The main object of these lessons is to present certain guidelines for the student to follow. Many are the pitfalls that lie before him as he journeys into the realms of the mind. Therefore, in presenting what is to follow we try to avoid dictating how one should use this knowledge. We point out the ways that the student should allow the subject matter to take its own form within himself. In other words, he should try to feel that this knowledge is actually coming forth from within his own mind.
True religion is pure occultism in its true sense and no matter what we understand by mysticism, magic and science pure religion embraces all these things. It inquires not only into the nature of man and the universe, it provides also a practical philosophy whereby one can deal powerfully with the problems of everyday living. Thus pure religion stands as the most exacting and potent science available to man.
Pure religion has its roots in the knowledge taught to man by all the great teachers especially those who have come to us from the realms nearest to the Godhead. Throughout all the realms of the cosmic hierarchy beings come and go like shooting stars forever on the move, leaving behind them a trail of light which is infused into and absorbed by each area which they transfix.
Man tries to dramatise the great cosmic outworking in his rituals and ceremonies and these act as blueprints or reminders of the laws by which one should live.
The pattern of the universe is already established and the laws relating to each world are irrevocable. In misunderstanding this fact man has reaped much pain and suffering. Instead of relying upon the doctrines of those who are in a position to know and teach, man has devised ways and means of living based upon his own limited concepts thus failing to get one step nearer to that which he seeks. The dilemma here is the result of the inability of man to recognise a teacher or agent from the hierarchy, together with the failure to understand what he has to say.
There is a world of difference between instruction received from a genuine agent, teacher, interpreter or one who has gained real enlightenment and one who has gained his knowledge from books. From the former there is a radiating energy streaming through from whichever level he is operating from together with the precise instructions for the attainment of the awareness of that particular level, whilst the latter can only repeat what he has read or heard from material already available.
We recognise that there are some already partially enlightened people on the earth but we should emphasise that even in this state there can arise the condition of indifference which limits one within the confines of a circle of understanding. One should continue to maintain an attitude which leaves room for unlimited stages of progression. Even the deity of our own solar system provides for this in his present stage of expansion. As a man, it is quite a business to become aware of all that which is both within and without. It is presumptuous to assume that one can understand the spheres of, say, Mars and Venus, if he cannot understand the mysteries of his own sphere. To achieve this freedom one has to gain control of his own occult forces by understanding their nature and then release himself from their influences; for example the sun is radiating its own light and energy into this solar system and the planets in turn respond within this electro-magnetic field by interpreting or de-coding computer-wise the various types of energy necessary to maintain intelligent life within their own area of activity. This idea should not be considered from the point of view of popular astrology which tends to bind you to these influences. In truth you should be manipulating these influences yourself to have the right kind of experience. The true occultist operates by considering what are the principles to be learned from these areas which appear abstract to the senses. That which is invisible or unrecognisable to human perception is a first cause for investigation.
For a teacher to declare “I come from the Father” as did Jesus, how is it possible for one to gain truth for such a claim? There are hundreds of teachers making claims at the moment and since it is impossible to visit each one for proof what can one do?
It is a law that “birds of a feather flock together”. This means that a person with a particular outlook or condition which he has built for himself will gravitate towards people and an environment of a similar nature. Even if such evidence does not appear on the surface whatever your inherent desires, setbacks, hopes and ideals are you will be drawn magnetically to, say, a school or a teacher with similar tendencies. This gives you a pattern on which to check your own limitations, if you are in a position to look beyond your own illusions.
Everybody is seeking that which lies beyond the turmoil and frustration that is this earthly experience but so many dictate their own terms whereby freedom shall come about and even argue with anyone who suggests something which is foreign to their way of thinking. It is precisely this attitude which bars the way to truth. Therefore if you sincerely seek to know the light irrespective of what it costs in material losses you will be drawn to the teacher who will show you how to make your highest ideals materialise into reality.
What is it that prompts people to send for our lessons? Maybe it is sheer curiosity or perhaps they think they will discover some new ritual or some short cut to occult powers. Let us be honest with you, we know who we are and what we are doing. We have been asked if we possess a secret formula or special powers, but we say that we possess something which all men possess, namely the light and power of God. We do however know the exact way one may reach union with the Divine in a very short time. If this were not so we would have been labouring under illusions ourselves and we know that, on the contrary, from results we have had, that some of our contacts who possess no knowledge of the occult and very little of religion experience that which others have sought for life after life.
It is interesting to remember that intelligent beings continually come and go through all worlds but when it happens here many cannot believe it and dismiss the fact as an idle dream. We continue to send out lessons and we are aware that they might appear to be a lot of words on paper. We agree with you if you let them remain so and it is not wise to judge what we have said until you test it with an open mind. All we can do is to appeal to you to release yourself to life.
It takes a lot of time and trouble from a human point of view for us to come here in the flesh. If you can imagine what it is like to come into a dark world where animal law still persists and where ideas and ways are entirely foreign to our own, we find that we have to spend some time learning how to approach humans and understand their ways. We do this partly because we are called by the magnetic attraction of those who seek our knowledge and partly because we allow ourselves to go wherever the call comes from. Elade is not a Messiah or Avatar but simply an agent or messenger or perhaps, rather, an interpreter working under the direction of an Avatar, declaring the right attitudes and principles necessary for the recognition of an Avatar and how to understand his message.
It is easy to transcend this world by meditation but what is the use if you meditate for one or two hours a day and spend the remaining twenty-two warring against effects. However, to think continuously upon a certain subject is a kind of meditation whichever way you look at it. Understanding your own nature in relation to that of the Divine helps you to cope twenty-four hours a day in a continual state of awareness. One reason why humans fail in their search for reality is that the answers are too simple. Even the most advanced ritual or ceremony will not produce the effects of the simple approach. Does it not seem foolish to call down the “Great Ones” if one cannot converse harmoniously with his next door neighbour?
The majority of experiences had during the working of rituals are nothing more than psychedelic effects built up in one’s mind mainly through the motive and purpose of the ritual itself. If one did manage to invoke a genuine god and he actually appeared, we guess that he would give answers in plain straight-forward language which might come as a shock and which would not be spoken in sacerdotal tones or terminology, but rather in the simple terms of everyday talk.
Sometimes the process involved in bringing a student to the light might appear trivial or even stupid from the human point of view and one could miss that which is going on behind the scenes. Often one cannot see that work, carried on unknown to the sensory faculties, even though the senses may be quite active at the time.
In the next lesson we shall begin to look at some very interesting points out of which we shall embark on a fascinating journey into space. This journey into our own enlarged area of awareness is like travelling through wide open spaces and never ending vistas; we will remind you, however, that the experiences to be had are already determined and you will not experience anything different from that which has been known by the Initiates of the past from any planet within our solar system. You can become aware of only that which is already established.