CIRCLES

 

CIRCLES make spheres. Circles compose circles. When men say a circle of friends, what does a circle mean, but a gathering of kindred or friends to enjoy the society of each other? Circles are sometimes formed within a circle. All circles are within other circles. There is no boundary to infinity, and, therefore, the infinite circle surrounds and includes all other circles. We write what our circle knows. We write what other circles, perhaps, do not know. We write to instruct, not to receive instruction. We write to be useful to others, not to be useful to ourselves. Wisdom is neither increased nor diminished by communicating it to others. Instructing others is not progress, only as others become instructed.

 

Circles receive instruction. Some circles receive instruction, and progress faster than others. Some have better advantages, possess better facilities, have more industrious learners, and retain what they attain with greater ease and less difficulty than others. Circles are schools of learning. In each well regulated school a preceptor is necessary. He is the teacher. He controls the students. He aids the student in what will be useful to his success. He wills obedience to rules of government. All disobedience is punished. No school can prosper, no student can learn what is useful without order, and no order can be maintained without a governor. All disorder is insubordination to government. Where no control is manifest, disorder and confusion must exist. All nature vindicates this proposition. The world of matter and the world of mind, would be a world of disorder, and a world of wretchedness, without a governor to control. It is only by infinite authority— authority which can only exist in an infinite mind, that an infinite universe is obedient to his will. No mind can control all things but God. No mind can control what God controls, or any part of his control, without controlling God, and were it possible for any mind to control God, God would not be supreme—the controller would be his superior—would be God.

 

Hence, all circles, without a head, can not long maintain the body. They must perish. As well might the world of matter roll round its centre without a centre, as for a circle to move harmoniously without a head—a centre—a governor, a teacher. It is as impossible for any circle to gain wisdom without a teacher, a superior, one competent to instruct, as it is for the student of nature to learn what nature is without nature—without the lessons she affords in her works and wonders. But we see some minds who have resolved upon principles of action in circles to which they belong, at war with the science which they profess to love. They are subverting the professed objects which they seek. We see circles professing a love of order in nature, divested, or rather disinterested in any order for themselves. To them, order is well in the government of God, but order is not well for circles. And these are professed philosophers, but their philosophy is folly in the sight of angels. Indeed, what worth is there in any philosophy which may be practically discarded? How can truth be of any service to him who rejects it? Hold up your heads, ye circles who teach men to obey God, and the wisdom of God in nature, and yet refuse to obey yourselves.

 

We see you have—what? faith? No, not even as a grain of mustard, but you have—what? What you have—circles without progress—circles who believe in, progress, but progress not—circles who will to have freedom—abused word—freedom where the wheels of progress are all held in durance— freedom where no mind can be instructed, because all will not follow nature, and employ teachers of wisdom to set them free from the bondage of ignorance. Why, circles might as well say, I am sick, but I am well; I am unhappy, but I am happy; I am a student of nature, but I learn nothing; as to say I am for freedom, where freedom to improve the mind in the knowledge of the truth, is the freedom of a slave in chains, a prisoner in prison, a learner in walls, fortified with freedom on its terraces, but slavery within to control the prisoners; for there is no servitude more debasing than disorder, confusion, and misrule.

 

We have seen circles meeting for the ostensible object of learning what others had to say, who were no wiser than themselves. It was said, but who was the wiser, or better for the saying; it was told, but who was benefited by the tale? Who stepped aside to practice what he heard? Who went home not distrusting the story? Who observed the order which governed the communications made by spirits to citizens of another sphere? Who will answer, I love the communication? Who will say, I believe the spirits? Who will not say, spirits write what is false? Who will not accuse spirits of writing what is untrue? Circles will say what they will. What they will is human wisdom. What spirits say and write, is not human wisdom. Who, then, must decide? He who teaches, or he who is taught? Who will write what is opposed to his or her will? Who will control? If the medium controls, we do not. If the medium wills the communication, it is the will of the medium, and not ours. Circles ask spirits to advise. Spirits give their advice. But who obeys? Who consents to follow it? We see what circles do. We see they will to control. We see they work, in many instances, against us. We see others who work with us. We see circles armed with daggers to kill evil spirits, and we see that those who take the sword shall perish with the sword.

