The work of the race spirits is readily observable in the people
it governs. The lower in the scale of evolution the people, the more they show a certain
racial likeness. That is due to the work of the race spirit. One national spirit is
responsible for the swarthy complexion common to Italians, for instance, while another
causes the Scandinavians to be blond. In the more advanced types of humanity there is a
wider divergence from the common type, due to the individualized Ego, which thus expresses
in form and feature its own particular idiosyncrasies. Among the lower types of humanity
such as Mongolians, native African Negroes and South Sea Islanders, the resemblance of
individuals in each tribe makes it almost impossible for civilized Westerners to distinguish
between them. Among animals, where the separate spirit is not individualized and
self-conscious, the resemblance is not only much more[pg 082]marked physically but extends even to traits and characteristics. We may
write the biography of a man, for the experiences of each varies from that of others and his
acts are different, but we cannot write the biography of an animal for members of each tribe
all act alike under similar circumstances. If we desire to know the facts about Edward VII,
it would profit us nothing to study the life of the Prince-Consort, his father, or of George
V, his son, as both would be entirely different from Edward. In order to find out what
manner of man he was, we must study his own individual life. If, on the other hand, we wish
to know the characteristics of beavers, we may observe any individual of the tribe, and when
we have studied its idiosyncrasies, we shall know the traits of the whole tribe of beavers.
What we call “instinct,” is in reality the dictates of
group-spirits which govern separate individuals of its tribe telepathically, as it were.
The ancient Egyptians knew of these animal group spirits and
sketched many of them, in a crude way, upon their temples and tombs. Such figures with a
human body and an animal head actually live in the desire world. They may be spoken to, and
will be[pg 083]found much more intelligent than the average human being.
That statement brings up another peculiarity of conditions in the
Desire World in respect of language. Here in this World human speech is so diversified that
there are countries where people who live only a few miles apart speak a dialect so
different that they understand each other with great difficulty, and each nation has its own
language that varies altogether from the speech of other peoples.
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