Theos-Talk Archives (January 1997 Message tl00784)

Thanks to M K Ramadoss for reprinting excerpts from Wood's book. It
unfortunately illustrates what can happen to anyone who has spiritual
potential. St. Paul wrote, "Despise not prophesyings" but "Prove all
things. Hold fast to that which is good." There are benevolent and malevolent
or evil psychic forces. One genius of evil is that it knows a person's
weaknesses and how to imitate that person's image of good. The Gnostics may
have understood this when they spoke of the Antimimon Pneumatos or Spirit of
Imitation.

M. Scott Peck's book, "People of the Lie" discusses his clinical definition of
evil, which is a bundle of stuff he found in some patients psyche's which
deflected any probing into its nature and which was essentially an energy
which perpetuated its falsehoods. I have witnessed the "Besantification" of
many people I know.

A favorite thing of evil to exploit is egotism. No one with an ego is
completely exempt from egotism. The ego *is* valuable. However, it must be
made a servant of the Self.

Perhaps the word "evil" offends some. But all of us have some evil seeking to
work through us. It takes courage to face one's own demons. The more they are
faced, the less terrible force they have. Was Annie Besant evil? No. Did her
naivete and presumption cause some terrible damage? Yes. It turned many people
off to theosophy and other organizations. I would say that evil worked through
her.

For the above reasons I agree with Tom Robertson's recent post and think many
people (including Krishnamurti) have over-reacted to things like dependency on
others, structure, organizations and the like.

- Titus