The calm mind means also courage, so that
you may face without fear the trials and difficulties of the Path; it means also
steadiness, so that you may make light of the troubles which come into everyone's life,
and avoid the incessant worry over little things in which many people spend most of their
time. The Master teaches that it does not matter in the least what happens to a man from
the outside; sorrows, troubles, sicknesses, losses - all these must be as nothing to him,
and must not be allowed to affect the calmness of his mind. They are the result of past
actions, and when they come you must bear them cheerfully, remembering that all evil is
transitory, and that your duty is to remain always joyous and serene. They belong to your
previous lives, not to this; you cannot alter them, so it is useless to trouble about
them. Think rather of what you are doing now, which will make the events of your next
life, for that you can alter.
This jewel from Alcyone's At the Feet
of the Master is as applicable today as it was in 1910 when it was written. In the
Northern Hemisphere the autumn is setting in and nature reflects what its human
inhabitants should be doing at this time of year: turning one’s energies inward. It
is also at this time of the year that the glorious feast of St. Michael and All Angels is
celebrated. The Michaelic aspects in the above passage are easily identified. St. Michael
with his sword is a symbol of courage, but a different kind of courage than one would
associate with that of a soldier, for example. Many of the icons, paintings and statues of
St. Michael show him standing quite serenely, sword pointing towards the earth, perhaps
symbolically pointing towards the fact that it is during our earthly existence that we are
to overcome the side of the shadow. Ah, the shadow. How easy it seems to place the shadow
outside us and attribute its existence to others, circumstance or coincidence.
The shadow is often seen as negative or
evil. Perhaps it is useful to ask how one would recognise the light if it weren't for the
darkness. Taking it a step further, if one side of us is facing the Sun, the other side of
necessity is in the shadow, or if you prefer, the very fact that we stand in the light of
the Sun implies that we cast a shadow behind us. It is where we direct our attention that
is important. It is for us to direct our attention increasingly to the Sun (i.e. the
spiritual Sun) and less to the shadow, which symbolically is the darkness that we drag
behind us. However, one is only able to keep one's attention fixed on the Sun, when one
fully understands that nothing in the shadow can possibly harm one. This knowledge comes
from ex-perience: By understanding and facing the shadow that is of necessity within each
one of us. The wife of Lot looked behind her and turned into a pillar of salt, whereas Lot
continued to the plains and subsequently to the mount, the place of initiation. His wife
stayed behind, as she was not yet ready for initiation.
The sword is also a powerful symbol. It cuts
two ways, perhaps suggesting duality in manifested life on the physical plane. Cutting
also has to do with discrimination; the separation of that which is light from that which
is darkness. It is interesting to note that the word decide really means to cut off: A
decision is the result of choosing one and cutting off all other possibilities. In order
to come to a decision, we need to understand, as far as lies in our capabilities, all
aspects surrounding the issue. As we are not yet perfect, it follows that any decision we
make is based on incomplete knowledge and may sometimes turn out, when the consequences of
our actions based on this decision manifest, seemingly, to be the wrong decision. The word
seemingly is used, as if one now realises the flaws in one's knowledge at the time when
the decision was made, one will have gained more insight. The law of cause and effect
remains immutable, however, and the causes we have set in motion by the seemingly
incorrect decision will someday need to be absolved in experiencing the effects.
St. Michael (or if you prefer, his physical
reflection in the personage of St. George) does not, in my opinion, use his sword to kill
the dragon. He conquers him, brings him to heed, but does not kill him. The symbology
behind this is apt, as conquering means subduing, putting the entity to subservient
service, whereas killing would imply either suppressing or banishing the dragon without
necessarily having come to terms with it. St. Michael is serene in that he hasn't
struggled in fighting the dragon, but with his courage has come to understand the dragon
and overcome it. The legend also says that the dragon has many heads and each time a
warrior cuts a head off, a new one appears in its place. Also in the Egyptian legends the
neophyte, whilst walking down the corridor towards the great hall, is time and again
besieged by some monster whom he must name, not kill: Naming the monster implies knowledge
of it. The neophyte has already experienced this monster and is therefore no longer
affected by its power. It is thereby conquered, allowing the neophyte to continue his
journey.
In essence therefore, we are required to
face our shadow, take responsibility for it, accept it and finally be thankful that we are
allowed to process it. It is said that one will only be apportioned that amount of
negative karma as one is potentially able to successfully absolve in a particular
lifetime. It is this knowledge that gives one the courage mentioned in the passage above.
Remember too, that this physical life is not only meant for releasing causes from this and
previous existences in the flesh, but also to actively fulfil the tasks set before one.
