Twelfth lecture by The Master, held before the Youth Occult Class on January 3rd 1923, Sofia
Reflection
A recapitulation of the “Signs of the revealed human consciousness in its highest stage” topic is being read.
Imagine that you have three types of consciousness – consciousness A, B, and C. They have derived from each other: consciousness B has derived from consciousness A, and consciousness C has derived from consciousness B. So consciousness A is the primal consciousness, which reveals itself in the realm of time and space. What is the relation of the three types of consciousness to time and space? Let us assume, that consciousness A is revealing itself during springtime, consciousness B – during summertime, and consciousness C – during the autumn. Depending on the seasons the relations between these three types of consciousness are determined. At the same time, each type of consciousness determines what the matter and conditions were during the time it had been revealing itself. For instance, from consciousness A the conditions and materials with which a particular person has had at his disposal during the springtime of his life could be determined. When this is known, every man could go back to his past to see what the conditions on which his consciousness had developed were. In this respect the occult disciple must learn the law, with the assistance of which he could go back to his past like in an archive. When he delves into this archive, he would see what the conditions, through which he has passed in his previous existences were, until he came to his current existence. During various lives he had passed through various circumstances, which have brought to his consciousness various energies, various qualities, and abilities.
Contemporary people live in the world of changes. For instance, one day you are in excellent spirits, enthusiastic, filled with elated thoughts and ideas to help mankind. The next day, however, all of that disappears; you sink low and say, “It is not worth living for the others, every man must think for himself.” What is this sudden change in the frame of mind due to, I ask? In the first case your consciousness has passed through the spring of your life – so you have been in consciousness A. In the second case you have entered consciousness C, when you have gone through a state, similar to the autumn of your life. What is the relation between these two types of consciousness A and C? If you set a mathematician or a technician to solve that problem, they will do it easily. For instance, a train is moving at a certain rate. You can increase its speed if you intensify the fire, if you intensify the tension of wet steam in the cauldron. How would you increase the speed of movement of the consciousness? If it was a question of the speed of the train, this problem is easily solved – you would add more coals to intensify the fire. When it comes to consciousness, where would you get the fire and coals from?
For instance, you are travelling through consciousness D through great snow, blizzard, and cold. At this state of consciousness, which represents the winter of your life, you are in a bad mood, in a bad frame of mind – your legs and arms are frostbitten, you are shivering with cold. You go into the room to your mother, you attempt to warm yourself as soon as possible, and she wants you to tell her where you have been, and what you have been doing. Can you talk in such a condition? You have to take some snow, rub your frozen arms and legs, and then talk to your mother. One might say, “Why don’t you wash your legs with hot water; why do you rub them with snow instead?” You know the proverb: “Fight fire with fire.” Or evil is cured with evil. If a man has overeaten, how would you help him? You would force him to regurgitate the food in some way or take a purgative. In either way you must act fast, otherwise there is a risk of toxaemia. Such a poisoning can be also caused in the consciousness of man, as a result of building up bitter feelings and contradictory thoughts. We then say that man is in a state of consciousness D, i.e. the winter of his life.
Therefore, according to the philosophy he has drawn up for Life, man is able to live in one of these four states of consciousness – A, B, C, and D, and then Life for him would be either heaven, or hell. Often in the life of man these types of consciousness influence each other. In that influence certain permutations are seen that can have favourable or unfavourable reflections upon man. Let us assume that consciousness A represents an ascending state in which the consciousness itself is moving towards a particular centre, while at one moment it moves away, and at another it approaches it. When it is approaching its centre, the consciousness of man acquires more energy, as a result of which his movement of speed increases. If consciousness B is in a descending state, we say that it is moving away from its centre, as a result of which it acquires less energy. Since it acquires less energy, its movement is slower, weaker. Now that you know in what state consciousness A and consciousness B are, find out in what state consciousness C will be – in ascending or descending. Think freely, without being fearful that you could make a mistake. Even if you make a mistake, this is natural; there is no reason to be embarrassed. Assume that consciousness B represents the Earth, and consciousness C – the Moon that is circling round the Earth. Assume also that consciousness B is in an ascending state. Determine then in what state consciousness C will be, which, circling round B, at one moment approaches, and at another moves away from it. Then you can mathematically calculate and see whether consciousness C is in an ascending or a descending state.
