The Path of Transformation

Voyage to the Silent Self

Blavatsky Lecture 2014

by Susan Bayliss
The Path of Transformation
Voyage to the Silent Self

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* *

by Susan Bayliss

Blavatsky Lecture 2014

Delivered at the Summer School of
The Foundation for Theosophical Studies
Wills Hall University of Bristol

Sunday 3 August 2014

The Theosophical Publishing House

50 Gloucester Place, London WiU 8EA

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 THE THEOSOPHICAL PUBLISHING HOUSE
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Front Cover: "Awakening" by the author

Artwork and Design by the author

Illustrations, images and photos as credited throughout

Images and photos by the author are credited © 'SB' all rights reserved

This Blavatsky Lecture remains the property of the author

(except as otherwise attributed) and may not be copied, used or reproduced,
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 DEDICATION

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* *

TO THOSE WHO BELONG TO THE CHAIN OE LOVE

With grateful thanks to those who have supported my efforts:

My partner John for his never ending love and caring attention, and others

who wish to remain silent, but who have nevertheless helped

to sustain me throughout myjourney.

Lotus: Courtesy of M. R. Art (adapted).

1
The Great Roar of Nature
Life is full of potentiality from "the circle of heaven"1 to Mother Earth and all that live within her. The
extent of this potential is hidden from us in our mundane world, concealed, according to the
'Ancients', behind a veil of illusion in which we live and experience our everyday lives.

Out of 'nothingness' came the "Great Illusion"2 say the ancient Seers. All that ever was or ever can
be rested in latency3. Energy contracted into a state of potentiality awaiting the impulse to become
an expression of new life - a new universe. The same potentiality lies also within us and we too can
awaken to a 'new world'; a world in which we are transformed from a place of ignorance to a state
of Knowledge and Wisdom. Our task is to find the keys which open the doorway to the higher life.

Notions of potentiality and latent energies may seem very obscure and hard to grasp. Yet our
physical bodies, from planets to microscopic life, are full of such latent energy; pulsating forces which
transform, grow and develop as Life evolves. The consciousness of our world, the Life of the planet,
changes as we change and as our consciousness lifts, we creep forwards on our long journey of
transformation.

H. P. Blavatsky (HPB) in the Secret Doctrine (SD) describes the process of Life awakening at cosmic
level, from potential space to the abstract space of "divine immaculate Mother-Nature" -see Plate
One. These diagrams represent condensed latent energy in a state of potentiality, not yet
materialised. The point in the circle symbolises the First Cause: "not yet the Architect, but the cause
of that Architect"4. As the Zohar says:

"In the beginning was the Will of the King, prior to any other existence.... It [the Will] sketched the
forms of all things that had been concealed but now came into view. And there went forth as a sealed
secret from the head ofAin Soph5, a nebulous spark of matter, without shape or form.... Life is drawn
from below, and from above the source renews itself, the sea is always full and spreads its waters
everywhere."6

Another way of expressing this outward flow of energy from latency to potency is evoked in Pricilla
P Wood's vibrant video "Mother Earth Love and Energy Mandala"7. Ever renewing and withdrawing,
these whirls of kinetic energy imply the dynamic ebb and flow of the universe. From its early flower­
like burst into life, expanding "from within without like the bud of a lotus"8; to its emerging streams
of complex forces. Scientific investigations indicate that the basic structure of the universe is a
massive field of photon energy, filling the dark space of the cosmos and the so-called empty space
between atomic particles. One cubic meter of this photon energised space has the power to boil
every ocean on this planet. Scientific ideas vary from hypothesis to hypothesis and the NASA/WMAP
Science Team have provided a diagram of the expansion of the cosmos in space and time, bringing
together some of the latest concepts. See Plates Two and Three.

1 "Secret Doctrine" Volume 1, p426. H. P. Blavatsky, Collected Writings, Editor Boris De Zirkoff. TPH 1978.
2 SD. Vol. 1, p71.
3 Latent: concealed, dormant, undeveloped but capable of development.
4 SD. Vol. 1, p426.1979 Centenary Edition, Theosophical Publishing House.
5 Ain Soph: Absolute Being, the One Absolute Reality, Parabrahman, the Causeless Cause.
6 SD. Vol. 1, p356: Zohar, 1,15aBrody ed.; Cremona ed., I, also Brody ed., I, fol. 60-70.

7 Pricilla P Woo d "Mother Earth Love and Energy Mandala": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PLcCa4jlltQ

8 SD. Vol. 1, p62.

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 PLATE ONE
COSMIC CREATION
The circle or disc symbolises: "Boundless Space" or "Boundless Circle of the
Unknown Time". "Limitless Time and Eternity" from which Circle issues the
Radiant Light-the Universal Sun". The disc with a central point symbolises the
first differentiation of Eternal Nature, the first Ray in the Ocean of Life. The
diameter symbolizes a d ivine immaculate Mother-Nature, the all-embracing
absolute Infinitude9. These selected lines from Stanzas One, Two and Three, are
translated in the Secret Doctrine from the Book of Dzyan10 and provide a glimpse
of the beginning of Cosmic Evolution:

The Eternal Parent (Space), wrapped in her Ever-Invisible Robes, had slumbered once again for Seven
Eternities.
Time was not, for it lay asleep in the infinite bosom of duration.
Universal Mind was not, for there were no Ah-Hi (celestial beings) to contain it (hence to manifest it).
Darkness alone filled the Boundless AIL
The Causes of Existence had been done away with, the visible that was and the invisible that is, rested in
Eternal Non-Being -the One Being.
Alone the One form of Existence stretched boundless, infinite, causeless, in dreamless sleep and life
pulsated unconscious in universal space, throughout that All-Presence which is sensed by the "Opened
Eye" of the Dangma11
Her heart had not yet opened for the One Ray to enter thence to fall, as three info four, into the lap of
Maya".
The last Vibration of the Seventh Eternity thrills through infinitude. The mother swells, expanding from
Within Without, like the bud of the lotus.
Darkness radiates Light, and Light drops one Solitary Ray into the Mother Deep.

PLATE TWO
COSMIC HISTORY
WMAP observes the first light of the universe - the
afterglow of the Big Bang. This light emerged 380,000
years after the Big Bang. Patterns imprinted on this light
encode the events that happened only a tiny fraction of
a second after the Big Bang. In turn, the patterns are the
seeds of the development of the structures of galaxies
we now see billions of years after the Big Bang13

13,7^
billion
years

9SD. Vol. 1, pp36-46.

10 In-depth information can be found in the Proem, Volume One of the Secret Doctrine.
11 The Eye of Siva, A purified Soul, the highest Adept or a Mahatma, the inner spiritual eye of a Seer. (SD, Vol 1, p46)
12 May a: illusion, material existence - the 'unreal' as opposed to the 'Real' Absolute Cause. The illusion of ignorance,
13 Illustration. Cosmic History: http://map.gsfc.nasa.gov/media/020622/index.html Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.
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 PLATE THREE

Dark Energy
Accelerated Expansion
Afterglow Light
Pattern Development of
380,000 yrs. Galaxies, Planets, etc.

