Theos-Talk Archives (January 2006 Message tt00109)

Hi Paul,

Very interesting analysis. 

You bring out a point that I thought
> about mentioning but didn't-- what does it mean to "accept" anyone's
> conclusions about anything. Whether on the basis of scholarly
> expertise, scriptural authority, or paranormal claims, when we
> "accept" another's conclusions, that falls far short of *knowing for
> ourselves.* 

Perhaps even by definition we could say that accepting another's 
conclusions falls short of knowing for ourselves. In some subjects 
this is not very important. I accept the conclusions my mechanic 
arrives at in diagnosing car problems, as well as his plan for fixing 
them, because I don' t want to go to the trouble to figure it out and 
fix it myself. But in other matters, things that interest me more 
intimately, I want to really know, to make the knowledge a part of 
myself. I want to become that knowledge, so that I know without a 
doubt. 
> 
> So to clarify, and on this we can perhaps approach agreement, 
> whatever we "accept" without personal knowledge should be held 
> lightly, regardless of the source. It's closer to "suspend judgment"
> than to "unquestioningly endorse," in the way Martin is suggesting it,
> I think. 

"Suspend judgment" is a very useful tool, imho. When confronted with 
something that just doesn't make sense, or cannot be sorted out, but 
that is engaging nevertheless, it is useful to put in on some mental 
back burner, so to speak, because further searches will often shed 
some light (heat?) on it. Things tend to fall into place more easily 
if neither embraced nor denied, but just "suspended" for a time. 

It is the opposite of "reject," yet weaker than related
> terms like "embrace" or "adhere to." Those go beyond "I suppose it's
> probably true" to "I am personally attached to its being true"-- and
> that has a way of setting us up for a fall. In Theosophical terms,
> accepting an idea/doctrine is manasic whereas embracing it or adhering
> to it is kamic, perhaps.

It is certainly possible that some things that seem obvious to one 
person and not to another may be things that were learned previously, 
that that entity had already made a part of himself, so to speak. 
This is if you believe in reincarnation. But that fits with the 
karmic category. Astrologically, it is interesting to analyze what of 
the infinity of "knowledge," or perhaps wisdom would be a better word 
here, has the native already got under his belt, and what part still 
lurks to be discovered. This is specious to a point, of course, since 
nobody knows everything. But I look at the Dragon's head and tail, 
the north and south nodes, to give clues about that. It is revealing 
as a backdrop for the whole chart.

Best wishes,
Adelasie