Key Concepts Study Group

That’s nicely put, Ram. It also provides a hint to at least one of the ways we might understand the assertion Tat Tvam Asi (That thou art), from our other conversation thread.

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I like the concluding remark :

“ At the same time, the use of analogy and correspondence can lift rational thought out of the merely linear mode of thinking and logic by providing a depth and breadth to our endeavours at understanding.”

So very true. If ONE, not many, or, One in many and many in One is true, then many are the many aspects of tha…[Read more]

That’s an interesting question, Gerry. I’m not sure there is an obstacle to thinking analogically given that people use it in almost every sphere of life and field of knowledge. Perhaps the obstacle arises when it comes to what areas of study that analogical thinking should be applied. For example, someone who doubts the reality of any met…[Read more]

What is the main obstacle to thinking analogically? Are analogy and correspondence tools to awaken intuition?

The Law of Analogy, by Sarah Corbett
The Law of Analogy
Behold how like the moon reflected in the tranquil waves, Alaya is reflected by the small and by the great, is mirrored in the tiniest atoms, yet fails to reach the heart of all.—The Voice of tile Silence.

The Law of Analogy, or as it is sometimes called the Law of Correspondence, is the f…[Read more]

The Law of Correspondences
From a Talk by Robert Crosbie

Theosophy, October, 1920

“Law of Correspondences” is a greater subject than people are liable to suspect; yet we all know something of correspondences in the simple facts of nature—the seven colors of the spectrum, the seven notes of the scale. Each color of each octave corresponds to th…[Read more]

How to Study the Secret Doctrine: Part II
If, as has been claimed, the three fundamental propositions constitute a key to the study of the Secret Doctrine, the student should endeavor to apply these not merely to the philosophy as a whole, but to each and every department and special topic and to the linking of these together. Only by so doing can…[Read more]

How to Study the Secret Doctrine: Part II

If, as has been claimed, the three fundamental propositions constitute a key to the study of the Secret Doctrine, the student should endeavor to apply these not merely to the philosophy as a whole, but to each and every department and special topic and to the linking of these together. Only by so doing…[Read more]

This world is part of a definite system having the sun as center. The evolutionary stream proceeds upon one definite plan for each manvantara. In order to carry this out all evolved objects and things must evolve upon one plan. All the forces must work from one center out to the various smaller centers, and in this the law of correspondence is…[Read more]

What the student has first to do is to comprehend these axioms and, by employing the deductive method, to proceed from universals to particulars. He has then to reason from the “known to the unknown,” and see if the inductive method of proceeding from particulars to universals supports those axioms. This process forms the primary stage of true con…[Read more]

“The Universe is worked and guided from within outwards. As above so it is below, as in heaven so on earth; and man — the microcosm and miniature copy of the macrocosm — is the living witness to this Universal Law, and to the mode of its action. We see that every external motion, act, gesture, whether voluntary or mechanical, organic or menta…[Read more]

Causative Nature of Cycles
The doctrine of cycles is one of the most important in the entire cosmic range of the esoteric philosophy, because repetitive or rhythmic action is fundamental in nature. As a matter of fact, every being and thing that exists is an expression of rhythmic pulsation: we are not only the children of cycles greater than…[Read more]

When we talk about civilizations being built on the wreckage of previous civilizations are we really just noticing the natural evolution of cycles? Perhaps old forms must come to pass to make room for new ones.

When we talk about cycles within cycles are we referring to the engines that drive the larger cycle? Might it be compared to a lot of small choices that lead to a big choice?

That is a really interesting comment. Can you explain further why or how karma might slow or increase the pace of a cycle?

The Evolution of Humanity and Its Civilizations
The story of mankind cannot be understood without considering the birth of the planet of which we are all inseparable parts. If our universe is a living being, and our sun and earth also, we are then children of the living cosmos. This implies that there are intelligences above man, and beings below…[Read more]

Karma is essentially the law of Cycles. It is the relationship between cause and effect which is the core idea behind a cycle. A cycle involves the movement from the unmanifest to the manifest and its return. This is the grand cycle upon which all other cycles are built. Every action begins with a thought, per se, and produces effects, which…[Read more]

The Doctrine of Cycles
The doctrine of Cycles is emphasized in Theosophy, as it is so many-sided and so far-reaching in its application to all phases of life and to all conditions of matter. A cycle means a ring or “turning.” It is not a closed ring; rather, it is a continuous rounding course, advancing on a rising level. Cycles may be likened to…[Read more]

Cycles From Mr. Judge’s Ocean of Theosophy

In advancing these few observations upon the doctrine of cycles, no claim to an exhaustive study of the matter is made. This paper is merely by way of suggestion.

The subject was brought before my mind by our discussion some evenings ago, when the question of the descent upon earth, or ascent from it,…[Read more]