A Wisdom Archive on Children

Introduction and links to related topics

Pyramid Power - (Also cone headgear). In mimetic magic the pyramid serves as a parallel funnel or horn to draw down the powers of the heavens onto all that which lies inside or under it. Its base is a perfect square, representing the earth and its four corners - or a circle, deriving from infinity, the point.

The cone is nearly as effective as the pyramid, so a hat in the shape of a cone also has beneficial effects on the wearer, curing headaches, stress and even slow-healing head-wounds. The effects of a cone device, as far as I know, have not been compared to those produced by Reich''s Orgone box.

In contemporary "pyramid power" theory, the convection of the cosmic energy derives from its inversion and the subsequent compression (like laser) of the lines of force - as images are similarly inverted by a lens. Think of an hourglass or how the sun''s rays stream out like a cone through a small opening in the clouds. It has been observed that concentration is increased and a sense of well-being occurs amongst subjects placed under a tent pyramid or cone device for the head. Even 10 or 15 minutes under the pyramid can increase energy, intelligence, concentration, self-confidence, optimism, sense of well-being, etc.

The tent pyramid is an attempt to realign imbalanced centers, just as in olden days the dunce or "thinking cap" was administered by impatient teachers in an effort to quieten children and heighten their attentionality. It was intended to help the child regain control of his center. For the same reason the conical hat or hood was forced upon criminals and heretics in a final stab at restoring them before their punishment or sacrifice. We think of wizards, warlocks and alchemists wearing these conical devices chiefly as physical enhancers (to make them appear taller than normal people), but obviously, their actual purpose was to increase not their stature but their powers of concentration. Witches'' hats are defective, because they have brims that deflect the celestial currents. In very ancient times priests and kings wore head dresses bearing legends and symbols of their rank. These legends could serve as mantras as well, to further enhance the restorative powers of such devices.

The materials (metal, stone, glass, wood) seem much less important than the shape itself, although reason would suggest that the desired effects would also be assisted by the proper material: metal for sealing, stone for durability, glass for transparency, wood for organic purposes. But it seems that the power lines move in the desired directions regardless of the material. The results of experiments involving keeping meat fresh or razor blades sharp under pyramids seem rather suspect, but it must be borne in mind that experimental data need not invariably lead us to random or impractical conclusions in order to honor their authenticity. Indeed, anyone can say anything about reality, including that it is random or meaningless.

Heredity - Heredity The theosophical philosophy explains heredity as being the attraction of reimbodying monads to the respective families with which they have affinities of various kinds; and thus it is the reimbodying egos carrying such individual characteristics or attributes which perpetuate them in the family life-stream. It is the sutratman (life thread) which runs through successive generations.

The life-atoms of the lower human principles are drawn again to us when we reimbody so that both the soul and the life-atoms of its bodies are essentially the same from life to life. The cause of heredity is a certain class of dhyani-chohans spoken of as the fourth order of angelic beings. They "are the field wherein lies concealed in its privation the germ that will fall into generation. That germ will become the spiritual potency in the physical cell that guides the development of the embryo, and which is the cause of the hereditary transmission of faculties and all the inherent qualities in man. . . . This inner soul of the physical cell -- this ''spiritual plasm'' that dominates the germinal plasm -- is the key that must open one day the gates of the terra incognita of the Biologist, now called the dark mystery of Embryology" (SD 2:219).

That the child carries on or transmits many features from his parents cannot be denied, but it is of no greater significance than the fact that he also derives features from a variety of other sources, all which contribute materials and subordinate agents by which the karma of the individual is fulfilled. That karma is the innate character of the individual, as imbodied in the various spiritual, manasic, psychological, or astral vehicles which contribute to the composite human being. Without taking into account these acquired characteristics on the inner planes, what determines the extent or manner in which the character of the offspring will be modified by the modicum of new physical influence derived from the parents cannot be explained. For, "it is . . . unquestionable that in the case of human incarnations the law of Karma, racial or individual, overrides the subordinate tendencies of ''Heredity,'' its servant" (SD 2:178).

Further, nothing in nature is static, and energy always flows into the physical system from within. Heredity cannot be understood on the presumption that inorganic particles exist; it is necessary to bear in mind that all the results are due to the cooperation and interaction of living beings of many kinds and degrees.

To summarize: what modern usage calls heredity, the transmission of characteristics from parents to children, is not a merely physiologic or biologic mechanism acting automatically or fortuitously; but actually is brought about because of the attraction to certain families, or certain parents, of reimbodying egos possessing in greater or larger degree the same characteristics which the parents themselves have. On identic lines is to be explained the reason why races and even nations continue with their respective characteristics; egos are drawn to similar fields for incarnation. Thus it is that the transmission of type and characteristics continues both racially and individually from generation to generation, always modified by the individualities of the reimbodying egos.

