Part 7

A physician of this class is the one whose very presence inspires the patient with confidence in recovery. Consciously or unconsciously such a physician acts upon the two great motive powers in the constitution of the patient, namely his will and his imagination. He who can restore tranquillity of the soul by creating confidence, creates the condition required for the cure of the disturbance of the elements producing discord.

All the processes taking place in the physical body originate in the unconscious or conscious action of the will and the imagination, to which must be added the power of memory; for the existence of former impressions either consciously or unconsciously produces certain states in the imagination, which again determine the direction of will. The average physician often employs these powers unknowingly; a physician of the higher class can employ them intelligently. A sudden strong emotion may in a moment cure a paralytic affection of long standing, a sudden danger arouse the unconscious will. Perhaps in the majority of cases it is not that which the patient takes but that which he imagines that it will cure him, which effects the cure, and without this power of the imagination very few medicines would produce any beneficial results.

To this department belong so-called “hypnotism” and “suggestion,” two old things described under new names. Paracelsus says of this action of the spiritual will:

“It is as if one orders another to run and he runs. This takes place by means of the word and through the power of the word; the word being the character.” (“Paramir.,” Prolog. III.)

So-called “_hypnotism_” is the overcoming of a weak will by a stronger one. The superior will of the physician overcomes the will of the patient and forces it to act in a certain direction. It is an art which is practised continually and constantly by one half of mankind on the other half, from the will power of a general commanding his army down to the unconscious influence unknowingly exercised by one mind over another, without the subject being aware of its source. Evil thoughts originating in one person create corresponding impulses in others, and if the unconscious action of will and the relations which it causes among sympathetic minds were truly known, human freewill and responsibility would perhaps appear in a different light.

Similar to that is what has been called “suggestion,” which Paracelsus calls the virtue of the imagination. It is the imagination of one mind overpowering the mind of another and creating therein a corresponding imagination, which is perfectly real to the patient, because it is in reality his own creation produced unconsciously by himself.

“The visible man has his laboratory (the physical body), and the invisible man is working therein. The sun has his rays, which cannot be grasped with the hands, which are nevertheless strong enough to set houses on fire (if gathered by a lens).

Imagination in man is like a sun, it acts within his world wherever it may shine. Man is that which he thinks. If he thinks fire, he is all on fire; if he thinks war, he is warring; by the power of thought alone the imagination becomes a sun.” (“De virtute imaginativa,” V.)

The imagination becomes strong through the will and the will becomes powerful through imagination. Either of these two is the life of the other, and if they become one and identical, they constitute a living spirit to which nothing inferior offers resistance. In the ignorant and doubtful, in those who do not know their own mind and doubt the result of success, consequently in the majority of experiments carried on for the purpose of gratifying a scientific curiosity or for some other selfish purpose, the will and imagination are not one, but act in two different directions. If we look with one eye to heaven and with the other to the earth, or with one to the restoration of the patient’s health and with the other to the profits knowledge or renown we may receive from it ourselves, there is no unity of motive or purpose, and consequently a lack of the principal condition for success. A physician desirous of employing such means should therefore be of such a nobility of character as to be above all selfish considerations, and only intent upon doing his duty according to the commands of divine love.

Only that which comes from the heart goes to the heart; the power that comes from the brain alone has no magic effects unless it becomes united with that which comes from the heart. It resembles the cold and ineffective moonlight, but it becomes a strong power by its union with the sunshine that radiates from the centre of the heart.

“Thus the imagination becomes a spirit, and its vehicle is the body, and in this body are generated the seeds which bear good and evil fruits.” (“De virtute imaginativa,” III.)

IV.—SPIRITUALES.

Up to this class we have had to deal with forces which are, even if not fully recognized, at least admitted by modern science; but now we are going to speak of the action of a spiritual power, which, being in the conscious possession of only a few persons, is almost entirely unknown. This is the power which the self-conscious spirit exercises over the unintelligent forces in nature, and which comes under the head of “Magic,” a term whose meaning is understood only by few.

“Magic”—from _mag_, priest—means the great power of wisdom, an attribute of the self-conscious spirit, holy or devilish according to the purpose to which it is applied. It is therefore a power which does not belong to the terrestrial intellectual man; but to the spiritual man, and it may even be exercised by the latter without the external man being aware of the source of this power acting in him. For this reason we often see that some remedy proves very efficacious in the hands of one physician and entirely useless in the hands of another equally learned and intellectual. Paracelsus says:

“Such physicians are called _spirituales_, because they command the spirits of herbs and roots, and force them to release the sick whom they have imprisoned. Thus if a judge puts a prisoner in the stocks, the judge is his physician. Having the keys, he may open the locks when he chooses. To this class of physicians belonged Hippocrates and others.” (“Paramir.,” Prolog. III.)

