MYSTIC CHRISTIANITY
YOGI RAMACHARAKA
THE TENTH LESSON
THE SECRET DOCTRINE
The concluding statement of the Creeds (brought
over from the preceding lesson) refers to the Holy Ghost.
"I believe in the Holy Ghost." ( Apostles' Creed .)
"And I believe in the Holy Ghost, the Lord and giver of
life." ( Nicene Creed .)
To the average Christian the nature of the Holy Ghost--one
of the beings of the Trinity--is veiled in obscurity, and is
generally pronounced "not to be understood." A careful
examination of the orthodox Christian writings will show the
student that the Church is very much at sea regarding this
subject, which should be of the greatest importance to its
priests and congregations. Ask the average intelligent
churchman regarding the nature of the Holy Ghost, and see
for yourself the vague, contradictory and unsatisfactory
concepts held by the person questioned. Then turn to the
encyclopaedias and other books of reference, and see how
little is known or taught regarding this important subject.
It is only when the teachings of Mystic Christianity are
consulted that one receives any light on the subject. The
Occult Teachings are quite explicit on this subject so
fraught with difficulty and lack of comprehension on the
part of the orthodox teachers and students.
The teaching of Mystic Christianity, regarding the Holy
Ghost, may be summed up by the great general statement
that: The Holy Ghost is the Absolute in its phase of
Manifestation, as compared to its phase of Unmanifestation
-- Manifest Being as compared with Unmanifest Being -- God
Create as compared with God Uncreate -- God acting as the
Creative Principle as compared to God as The Absolute Being
.
The student is asked to read over the above general
statement a number of times and to concentrate his or her
attention carefully upon it, before proceeding further with
the lesson.
To understand the above statement it is necessary for the
student to remember that the Absolute may be thought of as
existing in two phases. Not as two persons or beings ,
remember, but as in two phases . There is but One
Being--there can be but One--but we may think of that One as
existing in two phases. One of these phases is Being
Unmanifest; the other, Being Manifest.
Being Unmanifest is the One in its phase of
Absolute Being, undifferentiated, unmanifested, uncreated;
without attributes, qualities, or natures.
It is impossible for the human mind to grasp the above
concept of Being Manifest in the sense of being able to
think of it as a "Thing, or Something." This because of the
essential being of it. If it were like anything that we can
think of, it would not be the Absolute, nor would it be
Unmanifest. Everything that we can think of as a "thing" is
a relative thing--a manifestation into objective being.
But we are compelled by the very laws of our reason to admit
that the Absolute Being Unmanifest exists, for the Manifest
and Relative Universe and Life must have
proceeded and emanated from a Fundamental Reality, which
must be Absolute and Unmanifest. And this Being which our
highest reason causes us to assume to exist is Being
Unmanifest--God the Father--who cannot be known through the
senses--whose existence is made known to us only through
Pure Reason, or through the workings of the Spirit within
us. In the material sense "God is Unknowable"--but in the
higher sense He may be known to the Spirit of Man, and His
existence may be known and proven by the
exercise of the highest faculties of the reason.
Being Unmanifest is the One in its actual
existence and being. If all the world of objective life and
manifestation, even to its highest forms, were withdrawn
from manifestation, then there would be left--what? Simply
and solely, Being Unmanifest--God the Father, alone. Into
His Being all else would be withdrawn. Outside of Him there
would be nothing . He would be
Himself--One--existing in the phase of Being Unmanifest.
We are aware that this idea may seem to be "too abstruse"
for the minds of some of our students at first reading--it
may appear like an assertion of a Being who is Non-Being.
But, be not too hasty--take time--and your mind will
assimilate the concept, and will find that it has a
corresponding Truth imbedded in its inmost recesses, and
then it will know this to be the Truth. And then will it
recognize the existence of God the Father, as compared with
God, the Holy Ghost. The Holy Ghost, as we have said, is the
Absolute in its phase of Manifest Being. That is, it is God
as manifest in the Spirit of Life, which is immanent in, and
manifest in, all objective life and phenomena in the Cosmos
or Universe.
