Lucifer7, June 2007
Contents
Short Quotes
Editorial
The Druid Lodge
Self-knowledge
Boredom
Correspondence on Abundance
New on Katinka Hesselink Net
Short Quotes
Goethe
It is much easier to correct error than to find truth; error is
superficial and may be corrected; truth lies hidden in the depths.
H.P. Blavatsky, Key to Theosophy, p. 154
"Duty is that which is due to humanity, to our fellow-men, neighbours,
family and especially that which we owe to all those who are poorer and
more helpless than we ourselves."
Hazrat Inayat Khan - Bowl of Saki
It is the depth of thought that is powerful, and sincerity of
feeling which creates atmosphere.
N. Sri Ram, Thoughts For Aspirants, Second Series
Each one has to know himself, as he is, become aware of the influences
that mould his thought and action, if he is to avoid putting his pet
notions, his
fond illusions and ideas, in the sacred seat of Truth.
Paul Brunton, The Quest of the Overself, Chapter V
It is in the joining of mind-stilling and mind-sharpening methods that
the
right qualities for the discovery of truth become unfolded.
Editorial
This issue is so full of
short thoughts that either you my readers will
just give up, or perhaps, if the collections are found favourable,
print it out and keep it by their bedsides. Either way, you are
forewarned.
The Druid Lodge
11 and 12 Merrion Row, Dublin
From the Canadian Theosophist, Volume 16, #2 (1935)
The OBJECT of the Druid Lodge is (a) to cultivate the ideal of a
Universal Spiritual Brotherhood of Humanity, and (b) to demonstrate by
teaching and example that this ideal is an attainable reality.
THE TRUE DRUID is a man of: - COMPASSION; HARMONY OF
SOUL; SKILL IN ACTION; SPIRITUAL VISION.
Three signs of COMPASSION are: - Understanding which turns a
man aside rather than disturb a tired animal lying in the way. Understanding
which weeps for the sorrows of children. Understanding
which meets every stranger with a brotherly hand.
Three signs of Harmony of soul are: - An eye to see nature. A
heart to comprehend nature. A courage to live with nature.
Three signs of Skill in Action are: - To love one's work. To
understands one's work. To work with will for no reward.
Three signs of Spiritual Vision are: - Love for all things.
Justice for all beings. Joyful obedience to Universal Law.
UNIVERSAL WISDOM is that Divine Vision which sees all things in just
relative proportion as inseparable parts of an indivisible whole which
is infinite and perfect.
THE DISCIPLE is one who seeks to know the Universal LAW, to live
according to the LAW, and at last to become a perfect instrument of the
LAW.
OCCULTISM is the pursuit of arcane knowledge.
TRUE OCCULTISM is the Path of the Disciple, and leads to
Divine Wisdom.
Self-knowledge
H.P.Blavatsky, Lucifer Vol. 1, No. 2; Oct. 15, 1887
"The first necessity for obtaining Self-knowledge is to become
profoundly
conscious of ignorance; to feel with every fibre of the heart
that
one is ceaselessly self-deceived.
The second requisite is the still deeper conviction
that
such knowledge - such intuitive and certain knowledge - can be obtained
by
effort.
The third and most important is an indomitable
determination
to obtain and face that knowledge.
Self-knowledge of this kind is unattainable by what
men
usually call 'self-analysis." It is not reached by reasoning or
any
brain process; for it is the awakening to consciousness of the
Divine
nature of man.
To obtain this knowledge is a greater achievement
than
to command the elements or to know the future."
H.P.B., Lucifer Vol. 2, No. 8; April 15, 1888.
"It is not `the fear of God' which is `the beginning
of
wisdom,' but the knowledge of Self which is wisdom itself."
H.P.Blavatsky, Lucifer Vol. 4, No. 22; June 15, 1889
"Occultism is concerned with the inner man, who must
be
strengthened and freed from the dominion of the physical body and its
surroundings,
which must become its servants. Hence the first and chief
necessity
of Chelaship is a spirit of absolute unselfishness and devotion to
Truth;
then follow self-knowledge and self-mastery."
H.P.Blavatsky, S.D. I-639
"With every effort of will toward purification and
unity
with that `Self-god,' one of the lower rays breaks and the spiritual
entity
of man is drawn higher and ever higher to the ray that supercedes the
first,
until, from ray to ray, the inner man is drawn into the one and highest
beam
of the Parent-Sun."
