Theos-Talk Archives (February 1998 Message tt00348)

Feb 23 1998

Dear Jerry:

I have not neglected your response of Feb 19th to mine, but have
taken some time to think over it.  Please excuse the delay.

The subject was WQJ, and "practice" of theosophical methods.

I am of the opinion that you do not find this set out
ritualistically, so to say, because each individual has to make
his own "path."

Yes, that seems frustrating.  But the "path" to self-improvement
is always one of learning and then applying.  Apparently the
"occult" method is to leave the student to make decisions on his
own, once that he knows what the optimum is from the ethical
point of view.

As I see it, once that one becomes self-convinced of the value of
attaining the subtle "spiritual" knowledge, the "laws of Nature"
demand that we prove our devotion, and dedication to that method.
Everything that is personal or selfish has to be eliminated --
and, that hurts the "personal," though not really any more than
the discipline to sit down and study on a regular basis and then
apply -- the body and desires are then ruled by us until we
achieve a mastery over whatever we select to learn.  Same thing
in "occultism."

 The built-in tests in "occult" studies and the acquiring of such
information, I think, are rather well described in several
passages in MAHATMA LETTERS.  Sinnett and Hume did not like the
idea (any more than most of us do) of being "tried and tested."
Especially on questions of individual ethics and moral
application in ones' daily life.  But it is not the "Masters" who
do this, it is Nature.  We cannot escape the situation of being
embodied and a vital part of all the "Nature" that surrounds us.
We owe our physical life to its working in us and guiding our
many physical and sometimes part of our psychic functions.

As I look at it, I find I am a kind of "tenant" in my body and
many things that I take for granted are done me without
supervision (unless I fall ill or get into an accident, or a
situation which my daring and foolhardiness places me
precariously).  You may not agree with this idea but I find that
I am left free to feel, to think and to plan and so many
functions are carried on in the meantime without direct
supervision during most of the day.  My body transports me
around -- I feed it and rest it and exercise it, but, I am
something different from the body, although we are so closely
linked that its feelings and my needs and wants react closely on
each other -- so close that we are almost "one."  Yet, the mind
is something else, another faculty, and decisions on how to use
knowledge make for still further subtle situations, or so I
think.  and those might be called ethical, if they involve the
"shall I ? shan't I ? kind of decisions.  And so I ramble on.

HPB did write some rather clear and explicit articles on these
subjects.  let me offer a short list which has made me think a
lot:

LODGES OF MAGIC    --    Lucifer October 1888
MAHATMAS AND CHELAS        --        Theosophist, July 1884
ARE CHELAS "MEDIUMS ?"        --  Theosophist June 1884
CHELAS        --        Theosophist, October 1884
"THE THEOSOPHICAL MAHATMAS" -- Path, December 1886
CHELAS AND LAY CHELAS        --        Supplement to Theosophist,
July 1883
PRACTICAL OCCULTISM        --        Lucifer April, May 1888,
June 1889
OCCULTISM VS. THE OCCULT ARTS    Lucifer May 1888
SPIRITUAL PROGRESS  --  Theosophist, May 1885
IS THE DESIRE TO LIVE SELFISH ?        --        Theosophist July
1884

I found that a "quick read" is not enough, some of those had to
be read again and thought over, also there are sections that
correlate to each other or supplement the information given in
KEY and SD, etc...  Have fun again, if you have not already had
it !

These articles are reprinted in BLAVATSKY, COLLECTED WORKS and in
the 3 Vol. edition of HPB ARTICLES published by the ULT.  You are
probably familiar with all of them, and I mention them because I
found some valuable hints there.

Psychism ought to be recognized as a necessary link in each
7-fold human -- looking from "above" it unites the Monadic triad
( Atma-Buddhi-Manas ) to the quaternary : (Lower Manas, Kama,
Prana and Astral Body} -- the physical body being merely a
vehicle in which these act.

The "link" is, I think, what HPB calls the "antaskarana," ( SD I
68fn, T. Gloss 23, Voice 55, 61, it has also been called the
"Karana Sarira" and the "Causal body" in some articles) that
which connects the "lower Manas (or the reflection in dense
matter) of the Higher Manas, the True EGO, which is the
Intelligently conscious part of the Monadic triad (as above).

As to views on contacting the psychic plane, HPB and WQJ both
caution about it because we do not yet have enough knowledge to
exercise control over the entities that live there, especially
those which are inimical.  It is done, apparently through the
will.  But one has to perceive clearly on that plane to be able
to employ our will with accuracy.  Certain ancient grimoires and
medieval texts exist which give details of "ceremonial magic" as
practices to protect the practitioner or the inquirer -- but,
without sure knowledge the danger persists and therefore the
warnings.  The OCEAN OF THEOSOPHY does give a survey of that area
of Nature and also explains the warnings.  It is not done to
deter investigation but to warn and perhaps protect the unwary.

All that I have read of G de P is derived from his study and
interpretation of what can be found in SD.  Everything is
"exoteric" if we desire to keep it that way.  But it has been my
experience that the "esoteric" can be discovered as correlations
are made and by reading "within the lines."  The conveying of
ideas by words is, to my mind, always faulty, as we do not give
exactly the same meanings to words.  So our interpretation either
agrees with the knowledge we have already acquired and with
certain universal bases we are sure of, or it is taken as
tentative, do be proved later on as opportunity arises.  As you
say the finger that points at the Moon is only suggestive.

As to "mastering the personality"  -- I would say, taking the
concept that this evolutionary system we are immersed in is of
the nature of a progressive educational experience, with the
various successive incarnations as "days" spent in learning
progressively more, there is not only time but ample opportunity
to refine our progress in any direction we choose.  Hence I would
hesitate to say that the "personality in never fully mastered,"
that is, perhaps in "one life."  But if we take a sequence of
"lives" into account with the immortal Monad keeping a record of
all our real progress, then that mastery can and ought to be
achieved in due course.

As I see it everything starts with our motive and even that can
be changed as we go on.  If we expect to grow in knowledge as we
work and assist others, we may, says Theosophy make quick and
real progress.  But if we think we can seize "occult" secrets for
personal use, we may well find ourselves frustrated time after
time.  We reach dead ends which our imaginings have created for
us.  Our task then, would be to progress after reviewing what
advance we have made so far, and determining where the next step
will take us.  But we all do this, and you know it quite well.

As you say,  we do coincide in more ways than one, and so it
goes.                Dal

> From: "Jerry Schueler" <gschueler@netgsi.com>
> Date: February 19 1998 7:15 p.m.