104-108
[104]
LIMITATION OF WORDS
(1) In the next century, when a man's equipment is better developed, and when a truer meaning of group activity is available, it will be possible to convey more information, but the time is not yet. All that is possible for me is to grope for those feeble words which will somewhat clothe the thought. As they clothe it they limit it, and I am guilty of creating new prisoners who must ultimately be released. All books are prison houses of ideas, and only when speech and writing are superseded by telepathic communication, and by intuitive interplay, will the plan and the technique of its expression, be grasped in clearer fashion. I talk now in symbols; I manipulate words in order to create a certain impression; I construct a thought-form which, when dynamic enough, can impress the brain of a transmitting agent, such as yourself. But, as I do so, I know well how much must be left unrelated, and how seldom it is possible to do more than point out a cosmology, macrocosmic, or microcosmic, which will suffice to convey a temporary picture of divine reality. (4 - 523). [Page 243]
(2) But how can the whole be comprehended by the part? How can the entire plan be noted by a soul which sees as yet but a tiny fraction of the structure? Bear this steadily in mind as you study and ponder these Instructions, and remember that, in the light of future knowledge of humanity, all that is here conveyed is like a fifth reader in grammar school to the text books utilised by a college professor. It will serve, however, to graduate the aspirant out of the Hall of Learning into the Hall of Wisdom, if he uses the information given. (4 - 524).
(3) Learn to be telepathic and intuitive. Then these forms of words and these ideas, clothed in form, will not be needed. You can then stand face to face with the naked truth, and live and work in the terrain of ideas and not in the world of forms. (4 - 524).
(4) Remember, how can (a certain statement) be entirely true, when we consider the limitations of your power to comprehend? It is impossible for me to convey to you the truth, because there exist neither the terminology, nor an adequate groundwork of knowledge on your part. This makes my task difficult. (17 - 33).
(5) I would have you, as you read my words, retreat within yourselves and seek to think, feel and perceive at your highest possible level of consciousness. The effort to do this will bear much fruit, and bring rich reward to you. You will not grasp the full intention of these words, but your sense of awareness will begin to react to triadal impression. I know not how else to word this, limited as I am by the necessity of language. You may not register anything consciously, for the brain of the average disciple is as yet insensitive to monadic vibration. Even if the disciple is capable of some responsiveness, there are not the needed words in which to express the sensed idea, or to clothe the concept. It is therefore impossible to put the divine ideas into their ideal form, and then to bring them down into the world of meaning, and from thence into the world of symbols. What I say will therefore have more significance towards the close of this century, when men will have recovered from the chaos and cruelty of war, and when the new and higher spiritual influences are being steadily poured out. I write, my brothers, for the future. (18 - 287).
[105]
LOST SOULS
If a man persists from life to life in this line of action, if he neglects his spiritual development and concentrates on intellectual effort turned to the [Page 244] manipulation of matter for selfish ends, if he continues this in spite of the promptings of his inner self, and in spite of the warnings that may reach him from Those who watch, and if this is carried on for a long period, he may bring upon himself a destruction that is final for this manvantara or cycle. He may . . . succeed in the complete destruction of the physical atom, and thereby sever his connection with the higher self for aeons of time. H.P.B. has somewhat touched on this when speaking of "lost souls"; we must emphasise the reality of this dire disaster . . . (3 - 127).
[106]
LOVE
(1) When love for all beings, irrespective of who they may be, is beginning to be a realised fact in the heart of the disciple, and yet nevertheless love for himself exists not, then comes the indication that he is nearing the Portal of Initiation, and may make the necessary preliminary pledges. These are necessitated before his Master hands in his name as candidate for initiation. If he cares not for the suffering and pain of the lower self, if it is immaterial to him whether happiness comes his way or not, if the sole purpose of his life is to serve and save the world, and if his brother's need is for him of greater moment than his own, then is the fire of love radiating his being, and the world can warm itself at his feet. This love has to be practical, tested manifestation, and not just a theory, nor simply an impractical ideal and a pleasing sentiment. It is something that has grown in the trials and tests of life, so that the primary impulse of the life is towards self-sacrifice and the immolation of the lower nature. (1 - 192/3).
