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Yoga — Not the Richard
was asked to comment on the practice of yoga. He said that the purpose of the
yogi is to gain access to his higher consciousness—his Egoic memory—and to
perceive the astral plane. Although that goal may be attained by a yogi, this
ability does not denote Egoic advancement nor allow him to function on the
higher planes, which is possible only through growth of character.
Undoubtedly, many of the philosophical tenets of yoga are beautiful and
useful, as in Rajah Yoga; but in some of the yogic studies there is a
perverted negation of the physical world. Attainment of astral consciousness
is exalted whereas the physical is denied as unworthy and vile rather than as
an essential and beautiful part of the life experience. The distinction
usually is not made in the study of yoga that you are what you are and that
attaining astral awareness or leaving the physical body at death does not
bring one to an advanced state of enlightenment. In answer to a request for definition of the word
“chakra,” Richard said that this is a Sanskrit word for “spinning wheel.” A
person who is able to perceive the whole astral aura of a human being can
detect at the location of each of the seven plexi of the physical body a
slowly turning vortex of light, which is a chakra. Certain astral energies
are absorbed and radiated in the chakras, and this produces the appearance of
spinning. In the practice of Hatha Yoga, yogis manipulate the activity of
their plexi to produce an energy imbalance which induces a rapport between
their physical and astral senses as a means of forcing their waking
consciousness into astral perceptions. This is unnatural, however, and very
dangerous and frightening; for the first thing encountered during this
projection is the “Dweller of the Threshold,” one of the lowest entities on
the astral plane. The terror of contact with these gross entities can lead to
total possession by them. For this reason, the Brotherhoods strongly discourage
the practice of yoga and instead encourage the practice of the Great Virtues
by which natural awareness of the higher planes is achieved in a safe and
pleasant manner. (11-1969) |
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