Theos-Talk Archives (January 2004 Message tt00376)

Jan 25 2004

Dear doss:


I am of the opinion that the reports of NDE experiences in which lights,
tunnels, clouds, visions of one's ill or shattered body (as in an
accident or under anesthesia) may be analogous to what you ask about but
they are of a different category.

They must be of the nature of psychic experiences and visions from the
"astral light." 

But HPB explains somewhere (VISIONS IN THE DYING ? I will have to find
this one) that whatever that experience may be, it is translated into
something the brain-mind can understand and then remember. That is even
if it is of a different nature from some plane above even the astral.

Here is some thing to look over:

----------------------------------

THE LUMINOUS SHIELD

By H. P. Blavatsky 

We were a small and select party of lighthearted travellers. We had
arrived at Constantinople a week before from Greece, and had devoted
fourteen hours a day ever since to toiling up and down the steep heights
of Pera, visiting bazaars, climbing to the tops of minarets and fighting
our way through armies of hungry dogs, the traditional masters of the
streets of Stamboul. Nomadic life is infectious, they say, and no
civilization is strong enough to destroy the charm of unrestrained
freedom when it has once been tasted. The gipsy cannot be tempted from
his tent, and even the common tramp finds a fascination in his
comfortless and precarious existence, that prevents him taking to any
fixed abode and occupation. To guard my spaniel Ralph from falling a
victim to this infection, and joining the canine Bedouins that, infested
the streets, was my chief care during our stay in Constantinople. He was
a fine fellow, my constant companion and cherished friend. Afraid of
losing him, I kept a strict watch over his movements; for the first
three days, however, he behaved like a tolerably well-educated
quadruped, and remained faithfully at my heels. At every impudent attack
from his Mahomedan cousins, whether intended as a hostile demonstration
or an overture of friendship, his only reply would be to draw in his
tail between his legs, and with an air of dignified modesty seek
protection under the wing of one or other of our party. 

As he had thus from the first shown so decided an aversion to bad
company, I began to feel assured of his discretion and by the end of the
third day I had considerably relaxed my vigilance. This carelessness on
my part, however, was soon punished, and I was made to regret my
misplaced confidence. In an unguarded moment he listened to the voice of
some four-footed syren, and the last I saw of him was the end of his
bushy tail, vanishing round the corner of a dirty, winding little back
street. 

Greatly annoyed, I passed the remainder of the day in a vain search
after my dumb companion, I offered twenty, thirty, forty francs reward
for him. About as many vagabond Maltese began a regular chase, and
towards evening we were invaded in our hotel by the whole troop, every
man of them with a more or less mangy cur in his arms, which he tried to
persuade me was my lost dog. The more I denied, the more solemnly they
insisted, one of them actually going down on his knees, snatching from
his bosom an old corroded metal image of the Virgin, and swearing a
solemn oath that the Queen of Heaven herself had kindly appeared to him
to point out the right animal. The tumult had increased to such an
extent that it looked as if Ralph's disappearance was going to be the
cause of a small riot, and finally our landlord had to send for a couple
of Kavasses from the nearest police station, and have this regiment of
bipeds and quadrupeds expelled by main force. I began to be convinced
that I should never see my dog again, and I was the more despondent
since the porter of the hotel, a semi-respectable old brigand, who, to
judge by appearances, had not passed more than half-a-dozen years at the
galleys, gravely assured me that all my pains were useless, as my
spaniel was undoubtedly dead and devoured too by this time, the Turkish
dogs being very fond of their more toothsome English brothers. 

All this discussion had taken place in the street at the door of the
hotel, and I was about to give up the search for that night at least,
and enter the hotel, when an old Greek lady, a Phanariote who had been
hearing the fracas from the steps of a door close by, approached our
disconsolate group and suggested to Miss H---, one of our party, that we
should enquire of the dervishes concerning the fate of Ralph. 

And what can the dervishes know about my dog? said I, in no mood to
joke, ridiculous as the proposition appeared. 

"The holy men know all, Kyrea (Madam)," said she, somewhat mysteriously.


"Last week I was robbed of my new satin pelisse, that my son had just
brought me from Broussa, and, as you all see, I have recovered it and
have it on my back now." 

"Indeed? Then the holy men have also managed to metamorphose your new
pelisse into an old one by all appearances," said one of the gentlemen
who accompanied us, pointing as he spoke to a large rent in the back,
which had been clumsily repaired with pins. 

"And that is just the most wonderful part of the whole story," quietly
answered the Phanariote, not in the least disconcerted. "They showed me
in the shining circle the quarter of the town, the house, and even the
room in which the Jew who had stolen my pelisse was just about to rip it
up and cut it into pieces. My son and I had barely time to run over to
the Kalindjikoulosek quarter, and to save my property. We caught the
thief in the very act, and we both recognized him as the man shown to us
by the dervishes in the magic moon. He confessed the theft and is now in
prison." 