(2) A treatise could be written on the subject (love), and yet leave it unexhausted. Much light comes if we can ponder deeply on the three expressions of Love: Love in the Personality, Love in the Ego, and Love in the Monad. Love in the Personality gradually develops through the stages of love of self, pure and simple and entirely selfish, to love of family and friends, to love of men and women, until it arrives at the stage of love of humanity or group love consciousness, which is the predominant characteristic of the Ego. A Master of Compassion loves, suffers with, and remains with His kind and with His kin. Love in the Ego gradually develops from love of humanity into universal love - a love that expresses not only love of humanity, but also love of the deva evolutions in their totality, and of all forms of divine manifestation. Love in the Personality is love in the three worlds; love in the Ego is love in the solar system, and all that it contains; [Page 245] whilst love in the Monad demonstrates a measure of cosmic love, and embraces much that is outside the solar system altogether. (3 - 593).
(3) Love was the impelling motive for manifestation, and love it is that keeps all in ordered sequence; love bears all on the path of return to the Father's bosom, and love eventually perfects all that is. (3 - 594).
(4) As evolution proceeds it shows itself as a gradual expansion of the love faculty, passing through the stages of love of mate, love of family, love of surrounding associates, to love of one's entire environment; patriotism gives place later to love of humanity, often humanity as exemplified in one of the Great Ones. (3 - 595).
(5) A man . . . in service learns the power of love in its occult significance. He spends and consequently receives; he lives the life of renunciation and the wealth of the heavens pours in on him; he asks nothing for himself and is the richest man on earth. (4 - 117).
(6) This energy of love is primarily concentrated (for purposes of hierarchical activity) in the New Group of World Servers. This group has been chosen by the Hierarchy as its main channel of expression. This group, composed as it is of all world disciples and all working initiates, finds its representatives in every group of idealists and servers, and in every body of people who express human thought, particularly in the realm of human betterment and uplift. Through them, the potency of love-wisdom can express itself. These people are frequently misunderstood, for the love which they express differs widely from the sentimental, affectionate, personal interest of the average worker. They are occupied mainly with the interests and the good of the whole group with which they may be associated; they are not primarily concerned with the petty interests of the individual - occupied with his little problems and concerns. This brings such a server under the criticism of the individual, and with this criticism they must learn to live, and to it they must pay no attention. True group love is of more importance than personal relationships, though those are met as need (note, I say, need) arises. Disciples learn to grasp the need of group love, and to amend their ways in conformity with group good, but it is not easy for the self-interested individual to grasp the difference. Through the medium of those disciples who have learned the distinction between the petty concerns of the individual, plus his interest in himself, and the necessities and urgencies of group work and love, the Hierarchy can work, and so bring about the needed world changes, which are primarily changes in consciousness. (9 - 20/1).
(7) Love, for many people, for the majority indeed, is not really love, [Page 246] but a mixture of the desire to love, and the desire to be loved, plus a willingness to do anything to show and evoke this sentiment, and consequently to be more comfortable in one's own interior life.
It is this pseudo-love, based primarily on a theory of love and service, which characterises so many human relationships, such as those existing for instance, between husband and wife, parents and their children. Glamoured by their sentiment for them, and knowing little of the love of the soul, which is free itself and leaves others free also, they wander in a dense fog, often dragging with them the ones they desire to serve, in order to draw forth a responsive affection. Study the word "affection", my brother, and see its true meaning. Affection is not love. It is that desire which we express through an exertion of the astral body, and this activity affects our contacts; it is not spontaneous desirelessness of the soul, which asks nothing for the separated self. This glamour of sentiment imprisons and bewilders all the nice people in the world, imposing upon them obligations which do not exist, and producing a glamour which must eventually be dissipated by the pouring in of true and selfless love. (10 - 76/7).
(8) One thought only will I give you to repeat whene'er you are discouraged, tired or weak:
"At the centre of all love I stand, and naught can touch me here, and from that centre I shall go forth to love and serve." (5 - 527).
(9) Let love be the keynote in all relationships, for the power which must salvage the world is the precipitation of love. (13 - 333).
