Theos-Talk Archives (May 2006 Message tt00578)

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As I tend to see it, there's a difference between one's notions about logic, models, interpretations, worldviews, theories, useful things, Thesophies, etc (baskets of eggs, in a sense), and what I thought might be something like an attempt at a stretegic/intuitive caveat or "holding back" (on the part of some students of Theosophy, maybe ...) who might not always want to put all their logic or eggs (models, interpretations, worldviews, theories, useful things, etc) in any one basket/model nor in any number of baskets in terms of "defined/logical context" inasmuchas they might want to maintain some kind of (what might be called ...)  an "open mind" or "less-defined-but-intuitive" approach/mind (with a view towards Liberation and Enlightenment, in some cases, maybe, seems to me).  Not that Theosophists might not all tend to interpret "open mind" in various ways in various contexts.  And though I suspect that the results/interpretations of such openess might often tend to be somewhat speculative (whether or not there might be a tendency to "admit" that, seems to me), as by way of whatever "logical analysis" (however one might define "logic") ...but how can one have an "open mind" that doesn't become, at some point, an "exoteric version," generally speaking: that doesn't become "more closed" or "more logical than open" in any kind of "exoteric/interpretive sense":  In other words, though a mindset that might be seen as "more closed" ("in exoteric terms") might seem to be the norm for purposes of "making sense" and "logical communications," (per one's worldview, say ...), aren't we trying to address some esoteric aspects of Theosophy here, among other things? 

 My attempts to "bridge some gaps"  between "more closed" (as in exoteric, mainstreamy, karmic/interpretive influences, views) and "more open" (as in esoteric/intuitive/direct/experiential) mindsets seems to have led to my speculations about "middlewaying."  In other words, how can any serious student of Theosophy deal with a world that's thought to be Mayavic, without resorting to some form of openess of mind, and without some kind of attempts to find meaningful ways of dealing with differences or apparent differences between exoteric ("logical/analytical") and esoteric ("direct/experiential") realities (however such "realities" might be "defined/exoterized")?  I have been speculating that there might be some kind of "middlewaying" that might do, in some sense, in some cases, maybe (until something "better" comes along), as a means of coping (or "attempting to cope") in a world that's recognized as Mayavic, but Karmic, or vice versa (as when working with karma might seem necessary as a means of transcending it, and maya).  Seems to me that "working with karma" in that context amounts to a form of "middlewaying," in a sense, inasmuchas that kind of working might be recognized as having both esoteric and exoteric (ie, "interpretive") aspects: and so that kind of "working" would seem to me to be like an attempt to "find meaning" between exoteric and esoteric realities by "middlewaying" or "intermediating"---"in a sense," or "in exoteric terms"---"between those two,"  as I tend to see it (with help from "intuition," possibly).  

On the other hand, of course we might all want to interpret exoteric/esoteric and everything else in our various ways, so what can I say about "where I put my eggs" (somebody once asked me that), especially/inasmuchas my notions about "my eggs" are, basically, rather unique (inasmuchas we might all admit that all humans are different?), especially in terms of their "middleway sense" as I might tend to see it, from time to time. So how could "my notions" be seen to "meaningfully connect with" or "relate to" the next person's notions and karma/maya, other than "relatively" (in whatever "defined sense"), at times, maybe ...

My "short explanation" for "where do I put my eggs" might go something like:  "somewhere in the middle between exoteric and esoteric realities" (the quotes were meant to alert the reader that "the finger pointing at the moon is not the moon.").   Where more  specifically?  I seem to want to have an "open mind" (as those quotes, or alerts, might be seen to imply?) about that, though I might go for a "closed or less-open mind" (in a sense) when "exoterizing"  or  "interpreting" in an attempt to deal with my notions about what the "initial assumptions" might be in whatever context.

Speculatively,
Mauri

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