III. Initiation.

It is not altogether necessary that these three stages should be so taken that one must have quite completed the first before beginning the second, nor this in its turn before beginning the third. With respect to certain things one can partake of Enlightenment, and even of Initiation, while as regards others one is still in the probationary stage. Yet it will be necessary to spend a certain time in this stage of Probation before any Enlightenment at all can begin, and at least in some respects one must have been enlightened before it is even possible to enter upon the stage of Initiation. But in giving an account of them it is necessary, for the sake of clearness, that the three stages follow one another.
IV
PROBATION
Probation consists of a strict cultivation of the emotional and mental life. Through this cultivation the ‘^spiritual body” be- comes equipped with new instruments of perception and new organs of activity, just as out of indeterminate living matter the natural forces have fitted the physical body with organs.
The beginning is made by directing the
attention of the soul to certain events
in the world that surrounds us. Such
events are the germinating, expanding,
and flourishing of life on the one hand,
and, on the other hand, all things which
are connected with fading, decaying, and
112
(lying out. Wherever we turn our eyes we can observe these things happening simultaneously, and everywhere they natu- rally evoke in men feelings and thoughts. But under ordinary circumstances a man fails to attend sufficiently to these thoughts and feelings. He hurries on too quickly from impression to impression. What is necessary, therefore, is that he should fix his attention intently and quite consciously upon these phenomenaTr- Wherever he observes expansion and flourishing of a certain kind, he must banish everything else from his soul, and entirely surrender
himself for a short time to this one im-
>
pression. He will soon convince himself
that a sensation which heretofore in a
similar case would have merely flitted
through his soul, is now so magnified that
it becomes of a powerful and enei'getic
nature. He must now allow this thought-
form to reverberate quietly within himself,
and to do so he must become inwardly
8
( 114 )
quite still. He should draw himself away from the outward world, and only follow that which his soul tells him of this ex- pansion and flourishing.
Yet it must not be thought that we can make much progress if we blunt our senses to the world. First, one must contemplate tliese objects as keenly and precisely as possible, and it is then that one should give oneself up to the sensations that result, and the thoughts that arise within the soul. What is important is this : that one should direct the attention, with per- fect inner balance, upon both of these phenomena. If one obtains the necessary quiet and surrenders oneself to that which arises in the soul, one will then, in due time, obtain the following experiences : One will notice a new kind of thoughts and feelings, unknown before, uprising- in the soul. Indeed, the more one fixes the attention in such a way alternately upon something growing, expanding, and
( 115 )
flourishing, and upon something else that is fading and decaying, the more vivid will these feelings become. And just as natural forces evolve out of living matter the eyes and ears of the physical body, so will the organs of clairvoyance evolve themselves from the feelings which are thus evoked. A definite thought-form unites itself with the germinating and expanding object, and another, equally definite, with that which is fading and decaying. But this will only take place if the cultivation of these feelings be striven for in the way described.
It is only possible to describe approxi- mately what these feelings are like. Indeed, everyone must attain his own conception of them as he passes through these inward experiences. He who has frequently fixed his attention on the phenomena of germinating, expanding, and flourishing, will feel something remotely allied to the sensation of a sunrise ; and
( 116 )
the phenomena of fading and decaying will produce in him an experience com- parable, in the same way, to the gradual uprising of the moon on the horizon. Both these feelings are forces which, when carefully cultivated, with a con- tinually increasing improvement, will lead to the greatest occult results. To him who again and again, systematically and with design, surrenders himself to such feelings, a new world is opened.' The “spiritual” world, the so-called “astral plane,” begins to dawn upon him. Bloom- ing and fading are no longer facts which make indefinite impressions on him, as of old, but they rather form themselves into spiritual lines and figures of which he had previously suspected nothing. And these lines and figures have for the different phenomena different forms. A blooming flower, an animal growing, a decaying tree, evoke in his soul definite lines. The astral plane slowly broadens
( 117 )
out before him. Nor are these forms in any sense arbitrary. Two students who find themselves at the same stage of de- velopment will always see the same lines and figures under the same conditions. Just as certainly as a round table will be seen as round by two normal , persons, not as round by the one and square by the other ; so, too, before the perception of two souls a blooming flower will present the same spiritual form. And just as the shapes of animals and plants are described in ordinary natural history, so, too, the teacher in an occult school describes and delineates the spiritual forms of growing and decaying processes after their nature and species.
If the student has progressed so far that he can see such aspects of phenomena which are also physically observable with his external eyes, he will not then be far from the stage when he shall behold things that have no physical existence.
( 118 )
and must therefore remain entirely hidden to those who have undergone no training in the occult school.
It should be emphasised that the occult explorer ought never to lose him- self in speculation on the meaning of this or that. By such intellectualising he only brings himself away from the right road. He ought to look out on the sense- world freshly, with healthy senses and quickened observation, and then to give himself up to his own sensations. He ought not to wish, in a speculating manner, to make out what this or that means, but rather to allow the things themselves to inform him.*
A further point of importance is that which is called in occult science orienta- tion in the higher worlds.” This point is
* It should be remarked that the artistic perception, when coupled with a quiet introspective nature, forms the best foundation for the development of occult faculties. It pierces through the superficial aspect of things, and in so doing touches their secrets.
( 119 )
attained when one realises with complete consciousness that feelings and thoughts are veritable realities, just as much as are tables and chairs in the world of the physical senses. Feelings and thoughts act upon each other in the astral-world and in the thought (or mental) world just as objects of sense act upon each other in the physical world. As long as any- one is not truly permeated with this realisation he will not believe that an evil thought projected from his mind may have as devastating an effect upon other thought forms as that wrought upon physical objects by a bullet shot at random. Such a one will perhaps never allow himself to perform a physically visible action which he considers to be wrong, yet he will not shrink from har- bouring evil thoughts or feelings, for these do not appear to him to be dangerous to the rest of the world. Nevertheless we can only advance in occult science if
( 120 )
we guard our thoughts and feelings in just the same way as such a man would guard the steps he takes in the physical world. If anyone sees a wall before him he does not attempt to dash right through it, but directs his course alongside. In other words, he guides himself by the laws of the physical world.
There are such laws also in the world of thought and feeling, but there they cannot impose themselves upon us from without. They must flow out of the life of the soul itself. One arrives at such a condition when one forbids oneself, at all times, to foster wrong thoughts or feelings. All arbitrary goings to-and-fro, all idle fancies, all accidental ups-and- downs of emotion must be forbidden in the same way. But, in so doing, let it not be thought that one brings about a deficiency of emotion. On the contrary, if we regulate our interior life in this manner, we shall speedily find ourselves rich in
( 121 )
feelings and in genuine creative imagina- tion. In place of a mere chaos of petty feelings and fantastic trains of thought, there appear significant emo- tions, and thoughts that are fruitful, and it is emotions and thoughts of this kind that lead a man to “ orientation in the higher world.” He has entered into the right condition for the things of that world, and they entail for him definite consequences. Just as a physical man finds his way between physical things, so, too, his path now leads him straight between the growing and the fading which he has already come to know in the way described above. For he follows all processes of growing and flourishing, and, on the other hand, of withering and decaying — it is necessary for his own and the world’s prosperity.
The occult student has also to bestow a further care on the world of sound. He must discriminate between the tones
( 122 )
which are produced from the so-called inert (lifeless) bodies (for example, a bell, a musical instrument, or a falling mass), and those which proceed from a living creature (an animal or a person). He who hears the striking of a bell will receive the sound and attach to it a certain sensation, but he who hears the cry of an animal will, in addition to this sensation, become aware that the sound reveals also an inward experience of the animal, either of pain or of pleasure. The student is con- cerned with the latter aspect of the sound. He must concentrate his whole attention upon it, so that the sound reveals to him something that lies outside of his own soul, and, more than this, must merge himself in this exterior thing. He must, closely connect his own emotion with the pleasure or pain communicated to him by means of the sound. He must care nothing whether for him the sound be pleasant or unpleasant, welcome or not.
( 1^3 )
and his soul must be filled only with that which proceeds from the creature out of whom the sound has come. He who systematically and deliberately performs such exercises will develop within himself the faculty of intermingling, as it were, with the creature from which the sound proceeded. A person sensitive to music will find it easier to cultivate his spiritual life in this respect than one who is un- musical, but no one should think that a mere sense of music will take the place of this culture.
As an occult student, one must learn to contemplate the whole of nature in this, way. By so doing a new faculty is sown in the world of thought and feeling. Through her manifold sounds the whole of Nature begins to whisper secrets to the student. What was hitherto merely in- comprehensible noise to his soul will become by this means a coherent language of Nature. And whereas, hitherto, he
( 124 )
only heard sound from the resonance of ^ so-called inanimate objects, he now under- stands a new speech of the soul. Should he advance in this culture of the soul, he will soon learn that he can hear what hitherto he did not even surmise. He begins to hear with the soul.
One thing more must be added before we can reach the topmost point of this region. What is of very special import- ance in the development of the student is the way in which he hears the speech of other men. He must accustom himself to do this in such a way that while doing so his inner self is absolutely still. If someone expresses an opinion and another hears it, the inner self of the latter^ will be stirring in general assent or contra- diction. Many people in such a case feel themselves urged to an expression of their assent, or, more especially, of their contradiction. All such assent or contra- diction must, in the occult student, be
( 125 )
silenced. It is not imperative that he should therefore quite suddenly begin to make his life entirely different, in order that he may attain to this inward and fundamental calm. He might, therefore, begin by doing so in special cases, de- liberately selected by himself. Thus quite slowly and by degrees will this new way of listening creep into his habits, as of itself In the occult schools these things are systematically practised. For the sake of practice the student is obliged to listen for a certain period to the most contra- dictory thoughts, and at the same time to suppress all assent, and more especially • all adverse criticism. The point is that in such a way not only all intellectual judg- ment is silenced, but also all sense of displeasure, denial, or even acceptance. And the student must be particularly watchful that such feelings, even if they are not upon the surface, do not still remain in the innermost recesses of the
( 126 )
sou]. He must listen, for example, to the statements of people who in some respects are far beneath him, and yet, while so doing, suppress every feeling of greater knowledge or of superiority. It is useful for everyone to listen in this way to children, for even the wisest may learn very, very much from children. So does it come about that we hear the words of others impersonally, completely divested of our own personality with its opinions and feelings. He who thus makes a practice of listening uncritically, even when a completely contradictory opinion is advanced, learns again and again to blend himself, to become identified, with the being of another. He then hears, as it were, through the words and into the souls of others. Through continual exer- cise of this kind only, sound becomes the right medium for the revelation of the spirit and the soul. Of course, it implies the strictest self-discipline, but it leads
( 127 )
to a high goal. When these practices are undertaken in connection with those that deal with the sounds of Nature, the soul develops a new sense of hearing. It is now able to receive demonstrations from the spiritual world which do not find their expression in outward sounds ap- prehensible by the physical ear. The perception of the “inner word” awakens. Gradually truths from the spiritual world reveal themselves to the student, and he hears them expressed in a spiritual way.* All high truths are attained through such “ inner encouragement,” and what we may hear from the lips of a genuine occult teacher has been experienced in
* Only to him who by listening disinterestedly becomes able to perceive really from within, silently, without emotion arising from personal opinion or personal taste, — only to such can speak the Great Souls who are known in Occultism as the Masters. As long as onr opinions and feelings are in a state of vehement opposition to the communications from the Masters, They remain silent.
