THE OVERCOMING OF THE HINDRANCES
Certain paramount realisations must precede this work of removing hindrances, and they might be enumerated as follows:
a. A realisation that in obedience to the next duty and [85] adherence to the highest known form of truth lies the path of further revelation.
b. A realisation that dispassion is the great thing to cultivate, and that a willingness to undergo joyously any amount of temporary inconvenience, pain or agony, must be developed, having in view the future glory which will blot out the clouds of the passing hour.
c. A realisation that synthesis is the method whereby comprehension is attained, and that, by blending the pairs of opposites, the middle path is gained that leads straight to the heart of the citadel.
With these three things paramountly controlling his views on life, the student may hope, by strenuous endeavour, to overcome the four hindrances which we have touched upon.
In taking up our consideration of the second Rule we will deal first with the relation of the soul to the personality, primarily from the standpoint of meditation. We are dealing therefore with "the greater light" and will take up later the "throwing upward of the lower light". This is in line also with the law of occult knowledge that one begins with universals.
It should be borne in mind that these rules are only for those whose personality is coordinated and whose minds are gradually being brought under control. The man therefore is utilising the lower mind, the reasoning mind, whilst the soul is utilising the higher or abstract mind. Both units are working with two aspects of the universal principle of mind, and on this ground their relation becomes possible. The man's work with his mind is to render it negative and receptive to the soul, and this is his positive occupation (note the use here of the word 'positive' in the attempt to make the mind receptive, for herein lies the clue to right action). The soul's work in [86] meditation is to make the point of that meditation so positive that the lower mind can be impressed, and so the lower man can be brought into line with the Eternal Plan.
Thus, again, we have a relation established between a positive and a negative vibration, and the study of these relations carries much information to the student, and is part of the teaching given in preparation for the first initiation. A list of these related situations might here be given showing them in their progressive relation on the path of evolution.
1. The relation between male and female physical bodies, called by man, the sex relation, and deemed of such paramount importance at this time. In the vale of illusion, the symbol oft engrosses attention and that which it represents is forgotten. In the solving of this relationship will come racial initiation, and it is with this that the race is now engrossed.
2. The relation between the astral body and the physical, which, for the majority, is the control, by the positive astral nature, of the negative automatic physical. The physical body, the instrument of desire, is swayed and controlled by desire,—desire for physical life, and desire for the acquisition of the tangible.
3. The relation between the mind and the brain, which constitutes the problem of the more advanced men and races and of which the vast system of schools, colleges, and universities indicate the importance. Much progress in this relation has been made during the past fifty years, and the work of the psychologists marks its highest point. When this is understood, the mind will be regarded as the positive factor and the other two aspects of the form nature will respond receptively. They will be the automatons of the mind.
4. The relation between the soul and the personality, which is the problem engrossing the attention of aspirants now, for they are the pioneers of the human family, the pathfinders into the world of the soul. With this [87] relation, the mystics and the occultists concern themselves.
5. The relation between the centres below the diaphragm and those above, or between:
a. The centre at the base of the spine and the thousand petalled lotus, the head centre. In this the four petals of the basic centre become the many, or the quaternary is lost in the universal.
b. The sacral centre and the throat. In this there comes a union between the twelve Creative Hierarchies and the quaternary, and the secret of the sixteen petals of the throat lotus is seen.
c. The solar plexus centre and the heart, in which the ten of the perfect man in this solar system is lost in the consummated twelve. As the twelve Creative Hierarchies (in their outer and creative aspect) are contacted by the man, who is the perfected quaternary from the standpoint of the form, so in the relation between the solar plexus and heart is the second aspect perfected; the love of the soul can express itself perfectly through the emotional nature.
6. The relation between the two head centres, or between the centre between the eyebrows and the centre above the head. This relation is set up and stabilised when soul and body are a functioning unit.
7. The relation between the pineal gland and the pituitary body as a result of the above.
8. The relation between the higher and the lower mind, involving steady and increasing soul contact. The meditative attitude of the soul is duplicated in the three bodies (or by the spiritual man) and the steady meditation of the soul goes on also on its own plane. It is with this and with its effects that we are primarily concerned in this rule.
