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

... West are filled with Dugpas sorcerers or black magicians, specifically those of the "Red Hat" sect in Tibetan tradition, who by the perversion of occult forces have become temporarily manipulators of cosmic energy. Gradually, but inevitably, these Dugpas are drawn into the maelstrom of their own evil and perish. The great danger which confronts haphazard students is that they may develop spiritual forces within their bodies to a degree where they can be used by the Dugpas for one purpose or another before they have developed the strength and enlightenment to use these forces to any good end. Thus many really good people become unconscious doers of evil because they are not sufficiently intelligent to understand the right application of the forces they have awakened within themselves.

(5) The candidate must realize that the application of commercial terms to occult values is a direct prostitution of this sacred science. A teacher of the children of men meaning a teacher of humanity (whether he be a professor of botany or mathematics) may be, and should be, remunerated for his efforts. This remuneration may be accepted to a moderate degree without prostituting his science. However, the operative secrets the practical techniques and methods of spiritual work of occultism must never be involved in any form of commercialism. They have no commercial value. To attempt the buying or selling of them is one of the most heinous of sins. By operative secrets we mean that knowledge which will assist the individual to personally unfold by secret, but scientific, processes the latent forces or faculties of his own nature. These must not, shall not, and can not be bought or sold.

When a man is decorated by a government for a deed of valor, he does not have to buy the medal that is pinned on his breast. The same rule applies with respect to the secret doctrine, which is revealed to man as the reward for spiritual, moral, and intellectual valor. When the disciple is ready, it is an inconceivable and unpardonable sin to deny him that which is his by right of merit. To sell the secrets of the invisible world to one unworthy to know them and incapable of earning them, is sacrilege; to try to sell them to one who has already earned that wisdom by virtue of the superior qualities of his own nature is also a sacrilege.

To place the great secrets of occultism in writing is dangerous, and brings a heavy karmic relating to the law of cause and effect debt down upon the head of the one so foolish as to do so, unless aid is given to safeguard such secrets compounds his karmic obligations. When revealed to the public, all material dealing with operative occultism must be veiled. And when it seems desirable to reveal the theory behind these processes, certain keys must be left out so that a careless reader may not be able to hurt himself by experimenting with the information thus gained. These facts are well known to those entrusted with esoteric information, and any who break these rules demonstrate their total unfitness to instruct students in the mysteries of the occult sciences.

(6) The candidate must beware of unbalance. Equilibrium can be safeguarded by continual emphasis of the ideal of symmetry. The student should always bear in mind that one virtue is not sufficient to make a saint, no matter how excellent that one virtue may be. Man must grow symmetrically; his heart, his mind, and his body must coordinate and complement each other. He must achieve the condition of mental, spiritual, and physical equilibrium. If the mind is overdeveloped, the scientist results; if the heart dominates, the religious fanatic and emotionalist is produced; if the physical nature controls, the materialist is the inevitable product. It is only when all three of these parts unite in the glorification of the divine nature that the composite unit, the spiritual philosopher, becomes a reality.

The most common occult exercises taught to the general public today are various forms of concentration and breathing. Many of these exercises are hopelessly incorrect. Both concentration and breathing (when properly understood) have their place, for both profoundly influence the entire constitution of man. But neither of these alone nor both together will produce any permanent or satisfactory results, unless at the same time the nature possesses certain other virtuous qualities and has adjusted itself to the general plan of spiritual unfoldment. You may use a perfectly correct form of Yoga a system of spiritual exercises and disciplines breathing, but if your body is impure you will never attain any but harmful results. You may sacrifice all to your gods and be a vegetarian for an entire lifetime, and yet practically nullify the good resulting from these practices by failure to control an obstinate temper which you have tolerated in spite of efforts you have made to overcome other faults. The possible value of any concentrative exercise which you may attempt will be destroyed by an uneradicated streak of selfishness; an unconquered egotism will continually prevent the consummation of a lifetime of endeavor. If you dislike but one person, you can never attain upon the path of white magic the use of occult powers for selfless and spiritual purposes. Any occult development which may be made without conquering these qualities within the nature lays the student open to the perils of Dugpa sorcery and black magic.

It is because of the necessity of controlling and transmuting all of the lower qualities of the nature that the years of proba-