realize that the ether is an infinitely subtle fluid,
pervading all space, we see that it must constitute a connecting link
between all modes of substance, whether visible or invisible, in all
worlds, and may therefore be called the Universal Medium; and following
up our conception of the Continuity of Law, we may suppose that trains
of waves, inconceivably smaller or greater than any known to modern
science, are set up in this medium, in the same way as the
electro-magnetic waves with which we are acquainted; that is, by an
impulse which generates them from some particular point. In the region
of finer forces we are now prospecting, this impulse might well be the
Desire or Will of the spiritual entity which we ourselves are--that
thinking, feeling, inmost essence of ourself, which is the "noumenon" of
our individuality, and which, for the sake of brevity we call our "Ego,"
a Latin word which simply means "I myself." This idea of spiritual
impulse is quite familiar to us in our every-day talk. We speak of an
impulsive person, meaning one who acts on a sudden thought without
giving due heed to consequences; so in our ordinary speech we look upon
thought as the initial impulse, only we restrict this to the case of
unregulated thought. But if unregulated thought acts as a centre of
impulse, why should not regulated thought do the same? Therefore we may
accept the idea of Thought as the initial impulse, which starts trains
of waves in the Universal Medium, whether with or without due
consideration, and having thus recognized its dynamic power, we must
learn to make the impulsions we thus send forth intelligent, well
defined, and directed to some useful purpose. The operator at some
wireless station does not use his instruments to send out a lot of
jumbled-up waves into the ether, but controls the impulsions into a
definite and intelligible order, and we must do the same.

On some such lines as these, then, we may picture the desire of the Ego
as starting a train of waves in the Universal Medium, which are
reproduced in corresponding _form_ on reaching their destination. As
with the electro-magnetic waves, they may spread all round, just as
ripples do if we throw a stone into a pond; but they will only take form
where there is a correspondence able to receive them. This is what in
the language of electrical engineers is called "Syntony," which means
being tuned to the same rate of vibration, and no doubt it is from some
such cause, that we sometimes experience what seem inexplicable feelings
of attraction or repulsion towards different persons. This also appears
to furnish a key to thought-transference, hypnotism, and other allied
phenomena.

If the reader questions whether thought is capable of generating
impulses in the etheric medium I would refer him to the experiment
mentioned in Chapter XIV of my "Edinburgh Lectures on Mental Science,"
where I describe how, when operating with Dr. Baraduc's biometer, I
found that the needle revolved through a smaller or large arc of the
circle, in response to my mental intention of concentrating a smaller or
larger degree of force upon it. Perhaps you will say that the difference
in the movement of the needle depended on the quantity of magnetism that
was flowing from me, to say nothing of other known forces, such as heat,
light, electricity, etc. Well, that is precisely the proposition I am
putting forward. What caused the difference in the intensity of the
magnetic flow was my intention of varying it, so that we come back to
mental action as the centre of impulsion from which the etheric waves
were generated. If, then, such a demonstration can be obtained on the
plane of purely physical matter, why need we doubt that the same Law
will work in the same way, in respect of those finer modes of substance,
and wider ranges of etheric vibrations, which, starting from the basis
of recognized physical science, the Law of Continuity would lead to by
an orderly sequence, and which the occurrence of what, for want of a
better name, we call occult phenomena require for their explanation?

Before passing on to the more practical generalizations to be drawn from
the suggestions contained in this chapter, I may advert to an objection
sometimes brought by the sceptical in this matter. They say: "How is it
that apparitions are always seen in the dark?" and then they answer
their own question by saying, it is because superstitious people are
nervous in the dark and imagine all sorts of things. Then they laugh and
think they have disposed of the whole subject. But it is not disposed
of quite so easily, for not only are there many well attested cases of
such appearances in broad daylight, but there are also scientific facts,
showing that if we are right in explaining such happenings by etheric
action, such action is more readily produced at night than in the
presence of sunlight.

