THE ARCANE FORMULAS/PART 5
LESSON
5.
WILL
FOCALIZATION
The Neophyte
who has advanced to the stage
in which, in the
ancient Occult parlance, he
"has found himself,"
has discovered that his
Real Self is something
far different from
anything that he
ever had imagined it to be.
Instead of being an entity with distinctly marked characteristics and personal
peculiarities, he discovers
that it
is a something the
nature of which can be stated only
in the sense of
Potentiality. We do not
mean for a moment that the
Ego is existent only in
a potential sense
--- on the contrary, it
is actually existent
in the most extreme and
positive sense. In fact,
its existent being is
endowed with such
a degree of actuality
that all else seems to fade into relative
non-existence. There is no
question of "I
Am Not" about the
Ego --- it is
first, last and always
a Something of
which the positive “I AM"
can, and
must be, asserted.
It is only when
we come to examine the nature, attributes and
qualities of this "I
AM" Ego, that
we are forced to
use the terms of Potentiality
instead of actuality.
Let us consider this a
little further, for in its understanding
lies the solution of
many occult paradoxes.
In the first
place, if we are keen
analytics, and understand
the precise terms of philosophical
psychology, we will see that
the Formulas for
Establishing the Ego, and the practice of the exercises arising there from,
have divorced from the Ego
the usual attributes, characteristics and
personal peculiarities which
are popularly supposed
to belong to, and to be
inseparably connected with it.
Setting aside as
the "Not I" first
one feeling and then another; first
one emotion and then
another; first one
characteristic and then
another; first one
personal peculiarity and then another; and placing them in turn in the "Not
I" category --- the
Neophyte finds that
after he has stripped the Ego
of all the attributes of Personality,
there is still
a Something left --- an
irreducible element --- an
insoluble residuum ---
a surd, or something
which while actually existent
yet is incapable
of being described, expressed or designated
by rational terms
--- a final
algebraical x, or Unknown
Ultimate Element. As to
the existence of
this Unknown Element, or Ego,
there is no doubt
in the Occult Teachings, however different
as the modern philosophies may about
the matter --- moreover,
it is a matter
which may be determined by the conscious
experience of any
one who will practice
the exercises of the Formulas,
in the proper way. The "I
AM" will always be found at the
centre of the
self, and will always
respond "I AM!"
But when
we attempt to describe this Ultimate "I" ---
when we attempt to endow it
with attributes, qualities,
or peculiarities, then
do we find ourselves at sea, for these things
all belong to the
plane of Personality, while the "I"
transcends Personality, and cannot be
expressed or designated in the
terms of the latter. But,
nevertheless there is found
a way of
identifying the "I."
Philosophical psychology, both occult
and popular --- both esoteric and exoteric ---
gives us a
term whereby we may discuss
and consider the "I," or Ultimate
Element of Self. This
"I," which we have
stated as the final algebraical x,
or unknown ultimate element
of the Self,
is found to be identical with the
highest philosophical and psychological conception
of what has been called the Will.
Thus the x equals The Will. Let
us then try to
understand the "I" by considering
what the highest human
thought reports regarding the
Will. By studying the
symbol we may
understand the reality.
Brushing aside
as unworthy the
popular conception of the
Will, we find that the
highest philosophical and
psychological thought uses
the term "The Will" to designate the
underlying Essence of
Being --- the
fundamental life-mind-spirit principle
of the Self. The Ancient
Greek Philosophers so used
the term; the original
Buddhist philosophy so employs
it; we find it
so used by eminent thinkers all
through the history of
philosophical thought;
Schopenhauer, Nietsche and Wundt
used the term in
this sense. The
Arcane Teachers identified the
Principle of Will with SPIRIT --- the Essence--the "beingness" of Being.
The Will is
that Essence or
Spirit, in the Cosmos
and in the individual, which is
ever moving, changing
its manifestations, flowing,
evolving, proceeding, desiring, attaining,
seeking, accomplishing. It
contains within itself the potentiality
of Everything, but it itself
cannot be said
to be any of the
things it manifests.
Prof. William
Sturgis Bigelow, in his lecture
on "Buddhism and Immortality,"
delivered in Harvard University, 1908, (Published by Houghton
Mifflin Company, New York),
beautifully states the
esoteric conception of Will, in describing
the Buddhist conception of
life and immortality. We take
great pleasure in calling your
attention to the following quotations
from the said lecture.
