Bridging the Gap: P.2 – An Introduction to Esoteric Science

If you haven’t read ‘Bridging the Gap’ Part 1 yet, read it below first.

So just what is esoteric or occult science?

These terms were mentioned in the previous article and may or may not be a new subject for you.

Although the second degree Mason is permitted to extend their researches into the hidden mysteries of nature and science, not all will understand or successfully follow this instruction.

For those who follow esoteric initiatory traditions such as Rosicrucianism, Thelema, and The Hermetic Order of Golden Dawn, however, occult science is part of the training material from the very beginning.

For it is the hidden mysteries of science and nature that certain ritual practices not only allude to with their symbolism, but can be directly tapped into, penetrated, and revealed to the initiate when the correct blueprints are followed.

Esoteric schools aside, what place does occult science have within Freemasonry and to the uninitiated public?

Evolution is the journey of the form – and the soul within form – from darkness to light, from ignorance to wisdom, and from separation to inclusiveness. This evolutionary journey in its truest sense is played out through the following examples:

· Ignorance to wisdom – the evolution of a human through childhood into adulthood

· Darkness to light – the path of initiation within Freemasonry and other initiatory systems

· Separation to inclusiveness – the evolution of humanity with our advancing technology removing global barriers of travel and communication

In the esoteric teachings held and taught within the Mystery Schools, human consciousness does not begin at the physical birth or end at the death of the body.

The conscious and living soul follows the same path of evolution outlined above, spanned over many lifetimes through different bodies.

Each progressive incarnation brings new experiences and lessons and creates new opportunities for the Temple of the Soul (also known as Solomon’s Temple) to be added to through experiment and expression.

Solomon’s Temple plays an important in the process of initiation. The temple of the soul is the storehouse for all experiences garnered through life on earth. As the earthly life becomes purer and more ordered – with the rough stones being chipped away at until they become perfectly smooth – Solomon’s Temple begins to be constructed from a finer substance until it is completed in beauty and perfection.

Living life in line with the blueprint provided by Freemasonry and certain esoteric schools will lead to the following changes in the initiate, thus allowing him to make good progress in constructing Solomon’s temple:

· Right morals

· Loving service

· Purity of body, thought, word, and deed

· Emotional control and stability

· Dedication to the plan of the Great Architect of the Universe

· Increased sense of brotherhood

· The ability to keep the eyes lifted upwards to the Light while the feet are in the dirt of the earth

· Right spiritual/ritual/religious practices

· Sacrifice of the lower to the higher so the greatest good may prevail within yourself and your sphere of influence

Before each life on earth is begun, every Soul has a plan to aspire to for the that life. The plan will always be in line with the Great Architect’s plan for that soul, as T.G.A.O.T.U. acts through all humanity on a soul level for all those who ask for and permit this. It is the choice of every human on earth to follow either:

1. The plan of the Soul, also referred to as the True Self or Higher Self

2. The desires of the personality, also known as the lower / false self

It is the task of the Masonic Lodges and Mystery Schools to stimulate the Higher Will of the Soul through the process of initiation and the moral code provided to the candidate so that the personality may be infused with this higher will and swung into correct activity and service.

This helps the initiate overcome the gruelling internal battle of the personality versus the soul – the higher versus the lower – that every human faces, knowingly or not.

Physical matter is created by the interplay of the forces of Dark and Light, and the same applies to the process of initiation and life on earth in general.

Every moment of every day you are faced with choices and decisions. By following the strict moral code provided by Freemasonry and the Mystery Schools, the initiate is better equipped to make those decisions that are in line with his higher aspects as well as T.G.A.O.T.U.’s plan.

Those who live life making consistent immoral decisions follow no such code and find their lives governed by their very lowest aspects, leading eventually far away from light with unfavourable consequences for them.

The conflict between the higher and lower, darkness and light, can be seen everywhere in nature as well as within yourself.

True Brotherhood is formed when every Brother can consistently align himself with his highest purpose and act with loving service to his fellow humanity.

Thus each Brother not only makes good progress building his Solomon’s Temple, T.G.A.O.T.U. is able to act through the Brotherhood as a collective and individually with greater effect.

The process of initiation awakens latent forces within the candidate to accelerate his evolution from darkness, ignorance and death to light, wisdom, and immortality:

“Initiation is the preparation for immortality. Man is only potential immortal. Immortality is acquired when the purely human aspect of him becomes allied to that spiritual essence which was never created, was never born, and shall never die. It is to effect this spiritual bond with the highest that the Golden Dawn owes all its rituals and practical magical work.”

