Theos-Talk Archives (March 2000 Message tt00065)

Mar 23:  2000

Dear Friend:

	TRUE and FALSE OCCULTISM

What you write is of course quite true.

Currently there are two views concerning occult secrets.

The Average Ordinary one has as an object, the acquirement of
psychic powers (misnamed:  "spiritual") so that one may obtain
some secret advantage over one or several other persons or over
nature's invisible and secret forces.

If this definition is acceptable, then one immediately states as
a "given" that

1.  Nature has invisible and secret LAWS.  These are grouped
under two general headings:

	1.  Psychic  (emotional, desire, passional, personal, selfish,
etc...)  and,

	2.  Spiritual  (unselfish, Impersonal, Universal, Benevolent,
Compassionate, Generous, 			Discriminative, 	Wise, etc...)

2.  There have been men in the past (and present) who have
discovered and used them.

3.  There has been gathered a record of these, which is held
either:

 	1.  for "sale," or for "transmission" to specific individuals
providing some "price" is paid.  And,

	2.  For imparting to those who show the capacity to be
unselfish, and benevolent only.

4.  There are groups of persons in the world (usually the
organized priesthood of all the world religions) who are aware of
these, use them, and are very jealous about sharing any
information concerning them.

The rites and rituals that are used all over the world usually
give the priesthood a measure of control over those who are not
aware of these powers.  Among their own ranks, they gradually
impart the methods of developing and use to suitable applicants,
who pledge themselves to devote any powers that they may
personally acquire to the service of the "Order" and the "Head
Priest."

5.  In our more modern age, this may not always be a "Priesthood"
as such but can be a sect of some kind.  But one generally finds
a "for profit" motive and charge made.

6.  Most approach the occult with an attitude: "What is in it for
me?"  And there are hundreds of sects and thousands of books
available that pretend to offer some of these secrets.  And when
they are told of some danger connected with contact with those
secrets, and that without adequate study and a knowledge of the
components of Nature, they laugh and say:  'I am able to look
after myself."

It is kind of prideful and vainglorious attitude assumed in great
ignorance of the very real DANGERS of the uninitiated dabbling in
the occult, in trans-personal experiments, the use of psychedelic
and hallucinatory drugs, hypnotism, fascination, etc., etc.,  All
these on analysis are abuses of the secret laws of Nature.  They
bring on disabilities and impairment of consciousness control.
Nature keeps them secret from us precisely because of the danger
of premature discovery and use.

As one observes the scene, one is struck by the number of those
who are willing to risk the rest of their lives with some
impairment of self-control that they have surrendered to their
temporary exploration and hoped for enjoyment of the strange and
the unusual.  Sometimes they are quite unaware of the change in
themselves.

So the true student of Occultism would state that everything
depends on:

	1.   The MOTIVE.  Is the neophyte a temporary or a permanent
student ?  Is he/she in for a 		quick dip, or are they in for the
long-run?

	2.  If they are in for the long run of study and self
development, will they have the power to 		maintain their quest
for long and what seem like almost fruitless years ?

	3.  Are they engaging in this process of learning for themselves
alone, or are they doing it 			because it appears to be the next
step in human development ?

	4.  Are they making themselves "wise" not only in the areas of
our present development in 			Science, Psychology, Philosophy,
the Humanities, the many Sciences, Mathematics,
		Archaeology, Geology, and a host of other sciences that have
developed in the last 250 		to 300 years ?  I say this
deliberately, as our present "Sciences and Technologies" 			have
been developed only recently.  It is important to note that they
have little, or no		respect for antiquity, and are unwilling to
ascribe to the hints contained in old literature
		much veracity.  Consequently they tend to disbelieve accounts
that embrace thousands 		of years, or that speak of ancient
equipment which our current technology is only now 		developing.
The evidence gathered in ISIS UNVEILED, and THE SECRET
DOCTRINE is disregarded.

7. Embedded in most of the ancient sacred literature are codes
that lead those who are initiated 		in their mysteries and
secrets to read how in those days Nature's powers were known
and used.

As an example of "coded" wisdom -- it has been suggested that the
Secret Doctrine contains within itself a great deal of the
occult.  There are codes in it that can unravel a great deal more
of the secrets of nature, but those who desire to find them have
to do the arduous work of studying.  Of course those who have
done this will be willing to give pointers to assist, but for any
study to be of real worth, the student has to do it on his own.
There are no sure short-cuts.

The problem is how does one look for those Secrets?

The Key according to real occultists -- I mean those who use its
wisdom only for the general good of mankind and the world (and
not SELFISHLY) is in mastering and controlling FULLY (in
themselves) the passional and SELFISH inclinations that arise
from the "Kamic" principle in man and in Nature -- it is that
principle that gives rise to desires, passions, emotions, and all
those aspect of our thinking/feeling which we usually look on as
our PERSONAL SELF.

One of the initial questions to ask of ones' self is what is the
REAL SELF ?  What is the source of one's CONSCIOUSNESS ?

Theosophy offers the knowledge and the tools for the interested
mind that is tenacious and desires to acquire a "knowledge of
itself."  It does not recommend that one inquires into occultism
for entertainment, or one's self-benefit.  That is too limited an
area and Nature will not reward invasion.  Only those who make
themselves entirely harmless and generous are ever admitted to a
full knowledge of Nature's secrets.  The dividing line is always
MOTIVE.

If one desires to know the difference between the "EYE" doctrines
and those of the "HEART," then one has to start with a study of
books like the BHAGAVAD GITA,  PATANJALI's YOGA SUTRAS or the
VOICE OF THE SILENCE, By Mme. Blavatsky.  But that will not be
grasped unless one has at least mastered the details that are
given as a first exercise in her THE KEY TO THEOSOPHY.

