Judge, William Quan, 1851-1896; Theosophists -- United States -- Correspondence; Theosophy
He should know that that astral light exists in all places and
interpenetrates everything, and is not simply in the free air alone.
Further should he know that to be able to see as he sees in the light
is not _all_ of the seeing thus. That is, there are many sorts of
such sight, _e.g._, he may see now certain airy shapes and yet not
see many others which at the same time are as really present there
as those he now sees. So it would seem that there are "layers" or
differences of states in the astral light. Another way to state it is
that elementals are constantly moving in the astral light--that is,
everywhere. They, so to say, show pictures to him who looks, and the
pictures they show will depend in great part upon the seer's thoughts,
motives and development. These differences are very numerous. It
therefore follows that in this study _pride_ must be eliminated. That
pride has disappeared from ordinary life does not prove that it has
done any more than retreat a little further within. So one must be
careful of becoming even inwardly vain of being able to see any such
things; for if that happens it will follow that the one limited plane
in which one may be a seer will be accepted as the whole. That, then,
will be falsity. But if recognized as delusive because partial, then
it remains true--so far as it goes. All true things must be total,
and all totalities exist at once, each in all, while these partial
forms exist partially in those that are total. So it follows that only
those that are total reveal entire truth, and those that partake of
lower nature--or are partial--receive but a limited view of truth. The
elementals are partial forms, while the man's individual soul is total,
and according to the power and purity of that form which it inhabits
"waits upon the Gods."
Now our bodies, and all "false I" powers up to the individual soul, are
"partial forms" in common with the energic centres in astral light. So
that it must follow that no matter how much we and they participate
in each other the resulting view of the one Truth is partial in its
nature because the two partial forms mingling together do not produce
totality. But it intoxicates. And herein lies the danger of the
teaching of such men as P. B. Randolph, who advocates participation
with these partial beings by means of sensual excesses glorified with a
name and gilded with the pretence of a high purpose--_viz._, knowledge:
KNOWLEDGE MUST BE CAREFULLY OBTAINED WITH A PURE MOTIVE.
This motive is the point for this gentleman to study. He says that he
"will know," and that he "desires to escape from present limitations of
this personality, which is all loneliness."
As he did go forward on the path of knowledge, he would find that this
imaginary loneliness of which he speaks is by comparison with the utter
loneliness of that path, a howling mob, a tramping regiment.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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