The Principles of Occult Healing - A Working Hypothesis Which Includes All Cures - Studies by a Group of Theosophical Students. Mary Weeks Burnett

      CHAPTER I

      OCCULT HEALING AND OCCULTISM

      The Healing Art, as understood by medical practitioners today, may be defined in terms of Occultism as Physical Occultism. It directs its attention to physical results only, ignoring the hidden causes. The greater Occultism, the knowledge of the Soul, of the Self, of the continual action and reaction between Self and the body, has no place in its curriculum. This condition cannot long continue, for it is becoming known even to the masses that all healing is occult, hidden; that its source is not in the doctor nor the drug.

      In order to understand the term Occult Healing we must know its source and something of its relation to the great Principles of Occultism.

      As defined by Madame H. P. Blavatsky, Occultism is “The study of the Divine Mind in Nature.”

      Many records of such study are to be found in the Principles of Eastern Occultism, set forth by great Sages thousands of years ago. Within the last century some of these occult records have been translated into the languages of the Western world, and are found to throw much light upon the Western investigations into Chemistry, Physiology, Psychology, Medicine, Physics, Astronomy, and other scientific studies. Sir Oliver Lodge, who holds high rank in the scientific world, states that modern science appears to be rediscovering some of the discoveries of the ancient scientists, which have long been lost sight of and forgotten.

      The principles of medicine, as known to the ancients, are illuminating to those especially interested in establishing health instead of disease, and in maintaining it when secured. Certain definite Occult Principles are found to underlie all the phenomena of Health and Healing. These include the Constitution of Man, his origin, his stage in evolution, and his ultimate goal, all of which have direct bearing upon Health.

Very briefly stated, the Principles of Occultism which relate to Health and Healing, so far as our research has extended, are these: Coming forth from the Unthinkable, is the One Only Creative Cause, Creator of Nature and Nature’s Laws, who is inseparably united with all that He brings out into manifestation. Of Himself He says: “Having pervaded this whole universe with a portion of Myself, I remain.”*

      His plan for His worlds includes two great factors, both of which must be recognized as basic factors in all healing. They are: First, Life, Consciousness, pervading and informing all forms; and, second, the differing grades or planes of spirit-matter in and through which consciousness must work.

      In order that these two, Life and Matter, shall reach the perfection of His purpose for them, He has laid down the law of Evolution, which makes every atom and every entity unfold and use its powers. Occultism, taking into consideration the origin of both consciousness and matter, shows their purposeful relation to each other: Consciousness, as individualized Souls or Selves, unfolding by means of experiences in matter; Matter evolving finer qualities and greater responsiveness as consciousness uses it.

The origination of the Monads, the Units of Consciousness—who are our potential selves—is within the Divine Life. “The myriads of such Units who are to be developed in that coming universe, are generated within the Divine Life as germ-cells in organisms, before the field for their evolution is formed.”* These myriads of Monads are sparks, fragments of Himself, thought into separation as individual entities, who are to become self-moving, self-determining, self-knowing. But, until the Solar System has been built, they must wait without vehicles or bodies in which they can unfold and express themselves. (It is well to note that the difference in individuals is here shown to be not superficial, but basic.)

      The Logos of a System, selecting His spot in space and encircling it for His definite work, breathes—we use that word for lack of a better expression—breathes something of His own Life into the pre-existing matter in it, and all the matter of His system thus becomes charged with His own Life-breath energies. For this reason the types of matter which Science is investigating today are found to have life and energy and stability combined in their minutest particles; for this reason occultists call all grades of matter spirit-matter.

      In Occultism it is stated that the spirit-matter of this system is divided into seven distinct grades, planes or states, each with its own atomic level, and each with its fixed rate of vibration. From above down, the matter of each plane is graded into seven types—atomic, sub-atomic, super-etheric, etheric, gaseous, liquid, solid. Another enumeration, from below upwards, shows the relation of the seven types of matter to consciousness, as: physical matter, emotional matter, mental matter, intuitional matter, and the three higher grades known under the general term spiritual.

      All of these seven types inhere in each human body, interpenetrating but not intermingling. The finer matter remains inactive until the Ego—which is the specialized channel for the power or the informing ray for the Monad on the lower planes—has gained much control over the lower types in his bodies. The more highly evolved of humanity are using the matter of the five lower planes. But mankind generally is using, and that but partially, the matter of the three lowest, the mental, the emotional or astral and the physical planes, and gradually building by thought a mental body out of the matter of the mental plane, by desire and emotion a body out of astral matter, while etheric and physical matter form the outer body. Disease expresses itself in the matter of these three lower planes, but medical science takes no heed of the types of matter involved nor does it recognize the differing needs in treatment; and therefore it fails to find the true causes of disease and the permanent remedy.

      Occultism states that while each monad embodies within itself the three attributes of divine consciousness—Will, Wisdom and Activity—these are for great periods of time merely potential, as is the oak in the acorn, and must be slowly unfolded by evolution through long ages. When each monad has attained to the utmost of its powers, it has become like the Logos Himself, free, creative, full of wisdom, very god. But it is the law that each shall develop by means of its varied experiences in matter; just so far as the monad can gain control of and refine the matter of its bodies, in just so much can it show forth to the world its divine powers. This, the real Man, is never sick; but is free, and not confined to any one of his bodies. Disease appears only in the matter of the three lower bodies; therefore, the better we understand, protect and control them, the freer will they be from disease.

      The Occult Scriptures say that the Great Architect brought forth with Him hosts of Shining Ones, Builders, Rulers, Lords of the Elements, who had worked with Him in previous evolutions, and to them He entrusted His plans for building and supporting His worlds. It is these Shining Ones, Devas, Angels, who maintain balance in the Cosmos, who restore equilibrium when the desire nature of man has filled the world with selfish greed, and who guide all evolution in the inner and the outer worlds. They are the ministers of God, living Intelligences, ever at work through Nature, unceasingly aiding in evolution.

      Occultism explains the wonderful complexity of human bodies, and places before us a far broader view of Health and Healing than at present known. Reasonably all Health is occult; all Healing is occult; for while the remedies used and the results secured are known, the hidden processes of healing, the initial factors in the entrance of disease and the various intelligent agencies which exercise their selective, distributive and assimilative powers and know how and where to use them, are not seen by the ordinary physical vision. The real processes of health and healing are occult, hidden, until such time as finer organs of vision are built by those who will to make the effort.

      Humanity, every member of it, must be looked at from several standpoints, if we would understand the problems of healing. We