( 128 )
this manner. And in so saying it must not be supposed that it is unimportant to acquaint oneself with the writings on occult science, before one can actually gain this inner encouragement. On the contrary, the reading of such writings, and the listening to eminent teachers of occult lore, are themselves the means of attaining a personal knowledge. Every sentence of the esoteric wisdom which one hears is adapted to direct the senses to that point which must be attained before the soul can experience a real advance. To the practice of all which has here been indicated, must be added an ardent study of what the occult teacher gives out to all the world. In all occult schools such a study belongs to the pro- bationary period, and he who would employ all other methods will attain no goal if he omits the instructions of the occult teacher, for inasmuch as these instructions proceed from an actual “inner word,” an actual
( 129 )
‘‘ encouragement,” they possess in them- selves a spiritual vitality. They are not mere words : they are living powers ; and while you follow the words of an occultist, while you read a book which comes from a genuine inner experience, powers are at work in your soul which make you clairvoyant, just as natural forces have created out of living matter your eyes and ears.
9
V
ENLIGHTENMENT
Enlightenment is the result of very simple processes. Here, too, it is a matter of developing certain feelings and thoughts which are dormant within all men, but must be awakened. Only he who carries out these simple processes with complete patience, continuously and strenuously, can be led by them to the reception of inner illumination. The primary step is taken by observing different natural objects in a particular way; and these are as follows : a transparent stone of beautiful form (a crystal), a plant, and an animal. One should endeavour at first to direct one’s whole attention to a comparison of
130
( 131 )
the stone with the animal, in the following way : The thoughts which, accompanied by strong emotions, are thus induced, must pass through the soul, and no other emotions or thoughts must be mixed with them, or disturb the intense contempla- tion. One then says to oneself : “ The stone has a form and the animal has also a form. The stone remains motionless in its place, but the animal changes his. It is impulse (desire) which causes the animal to change its place, and it is these impulses which are served by the form of the animal. Its organs and instruments are the expression of these impulses. The form of the stone, on the contrary, is fashioned, not in accordance with im- pulses, but in accordance with an im- pulseless force.” ^
^ The fact here mentioned, in its bearing on the contemplation of crystals, is in many ways distorted by those who have only heard of it in an outward (exoteric) manner, and in this way such practices as crystal-gazing have their origin. Misrepresentations of such a kind
( 132 )
If one sinks deeply into sucli thoughts, and while so doing observes the stone and the animal with fixed attention, then there arise in the soul two separate kinds of emotion. From the stone into the soul there flows one kind of emotion, and from the animal another. Probably in the be- ginning the experiment will not succeed, but little by little, with genuine and patient practice, these emotions become manifest. Again and again one should practise. At first the emotions only last as long as the contemplation. Later on, they work afterwards, and then they grow to something which remains alive in the soul. One then needs only to reflect, and both emotions invariably arise, apart from all contemplation of an external object.
Out of these emotions, and the thoughts
are the outcome of misunderstanding. They have been described in many books, but they never form the subject of genuine (esoteric) teaching.
( 133 )
which are bound up with them, clair- voyant organs are formed. For should the plant be added to the contemplation, one will notice that the feeling outflow- ing from it, both in its quality and in its degree, lies between that which emanates from the stone and that from the animal. The organs which are so formed are spiritual eyes. We learn by degrees and through their means to see both astral and mental colours. As long as one has only attained the condition described as Probation, the spiritual world with its lines and figures remains dark, but through Enlightenment it will become clear. It must be noted here that the words “ dark ” and “light,” as well as the other common expressions, do but approximately describe what is really meant. But if ordinary language is not used, there is none possible, and yet this language was only constructed to suit physical conditions.
Occult science describes what emanates
( 134 )
from the stone and is seen by clairvoyant eyes, as “ blue " or bluish-red ” : that which is observed as coming from the animal is described as red ” or ‘‘ reddish- yellow.” Ill reality they are colours of a spiritual kind which are discerned. The colour proceeding from the plant is “green.” Plants are just those natural l)lienoniena whose qualities in the higher worlds are similar to their qualities in the physical world. But it is not so with stones and animals. It must now be clearly understood that the above-men- tioned colours do but suggest the prevail- ing shades of the stone, the plant, or the animal. In reality, all possible overtones exist. Every animal, every stone, every plant has its own peculiar shade of colour. Ill addition to these there are also the creatures of the higher worlds, who never incorporate themselves with their own colours, often marvellous, often horrible. Ill fact, the variety of colours in these
( 135 )
higher worlds is immeasurably greater than in the physical world.
If a man has once acquired the faculty of seeing with spiritual eyes, he then, sooner or later, meets with the beings here mentioned, some of them higher, some lower than man himself, beings who never entered into physical ex- istence.
If he has come so far, the way to a great deal lies open before him ; but it is inadvisable to proceed any further with- out an experienced guide. Indeed, for all that has been here described, such experienced guidance is desirable. For the rest, if anyone has the power and endurance to travel so far that he fulfils the elementary conditions of enlighten- ment here described, he will assuredly seek and discover his guide.
But under all circumstances it is im- portant to give one warning, and he who will not apply it had better leave un-
( 136 )
trodden all the steps of occult science. It is necessary that he who would become an occult student should lose none of his attributes as a good and noble man, and one susceptible to all physical truths. Indeed, throughout his apprenticeship he must continually increase his moral strength, his inner purity, and his powers of observation. Let us give an example : During the preliminary practices of Enlightenment, the student must be care- ful to be always enlarging his sympathy with the animal and human worlds, and his sense of Nature’s beauty. If he is not careful to do this, he persistently blunts that sense and that feeling by the use of these practices. The heart would grow cold and the sense become blunted, and that could only lead to perilous results.
How enlightenment proceeds, if one rises, in the sense of the foregoing practices, from the stone, the plant, and the animal, up to man, and how, after
( 137 )
enlightenment, under all circumstances, the gentle hand of the Pilot comes on a certain day, and leads to Initiation — of these things the next chapter will deal in so far as it can and may do so.
In our time, the path to occult science is sought after by many. It is sought in various ways, and many dangerous and even objectionable practices are tried. Therefore it is that those who know some- thing of the truth concerning these things have allowed part of the occult training to be communicated. Onlv so much is here imparted as this permission allows, and it is necessary that something of the truth should be known in order that it may counteract the great danger of these errors. If nothing be forced, there is no danger for him who follows the way already described ; only one thing should be noted : nobody ought to spend more time or power upon such practices than what is at his disposal with due regard to
( 138 )
his circumstances and his duties. No one, for the sake of the occult path, ought suddenly to change anything in the external conditions of his life. If one desires genuine results, one must have patience ; one should be able to cease the practice after a few minutes, and then peacefully to continue one’s daily work, and no thought of these practices ought to be piingled with the work of the day. He who has not learned to wait, in the best and highest sense of the word, is of no use as an occult student, nor will he ever attain results of much real value. ' He who is in search of the paths to occult knowledge, by the means which have been indicated in the foregoing pages, must fortify himself throughout the whole course of his efforts by a certain thought. He must ever bear in mind that after persevering for some time he may have made very real progress without becoming conscious of it in the precise way which
( 139 )
he had expected. He who does not re- member this is likely to lose heart, and in a little while to abandon his efforts altogether. The mental powers and facul- ties about to be developed are at first of the most subtle kind, and their nature differs entirely from the conceptions of them which are formed in the student’s mind. He was accustomed to occupy himself with the physical world alone. The mental and astral worlds eluded his gaze, and baffled his conceptions. It is, therefore, not remarkable if, at first, he fails to realise the new forces, mental and astral, which are developing in his own -being. This is why it is dangerous to enter the path leading to occult know- ledge without experienced guidance. The teacher sees the progress made by the pupil, long before the latter becomes con- scious of it himself. He sees the delicate organs of spiritual vision beginning to form themselves, before the pupil is aware
( 140 )
of their existence, and a great part of the duties of the teacher consists in perpetual watchfulness, lest the disciple lose con- fidence, patience, and perseverance, before he becomes conscious of his own progress. The teacher, as we know, can confer upon the student no powers which are not already latent within him, and his sole function is to assist in the awakening of slumbering faculties. But he may be a pillar of strength to him who strives to penetrate through darkness into the light.
There are many who leave the occult path soon after setting foot upon it, because they are not immediately conscious of their own progress. And even when higher experiences first begin to dawn upon the seeker, he is apt to regard them as illusions, because he had anticipated them quite differently. He loses courage, either because he regards these first experiences as of no value, or because they appear so insignificant that he has no
( 141 )
hope of their leading to any appreciable results within a measurable time. Cour- age and self-confidence are the two lamps which must never be allowed to burn themselves out on the pathway to the occult. He who cannot patiently repeat an exercise which has failed for an apparently unlimited number of times, will never travel far.
Long before any distinct perception of progress, comes an inarticulate mental impression that the right road has been found. This is a feeling to be welcomed, and to be encouraged, since it may develop into a trustworthy guide. Above all, it is imperative to extirpate the idea that any fantastic, mysterious practices are required for the attainment of higher experiences. It must be clearly realised that ordinary every-day human feelings and thoughts must form the basis from which the start is to be made, and that it is only needful to give these thoughts and feelings a new
( 142 )
direction. Everyone must say to himself : “ In my own sphere of thoughts and sen- sations lie enfolded the deepest mysteries, but hitherto I have not been able to per- ceive them.” In the end it all resolves itself into the fact that man, ordinarily, carries body, soul, and spirit about with him, yet is conscious only of the body, not of the soul and spirit, and that the student attains to a siijfiilar consciousness of soul and spirit also.
Hence it is highly important to give the proper direction to thoughts and feelings, in order that one may develop the percep- tion of that which is invisible in ordinary life. One of the ways by which this development may be carried out will now be indicated. Again, like almost every- thing else we have explained so far, it is quite a simple matter. Yet the results are of the greatest consequence, if the experi- ment is carried out with perseverance, and in the right frame of mind.