(10) Love is not a sentiment or an emotion, nor is it desire or a selfish motive for right action in daily life. Love is the wielding of the force which guides the worlds and which leads to the integration, unity and inclusiveness which impels Deity itself to action. Love is a hard thing to cultivate - such is the inherent selfishness of human nature; it is a difficult thing to apply to all conditions of life, and its expression will demand of you the utmost you have to give, and the stamping out of your selfish personal activities. (5 - 10).
(11) Arrest each unloving thought; stamp out each critical action, and teach yourself to love all beings - not in theory but in deed and in truth. (5 - 475)
(12) I would remind you in this time of trial that I, your Master, love and guard you, for your soul and my soul are one soul. Be not unduly disturbed. There is no light and dark to the soul, but only existence and love. Rest back on that. There is no separation but only identification with the heart of all love; the more you love the more love can reach out through [Page 247] you to others. The chains of love unite the world of men and the world of forms and they constitute the great chain of the Hierarchy. The spiritual effort you are asked to make is that of developing yourself into a vibrant and powerful centre of that fundamental, universal Love. (6 - 30). See also: (6 - 541).
[107]
MAGIC:
WHITE AND BLACK
(1) Much is said amongst occult students these days anent white and black magic, and much that is said is without force, or truth. It has been truly said that between the two types of workers, the line of demarcation is so slight as to be difficult of recognition by those who, as yet, merit not the term of "knower".
The distinction between the two exists in both motive and method, and might be summed up as follows:
The white magician has for motive that which will be of benefit to the group for whom he is expending his energy and time. The magician of the left hand path ever works alone, or if he at any time co-operates with others, it is with a hidden selfish purpose. The exponent of white magic interests himself in the work of constructive endeavour in order to co-operate in hierarchical plans, and to further the desires of the planetary Logos. The Brother of Darkness occupies himself with that which lies outside the plans of the Hierarchy and with that which is not included in the purpose of the Lord of the planetary Ray.
The white magician, as has been earlier said, works entirely through the greater Deva Builders, and through sound and numbers he blends their work, and thus influences the lesser Builders who form the substance of their bodies, and therefore of all that is. He works through group centres and vital points of energy, and from thence produces, in substance, the desired results. The dark brother works directly with substance itself, and with the lesser builders; he does not co-operate with the forces which emanate from egoic levels. The lesser cohorts of the "Army of the Voice" are his servants, and not the directing Intelligences in the three worlds, and he therefore works primarily on the astral and physical planes, only in rare cases working with the mental forces, and only in a few special cases, hidden in cosmic karma, is a black magician found working on the higher mental levels. Yet the cases which are there to be discovered, are the main contributing causes of all manifesting black magic.
[Page 248]
. . . The white magician works always in co-operation with others, and is himself under the direction of certain group Heads. For instance, the Brothers of the White Lodge work under the three great Lords and conform to the plans laid down, subordinating Their individual purposes and ideas to the great general scheme. The black magician usually works in an intensely individualistic way, and can be seen carrying out his schemes alone, or with the aid of subordinates. He brooks usually no known superior, but is nevertheless frequently the victim of agents on higher levels of cosmic evil, who use him as he uses his inferior co-operators, that is, he works (as far as the bigger purpose is involved) blindly and unconsciously.
The white magician, as is well known, works on the side of evolution or in connection with the Path of Return. The black brother occupies himself with the forces of involution, or with the Path of Outgoing. They form the great balancing force in evolution, and though they are occupied with the material side of manifestation and the Brother of Light is concerned with the aspect of the soul or consciousness, they and their work, under the great law of evolution, contribute to the general purpose of the solar Logos, though (and this is of tremendous occult significance to the illuminated student) not to the individual purpose of the planetary Logos.
Finally it might be briefly said in connection with the distinctions between magicians, that the magician of the Good Law works with the soul of things. His brothers of darkness work with the material aspect.
. . . The white brother works under the Hierarchy, or under the great King, carrying out His planetary purposes. The dark brother works under certain separated Entities, unknown to him, who are connected with the forces of matter itself. Much more could be given in this connection, but what is here imparted suffices for our purpose. (3 - 984/9).
