Mystic Brotherhood University Informal Chats 1-43

Western Occultism

Informal Chats

Instructive notes supplementary the Brotherhood Lectures.

Mystic Brotherhood

C - 1 INFORMAL CHATS WITH THE FACULTY

Going over various lessons, we have been impressed with the fact that one could literally write volumes, using the ideas of each lesson as a mere skeleton to suggest the various chapters of the books. In other words, the Seed Ideas contained in the lessons are susceptible of an almost infinite enlargement. It is supposed that the student in taking those lessons, will largely do this for himself. Taking each one of these as they come weekly, he will, if he is en­ thusiastic, and earnest in his desire to learn and to improve, take them literally, sentence by sentence. With contemplation, analysis,and meditation, he will enlarge upon those ideas, carrying them out to their logical conclusion; he will reason inductively back to the under­ lying laws that must exist beforehand, and then with this thought and knowledge in the Subconscious Mind he will begin to draw correspon­ dences, he will find things in his daily life, questions, problems,that can be solved by a comparison;this is Syllogistic Reasoning, In this way there is almost an interminable amount of work which can be done, but it is all too frequently the case that in the rush and hurry of our modern Urban Centers, and the stress of our Western Civilization that the necessities of existence fill so much of cur time that we can­ not do it,or what amounts to the same-thing — we think they do until we begin to introduce System and Order into our affairs. Then of course, it is frequently the case that one does not know exactly how to apply this knowledge, but usually it is because of the vast burden of nonessentials which we pile upon our backs, and lack of system in our work. It is a fact that a very large number of students be­ long to that class,who have had the advantage of an intensive, intel­ lectual Research into things Occult and Mystical. They have taken this course and that, but they have not yet been successful in the applica­ tion of any of those Laws and Principles. In other words, they are still in difficulty, and they do not know what the trouble is. It is true that we can acquire mental indigestion by an ill advised diet of too many Isms, too many Viewpoints, for there does seem to be a great deal of conflict between the various sincere Schools and we do not always realize that these apparent discrepancies are but differences in phrasing, differences only in the gradations of the Great Light, that it may not blind the eyes of the particular class which is to be helped by that particular School. In other words we must remember that all of Humanity is divided into Departments of Life,and that each of these Departments is again divided into seven Grades or Families. There is a corresponding number of divisions in the Great White Lodge, that Invisible Hierarchy which works with and guides Humanity in their Evolutionary Progress. Thus, over each Family of Humanity there are Watchers and Guides. There is a Group of the Initiates whose function is to protect and enlighten that particular group of Humanity.Natural­ ly the methods of instruction and the nature of the lessons to be taught are thus very diverse,for the studies of the different Groups of Humanity are different, tho each is necessary to the Unfolding Life of Mankind. Now taking those things into consideration, we can with understanding bring together all of these various Teachings and Ideas, all of the various Cults and Creeds and Isms,and know them for what they are,instruments in bringing some part of Truth to some par­ ticular Group. When we realize this, our problem resolves itself mere­

ly in finding the Teachings3 the Message and the Plans, which are the Methods and the Plans designed for us. To you of the Western World, there can be none superior to those of the Western Traditions,them­ selves, for they are the Traditions developed and handed down by your Forebears, originating from the Great Teacher of the West, the Occult Nazarene. It is unfortunate indeed, that thru an overdose of Orthodoxy many have been driven to the Eastern Masters whose methods are designed for Races and Temperaments, and Climates and Conditions of living which are entirely different from your own, and yet this is true, for Theosophy first introduced the Eastern Teachings into the West. It was the first knowledge that many thousands had of such a thing as Occultism, and consequently the East has come to stand in the eyes of many as superior to the West in Spiritual things, and its Methods superior to the Methods of the West. This is not true at all. It is rather a serious mistake, but a mistake which is remedied when the student realizes the truth of what has been said. So it has seemed to us that it would be very advanta­ geous regardless of what we have learned, to study these informal talks,forgetting for the time the Metaphysical Abstractions, the Deeper Occult Principles, and to talk together regarding these Fun­ damentals which after all are vital to us. We are living in a physi­ cal world,in a Western Civilization and with the necessity for daily bread and harmony with our fellows a daily necessity. Don’t forget, you were not born into a Western Body in a Western World because of some mistake. Don’t imagine that you must change yourself by trying to live a Yoga Life in order to become Spiritual. You can not skip the class in which you find yourself and make any progress whatever by trying to learn the lessons of some other class. If you did you would find them just as hard as your own lessons, so you do not gain anything but only add to your troubles. Furthermore, you are in the Advanced Class of Earth today. Nowhere can you find greater opportu­ nities for Spiritual Growth than where you are, nowhere can you find greater opportunities for Evil for dissipation and selfishness. Rome in her glory and shame never offered the ordinary man and woman a hundredth part of the Power for Good which the West does today. It is the testing ground for strong souls. An understanding of Life and its Purpose has never been more difficult_and more necessary than it is today. The old idea that the Universe is ruled by the whims and fancies of a Super-Human Being is an anthropomorphic conception that is rapidly passing.Today’s average man and woman believe intellectually the Teachings of the Mas­ ter Jesus in this regard,’’That God is Spirit.” The difficulty is that the old Racial Idea, a heritage of the Subconscious Mind through the ages still proves a dominating factor. Intellectually they realize the absurdity of that view, but deep within themselves they find a difficulty in bringing about a proper concept in their mind, of in­ finite Spirit and so we find that regardless of the Intellectual know ledge, Prayer is still a Prayer of Petition,a Demand for relief from Conditions which are about them. It is a very difficult thing indeed for the average person to not only know and believe intellectually but to actuate his life with the realization that the Universe and all that is in it is ruled by Immutable and Unchangeable Laws.People don’t want to face the Truth, - that conditions which exist in their affairs have been built up by their own thoughts and acts, and by the lack of doing things which they should have done, and that they must

just as inevitable rebuild step by step, if they do not like what they have built. It is difficult to accept this as a Working Plan, for it means Work and Effort and Responsibility upon the part of the indi­ vidual, and Work and Effort and Responsibility are three things most people are busy trying to avoid. The reason people try to avoid any effort that means the necessity for changed thoughts or habits is because of the resist­ ance or inertia of the Lower Nature or Habit Self which always strives to resist change, or seeks to avoid the difficulty of remolding and re­ building the self which is the pattern and which in turn creates the outer conditions, and so they seek a short-cut. Some method by which the work which they have done, and which has resulted disastrously, may be vicariously atoned for and wiped out, and a new beginning made without effort on their part. And regardless of their failure to find such a method of evading their responsibility they still keep on try­ ing almost anything rather than face the fact that ’’they built and how they alone can change it.” So in these informal talks, we are not going to dignigy them by the term ’’lessons” or ’’lectures,” they are simply chats; we are going to take up various subjects, and we are going to start right back at the very beginning and see if, laying aside our deeper know­ ledge, we can’t come to a better understanding of the fundamentals in a way that will make us able to use them. So the first thing that we must understand and get clearly in mind is the answer to this question, ’’What are we here for?” There are two Great Schools of Thought, as shown by the answers to this question. Those who believe that we have only one life, at least so far as Earth is concerned, and that we must get the most out of it that we can, and that whatever we miss is lost forever, and the other School who believes that we have equal opportunities that we have many lives upon earth, and that whatever we lose or miss in one life is of little importance, for we will have other cpportunities to experience those things. The first Group have no assurance of future life, they have listened to Orthodox Religion with more or less skepticism, and at most their acceptance of even that Relief is a Hope, and not an Actuality. They act in all their affairs upon the supposition that they must get what they can, while they can, and enjoy life for they are a long time dead. The other School of Thought handle their affairs upon a different basis; they have convinced themselves of Immortality; many of them have had experiences in which their consciousness has function­ ed outside of the physical body, and when that occurs ev en once, they no longer believe; they KNOW. Quoting the experience of one student, we want to show you the value of practicing in one’s Sanctum until one does develop something of the Finer Forces, and bring to themselves some such an experience as this, for it changes the entire outlook on life, it changes one’s entire attitude toward the affairs and things of life. --- ’’Sunday I had a Demonstration of actual Projection in the outgoing breath. I was at church, and the minister, a very Spiritual Man, was at the Altar in front of the Cross, praying. Half unconsciously I breathed out and suddenly found my consciousness at the Cross on the Altar. I looked back at my body, but had no identi­ fication of consciousness with it, in any way. I simply seemed to be floating, as in a mist, in front of the Cross. I could hear the Min-

ister praying and understood vzhat he said, and I could look back over the Church. Then, as the Prayer finished, I felt the consciousness of my arms and body, much the same as the sensation of awakening when you say your arm has ’gone to sleep.’ When your letter came this morn­ ing, I suddenly realized how it had all happened.”-Study that carefully; it is an extract from an actual letter, it is not an uncommon occurence,it has been duplicated thou­ sands of times in one form or another. Such an experience must be earned by a sincere mental attitude of investigation. There must be Will Power to so discipline the Self that practice is had regularly and systematically, and there must be had also a flexible attitude of mind,which allows the admission that such a thing ’may be possi­ ble,’ or ’perhaps is probable.’ Sheer Skepticism inevitably closes the door. In the illustration which has been given you the occurence was not premeditated,, it was not the results of an effort of the Will a deliberate going out, but it was a result nevertheless of study and practice, and it frequently happens that where Success is not had in the regular experimental work, it comes suddenly and unexpected, ’like a thief in the night,’ but whether it comes in the one way or the other, it leaves its indelible mark in the changed attitude of the Aspirant. So the point to think over until our next little Chat together is expressed in very few words, ’You are an Immortal Soul, incarnated in a physical body, for the purpose of gaining experience. You yourself on the Inner Planes between Incarnations, close the lessons that you needed to learn in this life, and you were born in­ to circumstances and conditions which would afford the best possible play of opportunity to present those lessons to you that you might gain those experiences. In other words, all Souls come into rebirth to gain experience, to grow in Wisdom, in Power and Understanding, and they can only do this by coming into practical touch with the World about them by experimenting and then learning from the results of those experiments. We want you to remember that it is only by liv­ ing in the flesh and experiencing the friction of contacts with other people and with circumstances and conditions that there can be built up the Self-Control, the Self-Awareness, and the Broader Experience that fits you to use Power and become Divine.Power can only be gained by the exercise of practical ability, by going out into the World, and living the life of Action, by doing all manner of work, and by registering within the Soul the extracted essences of the wise and unwise things that'are done, and the consequences that follows from each. It is the Action and reaction between Man and the World of Affairs in which he lives and functions, which develop Power and Practical Ability. And so the answer to our question,”’What are we here for?’” lies in the answer, ”’To experience varying conditions,’” or in other words, ”To gain experience.” We have only to look about us and select perhaps three persons at random to realize what a differ­ ence experience makes.We can take the average man who is doing common labor,an average clerk in an office,and a great Statesman,—but you say”’These are the results of the accident by birth,of environment, and circumstances,’”-no, for when you examine these more carefully, going into their Inner Natures,you find that they are separated so widely in their Inner World and in their Thoughts and Understanding that it cannot be explained by an accident of birth, education or en­ vironment. There is only one way in which it can be fully explained, and that is by Greater and Lesser Experience, or in other words,that one has lived fewer lives than the other,has had fewer opportunities

in which to gain experience. It is only in this way that experience can he gained, and it is only by the difference in the number of lives lived upon the Earth Plane that such differences can be explain­ ed. Remember this point, the prime purpose for which you came into earth life was to learn certain things. Like the child in school, the prime purpose of our great educational system is not that the child may enjoy the recess period, or the social activities or the atheletic features, but that he progress in the regular studies. There is no objection to these things, and some good, but whenever they interfere with the study work they are stopped. So in life,health happiness,prosperity, are the extra we enjoy, provided they do not in­ terfere with our lessons, but when we make them of too great import­ ance, when we begin to live for them alone, then something happens, they vanish, and we begin to study, for we are forced to do so. Wit­ ness the man or woman who is sick, who has lost health, the man or woman who is without money and experiencing its lack, or without happiness-inevitably there comes to them a deeper appreciation of life. Then too there are the new experiences for constant change alone pro­ duces growth. Without referring to the informal talk, answer to yourself these Queries. Reason them out until you can agree with what has been said, or if not, then discuss any of them with your regular Teacher.

1 - What is the reason for so many cults and beliefs? 2 - Why does the West offer greater difficulties and greater opportunities for true Spiritual Growth? 3 - Why is it difficult to progress beyond the Old Testament idea of God and to guide our affairs in the Light of the New Testament Teaching?

4 - Why is change in our habits of thought and in our acts so very difficult? 5 - What are the two great Schools of Thought? 6 - (a) Has the first group any positive proof of their belief and £b) has the second any proof of their belief? 7 - What is the purpose for which you were born onto Earth?

8 - How is this purpose aided by reversals of fortune?

9 - What then should be your attitude towards loss or gain?

Western Occultism

Informal Chats

Instructive notes supplementary to the Brotherhood Lectures

Mystic Brotherhood

INFORMAL CHATS WITH THE FACULTY In our first and foremost chat, we discussed the cyuestion of ’Why we are here,’ and the purpose of this talk, having.this purpose in mind, is to discuss "What then should be our attitude to­ ward Life? Reverting for a moment to the illustration, which we have uSPted before, that of the Child in school, we can readily see the difference in the attitude of the child toward his school work, when once he realizes the prime purpose for which he is going to school-Un­ til that idea dawns upon him, he is principally concerned in getting thru his studies with as little effort as possible that he may devote his principal energies to the social features, the games,and the other activities of the school which he enjoys. But, when once he comes to a deeper understanding of the purposes of his school life, and when once he comes to a realization that later on, in young manhood, he is going to need the knowledge which he now has an opportunity of gain­ ing, and that his study or lack of study is going to vitally affect him in that after life, then, when he sees this definite purpose, he begins to study for the sheer joy of studying and the sheer happiness that lies in the acquisition of knowledgeHe is not concerned” with getting thru his lessons as quickly as possible, or in getting by somehow, but he loses himself in the task that is before him, and the time slips by so rapidly, that he wonders where it has gone. Now when we begin to really see and understand and when we truly, deep within ourselves, believe the things which we have discussed in our first chat, when we do truly believe that earth’s ex­ istence, even hundreds of thousands of lives is but a portion of our total existence, that it corresponds to our school days, each life.be­ ing a day in school, and that it is all for the purpose of acquiring the knowledge, the self-control, and self-awareness which will aid us in the future which lies ahead, then we too have a different attitude toward life, and toward the conditions and circumstances that arise In the first place, there comes a sense of peace, and a queer inner happiness, regardless of whether the out.br experiences be bitter and distressing or not. Vie lose our sense of hurry, and strain^ and we realize that we have plenty of time. We settle down and apply ourselves, mastering the particular conditions which arise, concentrating upon the one day which is ours, knowing that in that way we are inevitably taking care of the future, and that the past can have no vain regrets. The moment we limit the horizon of our mind, to the one day that is before us and its particular problems, we are tak­ ing the first great step to freedom from the tyranny of the "Future Habit" which most people have» We realize that our lives are so wrap­ ped up, not alone with the personal Karma which is ours, but the Karma of the Country in which we live, and of the Racial Group to which we belong, that we cannot count upon the future, save only, that it will be sure to bring us opportunities for study and growth. We commence our work, therefore, with a feeling of quiet and poise, we know that even if we should suddenly and inadvertently experience transition, it is nothing in the stretches of Cosmic Time, for after but a short delay we will be back again, in another physical body, carrying out the plans and experiencing the conditions of the previous day. We suddenly find therefore, that we have plenty of

time to do the things which we should do, the little things we over­ look in our rush. We know first of all that in order to be able to study the conditions and discern clearly the best methods of handling them it is necessary that we, have the human machine functioning to the best possible advantage. We know that the condition of the body vitally affects our viewpoint and our understanding, and vitally af­ fects our reactions to what other people do and say. As a matter of fact, most of us know perfectly well, what we should do,, in order to put this physical machine in perfect condition, but the difficulty again is the Habit or Repressive Self, which is so difficult to train until it works with us instead of against us. The difficulty lies also in the untrained mind which is always a half a day ahead of us, bringing to our attention an infinite number of things to be done or to worry about but which belong to the future hour and not this one hour which is NOW. To train this mind to contemplate the present mom­ ent, to be able to focus its wonderful powers and abilities on one thing at a time, keeping it there until that thing is done, is also difficult. We know for instance, that five minutes in the morning when first arising, spent in light exercising is a wonderfully bene­ ficial thing. We know that it tones up the body, sets its various organs to functioning more smoothly, speeding up the elimination, ton­ ing up the digestion and making for a new zest and eagerness with which to face the day. Yet, how many of us, knowing full well the value, knowing full well the essential necessity of such a condition, will do it? How many will persist by an effort of the will, until such a habit is established? We know that if we follow these, exer­ cises with a light sponge rub, or a shower if that is possible; fol­ lowing it by a vigorous rubdown, with a coarse towel puts the skin in wonderful condition, and gives one that appearance, of glowing vitali­ ty, and ruddy health which is so invaluable in our contacts with oth­ ers. Yet again, how many can resist the Habit Self which does not want to arise five or ten minutes earlier in order to do this, or ar­ gues us into neglecting them because they are too much trouble, and who of us who have not listened to its specious arguments, that it is "too cold," "too late," or "really I don't need it," and yet start­ ed thus, the entire day seems different. You have a brighter outlook a more cheerful and optimistic viewpoint, success seems more certain, and things begin to go our way. We come next to the first meal of the day and here again we have an opportunity of using the discretion and the intelli­ gence which is our birthright. Many do have the Continental breakfast of perhaps cof­ fee, toast and fruit, but there are countless thousands not doing heavy work who simply feel faint if they do not have a thick slice of ham, two fried eggs, a generous helping of fried potatoes, coffee,two or three slices of bread and butter, and perhaps a slice of pie and another cup of coffee. We can avoid such a diet of too much fried food, for we know that such a diet is disrupting to the digestive system, we know that too much starch as in white bread and potatoes, clogs the system, ferments and produces toxic poisons, which inevitably lower the vitality and prevent us from doing our best. Yet here again, it

is a question of taking the time and trouble to think about these things, and to eat correctly, a well balanced diet with proper com­ binations of food. It is a matter of taking the time, to eat slowly and to masticate the food until it is almost reduced to a pulp. We should avoid liquids during the meal, and when one has acquired the habit of eating thus, there is a real satisfaction in the very tas>e "i of the right foods. Every particle of nourishment and enjoyment is extracted from each mouthful, and we find to our surprise that'we have eaten only one half or one third as much as usual and consequently the system is not over-burdened with an excessive amount of fuel. l-p-p It is said that almost every human being, suffers to a certain extent from constipation. This is a condition which is at the root of more trouble than any other one thing. It can be avoided whenever we really desire to do so sufficiently to take the time and trouble to train ourselves to do the things which we know should be done, and to avoid being in so much of a hurry that we can’t properly take care of the physical organism in this regard. If one could really see the full benefits of vzhat we have been discussing, and would try with persistence and enthusiasm for a period of one full month, they would be astounded at the cleareyed zest with which to face each dawning day. They would note the strength and vigor } the sure inner happiness with vzhich to take up the solving of the problems and they would note too, the keeness of mind to aid in working them out. It would be a revelation to many, of how much of their difficulties are due to a badly abused physical organism, too much or the wrong kinds of food. You see, therefore., with a realization of why we are in incarnation, there should come a desire to apply ourselves and learn as rapidly as possible, and then out of this desire, should come a Survey of Conditions, that we may determine where to begin to improve. Inevitably the closest thing in the whole Universe, the nearest thing to us of all, is ourselves, so we can commence at homes we should study the physical body, the ways and means by which it could be improved that it would serve as an efficient machine, carry­ ing out the will of the Ego which occupies it for this incarnation. The next thing in the Self, which we have to take into consideration and study, is the Mental Self. The Merkel 3. ■ f :.&?• been built up, not only the acts and thoughts of previous lives, but by the circumstances and environment and education of this one — let us realize that we are busily engaged from the dawn of time in creating an ideal, and that this ideal manifested in traits, tendencies and personality, exists and carries forward, life after life. - When we come to consciousness in any one life, we find ourselves with that Ideal, partially created, as a result of our past efforts, and it is the heritage with vzhich we must start. It is not often that we are satisfied as we view our past efforts, and realize vzhat they have brought to us in this life, and we dislike especially the fact that we have built these traits and tendencies ourselves, that they are our heritage. But this very fact makes us realize that we have also the ability to change them,, thru struggle and effort against the inertia 2 of the Habit Self. In this rebuilding, we can have the assistance of those true Occult Organizations with Inner Plane connections, such as

the Brotherhood and the help and assistance of the Spiritual Hierarch­ ies, giving us the Light Inspiration and Thoughts which will point a way, PROVIDED only that we are sincere, PROVIDED that we do conscien­ tiously endeavor and persist in endeavoring to make things better.Man must learn to act by the light of his own knowledge and hj.s own ab­ stract mind, and to utilize to the xullest, the talents which he has, BEFORE he is given to others. He must learn, absolutely, not to act and react according to the multitudinous voices of the Lower Self,the desires., emotions, appetites and all the. fleeting fancies released by these forces of the Individuality.. We probably think that we have conquered most of these things, but when we come to analyze ourselves and our habits, our ways of doing things, we begin to realize that the struggle is a struggle that is never done. One set of desires is hardly conquered before a dozen others seem to spring full born into being, each a testing block for us to pit our strength against. We must remember, our own responsibility in these things, for if we wildly rebel against poverty, sickness, lack and limitation, we must show our sincerity by.doing our utmost to remedy the conditions ourselves. We certainly cannot expect the Spiritual Hierarchies to clear up these difficulties for us - they are of our own making, and we must do the remaking, that is why we are here. We must remember that people who are sick,.for instance, are not entitl­ ed to be cured merely because they are sick, - they must learn the lessons, that accompanies the disease, which their own habits have brought upon themselves. To pray for' riches without finding out the reason for poverty, to pray to save our home, without finding out the reason why we are losing it, to pray that our debts be paid, without studying to see how and why those debts were accumulated, is foolish­ ness, for we would do the same thing right over again. Better than affirmations is to live and think so mod­ erately, so wisely and so earnestly, that people do not become sick, poor or limited, and it is far better philosophy. God and the Mas­ ters know all this full well and help comes ONLY as á support when your own strength and knowledge and ability is not quite enough. So remember., when people are in these conditions, just how the Masters of the Inner Planes view the situation when they hear them call for help. The Masters know full well the Occult Law that "Faith without Works is Dead." They hear the cry and they investi­ gate -- what do they find — is there Faith, and is it backed up by works? Has this one, in other words, consistently done everything he SHOULD have done and COULD have done to overcome the conditions him­ self? Does he recognize that he is justly punished, that the trouble is the result of some inharmOny of his own — has he corrected the mental attitude? Has he LEARNED- the lesson? If people have a proper and just appreciation of all this, they know that within themselves is the power to remedy and un-' do what they themselves have brought about and thus their cry to God and the Masters will NEVER be for RELIEF from the Condition, it will ALWAYS be a cry for LIGHT and KNOWLEDGE and STRENGTH to carry thru the reconstruction work they are ALREADY commencing. So many* people feel cheated and robbed if they do not

have all that their neighbors have. What right has any man or woman to believe that they were born into the world MERELY to be happy? In the Arabian Nights it is written ’’Happiness must be earned." Remember we have been born with a Divine Birthright, a Mind, Two Hands, Two Feet and a Heart. If any of these be missing at the time of our ap­ pearance we have some other function proportionately developed to takeits place. With these tools we may go forth and EARN happiness, but we have no right to assume that someone is going to thrust it .upon us. No right to assume that any one, God or the Masters will carry us thru life letting us do as we wish until we call and then wipe out our difficulties so that we may start all over again to pile up more trouble, We can never learn that way, for there would be no incentive to right effort. Nor must we assume that because we ’’intended good," because we "thought" we were right that the situation is different. We still must learn from the results why we "thought" wrongly, why our "inten­ tions" did not work out. Only in this way can we learn analysis and judgment and to weigh all factors and not merely part of them. ' We have come here for experience as a child goes to school. That child may be happy and enjoy his studies or he may rebel against them all thru the term. The wise are they who are happy in doing the things that should be done. .

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1

- Why should we train the mind to concentrate upon the tasks of our day, even the task of the present hour?

2

- What result is immediately noticed

3

- How does this result help us?

4

- Where should we start to remedy conditions?

5

- Why is rbhe physical condition so important?

6

- What is the benefit of radiant health?

7

- What else is of prime importance in our task of rebuilding?

8

- When can we call for help and be sure of receiving it?

9

- What is better than affirmations?

10 - How are the wise happy and why?

Western Occultism

Informal Chats

Instructive notes supplementary to the Brotherhood Lectures.

Mystic Brotherhood

INFORMAL GNATS WITH THE FACULTY In our talk of the past week we were discussing princi­ pally the Forces of Inertia, of the Habit Self, continually restrain­ ing us with specious arguments, or procrastination and delay, in doing those things which we know that we should do. There are other forces at work in the world, forces of deliberate evil, continually striving to entice us to do those things which are wrong and harmful and which result in our own undoing. Some of these are intelligent, some unin­ telligent, such as the vast world of evil and inharmonious thought­ forms in which we move. Until that day when we shall have made our­ selves perfect, we are subjected to temptations so long as there re-, mains within us a single hidden inharmonious thought-germ which brings us into attunement with any of these forces. To bring this point forcibly before you I am going to tell you a story. DUSK. A woman is seated, in the hour of gathering shad­ ows, beside a hearth whereon little leaping-flames cast a flickering glow within the room. One hand grasps the arm of the chair, the oth­ er rumples convulsively, a letter lying unfolded on her lap. Her eyes are moist with tears, yet hard withal. She feels her tumultuous thoughts circling around her. At lastwhispers in her ear an exulting voice.At last! The hour of judgment has struck. At last you can clear from blame the rpame of that one who had so suffered, at last you can free her from the odium of false accusation. At last hei' persecutor shall be judged -- probably convicted and condemned... But as though in answer to these words, another voice, the voice of the woman's own conscience answers: "Do you believe this to be your task, do you wish to be the avenger, do you desire to punish a man—your, brother—even though he be degraded, and even criminal?" A third voice is heard, deep and gentle: "Beware Woman! You haze already chosen to enter upon, the Way of Sacrifice; henceforward you dare no longer act in consort with the destructive Force, you can no longer act as the instrument of Hate ." The woman opened her eyes, struck with surprise. In front of her stood a luminous figure, resplendent, with eyes like stars. "Come with me!" She obeyed instantly. With instinctive confidence she put her hard in the clasp extended to her and felt herself lifted from herself, lifted from the floor. Her physical body remained, motion­ less in the armchair while she floated around the room. Without con­ sciousness of any material obstacle, suddenly she found herself in Space with her Guide, Space and Time mattered not, flight seemed but a floating yet the speed was inconceivable. They crossed vast plains, lands and seas unknown to her, and stopped at last on the peak of a high mountain, lighted by the opalescent gleam of the Moon. In the distance, yet higher sum­ mits, snow-crowned, lifted toward the sky. The Himalayas! said her Guide. Follow. We descend.

Dropping lightly downward, they came to a deep gorge, bordered by huge rocks which cast ungainly shadows in the moonlight, and stopped in front of a rock-mass of menacing and fantastic form, fit to serve as a portal for the Gates of Hell. We enter here, said the Guide. They passed into a vast cave, studded with stalactites of strange formation, with human figures here and there; they seemed human, at least, yet with some strangeness which inspired fear. The woman pressed closer to her Guide, and as he threw a fold of his man­ tle around her, she felt herself invisible and invulnerable. At the far end of the cave seven men were seated, med­ itating, darkly. Some of these were repulsive to look upon, others had fineness of staturé and of lineaments, but of a character glacial and forbidding. In her thought the woman said: "Who are these? The Angels accursed?" And the Guide replied: •’These are Brothers of the Shadow, black magicians. These are they who are the enemies of Cosmic Evolution, these operate by means of the forces of hate and destruction which war against the love-forces in this world." One of the somber figures rose. Dark Brothers, said he in a metallic voice which vibra­ ted in the cavern, Brothers of the Shadow, you have learned, all of you, to kill out the heart in order to worship the all-dominating in­ tellect, yet, however eager for power, only a few of you have answer­ ed my call. Up to the present time we have worked separately and alone. But the crisis which is coming will require a collective ef­ fort. The hour is grave, even decisive. If we do not combine forces against the Forces of Cosmic Evolution, they will pass over us,■and crush us. We are reaching now, the moment of the zenith of the Fifth Race, that race which has been our foothold, and thru which we have been able to accomplish our best work. As you are aware, the intelligence, if put at the service of the passions, is the greatest enemy of Man. The proof is before you; wars, religious persecutions, class' conf11ctsy paralysing materialism—all these are of our bring­ ing. But we are the beginning of a new era, a new race, wherein the love forces will open, will be diffused, giving an atmosphere in which we cannot live. It is necessary to act. We must try a concert­ ed plan, a supreme effort to delay this menacing tide of evolution. We are nothing--so far as appearance goes--before this formidable force, and yet we can halt its onward movement. Let us agree, then, on the personal work of each one of us for the furtherance of the in­ terests of us all• The Second Dark Brother rose, a figure threatening like the night. My work, said he, is to blow into flame the spark of ambition that lies in the hearts of men. Ambition blinds man and leads him to his destruction; it becomes a devouring passion which is as a vampirism on his better feeling; it develops in him a selfish­

ness which leads his steps full often to the Way of the Shadow» But I, said, the third, a hideous figure with a sour grin, I know well how to inject the venom of doubt and of suspicion into the brain; I excite envious discontent and revolt; I nurse in men that spirit of criticism which sees the canker in everything, which disfigures and dries the soul, for the malicious criticism of that which is good is one of our most powerful weapons of destruc­ tion, A fourth rose, draped in a mantle of brooding shade. My task, he rasped, is to seek in every heart the grain of Hate, and no matter how small it be, to cause it to germin­ ate and to grow. I excite revenge and the desire to do evil, and set the obsessing desire of vindictiveness and rancor to brood over the minds of men; I succeed in persuading the ruthless that an evergrowing hatred of a person is only a righteous indignation against ill-doing, and from what would have been only a hatred of the sin, I bring to birth a hatred for the sinner. Then spoke the fifth dark Mage,as handsome as Lucifer: To me, the just and the virtuous men are what I seek, of them I make my prey, I attack all those who declare themselves to be friends of progress, of spiritual growth, I befriend— to their undoing—the Utopians, the philanthropists, and those who enter the dangerous ways of spiritualism 'without a guide. I use their own virtues and even their own rectitude to tempt them» By persuading them that they alone, are in the right, I arm them against their brothers; into their hands I put the pen of excoriation that they may condemn their fellows; I set them to the persuasion that they are the instruments of the Most High, in order to accomplish His Jus­ tice. Thus, without ever being aware thereof, they league, themselves with us, they conjoin in the work of destruction, while deluded into their belief in their right-doing, they become the Instruments of Hate» The woman turned to her Guide with a look of anguish. It is enough. Let us go ! she begged When they were far from the cave of Shadows, again up­ on the mountain peak, the Being turned towards her, Hast thou understood Woman? In hoping to punish that criminal, thou wert leaguing yourself, without knowing, to the For­ ces of Destruction. However befouled by sin or error a man may seem to thee, it is not for thee to condemn, it is not for thee to make thyself the instrument of his punishment. His hour will come; unhes­ itatingly, unhaltingly, the moment of judgment will arrive for him— let the Eternal Law do its eternal work, that Law .will find an in­ strument among the evil-doers themselves, among the unconscious ser­ vants of the Shadow. Woman Beware ! Judge not thy brother harshly, but en­ deavor to understand him; rather than punish, forgive ! Learn to wait, acquire the blessing of patience. Become aware of the divine spark which is hidden in the deepest recesses of the most perverse heart, the Divine spark which slumbers in every living being. It is still dusk. The woman is still seated on the armchair before the fire; the unfolded letter is still upon her lap.

Without hesitation, without a regret, she rises and throws the letter amid the little leaping flames. Of the paper,where­ on was written the condemnation of one who was a criminal, there is now nothing hut black and greying ashes. As though resultant from this action, a faint frag­ rance as of distant incense steals through the room.

I want you to think and study this story, I want you to remember this Cave of Shadows, I want you to recall the words of the Chief, and those who work for him. If any time in the future there arise feelings of this kind, you will know that through that thought arising in your mind, you have been brought into contact with one of the Brothers of the Cavern, and are receiving as by radio broadcast, the effects of his destructive work. There is but one way to break that contact, - when such thoughts arise, that is to fill the mind immediately with their exact opposite, that is, with thoughts of Love and Compassion which at once ever tunes you with the Brothers of Light working under the banners of the Christ to help and save from the forces of ignorance, of evil and of destruction. I want you to cultivate a Consciousness of the Pres­ ence and Blessing of God’s own Spirit, and at all times, I want you to realize that out of the troubles of Life, out of the weariness, the struggle, and the strife, out of all this, there comes a real Purpose; from your tears, too, there shall come joy, and even out of bitterness and heartache, Peace is born. Just as a sturdy plant withstands the storm and brave­ ly lifts its head to face the.Sun, so must you, Child of God, rise above every limitation, and let disappointment serve but to make you braver, sturdier and truer to the Purpose planted deep within your Soul. Remember that there is a Destiny that urges you ever upward, that there is a God who claims you as His own, that the very Force that rules the Universe rules you; that the same Power that keeps the Planets in their place keeps you to your Course. You may deviate from the Path, it is true, but the chaos and unhappiness that you cause in your ignorance, in your re­ sistance of good, consciously or unconsciously, will soon turn you back to face the Light. Evil, sickness and poverty are not of God, they come but thru our own misunderstanding, they come by the Path of our resistance and our carelessness. God asks of you only that you be steadfastly and un­ waveringly true to the Highest that is within you, He holds no set Standard before you, no Rule of Action, no Path of Piety, no School of Righteousness—God is Good and His Good is everywhere, and as you work with His law you will find abundant Good along your Path. Remember that even trouble is not without its bless­ ing, even heartaches are not without their gain; trials and disap­ pointments should but strengthen your character, increase your power and make you staunch and sturdy. Days of rain bring forth rich har-

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vest, days of pain and sorrow plant deep within you a Faith that can­ not be shaken by outward tremors, and you will find within your Heart a deep Peace, a Spirit that can take things as they come, a Spirit that rises above and transcends every adverse condition; and as you realize these Truths they will be to you a Message of Courage and of Joy, they will bring to you a Joy that is deep and springing forth continually from your heart, a Joy that is real, and that is never affected or made less by any outside condition.

QUESTIONS

1 - Why is ambition carried too far, destructive? 2 - How does doubt and suspicion warp the viewpoint? 3 - What is the danger of Hate?

4 - What is the work of the fifth Brother of the Shadows and why is it more insidious than that of the others. 5 - Why should we fill our minds with Good. 6 - How do Evil, Sickness, and Poverty arise? 7 - Just why did the Guide say '•-----that the Law would find an instrument?"

8 - Why should we avoid being used by that Law of Justice to bring Evil to another which they deserve.

Western Occultism

Informal Chats

Instructive notes supplementary to the Brotherhood Lectures.

Mystic Brotherhood

INFORMAL CHATS WITH THE FACULTY In our last talk together, we mentioned the Forces of Op­ position with which we were surrounded, and the fact that they were of two kinds, the Positive, or Deliberate, and intelligent, and the Nega­ tive, or Unintelligent. In this matter of getting a clear understand­ ing of Life, nothing is of greater importance than an understanding of these Forces,and a keen realization that for the majority of people, their vaunted freedom of action is a hollow mockery, for they are as­ sailed continually a thousand different Forces, which they do not even know exist. Thoughts and ideas and beliefs pour into their Minds which they think are their own ideas, and the result of their own keen analy­ sis and judgment. Therefore, remember that you literally move in a Sea of Thoughts and Ideas, just as your Physical body moves about in a Sea of Air. Just as this Air is not tangible to your senses, excepting upon occasions, so is this great Sea of Thoughts and Ideas,imperceptible,ex ­ cepting upon occasions. These thoughts and ideas from countless thou­ sands of sources are pressing in upon your Consciousness, coloring your actions, stunting your own reasoning processes, biasing your judgment and distorting your viewpoint and understanding. There are all grada­ tions in these ideas and thoughts,from the highest conceivable expres­ sions of Spiritual Light to the lowest and blackest forms imaginable. In the first place,in this great Sea of Thoughts and Ideas,are all of these vital thought forms built up and charged by high voltages of rage and hate and jealousy,all the assorted thought forms built by the Chil­ dren in Consciousness and Soul Evolution. These are exactly like Stor­ age Batteries. When you contact them, if there is anything in your own aura,any germ idea or latent tendency which attunes you with them,they immediately discharge their power into your Aura,just as completing the circuit of a storage battery,causes its power to immediately leap forth from the battery,thru the circuit which you have established.Of lesser degree thah these types are the thought forms built up by the cas'u.al thinking,of all the people about you which exist but short periods af­ ter they are sent forth. Visualize for a moment,you who live in a City, what the picture would be if thoughts were visible to your Material Eyes.Can you imagine the picture presented by the thousands of thought forms rising from each human being,all thru the day and night,and floating off into the atmosphere to form gigantic masses of those thought forms,congre­ gating together,according to their vibrations .All thoughts of a similar character,find their own level,and add together one and another,until a gigantic elemental is built up,composed of thousands of similar thought forms,and in many cases,that elemental becomes so strong,that this gi­ gantic storage battery of power begins flashing out its energy over the entire City,and those who are attuned with it by similar mental atti­ tudes,feel these surges of Power,urging them on to further extremes in that particular line of thinking,or that particular viewpoint,just as the lightning discharges from a huge cloud into the sky toward the ground. So,in picturing the conditions under which you live,con­ sider these things;take your radio for instance,you know that there is pounding down upon that radio, waves from perhaps a thousand different broadcasting stations. Their programs in the shape of vibratory waves, are not only coming down the aerial into the set,but they are criss­ crossing back and forth thru the set itself, - you know that the set will operate without any aerial at all,but simply thru the wires with­ in the set picking up the program. Yet, of all these vibrations, only one wave length is collected by that radio,and carried thru its tubes

X and. condensors,and comes out from the loud speaker in expression of some particular type of program.We are exactly like that radio re­ ceiver.This great Sea of Thought,good,bad,and indifferent,is pouring in upon us and thru us every moment of the day,yet,as a rule,we only respond, to one type of those innumerable influences,and that type is the type we ourselves have selected by attuning ourselves to it in some way. • In this,you can readily see the danger of careless thinking,for what may be mere harmless contemplations,throws open the flood gates,and there pours in upon your Consciousness,a never ending and ever increasing wave of similar impulses and thoughts out of this great Sea,until,unless you exert Will Power,and by main strength shut those Gates,you are literally engulfed and swept off’your feet,to some hurried action,some thoughtless deed that you would never have done,or spoken,had it not been for the irresistable force with which you attuned yourself. These are all Negative Forces,they are Storage Batter­ ies of Power,but quiescent,not active,and it does require your attunement to bring yourself into rapport with them. In addition to these, the Great Sea is filled with Positive Forces of Evil,deliberately at­ tacking your Consciousness. Such are the great Thought Forms of Pro­ paganda, which are deliberately sent forth to bias your judgment and color your thinking. You have examples of this in high pressure ad­ vertisements, cleverly illustrated,subtly slipping in past the Guard of Reason,and becoming actuating,dominating thoughts,building up de­ sire and belief deep in the subconscious mind. They are more danger­ ous for we do not realize that they are propaganda,we do not realize someone, some interest is seeking to control or direct us. Our newspapers are filled with articles written and sent forth with the idea of affecting the mass thinking of the people. We must stop to consider these things,and the necessity of our being continually on our guard,accepting nothing,without analysis and thought. So you realize that a vast majority of everything in this Sea with which you are surrounded,and in which you live and move and have your being,is sent forth by selfishness and selfish interests and purposes,and it takes real courage,real determination to think for yourself,to choose and weigh and decide for yourself. We do not realize how frequently we are- mere auto­ mat oms moving under the direction of these invisible forces,while we think that we are choosing for ourselves. Science has perfected the radio,so that ships can move in the /trackless wastes of the Sea, ac­ cording to a chosen route,guided by no hand at the wheel,but merely by the radio waves sent out from the Governing Station.Airships have travelled the skies,guided by no pilot,save these same waves from a control station. Countless of hundreds of thousands of human beings, move thruout their entire lifetime,guided by no pilot,save the in­ visible radio waves from this great Sea of Thought,and thus they are mere automatoms,mere mechanical robots.Let us consider these things, let us be constantly on our guard,that the citadel of our Being shall not be taken,either by the assault of deliberate propaganda,or by the subtile and treacherous forces of Negative Evil,our own carelessness and lack of understanding of the Forces arrayed against us. Moving also in this Great Sea of Thought and Influences are the good forces,the Great Spiritual Storage Batteries of Power,and the deliberate Thought Forms sent out by Spiritual Leaders as well as the little thoughts of love and kindness sent out by faithful,spiritu­ al men and women everywhere.These too,contact us and discharge their

energy just as do the other Forces,provided we keep ourselves attuned with them,keep ourselves receptive to their uplifting and kindly gui­ dance. If you lock at the picture of our City again,you will see amid­ st all of the dark somber clouds formed of avarice,greed and evil, the shining globes of Light,smaller in number,but far more dynamic,bravely carrying on the struggle of overcoming the effects of the dark masses allied against them. It has been suggested that it would be particularly ad­ vantageous in these informal chats for the teachers from time to time to present certain questions together with their answers,which are of such a nature as to be of general interest. Therefore with this in view we are giving two questions and their answers,which are topics referred to again and again by different students. QUESTION I wish you would explain to me about the matter of Tith­ ing when one has many debts which they are unable to pay, and whether they should tithe or whether they should use this money to apply on what they owe 5 and second,inasmuch as I am without employment and owe considerable money, what am I to do in this case? ANSWER This matter of Tithing has been much misunderstood.There has been much propaganda about Tithing,much arguing to ’’give freely,” etc.Fortunately we have never had to resort to such methods and you will note that the Brotherhood occupies a very unique position in that we don’t refer to Tithing. But let us discuss the question thoroughly, Money given with a sense of obligation,or with a secret hope that we are going to get back more than we give,something like the ’’bread cast on the waters,” is not productive of good to the Giver. We are required, if we follow the Occult Nazarene,to share what we have, even if it be only a crust,but there is something deeper than this, which lies back of the whole matter. The one who is following the Teach­ ings of the Occult Nazarene,or who is following the Teachings of Oc­ cultism and Mysticism,is going to so arrange their material affairs that they are always on an even keel and a sound basis. They are going to so order their life that their emotional desires and their wants are confined within the limit of the income until that income has been increased sufficiently to admit of the inculcation of new desires and their satisfaction,for it is the mortgaging of the future which causes so much trouble. As a result that person operates upon a budget,with reserve funds,emergency items,and all of the ordinary expenses taken care of.The proper accumulation of the emergency fund and reserve item and the proper attention paid to them so that they are safeguarded against any catastrophe assures that during the seven fat years,the granaries will be sufficiently filled to take care of the seven lean years,for one’s buying power is limited to what his earning capacity is^ and debts are not incurred,regardless of the specious arguments of the multitudinous high pressure sales arguments filling our newspapers and magazines with a false propaganda to buy ’’out of income,” in other words,the installment plan,things which we can ill afford and would not buy if we were on a strictly cash basis. All of these things constitut­ ing a proper consideration and appreciation of life,are a fundamental which must exist a priori to a Tithing System which is going to follow in anywise the command which has beep, given to us.It is not fair to sa­ tiate our own desires and then make our creditors pay the penalty of old? Tithing;Tithing is only efficacious when it comes thru our own Sacri­ fice. Now in talking with you I have gone into the fundamen­ tals because practically the hypothetical question you. have propounded

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cannot exist if Tithing is understood in its relation to the rest of the Laws. You must remember that every human being has periods,or cy­ cles.,of Prosperity and Abundance,as well as cycles of Depression and Lack. Naturally when one hasn’t any income and hasn’t been saving and frugal during the prosperous period,they are unable to keep within their income and they do owe money. It takes real courage and fortutude when the whole world is mad,as it was in ’28 and ’29,to quietly order one’s affairs against the lean days that lie ahead,but regard­ less of the fact that so many did not,there are many who did and who are moving quietly thru these distressing periods,unmoved by the economic disaster.Countless thousands of people put tleir money in banks without any investigation,and never did keep track of those banks subsequently and consequently lost when those banks closed,but there were other thousands who realized the strain on the economic structure and who took their money and invested it in short-time se­ curi ties, which are valid to-day for their face value.There were count­ less thousands of business men who bought United States Steel,Ameri­ can Telegraph and a half dozen other stocks which were supposed to be as good as Government Bonds. They paid for them,put them in their safes and the loss was so great that they could not afford to sell them,but there were other thousands of men who saw the Danger Signals which were plainly flying,which were indicated in magazine articles and by the speeches of thinking Men,and who promptly cashed in their questionable securities and especially their Common Stocks and put them in Bonds,but not speculative bonds. The great lesson which we are to learn from this pre­ sent situation is to provide against it and to build so deep in our hearts and souls the consequences of ever getting in this predicament again that it will be a Voice speaking loud enough in the future to over run the personal desires and the Habits of the Repressive Self. It is only thus,thru bitter experience and real tests and suffering that there is built up within us this Infallible Guide of Experience. QUESTION Why do so many Teachers and Organizations say the Soul spends long periods of the Cosmic,some say two thousand years? Why is there so much confusion and so many conflicting statements? ANSWER In entering the Cosmic,it is exactly like entering a great City. Have you ever noticed that the Railroads usually come thru the slums and tenements in order^to reachthe Station? In entering the Cosmic you enter the lowest Plane first,corresponding with the slums and tenements of which I have spoken.If you were to step out of the station and begin to talk to the first people you come to,for in­ stance, trying to obtain some information regarding the economic con­ ditions, the value,or otherwise of the Gold Standard,or any other per­ tinent subject regarding the functioning of our Sociological And Fin­ ancial Structures,how many different replies do you imagine you would get? At the same time if you really wanted authentic information you would realize that you had to go to some of the great financiers,some of the heads of our great Banks,the Federal Reserve Offices,or someone of that kind and you would realize too that it was going to be very, very difficult to contact that source of Information without proper introduction,vouching for you.Now let us apply that by correspondence with the Inner Planes. Countless thousands of people are contacting the Inner Planes,and they are in all stages of development,some with,and some without any Spiritual qualifications whatever.Some with high motives and others with sordid motives.You can imagine the class of Souls to

whom they naturally gravitate on entering the Inner World«for they find their own level there,just as they do here.You can readily imagine the confusing mass of information that they bring back and out of this pic­ ture I want you to realize one or two very pertinent points. The change called Transition does not endow the Soul with All-Wisdom or Supreme Knowledge,and that Soul does not immediately become capable of answer­ ing intricate problems regarding God’s Plan of Evolution - not by any means. That Soul is no further advanced there than here, it is still swayed by the same passions and desires,its mental Powers function with the same biases and the same tendencies that it built up on this Plane. The Miser is a Miser still,and while he has no actual Gold to count,he builds up out of the plastic material of the Inner Planes Gold in abun­ dance and he spends his days in brooding over it and enjoying its com­ pany until he sickens of its very sight. To him it is just as real as actual Gold; if you talk with him he says ’’certainly there is C-old in the Inner Planes," he has it in abundance, he if looking at it every moment, you couldn’t convince him that there wasn’t any Gold in the In­ ner World. As I pointed out,for authentic information,you must go up the Planes,you must contact the Mighty Ones on the High Spheres who have passed beyond the Desires that enthrall these Souls of the Lower Planes, Groat Ones who have seen something of the Vista of the Great Adventure,and who are free from the Karmic Ties that lead to Rebirth. But before you can reach them,you have to be introduced,not by a letter from a friend,but by the innate Spirituality and fineness of your Auric Contents,by whose means alone can you pass into their domain. In the Mystery Schools of Old the Noephyte said "Let my Aura attest my worth­ iness Now with that as a preliminary it still remains that un­ enlightened man incarnates every 144 years approximately,and the Adepts are in accord on this. But as man advances in the Spiritual Scale he rises above the Law, exerts Freedom of Choice,and incarnates as seems best to him,and as conditions upon earth afford him opportunities. Earth Life is for the purpose of gaining experience, the oftener the better. Nothing is gained by staying in Heaven two thousand years,at least until after one has learned Earth’s Lessons. 1 2 5 4 5 6 7 8

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QUESTIONS In what way do wo correspond with a radio receiver? How does our inertia tend to bring disaster by our not taking the trouble to think, or to study carefully? What is gained by falsely educating Humanity? How many types of propaganda can you name? What conditions should precede Tithing? Why are they difficult? that change in character comes to one at Transition,if any? How does this fact change our idea of the importance of what Souls say after Transition, or what we may see when attuned to their sub-plane?

The Western Traditions

, INFORMAL CHATS WITH THE FACULTY The letter wuxch was answered in our last Chat regarding the matter of Tithing seems to have provoked a storm of discussion. It is apparent that almost all are realizing that Tithing and Pros­ perity go hand in hand., and they are asking what the Tithe should consist of, whether one-tenth of all of their income or one-tenth of what they have left after paying their expenses, Questions have been asked whether one should consider the money that is given to various Charities as part of their Tithes to God, and similar other questions and some appear to be driving a very sharp bargain with Universal Mind in the matter of figuring Tithes. There are phases of the Lav/ of Tithing, or the giving of Alms that few yet understand. As we study Metaphysics, and the rela- * tion of Mind to<Bubstance, we find an intimate connection between our thinking and the activity that accumulates and forms what we handle, what we handle noi; only with our Mind, but with our hands. . Cold Science tells us mat the Universal Ether is the Primal Force of all Matter and Occultists proclaim the actuality of Spiritual Substance, and Matter is but Spirit at a certain lower vibration, of it. We know that it is true that out of the real Substance or Universal Ethers or Universal Mind, arises the changing panorama called the Earth, Air, Fire, Water, Houses, Lands, Money, and so forth. Back of that Substance, whatever it may be, is Universal Mind with its Patterns, and it is this Universal Mind which is the source of Man’s Mentality. Mind moves Matter; physical men thinks that the Movement is accomplished by the action of Matter against Matter, The Mental Man invents machinery for moving Matter; Spirit­ ual Man lays hold of the primal ideas of Spirit, and with these ideas moves Universal Substance,. In this way he not only moves the Matter that is now manifest, in Human Consciousness, but he develops Power . to increase and mold new Matter. This understanding of the relation of Mind and Matter ex­ plains many notable instances of the prosperity of those who Tithe. It is not necessary for one who gives Alms to make a profession of Religion, for one who gives cheerfully and regularly may be an Outlaw so far as the Church is concerned, yet he may be successful in cooper­ ating with the department of Universal Mind, which directs the finan­ cial sources of the Universe. Of course, anyone will readily admit that money making would be an easy matter to him if he were admitted to partnership in a wealthy firm of financiers, doing a large business. On account of their ability, men without money are sometimes admitted to partnership with such firms and their rise to wealth is a foregone conclusion Nov/ remember this Great Fact, everyone of us is admitted to participate in the Riches of Cosmic Mind whenever we make a firm covenant of partnership with that Mind and HOLD TO IT. Regardless of our present conditions, regardless of bills and obligations, and regardless, even, of the lack of necessities, let us now, this very day, make a covenant with the Universal Mind. Let us say, ”1 accept the partnership with Universal Mind; I am going to prove my worthiness and my ability to retain my membership in such a partnership.” Then let us start to work to ’‘rove our worth just as in an Earthly firm we would work our way step by step ever months of test as to our fitness.

There is a story told of Matthias Baldwin, founder of the Great Baldwin Locomotive works, and it is a story that could be told of countless thousands of other wealthy men. It was his practice to have one-tenth of the earnings of the Company set aside as Tithes to be used for religious and educational purposes. There came a time when his firm encountered tremendous financial difficulties; he insis­ ted on continuing the Tithing in spite of the lack of funds. "That is our one safe investment," he explained to his associates. His next payment of Tithes was in the form of notes signed by himself,and they were all paid later. There are many men in business in America today who are consistent Tithers, setting aside a fixed portion of whatever they re­ ceive, and you will find them amongst both Jews and Gentiles.You may -call ~rt Mysticism if you please, or even Superstition, but these men will tell you unashamedly THAT IT PAYS TO TITHE. "If it paid only in a financial way," one of these men explained, "Tithing might not be so important. Almost anyone can make money who makes up his mind to do it and is willing to sacrifice for it, but it pays in a hundred other ways. In the feeling you'get, for instance, that you are doing right, that you have got Right on your side." Think of the moral sup­ port of such a thought during a crisis. Think of the Courage it brings. Think of the Poise and Calm when one knows they are right and hence unafraid, regardless of the Storm. There is a string of five hundred chain stores operated in almost as many towns and cities in the United States, that is headed by a business man who has given Alms regularly and consistently. "Ex­ perience has taught me," the president of this company said, "that the man prospers best who gives systematically of the bounty that comes to him." The man who founded this company was an example to all of them who grew up in business with him. The old belief that Thoughtful Giving is worthwhile in more ways than one, in its turn it promotes Prosperity which makes giving possible. In New York City there is a Merchant Tailor with a large establishment. To this man's success in business there is only one explanation, Tithing. He speaks as frankly about it as he might about any other business practice. "Any man who plays fair with God" he said, "is sure to prosper. I started Tithing when I got the idea some years ago that all that I had, belonged to Universal Mind, and that Universal Mind was permitting me to use it. I expected, of course, when I began to Tithe, that my net income would be reduced by ten percent, but this has never happened to me. Each year that in­ come has been larger in spite of Tithing. When the lease on these quarters expired a few years ago, a great increase in rent was demand­ ed. We have a very choice corner, in a very good location, but it was hard to see how we could make the payments. I had talked the mat­ ter over with my associates, and we all decided that even if it be­ came necessary to move into other quarters, we would not stop Tithing. We signed the new lease, and at the end of the next twelve months our profits showed a large increase." The real profit in Tithing, however, cannot be estimated in the matter of dollars and cents. The confidence in God or Divine Law, and the Inner Communion which the custom sets up, is the most

valuable part of the game of Tithing. The whole object of money-mak­ ing, after all, is happiness. All men strive for money with the idea that it will bring happiness into their lives and the lives of those whom they love and all too often the sordid race for Wealth brings hard selfishness and the anticipated joy is never attained, but the Tither does not look forward to Happiness, he-GETS IT as he goes along. Satisfaction and Peace of Mind invariably build themselves into the lives of the Tithers, and this is the r©al object of living. Now that we have discussed the matter of giving Aims and the important part it plays in the lives of those who give regularly, systematically and cheerfully, let us go on and discuss the matter of denials and affirmations. Many are confused between these, and many do not understand the purposes of either. Nothing in the Universe is. stationary, altho to our mortal vision things appear to be so.The rock often mentioned as an example of stability is in a state of continuous change, inwardly and outwardly. The Visible World is an expression of mental and Spiritual Activity that caused its Materialization. Every­ thing visible is either strengthening and forming itself, which is • the positive, creative, "Yes” condition, or crumbling to pieces and decaying, which is the negative, de-structi ve, "No" condition. These two phases of activity represent what is going on in the invisible and real realms of Thought. Every thought in your Mind is continually either in an attitude of "Yes," or in an attitude of "No" toward all that it contacts. The man who very much desires the realization of a certain scheme will, in a degree corresponding to the intensity of that desire, do all that he can in his thought and action toward its materialization. He says "Yes” to all the plans for its ' up-building, so adding his mite to bring about their manifestation.On the contrary one who does not approve of the scheme takes the attitude of saying "No" to every proposal for its furtherance. By his opposi­ tion he breaks down the plans, bit by bit. This hypothetical case il­ lustrates exactly what goes on in our Minds and our Thoughts. That which we deny grows weaker, while that which we affirm grows stronger. Deny Poverty with intense Will, Affirm Wealth and mean it as you say it. Inevitably, you begin to think accordingly and then to act' accord ingly, you begin to avoid things that lead to poverty and to do the right things that lead to Wealth. Slowly, little by little, you im-prove in thought. Then, slowly, little by little, outer conditions improve. Your Efforts continued, form right habits and the habits then work for you. That is an Immutable Law. We have been given perfect freedom to use that Law in whatever way.it may seem good to us, for Universal Intelligence knows that we will learn as a result of our experience, but since this is the Law we must abide by the consequences of what we do. If we use it for the good of ourselves and others, Good will accrue from it,but motives or with intent to inif we apply this Law with purely jure another, then also it acts according to its unchangeable nature. It works further with a rotary effect; if we apply it, someday it will return to us, bringing its fruits; if we haVe sown good, we reap good; if we have sown evil we reap evil. There is absolutely no escape from the results of using this Law. You cannot doubt the Power of Thought for you may prove

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it in a hundred different ways. Think for a moment about the differ­ ent ways in which various people affect you. When you are in the presence of one who approves of you and has Faith in you, the atmos­ phere surrounding that person sets you at ease. If you have confi­ dence in yourself his suggestions stir you to answer, and causes you to accomplish more than you would have otherwise accomplished. His thoughts and his words of approval have raised you above yourself and increased your confidence and your own Powers. Thought is a tool and it is more than a tool, for Thoughts are alive and they keep on working after we have discarded them and forgotten them. Something happens, perhaps something of importance, perhaps something rather trivial, - we dismiss the incident from the Mind but a little later we find ourselves busy with thoughts of it,the Thoughts repeat and recur. If we take the trouble to analyze them we shall find that they contain nothing fresh, but are mere repetitions of the same thing; we do not wish to think the thoughts but they keep on thinking in us and only by decisive, "active Will can we stop them. Vie think a Thought, and it is released to continue its ex­ istence. Thoughts are living Seeds that bring forth Fruit. If we would reach a desirable condition,we should treat our Thoughts as a Farmer would treat Seed from which he wished to obtain a good harvest. First of all our Mind must be cleared of all ideas put there by the Race Thoughts and by our oto irresponsible thinking. Our surroundings are not responsible for the unpleasant experiences that come our way, for we have put ourselves into those surroundings, either willingly or thru ignorance. To change undesirable conditions we must see them for what they are, a detractor from Harmony, and we must deny them any further connection from our lives. That however, must never be the final act. It is the nature of Soil to bring forth and if we do not sow good seeds, weeds are very sure to come up. To choose the Seed is the pri­ vilege of the Sower, he may fill the cleared space with whatever he chooses. The sowing of the Seed represents an Affirmation. We are left free to build ourselves and our surroundings, and the only ob­ stacle preventing us from making free use of what has been put at our disposal, are our own Thoughts and Limitations. So we must use Affirmations; the Affirmations must be made in Faith and Understanding of underlying Laws. If we make Affir­ mations and doubt them, we but hamper their activity. Each doubt is an obstacle in the Path of Demonstration. So long as we fix our eyes merely on that which appears, we shall never prove our Faith. Let us Deny the Power that restricts our Spiritual Growth, and Think and Af­ firm only those statements that expand the field of our activities and our Power.

Questions. 1- How is it possible for Mind to affect material conditions?

2- How does Material Man operate? 3- How does Mental Man operate?

4- How does Spiritual Man operate?

5- Why should we make a declaration of Partnership with God? 6- What are the advantages? f- What is our duty and responsibility?

8- Why, therefore, should we Tithe?

9- What is the real profit in Tithing?

10-What is the difference in Effect between Denials and Affirmations?

11- Give an example of treating "Poverty. " 12- Give an example of the power of a Thought affecting us.

13- How is Thought more than a mere tool or instrument? 14- How must Affirmations be made?

Western Occultism

Informal Chats

Instructive notes supplementary to the Brotherhood Lectures.

