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THE TWO PATHS

Passing from our consideration of the nature of the astral plane we will deal with its functions and the relation of the disciple to its activities.  Let us remember certain things about it.  First, it is pre-eminently the battle-ground, and on it is fought the warfare which eventuates in the final release of the imprisoned soul.  It is useful to have in mind the outstanding characteristics of the three planes and the three bodies which function on them.

The physical plane is the plane of active experience in and through matter.  It is the plane of externalisation and, according to the condition and point of development of the inner man, so will be the outer form and its activities.

The astral plane is the plane whereon the man passes through three stages of consciousness:

a. He gains, through his sensory apparatus, consciousness in the world of forms, and develops ability to re-act to those forms with wisdom and intelligence.  This consciousness he shares with the animal world, though he goes far beyond them in some respects, owing to his possession of a correlating and co-ordinating mind.

b. Sensitivity, or awareness of moods, emotions and feelings, desires and aspirations which have their roots within him in the principle of self-consciousness, or in the ahamkara principle, as the occultist (who loves difficult phrases) is apt to call it.  This he shares in common with his fellow-men.

c. Spiritual awareness or sensitiveness to the spiritual world, and the feeling aspect of the higher consciousness.  This has its roots in the soul, presupposes the dominance of the mental nature, and is that faculty [227] which constitutes him a mystic.  This awareness he shares in common with all disciples and it is the reward of the gained victories of his astral plane experience.

The mental plane comes next.  In it the right use of the intellect is the outstanding achievement.  This is also characterised by three stages:

a. The stage wherein the mind is the receiver of impressions from the outer world, via the five senses and the brain.  This is a negative condition, and, in it, the "modifications of the thinking principle" are brought about through the impacts of the external world, and the re-actions of the astral world.

b. The stage wherein the mind initiates its own activities, and wherein the intellect is a dominating factor.  Though thrown into activity by the factors enumerated above, it is responsive also to the thought currents of the mental plane as well, and becomes exceedingly active as the result of these two contacts.  Out of these a third activity supervenes wherein the reasoning principle acts upon the information gained in these two ways, sets its own streams of thoughts, and formulates its own thought forms, as well as registering those of others.

c. The stage wherein the soul, through concentration and meditation succeeds in imposing its ideas and impressions upon the mind held "steady in the light" and so enables the mental body to respond to impressions and contacts emanating from the subjective and spiritual worlds.

Yet the battle, par excellence, is fought out in the astral body, and only reaches its most intense point and its potent fierceness when there is a good physical instrument and a well-equipped mentality.  The greater the sensitivity of the astral body, the greater its reactions to [228] the physical world and to the mental condition and hence the fact emerges that disciples and the more highly evolved people in the world have a more potent astral body and work under greater emotional strain than the less highly evolved and the liberated sons of God.

Students are therefore begged to deal drastically and potently with their emotional natures, remembering that victory descends from above and cannot be worked up to from below.  The soul must govern and its instrument in the warfare is the consecrated mind.

It is interesting to note the occult sequence in the description given of this plane in the rule under consideration.

It is first of all the plane of dual forces.  The first thing the aspirant becomes aware of is duality.  The little evolved man is aware of synthesis, but it is the synthesis of his material nature.  The highly spiritual man is aware also of synthesis but it is that in his soul, whose consciousness is that of unity.  But in between is the wretched aspirant, conscious of duality above all else and pulled hither and thither between the two.  His first step has, for its objective, to make him aware of the pairs of opposites and of the necessity to choose between them.  Through the light, which he has discovered in himself, he becomes aware of the dark.  Through the good which attracts him, he sees the evil which is for him the line of least resistance.  Through the activity of pain, he can visualize and become aware of pleasure, and heaven and hell become to him realities.  Through the activity of the attractive life of his soul, he realizes the attraction of matter and of form, and is forced to recognize the urge and pull of both of them.  He learns to feel himself as "pendant 'twixt the two great forces", and, once the dualities are grasped, it dawns on him slowly and surely that the deciding factor in the struggle is his divine will, in contradistinction to his selfish will. [229]  Thus the dual forces play their part until they are seen as two great streams of divine energy, pulling in opposite directions, and he becomes then aware of the two paths, mentioned in our rule.  One path leads back into the dreary land of rebirth, and the other leads through the golden gate to the city of free souls.  One is therefore involutionary and involves him in deepest matter; the other leads him out of the body nature, and makes him eventually aware of his spiritual body, through which he can function in the kingdom of the soul.  One path, later on (when he is a true and pledged chela) is known to him as the left hand path and the other the path of right activity.  On one path, he becomes proficient in black magic, which is only the developed powers of the personality, subordinated to the selfish purposes of a man whose motives are those of self interest and worldly ambition.  These confine him to the three worlds and shut the door which opens on to life.  On the other path, he subordinates his personality and exercises the magic of the White Brotherhood, working always in the light of the soul with the soul in all forms, and laying no emphasis upon the ambitions of the personal self.  Clear discrimination of these two paths reveals what is called in some occult books that "narrow razor-edged Path" which lies between the two.  This is the "noble middle Path" of the Buddha and marks the fine line of demarcation between the pairs of opposites, and between the two streams which he has learnt to recognize—one going up unto the gates of heaven, and the other passing down into the nethermost hell.

