Magnetism

The term "magnetism" derives from the Greek "magnētēs lithos," meaning "Magnesian stone," referring to the lodestone found in the region of Magnesia. Its application to natural forces of attraction predates the esoteric usage, but Blavatsky expands its meaning to encompass vital and psychic energies.

A Force in nature and in man. When it is the former, it is an agent which gives rise to the various phenomena of attraction, of polarity, etc. When the latter, it becomes "animal" magnetism, in contradistinction to cosmic, and terrestrial magnetism. Magnetism, Animal. While official science calls it a "supposed" agent, and utterly rejects its actuality, the teeming raiUions of antiquity and of the now living Asiatic nations, Occultists, Theosophists, Spiritualists, and Mystics of every kind and description proclaim it as a well established fact. Animal magnetism is a fluid, an emanation. Some people can emit it for curative purposes through their eyes and the tips of their fingers, while the rest of all creatures, mankind, animals and even every inanimate object, emanate it either as an aura, or a varying light, and that whether consciously or not. When acted upon by contact with a patient or by the will of a human operator, it is called "Mesmerism" iq.v.).

Blavatsky's conception of magnetism, as articulated in the Theosophical Glossary, transcends the purely physical phenomena described by nascent scientific understanding. It is not merely the force that makes a compass needle quiver or two pieces of iron cling together, but a vital, pervasive fluid, an emanation from all things, animate and inanimate. This echoes the ancient understanding of pneuma or vis vitalis, the life-force that permeates existence. Mircea Eliade, in his studies of shamanism and archaic religions, frequently points to the manipulation of subtle energies and invisible forces as central to spiritual practice. The idea of an operator emitting this fluid through the eyes or fingertips for curative purposes is directly reminiscent of the healing touch traditions found across cultures, where the transmission of vital energy is believed to restore balance and health.

This concept is not confined to theosophy; it finds resonance in the work of Franz Mesmer, whose theories of "animal magnetism" were initially controversial but laid groundwork for later explorations into bioenergetics and psychic phenomena. Carl Jung, in his exploration of the collective unconscious and archetypes, might see this pervasive force as a manifestation of psychic energy, a fundamental aspect of the psyche's interaction with the world and with other psyches. The notion that even inanimate objects emanate this force, whether consciously or not, speaks to a holistic worldview where the boundaries between the living and the non-living are less distinct, a perspective echoed in animistic traditions and certain philosophical materialism that views consciousness as an emergent property of complex energy systems.

Theosophy, in this context, offers a framework for understanding these phenomena not as supernatural anomalies, but as expressions of natural laws operating on planes of existence beyond immediate sensory perception. It suggests a universe alive with currents of force and attraction, where consciousness itself is a potent conductor and emitter of this vital magnetism. To grasp this concept is to begin to perceive the subtle connections that bind the cosmos, a universe not of isolated particles, but of interconnected energetic fields.

RELATED_TERMS: Prana, Chi, Life Force, Aura, Vital Fluid, Psychic Energy, Sympathy, Polarity