Mystic Brotherhood

INFORMAL CHATS WITH THS FACULTY We have,in a comparatively short time,in these Chats, placed ourselves in a favorable position, so far as preparation for making progress is concerned. First, we have discussed, and worked out a logical explanation of The Purpose of Life, and of why we are in­ carnate . We have discussed the natural cooperation that should follow when we realize why we are "in school." And then, we have gone rather thoroughly into the matter of outside influences and our attunement with them, conscious and unconscious we have seen the tremendous ef­ fect they have in shaping our thoughts and actions, and how that they are continually urging us along certain lines of response. We have brought out the necessity for governing such impulses, by-reason,rath­ er than responding blindly. There has been brought out, also, the nec­ essity for guarding the Doorway, and for filling the mind only with the right kind of thoughts, that we may be sure that those ideas from the Great Sea of Mind in which we move, and which come to us, will be only the helpful kind of ideas, the constructive ideas, rather than the destructive ones. And then,in our last chat,we discussed a Mental Con­ cept which, is held in the Mind as an Actuality, would inevitably bring Faith and Courage, Strength and Health, in the difficult progress along Life's Highway, and which should prove a great source of strength when obstacles are encountered. The act of Tithing is the act by which this concept is built and vitalized in the mind, the realization of partner­ ship with Universal Mind. We do not make the mistake of leaning upon this arrangement. We do not endeavor to have this arrangement do our work for us, for we realize that we must do these things for ourselves, but it is in the knowledge that comes from a realization of this kind of backing, which enables us to turn and take up our load, to work out our problems, and carry on knowing whenever our strength does fail, there is an ample reservoir of help for us. When we have decreed our partnership with the Infin­ ite, when we have truly meant it, and proceed to act accordingly,there are other factors which immediately become of importance in our Evolu­ tion of Power. Janus, the two-faced God of Roman Mythology,was be­ lieved to be the Janitor of Heaven, and on Earth, the Guardian Deity of Gates and Doors. While the Janus of Mythology has been relegated to oblivion and is no longer believed in by us,yet we find an exact cor­ respondence between the Roman Deity and the Mind of Man. The Human Mind is the Janitor of Heaven, and hap the Keys to the Doors of Earth. Mind is the Servant of the Soul,and master of the things here below. Mind is the connecting link between the Soul, or Psychic Self, and the Human brain, by means of which, contact is had with the Material Plane. Mind stands between the World of Force on the one hand, and the World of expression upon the other. It is double-faced, this Mind of ours, in that it has the Power to unlock the Gates of the Inner Life, and also to solve the Mysteries of the Outer. When both passages are kept open, it receives on One hand, and gives on the other. There is an influx of Life from the Soul which manifests itself in the world of F orm. Life on this Plane of Expression has been likened to a Battlefield. The Kingdom of Heaven must be taken by violence. Thru struggle and suffering, is man perfected, and thru weakness, his pow-

er is made manifest. The Janus, that sits mid-way in the passage,sees that doth doorways are kept open during the battle,so that he may per­ ceive light from each. The exercise of certain qualities of mind are necessary in order to succeed in this,and this brings us to the point of our Chat for this week,a consideration of these Three Great Es­ sentials, which may be summed up in three words, Meditation, Contem­ plation and Concentration. Meditation is the entering into the Inner Conscious­ ness of Life,the literal communing with God,the becoming One with the Eternal Source and Fount of Life. It is purely subconscious,dealing alone with the Spiritual side of Being. Here the Mind receives its Force and Power and is acted upon by the Causes of Life. Life, in all true Meditation, is One, the Individuality and the myriad things of the outer World are lost sight of, the Spirit in Man and the Univer­ sal Spirit blend in the Unity of Life,so that God lives in the Life of Man,and Man lives in the Life of God. But this Inner Force must find expression,to make itself manifest,and the Human Mind becomes a vehicle for its manifestation. With the Force and the Power acquired in the Inner Life, the Passageway of the Outer World is opened. I want you to bear in mind very carefully what I have said,regarding Meditation.Note that Meditation is not for the purpose of closing the Doorway to Life,of negating Life or seeking to run away from our obli­ gations and our responsibilities,but is a periodical withdrawal from the world into communion with God for the purpose of receiving Force and Power, that we nay thereby use that Force or Power in the Outer Morid. That is a vastly different idea from the common thought in con­ nection with this matter. Mind in the Western World has been so perme­ ated by the Eastern Doctrines, and their extreme Mysticism, that the points of this lesson have not been understood,nor fully realized, that to contact the Inner is but that we may turn again and use it in our affairs. Let us take up the second of these three great es­ sentials, The Mind uses another faculty,Concentration,to make manifest that which it has received. Concentration is neither Force nor Power, yet without it, Man cannot manifest either Force or Power in the Outer World. Lacking in concentration,the Mind dissipates the Force acquired in the Inner Worlds. We may take a Sun glass and allow the rays of the Sun to pass aimlessly thru it. The Force passes thru the glass, but produces no visible manifestation. When we bring the Rays to a focus however, the Power begins to manifest itself. The glass and the focus are not powers but serve as means by which the expression of Force becomes a visible actuality. In other words, the Invisible pro­ duces its action on the Visible. So, concentration of mind in itself, is neither Power nor Force, but it is the vehicle thru which comes the greatest expression of Force and Power. Concentration deals with the objective. It concerns itself with the things of the Outer World. The third faculty is Contemplation, which,to a degree, unites the other two faculties. Contemplation may partake of both In­ ner and Outer impressions. It is the connecting link between Medita­ tion and Concentration. In the Contemplative State, the Mind may be said to go easily to one point or the other, it may be conquered to the time of Peace,when the Gates of the Passage of Janus were closed, but perhaps you do not recall that part of the story.The Roman Emperor called the first month of the year after Janus, and dedicated a cover-

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ed Passage near the Forum to him. This Passage contained a statue of the God and had two entrances, and these entrances were always kept open in times of War and closed in times of Peace. So, this Contemplative state is the point of poise be­ tween the Inner and Outer. When there is a cessation of activity, but this cessation is not lasting, for the Mind alternately acquires Power and Force in the Inner Worlds, and turns and uses it in the Outer. It is well to know that Power is not acquired in the Out­ er World, that Concentration can never, by itself, give Power, that if the Mind engages itself exclusively in the things of the Outer World, no matter how great the contemplation may be on this Plane of Action’a time will surely come, when the Mental Energies will become dissipated and fruitless. Concentration in the Outer World, with no Meditation in the Inner World, will inevitably produce the condition known as "Paresis," or some kindred malady. In fact, Concentration of the Mind may become a factor in the more speedy dévelopment of serious mental and physical trouble. Every faculty of mind has been given to mind with a wise object in view, the perfect development, or development ac­ cording to the Law of Being. These faculties may be used in the true way to bring about his perfection, but it also lies within the prov­ ince of man to pervert it, and thru such perversion, to express in a discordant way, the things of life. Let us stop for a moment and contemplate what has been said. We can doubtless recall many who have made it a practice to sit in the Silence in quiet meditation, and think that is all that is ne­ cessary. We have doubtless found some who believe in concentrating upon the material problems, and think that is all that is necessary. But now you have seen that there are three points to the Triangle, and that these three points are necessary to complete the problem; there must be Meditation, or Communion, or sitting in the Silence ,and bring­ ing one's self into rapport with the Divine,and this of course, is aided by some little Ritual or Ceremony, subjects to be read that will serve to bring one's thoughts and mind to attunement with the Eternal. A little Service and a Prayer of Adoration, thanksgiving, a recogni­ tion of the Power of the Supreme God, and then of course, there must be the other side of the question, the calm concentration of the mind upon the essential things, laying aside the non-essentials, focussing its power upon this one underlying root cause or problem,and bringing to bear upon it, the Power of the Inner Planes, thru the link of Con­ templation. Is it any wonder, therefore, that the Western Master,the Occult Nazarene, said to those who inquired regarding the development of Power and Wealth and the things of life, "'Seek ye first the King­ dom of God in His Righteousness, and all other things shall be added unto you?*" For it is true that if you turn to the Inner by Medita­ tion, first of all, then concentrate upon the Outer, and connect the two by Contemplation, "everything is added" - the Kingdom of God is found in the World of Cause, the Expression of God's Kingdom may be without, the Power is Within. The desire of the Mind should be that it may have a greater realization of the Power of God in its own life, and that it may become the true servant of the Soul, thru coming into touch with the Inner Life Sources, and the knowledge acquired in the World of Cause, it may use the Key to unlock the Doors of the Outer, disclosing

the Power it has received from within, in such a way that its actions are beneficial in the 'World without. As you follow the command,"Enter into they closet and shut thy Door," a light from the inner World transforms and illumines your mind, so that each mental picture you can see will have the halo of the Inner Light thrown about it, and the Truth will be manifested in the Outer, as it is in the Inner. The Way of Life is straight and narrow, it is not complex, as so many believe. It is knowing that the source of all Power is in Universal Mind, and that in our Inner Conscious Life, thru Meditation, we draw from this one inexactible Source. Again, thru contemplation and true mental imagery of the things of the Outer World, the Mind becomes centered and uses the Forces as needed on the External Planes. Concentration is not Force, but it may be said to conserve Force in such a way that it is not dis­ sipated without accomplishing its purpose. The matter of concentra­ tion is of the utmost importance. We see a person with their busi­ ness perhaps, rapidly going to pieces, innumerable bills, a lack of many things that are needed, a hundred and one conditions apparently clamoring for attention, and inevitably he tries to solve them all at the same time, he scatters and dissipates his forces over all of them, rather than concentrating upon the essential, and laying the others aside temporarily, as being non-essential. It is this dissipation of Force, this lack of concentration, which causes the failure of so many. Yet step by step, one at a time, all of these problems can be worked out, but in endeavoring to handle them all at the same time, with a mind vacillating from one to the other, and fluctuating back and forth, the application of the Inner Power, even if it has been sought, and obtained, fails, because it is dissipated. The Evolution of Power requires something more than the faculties I have already mentioned, to assist us in determining whether the knowledge acquired in the Inner Worlds, shall be express­ ed outwardly,in whole or in part. True or false action of Will must determine this. Will is the great Executive Power of the Universe,and is going to constitute the subject for one of our chats in the near future. Every faculty of mind and every organ of the body is depend­ ent upon the Will. Freedom and Power of Will in individual life con­ sists in conforming to the Great Laws of the Universe. The Bondage and Weakness of the Will come solely from its being led by the Spirit of the Outer World,using the Shadow of things, in preference to the Actuality. QUESTIONS 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10-

What have we studied thus far in our Chats? What is the story of the Roman God Janus? How does this apply to Mind? What are the three Great Essentials? Describe the action of the first? Describe the action of the second? Describe the action of the third? Why does Meditation without Concentration fail? Why does Concentration without Meditation fail? What is Will and why is it important?

The Western Traditions

Informal Chats By The Faculty I

The Mystic Brotherhood University Of Western Occultism

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INFORMAL CHATS WITH THE FACULTY

The progress of the Individual is largely determined by his ruling Mental Attitude, because the mind is the basic factor and governing Power in the entire life of Man. It is the creative power which is his Divine Heritage from God. Attention should be given to the predominant Mental State, for it will regulate the action and di­ rection of all one’s Faculties and Power, the sum total of which 'will inevitably determine many particular experiences and personal fates. The ruling State of Mind is made up of the various Men­ tal attitudes which the Individual adapts toward things, events, and Life in general; if his Attitudes are broad in view, optimistic in tone, and true to life, his predominant Mental State will correspond and exhibit a highly constructive and progressive tendency. As al­ most all of the Forces of the Personality function thru the Conscious Mind in one way or another, and as the daily mental and physical acts are largely controlled by the Conscious Mind, it is obvious that the leading Mental State will quite largely determine the direction in which the Powers of the Individual are proceeding. If its ruling Mental State is upward, that is aspiring,harmonious, and positive, all his Forces will be directed into constructive channels, but if his State of Mind is downward in tendency, that is, apathetic, dis­ cordant, and negative, then almost all his Forces will be misdirect­ ed or wasted. Forces that ascend are constructive and improve con­ ditions of Peace and gain satisfaction and progress, while. Forces that descend are destructive and lead to confused conditions of dis­ cord, loss, trouble and discontent. It is evident, therefore, that of all the factors which regulate the Life and Experience of man none perhaps exercise any greater single influence than the ruling State of Mind, whether this is due to the Unseen Operations of the Great Natural Laws or not. Just how it is brought about does not concern us at just this moment, but the Psychological fact remains that the Life and the World of the Individual are practically gov­ erned by his reigning Mental Attitude, or Trend of Mind, however caused. Mental Attitudes are largely results of Ideas, and these have their origin in Points of View, therefore, hy seeking true and natural points of view, one may secure the best and most superior ideas, and these in turn will determine the dominating State of Mind. Now, there are certain main attitudes of Mind, which every person should adopt to further his perpetual growth and advancement along all lines. These I want to take up with you as clearly as brevity will permit. It is to be expected that each of these will be given your closest and most constant attention from day to day, until they become established Mental Tendencies, Tracks, as it were, in the Sube onsciousness, where they will combine as a permanent State of Mind. - FIRST STEP The first that I want to give you is what I term, ’'Fac­ ing the Ideal.” The first great step on the rising Pathway of Life

is to face an Ideal, that is, to picture in mind the greater possi­ bilities everywhere. Life should be viewed as an endless stream of progress, an inexhaustible source of widening opportunities, for the ceaseless development of possibilities that extend into Infinity. Such an attitude of Mind will inspire nobler aims and higher Ideals, its Ideals are essential to progress, the great pow­ ers within, and tend to draw them out into tangible expressions, by furnishing constructive channels thru which the Energies, Elements, and Powers of the system may be intelligently directed. It is the Mind with High Ideals that rises to the top and scales the Ladder of Advancement. Any person without an Ideal is like a ship without a rudder, aimlessly floating on the Sea of Existence with no definite harbor in sight. Thus, unable to direct his course with safety or success, blown hither and thither by the winds of Fate, buffeted here and there by the blasts of adversity, they finally succumb to the storms of Life. Now, you know that is the position, figuratively speak­ ing, of a very large number of people in the world today; they lack Aim, Purpose, and Moral Energy, and as a consequence their natural Powers, Energies and Faculties are allowed to go to seed, with de­ plorable results, allowed to take on the appearances of useless wreckage when they might have contributed to the value of beauty and true work of the more enjoyable existence and added their quota of Personal Service to the aggregate of human Good. I want you, therefore, to cultivate Ideals, to cultivate definite Aims, and to cultivate Noble Purposes. Look up and aim high. There is somebody that you can emulate, and there is something to which you can aspire. There are stronger and deeper Powers with­ in yourself than you have ever called into action before. What you realize in the Ideal is possible of your realization in the actual. Ever seek to give your dreams form and substance. Ideals, however, will vary in accordance with one’s sex and sphere of action. It is just as noble to bring up a family of children, well equipped for the Battle of Life, as it is to devote one’s services to a public philanthropy, and it is just as important as it is to build up a great enterprise or produce some valuable invention; in fact, from some points of view, it might be a higher one. But discriminate,and Ktudy-your inclinations, your own ideas and temperament, and your secret aspirations and longings; these will afford a clue to your special aptitude and range of accomplishments. Nature has special work for every person to perform and you can find your work and then you can proceed with Faith, Energy and Determination to Succeed,and if you will do your part, God and the Cosmic Hierarchies will do the rest. No matter what the Goal in view may be, there should be a con­ stant effort to improve in mind and person, that is, to seek to gather knowledge, and cultivate your talents, and develop the ele­ ments of love, goodness, beauty and nobility into personal expressions. Go into the superior side of your nature, do not worry or give ex­ tensive attention to your failings and defects, but think rather a great deal of the richness of your Ideal, the man or woman you would be and may be in the course of time. We can become all that we aspire to become, for the Ideal

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isa prophesy of what is possible of fulfiIlment,the fact that we are capable of entertaining worthy Ideals proves that we ourselves are cap­ able of actualizing them. There is no inconsistency in Nature—what the Mind has the ability to Idealize, it has the inherent Power to rea­ lize. But when the Mind is not directed toward some definite Aim or Purpose of useful and lofty character,then its energies will scatter and work mischief. People often stagnate and fail for this very reason. It is a well known fact that the Individual who succeeds is the one who aspires .and labors to attain a definite Goal,therefore, we must have a worthy Aim in Life,and the Courage and Perseverance to aspire continually to reap it.

SECOND STEP The second step is what I call "Looking for the Good". The second great step is to look for the Good everywhere. That there is good in everybody and everything may be conclusively demonstrated by logic and Science, the recognition of this fundamental fact is of extraordinary importance for several reasons. One reason is that the Mind is the actual working Power in the Being of Man, and creates whatever it is directed to act upon. Thus, when the attention is gi­ ven to the perpetual discovery of Good,its creative energies will de­ velop whatever is thus contemplated and such action will multiply Good. Another reason is that the mental act of looking for Good everywhere tends to create Ideal States of Mind. There is a Bet­ ter side,a Superior side, a Good side, a Beautiful side, an Ideal side to everybody and everything,and by learning to look for the better and higher qualities of persons and things,we develop the best in our own mentalities. In other words, a constant effort to look for Good every­ where causes the Mind to think a great deal about the Good,and it is the Law that "Whatsoever a Man thinketh in his heart, so is he."It is easy to understand that he shall thereby grow into the likeness of the Ideal,and gradually develop all that has worth, excellence, ajid super­ iority in our own Individualities and Personalities. The most beauti­ ful characters in the world are those who live in the Consciousness of Good; they are also the strongest, for Good is positive to Evil, as Light is positive to Darkness. One easily subdues the other when plac­ ed in positive action. It is the privilege of every Individual to de­ velop the Good in his or her Personality to the exclusion of all else. That is when he builds up a powerful and brilliant Mind, a beautiful and unconquerable Soul,and a noble and strong character, and talents and abilities and powers of a rare order. But superior qualifications cannot be permanently ac­ quired unless the Mind dwells in the Attitude of Supremacy,that is, in the constant recognition of Good. Neither is it necessary to ignore evil for wrongs exist temporarily,it is useless to deny the fact.You can however,look for the Good Quali ties,the Hidden Possibilities in adverse circumstances and so called "bad people". There is no person or thing so evil that all Good is absent. There is always an element of Good in some shape or form in the worst,and this we can recognize and magnify and develop,for it is of the Father,the sum total of all Good

and superior to all else combined and destined to develop and ulti­ mately eclipse every form of Evil or Imperfection where Good is, Eternal Right will finally triumph.

THIRD STEP Now, the third step is whát I term the ’’Dwelling in Potential Consciousness.” The third great step is to dwell in the realization of the potential side of being,the Larger Self within. This is a remarkable attitude, with the possibilities of advancement thru the realization of the potentialities of the Inner Self, the God within. To bring out the greater, you must be conscious of the greater, and all of the bringing forth of these potentialities brings you into the greater and into the_accomplishment of the thipg. There are sufficient Resources and Powers latent in man which en­ ables him to attain and achieve anything he may set out to do,but he must learn to transcend his limited personal, finite Outer Self,and penetrate into the Inner World of the Greater Possibilities within. Make it a rule, therefore, never to think of that part of yourself which appears on the surface as being all that there is of you; this part is the lesser part, just a small fraction of what you are in Actuality. Learn to think of your larger self, the potential side of your being that contains Hidden Possibilities and Powers that are absolutely unlimited. Such an Attitude will give you Courage, Faith, and En­ ergy and these are valuable qualities for practical achievement. In spite of your mistakes, blunders, and failures, which everyone ex­ periences at times, the adoption of this Attitude will constantly inspire to renewed effort, and fresh achievement. Its practical im­ port is that you are equal to anything that you may undertake to do within reason, because there is sufficient Light and Power, Intelli­ gence and Ability within to direct you with Success all along the line provided only that you never give up. The only real failure is the failure to persist. Nature is a persistent pursuer of the Ideal. The great Plan and Process of Evolution is worked thruout her vast domain, and you_ will soon see that every form of Life is constantly trying to better itself. The Urge comes from the brooding and all­ pervading Father above. Everything, really is in your own hands, if you are made to advance and Nature backs you up, or if you seek to master your own Life and to Guide it into wider and more fruitful spheres of activity — and to all of this is added the Powers of the Unseen Worlds around you, which you are now just beginning to contact. At any time you may be faced with an apparently im­ possible task; when you feel and know that potentially at any rate you are equal to the occasion, however the sense of fear and doubt will vanish, if you will proceed to deal with it in the attitude of Mastery. And that spells Success and results mean progress, because to live in the Conviction that your Own latent power is unbounded will cause the Mind to enter and deeper and deeper into the vastness of the Seas of Energy within,and you will constantly gain possession of more and more of its Potencies and Powers. It is an important and significant fact, and it can­ not be too widely recognized, that everybody has the active or latent

C- 7 Pg 5

Energy and Intelligenc-e to seek and advance to the highest degree for this is the Divine Heritage of all, as Cosmic Children of God and that person who lives, thinks and works in such a conviction simply must succeed. Individually we exercise all of those quali­ ties and powers that we know are in our possession, and those we are not conscious of remain unexpressed, because the Law is that we re­ ceive from the Inner Self only that which is recognized as being there. The Conscious Mind being the channel of expression for most of the Greater Possibilities and Superior Powers within. Accordingly, the Conviction that man can attain any­ thing, achieve anything, thru the progressive development of the po­ tential side of his Being is not only Scientific, but a necessary and important Attitude toward God, to promote advancement along all Lines.. QUESTIONS

1. - What determines your Fate in Life? 2. - Why? 3. - What are your acts controlled by? 4. - How is this built up in you?

5. - What is the first step in progress? 6. - Why?

7. - What are you to cultivate? 8. - What is the Second Step?

9. - Why is it important? 10- What is the third step? 11- What is its importance?

12- (a) Can you faithfully hold these three points in your mind and de­ velop them thruout each day for thirty consecutive days?

(b) Will you do this? If so read this Chat over each day for the thirty day period, read slowly and carefully each time.

Western Occultism

Informal Chats

Instructive notes supplementary to the Brotherhood Lectures.

Mystic Brotherhood

INFORMAL CHATS WITH THE FACULTY

To continue with the subject of last week’s Chat I am going to take up the Fourth and final Step. The Fourth Step is a very helpful one, "to view Life as a perpetual developing process.” Such an Attitude will place the Mind in right relations with all the experiences and incidents of ex­ istence, and then will tend to create more harmonious conditions. There will be little or no antagonism or resistance to the undesira­ ble, imperfect or inferior, and the Mind will be constantly alert to learn the lessons of each experience and gain the Mastery over mater­ ial conditions, when this Attitude is taken. It will also recognize that behind the Scenes of Life there is a Mighty Power consciously working to promote the Advance­ ment of all things, and that to contact this Power in Consciousness is to gain manifold advantages which are freely bestowed on all Minds that cooperate with its fundamental Purpose. Behind every misfor­ tune, every unfortunate event as well as the more fortunate happen­ ings of Life, there are great Forces in operation, which must first be understood before they can be conquered and turned to practical uses. All effects are the outcome of causes which are inherently Good, and therefore, in every form of adversity there is a Power which may be turned to better use. In*other words, by looking upon all experiences, pleasant and unpleasant, as a means to go out and develop the Inner Pelf, is to direct the Mind in constructive chan­ nels, where it will actually begin to convert these elements into building Powers. Mind Power is the most subtile and potent element in the Universe, and when intelligently exercised it may produce any­ thing, change anything, create anything, and transform anything in the entire Life and Person of Man. It needs no assistance, except that of Conscious Recognition and Direction, for it, itself, is part of the Universal Mind of God. All things are the products of ideas, and therefore, are dependent upon ideas for existence. Forces of Life are directed by the ideas of the Individual, consciously or un­ consciously. There is a vastly marvelous Realm of Unseen vibratory' acts constantly operating to produce conditions, events and things, here in the external world. Those invisible Powers are subject to the active Consciousness of man. Consciousness itself is a Force of equal potency when highly developed, but at this stage, where analy­ sis of Its wonders is given, this Higher Knowledge is not essential at this point on your Path, and one must be well along the way of Spiritual attainment and have gone thru the earlier lessons before it is given. It comprises, however, one of the greatest of man’s hidden Powers, and contains impressively bigger Possibilities. To look upon Life as a University of Education, a Pre­ paratory School of Initial Instruction in which to gain the undoubted advantages of material existence in the earlier development of Inher­ ent Powers, is an Attitude of no small value. Man is not created for one short, brief span of Earth’s experience. With the vast majority, Life here is but an existence, but it has taken Nature countless aeons of time to evolve from the single protoplasmic cell to the highly complex organism of man, thru which body the imperishable and intelligent Spirit Entity functions. The Spirit Man, or Real Self,

is something distinct and superior to its physical instrument, for the Individual Life memory and personality, as attributes of the Spirit, continúe to exist in other and wider spheres, and the gross­ er and rudimental stages of.existence are finished or outgrown. It is df enormous importance, however, to develop all of the Faculties and Powers one can while in each Earth Life, so that Nature’s Pur--, pose with regard.to these lives can be promoted as far as possible a to greater progress and more rapid development in the ages uhat lié beyond. To view all Life as a perpetual developing process is., an Attitude of extraordinary value. Every experience you pass thru, every event that happens, every person that plays a part in the Arena of your personal experience should be looked upon as an aid to your Life’s Evolution, and that is what they are in Actuality. All experiences, pleasant and unpleasant, are means to progress. Nothing happens merely by chance, all is Law and Order, although on the sur­ face of things this fact is not always apparent. Yet to view Life in this way is to dwell in a constructive State of Mind that will invariably make the best possible use of the Good in all things. Paradoxical as it may seem, much of the pain of Life may be avoided' by this very Attitude, for when you know that nine-tenths of the World's suffering is purely mental and realize that everything in your life is there to serve you in some way, you will cease to resist and worry; instead, you will grow strong and cheerful and thus gain the necessary insight and the Power to better control and direct your Life into Happier and Pleasanter Pathways. These four great Mental Attitudes, in conjunction with the constant desire to Progress, constitute the basis of that strong and positive mental state we all need to develop and maintain as a prominent factor in consciousness, in order to insure an advancement or betterment, nor only in the material world, but on the Mental and Spiritual side as well, for important is that predominant Mental State, and our rates of vibration and our material response to the Unseen and more powerful Forces of Nature, are largely determined thereby. If we have high Aims in a superior Life, of increasing happiness and attainment in view, it is to our- great disadvantage to neglect these finer essentials of Life. In the last analysis, the whole world of things can, be reduced to complex combinations of pure ideas, not always, however, perfectly expressed, yet ever seek­ ing, more complete embodiment. All the Forces in Nature are but Ideas in active operation. PRAYER

And now there follows logically, a discussion of prayer .for Prayer must be preceded by the right attitude on our part, the attitude we have been discussing above and in the previous chat.The Master said, ”Ye receive not, for ye ask amiss.” It is only when we maintain the steps I have outlined that Prayer is answered. So now I am going to discuss this subject of Prayer for it is necessary that it be thoroughly understood. Viewed from the Rationalistic standpoint, Prayer is an absurdity, but the Christian turns to it instinctively and finds by

experience that it can bring peace of mind, if nothing more, and that in certain instances it can work what can be considered only as mira­ cles . When one considers the subject without prejudice it is clear tnat though the Rationalist can easily abolish the Christian’s argument in favor of Prayer, and his explanation of it, he cannot so readily dispose of the Christian’s experience with Prayer. It is ob­ vious, therefore, that underlying the empirical experience of Prayer there must be a rational by which it may be understood, and a tech­ nique by which it may be practiced. It is this applied Science of Prayer that we, as Occultists, must understand if we want to lead the practical, Religious Life, the Life of Mystical Experience that is known by its Fruits upon all Planes. Now of course the popular concept of Prayer in pleading with Deity to do, or to prevent something, is basen upon the idea of God as an Omnipotent King, ruling Els people with a benevolent auto­ cracy, and governing a Kingdom so small that He is able to attend to the details of its Administration personally. This idea of God as a Divine King is not even based upon our modern concepts of Kingship as constitutional authority, operating thru Law, but upon the primitive concept of the Rulership of a Patriarch over a small tribe, composed of his descendants and kith and kin, such as Abraham was, dwelling in his tent with Sarah, surrounded by his flocks and herds. To such a Ruler, individual members of the Tribe, which was no more than a large family, could go with personal problems, ex­ plain them to him and receive his counsel and command, if matters were not brought to his attention he would not know of them. He was liable to moods of an impulsive and extravagant kindness, and other moods of an equally impulsive but short-lived ferocity. He was jealous of his dignity and authority. In all these traits attributed to the Goa, the King, the Patriarch, we see the workings of the Imagination of a people accustomed to just such a personal, trivial Government, as prevailed amongst the Jews at the time when the Sacred Books were tak­ ing form in the Mystic Traditions of the chosen people. At the time when our own liturgy was being formulated there was a very similar concept of the popular imagination. But whereas this simile of the King and Father of his people might well enough express the ideas of primitive folk, concerning the government of the world, it cannot serve people whose Minds have been habituated to the concepts of Scientific Law as ruling the Universe in a consti­ tutional type of Kingship. We could, no more be expected to Pray to God according to a formula that satisfied a Nomadic Tribe than we could be expected to use their methods of Sanitation. It is this ar­ chaic concept of Prayer that has estranged, so many people from the Christian practice, even when they still held to the Christian Faith, and allowed the function of Prayer, so vital to the Spiritual Life, to fall into disuse. To say this is not to belittle the value of Prayer, it simply is to affirm that the Wine of the Spirit has been put into old bottles of archaic concept, that the bottles have burst and the thirst of the people is unsatisfied. Now all concepts of the government of the Universe have changed because our knowledge of its working has increased. 'Equally, therefore, our concept of our relation with the governing Power of the Universe must undergo readjustment. Where we no longer believe

C - 8 Pgo 4 that a Personal Deity turns on the rain, we can no longer Pray to a Personal Deity to lay His Celestial Hand upon the faucet, giving us rain, despite the fact that our neighbor across the way wants sun for his haymaking. We have changed our methods and nowadays invoke Engi­ neering Science for irrigation and chemistry for the knowledge of the best methods -of ensilage that shall enable us to cure the hay, even if it is damp. But though we pray to different Gods by a different method we still see that the man who neglects to Pray; in other words the Farmer who neglects 'to take advantage of the modern methods revealed by Science, falls behind the times and is at the mercy of the Evil De­ mons of bad husbandry, unproductive stock and ill tilled soil, and ends usually in the Hell of Bankruptcy. We learn from all this that the modern task of supplica­ tion is not to propitiate the Patriarchal Gods, but to enable us to learn the Laws of the Universe and to utilize them, bringing our lives into harmony with them, instead of, by our. ill-judged and perversed efforts, throwing ourselves athwart them and being destroyed thereby. To say this is not to lose sight of God’s part in His Universe, for the nearer we approach to ultimate causes, the nearer we come to Spir­ itual Principles, and this is the deepest secret of the Power of Pray­ ers, that the ultimate cause of all things is Spiritual Principles.We should see the Mercy of God in the discoveries of Science that^miti­ gate human suffering, as clearly as we see it in some so-called mir­ acles, for after all, what is a miracle? It is simply a phenomena whose modus operandi is not understood. It may be an unexpected appli cation of Spiritual Forces upon the Material Plane, such as the an­ swers to Prayer that have been experienced by many devout men and wom­ en. But nevertheless it is not lawlessness and anarchial in its opera tion, but has its own Laws of Being, its own methods of operation, tho these Laws relate to a Cause and Effect and Condition that are not of tills world. If we think of God as a King of the Universe that He cre­ ated, let us also think of Him as a constitutional Sovereign who ex­ presses His Fill thru a systematic Law. We, upon our part, can avail ourselves of these Laws if we put in our application to the proper authority, but we do not attend the Divan of the Celestian King, where He—sits cross-legged-upon a Throne with a Golden Crown and receives petitions personally. It is this Reign of Law that we must recognize in the things of the Spirit, even as wo recognize it in the things of this world. The older concept has passed away and no longer helps us.Pray­ er, according to the old concept, is a Blind Force, and more often than not misses the mark, tho upon rare occasions, we have had strik­ ing examples of what it can do. Rightly understood, Prayer is not designed to alter God, but to bring Man into touch with God. The Act of Prayer and Invoca­ tion is like the act of calling up a number on the telephone. We, in our ignorance^, implore the Exchange to grant our petition, whereas we should simply ask the Exchange to put us thru to the proper number, and if we have the modern dialing system on our telephone, we oursel­ ves put our call to the proper number. So it is with the Science and Art of Prayer — God is Un­ changing in His Law, and it is for us to get into Harmony with this ♦

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■ Law and then it will be well with us. All the many inharmonies of Mind,Body and of State,to which we are subject, are so many examples of Transgressions of God’s Law, immutable Cause and Effect. During: the epoch, prior to the development of Free Will, man was borne constantly forward in the great Tide of Natural Lifejhe had no need for Knowledge and Understanding because his reactions were as simple and limited and stereotyped as the reactions of a wasp building its cell, but when Free Will developed all this vías changed and Han had to grope his way painfully toward the better Understand­ ing and higher Development. So it is that we are only just beginning to achieve some measure of Intelligent Cooperation with Cosmic Laws. During the long hours of Darkness,while Evolution struggled on,the best that Man could do was to put himself in touch with the Great Force behind Creation by the simple Invocations of ejaculatory Prayer which is the Prayer of primitive people to this day, and also the Prayer of a Soul in crisis, but there is more than this to Prayer,as we learn when we go into our Higher Occultism. Each kind of prayer has its uses and is suited to the needs of the individual at the time. All types of'real prayer are of the utmost value, not in altering circumstances, but in bringing the Soul into union with the Divine. When this takes place the kingdom is found, and all things are added.

QUESTIONS 1 - Why is Life a ’’developing process”? 2 - How do we change our attitude towards life when we understand we are here to develop? 3 - What is the purpose of Prayer? 4 - In what way did the common idea of petitionary prayer arise?

5 - Why is petitionary prayer always taught the masses? 6 - What is the higher form of prayer?

7 - Why is it a higher form?

Western Occultism

Informal Chats

Instructive notes supplementary to the Brotherhood Lectures.

Mystic Brotherhood

INFORMAL CHATS WITH THE FACULTY One of the first things that I want to impress upon you is the way you are to handle situations. Study what I am giving you, memorize it if necessary, but learn it well and keep it ever in the background of your consciousness. When confronted by a crisis, a great difficulty or trouble,or even the little annoying and irritating things of life, you must keep perfectly calm. Strive always to be calm and silent, poised and with inner peace. You can do this if you will reflect that all noise and turmoil is on the surface and not in the depths of life. Scientists have found that all Force at its center is absolutely still, motion and activity is only found on the circumference, there is a cen­ tral point in every circumstance and event where all is quiet and still. Turn your attention to the hidden side of things where all is peaceful, try to feel the great Actualities of Spirit, and that Its conquerable Power is at hand to aid you in the present emergency. In other words,withdraw Consciousness from outer ap­ pearances and focus it upon the Spirit within, and know that all is well on the Higher Planes of Being. All recognition of unseen actuality will steady your mind and infuse Courage and Peace, then as you gently aspire in a recptive frame of mind for Higher Aid, that response will come,your need will be met in accordance with the. particular circum­ stances in which you are placed — not always in the manner you may imagine, but in a better way, and often thru human agencies. You may have absolute Faith in the hidden Law of Spirit, for while its workings are often mysterious and silent, they are all-sufficient in every form and manner, for it always operated to the best ends, and the tests, and trials and experience will provide you abundant opportunities to demon­ strate its Power over the ills and adversities of existence, be they what they may. In giving,therefore, first thought and all thought to the Spirit, the underlying Power, your mind releases its hold on things, drops its burdens, banishes its cares, expands its activities, obtains larger freedom, and enters into a new and more wonderful world of Light, Intelligence, Harmony, Power and Understanding, and the mind ascends to Higher Levels, in the upper world of Spiritual Thought, and Consciousness becomes more and more invincible to the negative dis­ cordant conditions of worldly existence which exist only on the surface of beings,for on the Unseen Depth just below appearances dwells the Spirit and its wonderous sustaining Power which is Harmony Incarnate. Turn the mind, therefore, from the surface of things to the depths of being, from appearances to actualities, to link it more effectually, and to bring it more closely to the underlying principles which con­ trol all of your Life’s expressions» When the Consciousness if firmly anchored on the rock foundations of truth, it quickly unfolds these finer elements of Occult Forces, which enables it to dissolve all nega­ tive and imperfect and depressing thoughts with their corresponding ex­ ternal conditions, and thus make right triumphant over the turbulent sea of material existence. By this process of thinking an unconquerable mental attitude may be steadily built up, and a state of mind that,figuratively speaking, shall defy the floods, the fire and the tempest, and govern shape, and order all its individual expressions in concord with Spirit’s Purpose. This Victorious Attitude is built up by degrees and may be gained by anyone who unceasingly recognizes that within is the Innate Intelligence, and that there is within the potential Power

to become all that may be idealized in the Soul’s Highest Vision. Be and do as best you are able to do in the "Ever Present Now,” and con­ tinue resolutely therein, ever striving to discover more of Truth,more of the Laws and Principles that are being taught you, and to awaken and develop the richest possibilities within, until this invincible at­ titude of mind automatically perpetuates itself. Then, as you reach each successive milestone of Life’s Journey, your progress vzill be abundantly evident in the results obtained; as a stronger mind, a hap­ pier Spirit, a kindlier Disposition, a greater Peace, a larger Know­ ledge, and a wiser Outlook,with an ever-extending Vision of Life’s pos­ sibilities for increasing usefulness, inspiring gladness in your Soul, and a noble resolve to travel with firm steps the upward Pathway of endless Progression. But always there is required the exercise of Judgment. The one thing that we need above others in finding our way thru the difficulties of Life is a definite Standard of Right and Wrong, by which to judge our own actions and those of others. The various Sys­ tems of Ethics, mostly devised by Philosophers sitting in their Stud­ ies, have tried to find a principle on which to base their Standard, and various Systems of Religion have provided their followers with Standards ready-made, but when all is said and done, the tests of con­ duct are only to be found in the results of action, and the Philoso­ phers have never Deen men of action,and men of action have seldom been Philosophers. In the matter of the Standards set by Religion we e.lso meet with disappointment, for experience shows that the more specific and rigorous the Code of Morals the more suffering it causes to inno­ cent people without having any efficacy in reducing the amount of sin in the world. It is not the wilful wrongdoer who gets caught in the net of Religious Prohibition, but the well meaning person who errs thru ignorance or weakness, and is drawn by circumstances into deeds he never intended. It is observable that wherever there is a cast iron code of Prohibition and Enactment there is also a death of spontaneous Good­ ness at heart. No fixed Code can retain its value for long in an evolv­ ing World. Life will outgrow it and leave it behind. You have only to read Leviticus if you doubt this, and see whether we are prepared to be content with the Mosaic methods of Sanitation. What is needed is a Code of First Principles, which leaves it to our good sense and good will to apply it as best as we may. It is impossible to legislaW specifically, for every circumstance that may arise. Clear-headed Judgment and sound Common Sense must always be the Assessors, and we shall never be able to provide any substitute for this indispensable pair. But however good our Judgment and however sound our Sense, we shall have little chance of arriving at a satisfactory con­ clusion unless we have some standard of Measurement, with which to com­ pare the values of Life. And as Life is not a static affair, but liv­ ing, evolving, dynamic, it follows that any Standard which we are to measure its Values by must also be dynamic; it must be measure of Speed and Direction, rather than Length and height. We cannot hope to know the nature of a thing in itself because the essential Essence of all things is Spirit. All we can know is what is being done. It is this doing, this kineticism which has to be assessed, and we must measure it in terms of its own nature;that is

to say, we must measure it in terms of Evolution. As I have previously said, v/e get no Standard of Ethical Right and Wrong at any level below the Spiritual.Therefore our as­ sessment of Right and Wrong, Good and Bad, must be in terms of Spiri­ tual Values. In other words,we shall base our Judgment on observation of the Effect a specific line of Action has upon the characters of those concerned.Or if the incident is too small for such an observation to be made,we may consider the cumulative effect such an Action night be considered to have,were it constantly repeated. Someone, for in-’ stance, makes an inexact statementp/e ask ourselves what would be the result if everybody constantly made inexact statements. We see that it would be Confusion thrice confounded. Therefore, we are justified in saying that untruthfulness is contrary to the Ethical Code. This Method furnishes us with a simple, yet accurate method of judging the Rightness or Wrongness of an Action. We picture to ourselves what would happen if everybody did it, and we are not long in finding the answer. This affords us a ready Rule but it does not supply us with any basis for our Judgment. This is still to seek, and we must take a longer range of view before we find it, for Sound Judgment cannot be formulated by snubbing our noses up against a pro­ blem. We must stand back and try and see it in its true perspective. Above all, we must view it in its relationship to Life as a whole,and Evolving Life at that. The.problem is not simple; no Problem in Life’s Values is ever simple,save to minds that are themselves too simple to grasp its implications. There can be no right Judgment upon Life Values that does not see them against the background of all Creation.Nothing lives or dies to itself, all are parts of a vast Whole. We shall never have any understanding of the problems which beset us while we are think­ ing of ourselves as standing in the center of the Circle of our affairs and looking out in all directions toward the Horizon. We shall be as lost as a man in a fog who cannot see but a few feet into the blind­ ing smother. We must get our bearings by stepping outside of ourselves, The self-centered man is never able to get his bearings. It is only the God-centered man wlpo ever knows where he is, or where he is going, Instead of taking up our stand in the center of the Circle of Self­ interest, let us try the device of thinking of ourselves as standing each upon our own radius of the Circle whose center is God, and we shall then see results, and find where we are. The most important thing for us in our relationship with Life is our attitude toward it. It is this; not circumstances which makes or mars the Soul in its Evolution, and we shall never have any understanding of Life while we think of it in terms of a single incar­ nation. Life is the sum of Evolution; Life for each of us is the sum of our individual Evolutions. From the first second that the Divine Spark, which is our Spiritual Nucleus, separated from the Cosmic Fire, until the moment of Transition from the Pralaya which ends this Evo­ lution, to the Manvantara which ushers in the next — this is our Life, and not any lesser measure of Time. Incarnations are but days, with the sleep of Death between. And just as our bodies are assembled out of the Four Ele­ ments of Earth, Air, Fire and Water, so are our Minds assembled out of the Seven Factors represented by the Planets. There is nothing alien to us in the Universe,nothing in which we do not share and par­ ticipate thru the inherent sympathy of our Atoms with their kin. *'As

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fire burns in the grate, or biases in the Sun, I too have a Fire in my lungs which maintains the bocly heat, and as water flows in the tides, bearing great snips, it also flows in my veins, bearing corpus­ cles, and the same principles of Hydraulics govern its workings. Earth is present in my bones, and the insoluble waste products of Life, and my Breath is the very Element of Air itself.” Truly does the Egyptian Initiate say of himself, ’’There is nothing in me which is not of the Gods.” We must realize that our environment is the Cosmos as a whole, not any chosen part of it, however carefully walled about. We must see our life as a Line stretched in Time, from Dawn to Death of the Cosmic Day, and in space from Pole to Pole of the Manifested Uni­ verse. Eternity is behind us, Eternity is before us, Infinity encom­ passes us about. Thu"s poised in such Vastness, how can we guide our steps by any Finite Milestones of the Ten Commandments or the penal Code of our Race? These are not the Ethical Laws we live by, but have been crystalized out from those Laws as the least common denomin­ ator agreed upon hy- Mankind. - They represent the- minimum requisites of the Moral Law, not its complete Code. As we judge the individual acts by their effects if ex­ tended in Space, so can we judge the effects of any course of action by imagining it as extended in Time. We lay it along side the line of the March of Evolution and see how it compares. Does it extend paral­ lel, or does it deviate or retrogress? Here at last we have a defi­ nite Standard, albeit it is a dynamic one, not a static Standard.Does a given line of Action move with the Flow of Evolution, or is it work­ ing back against the Current? If it is retrogressing, we denominate it Evil, and we determine the degrees of Evil from Bad to Worse by observing to what extent the Line of Progress deviates from Evolution. But we observe not only the direction of Progression, but also the Pace. It is a given line of Activity moving slower or faster than Evolution; if it is moving more slowly than the normal current of Progress it is holding up the Line of March, even if its direction be precisely parallel to the Evolutionary Standard. Life starts from God and ends in God, but it travels by devious ways, owing to the uncertain stumblings of inexperienced Free Will, learning its tasks. This it is that introduced Evil into the world, and this man-made Evil is the burden of the Karma of Man. The unsteady footsteps of the Human Race, learning to walk alone, have made some strange tracks in the Sands of Time, we must disentangle ourselves from these and try to get our bearings by Cosmic Landmarks. If Evolution begins in God and ends in God, we can only hope to understand it if we understand God, but canst thou by search­ ing find out God; has He not said, ”Thou canst not look upon my face and live.” The Creator must always be for the Creatéd that which tran­ scends his knowledge, as surely as It transcends his being. It is the inscrutible cause of all existence, the Invisible essence of all ap­ pearances. In other words, God is the sum total of that which we can­ not understand. It follows then that we shall speedily be confused if we try to explain Evolution by means of what we know about God, for we know nothing about God. The Kingdom of God begins where the range of our Understanding ends. We do, however, know something about God’s manifestation in His Creation. This must give us a Key to His Nature, for the Universe is the projected Image of God, the Self Ex­

pression upon the Planes of Form. Our best line of approach to God is thru observation of His mighty works, and in the light of the under­ standing thus obtained, and from the observations of Evolution as a whole, we may turn back again and explain Evolution in its specific part, using for our explanation terms that include God’s Nature and God’s Will, which are Natural Law, for Ethics are just as much a part of Natural Law as Gravitation. They are the natural History of Human Conduct. One thing, however, concerning God we do know, with ac­ tual knowledge. God must be all good and absolutely harmonious. If this were not so, the Universe would have rattled itself to pieces long ago thru sheer friction. There is an old Cabalistic Tradition that there were Universes prior to this, and that these were destroy­ ed because they were Kingdoms of Unbalanced Force. For any Universe to endure it is bbvious that it must be a Universe of Balanced Force, that acts and reacts, equal and opposite. Unless we have confidence in the absolute Good of our Creator we have nothing ahead of us, but it is because we have confidence in the Goodness of God that we feel we have sure ground under our feet, for after all, the Evils that be­ set Human Life are very small, compared with the vast Harmonies of the Solar System. Ben all is said and done, God’s Universe works; sunrise and sunset, seed time and harvest do not fail — these are the things by which we must judge, and against which we must measure ourselves if we are to understand the problems of Life. Seen against this vast Background, measured in the aeons of the Evolving Soul things look very different to what they do when our Standard of Mea«surement is only the grasp of our Right Hand. — QUESTIONS — 1 - What is the way to handle any situation? 2 - What does such a method do?

3 - It is simple, costs nothing, will you adopt such an attitude and hold it every hour until it becomes a fixed, powerful habit? 4 - What part does Judgment play? 5 - Why is a Spiritual Principle better than a Code?

6 - Where is the level for a Standard of Right and Wrong? 7 - What is the method of judging actions? 8 - What is the most important thing in life? 9 - What must we realize in this in our relation to environment?

r I

Western Occultism

Informal Chats

Instructive notes supplementary to the Brotherhood Lectures.

Mystic Brotherhood

c - 10 Pg. 1

INFORMAL chats WITH THE FACULTY

In our Chat today the subject of Thinking is one that can be discussed to advantage, for after all if the things which have been given to you in these past Chats are not mentally digest­ ed and absorbed by the process of thinking, they are of little use. The great trouble with the men and women we meet about us and too frequently with ourselves, is that all are so busily em­ ployed in preparing for tomorrow, and the world's demands of the fu­ ture upon them that they have no time to enjoy the present moment,or to profit by the contacts that each day produces. Such people live continually in a world of false Reality, and miss entirely the im­ port of the Actualities about them. We rather pride ourselves upon our ability to think, we pride ourselves upon our Intellectual Abil­ ities, we are educated in the great public schools, we enjoy our ex­ ceptional Cultural Opportunities, and yet in spite of this it is ne­ cessary in certain communities to paint the trash cans along the curb , gray, instead of green. The change has been made necessary because people have been posting their letters in those trash cans with too great a frequency. Imagine it, the people who elect our Presidents, who make our Laws and «raise our Families, the people who are the subject and the object of various Reformations do not even recognize a trash can when they see one, but mistake it for a mail box. The great trouble of course is that the Constellation of Gemini ascends in the .Eastern Horizon of the Horoscope of the Un­ ited States. It certainly does set forth the composite Temperament of the American People. The typical Gemini Collegiate Type can us­ ually absorb a considerable amount of education, but is utterly at a loss to know what to do with it after it has been acquired. With lack of application such education rapidly deteriorates and hence we find the Gemini Youth enthusiastic and ambitious, but not pro­ found. Whenever Intellectualism is expressed it inclines the Mind to speculate in matters entirely beyond its depth, which often re­ sults in a most objectionable case of opinionatedness, and the more you investigate the more you realize that the real Student is rare; a typical Gemini works as little as he can, he crams at the last mom ent, in order to "get by" and his whole college life is just one 'Frat' after another. I do not want you to think that this isa hypocritical analysis of a National Personality. The thought to be conveyed is that for the most part the tendency of our people, though well-mean­ ing, is superficial, they are bored to distraction, and are as tired of themselves as anything else. The average Election shows that the people are bored with Politics, and the half empty Churches reveal that they are bored with Religion. They have apparently, almost en­ tirely given up the hope of recovery from the boredom of their jad­ ed nerves and emotions. I do not mean of course that these traits are common to all, but the great "level," if you wish to call it such, is made up of people who madly read their morning papers, and promptly forget*any vital news that may have been accidentally pub­ lished. The average citizen seldom reads the news, he barely has time to skim thru the sporting section, the comic strips and finan cial returns.

C - 10 Pg. 2

It has been asked "What is the matter with the country?" I am merely stressing some characteristics which have made for our difficulties. At the time when this Nation was born Capella was in conjunction with the Eastern Horizon, and we know that Capella lends a powerful vibration for change and love of novelty. Few rule their stars, and hence we find no Nation more given over to novelty than the United States. To do the same thing twice is to commit a faux pas, and three times is to be ostracized as impossible. In every walk of Society we are intoxicated with the 'new,' we can live in one apartment house only long enough to permit a new one to be built so that we can move into that. A great percentage of the population of any city moves monthly, and apartment houses two years old are exceedingly difficult to rent. When our car is six months old we are ashamed of it, and if it is two years old it is an anti que,without however, the inflated value generally attached to -antiques. One of our great problems seems to be to determine just when a thing ceases to be junk and becomes an antique. So you see that it is Ca­ pella that is responsible for the Dance Marathons, the Flag Pole Sit­ tings, Flying Endurance Contests, and the Miniature Golf Courses which have now passed into the limbo of the Forgotten. Now out of all this we can deduce, that with the mass mind of the people, with these general characteristics, to free our­ selves from the influences of such a mass mind, to detach ourselves sufficiently to take things quietly and easily, to live one day at a time, to be content and to think, is no light task. We must, how­ ever, if we are to attain Happiness, free ourselves from the delus­ ions of the current day, and we will find that if our earthly lives have been composed of turmoil, grief and sorrow, that these have largely arisen thru our own misconception of the nature of things, thru our own illusions, and because we have not taken the time to think, to meditate and understand the nature of the Real. Now in taking up the study of this week's Informal Chat let us bear in mind what has been said, let us cultivate the art of Thinking; no truer words have ever been spoken than "As a man thinketh in his., heart so is he." We must remember that men do not attract that which they want, but th*t which they are. Their whims, fancies and ambi­ tions are thwarted at every step, but their innermost thoughts and desires are fed with their own food; "the Divinity that shapes our end" is in ourselves, is our very self; man is restricted and limit­ ed only by himself, and Thought and Action are either the Jailors of Fate, for they can imprison, or they can be the Angels of Freedom, liberating and ennobling. Not what he wishes and prays for does a man get, but what he justly earns; his wishes and prayers are only gratified and answered when they harmonize with his thoughts and ac­ tions, and that is a very, very important thing to remember. Our Prayers for Money are never answered, until we have demonstrated by our thoughts and actions that we can restrain and control our desires, and our thoughtlessness and carelessness,which have all resulted in dissipating money faster than we can get it. Our Prayers for Health are not granted until we have demonstrated our ability to control ourselves to follow the Laws of Hygiene and of

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Diet, and have demonstrated that we can take care of the physical organi sm. In the light of these Truths what then is the meaning of "fighting against circumstances?" It simply means that a man is continually revolting against an effect without, when all the time he is nourishing and preserving its causes in his own h.eart;that Cause may take the form of a conscious vice or an unconscious weak­ ness; he may either deliberately be doing things that he should not do, ur he is not strong enough to make himself do the things that he knows he should do. -- Whichever it is, it stubbornly retards the ef­ forts of the man, and it must be remedied first. Men are anxious to improve their circumstances,but they are always unwilling to improve themselves, and that is the reason the majority of them remain bound. The man who does not shrink from self crucifixion can never fail to accomplish the object on which his heart is set. This is just as true of earthly as it is of Heav­ enly Things. Even the man whose sole object i s to acquire wealth, must be prepared to make great personal sacrifices in everything that is irrelevant before he can accomplish his object. And how much more so he who would realize the strong and well poised Life,. Here is a man who is wretchedly poor, he is extremely anxious that his surroundings and home comforts should be improved, yet all the time he shirks his work, and considers he is justified in trying to deceive, his employer on the ground of insufficiency of wages. Such a man does not understand the simplest rudiments of those principles which are the basis of true Prosperity, and he is not only totally unfitted to rise out of his wretchedness, but is ac­ tually attracting to himself a still deeper wretchedness by dwelling in and acting out indolent, deceptive, careless and slovenly thought. On the other hand here may be a rich man who is the vic­ tim of painful and persistent disease as a result of high living and rich food. He is willing to give large sums of money to get rid of the disease, but he will not sacrifice his desires and appetites for these kinds of food. He wants to gratify his taste for rich and un­ natural food, and have his health as well. Such a man is totally un­ fit to have health, because he has not yet learned the first princi­ ples of a healthy life. Here is an Employer of Labor who adepts tricky measures to avoid paying the regulation wages, and in the hope of making lar­ ger profits, reduces the wages of his workmen. Such a man is total­ ly unfitted for Prosperity, and when he finds himself bankrupt, as regards both reputation and riches, he blames circumstances,and if you tell him he is the sole Author of his conditions he is mightily offended. Then we have others who look out over the masses of So­ ciety) and who say "but such a man is a crook, and he prospers," and "here is another man who is an example of Virtue, and yet he fails." Now we may know that a man may be honest in certain directions,and yet suffer privation, a man may be dishonest in certain directions and yet acquire wealth, but the conclusion which is usually formed that the one man fails because of his particular honesty, and that the other prospers because of his particular dishonesty, is the re­

suit of an entirely superficial judgment, which assumes the dishonest man is almost totally corrupt, and the honest man almost entirely virtuous. In the light of a deeper knowledge and wider experience such Judgment is found to be erroneous. The dishonest man may have some admirable Virtues, which the other does not possess,, and the hon est man obnoxious vices which are absent in the other. The honest man reaps the good results of his honest thoughts and acts,he. also brings upon himself the suffering which his vices produce. The dis­ honest man likewise garners his own suffering and his own happiness. I know that it is very pleasing to human vanity to be­ lieve one suffers because of one's Virtues, but not until man has eliminated every bitter and impure thought from his mind and washed every sinful stain from his Soul can he be in a position to know and declare that his sufferings are a result of his good, and not of his bad qualitie-s. And on the way to, yet lung before he has ever reach­ ed that Supreme Perfection, he will have found working in his mind and life the great Law which is absolutely just, and which, therefore cannot give good for evil, or evil for good. Once possessed of such knowledge, he will know as he looks back upon his past ignorance and blindness that his life is and always has been justly ordered, that all his past experiences, good and bad, are the equitable out-work­ ing of his own evolving, yet unevolved Soul. Suffering is always the effect of wrong thoughts in some direction, it is an indication of the individual who out of harmony with himself, and with the Law of his Being. The sole and supreme use of suffering is to purify, to burn out all that is useless and impure. The circumstances which a man encounters with suffering are the result of his own mental, inharmony; the circumstances which a man encounters with blessedness are the result of his own mental harm ony. A man only begins to be a man when he ceases to whine and complain, and commences to search for the hidden Justice which regulates Life. Then as he adapts his mind to that regulating fac­ tor he ceases to accuse others of being the cause of his present condi-tion and he begins to build himself up in noble and strong thought, he ciases to kick and rant against circumstances and begins to use them, as aids in his more rapid progress, and as a means of discover­ ing the hidden Powers and Possibilities within himself. The proof of this tiling is in every single person, and so it therefore, admits of easy investigation for anyone who will take the time and trouble to make a systematic self-analysis and in­ trospection. You have but to let a man radically alter his thought, and he will be astounded at the rapid transformation it will effect in the material conditions of his life. Man may imagine that Thought can be kept secret, but it cannot, it rapidly crystallizes into Habit and Habit solidifies into circumstances. And then, too we must remember, that until Thought is linked with Purpose, there is no intelligent accomplishment. With th great majority, the Bark of Thought is allowed to drift upon the Ceean of Life. Aimlessness is a vice, and such drifting must not continue for he who would steer clear of catastrophe, and destruction. They who have no central purpose in their life, fall an

easy prey to Petty Worries, Fears, T'rouoles, and Self Pityings,all of which are indications of weakness, which lead just as surely as if they were deliberately planned though perhaps by a different route to Failure, Unhappiness and Loss, for weakness cannot persist in a power-evolving Universe. Every man should conceive of a legitimate purpose in his heart, and set out to accomplish it. He should make this purpose it may take the form of a the centralizing point of his thoughts, or it may be a worldly object, according to his naSpiri tual Ideal ture at the time but whichever it is, he should steadily focus hi s mind forces upon the object which he has set before himself, He should make this purpose his supreme duty and devote himself to its attainment, not allowing his thoughts to wander away into ephemeral fancies, longings and imaginings. This is the real road to Self-Con­ trol and true concentration of thought, Even tho he fail again and again, to accomplish his purpose, and of course, he must necessarily do so until his weaknesses are overcome, the strength of character gained will be the measure of his true success, and this will form a new starting point for future power and triumph. Those who are not prepared for the apprehension of a Great Purpose, should fix the thought upon the faultless performance of their duty, no matter how insignificant their tasks may appear.lt is only in this way that thought can be gathered and focussed and re­ solution and energy be develaped. When this is done, there is nothing which cannot be accomplished. Just as the physically weak man can make himself strong by careful and patient training, so the man with weak thoughts can make them strong, by exercising himself in right thinking. To put away aimlessness and weakness and to begin to think with purpose, is to enter the ranks of those strong ones, who only recognize failure as one of the Pathways of Attainment, and who make all conditions serve them. They are those who think strongly, at tempt purposely, and accomplish masterfully. - QUESTIONS -

review this week will be this: A fair, honest self examination in the quiet of your Sanctum covering at least one-half hour. What are my Sins of Commission and Omission?

Write them down, making sure you have listed every one then write the remedy and correct them one by one.

-J.

The Western Traditions

Informal Chats By

•

The Faculty

The Mystic Brotherhood University

11 1

IN FORMAL CHATS WITH TH.- FACULTY

Why you are a member of this Institution. Have you ever given serious consideration to the reason why you are a member of the i-lystic Brotherhood Organization^ Perhaps you have thought that it wa s more or less accidental. You may have casually read an advertisement, you may have received a communication from us, or some acquaintance or friend may have spoken to you regard­ ing the work, but it was not as entirely casual, not as accidental as you may have thought. As a matter of fact, you are receiving the in­ structions and teachings from the Brotherhood because of the fact that they are to you at this point in your Evolutionary Progress, the contact which you should have. It is the contact which you made in accordance with the Life Program that you, the Divine Ego, mapped out for yourself, before coming into incarnation. Brooding in the si­ lence of the Absolute, in the pure Light of Holy Spirit streaming down from Above; you contemplated your progress, you discerned the weaknesses and strengths which had been built into yourself, you se­ lected new experiences, which would bring to you those opportunities necessary to further develop Spiritually, and to build into the moral fiber those additional lengths which can only come thru stress and strain, thru temptation and trial, thru facing the temptations of Life and learning from the results, the experiences gained, as you y-ield to them, or stand firm in the face of it all. And in that per­ iod before birth you ordained that at a certain time you should come into contact with these Western Traditions as an important part of your experiences, as an important means of gaining a broader view­ point, a deeper knowledge and a better understanding which your In­ dividuality was going to need at that time, in preparing itself for the remainder of this Life in the flesh. It may be that you ordained contact with various Sub­ Channels of Truth previous to the contact with the Western Traditions that the added knowledge, the added experiences, would better fit you to utilize what came to you thru this channel. Or it may be that such experiences were not necessary, that Soul Growth had been regis­ tered to the point where it would be receptive to the teachings of the Western Master at once but be that all as it may, this contact was registered in the Cosmic as your own Decree long before you first saw the Light of Day, on this Earth Plane, in this Incarnation. Now the point we are stressing is this: that the con­ tact with the University is not a me»~e "happen so," but part of your own well laid plan, pregnant with immense possibilities, latent with vast opportunities for yourself and your future growth and evolution. This being true, it well behooves you to stop and think and consider the manner in which ycu are utilizing the knowledge and information which you decreed you should receive, whether you are utilizing these opportunities to the best^possible advantage, whether you are making of them an important part of your life, or whether it is but an incidental part of life of little importance so far as you know. We of the Brotherhood, working under the direct instruc­ tion and guidance of those Mighty Ones of the Inner Planes, are fol­ lowing out our instructions and making available the Truth regardin Religion, Occultism, Mysticism, and the Furpose of Life. We are mak-

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Ing of ourselves a Channel of Expression upon this physical Plane, actuated and controlled by those of that hierarchy called "Christi­ an," and known as the Western Traditions, headed by the Occult Naza­ rene, the Star Logos of this Dispensation. We are exactly interpret­ ing those Instructions without thought of self aggrandizement, glory, or worldly honor. We are actuated only to serve Him well and faith­ fully, in bringing to Humanity that knowledge, that understanding, that practical working ability with the great Laws which will enable. Humanity to live better and more complete lives, and which will en­ able them to become stressed Centers of Power in raising the sum-to­ tal of Human Understanding and Human Happiness. Inasmuch as you made this contract witfi yourself while Mind and Understanding were illumined by the Supernal Glory of the great Light, the fact that now your recollection is dimmed, or o ti­ literated, will not serve to an excuse if you fail to make the mo st of your opportunities. Though the memory of those reasons why you came into life may be gone, those reasons why you should enter the Western Traditions as the instrument, which for you was the only instrument that could serve you at this time, yet nevertheless there still speaks to you from Within that still Small Voice of the Divine Ego acting as "your Father in Heaven,” there is still that inner urge and longing which has kept you seeking, kept you searching, by the longings that would not be stilled, until finally you have achieved your rapport with thses Traditions, and thus you hav.£ kept the first part of your bargain with yourself. Now there remains a further responsibility which you have of utilizing the opportunities which have come to you, in re­ sponse to your own degree, and as a result of that inner urge for Truth. - Make no mistake when you return again and brood in the Si­ lence, under the Glory of the Supernal Light that comes down and bathes your understanding, and illumines your mind — the great questions, "What have I done with the Talents which were given to me, what use did I make of the opportunities for Knowledge and Under­ standing which I went into flesh to secure?” -Will be vital ques­ tions to you then, and upon your answer will hinge your happiness or your sorrow. If you can answer them and say "Faithfully have I kept That compact, faithfully and well have T labored to learn, faithful­ ly and well have I done the best that I could, then certainly you can enter that Heaven World with the peace and contentment, the sat­ isfaction that can only come from work well done. But on the other hand, if in the All Revealing Light, that Glory from the Spiritual Planes which permits of no shadows, and nc subterfuges, you clearly see that the answer is "No," then you will realize that all of the preparation and planning involved in coming into Life, all of those potent possibilities which were open to you, have been wasted and failure has been the result, that because of the inertia of the Hab­ it Self, because of the temptations of the world and the flesh, and the allurements of life,you failed to realize the deeper purpose of your Incarnation, then certainly only remorse and agony over the misspent years, the opportunities that are gone and wasted, alone can be your portion. Is it not well, therefore, to stop and take stock of

C - 11 pg. 3

ourselves, to spend time in quietly studying, in contemplation and meditation, whether you are hewing close to the line of your Life Purpose, whether now that this contact has been available, and that true Occultism and Mysticism, shorn of the tawdry trappings of commer cialism and subterfuge, are available, you are showing your apprecia­ tion and utilizing your opportunities to the utmost. After all it is only when these lessons from the Teach­ er are waited for almost impatiently, certainly waited for eagerly, that proper condition is afforded for the Message of those lessons to find root in fertile soil. Unless the entire being is actuated with a keen desire -- unless that lesson is approached eagerly, enthusias­ tically, and with an inner yearning that makes it easy to withstand the material details of life that all too frequently interfere, you cannot expect the vital message that lies hidden in each lesson to. be grasped, assimilated and made a part of yourself. Yet when such enthusiasm is present, and the whole be­ ing is actuated with a quivering impatience for that lesson to ar­ rive, when that envelope is grasped eagerly and enthusiastically, when the time seems to pass on leaden feet until the hour when we can retreat to our Sanctum and open that envelope and fairly revel in the ÍAystic Message which it brings — then it is different. Then it is indeed Seed sown on fertile ground, the entire being is changed in vibratory rate, as that Message is read, and in the period of medita­ tion and contemplation of the Truths which follow the reading, the Mind is raised up the Planes into contact with those Spiritual For­ ces which vitalize it, strengthen it, with that living food of which the Master said, “Other food have I of which ye know nothing." And all thru the days that follow and the «p^ks, the vital import of those messages remain, an Inner Reservoir of Strength holding you to your tasks, and your duties, holding you firmly in line with that great Exterior Standard of Character, which the Western Master gave us. It is easy for the Teacher, as he contacts his Pupils, to pick out those who are thus actuated and even without his Psychic Vision, even without contacting the All-Revealing Aura of the Pupil, it is still an easy matter to pick out those who are thus utilizing the opportunities which have been made available. It is easily read in the enthusiasm, and general tenor of their letters, it is easily read in the promptness with which their letters come in at the times when they should, it is easily read in the consideration which they show their Teacher, in making their letters single-pointed, and in asking for knowledge which they need and which is pertinent to their progress and their success. It is easily read in their sympathetic understanding of the Brotherhood and its problems, in the manner in which they take care of their obligations, doing the best that they can, and doing it promptly and regularly, even if it be but little it is easily read almost from the first day the contact is establish­ ed, on thru the weeks, and months, and the years -- the Teacher has no difficulty in knowing his Fupil better than that Pupil knows him­ self, thru these external and exterior evidences which the Pupil himself gives. And so the purpose of this Chat is largely that you

may consider and contemplate your membership and particularly whether you are deriving all of the benefits, making the most of all of the opportunities, which this contact should bring to you. Cur purpose is to arouse you to ascertain, by a process of self-analysis, in quiet meditation in your Sanctum, whether you are valuing your con­ tact as highly as you should, whether you are realizing that this con' tact is a vital Key Stone in the great Upward Curve of your Evolution, ary Progress. Cheerfully and willingly, without fixed price, we are doing our part. We face those of the Inner Planes unashamed and una­ fraid, secure in the knowledge and conviction that we are providing the instrument for them to use, that we are furnishing the mechanism by means of which Human Souls may be brought into contact with their Message. ^Then we lie down at night, we are content that we have giv­ en the best we have, and in this regard we are satisfied, so far as 'one is ever satisfied, for of course there is always room for growth, for closer rapport, and better service, and according to the Light that is given us each day, we work and make ourselves more efficient and better channels of Supply. Now we want to ask that you ask your­ self, "Am I doing the best that I can with what has come to me, am I utilizing this priceless Knowledge to the best of my ability?" In these days of general propaganda, misrepresentation by private inter­ ests in every field, material or religions, in these days when almost everything we read and see and hear is colored with the influence,the prejudice, the bias, the interest of some purely human scheme, plain unbiased Truth is indeed a rarity, and when one can contact a group or organization who are only interested in sincerely helping, it is indeed not only a rarity, but a priceless privilege. In your contact with us, in all that comes to you, there are no strings attached to it, and it is uncontaminated by personal bias or prejudice and uncon­ taminated by the tenets of narrow Creeds or Dogmas. So it seems to us that the truly sincere should prize their membership, should force themselves, when it is necessary, to maintain that contact at every hazard and at every sacrifice of time, worldly pleasures, or otherwise. It seems to us there is nothing more important in life than the gaining of Wisdom, practical Wisdom, with which one can turn about and achieve in the world of. men, with which they can fulfill their bargains and carry out their obligations Whether that Wisdom is used in the Path of the Hearthstone Fire, or in actual teaching and guidance of those less well developed, is not so important, as that whichever it is, it be done well and to the best of one’s ability. All too frequently we judge by the Sins of Commission, and we do not take into consideration the Sins of Omission,for which we are held equally responsible. So again we ask, "What are the Sins of Omission in your contact with us, what have you omitted to do that you should do, what have you omitted to do that you can do, what nave you omitted that would have furthered your advancement or aided your development. What have been the Sins of Omission that would have made it easier for us, that would have helped us and made it possible for us to more effici­ ently serve you?" The Sins of Omission, while they may be only thoughtless, nevertheless entail a weight of work and expense, and

many hours of labor on the part of those in the Brotherhood who serve you. You can help to lighten our load by assuming the responsi­ bilities which are yours, you can help to keep your teacher more efficient by relieving him of the duties of keeping track of those things which you should be keeping track of, by relieving him of the necessity of doing those things and reminding you of those things which you should be doing. So in this informal talk from the Faculty to you, we have discussed our mutual relationship, the purposes for which you contacted us, the purposes for which we have banded ourselves into a Channel of Supply, that a vital Link might be established between the Spiritual Light of the Inner Planes, and you, while you are in­ carnated. In this Chat we have brought out how great is our responsi­ bility to maintain this Channel free and uncontaminated, yet never­ theless how equally great is your responsibility in seeing that your contact is maintained with us as the Link, and that zeal, enthusiasm, and complete responsibility on your part must be maintained. V/e deem it a high privilege and honor as Vice Regents of the Nazarene to bring to you His Message, and in His Name to serve you. We want you to feel on your part that it is a high privilege, and one that is worth every effort on your part to maintain. -- You have reached that point in your Evolutionary Progress where in this incarnation you are brought into contact with these Teachings and it is no light privilege, and it is certainly no light responsibility to have been chosen by the Master Himself, to be the Recipient of those Truths which He revealed to His Disciples, and only a few chosen ones in the Secret Sanctum of the Upper Room. -- He offers, He affords the opportunity, but He does not compel. It is necessary that the Reci­ pient himself recognize the opportunity and supply the zeal and en­ thusiasm to maintain that contact long enough, end well enough to receive all of the vital Message which the Master has to give, all the Love and Power and Knowledge radiating from Him to you. QUESTIONS la- V/hat are my Sins of Commission towards my duties and my re­ sponsibilities? Tj.- How have they adversely affected my progress and welfare?

