THE ARCANE FORMULAS/PART 8

 

LESSON 8.

NEUTRALIZING RHYTHM.

IN  the  Arcane Teaching  we have seen  the evidence of  the universality  of  the Laws  of  Rhythm,  Cyclicity  and  Balance.  In the  realm  of  the  emotion and feelings  these  laws  are  as  fully  manifest  as  in the  physical  world.  The  Arcane Teachers instruct  their Neophytes in  the  art  of  mastering,  controlling  and applying  these laws,  instead  of  assuming  a  negative attitude toward  them. Instead of  meekly  bowing  and yielding  to these  laws,  the  advanced individual  either neutralizes such  activities as he deems to  his disadvantage, or else transmutes or applies the laws to his own  advantage and  progress. Instead of  allowing  himself  to  be overwhelmed  by  the laws,  as by  a  great ocean-wave,  he rises on  the crest of  the wave and  rides to  safety  on  it.  The laws  may  be  harnessed and made  to work  for  the  individual,  instead of being  allowed to overwhelm  and master  him.

The  general  principles stated  in  the preceding  chapter on  Mastering  the Opposites  are  equally  applicable  to the  Mastery of  Rhythm,  Cyclicity and Balance.  When the  Ego realizes  that  its  real  nature  is  centred and focalized in Will,  then it  is  able  to neutralize  the  opposites.  And, in the  phenomena  of rhythm,  cyclicity  and balance  the  underlying  principle  is  that  of  the Opposites.  For,  in  rhythm  we find  a  movement  to-and-fro  between  the  two poles  of  the  opposites.  In cyclicity  there  is  a  circular  movement  imparted by reason of  the  poles,  or  opposites,  of  centre  and circumference, in fact many cyclic movements  are  merely forms  of  rhythm,  as  we  have  seen in the Arcane  Teachings.  And,  in Balance  there  is  evidenced the  presence  of  the two poles or opposites, the weights of each tending to maintain the balance or  compensation.  And,  Poise,  that  great  attainment,  is  accomplished  by preserving  the right  relation  between  the poles or opposites.  So,  you  may see,  that  in  the Mastery  of  the Opposites the  Neophyte really  acquires the mastery  of  Rhythm, Cyclicity and Balance. The  principle  of  Polarity  underlies everything.

The Law of  Rhythm  is best  described  in  the words  of  the Aphorism,  which informs us that: "Everything moves to-and-fro in Rhythm,  between  its two poles.  Everything  rises  and falls  in Rhythm,  within  the  limits  of  its  nature. Everything  advances  and retreats  in Rhythm,  within the  limits  of  its  power."

On the  plane  of  emotion and feeling  the  Law  of  Rhythm  is  constantly  in evidence.  We  find that  we  swing  like  a  pendulum  between  the extremes or poles of  our feelings or emotions.  To-day we  are  sad—tomorrow we are joyful;  today  we  are  gloomy—tomorrow  we  are  bright  and hopeful;  today we  are  slothful—tomorrow  we are active and  energetic.  A  study  of  our emotions  and feelings  will  reveal  to  us the fact that  these  mental  states are like  the  ocean and have  their  tides,  in and out,  high and low,  flood and  ebb. We find action and  reaction ever  evident  in our  emotional  life.

Moreover we find  that  when  we indulge in  an  extreme degree of  any emotion or  feeling  we  have  a  tendency  to fly  to the  opposite  pole  of  that feeling  or  emotion.  The  law  of  reaction follows  the  action.  The  reaction may arise  either  from  a  revulsion occasioned  by  a  sense  of  impotency  or powerlessness to  attain  the object  desired  or hoped  for;  or  else from  a satiety  resulting  from  the attainment  of  the object  of  the desire and  the discovery  that  it  was  not  what  we  had expected of  it.  We  need not  point  to special  examples of  this,  for  the experience of  every  one who  reads these words will  supply  the necessary  examples.

Love,  hate,  or  anger,  if  carried to an extreme  point,  have  a  tendency  to fly back  to  the opposite pole with  a  startling  rapidity.  And,  likewise,  extreme elation  is very  apt  to  bound  back  to  its  extreme opposite  and cause  us  to experience extreme  depression.  This is  so  common  that  the  mere mention of  the  fact  is  sufficient  to prove  it  to anyone.  In the  same  way many know that  fear  and courage  have  a  tendency  to react  into each other,  if  either  be carried to  an extreme.  Many  a  man manifesting  extreme  courage  will  find himself  swung  suddenly  back  to a  state  of  dire  fear.  In the  same  way,  and from  the same law,  many  have found  themselves  in  a  state of  extreme  fear, and then suddenly when they could proceed no further they would experience  a  sudden bound of  desperation carrying  them  to a  state  of extreme recklessness and  daring.  The experience of  soldiers have shown  the bravest  men  suddenly  possessed  of  a  pitiful  fear—the reaction  from  the courage;  and,  likewise,  we see  the  manifestation  of  occasional  bursts  and spurts  of  reckless  daring  and startling  foolhardiness  from  notorious cowards. We,  personally,  know  of  a  case  in which a  man who was  a  self-confessed  coward,  was  suddenly  overcome  with  such a  revulsion at  his  own lack  of  courage  that  he  sprung  to the  fore  and performed  a  deed so startling,  daring,  and reckless  that  he  won a  special  mention in the  report  of the battle and  was ever afterward  regarded  as a  man  of  the highest courage.

