3. THE TECHNIQUE OF INDIFFERENCE

from Glamour, a World Problem

 

 

We come now to a brief study of the third aspect of illusion, to which we give the name Maya, and to the technique which can overcome it. We will deal next with the Technique of Indifference which is concerned with the distribution of soul force upon the physical plane, via the etheric plane, leading to inspiration. This is related to the Science of the Breath.

 

What then is maya? This, my brother, is not easy to define because it is related to the form-building activity of [Page 242] the planetary Logos Himself. However, a consideration of the analogy existing between the microcosm and the Macrocosm may help somewhat.

 

The soul creates a threefold expression in the three worlds of human living. This is an occult truism. The outer form, the dual physical body (dense and vital or etheric) is produced, created, motivated, energised and conditioned by certain energies and forces, emanating from those levels whereon the soul has—rightly or wrongly—engineered a reaction of identification. Note this phrase, my brother. These make the man what he is; they give him his temperament, profession and quality upon the physical plane; they make him negative or positive to various types of impacting energy; they give him his character and make him what he appears to be to others; they produce his colouring, his capacities and his personality. With all of these the average man identifies himself; he believes himself to be the form, the medium through which he attempts to express his desires and his ideas. This complete identification with the transient creation and with the outer appearance is maya. It must be remembered that individual maya is a fractional part of the world of energies and forces which constitute the life expression of the planetary Logos, which condition our outer planetary life, and make our planet what it appears to be to the other planets.

 

The difference between man, the microcosm, and the planetary Logos, the Lord of the World, the Macrocosm, lies in the fact that the Lord of the World is not identified with the maya which He has created, and which has its purpose in eventually bringing about the release of the "prisoners of the planet." To that Maya, HE is supremely indifferent and it is this divine indifference which has led to the great theological illusion of an anthropomorphic Deity and to the belief (in the East) that our planet is but the background [Page 243] or the plaything of the Gods. It is this cosmic indifference which has led to the human glamour concerning the "inscrutable will of God" and to the affirmation that God is far away and not immanent in every creature and in every atom of which creatures are made. [vsk, or at the heart of every atom, Cosmic Buddhi]

 

These are some aspects of the glamours and illusions which must be dispelled and dissipated and, in the process, discovery will be made that the form is only maya and can be disregarded, that forces can be organised and directed by energy and that the world of thought, the field of sentient consciousness and the playground of the energies are something apart from the Thinker, from the One who feels and from the Actor and Player of the many parts which the Soul undertakes to play.

 

The disciple learns eventually to know himself to be, above everything else (whilst in incarnation), the director of forces: these he directs from the altitude of the divine Observer and through the attainment of detachment. These are things which I have oft told you before. These truths are, for you, only the platitudes of occultism and yet, if you could but grasp the full significance of detach­ment and stand serene as the observing Director, there would be no more waste motion, no more mistaken moves and no more false interpretations, no wandering down the bypaths of daily living, no seeing others through prejudiced vision and—above all—no more misuse of force.

 

Again and again, down the ages, the Masters have told Their disciples (as I have told you) that the occultist works in the world of forces. All human beings live and move and express themselves in and through that same world of ever-moving, ever-impacting, outgoing and incoming energies. The occultist, however, works there; he becomes a conscious directing agent; he creates upon the physical plane that which he desires, and that which he desires is the pattern of [Page 244] things and the design laid down upon the trestle board of the spiritual consciousness by the great divine Architect. Yet he identifies himself not with the pattern or with the forces which he employs. He moves in the world of maya, free from all illusion, unhindered by glamour and uncontrolled by the mayavic forces. He is rapidly arriving, as far as his own little world is concerned, at the same "divine indifference" which characterises Sanat Kumara, the Lord of the World; therefore increasingly he becomes aware of the Plan as it exists in the Universal Mind and the Purpose which motivates the Will of God.