2 a - V/hat are my Sins of Omission?

Ir

Western Occultism

Informal Chats

nstructive notes supplementary to the Brotherhood Lectures.

Mystic Brotherhood

INFORMAL CHATS WITH THE FACULTY The matter of the various Creeds, Dogmas and Religi­ ous has become a very involved one, and one which is causing great un­ rest and misunderstanding. The only satisfying solution on the prob­ lems of Religion lies in granting inspiration to all of the great Lit­ eratures of the various Faiths which have sincerely endeavored to por­ tray the nature of God and His dealings with man. It is peculiar to no Age and no Race, it exists preeminently in the Sacred Books of the World, it exists also in the writings of the Poets, and Philosophers, the Historians, the Scientists and the Novelists, so long as in each case their work is prompted by a love of Truth, and not a desir% to pander to popular taste, or to exploit a political Theory. Truth, •wherever it is found, comes of God, if we say that Shakespeare’s Plays are truer to Human Nature than those of any other Dramatist, then it is because he has received more abundant inspiration. If we say that the Bible is to be preferred to the Vedas, it is not because the Vedas were not inspired, but because the writers of the Bible seems to us to have had fuller inspirations and more thorough revelation. Thus viewed, the Bible loses nothing by being inter­ preted -- as a matter of fact, it will on the contrary, be the more valued, as it is better understood. With the light that will be shed upon it, with the assistance of other writings, this will make it ap­ pear a far more comprehensible and consistent Religious System than before. But you may ask, assuming that we are entitled to do as suggested, to read the Bible critically and avail ourselves of the Light afforded by other writings, what has all this to do with Occult­ ism and why is that term used to describe this particular study. The answer is that it is precisely what'is known as the Occult Doctrine of God in His relation to man, for that will be found to be Universal in all Religions. It must be remembered that every Religion has had its Mysteries or Esoteric Teachings, which were expounded fully ohly to Initiates, and which was given to the Multi­ tude only in the form of Exoteric Parable or Allegory. This is as true of Christianity as of its Predecessors. But while the Exoteric Teach­ ings have varied in different ages and amongst different Races,accord­ ing to their mental characteristics, the essential Truths of the Oc­ cult Mysteries have never varied as far back as our knowledge goes,and with the aid of those super-physical faculties, which the Initiate of any genuine form of the Mysteries learns to develop, our knowledge has been taken back many thousands of years before the recognized Dawn of History. Occultism, as used by this Brotherhood falls into two branches; first, the Religious and. Philosophical System, concerned with the Theoretical Knowledge of God, Man and the Universe in their relation to one another, and the Laws of Existence on other and high­ er Planes of Being than the Physical; and second a practical system of self-development until the consciousness of the Seeker is awakened to Higher Planes than that of the Physical, and he is able to control and apply the Forces of those Planes at will, according to the Laws of their Being, for the good of mankind. The ultimate Goal of this de­ velopment is the "regaining of Paradise," the perfect union with God. It must never be forgotten tnat such matters as the cultivation of

Clairvoyance or other Psychic Faculties, are not ends in themselves, but only means to a higher end, a perfectly natural stage of the Path which comes as a rule to those who work and study and steadfastly keep their eyes upon the Goal before them. To this part of the subject belong Magic and the socalled Occult Arts, which a faithless and perverse Generation in an age of crude Materialism, has foolishly dismissed as mere Superstition without any Investigation. As it was in the days of Egypt and Eleusis so it is in the 20th century. The practical side of the Mysteries has always been zealously guarded, lest dangerous Powers should fall into the hands of those unfit to wield them. It is for this reason that the regular lessons of the Brotherhood take up the matter of development slowly, guiding the spiritual and moral nature, until it is strong enough to withstand the temptations that come from great Power. All Occult Training must be gradual, and if it is to be safe, must be accompanied by Moral and Spiritual development. Beyond the Elementary Aspects of. such subjects as Astrology and Divination, the true practi­ cal methods of Occult Workings will never be published to the masses as a whole but only revealed to him who seeks with sincerity and zeal. And now I want to turn to e consideration of the con­ dition essential to the accomplishment of any definite, practical Oc­ cult Wotzk, such as works of Healing or by control of Spiritual Force for a particular end. These conditions are both Positive and Negative; the three Positive conditions are Faith, Will and Knowledge. Stated more fully, they may be expressed in the following proposition: First the Occultist must believe that what he desires to achieve is possi­ ble, and possible for him. Fear or doubt fore-dooms him to failure. Second, he must definitely will its accomplishment, and perform his operation, expecting a definite result to follow. Third, he must know how to do it. The main negative conditions are two. Fourth, that Occult Phenomena cannot be produced in order tc confute the skeptic. Fifth, hostile and bigoted Unbelief renders Occult work impossible; an honestly open Mind does not. Now let us go into a little more detail. To approach Occult Work in the spirit, "I will see if this or that can be done, but I very much doubt it,” is perfectly useless. But "I am going to do so and so” is the proper attitude. The task may prove to be beyond your Fower, but there is no rea-son to make it hopeless at the outset. Nowhere is determination, and firm belief so needed as in practical Occultism, and the only quantitive limit of.what is lawful for you is the limit of what is possible for you. "I can do all things with the Christ Force within which strengthensth me” — and tho to accomp­ lish all things it would be necessary to attain to the level of the Master Jesus, yet there are many things possible to those who are yet sadly far from that level, but they must have Faith in the possibility of accomplishing that which they desire. ’’Impossible” is a word that should be eliminated. But of course the Faith required is not an arrogant assumption that one can accomplish anything by one's own human streng­ th, but an humble and reverent belief that by putting one's whole na­ ture in harmony with the Divine Spirit within himself, that part which is made in trie image of God, one may become a fit channel for it to

work thru, and may be privileged to use its power for definite ends. Second, the Occultist who would achieve any work, whether it is Healing, or otherwise by Occult Means, must not only have faith in the possibility of achievement, but must concentrate his whole Will upon Achievement. It is wholly useless to attempt to em­ ploy Occult Forces half-heartedly, or without some definite purpose Third, in Occultism, as in other departments of learning, to produce a given effect a proper means must be employed.A Christ may be able to produce any effects He wills by His mere word; lesser persons must be content to work by rules and emoloy appropriate methods, they must know their symbols and how and when to use them, just as much as a carpenter must know his tools and how and when to use them. The operator may desire to invoke a particular Force, the faith may be there, the Will may be there, but unless he also knov;s how to set the Force into motion it is in vain. A lock can only be onuned either with its own key or the master key of the Spiritual Planes, and it is interesting to note that the Master Jesus Himself did not invariably rely on the word only, for it is recorded that He laid His hands on some sick folks; then in at least two other cases He employed other means, while in a third He directed the person to wash in a certain pool. The Negative Conditions are in a sense at least as important as the Positive ones. No Occultist, however, great his pow­ er, either can or will produce phenomena merely in order to convince a skeptic, even tho he be an honest skeptic. The Society for Psychic Research has labored for 40 years to get absolute Scientific Proof of the various classes of Phenomena within the scope of their investiga­ tions, but they cannot yet be said to have succeeded. Cases are re­ ported very frequently, which are interesting, but in no way evident­ ial. Fairly often evidential cases are recorded which seem to involve some super-physical explanation, but usually the test fails. The Mas­ ter said "an evil and adulterous Generation seeketh after a sign, and there shall be no sign given to it." I believe that, that saying em­ bodies not merely His own rule of practice, but a very real Lav; of Na­ ture, a Psychic Principle of Universal Application. It may be asked, "Vrhy should it not be permitted to obtain such proof of Occult or Psychic Facts as will convince the whole world of their Truth if true they be?" The answer lies in the fact that the ruling Intelligence of the Universe does not employ "shock tactics" in His dealing with Mankind. The Laws He has ordained for Man are Laws of Evolution and gradual growth, and it is not con­ summate with those Laws that Man should be surprised into the belief for which individually they are not yet ready. Every man must "grow in stature and wisdom," for himself. No one else can provide him with a substitute for Spiritual Growth by a series of scientific experiments. As you look back you will see that the same natural Law holds good in the realm of so-called Natural Sciences. Any great scientific discovery has been greeted with ridicule by the majority of men at first, and has only by gradual stages come to complete ac­ ceptance at its present perfection of development. You can imagine the feelings of a gentleman who confidently asserted less than a cen­ tury ago that even supposing a locomotive could attain to the unheard

of speed of twenty miles an hour, the pressure of the air would cer­ tainly kill the passengers. If he could see an up to date express Train at full speed, with its corridors and restaurant and sleeping cars—what it is legitimate to wonder will be the feelings of the Ma­ terialists of today, if they come back in a hundred years' time to in­ vestigate the Psychic Science they deride so glibly today. The whole matter of converting the general run of Humanity takes on a different complexion when one realizes that they have probably millions of years and perhaps thousands of lives in which to learn better. There is lit­ tle need to hurry them. And then one realizes too that they cannot convince anyone until they are developed to a certain point fitting them for receiving knowledge on these subjects, end until they have prepared themselves for its reception. The War has, however, brought a great change in the at­ titude of the people toward these things. When the shadow of Death lay over hundreds of thousands of homes, and when millions of people were living in daily suspense as to the fate of their loved ones, it was inevitable that the thought of death and life beyond the grave should be uppermost in many minds. To the anxious inquiries as to what could be told of the life hereafter three answers were returned; one by the Churches, one by the Spiritualists and Psychic Researchers and the other by the Students of the Occult Doctrines of Religion. What had the Churches to say? Practically nothing. They gave indeed an assurance of a life; some endeavored to piece to­ gether a vague shadowy outline, based on doubtful deductions from wholly insufficient data, in a few passages of the New Testament.They talked greatly of Resurrection 3odies and bade their numbers have faith, for God had not been pleased to reveal these matters to us on earth; we must believe, however, that in some future, but not wholly defined state, we should meet our loved ones. It is in this answer, the failure of the Churches to give more definite and satisfactory as­ surances on a point so vital to a suffering Humanity, that we find a cause which is largely responsible for that loss of a hold over the hearts of Men of which the churches complain today. Against this cold comfort was set up two other answers, that of the Spiritualists and the Psychic Researchers thus: "We can­ not go to our dead, but our dead can return to us, and hold converse with us. The Veil has already begun to be pierced from that side, and if at present the methods are clumsy, it is because as yet communi­ cation of this sort is in its infancy." The evidence which fails to satisfy the test of Scientific Proof may yet be overwhelmingly convin­ cing to those who knew the Communicator. The third answer /is that of the true Occultist. These say shortly, "ye have eyes and yet ye see not, ye have ears and yet ye hear not." Between that life and this is a Veil which is in your­ selves. Fit yourself to pierce the Veil and you will pierce it in ex­ act proportion to your fitness. The Spiritualists get results up to a point, for they are earnestly seeking the Truth, but not on thebe st of lines. They should not’ try to bring the dead back to them, but should remember the:words of David, "I go to him but he shall not return to me." The true Path is that of Spiritual Development here and now, whereby the consciousness may be awakened to those higher

C - 12 Pg. 5 Worlds, and the Soul may travel thither at will before the fin?*l cast­ ing off of the physical body. The securing of Power to function on those levels depends solely on Spiritual Development to which Psychic Development is merely a means. The "Resurrection Body" is yours al­ ready, it is what is called the Astral Body; unfortunately it may not have been trained to conscious life but you will do so, and you will in time be able, not only to see the dead, to visit them in full wak­ ing consciousness as you do in sleep now, but see many other wonder­ ful things besides. One of the most important of these is to be able to receive guidance and help from some of the innumerable types of Beings which the Church lumps vaguely together as "Angels." Further your sphere of usefulness to Humanity at large is enormously increas­ ed, for as you desire to help another person, you will be able to see far more clearly how he is situated, and to sum up his character far more accurately with the aid of your conscious reliance upon these higher Faculties. When you have gained experience in the use of these faculties you are able to use methods of assistance quite independent of those restricted Laws of Physical Matter. The additional methods by which this development is attained are based on the knowledge of the Occult Forces of Nature and the Laws which govern their operation. And all this is embraced in the broad Curriculum of the Brotherhood, and the personal letters of its Teachers. After all the proof of these things lies only in mak­ ing a first-hand experiment under capable and competent guidance. No amount of argument on a priori grounds, by a person without experi­ ence , will ever convince a person who has had such experience by pro­ per methods, that it is unreal, or that it is untrue. Where one hes had first-hand experience he cannot in any wise doubt the Actuality of it, for he knows, and knows that he knows.

QUESTIONS 1 - Just what is meant by the Occult Doctrine of God in His relation to man?

2 - What are the two branches of Occultism? 3 - Why are the Mysteries guarded? 4 - What are the five necessary conditions of Occult Work?

5 - Briefly enlarge upon these five requirements.

6 - What are the answers given by the three great groups to the Question of hereafter?

I 1

Western Occultism

Informal Chats

Instructive notes supplementary to the Brotherhood Lectures.

Mystic Brotherhood

s*g. 1

IkFORMAL CI:/-To WITH THE FACULTY

The Mental Origin of Disease.

Every physical condition has a corresponding mental state, Change the mental state, and you change the physical condition. The body is v.hat v.e make it -- strong and whole , or weak and diseased. If we are in harmony vita universal lav/, we must be harmonious ourselves, When our wills arc in opposition,through selfish desires or emotions, we become weak and discordant. The will nas a definite effect on all parts of the body; but nowhere is it mora noticeable than on the neck. Its true action gives strength to that part of the organism, while lack of will gives weakness. Where there is perverseness of will,or self-will,it often occasions stiffness or soreness of the neck. The scriptural statement that the Jews were a stiff-necked and rebellious people is only an il­ lustration of the power of self-will. The arms and hands, as the instruments of execution, are i t/ closely connected ..ith the will and intellect. They are therefore con­ sidered the most executive part of the body. It is quite possible,with an educated sense of touch,to perceive different shades of wifi and in­ tellect simnly by the clasp of another’s hand; ano. many are able to de­ termine by this method whether or net a person is possessed of mental firmness. I-er sons that are thoughtfully disposed invariably incline the head slightly forward; but one whose thoughts are constantly striv­ ing to reach a given destination in advance of the body droops the head, and shoulders decifely forward. Where the head is thrown back, it indicates physical development and independence. Frequently we no­ tice people with their arms akimbo; tais is also an indication of an independent frame of mind. When the arms are carried close tc the sides however, a lack of independence is indicated. Still thumbs, bend­ ing outward, indicate firmness; but when they fall in toward the palm of the hand, a lack of mentality is shown. The lungs are acted upon by desires. ¥¿hen these are in­ tense and true, we breathe strongly and deeply. The right base of all breathing is the diaphre^gm; proceeding thence, the breath is under proper control. Our mental ¿Acuities should be used to develop every organ in the body. Where there is a lack of mind development, the corresponding organ will c-eeome first ’weakened and then diseased. It is not remarkable that nineteen persons in every twenty are troubled with coughs, colds, and other lung difficulties, for they use little more than half their lung power, their breach being exhaled from the chest instead of the diaphragm. Desire is properly the asipration for things good and true; it controls the out-breething, while response to the desire is the receiving of inspiration corresponding with the in­ breathing. Our ordinary respiration is seldom really strong and deep -- for it is only as man asks thac ha receives; it is only as he knocks that the door is opened to him; it is only as he seeks that he finds. Man is created in the ima c and likeness of his Creator. He is endowed with certain faculties o.-’ soul and mind, and his salva­ tion depends upon their proper use and control. His mission is to work out the powers and possibilites wrought in him from the begin­ ning. After all, this is only a reasonable service; it is the one

duty he owes to God and to his fellowmen. Through this development he most truly worships God and becomes most helpful to his rece. Mental impulses have a decided and definite action upon the heart; but no impulse is so strong in this respect as that of love. True leve—which is the love of universal good; which is the suri that shines for all; which is benefic ent —strengthens every or­ gan of the body to a degree equaled by no other soul-impulse or ment­ al faculty. It is the crowning, dominating influence in the soul of man, transcending all others. When oesus was asked concerning God,he . could form no loftier conception than the highest impulse of his own soul. He answered, "God is Love." All intellectual conceptions of Deity are as nothing when compared to this expression of a feeling so great as to be indescribably in human language. The-blood corresponds to the life-force which is "in all, through all, and above all." From the heart of life, it is sent cour­ sing throughout the organism to replenish its needs. After fulfill­ ing its mission, it returns to the. heart, where it undergoes a process of purification and renewal— whence it proceeds again to supply the needs of the body. In this interaction of heart, blood, and body, we find typified the correspondence existing between God and man. The vi­ tal forces proceed from the Supreme Heart of the universe,to nourish and supply every living thing therein; then they return to God, to be sent out on their vivifying errand. "We live in God, and know it not'J The brain is undoubtedly the principal organ of the mind but the mind is not the chief part of man; neither is the brain the chief part of the body. Mind of itself originates nothing; it is ever acted upon by the higher impulses of the Soul. ’.find is not the germ of life; it is merely its reflector. It derives its being from the higher impulses, and its office is to relate itself to them. In this manner, man may become truly related to the outer world. The bodily organs corresponding to man's innermost being are those located in the trunk—chi efiy the heart. When the heart is affected by emotions produced from without, we experience irregulari­ ty of action. When the life of man seems to be thus tainted—a condi­ tion invariably caused by a wrong-relationship to his environment— -th-—-blo-oe.. -af4rer a ti-me-,—becomes "poisoned;" -it. na_Longer carries true nourishment to the different parts of the body. Then it is said that the blood is diseased. There are different expressions and de­ grees of this life-poisoning condition; for instance, one form of it is called rheumatism, another is evidenced by cutaneous eruptions, etc. Anger has a decided effect upon the blood, producing first an excessive flow- As stated in the previods article, wherever there is an excess of action, there must be a corresponding reaction. It is not possible for any one to indulge in repeated outbursts of anger without adversely affecting the blood. Mental inflammation will surely result in physical inflammation, as one cannot be separa­ ted from the other. Anger, hatred, fear, self i shness— these are the cause of more physice.l disease than all other mental states combined. Bile derives its true action from sweetness and kindness of disposi­ tion; its flow is then directed to the corresponding needs of the body. But its false action is usually caused be mental bitterness, and a feeling of repulsion towards things or persons.

C - 13 Pg. 3 True physical digestion comes through proper mental digestión. It is noticeable that intellectual people are generally troubled with either indigestion or dyspepsia. They make the intel­ lect the god of their being, depending on it to the exclusion of the higher impulses , thereby producing an unbalanced state. The intellect should not be underrated; it is necessary, however, to show its true relation--as a reflector, not a producer of light. One of the most common causes of indigestion lies in the effort of certain persons to acquire knowledge rapidly. They cram the mind with many things tney have not mentally digested, and this mental indigestion is the forerunner of a corresponding physical condition. Again, we find people with good digestion who do not properly assimilate their food. This result corresponds to knowledge which they have clearly perceived but failed to use. We must first thoroughly digest what we read, think of it, talk it over, thoroughly assimilate it--then we cun make it our own. We must live it--must be it; and if ro e are bright, hopeful, and cheerful, we shall have no trouble with the di­ gestión and assimilation of our physical food. The kidneys and secret organs are affected by the se­ crecics of life. Into every life enter many thoughts and conditions too sacred to mention, even to one’s dearest friends. These things act upon the private organs to strengthen and keep them whole; but the false secrecy of life--t.he desire to cover and hide evil things from the knowledge of cthers--prociuces weakness and disease of those parts. False passions inflame, and in time consume, the secret or­ gans of the body. As already pointed out, the lower limbs correspond to the sustaining power, and the feet to the rock of understanding, or the foundation upon which the body rests. If our trusu be placed in ’•the Giver of every good and perfect gift,” we shall experience no weakness in these members, for we shall feel that the sustaining power is ever with us, to ruide and direct our feet into the ’’paths of righteousness." To what extent is this philosophy applicable to the young? Frequently children have disease to which grov/n people seem also subject; and the questions are often asked: How can such a mal­ ady be the result of any fault or shortcoming on the part of so young a person? Why is it not possible for this disease to be the result of contagion or heredity? The mind 01' a child may be likened to a sensitive:. plate. It is more easily acted upon by the thoughts of others than is the mind of an adult, especially if such thought action proceed from the mother or nurse. Should a mother become very angry her child may feel the influence to such a degree that a feverish condition would ensue almost immediately. The fears of parents often act injuriously upon the minds of their children, the thought-images in the minds of the former being telepathically transmitted to those of the latter. This is the True meaning of "heredity." Heredity of thought is more powerful than Heredity of blood. Most physiologists assert that there is an entire change in the organism of the body once in seven years, while some name a shorter time. Now, if we inherit a specific disease through the blood

it 'would be quite natural to exoect that,after seven, or fourteen, or twenty years, this ailment should be entirely eradicated. The fact remains, however, that many years later than the period last named, maladies that had afflicted the parents have appeared in the children, being classified as "hereditary diseases" by the medical profession. The idea of heredity is becoming rapidly displaced by another "discovery." I*t is now universally conceded by the medical fraternity that the majority of the ailments formerly attributed to hereditary taint are caused by disease germs, or bacilli. Thus, even by medical authority, the belief in the transmission of disease tlrrough heredity is relegated to che past; it no longer plays an im­ portant part in othodox diagnoses. Still, from the standpoint of mental science, heredity cannot be ignored. Every child undoubtedly -receiver an inher-i-fcanee—of mental pictures from the minds of its parents, which have a pronounced effect upon its Life. The Bible may be taken literally when it says that God shall visit "the ini­ quity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth gen­ eration of them that hate" Him. Note particularly the clause that I have underscored. If a child has inherited evil (unwholesome) mental pic­ tures, and in manhood allows them to affect his life, his condition will be similar to that of his parents. If, on the other hand., he should realize that his true inheritance comes from God--tnat"every good and perfect gift" comes from his eternal Father--the false in­ heritance would lose its power; it would, be overcome by the true. The only real, true, and eternal inheritance is from God. All others are but transitory and illusive. If parents V7ould only realize the effect produced upon their children by their thoughts, they would be much more careful in their mental processes. The subject-matter in the mind, of the parent influences the life of the child for good or ill. A child is ever prone to express his parents' thought. Selfishness and greed when seen in children, are but the outward expression of identical qualities hidden in the minds of the parents. A child is natural, and expresses just what he thinks. Up to a certain age lie is the ■mere, reflector of tire, thoughts, of .others.;.. but. a time comes (earlier with some children than others) when he asserts his individuality, and claims the right to live his own life. While still affected by the thoughts of those surrounding him, and by the mental images produced by his parents, a child nevertheless soon begins to reason to think, and to act for himself. Especially, at this juncture he should meet with every encouragement. Many parents try to break the will of their offspring in order to make him comform with their wishes; but the wilfulness of the child is often but a reproduction of that of the parents. If the latter consider it necessary to change a child's will, they should, attempt to do so only through love and gentleness. A child should receive a reason for doing, or- .for not doing, a certain thing, if he ask it from his parent. It is his privilege, as fully as that of his elder. It is even more important in his case, for a grown person can often comprehend the reason without asking it and

without its being told. After tolling a child to do a certain thing, and he asks why, it is not the proper and true way to deal with him to answer; ’‘Because I told you to do so,” The child has both a thoughtful mind and a keen sense of justice. There is no doubt that in regard to most questions, we should deal more carefully with child ren than with grown people. How often are children punished while their parents are in a state of anger! How often would a parent re­ frain from punishment were he to wait until his anger subsided! Absolute justice is as necessary in dealing with a child as with an adult. QUESTIONS

1

are the proofs or evidences that Disease is of mental ori­

gin? 2 - How do one's thoughts affect children? ó - ..hy are children so discerning of any injustice?

im itrtjh iit

The Western Traditions

By The Faculty

Mystic Brotherhood University Of Western Occultism

INFORMAL CHATS WITH THE FACULTY

In this Chat we propose to take up practical lessons, bringing you to those methods which will lead to the attainment of de­ sire. There are many desires, longings and aspirations which may have found lodgment in one’s Soul — they are therefore, expressions, and true happiness in life depends upon giving them full expression. Existence would be intolerable, if this deduction were not accepted, as a chief end of incarnation. It is the only method by which one may glorify God as that is the way God expresses Himself thru the Human Personality. In one way God speaks to the world thru the rosebushjin another, thru the apple tree, and in still another, thru the Brute Creation, while in the highest way, ic is thru the human, to whom is given dominion over all Lower Life. One writer said, ’’The most important fact in our Evo­ lution and the cause of its present day existence, with its blinding incasement of matter and ev-il, is the growth of a personal will, orig­ inated many Cycles back, and gradually growing until its impress is stamped upon all of our fellow creatures. At first starting as self­ ish desire, then urging motives for rivalry, it resulted in serious contest between man and man. The concentration of the Soul and Spirit ual Energy, as selfish energy, clouded the Inner Spiritual Nature, destroyed the trace of ethereal descent, and buried it deep in the ma­ terial world, and this fall into matter is really but a necessary curve of the Spiral which marks the Involutionary Arc, and ahead of us lies the Evolutionary Arc, the Dawn of a Brighter day such as Hu­ manity has never seen. The expression of the desires of the Soul, centers therefore, in the Will,but it must receive its training from a Source higher or greater than itself. We note in people we meet,weak wills, as well as strong wills. We have pitied ourselves, and at times,per­ haps have wondered at our own strength in blending together Will and Action, and in doing the right thing at the right time, and in the. right way. Will is powerful in heroic action, but behind it lies still greater force. Prof. William James has emphasized the fact that Human ity has fallen into a habit of Inferiority, - this habit must be over­ come thru the action of the Will. To carry you now step by step to an understanding of the Will and its control, let us begin, by taking its action in the trivial affairs of everyday life> for that is where we are going to have to use Will first. From the moment we rise from our beds in the morning we waken Will to action, we will to rise, or we will to take another nap,if we have important appointments to meet at an early hour, and are particular about keeping them at that time, that is the governing force behind the Will. The Will to rise, bathe, breakfast, and go to the appointed place, acts under that suggestion of duty. That is the power behind Will. A sentiment in consciousness is often a stimulant to rouse Will to action. It is now conceded by all students in advan­ ced Modern Psychology that the strong Will is built up thru auto-sug­ gestions, that is the use of affirmations, and that the building must begin in the everyday affairs of life. If Will forced to action thru duty, the purpose might be accomplished, but the effort would be wear­ isome. If it can be pressed into action by a force that will give the exercise of Will pleasure, then it is easier; if its exercise is

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accompanied or followed by a feeling; of dislike or dread, there may be an.adversión to calling it into action on the same line the next time. This then, brings us to the elementary drills which we want to present, as the base on which you may build the thought struc­ tures we would like. Start with the hum-drum round of simple duties, with which we begin the day. You doubtless have heard many commence grumbling,and fault-finding over the details which accompany rising, bathing,exercising and dressing in the morning. A little auto-sugges­ tion given to the Will at this hour,is the remedy to overcome grumb­ ling, and convert hum-drum duty into cheerfulness. One must leave off grumbling and quarreling with Fate, because the Human has a much easi­ er task than the Brute; he represents a higher Unfoidment and he must pay for his- luxuries by work. The more frequently one gives this fact a thought accompanied by a tone of thankfulness, for his divine quali­ ties, and for his birthright which has brought him into incarnation, in all these opportunities and privileges, the sooner he will free himself from this pettiness of expression, which is born in and con­ trols the habits of Inferiority. Let such a one awaken to the stupid­ ity of all this grumbling, and his own inborn pride will help him to overcome the evil habit. The way to waken Objective Consciousness, to give these results, is to operate in precisely the same mental chan­ nel, as to arouse Will to action, with joyful enthusiasm. Upon arising in the morning, suggest to consciousness the delight you feel in the birth of a new day. It gives you another chance for action, for taking another step on the pathway to some nearby Goal. Then for the fun and joy of getting ready, first the ex­ ercise.Study to find improvement in reaching,stretching,in poise,and be liberal in congratulating yourself on the perceived daily gain, while engaged in this routine exercise. Now the bath. Cnee you thought it a conventional act that cleanliness required. But now you know it for luxury and fun, it has a sparkle in it. Rejoice that it gives you a pleasure which the same thing can never give a dumb brute joyful tho he may be over it. You can throw something of the intel­ lectuality in it, which the brute may never reflect. -- Now the rub­ bing, see how the body glows. 'That a Divine Heritage is even the priv­ ilege of this human form. Then the dressing, the putting on of clean clothing, that is your contribution of admiration for the body, - not the clothes. How pleasant by this means of happy auto-suggestion,are you making this morning hour,which contains hum-drum duties,mingled with vexations. You again glance in the mirror and smile at its re­ flection because of the cheerfulness you see in your face. You have kept all thoughts of the business of the day from your mind,during this primary preparation for its work and joy. Now you start forward, radiating cheerfulness,and all this because of simple auto-suggestion, merged into the Will during the first hour of the working day. Does all this seem of the Kindergarden order, - perhaps it is,but happy you will be, if you have learned this simple lesson. Those who have followed it religiously, day after day, have repeatedly told that they regard this simple discipline their first right start in under­ standing the momentous power of a disciplined Will. There is another gain,and that is the marvelous advan­ tage, the cultivating and maintaining of cheerfulness, gives one in

all of the lesser and greater affairs of life, The Harmonic Cell vibration it sets in motion gives even respiration, a new stimulus.The entire physical system responds with praises of thankfulness. Again, cheerfulness is contagious, exceedingly magnetic, and just the kind of magnetism one may safely throw out, most unstintedly. A few short aff i rmations like "this is fun," "I am enjoying this," "this is just the exercise I most need," will make the petty annoying duties of the day a laugh, instead of a growl. Trivial as these suggestions may seem to one who is carefully following the serious purpose of develop­ ment, I still want to emphasize their practical value in the deeper work. It is most necessary that you come into a greater familiarity with that capacity of your soul called Will, on which correct exer­ cise of all life’s worthy advancement absolutely depends. It is ne­ cessary that you see clearly, the various Forces that lay behind Will and which are merged into it by suggestion. When you perceive this Truth, and work in harmony with the higher Laws of Evolution, you will find that Ideal and Will are two inseparable terms. The Will cannot work on nothingness. Its' cultivation must resolve itself in­ to human creations of Thought Entities. They are built up out of Soul Faculties which give birth to Ideals. These blended with Will create the Material Form. Sometimes Will is obedient to outer suggestion in spite of the fact that it's proposed action is seemingly diametric­ ally opposed to the stimulii from thought waves of outer suggestions which sweep, over it. In these days of prohibition, stimulants of one kind or another, are all too frequently considered a necessary part of social activities. One party, in relating their habits, said in substance, that he had been drinking too many cocktails, and that he would like to have the desire for them overcome, providing that no great self-denial was required on his part- He wanted to ov­ ercome what he felt was a bad habit, without any serious exercise of Will Power. He said that he had been accustomed about eleven in the morning, to take his first cocktail for the day, that if he met friends later, he might take two or three within the next half hour. Upon recalling the number he drank during the day, he often found that he had taken from ten to fifteen. The case is very similar to undertaking to heal one who is ill, and who refuses to do the ordina­ ry things to help the physician, whether he be of the old school, or a mental healer. The suggestion was made, "You can do what you desire, providing you will take these remedies and take them regularly, and be honest. The remedies will be mere auto-suggestions. Make them just as you are advised, and then you must report at least once each week." With the realization that no self-denial on his part was re­ quired, he agreed to enter into the idea. Now, he was told "Know first that your Will is the Director of you in all the minor and greater things of life. You will to drink these cocktails, and so you drink them. Back of Will there isa suggestion, and that is what we are going to start and work with. You can call this nonsense or fun, whichever you will, but let us see how much fun we can get out of it. The auto-suggestion will be made thru a part of you, but your entire You is a complex Unity. So here then, is the prescription. You start in the morning, and the cocktail hour comes - al-

most automatically perhaps, you rise from your desk and go for it. The habit has become fixed in your Subconsciousness and hence affects it. Now, right at this time, you say quietly to yourself, not aloud, 'I don't need this cocktail, I don't want it' but do not answer this with '1'11 take it just the same, or words or thoughts to the equiva­ lent. Just say it and then go quietly and take it. Just before you drink, repeat this suggestion,:I don't need ^his, I don't want it' -follow this day by day, and let me hear from you atthe end of the week. There is one thing more -- say each night, just before you fall asleep, some suggestion like this, 'I have drunk too much today, I now denounce it entirely.' At the end of the week the report came in that he was following the suggestion, but drinking just the same. He was told that it might take three weeks or perhaps three months, possibly more, but "let us keep it up .just for the fun of it." His next report came in, and the one after that was practically the same. But, by the time the fifth week had gone by, he was inquiring what hypnotic effect had been produced. And then he said, 'I have been following this plan that you suggested, using your suggestions and gradually making other ones. Three weeks went by, and no change. Dur .ing the last week however, I seemed to feel less inclination to drink and frequently, it was noon day before I took my first. And then, when I took the review at the end of each day, and put down the total number, I had had only half of what they were a week or so previously Three different times I went out and ordered a cocktail, but did not drinK it. Since then, I have had no inclination to go, the Habit is a thing of the pastNow, ordinarily one should not attempt auto-suggestionunder such adverse conditions as this, but it does illustrate and prove what has been drawn from many experiments that the Will is dom­ inated as well as supported by powerful suggestions. Leidnitz says, "We can make ourselves believe what we wish, by directing our attention from an unpleasant object in order to devote ourselves to another which is pleasing to us, so that by giving more consideration to the reasons for the favored course of action we end by believing in the more favorable. I want you to note that the action of Ji11 as thus spoken, is directed thru or by other forces combining or blending with it, as we have found in the illus­ tration given. If one has learned to overcome the petty annoyances of life, by the practice of auto-suggestion, as we have now discus­ sed, he has to carry with him, a cheerful atmosphere in his daily work. He can inevitably take up life's lessons with absolute convic­ tion, that though there be between him and his ideal, severe tasks, nevertheless the winning of these ideals is certain to follow,as it is certain that the Seasons follow in their courses. This is Evolu­ tion's plan for man, and he is adapting himself to it and cooperat­ ing with it. If at times difficulties arise of such magnitude as to give birth to doubt, then let him remember that a cold day with flak­ es of snow in the temperate zone during May or June does not indicate that the summer season is not to follow in regular succession, that particular year. His faith could not be shaken for a moment, as to the regularity of the course of the Seasons, because of such an in­ cident as this. It should be just as firm when obstacles meet him

as to his own unfolding. And to what I have said, ther^need but to be added sincere and devout prayers and frequent deep meditation, for Prayer and Meditation signify attitudes of Kind which blend with each other, though Prayer contains within itself, the longing, while Meditation opens the Way and brings Power. The Prayer without aligning itself to Meditation, and merging itself within is the speaking of words not thoughts, - and giving of expression to the wanton wishes of id­ leness. There has been much of such praying in the World, but noth­ ing has come of it. The metaphysics of this Age, finds in prayer, something holier than the semi-automatic responses to Church Ritual. Within it is the longing of the Soul, and this Philosophy teaches that the way to Unfoldment is to give tangible expression to that longing. "

QUESTION "What is the Weakness that represents the greatest obstacle to your achievement of Peace, Happiness and Success?"

"By Prayer and Meditation, by asking for Light and Knowledge, and by meditating within yourself, reviewing your habits, select this one thing which represents your greatest fault, the thing which represents the obstacle standing between you and the com­ plete harmony and understanding with the world, or that prevents your progress, in whatever way may be. There is something in each of us, and perhaps not one but many. Meditation and Prayer for Light and Guidance will enable you to select it." "Having found this one greatest obstacle, then Deny it. The Method has been outlined in this Chat - The attainment of your Goal, and the attainment of Peace, Happiness and Abundance are worth while and if you can resolve and if you can religiously adhere to that easy resolve, and do such a simple matter as this, for the next sixty or ninety days or longer if necessary, until that habit is overcome, then you can be Successful.

Western Occultism

Informal Chats

Instructive notes supplementary to the Brotherhood Lectures.

Mystic Brotherhood

INFORMAL CHATS WITH THE FACULTY In our discipline up to this point, we have learned how to educate the Will, so that the ordinary affairs of life may be attended to, in a way to produce cheerfulness, and also because of this, to fit us to enter upon life's more serious requirements, in a happy and confident frame of mind. Remember that it is not (enough to merely read these comments and discuss them; it is necessary that you do them. It is necessary that you begin that training and discipline which alone can form the new habits, and attune you to an entirely dif­ ferent condition than your habits have attuned you with, in the past. We have also learned what the foundation pillars are, and that should give you an unassailable faith. They are built upon Truths, the self-evident Truths of Being. Knowing all this, you are equipped to undertake the grand and glorious purpose before you. You know primarily that you must ever hold right thoughts, and you have learned something about the discipline required to hold and keep them. Now it is necessary to undertake work of a deeper vein. It's goal is the salvation of the Individuality, for you who discover and bring to full expression the faculties within your own Soul, have gained salva­ tion. Meditation in its' truest and highest sense, can only be entered into in the Silence. One may find that when alone in his own room, and later, when he has carried discipline to a point of per­ fection he may find it in the street, in the crowded railway train,in the theatre, wherever he may bo. The place to learn and begin this discipline however, is in one's own and private room. This he can fill with the atmosphere of Peace and Worthy Aspiration, by auto-sug­ gestion, during his hours of meditation. Always, it is in a moment of thought silence, that one learns the real desire of his Soul, even tho at that moment, he is personally in the midst of the greatest activity. Even tho this may be true, you must seek a short period at least of daily solitude. This is the time for the marshalling of the mental forces to concentration, followed by relaxation. It is not a time to plan and intellectually lay out work, and if such thoughts at this time, crowd upon the mind, drive them away, by affirmations of Power, Confidence and Trust. You may commence your silent concentration, by visualizing, the desire you first propose to realize, as already in possession. As you gaze upon the picture Imagination has drawn, fuse yourself within that nature, speak affirmations from that Plane,real­ ize yourself there already, and glory in that attainment. All purpos­ es are first conceived in the Ethereal Realms, and realization is in essence, these thought forms projected into visibility. If, upon their taking form, we are in any way disap­ pointed, be sure that is because of error on our part, in the Ethereal building of the desires we wish to realize. Sometimes, the desire is worked out literally, and then one discovers the error in his affirma­ tion. Instances like this have been frequently experienced, they point out the necessity for clear thinking, in the matter of forming affirmations. I am going to tell you of one experience, because it is an incident which will point out forcefully, the workings of the Law thru the Subconsciousness. This incident relates to an experience of one of the Titled Ladies abroad, and who, though living in the midst of luxury has Identified herself with business. The name under which she does

business has become widely known thruout the world, and yet she desir­ ed greater publicity and renown for it. She said that in her medita­ tions, she affirmed with her utmost vigor, "My name shall be known ev­ en greater than it is now, to all the World. Known, and praised and loved, I see the whole world gazing at it." Other affirmations follow­ ed this thought. She carried it into the Silence wherever she might find it, mentally meaning her business name, yet saying "My name" — An ocean voyage, incidental to a business ourpose, was taken, and a fearful catastrophe overtook and destroyed the steamer; she and her husband were among the saved, and when the first news of the dreadful loss of life was heralded to the World, a criticism which afterwards proved without foundation, was made on the wav of the escape of her­ self and her husband from the wreck, and this brought them both before the Board of Inquiry. Detailed accounts of this went far and wide thruout the civilized world. They were completely exonerated from the criticism, but the wide publicity this incident gave to them, is one of the most perfect illustrations which has come under my ovservation of the literal obtaining of the desire expressed, and yet not the one actually thought. One point to be observed, is that her affirmations took upon themselves a- most emphatic form. When this is the case, the realization often comes in more or less a violent manner, seemingly taking form from the invisible mental essence that created it. The illustration I have given affords an example of the power which you use, and it should bring you to a realization that you must affirm with the greatest care. The Subconscious Mind does not reason, it is a soil which grows the thought-seeds sown there, and that seed deter­ mines the harvest. Now, after you have learned the preliminary lessons that have been given thus far, it will be necessary for you to find a half hour daily -- better, if it can usually be extended to a full hour, for meditation alone in the Silence. I want you to begin these quiet sittings as I have always urged, by holding yourself physically still, absolutely still, - this binds attention to Will, rather brings them to operate as one, and acts upon the Material Self. When you find this material self really still, you will observe a sensation of restfulness steal over and thru you, and then you may begin your con­ centration. A few of the suggestions which have been given to you, or some of your own may be repeated over and over again, - if they embody in themselves a thought indicative of the purpose you desire. One should be careful to avoid use of the future tense. What you will,is really a thought creation on the Ethereal, your task is to project it to the Material Plane* You will find if you come to these sittings in the Silence, with perfect regularity, once every twenty four hours, they will soon become occasions you will return to with delight, par­ ticularly because of the restfulness they give you. To recognize pos­ session in advance of its material expression, is simply a recognition of the fact that the Egoic Being, is of the Ethereal Plane, and speaks from it. The Physical Self is not the Ego, - the Intellectual Self is not the Ego, for both are directed by the real Ego. In all your movements and work, the Ego is the Director. You may will to go to your office or to commence certain tasks, to do this or that, but the Director of the Will is the Unseeable Ego, the Real. Therefore, the I AM within you, is never weary, never ill, never poverty stricken,

never discouraged. If you couple it with a predicate, suggesting anything you would not be, you are sowing a seed in the Subconscious, a seed which in producing its kind, may defeat some fond purpose of your am­ bition. Sitting in the Silence, you may learn to carry Objec­ tive Consciousness at times to the Ethereal Realms, and mentally see these Ideals of your Soul, so completely pictured, that you may won­ der if the new sense of Vision is not unfolding in you. These sensa­ tions indicate that you are lifting the Intellectual to understand how harmoniously it may blend with the Intuitional. Thru this blending gradually, thought forms find their way to Material Expression. But I do want to urge you to keep the Goal, the Purpose fixed and clear before your mental vision, and yet you must remember always that the Path to it is the Intellect's province. Often you will find that you must take another road than the one first selected. Intuition will direct, if only you hold the Image or Goal representing the cherished desires, absolutely unwavering. In these silent Sit­ tings, you must not seek Roads and Paths to Purpose - you imagine your­ self already there. You hold that firm, that you are there already on the Ethereal Plane, and the Universal, thru Intuition, will get you in the Right Path, even if the intellect blundered right at the start and even many times thereafter. Go over these points carefully, underlin­ ing them as you go along, then re-read and these points will stand out for it is of importance that you visualize yourself enjoying the things, not being concerned at this stage with the selection of the Path. To illustrate this again, let me speak of a party, who decided that great opportunities would soon be opening for a great in­ vestment of money in Mexico, and he began looking around for the ne­ cessary capital to carry out his project. Now, you will note that his goal was a trip to Mexico to meet Officials and property owners there, to open the way later on, for new investments in that Country. The Path to the Goal required money, and so in his sittings, he would im­ agine himself in Mexico, and at work there, to obtain information con­ cerning desirable investments. These Images he held firm during all his daily activities, and then visualized them with intensity, during the daily hour of meditation. During the day, he visited lawyers, bankers, investors, generally, trying to interest them in sending him to Mexico, and carry out his mission. As an argument he claimed that after internal war­ fare, great financial opportunities were always open, and that his wide acquaintance in the Country and familiarity with the language, would aid him in this undertaking. He was listened to, and several came to regard the proposition favorably, but one after another, they concluded that the time was not yet ripe for going forward on such an expedition. You see, that he was trying to find the road, thru intel­ lectual promptings and conclusions. Several weeks passed by, and no real progress. He,how­ ever kept on with his visualizing and his meditation, and also with his interviews to find the financier to undertake the proposition.With­ in four or five weeks after he had started on tris work by this plan, a man whom he had never met before, came to him who desired him to vis­

it Mexico, and carry out there, a financial matter of business congen­ ia] to his taste and one for which past experiences had equipped him. Now,this experience illustrates that though intellect pointed out the Path reason could approve,still a higher force was put into application thru this visualizing method, and it opened the Path without a single particle of aid on the part of Reason. It is possible some may feel like asking if it might manifest just as well for him to have waited upon intuition to find the Path, meantime being diligent with his peri­ ods in the silence, and his visualizing. I do not think so -- I believe in using our intellect to the best of our ability and as previous ex­ perience may point out. It stirs up the activity in vibrations,if it may do nothing more. All these Telepathic Waves of desire sweep thru the Universe,and are strengthened by thought and action. Intuition is thereby assisted in its striving to give the message to the only half receptive Intellect. Now, as far as you may feel that you have progres­ sed in your work of educating the Will, I want you to remember, that after all, we are only in the primary grades as yet. This mighty ment­ al Engine, called Auto-suggestion,will eventually lift man to accomp­ lishment, of the most daring of his aspirations. As one demonstration after another is made and tabulated, the potency of this factor will become more and more apparent, - observing this,your Faith will expand, belief will beeome fixed and unshaken, and this Mystic Source of Power will be classed with the known and proven, thereafter to be drawn upon by all who glory in progress, and who recognize the winning of ideals and the fulfilling of the Divine Purpose of life. The next point that we must take up is the matter of dis­ ciplining the Will, for in these studies,you have learned that the Will, though acting under the dominion of choice, is in itself,compos­ ite in action,and spurred forward by auto-suggestion,and sentiments arousing a desire,expressed or unexpressed in language. Life's attain­ ments are largely the result of choice,often seeming involuntary exer­ cise. We choose without being cognizant of what we are choosing. We choose and call it luck, we choose and call it fate, we choose and won­ der at the result. We acting blindly are responsible for the cause,yet more often we view the effects with consternation. There are times howevert when we hal f realize our own re­ sponsibility and then try and shift it onto others. We say "You told me to do thus and so, and I was following your suggestion.” We take the record literally and voice with semi-mythical Adam, "The woman thou gavest me, did tempt me, and I did eat." Thru the Ages, Ecclesias­ tical teachings have given us a form of excuse -- there was always the tempter and the tempted, and we felt our own weakness and ignorance.We thought to excuse ourselves, as we went into the intricacies of logic for help. We did not or would not see at a glance, the whole course of man; the Religion we claimed to believe, fettered, and the Philosophy we drew from its teachings, confused. Underneath the Purpose of the Di­ vine or Formative Principles, we spelled out Degrees which we ourselv­ es evolved and ascribed them to Fate's mysterious workings. In the old Adam fiction, we found excuses for our habits of inferiority, like people who do not recognize the fact that they will abnormal conditions upon themselves, and then send for a physician to help them out. Though this Age marks a great human unfolding, though man is seeking Truth, though he is becoming better acquainted with his own

Power, though his purpose is to bring them to expression, though rank­ ing himself with the thinking ones in Earth Life, yet too often does he hesitate when thoughts of severer tasks rise before him. He wants someone else to do the thinking, and tell him the conclusions — not that he may accept these conclusions, but they open a field to argu­ ment, to debatable ground to inaction for a time. Then, too, it may be very exasperating for him to acknowledge that he and he alone is the responsible agent. Only by being absolutely honest with ourselves, can we build up an unassailable philosophy, a philosophy proven by experience to be worthy of the immortal stamp of Truth -- not a fad, not a half­ belief, not a temporary substitute for past errors, but a Philosophy which substitutes a working code for the attainment of the ideal Pur­ pose of Life, as it is in full harmony with the great Plan of Evolu­ ti on As you pass thru the Kindérgarden grades of Auto-sugges­ tion you learn something of their influence in directing Will to act and to act rightly. Your next task is to check wandering and wanton thoughts. One may thru auto-suggestion for a half hour, rouse subcon­ scious thought to inactivity, and then overthrow all the good work in the next hour by dwelling mentally in retrospect, reviewing and regret­ ting past failures and blunders. To overcome this habit of erroneous thinking, we must use the power of Will, and it is a most potent in­ fluence, if guided into action in two different ways, ways that en­ gross mentality, and stir up vibrations of cheerfulness ana joy. One of these is thru the recognition of the Divine within one's self by the assertion of the 'I am,' which predicates indicating strength and power, as 'I am masterful in all things,' 'I am a sower of good mental seed, and I protect until the harvest appears,' 'I am mighty to command thought,' 'I myself, am the Great Builder,' 'I am in harmony with all Life,' 'I am one with natures great plan of unfoldmont,' 'I am one with All-Life,' 'I sew the seed and I reap the harvest.1 These are suggestions only, and others far more potent may arise in your own mind, thru your determination to meet the require­ ments of the Law. The other method is to repeat some poem over and ov­ er again; it should be a poem of strength, and one of the most helpful that it is possible to find. A good example of this is Kipling's poem 'If,' another would be perhaps, Longfellow's 'Light of the Stars,' and there are doubtless other verses which you recall of this same general type and character. Repeat them over and over during the day, - keep the Mind filled with theirpowerfu 1 vibrations. Following with diligence, these suggestions, you may as one goal after another is reached, find your desires widening in their range. You will find your longings reaching out farther and farther, and aspirations becoming holier and holier, as spirituality solidifies with mental concept, and then the hoping and longing and aspiring will pass into an eternal One-ment where all is harmony and all is Eternal Life.

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Western Occultism

Informal Chats

Instructive notes supplementary to the Brotherhood Lectures.

Mystic Brotherhood

C-16 Pg 1

Informal Chats With the Faculty

There has ever been emphasized the necessity for Self Training, and perhaps the majority of the instructions given thus far, have been concerned with the training of the thinking principle. 1? many oerhap 3, all this has sounded a great deal like psychology, and yet there has ever been a recognition of other Principles which Psy­ chology does not include. This matter of self mastery,the training of the Mind is the profound basic fact of Occultism, the control of the Instrument called the Thinking Principle; but in order,perhaps to understand the importance of what you have been given, we must have a clear conception of what is meant by the Thinking Principle, and its transformations, and why these latter have to be suppressed. The Thinking Principle,as we use the term, is Consc­ iousness working in the Mental Body of the individuality,that is, the body which is composed of the matter of the Four Lower Sub-Planes of the Mental Plane. We know that the Mental Plane is divided into two general divisions, the Abstract Mental which is the Upper Mental, and the Concrete Mental,or Lower Mental, and we know that each of these Planes is divided into Seven Sub-Planes. So, in taking the Four Lower Sub-Planes of the Mental Plane,we are referring to the Lower part of the Concrete Mental. This is the instrument of the Ego,as the Thinker in the Three Lower Worlds, by means of which it learns to cognize them, or know them. Hence, the Thinking Principle may be called the Lower Mind, for it functions at the level of Concrete Analytical thought, isolating, examining and reasoning upon the facts of experience, glean­ ed from life by the Physical Astral and Mental Bodies. Everything must be referred to this mind for due registration,for it guides the In­ dividuality, performing the task adequately or inadequately, according to the mental development of the Individual. Thus,every vibration to which the Sensory Nerves of the Physical Body respond is conveyed to a certain area of the Brain. The irritation of the Brain Centers is then passed on to the Etheric Double, to certain receiving Centers in the Astral Body. Not until the vibration has been received by the Astral Body can feeling be experi­ enced, for there is the seat of sensation. This explains why no pain is felt under an anaesthetic, for instance, as the latter has the ef­ fect of disconnecting the Etheric and Physical Bodies,hence the dis­ tress of the nerves cannot be passed on to the Receiving Centers. The Sensorial Reactions in the Astral Body, then affect the Mental Body, and reach the Consciousness, which notes, registers, and interprets the sensation for future guidance. In this way, a ladder of communi­ cation is established between the Mind and £he experiences of the Phy­ sical Body,enabling knowledge of the external world to be gained, and the material necessary for the development of thought to be gathered. Similarly the process of thought produces changes in the Mental,Astral and Etheric Bodies, and also reaches the brain. Every moment of time, there is this rapid transition to and from Consciousness, which thus becomes aware of every detail affecting the Individuality. Abstract Thought,that is, the Power of Synthesis, is an attribute of the Upper Mental Plane, and it tends to raise the con­ sciousness to the level of the Higher Mind, which functions in the Higher Body, focussing in Unity. Unity.however, cannot be apprehended until diversity has been experienced, and at the present time, the majority of people are still occupied with diversity,--the Lower Mind predominates. Analysis, Observation and experience,however, con­ stitute the High Road to Unity. It follows, therefore, that the Lower

Mind leads us eventually to the understanding of life,for to appre­ hend Unity is to know Truth, and to experience Actuality. It must be clearly realized that the Mental Body is but an instrument of Consciousness, Consciousness should be perceived as a Unit, as One, although it may express itself in many different ways, or physical states, according to the particular vehicle it may be using at the time, that is, the highly evolved consciousness of the Adept, using the Solar Body, would be in direct touch with Life, or in other words, would be capable of exercising the Faculty of In­ tuition, which disregards form because it is one with that which is the Life of Form. The same Consciousness, using the Higher Psychic Body would express itself in terms of Abstract Thought, while if merely using the Astral Body, feeling would be displayed, and final­ ly, in using the Physical Body, action and perception would result. So, it is necessary that you clearly separate the Vehicles,that is, the form, from the Consciousness, which is the Life. In other words, the Vehicle limits, or particularizes expression, but at the same time, clarifies it and defines it. The Mind then, is the Instrument of Thought,but even casual observation, will reveal to the average person, that it is by no means under his control. The degree of concentration necessary for acquiring knowledge, in many different subjects, or noticeable success in work, is not easily achieved and can hardly be accomplish­ ed, without a considerable part of Intellectual education. Even the one who has trained their mind will find it difficult to keep it onepointed. There ever tends to be a scattering of energy, a lack of attention, which is very disquieting at times. Concentration, where an object of interest or the expression of its talents or special ability is concerned, is natural and effortless, but as in this case, interest is the motive for it, it does not demonstrate control of the Mind. Most people too, can concentrate up to a point, where the motive for doing so, is adequate, such as the need to earn a living. Genius, again, is a result of the concentration of mental and emotional effort, in one particular direction. It is said that Beethoven concentrated on his music to such an extent that he seemed at times like a man in a trance, but always, apart from its native expression, Genius shows a marked lack of poise and control in other directions. The Concentration aimed at by the students of Occult­ ism, is that concentration which is capable of direction at a given moment, upon any subject or object, without reference to the fact of whether he is interested, or has any particular motive or not. Thus, it must be under the control of the will, the function of the latter, being to inhibit all distracting and disturbing influences, thus freeing and steadying the mind for the desired act of concentration. This power which can direct and maintain attention voluntarily, with intensity in any given direction, is a prerequisite of Occult Success, whether in the simpler work of affirmations,or the higher work of Magic. In fact, no one can succeed in perfecting attunement with the Christ Force and the utilization and direction of its’power, until they have achieved the power to direct and maintain attention,volun­ tarily, and this can only be done thru the training of the mind, in the ways which have been suggested, in the chats which have preceded this one. The inability to control the mind, is due to its

C - 16 Pg. 3 normal tendency to pass swiftly from one thing to another, from one thought to another. During the early stages of Mental Development, progress depends upon the accumulation of facts, which form the Ma­ terial for thought. The Mind has gradually evolved as a result of the innumerable experiences gained in many Incarnations, upon the Earth Plane. In its earlier period it developed under the pressure of circumstances, under the imperious necessity for supplying the needs of, and satisfying the desires of the Physical Body. This is the Biological use of the mind, it subserves the Organism. In this way, gradually the qualities of comparison, analysis, criticism and judgment are acquired, and mental energy accumulated. In order,how­ ever, that these faculties may flower, a variety of experiences are required, the Mind must be versatile, mobile, eager to learn, seeking change and variety. Hence it has been likened aptly to a butterfly, for it darts about from one thing to another, skimming lightly over the surface of knowledge, restless, lacking the ability to concen­ trate . As in course of time, mental capacity increases,and am­ bition to achieve it is felt, and this motive acts as a great stimu­ lus to the developing of the faculty of concentration, steadying the mind and directing its attention into definite Channels, helping it to acquire one-pointedness; gradually, too, the exercise of the Men­ tal Faculty becomes a pleasure in itself. Mankind using it,can study and reflect upon* the phenomena of the physical world. The many Sci­ ences of today record the success of his investigations into the mys­ teries of Nature, and the discovery and release of their many hither­ to hidden forces. By this means another way of apprehending our en­ vironment, other than that of the Sense perception is discovered, a way which interprets and explains the evidence of the latter,and leads us to the Borders of the Unseen World, into the Realms which lie across the abyss. Both success and failure play their part in Mental Devel­ opment. Thwarted hopes, disappointment, insecurity of love,inability to avert old age, or prevent death, help to awaken the deeper reflec­ tive levels of thought. The meaning of life is sought, and the mind tends more and more to recede inward upon itself, to dwell upon its interior contents, in order to discover the significance cf the facts it has accumulated. The purpose of experience, the value of pain. When this stage is reached development is greatly accelerated, for it is the interpretation of facts and not their mere accumulation, however necessary it may be to the foundation of thought, which brings into play, the really Creative Powers of the Mind, and leads eventually into the world of the Higher Mind Consciousness from whence are derived the true understanding and Wisdom that give Nobil­ ity and Sincerity of Character, and that establish the Dhilosophies, the Arts and the Ethical Ideals of Civilization. Moreover the Spirit­ ual Discernment which follows upon the practice of inwardness,loos­ ens the Bonds of Custom, Convention, and Moral Codes which will not bear the Light of this higher and clearer vision, and thus helps to raise the level of the Social Consciousness. It is not, then, until the Mind is well developed and ca­ pable of concentration, that the practices of the Occultist can suc­ cessfully commence. The experiences and vicissitudes of life,shape, as it were, the instrument which the would-be Occultist proposes to polish and use freely for his own purposes. To this end, he aims at

establishing complete control over the whole of the activities of his Mind. This involves a continuous surveillance over his thoughts and desires, coupled with a deliberate and self-controlled mental and emo­ tional expression, until he feels that in whatever direction he choos­ es to put his energy, there will be no opposition from the Mind, or the Habit Self, or even the Desire Nature, but on the contrary, a ready and willing cooperation, for he has made these attributes of himself, loyal service, ready and willing to obey his slightest com­ mand . It is not an easy task to make of the mind, a one-point­ ed instrument, consenting to serve us at any moment, thus overcoming its tendency to seek variety and change, but nevertheless, this objec­ tive is absolutely necessary, even in the little affairs of every day life. If we are to see clearly, reason logically and perceive what we are doing, and the results that are going to follow our action. Every student, practicing deliberate control of the Mind, quickly becomes aware of its extreme mobility, its seeming dislike of being held at will to a single point, and the ease with which irrelevant ideas in­ trude upon it, making fixed attention difficult, arduous and often wearisome. The Mind, unused to this unremitting supervision, may ex­ perience a shock or strain when its activities are thus subordinated, to the Authority of the Higher Egoic Consciousness, and directed to definite ends. Control of the Mind, moreover, means not only the rower to make it one-pointed and to exclude irrelevant thoughts, but also the Power to still it at will, to keep it at rest when not required,in other words, to stop the process of thought itself. The difficulty as also the necessity of this, is easily demonstrated by the fact that many people spend sleepless nights because of worrying, or because of anxious or excited thoughts, that escape control and throng the Mind. Until therefore, the activities of the Thinking Principle are mastered it cannot be regarded as a free instrument for our use. On the con­ trary, it will appear frequently to hold us in chains by its restless­ ness and versatility. This experience however, is common to every student who seeks freedom from the trammels of the undisciplined in­ dividuality, and its desires and longings. Thus Arjuna, more than two thousand years ago, complained to his teacher, Shri Krishna, that the Mind "is impetuous, strong and difficult to bend. I deem it as hard to curb as the wind." The Great Yogi replied to his Disciple 'Without doubt the mind is hard to curb and restless, but it may be curbed by constant practice and dispass-ion. " It is this incessant activity of the mind, that in the East is calle'd "its transformations" and these it is which have to be suppressed, or in other words, controlled, so that they can no longer disturb its poise. These transformations may be likened to whirlpools and ripples passing over the surface of the Mind, affecting its tran­ quility as waves agitate and disturb the stillness of a lake. It is important to understand clearly, that it is not only the control of the transformations but also the elimination of the involuntary ones, that is aimed at in the practice of Occultism. Clearly, our every thought and emotion causes a vibration, or trans­ formation in the Mental and Astral Bodies, but it is we who should de­ cide its nature. The response that we make to circumstances should be self-initiated, not involuntary, that is, suppose that someone is angry with us, causing vibrations of a certain order to impinge upon

C - 16 Py 5 - o • O

our subtler Body, we must determine what our reaction will be to this experience. If our Mind is untrained and uncontrolled, the tendency will be for us to become angry too, as every vibration in matter is correlated with a corresponding change in Consciousness. Hence, the same mood could be invoked in us, in which case, irritable waves (tran­ sformations) would sweep over and radiate from our subtler Vehicle, and v/e should find ourselves the slaves of an undesirable emotion,but if on the other hand, instead of yielding to the impact received, we examine it with detachment, with an impersonal attitude, we would then be in a position to determine what response we would make; then,anger would leave us undisturbed and would be met with suitable counter-act­ ing vibrations of friendliness, calmness or peace, as the situation re­ quired. This would serve the double purpose of restoring Harmony to the Atmosphere, and of helping the angry one, to recover his poise. Thus, it will be seen that Control does not mean that v/e are to become less sensitive to the thoughts and emotions of others, but on the contrary, it will be noted that extreme sensitiveness re­ sults in this training, and tho this may add to our nerve strain at first, even giving rise to irritability, and apparent lack of control, at times, it is of the utmost value in ennobling us to sense rapidly the moods and needs of others, so that we can respond to them quickly, in suitable and helpful ways. This matter of training, the Thinking Principle, will be carried on in our next Chat together, but for this time, I want you to read and re-read what has been said. When certain points are brought out, such as "it is the interpretation of facts, and not their accu­ mulation, which brings into play, the really Creative Powers of Hind" --I want you to meditate upon them, to understand them, appreciate what is being said, mentally digest them, and then begin to use them. Mere intellectual knowledge alone, does not suffice in bringing about that control v.-h.ich leads to Peace, happiness and Abundance. It is not the accumulation of knowledge, by reading promiscuously, books, mag­ azines and various lessons from different Schools. It is only when the ilind turns in upon itself, and meditates to discover the signifi­ cance of the facts it has accumulated, that progress is made.

