BEYOND THE HIMALAYAS
CHAPTER ELEVEN
As we sat round the fire for a little while talking, there was a sense of perfect harmony. We all felt as if we were one family. There was nothing strange or strained as there usually is at a first meeting and I felt that much more would be revealed to me here.
Although we had done the journey in six days, which is just half the time it would ordinarily have taken, I did not feel tired. There was such an atmosphere of peace all around us. I felt exhilarated - yet I could do with a wash! The Hermit must have sensed my feeling, for he said: "Take that path there," pointing to a path that led down to the lake, "and you will find a pool in which you can bathe; the water is warm. There is a hot spring at the edge of the island and the hot water runs into the pool which I have made, only be careful not to go too near the spring itself because it is boiling, and while you are having a bathe and wash-up I will get supper ready."
My friend and I then walked down the path. At the sides all the way down were wild flowers, especially Chinese poppies of exquisite colours and very large, the largest I had ever seen. When we reached the lake we could see at the side a bubbling spring of boiling water which ran into the lake. Here the Hermit had built two walls out into the lake which kept the hot water in an area of about thirty feet or more before it merged into the lake of cold water.
I stripped, got in and swam to the end of the channel between the two walls. The water near the spring was hot but as I got farther out it became cooler until it reached cold water. The water here was clear and I could see many fish swimming round.
I said to my friend: "What an ingenious contraption, hot and cold water at call. The Hermit has everything to his hand. What a wonderful place! Put this down in the middle of England or America and thousands of people would be swarming to it every year."
We swam about in the pool - I do not know for how long - when we heard the Hermit calling: "Supper is ready!"
I said: "What do you think he has got for supper?"
"That will be a surprise," came the reply - and indeed it was. There, laid on the table, were grilled fish, fresh butter and plenty of milk, and bread which he had made himself.
"Where in all the earth did you get this bread?" I exclaimed.
"Oh," he smiled, "you will see my corn and barley fields tomorrow and my little mill with which I crush the corn and barley."
The fish was delicious, and the bread was made from mixed barley and cornmeal and it had a nutty texture. I never tasted such excellent bread before, and the butter was as fresh as if it had just come from the churn.
I turned to my friend and asked: "Did you ever taste anything like this?" It was a good meal and we enjoyed it, for we had not eaten since early that morning.
Supper over, we sat by the fire again and talked about the things we had done. This pleased the Hermit, and he said: "You are the first two people that have ever entered my sanctuary, and you, my son," looking at me, "you are the first person from the outer world who has had the privilege of being taught by the great Masters on all the Sciences of the occult."
"Yes," I said, "it is a great privilege and I am indeed grateful to you for your very kind invitation and welcome to this wonderful sanctuary of yours."
"Nothing happens by chance, my son," he said. "Many have been called but few are chosen. You have followed that for which you were born; few ever do, the world has swallowed them up."
I thought to myself: "What an apt term, for it nearly swallowed me up too."
"You have come here because it was ordained that you should," he continued. "Your work is unique and the world needs your message, but you have to be prepared for greater things to come. You will also write books, of a kind that has never been written before. Books have been written by others, but they do not help man to know himself."
"We have been watching over you for a long time," he added, "both those who are in the flesh and those who are out of the flesh."
I said: "I do not feel worthy of all this."
"We are not concerned with your worthiness; we are concerned only with how the Truth can best be made known to the world. You are a good instrument and we know that you will be a better one after this."
Then he said: "As your time is limited, I do not intend that you should waste any of it, so we will start working right away. Tonight I would like to instruct you on certain matters pertaining to the work before the actual practice.
"What is necessary to a consciousness that is clear is not only a free mind, freed from all that is false, but also a consciousness that is creative. The mind is the instrument but it is the consciousness that has creativeness. Your consciousness," he said, "is like point which has the totality of all Creativeness behind it, and your thought expressed is in exact proportion to your state of consciousness. If your consciousness is caught up in mental images, beliefs, and such-like, then your creativeness is smothered up because the consciousness is caught up in your beliefs, your ideas, your images, your authorities and formulations, and you will note that these are not creative.
