And the Cyclic Art Of Being Born Again
Carlos Cardoso Aveline
Carlos Cardoso Aveline
According to an ancient
axiom, the whole is present in each one
of its parts. The idea is not always easy to understand. How exactly can a
human being be present in each of its own living cells, or the unlimited universe
pulsate in every atom?
The secret relationship
between macrocosm and microcosm contains the mysteries of great initiations. It
cannot be explained in words, but words are useful tools as we investigate
it.
In the 19th century, a Western lay disciple asked
to an Eastern Raja Yogi:
“Does
every mineral form, vegetable, plant, animal, always contain within it that
entity which involves the potentiality of development into a planetary spirit?”
And the Master answered:
“Invariably;
only rather call it the germ of a future
entity, which it has been for ages. Take the human foetus. From the moment of
its first planting until it completes its seventh month of gestation it repeats
in miniature the mineral, vegetable, and animal cycles it passed through in its
previous encasements, and only during the last two, develops its future human
entity. It is completed but towards the child’s seventh year. Yet it existed
without any increase or
decrease aeons on aeons
before it worked its way onward, through and in the womb of
mother nature as it works now in its earthly mother’s bosom.”
And the Mahatma
added:
“Truly said a
learned philosopher who trusts more to his intuitions than the dicta of modern
science: ‘The stages of man’s intra-uterine existence embody a condensed record
of some of the missing pages in Earth’s history.’ Thus you must look back at the animal,
vegetable and mineral entities. You must take each entity at its starting point
in the manvantaric course as the primordial cosmic atom already differentiated
by the first flutter of the manvantaric life breath.” [1]
In the same letter, the Master said:
“The myriad specific manifestations of
these six universal elements are in their turn but the offshoots, branches or
branchlets of the one single primordial ‘Tree of Life’. Take Darwin’s
genealogical tree of life of the human race and others and bearing ever in mind
the wise old adage, ‘As below so above’ - that is the universal system of
correspondences - try to understand by analogy. Thus will you see that in this
day on this present earth in every mineral, etc., there is such a spirit. I
will say more. Every grain of sand, every boulder or crag of granite, is that spirit crystallized or
petrified.” [2]
Finally, the Mahatma asks to his disciple:
“How then can we doubt that a mineral
contains in it a spark of the One as
everything else in this objective nature does?” [3]
On Talking to the Sun and Being Born
Again
Big and small are
analogous. Just like the planet Earth, each human being is a sort of “general
assembly” gathering together an immense diversity of lives. One’s individual
consciousness presides over a vast federation of thoughts and feelings, not all
of which belong to oneself. Theosophy
teaches that humans have seven “principles” or levels of consciousness, and
each of them, seven sub-principles. These 49 (7 x 7) levels of life in fact are
universes of their own. They are never separated. They always interact among
them in a thousand ways.
One has an emotional universe and an intellectual
universe, and no boundaries separate them.
Each cell in the human body has its own form of intelligence, and its
habits. Hosts
of “beings” inhabit one’s lower self-emotions, one’s animal life and
self-preservation instincts. From our higher self, generous thoughts and
emotions come which are “inhabited” by correspondingly noble forms of vitality.
Every day some of the old and ignorant forms of
life must die, so that they will not repeat themselves. Each new hour
some wiser forms of life can be created as we make progress along the path to
wisdom.
One also learns during sleep. Upon awakening in the morning one might think
of the source of light, both physical and spiritual - and say to oneself:
“I ask my elder brother, the Sun, to enlighten in
this day both wisdom and ignorance in myself, so that ignorance can die a
peaceful death and wisdom may be born.”
To commit oneself to life is the same as committing
oneself to truth. It implies a cosmic
or planetary rebirth in one’s consciousness.
According to Theosophy the inner Sun is both the source of Truth and of
Life. It shines in every human heart, and the path to wisdom is the solar path. Initiations along it - big and small - are rebirths.
In ancient times, the Eastern Initiates were called Dwijas in Sanskrit; the twice-born, those who were born first
physically, and then came to life again in the spiritual world. More recently, the New Testament Jesus
repeats the same pagan and ancient teaching.
Outwardly, Jesus says:
“Let the children alone, and do not hinder them from
coming to Me; for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” (Matthew,
19:14)
But the actual meaning of this statement, from an
initiatic point of view, is:
“Only the newly-born, or twice-born, can get to the
universal truth.”
Elsewhere, the New
Testament Master says:
“Truly I tell you, unless you change and
become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew,
18:3) Or, in other words:
“Truly I tell you, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little
child will never enter it.” (Mark 10:15)
Along the theosophical
path, wisdom is obtained by learning to consciously die and be born again in
emotion and thought, while keeping the physical body alive and well.
A long journey starts
with the first step; an atom contains a magnetic miniature of our solar system.
Small initiations prepare the bigger ones, and every day a combination of right
action and renunciation helps pave the way to eternal bliss.
NOTES:
[1] “The Mahatma Letters”, TUP edition, Pasadena,
CA, USA, Letter XV, pp. 88-89.
[2] “The Mahatma Letters”, TUP
edition, p. 92.
[3] “The Mahatma Letters”, TUP
edition, p. 93.
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See
also the texts “Pascal’s Sphere”, by
Jorge Luis Borges, and “The Center of
Pascal’s Sphere”, by Carlos Cardoso Aveline. Both articles are available at
our associated websites.
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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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