Although none of us had the least comprehension of what she meant by the
magic moon and the shining circle, and were all thoroughly mystified by
her account of the divining powers of the "holy men," we still felt
somehow satisfied from her manner that the story was not altogether a
fabrication, and since she had at all events apparently succeeded in
recovering her property through being somehow assisted by the dervishes,
we determined to go the following morning and see for ourselves, for
what had helped her might help us likewise. 

The monotonous cry of the Muezzins from the tops of the minarets had
just proclaimed the hour of noon as we, descending from the heights of
Pera to the port of Galata, with difficulty managed to elbow our way
through the unsavoury crowds of the commercial quarter of the town.
Before we reached the docks, we had been half deafened by the shouts and
incessant ear-piercing cries and the Babel-like confusion of tongues. In
this part of the city it is useless to expect to be guided by either
house numbers, or names of streets. The location of any desired place is
indicated by its proximity to some other more conspicuous building such
as a mosque, bath, or European shop; for the rest, one has to trust to
Allah and his prophet. 

It was with the greatest difficulty, therefore, that we finally
discovered the British ship-chandler's store, at the rear of which we
were to find the place of our destination. Our hotel guide was as
ignorant of the dervishes' abode as we were ourselves; but at last a
small Greek, in all the simplicity of primitive undress, consented for a
modest copper backsheesh to lead us to the dancers. 

When we arrived we were shown into a vast and gloomy hall that looked
like a deserted stable. It was long and narrow, the floor was thickly
strewn with sand as in a riding school, and it was lighted only by small
windows placed at some height from the ground. The dervishes had
finished their morning performances, and were evidently resting from
their exhausting labours. They looked completely prostrated, some lying
about in corners, others sitting on their heels staring vacantly into
space, engaged, as we were informed, in meditation on their invisible
deity. They appeared to have lost all power of sight and hearing, for
none of them responded to our questions until a great gaunt figure,
wearing a tall cap that made him look at least seven feet high, emerged
from an obscure corner. Informing us that he was their chief, the giant
gave us to understand that the saintly brethren, being in the habit of
receiving orders for additional ceremonies from Allah himself, must on
no account be disturbed. But when our interpreter had explained to him
the object of our visit, which concerned himself alone, as he was the
sole custodian of the "divining rod," his objections vanished and he
extended his hand for alms. Upon being gratified, he intimated that only
two of our party could be admitted at one time into the confidence of
the future, and led the way, followed by Miss H -- and myself. 

Plunging after him into what seemed to be a half subterranean passage,
we were led to the foot of a tall ladder leading to a chamber under the
roof. We scrambled up after our guide, and at the top we found ourselves
in a wretched garret of moderate size, with bare walls and destitute of
furniture. The floor was carpeted with a thick layer of dust, and
cobwebs festooned the walls in neglected confusion. In the corner we saw
something that I at first mistook for a bundle of old rags; but the heap
presently moved and got on its legs, advanced to the middle of the room
and stood before us, the most extraordinary looking creature that I ever
beheld. Its sex was female, but whether she was a woman or child it was
impossible to decide. She was a hideous-looking dwarf, with an enormous
head, the shoulders of a grenadier, with a waist in proportion; the
whole supported by two short, lean, spider-like legs that seemed unequal
to the task of bearing the weight of the monstrous body. She had a
grinning countenance like the face of a satyr, and it was ornamented
with letters and signs from the Koran painted in bright yellow. On her
forehead was a blood-red crescent; her head was crowned with a dusty
tarbouche, or fez; her legs were arrayed in large Turkish trousers, and
some dirty white muslin wrapped round her body barely sufficed to
conceal its hideous deformities. This creature rather let herself drop
than sat down in the middle of the floor, and as her weight descended on
the rickety boards it sent up a cloud of dust that set us coughing and
sneezing. This was the famous Tatmos known as the Damascus oracle! 

Without losing time in idle talk, the dervish produced a piece of chalk,
and traced around the girl a circle about six feet in diameter. Fetching
from behind the door twelve small copper lamps which he filled with some
dark liquid from a small bottle which he drew from his bosom, he placed
them symmetrically around the magic circle. He then broke a chip of wood
from a panel of the half ruined door, which bore the marks of many a
similar depredation, and, holding the chip between his thumb and finger
he began blowing on it at regular intervals, alternating the blowing
with mutterings of some kind of weird incantation, till suddenly, and
without any apparent cause for its ignition, there appeared a spark on
the chip and it blazed up like a dry match. The dervish then lit the
twelve lamps at this self-generated flame. 
During this process, Tatmos, who had sat till then altogether
unconcerned and motionless, removed her yellow slippers from her naked
feet, and throwing them into a corner, disclosed as an additional
beauty, a sixth toe on each deformed foot. The dervish now reached over
into the circle and seizing the dwarf's ankles gave her a jerk, as if he
had been lifting a bag of corn, and raised her clear off the ground,
then, stepping back a pace, held her head downward. He shook her as one
might a sack to pack its contents, the motion being regular and easy. He
then swung her to and fro like a pendulum until the necessary momentum
was acquired, when letting go one foot and seizing the other with both
hands, he made a powerful muscular effort and whirled her round in the
air as if she had been an Indian club. 

