Theosophy =/= Western Occultism. Western Occultism has its roots in Kabbalah and the Mystery Schools of Greek antiquity which, further, has its roots in the traditions of ancient Egyptian and Babylonian ceremonial magick. I don't understand where you could have gotten the idea that Theosophy (which is an individual school of thought within the Western tradition) somehow "invented" WO. So unless you have a completely different idea of what WO means, you just seem really foolish.
Theosophy is the known source of the majority of WO, directly and indirectly, and has been since around 1905. You must have heard of the Order of the Golden Dawn? The biggest influence on WO thought? Based on Theosophical ideals (and some quite shadey documents). What you mean is that WO claims to draw on these things (and Buddhism and Hinduism) which it misrepresents, usually coming to it via Theosophy. Theosophy isn't just an individual school of thought, it has many sub-schools that sprang up in the last 100 years and which continue to affect the WO to the extent that only a handful within it (such as Tris' who posted here on the subject) are truly practicing the things they think they are with the right information. Now to the wonder of the subjects you talk about that you say are the real basis of the WO. They, like Theosophy, are silly and in some cases based on an imagined idea of what took place in ancient times. Should I quake in my boots because the WO draws on Babylonian magic, when it offers spells like 'Prayers against the evils of attending an eclipse? Or a 'spells to the Moon god'? How about Egyptian magic? Lots of spells about how to get the dead to return to life and never rot- and yet there's not an Egyptian zombie alive in the world today. The Greek Mystery Traditions (really the Elusian Mysteries): firstly, they were secret traditions, and the majority had unknown practices. What we know now about them is constructed from commentators who came after them and best guesses. What we do know is pretty tame stuff as it was based on a kind of agragarian shamanism. We know that some involved dancing, fasting, singing and possibly taking drugs too with adepts dong not very much apparently. Not really dark and dangerous. The Kabalah. Lots of talk about power and levels, but not a lot of results. Aleister Crowley, the big bad kabalist, died sad and alone in an old people's home on the south coast of england. If this is the true basis of WO, I remain unimpressed. MelT This is a good read on Babylonian Magic: http://www.nyboria.de/meso_magic.htm it gives an outline of what it was for and how they thought of it.
If we're talking about eastern traditions(? sorry if not) TBH there is no 'best', some are faster or slower, and temprament counts a lot. For example, Dzogchen is the fastest route by far, though you need a grounding in say, basic Mahayana first - but it doesn't suit everyone, and in some cases it's better for a student to work with a simple form of Bhakti and shamatha and just see how it goes. You actually seem to be doing the right things already: you're reading and questioning - even our discussion here is good - and you really want to know what is and isn't true. Just keep doing what you are, but broaden it into reading things (i'm sure you do already) from a variety of eastern sources too. I've said it a million times here and I am getting boring, but: Meditation at a basic level teaches about meditation and morality; the higher levels of meditation use mainly an understanding of the nature of reality and just a little meditation of a particular type or two. Working with reality is much faster than using tradtional meditation and can offer enlightenment in this lifetime. If you want to know more look at Mahamudra and Dzogchen texts, but be careful, much is written in a way to prevent people from getting too far ahead of themselves and some phrases are coded. There are three main themes that are essential for any path to work, you don't have to be a part of an 'ism of any kind to learn them, you just need to work with them in the right way. Metta, mindfulness and sunyata. I am happy to help. MelT
