What Are We Doing HERE?: Part I

(This is the first of a three-part series, applying TRUTH to our everyday lives, based on Theosophy.)


In late July, we read the gruesome news story of Otty Sanchez of San Antonio, Texas, allegedly dismembering her three-and-a-half-week old son, then eating his brain. The scene was "so gruesome that police were left shaken...." "...a scene so horrifying that investigators could barely speak to one another."

"Maybe we missed" warning signs, San Antonio Police Chief William McManus said. "I don't know."

Sanchez had been released less than a week from a hospital, where she allegedly had been treated for self-inflicted cuts to her torso and an attempt to slice her own throat.

A tragedy for sure. But there is no "maybe" about the "signs" people associating with the new mother during that week missed!

Several people were around Otty Sanchez.

They said she was suffering from post-partum depression but seemed "normal" otherwise.


So how does a "normal" acting person end up taking samurai swords and dismembering her son, then eating his brains? This behavior is in no way close to "normal," and no "little" diagnosis of post-partum depression can explain it: Sanchez allegedly killed her ONLY child with a steak knife and two swords, while her sister and two nieces, ages 5 and 7, slept in another room!



Obviously, the mental health professionals who'd last seen Otty Sanchez BADLY misread her symptoms and the depths of her problems. This was NO MERE post-partum depression, as normal-acting as she may have seemed.

Then just this past week in Richmond, California, Nathan Burris, allegedly shot Deborah Ross, his girlfriend of 13 years and another man, Ersie Evertt, because he thought they were having an affair. Ross was at work as a toll booth operator when she was killed; Everett was in his truck in another lane, after giving her a ride to work. He was a deacon at Ross' church.

Just two days before, Burris reportedly had showered Ross with flowers, chocolate and other gifts and had promised her that he would "never, ever" revert to his former abusive ways.


He, too, had seemed "normal."


These two cases would seem like an aberration. Yet, just hours or days before, both Sanchez and Burris had seemed "normal" ....just like people whom we may encounter from time to time, seeming "normal" but having "quirks" that make us question that normalcy.

How can we use the seven principles, espoused by Theosophy about our "terrestial" existence, to try to make sense of seemingly senseless acts?


According to Theosophy, people are at different stages of their evolution while on Earth. First, we manifest in three early-stage forms that pretty much dissipate with the "body," once it dies. Then there are the next four stages, where people are manifesting their earthly experience strictly from a material aspect to those people focused solely on the spiritual aspect.

From Theosophy we learn:

THE HIGHER SELF is Atma the inseparable ray of the Universal and ONE SELF. It is the God above, more than within, us. Happy the man who succeeds in saturating his inner Ego with it! [#7]


THE SPIRITUAL divine EGO is the Spiritual soul or Buddhi, in close union with Manas, the mind-principle, without which it is no EGO at all, but only the Atmic Vehicle.
[#6]

THE INNER, or HIGHER is Manas, the "Fifth" Principle, so called, independently of Buddhi. The Mind-Principle is only the Spiritual Ego when merged into one with Buddhi, -- no materialist being is supposed to have in him such an Ego, however great his intellectual capacities. It is the permanent Individuality or the "Re-incarnating Ego." [#5]

THE LOWER, or PERSONAL "EGO" is the physical man in conjunction with his lower Self, i. e., animal instincts, passions, desires, etc. It is called the "false personality," and consists of the lower Manas combined with Kama-rupa, and operating through the Physical body and its phantom or "double." [#4]

It is this fourth principle of Theosophy: kāma or desire, from which we will look at the TRUTH, according to Theosophy, in Part I.

From kāma we learn that this aspect of our terrestial manifestation is a driving, impelling force. It is born from the interaction of atman, buddhi, and manas. In this aspect of manifestation, people even in their seeming goodness can be BAD!

Kāma can be a force of good or evil, based on how it is used by the Mind and Soul. It provides the electrical impulses for our desires and aspirations.


In "Keys to Theosophy," originally published in 1889, Helena Petrovna Blavatsky (1831-1891), who founded The Theosophical Society in 1875 with others, said:

"No materialist, however unbelieving, can die for ever in the fullness of his spiritual individuality.

"...Consciousness can disappear either fully or partially in the case of a materialist, so that no conscious remains of his personality survive" after he dies.

She continued:

"There are various kinds of materialists, as you say. A selfish, wicked Egoist, one who never shed a tear for anyone but himself, thus adding entire indifference to the whole world to his unbelief, must, at the threshold of death, drop his personality for ever. This personality having no tendrils of sympathy for the world around and hence nothing to hook on to Sutratma, it follows that with the last breath every connection between the two is broken."

Taking this Theosophy as TRUTH to understand conditions in everyday life, I would dare to theo(rize)sophize that when we see a breakdown of seeming normalcy in our "humanity" that person is caught up in the fourth body form: the struggle between good and evil.


