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

Pratyahara withdrawal of the senses may be termed the process of separating the mind from the illusions of the senses and turning it more and more upon the contemplation of reality. The mind must be controlled. It must think only when it is told to think and as it is told to think: it must be directionalized by the will of the individual. When man is master of his thoughts and feelings, when he is in perfect possession of his mind, he has accomplished the fifth step. Today the average person cannot think clearly because interest sways his mind. He thinks in favor of the things he loves and against the things he hates. He blames some people and exonerates others, even when both are guilty of similar offenses. This occurs because the mind is a servant of the senses and is incapable of free and unhampered thought. To correct this, the mind and the senses are gradually separated, so that the desires, lusts, greeds, and passions are no longer capable of turning the mind from the contemplation of things as they are. When this has been accomplished, the disciple is then ready for the next step.

The sixth step is Dharana concentration. The mind, having been controlled, is now directionalized. It is turned to this point or to that and held there unwaveringly. In order to be most useful to man, the mind must be capable of pointing. It must reach such a condition that, like a single beam of light, it can be turned in any direction and held there for any desired length of time. When placed in a certain position, the mind remains there until the will of the operator moves it. When the stage of Dharana is achieved, the center of intelligence seemingly can be moved so that it is centered in almost any part of the body. The sense of feeling can be restricted to any given area. By this means the mind also can be forced to turn inward and see the internal parts of the body. To whatever point it is directed,

it profoundly influences, because it is so finely pointed that its shaft is almost solid enough to affect the physical organs. When all thought can be enclosed and limited to certain areas at will, it is called the accomplishment of Dharana.

The seventh step is Dhyana meditation. This is a continuation of the previous step and is the natural outcome of it. When the mind has become capable of pointing itself to any part of the human structure and of being held there continuously, a condition of contemplation results. In this way, an understanding of the invisible causal nature of the object contemplated is achieved. As one Eastern mystic says, "The mind begins to flow towards the point established." Gradually everything else ceases to exist except the point, and the mind, absorbing its lower illusionary nature, draws near to a perfect knowledge and consciousness of itself.

The eighth and last step is Samadhi spiritual ecstasy or union. It is attained when the mind is capable of ascending higher by its pointing or focalizing than the sense of I. The individual lives, he is conscious, and he thinks, but he is above the sense of I. He is temporarily universalized, and when he returns to his normal state of consciousness he brings back with him an overwhelming sense of the relationship of things which he never before possessed. Samadhi is brought on by a tremendous exertion of will power, in which the mind turns its focal ray to contemplate something greater even than itself. Thinking of this tremendous thing, it is temporarily part of the thing of which it thinks, and dwells in limitless Space and limitless Mind. The mind later drawing itself downward from Samadhi enters the restricted area of human intelligence to experience a sense of oppression as a person might feel if he were ushered into a small, poorly ventilated, and poorly lighted room.

A circular emblem features a stylized sun with rays. It contains a central figure, possibly a deity or personification, seated on a lotus or pedestal. Below the figure is the Sanskrit word Surya the sun god. The emblem is surrounded by a decorative border.