Topics:
| 94 | Introduction |
| 95 | The Laws of Spiritual and Material Success |
| 96 | An Example Worthy of Consideration |
| 97 | The Greatest of All Mysteries - The Soul |
| 98 | Man and Nature Are Under an Absolute Law |
| 99 | Man Must Awaken His Own Spiritual Self |
| 100 | The Universal Law Is God's Servant |
| 101 | Nothing Is Evil of Itself |
| 102 | God Is Manifested Love |
| 103 | Duality of God, Man and Nature |
| 104 | The Word of Power |
| 105 | Man, Though Possessing Free Will, Is Subject to the Law |
| 106 | Love Is the Law |
| 107 | Man Ordained to Be a Co-Worker With God |
| 108 | The Neophyte May Consciously Contact God |
| 109 | "Thy Will Be Done on Earth as It Is in Heaven" |
| 110 | Man, a Creator or a Destroyer |
| 111 | Man's Environment Is His Own Making |
| 112 | The Twofold Work of the Secret Schools |
| 113 | What Actually Is Man's Purpose on Earth? |
| 114 | The Eternal Cannot Be Otherwise Than Eternal |
| 115 | The Building of a Soul |
| 116 | The Soul on the Other Side of the Border Line |
| 117 | Man Inherited the Ability to become What He Desires to Be |
| 118 | The Law of Karma |
| 119 | Overcoming Evil by Doing Good |
| 120 | There Is No Escaping from the Law |
| 121 | Man Is Weighed in the Balance |
| 122 | "Blessed Are the Meek" |
| 123 | "A Day Becomes as a Thousand Years, and a Thousand Years as a Day" |
| 124 | Higher Vibration finally Dominates |
| 125 | All Wisdom and Knowledge Are Contained in the Æth |
| 126 | Recapitulation |
| 127 | Hermes - Collective Wisdom |
| 128 | "My Word Shall Not Return to Me Void" |
| 129 | Man Is to Rule Over His Environments |
| 130 | Man is Either a Slave or Is Free |
Instructions in the Laws and their application which govern success on the material and spiritual planes of action. Life, to be at its highest must be a balance of the material and the spiritual.
Source of the Teachings: The present chapter is based principally on - not exclusively - and is a digest of the writings of the two Phelons, both the published and the private manuscripts which are in possession of the August Fraternity: and on the published works and private writings of General Ethan Allen Hitchock. See Alchemy and the Alchemists.
Axiom: Any undesirable passion, habit or weakness to which the human being is subjected and which holds man in bondage, preventing him from attaining his assigned high estate, may be held in abeyance; or much to be preferred would be to wholly conquer or turn it into a channel of usefulness, provided a stronger desire, emotion, motive or ideal is substituted, and brought before the mental vision to make it a part of life. From weakness to strength - that is the Hermetic concept.
The human mind, irrespective of its intellectual attainment of the individual, is able to reason only by analogy. It is equally true that the more advanced the scientific and intellectual attainment of the individual, the less willing he becomes to recognize or understand the Divine Law in its relationship to the everyday affairs of life, and the development of the individual in the various phases or activities of man on this mundane sphere. Incredible as it may appear to many, there comes a time when the person who has advanced far along scientific and intellectual avenues of activity is unable to conceive or believe that there are laws other than those governing material objects and existence. He denies the existence of either God or a directing Law, which is Spiritual in its nature and, therefore, the governing force of all that exists.
Because of the materiality of the age, it is essential that
analogies be drawn between the apparent and the real, which can
be known only by sensing and feeling in the manner
of love and affection. Those searching for the Mystery
of Life and the hidden dynamo of life's energies must come to
understand that the apparent, whether this be of body or mind,
is no more than a reflection, a manifestation of the real, which
man can neither know nor understand, except by its shadow - the
manifested.
|Top|
Man universally recognizes the duality of nature. Nevertheless, contradictory as it is, he accepts the body, the apparent, as a fact, a reality, but often denies the existence of the Soul or Spiritual self, the unseen - because it cannot be felt and made manifest as a separate entity.
So long as man is thus blind, even to that which would be
to his own interest and lasting benefit, it is essential to cite
examples and prove by analogy the fact that he is a dual creature.
The activating principle, the ability and energy to create and
become, is not of the physical man which he so strenuously maintains
is the reality, but is the unseen, physically unmanifested, the
Spiritual self which dominates and directs the material
being.
|Top|
When we, for the last time, gather together in sadness and
in tears around the casket which holds the inanimate form of a
beloved one, we do not for a moment imagine that there is any
sensation in the lifeless body. We know that all the organs of
communication are sill there, but we also know that the faculties,
the forces and the energies are no longer present. What is the
change? Is not the manifested physical self there? That same self
which we boast is the only real existence? Then, why does
this self-evident, physical manifestation that is still present
fail to respond to our love and grief? Because it is not
the REAL, although we can see and feel it; it is no more than
the outer expression, the vehicle used by the limitless powers
and forces which dwelt within as long as it served its purpose.(1)
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(1) Here is the secret of the Initiates, Magi and Occult Masters.
They have learned during their course of study and training that
almost all that is physically Manifested is both temporary
and decidedly limited. Although the physical body can be mightily
developed, nevertheless, it is still no more than a vehicle or
medium through which unseen forces act. The Occult Masters have
learned to know that the power, the energy and the force
is not in the body, not even in the brain, but in that intangible
something which is variously known as the Spirit, the Soul
and the Ineffable Light, a Spiritual dynamo, capable
of developing something commonly known, for want of a better term,
as magnetism; the magnetic or Æth force, to a degree beyond
the comprehension of physical science. It is through the awakening
of this force that the almost unbelievable can be accomplished.
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The body, that much-vaunted reality, is still with us, but,
do all we may, love it as we will, it has taken the first step
toward final separation, and will soon return to its original
elements - "earth to earth and ashes to ashes." That
which we have really loved, that which loved us, and which we
erroneously thought to be the body or physical expression, has
left for realms generally unknown. The apparent but unreal still
abides with us, though we are now anxious to put its accumulating
disagreeableness out of sight, forgetful of the fact that we always
thought this to have been what we loved. The real, the
Spirit and Soul, the source of Life, Light and
Love, the energy, power and constructiveness, the Individuality
we failed to recognize. Although it was always with us, it has
passed one step onward, possibly into the realm of the Light
that is never on the land nor in the sea.
|Top|
Mankind, deluded for ages by the grossly apparent and the superfluous tangible, has been blinded by that which is nearest, and has attributed all things to the physical; and it has lost sight of the fact that nothing material has - nor can it have of itself - life, power, force or energy. The physical is wholly dependent upon what manifests through it; just as the magnet is no more than a prepared piece of steel properly charged by an electrical current, changing it from inertia to activity, and the attracting and holding force is the electrical energy which has become a magnetic force.
In man this force and energy is variously named. It is said to have come forth from God, the Eternal Source of all that exists, and to be essentially good, because evil cannot exist of itself. It can manifest only through a material medium such as man. Man, being of the flesh, is necessarily more of the nature of the earth and its elements than of the essence of the higher realm. Although this spirit, force or energy is fundamentally good and constructive, having come from the source and realm of all that is good, it is governed by the vehicle, the human creature, in which it abides and through which it manifests.
This spirit-force must continue to act according to the dictates of the body and the human mind until such time when the mind becomes enlightened, recognizes its Spiritual potentialities and transmutes the gross physical and mental powers, forces, passions and lesser emotions into the finer and higher Spiritual energies which may be directed by the REAL self, the individualized Soul.
Those who so awaken,(2) live and act accordingly are the
Initiates - the Magi. Through their enlightened minds, awakened
Souls, rarefied and vivified energies, they become the masters
of themselves and of men, capable of performing feats considered
as miracles by those who continue to accept the material as the
real.
