Theos-Talk Archives (July 1997 Message tl00153)

You wrote:

> Gisele <gisele@elcocomp.com>

> I've recently begun comparing some information contained in the Egyptian
> Book of the Dead to that contained in the Book of Dyzan (from An
> Abridgement to the Secret Doctrine). As I am more familiar with the
> hieroglyphics than Eastern thought, I wonder if someone could elaborate on
> the symbol composed of the circle with the dot and the usage of the word
> 'veil'. I'd also be interested in the history of the Book of Dyzan....

I'd too be interested in a history of the Book of Dyzan, but I doubt one
will ever easily come forward, if at all. It's one of the cornerstones
of Blavatsky's whole exegesis, but seems to me more like a source to be
taken on "faith". Maybe someone more scholarly than I can bring research
of its origins to light.

As to the symbol you mentioned, the circle with the central dot, I think
I can be a little more helpful there. I am an artist and somewhat a
student of such glyphs. The image you refer to has a deep and
fascinating world history, a wonderful body of knowledge associated with
it, and an unceasingly active presence in our lives. It's odd, almost,
how such a simple image, which in it's commonality, can easily be passed
over, but with the proper presence of mind, can reveal truth at
significantly meaningful depths. 

In Jungian circles, this glyph would be said to be an "A Priori symbol
of the Self", which touches the mysteries of the innermost core of
individuals and also transmits the significance of the transpersonal to
ego consciousness. There is plenty of literature well worth your time to
investigate here. I recommend Jung's "Mandala Symbolism" (ISBN
0-691-01781-6), G. Adler's "The Living Symbol" (New York, Pantheon,
1961), and E. Edinger's "Ego and Archetype" ( ISBN 0-87773-576-X) as
good places to start in this area. They provide a healthy western
psychological context to the somewhat obscure language of "The Book of
Dyzan."

The persistence of this image in most world religions, especially those
with developed mystical traditions, makes it rather easy (and fun) to
find enriching references. It won't take you long to find some. I know
from personal experience, that if this image is "speaking" to you, and
you follow its impulses, your search will be rewarded. 

I would even venture to suggest that it might not be so much an
impression of ink on paper that you are noticing, but an activation
within you of what it represents. As a symbol, it's referent is quite
autonomous and alive somewhere deep inside all of us. A meditation on
this image can prove very benefical.

In theosophical terms, this image is typically made to refer to
Primordial Unmanifested Unity and in particular, that Unity as it
stirs,(awakens) and begins to describe the field for it's eventual
manifestation. You could say that the circle itself marks the interface
between Pralaya and (Maha)Manvantara,(or in Jung's terms, the
Unconscious and the potentially Conscious) while the inclusion of the
point in the center denotes a referent to Immanence. (A "veiling" of the
Unmanifested in the "Waters" of Primordial Space) This "Immanence" is
pre-existent to the vivification and differentiation of the field in
preparation for it's eventual outpouring of formal manifestation (cyclic
involution/evolution).

In meditation on this symbol, or in the physical act of consciously
drawing it, it is good to pause and consider the blank substrate wherein
the image will appear.
This is ritual art-making par excellence and has been practiced as such,
by diverse peoples in many cultures for centuries. In this context it is
a mystically potent Creation symbol and I believe it was thus included
in HPB's SD.I volume of Cosmogenesis.

I'd additionally refer you to the "Art of Tantra" and "Yogic Art" by
Akit Mookergee. These books are excellent and informed sources from
Hindu tradition that are only a short step away from the Theosophical
perpective.

Hope that helps.
Mark
--------
WITHOUT WALLS: An Internet Art Space
http://www.withoutwalls.com
E-mail: mark@withoutwalls.com