See also GERM-CELL

Summerland - Summerland. The name given by the American Spiritualists and Phenomenalists to the land or region inhabited after death by their "Spirits". It is situated, says Andrew Jackson Davis, either within or beyond the Milky Way. It is described as having cities and beautiful buildings, a Congress Hall, museums and libraries for the instruction of the growing generations of young " Spirits ".

We are not told whether the latter are subject to disease, decay and death; but unless they are, the claim that the disembodied "Spirit" of a child and even still-born babe grows and develops as an adult is hardly consistent with logic. But that which we are distinctly told is, that in the Summerland Spirits are given in marriage, beget spiritual (?) children, and are even concerned with politics.

All this is no satire or exaggeration of ours, since the numerous works by Mr. A. Jackson Davis are there to prove it, e.g., the International Congress of Spirits by that author, as well as we remember the title. It is this grossly materialistic way of viewing a disembodied spirit that has turned many of the present Theosophists away from Spiritualism and its "philosophy". The majesty of death is thus desecrated, and its awful and solemn mystery becomes no better than a farce.

Kamsa - Kamsa, Kansa (Sanskrit) A tyrannical king of Mathura in ancient India, evil uncle of Krishna. When it was foretold that the eighth child of Devaki would kill him, he endeavored to destroy all of her children; so the parents fled with Krishna, their eighth child. Then Kansa ordered all male children of the land to be killed, but Krishna escaped -- a legend paralleling the massacre of the infants by King Herod of Palestine in the New Testament. In the legends surrounding great religious figures, "everyone of them, whether at their birth or afterwards, is searched for, and threatened with death (yet never killed) by an opposing power (the world of Matter and Illusion), whether it be called a king Kamsa, king Herod, or king Mara (the Evil Power)" (BCW 14:141). Thus Kamsa in one aspect stands for the opposing power in initiation rites. Krishna, as it was predicted, finally killed his persecutor.(SD 2:48, 504n, 604n; BCW 8:378)

Saint Nicholas - Bishop of Myra, died 342 A.D. Patron Saint of Russia and of young people, his day is December 6th. Associated with Teutonic water sprite, Nekker, who saves seamen from drowning and with Old Nick, the forerunner of death. Later corrupted into "Santa Claus."

In "Earthly Powers", Anthony Burgess describes the libretto of an opera based on the life of Saint Nicholas, borrowed largely from an account by Anatole France. Since few people now anything about this peculiar person, other than that he is the patron saint of children and shipwrecked sailors, it might be interesting to look more closely. The entire opera is far too long to quote verbatim from the novel, but briefly, this is the plot up to the end of the first act:

The story begins, somehow, with the corpses of Bishop Nicholas''s three adopted sons (Mark, Matthew and John) who have been put into a pickel barrel, whereupon, because of the action of the pickel acid, the young men are brought back to life. Once resurrected, the first son turns Nicholas''s house into a brothel wherein Nicholas is tempted by sins of the flesh. Fearing the loss of his soul, he invokes Jesus Christ, who appears to him as the naked god, Pan, whereupon the poor man yields to his weaknesses. Afterwards he flagellates himself and is thereby purified enough so that he can attend the Council of Nicµa in order to denounce the Arian heresy. In case you''ve forgotten, the Arian heresy insists that the Father and Son are of the same substance (homoousia), whereas the true faith insists that they are only of similar substance (homoiousia) -- thus proving the importance of an iota. Meanwhile, the second son has been busy forging documents to denounce Nicholas as an even worse heretic. At the Council, the women of the town appear to ask for prayers for their men who are at sea in a storm. The Council, of course, wants to throw them out for disrupting their holy work, but jolly old St. Nick intercedes for the sailors'' wives, by wrestling with an Arian bishop. At this point Matthew reveals the documents proving that his father has stated that the only true God is Venus. Nicholas is disgraced ecclesiastically and the ships go down at the same time.

In the second and final act of the opera, Nicholas, after a period of sack cloth and ashes, has been reinstated by the Pope as a full bishop again. It seems, however, that a number of German tribes have been converted to Christianity by Arians and the heresy is going full blast. John, the third son, is all for going to Germany in order to torture and kill heretic women and children. Nicholas argues, at first, that theirs is a religion of love, but John points out that "these are foul heretics who believe Christ to be co-eternal with the Father!" So Nicholas is persuaded to join in the holy war, though he soon regrets it. He asks Heaven to send down Love and "Venus herself appears as goddess of brothels for soldiers!" Mothers are screaming for a miracle and one of them hands Nicholas the bloody corpse of her child. Nicholas, with the child in his arms, now asks God why He had brought the three wicked sons back to life in the first place and when there is no answer, cries out: "You are a God of hate, a God who murders the innocent!" There is no reply to that either, of course, and the curtain descends.

So it is that to this very day, the red suit represents Nicholas''s sins of the flesh, for which he atones with the ashes of chimneys, while the bag upon his back is his burden of shame. Of course, in the 20th Century we no longer honor shame, so the bag simply contains the poisonous fruits of materialistic tyranny.