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(2) The most difficult task confronting the Master Teacher is
in awakening those who seek the solution to the Mysteries to the
fact that all real advancement, whether in material affairs
or Spiritual realms, is necessarily based on accepting
the Laws of Duality, giving proper recognition to the mind and
the physical man as vehicles or mediums for every activity, fully
aware that power resides alone in the unseen within, and,
with the aid of the mind, that this power is capable of developing,
energizing and becoming a universal medium for the accomplishment
of the desired ends.
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|Top|
All natural operations (everyday occurrences) move in circles
or cycles, or are the results of such movements. The rising of
the sun heralds the day. The setting of the sun brings with it
a period of rest. The succession of the seasons is a progressive
movement of cycles, all under the operation of an absolute
Law. The development of man is governed by similar cycles
called incarnations. It may require eons of time and many incarnations
before man accepts the Law and harmonizes himself with
it. The Soul, a Spark of the Divine Essence or Oversoul,
is compelled by the Divine Law to reincarnate time and
again - much as wise parents compel the child to return to school,
term after term, until his education is complete - for the purpose
of building itself into a Conscious Individuality, free
from all entanglements, out of the knowledge gained from experiences
in all its planetary lives.
|Top|
In all transfers of the horizontal to the circular motion
there are two dead points, or points of rest. In the growing season
all nature is instilled with vigorous life; then, there is a rest.
So does the Soul of man take on a body of flesh, make every effort
to supply the material self with its needs, gain experience and
then rest for a time. Ever since its emanation from the Father
- GOD(3) - its source, it has thus continually advanced or retrogressed,
according to the degree of its awakening and efforts on the cycle
of the infinite. How many years or millions of years it has thus
traveled between the earth and the inner planes, none may know;
and how many incarnations may yet be necessary to bring it to
full Consciousness will depend entirely upon the selection
of mediums through which to manifest. Fortunately - or perhaps
unfortunately - for its welfare, the Soul has the right of such
choice, provided the choice is made while in the earth life.
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(3) These terms are used interchangeably for the reason that modern
man is decidedly materialistic and has faith only in that which
he can see and feel. Consequently, to him, God is nonexistent.
However, all men recognize that there must be an operating Law
and a Source of Being. Whether we call this the Infinite,
the source of all things, or God is a matter of indifference.
Whichever it is, it does exist; and man's mission is to
connect himself with it and so partake of its every benefit.
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For years, antedating his present life, man has submitted
willingly to the tyranny of the carnal nature, believing it to
be to his best interest, seeking only the gratification of his
appetites, lusts of the flesh and personal self-interests. But
at last the awakened Spiritual(4) self is no longer willing
to contend with the usurper on its inherent right to rule, and
it demands the fealty of its "subjects" - both capabilities
and unholy passions. Dominance belongs to the Spiritual(5)
self, and sooner or later man must recognize himself as a Spiritual
being - think, feel and live accordingly.
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(4) The term Spiritual is here used interchangeably with
that of "Soul." It is unfortunate that our vocabulary
is far too limited to serve us with terms, words and phrases which
would be adequate for our purpose to define not only states of
mind, but even phases of the Spiritual nature. While the
term "Spirit" is used instead of "SOUL,"
it has reference to a state of condition, the real person in man,
as has the term, "Soul." In the present instance, we
have reference to theawakening of the real man and
which, if permitted to progress, will bring the Soul itself into
manifestation. Spiritual forces, once awakened,
become part of the Soul the Immortal part of man, and lead him
to an assured Immortal success.
(5) At the moment, in fact, throughout all of this work, we have
in mind the lasting, not merely temporary, success of man.
A man may succeed in a material sense, yet such success
is but temporary. All his possessions, whether lands, houses,
money, jewels and even reputation, are impermanent. On his exodus
from the earth plane, all that he has accumulated will quickly
pass into the hands of others who are all to frequently inimical
to all he stood for; they quarrel among themselves and rapidly
dissipate all that he had amassed, perhaps by hard work and much
suffering or on the contrary, by methods not based on honor. One
might well repeat the words of the Master Teacher: "For what
shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose
his own Soul?"
On the contrary, the success the Secret Schools, the
Great Work and Hermetic Science teach is based on eternal
certainty. It is to man's highest interest, in fact, to his every
interest to understand the Spiritual or Divine Law;
to recognize that all material powers, forces and successes are
temporary; to so organize his life that all his efforts are based
on Spiritual Laws and with the desire to benefit
not only himself but for others to benefit equally, although his
first duty is to himself. In this manner Arcane Science
enables man to be as materially successful as any man has ever
been, and at the same time build and eternal structure that will
continue to exist in the realm of Light after he sheds
the garment of flesh. Here is the opportunity to meet with a double
success, one temporary, yet beneficial to all; the other, eternal
and toward his Immortalization.
|Top|
God, as we define Him, is omnipresent, omnipresent, omniscient, the Omnipotent. If He is all of these, then, there can exist nothing but God in an uncountable multitude of forms.
This statement is now frequently challenged by the defiant: "There is no God." There are today millions who most sincerely and honestly feel that there can be no God because of the partial failure of both the church and society. Both are admittedly powerful, yet fail woefully in preventing - and frequently in even attempting to stop - the fearful carnage now taking place throughout the world; not always by kings, emperors and dictators, but the mass against the mass, individuals against individuals. This is no indication whatever that there is none higher than man because he was given Free Will and failed in his duty, first, to himself and, secondly, to his fellow creatures.
The statement that "God is omnipresent, omniscient, the Omnipotent," is but another way of saying that there is a Universal Law, aye, a Divine Law, governing all, which is a representation - a manifestation - of Himself. No one can question that there is such a Law, for otherwise the morning would not follow the night, seasons would not follow seasons, all without interruptions. Whether we call the Law, the Divine Law, Nature's Law - God in action - or by any other term is wholly immaterial.
There is a governing
power and it is universal, continual and uninterruptable as well
as ever-present and everywhere. This God, or the Law, has given
man FreeWill, the right of choice to do as he Wills, to
be a slave, or to defend himself and his rights and be free. That
there is evil, is merely a reflection of the fact that
within all men there is evil in varying degrees. It is
only as men free themselves from evil that they will become free
from the influencing evils of others. This is all the more reason
why the application of the philosophy of the Secret Schools is
so essential to man, for thereby man can become free from evil
at the hands of others.
|Top|
God, i.e., the operating, overshadowing, constant Law, is "good," exalting and uplifting. Consequently, all is good, and there is no room for evil to exist of itself. The term "good" has been grossly abused and has come to mean a negative inactivity; it does not mean a weakness or lack of self-defense when abused or wronged, but a constructive activity, a constant activity toward the elimination of all that is weak, degrading and destructive. Nothing is evil of itself. The most violent poison rightly used may become a life-saving agent. Money, so frequently termed "the root of all evil," is nothing more than a medium of exchange and the means of bringing man the things he actually requires for his welfare, and opens up to him many avenues of pleasure which are to his benefit. It is only when money is used in effecting the abuses that it becomes an agent, or a root of evil. Nothing is inherently eveil. It is in its application, in the abuse, that evil is given birth. This must be repeated time and again. |Top|
God is existence. Without Him nothing existed and nothing can exist. Therefore, God is Light, Love, Reality, Substance and Intelligence manifested. This is but another way of saying that all that belongs to the realm of Light, of which the Soul is the Spiritual part of man, is the highest and most perfect personified or Individualized form. God is Love manifested - not that personal love which demands much and gives little or nothing; but the unselfish love we see manifested between lovers; in the mother, for her child; in the affection among true friends; in the selfless interest which induces one to serve another in time of need without thought of personal gain; where there is present no evil thought or desire; and unalloyed Love, something rare and of heavenly origin.
