THE MASTERY OF BEING. William Walker Atkinson
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of the human mind reports the logical necessity of the existence of a One Ultimate Principle of REALITY by whatever name it may be called. All philosophy, and all science, holds to this idea of the Absolute Unity of the Ultimate Principle of REALITY. The trained and developed human reason inevitably reports this fact as axiomatic. A Unity which is not an Absolute Unity is a mere temporary and loose union, and is but the assertion of Non-Unity.
AXIOM OF INDEPENDENCE AND FREEDOM.
SIXTH AXIOM OF REALITY: REALITY is Independent and Free.
This axiom announces the independence and freedom of REALITY. By "independent" is meant "not dependent; not supported by, or reliant upon, others." By "free" is meant "not subject to control by others; not subordinated, constrained, restricted, restrained, or subjected to others."
There is nothing other than itself upon which REALITY can depend, rely, or support itself, or by which it can be controlled, subordinated, constrained, restricted, restrained, or subjected. REALITY being the essence, nature, substance, and principle of All-that-is, there can be nothing else upon which it can depend, and nothing else to which it can be subject or subordinate, nor by which it can be restrained, restricted, or controlled. The reason inevitably reports that REALITY, by the very facts of its essence, nature, substance, and principle, must be and is independent and free.
AXIOM OF WHOLENESS, COMPLETION, AND PERFECTION.
SEVENTH AXIOM OF REALITY: REALITY Is Complete, Whole, and Perfect.
This axiom announces the Wholeness, Completion, and Perfection of REALITY. By "whole" is meant "containing the total amount; total; entire." By "complete" is meant "finished; lacking nothing requisite to wholeness and perfection; not deficient in any respect." By "perfect" is meant "consummated; whole; finished; nothing wanting or lacking."
REALITY is perceived to be whole, complete, and perfect by the very fact of its essence, nature, substance, and REALITY. It being the essence, nature, substance, and REALITY of All-that-is, and there being nothing other than itself in existence, it follows that there can be nothing that could make it whole, or complete and perfect it, if it be not so already. If it is held to be not whole, complete, and perfect, then it must also be held that it can never become whole, complete, or perfect, for there is nothing which could be added to it to make it whole, complete, or perfect it, and nothing that could act as the maker-whole, completer, or perfecter. It cannot be made, by change, more whole, complete, or perfect than it is, for it cannot become other than itself. If there is anything lacking in or to REALITY, then such must always remain lacking, for REALITY is All-that-is and cannot be other than itself. The reason inevitably reports that REALITY is whole, complete, and perfect.
Chapter V.
Axioms of Reality—Continued.
AXIOM OF ORIGINALITY AND CAUSELESSNESS.
EIGHTH AXIOM OF REALITY: REALITY is Original and Causeless.
THIS AXIOM announces the Originality and Causelessness of REALITY. By "original" is meant "preceding all others; first; primary; primitive; that which is the origin, cause, source, or primary root from which all else has proceeded." By "causeless" is meant "without preceding cause, origin, root, or source; uncreated." REALITY is perceived to be primary, first, preceding all, the source, origin, or root from which all else has proceeded. It is also perceived to be uncaused and uncreated. As it is the essence, nature, substance, and very being of All-that-is, and as there is nothing other than itself, it must be original and uncaused, for there is nothing else which could have preceded it, nothing else which could have caused it, nothing else which could have created it. It cannot have proceeded from or been caused or created by Nothing, for Nothing is denied and is not in existence. If there is a Creator of REALITY,—a Something preceding it,—then that Something is really REALITY, and that which we have been considering as REALITY is a mere manifestation or appearance,—in which case the inquiry is merely moved back a point and the axiom still stands in its full effect and virtue.
REASON VS. IMAGINATION.
All human thought and reasoning, carried to its logical conclusion, brings one to the inevitable conclusion that there must be assumed to exist an ORIGINAL SOMETHING, an Uncaused and Uncreated Thing. The reason cannot escape this conclusion, although the imagination may find it impossible to image or make a mental picture of an original, uncaused, uncreated thing. The imagination having had experiences only with secondary, caused, and created things, is unable to picture the contrary thereof. But the reason is enabled to transcend the imagination when trained and developed by logic.
All human thought, in spite of the imagination, eventually postulates the existence of Something original, uncaused, uncreated. This Something it may call Matter, Spirit, Mind, Being, or God—names matter not. The reason bases its entire edifice of thought upon this postulate. But the imagination, like the child, persists in inquiring, "But who made God?"—so hypnotized by finite cause and effect is it.
When the reason trains the imagination to picture cause and effect as merely the procession of changes which eternally passes in infinite array upon the surface of Appearance,— REALITY being the eternal background of REALITY upon which the Cosmic Moving-Picture Show moves and appears,—then REALITY is perceived to be original, uncaused, and uncreated. When the nature of cause and effect is perceived by reason, then the hypnotism of Causation is dispelled and the imagination is able to form the proper image.
The only escape from the conclusion that REALITY is original, uncaused, and uncreated is the idea that it proceeded, arose, or sprung from Nothing. This is seen at once to be a fallacy, for from Nothing no thing can come; and, finally, there is no such thing as Nothing—it is merely a word.
The reason should be tested upon this axiom. It should be urged and encouraged to endeavor to discover the possibility of there being no original, uncaused, or uncreated thing in existence. Even if it regards the universe as a Whole Thing composed of an infinity of ever-changing parts, then it must hold that the Whole Thing is original, uncaused, and uncreated. Even if it regards the universe as a procession of ever-changing forms and shapes, permeated by a common essence, nature, substance, and principle, then the latter must be held to be original, uncaused, and uncreated. Even if it regards the universe as something created by a Supreme Being, either apart from itself or immanent in it, then that Supreme Being must be held to be original, uncaused, and uncreated. In either case the result is the same. And whatever may be the conception which serves as the premise, the original, uncaused, and uncreated Something which emerges as the conclusion of the reasoning is seen to be the REALITY of our inquiry.
AXIOM OF ETERNITY.
NINTH AXIOM OF REALITY: REALITY is Eternal.
This axiom announces the Eternity of REALITY. By "Eternal" is meant "without beginning and end of existence; always existing; existence without intermission; ceaseless; constant; everlasting; interminable; perpetual."
REALITY is perceived to be eternal by the very fact of its essence, nature, substance; and being. For the same reasons that it is seen to be original, uncaused, and uncreated, it is perceived to be eternal. For there is nothing else than itself from which it could have come; and it could not have come from Nothing.
Neither is there anything else into which it can change. It must always be itself; and it cannot change, proceed, or disappear into Nothingness.
If there had ever been a time in which REALITY was not in existence, then it would not be in existence now, for Something cannot come from Nothing. If it is in existence now, it will always be in existence, for Something cannot disappear, proceed, or change into Nothing. And there never has been, is not now, and never can be anything else than itself for it to proceed from or into.
The imagination, for reasons already stated, finds it almost impossible to picture a beginningless and endless Thing. But the reason finds the report of the existence of Something Eternal at the foundation of all thought. It cannot escape the conclusion. It may call this Something Eternal