In previous series of lessons in the Yogi Philosophy, we
have shown you that there was a Spirit of Life immanent in,
and manifesting through, all forms of life. We have also
shown you that everything in the Universe is alive--down to
even the minerals, and the atoms composing matter. We have
shown you that inasmuch as the Spirit of Life is the source
of all Manifestations in the universe, and the "God in the
machine" of all phenomena of force, matter and life, then it
naturally follows that there can be nothing dead in the
world--that there is LIFE manifesting in every object,
varying only in the degree of manifestation. In our
"Advanced Lessons" and in "Gnani Yoga" this subject is
considered in detail. Then what is this Spirit of Life? If
God is All, then it cannot be Something other than God. But
it cannot well be God the Uncreate--the Absolute in its
Absolute phase--the Being Unmanifest. Then what can it be?
The student will see that the natural and logical answer to
the question with which we have closed the preceding
paragraph must be: Being Manifest--God in Creation--the Holy
Ghost! And this is the Occult Teaching concerning this great
mystery of Christianity. And see how well the framers of the
Nicene Creed grasped the traditions of the Early Church,
when it said: "And I believe in the Holy Ghost, the
Lord and Giver of Life ."
The teaching regarding the Immanent God lies at the
foundation of all of the Mystic teachings of all peoples,
races, and times. No matter under what names the teaching is
promulgated--no matter what the name of the creed or
religion in which it is found imbedded--it is still the
Truth regarding the God Immanent in all forms of life,
force, and matter. And it always is found forming the Secret
Doctrine of the philosophy, creed or religion. The Outer
Teaching generally confines itself to the instruction of the
undeveloped minds of the people, and cloaks the real Truth
behind some conception of a Personal Deity, or Deities--gods
and demi-gods, who are supposed to dwell afar off in some
heavenly realm--some great Being who created the world and
then left it to run itself, giving it but occasional
attention, and reserving his consideration principally for
the purpose of rewarding those who gave him homage, worship
and sacrifices and punishing those who failed to conform
with the said requirements. These personal deities are
believed generally to favor the particular people who give
them their names and temples, and accordingly to hate the
enemies of the said tribe or nation.
But the Secret Doctrine or Esoteric Teaching of all
religions has brushed aside these primitive conceptions of
undeveloped minds, and teach the Truth of the Immanent
God--the Power inherent in and abiding in all life and
manifestations. And Christianity is no exception to the
rule, and in its declaration of faith in the Holy Ghost its
esoteric principle is stated.
While the tendency of the orthodox churches today is to say
very little about God the Holy Ghost, for the reason that it
cannot explain the meaning of the term, Mystic Christianity
boldly declares its allegiance to this principle of the
earlier teachings and reverently repeats the words of the
Nicene Creed, "I believe in the Holy Ghost, THE LORD AND
GIVER OF LIFE."
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That there is a Secret Doctrine of Christianity is not
generally known to the majority who claim the name of
"Christian." But it has always been known to the mystics in
and out of the church, and its flame has been kept steadily
alight by a few devoted souls who were chosen for this
sacred task.
The Secret Doctrine of Christianity did not originate with
Jesus, for He, Himself, was an Initiate of Mysteries which
had been known and taught for centuries before His birth. As
St. Augustine has said:
"That which is called the Christian
Religion existed among the ancients and never did not
exist , from the beginning of the human race until Christ
came in the flesh, at which time the true religion which
already existed began to be called Christianity."
We would like to quote here a few paragraphs from the
writings of a well known writer on religious subjects, with
which statement we heartily agree, although our views on
certain other points of teaching do not agree with those of
this writer. He says:
"It may be said that in the present
day these doctrines are simply not taught in the churches;
how is that? It is
because Christianity has forgotten
much of its original teachings, because it is now satisfied
with only part, and a very small part, of what it originally
knew. 'They still have the same scriptures,' you will say.
Yes, but those very scriptures tell you often of something
more, which is now lost. What is meant by Christ's constant
references to the 'Mysteries of the Kingdom of God'--by His
frequent statement to His disciples that the full and true
interpretation could be given only to them, and that to
others He must speak in parables? Why does He perpetually
use the technical terms connected with the well known
mystery-teaching of antiquity?
What does St. Paul mean when he
says, 'We speak wisdom among them which are
perfect'--a well known technical term for the men at a
certain stage of initiation? Again and again he uses
terms of the same sort; he speaks of 'the wisdom of God in
mystery, the hidden wisdom which God ordained before the
world began, and which none even of the princes of this
world know'--a statement which could not by any possibility
have been truthfully made if he had been referring merely to
ordinary Christian teaching which is openly preached before
all men. His immediate followers, the Fathers of the Church,
knew perfectly well what he meant, for they all use
precisely the same phraseology. Clement of Alexandria, one
of the earliest and greatest of all, tells us that 'It is
not lawful to reveal to the profane persons the Mysteries of
the Word.'"
