To Light a Thousand Lamps - The Theosophical Society

108 / TO LIGHT A THOUSAND LAMPS
going on worldwide, but to adopt without careful screening
any method of self-development, especially those that promise
instant results, is a high-risk venture. Where there is
instability in the character (and who of us is perfectly pure
in heart and in motive?), the invasion of our psyche by
baneful influences from the lowest levels of the astral light
could be detrimental both to physical and mental health.
Besides, concentration of mental and psychic energy on the
transient elements of the nature has the drawback of diverting
attention away from essentials to externals. This cannot
have the beneficial e¤ect that the altruistic and nonselfcentered
approach of rāja yoga has on the aspirant. All of
this is old wisdom which many today are beginning to intuit
and apply to their lives.
In the Bhagavad-Gītā there is a phrase: ātmānam ātmanā
paśya — ‘‘see the self by means of the self.’’ This may
be interpreted in two ways: see the limited self, the personality,
by means of the glowing self or ātman within; or, see
the ātman within, the light of the true self, by means of the
awakening personal self. The ideal is to have an unimpeded
flow of energy, of consciousness, between our ātmic source
and the personality. When we seek first to o¤er ourselves to
the noblest within, we quicken the fires of our highest
chakra, the ātmic center, which in turn will radiate its influence
on all the other chakras.
Viewing the seven principles of the human constitution
as a pillar of light, each principle being sevenfold, supposing
we try to reach to ātman, we may fairly soon reach the
subātman of our psychic center. But if we have concentrated
too pointedly on that level there is every possibility