And so, when speaking of ascending and descending state of consciousness, we envisage the good and bad frames of mind. When he is happy, in good spirits, and joyful, man is in an ascending state of consciousness; when he is sombre, sad, and sorrowful, he is in a descending state of his consciousness. What must man do to bring balance into his consciousness? What is the remedy in this case? What must you do to cure a man who is suffering? What is hunger cured with? - With bread. What is thirst cured with? - With water. So man must have knowledge of the properties of elements that go into his consciousness for each particular moment, so that he could transform them from descending into ascending state. Imagine that you are sorrowful; how would you transform your sorrow into Joy, or at least – how would you redeem yourselves from sorrow? (- We would pray.) – Imagine you cannot pray. (-We would weep) – You cannot weep either. (-We would sing.) – You are not a singer; you do not know how to sing. (-Then we would find someone more sorrowful than ourselves and start comforting them. This way we would transform our state.) – If through all of these methods you are not able to transform your state, there is nothing left, but to have patience. This patience is imposed by Life itself. Through patience man acquires Freedom. Only the patient person can be free. Contrariwise – only the free man can have patience. Freedom and patience go hand-in-hand. Patience is a quality of will, and woe is a negative quality of the mind. When he does not think, does not reason, man lapses into woe and appears stupid. He bears both sufferings, and difficulties, but by woe. Woe infers lack of will.
Figure 1
We say that consciousness B has derived from consciousness A, and consciousness C - from consciousness B. Therefore, when he stumbles upon a revelation of consciousness, man has to know what the primal cause of that revelation is. For instance, one wants to become a scholar; he has to know what the mainspring that has awakened the idea of becoming a scholar inside his consciousness is. This idea works inside the consciousness of that man, but he must look to find the mainspring which compels him to study. Man can study because of two reasons: either with having in mind to make a living with his knowledge, or to dignify, and elevate himself. In that case, the first impulse to study will be descending, and the second – ascending. Therefore, when it comes to consciousness, we stumble upon the law of polarity. This shows that each revelation of consciousness has two sides, two opposite directions – ascending and descending. This law is represented graphically as the line CD: C_______D.
Figure 2
So everybody who wants to improve his condition must by all means polarize himself, divide his ambitions, i.e. put them in two opposite directions. Once you have two opposite directions of movement, you can easily find between them the third, the straight direction. Once the direction of movement of two points is given, you can easily find the direction of movement of the third point. How can you do this? Geometry gives the following simple way: you take the line CD, which represents the movement of points C and D in opposite directions. After that, with a pair of compasses, you delineate catenaries from the points C and D. From the point, at which the catenaries intersect, you draw down a perpendicular from the side of the line CD; that perpendicular shows the direction of movement of the point O. Once the consciousness polarizes, man finds the right direction of his movement: this direction is the perpendicular, drawn down from a particular point, outside of a line. When it polarizes and finds its direction of movement, the consciousness starts emanating Light everywhere, in every direction. In that case, the consciousness of man is exposed to side effects and moves like a pendulum to and fro. So it is for everyone that does not understand the law. However, one that understands the law will find the immobile point of his consciousness and there he will stand. In the consciousness of man this point is completely firm, it is not affected by anything – it is the point O of the line CD. When you come to this point, you will go back to the point m, above which you cannot go. From point m energy goes in two directions: mC and mD. Such is the movement of the clock’s pendulum, when it delineates semicircles around itself. When you come to point C of the consciousness, you think that you have solved a problem, but from here you go up to point m. Once you stay in this point a bit, you go down to point D; here you also think you have solved the problem, but you are mistaken, like in point C. So you are beguiling yourselves every day. You just solve a problem, and the next day you find out that you have not solved it. In this manner a range of philosophical systems are created, which we call philosophical arguments of the pendulum. {Figure 3} Every such system settles matters partially, to the left or to the right; eventually you see that neither the one, nor the other solution is absolute. You have just gone down to point C to the left, and you say, “This solution is not right.” You go up, but soon go back down to C and say, “This solution is not right either.” Thus the consciousness pivots from D to C and back, until you finally come to point O – the firm point of consciousness, from whence you go up again, toward point m. Thus moves the consciousness, sometimes left, sometimes right, sometimes in point O and moves onward, widens and sprinkles the path of man with Light.