H.P.Blavatsky, S.D. II-110
"Unless the higher Self or EGO gravitates toward its
Sun-the
Monad, the lower Ego or personal Self will have the upper hand in every
case."
H.P.Blavatsky, Voice of the Silence
"To reach Nirvana one must reach Self-Knowledge, and
Self-Knowledge
is of loving deeds the child."
Sankaracharya, Atmabodha
"Self-Knowledge alone is the direct cause of
Liberation."
Sankaracharya, Crest Jewel of Wisdom
"Let the seeker after Self-Knowledge find the
Teacher
(the Higher Self), full of kindness and knowledge of the Eternal."
More self-knowledge quotes
Boredom
Have you ever noticed that with today's youth, fifteen and
sixteen-year-olds, everything is so boring? If it lasts longer than
five minutes it's boring. It must be hell being a teacher, because it
is so hard to keep the students' attention. Why should they have to pay
attention for fifty minutes and learn something? You have to find all
sorts of gimmicks, tricks, games and other ways of entertaining them so
that they will last the fifty minutes.
...
Why are they so easily bored? Have you ever considered what they are
fed on? Have you ever considered the speed and the greed of the sensory stimulation that youth is fed on? Watch
television. I don't watch television very often, but when I do, I feel
I am being bombarded because it is so fast. The amount of sight, colour
and sound, particularly in the advertisements, flashing on, bombarding,
is so fast. So much is happening in thirty seconds. Do you know how
much is compacted into thirty seconds? You are flung through the air,
surfing on the waves - all in thirty seconds! The movies are also very
fast, a kind of fast lane
experience; very exciting and sensational, and compacted into such a
short time. So when students have to sit listening to someone talking
about chemical reaction, they get utterly bored. Just the thought of
doing something that takes an hour is so boring. They are simply not
used to the slower pace because the sensory stimulation of the present
age supplies so much so quickly.
...
The point is that it is not necessarily the situation which is boring,
but the state of mind which finds it ordinary, no longer stimulating,
no longer interesting to know. The situation doesn't excite, it doesn't
arouse any sort of interest in us, so we go into a passive state of
boredom, thinking, 'I want something else, I want to experience
something else, I want to be somewhere else. I am bored.' This is a
very common experience.
The way we normally treat this is by finding new experiences, seeking
something new. That is what we are being encouraged to do, to get something new. You are bored, so you go
out and get something new: new dress, new wardrobe, new car, new video, new movie. In order not to be bored you
just keep on getting something new.
...
Do monks get bored? Certainly, everyone who comes to stay at the
monastery gets thoroughly bored, and what happens?
Do we play music for them, or take them out to the movies to get rid of
the boredom? No. Why? Boredom is a state of mind, and it is very important for human beings to understand their
minds. You don't need to find distractions in order to get beyond
boredom. If you understand what boredom is, you need no longer be
troubled by it. The source of boredom is in the heart, in the mind, in
that sense of wanting something else, needing something else, wanting
something new. This is the thirst that in Buddhism we call tanha,
craving.
Correspondence on Abundance
My editorial on visualisation, last month
went to the heart of much of the current hype around the movie 'The
Secret'. I'm glad to publish the following from one of Lucifer7's
regular contributors to elaborate a bit more on the philosophy of that
movie and what 'abundance is all about.
The Editiorial.
It
seems to me that the very notion of abundance doesn't admit of lack.
Abundance is abundance; there is no lack within it. Space is beyond
abundant; there is no way the mind can grasp it. Obviously, one
requires the use of faculties beyond that of mere intellection to
remotely come close to understanding that abundance and even then, we
will always fall short. What we fail to understand, in my opinion, is
that we are the space born, not the space owners.
The real issue
concerns the source of abundance. A personal separate self is an
effect, not a cause or a source. And it is frequently the obstacle to
that abundance rather than the one who gets the abundance. Better to
overcome oneself before commencing the search for abundance.
Thought
and image are a way of attempting to get what one wants, but the
abundance of light and love in an infinite and intelligent universe of
space are a way of becoming who we are.
Just my two cents.
Have a nice day, Mark Harriss
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