(2) The Dark Brothers are - remember this always - brothers, erring and misguided, yet still sons of the one Father, though straying far, very far, into the land of distances. The way back for them will be long, but the mercy of evolution inevitably forces them back along the path of return in cycles far ahead. Anyone who over-exalts the concrete mind and permits it continuously to shut out the higher, is in danger of straying on the left-hand path. Many so stray . . . but come back, and then in the future avoid like errors, in the same way as a child once burnt avoids the fire. It is the man who persists, in spite of warning and of pain, who eventually becomes a brother of darkness . . .
The dark brother recognises no unity with his species, only seeing in them people to be exploited for the furtherance of his own ends. This [Page 249] then, on a small scale, is the mark of those who are being used by them, wittingly or unwittingly. They respect no person, they regard all men as fair prey, they use everyone to get their own way enforced, and by fair means or foul, they seek to break down all opposition, and for the personal self acquire that which they desire. (2 - 134).
(3) The dark brother considers not what suffering he may cause; he cares not what agony of mind he brings upon an opponent; he persists in his intention, and desists not from the hurt of any man, woman or child, provided that in the process his own ends are furthered. Expect absolutely no mercy from those opposing the Brotherhood of Light.
On the physical plane and on the emotional plane, the dark brother has more power than the Brother of Light - not more power per se, but more apparent power, because the White Brothers choose not to exert Their power on those planes, as do the Dark Brothers. They could exert Their authority, but they choose to refrain, working with the powers of evolution, and not of involution. (2 - 135).
(4) And now what methods may be employed to safeguard the worker in the field of the world? What can be done to ensure his safety in the present strife, and in the greater strife of the coming centuries?
1. A realisation that purity of all the vehicles is the prime essential. If a Dark Brother gains control over any man, it but shows that that man has in his life some weak spot. The door whereby entrance is effected, must be opened by the man himself; the opening whereby malignant force can be poured in, must be caused by the occupant of the vehicles. Therefore the need of scrupulous cleanliness of the physical body, of clean steady emotion permitted in the emotional body, and of purity of thought in the mental body. When this is so, co-ordination will be present in the lower vehicles, and the indwelling Thinker himself permits no entrance.
2. The elimination of all fear. The forces of evolution vibrate more rapidly than those of involution, and in this fact lies a recognisable security. Fear causes weakness; weakness causes a disintegration; the weak spot breaks and a gap appears, and through that gap evil force may enter. The factor of entrance is the fear of the man himself, who opens thus the door.
3. A standing firm and unmoved, no matter what occurs. Your feet may be bathed in the mud of earth, but your head may be bathed in the sunshine of the higher regions. Recognition of the filth of earth involves not contamination.
4. A recognition of the use of common-sense, and the application of this common-sense to the matter in hand. Sleep much, and in sleeping, learn [Page 250] to render the body positive; keep busy on the emotional plane, and achieve the inner calm. Do naught to overtire the body physical, and play whenever possible. In hours of relaxation comes the adjustment that obviates later tension. (2 - 137/8).
(5) The cultivation of emotional tranquility is one of the first steps towards the achievement of the needed equipment of the white magician. This tranquility is not to be achieved by an effort of the will which succeeds in strangling all astral vibratory activity, but by the cultivation of response to the Ego, and negation of all response to the inherent vibration of the astral sheath itself. (3 - 983).
See also: "Dark Forces."
[108]
MAN AS CREATOR
AND BUILDER
(1) Man in the three worlds, consciously or unconsciously, recapitulates the logoic process, and becomes a creator, working in substance through the factor of his positive energy. He wills, he thinks, he speaks, and thoughtforms eventuate. Atomic substance is attracted to the enunciator. The tiny lives which compose that substance are forced (through the energy of the thinker), into forms, which are themselves active, vitalised and powerful. What man builds is either a beneficent or a maleficent creation according to the underlying desire, motive, or purpose.
. . . It is useless for man to study the groups of lesser builders, their functions and their names, unless he realises that with many of them he has an intimate connection, being himself one of the great builders, and a creator within the planetary scheme. Men should remember that through the power of their thoughts and their spoken words, they definitely produce effects upon other human beings functioning on the three planes of human evolution and upon the entire animal kingdom. The separative and maleficent thoughts of man are largely responsible for the savage nature of wild beasts, and the destructive quality of some of nature's processes, including certain phenomena, such as plague and famine. (3 - 888/9).
