Cycles of Destiny: The Hidden Forces of Karma: From Theosophy’s Sacred Teachings in “The Secret Doctrine,” Part 1 of 2

Let us continue with Section 15: Cyclic Evolution and Karma from the book “The Secret Doctrine,” in which Madame Helena Petrovna Blavatsky (vegetarian) explains how cycles, karma, cosmic harmony, and ancient wisdom interrelate to shape human experience and destiny.

“[…] The revolution of the physical world, according to the ancient doctrine, is attended by a like revolution in the world of intellect— the spiritual evolution of the world proceeding in cycles, like the physical one. Thus, we see in history a regular alternation of ebb and flow in the tide of human progress. The great kingdoms and empires of the world, after reaching the culmination of their greatness, descend again, in accordance with the same law by which they ascended; till, having reached the lowest point, humanity reasserts itself and mounts up once more, the height of its attainment being, by this law of ascending progression by cycles, somewhat higher than the point from which it had before descended.

But these cycles— wheels within wheels, so comprehensively and ingeniously symbolized by the various Manus and Rishis in India, and by the Kabiri in the West – do not affect all mankind at one and the same time. Hence, as we see, the difficulty of comprehending, and of discriminating between them, with regard to their physical and spiritual effects, without having thoroughly mastered their relations with, and action upon, the respective positions of nations and races, in their destiny and evolution. This system cannot be comprehended if the spiritual action of these periods— preordained, so to say, by Karmic law -- is separated from their physical course. The calculations of the best Astrologers would fail, or at any rate remain imperfect, unless this dual action is thoroughly taken into consideration and mastered upon these lines. And this mastery can be achieved only through Initiation. […]”

“[…] For the only decree of Karma – an eternal and immutable decree -- is absolute Harmony in the world of Matter as it is in the world of Spirit. It is not, therefore, Karma that rewards or punishes, but it is we who reward or punish ourselves, according as we work with, through and along with Nature, abiding by the laws on which that harmony depends, or -- breaking them. Nor would the ways of Karma be inscrutable were men to work in union and harmony, instead of disunion and strife. […] With right knowledge, or at any rate with a confident conviction that our neighbours would no more work to hurt us than we would think of harming them, two-thirds of the world's evil would vanish into thin air. […]”