In the mental world, there are certain localised thought centres, actual places in space, to which thoughts of the same type are drawn by the similarity of their vibrations, just as people who speak the same language are drawn together. Thoughts on a given subject gravitate to one of these centres, which absorbs any number of ideas, coherent or incoherent, right or wrong. The centre acts as a focus for all the converging lines of thought about that subject, which are linked by millions of lines to all sorts of other subjects. Imagine that: a central clearing house for fake news!
For example, philosophical thought has its own distinct realm with sub-divisions corresponding to the chief philosophical ideas. There are curious inter-relationships between these various centres, demonstrating how different systems of philosophy have connected themselves. These collections of ideas represent all that has been thought about a subject.
Anyone who deeply thinks, say on philosophy, comes in touch with this group of vortices. If they are in their mental envelope, whether they are asleep or “dead,” they are spatially drawn to the appropriate part of the mental plane. If their physical envelope prevents this, they will enter into a sympathetic vibration with one of these vortices and will receive from them whatever they are capable of assimilating. However, this process will be somewhat less free than if they had actually drifted into it in their mental envelope.
There is no specific location for the centre of thoughts on drama and fiction, but there is a region that embodies what can be termed as romantic thought. This region encompasses a wide range of somewhat undefined forms, including brilliant but vague ideas related to romantic relationships, emotions linked to medieval chivalry, and a multitude of fairy tales.
The sway of thought centres on individuals is a major reason behind people thinking collectively like sheep. It is far easier for someone with a lazy mindset to adopt a preconceived notion from another person rather than engage in the mental effort of pondering a topic and forming a conclusion independently.
In the Emotional World, emotional forms do not all gather in one place but coalesce with similar forms nearby, forming powerful “blocks” of feelings. These emotional currents can influence individuals, leading to phenomena like panic, fury, and melancholia. Undesirable emotions are believed to reach individuals through the navel or solar plexus chakra, while positive emotions can have a beneficial effect through the heart chakra.
It’s challenging to describe the appearance of these reservoirs of thought. Each thought seems to create a path, carving its way through the plane’s material. Once established, this path remains open or can easily be reopened, and its particles revitalised by any new effort. If this new effort is in line with the original thought, it’s much easier for it to adapt and follow that path than to create a slightly different one, even if it’s closely parallel to the existing one. The content of these thought centres is more than enough for any ordinary thinker. For those who are strong and persistent, there are other possibilities connected with these centres.
First, through these thought centres, it’s possible to access the minds of those who generated their force. Therefore, someone who is strong, eager, reverent, and teachable can actually learn from great thinkers of the past by sitting at their feet and understanding the problems of life. A person is able to psychometrise different thought forms in a thought centre, follow them to their thinkers through vibration, and acquire additional information from them.
There is a concept of Truth that exists as the conception of Truth in the mind of our Solar Logos. This can be understood by someone who has achieved conscious union with the deity but not by anyone at a lower level. However, reflections of this Truth can be observed, diminishing as they descend from plane to plane. Some of these reflections can be reached by individuals whose thoughts can rise to meet them. The existence of these thought centres leads to another interesting point. It is clear that many thinkers can be drawn to the same mental region simultaneously and gather exactly the same ideas, possibly leading to similar expressions of those ideas in the physical world. This may result in accusations of plagiarism from the ignorant, although the infrequency of such occurrences can be attributed to the density of people’s brains, which rarely bring anything learned on higher planes. This phenomenon occurs not only in literature but also in inventions, as Patent Offices are familiar with practically identical inventions arriving simultaneously. Writers may also derive ideas from the Akashic records, but this aspect will be addressed in a later presentation.
Let us now carry on and look at physical and waking consciousness. We will examine the mental body as it is utilised during normal “waking” consciousness, i.e., in everyday physical life.
Let’s discuss one by one the three factors that determine the nature and functioning of the mental body in physical life. Those factors are:
1. The Physical Life
2. The Emotional Life
3. The Mental Life
In the series of presentations on the Emotional Envelope, it was explained how factors in our physical life can impact our emotional envelope. This also applies to our mental envelope. Therefore, we won’t discuss these factors in detail again, but we’ll briefly summarise them.
Just as every part of the physical envelope has corresponding emotional and mental counterparts, a coarse and impure physical envelope can make the mental envelope coarse and impure, too.
Since the seven grades of mental matter correspond to the seven grades of physical matter, the mental envelope is influenced by physical solids, liquids, gases, and ethers, which are the four orders of physical matter. It’s important to note that a mental envelope made of coarse mental matter will be more responsive to coarse thoughts than to finer ones.
Consuming coarse food and drink can have a negative impact on our mental well-being. It also applies to most drugs. If a drug such as opium is used to relieve severe pain, it should be used sparingly. With proper knowledge, one can mitigate the negative effects of opium on the mental and emotional well-being after it has served its purpose for the physical body.