Figure 3
And so, the pendulum mo (Figure 3), will pendulate to the points C and D at most – along the straight lines mC and mD, and will form a triangle CmD. The lines mC and mD represent the uttermost of the possibilities of realizing a particular desire or settling a certain matter. When he comes to that uttermost bound, man leaves these possibilities, and makes his way into new ones. From the points C and m of the line Cm, with the help of a pair of compasses, catenaries are delineated, and from the intersection point of the catenaries a perpendicular is drawn down to the line Cm. The formed perpendicular nE represents a pendulum which is able to move to its uttermost (to the left and right) along the lines nC and nm. Even at that rate of movement of the pendulum matters remain unsettled. However, the human consciousness cannot stand in one place – step by step it moves and leaves its former state. From the point’s m and D (Figure 4) you will again delineate catenaries and will draw down a perpendicular towards the line mD, and namely the perpendicular nq. In that case the perpendicular represents a pendulum as well, on which the human consciousness moves to its uttermost mn1 and n1d. Finally, from the points C and D of the line CD we delineate catenaries again, from the intersection point of which we draw down a perpendicular Or; along this perpendicular, which serves as a pendulum, the human consciousness moves along the lines CO and OD, as it forms in this case also a triangle COD, equal to the other two, as well as to the triangle CmD, compared to which it is in an opposite position – with its vertex pointing downwards. With this kind of movement of consciousness we have three immobile, firm points, in which matters can be settled. However, it is hard to stop the consciousness in these points. {Figure 4} Figure 4 shows the creation of the macrocosm, and at the same time the path of descent and ascension of the human Spirit. That figure is called Sign of Solomon. From the centre A a circumference can be delineated; it represents the big and the small universe, the big and small cosmos. This way we imagine the passing of ordinary human consciousness and self-consciousness into subconsciousness and superconsciousness. In other words, man passes from the ordinary to the Divine consciousness, from the ordinary – to the Divine world, where it starts moving in perpendicular direction to his each and every desire.
Figure 4
How will you understand the thought that you have to move in a direction that is perpendicular to your desires? Imagine that someone likes to drink, to satisfy that desire pulls the man down, towards the centre of the earth. What must that man do? He must go in a direction, opposite to that of his desire, and namely – in a perpendicular direction up, towards the centre of the Sun. He must walk upwards with no compromise, with no diversion. The least diversion from the perpendicular will pull him down. Once he says categorically within himself, that he will no longer drink, he starts going up the perpendicular. If he starts stepping back within himself, and says, that he will drink only two-three sips or a glassful at the most, that man has collapsed already. Once he has taken a vow not to drink, he must not drink at all. One sip, one mug, or a kilo of wine, it is all the same. This is the way in which man must liberate himself from a blemish. Once he decides not to do something, he must be categorical, no retreat from the taken decision. One who wants to become strong must desist all at once from a blemish of his and persevere in his decision. Once he is able to display will, this shows that man is able to think. One, who wants to know whether he can think correctly, let him try desisting from a big blemish of his. If he is able to get over that blemish, this will show that he thinks. This is exactly why blemishes have to be utilized in the most sensible and correct way. Through them you will strengthen your will and feel the power of your thought. Blemishes, whatever nature they are of – physical, cardiac, mental or spiritual, are created by you yourselves. Therefore, only you can most easily handle them.
