THE ARCANE TEACHINGS/PART 3

 

 

Part III.

The Life of the Ego.

Lesson VII. The One and the Many. Lesson  VIII.  Metempsychosis. Lesson IX. Survival of the Fittest.

 

 

Lesson VII.

The One And The Many.

We now invite you to consider the important philosophical problem of The One and The Many, as explained by the Arcane Teaching. In the philosophies which hold that The One Life is the Absolute, this problem is unexplainable, for it is impossible to conceive of the Absolute, which is immutable and indivisible, changing and dividing itself into parts, or apparently doing so. With the recognition of the fact that the Cosmic One Life is not the Absolute, but is under Law, then the difficulty vanishes. Let us listen to the Aphorism:

Aphorism xii. Know ye, that in Truth, there is but One Life and not many lives. Separateness is but relative and partial— illusory—the creative fiction of the Cosmos. Who teaches otherwise, errs. In the Cosmic Will there is the One Life in which, and by which, is manifested the Many.

In the previous lessons we have seen that the Cosmic Will is the “lifeness” of all Life, just as Consciousness is its “livingness.” Back of, and under, all manifestations of Life, there is always the Cosmic Will. But the Cosmic Will precedes the particular manifestation that we call “Life,” for it existed before Life appeared in the Cosmos. The great Cosmic energies and activities which manifested in world‑building in all its phases, were but manifestations of the Cosmic Will bestirring itself.

The fundamental activities show but little evidence of what we call Life—there seems to be but little Life in the mineral kingdom—but still the Will is seen in operation there, building up and tearing down; arranging and rearranging; combining and recombining. The attraction and repulsion of the atoms (and of the particles composing the atoms) shows us that the Will is present and in operation in these lowly manifestations. In  Gravitation,  we  see  a  wonderful  evidence  of  the  operation  of the  Cosmic Will. In Chemical Affinity and Molecular Cohesion we have similar evidences. In all the great Natural Laws, in evidence throughout the Cosmos, we may see the operation of the Cosmic Will, always. The laws of Physics demonstrate clearly the existence of some great  Conative power, animating, energizing, and manifesting in every part and particle of creation. One must indeed be a blind materialist to fail to see ever at work that “Something Within” manifesting as the “Something Without.” The building up of the crystal, from liquid to regular and exact geometrical form, should be sufficient to convince anyone that there is a “Something at work” in it. Even the materialist is forced to recognize these facts—and he  does recognize it, and calls that Something by the name of “Nature.” We have no quarrel with names—if the term “Nature” suits you, use it by all means. But if you think clearly, you must recognize that your “Nature” is Conative, and acts and manifests as a Cosmic Will.

These fundamental activities and manifestations of the Cosmic Will or One Life, are akin to the activities and manifestations of our own lives. Stop to consider that your body was built up from a single cell by your Live Forces—not only your fleshy parts, but your hair, nails, teeth, and even the hardest bones which form your framework. And, likewise, the flint‑like shell of the clam, oyster, and other hard‑shell animals were so built up; not to speak of the harder geometrical crystal forms of the diamond and other minerals, which are but “built‑up” shapes and forms.

The diamond is composed of carbon, which is but a gaseous substance which becomes solid under certain conditions. The hard ivory of the elephant’s tusk was built up from cells, by the Life Forces within the animal itself. So you see that Life can build up  hard  substances  as well as soft ones. And the same force that builds up these hard substances, builds up the rocks and hills, and mountains, and minerals that form  the body of Nature. Just as certain functions of the animal or human brain manifest in building up the body of the Cosmos.

The Cosmic Will from the beginning has sought to embody itself in objective form, in order to manifest Consciousness, which is the “livingness” of Life, as we have explained in a previous lesson. Like the Life Forces in any being, it first concerned itself in providing a body for itself, in order that it would have a substantial foundation for further and higher manifestation of its Life. In the Cosmos the material plane of activity is the one first operated upon. Then comes the slowing down of the vibrations of Motion, and the Principle of Substance produces the elementary particles which, combining, form matter. Then matter begins to evolve into higher forms, until at last there is produced the combination in which is possible the manifestation that we call Organic Life. From the lowly living cell-like creatures in the slimy depths of the primeval ocean-beds, arise step by step, slowly, tediously, painfully, arduously, and haltingly, but surely and steadily, form after form of higher and still higher living organisms. The modern scientific theory of Evolution—which, however, was antedated some twenty-five hundred years by the Ancient Greek Philosophers—tells us a true tale of the slow rise and development of life forms. At last Man—a poor, weak, brutal creature with wonderful possibilities, was evolved by the One Life in its urge toward Conscious Life. And this poor creature has advanced wonderfully. And Evolution does not stop here—for Man is but an intermediate step. On other worlds in the Cosmos, there are beings as much higher than Man, as man is higher than the earthworm. Our planet is but one of millions upon millions of millions of worlds, in which Evolution is at work. We are away down low in the  scale of worlds and  being. There are beings as great as man’s conceptions of the gods of old, dwelling on some of these planets and worlds. Some of us have dwelt on these brighter spheres, but have been sent back a grade or two in order to complete tasks left undone; or to gain experiences necessary; or because the fires of material desire had not yet died out in us, and  we  needed to “get  enough  of  it”  once more, in order to be free of the dross. There are planes of Life so transcendentally grand and exalted, that Man’s wildest imagination cannot conceive of them. And, on the other hand, there are worlds lower in the scale so sunken in materiality and foulness, that  the orthodox hell  would  be preferable to  them. Man  goes  where his desires take him. He travels the road of his desires and thoughts. He makes his own route—he guides his own vessel. Man is his own Destiny.

