Foreign Foreign Occultism by Dion Fortune narrated by Matthew Schmitz 19. the ideals of occultism in these pages I have repeatedly pointed out the dangers and pitfalls of occultism but to point out the weaknesses of a movement is insufficient for its remedying and I would like to put before my readers what I conceive to
Be the true ideals and aims of occult science there is a great difference between the motives which prompt many investigators of the subject and the ideals which are held by Those whom their fellow workers would consider to be true leaders of occult thought occultism is more than a science or
Philosophy it is a religion and its secrets are not penetrated by study alone but by dedication the character as well as the intellect is the instrument of occult investigation but in Contra distinction to mysticism in which the character alone may be the instrument and intellectual qualifications do not necessarily enter occultism requires
Certain powers of the mind as well as qualities of character for its pursuit in other words purification and dedication of character can bring us to the point where the Mystic Christ reveals itself but certain additional qualifications of the intellect are necessary for the pursuit of occult science many students attempt the pursuit of
Occult science by virtue of intellectual qualifications alone but these on the one hand can never hope to penetrate its deeper Mysteries wherein the occult Powers lead up to the Mystic Revelation and on the other hand are liable to certain various serious pathologies of the psychic life among which hypertrophy
Of the ego is one of the commonest there is only one true path to initiation and that is the path laid down by immemorial tradition and beaten by countless feet this path in its earlier stages is different for each of the great races of mankind but these converging paths finally unite into one
Broad Highway after the outer gate is passed this way of initiation is not a mundane organization but is a psychic method leading to spiritual attainment no Society or fraternity has a monopoly of its teachings neither has any of them the power to convey the full range of its initiations
Mundane organizations vary enormously in their power and their purity they can never be more than a means to an end an association for mutual help and comradeship we make a vital mistake if we look upon any system of training as conferring initiation only the great initiator whoever or whatever that may
Be can confer initiation and all human systems whether of training or ritual can only prepare Consciousness for his coming we choose our occult School in the hope that it may give us guidance and protection on the path and we affiliate ourselves there too with ritual in order
That we may become partakers of the ancient mystery tradition this tradition is of very great value but it is not indispensable and while it is in the power of occult orders to convey it it is not in their power to withhold it for it is possible for the
Secret to rise in Consciousness to the temple not built with hands and they are to receive initiation while out of the body such an achievement is rare and the training and comradeship afforded by a worthy fraternity are of the greatest value to students each occult school has its own ideals
Its own methods its own aims and needless to say its own drawbacks and limitations human institutions like human beings are finite and imperfect to its Temple we bring our own ideals and according to the consonants between what we bring with us and what we find there will be
The harmony or otherwise of our relations with that organization if our ideals be not sufficiently lofty we shall learn by bitter experience what are the consequences of occultism pursued by wrong means if our own ideals be loftier than those of the organization with which we have Allied
Ourselves if our intuitions are a truer guide than our teacher we shall soon find that the way opens up for us from the inner planes as we make within ourselves the conditions that entitle us to our advancement the schools of the true occult tradition trained pupils solely in order that
Those pupils may be better enabled to serve God they do not teach their secret methods of extending Consciousness and acquiring dominion over the Unseen to inquire as prompted by curiosity and ambition to such the doors of all reputable organizations are closed and all those who truly care for the welfare of their
Fellow men will be thankful that this is the case the true occultist holds his knowledge as a sacred trust which he guards for the safety as well as the benefit of his race he accepts and trains his pupils in order that they may share with him in
That trust and he accepts none as pupils whom he does not believe to be worthy of the confidence he reposes in them and even after acceptance he tests them carefully to ensure their Fidelity to the great responsibility upon which they are entering the true occult Secrets have never been
Betrayed in their entirety in fact it is only the Lesser secrets that are capable of betrayal the higher secrets of the mystical Consciousness are incapable of betrayal because they are not communicated but realized therefore it is that occultists of the left-hand path invariably rely upon drugs for the production of supernormal states of
Consciousness and do not attempt the purely psychic methods which are employed by the Disciples of the right-hand path the higher powers of the spirit can only be obtained by the purified Consciousness and therefore are inaccessible to the undedicated and unsanctified the Adept who is the servant of the Great initiator Looks first for
