The Arcane Teachings (Complete Collection). William Walker Atkinson

      Lesson VIII. Metempsychosis.

       Table of Content

      IT IS not our purpose to enter into a discussion of the world-old and world-wide doctrine of Metempsychosis, Re-Birth, Reincarnation, or Re-embodiment, or by whatever other name it may be known. The modern world has awakened to a new knowledge of this ancient doctrine and truth, but in learning it is has absorbed much error with the principle of truth. We shall not attempt to prove the doctrine of Metempsychosis. All true occultists know that every soul which ever has experienced re-embodiment or rebirth has an intuitional assurance of the truth of having lived before, some time, some where—an assurance perhaps dim, but still persistent. Those who have not this inner assurance in some degree have never experienced rebirth, although they may have rebirth awaiting them after the present earth life. To those who have not this inner assurance, it is folly to attempt to prove Metempsychosis—at the best they will receive it merely as one of a number of idle speculations on the unknowable hereafter. To those who have the inner assurance, in some degree, no other proof is necessary, although explanation and teaching regarding the same is eagerly sought after. In this, and the following lesson, we shall ask you to consider the Arcane Teaching regarding the details of Metempsychosis, Reincarnation, and Re-birth. Many of the points of the Teaching may seem strange and startling to those who have studied other teachings—but careful study and comparison will show the Truth in spite of the contradictions from without. For the first point, listen to the Aphorism:

      APHORISM XIII. Know ye this first Truth of Metempsychosis: The Ego is evolved from the Personal Self. Every living thing possesses a Personal Self, but even among men, many fail to reach Egohood. Egohood is earned, not bestowed as an universal natural gift. Many personalities are born, but few Egos are evolved. Personality perishes in the Astral World, after the death of the physical body—Egohood persists in Re-embodiment and Rebirth.

      This startling truth, embodied in the Aphorism, is one of the fundamental principles of the Arcane Teaching. The majority of religions and philosophies have held to the idea of the universality of immortality, although there have been some notable exceptions to the rule. The Arcane Teaching however has always held that Egohood (with survival and re-birth) is conditional and exceptional. It has held that there must be earned and evolved an Ego, before that Ego may persist in Re-embodiment and Re-birth. Many of the ordinary teachings regarding Reincarnation hold that there is a continuous chain of Rebirth or Reincarnations from the lowest form of animal life (and often still lower) to that of advanced Man and beyond. This is not so held in the Arcane Teaching. The Arcane Teaching holds that there is Physical Evolution from the very lowest life forms to the highest (up to a certain advanced stage to be noted hereafter), but that Spiritual Evolution begins only when the Ego is evolved from the Personal Self of some creature on the plane of humanity, or some plane equal to it in other worlds. From thence on there is Spiritual Evolution, and Metempsychosis, Re-birth or Re-embodiment, which latter continues until the Ego passes through that stage and thenceforth pursues its Spiritual Evolution without the necessity of Rebirth. Most positively does the Arcane Teaching deny that You, the Ego, as a soul, have arisen by steps of Spiritual Evolution from the various soul-stages of the animals. The Arcane Teachings also hold that the majority of human beings on earth to-day have not developed Egohood, and are therefore not likely to be reborn or re-embodied, but will, after a period of life in the Astral World, in their astral bodies, again die and fade away, being resolved into their original elements in the Cosmos.

      All living things have Personality, and are able to distinguish between "Me and Not-Me"—between their personal selves and the things of the outside world. But only a portion of the human race have developed the phase called by psychologists, "Self-Consciousness," or "The Sense of Individuality," in which they are able to distinguish between the "I" and the "Me." By the "Me" is meant the things of personality-the body, the mental states, the feelings, the desires, the characteristics of personality, etc. By the "I" is meant that transcendental Something in oneself which is able to stand aside and apart and view the "Me" as from outside—that something which enables one to feel, "I Am"—that Something which enables one to know that he is superior to the body, or the personality, and that he will always be "I Am" no matter in what part of the Cosmos he may be, or after how many æons of time he may say it. It is most difficult to describe this phase of consciousness, but those who have it will recognize it, and those who have it not will likewise realize the lack. Some may not recognize it under the term Ego or the "I Am," but will understand when we say it is that which may be called "Soul Consciousness"—that is, a consciousness that You are a Soul, inhabiting a body and using a mind—a Something over and above personality and mortal life—a Something destined to live on, and on, and on-a Something which feels and knows that it is. A great many people do not recognize this Something Within them, but instead believe that they have a soul, or will have one at least—their idea of "soul" being something that will emerge from them after death. The true Soul recognizes itself as being Now—it can say "I Am the Soul—Here and Now!" This is Egohood in its early stages.

      The Cosmic Will, or One Life, begins its work of physical evolution, working from lowly forms to higher and higher, the benefits of acquired conscious experience being transmitted through the laws of Sequence or Heredity. In this way the lower animals advanced in the scale of evolution, and Man appeared. But Man was, and in many cases is now, but a higher form of the lower animals—his soul life comes later. As Man advanced in the scale, there were evolved personalities which experienced the pangs of soul-birth. They felt the struggles of the developing Something Within, and began to realize that they were individuals—the "I Am" began to manifest itself. These individuals were not always "good" people—both poles of the opposites manifested here as elsewhere—they were simply stronger and more soulful people—people who felt the Real Self within them. Thus were the Egos evolved.

      When physical death overcame these individuals, after spending their allotted and usual time in the Astral World, and sinking into the astral slumber preceding the usual astral dissolution and final death, these Egos awoke to a new life in new bodies—Metempsychosis in its earlier stages. Each Ego was reborn into a new body, along the lines of its general character and desires, although it preserved but a faint memory of its past life. The Ego preserved its Character, however, although its Personality had slipped away from it. Thenceforth these Egos proceeded along the lines of Spiritual Evolution, in connection with Physical Evolution—and thereby the One Cosmic Life was enabled to evolve and progress along two lines of Evolution, instead of one as before—the Cosmic Will doubled its resources. In order to see the "why" and "how" of this process of re-embodiment, or re-birth, let us listen to the Aphorism:

      APHORISM XIV. Know ye this second Truth of Metempsychosis: Persistence in Egohood in Rebirth or Re-embodiment, is but the Recollection or the Memory of the Cosmic Will, in the World-Brain. As the mortal brain recollects (and thus embodies) an idea, or thing— so does the World-Brain recollect (and thus embodies) the Egos. This is the Truth of Metempsychosis, and the phases of Life beyond Metempsychosis.

      To those who have deemed incapable of solution the "how" of Re-embodiment, the Truth contained in the above Aphorism will come like a flash of lightning illumining the darkness of midnight. The analogy is seen at once by those familiar with the laws of the mind and the phenomena of the brain. An idea or thing, the impression of which is in the memory (occultists claim the memory to be largely astral in its nature) is recalled or recollected, and immediately passes into the field of consciousness. And to pass into the conscious field it must be embodied in the brain substance or cells—it must be given an appropriate body. The Cosmic Will remembers the Ego in the Astral World,