( 143 )
Place before you the small seed of a plant. It is then necessary, while con- templating this insignificant object, to create with intensity the right kind of thoughts, and through these thoughts to develop certain feelings. In the first place, let the student clearly grasp what is really presented to his vision. Let him describe to himself the shape, colour, and all other qualities of the grain of seed. Then let his mind dwell upon the follow- ing train of thought ; “ This grain of seed, if planted in the soil, will grow into a plant of complex structure.” Let him clearly picture this plant to himself. Let him build it up in his imagination. And ‘ then let him reflect that the object now existing only in his imagination will pre- sently be brought into actual physical existence by the forces of the earth and of light. If the thing contemplated by him were an artificially-made object, though such a close imitation of nature
( 144 )
that no external difference could be detected by human eyesight, no forces inherent in the earth or light could avail to produce from it a plant. He who thoroughly grasps this thought and in- wardly assimilates it will also be able to form the following idea with the right feeling. He will say to himself: “That which is ultimately to grow out of this seed is already as a force now secretly enfolded within it. The artificial duplicate of the seed contains no such force. And yet both appear to be alike to my eyes. The real seed, therefore, contains some- thing invisible which is not present in the imitation.” It is this invisible something on which thought and feeling are now to be concentrated.^ Let the student fully
^ Anyone who might object that a microscopical examination would reveal the difference between the two would only show that he has failed to grasp the intention of the experiment. The intention is not to investigate the physical structure of the object, but to use it as a means for the development of psychic force.
LIBRARY
( 145 )
realise that this invisible something will later on translate itself into a visible plant, perceptible by him in shape and colour. Let him dwell upon the thought : “ The invisible will become visible. If I could not think, then I could not realise, already, that which will only become visible later on.
Particular stress must be laid on the importance of feeling with intensity that which one thinks. In calmness of mind a single thought must be vitally ex- perienced within oneself to the exclusion of all disturbing influences. Sufficient time must be taken to allow the thought, and the state of feeling connected therewith, to become, as it were, iknbedded in the soul. If that is accomplished in the right way — possibly not until after numerous attempts — an inward force will make itself felt. And this force will create new powers of perception. The grain of
seed will appear as if enclosed in a small
10
( 146 )
luminous cloud. The spiritualised vision of the student perceives it as a kind of flame. This flame is of a lilac colour in the centre, blue at the edges. Then appears that which one could not see before, and which was created by the power of thought and feeling brought into life within oneself. That which was physically invisible (the plant which will not become visible until later on) has there revealed itself to the spiritual eye.
It is pardonable if, to many men, all this appears to be mere illusion. Many will say : “ What is the value of such visions or such hallucinations ? ” And many will thus fall away, and no longer continue to tread the path. But this is precisely the import- ant point — not to confuse, at this difficult stage of human evolution, spiritual reality with the mere creations of phantasy, and to have the courage to press manfully on- ward, instead of growing timorous and faint-hearted. On the other hand, how-
( 147 )
ever, it is necessary to insist on the necessity of maintaining unimpaired, and of perpetually cultivating, the healthy attitude of mind which is required for the distinguishing of truth from illusion. Never during all these exercises must the student surrender the fully conscious control of himself. He must continue to think as soundly and sanely in these con- ditions as he does with regard to the things and occurrences of ordinary life. It would be a bad thing if he lapsed into reveries. He must at every moment be clear-headed and sober-minded, and it would be the greatest mistake if the student, through such practices, lost his mental equilibrium, or if he were prevented from judging as sanely and clearly as before the matters of work-a-day life. The disciple should, therefore, examine himself again and again to find out whether he has remained unaltered in relation to the circumstances among which he lives, or
( 148 )
whether perchance he has lost his mental balance. He must ever maintain a calm repose within his own individuality, and an open mind for everything, being careful at the same time not to drift into vague reveries or to experiment with all sorts of exercises.
The lines for development here indi- cated belong to those which have been followed, and whose efficacy has been demonstrated in the schools of occultism from the earliest ages, and none but such will here be given. Anyone attempting to employ methods of meditation devised by himself, or which he may have come across in the course of promiscuous read- ing, will inevitably be led astray, and will lose himself in a boundless morass of incoherent fantasies.
A further exercise which may succeed the one described above, is the following : Let the disciple place himself in front of a plant which has attained the stage of
( 149 )
full development. Now let his mind be absorbed by the reflection that a time is at hand when this plant will wither and die. “Nothing,” he should say to himself, “ nothing of what I now see before me will endure. But this plant will have evolved seeds which in their turn will grow into new plants. I become again aware that in what I see something lies concealed which I cannot see. I will fill my mind wholly with the thought that this plant- form with its colours will cease to be. But the reflection that the plant has produced seeds teaches me that it will not disappear into nothing. That which will prevent this disappearance, I can at present nomiore see with my eyes than I could originally discern the plant in the grain of seed. The 'plant, therefore, contains something which my eyes are unable to see. If this thought fully lives in me, and combines with the corresponding state of feeling, then, in due time, there will again develop
( 150 )
a force in my soul which will ripen into a new kind of perception.” Out of the plant there grows once more a flame-like appearance, which is, of course, corre- spondingly larger than that which was previously described. This flame is greenish at the centre, and is tinged with yellow at the outer edge.
He who has won this vision has gained greatly, inasmuch as he sees things not only in their present state of being, but also in their development and decay. He begins to see in all things the spirit, of which the bodily organs of sight have no ^ perception. And he has thus taken the initial steps on that road, which will gradually enable him to solve, by direct vision, the secret of birth and death. To the outer senses, a being begins to exist at its birth, and ceases to exist at its death. This, however, only appears to be so, because these senses are unable to apprehend the concealed spirit. Birth
( 151 )
and death are only, for this spirit, trans- formations, just as the unfolding of the flower from the bud is a transformation enacted before our physical eyes. But if one desires to attain to direct perception of these facts, one must first awaken the spiritual vision by the means here indi- cated.
In order to meet an objection which may be raised by certain people already possessed of some psychical experience, let it be at once admitted that there are shorter and simpler ways than this, and that there are persons who have direct perception of the actualities of birth and death, without having had to pass through all the stages of discipline here set forth. There are human beings endowed with high psychical faculties, to whom only a slight impulse is necessary for the develop- ing of these powers. But they are excep- tional, and the methods described above are safer, and are capable of general
( 152 )
application. Similarly, it is possible to gain some knowledge of chemistry by special methods ; but in order to make safer the science of chemistry, the recog- nised, reliable course must be followed.
An error fraught with serious conse- quences would result from the assumption that the goal could be reached more simply by allowing the mind to dwell merely on an imaginary plant or a grain of seed. It may be possible by such means to evoke a force which would enable the soul to attain the inner vision. But this vision will be, in most cases, a mere figment of the imagination, for the main object is not to create arbitrarily a mental vision, but to allow the veritable nature of things to form an image within one’s mind. The truth must well up from the depth of one’s own soul, but the necromancer who shall call up the truth must not be one’s ordinary self, but rather must the objects of one’s per-
( 153 )
ception themselves exercise their magical power, if one is to perceive their inner reality.
After the disciple has evolved, by such means, the rudiments of spiritual vision, he may proceed to the contemplation of human nature itself. Simple appearances of ordinary life must be chosen first. But before making any attempts in this direc- tion, it is imperative for the student to strive after an absolute sincerity of moral character. He must banish all thoughts of ever using the insight to be attained in these ways for his own personal benefit. He must be absolutely determined that under no circumstances will he avail him- self, in an evil sense, of any power which he may gain over his fellow-creatures. This is the reason why everyone who de- sires to gain direct insight into the secrets of human nature must follow the golden rule of true Occultism. And the golden rule is this : For every one step that
( 154 )
you take in the pursuit of the hidden knowledge, take three steps in the per- fecting of your own character. He who obeys this rule can perform such exercises as that wliich is now to be explained Begin by observing a person filled with a desire for some object. Direct your attention to this desire. It is best to choose a time when this desire is at its height, and when it is not yet certain whether the object of the desire will be attained or not. Then surrender yourself entirely to the contemplation of that which you observe, but maintain the utmost inner tranquillity of soul. Make every endeavour to be deaf and blind to everything that may be going on around you at the same time, and bear in mind particularly that this contemplation is to evoke a state of feeling in your soul. Allow this state of feeling to arise in your soul, like a cloud rising on an other- wise cloudless horizon. It is to be ex-
( 155 )
pected, of course, that your observation will be interrupted, because the person on whom it is directed will not remain in this particular state of mind for a sufficient length of time. Presumably you will fail in your experiment hundreds and hundreds of times. It is simply a question of not losing patience. After many attempts you will ultimately realise the state of feeling spoken of above as fast as the corresponding mental pheno- mena pass through the soul of the person under observation. After a time you will begin to notice that this feeling in your own soul is evoking the power of spiritual vision into the psychical condition of the other. A luminous image will appear in your field of vision. And this luminous image is the so-called astral manifestation evoked by the desire-state when under observation. Again we may describe this image as flame-like in appearance. It is yellowish red in the centre and reddish
( 156 )
blue or lilac at the edges. Much depends upon treating such experiences of the inner vision with great delicacy. It will be best for you at first to talk of them to nobody except your teacher, if you have one. The attempt to describe such appearances in appropriate words usually only leads to gross self-deception. One employs ordinary terms not applicable to such purposes, and therefore much too gross and clumsy. The consequence is that one’s own attempt to clothe this vision in words unconsciously leads one to blend the actual experience with an alloy of imaginary details. It is, there- fore, another important law for the occult inquirer that he should know how to observe silence concerning his inner visions. Observe silence even towards yourself. Do not endeavour to express in words that which you see, or to fathom it with reasoning faculties that are in- adequate. Freely surrender yourself to
{ t57 )
these spiritual impressions without any mental reservations, and without disturb- ing them by thinking about them too much. For you must remember that your reasoning faculties were, at first, by no means equal to your faculties of observation. You have acquired these reasoning faculties through experiences hitherto confined exclusively to the world as apprehended by your physical senses, and the faculties you are now acquir- ing transcend these experiences. Do not, therefore, try to measure your new and higher perceptions by the old standard. Only he who has already gained some certainty in his observation of inner ex- periences ought to speak about them with the idea of thereby stimulating his fellow- beings.
As a supplementary exercise the follow- ing may be set forth. Direct your obser- vation in the same way upon a fellow- being to whom the fulfilment of some
( 158 )
wish, the gratification of some desire has just been granted. If the same rules and precautions are adopted as in the previous instance, you will once more attain to spiritual perception. You will distinguish a flame-like appearance which is yellow in the centre and greenish at the edges. Bv such observations of one’s fellow- creatures one may easily be led into a moral fault — one may become uncharit- able. All conceivable means must be taken to fight against this tendency. Anyone exercising such powers of obser- vation should have risen to the level on which one is absolutely convinced that thoughts are actual things. He may then no longer allow himself to admit thoughts incompatible with the highest reverence for the dignity of human life and of human liberty. Not for one moment must he entertain the idea of regarding a human being as a mere object for observation. It must be the aim of self-education to
( 159 )
see that the faculties for a psychic obser- vation of human nature go hand in hand with a full recognition of the rights of each individual. That which dwells in each human being must be regarded as something holy, and to be held inviolate by us even in our thoughts and feelings. We must be possessed by a feeling of reverential awe for all that is human.
