Vitvan Highlights (2), part two
Revision 1.1, December, 1999
(Philosophy & psychology continued)authored by Martin Euser
Summary: this part deals with motivating factors and semantic blockages pertaining to the individual human being as well as the group in which one is integrated.
A short elaboration on the process of conscious abstracting, based on Vitvan's booklet "Clear thinking" and other writings/lectures is included here because of the clarity of teachings involved. These teachings help us to overcome semantic blockages, blockages in understanding and thus have a proper place in this article.
(The analogies referred to in the previous article will be dealt with in a separate article in this series)
Motivating factors in the human vehicles
In part one of this article on Highlights of Vitvan(2) I described the fourfold division of the human being:
I will only touch some salient points of Vitvan's teachings concerning these matters, since I already treated the motivating factors in my article Theosophy basics, part two.
The configuration is motivated by the vital dynamism, as Vitvan calls it. You know when you have your vitality and you know when you have spent it. Pay close attention to energy-vampires (people who suck out your life-energy) because you may need to protect yourself. This is done by raising one's consciousness to higher levels and can be learned almost instinctively. Polarize your thoughts towards Mind-level by tuning your thinking inwardly to positive spheres, typified by keen and active, dynamic consciousness. You will safeguard yourself then. In case of extremely negative spheres you may need to disassociate yourself from such a scene. Some find it helpful to imagine a blue sphere around them, or, when negative people want to approach them on the street, to project part of their aura ahead of them at some distance, to keep the energy flowing while walking.
I've tested this last procedure and it works for me.
The Eastern writings describe the "pranas" or vital forces working through the body, the organs, etc. The pranas are derived from the "cosmic ocean of life" and are specializations from these cosmic forces. From the macrocosmic level to the microcosmic level, so to speak.
The psyche is motivated by the psycho-dynamism, notably desire-thinking, emotions, and, sometimes, high aspirations to serve your fellow humans.
This is well-known now because there has been written so much about these factors by eminent psychologists.
The theosopher Gottfried de Purucker pointedly remarks that most of the time we have our consciousness identified with the lower psyche or animal soul. Vitvan effectively says the same when he says that we are 90% animal and only 10% human. We are just in the beginning of the process of becoming human and we will start displaying more really human properties when we focus our attention in the higher psyche, and especially when we start manifesting the Christos power from Mind level.
Notice the difference between Mind (spiritual level) and mind (cortical intellect). For some reason current education is confined largely to developing cortical intellect (in an unhealthy way, because too much emphasis is given to this aspect), while the qualities of real love, intuition and inspiration are almost totally neglected. The current educational practice still stresses "the outsmarting of others" so characteristic for the capitalistic system. It can't be called real education when compared to what it should be: holistic education, developing all the aspects (body, feeling, thinking, desiring, intuiting) lying dormant in the human being. So, current education is based on a distorted and very limited understanding of the human being and its faculties. This can be called a semantic blockage, a blockage in understanding. I'm curious when our educators will get this point. When will the appreciation of the fine arts, music, psychology, etc., get developed to the point it should be?
Vitvan uses sometimes the phrase "feel-know" your way into the frequencies. He means to say that there's a reflection of the faculty of understanding on the level of the psyche. That reflection can be called a kind of instinctive "feel-know". It operates 'below' cortical intellect.
Vitvan says: " it's a magnetic force by which the instincts operate, the consciousness in the psychic nature before the cortex is developed. There's a magnetic force by which and in which it functions. That magnetic force in which it functions is much more extensive and comprehensive in its awareness, in its sagacity, than the cortex even after it's developed. If you will allow it to work it will lead you unerringly to the right thing at the right time."
Well, that's true. It doesn't mean you shouldn't use your brain-mind or cortical intellect, but to give the cortical intellect its proper place, as a servant, not as a master. The brain-mind is a poor master, because it is so one-dimensionally evolved. It is more suited to the role of servant relative to one's inner self, the Master within.