Inflation

Time Line of the Universe. NASA/WMAP Science Team. Courtesy Wikimedia Commons

Energy expands in all directions within cosmic space as matter unfolds in space and time. (SB)

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As we see in Plate Two, energy bursts through into the realms of manifestation and the seeds of
matter are formed. These are the structures of galaxies we now see from rays of light which have
travelled over billions of years. The Occult teachings (which the Secret Doctrine outlines), say that
"Cosmic Desire"14 evolves into absolute Light, light without any shadow - in other words 'absolute
darkness' or the 'dazzling darkness':

"The first flutter of renascent life, Svabhavat15, "the mutable radiance of the Immutable
Darkness unconscious in Eternity," passes, at every new rebirth ofKosmos, from an inactive
state into one of intense activity; that it differentiates... The one Cosmic atom becomes
seven atoms on the plane of matter, and each is transformed into a centre of energy; that
same atom becomes seven rays on the plane of spirit, and the seven creative forces of
nature radiating from the root essence... The atoms emanated from the Central Point
emanate in their turn new centres of energy, which under the potential breath of Fohat10,
begin their work from within without, and multiply other minor centres. These in the course
of evolution and involution, form in their turn the roots or developing causes of new effects,
from worlds and "man-bearing" globes, down to the genera, species, and classes of all the
seven kingdoms (of which we know only four).16

During the 20th Century we began to receive stunning images from deep space, thanks to Hubble
Space Telescope17, and other instruments employed by organisations such as the American and
European Space Agencies (NASA and ESA). T he Hubble images show the formation of galaxies and
stars as they appeared countless billions of years ago18. These regions of space, millions and millions
of light-years19 across, are just a minute part of the cosmos. Starburst galaxies and nebulas produce
trillions of newly formed stars and these images reveal the endless cycle of construction and
destruction; a glimpse of the unfathomable life in the vast sea which is the cosmos. A cosmic world
which physicists now know more than ever before. Scientists have the ingenuity to use every scrap
of scientific technology and mathematics to analyse and interpret these findings with high levels of
verifiable accuracy.

14 SD. Vol. 1, p201.

15 Svabhavat: the eternal cause or root cause (mulaprakriti). Fohat: Divine thought impressed on Cosmic Substance, the dynamic
energy of the Cosmic Ideation, the guiding power of all manifestation.
16 SD. Vol. 1, p635.
17 Hubble -15 Years of Discovery, documentary, 2005. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wGSNQfxEGds
18 These images captured spaceactivity billions of yearsold because of the time it takes for light to vel
tra across these limitless distances.
19 A light year is 6 trillion miles, the distance covered in a year when rt avelling at thespeed of light.
Illustration: Starburst Galaxy (M82). Hoag's Object, RingGalaxy. Spiral galaxy NGC 4414. NASA, ESA and NASA-HQ-GRIN. Hubble
Space Telescope. Courtesy Wi kimedia Commons.

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Some of the descriptions of modern space-science in documentaries about the Milky Way20 and the
Universe21 appear to bear a startling similarity to some of the passages translated from ancient texts
and set down in the Secret Doctrine; texts written thousands of years before science had the ability
to take sophisticated instruments and highly refined telescopic lenses into outer space:

The Central Sun causes Fohat to collect primordial dust in the form of balls, to impel them
to move in converging lines and finally to approach each other and aggregate. Being
scattered in Space, without order or system the world-germs come into frequent collision
until their final aggregation after which they become wanderers [Comets], Then the battles
and struggles begin. The older [bodies] attract the younger, while others repel them. Many
perish, devoured by their stronger companions. Those that escape become worlds.22

In one of the less crowded regions between two of the outer arms of our spiral galaxy, the solar
system sits like an infinitesimally small speck of dust. Described as a "cosmic star city"17 our galaxy
contains an infinitesimal number of stars and planets. It is 600,000 trillion miles across and in the
cosmos there are a countless number - trillions and trillions -of galaxies which are far bigger.

Scientists have discovered an astonishing amount of information about the composition of galaxies
and the chemical makeup of stars and star nebulas. They are able to determine the composition of
the gases and minerals, the temperature and pressure inside, the level of nuclear reaction, and teams
of scientists study how stars are born and die. All of this information comes only from the light. Rays
of light born in the far distant past and conveyed across millions of light years over eons of time.

Our galaxy is a huge floating island in the cosmos in which the solar system was formed 4.6 billion
years ago. Our sun holds titanic forces and is so gigantic that a million Earths would fit inside. Its
surface bursts with electrical and magnetic activity and solar flares, each candescent loop releasing
more energy than 10 million volcanos.17 But at a va rying distance from the Earth of between 91
million and 94.5 million miles during the course of a year, it provides an appropriate level of light and
heat to sustain life in this sometimes fierce, but bountiful and beautiful garden - Earth.

Numerous television programmes and documentaries grant an opportunity to discover the exquisite
array of life with whom we share this world. From giant creatures and distinctly weird life forms
which live in what for us are highly hostile environments, to the delicately wistful and charmingly
beautiful.23 We live on a fragile, sparkling blue planet sailing in a magnificent Ocean of Life.

Through these avenues we can see for ourselves how far the scientific world has travelled, and how
far the human mind has developed an ability to discover things about the world, the universe and
cosmic space. Similarly medical science has discovered a huge amount about the human body and
the human brain, but Knowledge of what consciousness is and where it comes from is as elusive as
ever. As y et no one knows how anaesthetics work and consciousness remains one of THE big
questions in science. Serailian's painting 'The Opening of The Third Eye' illustrates an esoteric
perspective on higher levels of consciousness. The head of Minerva represents Wisdom and depicts
how the higher and lower natures are coordinated when the pineal and pituitary glands blend
together to form the third or spiritual eye. See Plate Four.

20 "Explore the Milky Way", documentary, February 2014. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aNVlQ—R7-A

21 "Life in the Universe, documentary", January 2013. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=34sEX6VM9sU
22 SD. Vol. 1, p201.
23 "Earth", February 2010. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=thuViaxRd_w

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 PLATE FOUR

The Opening the Third Eye - The Head of Minerva.25

24 RobertFuddBewusstsein, 1619. Courtesy Wikimedia Commons.

25 M K Serailian 1867-1957. Estate of the Artist. Photo SB (adapted).

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The search for this scientific knowledge continues and aspects of perceptual awareness and altered
states of consciousness such as telepathy and remote viewing are being seriously studied. Many
people have unexplained experiences and Science has y et to find answers as t o how these things
occur. Astronaut Edgar D. Mitchell founded the Noetic Society after experiencing a change of
consciousness in space:

"Something happened to me during the flight it was an altered state of consciousness,

a peak experience if you will It occurred when looking at Earth and seeing this blue-
and-white planet floating there seeing - rather, knowing for sure - that there was a
purposefulness of flow, of energy, of time, of space in the cosmos There seems to be
more to the universe than random, chaotic, purposeless movement of a collection of
molecular particles. On the return trip home, gazing through 240,000 miles of space toward
the stars and the planet from which I had come, I suddenly experienced the universe as
intelligent, loving, harmonious".26

He describes having a realization that the molecules of everything from his body to the spacecraft
and the earth, came from ancient stars. Not an intellectual knowledge but a transformative
experience accompanied by a f eeling of ecstasy. Over the ages writers from many and varied
spiritual traditions, and from no spiritual or religious background, have recorded experiences of
higher levels of consciousness; from out of body and near-death experiences to Cosmic
Consciousness. Esoteric Science has long since discovered much about the human mind and its great
potentiality, and in time, humanity will understand far more about the nature of the universe and
the life within it.

The Ancient Teachings tell us that from the largest galaxy to the smallest germ of life, atomic particle,
or speck of dust, all life is ONE. There is no dead matter and ALL that IS has consciousness. From
the super-consciousness of the highest Cosmic Beings, who bring the world into being, to the
minerals of the Earth which appear to slumber unresponsively. ALL are alive.

All are on the path of return from the many to the One, from a period of cosmic activity to a period
of cosmic rest, and everything is changing, unfolding, growing and evolving. From the almost
insentient, to those higher beings who are Fully Awakened and in full Conscious Union with Nature.
WE are each a small part of this universal process of Transformation, the 'cycle of necessity' which
continues from aeon to aeon. Life provides the necessary conditions for the evolution of
consciousness and our progression on the Path of Return.