God, or here let us use the term Divine Nature, is
a combination of - and embraces - Light, affection, mind,
constructive activity; it is existence itself. Existence, because
only through BEING can the various potentialities be brought into
manifestation and the gross, physical self - free from the temptations
of biological urge - become transmuted into the finer Spiritual
being.
|Top|
God, or let us call it the outer expression of the Law,
is dual in nature and manifestation.(6) This is most easily understood
by the finite expression of outer and inner, upper
and lower, or perhaps by positive and negative. We maintain
that life, light and motion are attributes of manifested existence.
Where they do not exist, death, darkness and inertia appear as
the opposites, but they are not attributes; their seeming presence
is simply the absence of the attributes.
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(6) This is an Occult Arcanum and once understood will
change the entire outlook of those who have become conscious of
this Law. A material success, however desirable, is but one
expression of a dual law. It is nonlasting, fleeting and temporal
because it is not balanced. When, however, such success is made
positive, or combined with the other expression of the Law, the
Spiritual development or advancement of the self, then
the double Law is being fulfilled; and it is a success, both real
and lasting. However much we decry Scriptural tests, nevertheless,
such texts as "Seek ye first the kingdom of heaven, and all
other things will be added unto you" are basic laws. Therefore,
if one obeys the Hermetic Law and first, or even concurrently,
develops the Spiritual or Soul nature, success is assured
in the material realm; and what is most important, it balances
the dual Law and is a lasting success.
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|Top|
Light, whether it is the Soul Light in the individual
or the material light of day (one is the complement of the other),
proceeds from the Supreme Intelligence.(7)
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(7) A command by the Secret Schools to those Initiates selected
and accredited to teach Acolytes is: "Learn to know the desires
- the hearts - of those who sincerely seek the Arcanum
and instruct them accordingly, each to his own Ideal."
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Accept the Acolytes temporarily as they are, and gradually instruct and guide them as they become ready and willing to STUDY and PRACTICE what they are taught that they may follow the Path from its very beginning, step by step, coming into the SPIRIT as they progress. As they, by their desires and efforts, open up the Subconscious, and unfold the Wisdom stored therein and, also, by their efforts gradually awaken the hidden Spiritual self, known Arcanely as the Christos, they will ally themselves with the over-all Intelligence, and gradually come into the Light.
The procedure actually differs only slightly from the student who, for instance, enters medical school. He MUST study his texts daily, come into the knowledge taught and Gradually become part of it, or it becomes a part of him - HE BECOMES IT. The one difference is in the fact that to the material knowledge gained there are also the Spiritual concepts of which the student also BECOMES A PART.
Light is the symbolic scepter of the universe, the manifestation of the creative thought, preceding perception by personal sensing. "Let there be" has been - and still is -the word of power, the Still Small Voice from out of the Silence, joining Infinity and Eternity, the finite with the Infinite, the man who is the creature with God, the Creator.
As creation has been, so it continues to be. Men are born,
only to be forced to return in rebirth, and all because they are
too self-important to perceive, accept and apply the Law, and
thereby connect the infinitely small with the infinitely
Great in completion of the dual Law, and their destiny.
|Top|
Love, the affection that is separate from sex, is
not a quality of the physical. The Law of Compensation, of strict
justice, not tempered with mercy, governs and guides the material
operations of all Nature.(8) ----------------------------------------------------------------------
(8) The one universally applicable Law which man in toto has refused
to accept, wholly to his own detriment, is the absolute Law of
Compensation. This reason is self-apparent. Whether we are willing
to admit it or not, nevertheless, it is a fact and cannot be contradicted,
that no living being other than Elijah has lived in strict honor,
justice and morality. Consequently, all of us are in debt and,
therefore, in bondage. To accept the Law of Compensation is to
admit being in debt. It is an admission of bondage, and no man
in bondage can call himself free. Every debt must be paid to "the
last farthing," and until so paid man cannot be entirely
free. Those who seek the highest form of success, whether Spiritual
or material or both, must recognize the Law, make every effort
to apply it in all their activities, assured that it will actually
advance their progress.
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The Law functions. IT GOVERNS MAN AND ALL THAT IS. There is no deviation on its part for any reason. The avalanche or the torrent of burning lava sweeping down the mountainside swerves not one hair's breadth from its course because of the innocent babe or the tender woman who is likely to be in its path and get crushed. Neither does it change its course to avoid the villages lying before it, but rolls on, leaving devastation behind it.
The blind man sensing no more than the outward manifestation of an absolute force in operation, makes no effort to delve beneath the surface to seek the cause. He accepts the apparent as the real and imitates, as best he knows how, the outer operations of Nature in balancing its accounts.
Man reasons from appearance, not reality. He notices the
manifestations of Nature and being unconversant with the Divine
Law, concludes that since Nature, apparently the mother of
all material things, has a right or takes the privilege of removing
from its path that which stands in the way of creating a balance,
he, vain arrogant man, having attained a position of temporary
power, foolishly believes that he has equal or co-rights with
Nature and, like Joshua, "would command the sun to stand
still." He fails to perceive that perhaps another, just as
proud and arrogant as himself, may reason in like manner and bring
destruction upon him and an untold multitude, foolishly presuming
this is no more than a balancing of accounts.
|Top|
Immediately accepting the Law of Compensation, which also
embraces personal responsibility, we begin to function under a
vastly different Law than that which today governs man - the mass
- almost universally. We place ourselves into the hands of the
Universal Law which tends toward universal freedom, and we begin
to rise to a higher plane of being. Justice begins to be tempered
with mercy, born of love, an attribute of infinite mercy, of the
Supreme, who is declared to be the essence of Love as the essential
of His existence; and as we progress the balancing is gradually
accomplished.(9)
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(9) The present universal trend appears to be against all things
religious, and such statements as these would appear to be fundamentally
religious. The misunderstanding is due to making the term "religious"
synonymous with "Spiritual," and "Spiritual"
with something that is not of this earth and is too impractical
for the struggles of the earth life. This is a misconception.
The more fully the Spiritual Laws are comprehended, the
more certain we are to gain an understanding of those Laws which
underlie all human, worldly or material success; but such
success is won without the exploitation of our fellow men, or
depriving them of something so that we may benefit. Hermetic and
Arcane Science has as its mission the developing of man
as a whole, a dualistic, acting being, balanced Spiritually
and materially in tune with the Infinite and, therefore, a free
man.
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That which really exists (the things which continue after
this earth life or earth span ends) and that which seems
to exist (the temporal and fleeting) bring us to the question
of reality and unreality; one being the truth, while the other
is only the semblance of it. God (the self-existing and continually
existing) is the only reality. Do we desire a knowledge of actualities?
Then, must we contemplate that which was before we were, and which
continues after we pass; that which was, and changes but continues
to be. The two are identical, even "as the flower grows (changes)
unconsciously, but eagerly anxious to open its soul to the sunshine
and give its beauty freely and unselfishly to all who will have
love for it, without itself losing anything thereby." Love
and truth are of the Spirit, part of the Soul, the inner
man; the inner man is distinguished from the physical, which is
grossly selfish until it accepts the Law and turns its efforts
toward reconstruction and transmutation.
|Top|
God is substance in the sense that He is the basis of the
power and the force that stand under or uphold the universe of
cycling worlds. All things come forth from Him in the sense that
He is the source of all that exists; and all things are maintained
and suspended by the potency emanating from Him as the Creator
and the Preserver. This is true only to the degree the man, God's
creation, accepts the Divine Law and begins to put it into
operation in so far as he and his activities are concerned. Man,
then, becomes a co-worker with God and as such is ordained to
help free, first, himself and then, humanity from the heavy burden
which we term "sin." Were it otherwise then all Priesthoods
would be illusory.
|Top|
God is Intelligence because He is also the Directing Law under which all the operations of Nature are directed and controlled. All perception, potency and knowledge are embraced in the Godhead. This being true and provable by the fact that, although mankind were swept away and a new creation, Wisdom would be regained without mortal preceptors, it follows that in Him alone is the intelligence that can formulate knowledge from experience. It is thus through experience and not necessarily from the precepts of man that man gains Wisdom. It is correctly stated that experience gives birth to Wisdom and understanding.
