The Desire World, with its innumerable inhabitants, permeates the Physical World, and though invisible is everywhere present; it also extends out into space for a considerable distance.
Please keep in mind that the worlds other than the dense physical one are not worlds of form but are of an ethereal nature interpenetrating one another and also the dense world as a fog penetrates our atmosphere. The Desire World is composed of a more rarefied substance than that of the Physical. It is the realm of desires, therefore it is spoken of as the Desire World. Like the Physical World, the Desire World is divided into seven divisions or regions.
Question 1:
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To arrive at a correct understanding of the Desire World it is necessary to realize that it is the world of feelings, desires, and emotions. These are all under the domination of two great forces, which act in a different way in the three denser regions of the Desire World from that in which they act in the three finer or upper regions.
Purgatory consists of the 3 lower regions of the Desire World, and is the first region the Spirit enters after leaving the physical body at death. In order that we may enjoy the First Heaven that follows, it is necessary that we be purified or purged of evil; thus the necessity of Purgatory.
The 4th region of the Desire World is the Region of Feeling. From it comes the feeling concerning the forms, and upon the feeling engendered by them depends the life which they have for us and also their effect upon us.
1. The worlds in which our Universe is divided are:
a) World of God.
b) World of Virgin Spirits.
c) World of Divine Spirit.
d) World of Life Spirit.
e) World of Thought.
f) Desire World.
g) Physical World.
2. a) In the Physical World matter is subject to gravity, contraction and expansion; also distance and time are governing factors of existence.
b) In the Desire World there is neither heat nor cold, forms levitate as well as gravitate; distance and time are nonexistent.
3. The two classifications of the Physical World are the Chemical Region and the Etheric Region. The former is composed of the solids, liquids, and gases. The latter is composed of the chemical ether, the life ether, the light ether, and the reflecting ether.
4. The positive pole of the Chemical Ether manifests in assimilation. The negative pole manifests in excretion.
5. The forces which work along the negative pole of this ether enable the female to bring forth a new being. The forces working along the negative pole of this ether enable the male to produce semen.
6. The forces working along the positive pole of the Light Ether generate blood heat in the higher species of animal and man, and also circulate blood in cold-blooded animals and juices in plants.
The forces working along the negative pole operate through the senses of sight, feeling, hearing, tasting, and smelling. This ether is responsible for the color in all kingdoms in nature.
7. This ether is called reflecting because it contains only a reflection of the true pictures in the real Memory of Nature.
Supplemental
Student Material:
I. The Uncertainty Principle
In 1820, Pierre Simon Laplace claimed that if he knew the position and
velocity of every particle in the universe, he could in principle predict
all the future positions of all particles and hence all future events.
Subsequent to Laplace, throughout the nineteenth century, various other
material scientists echoed this opinion. Their belief was supported by their
observations. Given the initial position and velocity of a thrown ball, they
could predict where it would land. Given the initial position and velocity
of the sun and planets, they could predict where each would be at a later
time. Even electrically charged objects appeared to obey inexorable laws, so
that given their initial positions and velocities, their future positions
could be predicted. Laplace's belief led people to take the view that the
world operated totally according to laws, that what would happen was
predetermined, and that men had no control over either their own future or
the future of the world.
With the approach of the twentieth century, scientists began to observe
some things that began to shake their confidence in their ability (in
principle) to predict all future events. In the photoelectric effect
experiment (1887), the Franck-Hertz experiment (1914), the Compton effect
experiment (1922) and the electron diffraction experiment (1927), electrons
and light waves were not behaving the way the classical theory predicted. The conclusions that were, in time, drawn by material scientists were:
1. Light moves through space as a wave (which spreads out over some region
of space), but when light interacts with anything, localized particles
(called photons) appear within the wave. Where a photon will appear within a
light wave cannot be predicted, although statements can be made as to the
relative probability of the photon appearing in any given region.
2. An electron moves through space as a wave, but when the electron
interacts with anything, a localized particle appears within the electron
wave. As with the photons, only probability statements can be made as to
where within the electron-wave the electron-particle will appear.
3. Likewise, other elementary particles (such as protons and neutrons) move
through space as waves and interact as particles.
Out of the wave-particle picture of light and matter grew the
Uncertainty Principle, first introduced by Werner Heisenberg in 1927. Let
"delta x" represent the width of a wave. Then the uncertainty in where the
particle may appear will also be "delta x". One may locate where a particle
will appear by arranging things so that the particle wave is very narrow.