There is only one injunction that the WISE offer the inquirer:
MAKE SURE THAT YOUR MOTIVE IS PURE ALTRUISTIC AND DESIGNED TO BE
OF SERVICE TO ALL OTHERS.

Best wishes,

Dallas

==============================================


-----Original Message-----
From: owner-theos-talk@theosophy.com
[mailto:owner-theos-talk@theosophy.com]On Behalf Of Barrett
Culmback
Sent: Wednesday, March 22, 2000 10:22 AM
To: theos-talk@theosophy.com
Subject: RE: Theos-World RE: [bn-study] Re: HPB/Olcott


Nice remarks, Dallas.  Would go one step further, and note that
*my* reading
of the material on the site offered in original question would
lead to quite
a different set of conclusions that those which (apparently)
underlay the
question -- i.e., the material appears to contain quite a vast
mine of
'information.'  Though, as you observe, it is not on a 'literal'
level.
Parables of course do not 'operate' there, do they?
And, I would like to thank the original questioner for the fine
'link' to a
most interesting site.

ICQ#: 63631087.  Interested in 'Consciousness'?

Go To: http://www.egroups.com/group/I2c2much/info.html

"It is understandable that a child might fear the darkness; less
so that an
adult would fear the light."  Plato



-----Original Message-----
From: owner-theos-talk@theosophy.com
[mailto:owner-theos-talk@theosophy.com]On Behalf Of W. Dallas
TenBroeck
Sent: Wednesday, March 22, 2000 9:31 AM
To: study@blavatsky.net
Subject: Theos-World RE: [bn-study] Re: HPB/Olcott


Mar 22 2000

Dear Angel

Is there not another angle to all this?  How can any one assume
that they are competent to decipher those passages that are of an
"occult" character?  Who can make the claim without proof that
they alone can do this?

To begin with,

1.  a true occultist will remain quiet because secrecy on holy
matters is a primary need in true occultism.

2.  Unless we are given a chance to read this "Gospel," none of
us can make a pronouncement.

3.  Is the translation now being given to us in English, in
accord with the literal or the occult mode ?  They are poles
apart.

Most orientalists and antiquarians are only aware of the literal
translations;  and they make them as accurate as they can in
English.  But often the said documents are framed in an idiom of
the times that prevailed when they were written.  If so, is it
not possible that this is not entirely grasped by the modern
scholar or translator?  This is a difficult thing to put forth as
it is not easily demonstrated or proved.

Now, if you have read and carefully, and considered HPB's
methods -- and the vast work of exposing the inner meanings of
ancient traditions and literatures in ISIS UNVEILED and THE
SECRET DOCTRINE, you will realize that untangling the myths,
legends and traditions from literalism is a most difficult task.
There are many occult statements made in HPB's books but they can
only be extracted by a mind that is attuned to those.  To secure
such an attunement demands study.  Theosophy therefore presents
as a base the ideal of universal brotherhood.  It also states
that all beings are in their essence immortals -- all are
undergoing a great pilgrimage of experience whereby the meanest
and least eventually can become the most learned and responsible.
It elevates evolution and life to the plane of aspiration, of
compassion, of mutual service and of great tender care for the
weak and the oppressed.  And that is only a preliminary
sensitization to the truly OCCULT that may be detected in Nature.

NATURE CONTAINS EVERYTHING.   We are mind beings who are seeking
to learn and understand her workings.

So, before any pronouncement several items of work and comparison
have to be done, and this takes a long time and no snap judgments
are useful.

I am writing on the basis of "theory" as I have not read those
documents.  But I have also read many translations of old
literature and realize that it takes more than linguistic and
grammatical familiarity to be able to transmit in modern English
the SENSE and possible inner meanings of any old documents.

Further, if it was truly occult, then it would not have been
WRITTEN out for someone to discover.

Best wishes,


Dallas

===========================


-----Original Message-----
From: Angel Hazen [mailto:khanangelhzn@hotmail.com]
Sent: Tuesday, March 21, 2000 4:04 PM
To: study@blavatsky.net
Subject: [bn-study] Re: HPB/Olcott


Greetings to all!
I write this to you all because I would like your opinion on
something VERY
odd I have recently discovered.  In the article by HPP :' The
First
Christians' Madame Blavatsky makes clear that she believes the
original
Christians to have been the Nazareenes and the Ebionites and that
they made
use of the Gospel according to Matthew written in Hebrew and
translated by
St-Jerome.  I have, through intense searches, been able to get my
hand on
the said gospel.  The only problem, is that it contains very
little of
value.  It's 35 chapters long and spends more time on the life of
Mary than
that of Jesus...and even there, only the first years of his life.
Like if
that wasn't disappointing enough, it brings forward very few of
the 'secret
teachings' HPB said it contained.  True, it does teach a little,
but nothing
like what HPB suggested. She realy seemed to intend that the
gospel
contained the 'whole-truth' of esoteric Christianity...it doesn't
at all.
Now we are faced with the following problem: Either the gospel I
have found
is NOT the one HPB was refering to (very unlikely as you will see
in the
introduction) or she was totaly wrong in assuming the content.
This also
brings us to two possibilities: either she never actualy had
access to the
book and 'assumed' it contained secrets (let's remember she
doesn't quote
from it) or she saw something in it that I didn't...I would
prefer the later
honestly...

If you wish to see for yourselves, here is the address:
http://home.sol.no/~noetic/gopsm.txt

Angel Hazen

PS:This is indeed a major problem...I await your feedback

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