Tertium Organum (P.D. Ouspensky) · 209 of 225 · tr. Nicholas Bessaraboff and Claude Bragdon

Chapter XXIII (part 11)

He does not come to believe merely; but he sees and knows that the cosmos, which to the self-conscious mind seems made up of dead matter, is in fact far otherwise—is in very truth a living presence.

He sees that in-stead of men being, as it were, patches of life scattered through an infinite sea of non-living substance, they are in reality specks of relative death in an infinite ocean of life.

He sees that the life which is in man is eternal, as all life is eternal, that the soul of man is as immortal as God is.

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A man learns infinitely much of the new.

Especially does he obtain such a conception of THE WHOLE—or at least of an immense WHOLE—as dwarfs all conception, imagination or speculation, such a conception as makes the old attempts to mentally grasp the universe and its meaning petty and even ridiculous.

This expansion of the intellect enormously increases the capacity both for learning and initiating.

______ The history of the development and appearance of cosmic consciousness in humanity is the same as that of the development of all the various psychic faculties.

These faculties appear first in certain exceptional individuals, then become more frequent, thereafter become susceptible of development in all, and at last begin to belong to all men from their birth.

Rare, exceptional, unique abilities appear in man in mature age, sometimes even in senility.

Becoming more common they manifest as "talents" in younger men.

And then they appear as "abilities" even in children.

At last they become the common property of all from their birth, and their absence is regarded as a monstrosity.

Such is the faculty of speech (i.e., the faculty of making concepts).

Probably in a distant past, at the beginning of the appearance of self-consciousness, this faculty was the gift of a few exceptional individuals and it began then to appear perhaps in senility.

After that it began to appear more frequently and to manifest itself earlier.

Probably there was a period p.

321 when speech was not a gift of all men just as are not now artistic talents, the musical sense, the sense of color and form.

Gradually it became possible for all and then inevitable and necessary, if some physical defect did not prevent its manifestation.

______ COMMENTS ON THE QUOTATIONS FROM DR.

BUCKE'S BOOK 1.

Though I am quoting Dr.

Bucke's opinion regarding three coming revolutions, let me note that I do not at all share his optimism regarding social life, which, as follows from what he says, can and must change by reason of material causes (the conquest of the air and social revolution).

The only possible ground for favorable changes in the outer life (provided such changes are generally possible) can only be changes in the inner life—i.e., those changes which Dr.

Bucke calls the psychical revolution.

This is the only thing that can create a better future for men.

All cultural conquests in the realm of the material are double-edged, may equally serve for good or for evil.

A change of consciousness can alone be a guarantee of the surcease of wilful misuses of the powers given by culture, and only thus will culture cease to be a "growth of barbarity." Democratic organization and the nominal rule of the majority guarantee nothing: on the contrary, even now, where they are realized—though only in name—they create without delay, and promise in future to create on a larger scale, violence toward the minority, the limitation of the individual, and the curtailment of freedom.

2.

Dr.

Bucke says that once human consciousness is attained, then further evolution is inevitable.

In this affirmation Dr.

Bucke makes a mistake common to all men who dogmatize about evolution.

Themes

◆Apophatic Theologytheology

Describing the divine only by negation—God transcends all positive categories and concepts; the via negativa.

The conception of THE WHOLE is described as something that 'dwarfs all conception, imagination or speculation,' indicating its ineffability.

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◆Body As Obstacleanthropology

The material body viewed as a prison, tomb, or source of error that hinders spiritual knowledge and return.

The contrast between the 'relative death' of men and the 'infinite ocean of life' implies the embodied state is a limitation compared to the true nature of existence.

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◆Divine Sparkscosmology

Fragments of divine light or spirit trapped inside material bodies, awaiting liberation and return to their source.

The text mentions that 'the life which is in man is eternal,' implying a divine fragment within the human.

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◆Evil As Privationtheology

Augustinian and Plotinian doctrine that evil has no positive being of its own but is a lack, distortion, or absence of the good — denying ontological dualism while preserving moral seriousness.

The human condition is characterized as 'relative death' within life, framing the negative state as a lack or privation of the true living presence.

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◆Infinite Cosmoscosmology

The doctrine of the universe as boundless and without center or circumference, populated by innumerable worlds — Bruno's rejection of the closed Aristotelian sphere; the divine and the cosmos as ontologically infinite.

The text describes the universe as an 'infinite ocean of life' and contrasts it with the limited view of dead matter, aligning with the doctrine of a boundless, living cosmos.

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◆Inner Lightanthropology

The divine spark or luminous quality residing within the human person, potentially recognisable through introspection.