 

It is this divine indifference which is responsible for the fact that in attempting to describe "Pure Being" or God, and in the effort to arrive at some understanding of the nature of divinity, the formula of negation has been evolved. God is not this; God is not that; God is no-thing; God is neither time nor space; God is not feeling or thought; God is not form or substance. God simply IS. God IS—apart from all expression and manifestation as the Manipulator of energy, the Creator of the tangible and the intangible worlds, the Pervader of life, or the Indweller in all forms. God is the ONE WHO can withdraw and, in withdrawing, dispel, dissipate and devitalise all that has been created—using those words in their fullest significance.

 

It will be obvious to you, therefore, that in these three activities of that Reality which is not identified with appearance, the will of God, the Destroyer aspect of Deity, is beneficently present. The act of abstraction produces the dispelling of the illusory world of thought; the withdrawal of the divine attention dissipates the sentient universe and brings glamour to an end; the cessation of divine direction brings death to the physical world. All these activities are evidences of the will or of the first aspect—the will-to-good which can and will function in perfection only when goodwill [Page 245] is finally and fully developed on Earth, through the agency of humanity.

 

The will and the breath are occultly synonymous terms. In this statement you have the clue to the ending of maya.

 

The above remarks are preliminary to our study of the Technique of Indifference. It is necessary to point out analogies and to link together the various aspects of related teaching if true perception is to be developed. Let us divide our consideration of this subject as follows:

 

1. Activity upon the etheric plane, i.e., the world of forces.

a. Their distribution.

b. Their manipulation.

 

2. The Science of the Breath.

a. The relation of the will and the breath.

b. Inspiration.

 

3. The Technique of Indifference.

a. Through concentration.

b. Through detachment.

 

 

We enter now the field of practical occultism. This is not the field of aspiration or the sphere of a planned moving forward towards that which is higher and desirable. It is, in some ways, a reverse activity. From the point reached upon the ladder of evolution, the disciple "stands in spiritual Being" (as far as in him lies), and consciously, deliberately works with the energies in the three worlds. He directs them into the etheric body from whatever level he chooses to work—mental, emotional, or from the vital plane itself. He does this in conformity with some visioned idea, some cherished ideal, some sensed divine pattern, some spiritual hope, some consecrated ambition or some dedicated desire.

 

The etheric body of the individual is, as you know, a part of the etheric body of humanity and this, in its turn, is an aspect of the etheric body of the planet, which is likewise an intrinsic part of the etheric body of the solar system. Incidentally, in this far-reaching factual relationship, you have the basis of all astrological influences. Man moves, therefore, in a whirlpool of forces of all types and qualities. He is composed of energies in every part of his manifested and unmanifested expression; he is, therefore, related to all other energies. His task is one of supreme difficulty and needs the great length of the evolutionary cycle. With the mass of world energies and systemic forces we cannot here deal, but we will confine ourselves to the consideration of the individual problem, advising the student to endeavour to extend his understanding of the microcosmic situation to the macrocosmic.

 

a. Force distribution and manipulation upon the etheric plane.

 

We will now assume that the aspirant is aware of the need for him to establish a new and higher rhythm in his physical plane life, to organise his time in obedience to the injunction of his higher self, and to produce, consciously and scientifically, those effects which—in his highest moments—are presented to him as desirable. He has now a certain amount of knowledge as to the equipment available for his task and has mastered some facts anent the etheric vehicle. The pairs of opposites are clearly seen by him, even if he is as yet influenced by one or other of them; he is aware of a basic disagreement between his vision of goodness and his expression of that goodness. He has learnt that he is a triple reflection of a higher Trinity and that this Trinity is—for him—the Reality. He understands that [Page 247] mind, emotions and physical being are intended eventually to manifest that Reality.

 

In the last analysis, he knows that if that intermediate aspect of himself, the etheric body, can be controlled and rightly directed, then vision and expression will and must finally coincide. He is also aware that the dense physical body (the outer tangible appearance) is only an automaton, obedient to whatever forces and energies are the controlling factors in the subjective, conditioning the man. Is that physical body to be controlled by emotional force, pouring through the sacral centre and producing desire for the satisfaction of the physical appetites, or through the solar plexus leading to emotional satisfaction of some kind? Is it to be responsive to the mind and work largely under the impulse of projected thought? Is it perhaps to be directed by an energy greater than any of these but hitherto apparently impotent, the energy of the soul as an expression of pure Being? Is it to be swept into action under the impulse of sentient reactions, ideas and thoughts, emanating from other human beings or is it to be motivated and spurred into activity under the direction of the spiritual Hierarchy?

