Page:The astral world, higher occult powers; (IA astralworldhighe00tiff).pdf/26

 these spheres of knowledge and affection exist in you, because it is my business, after having proved this—if I should succeed in proving it—to show that in the wide universe there are but those same three spheres of knowledge and those same three spheres of affection and love—no less and no more; that man possesses within himself the elements of all knowledge and affection that exist in the wide universe. Unless he did possess these elements, he could not investigate the universe; for he can only investigate that, the elements of which exist within his consciousness. In the first place, man has that faculty by which he perceives the mere phenomena of existence, or, in other words, he has that department of conscious being which is addressed by what we call the physical senses, the scope of which is to reveal to him facts and phenomena in the material plane of existence. The physical senses can only reveal to him the facts and phenomena. In this respect man differs not at all from the animal, which possesses the same number of physical senses, and is impressed by the same light that impresses man's senses—is subject to the same conditions. The law by which perception is awakened in the consciousness is the same in the animal as in the man. But man possesses also another element that is not content with mere investigation, or mere observation of forms and phenomena. You see this other nature is manifested in the little child, after he begins to walk about and observe the forms of things. There are certain things he can not ascertain by the use of the physical senses, and he asks his parents for further information. If you will examine the philosophy of asking questions, you