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Western Occultism

Informal Chats

Instructive notes supplementary to the Brotherhood Lectures.

Mystic Brotherhood

3-17 Pg. 1

INFORMAL CHATS :í7¿TH THE FACULTY

I fully realize that the continued watchfulness of our reactions to the experiences of everyday life, and the emotions and thoughts of others will be found to be quite irksome in practice, and may sometimes give rise to feelings of weariness, and exhaustion- Care must therefore be exercised in the practice so as to avoid undue strain and to permit free play always to the expression of the Higher Emotions. It is a good plan to note what is called forth as an easy and natural expression of the fine Emotions, so that when need be we can stimulate the flow of life. Sometimes the society of children will restore to us the rhythm of life, the unconscious frankness, sin­ cerity, and joyousness of the child, and it has a wonderful capacity in releasing the springs of our purer and sweeter emotions, thereby helping us to retrieve the joyous thrill of being. The young of all animals, or birds too, seem to share the mysterious power of the ap­ pealing to the heart of mankind. Others again may feel that Nature or Music bring back to them their lost sense of wholeness or harmony. In some such way always, we must try to counteract the hardness and dry­ ness which occasionally threaten us. It is essential too, that we remind ourselves constantly, of our own Purpose to determine or alter our moods, by deliberately initiating emotions from within. With practice and in time we should be able to radiate Love, Strength, Joy, Peace or Serenity automatically, as our conditions require, or as necessity arises. The realization that every vibration in matter has a pow­ er to change in Consciousness, that is, to give rise to a thought or feeling, and that every change in Consciousness that we initiate from within causes .a vibration in the matte*- of our subtle and physical bod­ ies, is of practical significance to us all, and helps us to under­ stand how to deal with the painful experiences of life. A certain sor­ row may befall us, perhaps the loss of someone whom we love dearly, this throws the emotional and mental bodies into waves of agitation, which hold the consciousness captive so that it cannot escape the sor­ row. The powerful transformations of the thinking principle holds it in its grip. With the average person sorrow has to run its course un­ til the transformation subsides and consciousness is free. This will perforce happen with the passage of time which, as is rightly said, is a Great Healer. New interests too, will Inevitably come into the life causing fresh transformations of the mind, which take the place of those that occasioned the sorrow. Yet, is there really need for us to wait for the passage of time to heal the wound Need we be the slaves of time? Can we not do consciously and deliberately what time does * for us, slowly and certainly? The understanding of the relation of matter and consciousness shows us that we can be the Masters of exper­ ience.. We can stand aloof alike from sorrow as from anger in the sense that we need not yield to it. This means that we shall endeavor not to allow our consciousness to attach itself to the vibrations in the matter of our subtler body. Cn the contrary we shall try to main­ tain a detached attitude and adjust ourselves to the new experience, weighing, observing and testing it, trying to judge it impersonally and finally determinin'? our reactions to it. In this way we shall learn from sorrow since it has come to us for a purpose, but we shall not be overwhelmed by ic. It will affect us, and may make life seem blank for

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a time, but we shall not now give way to despair, we shall maintain a poise that is unfeigned and a self control which is constructive, and which enables us to plan our lives afresh, to look to the future and not dwell in the past. - Thus we shall free ourselves from dependency on time, or, in other words, we shall bring the future into the pres­ ent by anticipating what time would ordinarily accomplish for us. Not only this, but the ability to distinguish between our consciousness and the event that has happened to us, helps us to realize something of the immortality of the Self which dwells in the Eternal, and re­ mains unshaken by the storms and troubles of life; and we may perhaps experience something of the calm peace which comes to those who have sounded the depths and yet have remained undaunted. The Mind of the average individual displays but little control as yet. It is in a constant stage of agitation, and activity, dominated by impulse and ruled by desire, the slave often to preconcei ved and ill-digested ideas, which may not even be his own, but which he has just borrowed from others. Viewed clairvoyantly, the mental and emotional bodies of such a one, would be ever-changing their col­ ors with great rapidity. The first step therefore, to the control of the Mind is to note its content and watch its behavior in its reac­ tions. We should know exactly what we are thinking about and why and the source of our thoughts. This analysis of ourselves, at once has a steadying effect. It is the first step in self-discipline which is so important in things Occult, and deliberate choice of thought natur­ ally begins to follow. The Mind will then no longer be allowed to run suddenly from one thing to another, nor to fritter its energies over a large number of insignificant thoughts. Now the involuntary transformations of the Mind are stim­ ulated from several sources, and I want to take these up and discuss them with you. First, the association of ideas,- this is the major cause of inconsequential thoughts that race thru the Mind and become particularly noticeable when concentration is being deliberately prac­ ticed. The Mind may be conceived as a system of memory traces, the re­ sults of past thinkings, feelings, actions and sense perceptions,which may be stimulated from without by the external world or from within by the inner activity of the consciousness. Every perception arouses as­ sociated traces, which then become for a time being, the focus of at­ tention. A sight or a sound for instance may awaken a host of thoughts, perhaps give rise to day dreams, or lead us down the avenues of remembrance, reviving longings, unsatisfied desires, unsolved prob­ lems or frustrated hopes. The whole content of the mind is linked to­ gether by association, a fact that is taken advantage of, in most sys­ tems of memory training, and it is a useful exercise just to note how when the mental body is not being definitely used by the Ego it keeps turning up these past traces, animated by a casual sense perception. Even if success is attained in closing the avenues of the senses,there is still the association of ideas, due to the inner activities of the Mind to be reckoned with. This causes frequent wandering of attention and the intrusion of irrelevant thought. Some idea for example, that we are turning over in our mind, may recall some totally different ex­ perience and successfully sidetrack our attention for the moment, un­ til the mind is again brought back to the point at issue.

J - 17 Pg. 3

Then second, there are the thoughts of others; the fact of thought transference is now generally understood. All thought cre­ ates currents, vibratory waves in the mental world, which, impinging upon the mental bodies of others, tends to reproduce similar thoughts in their minds. We are continually affecting and being affected by others in this way. Public opinion is largely generated in this si­ lent manner, for numbers of people thinking along certain lines .create a powerful group thought form, difficult to resist, so that those who have not learned to think for themselves will repeat ideas quite inno­ cently, as if they were their own, yet without having given them the necessary, careful consideration. In this way also, national thought forms are created and they profoundly color the outlook of the people. At times they become the cause of serious misunderstandings between nations, by hindering the clear understanding of different points of view, so essential for cooperation. Amidst this swirl of currents in the mental world, too will be found creative ideas of great and progressive thinkers. These berve often to meet opposing thought forms, and hence-the need for per­ sistence, endurance and courage on the part of such idealists. Gradu­ ally however, the new thought form will be strengthened by the cohes­ ion of similar thoughts as they win response from other minds. Such thought forms exercise an invaluable influence, for they stimulate and assist the development of the Race. We live therefore in the midst of a stream of thoughts of others, and while there is need to guard against.careless thought and the intrusion of irrelevant and casual ties, yet the mind must not be closed to the finer thoughts and emotional currents of the mental and Astral Planes. It should not shut itself off from contact with the elevating influences. How then,are we to avoid that which is harmful and profit by that which is beneficisl? How are we to protect oursel­ ves from injurious thought transference? Fortunately the normal vi­ bration-rate of the mental body comes to our aid, and this is deter­ mined by us when we begin to discipline the Mind, for the well train­ ed mind has its own rhythm. This endows the mental body with an auto­ matic selecting power so that it disregards the chaotic mass of thoughts that impinge upon it, and responds only to those which are in harmony with its own tone. It is in just this way in which the radio receiver selects the wave length to which it is attuned, out of the large number of waves which are coming to the antenna. The illregulated and ill-disciplined Mind on the other hand, is a fruitful field for passing thought waves. In this way therefore, we can close our mind to lower influences and deliberately, by aspiration, open the door at will to those that are higher and beneficial. Then third, there is the subconsciousness, that vast Hinter-land which lies beyond the borders of consciousness. This in­ cludes the working of the fundamental instincts inhuman nature, our likes, dislikes, tendencies and habits of mind and emotion. The ef­ fect of the subconsciousness on the thinking principle will need to be dealt with later for it is a very broad subject, but we can remem­ ber that with persistent practice, a finer automatism of the mental and emotional bodies is developed so that they tend to reject unde­ sirable emotions and ill-advised thoughts without the volition of the

individual being involved. This is the higher involuntary response to experience,the reward of character building which finally enables poise to be maintained without effort in the midst of trying circum­ stances. It is the fruitage of steady and persistent endeavor.. Seen clairvoyantly the Mental Body that is fully under control presents a colorless appearance,for it is undisturbed,quiescent until it is re­ quired for use by its owner, the Ego. — It is a tool in its hand. So in practical occultism, the control of the mind means the crossing of that imaginary bridge,that separates the higher from the lower consciousness, - it requires the ability to withdraw the consciousness from the Lower Mental to the Higher Body. This then, gives you a very clear understanding I believe of the training and disciplining of the mind. In previous Chats there has been brought out points about the practice of discipling, and particularly in the fourteenth and fifteenth Chats, the matter of au­ to-suggestion is touched upon, that is the matter of using affirma­ tions. It might be of interest at this point to stop and consider the relation of the Objective Mind to the Subconscious Mind, and the man­ ner in which the latter is affected by thought held strongly in the former. Altho the Subconscious Mind is all-wise and all powerful, there is one point at which it is vulnerable to attack by the Objec­ tive Mind. That Vulnerability is its absolute Credulity. It accepts as true without argument or without question anything the Objective Mind tells it. difficulty lies in communicating with it all. It is separated from the Objective Mind by a "Twilight Zone,” of Con­ sciousness, called the Subjective Mind, and this Zone is not crossed by every passing whim or wish. To put the same Truth in another form it is insulated from the Objective Mind by a stratum of Consciousness called Subjective Mind, Dream Mind, or Hypnotic Mind, which is resist­ ant to the passing of Objective Thought, so that communication betweai the Objective and Subconscious Mind can be accomplished only under proper conditions by the employment of a high Mental Pressure. It is important that this difficulty be fully understood and appreciated,for lack of understanding and appreciation of this one fact accounts for nearly all of the failures to get results. Let us suppose a block of metal charged with Negative Electricity is lying upon a glass-topped table: let us suppose another similar block of metal,charged with a Positive Electricity is lying upon the first one,but separated from it by a thin sheet of hard rub­ ber,which last named substances resists the passing of Electricity. The Lower Block,being negatively charged,and the Upper one Positive­ ly charged,the tendency is for the upper block to discharge Electri­ cal Energy into the lower until their charges become equalized, but the insulating sheet of rubber prevents the passage of Electrical charge thereby also preventing any communication between the two blocks. The rubber cannot hold back an Electrical Current under very high pressure, and if the charge from the upper block is raised to a high pressure, or voltage, it will then pass thru the rubber and into the lower block. The Subconscious Mind is in the position of the lower metal block, and it is normally passive or negative to the Objective Mind, which latter is in the position of the upper block, but the

thin stratura of the Subjective Mind lies between the Objective and Sub­ conscious Minds, in the position of the sheet of rubber, and under or­ dinary conditions prevents any communication between them. However, the resistance of the Subjective Mind can be broken down under concen­ trated effort of the Objective Mind and during intense periods of con­ centrated effort, the Objective Mind can send a message to the Subcon­ scious Mind. The Message thus transmitted is unquestionably accepted as true by the Subconscious Mind and it immediately brings all of its wonderful Wisdom and Power into play, carrying the matter to its logi­ cal conclusion and sequence. If one who is the victim of disease can establish the proper condition and can send thru the simple message, "I am going to get well,1' it will be accepted as true, and all the Wisdom and Power for sustaining Life and Growth in every form, will.be immediately cen­ tered upon the manifestation of that Truth in the Physical Body. This is the method employed by the Master in His work of Healing, as will more fully appear by reference to His recorded .work and teachings. It further, is the fundamental principle underlying all; Super-Physical Healing. However, the method that I have now under consideration is not limited to the treatment of disease, but may be employed with equal facility and certainty in the Attainment of Success and Happi­ ness.For Instance,if one can put thru the Message, "I shall:succeed in my. business," all the V/isdom and Power requisite to Success in that particular business .will immediately be centered upon it and Success will promptly be realized. The question that is at burning heat in your mind now is, "How can I send the Message thru?" This question cannot be answered in a sentence, or even in a paragraph, but 1 will attempt to unfold the answer step by step until it stands forth in such clarity that it cannot be misunderstood, and. in such simplicity that there can be-no , mistake in its practical application to every affair of Life,then of course, if you will pardon the vernacular it is up to you. If you are willing to do the work involved in the application your Life will be enriched and glorified beyond your fondest hopes.. The process of sending a Message to the Subconscious Mind involves no technical difficulty, it is an Intelligent form of Prayer that always gets results. All that is required, is a clear understand­ ing of the relations and functions of the Objective, Subjective. and Subconscious Phases of Mind, and a measure of simple training in the practical application of this knowledge to the practical affairs of your every-day Life. Now this wonderful phase of Subconsciousness can be intel ligently approached only by those who are aviare of its Power and Wis­ dom and its response will be in exactly the- proportion to the amount of this Awareness. If you come to know that this part of Mind has the Wisdom and Power to give you Health, but have doubt of its ability to give you Success, then you may thru these Methods, be freed from every disease, but you can never achieve complete success in business or in other phases of Life., until you come into that knowledge, that it can also give you this success, as well as Health. Therefore, to the ex­ tent that this Subconscious Mind is reached and understood, it becomes a mirror, reflecting back into the Objective World the individual’s settled convictions keep within himself, concerning himself.

Western Occultism

Informal Chats CU/V-/^r
instructive notes supplementary to the Brotherhood Lectures.

Mystic Brotherhood

C-18 Pg 1

INFORMAL CHATS ’71 TH THE FACULTY.

”If ye ask, Believing, ye shall receive, even before ye ask.” ”Ye ask, but ye receive not, because ye ask amiss." It certainly should be plain to anyone, that in order to un­ derstand correctly, the meaning of the Master Jesus, in these two quot­ ations, we must place unusual emphasis and significance, upon the -words in the first instance, ’’Believing” and in the second instance, upon the word ’’asking”. In our studies heretofore, in these informal chats, we have been building up a code of life, a manner of living, with self­ responsibility emphasized.There has been brought out plainly, that each is the Creator, in a very literal sense of his own physical body, not only after birth, but before birth, and he certainly is the creator of every circumstance of life that comes to him, insofar at least,as he is responsible for attracting it within the horizon of his conscious­ ness. Me have shown that there is an immortal part of man, as well as a mortal part, and that this immortal part, is the Archetypal mold, or framework, carried forward from life to life, and that from the mo­ ment of conception, it is this Archetypal mold upon which build the ma­ terial atoms, and thus shapes the physical body with each of its organs including the physical brain, with its capacities and limitations. We have shown that past lives, with their infinite number of thoughts and acts, have resulted in this mold which stands as the pro­ duct of all these things, conscious and unconscious; that as a result of these further, it is attracted into the stream of circumstances that brings it into birth, at a precise moment which attunes it to the vibrations of the Planets, favorably or unfavorably, as the case may be; that, due to that affinity; that attunement, thereafter thruout life, those great chords of vibrations play upon the physical organism, thus bringing an inner urging. In addition to this inner urging of these vi­ brations sweeping over the physical organism, there is also an urging inherent in the very blood itself, by reason of the blended stream of hereditary influences, which have come down from the progenitors of this one, and which constitute the hereditary influence. These things combined, represent the Stress Blocks of Negative Evil, against which the Soul in this incarnation pits its strength, and in the pitting, de­ velops will power, moral structure and Spiritual Strength and Under­ standing. Just as exercise is necessary to the development of the Phy­ sical Muscle, the development of the Moral Nature is accomplished- thro­ ugh temptation. The Divine Spark Within, an integral part of the Great Birth Cord, is primarily innocent, but it is not virtuous, Virtue is that Positive Quality developed by taking a firm stand for the right in temptation, or by the suffering endured in consequence of wrong doing. This,then, is the eternal purpose behind the Earthly conditions which cause pain and sorrow. Now in addition to these factors, which we have discussed at length, in the previous chats, there is yet one other factor to be reckoned with, and that is the impingement of outside assistance,that is, assistance outside the man himself, from evolved men who have learned the lessons of life, and who now have turned to aid in assist­ ing others in the struggle, and from those Angelic Hierarchies, and Spiritual Forces of the Inner Planes. In a consideration of this sub­ ject, we are brought face to face with the question of Prayer. All down thru the Ages, Prayer has been an important factor in the life of the Religious, both in the Church and out of it. The Mind and Consciousness of man, steeped so long in the tenets of an Or­ thodox Faith, which stands upon the foundation, of an Anthropomorphic

God, find it difficult to understand Prayer in any other than the form of beseeching for special intervention, in most cases neither earned, nor deserved. As we read again, the two quotations from the Master Jesus,at the beginning of this Talk, as we study them and meditate over them, we cannot help but be impressed with the thought in the beginning of our Chat, that there must be a special significance to the peculiar form and wording of these statements, and that unusual thought must be given to the correct understanding of what He meant by "belief* and "asking". Humanity is like little children in many respects, and in no­ ne so, perhaps, than that the False God of Fear rules their very exist­ ence. They are afraid to do this, and they are afraid to do that, and they lack moral courage, to weigh, consider and decide. They lack faith in themselves, they are afraid to trust the Inner Voice, and when thin^ go wrong, instead uf seeking within themselves, for the cause—instead of placing themselves under the microscope to scrutinize their own ha­ bits, thoughts and ideas, they seek outer aid, they seek special inter­ vention, they plead and beseech God to personally set aside the Great Laws of the Universe, and to shield them from the consequences of their own wrong thinking, their own wrong living, regardless of the fact that in the majority of cases, they continue right on in the same way, and bring the same consequences upon themselves again and again. They for­ get that in the great Scheme of Human life, disease, poverty, all of the ills and sorrow of Earth, must continue, and come again and again, until the lessons which they would teach, have been engraved so deeply into the Soul, that it avoids setting into motion, those Forces in the future. Thus having learned its lesson, those things vanish, to trouble it no more. As we read these quotations, we realize that we must set aside the old superstitious ideas of Orthodoxy, we realize that we must no longer consider God as a Patriarch, ruling His people with a benevo­ lent autocracy, and governing a Kingdom so small that He is able to at­ tend to the details of its Administration personally. We have today, passed far beyond this concept in our Governmental form, for we operate through Constitutional Authority, operating thru Law, rather than upon the primitive concept of the rulership of a Patriarch over a small tri­ be, composed of his descendants and kith and kin, such as Abraham was, dwelling in his tent and surrounded by his flocks and herds. We have substituted for a God, liable to moods of an impuls­ ive and extravagent kindness, and ether moods of an equally impulsive, but short-lived ferocity, a God of Infinite Love and Justice, a God who has so devised His Universe, that all that we need, or can ask for, everything that can possibly enter the Imagination, has already been provided, as possible. We come to realize that the way for these things must have been provided, for all alike equally, and not provided for some, and withheld from others, by any autocratic decree. So, as we sit like a Janus in the middle of the Passage, and draw down Spiritual Light and Inspiration, as we contemplate these two quotations, we are inevitably brought to the conclusion that we can on­ ly claim to have "believing* when we are literally living the life whi­ ch has been outlined in these preceding chats, and have demonstrated our ability to continue with that living, regardless of what may happen When we have continued that manner of living, thru test and trial, then and then only, can we say "We believe" and then, as we pray to the Spi­ ritual Hierarchies, for the things we want, there comes to our Con­ sciousness, a flash of Understanding, and we realize that our Life, it­ self, is a Prayer. We realize that the desires of our nature, the medi­ tations of our heiarts, are the true prayers indeed, and that they are

C-18 Pg 3 attracting the things we have in this way -asked for". We come to a Re alizationi as we study the second of those quotations, that when we continue to live one way, consistently, along certain Unes, and suddenly at a moment of disaster, turn and pray for something else.that the Prayer is not heard, because we, "ask amiss”—it is a mere idle Pr­ ayer of the lips, while what is really answered, are the inner desires or the inner meditations, in other words,—our dally life. Man is a human radio, and like this instrument, can be attun­ ed satisfactorily to but one rate of vibration at a time. Of the thous­ ands of messages passing thru the Earth simultaneously, a well c®n structed receiving set today, can be attuned to any one, while all the rest will have no more effect, than if they never existed. The more Se­ lective the instrument, the higher grade is its mechanism, and it is 1dentically the same with Man, on the Planes of Consciousness and Nature thru which he is evolving. If we will follow completely and persistent­ ly, daily and hourly, the thoughts that have been laid down in the preceding chats, we will marvel at the results, we will find that we a.sk rel="nofollow"> "believing” and we will certainly find that we do not "ask amiss"—we will find that this daily and hourly development of mind and Spirit,at­ tunes us to ever finer currents, whereby we receive an' influx of energy thru ever higher, finer, natural Planes, and we will find that in the carrying out of our Life Flan, we can bow our heads, and in silent Pla­ yer, ask the Spiritual Hierarchies, or the Master Himself, for the Li­ ght and Knowledge we need, and the Strength to carry thru. We will find that we can ask in this way, and receive the Inspiration which points the way where no way seems to exist, but we can only do this when we have demonstrated by every hour and day of our existence, that we are utilizing the Talents we have, developing and expanding them, and that we have a keen realization of our own responsibilities, as well as our own powers- and abilities. It is unfortunately true, that the vast majority have neither the will nor the stamina, to attempt self-help, or to set their own house in order. They seek help in Prayer, and through a hundred Cults and Creeds which are popular today, asking only that they will not be disturbed in their habits, and in their ways of doing things. They are willing to pay any price for the assistance they ask, save only this—— they will not change themselves, nor the way they like to do things. Let us remember therefore, that when we ask, "believing," we shall" receive even before we ask, but when we ask and do not receive,it is because we "ask amiss". When we ask the Infinite Father to give us those blessings which we lack, or to straighten the crooked Paths where­ in we walk, let us always add the stipulation to our desires, ’’Let these things be, if they are best for me,- if not, Thy Will, not Mine be done." Let us always qualify our will to achieve, by: such deference to the Divine Will; that alone does all things well. Irr this way, we may change the course of our procedure- This Humility will save us from the great Adversary, who under the guise of Egotism, whispers to us that we are greater than the Infinite. Let us always remember that our Prayer is answered only to the extent and in the same degree that we ha­ ve gained control over ourselves, our viewpoints our temperaments and our idiosyncrasies. So we want you to read and study, not once, but several times what has been said, that you may truly understand that which must pre­ cede Prayer, if Prayer is to be effective, andthen apply this talk to your own life. Set about now, to place your house in order. Much is said about good luck and bad luck, but as a matter of fact, these are erroneous expressions. There is really no such thing as luck, good or bad. These experiences which are referred to, have been clearly shown

to be, in actuality, but the result. Today, you are sowing the seed for tomorrow’s so-called 'luck' because like produces like. The kind of se­ ed that you sow today, determines the kind of ’luck' that will come in­ to your experiences tomorrow. Some persons seem to feel that if their conditions were dif­ ferent today, or if their environment wore changed today, their circum­ stances would show a corresponding change tomorrow. The matter which should really occupy every person's attention, is actually what he sho­ uld do with the conditions or environment which he possesses today. It is not ’that which may be,' but that 'which is,’ upon which attention, should be concentrated, if one wishes to have happiness and peace to­ morrow . If’ it is a hard day awaiting you tomorrow, if you are fearful of tomorrow's conditions, you are taking one way, and a very sure way, as we have shown, to attract to yourself, the so-called "bad luck".What really happens is, that your conscious thought, busy with worry or anx­ iety, creates a Nucleus, or a center of Attraction, for all the condi­ tions necessary for the materialization of these wrong thoughts.These conditions, the Subconscious Mind, without arguing or reasoning, for that is not within its province, proceeds to work out into physical facts and then when these appear in your life, you term them 'luck' — in actuality, they are definite results, produced by definite causes. \ It isn't always easy for us to admit that these brain child­ ren of ours, when they reappear as physical conditions or environment, manifesting in our lives, are really our own, and one reason why this is true, is because these brain children of ours, have grown beyond im­ mediate recognition, but it is an Occult Law, that whatever we give out mentally, come6 back to us many-fold. We can always count upon the func­ tioning of this Law. And because this is so, it sometimes follows that a small wo­ rry or a thought of anxiety, multiplies and assumes such proportions that they manifest in one's life as a streak of 'bad luck'. The unlucky person, perhaps, attributes this so-called 'bad luck' to some perverse streak of fate or fortune. A fear thought is possible the roost common of these 'bad luck' germs."The things which I have feared, have come upon me," was Job's lament. There is an Occult Principle back of Job’s experience. He may have recognized his exper­ iences only as bad luck, but viewed in the Illuminating Light of the Hi­ gher Planes, it becomes plain that Job attracted his bad luck, thru his fear of certain conditions and situations. The habit, of criticism is another cause, of which bad luck of one sort or another is an effect. Nothing will more quickly or more su­ rely, attract unpleasant experiences in your life, than will a super­ critical attitude of mind. It matters little, whether the criticism is expressed, or merely held in thought. Self Pity is another mental habit which invites 'bad luck'-by feeling sorry for yourself, you invite the very condition which you deplore, you cause this condition to intensify and magnify Itself in your life. The mechanical processes of the Subconscious Mind build in­ to your life these out-picturings of the conscious thought of Self Pity which you pass on to it. Your thought has thus become solidified, or objectified, and has appeared in the outer world in the form of a de­ finite thing, or condition. Lack of Faith is also certain to produce bad luck, that is, the bad luck is produced by the person's lack of faith in his Good,and by his faith in the not-so-good, by his faith in the fear thought or wo­ rry thought, or the self-pity thought. His faith in the not-so-good has set into motion the mechanical processes of his Subconscious Mind, act­

ing on the surrounding Ethers, the intangible substance of spirit,which surrounds every living, breathing creature. That Subconscious Mind bring forth a physical fact, and in due season, this fact appears in his life, a solidified, objective thought, externalized on the Physical Plane, and then, when that physical fact appears, the person usually wants to call it ’bad luck.’ So, in order that you may "ask, believing" and in order ths you may not "ask amiss", start today to have active faith in the good which is manifesting in your life, for to some degree, good manifests in every life. Look for the good, and you will cause good to grow, ex­ pand and fill your entire world. In this way, by persistently harmoniz­ ing with the Universal Law, in time you will come to live, so that to­ morrow’s ’good luck’ will not be a matter of chance, but rather, it will be a definite result, brought about by the definite functioning of your mind along constructive lines. It may not be easy to change the mental processes of a life-time, but most worth while results, are the effects of persistent efforts.

Western Occultism

Informal Chats

Instructive notes supplementary to the Brotherhood Lectures.

Mystic Brotherhood

C - 19

Pg. 1

INFORMAL CHATS WITH THE FACULTY We have about finished this part of our work together,, for in these brief eighteen weeks, there has been given the knowledge and the understanding that will raise you out of any condition of tur­ moil and strife into the full freedom of the broader life, provided only that you take these informal talks that have come to you, and read and review constantly, and above all, that you put into practice and make habitual the things that have been given to you. In this talk together, it seems best that we discuss a problem which is one of the greatest that men and women face, a problem about which all too little is said, and rarely that in a manner that is sensible and helpful.

So we are going to discuss in this Chat,the subject of Sex and Polarity. First of all, let us define Sex as ’’the Material ex­ pression of Spiritual things.” In Sex we use one word to describe two opposite forces. Sex on the instinctive or Subconscious Plane concerns the pro-creative faculty, which civilized man shares with savages and the whole of Crea­ tion, but like everything else, it is subject to the Law of Polarity. You know that Genuis, the highest expression of Man’s coherent thoughts is akin to madness, which is the negation of coherent thought. But that Spirituality is in the same way, akin to Sexuality, tho at the opposite pole from it, is not so universally admitted or realized. Yet it is the same thing transmuted, or if we prefer it, an ”X” nunber of vibrations higher or an octave higher. Sex expressed in its lowest form (lust) is man’s most degrading experience. Expressed on its loftiest, the Spirit­ ual Plane (Love) it is the highest. How often we observe that Genuis, whose highest flights of inspiration are God-like, sinks in other moments to the lowest depths of degradation. The greater richness of nature, possessed by the Gen­ ius, means that the pendulum of character has a bigger swing, and un­ less Will is developed in proportion to the talent, the line of least resistance will be followed, which is the line of degeneracy and ex­ tinction. , What in its simplest form of expression, is Spiritual­ ity? It is the Love of God. What is sex in its highest Spiritual ex­ pression? It is the love of a human being. Sex is this, its highest Material Plane is an ordered step upward, on the way to Spirituality. Sex on its most debased and material Plane, is a long step downward to­ ward animality, and extinction. Those who climb up trie mountain, are in more danger of falling, than those who are content to sit at its foot, and we might then ask, ’’Why scale the Heights at all?” It is be­ cause refusal to advance on account of danger, is the coward’s thoughts it is a refusal to accept the God-given Gift of Life, it is a denial, and a negation, and leads ultimately to Death. That which we do not develop must by a Lav; of Nature, gradually wither away, just as a per­ fectly healthy arm strapped to the side, will eventually wither and de­ cay. We cannot at the same time, deny life and enjoy it. If we refuse to stand up to its risks, we cannot encounter its splendor.

All life is in a state of flux, ceaselessly creating,

and recreating. Evolution is the Lav/ of Life. In accordance with the Cosmic Law, a static condition is impossible. Man nust either advance or retrogress. Free Will allows him the choice. Those who are unwill­ ing to stand up to Life and take its risks and encounter its adventures must sink behind in the weedy, stagnant back-waters of existence, while Life flows on past them. Stagnation is followed by degeneration and de­ generation leads to death. What would we think of a mother, who, to spare her child the danger of falling, prevents it from learning to walk? The child must be under-developed and unformed. It is the same way in which man remains undeveloped, if he refuses Nature’s challenge to Spiritual Growth. Neither can he, by shirking danger, escape finally from it. All these perils he has passed by—shiveringly, on the other side, accumulate in number and powei’ while he drifts by, and fall upon him when his nature has become so vitiated, and puny, with weakness of will and he will be least able to resist them. Those who avoid life’s troubles, are invariably overwhelmed at last. Every difficulty faced and overcome gives man added Power to conquer the next; every trouble man shirks and avoids piles up the sum of troubles which will eventual­ ly annihilate him. The Ocean of Life will pass over him, and he, the drifter, will be submerged.

On the Physical Plane, the Creative urge may be satis­ fied by children. That is not the only Plane on which it functions.The word Creative is of infinitely wider application than that usually giv­ en to it, and it includes every thought,movement, word and action which is not destructive. In fact, the words Creation, and Work should by synonymous terms; the work which is not creative, and however low a Plane, is not work at all, and no work can be creative, unless Love goes to the doing of it. And so after all it is only the weakling amongst man­ kind, who refuse to stir from their back-water of constant security where disease and degeneration awaits them in the shadow; to them, Peace Calm and Inaction are the essential things, the safe things,but without buoyancy of effort there can be no real security. After all, their fancied Peace is but the inanition of Death.

For not all, are progressing onward and upward tov/ard the ultimate and utmost perfection of life, the Divine, who is the Fountain of all Life. Some are heading the other way, toward stagna­ tion and death. It is they who refuse to take up the Challenge of Life and life passes them by; they fall behind until they fail to belong to life at all, but become at-one with Death. For existence is two-fold, a progress toward life, or a progression toward Death. Man comes into this Earthly life, at various stages on the way. The stage at which he enters it, being determined by the stage he reached in the former incarnation. He then, is free to pro ceed up or down, as he will. In this sense only, is his free will limit ed, that his birth conditions may vary infinitely, but it must never be overlooked that these birth conditions are in no way the result of chance. They are the exact result of his own thought and actions in past lives.

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Pg. 3

The Great ones of Earth are those who move more quickly on Life’ Stream. Their vibrations are stronger, and bite more deeply into the core of Being, but at the sane time, their motions, tho less hurried, are more swift. They overtake the current of life, and pass it, they are actually in front of the pace which normal existence sets, they have advanced beyond the normal current of Evolution, for man, born with limited free will, can increase, even in one life, to a ter­ rific degree, in working up to that Union with the Divine, where Will becomes limitless, and will and action are one. As Spirituality is a quickened intensity of Life, so Materialism is a slackened torpor of Death. Consciously or unconsciously, man is ceaselessly creating or de­ stroying. Every fraction of a second in life, is a definite building up or pulling down. No matter by which Path we adventure along the way to Spiritual Heights, the process is the same, sublimation of sex. Sex, or the creative Act, functions on Three Planes, the Material or Physical, the Intellectual and the Spiritual, or the Instinctive, the Conscious and the Super-Conscious. It can function either constructive­ ly or destructively on any of these three. In its material expression, it functions constructively when Love for the individual is present, and destructively, when Lust is present. Intellectually it is constructive when Love of the work undertaken is dominant in the Individuality, but destructive, when the work is pursued solely for reasons of gain, Love of the work itself, being entirely absent. Work is creative to just that extent that it is dictated by love. The degeneracy of certain present day forms of art, literature and music, so-called, is explained by this Law. Spiritually sex is constructive when Love of Humanity dominates the Individuality. When self is allowed to intrude, it be­ comes debased to the most degrading forms of Spirituality and Black Magic. That, to the Westerner, is the danger of some of the Eastern forms. As in all forms of Spiritual development, every sense becomes more alert, acute and intensified, but in the study of the East ern Methods, if successfully pursued, the pace of its quickening is so much intensified, that the newly awakened Soul is unsufficiently deve­ loped to cope successfully with its swiftly growing powers. The result is catastrophe, a loosening of Will control which has not grown in pro­ portion to the increase of power in other directions, is follov/ed by a complete collapse, in milder cases, a nervous break-down. In severer ones, degraded morality, Madness or Death, or a quick sequence of all three.

For in the successful pursuit of the practice of those Eastern methods, growth of Power is marvelously swift. The Sight and Hearing become more acute, the sense of touch infinitely more delicate. All too frequently in this Western World, as the full force of life courses again thru every particle of being, men and women feel almost a God. In ecstacy of happiness at these wonders, they are apt to be all too blind to the dangers that accompany them. (Spiritual)

The slower methods of Western Development, hold few ter­ rors but of course, we cannot gain the prize without running the race. As a result of Spiritual Development, man develops all his other facul­ ties. Intelligence is heightened, the feelings and emotions are inten­ sified, and the whole Personality becomes keyed up to a higher pitch. It is obvious that as this greater aliveness invades the entire being, it must also affect the sex. Instinct, which under the conditions of this development, become intensified, and unless sublimated and diver­ sified into other Channels danger exists. The weakest point of the general ideas of teachings hitherto given amongst the V»estern people, seem to be an ignoring of the Power of Will, and its definite importance. An Eastern seeker after Truth and Spiritual things, invariably begins the study by an inten­ sive training and strengthening of the Will. A strong and disciplined Will is the only safe sheet anchor against floundering.

So, sex is always a potential danger, but to assert that this applies to the sexually minded person only, is to show igno­ rance of the Laws of Being; the more vivid life becomes, the more wide awake become all of the instincts. The Occultist does not believe in chance, but in cause and effect alone, it is to be assumed then, that artificial restraint but amounts to training in the wrong direction, and this is as danger­ ous to Spiritual Growth, as any other wrong training. Those repress­ ions are the enemy of Sublimation. The Mystery then, behind the Spiritual disasters, so often seen, as following New Thought, Spiritism the Eastern Practices, artificial Religious upbringing, lies in the negation of Will, in ig­ noring the necessity of its training. Let Will go hand in hand with that quickening of the senses, which is a condition of Spiritual Dnfoldment, and danger is minimized. Train Will to act smoothly and strongly. The auto-suggestion that Mental Imagery exists inde­ pendently of the Will and without its exercises is a statement far too often made by teachers and promulgators of Cults, who fear to scare off impending pupils by the mention of so austere a thing as Will. Because of the wide-spread idea that Will is a difficult and stubborn thing to train, that unless man is born with what is known as a strong Will, the struggle is well-nigh hopeless from the start.

But the Will, trained, thru such auto-suggestion methods as we have been giving you, is no more difficult to cultivate than any other qualities and the rewards are far greater. Ignore the Will, and dangers must materialize. It is even better to have a disciplined Will than to be Spiritual, if the choice must be made. Transmution tho seem­ ingly difficult to the inexperienced, is in reality, very simple. It is to heighten to their very highest vibrations the Forces operating in us. It is to play the same tune an octave higher. As a simple example, if thoughts of dislike for a certain individual pervades the individuality, then concentrate in the Silence on any good quality that person possesses, --in a few moments, nothing but love will be left in the mind.

So, thought of Sex can be transmuted in at least two ways, First, in meditation on the Infinite Love of God as expressed in all Creation, and second, into concentration upon some personal, crea­ tive work. It may be anything from the building of a battleship, the composition of a poem or novel, to the mere sweeping of a room; every­ thing undertaken in the creative Spirit, becomes Creative work, the work of the Builders.

Practice and control thru Vu’ill training, is therefore, the most insistent need of our times, and it is the reason we have ex­ pressed it thru all these Chats. In these times, even more especially, is it needed, for we are now at the parting of the Ways, the ending of the Piscean, or Intellectual Age, and the beginning of the Aquarian, or Spiritual Age, which unless we readily attune ourselves to a higher and more delicate and subtile vibrations, we cannot escape extermination.

"Men of Earth, Brothers of Eternity, Shake your Souls:Awake: The Hour so long waited for, the promised Hour has come.Over the dark firmaments and suffering Humanity is rising the Morning Star, heralding the Day when you shall understand that man’s most sacred duty is to be a man. There is no High­ er problem, no vaster aim, and you who realize this, will break the fetters with which ignorance and fear have bound Unconscious Humanity, and will stand up, freed, kno?/ing yourselves to be the Eternal Manifestation of the Unmanifest Sons of the One Great All, whom ye call God.”

Western Occultism

Informal Chats

Instructive notes supplementary to the Brotherhood Lectures.

Mystic Brotherhood

G-20 Pg 1

INFORMAL Crúxlo WIT!: THE FACULTY

One who has not gone deeply into the matter of the hidden and invisible side of things, is apt at one time or another, after reading facts such as these which deal with the matter of Re­ incarnation, Power of Mind and the Ability to function in the Invis­ ible Planes, to lean back and question in his mind whether, after all, there is anything in this, or whether the view of the materialist is right. Of course, after he has had some definite experienced, he can say that he knows, but previous to that time he could only say it seemed reasonable or unreasonable, as the case may be- We are enter­ ing a new day, a new Age, and the inventions of the immediate past, have begun to open up a new side and the old days have gone by when the superficial materialist was able to deluge the world with the jargon of Science, and its magical instruments of precision. His fond belief that the microscopes and telescopes would plumb the In­ finite has been proven mere foolishness- Even now, the school boy realizes that the microscope and the telescope do no more than aug­ ment very slightly the feeble power of the human eye, and that the Infinite is not at the mercy of a piece of glass, however finely it may be ground. Radio activity is a phenomena which has gone far to disturb the cocksureness of the materialist. A piece of heavy metal may act at a distance upon a photographic plate, and may do so for many years, without any loss of weight, which can be determined by any instrument of precision. Telepathy or thought Transference is another Phenomena which baffles the much harrassed rnan whose mental horizon is bounded by the High School Text 3ooks of his youth, for Telepathy escapes psychological explanation. The real difficulty of the true materialist lies in his unwillingness to admit, that a*material substance such as a piece of Uranium or a human body possesses something in addition to the substance which he can measure and weigh, and test. He is disinclined to admit that there is something which extends beyond the changeable edges of that piece of Uranium and which can effect a photographic plate on the other side of a brick wall. It is really annoying to think that a man in America, can by sheer process of thought, convey that thought to his Brother in England, yet disagreeable as it may seem, he must admit it, for both phenomena have been proven consist­ ently . But the Materialist is not consistent, for even the Material body is known to possess something besides their molecules. They possess energy and in varying forms. This energy is best under­ stood by us as vibrations,-it is nowise extreme to speak of radio act­ ivity as the Soul of Uranium, nor of thought as the Soul of the Brain. Every substance in the r/orld is radio-active, to a greater or lesser degree and has a vibratory life of its own. Thus, all substances may be said to possess in some measure, a body and a Soul, or if other terms are preferred, a Material Body, and a Spiritual, or Astral Body is on the other. The Material Body of the thinker in America is on one side of the Atlantic, and the Spiritual or Astral Body is actively engaged in giving rise to the impression in England. A moment's consideration, may be paid to this question of vibrations, which has now given rise to an entirely new science, that of Radiesthesie. It will be important to consider of what any body can consist. Material Science informs us that matter consists of molecules, held together by a force known as Cohesion, but atoms are but groupings of electrons and their central nucleus. That the latter

C 20 Pg. 2 are but sheaths for the conveyance electrical energy and that elec­ trical energy is only a Path along which vibrations travel.The heavi­ est piece of lead, the hardest piece of steel,are only two modes of grouping invisible and intangible vibrations. It is necessary to avoid carrying this truth so far that the material body is entirely forgotten. Tho the lead and steel be re­ duced to vibrations,yet re lati ve ly i other substances,they remain as metal. Mentally regarding a piece of lead as a grouping of intangible vibrations will not alter its ability to depress the scale and the steel will still bruise us if we try io punch a hole thru it. These substances then,possess two bodies at least,a vibratory body and what is g-enerally called a material body • This latter,the material body has been found to contain the most extraordinary power. A piece of steel,given to a Psychometri st to hold, will enable him to reconstruct certain unknown details, of the bombardment of a certain Sector during the War,the details of which it was possible to confirm afterwards,by other evidence. A piece of stone,taken from a ruined Temple in Sicily has enabled another Psychometrist who has never been out of this Country to describe that Temple and give a personal description of the various people who were in the party the day that piece of stone was picked up,and so to give a description of the building of that Temple many thousands of years before,with historic detail which was found to be accurate. Now,then,did the piece of steel,re tain the memories of that bombardment,and how did a piece of stone from a Temple Wall register, not only the Temple,but the people who visited the ruin on a certain day? Again,the mu?h laughed-at Divining Rod,and the Pendulum has been found of service not only in finding underground water,and metaliforous veins,but also to track the flight of fleeing criminals. A sensitive Diviner can mark every place where a murderer áte or stayed, merely by the vibrations emanating from the walls of the room.Not on­ ly then,do all substances attain vibrations of their own,but other vibrations may be impressed upon them. Without desiring to force the issue in any way,either there is a memory body in matter,in all matter, or else memory is an inte­ gral function,neither of the material body,nor of the vibratory body. If memory seems an extreme term, the phrase "enduring registration'" may be used,but the difference is slight.In the case of the piece of steel,and the stone from the Temple,and the table whereat the murder­ er sat,reference has only been made to unconscious vibrations but many a problem will become clear when it is realized,that inanimate objects,inert objects,to use the old phrase may be given certain vi­ brations by conscious effort.This of course,is the explanation of Talismanic Magic, concerning which much of the real work of the Bro­ therhood is concerned. The Egyptians understood this principle most thoroughly and the Ushabti or small figure found in many tombs were prepared in such wise to act as memories of the Soul,even as temporary vehicles if need be .Upon the pottery image,was bestowed the power of renewing the vibrations of that Soul,- does this seem strange'5 How many keepsakes do the same? What wizardy of memory may lie in a broken locket, a faded flower, or a blood-stained knife0 The Iconoclast may shrug his superior shoulders at the pious worshipper whose prayers are rendered more fervent by the sight of a Crucifix,the Cross,or the Statue of a Saint,but he will do well not to forget that these symbols may have a high potential of Spiritual

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Energy, charged over and over again,by the intensive concentration of Devotees, and unless the Iconoclast is entirely foolish,he will re­ member that nothing can be destroyed, for all things are imperishable, and that an emotional, electric charge, so to speak, is not alien to Universal Lav/. Mary an ancient Cathedral is heavily charged with De­ votional Power,which was accumulated in its very stones in the Middle Ages, when every worshipper was devout, and doubt had not entered in while a modern Cathedral, built in recent times, even tho an exact re­ plica of the old, has none of this feeling for its walls are only ac­ cumulating a half-hearted faith,and a formal decorousness.We say and we say rightly, that the former Cathedral has a Spirit of its own, the latter has not. Those members of the Brotherhood,who have gone thru the higher work,realize the truth of what is being said,from the atmos­ phere which they have built up around and about the little Shrine,which they use in their Sanctum;they realize the efficacy of the continual impact of Truth and Charity and Devotional appeal upon that Symbol and its vital aid in raising Consciousness up the Planes. But, to come back to our subject, this matter,again,may be pushed further. The piece of steel, the stone from the Temple wall, and the table at which the murderer sat, could tell a full story,each individually,how is it,that all the stones of the Cathedral can possess a collective Spirit. As in the human body, each cell has life and the body has its ov/n life apart from the cells, so then, each stone in a Cathedral may have its life and yet the Cathedral itself, possess a life of its own. It is entirely true to say of a building,as St. Paul said of Man, ’’There is a natural body and there is a Spiritual Body.” Our friend, the skeptic might here object, ’’but your Spiritual body of the Cathedral is invisible,” we shall reply equally, ’’The material body is no less invisible. Enter into the darkness of night -- what would you see? Nothing. Does your not seeing it, preclude its existance?No,- you go further - do you see the walls in full day­ light? Not a bit, - Light Rays,striking an opaque object,reflect thru the ether,the rods and cones of the eye,and then,sends the vibrations to the brain you have seen Light but you have not seen the Wall.” Let us not be afraid to say that the Ancient Cathedral possesses a Spiritual Body,and a greater potency than does the modern Cathedral,and since this Entity is sufficiently powerful to act upon our brain,and thence upon our emotions,giving rise to a sense of re­ verence, it is justifiable to consider this as a living Entity.The Spirit of an old Cathedral then,is a living being,invisible in the Mat­ erial Plane but visible on the Spiritual Plane. Thus far,in our discussion,we have not gone beyond the piece of stone,the bit of metal,yet the chunk of Uranium has shown us the material body and an Astral Body acting at a distance. The piece of steel has indicated the power of inert substance,holding memories so vividly that they can be recaptured by a sensitive clairvoyant. The Egyptian figurine of stone or pottery, evidences that memory can be consciously transferred,and the living Spirit of an old Cathedral has proven that such material substances as building stone can act as an or­ ganism,and secure such potencies that the impression may be felt by the casual tourist,usually the least receptive of human beings. There has also been shown that visibility is a purely re lative matter, that even a material body may be visible in one Light, and invisible in another, that an Astral Body of radio activity,may be visible to the chemical emulsion upon a photographic plate, and yet

invisible to the human sight; that psychic vision may be possible to a Psychometrist in one degree,of subconsciousness,and not in another, and that the Spirit of a Cathedral may be visible to a Mystic,and not to a globe trotter. It is with deliberation that we have commenced at the bottom of the scale,for the higher developments of such an inquiry as this would go so far that it would cease to affect the imagination, and as you will come tc see, there is nothing illogical or surprising in ascribing several bodies to living beings,of the higher order,when there is so strong a foreshadowing of them upon the Material Plane of the Mineral Kingdom. Modern Science is expanding largely from the great impetus given it by the psychic investigations,and is only just beginning to realize the mystery of the various lives and bodies which lie hidden in inert matter. So,bear these things in Mind,and think of them. When we say to you, the Physical structure is the outgrowth of the Racial Iwind and that "as man thinks, so does he become, that is the basis of Evolutionary Law.Metaphysically,every abnormal and unhealthy condi­ tion of body and environment,finances,or anything else,may be traced to mental error,wrong thought. Bear these things in mind,when we say to you,experience demonstrates that a single strong thought,can poison the fluids of the body,make one temporarily strong or weak,interfere with, or promote digestion or even change the color of a person’s hair in a single night. Bear these things in mind when we say worry,grief,an­ ger, fear,hate,greed,and all other unpleasant states of mind,and emo­ tional disturbances,are the hidden sources of disaster and trouble. Hosts of people rather regularly,develop serious maladies and pass on, thru no other cause than the prolongation of adverse mental states. So serious are the bad effects of wrong thinking,that no time should be lost in broadcasting to the world,the knowledge of the nature and modes of mental action,of the effects of the subtle potencies of thought upon all phases of existence. Bear in mind the story of the stone and the steel,when we say that hidden within the depths of your real being,there is a mighty Power,a Spirit Omnipotent,the Power which is accessible to every mind,and only awaits the proper conditions to flow into expression thru the individual man.This Spiritual Principle is the real Self of every individual, - therefore if you would be healed in body or in affairs,by the Spirit Power,recognize its ability,despite all appearances to the contrary.If you fear to thus trust this power,you but close up its one channel of expression, your own mind. You must therefore, be feailess and affirm youx- unity with its Supremacy,your oneness with its Strength.No matter how diseased your body,or how in­ volved your financial conditions may be,Spirit is the real part of you and Spirit is whole and perfect. Climb up in your mind,to the moun­ tain top of Spiritual Realization,and assert your will to live,and. your will to Peace,Happiness,and Abundance.Repeat it,have faith in it,believe it,and feel its stimulating influence spreading thruout your Consciousness,and like Rays of a searchlight in the darkness,and thus illumining opportunities,avenues by zhich you may achieve,which you have never seen before.Rid your mind of its self-imposed bonds,and let the Spirit come forth,whether it be today,tomorrow or at any time your constant recognición of the power of your True Self,will sooner or later,cause the body to respond and manifest inner perfection and radiant health,will sooner or later,cause your affairs to straighten out

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the way to become smooth} you will find abundance flowing to you, you will find Happiness, all because you have received Understanding. Remember always, that we live, move and have our being in a vast sea of Invisible Power. This Power is of a high Spiritual quality, and tremendously potent. When we learn to recognize and feel its Presence, we may consciously draw into our lives, all the Power we may need, to perform any task we may have at hand. We possess actually, only as much Power as we realize in our Consciousness; in other words, before we can exercise Higher Power and more Power, we must consciously enter into and appropriate as much of that Power as we can comprehend, believe iii, and feel. In all undertakings, or special work, seek to recog­ nize the Power that is Supreme, realize further that there is any . amount of Power within yourself that has never been used before. Lay­ ers upon layers of dormant energy, which you have never yet tapped, are to be found within the Inner Realms of your Being. Impress and re impress this fact upon your deeper Consciousness, until you feel lit­ erally surrounded and filled with mighty Forces. This practice will tend to arouse more and more, these energies into activity, and thus develop the power of your thought so that your mind will become charged as it were, with greater Forces. These Forces are subservant to your will, and invariably follow the direction of the desires you have uppermost in your mind, and thus they perform what you wish to have done,

Western Occultism

Informal Chats -

Instructive notes supplementary to the Brotherhood Lectures.

Mystic Brotherhood

C - 21 Pg. -1

INFORMAL CHATS WITH THE FACULTY

If v.e accept that theory by which man, thru the medium of countless lives, arrives at that state, known as the Perfect Man, he must at some time in that journey find himself a Philosopher.There is perhaps, no word to which a greater number of meanings have been given than to Philosophy. It might not be too much to say that every Philosopher has a more or less different interpretation, but as a rule Philosophy stands for the reconciliation of material manifesta­ tion, with immaterial fundamentals, or in other words, the reconcil­ iation of the changing to the changeless, and by which the relation­ ship between the two is seen to be but one thruout. Seen from this viewpoint, it follows that Philosophy at some time, must of necessity be a study of deep concern, to the Pilgrim on the Mystic Way. Man cannot be satisfied continuously with the changing phenomena of material existence, with all its var­ ied and multiple attractions, there is that part of himself to which physical matter cannot appeal, and which at some time becomes suffi­ ciently dominating to demand attention. At such a time, Philosophy claims him, and this, once attained, never actually leaves him. Once this break has been made from material conditions, there has happen­ ed a thing of the greatest importance, and it is with this phase that I propose to deal in this Chat. It is not my purpose to offer any opinion on the dif­ ferent attitudes taken up by Neophytes in Philosophy. To this ab­ stract subject, they vary according to the Philosophers themselves, and are naturally as varied as the make-up of the individuals them­ selves. There is, however, one type, and it is this type which I propose to discuss. It is the earnest Philosopher. Those who mere­ ly dabble in Philosophy and Occultism as a passing Cult, or a conven­ tional novelty, arc not entertained by the deeper phases, and I am not going to discuss them, but it is with one who devotes himself seriously, with a deep earnest interest, to the solution of the rid­ dles of life, that this Chat will concern itself. For such a one is truly a Philosopher, whatever may be his interpretation of what he finds. Philosophy, broadly speaking, may be said to be rep­ resented by very many Schools of Thought, but all can be said to rep­ resent a process of attainment. Each School is working for the at­ tainment of its objective, that objective being either an end in it­ self, or a stage in a process. In this process, therefore, the Phi­ losopher finds that every action, be it Solar or Planetary is some­ thing for him to consider in the light of his Philosophy. All the Forces and Expressions by which he is surrounded have a meaning for him. The Seasons of the year, the mineral, animal and vegetable kingdoms, in all that he sees of their lives, both in relation to themselves and others, - the four, or perhaps we can now say, the five elements. All the manifestations of what is generally called Nature, and finally, that which affords him the greatest scope for analysis and deepest concern in his inquiries, and that is,Mankind. Life is henceforth a problem for him for solution, wherever he finds it, and until his Philosophy is complete, to be un­ derstood by him. There is no event, cither the most important and far-reaching, or the least significant and circumscribed, but what

should be explained by him, in its cause, effect and purpose, and un­ til this can be done satisfactorily, his Philosophy affords only an insufficient answer. It is seen therefore, that a great task awaits every would-be Philosopher, and it is not surprising that initial at­ tempts so often end as such. The "taking things as they come" or "it's God's Way" are much easier conclusions, but many finding them­ selves unable to accept the easy method, demand of themselves an ex­ planation, and then become Philosophers. The task is prodigious, and the mere it unfolds itself the more stupendous it appears, Sometimes in the Philosopher's early days, a reconciliation of effects and causes and the reasons there­ fore, appear to be complete, and his Philosophy to have an answer for every problem. There is the enthusiasm of this possession, answering life's problems, which one is very susceptible to, and in consequence a too-ready answer to the inquiries created by certain happenings. These early days are very happy ones, comparatively speaking, but there has been an insufficient searching and the enthusiasm first ex­ perienced becomes subdued, and gives place to the calm of reasoning. This is well, because experience has been too brief, and only by ex­ perience, is the real test applied. As I said before, every happening in the^Philosopher's experience demands a solution from him as to its cause, and the reason of both cause and effect, as applied to a pro­ cess, and this being so, the Philosopher's life becomes fuller than before, while at the same time, his particular Philosophy is being subjected to a severe test. Material existence in its ever-changing phenomena, Universally, Nationally and Individually shows very clearly that however much man may desire to consider his own part alone, his Philosophy must have an answer for events which are not, strictly speaking, his own concern. His outlook and the necessity he imposes upon his Philosophy and his difficulties multiply. The greater his responsibilities to others become, and the more he associates with and experiences of the outside world, the more problems are presented to him. The most trivial happenings as well as the most important are playing their parts in a world process, and altho impermanent are hand-maidens of a process which leads to Spiritual Attainment. The Philosopher is not in a position of some Religionists who are content to "leave it to God," or of those who do not trouble about reasons but accept happenings as happenings and nothing more, and will praise or blame as they choose. With the waning of his first enthusiasm, "Material possessions are of little concern to me; all I want are the bare necessities," or, "whatever ill or injustice befall me, it is not really so, it is apparent only," or again, "whatever happens to me is due to Karma and is for me to accept in the calm of true Philo­ sophy and I must extract the lesson conveyed therein." It is an actual necessity that these tests be made, and it appears that the moment of Karmic debt, coincides with the test which follows the embracing of Philosophy. The Philosopher is to realize that his theory is incomP1 ete, and that what he was eager to accept as theory must be under­ stood in practice, if the lesson is to be complete. If, up to this moment he has ignored the deeper meaning of physical existence, he

has doubtless committed most of the errors in ignorance. He has crea­ ted a character, needing correcting discipline, wtijch alone can wipe off past debts as well as cuild better qv.c-xi ties. No”, taking it.up from this point, as these tests assail him, ms protective armor is his Philosophy, and he needs all that and even more. Now, he realizes what a fountain of truth there is m tnat common-place remark "An ounce of experience is worth a pound of tneory." For it is easy to talk of suffering, but very difficult to bear. The burden of physi­ cal existence seems to be so much heavier than it used to be, and this is not difficult of unieretanding. In the oxd days, he was in a posi~ tion to see his troubles differently, because he was much less scru­ pulous than now, and the opportunities of evasion and diversion, were readily accepted and they smoothed away much of his difficulties. He has a two-fold task row, — not only must he endeavor to accept his sufferings and ordeals with composure, and Philosophic equanimity that they are due to Karmic adjustment, but that whatever may be the charac­ ter of the actions of others, which has imposed pain uoon him, his own response shall be influenced by good intentions alone. Such a time as this, is generally accompanied by a falling off of old friends and acquaintances. Links with tue past, which was so different than the present, must either snap or weaken, for the very simple reason that our Philosopher's own vibrations, have become out of tune with them. At the moment of such snapping, or evidence of weakening, it is possi­ ble that he does not feel their loss, buththey constitute much else, a cause of trial for him, In reflective moments, when he feels heavily burdened. If his philosophy gives up material values, he will be test­ ed probably, with loss, or il^L success generally, both in possessions and earning power. No man who enters upen this Path, can pursue a business and social life, founded upon present day Morality, without finding himself antagonistic to much that goes by the name of business of social custom. Even his family life is such, because Philosophy in its true meaning, will not allow any plea of exception to its princi­ ples since all are Brothers. Not only are his own actions subjected to a scrutiny by himself, but also his thoughts, because the latter even if known only to himself, are as much a part of himself as the former, and in one sense, even more important. Another concern is food and drink, He may have been a man of average appetite, but even this average contains much that is undesirable. Formerly these may have provided many opportunities of diversion when ill at ease. Very often "cheering himself up" to use a colloquial term. Now, however, his attitude towards food and drink amongst so much else, becomes changed, and he renounces in these things what formerly gave him much pleasure, Coarser recreations are no longer indulged in, much of which in many forms is a part cf modern activity. In all his renunciations however, he calls upon himself for the exercise of tolerance to others who so indulge, or who may show intolerance toward him for not indulging. Fossibly the Philoso­ pher may endeavor to mold his life according to one of the great ones of the past and live up to some high example set by a Teacher. At least, however, the Philosopher's life is now one full of responsibil­ ity and ever;/ thought and act, and thruout, he calls upon himself for unselfishness in all motives and his daily task is to fit himself with an • increasing improvement so as to carry out his ideals of success.