The Mind-level is motivated by the Christos power. To stay in the terminology of the various "dynamisms" I like to use the term "noetic dynamism". Noetic comes from the Greek word "Nous", meaning spirit. The one functioning on Mind-level shows compassion to others, and rays out love, real love. This label "love" should be reserved for Mind-level functioning only. All other use of this word debases it to the level of mostly self-centered desires which have little if anything to do with it. Understanding of the basic natural order processes is great in the case of the Christed ones (anointed with the Spirit of love and wisdom, or Holy Spirit). They usually work in small circles, shun publicity for obvious reasons. Imagine the countless numbers of sensation seekers that would flood their homes when they were to work openly in this world! On the other hand, quite advanced souls are said to have worked in this world in a humble way, unnoticed by others because of their seemingly simple nature. Don't look for showy people that proclaim themselves as gurus. The chances are more than hundred against one (if not zero) that these are fake gurus.
It may be useful to mention that Vitvan remarks that the Christos power works through the whole body of the initiate, not only through the head-centers or chakras. The heart-center or chakra is obviously involved. Raising one's life-force to the heart-center, and above, is a natural order process which is elaborated by Vitvan in his writing "The basic teachings of the School of the Natural Order, part three" and his major work "The Christos".
When a person gets fed up with the usual values of getting rich, being successful, etc. that person starts to develop a feeling for the subtler frequencies in the psychic world and sometimes for Mind-level frequencies.
Completely new worlds of thought and vision can open themselves within such a person. Vitvan sometimes uses the expression "The first Crossing" to indicate the beginning phase of this process of reorientation. His work "The First Crossing" is quite descriptive of this process.
To complete this section about motivating factors I like to say that
Vitvan mentions three basic psychological motivations in his description of the evolution of a human being:
This is typical for the majority of this world. We want pleasure and we want profit, don't we? We want to be rich, we want comfort, luxury and lots of it.
When one gets fed up with these soap-bubbles one gradually learns to really love people or maybe better expressed: extend one's sphere of love to a large group of people. The love-security motive becomes dominant.
Real love is a relatively scarce thing in this world, although parental love for their children will often be genuine, albeit instinctively.
Remember I'm talking here about Mind-level love.
According to Vitvan love presupposes respect for the other. Respect one's integrity, one's uniqueness, one's basic state of development, etc. Real security can only be there where there is love. Otherwise it is fake or an illusion.
Semantic blockages: some examples
A semantic blockage can be defined as a blockage in understanding. Often, false notions have crept into our lives, our culture, science, religion, etc.
These notions have become engrained into our subconsciousness.
In every domain of life, be it economy, philosophy, religion, law, cultural values, etc., a large number of semantic blockages can be found. It would be an interesting, but time-consuming exercise to document these blockages. I will give only a few examples, but I'm certain that you can find many more. The reason I spend some time in describing these blockages is that it stimulates awareness of psychological factors inherent in the human race, including each of us.
If there is awareness, then one can decide to abstract consciously, re-evaluate one's values (reactions) given to others and become an emancipated, liberated human being.
In the Highlights series I already described the reification of the symbol "money", or, more precisely, the reversal of orders of abstraction that has taken place. See the first article in this series and the appendix thereto. That example pertains to the economic domain.
In the religious domain, there are some awesome examples of semantic blockages. I will discuss the following:
Islam doesn't recognize such an exclusive role for Jesus the Nazarene, nor do other religions. Jesus said: "The Kingdom is within you". He was a great example of an Avatar, a messenger from the Divine world who embodied the message of love and forgiveness. The Christos power (Mind level force or noetic-dynamism) can work through all of us. To believe otherwise means erecting an enormous semantic blockage towards inner growth. Study the writings of Alvin Boyd Kuhn, Vitvan, Massey, G. de Purucker, H.P. Blavatsky and psychologists such as Maslow, Ken Wilber, Assagioli, Jung, etc. and you will find plenty of proof for this basic statement. The symbology found in the Christian bible has been explained by the esoteric teachers and researchers and the psychological side thereof has been clarified to some extent by the most developed psychologists and psychiatrists of this century.
