Theos-Talk Archives (January 1998 Message tt00008)

On Thu, 1 Jan 1998 02:56:37 -0800, you wrote:

>
>Jan 1st 1998
>
>Dallas writes:
>
>Dear Bee:
>
>And a Happy and fruitful new Year to you, Bee for 1998.
And to you too.
>
>I enjoyed your comment on cosmological considerations and the =
perspective
>it provides as we turn it on ourselves.  We are both significant (to
>ourselves and the Universe) and insignificant (in terms of our personal
>power to act and live.
>
>But it seems to me the fact of our being mind-beings is important.  It
>affords us a glimpse of the Universe as well as ourselves and of other
>"minds" who live in situations comparable but not identical to ours.

It does strike me that many are 'brain-beings' who do not admit that
there is another and higher intelligence within us all. They need to
feel that they are in charge of their life so the idea that there is
something other than the personality and its brain, is rejected.=20
I have been considering the idea of thought and its origination for a
while and here is an interesting bit from my latest reading material.
'Magic, White and Black or the Science of Finite and Infinite Life' by
=46ranz Hartmann, 1888. Page 222.
'Men do not create thought; the ideas existing in the Astral Light
flow into their minds, and there they transform themselves into other
shapes, combining with other ideas, consciously or unconsciously
according to the laws that control the correlations, interrelations,
and associations of thought. A great mind may grasp a great idea, a
narrow mind is only capable of catching little ideas. Ideas exist and
are sometimes grasped contemporaneously by several receptive minds.
Some great discoveries have been made almost simultaneously by several
minds. Ideas that have matured in the imagination of nature throw
their reflections upon the minds of men, and, according to the
capacities of the latter to receive ideas, they may come to their
consciousness, clear or distorted, plain or shadowy, like images of
pictures reflected in living mirrors, that may be clean or rendered
dim by the accumulation of dust. In those living mirrors they are
remodelled, and may be transformed into new pictures, to people the
currents of the Astral Light with new images, and to give rise to new
forms of thought. Therefore, even a person who performs no manual
labour, who lives in solitude and silence, may do a great work by
evolving ideas, which will remain impressed upon the Astral Light and
come to the cognizance of those who are capable of grasping them.'
>
>How can we be selfish and isolationist if we are immortals, and have to
>continue to live with our brother immortals (known or unknown in the
>present incarnation).  But the fact that we have under karma come to =
know
>of each other and are willing to advance opinions and make contact is to=
 me
>a significant indication of the value of such bonds and interaction.

As said above, isolation may only be physical but on the other planes
of life, bonds of karma may lie in wait for the right circumstances
and we are all from the same source so isolationist behaviour is only
an illusion in plane of maya.
>
>>From that point of view alone we draw closer to our friends in many =
places
>and open channels for the future, which work both ways.
>
>I have never found that isolation breeds anything but mistrust of =
others,
>and that is irrational fear of the unknown.  If, however we know that we
>are dealing with those who, like us will continue to live, and that any
>karma set up between us is going to come up again, then what is there to
>fear ?

I can think of the genuine absent-minded professor who lives in his
head and truly does not see half of what goes on around him/her
and from that, has no fear or mistrust of others because he does not take
much notice of things outside his mental world. It seems to me that it
is persons who are attached to the physical, material world and have
specific addictions that narrow their vision to the objects of their
addiction, that get fearful and mistrustful in case they lose their
attachments. I see an alcholic e.g. who organises his life around his
need for drink and makes sure that whereever he goes, there is drink
and his friends are drinking people too. The energy taken up with
arranging his life so that the drink is available, takes that energy
away from the broader scope of life too.=20
>
>Fear and ignorance go hand in hand.  Theosophy, I have found tends to
>eliminate uncertainties with an over-view of what the real scene is =
behind
>or within the presently experienced life -- which for any one of us is =
all
>memory now.  As we are we are an advancing infinitesimal small slice of
>present time, working its way through DURATION.  All our past is =
"memory."=20

Theosophy can provide an over-view if people are willing to study it
and take on board the ideas presented but that is not always the case.
I know of many Theosophists who come to meetings for the tea and
company and quite cheerfully admit that they don't read much and the
very idea of looking through the SD is too much for them. They like
the ideas they have formed of Theosophy from talks and lectures but
have no desire to broaden their ideas. That is ok too as not everybody
operates from the mental plane. They often are the workers who quietly
help in the background and without them, the work would not go so
smoothly.
>
>
>Along this line I note that in the KEY TO THEOSOPHY, HPB indicates that =
the
>memory of our noble and altruistic deeds alone follows us as an =
indication
>of the value of our past lives.  In effect we are at all times the =
ultimate
>focus of all we have made of ourselves.  And, as we advance by choices
>(deliberate or habitual) we shape our futures.

Most definitely. I have learned to take full responsibilty for my
actions and not blame others for things that go wrong. Usually I can
find reasons within myself if I take time to think on it. It is not
easy to admit some of the dumb things one does but it leads to growth
of character if one is honest and admits that there are many buttons
that others can push and get a reaction that we may not have wanted to
give.

That too is enough from me. It is obvious that I am on holiday so I
have a little time to ramble.
Cheers
Bee