Copyright 1969 Monastery of the Seven Rays Quito Ecuador, All rights reserved

Monastery of the Seven Rays

First Temple of the Outer Court
Student I Degree, I. "What is Occultism ?"
Lesson !
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Ordinaril(, )e )ould not e*pect to tell (ou that the uni+erse around us is
fift(,per,cent occult. This might sound li-e too much of a claim, and the reader might
.e tempted to sa(, to himself, ")hat t(pe of o+erstatement are the( as-ing me to thin-
a.out, and possi.l( to .elie+e?" /ut, in actual fact, this claim that )e are ma-ing is
reall( an understatement0 )e )ill add the much needed 1ualifications and sa( that the
uni+erse around us is at least fift(,per,cent occult, and o.+iousl( ,, and, as (ou )ill
find out in due time ,, it is much, much more. It is much more occult, much more
magical, much more ps(chical, much more m(stical in a )ord, it is much more than (ou
are used to thin-ing either possi.le or ali+e and full of acti+it(2 3es, of course
there is an occult )orld around us02 .ut let us ma-e the first efforts to e*plore it,
and then )e )ill appreciate more of the truth contained in the a.o+e statements.
The nature of the uni+erse .eing such a pu44le to the human mind, unaided .(
cosmic assistance, that philosophers for hundreds of (ears ha+e tried to define it
precisel(, in order to .e a.le to e*plain it, .ut e+er( philosopher .rings a.out onl(
his s(stem of thought, )hich is replaced .( the +er( ne*t contender. 5hilosoph( tells
us )hat men ha+e thought a.out the uni+erse, it cannot tell us )hat it is. Science is
some)hat different, .ut e1uall( unsuccessful in telling us )hat the uni+erse is,
although it certainl( can tell us ho) to manage the uni+erse, and this )ould seem to .e
its +alue. /ut, )e -no) that science changes, so that )e manage the )orld of nature a
little different from our parents, and much different from the mediae+alists and
ancients. Does this tell us an(thing? %ot 1uite, e*cept .( )a( of a negation of 6 )hat
has .een attempted in the outer )orld, clearing the field so to spea- for the initiatic
doctrine. When )e sa( that the uni+erse is at least fift(,percent occult, )e impl( or
mean that accordingl( the initiatic doctrine, 7that )hich is taught .( masters, such as
m(self, and )hat (ou are stud(ing, at this +er( moment,8 holds the truth a.out the
.e(ond, the )orld that e*ists not e+en so far as the tips of our toes, 7unless )hat one
means is also the edge of m( s-in,8 and this .e(ond is not onl( outside of us, it is
)ithin us, +er( deepl( placed )ithin us, and this doctrine of the .e(ond )hich is
)ithin has .een taught since the creation of the )orld, or its esoteric e1ui+alent, .(
the masters to the initiates. That is )h( it is .eing taught to (ou, no).
The a+erage person reading the papers, maga4ines, listening to other people tal-,
and often attending some -ind of meeting hears 1uite a lot. #+er(.od( claims to ha+e
the truth, so either most are )rong or else the( ha+e disco+ered that the uni+erse is
much more complicated, so complicated that the( cannot all e*plain it. If )e )ere to
paste all of the teachings together )ould the resulting patch)or- .e the truth a.out
e+er(thing? )ould )e .e a.le to see there on that paper )ith all of the occult claims
listed li-e the columns of the ne)spaper some -ind of .asic idea? We might .e tempted
to sa( to oursel+es that something must .e true. Our ans)er is that )hile all others .(
human efforts ha+e .een mo+ing to)ards the uni+ersal truth a.out man and his )orld,
the( ha+e onl( generated a profound confusion .( their endless errors, )hich appear
misdirected. The initiatic doctrine alone presents the truth in its essence, .ecause it
has ne+er .een the possession of ordinaril( human nor superficiall( initiated teachers.
/ut, let us loo- at this pro.lem for another fe) minutes, as it sho)s us another
approach to the truth a.out the uni+erse.
Wh( am I so confused, so mi*ed,up, if I am, .( the +arious occult claims around me?
!fter all, can the( all ha+e some claim to the truth, can the( possess some germ of
that )hich goes so far .e(ond m( ordinar( e*perience, and stri-es at the +er( heart of
the in+isi.le? Then, I ha+e m( o)n pro.lems, so I can6t +er( )ell see- to sol+e others6
)hen m( o)n seem to me so +er( important. /ut )h( do I seem to )onder, to feel
uncertain, )hile the )orld a.out me is so certain? It does indeed appear to .e +er(
certain ,,, I am the element of uncertaint(. If I could sol+e the inner pro.lem of m(
o)n selfhood, I )ould .e a.le to find out )hat it is a.out me that aims at the truth
and ne+er misses its mar-. Then so I )ould thin- e+er(thing )ould .e settled and I
)ould .e a.le to face each da( )ith the feeling that all )as )ell "in hea+en and on
earth". 9eeping in mind )hat I ha+e said, if it can .e esta.lished that the sciences
gi+e us the rough,outline picture of the )orld of natural things, a picture to .e
impro+ed upon each da(, indeed each minute, or so )e )ould e*pect the sciences to tell
us 7as the( al)a(s ha+e in recent times at least8 then human nature is the element
)ithin the uni+erse most in need of e*ploration, for human nature, destin(, )hate+er
(ou )ant to call (ourself 7and onl( (ourself, don6t tr( to tal- a.out, .lame, or )onder
a.out others, sta( )ith (ourself8 is the m(ster( and so reall( these +arious
occultists, )e )ould assume, if the( are follo)ers of the initiatic doctrine, )hich fe)
can ha+e an( claim to .e , ,, the( must )ant,me to )onder a.out m(self, to thin-
deepl(, to meditate, to pro.e m( o)n inner self. That is the field of e*ploration, and
)e ha+e come to erase that element of the uncertain, )e ha+e come to help (ou find
ans)ers, )hich go .e(ond, far, .e(ond :ust tal-. For )e ha+e come to tell (ou the
ultimate fact, truth, principle, idea, or )hate+er else (ou might see- to grasp hold of
as a .asis of (our life for according to the initiatic doctrine "to e*plain the occult
uni+erse around us is to e*plain that )orld )ithin us, )hich is the ultimate I am of m(
e*istence, and the e*istence of all things .e(ond, as )ell."
!ccording to the initiatic doctrine the occult uni+erse around us is a pro:ection
out from the initiatic consciousness of masters and gods, )ho are the instruments of
the Di+ine and #ternal, and thus the doctrine, or .od( of -no)ledge to .e taught to
those students, )ho inspired .( hol( things see- to .e taught these truths in order to
.ecome initiates, states as its first a*iom this la) of uni+ersal +alidit( and
application, )hich can .e +alidated upon an( planet of the uni+erse, )hich is T"!T
W"IC" IS /#3O%D IS WIT"I% ;$ST !S T"!T W"IC" IS WIT"I% IS /#3O%D. Conse1uentl(, .( an
e*ploration of m( o)n self, each person can no) sa( )ithin his heart of hearts, I )ill
find the -e( to the uni+erse and to m(self, upon )hich I can depend for strength to
face the e+er(,da( pro.lems of e*istence.
<( .lessings al)a(s,
The <aster <ercurius !=$!'I$S