Because - A book for the Childred Who Ask Why E-Book

Grace Evelyn Clough

• Herausgeber: Grace Evelyn Clough
• Kategorie: Bildung
• Sprache: Englisch
• Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2016

Beschreibung

This little book is intended to serve as a guide to the mother who wishes to teach her children the basic facts of life, the purpose of life, and the laws of living it. While many books for children have been written with these Theosophical ideas in mind, the principles have been often so obscured by story and diversion, that no clear ideas have been gained. In this book, the principles are insisted on to the exclusion of story interest, with the idea that each mother in her own way, and according to the nature of her child, may impart – maybe learn at the same time – the teaching more clearly and comprehensively than any other mother could possibly impart it. The work is in reality for the mother the principles here given are undiluted Theosophy as written down by H.P.Blavatsky; the applications in many instances as taught by her colleague, Wm. Q. Judge, and further passed on by one who followed in their footsteps, - in gratitude to each of whom this little book is written by A Student. Dorothy and Milton Steward were two very forlorn and miserable little people, as they sat with their father, riding on the train to Aunt Eleanor's house. Things had been all so strange and wrong since their mother went to bed. They could not see her, and someone was always saying, "Hush!" if they spoke much above a whisper. Even when they tried to be quiet, looking at their books, one was sure to fall most unexpectedly. And now, after all their trying, Mother had gone away without kissing them good-bye – gone on a long, long journey, their father said, to get rested and well. Freddy Baker's mother had come down to the train to see them off, and she cried and hugged them up and called them "Poor little dears!" which was just the way they felt. Someway, a lump seemed to be right where they swallowed, all the time, and it didn't go away even when they saw out of the car window the cunningest little red colts kick up their heels and run away from the train back into the pasture. Finally, Milton dropped off to sleep, and knew no more till he opened his eyes looking into Aunt Eleanor's rosy face. Then he knew he felt better, and smiled up at her. Aunt Eleanor kept him under one mothering arm, and Dorothy under the other all the way to her house, in the carriage – and it felt so good. And when Father said they were going to stay with Aunt Eleanor now while Mother was away, they knew they would choose to be with her before anybody else but their own sweet mother. Father would come and stay with them too, after a while, but for now they were content just to look at Aunt Eleanor's bright face and to feel that she loved them. Such good friends and chums they got to be with Aunt Eleanor, as the days went by! Someway, she never was impatient when they asked her why! That is the reason some of their talks together are written down here. Every little boy and girl has many whys, and perhaps Dorothy and Milton have found the answers for those very whys. Who knows?

Leseprobe

Because - For the Childred Who Ask Why

Grace Evelyn Clough

First digital edition 2016 by Anna Ruggieri

CONTENTS

PREFACE

Chapter -1- GOD

Chapter -2- MODES OF CONSCIOUSNESS

Chapter -3- KARMA – LAW

Chapter -4- REINCARNATION

Chapter -5- DEATH

Chapter -6- PRAYER

Chapter -7- HOW WORLDS BEGAN

Chapter -8- THE MASTERS

Chapter -9- FORMER CONTINENTS

Chapter -10- FAIRIES

Chapter -11- GHOSTS – SEVEN-FOLD NATURE OF MAN

Chapter -12- DREAMS

Chapter -13- DEVACHAN AND BIRTH

Chapter -14- SEEDS

Chapter -15- APPLICATIONS

PREFACE

This little book is intended to serve as a guide to the mother who wishes to teach her children the basic facts of life, the purpose of life, and the laws of living it. While many books for children have been written with these Theosophical ideas in mind, the principles have been often so obscured by story and diversion, that no clear ideas have been gained. In this book, the principles are insisted on to the exclusion of story interest, with the idea that each mother in her own way, and according to the nature of her child, may impart – maybe learn at the same time – the teaching more clearly and comprehensively than any other mother could possibly impart it. The work is in reality for the mother the principles here given are undiluted Theosophy as written down by H.P.Blavatsky; the applications in many instances as taught by her colleague, Wm. Q. Judge, and further passed on by one who followed in their footsteps, - in gratitude to each of whom this little book is written by A Student. (Edited by Robert Crosbie (1849-1919) Dorothy and Milton Steward were two very forlorn and miserable little people, as they sat with their father, riding on the train to Aunt Eleanor's house. Things had been all so strange and wrong since their mother went to bed. They could not see her, and someone was always saying, "Hush!" if they spoke much above a whisper. Even when they tried to be quiet, looking at their books, one was sure to fall most unexpectedly, so that they jumped and made more noise than ever. And now, after all their trying, Mother had gone away without kissing them good-bye – gone on a long, long journey, their father said, to get rested and well. Father always was sober and quiet when Mother wasn't home, but now – seemed as if he just completely forgot they were with him at all. Freddy Baker's mother had come down to the train to see them off, and she cried and hugged them up and called them "Poor little dears!" which was just the way they felt. Someway, a lump seemed to be right where they swallowed, all the time, and it didn't go away even when they saw out of the car window the cunningest little red colts kick up their heels and run away from the train back into the pasture. Finally, Milton dropped off to sleep, and knew no more till he opened his eyes looking into Aunt Eleanor's rosy face. Then he knew he felt better, and smiled up at her. Aunt Eleanor kept him under one mothering arm, and Dorothy under the other all the way to her house, in the carriage – and it felt so good. And when Father said they were going to stay with Aunt Eleanor now while Mother was away, they knew they would choose to be with her before anybody else but their own sweet mother. Father would come and stay with them too, after a while, he promised, but for now they were content just to look at Aunt Eleanor's bright face and to feel that she loved them. Such good friends and chums they got to be with Aunt Eleanor, as the days went by! Someway, she never was impatient when they asked her why – and there were so many whys! That is the reason some of their talks together are written down here. Every little boy and girl has many whys, and perhaps Dorothy and Milton have found the answers for those very whys. Who knows?

