Hylozoism

DK: "First, I seek to give a brief exegesis of the basic theory of The Secret Doctrine, called the hylozoistic theory. This posits a living substance, composed of a multiplicity of sentient lives which are continuously swept into expression by the "breath of the divine Life." This theory recognizes 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.

This is a briefly and inadequately expressed definition of the doctrine of hylozoism, and is an attempt to interpret and find a meaning in the manifested phenomenal world, with its three main characteristics of life-quality- appearance. Forget not to find the meaning behind all forms and life experiences, and thereby learn to enter into that world of subjective forces which is the true world wherein all occultists work." - EP I, pg 150

DK: "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.

However, dwarfing every other concept, is the concept of life itself. There is - as far as we have ever been permitted to know - only one Life, expressing itself as Being, as responsive consciousness, and as material appearance. That One Life knows itself (if such a term can be used) as the will-to-be, the will-to-good, and the will-to-know. It will be obvious to you that these are only terms or methods organized to convey a better picture than heretofore." - TEV, pg 184

HPB: "Hylozoism, when philosophically understood, is the highest aspect of Pantheism . It is the only possible escape from idiotic Atheism based on lethal materiality, and the still more idiotic anthropomorphic conceptions of the Monotheists; between which it stands on its own entirely neutral ground. Hylozoism demands absolute Divine Thought, which would pervade the numberless active creating Forces, or "Creators," which Entities are moved by, and have their being in, from and through that Divine Thought... Such active "Creators" are known to exist and are believed in because perceived and sensed by the Inner Man in the Occultist." - S. D., II, 167, 168.

DK: "Hylozoism: From Greek "ule," matter; "zoon," animal; and "ism." Ism is a suffix embodying the doctrine or abstract idea of the noun to which it is attached. Hylozoism is the doctrine that all matter is endowed with life.

"When we have attained to this conception of hylozoism of a living material universe, the mystery of nature will be solved." - Standard Dictionary ." - ATOCF, footnote 31, page 696

DK: "First, that there exists in our manifested universe the expression of an Energy or Life which is the responsible cause of the diverse forms and the vast hierarchy of sentient beings who compose the sum total of all that is. This is the so-called hylozoistic theory, though the term but serves to confuse. This great Life is the basis of Monism, and all enlightened men are Monists. "God is One" is the utterance of truth. One life pervades all forms and those forms are the expressions, in time and space, of the central universal energy. Life in manifestation produces existence and being. It is the root cause, therefore, of duality." - ATOWM, pg 9

And although I personally think it misses the mark a bit - http://en.wikipedia .org/wiki/ Hylozoism