Such an assertion appears to be incredible only as long as nothing is known about the constitution of matter; but if we call occult science to our aid and realise that all things in the world constitute certain states of one universal consciousness, and that the foundation of all existence is Spirit, it not only becomes comprehensible, but even self-evident, that the self-conscious spirit of a person can move and control the products of nature’s imagination according to its own action in them, and we may truly say that in such cases it is the spirit of the physician acting by means of the spirit of the remedies which he employs, and herein is the solution of the secret of the wonderful cures of leprosy, etc., effected by Theophrastus Paracelsus, which have been historically proved, but which are unintelligible if examined from the point of view of material science.

An investigation into this subject would take us within the realm of white and black magic, witchcraft and sorcery, which have received attention already on a previous occasion,[52] and whose further elucidation would be premature and altogether impossible within the limited space of this work.

V.—FIDELES.

The word “fidelity”—from _fido_, to trust—means faith, confidence, conviction arising from the perception of truth; knowledge, such as results from experience, and the class of physicians here referred to, includes those who, remaining true to their own divine nature, are in possession of divine powers, such as have been attributed to Christ, the apostles and saints.

“They restore health by the power of faith; for he who believes in truth becomes healed by its own power.” (“Paramir.,” I., Prol. 3.)

So-called “faith” is in most cases illusive, and consists merely in an accepted or pretended belief in the correctness of certain opinions or theories. The true faith of the spiritual man is a living spiritual and divine power, resulting from the certitude of the spiritual perception of the eternal law of cause and effect. As we most certainly are convinced that day follows upon the night, and night after day, so the Adept-physician, knowing the spiritual, moral and physical causes of diseases, and appreciating the flow of their evolution and progress, knows the effects created by such causes, and controls the means for their cure. No one can destroy effects caused by the law of divine justice. If he hinders the manifestation of divine law in one way, it will manifest itself in another way, such is the action of divine law in nature; but he who lives in the truth and in whom divine truth becomes manifest, is thereby raised superior to nature, for he enters into that from which nature took its origin. This uplifting and all-saving power is the true faith in man which can cure all diseases.

“There is neither good nor bad luck; but every effect is due to a cause. Each one receives his reward according to the way he walks and acts. God has made all men out of only one substance, and given to all the same power to live, and all human beings are therefore equals in God. The sun and the rain, winter and summer, are the same for everybody; but not everybody looks at the sun with the same eyes. God loves all mankind alike; but not all men love God with the same kind of love. Each of God’s children has the same inheritance; but one squanders, while another preserves it. That which God has made equal is rendered unequal by the actions of men. Each man taking his cross upon himself finds therein his reward. Every misfortune is a fortune, because divine goodness gives to everyone that which he most needs for his future development; the suffering begins only when discontent, the result of the non-recognition of eternal law, steps in. The greater the obstacle to combat, the greater will be the victory.” (“Philosophia,” V.)

The art of medicine has not been instituted for the purpose of defying the laws of God; but for the purpose of aiding in the restoration of the harmony, whose disturbance caused disease, and this restoration takes place through obedience to the law. There is no more a “forgiveness of the sin of disease” than there is a forgiveness of moral sins. The cure takes place by means of a re-entering into harmony with the laws of nature, which after all are the laws of God manifested in the natural realm. Neither is the health restored or sins pardoned for the purpose that man with lessened fear of punishment may go and sin again; but after the effects of the discords are overcome, he obtains again the power to sin, so that he may have a fresh opportunity for overcoming temptation and thus attain mastery over himself during his life upon this earth. He who is master over himself is his own law and not subject to any disharmony, and it is this which Paracelsus expressed in his favourite motto:

“Non sit alterius qui suus esse potest,”

which may be translated, “He who is master over himself belongs to nothing else but himself”: for that Self which conquers “self” is God, the Will of Divine Wisdom, the Lord over All.

VI.

THE MEDICINE OF THE FUTURE.