As you know, there are certain people who think that they belong to a special kind of people: "the chosen people". Among these are "The American people", "The Jews", "Christians", "Muslims", fundamentalists of all kinds, etc. Some European people liked to think that way (The British, French, German, etc.) and I'm sure that some Asian people have a tendency to feel this way ("The Japanese people", some Chinese people, perhaps, and so on ad nauseam).
What has happened here is another example of reification or literalization of symbols found in legends, myths, etc. The researcher of symbols knows that the term "chosen people" refers not to an ethnic group, but to those humans who have developed their understanding of the natural order process, or cosmic process, to such a degree that they participate consciously in the furtherance of the destiny of this planet (described by such eminent occultists as Mme. Blavatsky, G. de Purucker, and many others). Teilhard de Chardin certainly had a feel of such a destiny, described by him as "Point Omega". Vitvan describes the natural order process at length in his lectures and books. He calls this voluntarily cooperation "the conscious participation and cooperation in the world-dharma", where the focus is on bringing the forces of Mind-level (spiritual and intellectual forces) on this planet in order to stimulate the awareness of unity-in-multiplicity and mutual working together for a brighter future where everyone can develop and use one's talents.
So, the "chosen ones" are not privileged by some arbitrary rule. No, they have raised their consciousness out of the psychic world into Mind-level. Thus they bring to bear the influence of the Christos force in or through their constitution, psyche, spirit and 'body' and thus help other human beings to help themselves respecting development of consciousness. They elected themselves, so to speak, and I can add that the more advanced ones help them in their work and their development, where necessary and possible. On the Mind-level, the adapts and Masters notice it immediately when someone starts to develop a bit of the light of understanding, or, buddhic vehicle (Light body). Don't think for a second that these developing ones remain unnoticed on Mind-level. That would be as impossible as to miss a bright light shining in the dark.
An infamous semantic blockage has arisen in Catholic church that priests shouldn't marry. They should devote themselves totally to "work for God". Apart from the fact that anthropomorphic images such as a "personal God" are totally non-philosophical the esotericist frowns towards such ideas as celibacy as a dogma. As usual, the idea is nice but totally misplaced. Esotericists know that celibacy is something that comes natural for individuals that have advanced far on the path of Self-realization. In Sanskrit there exists the term "sannyasin", which pertains to that individual that has taken the sixth initiation (out of seven, as they are commonly numbered in theosophy). That individual has then become a master of wisdom.
This means that only a Christed one, and then only after a certain period of development, has so much integrated the male and female aspects of human nature in himself (or herself) that s/he is entirely above the natural urge of sex.
(A Christed one is a person who has been to some degree infused with the Holy Spirit - also called Buddhic or Light of the Logos. There are marked stages and transitions in state of consciousness called initiations in the developmental process on the spiritual path, about which you can find more information in Gnostic, theosophical and Kabbalistic literature as well as in Eastern traditions.)
In other words, to enforce celibacy, or demand celibacy from religious individuals wanting to serve "God" is to call for problems. These unfortunate people have to suppress their natural urges, which means that these urges will look for a compensatory outlet. Articles in newspapers abound about such outlets and I will leave the rest to your imagination.
Other examples of semantic blockages in the religious domain can be easily found (such as condemning the use of condoms by the pope, this means additional deaths by AIDS in Africa); the issue of Jerusalem as a holy city (this is laden with emotional values - while Jerusalem is esoterically speaking a symbol for the Kingdom within each person), and I leave these to your own research. For example, every name, person, character and city in the Bible has a symbolic meaning associated with them. A study of Vitvan's work and that of other researchers (Kuhn, Blavatsky, Ralston Skinner, De Purucker etc.) will show this and provide many more examples of reification of symbols.
Law and capital punishment
A particular ugly semantic blockage is present in the laws of certain countries where the death-penalty is being enforced. For some reason many people seem to think that the death-sentence is an effective tool to punish criminals. Not so, according to the timeless wisdom. Not only does the death-sentence not deter criminals from their heinous acts, but it actually has a reverse effect on the minds of people. When it is understood that the mere destruction of the body doesn't mean the destruction of the vitality and soul of the criminal, then quite a different picture arises of what happens to the thus eliminated being. The criminal is filled with hatred towards society, that choose to kill him. He remains connected with the earth-sphere and tries to re-establish contact with its population. Unbalanced people can be influenced by this presence in the earth-sphere because the deceased criminal tries to inject his thoughts of hatred into the minds of those people that are vulnerable to such attacks. We shouldn't be surprised when unexpected acts of violence occur with these unstable people.
