William Atkinson - The Essential Works of William Walker Atkinson - 50+ Books in One Edition

Poe says: "There can be no two ideas more essentially different than that which we attach to a metal, and that which we attach to the Universal Ether. When we reach the latter, we feel an almost irresistible inclination to class it with Spirit, or with nihility.…Destroy the idea of the atomic constitution of the Universal Ether, and we are no longer able to regard the Ether as an entity, or, at least, as matter. For want of a better word we might term it Spirit."

Matter as Ultimate Substance has been denied by Materialism itself. No educated man, under sixty years of age, to-day holds that Matter is ultimate, nor denies that it is merely phenomenal appearance. Science has retreated, or advanced, to the hypothesis of the Universal Ether, and the latter is held to be Immaterial. All schools of advanced and scientific thought are now practically agreed that Ultimate Substance is Immaterial, and Haeckel, one of the most radical thinkers of science, is reported as saying in a recent address that ultimate Substance "may as well be called Spirit as anything else."

SOLIDITY OF SUBSTANCE.

Those who have been naïvely identifying Substance with hardness or solidity are reminded here that these qualities of matter are purely relative, and depend solely upon the rate of vibration of the particles and their degree of cohesion or "holding together." Raise the vibration and the molecules fly farther apart from each other, and the hardness and solidity depart. The most solid steel is no more substantial than the same steel when it is dissolved into gas. The invisible steam is quite as substantial as the same thing when it is frozen into a block of hard ice. In fact, the higher the vibrations of Matter, the more energy is displayed by it and the more real do its activities become. The universe in its former nebulous state was just as real as it is in a condition of solidity. Solidity is merely a comparative quality of Matter, and has no connection whatever with substantiality. Electricity, magnetism, light, and heat are just as substantial as steel, granite, or diamond. And mind is more substantial than either of these, at the last.

It may be of interest to students in this connection to note that in the opinion of eminent scientific authorities any substance, no matter how rare, subtle, tenuous, or intangible it might be, if it be continuous, without particles, and non-atomic in structure, would be absolutely rigid and infinitely more firm than the hardest steel . This because there would be no "give" to it, no possible compression of atomic particles or parts, there being no particles or parts to compress and "give." Such a substance would be absolutely unyielding . So true is this held to be that science has seriously considered the fact in its conception of the Universal Ether as continuous and non-atomic, as undivided and indivisible. It has been held that if the Universal Ether is undivided and indivisible, then the apparently solid bodies of Matter cannot pass through it, but that the latter (Matter) being atomic and divisible in structure, may allow the Ether to pass through it instead of it passing through the Ether. Thus a planet would not pass through the Ether, that being impossible, but the Ether would pass through the planet and thus allow the free motion of the latter. For the practical purposes of the motion of the stellar bodies it makes no difference whether they be conceived as passing through the Ether or the Ether passing through them. This fact, admitted by science, should give the student some new ideas and thoughts on the matter of the solidity of substance.

SPIRITUAL SUBSTANCE.

The essence of the idea of "Substance," then, is as follows: (1) Something underlying and supporting; (2) that which is the inmost and real essence or nature of a thing; (3) that which is real, actually existing or being, as distinguished from anything existing merely in fancy, dream, or imagination, and therefore unreal and not existent in fact. Spirit is seen to agree with each of these meanings of the term.

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STATEMENT: SPIRIT is Energy; its Energy is the only Energy, and all the Energy there is, yet it is Immaterial Energy.

THIS STATEMENT announces the Energism of Spirit, the All-Energy of Spirit, and the Immateriality of Spiritual Energy. "Energy" means "power, force, or capacity for acting, operating, or producing an effect."

The reason reports that Energy exists in actual being. Without Energy there could be no manifestation or expression of the activity of SPIRIT. Energy being recognized as in actual being, it is perceived that All-Energy must be Spiritual Energy, and Spiritual Energy must be All-Energy. There is nothing else to manifest or be Energy except SPIRIT, and no phase of Energy is possible except Spiritual Energy. Moreover, Spiritual Energy must be an essential fact of SPIRIT, and therefore SPIRIT is identified with Energy and Energy with SPIRIT. SPIRIT is Energy itself.

IMMATERIAL ENERGY.

The statement also announces that Spiritual Energy is Immaterial. We have seen in the consideration of the preceding statement that Matter is purely phenomenal and has no basis in ultimate fact. Therefore the Energy of Matter is perceived also to be phenomenal and without basis in ultimate fact. Material Energy springs from the vibration of the particles of Matter, the vibrations arising from the attraction existing between particles or masses of Matter. This attraction is held by Haeckel and others to be mental in nature, and to arise from semiconscious sensation and the response of the will thereto. This would take the whole question of Energy from Matter and into Mind. Other scientific authorities hold that all forms of Energy emanate from the Universal Ether, which is held to be Ultimate Energy. In either case Energy is seen to be Immaterial in its essence and nature, although as Material Energy it manifests through and in Matter. But there also is Mental Energy to be considered—and that is clearly Immaterial. The "Infinite and Eternal Energy" of Herbert Spencer is Immaterial and is closely akin to the conception of Spirit. Energy, from any viewpoint, when examined closely, is seen to be absolutely Immaterial, as the statement announces.

WILL ENERGY.

There have been many eminent philosophers who have held that the one thing which meets all the requirements of Energy in all of its forms and manifestations is a Principle of Will. The Will is a most mysterious element of mind and action, and seems to be an ultimate principle of activity, mind, and life. It is the Spirit of action in all mental and vital processes and manifestations, and Schopenhauer and others have demonstrated very clearly that it may be easily conceived of as the moving power immanent in the activities of Matter and mechanical processes. The Buddhists also hold to this idea. Modern Science is rapidly approaching this position also. At the last all Energy is perceived as Will. In this case the Will, which is Universal Energy, must be identified with Spirit, for there is nothing else to be Will or manifest Will.

STATEMENT: SPIRIT is Life; its Life is the only Life, and all the Life there is, yet it is Immaterial Life.

This statement announces the Lifeness and All-Life of Spirit, and that Spiritual Life is not phenomenal life. It is difficult to define Life except in its own terms. It is held to be distinguished by at least a degree of consciousness, accompanied with the power and ability to manifest voluntary movement. In short, Life is seen to depend for its existence upon Mental Powers. Mind is said to be the "lifeness" of Life. There is no Life without Mind, and no Mind without Life. Life, then, is but another name for Mind.