Ancient and Modern Physics | Page 2

to say was highly instructive. He did not put on airs of unrecognized greatness,
though, I own, the occasion was propitious; he did not say, "I told you so;" he simply and
frankly was glad, in, the most childlike way.
And now that I have used the word, it occurs to me that "childlike" is an adjective the
best applied to this man, in spite of his portliness, and his three score and more winters.
Many a pleasant hour I have spent in the small bookroom of the great "World" building.
With Mr. Willson talk never flagged. We discussed the past and the future of our
planetary chain, we built plans for the true and wholesome relation of sexes, we tried to
find out--and needless to say never did--the exact limit where matter stopped being

matter and became spirit; we also read the latest comic poems and also, from time to time,
we took a header into the stormy sea of American literature in order to find out what
various wise heads had to say, consciously or unconsciously, in favour of our beloved
Theosophical views. And all this, being interrupted every three minutes or so by some
weary apparition from some workroom in the "World" with some such question: "Mr.
Willson, how am I to find out the present whereabouts of this or that Russian man-of-war?
Mr. Willson, what is the melting point of iron? Mr. Willson, when was `H.M.S. Pinafore'
produced for the first time?" etc., etc. And every time, Mr. Willson got up in the leisurely
manner peculiar to him, reached for some book from the shelves that lined the room,
gave the desired information, and as leisurely returned to the "pranic atom," or to "come
and talk man talk, Willy," or to whatever our subject chanced to be at the time.
Mr. Willson's gratitude to the Theosophical Forum for its recognition was
disproportionately great. As he wrote to the Editor: "give me any kind of work, writing
for you, reviewing, manuscript or proof reading, I shall do anything, I shall undertake any
job, even to taking editorial scoldings in all good nature, only give me work." His
devotion to Theosophical thought and work in all their ramifications was just as great, as
was his freedom from vanity, his perfectly natural and unaffected modesty.
At the news of his death many a heart was sincerely sad, but none so sad as the heart of
the editor of the Theosophical Forum. For a friend and co-worker like T.E. Willson, ever
ready to give material help and moral encouragement, is not easily replaced.
For a soul so pure of any kind of selfishness the transition from the turmoil of life to the
bright dreams of death must have been both easy and enviable. --------------


Chapter One
The Physical Basis if Metaphysics
The Hindu system of physics, on which the metaphysical thought of the East is based,
does not in its beginnings differ widely from the latest physics of the West; but it goes so
much farther that our physics is soon lost sight of and forgotten. The Hindu conception of
the material universe, taken from the Upanishads and some open teaching, will serve for
an illustration. They divide physical matter into four kinds--prakriti, ether, prana, and
manasa--which they call "planes." These differ only in the rate of vibration, each plane
vibrating through one great octave, with gulfs of "lost" octaves between. The highest rate
of vibration of prakriti is measured by the thousand, the lowest of the ether by trillions,
and the lowest of prana by--never mind; they have, and we have not, the nomenclature.
The earth, they teach, is a globe of prakriti, floating in an ocean of ether, which, as it has
the sun for its center of gravity, must necessarily be a globe. This etheric sun-globe has a
diameter of over 300,000,000,000 miles. All the planets revolve around the sun far within
its atmosphere. The etheric sun-globe revolves on its axis once in about 21,000 years, and
this revolution causes the precession of the equinoxes. This etheric sun-globe is revolving
around Alcyone with other etheric globes having suns for their centers and solar systems
of prakritic globes within them in a great year of 5,640,000,000 of our common years. Its

orbit has a diameter of 93,000,000,000,000,000 miles.
Beyond the etheric globes, and between them, is a third form of matter called prana, as
much rarer and finer than the ether as the ether is rarer and finer than prakriti. As this
prana has Alcyone for a center of gravity, it is necessarily a globe; and there are many of
these pranic globes floating in a vast ocean of manasa--a form of matter as much finer
than prana as prana is finer than ether, or ether than prakriti.