"Now you must learn here through practice that your consciousness can move in space and is creative at any point in space you desire, because the totality of all Creativeness is behind it.
"You do not know what your consciousness is, therefore you do not know what Creativeness is, but your consciousness cannot be separated from the totality of all Creativeness in the Universe, for there is only one Consciousness, there cannot be two, neither can there be two Creators. Your consciousness then is the point through which Creativeness works and is the point through which you express Creativeness.
"Now, if your consciousness is caught up in a mind that is confused with ideas, it will merely express this confusion, and you will not know what is true and what is false. What is in the mind is not creative. Creativeness is beyond the mind, in a consciousness that is free from the confusion of ideas."
I said: "I am beginning to see further 'now'. "
My friend was also attentive, and I could see that he also was amazed at the wisdom of the Hermit.
"Therefore your consciousness," he went on, "is like a broadcasting station through which the Creator is sending His perfect vibrations outwardly in all directions. These vibrations move through your mind, brain, and nervous system, affecting the heart, glands, lungs, vaso-motor system and all organs of the body, thus registering its effects there, and then go out beyond the confines of the individual into the world of ether that few know and understand.
"It is only the idea of age that makes you old, because you are expressing the idea of age and not the Creativeness that is Eternal and Ever-present." This was in response to my thought, for I was thinking at the moment, "I wonder how old you are."
Then he said: "The Creative vibrations rush out into the atmosphere on their creative mission, harmonising everything.
"If your consciousness is caught up in your ideas, your fixed beliefs, then it is your ideas and beliefs that are being expressed and not the Creativeness that alone is creative. Your ideas are not creative because you do not know whether they are true or not." When he said this I looked at my friend for it was he who had first said these words to me.
Now I could see that I was being taken further along the way to Truth. I could feel the transformation but could not explain it. Yet I knew it to be true and it was not an idea, because I could not make an idea of it. What I created in my mind did not matter, because what was in my mind could not be the Truth. Truth was beyond mind but I knew It to Be my Real Self. I was aware only in my consciousness and, when free, I was creative.
Then he said: "Man is not a mere physical being, he is in Reality, a centre of consciousness in the totality of all Consciousness. Now this must not be a mere idea, and you must not try to form an idea of it, because then you will lose It, nor must you try to form an idea in your mind of what I say. What I am trying to do is to clear the consciousness, so that That which IS Real can manifest."
I realised that what he was pointing to was beyond mind. Divine reason would lead me to that which was beyond reason, beyond mind.
"If your thought waves merely carry the vibration of your conditioning, then you have done nothing. But when your consciousness is freed, then the Creativeness that created all things will express Itself without effort, because being effortless there is no resistance, no confusion, no conditioning, no reaction, only pure action.
"There is no such thing as ignorance or fear in the Creativeness. Ignorance and fear exist only in man's mind through lack of understanding, and therefore have no existence outside man's mind. But when the Creativeness becomes active and free through a clear consciousness it sweeps through the billions of cells in the body, creating Its own natural rhythm. Thus the Creator and His Creation become One."
I said: "I have heard those last few words before, but now they seem different."
"There you go again," he said, "you are merely super-imposing another idea on the one you had before, only because this one looks better than the last one. Is that not so? This is not an intellectual discussion; it is a transforming process."
I thought to myself: "How can I get over this?"
He said: "Let it all drop from your mind; free your consciousness from the intellect - the intellect does not know what is true and what is not true. Life's Creativeness is Now, the intellect only speculates about It. Creativeness is now! If It is not now, It will never be, because you do not create It."
"I do not want you to make an idea of what I say to you," he went on, "I do not want you to make what I say to you a mere belief, for then it will be just another belief a little better than the previous one."
I was now beginning to understand myself, my ideas, my beliefs, my images. I could now see that none of this could ever be the truth, nor could I make it the truth. Truth was the Living Creativeness beyond the mind and would express Itself more as I understood that which was hindering Its true expression.
"When you accept me as an authority," he went on, "or any other authority, then you will begin to fear, and confusion will result. Then you will express that confusion both in your mind and body and beyond, and that is not Truth.