In the early part of 1902 Marconi made some experiments on board the
American liner _Philadelphia_, which brought out the remarkable fact
that, while it was possible to transmit signals to a distance of fifteen
hundred miles during the night, they could not be transmitted further
than seven hundred miles during the day. The same was found to be the
case by Lieutenant Solari of the Italian Navy, at whose disposal the
ship _Carlo Alberta_ was placed by the King of Italy in 1902, for the
purpose of making investigations into wireless telegraphy; and summing
up the points which he considered to have been fully established by his
experiments on board that ship, he mentions among them the fact, that
sunlight has the effect of reducing the power of the electro-magnetic
waves, and that consequently a greater force is required to produce a
given result by day than by night. Here, then, is a reason why we might
expect to see more supernatural appearances, as we call them, at night
than in the day--they require a smaller amount of force to produce them.
At the same time, it is found that the great magnetic waves which cover
immense distances, work even more powerfully in the light than in the
dark. May it not be that these things show, that there is more than a
merely metaphorical use of words, when the Bible tells us of the power
of Light to dissipate, and bring to naught, the powers of Darkness,
while the Light itself is the Great Power, using the forces of the
universe on the widest scale? Perhaps it is none other than the
continuity of unchanging universal principles extending into the
mysterious realms of the spiritual world.

CHAPTER III

MAN'S PLACE IN THE CREATIVE ORDER

In the preceding chapters we have found certain definite facts,--that
all known matter is formed out of one primordial Universal
Substance,--that the ether spreading throughout limitless space is a
Universal Medium, through which it is possible to convey force by means
of vibrations,--and that vibrations can be started by the power of
Sound. These we have found to be well established facts of ordinary
science, and taking them as our starting-point, we may now begin to
speculate as to the possible workings of the known laws under unknown
conditions.

One of the first things that naturally attract our attention is the
question,--How did Life originate? On this point I may quote two leading
men of science. Tyndall says: "I affirm that no shred of trustworthy
experimental testimony exists, to prove that life in our day has ever
appeared independently of antecedent life"; and Huxley says: "The
doctrine of biogenesis, or life only from life, is victorious along the
whole line at the present time." Such is the testimony of modern science
to the old maxim "Omne vivum exvivo." "All life proceeds from antecedent
life." Think it out for yourself and you will see that it could not
possibly be otherwise.

Whatever may be our theory of the origin of life on the physical plane,
whether we regard it as commencing in a vivified slime at the bottom of
the sea, which we call protoplasm, or in any other way, the question of
how life got there still remains unanswered. The protoplasm being
material substance, must have its origin like all other material
substances, in the undifferentiated etheric Universal Substance, no
particle of which has any power of operating upon any other particle
until some initial vibration starts the movement; so that, on any theory
whatever, we are always brought back to the same question: What started
the condensation of the ether into the beginnings of a world-system? So
whether we consider the life which characterizes organized matter, or
the energy which characterizes inorganic matter, we cannot avoid the
conclusion, that both must have their source in some Original Power to
which we can assign no antecedent. This is the conclusion which has been
reached by all philosophic and religious systems that have really tried
to get at the root of the matter, simply because it is impossible to
form any other conception.

This Living Power is what we mean when we speak of the All-Originating
Spirit. The existence of this Spirit is not a theological invention, but
a logical and scientific ultimate, without predicating which, nothing
else can be accounted for. The word "Spirit" comes from the Latin
"spiro" "I breathe," and so means "The Breath," as in Job xxxiii,
4,--"The Spirit of God hath made me, and the breath of the Almighty hath
given me life"; and again in Ps. xxxiii, 6--"By the word of the Lord
were the heavens made, and all the host of them by the breath of his
mouth."

