How to Study the Secret Doctrine

Just as it was forbidden to look at Medusa face-to-face under penalty of petrification, anyone who studies the Secret Doctrine—considered Blavatsky's Magna Opus—without due care also runs the risk of suffering complete and total mental paralysis. They become fascinated, frightened, and ultimately disappointed. And all of this is exactly like immobilization. In fact, none of this seems very different from the classic riddle of the Sphinx, which said, "Decipher me or I will devour you." Or perhaps the sirens who threatened shipwreck to anyone who dared cross their inhospitable region. This article therefore seeks to highlight the signs that should guide the study of Helena P. Blavatsky's "Secret Doctrine," as provided by the author herself, as well as the consequences of not doing so with due care.

Anyone who claims to understand the Secret Doctrine in its literal terms is lying, just as anyone who hopes that Science will one day confirm all of its statements is completely mistaken. Even the recurrent appeals to Science therein sound almost like trickery, only to return everything to the nebulous realm of myth, fantasy, and the implausible in the following paragraph. Those who imagine it possible to take it literally by forcing understanding are also deluded, for they will end up making it a simple exercise of faith, a common mistake many make, because this faith may indeed be nothing more than an undesirable... paralysis. Losing reason and curiosity is the last resort a sensible person should take when faced with the Mysteries.

Has the venerable Author truly left us without resources, faced with her enigmatic work? This is the question those truly interested in the subject should ask themselves, but which, regrettably, few ask. For not even Medusa, the Sphinx, or the Sirens left travelers without answers or defenses—only the unwary fell into their traps! Who didn't know, after all, that it was possible to spy on Medusa through a mirror, or that the Sphinx accepted a certain answer, and that the Sirens allowed passage to those who covered their ears to their hypnotic song, or even to someone more daring like the cunning Ulysses, who decided to listen to them—to be the first to experience their magic and survive—on the condition of being tied to the ship's mast so as not to be tempted to throw himself into the fatal waters and be devoured? There is always an answer, for those with sufficient skill or courage.

Suspension of judgment is requested, yes, not as a trick to the reader, to leave them immobilized, but out of respect for the Mysteries. And then it's up to us to get to work, employing what is offered as a path. Will it be an easy task? No one has ever offered easy solutions, because if this were good, everything would already be delivered. The Mystery exists not to immobilize us, but rather as an invitation, perhaps, to change the course of our journey, beginning to undertake not only an external journey but also an internal one…

Something that can contribute to understanding the secretive nature of evolutionary cycles is their importance for higher spiritual matters and the work of the Masters themselves. Any clearer information in advance could hinder their actions, even from the negative occult forces themselves. In Jesus' life, we can see how many serious obstacles he encountered from his very birth.

For us, Blavatsky's great work does not need to be accepted, refuted, or replaced—it must, above all, be organized. Because the Secret Doctrine is, above all, like a great "cosmic soup"—to borrow an expression consecrated by modern astrophysics—where all the elements of knowledge are thrown together in a more or less chaotic or confused manner, like a web of resources to be exploited for the sake of a new era. We don't need to see lies, deception, or illusion there. We just need to be able to accept that there are, above all, clues, suggestions, and veils.

For here we touch on a word that Blavatsky never refused to repeat and acknowledge: the veiling of her work. Much has always been emphasized about it, even in number: seven veils, seven times seven, etc. Indeed, the task can be so complex that certain things may even be out of place, all to deceive the gullible and mislead those who might misuse the knowledge. This is why the hermetic formula of VITRIOL addresses the importance of rectifying the symbolic information offered.

VITRIOL: The Principle of Rectification

Did the Author herself know exactly what she was bringing? We might like to think so, but this may not even be the complete answer. Perhaps we should suspend judgment here as well? After all, those who handle veils may also be somewhat in the dark. Does the postman necessarily know the contents of what he carries? Isn't it true that important content is often given to be transmitted, not by someone capable of fully understanding it, but simply by being faithful to their mission as messenger?! Perhaps the true recipients were those of the Century to which Blavatsky intended the final recognition of the importance and reality of the Traditional Mysteries, which is our 21st Century?