What Heisenberg noticed was that the narrower the wave became, the greater
would be the uncertainty in the velocity that the wave could give to the
particle that it created. In algebraic form, Heisenberg's Uncertainty
Principle states that —
— where "delta v" is the uncertainty in the velocity of the particle, "delta
x" is the uncertainty in the position of the particle, "m" is the mass of the
particle, and h=6.626 x 10 to the minus 34th power Js. Thus, physical scientists arrived at the conclusion that is is impossible to know precisely
both the position and the velocity of a particle. If we cannot know
precisely the initial position and velocity of the particles in the
universe, and if particles (when they are not interacting) can disappear
(turn into waves) and reappear in some unpredictable place, then Laplace's
belief that all future events can (in principle) be predicted is no longer
tenable.
Material scientists ascribe the appearance of particles in one place or
another to "chance" because they are only able to make probability
predictions. Albert Einstein, however, stated in 1947, "I shall never
believe that God plays dice with the world." What appears as chance to
material scientists does not appear as chance to clairvoyants, who can see
higher powers at work. Clairvoyants see many intelligent forces at work in
the world. Each person has a Spirit (sometimes called an Ego) that can
direct the dense physical body to do as it wills. Animals and plants also
have Egos, although their Egos have lesser abilities to direct their dense
physical bodies than do the Egos of men. There are also angels who help
direct processes of reproduction and growth, and archangels who help direct
migrations and construction of habitations and other instinctual activities
of animals, and the formation of customs, beliefs, and group activities of
nations of peoples. There are Recording Angels who direct the experiences
that people encounter in life in such a way that everyone receives exactly
what he needs for his development.
In Truth there can be no contradictions. Insofar as material science is
true, and insofar as religion is true, the two can live side by side in
harmony with one another. The development of the Uncertainty Principle by
material science brought science one step closer to the Truth, and made room
in scientific theory for the interaction of Spirit with matter, which
religion claims occurs.
II. Wisdom In
The Universe
In Proverbs 3:19 it is written, "The Lord by wisdom founded the earth; by
understanding he established the heavens." Material scientists have made
many observations of what is in the universe and how things function. Do
these observations give evidence of wisdom? To answer this question, we must
have some means of recognizing wisdom when we see it. One way of recognizing
whether wisdom is in the current universe is to compare it with (imagined)
alternative possible universes, and see whether the actual universe or the
alternatives function better.
In the current universe, two of the basic particles from which matter is
constructed are the proton and the electron. These particles are observed to
be attracted to one another by what is called an electrical force. What
would the universe be like if there were no forces between particles? All
the particles in the universe would fly around randomly and no forms could
be built. If one is have a meaningful physical creation, one must be able to
stick particles together into various forms. Thus, the existence of
electrical forces is wise.
In the current universe, the electrical force is not able to hold two
protons together, but there is another force, called the nuclear force,
which is able to hold protons together. What would the universe be like if
protons could not bond together? Then the only element in the universe would
be hydrogen (which consists of one proton orbited by one electron). If there was only one element in the universe, the possibility of creating complex
structures with varying properties would be limited. Thus, the material
world is a better world because of the existence of the nuclear force.
When some protons bond themselves together and attract electrons into
orbit around themselves, the result is called an atom. All atoms with the
same number of protons are called by the same element name. For example, all
atoms with six protons are called carbon atoms, all atoms with twenty-six
protons are called iron, all atoms with seventy-nine protons are called gold,
etc. It is observed that in the current universe the motions of the
electrons around the protons are governed by what are called "quantum-mechanical waves." These permit the electrons to go into only certain orbits
around the protons. What would the world by like if these waves did not
govern the motions of the electrons? First of all, no two atoms of an
element would have the same chemical properties. One gold atom would have
its electrons arranged differently from another gold atom, so each atom
would have different properties. Furthermore, the atoms would be able to
change their properties continuously. Every time one atom collided with
another atom, the electrons in the atoms would get knocked into different
orbits and the atoms would change their properties. Atoms that formed a
solid one minute might turn into a liquid or gas the next, or might change
from a brittle solid to an elastic solid, or from a non-flammable substance
to a flammable substance, etc. Such instability in the world would not be
conducive to the building of useful physical forms. Thus quantum-mechanical
waves for the governing of electron motions fulfill a useful purpose and
exhibit wisdom.
When two or more atoms join together, the result is called a molecule.
From molecules, the various plant, animal, and human bodies are constructed.
Humans obtain the materials for their bodies by eating plants. It is
observed the human bodies are not built from chewed-up chunks of fruits and
vegetables. If they were, the possible body structures would be quite
limited. Can you imagine trying to build arteries and veins and capillaries out of little chunks of celery, perhaps held together with honey and flour?
It is wise that the human body is able to break down food into its component
parts and then rebuild new molecules that will serve its purposes.
Any molecule can be broken down if heated sufficiently. But if the human
body were to try to break down food particles by heat, then all the
molecules in the region of the heat would be broken down. This would not be
wise, because while food needs to be broken down, other molecules need to be
preserved or built from the food particles. The actual means by which the
body breaks down food and builds needed molecules avoids the above problems.