The Many Lives are but Centres of Life in the great One Life. Separateness is but the “creative fiction” of the Cosmos— illusory and relative. All Life is but One, in its fundamental nature. The entire Cosmos is but One Life, in which we are parts or centres—in its Being we “live and move and have our being.”

The One Life is not far away, but is all around us, and immanent within us. While one phase of the Cosmic Paradox shows the individual to be but an infinitesimal unit in a stupendous whole, the other phase shows the individual to be identical with the Whole—connected with all by spiritual bonds and links—and sharing the infinite possibilities of the All. The life of the individual is not bounded by his personal limitations, but includes the life of the All. In this understanding and recognition there is found the reconciliation, unity and agreement between the contradictory phases of life and the universe. True spiritual advancement depends upon the increasing recognition and identification of the individual with the All.

An important point in the Arcane Teaching is that which holds that the Cosmos is, and can be, conscious only through and by means of the various centres of consciousness within itself. Without these centres of consciousness within itself— the consciousness of You and I and all the rest—the One Life would be unconscious. Just as the individual can be conscious only through his stream of units of consciousness, so can the One Life be conscious only through its stream of centres of consciousness.  Destroy  these  centres  of  consciousness,  and  the Cosmos once more is resolved into its condition of Unconscious Nothingness. And, moreover, the One Life can live only through its centres of Life—the centres called You and I, and the rest. Will is the “lifeness” of Life—Consciousness is the “livingness” of Life—and the individual is the centre of both Will and Consciousness, and therefore of Life. As the Cosmos advances in the Cosmic Day, there is manifested a constantly increasing blending or unification of the various centres of Life—a constantly increasing identification of the individual with the All. And, thus is accomplished the approach to the Cosmic High Noon, when the One Life,  as one life and consciousness, lives, wills and is conscious. Before that time comes, the illusion of Separateness is manifested—the “creative fiction” of the Cosmos operates in working out the approach to Cosmic Consciousness.

Thus it is seen that the Cosmos, or One Life, does not manifest as separate units of life in order to amuse itself, or to try experiments, or any of the various “explanations” hazarded by philosophy, metaphysics, or theology. It manifests through the centres,  because it must do so in order to live and be conscious. Creation  and  the  Universe  is  not  a  matter  of whim, unreasoning desire, or arbitrary fiat of the One Life of the Cosmos. Far from that. It is the Cosmic Necessity. Just as you must  live  in order to be alive so must the Cosmos manifest Life in order to live and be conscious. Just as you find the imperative demand for life within yourself; so does the Cosmic Life find the imperative demand for Life within itself. The One Life is under the  Law, just as you are under the Laws. The urge of “Must” is ever impelling it forward. It is not Free—it is under the  Law  and The Laws. The  Law  is ever over and above it—the Seven Laws are constantly in operation within it. The One Life is not a cruel, arbitrary master or ruler. It is your Greater Self, and subject to the same laws which govern you.  It is doing the best it can, for  itself,  and  therefore for you. When the  individual realizes this fact—the fact that the One Life is doing the best it can; is bound by the Laws as much as is the individual; that there is no manifestation of arbitrary desire, or unreasoning whim in the Cosmic  machinery; that  One is  All, and All  is One;  then there appears  a  reason  and  explanation  for  much  in  life  which  has hitherto defied explanation or reason; or theory of justice and equity. Then is there seen an explanation of that apparently arbitrary, despotic manifestation of power, which caused old Omar Khayyam to utter his rebellious protests, and cry aloud:

“Into this Universe, and ‘Why’ not knowing, Nor ‘Whence,’ like Water willy-nilly flowing; And out of it, as Wind along the Waste, I know not ‘Whither,’ willy-nilly blowing.

“What, without asking, hither hurried ‘Whence’? And, without asking, ‘Whither’ hurried hence! Oh, many a cup of this forbidden Wine Must drown the memory of that insolence!

“A moment guessed—then back behind the Fold Immerst of Darkness round the Drama rolled, Which for the pastime of Eternity He doth himself contrive, enact, behold.

“We are no other than a moving row Of Magic Shadow-shapes that come and go Round with the Sun-illumined Lantern held In midnight by the Master of the Show.

“But helpless Pieces of the Game He plays Upon His Chequer-board of Nights and Days; Hither and Thither moves, and checks, and slays, And one by one back in the Closet lays.

“The Ball no question makes of Ayes and Noes, But Here or There as strikes the Player goes; And He that tossed you down into the Field, He knows about it all—He knows—He knows.”

Many daring thinkers who setting aside “the bribe of heaven and threat of hell” have dared to look Life in the face, have been overcome by a sense of impotent subjection to an arbitrary Being who, being able to remedy conditions, and knowing of the pains of mortal life in the universe, nevertheless has deliberately imposed such conditions upon living things. Such thinkers find it impossible to reconcile  the  claimed  qualities  of  Love  and Good in such a Being, with the manifestations of apparent injustice, inequity, pain and suffering which made pessimists of great  souls like Buddha, Lao-tze, and the writer of the Koheleth or Ecclesiastes. Indeed, viewing Life from this viewpoint, one finds it hard to escape the conviction which inspired the bitter words of old Omar, when he cried:

“What! out of senseless Nothing to provoke A conscious Something to resent the yoke Of unpermitted Pleasure, under pain Of everlasting Penalties, if broke!

“What! from his helpless Creature be repaid Pure Gold for what he lent him dross-allay’d; Sue for a debt we never did contract And cannot answer—Oh, the sorry trade!