Now, I ask you, who is morally responsible for such acts of these influenced minds? Not only the criminal who has been put to death, not only the ones that act thus, but also (and not in the least place) those people that have made up the laws of capital punishment, and those supporting those laws. Something really serious to think about.
In this respect I would like to reiterate the importance of selfless thought. You may never know, your negative thought may be just the last impulse needed to catalyze someone into a behavior of random violence, and we all know what that can mean..
Some semantic blockages in the New Age domain.
Some people believe firmly in the doctrine of "twin souls".
Esoteric philosophy denies that such thing as "twin souls" exists in nature.
It is of course the sensual ones that like to think that "physical union" with a supposed "twin soul" will bring them great progress on the spiritual path. Granted that there may be affinities between man and wife, based on some common energy they share (sometimes called "rays" - another subject about which a lot of nonsense seems to have been written), but that common energy pertains to large groups of monads (sparks of the Divine worlds). No, the polarity of male/female is a thing of the soul and it is the soul (or psyche) that will bring about integration of these two polarities. Of course a good relationship can be enormously helpful to one's evolution towards being an integrated, harmonious individual, but, twin souls - no, their ain't such a thing.
This is clearly a cunning way to put people on the wrong track .
The former head of the Dutch section of Point Loma theosophical society, D.J.P. Kok, said that this message of Maitreya/Christ coming back to clear up the mess we've made here on earth was a typical affair of the "black brotherhood", I mean those entities that want to curb spiritual development of people. I have to agree with him on this point. This artist Benjamin Creme preached the coming of Christ to happen in 1982 or so. Of course, nothing happened and the associated movement started to alibi and make up stories. No, no-one is going to clean up the mess we've made. What a preposterous idea. Certainly no aliens are going to do that for us. We ourselves are responsible for our misdoing and we will have to learn from our mistakes and correct these blunders of ours.
Some people believe that karma is just another word for fate. Well, if some Christians are inclined to think that way, then I can understand that.
But, this idea is totally misplaced. Karma is not fate. Karma has everything to do with the thought-pattern one has developed during the cycles of reincarnation in this world. Karma means action, and also reaction, because every action will elicit a response or reaction from other beings. Vitvan describes how excited he was when he began to understand karma as a feedback-mechanism. Yes, one can see it that way: learning by doing, learning and correcting one's actions by the understanding and experience gained.
The idea of buying one's way into the spiritual world is so preposterous that I won't spend any time in discussing it.
Semantic blockages in the philosophical realm
What comes to my mind is Vitvan's discussion about Aristotle and the true/false dichotomies introduced by Aristotle. Well, there are shades of gray between black and white, aren't there? Vitvan describes the transition from simple true/wrong, yes/no, good/evil, heaven/hell ideas towards more sophisticated thinking. It is certain that developed people have learned to evaluate situations along lines of a broad spectrum of aspects, facets, etc.
Usually the cultured one will stand far from mass-compulsions, mass-fascinations, etc. Such one-dimensional patterns of "public opinion" are usually too simplistic to adhere too for such a one.
There are quite some people that label themselves as post-modern thinkers. Some tendencies exist in these circles to indulge in writing about the relativity of values. Sometimes that relativity goes as far as "anything goes", "any value is as good as another one". Sigh. Need I point out the existence of transcendental values, such as loving one's fellow as one's Self (the common spiritual core of all of us)? These people have fallen into the trap of their own distorted reasoning. Not only that, they actually poison the minds of others (if these are open to such ideas, and, young people can be easily influenced). Well, may they see the light at some time, before they ruin themselves completely morally.