For the present, only these two ex- amples can be given as to the methods by which an insight into human nature may be achieved, but they will at least serve to point out the way which must be followed. He who has gained the inner tranquillity and repose which are in- dispensable for such observations, will already, by so doing, have undergone a great transformation. This will soon reach the point at which the increase of his spiritual worth will manifest itself in the confidence and composure of his out- ward demeanour. Again, this alteration
( 160 )
in his demeanour will react favourably on his inner condition, and thus he will be able to help himself further along the road. He will find ways and means of penetrating more and more into the secrets of human nature, hidden from our external senses, and he will then also become ripe for a deeper insight into the mysterious correlations between the nature of man, and of all else that exists in the universe. By following this path, the disciple will approach closer and closer to the day on which he will be deemed worthy of taking the first steps of initiation ; but before these can be taken one thing more is necessary. At first it may not be at all apparent to the student why it should be necessary, but he cannot fail to be convinced of it in the end.
The quality which is indispensable to him who would be initiated is a certain measure of courage and fearlessness. He
( 161 )
must absolutely go out of his way to find
opportunities for developing these virtues.
In the occult schools they are cultivated
quite systematically ; but life in this
respect is itself an excellent school of
occultism, nay, possibly the best. To
face danger calmly, to try to overcome
difficulties unswervingly, this is what the
student must learn to do ; for instance, in
the presence of some peril, he must rise
at once to the conception that fears are
altogether useless, and ought not to be
entertained for one moment, but that the
mind ought simply to be concentrated on
what is to be done. He must reach a
point where it has become impossible for
him ever again to feel afraid or to lose his
courage. By self-discipline in this direction
he will develop within himself quite distinct
qualities which he needs if he is to be
initiated into the higher mysteries. Just
as man in his physical being requires
nervous force in order to use his physical
11
( 162 )
senses, so also, in his psychic nature, he requires the force which is only produced in the courageous and -the fearless. For in penetrating to the higher mysteries he will see things which are concealed from ordinary humanity by the illusions of the senses. The latter, by hiding the higher verities from our gaze, are in reality our benefactors, since they prevent us from perceiving that which, if realised without due preparation, would throw us into unutterable consternation, things which we could not bear to behold. The disciple must be able to endure this sight. He loses certain supports in the outer world which were owing to the very illusions that encompassed him. It is truly and literally as if his attention were suddenly drawn to a certain danger by which for some time he had already been threatened unconsciously. He was not afraid hitherto, but now that he sees his peril, he is overcome by terror.
( 163 )
although the danger has not been rendered any greater by his knowledge thereof.
The forces at work in the world are both destructive and creative. The destiny of manifested beings is birth and death. The Initiate is to behold this march of destiny. The veil, which in the ordinary course of life clouds the spiritual eyes, is then to be uplifted. The man is himself, however, interwoven with these forces, with this destiny. His own nature contains destructive and creative powers. As undisguisedly as the other objects of his vision are revealed to the eye of the seer, his own soul is bared to his gaze. In the face of this self-knowledge, the disciple must not suffer himself to droop, and in this he will only succeed if he has brought with him an excess of the necessary strength. In order that this may be the case he must learn to maintain inner calm and confidence in the most difficult circum-
{ 164 )
stances ; he must nourish within himself a firm faith in the beneficent forces of existence. He must be prepared to find that many motives which have actuated him hitherto will actuate him no longer. He must needs perceive that he has hitherto often thought or acted in a certain maimer, because he was still in the toils of ignorance. Reasons like those which influenced him before will now disappear. He has done many things out of personal vanity ; he will now perceive how utterly futile all such vanity is in the eyes of the Initiate. He has done much from motives of avarice ; he will now be aware of the destructive effect of all avariciousness. He will have to develop entirely new springs for his thought and action, and it is for this that courage and fearlessness are required.
It is a matter especially of cultivating this courage and this fearlessness in the inmost depths of the mental life. The
( 165 )
disciple must learn never to despair. He must always be equal to the thought : ‘'I will forget that I have again failed in this matter. I will try once more as though nothing at all had happened.” Thus he will fight his way on to the firm con- viction that the universe contains inex- haustible fountains of strength from which he may drink. He must aspire again and again to the Divine which will uplift and support him, however feeble and im- potent the mortal part of his being may prove. He must be capable of pressing on towards the future, undismayed by any experiences of the past. Every teacher of Occultism will carefully ascertain how far the disciple, aspiring to initiation into the higher mysteries, has advanced on the road of spiritual preparation. If he fulfil these conditions to a certain point, he is then worthy to hear uttered those Names of things which form the key that unlocks the higher knowledge. For
( 166 )
Initiation consists in this very act of learning to know the things of the uni- verse by those Names which they bear in the spirit of their Divine Author. And the mystery of things lies in these Names. Therefore is it that the Initiate speaks another language than that of the uninitiate, for the former knows the Names by which things were called into existence.
VI
INITIATION
The highest point in an occult school, of which it is possible to speak in a book for general readers, is Initiation. One can- not give public information concerning all that lies beyond, though the way to it can always be found by one who has previously pressed forward and penetrated the lower secrets and mysteries.
The knowledge and power which are conferred upon a man through Initiation could not be obtained in any other manner excepting in some far distant future, after many incarnations, on quite another road and in quite another form. He who is initiated to-dav ex-
167
( 168 )
periences something which he would otherwise have to experience at a much later period and under quite different circumstances.
It is right that a person should learn of the secrets of nature only so much as corresponds to his own degree of develop- ment, and for this reason alone do obstacles bar his way to complete know- ledge and power. People should not be trusted with the use of fire-arms until they have had enough experience to make it certain that they will not use them mischievously or without care. If a person, without the necessary preparation, were initiated to-day, he would lack those experiences which, in the normal course of his development, would come to him in the future during other incarnations and would then bring with them the corre- sponding secrets. At the door of Initia- tion these experiences must, therefore, be supplied in some other way, and in their
( 169 )
place the candidate has to undergo the preliminary teaching. These are so-called ‘‘ trials ” which have to be passed. These trials are now being discussed in various magazines and books, but, owing to their very nature, it is not surprising that quite false impressions about them are received. For those who have not already gone through the periods of Probation and Enlightenment have seen nothing of these trials, and consequently cannot appropri- ately describe them.
Certain matters or subjects connected with the higher worlds are produced before the candidate, but he is only able to see and hear these when he can perceive clearly the figures, tones, and colours, for which he has been prepared by the teachings on Probation and Enlightenment.
The first trial consists in obtaining a
O
clearer comprehension of the corporeal attributes of lifeless things, then of plants.
( 170 )
of animals, of human beings (in the way that the average person possesses them). This does not mean what is commonly called scientific knowledge ” ; with that it has no connection, but it has to do with intuition. What occurs is usually that the Initiate discloses to the can- didate how the objects of nature and the essence of living things reveal themselves to the spiritual and mental hearing and sight. In a certain way these things then lie revealed — naked — before the beholder. Attributes and qualities which are concealed from physical eyes and ears can then be seen and heard. Here- tofore they have been enwrapped as in a veil, and the falling away of this veil for the candidate, occurs at what is called the Process of Purification by Fire. The first trial is therefore known as the “ Fire-Trial.”
For some people the ordinary life of every day is a more or less unconscious
( 171 )
process of initiation by means of the Fire- Trial. These persons are those who have passed through a wealth of developing experiences, and who find that their self- confidence, courage, and fortitude have been greatly augmented in a normal way — who have learned to bear sorrow and disappointment, from the failure of their undertakings, with greatness of mind, and especially with quiet and unbroken strength. Those who have gone through such experiences are often initiates, with- out knowing it, and it needs but little to open for them the spiritual hearing and sight — to make them clairvoyant. For it must be noted that a genuine Fire-Trial is not merely intended to satisfy the curiosity of the candidate. He would learn, undoubtedly, many un- usual things, of which others, devoid of such experiences, can have no idea ; but yet this knowledge is not the end or aim, but merely the path to the end.
( 1"2 )
The real aim and object is this — that the candidate shall acquire for himself, through this knowledge of the higher worlds, a greater and truer self-confidence, a higher and nobler courage, and a per- severance, an attitude of mind, altogether different from what he could have ob- tained in the lower world.
After the Fire-Trial a candidate may always turn back ; but because he has been through it, he will resume his life, strengthened in all his spiritual and phy- sical relations, and in his next incarnation he will continue to seek for initiation. In his present life, at all events, he will prove himself a more useful member of society, will be of greater service to humanity than he was before, and in whatever posi- tion he may find himself, his firmness, prudence, and favourable influence over his fellows will have greatly increased.
But if, after coming out of the Fire- Trial, he should wish to continue in the
( 173 )
occult school, he has then to be instructed in a certain writing-system which is used by those in the school. Occult teachings are written in this occult writing-system, because what is really occult can neither be perfectly spoken of in words of our ordinary speech, nor set forth in the ordinary ways of writing. Those who have learned from the Initiates endeavour to translate the teachings of Occultism as best they may into terms of ordinary speech.
The symbols or signs of the secret script are not arbitrarily invented or imagined, but correspond to powers which are active and efficacious in the world. It is through these symbols or signs that one learns the language of such matters. The candidate . immediately sees for himself that these symbols correspond to the figures, tones, and colours which he has learned to perceive during the periods of Probation and Enlightenment. He now
( >74 )
understands that all which went before was only like learning how to spell, and that only now does he begin to read in the higher worlds. All that appeared to him before as separate figures, tones, and colours, is now revealed to him as a perfect unity, a coherent harmony, and now, for the first time, he attains a real certainty in observing and following the higher worlds. Hitherto it was not possible for him to be sure that what he saw had been clearly or correctly per- ceived. Now, too, it is possible, at last, that a correct understanding, in the spheres of the higher knowledge, can begin to arise between the candidate and the Initiate. For no matter how close the connection between the two may be, no matter what form their intercourse may take in ordinary life, the Initiate can only communicate to the candidate, on these planes, in the direct form or figures of the secret alphabet.
( 175 )
Through this occult speech the student also learns certain rules of conduct for life, certain duties and obligations, of which, before, he knew nothing what- ever. When he learns to know these, he is able to perform actions which have a significance and meaning such as the actions of one who is not initiated can never possess. The only point of view from which he is now able to look upon things, the only plane from which he can now make manifest his deeds, is that of the higher worlds. Instructions con- cerning such deeds can only be read, or understood, in the secret script.
Yet it must be emphasized' and clearly apprehended that there are persons who, unconsciously, have the ability or faculty of performing these actions, notwithstand- ing that they have never been in an occult school. Such “ helpers of humanity and the world” proceed blessedly and bene- ficently through life. There are certain
( 176 )
fundamental reasons, which cannot be here discussed, why they are in posses- sion of seemingly supernatural gifts. The difference between these persons and the pupils of an occult school is only that the former act unconsciously, but the latter with a full knowledge, insight, judgment, and understanding of the entire matter in hand. The candidate wins by training, what has been bestowed upon his fellow by a Higher Power, for the good of humanity. One should freely and openly honour these favoured ones of God ; but one should not, on their account, consider the work of the occult schools unnecessary or superfluous.
