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3. Some Problems of Psychology - Part 5

10. Dreams connected with the world plan, the solar plan, and the cosmic scheme.  These can range all the way from the insane brain and recorded experiences of the mentally unbalanced to the wise and measured teaching of the World Knowers.  This teaching is communicated to the world disciples and can be regarded by them as either an inspired utterance or a dream with a deep significance.  It should be remembered in both cases (the mentally unbalanced and the trained disciple) that a similar condition exists; there is a direct line from the soul to the brain.  This is true of both types.  These dreams or recorded instructions indicate a high stage of evolutionary advancement.

A consideration of all the above will indicate to you the complexity of the subject.  The superficial student or the mystically inclined person is apt to feel that all these technicalities are of minor importance.  The charge is often made that the "jargon" of occultism and its academic information is of no true importance where knowledge of the divine is concerned.  It is claimed that it is not necessary to know about [511] the planes and their various levels of consciousness, or about the Law of Rebirth and the Law of Attraction; it is an unnecessary tax upon the human mind to study the technical foundation for a belief in brotherhood, or to consider our distant origin and our possible future.  It is nevertheless just possible that if the mystics down the ages had recognised these truths we might have had a better managed world.  It is only today that those forces are being set in motion which will lead to a truer understanding of the human family, a wiser comprehension of the human equipment, and, therefore, to an effort to bring human living into line with the basic spiritual truths.  The sorry condition of the world today is not a result of the intellectual unfoldment of man as is often claimed, but it is the working out of the unalterable effects of causes, originated in the past of the Aryan race.

That good can come from evil, that the bad effects of man's mental laziness can be transmuted into teaching points in the future and that humanity is now intelligent enough to learn wisdom will be the result of the widespread dissemination of the academic truths of the esoteric teaching and its correct interpretation by the trained minds in the Occident.  The East has had this teaching for ages and has produced numerous commentaries upon it—the work of the finest analytical minds that the world has ever seen—but it has made no mass use of the knowledge, and the people in the Orient do not profit by it, as a whole.  It will be different in the West and is already modifying and influencing human thought on a large scale; it is permeating the structure of our civilisation and will eventually salvage it.  Be not, therefore, afraid of the technicalities of wisdom but seek for the reason of the undesirable reaction against them in the latent inertia of the mystical mind, plus the lowered vital condition of the entire race.

This brings me to a point I would seek to touch upon:  that [512] of the widespread depression which is so seriously affecting the whole of humanity.  The physical vitality of the races is low, or it is being whipped up into a better condition by the imposition of applied thought.  Instead of drawing upon the resources of vitality, stored up in the soil, in food, fresh air and outer environing conditions, men are beginning to draw it from the etheric body itself through the galvanising effect of two things: ideas, as they are presented to them, thereby aligning mind and brain and incidentally stimulating the etheric body; mass impetus or contact which swings the unit into line with mass intention and opens up to him therefore the vast resources of mass intention.  This enables him to feed his etheric body at the general etheric centre of power.  This can be seen happening in its initial stage in practically every country.  In the interim, however, between the establishing of the facility to tap at will the inner sources of vital stimulation and the changing of the old conditions, the masses of the people are left with neither source of sustenance available for their helping.  They are consequently depleted, full of fear, and unable to do more than stand ready and hope for a better future for the next generation.

It is during this interim state that the full difficulty of depression can be felt, and it is at this time one of the major problems confronting the Hierarchy.  How can the vitality of the human family be restored?  How can the ancient joyousness of life, the keenness of spirit and the easy activity which distinguished the ancient races in the earlier phases of civilisation be recovered and humanity lose its depression and its unhappiness?

The whole position is the reverse of the problems of stimulation which constitute the major difficulty of the mystical life.  With these we shall later deal.

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No general covering solution has yet appeared.  But inevitably it will, and when it does it will be the direct result of the activity of the New Group of World Servers.  It will be a slow process, for humanity is entering into what may be regarded as a long convalescence.  It will be brought about in three ways:

1. The discovery of the unused resources and vital reservoirs of strength, latent in the human being himself.

2. The promulgation of such truths as the potency of good will by members of the New Group of World Servers.  The healing power of such realisations is immense.

3. Certain potencies and outer forces which the senior Members of the Hierarchy are now in process of invoking to the aid of humanity.

