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SECTION THREE - THE ENDING OF GLAMOUR - Part 2

The route which the revelation then follows is the same in both cases, and illusion overtakes both forms of revelation but—and here is a point upon which I would ask you to reflect—there is a little less illusion gathered around the revelations of science than has gathered around the revelations of what humanity calls the more definitely spiritual truths. One reason lies in the fact that the last great spiritual revelation, given by the Christ, was given two thousand years ago, and the development of man's mind and his responsiveness to truth has grown greatly since that time. Again, the revelations of science are largely the result of group tension, eventually focussed in one intuitive recipient, and the revelation is thereby protected.

Today, as humanity awaits the revelation which will embody the thoughts and dreams and constructive goal of the New Age, the demand comes for the first time from a large group of intuitively inclined people. I said not intuitives, brother of old. This group is now so large and its focus is now so real and its demand so loud that it is succeeding in focussing the massed intent of the people. Therefore, whatever revelation may emerge in the immediate future will be better "protected by the spirit of understanding" than any previous one. This is the significance of the words of the New Testament, "every eye shall see Him"; humanity as a whole will recognise the revealing One. In past ages the Messenger from on High was only recognised by and known to a mere handful of men, and it took decades and sometimes centuries for His message to penetrate into the hearts of humanity.

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The stress of the times also and the development of the sense of proportion, plus an enforced return to simplicity of living and requirements may save the coming revelation from too swift and quick submergence in the fire of the Great Illusion.

It will be apparent to you from the above that the mode of handling world affairs, states of consciousness and conditions in the three worlds is one in which the disciple and initiate work from above downwards. The method is in reality a repetition of the involutionary arc in which—like the Creator, from a vantage point of exterior direction—energy, force and forces are directed into the world of phenomena and produce definite effects upon the substance of the three planes. This is a point which should be most carefully remembered; and it is for this reason that the Technique of the Presence must always be employed, prior to all other techniques. It establishes contact with the directing spiritual Agent and enables the disciple to assume the attitude of the detached Observer and an agent of the Plan. When this technique is correctly followed, it brings the intuition into play and the world of meaning (lying behind the world of phenomena) stands revealed, thereby dispelling illusion. Truth, as it is, is seen and known. Forms in the outer world of phenomena (outer from the angle of the soul and therefore encompassing the three worlds of our familiar daily living) are seen to be but symbols of an inward and spiritual Reality.

2. THE TECHNIQUE OF LIGHT

We come now to the consideration of the next development and service to be rendered through the medium of another technique.

This theme is so vast and there is so much literature to be found in all the world Scriptures, commentaries and theological [191] dissertations on the subject of Light that the simple truth and a few basic principles are lost to sight in a welter of words.

In my various books I have given much anent this subject and in the book, The Light of the Soul, which I wrote in collaboration with A.A.B., an effort was made to indicate the nature of the light of the soul. The key to this technique is to be found in the words: In that Light shall we see LIGHT. A simple paraphrase of these apparently abstract and symbolic words could be given as follows: When the disciple has found that lighted centre within himself and can walk in its radiating light, he is then in a position (or in a state of consciousness, if you prefer) wherein he becomes aware of the light within all forms and atoms. The inner world of reality stands visible to him as light-substance (a different thing to the Reality, revealed by the intuition). He can then become an efficient cooperator with the Plan because the world of psychic meaning becomes real to him and he knows what should be done to dispel glamour. It might be stated that this process of bringing light into dark places falls naturally into three stages:

1. The stage wherein the beginner and the aspirant endeavour to eradicate glamour out of their own life by the use of the light of the mind. The light of knowledge is a major dispelling agent in the earlier phases of the task and effectively eliminates the various glamours which veil the truth from the aspirant.

2. The stage wherein the aspirant and disciple work with the light of the soul. This is the light of wisdom which is the interpreted result of long experience, and this streams forth, blending with the light of knowledge.

3. The stage wherein the disciple and the initiate work with the light of the intuition. It is through the blended [192] medium of the light of knowledge (personality light) and the light of wisdom (soul light) that the Light is seen, known and appropriated. This light puts out the lesser lights through the pure radiance of its power.

You have therefore the light of knowledge, the light of wisdom and the light of the intuition, and these are three definite stages or aspects of the One Light. They correspond to the physical Sun, the heart of the Sun, and the Central Spiritual Sun. In this last sentence you have the clue and the key to the relation of man to the Logos.