The religious inculcators who first formulated the statement
that "there is no God but God" had a clear comprehension
of the Law of Existence. Men may come and men may go; but although
all may go and but one return, that one will again become consciously
intelligent for the reason that the fountain from which
all drank still remains and is freely open to all. Deny God as
man will, there still remains existent that which changes
but continues. It is this that is continually existent
which, under various names, the Neophyte endeavors with all his
ability to contact and through which Spiritual and material
success is won and the Law of Duality is fulfilled.
|Top|
Man's duality is a reflection of the duality of God and
of the operating - directing - Law controlling all things. This
is both manifested and yet to be manifested. That which is manifested
is also dual, consisting of the larger world, called the macrocosm,
and the lesser called the microcosm.(10)
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(10) Hermetic philosophy has consistently taught that the universe
is the macrocosm or larger world, while man is the microcosm or
little world. The two are identical, and governed by the same
Law. The difference is the universe obeys the Law; man refuses
to do so. The visible sun is the soul of the universe; therefore,
all animate things would quickly cease to exist if the sun would
cease to shine. The Soul of man is his "sun," and unless
this Soul is awakened and made to "rise," that is, brought
into manifestation, Consciousness or call it what we will, the
days of men are limited. Just as the Creator of both the universe
and man decreed that the sun must rise to give warmth and life
or all things in the universe will perish, likewise did He decree
that man must cause his sun to "rise," his Light
to shine, so as to Illuminate his own little world.
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The Master Teacher said truthfully, "Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven," which is the same as though he had said, "Let thy will be done in the microcosm as mine is in the macrocosm, and both shall manifest the glory of being."
The lesser, or microcosm, throughout all its existence and activity, is a reflection of the greater, or macrocosm; and this constitutes our environment. Man's life consists of his inbreathing and outbreathing. As man is finite, either act is but the duration of an instant of time. The inbreathing is the indrawal and manifestation of the constructive, and constitutes the opening chapter of Genesis: "...And the earth was without form and void, and darkness was upon the face of the deep."
Thus indrawn and manifested, man reaches the point in eternity
when the outbreathing shall commence; when He, who has thus veiled
Himself in darkness, shall make Himself visible in the Light.
As man, in the lesser sense, wakes from sleep or inertia, so the
Infinite in space and eternal in duration stirs within; new conditions
come forth which man must accept, apply and adjust himself to,
or be ground into the dust.
|Top|
Manifested to us, in the universe or the macrocosm, is the
thought of God - the activity of the Law of Causation. Here again
the Law of Duality is operative. Man, having been created in the
image and likeness of God, is either a creator or a destroyer.(11)
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(11) The most vitally important concern of all Laws is the elevation
or degradation of man which governs the creative thought. By his
own thoughts and in no other manner is man's being reconstructed
and REgenerated, and his social status advanced. In this same
manner does he think himself into personal advancement and success
as also into all the powers he may possess by BECOMING an Initiate.
In reverse ratio he weakens and degrades the body, draws to himself
failure and misery and becomes the slave of those who understandingly
or unconsciously apply the Law. It is this Law of constructive
thinking which is of primary importance to the Neophyte, and which
must be obeyed by him if he is to advance into the higher grades.
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All of man's personal environments, first imagined or desired by him, were conceived in his thought and born by the formulation which brought the thought into visible manifestation.
To the degree man's thoughts become perfected, free from the purely personal self-interest, they are aligned with and similar to God's thoughts, to God's creations. The universe or macrocosm may be likened to God's body, and is impressed by His thoughts or desires. However, no third force intervenes between God's thoughts as a cause and fruition as a result. In like manner the influence of man's thought upon his own body is direct as also is his influence upon others. His influence upon the great, sensitive thought current of the universe, by the projection of his thought, has its influence either in alignment with the constructive or in its perversion.
Much has been said relative to the influence of evil upon mankind. Undoubtedly and admittedly there is such an influence, but it should be recognized that such influence can only make an impression or an entry where the guard is down. The most powerful thoughts of evil projected by an evil master-mind cannot gain entrance or make an impression upon the mind that is free from evil unless the mind of that person is wholly negative. In the natural order, like attracts like. As is the above, so is the below - is the Hermetic Law. To receive, one must be prepared or at least passive. Even the weak mind, positive to good, cannot be influenced by an evil thought or word. The rate of vibration precludes this. Evil thoughts create low vibrations. All that is good or constructive is of high vibration. A lower rate of vibration cannot penetrate into a sphere of higher vibration. Radio reception has proven this law.
What we see and class as an evil may actually be good in
disguise. To Illustrate, we may be meeting with success and, then,
suddenly an unexpected factor enters, and our plans, formerly
successful, fail. We, of course, immediately call that force,
or that interference, evil. But is it? If we could analyze it
fairly and with open-mindedness, we might find that the methods
we had pursued were basically dishonest and, if continued, would
lead not only to failure but to dishonor. By accepting the interruption
we can rearrange our plans and methods, and avoid such failure
and dishonor with no more than a temporary loss. Therefore, that
which at first glance seemed evil was an agent for good. Examples
such as this might be multiplied ad infinitum.
|Top|
What is the purpose of environment? It must exist for the simple reason that it cannot be otherwise where perfection is lacking. All environments exist to meet the self-created requirements of the Soul, or if we deny the existence of a Soul, then of the person. According to material laws, which all comprehend, for every demand there is a supply. The supply is naturally according to the actual personal requirement and the Law, and not the demand of the person. Therefore, according to our condition and the necessity for advancement is the environment wherein we are placed or have placed ourselves, and from which we alone can free ourselves. Environment, however lowly or undesirable, is neither a curse nor reason for discouragement. It is, however, cause for thought and analysis, and for a search for the cause. Our greatest weakness may be made the means to our greatest strength. It is merely a matter of acceptance and application.
Figuratively speaking, God must think, and the heavens (all
spaces) above the earth, as is the earth, are filled with His
manifested thoughts. The very fact that He thinks - creates -
in like manner so does man, being the microcosm of the macrocosm,
only to a lesser degree. Man, naturally, cannot equal the Supreme
Intelligence; for a part can never equal the whole. In all the
lives, in all the states and conditions of existence, man, as
a thought of and part from God, may develop and grow into a balanced
individuality. This is man's reason for coming into an earthly
existence. This attainment is the Great Work of the Secret
Schools. Man shall accept the Law and, by an application of it
to his own person and action, develop himself into a Conscious
Individuality, an Initiate, a son of God, but not yet, a God.
|Top|
Man is separated from God, the Creative Center or Energy,
as a drop of water in the sea or the grain of sand in the mountain
is separated from the whole. It is cut off from the mass as it
were, but cannot escape its unity of condition and similarity
of structure. Man is held to his place in the world, bound by
the web of existence, in order that the talent given him may by
his voluntary efforts become "ten or five talents."(12)
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(12) No man, mentally normal, comes into the world, who is so
poorly equipped that he does not possess at least one quality
which, if developed, will bring him success. The first handicap
overcome, the first success won, can be used or directed to open
other avenues so that the one "talent" may be changed
into yet other or greater talents.
Success is like a ladder. (It must be "climbed"
to reach the top. The pity of it all is that so few out of the
many millions are either ready or willing to take the first step.