Now that the student has learned the “ Mystery language,” there yet awaits him another trial. By this he must prove whether he can move with freedom and certainty in the higher worlds. In ordinary life a man will be impelled to actions by outward motives and con-
( 177 )
ditions. He works at this or that be- cause certain duties are imposed upon him by outward circumstances. It need
V
hardly be mentioned that the occult student must in no way neglect any of the duties connected with his ordinary life because he is working in an occult school and in the higher worlds. None of his duties there can constrain him to treat with inattention or careless- ness any one of his duties in the lower world. The father will remain just as good a father to his family, the mother just as good a mother, and neither the officer nor the soldier, nor anyone else, will be detained from their necessary duties because they happen to be students in an occult school. On the contrary, all the qualities which make men capable are increased to a degree of which the uninitiated can form no idea. That this may not always appear to be the
case in the eyes of the uninitiated is
12
( 178 )
merely due to the fact that he has not always the ability to correctly judge or criticise the Initiate. The deeds of the latter are not always entirely intelligible to the former. But, as we have said before, this only happens in certain cases.
For him who has arrived at the so- called “ Steps of Initiation,” there are now duties to be performed to which no outer stimulus is given. He will be moved to do these things by no external pressure, but by those rules of conduct which have been communicated to him in the mystery-language. In this second trial he must prove that, led by such rules of conduct, he can act from inner promptings just as firmly as an officer performs his obligatory duties. For this purpose the teacher will set before the pupil certain definite tasks. The latter has now to execute some deed in conse- quence of observations made from the basis of what he learned during Probation
( 179 )
and Enlightenment. He has to find tlie way to what he is now to perform, by means of the mystery-language, which by this time is familiar to him. If he discerns his duty and executes it cor- rectly, he has endured the trial, and he recognises the success which attends the fulfilment of the task by the changed manner with which the spiritual eyes and ears now apprehend the figures, tones, and colours. The occult teacher tells him distinctly how these must appear after the consummation of the trial, and the candidate must know how he can effect this change. This trial is known as the “ Water-Trial,’’ because in consequence of its performance taking place on the higher planes, that support which would other- wise have been received from outward conditions is now taken away. One’s movements are like those which are made in water by someone who is learning to swim. He feels no support under his
( 180 )
feet. This practice must be often re- peated until the candidate attains absolute poise and assurance.
These trials are also dependent upon a quality which is produced by the ex- periences in the higher worlds. The candidate cultivates this quality to an extent which, in so short a time, he could not possibly reach while developing in the ordinary way, but could only attain after many incarnations. In order to bring about the change here mentioned, the following is the principal necessity : The candidate must altogether be guided by what has been proven to him by the cultivation of his higher faculties, by the results of his reading in the secret cyphers.
Should he, during these experiences, attempt to introduce any of his own opinions or desires, or should he diverge for one moment from the laws and rules which he has proved to be right, some- thing quite other than that which is
( ISI )
meant will occur. In such cases the candidate loses sight of the goal for which these matters are undertaken, and the result is only confusion. He has, there- fore, manifold opportunities, during these trials, for the development of self-control, and this, indeed, is the principal quality needed. These trials are, therefore, much more easily endured by those who, before initiation, have gone through a life which has enabled them to acquire command of themselves. Those who have developed the characteristic of following their higher principles and ideals without thought of personal honour or desire, who discern always the duty to be fulfilled, even though the inclinations and sympathies are too often ready to lead them another way, are already, in the midst of everyday life, unconscious initiates. They need but little to enable them to succeed in the prescribed trials. Indeed, one may say that a certain measure of initiation, thus
( 182 )
unconsciously acquired in life, will be absolutely necessary before entering upon the second trial. For even as many who during youth have not learnt to write or spell, find much difficulty in learning to do so during later years, so is it also difficult to develop, merely from a knowledge of the higher worlds, the necessary degree of self-control, if one has not already acquired a certain measure of it in the course of ordinary life.
The things of the physical world do not alter, however we may desire them to do so, but in the higher worlds our wishes, inclinations, and desires are causes that produce effects. If we desire to bring about particular changes in these worlds, we must hold ourselves in absolute control, we must follow the right principle, must entirely subdue the personal will.
There is an attribute which at this stage of initiation has to be especially con- sidered,— quite a healthy and sure faculty
( 183 )
of judgment. Attention must be directed to the education of this faculty during all the previous stages, and in the course of them it must be proved whether the candidate has developed this quality sufficiently to make him fit to tread the path of true knowledge. Further pro- gress is now only possible for him if he is able to distinguish illusion, superstition, unsubstantial fancies, and all manner of such things, from the true realities. At first, this is much more difficult to accomplish upon the higher stages of existence than upon the lower. Every prejudice, every cherished opinion regard- ing these matters, in whatever connec- tion, must vanish away. Truth alone must guide. There must be perfect readiness to surrender at once any existing opinion, idea, or inclination, when the logical idea demands it. Absolute certainty in the higher worlds is only to be obtained when one never obtrudes one’s own opinions.
( )
People whose mode of thought inclines them to phantasy, prejudice, and so forth, can make no progress on the occult way. In truth, it is a glorious treasure that the occult student shall attain. All doubt as to the higher worlds will be taken away from him. In all their law they will reveal themselves to his gaze. But so long as he is blindfolded he cannot win these heights and compensations. It were, indeed, unhappy for him if his phantasies and superstitions ran away with his intellect and reason. Dreamers and people inclined to phantasies are as unfit for the occult path as are super- stitious people ; for in dreams, phantasies, and superstitions lurk the most dangerous enemies on the road to knowledge. But because upon the gateway which leads to the second trial are written the words. All prejudices must fall away” ; because the candidate has already seen upon the portals that opened to him the first trial.
( 185 )
the words, “Without a normal common- sense all your efforts are in vain,” — yet it is not necessary to think that the capacity for inspiration and enthusiasm, and all the poetry of life, is lost to the student of Occultism.
If he be now sufficiently advanced, a third trial awaits the candidate. No aim, no boundary lines, are here set for him. All is left entirely in his own hands. He finds himself in a condition where nothing causes or induces him to act. He must find the way of his own accord and from within himself. Conditions or people who might have stimulated him to action are no longer there. Nothing and nobody can give the strength which he now needs, but he himself alone. If he should not find this strength within himself, he will very soon find himself standing where he was before ; but it must be remarked that very few of those who have endured the previous trials will fail at this point in
«»
( 186 )
finding the necessary strength. Either they will have turned back already or they can endure at this point also. The only thing necessary is the ability to make a resolution quickly. For here, in the truest meaning of the phrase, one must find one- self. In all matters one must quickly resolve to hear the suggestions, the in- spirations of the spirit. One has no time for doubt or delay. Every moment of hesitation would add to the proof that one was not yet ready. All that hinders one from hearing the voice of the spirit must be boldly conquered. It is entirely a matter of proving one’s presence of mind, and it is this attribute to which attention must be paid during all the foregoing stages of development. All temptations to act, or even to think, which hitherto assailed a man, must now cease ; but in order that he may not slip into inaction, he must not lose his hold upon himself. For only in himself can he find that one
( 187 )
sure centre-point on which he can depend. No one, without further familiarity with the subject, should feel an antipathy to this principle of self-rejection. For him who has endured the trials already described, it indicates the most perfect felicity.
And in this, as in the other stages before mentioned, for many people, everyday life itself can be an occult school. People who have reached the point of being able, when suddenly confronted with some task or problem demanding immediate action, to come to a swift resolution, to act with- out delay or personal consideration, have, indeed, undergone their occult schooling in everyday life. The situation which one wishes to suggest is one in which a successful action is impossible unless the person concerned grasps the whole matter and acts at once. He is quick to act when misfortune is in sight, when a moment’s hesitation may produce a
( 1»8 )
catastrophe ; and he who possesses the qualities which can be developed into a permanent attribute of such a kind, has already evolved, unknown to himself, the degree of ripeness necessary for the third trial. For, as already remarked, at this stage it all depends upon the development of presence of mind.
In the occult schools this trial is known as the “ Air-Trial,” because while under- going it the candidate can support him- self neither upon the firm ground, nor any external cause, nor that which he has learned in Probation and Enlightenment from the figures and tones and colours, but solely upon himself.
If the occult student has endured these trials, he is then permitted to enter the Temple of the Higher Wisdom.” All that can be further said upon this subject can only be given out in the smallest hints and suggestions. That which has now to be performed has been so often put into
( 1S9 )
words that many say that the pupil has here to take an oath,” promising to be- tray nothing that comes from the teacher. Nevertheless these expressions “ oath ” and “ betrayal ” are in no way appropriate, but are only misleading. It is no matter of an oath in the ordinary sense of the word, but is rather an experience that comes at this stage. Here the candidate appreciates the true value of the occult teachers, and their place in the service of humanity. At last he begins to under- stand the world correctly. It is not so much a matter of “ withholding ” the higher truths now learned, but much more of up- holding them in the right way and with the necessary tact. That about which one learns to “keep silence” is something quite different. One gains possession of this fine attribute in regard to many things of which one had previously spoken, and especially in regard to the manner in which one has spoken of them. Yet it would be
( IfO )
a bad Initiate who did not place all his mystical experiences, as adequately and as far-reachingly as possible, at the service of humanity. The sole obstacle to com- munication in such matters is the mis- understanding of the person who receives it. Above all, the higher secrets do not allow themselves to be spoken about promiscuously, but to none who has passed the steps of development above described, is it actually forbidden to speak of these matters. No one is asked for a negative oath, but everything is placed on one’s own responsibility. What one really learns is to find out within oneself what should be done under all circumstances, and the “ oath ” means nothing more than this, that one is found qualified to be entrusted with such a responsibility.
If the candidate is found fit, he is then given what is called, s3^mbolically, “the draught of forgetfulness.” This means
( 191 )
that he will be initiated into the secret knowledge enabling him to act without being continually disturbed by the lower memory. This is absolutely necessary for the Initiate, for he must possess full faith in the immediate present. He must be able to destroy that veil of memory which extends itself round humanity more and more thickly with every moment of life.
If one judges of something which happens to one to-day, according to the experiences of yesterday, one is subjected by so doing to a multitude of errors. Of course, it is not intended that the reader should think that one ought to renounce all the experience acquired in life.
One ought always to keep it in mind as firmly as possible. But as an Initiate one should retain the ability for judging every fresh experience from outside of oneself, unclouded by all bygone experiences. One must be prepared, at every moment, that a new thing or being shall bring to
( 102 )
one a new revelation. If one judges the new by the standard of the old, one necessarily falls into error. For this very reason, the memory of past ex- periences is useful, for they make one capable of seeing the new. If one had not gone through a certain experience, one would probably not have seen at all the attributes of this or that being or thing ; but such experiences ought only to enable one to discern the new, and not by any means to cause one to judge it by the old. In this way the Initiate obtains certain definite qualities, and by means of these many things are revealed to him, while they remain concealed from the uninitiated.