“O Thou who didst with pitfall and with gin Beset the Road I was to wander in, Thou wilt not with Predestined Evil round Enmesh, and then impute my fall to Sin!

“O Thou who Man of baser Earth didst make, And ev’n with Paradise devise the Snake: For all the Sin wherewith the Face of Man Is blackened—Man’s forgiveness give—and take!”

 

But with the dawning knowledge that the One Life, or World-Spirit, is  not  The Absolute, but is under Law and Laws superimposed upon it, then we have a picture of an Universal Being which suffers with us and through us; rises with us and through us; strives with us and through us; attains with us and through us; rejoices with us and through us; conquers with us and through us—and whose Life is composed of our lives; whose  consciousness is composed of our consciousness.  Such a Being is seen to be, at the last, one with ourselves, instead of an outside power—and consequently, such a Being is seen to be eternally making for Good-making for  our  good, for we are one  with  itself.  Such a  Being is  seen  to  be  but  the Composite Self of all the individual selves of the Cosmos—the Real Self. And in the recognition of all this, our bitterness must die  away, and a great feeling of compassion, sympathy, understanding and love must be manifested by us—and felt by us. Then must come that sense of Oneness with the All which is the great reconciler—which harmonizes the Opposites, and establishes the Cosmic Balance.

This One Life is You—and You are it. Centres of Life, apparently  separate  are  we  now—but  steadily  growing  toward that time, phase and state of Cosmic Consciousness, in which the All shall know itself as One—and the One know itself as All.

As the Ego progresses through the stages of Spiritual Evolution, its consciousness enlarges and expands, including more and more of the Cosmos within it as the Self, until the stages of Cosmic Consciousness are reached in which the Ego finds itself  blending into  the Whole, and the All blending into the Self. This is what is meant by Cosmic Consciousness; Spiritual Consciousness; Transcendental  Consciousness; the Higher Consciousness; the Moksha, of the Brahmans; the Nirvana, of the Buddhists; the Union with God, of the Mystics; the Divine Marriage, of the Sufis; the Brahmic Splendor, of the Oriental poets—of all those transcendental states of Consciousness, in which the Self blends into the All, in varying degrees according to the development of the soul. This is the Secret of the Mystics of all times and lands—this the Mystery of Buddha—this the Divine Bliss of the Brahmans—this the “Wine” of the Sufi symbology, Even old Omar, in his bitter complaint, was true to his Sufi instincts, and recognized the One:

“Whose secret Presence, through Creation’s veins Running Quicksilver-like eludes your pains; Taking all shapes from Mah to Mahi; and T hey change and perish all—but  He  remains.”

And this was the thought that inspired these striking lines from an unknown poet:

“Thou great Eternal Infinite! Thou great Unbounded Whole! Thy body is the Universe! Thy spirit is its soul! If Thou dost fill Immensity—If Thou art All-in-All— Then I’m in Thee, and Thou in Me, or I’m not here at all! How can I be outside of Thee, when Thou fill Earth and Air? There surely is no place for Me outside of Everywhere! If Thou art ALL, and Thou dost fill Immensity of Space, Then in Thy  Being  do I dwell, or else I have no place. And if I have no place at all—what am doing Here?

 

 

 

 

 

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Beyond the All I cannot Be—outside of Everywhere!

Then truly in Thy  Self  am I—and Thou must be in  Me; Or else there is no All-in-All—no Me, nor Thee, to  Be!”

This One is the great Cosmic Spirit—Cosmic Will—Life Principle—One Life of The Cosmos—in which the Arcane Teachers find the Real Self and Universal Being. This is the great Principle of Life and Being, in which “we live, and move, and have our being.” This is the great Cosmic Life which awakens in the Dawn of the Cosmic Day, and thence proceeds gradually to evolve into the Cosmic Consciousness of High Noon; thence on to rest in the ecstatic state of transcendental Bliss, Consciousness, and Being—sat-chit-ananda, the Hindus call it—the Kingdom of Heaven, other  mystics have  called  it—during  the Afternoon of the Cosmic day, which state extends over countless æons of time; thence passing into the dream-like slumber of the Twilight of the Cosmic Day; thence on toward the resolution into the state of Unconsciousness in the Infinity of Nothingness of the Cosmic Midnight; thence on to the Re-awakening at the first glimpses of the Dawn of the new Cosmic Day. As Above, so Below; as Below, so Above! From One, Know All!

Thus is the Great Cycle of the Cosmos—thus the Working of the Laws. And, ever over all dwells The  Law, unchanged, peaceful, undisturbed—ever the same—Alone—Absolute.

 

 

 

Lesson VIII.

Metempsychosis.

It is not our purpose to enter into a discussion of the world-old and world-wide doctrine of Metempsychosis, Re-Birth, Reincarnation, or Re-embodiment, or by whatever other name it may be known. The modern world has awakened to a new knowledge of this ancient doctrine and truth, but in learning it has absorbed much error with the principle of truth. We  shall not attempt to prove the doctrine of Metempsychosis. All true occultists know that every soul which ever has experienced re-embodiment or rebirth has an intuitional assurance of the truth of having lived before, some time, some where—an assurance perhaps dim, but still persistent. Those who have not this inner assurance in  some  degree  have never experienced rebirth, although they may have rebirth awaiting them after the present earth life. To those who have not this inner assurance, it is folly to attempt to prove Metempsychosis— at the best they will receive it merely as one of a number of idle speculations on the unknowable hereafter. To those who have the inner assurance, in some degree, no other proof is necessary, although explanation and teaching regarding the same is eagerly sought after. In this, and the following lesson, we shall ask you to consider the Arcane Teaching regarding the details of Metempsychosis, Reincarnation, and Re-birth. Many of the points of the Teaching may seem strange and startling to those who  have  studied  other  teachings—but  careful  study  and comparison will show the Truth in spite of the contradictions from without. For the first point, listen to the Aphorism:

Aphorism xiii. Know ye this first Truth of Metempsychosis: The Ego is evolved from the Personal Self. Every living thing possesses a Personal Self, but even among men, many fail to reach Egohood. Egohood is  earned, not bestowed as an universal natural gift. Many personalities are born, but few Egos are evolved. Personality perishes in the Astral World, after the death of the physical body—Egohood persists in Re-embodiment and Rebirth.

