Theos-Talk Archives (July 1996 Message tl00509)

Bee>Many thanks for all this info. I shall have a good look.
What I meant was that there seems to be no official TS method that beginners 
can practice.

	You're welcome.
	Here in the Netherlands, the Dutch Point Loma society
has what you can call an official method for 'beginners' and 'advanced
students' alike. The former leader (now deceased) DJP Kok has constructed
a meditation based on the principle that the fluid mind molds itself
into the objects of thoughts (see my before mentioned article).
The object of thought should be impersonal, like universal brotherhood 
(siblinghood). This technique is taught to interested students in the very
first course. These students are not a member of the TS yet, so that means
that this practice of thinking is taught to everybody who is interested
enough to just follow a course on Theosophy.

Bee> There is the ES but that is for certain people only as I 
understand.


	Dear Bee: I believe that there is no *real* esoteric section 
anymore in any TS. Furthermore, and more importantly: things have changed 
vastly since world war II. Many people have been brought into contact
with Eastern notions and Western Hermeticism via all kind of channels,
organizations and individuals and the esoteric field is wide open for the
public.
This kind of knowledge is fairly easy to get now, not through books and 
courses alone, but also through the internet. Of course, there is a lot of
confusion about these things, as there is a lot of chaff among the wheat.
There are a lot of reified notions (eg people who think they can gain
physical immortality to give one small example) and one thing the TSs can
do (should do) is to provide clear information about spiritual things
to as large a public as it can draw attention from.
Individuals can provide such information through the internet (many
have been doing and are doing this). Again, the TSs have no monopoly
on truth! 


Bee> Dipping into all the areas you mentioned to find the appropriate 
way is fine for seasoned Theosophists who know where to look but to actually 
take some of these and weave them into a method and then teach them to 
newcomers will probably result in a slap on the knuckles.

	By whom? Your superiors? Don't they understand that times have
been changing? The time for secrecy is over! Massive amounts of people
are orienting themselves on spiritual things and  this is a sign of
a new phase humanity is entering into, giving expression to.
Many people are crossing certain points on the Path, and some of them
will openly help others to understand certain aspects of the spiritual. 
Information considered secret sixty years ago is now openly being taught!


Bee> I personally would 
find such a method great for passing on to the young students who come in 
looking for that. 
	
	Well, why don't you start developing one? There's enough information
and examples available. The theosophical society I'm part of sees no problem
in teaching exercises such as I described above (forming an image in the
mind, etc.). GdeP describes it in his books and I noticed that many spiritual
organizations are using it in one form or another in their instructional
materials. This kind of exercise is based on a real knowledge of how the
mind works and it is high time that people learn about it (especially
young people).
The internet has an increasing collection of descriptions of techniques
on many sites, so reality has long passed by the old notions of secrecy!


> 
> - the famous Pythagorean exercise of looking back at the events of the day

Bee>that is the one I found in the Rosicrusian book and gave that to the young 
woman who came yesterday.

	De Purucker mentions this exercise in ~Wind of the Spirit~.

Bee> I will ponder on all this and see what I 
can come up with.
Many thanks
Bee

	Bee: you might prefer E-mail to me directly instead of to theos-l.
If I can be of any service, please let me know.

Martin