Why Are We

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Why Are We Here?
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An Assumption

• We need to make an assumption. That assumption is
  whether the universe is logical or chaoswith a
  reason or happenstance. I do not think either
  side can be proven. If chaos then there does not
  need to be a reason for anything. If logical then
  there needs to be a reason for everythingeven if
  we do not presently know the reason. (And,
  believe me, most things I do not know the reason
  for.) I have made the assumption that the
  universe is logical. But this is an assumption
  which I cannot prove.

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Based onLogical Universe Assumption Why Are We
Here?
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My answer is

• To develop
• spiritually.

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Can this be done in one lifetime?

• Put another way Do you know anyone who has
  reached the spiritual level of Christ or Buddha?

I dont!
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And, if the universe is logical, does it make
sense that many people are born in suffering
whereas others seemingly have an easier life,
e.g., wealth, health, looks, etc?
It does not to me if we are here for only one
life, but if for many then its more
understandable.
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Okay we are here for our spiritual development
and it takes more than one lifetime to do so.
(Probably many, many more then one lifetime.)
Why?
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• My belief is, at the beginning, we were a part of
  God and, in fact, each of us still are. But for
  some reason (we got bored? its hard to
  understand what we thought in our complete
  God-consciousness) we decided that we needed to
  relearn the lessons we knew to become spiritual.
  In order to do so we gave up our
  God-consciousness temporarily to learn thousands
  and thousands of lessons. And we are learning
  those lessons some faster, some slower, some in
  one area, some in another. In fact I expect that
  everyone is more spiritually advanced than I in
  one area or another and I in other areas are more
  advanced they they.

Of course that does not include Christ or Buddha
or any of the Masters.
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• So how do we learn these lessons?

Live
Many lessons can be learned just through living.
From my perspective our soul knows the lessons we
need to learn and between lives, after reflecting
on what we learned our last life, chooses for our
next life the best possible life for us to learn
our next lessons.
We are always advancing. As humanity is always
advancingjust look at where humanity has come in
the past 50 years, 500 years, 5000 years?
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• Are there ways to speed up these lessons?

Yes!
There are several ways. A main way seems to be
via one of the three phrases carved into the
Temple of Apollo at Delphis, that being Know
Thyself. The Temple is from before recorded
historypossibly the 9th century BC, possibly
before. The other two phrases are nothing in
excess and make a pledge and mischief is nigh.
(This last possibly dealing with non-attachment.)
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Know Thyself
In Esoteric Philosophy this is also referred to
as building the Antahkarana Bridge or Rainbow
Bridgethe link between the higher mind and the
enclosing soul.) It can be done in many ways.
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• This above all to thine own self be true,?And it
  must follow, as the night the day,?Thou canst not
  then be false to any man.?Farewell, my blessing
  season this in thee!Polonius, Hamlet, Act 1,
  Scene 3, 78-82

In my opinion this is the most important quality
anyone can use for their spiritual development.
As with many qualities there is a problem that
being who, or what, is thine own self.
Suggestions?
Thine own self should be ones soul, but until
that Antahkarana bridge is built many times its
ones personality. In fact, in a very undeveloped
individual it could even be their physical or
emotional selves.
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• Anything else one can do?

1. Have a hard life.
2. Take psychological testsor any instrument which
   might aid you in understanding yourself.
3. Find someone you can open up to and will open up
   to you. Someone who will help provide insights
   into yourself as we are all too close to
   ourselves to see ourselves clearly.
4. Meditate and reflect.
5. Study philosophy and religion.

This is not quite true, but could help. When we
are going through a difficult period we ask
ourselves tougher questions, e.g., what am I
doing wrong? whats wrong with me? what could I
do different and better? Those questions lead to
insights which aid in our growth. On the other
hand ones soul has determined what life and
experiences in life are the best for ones
spiritual development. Thus if ones soul has
chosen an easy lifeor, at this moment, an easy
timethen accept it.
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• Study philosophy religion

Here is where esoteric philosophy can come in.
My belief is that at their core all religions are
the same. They are not the same when it comes in
many exterior areas Hinduism has as many as 330
million gods! (In fairness the most significant
godsoften viewed as three parts of one wholeare
Brahma, the creator Vishnu, the preserver of
creation and Shiva, the destroyerand this
three-in-one idea isnt a foreign one to
Christians, since they understand God in terms of
three persons Father, Son and Holy Spirit. But
at their core they all seem to be same when it
comes two areas know thyself (just mentioned)
and (some form of) right human relations.
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• Know
• Thyself