Within the body are molecules that are called enzymes. There are many
different kinds of enzymes. For each type of molecule that needs to be
broken down, there is a specific enzyme that can take hold of and break
only that type of molecule, and none other. Also, for each small molecule
that needs to be constructed, there is an enzyme that is able to take hold
of the specific components needed, ignoring all other substances present,
and pull those components together until they bond. Thus, the body
specifically breaks down certain molecules that it cannot use and builds
others that it can use.
Enzymes are able to pull together a few components to create a small
molecule. The average-sized protein molecule needed in the human body
contains a chain of some 400 amino acids, all arranged in a specific
pattern. The job of putting such a molecule together is too large a job for
enzymes. There are within the body certain molecules (called DNA molecules),
which have, in coded form, the patterns according to which the various
proteins of the body need to be put together. There are certain other
molecules (called m-RNA, t-RNA, and ribosomes) that work together to pull
the appropriate amino acids into the sequence specified by the DNA. Thus the
human body can obtain for itself the types of molecules that it needs. Nor
do these molecules that construct other molecules just set to work and
continuously manufacture proteins (in a healthy body). There are other sets
of molecules (called regulator, repressor, and operator genes) that are able to sense whether a particular protein is needed and to stimulate production
if it is needed and to repress production if it is not needed. It is
efficient (and therefore wise) for the body not to waste its energies on
producing things that it does not need.
When we begin to look at the structure of the various organs and systems
within the human body, we see further evidence of wisdom. The body, by means
of the blood, is able to carry oxygen and food nutrients to all cells in the
body and to carry waste products away from the cells. Without the blood
circulation, the cells would be like a stove that is not supplied with new
fuel or air, and from which the ashes are not removed. it would son burn
out.
Not only does the physical body have all the features needed to function
in the physical world, but also it has many features that maximize its
functioning ability. The bones are composed of compact material near the
surface and a meshwork of porous material inside, which gives strength
without much weight. The lungs (with their alveoli), the intestines (with
their villi), and the circulatory systems (with its capillaries) have
branches that maximize surface areas, which increases the efficiency of
absorption of materials from these surfaces. The nose is so constructed that
it is able to warm and filter dust from the air breathed, so that the lungs
are not stressed. The eyelids of the eyes are able to shut when particles approach that could hurt the eye or when light in the eye is not desired.
The skin is able to sweat when the body is overheated, so that evaporating
moisture will cool the body. The capillaries in the circulatory system have
the feature that they can open and close as needed, so that when a certain
part of the body open and bring added blood. This permits the body to
operate with less blood than would be needed if all the capillaries had to
be supplied with blood all the time. The vocal cords, together with the
tongue and lips, permit not only sounds, but controlled sounds (words) to be
made. Additionally, the body has many "spare" parts, so that it can continue
to function even if certain parts are injured. The body can continue to live
and function effectively even if it loses half of the brain, one kidney, one
lung, three-quarters of the liver, and up to eighty percent of the small
intestine.
As we proceed in our examination of the universe, let us turn our
attention to the Earth and the Sun. The Sun shines on the Earth and supplies
it with energy. Without the sunshine, all water would freeze, no wind would
blow, no plants could grow, and animals and humans could not live. The
method of production of energy in the sun is by nuclear reactions, which
convert mass into energy. This is such an efficient method of energy
production that the sun can radiate energy at approximately the same rate as
it does now for a period of around ten billion years. Thus life on Earth has
enough time to develop and evolve complex life forms. By comparison, if the
sun produced its energy by means of chemical reactions (as occur in ordinary
coal or gas fires), the sun with its present mass would not be able to
continue its current output of energy for more than about 1,400 years. Thus,
the nuclear method of energy production is much wiser.
The placement and motions of the Earth also show wisdom. The Earth is at
the appropriate distance from the Sun (not too far and not too near) and has
the appropriate rotational and revolutional motions to provide the present
life forms with appropriate measures of the sun's radiations to foster life and evolution. The atmosphere of the Earth contains the oxygen needed by
animals and humans for breathing. If all forms of life breathed in oxygen
and breathed out carbon dioxide (as do animals and humans), the oxygen
supply would soon run out. Plants, however, take in carbon dioxide and give
off oxygen and thus help maintain a stable situation. If gravity were the
only force that acted on water, all the water would run into the oceans and
plants and animals on land would die. Water is, however, able to evaporate
from the oceans. Winds, energized by the sunshine, then carry the water
vapor over the land where it condenses and falls as rain. Thus the plants
get the water that they need, and rivers and streams supply animals and
humans with fresh water. All these processes work together to produce a
stable environment for the development of life on Earth over long periods of
time. Considering the slow nature of evolution of the beings involved, this
is wise.
