Foreign Foreign Occultism by Dion Fortune narrated by Matthew Schmitz 10. Authority and obedience in occultism the Rival principles of autocracy and democracy have fought a long battle for control in human Affairs and democracy has so far made good its case that to call a man in autocrat is to reproach
Him with many occult teachers however the old principle of autocracy still seems to maintain its Prestige and they require of their pupils and unquestioning obedience and a blind faith the problem is admittedly a difficult one in occult matters for the man who knows more must inevitably act
As a guide to the man who knows less and many things cannot be explained to those without the gate there are two sides to be considered in this case as in every other question the side of the teacher bound himself by obligations and responsible for the safeguarding of the system with which he
Is entrusted a system which may have come down to him from the remote past and which he by the terms of his obligation is not allowed to alter he with his Superior knowledge knows the pitfalls of the path but may not be permitted to point them out expressly
For many of these pitfalls are of the nature of deliberate tests he with his Clairvoyant Vision which a teacher must possess if he is to be other than a blind teacher of the blind knowing the inner states of his pupils and their karmic record may have to keep silence
Concerning much which he discerns even as had Jesus who said I have many things to tell you but ye cannot bear them now and yet he may desire to give a warning which if accepted might save much difficulty and delay for all those reasons the teacher desires authority over his pupil and yet
He must not forget that no human soul can accept responsibility for another neither can he tread one step of the path for his pupil nor save him from one experience that he needs for his Evolution when a teacher is newly entrusted with his office he may urgently desire to save his pupils from
Suffering but when he is seen deeper into the nature of things he looks upon suffering with another eye for he knows its educative value he learns more and more as time goes on to interfere as little as possible between the pupil and the master of that pupil upon the inner
Planes for he knows that his function is to enable the pupil to come into conscious touch with the master who has committed that pupil to his care for training and that however great a teacher’s wisdom may be it is better that the pupil should learn to think for
Himself even if he makes mistakes than to have his thinking done for him and thereby be kept in a state of ignorance and inexperience as well might teacher of the violin try to play on behalf of his pupil as the teacher of any system of occult training trying to take a
Decision on behalf of his pupil all that either of them can do is to show his pupil give him principles to guide him and then bid him try his hand and after the mistakes have been made not before explain to him where the errors have Lain and how to amend them
The teacher who has a genuine system to communicate and who is really in touch with his master and acting under his instructions can safely leave his pupil to the operation of the cosmic law if he is right in his opinion that a certain course will prove unsatisfactory and the
Pupil disregarding his advice pursues that course the latter will not be long in finding out his mistake and will assess his teacher’s advice all the higher for this practical test of its wisdom and be ready enough to give heed in the future it is seldom that the real loyalty is
Yielded till such a test has been made the demand for blind obedience as a proof of trust should be regarded with suspicion by the would-be pupil the confidence trick is a very old one and can be played on more than one plane no one should demand faith without proof if
He has anything tangible to offer he will be able to give satisfactory proofs and offer good and sufficient reasons that shall satisfy the judgment and bear investigation early in my occult career I met a teacher who demanded Blind Faith as a proof of loyalty and those things concerning which we were required to
Exercise Faith turned out to be sorted irregularities for that which is good a good reason can be given and for that which No Good Reason can be given generally turns out not to be good the Seeker after initiation is in a difficult position for he is at a
Disadvantage as regards knowledge and if one who appears to know more than himself gives a definite order he is not in a position to disprove it except by disregarding it and seeing what happens if however he fixes his eyes on faltering on the ideal of the master he
Will have a standard whereby to judge the teacher to whom circumstances have assigned him I may be reminded that some books on initiation declare that unquestioning obedience should be given to the teacher as being the mouthpiece of the master it is quite true that if the teacher is
Indeed working as he claims to be under mandate from the master his advice will be invaluable on account of its wisdom but how is the pupil to know this to be the case the assertion of the teacher is valueless in the matter he can say anything and the more of a charlatan he
Is the more manilaquint will be his statements and assertions those who have really known the Masters are awed into silence no human being should ever be asked to give blind obedience and to demand it of achella is to sin against the light that is within the light which lighteth every
Man that cometh into the world no human being liable to the changes that illness and old age inevitably bring about has any right to demand a promise of obedience and experience has abundantly shown that such a demand invariably leads to trouble the pupil can only judge his teacher by
Results does he bring forth the fruits of the spirit is his life christ-like then his influence can only be good but is he erratic and disconnected in his thoughts uncontrolled in his temper sorted in his Outlook untidy and dirty in his person and environment surrounded by people of undesirable character who