These stages and their corresponding techniques are apt to be misunderstood if the student fails to remember that between them lie no real lines of demarcation but only a constant overlapping, a cyclic development and a process of fusion which is most confusing to beginners. Just as the result of innate reaction to environment produces the apparatus needed to contact that environment, so the unfoldment of the powers which these techniques serve produces modes of contact with soul and spiritual environments. Each of these techniques is related to a new environment; each of them eventually develops power in the initiate or disciple which can be used in the service of humanity and in higher spheres of divine activity; each is related to the other techniques, and each releases the disciple into a conscious relationship with a new environment, new states of awareness and new fields of service. For instance:

1. The Technique of the Presence, when successfully followed, enables the intuition to flow in and to supersede the activity of the rationalising mind and to dispel illusion, substituting for that illusion divine ideas, formulated into concepts which we call ideals. The Masters, it should be remembered, only use the mind for two activities:

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a. To reach the minds of Their disciples and attract aspirants through the medium of an instrument similar to the disciple's mind.

b. To create thoughtforms on concrete levels which can embody these divine ideas. The directing Agent, the Angel of the Presence, produces the power to create in this manner, and this we call the result of the intuition—idea or truth, its perception and its reproduction.

2. The Technique of Light is more closely related to the mind and signifies the method whereby the illumination which flows from the soul (whose nature is light) can irradiate not only ideals but life, circumstances and events, revealing the cause and the meaning of the experience. When the power of the disciple to illumine is grasped, he has taken the first step towards dispelling glamour; and just as the technique of the Presence becomes effective upon the mental plane, so this technique produces powers which can become effective on the astral plane and eventually bring about the dissipation and the disappearance of that plane.

3. The Technique of Indifference renders ineffective or neutralises the hold of substance over the life or spirit, functioning in the three worlds, for soul is the evidence of life.

In connection, therefore, with this second technique, I would like to take some words out of the Bible, substituting the word "light" for the word "faith." I give you this definition: Light is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. This is perhaps one of the most occult definitions of the light of the world that has yet been given and its true meaning is intended to be revealed in the next two generations. The word "faith" is a good [194] instance of the method of rendering "blind" some of the ancient truths so that their significance may not be prematurely revealed. Light and substance are synonymous terms. Soul and light are equally so, and in this equality of idea—light, substance, soul—you have the key to fusion and to the at-one-ment which Christ expressed so fully for us in His life on Earth.

When, therefore, students and aspirants have made progress in soul contact, they have taken one of the first important steps towards the comprehension of light and its uses. They must however be careful not to confuse the light which they can bring to bear on life, circumstance, events, and on environment with the intuition. The light with which we are concerned expresses itself in the three worlds and reveals form and forms, their reaction and effects, their glamour and attractive appeal, and their power to delude and imprison consciousness. The light concerned is soul light, illuminating the mind and bringing about revelation of the world of forms in which that life is immersed.

The intuition is concerned with nothing whatsoever in the three worlds of human experience but only with the perceptions of the Spiritual Triad and with the world of ideas. The intuition is to the world of meaning what the mind is to the three worlds of experience. It produces understanding just as the light of soul produces knowledge, through the medium of that experience. Knowledge is not a purely mental reaction but is something which is found on all levels and is instinctual in some form in all kingdoms. This is axiomatic. The five senses bring physical plane knowledge; psychic sensitivity brings a knowledge of the astral plane; the mind brings intellectual perception, but all three are aspects of the light of knowledge (coming from the soul) as it informs its vehicles of expression in the vast threefold [195] environment in which it chooses to imprison itself for purposes of development.

On a higher turn of the spiral, the intuition is the expression of the threefold Spiritual Triad, placing it in relation to the higher levels of divine expression; it is a result of the life of the Monad—an energy which carries revelation of divine purpose. It is in the world of this divine revelation that the disciple learns eventually to work and in which the initiate consciously functions. Of this higher experience, the active life of the three worlds is a distorted expression but constitutes also the training ground in which capacity to live the initiate life of intuitional perception and to serve the Plan is slowly developed. These distinctions (in time and space, because all distinctions are part of the great illusion, though necessary and inevitable when the mind controls) must be carefully considered. Disciples will reach a point in their development where they will know whether they are reacting to the light of the soul or to the intuitional perception of the Triad. They will then come to the point where they will realise that intuitive perception—as they call it—is only the reaction of the illumined personality to the identification tendency of the Triad. But these concepts are beyond the grasp of the average man because fusion and identification are by no means the same.

The rules for the Technique of Light have been adequately laid down in the Raja Yoga system of Patanjali, of which the five stages of Concentration, Meditation, Contemplation, Illumination, and Inspiration are illustrative; these, in their turn, must be parallelled by a following of the Five Rules and the Five Commandments. I would ask you to study these. They, in their turn, produce the many results in psychic sensitivity, of which hierarchical contact, illumination, service and discipline are descriptive and, finally, the [196] stage of "isolated unity," which is the paradoxical term used by Patanjali to describe the inner life of the initiate.