CHAPTER 1 - GOD

One Sunday morning Milton ran in to Aunt Eleanor from the yard where he and Dorothy had been playing catch. Chester, the boy next door, had called out to them, "You'd better stop playing ball on Sunday. God doesn't want you to. It's bad – and he'll punish you, if you do." Milton had replied – "Well, who's God? Is he a policeman?" "Bigger'n that," said Chester. "And he made the whole world and everything." "H'm – well, who made God? Was Milton's question. Chester said – "I've got to go now." As he turned toward the house, Milton whispered to Dorothy: "I think I'll go ask Aunt Eleanor about this God man of Chester's." Dorothy said: "I guess there must be some God, anyway. I heard Papa and Mamma talk about God one day, and they said that they didn't want to tell us about the kind of a God they had taught them, and we'd better find out about such things for ourselves." "Well, I guess it must be time to find out now, sister. Do you believe it's wrong to play catch on Sunday because anybody says so? Aunt Eleanor will know, if anybody does." Aunt Eleanor was reading when he came in, but she put her book down when she saw Milton's face all one eager question mark. "What is it now, son? she smiled at him. "Why, Aunt Eleanor, Chester says God will punish us if we play ball on Sunday. Please, is it wrong to play ball on Sunday – and who is God, anyway? "One at a time," laughed Aunt Eleanor. Especially as your last question might be answered forever and not be done. But now, let's see – before we answer your first question, can't we find out what is doing right – and what is doing wrong? "Each one has to decide for himself, I think. You see, what might be quite wrong for Chester would be all right for you. If Chester played ball on Sunday, when he thinks it is wrong, when it would be a cause of disturbance to his parents who think its wrong, he then would be doing wrong to play. But you would be doing no wrong to play, because it seems just as right to do so on Sunday what is right on any other day. You know it does not annoy those who are taking care of you, and that they even like you to have the exercise. What you can see harms no one in the world can not be wrong." But, Auntie, why does Chester pick out Sunday to be so 'specially good in?" "Long years ago, people thought there was a great Being who made the world in six days, and rested on the seventh. And so they, too, spent the seventh day in rest, or rather in worshipping this Being whom they called God. There are people who still believe that way, but, as a matter of fact, this earth of ours took millions of years to become – to grow as we see it. It isn't that the ancient Bible story is not correct, but the people have misunderstood it from lack of knowledge. I'll have to try to tell you more of how worlds are made, some day. However, one day out of seven for rest is a great help to all of us. There are thousands of people who do nothing but drudge except for that one day. And it is wise generally to do then things not done the rest of the week. So we get a change, and freshened up for the ordinary daily round of duties." "Then God doesn't have the say of what's right or wrong, Auntie?" "Well, now, you see, we have to know what God is. I said each one must decide for himself what is right and wrong. Each one must think for himself. Each one really is a Thinker – a Perceiver – looking on all things, yet himself the same Perceiver, the same one who thinks. That is the only God we can ever know, who can ever punish us. It's not a God outside. We ourselves – those Perceivers – are really God. We punish ourselves – we reward ourselves – whether we realize it or not – and we cannot escape either the reward or the punishment. Especially must we never forget that it's the same God in every person we know or meet or hear of." "But is it always there, Aunt Eleanor? Did I have it when I was a baby, and will I have it next year just the same as now?" "It is always and always, dear. You don't have it, because it's really what you are. Aren't you Milton just the same now that you were when you were a baby? And next year, you won't be anyone else but Milton, will you? You'll know more then than you do now, of course, but the Milton who knows the more is just the same Milton who can know ten times as much and still be the same Milton." "But I'll be taller then, Aunt Eleanor, and stronger?" "Your body will, dear child. But I'm trying to tell you you are not that body. Don't you see, you can't be, because if you were, you would be somebody else when you got into long trousers? And in fact, there won't be a bit of your body as it is now in the body you will have when that time comes." "But why does my body change so?" "Well, dear, do you know there is nothing under the sun that does not change excepting that one thing which you are – the one thing Dorothy is – the one thing I am – and everyone else is, I say it is the Perceiver. And there is another name others call it – Consciousness – God, indeed only you see, it is not at all the large-sized man-God that Chester thinks. It is really this God – this Consciousness – this Perceiver – this Inner part of ours that makes the changes in our bodies. We do not realize it – but it is That which causes everything to be done." "Does That tell us what is the right thing to eat? Is it – when we want something so awfully our mouths water – That tells us?" "Exactly. If our tastes are not dulled by artificial foods. And our bodies are made from the food we eat. It is really a wonderful story – how the little thinkers all through our bodies set about their work and do it for us. People call them cells, and membranes, and tissues, and many other things, but they too are Thinkers in their way." "Oh, Auntie, do you mean everything is a Thinker?" "Everything dear, in the wide, wide world. Only there are different kinds of thinking. The stone doesn't think as much as the plant, you see. The plant doesn't think as much as the animal, and not even the [...]