 

Such are some of the questions to which answers must be found. The stage of aspiring, dreaming and of wishful thinking must now be superseded by direct action and by the carefully planned use of the available forces, swept into activity by the breath, under the direction of the inner eye and controlled by the spiritual man. Which energies can and must be thus used? What forces must be brought under direction? In what manner can they be controlled? Should they be ignored and so rendered futile by that ignoring, or are they forces which are needed in the great creative work?

 

It will be apparent to you that the first step the spiritual investigator has to take is to ascertain—truly and in the light of his soul—where exactly is his focus of identification. [Page 248] By that I mean: Is his major use of energy to be found upon the mental plane? Is he predominantly emotional and utilising force from the astral plane the greater part of the time? Can he contact the soul and bring in soul energy in such a manner that it negates or offsets his personality force? Can he thus live like a soul upon the physical plane, via the etheric body? If he earnestly studies this problem, he will in time discover which forces are dominant in the etheric body and will become aware consciously of the times and experience which call for the expenditure of soul energy. This, my brother, will take time and will be the result of prolonged observation and a close analysis of acts and sentient reactions, of words and thoughts. We are here concerned, as you can see, with an intensely practical problem which is at the same time an intrinsic part of our study and which will be evocative of basic changes in the life of the disciple.

 

He will add to this observation and analysis the conditions which will swing them into action, the frequency of their appearance, indicating to him novelty or habit, and likewise the nature of their expression. In this way, he will arrive at a new understanding of the conditioning factors which work through his vital body and make him—upon the physical plane—what he essentially is. This will prove to him of deep spiritual and significant help.

 

This period of observation is, however, confined to mental and intelligent observation. It forms the background of the work to be done, giving assurance and knowledge but leaving the situation as it was.

 

His next step is to become aware of the quality of the forces applied; in ascertaining this, he will find it necessary to discover not only his soul ray and his personality ray but to know also the rays of his mental apparatus, and his emotional nature. This will lead neces­sarily to another period of investigation and careful observation, if he is not already aware of them. When I tell you that to this information he must add a close consideration of the potencies of the forces and energies reaching him astrologically, you will see what a stern task he has set himself. Not only has he to isolate his five ray energies, but he has to allow for the energy of his sun sign as it conditions his personality, and of his rising sign as it seeks to stimulate that personality into soul responsiveness, thus working out soul purpose through personality cooperation.

 

There are, therefore, seven factors which condition the quality of the forces which seek expression through the etheric body:

1. The ray of the soul.

2. The ray of the personality.

3. The ray of the mind.

4. The ray of the emotional nature.

5. The ray of the physical vehicle.

6. The energy of the sun sign.

7. The influence of the rising sign.

 

Once, however, these are ascertained and there is some assurance as to their factual truth, the entire problem begins to clarify and the disciple can work with knowledge and understanding. He becomes a scientific worker in the field of hidden forces. He knows then what he is doing, with what energies he must work, and he begins to feel these energies as they find their way into the etheric vehicle.

 

Now comes the stage wherein he is in a position to find out the reality and the work of the seven centres which provide inlet and outlet for the moving forces and energies with which he is immediately concerned in this particular incarnation. He enters upon a prolonged period of observation, of experiment and experience and institutes a trial and error, [Page 250] a success and failure, campaign which will call for all the strength, courage and endurance of which he is capable.

 

Broadly speaking, the energy of the soul works through the highest head centre and is brought into activity through meditation and applied aptitude in contact. The energy of the integrated personality is focussed through the ajna centre, between the eyes; and when the disciple can identify himself with that, and is also aware of the nature and the vibration of his soul energy, then he can begin to work with the power of direction, using the eyes as directing agencies. There are, as you have gathered in your studies, three eyes of vision and direction at the disposal of the disciple.