Sperling says of Pythagoras: "This great savant knew well that the philosophers and initiates of old
veiled truth and prohibited access to their sciences, seeking to preserve their Mysteries so that the
vulgar may not profane them". We will continue to do this until "... esoteric science, that is integral
and religious science, comes to be rebuilt on its own indestructible foundations... the philosophy and
Initiate Science of the ancients at its best, leading as a ll true science must, to the Temple of the
Mysteries".27

Mankind is at the centre of the cycle of evolution on Earth, the balance of spiritual and material are
equal, but it is up to each one of us to strive to develop so that the spiritual qualities outweigh the
material; so that we reach a fully awaked condition of consciousness. This is the way of unfoldment,
in this our sacred journey.

26 "T he Sweet Dreamz of Ed Mitchell" May 2nd 2013 is a re-published interview Ed Mitchell gave East-West Journal in 1973.
27 The Golden Verses of Pythagoras, Introduction. F D'Olivet. Thorsons Publishers Limited 1975.

9
The Path of Transformation
We have already begun our own journey of discovery and our future
voyage of transformation will take us into the spiritual dimensions of
the human heart and mind. Just as a tiny acorn holds tightly within
itself the potentiality of a great oak tree, we possess the potentiality
to develop into a noble Being and realise what we truly are.

Our physical body is our boat on the sea of life, when we are
anchored once again on this earthly plane. We are born into a world
of mystery, one we must again learn to know and understand. As a
baby we first slumber and then with the nurturing love of our
parents, slowly awaken, grow and blossom.

As a child we emerge like a clown fish into a sea of the unknown. At

first it is difficult to find our way and we stick to the secure
environment of our home, until we grow strong enough to venture
out into the broader world. From here on our life's journey begins
in earnest. Just like a se edling we are Alive, full of potential, so
vividly evoked by this song from Shakira:

Take off all of your skin I'm brave when you're free,
Shake off all of your sins and give them to me,
Closer, let me back in, I wanna be your hero,
And my heart beats,
Like the empires of the world unite
We are alive
And the stars make love to the universe 1

We face many hard lessons and the great teacher on this journey is
Karma, the one ever present Law of balance and harmony, the
ultimate Law of the Universe. It is the Law of Adjustment which
turns the Great Wheel of Life. The whole of creation is subject to the
collective karma of all that lives within her.2 Karma teaches the
consequences of our actions. We learn through the hard knocks and
painful lessons we experience in life and will in time be thankful for
the opportunity this afforded in lifting us to the next stage. There is
always much to observe, to learn and do, and so we grow.

Everyone has their struggle with karma. Even those who we might imagine live easy lives also have
burdens to carry, lessons to learn and struggles to overcome. No one person experiences the same,
for each life is unique and we all evolve from diverse backgrounds and different past experiences.
Apparent differences, quandaries and questions are the 'stuff of life' for each and everyone of us. In
human nature there is a universal tendency to condemn others for what they say or do, but we cannot

1 Song by Shakira "Empire", lyrics by Ina Wroldsen. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qHnQiFXklQY

2 SD. Vol. 1, p634-5. "The whole visible Kosmos consists of "self-produced beings, the creatures of karma". pl88, p643-4.
Illustrations: Baby, SB 2009. Sprouting Acorn, Amphis 2012, and Clown fish (Amphiprion ocellaris), Nick Hobgood 2004.
Courtesy Wikipedia Commons.

10
 judge another country or another person, or their motivation
and intentions. That is not our concern; we can each only
look to our own actions and reactions. All these impulses and
desires have a profound effect as they ripple across the world.
Our brothers and sisters in life help us to grow and we can
each be grateful for the lessons we share.

From time to time we will meet fellow travellers who offer us

their hand or we may help them. The heart-warming feelings
and love such a gift provides gives comfort and strength. Our
helpers are there to greet us and may come from any walk of
life, in bodies young or old, clothed in costumes familiar or
strange, but come they do. Some we may recognise as souls
who have passed our way to help and support, others may
walk by our side as silent helpers. We may not understand for
several years, or perhaps never recognise, the help we
received. Either way, having such a helping hand or a
companion to walk with us along the way offers valuable
support and enables us to progress:

"Give light and comfort to the toiling pilgrim, and seek out him who knows still less than thou; who in
his wretched desolation sits starving for the bread of Wisdom and the bread which feeds the shadow,
without a Teacher, hope or consolation, and - let him hear the Law".3

The ways of Service are many. Some have been spiritual seekers and workers for humanity in past
lives, and have come into this life drawn to the Ancient Wisdom, orTheosophy, some are coming to
it for the first time. Either way there is no short cut. Through our own efforts, longing and searching,
we must slough off old habits and foibles to find the path to our own Inner Light. This will be our guide
to the extent we are able to follow it, slowly at first and later with more assured steps. We will find
tests and trials on our thorny path towards self-development, and many are the pitfalls and false
steps, but there is no disgrace in failure - sometimes this is our best teacher:

Does the road wind up-hill all the way?

Yes, to the very end.
Does the journey take the whole long day ?
From morn till night, my friend.4

In her book Chasm of Fire, which is a detailed account of her spiritual journey and experience of
enlightenment, Irina Tweedie puts it like this: "You come naked into the world and you go naked.
When you come to the Spiritual Teacher, you have to be naked\"s Naked because we have to learn to
let everything go, all our tendencies and attachments and stand as One with our Higher Self. We do
not walk alone Mabel Collins says:

"I am ready, without complaint, to be cast down from the place in which I stand, should I swerve or
flinch under any trial falling on those next to me for I know that my strength can never be exhausted,
since my comrades also stand unswervingly by my side; and while united we cannot fail.

3 The Voice of the Silence, H. P. Blavatsky, p47. A Quest Miniature, Theosophical Publishing House 1980.
4 Christina Rosetti.
5 Irina Tweedie, Chasm of Fire, plOO. Element Books 1988.
Illustration: Stepping stones Carnarvon Gorge, Queensland, Australia. Courtesy © M R Art 2013.
Full page illustration: Grassy trail Carnarvon Gorge (adapted) and Lotus Pond. Courtesy © M R Art 2013.

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 The nearness spoken of, the comradeship and union, are entirely
spiritual, and have no reference to any nearness or association on
the physical plane The disciple, who has become a recognised
unit in the great army, has entered upon that place where there
are footprints solid as though cut in rock, because through the
ages, and before Time was, each one who has entered upon the
great path has of necessity stepped in the prints of the feet of the
one who has gone before him. The steps of all are identical".6

To reach toward the light and find the gateway to the higher life
we inevitably have to walk through some dark and twisting
pathways; and if we have the will we will find the strength to
continue. Our way along the path will eventually bring us to our
own doorway to inner knowledge.

From a higher perspective we are only actors on the stage of life,

from which our Higher Selves draw experience. Ultimately we
transform into the Shining Self of pure motive, pure thought and
pure action. As our hands reach up to the heavens and down to
the earth, we need to find a bridge between the two. Through
self-observation, we will need to exercise will and intention to
cleanse our habits; so that in the end we are purged of impurities
of thought, word and action. We need to try, try and try again
and what we learn will not be lost because the kernel of our
experiences is preserved from life to life until we are fully
awakened beings.

Through our journey we will discover how to open the door to this
Great Teacher and awaken the Secret Path of True Knowledge and
Wisdom. Each human being is ever, evolving, unfolding and
progressing, until gradually we come to know that we are One with
every other. As Clara Codd puts it "The problem of the individual
is the problem of the world, and in solving his own mystery man
solves the mystery of the universe, which is the field of his growth and evolution".7 True Self-
development is what happens when we make a co nscious effort to change and turn our sights
towards the spiritual life.

From time to time Lilian Storey, a former National President of the Theosophical Society in England,
was fond of saying, in a p hilosophical tone of voice, "may you live in interesting times". This was
because we learn far more at times of difficulty and change. When there is no turbulence and
everything is settled, when life is relatively easy, we can become complacent. One way or another
we have to make a conscious and continual effort to make progress.

We are King and Queen of our own destinies.

