Theos-Talk Archives (September 2006 Message tt00081)

Hi Jake,

Thanks, that helps me to understand a bit better. You see a Master as 
a being outside of yourself, someone else, so to speak. In that 
context, your comments make sense. But what if we accept the idea of 
the whole of humanity being one entity, a pyramid, if you will, with 
the Christos at the pinnacle, people in incarnation, like you and me, 
at the base, and the hierarchy of Masters in ranks forming the rest 
of the pyramid? The base is the differentiated outer physical body, 
dwelling on the physical plane, and all the rest is interior, 
dwelling on spiritual planes. In that sense, the Master, the 
Christos, is the composite of all, the "Perfected Man and Master," 
the "Watcher on the Threshold," offering spiritual sustenance and 
guidance to any who ask. One way we on the exterior can consciously 
ask for such help and guidance is to imagine that Perfected Being in 
our own heart, where in fact He is, since the center of all things is 
the same center, our individual heart being our center, and the 
Christos being at the absolute center of humanity. It is not so much 
a matter of disturbing someone else as it is becoming conscious of 
our own real identity, as integral parts, hands and feet so to speak, 
of the Master, He who has sacrificed all to wait for us to evolve 
back to the Absolute


>      Well, for one thing, it seems strange 
> to me to visualize someone else "in the 
> heart" as a spiritual source, when one 
> has HIS OWN spiritual source in the heart.  
> The goal, seems to me, is to get in 
> touch with one's own spiritual source, 
> and not head in the direction of 
> depending on someone else's spiritual 
> source instead.  It seems out of character 
> with the Theosophical idea of self-reliance.  
> I've got to think that any "adepts" 
> want left alone basically, and not 
> have people visualizing them all 
> the time. 
(snip)

Perhaps the word "visualization" is a hang up. Consider using 
"imagine," or "realize," the Master as a living part of yourself. 
There is a lot of New Age confusion about visualization rampant, and, 
while I don't wish to criticize another's path, I see danger in using 
visualization as a technique for manifesting personally beneficial 
material conditions. That way lies black magic and a lot of Karma to 
pay. Anything we do needs to be subject to review, to make sure our 
motive is altruistic, not selfish. We can be sure, however, that our 
thoughts can have positive effect, perhaps not in the immediate 
sense, but in the composite scheme of things. It is always 
recommended that the student give help to those in need in whatever 
manner he or she can, the more "hands-on" the better. But what is the 
student to do when he is aware of massive starvation in Aftica? Most 
of us can't really go there and start handing out food. But we can 
hold our African brothers and sisters in our hearts, seeing them 
happy and healthy, with a sincere desire to help, and those 
conditions will one day manifest, as surely as if we had the magical 
power to make it so. Because we do, and as long as our desire is for 
the benefit of all, what we imagine will come to pass. 
>     
  As Barbara also infers, visualization is 
> something "easy" to do, and people who think
> they are causing big results, may actually be
> accomplishing - Nothing.  "Sending good
> thoughts out into the world" - like some
> Buddhist do, is it good?  I don't know, maybe
> it is.  But it is certainly not practically
> as good as one solid thing one does to improve
> the world, like helping the homeless ad.
> infinitum, etc. - that is Difficult and one
> can see the results of. 
(snip)

I appreciate the dialog, Jake. We can help each other understand in 
this way and it seem very valuable to me. 

Adelasie