"Another consideration shows us
clearly how much of this early teaching has been lost. The
church now devotes herself solely to producing good men, and
points to the saint as her crowning glory
and achievement. But in older days she claimed to be able to
do much more than that. When she had made a man a saint, her
work with him was only just beginning, for then only was he
fit for the training and teaching which she
could give him then, but cannot now, because she has
forgotten her ancient knowledge. Then she had three definite
stages in her course of
training--Purification,
Illumination and Perfection. Now she contents herself
with the preliminary Purification, and has no Illumination
to give."
"Read what Clement says: 'Purity is
only a negative state, valuable chiefly as the condition of
insight. He who has been purified in Baptism and then
initiated into the Little Mysteries (has acquired, that is
to say, the habits of
self-control and reflection)
becomes rife for the Greater Mysteries for the Gnosis, the
scientific knowledge of God.' In another place he says:
'Knowledge is more than faith.
Faith is a summary knowledge of
urgent truths, suitable for people who are in a hurry;
but knowledge is scientific faith.' And his pupil Origen
writes of 'the popular, irrational faith' which leads to
what he calls physical
Christianity, based upon the gospel
history, as opposed to the spiritual Christianity conferred
by the Gnosis of Wisdom. Speaking of teaching founded upon
historical narrative, he says, 'What better method could be
devised to assist the masses?' But for those who are wise he
has always the higher teachings, which are given only
to those who have proved themselves worthy of it. This
teaching is not lost; the church cast it out when she
expelled the great Gnostic Doctors, but it has nevertheless
been preserved, and it is precisely that Wisdom which we are
studying--precisely that which we find to answer all the
problems of life, to give us a rational rule by which to
live, to be to us a veritable gospel of good news from on
high."
St. Paul indicates the existence of the Secret Doctrine of
Christianity, when he says to the Corinthians:
"And I, brethren, could not
speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, as
unto babes in Christ. I
fed you with milk, not with meat;
for ye were not yet able to bear it; nay, not even now
are ye able, for ye are yet carnal." ( I Cor. 3:1. )
Jesus said: "Give not that which is holy unto the dogs,
neither cast your pearls before the swine, lest haply they
trample them under their feet, and turn and rend you." (
Matt. 7:6. )
St. Clement of Alexandria has said regarding the above
saying of Jesus:
"Even now I fear, as it is said,
'to cast the pearls before swine, lest they tread them
underfoot, and turn and rend us.' For it is difficult to
exhibit the really pure and transparent words respecting the
true Light to swinish and
untrained hearers."
In the first century after Christ, the term "The Mysteries
of Jesus" was frequently used by the Christian teachers, and
the Inner Circle of Christians was recognized as a body of
advanced souls who had developed so far as to be able to
comprehend these mysteries.
The following passage from St. Mark (4:10-12) is interesting
in this connection:
"And when He was alone, they that
were about Him with the twelve asked of Him the parables.
And He said unto them, 'Unto you is given the mystery of the
kingdom of God: but unto them that are without, all things
are done in parables: that seeing they may see, and not
perceive; and hearing they may hear, and not understand.'"
The same writer says (4:33-34):
"And with many such parables spake
He the word unto them, as they were able to hear it;
and without a parable spake He not unto them; but privately
to His own disciples He expounded all things."
Jesus said to His disciples ( John 16:12. ): "I have yet
many things to say to you, but ye cannot bear them now." The
Occult Teachings state that when He returned in His astral
form, after the crucifixion, He taught them many important
and advanced mystic truths, "speaking of the things
pertaining to the kingdom of God." ( Acts 1:3. )
The early Christian Fathers spake and wrote openly regarding
the Christian Mysteries, as all students of Church History
well know. Polycarp, Bishop of Smyrna, writes to certain
others hoping that they are "well versed in the sacred
Scriptures and that nothing is hidden from you; but to me
this privilege is not yet granted." ( The Epistle of
Polycarp, chapter 7. ) Ignatius, Bishop of Antioch, says
that he is "not yet perfect in Jesus Christ. For I now begin
to be a disciple, and I speak to you as my fellow disciple."