A later relationship, which in no way concerns us, is [88] set up after the third initiation between the soul and the monad, and throughout the course of cosmic evolution these relationships will emerge. The race as a whole is, however, only concerned with the setting up of a relation between soul and body and beyond this there is no need to go.
As the man seeks to reach control of the mind, the soul in its turn becomes more actively aggressive. The work of the solar Angel has hitherto been largely in its own world and concerned with its relation to spirit, and with this the man, working through his cycles on the physical plane, has had no concern. The main expenditure of energy by the soul has been general, and outward-going into the fifth kingdom. Now the solar Angel approaches a time of crisis and of re-orientation. In the early history of humanity there was a great crisis which we call individualisation. At that time the solar Angels, in response to a demand or a pull from the race of animal-men (as a whole, note that), sent a portion of their energy, embodying the quality of mentalisation, to these animal-men. They fecundated, if I might so express it, the brain. Thus was humanity brought into being. This germ, however, carried within it two other potentialities, that of spiritual love and spiritual life. These must in due time make their appearance.
The flowering forth of the mind in men, which so distinguishes the present age, indicates to the solar Angel a second crisis, of which the first was but the symbol. That for which the solar Angel exists is making its presence felt within humanity, and another strong pull is being exerted upon the solar Angel which this time will produce a second fecundation. This will give to man those qualities which will enable him to transcend human limitations, and become a part of the fifth or spiritual Kingdom in nature. The first effort of the solar Angel turned animal-men into human beings; the second will [89] turn human beings into spiritual entities, plus the gains of experience in the human family.
For this the solar Angel, the soul, is organising itself and re-orienting itself so that its power can be redirected into the world of men. Contact must be made by the soul between the lower aspect of its triple nature and the aspect which has already found lodgment in the brain of man. Intelligent activity and love wisdom must be united, and the union must take place on the physical plane. In order to do this the soul is entering into "meditation deep", in union with all other souls who may have brought their instrument into a responsive state. This is the basic group meditation, and when a man achieves what the oriental books call "samadhi", he has succeeded in participating, as a soul, in this group meditation, and enters upon that cycle of service which expresses itself through the planetary Hierarchy. The rational mind and the abstract mind function as a unit, and the motivating principle is love. The soul, expressing love and abstract intelligence, is at one with its expression on the physical plane through the brain, and, when this is the case, the lower man has synchronised his meditation with that of the soul.
This is the objective of our work. Let this not be forgotten, and let every effort be made to bring mind and brain into such a functioning condition that a man can slip out of his own meditation and (losing sight of his own thoughts) become the soul, the thinker in the kingdom of the soul.
It is perhaps a new thought to some that the soul is organising itself for effort, re-orienting its forces, and preparing for a fresh and powerful impulse, but so it is. All forms of life under the force of evolution pass from initiation to initiation and the soul is not exempt from the process. Just as the soul of animal-man became united with another divine principle, and so brought into [90] being the fourth kingdom in nature, so the soul in humanity is seeking contact with another divine aspect. When that contact is made the Kingdom of God will come on earth; the physical plane will thereby be transformed and that peculiar period, presented symbolically under the term millennium, will come.
The Knowers of God in that era will preponderate over those who are simply aspiring to that knowledge, and their contact and the results of the force they transmit will be felt in all the kingdoms of nature. Dominion over all forms, and the power to act as transmitters of that spiritual energy we call love is the promised reward of the triumphant solar Angels, and the prized goal of their meditation work. The Sons of God will triumph on earth in full incarnated expression, and will bring light (therefore life) to all the manifested forms. This is the "life more abundant" of which the Christ speaks. This is the achievement of the true Nirvanee who, living in unbroken meditation in the spiritual realm yet can work on earth. The work of initiation is to enable a man to live ever at the centre, but to act as a distributor of divine energy in any direction and—after the later initiations—in all directions.
We will now, in our consideration of the next rule, take up the work of the "lesser light" of man on the physical plane. I, who have entered somewhat into an understanding of the life of the solar Angel, seek to assure my fellow pilgrims that the passing things of the senses are but trivial, and of no value compared to the rewards, here and in this life, to the man who seeks to merge his everyday consciousness with that of his own soul. He enters then into the community of souls, and stands not alone. The only lonely periods are the result of wrong orientation and the holding on to that which hides the vision, and fills the hands so full that they cannot grasp what has been called "the jewel in the lotus."