Most people operating at the fourth aspect are just following their impulses in life for pleasure, achievement and other types of material comforts. They are reacting to life as it unfolds, rather than getting into any deep inquiry of their Souls. They are in a sort of Nether, Nether land, where life just "happens." But in extreme cases, like with Sanchez and Burris, who have evolved at this fourth aspect of their terrestial experience, some become caught up in NETHER, NETHER LAND!


There is conflict in their behavior and their attitudes towards other men because they are unsure about which "ACT" to follow.

We then should understand how futile it is to try to make sense of their "nonsense!"

Indeed, even the experts interacting with Otty Sanchez were fooled! Even she, herself, obviously was conflicted when she allegedly screamed, after his death, that she "loved" her baby.

Taking Theosophy then as TRUTH, we should begin to see how critically important it is to understand ourselves and our current stage of manifestation while on Earth!

It is not enough to "know" our personality traits; those are ALL superficial. It is critical to "know" our Soul and at what stage it is attempting to manifest in and through us during this, our, time on Earth.

The only way to do this, truly, would be to go into the Silence. But, for people who are already conflicted between good and evil, this would be akin to spilling gasoline onto an already burning fire: they would think they are "hearing voices" directing them about what to do.


"Solitude can be difficult for an unwise person. The unwise try to distract themselves and move to the lower levels of their spiritual life. The truly wise person keeps himself at this summit of inner solititude, while communicating with God in prayer." Leo Tolstoy

So, then if we can't go into the Silence of our Soul: What next?

We pray.

This is the time I believe that having a religious life or affiliation helps someone who may be conflicted about "good" and "evil," notwithstanding that SOME religions CAN and DO lead people down a more conflicted path and totally astray.

Whatever the drawbacks, my overall belief is that no matter what the religion or teaching, if it gives people a belief in a "Higher Power," then it is doing GO(O)D's work! I repeat: Once there is a focus on a "Higher Power," then GO (O)D is at work, no matter what the name given to him: God, Allah, Jehovah, Yahweh...

We then see so many people being helped to lead a normal, decent life, simply by knowing and adhering to the "rules" of their religious teachings.


No conflict there!


So, when we see people strictly following the letters of the "laws" of their religious teaching, we should applaud them. They are simply reflecting the current level of their consciousness in connecting to their Souls. Let them be! Without this, some may begin to relect the conflict between good and evil; which would you rather see? (Of course, this does not mean that people who are religious are ONLY fighting good and evil. Indeed, people manifesting Theosophy's principles, five, six or even seven on Earth, could also be following religious teachings even as they recognize and co-create with the spiritual aspects of themselves.)

Watch and Pray, that's what we need to do when we're stumped getting into the Silence.


For those who commit to living at the higher level Tolstoy talked about by taking the time for Solititude and Going Within: it doesn't mean they are ANY BETTER than others. It simply means they manifesting a different aspect of their Soul's call while on Earth.

In Part II next week, we'll take a look at these people and their journey along the path of Becoming Still and Listening. This is manifested in the fifth principle of Theosophy: manas, where there is a struggle between Spirit and the egoic personality.

In the meantime: "Be at Peace" with your Soul!

Namaste',

Che'

Beautiful People Profile...A friend for the Ages: Dr. Bernice D. Griffith of Fairfax, VA

