Chapter XXVI. Critical Periods in the Life of Woman

Solar Biology, by Hiram E. Butler, [1887], at sacred-texts.com

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CHAPTER XXVI.

CRITICAL PERIODS IN THE LIFE OF WOMAN.

There are two critical periods in the life of woman one, at puberty; the other, at the menopause. On reaching puberty there is a natural excitability of the sexual system, and unless girls are properly instructed by their parents as to the care of themselves, and the restraint of their impulses and passions, they are led into. many dangers, and sometimes into self-abuse, thereby retarding the true development of womanhood; for all. the life forces at that period are needed for the development of their physical systems to fit them for the performance of the maternal function; and if that development is checked in consequence of abuse, then, as soon as they are called upon to perform this most important function in woman's life, they will suffer. from various weaknesses consequent upon this early abuse, such as prolapsus, spinal weakness, nervous debility, etc., which will render their whole life miserable, if not helpless, and perhaps entail incalculable misery upon their offspring.

Another danger is, that the childish mind, on coming into this state of excitability, has no idea of the evil of indulging that passion unless instructed regarding the consequences. Their childish instincts cause them to think this function is a natural one, and they often yield to the solicitations of the opposite sex unless they have been properly taught.

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At this period of life, and throughout childhood, abundance of out-door exercise is especially necessary. Nature prompts all young creatures to develop all the muscles of the body; therefore, they incline to run and play, and be constantly active while awake. Parents too often take upon themselves the task of overruling and suppressing this activity, thus bringing men and women upon the stage of life less prepared for its uses than the animal world is for theirs. Girls, especially, are restrained in these natural muscular activities; and so, from lack of development, the muscular supports of the womb and abdomen are lax and weak, and we have in consequence a long list of uterine malpositions, lives. of misery and nervous irritability, because of these suppressions of nature's promptings to exercise. It becomes necessary, in giving a correct measurement of physical and mental ability, to judge as to what extent these suppressions have affected the system, and in what directions.

THE SECOND PERIOD AND DANGER IN WOMAN'S LIFE.

At the menopause the ordinary periodical waste of the system ceases, the forces are turned within, and the demand for food lessened; so, unless the appetite is carefully restrained, there will be a clogging of the system, or a surplus of vitality which may result in gout, heart disease, paralysis, trembling palsy, and many other diseases or derangements, according to the function or sign in which they were born. In reality, they have simply completed the first or natural cycle of the generative forces which has relation to the procreation

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of other beings; and if they have lived harmonious lives, they will still possess a life force that will enable them to live longer than they have already lived; and that, in health and vivacity, if they but regulate their diet and control their appetite,—for their system is coming under new conditions,—it is resting from its natural generative uses, and entering upon a stage of higher spiritual being, in which their life forces are building up their interior spiritual and soul nature,—which work may go on even to the renewal of their physical bodies and the restoration of natural potency upon a higher plane; and instances are on record of the renewal of sight, hearing, and youth to all the senses, a return of the natural color to the hair, new teeth, etc. Catharine, Countess of Desmond, in Ireland, lived to the age of one hundred and forty years, and three times renewed her teeth; and many cases might be cited of vigor and renewal of powers at an advanced age.

It must, however, be borne in mind that at this period the life forces are seeking a new equilibrium, and the habits and appetites must be adjusted to this new condition of the system. Many times ladies will say, "I don't eat anything, yet am getting fat, and don't know what to do: ’tisn't eating that makes me fat," etc. But it is a fixed law in nature, too well-known to be disputed, that unless there is a food supply, flesh will decrease; but in point of fact, these persons have come into a condition where the waste is shut off, and they consequently require less food, and must regulate their appetites accordingly if they would enjoy their due measure of health and strength. Frequently where

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ladies are in the kitchen much, they get almost nourishment enough from the aroma of the food, to supply nearly all the demands of the body. In such cases, it is only necessary . to give the stomach something to work on; therefore, a little rice, or graham mush, or fruit once a day will be sufficient.