Most of what I have said above is well known to all aspirants whether they study the Raja Yoga teaching of India or the life of practical mysticism as laid down by such mystics as Meister Eckhart and the more mentally polarised modern esotericist. These latter went beyond the mystical vision by arriving at fusion. I need not enlarge on this. It is the higher stage of at-one-ment to which all true mystics bear witness.

What does concern us here is how this light is recognised, appropriated and used in order to dispel glamour and render a deeply esoteric service to the world. It might be said that the inner light is like a searchlight, swinging out into the world of glamour and of human struggle from what one Master has called "the pedestal of the soul and the spiritual tower or beacon." These terms convey the idea of altitude and of distance which are so characteristic of the mystical approach. Power to use this light as a dissipating agent only comes when these symbols are dropped and the server begins to regard himself as the light and as the irradiating centre. Herein lies the reason for some of the technicalities of the occult science. The esotericist knows that in every atom of his body is to be found a point of light. He knows that the nature of the soul is light. For aeons, he walks by means of the light engendered within his vehicles, by the light within the atomic substance of his body and is, therefore, guided by the light of matter. Later, he discovers the light of the soul. Later still, he learns to fuse and blend soul light and material light. Then he shines forth as a Light bearer, the purified light of matter and the light of the soul being blended and focussed. The use of this focussed light as it dispels individual glamour teaches the disciples the early stages of the technique which will dispel [197] group glamour and eventually world glamour, and this is the next point with which we will deal.

The theme with which we are dealing—the light of the soul as it dissipates glamour in the three worlds—is the most practical and useful and needed subject for study to be found today: it concerns the astral plane, and the service to be rendered is vital and timely. The ridding of the world of the individual and the world of humanity as a whole of the all-enveloping glamour which holds humanity in thrall is an essential requirement for the race. The new era which will open up before mankind at the close of the war will be distinguished by its mental polarisation and consequent freedom from glamour; then illusion will for a time control until the intuition is more fully developed. This illusion will produce vastly different results to those which follow when men live and work in the midst of glamour. The second characteristic of the new era will be the scientific approach to the entire problem of glamour which will then be recognised for what it is and will be scientifically dissipated by the use of the illumined minds of groups, working in unison for just that purpose.

The proposition, therefore, which I am laying before you (who are the aspirants and the disciples of the world) is the possibility of a definite world service. Groups will eventually be formed of those who are working at the dissipation of glamour in their individual lives and who are doing so not so much in order to achieve their own liberation but with the special objective of ridding the astral plane of its significant glamours. They will work unitedly on some major phase of world glamour by the power of their individual illumined minds; unitedly they will turn "the searchlight of the mind, reflecting the light of the sun but at the same time radiating its own inner light upon the mists and fogs of Earth, for in these mists and fogs all men stumble. [198] Within the lighted sphere of the focussed radiant light, reality will issue forth triumphant."

It is interesting to note that the most ancient prayer in the world refers to the three aspects of glamour, and it is for these that the three techniques must be used to make release and progress possible. As you know, this prayer runs as follows (Brihadaranyaki Upanishad I, 3, 28):

"Lead us, O Lord, from darkness to light; from the unreal to the real; from death to immortality."

"Lead us from darkness to light" refers to the mind as it becomes eventually illumined by the light of the intuition; this illumination is brought about by the means of the Technique of the Presence from Whom the light shines. This is the mediating factor producing the Transfiguration of the personality, and a centre of radiant light upon the mental plane. This statement is true whether one is speaking of an individual or of that focal point of light which is formed by the mental unity and the clear thinking of advanced humanity. These, through the power of their unified minds, will succeed in ridding the world of some aspects of the Great Illusion.

"Lead us from the unreal to the Real" has specific relation to the astral plane and its all-encompassing glamours. These glamours embody the unreal and present them to the prisoners of the astral plane, leading them to mistake them for the Reality. This imprisonment by glamour can be ended by the activity of the Technique of Light, utilised by those who work—in group formation—for the dissipation of glamour and for the emergence in the consciousness of men of a clear conception and recognition of the nature of Reality.