These masses are not satisfied with what they are or what they
have, but regrettably do not possess the moral character to make
the necessary efforts to overcome their inertia. It is easier
to stand idly by and condemn others who wake up to their possibilities
and achieve the success that faith and toil repay.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Thus, the Soul's Center may clothe itself with completion and fitness, enabling man to dwell forever in the inner Light of inbreathing where the manifested shall return upon itself. This is the perfection of the thought of God in man.
The Great Work of the Secret Schools is twofold.
On the one hand, the development of the material, physical self,
with all its potential powers and energies and all its possibilities.
This, contrary to the general opinion, directly affects the Spiritual
self. On the other hand, its greatest work is not the material
success of man which, after all, is but for a short period of
time - the span of the earth life - but to help the Soul to clothe
itself with the Ineffable Light, the Light which
we call God manifested, or Cosmic Consciousness, the aim
and end of life, the ultimate to which man may aspire and attain.
|Top|
Man questions without receiving a satisfactory answer: "From whence did I come?" "Whither do I go? ~For what purpose am I here?"
On these points many build fine-spun theories, listen to
exhaustless arguments, then, in despair of practical demonstration,(13)
or even a certain foundation for any and all concepts, turn to
the complexities of their environment, submerge everything in
more or less futile efforts to attain mediocre success.
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(13) The weakness of the mass has always been that they themselves
are willing to either theorize or listen to the theories promulgated
by others. They are merely believers and as such can never KNOW.
Some find satisfaction in argument, while others seek for physical
demonstration made by those who usually benefit themselves. This
is not the method to pursue in finding the answers to these question.
There is a way. This has been open to all true seekers
for longer than history has been written.
The Secret Schools have always held the Door open to those who are truly in search for the answer to the riddle of life, but such must be in earnest, accept a method of thought, desire and ACTION as a fundamental, then Practice - LIVE - so that in time they may have the experience themselves; this is the Wisdom of the secret of life - not faith, except as an incentive to action, but the effort which made faith manifest. -----------------------------------------------------------------------
As human life averages, if there is no life beyond the present mundane sphere, then, the Infinite Creator or Law of Causation has made a disastrous mistake, inexcusable for the experiment. The pain, misery and sorrow experienced on life generally are in no sense compensated by the amount of pleasure that may or can come to the earth-born, if there is nothing more certain and real for them.
THE SIMPLE, ETERNAL SECRET TO WHICH HUMANITY IS BLIND, the answer to the question of questions, is: IF MAN VISIONS AN IDEAL, IF THE DESIRE FOR ATTAINMENT OF THAT IDEAL IS SO STRONG THAT HE DOES NOT EVEN QUESTION, then HE WILL HAVE THE MEANS AT HIS COMMAND TO FIND THE ANSWER.
The All-Wise, the Oversoul, did not and does not make mistakes.
If He did, then the sun would not rise on the second for eons
of years in succession, nor would it set as regularly; consequently,
there must be something more for the real man, the Spiritual
self, after the mortal coil is discarded and it stands free
and is relieved of its present incumbrance and can no longer be
retarded by it. All of the past great religious leaders perceived
part of this truth, and in so far as they were capable, incorporated
it into their precepts. Such glimpses of truth result as a reflection
when vital enough to incite a search for knowledge based on an
inherent feeling carried over from a previous incarnation
and, then, by making the necessary effort to open up the Subconscious
so that it will be able to reveal the hidden knowledge stored
within.
|Top|
If man is to exist always, then he must have always existed as man, not possibly or necessarily as a separate entity, but in the Godhead or Creative Center. It is an absurdity to suppose that Infinite Justice would insist that the normally allotted years of man's average life should decide the question of eternal duration thereafter. Man - the Spiritual self - coming from the Eternal Past through the present "now," passes on into the Eternal Future to again live in the existent "now." As a thought and Divine Spark of God he must be, in his Spiritual - real - self, part of God; just as the thought is a part of all thought, yet separate from all other thought except where harmony has been established.
From out of everything possessed of life there goes forth
at the end of the visible or mundane existence the final - last
"breath" - increment or vitality.(14)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
(14) Hermetic teachings have termed the life principle variously
as vitality, vital force and spirit, NOT Spirit. This is
due to the fact that the term "spirit" is generally
confused with the Spiritual self, synonymous with the term
"Soul."
The Secret Schools and Arcane Fraternities have clearly
defined the life principle common to all living things as the
spirit, and the immortal part of man, or that part of him which
may be immortalized, as the Soul or the Spiritual self.
It is not easy to keep the two terms from conflicting at times,
for the reason that in all too many instances that which might
be the Soul of man is in reality little more than an expression
of the spirit or animal life principle; it may not become more
than that for many incarnations, until some great sorrow, suffering
or loss awakens that person to the superficiality of carnal existence,
and he begins to grope for reality.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
This universal agent does not die. It has a continued existence,
for it is the basis, source and supply of all physical life of
manifestation. This vitality or virility which is life force
is common to man, beast, bird and plant. It is like a thread strung
through a number of beads of all sizes and colors - the tread
the same, but the beads different. This great stream of vital
force, emanating constantly from earth, surrounds it like a vast
sea, ever-present, to be drawn in by the first breath of the newly
born. Into this plunges the Spirit(15) on its way to manifestation
and is here clothed and quickened with the powers necessary for
anchoring itself in the physical body.(16) Once securely placed,
its basic intent was and is to proceed to build its Soul, the
object and aim of human existence. ------------------------------------------------------------------------
(15) The term "Spirit," as used here, might be confusing
but is used interchangeably with Soul. The spirit which is life
is part of the new being from its beginning. The Spirit,
the waiting Soul, is indrawn and domiciled in the new body as
is a tenant moving into a new building.
(16) Here again the reference to the "Spirit" has in
mind the Soul. The Spirit must be there, or the child is stillborn
or an idiot. It is not the spirit which is the anchorage of the
Soul in that new body: it is the perfected mental unit which proves
the anchorage. Both spirit and Soul are separate entities. As
the descending Soul is breathed in, the mind results and begins
to function. If for some reason there had been interference at
any part of the gestation so that the brain structure failed to
develop normally, the Soul would not remain - become anchored
- and the child would be an idiot, Soulless, though still retaining
the spirit, and continuing to live, but would be irrational.
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|Top|
Experience brings knowledge and Wisdom; by means of this
Wisdom, plus desire and effort, the Soul is brought into Consciousness.(17)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
(17) A recent writer has stated it differently: "The Soul
is the accumulation of experience." This, we may illustrate
by saying that a man prepares the foundation for a house; he gathers
the material, stone, lumber, hardware, and whatever is needed;
then, he proceeds to fit the separate parts together and, finally,
he has a house for a home. Every experience the Neophyte passes
through is like a piece of stone, lumber, or iron, used in building
the "house." The Soul he develops, i.e., builds, will
be according to the experiences he has passed through; each experience
becomes a part of the whole.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
The entity so formed may or may not perfect itself to the
fullest extent of its possibilities during any one planetary life,
but when it goes hence, time disappears in eternity and places
it in infinity. Continued existence is a matter of choice while
in the earthlife, and depends on how well one has applied his
time, energies and knowledge to build in the present AND INTO
THE FUTURE.(18) In some few instances as when the carnal life
is discarded early in youth in exchange for a life of constructive
usefulness and personal advancement, the present lifespan may
be sufficient to TRANSMUTE the mortal into the immortal, and further
incarnations might not be necessary though desirable.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
(18) This statement can readily be exemplified by referring to
the Hermetic Law:
"As above, so below [the material];
As below, so above [the Spiritual]."
How many have built beautiful mansions, closed them for
a time while taking long, extended journeys, then returned to
reinhabit their mansions? In the present we may build our future
dwelling place, and while we are building we also live in the
present.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
In the vast majority of cases one lifespan is no more than
one grade in school, and many lives are necessary for final graduation.