 

Circles will find that they are wise when they come to a knowledge of the truth; but we see not how they can get the truth, or advance one step in the way of its attainment, unless they will obey the directions, and follow the instruction of spirits. We say, follow the instruction, come what may. We say, come what will, obey. We must control, or we can not teach. We must write what we will, or we can not do what we design. There is no alternative. Circles will do as considerations of law and order require. Circles may do as we instruct; they may do otherwise. In one case, they will prosper; but in the other, they will perish. This is true to the law of mind. It is true to the good of man. It is true to nature, and there is no philosophy worth having, that will encourage the student to hope for progress without complying with the rules which are indispensably necessary to his success.

 

When circles would progress, we would aid them. But circles, like individuals, must not expect our aid, without they are willing to receive our wisdom. We can tell them what they are, and what they know, but who does this improve? What does this do toward advancing the mind? Nothing. It leaves where it finds. That is not our mission. We come to change. We come to beat men's swords into pruning books. We come to deliver minds from errors and wrongs—errors and wrongs which some circles justify—errors which, in our efforts to overthrow, induce many to call us evil spirits—errors which have been falsely called good, but which are practically productive of mischief—errors which men know are inconsistent with the laws of nature, but which they love with affected fondness, because sanctioned by popular customs, education, and habit— errors repulsive to the freedom of this sphere, but welcome to the inhabitants of earth, because ignorance prevails—errors which oppose needed reform, because needed reform is what some call evil—evil because the needed reform attacks what they love—“The loaves and fishes” of other's industry. We see what is demanded by impartial justice, but we see selfishness interposing her objections. We see circles watching with suspicion all communications made by spirits for their government and improvement, as though we were either incompetent to instruct them, or too malignant to seek their welfare. Some will write what is not written by spirits, and then others will seize upon writing which we have not written, to unlock the mystery. Their writing is not ours. They run with their writing against a wall, bruising their own heads; and then say, an evil spirit hath done all this work of mischief. They make a scapegoat of their profession of faith in spirits, to cover their own wrongs. We see circles induced to credit the mischief of human wisdom to spirits who are the chosen guardians of their souls. We see what we will not here reveal.

 

Circles will never advance, until they make up their minds to receive the instruction of spirits. We may labor; but it is labor in vain, when resistance to our advice is overwhelming all we can do. Soon, those who now give counsel to the inhabitants of earth will pass into a sphere where we can not reach the world below. Others will take our places, but they will then be like Unto us, as we are now. Nothing more of wisdom will they possess than we. What wisdom is to us, even so it will be to them. What wisdom is to them now, is folly to us. But wonders will be done. Human hands will not write what we never wrote, and then blame us for the folly. Circles will not always say, that the hand of correction is worse in us, than in evil men. Circles will not say what we now hear said, that the spirit world is full of evil spirits. Circles will never learn wisdom by rejecting counsel, nor progress in the truth by denouncing the communications laid before them. We will say, circles will see what we see; but they will not see what we see, until they learn to see. We will also say, that no circle should surrender a right to judge us by our works, but it is not right to prejudge a work before it is half completed. The defects of a machine, in an incomplete state, are not just witnesses of what it will be when finished.

 

Our work is only commenced. The incomplete fragments of written communications, designed as a work of progress on the part of mediums, have been torn from their intended connection, and bandied to the ear of prejudice, as relics of worse than barbarous inhumanity. Notwithstanding the fragments were true to their designed position in the temple, yet unskillful workmen have cast them away among the rubbish of their own hands. How long it will be before these fragments will be restored to their place of destination, will depend on the industry of those who seek to find what they have cast away, and yet it is certain, that the key stone is as essential as any other to the completion of the building, although the workman do not know where it belongs, or see its use.