Theos-Talk Archives (November 1995 Message tl00213)

Eldon:
>This image is the activity of mind in creating a notion of
>personal self.

Self-imaging begins with the separation of Purusha from
Prakriti and becomes more defined as consciousness
descends onto the lower planes.

Eldon:
>It acts as a filter in accepting some perceptions unaltered
>and in rejecting or altering others. But besides that aspect
>of filtering it further creates the illusion or false sense
>of an external objective world a world that exists apart
>from oneself.

This filtering is conducted in coordination with
others and this is how life-waves are formed.
I would not say that it "creates" the objective
world but rather that it helps define it. The objective world
and the subjective world come into existence together
simultaneously. Then consciousness i.e. the ray of the
DIvine Monad begins a process of self-imaging and
world-imaging.

Eldon:
> It is possible to achieve a pure state of
>awareness in which this activity ceases and we gaze upon
>the actual nature of life.

This state of awareness is called 'samadhi' in
the East and a 'mystical experience' in the West.

JRC:
>And it is usually almost completely unconscious ... and
>formed from a random and motley collection of inborn predilections
>childhood environment and chance events.
Eldon"
>Yes our self-image or personality is a fairly makeshift
>construct mostly build in response to external events in
>our lives.

Now we are talking about this self-imaging
process on the causal plane having to do with the
Reincarnating Ego. This Ego builds up an image
of the personality-to-be on the mental plane prior
to the next incarnation. It does not simply input new
data into the memory banks of the previous "ego"
which is now leaving its Devachan but builds a
whole new one based on the skandhas of the past.
The 'essence' of the old ego is absorbed/assimilated
into the Ego while the new ego forms. This imaging
process then produces the astral prototype which
is among other things an image of the new physical
body. Thus the original self-imaging process begun
at the highest level perpetuates itself down through
the cosmic planes until a new baby is born. In all
cases I see this imaging as having an originality
factor i.e. a certain amount of leeway that must work
within specifically set guidelines constraints. For
example the astral prototype's image is formed by the
Reincarnating Ego working with the genetics of the
parents. As we then go through life this process
continues. But it is not limited to ourselves or our
personalities but to our world as well.

Eldon:
>We do need to take responsibility for what our personalities
>have become. We start off growing and changing only in response
>to external stimuli. With foresight planning and self-direction
>we can enact changes in our lives that are not subject to external
>events but are directed from within. This is a higher form of
>taking charge of our lives.

To my way of thinking this is what real magic is all about.

Eldon:
>One technique for developing certain qualities is to picture
>oneself already having them then acting as those they were
>present in one's life and persisting until seeing them actually
>arise as living qualities. This applies to one's self-image as
>well and to the process of self-transformation.

Yes. This is exactly how magic works.

Eldon to JRC:
>You make the whole thing sound quite dramatic! But it does not
>have to be dramatic but can be as easy a thing as smiling back
>in response to a baby's smile.

I think that when we experience it for the very first time.
it often is very dramatic. However as we ajust and become used
to it we see our world in a new way and smile in response.

Eldon:
>We go back and forth between the notion of a personal self
>and a transcendent awareness. Both modes of viewing life are
>useful in their own respects. The Vajrayana school teaches that
>the two modes need to be balanced in our lives and I've also
>read the Dalai Lama writing to the same effect.

Absolutely. Balance is the key. Imbalance is a very
real danger.

Jerry S.