I will now give you some small explanations of which you have to take advantage. When he carries out the truth, man must look upon things objectively. For instance, you start counting from 1 to 10; you say: 1, 2, 3, 6, 9… – you make a mistake. When you make a mistake, there is nothing left to do, except to erase the mistake and start over again: 1, 2, 3, 4, 8, 9… - again you make a mistake. You will erase the mistake and continue writing. One who does not understand the law will start apologizing and look for the reasons why he has made mistakes. One who understands the law will easily straighten out his mistake. When he is writing or when he is counting, man can easily make mistakes. The smallest diversion of his attention is enough for him to make a mistake. If he does not want to make a mistake, he must concentrate on his work and study the forces that operate during the writing of each letter or each number.
Figure 5
Imagine that you have to write the number 1; the forces that participate in the writing of the number one begin from up and go down. So the number one determines the direction of forces. When you want to write the number 2, the matter is more complex: first a small circle O is formed, which represents the path of human consciousness, which, instead of moving within its orbit, develops outside – first in direction c, and then descends in direction e. The reason for this is that some other centre has influenced the human consciousness and compelled it to alter the path of its movement. But the influence of the centre e also changes, because another, more powerful influence comes – from the centre D, which compels the forces of the primal consciousness to alter, to form a smaller circle than the initial one. After that comes the influence of the centre m, and finally the influence of the centre k comes, which raises the human consciousness. Therefore, every consciousness that passes through the number two, experiences complex processes. The numbers 1 and 2, written next to each other, represent the twelve zodiacs. Gathered together, they give the number 3. When the consciousness of man passes through the twelve zodiacs, they have an influence upon it in twelve different ways – so they bring into the consciousness twelve different elements. Because, when you study the numbers, you can study each number separately, or you can study them all simultaneously, in their common influences. For you it is important to know that numbers are not simple, dead symbols, but live quantities, i.e. forces, energies that have an influence upon the consciousness of man. In the number 2 there are two ones, two pieces of consciousness which pursue a common goal. This movement we call striving for God. Therefore the pursuit of God gives birth to Love. So Love is born only between two souls, between two pieces of consciousness which strive for the Primal, the Divine consciousness.
Now, it is up to you to reason, to think over the unexpressed matters. For you it is important to think, to find a method through which you could restore the balance within your consciousness. To this end it is enough to always think that there is a link inside you that never breaks, and never changes. It always remains equally strong, and equally firm. Apart from you yourselves, no one else is in a position to break this link. We call this link penetration of the Divine consciousness into the human soul. This link represents eternal movement, eternal penetration of the Divine consciousness into all creatures and the movement of these creatures towards the Divine consciousness. Everybody has tried and tries that link. Even if you are in the worst condition, you always feel that there is something strong inside you holding your spirit up. Even if everyone left you, deep inside, you feel that there is something strong, immutable, which maintains the balance of your consciousness. This is due to that ray of Divine consciousness, which penetrates into the souls of all people. Having this in mind, hold inside yourselves the positive thought that there is something in you, which even in your most critical conditions will not abandon you. When you come to a deadlock and you do not know how to solve a particular problem, put into your consciousness the thought that this problem will be solved. When you tell yourselves so, calm down. It will not be long and the problem will be solved by itself. Therefore, when your consciousness bifurcates, your first task is to calm down and put into your subconsciousness positive faith and thought that there is a link inside you, which can never break, and which you can always rely on. There is no force in the world that can break that link. On exactly this link you will be able to build your future life. Without faith in this link, you would not be able to live; you would not be able to endure the constant changes to which you are exposed each moment. Life on Earth is a life of constant changes.
A sacred thing is your link with the Great Divine beginning of Life. Should you come to this link, do not allow anyone to touch it. Neither do you have the right to pick at it. Trust in it! It will take you out of even the most inextricable situations in Life. Once you trust in this link, you will always be free. If you have temporarily lost your freedom, you will regain it once more. As long as you hold on to this link, to this thread, you will be able to get out of the labyrinth of your life. Should the link break, you will remain in this labyrinth, until someone comes and helps you to restore it. It is a terrible thing for man to intertwine in the threads of matter! Only this link is capable of releasing you from the inextricable threads of the material world. Having this in mind, never allow yourselves to unbind the thread with which the Primal Reason holds you. Some consider unbinding that thread to be a great art, to release themselves from that bond. No, as long as you live in the labyrinth of matter, do not break the thread. Every premature breaking of that thread carries with itself misfortunes, sufferings, disasters. As long as you are in the labyrinth, hold on tightly to this link – this means faith. Therefore positive faith, which we are talking about, infers conscious assertion of the inner, rational link between the Primal Reason and us.