Prof. Bigelow says:
"We
are all,
as we familiarly say, conscious
of our own existence. Under
this statement we habitually
include, in more or
less confusion, several
distinct elements. First,
the existence of our
material body as objects of
sensory perception . . . Second,
of certain sensations, pleasurable
or painful, originating
not outside but inside
the body itself. Third, of
certain disturbances . .
that we classify as
passions or emotions. Fourth, of
what we call
aptitudes and their
opposites. Fifth, of
desires or inclinations and their
opposite. Lastly, of something
of a wholly different character,
consciously closer to the
centre than anything else,
and differing from the
other forms in being the
only form of consciousness
to which we are
not passive. This
we call Will. We say, I
feel sensation, pain or
emotion; but we
never say, I
feel my Will.
It is always subjective
and active. . . . This
Will is a
part of the
normal consciousness of each one
of you, yet
it is neither
a part of
sensation nor emotion, but, on the
contrary, is capable
of dominating both.
What is it? Ask
your own consciousness. Sensations
originate outside and inside
the body; emotions, inside. But
the Will is deeper than either,
and they are both objective to it.
We cannot classify
it with anything
else. We cannot
describe it in terms of any other
form of consciousness. We
are conscious through our bodies and of
our bodies, but
the consciousness of the Will
is direct. We cannot
separate ourselves from
it. We cannot
stand off and examine it. We
cannot modify it by
anything else. It
itself modifies everything within
its scope. Other forms of
consciousness are objective to
it, but it is
never objective to them. It may
be overpowered by sensations,
emotions, or passions, through
its own weakness or their strength. It
often is. But its attitude towards them, whether resisting or directing them, is
always, essentially and necessarily active.
It exists in no
other form than the subjective form.
It is inconceivable
in any other form.
If it is
not active, it is
not Will. There
is nothing in our
consciousness deeper. It
underlies and overlies and permeates all
other forms, and, moreover,
--- what is of
immeasurably more importance, --- it
can if need be, create
them, . .
.Will is the assertion of
a form of
consciousness from the
centre outward. When this
is opposed by another
form of consciousness, intruding
from the circumference inward,
we recognize a
hindrance to the free
action of the Will, and
we talk of
'necessity'. But such intrusive forms
. . come from or
through . . .
the material, separate personality. If
it were not
for these the Will would act freely.
The separate personal
consciousness with its offshoots
is, therefore, the
only obstacle to complete
freedom of the Will.
Complete freedom of
the Will is
complete freedom of
consciousness, and complete freedom
of consciousness from
the habitual and empirical limitations of personality
is complete freedom of the Will.
The terms are interchangeable. The
only Will that is not
free is the personal
Will. Descartes said, 'I think,
therefore, I am.'
It is an imperfect formula at
best but it would have been a
better statement .
. . had he
said, 'I
Will, therefore I am.'"
Thus do we
find that the Ego,
or "I" is, in its
last possible human analysis, WILL. And thus
do we find that Will
is in the
nature of Potential
Infinite Manifestation of
All-Activity --- the Essential
Being of all
Being --- the Plastic Essence which may
mould itself into any and all
forms --- the Essence
of Activity which may manifest
how and as it pleases, under
The LAW always.
As
we said in Lesson XII, of The Arcane
Teaching: Running back
from cause to prior cause,
and to still
more remote precedent causes
of his desires, the Individual finds
himself at last
confronting the Cosmic Will.
Retracing his path back
to the present, he
finds himself confronting
his Personal Will which is
moved by Desire. In
other words, he
finds a Chain of
Desire extending from the
Cosmic Will to the Personal
Will --- a
chain of countless links, having
a beginning in Will,
and ending in Will ---
an Endless Chain, because it is a
Circle. Thereupon he learns the first lesson
of the Arcane Secret of
the Excluded Middle, and thenceforth strives to realize
the union of the
two ends of
Will. From the
realization of this Union arises
the Individual Will ---
the Positive Will
of the Ego.
In this process the
Law of Cause and
Effect is not
violated, but WILL is
made the Cause
of Will ---
the Cause and Effect
merge. When this is
attained --- then does
Man indeed become the Master!
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