CAUSES OF INHARMONY IN MARRIED LIFE.

First, misunderstandings; second, incompatibility of chemical and magnetic interchanges; third, excess in sexual indulgence. Misunderstandings arise from difference in thoughts, sensations, and emotions. Being born in different zodiacal or solar signs, they sensate from different parts of the body corresponding to their signs; so that what gives pleasure to one, may give pain to the other, even though the best possible motives prompted the effort. Again, two opposites are usually attracted together by the law of generation.

One acting entirely from the intuitive nature is incapable of giving a reason for any course of action. Such persons cannot make themselves pliable to the wishes of others; for intuition is master, and not servant. Another is governed by reason, which is the law nature; and when those of the latter class attempt to dominate, they are apt to demand of the former class reasons for their course of action; and those who are guided by intuition—though they know they are right—are not often ready with a reason. This is apt to arouse combativeness and produce inharmony.

Second, incompatibility of chemical and magnetic elements. Where the husband and wife are too much

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alike in the chemical and magnetic combinations of their physical bodies, both being positive, or both negative, there is no renewal of life in their systems from mutual association.

There are two laws in nature: one of growth or nourishment, where like attracts like; as in the vegetable kingdom, and in food supplies for the body. The other is the law of creation, which is generation, where opposites are attracted which chemically combine to form a new organism.

Vital chemistry, though in advance of inorganic chemistry, is governed by the same general law. The nourishment taken into the body to supply the life principle used in mental and physical action does not immediately become life, but only a force like that of the body, positive or negative.

The positive or centrifugal force, which is electric, corresponds to the male; and when in excess, in very positive persons, it causes a restless, irritable, strained, and combative state, and is apt to over-strain and weaken that part of the body corresponding to the sign in which they were born, thus inducing disease. A positive man takes food into the body, and attracts that which is like himself,—which is electric and centrifugal,—and may be compared to the elements of tempests and cyclones in nature.

The negative or centripetal force, which is magnetic and concentrative, corresponds to the female; and when in excess, concentrates in the body as a suffocating fulness. Ladies will often fall insensible from its effects; the food ceases to digest properly, causing loss of appetite, morbid imagination, dissatisfaction, and often

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general debility. But when these two opposite forces come together, where there is a proper magnetic and electric interchange between the male and female, a new life essence or element is born within their systems.

There are two methods of generation. In the generation of children, the seed is not the life, but the life is in the seed. It is that subtile principle which animates the seed germ, and when the positive and negative forces unite under proper conditions, a child is the result. If there be a suitable blending of opposites, the offspring will be healthy; but if the parents are too similar in their natures, the child will be imperfect and unhealthy. We call the life force magnetism, and in the interchange between man and woman new life is born in the body when the seed is not wasted. In procreation the seed is not all thrown off, and the portion retained in the body is transmuted, and becomes a new life element in proportion to the amount retained.

There is an interchange of fine magnetic and electric elements between the male and the female, sometimes sufficient to gratify all sexual desires simply by sleeping in the same bed, without further contact, and often by mere association.

Persons differ greatly from each other in their elemental combinations, and association between the sexes produces varied sensations and mental conditions, according to the result of the chemical combination of the two qualities. If there is perfect physical and mental adaptation, the result will be strengthening to the body and illuminating to the mind in its normal functions; but if the combination is not adapted, the

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magnetic life generated will be inharmonious, and produce abnormal thoughts and actions, such as melancholy, hatred, intensified passions, worriment, irritability, and an innumerable catalogue of unpleasant conditions that are the cause of very much domestic inharmony; each blaming the other for having changed in feelings and disposition since marriage, when really all the difficulty may have arisen from chemical changes in the system. Sometimes the new magnetism thus generated poisons the life forces so that sickness and death may result from it. When the magnetisms are too nearly alike, instead of generating life in the body, it creates a morbid craving for sexual relations where it is fancied the required magnetism can be obtained; and frequently men and women, under the starved conditions of the generative system, seek satisfaction in illegal directions, and when they do, the varied chemical conditions with which they are brought in contact invariably create great confusion in themselves, which may lead them to monstrous extremes in every conceivable direction.

