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Ideal Thoughtforms of the Mystic and the Occultist
[The "Bridge of Light" continued please read that first.]
[Note: for easier reading only "he", "him", "himself" is used throughout; freely substitute "she", "her", "herself", if applicable.]
In his aspirations towards higher consciousness, the first type of aspirant, namely the MYSTIC, thinks ardently about his Master, who is, to him, the embodiment of the ideal higher consciousness. He creates a thoughform with care and love and attention of his Master. He concentrates and focuses one-pointedly upon this form in meditation and builds it into the fabric of his daily life and thought. On this form, he bestows all the virtues, all the scintillating colours that represent them; and, this form is vivified, first of all, by the love of the aspirant for his Master. (In these days, the Christ, as embodied in Jesus, is regarded by most Christians as the(ir) Master). Later, when the aspirant has sustained this thoughtform long enough for it to become adequate for the purpose, the mystics Master himself (who may or may not be Jesus) vitalizes the thoughtform.
At a certain stage in the aspirant's development, this form provides the basis for the aspirant's experience of entering into the higher consciousness. The aspirant recognizes himself as part of the Master's consciousness and through that all-embracing consciousness slips into the egoic group soul consciously. This thoughtform provides the medium (mayavirupa) for that experience until the aspirant no longer has any use for it, when he can at will transfer himself into his group, and later consciously dwell there permanently. This method is the most common one and is the path of love and devotion.
In the second method, the aspirant, namely the OCCULTIST, aspires to be and pictures himself as the ideal human being. In his aspirations towards that ideal, he visualizes himself as the exponent of all the virtues, and he attempts in his daily life to make himself what he visualizes himself to be. This method is employed by the more mental types, the intellectuals, and those who are not on a ray characterized by love (second ray), harmony (fourth ray), or devotion (sixth ray). It is not so common as the first method. The mental thoughtform thus built up serves in this case as the medium or mayavirupa by means of which the aspirant passes into the higher consciousness.
Thus, in building a thoughtform, the aspirant takes certain steps, each type of aspirant building his form somewhat differently. The first type of aspirant, or mystic, will start with some beloved individual in his life, on whom he concentrates as his ideal. From that individual, his devotion will rise through the various other individuals (of ever-increasing virtue) he idealizes, to the Master. The second type of aspirant, or occultist, will start with a one-pointed focus or meditation on the virtue most desired, and then, gradually, will add virtue on virtue in building the form of the ideal self until all the virtues have been added and the Ego is suddenly contacted (in this context, "Ego" = "Higher Consciousness/Higher Self"). All this would, of course, not happen in one lifetime.
Definitions of mysticism and occultism:
"mysticism" is defined in Webster's Third New International Dictionary as the "doctrine or belief that direct knowledge of God, of spiritual truth, of ultimate reality or comparable matters is attainable through immediate intuition, insight or illumination in a way differing from ordinary sense perception or ratiocination" (ratiocination" = the process of exact thinking). The term, "occultism", is defined in that dictionary as a "belief in hidden or mysterious powers and the possibility of subjecting them to human control".
The Master Djwahl Kuhl on "occult": "This term concerns the hidden forces of being and those springs of conduct which produce the objective manifestation..." and on "occultism": "The study of true occultism is the study of the why and how of phenomena. It is the finding out of the method whereby results are achieved, and it involves close analysis of events and circumstances in order to discover their governing laws." ("A Treatise on White Magic" by Alice A. Bailey (Lucis Press)). It is sometimes alos known as metaphysics.
Thoughtforms used by the mystic and the occultist:
One gets insight into one's own spiritual evolution or development on the type of aspirant one is, and on what rays one is currently working when one studies the difference between the two types.
The mystic is not necessarily an occultist, but the occultist embraces the mystic. Mysticism is but one step on the path of occultism. In this solar system the system of "love in activity" the path of least resistance is that of the mystic, or the path of love and devotion. In the next solar system, the path of least resistance will be that which we now understand as the occult path. The mystic path will have been trodden and will no longer be valid.
What is the difference between these two types?
The mystic focuses on the evolving life, the occultist on the form.
The mystic focuses on the God within; the occultist on God in outer manifestation (God Immanent).
The mystic works from the centre to the periphery, or centrifugally; the occultist works from the periphery to the centre, or centripetally.
The mystic attains through his aspiration and intense devotion to the God within or to the Master Whom he recognizes; the occultist attains by the recognition of the law in operation and by wielding the law that binds matter, and conforms it to the needs of the indwelling life. Thus, the occultist arrives at those intelligences, who work with the law, till he attains the Fundamental Intelligence Himself.