Appear to enjoy his esteem and confidence such a man is a good one to avoid let us never take leave of our common sense in occultism and remember that a tree is known by its fruits and if the fruits are disorder and demoralization we will not shelter
Ourselves under that tree unless we are prepared to partake of those fruits in due season but if a pupil has found a teacher who appears to have much to give him that he wants is he then to yield a blind obedience as the price of his training again I should say no human
Nature is a mixed and contradictory Affair none of us is perfect in either our character or our wisdom and the Occult teacher is no exception to the rule experience of the reliability and knowledge of a teacher May engender confidence and great white to be attached to his advice but a pupil
Should no more trust his teacher completely then he should condemn him completely for a single error let all advice be considered on its merits and accepted or rejected accordingly this is the lesser of two evils for although it isn’t evil to have come to a decision on incomplete
Knowledge it is a lesser evil than the abrogation of free judgment moreover the pupil has access on the inner planes to his master and even if he is not able to bring the memory of the reply through to brain Consciousness it will have entered the subconscious
Mind and speedily work its way to the surface in the shape of an intuition but even so the pupil should not allow his reason to be thrust aside for it is quite within the power of a trained occultist to plant a suggestion in the mind of his pupil which shall have all
The appearance of an intuition in order to guard against this it is a good plan to perform the meditation in which the master is invoked in a church where the Blessed Sacrament is reserved the pupil seeking earnestly after the truth as best he may should remember
That the demand for obedience is a very Sinister sign and if that demand be backed by an oath in any shape or form especially a note that has no term to it such as a Proviso for release from obedience that the pupil withdraws from the training school a wise man will no
More take that oath then he will give a blank check and if in addition any attempt is made by threats or otherwise to make withdrawal from the school difficult he will be wise to smash his way out of the Trap without further Ado and appeal to his master for protection
The workings of mental domination are so Insidious and deadly that no action is too drastic to escape from them but let it be remembered that in the name of the master Jesus and in the sign of the cross is sure protection and that great power can be drawn from the reception of
The Holy Eucharist it is not likely that a really black occultist will maintain himself for long in English-speaking countries at any rate concerning others I cannot speak for there are definite organizations for dealing with such conditions and these meeting him with his own weapons on the inner plane and an Expose and press
Campaign on the outer plane speedily run him out of the country into another jurisdiction once across the channel or Atlantic he is out of Harm’s Way for the lower kinds of magnetism will not carry across water pitch black occultism however is really easier to deal with than the Isabella
Colored Variety in which the teacher as well as the tot is struggling in the darkness and owing to lack of principle and scruple has got himself onto wrong lines demands for money are it goes without saying enough to condemn any occultists offhand without further inquiry for it
Is too well known to need reiterating that no price may be asked for occult teaching by anyone under the jurisdiction of the Great White Lodge but there is another and subtler kind of claim that may be made upon the pupil a claim for support in furthering political aims a recently published book
Pillared The Occult fraternities for this offense and in the case of some organizations the attack was justified and salutatory here again a big question is opened up it may be argued that the occultist with his deeper Insight is the natural leader of Reform and should bear his part in
Social movements I reply let him be active in humanitarian effort by all means but let him flee any interference in politics as he would the devil for the experience of centuries has shown that it leads to nothing but trouble a teacher whether religious or occult is concerned with principles and principles
Only and should lead the application of those principles in political Affairs to others he may well preach Universal Brotherhood but he should have a care how he sets to work on the immigration laws he may Advocate a reformed medical system but he should not concern himself with legislation intended to bring it
About the reason for this may be simply stated in the words of Saint Paul the weapons of our Warfare are not carnal But Mighty to the pulling down of strongholds and when he receives these weapons he must like Peter put up his sword political activities are a terrible
Temptation to the occultist knowing what he does it is very difficult for him to avoid the use of his knowledge and power to remedy abuses and by so doing he is very apt to run ahead of the times and do more harm than good it seems as if fanaticism is inseparable from the
Application of the principles of the higher life to politics and spiritual Zeal has shed quite as much blood as worldly ambition an occultist must make his choice between being a teacher of spiritual things and a leader in the Affairs of the world for he cannot be both he
Cannot be within and without the veil at the same time if he attempts it though no doubt he will with his knowledge exercise great influence on the Affairs of the world he will find that he has paid the price in the clouding of his spiritual vision and the loss of the
Power to discern between the still small voice of the spirit and the promptings of ambition a man cannot split himself into pieces all arguments concerning Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde to the contrary and indeed let that Parable be rightly understood the very essence of it lies in the fact that
