Theos-Talk Archives (May 2000 Message tt00329)

Hi Bart,

I agree with your analysis that everything other than the 'Absolute' is only
relatively real, you use the term "illusory".  But does that in itself
detract from the significance of the number 7?  See for example HPB's
comments on the significance of this number in the Secret Doctrine:

" Doctrines such as the planetary chain, or the seven races, at once give a
clue to the seven-fold nature of man, for each principle is correlated to a
plane, a planet, and a race; and the human principles are, on every plane,
correlated to seven-fold occult forces -- those of the higher planes being
of tremendous power. So that any septenary division at once gives a clue to
tremendous occult powers, the abuse of which would cause incalculable evil
to humanity."
(SD I xxxv)

also..

"The same will be said of the Secret Archaic Doctrine, when proofs are given
of its undeniable existence and records. But it will take centuries before
much more is given from it. Speaking of the keys to the Zodiacal mysteries
as being almost lost to the world, it was remarked by the writer in "Isis
Unveiled" some ten years ago that: "The said key must be turned seven times
before the whole system is divulged. We will give it but one turn, and
thereby allow the profane one glimpse into the mystery. Happy he, who
understands the whole!"  The same may be said of the whole Esoteric system."
(SD I xxxviii)

The number seven appears not to be limited to any one Manvatara, and
whatever it (seven) might really stand for, it underlies / persists beyond
the Pralayas - there being 7 Pralayas spoken of within our Mahamanvantara.
Whether the '7' will be the basis of the next Mahamanvantara is another
matter.  The  references to the number 7 and its significance are numerous
in HPB writings, especially in the Secret Doctrine.  There are seven globes,
seven rounds, seven races, seven principles, seven planes of consciousness,
seven forces, seven states of matter, seven layu centres, seven Dhyani
Buddhas, seven Manus & so on, & so on.

You also wrote (with reference to the Secret Doctrine?):

> Here we have at least the beginnings of the secrets
> of the Universe laid out in front of us, and we have
> people playing word games with it, trying to extract
> meanings based on things which were probably quite
> arbitrary while ignoring what was put in there on purpose.

I agree with your sense that we don't get on with the study and reflect upon
that which has been laid out before us. Such a great shame.  But I wonder if
maybe it is only in reflecting upon and perhaps 'playing lightly' with that
which 'appears' arbitrary that we may discover whether or nor it really was
put there on purpose.  Perhaps also, the phrase "on purpose" is not quite
correct.  When one thinks of Synchronicity, for example, (something that
Jung wrote a lot about) one wouldn't imagine that Synchronicity is something
that is made to happen "on purpose".  Likewise it is said with the Tao that
the more one is in harmony with the Tao the more such synchronous events are
said to 'naturally' happen.  The 'ego' can't make the Tao unfold "on
purpose", so to speak. Could it be the same in Occultism - where an Initiate
is involved the underlying Occult patterns may have a way of coming through
and influencing others by bringing things together which from a superficial
point of view would be thought of as solely occurring by chance.

I've probably not said the above very well, but just some thoughts.

I liked your honesty, by the way.

...Peter


Bart wrote:
>
>     A) Since there was no time, the phrase "7 eternities" has a
> meaning that I
> doubt any of us can understand. However, let's take a look first
> into the concept
> of "1 into 3 into 7". There is one unchanging reality. That
> reality is distorted
> through the "lenses" (for lack of a better term) of the roots of
> matter, energy,
> and consciousness (1 into 3). Now, if you recombine the 3 in all
> possible ways
> (as happens in the manvantara, the maya, the illusory reality if
> you will), you
> get 8 ways of combining. But note that one of those ways is "none
> of the above",
> null, or naught. But in our view of reality, there IS no empty
> space. Current
> science experiments in so-called "zero point energy", based on the logical
> extension of the Heisenberg Uncertainty principle, have shown
> that this to be the
> case. In the 1st stanza of Dzyan, the prolaya is described, at
> least in part, as
> "Naught was". This can mean that there was nothing, or it can
> also mean that the
> very principle of Nothing, which does not exist in our view of
> reality, existed
> in the prolaya. Which makes 7 a number very symbolic of the
> manvantara vs. the
> prolaya, and THAT is what I meant by 7 being illusory. I
> apologize for being
> cryptic; I should have just gone right out and said it, and let
> everybody accept
> it or attack it, as they desired.
>
>     Now for the REASON I have been somewhat more snide than even
> usual. It was
> annoyance, plain and simple, which I have been taking out on
> everybody, not just
> the sources of my annoyance. To take the myth of Jesus to
> explain, Jesus was
> giving his apostles the secrets of the Universe, and his apostles busied
> themselves trying to figure out important problems like, is it
> permissable to sit
> at a table with non-Jews.
>
>     Here we have at least the beginnings of the secrets of the
> Universe laid out
> in front of us, and we have people playing word games with it,
> trying to extract
> meanings based on things which were probably quite arbitrary
> while ignoring what
> was put in there on purpose. And I should have been saying that from the
> beginning rather than resorting to sarcastic put-downs; all I can say as
> explanation (not excuse) is that it is an inherited trait from my
> father. It is
> hard (but not impossible) to escape from one's upbringing.
>
>     Bart Lidofsky
>
>
>
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