The mention of 'the life which is in man' being eternal suggests an inherent divine quality or spark residing within the human person.

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◆Self Knowledgesoteriology

The recognition of one's own true divine nature as the primary path to liberation; 'know thyself' as soteriology.

Realizing that 'the soul of man is as immortal as God is' constitutes a form of recognizing one's true nature as part of the path to liberation.

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◆Separation From Sourcesoteriology

The felt condition of exile from one's divine origin — Rumi's reed flute torn from its bed, Plotinus's 'we have forgotten,' the Gnostic forgetfulness; the affective wound that complements return_to_source and gives the return its motive.

Describing humans as 'specks of relative death' in an ocean of life implies a state of separation or deficiency from the fullness of existence.

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◇Gnosis Direct Knowledgesoteriology

Salvation through direct experiential knowledge of the divine nature, not through faith, ritual, or moral works alone.

[auto] The passage explicitly contrasts belief with direct seeing and knowing ('He does not come to believe merely; but he sees and knows'), emphasizing experiential realization of cosmic truth.

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◇Kingdom Withinanthropology

The claim that the divine realm is present inside the individual, accessible without external mediation.

[auto] The author argues that favorable changes in outer life depend solely on 'changes in the inner life', locating the source of transformation within the individual.

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◇Living Godtheology

The divine conceived as active, present, and dynamic—not an abstract principle but a personal responsive reality.

[auto] The text describes the cosmos not as dead matter but as a 'living presence' and an 'infinite ocean of life', aligning with a dynamic, active divine reality.

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◇Paradox As Teachingethics

Using apparent contradiction, reversal, or riddle to destabilise ordinary understanding and induce insight.

[auto] The text employs a paradoxical reversal of common perception, stating men are 'specks of relative death in an infinite ocean of life' rather than patches of life in non-living substance.

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◇Spiritual Ascentpraxis

A staged journey of the soul upward through heavenly realms or levels of being toward the divine source.

[auto] The passage outlines an evolutionary development of psychic faculties from exceptional individuals to all humanity, describing a staged ascent of consciousness.

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◇Unity Of Beingtheology

The doctrine that all existence is ultimately one substance or one divine reality; non-duality as a theological claim.

[auto] The assertion that the soul is 'as immortal as God is' and humanity exists within an 'infinite ocean of life' suggests a fundamental oneness between the divine and human existence.

All passages →

Related passages · 13 parallels

◆christian_mysticism|The Life and Doctrines of Jacob Boehme|Chapter 1 (part 1)

“p. 33 THE DOCTRINES OF JACOB BOEHME. "Our whole doctrine is nothing else but an instruction to show how man may create a kingdom of light within himself. . . . He in whom this spring of divine power flows, carries within himself the d…”

Both passages emphasize the inner divine principle within humans and the necessity of experiencing this divine state for true knowledge. They also highlight the limitation of intellectual reasoning in understanding spiritual truths.

◆christian_mysticism|The Life and Doctrines of Jacob Boehme|Chapter 1 (part 6)

“The human selfhood will then follow in its perceptions the Spirit of God, tremblingly and in the joy of humility, and become able to see what is contained in time and in eternity. Everything is near to a soul in that state, for the soul is…”

Both passages discuss the transformation of human consciousness and the attainment of a higher, more spiritual understanding of the universe. They emphasize the shift from a limited, self-centered perspective to a broader, divine perspective, though they come from different mystical traditions.

◆christian_mysticism|The Life and Doctrines of Jacob Boehme|Chapter 2 (part 2)

“That Will, by conceiving of its own self, thereby creates a mirror within its own self. The same takes place in the microcosm of man. By conceiving of his own self man creates a mirror in which he " feels " his own self, and thereby he be…”

Both passages explore the concept of self-consciousness and the nature of existence, with Passage A focusing on the divine self-consciousness and Passage B on the human realization of the interconnectedness of life. Both discuss the expansion of consciousness and the understanding of the self within a larger context.

◆christian_mysticism|The Life and Doctrines of Jacob Boehme|Chapter 6 (part 11)

“Only he in whom is light can see the light; only the element of love can feel love; only the divinity in man can know God in and through man. 138:1 Therefore Theophrastus Paracelsus says: "Natural man is made out of the world, and not the…”

Both passages discuss the divine nature within humans and the potential for spiritual awakening or regeneration. They emphasize the idea that the divine element in man leads to the realization of immortality and a higher understanding of the cosmos.

