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Glamor - A World Problem - The Nature of Glamor
4. Glamor upon the Higher Mental Planes - The Dweller on the Threshold We will now touch very briefly upon the problem of the Dweller on the Threshold. This Dweller is oft regarded as a disaster, as a horror to be avoided, and as a final and culminating evil. I would remind you nevertheless that the Dweller is the "one who stands before the Gate of God," who dwells in the shadow of the portal of initiation, and who faces the Angel of the Presence open-eyed, as the ancient scripture calls it. The Dweller can be defined as the sumtotal of the forces of the lower nature as expressed in [91] the personality, prior to illumination, to inspiration and to initiation. The personality, at this stage, is exceedingly potent, and the Dweller embodies all the psychic and mental forces which down the ages have been unfolded in a man and nurtured with care; it can be looked upon as the potency of the threefold material form, prior to its consecration and dedication to the life of the soul and to the service of the Hierarchy, of God and humanity. The Dweller on the Threshold is all that a man is, apart from the higher spiritual self; it is the third aspect of divinity as expressed in the human mechanism, and this third aspect must eventually be subordinated to the second aspect, the soul. The two great contrasting Forces, the ANGEL and the DWELLER, are brought together - face to face - and the final conflict takes place. Again you will note that it is a meeting and a battle between another and higher pair of opposites. The aspirant has, therefore, three pairs of opposites with which to deal as he progresses towards light and liberation. The Pairs of Opposites On the Physical Plane - The dense and the etheric. Fought out upon the Path of Purification. On the Astral Plane - The well-known dualities. Fought upon the Path of Discipleship. On the Mental Plane - The Angel and the Dweller. Fought upon the Path of Initiation. I have, I should judge, given you enough to ponder upon; I would close it, however, by pointing out to you the very practical nature of that which I have communicated and would urge you to find out in your own practical experience [92] the nature of the battle you have each to fight. To aid you in this, I am going to help you in one very definite way. It will be of service to you if I indicate to you - each of you - the rays which govern your threefold personality. You will then be in a position to handle yourselves with greater wisdom, to trace more easily the causes of difficulty and to study more intelligently the effect you may have upon each other and upon those you contact in daily life. I will elaborate in detail the training which should be given to each of the three bodies, taking one of the vehicles at a time and explaining the problem facing each of you in relation to that particular vehicle, and assigning a meditation which will enable you (with greater facility) to handle the personality from that specific angle. You will note from the above that it is, therefore, my intention to give you a much more careful and intensive training. Will you profit by it? In the interim and in order that you can apprehend the truth of what I shall later tell you, will you study yourselves with care during the next six months and see if what I later suggest is not true? Use the information given in A Treatise on the Seven Rays as your guide in this self-analysis; I would remind you that the rays govern the three bodies in the following order: Rays governing the mental body - Rays 1.4.5. Rays governing the astral body - Rays 2.6. Rays governing the physical body - Rays 3.7. Thus you will note that all the rays play their part in the mechanism of man, making all circumstances the vehicles of opportunity and all conditions the medium of development. This statement as to the governing rays is a statement of an infallible rule, except in the case of accepted disciples. As you read and study, you would find it of value to reflect upon and then to answer the following questions: [93] What is the relation of the intuition to the problem of illusion? In what manner can illumination dispel glamor, and how can it be brought about? Define maya and give your understanding of inspiration as a factor in dispelling it. I have purposely not elucidated this technique as I sought to draw out your own ideas. I would urge you to follow the group meditation with care. It is of deep importance to the group in the interest of integration and real spiritual cooperation. The Full Moon work will likewise increase in importance. Later will come facility in recognizing and recording the nature of the glamor to be dissipated and aptitude in seeing the process of light distribution. [94]
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