Of course, impossible in so brief a space to describe the ordeals and aspirations of such an earnest Philosopher,to describe in full detail, would need considerable space; broadly speak­ ing however, sufficient has been given, to arrive to the time and the point with which we are now deeply concerned, and that is, when the Philosopher feel the enormity of the task he has undertaken, and ques­ tions his ability to carry it out, disappointment, depression, not to say despair and even uncertainty of his Philosophy assail him. He has given up one life and finds himself deprived, so to speak, of past am­ bitions and enjoyments before he has found the consolations and streng­ th of the new life. This is the moment of the hardest test yet encounter­ ed, and now more than ever, before he realizes the relentlessness of time, those things which he readily gave up, have not completely left him as he thought, but in many cases, have insidiously remained with him, so that by depriving himself, he is faced continuously with his arch-enemy, the individual self. This is the incubus which bears him down, and from which he is struggling to escape. Repeatedly he cries out for strength, but the more he struggles, and the greater the strength he uses, the more still, "he seems to need. Instead of the burden of Spirit becoming lighter it ap­ pears to be pressing heavier upon him. In these days there is most probably a weakness from which he suffers, That may be "self-centeredness." His life is a struggle all the time, with his lower self, and It is on the one hand he concentrates too much upon his own concerns. evidence of his earnestness toward the task he is undertaking, but he tries to do too much struggling himself, and if he lets the ""’'arrior within" do some of his fighting, it would be easier and fuller in its results. There is much that would right itself, if he would allow it to do so. And now there follows a time of uncertainty and doubt. Much that he accepted enthusiastically now presents to him quer­ ies which did not arise to him before, and this is aided by disappoint­ ment in people whom he considered above the normal, and by others, with whom he comes in contact. It is part of a necessary experience that at this time he should be disappointed, with others who are seeking Spiritual knowledge, and find unlooked for virtues in the material ad well enlightened, Because on the one hand he sees the frailties and imperfections of individuals, to express higher Truths, and on the cther hand there is so much goodness in the world that it reveals itself In this period of uncertainty howwhere he did not expect to find it. ever, there is a tendency to turn to the Disciplinary Philosophy in the direction of Materialism. The process may be of a very simple charac­ ter, and various guises may cover it. Our Philosopher may persuade himself that there are duties to his kith and kin, that he is of more use to the World in general by being materialistic, and that he can be materialistic, while still preserving his Spiritual Aspirations and thought activities. Again it may be that he thinks there is need for his expressing himself scientifically, or commercially» or perhaps there is some entirely new social movement into which he throws his activi­ ties, but in whatever direction these activities may be, he will prob­ ably think that he can still preserve his Spiritual activities, and lastly, he may say "I am not yet ready for mere than the life of a

materialist, altho I may do a little good here and there.” Any or all of these arguments may influence the bringing about of his retrogression. i'.hat does this change stand for then, and how far permanent is it? It is a very necessary change and its duration depends upon the nature of the man himself. In other words, sooner or later he will emerge from it with necessary experience and vigor for further efforts. Generally speaking, it may be said to be attributed to the /'spirant, endeavoring to climb too rapidly and who has set before him­ self Ideals, at first beyond his Powers, - while there may be some Truth in this statement, I should not omit to take a more analytical and comprehensive view snd see what the future may hold out. Short views are at all times, pregnant with the risk of overlooking potent eventuality, and in our Philosopher's case, this is particularly so. v,hat has really happened is in the nature of an inevitable reaction, such as may be looked for in any effort in which matter, with its in­ herent dual nature is concerned Our Philosopher has not escaped this because his Spiritual aspirations are made thru his Individuality un­ til his physical self has been disciplined, until he is no longer subject to the severity of reaction he is subject to the workings of Physical Law. It would appear that our Philosopher is thrown back up­ on his old self, but in this, there is only an appearnace. The seed of awakening to a Higher Outlook has been sown, and however much he may appear like his old self, he is not, and it is rather in the char­ acter of what may be paradoxically termed, a healthy relapse, than anything else. His old and partly returned ways will soon cease to afford any satisfaction, and he will again emerge therefrom, with add­ ed Wisdom and Experience. The first step has been made, and that is the realization that however much the changeable world may afford to pleasure, so long as man looks for happiness in the changing; there is none to be found, when man has ceased to look for his place amidst variety, and so our Philosopher turns from the allurement of man-made and unsatisfying attractions, to a world of greater permanence in which he seeks for knowledge of that which underlies the physical changes. He realizes however, that the physical v/orld vzith its duali­ ty, and its active and reactive character, is not one to be put on one side, in the solution of the riddle of permanence, but one to be understood The nature of its allurements, once understood and over­ come, cease to trouble, and the lessons give strength instead of weak­ ness as when yielded to Tests are necessary at all stages of the Pilgrim’s Progress and should be expected, no matter how far we progress. We may not unfairly suppose that even Gods 'nave their tests in ever-unfolding and imminent Powers. This Physical Planet, while affording on the one hand, a great testing experience, also offers illimitive scope for such service as the Philosopher may give, and its general activities and opportunities have a value, such as can be appreciated, only by one who is determined to understand their purpose, and to serve that purpose. The true Philosopher is no dreamer, and as he aspires for knowledge, of the fundamentals of his greater existence, he also real­ izes that his physical self is not a useless and undesirable thing, but one by and thru which this greater consciousness is to be attained.

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Western Occultism

Informal Chats

Instructive notes supplementary, to the Brotherhood Lectures.

Mystic Brotherhood

INFORMAL CHATS WITH THE FACULTY There is a certain fundamental requireaent,that must exist a priori before the proper viewpoint and proper perspective of life may be had,and before there can be that Will and Enthusiasm which per­ mits of the adoption of the formulae that have been given.This under­ lying requirement,is the matter of good health,and I want to say right now,that health is within the province of anyone who desires it fer­ vently enough to take necessary steps to produce it.We have only to look at the President to realize what Will and Desire can do in this regard.Of course,even in his case,perfect recovery has not been possi­ ble ,but nevertheless,good health does exist,and the limitation not yet overcome is so slight,that it has no wise interfered with his ability to serve as a useful citizen,and to accomplish all that life holds for anyone. Now,in speaking of this matter of good health,we must avoid fanaticism.The World is full of Cults,more or less fanatical,delving into strange diets and unusual combinations,uncooked foods and what­ not.More harm can be done in this way,than the average person realizes, harm not only to the physical organism itself,but harm resulting in a biased and distorted viewpoint.which prevents harmony with the World in wnich we live and have our being.Most people make the mistake of ei­ ther thinking of disease as an Entity,or speaking of it as if it were a real thing,an opponent of health.Now,when we stop to analyze this,we know that it is incorrect.Health is the natural state of man and dis­ ease is simply the absence of health.If one does comply with the Laws of Nature,he cannot be sick,but whenever some Law is violated.abnormal conditions result and certain symptoms manifest themselves,and to the­ se symptoms we have given the name of some disease.3ut that which we call disease,is simply the result of Nature's attempt to throw off or dislodge the abnormal condition,in order that she may resume normal action. We are so apt to consider or speak of disease as an Entity,we say that "if'attacks us,and that, "if'seats itself in an organ,that "it" runs its course,that "it" is very malignant,and that "it" is quite mi­ ld,that "it" persistently resists all treatment,and that "if'yields re­ adily,and so forth.We speak of it as if it were an Entity.possessed of character.disposition and vital qualitites.We consider it as something which takes possession of us,and uses its power for our destruction. There is within every physical organism,a certain vital force which is constantly doing the very best it can for us.notwithstanding the reckless way in which we violate the cardinal principles of right living.Much of that which we call disease is but a defensive action of this Vital Force,a remedial effect.lt is not a downward action but an upward action on the part of the living organism.The action is abnor­ mal,because tne conditions are abnormal,and the whole recuperative ef­ fects of the Vital Force is exerted toward the restoration of normal •ond ition. This principle of Self Preservation within us,is a character­ istic of the Life Essence ,and it moves us along in .the direction of health,just as surely as the influence upon the Magnetic Needle makes it point due North.We may turn aside .not heeding the Inner Voice,but the urge is always there.The same instinct is within us,which,in the seed,causes it to push forth its shoots,often moving weights a thous­ and times heavier than itself in its efforts to get to the sunshine. The same impulse causes the salping to shoot upward from the ground.

The same Principle causes roots to spread downward and outward. In each case altho the direction is different,each move is in the right direction.If we are wounded,the Vital Life Essence begins to heal the wound,doing the work with wonderful sagacity and precision.If we break a bone all that we,or the Surgeon can do,is to place the bones into juxtaposition,and keep them there .while the Life Essence knits the broken parts together.If we fall,or our muscles or ligaments are torn,all that we can do,is to observe certain things in the way of attention,and the Life Essence starts in to do its work,drawing on the system for the necessary materials and repairing the damage. Before taking up the other phases of our subject it is nec­ essary to call your attention to the fact,that when the food eaten enters the stomach,and small intestine,without being properly and thoroughly masticated,and insalivated,when the teeth and salivary gl­ ands have not been given a chance to do their work properly,the dig­ estion is interfered with and impeded,and the digestive organs are overworked,and are rendered unable to accomplish what is asked of them.It is like asking one set of workmen to do their own work,in ad­ dition to the work which should have been previously performed by another set of workmen.lt is asking the railroad engineer to perform the duties of fireman,as well as his own,to keep the fire going on the upgrade,and run the locomotive on a dangerous bit of ground at the same time.The absorbence of the stomach and intestines,must abs­ orb something—that is their business,and if you do not give them the proper materials,they will absorb the fermenting and putrifying mass in the stomach and pass it along to the bltrd.The blood carries this poor material to all parts of the body,including the brain,and it is no wonder that so many people complain of billiousness.headaches and so forth,for they are continually being self-poisoned in this way. The moral of this is to eat slowly and only when you are relaxed.Nev­ er attempt to eat when you are in a state of nervous tension,or wor­ ried or disturbed,and then,when you are relaxed,and when you do eat, chew each mouthful, fletcherizing it,until it is pulp.Taking the ex­ tra time to eat properly,and to masticate thoroughly,is the first step in your regeneration physically. Now let us consider the next point,the blood stream itselfThe blood starts on its journey,bright red and rich,laden with life­ giving qualities,and properties.lt returns by the Venous route,poor, blue,dull,and being laden down with the waste matter of the system. It goes out like a fresh stream from the mountain,and returns as a stream of sewer water.A small stream goes to the right auricle of the heart.When this auricle becomes filled.it contracts and forces a stream of blood thru an opening of the right ventricle of the heart, which in turn sends it on to the lungs,where it is distributed by millions of hair-like blood vessels to the air cells of the lungs. The small stream of blood is now distributed among the millions of tiny air cells in the lungs.a breath of air is inhaled,and the oxyg­ en of the air comes in contact with the impure blood thru the thin walls of the hair-like vessels of the lungs,which walls are thick en­ ough to hold the blood,but thin enough to permit the oxygen to inter­ penetrate them.When the oxygen comes into contact with the blood, a form of combustion takes place.The blood takes up oxygen and releas­ es carbonic gas,generated from the waste products and poisonous mat­ ter which has been gathered up in the blood,from all parts of the system.The blood thus purified and oxygenated and vitalized by the Life Essence in the Oxygen,is carried back to the heart,again rich,

red,and bright,laden with life-giving qualities and properties.Upon re­ aching the left auricle of the heart.it is forced into the left ventri­ cle from whence it is again forced out through the arteries on its mis­ sion of life to all parts of the system.lt will be seen that unless fr­ esh air in sufficient quantity reaches the lungs,the foul stream of ven­ ous blood cannot be purified and consequently,not only is the body thus robbed of nourishment,but those products which should have been destro­ yed are returned to the circulation to poison the system,and death in­ evitably ensues.Impure air acts in the same way.only in a lesser degree. It will be seen that if one does not breathe in a sufficient quantity of air,the work of the blood cannot go on properly,and the result is that the body is insufficiently nourished,and disease ensues,or a state of run-down health is experienced. This brings us then to the point where we see the vital import­ ance of correct breathing,and that it is necessary that a proper supply of oxygen be taken thru the lungs.This accounts for the fact that weak lungs and poor digestion are so often found together. Imperfect or shall­ ow breathing ,utilizing only a portion of the lung cells,is all too fre­ quent,and thus a great portion of the lung capacity of the person is lost,the system suffering in proportion to the amount of unde r-oxygenation.Thé breathing exercises as outlined in the second lesson of the re­ gular work of the Brotherhood,should be adhered to,and deep breathing should be practiced at every available opportunity. Next,of course,comes the question of food.We want you to real­ ize that to the Occul ti st, f ood does not mean something to tickle an ab­ normal palate ,but instead, it means first of all nourishment, then second nourishment,and third.nourishment-nourishment.first,last and all the time.The true Occultist is not a gross eater,nor is he inclined to rich and fancy dishes.On the contrary he smiles at the folly of such things, and goes to a plain,nourishing meal,Knowing that he will obtain there, full nourishment without the waste and harmful matter contained in the more elaborate dishes,which are utilized by the one who is ignorant of the real meaning of foods.Remember that it is not what you eat,but what you assimilate,that nourishes.Remember once and for all,that the Occult Method does not advocate the plan of starving oneself,but on the contra­ ry,knows and teaches that no human body can be strong and healthy unle­ ss it is properly nourished by sufficient food,eaten and assimilated. Remember too,that the Occultist rejects as ridiculous,the theory that nourishment is obtained from stuffing,gorging or overeating,and that his keynote is that man should "eat to live," but never should he"live to eat."The Occultist is an epicure rathet than a gormand.for while ea­ ting the plainest foods,he has cultivated and encouraged his natural and normal taste,so that his hunger imparts to these simple viands,a re­ lish sought after,but not obtained by those who hunt rich and expensive triumphs of the Chef. One of the cardinal Principles of the Occult Philosophy of He­ alth is the intelligent use of Nature’s greatest gift to living things --water.lt should not be necessary to call the attention of anyone to the fact that water is one of the great means of maintaining normal he­ alth,but man has become so much a slave to artificial environment,custom,habit,that he has forgotten Nature’s Laws.His only hope is to re­ turn to Nature.We often hear-"But why drink water’" "We do not get thi­ rsty,"but had such continued in Nature’s Paths of Living,they would get thirsty,and the only reason why they do not hear Nature's calls is be­ cause they have so long turned a deaf ear to her, that she has become discourage d,and cries less loudly.lt is astonishing to find how many

people neglect this important feature of life.Many drink scarcely any fluids, they even say that t.iey do not t.iink it is "good for them." So much importance does the Occultist attach to the proper use of drinking water,that he considers it one of the first Principles of Health.He knows that a large percentage of sick people are sick be­ cause of their lack of fluids which the body requires.»Ve have only to consider that perhaps seventy per cent of our physical body is water, to realize its importance.The system is continually excreting water thru the pores of the skin,in the shape of sweat and perspiration. These are shown by chemical analysis to be loaded with the waste pro­ ducts of the system,the refuse and filth of the body .which, wi thout a sufficent supply of fluids in the system,would necessarily remain in the body,poisoning it and bringing disease and death.The repair work of the body is continually going on,the used-up,worn-out tissues be­ ing carried off,and replaced by fresh,new material from the blood, which has absorbed it from the nutrition in the food.This waste must be cast out of the body.Nature is quite particular that it shall be gotten rid of. If this waste matter is allowed to- remain in the syst­ em,it becomes a poison and brings a diseased condition.lt serves as a breeding ground and feeding ground for germs,microbes,spores and bacteria,as well as all the rest of the family.Germs do not bother a clean,healthy system to any great extent,but let them come around one of these persons,who are veritable water haters,and it finds his or her body full of uncast-off refuse and filth,and they then settle down to business. Water plays a most important part in the every-day life of the Occultist.He uses it internally and externally,he uses it to ke­ ep heal thy,and he teaches its value to bring about healthy conditions where disease has impaired the natural function of the body.Do not pass this subject by as of little importance.Seven out of every ten students need this advice.They are deficient in their supply of blo­ od,they are pale,sallow,bloodless.anemic,their skin is usually dry and feverish,they perspire but little,they nearly always suffer from constipation,and constipation brings with it a myriad other disorde­ rs.The system is continually absorbing the matter that cannot be ca­ st off,and the toxic poisons flood the system. Now,in connection with this matter,where conditions have been running for a long time,and the system has,thru constipation and poor elimination,become clogged and poisoned.it is suggested that you try colonic irrigation.All that is needed is an ordinary rubber syringe.Take a pint of warm water,as warm as the hand can bear it wi­ th comfort.Inject the water into the bowels with the syringe,and ho­ ld the water in the colon,for a few moments,and then let it pass frr om the system.The following night,take a quart of warm water and use it the same way,then skip a night.The second night after,try three pints,then skip two nights,and the third night,try two quarts.You wi­ ll gradually get used to retaining this larger quantity of water in the colon,and the larger amount will pretty well clean out the impac­ ted mass on the walls of the colon.Following the injection,take one of the lighter breathing exercises,in order to stimulate yourself, and generally equalize the circulation.Naturally you will find that during the week in which you are cleansing the colon,you will have little or no natural movement.Do not let this worry you,for it is ca­ used by the water washing away that which would ordinarily have been evacuated.In two or three days,after the cleansing process has been comple ted,you will get down to natural and normal movements.Now.right here,I wish to call your attention to the fact that I am not advocat­ ing the continuous use of the syringe,but I do advocate it as a pre-

liininary measure in order to clear away past accumulations.We see no harm whatever,in the use of the syringe say.once a month,as a prevent­ ive of the recurrence of the old condition. After you are thru with the week of syringe treatments and even before that,start the normal use of drinking water.Get the two qu­ arts of fluid inside of you each day.and you will find quite an impro­ vement.You will find it advantageous to give yourself auto-suggestions while sipping your cup full of water.Say to yourself,"I am drinking th­ is water in order to supply my system with the fluid it needs - it will make the bowels move more freely,and regularly,as Nature intended."Car­ ry the idea in your mind of what you are trying to accomplish and you will be apt to get results very much more quickly.If you have suffered from constipation, and who has not,you will find the above advice ■valu­ able.It will bring back rosy cheeks and beautiful skin,it will banish the sallowness,the furred tongue,the troublesome liver,and all the rest of the family of symptoms arising from a clogged colon.Try this plan, and you will begin to enjoy life and will be a natural,clean,healthy being. Remember too,that sleep is an important factor in the deve­ lopment of strength and vitality and health.lt is a well spring of Po­ wer,both physical and mental.Sleep holds to man's lips a goblet brim full of magic tonic from the Fountain of Pre vention.When Dawn succeeds a restful night,sleep has recharged the nerves and prepared the body to guard against the friction of the coming day.The eyes close because the senses by instinct cease to respond to repetitions and stimulation; when the moment of dozing arrives,if you will allow yourself to sink into slumber.automatically the tissues stop fighting and begin their nightly task of manufacturing protective antedotes for the next day's losses.Every hour of rest before midnight saves vitality.To remain up, with the mistaken idea that sleep is not possible,is to make insomnia progressive.The best means of insuring a good sleep is to partake of a light early supper,and to have a dark quiet bedroom with the windows open.Take exercises every day, walking or riding in the open air,even in cool weather, so as to produce a certain amount of fatigue before going to bed. The room should be cool and the air must not be oppress­ ive . We have touched upon the most important points, in connect­ ion with maintaining health,but longevity as well.But there is one other.that can well be spoken of,and that is the matter of fasting.Oc­ casional periods of fasting,say once every two or three months in the case of healthy adult persons.will not only add to the joy of living, but also to the length of life. The most favorable time for fasting is cvf course .during warm weather, or during a warm spell. If you have dif­ ficulty in going without food,you can take first a fast of forty-eight hours,then after waiting about ten days,during which time you eat nor­ mally,you should again take a fast for a period of three to four days. The stuffing of the mechanism of assimilation.causes stagnation.Extra precaution is required to offset this inertia.The waste channels of the body,the boweIs.kidneys,lungs,and pores should be kept active the latent impurities released thru the fast,are brought to the surface and eliminated.While fasting,flush the colon with warm water the first and third day.The proper time to do this is upon retiring at night,us­ ing the methods which I have outlined before.During the fast you shou­ ld hold a positive mental attitude toward the bodily conditions.

Western Occultism

Informal Chats

Instructive notes supplementary to the Brotherhood Lectures.

Mystic Brotherhood

INFORMAL C'JiTS WITH THE FACULTY

It would seem that a week were all too short a time for the thorough practice and understanding for the matter that has been contained in these Chats- It would seem that time should be had to review those important ones ,and to rebuild the mental image which was first created at the time the Chat was received.We have been dwelling upon these simple phases, because in th- first place, that is more the purpose of these Informal Talks, and we have emphasized again and again the Mandate of the Lelphic Oracle, II"Know Thyself"-the abiding Prin­ ciple, Persistence, and Actuality of Self, must be comprehended .But what is that Self? Is it the body, is it the Mind, is it what is understood as Soul, or Psychic Self, or is it a synthesis of these? The Mind peers into the World of Phenomena,weaving the warp and woof of Sense Experience,busied with the outward order of things,it fails to realize that it is the manifesting Principle of Phenomena, but it is thru the Mind alone, that they do exist. Thus the Mind accustoms itself to accord Actuality to its ' experiences, Consciousness deals with Symbols,whereas it should seek the meaning of the External, in the study and realization of the Internal.The Mind is gen­ erally absorbed in external Phenomena,e ver in quest of values associated with this external knowledge. It identifies itself absolutely with fantasmagoría,and in this identification, it submerges its' own identity, and loses sight of it. Philosophical reasoning is a process thru which the Mind reacts upon itself,it leads to self introspection,to Mysticism and Oc­ cultism and to the comprehension of Consciousness. Philosophy reaches to the primitiveness of thought in an attempt to answer the query,"What is the Self?" History is more a Veil -than a Light, it only faintly sug­ gests the tremendous evolution of ideas,it reviews merely several thou­ sand Centuries,but the Aryan Race,Mother of Races, reached high flights of speculative thought ,aeons of time before the building of the Pyra­ mids,long before the reign of those Egyptian and Assyrian Kings,whose painted mummy cases,and sarcophagae,intimate high culture and civiliza­ tion, ere the first Ray of Historic Ray of Historic Truth illumined the darkened Path.Lissatisfied with the convictions of logic,and the solution of the Eternal Question,the Aryan Philosophers developed that Psy­ chological system of introspective thought,which centers Consciousness on the innermost nature of Man.wresting from the Unknown the Secret of Se 1f,bringing Spiritual knowledge within range of Conscious Experience. Conscious Knowledge is true Knowledge,Mystici sm and Occultism are deep­ er than. Philosophy .Theories are indefinite, practical experience is the criterion of Truth.Self-Knowledge must be established in Conscious­ ness. It is vain, to thread the labrynth of argument ¡realization is the aim and end. The Vedas teach "That Self must be seen,heard, perceived, and known." The highest truth must become a living fact in conscious per cepti on. Need for a satisfactory solution of the Great Problem ~f Life is vital. The problem is before each one.Each has it to solve for himself . That solution involves the entirety of self knowledge, the development of perfection of Spiritual Consciousness. There is an exhaustless reservoir back of Manifested Na­ ture,from which new forms and new creative and vital forces proceed, a reservoir of latent energy in which all the future manifestations of

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the Mighty Cosmos exist.Manifested Nature is limited,its' vast and seem­ ingly illimitableness is conditioned,compared with the infinite poten­ tiality of the Unmanifested.The Unmanifested is Infinite in possibili­ ties of expressi on,infi nite in efforts to reach higher culminations of natural perfection. Man is an entire Universe within himself.In the abyss of the Racial Past,slumbers the entire Cosmic Fast,vibrant with the possibilities of the Cosmic future. The Heart of Man throbs in perfect unison with the pulsations of Nature in the Great Evolutionary Urge. Within his Racial Subconsciousness,is the vast stretch of instinct and feeling,which conditioned expression of primitive form to more highly evolved existence.He is part and parcel of Universal Development. His Nature is composed of the same Soul,Mental and Physical,and Life Forces animating all beneath or above the Rational or above or below the Hu­ man. The past of the Universe is the past of every Soul,the Sun is no greater than any of its' constituent Units. Remove a unifying factor, and the Sun is incomplete.. We are the victims of appearances, of false Realities.We are deceived by the magnitude of the Sunche Material Superiority of the Sun over lesser bodies has its birth in the misconception of Sense Experience. We conceive distance in the form of a break when there is no break in the Universe. The entire Solar System is inter-related, and bound to the Earth in an infinite Ocean of Ether. The Human body and the Sun are only Wave-Forms of that Ether,only points of conden­ sation. Both are of the same Material Substance which composes all form. The Synthesized Force which controls the movements of the Plane­ tary Course, is the same force that controls the Human Body. The Prin­ ciples of Life and Consciousness,manifest in Being as the same, the difference of expression, only one of degree. The Principle which threads the Evolutionary Course thruout Time and Space, is equally in­ scrutable, equally marvelous, equally Spiritual, whether the threading be the inorganic primitive and instinctive, or of hyper-physical and Spiritual Life. In the fact that all Substance, all Force and all Life is One, man should see and grow conscious of His Greatness in the Uni­ verse. Once inis fact is recognized as a living Truth,the Oneness and Sacredness of Life and the Brotherhood of Man will be established. The Spirit of the Race will manifest in coherent collectiveness of effort, greater expression of social virtue,and greater control over sodial in­ harmony.Man is as necessary a factor in the development of Universal Order,as is the Mightiest of the Central Suns. Yes, even of Arcturus Himself. The all-encompassing motive in Cosmic Evolution is the complete integration of Consciousness upon all of the Planes, in ex­ ceeding the first development of conscious life, upon any Plane, the next and continuously next step of Nature is to perfect it, to special­ ize and consolidate it, and ever broaden its' field of expression.This is what the Earth has been doing for millions of years, and the same process is going on,in Universal Evolution.The purpose of this motion and Growth of Suns from vast spheres of Fire,into habitable Planets is to formulate conditions to render possible the manifestation of Consc­ iousness .Consci ousness is the Goal of Physical motion,its most perfect, active and developed expression is the climax of Cosmic Perfection. These Truths reveal the essential nature of Man, they as­ sert his power,his inherent Divinity.Omniscience and Bliss.What then causes all this suffering,this self-belittling.whfch too all appear­ ance, we are forced to undergo?Why are we burdened with this terrible

nightmare of limited Consciousness,if we are the absolute and all-in­ clusive existence,why this manifestation,far from Divine,far from Infinite, far from Perfect? For Ages upon ge^, man has been taught to consider himself a worm of the dust,and has done so. An extra-person­ al God has been pressed upon him, before whom he must cringe.For Ages upon Ages, men have been like whipped dogs, prostrate at the feet of tyrannious Divinity. Some have had not only one Autocratic. God to fear, but an entire Folytheistic System.lt was hard for man to shoulder Spi­ ritual Responsibility,conducive to moral and intellectual independence. There is no Spiritual Progress without independence.There is no growth without freedom,and this is especially true in the Evolution of the Soul.Fear must be eradicated,before the Soul can truly advance.Political slavery is terrible,but it is not to be compared with Religious slavery.Social caste is dreadful,but far more dreadful is Religious Caste-Absolute tyranny is dangerous,but far more dangerous is the un­ scrupulous and grasping Spirit of Orthodoxy .Anc ient Governmental Po­ licies were super-imposed upon the ignorance of the masses-It is the same today.Ignorance makes men grovel before Thrones of State and Thrones of Dogma. The Absolute Despotisms of the Orient furnish ex­ ample, but with knowledge comes Power,Self Confidence,Assertion and realization of Strengt’h and conquest over tyrannious conditions. Religious reformation is a purging process which removes superstition and ignorance.it does away with Soul binding Powers,work­ ing inestimable havoc in the social body. Ignorance and Fear blind the Vision,but men are to blame. They shut their eyes and cry out "There is no Light,there is no Light!" They attribute weakness and ignorance to the Soul,when it is the essence of Light,Truth.Knowledge and Power. Remove the Veil which blinds the Spiritual Vision,so that you are not bound,and you are not. Believe yourself in bondage,and you are in bond­ age . This is the Year of a new Revelation. New Religions,new Systems of Thought,new Systems of Philosophy are turning the tide of Spiritual Interest,from the Orthodoxy of the past,the profound discov­ eries of Modern Science are forming into a basis for a true understand­ ing of the Message given by the Books of the Bible,and of the Mystical Actualities underlying the various States. Faith is giving way to Knowledge;Faith often sinks into Superstition;from being the fore-runner of Knowledge.it is often de­ based into dangerous and Soul-suicidal man-made Dogma.Faith should her­ ald the Dawn of Truth.When it fails to serve this purpose.it perishesThe Scriptures of the World ask us to see,hear,perceive and know the Truth.They 6ay "Ask and ye shall receive,seek and ye shall find,knock and it shall be opened unto you." It is the direct percep­ tion of Truth that the Soul demands.Be 1ief has not the motive Power for conduct that Knowledge possesses.The cry of Orthodoxy has been "Believe and ye shall be saved." the new Theology says "By knowledge man is saved,alone by Knowledge." The surest method of realizing Truth is to understand ourselves.Man possesses a Soul ,and he must become conscious of it.Consciousness is most concerned with the Body. To center Conscious­ ness upon the Soul is the aim of Religion.By the Soul of course, is meant the changeless and permanent Actuality of the Divine Monad,cloth­ ed in the Personality and Character .Memory and Consciousness .built up thru accretion from the experiences in various forms.

C2i> Fg 4 But we must remember that sincere Desire to know and un­ derstand a practical attitude in that desire are often confused.Spasmodic Desire manifests in a haphazard and short-lived manner.In illustra­ tion when one is bereft of material advantages,of his money or his home, or his possessions, or when the Hand of Death touches his life, he considers the things of Earth unimportant and turns his attention to the deeper Side of what lies beyond, in the hope of finding consolation. For a time he holds fast to the Spiritual,and then the temporal cares and joys again absorb the Mind and a material attitude prevails. This is not Spiritual Aspiration; Conversion is another mistaken aspiration. True Conversion may occur,the Soul may be overcome by a Ray of Light from the Divine Self,and it may be spontaneously illumined. The Ray pierces the Darkness ol Ignorance and ends Bondage,and the Soul as­ cends to Higher Planes,where the Spirit is free and its progress quick­ er. But such instances are rarejthe average conversion is psychological rather than Spiritual. When Reason is Spiritualized,it possesses discriminat­ ing Wisdom,it perceives that in the Phenomenal,all is motion and change,weighed with complexities that only darken the mental vision.The Soul relies upon Spiritual Elements to assist in reaching purer Regions of Conscious Discernment. This is the Higher Mental Unfoldment, thru it comes right understanding of Self. Remember too, that the Soul cannot govern conditions until it realizes that it is above conditions, until it knows that nothing can bind it, that nothing can limit its activities or hinder the Greater Expression of its Divine Nature. As you continue and work and study,dwell upon the Thou­ ghts, the Ideas which have come to you,and you will find that little by little,the Veil of Ignorance is removed,and little by little, the Great Light and Glory of the Higher Self is manifested. Mental cobwebs must be brushed aside. You, the Soul, must assert day and night that you are free,that you are bound by nothing, and that you are a slave to no condition. The Soul is Omni­ potent,when it has realized that its innermost essence is uncondi­ tioned. The Soul is the source of understanding and Spiritual Unfold­ ment, and acts as the Father in Heaven of the Individuality, yet it is continually hampered and restrained by this Cuter Self. A Teacher explains this limitation of the Soul and points out the Way in a strik­ ing illustration; "A lion,stunned by the falling of a rock, was found by hunters. Knowing that the lion could not regain consciousness for some time, they built a bulrush cage around him, to see if he would imagine himself captive,then they returned to a safe distance. On awakening,he found himself surrounded by bars,and began to roar, thinking himself a captive. The suggestion of the hunters had taken root; in his rest­ less pacings, the lion stumbled against the bars. They gave way in­ stantly. With a bound, the lion gained freedom. Thus the lion of the Soul is caged in the ignorance of the Indi viduality,and thru it con­ stantly asserting misery,weakness,slavery to this and that condition, the riddance of this ignorance alone enables it to express Divinity." Very true,this world is a stage.and we are actors. We are acting our parts well and ill,but they afe only acting. Just as a man representing a historic character, is not that character, so a man portrays various parts and charae ters,when in Actuality the Self is the only character.

Philosophical wranglings over the eternal question has little vital bearing. The Buddha benefitted mankind,because He taught an ethical system, which does for the heart, what concentration and introspective Philosophy do for the mind. He inculcated a system in which Truth has practical application. Other Teachers pursued the same course. The Western Master said "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see Godl' Mere reasoning alone is not enough, is but a small part in the transformation of character. It does not eradicate selfish­ ness, nor extinguish the fever of passion. The entire Message of the Master found expression in "Love one another." In Spiritual Development,there are often moments of weakness,but they are to be expected.Human Nature is liable to lapses for the bonds of ignorance and selfishness are many. It is natural that now and then,there should be a giving away. This is no reason however, why gloom should cloud the mind,—Truth is One, and though her modes of manifestation are many they all converge to the same Cen­ ter .Every system implies effort. The Veda6 command "Arise,Awake and stop not, until the Goal is reached." Great things cannot be achieved by the weak. Courage, Fearlessness and Cheerfulness are characteristics of those who know Self. Patience and Perseverance shall overcome every­ thing.

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Western Occultism

Informal Chats

Instructive notes supplementary to the Brotherhood Lectures.

Mystic Brotherhood

C-24 Pg. 1 INFORMAL CHATS WITH THE FACULTY

To feel spiritually and mentally safe is really the Spirit of Infinite Peace,and the moment we come into harmony with this contentment there comes to us an inflowing tide of peace,for peace is harmony. A deep interior meaning underlies the great truth,”To be spi­ ritually minded is life and peace.” To recognize the fact that ~:.'e are Spirit, and to live in this thought, is to be spiritually minded, and so to be in harmony and peace. There are thousands of men and women all about us weary with care, troubled and ill a-t ease, running hither and thither to find peace, weary in body, soul, and mind; going to other countries, travelling the world over, coming back, and still not find­ ing it. Ofoourse, they have not found it, and they never will find it in this way, because they are looking for it where it is not. They are looking for it without when they should be looking v/ithin. Peace is to be found only within, and unless one finds it there, he will never find it at all. Peace lies not in the external world.lt lies within one’s own Soul. We may travel over many different avenues in pursuit of it, we may seek it through the channels of the bodily appetites and passions, we may seek it through all the channels of the external,we may chase for it hither and thither, but it will always be just beyond our grasp, because we are searching for it where it is not. In the de­ gree, however, that we order the bodily appetites and passions in ac­ cordance with the promptings of the Soul within will the higher forms of happiness and peace enter our lives; but in the degree that we fail in doing this will disease, suffering, and discontent enter in. To be at One with the Universal Law is to be at peace. The child’s simplicity is the greatest agency in bringing this full and complete realization, the child’s simplicity that recognizes its true relations with the Universal Life. There are people who have come into such a conscious realization of their oneness with this Infinite Life, this Spirit of Infinite Peace, that their lives are fairly bubbling over with joy. He who comes into this higher realization never has any fear, for he has always with him a sense of protection, and the very realization of this makes his protection complete. Of him it is true-"No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper"; "Thou shall be in league with the stones of the field, and the beasts of the field shall be at peace with thee." These are the men and women who seem to live charmed lives. The moment we fear anything we open the door for the entrance of the actualization of the very thing we fear. An animal will never harm a person who is absolutely fearless in regard to it. The instant he fears, he opens himself to danger; and some animals, the dog for example, can instantly detect the element of fear, and this gives them the courage to do harm. In the degree that we come into a full realiza­ tion of our Oneness with this Infinite Power do we become calm and quiet, undisturbed by the little occurrences that before would so vex and annoy us.We are no longer disappointed in people, for we always read them aright. We have the power of penetrating into their very Souls, and seeing the underlying motives that are at work there.

There are people all around us who are continually giving out blessings and comfort, persons whose mere presence seems to change sorrow into joy, fear into courage, despair into hope, weakness into power. It is the one who has come into the realization of his own true self who carries this power with him and who radiates it wher­ ever he goes,-the one who, as vie say, has found his centre. And in all the great Universe there is but one centre. — the Infinite Power that is working in and thru all. The one who has found his centre is the one who has come into the realization of his Oneness with the Infinite Power, the one who recognizes himself as a Spiritual Being. Such is the man of power. Centred in the Infinite, he has thereby, so to speak, connected himself, with, he has attached his belts, to, the great power-house of the Universe. He is constantly dravring power to himself from all sources. For, thus centred, knowing himself, conscious of his own power, the thoughts that go from his mind are thoughts of strength; and by virtue of the Law that ’like attracts like’, he, by his thoughts, is continually attracting to himself from all quarters the aid of all whose thoughts are thoughts of strength,and in this way he is linking himself with this order of thought in the Uni­ verse . And so "to him that hath, to him shall be given".This is simply the working of a natural law. His strong,positive, and hence constructive thought is continually working success for him along all lines, and continually bringing him help from all directions.The things that he sees, that he creates in the ideal, are through the agency of this strong, constructive thought, continually clothing themselves, taking form, manifesting themselves in the material. Silent, unseen forces are at work which will sooner or later, be made manifest in the visible. Fear and all thoughts of failure never suggest them­ selves to such a man; or if they do, they are immediately sent out of his mind, and so he is not influenced by this order of thought from without. He does not attract to him. He is in another current of thought Consequently,the weakening, the failure-bringing thoughts of the fearing the vascillating,the pessimistic about him,have no influence upon him. The one who is of the negative,fearing kind not only has his energies and his physical agents weakened, or even paralyzed thru the influence of this kind of thought that is born within him,but he also in this way connects himself with this order of thought in the world about him. And in the degree that he does this does he become a victim to the weak fearing, negative minds all around him. Instead of growing in power,he increases in weakness. He is in the same order of thought with those of whom it is true—"and even that which they have shall be taken away from them". This again is simply the working of a natural law,the same as is its opposite. Fearing lest I lose even what I have, I hide it away in a napkin. Very well! I must then pay the price of my "fearing lest I lose". Thoughts of strength both build strength from within and attract it from without. Thoughts of weakness actualize weakness from within and attract it from without. Courage begets strength, fear begets weakness, and so courage begets success, fear begets failure.lt is the man or woman of faith and hence of courage, who is Master of circumstances and who makes his or her power felt in the world.lt is the man or woman who lacks faith and who as a consequence is weakened

C 24 Pg 3

and crippled by fears and forebodings, who is the creature of fill pass* ing occurrencesWithin each one lies the cause of whatever comes to him.Each has it in his own hand's to determine what comes.Everything in the visible,material world has its origin in the unsbpn,the spiritual world, the thought world. This is the world of cause, the formei;, the world of effect. The nature of the effect is always in accordance with the nature of the cause. What one litres in his invisible thought world he is continually actualizing in his visible, material world. If he would have any conditions different in the latter, he must make the necessary change in the former. A clear realization of this great fact would bring success to thousands of men and women who all about us are now in the depths of despair. It would bring health,abounding health, and strength to thousands now diseased and suffering. It would bring peace and joy to thousands now unhappy and ill at ease. By fear nothing is to be gained,but on the contrary, everything is to be lost. "I know this is true", says one, "but I am given to fear; it's natural to me and I can’t help it." Can't help it! In saying this you indicate one great reason of your fear by showing that you do not even know yourself, as yet.You must .know yourself in order .to know your powers,and not until you know them can you use them wisely and fully.Don't say that you can't help it.If you think you can't, the chances are that you can't.If you think you can and act in accordance with this thought,then not only are the chances that you can but if you will act fully in accordance with it,that you can and that you will is an absolute certainty.lt was Virgil,who in describing the crew which in his mind would win the race,said of them,--"They can be­ cause they think they can". In other words,this very attitude of mind on their part would infuse a spiritual power into their bodies that would give them the strength and endurance which would enable them to win. Then take the thought that you can; take it merely as a seed-thought,if need be.plant it in your consciousness, tend- it, cultivate it, and it will gradually reach out and gather strength from all quarters. It will focus and make positive and active the spiritual force within you that is now scattered and of little avail. It will draw to itself force from without. It will draw to your aid the in­ fluence of other minds that are fearless, strong, courageous. You will thus draw to yourself and connect yourself with this order of thought. If earnest and faithful, the time will soon come when all fear will loose its hold; and instead of being an embodiment of weakness and ti creature of circumstances, you will find yourself a tower of strength and a Master of Circumstances. If you can conscientiously foll'ow these di re cti ons , you will develop,not only Peace,but also Faith, the kind of Faith that is the "Substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen", you will also develop Confidence,the kind of Confidence that leads to endurance and courage;you will develop as well, the Power of Concentra­ tion which will enable you to exclude all thoughts except the ones which are associated with your Purpose.

Western Occultism

Informal Chats

instructive notes supplementary to the Brotherhood Lectures.

Mystic Brotherhood

C 25 Pg 1 INFORMAL CHATS WITH THE FACULTY

In these Chats together,you have been given a number of experiments for training and developing the Creative Mind,and you have been given exercises for bringing yourself into attunement, f or reaching out across the abyss and bringing help and guidance in the matters of every-day life.Some of the Chats have been for the pur­ pose of expanding Consciousness,stretching it out,as it were , to encompass new vistas and new understanding.lt is not the purpose of these Chats to go into the deeper and more technical phases, for these are covered by the regular les3ons,but it is their purpose to keep c onstantly suggesting and feeding to the Subconscious Mind, thoughts and ideas,expanding the Horizon of Conse iousness,as this part of Mind grows and develops. To most people,the World in which we live,seems very real,it is difficult for them to believe otherwise,but the longer we investigate, and the more knowledge we thereby gain of our surroundings the more clearly we see that behind all Phenomena,there is a wonderful incomprehensible "Power, II which we call the Spiritual, and that that Power is quite beyond our ordinary senses of perception, theref ore, quite beyond our concepti on, save only in its effects,, which embrace those appearances,which in detail, w« call Phenomena, and which in the aggregate, we term the Universe. The Human Race is steadily progressing toward that Goal, to which the Scheme of Creation is carrying us. We are as yet but in out infancy,tho there stretches behind us,many hundreds of thousand of years of Earth Life.All of that period has been required to bring Mind to its present state of development,and yet this is but infancy, as shown by the fact that we still require Symbolism to help us to maintain and carry forward,abstraet thoughts to higher levels, even as children require picture books for that same purpose. It is well, therefore,that we always bear in mind,in all our investigations,that a humble frame of mind is very necessary.lt is well to bear ’in mind that we must first clearly realize our own ignorance and the limita­ tions under which we must look upon our surroundings. We are each living in a little world,created and furnished by our thoughts. The racing man lives in a world furnished with all the paraphanelia of horses , stables, and jockeys,with a long list of future racing engagements and preparations for winning races. The business man is in touch with other business men in all parts of the world and is living in a world dominated by thoughts of mone.y transactions and □f financial calculations , for present and future money making. A member of the stock exchange is living in a turmoil of thoughts of stocks and bonds,with their probable value from day to day. The gambler is living in a whirl of thoughts of possible luck in his world of chance,while the market gardener is planning from year to year,on how he can profitably bring his crops to perfection, and how, even in the winter months,by means of glass houses,he can grow fruits and vegetables which Nature could only produce during the summer.The Physicist is living in a world of Atoms,radio-activity, chemical analysis and synthesis,and the tremendous forces of Nature which he can let loose and control.He is so engrossed in his experi­ mental research and calculations that he will hardly allow himself

the necessary time for sleep.Others are striving for worldly possessions larger estates,means by which they can appear great to the World, and of course,many many others,are struggling for a mere pittance for their daily bread.All in different ways, are living more or less in a world of physical dominion,created by their own thoughts in this world of appearance&They are worshipping the f etish of the Visible,as tho it were the Actual,and if at times,they are urged to think of the Invisible the wonder ful,true meaning of our life, here, they cannot find time for its considerati on,and in consequence, put it off until tomorrow, which never comes. Now,I propose in this talk together,to emphasize things which you know of course,but for the purpose of again bringing them to your mind,and having you concentrate upon them,to recognize their value.lt is only recently that by the study of Embryology, we have discovered that all our sense organs,by which we contact the world have been developed from the same source,namely, the outside skin,and that from this common beginning,are, in due course,developed the organs by means of which we become aware of our surroundingsThese organs are all formed on the same plan,namely for the reception of vibrations,movement of ether or matter,and they are each endowed with bundles of nerves,nerve processes which can be affected sympathetically by the particular pitch of the vibrations which that organ is meant to receive.Each organ is therefor e,limited to a certain range of perception,altho of course, in the last few years,we have invented instruments to extend the powers of these organs.We are still looking out upon our surroundings in a very rudimentary manner, and we must acknowledge,if we think, that the human race is so much in its, infancy, that our eyes,and other organs of perception, can hard­ ly yet be said to be open. There are two organs by which we principally gain knowledge of our surrounding on Earth, and these are the ones of sight and hearing. I want to show you how narrow is the possible range in which these can be used,in our attempt to investigate the world of appearances . What we call hearing is the apprehension of vibration in.matter,mostly in the form of the air we breathe.When these vibra­ tions strike the ear in regular succession,beyond a certain nümbor in a second,they produce the effect of what may be called a solid, or continuous note,namely, a musical note. A number of these notes, sounded together, we call a noise,--be low sixteen vibrations in one second,the ear can hear them as separate beats,but beyond that number, the sound is continuous. This may be illustrated by loud explosions or pistol shots,fired in quick succession—up to fifteen explosions in one second they would be heard separately, tho of course,the noise would be terrific,but when the rate reaches sixteen explosions per second,as if by magic, the harsh noise will suddenly disappear,and in its place, thought the explosions are still going on,there will be heard wnly a wonderful deep musical note,like that given out by the longest pipe in an organ.lt is however,possible to arrange the experiment in a gentler fashion.For instance,take a large metal disk,which can be revolved at great speed,and have holes drilled regularly in it, in concentric circles,ranging from sixteen,up to five hundred, in the different rows. It can be contrived that a breath of air can be forced thru each hole as it is brought around by the revolution of the disk.

When the puffs occur on a lower rate than sixteen per second,they are heard as individual and separate puffs,but beyond that number, the ear hears them only as a musical sound,and each of the circles are given separate notes,according to the number of holes in it. On the same disk, you can drill concentric circles containing sequences of holes,with the exact ratio necessary for combining harmony,with the result' that from the puffs of air from a single nozzle,there can be produced the principal chords of the musical cleft. Now,as I have said,the lowest musical note the ear can hear,is formed by sixteen vibrations per second. An octave above this is performed by thrity-two vibrations,and the next octave by sixty-four vibrations per second,thus doubling the number for each octave,and so on,until we reach the tenth octave,where the pulsations are1 close on to twenty thousand per second. The sound then passes beyond the range of your ear,altho we can show that the air is still vibrating,and we can actually count the number of beats,and thus ascertain the pitch for another two or three octaves. We know how to traverse numerically,only about thirtyone octaves.which contain all the pulsations in the ether,which we can use in wireless telegraphy,and those which we appreciate as radiant he.at and we then arrive at the rate of frequency,which when they strike the eye,give us the impressions of life. The lowest rate is the color red,followed by orange,yellow,green,blue,indi go and violet. Color and light are identical with pitch in music. They both depend upon the rates of pulsations, when they strike our organs of sight and hearing. By means of an instrument called the photo-chromoscope it can be shown that the colors,red,green,and violet, are the three primary colors,and that all other colors are over-laps of these, and that these primary colors,are produced by three rates of frequencies which are in exactly the same ratio to each other,as those of the first third and fifth,which compose the Major Triad in Music and that these three colors, when combined, produce pure white light. The whole range of sight therefore .only covers a little over an octave and a half.Above and below this,there is only darkness for us,and yet it is by means of this approximate half-octave,that we have to see our surroundings. A world of knowledge is therefore lost to us by the narrowness of the slit thru which we are able to look at the world. We can,perhaps, understand our limitation in sight better, if we think what a world of sound would be lost to us if our range of hearing,only covered half an octave.lt is true that we have invented instruments which have enabled us to examine pulsations beyond physical sight,but taking the whole range of our hearing and sight perception, we find that after all,we are limited to what might be called a few inches only,in the long line of infinite extent,reaching from the outlook,and that knowledge of the world of appearances,is so entirely dependent upon vibrational movement,in the ether,air or matter, and that without these vibrations,we should have no knowledge whatever of our surroundings, we can carry our subject another step forward,by considering how that narrowness of outlook and our consequent ignorance surrounds us with Illusions. Perhpas the greatest Illusion we have,is that we think that it is we who are looking out upon nature,instead of realizing that it is the Actuality,the Invi si ble,which is ever trying to enter into our consciousness,by bombarding our sense organs with those particular

pulsations which they are capable of receiving,and is persistently try­ ing to awaken within us,the knowledge of the sublimest truths. It is difficult for us to realize this,as from infancy we have been accustomed to confine our attention mostly to the object­ ive,namely to the outer forms only,of our surroundings.believing them to by the Actualities .Now, let us make this clear for a moment.In our sense of sight,the only knowledge we get of the outside world, is the impression made on our retina by the bombardment of ether vibrations which have been discharged by,or reflected from,outside natural objects That impression really,is only formed,when we turn our eyes in the right direction,and whereas these vibrations are insistently beating on the outside of our sight organs,when the eyelids are closed,they can make no impressi on,until we allow them to enter by raising the shutters. It is not then,any volition from within which goes out and sees the truths of nature,but the phenomena are,as it were .forcing their way into our consciousness,and this truth is more difficult to graps, when the object is near to us,as we are apt to confound it with our sense of touch,which requires us to stretch out our hand and touch it,—but it is clearer when we deal with an object far away.By means of the telescope,we are receiving the vibrations of light from a star which is so far away,that the light,travelling one hundred eighty-3ix thousand miles per second,takes many thousands of years to reach us. The image is formed on our retina now,tho those vibrations are in fact thousands of years old ,and invisible to our unaided eye,and have been falling upon mankind from the beginning of life on this globe,trying to get an entrance into our consciousness.lt was only when knowledge of wptics had produced the telescope that it became possible for that star not only to make itself known to us,but actually to tell us its dis­ tance,its size,its conditions of existence,and the different elemental substances of which it was composed,thousand 3 of years ago.We now allow it6 vibrations to form an image upon the retina of the eye-ball,and our consciousness insists upon fixing its attention upon that star,as an outside object.refusing to allow that it is only an image inside the eye,and making it difficult to realize that that Star may have disappeared,and have had no existence for the past thousands of years, that we are looking at its image and not seeing it.We may also under­ stand that if that star did not exist,but was created there at this moment,we could not possible see it there,for many thousands of years. We have,therefore,to come to the conclusion that because an object is in front bf us,is no reason we should see it and because we see it in front of us, is no reason that it is there. Another great Illusion that we have,is what we call solidity,or continuity of sensation.If you hold a cannon-ball in your hand,your perception,by means of touch, tells you that it is continuous or what you call solid or hard,but it is not so in actuality,except as a concept,limited by our finite senses.An analogy would be to liken it to a swarm of bees,for we know that it is composed of an immense numba" of perfectly independent atoms or molecules which are darting about and circling at an ever enormous speed,but never touching.They are also vibrating at definite,enormous rates,--according to the temperature of the ball.Wecan at will, reduce that vibration by heating or reducing it by cooling.If we heat this cannon ball sufficiently, we increase the vibrations so that the cohesion of the vibrations decreases so much,that the iron becomes liquid ,and further heating processes.produces

C. 25 Pg 5 volatilisation, where the property of what we call solid ity,diso ppears entirely,and this vapor can now be cooled, passing again thru a fluid state,the cannon ball takes on the appearance of solidity.If our touch perceptions were sensitive enough we could feel the vibrations of the atom,and should not have the sensation of a solid.We have a similar case of limitation in our other senses.I have said that we can hear pulsations only under sixteen in a second, Beyond that number,we have the sensation of a musical or continuous sound,-- in our sense of sight we can see pulsations or intermittent flashes only up to six per second Beyond that number,we have the sensation of a continuous light.A gas jet,if extinguished and relit six times per second.can be seen to flicker,but beyond that rate,it is to our sense of sight,a steady flame --the same effect may be shown by the red glow of the top of a match when stationary,by moving slowly it is a point of light,but moved quickly it becomes a continuous line of light.Still pictures thrown upon a screen at the rate of 15 different pictures per second appear continuous and moving. 'Ne do not even see the white screen while the pictures are being taken off, and put on but think we see them con­ tinuously. Even apart from our senses,we find motion the product of our two modes of limitation,giving the characteristics of solidity. A wheel,with only a few spokes,if rotated quickly enough becomes quite Impenetrable by any substance,however small,which may be thrown at it. A thin jet of water,only half an inch in diameter,if discharged at great pressure say equivalent to a column of water of five hundred meters,cannot be cut even with an axe.It resists as tho it were made of the hardest steel.A thin cord,hanging froma vertical axel, and being revolved very quickly,becomes rigid,and if struck with a hammer, it resists and resounds like a rod of wood. A thin chain, or even a loop of string,if revolving at great speed over a vertical pulley,be­ comes so solid,that if allowed to escape from the pulley, it will run along the ground as a loop. There are other illustrations that will indicate the limitation of our senses,and prove to us that seeing is not believing. I want you to study this over,during the coming week and come to a full realization of the falsity of the Realities which you accept.Realize that these Actualities may be entirely J ifferent,and thus the mental attitude will be built up which will make it easier for us to accept the fact that the Spiritual is the real, and that the visible is only in shadow form, as ciepicted on our finite organs of perception.

Western Occultism

Informal Chats

Instructive notes supplementary to the Brotherhood Lectures.

Mystic Brotherhood

C-26 Pg 1 Informal Chats With the Faculty Now,let us continue in an informal way, our discussions, breaking down a little the sense of confidence in what we see and think we know,in an endeavor to bring about a mental attitude that will be more questioing in its nature,and not quite so cock-sure.For instance, take the sense of direction.lt is obvious that we apparently have no sense of direction,when traveling thru space,save only by noting pass­ ing objects-If we are in a train with the blinds down,we cannot tell in which direction we are going.Even if we have that knowledge,supposing the train, when half-way thru its journey, by going in and out of a terminal, has,without our knowledge,changed its engine so that, -we,with -out moving,are occupying a back instead of a front seatjwe find we are not conscious of the change and even if we now look out of the window it requires quite an effort to realize that we are not going back to our starting point. In the course of every-day life, we are hurried about in trains and motor cars, until we feel sometimes that we would like to escape for a time from such continual movement.We will say we lie down on a sofajwe are still being rushed thru space a thousand times faster than an express train and have no knowledge of this,or the direction in which we are being carried.If the sofa is placed due East and West,and we lie down at noon,we are being carried along at sixty thousand miles an hour,the rate of the Earth moving on its orbit around the Sun. We at first are being carried say feet foremost; but in six hours time, without changing our position, we should be travelling sidewaysjand in a further six hours, we would be still carried along at the same enor­ mous rate, but would then be head foremost.Yet we would be quite obliv­ ious to any change of direction. It has been shown that under present conditions,our concep­ tions of the immense and minute in the extension of space,and the quick and slow in duration of time are purely i 1lusions.They are based en­ tirely upon relativity.If at this moment,we and all our surroundings, were reduced to half our size,moving twice as quickly we would have no knowledge of any change.Even if our Solar System were reduced to the size of the most minute of atoms in a needle point,30 that the whole visible Universe were reduced to the size of that point,each star tak­ ing the place of one of those Electrons,and if time were reduced to the same proportion,so that our Earth would be revolving around the Sun at approximately the rate that Light travels,a condition which we know is actually taking place inside of every atom,-we would still have no know -ledge of any change,and our life would go on exactly the same.If the change were made in the direction of expansion in space and slowing down in time,so that each Atom in that needle point became as large as our Solar System with the steel point as large as the visible Universe, the entire Cosmos,each electron taking the place of a Star,and motion reduced in the same proportion,it is still inconceivable that we would be conscious of any change having taken place,tho the length of our needle,which was at first,say, an inch, would now be so great that Light travelling one hundred eighty-six thousand miles per second would take five hundred thousand years to travel its length,and the stature of each one of us would be so great that Light would require thirty-six billion years to travel from head to foot,and that thirty-six billion

years would then be multiplied one hundred and sixty-three millions of times making five thousand eight hundred and sixty-eight billions of millions of years, to represent the time that an ordinary sneeze would take under such conditions.Yet we have only gone toward the infinitely Great as far as we first went toward the infinitely small,and it is still absolutely inconceivable that we could be conscious of any change Our everyday life would go on as usual,and we would be quite oblivious of the fact that every second of time, with all its interests and thought had been lengthened to five thousand eight hundred and sixty­ eight billions of millions of yeara-We thus see that Immensity and Min­ uteness, in extension of space,and quickness and slowness,in duration of time, are only figments of our Finiteness of outlook. There are many hundreds of other examples I could give of illusions in the World of Appearances.No wonder the Ancients called it the Great Illusion,but I am going to be content and only give you a few more common experiences. The Sun and Stars are seen revolving about the Earth,yet it was only a few hundred years ago,that this was discovered to be only an illusion caused by the Earth itself revolving on its axis.For a long time, the explanation was declared to be a Sacreligious invention,con­ trary to Scripture and those who dared say it was Illusion were threat­ ened wi th Death. The Moon is also seen to rise in the East and set in the West and it is a common belief even now that the Moon is revolving about the Earth in that direction,but this is quite an Illusion-The Moon is real­ ly moving in the opposite direction,namely from West to East,the illu­ sion is caused by the fact that the Earth is also revolving from West to East, but twenty-nine times faster than the Moon takes to complete her orbit. We imagine that the leaves of a tree are green,but they are not really so.They only absorb the red and violet, the other two prim­ ary colors contained in the Sunlight and reflect the Green.If we had a leaf showing absolutely pure green color, it would appear perfectly black in every light that did not contain green.Now,these illustrations show how we are surrounded by illusions,thru ignorance caused by our narrow outlook and our taking for granted that things in this World of Appearances are what they seem, rather than what they really are.They are Realities to us, of course, but they are not ActualitiesTo a great many,it must be a puzzle to explain the phenomena of what is called "up and down" in our Consciousness.lt is a fact that in our sense of sight,all objects are inverted on the retina--for in­ stance,the image of a tree is pictured there with its roots pointed up­ ward and its branches pointing downward.namely toward our feet.Yet we see it right side up.It is,however, possible to arrange matters so that we see the objects which form on the retina in their natural position/ and when that is the case, we see them upside down.If a small hole is punched in a card and held close to the eye,so that a pencil of light passing thru the hole impinges upon the retina,and a pin with the head uppermost is place between the hole and the eye,the image of the head of that pin is thrown upon the retina without being inverted.Namely,it is pointing what we call upward,but our consciousness,which has learned to deal only with inverted images,makes us see that pin with its head pointing to what we call downward. There are still very, very many, who persistently cling to the fallacy, that "seeing is believing";--they soon get tired of think­ ing otherwise,and long to get back to their dolls,wooden horses and

c 26 Pg 3 toys,tho in every decade the Truth is being driven home to them more and more, and they are contenting themselves with make-believe. To such, we might propound the question,"Can we really be said to have even seen such matter?" Let us turn toward a common object in a room which catches our eye with the multitudinous impulses which are re­ flected from its surface under circumstances very similar to those in which a ball-player "fields" a ball. He puts his open hand n the way of the moving ball and catches it.Knowing the distance of the batsman he may perhaps recognize by the hard impact of the ball that he has strong muscles, but by no stretch of the imagination can he be said to see the batsman by that impact, nor can he gain the slightest knowledge as to his character and appearance.So it is exactly the same with the objective intuition,altho in this case, we are fielding myriads of impacts. We direct our openeyes to an object and catch,thereby, little vibrations of Light.reflected from it at different angles. By combin­ ing all these vibrations we have learned to recognize form,and come to the conclusion that we are looking at, say, a chair.The eye catches the vibrations coming in greater quantities from certain parts of that chair, and we say that those parts are polished. The eye catches vibra­ tions of higher or lower frequency, and we call that color.We also re­ cognize that this chair prevents the eye from seeing light vibrations from other objects in the room and we say that it is not transparent. These are all conditions under which we are said to see our surround­ ings and upon which is based the fallacy that "seeing is believing." If we now take another step forward and analyze this pheno­ mena ,"vibration", upon which, as we have seen, rests entirely our very belief in the Reality of our surroundings, we shall be able to realize that the whole outside World is really only an imaginary conception caused by ignorance of the Finiteness of our outlook.lt has been sensed as real by our limited physical organs of perception,but has no Actua­ lity or value for us apart from those senses. The explanation is as already pointed out, that all human sense organs depend entirely upon vibration or movement in the Ether,Air or Matter for their excitation without which there would be no knowledge of the outside world, no per­ ception, and therefore, no knowledge of physical existence. The cause of this absolute dependence upon movement for gaining knowledge of our surrounding is that all our sense organs are confined to working under the two modes of perception or limitation called Time and Space,making motion the only possible basis of objectivity.because motion is a com­ bination of these two modes. The very sensing of motion is the percep­ tion of the time taken to traverse a certain space,and we cannot ima­ gine motion unless it contains both of these modes,in however small a quantity.We may have the greatest imaginable space traversed in a moment of timebor the smallest imaginable space traversed in what may be called, for want of a better word, an Eternity,but we still have to postulate motion-This, of course, follows from the fact that when we are looking outward, as we are doing when we are looking at the World of Appearances, our thoughts require both of these modes of forming con-: oepts. Mow, let us take another step forward,and examine these two factors of vibration under which our senses act. If we try to analyze our conception of time and space we seem forced to postulate that they are both infinitely divisible and infinitely extensible. They are both what we call continuous and not discrete. Both duration in Time and extension in Space can be reduced to a mathematical point. All parts

C - 26 Pg. 4 of Time are Time, and all parts of Space are Space. There are no holes as it were in Soace which are not Space, nor intervals in Time which are not Time. They are both complete Units. Space cannot be limited,ex­ cept by Space, Time, cannot be limited except by Time so far as they are alike but on the other hand Space is comprised of Three Dimensions Length,Breadth,and Depth, where Time has the appearance to us of com­ prising only one dimension, namely length. Our Conception of Time is an inconceivable,intangible "some­ thing" which gives us the impression of movement,without anything that moves it.Space is an omnipresent,intangible "nothing"outside which nothing that has existence can even be thought to exist. . We arbitrarily divide each of these two modes of functioning into two parte,which parts are separated from each other in either case by a point which apparently has as its center,our very consciousness of living.In the ca.se of Space, we call the point the Here, and on one side of it, we have/extension toward rhe Infinitely Great and on the other extension toward the Infinitely Small.In the case of Time, we call the middle point the Now,on one side of this we have the duration of time toward the Future,and on the other hand,what we call the dura­ tion of time toward the Past. In the case of Space we have the "here" and the "over There" equivalent in time to the present and the future, but tho Time and Space are, as it were twin sisters, upon whose com­ bined action depends our very consciousness of existence, we do not treat them both equally. It is a remarkable fact that the Human Race on this particu­ lar World has, in some inexplicable way, come to look upon the future as non-existent, until we arrive at it, and are unable to perceive without senses, what is happening there. This is all the. more inexplic­ able when we realize that,travelling Space, we have to move to get anywhere, but in traversing Time, we have nothing equivalent to move­ ment, This way of looking upon the future as non-existent is probably another Sign that our Race is still in its infancy but we have hitherto looked upon Time not only as an Actuality, but as actually moving,or extending along a line, from what we call the Present to future Etern­ ity, whereas under our present outlook,we have no consciousness of the existence of Time except as intervals between successive thots. Our consciousness of the existence of Time is based upon our repeating the Present by saying to ourselves the word "Now, now, now"—but there is nothing that can be called movement in this any more than we stand still and repeat the word "Here, here, here-"-relating- to Space. Our present conception of the future may be any time,rectified by either a slight pe-arrangement of the slender network of nerves,or microscopi­ cal filaments attached to the Cells in the Grey Cordical Layer, or even by a single bridge thrown across from one convolution to another in the Brain. A very tiny alteration would open up to our consciousness the present existence of the future. The prime conceivable difference between our brain and that of the apes and other animals is the larger number of convolutions which have been developed in the human.Each new line of thought or sequence of thought requires and is provided with a new wrinkle or microscopical convolution,and it probably only requires the attention of the Race to be focussed for a time on the subject to evolve the slight alteration or bridge necessary to enable us to real­ ize that the future,as also the past, does exist now,and is included in the Now. It may make this a little clearer to consider:traversing the duration of Time,the future does not exist until we arrive there and

e

C-26 Fg 5

we should also maintain that in traversing the section of Space,our destination, say Rome, does not exist until we arrive thereand see it with our eyes. Now, this is about as far as I want to go at this time,toward the appreciation of the curious illusion of Time,but I want to say that I could take you a great deal further, and I want you to think over what I have said, for it is not impossible to grasp the realization I have referred to. Whether you have grasped that realization will depend upon whether you can accept such a statement as thi6,for instance,—I say that it is quite conceivable that at a not far distant date, the books which are now being written in the fdture.say even five thousand years hence, may actually be in our hands so that we can read them in a similar manner to that which enables us to now handle and read those which were written five thousand years ago. The more we study the subject of Time and Space, the more clearly we see that they are only the temporal, finite modes under which our senses act on the Physical Plane. They are temporal, and therefore, they are not Real in the sense that they are not Eternal. The only Actuality is the Eternal Now in Time and the Here of Space.

i,

Western Occultism J

Informal Chats

Instructive notes supplementary to the Brotherhood Lectures.