By the exercise of the two main weapons of the aspirant, discrimination and dispassion, he gains that quality which is called in this rule "the vital power".  Just as the eye is the instrument of choice in choosing the way of travel on the physical plane and has besides a potency all its own whereby it attracts and develops its [230] own sign language, so a vital power is felt in the aspirant.  This eventually brings the third eye into activity, and so there is gained a potency and a clear vision which make right choice and quick progress upon the way a steady progression.  We are told that power is grown or developed in silence, and only he who can find a centre of peace within his head, where the paths of the bodily forces and the spiritual inflowing tides meet, can rightly practice true discrimination and that dispassion which bring the controlled astral and mental bodies under the guidance of the soul.

Then he can understand the significance of "the vibrating poles", and achieve that point of equilibrium which is the result of their interaction and vibration.

The sensing of the dual forces and the clear discrimination of the two paths leads to the development of the vital power.  This vital power demonstrates its first activity in enabling the aspirant to achieve a point of balance and so stand on that pinnacle of achievement whereon "a choice is made".

What is that choice?  For the aspirant, it is that between rapid and slow progress.  For the disciple, accepted and loyal, it is the choice between methods of service.  For the initiate it oft lies betwixt spiritual advancement and the arduous work of staying with the group and working out the plan.  For the Master it is the choice between the seven Paths, and it will therefore be apparent how much more strenuous and difficult is his problem.

All however prepares the aspirant for right choice through right discrimination leading to right action, and made possible through practiced dispassion.  In this sentence is summed up the technique of the warrior upon the battle-field of the desire plane.

It should here be noted that in the steadily developing power of choice, and the loyally fought battle of the astral [231] plane, the consciousness in the man shifts stage by stage.  First, it is the battered earth-weary aspirant who has to struggle with desire, with glamour, with ambition and with his sensitive emotional body.  He thinks the battle is stupendous but from the wider angle it is relatively small—yet all that he can stand.

Later, it is the experienced probationary disciple who wrestles in the vale of illusion, and deals not alone with his own nature but with the forces of that vale also, recognising its dual nature.  Then, the disciple comes forth to battle and faces with courage (and often with clear vision) the forces arrayed against him.  They involve not only those in his own nature and in those aspects of the astral plane to which he naturally re-acts, but also involve the forces of illusion arrayed against the group of disciples to which he belongs.  Let all disciples take note of this and have it in mind in these difficult and strenuous days.  Such disciples are in conscious contact at times with their soul forces and for them there is no defeat nor turning back.  They are the tried warriors, scarred and tired, yet knowing that triumphant victory lies ahead, for the soul is omnipotent.  Accepted disciples, who battle all the above enumerated factors, plus the black forces arrayed against the Elder Brothers, can call upon the spiritual energies of their group and at rare and indicated moments upon the Master under whom they work.  Thus the work and labour expands; thus the responsibility and struggle steadily increases; yet at the same time there is also a steadily growing reception of potencies which can be contacted and utilized and which when correctly contacted insure victory at the end.

The phrase "the one who meditates" relates to the soul.  Arjuna, the aspiring disciple, resigns the struggle and hands the weapons and the reins of government to Krishna, the soul, and is rewarded at last by understanding [232] and by a vision of the divine form which veils the Son of God Who is Himself.

When this battle has been fought and won the disciple steps into the ranks of the white magicians of our planet and can wield forces, cooperate with the plan, command the elementals, and bring order out of chaos.  He is no longer immersed in the world illusion but has risen above it.  He can no longer be held down by the chains of his own past habits and his karma.  He has gained the vital power and stands forth an Elder Brother.

Such is the path ahead of each and all who dare to tread it.  Such is the opportunity offered to all students who have made their choice with dispassion and are prompted by love and the desire to serve.