 

1. The inner eye, the single eye of the spiritual man. This is the true eye of vision and involves the idea of duality (of the see-er and that which is seen); the divine eye. It is that through which the soul looks forth into the world of men and through which direction of the personality takes place.

 


2. The right eye, the eye of buddhi, the eye which is in direct responsive relation to the inner eye. Through this eye the highest activity of the personality can be directed upon the physical plane. You have therefore in this connection a triangle of spiritual forces which can be swept into unique activity by the advanced disciple and initiate. It is through this triplicity, for instance, that the trained initiate works when dealing with a group of people or with an individual.


3. The left eye, the eye of manas, the distributor of mental energy under correct control—correct as far as personality purposes are concerned. This eye is also a part of a triangle of forces, available for the use of the aspirant and the probationary disciple.



The inner or divine eye is quiescent and relatively inactive, being only the organ of observation where the soul is concerned and it is not yet—in the majority of cases—a distributor of directing soul energy. The disciplined reoriented aspirant, however, integrated and focussed in his purified personality, is using both buddhic and manasic force; he is beginning to be intuitional and predominantly mental. It is when these two triangles are under control and are beginning to function properly that the seven centres in the etheric body are brought under clear direction, become the recipients of the established rhythm of the developed human being, and present consequently an instrument to the soul through which appropriate energies can flow and the full organisation and purpose of a functioning son of God can be manifested on Earth.

 

Next comes what we have called the stage of direction. The soul or the integrated personality is in command or—on a higher turn of the spiral—the Monad is in command and the personality is simply then the agent of spirit. Through the two triangles or through both of them working synchronously, the centres up the spine (five in all) are brought under rhythmic control. Energy is directed into them or through them; they are steadily brought into a beauty of organisation which has been described as a "life aflame with God"; it is a life of spiritual application and service wherein the higher triangle is the most potent.

 

The following three statements sum up the story of the eventual release of the disciple from the Great Illusion:

 

First: As the soul, working through the higher triangle, becomes the directing agent, illusion is dispelled. The mind becomes illumined.

 

Second: As the personality (under the growing influence of the soul) works through the second triangle, glamour is dissipated. The control of the astral nature is broken.

 

Third: As the disciple, working as the soul and as an integrated personality, assumes direction of his life expression, maya or the world of etheric energies becomes devitalised, and only those forces and energies are employed which serve the need of the disciple or the initiate as he fulfils divine intent.

 

You will note that this is all embodied and brought about in the sevenfold work described above. This can be summarised as follows:

 

1. The disciple discovers the focus of his identification.

 

2. He ascertains the nature of the forces he is in the habit of using and which perpetually seem to swing him into action.

 

3. He becomes aware of the strength and frequency of this force expression.

 

All this is carried forward as the mental observer.

 

4. He becomes conscious of the quality of the forces employed, their ray relation or their astrological significance.

 

This is a sentient, feeling activity and is not so basically mental as the previous three stages.

 

5. He identifies the centres in the etheric body and becomes aware of their individual existence as force agents.

 

6. The two "triangles of vision and direction" in the head reach a stage of organisation and become

 

a. Active and functioning mechanisms.

 

b. Related and functioning, as one expressive instrument. This is an objective and subjective activity.

 

7. The galvanising of the physical body into activity through the medium of the directing agencies in the head and through the centres up the spine.

 

 

The question now arises as to how this is to be brought about. This brings us to our second point.

 

b. The use of the Science of the Breath.

 

… The entire science of the breath is built around the use of the Sacred Word, the OM. The use of the Word is intended to be confined to those aspirants who are earnestly pledged to tread the Way, but it has been passed on and its use enjoined by many unscrupulous teachers, particularly those swamis who come from India, pose as Holy Men and get the silly women of the occident into their clutches. The Word is then used with no spiritual intent but simply as a sound which, carried on the breath, produces psychic results which indicate to the gullible their deep spirituality.