Nor is this any cause for despair. Once we see the true Light
and fully recognize the reason for earth existence, then, even
sorrows, losses and sacrifices become just so many pawns in the
game; and although the memory of former lifespans, with the attendant
pain, must be eliminated from our consciousness, both peace
and satisfaction are derived therefrom as when a personal sacrifice
- actually a manifestation of affection - is made in helping a
loved one.
|Top|
It will appear that the more Spiritual the accumulations - the experiences of life - the more readily they will become a part of the Soul, and advance it toward its final, high destiny. Likewise, it may happen, as it unfortunately does most frequently, that these experiences are so gross and earthy or carnal that the Soul is unable, in the supreme moment of separation from the body, to lift its load. In such instances, the Soul must necessarily remain earthbound for a longer of shorter period until the hold which the grossly material has upon it becomes weakened sufficiently so that it may free itself from the force that retains it. Then, it must pass into the realm of darkness, and possessing so little Light - the Light which is neither on land nor sea - it must remain in semisleep, without the power of self-volition, until such time as the functioning Law governing all Souls calls it to reincarnation, and gives it another chance to either perfect itself or drag itself still lower into carnality.
When such a Soul reincarnates, although it is no more than
a Spark of the Oversoul, its own denseness and the grossness
of its present physical body are such that they veil the past
life or lives from its present knowledge; but they only veil,
they cannot destroy or undo its inheritance. It is only when the
last earthlife has been lived, and perfection or Consciousness
of Soul attained, that the good and constructive of the past
will have become a part of the Individualized self or Soul.
All that was once evil and destructive has been transmuted,
and made use of in the effort of the present attainment.
|Top|
This basic Law forces us to face the fact that, although the material part of ourselves is brought into being by those we know as progenitors and the Spiritual part is a Spark from the Divine, nevertheless, we are our own creators. We are wholly responsible for all that we will become BOTH MATERIALLY AND SPIRITUALLY. Within us is the substance and the capability, as well as the capacity, to become exactly what we desire to be, and whether the finished product be to the glory of God, or such as to shame the devil, we created it, and we alone are responsible for it. Neither environments nor birth nor temptations are to blame. Our own choice can make of these what we will: an almost unbelievable material success, honor and high Spiritual attainment; or the reverse: failure, physical and mental degradation, and finally failure to achieve our Spiritual birthright - Immortality, in the present incarnation.
This concept(19) effectually nullifies the accusation of
any injustice on the part of God, who in the ultimate, does no
more than to permit us our existence, and graciously and freely
offers us all the forces in the universe to do with (apply) as
we please. Every human creature is given the same opportunity.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
(19) This Law - it is an absolute, undeviating Law - is simply
and comprehensibly stated in the Biblical LEGEND OF THE SOWER.
Refer to the text: The
Great Work - The Council of Three.
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It is equally true that not all human creatures are like endowed at birth, due to the misuse made of their opportunities in a former incarnation or because they have not nearly evolved to posses Souls, nor will they be like-endowed in the next incarnation. This is because the greater number will abuse and dissipate their forces, while others will correctly apply them. Herein is the secret of the inequality of men, and no earthly or man-made legislation can remedy this. The concept that man is enslaved by circumstances which fix his status cannot be otherwise than inconsistent with the omniscience and omnipotence of God or the Law of exact justice.(19)
If reincarnation is accepted as a fact, it must necessarily
happen that at certain periods of the earth's history, person's
who in former life were governed under a certain dispensation
of concept, desire and activity, would be reincarnated at about
the same time, and would give a wonderful impetus and direction
of what influenced their former life.(20)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
(19) This Law - it is an absolute, undeviating Law - is simply
and comprehensibly stated in the biblical Legend of The Sower.
Refer to the text: The
Great Work - The Council of Three.
(20) This is accepted by the Secret Schools as a fundamental doctrine
of their philosophy. Atlantis reborn is the vision of the
Neophytes in the Arcane Fraternities. Atlantis, then Egypt
were the lands overshadowed with wings; now America is the land
overshadowed with wings.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
In confirmation, the opinion is held by those learned in
Occult lore and Law, that the dwellers in the great Temples of
Luxor in Egypt, when they were in their glory, are now one by
one reincarnating - BY THEIR EFFORTS (fruits) SHALL YE COME TO
KNOW THEM. To this fact is credited the great interest now everywhere
apparent in the hidden forces of the universe, and their application
to the development and advancement of individuals first
and, then, to the universal benefit of all men.
|Top|
Memory, except in very rare instances, is incapable of retracing the past, or gathering the threads of former lives from incarnation to incarnation. Yet there is a power, in itself the operation of sequence, known as Karma, that holds within itself the secrets of all past experiences which are on record in the Subconscious.
Karma is most nearly interpreted by our English word "indebtedness," as an individual, continuous responsibility, which acts and reacts upon itself in all the unending cycles of progression. It not only includes the present life, but reaches over into the future life. It brings out of the store of the past causes for the present conditions and circumstances of much that puzzles the judgment of those who live only in the illusion of the unreal. The outer does not formulate the inner, but by its acts builds up the inner and is remanifested through the outer.
Genius, like character and Karma, is a manifestation of the past through the activity of the accomplishments of the present. The genius of the day, the child of supposedly good fortune who, apparently without effort, becomes a master musician, great artist, inventor or master mechanic, is NOT, as so many foolishly believe, the darling of a favored God; but he is at last reaping the fruits of his past efforts, self-denials, sufferings and in all probability persecution and prosecution at the hands of those who had set themselves up as judges; and often these judges - the evil and vicious, of which there are many in our modern times - condemned to the gallows or the fires all who did not believe as they did or conform to their views. Thus, a Galileo may have been the father of an Edison.
No living man nor power on earth or in heaven can shield
another from the inviolable workings of the Laws which govern
the universe, Laws which rule the macrocosm or great world as
surely and correctly as they do the microcosm or little world.
Laws called into activity by the decree of the Creative Thought
cannot be put aside, thwarted or evaded by man, not even by God.
Man can attempt to evade, but cannot break or set aside a Law;
God will not do so lest He become changeable, therefore finite.
Even so great a one as the Master Teacher said: "Till heaven
and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from
the Law, till all be fulfilled," and it will not be "fulfilled"
until of no further use. If a single particle of the Law, any
Law, be "broken," God concurring, then, all are thereby
annulled, and the universe will return to chaos again, into the
dreadful blackness of desolation.
|Top|
He who transgresses the Law must pay the penalty,(21) each
for himself; no other one can do it for him.
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(21) There is but one exception to this rule. One who is under
the ban of Karmic Law or who has committed an act or acts contrary
to the Divine Law may repay by deeds of kindness or mercy.
As an example, a man has either stolen or obtained by false pretense
money from one who could ill afford the loss. The Law of Karma
demands that in some manner, somewhere, somehow, the guilty person
may anticipate the action of the Karmic Law by helping some truly
unfortunate person to a greater extent the amount unlawfully
procured. This is the precept of "overcoming evil by doing
good."
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Each is given the Law, each is an individual to himself and must work out his own destiny, repay his own Karmic debts, transmute evil into good, in harmony with the constructive Law. Evil, whether Karmic or within man's nature, is the fuel which may be set afire to free the gold from the dross, give birth to the Divine Fire within, and bring about immortality in like manner as the mire at the bottom of the lake supplies the food from which springs the immaculate lily, the glorious Lotus of the Nile with its seed pot of golden hue.
The different stages of growth, beginning with the lowest criminal and ending with the World Savior, are at once the cause and effect of Karmic action or reaction. The Soul, striving out of the experience of its mundane life to build itself into Consciousness and individuality, because of erring judgment, often makes mistakes - serious in proportion to intent. These errors infringing upon the Law of Spiritual Development bring more or less serious effects which must be eliminated by constructive effort.
