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ALICE BAILEY’S ESOTERIC EXPLANATION OF THE CREATIVE PROCESS A thesis presented to the faculty of the College of Psychology and Humanistic Studies at Saybrook University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts (M.A.) in Psychology by Harvey M. Cheatham San Francisco, California June, 2010 © 2010 Harvey M. Cheatham All rights reserved Approval of the Thesis ALICE BAILEY’S ESOTERIC EXPLANATION OF THE CREATIVE PROCESS This thesis by Harvey M. Cheatham has been approved by the committee members below, who recommend it be accepted by the faculty of the College of Psychology and Humanistic Studies at Saybrook University in partial fulfillment of requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Psychology Thesis Committee: ______[Signature]______________________ __________________________ Ruth Richards, Ph.D., Chair Date ______[Signature]______________________ __________________________ Stanley Krippner, Ph.D. Date ii Abstract ALICE BAILEY’S ESOTERIC EXPLANATION OF THE CREATIVE PROCESS Harvey M. Cheatham Saybrook University Alice Bailey provided an extensive explanation of the creative process in the 24 volumes of her writings, published from 1922 to 1960. The objective of this thesis was to clarify and organize her contribution to ascertain whether her work might be appropriately integrated into the existing body of creativity literature consistent with current trends in creativity studies. To date, Bailey’s writings apparently have not received serious attention in academic psychology except by Roberto Assagioli, who was a prominent student of Bailey. This thesis examined Bailey’s esoteric explanation of the creative process as gleaned from the 10,000 pages of her books. The research method was first to organize her worldview to identify foundational principles of esoteric thought interwoven in her presentation. From this foundation, Bailey’s lengthy explanation of the creative process was synthesized to 7 hypotheses for scholarly consideration. Finally, these hypotheses were compared to selected themes from current creativity studies for compatibility. This research found that Bailey advanced a longstanding and rich tradition of esoteric thought that was pioneered in modern times by Helena Blavatsky, that Bailey’s writings on the creative process are both comprehensive and internally consistent, and that these writings are compatible with certain recognized themes in creativity studies. iii Bailey indicated that the creative process concerns realized purpose and defined creativity in its highest sense as the access and then manifestation in physicality of prototypal (archetypal) patterns. This type of creativity requires more than just the ability to contact the existing pattern; it also includes the building of that which was contacted with as little distortion of the envisioned pattern as possible. Although Bailey’s work may lie outside mainstream Western psychology, her hypotheses were found consistent with multiple themes in current creativity studies. As such, her depth and clarity of explanation of the creative process might benefit those engaged in creativity scholarship and might have the potential to expand mainstream views in this area. As human evolution largely depends on creative achievement, compelling reasons exist to develop a fuller understanding of the creative process. Therefore, Bailey’s insights into the creative process seem to warrant further investigation. Dedication We honor and thank all those who came before us, all the teachers from whom we have learned and who have been there for us with infinite patience, love, and wisdom. v Acknowledgments I would like to convey my deep sense of gratitude to my committee members, Dr. Ruth Richards and Dr. Stanley Krippner, who gave me their support, guidance, and encouragement throughout this thesis project and who always set the example of rigorous academic standards coupled with open-mindedness. To my wife, Anne: I thank you for encouraging me to interrupt the golden years of retirement for another extended period of work and for being supportive on all those occasions when school had to come first. To my daughters, Lizzie and Anne-Marisa: I thank you for the light in your lives that inspired me to try to bring more light into my own life. To my editor, Marcy Thorner, and my graphics coordinator, Kevin Byrd: I thank you for the polished look of this thesis that resulted from your skills and endless attention to detail. I gratefully acknowledge Lucis Trust for its service as custodian of the Alice A. Bailey material and for permission for the extensive citation of that copyrighted material. Finally, to Dr. Uta Hoehne: You showed me a world that I did not know existed. I am eternally grateful for this most wondrous of gifts. vi Table of Contents List of Figures....................................................................................................................ix CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION........................................................................................1 Statement of Research Purpose............................................................................................1 Overview..............................................................................................................................2 Approach..............................................................................................................................4 Background of Alice Bailey.................................................................................................6 Bailey in the Context of the Esoteric Tradition...................................................................7 Personal Considerations.......................................................................................................9 Definitions..........................................................................................................................10 CHAPTER 2: OVERVIEW OF CREATIVITY: TYPES AND SOURCES.....................14 What is Meant by Creativity?............................................................................................14 Creativity as a Subset of Consciousness................................................................14 Definitions..............................................................................................................18 Four P’s of Creativity.............................................................................................19 Wallas’s Model of the Creative Process................................................................20 Types of Creativity............................................................................................................23 Deficiency vs. Being Creativity.............................................................................23 Everyday vs. Eminent Creativity...........................................................................26 Other Constructs of Creativity...............................................................................29 Emotional Creativity..................................................................................30 Creativity and Integral Consciousness.......................................................30 Creativity and System Science...................................................................33 Sources of Inspiration........................................................................................................33 Personal..................................................................................................................34 Partially