Semantic blockages in the historical realm & biology (evolution-theories)
Here we can find a plethora of semantic blockages too. For some reason historians, and many biologists too, assume that the history of civilization is limited to a rather short period of time, say a couple of thousands years. They think that prior to 5000 BC mankind was extremely primitive, didn't know fine arts and had only the most simple of tools available. Some geologists know better, fortunately, as I discovered while watching the TV-channel Discovery. In certain areas in this world, Mexico, South America and Egypt, to limit ourselves for purposes of this discussion, pyramid and temple structures have been found to display amazing accurate features of an astronomical and mathematical character. The Great pyramid and associate pyramids in the direct neighborhood have been shown to demonstrate the value of pi, the transcendental number used in calculating circle values. Also, these pyramids are a very accurate graph of the constellation of the Orion. Geographical data stemming from an analysis of the Sphinx show that it has been subject to erosion by water, at least 10,500 years ago. This evidence as to age is supported by calculations of the orientation of certain shafts in the Great pyramid towards the Orion stars. In Mexico/South America there are certain buildings, structures, that are far more accurate in proportion and size than we can accomplish with current advanced technology! Large blocks of stone fit together in such an accurate way that scientists are stunned. They have no idea how this structure has been put together. Astronomical calculations pertaining to certain apertures in the structure where the sun shone through at the equinoxes/solstitia prove that these temple-structures must be very old, about 10,500 years at least. Another strange fact pertains to the old Peri-Reis map, showing the contours of the land of Antarctica, something scientists were only able to demonstrate this century with available technology. If this isn't proof of the existence of ancient civilizations, I don't know what the word "proof" means.. Fact is that many scientists are crystallized in dogmatic theories and presuppositions. They simply can't believe that old civilizations, maybe superior to our own, have existed, while evidence is abundant. To add some weight to this evidence I can refer to the great myths of mankind where such knowledge of ancient civilizations is clearly pointed to. Talking about semantic blockages!
In theosophy basics, part 1 and 2 I already treated the semantic blockage pertaining to evolution. I mentioned that there are at least three concurrent processes working in nature that humanity is subject to and participating in: physical, mental and spiritual. Current evolution theories fall short of any explanation of the higher faculties of the human being such as self-consciousness, intuition and inspiration. The esoteric philosophy has something of real value to offer here. Interested readers are referred to the writings of Gottfried de Purucker concerning "Man in evolution".
Semantic blockages in the domain of "ideals in daily life"
One the commonest semantic blockages pertains to the ideal of becoming or being rich. Now, having money is fine of course and spending it for worthy purposes is even better. The point I want to make here is that spending a lot of time in "making money" is actually wasted time. Why is this? When one spends almost all ones time in business in the idea of accumulating wealth, one neglects one's spiritual growth or the accumulation of "spiritual treasures". You cannot take your material possessions with you when you die. The only thing you do take with you is the good human qualities you've developed during this life. In other words, you take your character with you and your accumulated wealth will probably be squandered by your relatives..
The identification with 'body' as the only reality comes to my mind at this point. The sooner one breaks this identification the better. This identification with 'outer' things, or bondage with objects of desire leads invariably to suffering as Gautama the Buddha has taught us so well.
My real point of objection is to the incorporation of such superficial "ideals" into our institutes of education where these "ideals" do not belong at all. Schools, universities, etc. should be places where one can work at one's development on all levels. One ought to be assisted with harmonious development of the various aspects of body, psyche and spirit.
More about conscious abstracting and some practices involved
Figure 1: the circuit of return. From unconscious abstracting to fully Self-conscious, clear perception of Reality. (From: "Clear Thinking", p.57)
Steps involved in becoming conscious of Self as fundamental
reality.
Vitvan gives a summary of his description of the several orders of abstraction on p. 22 of "Clear Thinking":
"Summary of interpretations corresponding to the numbered labels shown on the camera diagram (see my article Vitvan Highlights(1)):
These labels are also shown in the structural differential (see my first article in the Highlights series) and the above figure labeled "circuit of return". It may be helpful to know that perception proceeds by way of touching an 'object', 'thing', person, etc., with one's consciousness. Plato described the process of seeing as a ray sent out from the perceiver touching the 'object' and thus drawing an impression leading to the formation of an image in the mind (appearing substantive as Vitvan would say). The higher order abstractions can only be successfully be performed by those who have developed understanding to such a degree that they can perceive the natural order process from Mind-level. Cortical intellect can't do that.