Persons  who dwell  principally on the  plane  of  the  emotions  live  in a  state  of alternate  heaven and hell.  Now  enjoying  to the  fullest  the  upward swing they  revel  in  the  ecstasies of  emotional  feeling  until  they  feel  as if  they  were indeed gods.  Then comes  the  backward swing  which plunges  them  into the hell  of  depression,  melancholy,  remorse,  regret  or  feeling  of  impotence  and uselessness.  The  more emotional  the person,  the  higher and  lower in  the scale  of  feeling  does  he  travel.  Those  who are  willing  to pay  the  price  of these extremes—the toll  of  feeling—are of  course free  to  do  so.  But  the individual  who finds  himself  resting  on  Will,  his  real  nature,  grows  impatient and restless  under  the  force  of  the  play  of  his  emotive  nature,  and is  forced to  take steps to  master and  rule that part  of  his  being.  Instead of  swinging backward and forward between the  poles  of  emotion and feeling,  he  seeks and acquires  the  balance  and  poise  of  the  focalized will.

The  first  step  in the  direction of  neutralizing  rhythm  lies  in  the  realization of the existence  of  rhythm  itself.  When one  comes  to realize  that  the  hot  fit  is certain to  be  followed by  the  cold—the  high by  the  low—the  exaltation by the depression—the  courage  by  the  fear—the  activity  by the  slothfulness— and  vice  versa,  then  does he cease to  identify  himself  so  closely  with  either of  the  poles,  and,  on the  contrary,  grows  to regard them  as  mere  natural incidents of  his mental  nature.  He values them  at  their true  worth, and  refuses  to allow  his  Will to  become  involved  in  his  emotion and feeling. He knows  that  his  depression  will  be  followed by  a  stage  of  reaction,  and so he refuses  to  take his depression  seriously.  Likewise,  knowing  the truth,  he refuses  to  allow his exaltation  to  excite  him  unduly.  In  short,  he centres more and more  upon his  Will  nature,  and from  that  position he  stands  aside, as  it  were,  and watches  calmly  the  swing  of  his  feelings  and emotions between  their two  poles.  In  a  way,  he  detaches himself  from  the swing  of  the rhythmic emotions,  and lives  on the  plane  of  Will.  This  mental  state may  be figuratively pictured as  the  individual  resting  on the  plane  of  Will,  and watching  the  swing  of  the  emotional  pendulum  beneath him,  on a  lower plane,  without  allowing  his  Will  to become  involved.

The Neophyte may  acquire this immunity  from  the effect  of  emotional rhythm  by  focalizing  on  his Will  when  he is threatened  adversely  by  the emotional  feeling.  He  will  acquire  a  mental  "knack" of  rising  above  the  plane of  emotional  feeling,  or  to  the  plane  of  Will,  and there  calmly  watching  and observing  the  storm  of  emotion,  without  being  influenced by  it.  It  is  like  one sailing  in a  balloon above  the  storm  clouds  which are  thundering,  and flashing  lightning,  beneath him.  On the  plane  of  Will  there  is  Peace  and Power undreamt of  by  those still  on  the emotional  plane.

But  this  immunity  to rhythmic emotion does  not  come  to the  Neophyte  all  at once.  It  is  a  matter of  time,  practice and  growth.  It  is aided  by  the steady practice  of  refusing  to take  the  emotional swing too  seriously.  Refuse  to admit  it  as  being  yourself—deny  away  its  reality.  See,  and think  of  it,  always, as  something  connected with  your  mental  being  but  not in any  real  way  You, yourself.  Stand aside  and watch the  play  of  your  emotional  nature,  and before  long  you  will  be  able  to laugh at  its  antics.  You  will  see  how essentially  unreal  it  is  when compared with the  mental  life  on the  plane  of Will. Once  even partially  freed from  the  bondage  of  emotion and feeling,  you will  never  willingly return to  the  old thralldom.

This  does  not  mean that  you  should never  use  your  emotional  nature.  On the contrary,  you  will  find it  advantageous  to  play out  the  part  often,  for the energy aroused by the  emotions  are  strongly  motive,  and will  enable  you  to accomplish much if  it  is  properly  applied.  But,  remember  always,  never  allow yourself  to become  enmeshed and involved in the  emotional  storms  or activities.  Handle the emotions as a  Master does an  instrument -but  never yield yourself  up  to  your  emotions  as  a  passive  slave  or  instrument,  any more than you  would yield yourself  up  to the  power  and influence  of  some entity  outside  of  yourself. You  have  a  part  to play  in the  world—a  part  which is  as  much of  a "character" as  that  assumed by the  actor.  And,  in  order  to  play  it  well  you will  find it  necessary  to throw  into it  feeling  and emotion,  just  as  the  actor throws these into his part. But  the best  actor always maintains a  basic knowledge that  he is merely  acting,  and  his  emotional  activity  is  merely the result  of  previous thought and  trained  art.  Art in the  management of  the emotion  consists  in  selecting  the  emotional  activity adapted  to  the accomplishment of  the  task  or  work  on  hand, and  the  restricting  of  all  other emotions.  Instead of  being  a  blind tool  and instrument  of  the  emotional nature,  you  should use  the  latter  rationally—selecting  that  which is desirable and  helpful,  and  restraining  the rest.  Beware always of  the reaction and return  swing  of  the  emotional  pendulum  of  rhythm.  When it swings  back  from  a  desirable  emotion,  do you  then mount  to the  plane  of Will,  and from  there  view  it  smilingly and with equanimity.  Take  what  you want,  and  neutralize the  rest.

 

NEXT CHAPTER 

Cyclicity And Balance.