In time, all forms "die" and dissolve. This is also wise. Plant, animal,
and human bodies, although they exhibit wisdom in their structure, are not
yet perfect. It is therefore good for the spirits inhabiting these forms,
after they have gained all the experience they can from one form, to leave
that form and then build another better form. Even suns burn out and solar
systems dissolve in time. There comes a time when the solar system has lived
out its usefulness and must dissolve so it can be rebuilt in a more perfect
manner.
We humans work along with the other creative hierarchies in designing
and building and improving the universe. it is well for us to recognize what
in the creation is wise so that when we make changes, we do not change that
which is already good, and thus make things worse instead of better.
III. Body Organization
Material scientists have observed regulatory and organizing qualities in the
bodies of living creatures. As the botanist, Edmund W. Sinnott, has noted (chapter 2 in Creativity and Its Cultivation):
"Living things are organisms. An organism is, first of all, an organized
system of structures and activities. It is not a sprawling mass of semi-
independent parts and processes but is held together under a coordinating
control...Food enters it and is built into it...As tissues wear out, matter
leaves the organism again...It does not change the living system, however,
for by a series of regulatory processes the organism maintains itself...
"Each organism has...its special cycle of progressive and creative
development. Continual change is the keynote of this cycle; not unguided
change but change that moves toward a very definite end — the mature
individual and the completion of the cycle...The normal course of
development toward a particular end can be blocked and altered in various
ways,... (but) the organism shows a persistent tendency to achieve the end
unimpeded...
"The growing shoot-tip from a plant, cut off and put into water or moist
sand, will regenerate its lost root system. Various organs of animals (if
lost) will be restored — crab claws, appendages of amphibian larvae, tails of
worms, eyes of snails, etc..."
In the same book, chapter 3, the architect Alden B. Dow remarks that the
more varied the building blocks available for making something, the more
varied can be the structure of that thing. he notes that in nature there are many varieties of atoms and molecules and that there are therefore myriads
of possible ways of combining these. He concludes: "For this reason I am not
surprised at the creativeness or individuality found in natural structures.
I am amazed, however, that with all this creative ability nature is willing
to conform just enough to produce a thing we can recognize as a common
daisy. If the building blocks are similar, I can see how there would be a
common kind of character among individual forms. For example, a house built
of bricks is a brick house, and a house built of wood is a wood house. This,
no doubt, is what we call genetics, but it does not account for the
similarity of the forms of all daisies."
The material scientists are puzzled. What gives organization to the
organism? What directs the development and healing of the organism? What
makes organisms of a particular type conform to a recognizable pattern,
although variations can occur within the general pattern? Clairvoyants can
see the guiding forces that direct these phenomena, and thus can give
answers to these questions.
Clairvoyants note that first a distinction needs to be made between body
and spirit. The spirit is as separate and distinct from its form as the
carpenter is apart from and personally independent of the house he builds
for his own occupancy. It is Spirit that molds forms into an expression of
itself.
Spirit builds bodies with wisdom and purpose and forethought. It
mentally conceives the various functions it wishes a body to be able to
perform, and then creates various structures within the body that are
capable of carrying out these functions. Thus, bodies are not the result of
chance combining of atoms, but rather are the result of careful planning.
This is why we see organization in organisms.
Dense physical bodies are able to grow toward a specific form and to
heal themselves if their forms are damaged because the spirit has created a
matrix of etheric force fields (called a vital body), which directs the
placement of the dense particles brought into the dense body (as food). If
one takes a board and makes indentations in it and then rolls marbles across the board, the marbles will settle in the indentations. Likewise, atoms fit
themselves into the force points in the vital body. During growth, the
points in the vital body are in a process of being filled with atoms. If
some tissue wears out or some dense organ is removed, and if the vital body
is un-injured, the organ will grow again as that region of the matrix again
becomes filled. Thus, the vital body enables the organism to develop toward
a predetermined form and to heal itself.
The reason for similarities in forms is that many forms can be created
from one mental pattern. Once the creative spirits mentally created a basic
daisy pattern, this same basic pattern was used in the creation of all
daisies. Likewise for each other species of plant and animal. Initially, one
basic pattern was created for human form. In time, modifications were made
in this pattern, so that there became separate basic patterns for each race
and nation. Humans have now reached the stage in their evolution where they
are able individually to do creative work. Thus human spirits have begun to
individually modify the structures of their bodies, so that each is becoming
recognizably different from every other.
Everywhere in nature we can see, if we look for it, evidence of wisdom,
order, and relations between parts, and progressions toward goals. Tennyson
was filled with these wonders of nature when he wrote,
Flower in the crannied wall,
I pluck you out of the crannies,
I hold you here, root and all, in my hand,
Little flower — but if I could understand
What you are, root and all, and all in all,
I should know what God and man is.
Reference
— Anderson, Harold H., ed. Creativity and Its Cultivation New York: Harper, 1959
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