Now we will all do the following exercise: you will imagine, that we have a beautiful spring day, the time is about 2 or 3 o’clock in the morning, and mentally we will take a walk to the Morning Star, and then – to the Sun. After that we will make a journey to Venus, too. When we finish the journey, we will once again come back to Earth.
I will give you this exercise for the Sun as a method of transforming your conditions. Do it regularly for ten days, and after that – when you are indisposed. It is a good idea to do the exercise in the morning, between 2 and 3 o’clock. If you cannot do it in the morning, do it in the evening, after 10 o’clock. Should you go to bed earlier than 10 o’clock, do not do it. This exercise will take you five minutes at the most. You will concentrate your thought towards the Sun and will absolutely forget the surroundings. When you finish the exercise you will feel refreshment, cheerfulness, and a good frame of mind. When you are doing the exercise, look out not to bifurcate, not to fall into the literal meaning of things, and not to do it mechanically. Every mechanical job develops bad habits in people. That is why each exercise must be done with a good frame of mind and inner striving, so that it reflects favourably upon man.
The labyrinth I was telling you about represents thick matter, in which everyone could fall. In order to overcome the difficulties you encounter in the thick matter, you have to utilize the methods represented by the triangles in figure 4. There are methods shown, through which man can direct his mind, heart, and will towards the Primal centre, out of which he has come. So the striving of man, of all his being, must be directed to God, to the Primal consciousness.
Contemporary people are in torment, they suffer, and they do not know how to deal with the difficulties in life. Very simple, they have to link up with God. There is nothing more real than this link – it never changes and there is nothing in the world that is in a position to lacerate it. It is enough to direct your mind, heart, and will upwards, toward the Primal Reason, in order to link up with it momentarily. It is enough for man to direct his gaze towards the rising Sun to disperse the clouds gathered inside his consciousness. Such a thing is the Primal consciousness. It is enough for man to link up with that consciousness, so he could disperse the anguish and suffering gathered within him. The Primal consciousness is the Sun on the horizon of our spiritual life. It is in a position to awaken the consciousness of every man, to bring in more Light, more Life into it. You meet a man desperate, sombre, discontented with himself, with life, ready to die. However, if he could connect with the Primal consciousness, all of this would momentarily disappear, he would become happy, in good spirits, his consciousness would clear up, he would find sense in Life, and he would see that there is something to live for. Each difficulty shows that man stumbles upon a knot of one of his past existences, and he has to untie it correctly. This difficulty is karmic, and has to be sensibly solved.