Qualities of character in his pupil and where he finds these is prepared to give the occult training provided the mentality of the pupil is such as to enable him to benefit by it he trains that pupil with a view to service the service to which he himself is dedicated
That service has various subdivisions and a brief account of them may be of interest for it enables us to understand the qualities which are required of the candidate to for initiation because a student enters upon one line of activity however it does not necessarily mean that he will be concerned with no other
For these activities are as integrally connected as the work of anatomy and physiology but special aptitudes are required for the different branches of the work and specialization is therefore temperamental the most widely spread section of the initiate’s work is concerned with the task of giving expression on the plane
Of matter and in racial life to those ideals which he has realized when his Consciousness has been raised to a higher plane It Is by this means that Evolution takes place on the plains of human consciousness the logoidal mind or the consciousness of the solar logos of
The universe which is not the same thing as the great unmanifest the root of all being is constantly evolving new ideas and these ideas are perceived intuitively by the exalted consciousness of those great beings who have advanced beyond our human evolution and no longer incarnate in matter
Cooperating with them in their work are those we know as the Lesser Masters and it is with these that the occultist is especially concerned for it is they who train him and who expect his cooperation in return for the training given in fact they train him solely in order that he
May be able to cooperate with them and therefore dedication to the service of the Masters is the essential preliminary to acceptance as a pupil by them these accepted and dedicated pupils are given the training in psychism which enables them to communicate directly with the Masters under whom they work
And they are then employed in the task of relaying through to human life the archetypal ideas which the Lesser Masters have received from the greater Masters and which these have in turn perceived in the leg oil consciousness the pupil of the Masters is therefore the earthward end of a living chain of
Consciousness which is employed in translating the archetypal ideas of the logos down the plains and finally bringing them to realization and matter this can only be achieved by a soul which actually puts them into practice in human life many of these will be martyred by their fellow men unready for
Such advancements but their place is immediately filled by others and so the Divine impulse fails not the archetypal ideas by being thus lived out on the plane of matter are implanted in the group mind of the race and fructify in succeeding Generations it is interesting to note that none but
Members of a race can implant archetypal ideas successfully in its group mind the alien may give the instruction but it is the native who has to perform the task hence the failure of missionary efforts unless the ideas presented can Inspire the soul of a race millions of souls are engaged in various
Degrees of the task of materializing the archetypal ideas of the logos although the work of bringing through the first realization of a new ideal has proposed to be in the hands of the dedicated psychic all who are prepared to hear and to Aspire can cooperate in the task of
Working out those ideals on the plane of matter in fact the psychic being by the very nature of His function set apart and withdrawn from the workday world of men is not able to complete the task which he sets going but has in his turn to hand on the torch to others
The pupils of the Masters therefore gather about themselves those to whom they teach the theory of esoteric science and imbue with its ideals and it is these not yet equipped with psychic faculties not yet called to come apart and be separate who serve their apprenticeship by carrying out the
Lugoidal ideals in their daily work among their fellow men in the ordinary walks of life all the pupils of the Masters without exception are recruited from among those who have thus served and been found Faithful over few things another branch of occult work is carried on by those who undertake no mundane
Tasks at all but live apart and in seclusion occupied solely with mental work they perform the same function for the race as the contemplative orders performed for the Roman Church they are a mighty though invisible source of energy their work is entirely racial and is not for the helping of individuals in
Their personal problems it is the activity of these mental workers visualizing ideals and neutralizing spiritual evils which studies the Nations it cannot be too clearly realized however that the political work of the true initiate is mental and incursions into Political Intrigue are to be deplored the only exceptions to this rule will be
Noted in the next section herein we find that curious and exceedingly interesting section of occult workers which are known as the occult police they might equally well be known as astral ambulance workers for their task is twofold those cases which require their intervention for the safeguarding of society usually also
