Scientists have used the term, “Appetency,” defining it as, “the instinctive tendency of living organisms to perform certain actions; the tendency of an unorganized body to seek that which satisfies the wants of its organism.”  Now what is this tendency?  It cannot be an effort of reason, for the low form of life has nothing with which to reason.  And it is impossible to think of “purposive tendency” without assuming the existence of mental power of some kind.  And where can such a power be located if not in the form itself?  When we consider that the Will is acting in and through all forms of Life, from highest to lowest—­from Moneron to Man—­we can at once recognize the source of the power and activity.  It is the Great Life Principle—­the Creative Will, manifesting itself.

We can perhaps better form an idea of the Creative Will, by reference to its outward and visible forms of activity.  We cannot see the Will itself—­the Pressure and the Urge—­but we can see its action through living forms.  Just as we cannot see a man behind a curtain, and yet may practically see him by watching the movements of his form as he presses up against the curtain, so may we see the Will by watching it as it presses up against the living curtain of the forms of life.  There was a play presented on the American stage a few years ago, in which one of the scenes pictured the place of departed spirits according to the Japanese belief.  The audience could not see the actors representing the spirits, but they could see their movements as they pressed up close to a thin silky curtain stretched across the stage, and their motions as they moved to and fro behind the curtain were plainly recognized.  The deception was perfect, and the effect was startling.  One almost believed that he saw the forms of formless creatures.  And this is what we may do in viewing the operation of the Creative Will—­we may take a look at the moving form of the Will behind the curtain of the forms of the manifestation of life.  We may see it pressing and urging here, and bending there—­building up here, and changing there—­always acting, always moving, striving, doing, in response to that insatiable urge and craving, and longing of its inner desire.  Let us take a few peeps at the Will moving behind the curtain!

Commencing with the cases of the forming of the crystals, as spoken of in our last lesson, we may pass on to plant life.  But before doing so, it may be well for us to take a parting look at the Will manifesting crystal forms.  One of the latest scientific works makes mention of the experiments of a scientist who has been devoting much attention to the formation of crystals, and reports that he has noticed that certain crystals of organic compounds, instead of being built up symmetrically, as is usual with crystals, were “enation-morphic,” that is, opposed to each other, in rights and lefts, like hands or gloves, or shoes, etc.  These crystals are never found alone, but always form in pairs.  Can you not see the Will behind the curtain here?