"When nature (twilight) clips her curtain down and pins it with a star, remember that you have a friend, though you may wander far." It took me many, many years after my teacher signed my autograph book, paraphrasing and quoting Author Lucy Maud Montgomery (1874-1942), to figure out just who the "friend" was that she had written about! I was only nine years old at the time, and I had no clue! Fast forward to many years later when I learned the TRUTH about the "friend." Yet, without a Soul to put to that "friendship," you will indeed wander far. It took me years to know the TRUTH about the friendship I have with God, and also to know the full TRUTH about the Spirit of Dr. Bernice D. Griffith, a friend I've had for "ages." You see, I met Bernice the first day of high school, Bishops High School, in Guyana, South America, where we were both born and reared. {Bernice is pictured, here and below, as a senior, in full "Bishops" attire!} There we were just *10 years old. We were getting ready for the "Big Time." We had both passed the British-administered examination, Common Entrance, to be allowed into the elite All-Girls School: Bishops. Competition for entrance was fierce, so if you'd made it to Bishops, you certainly felt you had a right to hold your head HIGH. We did. Both Bernice and I were excited to be joining our many other classmates in celebrating our victory on that first day. But she and I locked hands in a solidarity and friendship that has remained our bond despite the "passage of time" and our individual and discrete interests. Over the five years in high school, Bernice and I stuck "thicker than blood," until I left to begin my life in the United States. {Bernice is pictured in Center, plaid pants and black top, next to Che' on right. This was taken on Che's departure day at the Guyana, "Tamerhi," airport. Other teenage friends surround her on that day. The little guy is Che's nephew, Rocky, then two years old.} It was hardly the end of our friendship. Through those early years of separation, we persevered through the distance and trials of life and all our ups and downs, until Bernice eventually married and moved to the United States. Our paths took divergent courses, but the heart knows what it knows. In recent years we reconnected. Today my "little" friend, Bernice, is now Dr. Bernice D. Griffith, and a top radiologist at an organization in Fairfax, Virginia. Bernice D. Griffith, M.D., has achieved much success in her years in the United States, first graduating from Mount Sinai Medical School, New York, New York. She completed her residency in Radiology at NSUH/Cornell, Manhasset, New York, and received a Fellowship at Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut. Throughout her years of accomplishments, one thing has remained constant about Bernice Griffith: her commitment to family, friends and truly the world at large. The only thing that supersedes that is...her LOVE of God! Bernice is the type of person whose faith runs like a "deep river!" She is not the type to spout scripture, or even claim to know God, except when it comes to FAITH, TRUST and LOVE! From the time we were "little girls," Bernice always has been the person who has reached out and grabbed hold of the "underdog." She always has been committed to "causes" that involve helping peope, and she's always willing to extend herself for those less fortunate. As for faith: have a problem or an issue... and the first words out of her mouth: TRUST GOD! Today, Bernice has fully evolved into the caring, loving and compassionate individual that she always had the tendencies and inclinations to be. She has lived a life of faith where God, working through her, has moved mountains...not only for her but also for others who have been blessed to cross paths with her. {Bernice all "decked out" for a teenage date.} Without a doubt, I'm delighted to know this beautiful, blessed woman. She shares laughter with a freshness and purity; she also is able to see beyond her world into yours. Bernice is one of those rare individuals who, as a child, had an "adult's eye," as she surveyed the world. She always knew the "right thing to do" to keep balanced in the midst of challenges. She always kept those "adult eyes," fastened on how, where and when, she could be of greatest comfort to those around her, and those many, many miles away. The world of patients who cross her path in her work as a radiologist truly are blessed by her commitment to EXCELLENCE in all that she does. Should you, as a patient, have a "positive read" on an Xray, I imagine Bernice telling you, right in that medical setting: Trust God! Bernice is divorced with one daughter, Candace. For her daughter, Bernice is a model of love, compassion and sharing. Candace now has the same tendencies to mirror these traits. For her sisters, Jacqueline and Bonita, she fills more than the role of "Big Sister": she is the mother and the sister/friend. Although our worlds may never again intersect in quite the same way as before, our hearts will always be interlocked in friendship and solidarity. I'll always know that "when nature (truly) clips her curtain down and pins it with a star," I do have a friend ... always "radiating" light and love towards me... Happy Birthday, friend. You are a friend for the ages: rare, loyal and true! (Bernice's birthday is on Wednesday, August 12! Send her birthday wishes!) May you continue to serve the world with the excellence and perfection you always strive for in ALL that you do! Namaste', Che' *NOTE: In Guyana, South America and many other former British colonies, children start Kindergarden at the age of three. We then are able to move into High School at a much younger age.

THEOSOPHY: “There is no religion higher than TRUTH!”

You’ve heard of Philosophy. You’ve heard of Theology. Now, you’re hearing about Theosophy.

This teaching is established on the simple truth that TRUTH is the supreme “religion” people should follow.

Yet, the “truth” may not be that simple or easy to discern.

What is Theosophy?

Theosophy is a doctrine of religious philosophy and metaphysics.
In 1875, the Theosophical Society was founded by Helena Petrovna Blavatsky (1831-1891), along with Henry Steel Olcott, William Quan Judge, among others. The teaching promotes that each religion has an aspect of the “truth,” and each attempts to help humans in perfecting the evolution of the species.

Theosophy also teaches that in their “higher selves” humans are immortal. But with their lower self, i.e. the physical, emotional and mental components, being unconscious of this state of immortality, humans decompose and die.


There were three clearly defined objectives delineated by the Theosophical Society as its purpose:

1. To form a nucleus of the Universal Brotherhood of Humanity, without distinction of race, creed, sex, caste, or color.
2. To encourage the study of Comparative Religion, Philosophy, and Science.
3. To investigate the unexplained laws of Nature and the powers latent in man.

Beliefs

Theosophy promotes the belief that nature does not operate by chance. Every event, past or present, is part of a universal paradigm. Further, according to the teaching, everything, animate and inanimate, is part of basic building blocks, ultimately evolving towards Consciousness.

In Theosophy, humans are viewed as “Spirit,” called “The Monad,” or the Higher Self.
The Monad has awakened to the human state through myriad lives that progress from the mineral and plant to the various animal stages.




