The Mystery of Illusion
Many students of the Ancient Wisdom show particular interest in the initiations as taught by Madame Blavatsky and Alice A. Bailey. There are seven initiations possible on this planet but only a small handful have gone beyond the first two, and a much smaller handful have gone beyond the fifth, where one becomes a Master of Wisdom and progresses from the human kingdom to enter the ranks of the Spiritual Hierarchy.
The initiations are milestones of achievement or mastery on the path of liberation from all limitations.
The first initiation, symbolized by the birth of the Christ in the heart, represents reasonable mastery of the physical appetites and passion. The second, symbolized by the baptism of Christ, represents reasonable mastery over the emotional nature and the glamour aspects of the ego. The third, symbolized by the transfiguration of the Christ, represents reasonable mastery of illusion, freedom from glamor and a secure connection with the Higher Self and the One with who we live and love and have our being.
I use the word “reasonable” here because the effects of passion, the ego and illusion remain a part of that ocean of existence in which we live no matter how advanced disciples are. This particularly applies to illusion, the most difficult of the obstacles to completely overcome, but at the third initiation the disciple obtains a clarity of vision that allows him discern true reality from the false and perceive the real world of meaning.
The three worlds of form, the physical, the astral-emotional and the mental are all created out of illusionary principles and all living within them, even the Masters, are subject to some type of illusion, but the first major step out of illusion occurs at the third initiation. At this time the disciple makes a higher spiritual connection that allows him to throw light on what is perceived in the material world. He is thus enabled to see the truth behind various teachings, philosophies, events and ideas to the extent that the spirit within will affirm he is going the right direction. In addition to this he or she is committed to that direction. Concerning this achievement DK speaks of “the third initiation, at which time all glamour and illusion is dissipated and “the light which shines through the eye of the Bull (third eye) will be unimpeded” and carry light into the darkness. Esoteric Astrology, Pages 383-384
Even though the first two initiations are important milestones the third is particularly significant to the extent it is called the first major initiation. Concerning this DK says this:
“I would here remind you that the third initiation is regarded by the Hierarchy as the first major initiation, and that the first and second initiations are initiations of the Threshold. For the bulk of humanity, these first two initiations will for a very long time constitute major initiatory experiences, but in the life and realisation of the initiate-soul, they are not. After the two initiations of the threshold have been undergone the attitude of the initiate changes and he sees possibilities and factors and revelations which have hitherto been totally unrealised and unknown, even to his consciousness at his highest moments”. Rays and Initiations, Pages 41-42
“The third initiation is, in reality, the first initiation of the soul, after complete identification with the personality within the life and consciousness of the Monad, the One and the First.” Destiny of the Nations Page 141
There are two main reasons that the third initiation is called “the first major initiation from the hierarchical angle.” The first as noted in the above quote is that “glamour and illusion is dissipated.”
Most glamor is subdued after passing the second and mastered by the third. Correspondingly, most illusion from this world is under control by the third with some higher illusion yet to be subdued: “After that (the third initiation), he may suffer from illusion, but there is then no fear of his permanently turning back and reaching the left-hand path.” Rays and Initiations, Page 156
The second reason it is the first major one is it invokes the highest spiritual centre on our planet, Shamballa” and “now starts off upon the way of the higher unfoldment, of which the first step is contact with Shamballa, involving the fusion of his self-will and his spiritual will with the Will of God.” Rays and Initiations, Page 81
After the third then he establishes a link with his monad and his lower will is in alignment with higher will.
Until these two things take place the seeker “is still regarded as a potential hazard and as unstable.” Rays and Initiations, Page 156
It is easily understandable why the merging of the lower and higher will would produce stability and trust from the hierarchy, but it is not so clear why the disciple must go beyond the mastering of maya and glamor before he is trusted by the higher lives. Why is the mastering of illusion so important?
The real danger is not that computers will begin to think like men, but that men will begin to think like computers. – Sydney J. Harris
The Importance of Mastering Illusion
Have you ever met a person who seems intelligent, sincere, has good self-control and seems to be a decent person in every way but then as you get to know him or her you discover that he has some really oddball beliefs that are obviously false and contrary to normal reasoning? Maybe he believes in a flat earth or a crazy guru but other beliefs seem logical.
As you get to know people more intimately you will discover that this characteristic is much more common than realized. A large number of sincere, but intelligent people have some really odd and illogical beliefs. Some of them are harmless, but then others are not. If your friend believes some crazy guru is the messiah who may want him to drink poison Kool-Aid to reach heaven then such an illusion can turn out to be not so harmless, but even deadly.
Do you think that all the Nazis who embraced their jobs at death camps did so because they were naturally evil and had a destructive nature?
No. The average Nazi was no more evil in nature than the average guy in your neighborhood. The difference was that his mind embraced an illusion to which your neighbors have not been subject. If a Germain Nazi saw a neighbor in trouble he probably was as willing to help as your neighbors are today
The problem with Nazi Germany was not that the people were bad people, but that many had embraced an illusion that controlled them.
It is interesting that many today feel superior to those with destructive illusionary beliefs of the past, such as the Nazis, slave holders and religious zealots who burned heretics at the stake, but if you can buy into any illusion today, even a harmless one, you could also be subject to a crazy one in the right circumstances.
The Milgram experiment illustrates perhaps the greatest flaw in our human nature as far as illusion is concerned. Most of us are willing to conform to authority if that authority project5s the illusion of being right and accepted. Milgram’s experiment illustrates how it is that often we see that 100% of the Republicans vote with their side and 100% of the Democrats vote with their side even though one choice is always better for the country than the other.
Back in the Sixties Milgram was curious about how a group of apparently normal people like the Germans could have participated in the Nazi atrocities, which was against every moral teaching that they ever believed in. Their excuse was always the same: “I was just following orders.”
To get the answer he created an experiment where so-called “teachers” (who were actually the unknowing subjects of the experiment) were recruited by Milgram. They were asked to administer an electric shock of increasing intensity to a “learner” for each mistake he made during the experiment. The fictitious story given to these “teachers” was that the experiment was exploring effects of punishment (for incorrect responses) on learning behavior. The “teacher” was not aware that the “learner” in the study was actually an actor – – merely indicating discomfort as the “teacher” increased the electric shocks.