Dr Jekyll could not get away from Mr Hyde but was gradually Mastered by him so would the occultist the ruling passion will gradually absorb the whole man and he will either weary of his political efforts and realize their needlessness for one who has the powers
Of the spirit or having had his love of power wedded he will drag his unhappy pupils at the chariot wheels of his ambition into whatever coils he may involve himself in those who are opening up the higher Consciousness are in a very sensitive State while this process is going on and
They simply cannot stand a frucus and collapse with nervous breakdowns where active political work is going on in any esoteric Society it is perfectly certain that no active occult work is going on for the two are incompatible I will therefore dare to give a word of
Plain advice to the aspirant even at the cost of likewise giving offense in certain quarters clear out of the order that touches politics steer clear of the teacher who takes up politics for you may be quite sure that you will be used and not trained never lay aside your common sense or
Your moral Integrity let no one persuade you to do evil or even associate with evil in order that good may come of it and you may obtain knowledge never believe that any initiator of the right-hand path will require it of you in that quaint old book brother of the
Third degree which in spite of its stilted phraseology contains much knowledge the candidate is pictured as being required to commit a murder as part of his initiation ceremony and on his indignant refusal to do so is recede with acclimation the test of the dark initiator is one that the student is sometimes called
Upon to face but if he constantly reminds himself that men do not gather grapes from Thorns or figs from thistles if he constantly looks upon the master Jesus as the ideal initiator and judges all demands made upon him by the standard of the life that was lived
Among the men of Judea he will not go far wrong and he will find his way safely through all the turns of the Labyrinth of the Temple it is obedience to Divine principles that should be emphasized not obedience to personalities or even systems when all is said and done it is the higher
Self that really initiates us and although teacher and master combine to bring that higher self into function the process begins and ends with realization personal loyalty has no place on the path and any true teacher will realize this being selfless he will say to his students it does not matter who feeds
The Sheep so long as they are fed then will remember that the master set a little child in the midst of the disciples when they disputed who should be the greatest it may be that the younger Souls among the followers of a teacher may not be
Equally wise but the Seeker who has hold on spiritual ideals knows that they may safely be ignored and that the forces they have set in motion will return upon the circle in due course and teach them those things which it is necessary they should know it has been argued that the
Professor who undertook to teach a pupil chemistry would require obedience lest the pupil should blow himself up but my experience of chemical studies has been otherwise the professor may warn his pupil that if he makes an injudicious mixture of the chemicals that surround him he may have a bill for test tubes
Window panes and even Hospital expenses but I have yet to meet the school of chemistry which bounded students by an oath not to experiment the only institution which so far as my reading goes ever made the attempt was the Holy Inquisition and the day for
That sort of thing is over if indeed it ever had its day which I beg leave to doubt the Eastern schools are just as rigorous regarding the freedom of the chela as are the Western schools the point crops up again and again in the Mahatma tatters and a master expressly stated to
Madame blavatsky we do not make slaves personal Authority in occultism is neither necessary nor justifiable the Masters can very well take care of themselves and the cosmic laws will discipline the recalcitrant pupil whether they be administered by human judgment or not after all it is the pupil himself who
Will suffer if he makes a mistake and it has been truly said that the man who never makes a mistake will never make anything let the teacher look upon himself as a guide and an advisor not a master let him learn the distinction between a warden and a Warder and have a very
Tender reverence for the souls that have entrusted themselves to his guidance and remember that in the Mysteries there is a special curse laid upon the man who breaks a supervises meaning thereby one who by the power of His will profanes the sanctuary of another’s consciousness the Integrity of the Soul must be
Maintained at all costs and none should yield himself to the Dominion of another even if that other claimed to be his initiator let the Seeker whatever be his ignorance and weakness dare to stand up before any tribunal in Earth or heaven and declare that with God’s help he will judge for
Himself freedom of thought and speech has been too hardly one for us to abrogate any jot or tittle of that Priceless boon the remedy of an arbitrary Authority is worse than the disease of ignorance let the Seeker turn to the master in all things and he can be independent of
Teachers and schools of occult training the teacher is only a means to an end and the true teacher knows it he knows that the sooner the pupil passes out of his hands into those of the master the better he has done his work let the Seeker when required to take an
Oath of obedience reply that he will swear to obey his own conscience that he will meditate upon the life and actions of the master Jesus and judge All Things by that standard for it is the standard of the West and that he will pray to God for guidance and fearlessly follow the light
So far as he receives it and that if such an oath be not good enough for that esoteric school then that esoteric school is not good enough for him foreign
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