He also addresses them as being "initiated into the
Mysteries of the Gospel, with St. Paul, the holy, the
martyred." Again:
"Might I not write to you things
more full of mystery? But I fear to do so, lest I should
inflict injury on you who are but babes. Pardon me in this
respect, lest, as not being able to receive their weighty
import, ye should be strangled by them. For even I, though I
am bound and am able to understand heavenly things, the
angelic orders, and the different sorts of angels and hosts,
the distinction between powers and dominions, and the
diversities between thrones and authorities, the mightiness
of the aeons, and the pre-eminence of the cherubim and
seraphim, the sublimity of the Spirit, the kingdom of the
Lord, and above all the incomparable majesty of Almighty
God--though I am acquainted with these things, yet am I not
therefore by any means perfect, nor am I such a disciple as
Paul or Peter."
Ignatius also speaks of the High Priest or Hierophant, of
whom he asserts that he was the one "to whom the holy of
holies has been committed, and who alone has been entrusted
with the secrets of God." ( Epistles of Ignatius. )
St. Clement of Alexandria was a mystic of high rank in the
Inner Circle of the Church. His writings are full of
allusions to the Christian Mysteries. He says among other
things that his writings were "a miscellany of Gnostic
notes, according to the time philosophy," which teachings he
had received from Pontaemus, his instructor or spiritual
teacher. He says of these teachings:
"The Lord allowed us to communicate
of those divine Mysteries and of that holy light, to those
who are able to receive them. He did not certainly disclose
to the many what did not belong to the many; but to the few
to whom He knew that they belonged, who were capable of
receiving and being moulded according to them. But secret
things are intrusted to speech, not to writing, as is the
case with God. And if one say that it is written, 'There is
nothing secret which shall not be revealed, nor hidden,
which shall not be disclosed,' let him also hear from us,
that to him who hears secretly, even what is secret shall be
manifested. This is what was predicted by this oracle. And
to him who is able secretly to observe what is
delivered to him, that which is veiled shall be disclosed as
truth; and what is hidden to the many shall appear manifest
to the few. The mysteries are delivered mystically, that
what is spoken may be in the mouth of the speaker; rather
not in his voice, but in his understanding. The writing of
these memoranda of mine, I well know, is weak when compared
with that spirit full of grace, which I was privileged to
hear. But it will be an image to recall the archetype to him
who was struck with the Thyrsus."
(We may state here that the Thyrsus was the mystic-wand
carried by the Initiates in the Mystic Brotherhoods--the
Initiate being first tapped with it, and then receiving it
from the Hierophant, at the ceremony of formal Initiation.)
Clement adds:
"We profess not to explain secret
things sufficiently--far from it--but only to recall them to
memory, whether we have forgot aught, or whether for the
purpose of not forgetting. Many things, well I know, have
escaped us, through length of time, that have dropped away
unwritten. There are then some things of which we have no
recollection; for the power that was in the blessed men was
great."
"There are also some things which remain unnoted long, which
have now escaped; and others which are effaced, having faded
away in the mind itself, since such a task is not easy to
those not experienced; these I revive in my commentaries.
Some things I purposely omit, in the exercise of a wise
selection, afraid to write what I guarded against speaking;
not grudging--for that were wrong--but fearing for my
readers lest they should stumble by taking them in a wrong
sense; and, as the proverb says, we should be found
'reaching a sword to a child.'
For it is impossible that what has been written should not
escape, although remaining published by me. But being always
revolved, using the one only voice, that of writing, they
answer nothing to him that makes inquiries beyond what is
written; for they require of necessity the aid of someone,
either of him who wrote or of someone else, who walked in
his footsteps. Some things my treatise will hint; on some it
will linger; some it will merely mention. It will try to
speak imperceptibly, to exhibit secretly, and to demonstrate
silently." ( The Stromata of St. Clement. )
St. Clement, in the same work from which the above quotation
was taken, has a chapter entitled "The Mysteries of the
Faith, not to be Divulged to all." In it he states that
inasmuch as his writings might be seen by all men, the
unwise as well as the wise, "it is requisite, therefore, to
hide in a Mystery the wisdom spoken, in which the Son of God
is taught." He then adds, "For it is difficult to exhibit
the really pure and transparent words to swinish and
untrained hearers. For scarcely could anything which they
could bear be more ludicrous than these to the multitude;
nor any subjects on the other hand more admirable or more
inspiring to those of noble nature. But the wise do not
utter with their mouths what they reason in council. 'But
what ye hear in the ear,' said the Lord, 'proclaim upon the
houses; bidding them receive the secret traditions of
the true knowledge , and expound them aloft and
conspicuously; and as we have said in the ear, so to deliver
them to whom it is requisite; but not enjoining us to
communicate to all without distinction what is said to
them in parables. But there is only a delineation in the
memoranda, which have the truth sown sparse and broadcast,
that it may escape the notice of those who pick up seeds
like jackdaws; but when they find a good husbandman, each of
them will germinate and will produce corn."
