May 2020 Newsletter

The following articles are reproduced from the May 2020 Newsletter to members. Non-members may or may not be able to relate to the contents.

 

Lord Buddha

“I will first say that there can be no Planetary Spirit that was not once material or what you call human. When our great Buddha — the patron of all the adepts, the reformer and the codifier of the occult system, reached first Nirvana on earth, he became a Planetary Spirit; i.e. — his spirit could at one and the same time rove the interstellar spaces in full consciousness, and continue at will on Earth in his original and individual body. For the divine Self had so completely disfranchised itself from matter that it could create at will an inner substitute for itself, and leaving it in the human form for days, weeks, sometimes years, affect in no wise by the change either the vital principle or the physical mind of its body. By the way, that is the highest form of adeptship man can hope for on our planet.”

A Master of the Wisdom

 

 

The Great Wesak Blessing

 

 

Bishop Charles W. Leaderbeater a renowned theosophist and occultist writes:

 

"The Lord Gautama Buddha, instead of devoting Himself wholly to other and higher work after His Mahaparanirvana, has remained sufficiently in touch with our world to be reached by the invocation of His successor when necessary, so that His advice and help can still be obtained in any great emergency. He also undertook to return to the world once in each year and shed upon it a flood of blessing.

 

The Lord Buddha has His own special type of force, which He outpours when He gives His blessing to the world, and this benediction is a unique and very marvellous thing; for by His authority and position, a Buddha has access to planes of nature which are altogether beyond our reach, hence He can transmute and draw down to our level the forces peculiar to those planes. Without this mediation of the Buddha these forces would be of no use to us here in physical life; their vibrations are so tremendous, so incredibly rapid, that they would pass through us unsensed at any level we can reach, and we should never even know of their existence. But as it is, the force of the blessing is scattered all over the world; and it instantly finds for itself channels through which it can pour (just as water instantly finds an open pipe), thereby strengthening all good work and bringing peace to the hearts of those who are able to receive it.

 

The occasion selected for this wonderful outpouring is the full moon day of the Indian month of Vaisakh (Wesak), and usually corresponding to the month of May,  the anniversary of  all the momentous occurrences of His last earthly life—His birth, His attainment of Buddhahood and His departure from the physical body.

 

In connection with this visit of His, and quite apart from its tremendous esoteric significance, an exoteric ceremony is performed in the physical plane at which the Lord actually shows Himself in the presence of a crowd of ordinary pilgrims. All Members of the Great Occult Hierarchy, except the Lord of the World and the three Kumaras, usually attend this ceremony.

 

The place selected for this stupendous occasion is a small plateau surrounded by low hills, which lies on the northern side of the Himalayas, not far from the frontier of Nepal, about 400 miles west of Lhasa. This location is commonly referred to as the Wesak Valley and the occasion is referred to as the Wesak Festival."

 

Bishop C. W. Leadbeater gave a first-hand account from his personal participation and the Wesak Festival is described in great detail in his book The Masters And The Path which was first published in 1925. There are several entries in Geoffrey Hodson’s occult diary, Light of the Sanctuary, chronicling his attendance at the Wesak Festival. In his entry of May 30, 1949 he writes “This is a most vivid conscious experience and completely satisfies me concerning C.W. Leadbeater’s account”.

 

Normally this day coincides with the 15th (full-moon) day of the Fourth Month in the Chinese Lunar calendar, which is always a public holiday in Singapore. This year, Buddha Purnima falls on Thursday, 7 May 2020, same day as the Chinese tradition. In light of COVID-19 Circuit Breaker measures we shall hold not hold our traditional annual Wesak Day celebration this year.
 

 

 

White Lotus Day

 

Madame H. P. Blavatsky has always been a tremendous source of inspiration for all students of occultism. Not only was she well loved and remembered by members of the original Theosophical Society, she also had many friends and followers outside of the Theosophical Society. Indeed, many movements were founded outside the Theosophical Society to study her teachings. Even today, more than a century after her death, new movements are still being formed pledging personal allegiance to H.P.B. and faithfully adhering to her original teachings. This is especially true in the cyberworld of the Internet. We could almost say that many people are fiercely loyal to our founder, Madame Blavatsky.

 

We join all these followers and students  throughout the world to commemorate the passing of Madame H.P. Blavatsky on May 8. This is the 129th anniversary of  the death of one of the greatest occultists in recent history. We call this day White Lotus Day to remember with fondness the founder of the Theosophical Society. White Lotus Day was declared­ by the co-founder and President Col. H. S. Olcott in 1892 as a Day of Remembrance to "express the feeling of loving regard for her who brought us the chart of the climbing Path which leads to the summit of knowledge".

