The Opportunities Ahead of Us

The Art of Seeing Lessons

In Each Event and Everywhere

Carlos Cardoso Aveline

“Thou canst create this ‘day’ thy

chances for thy ‘morrow’. In the

‘Great Journey’, causes sown each hour

bear each its harvest of effects, for rigid

Justice rules the World. With mighty sweep

of never erring action, it brings to mortals

lives of weal or woe, the Karmic progeny of

all our former thoughts and deeds.”

Helena P. Blavatsky [1]

Infinite bliss and total harmony: this is the essential substance of life. The eternal law of equilibrium and of truth surrounds us from every side. We walk on it. It is the goal of our efforts. It also dwells in our hearts and in the air we breathe.

Yet we are like fish swimming in a boundless ocean and having no consciousness of that. We are surrounded by unlimited possibilities in every sense of the word, and have the notion that it is difficult to identify them and take advantage of them in order to develop full contact with our original nature or true self. 

As a result, the task of identifying the seeds and potentialities of happiness constitutes one of the main tests placed before any human being.

Three of the central axioms of esoteric philosophy can be expressed in this way, the first two of them being inscriptions at the entrance to the Oracle of Delphi, in ancient Greece: 

* Be moderate in all things;

* Know thyself; and

* See your opportunity.

The three ideas have a close interaction. One must live a calm and moderate life in the first place, so that one can know oneself. The two conditions enable us to identify our  opportunities along the road to wisdom. 

Human existence is contradictory. Our lives are the battlegrounds of a constant struggle between right actions and sad mistakes. We waste away a large amount of our potentiality for happiness by creating problems to ourselves and to others. We have to make an uneasy  effort to accept the truth whenever truth is contrary to our opinion or seems to threaten our personal comfort and favourite routines.

Living is a dangerous thing to do: there are good opportunities, and there are negative, illusory opportunities as well. Desire, just like will, tends to produce the opportunities that will lead to its materialization.

When a student of philosophy practices self-observation from the point of view of the ideal of human progression and perfection, he sees unlimited possibilities to do good. He then can walk along the path to wisdom and gradually achieve liberation through altruism.

As this occurs, we perform noble actions, build healthy situations and learn to love with altruism. The more we know, the more we learn how to learn.  In the 19th century, one of the Mahatmas of the Himalayas wrote to his lay disciple Laura C. Holloway about the art of taking advantage of positive opportunities:

“Learn, child, to catch a hint through whatever agency it may be given. ‘Sermons may be preached even through stones’. Do not be too eager for ‘instructions’. You will always get what you need as you shall deserve them, but no more than you deserve or are able to assimilate…” [2]

In order to seize the opportunities which life places ahead of us, at least three things are necessary:

A) To know what we want;

B) To have eyes to see the occult lessons beneath external appearance;  

C) To possess a calm self-confidence.  

Émile Coué created in the 20th century a method for autosuggestion. He wrote that someone who has the firm intention of attaining some goal in life will inevitably attain that, because he will do everything necessary to reach his object. If any opportunity emerges, even if doubtful, he will not let it go. In addition to that, he will subconsciously create opportunities according to his will. However, he who doubts himself will seldom be able to take advantage of opportunities, even if they are many, and generous. [3]

Individuals who do not pay enough attention to life consider as “good” that which is pleasant, and see as “bad” whatever is unpleasant. This approach is superficial and produces unnecessary suffering.  Robert Crosbie, wrote:

“Well, let us say nothing is good and nothing is bad, but all is opportunity - the very best opportunity, because the soul knows what it needs for increasing its powers and keeping its energy.”

And Crosbie went on:

“We sometimes do not recognize our opportunities, for they are occurring every moment of the time. Every single event is an opportunity - even the passing of people on the street and the thoughts and feelings they stir up in us; whatever we feel toward others, our relations with them, our touch with them, our family relations, our social, our business, and our national relations - all these are opportunities to be taken advantage of in every way; every one of them constitutes Karma. Our touch with Theosophy is a Karmic opportunity.” [4]

Sincere contact with the authentic esoteric philosophy constitutes a golden opportunity. To actually take advantage of it, however, requires patience and a long term view of life.

A degree of humbleness will be necessary to accept the fact that the ability to identify and assimilate lessons grows but little by little over the years. On the other hand, each step taken in the right direction is valid in itself and improves some aspect of our present and future. While the goal is situated far away, every sincere progress towards it must be duly celebrated.

NOTES:

[1] “The Voice of the Silence”, by H.P. Blavatsky, Theosophy Company, Los Angeles, 1987, 110 pp., Fragment II, p. 37.

[2] “Letters From the Masters of the Wisdom”, compiled by C. Jinarajadasa, TPH, India, First Series, Letters To and About Mrs. Laura C. Holloway, see Letter II, p. 150.  In these lines the Master refers to the fact that the relation between teacher and student occurs fundamentally beyond verbal and visual communication. The disciple must develop his discernment in order to identify the higher teachings and inspiration in any aspect of life.

[3] “Self-Mastery Through Conscious Autosuggestion”, by Émile Coué.  Brazilian edition, “O Domínio de Si Mesmo Pela Auto-Sugestão Consciente”, Émile Coué, Ed. Martin Claret, SP,  2002, see p. 83.

[4] Quoted in the magazine “The Theosophical Movement”, Theosophy Company, Mumbai, India, February 2005 edition, p. 144. 

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In September 2016, after a careful analysis of the state of the esoteric movement worldwide, a group of students decided to form the Independent Lodge of Theosophists, whose priorities include the building of a better future in the different dimensions of life.  

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