In the opening chapter of Genesis, we are told that "the Spirit of God
moved upon the face of the waters." The words rendered "the Spirit of
God" are, in the original Hebrew "rouah AElohim," which is literally "the
Breathing of God"; and similarly, the ancient religious books of India,
make the "Swara" or Great Breath the commencement of all life and
energy. The word "rouah" in Genesis is remarkable. According to
rabbinical teaching, each letter of the Hebrew alphabet has a certain
symbolic significance, and when examined in this manner, the root from
which this word is derived conveys the idea of Expansive Movement. It is
the opposite of the word "hoshech," translated "darkness" in the same
passage of our Bible, which is similarly derived from a root conveying
the idea of Hardening and Compressing. It is the same idea that is
personified in the Zendavesta, the sacred book of the ancient Persians,
under the names of Ormuzd, the Spirit of Light; and Ahriman, the Spirit
of Darkness; and similarly in the old Assyrian myth of the struggle
between the Sun-God and Tiamat, the goddess of darkness.

This conception of conflict between two opposite principles, Light and
Darkness, Compression and Expansion, will be found to underlie all the
ancient religions of the world, and it is conspicuous throughout our own
Scriptures. But it should be borne in mind that the oppositeness of
their nature does not necessarily mean conflict. The two principles of
Expansion and Contraction are not necessarily destructive; on the
contrary they are necessary correlatives to one another. Expansion alone
cannot produce form; cohesion must also be present. It is the regulated
balance between them that results in Creation. In the old legend, if I
remember rightly, the conflict is ended by Tiamat marrying her former
opponent. They were never really enemies, but there was a
misunderstanding between them, or rather there was a misunderstanding on
the part of Tiamat so long as she did not perceive the true character of
the Spirit of Light, and that their relation to one another was that of
co-operation and not of opposition. Thus also St. John tells us that
"the light shineth in darkness and the darkness comprehended it not"
(John i, 5). It is this want of comprehension that is at the root of all
the trouble.

The reader should note, however, that I am here speaking of that
Primeval Substance, which necessarily has no light in itself, because
there is as yet no vibration in it, for there can be no light without
vibration. We must not make the mistake of supposing that Matter is evil
in itself: it is our misconception of it that makes it the vehicle of
evil; and we must distinguish between the darkness of Matter and moral
darkness, though there is a spiritual correspondence between them. The
true development of Man consists in the self-expansion of the Divine
Spirit working through his mind, and thence upon his psychic and
physical organisms, but this can only be by the individual's
_willingness to receive_ that Spirit. Where the hindrance to this
working is only caused by ignorance of the true relation between
ourselves and the Divine Spirit, and the desire for truth is present,
the True Light will in due course disperse the darkness. But on the
other hand, if the hindrance is caused by _unwillingness_ to be led by
the Divine Spirit, then the Light cannot be _forced_ upon any one, and
for this reason Jesus said: "This is the condemnation, that light is
come into the World, and men loved darkness rather than light, because
their deeds were evil. For every one that doeth evil hateth the light,
neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. But he
that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made
manifest, that they are wrought in God" (John iii: 19-21). In physical
science these things have an exact parallel in "Ohm's Law" regarding the
resistance offered by the conductor to the flow of the electric
current. The correspondence is very remarkable and will be found more
fully explained in a later chapter. The Primary Darkness, both of
Substance and of Mind, has to be taken into account, if we would form an
intelligent conception of the twofold process of Involution and
Evolution continually at work in ourselves, which, by their combined
action, are able to lead to the limitless development both of the
individual and of the race.

According to all teaching, then, both ancient and modern, all life and
energy have their source in a Primary Life and Energy, of which we can
only say that IT IS. We cannot conceive of any time when it was not,
for, if there was a time when no such Primary Energizing Life existed,
what was there to energize it? So we are landed in a _reductio ad
absurdum_ which leaves no alternative but to predicate the Eternal
Existence of an All-Originating Living Spirit.