When the “teacher” asked whether increased shocks should be given he/she was verbally encouraged to continue. Sixty-five percent of the “teachers” obeyed orders to punish the learner to the very end of the 450-volt scale! No subject stopped before reaching 300 volts!
At times, the worried “teachers” questioned the experimenter, asking who was responsible for any harmful effects resulting from shocking the learner at such a high level. Upon receiving the answer that the experimenter assumed full responsibility, teachers seemed to accept the response and continue shocking, even though some were obviously extremely uncomfortable in doing so.
What was interesting about watching this was that when the subject hit the high voltage the pretended victim screamed like crazy and even said he had a bad heart and that the experiment was killing him.
The subject then turned to the authority as if asking what to do and the authority told him to continue. If the subject seemed to doubt the authority told him that he would take responsibility.
Then the subject continued to shock the supposed victim past 300 volts until he went silent. This indicated the victim was either unconscious or dead. Still the subject did not cease. He continued to increase the voltage clear up to 450 which would mean that if the victim was not dead yet this would surely kill him.
The interesting thing is that if this were a real happening, the subject would not only have killed another human being which was against every teaching that he believed in, but he would have also been brought up on murder charges. It is scary that even that possibility did not deter the subject from following authority.
The funny thing about these experiments is that the scientists predicted that only one out of a thousand would follow an authority to shock up to 450 volts, but 65% went that far and 100% of the subjects went up to 300 volts, which is still enough to kill.
Why was it that these subjects committed an act that any impartial observer would see as virtual insanity?
They were under the strong illusion of authority – an authority that would seemingly absolve them of any responsibility.
But the idea that we can transfer the responsibility of our actions to another is based on an illusion – an illusion that an alarming number will accept.
Milgram illustrated an illusion that can easily capture the human mind, but there are many more – and many of them run contrary to the prevailing authorities. The flat earth is a prime example. This runs strongly against current scientific authority yet polls show that about 12% of the public in the United States accept it and another 10% are not sure. Those who embrace it often use a literal interpretation of the Bible or an intriguing explanation presented on the internet. They have allowed the idea to take a foothold in their mind and become trapped in an illusion from which escape is difficult.
The problem with moving to the third initiation is that the illusions facing the disciple are not obvious. When we look with hindsight the illusions with the Milgram experiment, the Nazis and the slaveholders etc. are obvious. They are obvious to us but not to those who lived in the middle of the illusion. Similarly, we live in the midst of many illusions and the ones embraced by the average seeker do not seem obvious at all.
The disciple must learn “to substitute the pure reason for the many complexities of the lower mind. He has to wrestle with the problem of this simplicity, with its penetrating potency, and with its swift comprehension of the basic truth underlying the many truths; he learns, finally, to substitute the intuition—with its swiftness and its infallibility—for the slow and laborious work of the mind, with its deviousness, its illusions, its errors, its dogmatisms and its separative thinking and cultures.” Discipleship in the New Age, Vol 2, Page 415
Do not look into the laser with remaining eye! – warning message on the side of lab laser
The Dangers of Illusion
The average person is subject to many illusions. Fortunately, most of them do not pose any imminent danger. For instance, many are under the illusion that they are more intelligent, more objective, more reasonable, better looking or more talented than they really are. Such illusions may cause some distraction and poor judgment but are generally not seen as dangerous.
But here is the problem. If a person can be captivated by a small harmless illusion then this indicates that he could also wind up embracing illusions that are much bigger and indeed harmful.
If you can be fooled in small things then the chances are that you can be fooled in big things. It is thus important, especially for disciples aspiring to tread the Path, to dispel all illusions small and great.
At the third initiation the disciple accomplishes two things. He dispels illusion that distract from the Path and secures contact with his Higher Self. These are two essential accomplishments that must be made before he or she can be trusted by the Spiritual Hierarchy.
First and second degree initiates are generally sincere and honorable people seeking the Spiritual Path, but all that sincerity can turn dangerous if their minds are captivated by a dangerous illusion.
Many of the most destructive people in our history were sincere in thinking they were doing the right thing but had minds enslaved by illusions that led them in a terrible direction.
For instance, Hitler really believed that the Jews were the source of many of the world’s problems and the world would be much better off if they were all disposed of. In this case, sincerely greatly amplified the problem of the illusion rather than diminishing it.
Marshall Applewhite was the leader of the Heaven’s Gate movement and was very sincere in guiding his group toward immortality. Then when the comet Hale–Bopp appeared in 1997 he took it as a sign that their transformation to a higher form of existence was at hand. He believed that a spaceship was accompanying the comet that they could only access through death. So, when the comet made its closest approach he and 38 other true believers killed themselves in order to ascend.
The fact that none of the 38 backed out or saw through the illusion demonstrates the powerful hold an illusion can have on a group.
To an outsider it seems completely obvious that Applewhite was in illusion approaching insanity, but to the inner group there was no filtering out that which was not reasonable and to them all seemed to be a part of a wonderful plan.
Then we had an even greater demonstration of the power of a negative illusion in 1978 when Jim Jones of the People’s Temple order his group of 900 souls to drink poisoned Kool-Aid.
Most people think they are beyond being captured by such a negative illusion, but remember that those participating in the Milgram Experiment were just average folks placed in an unusual circumstance, and all of them were willing to shock the victims with a very dangerous 300 volts, and the majority were willing to kill the victims with 450 volts.
This tells us that the average guy who we see as harmless may not be harmless at all if placed in the right circumstance and subjected to a destructive illusion.
Consistent soul contact is the solution to dispelling illusion, but sporadic contact where the ideas are filtered through the personality self can actually increase illusion. DK says this:
“The world of phenomena is not denied, but we regard the mind as misinterpreting it and as refusing to see it as it is in reality. We consider this misinterpretation as constituting the Great Illusion… The Problem of Illusion lies in the fact that it is a soul activity, and the result of the mind aspect of all the souls in manifestation. It is the soul which is submerged in the illusion and the soul that fails to see with clarity until such time as it has learnt to pour the light of the soul through into the mind and the brain.” Glamour, A World Problem, Page 21
Soul contact actually brings down ideas from the higher planes but if those ideas are distorted by the lower emotions and the mind then their implementation can be more destructive than constrictive. To counteract this problem the disciple must learn “to pour the light of the soul through into the mind and the brain.”