 

The trouble is that breathing is inevitably related to the OM, but the effects are dependent upon motive and inner fixed intention. … The only factor which makes the breath effective is the thought, the intent and the purpose which lie behind it. In this statement, you have the clue to dynamic useful breathing exercises. Unless there is a clear appreciation of purpose, unless the disciple knows just what he is doing as he practises esoteric breathing, and unless the significance of the words "energy follows thought" is understood, breathing exercises are sheer waste of time and can be dangerous. From this it can be gathered that only when there is an alliance between breathing and thinking will results be possible.

 

Behind this lies a third and even more important factor—the WILL. Therefore, the only person who can safely [Page 256] and usefully practise breathing exercises is the man whose will is active—his spiritual will and, therefore, the will of the Spiritual Triad. Any disciple who is in process of building the antahkarana can begin to use, with care, directed breathing exercises. But, in the last analysis, it is only the initiates of the third degree and who are coming under monadic influence who can properly and successfully employ this form of life direction and reach effective results. This is fundamentally true. However, a beginning has to be made and to this effort all true disciples are invited.

 

If all the implications in the above paragraph are considered, it will be apparent that the disciple has to establish—as a preliminary step—a direct relation between his brain, his mind and the will aspect of the Spiritual Triad; in other words, the negative receptor of thought (the brain), the agent of the will (the mind), and the Triad itself, have to be brought into contact with each other, via the antahkarana. When such a relation exists or is beginning to be established, then breathing exercises can safely and profitably be attempted. You see, my brother, only the directed will, using the organised rhythmic breath as its agent, can control the centres and produce an ordered purpose in life. Therefore, it is the dominating idea or line of mental activity with which the disciple must be concerned as he performs a breathing exercise. This idea must embody some purpose, some planned activity and some recognised goal before the breath which will engineer or implement it is generated, assembled, sent forth and thus becomes the carrier of power. This has to be done upon the wings of conscious intention, if I may here speak symbolically. I would urge you to read these last sentences with frequency because they concern the Science of the Breath and hold the clue to needed work. This science is primarily and fundamentally concerned with ideas as formulated into clear thoughtforms [Page 257] and thus condition the life of the disciple upon etheric levels. From there, they eventually condition his physical plane life.

 

… When there is true idealism, right thought, plus an understanding of the vehicle of expression and the world of forces into which the idea has to be launched, then the student can safely follow certain scheduled breathing exercises and the second phase or the result of sound rhythmic breathing will appear. This is Inspiration.

 

Breathing exercises, my brother, have a purely physiological effect when not impelled or motivated by directed thought and when they are not the result of the aspirant attaining and adhering to a point of tension. Steadily, whilst the process of inhalation and exhalation is being carried forward, a clear line of active thinking must be preserved so that the breath (as it is sent out) is qualified and conditioned by some idea.

 

It is here that the average aspirant fails so often. He is usually so intensely preoccupied with the process of directing breathing and so expectant of some phenomenal results, that the living purpose of the breath is forgotten; this is to energise and add quality to the life of the centres through the medium of some projected and presented thought, expressing some sensed and determined idea. Where this background of idealistic thought is lacking, then the results of the breath will be practically nil or—where there are results of any kind under these circumstances—they will be in no way concerned with thought but will be psychic in nature. They can then produce lasting psychic trouble, for the emanating source of the activity is astral and the projected energy goes to centres below the diaphragm, thus feeding the lower nature, enriching and strengthening its astral content and thereby enhancing and deepening glamour. The results can also be physiological, producing the stimulation of the etheric body leading to the strengthen­ing of the physical nature; this often leads to serious results, for the breath is carried to centres which should be in "process of elevation" as it is esoterically called; this increases their physical potency, feeds the physical appetites and makes the task of the aspirant much harder as he seeks to sublimate the lower nature and anchor or focus the life of the centres above the diaphragm or in the head.

