The Use and Misuse of Kriya Shakti
Spirituality and Occultism can be very tempting. Using invisible powers at our advantage to materialize our desires, wishes and longings is very tempting. Some of us consider it as healthy. Thus we flock to the nearest Guru who is teaching the art of materialization. In the last few decades “The Law of Attraction” has been very appealing to spiritual practitioners all over the world. Books like “Think and Grow Rich” have become international bestsellers.
But is it spiritually ethical to take advantage over ordinary people using occult knowledge? Is it ethical to secure a job at a competitive examination where other people who need that job are also applying? Is it ethical to attract a woman using Kriyashakti and influence her to love someone using Kriya Shakti? When thoughforms are used to attract a partner, it inevitably influences another’s mind.
The foundation of White Magic has been beautifully described by the words of Jesus, when he said:
Matthew 6:33 (King James Version)
Unselfishness, self-sacrifice, selflessness and lack of self-seeking motive is the bedrock of spiritual development. It is the foundation of the Temple. Many students use Kriya shakti (the science of materialization) on a daily basis. They use it to manifest a new car, a new house, a wife, and what not. All this is black magic according to spiritual science. Because one who walks the path of White Magic, all these things are added unto them. But only when they have earned these things with their sweat and blood, with their unselfish labor, with the dint of their virtuous life. Earning a prosperous life as a gift from God is different from using one’s thought and psychic energy to materialize these things. One path is ethical and another selfish.
Great teachers have always warned us not to use the teachings to manifest fortune:
“The real teachings must not be used for personal or group interests, for material wealth, for recognition, or for attaining positions…….. When teachings is used solely to collect fortunes or to encourage people to have certificates, diplomas and positions, the Teaching is prostituted. The teaching must not be sold in the Bazaars.”
– Torkom Saraydarian ; The Ageless Wisdom
It has also been said those who sell the teachings and make a profit out of it are also committing a heinous crime.
“No student should study occultism with the object of using it as a commercial enterprise. Such will never see either the Masters or the Temple.”
– Manly P Hall
What the Ancient Wisdom Expects of it’s Disciples
Many students take these Occult Truths lightly, yet Truths they are. The consequences of deviating from the truth are many. The Karmic consequences of misusing Occult arts is severe. Thus students are warned not to use Kriya Shakti to materialize personal desires. Instead the students should look deep into their soul and purify themselves of all selfish tendencies.
“A man’s true strength and greatness lie in his refusal to use the powers he possesses for his own benefit. This is why I ask you all, all the brothers and sisters of the Brotherhood, never to have recourse to magical practices in order to obtain love, glory or money or to rid yourselves of an enemy, for all that is black magic.”
– Omraam Mikhaël Aïvanhov
Izvor Book 226, The Book of Divine Magic
Students who want to enter the straight and narrow way must, first of all, consecrate their daily lives. They must live simple and wholesome life. They must have a job that supports them financially. But that job must never be making income by selling spiritual teachings. A simple job or business is what’s required. Esoteric students should be practical and must never be a liability to the society. But at the same time they must refrain from abusing Occult arts.
Many students believe they are winning as their spiritual practices they do to acquire money, power, position starts bearing fruit. But, ultimately they lose for they have abused the Occult arts for materialistic purposes. They do not realize what they have done is equal to betraying the Christ for few coins of Gold as done by Judas Iscariot.
“All knowledge pursued merely for the enrichment of personal learning and the accumulation of personal treasure leads you away from the path; but all knowledge pursued for growth to ripeness within the process of human ennoblement and cosmic development brings you a step forward.”
Rudolf Steiner
Source: Rudolf Steiner – GA 10 – KNOWLEDGE OF HIGHER WORLDS AND ITS ATTAINMENT – I. How is Knowledge Of The Higher Worlds Attained?
