In order to reach the wider public, theosophical literature should be couched in simple, unpretentious language, that anyone can understand. If you thirst after spiritual truths, you should first learn how to read between the lines. More! Your should not believe what your read or heard, regardless of the authority of your teachers, but to believe only when the writing or saying is corroborated by your own reason and consciousness. Thenceforth, act accordingly and abundantly. The true disciple is humble and self-effacing, unnoticed by the man in the street. What may seem to others as mere ethics, to the true disciple such precepts of duty are instructions for boundless devotion to humanity at large and all creatures, whether great and small. Seek Darkness with the lamp of Faith. Faith is an aspiration and a desire. Hope and Charity are her sisters. True Faith can only blossom from the realisation that All is One. Let us then approach the Majesty of Truth for her own sake, and not to confirm our preconceptions and speculations of what Truth might be. Stand ready to abandon all you have learned with the head, so that you can tell apart the real from the false, the everlasting from the everfleeting. Head-learning is false learning, and as perishable as the body. Soul-Wisdom alone is true knowledge, immortal and eternal. As the disciple continues deciphering the arcane doctrine, at every new period of his inner life a new self rises within him. He is now increasingly permeated with Divine Intelligence, and immersed in Spiritual Light that radiates from his own Logos. When the last sheath of the heart bursts open there is a silence, the silence of the mystic death; and from that death springs up the first tender growth of Life triumphant in Spirit. The Brotherhood of Man has been forged in the fires of unspeakable anguish, and riveted by a dauntless purpose called forth by its mighty fiat.

1. The first is like the nightingale’s sweet voice chanting a song of parting to its mate. 2. The second comes as the sound of a silver cymbal of the Dhyanis, awakening the twinkling stars. Our body is an Aeolian harp chorded with two sets of strings: one made of pure silver, the other of catgut. 3. The next is as the plaint melodious of the ocean-sprite imprisoned in its shell. It is the Voice of Divine Wisdom and last word of the Secret Doctrine. 4. And this is followed by the chant of Vina, attuning fellow disciples to the harmonies of Wisdom. Even the memory of the sleeper is like the seven-stringed Aeolian harp, his mind sweeping over the chords. 5. The fifth like sound of bamboo-flute shrills in thine ear, bestowing knowledge of the awful mysteries and priceless secrets of initiation. 6. It changes next into a trumpet-blast, beckoning the Dragon of Esoteric Wisdom to come out of Darkness. 7. The last vibrates like the dull rumbling of a thunder-cloud. When the six are slain and at the Master’s feet are laid, then is the pupil merged into the One, becomes that One, and lives therein. The seventh swallows all the other sounds: they die, and then are heard no more. The two Opposing Forces are finally harmonised. The freed Spirit rises to its former glory. The Great Serpent uncoils. Only Sat remains. The Higher Self is swallowed up by the Great Serpent; the lower, disappears forever.

The author, a computer science professor diagnosed with terminal cancer, explores his life, the lessons that he has learned, how he has worked to achieve his childhood dreams, and the effect of his diagnosis on him and his family.

