Theos-Talk Archives (September 2005 Message tt00202)

9/15/2005 2:56 AM

Friends:

According to THEOSOPHY there is a plane called the Akasa whereon a record is
kept of all events and all thoughts as well as karmic trails. [ In the
SECRET DOCTRINE it has been called "5th universal principle, aether, cosmic
ideation, matter on another plane," : p. 10, 13fn, 18fn, 35, 137, 197fn,
205, 234-6, 253, 256, 326, 457-8, 487, 515fn, 534-7; II511fn; ]

The adept initiate is said to have, as one of his faculties the power to
"read" in the Akasa, and, when necessary, to be able to view any event or
action, statement, or thought made in the past, or concurrently, in the
present.

Accounts of HPB ( and things she wrote of) showed she had this ability.

It is not "time-travel" by an aspect of clairvoyance and clairaudience. 

--------------------------------- QUOTE --------------------------------

CLAIRVOYANCE, CLAIRAUDIENCE

"Clairvoyance, clairaudience, and second-sight are all closely related.
Every exercise of any one of them draws in at the same time both of the
others. They are but variations of one power. Sound is one of the
distinguishing characteristics of the Astral sphere, and as light goes with
sound, sight obtains simultaneously with hearing. 

To see an image with the Astral senses means that at the same time there is
a sound. It is well known to the true student of occultism that every sound
produces instantaneously an image, and this, so long known in the Orient,
has lately been demonstrated in the West in the production to the eye of
sound pictures on a stretched tympanum. 

In clairvoyance, the pictures in the Astral Light pass before the inner
vision and are reflected into the physical eye from within. They then appear
objectively to the seer. In clairaudience, the hearer hears with the center
of hearing in the Astral body activating the physical equivalent sense.

In clairvoyance with waking sight, the vibration is communicated to the
brain first. From the brain it is transmitted to the physical eye, where it
sets up an image upon the retina. In ordinary vision the vibrations on the
retina of the are transmitted to the brain. Sound, also a vibration, is
preserved in the Astral Light and, from thence the inner sense can take it
and transmit it to the brain, from which it is retransmitted to the physical
ear. 


THE ASTRAL PICTURE GALLERY OF EVERYTHING 

By means of these pictures, seen with the inner senses, all clairvoyants
exercise their strange faculty. Yet it is a faculty common to all men,
though in the majority but slightly developed. Occultism asserts that were
it not for the germ of this power slightly active in every one no man could
convey to another any idea whatsoever.  


SPIRITUAL VISION and CLAIRVOYANCE

The highest order of clairvoyance -- that of Spiritual Vision -- is very
rare. The usual clairvoyant deals only with the ordinary aspects and strata
of the Astral matter. SPIRITUAL SIGHT comes only to those who are pure,
devoted, and firm. It may be attained by special development of the
particular organ in the body through which alone such sight is possible, and
only after discipline, long training, and the highest altruism. 

All other clairvoyance is transitory, inadequate, and fragmentary, dealing,
as it does, only with matter and illusion. 

AN ADEPT MAY PROJECT HIS "DOUBLE."

The Adept may send out his apparition, which, however, is called by another
name [mayavi-rupa], as it consists of his conscious and trained astral body
endowed with all his intelligence and not wholly detached from his physical
frame. 


SECOND-SIGHT

SECOND-SIGHT is a combination of clairaudience and clairvoyance, and the
frequency with which future events are seen by the second-sight seer adds an
element of prophecy. If they are of past events or those to come, the
picture only is seen; if of events actually then occurring, the scene is
perceived through the Astral Light by the inner sense. This part of the
subject is a dangerous one, but can be gone into much further with the aid
of occultism. The pure-minded and the brave can deal with the future and
the present far better than any clairvoyant.

In the Astral Light are pictures of all things whatsoever that happened to
any person, and as well also pictures of those events to come, the causes
for which are sufficiently well marked and made. If the causes are yet
indefinite, so will be the images of the future. But for the mass of events
for several years to come all the producing and efficient causes are always
laid down with enough definiteness to permit the seer to see them in
advance. " .....



SCIENTIFIC LAWS AND THEOSOPHY

But to explain the phenomena performed by Adepts, Fakirs, Yogees, and all
trained occultists, one has to understand the occult laws of chemistry, of
mind, of force, and of matter. 