◆christian_mysticism|The Life and Doctrines of Jacob Boehme|Chapter 7 (part 1)

“p. 140 CHAPTER VII. MAN. "God created man in His own image. Male and female ( in one ) created He them." Man in his cosmic aspect is a being very superior to that which is commonly looked upon as a "man," and which is described in books…”

Both passages discuss the elevated state of human consciousness and the understanding of the cosmos. They emphasize the idea that humans are connected to a greater, living presence and that the development of higher faculties leads to a transformed perception of reality.

◆christian_mysticism|The Life and Doctrines of Jacob Boehme|Chapter 8 (part 8)

“For the internal being is continually labouring to manifest itself outwardly. Thus everything has its own mouth for the purpose of revealing itself, and therein is based the language of nature, by means of which each thing speaks out of it…”

Both passages emphasize the interconnectedness of all things and the idea that the cosmos is a living presence. They also discuss the evolution of human consciousness and the understanding of the universe from a broader perspective.

◆hermeticism|Corpus Hermeticum 12: The Prayer|Section 1e

“Observe this too, my son; that each one of the other lives inhabiteth one portion of the Cosmos - aquatic creatures water, terrene earth, and aery creatures air; while man doth use all these - earth, water air [and] fire; he seeth Heaven, t…”

Both passages emphasize the interconnectedness of all life and the divine presence within the cosmos. They share a mystical perspective that sees the universe as a living, divine entity, and highlight the human capacity to perceive and understand this divine reality.

◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 360

“Section 40 40. But magic spells; how can their efficacy be explained? By the reigning sympathy and by the fact in Nature that there is an agreement of like forces and an opposition of unlike, and by the diversity of those multitudinous powe…”

Both passages discuss the idea that the universe is alive and interconnected, and that human consciousness is part of a larger, living whole. They also explore the evolution of consciousness and the varied powers within the universe and human beings.

◆platonism|Plato: Phaedo|Section 1|

“For any man, who is not devoid of natural feeling, has reason to fear, if he has no knowledge or proof of the soul's immortality. That is what I suppose you to say, Cebes, which I designedly repeat, in order that nothing may escape us, and…”

Both passages explore the nature of consciousness and the soul, with a focus on the immortality of the soul and the evolution of human understanding. They share a mystical perspective on the interconnectedness of life and the expansion of human consciousness.

◆renaissance_hermeticism|Agrippa: The Philosophy of Natural Magic, Chapter LX — Of Madness, and Divinations which are made when men are awake, and of the Power of a Melancholy Humor, by which Spirits are sometimes induced into Men's Bodies|Chapter LX, Section 1b

“And this thing, they think, happens under a three-fold difference, according to a three-fold apprehension of the soul, viz., imaginative, rational, and mental; they say, therefore, that when the mind is forced with a melancholy humor, nothi…”

Both passages discuss the elevation of the human mind to higher states of consciousness, leading to extraordinary abilities and insights. Passage A describes the mind becoming a receptacle for spirits that grant knowledge and foresight, while Passage B discusses the expansion of the intellect to grasp the cosmos and the development of psychic faculties.

3 more

◆renaissance_hermeticism|The Heroic Enthusiasts, Part I (Gli Eroici Furori)|INTRODUCTIONi

“The life of man is more than an experience or trial; it is an effort, a struggle to reproduce and represent upon earth some of that goodness, beauty, and truth which are diffused over the universe and constitute its harmony. Long, slow, an…”

Both passages discuss the evolution of human consciousness and the understanding of the cosmos. They share the idea that human perception of life and the universe undergoes a transformative process, leading to a deeper understanding of the interconnectedness and immortality of all life.

◆renaissance_hermeticism|The Heroic Enthusiasts, Part I (Gli Eroici Furori)|Third Dialoguef

“Fitly, therefore, this rapture of heroic enthusiasm feeds on such "high emprise." For the object is infinite, and in action most simple, and our intellectual power cannot apprehend the infinite except in speech or in a certain manner of spe…”

Both passages discuss the human pursuit of understanding the infinite or the divine, emphasizing the limitations of human perception and the heroic nature of the endeavor. They share a mystical perspective on the ultimate nature of reality and the soul's relationship to it.

◆renaissance_hermeticism|The Heroic Enthusiasts, Part II (Gli Eroici Furori)|Second Dialoguee

“Now, it must be said that the outcome of the mind is that alone which is always by it desired, sought for, and embraced, and that which is more enjoyed than anything else, with which it is filled, comforted and becomes better,—that is Truth…”

Both passages discuss the evolution of human consciousness and the pursuit of truth or cosmic understanding. They share a focus on the transformation of human perception and the development of higher faculties, though they come from different mystical traditions.