 

Glamour and maya are then increased and for the life in which these exercises are misapplied, the aspirant remains in a static and unprofitable condition. As he breathes in or inhales, he draws the breath from within his own aura, his auric ring-pass-not; he feeds the lower nature and sets up a vicious circle within himself which strengthens day by day until he is completely enmeshed by the glamour and maya which he is constantly establishing and re-establishing. The lower centres are steadily vitalised and become extremely active and the point of tension from which the aspirant then works is found in the personality and is not focussed in relation to the soul; the consciousness of the uniqueness of special breathing and the expectancy of phenomenal results bar out all thought, except lower reactions of a kama-manasic nature; emotion is fostered and the power of the astral body is tremendously increased; very frequently also the physiological results are potent and [Page 259] noticeable, such as a great chest development and the muscular strengthening of the diaphragm. …

 

… These techniques and exercises will be taught, to start with, in the new and coming schools of esotericism.

 

Inspiration is a process of qualifying, vitalising and stimulating the reaction of the personality—via the centres—to that point of tension where soul control becomes present and apparent. It is the mode whereby energy from the soul can flood the personality life, can sweep through the centres, expelling that which hinders, ridding the aspirant of all remaining glamours and maya, and perfecting an instrument whereby the music of the soul and, later, the musical quality of the Hierarchy can be heard. Forget not [Page 260] that sound permeates all forms; the planet itself has its own note or sound; each minute atom also has its sound; each form can be evoked into music and each human being has his peculiar chord and all chords contribute to the great symphony which the Hierarchy and Humanity are playing, and playing now. Every spiritual group has its own tune (if I may employ so inappropriate a word) and the groups which are in process of collaborating with the Hierarchy make music ceaselessly. This rhythm of sound and this myriad of chords and notes blend with the music of the Hierarchy itself and this is a steadily enriching symphony; as the centuries slip away, all these sounds slowly unite and are resolved into each other until some day the planetary symphony which Sanat Kumara is composing will be completed and our Earth will then make a notable contribution to the great chords of the solar system—and this is a part, intrinsic and real, of the music of the spheres. Then, as the Bible says, the Sons of God, the planetary Logoi, will sing together. This, my brother, will be the result of right breathing, of controlled and organised rhythm, of true pure thought and of the correct relation between all parts of the chorus.

 

Think out this theme as a meditation exercise and gain inspiration thereby.

 

 

c. The Technique of Indifference

 

I have, in my other books, given much information anent the etheric body and the centres—major and minor—which are to be found within its radius. There is a tendency among students to identify the centres with the physical body in their thinking and not so clearly with the etheric body. This concerns location in the majority of cases and is a mistake. Aspirants would do well to avoid any concentration at all [Page 261] upon the physical body and learn gradually to shift their focus of attention into the etheric body. Necessarily the physical body is active and potent but increasingly it should be regarded as an automaton, influenced and directed by:

 

1. The vital body and the forces of maya; or by inspiration, emanating from points of spiritual tension.

 

2. The astral vehicle and the forces of glamour; or sentient, conscious love, emanating from the soul.

 

3. The mind and the forces of illusion; or by illumination, coming from higher sources than the life in the three worlds.

 

4. The soul, as the vehicle of monadic impression, until such time as the antahkarana is built—that bridge in mental matter which will eventually link the Monad and the personality.

 

One of the problems which disciples have to solve is the source of the incentive, impulses, impressions or inspiration which—via the etheric body—sweep the physical vehicle into activity upon the physical plane, thus giving a demonstration of the quality, purpose and point of tension of the incarnating man, and manifesting the nature of the man as he is at any particular point upon the ladder of evolution. According to the tensions and impulses indicated, will be the activity of the centres. You can see, therefore, how much that I teach reverses the usual occult procedures. I teach no mode of awakening the centres because right impulse, steady reaction to higher impulsions and the practical recognition of the sources of inspiration will automatically and safely swing the centres into needed and appropriate activity. This is the sound method of development. It is slower, but leads to no premature development and produces a rounded out unfoldment; it enables the aspirant to [Page 262] become truly the Observer and to know with surety what he is doing; it brings the centres, one by one, to a point of spiritual responsiveness and then establishes the ordered and cyclic rhythm of a controlled lower nature.

