Brothers of the shadow

Brothers of the shadow: ‘A term given in occultism ... to individuals, whether men or women, who follow ... the path of matter or of the shadows.  

They are the so-called black magicians of the Occident.

And stand in sharp and notable contrast with the white magicians or the sons of light who follow the pathway of self-renunciation, self-sacrifice, self-conquest, perfect self-control, and ... service for all that lives.
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The existence and aims of the brothers of the shadow are essentially selfish. 

Multitudes of human beings are unconsciously treading the path of the shadows and, in comparison with these multitudes, it is relatively only a few who self-consciously lead and guide with subtle and steadfast intelligence this army of unsuspecting victims of maya. 

The brothers of the shadow are often highly intellectual men and women, frequently individuals with apparent great personal charm .

They work by temptation.

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By mental pictures.

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By suggestion.

By quoting scripture.

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By appealing to their victims’ vanity as if their plea were made to the high virtues.

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By playing upon their egoism.

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And by arousing ignoble passions.

And yes they are real and are among us today.

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They have also been here throughout human history.

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Believe it or not the seriously evil ones are yet to come although we are getting closer as society becomes ever more greedy and accepting of such behaviour.
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Today we might not see evil in these terms or is it that we just choose to ignore it?
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In many societies anyone with money is accepted because money is the hall mark of a person's position in that society.
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Where money is the only criteria then corrupt behaviour is inevitable
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And where this is so then everything else becomes corrupt.
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Breakdown of society is then not far behind.
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We can today observe this in many societies.