The mystic works through the rays of love (second ray), harmony (fourth ray) and devotion (sixth ray). The occultist works through the rays of power (first ray), activity (third ray), and ceremonial law (seventh ray). Both types meet and blend through the development of mind on the fifth ray of concrete knowledge, which is a fragment of the cosmic intelligence, and on this fifth ray the mystic is resolved into the occultist and then works with all the rays.
The mystic: By finding the kingdom of God within himself and by studying the laws of his own being, the mystic becomes proficient in the laws which govern the universe of which he is a part.
The occultist: The occultist recognizes the kingdom of God in nature or the system, regards himself as a small part of that greater whole, and recognizes the fact that he is therefore governed by the same laws.
The mystic works as a general rule under the department of the World Teacher (by various peoples called the Christ, or Maitreya, or Bodhisattva, or Iman Madhi this Great Being or Master overshadowed Jesus from the latter's baptism by John the Baptist to the end of his life). The occultist more frequently works under the department of the Manu, or Ruler, but when both types have passed through the four minor rays in the department of the Lord of Civilisation (Mahachohan), the mystic becomes the occultist and the occultist includes the characteristics of the mystic. More simply put: After initiation, the mystic becomes an occultist, for he has become a student of occult law; he has to work with matter, with its manipulation and uses; he has to master and control all lower forms of manifestation, and learn the rules applied by the building devas (the Great Builders, who are light beings) in their work. Before initiation, the mystic path may be expressed by the phrase, "Probationary Path".
Before the occultist is enabled to manipulate the matter of the solar system, wisely, he must master the laws that govern the microcosm, and, even though he is naturally on the occult path, he still has to find the God within his own being (and in every other being in nature: human, mineral or vegetable)) before he can safely venture on the path of occult law.
The mystic works from the emotional to the intuitional and from there to the Monad, or Pure Spirit. The occultist works from the physical to the mental and from there to the Atma, or Spiritual Will. One works along the line of love; the other along the line of will. However, the mystic will fail in the purpose of his being (i.e. his ray purpose), namely that of love demonstrated in activity, if he cannot coordinate the whole through the use of intelligent will. Therefore, he has to become an occultist.
The occultist will, similarly, fail in the purpose of his being (i.e. his ray purpose) when he becomes only a selfish exponent of power working through intelligence, unless he finds a purpose for that will and knowledge through an animating love that will give him sufficient motive for doing his work.
Notes on Masters:
They are members of the Solar and Planetary Hierarchies of our earth scheme, and those Hierarchies are set out as follows by the Tibetan Master, Djwhal Kuhl, in "Initiation: Human and Solar" by Alice A. Bailey (Lucis Press):
The Solar Hierarchy of the earth scheme consists of:
The Solar Logos the Supreme Being; followed by the Solar Trinity or Logoi consisting of I. The Father (Will); II. The Son (Love-Wisdom); III. The Holy Spirit (Active Intelligence). These are followed by the Seven Rays consisting of the Three Major Rays of Aspect and the Four Subrays or Minor Rays of Attribute, namely:
Ray 1: Will or Power; Ray 2: Love-Wisdom; Ray 3: Active Intelligence.
The Third Ray has four subrays: Ray 4: Harmony or Beauty; Ray 5: Concrete Knowledge; Ray 6: Devotion or Idealism; Ray 7: Ceremonial Law, Order or Magic.
The Planetary Hierarchy of the earth scheme consists of:
The Planetary Logos, Sanat Kumara, who is also known as The Lord of the World, The Ancient of Days, or The One Initiator); followed by The Three Kumaras (The Buddhas of Activity). These are followed by the reflections of the Three Major and the Four Minor Rays of the Solar Hierarchy. The three major reflections of the rays are headed by A. The Manu (I. The Will Aspect); B. The Bodhisattva (Christ,World Teacher, Maitreya, Iman Sadhi)(II. The Love-Wisdom Aspect); C. The Mahachohan (The Lord of Civilisation)(III. The Intelligence Aspect). The various Ascended Masters fall under the above three departmental heads. Under Ray One: the Master Jupiter and the Master Moraya. Under Ray Two: An unnamed European Master, the Master KH (Kuthuumi) and the Master DK (Djwahl Kuhl). Under Ray Three: The Venetian Master. Under the Subrays: Ray Four: the Master Serapis (Serapis Bey); Ray Five: the Master Hilarion; Ray Six: the Master Jesus (of Nazareth); and, Ray Seven: the Master Rakoczi. Under the latter three departments fall four grades of initiates, various grades of disciples and everyone on the Probationary Path. The bottom strata of the above hierarchy consist of average humanity of all degrees (i.e. those who are not yet aspiring consciously toward spiritual enlightenment).
[From "Letters on Occult Meditation" as received and edited by Alice A. Bailey (Lucis Press); pp. 145 - 149]
This article is continued in "firebuild" click on the link below.
bridgeoflight
firebuild
innersenses
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