The second draught which is given to the Initiate is the “ draught of remem- brance.” By receiving this he becomes capable of keeping the higher secrets ever- present in the soul. Ordinary memory would not be sufficient to ensure this ; one
( 193 )
must be absolutely at one with the higher truths. One must not merely know them, but be able, as a matter of course, to manifest and administer them in living actions, even as an ordinary man eats and drinks. They must become one’s practice, one’s inclinations, one’s habits. It must be unnecessary to think of them consciously (in the usual sense of the word) ; they must become a part of oneself and express themselves through one’s very being ; they must flow through one, even as the life- currents run through one’s organism. So must we make ourselves as perfect in a spiritual sense as nature has made us in a physical.
13
VII
THE HIGHEE EDUCATION OF THE SOUL
If a man carries out the culture of his thoughts and feelings and emotions in the way already described in the chapters on Probation, Enlightenment, and Initiation, he then eftects a change in his soul such as Nature has effected in his body. Before this training, soul and spirit are undifferentiated masses. In such a state the clairvoyant will perceive them as inter- lacing clouds, rotating spirally, and having usually a dull glimmer of reddish colour or reddish-brown, or, perhaps, of reddish- yellow ; but after this culture they begin to assume a brilliant yellowish-green or
( 195 )
yellow-blue colour, and become of a regular structure. A man attains to such regularity of structure, and at the same time to the higher knowledge, when he brings into the region of his thoughts, feelings, and emotions, an order such as Nature has brought into his bodily organs, by means of which he can see, hear, digest, breathe, speak, and so forth. Gradually the student learns, as it were, to breathe, to see with the soul, and to speak and hear with the spirit.
In the following pages only a few of the practical points pertaining to the higher education of the soul and spirit will be more fully treated. They are such as may be practically attained by anyone without additional instruction, and by means of which a further step in occult science may be taken.
A particular kind of discipline must be patiently attempted. Every emotion of impatience produces a paralysing, nay.
( 196 )
even a deadening, effect on the higher faculties latent within us. One must not expect immeasurable glimpses of the higher worlds to open out before one from day to day, for assuredly, as a rule, this does not occur. Content with the smallest attainment, repose and tranquillity must more and more possess the soul. It is conceivable, of course, that the learner should impatiently expect results, but he will attain to nothing so long as he fails to master this impatience. Nor is it of any use to struggle against this impatience in the ordinary way, for then it will only become stronger than ever. It is thus that men deceive themselves, for in such a case it plants itself all the more deeply in the depths of the soul. It is only by repeatedly surrendering oneself to a single definite thought, and by making it absolutely one’s own, that anything is really attained. One should think : “ I must certainly do everything
( 197 )
possible for the culture of soul and spirit, but I will wait tranquilly until, by higher powers, I shall be found worthy of definite illumination.” When this thought has become so powerful in a man that it is an actual trait in his character, he is tread- ing the right path. This trait will then express itself even in external affairs. The gaze of the eye becomes tranquil ; the movements of the body become sure ; the resolutions defined ; and all that we call nervous susceptibility gradually disap- pears. Rules that seem trifling and insig- nificant must be taken into account. For example, suppose that someone aftronts us. Before this occult education, we should have directed our resentment against the wrong-doer ; there would have been an uprush of anger within us. But in such a case the occult student will think to himself : “ An affront of this kind can make no difference to my worth,” and whatever must be done to meet the
( 198 )
affront, he accomplishes with calm and composure, not with passion. To him it is not a matter of how an affront is to be borne, but without hesitation he is led to punish an affront to his own person exactly as if it had been offered to another, in which case one has the right to resent it. It must always be remembered that the occult training is perfected not by coarse external processes, but by subtle, silent alterations in the life of thought and emotion.
Patience has an attractive, impatience a repellent, effect on the treasures of the higher knowledge. In the higher regions of being, nothing can be attained by haste and restlessness. Above all things, desire and longing must be silenced, for these are qualities of the soul before which all higher knowledge recedes. However precious this knowledge may be accounted, one must not desire to anticipate the time of its coming. He who wishes to
( 199 )
have it for his own sake will never attain it. Before all things it is demanded that one should be true to oneself in one’s innermost soul. One must not there be deceived by anything ; one must encounter, face to face and with absolute truthful- ness, one’s own faults, failings, and unfit- ness. The moment you try to excuse to yourself any one of your weaknesses, you have placed an obstacle in the way which is to lead you upward. Such obstacles can only be removed by self-illumination. There is only one way by which to get rid of our faults and weaknesses, and that is by correctly appreciating them. All that is needed lies latent in the human soul and can be evoked. It is even possible for a man to improve his under- standing and his reason, if in repose he makes it clear to himself why he is weak in this respect. Self-knowledge of this kind is naturally difficult, for the tempta- tion to deceive oneself is immeasurably
( 200 )
great. He who is accustomed to be truthful with himself has opened the portals into a deeper insight.
All curiosity must fall away from the student. He must wean himself as much as possible from inquiries into matters of which he only wishes to know for the gratification of his personal thirst for knowledge. He must only ask himself what things will assist him in the perfec- tion of his innermost being for the service of the general evolution. Nevertheless, his delight in knowledge and his devotion to it must in no degree become relaxed. He must listen devoutly to all that con- tributes to such an end, and should seek every opportunity of doing so.
For this interior culture it is especially necessary that the desire -life should be carefully educated. One must not be- come wholly destitute of desire, for if we are to attain to something it is necessary that we should desire it, and a desire will
( 201 )
always be fulfilled if a certain special force be behind it. This particular force results from a right knowledge : “ Do not desire at all until you know the true conditions of any sphere.” That is one of the golden rules for the occult student. The wise man first ascertains the laws of the world, and then his desires become powers which realise themselves. Let us consider an example in which the effect is evident. There are certainly many who would like to learn from their own intuition some- thing about their life before birth. Such a desire is altogether aimless, and leads to no result so long as the person in question has not acquired a knowledge of the laws that govern the nature of the Eternal, and a knowledge of them in their subtlest and most intimate character. But if he has actually acquired this knowledge and then wishes to pass onward, he is able to do so by his elevated and purified desire.
Moreover, it is of no use to say to one-
( 202 )
self : “ Yes, I will forthwith examine my previous life, and learn witli that very aim in view.” One must rather be ready to abandon this desire, to eliminate it alto- gether, and learn, first of all, without con- sidering this aim. One should cultivate devotion to what is learnt without regard to such an end. It is only then that one begins to possess the desire which we are considering, in such a way that it leads to its own fulfilment.
If one is angry or vexed, a wall arises in the spiritual world, and those forces which would open the eyes of the soul are shut away. For example, if someone should annoy me, he sends forth a current into the world of the soul. So long as one is capable of annoyance, one cannot see this current. One’s own annoyance clouds it. But neither must it be supposed that when one feels annoyed no longer, one will see an astral vision. For this it is indispensable that the eye of the
( 203 )
soul should be already developed ; but the capacity for sight of this kind is latent in everyone. It is true that so long as one is capable of being annoyed it remains inoperative ; but at the same time it is not immediately present as soon as one has overcome to a small extent this feeling of annoyance. One must continue to per- severe in the struggle with such a feeling, and patiently make progress : then, some day, one will find that this eye of the soul has become developed. Of course annoy- ance is not the only quality with which we have to struggle before attaining this end. Many people grow impatient or sceptical, because they have for years combated certain qualities of the soul and yet clairvoyance has not ensued. They have only developed some qualities and have allowed others to run wild. The gift of clairvoyance first manifests itself when all those qualities which do not permit the development of the latent
( 204 )
faculties are suppressed. Undoubtedly the beginnings of such hearing and seeing may appear at an earlier period, but these are only young and tender shoots which are subject to all possible error, and which, if they be not carefully fostered, may quickly die off.
To the qualities which, like anger and vexation, have to be combated, belong such as ambition, timidity, curiosity, super- stition, conceit, the disease of prejudice, a needless love of gossip, and the making of distinctions in regard to human beings according to the merely outward marks of rank, sex, race, and so forth. In our time it is difficult for people to compre- hend that the combating of such qualities can have any connection with an increase of capacity for knowledge. But every devotee of Occultism is aware that much more depends upon such matters than upon the expansion of the intellect or the employment of artificial practices. It is
( 205 )
particularly easy for a misunderstanding of this point to arise, inasmuch as many believe that one should cultivate fool- hardiness because one must be fearless ; that one ought to ignore altogether the differences in men because one has to combat the prejudices of race, rank, and so forth. Eather does one first learn to appreciate these differences correctly, when one is no longer entangled in pre- judice. Even in the usual sense it is true that a fear of any phenomenon baulks one from estimating it rightly ; that a race- prejudice prevents one from looking into a man’s soul. The student of Occultism must bring his common-sense to perfec- tion in all its exactitude and subtlety.
Even everything that a man says with- out having clearly thought it out will place an obstacle in the path of his occult education. At the same time we must here consider one point which can only be elucidated by giving an example. Thus,
( 206 )
if anyone should say something to which one must reply, one should be careful to consider rather the intention, the feelings, even the prejudices of this other person, than what one has to say at the moment on the subject under discussion. In other words, the student must apply himself keenly to the cultivation of a certain fine tact. He must learn to judge how much it may mean to this other person if his opinion be opposed. But he ought not, for this reason, to withhold his own opinion. This must not be imagined for a moment. One must give to the speaker as careful a hearing as possible, and from what one has heard should formulate one’s own reply. In such cases there is a certain thought which will constantly recur to the student, and he is treading the true path if this thought becomes so vital within him that it grows into a trait of his character. The thought is as follows : It is not a question of whether
( 207 )
my view be different from his, but whether he will discover the right view for himself if I am able to coi;itribute something to- wards it.” By thoughts of such a kind, the mode of action and the character of the student will be permeated with gentle- ness, one of the most essential qualities for the reception of occult teaching. Harshness only scares away that internal image which ought to be evoked by the eye of the soul, but by gentleness are obstacles cleared from the way, and inner organs opened.