"Love is something you cannot define. Love is Creativeness in action. Love is Creative action. Ideas and beliefs can only create reaction, and reaction can never be Creative action. Creative action is the expression of the Divine Consciousness within the individual consciousness that realises It through freedom, the individual consciousness being the point through which the Divine Consciousness expresses Itself. Thus the individuality is dissolved into pure action, for there is only 'One.' Now you see it is the self that hinders the pure action of Love.
"The release of this Divine Energy through your consciousness will harmonise your mind and body and also those whom you hold in your consciousness at that moment of realisation. The Creator and His Creation become 'One.'
"This delightful effect sweeps through the cells, establishing the Divine Rhythm. There is relaxation, comfort, peace and joy. Possessiveness and fear pass away, for such arise only from human desires."
He paused for a moment and then went on: "The one who is freed will soon become aware of the effect of a wave of anger or aggressiveness because that one feels the inharmony, not that it affects him in any way, but he becomes aware of it, and knows how false it is, having no power except that of the immature mind that is expressing it. It is only the small mind that engages in these false movements.
"Since various human thought-waves, such as of hate, jealousy, and fear have their effect upon the body, we see them also expressed in the facial muscles revealing the tortured mind that is hidden behind them."
"Now," he said, "here is the secret behind the change of form. Consciousness, being creative, alone creates form and is capable of transformation of matter-form through the direction of the consciousness that is creative.
"Consciousness to be creative must be free, so that the 'Father can do the work.' Whatever the Consciousness asks through a directing and understanding faith, the Father fulfils that direction, because there is no separation or hindrance.
"Therefore as the Divine Creativeness transforms the Eternal ever-existing Energy of the Universe into form, so does the individual consciousness that is aware of its unity with the totality of all Creativeness." " 'What I see the Father do, I do likewise,' " I ventured to quote.
"Yes," he affirmed, "no matter in what form, mineral, vegetable, animal, human or angelic, Consciousness is Supreme.
"This is the secret teaching which Jesus gave to his disciples. Therefore all power is in the Divine Consciousness in heaven and on earth.
"Remember the Divine Idea is not a human idea; a human idea is a mental image, but the Divine Idea is the manifestation of the Divine Itself. 'I and the Father are one.' These words you yourself know, but to many they are mere words because their consciousness is a prisoner in their own creations, and they only bring the idea into their self-created prison, the doors and bars being their ignorance.
"The Divine Idea is the 'word' of Creation and must ever remain the same perfect Creative Word, the form changing into greater splendour to reveal the Divine Idea. Therefore the vibration of Love is the keynote of perfect Creation and the rhythmic organisation of atoms into more perfect form.
"Therefore you see that a clear consciousness is not bound up in human ideas but is the point through which the Divine Creativeness acts to combine the ether atoms, to form the pattern of the Divine Ideas.
"There is an Intelligent Force, a knowing-how, that induces magnetic attraction which binds the ether atoms as the basis of the form to be manifested in the realm of the physical atoms which produce condensation, and the materialisation of the atoms to be seen by the physical eye."
"Now," he said, "tomorrow we will have definite practice in astral projection and, according to the freedom of your consciousness, so will you move in the astral and each evening we can have further discussions."
And he added, "The sun has already set and you should retire for the night. Tomorrow morning we will watch the sun rise and in the evening we will watch it set. I want you to see the whirling of the snow on the pass as the sun's rays strike it. It is truly a wonderful sight."
"I can believe that from what I saw today," I said, "I love to see the sun rising and setting."
Around the main room there were small alcoves in which comfortable stretchers were fitted. So I retired for the night, knowing I should have a peaceful, satisfying sleep.
Next morning I was awakened by my friend tugging at me. I had not moved from the position in which I had lain the night before. He said: "Breakfast is ready."
I was soon up, shaved, dressed and fed, and we went out to see the sun rise. We watched it climb up from behind the pass. The snow was still whirling into the air and I could see the red glow behind it. It was like a gigantic white veil with all the colours of the rainbow showing through it. It was a sight I shall never forget as long as I live - the sheer wildness of it thrilled me through and through. The pass then became visible and I could see how impossible it would be to cross it. The comparison between the calm surface of the lake and the hurricane that was blowing nearly 19,000 feet high was like a calm sea, and a hurricane that would toss a giant liner as if it were a mere cork.