In that same book he says that “Illusion, for our purposes, can be understood to signify the reaction of the undisciplined mind to the newly contacted world of ideas.” Page 54
That which is received from higher contact must be interpreted with a disciplined mind or that which was not illusion will be presented as illusion and distorted from the original idea received.
This problem “tends to preoccupy him and to lead him into danger and error. It retards his progress on the way and sidetracks his energies and attention.” Esoteric Psychology, Vol 2, Page 473
The ideal of communism is a good example of how this plays out. The idea of universal sharing and equality is good and the slogan “From each according to his ability, to each according to his needs,” seems in harmony with divine principles. But the problem of communism stems not from the idea itself, but from a distorted interpretation of it along with a destructive path that destroys free will. Communist leaders such as Stalin, Pol Pot, Kim Jung Un and others decree its truth and anyone who has a different opinion is either imprisoned or murdered.
This we have an idea which could take humankind toward an improved life being distorted into something seen as a great evil by many.
This distortion of divine ideas is a problem had by many as they approach the third initiation. Instead of seeing correctly and crossing the threshold they allow the lower mind and emotions to distort divine ideas and set them back for lifetimes where they have to first learn some painful lessons.
And concerning the pain along the journey to liberation DK said this:
“Pain is that upward struggle through matter which lands a man at the Feet of the Logos; pain is the following of the line of the greatest resistance and thereby reaching the summit of the mountain; pain is the smashing of the form and the reaching of the inner fire; pain is the cold of isolation which leads to the warmth of the central sun; pain is the burning in the furnace in order finally to know the coolness of the water of life; pain is the journeying into the far country, resulting in the welcome to the Father’s Home; pain is the illusion of the Father’s disowning, which drives the prodigal straight to the Father’s heart; pain is the cross of utter loss, that renders back the riches of the eternal bounty; pain is the whip that drives the struggling builder to carry to utter perfection the building of the Temple.” A Treatise on White Magic, Pg 533
If the disciple can see through the illusion much pain can be avoided, but if not, sometimes the only way the soul can get his attention and make corrections is through painful experience.
All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others. – George Orwell
Illusion and the New Age
Let us now examine in more depth that which DK teaches about illusion. He distinguishes it from glamor and maya. These two aspects will intensify illusion but are different obstacles to overcome. One may be basically free of these two things but be subject to illusion which is a trick of the mind. DK says this:
“The story of illusion is one which must not be confounded with glamour; illusion is related to the whole process of revelation. Glamour can be and often is related to the distortion of that which has been revealed, but it must be borne in mind that illusion is primarily concerned with the reaction of the mind to the unfolding revelation, as the soul registers it and seeks to impress it on the highest aspect of the personal lower self. Illusion is, therefore, the failure of the mind correctly to register, to interpret or translate that which has been transmitted and it is consequently a sin (if you care for that word) of the intelligent and highly developed people, of those who stand on the Path and who are in process of becoming rightly oriented; it is also a sin of accepted disciples as they seek to expand their consciousness in response to soul contact. When they have “seen through illusion” (and I use this phrase in its esoteric sense) then they are ready for the third initiation.” Glamour, A World Problem, Pages 172-173
When DK speaks of illusion, he is referring to something more specific than the general meaning in English which is merely “a belief in something that is not true.” The average person believes all kinds of things that are not true, but illusion as it pertains to the disciple is concerned with things that are not true which distract us from the path as stated in the Gayatri:
“Unveil to us the face of the true spiritual Sun, hidden by a disk of golden light, that we may know the truth and do our whole duty, as we journey to Thy sacred Feet.”
There are two sources of illusion that take the advanced seeker off the path. Let me first repeat from the above quote:
“illusion is primarily concerned with the reaction of the mind to the unfolding revelation, as the soul registers it and seeks to impress it on the highest aspect of the personal lower self. Illusion is, therefore, the failure of the mind correctly to register, to interpret or translate that which has been transmitted.”
The average person is not subject to this type of illusion because he is not receiving “unfolding revelation.”
The advanced seeker does achieve some soul contact, receives revelation, but until he learns to keep his mind steady in the light he fails to correctly “interpret or translate that which has been transmitted.”
The second source of illusion that is discussed originates from thoughtforms that circulate in the consciousness of the human kingdom. Concerning them he says this:
“Illusion is the succumbing to the powerful thoughtforms which the thinkers of the time and of the immediately preceding age have formulated, and which at the time of their creation constituted the hope of the race. They embodied then the new and emerging ideas by means of which the race was intended to progress. These forms, when old and crystallised, become a menace and a hindrance to the expanding life.” Glamour, A World Problem, Page 112
There are two types of thoughtforms which cause illusion. The first are ideas or teachings related to the “preceding age.” That would be the Age of Pisces. These are teachings that are either distorted or outlived their usefulness and have “become a menace and a hindrance to the expanding life.”
Sacrifice was the keynote of the passing age and sacrificing all for a future reward in heaven moved the work forward in the past, but the idea is a hinderance in this age.
Why?
Because the age of Aquarius is not to be the time of scarcity, but “Aquarius is the water-carrier, bringing the water of life to the people — life more abundantly.” Destiny of the Nations, Page 150
Here DK was referring to the fulfillment of the words of Jesus where he said:
“I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.” John 10:10
The second thoughtform which has outlived its usefulness is connected with the quality of idealism and perfection associated with Pisces.
Christ was associated with the perfect man, far beyond what we may become making us completely dependent on him to save us. Today the emphasis needs to be on “the fact of the spiritual Hierarchy, upon the office and the work of the Christ and upon the techniques of meditation whereby soul-awareness (or the Christ-consciousness) can be achieved. Prayer has been expanded into meditation; desire has been lifted into mental aspiration. This is supplanted by a sense of unity and by the recognition of God immanent. This leads eventually to at-one-ment with God transcendent.” Problems of Humanity, Pages 156-157
“Today, as an outcome of this unfolding divine Presence, there is entering into the minds of men everywhere a new concept: that of Christ in us, the hope of Glory. There is a growing and developing belief that Christ is in us, as He was in the Master Jesus, and this belief will alter world affairs and mankind’s entire attitude to life.” Externalization of the Hierarchy, Page 592
Thoughtforms of the past are not the only problem for there are many newer thoughtforms created around the of Aquarius that lead to illusion.