This startling truth, embodied in the Aphorism, IS one of the fundamental principles of the Arcane Teaching. The majority of religions and philosophies have held to the idea of the universality of immortality, although there have been some notable exceptions to the rule. The  Arcane Teaching  however has always held that Egohood (with survival and re-birth) is conditional and exceptional. It has held that there must be earned and evolved an Ego, before that Ego may persist in Re-embodiment and Re-birth. Many of the ordinary teachings regarding Reincarnation hold that there is a continuous chain of Rebirth or Reincarnations from the lowest form of animal life (and often still lower) to that of advanced Man and beyond. This is not so held in the Arcane Teaching. The Arcane Teaching holds that there is Physical Evolution from the very lowest life forms to the highest (up to a certain advanced stage to be noted hereafter), but that Spiritual Evolution begins only when the Ego is evolved from the Personal Self of some creature on the plane of humanity, or some plane equal to it in other worlds. From thence on there is Spiritual Evolution, and Metempsychosis, Re-birth or Re-embodiment, which latter continues until the Ego passes through that stage and thenceforth pursues its Spiritual Evolution without the necessity of Rebirth. Most positively does the Arcane Teaching deny that  You, the Ego, as a soul, have arisen by steps of Spiritual Evolution from the various soul-stages of the animals. The Arcane Teachings also hold that the majority of human beings on earth to-day have not developed Egohood, and are therefore not likely to be reborn or re-embodied, but will, after a period of life in the Astral World, in their astral bodies, again die and fade away, being resolved into their original elements in the Cosmos. All living things have Personality, and are able to distinguish between “Me and Not-Me”—between their personal selves and the things of the outside world. But only a portion of the human race have developed the phase called by psychologists, “Self-Consciousness,” or “The Sense of Individuality,” in which they are able to distinguish between the “I” and the “Me.” By the “Me” is meant the things of personality -the body, the mental states, the feelings, the desires, the characteristics of personality, etc. By the “I” is meant that transcendental Something in oneself which is able to stand aside and apart and view the “Me” as from outside—that something which enables one to feel, “I Am”—that Something which enables one to know that he is superior to the body, or the personality, and that he will always be “I  Am” no matter in what part of the Cosmos he may be, or after how many æons of time  he may say it. It is most difficult to describe this phase of consciousness, but those who have it will recognize it, and those who have it not will likewise realize the lack. Some may not recognize it under the term Ego or the “I Am,” but will understand when we say it is that which may be called “Soul Consciousness”—that is, a consciousness that You are a Soul, inhabiting a body and using a mind—a Something over and above personality and mortal life—a Something destined to live on, and on, and on -a Something which feels and knows that it is. A great many people  do not recognize this Something Within them, but instead believe that  they have a soul, or will have one at least—their idea of “soul” being something that will emerge from them after death. The true Soul recognizes itself as being Now—it can say “I Am the Soul— Here and Now!” This is Egohood in its early stages.

The Cosmic Will, or One Life, begins its work of physical evolution, working from lowly forms to higher and higher, the benefits of acquired  conscious experience being transmitted through the laws of Sequence or Heredity. In this way the lower animals advanced in the scale of evolution, and Man appeared. But Man was, and in many cases is now, but a higher form of the lower animals—his soul life comes later. As Man advanced in the scale, there were evolved personalities which experienced the pangs of soul-birth. They felt the struggles of the developing Something Within, and began to realize that they were individuals—the “I Am” began to manifest itself. These individuals were not always “good” people—both poles of the opposites manifested here as elsewhere—they were simply stronger and more soulful people—people who felt the Real Self within them. Thus were the Egos evolved.

When physical death overcame these individuals, after spending their allotted and usual time in the Astral World, and sinking into the astral slumber preceding the usual astral dissolution and final death, these Egos awoke to a new life in new bodies—Metempsychosis in its earlier stages. Each Ego was reborn into a new body, along the lines of its  general character and desires, although it preserved but  a  faint  memory  of its past life. The Ego preserved its Character, however, although its Personality had slipped away from it. Thenceforth these Egos proceeded along the lines of Spiritual Evolution, in connection with Physical Evolution—and  thereby the One Cosmic Life was enabled to evolve and progress along two lines of Evolution, instead of one as before—the  Cosmic Will doubled its resources. In order to see the “why” and “how” of this process of re-embodiment, or re-birth, let us listen to the Aphorism:

Aphorism xiv. Know ye this second Truth of Metempsychosis: Persistence in Egohood in Rebirth or Re-embodiment, is but the Recollection or the Memory of the Cosmic Will, in the World-Brain. As the mortal brain recollects (and thus embodies) an idea, or thing—so does the World-Brain recollect (and thus embodies) the Egos. This is the Truth of Metempsychosis, and the phases of Life beyond Metempsychosis.

