Theos-Talk Archives (August 1993 Message tl00008)

Don,

Sorry about the formatting.  I write using Wordperfect, save as ASCII,
and upload via WINCIM.  I have never had the problem that you noted
before, but will try to remember to check the "Reformat on send" box,
as you say.  Thanks for the tip.

I don't fully share your denigration of scientists, but I certainly
agree that they haven't a clue about psychic (or higher) realms.  They
consider consciousness to be the product or resultant effect of matter
as prime cause; in short, they have it just backwards.  Consciousness
is not a product of the brain.  My *theory* is that we are inherently a
consciousness-center (HPB's term) and that matter is one of our
expressions in spacetime.  I am an engineer, not a scientist.  But I
have found most scientists to be well-intended and fairly open-minded.
However, the *new* sciences, such as chaos science, have left many in
the dust.  After all, scientists are human beings, and human beings
have always had a hard time changing their worldview.  I don't expect
scientists to embrace theosophical ideas until such ideas can be proved
in a lab - and this won't be done for awhile yet.  But I see scientists
in general as slowly approaching a theosophical worldview in spite of
themselves (they are coming kicking and screaming, as it were).

First of all, let me qualify my statement about *all* psychic
phenomena, etc.  What I meant was psychic phenomena that act through
the physical body, such as levitation, health, long life, strength,
invisibility, the production of heat, and so on.  Science clearly does
not recognize such phenomena.  Yet people have claimed to do these
things, and others have claimed to see them, far too much to be
dismissed.  My theory is that consciousness changes subatomic particles
(their spin, for example) in the body during meditation.  Yogis know
this to be true in many ways, such as opening the kundalini (which
science has not yet recognized).  Besant writes that meditation can
physically affect the brain, headaches being one symptom of this.  I
know of several people that, after heavy meditations, have been able to
detect feelings and thoughts in others, that they couldn't do before.
I also have observed phenomena in myself as a result of meditations
over long years.  *Something* is certainly going on.

Your "nonphysical matter" is, in fact, my 5th dimension - the dimension
of consciousness that science has ignored so far.  I am not familiar
with the term "permanent atoms" but they seem to be equivalent to
monads, with which I am familiar.  But you say that they "actually
grow." As far as I am concerned, if something grows (i.e., changes)
then it can't be permanent.  Something is wrong here.  How can
something be permanent and yet grow? (Perhaps *permanent* is meant in a
relative sense; i.e., relative to the physical(?).) My own theory is
that we each have within us a divine spark or consciousness-center, and
this consciousness- center is a monad, and it does not grow or change
in any way because it is outside of the spacetime continuum where all
growth takes place.  Its expressions in spacetime change (they can both
evolve and involve) but our inner monadic essence is unchanging and
eternal.

Now, I would like to say a few words in defense of chaos.  I wrote an
entire book on the subject, but so far it has not been published (2
rejections to date) possibly because of its explosive nature.  Chaos
was ignored and misunderstood by most scientists, who lumped its
effects (which they could not ignore) into a "fudge factor" in their
equations and pretended it didn't exist.  It does.  Chaos is also
ignored by most occultists who like to think that All is Order and
Perfection, and that chaos is ignorance, and like darkness, it will
disappear with the light.  All of these otherwise esteemed people
forget about duality.  I like to think that there is a great law
operating through our universe called the Law of Duality.  According to
this law, if there is order in our universe, then there must also be
chaos - you can't have one without the other.  I have called its
effects *the Chaos Factor* and have found that this factor can jump up
and bite us at any time, despite our karma (the Chaos Factor is under
our collective karma, and is not subject to our personal karma).

Anyway, insight into this factor allows me to understand a lot of what
goes on in the world that is otherwise unexplainable.  I cannot agree
that <randomness is a reflection of our ignorance of cause and effect>
because cause and effect (themselves a duality) simply cannot explain
some phenomena.  The quaint *explanation* "you must have done something
to deserve this in a past life" begs the question, and in my opinion is
of little value to us in the present since we have no memory of it.  I
have become a firm believer in randomness, and I got this way from
years of experience and study.  Order itself implies the existence of
randomness - both are required and you can't have one without the
other.

I want to thank you for your letter, and for your insightful thoughts.
I am looking forward to reading your book.  Maybe I will read Dane
Rudhyar as well.  But the idea of a new level of humanity rising today
is not new to Rudhyar, cause HPB said it too.  She said we are in the
middle of the Fifth Root Race and that the beginning of the Sixth Root
Race has already begun, especially in the USA.  This has nothing to do
with the Aquarian Age, as you know, but reflects a far larger time
cycle.  I like your idea of the word *occult* becoming antiquated, but
I fear it will not be in our lifetimes.  I also like your quote
<without intermediaries forcing social, religious or ethical
categories> because this is the battle cry of the OTO and other magical
groups.  While I remain a loyal theosophist, and am not a member of the
OTO (Aleister Crowley's thelemic organization) I nevertheless applaud
their goal of non-servility.