We come now to one of the most valuable and practical parts of our study upon the effects of the seven rays of energy as they make their presence felt in the human unit, and particularly as they affect the aspirant, disciple and mystic.  During the past three decades, much has been written upon the pathology of the mystic and the physiological disturbances accompanying the mystical experience; much has also been investigated in connection with the neurotic characteristics which are frequently to be found in the spiritually polarised person and the inexplicable conditions which seem to exist—mentally, emotionally and physically—along with deep spiritual knowledge, definite mystical phenomena and high aspiration for divine contact.  These conditions are increasing with great rapidity.  More and more people are, for instance, becoming clair-voyant and clair-audient, and these reactions to stimulation and these expressions of innate powers are regarded as evidence of mental derangement, of delusions [514] and hallucinations, and sometimes of insanity.  Certain nervous complaints, affecting at times the muscular equipment and other parts of the human body, will be found eventually to have their origin in over-stimulation; instead then of being handled (as they now are) by imposed processes of rest, by the use of soporifics, and other forms of treatment, the patient will he taught methods of divorcing himself temporarily from the source of this mystical or spiritual potency; or he may be taught how to deflect these forces which are pouring into and through the various centres to those centres which can more safely handle them, thus producing a more even distribution of energy.  He will also be taught how to use them effectively in outer service.  Forms of nervous inflammation and neuritis will be regarded as symptoms of the wrong use made of the energy available in the human equipment or of undue emphasis upon it.  We shall discover the sources of certain disorders and find that the difficulty lies in the centres which are found near to the particular organ in the body which seems outwardly to be responsible for the trouble.  This is noticeably true in connection with certain forms of heart trouble and brain tensions and, of course, all cases of hypertension.  It is true likewise in relation to the metabolism of the body which can be seriously thrown out of balance by the over-stimulation of the throat centre, with consequent evil effects upon the thyroid gland—that master gland which is related to the transference of the various forces (found in the body) to the head.  There are two major centres definitely connected with the fact of transference:

1. The solar plexus centre which is the transferring centre for all the forces found below the diaphragm to the centres above the diaphragm.

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2. The throat centre, which is the transferring centre for all the forces found above the diaphragm into the two head centres.

There are three aspects connected with this whole subject of the diseases and difficulties of the mystical life which it would be well to bear in mind.  Those people who are concerned with the education and training of children or with the esoteric training of the world disciples and aspirants should study the matter with care; they should attempt to understand the causes of many of the nervous complaints and pathological conditions found in the advanced people of the world, plus the problems arising out of the premature development of the lower psychic powers as well as the unfoldment of the higher faculties.  The problem, therefore, involves people at all stages of unfoldment and they should carefully consider them from the standpoint of energy activity—a thing which has been little done as yet.

The first of these three aspects could be stated as follows:  We are passing at this time through a transition period wherein old energies are passing out and new ray influences are coming in.  We are transiting into a new sign of the zodiac.  Therefore, the impact of the new forces, plus the withdrawal of the old, is apt to produce clearly felt effects upon humanity, as a whole, and upon mystics and aspirants in particular, and cause definite reactions.  With these we shall shortly deal when we consider the influence of the rays today and in the Aquarian Age.  (A Treatise on the Seven Rays, Vol. III and The Destiny of the Nations).

Secondly, the present world problem, the fear and deep anxiety, and the suffering and pain which are so widespread, are producing a mixed and dual result.  These two results (with all their intermediate stages) are—

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1. The extraversion of the mass consciousness.

2. A pronounced introversion of the individual.

There is, therefore, a mass effect and an individual effect and these two must be more carefully borne in mind.  This process of externalisation can be seen working out in all the clamour and in the ardent and oft noisy psychology of the great national movements and experiments, going on today all over the world.  Simultaneously, individuals in all these countries and in practically every land are learning a needed (and sometimes enforced) suppression, control of speech and other restraining reactions; they are being turned definitely inward through force of circumstances and in such a powerful manner that—if you could see the play of forces as we on the inner side can see them—you would become aware of these two great movements being carried forward in the three worlds of human endeavour, as if they were opposing currents of force:

1. The movement, tending towards the extraversion or the externalisation of the great energies to which the mass consciousness responds.  This is being directed or enforced through the activity of the first ray energy.  Much of it, therefore, is to be found in the political field and in the realm of the mass will.  In these early stages we are witnessing the evocation of that mass will; it is, as yet, unintelligent, inchoate, fluidic and easily imposed upon by the directed will of a group in any land, which can evidence enough power to engross the mass attention.  This can also be sometimes done by a dominant and powerful personality.  The net result—from the long range point of view—is the bringing to the surface of the deeply hidden and submerged mass consciousness, a silent, hitherto unexpressed and unoriented force, and yet a potency in the planetary life.