6 When the Sun Moves Northwards - The Way of Initiation p29. Mabel Collins. Quest Books, Theosophical Pub. House.
7 Trust Yourself to Life, p61. Clara Codd. Theosophical Publishing House.
Illustration: Woodland steps SB.
Full page illustration: Ancient Aboriginal Rock Art; Canyon, Carnarvon Gorge, Queensland, Australia, and 'King' and 'Queen'.
Courtesy © M R Art 2013.
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 Dragon Tree of Wisdom
"Bright space, Son of Dark Space who emerges from the
depths of the Great Dark Waters, he shines forth as the
Sun, he is th e Blazing Dragon of Wisdom... He shuts out
the above, and leaves the below to be seen as the great
illusion. He marks the place for the shining ones, and
turns the upper into a shoreless sea of fire, and the One
manifested into the Great Waters".1

fLiiir The path of transformation is a living process - it is ALIVE

- we experience this as changes in consciousness
between fragments of time. To find our own spiritual
Sun, our own Higher Self, we must climb the 'Dragon
Tree of Wisdom' and unite with the Dragon itself. But we have first to slay the twin dragons of our
personal self, the lower mind and emotions. This is the heart of our spiritual journey. Referring to
a Tibetan proverb, Master Koot Hoomi wrote: "Everyone is master of his own wisdom", and he is at
liberty either to honour or degrade his slave".2

The Spiritual Path or "The Path" is the road we consciously tread in search of knowledge about
ourselves and life, to find what is called Truth or Enlightenment. Everybody and everything is on this
Path of return, though some are still asleep and not awake to the journey they are travelling on. A
study of Theosophy or the Ancient Teachings helps us to put our journey into perspective. It leads
us towards the Truth which lies behind all genuine spiritual teachings. S piritual Seekers are beginning
on the path of return from ignorance to full spiritual knowledge of all that is.

We will encounter many things on our Path of Self-Discovery. One thing is sure, we will certainly find
out much more about human frailties: those of others and especially our own. Self-discovery and
Self-awareness comes with experience. It takes continual effort, focus and a willingness to seek and
to learn. Sometimes we may appear to move forward and at other times seem to be standing still.
It is all part of the ever-changing process and all of us -every single one -is here to learn.

The more serious we are in our spiritual search the greater karma will be unveiled. There may be
heavy family responsibilities or we may find ourselves faced with extraordinary circumstances 'good'
or 'bad'. Whatever circumstances unfold, these are our lessons and we are forced to deal with them.
Our unfolding energies act as a centrifuge so that the effects of karma are thrown outwards for our
attention, no longer concealed.

Each person's journey is different because we come into incarnation at different times and in
different places to experience different things. We carry with us what we have brought forward
from the past and we have the opportunity to make progress through the things which come to us
in this life.

1SD. Vol. 1, p71.

2 The Mahatma Letters to A. P. Sinnett, No 22, pl38. Compiled by A. T. Barker. Theosophical University Press 1992.
Two page illustrations: 'Twin Dragons" Dragon statues, Sanggar Agung Temple. Okkisafire 2013 (Adapted) with horse courtesy
© M R Art 2013; and "Antahkarana" comprising Dragon statues (ibid) and Stairs (double helix), Treasure Island, San Francisco,
CA, US. Author Jef Poskanzer 2006 (Adapted). Dragons and stairs courtesy Wikimedia Commons.

15
Our mind is in some ways like a wa terfall, ever flowing, darting here and there, never still. It needs
time to rest in order to become a p lace of stillness and reflection. The ancient philosophy of yoga
recognises three aspects of mind: subconscious mind or instinct, conscious mind or intellect and
Higher Mind, the seat of intuition or super consciousness.

Concepts of super consciousness and cosmic mind are not restricted to ancient philosophies. David
Bohm and Fritjof Capra, amongst others, have presented hypotheses about an essential unity of mind
and matter. In his book "Implicate Order" Bohm put forward the idea that mind is related to the
entire cosmos, a dynamic movement unfolding out of itself: mind-enfolding matter and "Similarly
the body enfolds not only the mind but also in some sense the whole universe... the constituent atoms
of the body are actual structures that are enfolded in principles throughout all space."1 Not a view one
would ordinarily expect to come from a scientist. This was part of a new wave of scientific thought.

In the Bhagavad Gita and writings of Patanjali we are given guidance on how to work with ourselves
to break the bounds of our personalities and the entwined twins of the lower mind and emotion. If
we are observant, we can see for ourselves the truth of what these writings portray and appreciate
more about the shortcomings of the human mind. Our lower mind swings from polarity to polarity,
from happy to sad, from fear to contentment and so on. It is only when the pool of the mind is still
that we experience a d ifferent form of consciousness. We learn to observe from the centre of
consciousness within. As self-awareness develops our way of living changes and we perceive the
world differently. The more we grow in our understanding and are able to act in kindness and
altruism, the more we will succeed. As H. P. Blavatsky says:

"It is an occult law, moreover, that no man can rise superior to his individual failings, without lifting,
be it ever so little, the whole body of which he is an integral part. In the same way, no one can sin,
nor suffer the effects of sin, alone. In reality there is no such thing as "Separateness"; and the nearest
approach to that selfish state, which the laws of life permit, is the intent or motive"."

It takes time and effort but can be made easier if we walk with fellow travellers at least for a while
now and then. But in time we might outgrow a particular helper or we might establish a lif e-long
bond, we cannot know at the start: "The true order of going, or being led by another, to the things
of love, is to begin from the beauties of Earth and mount upwards for the sake of that other beauty,
using these as steps only, and from one going on to two, and from two to all fair forms, and from fair
forms to fair practices, and from fair practices to fair notions, until from fair notions he arrives at the
notion of absolute beauty, and at last knows what the essence of beauty is".5

In the East, guru means a teacher or tutor. In the esoteric traditions a Guru is a spiritual mentor, who
has the spiritual wisdom and knowledge to guide others. In Sanskrit Guru means teacher or spiritual
master. The word comes from the syllables "Gu" darkness and "Ru" light, and Ru also means door
or gate and denotes the birthplace from which the Sun is reborn. There is also a connection with the
syllable "Gur" which means to raise or lift up or to make an effort: "The syllable Gu means shadow,
the syllable Ru he who disperses them, because of the power to disperse darkness the guru is thus
named".6 So a G uru shows the Light and as the Teacher helps to dispels ignorance or darkness.
However, an external guru, can only guide and cannot make the journey for another traveller.

3 Wholeness and the Implicate Order, p265. D Bohm. Routledge 1980.

4 Key to Theosophy, p203. H. P. Blavatsky. Theosophical Publishing House, 1987. (First Edition 1889).
5 The teachings of the priestess Diotima to Socrates, quoted by Clara Codd in The Place of Beauty in Life.
6 Advayataraka U panishad, 14-18 V. 5.

18
 Eastern texts use an ox or horse as a m etaphor for the human condition.
Sometimes our thoughts and emotions run off in their own direction and
carry us along, and just like an unruly horse can become defiant or out of
control. But a horse can only be considered disobedient if it has an owner
- a rider, so we need to take the reins and learn to work in harmony with
our Spiritual Ego. Our personality then becomes subordinate to spiritual
Will and not its own. Alcyone (J. Krishnamurti) recognized this in the little
book "At the Feet of the Master" and provides some helpful instructions:

"When your body wishes something, stop and think whether you realty wish it..... Do not mistake
your bodies for yourself- neither the physical body, nor the astral, nor the mental. Each one of them
will pretend to be the Self, in order to gain what it wants. But you must know them all, and know
yourself as their master..... The body is your animal - the horse upon which you ride. Therefore you
must treat it well, and take good care of it; you must not overwork it, you must feed it properly on pure
food only, and keep it strictly clean always, even from the minutest speck of dirt.

