The subject of Messages from Masters is so much under discussion just now that a few words on it may be timely and appropriate.
In the first place, there is the broad and general law which seems to be that the Aryan race shall receive a spiritual influx once in a century, when mystical and spiritual influences prevail, as the influx of vitality prevails in the spring.
During the last quarter, or spring-time, of the century the Masters work more generally with the race. They do not create the law; they utilize it, as the wise husbandman does the spring. They appear or send messengers among men for the accomplishment of certain definite and specific results, always looking to the present and future elevation of the race. Now, as all things in Nature which are done are brought about by force or energy, it follows that the Masters, to accomplish anything, must use forces or energies, of some kind, even though these should be more invisible and spiritual than those in use by less developed men. As our forces and ordinary state of consciousness are upon the Kama-Manasic plane, so the Masters’ are naturally upon the Manasic, and their forces are more subtle, far-reaching, and potent. And these forces of the Buddhi-Manasic plane are really at the root and well-spring of all higher action. The Masters, using forces on that plane for definite, specific results, anyone co-operating in the work for that specific end would, in a general way, receive the assistance and sustenance of the forces proceeding from Them, and might, in one sense, be said to be in communication or connection, on the plane of force, with Them. This is undoubtedly the case with anyone who is working devotedly and sincerely for the Theosophical movement. This, at first general and indefinite relation, would, necessarily, in more advanced cases become mutually conscious and definite, and in this Chelaship would be constituted. Just as in the case of the man who has not proceeded far with selfanalysis and control, the opposite states of intuition and impression are inextricably mixed and inseparable, so in the disciple, not yet free from delusion and passion, the voice of his desires and emotions may not always be distinguished from the voice of his Master. From this inability to discriminate would result confusion and disorder, but in the absence of these latter there would be no ground for the supposition of delusion.
Now, as to communications from the Masters, in a more specific sense. We have heard a great deal about precipitations and other phenomenal assistance from Masters; but, happily, the age of objective phenomena, and the rage for it, are ceasing; and the idea of reaching the Masters on Their own plane and in subjective regions is animating some.
Among the many methods employed by Masters, it is said that in Their Mayavi-Rupa they may ensoul or envelope a man, thus coming in contact with men and external objects and producing certain results. If this, under rare circumstances, may be the case, how much more likely would it be to occur with their devoted disciples and pledged Chelas. And, in truth, this is frequently the case, as evidenced by Col. Olcott’s “Diary Leaves,” in which he describes the various characteristics of several of the Masters, nearly every one of whom he had no other means of knowing. This “ensouling” of a disciple by the Mayavi-Rupa of a Master has been definitely known to occur in other cases than that of H. P. Blavatsky.
An occasional psychic phenomenon is for a person to sit down and write, simply from the impression on his mind, communicated by thought transference, long articles with certain information not in anywise known to the subject, yet correct in all its details. While doing this the operator might remain in full possession of all his faculties, quite well understanding what was being transmitted through him and written down in his own hand-writing, yet be not in anywise its author, being previously in complete ignorance of the facts given.
A higher and better method than all is in the case of the one who can transfer his consciousness to the higher planes of his own being and communicate with Them on Their own plane. Yet, in even this, the most exalted of all, the spectator who could not sense the inner plane of the operator, much less that of the Master, would be utterly unable to decide whether such communications were genuine or not. In the case of thought transference, or psycological telepathy, the evidence is still uncertain from an objective and skeptical standpoint. In the case of precipitation and objective phenomena, all these have been produced by psychics of a much lower order, and by mediums. Hence this is not an indisputable evidence to him who is disposed to cavil.
In no case could the works of the Master be indisputable except in that of his personal, objective appearance. And of enduring the critical Karma and enormous force of these startling objective phenomena he is quite certain to kindly and considerately exempt us.
In any case our verdict upon any phenomenon must rest with ourselves individually, and we base our own private opinion upon implicit confidence in the integrity of some individual, or upon reason, or upon interior evidence, but in no case can we either by a Committee, or officially, or in any dogmatic way, assert the verity or otherwise of any communication.