There is no doubt that the average physician of the present age occupies on the whole a much higher position than was occupied by the average physician of the last centuries when the wisdom of the ancients had become a forgotten truth, and modern science was in its infancy. Although there were even during the middle ages physicians of deep insight, and in possession of a profound knowledge of the mysteries of Nature, such as the modern profession may acquire again by slow growth within the next centuries, the popular medicine of these times was a mixture of ignorance and quackery, the remnants of which are still to be found in our days. Of this class of the physicians of those times Paracelsus says:—

“There are a great many among them who have no other object but to satisfy their greed, so that one has to be ashamed to belong to a profession in which so much swindling takes place. They speculate on the ignorance of the people, and he who succeeds in amassing the greatest amount of money by robbing them is looked upon as the leading physician. Mutual love and charity is entirely out of fashion, and the practice of medicine is degraded to the standard of a common trade, in which the only object is to take as much money as one can obtain, and those who have the gift of the gab, and clamour the loudest, succeed best in cheating mankind; for as long as the world is filled with fools, the biggest fool will necessarily be the ruler, if he only succeeds in making himself conspicuous.” (“Defensio,” V.)

The science of medicine is not to blame for the existence of such a state of things; but it is one of the attributes of human animal nature, and we leave it to the intelligent observer to judge whether this nature has changed a great deal since the time of Paracelsus, or whether there is still an army of quacks, legalized or illegal, who have written the motto “_Mundus vult decipi, ergo decipiatur_” upon their flag. Official science has undoubtedly progressed during this century, but merely intellectual acquisitions do not necessarily make a man wiser; the greatest scoundrels have been men of great intellectuality without spirituality. Wisdom consists in the self-recognition of truth, and there are many who are “ever learning and never able to come to the knowledge of truth.”[53]

This spiritual knowledge does not belong to the faculties of men’s lower intellectual nature, but to his higher nature alone; and it is therefore of paramount importance that the development of that higher nature should receive more attention than it is receiving at present. A mere improvement in morals or ethics is quite insufficient for that purpose. Morality is the outcome of reasoning; Spirituality is the superior power due to the manifestation of self-consciousness on a higher plane of existence, the illumination of the mind and body of man by the power and light of the spirit filling the soul. When spirituality becomes substantiality in man, then only will his knowledge be of a substantial kind.

This spiritual substantiality, or, in other words, the realization of the highest ideal, is the work of the gradual evolution of mankind; which, as has been said by the ancient alchemists, “may require for its accomplishment thousands of ages; but which can also be accomplished in a moment of time.” It is not a product of man’s labour, but of the descent of the light of divine truth, the “grace of God” which will come to everyone whenever he is ready to receive it. It is therefore not dependent on anyone’s willing or running,[54] but on the action of the spirit of the true divine Self, which is ever striving to become manifest in man.

This interior development is not the consequence of the acquisition of any new theories in regard to the nature of the constitution of man; but takes place through the overcoming of the lower elements in his nature, by means of which his higher nature can become manifest. But in order to induce and enable him to employ his powers intelligently for the purpose of conquering his lower nature, he should learn to know theoretically his own constitution and the nature of the higher powers in him.

These are the elements of that higher science which the physician of the future will have to learn, first theoretically and afterwards in their practical application. Without a spiritual recognition of the fundamental principles of Nature, a seeking from a superficial point of view for a discovery of the mysteries of being is like an unfruitful wandering in a fog. It resembles a search from the periphery of a sphere of unknown extent for a centre whose locality is unknown; while if we have once a correct conception of the situation of that shining centre, its light will act as a guiding star in our wanderings through the fogs which pervade the realm of phenomena.

Science comes from man; wisdom belongs to God. Of sciences there are many; wisdom is only one. The sciences should be cultivated, but wisdom not be neglected, for without wisdom no true science can exist.

“Nothing (real) is of ourselves; we do not belong to ourselves, but we belong to God. Therefore we must try to find in ourselves that which is of God. It is his and not ours. He has made a body for us, and given us life and wisdom in addition to it, and from these come all things. We should learn to know the object of our existence, and the reason why man has a soul, and what is the will of God that he should do. A study of (terrestrial) man will never reveal the secret and object of his existence, and the reason why he is in the world; but if we once know his creator, we shall also know the qualities of his child; for he who knows the father knows also the son, because the son inherits the (nature of) the father. Each man has the same amount of truth given to him by God; but not everyone recognises that which he has received. He who sleeps knows nothing; he who lives an idle life does not know the power which is in him, and wastes his time. Man is so great and noble that he bears the image of God, and is an heir to the kingdom of God. God is supreme truth, and the devil is supreme falsehood. Falsehood cannot know truth. Therefore if man wants to come into possession of truth, he must know the wisdom which he has received from God. Cleverness belongs to the animal nature, and in regard to many scientific acquisitions animals are superior to man; but the understanding is an awakening which cannot be taught by man. That which one person learns from another is nothing unless there is an awakening. A teacher can put no knowledge into his pupil, he can only aid in the awakening of the knowledge which is already in him.” (“De Fundamento Sapientiæ,” I.)