For without a perfectly clean and healthy body you cannot do the arduous work of preparation. But
it must always be you who control that body, not it that controls you. The astral body has desires -
dozens of them; it wants you to be angry, to say sharp words, to feel jealous, to be greedy for money,
to envy other people their possessions, to yield yourself to depression. All these things it wants and
more, not because it wants to harm you but because it likes violent vibrations Your mental body
wishes to think itself proudly separate, to think much of itself and little of others to make yourself
think of your own progress, instead of thinking of the Master's work and of helping others".7

To climb the stairs to the higher life, we have to conquer the

Dweller on the Threshold - the personality and our desires.
By keeping watch with the steely eyes of a tig er, slowly, we
gradually build a bri dge between the two, the Antahkarana.
We must lift the veil and cross the abyss to build our 'stairway'
to Divine Union. To kill the Dweller the Seeker must be
watchful and alert like the mind of a Tiger. "For if the "Secret
Path" is unattainable this "day," it is within thy reach "to­
morrow"8. Through our efforts we rise from the clouds of our
imagination and begin to open out a p athway towards the
Inner Light until the lunar and solar dragons unite.

The greatest of all journeys begins with a si ngle step, we have but to begin: "The mind is i ndeed
restless, Arjuna: It is indeed hard to train. But by constant practice and by freedom from passions the
mind in truth can be trained"? Taking it one step at a time we have but to consciously walk on until
at One with Nuwa and Fuxi, the entwined Serpents or Dragons of the Cosmos: Queen of the Ocean,
Star of the night, the mother and father of the universe., sister and brother. Solar and lunar unite in
a marriage of heaven and earth.

7 Atthe Feet of the Master, pl9-23. Alcyone (Krishnamurti). Theosophical Publishing House 1974.
8 Voiceof the Silence, p44.
9 The Bhagavad Gita, V35, p72. Juan Mascaro. Penguin Books 1962.

Illustrations: Horse and Tiger. Courtesy © M R Art 2013.

Full page illustration. Nuwa and Fuxi, 8th century, mid 8th century (Tang Dynasty). Hanging scroll - Color on silk, anonymous.
Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region Museum. Courtesy Wikimedia Commons.

19
 The Seal of Truth
To come to a place of Self-Realisation we need to grow accustomed to
our new journey and awaken to that Inner Light. Through the process
of meditation and self-observance we must attune to the Spiritual Fire
of the Sun, so that we become a vehicle for it. By stilling the emotions
and quietening the mind, and by exercising tolerance and patience, we
learn to take our first faltering steps on this journey to the Supreme:
"As the one Sun illumines all this world so He that abides in the body
lights up the whole field. They, who with eye of Wisdom perceive the
distinction between the field and the Knower of the field and the
liberation of being from nature, go to the Supreme".1 As our awareness increases our consciousness
will begin to merge into the Light of Life and into an experience of the One where Love dwells. Our
aura will expand and our heart be filled with Spiritual Fire. When we come to that central place of
peace our whole being is bathed in Light. HPB tells us:

"Occultists believe in the Lords of Light... Sun-flowers of a higher light... They will be
considered... to be ignoramuses [by] the superficially judging public, itself ignorant of the
great underlying truths in nature, /and bey accused of believing in medieval superstitions. Let
it be so.... the Sun is matter and the Sun is Spirit... God of Spiritual and Terrestrial Light.... It
is the Spirit of Life... the Great Life-Giver of the Spiritual and Psychic Realms."2

This process of Self-awakening can also be symbolised by the Alchemical retort, which releases its
spiritual essence when the dross of the personality has been burnt away. When the smoke arising
from the impurities has cleared, the Seeker has transcended to become a bearer of Light. Through
our own spiritual quest we can come to a place of inner knowing. Wisdom borne of the fruits of a
deeper experience of life and real knowledge of inner things:

"In Occultism the book of life is the one to which we turn our chief attention. We study other books
merely in order that we may live. For study even of Occult works is only a means to spirituality if we
are striving to live the Occult Life; it is the life and not the knowledge, the purified heart, not the well-
filled head, that leads to our Master's feet."3

The degree to which we are able to embrace Life and feel love for all is the key. All who search for
Spiritual Truth and try to serve humanity will find that that the Ancient Wisdom will make itself known.
This is the first Seal of Truth. White Eagle says: "You will not realize your goal through mental pursuit,
through your mind but only in the innermost sanctuary of your spirit, of your heart; and when you
have reached that, you will find expansion of consciousness so that you will become aware of all
spheres of life. You will realize your at-one-ment with the eternal Spirit, past, present and future will
be one with you for you will be living in the eternity. You will comprehend the mysteries of the universe.
You will have attained freedom of action, because even though your karma will continue to beset you
during your physical life, you will at the same time have learned the secret of transmuting your karma.
You will use the difficulties of your karma to lead you into greater and more beautiful service".4

1 Bhagavad Gita
2 SD VI, p479-481.
3 The Doctrine of the Heart, pl3. A Besant. Theosophical Publishing Society 1914.
4 Wh ite Eagle, Spiritual Unfoldment 3. P87—88.
Illustration: 'Sun Star' 2013 © SB, all rights reserved.

21
 "The souls of people, on their way to Earth, pass through a room full of
lights; each takes a taper - often only a spark - to guide it in the dim
country of this world. But some souls, by rare fortune, are detained
longer — have time to grasp a handful of tapers, which they weave into
a t orch. These are the torch-bearers of humanity — i ts poets, seers,
and saints, who lead and lift the race out of darkness, toward the light.
They are the law-givers, the light-bringers, way-showers, and truth-
tellers, and without them humanity would lose its way in the dark."

Illustration; 'Sun Star' 2013 © SB, all rights reserved. Lichtbringer ("Bringer of Light") by Bernhard Hoetger (1936), Courtesy
Wikimedia Commons
 The mystical union of spirit and matter in the human heart can
be depicted by the simplicity of a rose, from which stems the
loving gift of service to our fellow human beings. An example of
this can be found in Gordon Allen, who during a near death
experience found himself in an inner space where a hi gher
spiritual being was present. He experienced unconditional love,
an overwhelming profound love and purposefulness. This
changed his level of consciousness and when he came back to
life, he found his heart was filled with an intense fire of love
which hasn't changed or gone away. He became a t otally
different character and his transformation was profound.

We learn through the illumination of our mind and heart and

this is one of the stepping stones along our journey - climbing
the Tree of Life. When the heart centre starts to awaken,
ordinary perceptions of the world begin to change and the
physical plane temporarily fades into the distance. The lotus
of the heart begins to open and there is an awareness of a
different stream of life.

The adjacent images symbolise a p art of this journey. From

shadowy smoke and shifting perceptions, to the vibrant
rhythms of change and transformation. If through our own
effort we are able to stand (hold our consciousness) in this
'little light' at the centre of our own heart, the fire of love
floods in and illuminates the chalice of our being:

I will follow you down wherever you go,

Baby I am bound to you and you know,
Closer pull me in tight I wanna be your hero
And my heart beats5

Symbolically the Sun is coloured gold representing the

transcendence of the lower to the higher, the lesser light
merged into the Greater, or the transmutation of base metal
into gold. The ultimate wholeness of man. It is the spiritual
Sun which nurtures the inborn fire-the flame or spark of the
Divine situated at the centre of our being. The Sun is al so
associated with the Hero, who is often shown holding a sword6
- the Sword of Truth, the carrier of Fohat or Universal
Intelligence. The Slayer of the dragon.

In opening the Lotus flower of the heart we awaken the Eye of

Wisdom. This is the second Sealof Truth. HPB.tellsus: "The whole essence of truth cannot be transmitted
from mouth to ear. Nor can any pen describe it, not even that of the recording Angel, unless man finds
the answer in the sanctuary of his own heart, in the innermost depths of his divine intuitions".7

5 Song by Shakira "Empire", lyrics by Ina Wroldsen. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qHnQiFXklQY

6 Symbolically related to fire
7 SD Vol 2, p516.

Illustrations: adapted from painting "Awakening" 1993 © SB, all rights reserved. Lotus (adapted) Courtesy © M R Art 2013.

