PAPER 87: Section 5.
The Advancing Ghost Cult
P962:2, 87:5.1
Primitive man viewed the spirits and ghosts as having almost unlimited rights
but no duties; the spirits were thought to regard man as having manifold duties
but no rights. The spirits were believed to look down upon man as constantly
failing in the discharge of his spiritual duties. It was the general belief
of mankind that ghosts levied a continuous tribute of service as the price
of noninterference in human affairs, and the least mischance was laid to ghost
activities. Early humans were so afraid they might overlook some honor due
the gods that, after they had sacrificed to all known spirits, they did another
turn to the "unknown gods," just to be thoroughly safe.
P962:3, 87:5.2
And now the simple ghost cult is followed by the practices of the more advanced
and relatively complex
spirit-ghost cult, the service and worship of the higher
spirits as they evolved in man's primitive imagination. Religious ceremonial
must keep pace with spirit evolution and progress. The expanded cult was but
the art of self-maintenance practiced in relation to belief in supernatural
beings, self-adjustment to spirit environment. Industrial and military organizations
were adjustments to natural and social environments. And as marriage arose
to meet the demands of bisexuality, so did religious organization evolve in
response to the belief in higher spirit forces and spiritual beings. Religion
represents man's adjustment to his illusions of the mystery of chance. Spirit
fear and subsequent worship were adopted as insurance against misfortune,
as prosperity policies.
P962:4, 87:5.3
The savage visualizes the good spirits as going about their business, requiring
little from human beings. It is the bad ghosts and spirits who must be kept
in good humor. Accordingly, primitive peoples paid more attention to their
malevolent ghosts than to their benign spirits.
P962:5, 87:5.4
Human prosperity was supposed to be especially provocative of the envy of
evil spirits, and their method of retaliation was to strike back through a
human agency and by the technique of the evil eye. That phase of the
cult which had to do with spirit avoidance was much concerned with the machinations
of the evil eye. The fear of it became almost world-wide. Pretty women were
veiled to protect them from the evil eye; subsequently many women who desired
to be considered beautiful adopted this practice. Because of this fear of
bad spirits, children were seldom allowed out after dark, and the early prayers
always included the petition, "deliver us from the evil eye."
P962:6, 87:5.5 
The Koran contains a whole chapter devoted to the evil eye and magic spells,
and the Jews fully believed in them. The whole
phallic cult grew up as a defense
against the evil eye. The organs of reproduction were thought to be the only
fetish which could render it powerless. The evil eye gave origin to the first
superstitions respecting
prenatal marking of children, maternal impressions,
and the cult was at one time well-nigh universal.
P963:1, 87:5.6
Envy is a deep-seated human trait; therefore did primitive man ascribe it
to his early gods. And since man had once practiced deception upon the ghosts,
he soon began to deceive the spirits. Said he, "If the spirits are jealous
of our beauty and prosperity, we will disfigure ourselves and speak lightly
of our success." Early humility was not, therefore,
debasement of ego
but rather an attempt to
foil and deceive the envious spirits.
P963:2, 87:5.7
The method adopted to prevent the spirits from becoming jealous of human prosperity
was to heap
vituperation upon some lucky or much loved thing or person. The
custom of
depreciating complimentary remarks regarding oneself or family had
its origin in this way, and it eventually evolved into civilized modesty,
restraint, and courtesy. In keeping with the same motive, it became the fashion
to look ugly. Beauty aroused the envy of spirits; it betokened sinful human
pride. The savage sought for an ugly name. This feature of the cult was a
great handicap to the advancement of art, and it long kept the world
somber
and ugly.
P963:3, 87:5.8
Under the spirit cult, life was at best a gamble, the result of spirit control.
One's future was not the result of effort, industry, or talent except as they
might be utilized to influence the spirits. The ceremonies of spirit propitiation
constituted a heavy burden, rendering life
tedious and virtually
unendurable.
From age to age and from generation to generation, race after race has sought
to improve this
superghost doctrine, but no generation has ever yet dared
to wholly reject it.
P963:4, 87:5.9
The intention and will of the spirits were studied by means of omens, oracles,
and signs. And these spirit messages were interpreted by divination,
soothsaying,
magic, ordeals, and astrology. The whole cult was a scheme designed to placate,
satisfy, and buy off the spirits through this disguised bribery.
P963:5, 87:5.10
And thus there grew up a new and expanded world philosophy consisting in:
- Duty -- those things which must be done to keep the spirits favorably disposed, at least neutral.
- Right -- the correct conduct and ceremonies designed to win the spirits actively to one's interests.
- Truth -- the correct understanding of, and attitude toward, spirits, and hence toward life and death.
P963:9, 87:5.11
It was not merely out of curiosity that the ancients sought to know the future;
they wanted to dodge ill luck. Divination was simply an attempt to avoid trouble.
During these times, dreams were regarded as prophetic, while everything out
of the ordinary was considered an omen. And even today the civilized races
are cursed with the belief in signs, tokens, and other superstitious remnants
of the advancing ghost cult of old. Slow, very slow, is man to abandon those
methods whereby he so gradually and painfully ascended the evolutionary scale
of life.