An essay on the fundamental principles of operative occultism prepared by Manly P. Hall to accompany three oil paintings by Mihran K. Serailian

Nature's forces, which enable one person to injure another. If we are not mentally developed to the point where we can determine beforehand, with a reasonable amount of certainty, the integrity of the person to whom we intend to reveal occult secrets, we are not far enough advanced to possess them ourselves.

In justice to himself, therefore, no one should be in a hurry to go forth serving humanity, lest in his impetuosity he destroy others and himself with them. The groundwork should be laid first. When such a one feels that he is equipped to disseminate a message, he should do it reverently, with deep consideration and no little trepidation, saying to himself: "I am responsible from now on for the use and interpretation placed by others upon the words that come out of my mouth. Therefore, I will choose them with care, consider them in the light of my truest and highest intelligence, and send forth with each a prayer that it shall serve only the cause of good. I will not claim to be anything or anyone, but will let my works speak for me, for I am only as great as my works. If it be the will of the Masters highly evolved spiritual guides or teachers in the occult tradition that I should in time reach an exalted position as their messenger, I will then, if they so desire it, be their chosen and authorized mouthpiece. But until the day of that supreme achievement, if a man shall ask me who I am, I will answer that I am a voice crying in the wilderness A biblical reference to John the Baptist, used here to represent a teacher who claims no personal glory but merely prepares the way for truth. If he shall ask with what authority I speak, I will answer that I speak with the only authority I teach men, I will answer that I am my own authority. If he shall ask what message I bring, I will answer that I bring no message, but only interpret according to my light that message which is eternally here. And if he shall ask, 'What reward have we if we follow you?' I will answer that the accomplishment of labor is the reward of labor."

(7) The candidate must maintain a constructive attitude. All thinking people are dissatisfied with existing conditions. They also realize that the universe is ruled by the Law of Cause and Effect the principle that every action has a reaction, often called karma, and that in order to improve affairs it is first necessary to build those remedial and corrective causes the natural result of which will be universal peace and enlightenment. It is imperative that we accept things as we find them in this world; and instead of complaining or criticizing if they are not in accordance with our desires, let us set about with diligence and intelligence to create newer and better conditions. If his mind be soured or his nature established in the habit of complaining, the prospective candidate bars himself from the service of the Masters.

While life is a serious affair, it has well been said that the sense of humor is a saving grace. We become useless to our fellow creatures if we permit ourselves to be oppressed by the weight of the world's woe. It is a mistake to believe that seriousness can take the place of integrity. There is no substitute for cheerfulness or for the normal, healthy attitude toward the problem of life. The candidate need not cultivate thoughtless optimism, but rather that attitude of mind which sees the hand of God in everything and realizes that all things are working together for the ultimate good of each. The pessimist is a useful and important member of society, but he never attains the highest state of usefulness while his mind is on a tangent.

Man is much like an apple: some mellow with age and others rot; some are deepened and sweetened by experience, while others are hopelessly soured. Those who are soured have failed utterly. They are mentally diseased and incapable of constructive thinking. Sourness is often the result of self-pity, one of the most subtle and terrible forms of egotism. It is egotism that makes people actually believe that they are so important that Nature picks them out to heap infirmities upon them. No one who pities himself has any inherent sense of justice. Without a perfect faith in natural justice, man cannot attain the heights of philosophy or religion. Make it one of the fundamental laws of your life that you will never be sorry for yourself. If you permit your mind to pity you, you will rapidly become a legitimate object of pity by all intelligent people.

These seven cardinal requirements therefore constitute the ethical foundation of occultism. Without consecration of the life to the attainment of proficiency in these qualities of character, it is useless to go on. If? The original text reads "I", but "If" is the likely intended word such a thing were possible, only heartbreak and misery would result first. Most of the failures in mysticism and philosophy result from neglect of the ethical basis. The superstructure of esotericism the study of hidden or inner knowledge must be raised upon the solid rock of virtue and integrity, for without this foundation it fails.

Man cannot prepare himself for philosophic pursuits in a few weeks or even a few years. He must build slowly and solidly, realizing that one step properly taken is worth many taken haphazard and without direction. When the general self-improvement is fairly well advanced, it is then time for the student to prepare himself along certain special lines of endeavor which will peculiarly fit him for occult attainment. This is not the first step but the second, and is not to be taken until the initial groundwork has been thoroughly established.