23
 Before transforming -like a butterfly - into its mature form,
each plant seed grows a single shoot with two leaves. Each
human embryo when it starts to develop in the womb
progresses first through earlier evolutionary forms. Each new
life evolves according to its own nature and potential, both
in their maturity fulfil their potentiality to the degree that
they are able. Be t hat on stony or fertile ground, in good
circumstances or poor; or in the case of a h uman being,
having the individual Will to reach the full degree of their
potentiality for this lifetime.

Every seed must die in order to transform and during this

process of transformation a n ew energy bursts forth from
the unmanifest to the manifest. We travel out of darkness
into light and out of weakness into the strength. From the
delicate seedling of a small child into a fully grown individual.
From a struggling neophyte to a mature Seeker of Truth.

Through our encounters on the spiritual journey we will in

time find the 'secret stairway' to the "Gates of Gold" - the
doorway to 'soul-wisdom'. Our Pathway to Wisdom we each
must choose in our own time, when we are ready and when
we are committed to it. To find Wisdom we need to learn
about ourselves through the long process of self-observation
and awareness. We can fill our heads with lofty ideas and
fanciful notions, but not one of us can escape the hard work
it takes to follow the path to Wisdom. Through
perseverance, focus of attention and practice, we can begin
to recognize why we do the things we do and why we find
change so hard to achieve. We are all in the same boat!

We must make ourselves ready to climb the Dragon Tree of

Wisdom to find the Seal of Truth concealed within. As we
start to do so, the energy slowly rises and gradually activates
our chakras8 which open like flowers in the sunshine, until the twin leaves of the first shoot of
Spiritual Wisdom springs into being. The Ajna9 centre starts to open, glowing white like mother of
pearl and the petals of our Crown centre (Sahasrara) gently unfold.

The bud of Wisdom has opened and our 'tree' has sprung into life. When fully open, Prajna - the Eye
of Wisdom - has awakened: "The divine self-perceived by the Self, the Atman or seventh principle
merged with the Universal, perceived by Buddhi, the sixth principle or divine Soul in man".10

In other words from One consciousness it returns to One consciousness. "In him was life; and the
life was the light of men (John, I, 3,4) The great Dragon of Wisdom is born of Fire and Water, and
into Fire and Water will all be reabsorbed".11

8 The body's energy centres.

9 Ajna: the brow centre or the 'Third Eye'.
10 SD. Vol. 1, p470.
11SD. Vol. 1, p471.
Illustrations: "Tree of Life", "Realisation" and butterfly, 2013 © SB, all rights reserved.

24
 Wisdom occurs when: "that spirit is to uched and unfolds through the
soul's own aspiration and will. The mysteries remain secret until the
spirit quickens and the soul rises into the halls of wisdom, to the place
of divine illumination. Infact there are no secrets because all knowledge
is within you. But that inner knowledge, that inner power, must remain
covered and secret until the soul has attained to a degree of
understanding of spiritual law so that it can use this development power
wisely."12

In the mystical philosophy of the Kabbalah13, part of the esoteric

teachings of Judaism, the Tree of Life and the Three Pillars of Wisdom
play a central part. These teachings have many similarities with other
esoteric traditions including Theosophy. Amongst other things, the
Tree of Life is an archetype for spiritual growth. The Sephiroth
symbolically placed on the Tree signify an archetypal idea. At different
levels they signify the process of creation, and represent centres of
consciousness. They relate to the cosmos and cosmic hierarchies as
much as to psychology and the consciousness of the human mind. Each of the Sephiroth has its own
place on the Tree, and they co-exist and connect to each other in the World of Emanations, World of
Creation, World of Form and World Action.

The Kabbalistic teachings consider numerous pathways on the human journey14 and during the
process of self-development this helps the student to develop different points of observation and
understanding. However, pursuit of any Esoteric Teachings can be nothing more than an intellectual
exercise if we do not use it for spiritual intentions: "In the mystery schools, the method of development
was imparted by slow degrees to those who were ready, and the candidate was helped to rise in
consciousness through the guidance and love of the brothers in these schools".15 The Sephirah
Tiphereth, is the centre of the Tree of Life. It corresponds to the heart and relates to beauty, harmony
and compassion. Here, when fully energised, the human spirit has reached a point of balance
between the two pillars of judgement and mercy, where it rests in equilibrium. The Tree of Life has
no balance without knowledge and the Seeker must unite through the Middle Pillar16. The Middle
Pillar or Mildness, represents creation and the conscious experience.

If the Seeker is sincere and willing the gates to inner knowledge will open: "To the Eastern Occultist
the Tree of Knowledge, in the Paradise of man's own heart, becomes the Tree of Life Eternal, and
has nought to do with man's animal senses. It is an absolute mystery that reveals itself only
through the efforts of the imprisoned Manas and the Ego, to liberate themselves from the thraldom
of sensuous perceptions, and see in the light of the one eternal present Reality."17 The golden light
which illuminates the heart of the awakened Soul provides the key to its final freedom, this is the
Third Seal of Truth.

12 Wh ite Eagle, Spiritual Unfoldment 3. p94.

13 Wha tis stated on this pages gives only a very superficial idea of the depth of Kabbalistic teachings. HPB touches on many
aspects of the Kabbalah in the SD and two books are listed in the bibliography.
14 The Thirty Two Paths of Wisdom.
15 Wh ite Eagle, Spiritual Unfoldment 3. p94.
16 In the Eastern teachings these Pillars relate to the Ida, Pingala and Susumna.
17 SD. Vol. 2, p587.
Illustration: "Tiphereth", painting 1996 © SB, all rights reserved.

25
Voyage to the Silent Self
The Flame of Life rests still and constant like a
candle flame protected on its own plane of
existence, neither faded nor fanned by matters of
the world. It is present in the centre of the heart in
each and every one of us, though we may not
perceive it. This is the true seat of the 'imprisoned
splendour', not the mind or the head (which we
mostly identify as 'ourselves'), but the Heart. Those
outer trappings are not what WE are at all.

Once touched by the consciousness of the Seeker

the body opens to the Soul and the wings of the
Hidden Self open wide like the wings of a gen tle
dove. The Breath of Life fans the flame of the heart
Truth is within ourselves imperceptibly until, standing in it (our
It takes no rise from outward things consciousness stilled by it), we are within the all-
What 'ere you may believe encompassing Fire of Pure Spirit. It is not perceived
There is an inmost centre in us all as heat, yet it blazes like a rag ing fire through the
Where truth abides in fullness
whole Being. The Golden Lotus has awakened and
And around wall upon wall the
the inner fire flames itself as the chamber of the
Gross flesh hems us in....
heart expands and glows like burnished gold; and
'To know' rather consists in opening
the consciousness of the Seeker is flooded with fire,
Out a way whence the imprisoned
and the Light of Spirit, and the LOVE of the
splendour may escape
Universe. This Fiery Love is the Great Teacher
Than in effecting entry for light
which awakens our heart to its true purpose. It
Supposed to be without
opens the eyes of the Seeker to the real meaning of
Paracelsus
Love.

Consider for a moment. We have love for our

children, family and friends. Bring any one of them to mind and experience the energy which
instantaneously fills our heart. We don't have to think about it, it just happens. This is not to be
confused with emotional feelings, it is experienced in the chest like a glow around the heart. Choose
another person, anyone, and another, and the same thing will follow. The Universe is f illed with
Love, a ceaseless reservoir that can NEVER be exhausted. The whole of space, the whole of existence,
is filled with it: "Spiritual life and love are not exhausted by being spent. Expenditure only adds to
the store and makes it richer and intenser. Try and be as happy and contented as you can, because
in joy is th e real spiritual life, and sorrow is but the result of our ignorance and absence of clear
vision".1

There are other descriptions of such 'peak experiences', from people in all walks of life and all
circumstances, but such conditions seldom last for long even though their energies may stay in the
heart and linger the mind and in the aura for a considerable time. The Seeker may have brushed off

1 The Doctrine of the Heart, p27. A Besant. Theosophical Publishing Society 1914
Illustration: "The Silent Self 2014 © SB, all rights reserved.