We previously mentioned the Heaven’s Gate group who thought they had yield up their lives to enter into the heavenly spheres, but perhaps the most dominate illusion in which many aspirants are caught involves the idea that they need do nothing but wait for the Christ, the Hierarchy, space beings, angels – anyone other than themselves to do the hard work in bringing the new age. DK has made it clear that the responsibility for manifesting a beneficial new are lies with humanity itself. We have to do our part to manifest abundance or it will not happen. DK’s advice during World War II applies today:
“Blame yourselves, therefore, for what is today transpiring and seek not to evade responsibility by placing it upon the shoulders of spectacular men or any statesmen, dictator or upon any group. Look not to one person or to one group of persons and accuse them of causing the present world condition. Look not also to any one person or group to bring liberation or to find a solution of the world problem. That is for humanity itself to do. Humanity must take action and will do so, when the right time comes.” Externalization of the Hierarchy, Page 135
One machine can do the work of fifty ordinary men. No machine can do the work of one extraordinary man. – Elbert Hubbard
Illusion in Our Sources
It may be helpful to examine some actual examples of illusion that distract seekers from finding the truth. Illusion becomes a huge factor as the pilgrim seeks to find sources of truth.
It is a commonly accepted truth among spiritual seekers that the greatest source of truth is within, yet the within factor only takes us so far and generally most seekers have to look without to find the truth they desire. Wise seekers eventually come to realize they must search without, but verify within, as not much pure revelation come purely from within.
The seeker comes across avalanches of illusion as he seeks from without, and for the beginner the universal mistake that is made is a lack of verification. The factor of common sense would rule out much illusion, but this is often not put to use. After one has done everything possible to verify truth, the final factor has to be verification from within, but even this is not always reliable.
As the seeker looks within, he finds the lower concrete mind will give answers, but they are often incorrect. Then he also finds the desire nature which distorts he truth and will usually give the answer he wants rather than the truth. To get real verification the seeker must reach the soul, but the problem is that he does not know how that feels until he makes that contact. Until that occurs, he will assume the highest of his desire nature represents the soul and can verify truth.
Spiritual students seek the truth, but each has different resources available and many of them are distracted by illusion. To discover their illusion we must examine their source.
For millions it is the Bible. The problem is that there are thousands of Christian sects and each has a different interpretation. They cannot even agree on what a day is in Genesis. Is it a 24-hour period or a cycle of time?
For the alternative spiritual students, the main source usually consists of channeled materials. DK divides channeling into two categories, conscious and unconscious. He tells us that the masters, except on rare occasions, only use disciples who receive in the conscious state and says this about the ones who use the unconscious trance state:
“Some transmitters work entirely on astral levels and their work is necessarily part of the great illusion. They are unconscious mediums and are unable to check the source from whence the teachings come; if they claim to know that source, they are frequently in error. Some receive teaching from discarnate entities of no higher evolution, and frequently of lower, than themselves. Some are simply abstracting the content of their own subconsciousnesses.” A Treatise on White Magic, Pg 175
Examples of unconscious channelers are Edgar Cayce, Mark & Elizabeth Clare Prophet, J. Z. Knight, The Law of One Books, Seth Speaks by Jane Roberts, the Urantia book and many lesser examples currently circulating on the internet.
The other method is conscious reception through mental telepathy from the Source. This is the preferred method used by advanced beings and this was used by Djwahl Khul to transmit his many writings to Alice A. Bailey. Others who have used this method are H. P. Blavatsky, Helen Schucman who received A Course in Miracles, Rudolf Steiner, Emanuel Swedenborg and Joseph Smith.
What complicates things is that even conscious channelers are not always right for they could be picking up material from a distorted thoughtform, a deceptive entity or from their own imagination.
Then there is a third group of mediums who allow another entity to take possession but retain some memory of what has transpired. I would classify their accuracy in the same category as the unconscious channelers.
Overall, the conscious channeler is more reliable but none are infallible and may be the source of illusion to the seeker. All upon the path must learn to access the intuition and attain the soul contact necessary to attain correct perception:
“When the intuition functions in any human being, he is enabled to take direct and correct action for he is in touch with the Plan, with pure and unadulterated fact and undistorted ideas—free from illusion and coming direct from the divine or universal Mind.” Discipleship in the New Age, Vol 1, Page 25
What complicates illusion for the advanced students is that they strive with more energy and “the glamour and the illusion which a disciple can evoke is far more potent than that of the average person… when a man becomes a disciple, he contacts so much force (especially in the early stages when he does not know how to handle it) that he attracts, consolidates and precipitates upon himself far more of the world illusion than would otherwise be the case.” Discipleship in the New Age, Vol 1, Page 509-511
This explains why many students and teachers we encounter seem to be intelligent yet have beliefs that most 12-year-olds can see is wrong. When an advanced person has an illusion he tends to embrace it with more energy than the average person.
Hitler was a great example. The illusion that the Jewish race needed to be eliminated, even if by gassing them all to death, seems absolutely insane, but it didn’t seem that way to those who participated in the illusion – and we might add that these people were no dummies, just intelligent people who were misled.
It is a very deceptive thing that when one is trapped by an illusion that no illusion is perceived. It’s like having cancer, but not being aware of it. However, the problem does not go away and sooner or later the pilgrim must face the truth.
O judgement, thou art fled to brutish beasts, And men have lost their reason! – Shakespeare
Idealism and Illusion
Idealism is another quality which draws many into illusion. Its potency is particularly powerful at the present as it represented one of the key aspects of the Piscean age which is passing. When entering a new age, the masses are reluctant to accept the new energies and tend to cling to the old. We are entering Aquarius, which is related to air, mind, reason and service and leaving Pisces which is related to water, emotion, the ideal and sacrifice.
Think of the passing sign as an entity fighting for its life and that’ll give you an idea as to why we see such struggles in the world where many are fighting for their ideal picture of life as they see it. Often it comes down to one ideal fighting against another ideal.