If I, as a purse-proud aristocrat, have spurned in Spirit
and crushed one who in humble station begged for help and mercy
at my hands, then I must suffer the penalty of the golden rule,
and be done to as I have done to others until the engrossing selfishness
of my nature is thoroughly conquered and full redress is made.
Thus the tyrant, dictator, of today may easily be the beggar of
the next incarnation,(22) or the slave of the cruelest of men.
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(22) It would be a blessing to untold millions, and the salvation
of nations if those in power or those selected for high office
would fully understand this governing Law, and elect men accordingly.
They would then quickly understand that for every usurpation of
power, every injustice and every shameful "laurel" added
to their "crown," they are creating conditions, and
setting into motion certain forces which will enslave them for
ages to come; that every unearned "victory" will bring
upon themselves and their followers tenfold penalties; that they
who seek to gain will end by losing their own Souls. Dante's Iferno
is as nothing compared to the place these blind leaders are NOW
creating for themselves.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
|Top
The cruel attempts at enforcing creeds and dogmas have crushed
out millions of innocent lives, all because they held closely
to the letter and utterly failed to find the Spirit of
what they were taught. Calvinism and Arminianism later crossed
swords in clashing arguments. They who believe man is predestined
cannot be reconciled to the doctrine of Free Will. Yet both
exist, and both are true. By the certainty of atoning, in
suffering or the reverse, for his thoughts, desires and actions,
man is predestined to follow a certain line of action to free
himself. From this, there is no escape. This is the predestination
of his Karmic debt. While he is thus working out "his own
salvation with fear and trembling," he may resist and struggle
and, as it were, dash himself with blind fury against the invisible
walls that hold him to his punishment and detriment. By such manner
of resistance he creates for himself an undesirable position in
the present life-cycle, and at the same time Karma will require
further incarnations in order that he may free himself from his
bondage.
|Top|
If life is accepted as cheerfully as is humanly possible, even when conditions and circumstances are decidedly unpleasant; if at all times one makes the most of opportunities as they present themselves, even gathering sweetness from bitter experiences, as bees gather honey from bittersweet, then the next incarnation will be vastly different in every respect and he will be repaid for all that might have been unjustly exacted from him.
It is not necessarily true that one must wait until the next incarnation for his reward or advancement. Frequently the test, the experience and the accounting are in the present life and follow each other in quick succession. How often we see the divergent nature of men in their acceptance of a similar condition! On the other hand, we see a man accept an undesirable personal problem as a matter of course, just as he would an unpleasant duty. He may feel that it is wholly unjust and uncalled for, but he recognizes that it must be met and removed before the way is clear for him to proceed as he would otherwise. Without malice and with clear vision, he undertakes the problem. He does not fume and swear, nor does he call vengeance upon all concerned; that to him is a waste of time. A work must be performed and he does it. That man has not only prepared a favorable Karmic condition for the future but has actually set into motion forces that will help him toward success, Spiritual or material, as the case may be, and he will profit by it, possibly beginning at once.
Another, of an entirely different temperament, will see
only the hand of fate and the malice of his fellow men in the
matter. He cannot conceive that it may be used as something to
test him. He cannot comprehend that it may be used as something
to test him. He cannot comprehend that a just Law may be in operation.
All he can realize apparently is that it is an injustice. As such,
in his opinion, he should not even be expected to undertake it.
His unreasonableness causes him to perform his task in a perfunctory
manner, or in the spirit of failure. He weakens himself mentally
and physically because of the ill-will he feels during the entire
effort. When the task is completed, he has not only failed to
create a credit for himself, but he has made himself wholly unworthy
for anything better. He has neither paid Karma nor created favorable
conditions because he responded unwillingly. All the ill will,
the bitterness, the resentment of his thoughts and feelings have
created that much more Karmic indebtedness for the future.
|Top|
Karma is both the Law of Predestination and Free Will. We
are bound by all of our past as we are bound by the actions
of the immediate present, and we will be bound by all actions
of the furure. Our present is held as hostage for the future
in building that temple "not made with hands," just
as it is in the attainment of material success. "Blessed"
are those who build wisely from incarnation to incarnation or,
as the Master Teacher said: :Blessed are the meek [those who fulfill
their duty as it confronts them], for they shall inherit the kingdom
of heaven." In other words, they shall know peace, happiness
and profit; and it is not sacrilegious to mention profit in conjunction
with peace, happiness or God. One is but the reaction of the Law
of Duality. They are opposites, it is true, but harmonious one
with the other.
|Top|
If we step out in the open on a clear, starry night and lift our eyes to the blue vaults which we call"heaven," we will perceive light from innumerable stars so distant from us that they tax mathematical ingenuity to compute the distance. With an inconceivable velocity, that ray of light which enters our eyes has traveled for many thousands of years before it covered the distance between the eye of the observer and the realm or sphere of which it is a part.
At any period during all these eons of time, an eye meeting this ray of light could have seen the star more or less plainly in the ratio of its own strength and power of perception. Thus, somewhere in that space there has been, and ever will be, a picture of this star seen by the light reflected from its surface.
God, the Law, or the Eternal Scroll, perceiving everything,
both the manifested and the unmanifested, symbolically speaking,
visions at one and the same time on this record of events the
past and the present; and, thus, "in His sight a day becomes
as a thousand years and a thousand years as a day." This
is the book which Revelation tells us St. John saw
opened before him and denotes neither more nor less than that
just as the light of each star may be seen separately, so is every
act of man recorded on the record of time, and is open
to the operating, functioning Law for immediate inspection. Likewise,
every unconstructive act must be replaced by a constructive
deed, by force of the Law itself; or it may be wiped out
willingly by acts of kindness and motives of humanitarianism.
Our humanitarianism means sympathy and kindly help to those
in sorrow and desperately in need of help.
|Top|
The teachings of the Initiates of the past, as well as the
investigations of the present day, concur in the conclusion that
there is a medium of communication permeating the atmosphere as
water does a sponge. As light acts on the atmosphere, so does
thought act upon this finer surface, which has been variously
called the "Astral" or simply the "Akasic."(23)
----------------------------------------------------------------------
(23) These terms are still used by the writer on Occult subjects
because it has been difficult to find other terms to replace them.
Generally speaking, they are not descriptive of the Hall of Records
wherein all men's actions are recorded, but have more direct reference
to the sphere where the unconscious Souls are supposed to dwell
during the interim between earth life and the next incarnation.
The Arcanum does not recognize these terms as applicable.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
An orator stands upon the rostrum, and by his impassioned discourse sways his hearers to smiles or tears, serious thought or angry outbreaks. How? He does not touch them; his words are but vibrations that reach their feelings or consciousness. What is the unseen force that is so powerful in its operation? What but the impact of the individual potency upon the cosmic current of the universe, resulting from the innate emotion, passion or faith which the speaker feels, which raises his vibrations far above the mass, opens the way for its influx and sways the feelings of that mass; just as when the switch of a generator is thrown so that the current flows over the wires, all machinery connected thereby begins to revolve or move. The mass is either passive or antagonistic to the vibratory forces of the speaker. The message reaches the passive hearers; by impression it reaches their consciousness. Herein we have the secret of hypnotic as well as of all Occult forces to influence the individual or the mass.
In the Astral, therefore, are laid up the thought and deed
impressions of the Universe, as are the deed impressions of one's
own life and environment in his memory. It may be well and truthfully
said that, as man's memory is the record of his life, so is the
Astral the record of the world. What a man's memory, when fully
awakened, is to him, the Astral is to God. It is the Divine memory.
