Theos-Talk Archives (March 1994 Message tl00023)

This is by Brenda.

Dear Arvind,

AAB might be using the Third Edition, 1893.  Anyway, if you have
the same version that I do, there is a  concordance printed in
the index starting on p. 401.

The first quote in THE SECRET DOCTRINE for a psychological key is
found at the very beginning of Volume Two, first page of the
commentary to Stanza 1, p. 22: "The teaching is offered as it is
understood; and as there are seven keys of interpretation to
every symbol and allegory, that which may not fit a meaning, say
from the psychological or astronomical aspect, will be found
quite correct from the physical or metaphysical."

The next quote AAB says is Volume One, p. 389.  The concordance
puts this on p. 363 of the Original Edition and should refer to
the psychological, astronomical, and anthropological keys as
listed by AAB.  It reads, in length: "As truly stated by Ragon,
"the ancient Hierophants have combined so cleverly the dogmas and
symbols of their religious philosophies, that these symbols can
be fully explained only by the combination and knowledge of ALL
the keys."  They can be only approximately interpreted, even if
one finds out three of these seven systems: the anthropological,
the psychic, and the astronomical.  The two chief
interpretations, the highest and the lowest, the spiritual and
the physiological, they preserved in the greatest secrecy until
the latter fell into the dominion of the profane.  Thus far, with
regard only to the prehistoric Hierophants, with whom that which
has now become purely (or impurely) phallic, was a science as
profound and as mysterious as biology and physiology are now.
This was their exclusive property, the fruit of their studies and
discoveries.  The other two were those which dealt with the
creative gods (theogony), and with creative man, i.e., the ideal
and the practical mysteries.  These interpretations were so
cleverly veiled and combined, that many were those who, while
arriving at the discovery of one meaning, were baffled in
understanding the significance of the others, and could never
unriddle them sufficiently to commit dangerous indiscretions.
The highest, the first and the fourth - theogony in relation to
anthropogony - were almost impossible to fathom.  We find the
proofs of this in the Jewish "Holy Writ.""

Good luck.