God is ALL in All
This is a Philosophical and Spiritual endeavor to extract, Harmonize, and synthesize the Universal Truths underlying the world's Diverse Religious, Mystical, and Philosophical traditions. Most famously associated with the concept of Perennial Philosophy, it posits that All Major Traditions share a single, transcendent metaphysical Source and Core Set of Truths.
"By the Power of Truth, I, while Living, have Conquered the Universe."
"I Am Nothing, yet I Am Everything."
The Arcane philosophy presents a profound framework for understanding the Universe and man's place within it, blending the mechanics of Cosmic evolution with the practical application of Mental transmutation. At its foundation, the Arcane Teaching posits the existence of an Absolute Supreme Power known simply as "The Law," which is Eternal, Self-existent, and the ultimate cause of All Things. Underneath this Absolute Law, the Universe operates as a great "World-Brain" driven by the "Cosmic Will," which seeks Conscious Life through constant change and evolution.
To Master the Occult Forces of this Universe, the student must first Master Themselves. This begins with the most crucial Realization in the Arcane doctrine: the separation of the False Self from the Real Self.
The ultimate key to Spiritual attainment in the Arcane Teachings relies on Understanding the profound difference between the "I" and the "Me". For the average person, these two concepts are hopelessly entangled, leading to a life bound by illusion and external forces.
The "Me" is the individual exactly as they think they are—a collection of inherited traits, tastes, prejudices, and ties.
It is the "Personality," a word derived from the Greek persona, meaning a mask used by actors.
The "Me" is simply the temporary character being played in this specific lifetime, such as "John Smith, aged 45, grocer".
It is entirely composed of changeable, shifting elements, including the physical body, emotional states, likes, and dislikes.
The "Me" is heavily influenced by inherited desires and race-thought, and it perishes in the Astral World after the physical body dies.
The "I" is the Real Self, existing completely Free from all Mental ties, characteristics, and personal limitations.
If you Mentally strip away every single like, hate, emotion, and physical trait from a person, the "I" still remains underneath it all as the irreducible element of existence.
It is the true Actor, Doer, Seer, and Thinker behind every mask that the personality wears.
The "I" is absolutely subjective; it cannot be observed like an emotion or a physical trait, because it is the very thing doing the observing.
In its highest psychological analysis, the "I" is identical with Will. It is a focalized Center of the great Cosmic Will.
The Arcane Teaching holds that the dual-nature felt within individuals arises from the direct conflict between the "I" (the Real Self) and the "Me" (the inherited personality). Weak individuals allow the "Me" to dominate their choices, leaving them as slaves to passing desires and inherited traits. Strong Souls, however, assert the "I" and seat themselves upon the throne of Individuality, Mastering their desires through Will.
A startling premise of the Arcane philosophy is that Immortality and Spiritual survival are not automatic human birthrights. Egohood must be earned.
Evolving Past the Animal: Every living creature possesses a Personal Self, but many humans never evolve beyond the Mental stage of simple-Consciousness, remaining tied entirely to the physical plane.
True Egohood: True Egohood is achieved when an Individual Awakens to the fact that they are an Independent Spiritual Entity—a Center of Force within the Cosmic Life—and successfully detaches their identity from the "Me".
Survival of the Fittest: Only those who develop this Conscious "I" persist in Spiritual Evolution and Conscious rebirth. Individuals who fail to develop Egohood, having nothing left to Live for after their physical and personal desires burn out in the Astral plane, eventually fade into nothingness.
Once the individual establishes their Egohood and Realizes they are Pure Will, they step onto the path of Mastery. They are no longer victims of the Cosmos, but active participants who can wield the Seven Cosmic Laws to their advantage.
Mastering the Opposites: The Occultist learns that opposing emotions (like love and hate, or fear and courage) are simply different degrees of the same thing. By using their Will, they can shift their Mental polarity from a negative state to a positive one, neutralizing distressing feelings.
Neutralizing Rhythm: Life naturally swings back and forth like a pendulum, from joy to sorrow, and activity to sloth. The Master learns to rise above this emotional plane into the plane of Will, calmly watching the storm of emotions below without being swept away by the backward swing of the pendulum.
Converting the Circle to a Spiral: While the masses travel in repetitive, cyclic circles (like a squirrel in a wheel), the awakened Ego uses Will to advance their central point of motion. This converts the endless circle into an ascending spiral, ensuring that they rise to a Higher Plane of development with each cycle.