At the beginning of an age enlightened teachings are given out by avatars of the age, but then after a time, corruption sets in and that which was good becomes that which is the enemy of the aspects of the next age. We thus had sixth ray idealism as something that beneficially launched the Age of Pisces, but now we are entering Aquarius it has become a drag on the approaching changes. DK speaks of this:
“I would here remind you that few idealists are personally in touch with the idea which has given birth to the idealism. They are only in touch with the human interpretation of the idea, as formulated by some disciple or intuitive—a very different thing.
“An illusion can, therefore, be defined as the consequence of an idea (translated into ideal) being regarded as the entire presentation, as the complete story or solution and as being separated from and visioned independently of all other ideas…When visioned and grasped in a narrow and separative manner, there is necessarily a distortion of the truth, and the disciple or aspirant inevitably pledges himself to a partial aspect of reality or of the Plan and not to the truth as far as it can be revealed or to the Plan as the Members of the Hierarchy know it.” Glamour, A World Problem, Page 131
Then on the next page he adds this:
“They need to learn to penetrate to the true idea which lies behind their ideal and to interpret it with accuracy in the light of their soul.”
The truths of the passing age are still there, but as the great wheel of the ages turns their application changes and new truths must be realized and embraced.
A profound example of illusion involving the ideal was stressed by DK during World War II. He noted that there was a significant portion of the population who were pacifists and believed in remaining aloof from the conflict, thinking that sending loving vibes and trusting in God’s will was the best thing to do.
DK had quite critical words for these people stating that in some situations, such as World War II “civilisation had to meet force with force.”
“Humanity having decided to fight out the battle physically, there was nothing left to do but issue a challenge to the men and women of goodwill to take their stand on the side of such action as would release humanity through the destruction of the evil forces. These had determined to prove that might was right. Therefore, the forces fighting for progress and civilisation had to meet force with force.” Externalization of the Hierarchy, Page 178
He further said:
“Such people are like a millstone around the neck of humanity, crippling true effort, murmuring, ‘Let us love God and each other,’ but doing nothing but murmur prayers and platitudes whilst humanity is dying.” Externalization of the Hierarchy, Pages 345-346
Then he sums up his thoughts quite succinctly here:
“It is this right attitude on the part of the Forces of Light which has an undesirable effect upon the appeasers and pacifists of the world. These would, for humanitarian reasons and from love of the forms through which humanity functions, bring the war to an immediate end.
“In their well-meaning blindness they would sacrifice the future of humanity and the lives of millions of people at a later date for a temporary cessation of hostilities. I would emphasise to you that the Forces of Evil must be defeated now; the evil leaders must be wrenched from their high place, and the complete defeat and annihilation of those responsible for launching this horror on humanity is an absolute necessity and bounden duty, if security, well-being and a new order of happier living is to be the lot of coming generations.” Externalization of the Hierarchy, Page 426
The sayings of Solomon are eternally true that “To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven… a time of war, and a time of peace.” Eccl 3:1 & 8
And even of the Christ it was written that “in righteousness he doth judge and make war.” Rev 19:11
DK has indicated that the Hierarchy usually takes no side in the various wars of history because it often makes little difference as to who wins, but in the case of World War II it was of extreme importance that The Nazis and Axis powers be defeated. When such a situation occurs attempting to be a pacifist or neutral becomes an example of great illusion for it is “Through humanity, alone and unaided (except by the divine Spirit in every human being), can the ‘door where evil dwells be sealed.’” Discipleship in the New Age, Vol 2, Page 159
A few pages later he says:
“The ‘door where evil dwells’ is kept open by humanity through its selfish desire, its hatreds and its separateness, by its greed and its racial and national barriers, its low personal ambitions and its love of power and cruelty.”
He really is disgusted by those with spiritual aspirations who do not lend support in the physical plane to shutting the door where evil dwells:
“Every nation has also within it those neutrally-minded people who fail to think clearly, who seek to place the blame upon the shoulders of all except themselves, who theorise and speculate, advise, and assign responsibility, but who refrain from any active participation in the processes of adjustment, from reasons of pride or unwillingness to pay the price.” Externalization of the Hierarchy, Page 216
On the other hand, disciples must realize that illusion in this category goes both ways. Abraham Lincoln, for example was an avatar for the forces of light and was seen as evil by half the country and Jesus and other messengers were attacked and killed.
Where good vs. evil is at stake, he says “The Hierarchy is not neutral.” Destiny of the Nations, Page 65
Disciples however must be diligent in choosing correctly. Imagine how embarrassing it would be when having a life review to discovered that you fought against the good guy and supported keeping the door to evil open.
“Whenever there is a withering of the law and an uprising of lawlessness on all sides, then I manifest Myself. For the salvation of the righteous and the destruction of such as do evil, for the firm establishing of the Law, I come to birth age after age.” The Bhagavad Gita, Book IV, Sutra 7, 8.
Illusion and Religion
There is a plethora of illusion in the various religions of the world. What makes this obvious is that there are thousands of them and they disagree with each other on various teachings. If two are in disagreement then the both cannot be right. Either one sees correctly and the other is in error or they are both wrong. The fact that thousands are disagreeing with each other tells us that there are thousands who are obviously caught up in seeing though a distorted illusion.
Not only do religions disagree with each other, but they also disagree with themselves.
For instance, they speak of God who is spirit and is everywhere at one time, and then portray him as a man sitting on a throne surrounded by angels on the other.
They will speak of a God who is fair and just on one hand, and then tell us that life is not fair on the other.
They tell us that God is perfect on one hand, but he created an imperfect world with imperfect humans on the other.
They tell us that God is love and loves all his children even more than we love ours. But then they say that only the saved ones will enter heaven. The rest will go to hell or some undesirable place for eternity.
But have they thought about this? Most believing parents have at least one kid who is not saved. If you really love your children, how can heaven be heaven if a child you love is burning in hell? Wouldn’t that knowledge make even heaven be somewhat hellish?
And what if it was your partner you love, or a good friend? Could you enjoy heaven knowing they are suffering for eternity?