Result in psychic casualties on both sides their task it is to combat black occultism and deal occultly with those evils which arise from the abuse of esoteric knowledge this organization is highly developed and ramifies the most extraordinary Network through our social life it does not meddle with normal
Crime nor even political crime or movements which a generation considers subversive but which a later generation may look upon is the dawn of a new age it concerns itself solely with those movements which are availing themselves of the little-known powers of the mind and it deals with the mental element on
Its own plane the occult police is unorganized on the physical plane save for small fraternities whose members work in cooperation but it acknowledges the Spiritual Authority of those who are concerned with the direction of human evolution it is on the side of liberal movements generally but also on that of
Law and Order knowing that it is essential that the organization of civilization should not break down in the attempt to effect reform the remedy for the disease thus killing the patient in addition to protecting the race from organized attempts at subversion of its racial ideals on the part of other races
It also guards it from the Insidious moral poison disseminated by occultists of the left-hand path whose activities are invariably bound up with either drug taking or sexual abnormalities there is a psychic organization on the astral plane whereby the great white Brotherhood keeps track of the activities of these individuals and
Brings them to the notice of those on the mundane plane who are in a position to cope with them and so the work of the world gets done there is always this invisible counterpoise of dedicated mental workers throwing its weight as needed to retain the balance of things
Putting aside the prizes that attract Humanity utterly selfless highly trained taking great risks these invisible workers come and go about the world known only to their brethren moved like pieces upon the chessboard by those upon the inner Plains whom they serve there is no apparent organization or cohesion among them upon the mundane
Plane it is only the long series of opportune coincidences that attend their operations which point to something more than a fortuitous sequence of chances they are men and women with no outward appearance of celebrity who seek to avoid rather than to attract attention all the deeper occult work is done in
Concealment not knowing the whereabouts of the ritual lodges firstly in order to prevent any occult attack from being focused upon them and secondly in order that the members of the organization may not become known to any save their brethren for the ramifications of the occult orders are widespread and extend
In some unexpected quarters the training received by the neophyte in these organizations though it varies in detail is similar in principles firstly he is given a training in the metaphysics of occult science he is taught to interpret the astral symbols so that he may realize their mental significance the initiate of a true
Occult school does not make the mistake of turning a symbolic system of metaphysics into a geography and zoology of the astral plane he knows that the marble halls of learning are but thought forms used to focus power he knows that the king of the world and his mirman
Dons are organized the systems of forces not entities he knows that the key of occultism is psychology and he leaves these superstitions to those who are without the Gate of the mystery tradition he is instructed to live in abstemious and simple life but not an eccentric one and he is counseled not to
Diverge his habits so far from the customs of his race as to break his connection with the group mind he is distinguished from the unenlightened not by his clothes and personal habits but by his mentality two qualities characterize him his Serenity and his courage these are the
Cinequa non of an initiate his training is designed to make of him a Man of Steel with a heart of compassion he has tried in the furnace of sorrow and suffering until his nature undergoes the Flux Of the Soul and can be remade then he is forged on the Anvil of discipline
By the hammer of danger out of that forging he becomes as a steel blade that blade may be a Lancet or it may be a sword but nevertheless it is a blade those who are interested in occultism but little realize what goes to the tempering of the soul of an Adept
The Mystic May till the garden of contemplation but there is much more of the soldier than of the husbandmen about the occultist but like the soldier being under discipline his is without responsibilities and consequently he has in him something of the joyous and carefree nature of the soldier on leave
His wants are simple and he knows that those who command his service will see to it that they are supplied the child in him remains unrepressed and when he relaxes the bent bow of his psychism he reverts to the child this is very characteristic of the true Adept
And distinguishes him from the charlatan who is forever playing to the gallery the fully initiated Adept should have the threefold contacts of Mystic devotion occult wisdom and the Primitive nature forces the spiritual the intellectual and the elemental must be perfectly balanced in his nature and so disciplined by the
Will that they are absolutely flexible to the control of the Judgment the character of the Adept may be summed up in one brief phrase he is a soldier scholar dedicated to the service of God thank you
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