TOWARDS THE MYSTERIES

BEING SOME TEACHINGS OF THEBROTHERS OF THE HOLY HIERARCHY,GIVEN THROUGH ‘THE BOY’EDITED, WITH COMMENTARY ANDANNOTATIONS BYSWAMI OMANANDATO HIM TO GAVE THE TREE THIS FRUIT IS OFFEREDCONTENTSIntroduction............................................................................1I Hierophants, a Python, and a Maker of Records...............49II Seekers in the Lower Himalayas......................................76III More Seekers..................................................................97IV Indian M.D.’s and a Merchant Come Again................120V Treating of Fine Arts.....................................................147VI A Mighty Brother Gives his Conception of Philosophy...................................................................160VII In Banaras....................................................................180VIII Himalayan Heights I..................................................195IX Himalayan Heights II...................................................202X Himalayan Heights III...................................................218XI Banaras. Winter Solstice 1949.....................................231XII A Gift to Humanity.....................................................253XIII In Ranchi....................................................................265XIV Brothers in Calcutta...................................................291XV Their Master’s Voice..................................................300

 List of Appendices

..............................................................313

 

 PUBLISHERS’ NOTESwami Omananda worked against time to complete this book before shedied, after long illness, on 2nd June 1967.She left extensive notes for Appendices F and G which were thencompiled by her friend Mr. Robert Kennison.Illustrations were not referred to in the manuscript but are included asbeing of particular interest.ILLUSTRATIONS

 facing Page

Swami Omananda 64The Boy, 1935, aged 33 65“Grove End”, seen from the back garden. Teachings were first giventhrough the Boy here 96“‘Tandrashram”, the small boats in Kashmir where much high teachingwas given 96“Field Haven”, the

ashram

at Ranchi 97

 

 INTRODUCTIONThis book is a chronicle of teachings and events connected with anexperience of lofty Beings calling themselves “Brothers”, which lasted overmany years. The wonderful man through whom the Brothers spoke andworked was a simple, natural fellow—a young, almost illiterate, stoker fromBow, in East London—who never vaunted his great gift, and took it sonormally that he used to get irritated at people’s attempts to explain it. Thecircumstances of his unique life led some of us to accept as fact, that he wasa genuine python for the Brothers in this manifestation.Perhaps this Introduction could throw light on the matter; but it cannotcover the whole ground.Probably the most reliable evidence of the existence and continuedoperations of divine beings—call them what we will—is the use the Brothersmade of ancient scriptures. Could anything be more convincing, forexample, than to have heard through the lips of an unlearned Cockneystoker, allusions to the most venerable and authentic scriptural lore of ancient China and India, none of which was in my mind—with the exceptionof the

 Bhagavadgita—

until

 

many years after I had met the Boy?Despite earnest investigation, the source of the phenomena associatedwith the Brothers’ advent remained deeply hidden; but this did not deter usfrom observing and trying to understand all that we could about them andthe media through which—at intervals of centuries, perhaps—they come outinto this world. Our experiences with the Brothers and “the Boy”—as myhusband first called their instrument—were utterly astounding, and differedfrom anything one had read of or come across before. I have heard manyarguments against them; but I can only answer that they became real topeople through their mightiness; they were mighty in action, love, and sweetreason. But in order to receive their impact, some study of theirbackgrounds and methods of presenting their teaching, is helpful. Thosebackgrounds, as I have indicated, have proved to be immense,commensurate with the immensity of the whole affair.After years of contacts with them, my husband and I felt that these holybeings together with their python—“the Boy”—were re-enacting a trueapproximation to a revival of the ancient Mysteries, such as, for instance,those which took place at Eleusis; we realised, therefore, that theexperiences through which we were passing could be enlightening tomodern mankind.