"Those who are still blind and dumb, not having
understanding, or the undazzled and keen vision of the
contemplative soul, must stand outside of the divine choir.
Wherefore, in accordance with the method of concealment, the
truly sacred Word, truly divine and most necessary for us,
deposited in the shrine of truth, was by the Egyptians
indicated by what were called among them adyta , and
by the Hebrews 'the veil.' Only the consecrated were allowed
access to them. For Plato also thought it not lawful for
'the impure to touch the pure.' Thence the prophecies and
oracles are spoken in enigmas, and to the untrained and
uninstructed people. Now, then, it is not wished that all
things should be exposed indiscriminately to all and sundry,
or the benefits of wisdom communicated to those who have not
even in a dream been purified in soul, for it is not
allowable to hand to every chance comer what has been
procured with such laborious efforts. Nor are the Mysteries
of the Word to be expounded to the profane. The Mysteries
were established for the reason that it was more beneficial
that the holy and the blessed contemplation of realities be
conceded. So that, on the other hand, then, there are the
Mysteries which were hid till the time of the apostles, and
were delivered by them as they received from the Lord, and,
concealed in the Old Testament, were manifested to the
saints. And on the other hand, there is the riches of the
glory of the mysteries of the Gentiles, which is faith and
hope in Christ. Instruction, which reveals hidden things, is
called Illumination, as it is the teacher only who uncovers
the lid of the ark." ( The Stromata of St. Clement .)
St. Clement also quotes approvingly the saying of Plato,
that: "We must speak in enigmas; that should the tablet come
by any mischance on its leaves either by sea or land he who
reads may remain ignorant." He also says, concerning certain
Gnostic writings:
"Let the specimen suffice to those
who have ears. For it is not required to unfold the
mystery, but only to indicate what is sufficient for those
who are partakers in knowledge to bring it to mind."
We have quoted freely from St. Clement, for the purpose of
showing that he, a man in a very exalted position in the
Early Christian Church, recognized, and actually taught, the
Inner Teachings, or Secret Doctrine of Mystic
Christianity--that the Early Christian Church was an
organization having a Mystic Centre for the few, and Common
Outer for the multitude. Can there be any doubt of this
after reading the above words from his pen?
But not only St. Clement so wrote and taught, but many
others in authority in the Early Christian Church likewise
voiced their knowledge of, and approval in, the Inner
Teachings. For example, Origen, the pupil of St. Clement, a
man whose influence was felt on all sides in the early days
of the Church. Origen defended Christianity from the attacks
of Celsus, who charged the Church with being a secret
organization which taught the Truth only to a few, while it
satisfied the multitude with popular teachings and
half-truths. Origen replied that, while it was true that
there were Inner Teachings in the Church which were not
revealed to the general public, still the Church, in that
respect, was but following the example of all teachers of
Truth, who always maintained an esoteric side of their
teachings for those fitted to participate in them, while
giving the exoteric side to the general body of followers.
He writes:
"And yet the Mystery of the
Resurrection, not being understood, is made a subject of
ridicule among unbelievers.
In these circumstances, to speak of the Christian
doctrine as a secret system is altogether
absurd. But that there should be certain doctrines, not made
known to the multitude, which are divulged after the
exoteric ones have been taught, is not a peculiarity of
Christianity alone, but also of philosophic systems in which
certain truths are exoteric and others esoteric. Some of the
hearers of Pythagoras were content with his ipse
dixit; while others were taught in secret those
doctrines which were not deemed fit to be communicated to
profane and insufficiently prepared ears. Moreover, all the
Mysteries that are celebrated everywhere throughout Greece
and barbarous countries, although held in secret, have no
discredit thrown upon them, so that it is in vain he
endeavors to calumniate the secret doctrines of
Christianity, seeing that he does not correctly understand
its nature."