Theosophy does not deny nor ignore the physical laws discovered by science.
It admits all such as are proven, but it asserts the existence of others
which modify the action of those we ordinarily know. 

Behind all the visible phenomena is the occult cosmos with its ideal
machinery. That occult cosmos can only be fully understood by means of the
inner senses which pertain to it. Those senses will not be easily developed
if their existence is denied. Brain and mind, acting together, have the
power to evolve forms, first as astral ones in astral substance, and later
as visible ones by accretions of the matter on this plane.

Objectivity depends largely on perception, and perception may be affected by
inner stimuli. Hence a witness may either see an object which actually
exists as such without, or, he may be made to see one by internal stimulus.


This gives us three modes of sight: 

(1) with the eye by means of light from an object, 

(2) with the inner senses by means of the Astral Light, and 

(3) by stimulus from within which causes the eye to report to the brain,
thus throwing the inner image without. 

The phenomena of the other senses may be tabulated in the same manner. 

The Astral substance being the register of all thoughts, sounds, pictures,
and other vibrations, and the inner man being a complete person able to act
with or without co-ordination with the physical, all the phenomena of
hypnotism, clairvoyance, clairaudience, mediumship, and the rest of those
which are not consciously performed may be explained.

In the Astral substance are all sounds and pictures, and in the Astral Man,
remain impressions of every event, however remote or insignificant; these
acting together produce the phenomena which seem so strange to those who
deny or are unaware of the postulates of occultism. 


LAWS AFFECTING PSYCHIC PHENOMENA

If one is to understand the psychic phenomena found in the history of
"spiritualism" it is necessary to know and admit the following: 

1. The complete heredity of man astrally, spiritually, and psychically,
as a being who knows, reasons, feels, and acts through the body, the Astral
body, and the soul. [Man is an immortal Monad.]

2. he nature of the mind, its operation, its powers; the nature and
power of imagination; the duration and effect of impressions. Most important
in this is the persistence of the slightest impression as well as the
deepest; that every impression produces a picture in the individual aura;
and that by means of this a connection is established between the auras of
friends and relatives old, new, near, distant, and remote in degree: this
would give a wide range of possible sight to a clairvoyant. 

3. The nature, extent, function, and power of man's inner Astral organs
and faculties included in the terms Astral body and Kama [Desire & Passion].
That these are not hindered from action by trance or sleep, but are
increased in the medium when entranced. At the same time their action is
not free, but governed by the mass chord of thought among the sitters. This
may also be governed by the predominating will of one of the sitters, or by
the presiding "devilish Kama-rupa" behind the scenes. If a sceptical
scientific investigator be present, his mental attitude may totally inhibit
the action of the medium's powers by what we might call a freezing process
which no English terms will adequately describe. 

4. The fate of the Real Man after death, his state, power, activity
there, and his relation, if any, to those left behind him here. 

5. That the intermediary between mind and body -- the Astral body -- is
thrown off at death and left in the Astral light to fade away; and that the
real man goes to Devachan. 

6. The existence, nature, power, and function of the Astral light and
its place as a register in Nature. That it contains, retains, and reflects
pictures of each and every thing that happened to anyone, and also every
thought; that it permeates the globe and the atmosphere around it; that the
transmission of vibration through it is practically instantaneous, since the
rate is much quicker than that of electricity as now known. 

7. The existence in the Astral light of beings not using bodies like
ours, but not human in their nature, having powers, faculties, and a sort of
consciousness of their own. These include the elemental forces or nature
sprites divided into many degrees, and which have to do with every operation
of Nature and every motion of the mind of man. That these elementals act at
seances automatically in their various departments, one class presenting
pictures, another producing sounds, and others depolarizing objects for the
purposes of apportation. Acting with them in this Astral sphere are the
"soulless men" [Elementaries, "shells"] who live in it. To these are to be
ascribed the phenomenon, among others, of the "independent voice," always
sounding like a voice in a barrel just because it is made in a vacuum which
is absolutely necessary for an entity so far removed from spirit. The
peculiar timbre of this sort of voice has not been noticed by the
spiritualists as important, but it is extremely significant in the view of
occultism. 

8. The existence and operation of occult laws and forces in nature
which may be used to produce phenomenal results on this plane; that these
laws and forces may be put into operation by the subconscious man and by the
elementals either consciously or unconsciously, and that many of these
occult operations are automatic in the same way as is the freezing of water
under intense cold or the melting of ice under heat. ....