Let us stop for a moment to consider what we mean by "Eternal." When,
do you suppose, twice two began to make four? And when, do you
suppose, twice two will cease to make four? It is an eternal
principle, quite independent of time or conditions. Similarly with the
Originating Life. It is above time and above conditions--in a word it
is _undifferentiated_ and contains in itself the _potential_ of
infinite differentiation. This is what the Eternal Life is, and what
we want for the expansion of our own life is a truer comprehension of
it. We are like Tiamat, and must enter into intelligent and loving
union with the Spirit of Light, in order to realize the infinite
possibilities that lie before us. This is the ultimate meaning of the
maxim "Omne vivum ex vivo."

We see, then, that the material universe, including our own bodies, has
its origin in the undifferentiated Universal Substance, and that the
first movement towards differentiation must be started by some initial
impulse, analogous to those which start vibrations in the ether known to
science; and that therefore this impulse must, in the first instance,
proceed from some Living Power eternal in itself, and independent of
time and conditions. Now all the ancient religions of the world concur,
in attributing this initial impulse to the power of Sound; and we have
seen, that as a matter of fact, sound has the power of starting
vibrations, and that these vibrations have an exact correspondence with
the quality of the sound, what we now call synchronous vibration.

At this point, however, we are met by another fact. Cosmic activity
takes place only in certain definite areas. Solar systems do not jostle
each other in space. In a word the Sound, which thus starts the initial
impulse of creation, is guided by Intelligent Selection. Now sounds,
directed by purposeful intention, amount to Words, whether the words of
some spoken language or the tapping of the Morse code--it is the meaning
at the back of the sound that gives it verbal significance. It is for
this reason, that the concentration of creative energy in particular
areas, has from time immemorial been attributed to "The Word." The old
Sanskrit books call this selective concentrative power "Vach," which
means "Voice," and is the root of the Latin word "Vox," having the same
meaning. Philo, and the Neo-Platonists of Alexandria who follow him,
call it "Logos," which means the same; and we are all familiar with the
opening verses of St. John's Gospel and First Epistle in which he
attributes Creation to "The Word."

Now we know, as a scientific fact, that solar systems have a definite
beginning in the gyration of nebulous matter, circling through vast
fields of interstellar space, as the great nebula in Andromeda does at
the present day. AEons upon aeons elapse, before the primary nebula
consolidates into a solar system such as ours is now; but science shows,
that from the time when the nebula first spreads its spiral across the
heavens, the mathematical element of Law asserts itself, and it is by
means of our recognition of the mathematical relations between the
forces of attraction and repulsion, that we have been able to acquire
any knowledge on the subject. I do not for an instant wish to suggest
that the Spiritual Power has not continued to be in operation also, but
a centre for the working of a Cosmic Law being once established, the
Spiritual Power works through that Law and not in opposition to it. On
the other hand, the selection of particular portions of space for the
manifestation of cosmic activity, indicates the action of free volition,
not determined by any law except the obvious consideration of allowing
room for the future solar system to move in. Similarly also with regard
to time. Spectroscopic analysis of the light from the stars, which are
suns many of them much greater than our own, shows that they are of
various ages--some quite young, some arrived at maturity, and some
passing into old age. Their creation must therefore be assigned to
different epochs, and we thus see the Originating Spirit exercising the
powers of Selection and Volition as to the time when, as well as to the
place where, a new world-system shall be inaugurated.