To those who have deemed incapable of solution the “how” of Re-embodiment, the Truth contained in the above Aphorism will come like a flash of lightning illumining the darkness of midnight. The analogy is seen at once by those familiar with the  laws of  the mind  and the phenomena of the brain. An idea or thing, the impression of which is in the memory (occultists claim the memory to be largely astral in its nature) is recalled or recollected, and immediately passes into the field of consciousness. And to pass into the conscious field it must be embodied in the brain substance or cells—it must be given an appropriate body. The Cosmic Will remembers the Ego in the Astral World, and in the World-Brain it again embodies it in material form. We urge you to study this carefully and thoroughly, before proceeding further, in order that you may make this great Truth your own for all time. Consider this: To be remembered by the Cosmic Will in the World-Brain, is to persist in Being—for whatever is so remembered cannot perish so long as the World-Brain persists and exists. And now listen to the Aphorism, telling the third truth of Metempsychosis:

Aphorism xv. Know ye this third Truth of Metempsychosis: In recognizing and knowing the “I,” the individual recognizes and knows the Cosmic Will—and the Cosmic Will knows and recognizes the individual. Egohood is mutual conscious recognition—all below this phase belongs to the subconscious plane of the World-Brain. In this Aphorism is contained another remarkable Truth. It informs us that the “I Am,” or “I,” or “Soul” recognized by the individual, even faintly, is the conscious recognition of the Cosmic Will or One Life which is our Real Self. And, likewise, such recognition is mutual, for in it also is comprised the  recognition of the individual by the One Life. When we know, recognize and realize the “One” within us; then the “One” recognizes us within itself. And thenceforth it remembers us, and our Spiritual Evolution begins. As the Aphorism says: “Egohood is mutual recognition—mutual recognition between the Individual and the All.” The Aphorism also informs us that below the plane of Ego, all the life activities of the World-Brain are along sub-conscious lines—below the plane of Consciousness. In other words, the Being in whom we are, knows and is conscious of us, only when we are conscious of Being within us. The recognition is mutual in consciousness. And,  correspondingly, as we advance in the great scale of Consciousness, we come into a closer recognition and  consciousness  of the One, and the One comes into a closer recognition and consciousness of us. Finally, at the High Noon of Cosmic Consciousness, we come to know that we are the One—and the One comes to know that it is us. And toward this is the aim and goal of Spiritual Evolution.

But not all the Egos reach this stage—many fall by the wayside, or sink into the mire. We shall speak of this in the succeeding lesson, and we mention it here merely to prevent a misapprehension.

The Arcane Teaching does not hold that Re-Birth is imposed arbitrarily upon the Ego, or by reason of punishment or reward for deeds “good and  evil” of the physical life; but, on the contrary, that it proceeds in accordance with the operation of the Seven Laws following the general path of the Desire and Character of the Individual. In other words, the “character” of the individual, which is composed of the sum of his experience and his desires, follows the line of the general Expression of his Desires in deciding his future embodiments and life. Desire is the strong motive force of Life, as we shall explain in a future lesson, and its urge toward expression leads him into certain channels of Re-birth.  An  understanding of Desire and the Will enables the individual to regulate his character so that he may practically map out his future lives instead of allowing them to be determined by Blind Desire as is the case with the majority of the race. Nor does the Arcane Teaching hold that Metempsychosis shall always continue along unconscious lines. The advanced soul reaches the plane of Conscious Re-birth, after a certain stage is passed—and accompanying this comes the Memory of the Past Lives, so that Life becomes continuous in consciousness and memory, after a certain stage of progress is attained. At present, the average Ego is undergoing a stage of spiritual evolution akin to the mental stage of a child of a few years of age. The child remembers but little of its past—the happenings of a few months ago are forgotten—even the affairs of yesterday seem dim today. But  as  the  child  advances  in  years it has  a better and still better remembrance of the past. And, in the same way the advancing soul develops a clearer and still clearer recollection of its  past lives. The dim memories, and flashes of remembrance of the past, which many of us now have, will be succeeded eventually by a full remembrance of the details of our past lives. Moreover, the Arcane Teaching does not hold that Metempsychosis is the final stage of spiritual Evolution. On the contrary, it holds that eventually the evolving Ego will  reach the stage in which Re-embodiment is no longer necessary— and  thenceforth the Ego will be able to actually create its own bodily vehicle of life from the Principle of Substance in which it is immersed.

The Arcane Teaching also hold that Re-embodiment on this one planet continues only so long as the Ego is attracted by Earth things—when it passes beyond the attractions of Earth it rises to meet the attractions of worlds higher in the plane, and so on and on. Or, likewise, it may become so gross that it may sink to a lower level of worlds beneath our own in development. Many of us now abiding on this planet, have been drawn here by reason of having fallen from the higher estate of higher worlds by reason of our material longings. This accounts for the feeling possessed by many that they are “far from home,” accompanied by dim and bitter flashes of remembrance of a brighter, happier and more  glorious life on some higher plane in the past. But the lesson will be heeded, and these “lost souls” who  are  “strangers  far  from  home”  will  follow the “kindly light” which will lead them on to home once more.

The Arcane Teaching holds that the dual-nature in individuals—the “two natures struggling for supremacy”—arise from the struggle between the  “I”  which is the reincarnated Ego, and the “Me” which is the Personality received along the lines of heredity, ancestral race, thought, etc. The “I” is the Real Self -the “Me” is the personality which has been inherited. The “character of the individual arises from the balance struck between the two. The weak soul allows the “Me” to bear down the balance in its own direction; while the strong soul asserts the “I,” and seats itself upon the throne of Individuality.