Each level of abstraction represents a state of individual Self-awareness and is determined by the center in which the creative force or energy may be functioning. The symbol of Wisdom portrays a snake having its tail in its mouth. This is a symbol for the eternal process of evolution in the natural order process. It can be seen as a self-rolling wheel where no point can be designated as an end. Vitvan stresses that this process can be described as a spiral, as the structure of the way in which creative force or energy functions.
The cycle of return is completed when the state of Self-awareness is identified with the "Self-rolling Self", sometimes called Logos in esoteric literature. This "completion", however, marks only the beginning of a new phase of evolution. More about that in a later article. (You will readily understand that because all is interlinked and interwoven in the intricate web of life, there is a connection here with the evolution of the kingdoms of nature and their interrelationships)
Vitvan gives some practices pertaining to the reorientation to the dynamic energy-world. He says: "continually reorient yourself with the questions:
To continually remember that we are the label-givers, is to abstract consciously. Then stop unconscious abstracting. Be still and know that I AM the Power-to-be-conscious, the Real Self. The "I AM" of you, the Power-with-which-you-are-conscious, is your Real Self to which orientation should be made."
(abstract from "Clear Thinking", p.18)
(Keep remembering that the abstractions you made are based upon or identified with the impression-picture appearing substantive. Then a whole manifold of values is built upon these static pictures. Reality, however is dynamic, not static. Continuous change and transformation is reality. When you breathe, your lungs fill with oxygen and when you exhale waste products are disposed of. Not one second is there a static situation anywhere.)
These are good questions to start with. For everyday practices you can find many ways to couple the ideas from general semantics with your daily work. For example, when working at the daily tasks, say, doing the dishes, say to yourself: "This is a configuration of units of energy; I call it 'cup', 'broom', 'saw', 'book', 'lamp', etc., as the case may be."
You can think of variations on this practice for yourself. It will make your work more interesting.
Vitvan states that there is "one legitimate razor-edged path to the development of synchronization or contact with the extensional sphere or Egoic Self-awareness, and that is through intensification of creative forces in the mind centers, thereby awakening the latent faculties of direct perception."
Through the development of these faculties a transference of the focus of consciousness is effected thereto. Insight into the natural order process will grow strongly then.
In other words: we have to learn to become creative, shape our destiny, take our destiny into our own hands, at first seeking and erring, then ever more according to the inwardly felt patterns (your path called "dharma" - patterns existing in the archetypal world [called Atziluth in Kabbalah]).
Self-imposed discipline
Practice in extensionalizing your manner of speaking or writing
(to indicate that you leave room for other factors, stimuli not registered by you, etc.).
Include in your statements about whatever you may wish to relate, evaluate, etc. Phrases such as:
Vitvan gives some psychological advice (precepts) to his
students along with the reasons for these precepts in his book "Practice of
the way".
I will mention some of these precepts because these may help you in your daily
life.
A short clarification will be added to each precept.
Precept 1: Grant freedom to each and claim freedom for
yourself.
This precept sounds very simple, but it is one of the most difficult to
practice!
Allow others with whom you are in association freedom of thought, feeling and
action. It would be egotistical and counterproductive to demand freedom for
oneself but denying it to others. I even doubt that one can really do that.
Vitvan says:
"You will find that it requires a great deal of renunciation to practice
giving freedom before you claim it for yourself in your actions, feelings, and
thoughts. This carries it right into the ancient practice of letting go, of
surrendering. It is that letting go and surrender which is a force, a faculty
and an aptitude which one has to cultivate until he can let everyone go. "
This letting go has its fundamental basis in the inherent and intrinsic force
that motivates plants, animals, and people in the unfolding of their
characteristic qualities.
