Theos-Talk Archives (October 1996 Message tl00063)

Keith:  I want to start with the general hermetic axiom that "as above, so
below", that the macrocosm is in the microcosm and that the individual and
totality are reflection of the ONE.

As opposed to this idea we have the more dualistic notion, that the cosmos is
here to trap us into sin and the individual must resist and control the external
world for individual salvation or enlightenment.  I think some recent posts on
new age initiations, theosophical organizations, the left hand path of Crowley
and those like him and my own personal experience have some relationship to the
entire issues of "what to do?" to be spiritual or "how do one knows if you are
spiritual or just fooling oneself">




Einar:
>This points to the New Age idea, that there will be a mass production of
>initiates soon (which is rather daubtful in my mind), which would require a
>new way to handle things

Keith:
This is a favorite selling point of the new age.  That a global initiation and
exodus from the globe or a return to a golden age is around the corner of the
millenium.  It sounds a lot like the second return and the rapture of the
Christians.  It also sounds a little like some kind of outside force would be
needed to cause this global transformation beside the long and difficult process
of personal growth.

I have had a weird intution that something like the astral raising of Atlantis
occurred around 1968 as predicted by Cayce.  The assasination of Kenedy and
other synchronistic events before and after seem to point to some mass hypnosis
or influx on the astral plane as evidenced by increased drug use, the breakdown
of the family and local government units and support systems and the turning to
mass addictions to drugs, trash TV and other entertainment and a general
dependency on the government from womb to tomb leading to it's all the
governments fault, let the government pay for it, control it , clean the
environment, police the world etc.

It doesn't matter if the Atlantis rising myth is only a myth as a schema it
represents certain atavistic tendencies to return to individual primitivism,
bread a circuses ( welfare and sports/rock music-now often strangely combined)
and other manifestations of mass hypnosis and not intitiation.


Jerry writes:

      The Beast was firmly enmeshed in the depravity of inordinate
> sexual activities and psychic delvings. I noticed that the former has
> been somewhat mentioned on this Theosophy list in the sense of sexual
> activity, but from a point of not being certain of whether this is
> legitimate or not in the life of a spiritual aspirant. Well, ordinate
> sexual relations are deemed acceptable but not the inordinate and
> perverted sexual expressions indulged in by Crowley. Also, the real
> aspirant to spiritual attainment is not drawn by the phenomenal that
> is the psychic realm. This has been pointed out by the Masters
> themselves, Blavatsky and numerous other enlightened souls of Light.
>

Keith:  Jerry has touched on some important issues.  Bougeoise sexuality of one
man married to one wife and having a house full of kids is probably a deep
organizational family archetype for most throughout history, but I doubt if it
is really what most questing people do.  The European high societies were a
hotbed of adultury, incest and homosexuality (see Marcel's Proust  Remebrance of
THINGS PASTfor the "High Society" unveiled and works like I CLAUDIUS for the
homey domestic scandals of the Roman Empire royal familes.

I think a certain sexual craziness is expected, but I think one is also expected
to put children's toys aways when one become mature even to the point of
abstinence.  Life is all a big learning experience and no one gets out alive and
we all have a lot of chances to screw up if we live long enough.  So it isn't
the sinning or the type of sinning but the inablity to control it at all that
becomes frightening and the mark of addiction which it past ages was called
possesion by demon spirits  (spirit contra spiritus according to Jung).


Jerry:
OK, you had your say, and I have had mine.  Most theosophists
agree with you, but I still feel confident that truth (which
includes both good and evil, black as well as white) is on
my side, and that one day as you proceed down your path of
fluffy whiteness, you will notice a black undertone, and
discover that the real path is grey.

Jerry S.
Member, TI
Opposer of Dualism
Opposer of All Those Who Know Good from Evil and In This Manner
Keep Evil Alive in the World

Keith:  I certainly don't have a firm grip of all this yet.    Man seems to
hanging from the cross as in the Tarot between highest spirit and lowest crap
and the best he can do is to try to be ever conscious of it, and not go into
unconsciousness which is a type of self-hypnosis of acting as if it weren't true
or didn't reallly apply to one  as far as consequences and the welfare of others
is concerned.  In other words, if I have HIV ( and I do)  I have to not play the
victim or the blamer, but get through it the best way I can which (among other
things is bringing out the very worst and the very best in me, I'm told by
others)
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Alan:

-----a truly theosophical environment, no one would need to dictate anyone
else's mores, as if the Teaching is correct, all such matter will be
taken care of by karma.  If my understanding of TS history has anything
to commend it, then just such attempts by the Theosophical Societies
down the years is producing just such a karma in the form of falling
membership, protest meetings, alternative approaches (such as TI) and so
on.  But that's another subject, although I feel moved to say that the
TS which *I* support does not appear to support *me* in return.  In fact
their own imposition of non-existent rules to dismiss me from my own
Lodge Committee *because* I promote TI (described as a "rival
organisation") and a different point of view amounts to just such
dictatorship.

Alan
----
Keith:

Alan, I wish you the best of luck on this cyber-utopia, this Aquarian Erewhon.
But like Gulliver, I'm only gullible north by northwest.  I wish we could create
"communities of competence'"  like ancient Crotona and the Academies of Plato
and perhaps the lamasaries of Shamballa-like Tibet.  It would be nice if we were
all clothed and clean and fit and althletic and healthy and had the time to
pursue art, culture and love one another unconditionally, but do you get there
by global goverment of personal effort----maybe like Jerry said, "it is a grey
thing!"  We can only create a nucleus of universal brotherhood as individual
role models coming together to create a community role model -- sounds like
Fabian socialism or hippie communites with a 1990's spin.

I am not really a groupie myself.  I have toyed with the idea of exploring Wicca
and local covens, but from what I can tell just by reading the newsletters etc.
they sound pretty sad.  Like a bunch of old losers and misfit young people
looking for somekind of return to nature-cum-acceptance of not fitting into the
Bougeouis myth of surburbia and Lexus' and all that. And who can blame them?

HAS ANYBODY FOUND MUCH OF REAL INTEREST AND COMMUNITY IN THE WICCA _ PAGAG
MOVEMENTS ?????????????
  I hope I will be around a little while longer to see.  My guess, is we  will
stumble along the best we can as we always have.  Hey, anyone want to go to
playoffs and eat pizza and drink beer or maybe just sit at home and watch a talk
show?  :)

Namaste
Keith PRice