The multifarious chemical combinations produced by continued promiscuity is the cause of the various forms of venereal disease.

SEXUAL EXCESSES.

In young ladies who are taught by their parents to restrain all sexual passion, and live a chaste life till marriage, these special life forces are depolarized and turned towards the brain, so that they cease to have any desires in the other direction, though they may have great sexual power. Young men are not often

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thus instructed, and their sexual passions being unrestrained, are constantly active; thus, after marriage, the husband being injudicious, and not understanding the condition of the wife in regard to her latent or inactive sexual nature, forces his own abnormally excited sex activities upon her finer sensibilities, until a surfeit and revulsion occurs before her magnetic forces have time to be turned in that direction; and this revulsion may be so strong that her forces may never be thus turned, and a repulsion to all the approaches of the husband is the result.

The pure-minded woman wants love,—not passion,—and in many cases only love will succeed in turning the forces so as to create any demand in that direction. In some cases, where man's powers in this direction are much stronger than woman's, the same result occurs. Also where the woman is weakened by child-bearing or sickness, this surfeit may occur, so that she will cease to have any desires in this department of her being.

It sometimes happens that woman is the strongest or most active sexually, and this may produce greater harmony, unless the woman is very gross; for woman would be considered a monster should she seek to compel man to respond to this desire in herself, and man is no less a monster when he seeks to compel woman to gratify these desires on his part.

We have heard good women say that the sound of their husband's feet corning towards the door filled them with horror, and their hearts would sink within them from sadness; all caused by the injudicious conduct of the husband, though kind-hearted and having good intentions. No pen can portray the miseries at

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present existing in the world from this cause, which might be prevented by a little consideration and knowledge of the laws of life.

Love is life in motion, and the sex desires are like the demands for food; and when the want is supplied, the appetite ceases. And to force a person to eat, after this, would be torture, and tenfold greater torture is produced by forced sex relations. Nor does the evil stop here; for the mental conditions of parents at conception enter into the nature of the child, who becomes an embodiment of the parents’ thought at and just previous to conception.

In regard to the magnetic life which is generated in the systems of the parents, we may say, that if there is antagonism existing between them when they come together in these relations, antagonistic thought will be generated in their systems, producing many forms of disease; and as the life force thus generated in the system controls the work of rebuilding the body, abnormal formations frequently result from these conflicting conditions of the life forces. Where there is anger or hatred existing at the time of such contact, demoniacal conditions are generated, often resulting in insanity in its various forms, or spirits of demons are born into the organism by this means, so that, in the words of Jesus, they are "possessed of devils."

At other times tumors, cancers, and cancerous conditions are produced. These malformations which are generated in the system are not always from physical sex contact. The sex nature has little discriminative power in regard to the attraction of opposite magnetism, and if the demands of this nature are not met and

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satisfied, they will draw the opposite magnetism or electricity from persons living in the same house, though they are repulsive and even hateful to them, and it will produce the same results in the line of malformations, only in less degree.

Those who live a perfectly chaste life may, through sympathy, draw sufficient life from persons, or even from higher mental and spiritual surroundings, to largely supply the demands of the regenerative processes in their own life; for the course of life is a constant exhaust and regeneration.

The very atmosphere in which we live is filled with positive and negative emanations from man and from all animate and inanimate nature; and the solar fluid, that belongs to the immediate cause realm of this world, is positive and negative in its essence. It alone is pure and free from all vicious sensuality, being an emanation from the Infinite Spirit of the universe; and persons may, by the law of sympathy directed by the will, draw from this higher fountain of life, and thus be united to the eternal source of all things,—the divine Father or Mother.

This idea will be further elaborated in a forthcoming work on Theosophy.