Many believe that the earth and the universe itself is less than 10,000 years old because of a literal interpretation of the word “day” in the Bible. This idea does not conform to science or to the Bible itself. The word “day” which comes from the Hebrew word YOWM. This doesn’t necessarily mean a 24-hour day but can also be translated as “time” implying an unspecified period of time. For instance, Adam was told in Gen 2:17 that he would die in the actual day he ate the fruit, but he lived to be over 900 years afterwards.
We have measured the speed of light and have observed galaxies whose light took over 13 billion years to reach us so 10,000 years is only a very small part of the age of the universe or the earth itself which is dated to be over 4 billion years old.
This illusion of a young earth is caused by following a literal interpretation of the Bible, but the problem is that it is difficult to find two literalists who agree. What is literally correct to one is literally wrong to another.
Another illusion is that Jesus was a son of God in a way that we are not – that he is a special being beyond our reach of attainment. This means that all we can do as depraved sinners is to throw our arms up and surrender to his superior status.
Not only do the Bailey and other enlightened teachings tell us that we all have equal potential as sons of God, but the Bible itself backs up this idea.
It tells us that we are members of the body of Christ who “know the love of Christ” and are “filled with the FULNESS OF GOD” (Eph 3:19)… “until Christ be formed IN YOU.” (Gal 4:19) “To whom God would make known what is the riches of glory of this MYSTERY among the Gentiles: which is CHRIST IN YOU, the hope of glory.” Col 1:28
“LET THIS MIND BE IN YOU WHICH WAS ALSO IN CHRIST JESUS: who being in the form of God, thought it not mockery to be EQUAL WITH GOD: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men…” Phil 2:5-7 “…That the life of Jesus might be made manifest in our body.” II Cor 4:10
It is very liberating for the seeker to realize that Christ is merely an elder brother and the spirit of Christ that was in Jesus is also within us waiting to manifest.
Perhaps the greatest most pervasive illusion that takes hold in every religion is that one must find the most authoritative source of spiritual teaching and follow that to the exclusion of all others including the inner voice. For many this is their scriptures or the authoritative ones who tell them what the scriptures mean.
The problem is that if you limit yourself to learning exactly according to the mindset of a teacher, you will also inherit his flaws.
To escape the illusionary and flawed teachings of the outer world the seeker must go to the inner. Only through inner contact and verification can illusions planted from the outside be dispelled. When dispelled the words of Jesus are then realized: “behold, the kingdom of God is within you.” Luke 17:21
We could go through all the major religions and find many illusions in them all but these general points should suffice to present the general idea.
The important thing for the seeker to understand is that there will be flaws and illusions in any spiritual organization that relies on an outer authority whether it be a book, a priest, a prophet or guru. The pilgrim must find the kingdom of God within to escape illusion.
“What then will be the task of the churches in the future? And what will be the major objective of the coming new religion? Primarily it will be to bring about the opening of the love petals, thus inaugurating an era of true cooperation, loving understanding and group love. This will be done by training the people and the individual in the rules of Right Approach.” Education in the New Age, Page 57
Sailing out of Illusion
Illusion is an easy subject to understand in part, but very tricky to understand in full. It is generally understood to be a belief in something that is not true, and most individuals on this planet see how this plays out to a degree. But what is not understood by the vast majority is that there are two main divisions of illusion. Most only have an elementary understanding of the first part.
Time, space and the forms within are all created on principles of illusion. The grand illusion is that our home exists within time and space and not in the subtle realms of pure Spirit. The further our consciousness is from being centered on Spirit the greater is the depth of illusion into which we have entered.
Visualize yourself being away from home on a ship sailing a deep ocean, and you decide to dive to the bottom of the waters to see what is there. You have a special suit that allows you to breath and survive the pressure. As you begin the dive you can still see light and the fish swimming nearby but as you descend it gets darker and darker until it is pitch black as you hit bottom. You brought a flashlight but this allows you to see just a small part of what’s going on. There could be a big shark behind you and you wouldn’t have a clue. You know the ship is above you but you cannot see it and are not even sure it is still there waiting for you.
This illustrates somewhat the nature of our journey as we began our earth experience. We begin in darkness with little light available. Unless we focus the light, all around us is darkness. To leave the darkness we must ascend toward the true light which will reveal our true home.
During our visit to this land of illusion it seems that there are many forces combined to keep our attention in the darkness of this world. The first is the attraction of matter itself, often called maya. This includes our attraction to forms, associated with wealth, the tug of our appetites demanding satisfaction and sexual desire. The attraction of these forces keeps us in the darkness with a tiny light bent on exploring and making the best of the little we can see.
The second force that keeps us in illusion is the pull of our emotional nature with its associated glamor and sense of ego importance. This functions in the universal waters that surround us creating misdirection and causes the person to stay on the bottom and make the best of the situation. He finds that when he tries to ascend that he enters a space where there seems to be no up or down. He is just suspended in hazy waters. He becomes frightened and lets himself sink back down to the bottom and continues making the best of exploring there.
The ocean floor is symbolic of the attraction of the material world, the murky waters of the emotional and the air above symbolizes the mind where the problem of illusion must be solved.
So far the diver is controlled by illusion, but the illusion is controlling forces he does not understand. Finally, he grows tired of exploring the depths of the waters and decides to ignore his fears and ascend to return home. He decides to follow the upward light until he reaches the air above.
He thus holds his mind steady in the light, leaves the ocean floor behind, ascends through the murky waters and finally reaches the air above.
He rises his head above the waters and looks for his ship, but doesn’t see it. He is filled with fear and thinks perhaps he will be left adrift forever. He panics for a while but eventually settles down and reasons to himself. He knows his ship must be nearby for he returned near to the place where he left it.
Finally, after settling down and looking for solutions he realizes the glass on the diving suit was covered with fog. He wipes it clean and sees his ship in the distance. He swims toward it, waving to get attention from those who can pull him aboard. After a short time, his mates see him and assist in bringing him on board.
Now the new goal is to sail the ship back to the shore and return to the true home on dry ground yet with full access to the air.
They set sail and use a compass for the general direction but receive more specific guidance through GPS from space. On their way back to land they encounter a couple storms that temporarily wiped-out internet connections, but after a period of keeping the aim on the goal, the adventurer does make his way back home.