Transpersonal..........................................................................................36 All from a Greater Source......................................................................................42 Concluding Comments.......................................................................................................44 CHAPTER 3: BAILEY’S EXPLANATION OF THE CREATIVE PROCESS...............47 Underlying Assumptions...................................................................................................47 Introductory Postulates......................................................................................................48 Esoteric Theory Based on Revelation....................................................................48 General Postulates of Esoteric Theory...................................................................52 The Macrocosm: Our Solar System and Beyond...............................................................55 Spirit and Matter....................................................................................................55 Rays........................................................................................................................58 All is Fire...............................................................................................................61 Planes of the Solar System.....................................................................................64 Time, Space, and Astrology...................................................................................72 Cyclic Manifestation..............................................................................................76 Interconnectedness.................................................................................................80 Humanity: The Microcosm................................................................................................84 vii Monad, Soul, Personality: The Human Constitution.............................................84 The Constitution of Humanity...................................................................84 Monad: The One........................................................................................87 Soul............................................................................................................88 Personality..................................................................................................92 Mental Body...............................................................................................93 Emotional Body.........................................................................................93 Physical/Etheric Body................................................................................94 Energy Centers of the Etheric Body..........................................................95 Mind or Manas.......................................................................................................98 Angels (Devas) and Elementals...........................................................................100 Personal Musings.................................................................................................105 Self vs. Not-Self: Maya, Glamour, and Illusion..................................................107 Evolution..............................................................................................................112 Stages of Human Evolution.....................................................................114 Soul Evolution.........................................................................................117 Death and Disease....................................................................................119 Dangers of Forcing Evolution..................................................................121 The Planetary Hierarchy......................................................................................122 Initiation...............................................................................................................128 Service ..................................................................................................................132 Extraordinary Times............................................................................................137 The Creative Process........................................................................................................141 Abstract Made Concrete......................................................................................145 Analogy to Human Maternity..................................................................148 Aspects of the Mental Plane and of Mind................................................150 Raincloud of Knowable Things...........................................................................154 Energy Follows Thought......................................................................................156 Construction of the Antahkarana.........................................................................160 Requirements for the Creative Process................................................................167 Imagination..............................................................................................170 Meditation................................................................................................174 Invocation Leading to Responsive Results..............................................180 Goals of the Creative Process..............................................................................181 Energy Centers and the Rules of Magic..............................................................183 The Creative Centers................................................................................183 The Rules of Magic..................................................................................187 Practical Experience.............................................................................................194 Concluding Comments.....................................................................................................196 CHAPTER 4: DISCUSSION...........................................................................................198 Selected Themes in Mainstream Creativity Scholarship.................................................198 Interdependence of Creative Efforts and Self-Growth........................................199 Interconnectedness...............................................................................................200 Transpersonal Sources of Inspiration...................................................................201 Explanations Outside of Mainstream Constructs.................................................202 viii Testable Hypothesis and Suggestions for Future Study..................................................204 Concluding Comments.....................................................................................................207 REFERENCES................................................................................................................210 APPENDIXES Appendix A Glossary of Esoteric Terms....................................................................216 Appendix B Books Published Under the Name of Alice Bailey................................233 Appendix C Extract from a Statement by the Tibetan................................................234 Appendix D Second Stanza of Dzyan.........................................................................235 Appendix E Community Light Meditation.................................................................237 Appendix F Rules for Magic......................................................................................264