The Theosophical Movement was started among Western people by Western people, in the country where the preparations for the new Root Race are already going on. One object of the Movement runs along two parallel lines: 1. The union of the West with the East by reviving in the East of the towering eminence which once were hers. 2. The development in the West of that Occultism which is appropriate for it so that it may, in its turn, uplift the Eastern fatherland of virtues. Organisations, like men, tend to fall into ruts of mental and psychic action which, once established, are difficult to obliterate. It is more difficult to touch the heart of those who, crippled by metaphysical dogmatism, have built a hard shell around themselves and contradict a priori that which clashes with their encrusted notions, than to warm up the cockles of the occidental heart, which is neither encumbered with deeply entrenched opinions laid on a foundation of oriental mysticism, nor buttressed with a pride inherited from the past. Heaven’s Light always shines in the heart of every man. That Light is our true Master. All other Masters are but servants of the same Light; in it all Lodges beat to heaven’s own music. Woe to those who, having started in the path with the aid of Madame Blavatsky, shall in any way try to belittle her and her work. “The angered gods have feet of wool.” Those who are partial receive but a limited view of truth. The elementals are partial forms, while the human soul is total and, according to the power and purity of that form which it inhabits, “waits upon the Gods.” Pure motive is prerequisite to True Knowledge. Devotion to others is prerequisite to True Magic. The magic amulet which alone can protect the aspirant from evil is harmlessness and that boundless love of humanity and self-sacrifice which led Buddha to say: “Let the sins of this dark age fall on me.” Motive alone determines whether an out of body experience is horrendous or tremendous. The greatest struggle and yet the highest honour for the man of flesh is to transfer all the love and affection from his little self to all selves, and love them with all his heart. This kind of total yet joyful surrender will please the Higher Self, who the Lord of all living beings and Master of Compassion in the Universe. The evolutionary cycle of the Universal Monad necessitates an eternal spiral journey of spirit into the darkness of matter, with a proportionate obscuration of spirit (though the two are one, active and passive by turns), followed by an inverse ascent of spirit towards its previous state and finally the defeat of matter. The diastole and systole of the heart (one spiral moving inside the other) are caused by the rhythmic movement of Akasha, the Soul of the World. But do not rush to grasp that movement too soon, for when heart beats too fast it destroys life. The Light of Atma-Buddhi is a spiralling force which, if misused, it can kill. It is much easier and safer to sink back into the Eternal than to dive in. Resist without resistance. No replies should be made to attacks. The elementals are mirrors of our own mind and of the mental strata formed by the age, the race, and the nation we are living in. Their action is invariably automatic and unconscious. They can only be contacted through correlations of colours and sounds. Fear them not, nor recoil in horror or repulsion. While the lower mind keeps whirling in a narrow circle, seemingly dead, kept alive by its own motion, the higher mind watches over and waits patiently for its hour to strike. When spirit wills, matter obeys. Whoever feels his heart beating in unison with the great heart of humanity; whoever feels his interests are one with those who are poor and less fortunate than himself; every man or woman who is ready to hold out a helping hand to those who suffer; whoever understands the true meaning of the word “egoism,” is a Theosophist by birth and right. The American Republic was meant to be a brotherhood of nations, and that is the core value of its declaration and constitution, and the symbol of Western Occultism — “a new era in the affairs of the world.” We are all bound together in one living whole. Hence the thoughts and acts of one react upon all, and vice versa. Theosophy is the only universal system of philosophy and high ethics underpinned by Divine Laws, which underlies the religions of every age. Practical Occultism is incidental to the journey along the path. Between theoretical Occultism or Theosophy, and practical Occultism or Occult Science, there is a bottomless pit. Let us all draw closer together in mind and heart, soul and act, and try thus to make that true brotherhood through which alone our universal and personal progress can come.

William Quan Judge cast no one out of the sanctuary of his heart. Helena Petrovna Blavatsky was the Knight errant, who fought amid the beating of drums, and the clash and clamour, the excitement and glory of a princely tournament. Blavatsky on Judge: · I trust Judge more than anyone in the whole world. · My heart beats only for the cause you represent so well and serve so faithfully. · He does the Master’s work to the best of his ability. · Nothing that you will do will ever be discountenanced by me, my beloved. · “Lucifer” is Theosophy militant; “Path,” the Star of Peace; the one is combative Manas; the other, shinning Buddhi. There now follow tributes to William Quan Judge by his Students and Friends. While we reverence the Adept, let us not lose sight of the Man, for even in his simplest life he was great. To the children and the humble and lowly in the society, he was a revelation. His devotion never wavered; his anchorage was sure and steadfast, and herein lay his strength. His skill in the performance of actions was marvellous, his executive ability of the highest order. He was never narrow, never selfish, never conceited. He would drop his own plan in a moment if a better were suggested, and was delighted if someone would carry on the work he had devised, and immediately inaugurate other lines of work. His demeanour was uniformly the same: kindly, considerate and self-restrained, not merely in such measure of polite self-control as might be expected of a gentleman, but as if inspired by much higher regards than mere respect for the covenances of good society. Careful deliberation upon things was one of his strongest characteristics. His mind was very active, quick and resourceful in suggestion, but I do not recall having ever known of his trusting its impulses until he had thoroughly weighed and considered them. I trusted him then, as all those whom he trusted; to me it seems that trust is the bond that binds, that makes the strength of the Movement, for it is of the heart. Judge was humble, unassuming, modest, strong, patient, meek, courageous, an organizer beyond comparison, with powers similar to those possessed by Madame Blavatsky, and never using them in any way but to smooth the path for those who desired to follow the road to knowledge. There was no difficulty he would not take infinite pains to unravel, no sore spot in the heart he did not sense and strive to heal. We mourn the tenderest of friends, the wisest of counsellors, the bravest and noblest of leaders. William Q. Judge was the nearest approach to my ideal of a man that I have known. His most lovable trait was his exquisite sympathy and gentleness. No one ever touched a sore spot with such infinite tenderness, and I know many that would rather have been scolded and corrected by Mr. Judge than praised by anyone else. I thank the gods that I was privileged to know him. It was a benediction to call him friend. He was the best of friends, for he held you firmly, yet apart. He realized the beautiful description Emerson gives of the ideal friend, in whom meet the two most essential elements of friendship — tenderness and truth. It is necessary that just those souls in whom we have felt most of reality should disappear from us into the darkness, in order that we may learn that not seeing, but inwardly touching, is the true proof that our friend is there. As I think of what those missed who persecuted him, of the loss in their lives, of the great jewel so near to them which they passed by, I turn sick with a sense of their loss. In him his foes lost their truest friend. His heart was set upon the promise of the future and the song of his soul echoed the music of cycles yet to come. We think of him not as of a man departed from our midst, but as a soul set free to work its mighty mission, rejoicing in that freedom and resplendent with compassion and power. Close up the ranks, and let Fidelity be the agent of heavenly powers. Judge’s head evidenced a high and uniform development of all the faculties, a tremendous will-power combined with gentleness; a thorough practicability and adaptability conjoined to a highly idealistic nature, and a gigantic intellect hand-in-hand with selflessness and modesty. Those who have heard him speak, know the singular directness with which his mind went to the marrow of a subject, the simplicity of his words, the unaffected selflessness that radiated from the man. His sentences were short and plain; his manner cool and quiet: but what he said was remembered, for his words appealed to the sense of truth; they seemed to “soak in,” like the showers which the farmers prize, while a “torrent of eloquence” would have run off, leaving dry ground. Judge was an Occultist. He had the power of self-control, and could subdue the turbulent wanderings of the mind, sit still in the midst of his own nature, supported by his ideal, and view any and every situation dispassionately. He was the soul of unselfishness, honour, generosity, and all the other virtues that men hold so dear in other men. He seemed never to rest, for work was his rest. He swore no one to allegiance, he asked for no one’s love or loyalty: but his disciples came to him of their own free will and accord, and then he never deserted them. but gave more freely than they asked, and often in greater measure than they could or would use. A good homely face and unpretentious manner, a loving disposition, full of kindliness and honest friendship, went with such strong common sense and knowledge of affairs that his coming was always a pleasure and his stay a delight. In other bodies, and known under other names, Judge has played an important part in the world’s history, sometimes as a conspicuous visible figure. At other times, he worked quietly behind the scenes, or, as in his last life, as a leader in a philanthropical and philosophical movement.

