Modern Progress
Should we abandon technological advances?
Technology is merely the practical application of knowledge, and is either good or bad. This is the scientific equivalent of white and black magic. Man's technology does not have to endanger life or spoil the environment. The problem is rather one of motivation. The costs of research and development lead on to legal patents that give exclusive rights to certain medicines, electronic components, and computer programs. Egoism battles with altruism and the innocent suffer because of particular people's greed.
backNo, not any more than I am against oxygen or microwave ovens. Science is knowledge and technology is know-how. Both concern the physical world. Occultism and religion concern abstract or spiritual matters. The scientist's job is to be sceptical and seek proof, but many scientists are also religious people.
backIs magic beyond the laws of physics?
There are forms of energy that do not conform to the laws of physics, as we know them. However, whoever set up the laws of the physical universe also possesses the power to alter or suspend them. Hence, the scientist does research into the causes of phenomena whereas a Magus makes use of them. If you like, Magic is to truth what technology is to science.
backTo what do you attribute these forces?
Our ancestors had little science yet they sought and found explanations for events. Most of these ideas were 'pro tempore' ones-they served only for the time being. They made do with them until something better was discovered. Yet, some of their theories are astonishing in their complexity, their clarity, and their genius. Acts that are determined by such ancient hypotheses do often seem to work. Because of this, we conclude that our ancestors must have been given specific guidance from The Beyond.
backNo. You do not have to accept my beliefs. I simply rely on your personal integrity; that is all. I am glad that spiritual or supernatural forces exist, and you may explain the phenomena by using your own theories. Just be careful that you do not invent explanations that are impossible to discuss, that is all! For example, if you pretend that everything is due to Alien UFO's then you cannot prove it and I cannot disprove it. You have rendered our intelligence incompetent. The same thing would occur if you invoked "Fairies" as an explanation.
backDoes Occultism go along with evolution?
Occultism is not so terribly dogmatic that it feels in any way threatened by scientific theory, and I do not feel called upon either to endorse or reject any findings or discoveries. There is no question of "scientific fact" having to fit in with our "spiritual truths". An Occult Master merely comments on deeds, actions, and behaviour. No one will ever be blamed for believing or not believing, provided he arrives at his position in an ethical manner. The Law of Thelema says 'Do what thou wilt ...', with the stress on that first word, "Do". It is wrong to see biological evolution as something separate from social evolution or the development of personality. All processes are integrated and lead ultimately to personal fulfilment and the achievement of the cosmic plan. An individual may arrest or reverse his own evolution, just as groups may stop or reverse the development of society. However, as long as the world is not destroyed, and it can support life, then the plan will continue steadily to unfold.
backWhat is meant by 'the cosmic plan'?
We have limited awareness and little insight into the workings of the divine, and we do little to improve matters. Even so, many of the greatest minds hold that the cosmos has both meaning and purpose, whether or not we are capable of perceiving them. The firmament and life have developed in ways so orderly and sequential that they could not just have been the lucky outcome of random events. Occultists see a pattern and believe that its purpose can be discovered. Yes, all of this could be mere piety or plain wishful thinking-an intelligent creature's need for comforting reassurance.
However, diligent effort does lead to mystical insight, and the Beyond provides revelation occasionally. As if they were the crew of an ocean liner, Occultists say that someone built the ship, it was launched for a particular voyage, a destination was envisaged, and man's actions may thwart these objectives or expedite them. There is much argument about what the goals might be; there is no disagreement at all on the fact that goals exist. In brief: the gods have their purpose, but who among us knows what that purpose might be?
backHow far is Man off-track then?
There is a trajectory that mankind should have followed from the outset, but we were turned aside from it. We are a long way off-route and heading away from the ultimate goals, and therefore we should re-direct our steps and re-gain lost ground. It is futile merely to fling ourselves in some other direction or to aim for a target whose whereabouts are unknown. Yes, of course, there is romantic charm in fanciful names like 'Never-Never Land' or 'Shangri-La', but they do not help. They remind us that an ultimate goal exists without ever pointing to it. Calling it 'The Quest of the Holy Grail' is just as daft as calling it 'The End of the Rainbow' or 'Where Bluebirds Fly'.
backHow can we regain lost ground?
Movement is not progress unless it carries the soul in the right direction. The first task is to pinpoint your current position on a reliable map. Call this Point A. Now compare this with the position you would have occupied if all had gone according to plan. Call this Point B. Progress occurs only when you reduce the distance between A and B. Going to Glastonbury merely because it feels nice, or because a pretty legend says that the Holy Grail was once displayed in a local Antique Shop, is absurd. Do not fall into the trap of thinking that any "nice" activity must necessarily help you. Poison can be sugar-coated and death can wear either traveller's gear or the latest with-it fashion.
backWhat do you mean by 'individual' evolution?
When events forge ahead, this is evolution, but when they veer off track, it is involution, and if they drift backwards, it is devolution. It all depends on the end. If a personality is in process of unfolding and discovering its potential, then it is evolving and the individual is still aiming for the original goal. However, if he is involving then his goals are inappropriate or useless. If he is devolving then he is going backwards and returning to his origins, his behaviour exhibiting characteristics that betray his primordial state. Do not surrender your birthright for trivial reasons. Do not sacrifice your heritage for transitory pleasures. It is hard for anyone to keep his eyes fixed on lofty principles, but Masters are there to provide support and assistance.
backWhat happens when man is not evolving?
He starts to regress, Rage and hunger dominate his personality, and animal appetites take over. Whether society imposes its heedless will on us, or whether we abandon self-respect and self-esteem, the process turns us into brutes. Sanity stumbles, the spirit is debased, and we lose our hope. Millions of years of evolution are being abandoned and the noblest of life's genotypes are slithering back into the mud. Are we quitting our vantage point, or is some negative tide overwhelming us? It makes no difference-we are going under.
backHow does modern life affect this?
We are increasingly cut off from society, and our sense of community dwindles. The family has shrunk, changed its nature, and there is growing emphasis on privacy and isolation. Many leisure activities are non-participatory – television, concerts, and football matches are passive enjoyments. We have stepped aside from life and we have neither the stamina nor the nous to fight the consequent stress. One by one, we are succumbing. We are going under.
Having abandoned religion, we do not look for a substitute. Once we had to struggle merely to stay alive, but now we are fat, self-indulgent, and lax. There were no slimming diets before the twentieth century because three-quarters of the population was starving, and the average life expectancy was twenty-five years! Religion was essential then; it is essential now but modern conditions mask the dangers.
backHas our object of worship changed?
It has indeed. Over the past three hundred years, human society has undergone an industrial revolution. We have made enormous advances in science and technology. We are now so impressed by our own cleverness that we forget just how small we are and how puny are our powers when measured against the backdrop of creation. Man is not the master of the universe. He has not yet achieved the status of God. We have improved our living conditions and raised standards; we have even changed the world we live in, but we have not yet mastered our own nature. Problems are far from being sorted. For some time now, man has been worshipping himself and he has re-invented God, making him over in his own image.
backMan has put the Cosmic Plan on 'hold' and is now ruining his own world. He should co-operate with Nature and not work against her, for his real triumph would come from helping to achieve the plan. This is how we arrive at our Occult goals: we work with natural and supernatural forces in order to bring about the next stage in the Cosmic Plan. To do this properly, we first work on the 'perfection of self' since we must become the person we were always meant to be. This is called 'the coronation of the original self'.
back