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Esoteric Psychology II - Chapter I - The Egoic Ray - The Seven Laws of Soul or Group Life
b. The Law of Repulse upon the Paths of Discipleship and Initiation When the discriminating sense (the spiritual correspondence of the sense of smell, the last of the five senses to emerge in humanity) has been adequately developed in the aspirant, and he knows the pairs of opposites and has gained a vision of that which is neither of them, then he can pass on to the Path of Discipleship and enter upon the arduous task of cooperating with the spiritual laws, particularly with the Law of Repulse. At first, he hardly recognizes the influence of this Law. It is as difficult for him to grasp its implications and to measure its possible effects as it would be for the average working man, with a mediocre education and a total [160] ignorance of esotericism, to grasp the significance of such an occult truth as that expressed in the words: "The construction of the antahkarana between higher and lower manas by the divine Agnishvatta, the solar angel, functioning through the egoic lotus, is the task to be carried forward during the contemplative stage of meditation." This statement is relatively simple to grasp intellectually by the average occult student, but is utterly meaningless to the man of the world. The Law of Repulse is equally difficult of understanding by the disciple as he enters upon the Path. He has to learn to recognize its influence; then he must himself learn to do three things: Through service, steadily to decentralize himself and thus begin occultly to "repulse" the personality. He must see to it that his motive is love for all beings, and not desire for his own release. Through an understanding of the pairs of opposites, he begins, esoterically, to "isolate" the "noble middle path" of which the Buddha spoke. Through comprehension of the words of Christ, enjoining men to "let their light shine," he begins to construct the "path of light" which leads to the center of life and guides him out of darkness into light, from the unreal to the real, and from death to immortality. This is the true path of the antahkarana, which the disciple weaves from out of himself (speaking symbolically), just as the spider weaves his thread. Service, an understanding of the Way, and the building of the true line of escape - that is the task to be carried forward upon the Path of Discipleship. Such is the object set before all the students of the esoteric sciences at this time, - provided they desire it enough, and can train themselves to [161] work selflessly for their fellow men. As they succeed in doing this and approximate ever more closely to that which is not the pairs of opposites (and thus achieve "the Central Way"), steadily the Law of Repulse begins to swing into operation. When the third initiation is taken, this law will begin to hold the dominant place in the ruling of the life. The word "repulse" has an unfortunate connotation in many minds, and this revulsion against the word itself indicates man's innately spiritual bias. Repulsion, the desire to repudiate, and repulsive attitudes, words and deeds evoke in our minds all that is unpleasant to contemplate. Yet, spiritually considered and scientifically viewed, the word "repulse" indicates simply "an attitude towards that which is not desirable." This, in its turn (as we seek to determine that which is desirable), calls into activity the virtues of discrimination, dispassion and discipline in the disciple's life, as well as the power to decentralize. These words indicate the urge to devaluate the unreal and the undesirable, to discipline the lower nature till those choices are readily and easily made which lead to the discarding of that which imprisons or impedes the soul. The major concepts are the definitely and carefully chosen way or procedure which will free the soul from the world of forms and identify it, first of all, with itself (thus freeing it from the world illusion), and then with the world of souls, which is the consciousness of the Oversoul. There is no need to enlarge here upon the technique whereby this choice is to be made. The way of discrimination, the method of dispassion and the discipline of the life have been made plain and clear by the teachings of the past two thousand years, and through the many books written to emphasize the teaching of the Christ and of the Buddha. Through a right understanding of these, right choice can be made, and that which should not be cherished or desired can [162] be "repulsed". Many an earnest student (such as those who will read this Treatise) has found it of advantage to write down for himself his own personal understanding of the four words: Discrimination, Dispassion, Discipline, Decentralization. One page given to each definition should suffice, if it embodies truly one's highest thought. Students will realize that as they practice these four virtues, the prime characteristics of a disciple, they are thereby automatically calling into play the Law of Repulse, which, upon the Path of Initiation, brings revelation and realization. The expression of this law upon the Path of Initiation is too advanced for those who are not yet versed in the basic discriminations, and who are still far from being dispassionate. Is there need therefore to enlarge upon this law as it works out in the life of the initiate? I think not. The disciple seeks to achieve, without passion, pain or suffering, the distinction which lies between: Right and wrong, Good and evil, Light and dark, spiritually understood, Prison and liberty, Love and hate, Introversion and extraversion. We do well to ponder on this duality. Truth and falsehood, Mystical and occult knowledge, The self and the not-self, Soul and body. [163] Many, many other dualities can thus be listed. Having then discovered the fact of these pairs of opposites, the task of the disciple is to discover that which is neither of them. It is this central,, intermediate way that is revealed to the initiate, through the working of the Law of Repulse which occultly enables him to "push with either hand, to a distance afar from his way, that which intrudes and veils the central way of light. For neither on the right nor on the left lies safety for the man who seeks that lighted way." Does this sentence really mean aught to most of us? Let us seek to express to ourselves in words the qualifications and name of that third or central way which is, for instance, neither light nor dark, and neither love nor hate. We cannot with clarity see what it could be, nor will we until the increased stimulation which is released in us upon the Way of Initiation does its appointed work. Some idea of what it means may appear, however dimly, to our vision as we deal with our third division.
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