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2. The movement towards the introversion or the "turning inwards" of the intelligent consciousness (not the mass consciousness this time) of all those men and women in the world today whose minds are awakening and who can function actively and creatively on the three levels of human awareness.

It is this dual movement—outward and inward—which is the source of much of the present world crisis.  The effect of this "pull" in two directions is having a serious effect upon sensitive individuals.  They are pulled in two directions:  outward by the pull of the mass consciousness, and by the force of the political, economic and social life of the race; inwards by the pull of the world of higher values, by the kingdom of souls, by the organised work of the spiritual Hierarchy, aided by the age-old religious consciousness.

Psychologists would do well to study their patients from the angle of these two diverging energies.  They would thus offset the tendency to cleavage which is one of the major anxieties of the spiritual Workers at this time.  In the stress and strain of modern living, men are apt to think that the major task and the most important duty today is to make life more bearable and thus easier for humanity to live.  To the spiritual Hierarchy of our planet, the major task is so to safeguard mankind that, when this period of transition is over and the forces that are withdrawing their influences have ceased entirely to have an effect upon humanity, there will be fusion and not cleavage to be found in the world.  Thus the kingdom of God and the kingdom of men will be fusing rapidly into a dual manifesting expression.  The incoming force will then be stabilised and its note clearly heard.

The third factor to he considered by the man who is working towards the well-being of his fellows is the study of the [518] effects of the new incoming forces upon the present mechanism of man.  This is not yet being done but is a determining factor in the successful development of the human unit.  Therefore, it is of vital importance to educators, psychologists, parents and esotericists.  There is, however, as yet no real recognition of the fact and the urgency of these incoming forces, nor is there any appreciation of the potency of the energies emanating from—

1. The sign of the zodiac into which we are now passing.

2. The effect of the relation existing between the forces emanating from the sign Aquarius and the sign Leo which is its polar opposite and, therefore, closely related to it.  The interplay of the two signs is, at this time, responsible for the appearance of the great and modern human movements, involving vast numbers of men and engineered usually by some dominant personality.  It is responsible also for the intense individualism which is manifesting in every department of human life today.

3. The effect of the new zodiacal influences upon the eleven other signs.  This is a most interesting theme and one that has been little considered.  What effect will the potency of the sign Aquarius (which is becoming increasingly dominant with each decade) have upon a person or a nation which is governed by the sign Taurus, for instance, or by Sagittarius, or Pisces?  In coming centuries, this aspect of astrological science will be of definite importance and will be considered by those responsible for the rearing and education of children during the coming centuries.  It will be one of the most important themes to be dealt with in all systems of psychological and esoteric service to humanity, and will [519] eventually cause a reorganisation of the methods employed up to date to aid and liberate man.

This we shall endeavour to elucidate as one of the points in Volume III of A Treatise on the Seven Rays, and it will contribute an entirely new approach.

4. The effect of the relation of the seven rays to the zodiacal forces.  It should be remembered that there is a close interplay between the seven rays and the twelve signs of the zodiac.

Another task of the psychologist is to investigate the effect or the relation of the seven centres of force, which are to be found in the human body, in the etheric counterpart of the physical body.  Many of the modern physical ills and a large number of undesirable psychological conditions will then be traced to their true source.  This is the over-stimulation, plus the under-development, of the centres of energy found in the human mechanism and closely connected with the endocrine system.  This is part of the new Science of Humanity.

You will see from the above how vast and intricate is our theme.  It will not be possible for me to do more than generalise, and point out the way to certain broad trails or lines of investigation along which the modern student and scientist would do well to go.  I would like to remind you also that the problem of the human being is essentially and basically the problem of consciousness or awareness.  The five aspects of man—

1. The physical body.

2. The vital or etheric body.

3. The astral body.

4. The mental body.

5. The soul body or the egoic lotus,

are basically only open doors into the larger whole of which [520] the individual unit is a part.  They put the man into relation with the divine expression and manifestation in the same way that his five senses put him in touch with the tangible world and enable him thus to share the general life.

Many of our present problems (arising out of the mystical or the spiritual life) and a large number of our psychological difficulties are connected with this fact.  Many a man also is over-developed in some one of these directions and, therefore, (through this developed sensitivity of some aspect of the fivefold instrument of contact) he becomes aware of a realm of consciousness and of states of awareness with which he is not competent to deal, owing to the under-development of his mind and the lack of soul contact.