With each advancing step the candidate finds the standards of life more exacting and difficult of attainment, with deviation

from these standards productive of ever-increasing sorrow and suffering. The requirements of the law for the initiate are much more strict than for the average individual, for the initiate can possess his transcendent powers only by sacrificing everything else. The would-be disciple of the Ancient Wisdom the universal, perennial philosophy believed to underlie all religions and mythologies, after having schooled himself in the seven principles described above, must now turn his attention to the choice of that particular line of endeavor and that particular School of the Mysteries in which he feels he will be most useful. The faculties previously developed by the first ethical training are now tested, for only by their aid can the selection be intelligently made. While the path of accomplishment differs in each School, all the Mystery Schools teach the same fundamental doctrines and ultimately attain the same results.

Let us imagine that you have chosen one of the Eastern Schools. Before you can actually begin your studies with it, you must familiarize yourself with the particular ethical code which it disseminates. The School will educate you in certain concepts and attitudes which, when incorporated into your life, have a marked effect upon the invisible nature The subtle bodies or energetic fields of a human being. Only when these effects reach a certain point is it safe for you to begin any special system of so-called spiritual development. Although the sevenfold cardinal requirements are applicable to persons in any walk of life, whether religiously or atheistically inclined, the more advanced requirements are concerned directly with the individual needs of the student. This more advanced code is open to the consideration of all who have conducted themselves worthily according to the primary requirements. But woe to those who, ignorant, selfish, and otherwise unqualified, dabble in any form of occult science without first overcoming the more important faults of the lower nature! The proof of man's sincerity is his willingness to sacrifice, and the occult student must sacrifice his own lower nature if he would enter the Temple of Wisdom a symbolic representation of the goal of spiritual attainment and the repository of secret knowledge.

Again and again, the student of occult philosophy deplores the fact that he cannot discriminate between the true and the false. He reveals his dilemma by saying: "Oh, if I only knew which of the paths of discipleship I ought to take! If I were only sure that this teacher is really qualified to instruct in these subjects! If I could only be certain that this book is the one I should study! But I am afraid to trust my decision on these matters. Won't you please decide for me?"

Such questions demonstrate beyond all doubt that the mind of the student has not matured to the point where it is capable of discrimination. Not knowing right from wrong, and incapable of dividing the real from the unreal, too many students are seeking advanced spiritual instruction when their ethical education is hopelessly inadequate. If you do not know what you want to do, you are not ready to do anything. You must first develop sufficient ethical perception to be cognizant of what you want to accomplish. The lack of such discrimination is much too common among occultists and is often the unsuspected cause of their inability to attain spiritual unfoldment. Many students feel that this ethical training, by itself, is a waste of time and that it is far more desirable to become immediately engrossed in arcane traditions. The lack of this mental and moral culture effectually disqualifies the candidate for the steps which follow; the inevitable result is sorrow, suffering, incompetence, and disappointment.

Assuming that you have carefully considered the seven cardinal requirements already described, it is now in order to analyze the more specific factors with which the candidate must familiarize himself.

(1) The first, and most important, is the selection of the person or institution whose instruction will constitute your path of attainment. Let us consider for a moment the attitude of the Eastern mystics on this vital subject.

The assistance of a properly qualified teacher is essential to the progress of the student. Just as a plant grows in the light of the sun, warmed and vitalized by its Pranic relating to Prana, the vital life-force or energy that sustains living beings emanations, so the soul of the student grows and expands when bathed in the spiritual radiance of his Master. The aura a field of subtle, luminous radiation surrounding a person, said to reflect their spiritual state of a highly evolved adept an individual who has attained mastery over occult sciences is also of great assistance to a young student who as yet is unable to completely create certain atmospheres for himself. Gradually the perfect and continued communion between Master and disciple brings them very close together in spiritual understanding. A beautiful friendship is born between the two, which gradually merges into a perfect and impersonal love. Gradually the Master learns to know the innermost thoughts of his disciples. He tests the student by bringing him into the presence of temptation and encouraging him to be strong. He perceives where the student is weak. He discovers the faults in the nature which inhibit attainment, and by wise counsel aids his "spiritual son" to avoid pitfalls and blind alleys.

While the Guru a spiritual teacher who leads a student from darkness to light may have many exoteric outer teachings intended for the general public students, he seldom takes more than twelve at one time into the esoteric inner teachings intended for a small group of initiates phase of his instruction. He realizes that no one can properly