Talkiing about what the WO is, I found an article on a Univeristy site talking about courses on the subject there. In a way it sums up my feelings about the WO and what it is: At first sight, the only thing esoteric currents may appear to have in common is the experience of having been rejected by mainstream religious and academic institutions in the West. In other words, the study of western esotericism is largely concerned with those traditions and ideas that have lost the battle for hegemony in Western intellectual and cultural history. The polemical debates unleashed by the Protestant Reformation led to a sharp rejection of all theological positions that smacked of “paganismâ€. This included the “philosophical paganism†of the Hermetica and of neoplatonism. Moreover, much of what we now study under the rubric of medieval and early modern esotericism – including alchemy, astrology, and natural magic – was excluded from the intellectual canon in the wake of the scientific revolution. As a result, the study of such forms of non-normative religion and natural philosophy was largely left to amateurs, Romantics, nineteenth-century occultists, and their descendants up to the present time. “Western esotericism†as a scholarly category emerged from such processes of polemical rejection but also of apologetic recuperation. The quest for higher knowledge Western esotericism is typically associated with special forms of revelatory knowledge. Esoteric practitioners are found searching for personal and transformative higher knowledge in the form of revelations, spiritual insights, or gnosis. The attainment of gnosis has been associated with exalted visionary experiences, sometimes resulting in symbolic and mythical representations that have inspired provocative artistic and literary expressions. The quest for gnosis can take many forms, from contemplative practices and intense textual study, to elaborate theurgic rituals, to the sacramental ingestion of hallucinogenic substances in contemporary neoshamanic practices. Secrecy, initiation, ritual Esotericism may also involve practices of secrecy. Esoteric movements have given rise to a wide variety of initiatory societies that seek to conceal their inner doctrines and rituals from the gaze of profane outsiders. Contrary to popular belief, such groups are not usually driven by a desire to form secret social bonds and engage in conspiracies. Rather, in most cases the practice of secrecy tends to be concerned with the pedagogical function of initiations. Esoteric initiation rituals are aimed at inducing life-altering and transformative experiences in the practitioner, and are typically connected to the quest for higher knowledge about God, the self, and the world. Magic never died… The meanings and practices known as “magic†have shifted many times through history, but all of them remain central to the study of Western esotericism. In Hellenistic times, magical practice was a site of religious syncretism between early Christianity and Greek, Hebrew, Egyptian, or Chaldaean traditions. Among the neoplatonic philosophers, magic got associated with the practice of “theurgy†and its aspiration of bringing the soul in communion with the divine. Throughout the medieval period and the Renaissance, traditional magical doctrines and practices were adapted to a Christian environment, surviving despite the pressures of theological polemics. During the medieval and early modern period, magic was understood in a wide variety of ways. Next to its traditional associations with the agency of demons or angels, “natural magic†was connected with the pursuit of science and the manipulation of nature, while “astral†and “ceremonial†magic catered to philosophical, religious as well as medical needs. From post-Enlightenment and Romantic perspectives, magic is often associated with “enchanted†worldviews alternative to strict materialism. All these meanings have persisted to the present day through new mutations and adaptation to an ever-changing cultural environment. With the occult revival of the nineteenth century, esoteric groups such as the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn created new syntheses of magical practice which have inspired a constant supply of new groups and individuals. In the twenty-first century, magical practice is still very much alive and well, thriving in online communities and virtual worlds as much as in books and secret societies..." I understand it. I know why some beleive in it, but I don't buy any of it. MelT
Hmmm... I hope all of your research is not based on internet findings. I have spoken with 3 Reiki Masters and the origins and lineage are congruent. Though of course, it is easy to say this as it can be considered "Westernized Reiki" which they all got their info from most likely the same source across the pacific ocean. Anyway, have you had hands on experience with Reiki? Did you do it, or did someone perform it on you? And what other forms of alternative medicine work in your opinion?
