Theos-Talk Archives (May 2000 Message tt00347)

May 29th 2000

Dear Friends (and Bart I'll ask your indulgence in using your
letter as a basis),

May I offer the following views?


1.

Number 7.

Why not open the SD INDEX and trace down what HPB says that
THEOSOPHY has to say about SEVEN as a key and basic number in all
Nature.

That will settle all the various opinions and speculations if you
think that THEOSOPHY has any value at all.

The mathematical relations are indeed valuable for us all.  To
realise, think over and work out.  Thanks to all who contributed
those.

In the SD there is a great deal of very interesting information
about the numbers and their values, but the information is
scattered and needs assembly.



2.

Leadbeater

None of us can reverse history or Karma.  Our present opinions
and the opinions of those who wrote for or against him and his
activities are going to stand;  and, really they do not add
anything to the facts -- over which we have no control.

If you wish to find out if what Leadbeater WROTE has any value
then compare it to the logic of the SECRET DOCTRINE.  That is
where you will find out for sure if it has any real or lasting
value or whether it was an obscuration of the intent and meaning
of HPB's teachings.  Without knowing the "standard" it is
difficult to detect the "counterfeit."  Opinions will not help.

As a matter of a short-cut you can take those selections of
Leadbeater's writings (and Annie Besant's) which that old-time
student:  Mrs. Margaret Thomas offers in her THEOSOPHY or
NEO-THEOSOPHY booklet and read for yourself and make your own
decisions after you have compared what is offered there.  It is
only a selection and is not exhaustive, but if true then it
serves as an indication of what was done to the THEOSOPHICAL
PHILOSOPHY after HPB's death and when her books and writings had
been relegated to the "back-burner."

It is unfortunate that this situation continues, as Theosophy is
not a matter merely of sentiment and opinion, or "like and
dislike," but is a matter of fact and logic.  It occurs to me
that one of the most valuable of the facts HPB draws our
attention to, is the fact that every thought, feeling, word or
deed of ours has a MORAL IMPACT on our environment.  We are
constantly changing the elemental world that surrounds us into
"skandhas" (little atomic-lives)  loaded with our personal
impress -- and they serve to bring our KARMA  back to us.

If the Masters of Wisdom have opened (through HPB and her
writings) the doors to a deeper and a wider knowledge -- to FACTS
IN NATURE and her LAWS,  then it is up to us to learn something
about it before we try to criticize it on the basis of our
personal preferences and otherwise quite limited knowledge and
hopes.

All such matters are individual to the student.  Their successful
understanding of DIFFERENCE arises because they STUDY for
themselves, and DO NOT RELY on OTHER'S OPINIONS.

The great dividing point comes for each of us :  Am I going to
devote time to ACTUALLY FINDING OUT, or am I going to be lazy and
take some other's opinions as correct?  Obviously there is always
danger in taking an unverified opinion. This can then be made
into the proverbial "mountain" if we set to work to DEFEND OUR
POSITION  (of ignorance) after we have made such an adoption.

But, what good alternatives do we have?  We have to do the work,
as I see it.


Best wishes,

Dallas

D. T. B.

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

-----Original Message-----
From: owner-theos-talk@theosophy.com
[mailto:owner-theos-talk@theosophy.com]On Behalf Of Bart Lidofsky
Sent: Sunday, May 28, 2000 10:47 AM
To: theos-talk@theosophy.com
Subject: Re: Theos-World Fundamental theosohical principles and
their relationship toscience.

        My belief is that a lot of the significance of the number
7 is based on
a circular pattern. Essentially, continuous patterns are divided
into 7
parts because 7 is significant, and those 7 parts are used to
prove that
7 is significant. An excellent example is the 7 colors in the
rainbow,
where there are actually thousands of colors (not that the human
eye can
distinguish most of them, although some can distinguish more than
others). Note that there are 8 or 9 planets (depending on whether
Pluto
is a planet or a moon of Neptune), a whole bunch of moons, and an
even
bigger bunch of rocks which we arbitrarily decide are not planets
in the
Asteroid belt. Based on a geocentric view of the Universe (which,
as
standing still is strictly a matter of definition, is a valid way
of
looking at the Universe if you don't mind the extra math
involved),
there are 7 objects in the nighttime sky visible to the naked eye
of
most people that move relative to the rest of the stars, but I
find that
the concept of "if I can't see it, it isn't there" smacks of the
logic
of the animal, and is beneath humanity. Unfortunately, this level
of
logic seems to have permeated the New Age movement, which is why
the
term "New Age" leaves a bad taste in so many people's mouths.

        That being said, the psychological effects of the number
7 based on our
cultural background should not be ignored. Also, note that it is
a nice
way of dividing things up, especially if you think in terms of
polarity.
For when you divide up a unity into poles, you end up with two
poles and
a center (another example of one into three). The next division
would
create two more poles of 3 and a center, creating 7. This makes 7
a good
way of thinking about things.

        Bart Lidofsky

Peter Merriott wrote:
>
> 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:

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