The island country of Curaçao

Dear Gail:

Here is a VARDAN yardstick with which you can use in judgment on people. Concerning their interest range, that is:

Those who are interested in IDEAS—have good minds;

those who are mainly interested in PEOPLE—have medium minds, one might say; and those who are interested in THINGS—often have poor minds. You can usually get a tentative judgment on people by listening to their talk on the above three sticks.

A person who is seized by an idea becomes that idea:

therefore, ascertain where the individual puts his attention, is it on ideas, people or things? Only successful people work in the field of ideas—on all levels, whether it’s on the God level or selling automobiles. Whatever it is, he is consumed by the idea and becomes the idea. The idea takes hold of the person, molds him and shapes him according to its desire.

One of the most interesting stories in religious literature is that of Ramakrishna, Hindu mystic, and saint of the Vedanta philosophy (one of the six major Indian religions). There are books in the public library about him.

The idea is the symbol or image which one struggles to become. William Blake, mystical poet, is the first of the modern thinkers to emphasize this theory. He was a Gnostic, as I am. His thinking proceeded from Plotinus, who picked up his knowledge from the Gnostics, that group of thinkers, who rebelled against the old Jewish faith. This went through the centuries in the thinking of the early church writers, Origen, and others; but their works are not recognized today by the orthodox Catholic church. The Cabalists, the mystical group of the old Jewish faith, became the leaders in the revolt

against the dogma of their faith, down through the centuries from Pico della Mirandola, Savonarola, to Fludd, Swedenborg and Blake, the latter influencing Berkeley, Swift, Donne, Hume, Kant, Schiller and Goethe, or vice versa. Most of Blake’s writings are filled with ideas from the Cabala (the Jewish mysticism).

Blake’s writings are made up of one basic principle:

Idealism; replacing God by man as a creator, or identifying man with God.

Working with Voltaire, this strange man, Blake, broke up the old trends of orthodox religion in the 18th century. From that day, all religious thinking became the stepchild of Blake, the religionist. Voltaire was not a religious man, therefore, Blake’s works grow with the years, and Voltaire’s decline.

What I am saying here, rather leading up to, is that Blake emphasized the faculty of imagination, for one must be creative before he can enter into the mystic or occult life.

You must learn to replace the old habits, traditions, and crack your background. There is an interesting story, a fantasy, titled “Disappearing Act,” by Alfred Bester, in Star Science Fiction Stories, No. 2, which illustrates this point. A writer must build his drama on a sense of exaggeration, but this story makes its own point on imagination. It is the story of six people locked in an insane ward, who never eat or sleep, and would physically disappear at times—they went into their own invisible, make-believe world where they were the chief performers. All sorts of ESP, psychological and occult experts were called in to solve this problem, but in the finale it was decided only a poet could unlock the mystery because a poet is the most creative of people, and knew the imaginative concepts which each patient had developed for himself and had a world into which he could visit and live for any period of time necessary.

This is true, for very few know the concepts of imagination better than the poets. It is always good to take up the study of poets and their imagination. Why? Because whatever you image and establish in your own universe eventually becomes reality. This is the basic reason for all religions, and the many saints who come to earth and preach their message. Their imaginative powers are so developed that they can project their ideas to others who are non-creative and make the ideas stick, through setting up an image pattern. Hence, Christ on the cross—what more can be said of a man who gave his life to save a race! Whether this was invented by his followers or He created the image makes no difference, it is an image which has seized the imagination of people throughout the centuries.

On the other hand, look about you at the picture images of the standard brand products. Say, Coca-Cola; Mr. Clean;

Campbell’s Soups; etc. The advertising agencies have been able to make images which have seized the minds of people to purchase their products.

Where is all this leading? Blake emphasized the principle of ACTION OF THE NON-ACTION. Meaning, that creativity through the imagination brings you into that desired state. Remember we talked about this at one time!

The imagination travels into realms where the physical body cannot go, for example, you wish to travel to Honolulu, but have no money. You can assume in your imagination that you are in Honolulu (this is the spirit body which goes to that place), and eventually your physical body must follow the spirit body where it goes! This is what I was showing you the night you worked to leave your body!

Now a step further, which Blake spoke about in his great metaphysical poems. This is, entering into the Halls of Los where all events are awaiting the spotlight of your attention

so they can become alive. They are like statues which you endow with life for movement to work in your life. But in order to enter into this Hall of Life, you must first rise above your aberrations so your spirit body can work without hindrance—meaning, you must be above problems and troubles—hence, the reason you work outside the body most of the time. Remember in my last letter I talked about the reactive mind. See how all this is fitting together? We are taking one step at a time in order to put this all together. Do you understand why I am recommending certain books now?

One great principle of the imaginative faculty is:

Whatever is agreed upon by two or more shall be done!

Rebazar Tarzs, the great VARDAN Master, says the same thing in his teachings. Now, this doesn’t mean two or more in the physical flesh, it simply means, that when you desire something to be, like the aforementioned trip to Honolulu—

that after you put yourself there in the spirit body—you must picture somebody agreeing with you that this is the proper trip, etc.

In the next letter, I’m going to tell you how the imagination is brought into power, the techniques, etc., for its use. How to build yourself a universe in which to live, actually.

More later.

Sincerely, Paul

9. Law of Reversed Effort