THE LIFE IN ALL MATTER

 Hylozoism is defined in the Random House Collegiate Dictionary as "the doctrine that matter is inseparable from life, which is a property of matter."  Webster's Dictionary defines hylozoism as "a doctrine held esp. by early Greek philosophers that all matter has life."

In other words, everything is alive.  Everything, even the most elemental matter, is in some sense animate even though it may not be conscious or cognitive.  A rock, a pencil, a tree, a bird, a human being, all are imbued with a touch of divinity.  In a rock, the atoms are vibrating at a lower frequency, and so it seems not to be alive, and yet it is.  A rock has its own level of consciousness, though not as high a that of a human.  A human has its own level of consciousness, though not as high as those beings above it, such as the planets or constellations.

Why is this theory important?  Because it presents in pictorial form the concept that we are all related, and that everything we see manifested in creation goes back to one divine source.  Or in other words, God is in everything. 

In "Esoteric Psychology," we have the following quote regarding hylozoism or the hylozoistic theory. 

"This theory recognises no so-called inorganic matter anywhere in the universe, and emphasizes the fact that all forms are built up of infinitesimal lives, which in their totality - great or small - constitute a Life, and that these composite lives, in their turn, are a corporate part of a still greater Life.  Thus eventually we have that great scale of lives, manifesting in greater expression and reaching all the way from the tiny life called the atom (with which science deals) up to that vast atomic life which we call a solar system."  (P. 149.)

In "Telepathy and the Etheric Vehicle," we are told the following: 

"The fundamental concept of hylozoism underlies all the esoteric teaching upon the theme of manifesting life.  All forms are composed of many forms, and all forms--aggregated or single in nature--are the expression of an indwelling or ensouling life.  The fusion of life with living substance produces another aspect of expression:  that of consciousness.  This consciousness varies according to the natural receptivity of the form, according to its point in evolution, and to its position also in the great chain of Hierarchy." (P. 182.)

Hopefully, an understanding of the concept of hylozoism will give you a greater appreciation for the oneness of life, and the connection of all things.  We are truly one.

REFERENCES:

Baily, Alice, Esoteric Psychology, Lucis Publishing Company, New York:  1936.

Baily, Alice, Telepathy and the Etheric Vehicle, Lucis Publishing Company, New York:  1950.