Mystic Brotherhood

C 27 Pg 1

Informal Chats '.7ith the Faculty

In these latter talks,we have been continuing to stress- the illusions of matter.I do not want to carry it to the point where it becomes tiresome.but it is necessary to repeat again and again,that the Invisible,or the Spiritual,is the only Actual,and that the Visible or Physical, is only a shadow form cognized oy our Physical senses which are Finite.there fore>under limitation .We are going to continue with this Chat, a few more illustrations, for we are laying a firm foundation which will affect your entire outlook,and make it easier for you to grasp the subjects which we want to discuss later. You know of course.that the whole of the Physical Universe is what may be called the manifestation or the materialization of the Thot or Will cf God,the Soiar Logos.He is not subject to time limitation, and that Thot must therefore,have the aspect of Being,which we should call, instantaneous .11 is only the finiteness of our outlook under time ana space limitations:whic^ necessitates our looking at Creation,as tho it were a long line of events in sequence,extending from past to future Eternity .Under the limitations of time perception,we appear to be in a position similar to that of a Being whose senses are limited to one dimensional space,namely,a line.We can only think of what is in front and behind us in time.We know nothing of what is to the right or left. We appear to be limited to looking lengthwise in time,whereas an omni­ scient or omnipresent Being,looks at time as it were,cross-wise,and sees it as a whole. A small light,when at rest, appears as a point of light,but when we apply quick motion,the product of time and space to it,we get the appearance of a line of light and this continuous line, formed by the motion of a point is, I think.analogous to the Physical Universe,appearing to our finite senses,as continuous in time duration and space extension,tho really comprising only the Now and Here.We have a similar limitation in reading a book.We can only deal with it as a long line of words In succession,a long sequence of thot,whereas the whole book is lying complete before us. The consideratioii of our limitation in Space Perception may be also useful to show how impossible it is for us to see by our senses the Actual i ties,whereby our thots are to know the Spiritual.Cur senses and thots are limited to a space of Three Dimensions,and we can,there­ fore,only see or know that part of the Absolute which is or can be,re­ presented to us In Three Dimensions. A Being whose senses are limited to a Universe of one Dimen­ sion, simply a line,could have nc knowledge of another Being,who is in a Universe of Two Dimensions.namely a flat surface,except so far as the Two Dimensional Beings could be represented within his line of sensa­ tion.So also the Two Dimensional Beings,on a Plane.would have no know­ ledge of a Being like ourselves,with a Universe of Three Dimensions.To his thot,limited within two Dimensions,a Being like ourselves would be unthinkable,except so far as our nature could be made to manifest upon his Plane. And so it can be seen that we,limited by our Finite Senses in Time and Space,and our Consciousness dependent upon that limited basis of Thot,can only know that Aspect of the Actuality or Spiritual, which can be manifest within that Range,namely as motion,or what we call Phyelcal Phenomena.

Again the Spiritual is the cause of all Causation in the Uni­ verse,and what we call the Forces of Nature,are only our limited out­ ward Aspects,of Spiritual Activity.¿flatter is one of these aspects.lt is composed of Atoms built up of exactly the same bricks,each element hav­ ing in its Atom, a certain number of these Cosmic Bricks,which number gives the elements its special characteristic.These bricks are only units of electricity,which,by vibrating at an enormous rate,send out impulses which affect our senses.Matter is therefore,electricity,namely one of the Forces of Nature.That is one of our finite aspects of the Spiritual. Each Atom is somewhat similar to a Solar System.The Cosmic Bricks,namely,the Units of Electricity ,of which it is composed, are re­ volving at enormous rates around a Positive Center.If Spiritual Acti­ vity were withdrawn,these bricks would have no motion,and would not come under our observation in Time and Space,and Matter would then cease to have any property which could be detected by our sense organs and which cease to exist as objective. We see therefore,that the whole world of appearances are only our limited aspects of the Spiritual.lt is not Actual,except in the sense that dolls,wooden horses and toys,become living Beings to child­ ren,or as the Shadow on the floor represents a table.If,therefore,we confine our thots to the outward form,as is done by many,in the use of Intellection we can never get to understand the Actualities of the Spiritual which underlies and transcends all phenomena.To do this, we have to look inward instead of outward,to employ introspection, or what St.Paul called "Spiritual Discernment" to enable us to grasp the mean­ ing of our life and surroundings here.St.Paul says that the Unrighteous namely those who have no knowledge,and therefore no love of God,shall be without excuse because "the Invisible Things of Him,since the crea­ tion of the World are clearly seen,being perceived thru the things that are made,even His everlasting Power and Divinity." We with tur limitations,are thus forced to postulate two As­ pects of the Universe.One of these is what we call the Visible,Finite, or Physical,which carries the appearance of Actuality to our Finite Senses,altho it has no existence for us apart from those senses, and the other is that which transcends our utmost conception,which we call the Invisible,the Infinite or Spiritual.We cannot conceive beyond the Finite,so long as we are conscious of living under present conditions. With every act and perception of our senses, or conception,by our In­ tellect we have therefore,not only knowledge of the Visible,or Finite, as far as Intellection can carry us, but we become at the same moment, aware by Intuition on the Invi s i bl e , Inf ini te Beyond. So,by the use of Introspection,as soon as we have gained a knowledge of our Finite,Physical Self,with a clear comprehension of its limited modes of thot,we at once become aware of the Infinite Spiritual part of us transcending it.The Spiritual part of us is our real Personal -ity,of which the Physical Self is only the outward Manifestation or Shadow, on our Plane of Consciousness. Now,let me suggest two psychological experiments, which will prove if you will earnestly try them,how inadequate the Intellect is when dealing with any subject beyond its narrow,finite horizon. Try,persistently for say,five minutes--not five seconds, but five full minutes,to grasp the idea of the Infinite extension of time. You will not be able to grasp it but I want you to try the experiment. The longer you persist and try to master it,and endeavor to get there,

in Thot,the more unfathomable it becomes and you have to give it up,and acknowledge that is is absolutely inconceivable,that Space can exist without limit.Having done this,you find it is quite as inconceivable or perhaps even more so,to think that Space could be limited.There would always be the que st ion,"What is beyond?" Yet the Intellect suggests Lhat one of these two alternatives must be true.tho it conceives not of how either can possibly be. Now,for the second try persistently to master the idea of time duration.In our experiment on space,when we reached the point where we began to gasp with bewilderment,we had a feeling of relief at the thot that after all,we could,at the worst,stop our flight on the journey outward,into the vasty deep.We could a6 it were,ignore the terrifying idea of unending extension,but in the experiment on time,our Conscious­ ness cannot apply that anaesthetic to its bewildered brain.Time for us is irresistable,rushing on,and carrying us with it.We are helpless—we cannot call a halt and say we will go no further.Our bewildered mind may try to force the thot that surely there must be an end sometime,but the Intellect,which is quite incapable of dealing with such a question tells us nevertheless, that time never ceases* To those who are dominated by the World of appearances, and look outwardly upon time and space,and therefore believe them to be ac­ tualities,such experiments produce a bewildering result,but relief comes immediately to this bewilderment,when by looking inwardly,we realize that both these appalling Infinities of Time and Space,are mere illu­ sions,caused by the finite outlook of our Self Consciousness.When, by looking Within,we have cancelled that Finite Self and have become God Conscious,we are able to realize our Oneness with the Great Spirit,that our Real Being,the Holy Son of God,growing up within us,always has been is now,and ever shall be, the Eternal Now,comprising all Time,and the Here comprising all Space.There cannot have been a beginning,and there can be no end. When we have realized that our Real Personality is our Inner Spiritual Being, we have only to turn our thots in the right direction, namely inwardly instead of outwardly,to have the Power of employing Spiritual Discernment,sweeping away all these other Inconceivables with which the misuse of Intelligence has for so long surrounded us. We have thus seen that the whole World of Appearances can only be looked upon as a temporal condit ion,under which the Race is be­ ing gradually educated and by means of which we are being prepared for realizing an existence far transcending anything which we can even ima­ gine in our present state of Knowledge. It is only in the last fifty years that we have entered upon a new era in Religion and Philosophy.We hear no more of the old fear that the study of Scientific facts leads to Atheism,or Ir-religion. We have learned to recognize that Religion and Science are only provision­ al.They are both progressive in their outlook,and are meant to go hand in hand toward elucidating the Riddle of the Universe. A Scientist on the one hand must always remember that he is only looking outwardly -at the shadow forms of that Invisible Power, which is the cause of all Causation ,and that the real Goal.to which all knowledge is meant to lead us,is the Vision of that Actuality. The Teachers of Religion on the other hand ,must realize the value of Scientific Investigation.lt can indeed,only deal with the vis­ ible Shadow Form,but these are shadows of the Actuality,and the study of Nature is one,and perhaps the most important of the Channels thru which we are meant to gain a knowledge of Nature's God.It is therefore,

clearly a duty that the Teachers of Religion should, by the help of Scientists,seek to become better acquainted than they usually are,with the wonders with which God has surrounded us» I have thus shown that before we can gain a Vision of the Actuality.we must realize that everything upon the Physical Plane is but the Shadow Form or Symbol of that which is on the Transcendental Planes,and we must thus look upon Nature.Every leaf and blade of grass is as it were, a letter or a word, conveying some portion of that won­ derful "Thot," of God.which we call Creation,as every word in a book contains a portion of the thot conveyed therein. Under finite Physical conditions,we are looking outwardly, namely objectively on say,a forest tree .We say the trunk is brown and hard,the bark rough,the leaves green,and the branches spreading out in­ to space,that the branches wave about,and the leaves rustle in the breeze.But these are only movements under the illusions of Time and Space.When we have escaped from this limited outlook,and are able to look inwardly.namely subjectively.these outward forms will cease to have any value for us.We shall then understand the meaning of that tree in the scheme of Creation.lt is sad to see how many there are in this Age of Enlightenment,who so confine their thots entirely to the outward material forms of Every-day life,and have no thot of, or desire to know the real meaning of their sojourn here.They are indeed like children,who cannot read,and confine their attention to the printed letters and words and think these outward visible forms are all that the book contains. They have no knowledge of the Truth underlying these Symbols. From the Infinite Outlook of the Spiritual,the whole Universe being the expression of God's thots,must be absolutely perfect.lt is the narrow,finite range of our outlook.which binds us with the illusion of evil,ugly and false,which we read into our surroundings.This is due to ignorance caused by Race Infancy and our limited modes of perception which,by the assertion of Self,are the causes of all imperfection,and are the antithesis of that Purity or Singleness of Heart,by which we see the Logos. The question is then how can we free ourselves from this ob­ session,and obtain a glimpse of the real world, of which this World of appearance is only the outward shadowy form,under the limitation of Time and Space.That is the purpose of our work.It is the process of thinking,analyzing,and as one progresses in Occultism and Mysticism, they inevitably come into that Real! zati-on .which makes Jut_ possible for them to realize the Presence within themselves,what I have speken of as their real Spiritual Personality,and it aids in teaching them to look inwardly instead of outwardly at the Actuality instead of the Shadowy Reality.In other words,the Meaning instead of the Outer Form of their surroundings. It is a fundamental Truth that before we can become conscious of the true meaning and value of anything,we must be able to realize the connection which it has with our Being.lt therefore follows that the way to solve the problems before us,and to understand the relation in which each of us stand to that wonderful Power behind all Causation in the World of Appearances—in other words,the way to know and realize the Spiritual is to feel and know our Oneness ”4 th it,and in order to feel our Oneness with the Spiritual.under our present conditions of Race Infancy,and therefore,Ignorance,we have first to realize the One­ ness of the Physical Self,which is the outward Shadowy Form of aur Real

Spiritual Self with the Physical Universe.which is the Shadowy Form of the Great Spirit,and this is indeed the method suggested by St. Paul for gaining a knowledge of the Divinity of God.¡-.’any practical examples might be given. These Chats have gone beyond what we intended along this line we must be content for the moment with having pointed out the Pathway by which it is possible for those who will earnestly set themselves to the task,to realize the Presence of the Spiritual Son of God,which is in intimate connection with the Earthly frame of each one of us, and which is One with the Infinite,Eternal Actuality of BeingOur next step logically,is the channel by which our Spiritual Selves may commune with the Logos.This we will take up and discuss in the coming Chat.

Western Occultism

Informal Chats

Instructive notes supplementary to the Brotherhood Lectures.

Mystic Brotherhood

C-28 Pg 1 Informal Chats With the Faculty

We have discussed Frayer from various angles. It is a mat­ ter that admits of an infinite number of approaches.lt is now proposed to take up,from still a different angle, this subject which is of so much importance,that as you meditate over these various presentations, the sum total of the possibilities innate in the subject will be more clearly revealed to your Consciousness. The true significance of Prayer between Man and God has not yet been rightly appreciated by the Human Race,and it is not diffi­ cult to see the reason for this ingnorance.There are many and convinc­ ing proofs in almost every line of thot,showing that the Human Race,on this isolated spot of the Universe, is still in its infancy.Most are,as it were,asleep,more or less unconscious of the value of what they call Spiritual Discernment,and are ignorant therefore,of the conditions upon which the efficacy of True Prayer depends.But the Night is almost past, and we are now on the brink of a great Spiritual AwakeningFor many years,those who have had the power of looking be­ yond the mists of illusions of every-day life,have been watching with wonder and expectat ion,the unmistakable Signs of the Approach of what may be called a Great Mystical Wave,a steady awakening of sleeping hu­ manity to the realization of the value of that which is invisible, car­ rying with it the knowledge that that which is visible to our finite senses has no value,and therefore,no existence,apart from these senses. For the past few years, this wave has been retarded by the exigencies of strife amongst Nations,and stress of mind in the individual, but it has not been stationary. As a Wave in the Sea,as it approaches land,be­ comes more and more perpendicular,un ti 1 it topples over and floods the shore, so has this wonderful Wave been steadily mounting up and its mighty Crest is even now ready to break and flood the hearts of Humanity especially of those who have been sorely tried,bringing in its train, such love and therefore such happiness,as has never yet been experienc­ ed by the Race as a whole,tho at certain Epochs of History,individuals may have done so. Tho every year is bringing with it material advance in our knowledge of Physics,the Mother of the Physical Sciences.it is not in the domain of Intellect that the Wave of Enlightenment is making itself felt.The advance in Intellectual knowledge is indeed seen to be useful only for strengthening the Voice,crying in the Wilderness of the Object -ive "make straight the Way for that which is coming after." Because the greater the advance in knowledge of the Physical,the more one is able to appreciate the limitations of the Intellect,and its uselessness for understanding that which can only be discerned by the Heart,the ultimate cry of the true Scientific investigator must always be, " He who knows most,knows most how little he knows." Therefore, we are now going to take up the subject of Pray - er,by means of the wider outlook which will be open to all when the Wave breaks.The argument will be postulated upon the following premises --first, that Nature was made by Nature's God,so that we will be able to examine the forces contained in Phenomena,as emanations from that God,and that the whole of the Universe is the manifestation or material -ization of what may be called the Thot or Will of God.He is not sub­ ject to Time,and that "thot"must therefore have the aspect of Being—

what we would call Instantaneous. It is only the Finiteness of our out­ look under the conditions of Time and Space, which necessitates our looking at Creation as tho it were a long line of events in sequence, spreading from Past to Future Eternity. Second,that our real Spiritual Personality is akin to,is in fact, a duplicate of, the Great Spirit;we are evolving under His care,and we are formed in His Spiritual Image,like unto Him in Nature and Origin.lt follows that,being Spiritual,our Personality is also not limited by Time and Space and it is by means of this wider outlook that we can endeavor to understand what true Prayer really means. Let us consider the Human Being—we find he consists of Body,Soul and Spirit,as Paul says.The Body with its life, is purely phy -sical,it is built up of the same protoplasmic cells,the foundation of all life,as in the case of not only all other animals,but also all plant life.It has no free will of its own,its wish must always be in one directi on, namely in the form,"Let my will be done." It has instincts which are not wrong in themselves,but purely animal nature,but certain of them are made manifest as conscious wrong, when they come in contact and therefore in competition with the Spiritual. The Spirit or Monad is an emanation from,and an integral part of the Great Spirit.Being purely Spiritual,it is not limited by Space and must therefore be Omnipresent, and independent of time,,it must also be Omniscient.lt cannot be said to have any free will of its own,its desires must always be in the form "Let Thy Will be done," and all its ways are perfection.The Soul or Lower Psychic Self is a Shadow or presentation of the Divine Monad on the Physical Plane of our Consciousness,built up of many experiences, under the limited conditions of Time and Space.lt can therefore,only think in finite words,and requires successions of ideas to accumulate knowledge.lt is dependent upon perception of movement,of the ether,air or matter,for forming concepts of its surroundings,and without these concepts on its Plane of Consciousness,he would have no knowledge of existence.lt constitutes the "I am" of our Consciousness,namely,that which has been called the Ego,and has apparently only to do with the Race.As has been already pointed out,neither the Physical nor the ab­ stract Spiritual,the natures by which the Soul is surrounded,can be said to possess free will.They must work in opposite directions and their competition for influence over our desires and actions,provides the basis of the exercise of man*s free will,the choice between that which Is real and that which is only shadow,between progression and stagnation.Spiritual influence must conquer in the long run,as every step in that direction is a step toward the Real, and can never be lost The physical influence,the apparent steps in the other direction which are not really wrong in a purely animal nature,are in the case of the Soul-man,only negative or retarding.They have no real existence,except as a drag on the wheel,which is always moving in the direction of per­ fection, thus hindering the process of growth in the Real Personality. When the Body dies,the Mind or Plane of Consciousness upon which the Soul,the Form Shadow of the Spiritual is cast,disappears,and with it, necessarily ceases the existence of the Soul as a manifestation, but then it finds its true Being in its Spiritual Originator.In other words the Self-Conscious "I am" of the Soul loses itself and becomes God-Con­ scious and it at last fully realizes its at-oneness with the All-loving With this change all limitations and finiteness di sappear,because when the Physical clothing is dropped we attain to Actuality of Being. In other words, the Spiritual,of which our Real Personality is a part and is,therefore,unbounled by the Consideration of Time and Space.

I have already told you how limited is the outlook of the Intellect.lt is within recent years that we have been able to realize that it is the Invisible which is the Real»but the Visible is only its shadow or manifestation in the Physical Uni verse.That Time and Space have no existence apart from our objective senses-In short, that they are only the modes or limits under which these senses act or receive impressions,and by which they are necessarily rendered finite .'.Ve are living in a World of continuous and multitudinous changes.Every atom of the Universe is in motion of an inconceivable velocity.Without these changes,we should have no cognizance of our surroundings,we would have no consciousness of existence. Let us consider another aspect of the finiteness of our Intellectual outlook before taking up our subject.Under present condi­ tions we can only think of one finite subject at a time, and at that moment, all other subjects are, as it were, cancelled. We can in fact, only think in sequence,we can only think of points in time and space existing beyond or before other fixed points,which must again be fol­ lowed by other points.We cannot fix a point in either, so as to pre­ clude the thot of a point beyond .The idea of an Infinite is, therefore a necessary result of the limitation of our thot.The whole Truth is there before us, but we can only examine it in the form of a finite se­ quence. A book contains a whole story,but we can only know that story by taking each word in succession,and insisting that one word comes in front of another yet the whole story is lying before us,complete.So, with creation, we are forced to look upon it ,as a long line going back to past Eternity,and another long line going on to future Eternity,and with our Li mi tat ion,we can only think of all events there, as happen­ ing in sequence,but remove the limitation of Time and we become Omni­ scient.The whole of Creation would be lying before us as the complete Thot of God. All difficulties arise from the fact that our Physical senses can only perceive the surface of our surroundings.We have hither -to been looking at the woof of Nature as tho it were the glass of a window covered with patterns,smudges,and so forth,comprising all that we would call Physical Phenomena,and which,when analyzed in terms of time a'nd space,produce the appearance of succession of motion.lt re­ quires a keener perception,unbounded by those two limitations,to look thru the glass at the actuality which is beyond.The first step to a clear understanding of this is to realize as we have in the talks which have just preceded this,that it is not we who are looking out upon Na­ ture, but that it is the Actuality which is ever trying to enter,and come into touch with us thru our Senses,and is persistently trying to awaken within us,the knowledge of the Sublimest Truth.lt Is difficult to realize this,as from infancy,we have been accustomed to confine our-*» selves mainly to the übjective,believing that to be the Actuality. Let me set before you,one of the greatest miracles of every-day life,tho of commonest occurrence.We have already seen that the Real Personality of each one of us,the Spiritual,must be independ­ ent of Space Limitation,and is therefore,Omnipresent¡and being inde­ pendent of Time,it must be Omniscient.lt is from this wonderful store of knowledge within,that our outward Physical Ego is ever trying to win fresh forms of thot,in response to our persistent endeavor to form high -er Ideals,our real Inner Spiritual Self from time to time buds out a new thot,perhaps one that has not hitherto been launched into this World's Real of Mentality.The Physical Ego has already prepared the Phy -sical clothing with which that thot must be clad before it can come

into conscious form,as thot,because as ¡¿ax Muller has clearly shown,we have to form words before we can think.So does the Physical Ego clothe that Ethereal Thot in Physical language,and by means of its organ of speech sends that thot forth into the air,in the form of hundreds of thousands of vibrations of different shapes and sizes,some large,some small,some quicK,some siow,travelling in all directions and filling the surrounding space.There is nothing in those vibrations but physical movement,but each separate movement is an integral part or thread of that clothing.Another physical Ego receives these multitudinous vibra­ tions by means of its sense organs, weaves them together in the same physical garment, and actually becomes possessed of that ethereal thot and unexplained marvel, and probably the most wonderful occurrence of our daily existence,expecially as it often enables the recipient to gain fresh knowledge from his own inner Self. Now ,inconnection with this .consider the fact already em­ phasized,in a former talk,that it is not we who are looking out upon Nature,but that it is the Actuality which is ever trying to make -itself known to us,by bombarding our sense organs with that particular impulse to which those organs can respond-Therefore,if we wish to gain a know­ ledge of what is beyond the physical,to decipher the meaning of that wonderful "thot" which we call Creation,it is clear that all our en­ deavors must be toward weaving those impulses into a garment,and then learning from them,those messages which the Actuality is trying to bring into our Consciousness.All these messages,as we shall see,culmi­ nate in the Sublimest Truth,and the Actuality is the all-Loving,and that we are One with Him» With the breaking of this Wave of which I have spoken we shall begin to hear less a riel less of the old Belief,and the study of Scientific facts leading to Atheism, or Irreligión. We shall begin to see that Religion and Science are meant to go hand in hand toward elu­ cidating the Riddle of the Universe-Such a change will enable us to show,as we are attempting to do in these talks,that it is possible by expanding the phenomena of Nature,to reach that point where we may feel that we are actually listening to,and understanding, what may be called the very thots of the Creator.We may even thereby gain,as thru a glass darkly,a transient conception of the All-Loving,and therefore, of its offspring>the Real Personality of each one of us- We shall,then,better understand the conditions under which true Prayer becomes a powerful ana “^everlasting Life" an ActualTtyT Remember of course,that we are only able to examine the outside of Phenomena,and even then,only in the form of Physical vibra­ tions of impulses,the phenomena are therefore only shadows,but they are shadows of the Actuality, and every vibration which comes into the eye, is an integral part of the expression of that wonderful "thot" we call Creation,as every word in a book is an integral part of the Truth con­ tained therein. Let us try to weave the physical impulses into garments and attempt to learn from them,the Spiritual Truths,which the All-Lov­ ing is ever trying to bring into our hearts-Now we are going to take up the arguments which may enable you better to understand the meaning which we have, when we speak of the "Power of Prayer."

Western Occultism

Informal Chats

Instructive notes supplementary to the Brotherhood Lectures.

Mystic Brotherhood

C 29 Pg 1

INFORMAL CHATS WITH THE FACULTY The true significance of Prayer between Man and his Maker has not yet, I think, been rightly appreciated by the Human Race. We have discussed it first from one angle and then from another, both in the Chats and the regular lessons, at various times thru the different grades, and now I want to take it up from still another angle, because the more aspects we study of this profound subject, the more we come to realize its importance and its value, yes, its absolute necessity. There are many convincing proofs in almost every line of thought, showing that the human race, on its little isolated spot of the Universe, is still in its infancy,--most of us are, as it were, asUeep, more or less unconscious of the value of what St. Paul called ’’Spiritual Discernment” and are ignorant therefore, of the conditions upon which the efficacy of true Prayer depends. But the Night is passed, and we are on the brink of a Great Spiritual Awakening. Many of those who have the Power of looking beyond the Mists and Illusions of every day life, have been watching with wonder and expectation, the unmistakable Signs of the approach of what might be called a Great Mystical Wave, the steady awakening of sleeping Hu­ manity to the realization of the value of that which is invisible, carrying with it the knowledge that that which is visible to our finite senses, has no value, and therefore no existence, apart from those senses. In the last few years, this Wave has been retarded by the exigencies of strife amongst Nations, and stress of mind in the indivi­ dual, but it has not been stationary. When a wave of the sea ap­ proaches land, it becomes more and more perpendicular, until it topples over and floods the shore. So has this wonderful Wave been steadily mounting up, and the Mighty Crest is even now, ready to break and flood the hearts of Humanity, especially those who have been sorely tried, bringing in its train, such Love and therefore such Happiness, as has never yet been experienced by the Race as a whole. In certain Epochs, individuals of course, have done so. We must remember that the Upper Personality, or even back of that, the Divine Monad itself, is Spiritual, and it is therefore akin to the Father. It may be said to have no free Will of its own,its will or influence, as opposed to the physical desires, must always be working toward perfection in the form. The efficacy of its influence of course, depends upon its growth and nourishment, by the knowledge of the Good, Beautiful and True, or the Knowledge of God, bringing it more and more into perfect touch and sympathy with the Logos. The Power of true Prayer, therefore, depends: upon two conditions,— it must be in the form, "Let Thy Will be done". I do not mean mere supine acquiscence to an autocratic decree, but I mean that the Prayer’ is in Harmony with the Infinite Principles of Good which emanate from the Logos. Then,the second is, that the one who prays, must be capable of making the peti­ tion felt, because he has already gained knowledge of what that Will is. In other words, he is already familiar somewhat at least, with these Divine Edicts, the Great Laws of the Universe. Now if we carefully examine the phenomena around us, we make the extraordinary discovery that this Power to influence by sym­ pathetic action, is the very basis of the survival of progress thruout the Universe. In the Organic World, all Nature seems to be praying in

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one form or another, and only those plants and animals which pray to each other, or to us, with efficacy, based upon the two conditions I have outlined, survive in the struggle for existence. The economy of Nature is founded upon that inexorable Lav/, "The survival of the fit­ test". Every organism which is not in sympathy with its environment,anc cannot, therefore, derive help and nourishment from its surroundings, perishes. Darwin has shown that the color of flowering plants, is developed by the necessity of attracting the bees to visit, because of their power to aid in reproducing the species. Those families of plants which do not, as it were, pray to the bees with efficacy, fail to attract, and are not, therefore, fertilized, and soon disappear without successors. Darwin has also shown that heredity and environment are the prime influences, under which the whole organic world is sus­ tained. In other words, every organism has implanted in it by heredi­ ty, the Principle of Life, that the conditions under which it will be possible for that life to expand and come to perfection, rests entirely upon its power to bring itself into harmony with its environment. This Principle of Life does not come naked into the World, it is for­ tified by the hereditary power gained by its parents in their struggle for existence to get into sympathy with their environment. The know­ ledge they gained by the struggle, they handdown to their offspring, and have thus given it the possibility of also gaining for itself that power to get into sympathy with its environment upon which its future existence will depend. Look about us at the World of Men. Who are the successful ones? The ones who harmonizewith the World as it is, the ones who harmonize with conditions, and make the best of them, or not? So we may see that in the Spiritual World, those two conditions dominate and it is only with a clear comprehension of their Actuality that we can understand how all-important it is for the Per­ sonality of each of us to bring itself nearer and nearer into harmony with our environment,(spiritually) how the efficacy of Prayer depends upon the knowledge of what is the "Will of God". We have received from our Spiritual Father, the Principle of Everlasting Life, and the Aspi­ rations which if followed will enable that Heaven within us to expand and come to perfection, but as in the case of physical organisms, the Gift is useless, unless we elect to use those Aspirations aright, and gain thereby a knowledge of our Spiritual Environment, which alone can bring us into sympathy with God. Without that knowledge of God, we can see by Analogy on the organic Plane, that everlasting life is impossible We are as weeds which shall be rooted out. This is no figment of the imagination, rather it seems to be the only conclusion to which we can come--if Nature is made by Nature's God, then Man is made in the Image of that God. The Pover of Influence by Sympathetic Action may also be seen in another direction. Consider the fact that if we are in a room with a piano, and sing a certain note, say E flat, we not only hear that note resounding from the piano, but if we examine the strings, we will find that all the E flats are actually vibrating in sympathy, be­ cause they are in perfect harmony with the note given out by the Voice, but none of the other notes are responding, because they are out of harmony. Now, with this simile in Mind, let us consider the cur­ ious fact that a ¡doth always lays her eggs on that particular food plant upon which the caterpillars, when they hatch out of these eggs,

C - 29 Pg 3 must feed. Some of you may, perhaps, have watched the process of depo­ siting eggs, and have noticed how the female moth will hover in a pe­ culiar way, over different plants, but does not alight, until she comes to a plant nearly akin to the one she is seeking. She then alights,but remains on tip-toe, as it were, with legs outstretched, and wings qui­ vering, and soon mounts into the air again. It is only when she alights upon the proper food plant that she knows her quest is ended, and her eggs are laid. This particular plant has no other attraction for her. She takes her food irrespectively from any other flower, which secretes honey, and yet, when she is ready to fulfill her destiny, she is unerringly drawn to that particular plant which alone will serve as food for her offspring. What is this wonderful sense? We call it in­ stinct, a name which is made to cover all other senses of the Lower Animals, of which we have but little knowledge ourselves. Let us take our own senses as a guide. We find they are all based on the apprecia­ tion of vibrations or frequencies of greater or less rapidity, by means of organs especially adapted to vibrate in sympathy with these pulsa­ tions. Thus we gain a knowledge of external things. Two tuning forks, and two organ pipes, when vibrating close to each other, give out a pure musical note when they are in perfect harmony, namely, when they are of exactly the same pitch, when they are as it were, at rest together,but when one is even slightly out of harmony, there is, in place of a pure musical note, a rise and fall of sound in heavy throb, strangely charac­ teristic of quarreling, in fact, discord and unrest. With our sense of hearing, we can only appreciate up to twenty thousand vibrations a se­ cond, as a musical sound, whereas with light, and other electrical phe­ nomena, we can appreciate sympathetic frequencies, of not only many million, but indeed millions of millions in a second. Yet it is possi­ ble that in the sense (of insects) we are now examining for the frequen­ cies of life force given out by plant and animal organisms (somewhat similar to our present wireless communication) which influence sympa­ thetically the senses of other living organisms, we are at the point of frequency, as far removed numerically, from Light, as Light itself is from Sound. The life of animals and plants is the same. Their organ­ isms, are all built up of the same protoplasmic stuff, the cell of each species has the same particular chemical form of protein which differen­ tiates it from every other species. This protein is made up of atoms, each of which, according to its elements is rotating or pulsating at the rate characteristic of that element. The protoplasmic cell of each species has therefore, and is giving out, a particular combination of impulses, which I will call its "Chord of Life". As all these etheric impulses emanate from the atom, namely, from the same source of those Hertzian Waves, radiant heat, light, actinic, magnetic, rontzen, and other ether waves, these "Chords of Life" are either in harmony or in discord with each other, according to the pitches of frequency which emanate from them. If then, we follow the analogy of our highest senses, we seek to get a clear explanation of insect discrimination. The insect, in her then state, could have no pleasure in the presence of certain plants, their modes of frequency being discordant to that particular insect life, and it may be conceived that not only is there no induce­ ment for the insect to alight on this plant, but that, even in its near proximity, that insect life would feel discomfort and restlessness.When however, a plant is reached which is near akin to the one required,less

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Fe 4 antipathy, or unrest would be felt, and when the true species of plant is reached, all would be harmony,pleasure and rest. The functions of the insect life, would be vivified, and the life work accomplished,under the influence of Sympathetic Action. I have made many other investiga­ tions, and have found the same power of influence or Sympathetic Action between two different animal organisms, as we have seen above,existing between animals and plants. If now we pass on and examine the inorganic world, we make more extraordinary discoveries, that this power to influence, based up­ on sympathetic Action, is the very mainspring by which physical work can be maintained. As already pointed out, the action of our sense or­ gans is based upon the appreciation of vibration in the air or ether, of greater or less rapidity, according tc the presence in those organs or processes, capable of responding in sympathy with those frequencies. The limit or pitch within which these senses can be affected are very small, the ear can only appreciate abbout. ten octaves of sound, and the eye less than one octave in light. Beyond these limits, owing to the absence of processes which can be affected sympathetically,al1 is si­ lent ana dark to us. This capacity cf responding under sympathetic Ac­ tion is not,however,confined to organic senses. The physical forces, and even inert matter are also sensitive to its influence. We are going into this matter very deeply, for I want this matter of Prayer to bo thoroughly understood. I want you to study and ponder over what Í have said, in preparation for what is to come. In the next Chat, we will demonstrate the Universality of the action which we have been expounding, in physical forces, and even in inert matter. And now, I am going to give you one example which you may study over in preparation for the next Ghat. In Wireless Telegraphy it is absolutely necessary that the transmitter of the electro-magnetic waves should be brought into perfect sympathy with the Receiver. Without that condition.it is impos -sible to communicate at a di stance. 'gain, a heavy pendulum or swing, can by a certain force,be pushed an inch from its position of res, ana each successive push will augment the swing, but only on one condi­ tion,namely, the force must be applied in sympathy with the mode of swing.If the length of the pendulum is fifty-two feet, the force must be applied only at the end of eacn eight seconds,as altho the pendu­ lum at first is only moving say,one inch,it will take four seconds to Traverse that rnulx ,'tfr.e' -time IT^VouTd also take to Traverse ten feet or more, and will not be back at the original position, until the end of eight seconds. If the force were applied before that time,the swing of the pendulum would be hindered, instead of augmented;even a steam engine must work under this influence,if it is to be effective. There may be enough force in the boiler, to do the work of a thousand horse power, but unless the slide valve is arranged so that the steam enters the cylinder,at exactly the right moment,namely, in absolute sympathy with the thrust of the piston, no work will be possible Think this over,and see what other illustrations you can think of, which will augment these ideas of the necessity of perfect sympathy.

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Informal Chats With the Faculty

Continuing now,with other examples,by means of .which we will come to appreciate something of what is implied in "Prayer". To understand this example I want to give you,let me 'point out that the physical qualities of every Material Body has what may be called certain traits of character.which belong to it alone. There is generally one special trait or "partial," namely the charac­ teristic which it is easiest for that particular body to manifest,which might be called its fundamental note,and you will also see as we go along, that by sympathetic action other qualities can be developed. For instance,I possess several pieces of ordinary wood, such as are used for lighting fires,and each of these,according to its size and density,has a special characteristic.If these pieces are examined separately,it could hardly be seen that they differed one from another,except slightly in length,but throw them down in succes­ sion on a table,and it will be observed that each of them gives out a clear,characteri stic note of the musical scale.In fact,if thrown down in proper order,they would play a tune.Now,to carry this subject a step further,I have a long heavy iron bar,four feet long and two inches thick,so rigid that no ordinary manual force can bend it out of its shape,and from mere handling, you would find it difficult to imagine that such a bar would be amenable to gentle,sympathetic influence,but as we study this inert mass,we find that just as each person has spec­ ial character istics,some being more partial than others say, to liter­ ary pursuits,athletics,music,poetry,science,or metaphysics,so we can see that this iron mass has not only a, number of these tendencies, or partials,some of which are extraordinarily powerful,and beautiful.aud­ ible over long distance,but also that,by the slightest touch of cer­ tain small rubbers,not more than an ounce in weight,each of which has brought into perfect sympathy with one of these traits,we can make the heavy mass demonstrate them,both optically and audibly,but without these sympathetic touches,it is silent and remains an inert mass. The above of course, is a result which Is obtained by physical contact,between the rubber and the iron bar,but let us car­ ry this another step forw rd,and deal with the influence of sympathe­ tic action at a distance,without material conta.c t .namely that which on the physical Plane might be called "Prayer" between two of these rigid masses.from what we have seen it is clear that the real Personal­ ity of man could not possibly pray with efficacy to a graven Image.There is nothing in sympathy between them,and without sympathetic action,in­ fluence Í3 impossible,but it Í6 quite possible for Matter to pray to Matter.provided the Material Soul,if we may use the analogy,is brought into perfect sympathy with the Material God,and I will now describe an experiment showing this taking place. Here is another heavy iron bar,not so long,but of the same thickness a3 the one already described.We have found its strong­ est characteristic and have a specially tuned rubber,fashioned so that its characteristic is capable of perfect sympathetic action with that of the bar,namely,that the number of vibrations in a second of the rubber is exactly equal .-(probably within one thousandth of a vibration) -to those of the iron mass, and it ig therefore as we have seen in the former experiment.capable by contact of influencing the bar sympathe­ tically.The slightest touch throws the bar into such violent vibration

t>hat a great volume of sound is produced which might be hearda quarter of a mile away. The result of this sympathetic touch is far from being ^transient. In fact, the bar will continue to move audibly for a long •time, the movement of the mass of iron was started by physical contact, but the bar,having been once started praying,wi11ing, or thinking, or whatever you want to call it,has now the power to effect,without con­ tact,another rigid bar of iron even when removed to a great distance, provided the second bar possessed similar characteristics,and that those characteristic have been brought into perfect sympathy with those of the first bar. I have a second bar which fulfills these conditions,and altho at the outset it had no power whatever to respond,it has gradual­ ly been,as it were.educated,namely.brought nearer and nearer into sym­ pathy with the first bar,until it is «now able to respond over long dis­ tances.We will now reverse the process of bringing these bars into sym­ pathy, and we wi LI—throw the bars out of harmony by slightly changing the characteristic of one of them,which is done by loading one of the bars with a weight less than one hundredth part of an ounce.The change is extremely small,quite unappreciable by the human ear,the bar giving out as full and as pure a note as it did before the alteration.In fact the change is so slight,that the bar ,with a little force,can still be stimulated by the same rubber,yet the whole power to Influence has been lost,The first bar,altho it is ''praying" with great force,gets no res­ ponse from the second bar, even if the bars are now brought onto the same table,and placed within a few inches of each other.There is still no sympathetic action and the efficacy of "prayer" between the two has been completely destroyed. Now,remember in the foregoing examples and experiments that we have been looking objectively upon physical phenomena,namely outwardly,at the "warp and woof" of the garment with which the Logos has clothed His wonderous Thoughts.which we call Creation.The presenta­ tion of this thought can-only come into our finite consciousness in the form of multitudinous vibrations in the air,and frequencies in the ether We are trying to weave these physical impressions into a complete whole so that we may understand objectively the Spiritual Truths which He is persistently trying to awaken in our hearts. Do we not now see, the Spiritual Principle upon which the Power or Prayer depends? Namely,that the whole object of the Human Soul,in using the Word,"Thy Will be done" is to bring itself closer and closer into the perfect,loving and knowing Communion with the Lo­ gos,and when that has been accomplished,we may understand from our Investigations upon the Physical Plane, that not only shall we and our aspirations be influenced by the Divine Wi-11,but then our wishes in their turn, must have great Power with God,and it becomes possible for even "Mountains to be removed and cast into the midst of the Sea." How truly the Philosopher Paul,at the beginning of our Era, recognized that the Knowledge of God,which the Master Jesus Him­ self told us is "everlasting Life", may be gained by the study of the Material Universe. His words were sadly overlooked by many, who, half a Century ago, were afraid that the investigations of, and the dis­ coveries of Science were dangerous to belief in the Divine."The Invisi­ ble things of Him since the Creation of the World, are clearly seen, being perceived thru the things that are made,even His everlasting Pow­ er ano Divinity."

C - SO - Page 3 We have seen the Truth of this wonderful Statement, we have traced the reflection of the greatest Attribute of the Deity,Di­ vine Love on the Material Plane.V'hat has been the result of our invest­ igations? We find that thruout the whole of Nature, the one great Uni­ versal Power is Sympathy,it is verily ’’Love that makes the World go ’round”--. A. marvelous conclusion,and yet it is the only one that we could possibly have arrived at, because the whole of Creation is a Ma­ terialization of the very ''Thoughts of the All-loving” .We have indeed, in the Phenomena of Nature, the imprint of His Will, our Innermost Self is an emanation from Him and that which at the beginning was only a striving to bring ourselves into harmony with that Will, must as the Spiritual Self grows in strength and knowledge, become a great Power working under that Universal Principle of Sympathetic Action.True Pray­ er indeed becomes "Love in Action” and under certain conditions, Prayer may actually be looked upon as the greatest physical force in Nature. Let us carry this one step further. Can we, by our ana­ logy of Matter, "praying”, understand why ’’The knowledge of God is ever­ lasting Life”? Look at the first iron bar,and watch how, as long as it keeps vibrating, the second bar,because it is in sympathy will be kept in motion.If it were possible for the first bar to vibrate for­ ever, the second bar, would, speaking materially, have ’’everlasting Life"--now, apply this subjectively to our real Personality. It is being nourished, the knowledge of God is increasing, it is at last per­ fected in loving and knowing Communion with God,and when for it, the Material Universe disappears, its affinity to Infinite Life, the One­ ness with the Logo&,must give it ’’everlasting Life”--everything that has not that connection is but a shadow, and will cease to exist when the great "Thought” is completed. The volition of the Deity is with­ drawn,and .the Physical Universe ceases to be.Nothing can exist save that which is. perfected, that which is of the essence of God,namely the Spiritual; perfect Harmony will then be supreme, and a happiness such as cannot be. described in Earthly language, nor even imagined by finite conception will ensue. In many passages which refer to the wondrous life hereafter, when yte are.graduated from the School of Earth, we are not told what Heaven is like, but only what is not to be found there. As the whole of the Phenomena of Nature is a manifesta­ tion of the Divine Noumenon,it follows that Matter is as Divine as the Spiritual, tho not as Real. It is His shadow, or the outline of His very Image, thrown upon the limited Plane of our Consciousness,and the Principle of Sympathetic Action, upon which, as we have seen, the whole Power to influence depends in the Universe,gives us the ’’Shadow Form” thru which we may understand the efficacy of true Prayer, namely, "God in Action" and the connection between our Spiritual Self and the All­ loving . You realize that the Real Personality of each one of us is Spirit, and therefore, akin to, or like the Great Spirit, not only in essence, but in "knowing and loving Conimunion".As we look at the various illustrations that have been given, and especially at the last experiment, we see two material bodies (remember that they are but shadowy manifestations of the Actuality behind them) which can influence each other, owing to the fact that they are akin to each other, not on­ ly in substance, but in perfect Sympathetic Communion. If now, we watch the shadows of two human beings thrown upon a screen, and we see those shadows shaking hands, are we not justified in concluding that these shadows give a true explanation of what is actually taking place,

and is not this actually what has been shown? Namely, that it is possi -ble by examining the Phenomena of Nature (the shadows of the Actual­ ity) to reach that point where we may even feel that we are listening to, or having divulged to us, some of what may be called the very Thots of God. We are apt to think that all Phenomena surrounding us are the results of certain blind Forces which are working under fixed Power, and that the World, having once been created, could go on by it­ self, without the need of a God. We have grown to look upon everything as an external work of a Creator,similar to a chair or a table made by a carpenter, and that, when once made, it can to a certain extent, take care of itself,whereas the Phenomena we are looking at, are the actual processes by which God is working out His wonderful Scheme of Creation, the result of His Will.Owing to our sense organs being dependent upon the two modes of Time and Space, the meaning of that Thought can only come thru to us, in the form of Physical Phenomena.If fact, our own thoughts can only be transmitted by physical language, or the material form of written symbols. The more we investigate the workings of Nature,the more we become aware of the Wonders contained therein,and the sublime mean­ ing of every Phenomena,however Insignificant it may at first appear to us,man alone, with his Divine Attirbut^ of Free Will, which he has in­ herited, may resist for an infinitessimal time to the intent of the Di­ vine Will, but woe to those who try to fight against that inexorable Power. They must be swept into oblivion. There is no half-way place.We must love the Logos, or perish. Let us now consider what true Prayer really means. The older one grows, and the nearer one gets to the appreciation of what the Fatherhood of God really signifies to us, the more I think we must realize that true Prayer has nothing to do with petitioning the Deity for the fulfillment of Earthly Desires. This may be the easiest way that the use of Prayer may be taught to children, -as it is in line with the anthropomorphic aspect under which they,acquire their idea of God. They are told that God hears their prayers, and they therefore conclude that He must have ears,He sees everything they do and so He must have eyes.He walks in the Garden of Eden, and sits on a Throne,—He is therefore, similar to a man, and therefore, can be asked for favors.As we grow older, we get beyond these childish illusions, and must I think realize that True Prayer between us and God, could hardly have efficacy on such lines, as asking directly for physical favors. However good and worthy two farmers might be,there would be difficulty in answering both their prayers if on the opposite sides of the fence, one prayed earnestly for rain to save his crops, of late maturing grain from ruin,whilst the other farmer prayed just as earnest -ly for dry weather to gather in his harvest of early fruit, which were already over-ripe. As a child when governed by the Objective, one asked with perfect confidence for everything one wanted,however tri vial,without discrimination,for many people even when grown up still seem to make a use of prayer as tho it constituted, as somebody has well des­ cribed it, "Childish Supplication to a Divine Santa Claus" such praying for material things,even when combined with a submissive understanding that God only gives us what is good for us, can only result in disap­ pointment and even carry with it a feeling that He often seems indif­ ferent to our requests.But thank God, there is that within us, which as

C30 Pg 5 we grow in knowledge and realize our limitations,tells us with no un­ certain voice that God is only waiting patiently until we have learned perhaps by disappointment that we are not using Prayer to Him in the. right way. We are at first praying objectively, as children pray to t-heir earthly parents, but with the growth of our real Spiritual Per­ sonality, we see that we must put away childish thoughts, and commune Subjectively as Spirit to Spirit, before Prayer can become effective between ourselves and God.When that has been realized, we find that the All-loving is always present with us, and evermore willing to grant than we are to ask. All Divine Thoughts and Desires emanate from the Spiri­ tual,-true Prayer is not asking for earthly favors, but is a communion with God, which is only possible when we have thrown open the doors and windows of our Being, so that His Love may find entrance thereto.The Action of true prayer, is, as it were, a reflection of that Love back to the All-loving, from our Inner Consciousness, as light is reflected from a mirror. It is only necessary to keep that mirror bright with constant use, and only then can God influence our lives. It is kept bright,not by belief in obsolete Dogmas, or by Theological discussion, but by the simple Faith comprised by the Three Words, "God is Love," which we know to be true Religion because it helps us to know God,and prevents us from straying from that Truth.

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Western Occultism

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Instructive notes supplementary to the Brotherhood Lectures.

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C-31 Pg 1

Informal Chats With the Faculty We have been discussing prayer and I want you to keep always in mind the thought of these two bars, the one which is vibrating and the other which is being brought up into exactness with this vibrat -ing bar so that it can be acted upon and set into motion by the one which is vibrating.Think of your relationship to the Logos, in this way But because the Logos is one full evolutionary period ahead of us,He is to us,Infinite ,and the Wisdom and power, and Attributes which actuate Him,can function thru us,as we bring ourselves into attunement with Him This then is the purpose of incarnation in the Flesh.To recognize the Goal, and to learn either by resisting the temptations of the Flesh and the allurements of the Material Plane, or by giving way to them, and reaping the consequences,that these things are but shadows and that they are not the Actual. When,we, each of us, have brought ourselves through our thoughts, to the point where we vibrate in harmony with the emanations of the Logos,then indeed are we Gods,and until that time are we truly Gods "in the becoming".When this condition has been attained where the full power of the Father,sweeps thru us and actuates us as a channel for its manifestations upon Earth,then has there been accomplished spi­ ritual Regeneration. Consciousness of wrong thinking and doing, is truly we are told, the beginning of Wisdom, but it is only the beginning,it must be followed by Consciousness of Right Thinking and doing.lt culminates in the all-embracive love of the Logos.When we have thus realized the need •f Spiritual Regeneration,the next step is to consider the means by which it may be accomplished. It is evident that the Western World has wandered far from the simple teachings of Jesus.If we look about and examine Orthodox Christianity,we cannot but help seeing, that it has under the influence of Intellectualism, become too complex and cumbersome as a working hy­ pothesis. It has been warped into the form of an intricate Science, over -loaded by rules of hard and fast Dogma and Ritual,the absolute belief in which according to many of the Teachers, is essential to Salvation. Some of these Dogmas,such as those of the Trinity, the Virgin Birth,the Empty Tomb have unfortunately become subject to controversy and have been treated from the physical aspect, as tho the very Truth of the teachings of Christianity depended upon their proof by intellectual gym -nasties. But surely, the one greatest Central aspect of Christianity is the simple and beautiful Light of the Master as it has been given to us. The standard of character which He laid before us,and from which we see that His persistent endeavor was to help the Human Race to realize the wonderful Truth,that the Logos is actually functioning as a Father toward His Children and that the Kingdom of Heaven in which that Father dwells, is within U6.He tells us that knowledge is open to all,but it must be spiritually discerned, it cannot be attained, by intellectual controversy.We must look inwardly,instead of outwardly,we have only to ask and we shall have, to knock and the door thru which we may attain to that Knowledge shall be opened to us.He likens that wonderful know­ ledge to a grain of mustard seed, which will ever increase in growth, to a treasure that is hidden from ordinary sight,and to a pearl of great price for which,those who have once found it, know that if they

The object of Spiritual Regeneration must therefore be to help the Human Race to get back to this beautiful and simple teaching and to do this we must use all endeavors to bring home more permanently to the present generation the real value of the Inner Life when compar­ ed to the Outer Life of Appearances.This makes for a fuller realization of that Divine Spiritual Life which is the Kingdom of Heaven Within; the power to use Spiritual discernment in everyday life will gradually begin to permeate the lasses. The Human Race is made up of individuals and each integral part of that Race must find the Kingdom for himself, if the world is to become Spiritually Regenerated. The Human Body is made up of myriads of separate cells each working independently at the special task allot­ ted to it, and upon the combined work of all these individual cells, de­ pends entirely the carrying out of the scheme of life of the whole Body. So with Spiritual Regeneration,if it is to be effectual,each individual must in his allotted station,do his utmost for the good of the whole Race,even if in so doing,he finds it necessary to touch upon subjects which he would otherwise have considered too sacred for discussion. I have shown in different ways that all of us are living more or less in a world of physical domination, created, or furnished by our own thoughts in the worlds of appearances.We are too much governed by the Objective.lt is this complete obsession that we have to change; with the advent of spiritual discernment,the Race will receive the means by which Spiritual Truths will henceforth modify and control phy­ sical domination, in our everyday life.Creation by thought on the phy­ sical Plane is not wrong in itself,it is indeed necessary in our pre­ sent state of existence,but it should not take up all our thoughts,and so prevent our finding time for meditation and the meaning of our Life here and the Goal to which we are all bound. Now the question is, how can we bring about this change? How can a desire for the Inner Spiritual Life be awakened in the Mass of Humanity?There are millions of earnest spiritually-minded people, students of Occultism and Mysticism,scattered thruout the world.Each of these is gradually developing,and it is thru these as they give their best for influencing and encouraging others that the Mass can gradually be brought to the true Inner Life. Tne world cannot be converted in a moment,but where good seed is planted there will be the harvest in due time, and there will be brought forth fruit in perfection. That lesson which the Master Jesus so persistently endeav­ ored to teach us,and which is the aim of Mystical Christianity is the finding of the Kingdom of Heaven.Vie must follow closely His precepts, if we are to be successful. I believe the subject can best be considered by dividing it into three parts; first, the clear realization of the imminence and ac­ tuality of the.Spiritual in our surroundings.Second,our real Inner Self is akin to,in fact a part of, the great Logos,and is therefore,Divine and unlimited in its outlook,whereas the Outer,Physical Self is limited by Time and Space and is therefore only temporal.We need therefore only to look inwardly instead of outwardly,only at the Actuality instead c/f at the Shadow,the Reality,to find the Kingdom of Heaven and receive tne wonderful power of Spiritual discernment.Third,the Intellect upon which so much ^alue has been placed by the present generation.lt is Finite and limited in its outlook -to conceptions and to time and space. It can­ not therefore carry our thots beyond the physical Plane,it is only by

apprehension that these things can be perceived,and apprehension only commences when thought ceases. WTiat in actuality is the Spiritual., is the cause of Causa­ tion, and therefore of what we call phenomena in the Universe?It is not limited by Space and must therefore be Omnipresent;it is not limited by time and therefore must be Omniscient. Man is like unto the Great Spirit the Real part of man being spiritual is also independent of Time and Space,but the human frame with its life senses and intel­ lect, is part of what we call the Phenomenal World.We are prone there­ fore, to think that there are two worlds,the Spiritual which is the Real,and the Phenomenal or Material.But there is really only one in actuality,for the visible Universe is only a psuedo conception,caused by our ignorance and the finiteness of our senses.lt has been sensed as Real by our limited physical organs of perception.There is no actu­ ality or value apart from these senses. The wonderful Scheme of Creation is bearing the Human Race toward its destined Goal of Perfection and surely the domination by the Outer Life of Appearance which we see on all sides is a proof that the Race is still in its infancy.We are contented with the Phenomenal World without considering the wonderful Spiritual meaning of it at all. We are indeed like children who cannot read and only look at the mater­ ial printed letters and pattern of words,accepting them as the real book, without any knowledge of the Truth which lies behind them. But there are signs of a speedy awakening to a clearer comprehension of the value of the Inner Spiritual Life,as compared with the mists and illusions of the Physical Outlook,by which hitherto the masses have been dominated. As soon as it has been realized that the Inner Spiritual World is the only Real One, that the Visible is only its outward form as presented to our senses in this Life,we at once become aware of the Imminence of God in all our surroundings.How can we encourage this awareness of the unlimited in our limited world of Time and Space-' To know and understand the Logos we must realize that the whole of Nature, including ourselves, is actually the manifestation of the Presence of Divine Spirit as presented to our consciousness thru our Finite,physi ­ cal senses. As letters and words are the outward physical clothing of the real thought contained in a book,so every blade of grass,flower, and tree is an integral expression of the thought which the Logos is ever trying to devulge to us,if we will but open our hearts to receive the Message,and the way to open our hearts is to fix our attention only on the Good,the Beautiful and the True in our surroundings .These are the sensuous (not sensual) expressions of the Spiritual called by St. Paul, ’’The things that are seen” by which we may gain a knowledge of the Divine. They are the three channels thru which the Logos is ever in our daily Life, endeavoring to enter in,and to teach us how to know and to understand Him and His purpose. The realization within us that thru those Three Channels we are receiving an actual revelation of the Spiritual, brings home to our Finite minds,especially in times of meditation,the wonderful knowl­ edge that our own Real Inner Self, is one with the Spiritual just as our outward Self is one with the Physical Universe. When we have attained to that realization we become emanci­ pated from the overwhelming burden of the exigencies of our everyday life. The turmoil of the struggle for existence,with all its passions and worries, which at times makes life appear so empty of value, these

mountains of Objective discomfort, become mere molehills when we realize how insignificant they all are,compared with that wonderful Subjective state of being in attunement and knowing communion with the Logos of the Universe. To understand fully this Communion with the Spiritual we have to realize that it has nothing to do with the Intellect.All con­ sideration of Self, all pride in intellectual powers, should be put in the background of Consciousness, before we make the start in the desired direction. Certain fixed times should be set apart, for sit­ ting quietly in one's sanctum, or as some Schools call it, of going into the Silence, where we may be alone and free from all distrac­ tions. We can then open up our minds and consciousness to the inflow of the Divine Power, and realize the Presence of Divinity within our­ selves. Even five minutes, night and morning, regularly given up to thus practicing the Presence of God, becomes wonderfully cumulative in its effects. It is cumulative because its effects then permeate the whole Life, not only at the stated times, but thruout the day and it brings intense joy and Peace into the lives of those who will to seek earnestly, to ask persistently, and to knock at the gate of the Kingdom of Heaven which is within our hearts. At such times we have the wonderful experience of waking up into a realm of richness of thot, and vital actuality, from the dreaming of troubled dreams of everyday life where all our thots are limited by the poverty of finite intellectual consideration. We are then substituting the Infinite Spiritual for the limited physical outlook, we have put Finite into the background of consciousness, for we must be absent from consciousness of the Body if we are to be present with the Spirit. Freedom from sense perception, which is the practice of this meditation in the Silence is a means of nourishment to the Physical Self.