The very fact of the existence of such a struggle between the “Me” and the “I” of the individual, shows that there must be an “I” or Ego superior to and in a measure independent of the inherited and acquired “Me.” And the fact that the individual experiences this dual-nature is his proof that he has attained at least some degree of Egohood, for those of the race who lack Egohood are like the lower animals and simply follow inherited and racial desire. The only “conflict” in the minds of those lacking Egohood is the conflict between opposing desires of this kind -there is no “I” to set aside desire, or to master it by Will. The strong Ego is able  to master Desire by Will -able not only to desire to will, but to will to will. Desire and Will are the two poles of the manifestation of “Will.” Desire rules the individual, unless he masters it by Will. The Ego may assert its will over the inherited desires of the “Me” or False-Self.

Personality is connected with the physical body and its psychical inheritances, and acquired tendencies. Individuality is connected with the Ego, or Real Self, which is over and above Personality, or the things of personality. Personality is bound and tied by the relative things and  persons connected with one’s personal present incarnation. Individuality is free from those bonds, ties, and limitations, and soars above them in its Cosmic flight. Personality says “I am John Doe, of Akron, grocer, aged 48”; or “Mary Roe, spinster, aged 45”; as the case may be. Individuality says “I am that which I Am”—above names, and forms,  and  personal  sheaths or vehicles. Each Ego has been embodied in numerous personalities during the Spiritual Evolution. Old Atlantis; Chaldea; Egypt; Greece; and other ancient lands have known us. Rome, Tyre, Carthage, Babylon, Troy, and other cities of the past have been ours. We have worshipped Jove; Isis; Thor; Wodin; Baal; Pan; and many other strange gods. We have learned many lessons— we have had many defeats and many victories. And we are now emerging into a conscious realization of what it all means. We have reached the point where we shall have “some say in the matter.” We are facing the Cosmic Adventure with open eyes, and bold hearts—we are going on, and on, and on! The dawn of the Cosmic Knowing is upon us. The light is rising over the hills, bidding us awake to the tasks of the day. Let neither Time nor Space terrify us. Let nations vanish, and worlds disappear— what is that to us? The Cosmos is our Home—all parts of Space our own—all Time ours to live in and employ. All the Time there is—all the Space there is—all the Knowledge there is—is ours to have and to hold. All this is the heritage of him who  can say, and feel, “I  Am!”

 

 

 

 

 

Lesson IX.

Survival of the Fittest.

Of all the various points of the Arcane Teaching, that of the law of Spiritual Survival of the Fittest is one of the most startling, when  contrasted  with  the  ordinary teachings on the subject. Many thinkers who freely admit the existence in Nature of the law of Physical Survival of the Fittest, seem to find an idea of injustice  in  the  correlated  doctrine  of the Spiritual Survival of the Fittest, although the two are but correspondences on two several planes, following the Law of Analogy. When the Teaching is examined in detail, it will be seen that not only does it conform to other manifestations of Nature, but also is in strict accordance with the fullest equity and justice. Particularly is the absolute equity and justice of the law seen,  when  it  is  perceived  that  the  failure  to survive of the Personality of those lacking Egohood is not the result of arbitrary fiat or dicta, but is the result solely of the desire and will of the entity or “personality” itself. The entity perishes and dissolves, not in spite of its desires and will, but because of them.

The lowest forms of life perish almost immediately after the moment of physical death. It is true that even the very lowest creatures have an Astral Body which survives the death of the Physical  Body,  but  as  all  the  desires  of  such  creatures  are  bound up in their physical lives they have nothing to live for after the physical body is destroyed. Such “life” persists for a very short time in its Astral covering, for Desire fading  away, the Astral Body dissolves into its original elements, and the entity perishes. As the scale of Life is ascended, there is a longer survival of the Astral Body of the creature, for its desires die more slowly, being more complex and tenacious. The Astral forms of the higher animals often persist for quite a time after their physical bodies have perished, but after a time their desires burn out and the Astral form dissolves and the entity perishes. In the case of domestic animals who have become strongly attached to their human friends, and who have absorbed “something” from  the  latters’  love  for  and  interest  in  them,  the  Astral  form often persists for years finding great pleasure in being in the proximity of the human friends, although unseen. In this case the desire for survival is strong, and almost reaches the phase of Will. When the scale of Man was reached by Evolution, there was but little change in  the manifestation of Spiritual Survival of the Fittest, for primitive Man  was  but  a  little  more  than an intelligent beast. When his Astral form passed out of the physical body, it was like that of the beast—it found but little pleasure or satisfaction in life apart from the physical, for its desires were altogether along physical lines. It soon found that it “had nothing to live for,” and became filled with weariness, ennui, and dissatisfaction, and soon found comfort in the Astral sleep which precedes Astral death. After a few years, the  entity  perished—because it had no desire to live without a physical body. And, as surprising as the fact may be to many, it is true that the majority of persons today have advanced but comparatively little beyond the spiritual plane of the savage. Such people are so tied to physical manifestation and sensual gratification, that life outside of the physical body soon wearies them and fills them with dissatisfaction. They set into motion the “reversal of desire”—the negative pole of the “Will-to-Live,” and accordingly there begins a slow process of Astral weakening and loss of vitality, which results in dissolution and the final death of the entity. A writer reports such an entity as saying (in a communication from the Astral Plane): “The disembodied learn that the Hades of immortality is the lack of physical body.” Lacking desire to continue disembodied life, and lacking the Will of Egohood to demand Rebirth—the entity passes away gradually. Just as people in the physical body die for lack of interest, and because they have nothing left to live for—so do disembodied entities on the Astral plane likewise die because they have nothing to live for. Having failed to develop Egohood during physical life,  they have nothing left to survive after the dying away of the Body of  Desire. It is true that in rare cases, extreme love for, and by, some person possessing Egohood may develop the seeds of Egohood in a disembodied entity on the Astral Plane and cause it to seek Rebirth. And  likewise some entities develop Egohood in the Astral World, through instruction from others more advanced than themselves.