Along with this gentleness another trait will presently be developed in the soul. He will make a quiet estimate of all the subtleties in the soul-life around him, without considering the emotions of his own soul. And if this condition has been attained, the soul-emotions in the environ- ment of anyone will have such an effect on him that the soul within him grows, and, growing, becomes organised, as a plant
( 208 )
expands in the sunlight. Gentleness and quiet reserve, and along with these true patience, open the soul to the world of souls, and the spirit to the region of spirits. Persevere in repose and retire- ment ; close the senses to that which they brought you before you began your train- ing ; bring into utter stillness all those thoughts which, in accordance with your previous habits, were tossed up and down within you ; become quite still and silent within, wait in patience, and then will the higher worlds begin to develop the sight of your soul and the hearing of your spirit. Do not suppose that you will immediately see and hear in the worlds of soul and spirit, for all that you are doing does but help the development of your higher senses, and you will not be able to see with the soul and to hear with the spirit before you have acquired those senses. When you have persevered for a time in repose and retirement, then go about
( 209 )
your daily affairs, having first imprinted upon your mind the thought : Some day, when I am ready, I shall attain what I am to attain.” Finally : “ Make no attempt whatever to attract any of these higher powers to yourself by an effort of the will.” These are instructions which every occult student receives from his teacher at the entrance of the way. If he observes them, he then perfects liimself ; and if he does not observe them, all his labour is in vain ; but they are only difficult of achieve- ment for him who has not patience and perseverance. No other obstacles exist save only those which one sets for oneself, and these may be avoided by anyone if he really wills it. It is necessary to con- tinually insist upon this point, because many people form an altogether wrong conception of the difficulty that lies in the path of occultism. In a certain sense, it is easier to accomplish the earlier steps
of this way than it is for one who has re-
14
( 210 )
ceived no occult instruction to get rid of the difficulties of every-day life. In addi- tion to this, it must be understood that only such things are here imparted as are attended by no danger to the health of soul or body. There are certain other ways which lead more quickly to the goal, but it is not well to treat of them publicly, because they may sometimes have certain effects on a man which would necessitate the immediate intervention of an experi- enced teacher, and at all events would require his continual supervision. Now, as something about these quicker ways frequently forces itself into publicity, it becomes necessary to give express warning against entering upon them without per- sonal guidance. For reasons which only the initiated can understand, it will never be possible to give public instruction con- cerning these other ways in their real form, and the fragments which here and there make their appearance can never
( 211 )
lead to anything profitable, but may easily result in the undermining of health, fortune, and peace of mind. He who does not wish to put himself in the power of certain dark forces, of whose nature and origin he can know nothing, had far better avoid meddling in such matters.
Something may here be added concern- ing the environment in which the practices of occult instruction ought to be under- taken. For this is not without importance, though for almost every man the case is different. He who practises in an environ- ment which is only filled with selfish interests, as, for example, the modern struggle for existence, ought to be sure that these interests are not without their influence upon the development of his spiritual organs. It is true that the inner laws of these organs are so powerful that this influence cannot be fatally injurious. J ust as a lily, though placed in an environ- ment, however inappropriate, can never
( 212 )
become a thistle, so too can the eye of the soul never grow to anything but its destined end, even although it be subjected to the influence of modern cities. But it is well if, under all circumstances, the student should now and then seek for his environment the quietude, the inner dignity, the sweetness of Nature herself. Especially fortunate are the conditions of him who is able to carry on his occult instruction altogether in the green world of plants, or among the sunny mountains or the delightful interplay of simple things. This develops the inner organs in a harmony which can never be present in a modern city. He also is more favourably situated than the mere townsman, who, during his childhood at least, was able to breathe the perfume of the pines, to gaze on the snowy peaks, or observe the silent activity of woodland creatures and insects. Yet no one who is obliged to live in a city should fail to give his evolving soul and
( 213 )
spirit the nurture that comes from the inspired utterances of the mighty teachers of man. He who cannot every spring- time follow day by day the unfolding of the greenwood, ought in its place to draw into his heart the sublime doctrines of the Bhagavad GUd, or of St. John's Gospel^ or of Thomas a Kenipis. There are many paths to the summit of insight, but a right selection is indispensable.
The adept in occultism could, indeed, say much concerning these paths — much that might seem strange to an uninitiated hearer. For example, suppose that some- one has advanced far along the occult path : he may be standing at the very entrance to the sight of the soul and the hearing of the spirit, and then he has the good fortune to pass over the peaceful, or it may be the tempestuous, ocean, and a bandage falls away from the eyes of his soul. Suddenly he can see, suddenly he attains to vision. Another, it may be, has
( 214 )
advanced so far that this bandage only needs to be loosened, and by some stroke of destiny this occurs. On someone else this very stroke might actually have the effect of paralysing his powers and under- mining his energy, but for the occult student it becomes the occasion of his enlightenment. Perhaps a third has patiently persevered for years, and with- out any marked result. Suddenly, while tranquilly seated in his quiet chamber, light envelops him, the walls become transparent, they vanish away, and a new world expands before his opened eyes, or is audible to his awakened spirit.
VIII
THE CONDITIONS OF DISCIPLESHIP
The conditions of entrance into an occult school are not of a nature to be formu- lated by anyone in an arbitrary way. They are the natural outcome of occult know- ledge. Just as a man will never become a painter if he does not choose to handle a paint-brush, so can no one receive occult training if he is unwilling to fulfil the claims which are put forward by the occult teacher. In fact, the teacher can give nothing except advice, and it is as such that everything he states ought to be considered. He has already trodden
the probationary path which leads to the
216
( 216 )
knowledge of higher worlds. From ex- perience he knows what is necessary, and it all depends on the free will of each particular person whether he chooses to follow the same path or not. If anyone, without intending to satisfy the con- ditions, should demand occult training from a teacher, such a demand would be as much as to say: “Teach me to paint, but do not ask me to handle a brush.” The occult teacher never goes a step further, unless it be in accord with the free will of the recipient. But it must be emphasised that a general desire for higher knowledge is not sufficient, and many will probably have such a desire. With him who has merely this vague desire, and is not prepared to accept the special conditions of the occult teacher, the latter, for the present, can do nothing. This ought to be kept in mind by those who complain that occult teachers do not “ meet them half way.” He who cannot,
( 217 )
or will not, fulfil the severe conditions necessary, must for the present abandon occult training. It is true that the con- ditions are, indeed, severe, and yet they are not hard, since their fulfilment not only ought to be, but must be, an altogether voluntary deed.
To him who does not remember this it is easy for the claims of the occult teacher to seem a coercion of the soul or the conscience ; for the training here men- tioned is founded on a development of the inner life, and it is the work of the teacher to give advice concerning it. And yet if something be demanded as the result of free choice, it cannot be considered as a fetter. If anyone says to the teacher : “ Give me your secrets, but leave me my customary sensations, feel- ings, and thoughts,” he is then making an impossible demand. Such a one desires no more than to satisfy his curiosity, his thirst for knowledge, and
( 218 )
by one who takes an attitude like this, occult knowledge can never be obtained.
Let us now consider in their right order the conditions of discipleship. It should be emphasised that the complete fulfilment of any one of these conditions is by no means demanded, but only the effort after such fulfilment. No one can altogether fulfil these conditions, but the path which leads to their fulfilment may be entered by everyone. It is the will that matters, the attitude taken when entering the path.
1. The first condition is the directing of the attention to the advancement of bodily and spiritual health. Of course, discipleship does not in the first place depend on the health of a man, but every- one can endeavour to improve in this respect, and only from a healthy man may proceed a healthy perception. No occult teacher would refuse a man who is not healthy, but it is demanded that the
( 219 )
pupil should have the desire for a healthy life. In this respect he must attain the greatest possible independence. The good counsels of others, which, though generally unsought, are received by everybody, are as a rule superfluous. Each must en- deavour to take care of himself From the physical aspect it will be more a matter of warding off harmful influeiices than of anything else. For in carrying out one’s duty one has often to do things which are disadvantageous to health. One must learn how, at the right moment, to place duty higher than the care of health ; but with a little good-will, what is there that cannot be omitted ? Duty must in many cases be accounted higher than health, often, indeed, than life itself, but the disciple must never put pleasure higher than these. Pleasure for liim can only be a means to health and life, and in respect of this it is absolutely necessary that we should be quite honest and truth-
( 220 )
ful with ourselves. It is of no avail to lead an ascetic life so long as it is born of motives like those that give rise to other enjoyments. There are some people who hncl satisfaction in asceticism as others in wine-bibbing, but they must not imagine that asceticism of this kind will assist them to attain the higher knowledge. Many ascribe to their unfavourable circum- stances everything which apparently pre- vents them from making progress in this direction. They say that with their con- ditions of life they cannot develop them- selves. For other reasons it may be desirable for many to change their con- ditions of life, but no one need do so for the purpose of occult training. For this it is only necessary that one should do for one’s health so much as one finds possible in the position one holds. Every kind of work may serve the whole of humanity, and it is a surer sign of greatness in the human soul to perceive clearly how
( 221 )
necessary for the whole is a petty — per- haps even an unlovely — employment than to think : This work is not good
enough for me : I am destined for some- thing else.” It is especially important for the disciple to strive after complete spiritual health. In any case, an unhealthy emotional or thought -life leads one away from the path to higher knowledge. The foundations here consist of clear, calm thinking, reliable conceptions, and stable feelings. Nothing should be more alien to the disciple than an inclination toward a whimsical, excitable life, toward nervousness, intoxication, and fanaticism. He should acquire a healthy outlook on all the circumstances of life ; he should go through life steadily and should let things act on him and speak to him in all tranquillity. Wherever it is possible he should endeavour to do justice to life. Everything in his tastes and criticisms which is one-sided or extravagant ought
( 222 )
to be avoided. If this be not so, the disciple will strand himself in a world of his own imagination, instead of touching the higher worlds, and in place of truth his own favourite opinions will assert themselves. It is better for the disciple to be “ matter-of-fact ” than overwrought and fanciful.
2. The second condition is that one should feel oneself as a link in the general life. Much is included in the fulfilment of this condition, but each can only fulfil it after his own manner. If I am a school teacher and my pupil does not answer what is desired of him, I must first direct my feeling not against the pupil but against myself. I ought to feel myself so much at one with my pupil that I ask myself : “ May not that in the pupil which does not satisfy my demand be perhaps my own fault % ” Instead of directing my feelings against him, I shall rather cogitate on the way in which I
( 223 )
ought myself to behave, so that the pupil may in the future be better able to satisfy my demands. From such a manner of thinking there will come gradually a change over the whole mental attitude. This holds good for the smallest as well as for the greatest. From this point of view I look on a criminal, for instance, al- together differently from the way I should have looked upon him of old. I suspend my judgment and think to myself : “I am only a man as he is. Perhaps the education which, owing to favourable circumstances, has been mine, and nothing else, has saved me from a similar fate.'’ I may even come to the conclusion that if the teachers who took pains with me had done the same for him, this brother of mine would have been quite different. I shall reflect on the fact that something which has been withheld from him has been given to me, and that I may, perhaps, owe my goodness to the fact that he has
( 224 )
been thus deprived of it. And then will it no longer be difficult to grasp the con- ception that I am only a link in the whole of humanity, and that consequently I, too, in part, bear the responsibility for everything that happens. By this it is not implied that such a thought should be translated immediately into external action. It should be quietly cultivated in the soul. It will then express itself gradually in the outward behaviour of a person, and in such matters each can begin only by reforming himself It were futile, from such a standpoint, to make general claims on all humanity. It is easy to form an idea of what men ought to be, but the disciple works, not on the surface, but in the depths. And, there- fore, it would be wrong if one should endeavour to bring these demands of the occult teacher into relation with any external or political claims. As a rule, political agitators know well what can be
( 225 )
demanded of other people, but they say little of demands on themselves.