Tears for self are an overflow of the superfluous possessions of self. Smiles of benevolence, joy, sadness, bitterness. We weep in gladness and weep in pain. Those chained to previous actions rejoice and weep from life to life. When frightened by the tears of pain, they seek asylum from the world and themselves in the living god within. Their tears move others and propel them to action. Like the swan song that moves man and beast. Tears are the moisture of sentient life. Before thy eyes can see they must be incapable of tears. The tears watering the parched soil of pain and sorrow, bring forth the fruits of Karmic retribution. When thy mind rises above the illusion of separateness and remains calm and unruffled at all times, then the eyes become incapable of tears for self but tearful for the woes of others. Only Compassion’s pure waters can sweeten the ocean’s bitter waves. Angels weep at the sight of human sorrow. Their tears impart their virtues to precious stones and metals and, by Divine Compassion, They irrigate the fields of charity immortal. Only Compassion’s pure waters can sweeten the Ocean’s bitter waves and lift the veil of darkness from the material world.

The Heart Doctrine is enshrined like a pearl within the shell of every religion. Altruism, or the universal code of Higher Ethics, is its moral basis as embodied in “Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.” The Eye Doctrine is mere head-learning: a non-issue for the masses and for those who, though capable and fit, are unwilling to serve anyone but themselves. We are mad, not only individually, but nationally. We check manslaughter and isolated murders; but what of war and the much-vaunted crime of genocide? Theosophy is the pith and marrow of the Heart Doctrine, for its noble aim is the “Great Renunciation of self.” Service to, and love of, humanity is every true Theosophists’ religion and dogma. For pure love creates, selfish love corrupts. The one is sympathy; the other, fascination. The one is pure and holy; the other, evil and unnatural. Self-love is love misdirected and misapplied but love, nonetheless. For, the loving essence can never be extinguished but only perverted. Live for Humanity, the great Orphan, the only disinherited one upon this earth. The White Lodge aims to help us humanise our animal nature and thus awaken compassion for our fellow men and all that lives. After death one can choose between personal rest in Devachan and altruistic service on Earth. Spurning Devachan and remaining on Earth for the salvation of mankind, the Elect are the germ of a Hierarchy which never died since “there was no more going up and down” for Them. All workers for the Lodge are helped out of Devachan, if they consent.

True prayer is unselfish love of humanity. It is an act of will and a command but, unless enacted, prayer is pathetic. Prayers should be for blessings on all that lives. We shall be able to pray to Him properly, only when we approach by ourselves alone to the Alone. Our prayers and supplications are vain, unless to potential words we add potent acts. And thus make the aura which surrounds each one of us so pure and divine that the God within us may act outwardly, or in other words, become as it were an extraneous potency. To produce beneficial effects, the prayer must be uttered by “one who knows how to make himself heard in silence,” when it is no longer a “prayer” but a command. A clear conscience and a firm desire of benefiting humanity afford the best protection from air elementals, which throng public places. Loud prayers are disastrous. Woe to the unholy man who invokes the Sacred Trinity for personal advancement or pronounces It after the commission of some far-reaching sin. The Devotional Prayers of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and Alexander Pope.