26
 some 'dust' from their shoulders and may be changed in
their outlook having gained a little insight, but they are still
faced with a long journey ahead. Nothing has changed on
that score. The personality still raises its head and the
everyday task of trying tokeep on the 'straight and narrow'
path of our spiritual journey continues.

This journey will come to an end one day, but not so soon
for most of us, but: "Keep on regardless of everything, but
with wisdom".2 There are no short cuts, all of our
experiences have to be processed and absorbed. So we
must pull ourselves up by our 'boot straps' and walk on,
day by day putting into action what we have learned, to
the best of our ability:

"The pupil in the mystery schools is taught that the key to

understanding of these symbols is in the golden chamber;
and the golden chamber is the heart, called by some the
golden lotus; and within this golden flower lies the key
which will unlock the door to the mysteries... everything... is
within himself, No school on the outer plane can give you this knowledge. The only school in which
you w ill obtain this precious wisdom is in the school of life..., human relationship, outer action and
the inward contemplation.... if the aspirant is seeking the lost secret, the divine magic."3

All those subtle lives which make up our being are used to existing in certain vibrations, certain
patterns, so it is up to us to train ourselves (and them) to live in a higher vibration. Though we have
first to establish those vibrations and maintain them: "If you had a plant or tree under your control,
in time it would respond, and assume its highest form, on condition that you became at one with its
hidden laws, and you are meant to become this".'' Through mediation and self-observance we can
learn to attune with the Inner Light, such that we become a vehicle for it. But we must first learn to
awaken ourselves to it, we have to let go and embrace it:

We are alive
It's going to raise my head and walk up to the final edge
And I'm gonna fall
It's going to raise my head and hold you close
Like the empires of the world unite.
We are alive
And the stars make love to the universe
You're my wildfire every single night
We are alive
And the stars make love to the universe5

2 The Yogic Ascent to Spiritual Heights, p210. G Hodson. Stellar Books, Manila Philippines 1991.
3 Spiritual Unfoldment, p 63-64. White Eagle. White Eagle Publishing Trust 1987.
4 Christ in You, pl09. Watkins 1980.
5 Song by Shakira "Empire", lyrics by Ina Wroldsen. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qHnQiFXklQY Viewing recommended.
Illustration: Adapted from painting "Awakening" 1993 © SB, all rights reserved.

27
 Ultimately, when our awareness shifts to the centre, where
the Light of the Divine sits: invisible and intangible save for
the "still small voice" of our spiritual consciousness1. Here
resides our Solar Angel, a spark of the solar logos, our Silent
Self. We have reached a ne w dawn on our journey and to
paraphrase from Lea Super's lyrics:

Now I see a new light in the sky,

Let the rain come down and wash away my tears
Let it fill my soul and drown my fears
Let it shatter the walls for a new sun
A new day has come!7

For I have seen in lonely The human body is a temple in which conditions are Self-
And in lonelier hours created by the aspiration of the Seeker. The Flame of Life is
manifest within that temple to the degree that the Seeker is
My vision of the
able to Realise it. You must be born of water and of spirit,
Rainbow-aureoled face
the keys of the kingdom are in your hands":8 This 'Solar Star'
Of whom men call Beauty is representative of the Higher Self, and of Solomon's Seal,
Proud austere Master KH says this: "the dark and light interlaced triangles
Dim vision of the flawless used in the seal of the Theosophical Society, the Sri Antara....
perfect face the "mystery of the mysteries", is a geometrical synthesis of
the whole occult doctrine. They contain the "squaring of the
Divinely fugitive, that haunts
circle" the "philosophical stone", the great problems of Life
the world
and Death.... The upper pointing one is Wisdom concealed,
And lifts men's spiral thoughts to and the downward pointing one Wisdom revealed".9
lovelier dream
As i ts energies unfold on the physical plane the seed be­
comes hidden, its potentiality is manifest from within. We
Robert Browning
must discover the seed of our spirituality so that our poten­
tiality becomes manifest on the spiritual plane. Purucker ad­
vises: "Lift your soul in quiet thought upward. Love will guide the wings of your soul to your spiritual
sun. Strive not: nevertheless advance. Be not anxious to achieve; nevertheless work to achieve. Blind
not yourself with anxiety nor enfeeble your steps with longing: nevertheless go ahead, move, ad­
vance. Be at peace".10

In the Key to Theosophy, HPB tells us that the final goal cannot be reached in any way but through
life experiences, and because most of this consists of pain and suffering, this is how we learn. Many
of us will have seen the photograph of Einstein sitting at his desk with a copy of the SD lying there
along with other books. He famously said that "The intellect has little to do on the road to discovery.
There comes a leap in consciousness, call it intuition or what you will, and the solution comes to you
and you don't know how or why. All great discoveries are made in this way".

6 SD, Vol 1, p280.

7 Celine Dion "A New Day has Come" lyrics by Lea Super.
8 Christ in You, pl20. Watkins 1980.
9 Letter 54, p345, The Mahatma Letters to A. P. Sinnett, compiled A. T. Barker. Theosophical University Press 1992.
Illustrations: full page "Solar Angel" and 'Solar Star' 2013 © SB, all rights reserved.
10 The Book of Golden Precepts, 97. G De Purucker.

29
HPB also tells us that every atom contains the whole: "This cosmic dust is something more; for
every atom in the Universe has the potentiality of self-consciousness in it, and is.... A Universe in
itself, and for itself. It is an atom and an angel."11

We are One with this 'sea of angels' and have a kinship with all things. It is the Shining Light of
your Spiritual Self, the 'Jewel in the Lotus'. The Spiritual Phoenix lies within:

"If the light rises in the sky of the heart... and in the utterly pure inner man attains the
brightness of the sun or of many suns... then his heart is nothing but light, his subtle body
is li ght, his material covering is l ight, his hearing, his sight, his hands, his exterior, his
interior, are nothing but light."

Once found, be true to your Inner Light

It will guide you unerringly towards the Truth.
Once gained the inner wisdom is never lost
It resides in the unsullied chamber of the heart

11 SD, Vol 1, pl07.

Full Page Illustration: Adapted from painting "Awakening" 1993 © SB, all rights reserved.

