The Fire of Creation

Adyar, Madrasa, India : Theosophical Publishing House , 1927. 1927 at title page. Stated second edition - revised. Brick red cloth boards, black cover and spine titles, design, moderate shelf wear, bump, discoloration. Front cover depicts an intriguing circular striated design. Pages good, no writing in text body; owner detail marked out at half-title page. Front blank endpaper removed. String-bind, good, square; few areas starting. The author of this book, J. J. Van der Leeuw, was an ecumenical Christian and priest in the Liberal Catholic Church. He relates religious concepts from all times and places to the inner teachings of Jesus. E.g., the Third Person in the Divine Trinity, or the Holy Ghost in Christian terminology, etc. which are crucial for existance, but may appear relatively inconspicuous in Christian religions. Contents: "Foreword; Preface; First Section - The Holy Ghost as the Creator: Chapter I. The Holy Spirit, A Neglected Chapter in Religious History: Neglect of the Third Person in Hinduism and Christianity. The Holy Spirit in the early Church. Latin Christianity and the Fatherhood of God. The worship of God the Son in medieval Christianity. The Renaissance and the coming reign of God the Holy Ghost. Chapter II: The Fire of Creation: The Trinity in man. The threefold instrument of the temporary self. The Three Paths. The experience of the Holy Ghost. Creation never finished. Chapter III. The Return of Life: The divine Breath. The cycle of human life. The Song of Creation. The three stages of creation. Unity in nature. The second stage - culture. The third stage - deification. Chapter IV. The Divine Ritual: The Grand Lodge above. The meaning of ritual. The Holy Eucharist. The Masonic ritual. Chapter V. The Dynamic Universe: The dynamic view in the theory of evolution. The evolution of life. Present, past and future non-existing? Solution of the problem. Looking up the future and inspiration from the future. The universe of God the Holy Spirit. Politics as social prediction. Chapter VI. Divine Alchemy: Alchemy and the Magnum Opus. The secret symbols of the Rosicrucians. The Magnum Opus in man. Kundalini, the manifestions of the Holy Ghost. The sacredness of sex. The transmutation of sex desire. The Holy Ghost as purifier. Psycho-analysis, a partial view. Psychoanalysis and the occult Path. Second Section - The Divine Mind. Chapter VII. From Image to Archetype: God's world the only real world. The mystery of sense-perception. Where the theory of sense-perception goes wrong. Our body and senses part of the world-image too. Not 'perception' but 'projection.' The basic mistake. Plato's image of the cave. We are the prisoners. The meaning of Maya. How to enter the world of God the Holy Ghost. The glory of the experience. Chapter VIII. The World of the Divine Mind: Life as seen from the world of the Real. The reality of 'Spirit' and 'Matter.' Time in the eternal. Space and omnipresence. Is there a divine justice? Free will and determination. The joys of the divine Mind. Chapter IX. The Way of the Higher Mind: How we think. Day-dreaming. Thinking not a problem. The flash of intuition. Newton and the falling apple. Right theory, wrong proof. The intellect, an instrument. Necessity of distinction between intellect and higher mind. Is the mental type unspiritual? When the intellect impersonates the mind. The desire for knowledge. The training of the mind. Love and knowledge. A new way to knowledge. Chapter X. Inspiration: The value of inspiration. Modern psychology and inspiration. The technique of inspiration. The unique character of artistic inspiration. Enthusiasm. Idealism. Third Section - The Mahachohan, the Representative of the Holy Ghost. Chapter XI. The Paraclete and the Mahachohan: The Holy Ghost as the Paraclete. The Second Logos and the World-teacher. The Mahachohan as Director of Forces and Lord of Evolution. The Encourager and Inspirer. The Blessings of the Mahachohan. Chapter XII. The Lord of the Five Rays: The Mahachohan as the Lord of the Five Rays. The work of Third Ray. Relativity and Dharma. Tolerance and tact. The Ray of Beauty and Harmony. The Ray of Science. The Ray of Devotion. The Ceremonial Ray. The Lord of the Five Rays. Fourth Section - The Motherhead of God. Chapter XIII. The Motherhood of God: Hinduism and the Motherhood of God. The worship of Isis in Egypt. Kwan-Yin, the Mother of Mercy. Demeter and the Magna Mater. Our Lady, the Virgin Mary. Danger of a merely intellectual statement. Problem of duality. The experience of the Motherhood of God. Creation as the eternal Mother. The comng reign of the Holy Ghost. The coming reign of the Third Person. A new relation between the sexes. The sacredness of sex. The ideal of motherhood. The world of God the Creator." Printed by J. R. Aria, at the Vasanta Press, Adyar, Madras. 202 pages. Insured post.. Second Edition . Hard Cover. Good. 8vo - over 7¾ - 9¾" Tall.