Theos-Talk Archives (November 1994 Message tl00076)

Martin Euser,

     Received part 1 of first article. Thanks.  We are into a
discussion on neo-theosophy right now, so we'll have to wait
until that runs out before your material become relevant for
discussion again.

ME> About the psychological division I made: I regard these
 as an example of sub-(sub)- states of consciousness
 (loka's-tala's) expressing themselves in kama-manas. What do you
 think?

     Yes--I would express it as states of consciousness
corresponding to the sub-sub principles of kama manas and finding
expression to that principle.


ME> I discovered in GdP's instruction #6 pp 60/61 an interesting
 note about this kind of things. Also,GdP refined the term Human
 ego into: Higher human ego. The Lower human ego is the personal
 ego. (instr. 9, p.20).

     Yes, GdeP is also giving further correspondences of the
Loka-Talas to the seven principles and twelve globes, but this
gets into other teachings that are off the subject of psychology
as we know it.
     HPB also started out being unclear concerning human,
spiritual and divine egos because she had to accommodate
Sinnett's terminology that tended to obscure teachings concerning
Buddhi, which Sinnett didn't know about.  I like GdeP's composite
diagram and feel that it can be justified in HPB's writings.

Arthur Patterson,

AP> I found that religion and university settings seem worse than
 even business because there is such a feigning of liberal values
 but the same old power distributions continue and the persona
 gesturing is revolting when you have step out of it all.

     It is very interesting that the University settings seem
worse than businesses where you live.  In American Universities,
we have a tenure system that was devised specifically to protect
the teachers from having to conform to any intellectual or
political pressure.  Here in Central California, we live in a
very conservative and fundamentalist area that is not typical of
what people think of as California.  One university professor
came here from Idaho "To escape the Bible belt" he said, but
"found the buckle."  Because of the pressure from the
fundamentalists, the lower educational system, which responds to
the demands of the parents, is constantly under siege.  When I
did my observations at the local Jr. and High Schools, I found
that the teaching of Greek Mythology (a standard 8th grade lesson
in California schools) was banned here by the Fundamentalist
Right because they argued that it "is a threat to our culture."
     Our University however, is not obligated to listen to local
agendas (though there are missionaries on the campus every day
seeking converts), the Professors exhibit a wide range of
attitudes and political leanings.  In our Political Science
department we have an avowed Marxist who teaches Marxist theory.
As a tenured teacher, he is free to express his leanings with no
fear of loosing his position.  When the State first decided to
put the University here, there was considerable political
opposition to it, as the residents believed that its influence
would destroy their way of life.  It turns out that they were
right.  Over the years, the University has brought public
speakers to this town that never would have been allowed here
otherwise.  Ralph Nadir has spoken here twice; Timothy Leary
three times, Helen Caldicot once; dignitaries from South America
and Bulgaria have come through here and my wife and I have taken
part is hosting many of these people.  The drama department puts
on plays, the art department exhibits, and the music department
concerts.  Ten years ago, this town was in the Guinness Book of
World Records for having the most churches per capita than any
other town in the country.  After twenty years of being barraged
with university cultural experiences (and a huge influx of Indian
and S.E. Asian populations), this is no longer true.  Through
education and exposure to culture, this town is now almost in
step with the twentieth century.   We even have a Coffee house.
I'm waiting for this town to experience the sixties for the first
time.
     This all reminds me of a statement HPB made concerning the
Theosophical Movement. It only flourishes during those rare
periods of intellectual freedom.  She cited classical Athens as
one of those rare periods.  We are in one of those rare cycles
now, but history teaches us that these periods don't last.  I
hope we can learn to value and maintain it.

AP> You are avoiding the passivity of the average Eastern
 approach. I appreciate that perspective. People misuse Karma
 concepts to hold to the status quo. I see this in a lot of New
 Age settings. I really think it can be used as a form of nazism
 since it keeps people in their place through ideology and yet
 appears deceptively spiritual while doing so.

     Yes.  Activism was one of the clearest messages in the early
Theosophical Movement.  The Organizations have long ago forgotten
how to do it, and define themselves as "educational" now, but
there was a time when things were quite different.  Besant was
also active, but she crossed that very thin line into political
partisanship, thus reaping a lot of criticism to the detriment of
the Theosophical Society.  Since her time, nothing is done
anymore by the Organizations, but there are still individuals.

LD> You say "The values of capitalism are selfishness & greed".
 but it "has significantly raised our standard of living  ... It
 is hard to turn against a system that has done so well."
 It's done well in some ways, but not in others ... like
 pollution, & maiming people physically.

     Add to that, the system creates poverty and steadily
concentrates the wealth into the hands of the few while poverty
becomes more widespread.... But most people still have faith in
the system.  As Arthur pointed out earlier, people believe that
they can also become part of the wealthy few in the system,
therefore they support it.  HPB wrote that wealth and position is
really a result of karma and karmic connections, but people don't
see it that way.

LD> I notice a trend among the larger corporations to be more
 mindful of the good of the community. A large local supermarket
 chain, which, just incidentally, doesn't sell organic food, on
 the other hand gives some of its employees a year's leave with
 pay, so that they can be of community service.

     This started in the late sixties--IBM was one of the
pioneers, but the trend fizzled out.  I'm glad to hear that some
corporations are still doing it.

LD> That book on transnational corporations suggested that all
 kinds of community groups get involved in putting the brakes on
 untoward practices, like the masons or the lyons or the
 churches. That sounds like a good idea to me, because if you're
 a trouble maker who joins the union, you get the same as the
 whistle blowers get.

     That's one philosophy.  The Masons, Lyons, Toastmasters etc.
are totally dedicated to service and have done a lot in the area
of human services, but there is a limit.  I don't believe that
the Masons, Lyons etc. have the collective power to seriously
challenge corporate practices anymore.
     During the depression there was a political movement in
California led by the novelist, Upton Sinclair, that would have
overthrown the capitalistic system for a type of socialistic one
based upon production for need rather than profit.  In
California, whole factories had been shut down by the depression,
and thousands of tons of food that could have been used to feed
the starving was destroyed because the bottom had fallen out of
the agricultural market.  Under Sinclair's production for need
system, this would never have happened.  Needless to say,
Sinclair's movement was immensely popular and he had a huge
following both in and out of California.  Eventually he ran for
Governor of the State, so that he could implement his system.
Though he had the overwhelming majority of the population in
support of him, the movie studios and the Corporations were
threatened by his philosophy and began a smear campaign against
his character.  The Los Angeles Times had a daily column where
they quoted the fictional characters in Sinclair's novels, and
attributed the quotations to Sinclair himself.  Louis B. Meyer
created Movietone newsreels that selected and interviewed
ignorant and uninformed people who supported Sinclair,
contrasting them with interviews with more educated people who
supported his opposition.  Franklin D. Roosevelt, who was already
under siege by corporate interests for creating work programs for
the unemployed (CCC, WPA etc.), could not risk supporting
Sinclair either.  Finally, the collective resources of the
corporations and the movie industry succeeded in defeating the
movement.  This was the last serious threat to corporate power
that I'm aware of.  The corporations are more powerful today,
political apathy much higher, and psychological manipulation of
the masses is much more sophisticated, so I don't see any threat
to the status quo in the foreseeable future.
     On the other hand, Ralph Nadir, has shown that cooperative
groups, through the exertion of political pressure, can still
bring about smaller changes in the system.  But the system itself
is so powerful, that it is beyond any serious confrontation.  I
don't even think our own Government is strong enough to defeat it
anymore.

Jerry Hejka-Ekins