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Adepts turn water into blood. Observers are quoted who reported a rope-climbing
feat in China and Batavia, in which the human climbers disappeared overhead,
their members fell in portions on the ground, and shortly thereafter reunited to
form the original living bodies! Stories are narrated of fakirs disemboweling
and re-embowling themselves. She herself saw whirling dancers at Petrovsk in
1865, who cut themselves in frenzy and evoked by the magical powers of blood the
spirits of the dead, with whom they then danced. Twice she was nearly bitten by
poisonous snakes, but was saved by a word of control from a Shaman or conjurer.
The close affinity between man and nature is illustrated by the statement that
in one case a tree died following the death of its human twin. Speaking of
magical trees, she several times tells of the great tree Kumboum, of Tibet, over
whose leaves and bark nature had imprinted ten thousand spiritual maxims. The
magical significance of birthmarks is brought out, with remarkable instances.
She dwells at length on the inability of medical men to tell definitely whether
the human body is dead or not, and cites a dozen gruesome tales of reawakening
in the grave. This takes her into vampirism, which she establishes on the basis
of numerous cases taken mostly from Russian folklore. It is stated that the
Hindu pantheon claimed 330,000,000 types of spirits. Moses was familiar with
electricity; the Egyptians had a high order of music and chess over five
thousand years ago; and anaesthesia was known to the ancients. Perpetual motion,
the Elixer of Life, the Fountain of Youth and the Philosopher's Stone are
declared to be real. She adduces in every case a formidable show of testimony
other than her own. And back of it all is her persistent assertion that purity
of life and thought is a requisite for high magical performance.
"A man free from worldly incentives and sensuality may cure in such a way the
most 'incurable' diseases, and his vision may become clear and prophetic."30
"The magic power is never possessed by those addicted to vicious indulgences."31
Phenomena come, she feels, rather easily; spiritual life is harder won and
worthier.
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"With expectancy, supplemented by faith, one can cure himself of almost any
morbific condition. The tomb of a saint; a holy relic; a talisman; a bit of
paper or a garment that has been handled by a supposed healer; a nostrum, a
penance; a ceremonial; a laying on of hands; or a few words impressively
pronounced-will do. It is a question of temperament, imagination, self-cure."32
"While phenomena of a physical nature may have their value as a means of
arousing the interest of materialists, and confirming, if not wholly, at least
inferentially, our belief in the survival of our souls, it is questionable
whether, under their present aspect, the modern phenomena are not doing more
harm than good."33
Theosophists themselves often quarrel with Isis because it seems to overstress
bizarre phenomena. They should see that Volume I of the book aims to show the
traces of magic in ancient science, in order to offset the Spiritualist claims
to new discoveries, and to attract attention to the more philosophic ideas
underlying classic magic. Volume II labors to reveal the presence of a vast
occultism behind the religions and theologies of the world. Again the contention
is that the ancient priests knew more than the modern expositor, that they kept
more concealed than the present-day theologian has revealed. Modern theology has
lost its savor of early truth and power, as modern technology no longer
possesses the "lost arts." Paganism was to be vindicated as against
ecclesiastical orthodoxies.
She believed that her instruction under the Lamas or Adepts in Tibet had given
her this key, and that therefore the whole vast territory of ancient religion
lay unfruitful for modern understanding until she should come forward and put
the key to the lock. The "key" makes her in a sense the exponent and depository
of "the essential veracities of all the religions and philosophies that are or
ever were."
"Myth was the favorite and universal method of teaching in archaic times."34
We can not be oblivious of the use made by Plato of myths in his theoretical
constructions.
"Fairy tales do not exclusively belong to nurseries; all mankind-except those
few who in all ages have comprehended their hidden meaning, and tried to open
the eyes of the superstitious-have listened to such tales in one shape or other,
and, after transforming them into sacred symbols, called the product
Religion."35
"There are a few myths in any religious system but have an historical as well as
a scientific foundation. Myths, as Pococke ably expresses it, 'are now found to
be fables just in proportion as we misunderstand them; truths, in proportion as
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