Content

Chapter 1 Inroduction

Life is a succession of open doors.

We pass through some and others we pass by.

The decisions we make before these open doors are the arbiters of our destiny thenceforth.

This volume is an open door before which you now stand. Look within and consider well

what you see there, for this portal leads from outer darkness to Inner Light.

May that Light be extended upon you

"For you it is given to understand. For others, I speak in parables."

In every age and in every country there are always those few individuals who seek more satisfying answers to the great questions of Life than they can find in their local churches and temples or through science. If their quest is sincere and they persist, they will eventually be drawn into contact with one of the world's Mystery Schools, where they may be instructed and trained. There have always been centers, called Mystery Schools, responding to the cry for understanding from aspirants throughout the ages.

Today such close secrecy is no longer necessary. Much may now be given out openly which formerly could be imparted only in private and by word of mouth. The greatest secrets, however, can never be transmitted by written or spoken word. That secrecy which guards the deepest esoteric knowledge is not imposed by the custodians of Ageless Wisdom but by human ignorance. It is the kind of secrecy which shrouds the work of great scientists such as Bor, Curie, Einstein, Edison and others. This secrecy does not result from any deliberate withholding but rather from a mass ignorance and consequent inability to understand the concepts and reasoning required by advanced science.

The custodians of Ageless Wisdom can no more disclose their knowledge to untrained men and women than great scientists can explain their theories of the universe to children who are still in kindergarten

The work of these schools is intensely practical. The student is given theoretical knowledge together with experimental work so that he learns both by precept and experience. As he continues with the process of self-unfolding, he gradually increases mastery of himself, first in small things, then in greater.

Chapter 2 : OBJECTIVES

There is a fundamental impulse within you to seek understanding, wisdom, true knowledge of yourself, nature, and the universe. The Mystery Schools are and always have been the repositories of special knowledge that is the key to the realization of all that you seek. It is our objective to place this key in the hands of those who are ready to receive and act upon it. This special knowledge enables you to know yourself and your creative powers, and to make for yourself the kind of world you want to live in. The problems that you face in life are not really obstacles, but like a closed door to a room that holds special knowledge. B.O.T.A. gives you the key that will unlock the problem doors of your life, and in their opening, your health, prosperity, and the mastery of your life and environment will increase.

The practical work of B.O.T.A., which includes study, meditation, imagery and ritual, initiates a series of subtle but important changes in your inner world, not the least of which is an expansion of your conscious awareness. Even a slight increase in this area has a remarkable effect on your mental/emotional capacities. Your intelligence increases and you become more aware of your motivations. You become more observant, which improves your memory. Your ability to anticipate future effects of present causes is enhanced, improving your discrimination in making choices. Objectivity is increased, aiding the ability to think more logically and clearly, which increases control over your environment and helps you define your goals.

You cease to regard problems as indications of failure but as the means to gain new levels of understanding and control that you need in your spiritual journey. You learn the vital creative relationship between thinking and feeling so that you can use this knowledge to recreate your world. The spiritual imperative that is elaborated in B.O.T.A. members is “Man, know thyself, and as thou knowest thyself, thou knowest thy Creator.

the ages, hundreds have realized their spiritual goals through exactly this same training so that you can depend on its being thoroughly tested and proven. If you faithfully follow the instructions that are sent to all members of this Order, you will find yourself becoming increasingly receptive to the guidance of the Higher Self, which is the beginning of the transformational process. B.O.T.A. fully realizes the implications of such assertions and the responsibility incurred in making them, yet they are made deliberately and are intended to be taken literally.

Chapter 3 : HIGHER STATES OF CONSCIOUSNESS

That you may understand what is meant by "a higher state of consciousness," consider the various kingdoms of nature. Each has a progressively wider range of awareness. These different ranges of awareness are clearly defined, from the apparent unconsciousness of minerals through the subconscious life processes of plants to the first glimmerings of self- consciousness in higher animals. Self-consciousness reaches its fullness in man, and he is able to reason, to formulate speech, to use tools, and to modify his environment de- liberately. HIGHER consciousness goes even beyond self-consciousness. It has been called the consciousness beyond thought — the level of intuition. It is through this level of consciousness that direct knowledge of the answers to Life's questions are realized and one's path — past, present and future — is clearly seen.

Corresponding with the evolution of form upon this planet is the evolution of consciousness. It can be postulated that in the natural course of events, all mankind will ultimately possess a higher state of consciousness. Almost incomprehensible periods of time elapse, however, before such changes occur in the slow processes of nature. Yet, speed-ups are possible as man is endowed with special mental and physical faculties which, with proper training, enable him to bring this about much sooner. This spiritual forcing process is the work of the Mystery Schools, and it is to this purpose that our curriculum is structured.

With this course of lessons you are being privileged for the first time to participate in

the transcription of tape recordings extending the practical work in Tarot and the principles

of Holy Qabalah. In order that you may understand the importance and the significance of

this opportunity, you should be aware of at least a portion of the recent history and

tradition of the Western Mystery School of which Builders of the Adytum is the lineal

descendant and the active instrument.