The

Western Traditions =¡ =

Informal Chats

By The Faculty

The Mystic Brotherhood University Of Western Occultism

Informal Chats With the Faculty

Mind in Matter A clear understanding of the nature and instrumentality of mind in thought and human action is the essential of Philosophy, Psy­ chology and Formation of Human Character. Unless we apprehend the funda -mental principles on which the Philosophy of Life is built we shall never be able to understand the practical application of the principles of Mental Science.The refore this introductory dissertation. Mind as instrument of thought has long been recognized. Mind,as a Dynamic Center,a Dynamo generating intellectual process, is as yet scarcely conceived of. However,the dynamic theory of Nature is a doctrine quite acceptable at present to conservative and dignified Science. Notwithstanding,even this was a few years ago scoffed at and scorned. Matter,as molar substance, was but a little while ago,all that appealed to recognized scientific authority. That palpable,crude,vi si ble matter is reducible to invis­ ible substance,-a substance,indeed,which is not only not amenable to the physical senses,but is essentially a logical hypothesis of the imagination--seemed at one time so nonsensical that Science indignantly rejected the doctrine. The cry that the Ether was something other than physical in its nature,that it could be conceived as a dynamic essence, whose variable effects on the human senses gave to man his apprehension of the objective world, is a conception which has only gradually invaded the prescribed citadels of modern scientific schoolsAt pre sent,however,it is almost universally postulated that ether is non-atomic. That is, in its pure state Ether is indivis­ ible, an elastic,uniform,unseparable substance. In this sense it is con ceived as a solid. But, if Ether is non-atomic and at the same time a phase of matter,manifestly it must be distinguished from what we ordin­ arily call matter. For to the outer senses there is no form of physical substance which is not resolvable into atomic units. If,then,there is a substance in Nature which in its last analysis is not resolvable into atomic units it must,if material, be conceived as wholly distinct from the material substance of common experience. Hence,if we accept the definition of matter as a substance amenable to the discernment of the physical senses, evidently this con­ ception cannot be predicated of Ether. If not atomic,if not a congeries of infinitesimal units.it must be a compact mass absolutely unitary,indivisible,incapable of discreteness or separation. And,indeed,this lat­ ter view is the one now commonly accepted. As I have said,in this sense Ether is an indivisible and invisible Solid.The statement is paradoxi­ cal and apparently a contradi cti on ;yet it is true.That we may be sure we are stating correct scientific postulates,as it least conceived by a majority of modern scientific philosophers, I will quote from Ernst Haeckel's "Riddle of the Universe." He says: "Ether fills all of space in so far as it is not occupied by ponderable matter,as a continuous substance...Ether has probably no cnemical quality and is not composed of atoms...I postulate for Ether a special structure which is not atom -istic,...and which may be provisionally called etheric or dynamic structure." Now,what we commonly understand as a solid is the most pal -pable and visible of all substances.Yet according to the definition of

Ether above given the most absolute and universal substance is essent­ ially invisible,imponderable(cannot be weighed) and impalpable(cannot be felt.If then we are to accept Ether as a physical substance,as an invisible solid we must either wholly change our definition of Matter or we must refuse to recognize Ether as material substance as we or­ dinarily understand the term.However there is much more to be observed. Is Ether the primal essence of all thing,the ultimate source and ori­ gin of matter,or is it a substance apart from matter--the great undiscoverable X of the universe?All the efforts of scientists to apprehend Ether as a thing apart in Nature,as a permanent,invisible substance that surrounds and pervades the interstices or refined or gross matter occupying all space not filled by denser substance,seem to have proved futile.Even Haeckel’s definition becomes somewhat antiquated. In the most advanced view Ether is not to be distinguished as an element whol­ ly different,in its laws and nature,from the recognized constituency of ordinary matter. On the other hand,science is not willing to accept it merely as a necessary working hypothesis to explain the phenomena of nature(a late school has arisen which claims this is not necessary);nor on the other hand is science willing to discern in it a mysterious and inexplicable substance which is at once the basis and origin of all forms of matter,howbeit absolutely different in essence and quality.If Ether exists at all it must be as the primal essence or element out of which all forms of matter and visible phenomena are begotten--not to be contra-distinguished from them save in its invisibility and in its working method.This is the latest view that is accepted by such great thinkers as Sir William Crookes,Sir Oliver Lodge,Gustave Le Bon and many others « Logically we may assume that there is no break in the pro -cesses of Nature. "Nature abhors a vacuum." In other words, Nature per -mits no break in the continuity of substance.What seems to be a break is merely where the sens-es of man lose the trail of the universal evolu -tion.To the philosophical student there is no hiatus in the long pro­ cess from the mother element,itself invisible and intangible,to the pre -sent manifest phenomena of physical nature. As Sir William Crookes puts it: "We have got 60 far as to admit the possibility of resolving the chemical elements of matter into simpler forms of matter, or even of refining them altogether away into ethereal vibrations of electrical energy." As "electrical energy" is but a phase of etheric vibration of course "electricity", the now recognized basic element of matter,is but a derivation from Ether itself. In one word Ether is the, Mother or Matrix of all phenomena of the material universe. This conception is comparatively new among advanced scient -ific thinkers.Anciently.certain philosophers conceived of this truth, but so spiritualized the doctrine as to make it caviare to the modern scientific physicist. These ancients believed that Spirit,Mind, Deity, Pleroma, ar whatever may be the term used,was uniform Being constitut­ ing the source from which all things came. Now,while a modern scientist must of course reject all anthropomorphic conceptions in his understand -ing of Nature nevertheless he means almost exactly, what the ancient theological philosophers meant when he uses the modern terms of Ether, Energy.Vibration and the like.Ether in scientific conception must pos­ sess the identical qualifications that Spirit in theology connotes, if we are to understand it at all. With all personality,anthropomorphism

or attribution of human qualities eliminated.Ether,Spirit and Akasa are one and the same--Deity and Energy are logically identical. Whatso­ ever there is in matter must have germinally in Ether.Whatsoever there is in Man,there must have been primarily in God.Logically one is forced to conclude that nothing can come out of substance of any kind that was not originally in it.Therefore.while life,as discerned in organic bodies,is not to be predicated of primal substance,or Ether,nevertheless one is compelled to believe that potential life,or the animistic principle.already exists innately in the primal substance and requires only proper conditions to cause its outward expression. Likewise,Mind,or the capacity to discern logical relations may not exist as an acting principle in primal Substance,yet potential­ ly it roust be postulated of the most attenuated phase of that substance or it could not have expressed itself in the denser and more manifest forms of organic matter. A clear apprehension of this conception will enable us to understand how mind is a potentiality of matter even in its most at­ tenuated phase.as well as when manifested in compact,inert mass,or in complex organic forms . If.however,we conceive of mind or life as an en­ tity—apart from the substance which clothes them.our conception of the universe will be confused and illogical.lt seems to me the simplest way to apprehend Nature is to begin with the hypothetical Ether,or Akasa as the primal.primeval.universal substance,as a phase of matter so atten­ uated that it is utterly beyond the power of the human senses to per­ ceive,yet so replete with Nature's innate principles as to constitute the actual Origin of all phenomena and visible forms of matter.Correctly understood,then,Ether cannot be postulated as a "something"existing in or pervading matter; but rather as the primal and essential state of matter from whose invisible and attenuated state evolve the refined or dense,the inert or complex conditions of material substance. To make this interpretation still clearer let us study the chemical analysis of palpable matter.Chemists have until recently assured us that all manifest matter could be weighed and measured by employing as a unit the hypothetical atom of Hydrogen.which was sup­ posed to be the lightest and most refined element of matter known.Hence in chemistry the hydrogen atom was accepted as the unit of mathematical calculations in analyzing-’material subs tañe es .Hydrogen is a colorless, tasteless and inodorous gas.In its native state it is therefore, invis­ ible or beyond the apprehension of the human senses. It is so light that it is estimated to weigh twelve times less than Carbon and six­ teen times less than Osygen.Now.some idea of the minuteness of a hydro­ gen atom,which is the unit of weight of all other atoms,may be acquired by studying the elastic nature of gases,and what this indicates as to the nature of matter in general.For a long time this elasticity of gas­ es , the then supposed ultimate state of matter.was inexplicable.lt was finally concluded by scientists that gaseous elasticity did not arise from the ordinary attractive and repulsive forces in Nature,but from the fact that the gases are composed of infinitesimal units or molecules which lie apart at indefinite distances.lt was the bounding and re­ bounding of these molecules against each other that brought about the quality of elasticity.From this fact we were led to apprehend the in­ conceivable minuteness af the molecules constituting a gaseous body. Says Wallace: "It ha6 been calculated that,at ordinary temperatures, there are some hundreds of trillions of molecultes in a cubic inch of gas,and that these collide with each other eight thousand millions of times in a second.The average length of the path between two collisions

of a molecule is less than the two hundred-thousandth part of an inch, yet this small length is supposed to be at least a hundred times as great as the diameter of each molecule." The mind cannot grasp these computations.Conceive an inch of space divided into two hundred thousand parts,and each of thesé parts again divided by one hundred,and you have the estimated approximate size of the diameter of a molecule of matter in a state of gas.Accord­ ing to this calculation the diameter of a molecule of gas constitutes ony the twenty-millionth of an inch of space.Lord Kelvin calculated it at only twenty-five millionth of an inch.But who can hold in his mind’s eye such an inconceivable small space? By this analysis we perceive how readily what we cal mat­ ter dissolves into invisibility,not to say inconceivability. Neverthe­ less,we are able to penetrate even farther still into what we may call the "nothingness" of matter.We have not yet reached its primary state by this analysis.The above estimated unit of gas,howbeit inconceivable, presents us with a state of matter-that is still very dense when comared to its more recently discovered nature. Says Professor Crookes,"Before matter reaches its primary state all its distinguishing qualities disappear excepting certain pul­ sations which are detectable alone by the Electroscope." In short,mat­ ter when reduced to a final analysis dissolves into mere pulsations of energy or rhythmic vibrations. An entirely new phase or property of matter has been re­ vealed in recent years which completely revolutionizes the traditional conception of its nature.This property is denominated "radio-activity." At first this property was supposed to exist only in a few of the chem­ ical eleraents;but it is now generally admitted that radio-activity is a property inherent in almost all forms of matter.What is Radio-activity?It is the capacity of matter to throw off infinitesimal articles or electrical units called ions or electrons,with a swiftness almost equal to the velocity of light.Now,when scientists discovered these infinite­ simal Units of electricity which were shooting from the surface of ma­ terial objects they found that they would again be compelled to revise their apprehension of the nature of matter.For small as the hydrogen atom was calculated to be,as we have seen above,yet this atom was,when compared to the electrical unit,as huge as a hill compared to a grain of sand.Madame Curie.who.with her husband.was the discoverer of the electron,states that "the mass of the electron is only a small fraction not exceeding the one-thousandth of the mass of an atom of hydrogen." The unit of matter,therefore,as now calculated is not the infinitesimal atom of hydrogen,but one thousand times as small. The mind begins to swim when it attempts to grasp the size of so small a unit.We have just observed that scientists are now agreed that the atom of hydrogen occupies not more than the twenty or twenty-five millionth part of an inch.But the electrical unit,or the electron,we are told by Madame Curie,fills a diameter of space only the thousandth part of the hydrogen unit.That is,the diameter of an electron is the one thousandth part of the twenty-five millionth of an inch! How utterly incapable is the human mind of grasping a picture of this mathematical unit of mat­ ter! How clear now is the scientific demonstration that matter, as we know it,cannot be the ultimate essence of the universe,even when re­ duced to its lowest chemical state--how thoroly must we now be satisfi­ ed that what we call matter is ultimately but an invisible ocean of rhy -thnjic waves—a sea of ceaseless vibrations which, i mpinging upon our senses awaken within us the sensations that constitute the world we know.

When we have attained this final analysis even though mat­ ter may be still further refined, we realize that Mind and Matter are one—Spirit and Substance are one—for,easily,they merge into each other. The traditional notion of matter has vanished. It consists of but a single element, hypothetically, and this element reveals in rhythmic pulsations. It is the Akasa of the Occultist. But we have already observed above that, logically, what we call mind, inheres in all things; therefore, it must be evidert that these rhythmic pulsations are the primitive phases of that mind; that is, the rhythmic vibrations or electrons, being primal matter are themselves but phases of mental activity, the Mind of God in action. Matter is essentially mental—mind is everywhere—the universe is logical—the discernment of logical relations, and the capacity of primal units of matter to adjust themselves to these relations, con­ stitute the proof of subservience of manifest matter to inherent men­ tal activity, which lies at the center of all substantial existence.

To be continued.

Western Occultism

Informal Chats

Instructive notes supplementary to the Brotherhood Lectures.

Mystic Brotherhood

C-33 Pg 1

Informal Uhats With the Faculty The Nature of Mind

When we study the nature of mind we learn that it is not a distinct substance or element--an entity— which resides temporarily in some tabernacle of flesh.This for ages has been the mistaken interpretation which has led to philosophical confusion and scientific inc ons i stency. Few are there today who can appreciate or apprehend the truth about the mind. It has so long been inculcated in us that the mind is an organ of distinctive quality, different from anything else in Nature,that we have attributed to it a sort of supernal characteris­ tic, something divine, so that we feel offended or humiliated when we are told that it is nothing of the sort. We must not forget that Nature is a unity and that all its expressions are founded on identical laws. There is no law on earth that does not function throughout the universe; and, per contra, there is nothing in the Universe that is not at least germinally in mankind. That is a truth which the ancients divined and elucidat­ ed in their occult or metaphysical philosophy, describing the Universe as the Macrocosm and Man as the Microcosm. Only slowly have we been able to outgrow the traditional anthropomorphic conceptions of the world Man has always obtruded his feelings on Nature; he has judged and explained the universe by those feelings. The apparent has always been to him the actual^ the objective has been the real. Now we are arriving at a truer and more trustworthy knowledge founded on more accurate sclentif i c analysis . Once,for instance, it was believed that a flame was a positive substance and that, in order to produce it, a certain other substance, Phlogiston, had to be extracted from inflammable material. Once, likewise, we .conceived that heat was a substance, a thing which permanently existed in the Universe and revealed itself to human senses only under certain conditions. Once it was universally accepted as a scientific dictum that electricity was a fluid of material nature, which could be segregated like any other substance in naturejthat is, that it was a substance possessed of properties of matter. But, thanks to scientific discovery, we now know that all these phenomena, instead of being separable "things," are in fact not things at all, in the ordinary sense of the term, but merely phases of motion, discerned and Interpreted by the sensations they awaken in man. These motions, or waves of ether, as they are supposed to be, we call heat,light, electricity, magnetism, etc., merely as we experience the different effects they produce in our physical organism. All we know about them is what we interpret them to be by the analysis of our sensations and perceptions. We know nothing about them in themseIves .We call them modes of motion, and give them names which describe the sense -tions which their movements cause in us. Objects which we say we see, we really think we do see, because the feelings which they produce seem to describe things, out­ side of us; yet, whatever they may be in reality, all we know about them is the sensations we experience concerning them. This by no means proves their non-existence as real objects, as some suppose, but merely

C-33 Pg 2 that they are reflected to us only through our sensations. When me say we describe them, what we are actually describing is our mental exper­ ience . Always, Man is the neasure and interpreter of the Uni­ verse. However, interpreting the Universe, he is ever but the interpre­ ter of himself. Because he is the Interpreter, he is the Knower. Inter pretation is knowledge- For that reason Science never conceives of know -ledge as a finality--there is no ultima thule to scientific understand -ing. People who deride Science on account of its recurring revisions and alternating theories about Nature,really make themselves absurd. Science does not deal with ultimate realities- All science does, is to try to correlate the facts discovered by some theory that, for the time seems satisfactory.But new facts,that is new perceptions or sensations in man, may compel a new theory that will bring the facts into close c orrelati on. This truth has been recently illustrated by the announce -went of the new law of Relativity by Einstein. We had formerly banked absolutely on the Newtonian laws of Nature. But Einstein, having ex­ perienced certain new sensations (observations) in his study of Nature has been compelled to revise the Newtonian law, merely as the necessity of explaining his own sensations and experiences."Both Newton and Ein­ stein were led to their theory of gravitation by profound studies of the mathematics of motion,but as important discoveries into the nature of matter and the relationship of motion were made subsequently to New­ ton's time, we need not wonder that the two theories show divergence." (Harrow) Now why this divergence in theory or explanation? Merely be­ cause new things in nature were seen, new observations were experienced that is, new perceptions and sensations by man compelled him to seek a new explanation of the mental condition involved. Einstein was forced to explain what Newton could not; namely, why the orbit of Mercury was oval while that of the earth was circular. In short,the office of the scientist consists in reveal­ ing to man the meaning of his observations; the principles in nature that underlie the phenomena he observes.The unscientific man may dis­ cover new facts as well as the scientific man; but what distinguishes the scientist is his capacity to explain their cause or raison d'etre. Man has always been more or less observant; but not un­ til some scientist arrives who explains to him the meaning of the thing he sees, does he understand what he observes. The tradition about New­ ton seeing the fall of the apple, and Galileo studying the oscillations of the great chandelier in the cathedral at Pisa, illustrates the truth of the above statement. But the unscientific man is always deceived by the il­ lusory effect. The earth to him is not round, because his sensations on the earth seem to disprove it. To every unconvinced person the sun does rise in spite of the claims of science because he interprets the ac­ tion of the sun by his feelings or observations. The thing of which man is most ignorant,and about whose laws he must first be informed before he can understand anything scientific is the nature of his mind. He lives in a state of delusion because of what we may call the pictorial character of thought. This man is deceived in the belief that what he mentally perceives is an objective reality in nature; whereas he per­ ceives an interior picture of a mental process. Not until he understand the nature of that process can he understand reality or the nature of what he perceives.

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In short, the interpretation is the key. If his inter­ pretation is false he has lost the key to Truth. Only by the right key is man led to distinguish between delusion and illusion. Because he has not Interpreted illusion correctly he has lived in a world of delusion; therefore in ignorance and deception. When we study the mind scientifically we find indeed that we live in a world of illusion; and because this illusion has been accepted as reality many still live in utter delusion and ignorance. Man has automorphized Mind. That is, he has assumed, or did so for ages, that it was a distinctive organ of humankind, a human property, and he has read the Universe in the light of this property without first understanding the property itself. Therefore a false uni­ verse and a false human mind. Now let us try to analyze the mind just as we do all other phenomena of nature. In the previous chat we have shown that in the last analysis all forms of matter are but rhythmic pulsations, or varying velocities of motion. The electron is now regarded as the small est unit of matter known. An atom is merely a series of circulating electrons around a center. The number and arrangement of the electrons determines the nature of the atom. In short, matter is reduced to mo­ tion or a form of energy. That is, everything that exists in the universe,and therefore the universe itself, is noticing else than motion, manifested in varying rates of velocity.and rhythmic waves of vibration. If this is so then are we justified in differentiating mind from matter? Are we justified in asserting that it is not a correlation of other forms of energy in nature? May we not say truly that mind also is a mode of motion,and thoughts are waves of motion generated by the energy of mind To many this notion seems to reduce mind to matter;but strangely enough the opponents do not realize that it really transforms matter into mind. That is, this interpretation would make the universe it­ self a manifestation of mental energy, a congeries of infinite thoughts conglomerate unity of inter-penetrating intelligence. But here again we live in a state of illusion.Man thinks of his mind as the theater of his thoughts. He does not seem capable of thinking of mind at all; but only of the thoughts that constitute the furniture of the mind. It is the presentation of thoughts (whether in the form of object or idea) that creates man's confusion in trying to understand mind. All thoughts (objective and subjective) are pic tures.Thoughts of objects, we know, are mental pictures. But so are thoughts of ideas. The idea must take on some form or the mind cannot grasp it .An abstract idea is a system of concrete thoughts. We do not think of beauty,but of the beautiful. Beautiful things create in the mind the notion of beauty. Man lives always in a pictorial gallery. And it is because he reviews the pictures that hang on the walls of this mental gallery that he misinterprets and misunderstands the nature of mind.Here is his world of illusion. For he interprets these pictures, or pictorial thoughts the way he feels about them; not the way they should be analytically apprehended. Just as he misinterprets the nature of matter,because he interprets it by his feelings or sensations; just as he mistakes the action of the sun, because he thinks what he feels about the sun's ac­ tions are real in naturejjust as he interprets a solid body as solid, or a fluid body as fluid,because it feels so to him,without knowing its real nature; in the same way he interprets the pictures of his mind;

his thoughts, as he feels about them, disregarding what they may really be, But as we are able to correct the error of the illusion of matter by a scientific analysis of physical phenomena, so we are able to cor­ rect the illusion of mind, by a scientific analysis of mental pheno­ mena. To conceive of Mind as an entity, a thing apart in the human organism, like a kernel in the nut, is to confuse ignorance with common sense. It is the source of all confusion science.psychology and re ligion. Thi s false conception has made of it a sort of idol, and to touch it with the hands of thought ;a shameful desecration. It may sound like a strange, if not very heretical statement, ti? say that we must approach an understanding of mind thru an understanding of matter. If we are wrong about one we will be about the other. Because our conception of matter has been so false we have for ages held a false conception of mind. The higher physical scie-nce of our -day, advanced physics,no longer regards matter merely as that which is amenable to the senses- Conceptually we resolve coarse matter into an invisible substance. That invisible substance is not what our senses apprehend, but an abstracti on, discernible alone by thot and imagination. In the last sense matter does not exist,if our senses alone are to be the judge.Chemistry and electricity have now proved this beyond a peradventure. In the Romanes Lecture.delivered by Sir Oliver Lodge,in 1903, we find this statement: "The fundamental ingredient of which of whole of matter is nothing more or less than electricity, in the form of an aggregate _/f an equal number of positive and negative electric charges." Prof. Jean Becquerel of Paris says: "If matter is made up of an assemblage of electrons, its inertia is entirely electro-mag­ netic. I do not wish to go so far as to say that there is no such thing as matter; this merely signifies that it is not well to depend entirely on appearances and that it is necessary to view matter in a different light from which it has been viewed in the last few years." Harry Jones, of Johns Hopkins Institute, says emphatical -ly, "The electron is the ultimate unit of matter." From all this it is plain that as we cannot see the elec -tron,which is merely an Invisible mode of motion, a charge of electri­ cal energy,the essence of matter must necessarily be invisible.That is, what we know as matter is not matter at all, in the scientific sense. This world of matter(as the scientists understand it), is wholly beyond our actual experience.lt inheres in a world of which we can conceive,but which we cannot, in the present plane of our exist­ ence ,experience.Prof.Soddy, in "Matter and Energy," makes this very clear. He says: "Until it is possible to educate the mind so that it apprehends Intuitively the three-dimensional aspects of motion, the electro-magnetic world, which underlies the material world, and may completely embrace it, must remain a foreign element as difficult to breathe as air is to a fish, by those accustomed to the grosser ideas of matter and motion." That is,we are not as yet organized with senses so re­ fined and sensitive that they can apprehend the rare rhythm of the electrons that constitute the real element of material substance. But if this is true then we are confronted with a very serious philosophi­ cal problem.The problem is, how it comes to pass, if what we call mat­ ter is not actual but merely an appearance resulting from a form of

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motion which is beyond our apprehension,that we experience what we call mat ter, and treat it as a reality? It is at tnis point that we come face to face with the nature of what we call mind,and must interpret it in the same way that we interpret matter. Mind1 .is the medium by which matter is discerned.Now that sounds most strange,indeed,if we think of matter as we commonly exper­ ience it. For we had supposed matter to be something wholly outside of mind,and mind as something wholly aloof from matter.But the truth seems to be that matter merges in mind and mind in matter. How do v;e know this? By analyzing mind and its experiences. Remember,all we know about mind is what consists of feel -ing ,thinking,knowing and willing. We know these elements as individ­ ual experiences,but we do not know of mind itself as a thing apart from the experiences .Nov# what we call matter in the popular sense is a state of experience made up of feeling and thinking.In fact in the last analysis it is made up of feeling only. Without feeling,there were no thinking.Thinking is a by­ product of feeling.This is proved in the evolution of the race,and in the development of a child.For ages the human race lived only in feel­ ing, with the barest hint of thinking.A child lives many months of its earth-life wholly in the eleraent of feeling, without a conscious thot. Thus it is plain that the foundation of human existence, the very es­ sence of being,inlieres in feeling,emanating from sensation or sense­ contact. It is this fact that compelled the philosopher G.H.Lewes to assert, ’’Matter and the changes of matter mean the Felt and the changes in the Felt;and all other knowledge of matter is in Feeling and the changes of Feeling.” Now this leads us to the startling conclusion that mind had a beginning on this planet; that it is not a creation by some super -natural being or Creator,but a product, a result, an outgrowth of something that existed before it. To those reared in the old education such a declaration comes as a shock a sort of horror. For mind is supposed to be the di­ vine element in man,placed there by a divine Creator.But a scientific history of the evolution of man on the planet utterly contradicts this notion. Mind is a product of experience,and what seems even as strange, matter itself is a product of experience.And all this follows the fact that man is so organized that he can feel. But here we are driven to a still more startling fact. It is this: While man comes to an understanding of matter only thru his feelings, yet because he has misunderstood those very feelings, he has also misunderstood matter. For when he senses matter, he thinks that he feels the substance which his senses contact.As a matter of fact he does nothing of the kind.

To be continued:

Western Occultism »

Informal Chats

Informal Chats W i th the F acu 1 ty

The Nature of ivlind, Cont’d We just learned that to the scientific conception matter, we know it, does not in the last analysis exist. What exists is mere a congeries of electric charges, a unit of revolving electrons, small pulsations of energy shooting out from a center and revolving around that center. We feel, in short, the pulsing or rhythmic action of the energy of the atom. We can understand this better if we hold in our mind's eye the description of an atom, as given for instance by Oliver Lodge: "The oppositely charged electrons are to be thought of as fly­ ing about inside the atoms, as a few thousand specks might fly about inside this ro^n, forming a kind of cosmic system under their strong mutual forces, and occupying the otherwise empty region of space which we call the a tom--occupying it in the same sense that a few scattered but armed soldiers can occupy a territory—occupying it by forceful activity, not by bodily bulk." From this description we can apprehend that when we feel what we call matter we are feeling merely the rhythmic pulsations of these small particles that occupy the atom, and what we call matter is merely the description of the feeling wc experience when the particles or electrons impinge on our sensitive nerves. That is, matter is merely feeling. Now this again is so heretical that many will probably scoff at the statement. But it is scientifically true. We never know matter at all; we know only the feeling which is caused by our senses being attacked by the "armed soldiers," the active electrons, that shoot at us from space. Here then enters 'mind. For at first (in the low stages of human life on the planet) merely the sensation will be experienced. That sensation is the root and germ of mind. For, after many ages of experience (and several months in the child life) that experience is transmuted from feeling into thinking. The mind begins when the feeling is discerned, realized, and interpreted. Before that instant there is no full mind, in the sense of feeling, thinking, knowing and willing. Those features are developed only after many years of elemental sensation. The conclusion of tna whole matter, then, is that matter is a mode of motion, and likewise mind is a mode of motion- For they result from the motion of the infinitesimal particles that impinge on the cells and awaken the transmuted motion that we call thinking. As says Dr. Andrew Wilson, Lecturer on Comparative Anatomy in the Edinburg "We have thus Medical School, in his "Physiology of the Human Body: arrived at the conclusion that the brain cell is the seat of those ac tlons and processes which are generally spoken of under the name of thought and consciousness." It is not Christian Science \vhlch says that matter is a product of the imagination; but, as we shall see, physical science. Says Professor Harry Jones,, "What ------ we_ know in the universe and all that we know, is changes in energy. In order to have something to which we can mentally attach the energy, we have created in our imagination, matter 1 ••

C-34 Pg 2 But unfortunately for Christian Science, by the same token, what we know of mind and all that we know, is energy; and in order to have something to which to attach this energy in consciousness, we have created in the imagination, mind. Both mind and matter are creations of the Imagination; but the energy of which they are composed, or rath­ er which we describe as matter and mind, does have an existence» That is, all we know of mind or matter in the last analysis is motion or rhythmic action. In the light of these principles what we call mind may be defined as the cellular reaction of the*nervous system to contact with the physical world. The reaction is a cellular process by which energy is released from the nervous and cranial cells assuming the mode of what we call consciousness, or feeling and thought. This does not mean that the cellular process itself is mind, but that the energy which is released from the cells by contact is mental or psychic, in contrast to the physical or biological energy. Infinite energy reveals itself in manifold phases, according to the media through which it manifests. The energy is one and identi­ cal, in its primordial stage; but it becomes diversified and varied as it penetrates different substances or organisms. Infinite energy is universal motion, or rhythmic pulsation. Mind, in this view, is the registration of the Universal Energy, in a peculiar manner, within a vital organism. This doctrine places mind in harmony with all the known processes of Nature. In this sense mind is a phase of transform­ ed energy in every form of organic or inorganic matter. It is as well mind in the molecule as in the cell. This energy, impinging on the elements that compose the substances of earth is transformed into the molecular energy that maintains and organizes physical substances, namely adhesion and cohesion. Here is an exercise of mind in a germin­ al form, for the office of molecular energy is creative or purposive, and to that extent implies a reaction in the molecules that is the basis of thought and feeling. When nature works on a plane of matter a little higher than the physical, we come to the plant life. But here we observe the same universal energy working, only instead of operating through inert mole­ cules it works through a form of matter known as chlorophyl (the green­ coloring matter) and then becomes transformed into the energy of life. The new science has removed to a degree the mystery of life; at least it has shown us that the energy we call life is no more mysterious than any other transformed phase of universal energy. "The evolution of life from inorganic materials is only one stage more mysterious than the evolution of any one form of matter from another, for in fact it is of that type, and the new energy-changes are little more startling than those which occur at other levels in the chain of creation" (Moore’s "The Origin and Nature of Life," p.19). In organic bodies when this energy functions through vital organs it is transformed into that phase of energy we Call life. When it functions through the physiological or muscular organs it is trans­ formed into mechanical energy. When it functions through the organs of assimilation or digestion it is transformed into the energy of heat. And in like manner when it functions through the cellular organs of the brain and nervous system it is transformed into a phase of electrical energy we call mind, or feeling and thought (consciousness). When we study the nature of life and mind according to this law we observe that much of the mystery which has so long attached to them in human philosophy is largely removed.

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Mind is a mode of motion; thought is a form of force. If we keep this doctrine clearly before us it, I think, saves us from strik­ ing dangerous shoals in the ocean of philosophy. As everything that is is a mode of motion, naturally the brain, as well as the mind, is a mode or congeries of motions* The brain consists of millions of indi­ vidual cells» Each of these cells consists of infinite units or mole­ cules; each of these molecules is the content of a mass of infinitesi­ mal units we call atoms or in the last analysis, electrons. However, electrons are merely electrical charges, or rhythmical pulsations of ether. But we know one thing more; that is, whenever the mind ex­ periences a feeling or a relation between feelings (which is thought) it is always accompanied by an activity in the brain cells; when the mind feels, it experiences an emotion—when the brain responds to or accompanies the feeling it experiences a motion. The brain acts . motion; the mind feels --emotion. Both are modes of motion--occupying parallel planes. But the crux of psychology is to explain how the brain motion rises to mind emotion; or how the mind emotion causes brain motion. Which comes first, motion or emotion, is the problem. This has, indeed, been an insoluble problem all through the ages, because "mind" has been construed as an object or a thing, just as brain is a thing or an object. But if we conceive of mind as an attribute and not an object some light falls on the issue. Matter, for instance, has its properties or attributes. As has already been shown we never know matter as matter; but only as feeling. The description of the feeling is the attribute. As, matter is hard or soft, long or short, cold or hot, light or dark, etc., etc., presents the attributes of what we call matter. But each of these attributes is clearly but a description of our feelings. But matter, that is a series of motions, may exist without causing us feeling, because we are not associated with it. Only when the motion we call matter contacts our bodies and awakens other motions that we call feelings do we have an experience of matter. That is feeling itself is an attribute of matter; for feeling is motion; but the feeling attribute of matter becomes the feeling attribute of mind, only when the attribute is discerned as a motion of the brain. If the brain is injured in the sensory centers then the feeling attribute of the brain ceases, because the motion or agitation of the cells in that center ceases. A brain action in any normal center gives rise to a mind action. Conversely, a normal mind action gives rise to brain action in some specific center. In short, brain action and mind action are complementary or simultaneous; both are modes of motion. But when brain action affects any center its comple­ mentary mind action does not necessarily rise to the plane of conscious feeling. There is a brain or cellular action, but, as we shall see in future studies, the action exists in a plane of the cells so low in the organism that it cannot awaken conscious response. But that is not to say that it does not awaken or is not accompanied by mind action. For it Í3, as we now know, in the form of unconscious cerebration. The mind action accompanying the brain action may be graded all the way down from consciousness to unconsciousness, or reflex cell action. Every cell has its own feeling-attribute following cell-activ -ty. How do we know this? By apprehending the physiological office of the cells• • If you cut your finger and the blood flows from it, you are utterly unable, by your conscious understanding, to heal the wound.

You leave it,you say, to nature. That means you leave it to the cells. How wonderfully they work. The red corpuscles know just what chemical ingredients to absorb or generate in order to restore the flesh to health, and the white corpuscles set up an embargo against the intru­ sion of any toxic germs that may attack the wound. All this goes on without your personal or conscious understanding, yet in a most intel­ ligent manner. The cells work logically,knowingly, with scientific skill. In like manner all through the organism, in each one of its organs, in all its tissues and fibres, the specific cells are con­ stantly at’ work,maintaining the integrity of the organism,without the slightest consciousness on your part that they are so working.All this goes to show that the cells, each one of the millions and trillions that compose the body,are possessed of feeling attributes, or minds. Thus, we see how the feeling attribute or mind action may operate on graded planes from consciousness to unconsciousness and mere reflex activity. But all the way down through a vital organism we perceive that there is displayed a logical relation between the cellular components;that is, a mode of complementary action,which is the equivalent of mind action. Now we may go further than this and perceive that even in what we call inert or inorganic matter, the same condition prevails. Here there is not what we call conscious relationship between the molecular units. But there is logical relation. Chemical affinities are proportioned on absolute mathematical relations. But mathematical relations constitute the quintessence of logic. There is nothing more logical than mathematics. Yet,as we have seen all the constitution of matter consists only in rhythmical motions; therefore, these very rhythmical motions, or electronic pulsations, have both the matter attribute (activity) and the mind attribute (affinity) feeling.For,if the attribute were only activity,without correlation,then nature would be in a state of chaos and not a cosmos. But the fact that a logical cosmos exists, dependent on the exact correlation between the minutest units (of motion) proves that a mind activity is everywhere complemen­ tary to a matter activity throughout the universe. Therefore, we may justly assert that all through nature mind activity,or a psychic complement,accompanies matter activity.lt. is useless to attempt to discover priority. Apparently,it lies in the Very constitution of the universe, that whenever there is matter acti­ vity. They are everywhere simultaneous and coterminous. Just as mind and matter in the last analysis are one,so in the last analysis brain and mind, or cell activity and mind activity as one and the samn To many people,however, this conclusion seems to involve a mystery more incomprehensible than any other nature. It is claimed the gulf between organic function and mental consciousness cannot be bridged in thought. It does not so appear,if we construe matter and mind,as we have done in this paper. There is nothing more mysterious in the evo­ lution of mind activity from brain activity, or the converse,than there is in any otner activity in nature or in a chemical laboratory. Who can explain how nature performs the trick of converting two units of hydrogen and one of oxygen into the substance we call wa­ ter .We know that it is brought about by some process of molecular ac­ tivity.We know in some way these wholly different*elements are subject ed

C-34 Pg 5 some kind of gyratory action, or electrical whirlwind, which results in the magical production of something ou of themselves utterly different than what they originally were. How did nature do it? Who can explain? Yet we accept i t as a fact of nature, without attempt­ ing to explain it, because it is a fact. Who c an explain so simple a thing as when a thread is introduced into a bowl of saline solution, and then lifted out of it, there will gather over the entire length of the submerged string a mass of mathematically perfect crystals of salt? Who can explain why the identical number of chemical elements will at one time produce one substance and at another time altogether different substances? The chemist will inform you that such different results follow the different juxtaposi­ tion or relative positions of the elements. But why because at one time certain elements stand on the right sid^ and at another time stand on the left side of precisely the same elements, different substances should be produced no chemist can explain. Nature is crowded with a million phenomena just as mysterious as the manifestation of psychic activity accompanying cell agitation. That is so far as mystery goes, there is no more of it in the effusion of thought by the release of energy from a cell, then there is in the transmutation of wholly unlike elements into a homogeneous substance, totally different than themselves.

'o be continued:

Western Occultism

Informal Chats C’-'V-'V'Q

Instructive notes supplementary to the Brotherhood Lectures.

Mystic Brotherhood

C - 55

Pg. 1

INFORMAL CHATS WITH THE FACULTY How Mind Began In Nature

There are various definitions of mind. We shall here study it as the capacity of discerning logical relations. This definition is, of course, arbitrary, yet it seems to satisfy the understanding. Mind is the essence of intelligence, or perhaps better said, the expression of intelligence. Now, intelligence means knowledge, but knowledge must have a predicate. Knowledge of What? We might analyze knowledge in this way: In order to have knowledge of anything, there must be something else, different from the thing we are studying, with which to compare it. There can be no knowledge of anything which is not the opposite of something else. If there were only one thing in the universe there could be no knowledge of anything. If the individual, conceptually, lived alone in the universe, he would be non-existent to himself. If there were only one thing in the universe there could be no knowledge of that thing. For at least the observer must be opposite to or contrasted with the thing observed. Indeed, the beginning of all knowledge is the apprehension by the observer that the thing observed is other than himself. It is the general apprehension of this fact that slowly builds up knowledge in the infant's mind. Not until the infant learns that the flame is not itself, but something else, perhaps first detect­ ed by burning its fingers, does the child begin to have the first glimpse of the world into which it has come. It has by experience learned to distinguish between the flame and its own finger. For some time, indeed, the child does not realize that its finger is -its own; only by experience does it come to realize that the hurt or injured member belongs to its body. Of course, the acquired knowledge is, at first, very vague; nevertheless, in all the future career of that child the same method will be employed to acquire the encyclopedic know ledge it requires for its existence, namely, edu­ cation resulting from experience. And the substance of that education will always consist in the experience of contrasting two or more objects with one another in order to discern their opposite qualities or properties. This is the fundamental method of science. Therefore what we call mind is the result of experience which enables a living being to discern and determine the relation which exists between things. This, however, is the lowest form of organic mind, existing, perhaps,in even the lower animals. It is a question to what extent these beings are able to de­ cide upon the logical relationship existing. They doubtiess determine a relationship, but whether logical or not, is left in doubt. The fact that instinct, or the mechanism of logic, is static and universal in the lower animal. kingdom, seems to indicate that Nature has worked out some method whereby these animals act as though they understand the logical relations which exist between things, yet apparently have no conscious apprehension of them. This phase of mind will be further

reviewed when we discuss the unconscious mind of living bodies, wherein we shall learn to distinguish between the so-called subconscious and the unconscious. 'JVe can appreciate this mechanical instinct in animals when we distinguish between their immediately instinctive habits and their ac­ quired acts which result from imitation. If a monkey, for instance, sees a limb or a bar, without a moment's hesitation it leaps upon it. The act results because of the reflex effect of sight upon the motor centres of the monkey's nervous system. This is an instinctive act. It is the exercise of hereditary memory. But now if a knife and fork and a plate are placed before the monkey, he will merely play with them as a human infant would; there is no reflex effect on his nerve centres which corresponds with an intelligent or logical employment of the im­ plements . But should his master sit before him and logically employ the implements in eating, the monkey, by mere imitation or by training and education, will intelligently repeat the actions of his master. This performance would be one step higher in intelligence than the reflex action of the nerve centers; for, in a blind way, the monkey's mind is acting logically, it is true, but mechanically. However, this peculiar fact remains, that the monkey will not permanently retain the memory of the acquired capacity, except through a long process of intensive training, while the instinctive habits natu­ ral to him are never lost. The instinctive habits he delivers to his offspring; but the imitative or trained habits are never received as a heritage by his offspring. Thus we see, that what we call mind, or the expression of in­ telligence, develops from the lowest stages, either in the animal or human world by slow degrees as the individual becomes capable of deter­ mining the logical relations existing between things, and the relation between those things and himself. From the lowest, instinctive mind in the animal, or the worm, or slug, to the highest intelligence revealed in a Plato or a Shakespeare, the same law prevails. All manifestation of mind is proportionate to the capacity of that mind to apprehend and discern logical relationship established by nature between.the facts a.nd phenomena of existence. However, the presumption that conscious intelligence is the only agency for the apprehension of logical order has caused some thinkers to deduce the theory that there is no Mind in Nature outside the animal ^ind human world. Others, nevertheless, contend that the manifestation of intelligence wherever found is itself evidence pre­ sumptive of the existence of mind. But these same philosophers assume, negatively, that the absence of conscious intelligence is itself the presumptive evidence of the absence of mind. Therefore, as conscious intelligence, in the purview of these thinkers, is the only agency ex­ pressing mind, wherever conscious intelligence is not manifest there no mind exists. Manifestly the error of this school of thinkers lies in the traditional bias of a philosophy which refuses to accept as a natural law any evidence of mind in nature save the conscious mind. But as we study the evolution of mind we are beginning to discern that what we may call primary mind is a wholly unconscious or mechanical processPrimary mind is that mind represented in the action and

C-35 Pg 3 re-action of natural forces. This is the phase that first appears in the evolution of the phenomena of existence. It is illogical to assume for instance that the relation which exists between the heavenly bodies is not an evidence of the existence of logical mind, merely because we find that such a mind acts in a manner different from the conscious mind. The energy which prevails among the heavenly bodies has brought about the most perfect and uninterrupted manifestation of logi­ cal intelligence that can be conceived of. The mutual associations of the heavenly bodies are so mathematically exact and precise that the human mind is incapable of conceiving a more intelligent or logical relationship. Surely, whatever works out intelligent results must be operated by intelligent agencies. If the heavenly bodies are operated and sustained by the operation of the forces of electricity or magnet­ ism, by gyratory or equilibrating vibrations, the operating forces of that relation, admittedly the most logical conceivable, must themselves be intelligent instrumentalities. That is to say there is no compulsory reason for the assert­ ion that the forces of electricity, magnetism, heat, or any other phase of natural energy, are unintelligent, and therefore void of the pres­ ence of mind, merely because they act mechanically. But, per contra, we perceive no situation in nature that reveals an evidence of the ex­ ercise of conscious intelligence among the operating forces- Such a deduction is merely the result of a theological or teleological bias, which insists upon reading into natural processes a human or anthro­ pomorphic interpretation. Nevertheless, as we cannot deny the intelli­ gent functioning of these forces, we are compelled to conclude that their intelligence lies beyond or outside of consciousness, and must be defined as mechanical or dynamic intelligence. A machine, constructed by human genius, confessedly works according to laws intelligently conceived and utilized by the inventor. The conscious intelligence of the inventor is translated into the me­ chanical or dynamic action of the machine. His actual consciousness does not stay in the machine howbeit his intelligence does. For all the functions of the machine act to a logical or purposeful end. There­ fore, so much of the intelligence of the inventor as remains in the machine, separated from his conscious intelligence, constitutes the mind or intelligence of the machine. Óf course, such intelligence is unconscious, mechanical or dynamic. Now, by the same analogy, all the operations oí nature outside the domain of man, are moved by an in­ telligence of which no phase of mind can be affirmed but that of the primary or mechanical type, hence unconscious. There is one point of the analogy, however, that may cause some to be troubled. In studying the activity of the human mind, we assume the impact of that mind upon external matter, to effect resultsHence some insist that we must so construe nature; and where we see a mental impact on a mechanical phenomenon, we must assume the pre-exist­ ence of a conscious mind. That is merely a theological way of reason­ ing. For, as we have argued above, intelligence does not presue con­ sciousness. The law of adaptation and survival of the fittest in na­ ture explains away the necessity or a pre-existing conscious mind, which is regarded as the cause of natural phenomena. Until living beings came into existence, with an incipient developing brain, there could be nothing else than this primal,

mechanic, dynamic mind operating in nature. The mechanical, uncon­ scious mind existed before the reflex or instinctive mind was devel­ oped. For the latter form of mind is evinced only in complex, organic beings; whereas the mechanical or dynamic mind already existed in the evolution of material phenomena, before man or animals came into being. Here, again, we trace the thread that binds the unity of the universe. There is no bréale either in logic or in process of development. The various orders of mind came about apparently in the following procedure First, the Mechanical or Dynamic Mind; second, the Instinct­ ive Mind; third, the Unconscious, Organic Mind; fourth, the Pre-Conscious Mind, or the plane where unconsciousness is struggling into consciousness; fifth, the Conscious Mind, or personal intelligence; sixth, the Marginal Mind, called by some the sub-consciousness, or the plane of intelligence that lingers after consciousness has passed dimly into oblivion, but which may be easily recalled; seventh, the Mind of Superconsciousness, or that phase of mental activity which seems to act instinctively, but is surcharged with the highest forms of wisdom and Intelligence and previsional intuition, such as genius exhibits in all its phases.

Origin and Function of Infinite Mind The distinction between personal or conscious mind and im­ personal or unconscious mind, is easily discerned by analysis- Per­ sonally, mind is apprehended by the reflective thinker as a process of thinking. That is, he realizes the mental process in which he is engaged- Hence conscious thought is to him an indispensable element as an evidence of the existence of mind. But whence is conscious thought? A thought is divisable into perception and idea. A thing must be perceived before a picture of the thing can be conceived. That is, the idea or the notion of the thing is subjective. But the thing perceived is objective. The objective always precedes the subjectives. For instance: There is an apple. Now, the apple on the tree is one thing; but the idea of the apple, or the notion of mental picture of it is another thing. The one is on the tree; the other is in the mind. But the apple in the mind is a picture which is determined by the character of the sense organs that perceive it-. For -example; if the apple is seen through the small-end of a pair of opera glasses the apple will appear large and quite near. But seen through the large end of the glasses it will appear small and far away. Now what is it on the tree, large or small? That is a matter of relativity. That depends on the medium through which the apple is seen- For the only knowledge of the apple possible to man is the knowledge made possible by the character of the senses by which it is perceived. However, without an object the senses would have nothing to perceive. Therefore in a process of thinking, always the perception takes place first, the objective experience; and that is followed by the idea or concept, the subjective experience. If the subjective seems to precede the objective experience it is because the temporal origin of the experience has not been traced and analysed. The pure ideas that compose what we call reason are the sub­ jective response or correlation of antecedent objective experiences or perceptions. Were men born insensible to feeling, that is, to contact

with an external world, he would be incapable of thought. Being devoid of physical sensation he would be void of mental content. The sensa­ tion is the cause, the idea is the sequence. The sensation is ephemeral the idea is permanent. Hence we always feel a closer relation of the idea with the mind than of the perception or sensation. That is the reason we regard our sensations as something out­ side the mind. We locate them in the body, because they seem to be ob­ jective. It is merely by a process of education that we come to under­ stand our sensations as mental processes. The reason is, that we are sc closely woven into the mind that we cannot realize the process going on within it; and only when an experience seems to be objective to the mine does it become actual to us. In fact ideas themselves cannot be grasped by the mind until they become objective to it. The idea or picture must be something set apart from the mind itself, in order for the mind to grasp it. Herein lies the difficulty of clear thinking. Many people are so constituted that they cannot conceive a clear idea of a thought; that is, the thought is not projected from the mind, so that the mind can perceive it as a mental process. Until this is effected there can be no clear thinking.

To be continued.

Western Occultism

Informal Chats

✓

Instructive notes supplementary to the Brotherhood Lectures.

Mystic Brotherhood

C-36 Pg. 1

Informal Chats With the Faculty Origin and Function of Infinite mind, cont'd

The objective experience, or sensation, may be further traced than merely as the origination of the idea.. Perception is itself divisible into sensation and emotion -- or, if you please, physical feeling and spiritual feeling, The apparent pain in the flesh is the physical feeling; 1the remorse that pain had been caused or occasioned is the spiritual feeling; the one is sensation, the other is emotion, Another example: A mother sees her son; the perception awakens a physical sensation -- a thrill; in the embrace of her son, following, she experiences joy or sorrow, according to the effect the the emotion. First the sensation — circumstances produce in her: second the emotion -- the joy or sorrow the embrace and the thrill; experienced in the embrace. Then again, there are grades even of sensation.

The nerves may be irritated yet there may be no the irritation. If, for instance, you are engaged in an interesting occupation and your mind is abstracted from all else, you may be sitting on a pin which agitates your nerve cen­ experience no conters, yet you may not perceive it; that t’■ " is, you‘ may _ ~ scious sensation. Yet' the irritability of the nerve centers is the basis of your sensations; this you at once apprehend when your atten­ tion is called to the irritation, as you experience a sensation from i t. Irritability or agitation of sensitive organs is the first __ ____ ... in the amoeba) as well as the first instigation _________ of evidence life (as to thought (a3 in the lowest stages of organic forms). A thought, then, conscious or unconscious, may be defined as the culmination of a physical agitation (irritation) caused by an external stimulus. In its lowest unconscious or mechanical phase a thought consists merely in the vibratory activity of the substance, It is the Hence, we may raculmination and expression of an impinging energy, tionally conclude, wherever in Nature there occurs vibration, agitation, irritation, oscillati on, or any other phase of stimulated activity, there may be said to be initial thought. For wherever these activities are manifested in nature we perceive that they are urging toward some logical relationship that culminates in mutually function­ ing phenomena. As mind is the unconscious or conscious organ of logical re­ lations it is evident that when these phenomena mutually and logically function they must be actuated by a principle, which, translated into Primihuman experience, is the equivalent of thinking intelligence. tive or primordial thought, as we have previously stated in these articles,, is necessarily mechanical or dynamic; unconscious or pass ive . This must then be the status of universal or cosmic mind. Because we are unable consciously to realize that this phase of mind is also the unrecognized basis of our conscious mind, we find it difficult to conceive of these primordial activities of nature as actual

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irritability.

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mental processes. But when we are enabled to penetrate the mysterious depths of human consciousness and come to its very foundation, seeing how this mechanical or unconscious mind operates primarily in our­ selves as the basis of all activities, we have less difficulty to re­ alize that it is also an active principle of the cosmos. However, if the mind be construed as the capacity to discern logical relations, are we justified in assuming unconscious thought as an element of mind? We have already intimated that discernment is not necessarily a conscious process of mind. May not inanimate substances have the capacity <sf discernment, howbeit unconscious? The fact, as we have shown in the previous paper, that all nature is built on mathematical equations, at once indicates the involved working of intelligent activity. The fact, I say, that all the processes of nature and the log­ ical adaptation of her multifarious units, innately respond to mathe­ matical demands, suggests the discernment of logical relations as an essential principle of the universe. The association and mutual func­ tioning of the cosmic world rests on the most far-reaching mathemati­ cal calculations conceivable. The fact that the stars and constella­ tions are held in their orbits, millions and millions of miles apart, by no other bond than the mathematical equilibrium, or perfect balance which sustain- them, proves their response to the logical demands of their relationship. They need not consciously think to maintain their cosmic association. Still the fact that they are rationally associ­ ated evinces the work of intelligent activity, howbeit the intelligence may be wholly unconscious. Here of course we meet the theological contention that what appears to be unconscious intelligence is in fact the conscious intelligence which we traditionally denominate God. In strict ana­ lysis this proposition should not here be discussed, for it appertains to theology rather than psychology. But as there may be some who pe­ ruse these pages who might be disturbed by the statement that the ultimate mind of the universe is unconscious let us a moment pay at­ tention to the assertion. Man’s difficulty, as has been previously said in these papers, is that he injects himself into the universe and interprets nature as he interprets himself. Realizing that he achieves his processes of thinking by a conscious activity of his mind, he c^n little realize that the vast labors of nature are accomplished without the inner working of an infinite, conscious mentality. Be­ cause we realize that, could the infinite worlds consciously think, they could not conceive or devise a more perfect mathematical and logi­ cal correlation between themselves, we feel that some conscious pre­ existing Being must have brought about their complicated relationship. However, when man apprehends the law^ of psychology and the wonderful discoveries which have been made in that realm, he comes to understand that the greater portion of his own being is exercised and controlled by a mentality, or intelligent activity, which lies wholly outside his conscious realm. Moreover, if man consciously undertook to interfere with that mysterious territory, which is ruled absolutely by his un­ conscious mind, he would speedily disrupt his organism and make life on this planet impossible. But now, notice, the unconscious realm of human mentality is the correlate of the unconscious realm of the

universe. Just as the unconscious in man achieves the largest and most necessary performances for his organic integrity, so in nature the whole of its activity is essentially unconscious. This principle is, of course, the outcome of the scientific analysis of nature and the discovery of its working in the slow evo­ lution of natural phenomena based on the law of the survival of the fittest or adaptability to environment. If the world has been made out­ right and at once, then it would logically appear that a supreme con­ scious activity achieved the creation. But the fact that eons of time were involved and infinite efforts and failures followed in the process of evolution until the form or individuality best adapted to environment was developed, proves that a blind, persistent urge or principle was at work. As Nature reveals herself to man he learns that what he calls unconsciousness comes first into self-consciousness in Man. This fact is again demonstrated by the discovery of the vast mysterious field of the unconscious which exists in man. If he were created out of hand, immediately by God, he would have been supremely self-conscious as God himself would be. But in each individual there exists the vast realm of the past experience of the race, adding in him as the unconscious field of himself. Countless ages were required to build up this profound realm of man’s being, it was accomplished on­ ly by infinite experimentation, and not infrequent failure, in the work­ ing of the principle- Not a conscious Thinker but unconscious thinking seems to be at the base of nature, the involved principle or law of existence. Unconscious thought or innate adaption achieves the logical end of natural existence; an achievement which lies enormously beyond the reach of the possibility of conscious thought as exhibited in Zdan. It is, however, evident that all the working forces of nature exercise a sort of discernment, altogether mechanical or dynamic, of logical relations. V»e are therefore compelled to affirm that in the furthermost reaches of the universe some form of mental activity is at work, however primordial or initial it may be. That is, all the socalled forces of nature exist and function as phases of dynamic energy susceptible to transmutation into infinite form of expression. But these transmutations and adaptations point to final adjustments that establish a relational and logical relationship. This achievement en­ ables us to classify the principle involved as a mental activity. Now, studying the intelligent workings of nature more in de­ tail, we may justly say that in each unit of matter involved what we might call three forces at work. Two of these forces are purely dy­ namic, one only is, in the last analysis, mental; that is, brings about a logical sequence. The entire cosmos rests upon the working of two forces known as centripetal and centrifugal. That is each unit of matter is innate­ ly disposed to remain fixed at a center anp at the same time to fly away from that center. But it cannot do both at the same time. Hence we may say at the very start Nature confronts a quandary. What shall she, do if the same thing wants to stay where it is and at the same time wants to fly away from where it is? Manifestly she must follow the rule of reason and common sense among human beings when they come up against a stone wall. She must seek a compromise. And that is just what nature does. She compels the unit to submit its divergent

dispositions to a logical compromise. We might conceive of her as say"You can't both stay. and fly however, I shall make you feel ing: _ away; _ that that is just exactly what you are doing -- both flying away (centrifugal action) and flying back (centripetal action)."' By doing this, Nature compels the opposing forces to emerge in a composite or compromis.ing f orce ; that is, slie whirls them round and round upon their mutual axis, thus utilizing both forms of energy; but harmoniously and not in contradict 1 on. The compromise, once established, reveals the point where mind enters in mechanical, natural functioning. At that point a logi­ cal and adjustable relationship between the forces is brought about, thereby defeating chaos and achieving a cosmos, At the very tap-root of being, even in mechanical nature, we find already at work a princi­ ple that we must regard as essentially a mental activity. We are therefore compelled to conclude that, in the farthest reaches of the infinite , the potency of mind, or tendency to», logical association and intelligent adaptation, is active. In this sphere of activity we may be justified in calling it the Universal or Cosmic Mind. It might be well here to point out, to save apparent confus i on, that although we imagine Nature reasoning above as man would, we must not accept this as literal. The fact is that when the centripetai and centrifugal forces clash there is nothing else for them to do but to compromise. For two equal forces, meeting at right angles, would necessarily evolve a compromise between a tangential and a con­ verging impulse. We are too apt , as conscious beings,•to put our own method of thinking into Nature's process. Tc be continued.

Western Occultism

Informal Chats

Instructive notes supplementary to the Brotherhood Lectures.

Mystic Brotherhood

INFORMAL CHATS WITH THE FACULTY Let us first recall to rind the need of physical and Mental peace and health, and the ability to provide for the necessi­ ties of life, as a first requisite for true service on any plane.These must be gained before the greatest service is possible. The physical and mental condition, the external envir­ onment, and the financial conditions of one’s life, are all reflections of the Within. All adjustment must, therefore, first be brought about within. Sensible use of right rules cf living, diet and the use of every principle of Constructive or Inspirational Occultism,are essential, in any case. While seeking for health and plenty, let us never for­ get that, in the end, the only true aid comes through the Psychic Self, the Ego Within. And that, no matter what objective method we use, the Ego truly guides, if vie seek that guidance. Self-analysis will enable one to come closer to the Higher Self. This analysis will dissolve all manner cf emotional mal­ adjustments in the Unconscious, thereby giving greater freedom to seek the Ego, or to work in the fields of life. We have seen that old complexes of unexpressed emotion­ al energy remain active in the Unconscious until dissolved. We have seen that any emotional energy may have ade­ quate release through action, verbal expression, or written expression. We have determined that the written process is most practical for the individual. Through the use of certain formulae and the process of analysis, we release and discharge old, buried, emotiona.l energies,and we bring to light the roots of many disorders. We then see the necessity of learning a certain, funda­ mental principle, word for word. It is this: When you can conscious­ ly see the connection between the true cause, in the Unconscious, and the effect, or condition, it produces, the effect must and does dis­ solve. kny maladjustment can onljr exist as long as the true cause is buried beneath the plane of consciousness. The elements, which arc to be sought in self-analysis are readily found through ’’free-association1' which is more fully dis­ cussed as we proceed. The technique of your self-analysis is so simple that it is difficult to believe that the results could be so marvelous. To begin with you simply write a general consideration of your particular stresses and problems. Use no definite program at first, simply seek­ ing to bring out causes of conditions you wish to remedy. After each period of writing, re-read to yourself what you have written and tear it up The reading cf the analysis I am about to give will dissolve very many negative conditions.

POINT ONE Too much emphasis cannot be placed upon the need for a smoothly functioning body and a clear quiet mind. Surely we will admit without hesitation, that there are higher and more spiritual pursuits in life, than attention to the body and freedom from emotional stress and strain. But, no person can really follow any higher pursuits with a.turbulent and stoij^- nature, or with an aching and useless body. It is quite true that certain ones, who suffer great physical afflictions find more of the true spiritual side of life than their neighbors appear to — but even these persons would be more ab­ le to serve were they free from the physical handicaps. If a man has lost a limb, he naturally will sensibly meet life as he is, for we have not yet reached the point where we can create new limbs. But, if he is ill and weak, then he can and should use every means to build “'perfect health. On every hand, you will find writings and teachings, which show the objective means of ‘building up a strong temple or body. Read them, and use them. The self-analysis will dissolve the hidden roots of the pains, and your correct living habits will buil’d up the body at the same time. If you are determined to eat four pounds of beefsteak every day, do not expect self-analysis, or the use of any other psycho­ logical principle to keep your body free from uric acid. The Initiate Paul once reminded us of moderation in all things. Moderate living habits will also reduce the emotional stress over the passing events of life. For a condition of wild emo­ tionalism renders one as unfit for service and work as a shattered physical body. Neither can one who is swept away by every tide of emo­ tion bring his efforts and energies to bear upon his daily work in Life. The result will be that he will accomplish nothing pleasing to Spirit, to his f ellovs or to himself. The frantic pursuit of money is not advocated but we must recognize that, under the present condition of society, one must be able to care for himself, before he can truly serve others. Since the emotional phases of £self. have an important bearing upon one’s pro­ ductive work, both correct living habits and the self-analysis will be of steadily increasing benefit. The self-analysis is not a procedure to be completed within a week’s time. It is a lifting and freeing process, which one enters freely, easily and gently, and which continues indefinitely.

POINT TWO Often, the statement has been made by many teachers that the external environment and all conditions of the daily life are reflections of the Withih. Often it is difficult to see this, when construed from the standpoint of Constructive or Inspirational Occultism. For, it teaches that if we ’'pray” or concentrate for anything strongly enough, we shall surely have it. And, right in the face of this teaching you can recall instances where a person has desired a certain thing, beyond all things in life, and has lost it entirely.

C-57Page 3 Again you can recall instances where one has desired to accomplish a certain end, or to regain health, etc., and yet the negative elements of a rebellious nature, within himself, have been so strong that no progress at all was made. . Therefore, when we consider the true statement that all conditions of life are the reflection of the Within, v<e see that it goes a great deal deeper than one might think, at first glance. We must study the matter from two entirely different angles. V'le find that the analytical study of the Unconscious bares the machinery, or mechanisms. We find that the metaphysical study of human life shows the relation between a condition within the personality and the fruits which it attracts in the daily life. Analysis can show a root, or root causes, in earlier life, for any condition existing in the Unconscious today. This uncov­ ers the "clockworks"; and the revealment to conscious awareness, of these root causes within the lifetime, will dissolve the effect. Metaphysics, as applied to human life, will show a rea­ son for those "root causes" which have been brought into the life, per­ haps in infancy. It will, also, show how and why they attract certain conditions in the liter life. Analytical psychology shows how and where any given condition in the Unconscious was creatéd within the lifetime. Metaphy­ sics shov7s how that condition attracts the effect. "Pride goeth before a fall." Analytical psychology uncovers the causal roots beneath this abnormal pride and shows how to dissolve them, psychologically. Metaphysics teaches why this excessive pride must attract the humiliation, and how to seek and find the lesson to become freed from the pain. "The thing I feared has come upon me." Analytical psy­ chology can uncover the roots of this fear and when the roots are brought to light, the fear must disappear. Metaphysics can explain the powerful attraction fear exerts toward the thing feared, and again how to find the lesson and become freed. POINT THREE Surely, v.e may assume, without further discussion that all are entirely versed in the basic principles of Constructive Occultism, including the various angles of self help through Concentra­ tion, Suggestion, Auto-Suggestion, etc. All these teachings serve their place and turn, and the use of Concentration, Suggestion and Auto-Suggestion is entirely recommended, until one actually sees and realizes that there are deep­ er, truer and more potent means of meeting the needs of life. There are certain sensible rules for caring for the physical body. These rules have to do with the proper use of Water, Food, Air and Exercise. On every hand, you have hints and guidance along these lines thrust at you every day. Heed these teachings, study and reflect upon them. For they instruct you as to the care and keeping of the Temple, of which you are custodian, a Temple of the Living God. Begin at this time, a study of your habits, and of your physical ups and downs. This study may carry along concurrently with

your self analysis. After each time, when your body has gone through a day or two below par think back and see what factors may have helped to bring about the condition. Think especially of these: a. • Lack of exercise and fresh air. b. Lack of restful sleep. c. Lack of elimination. d. Wrong choice, or excess foods. e. Emotional stress. If you find that lack of exercise and fresh air or lack of restful sleep were contributing causes, you also know the cure. But, in addition, learn the lesson well in order that you may be better guided in your daily habits in the future. If you find that lack of elimination is back of the physical unfitness, it is not enough to simply take a laxative pill. Study the situation and begin'at'once’ to develop regularity- of habit. There is absolutely nonsense in any person having chronic constipation. If it be allowed to continue it indicates mental laziness. Each person has certain idiosyncrasies as to their foods. Some foods, or food combinations "agree” with you, and others do not. Any person can learn within six months time, exactly which foods he handles easily, and which cause rebellion in the body. He can learn this by tracing back each passing gastric disturbance to the particular combination of food that induced it. These studies of self are highly profitable in that one benefits by the observations and has more time for healthful and constructive work in the future. Any person can gradually eliminate all digestive distur­ bances if he wishes to. While the studies of self just outlined, are most help­ ful and truly essential, we now come to the true root back of all of them. Study self more particularly to see what effect the different conditions of your emotional self have upon your physical body. For, back of every habit and tendency, which can cause disturbance in your physical body will be found emotional roots. There­ fore, the prime purpose in this study of self-analysis will be to bring to light the different phases of the emotional self. POINT FOUR "The Kingdom of Heaven is like unto leaven, which a woman took, and hid in three measures of meal, until the whole was lea­ vened ." - An individual may take up the study of psychology or metaphysics with the most materialistic motives. He may desire to cure disease or to "demonstrate" a new home, or a bank account. But soon or late, if he listens, reads and studies he is brought to the realization that there is only one goal, and that eventually all roads lead home, to a final reunion with Spirit. This is not brought out here in any "religious" sense, but as simple truthful statement of fact, which any reader will eventu­ ally learn for himself. This realization comes first, to the individual from external teachings or instructions, as a rule. The first leaven has be­ gun its work.

C-37

Pg. 5

By degrees this realization of Spirit,its reality and nearness becomes more clear, possibly aided by a study of rocks and flowers, or by some of the classic writings which by "odd coincidence" find their way into one's hands. Selfishness usually then, causes one to seek more knowledge and light leading to Spirit- or Ego and henceforth selfish­ ness gladly takes the steps which by degrees lead to the dissolution and elimination of selfishness. The Grand Moment of the first actuality does not come into the conscious recognition with all persons. But when it does it comes with a vividness and reality beyond description. It may be brief or may last over a period of weeks It may be soothing or almost terrifying. In a sense it is often correct­ ly termed "Magnetic." It is entirely within. But—it is Real. One says very little about such a time. It may be fol­ lowed by other like periods of deeper import. It may not. But, it is never forgotten and leaves its nark upon every later action within the life, In the buried depths of the Unconscious, in murky gloom, are mighty forces binding one to physical desires, to the past to the darker phases of existence. One cannot take these with him in­ to freedom for crue Service upon any plane of life. VJe shall say no more now of the Higher Self. We shall leave that to the leaven. But, we shall bring the light of a co-ordi­ nated and orderly analytical psychology to bear upon the marvelous intricacy, yet utter simplicity, of the buried self of all men and women. We shall bring it to light and look it over. It is variously called by different names--Sub-conscious Hind--Subliminal Mind—The Unconscious--The Desire Self--The Astral Body—The Sympathetic Nervous System. POINT FIVE The procedure outlined will be unbelievably helpful to you regardless of ycur aims and desires in life. For you can neither work successfully in the fields of commerce or art, nor can you seek the silent peace with the Inner flame, if you are disturbed by emotional stresses and sborms which have their roots in the accumu­ lated material in the depths of the Unconscious. Until one has passed thru a long period of release of pent-up material, thru analytical methods,and has found the quiet restful peace that comes as a result it is not possible to realize the intensity of these energies from the yesterdays which influence your- daily life. All manifestations of the emotional nature can be worked out The hysteria and neurosis can be dissolved. But the methods to employ is not to use "strength," etc. Begin at the roots. Begin your written work at once In your odd evening houi‘s, make a written resume of your life's "errors." The "confession­ al" is the first step. It is not necessary to detail the experiences, merely sketch over them. This is a "confessional." Make a complete resume of your life, listing every "terrible" thing- you ever did, or wanted to do. Drag it up and look it over. Much of it will seem like rubbish. Much you will dislike writing which means that those are the most im­ portant things to work out. Make up your mind to write it out in cold and plain terms. Confess as to the Angel who keeps the Book Eternal, re-read each evening,aloud if possible and tear the paper into bits.