This particular work of dissipation is our immediate theme. It is of vital importance that those who recognise [199] the open door to the future through which all men must pass should begin to carry forward this work. Only thus can humanity be helped to leave behind the errors, the glamours and the failures of the past. It is this technique which brings freedom from glamour and which can transform human living, and so bring in the new civilisation and culture. This dissipation can be carried forward by disciples in all parts of the planet, aided by the world aspirants; it will, however, be primarily the work of those whose ray focus makes astral living the line of least resistance and who have learnt or are learning to dominate it by the power of thought and mental light. These are the sixth ray people in the first instance, aided by aspirants and disciples upon the second and fourth rays.

In time and space, this task will be first of all instituted and controlled in group formation only by aspirants whose soul or personality rays are the sixth or by those whose astral bodies are conditioned by the sixth ray. When they have grasped the nature of the work to be done and "fanatically adopted the technique of light in the service of the race," their work will be completed by second ray disciples, working from the Ashrams of those Masters Who take disciples. The work done by these two groups will be finally revealed (and at a much later date) by those aspirants and disciples who will swing into astral activity when the fourth ray again begins to manifest. Therefore, the work of dissipating glamour is carried forward by those who come out into manifestation along the lines of energy which embody the second, fourth and sixth rays. I emphasise this as disciples frequently undertake tasks for which they are not particularly fitted and whose rays do not aid them in accomplishment and sometimes prevent that accomplishment.

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The whole subject is related to consciousness, to the second aspect, and concerns the forms through which mankind becomes progressively aware. Glamour is caused by the recognition of that which man has himself created and, as has occultly been said, "Man only becomes aware of reality when he has destroyed that which he has himself created." These forms fall into two major groups:

1. Those forms which are of very ancient origin and which are the result of human activity, human thinking and of human error. They embrace all the forms which the desire nature of man has created down the ages and are the nebulous substance of glamour—nebulous from the physical angle but dense from the angle of the astral plane. They are that which provides the incentive behind all striving and activity upon the outer plane as man attempts to satisfy desire. From these forms the individual aspirant has ever to rid himself, emerging after so doing through that gate which we call the second initiation into a wider consciousness.

2. Those forms which are being constantly created and ceaselessly produced in response to the aspirational nature of humanity and which provide the enticements which lead the man along towards high personal achievement in the first instance and spiritual achievement later. They have in them the indications of the new and the possible. These likewise (strange as it may seem) constitute a glamour, for they are temporary and illusory and must not be permitted to hide the Real. That Reality will precipitate itself at the right moment once the higher light pours in. They are indicative of the Real and are often mistaken for the Real; they are in conflict with the old thoughts and desires of the past and must eventually give place to the factual presence of the [201] Real. They provide (in times of crisis) the great testing for all aspirants and disciples, evoking the subtlest kind of discrimination; but once that testing has been triumphantly passed, then can the task of dissipating both these types of glamour be given to the disciple and aspirant, with the emphasis upon the immediate need or any particular and current world glamour.

It will be apparent to you, therefore, that groups working consciously at the service of dissipating glamour will have the following characteristics:

1. They will be composed of sixth ray aspirants and disciples, aided by second ray spiritual workers.

2. They will be formed of those who:

a. Are learning or have learnt to dissipate their own individual glamours and can bring understanding to the task.

b. Are focussed upon the mental plane and have, therefore, some measure of mental illumination. They are mastering the Technique of Light.

c. Are aware of the nature of the glamours which they are attempting to dissipate and can use the illumined mind as a searchlight.

3. They will count among their numbers those who (occultly speaking) have the following powers in process of rapid development:

a. The power not only to recognise glamour for what it is, but to discriminate between the various and many types of glamour.

b. The power to appropriate the light, absorbing it into themselves and then consciously and scientifically project it into the world of glamour. The [202] Masters, the higher initiates and the world disciples do this alone, if need be, and require not the protection of the group or the aid of the light of the group members.

c. The power to use the light not only through absorption and projection but also by a conscious use of the will, carrying energy upon the beam of projected light. To this they add a persistent and steady focus. This beam, thus projected, has a twofold use: It works expulsively and dynamically, much as a strong wind blows away or dissipates a dense fog or as the rays of the sun dry up and absorb the mist. It acts also as a beam along which that which is new and a part of the divine intention can enter. The new ideas and the desired ideals can come in "on the beam," just as the beam directs and brings in the airplanes to a desired landing place.

