THE RISE OF THE GOLDEN DAWN

       LESSON XI

In our last lesson, we talked about vibrations from light, regardless of its source.  But, of course, we are all interested when we radiate the true light of Christ in a very real way -- for light is light.

Let us think about music and sound.  Of all the great influences of the human race, none has greater influence on the masses.  Music influences the mind and the Soul and the physical nerve system, giving peace and contentment or rousing action with renewed energy.

Music is nothing more or less than vibration of various kinds.  You cannot see the vibrations of music with the ordinary eyes.  You cannot taste or smell them.  You may feel some of the vibrations, but ordinarily, they can only be heard.

Musical vibrations would not seem to be material in nature, and you would not look on them as being a form of matter.  Yet, they contain the same vibration that exists in all matter.

Music stirs the Soul and physical body into the realization of life and being.  Consciousness of music sometimes takes us to greater heights.  We may even remark that we heard "the music of the spheres," but this only happens to those who have give up all to the Master in truth.

Since music is material, that which is quick, active, and strong interacts to rouse us -- like, for example, music for soldiers.  The nerves of the body and each nerve center begins to vibrate faster and faster until the whole body is aroused.

As the music changes its tempo, or increases and decreases in volume, so likewise is our nervous system affected.  It becomes attuned to it, and we find that certain notes or chords affect us strongly -- more prominently.

You might hear someone say:  "Isn't that stirring -- that martial music?"  This is a true statement -- for such music causes the blood to course quickly through the body and our nerves tingle with response.  We cannot see anything coming from a piano, organ or violin with the physical eyes -- with spiritual sight, we can.  But even with the eyes closed, we can feel and hear the vibrations.

The above experience involves the great law of vibration.  It is the only law which explains how all this is possible.

Sound travels more slowly than light.  This is demonstrated by watching someone strike something and then hearing it.  Then let me explain what you have seen and heard as you watched the man striking -- let's say -- a gong.  The farther away the man is from you, the longer the time will take to hear the hammer striking the gong.

The reason that I dwell on vibration is because it is the great manifestation of the Spirit, not only in the hard, metallic vibrations from metal, but also, in the higher, more delicate vibrations of thought-- the power path over which man's communication comes to all people and things.

When speaking of this Spirit, you'll find that the vibration of the Spirit helps us produce many strange and wonderful phenomena -- that the vibration of thought is one of the means by which you become a radio-sending station.

Think what it will mean when you have learned to control these vibrations so that when they travel forth in space, you are saying to all mankind what you would like to have them do in relation to spirit, mind and body, and in their relations to God.  But first, you must learn to control the mind.

In the holy order of mans, we know the importance of the control of thought.  We also realize through the experience of the Masters of the Orient of long ago that the real mystical and occult development through our Lord Jesus Christ -- or through the center as we do -- depends on the study and progressive exercise of spiritual laws and practices.  Nothing can be accomplished through mere intellectual comprehension of the laws.

If we were to approach the study of music, we might get an instruction book on the piano or some other instrument.  We do not believe that there would be anyone would could not read any one of these fine books and would require any more than 24 hours of continuous reading to complete it.

But can you imagine anyone claiming that because he could read a book through in that time that he had completely mastered the piano?  The real student knows that before he could master the piano, he would have to learn through the experience of manipulating the keys how to play notes and music.

Therefore, in self-development, you also need to practice spiritual exercises.  For in addition to the intellectual comprehension, there is a need for certain activities in the tissues, nerve cells, muscles and other parts of the mind and body.

When one thinks of the time we have taken in learning to write the alphabet and compose words for use in writing, we find that we had everything that could be called intellectual comprehension of the first principles of writing.  But to awaken the nimbleness and co-ordination with the symbols of the alphabet and the formation of thought in the mind required definite practice.

Anyone who is seeking to master any art -- music, painting, drawing, playing the violin or piano, sewing -- anything that requires dexterity must awaken the consciousness to the art so that the mind, nervous system and muscles operate automatically in reflex action.

We have another factor to learn in teaching any subject in which the human mind, Soul and self are involved, and this factor is one which is different in every person.  It is the factor of nature of the individual which is time.  Nature requires a certain length of time for the faculties and functions of nerves and muscles to be familiar with the activities required of them.

In the human being, we have an added refinement to the factor of time determined by the nature of the Karma of the individual's past.

In the place of practice to develop the brain and dexterity of fingers, we have the practice of control of mind and the dexterity of identification of that which is come from within or that through which mind is trying to impinge upon us.

Because of the rapidity with which thoughts travel from the self, one must be totally aware -- for they pass but once.  Five minutes from now, conditions will be different and you'll be living in a new world.  Therefore, we might say it is the dexterity of thought detection which determines our ability to listen.

We read the law.  We know who Jesus is.  We comprehend what the self is.  But to function with it requires self-mastery.  And so we progress in practicing consciousness -- a new responsiveness -- and at the same time, we experience a new activity we did not have in life when we began it.  This has been slowly growing until we eventually identify a single thought with the same ease as we would identify a great pine tree in the Sierra.  For we have within us a unique scale of vibrations which respond to the nimbleness of the mind in letting the self perform what it is asked to do.

Even in mechanical work, or gross work with machines, or work such as operating a lathe or adjusting a fine machine, the more difficult or complex or involved the work it, the more practice is required -- the more time is necessary to permit us to obtain adroitness of our mental senses in response to what the psychologist would call, "super-subconsciousness."

When we talk about it and remember that we came into this world with all our senses attuned -- what we are doing when we become adults and put our foot on this path is trying to remember what we knew in our infancy.

Let us not sell short the human body in studying for self development be it mystical or occult, or the center path -- the Way of the holy order of mans.  Success and efficiency -- a great deal of what we do -- depend on the perfection of our physical body and nerve center as well as they do upon the psychic centers and their balance.

Regardless of how well we understand the laws and principles intellectually or intelligently comprehend them, proper function of the physical body and mind are necessary for our development.  We cannot perfect the existent or necessary spiritual qualities without them no matter how much we will it or understand it.

We must remember that all people have come into life with the same faculties lying dormant.  Remember that psychic faculties and functions of many are alive at birth.  But through the fate of our educational system of gradual disbelief in the unseen world, we have ignored those things and developed a consciousness which says:  "They are non-existent."

We have ignored God's faculties and gifts.  They have become dormant and asleep.  We need only direct thought currents to trigger -- to turn on the switch -- which will cause the flow through the body and the nervous system and reflexes to respond to the normal development of the Power of God and His Intelligence.

One of the very evident parts of the Bible, which should be stressed by every student, is the Gospel of St. John.  If you read with the training you already have had, you will find it filled with many of the lessons and principles in allegorical form. But they will mean more to you now.

I also wish to place a word of warning here with regards to books which tell how to awaken psychic consciousness, or how to develop this or that, or how to concentrate and obtain all we want from the great and abundant Cosmic Egg.  Beware of these books.  Don’t make a second mistake and become a material Christian.  Material Christianity is dead.  Christians have to return to Christ.

Personally, I feel I would consider this an imposition on the intelligence of our Brothers and a violation of faith and good will that we wish to establish and maintain between our Brothers as a central part of the Great Brotherhood.