Wisdom is the recognition of God. God is the truth, the knowledge of one’s own true self is divine wisdom. He who knows his true self knows the divine powers belonging to his God.

“God is Wisdom. He is not a sage or an artist, he is for himself (absolute), but all wisdom and art is born from him; if we know God, we also know his wisdom and art. In God all is one and no pieces. He is the unity, the one in everything. A science dealing only with a piece of the whole, and losing sight of the whole to which it belongs, is abortive and not in possession of truth. He who sees in God nothing but truth and justness sees rightly. All wisdom belongs to God; that which is not of God is a bastard. Therefore the kingdoms of this world fall to pieces, scientific systems change, man-made laws perish, but the recognition of eternal truth is eternal. He who is not a bastard of wisdom, but a true son of the father, is in possession of wisdom. This wisdom is that we live in regard to each other as the angels live, and if we live like the angels they will become our own self, so that nothing divides us from them but the physical form, and as all wisdom and art is with the angels, so it will be with us. The angels are the powers through which the will of God is executed. If the will of God is executed through us, we shall be his angels ourselves. The will of God cannot be performed through us unless we are ourselves after the will of God. A fool or a dunce or a greedy person is not after the will of God; how could that will be executed through him? It is of little use to believe that Solomon was wise, if we are not wise ourselves. We are not born for the purpose of living in ignorance, but that we should be like the father, and that the father may recognise himself in the son. We are to be lords over nature, and not nature be lord over us. This is spoken of the angelic man (_Buddhi_) in whom we shall live and through whom we shall see that all our doing and leaving undone, all our wisdom and art is of God.” (“De Fundamento Sapientiæ,” II.)

All this, however, will be incomprehensible and be condemned as nonsense by what Paracelsus justly calls the “scientific fool,” because the wisdom of which he speaks is not the intellect of the terrestrial, but the understanding of the celestial mind. It is that rare power of spiritual self-knowledge which cannot be taught in words, but which is the result of an interior unfolding of the faculties of the soul. The true physician is not made by schools of learning; he becomes one through the light of divine wisdom itself.

“Man has two understandings; the angelic and the animal power of reason. Angelic understanding is eternal; it is of God and remains in God. The animal intellect also originates from God and within ourselves; but it is not eternal; for the animal body dies and its reason dies with it. No animal faculty remains after death; but death is only a dying of that which is animal and not of that which is eternal.” (“De Fundamento Sapientiæ,” II.)

The term “wisdom” comes from _vid_, to see, and _dôm_, a judgment; it therefore refers to that which is seen and understood, but not to opinions or theories derived from inference, or based on the assertion of others. It is not the product of observation and speculation, memory or calculation, but is the result of interior growth, and all growth comes from nourishment. As the intellect is enlarged by intellectual acquirements, so divine wisdom in man grows by absorbing the nutriment which it receives from the light of Divine Wisdom.

“Everything is of the nature of that from which it is born. The animal in man is nourished by animal food, the angel in him by the food of the angels. The animal spirit belongs to the animal mind, and in the animal mind of man are contained all the potentialities which are separately possessed by the different classes of animals. You may develop in a man the character of a dog, a monkey, a snake, or of any other animal; for man in his animal nature is nothing more than an animal and the animals are his teachers and surpass him in many ways; the birds in singing, the fish in swimming, etc. He who knows many animal arts is for all that not more than an animal or a menagerie of different animals; his virtues, no less than his vices, belong to his animal nature. Whether he possesses the fidelity of a dog, the matrimonial affection of a dove, the mildness of a sheep, the cleverness of a fox, the skill of a beaver, the brutality of an ox, the voracity of a bear, the greed of a wolf, etc., all this belongs to his animal nature; but there is a higher nature of an angelic character in him, such as the animals do not possess, and this angelic being requires that nutriment which comes from above and corresponds to its nature. From the hidden animal spirit in nature grows the animal intellect; from the mysterious action of the angelic spirit grows the super-terrestrial man; for man has a father who is eternal and for him he shall live. This father has placed him in an animal body, not that he should only dwell and remain therein, but that he should by living in it overcome it.” (“De Fundam. Sap.,” III.)

The animal mind, filled with self-conceit and pride in its evanescent possessions, is entirely incapable of conceiving the nature of the angelic mind, or of forming an idea of the extent of its powers; neither can it grasp the true meaning of a language that deals with the things that belong to that higher nature and believes it to be but delusions and dreams.

“The vanity of the learned does not come from heaven, but they learn it from each other and upon this basis they build their church.” (“De Fund. Sap.” Fragm.)