 

That breathing exercises may eventually find a place in the training of the disciple is true and possible, but they will be self-initiated as a result of rhythmic living and a constant right use of the Sacred Word, the OM. When, for instance, a disciple in meditation sounds the OM seven times, it is the equivalent of a breathing exercise; when he can send the energy thus generated on the wings of conscious planned thought to one or other of the centres, he is bringing about changes and readjustments within the mechanism which handles force, and when this can be carried out with ease and with the mind held at a point of "thought-full tension," then the disciple is well on the way to shifting his entire focus of attention away from the world of illusion, glamour and maya and into the realm of the soul, in the world of the "clear cold light" and into the kingdom of God.

 

When he also adds to this an understanding and the practice of the Technique of Indifference, he stands free and liberated and is essentially at all times the Observer and User of the apparatus of manifestation.

 

What is this technique? What is indifference? … It means in reality the achieving of a neutral attitude towards that which is regarded as the Not-self; it involves a repudiation of similarity; it marks the recognition of a basic distinction; it signifies refusal to be identified with anything save the spiritual reality as far as that is sensed and known at any given point in time and space. It is, therefore, a much stronger and vital thing than what is usually meant when the word is used. It is active repudiation without any concentration upon that which is repudiated. That is a statement of moment and warrants your careful consideration.

 

It is concerned with the point of tension from which the observing disciple or aspirant is working. The point of tension becomes the emanating source of some type of energy, and this pours down into and through the etheric body without being in any way affected by maya or by the concentration of diverse forces of which the etheric body is ever composed. Indifference, technically understood, signifies direct descent from there to here, without deviation or distortion. The manifesting entity, the disciple, stands steady and firm at this point of tension and his first step is, therefore, to ascertain where that is, on what plane it is found, and what is the strength of the tension upon which he has to depend. The next step is to discover if that which he seeks to convey to the physical body, and thus produce effects upon the outer world of experiment and experience, is distorted by illusion of any kind, arrested in its expression by glamour, or liable to be sidetracked by uncontrolled forces and by the maya which these produce. This he ascertains not by identifying himself, stage by stage of descent, with the hindrances and possible obstructions but by intensifying his point of tension, by the constant recollection of the truth that he is the Self and not the not-self and by a process of projection; this projection is defined as sending of energy, qualified and recognised, from the point of tension direct and undeviatingly to the vital body from whence it can find its way to the seven centres of control.

 

It is at this point that he applies the technique of indifference for, if he does not, that which he is seeking to express may be held up and arrested by etheric force or by the veils of maya. He works consequently from a point of intense concentration; he refuses any "attachment" to any form or plane as he projects the energy into and [Page 264] through the three worlds. When he discovers any arresting or sidetracking of progress through active illusion, or glamour, he "detaches" himself consciously from such contacts and braces himself for the final stage of indifference or repudiation of all forces except those which he—consciously and with purpose—is seeking to use upon the physical plane.

 

In the last analysis, my brother, the point of tension for the average disciple will be found on mental levels, involving the illumined mind and a growing soul contact:

a.       He will be able then to "see" clearly in the light of the soul, and with a developed sense of values; he can consequently dispel illusion.

b.       He will be able to project light, consciously, on to the astral plane and can thus dissipate glamour.

c.       He will be able to pour light energy through the etheric body and anchor the light or energy in the appropriate centres because there will be complete indifference or non-identification with maya.

 

Where the initiate is concerned, the process is carried on at first from a point of tension within the soul and later from a point of tension in the Spiritual Triad. …

 

It sounds fairly simple and easy of accomplishment as the aspirant reads these fairly simple elucidations of a difficult process but that in itself is delusion. Age-long identification with the form side of life is not easily overcome and the task ahead of the disciple is a long and arduous one but one which promises eventual success, provided there is clear thinking, earnest purpose and planned scientific work.