Moreover, a diet comprising of meat and alcohol can lead to poor health, especially when one is trying to expand their consciousness. Nervous diseases can be partly attributed to the challenges of expressing a higher consciousness through bodies burdened by meat and alcohol.
Dirt of all kinds is often more objectionable in the higher worlds than in the physical. For example, the mental and emotional counterparts of waste matter, which is constantly being eliminated by the physical body as invisible perspiration, are of the most undesirable character according to Arthur Powell.
Loud, sharp, or sudden noises should be avoided as much as possible by anyone who wants to keep their emotional and mental well-being intact. This is one reason why the life of a busy city should be avoided by an esoteric student, as well as by children, as the constant noise has negative effects on their developing emotional and mental bodies. The cumulative effect of noise on mental well-being is a feeling of fatigue and an inability to think clearly. Ironically, a bustling city can have enlivening as well as deleterious effect on one’s well being. It is, however, no accident that spiritual retreats have been secluded away in the wilderness since time immemorial.
A person’s mental well-being is affected by almost everything in their environment. For instance, the pictures hanging on the walls of their rooms influence them not only because they keep certain ideas before their eyes but also because the artist puts a great deal of themselves, their innermost thoughts, and feelings into their work. This is what we call the unseen counterparts of the picture, clearly expressed in mental and emotional matter. These radiate from the picture just as surely as scent exists in and radiates from a flower. Finally, I understand how people can stand in front of an incoherent jumble of colours and shapes in a picture gallery and claim that the picture is speaking to them of some deep and profound angst communicated by the artist through the painting. There, I thought they were just pretentious idiots.
Talismans or amulets can have an impact on a person’s life. They have been previously described in relation to the etheric and emotional envelopes. In a nutshell, they work in two ways: (1) they emit their own beneficial waves, and (2) being aware of the talisman’s presence and purpose can boost the wearer’s faith and courage, tapping into their inner strength. If a talisman is “linked” to its maker, and the wearer mentally calls upon the maker, the maker’s “monad” will respond and enhance the talisman’s vibrations with a powerful wave of their own concentrated thought.
A talisman that is highly charged with magnetism can be incredibly helpful. Mastering the physical nature, as well as the emotions and the mind, can be challenging, and the physical aspect is probably the most difficult to handle. Some people may scorn talismans, while others, who find the path to occultism challenging, are glad to accept any assistance offered to them.
The most powerful talisman on Earth is likely the Rod of Power, kept at Shamballa and used during Initiations and other occasions—no point in donning your Indian Jone’s hat and going off and looking for it. Like Shamballa, the Rod of Power is secreted away on one of the etheric planes of matter.
A person is influenced by the colours of the objects around them. Just as a feeling or thought can produce a certain colour in subtle ways, the presence of a specific colour in physical objects can also have a consistent effect, evoking the appropriate feeling or thought. This is why the Christian Church uses particular colours in altar frontals and vestments to induce the appropriate state of mind and feeling for the occasion.
A person’s thoughts and feelings unconsciously affect the physical objects near them, which can influence others in the same way. This is evident in environments such as prison cells. The significance of “holy places” lies in their highly charged atmosphere, which can benefit those seeking meditation and deep thought.
It’s been noted that certain ships or engines are considered “unlucky” due to a series of unexplained accidents. Some attribute this to negative collective thoughts, like intense feelings of hatred towards the ship’s builder or first captain. This negative energy could lead to lapses in vigilance, creating opportunities for accidents.
Positive and optimistic thoughts can create a “lucky” atmosphere around objects. This also applies to relics, which can maintain their strong influence for centuries due to the emotions and energy directed towards them.
There is hidden wisdom in the following advice, expressed in a quaint manner: “Knead love into the bread you bake; wrap strength and courage in the parcel you tie for the woman with the weary face; hand trust and candour with the coin you pay to the man with the suspicious eyes.” The student of the Good Law has ample opportunities to quietly distribute blessings all around, even if the recipients may be utterly unaware of the source of what comes to them.
Being near a more highly evolved person can temporarily increase our mental power, just as warm objects placed near a fire absorb its heat. This influence can lead to a person feeling they fully understand something at the time, but struggling later to recall or reproduce the same level of understanding. A true teacher will aid their disciples far more by keeping them near than by any spoken words.
Unseen forces like those found in nature can have a positive impact on our mental, emotional, and etheric well-being. Travel can benefit all three aspects of our being. Overall, anything that improves physical health also has a favourable effect on our finer envelopes.
The mind and emotions can significantly impact the physical body. Habitual thoughts can leave an imprint on a person’s physical appearance, and there are documented cases of “stigmata” appearing on the bodies of saints. In today’s evolved humans, the physical body is greatly influenced by mental states. Anxiety and worry can disrupt bodily functions, leading to weakness and disease. Positive thoughts and emotions can enhance the body’s ability to absorb vital energy. Mental strength and serenity thus directly promote physical health, for the evolved Fifth Race human lives their physical life literally in their nervous system.