There is a great difference between the Will-to-Live of the strong-willed Ego, and the Desire to live again in the same Personality which is the only desire possible to these people who have not developed Egohood or Individuality. When one realizes the “I Am,” over and above Personality, then the things of Personality are left behind, and  the  desire  and will is simply to BE. The entity in the bonds of Personality, however,  simply desires to be and remain what he was—his Personality of “John Doe, grocer, aged 48,” being his idea of his Self. This Personality having perished, such an entity cannot find anything in itself to arouse the desire or will to persist as an “I” independent of the old Personality. There is no “I” in such a person—it is all “Me,” and the “Me” is the old Personality. Try to grasp this distinction, before proceeding further—it gives the key to the situation.

It must not be understood that there is no “future life” awaiting these Egoless people, after they have passed out of the physical body. On the contrary they have a more or less extended term of life on the Astral Plane, which yields them more or less satisfaction, but which must die out in time because all the old desires have been lived-out and outlived on the psychical plane (see future lessons on the Astral Plane) and there is nothing left to live for. Rebirth is not known to  them— they cannot conceive of it for they would think that they would in  that case “be some other person,” and their love of  their  own Personality shivers and shrinks at the thought of losing their beloved “self” (?), and so they repel all idea or desires in that direction. As we have said, they are all “Me,” with no “I.” The “Me” always perishes, sooner or later, the  “I” alone being the Real Self. Where the “I” has not been evolved or “born,” it cannot exist to persist after the dissolution of the “Me,” of course.

There is seen to be no injustice or inequity in this failure to grant Rebirth to these Egoless entities. It is all a matter of their own nature and desires resulting from the same. They have no “I” which desires and wills to be reborn—consequently that which is not cannot suffer or be injured or deprived of anything. It is like accusing one of depriving an unconceived  child of life—a meaningless statement. The “Me” of the Egoless entities passes many years—often many hundred years—on the Astral Plane, and exhausts every possibility of its nature, good and bad (see future lessons on the Astral Plane). It lives out to the utmost its possibilities—and then having outlived them, it has no desire for life, or reason for continued life—there is nothing to live.

Therefore the Spiritual Survival of the Fittest is in perfect accord with exact equity and justice. Each gets that which his nature demands and desires. One cannot be robbed of that which is not his, and which he has not and never will have. All through Nature you may see correspondences on the physical plane of the truth that “many are called, but few are chosen.” Countless life-forms are created, but few survive. The fish lays millions of eggs, but only a few fish reach maturity. Countless seeds are cast forth by the plant, but only one or two take root. This is a law of Nature, and in its operation the inequity is only apparent. The Law of Balance is preserved. One cannot be robbed of what he has not. If one has not desires, he cannot be hurt by not having the result of desires. Place the savage in a palace, and he dies broken-hearted—restore him to his jungle and he is happy. Place the hungry wild-beast in a cage and feed him well, and you break his heart. Each craves his own.  There is Compensation and Balance manifested on all planes of life.

And now for a consideration of those who have attained Egohood. Is their Destiny and Progress assured? you ask. Not at all! They have simply begun to climb the ladder of Spiritual Evolution. They will mount as far as their desire and will—not a step further. They may tire of the climbing and begin a retreat. The law of Spiritual Survival of the Fittest has many phases; many planes; many stages—it is operative from first to last during the life of the Ego.

Let us suppose the case of an Ego which has not as yet reached the plane of  conscious  Rebirth. The Ego dwells for many years on the Astral Plane (see future lessons) and lives out its personal  desires, and profits  by its experience in so doing, for the “I” is there to learn and remember—for it has the faculty of Egohood, that of “standing aside and looking on  at one’s self.” Gradually the personal desires and ideas are outlived, and the essence of the experience is retained by the Ego, the latter then feeling a sense of “age” and a need for rest. This is followed by the Astral Sleep, which sooner or later comes to all entities on the Astral Plane, but from which the Egoless fail to emerge, and from which they are resolved into Nothingness. But the Ego, having an “I” above Personality, has something to survive, and accordingly it is drawn into the channels of Rebirth, according to the currents of attraction, and again finds a physical body, this time suited as nearly as possible to the requirements of its “character.” Then begins its new life on the physical, which may be long or short. Sometimes the new body is not found fully adapted to the growing requirements of the Ego—sometimes sickness or accidents cut short the new life—and sometimes the needed experience is gained  quickly—and the Ego again passes to the Astral Plane, there to enjoy a period of rest and spiritual growth and assimilation, which will be manifested in a new birth later on.

But if the new life persists beyond childhood, the Ego must progress in order to attain further stages of Spiritual Evolution. If it simply lives its old life over again, without reaching forward to greater attainment and knowledge, then it is dangerously near falling into the attraction of the “descending path” which will take it down the ladder, step by step; life after life; and which, unless the Ego learns the lesson and again steps forward, will eventually cause it to lose its Egohood and become Egoless, which means eventually dissolution. But these downward steps are not  in the nature of punishment—they are simply stages of the law of Sequence or Cause and Effect, proceeding along the lines of Desire and Will. These descending Egos follow their desires, just as much as do the ascending ones. It is not Reward or Punishment, in either case—it is simply Cause and Effect, and the Path of Desire. Desire is the great motive force. There are cases known of Egos descending the scale to such an extent, drawn by their material, physical and animal desires, that they have even descended to the scale of animals and eventually perished as entities, unless rescued by the love and affection of human friends who aroused in them the last flickering spark of Spirit, and thus set them again upon the upward path. These cases, however, are very rare.

