Messianic virus, was can I ever realize the Bliss of the Self ?

[Guest guest]

Hi Wolf,

>the satsangh must be infected with a messianic virus....harsha, what is the

>remedy?....heading for the woods to meditate with the beloved until this one

>blows over....^^~~~~

 

)))))))))))) Sounds like fun.

 

I looked into _Esoteric Psychology_ and found two passages on the Messiah

complex and the idee fixe, fairly common problems of people on the path...

and he gives some suggestions on how to avoid them or deal with them.

 

This first one is from a section about problems with the astral (or

emotional) plane, especially in regard to the lower siddhis.

>There are three groups of people who use the lower psychic powers, either

>consciously or unconsciously:

>snip<

> 3. The mystic upon the path of vision who (through the

> bringing in of energy from the soul through meditation

> and aspiration) stimulates the solar plexus or throat

> centres and thus opens a door on to the astral plane.

>

>In all cases, it is the astral plane which stands revealed. The statement

>can here be made that where there is colour, form and phenomena analogous

>to or a replica of that to be found upon the physical plane then there is

>to be seen the "duplicating phenomena" of the astral plane. Where there is

>materialisation of forms upon the physical plane you see the joint

>activity of the astral and etheric planes. You do not have the phenomena

>of the mental or soul levels. Bear this definitely in mind. The astral

>plane is - in time and space and to all lntents and purposes - a state of

>real being plus a world of illusory forms, created by man himself and by

>his imaginative creativity. One of the major lessons to be learnt upon the

>Path of Discipleship is to learn to distinguish that which is real from

>that which is illusion.

>snip<

>

>When, however, the mystic opens up these same powers as is sometimes the

>case, the phenomena seen and the words which are heard can be of a very

>high order. Nevertheless they are still astral, for they concern

>happenings and phenomena found upon the higher levels of the astral plane.

>He comes into contact with the spiritual or religious wish life of the

>race and according to the basic trend of his individual aspiration at the

>moment so will be his contacts. If he is an earnest and devoted Christian,

>he will see one of the beautiful and vital thought forms of the Christ

>there to be found and in the wonder of that revelation, his love and his

>imagination and all that is best in him will be evoked in adoration and

>mystery. Hence some of the inspired writings and illumined visions of the

>mystic. If he is a Hindu, there may come to him a vision of the Lord of

>Love, Shri Krishna, or if a Buddhist, he may see the Lord of Light, the

>Buddha, in all His radiance. If he is an occult student, or a Theosophist

>or Rosicrucian, he may see a vision of one of the Masters or of the entire

>Hierarchy of adepts; he may hear words spoken and thus feel assured, past

>all controversy, that the Great Ones have chosen him for special privilege

>and for unique service. And yet, his consciousness has never moved from

>off the astral plane and his contacts have only been a wonderful and

>inspiring expression of the phenomena of that plane, released to his inner

>sight and hearing through his aspiration.

> All this is brought about through the over-activity of the solar

>plexus centre, stimulated by the energy pouring in from the heights he has

>attained in aspirational meditation. The results are very emotional in

>their nature, and the reactions developed and the subsequent service

>rendered are on emotional Ievels. A great deal of this is to be seen among

>the teachers in the world at this time in many lands. Such teachers have

>been and are true aspirants. They have awakened in consciousness upon the

>higher levels of the astral plane. Thev have there seen the thought forms

>which humanity has created of the spiritual Hierarchy or the reflections

>on those levels of that Hierarchy (a still more potent group of thought

>forms) and have heard repetitions of that which has been said and thought

>by the world aspirants of all time - all of it most beautiful, good and

>true. They then proceed to teach and proclaim what they have thus heard,

>seen and learnt and frequently do much good - on astral Ievels. They are,

>all the same, confusing the reflection with the reality, the reproduction

>with the original, and the humanly constructed with the divinely created.

> Forget not, that the astral plane is that whereon man has to learn to

>distinguish truth from error, and the real from the unreal. Thus those who

>are deceived are only learning a needed lesson. The fact of the astral

>plane is being steadily recognised and that is good.

>snip<

> The question could here properly be asked: How can the mystic avoid

>this error and confusion? How can he distinguish the real from the

>illusory? This constitutes an individual problem for every mystic and

>there is no one profound and scientific rule whereby he can guide his

>reactions. The only rules which I can give you are so simple that those

>who are occupied at this time with teaching and proclaiming that which

>they have astrally contacted may not like to follow them. The attitude of

>mind which will guard the mystic from astral delusion and error is:

>

> I. The cultivation of a spirit of true humility. There is a

> spiritual arrogance which masks itself behind a cloak of

> humbleness and which is very prevalent at this time. It

> leads people to regard themselves as the chosen of the

> Hierarchy to save the world; it leads them to look upon

> themselves as the mouthpieces of the Masters or of the

> Christ; it tends to make them separative in their attitudes

> to other leaders and teachers, refusing to recognise the

> many aspects of the one work and the many methods

> which the Mind of God has devised for reaching the

> masses.

> 2. The refusal to accept any contact or message which has

> personality implications or which sets its recipient apart,

> thus tending to the development of a Messiah complex.