This story illustrates the two major levels of illusion. The first and deepest level occurs where he is under water and has no access to the air and sunshine of the upper world. All of his attention is focused on dealing with problems encountered while immersed in the ocean itself. It is only when he rises above the ocean, boards his ship and lives in the air and sunshine that he can make any real progress on navigating back to his true home.
We will next discuss the importance of discovering the illusion above the waters and finding our way home.
When I was born, I was so surprised I couldn’t talk for a year and a half. – Gracie Allen
Higher and Lower Illusion
Lower illusion can be compared to the illusion dealt with by the diver when he was under water. When under water nothing that was happening in the air was of any concern. All his thinking existed under the water while he was submerged. But when he came out of the water into the air he had to deal with a different type of illusion.
The air is a symbol of the mind and there are many tricks that reality plays upon the mind the prevents the disciple from returning to the “House of the Father.”
The key piece of knowledge to deal with the higher form of illusion is to realize that it comes from the mind and is different from the illusions connected to appetite, passion and feeling.
Let me give examples illustrating the difference.
Example One: Mary is captivated by Jim. He is good looking, passionate and sweeps her off her feet. He has many flaws but the wonderful feelings he stirs in her causes her to ignore them.
Her being attracted to the wrong man is not caused by an illusion from the mind, but her feelings. If she listened to her mind, she would not consider a serious relationship with him.
Example Two: Jack believes that babies are born in sin and they need to be baptized or they could go to hell.
This belief was not caused by Jack’s material nature or his emotional feelings, but affects his mind. As far as his emotion goes, he probably loves babies and feels they are innocent, but his mind accepts otherwise because he has bought into his religious belief system.
This illusion can only be dispelled when he examines it with reason and asking questions such as: Why would God send a baby to hell if it died before it could get baptized?
The problem is that when a belief system is accepted many do not examine those beliefs with the reasoning mind but merely believe what their particular group is supposed to believe.
An illusion of the mind is like a strong hypnotic suggestion. It can be so powerful that an order to kill yourself, as happened with the Heaven’s Gate group, is not questioned.
Before all the higher illusions can be seen and neutralized the lower must be mastered and the key to this is the gaining of a great insight into the astral plane, the seat of the lower emotions which control so many. DK says this about about the astral plane:
“There is no astral plane except in the consciousness of the fourth kingdom in nature, for man is “under illusion” in a sense different to the conscious awareness of any other kingdom—subhuman or superhuman… The secret science of the Master of the Wisdom is the secret of how to dissipate the fogs and mist and darkness and gloom which are produced by the union of the fires in the early stages. The secret of the Master is the discovery that there is no astral plane; he finds that the astral plane is a figment of the imagination and has been created through the uncontrolled use of the creative imagination and the misuse of the magical powers.” A Treatise on White Magic, Pages 614-615
“For the initiate members of the Great White Lodge the astral plane does not exist. They do not work on that level of consciousness, for the astral plane is a definite state of awareness even if (from the spiritual angle) it has no true being. It embodies the great creative work of humanity down the ages, and is the product of the ‘false’ imagination and the work of the lower psychic nature.” A Treatise on White Magic, Page 40
It is interesting then that from the view of the higher lives the lower emotions do not even exist. Higher emotions associated with love are real, but the lower are not. Unfortunately, most humans identify with the lower emotions and are thus controlled by them. However, when the seeker learns that they do not even exist in the consciousness of Christ then he can begin to ignore them and let them die from attrition. When the disciple no longer places any attention on hate, anger, envy, etc. then they will be as if they never were.
DK stresses the importance of moving from the lower to the higher in order to progress through the initiations:
“In the last analysis, the partial subjugation of glamour and escape from the complete thraldom of illusion are indications to the watching Hierarchy that a man is ready for the processes of initiation. Until he is no longer completely deceived and until he is somewhat free mentally, it is not possible for him to face the waiting Angel and pass through the door.” Glamour: A World Problem, Page 126
Notice his wording that an “escape from the complete thraldom of illusion” is necessary. This indicates that the aspirant may still have a partial thraldom with illusion even as he proceeds on the path. As we proceed in spiritual evolution we pierce through layer upon layer of illusion. We dispel one and then face another.
As the disciple overcomes the lower and sees through the higher “astral and physical worlds no longer shut him away from the realities or from the true subjective world of causes, and of force emanations. He is no longer deceived and can discriminate between the real and the unreal, between the true and the false, and between the life of the spirit and the world of phenomena.” Light of the Soul, Page 165
To learn to discriminate “between the real and the unreal, between the true and the false” constitutes a huge step forward in the life of the pilgrim for then he “can discriminate between the Real and the unreal, then the inflowing force will flood their lives with effective unselfish love and with devotion to the Plan, to those whom the Plan serves, and to Those Who serve the Plan. Note the sequence of these attitudes, and govern yourselves accordingly.” Esoteric Psychology Vol II, Page 137
Some illusions of the mind can be discovered through reasoning, contemplation, reflection and feedback from others, but some must be revealed through intuition itself for “where the intuition is unawakened the illusion is complete and real.” Externalization, Page 12
Entering this stage of higher initiation where one sees beyond illusion is “due to the development of the sense of the intuition which puts into the disciple’s hand an infallible instrument whereby to discriminate and to discern. His perception is becoming accurate and he stands relatively free from deception and wrong identifications and interpretations.” Glamour: A World Problem, Page 101
There is no infallible black and white plan to develop the intuition and dispel illusion. The disciple must merely seek to always move forward following the highest he knows, holding the mind steady in the light, while being open to correction. Knowledge of how to proceed will then come in flashes of intuition. If that light is followed then more light will come negating illusion which obstructs the path.
Teachers must think for themselves if they are to help others think for themselves. – Carnegie Corporation
Illusion and Freedom
The illusion concerning freedom is perhaps the most potent of all illusions that need to be neutralized by the disciple. If a person advances on the path and becomes a potent force, but is still captivated by it then he or she will become dangerous.
Hitler, Mao, Stalin and Castro were all advanced entities, but were captivated by an illusionary idea of what freedom is, and the result was they greatly diminished freedom rather than expanding it.