We are talking here about a “cosmic soup”. Therefore, we cannot to avoid complexities. And we also invoke the veils that are often mentioned, even in abundance. Blavatsky said that only some of the Keys were accessible in her time and that new Keys would be given in the future. How many Sciences and Knowledges can we expect to be in possession of the Masters? This is a question that deserves reflection. For many, Blavatsky's work would already clearly point in this direction. But when we remember the veils, we can suspect that there is still much more.

On the controversial subject of races, for example, we can say that anyone who does not have a good study of History, Anthropology, and Paleoanthropology, as well as Religion and Spirituality, will have little understanding or advancement in the complex knowledge of the cycles of "racial" Theosophy. Some knowledge of Ancient Sociology may also be useful.

Finally, the Mysteries need to be investigated, not just believed in or refuted lightly. This is the true attitude of the occultist.

Conclusions

The denial of the explicit and declared reality of the veils violates the guidelines of occult teachings, demonstrating an inability to properly address the subject by seeking to reduce the matter to a simplistic and unjustifiable belief in something literal, without meaning or reason—the so-called "dead letter," in short, so often denounced. The layman feels insecure in the face of the unveiling because he does not feel qualified to investigate matters.

Wasn't it the Theosophical Society itself that proposed the study of Comparative Religions as one of its great pillars?! And this would already be a method for positively advancing the hermeneutics of the Mysteries.

It is truly surprising that even a universal and self-evident solution is uncomfortable!, such is the attachment to the fetish of forms. However, the universal maxim that "it is better to err by acting than to do nothing" applies here. Simply because inaction is always the greatest error, and those who walk already begin to be guided because they are following in the footsteps of the Masters. Some even claim to set themselves up as "guardians of the purity of the doctrine," monitoring any "heresies" that may arise. They may or may not be right in this behavior. What we know for sure, however, is that keeping things closed and rigid is also a mistake, and perhaps even the most serious of all. For this would be irregular and inappropriate behavior in the face of the Mysteries, which demand investigation and boldness from the true student, not dogma and cowardice. After all, upon closer inspection, little remains of any dogma that may exist.

Common wisdom has always taught that more important than listening to someone's words is observing their conduct. And this doesn't just apply to what one might appreciate! Masters often surprise and correct us, after all, that's what they are masters for. However, sectarians do exactly the opposite. They completely ignore the person's history and focus on criticizing their words, even without having any specialization that would allow them to diagnose any type of apparently divergent opinion or analysis. Nonetheless, the maxim of hospitality could also apply here, according to the words of Saint Paul:

"Do not neglect to welcome those who come to your house, for some who have shown hospitality have entertained angels without knowing it." (Hebrews 13:2)

After all, the common efforts of the average student to try to literally understand and even “prove” the information given literally are naive and amateurish in this field.

Therefore, we find ourselves faced with a fundamental principle that cannot be circumvented, or what is called a "point of order" in law. Thus, someone who has studied only one school during their life is as if they had never left a bubble, without knowing the contradiction without which true knowledge of things cannot exist. The layman does not even dedicate himself sufficiently to knowledge to achieve that vision of contrast that only the specialist possesses. However, the issue here would be even more profound.

We should never rule out that knowledge of the Mysteries represents too much of a challenge for the common mind, since it can be even more complex and comprehensive than current scientific knowledge. We must always bear in mind, in this regard, that this knowledge emanates from the Minds of Adepts, who have access to it through their spiritual enlightenment. This enlightenment not only generates access to other divine Minds (or to the Repositories of Universal Knowledge called Akasha), but also enables a much greater capacity for reasoning and perception of things, within a sort of Complexity Theory, yet fully coherent and without contradictions.

In light of this, following a higher authority may already represent a beginning, even if it is simply common sense. However, the most important thing would be to accept the need for reform of thought within the path of Initiation, through the adoption of more advanced practices that must also accompany a more complete general instruction in the Mysteries, otherwise one ends up merely accepting some new version of things without the certainty that it is the desired Truth. Those who walk in the Spirit also naturally open themselves to the transformation of their approaches by allowing themselves to see new, suitable perspectives.

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About the Author

Luís A. W. Salvi (LAWS) has been studying the Ancient Mysteries for over 50 years. A specialist in the Philosophies of Time and Practical Esotericism, he also develops works in the areas of Perennialism, Deep Psychology, Esoteric Anthropology, Holistic Sociology and others. He has already published dozens of works through Editorial Agartha, in addition to maintaining the Agartha wTV Channel.