It must not be supposed, however, that all persisting Egos are “good.” On the contrary, there are many persisting Egos who are giants of “evil,” possessed of the sense of the “I,” but filled with personal desires of material aggrandizement and selfish attainment which makes them stand out above the crowd. But such, sooner or later, are taught their lesson and either change their natures or else sink to annihilation, for all real progress must lead toward the life of the One, not in the direction of selfish personal attainment and Separateness. The error of Separateness is often brought to the minds and understanding of these Egos, by their desires finally leading them to a place where they are actually separated  from  their kind, and thus they experience that hunger for human companionship, sympathy and love which results in a change in their entire nature. One has but to look at the inner lives of some of the selfish “great men” of our own and past ages, in order to see examples of this stage of experience.

And, so the evolving Ego rises in the scale—if he be Fit— and reaches higher and higher planes of life. He passes on to other worlds and universes, when he is fitted for them. He may fall back, again and again, but there is always a chance for him to regain his lost steps. Many in  this  Earth-world of ours have fallen back from higher planes, and suffer soul-hunger for their lost states—these will regain their lost estates, if they will but look upward and onward and live the Life. There are glories ahead of the persistent Egos which cannot be described in human words. We  do  not become  “God”  as  the  Pantheists hold—but we become as gods. There are infinite possibilities ahead for us—there is no limit to our greatness and attainment, if we are true to the Inner Light and our Real Self. Finally we reach the stages of the highest Cosmic Consciousness, in which the Cosmic Will experiences the consciousness of Itself as Itself—then do we know that We are It, and It is Us. The Cosmos becomes conscious only through the consciousness of its Centres of  Consciousness—and we are those Centres. This is what Spiritual Evolution means—this is what it is for. This is why the law of  the  Spiritual  Survival of the Fittest is operative—the Cosmos is endeavoring to develop itself to its utmost degree and stage of Consciousness. Just as do we endeavor to retain in our consciousness our best and highest thoughts, ideas, and knowledge, so does the Cosmos endeavor to remember and preserve its noblest, highest, and fullest creations. The Success of the Cosmos depends upon this—its Progress is dependent upon it—its Conscious Life renders it necessary. This is the End, Aim, and Goal of the Cosmic Evolution. And it is a worthy end and reason for all that is. The more that one enters into the spirit of the understanding of the Universal Life, the more does he identify himself with that One Life, and the dimmer and smaller does mere Personality seem. And in the end, he finds himself willing and desirous of living his life, in, through and by that One Life of the Real Self—the Cosmic Self—the “I” of the All.

To those who think sadly of the personalities which disappear during the course of Spiritual Evolution, we would say that careful thought will show that even they have lost nothing. Not only is their dissolution caused by their own desires and lack of will; but moreover, nothing is really lost. Personality is nothing but the “creative fiction” at the best—all that was  real in those entities who dropped by the wayside is preserved. The One Life is all that was real in them—and that One Life persisted and survived. It was but a changing of form in the One Life. It was not the destruction of a real thing.  It was but the discarding of a poorly fitting suit of clothes, worn by the One Life and Real Self. No one is injured—nothing is lost. The All remains the All. Personality is but the mask worn by the One. The One discards its mask, but remains Itself. Justice and Equity are not violated even in the faintest degree. The Wise see this and smile—the Unwise see it not and weep. The reflection of the sun in the falling raindrop disappears when the drop falls into the stream— but  the stream remains, and the Sun still shines and is reflected in its running waters. All that Is, remains—though the shapes, and forms, and illusory appearances vanish.

The wise and thoughtful of all ages, and races, have recognized the Illusion of Personality and Separateness. Men have endeavored to  escape it in many ways. The Buddhists and the German Pessimists have deemed Personal Life evil, and have devised plans to escape from the  same. The Buddhists would escape by beating a Retreat and  endeavoring to escape Rebirth by attaining Nothingness or Para-Nirvana—a Return to the Nothingness from which all came. The German Pessimists advocate a killing out of the Will-to-Live—a Cosmic suicide, so to speak. But the Arcane Teachers scorn the Retreat—they bid their students to look ahead—they sound the bugle call of “Forward-Advance-Charge!” They press forward to the Cosmic Adventure. They urge all to go on, and on, and on—until the mists of  Personality  disappear  before  the  sun  of  the  One,  and the individuals find themselves at One with the All. Surely this is a more glorious way to reach the goal! It is true that in the end, the One falls again into the Sleep of Nothingness, only to reawaken after the æons have passed—but what of that? Is it not better to advance, than to Retreat? Is it not better to be Brave than a Coward? Not to speak of the infinite glories ahead of the advancing soul, is it not “worth while” to attain Conscious Oneship with  the All, rather than to deliberately choose the path of Retreat into Unconsciousness?

But to him who falls by the wayside—as well as to him who persists and survives—there is meted out an equitable reward. There is  “no bribe of heaven or threat of hell” to those who Know. It is all Cause and Effect—each gets that for which he pays— each pays his price. And, finally to all comes that Peace which passeth all Understanding. There are no Lost Souls. There are None outside of the All. There is no Outside. All are included Within the One. Yea, even the last, least, and most unworthy. For  there  is  but One!