”I have discovered
that the abracadabra of the Myster Schools is distasteful to many
people who have been brought face to face with metaphysics by their
interest in the Saucer phenomenon. This means that the old material, the
Ancient Wisdom, is going to have to be rewritten for them, dressed up in
modern, Space Age, terminology, before they' ll study it; and this is a normal, healthy thing.” (The Sky
People, Round Robin, vol. 17, no 1, Jan-Feb 1961, p 22).
Riley Crabb
This is a very
perceptive insight reached by Riley Crabb, director of Borderland Sciences
Research Foundation (BSRF) 1959-1985. He had for many years been applying
Esotericism as a worldview or paradigm in studying and evaluating UFO and
paranormal phenomena. Lecturing and writing on these issues he learned the hard
way that the critical scientist and investigator usually have scant interest in
delving into the `abracadabra` of esotericism, mainly because it is presented
in such a way that intellectuals find it meaningless and the terminology
obscure. As I try to follow in the footsteps of Desmond Leslie, Meade Layne and
Riley Crabb in using esotericism as a working hypothesis in my research I fully
understand the dilemma facing any investigator delving into these problems.
My old friend and
AFU colleague Anders Liljegren, who is a no-nonsense, practical, down-to-earth
realist use to, in a good-natured spirit, now and then make some ironic
comments about my ”curious” views and studies. Anders has my full sympathy in
this respect. Why should any scientist or serious researcher bother to
investigate claims and experiences in the occult underground community with
hundreds of cults and metaphysical teachers? Especially since so few of these
claims can be empirically verified. Many are those who have searched for the
needle in the haystack (Philosopher´s Stone) among ”spiritual” gurus but ended
up with an even bigger haystack and no needle.
Those heretical
scientists who enter the world of Forbidden Science sooner or later discover
that the mainstream materialist-reductionist paradigm or worldview is untenable
when faced with UFO and paranormal phenomena. Investigators with a scholarly
mind realize the implications of this fact is that we live in a multiverse.
From a strictly empirical and philosophical standpoint it is also reasonable to
conclude that this multiverse can be studied and understood in rational and
scientific terms instead of being presented as some mystical mumbo-jumbo. Hence
there is or should exist a Science of the Multiverse, as exact as any academic
discipline. As we are obviously not alone in this universe, or even on this
planet, is there any evidence that there exist ”something better than man”,
scientists of this multiverse or custodians of knowledge so far not discovered by
mainstream science? That this is a fact, sooner or later verified by official
science, is the position maintained by The Esoteric Tradition or The Ancient
Wisdom.
The serious and
critical investigator who has arrived at this conclusion face the tricky
problem of deciding what in the metaphysical haystack could be regarded as a
real Science of the Multiverse, presented in such a way that it could be used
as a working hypothesis. Here I can only answer that the worldview formulated
by a.o. Helena Blavatsky, Alice Bailey and Henry T. Laurency are in my
estimation the intellectually most interesting and profound presentations of what
is called The Esoteric Tradition. A Science of the Multiverse to be considered
as a theory or paradigm when investigating UFO and paranormal phenomena.
Even in the
presentations of esotericism by Blavatsky, Bailey and Laurency we still have
the problem of terminology. Often religious terms are used which give the
reader wrong associations when, as Riley Crabb mention ”Space Age” terminology
could be used instead. The Swedish esotericist Henry T. Laurency has made
commendable efforts to introduce new words instead of the often meaningless or
obsolete terms in the older Theosophical literature. To the philosophically and
scientifically educated scholars the greatest stumbling block in accepting
esotericism as a working hypothesis is the lack of empirical evidence for much
of what is presented as facts in esotericism. In the books by Laurency and
Bailey we are constantly reminded to refrain from simple belief when it comes
to facts presented by the planetary guardians. Not to make a new dogmatic sect
based on the data given, but keeping an open mind and using the information as
a working hypothesis. “Belief is the enemy” wrote Fortean journalist John A.
Keel. With this attitude the critical and scientific scholar can accept the
esoteric worldview and still keep his or her intellectual integrity.
Alice Bailey
When more of the
multiverse can be scientifically studied and verified by experiment we can
expect a real renaissance of interest in the Esoteric Tradition. Until then I
hope that erudite esotericists will be able to give more up to date
presentations using known facts and terminology better suited to our time and
age. What is still lacking in esotericism is a basic study aimed at the
scientifical community giving as much empirical data as possible in support of
the esoteric worldview. The intellectual and cultural elite will probably not
pay much attention to esotericism until we have a breakthrough in our knowledge
of the multiverse. A fascinating prophecy in esotericism is that a revolutionary
discovery is awaiting mankind that will force many advanced scientists and
scholars to consider esotericism as a reasonable theory, paradigm or working
hypothesis. This paradigm shift will be
ushered in by science when the next or etheric worlds around us can be
photographed and filmed.
A very delicate
problem facing the ancient and hitherto hidden organization who are custodians
of the Science of the Multiverse is how to accomplish disclosure of their
existence and knowledge without causing cultural and political chaos. This
issue is freely discussed in the Theosophical classic The Mahatma Letters to A.P. Sinnett and the books by Alice Bailey. One of the problems is how to handle
the many ridiculous and naive presentations of its members as ”ascended
Masters” etc.