Kriya Shakti is an Indian term which means power through purification. This power must never be used towards self seeking ends. An Initiate who leads a pure life can do great benefit to humanity just through their pure thoughts. Such thoughtforms created by an Initiate can show a beacon of light and help humanity overcomes it’s difficulties, such thoughtforms are often behind innovative inventions that can solve major world problems, initiates also create thought forms to help spiritual practitioners to find their way to the hall of initiation, some initiates use their thoughtforms to resolve political crisis or solve world problems related to education, hunger etc. None of them use it for personal glory. That is why they practice real Kriya Shakti which is power through purification. An example of such power is as follows,
“For instance, the development of the power of my thoughts had been brought to such a level that by only a few hours of self-preparation I could from a distance of tens of miles kill a yak; or, in twenty-four hours, could accumulate life forces of such compactness that I could in five minutes put to sleep an elephant.”
― G.I. Gurdjieff, Life Is Real Only Then, When “I Am”
This is an example of how developed the thoughtforms of an Initiate can become. But according to the rule, no initiate can ever abuse their powers lest they want to fall from the heights of spiritual attainment. Students who abuse their thought forms to materialize their desires can never attain initiation. They can never see the spiritual hierarchy. The door to Initiation will be closed for them until they prove themselves by living an unselfish and pure life.
“The occultist learns to work without thought of results. As said in Part IV, Chapter III, in no circumstances should he use his will power and occult knowledge to obtain by force, personal, material benefits for himself or for others. Such would be grey, if not black magic, the error into which Judas fell in selling his Lord for thirty pieces of silver. As Judas died by his own hand, so all who fall into this same error are in danger of a form of spiritual suicide.”
– Geoffrey Hodson – The Kingdom of Gods
The path that leads to illumination is filled with temptation and glamour. And there are many such misled occultists who fall for these traps and even instruct others to indulge in these same temptations. Discernment is thus vital, risks are many. It is very easy to justify materialism even under the guise of charity. Many billionaires who horde lots of money and live immoral lives donate money to charity. In the same way many spiritual practitioners who abuse occult powers also do charity to increase karmic profit. But, the eyes of the heaven is ever watching. Not just our actions, but also what’s within our heart.
Those who believe they are smart enough to fool God, those who follow their Guru who teaches misleading practices, blindly, end up in dark alleys. The more they abuse their powers the more further they go away from their true self, the “I AM” or the soul within. Therefore, every occult student apart from being kind, must also be intelligent and must use discernment. Not only towards strangers, but also on many occasions towards their own Guru.
As Manly P Hall said:
“The candidate must realize that the application of commercial terms to occult values is a direct prostitution of this most sacred of all sciences. While a teacher of philosophy (like a professor of botany or mathematics) may be, and should be, remunerated for his efforts (which remuneration may be accepted to a moderate degree without prostituting his science), the operative secrets of occultism must never be involved in any form of commercialism. They have no commercial value.
To attempt the buying or selling of them is one of the most heinous of sins. By operative secrets we mean that knowledge which will assist the individual to personally unfold by secret, but scientific, processes the latent forces or faculties of his own nature. These must not, shall not, and cannot be bought or sold. When a man is decorated by a government for a deed of valor, he does not have to buy the medal that is pinned on his breast. The same rule applies with respect to the secret doctrines which is revealed to man as the reward for spiritual, moral, and intellectual valor. When the disciple is ready, it is an inconceivable and unpardonable sin to deny him that which is his by right of merit.
To sell the secrets of the invisible world to one unworthy to know them and incapable of earning them, is sacrilege; to try to sell them to one who has already earned that wisdom by virtue of the superior qualities of his own nature is also a sacrilege. To place the great secrets of occultism in writing is dangerous and brings a heavy karmic debt down upon the head of the one so foolish as to do it; and to sell a document containing such secrets compounds his karmic obligations. When revealed to the public, all material dealing with operative occultism must be veiled then it seems desirable to reveal the theory behind these processes, certain keys must always be omitted, so that a careless reader may not be able to hurt himself by experimenting with the information thus gained. These facts are well known to those entrusted with esoteric information, and any who break these rules demonstrate their total unfitness to instruct students in the mysteries of the occult sciences.”
– Manly P Hall
Spiritual Centres in Man
"Divine Magic is wisdom. Magic and Wisdom are one and the same thing: divine light. Very few human beings have ever risen to that level. All or almost all, have used this sacred knowledge to practice witchcraft, to obtain money, glory, women and material possessions. Every magical practice whose purpose is to satisfy the inferior desires of the personality is witchcraft or sorcery."