The Magic Lantern: In practical Mentalism, the "I" acts as the Light in a magic lantern, using the concentrated Will to project clear Mental Images onto the objective world, which then materialize through the "Law of Attraction."
While the modern popularization of the "Law of Attraction" is often reduced to the passive acquisition of material desires through wishful thinking or emotional longing, the Arcane teachings present a far more rigorous reality. True Mental Alchemy does not view the Universe as a catalog waiting to fulfill personal cravings. Because the Cosmos operates as a Mental "World-Brain," shaping Reality requires the Active, Disciplined Training of the Sovereign Will. The practitioner does not rely on idle wishing, but deliberately transmutes their Own Mental Polarity and Vibrations to harmonize perfectly with Universal Laws. The ultimate goal of this Hermetic practice is not simply to attract temporary physical wealth, but to achieve Absolute Spiritual Mastery, Inner Equilibrium, and the Conscious Control of One's Own Destiny.
"The Ego is not only more, and greater, than the physical body it uses—but it is also more, and greater, than that part of the Mind, consisting of a series of inherited or acquired impressions which constitutes the 'Me.'"
To achieve true Mastery and Conscious Egohood, the Arcane Teachings require the student to systematically Mentally detach their True Self (the "I") from both their physical body and their psychological personality (the "Me"). The following formulas and Mental exercises are designed to break the illusion of physical and emotional restriction, leading the practitioner to a state of absolute spiritual independence.
This initial exercise trains the Mind to view the physical body merely as a tool or a temporary garment, rather than the core of identity.
The Relaxation and Scan: Retreat to a quiet, undisturbed place and relax all muscular and nervous tension. Fix your Mental attention on your body as a whole, then slowly move your focus upward from your feet to your brain. Realize that you are a "Something" inside the body viewing it, rather than being identical to the body itself.
The Mental Amputation: Focus on your feet, Realizing they are just instruments for walking; if they were removed, the Ego would still exist completely unimpaired. Move this Realization systematically up through the lower limbs, the pelvic organs, the abdominal organs (stomach, liver), the chest and lungs, and finally the head and brain. Realize that while these are necessary for physical life, the Ego exists Entirely Independent of them.
Re-energizing the Vessel: After Realizing the body is just a machine directed by the Ego, throw your Mind back over the entire physical form. This Realization of Mastery allows you to re-charge the body with vital energy ("Vril"), making it stronger than it was before the exercise.
Once the student understands the body is merely a shell, they must train the imagination to Experience Existence Entirely Outside of It.
The External Gaze: In your imagination, step outside of your physical body and gaze back upon it. Imagine leaving your "outgrown shell" behind and occupying entirely different bodies in different ages and conditions, proving to the Mind that the "I" remains the same regardless of the physical mask it wears.
The Invulnerability Meditation: Meditate on the fact that while the physical body can be burned by fire, drowned by water, or crushed by earth, the Incorporeal Self (the Astral Body or Ego) cannot be touched by any of these elements. Imagine yourself passing through a fiery furnace or dropping from a precipice unharmed, Realizing that to the Higher Self, these physical dangers are merely nonexistent dreams.
Escaping the physical body is only the first step; the harder task is escaping the hypnosis of the personal character, or the "John Smith" part of the self.
The Mental Stock-Taking: Ask yourself, "What am I?". You will find you identify with a name, an age, an occupation, and a specific set of likes, dislikes, loves, and hates.
The Shedding of Traits: One by one, Mentally set aside each like, hate, and characteristic. Visualize yourself stripped of every personal trait you cherish. You will discover that underneath all these discarded emotions, the "I" still remains in full vigor.
The Actor's Masks: Imagine yourself acting out entirely different characters—Hamlet, Richard III, or Micawber. Realize that your current personality is just another character you are playing, a Mental covering that can be put on or taken off, while the central "I" (the Actor) never changes.
To finalize the Realization of the True Self and pierce the veil of personal identity, the Arcane teachers recommend a practice long used by Oriental holy men and Mystics.
The Name Repetition: In a state of calm repose, meditate on your identity separate from the outside world. Reach into the Inner recesses of your Soul and softly repeat your own name—or the familiar nickname you use when thinking of yourself (e.g., "Jim" or "Will").
The Elevation of Consciousness: Repeat this name over and over with earnest attention, as if the secret of your existence were contained within the word. This practice frequently lifts the student to a Higher Plane of Consciousness where the "mortal symbol of the self" loosens, bringing Absolute Clarity and the Profound Realization of the real "I".
Arcane Formulas - William Walker Atkinson PDF
Arcane Teaching - William Walker Atkinson PDF