My companion had shrunk back in alarm to the farthest corner. Round and
round the dervish swung his living burden, she remained perfectly
passive. The motion increased in rapidity until the eye could hardly
follow the body in its circuit. This continued for perhaps two or three
minutes, until, gradually slackening the motion he at length stopped it
altogether, and in an instant had landed the girl on her knees in the
middle of the lamp-lit circle. Such was the Eastern mode of
mesmerization as practised among the dervishes. 

And now the dwarf seemed entirely oblivious of external objects and in a
deep trance. Her head and jaw dropped on her chest, her eyes were glazed
and staring, and altogether her appearance was even more hideous than
before. The dervish then carefully closed the shutters of the only
window, and we should have been in total obscurity but that there was a
hole bored in it, through which entered a bright ray of sunlight that
shot through the darkened room and shone upon the girl. He arranged her
drooping head so that the ray should fall upon the crown, after which,
motioning us to remain silent, he folded his arms upon his bosom, and,
fixing his gaze upon the bright spot, became as motionless as a stone
image. I, too, riveted my eyes on the same spot, wondering what was to
happen next, and how all this strange ceremony was to help me to find
Ralph. 

By degrees, the bright patch, as if it had drawn through the sunbeam a
greater splendour from without and condensed it within its own area,
shaped itself into a brilliant star, sending out rays in every direction
as from a focus. 

A curious optical effect then occurred: the room, which had been
previously partially lighted by the sunbeam, grew darker and darker as
the star increased in radiance, until we found ourselves in an Egyptian
gloom. The star twinkled, trembled and turned, at first with a slow
gyratory motion, then faster and faster, increasing its circumference at
every rotation until it formed a brilliant disk, and we no longer saw
the dwarf, who seemed absorbed into its light. Having gradually attained
an extremely rapid velocity, as the girl had done when whirled by the
dervish, the motion began to decrease and finally merged into a feeble
vibration, like the shimmer of moonbeams on rippling water. Then it
flickered for a moment longer, emitted a few last flashes, and assuming
the density and irridescence of an immense opal, it remained motionless.
The disk now radiated a moon-like lustre, soft and silvery, but instead
of illuminating the garret, it seemed only to intensify the darkness.
The edge of the circle was not penumbrous, but on the contrary sharply
defined like that of a silver shield. 
All being now ready, the dervish without uttering a word, or removing
his gaze from the disk, stretched out a hand, and taking hold of mine,
he drew me to his side and pointed to the luminous shield. Looking at
the place indicated, we saw large patches appear like those on the moon.
These gradually formed themselves into figures that began moving about
in high relief in their natural colours. They neither appeared like a
photograph nor an engraving; still less like the reflection of images on
a mirror, but as if the disk were a cameo, and they were raised above
its surface and then endowed with life and motion. To my astonishment
and my friend's consternation, we recognized the bridge leading from
Galata to Stamboul spanning the Golden Horn from the new to the old
city. There were the people hurrying to and fro, steamers and gay
caiques gliding on the blue Bosphorus, the many coloured buildings,
villas and palaces reflected in the water; and the whole picture
illuminated by the noonday sun. It passed like a panorama, but so vivid
was the impression that we could not tell whether it or ourselves were
in motion. All was bustle and life, but not a sound broke the oppressive
stillness. It was noiseless as a dream. It was a phantom picture. Street
after street and quarter after quarter succeeded one another; there was
the bazaar, with its narrow, roofed passages, the small shops on either
side, the coffee houses with gravely smoking Turks; and as either they
glided past us or we past them, one of the smokers upset the narghile
and coffee of another, and a volley of soundless invectives caused us
great amusement. So we travelled with the picture until we came to a
large building that I recognized as the palace of the Minister of
Finance. In a ditch behind the house, and close to a mosque, lying in a
pool of mud with his silken coat all bedraggled, lay my poor Ralph!
Panting and crouching down as if exhausted, he seemed to be in a dying
condition; and near him were gathered some sorry-looking curs who lay
blinking in the sun and snapping at the flies! 

I had seen all that I desired, although I had not breathed a word about
the dog to the dervish, and had come more out of curiosity than with the
idea of any success. I was impatient to leave at once and recover Ralph,
but as my companion besought me to remain a little while longer, I
reluctantly consented. The scene faded away and Miss H--- placed herself
in turn by the side of the dervish. 