Imagine that in one of your past existences you killed a man, but have forgotten about this crime. In your present existence you have changed quite a lot externally, nobody could recognize you. However, in the movement in the orbit of your consciousness, you go through your past, when you have committed the crime, and you run into the one you have killed. This encounter is necessary to eliminate your karma. The man that you killed in the past recognizes you immediately. Your image, your movements have been imprinted in his consciousness and he pounces on you with his thought, and starts looking for a way to pay you back. His antagonistic thoughts and feelings reflect on yours and you suffer great concussions. What do you have to do in that situation? You will turn to God with an obsecration to help you to correctly eliminate your karma. Whatever sufferings befall you, you will endure them with patience, because you know that the reason for these sufferings lies in you. As you have committed crimes, so you will expiate them. There are cases in which a particular soul that you have harmed looks for you for years, until it finds you to pay you back. When it is above, in the Invisible world, and you are on the Earth – she looks for you above, and cannot find you. If it is on the Earth, and you are in the Invisible world – again it cannot find you. It also happens that the two of you are on the Earth, but you are in America, and he – on the other side of the world, he cannot find you. Finally, the circumstances emerge so that you both meet at the same place. Then you cannot run, but must turn to God with an obsecration to help you. Your creditor asks, “Are you ready to pay?” If you say that you are ready to pay, he will set you free and will wait for you to pay. Should you say that you do not acknowledge your debts and do not want to pay; he will take you, put you in prison, and subject you to great tortures and hardships. This is the moment when man must confess to his crime, and start paying. Then he will turn to God, the Eternal Source of Love, to help him correctly eliminate his karma. The karma is eliminated by the law of Love, not by running. Running does not settle matters. Every suffering has its own distant reasons; sufferings do not come in vain. The karma can be expressed in the physical world, but can also be expressed in the Astral or in the mental world, i.e. in the world of feelings and desires or in the world of thoughts. No matter how the karma is expressed, you have to learn your lesson from it, and to heroically endure your sufferings. Thousands of years could pass, but the one with whom you are linked karmically, will by all means find you and force you to pay him.
When eliminating the karma there are contrary situations. These are the good moments of your life, when you have done good to people and they were not able to thank you on time. That is because, when someone grabs you by the neck and insists on you paying back what you owe him, at the same time another comes to thank you for the good that you have once done to him. Both are equally strong; they grasp each other by the shoulders and start struggling, you remain between them. In this particular case you must not take part in their struggle – you will stand aside and pray, they will work it out themselves.
Figure 6
How do quarrels turn up in this world? Imagine two little brothers – A and B, who are playing quietly, peacefully, brotherly, and getting on together. All of a sudden, someone throws them an apple C (Figure 6). They rush at the apple and start pulling it – one pulls, the other pulls, they start struggling over who should take the apple. In this struggle a quadrangle is formed – the children are holding their hands, they are struggling, and the apple stays free. They look at the apple, but neither of them lets go. In this particular case, the apple is the reason for the quarrel, which creates karmic relations. How will this problem be solved? A third person comes, who has a certain debt to one of the little brothers, and says, “I will pay for him.” He pays and the problem is solved. The same thing happens in your life, too; if some benefactor of yours comes to help you, you will easily eliminate your karma; if nobody helps you, you will go through great misfortunes and sufferings, until you finally repay all of your debts. Every man has at least one friend, who would make a stand and stick up for him, and one foe, who pursues him and constantly causes him mischief. The friend and foe are equally strong, and struggle against each other for one man. The friend says, “I love this man, he has given his life for me.” The foe says, “I hate him, in the past he killed me.” The friend says, “Since it is this way, take from me, I will pay for him.” The two reach an agreement and with that the matter is settled. These are things which happen in the Invisible world, as well as on Earth, and also in the consciousness of man. You see an advanced human, who has just reached the summit of his life, he enjoys his success, and his relatives are also delighted. In this moment his foe is on the watch for him, he wants to break the thread of his life. If he manages to do that, all will wonder what has happened with this man. They would eventually say that he has died from a heart attack. However, the friend of this man is coming right at the moment of that ambush; he stands against his foe, and strikes him down. After that this man says, “A great mishap I have gone through, but, I thank God, I am saved.” People have a misunderstanding of salvation. Only God saves – He has created the world, He saves.
From all things said so far, keep hold of the following thought in your mind: only one link exists in the world. It is the link with the Divine consciousness, which is in position to help all people, all living creatures – from the smallest, to the biggest. Therefore, whatever happens in your life, keep in your mind the thought that you have a link with the Divine consciousness, which under no circumstances in life would abandon you. Once you have this link, you will be in position to think, to feel, to act. Once you have this link, you will never be forgotten. The same thing is noticed among the worldly people: as long as their party is strong, they have faith, and are able to do a lot of things for it; once their party weakens, they lose their power as well. So, when he is linked with the Divine consciousness, man is capable of anything; once he doubts in this link, he weakens, he becomes discouraged, and loses the meaning of Life.
Reflection
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