Theos-Talk Archives (December 1996 Message tl00365)

Boy, with the latest posts from JRC and JHE buzzing in my head, I feel
on
less than solid ground writing my response! We could all be such BIG FAT
DUPES! I guess it's time to redouble my efforts and do comparative
studies at their sources, eh? Where is that Joesph Campbell guy when you
need him?

Anyway here goes:  ;-)>


Murray wrote to Tom,

>I do not think it's correct to exclude the field of emotion from the state
>of compassion because, in a whole person (meaning all levels functioning,
>with minimal fragmentation between and within them), different sorts of
>feelings would quite naturally arise from the experience, eg various shades
>of love, which could be powerful motivators to action, or anger, to remove
>an injustice.

>On the other hand, I wouldn't just lump emotion and intuition together,
>either. I'm familiar with the Theosophical idea that intuition is a function
>of Buddhi and emotion of the Astral level but, as the years have gone by,
>I've come to see these terms and this classification as rather inadequate -
>inevitably, of course, seeing that the language has so few words for these
>kinds of things. A caution though, not to bandy them around too quickly.

I couldn't agree more.

When I run a fine tooth comb through some of the more recondite
references I have on occult psychology, I find an important teaching
that supports a bid to relate intuition (buddhi) and emotion (kama). I
will paraphrase for the moment, but am happy to quote chapter and verse
if called upon. I also invite others to state their point of view on
this.

I think "kama" has received a popular stigma in religious and occult
circles as being (potentially) very nasty business. There are numerous
schools of thought that preach everything from riotous license, to
domination, to putting it in a deadly strangle hold in order to snuff
out it's pesky vibes. While there is some valid argument and support for
all of these views, they often overlook an important alternative that
personally feels more comfortable.

The doctrine of "manas" presumes an internal psychological gap between
the personal "lower" (rupa-manas) and the impersonal "higher"
(arupa-manas) that we, in the course of our evolution, are intended to
bridge (building the antahkarana). Most of our ordinary everyday
experiences occur in it's lower reaches, heavily soaked in "kamic"
colourations. At times we can rise higher and "dry out" so to speak, as
we exercise calm abstract reasoning. Inevitably, however, the force of
our incarnation draws us back into the living stream of emotions. This
is most obvious when we are very present physically and especially so
when we are engaged in person-to-person relationships in the "outside
world".

However, sometimes for brief, still moments or as the fruit of
meditation or aspirational practice, we breakthrough. We bridge the
interior gap of the mind and with an unselfish open heart rise even
higher to consciously experience that wonderful, transpersonal
comingling of intuitive UNITY with Reason's clear light. We see. We
know. We are. We belong. We become.

Because we hold a focus as an embodied personality, we inevitably
descend. This descent of our identity with buddhi, first impresses
itself on our causal individuality, then shines through illumining our
lower mind and reflecting into the three higher subplanes of our astral
body. As we eventually settle into our normal kama-manas ego, IT is also
PERSONALIZED with us. (There is theosophical teaching on occult
correspondences between the first three subplanes of our emotional body
and the higher manasic, buddhic and atmic planes; or so the story goes.)

The point I'm trying to make is that as this descent from impersonal
buddhi-manas happens (and you can test it in yourself), the intuitive
experience gets transferred into our (mental and) emotional vehicles as
very personal (thoughts and) "feelings" corresponding to it. Love
feelings, humanitarian feelings, goodwill feelings, the feeling of the
Presence of God in and with us, etc. We accept them as our own, and as
we are able to respond, these sympathetic vibrations establish in us a
deep personal motivation to do kindly good. Atmic will in kama (via
buddhi-manas) becomes motive action. (e-motiv-ation)

Sometimes, it seems to appear in us out of nowhere, descending like a
warm ray of conscious sun light into our minds and hearts. Unwarranted
and unrequested, God simply dawns on us from within. At other times it
speaks to us in the guise of a loved one or a brother or sister, and all
we see is a bright smile on their lips and a certain look in their eye.

Hopefully, if acknowledged, we are moved to "right understanding" and
"right action" It helps us to build our personal character and better
ensoul it. Healthy heart, balanced mind, loving race.

It has even been said in theosophical literature that because of the
occult correspondences of these planes and subplanes, a PERSON living
predominantly centered in the atma-kamic or buddhi-kamic levels of their
emotional body, can actually be living a better quality of life than
another who might be habitually centered in the lower subplanes of
rupa-manas.

Food for thought.

______________

Murray also wrote:

>I'm kinda glad to hear you say this, Tom. Makes me think that it's worth
>considering words as having a body or presence on each plane, rather as a
>human being does, so the physical plane is the sound or the print, then
>there's an emotional or affective level, a logical or conceptual level, and
>in some cases, higher. All this in an energy field of associations and
>resonances branching out from the central word. So when you deliver the
>word, you deliver the whole package with its connections, and those with the
>relevant antennae can pick it all up. Hmmmm. Points to a need for
>Mindfulness - something we can all do with more of.

I believe there is deep mystery in what you've said. Think of words like
"love" or even "I" for that matter, and how these words change and
deepen with experience, even though they are signified with just a few
simple glyphs. They take on the depths of worlds. It's quite amazing,
really! Think of long aeons of experience and what might result in our
understanding and use of such words. Think of the hidden potential in
the silence that proceeds and follows them!

This was exactly the point I was trying to make a few posts ago
regarding ritual art-making. "If you can go there, you can create from
there". This is the whole science of mantra, yantra and the power of the
spoken and written word. Monks vow silence to learn about this. All art
aspires to it. In the fullness of time it is our destiny to become that
creative word; or so the story goes. In the meantime the buddha taught
"right speech."

AUM TAT SAT AUM
_______________

Tom & Murray wrote::

>>You also mentioned Dion Fortune.  I have read "Esoteric Philosophy of Love
>>and Marriage" several times.

>Great. There are a few things there I don't agree with but, on the whole, I
>think it has a lot to offer on the question of polarity and its partial
>subset, sexuality. Stuff that would probably help Theosophists (and others,
>of course) in integrating it into their spiritual life.

I loved it too and got a lot out of reading it. It was simple to
understand and practical. If I might ask, what disagreed with you?

_______________

Lastly, about Art House,

I apologize for the confusion. We are in the process of moving from one
ISP to another. We've finally gotten our own web site, so we'll shortly
be settled down and living our netlife from:

http://www.withoutwalls.com

Both TTT and myself will have our email come and go from there. But for
the next few days at least, we'll be hopping around between old ISP
addresses and my AOL account until everything is set up. Please bear
with us. Hopefully, it will all stop in a week or so.

Meanwhile, I've moved my exhibit "Art, Wisdom Tradition & Imagination"
to our new address. Anyone who would like to come and see it who hasn't
had a chance yet is welcome. Comments as always are appreciated.

best to you all,
and remember,        *** "April Joy Lives!" ***

Mark
(formerly of ArtHouse, now of WithoutWalls)

________________