According to
esoteric history it was during a meeting 1775 when two members of the Planetary
Guardians received permission to implement an experiment in disclosing to
humanity part of the Science of the Multiverse and the existence of the secret
brotherhood of our planet. What happened at the meeting is described by Swedish
esotericist Henry T. Laurency: ” All the
other members of the planetary hierarchy voted against the proposal, since they
considered that too few people had attained the necessary stage of mental
development for the undertaking to have any prospect of success. The emotional
illusions of the prevailing religions and the mental fictions of philosophy
were so remote from the right conception of reality that any attempt to
communicate superphysical knowledge to the so-called educated either would be rejected
out of hand or would give rise to new imaginative excesses. They considered
that one ought to wait until at least those furthest developed had acquired
physical etheric objective consciousness. Then they would see the fictitiousness
of the prevailing idiologies and prove readier to examine, at least, the
reality content of the esoteric mental system.” (Henry T. Laurency, The
Knowledge of Reality, digital edition 3.1.25).
The two members of
the brotherhood, named M. and K.H. who were allowed to try the experiment found
the Russian woman Helena Blavatsky and after special training she did her best with
the mission impossible to be the first emissary from the Planetary Guardians.
The result was the Theosophical Society, founded in New York 1875. Although the
cultural impact of Theosophy was impressive the experiment was regarded as more
or less a failure. In a letter to A. P. Sinnett February 1882 M. wrote: ”One or
two of us hoped that the world had so far advanced intellectually, if not
intuitionally, that the Occult doctrine might gain an intellectual acceptance,
and the impulse given for a new cycle of occult research. Others – wiser as it
would now seem – held differently, but consent was given for the trial.” (The
Mahatma Letters to A.P. Sinnett, Letter no 44, p. 259).
The disclosure by
Blavatsky that there existed a hidden organization of Planetary Guardians
naturally resulted in much speculation and an almost romantic glamour among
members of the Theosophical Society. Everybody wanted to meet these adepts and
many spurious claims were made by various mystics who believed they were in
communication with ”The Masters”. The brotherhood members were critized for
there secrecy for which they delivered this answer: ”In common with many you
blame us for our great secrecy. Yet we know something of human nature, for the
experience of long centuries – aye, ages, has taught us. And we know, that so
long as science has anything to learn, and a shadow of religious dogmatism
lingers in the heart of the multitudes, the world´s prejudices have to be
conquered step by step, not by a rush.” (The Mahatma Letters to A.P. Sinnett,
Letter no 1, Oct. 15, 1880, p. 3).
”… we do not wish
Mr. Hume or you to prove conclusively to the public that we really exist.
Please realize the fact that so long as men doubt there will be curiosity and
enquiry, and that enquiry stimulates reflection which begets effort; but le tour secret be once thoroughly vulgarized and not only will sceptical society
derive no great good bu tour privacy would be constantly endangered and have to
be continually guarded at an unreasonable cost of power.” (The Mahatma Letters
to A.P. Sinnett, Letter no 29, p. 224).
We can expect further
psychological and cultural tests from the brotherhood in reaching and
influencing humanity. Some of the UFO
contacts made in the 1950s were probably such a test, made in co-operation with
a benevolent groups of extraterrestrials. In several blog posts I have made a
study of the contactees involved in this experiment. Regarding these type of
tests K.H. made a comment in an early letter: ”… we cannot consent to over-flood
the world at the risk of drowning them, with a doctrine that has to be
cautiously given out, and bit by bit like a too powerful tonic which can
kill as well as cure…” (The Mahatma
Letters to A.P. Sinnett, Letter no 34, p. 242).
Compare the above
letter with this statement from Connie Menger, wife of American UFO contactee
Howard Menger: "Let us assume that there is on this planet a group of
scientifically minded and spiritually dedicated men and women who are working
to accomplish this great task. And, let us further assume that they have
already established contacts with equally dedicated people of other planets. To
continue their work and remain effective, they must of necessity remain behind
the scenes. However, they can, in the interest of humanity in general, send out
hints as to what will take place in the near future. Perhaps they send out
scouts to make personal contacts for the specific reason of determining the
reactions of every-day people. Perhaps it is done as a "smoke screen"
to temporarily keep secret the real work which is going on until such time that
the people are prepared to meet this new era with many changes it will
bring...Then there are the personal contact stories, some of which are authentic,
and which have been established for study purposes and for keeping alive a
story which must eventually be brought before all people. If given in small
doses, the general acceptance will be made over a period of time, and will take
place almost naturally." (Howard Menger, From Outer Space to You, p. 7).
For
the critical investigator to accept the esoteric worldview as a paradigm and
working hypothesis most scholars would probably need some form of empirical
data indicating a multiverse. To me the empirical evidence became obvious by
investigating UFO and paranormal phenomena. But of course a bridge to
esotericism could be found by researching a number of borderland phenomena:
healing, out-of-body experiences, remote viewing, materializations etc. In my
many blog entries I have tried to show that accepting esotericism as a working
hypothesis does not imply irrationalism or a loss of intellectual integrity. UFO
researchers such as Jacques Vallee and Allen Hynek have entertained similar
ideas. The UFO community have much to learn by a study of the Esoteric
Tradition. I predict many heureka moments for those heretical ufologists who wish to follow this path
in UFO research.