“Let it always appear and be manifest to you that solitariness, and places in the desert, so esteemed by philosophers, are of themselves but thus and thus; and all things are to them who live in towns also, and converse with others as there is the same nature everywhere to be seen and observed: to them that have retired themselves to the top of mountains, and to desert havens, or other desert places. For anywhere it thou wilt mayest thou may find and apply this to thyself; which Plato saith of his philosopher, in a place: as private and retiring, saith he, as if he were shut up and enclosed about in some shepherd’s lodge, on the top of a hill. There by thyself to put these question to thyself or to enter into considerations: What is my chief and principle part, which has power over the rest? What is now the present state of it, as I use it; and what is it that I employ it for? Is it now void of reason or no? Is it fresh and separated; or so affixed, so congealed and grown together as it were with the flesh, that is is swayed by the motions and inclinations of it?”

-Marcus Aurelius

Solitary Places in the Desert

It is somewhat difficult to follow the convoluted language of Aurelius, even though I have simplified it a little in the quote, yet I think we can all get the point he is trying to make. First, he tells us that we don’t need to be out in the desert or in some solitary place to practice our spiritual development techniques. Depending on where you live, it might be impossible for you to go to a desert, or a mountaintop regularly to do those practices. But Aurelius assures us that even those living in towns and cities can practice spiritual development techniques and get good results. So why do philosophers like Plato advise going to the desert or to a mountain? Because some places are better than others.

Who You’re With

Who you are with, or around, when you practice techniques is one reason why the ancient teachers recommended going to a solitary place. When doing techniques, it is best to be surrounded only by like-minded people. If that is not possible, then it is best to do them away from others whose negative or materialistic thoughts interfere with yours. It is like trying to get good reception on a cell phone when you are in a place surrounded by many electrical sources emitting static. You might still be able to hear the other person, but not very well. That is why it is recommended that those who live in urban areas make an effort to get out to the country, or at least to an open area such as a park, occasionally.

Find Your Place

Aurelius advises us to choose our place for spiritual practices by asking ourselves: What is the state of that place now? Does it feel spiritual to you, or has it become congealed into a materialistic place? Many places that were once considered holy or spiritual are not so anymore. So do the best you can to find a good spot and if you can be in a desert, by the seashore, or on a mountain top occasionally, you should make the effort to go there.

I fly above the dark and angry sea
I call to others to come join me.
But few respond, most cannot see
or hear the things ahead of me.
So fly alone, if you must fly
’til others join you in the sky.
One day, the angry sea will end
And we will call each other “friend”.

“According to the Hermetic philosophers, there were seven primary causes of disease. The first was evil spirits. These were regarded as creatures born of degenerate actions, subsisting on the vital energies of those to whom they attached themselves. The second cause was a derangement of the spiritual nature and the material nature; these two failing to coordinate, produced mental and physical abnormalities. The third was an unhealthy mental attitude. Melancholia, morbid emotions, excess feelings, such as passions, lusts, greeds, and hates, affected the mumia, from which they reached the physical body, where they resulted in ulcers, tumors, cancers, fevers, and tuberculosis. The ancients viewed the disease germ as a unit of mumia which had been impregnated with the emanations from evil influences.

“The fourth cause of disease was what the Oriental call Karma, that is, the Law of Compensation. … A physician had to be careful about interfering with the working of this law. The fifth cause was the motion and aspects of the heavenly bodies. The stars did not compel the sickness but rather impelled it. The Hermetics taught that a wise man ruled his stars.

“The sixth cause of disease was a misuse of faculty, organ, or function, such as overstraining a member or overtaxing the nerves. The seventh cause was the presence in the system of foreign substances, impurities, or obstructions. Under this lead must be considered diet, air, sunlight, and the presence of foreign bodies. This list does not include accidental injuries. Frequently, they are the methods by which the Law of Karma expresses itself.”

–Manly P. Hall

Hermetic Philosophy of Disease

It seems that the Hermetic philosophers believed that disease was nearly always the fault of the sick person, at least partially. It isn’t that they didn’t believe in germs or other external causes, it’s that they felt in some way the diseased person had invited the attack from those external causes, usually without consciously realizing it.

Evil Spirits

The first cause listed by Mr. Hall is Evil Spirits. He says that these “creatures” were born of degenerate action and they subsisted on vital energies of those they became attached to. While that form of Evil Spirit may exist, there are Evil Spirit, often called Demons, that exist independently of us but are prone to attacking us and harming us. They may do it by absorbing some of our energies, or they may do it by putting evil energies into us.

Disharmony Between the Mind and the Spirit

The second cause in the Hermetic philosophy was a disharmony between mind and spirit. Generally speaking, this means that the mind has accepted as true the false philosophy of materialism while the spirit knows the truth lies in the spiritual. The third cause is, I believe, a variation of the second. The unhealthy attitudes of the mind are almost always related to the lack of coordination between the mind and the spirit, or perhaps it would be more accurate to say between the physical mind and the spiritual mind.

Karma

I have written about Karma previously, so I won’t get into it too deeply here. Suffice it to say that Karma is real and the deeds we do always result in Karma. Sometimes it is good Karma, sometimes it is bad Karma. Sometimes an illness caused by Karma may be the result of something we did just a few days ago, but it might also be caused by something we did a long time ago.

Heavenly Bodies

Here, Halls is talking about what we know of as Astrology. It is true that the movements of the stars can affect our health, but as Hall notes, the Hermetics, as well as other Spiritual Schools, ruled that the wise person who developed their spiritual faculties did not let the influences of stars or other heavenly bodies control them, though they were generally aware of such influences so they could be on guard for them.

Misuse of Faculty or Organ

This one is obvious to most of us. If we strain our eyes by watching too much television or being in front of a computer screen all the time, it may result in eye damage. If we workout too vigorously at the gym, it can result in muscle damage.

Foreign Substances

Foreign Substances can indeed cause many illnesses. The most obvious is poisons that can kill. But Hall mentions some of the less obvious ones. Diet is the most common one. When we eat a poor diet, our physical body doesn’t get the nutrition it needs, and becomes weak and susceptible to germs. Or we may eat a fairly healthy diet, but with some added things that are very unhealthy and cause damage to the body. Some such “foods” are red meat and added sugars.

Sunlight

Sunlight can cause illness when used improperly, but most often, especially today, it is the lack of sunlight that is causing the illnesses. A few decades ago, the medical profession, especially dermatologists started warning us to avoid sunlight as if it was some evil radiation. The result of people listening to them was illnesses caused by a deficiency of vitamin D, and thin, pale skin that is more likely to let germs into the body than tanned, thick skin that comes with reasonable exposure to sunlight. And as Cosolargists, we know of the value of sunlight, when used properly, for spiritual development.