Theos-Talk Archives (October 2006 Message tt00051)

Greetings.
I feel like making myself clear when it comes to my intent in asking 
the question of returning disciples.  I did not intend to imply that 
I think myself a chela or initiate in this life or any past one.  In 
fact the my question can apply in general to anyone who has found 
theosophy to be what it is, Divine Wisdom.  When I said that "I am 
new here" I meant that I am new to this forum, or any forum for 
discussion.  And I'm glad to be here, BTW.  I am by no means new to 
theosophy, having spent the better part of the last 6 years 
overfeeding myself with information in the whole spectrum of 
spirituality.  I know that is not a long time, but it has been 
significant for me.  I always return to theosophy because I believe 
it to be the well-spring of Truth as it can be found today; it is 
what most resonates with me.  

At the beginning of this year I rededicated to myself to the Path 
with a strong commitment to my self and Higher Self that I will no 
longer let myself waiver around from idea to idea but stay steady on 
a definite course - to become the theosophist I am inside.  Later in 
the year I came upon a teacher, P.G. Bowen, and his works resonated 
within me like no other works.  He teaches Practical Occultism.  
Simply stated I believe it possible for us to come to, after many 
years, thresholds not previously known in a present life, but one 
definitely reached in a previous one. When this happens you have an 
idea that it happened I only believe in my heart that I am ready to 
approach the Path of Discipleship.  But I don't claim to be anything 
but babe even to that.  A fetus even still, perhaps, but an Aspirant 
non the less.

The topic of chelas, chelaship, discipleship and the Path has been 
dealt with many times in theosophical work.  I have in passing read 
many of the dozens of articles available online on the topic.  In 
asking a question about the topic, specifically the question I 
asked, I was asking in a general sense.  At least I attempted to.  
The topic is one of many aspects of theosophical belief that I've 
always found interesting.  I understand that any person who is 
consciously working toward spiritual regeneration must always be on 
guard against pride in all forms, especially Spiritual Pride.  But 
can't we find some insights about the nature of spiritual evolution 
when we question the ways we find reward in developing faith along 
the way? 

I believe we can find examples of our greater spiritual evolution in 
smaller personal evolutions.  For instance a person that in early 
adulthood had trouble with alcohol, gluttony, and laziness of the 
mind and body, but always inside had a spark that flickered and a 
ear that could hear the still, small voice.  Say this person came 
upon divine wisdom in any of its forms and this finding started him, 
slowly at first but always moving forward more than backward, 
evolving toward a higher life.  After many years of study of life, 
self, and spiritual works, one day he finds that he stands halfway 
up a hilltop looking  down on his former life, able to see the 
profitlessness of that dark city of ignorance.  This man could 
reflect to himself, subjectively, "look how far I climbed to reach a 
brighter view of life.  My old life seems so far now, but Look, the 
summit of the hill beacons me on and I will to reach it."  If we can 
see that we are some place upon the uphill path we can have a 
certain faith to continue.  So it is, I believe, in the soul's 
greater climb of the mountain of Truth.  If we can honestly know in 
our hearts that we have made headway, we can keep that free will 
climb toward Truth remembering that it is the moving along and 
upward evolution, and not the summit that we seek.  Of climbing 
there is no end.


P.G. Bowen states clearly the thought I want to convey.  In 
a "Letter to a Student" he writes the following:

"One comes into Theosophy according to what one's own efforts in 
past lives have made one. You might think that if this were true one 
would, as it were, commence as a child where one left off in the 
last life. Such is not the Law of evolution. We move by cycles and 
not by a simple direct advance. In each life all the cycles of the 
past repeat themselves - lifetimes condensed down to days, minutes, 
seconds. If one could but survey every passing phase of one's life 
from infancy upward one could read the whole history of one's past.

   When one comes definitely into Theosophy it means that in a past 
life one has touched it. To the extent that it seems easy and 
familiar one can begin to judge what the measure of one's 
development in the past has been. In this as in all else one is as 
one has made oneself. The case is not of anyone having opportunities 
to learn denied to another. If one is ready to learn the fitting 
teacher will appear. Bear in mind that we human beings are not all 
of one age. Though born in one period of time, some of us are ages 
older in REAL life than others.

   A point of great importance to all beginners, and one seldom 
properly emphasized is that in one's early efforts to advance 
seriously on the Occult Path, one must not look to find it smoothing 
out one's way in life. The first effects are invariably to 
complicate life. The reason is this. When living the common life one 
is drifting along the common stream with no more effort of will or 
strength than is needed to keep afloat. But when one begins serious 
effort to become an Occultist, one turns one's will to make one's 
way against the common stream, and at once one experiences the force 
of the current. Difficulties and disturbances of innumerable kinds 
begin to afflict the budding occultist, and he must hold his 
balance, and steer his course among them, and learn from their 
effects on his nature. One cannot predict just how any particular 
individual may be affected, but a most common thing is to find 
oneself being misunderstood, losing friends, being left with a 
lonely feeling. The beginner must be prepared for such things. True, 
some apparent beginners seem to suffer nothing in this way, but the 
fact is that these are not really beginners - they are but running 
over an old cycle in which they had gone far in the past."(*)

I hope I have made myself a bit more clear, and hope that I do not 
come off as arrogant.  I loathe that I have typed the letter, I, so 
much.  hehe

Fraternally,
Raul G.

* http://www.visdomsreligion.se/pgb08.html

--- In theos-talk@yahoogroups.com, "Raul" <coolraul78@...> wrote:
>
> Greetings.  I am new here, although over the last many years I 
have 
> read many messages from this group.
> 
> So I have a question:
> 
> I can imagine that when an accepted Neophyte begins to tread that 
> Path of Discipleship, first, that it is a grand accomplishment and 
a 
> great threshold reached and passed, and second, that it is an 
> achievement that, though eventually must take him past Neophytship 
> to Discipleship and even to Adeptship (but I'm guessing that 
> this is not always the case), may not last him his current life.  
> That is I mean to say the person will in most cases die before 
> reaching full Discipleship.  However, herein lies my question.  
Does 
> an Ego that has once reached Disciple or Neophyte, upon 
> reincarnating, pick up where they left off.  Can they be expected 
to 
> quickly work through minor karmic influences and perhaps be born 
to 
> situations fitted for them to easily find and achieve the Path 
where 
> they left it?  Any insight into this will be greatly appreciated.
> 
> Raul
>