a. The Dissipation of Individual Glamour

Let us first of all consider the mode by which the individual aspirant can succeed in dissipating the glamours which have for ages conditioned his life in the three worlds. He has been dominated by desire for four-fifths of his incarnated experience. He has begun to transmute his desire into aspiration and to seek—with all the devotion, emotion and longing of which he is capable—for realisation. It is then that he becomes aware of the appalling nature of the glamours in which he automatically and normally walks. Glamour arose when man recognised and registered desire as an incentive, thus demonstrating his humanity and his distinction from the animal, because it is the mind which reveals the existence of desire. The instinctual effort to satisfy desire—innate and inherent in the lower nature—gave [203] [203] place to planned efforts to meet desire, involving the directive use of the mind. Thus the line of demarcation between the animal and the human has become increasingly apparent and the first and basic expression of pure selfishness appeared aeons ago. Later, as evolution proceeded and desire shifted from one planned satisfaction to another, it began to take on a less physical aspect and men sought pleasure in emotional experience and in its dramatisation: this led to the establishment of the drama as its first artistic expression; by means of this, down the ages, man has supplemented individual emotional and dramatic living with a vicarious submergence in it, thus exteriorising himself and supplementing his personal dramas, desires, and objectives with those which were developed by means of the creative imagination, thus laying the foundation for the recognition—intelligent and real—of the part in relation to the whole. Thus from earliest Atlantean times the foundation was laid for the unfoldment of the sense of mystical duality through the various stages of an anthropomorphic recognition of deity to the recognition of the real in man himself, until finally we arrive at the proposition which faces the disciple. Then the Dweller on the Threshold confronts the Angel of the Presence and the last and major conflict is fought out.

This dualistic consciousness culminates at the time of the third initiation in the final fight between the pairs of opposites and the triumphant victory of the Angel—the embodiment of the Forces of Good in the individual, in the group and in humanity. Then dualism and the desire for that which is material and not oneself (as identified with the Whole) dies out. Unity and the "life more abundantly" is achieved.

The process followed by the disciple who is consciously working at the dissipation of glamour in his life can be [204] divided into four stages to which the following definitions can be given:

1. The stage of recognition of the glamour or glamours which hide the Real. These glamours are dependent in any particular life crisis upon the ray of the personality.

2. The stage of focussing the disciple's consciousness upon the mental plane and the gathering of the light to that point of focus so that the illumination is clear, the work to be done is plainly seen, and the searchlight of the mind is directed upon the glamour which it is intended should be dissipated.

3. The stage of direction. This involves the steady pouring of the light (under intelligent direction) into the dark places of the astral plane, remembering that the light will enable the disciple to do two things:

a. Dissipate the glamour—a satisfying experience.

b. See the Real—a terrifying experience, brother of mine.

4. The stage of identification with the Real as it is contacted after the dissipation of the glamour. In the added light which is now available, there will be a further recognition of still subtler glamours which in their turn must be dissipated.

This process of recognition, focussing, dissipation and consequent revelation goes on continually from the time a disciple treads the Path of Accepted Discipleship until the third initiation.

The clue to all success in this process is, therefore, connected with meditation and the holding of the mind steady in the light. Only through steadiness can the beam of light be formed, intensified, focussed and projected and then—[205] at the right moment—withdrawn. I cannot here enter upon an elucidation of the process of meditation, based on the right understanding of the nature of concentration. I have written much upon the subject and the Raja Yoga discipline is well known. Mental concentration and control is now the ordinary theme of all instructions given by educators and enlightened parents. It is difficult for the average person today to realise that there was a time when such phrases as "Use your mind" or "If you will only think" or "A little mental control on your part would be useful" were totally unknown because the mind was so little developed. It was then only recognised as a functioning factor by those with initiate consciousness. The Path of Evolution is in fact the path of recognitions, leading to revelation. The whole process of evolution is initiatory in character, leading from one expansion of consciousness to another until the worlds of the formless and of form stand revealed in the light which the initiate generates and in which he walks. These lights are varied and variously revealing; there is:

1. The light of matter itself, found in every atom of substance.

2. The light of the vital or etheric vehicle—a light which is the reflection of the One Light because it unifies the three types of light within the three worlds.

3. The light of the instinct.

4. The light of the intellect or the light of knowledge.

5. The light of the soul.

6. The light of the intuition.

From light to light we pass, from revelation to revelation until we pass out of the realm of light into the realm of life which is, as yet to us, pure darkness.

It will be obvious to you that this increasing light brings with it a constantly developing series of revelations which, [206] like all else in the world of human experience, unfolds before the eyes first of all the world of forms, then the world of ideals, then the nature of the soul, of ideas and of divinity. I am choosing but a few of the words which embody the revelation and are symbolic of its character. But all these revelations constitute one great unified revelation which is slowly unfolding before the eyes of humanity. The light of the personal lower self reveals to man the world of form, of matter, of instinct, of desire and of mind; the light of the soul reveals the nature of the relation of these forms of life to the world of the formless and of the conflict between the real and the unreal. The light of the intuition unfolds before the vision of the soul within the personality, the nature of God and the unity of the Whole. The restlessness of material desire, seeking its satisfaction in the three worlds, eventually gives place to aspiration towards soul contact and soul life. This in its turn is recognised as a step towards those great fundamental experiences to which we give the names of the five major initiations. These reveal to man the hitherto unrealised fact of his non-separateness and of the relation of his individual will to the divine will.

