Theos-Talk Archives (June 2003 Message tt00320)

In a message dated 06/29/03 7:06:07 PM, bill_meredith@earthlink.net writes:

>Hi Bart & Wry. The sounds that we attribute to certain letter combinations
>is interesting. I tend to visualize words rather than hear them. I believe
>it was Leon who recently said it is good practice to read the Secret
>Doctrine out loud so as to hear the sounds and rhythm of the words.

I also said that such a technique was in addition (as HPB pointed out) to 
reading in and around the words and seeing their shapes and forms in the mind 
eye. This system works when all the communication senses are in equal balance, 
focused and concentrated, and all prior conceptions in the mind are washed 
away. As a matter of fact, that is why it is an ancient kabbalistic rule that one 
can only study the Torah properly using a scriber pointing to each term and 
tracing its shape as it is chanted. Incidentally, among the orthodox Hebrews 
only the Kohanes (Chohans, Cohns, Cowans, Khans, etc.) are allowed to do this 
practice. Therefore, the Torah must never be unfurled in a synagogue, unless a 
Kohane is present to unroll it, point it, and chant it. (There must also be 
at least ten men present to make up the "minion" that represents each 
Sephiroth in the Tree of Life.) When studying alone, the Kohane (initiated priest) 
must follow those rules and visualize these ten as his teachers, whether alive 
or dead -- (which are usually his father, grandfather and all his uncles -- 
since those are the ones who initiated him into the kabbalistic mysteries, 
numerologies and symbology's before he became 13). Also, to be a Kohane, one must 
be of the blood line of Abraham, Moses or Aaron, and must be so initiated. 
They are the only recognized Jews who do not have to be born of a Jewish mother 
-- provided they can prove their bloodline along with their initiation. 

It's interesting to consider that the Secret Doctrine was written to break 
these "priest crafty" restrictions and open the path to Chohanship for everyone 
capable of penetrating the mystical path through all its twists, turns and 
blinds -- put in by HPB (under her vows, apparently) as obstacles for those who 
are not yet ready to attain the siddhi powers. (This was probably why the 
Torah reading was originally restricted to the Kohanes who know what points to 
de-emphasize when chanting the law to their congregations.) 

Unfortunately, this leaves the SD open for many different misinterpretations 
by the uninitiated (or "non intuitive students," as HPB spoke of them). In 
spite of this, the initiations are all in there, for those who can dig deep 
enough, and are intuitive enough to separate the wheat from the chaff. For the 
serious theosophist, studying the SD using the aural, visual, mental method 
suggested above, makes the going that much less difficult -- since the technique 
easily exposes all the blinds and opens the door to all the useful rajah/jnana 
yoga meditational practices to be used while studying. (But, of course, don't 
take my word for it -- since I am supposed to be, by one of the self glorified 
pundits in this forum, an immature, fanatical ignoramus, and Leon being the 
opposite of Noel [my son's name BTW] makes me the devil side of lived. :-) 

LHM