CURIOSITY AND SELFISH ACQUIREMENT OF "POWER"

To attempt to acquire the use of the psychic powers for mere curiosity or
for selfish ends is also dangerous for the same reasons as in the case of
mediumship. As the civilization of the present day is selfish to the last
degree and built on the personal, element, the rules for the development of
these powers in the right way, have not been given out. But the Masters of
Wisdom have said that philosophy and ethics must first be learned and
practiced before any development of the other department is to be indulged
in; and their condemnation of the wholesale development of mediums is
supported by the history of spiritualism, which is one long story of the
ruin of mediums in every direction. 


SCIENCE and THE ASTRAL & PSYCHIC PLANE

Equally improper is the manner of the scientific schools which without a
thought for the true nature of man indulge in experiments in hypnotism in
which the subjects are injured for life, put into disgraceful attitudes, and
made to do things for the satisfaction of the investigators which would
never be done by men and women in their normal state. 

The Lodge of the Masters does not care for Science unless it aims to better
man's state morally as well as physically, and no aid will be given to
Science until she looks at man and life from the moral and spiritual side. 

For this reason those who know all about the psychical world, its denizens
and laws, are proceeding with a reform in morals and philosophy before any
great attention will be accorded to the strange and seductive phenomena
possible for the inner powers of man. 

And at the present time the cycle has almost run its course for this
century. Now, as a century ago, the forces are slackening; the Adept Lodge
hopes by the time the next tide begins to rise that the West will have
gained some right knowledge of the true philosophy of Man and Nature, and be
then ready to bear the lifting of the veil a little more. To help on the
progress of the race in this direction is the object of Theosophy and that
is offered to all."

from The OCEAN OF THEOSOPHY, Ch. 17.

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

Dallas
 

-----Original Message-----
From: Zakk Duffany [mailto:zakkduffany@earthlink.net] 
Sent: Wednesday, September 14, 2005 5:31 PM
To: Theosophy Study List
Subject: Re: Time / Reality


>OK, so long as the focus is shifted there is no "remembering" as such. The
focus is a shift into what is currently going on in 1003 BC. This would
appear to be a type of time travel.>

Yes, and it would appear as a type of time travel by most individuals.

>But when that 2003 AD person returns to
his normal focus in 2003 SD, doesn't he then carry the "memory" of the 1003
BC experience with him?>

Yes, but it will be as the memory of the person in 1003 AD, not a memory
in the person in 2003 AD.

>In short, I am unable to see any real difference.>

A difference can be described. Please let me know if the description is
unclear. An individual is experiencing a life focused in 2003 AD. A
personality is a part of this life's focus. The mind, thoughts, emotions, 
etc.
of this individual in this life has developed this personality and the 
beliefs
and general way of thinking & interpreting as well. This is the make-up
of John Doe (for a name reference). John Doe has a particular
"worldview". In 1003 AD, John Doe had a life in which will be named as
James Buck. James Buck also has a "worldview" based on the personality
development of James Buck and etc., just the same as John Doe has. The
woldview of James is not the same as John. The knowledge gained by
James differs from that of John. If John recalls a memory of the life of
James, it is placed in the worldview of John. It is interpreted in the
worldview of John. It is not the knowledge of James and the worldview
of James. John is not focused as James, but as John, in which memories
are being experienced. In the scenerio of being focused as James, rather
than recalling past events as John, a different occurrence happens. The
"memory" will be from the personality, knowledge, and worldview as James.
It is not tainted by the John personality. It is not tainted from the 
worldview
of John. It is James remembering personal experiences of his life and not
John remembering the life of James. The difference is dramatic.

>Surely you aren't suggesting that one can shift one's focus to the past and
then change the past.>

No, there is no intent to that suggesting.

<< As individuals are experiencing all planes simultaneously, so are
individuals experiencing all time periods simultaneously. >>

>I first came across this idea in Jane Roberts' Seth books, and I liked it
then and still like it now. It is an intuitively appealing idea. But any
such experiencing of past events must not be capable of changing them from
what "already" happened and so I tend to see this as a form of memory where
past and future events are vividly re-lived.>

The above is stated from a linear time perspective. It can be re-worded from
a "timeless" perspective. The statement that one can not change what already
happened can be stated as one can not change a simultaneous event. It is
simultaneous. There is no "re-living" in a simultaneous event.