> I like that phrase. It is simple and concise and illustrates

> dramatically the state of mind and describes the assured

> nature of the consciousness of many of the present

> teachers of humanity. A true contact with the Hierarchy

> and the true accolade of service carries with it the con-

> viction of the existence of the many servers in the one

> Service, of the many messengers carrying the one mes-

> sage, of the many teachers of the many aspects of the

> one Truth, and the many and various ways back to

> the Heart of God. When this all-embracing revelation

> accompanies the call to service, then the spirit of inclu-

> siveness is developed and the man can be sure that he is

> truly called to cooperate and convinced of the reality

> of his vision.

> 3. The freedom from emotional appeal. The true disciple and

> mystic is ever mentally polarised. His vision is free from

> the deluding reactions of the solar plexus centre. His

> vision awakens the heart centre and evokes the response

> of his personality energy (focussed in the ajna centre)

> and produces eventually a "centering in the place of

> light". This indicates the growing activity of the head

> centre. He may, later, use controlled emotional appeal

> in dealing with the masses but he himself seeks to re-

> main free from all emotional control.

---------------------

 

The second passage is from a section on problems relating to the mental plane.

> The first group of problems (those arising out of intense mental

>activity) are those of the pronounced intellectual and they range all the

>way from a narrow crystallised sectarianism to that psychological

>phenomenon called idee fixe. They are largely the problems of thought-form

>making, and by their means the man becomes the victim of that which he has

>himself constructed; he is the creature of a Frankenstein of his own

>creation. This tendency can be seen working out in all schools of thought

>and of cultures and is primarily applicable to the _leader_ type of man

>and to the man who is independent in his thought life and, therefore,

>capable of clear thinking and the free movement of the chitta or mind

>stuff. It is necessary, therefore, in the coming days to deal with this

>particular problem, for _minds_ will be met with increasmg frequency. As

>the race proceeds towards a mental polarisation which will be as powerful

>as the present astral polarisation from which it is emerging, it will be

>found increasingly necessary to educate the race in -

>

> I. The nature of mental substance.

> 2. The triple purpose of the mind:

> a. As a medium for expressing ideas, through the construc-

> tion of the needed embodying thought forms.

> b. As a controlling factor in the life of the personality

> through the right use of the creative power of thought.

> c. As a reflector of the higher worlds of perceptive and

> intuitive awareness.

>

>Creative thought is not the same as creative feeling and this distinction

>is often not grasped. All that can be created in the future will be based

>upon the expression of ideas. This will be brought about, first of all,

>through thought perception, then through thougt concretion and finally

>through thought vitalisation. It is only later that the created thought

>form will descend into the world of feeling and there assume the needed

>sensuous quality which will add colour and beauty to the already

>constructed thought form.

> It is at this point that danger eventuates for the student. The

>thought form of an idea has been potently constructed. It has taken to

>itself also colour and beauty. It is, therefore, capable of holding a man

>both mentally and emotionally. If he has no sense of balance, no sense of

>proportion and no sense of humour, the thought form can become so potent

>that he finds he is an avowed devotee, unable to retreat from his

>position. He can see nothing and believe nothing and work for nothing

>except that embodied idea which is so powerfully holding him a captive.

>Such people are the violent partisans in any group, in any church, order

>or government. They are frequently sadistic in temperament and are the

>adherents of cults and sciences; they are willing to sacrifice or to

>damage anyone who seems to them inimical to their fixed idea of what is

>right and true. The men who engineered the Spanish Inquisition and those

>who were responsible for the outrages in the times of the Covenanters are

>samples of the worst forms of this line of thought and development.

> People tainted with this psychological trouble of blind adherence to

>ideas and of personality devotions are found in every organisation, every

>church, religion, in political and scientific bodies and also in every

>esoteric and occult organisation. They are psychologically unsound and the

>trouble from which they suffer is practically contagious. They are a

>menace, just as smallpox is a menace. This type of difficulty is not often

>regarded as constituting a psychological problem until the time comes when

>the man is so far afflicted that he becomes a group problem, or is

>regarded as peculiar or unbalanced. It is, nevertheless, definitely a

>psychological disorder of a most definite kind, requiring careful

>handling. It is also peculiarly difficult to handle, as the early stages

>are apparently wholesome and sound. To work with some group or with some

>teacher is often regarded as a definite means of psychological salvation,

>for it tends to extrovert the mystic and thus give proper release for the

>recognised inflowing energy. As long as it does this and nothing else,

>there is no real danger, but the moment a man's vision of other and

>greater possibilities becomes dim or begins to fade out, the moment a body

>of doctrines or a school of thought or an exponent of any theory engrosses

>his complete attention to the exclusion of all other points of view or

>possibilities, that moment the seeds of psychological trouble can be duly

>noted and the man is in danger.

> The moment also that the entire mental powers of which a man is

>capable are employed in only one direction, such as, for instance, the

>achievement of business success or of financial dominance, that moment the

>man becomes a psychological problem.

> This is peculiarly one of the problems of integration, for it is due

>to the stimulation of the mind, as it endeavours to assume control of the

>personality. A sense of power supervenes. Success feeds the stimulation

>even if it is only the doubtful success of attracting the attention of

>some teacher who is idealised or adored, or the pursuit of some

>transaction in the money market which is successfully carried through.

> The time is coming when the whole problem of personality will be

>much better understood and, when this happens, any undue emphasis upon

>profession, calling, ideology or thought will be regarded as an

>undesirable symptom, and an effort will then be made to produce two

>things: a rounded out unfoldment and a conscious fusion with the soul and

>with the group.

 

_A Treatise on the Seven Rays, Vol. II: Esoteric Psychology II_, by Alice

A. Bailey, pp. 567-74, 454-7.