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Three more quick points here
Christ said Physician, heal thyself. Luke 423
The Prophet, Mohammed, said, He who knows
himself knows his Lord. (FM II 308.22 C.312)
Hadith.
What of all the rules that the Buddha has passed
down to us over the centuries? Accounts have it
that just before his death the Buddha entrusted
his monks to discard all minor rules, saying he
knew they were able to discern the essence of
dharma. Overcautious, the monks decided they
couldnt decide, and kept all the rules. In
effect, they denied the Buddhas last wish. Had
Krishnamurti sat in the place of the Buddha, and
had he made but one rule, it might have been
know thyself, and all other rules would have
been declared to be minor and therefore to be
discarded.
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• Right Human Relations

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• But what about

An eye for an eye in the old testament -
Exodus 212227 and Leviticus 241820?
Except the expression an eye for an eye does
not occur in the Hebrew Bible. The verses where
the expression occurs list situations for which
fines are imposed to compensate injury and state
that each and every injury must be compensated.
The Talmud (in Bava Kamma, 83b-84a), argues
against the reinterpretations by Saducees that
the Bible verses refer to physical retaliation in
kind, using the argument that such an
interpretation would be inapplicable to blind or
eyeless offenders. Since the Torah requires that
penalties be universally applicable, the phrase
cannot be interpreted in this manner.
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• Other religions

In Islam the Shariahwhich is the code of law
derived from the Koran (Quran) and from the
teachings and example of Mohammedcontrols, rules
and regulates all public and private behavior.
For example

• Haram describes anything that is unacceptable
  under Shariah law. It is considered inappropriate
  for a Muslim investor to profit from any activity
  that violates Islamic principles. Certain
  industries, including alcohol, pornography,
  gambling, pork, and conventional financial
  services, are inherently haram.
• Nisab is the minimum amount of wealth a person
  must have in order to be responsible for charity
  payments, or zakah. Nisab generally refers to the
  amount needed to support ones family for a year.
• Purification refers to getting rid of
  unacceptable profits. Shariah prohibits Muslims
  from profiting, even indirectly, from
  unacceptable practices, so investors are expected
  to account for and give away any income derived
  from riba or other haram sources.

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Buddhism has the Noble Eightfold Path
Other religions

1. Right View
2. Right Intention
3. Right Speech
4. Right Action
5. Right Livelihood
6. Right Effort
7. Right Mindfulness
8. Right Concentration

Wisdom

EthicalConduct

MentalDevelopment
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Hinduism has Dharma
Other religions
Dharma (Sanskrit ???? dhárma, Pa?i dhamma) is a
multivalent term of great importance in Indian
philosophy and religions. In the context of
Hinduism, it means ones righteous duty, and a
Hindus dharma is affected by the persons age,
class, occupation, and gender. The word dharma
translates as that which upholds or supports, and
is generally translated into English as law.
According to the various Indian religions, such
as Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, and Sikhism,
beings that live in accordance with Dharma
proceed more quickly toward dharma yukam, moksha
or nirvana (personal liberation).
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Hebrew
Other religions
Leviticus 1918 Thou shalt not avenge, nor bear
any grudge against the children of thy people,
but thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself I
am the LORD.
Leviticus 1934 But the stranger that dwelleth
with you shall be unto you as one born among you,
and thou shalt love him as thyself for ye were
strangers in the land of Egypt I am the LORD
your God.
Christianity
Luke 631 And as ye would that men should do to
you, do ye also to them likewise.
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That covers most religions
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• What else can one do?

Study energy! What types of energy?
I would say all since all is energy. But, in
particular, those energies which affect you the
most and the vehicles they affect

1. Normal astrology.
2. Esoteric astrology.
3. The Seven Rays.
4. Your various vehicles.

Due to time limits Im not going to discuss
Normal Astrology (sometimes referred to as
Astrology of the Personality) or Esoteric
Astrology (sometimes referred to as Astrology of
the Soul.)
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• This is whereEsoteric Philosophycan be of
  benefit.