"I have not yet spoken of the
observance of all that is written in the Gospels, each one
of which contains much doctrine difficult to be understood,
not merely by the multitude, but even by certain of the more
intelligent,
including a very profound
explanation of the parables, which Jesus delivered to 'those
without' while reserving the exhibition of their full
meaning for those who had passed beyond the stage of
exoteric teaching, and who came to Him privately in the
house. And when he comes to understand it, he will admire
the reason why some are said to be 'without' and others 'in
the house.'" ( Origen against Celsus .)
In the same work Origen considers the story of the
Syria-Phoenician woman ( Matt. Chap. 15 ) and says
concerning it:
"And perhaps, also, of the words of
Jesus there are some loaves which it is possible to give to
the more rational, as to the children, only; and others as
it were crumbs from the great house and table of the
well-born, which may be used by some souls like dogs."
And, again,
"He whose soul has, for a long
time, been conscious of no evil, especially since he yielded
himself to the healing of the Word, let such a one
hear the doctrines which were spoken in private by
Jesus to His genuine disciples ."
And, again,
"But on these subjects much, and
that of a mystical kind might be said: in keeping with
which is the following: 'It is good to keep close to the
secret of a king,' in order that the doctrine of the
entrance of souls into bodies may not be thrown
before the common understanding, nor what is holy
given to the dogs, nor pearls be cast before swine. For such
a procedure would be impious, being equivalent to a betrayal
of the mysterious declaration of God's wisdom. It is
sufficient, however, to represent in the style of a historic
narrative what is intended to convey a secret
meaning in the garb of history,
that those who have the capacity may work out for
themselves all that relates to the subject."
He also says, in the same work:
"If you come to the books written
after the time of Jesus, you will find that those multitudes
of believers who hear the parables are, as it were,
'without,' and worthy only of exoteric doctrines, while the
disciples learn in private the explanation of the
parables. For, privately, to His own disciples
did Jesus open up all things, esteeming above the multitudes
those who desired to know His wisdom. And He promises
to those who believe on Him to send them wise men and
scribes."
In another work, Origen states that:
"The Scriptures have a meaning, not
only such as is apparent at first sight, but also another,
which escapes the notice of most men. For such is written in
the forms of certain Mysteries, and the image of divine
things. Respecting which there is one opinion throughout the
whole Church, that the whole law is indeed spiritual;
but that the spiritual meaning which the law conveys is not
known to all , but to those only on whom the grace of the
Holy Spirit is bestowed in the word of wisdom and
knowledge." ( De Principiis .)
We could fill page after page with live quotations from the
writings of the Early Christian Fathers, and their
successors, showing the existence of the Inner Teachings.
But we must rest content with those which we have given you,
which are clear and to the point, and which come
from undoubted authority .
The departure of the Church from these Inner Teachings was a
great calamity, from which the Church is still suffering. As
that well-known occultist, Eliphias Levi, has said:
"A great misfortune befell
Christianity. The betrayal of the Mysteries by the false
Gnostics--for the Gnostics, that is, those who know ,
were the Initiates of primitive Christianity--caused
the Gnosis to be rejected, and
alienated the Church from the
supreme truths of the Kabbala, which contains all the
secrets of transcendental theology.... Let the most absolute
science, let the highest reason become once more the
patrimony of the leaders of the people; let the sarcerdotal
art and the royal art take the double sceptre of antique
initiations and the social world will once more issue from
its chaos. Burn the holy images no longer; demolish the
temples no more; temples and images are necessary for men;
but drive the hirelings from the house of prayer; let the
blind be no longer leaders of the blind; reconstruct the
hierarchy of intelligence and holiness, and recognize
only those who know as the teachers of
those who believe ." ( The Mysteries of Magic, Waite
translation .)
And now, you ask, what were taught in these Christian
Mysteries--what is the Inner Teaching--what the Secret
Doctrine? Simply this, good students--the Occult Philosophy
and Mystic Lore which has been taught to the Elect in all
times and ages, and which is embodied in our several series
of lessons on THE YOGI PHILOSOPHY AND ORIENTAL
OCCULTISM, plus the special teaching regarding the
nature, mission, and sacrifice of Jesus the Christ, as we
have tried to explain in the present series of lessons . The
Truth is the same no matter under what name it is taught, or
who teaches it. Strip it of the personal coloring of the
teacher and it is seen to be the same--THE TRUTH.
In these lessons we have tried to give you the Key to the
Mysteries, but unless you have studied the other lessons in
which the Occult Teachings have been set forth, you will not
be able to see their application in Mystic Christianity. You
must bring Knowledge to these lessons, in order to take away
knowledge.