We are now going to study the mode whereby these phases of work upon the astral plane are carried forward: first, the individual learns to use the light of the mind, generated by the soul as it becomes closely related to the personality and impulsed by the intuition. By means of this light the disciple learns to dissipate his personal and private glamours. I mention this because I would have you appreciate the extent of the task a man undertakes when he consciously sets about ridding himself of glamour preparatory to extended service. He is in conflict then with the whole glamour of the entire plane and is apt to be overwhelmed by a realisation of what he is facing. This is one of the [207] causes of the deep depression and those profound inferiority complexes which render some people completely futile or lead eventually to suicide. Their own personal glamours tie them in to national or planetary glamour and thus condition their life expression and their thinking. I would ask you to remember this as you deal with people and find them set in their ideas and unable to see the truth as you see it. They are as they are because their individual glamour is fed by the greater glamours, and this is as yet too much for them.

It is not my intention to deal specifically with particular glamours but to give you a formula which—with slight changes and additions—can serve the individual and the group in the task of eradicating glamour. I would begin by saying that the first need is for the man to realise that his reactions, ideas, desires and life experience, as far as his emotional nature is concerned, are conditioned by some one glamour or glamours, that he is the victim of several glamours, engendered over many lives, deeply rooted in his past history, and to which he instinctually reacts. The time, however, comes when the probationary disciple becomes aware of these instinctual glamours and recognises them on appearance, even when reacting to them; he seeks to free himself, working at first spasmodically, trying to use the mind to rationalise himself out of them and alternating between temporary success, when he can with deliberation act as if free from glamour, and long periods of defeat when he is overwhelmed, can see no light anywhere and acts like a blind, bewildered person. This indicates that he is drawn as by a magnet (the force of accumulated ancient glamour with its karmic effects) into the midst of the very glamour he would seek to avoid. Later comes the stage (a result of this alternating process) when the pull of the soul begins to offset the pull of these glamours: he [208] aspires to free expression and to liberation from astral plane control. The balancing process then takes place.

It is during this stage that meditation is instituted so that the man becomes aware of soul light as it blends with the inherent light of the mental body, and this blended light steadily intensifies as he persists in the meditation work. A point then comes where the aspirant discovers that this inner light can be used, and he begins tentatively and with uneven success to turn that light upon the problems of his particular glamour. It is also at this point that we now carry forward the Technique of Light, employing it so that the vague unscientific technique of the past comes to an end. The indicated technique is of use only to the man who knows something of the light of the mind, of the light in the head, and of the light of the soul. The light in the head is produced by the definitely planned bringing together of soul light and personality light, focussed in the mental body and producing an effect in the brain. This focussing process falls into three stages:

1. The attempt to focus the light of the mind and of matter in the mental vehicle.

This signifies a bringing together of the light of matter and substance (dense material and etheric light) and the light of the mind itself. There is no peculiar or specific light in or of the astral body itself, for it is only an aggregate of forms, created by individual man, by nations and by races, and these in their entirety constitute the astral plane and possess no inherent light as do other forms. They are not created as a form of expression for some dynamic life by the planetary Logos, and this is the real meaning of what I have earlier told you that the astral plane in reality does not exist. It is the phantasmoric creation of human desire down the [209] ages and its false light is a reflection of either the light of matter or of the mind. This process of focussing is undertaken through alignment and by the effort to bring to a point of illumination the positive light of the mind and the negative light of the brain and is carried forward through mental control, developed in meditation. When these two opposite poles are in relation then (by an act of the personality will) these two aspects of the lesser light can form a pin point of light—like a small torch light—revealing some phase of the glamour to which the aspirant most easily responds. This first focussed light is not of such a nature that it can do more than reveal. It has no dissipating power, nor can it render existing glamour ineffective. It can only make a man aware in his waking or brain consciousness that glamour holds him. This is related to the stage of concentration in the meditation process.