(2) In connection with those human beings who create nothing, but who are only swept into activity under the urge of circumstance - and they are the bulk of the human race - it should be pointed out that they are part of the creative activity of some greater, and more advanced, entity. As self-conscious evolution proceeds, more and more of the human family will [Page 251] become creators and intelligent workers in connection with deva substance. In the initial stages, therefore, of their dissociation from a passive attitude, there will be found a revolt against law and order, a refusal to be governed, and an ability evidenced to follow out an individual concept at the expense of the group, great or small. This apparent defect, evolution itself and experience will remedy, and as the consciousness becomes alive to higher vibrations, the man will become aware of the purpose and plan of the Intelligence of his group. He will awaken to the beauty of that plan and will begin to submerge his own interests in the greater, and to co-operate intelligently. The creative power which had before been of a separative nature will be offered as a willing sacrifice to the greater energy, and his small plans and ideas will be merged in the greater ones. He will no longer, however, be a passive unit, swept hither and thither by the energy of his group, but will become a positive, active potent force, self-immolated through intelligent recognition of the greater plan.
He will become alive to the fact that there are living forces in nature. As the greater energy thrills through him, his own latent powers are awakened. He sees and knows the deva forces and can consequently work with them intelligently. Some he will control and manipulate, with others he will co-operate, and others still he will obey.
It is in the realisation of these facts anent deva substance, the power of sound, the law of vibration, and the ability to produce forms in conformity with law, that the true magician can be seen. Herein too lies one of the distinctions to be found between magicians of the Good Law, and those of the Left-hand Path. A white magician can control and manipulate deva substance, and he proceeds to do it through an intelligent co-operation with the greater builders. Owing to the purity and holiness of his life, and the height of his own vibration, he can contact them in some one or other of their grades. The magician of the shadows controls and manipulates deva substance on the astral and physical plane and on the lower levels of the mental plane through the force of his own vibration and knowledge, but not through co-operation with the directing builders. He cannot contact them, as his character is impure through selfishness, and his vibration is too low; his power, therefore, is limited and destructive, yet immense with certain restrictions. (3 - 929/30).
(3) The man who is consciously learning to build . . . has, first of all, to hold the idea sufficiently long for it to be faithfully registered in the physical brain. Frequently the Ego will "get through" to the brain some aspect, some portion of the plan, and yet will have to repeat the process [Page 252] continuously over quite a long period before the physical response is such that the solar Angel can rest assured that it is intelligently registered and recorded. It is perhaps necessary to say that the entire process is greatly facilitated if the "shadow", or the man, pursues regular meditation, cultivates the habit of a daily and hourly recollectedness of the higher Self, and before retiring at night endeavours to "hold the thought" of bringing through at the time of awakening as much as possible of any egoic impress. When the reaction between the two factors, the Ego and the receptive physical brain, is established, the interplay is reciprocal, and the two are keyed or tuned to each other, the second stage is entered upon. The idea isconceived. (3 - 970).
(4) As long as the attention of the creator of any thought-form, great or small, is turned towards it, that magnetic link persists, the thoughtform is vitalised, and its work carried on. When the work has been accomplished and the thought-form has served its purpose, every creator, consciously or unconsciously, turns his attention elsewhere, and his thought-form disintegrates. (3 - 974).
(5) Much of the ineffectiveness of people is due to the fact that their interests are not centralised, but very diffuse, and no one thing engrosses their attention. They scatter their energy and are attempting to satisfy every wandering desire, and to dabble in everything which comes their way. Therefore, no thought they think ever assumes a proper form, or is ever duly energised. They are consequently surrounded by a dense cloud of half-formed disintegrating thought-forms, and clouds of partially energised matter in process of dissolution. This produces occultly a condition similar to the decay of a physical form, and is equally unpleasant and unwholesome. It accounts for much of the diseased condition of the human family at this time. (3 - 975).
(6) Another reason for creative ineffectiveness, is owing to the currents which emanate from the majority of people being of such a low order that the thought-forms never reach the point of independent action. (3 - 976).
See also: "Thought-Forms".