Source: Israel Regardie

What is the “magical work” mentioned in the above quote?

The highest magical work is the ascent of the soul back to the plane of spirit – the highest of the three lights (this subject will be expanded upon in another module) – taking all experiences and lessons gained from earth in the form of Solomon’s Temple while serving humanity as greatly as possible.Thus the Great Work is done.

The journey of the soul through the lower planes or dimensions to the higher is one of constant cycles of creation and destruction with their tests, challenges, suffering, and sacrifice.

The journey of the human soul comes with great opportunity and responsibility – for the greater the progress of the initiate, the higher his capability becomes for becoming adept at working safely and successfully with the hidden forces of nature.

“The occultist is the initiate who knows himself to live, move, and have his being in a field of living energy which can be shaped to his will.”

– Anon

The sacrificing of the lower desires to the higher plan of the soul and T.G.A.O.T.U. ensures that the occultist acts only in the highest manner as a director of the forces of nature.

Were this not the case, he would soon be dragged down into darkness by negative forces as a consequence of wrong actions coming from his personal lower desires.

Rather than being a punishment for being “bad”, it is the simple and unavoidable consequences of the law of cause and effect – every action has it’s equal and opposite reaction.

Act from the higher aspects of yourself and upwards is the direction in which you will climb.

Act from the lower aspects of yourself and downwards is the direction in which you will fall.

Life provides its lessons with the science of cause and effect, with people often needing to repeat the same mistake many times before they learn what they need to learn.

The densest plane is physical matter, formed around the invisible counterpart referred to as etheric.

It is this hidden electrical system of the human body – known as the etheric body or vital body – that is one of the main focuses of occult science.

The human body is like a battery. The higher the charge or vital force, the greater the potential for magical work.

The vital body directly affects physical health and is also affected directly by mental and astral (emotional) activity – hence the emphasis within the mystery schools upon pure diet, clean living, pure thought, emotional control, kind words, and good deeds.

When this blueprint is not followed, the vital body will become dim and clogged in the way that getting dirt in an electrical circuit will prevent the light from shining.

The switch may be on, but not enough electricity can find its way around the circuit to illuminate the bulb.

Certain exercises provided by esoteric schools exist to increase the light, often called by its Latin name LUX, within the initiate.

Such methods have been traditionally hidden from the public and provided to initiates only due to the dangers of tapping into the etheric/electrical currents within, around, and beyond the human body.

The physical vehicle must be suitably prepared and equipped to withstand such forces to wield them safely and wisely, just like all electrical equipment must be tested before plugging into the mains in your home.

One subject that is key to the Mystery Teachings is the “Holy Guardian Angel” (HGA). Some schools of thought view this as a term for the higher self or soul.

Others teach that this angel is a separate being to you, like an Angel as described in the Judeo-Christian religions.

This course will use the latter concept which fits with multiple world religions as well as the conclusion drawn by Aleister Crowley in his later life, admitting his previous idea of the HGA as the higher self to be incorrect.

Every Guardian Angel is unique to each soul and is present through every incarnation on earth. Before an incarnation is begun, the communication between the soul and HGA is very clear with regards to the plans for the forthcoming life.

As a soul enters a new body, the full process of incarnation takes many years.

Entrenched in the physical, emotional, and mental life (the lower three worlds) it is all to easy to forget the higher purpose or True Will of the soul.

This is why learning to build a daily practice of effective communication with your Holy Guardian Angel is essential to both right successes in the worldly life and unfoldment along the path of initiation.

The two following gaps must be bridged by the initiate, with the full process taking years of discipline and training:

Through the process of initiation and following the required disciplines, the first part of the bridge is constructed.

As the initiate progresses, he then proceeds to construct the second part of the bridge.

At the higher levels of initiation, a complete bridge is built between the lower threefold self and the highest light of spirit.

First, the personality is illuminated by the light of the soul which can now travel downwards unimpeded across the bridge.

Eventually, once Solomon’s temple has been completed with great beauty and perfection, the midway point known as the soul is illuminated by the downward pouring of the light of spirit.

This higher light then continues downwards to illuminate the earthly man further still.

Thus, the higher degrees of initiation are attained, and the initiate can carry out the Great Work on earth by wielding, safely and with great potency, the forces of nature for the purposes of the Great Work under the guidance and protection of T.G.A.O.T.U.

The True Will of every soul is one of love, brotherhood, and service to humanity. S.M.I.B.