2. The second stage of the focussing process is produced through the effort to meditate. In the previous stage, the blending of the two material lights was entirely a form process and the aspirant is actuated entirely by his personality forces and expediency. An illustration of this and of its effectiveness can be seen in the man who, from purely selfish motives and through an intense concentration, focusses his mind and brings about the gratification of his desires and the achievement of his goals. He kills out all emotional reactions and goes a long way towards dissipating glamour. He develops the ability to draw on the light of matter itself (physical matter and mental substance) and thus he generates a false light from which soul light is rigorously excluded. It is this power which eventually produces a black magician. He has developed the capacity to draw [210] upon the light energy of matter itself and to focus it so powerfully and effectively that it becomes a great destructive force. It is this which has given Hitler and the six evil men associated with him their power to destroy upon the material plane. But, in the case of the aspirant, the power to meditate upon spiritual reality and to contact the soul offsets the dangers inherent in focussing on and using solely the light of matter; to the lesser light of matter is added the light of the soul and then these two blended lights, or aspects of the One Light, are focussed upon the mental plane through the power of the creative imagination. This enables man eventually to dissipate glamour and liberates him from the astral plane.

3. The third stage is that in which the light of matter, the light of the mind and the light of the soul (as a channel for the intuition) are consciously blended, fused and focussed. The man then turns this blended light, under soul direction, upon the world of glamour and upon the particular glamour with which he is at any one time pre-occupied. The false light of the astral plane disappears in this triple blended light just like a fire can be nearly put out if subjected to the full rays of the sun; or a burning glass, focussing the rays of the sun, can start a destructive blaze. It is the use of a powerful light which can obliterate a lesser light and dissipate a fog.

All this has to be understandingly and consciously carried forward as a preliminary to the technique proper. His work will be experimental at first, and scientifically applied eventually. It will be based upon a recognition of truth—a truth which is faced and accepted. This work is not a form of rationalisation, though that precedes the definitely [211] scientific work I am outlining; it is not the cultivation of fresh interests of a mental and spiritual kind which gradually supersede desire and drive out glamour. That is all preparatory in character and leads to an unfoldment which prepares the aspirant to work scientifically; it is not a process of "killing out desire" as some schools of thought teach, but is a process of gradually eradicating desire by stern discipline and hard trained work and this, incidentally, involves the dissipation of glamour. Such have been the slow techniques of the past. Today the process is to be changed because enough people are now the product of understanding and can work wisely and also scientifically.

The process I am developing for you is one of rapid and effective dissipation and is based upon the acceptance of the hypothesis of light, upon the recognition of the fact that the astral plane has no true existence, upon a trained use of the creative imagination and upon the unquestioning following of instructions, individually and as a group.

It is my intention to give you two formulas—one for the use of the individual and the other which groups can use as they contribute their united effort to the dissipation of glamour, either of group glamour or in relation to some aspect of the prevalent world glamour. Two things will be apparent to you:

First: that those participating in the eradication of glamour must be able to distinguish between glamour and the reality. These often closely resemble each other on a superficial examination. They must be in a position to recognise that an emotional or astral condition constitutes a veil over the truth and is a distortion of the presentation or the appearance of the individual's or the group's expression of divinity. They must, therefore, be capable of vision, clear thinking, and prompt recognition as to what is preventing [212] the materialising of that vision and the accurate reception of the truth. They must also be able to distinguish between a major and a minor glamour. A minor glamour, a passing evanescent thoughtform of an easily recognisable nature does not warrant the use of either of the formulas. Such a minor glamour would be a sense of self-pity in an individual or the glorification of some notable individual by an individual, a group or a nation. Time and commonsense suffice to take care of such a situation. A major glamour in the world (prior to the war) was the emphasis put upon possessions and the belief that happiness was dependent upon things and upon material good and comfort.

Second: that the three stages of focussing, referred to above, constitute a preparatory process. These three stages must be somewhat developed before effective use of the formulas can be possible, and those intending to work at the task of ridding the world of glamour must subject themselves constantly to these phases in the art of polarisation, if I might so call it. They must have an understanding of the apparatus of thought, of the creation of thoughtforms, and of the nature of the thinker. They must be emotionally polarised, yet, in group work relatively free from astral control. This astral liberation must to a certain extent control the choice of those who are to work at major dissipations. In the case of the individual who is seeking to break up glamour in his individual life, he should be mentally polarised by decision and effort even if the emotional nature is for him in any one life the line of least resistance. Those working in group formation will have achieved a measure of mental focus but for the purposes of the work to be done they will focus themselves consciously and deliberately upon the emotional plane through [213] their control of their natures. Workers must therefore have practised meditation, have reflected much upon the nature of thought and its uses, and must be aware of the light within.