Now it is this power of inauguration that all the ancient systems of
teaching attribute to the Divine Word. It is the passing of the
undifferentiated into differentiation, of the unmanifested into
manifestation, of the unlocalized into localization. It is the ushering
in of what the Brahminical books call a "Manvantara" or world-period,
and in like manner our Bible says that "In the beginning was the Word."
The English word "word" is closely allied to the Latin word "verbum"
which signifies both _word_ and _verb_. Grammarians tell us that the
verb "to be" is a verb-substantive, that is, it does not indicate any
action passing from the subject to the object. Now this exactly
describes the Spirit in its Eternity. We cannot conceive of It except as
always BEING; but the distribution of world-systems both in time and
space shows that it is not always cosmically active. In itself, apart
from manifestation, it is Pure Beingness, if I may coin such a word; and
it is for this reason that the Divine Name announced to Moses was "I
AM." But the fact that Creation exists, shows that from this Substantive
Pure Being there flows out a Verb Active, which reproduces in action,
what the I AM is in essence. It is just the same with ourselves. We must
first _be_ before we can _do_, and we can _do_ only to the extent to
which we _are_. We cannot express powers which we do not possess; so
that our doing necessarily coincides with the quality of our being.
Therefore the Divine Verb reproduces the Divine Substantive by a natural
sequence. It is _generated_ by the Divine "I AM," and for this reason it
is called "The Son of God." So we see that The Verb, The Word, and The
Son of God, are all different expressions for the same Power.

Creative vibration in the Universal Substance can, therefore, only be
conceived of, as being inaugurated by the "Word" which _localizes_ the
activity of the Spirit in particular centres. This idea, of the
localization of the Spirit through the "Word," should be fully realized
as the energizing principle on the scale of the Macrocosm or "Great
World," because, as we shall find later on, the same principle acts in
the same way on the scale of the Microcosm or "Small World," which is
the individual man. This is why these things have a personal interest
for us, otherwise they would not be worth troubling about. But a mistake
to be avoided at this point, is that of supposing that the "Word" is
something which dictates to the Spirit when and where to operate. The
"Word" is the word of the Spirit itself, and not that of some higher
authority, for the Spirit being First Cause there can be nothing
anterior to dictate to it; there can be nothing before that which is
First. The "Word" which centralizes the activity of the Spirit, is
therefore that of the Spirit itself. We have an analogy in our own case.
If I go to New York the first movement in that direction is that of my
Thought or Desire. It is true that in my present state of evolution I
have to follow the usual methods of travel, but so far as my Thought is
concerned, I have been there all the time. Indeed, such a case as the
one I have mentioned, of my being seen in Edinburgh while I was
physically in London, seems to point to the actual transference of some
part of the personality to another locality, and similarly with my visit
to Lanercost Abbey; and the reader must remember, that such phenomena
are by no means uncommon--they are the natural action of some part of
our personality, and must therefore follow some natural law, even though
we may at present know very little of how it works.

We see, therefore, both from _a priori_ reasoning, and from observed
facts, that it is the Word, Thought, or Desire of the Spirit, that
localizes its activity in some definite centre. The student should bear
this in mind as a leading principle, for he will find that it is of
general application, alike in the case of individuals, of groups of
individuals, and of entire nations. It is the key to the relation
between Law and Personality, the opening of the Grand Arcanum, the
equilibrating of Jachin and Boaz, and it is therefore of immediate
importance to ourselves.

We may take, then, as a starting-point for further enquiry, the maxim
that Volition creates Centres of Spiritual Activity. But perhaps you
will say: "If this be true, what word or words am I to employ?" This is
a question which has puzzled a good many people before you. This "Word"
which so many have been in search of, has been variously called "the
Lost Word," "the Word of Power," "the Schemhammaphorasch or Secret Name
of God," and so on. A quaint Jewish legend of the Middle Ages says that
the "Hidden Name" was secretly inscribed in the innermost recesses of
the Temple; but that, even if discovered, which was most unlikely, it
could not be retained because, guarding it, were sculptured lions, which
gave such a supernatural roar as the intruder was quitting the spot,
that all memory of the "Hidden Name" was driven from his mind. Jesus,
however, says the legend, knew this and dodged the lions. He transcribed
the Name, and cutting open his thigh, hid the writing in the incision,
which, by magical art, he at once closed up; then, after leaving the
Temple, he took the writing out and so retained the knowledge of the
Name. In this way the legend accounts for his power to work miracles.

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