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What is Esoteric Philosophy?

• Lets break is down even further.

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What is Esoteric?

1. restricted to or intended for an enlightened or
   initiated minority, especially because of
   abstruseness or obscurity - an esoteric cult
2. difficult to understand abstruse an esoteric
   statement
3. not openly admitted - private esoteric aims

HIDDEN
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What is Philosophy?

1. Love and pursuit of wisdom by intellectual means
   and moral self-discipline.
2. Investigation of the nature, causes, or
   principles of reality, knowledge, or values,
   based on logical reasoning rather than empirical
   methods.
3. A system of thought based on or involving such
   inquiry the philosophy of Hume.
4. The critical analysis of fundamental assumptions
   or beliefs.
5. The disciplines presented in university
   curriculums of science and the liberal arts,
   except medicine, law, and theology
6. The discipline comprising logic, ethics,
   aesthetics, metaphysics, and epistemology.
7. A set of ideas or beliefs relating to a
   particular field or activity an underlying
   theory an original philosophy of advertising.
8. A system of values by which one lives has an
   unusual philosophy of life.

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So Esoteric Philosophy is?

• A system of values by which one lives which is
  difficult to understand or limited to an
  enlightened or initiated minority.

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History
In some ways the above is true, esoteric
philosophy has been limited to an initiated
minority. But that has been rapidly changing over
the past 150 years with the likes of people
like

• Helena Blavatsky (1831-1891) - Theosophical
  Society - founder
• Helena Roerich (1879 1955) Agni Yoga -
  founder
• Alice A. Bailey (1880 1949) Alice Bailey
  School - founder
• Annie Besant (1847 1933) - Theosophical Society
  - president
• Geoffrey Hodson (1886 1983) - Theosophical
  Society teacher author
• Rudolf Steiner (1861 1925) Anthroposophy -
  founder
• A.E. Powell - Theosophical Society - author
• C. W. Leadbeater (1854 - 1934) - Theosophical
  Society - author
• Roberto Assagioli (1888 1974)
  Psychosynthesis - founder

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History
There have others mentioned from the past

• Hercules (c8000 BC) - Greek
• Hermes (c7000 BC) - Greek - Messenger of the
  Greek Gods
• Jesus Mid-East - Christianity
• John the Baptist Mid-East - Christianity
• Lee-tse (570-490 BC) China - Taoist
• Moses (12th Century BC) - Hebrew
• Plato (c427 347 BC) - Greek
• Zoroaster (628 551 BC) Iran - Zoroasterism
• Buddha (c563 483 BC) India - Buddhism
• Confucius (551 479 BC) China - Confucianism
• Enoch Hebrew/Islam Enoch is noted as one of
  two humans (the other being Elijah) who,
  according to Christian tradition, were assumed
  into heaven hes also in the Quran

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So what are some of the tenets of Esoteric
Philosophy?

• We have mentioned two
• Know thyself
• Practice right human relations
• But there are others. One being that there are
  Seven Rays.

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• The Seven Rays

These are energies mentioned in esoteric
philosophy.
Ray I the Ray of Will and Power Ray II the Ray
of Love and Wisdom Ray III the Ray of Creative
Intelligence and Adaptability Ray IV the Ray of
Harmony Through Conflict Ray V the Ray of
Concrete Knowledge and Science Ray VI the Ray of
Devotion and Abstract Idealism Ray VII the Ray
of Organization and Ceremonial Magic
You will note that each has two components. Ill
briefly mention some of their characteristics.
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• Ray One

Ray of Will and Power
Strengths power to direct and govern, power to
synthesize, strong sense of purpose, truthfulness
arising from absolute fearlessness. Weaknesses
domination, destructiveness, violence, isolation,
hardness, cruelty. Type A Steadfastness and
Endurance. Type B Dynamic Liberation and
Freedom. Vocational Indications Positions of
leadership and authority. Chief executive
officers, leaders in government and politics, the
military and law enforcement, etc.
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• Ray Two

Ray of Love and Wisdom
Strengths loving understanding, compassion, love
of pure truth, wise and intuitive comprehension,
clear perception and intelligence. Weaknesses
over-sensitivity and vulnerability, fearfulness
and self-pity, tendency towards inferiority
complex, too great an attachment to people. Type
A Loving-Understanding. Type B Wisdom
Complete Understanding. Vocational Indications
Positions where love and a wise understanding of
people are required. Teaching, religious and
spiritual work, psychotherapy, human resources
development, etc.
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• Ray Three

