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Letters on Occult Meditation - Letter V - Dangers to be avoided in Meditation
DANGERS TO BE AVOIDED IN MEDITATION July 22, 1920 Dangers inherent in the Personality. Dangers arising from Karma. Dangers arising from subtle forces. [88] The Withholding of Information We have reached a point now where the foundations of knowledge have been laid, - that knowledge which instills into the wise student the desire to submit to the necessary rules, to conform to the prescribed requirements, and to make the comprehended mental concepts practical experiences in daily life. This desire is wise and right, and the object of all that has been imparted, but at this juncture it may be wise to sound a warning note, to point out certain dangerous possibilities, and to put the student on his guard against an enthusiasm that may lead him along paths that will hinder development, and that may build up vibrations that will ultimately have to be offset. This entails delay and a recapitulation in work that (if realized in time) might be obviated. Certain statements and instructions cannot be made or given in writing to students for three reasons: Some instructions are always given orally, as they appeal to the intuition and are not for the pondering and logical reasoning of lower mind; they also contain elements of danger if submitted to the unready. Some instructions pertain to the secrets of the Path, and are mainly applicable to the groups to which the student is attached; they can only be given in joint instruction when out of the physical body. They pertain to the group causal body, to certain ray secrets, and to the invoking of the assistance of the higher devas to bring [89] about desired results. The dangers attached thereto are too great to permit of their being communicated in an esoteric publication. The occult effects of the spoken word and of the written word are diverse and interesting. Until such time as you have among you a wise Teacher in physical person, and until it is possible for Him to gather around Him His students, thus affording them the protection of His aura and its stimulating vibration, and until such time as world conditions permit of a certain period of relaxation from the present strain and suspense, it will not be possible to impart forms, invocations and mantrams of a specific character; it will not be possible to arouse the centers ahead of the necessary evolutionary rate, except in a few individual cases where certain pupils (perhaps unconsciously to themselves) are being subjected to definite processes, which result in a greatly increased rate of vibration. This is only being done to a few in each country, and is directly under the eye of a Master, focusing through H.P.B. Information as to the invoking of devas in meditation cannot yet be safely given to individuals, though a beginning is being made with groups such as in the rituals of the Masons and of the Church. Formulas that put the lesser devas under the control of man will not yet be imparted. Human beings are not yet to be trusted with that power, for the majority are but animated by selfish desire and would misuse it for their own ends. It is deemed by the wise Teachers of the race, - as I think I have before said - that the dangers of too little knowledge are much less than the dangers of too much, and that the race can be more seriously hindered by the misapplication of powers gained by incipient occultists than it can by a lack of knowledge that engenders not karmic results. The powers gained in meditation, the [90] capacities achieved by the adjustment of the bodies through meditation, the faculties developed in each vehicle by definite formulas in meditation, the manipulation of matter that is one of the functions of the occultist (the result of well-adjusted vehicles that respond perfectly to plane conditions) and the attainment of causal consciousness - a consciousness that carries with it the ability to include within itself all the lesser - are of too serious a character to be lightly disposed of, and in the training of man along these lines only those are encouraged by the teacher who can be trusted. Trusted in what sense? Trusted to think in group terms and not in terms of self, trusted to use the knowledge gained anent the bodies and the karma, of environing associates solely for their wise assistance and not for selfish purposes, and trusted to use occult powers for the furtherance of evolution and for the development on all planes of the schemes of evolution as planned by the three Great Lords. Let me illustrate: One of the things accomplished in meditation when pursued with regularity and under correct instruction is the transference of the consciousness of the lower self into the higher. This carries with it the capacity to see on causal levels, intuitively to recognize facts in the lives of others, to foresee events and occurrences and to know the relative value of a personality. This can only be permitted when the student can be silent, selfless and stable. Who as yet answers to all these requirements? I am endeavoring to give you a general idea of the dangers incident to the too early development of the powers achieved in meditation. I seek to sound a note - not of discouragement - but of insistence upon physical purity, on emotional stability and on mental equilibrium before the student passes on to greater knowledge. Only [91] as the channel opens to the intuition and closes to the animal nature can a man wisely proceed with his work. Only as the heart enlarges its capacity to suffer with all that breathes, to love all that is contacted, and to understand and sympathize with the least desirable of God's creatures, can the work go forward as desired. Only when the development is equable, only when the intellect runs not too far ahead of the heart, and the mental vibration shuts not out the higher one of the Spirit can the student be trusted to acquire powers that, wrongly used, may result in disaster to his environment as well as to himself. Only as he formulates no thoughts save such as he purposes to make for the helping of the world can he be trusted wisely to manipulate thought matter. Only as he has no desire save to find out the plans of the Master, and then to assist definitely in making those plans facts in manifestation, can he be trusted with the formulas that will bring the devas of lesser degree under his control. The dangers are so great and the perils that beset the unwary student so many that before I proceed further I have sought to urge caution. Let us now specify and enumerate certain dangers that must be guarded against by the man who progresses in meditation. Some of them are due to one cause and some to another, and we shall have to specify with accuracy. 1. Dangers inherent in the Personality of the pupil. They can, as you foresee, be grouped under the three heads: physical dangers, emotional dangers, and mental dangers. 2. Dangers arising from the karma of the pupil, and from his environment. These also may be enumerated under three divisions: [92] The karma of his present life, his own individual "ring-pass-not," as represented by his present life. His national heredity and instincts as, for instance, whether he possesses an occidental or an oriental type of body. His group affiliations, whether exoteric or esoteric. 3. Dangers arising from the subtle forces that you ignorantly call evil; such dangers consist in attack on the pupil by extraneous entities on some one plane. These entities may simply be discarnate human beings; they may be the denizens of the other planes who are non-human; later on, when the student is of sufficient importance to attract notice, the attack may come from those who deal purely with matter to the hindrance of spiritual growth, - the black magicians, the dark brothers, and other forces that appear destructive. This appearance is only such when viewed from the angle of time and in our three worlds, and is but incidental to the fact that our Logos Himself is also evolving, and (from the standpoint of the infinitely greater Ones Who assist Him in His development) it is dependent upon His transitory imperfections. The imperfections of nature - as we term them - are the imperfections of the Logos, and will eventually be transcended. I have therefore outlined for you this morning the material I shall seek to impart during the coming days.
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