Vitvan says: " The essential life-germ (on the plant and animal level) and
the Power-to-be-conscious (on the human level) responds to external stimuli and
appropriates those necessary qualities it requires for its own internal
organization, growth, and development. Consequently, the cosmic or evolutionary
process requires that we give freedom to each and every one with whom we are in
association."
In reverse, trying to hold onto others for your own purposes won't work. Maybe
you can force people to stay with you through fear or financial reasons but the
heart, the love, the mind and the harmony is gone. You've got nothing but a
shell.
Vitvan adds:
" That which belongs to you cannot be taken away from you. There are forces
and powers stronger than steel cables that bind you to that which belongs to
you. I'm going to ask you a question: Who wants any person or any thing that
doesn't belong to him? Who wants it? But if you practice giving freedom in utter
and complete renunciation you will discover one of the greatest secrets on the
way, on the path. Your own has an opportunity to come to you--with all of its
beauty and all of its blessings. And where one arbitrarily holds on for fear of
some kind (fear of losing something?,) that one cuts himself off from what
really belongs to him and would come to him. "
and : "You have arbitrarily, mentally, and through human will and
perverseness prevented your real helpers--visible and invisible--from coming to
you. One who practices giving freedom completely with no qualifications will
draw from around this planet that person or event or condition which is needful
or he will be drawn to it. That is the way the invisible forces work. They do
work, for this is an energy world in which we exist, not a world of controllable
things and objects."
Well, that provides some comfort to the seeking soul.
About the reverse situation: "Do not think you can coerce or hold another,
whatever the reason or justification, without paying the penalty for so doing.
The penalty is slavery on the animal-magnetic level, on the desire-emotional
level, on the verbal-mental level. Put another one in bondage and you yourself
go into bondage as inevitably as the earth turns on its axis. As you go into
bondage you develop increasing misery, agony, and suffering. And what for?
Because of your egotistical pride and human will and vainglory, you think you
are going to conquer or rule or whatever. It sounds very simple to give freedom,
doesn't it? Yet it's very difficult to practice.
Practice giving freedom. Nothing that belongs to you will leave. All that
belongs to you will flow to you. You won't lose anything. It's infinite gain,
not loss. And there's joy and happiness in giving freedom. You have to do it
every day until it has been thoroughly learned and practiced. Every night upon
going to bed review the day to see whether in feeling, in thought, and in
consciousness you have given freedom to everyone with whom you are in
affiliation and association. If you haven't, censure yourself; be more severe
with yourself than you would allow anyone else to be with you. Stand before that
higher Self, that real, essential nature, as if you were giving an account:
"Have I given freedom?" When you are sure (and you never can fool
yourself, the Self) and when you have that joy and happiness that you have in
giving freedom, then claim it for yourself also. This sometimes requires as much
as the giving up, because you have to have courage to claim your freedom even if
the heavens fall, if everything also should pass"
If you feel uncomfortable, ask yourself: "what influence did I pick up from
others?", "What value did I give?". The subject of
synchronization of forces in the frequency world between two persons is a
fascinating one. We synchronize daily, exchange forces, frequencies, daily, most
of the time being totally unconscious or unaware of what is happening.
"You must have freedom to grow and develop, to expand according to the
essential, intrinsic requirements of your own self and evolutionary state. So
much for precept number one. Practice it; the results are wonderful."
An advice is then given:
"When you begin to claim freedom for yourself you will be ensnared through
a variety of ways because those who wish to hold you in bondage to their own
selfish selves will appeal to your sympathy if they cannot dominate you, if they
cannot reach you through fear. They will crawl into your heart through your
sympathy. Then you've got to appear like an iceberg and be accused of being just
a cold-hearted so-and-so. Sympathy is a weapon to enslave you when all other
weapons fail. And you will fall for sympathy when you have gained the strength
to resist all other attempts at enslavement."
Precept number two: Respect the integrity of each.
Vitvan states that: "Respect even precedes love. If you lose the respect of
man, woman, or child, you've lost their love. Many think it is the other way
around--that you can love where there is no respect. Never! You will substitute
duty and you will substitute obligation but you cannot love where respect is
gone. Therefore, in order to love or be loved practice respect for the integrity
of each."
