It was a summer day in Cambridge, Mass. in 1987, with people from everywhere around the world strolling through Harvard Square or reading on benches or playing chess. Hankering for a new book, I entered the only esoteric bookstore in Cambridge. A wall of blue caught my eyes and like a bee to a flower I was beckoned. All of these blue books were by one author and all had the same plain blue cover, and each one felt delightful in my hand. A sweetness ran through my heart, light and excitement billowed in my mind and I went home with Treatise on White Magic, the Way of the Disciple by Alice A. Bailey. That moment has led to everything else of my spiritual journey as a student, a teacher, an author and meditator.
The Master Djwal Khul began to telepathically communicate with Alice A. Bailey in 1919, but she did not start to take the dictation that became the blue books until 1925. This unusual relationship lasted through the turmoil of World War II, the rise of socialism, communism and capitalism, as well as the spread of the principles of Theosophy and Anthroposophy through the western world. The last book created through this telepathic rapport was published in 1949.
I bow to the Master DK as a cherished teacher. The Trans-himalayan philosophy has opened many subjects for me, such as astrology, Buddhadharma and physics. The teachings given by DK support me through deep exploration and a cross-referencing type of synthesis. I am forever grateful and offer any benefit generated through my teaching and writing back to the Master and his work.
There is a portion of the Bailey/DK writings that were pertinent in their time and are often misread now. That is true of many writings penned in humanity’s challenging hours. DK wrote to inspire, explain and educate. The Bailey/DK books remain timeless sources for understanding the human spiritual path and how to effectively engage that. It has been my joy to be a student, to lead groups in discussion, and to create curriculum and classes on and born from the Trans-himalayan Wisdom and the teachings of the Master DK.
What part of the books do you feel are ‘misread now’ as mentioned in your article? Do you read these books exoterically, or do you read them as they apply to the micro in terms of energy and forces? Thank you!
Hi Tina, Reading DK and Bailey is always an esoteric exploration. Much of the exoteric information is still of value but often is particular to the time and culture in which the book was given, such as during WWII. In that vein then, it is my experience that those who read DK in a chapter and verse way also read it as literal. That, then, is an example of misreading, not updating the excellent information and with the eye of application to the Now is another example of misreading. Do you find that yourself?
I am finding that most folks read it exoterically, despite instructions over and over given in the blue books to see it in terms of energies and forces, subjectively in one’s micro. When one has learned to under-stand (esoterically speaking) these energies and forces in one’s meditation, one comes to the fuller, more deeper, or abstract levels of the work as described in the books. In so many cases, he points out that ‘humanity’ is a correspondence of this, and ‘hierarchy’ is a correspondence of that, however, most folks look at the work literally, exoterically, and do not situate themselves on the mental plane which is where the inspiration from the abstract mind can begin to filter down/in. I do not think this work is out of date, or can be, again, it is like saying the inner fire practices of tibetan buddhism need to be updated. In my opinion, they do not. It is upto each of us to ‘rise’ to the teachings, so as to under-stand the deeper meaning and significance of them.
Well said, Tina. The last sentence captures the essence completely: rise and under-stand. From the mental plane, let us put our mind in the buddhic light of Awareness, where exo and eso are conjoined. In this way, not only will Hierarchy be served but the Plan and all beings.
DK sometimes expresses something in an absolute and unqualified way, then next year you are reading another passage and you find that, in context, its not so absolute after all.
Also, DK uses some exoteric terms in an esoteric way, and many people giving the term its usual meaning as they read, will be misled.
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Yes, it’s true. DK, like many other teachers of the world and history, ask us to think, evaluate, and use the information. In this way we can determine for ourselves the context, the application, and meaning. Absolute or contextual, exo or esoteric, the application and level of understanding ultimately determine both. Thanks for the thought!
There was a time when Tibetan masters were not in the west . Connecting on a mental level was all that was available. Now there are sooooo many who have long lineages of wisdom, decades if not lifetimes of practice and research to uncover wisdom. Why not connect even on the computer to a living person where feedback is possible what bliss awaits
Yes, it is true and wonderfully so that realized masters, male and female, are now spread through the world. Communication with them is not easy, but I rest in the teaching and mentoring that I have received over lifetimes. In that way, those teachers are alive in the now of my awakeness and living as such honors their timeless generosity.
Excellent