During the twenty-six thousand year cycle of the great solar year, the sun passes

through each zodiacal sign; each sign of the zodiaci n turn exercisesd, uring its 2,155 year

interval, a small but important influence. Three centuries ago, as the sun began nearing the

end of the Piscean Age, those fetters with which the feudal church and state had bound

men's minds and bodies began to be discarded. The invention of the printing press

weakened the hold of old patterns on men's minds and the great upheaval in orthodox

Christianity created by the Reformation weakened the possibility of enforcing accepted ideas

on inquiring spirits. Early in the seventeenth century, it was possible for a statement of

Qabalistic doctrine to be published openly for the first time, in the Fama Fraternitatis and

the Confessio Fraternitatis, although they had to be published anon;rmously.

Both participation in the Mystery School tradition and publication of Mystery School

teachings accelerated sharply in the eighteenth century. This new century was called the

"age of reason,"i n sharp contrastto the "age of faith" thathad precededit . The

culminating years of the eighteenth century saw the rebirth of democracy with the

establishment of the American Republic, dedicated to a new order of the ages; the

foundations were laid for new humanitarian movements to provide aid to the poor, to care

for the insane, and for the ill; and the first steps were made in the elimination of traditional

discrimination against different races, religions and sects. Astrologically, this "age of

reason" was highlighted by the discovery, in 1781, of the planet Uranus. It is signiflrcant

that Uranus, as the higher octave of Mercury, is the planet attributed to Tarot Key 0,

Superconsciousnessa,n d is the co-ruler of the dawning Aquarian Age.

As all movements are characterized by tides, and as the waters, even when swelling

to high tide, withdraw intermittently, so a period of reaction necessarily followed the

intense activity of the eighteenth century. The hesitating steps of experimental science, still

in its infancy, were obstructed by the dogmatic rigidity of orthodox religion; the industrial

revolution, for a time, made the laboring poor worse off than before; in reaction to the

American and French revolutions, the remaining absolute monarchies stifled any outward

movements by the people toward democratic forms of government.

But the reaction to changes of a new age was only temporary. Great reformers of

the mid and late nineteenth century devoted their hearts and souls to the eradication of

existing social inljustices and evils by seeking knowledge of the laws of life and developing

broad ethical standards. Because the established churches of this period were too

entrenched in dogma, for the most part, to satisfy the growing desire within the people for

greater spiritual awareness, the teachings of the outer school of the Western Tradition were

revealed through many and various channels. Some recipients of this Mystery training

perverted or polluted its teachings, some misinterpreted them, some tried to use the occult

knowledge for personal power and aggrandizement. Others were too timid to put into

practice that which they had learned.

Within this same period, a true outer vehicle for the Qabalistic Wisdom appeared in

England, the Order of the Golden Dawn. The Golden Dawn numbered among its membership

some of the most brilliant and talented men and women of that day and age. It was

the first open and public Order of the Western Tradition to exist in over 1,600 years.

It must not be thought that the secrecy surrounding the outer vehicles of the

Western Tradition places it at any true disadvantage with the Eastern Tradition. It is, of

course, tragic that the Western Tradition has lost some of its ancient literature. But the

secrecy of Qabalism during a portion of the Piscean Age has saved its teachings from being

perverted by the same types of popular misinterpretation and from the same forms of

degradation by power-seeking leaders, as can be found in so many instances within the

Eastern Tradition. The man or woman who sought illumination in the Mystery Schools of

the West after the victory of the exoteric side of Christianity (and it must always be

remembered that the esoteric side of Christianity was as ruthlessly repressed as any

non-Christian belief) had to be prepared to learn in secret, to shun any public use of

knowledge of power, and to face martSrrdom. These very qualities necessary to anyone who

dared to seek the light under these conditions insured that even though the lamp might be

small, its flame would be pure.

It has always been difficult for the materially successfutl o remain dedicatedt o an

ideal that embraces yet transcends the physical plane. For this reason it wa.s necessary that

great numbers of reformers be called upon at various intervals to purge the Eastern

tradition of corruption. And for this reason too, Christianity itself degenerated into

formality and dogma. Thus, too, was planted the seed of the weed that flrnally choked the

flowering of the Order of the Golden Dawn and necessitatedth e formation by the Inner

School of a new outer vehicle.

At the time the Golden Dawn was in its ascent, a young man in the United States

was beginning to find his true life vocation. Dr. Paul Foster Case, while still a youth, was

led to a life-long interest in Tarot. During his study of the history and meaning of Tarot, he

continually was aided by an Inner Voice, which led him and encouraged him in

Imprint

Publisher: BookRix GmbH & Co. KG

Publication Date: 02-19-2021
ISBN: 978-3-7487-7494-5

Dedication:
Builders Of The Adytum

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