Each person has his own basic state of development, his quirks and
idiosyncrasies. We have faults and failings too that others have to put up with.
Vitvan says: " the integrity of the evolutionary point must be preserved in
order to expand consciousness beyond that point."
" What we call objective existence, organized society, or life is a process
of giving and taking, and understanding that all is based here upon the respect
for the integrity of each."
He adds that you will require great understanding of your own self as you tread
the path, and you can't have that unless you practice respect for the other
one's integrity.
This includes children of course. They have their own needs and requirements
that must be fulfilled, and that must not be interfered with. If you interfere
and impose your ideas about how your children should be upon them you risk
serious psychosomatic diseases and maladjustments to develop in your children.
This has nothing to do with setting proper standards of behavior, of course.
That belongs to normal, healthy education.
To conclude this precept: "Everything and everyone will tell you what they
need if you don't loose patience and react emotionally to superimpose something
that you think is right upon them. Be attentive; respect that integrity; learn
its needs and pretty soon you will learn how it functions, how to function with
it. Let us train each other upon the basis of the respect for that inherent,
intrinsic integrity. Others have their own needs, their own requirements that
are not yours. Those who really tread the path, who know the way to the higher
development, practice this all the time. The technique of it is part of their
nature."
The third precept is:
The value one gives reacts upon him according to the quality of the value
given.
"The quality that you put into the value that you give reacts upon you and
disturbs you or expands you or glorifies you. Nothing that anyone else does or
does not do, nothing that anyone says or does not say affects you the least tiny
bit. It doesn't affect you at all. It's the value you give to what so and
so did or did not do; it's the value that you give to what so and so said or
didn't say (sometimes silence is more eloquent than what was said)."
"Become conscious of the values you give so that you can change your value
system or stop giving value. Nothing can affect you except that to which you
give value."
Vitvan explains that energy describes a circuit:
"When you put a high, ennobling, good quality into it you will get that
quality back. And if you put a negative, destructive quality into the value
you'll get that quality back, because every force generated and sent out
describes a circuit."
This is the basis of karma and free will. I have often said that you build your
own character, in interaction with other people, and that you choose which
characteristics to develop. If you are passive to developments or open yourself
negatively (passively) for influences, you will build tamasic qualities into
your character. Remember the gunas that I wrote about in my previous article in
this series? Your psychic nature will absorb those qualities or gunas that
you will allow yourself to enter your aura. It's that simple! Watch
carefully for the gunas or qualities that you load upon the stream of thoughts
that circulates through your psyche. If you load shit upon those frequencies you
receive and send out towards others, you will receive shit back. That's plain
talk, isn't it? That's part of the "mechanism" or workings of karma.
In other words: you color the thoughts that enter your mind with your own
desires. Then you retransmit these thoughts that came to you. What will be the
effects of these colored thoughts on others? Here you can see the moral
responsibility you have not only for your actions, but also for your thoughts.
To connect these points with the first precept: if you let go your hold on the
rope that drags you through the mud, you will free yourself of averse effects.
In other words: put good qualities in the thoughts you emit and things you do
and you will create better circumstances not only for yourself but for many
others as well.
"Be fogged by the reaction of your own emotions and you have lost the
ability to see and think straight. Those who tread the path must see clearly;
those who tread the path must not be distracted by a lot of self-created
emotions. And of all these, that fog or self-created emotion rests right upon
the quality of the value given. Similarly, you cannot discover anything until
you are ready. Make yourself ready. Be worthy in every way, shape, and form and
you need have no concern; you will be guided, you will be lead, you will have an
urge, or whatever, to the contact, to the book, to the teaching, to the person;
until that great discovery is made that there is a people, there is a
brotherhood, there is a worldwide fraternity that has no lines of demarcation
whether you are incarnated or discarnated, whether you're taking the journey
through the stars or ready to return to another earth life."
This ends part two of Vitvan's philosophy and psychology. I hope you found it
useful for the enlargement of your understanding about the dynamic world we live
in.