<< The multiple perspective allows for the
multiple focuses. >>

>I can understand a multiple focus on all seven planes where we are
conscious of all of our counterparts simultaneously. But the idea of having
a multiple focus of all past and future times simply overloads my
conceptual abilities.>

Some of the concepts you present will overload the conceptual
abilities of others. Individuals are at different stages of evolving.
Personally speaking, I can not consciously hold the experiencing of
multiple lives simultaneously. It is why a shifting of focus is necessary.
I am aware of experiencing other lives simultaneously and consciously
hold knowledges in which these other lives are / have acquired, but
can not hold the simultaneous experiencing of each life. That ability is
way beyond my capacity. I am only aware that such an ability
(or state) exists.

<< At a given point of state of awareness, one may
utilize memories or shift experience in regards to that referred to as
past lives. >>

>What, if anything, is the difference between shifting experience and having
a vivid re-view of a past, present, or future event? >

One can experience the memory of an event or experience the event
itself. There are times when a memory is "re-enacted" or "re-manifested"
into a replicated experience. A method of distinguishing can be seen in
what has been stated earlier in this correspondence.

>Is this shifting of
experience a mode of time travel wherein past events can be changed?>

No. As a note ; what you perceive as time travel, I do not. One does
not need to have one's place of focus situated from the timeful.

>In
other words, what happens to free will and choice in such shifted
experiences?>

It is actually the shift of focus, not the shift of experience. The shift of
focus does initiate the change of experiencing. In regards to the question
asked : When the focus of John shifts to the focus of James, it is James
that is exercising will and choice. John is no longer the personality
being focused through. The "I" of John and James are the same. No will
or choice is altered. It appears that it is being perceived that John is
"time traveling" and John is in the past, and therefore John can change the
"past". This is not so. John is not in the "past". The eternal "I", if you
will, is timeless and is the same when experiencing John or James. It is not
the personality of John that experiences James. The personality of John can
only experience the memory of James. It is the personality of James
that experiences James. And it is the eternal "individual" that experiences
James or John but is not singularly one or the other. One can shift one's
focus from the experiencing of John to the experiencing of James.

<< Some Teachers may share a memory with a Pupil or the actual
experience. The method in which is utilized for this has been
mentioned in past correspondences. >>

>Zakk, I regret to say that I still am unable to distinguish between the
two.>

It is not seen as to be necessary. Each to their own understanding and
worldview. We are but discussing various perspectives.

>If the Teacher is hit on the head and gets amnesia, then I cannot see
him doing either for his pupil.>

One who is hit in the head and suffers amnesia experiences a change
in one's state of awareness. This would naturally have an affect on one's
abilities. I would not see him doing either for his pupil either, or even
having a pupil for that matter.

>Permit me to share: I have, on occasion, vividly re-lived past events in
which I felt the pain that I caused in others and shared in their suffering
that I unconsciously brought about. The pain in the re-collection was so
intense that I wept. Of course, I was totally unaware of this pain at the
time I underwent the experience and caused it, because at the time I was
thinking only of myself. Is this sort of thing what you have in mind? >

This could be re-living (re-manifesting) events or it could be a shifting of
focus. This form of shifting of focus is similar to what I was referring in
regards to the shifting of focus to another "time".

>or is
this something else? >

It is something else, for Jerry is still Jerry in this scenerio. But it is 
similar
if it was a shifting of focus.

>I have always thought of such memories (memories with
more knowledge than I was consciously aware of at the time) as premature
past-life reviews.>

There are experiences of a timeless nature when one experiences a
sequence of events in "no time". This experience is related to that in
which I was referring to, but not the same. These are different aspects
of the timeless and therefore interrelated.
I would perceive the same as to the above being past-life reviews. The
review normally takes place outside of the personality rather than from 
within
it, resulting in more awareness or knowledge than one was consciously aware
of at the time of the experience from within the personality.

>Yes. Blavatsky talks about the "grooves of the mind" and how difficult it
is to get out of them. And Tsongkhapa splits ignorance into two categories:
(1) that caused by philosophies such as the reification of atman, mahat and
the like, and (2) that caused by our own habitual karmic tendencies. The
first is learned ignorance while the second is genetic ignorance. Needless
to say, the second type is harder to eliminate.>

Other than having a preference of stating "inherent" versus "genetic", I
perceive ignorance in the same manner.


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