"I will think of him," she whispered in my ear with the eager tone that
young ladies generally assume when talking of the worshipped him. 

There is a long stretch of sand and a blue sea with white waves dancing
in the sun, and a great steamer is ploughing her way along past a
desolate shore, leaving a milky track behind her. The deck is full of
life, the men are busy forward, the cook with white cap and apron is
coming out of the galley, uniformed officers are moving about,
passengers fill the quarter-deck, lounging, flirting or reading, and a
young man we both recognize comes forward and leans over the taffrail.
It is -- him. 

Miss H--- gives a little gasp, blushes and smiles, and concentrates her
thoughts again. The picture of the steamer vanishes; the magic moon
remains for a few moments blank. But new spots appear on its luminous
face, we see a library slowly emerging from its depths -- a library with
green carpet and hangings, and book-shelves round the sides of the room.
Seated in an arm-chair at a table under a hanging lamp, is an old
gentleman writing. His gray hair is brushed back from his forehead, his
face is smooth-shaven and his countenance has an expression of
benignity. 

The dervish made a hasty motion to enjoin silence; the light on the disk
quivers, but resumes its steady brilliancy, and again its surface is
imageless for a second. 

We are back in Constantinople now and out of the pearly, depths of the
shield forms our own apartment in the hotel. There are our papers and
books on the bureau, my friend's travelling hat in a corner, her ribbons
hanging on the glass, and lying on the bed the very dress she had
changed when starting out on our expedition. No detail was lacking to
make the identification complete; and as if to prove that we were not
seeing something conjured up in our imagination, there lay upon the
dressing-table two unopened letters, the handwriting on which was
clearly recognized by my friend. They were from a very dear relative of
hers, from whom she had expected to hear when in Athens, but had been
disappointed. The scene faded away and we now saw her brother's room
with himself lying upon the lounge, and a servant bathing his head,
whence to our horror, blood was trickling. We had left the boy in
perfect health but an hour before; and upon seeing this picture my
companion uttered a cry of alarm, and seizing me by the hand dragged me
to the door. We rejoined our guide and friends in the long hall and
hurried back to the hotel. 

Young H--- had fallen downstairs and cut his forehead rather badly; in
our room, on the dressing-table were the two letters which had arrived
in our absence. They had been forwarded from Athens. Ordering a carriage
I at once drove to the Ministry of Finance, and alighting with the
guide, hurriedly made for the ditch I had seen for the first time in the
shining disk! In the middle of the pool, badly mangled, half-famished,
but still alive, lay my beautiful spaniel Ralph, and near him were the
blinking curs, unconcernedly snapping at the flies. 
 
---------------------------------


Best wishes,


Dallas

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


-----Original Message-----
From: MKR
Sent: Saturday, January 24, 2004 3:12 PM
To 
Subject: Re: HPB's OCCULT TALES

I recall that some who claim to have NDE seeing light. Could the 
explanation of HPB may be one of the explanations of this phenomenon?

mkr



At 11:11 AM 01/23/04 -0800, quoting from Dallas msg:
>We know a number of mystically-inclined people who see such "lights" as
>that described above as soon as they concentrate their thoughts.
>Spiritualists attribute them to the agency of their departed friends;
>Buddhists (who have no personal God) to a pre-nirvânic state;
Pantheists
>and Vedântins to Mâyâ—or the illusion of the senses; and Christians—to
a
>foresight of the glories of Paradise.
>
>The modern Occultists say that, when not directly due to cerebral
>action, the normal functions of which are certainly impeded by such an
>artificial mode of deep concentration—these lights are glimpses of the
>Astral Light, or, to use a more "scientific" expression, of the "
>Universal Ether," firmly believed in by more than one man of science,
as
>proved by Stewart and Tait’s Unseen Universe.
>
>Like the pure blue sky closely shrouded by thick vapours on a misty
day,
>so is the Astral Light concealed from our physical senses during the
>hours of our normal daily life. But when, concentrating all our
>spiritual faculties we succeed, for the time being, in paralyzing their
>enemy (the physical senses), and the inner man becomes, so to say,
>distinct from the man of matter—then the action of the ever-living
>spirit, like a breeze that clears the sky from its obstructing clouds,
>sweeps away the mist which lies between our normal vision and the
Astral
>Light, and we obtain glimpses into, and of, that Light.
>
>The days of "smoking furnaces" and "burning lamps" which form part of
>the biblical visions are long gone by—to return no more. But whoever,
>refusing natural explanations, prefers supernatural ones, is, of
course,
>at liberty to imagine that an "Almighty God" amuses us with visions of
>flowers, and sends burning lights before making "covenants" with his
>worshippers.
>[Ed.]


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