Ray of Creative Intelligence and Adaptability
Strengths mental fertility and creativity,
capacity for rigorous analysis and reasoning,
wide views on all abstract issues, exceptional
ability to plan and strategize, skillful
communication. Weaknesses intellectual pride,
excessive criticism, vague and overly complex
thought and expression, manipulativeness,
deviousness. Type A Abstract Thought and
Creative Reasoning. Type B Activity and
Adaptability. Vocational Indications Positions
where considerable intellectual power and
resourcefulness are required. Business and
finance, academic and theoretical work, creative
think-tanks, market speculation, advertising, etc.
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• Ray Four

Ray of Harmony Through Conflict
Strengths ability to mediate and resolve
conflicts, capacity for bridging, love of
beauty and ability to express and/or create it,
artistic and aesthetic sensibilities, musicality,
strong imagination. Weaknesses vacillation,
ambivalence, combativeness, embroiled in constant
conflict (inner and outer), unstable activity
patterns (fits and starts), too compromising,
moodiness, worry. Type A Creation of Harmony and
Beauty. Type B Involvement in Conflict.
Vocational Indications Positions where a strong
sense of harmony and beauty are required.
Peacemaking, all the arts, mediation, decoration
and beautification, psychotherapy and massage,
entertainment, interpersonal skills, etc.
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• Ray Five

Ray of Concrete Knowledge and Science
Strengths keen and focused intellect, accuracy
and precision in thought and action, mastery of
factual detail, mechanical ability and practical
inventiveness, perseverance in research. Weaknesse
s critical and narrow mentality, mental
prejudice, rigid and set thought patterns,
excessive doubt and skepticism. Type A Precise
Knowledge and Great Factual Accuracy. Type B
Practical Experimentation and Technical
Inventiveness. Vocational Indicators Positions
where great accuracy and a factual, technical and
objective point of view are required. Science,
research, engineering, accounting, technical
specialties, etc.
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• Ray Six

Ray of Devotion and Abstract Idealism
Strengths high idealism, intense devotion,
single-mindedness, unshakable faith, undimmed
optimism, power to envision the goal, unflagging
persistence, power to arouse and
inspire. Weaknesses blind faith, rigid idealism,
narrow orientation, emotionalism, intolerance,
selfish and jealous love, fiery anger. Type A
Devotion and Passive Openness to Guidance. Type
B Fiery Aspiration and Militant Idealism.
Vocational Indications Positions where one must
totally believe in what one is doing. Religious
work, all forms of promotion, involvement in
causes and special interests groups, activism,
charity work, etc.
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• Ray Seven

Ray of Organization and Ceremonial Magic
Strengths power to create order, power to
manifest, power to organize and coordinate
groups, team playing great respect for laws,
rules and regulations refined sense of rhythm
and timing. Weaknesses formalism, rigidity,
pompous ceremonialism, excessive conformity (or
non-conformity), sectarianism, bigotry. Type A
Preservation of Established Forms and Structures.
Type B Creation and Reorganizing of Forms and
Structures. Vocational Indications Positions in
which organization and an understanding of form
are paramount. Administration and management,
building and construction, religious or
ceremonial ritual, etc.
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• Seven Rays

Thats a quick summary of the energies associated
with the Seven Rays. Its more complex as each
ray has other characteristics

• colors
• symbols
• chakras
• sound
• religion
• art
• source of suffering

And then we have the vehicles or the
Constitution of Man.
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• Your Vehicles

• Physical
• Emotional (Astral)
• Mental
• Personality
• Soul
• Monad

This topic is really the Constitution of Man, but
its beyond what we have time to discuss.
It should be mentioned that each of the vehicles
can have a prominent ray so, as part of ones
understanding of oneself, one should not only
understand the rays and the vehicles, but also
how the different rays affect the different
vehicles.
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Do we have help in our spiritual development?

• Certainly!

• Our Soul
• Masters although they mainly help humanity as a
  whole
• Other Resources
• Books from those mentioned earlier
• PIPIIonline.com or PIP2online.com