Theos-Talk Archives (October 1993 Message tl00028)

I think I've got it now, and it would be a bug in the listserver
code that is truncating my message. If you have a line of text
in the message that starts with "From", the remainder of the
message will be left off.

Here is my complete message this time, hopfully entirely sent out:

----

It is possible to want to be psychic, and to use psychic abilities as a
profession just as someone else wants to be a lawyer, doctor, engineer,
or social worker. It is a possible profession. Each occupation has its
own dangers.

In the Besant/Leadbeater theosophical worldview, psychic development is
divided into two types, the regular type and what Leadbeater would call
a higher clairvoyance. Leadbeater's higher clairvoyance would be
developed under the training and guidance of one of the Masters.

I don't agree with the distinction that there are two kinds of psychic
development, but would agree that psychic training would need to be
overseen by a Master or Chela, because of the dangers involved.

I found in my reading that Leadbeater seemed more interested in the
psychic than meditation, ethics, and a study of the philosophy. He
would have considered himself a psychic scientist. He was very proud
of his early book "The Astral Plane", reported to be the results of
psychic investigations. He called it a book unique in human
history, apported to and enshrined in Shambala.

During my years when Leadbeater was my favorite theosophical author,
I became vegetarian, and joined at age 17 the Adyar E.S. (with
special permission) where I stayed for about three years. I wanted
powers like his, to be an "invisible helper".

After reading all of his books, I found myself quickly running
out of things to think about. There was only so far that you can
ponder such things as a description of Leadbeater's stories of
his flying around at night in his astral body, etc. I almost
started reading Bailey's books, but feel fortunate that I met
Lina Psaltis and Ken Small and got introducted to Purucker's
works. I've found his writings to appeal to the mind in a
different sort of way that Leadbeater's, and still find them
both a challenge and adventure 22 years later.

I don't want to extrapolate my personal experience and make the
claim that someone else would necessarily follow the same
course in life, and find themselves changing to read Purucker.
I'm mentioning this to describe my background a bit.

[At this point the next word would have been "From"; I've
changed it to "In".]

In my background of having studied both Besant/Leadbeater
and then Purucker/Point Loma Theosophy at different periods of
my life, I would say that although many of the basic ideas are the
same, there are numerous differences in the philosophies, and part
of the disagreement over the use of psychic powers, their place in
the scheme of things, arises from these different worldviews.

One difference is regarding the nature of planes, bodies,
and principles of consciousness. The principles are not
"bodies" on other planes. They are integral elements of
consciousness. On any plane where one can manifest, one
has all seven principles with an appropriate body,
upadhi, or vehicle, but the body on any particular plane
is not a consciousness.

Being able to somehow function in another body on another
plane does not mean that one has awakened the consciousnes
of that plane. Getting sense input, seeing colors, smelling
things, touching physical forms appropriate to that plane,
one has still has no clue to what consciousness is about on
that plane.

To see with your "eyes" is not to "know", to know is an
activity of the mind and not sense perception. There are many
types of consciousness, some we have not yet developed, each
enhances and provides a new dimension to the experience of
manifested existence on some plane. Having a mind and
experiencing thought while in a physical body is not the
activity of a "physical body" on another plane, an "mental
body." The functioning of consciousness is a nonmaterial thing.

One can want to see or have and be awake in a physical form on
another plane. But this will not get one the consciousness
appropriate to that plane. It must be awakened first as an
awareness while here, alive in one's physical form on earth,
and then when the time is right the senses for the other plane
will open up of their own accord. (And this is at a very far off
time in the future ...) Hastening the opening of the senses for
another plane will not bring one to the corresponding consciousness
any faster. The rule, I would say, is first you *know*, first you
*realize*, first you *cognize*, then you *perceive*.

                                 Eldon Tucker
                                 eldon@netcom.com