3. Now with this the thh'd condition for occult training is intimately connected. The student must be able to realise the idea that his thoughts and feelings are as important for the world as his deeds. It must be recognised that it is as pernicious to hate a fellow-being as to strike him. One can then discern also that by per- fecting oneself one accomplishes some- thing not only for oneself but for the whole world. The world profits by one’s pure thoughts and feelings as much as by one’s good behaviour, and as long as one cannot believe in this world-wide im- portance of one’s inner Self, one is not fit for discipleship. Only when one works at one’s inner Self as if it were at least as important as all external things, only then is one permeated with a true con- ception of the soul’s importance. One
must admit that one’s feelings produce
15
( 226 )
an effect as much as the action of one’s hand.
4. In so saying we have already men- tioned the fourth condition : the idea that the real being of man does not lie in the exterior but in the interior. He who regards himself as merely a product of the outer world, a result of the physical world, cannot succeed in this occult train- ing. But he who is able to realise this conception is then also able to distinguish between inner duty and external success. He learns to recognise that the one cannot at once be measured by the other. The student must learn for himself the right mean between what is demanded by his external conditions and what he recognises to be the right conduct for himself. He ought not to force upon his environment anything for which it can have no apprecia- tion, but at the same time he must be al- together free from the desire to do merely what can be appreciated by those around
( 227 )
him. In his own sincere and wisdom- seeking soul, and only there, must he look for the recognition of his truths. But from his environment he must learn as much as he possibly can, so that he may discern what those around him need, and what is of use to them. In this way he will develop within himself what is known in occultism as the “spiritual balance.” On one of the scales there lies a heart open for the needs of the outward world, and on the other lies an inner fortitude and an unfaltering endurance.
5. And here, again, we have hinted at the fifth condition : firmness in the carry- ing out of any resolution when once it has been made. Nothing should induce the disciple to deviate from any such resolution when once it has been made, save only the perception that he has made a mistake. Every resolution is a force, and -even if such a force does not produce immediate effect on the point at which it
( 228 )
was directed, nevertheless it works in its own way. Success is only of great im- portance when an action arises from desire, but all actions which are rooted in desire are worthless in relation to the higher worlds. There the love expended on an action is alone of importance. In this love, all that impels the student to perform an action ought to be implanted. Thus he will never grow weary of again and again carrying out in action some resolution, even though he has repeatedly failed. And in this way he arrives at the condition in which he does not first wait for the external effect of his actions, but is contented with the doing of them. He will learn to sacrifice for the world his actions, nay, more, his whole being, with- out caring at all how it may receive his sacrifice. He who wishes to become a disciple must declare himself ready for a sacrifice, an offering, such as this.
6. A dxih condition is the development
( 229 )
of a sense of gratitude with regard to everything which relates to Man. One must realise that one’s existence is, as it were, a gift from the entire universe. Only consider all that is needed in order that each of us may receive and maintain his existence ! Consider what we owe to Nature and to other men ! Those who desire an occult training must be inclined toward thoughts like these, for he who cannot enter into such thoughts will be incapable of developing within himself that all-inclusive love which it is necessary to possess before one can attain to higher knowledge. That which we do not love cannot manifest itself to us. And every manifestation must fill us with gratitude, as we ourselves are the richer for it.
7. All the conditions here set forth must be united in a seventh : to regard life continually in the manner demanded by these conditions. The student thus makes it possible to give to his life the stamp of
( 230 )
uniformity. All his many modes of ex- pression will, in this way, be brought into harmony, and cease to contradict each other. And thus he will prepare himself for the peace which he must attain during the preliminary steps of his training.
If a person intend, earnestly and sin- cerely, to fulfil the conditions mentioned above, he may then address himself to a teacher of Occultism. The latter will then be found ready to give the first words of counsel. Any external formality will only consist of giving to these conditions a complete expression, but such formalities can only be imparted to each individual candidate, and are not without their own value, since everything interior must manifest itself in an exterior way. Even as a picture cannot be said to be here when it exists only in the brain of the painter, so, too, there cannot be an occult training without an external ex- pression.
( 231 )
External forms are regarded as worth- less only by those who do not know that the internal must find expression in the external. It is true that it is the spirit and not the form that really matters ; but just as the form is void without the spirit, so would the spirit remain inactive so long as it should not create a form.
The stipulated conditions are so designed that they may render the disciple strong enough to fulfil the further demands which the teacher must make. If he be faulty in the fulfilment of these conditions, then before each new demand he will stand hesitating. Without this fulfilment he will be lacking in that faith in man which it is necessary for him to possess ; for on faith in man and a genuine love for man, all striving after truth must be founded. And the love of man must be slowly widened out into a love for all living creatures, nay, indeed, for all existence. He who fails to fulfil the conditions here
( 232 )
given will not possess a perfect love for all up-building, for all creation, nor a tendency to abstain from all destruction and annihilation as such. The disciple must so train himself that, not in deeds only, but also in words, thoughts, and feel- ings, he will never destroy anything for the sake of destruction. He must find his pleasure in the growing and creating aspect of things, and is only justified in assisting the destruction of anything when by destroying he is able to promote a new life. Let it not be thought that in so saying it is implied that the disciple may suffer the triumph of evil, but rather that he must endeavour to find even in the bad those aspects through which he may change it into good. He will see more and more clearly that the best way to combat imperfection and evil is the creation of the perfect and the good. The student knows that nothing can come from nothing, but also that the imperfect
( 233 )
may be changed into the perfect. He who develops in himself the tendency to create, will soon find the capacity for facing the evil.
He who enters an occult school must be quite sure that his intention is to construct by means of it, and not to destroy. The student ought, therefore, to bring with him the will for sincere and devoted work and not the desire to criticise and destroy. He ought to be capable of devotion, for one should be anxious to learn what one does not yet know ; he should look reverently on that which discloses itself. Work and devotion, these are the funda- mental attributes which must be claimed from the disciple. Some have to learn that they do not make real progress in the school, even if in their own opinion they are unceasingly active ; they have not grasped in the right manner the meaning of work and meditation. Tlie work which is done for the sake of success will be the
( 234 )
least successful, and that kind of learning which is undertaken without meditation will advance the student least. Only the love of work itself, and not of its fruit, only this brings any advance. If he who is learning seeks for wholesome thoughts and sound judgment, he need not spoil his devotion with doubts and suspicions.
The fact that one does not oppose some communication which has been made, but gives to it due attention and even sympathy, does not imply a lack of independent judgment. Those who have arrived at a somewhat advanced stage of knowledge are aware that they owe everything to a quiet attention and assimilation, and not to a stubborn per- sonal judgment. One should always re- member that one does not need to learn what one is already able to understand. Therefore, if one only desires to judge, one cannot learn any more. What is of importance in an occult school, however,
( 235 )
is study : one ought to desire, with heart and soul, to be a student : if one cannot understand something it is far better not to judge, lest one wrongly condemn ; far better to wait until later for a true under- standing. The higher one climbs on the ladder of knowledge, the more does one require this faculty of calm and devotional listening. All perception of truths, all life and activity in the world of spirit, become in these higher regions delicate and subtle in comparison with the activities of the ordinary mind, and of life in the physical world. The more the sphere of a man’s activity widens out before him, the more transcendent is the nature of the task to be accomplished by him. It is for this reason that although there is in reality only one possible opinion regarding the higher truths, men come to see them from such different points of view. It is possible to arrive at this one true standpoint if,
( 236 )
through work and devotion, one has so risen that one can really behold the truth. Only he who, without sufficient prepara- tion, judges in accordance with precon- ceived ideas and habitual ways of thought, can arrive at any opinion which differs from the true one. Just as there is only one correct opinion concerning a mathe- matical problem, so also with regard to things of the higher worlds; but before one can arrive at this opinion one must first prepare oneself. If this were only sufficiently considered, the conditions laid down by the occult toacher would be sur- prising to no one. Truth and the higher life do, indeed, abide in every human soul, and it is true that everyone can and must find them for himself ; but they lie deeply hidden, and may only be brought up from their deep shafts after the clearance of certain obstacles. Only he who has had experience in occult science can advise how this may be done. It is advice
( 237 )
of this kind that is given by the occult teacher. He does not urge a truth on any- one ; he proclaims no dogma, but points out a way. It is true that everyone could find this way alone, but only, perhaps, after many incarnations. By this occult training the way is shortened. A person, by means of it, more quickly reaches a point from which he becomes able to co-operate in those worlds wherein the salvation and evolution of man are assisted by spiritual work. Thus we have outlined as much as may at present be communicated concerning the attainment of knowledge relating to the higher worlds.
PBINTID BT NKILL AND CO.. LTD., KDINBUROH
ORPHEUS
^ Quarterly ^EMagaxine of ^Mystical (tArt
Edited by CLIFFORD BAX
Price IS. per copy, or 4s. 6d. post free per annum
Contributors : A* Jean Delville, Edouard Schur^ Franz Evers, etc*, etc*
To be obtained fro?n . . .
J. M. Watkins, 21 Cecil Court, London, W.C. ; Herbert C. Sidley, Strathleven, Oakleigh Park, London, N. ;
Theosophical Publishing Society, London, Benares, Adyar.
Books by Dr Rudolf Steiner*
TheOSOphiO. Versuch einer ubersinnlichen Welterkenntnis und Menschenbestimmung. Zweite erweiterte Auflage.
Brosch. 3. — Mk., geb. 4. — Mk. Die Mystik im Aufgange des neuzeitlichen Geisteslebens und ihr Verhaltnis zur modernen Weltanschauung.
Brosch. 2. — Mk., geb. 3. — Mk.
Das Christentum als mystische Tatsache.
Brosch. 2.50 Mk., geb. 3.50 Mk.
Geheimwissenschaft. [/« the Press.
By Edouard Schure.
Les Grands Initios Frs. 3.50
Femmes inspiratriees et Poetes annon-
eiateurs Frs. 3.50
Le Mystere Chretien et les Mysteres Antiques. Translated from the German (by Rudolf Steiner) ..... Frs. 3.50
All the above books may be obtained from Theosophischer Verlag, 17 Motzstrasse, Berlin, W.
By Annie Besant.
The Path of Diseipleship. Cloth, 8vo . 20 net
In the Outer Court. Cloth, 8vo . . . 20 net
An Introduction to Yoga. Cloth, 8vo . 20 net
Thought Power : its Control and Culture.
Cloth, 8vo ....... 16 net
Thought Forms. (In collaboration with C. W.
Leadbeater. ) Cloth, Royal 8vo. Illustra- ted with 30 full-page Coloured Plates . . 106 net
Man Visible and Invisible. By C. W.
Leadbeater. full- page Coloured Plates.) 10 6 net
Published by
THE THEOSOPHICAL PUBLISHING SOCIETY, 161 New Bond Street, London, W.
i
- - • *■ 5?- ■. ’w
‘ ' • ' iiis.V
*' ^alR?’ ■-■*v_ .'■• 4>' *■%' 1
i. ■ . . i': ■ *;.r'ffiii;v- ■
1. ' t ’Jl: 4%^. '«tlL' t«44