Navigate the Chapters of this Book

FOREWORD

FOREWORD

The following letters were received during the period included within the dates, May 16th, 1920, and October 20th, 1920, with the exception of the two letters which were received in 1919.  With the consent of their author they have been gathered together for publication.

They are published in full as received, with the exception of certain parts which have a purely personal application, those having reference to a certain occult school, and those of a prophetic or esoteric nature, which may not now be communicated.

It is hoped that those who read these letters will endeavour to do two things:

1. Read always with an open mind, remembering that the truth is a many-sided diamond, and that its different aspects will appear at different times, as those who guide the race see a need which must be met.  Many books on meditation have been written, some too abstruse and some too superficial to satisfy the average educated man.  The writer of these letters has apparently attempted to supply the need of a brief yet scientific exposition of a rationale of meditation, emphasising the goal immediately ahead and the intermediate stages.

2. Judge of the letters on their merits and not upon claims put forth on behalf of the writer. For this reason he has chosen to preserve his anonymity and has requested the recipient of the letters to publish them under his pseudonym.

If the subject matter of the letters is of value it will call forth a response from the readers and serve to help some onward towards the goal, and prove to many the inspiration and aid it already has to a few.

ALICE A. BAILEY.

New York, 1922.

The constitution of man (See Figure), as considered in the following pages, is basically threefold, as follows

I.    The Monad, or pure Spirit, the Father in Heaven.

This aspect reflects the three aspects of the Godhead:

      1.   Will or Power......................... The Father

      2.   Love-Wisdom ................... The Son

      3.   Active Intelligence................. The Holy Spirit

and is only contacted at the final initiations, when man is nearing the end of his journey and is perfected.

The Monad reflects itself again in

II.   The Ego, Higher Self, or Individuality.

This aspect is potentially :—

      1. Spiritual Will..............................Atma

      2. Intuition.....................................Buddic, Love-Wisdom, the Christ principle.

      3. Higher or abstract Mind.............Higher Manas.

The Ego begins to make its power felt in advanced men, and increasingly on the Probationary Path until by the third initiation the control of the lower self by the higher is perfected, and the highest aspect begins to make its energy felt.

The Ego reflects itself in

III. The Personality, or lower self, physical plane man.

This aspect is also threefold

      1.   A mental body....................... lower manas.

     2.   An emotional body................ astral body.

      3.   A physical body..................... the dense physical and the etheric body.

The aim of meditation is therefore to bring man to the realisation of the Egoic aspect and to bring the lower nature under its control.  This is the immediate goal for the average man.