Circular Letter To The Members Of The Esoteric School

Confidential

First Rules of the Esoteric School of T.S. on behalf of the Head of the School.

The Esoteric School of Theosophy.

While the “three goals” of the Theosophical Society are well known, it has yet another goal that is not discussed publicly, namely, to help develop the inner life of its more serious and dedicated members, to show them the way to the “narrow, old path” that leads them to the higher realms of existence.

It is by this aim that the Esoteric School is the heart of the Theosophical Society.

The School is divided into degrees. The first degree consists in the Order of Initiation; the next is the First Degree, the next the Second, etc.

The neophyte enters the Order of Initiation. He has not yet taken a vow, but only promised to return his papers if asked to do so, and to regard them as a matter to be spoken of only among members of the School.

For those entering the School, a description of the further organization of the School will be given over the next three weeks.

But first we will speak of the immediate tasks by which the one on the path of examination reaches his goals. These instructions apply initially to the first two months. After that, further instructions will be given. One has to remain on the path of examination for at least 12 months. Then the first degree can be attained.

One initially achieves the goals of the examination path by observing a “daily rule”. It consists of the following:

I. The follower of the school should get up at a certain hour and, before having a meal, engage in meditation. The hour for this is not determined by the school. Each person should set it for themselves, but then strictly adhere to it. Only by organizing his life in a regular (rhythmic) way can man integrate himself into the rhythmic universe and in this way emulate the divine laws of this universe himself. In this emulation of the great laws of the universe lies the possibility of attaining a higher existence.

The morning meditation should begin with the one on the path of testing seeking complete concentration within himself, so that during the time set aside for this concentration he hears, sees, etc. nothing outside, and remembers nothing of the ordinary life. At first, in this inner silence, he should turn his thoughts to the Divine in the universe. And then he should realize that his own self is one with this universe. To this end, he should say the words to himself in perfect concentration. These words should not just speak to the mind, but to the whole person; they should be a complete inner experience:

"Brighter than the sun
Purer than the snow,
Finer than the ether
Is the Self
The spirit in my heart
That Self am I
I am that Self.

After you have finished this, concentrate on one of the sentences in “Light on the Path”, namely:

the first 14 days on: “Before the eye can see, it must wean itself from tears.”
the following 14 days on: “Before the ear is able to hear, its sensitivity must fade.”
another 14 days on: “Before the voice can speak before the masters, it must unlearn its wound.”

The point is not to speculate about these sentences, but to live with them inwardly for a few minutes, to immerse oneself lovingly in them.

After this has also been completed, everyone should turn their thoughts to what the divine is for them. They should surrender to this divine in full devotion. This third part should be a kind of emotional surrender to what one recognizes as their God.

The entire meditation should take about 15 minutes. It is important to see that you are completely awake during the meditation, not falling into a state of half-consciousness.

In the evening, before falling asleep, review the experiences of the day for 3-4 minutes. You ask yourself what you have experienced and whether you have gained enough from it; and regarding what you have done, you ask yourself whether you could not have done better. In this way, you become your own objective judge. You should not develop remorse. This is worthless for your own personality and for the world. But we should learn from our past every day for our future, and thus make life a lesson. That is what all evolution consists of. The review should be done in such a way that one begins with the last experiences in the evening and progresses towards the morning (retrograde).
One should keep a notebook in which one enters a few words every day about how the morning and evening meditation went and from which one informs the head of the school about one's progress when requested.
The consumption of alcoholic beverages is incompatible with the tasks of meditation.
Abstinence from meat dishes is not required, but is recommended because it promotes the achievement of the goals of the esoteric school.