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Memory must be quickened and not be dead to perform its
office acceptably. Man's memory is quickened by the awakening
of his Subconscious, his real, pervading self. God's memory becomes
active by His aura or emanations, the finest, most impalpable
and irresistible in the universe. It is known as ether, and its
relation to the AEtheric Spirit (Fire) is that of the Soul
to the body. It is the third of "the books that were opened."
It is the book of perception. It is by this impalpable, silent
aura, thrilling at every impulse that begets thought, that the
universe is bound together as one. By this also is continually
magnified the Wisdom and glory that are God's and which manifest
in love, Wisdom, understanding and intelligence. These we know
exist, even if men refuse to believe in God which these attributes
constantly manifest. This ether(24) is the Soul of the Cosmic
order.
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(24) The word "ether" is not actually comprehensive
and inclusive. It is used for want of a better and more descriptive
term.
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In the Cosmic realm, the ether manifests itself in order
to formulate the pattern of every thought, word, desire and deed
which may ever become manifested in the physical. It follows,
then, that all knowledge and wisdom are contained in this ether
or Æth. Those who are gifted or who develop the Spiritual
by striving to comprehend what constantly unrolls before them
become possessed of whatever they truly and sincerely seek.
All that has existed ever in the thoughts of others or in the
Divine or creative thought is on record. It is the Book of
Life, the Record of Wisdom, the Remembrance of God. To so
awaken the Neophyte that he may read as he passes, is the work
of all Occult Fraternities who are true to their mission.
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Men fuss and fume at what they term their limitations, as
does the dog full of life pull at its leash to gain freedom. Limitation
is necessary for growth and experience; and it is only through
the knowledge gained by experience and growth that there can be
progression at any point or under any circumstances whatever.
If this were not so, there would be no necessity whatever for
the ego to come back into earthlife after having once left it.
Were it possible for the Soul to grow and increase its Wisdom
and enlarge its potency and the power of its Will in the domain
which it enters after leaving the earth plane, it certainly would
be foolish, indeed, to pass down into the trials and opposing
conditions of the earthlife as it does by returning again and
again. That such recurring incarnations are necessary is
clearly illustrated by the fact that the millions here now, just
as countless millions before them, have not developed one-tenth
of a single talent they possess. Only now and then, probably
one in five Souls, does actually develop to a perceptible degree
one or more talents, such as Edison, Steinmetz, Burbank and a
number of others like them. The almost unbelievably vast number
of others succeed no further than to become conscious that they
have a physical body and a mind to think, and a few develop the
faculty to actually think constructively.
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We speak of the Arcane Schools, the Occult Fraternities
and the Schools of Initiation. All of these are founded primarily
upon what is generically known as the teachings or philosophy
of Hermes,(25) the thrice wise. Hermes is a symbolical term, meaning
collective Wisdom - the Wisdom that has been gathered together
throughout the ages. ------------------------------------------------------------------------
(25) All that is said and written of Hermes is cryptic. It has
in mind one who has, throughout the ages and many incarnations,
accumulated all possible Wisdom by experience. It is at once,
one who has attained to the highest Spiritual degree of
enlightenment, and the philosophical concepts and practices to
become as such.
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"Hermes" was born when the first rational thinking man conceived the idea that the body and the mind of man existed for reasons other than to merely exist a few years, probably enjoy himself, most certainly to suffer much and then to pass on. The mind of this awakening creature conceived the idea that he could plan ahead, and might bring into manifestation a new being which he felt was beginning to function within himself.
With this possibility in mind, Hermes, this spiritually awakening creature, NOW man, prototype and symbolizing all-inclusive knowledge, set himself to the effort and felt the urge to "enter where angels feared to tread." Undauntedly he pressed forward, step by step, gathering new ideas, unconsciously cataloging them - this became the ego - and continuing in his adventure he, by consistent effort, at last attained Soul Consciousness, a knowledge of his part of God, and established the Spiritual Brotherhood - the first School of Initiation. He was the Genesis of the Hermetic Teachings, the Wisdom School.
This "man" who had attained to the Divinity via
his Soul's Consciousness or Illumination, knowing
full well that all success must come out of the harmony of
unity in which only knowledge can be attained and held, decided
to establish a Brotherhood of Wisdom. In this Brotherhood all
members sought complete harmony, and knew that in helping another
to attain each would likewise establish his own status in the
Spiritual realm. The vibrations raised by design of Spiritual
desire and flowing on the same plane, align and carry with them
force in proportion to the number of streams flowing in the same
direction; hence, the power of many individual units working along
identical avenues are in harmony and unity with each other. This
is Biblically recognized in the promise: "Wherever two or
more are gathered in my name, there will I be also."
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It has been claimed that the first King of Atlantis was the first Initiate - Soul Conscious of his Godhood - and established the first Arcane Fraternity. Whether this is a fact or a legend matters not at all. Out of their efforts, out of the power which they gained and learned to direct by which they were able to collect and control forces, a mighty civilization was built, and they gained contact with the Spiritual entities and Hierarchies of the invisible planes.
Their temple, with its great white tower ever-pointing toward the heavens as the source of visible and Spiritual Light, strength and power, was an emblem of the aspirations of the brothers bound together by obligation and by kindred desire to assist and unfold all knowledge and whatsoever belongs to knowledge, strength and powers vouchsafed to men; just as this is true today in the Arcane Fraternity.
This ideal necessarily manifested itself through the individualized
forces of Natural Law, because there can be no supernatural law.
That which is termed supernatural is the Divine, Omnipotent One
in action, and from Him and His activities proceed all law. He
is above Law, yet in the Law and for the consistency necessary
for harmony, He is the unity born of harmony. Having created or
set into motion a Law, He cannot interfere with its operation,
nor change it. Once a Law proceeds from Him, it brings with it
the everlasting edict, "My word shall not return to me void."
Those who harmonize themselves with the Law, which in no wise
interferes with material success or material obligations, will
benefit to the degree of their harmony and unity with the Law.
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The August Fraternity, Hermetically born, continues to do its full share in avoiding, by proper effort, the great catastrophe which the physical has drawn upon itself; a disastrous condition has come about because the Spiritual self, the Soul, has yielded inch by inch to physical domination. The Spirit is many times stronger when the physical is subservient to it, because it can then so manifest itself by dominion over all that is earthly, and it is to be remembered that the first promise made to man was that he should rule his environments - be the "Captain of his ship."
Man, individually and collectively, made the mistake of
permitting material environments to subjugate his Spiritual
self, and has never been free since. Because he is at last becoming
conscious of the undesirability of his position and is willing
to make the effort, the Spiritual Hierarchies have united
with the Initiates and the August Fraternity for the Great Work
that lies before them. Everything that has to do with mitigation
of man's condition, and everything that will help man to LIFT
HIMSELF UP from the dregs of the earth toward the possibility
of the higher, nobler and more truly practical life is in the
province of the Great Work. It is not necessary or desirable
that we go forth into the street with the sound of drums and cymbals
in strange attire to masquerade and make ourselves the victims
of the opposing forces.
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Even the advanced of humanity are only beginning to perceive as Divine truth the fact that the Spiritual, in the finale, actually governs and controls the physical, and that the Spiritual forces have greater power and, given the opportunity, can help man do whatever he wills to do in the physical realm.
When these forces seek to bring about better conditions in the material world they work on that plane, always seeking through physical environments to accomplish their aims. Man is not to be blamed for finding it so difficult to shake off the dominion of the flesh which has come down from the Stone Age when the physical dominates the Spiritual by the weight of the material conditions. But with the knowledge now at his command, man is held responsible and accountable if he refuses to reverse himself or alter his approach to the problems of life; or if he fails to avail himself of the forces which will lift him from servile slavery and bring him success, freedom and Spiritual Consciousness.
Everything worthwhile, of more than transient value lies
in the great treasury of the unseen, and is there awaiting man's
demands and bidding. It is yours if your Spirit
is awakened enough to righteously direct it.
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