Theosophy, however, differs from other belief systems in that it does not believe regression is possible, i.e. human beings cannot incarnate as animals or plants again, having attained awareness of Selfhood. In addition, Theoosophy teaches that people are considered only as an epitome of spiritual/physical life on Earth. But humans are not the end stage of evolution; this continues through other life stages.

The natural progression beyond Life on Earth includes beings who were once ordinary men and women but have moved beyond their egocentric personalities to concern for the highest good of all beings on Earth.

Theosophy does not then promote the worship of Angelic beings, as these are thought to be beings in a higher stage of attainment. All humans are capable of such attainment, but the difference is through the changing of their current life focus, i.e. from the outer egoic Self to the welfare of all others.

This progression of course takes many lifetimes to occur, as so many beings who come to Earth become so enmeshed in the material aspects of existence.


The Teaching

In Theosophy, benefactors and teachers of humanity are thought to be men and women who have progressed to a stage on Earth where they have moved to an enlightened state beyond Selfhood. By their own actions and behavior while on Earth, these teachers affirm that it is the duty of human beings to follow a Path of self-emancipation from Selfishness to becoming one's own Savior. Atonement, it is believed, cannot be achieved through another’s action. That must be undertaken by each "being" manifesting on Earth.

To support this teaching, Theosophy promotes an immortal ethical life by offering a Heart Doctrine of ethical thought and action through which changes can occur.

History

The teaching traces its origin to no one specific source but finds a base in a compilation of universal striving for spiritual knowledge that existed in all cultures, especially India and Ancient Greece. The writings of Plato (427-347 BCE), Plotinus (204-270) and other neo-Plotinus also reflect Theosophical beliefs and teachings.

During the 1920s, membership and intensity in Theosophical Society was at its strongest with about 7,000 in the United States; today that number is less than 4,000. In India the number of members in the Theosophical Society exceeded 20,000, where the Indian National Congress was founded during a Theosophical conference and many leaders, such as M.K. Gandhi, were associated with Theosophy. Today, membership in the society has decreased to less than 13,000.

Current New Age teachings are said to have roots in Blavatsky’s teachings.


Base of Number Seven (The Septenary)
Theosophy and other such esoteric groups claim that the universe is ordered by the number seven. So, the reincarnating consciousness of our Monad (Spirit) manifests in one of seven forms***:

• The first body is called sthula-sarira : This gross and impermanent body is the lowest substance-principle, manifesting from the harmonious co-working on the physical plane of forces and faculties. These stream through their astral vehicle, or linga-sarira.

• The second body is called Linga-Sarira: This is the pattern or model through which the physical body flows or develops as it grows. This second body also is an impermanent model-body or astral body and is considered only slightly more ethereal than the physical body.


• The third body is prana: In theosophy, this is the breath of life. This life or prana works on, in, and around us, pulsating unceasingly during the term of physical existence.


• The fourth principle is kāma: Desire. This principle is the driving, impelling force. Born from the interaction of atman, buddhi, and manas, kama can be a force of good or evil, based on how it is used by the Mind and Soul. It provides the electrical impulses for our desires, and aspirations.

• The fifth principle is manas: Herein lies the home of the mentation and egoic consciousness. Manas is the human person, the reincarnating ego, immortal in essence, enduring in its higher aspects through the entire manvantara. When embodied, manas is dual. It gravitates toward the higher consciousness of buddhi, the intuitive mind, or towards the lower consciousness of kama , animal and aspects of personality.

• The sixth principle or vehicle is Buddhi : This is a vehicle of pure, universal spirit. It is considered inseparable from Atman, which is the highest plane. In man, buddhi is the spiritual soul! This facility allows us to discern between good or evil and also is the channel through which divine inspiration streams from the atman to the ego. The qualities of the buddhi awaken: higher judgment, instant understanding, discrimination, intuition, boundless love, and universal forgiveness.

• The seventh is called Atman: Self. This “IAM” consciousness. This pure consciousness is linked with buddhi and the other six-stages of manifestation, during incarnation . Because of this bond, atman may take on attributes of the lower aspects through the chain and linkage. For example, the buddhi is linked with manas; the manas is linked with kama; kama is linked to prana; prana is linked to linga-sarira and linga to sthula-sarira.


So even though according to Theosophy, "there’s no other religion but the TRUTH," the “truth” is not so easy!
But perhaps, while you’re manifesting your Beingness in the linga sarira, sthula-sarira or prana states, you just might get closer to it.

Namaste’,

Che’
***NOTE: These seven forms highlighted in Theosophy could be critically important in our understanding our lives and our ability to interact or not interact with another person. This is similar to the nine personality types highlighted in the Enneagram. I find this all FASCINATING. SO, for three consecutive weeks, beginning August 16, I will highlight how our life "form" may be affecting our experience and our ability to "all get along."