When these three stages are established as related activities, habits and automatic reactions, and when the intention is fixed and the ability to focus has become an almost instinctual reaction, then sound and effective work can be done; to this work must be added persistence and patience. It is not necessary, I might add, to have achieved perfection in the process before starting this work and service. Disciples and aspirants must cultivate the consciousness of cooperation and realisation that in service such as is proposed, they are definitely participating in a hierarchical activity and are, therefore, in a position to render help even if they could not—alone and unaided—achieve the desired results. They can hasten the process by their combined help. The power of united effort upon the physical plane is being realised today on a large scale, and the war effort in all countries has greatly hastened this realisation. The power of unified emotion (often expressing itself in what is called mob psychology) is everywhere recognised and feared as well as exploited. The power of unified thought is little grasped as yet, and the power inherent in the light of many minds, rendering them effective instruments in world affairs, penetrating and dissipating glamour and proving creative upon the physical plane, will prove to be a part of the new modes of work which will be employed in the new age. For this, the Hierarchy has planned and worked and it is now prepared to test the effectiveness of that work by organising a group or groups which will work upon the problem of glamour.

You can see, consequently, that what I am outlining is relatively new. The faint impression of the coming technique [214] as far as the individual is concerned has been registered. Men and women everywhere are attempting to rid themselves of glamour by the power of clear thinking, stern discipline and commonsense, and by a recording consciously of their relation to the whole—which prompts them to eliminate out of their lives all that could hinder others or increase world deception through glamour. To this will be added (perhaps as an aspect of the new world religion now on its way towards externalising) the realisation that groups can successfully clear away the glamours which darken humanity's way to its goal, through the power of combined and projected thought.

In order to make the first step towards united group activity along this line of service, I present a formula or group ritual which—if employed by those whose lives are relatively free from glamour, who are realists and who are recognised by the group as thus relatively free, and who are animated by good intent—will do much to bring to an end certain aspects of the world glamour. Their effort, combined with that of similar groups, will so weaken the power of these ancient glamours that the "Day of Clarification" will eventually come.

First, however, let me briefly offer for the use of the individual aspirant a formula whereby he may aid in freeing himself from his particular glamour or glamours. I will tabulate the process, and the aspirant would do well to follow it as given, having in his mind no sense of time, and being willing to do this work regularly for months, and if necessary for years, until he has freed himself and the light breaks in on the astral plane through the medium of his astral body. I would suggest that no aspirant attempt to tackle the problem of glamour as a whole or seek to dissipate all the glamours to which he is susceptible. He is dealing with very ancient evil and with firmly established [215] habits of glamour. They are closely connected with aspects of his daily living, with his sex life or with his ambitions, with his relations to other people, with his pet ideals and ideas, his dreams and visions. He should choose the glamour that is the most apparent and the most hindering at any given time (and there is always one) and for its dissipation he should work conscientiously, if he would lay the foundations for effective service in the dissipation of world glamour.

FORMULA FOR THE DISSIPATION OF GLAMOUR

(For the Individual)

I. Preparatory Stages.

1. Recognition of the glamour to be dissipated. This involves:

a. A willingness to cooperate with the soul in physical, astral and mental ways in order to aid in the more technical work. Ponder on the implications in this sentence.

b. A recognition of the ways in which this glamour affects the daily life and all relationships.

2. The three stages of focussing outlined (pp. 208-210) must be undertaken.

a. The stage of focussing the light of the mind and the light of matter in the mental vehicle. This is done by a process of lifting up and of blending and fusion, and to do this the activity of the creative imagination is employed.

b. The stage of meditation which in time brings about the fusion of the light of matter, the light of the mind and the light of the soul upon the mental plane.

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c. The stage in which these three lights are realised to be one unified light—a searchlight, ready to be turned in the needed direction.

3. The recognition of two aspects of preparedness:

a. Alignment of the personality, so that the three aspects of the lower nature are seen as constituting one functioning personality.

b. An act of integration in which the personality and the soul are seen also as a unit. This is done through the dedication of the personality to the soul and its acceptance by the soul.

These two lines of thinking produce a field of magnetic thought and realisation in which all the work is done.

4. A pause in which the whole man braces himself for the work to be done. From a profound pre-occupation with the stage of soul contact and initial preparation he now focusses his attentive mind upon the glamour to be eradicated. This does not involve a consciousness of the glamour and its why and wherefore. It means a turning of the attention of the integrated soul-personality to the astral plane and the particular glamour; the attention is not turned to the astral body of the aspirant, seeking to do the work. This is a statement of major importance because in destroying the peculiar type of glamour with which he is concerned, the aspirant or disciple begins to destroy his share in it—that in him which gives him contact with the glamour—and at the same time he is preparing himself for group service along the same line. This will not prove an easy task.

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II. The Technique or Formula.