"Now," said the Hermit, "I want you to begin to learn the art of astral travel," and we went inside.
He directed me to lie down and relax every muscle and fibre in my body. I very soon found myself going into a semi-trance state. It was not a sleep because I was in a state of semi-consciousness. I heard his voice say, "Let go of your body," and as I did so I could feel myself soaring above my body. I looked down at it where it lay and could see that I was free from it.
"Now," he said, "you must not fear anything or you will come back to your body instantly."
I felt a calmness, the stillness of another world. I could still hear his voice saying, "You are in the astral now. Now think of the place you want to go to and the person or people you want to see and you will be there instantly."
I did so and to my wonderment I was there watching what was going on. I was now caught up in the activities of the people I was watching, and it was a queer sensation. In fact, I felt I was actually with them, though not in the physical.
I must have been so watching for about a quarter-of-an-hour, when I heard his voice again: "Now leave of your own will and come back." I did so and came back into my body with a memory of what I had seen.
"Now," he said when I got up, "you see your memory is not merely a part of your brain, but it interpenetrates your brain, in an astral counterpart. In fact there is even a finer interpenetrating body in which there is also memory, and this you will reach very soon."
Then he said: "I am convinced now that you have the ability to travel in the astral naturally, and soon you will travel further in the ether."
This practice went on for days, and each night we discussed the work I had to do. Then one day he said: "We will now travel together, this time out into the ether of space."
This, however, was not so successful at first, but after some practice I could master it and said: "Interplanetary travel is already accomplished in the ether; some day it will be done in the physical."
I knew now how the Hermit could come to a seance while living in the physical body. To him there was no space. Later I made inquiries about those whom I visited and what they were doing, and every detail I had stated of them was correct. They were amazed at my knowing so much about their movements.
I was warned, however, by the Hermit never to travel in the astral for curiosity, but only to help those in need. In many instances since then, people have seen me at their bedside when they wanted help, and this was to me further proof of my ability to travel in the astral.
A certain Doctor W ... , a friend of mine in Johannesburg, was startled to see me plainly in his room one night. When he told me of this I explained to him: "I was thinking deeply about you at that time." This was automatic travel and it is very helpful in healing work, and yet some people were upset at seeing me. Immediately I saw this I made myself invisible by the natural desire to do so, though I did not leave their proximity.
Since then I have been able to travel at will even while in the conscious state, and on nearly all occasions the healing power was felt by those who were being healed.
The Hermit was delighted with my progress and he explained it to me in this way: "What happens in healing work is, the inner mind is impressed, and the impression creates a subconscious activity through the nervous system affecting the generating cells and glands, and then all the cells of the body become active. Miraculous cures are effected in this way.
"These impulses travel in ever-widening circles, eventually affecting the whole of mankind. It churns into motion all the atoms and cells of the body,with the consequent transformation of the cells, and the reaction will be in exact proportion to the state of consciousness, because there is no separation.
"With the change in the rate of vibration in the body, the body reflects this activity upon the mind, and this produces a feeling of well-being.
"The very opposite takes place with man himself when in fear. This unnatural vibration upsets the natural equilibrium and when a man is ignorant of the cause more fear enters and adds fuel to the fire which man has already kindled by his negative thought-action."
He paused and then: "You see," he said, "when man is caught up in his own conditioning and is influenced by his surroundings, his mind reacts to these conditions - when he fails to understand himself and the cause of his conditioning.
"Man's consciousness permeates the whole of his mind and body. When he fails to understand that he has his roots in Reality which is Superconscient, where the totality of all unconditioned Intelligent Energy exists, he flounders in his fear because he is ignorant of his true nature."
"Then," I said, "man's consciousness, when free, really exists beyond the confines of his body."
"Yes," he replied, "you see consciousness is firstly expressed through the mind, and then comes the influencing of the body through the brain and nervous system. The first nerve plexus rules the heart, lungs and glands, and other parts of the body. The cranial nerves are responsible for the transmission of the vibration of light, sound, and feeling that come from the external world and these must be interpreted without fear through understanding.