I'm not well versed in any alternative healing methods, so I suppose it would be easier for you to say what has worked for you . I only began Reiki out of curiosity and there have been some definite points where I felt "something". Whether it is "healing" or just good vibes is up to the recipient. But ya, it'd be dandy to know what you have come across that actually works
the third eye is refer to being enlightenment or spiritually awakened. the buddhism also contain a little information. Buddha(Siddhartha Gautam) was real. HE got so much understanding due to enlightenment. IN story it is said "one night while he was meditating he saw a light and was enlightened".Its is said that when ur meditating on a dark place u will be guided by a shimmering light and will get enlightenment. so 3rd eye is also in Buddhism
http://www.universal-mind.org/Chakra_pages/ProofOfExistence.htm Scienific Research into the Chakras There are few involved in the investigation of the Chakras. Below are some of the better know researchers who have attempted to prove their existence, although as you can see, this list is by no means exhaustive. Dr Hiroshi Motoyama "…We may define the chakra as an energy centre which spins like a wheel and opens like a flower. Metaphysical concepts, however, do not belong purely to the world of spiritual experience; scientific enquiry has in many cases confirmed age-old beliefs. Dr Hiroshi Motoyama bridges the world of the scientific and the spiritual with dual authority. He is both a scientist and a Shinto priest. Motoyama is the founder of the International Association for Religion and Parapsychology. In 1974 he was recognised by UNESCO [United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization] as one of the world's ten foremost parapsychologists. He is especially interested to verify scientifically the claims put forward by proponents of spiritual practices. Several significant experiments have been conducted under his auspices. He has specifically developed a Chakra Instrument which is designed to detect minute electrical, magnetic and optical changes which occur in the immediate environment of the experimental subject. In a typical experimental situation, the subject sat in an electrostatically secure room which was internally lined with aluminium sheeting and shielded by lead sheeting embedded in the walls. A round copper electrode and photo-electric cell were placed in front of the body, level with the location of a supposed chakra. During one test on the centres of the stomach and heart, the subject was monitored for a period of three minutes at each of the two locations. Separate readings were taken one minute before a state of concentration, during concentration, and one minute after concentration. Curiously, when an advanced yoga practitioner was tested, the two centres gave quite different results. The stomach centre showed no change in measurable activity during the three-minute monitoring period. However, the heart centre showed a considerable intensification of measurable activity during the period of concentration. This difference corresponded to the subject's regular spiritual practice. He regularly meditated on the heart centre during meditation. The subject did not as a rule use the solar plexus chakra as a focal point for meditation as he suffered from a serious digestive disorder. When working with another subject, Motoyama found that the increased activity of the heart chakra was sufficient to produce a measurable effect which was detected by the photo-electric cell. In other words the activity of the heart chakra was enough to produce a weak but measurable physical light. Moreover the subject was asked to press a button whenever she thought that she experienced the emission of psi-energy. The subjective feelings corresponded to the objectively measured periods of activity. It was experiments like these which were conducted with 100 subjects which led Motoyama to conclude 'that mental concentration on a chakra activates it' [Motoyama, The Theories of the Chakras, p.274]." Ozaniec, Naomi. (1999). Chakras for Beginners. Hodder & Stoughton Educational, London. ISBN 0 340 62082 X Professor Valerie Hunt "Ever since the 1960s there has been much loose talk about raising vibrations. Over-used though this phrase may be, it should not be dismissed. For the past twenty years, Valerie Hunt, a professor of kinesiology [the study of human movement], has measured human electromagnetic output under different conditions. Using an electro-myograth, which records the electrical activity of the muscles, Hunt, like Motoyama [Dr Hiroshi Motoyama, scientist and Shinto priest], recorded radiations emanating from the body at the sites traditionally associated with the chakras. Through her research she made the startling discovery that certain types of consciousness were related to certain frequencies. She found that when the focus of a person's consciousness was anchored in the physical world, their energy field registered the frequencies in the range of 250 cps (cycles per second). This is close to the body's own biological frequency. Active psychics and healers, however, registered in a band between 400 and 800 cps. Trance specialists and chanellers registered in a narrow field of 800-900 cps, but from 900 cps onwards Hunt correlated what she termed 'mystical personalities' who had a firm sense of the cosmic interconnections between everything. They were anchored in reality, possessed psychic and healing abilities, were able to enter deep trance states, yet had transcended and unified the separate experiences through a mystic, holistic, metaphysical philosophy." Ozaniec, Naomi. (1999). Chakras for Beginners. Hodder & Stoughton Educational, London. ISBN 0 340 62082 X