Practical Esoterics

by Fr. E.S.Q.S.

NOTE: Seeing as it seems that there is no longer a way to submit articles, I will post this article to the forums instead. Feel free to move the article as you see fit.

Introduction

One claim that I have heard, time and again, is that, “There is nothing practical about Pythagorean Hylozoics”; also, “H.T.L. has not provided any practices.” These claims are very common among beginners in the study of Pythagorean Hylozoics. You do not hear seasoned students of Pythagorean Hylozoics making such claims, after all. And why not? Well, because these claims are simply not true; however, a beginner would not know that. It is sheer stupidity to make such a claim, seeing as it is a claim based entirely upon ignorance. Those who have not studied the matter are really in no position to make such claims. The beginner says this; however, the seasoned students respond:

“First and foremost, the presentation of H.T.L. (in his “The Knowledge of Reality”, “The Philosopher’s Stone”, and the “The Way of Man”) was, largely, about the mental system of Pythagorean Hylozoics. It was not about practical Esoterics; after all, theoretical study must precede practical application. That being said, H.T.L. has provided more than enough practical matter for the beginner to consider throughout these works. Besides this, there is also the work of L.A. to take into consideration, seeing as L.A. has, in many ways, continued the work that H.T.L. had started. The work of L.A. is incredibly practical – and he could do that because H.T.L. had paved the way for him. H.T.L. had presented the mental system which would be the fundamental basis of the practices being presented, later on. Thus, we can return to the question: ‘Is there nothing practical about Pythagorean Hylzoics?’ Well, it is a mental system – an explanatory model of the world and our place in it. It is not a body of practices. It, itself, is not practical; however, it can certainly be used practically. One thing that Pythagorean Hylozoics makes clear to us is that the meaning and purpose of life is conscious development; as such, it indicates the way forward in no uncertain terms. In describing the nature of the world and our place in it, it also gives us an indication of just what this work must entail and how we ought to go about doing it. And let’s not forget the presentation concerning the laws of life. That sort of knowledge is nothing but practical. That sort of knowledge is meant to be applied.” – so on and so forth.

The following short article will examine these claims and point out just how ridiculous they really are. It is about high-time that beginners in the study of Pythagorean Hylozoics stopped formulating uninformed opinions about matters they clearly know nothing about. Study first, then open your yap – lest you should say something stupid.

Defining our Terms

The first problem we will come to is the matter of defining our terms; after all, the word, “Practical” here is going to mean something a little different to everyone. We cannot pretend that we all mean the same thing. In many cases, beginners use the word, “Practical” in one of two ways:

1. “Practical” as in concerning the acquisition of abilities (i.e.: psychic powers)
2. “Practical” as in concerning specific techniques and/or short-cuts

In either case, I can assure you that H.T.L. – and L.A., even – do not provide such “practical” information.

In the first case, it would be considerably dangerous to do so (if they could do it at all, mind you). The knowledge that confers power is never given out like this. That people go looking for this sort of knowledge, the knowledge that confers power, says something about themselves, if they would care to examine their motives. They are wise when they say, “Thank god I had not discovered such things! I would have put myself in a hole so deep, that I might never have seen the light of day again!” The old saying, “Power corrupts” is pertinent here. The first step is to become a better person. The cultivation of our character is the strongest safeguard against such corruption. That is the first work – and that is an entirely practical matter, mind you. It’s just not the sort of thing beginners are looking for and so they claim that, “There is nothing practical about Pythagorean Hylozoics.”

In the second case, there is the problem of specific techniques. The astute thinker will realize why it is impossible to share specific techniques in writings such as these (i.e.: the works of H.T.L. and L.A., etc.): specific techniques are for specific peoples; more than this, even specific techniques must be modified on a case-by-case basis. Writings that are meant for many peoples can, at best, give fairly generalized practical instructions – for instance, like those presented in section 9 of L.A.’s “The Explanation.” That is just being responsible. Specific techniques require a school and a teacher. They cannot be given out in any other way. That’s just a matter of common sense, which is clearly lacking in many beginners.

The Practicality of H.T.L.’s Work

That all said and done, let’s move on and examine the differences there are between the practicality of H.T.L.’s works and L.A.’s works. As had been mentioned above, in the introduction, the purpose of H.T.L.’s works was not so much to provide immediately practical information; rather, the purpose of H.T.L.’s works was to provide the fundamental basis necessary for further practical information, later on. H.T.L. presented the mental system of Pythagorean Hylozoics; also, the laws of life. Besides this, he also did a very necessary work of dismantling various illusions and fictions. That was his work. In the three main works (“The Knowledge of Reality”, “The Philosopher’s Stone” and “The Way of Man”), he was fleshing out the mental system of Pythagorean Hylozoics; also, he was fleshing out the necessary information concerning the laws of life. That was his work. That being said, is it fair to say that there was nothing practical in all of this? Well, no – much of the information provided alluded to the work that must be done. The thing is, he didn’t provide specific practical details in these works – and it makes sense: that wasn’t the purpose of these works. They were meant to provide the necessary theoretical framework for later practical considerations.

Of course, H.T.L. also wrote a number of other papers (i.e.: “The Knowledge of Life” series, etc.) which contain more specific practical details. Suggestions that can be found throughout the work of H.T.L. includes:

• Meditation on desired qualities
• Meditation on the differences there are between the monad and it’s envelopes
• Keeping a daily journal
• Study of the mental system of Pythagorean Hylozoics
• Concentration exercises
• Self-observation (and, thus, Self-remembrance) exercises
• Reflection on the problems of everyday life
• So on and so forth

The thing is, H.T.L. only provided very basic and highly generalized suggestions; after all, he spent more time explaining the nature of the work in question (i.e.: concentration, meditation, control of consciousness, etc.) as opposed to explaining how one ought to go about doing it. He did not prescribe ways for people to do things – partly because that wasn’t his work, partly because he couldn’t, and partly because he shouldn’t (it violates a law of life).

The Practicality of L.A.’s Work

H.T.L. paved the way for people like L.A. The theoretical framework was set and, so, L.A. could focus more on practical matters. Of course, L.A. has also expanded on the fundamentals considerably, as well. H.T.L. provided the basics. L.A. is providing the master classes, which had to come afterwards. There is a lot of practical information in L.A.’s works; however, it is still quite general in nature. Probably, it will still not be very satisfying to the beginner. More than this, L.A. has provided a lot of practical information, targeting a lot of different stages and levels of conscious growth and development, and – most importantly - he has not provided anyone with a prescribed program (that would violate a law of life). All of this is intentional. A few of the suggestions that can found in L.A.’s work include:

• Meditation on desired qualities
• Meditation on cosmic ideas (i.e.: the unity of everything, the trinity of existence, etc.)
• Meditation on the sacred word, “AUM”
• The sounding of the sacred word, “AUM”
• Intentional thinking
• Intentional feeling
• Control of formatory thinking
• Control of negative imagination
• Concentration exercises
• Self-observation (and, thus, Self-remembrace) exercises
• Reflection on the problems of everyday life
• Tools for thinking (i.e.: thinking in scales, etc.)
• The formation and use of long thoughts
• Seed meditations
• So on and so forth

That is more than enough to keep most people busy for many lives to come.

Thanks for your time,

Sincerely,

Fr. E.S.Q.S.