 

 

Some Entries in Geoffrey Hodson’s Occult Diary

 

30 May 1949, Christchurch

 

During this period, I passed through certain vivid occult experiences. At the Holy Eucharist, realized and saw correspondences between the microcosm and the Macrocosm. The Rite is solar and cosmic, with the Lord Maitreya as Mediator. A “funnel” opens out from the personality into Causal consciousness to the verge of Buddhi, revealing the Solar Logos and Planetary Regents as a unit, a vast sphere containing all. Had momentary flashes of the experience of unity with the Solar Logos, to Whom the Gloria is addressed and, through Him, with Himself as the Planetary Regents. This was very general and no single Regent and Hierarchy could be isolated and known. All indeed are “parts of one stupendous whole” . . .

 

Also I perceived, during a celebration in Wellington (29 May 1949) the Solar Logos as a multidimensional living “monstrance”, [Container of the Host (the consecrated wafer)] Himself as “Host” in a crystalline sphere at the heart and His power, life, and consciousness, radiating in innumerable tongues of golden flame throughout the Solar System - a wonderful and wondrous vision. Then, for the first time, I experienced, out of the body and in full consciousness on waking, the Vaishakh Ceremony of this year. I walked in the procession, saw the leading Adept of great beauty and grace, with reddish brown hair; the curved and sometimes straight lines followed by the Initiates in single file, the uplifted Rod. I heard the resounding invocation and the shouts of amazement of the pilgrims behind, saw the gold-clad, seated Figure and one rose on its stem, alive, fresh, falling close to me. All Initiates were materialized and had a curious faraway concentrated expression, with the centre of awareness on the Causal and higher planes. This is a most vivid conscious experience and completely satisfies me concerning C.W. Leadbeater’s account . . .

 

 

22 May 1977 , Onerahi, Northland
[A Master’s Directions to Geoffrey]

 

At private meetings, wherever held, endeavour to make Ourselves once more a living reality, as indeed you valuably have done. If you like, describe My room and even refer to the existence of My library, with rolls and The Scroll, using your best judgement always.

 

Describe My Brother’s long room with the window along one side and the two smaller rooms off on the other side, with a third at the far end and the entrance door at the other end, as pictured by C.W.L.

 

Tell also, if you wish, of your experience in the partially underground crypt and other parts used by the Brotherhood of Luxor at Thebes, and even of your vision there of the long procession of the monarchs . . .

 

Then tell of that ruined castle and adjoining house where once you saw Master Rakoczy emerging and, on other occasions, in the castle itself. He receives visitors there. Describe Him and His wonderful eyes and powers, perhaps using Sandra’s notes from your descriptions of visits and presentations.

 

Whilst making no personal claim, it will be reasonably obvious that you will convey realism, which is Our wish, concerning Ourselves, which is, not unnaturally, tending to be lost.

 

[Geoffrey asked the Master how They, the Adepts, preserve the privacy of Their homes and Themselves, even against aerial photography. The Master answered at once:]

 

By a deflection of light, just as when a qualified yogi makes himself, or herself, invisible as did H.P.B. If possible, find and quote that passage. In addition, whenever the projected result is worthy, meaning “white” in the occult sense, then also, the consciousness of observers can be influenced so that they see, hear, and feel as decided upon by the yogi - always for the benefit of the Work, remember.

 

The Altyn Tagh Retreat is similarly preserved, as also are all Our Retreats throughout the world and by the same methods will continue so to be preserved; likewise, the physical bodies of certain of Us Who - again for the sake of the work - are enabled to maintain them in a state of efficiency, and by the processes referred to -the deflection of light, etc. - to prevent even the slightest intrusions upon Our personalities at any time.

 

Needless to say, a physical appearance to a collaborator, as once to yourself, is always both possible and permissible. Thus, Our Valley is still Ours and undisturbed as you have experienced many times, and this also will continue as long as needed, whether by Ourselves or by Our successors.

 

Speak thus, in an easy manner, of all things in order to bring back the reality to our members of Our continued existence and function.

 

We still inspire members - particularly workers in important movements, writers, and speakers - causing ideas to arise in their minds which are in harmony with the Theosophical Plan.

 

Yes, refresh E.S. and members’ minds about the Ancient Mysteries, speak of their more or less public manifestations down the ages and in the modern movements of which you are aware, assuring that this - the Mystery Tradition - will never be allowed to be effaced from the earth, always being available to those likely to respond to the Mysteries in their WHITE form only.

 

I wish you at your leisure to pick out from early Theosophical literature, references to My personal appearances and known activities, perhaps putting them together in both article and E.S. talk forms for magazines and members. The same could be done concerning My Brother Kuthumi more particularly, including references to the appearances and work of other Adepts.

 

This is all designed to reawaken in the members’ minds and to bring realism about Us, the fact of Our existence, not only at the founding [of the Theosophical Society], but continually and ever continuously . . .

 

 

22 July 1979

 

[Geoffrey was wondering how the Masters can remain undiscovered in this modern world of aeroplanes and modern aerial cameras and equipment used for scanning terrain and mountainous areas.]

 

During the morning, the Master Morya, whilst clearly towering above me, kindly, even humorously, communicated to me as follows: “The Adepts have powers of which you little dream. They can make a group of homes appear like a bare landscape.”

 

The above are entries in the Occult Diary of Geoffrey Hodson, published in 1988 as Light of the Sanctuary.

 

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