“Great is the mystery of thought”, wrote Alice Bailey, an eminent spiritual philosopher, in the last century. It is one of four profound mysteries, so we are informed, revealed to those whose consciousness is alive to the spiritual realities. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to suggest that most of us struggle to grasp the nature of thought, its practice and its purpose. We take it for granted, it’s something we do to a greater or lesser extent, just like walking and talking. But, those who study spiritual philosophy recognise its significance in their own lives and in the universe: “God thought, and all the worlds emerged and ran their courses”. If the outer world, our planet, our solar system and beyond is the embodiment of divine thinking, then the mind is the key that unlocks its mysteries.
Each of us too, made in “the image of God”, are creators of our own smaller ‘universes’, our own spheres of influence and responsibility, wide or narrow, profound or profane, for good or not so good. Like the threefold Logos of the system, a human being has the capacity to display the same divine characteristics of Deity: Shiva, Vishnu and Brahma or will, love and intelligence. Man and woman, like God, is a triplicity, embodying three great streams of energy. But, in man, unlike God, these qualities are relatively dormant, like seeds waiting to bud, flower and flourish, as the aeons slip away: a god in the making, but not yet realising his or her own spiritual potentiality, not yet “made perfect through sufferings”, as the Old Testament reveals.
In the 17th century, Rene Descartes, the father of modern Western philosophy, famously observed: “I think, therefore I am”. Of all the physical life forms on earth, only humans have the capacity for self-consciousness, to know that they know. The distinction in awareness between the various kingdoms of nature, up to and including the human, has been expressively captured in the classic Hindu Scripture, The Rig Veda: “minerals exist, plants feel, and animals know, but know not that they exist, feel and know, while man exists, feels, knows, and also knows that he exists, feels, knows”. It is interesting to note that the spiritual sciences emphasise the pivotal role of the human kingdom in the evolution of a planet and that all lives are either working their way towards, are a part of or have transcended the human stage. Few would doubt that the power of the mind is rapidly developing, bringing about many constructive changes, but also stimulating selfish and separative thinking.
Writing in the early 1940s, Alice Bailey, described the advent of the telegraph, telephone and radio as the outer demonstration of the unfolding telepathic life of the human family. Today, the development of the internet and its equally rapid evolution into the ‘Cloud’ might indicate that the thought life and the intuitive faculties of humanity are developing along abstract lines and awakening to the subtler yet substantial impressions emanating from what has been called the ‘Raincloud of Knowable Things’. This ‘Raincloud’ can be pictured as the reservoir of those “divine ideas, working out as intuitions in all the many areas of human thinking”. It is, we are informed, hovering “heavy with portent and knowledge, over a world today in process of reorganisation and regeneration”. The impending realisations and newer truths stand at the periphery of human consciousness, awaiting the right subjective environment in which they can begin to awaken human thinking. The direction and destiny of the world depends upon it.
So, in this vein, it is not surprising that the distinguished American philosopher, Ralph Waldo Emerson, once noted that “thoughts rule the world”. Other visionary thinkers and luminaries over the centuries have also alluded to this truth. Indeed, our modern world reflects their impact on human thinking throughout the ages and their anchorage in the world of form. In the last century, Bhagavan Das, a notable Indian philosopher commented: “philosophical beliefs govern great public movements, ideas and ideologies move the world, theory guides practice, for good or for ill”. By the same measure, the destiny of future generations will be determined by our responsiveness to the forward looking and constructive ideas precipitating today. A new progressive era is emerging built on the edifices of the old. No doubt the coming age will be as far removed from our present culture and civilisation, as ancient Rome is to today’s world.
“Ideas”, Alice Bailey observed: “are simply channels for new and desired divine energies”. Certain profound ideas essential for human welfare are impressing humanity. Receptive human minds are responding and carrying these ideas through to practical implementation into the outer world. The current global unrest and turmoil is only a reflection of the clash between the new spiritual order and the old outworn ideologies working out on the world stage. Even to the casual observer, it must be apparent that the direction of human thinking is slowly shifting from a purely separative and nationalistic outlook, to a more inclusive and compassionate perspective.
Since primitive man walked the earth, humanity has come a long way in developing the mental faculties. The great strides in philosophy, science, government, literature and the arts (to name but a few) are the direct result of the ascendancy of thought. But, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to suggest that we only stand at the threshold of human achievement, and ultimately spiritual accomplishment. And, although the purpose of thought is hidden to all but those who have transcended human experience, every time we use the mind to serve in meditation, to uplift and ennoble human life, we take a step closer to understanding its mystery.