30
 BIBLIOGRAPHY
A New Model of the Universe, P D Ouspensky. Arkana 1984.
At the Feet of the Master, Alcyone. Theosophical Publishing House 1974.
A Student's Companion to Patanjali, R Worthington. TPH 1987.
Chasm of Fire Fire - A Woman's Experience of Liberation with a Sufi Master, Irina Tweedie. Element Books 1988.
Christ in You. Watkins 1980.
Concentration and Mediation, C Humphreys. Element Books 1993.
Descartes' Philosophy of Science, D M Clarke. Manchester Univ. Press 1982.
Dialogues with Scientists and Saints, Renee Weber. Routledge 1990.
Dion Fortune and the Inner Light, G. Knight. Thoth Publications 2000.
Discourse on Method and the Meditations, R Desca rtes, Trans J Veitch.
Isis Unveiled, H. P. Blavatsky. The Theosophical Company 1982.
Journey Into Consciousness, C Breaux. Rider 1990.
Kabbalah, C. Ponce. Theosophical Publishing House 1973.
Kamalashila Meditation-The Buddhist Way of Tranquility. Windhorse 1994.
Life as a Siamese Monk, R Randall. Aukana Publishing 1990.
Light on the Path - Through the Gates of Gold, M Collins.
Meditation - Seven Steps in Understanding, E Shattock. TPH 1988.
Mount Everest - A Book on Discipleship, G. S. Arundale. TPH 1978.
Natural Theosophy, E. Wood. Theosophical Publishing House.
Raja Yoga, Swami Vivekananda. Advaita Ashrama 1942.
Space Time and Self, E N Pearson. Theosophical Publishing House 1964.
Spiritual Dimensions, ATeillard. Routledge 1961.
Spiritual Unfoldment, White Eagle. White Eagle Publishing Trust 1987.
The Ageless Wisdom of Life, C. M. Codd. Theosophical Publishing House 1956.
The Archetypal Cosmos, K Le Grice. Floris Books 2010.
The Bhagavad Gita, Juan Mascaro. Penguin Books 1962
The Book of Golden Precepts, G De Purucker.
The Doctrine of the Heart, A Besant. Theosophical Publishing Society 1914.
The Esoteric Path - Its Nature and Its Tests, G de Purucker. Point Loma 1987.
The Feminine Face of Buddhism, G. Farrer-Halls. Quest Books, TPH 2002.
The Key to Theosophy, H. P. Blavatsky. Theosophical Publishing House, 1987.
The Golden Verses of Pythagoras, F D'Olivet. Thorsons Publishers 1975.
The Mahatma Letters to A. P. Sinnett (In Chronological Sequence), transcribed and compiled by A. T. Barker,
Arranged/Ed. V Hao Chin Jr. TPH 1993.
The Mahatma Letters to A. P. Sinnett, A. T. Barker. Theos. Univ. Press 1992.
The Rig Veda, translated and annotated by W D O'Flaherty. 1981
The Search Within - A Course in Meditation, C Humphreys. TPH 1982.
The Secret Doctrine, H.P.Blavatsky, Col. Writ., Ed. Boris De Zirkoff. TPH 1978.
The Tao of Phy sics, F Capra. Flamingo 1992.
The Turning Point, F Capra. Flam ingo 1983.
The Upanishads, Juan Mascaro. Penguin Books 1965.
The Vision of Cosmic Order in the Vedas, J Mille r. Routledge 1987.
The Voice of the Silence, H. P. Blavatsky. Quest Books, TPH 1980.
The Way of the Sufi, I Shah. Penguin 1974.
The Yogic Ascent to Spiritual Heights, G Hodson. Stellar Books 1991.
Tree of Life: Introduction to the Cabala, Z'ev ben Shimon Halevi. Rider 1972.
When the Sun Moves Northwards - TheWay of Initiation, Mabel Collins TPH.
Wholeness and the Implicate Order, D Bohm. Routledge 1980.

These are a selection of books which have been useful on my

journey and recent editions are available for most of them.

There may be other books more suited to you.

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 THE THEOSOPHICAL PUBLISHING HOUSE
LONDON

Helena Petrovna Blavatsky- Her Pupils (facsimile)

Foundations of Esoteric Philosophy -H. P. Blavatsky (compilation)
The Key to Theosophy - H. P. Blavatsky
Oneness and The Monad -Yvonne Burgess
What of Tomorrow? -K. H. Challoner
Regents of the Seven Spheres - K. H. Challoner
The Mystery of Life - Clara Codd
Deeper Truths in Buddhism, compiled from the Mahatma Letters - Basil Crump
Aspects of Divine Law - Geoffrey Farthing
Deity Cosmos and Man-Geoffrey Farthing (with the Blavatsky Trust)
Foundations: The Kabalah and Theosophy - Geoffrey Farthing (Blavatsky Trust)
Modern Theosophy - Geoffrey Farthing
Theosophy, What's it all about - Geoffrey Farthing
The Right Angle: H. P. Blavatsky on Masonry-compilation by-Geoffrey Farthing
Krishnamurti and the Wind -Jean Overton Fuller
The Beginnings of Theosophy in France-Joscelyn Godwin
Bibliography of H. P. Blavatsky-J. P. Guignette
Master, Teach Me -lanthe Hoskins
Reflections on Time, Duration and Immortality -lanthe Hoskins
The Secret of Life and Death - lanthe Hoskins
The Search Within -Christmas Humphreys
The Real H. P. Blavatsky-William Kingsland
Selected Studies in the Secret Doctrine -S. Lancri
100 Years of Modern Occultism -L Leslie-Smith
Theosophy, The Truth Revealed -compiled by Merseyside Lodge of the T. S.
The Etheric Double-A. E. Powell
Madame Blavatsky Unveiled? -Leslie Price
Meditation - E Shattock
Theosophia in Neo-Platonic and Christian Literature-J. L. Siemons
Occult World - A. P. Sinnett
Pyramids and Stonehenge - A. P. Sinnett
Hatha Yoga - Wallace Slater
Our Last Adventure - E. Leslie-Smith
Cyclic Evolution - A. Warcup
Students Companion to Patanjali - R. Worthington

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 BLAVATSKY LECTURES

The Role of Maya in Man's Evolution - Seymour Ballard

H. P. Blavatsky, The Light Bringer - Geoffrey Barborka
The Virtuous Key - Betty Bland
Living Truth -Radha Burnier
The Descent into Hades-Ted Davy
Science, Consciousness and the Paranormal - Arthur Ellison
Life, Death and Dreams - Geoffrey Farthing
Theosophy, It's Beneficent Potentialities -Geoffrey Farthing
The Mystery of Satan - Edward Gal
Olympian ideal of Universal Brotherhood - Erica Geordiades
Colonel Olcott and the Healing Arts - Michael Gomes
Creating the New Age - Michael Gomes
Esoteric Philosophy-John Gordon
Joyful Gnosis-Stephan Hoeller
Science of Spirituality - lanthe Hoskins
The Harvest of Life-Alan Hughes
Theosophy: A Perennial Wisdom for a New Age-Yves Marcel
The Human Journey-Joy Mills
The Cycle of Life -Colin Price
The Soul's Imperative - Harold Tarn
The Bodhisattva Path - Bhupendra Vora
The Evolutionary Task of Humanity - Peter Barton

The above publications and many more are

available from

THE WISDOM TRADITION BOOKSHOP

50 Gloucester Place, London W1U 8EA
Tel: 020 7563 9816 email: [email protected]

Hundreds of titles on Theosophy, Eastern and Western Religions,

Health, Art and Literature, Western Occultism.
New and second-hand books available.

34
 SUSAN BAYLISS: Biographical Notes

Having been keenly interested in spirituality from a young age, fi nding the Esoteric
Teachings in her late teens opened up a world of discovery and it wasthrough this that
in her twenties Susancame across the Theosophical Society. Being inspired by what the
Society stood for she became a member in 1982.

Since then Susan has giv en many years to investigating the Wisdom Teachings o f
Theosophy, and connecting with these essential truths she has tak en a p ractical
approach to exploring the inner journey and uncovering the hidden keys to the Ancient
Mysteries. Learning about the spiritual ideals of Theosophyas a practical way of living has been uppermost
in her life alongside her esoteric work and study.

Susan lectures extensively around the UK, also p roviding talks and workshops for the annual Summer
Schools and other conferences. In 1994 she was appointed to the Executive Committee of the TS and as
a director for the Foundation for Theosophical Studies. She continues with those roles and has served in
many other capacities, including as National Treasurer and National Secretary for the TS.

Susan trained as a designer, has a Master's degree in management and worked in various areas of business
and in the voluntary sector, later qualifying as a holistic therapist.

t
Acknowledgments

It is a privilege to be asked to deliver the Blavatsky Lecture and to honour the memory of Helena Petrovna
Blavatsky who gave her all in order to lift a 'corner of the veil' and reveal some of these Teachings for the
benefit of future generations.

The theme for the 2014 Summer School at which this Blavatsky Lecture will be given is"The Searchfor Truth
- The Rising of the Spiritual Phoenix". My thanks go to the Summer School Committee for organising and
running these Schools year on year and for inviting me to speak. Thanks are also due to the Foundation
for Theosophical Studies which funds the Summer Schools and the National Speakers Scheme, many of
whose speakers teach at the School.

The Summer Schools are a w onderful experience and if you are learning about this for the first time you
are warmly invited to come along and see for yourself.

www.theosophy.org.uk
www.theosoc.org.uk

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