In this article, William Judge makes a clarification on how the
acquisition of hidden powers and paranormal faculties works.
There are thousands of people in the United States, as well in the ranks
of the Society as outside, who believe that there are certain extra ordinary
occult powers to be encompassed by man. Such powers as thought-reading, seeing
events yet to come, unveiling the motives of others, apportation of objects,
and the like, are those most sought after, and nearly all desired with a
selfish end in view. The future is inquired into so as to enable one to
speculate in stocks and another to circumvent competitors.
These longings are pandered to here and there by men and societies who
hold out delusive hopes to their dupes that, by the payment of money, the
powers of nature may be invoked. Even some of our own members have not been
guiltless of seeking after such wonderful fruit of knowledge with those who
would barter the Almighty, if they could, for gold.
Another class of earnest theosophists, however, have taken a different
ground. They have thought that certain Adepts who really possess power over nature,
who can both see and hear through all space, who can transport solid objects
through space and cause written messages to appear at a distance with beautiful
sounds of astral bells, ought to intervene, and by the exercise of the same
power make these earnest disciples hear sounds ordinarily called occult, and
thus easily transmit information and help without the aid of telegraph or mail boat.
But that these Beings will not do this has been stated over and over
again; for the kingdom of heaven is not given away, it must be “taken by
violence.” It lies there before us to be entered upon and occupied, but that
can be only after a battle which, when won, entitles the victor to remain in
undisturbed possession.
As many have seemed to forget these rules, I thought it well to offer
them the following words from one of those very Adepts they seek to meet:
« [The educing of the faculty] of hearing occult sounds would be not at
all the easy matter you imagine. It was never done to any one of us, for the
iron rule is that what powers one gets he must himself acquire. And when
acquired and ready for use the powers lie dumb and dormant in their
potentiality like the wheels and clockwork inside a musical box; and only then
does it become easy to wind up the key and set them in motion.
. . .
Yet every earnestly disposed man may acquire such powers practically.
That is the finality of it; there are no more distinctions of persons in this
than there are as to whom the sun shall shine upon or the air give vitality to.
There are the powers of all nature before you; take what you can. »
(Cid's observation: later when the Mahatmas Letters
were published, it became known that this text was an excerpt from Kuthumi
letter 11, p.65)
This is perfectly clear and strictly according to the Secret Canon.
“When the materials are all prepared and ready, the architect shall
appear”; and when we have acquired the powers we seek, by educing them
ourselves from our inner being, the Master will then be ready and able to start
into exercise that which we have obtained.
But — even here is an important point. This. If the Master can, so to say,
wind the key and thus start the machinery, he can also refuse to give the
necessary impulse. For reasons that have to do with the motives and life of
students, it may be advisable for a while not to permit the exercise of these
powers which “lie dumb and dormant in their potentiality.” To sanction their
use might in one lead to the ruin of other lives, or in another to personal
disaster and retardation of true progress.
Therefore the Master says that quite often he may not only refuse to
give the start, but yet further may prevent the wheels from moving.
(The Path, February 1889, p.342-343; Echoes I, p.106-107)
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