Western Occultism

f

Informal Chats

i

* 4

Mystic Brotherhood A

C—3ó pg i

INFORMAL CHATS WITH THS FACULTY DIAGNOSIS

We will pause fór a moment in our talks and bring to a practical issue the points covered by the previous chats. I have repeatedly stressed that the condition which must exist apriori to the wielding of Power is that self-possession which comes from one's ability to be no longer influenced by surround­ ing conditions, or in other words, by environment. Control of envir­ onment must begin with self-control, and until we cease to be influ­ enced by surrounding conditions, we cannot hope to exercise any men­ tal influence over those conditions. Paradoxically, it is only when our environment ceases to matter to us that we have the power to change it by mental means. I have given you the Key. If we are to attain to Power we absolutely must first of all attain to Self-Control. If we are swayed by every passing breeze, by every circumstance and condi­ tion that arises, if we react emotionally to it, then we cannot ex­ pect to acquire the Power to control these conditions. It is only when we have reached the point where we view from a detached stand­ point, unsvrerved by what happens, whether it be good or bad, that we are in a position to take hold of ourselves and begin to use and di­ rect power. Until this first step has been perfected absolutely, I want you to practice it and to continue to practice it, for what I now tell you will be of no value until that first step has been ac­ complished, and you can remain calm and unafraid, unswerved and un­ moved by the passing panorama of events as they come to you. If you have reached that step, if you have attained inner Harmony; even though it be for only brief periods, you are ready to go ahead. You are in a position to take up the practical mental work which I now give you. Let us consider how we can take up the second step. Meditation should always precede any action or deci­ sion, and the Meditation should be, curiously enough, not upon the subject of the problem to be solved, but rather upon Spiritual devel­ opment and unfoldment, upon selfless Dedication to the highest Ideal that can be conceived, and upon a clear and concrete formulation of that Ideal itself, then we should rise still higher in our Aspira­ tions, and meditate upon the limitless outpourings of Spiritual Light, from which our individual lives take their rise, and we should repeat over and over again to ourselves, as a Mantram or Litany, the words: "Limitless Power, Absolute Harmony, Sternal Duration", imag­ ing meanwhile, the Absolute as white radiance pouring down upon us and’our environment while we do so. We should live our lives and do our work to the accompaniment of this refrain for days together, un­ til we find that it is beginning to take hold of us, and repeats it­ self as a tune that runs in one's head.

When this occurs, and we find, that the Mantram is re­ peating itself automatically, we know that it has gone down into the subconscious Mind, and that it is reappearing on the surface again. Now we are in a position for practical mental work, for we have made subconscious contact with the Infinite. And even before any mental work is planned or done, we shall be conscious of an inner change,of such a wealth of Light, of Power and Freedom. The effect of the rhy­ thmic repetitions of significant phrases is very great, as Coue taught in his system of auto-suggestion, and as the Catholic Church has always known and taught in the repetition of prayers on the beads of the Rosary. As soon as this inner change begins to make itself felt, we are in a position to deal practically with our environment and not before. It is not necessary that we should have achieved a condition of permanent equilibrium, for we can hardly expect to do that as long as we are in Incarnation. But it does absolutely mean that we shall have moments of exaltation when we have risen above our environ­ ment, and can say with Saint Paul: ’’None of these things move me.” Diagnosis, however, must always precede treatment, and before we can decide what remedy is needed, we must classify the con­ ditions with which we have to deal. This classification must always begin with our own subjective conditions, and we must ask ourselves what weaknesses in our nature have laid us open to the conditions of which we complain, and we shall find that lack of judgment, lack of courage, lack of foresight, lack of energy, and many more of the lit­ tle ’’foxes that spoil the vine” have been at the bottom of our trou­ ble. Looking back over our lives we shall see many things that we should have done otherwise, had we been wiser and stronger. At this stage of the process, we must never allow ourselves to lay the res­ ponsibility at the door of any other person or circumstances. If we have been wrongly dealt with by some person, we should not hold that person responsible and ourselves blameless, but we should blame our­ selves for having been foolish enough to trust them, for having lack­ ed the courage to resist them. Always the fault is ours, and we can­ not make progress until we have sensed that we are the ones to blame absolutely and that no one else is to blame in any way. Having diagnosed our own weaknesses, our next task is to meditate upon the compensating qualities for those weaknesses. It is easy enough to find the opposite of the immoral qualities which will compensate,and even leave an overplus,but many people wonder how they can compensate for lack of wisdom and judgment. We shall find, however,if we meaitate upon humility,and upon honesty with ourselves and the courageous facing of unpleasant facts,that wisdom and discern­ ment will not be far to seek in the practical affairs of Life. We must train ourselves to accept the conditions in which we find ourselves, as a result of our Karma, and to stop feelipg sorry for ourselves, as these conditions are the very things that we need to teach us the lessons of Spiritual development. Therefore,we should accept them as just, and seek to learn what they have to teach

C-3S Pg 3

us in the way of Experience and Spiritual development. This is an all-important step, and once we have achieved it, and killed selfpity and resentment against Fate, which are so frequent, we have broken the Karmic bonds that bind us to our own condition, and we are in a position to work off the "'■arma by means of conscious men­ tal action, but we can never hope to escape from a condition, un­ til we have broken, by means of Realization, the Karmic bonds that bind us to that condition. That is why Talisman, made by any one other than the one who uses them, are valueless, and why the operations of ceremonial Magic, directed to mundane ends, are apt to induce drastic reactions. The initiated Adept, while he uses Magical methods, diagnoses the Karmic condition first, and works accordingly, but the dabbler in Occultism, and especially the unfortunate who purchases Talismans and sueh-like from the Occult wholesalers who advertise their wares, is but working on effects, leaving causes untouched. Anyone, however, who tries to work on his problems by reducing them to terms of Spiritual principles, is on the right track, and has come into line with those forces which occul­ tists call the "Lords of Karma", so that these cooperate with him, and when this happens, the problems clear up in a very surprising fashion. Each of the operations which I am going to describe will take several days to do. They are not things which are Each to be accomplished one after another in a single sitting. should be persevered with until the inner change and response is felt, and then and only then should the next phase be embarked upon. Now let this work be one thing that is not hur­ ried , and that is not gone through ¿itb merely in an intellectual way. Stop first of all and ascertain whether you have taken the first step, whether you have gained self-control. If not, go back to that first step, and work on it and practice it until you are unswerved by conditions and by environment. This is one work that cannot be hurried. It is one thing that must be worked out step by step. And the next step can only be taken after the first ste p hae been perfected, in part at least. Now, upon arriving at thi s point, in having gained self-control, and taken the second step - diagnosed the conditions, done away with self-pity, classif ied the reasons for the conditions, having, in other words, made our Peace with the Lords of Karma, we are now in a position to turn from within outward, and to contemplate our environment. As we do this we shall see that there are certain conditions which, although difficult, must be logically expected, and what can be en­ dured must be endured. And also certain other conditions, which by the exercise of Courage, Determination and Energy, are capable of modification. Let us consider first those conditions which we must accept as Inevitable, save as they are capable of magical al­ teration. For the present we must make up our minds to achieve

C-38 pg. 4

such a degree of Be If control and mind training that we are able com­ pletely to prevent any emotional reaction to them, for this is the essential preliminary to magical control. We must rise above irrita­ tions by Meditation, compassion and Serenity, above fear and nervous­ ness by learning to control our imagination, for Fear is entirely a product of the Imagination. We do not fear the things from which we are actually suffering in the immediate present, and when we remember how much we have suffered from our fear of things that have never hap­ pened, and how our severest suffering has often come from things we did not anticipate, and of which therefore we felt no fear, we shall see that though fear has its importance as a warning mechanism, it can readily overreach itself, and be nothing but a terrible nuisance, like any other bad habit. And as such it is to be overcome. We tell you, therefore, train the imagination not to dwell upon things we fear, but to always picture a happy issue out of all our afflictions, and ourselves as sailing triumphantly into the port of our desires. This happy day-dreaming plays a far more important part in the lives of useful men and women than is generally realized. It is safe to say that those who habitually indulge in timid and gloomy imaginings have never achieved an ambitious goal. Those who habitually indulge in happy day dreams develop a peculiar mental atmosphere which is best described by the word "glamorous", and the more sensitive are the persons with whom he comes in contact, the more they are influ­ enced by it, and see him not as he actually is, but us he pictures himself in his day dreams. It is thus that wild-cat financiers raise money for their risky ventures, and crazy prophets collect disciples, and quack healers obtain the confidence of patients. There is a glamour about these visionaries which infects those with whom they come in contact, and as the beliefs of those about us induce self-confidence as surely as their distrust chills us, a circle of action and reaction is set up, which, like what is properly called a vicious circle, increases in strength as it proceeds. It is a true saying that nothing suc­ ceeds like success. What modern Psychology calls the language of uncon­ scious gesture is an extraordinarily eloquent thing, and it is inter­ preted by the subconscious minds of others, and reacted to in a way that neither they nor we realize in the very least. Our subconscious gestures announce that we expect a welcome or unquestioned acquiescense, and nine out of ten will respond and give us what we subcon­ sciously Indicate vie expect. Our se If-doubting causes us to signal our diffidence. We are simply "asking for trouble". On the other hand,.our habitual happy day-dreams have been concerned with our triumphant successes, and when we hang out unconscious banners of triumph, nine out of ten persons will line up and march behind us.

Western Occultism

Informal Chats

Instructive notes supplementary to the Brotherhood Lectures.

Mystic Brotherhood

C-39

Pg. 1

INF0R1ÍAL CT’AfS WITH THE FACULTY NATURE'S INFINITESIMAL LIND Now when we resort to the opposite sphere of nature and examine the infinitesimal units of ,rhich she is composed we are confronted by similar results as in our investigation of the infinite or universal mind. We find that all chemical units respond instinctively to mathematical demands, Nowhere else in the realm of nature does mathematics reign so supreme as in her chemical laboratory. Chemistry, we might say, is arithmetic evidenced in concrete rela­ tions. Pure arithmetic is a process of abstract reasoning. The mind subjectively calculates the relations, actual and imaginary, that prevail between concepts, points, lines, angles, etc. Here the mental activity, being conscious is manifest. But in chemistry na­ ture reveals in conc'ete form the relations which the human mind calculates in arithmetical te-ms. If there is a mental process that is a discernment of logical relations in the latter, there must certainly be in the former. If the- mind thinks in the process of discerning abstract relations, then assuredly the atom álso thinks in its instinctive discernment of concrete relations. However, if there is any mental process revealed in the analysis of atomic rela­ tions, it must be passive and unconscious as to the logical rela­ tions which inhere in chemical substances. But it is at this ooint that the chemical and the psychic processes, or agencies in action, are so closely allied that their distinction is quito difficult, It might be well here to introduce a discussion between Messrs, Binet and Richet, the two great biological psychologists in France, In his work on "The Psychic Life of Micro-organi S!.;s"" or; pages 111,115 111,115, M. Ribet says: "It is quite important to note that even organisms made up simply of protoplasm and nucleus, t' íe psychology is extremely complicated, and is not contained exclusively in the laws of irritability. . . I can­ not imagine to what elements, to what beings clearly defined, we could apply the simple-cellular psychology. ... In II. Richet's book I find no indication as to what sort of beings he means to dis­ tinguish thereby. . . . Towards the close of his remarks unon my work, M. Richet cites an instance of simple beings, viz., the bac­ teria. In his judgment, chemical irritability seems to be the sole law conditioning their movements. What are the movements, he asks, of the bacteria if not < n affinity fo>- oxygen; in other words the simplest and most universal chemical phenomenon that exists in all nature ?" M. Binet proceeds to answer: "In our judgment the latter phrase is to be ta;cen metaphorically. We believe that as yet rio one has demonstrated that the movements of a living being, in moving towards a distant object, however simple they may be, can be explained merely by a chemical affinity acting between that’ being

J

E

C-39 Pg. 2

and that object? It ia certainly not chemical affinity that is act­ ing, but much rather a physiological need." In this discussion it becomes apparent that the dis­ tinction between what is called chemical action and psychic direct­ ion is almost impossible. One thinker calls it chemical, the other psychic. But does not the truth lie in the fact that the chemical ac­ tion itself involves, or is psychical; in so much as it involves a process that we call mental, because of its logical achievement? Doubtless, as we have already argued, the chemical is the initial psychical or mental activity which in the far evolution of living beings Í3 transmuted into what we call a conscious mind. M. Binet's conclusions, however, were made before the wonderful experiments by Jacques Loeb which revolutionized the Light on Immortality". The primitive 'psychic' quality of instinct, according to these experiments, is not at all mysterious, but consti­ tutes merely chemical reactions, so to speak. Dr. Loeb has shown that there is no more and no less intelligence in the action of a bird drawn by a glare of light than of a plant turning towards the sun. We had supposed it was the evidence of intelligence and of chemical attraction in the plant. But Loeb proves that it is the latter in either case. We were wont to think that when a caterpillar climbs to the end of a branch where perchance he may pounce upon some insect as his prey, or when a fly refuses to lay its eggs on the fat of tne beef but prefers the meat on which its larvae might be fed, and a thousand other similar exhibitions of the apparent animal in­ telligence; we were then witnessing the manifestation of divine provi­ dence in the special preservation of the species. Yet Loeb most pro­ saically proves that there is nothing but such germinal intelligence as may exist in chemical affinity revealed in any of these psychic wonder s." If this law is true of the highly developed animal world, how much truer it must be of the lowest forms, the bacteria! In the sphere of activity we are here contemplating I think we may justly regard the chemico-osychic energy at work as the Infinitesi­ mal Mind of Nature. That there is nothing imaginary in such a classifi­ cation let us study the work of the chemical elements. At most there ape less than one hundred of these. Some compute as low as sixty; while some think that even these can be reduced to a final unit. Now from this marvelously small number of primary elements nature creates ner infinitely manifold phenomena which are utterly beyonu the reach of human imagination. Eow does she do it? It is accomplished by a well kno'a mathematical law: tne Law of Permutation and Combination. Just as a single lan­ guage may consist of five hundred thousand words or more which are produced by the permutations and combinations of only twenty-six original letters; so, on an inconceivably vaster scale, nature cre­ ates myriads of forras and substances, in an infinite variety of re­ lations from nearly sixty or eighty primary units. None surely would question that tne human, mind was active in the generation of a complex language from a simple alpha­ bet. Hov/ever, take a special note, the evolution of language itself

is an unconscious mental process. Indeed this mental process must have consisted chiefly of passive or unconscious activity. Now, if human mentality is manifest, however unconscious, in the evolution of an alphabet from primitive gesticulation and labial utterance in­ to a language of multitudinous words, how much more of mental activ­ ity must have been involved in the elaboration of nature's multi­ farious expressions. However, when we descend into the mystifying depths smaller units, to whici we referred previously, of these still which compose the atom, we are driven, even yet more the corpuscles realization of the mental constituency of all sub­ forcibly, to a stance. 11 i s marvellous enough to discover the dignified association of the atoms, atoms, which will not, indeed, "go at once," save as "they stand upon the order of their going"; which are so careful of their steps, so to speak, that they measure them with the utmost mathematical precision. When a chemist analyzes and determines the formula of a chemical composition, he realizes the mental strain to which he has been subjected. Is there not, then, in this subject­ ive experience an intimation of the mental activity involved in the logical association of the elements, as determined by nature. The human mind necessarily interprets nature in terms of itself. If, therefore, man comes in contact with a process in nature which is a complement of his own mental process, necessarily he must ragard it as a phenomenon of mind in nature. UlTien he finds a chemical correlate of his own mathematical concept, he must admit that nature,as Plato put it, "geometrises"; that is, she thinks in mathemati cal terms. Hence > we seem to be justified in admitting the existence in nature of what might be called the chemical mind. However, as re have already intimated, when ’ we enter into the profound depths of the infinitesimal atom, atom we discover an evidence of mental activity still more amazing and-undeniable. Having I' learned that the long hypothecated atom of chemistry is a misnomer; that it is really a hug' bulk compared with the primary units of which it is composed; we are not a little amazed to learn that the mathematical relations which subsist between the se minute particles are as precise as those that determine the »*elations between the larger atoms themselves, n7e are told that the hydrogen atom, the lignlest of all known chemical elements, consists of about one thousand electrons, or units of electrical energy, while those that compose oxygen consist of some sixteen thou­ sand and those of carbon of some fourteen thousand. In other words there is no difference whatever between the ultimate units of which the elements consist, Their chemical differentiation is the consequence merely of the different amount of the electrical units of which each is composed. The ultimate units are absolutely identical in character. The infinite variety, then, of nature's substances and phenomena results merely from the variablei mathematical combinations of the primary units, u. or elections. At bottom, then, there i3 absolutely no qualitative difference! in chemical substances. The difference is in the last analysis wnolly quantitative. Naturally, We must ask ourselves what principle was at work in nature to produce this, humanly speaking, amazing result?

I I

Why should an atom of oxygen consist of say sixteen times as many units or electrons as an atom of hydrogen? Again why should an atom of hydrogen consist of approximately one thousand of the pri­ mary units, or electrical corpuscles; and how did it come to pass that nature having limited the number of units of which each atom shall be composed, paused, so to speak, in her labors, and limited the number of elementary atoms of which all substances are composed? It is clear that if sometimes a mass of units com­ bined less in number tlian what is required to compose the hydrogen atom, and at other times the requisite number was not at hand, and nature blindly employed at one time the sufficient mass and at an­ other time an insufficient number, believing the pretender no less than the legitimate heir, order and harmony would be impossible and the unity of the cosmos had not been attained. Here we find involved, as everywhere in the chem­ ical laboratory of Nature, precision, exactness, mathematical accu­ racy. if*, 'however^- one were *to “irrquire whether-Nature , like some master mathematician, consciously superintended the process, and, out of hand, aggregated the requisite number of atoms to organize an atom of hydrogen, the answer is: Nature cannot be interpreted in anthropomorphic terms. That is wo are not justified in superim­ posing our own conscious processes of thinking and achieving on Nature. She, as far as we can discern, creates nothing. All we can determine is that Forces have been at work from time immemorial, as­ sembling and dissociating, integrating and disintegrating units or chemical factors, until she succeeds in establishing certain states of poise or equilibrium, which constitute the primary basis of the constructed universe or cosmos. The Universe of worlds, as we have seen, is held together by the principle of balance or equilibrium permanently established} and in like manner the units out of which the universe is composed, are themselves made up of permanently balanced units or elements. The atom was nut manufactured out of hand. This is the great decisive discovery of modern physics. Formerly we thought or had been taught that the atom was primary,fundamental; and that it must have been manufactured as a whole, and at once.This ?/as the loophole in physical philosophy through which theological authority leaped. It assumed that as the atom was manufactured as a whole and at once‘“there mus*t*have—becn-a? pre-=na-tura-l o*'- super natu­ ral creator to accomplish the fea't. Put now we learn that the atom came slowly tnrough millenniums into existence. The atom has been generating through inconceivable periods of time. Not until the pri­ mary units, the so-called electrons, settled down into a state of equilibrium, or balanced motion, that enabled about one thousand of them to stick together, so to speak, was the hydrogen atom generat­ ed; that atom once established, Nature proceeded to build up all other atoms with the hydrogen atom as the basic unit. When that equilibrium was once established--the perfect balance between about one thousand units of electrical eaergy--elect>~ons--Nature was pre­ pared to go on and build up the cosmos on that foundation. It is a wonde^fu] and most fascinating story--this drama of natural generation. Not a creation but generation, is nature's process. But in order to establish an ultimate , permanent1

C-39 Pg. 5 equilibrium between the one thousand units essential to the hydrogen atom, there must have been previously generated an instinctive affi­ nity between them. It is evident that if the corpuscles or electri­ cal units were mutually repulsive and flew always away from each □ther, final relation and organization would be impossible. Evolution harmonious’association, correlation, would have never been attained. 3ut the primary units do -instinctively associate. IJow why? Because the everlasting whirl of their mutual motions finally establishes a state of polarity. Now, polar­ ity is association by opposition. Things that so oppose each other that their opposition constitutes a state of attraction are polari­ zed. That is the reason.that polarization means both attraction and repulsion. ’Then the opposition results in attraction it means' a balance has been established between the operating units. But when repulsion follows it merely means that attraction elsewhere, that is by some,stronger'force , attracts the repelled unit. But the basis of polarity is opposition. That is, polarity is the reflex response to stimulus,. . het me illustrate this point. If we seize a hot iron,’ instinctively we draw away and drop it.’Wha't happened? This: The positive stimulation cf the heat polarized the negative’ state of the nerves into responsive posi ti veaess. The opposition of heat loses its positive energy and transfers it to the nerves. The nerves being negative’ the heat could communicate or associate with them; but so soon as the. nerves become positive the heat loses its power and becomes negative. , *Jow, in some suca’ way, the pr imary units .of matter, the electrons, must have been polarized by opposition', so that' tftey became mutually receptive. In short they must .have felt each other's approacn. But each unit or electrical char ge , rememos r ,1 s b'ut a whirl of energy, a state of vibration. Tnis wnirl, or as we bet*ter know it, this wave of energy repels or attracts another whirl or wave ,•* accord­ ing to ihs length and velocity. Here-then we observe the first inti­ mation in nature of what we call sensitivity. That is germinal' feel­ ing. Sensitive response to a stimulus1 (irritability) .how­ ever slight or passive, is,, as we have already seen in previous pa­ pers, the first intimation of the suggestive stage of mental activ­ ity. ' ■ Hence we may logically conclude that mutual respensiveness (affinity), or the innate polarity of the primary unites of matter, evidences tne presence in nature of incipient mentality. Hence we may .make this declaration, supported by fact and logic: Mind is manifest in the utmost infinitesimal unit of primary matter: It.is the primal energy in which the universe moves and has its being.

Western Occultism

Informal Chats

Instructive notes supplementary to the Brotherhood Lectures.

Mystic Brotherhood

C-40 Pg. 1 INFORMAL CHATS WITH THE FACULTY

1. One should wish to study Practical Occultism in

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to — a. b. c. d. e.

Learn more of life. Dissolve pain and poverty. Discover causes of inharmony. More truly serve in life. Find tie Inner Spark.

In this study one «ill find great benefit in ob­ 2. serving his daily life, and the events and experiences, which come to him unsought, for here he will find the indicators showing what to seek > out within himself. 3. We establish first a fundamental principle that nothing can be attracted into the life except there be some manner of condition within the self which makes it possible, Do not reject this statement, before studying it for two years. 4 . Therefore, the thing to do is to ferret out the weak points within, as INDICATED, or pointed out by the external events of daily life. In the study of Practical Occultism, many teachers 5. point to your past physical existences and your sins therein, as the commencement of traits and tendencies for which you now suffer retribu­ tion. 6. We offer no comments as to the merit or demeritan the concept of many EARTH lives. Everyone interested along these lines has long since been convinced of "being" SOMEWHERE previous to this physical life and we shall let it go at that. BUT, we must admit that it does NOT help us to sit back and say--"I am helpless--I am not to blame—It is my Karma." 7. We shall demonstrate that it is perfectly immater­ ial whether you "earned it" in a previous earthly existence or not. For, within you NOW, lie your todays and your tomorrows. "Look to this day. " 8. We must consider what constitutes a "reflection-of the within," and we must dissect to see what draws one effect, and what draws the opposite effect. 9. We must consider health and financial ability, as these are indicators of things to be rectified for true service in life. 10. We must consider the earnestness of our endeavors and the motives, which lie behind our efforts in life. 11. We must analyze and consider, in particular, the obstacles, fetters and hampering influences in our daily life. And, one by one, we shall discuss them all, in detail, and trac® them to their roots. 12. We must consider the basic requirements of Nature, that, to permanently hold peace and health and plenty, we must put

forth steady and consistent effort to-a. Serve and aid persons, society, or humanity at large. b. Or, study, work, and endeavor to develop, improve and perfect our own senses and creative faculties.

SUCCESS 1. Each person has a slightly different view as to what constitutes a "success" in life. Therefore, we cannot estab­ lish as a universal object, the attainment of success. 2. However, each person has some type of maladjust­ ment to life, which he hopes and wishes to smooth away. It may be physical illness, temporal poverty, inharmonious associations, heavy burdens, inner conflict, or some other more or less unsatisfactory condition. 3. Naturally, he wishes to bring about improvements, both within himself, and in his adaptation to life. At least, we hope that each one wishes to do this, for when one reaches the point where he is quite content and satisfied with himself, he has reached dangerous quicksand. 4. Each individual naturally wishes to know more about himself and his relation to society and to nature. This desire "to know" is an innate human instinct, manifesting even in the in­ fant. 5. Let us imagine an individual with certain physi­ cal disorders, certain inharmonious associations, and various inner co.iflicts. ”.7e shall imagine that these chafe him and that he seeks to learn how to overcome these grevious conditions. 6. Now, we shall have you assume the role of a good fairy with all manner of miraculous powers. In the goodness of your heart, you lift and entirely remove all these deplorable conditions from this person, just mentioned above. 7. Do we assume, then, that all his troubles are permanently over? We do not—v-e watch and wait a moment, and he gets directly into other situations just as distressing as the ones, which he had, before the good fairy came along. 8. For--he did not solve the earlier difficulties by learning what it was, WITHIN HIMSELF, that made these inharmonies in his life. 2. He must go through it all, over and over, again and again, in his daily life, until some day it will dawn upon hit.., that the whole root of the trouble is within himse 1 f--lack of under­ standing. 10. It is rather a useless procedure to expend great effort trying to work out the immediate inharmonies and maladjust­ ments in life, without seeking to learn, at the same time, what is within the self, that attracts such conditions. 11. It is true that one cannot see it all, at once, but he can steadily lean more. And, since life itself will always be made up of new adaptations to changing circumstances, is it not most important to learn those things, which govern our adaptations

C-4 0 Pg. 3 to life?

12. Each person has a different "object" in life.Yet, each abides by the same laws and principles. Let us, therefore, set forth, as the prime object, the study of human life and the factors, For, these facwhich enter into our adjustment to the daily round. tors are the same on all planes of life. Reconcile yourself, once for all time , to this Truth — Once you have entered upon the Path of Inner Unfoldment, you never stop growing, neither can you ever turn back. Many a person along The Way, at times, in weariness says: "I am through; I shall interest myself no more in these things; I shall turn to the material things of life." You have doubtless said it to yourself. And, indeed, we find that the Children of Israel,whi­ le in the Wilderness, GLADLY would have turned back into the bondage of Egypt. You cannot turn back. Reconcile yourself to it for all time. And, be thankful, when you have done this, for the desire to turn back is only temporaryRemember the alternating cycles of action and inaction, of lessons followed by rest. Your cycles may be of long, or brief, duration, rest assured — beyond each lesson time lies a period of duration. but 1 rest and after tne resting hour you must approach a new lesson time. When you have just absorbed much new knowledge, or ,by newly developed insight have solved some passing situation, the great tendency is to sit down and become comfortable, as one might say: "We­ ll , that's done." Rest comfortably, for it is your due, but do not re be 1, when by the circumstances of daily life, the Master says: "Come, time 's up. Something else for you to learn." All the external events reflect some inner need, or inner desire. When all has seemed to go wrong, it is wonderfully simple to externalize the blame. It is so easy to say that conditions were to blame, or perhaps you can place the blame upon Mary, or James, or John. If you wish to see a person, who is due to meet much grief in life, find that one, who always has someone else to blame for all his troubles. For, this person must repeat the same type of experiences endlessly, until he begins to look "at home" for the roots of his ills. There is no teaching of metaphysics, or psychology, which can teach you how to find the roots of your own difficulties,in your neighbor's personalities. It is true that your associates may affect you, and i t may be necessary for you to break away from them to find freedom,but, even they could not influence your life, were it not for some weak condition within yourself. When the experiences of life come along, develop the habit of looking within yourself, to study wha.t attracts these things. In this way, you will be constantly gaining a clearer vision of fundamentals, which will aid you during each day of your li­ fe to follow.

You cannot stop. You cannot turn back. Some may ridi­ cule the thought that a faster leads on, yet one and all will cone to accept it in due time.

1. The statement is made that no circumstance can be attracted into your life, unless there be something within the self which attracts it. 2. "Something within the self, which attracts it." Before we, can proceed further, we must carefully examine to see what general conditions enter into our apparent "good luck" and "bad luck" in life. 3. After a time, we may be able to discuss the theory of a long, spiral stairway, with fifty steps of blackness, for fiftyone .of white--aJJL steps of which must be traversed, but we shall not go into that now. 4. Later, we may be able to reflect upon the possibil­ ities in the thought that we pass on to others the type of experiences to which we ourselves have been subjected. And, that we do this un­ consciously, helplessly and often unwillingly. After a while, we shall see if there is anything in this idea. 5. The principle which we teach is founded in part, that as mortal humans, we do not live this life to be either "good" or "evil," or to be "superior" or "inferior." Yet, it is conceded that the white and black actions in life are of utmost importance, al­ though the possibility of superiority and inferiority, as between SOULS, is denied. 6. Test this as, and where you will. We primarily exist to co-mutually develop into Creators, on a more perfect plane. We labor, in this life to develop attunement to harmony and inharmony, to develop our senses, and to perfect our faculties, whereby we may be Creators on our present pilane , bringing forth Creative Ideation. • 7. There is no higher, more useful, or more beautiful fruit of man’s endeavors than the bringing forth of Creative Ideation. Think of this, apply it in all walks of life. What have the most in­ fluential leaders of the race left? What have the Masters left? What have the inventors left? Ideas—that we of the mass m^ht use. 8. Then, we place as a beacon llgtrt the- statement that our highest goal, is to co-mutually seek to develop our senses and faculties that we may bring forth Creative Ideation. 9. We realize that the most certain insurance that we may have a life of peace and blessedness, is gained by either— a. Seeking to aid others in human service. b. Or, working diligently and thoughtfully, to CONSTANTLY improve our creative faculties. 10.

Roughly, we might say that "good luck" comes

either-a. As a result of true effort at sometime expend­ ed along one of the two lines just mentioned.

C - 40 Pg. 5 b. Or, sometimes, to build one’s vanity and selfishness to the point, where it may be the more easily shattered.

11.

"Bad luck" comes, either --

a. As a result of mental laziness, or as a fruit of any of the many mental attitudes, which draw pain, as will be outlined later. b. Or, it may come as a purifying and refin­ ing influence, to purge the soul, to burn out the dross, to prepare one for a more beauti­ ful and ennobling work.

Investing in Self

Each individual, who comes into this life, owes a debt to Nature. This does not mean that the debt is to be considered, necessarily, as one of gratitude, for many persons are unable to see why they should feei grateful for this existence. Nevertheless, the debt to Nature exists, and sooner or later, it must be paid. One reaches the most peaceful state more quickly by facing this fact honestly and settling down to work to pay his debt. There are, unfortunately, persons, who are convinced that they favor society by living in it. These persons are convinced that it is their just and rightful due that others should pet and pamper them and solve all. of life's problems for them. However, sometime, somewhere these useless ones must likewise pay their debts, which are not to society, nor to man, but to Nature. The debt now referred to is not one of virtue, but of labor and effort, either to serve the mass, or to develop self. One may rebel emotionally, but eventually each must come to realize that the law of our growth and evolution is work and effort. Nature is a hard taskmaster with truants, who wish to find an easy road. Early or late, each much gain his growth for himself. There can be no cheating or cribbing in the daily examinations of the Laws of Balance. There are intervals of rest and play, then each must grow once more, and the most shattering circumstances come, at times, to force one back into the harness. Simple hard work is NOT ENOUGH to bring the greatest blessedness. One may work hard, but perfectly mechanically. There must be effort toward IMPROVEMENT of self. Look about you and find those whose lives have been devoted to the service of the mass, to self-development, or the bringing forth of Creative Ideation, and you will see likewise those, who have found. the most in life. (TO BE CONTINUED)

Western Occultism

I*

Instructive notes supplementary to the Brotherhood Lectures.

Mystic Brotherhood

INFORMAL CHATS WITH THE FACULTY In our analytical studies in the psychology of the Unconscious, we seek to determine, first, the nature of the buried roots. Next, we must uncover the time, when these causal roots were implanted and release them. From an entirely different angle, we find that the same general principle applied equally, when we consider life from a metaphysical angle. Regardless of whether any condition of "today" was, or was not earned in the past, there is, and must be, some qual­ ities within the self "today," which make the external conditions possible. If humiliation comes, if physical pain comes, if joy and blessings come — there is a condition within the self, that makes these things possible. And, the conditions in the external life will con­ tinue, end repeat themselves endlessly, until one actually sees and squarely faces the lesson, which is being brought home to him. In a case where humiliation comes, as a result of vanity or pride all the rebellion and determination in the world will not release one- Neither will the use of any psychological princip­ les, for he cannot use them in the proper spirit, until his very atti­ tude toward life is corrected. Here, then, becomes apparent the need of studying both the psychological aspects of life, and the metaphysical at the same time. The one, who is suffering humiliation because of vanity, etc., will come to complete freedom only when the pride has been sufficiently shattered, or when he looks within himself, and says: "Here is the cause of my trouble--this egotism and conceit." Then he will swiftly find the way to freedom, through the use of psychological principles, and otherwise. The great outstanding thing, which practical meta­ physics can teach is--Look for the lesson within. Do not look back into the past existences in helpless regret. Do not look without at a cold and pitiless world. Look witnin--for there and there alone lies salvation. "What is it within myself, which makes this condi­ tion possible?" "Am I being forced into growth and development?" "Am I clinging too strongly to some idea?" "Is it selfishness?" "Is it my habit of blaming others?" And here is one of the greatest truths, which practical metaphysics can ever teach you--When you have found, and seen, and recognized what it is within yourself, which causes pain and suf­ fering—THEN KNOW—that you are about to have freedom from that pain. 1. There will always be times of trial, w lems to meet and solve. New situations must be met. Strength in­ sight and new knowledge will be required as you proceed along the way. It

2. If you are progressing steadily and rapidly in your unfoldment, no great time should be consumed In mastering the particular kind of situations, which may distress you now.

3. But, new and different ones will arise before you. Perhaps, today, your problems may be to provide for financial needs. If these are entirely solved, you then may meet others of an entirely dissimilar type. 4. You might then be confronted with various re­ sponsibilities dealing with the happiness or progress of other per­ sons. And, in their complexities, these might be as difficult to work out as your financial problems are today. 5. The entire way of life will be one of either stagnation and retrogression, or unfoldment and progress. Undoubted­ ly, for all real students, the way will be forward--to growth. 6. As we discuss the elements of practical daily metaphysics, let us first establish firmly the few fundamental points, after which the further reflections will be the more profitable. 7. It has been suggested that greatest .true fulfill­ ment of life and greatest peace--we11-being and happiness will come through willingness to work our way--to repay nature--to consistently and steadily put forth effort to either-a. Serve humanity at large, or b. Work and study to develop our own creative senses and faculties. 8. In this connection, recall that it is emphasiz­ ed that our obligations in general are not to individual humans, "but to nature. And, that we pay this through effort for development, or by service of mankind, or any portion of humanity. S. Having reflected upon these primary aims and having reconciled ourselves to this consistent effort for development, etc. , then let us frankly and honestly face the thought that we shall always have to put forth this effort. 10. The great human tendency is to think, "If I could only solve this immediate situation, life would, indeed, be a gladsome song." This is induced by the self-delusion that, with the present problems solved there would never be any more concerns in life, and we could rest forevermore upon the couch of indolence and inertia. 11. There is a joker in that line of logic. Let us not work with such motives. You will recall that, in school days, wnen you had thoroughly mastered elementary mathematics, decimals, etc., then they blessed you for your proficiency by permitting you to algebra. So it is in life. However, one does not take it all so ser­ iously ,' neither is it so painful, with progress. 12. Let us be content to meet the way--to gror--to solve the present needs--and then to meet the new ones. Let us not carry the delusion that to solve today's problem will mean eternal bliss in idle rest thereafter. As you reflect upon these points, do not become angry. We can only outline the facts.

C-41 Pg. 3

The Inbreathing and Outbreathing

Never forget, that in all growth and unfoldment, the progress is in cycles of inbreathing and outbreathing. During certain periods you will observe that you are in ~a more receptive stage. Your interests lie in your work and studies, from which you are crystallizing new realizations. During this time you may give out but little. This does not mean that you will not be giving out For , it is inevitable that the cycle will turn, and again again. It must be so, you will find yourself in a more expressive period. for it is in conformity with a natural principle, which exists throughout all creation. To receive and pass on. Sven in our studies of the most material phases of nature we see that all things receive and pass on continually. This may be in the shape of lines of force or influence, transmission of energie s, or reception and expression of Creative Ideation. Sometime s it is difficult to observe, with the physical sense s , how this feminine or receptive side, and the masculine or expressive side, manifest--yet, the situation is the same. This i s true , even though the emanations of expression may be so subtle and etheric that they are beyond our comprehension. As unit humans, we exist in the reception and expression of Creative Ideation. On the receptive side it may be difficult to definitely determine from whence the ideation comes to us. Indeed, its source may be from the higher self, from other higher So units, from etheric planes, or from Subconscious consolidations. perfectly interlaced are all these, that many teachers, who e stab­ lish a creed based on guidance from one plane or another, may all be perfectly correct, They may even be entirely in accord with each other, although ttheir ’ teachings seem utterly dissimilar. An illustration of the perfect accord between apparently diverse teachings> is seen when one studies the symbology of the Unconscious ffrom an analytic standpoint, then studies the symbology of religions and creeds, where the symbology is derived f rom and applied to the starry heavens. The same symbology is used in both places, and the reason for the similarity is quickly seen . Yet, the same symbol may be used in the black sense , in the Unconscious, ious, and in the most spiritual-sense I when found in the philosophical systerns. Certain of you who read these lines may have fixed ideas as to where your guidance comes from. There is no inclination to disturb those conceptions, They are undoubtedly correct. The perfect synchronism in affairs of life, which become more manifest through certain phases as we proceed, will indicate more clearly how teachings, apparently dissimilar, may be equally correct. Therefore , ]retain your present conceptions as to where you receive your advancing ideas from, but recognize clearly the fact that you do -----receive 1 - them, 1---- . Then be content with the realization that, at times, you will be in a receptive stage and that you

will give out little. However, realize also that you must give out at times. You can have in your own life only that which you give out, And, you can grow only as you give out.- This applies every­ where. You ¿«UST give expression to ideation before you can con­ tinue to endlessly receive ideatioii This applies whether you are a. speaker, or an artist. 1. Every student has long since come to the con­ clusion that "life"' did not begin at birth,and that it dqes not end at the grave. 2 The principle of continuation of existence, on some plane, always becomes apparent to one who delves far enough in­ to matters psychological or mystical. 3. Let us leave the argument as to ''where” the previous and future existence may have been, or may be, to others. 4. as far as we now are concerned, it is perfect­ ly immaterial where the exact locations are, in terms of space. Suf­ ficient that this is but a day along the way. 5In reflecting upon the points of our work, re­ member that this presentation differs in many ways from that of or­ thodox psychoanalysis No apologies are made. 6 Orthodox psychoanalysis conceives of life as complete from birth to grave Orthodox psychoanalysis considers re­ ligion, mysticism and occultism as simple "wish-fulfillment." Fur­ ther, since the symbology of religions and occult thought is similar to symbols used by the dark Unconscious, the psychoanalysts can see only sex symbology in conceptions of the Spirit. 7. Distinguish thoroughly the presentation we give from such conceptions of life. The psychoanalysts have per­ formed a great service in dissecting the Unconscious. Yet, they have through materialistic conceptions, failed to see the deeper fea­ tures behind and beyond. The person who endeavors to study from the standpoint of usual psychoanalytic literature, will be unable to con­ nect them entirely ' 8» With the orthodox psychoanalyst, when a root has been found in early life, the problem is solved. Being so en­ thused with a new-found knowledge, they have failed to look beyond. Further, they have so over-valued the mechanisms uncovered, that they see in all religion and in all creeds only the same old sex symbology and wish-fulfillment. 9. The point which the orthodox psychoanalyst has not considered is that there must be a cause for every cause. The question they have not considered necessary to answer is, "Why were these conditions brought into that infant’s life? And, with this thought, we shall leave the orthodox analysts to their splendid work in the materialistic fields of science • 10. Sunpose that your present suffering is re­ tribution for errors in past existence Can you place your finger on the nature of that error? Learn the law today—learn the way to freedom and forget the ancient yesterdays

C-41

Pg. 5.

11. There are two distinct teachings of "Karma" in the occult schools. The teaching which is most prevalent is, usual, the elementary one. The elementary teaching most commonly accepted has undoubtedly been presented by those who perfectly well understood that it is elementary. 12. It has been presented in this form, doubtless, because it would more readily be grasped. The individual teachers who use this elementary form may believe that it is the deepest, yet their teachers higher up were aware of the difference.

The Worst That Could Happen All persons, who have developed any sincere interest in Metaphysics, after study and reflection for a few years, have one interest or aim in common. A state of poise and balance is most desired. Freedom from the torque and strain of the ups and downs. Freedom from concern over the passing events. Freedom from "the pairs of opposites." It is readily observed that a very large proportion of those, whose interests are most readily attracted to these fields of thought are those who can least readily attain this state of being. For, they are the "Sensitives" who, in many cases, have the greatest emotional problems to overcome. It is true that the advanced occultist exists, and that he has but little difficulty in finding the place of quiet. That class would find little interest in these chats. For, the aim of these is to serve those who need the most--the "Sensitives." These are the ones who have usually passed nearly the entire road of mankind within this one lifetime. They have experienced nearly every class of circumstances. They have suffered, struggled, found a dim light and by degrees have found a greater strength and quiet peace.

Western Occultism

Instructive notes supplementary to the Brotherhood Lectures.

Mystic Brotherhood

c - 42 Pg. 1 INFORMAL CHATS WITH THS FACULTY

FROM UNCONSCIOUS TO CONSCIOUS MIND According to our analysis thus far made, we find that the universe is a panoramic embodiment of ceaseless motion. The se­ cret of the Cosmos is PERPETUUM MOBILE. Nothing so small that it ever has an instant of rest; nothing so vast, that final pause can ever occur in its ceaseless revolutions. The largest orb reduced to its minutest unit loses not its innate velocity or its rhythmic oscilla­ tion. This view of the universe, scientifically expressed is really identical with v/hat in metaphysics and theology is construed as ¿Spirit. Spiritus is breath or motion. Primordial, persistent mo­ tion is the spirit of the universe, But in our study we must avoid the use of the term spirit because it has attained a specific theo­ logical significance. Life Energy is the better term. Now, physically interpreted, form is determined by mass and motion; but mass is itself determined by the velocity of the movement.. Mass, as science now construes it, is not matter or weight (see Soddy’s ’’Matter and Energy,” p. 170). Mass is inertia, or the disposition of a body when at rest to stay thus, or when in motion to continue moving. "Inertia is the disinclination to move when at rest, and the disinclination to stop moving after starting(Soddy.) Of course in this sense absolute rest is not meant (for there is no such thing,) but merely relative rest. A body evenly v balanced is said to be in a state of rest; but that merely means that the particles of which it is composed are so rhythmically related that its oscillations balance other. That is the reason we regard visible mass and motion as matter; for apparently it is at rest, and because of that we can perceive it. But actually its component units are in ceaseless activity. Hence, Motion, in some form of inertia and energy, is the fundamental state of Nature. We have previously referred to the electrical corpuscle, oi' the electron, the at present, last reducible unit of molecular matter. Now, this infinitesimal particle, computed to be no digger than the one twenty-five millionth of an inch in diameter, is detected merely because of its never ending vib­ ratory energy. An electron is the IMMATERIAL unit of matter. This statement appears absurd Nevertheless ”It is just because the elec­ tron has a definite mass, even though it is by far the smallest known, and still is not a MATERIAL particle, that its chief Interest lies." (Soddy.) That it, merely because of the fact that the electron possesses the ouality of mass, or inertia, which is the fundamental property of matter, it is susceptible of transformation from invis­ ible substance (or motion) to visible matter. This initial unit of matter, the electron, itself in­ visible and immaterial, evolves into the myriad visible and physical forms of matter which we call the world. But it never loses its initial vibration. Each individual unit of matter, or electrical

particle, oscillates with (that is, attracts or repels) every ether particle, and' their infinite association, though seeming to consti­ tute static substances, nevertheless ceaselessly move in flux and flow. Mo period in all the infinite can be conceived of when Motion was not; for potential energy was already inherent in the Ether (granting its existence), as indicated by Faraday's "strains," or the theory tnat "electricity" is merely leaved or rolled up processes of the etheral medium. Lamour, quoted by Le Bon in "Evolution of Matter," states boldly "the material molecule is entirely composed of ether and noticing else." By the involution and the exfoliation of the Ether, therefore, Chaos was transformed into Cosmos. This at least is the latest theory of science, which seems ably substantiated by facts. The history of Motion, then, is the history of tne universe. However, we have observed in the analysis thus far pre­ sented that in all the phases of motion, from the prdmal, theoreti­ cally undifferentiated state, to its most complex and heterogeneous condition, its processes seemed to be determined by logical or rather mathematical relations. Speaking of the atom, Mills ("Within the Atom") says: "The permanence of a group of protons and electrons (i.e., the positive and negative electrical charges of an atom) will depend upon the geometrical arrangement." That is to say, a germinal process of Cosmic thinking, an inherent mental element, is present even in the germinal state of matter, whether in a wave of ether revealed in light or sound, or in the vibration of the cortical cells which actuate the consciousness of a human being. We may then justly say primal motion is primal think­ ing: relation in geometrical arrangement is thought expressed in motion; thought expressed in motion is mind; therefore the universe is essentially a mental process. Kind and Matter are one, in essence, diverse in manifestation. They constitute the same experience view­ ed from opposite standpoints. Together they constitute the source and substance of all the phenomena of tne invisible and visible world. But it must not be forgotten that Man is the inter­ preter of the Universe. There is no Revealer of knowledge extran­ eous to man. He himself discovers the universe^ without the inter»— cession of a super-human revealer. Hence man knows the universe merely as he knows himself; he interprets it, necessarily in terms of himself. But this leads us to the question of the source of knowledge which man possesses. We must determine whether it is something that already exists previous to man's advent, which on his arrival he some way mysteriously converts into consciousness (a pro­ cess of thinking which the philosophers call "a priori"), or whether what we call knowledge is merely the component of man’s experience or contact with tne existing woild. Now, whatever Man is and whatever the World is, there must be a common element, which functions like a bridge between them, permitting the world to enter into man and man to enter into the world. When we seek this essential common element we are again driv­ en to our old friend, Motion. This is the element or principle,

C-42 Pg. 3 common to nature and to man, which transmutes the activities of the Universe into the conscious and unconscious cognitions of Man. When denuded of all mystifying attributes, which man himself reads into his own experience, Matter, as we have seen, is, in the last analysis, but a Form of Motion. When denuded of the mys­ tifying illusions of consciousness, which are but the effects of man's own interpretation of Nature. Man himself is but a Form of Motion. This latter conclusion, although seemingly compelled by the rigorous laws of logic, is to many revolting and inconclusive. The purpose of this chapter is, then, to show that the phases of human experience known as Sensation, Emotion and other states of conscious­ ness are the formal registrations of Motion in the physical organism and reflected in the mental activities. To begin with Sensation. A sensation is an affection of the nervous system which man perceives as a mental state. Through the gateway of the senses comes the entire sphere of man's knowledge or cognition; but when that statement is made there are always some who dispute it and insist that there is what is called a priori knowledge, or intuitions; certain sup­ posed fundamentals that pre-exist in the mind before and are essential to all empirical knowledge. It is now, however, commonly admitted that such interpretations of mind are antedated by modern science and psychology. They belonged to the teachings of Flato and Kant, but since Locke's "Essay on Human Understanding" and Spencer's "Synthetic Philosophy" the conclusions of transcendental psychology are but lit­ tle relied upon. As we now understand the source of knowledge it is an agitation of the nervous system. But the agitation is registered in the brain and the intellect or mind receives the registration as a perception. It is evident we must distinguish between the agitation and the perception; the one we regard as physical, the other as psy­ chical or mental. But we have no way of discovering that the mental could exist without the preceding physical state. Let us illustrate this by an ordinary bit of knowledge. For instance, use this type­ writer on which this chat is taking form. I say I know the existence of this machine; but how and why do I know it? First, I am confronted by an object consisting of cer­ tain parts, functionally related which, being manipulated, respond to my volition. Now, I know the machine as an entirety not of itself, but because I learn it consists of separate parts which have dis­ tinctive qualities (as shape, color, etc.), and only as I become ac­ quainted with each of these parts and their qualities, and apprehend their relation and association, do I mentally conceive of the complete machine. The thing I then mentally perceive as a machine has in its entirety entered my consciousness only as I have first perceived its individual parts; and these parts have been perceived by my mind only as I have perceived the effect (registration of the sensation) which each of these parts has produced in me. The whole process, therefore, of perceiving and knowing the machine, or typewriter, is the result of a series of sensations, or nervous vibrations, without which I could never have perceived or conceived the existence of the machine. However, there is one more phase of the knowledge I possess of the machine which must be studied. Thus far we have anal-

yzed but half the truth, Suppose the machine were utterly destroyed end no reproduction of i t were possible. Then, with the impossibil­ ity of ever again experiencing the sensations I will have been to­ tally deproved of ever again perceiving or knowing the machine. Man­ ifestly not. For once the registration of the sensations or nervous agitations in the brain centers is effected, then there remains the conception or mental reproduction of the object. My experience of the machine is physical, or a sensation; but no knowledge of the ma­ chine is mental or a spiritual concept. The experience is a physi­ cal feeling; the cognition is a mental image. But, it is argued, the fact that I can understand the relation between the physical feeling and the mental cognition prov­ es that there exists in the human mind the intuition or capacity of dtso^Tning the relation. It-is argued that this, intuition exists previous to all experience, as a necessary state of my mental consti­ tution. But, on analysis, tais is found to be erroneous. We perceive this if we study the instincts in the lower animals. Here we discover a similar situation to that of human beings. The animal also mentally perceives the relation existing between objects and itself, and acts as logically as human beings. The fact, however, that animals and insects act al­ ways identically toward their surroundings, their actions have been regarded as mechanical and instigated wholly by physical stimuli. This latter conclusion is indeed insisted upon by modern psychology. Any cat, for instance, acts in precisely the same manner as any other cat, when the presence of a rat suggests a palatable meal. Any bird, of whatever species, trips and flies and sings, in precisely the same way as any other bird, however differ­ ent its notes and vocalizations may be. As far back as runs the memory of man, the beaver has built his house according to the same architectural plan; the ant and the bee have apparently built their subterranean dwellings and complex hives after the same unalterable pattern and geometrical formation. However, somewhere in the untraceable past, there must have been a beginning of these performances. We must not forget that animals and insects were not created out of hand, as we once thought. All forms of life have descended from proceding forms. Not only that, but all reflex activities have gradually responded to environment in the course of ages. The existing forms of life, slowly descending and diverging from previous forms, carried on the reflex response of the preceding generations and thus established as fixed habits or permanent instincts the faculties now prevailing. This becomes apparent as we study the ascent of the instinctive reflexes in the lower world of living things. In the lowest forms of life (protists and unicells) the reflex of the physical stimulation is very evident. But as we ascend to the higher forms and the nervous organisms become more complex, as the outward stimuli become more varied, the reflex response becomes ac­ cordingly more involved and complicated. Therefore, what in the lower forms we can easily detect as mere reflex activity, in the

higher forms is less easily traced to its source, and takes on the manifestation of what we call mental or conscious phenomena. As Haeckel puts it: "The spsqial instincts of particular species were formed by ADAPTATION, and the MODIFICATIONS thus acquired were hand­ ed on to posterity by HEREDITY; in their formation and preservation, natural selection plays the same part as in the transformation of every other physiological . function.” "But many find difficulty in the fact that, the instant the insect or chick appears, it at once begins the manner of life it continues to its death. Whence did it acquire that capacity if not by already existing or preternatural faculties. Dr. Carpenter, for instance, tells us that "a fly-catcher immediately after its exit from the egg has been known to peck at and capture an insect—an action which requires a very exact appreciation of dis­ tance, as well as a power of precisely regulating the muscular move­ ments in accordance with it." Here it would appear that the fly-catcher is really born with a superior intelligence, an instinctive, rational and ma­ thematically calculating mind. But it appears, when better under­ stood, that the seemingly intelligent act is but the ensemble of a series of reflex responses of its nervous system to external excita­ tion. Let Herbert Spencer explain: "The action implies impressions on retinal nerves, impressions on nerves proceeding from muscles which adjust their lenses—implies that all these nerves are excited simultaneously in special ways and degrees; and that their complex co-ordination of muscular contractions, by which the fly is caught, is the result of this complex co-ordination of stimuli." In simple words, what is here regarded as a special form of innate capacity in the fly-catcher, namely, an instinct that makes the persistence of life a possibility, instead of being a fa­ culty which has been created out of hand for the preservation of the insect, is really a reflex result of a complex series of motions which reveal themselves in an ensemble, or a form of action, that we interpret as intelligent. (TO BE CONTINUED)

Western Occultism

Informal Chats

Instructive notes supplementary to the Brotherhood Lectures.

*

Mystic Brotherhood

INFORMAL CHATS with the faculty

FROM UNCONSCIOUS TO CONSCIOUS MIND. (CONT'D.)

Thus: the ray of the sun playing on the retina of the eye is a mode of motion known as a luminiferous vibration. The response of the retinal nerve to the stimulation of tne luminiferous vibration whereby the insect is detected is a correlated mode of motion. So on through the affection of the optic nerve registering in the brain center, and the consequent activity of the morot nerve actuating the muscular move­ ments of the fly-catcher, the entire drama is nothing more than the co-ordinating functions of a series of vibrations or nervous, cellular and muscular nrotions. But, granted that sensation is a reflex response, is also per­ ception a resultof motion, the same as sensation? Granted that per­ ception is a result of motion like sensation, is also conception or the mental image a similar result? In short, is every state of consciousness, reduced to the last analysis, also a mode of motion? We think so. This is the crux of philosophy—the conflict between trans­ cendental and empirical psychology. There always will be a difference of opinion--for positive agreement seems impossible. Modern empirical psychology inclines to the conclusion that, scientifically interpreted, all we can understand of the origin of consciousness lies in regard­ ing it as a resultant of interacting lines of energy, of co-ordinating modes of motion, precisely as all other phenomena of the universe are e stabli shed. ' If we say it is impossible to find a bridge between physical activity--mere motion or vibration and intelligence or rational cons­ ciousness, the answer is that there is nothing more mysterious in that analysis than in the chemical analysis of matter, whose formation is wholly the effect of motion, which, primarily invisible and imponder­ able becomes ponderable and visible. There is nothing more mysterious in regarding consciousness as the result of motion affecting the ner­ vous system than in perceiving the result of two or more chemical units transformed by electrical energy into a substance wholly unlike them­ selves. Who can explain why two units of hydrogen and one of oxygenr when energized by an electrical current, suddenly reveal themselves as water through their nuptial union? Yet we know the result is wholly due to the electrical energy that sets up a new mode of motion between them. And so on, all through the chemical phenomena of the universe. Hence, we say every sensation is a form of motion in the ner­ vous centers; every perception is a mode of motion in the cortical cen­ ters; every concept or mental image is a mode of motion registered in specific brain-centers. All modes of Consciousness are therefore in the last analysis modes of motion. The practical value of this deduction lies in the fact that it so rationally explains the effect of what we call mind on the body and material substance. It gives us a manner of approach to all the problems of psychology that is simple, rational, educative and void of mystification. If what we call the mind, in all its functions, is the

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co-ordinating activity of a complex series of motions, then we may understand how the will affects the body, how a feeling or mental impulse affects our muscular actions and daily conduct; how a men­ tal image becomes a sort of active matrix from which springs our inclinations, dispositions and purposes of life. When we understand that all thoughts and mental processes are results of vibratory activities or phases of motion, then we approach an understanding of what is meant by the now popular phase, "Thoughts are Things." They are not things existing in "airy nothingness," but things, or modes of energy, existing and functioning in the organs of our physical bodies; modes of motion that activate our inmost beings, that constitute the basis and substance of our complex con­ sciousness; modes of motion which must be analyzed and comprehend­ ed, that we may analyze and understand ourselves—our idiosyn­ crasies, our personalities, our characters. The fact that consciousness is construed as a momentum of energy revealed in visible lives; but that it, itself, is moti­ vated by a momentum of energy that has its source in the invisible depths of the unconscious activities of the mind, can be much better appreciated and appealed to, if we realize that both con­ scious and unconscious states are modes of motion that are ever stimulating us for good or ill, as we yield or resist, as we ignore them in ignorance or appropriate them with understanding. The Machinery of the Mind Mind is the motor of the brain; it acts like a force that moves a machine. There is no more complex nor more perfect machine than the brain and the nervous system of the human or­ ganism. Notwithstanding this fact, there is no machine with which man is concerned, about which he seems to be as poorly informed or educated in the use of. The absurdity, if not the criminality of this situation becomes apparent when we review the method employ­ ed by one desirous of entering one of the mechanical professions. If one sought to become a mechanical engineer or a chem­ ist or an ordinary machinist, one would not be capacitated for such an occupation without intense and efficient instruction. Not only must one have given years to the acquisition of the elementary rudiments, before undertaking a specific scientific vocation, but he must devote years to hard study and experience in order to be­ come proficient. A mechanical engineer, for instance, undertaking to execute propositions in the construction and operation of a plant, would be illy equipped were he not fully instructed in the minutest detail of the complex machinery which he is to employ and in the principles of construction. Not only must he be intimate­ ly acquainted with each element and essential unit of the machinery, but he must be able, if necessary, to take the machines all apart and reconstruct them in perfect order. He must also be thorough­ ly familiar with the principles of Physics and Mechanics which apply to his work, as well as with the specific forces or modes of

energy employed in the operation of the plant. One might, indeed, know considerable about the principles that enter into txie operation of a machine, but if ne were ignorant of the complex construction he might meet with disaster’in attempting to operate it. On the contrary, were he fully informed in the construction and characteristics of the machine, but were ignorant of the nature of the energy or force requires to operate it, he would again find himself in deep water. For this reason no sane man thinks of "monkeying1 with a machine with whose construction and operating iorce he is not thorough­ ly acquainted. To this end schools of technology are established in which prospective machinists and engineers are given years of careful instruction. Now the anomalous condition of mankind is that they who are called on to exercise the energy of the brain (and that means every human being) seem to conceive of themselves as fully trained for the work, with no more instruction in the secrets of mental activity than what accidental experience and annoying failures may entail. They go at it in a haphazard, recxless, indifferent manner, as though no pre­ vious instruction were required, as if indeed the promptings of primi­ tive instinct were sufficient. Therefore, judged by psychological standards and possibilities, the vast majority of human kind are utter failures. It is a remark­ able fact that in our own época, indeed our immediate generation, for the first time men have awakened to the realization that meticulous instruction is necessary in this field no less than in any scientific or professional venture. In the sphere of the mind certain laws exist, ignorance con­ cerning which may prove as disastrous as in a mechanical field where an ignoramus attempted to act as an engineer. These laws are now for the first time beginning to be apprehended and utilized with increas­ ing understanding; and whoever enters on his life work unacquainted with their nature and motivating principles does so at his own peril. Now let us study a few of these principles. The first to which we would call attention is the Law of Co-Ordination. This is a primary and most essential principle, ill instruc­ tion in which has caused frequent disaster to those who venture on life's achievements. Referring again to a mechanic or a profession­ al engineer, let us suppose he is intimately acquainted with the indi­ vidual parts and sections of some required machine, but is wholly un­ familiar with their co-ordinaticn or mutually operating functions. What could he do with his mechanism if it got out of order? Take the example of a watch. Let us suppose there is an horologist, a person familiar with all the principles that enter into the methods of time measurements, and who knows the theory on which a watch has its wheels and cogs, its springs and ratchets, its barrel and fuses, its lever and hinges and balances, etc., but, while theore­ tically acquainted with each of these elements, is wholly unacquaint­ ed with the relation between them that makes it possible for them to function co-ordinately. He might take all the parts of the watch as­ under and explain the office of each in general terms; but he did not

know their co-ordination he could never put the parts together correctly or even regulate them after they were reconstructed. Now it may surprise some to learn that, just as a know­ ledge of the functional co-ordination of the individual parts of a watch is necessary for one whose vocation is that of a watchmaker or mender, so also is it necessary for every human being to under­ stand the work of co-ordination that exists between the distinctive elements, faculties and forces that constitute the human mind. The instinctive office of co-ordination is manifested at the very be­ ginning of life. When a child is born there is only one capacity it exercises without experience and instruction. That capacity is the ability to maintain its life. Instinctively it apprehends the relation which exists between its mother's or nurse's breast and its lips. It requires no instruction in the art of sucking. The lips do that by a reflex action; once they touch the teats, they suck instinctively or reflexively. There we see primitive, elemen­ tal or instinctive co-ordination. But in the continuting life of the child it may be observed that all its struggles and education relate to the capacity of apprehending the co-ordination existing between parts of tae body and objects with which it comes in contac t. Why, for instance, does not the infant creep or walk as instinctively as it sucks? If it does the latter without in­ struction, one would think as a result of heredity it would per­ form the other acts also instinctively. The infant is unable to creep because mentally it has net been made acquainted with the functional relation or co-ordination that exists between the mus­ cles in its body that operate in tie act of creeping and the men­ tal image the mind entertains in tne act of creeping. If the child instinctively or unconsciously perceived itself creeping as it does sucking, it would creep as instinctively as it sucks. The point is that the child requires conscious instruction in the co-ordina­ tion between its. body and its mental image, when it tries to creep; but in the act of sucking the apprehension is unconscious. Doubt­ less the unconscious education in sucking was pre-natal before the umbilical cord was severed. But in the womb there is no chance to creep, so that aet remained for conscious instruction. But the essence of the instruction consists of a knowledge in the indivi­ dual of the proper relation between the bodily members and the mental image. This fact is further evidenced in the development of the child’s information with its own body. How long does it take a youngster, for instance, to learn that its big toe, which it so delights to grasp with its mouth, and so often fails in the effort, is a member of its own body? For a long time the infant has no idea that the toe belongs to himself. It might be anybody else's toe, or for that matter a stick or a piece of candy which it is handling. Why is this? Because in the little infant's mind there has not yet been apprehended the relation existing between the toe and itself. That is, physically speaking, the fibres that connect

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the cells of the brain which communicate the sensation of the toe, when grasped, have not yet branched out to those centers of knowledge that inform the child the toe is its own. "The brain is an instru­ ment of possibilities," says William James, "but of no certainties." Tne infant only becomes certain of the realization of possibilities (the toe in its mouth) when, through experience, it grasps the re­ lation between the toe and itself. That is when it learns the co­ ordination, which nature has made "possible" but not "certain" through experience. If the infant were abnormally made, if its brain were in­ efficient in the proper fibers or cells to act as the instrument of co-ordination, then the possibility of the relation of the toe to it­ self would never become a "certainty." But in the normal child the relation or potential co-ordination of the brain centers and the toe required lot of experience and trying venture before a knowledge of that co-ordination was realized. Throughout the entire life of the child (and of the human adult as well) the process of education is merely an acquisition of this law or principle of co-ordination. When it begins to creep, as I have said, the effort is difficult and discouraging, because the child does not yet knew that the body is a thing it can manipulate. It does not yet know that the body, for that matter, is its own. It has not acquired the art of locomotion, because the physical co-ordina­ tion, or mutual functioning between its body and its brain is not yet established. Once the child discovers that the body can be moved by its own effort, it has learned that the desire and the effort are mutually co-ordinated, and after that the work becomes mechanical, and the child creeps or moves automatically.

(TO BE CONTINUED)

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