Let us begin by defining what is the true principle of freedom:
True freedom consists of that system of laws and actions that allows for the maximum possible freedom for a people as a whole. When this state exists, all individual freedoms will function at a high level.
However, maximum freedom cannot exist within the confines of unlimited freedom – or a state of lawlessness.
For instance, if we lived in a state of lawless anarchy, a burglar would be free to break into your house and steal what he wants. Allowing this diminishes the freedom of the whole while allowing only one person (the burglar) to benefit.
For maximum freedom, laws must be in place to restrict abusive behavior so the individuals therein can follow their pursuit of happiness.
This idea of the Principle of Freedom seems simple enough and most who have read this far will agree with it yet the percentage of those whose support runs contrary to it is large indeed. This occurs because illusion covers the true principle with a false idea that sounds good, making the truth difficult to see.
Here is basically that which is followed by those who violate the principle:
The illusion of freedom: The illusion of freedom is created when the individual, and others believing as he does, receive what they want, but at the expense of others. In other words, freedom is not increased for the whole, but for only a part of that whole.
The prime example illustrating this is the belief held by those in the southern U.S. states leading to the Civil War. Many are not aware that the slaveholders there saw themselves fighting for freedom. The slaves allowed their masters to have more free time and a better quality of life. They also felt the slaves were not intelligent enough to take care of themselves, so they thought slavery was the best thing for them. In their minds slavery was a win-win for freedom.
On hindsight it is obvious to most at the present time that the South was captured by a great illusion, but for those who lived through it, slavery seemed to make a lot of sense. Also, keep in mind that the southern states were one of the last strongholds of slavery, for it has been a common practice among all races for thousands of years.
Think not my friends that humanity has evolved to the point where the masses now see the true principle of freedom. Many today want freedom for themselves at the expense of others, but would be horrified to be compared to making the same mistake as the old southern states. Even so, many support freedom for themselves without even thinking of the effect on others.
Perhaps nothing illustrates the violation of the principle of freedom more than the use put to our tax dollars. Most are willing to pay what they consider to be a fair share of taxes if the government uses the money wisely. But when we learn of how much of the money is wasted or spent on outrageous things, then we have the situation where the taxpayer is in the position of the slave. He has to work to pay taxes that benefits a few, but at his expense.
An example we can all agree on is the fraud that takes our tax dollars. Medicare and Medicaid fraud alone cost us $94 billion in 2025. This s a huge amount, but does not even figure in the waste within the system.
On top of that is wasteful spending in all branches of government. The Congress allocates spending in ways that probably 90% of taxpayers would oppose such as $20 million for a new Sesame Street show in Iraq or $6 million to promote tourism in Egypt. Then there’s $15 million for condoms and related items to the Taliban.
There are those who have compiled lists containing hundreds of allocations of wasteful spending that are amusing, but also sad to read.
Something that really adds to the illusion is when the government creates programs that spend money for what seems to be a benevolent purpose. If spending taxpayer funds helps children, animals, the homeless, the environment, or the disadvantaged then that must be good. Right? Such benevolent activities cannot violate the Principle of Freedom – can they?
Consider this. A son steals is father’s credit card, but uses it for what he believes to be a good purpose. He makes a big donation to a homeless shelter. The father finds out and is upset and confronts the son who responds: “Why are you upset. It’s for a good cause.”
Then the father responds: “There are two problems here. First you are spending my money without my permission, and, secondly, we are having financial problems and if we are not careful with our finances, we are the ones that may be homeless.”
Another example is the guy who is mad at the system and robs a bank, but feels justified because he gives the money to a friend to cover medical expenses. Obviously, he didn’t get permission from the bank or those who depend on its services. The correct action for him would be to seek to raise the money from those who volunteer through free will.
The United States as well as many other countries taxes and borrows money to support many benevolent or essential sounding services. As of February 2026, the U.S. has overspent to the tune of over $38 trillion on things that seem to be a good idea at the time. Taxpayers fork out over a trillion a year on interest on that debt – something they did not voluntarily sign up for.
Now imagine what we could do with an extra trillion dollars a year. That is enough to end poverty as we know it.
Taxes and debt affect the whole, but benevolent spending on a particular program affects the few. The good of the few must be adjusted to the good of the many just as happens with a wise household budget. It may seem wonderful if the family could purchase that new car, eat out more or go on a vacation abroad, but the budget designed for the good of the whole will not allow them to do all the fun things they desire.
The desire to do good things with money, especially other people’s money, creates an illusion that hides many from seeing how they are in violation of the Principle of Freedom.
It is possible to make many good things happen, but there are no magical shortcuts. Instead of creating debt that will restrict freedom of taxpayers, our children and grandchildren, the true freedom lover works for the good of the many with the resources we legitimately have.
This principle extends to many different areas of living. Who or what we view as an authority that tells us what do to or think instead of relying upon our own inner guidance is a source that can rob one of individual freedom of choice. One who accepts true freedom does not accept any outward authority as absolute.
The ways that the rulers and authorities of the world can lead the people into illusion that hide true freedom is great and it takes a substantial degree of enlightenment to discern the truth.
I’ll end this with some quotes from DK about freedom, for he laid great emphasis on its importance saying, “Search freedom. Ponder on this. It is the goal for all.” Discipleship in the New Age, Vol 2, Page 755
He points out that real freedom is not under stood by most people that “Only the disciples of the world and the initiates know the true significance and implications of freedom of choice, and the right use of the will, and this because they are motivated by group good and the need of the majority.” Externalization of the Hierarchy, Page 125
Then he adds this: “The governing body in any nation should be composed of those who work for the greatest good of the greatest number and who at the same time offer opportunity to all, seeing to it that the individual is left free.” Externalization of the Hierarchy, Page 191
DK seems to agree with the sentiment of Patrick Henry who made the famous statement: “Give me liberty or give me death.” He said this:
There are worse things than the death of the physical body; there is the enslaving of the human soul. Externalization of the Hierarchy, Page 311
May we all see through illusion to an understanding of true freedom.
If you want total security, go to prison. There you’re fed, clothed, given medical care and so on. The only thing lacking … is freedom. – Dwight D. Eisenhower
Feb 18, 2026
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