What Are Esoteric Studies?
The goal of esoteric studies is a practical understanding of the nature of the Cosmos, the Self or Soul, the Soul’s relation with the little self or personality, and the process of integration and fusion between the Soul and the personality, using well-defined and proven techniques. This fusion enables us to acquire direct knowledge of the spiritual worlds rather than functioning by faith alone.
We do this by:
- Becoming aware of the forces that constitute the personality equipment.
- Becoming sensitive to the impelling energies of the Soul, or Self.
- Learning about our higher spiritual center, from which the Soul draws its consciousness.
- Recognizing conditioning energies in the environment, seeing them not as events or circumstances but as energy in action.
Esotericism is a practical science, useful not only in daily life, but also in world affairs, as it reveals the workings behind current events. Emphasis is placed on practical application in order to prevent students from using the teaching as an escape mechanism or withdrawing from responsible action on the plane of human living. We learn to recognize real need and demonstrate service in some field of our own choosing, thus becoming servers of the divine Plan, which is the emerging pattern lying behind events in the outer world. As we begin to comprehend the meaning underlying all events and to control the forces of our individual nature, we become light bearers and effective servers in the world.
There are many esoteric traditions from which teaching material can be drawn. The School for Esoteric Studies uses primarily the Ageless Wisdom teachings as presented in the Alice Bailey books, supplemented by reading material from Agni Yoga, the Bhagadvad Gita, psychosynthesis, theosophy, and the Upanishads.