"The consciousness also moves downwards into the emotional life of the individual through the solar plexus and then into the lower vitals to the physical, then to the total activity of the animal, vegetable and mineral kingdoms - the Subconscient. Here all action that is behind all mineral, vegetable and animal planes is controlled and directed. Man's consciousness encounters all the highest in the Superconscient to the lowest in the Subconscient."
"Yes," I remarked, "I can see that the whole is under the direction of the Consciousness - Life being Consciousness and Intelligence acts through the mind-substance. Divine Consciousness, Intelligence and Substance are One."
"Yes," he agreed, "but man, being ignorant of the Subconscient activity as a beneficent natural instinctive force, sees evil and as the result creates his own hell and the devil is himself."
"You see," he went on, "the lower vital belongs to the part of the nervous system from the solar plexus downward. This includes the animal, vegetable and mineral kingdoms which are subconscious in man. The Subconscient activity belongs to the totality of all action in the mineral, vegetable and animal kingdoms and is subconscious in man."
He continued: "When the consciousness becomes aware, it frees itself from the fear which is engendered through being ignorant of the activity of these forces. Man has been given dominion over all things above and below, but few have gained this understanding."
"Now," I exclaimed, "I see that the whole activity is 'One' but man has divided it up in his own mind, and then what he fears, he produces just as he fears."
"Yes," he said, "through the whole of the animal nature there is one complete mental activity which belongs entirely to this plane. The same with the vegetable and the mineral. Man's consciousness is the ruling factor in them all. All wild animals are controlled by man's consciousness when he knows himself, his thoughts, and his reactions, and when he understands his feelings and desires, his beliefs, his ideas, and how they are formulated in his mind. When ignorant of this he falls into the error of seeing a power that is evil or a power that is greater than himself and he begins to fear nature. He sees a power that is good and one that is evil, and so he eats of the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil and dies in his sin, his sin being his ignorance."
"Yes, I see now," I said, "I see that our emotions, fears, hates, anger and jealousy, and such-like, all arise from our ignorance of the Subconscient, and when not understood affect the whole body function. Through our senses we acquire conflicting ideas which we cannot correlate. Thus we have a confused mind."
"Yes," he said, "your fears, your beliefs, your mental conflicts affect the whole organism. Thus the whole of the Subconscient within the individual becomes confused, with the result that the body suffers; then the body talks back to the mind. The mind, unaware of what the cause is, succumbs to the unnatural state of the body. Paul says it is Eve that is deceived."
"Oh, I see," I replied, "Eve represents the soul and Adam the body. So Eve is deceived and Adam, being the body, must suffer as a consequence."
"Yes," he said, "you have it; truly you have it."
He added: "You see, my son, as you have already learnt through your training, the Spirit-Consciousness in man is free, and although incarnate in the flesh It is still free, otherwise It could never be free. Freedom is your natural state; it is your conditioning that is unnatural, created by yourself.
"The easiest and quickest way man can find this freedom is through love and understanding. The Subconscient is not evil in itself, it is the means of man's growth. But man attaches evil ideas to it, with the result that he begins to fear what he does not know. But what does he fear? He fears his own ideas and is caught up in his own conditioning. Only when he begins to realise that it is his own ideas that he really fears does he free himself from his own creations and becomes consciously free, and then he thinks purely. Then the Spirit-Consciousness which is Divine can transform his mind and body by Its own Eternal Presence.
"Man is the image and Likeness of his Creator, he cannot be otherwise, because God is all there is and we cannot exist apart from Him.
"So, you see, my son, It is the Unknown alone that is creative. What is known can never be creative, for the creative ever remains unknown. What you know is relative - external - created, and can never be creative.
"Others who know nothing of the Truth merely give you an idea, but that, you see, is relative and you merely imitate their ignorance. When you realise this and discern the falseness of it, then the Creative, the Unknown, will be revealed, but will still remain unknown. Thus you will find the Unknown within you, but never external to yourself, my son. I cannot tell you what It is; no one can. Others can give you only an idea of It and this is not the Creative. The Creative is your own Livingness."
I sat back and again thought to myself: "Truly, he is the wisest man in all Asia."
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