“People are of varying temperaments, and that course that will best suit one will not meet the requirements of another. One will seek progress and development in one direction, and another in a different way, and a third by a still different course. The Yogi Philosophy teaches that the way that seems to appeal most to a person’s general temperament and disposition is the one best adapted to his use at the present time. They divide the Path of Attainment into three paths leading up to the great main road. They call these three paths, (1) Raja Yoga, (2) Karma Yoga, and (3) Gnani Yoga; each being a path leading to the Great Road. …

“Raja Yoga is devoted to the development of the latent powers in Man and the gaining control of the mental faculties by the will—attaining mastery of the lower self—the development of the mind to the end that the soul may be aided in its unfolding. …

“Karma Yoga is the yoga of work. It is the path followed by those who delight in their work, who take a keen interest in doing things with head or hand. …

“Gnani Yoga is the Yoga of Wisdom. It is followed by those of a scientific, intellectual type, who desire to reason out, proving, experimenting, and classifiying the occult knowledge. It follows a strong path towards metaphysics. Examples are to be seen in the great philosophers. As a matter of fact, all students of the Yogi Philosophy are attracted to Gnani Yoga to some degree.”

-William Walker Atkinson

Varying Temperaments

It is true that people are of varying temperaments, and we must all start from where we are. The person who is still very materialistic may start by trying to think about and study things that are spiritual. The one who is, as Stkinson says, all wrapped up in his work and related accomplishments can start to do his work in a way that is more pleasing to God, although that will often mean that is is less pleasing to materialistic bosses and employers. The one who is scientific and needs to experiment and learn from experience is the most fortunate since this is really the beginning of the True Path. Atkinson calls this third path one of Wisdom, but I think that is an inappropriate name for it. It is more one of intellect than wisdom, and they are not the same thing.

Preliminary Steps

The important thing that Mr. Atkinson points out is that all of the three paths of beginners, which might be thought of as preliminary paths rather than true paths to enlightenment, all eventually lead one to the “Great Road,” as he calls it. Many spiritual schools and Gurus tell people that there are many paths and we must each follow our own path, yet they provide little proof of that theory. A study of all the great spiritual leaders and enlightened individuals of the past will reveal that they all followed very similar paths, although their followers have often changed the truth in the written books about them so they may seem to be different. Some anti-religious people love to point out on social media that many of the things that are written about Jesus can be found in earlier writings of the Hindus and others. This doesn’t prove that the stories about Jesus are false, although some are. It proves that all great spiritual leaders follow a similar path.

The Great Road

The most important thing that Atkinson says in the quote is that all of the paths eventually lead to the One True Path that he calls “The Great Road”. So it may be true that there are multiple paths, especially for beginners, but eventually, we must all get on the True Path to achieve real enlightenment. If you think about it, you will realize that if we are all going to be on that path eventually, it is a good idea to head to that route as soon as possible. The teachings of Cosolargy will put you on that path.

“The person who combines spiritual knowledge with the practice of the virtues is a throne and a footstool of God. A throne because of his spiritual knowledge and a footstool because of his ascetic practices. And the human intellect, purified of all material images, and occupied, or, rather adorned with the divine principles of the noetic world, is a heaven itself.

“When any philosopher – any devout philosopher – fortified with virtue and spiritual knowledge, or with ascetic practice and contemplation, sees the power of evil rising up against him through the passions like the king of the Assyrians rising up against Hezekiah, he is aware that only with God’s help can he escape. He invokes God’s mercy by crying out silently and by striving to advance still further in virtue and knowledge; and he receives as an ally, or rather as his salvation, an Angel that is one of the higher principles of Wisdom and Knowledge.

“Every passion has its origin in the corresponding sensible object. For without some object to attract the powers of the soul through the medium of the senses, no passion would ever be generated. Without food, there is no gluttony; without gold, there is no love of money, and so on.”

–St. Maximos (in The Philokalia)

Spiritual Knowledge With Practice of Virtue

I believe that what St. Maximos (or Maximus) is trying to say here is that spiritual knowledge alone doesn’t make one an enlightened person, especially if we are talking about the limited kind of spiritual knowledge that comes from books, or listening to lectures. We must put that spiritual knowledge to use and practice spiritual development techniques to truly gain anything from it.

A Throne Because of Spiritual Knowledge

St. Maximos seems to be saying that anyone who has gained spiritual knowledge is a throne of God. That is true only of those who have achieved the very advanced stage of spiritual development and have gained the high level of Knowledge known as Gnosis. They are thrones of God in an allegorical sense because they have reached the high level of consciousness that permits them to communicate directly with God, at least some of the time.

A Footstool of God

As the photo used to illustrate this post shows, footstools, and thrones are often together, a set like a modern easy chair and hassock (or ottoman). Maximos says those advanced spiritual students are like a footstool of God because of their “ascetic practices”. I think it is more accurate to say that such spiritual adepts are footstools as well as thrones because they have true humility, not thinking of themselves as better than other people because of their advanced spiritual state.

Power of Evil Rising

It is true that spiritual students must watch for the powers of Evil (or darkness) rising in them and trying to take control. Each day, usually just before going to sleep, it is recommended that the students ask themselves if they did a good job of avoiding darkness that day. Did they get angry with someone? Did they get jealous or envious? If so, they should make note of it and try to do better. Did they become attached to material goods or property? If so, they need to work on that, or possibly get rid of the item they are becoming too attached too. That doesn’t mean we can’t have property, we simply must avoid attachments. St. Maximos refers to asceticism, but that is because the book the quote comes from is a training guide for monks in the Eastern Orthodox Church.

Passions and Objects

St. Maximos goes on to tell us that passions are always related to a “sensible object”, sensible meaning from the world of the six senses, the realm of matter. He gives a few examples that make sense. It should be noted, however, that people can become passionate about something they don’t actually have, but dream of having. It may not even be something that actually exists, but something they would like to exist. It should also be noted that passion isn’t always a bad thing. We can be passionate about our spiritual development, and that is good. We can be passionate about teaching others to develop their spiritual Self, and that is good as well. So we need not avoid all passions, just the type that leads to attachment to material things.