Thirdly, information and knowledge transmitted between persons and cultures over time is Janus-like, that is, it has two faces or dimensions. Some knowledge possessed by the ancients is highly objective, such as the rules of arithmetic, fundamental scientific principles and the details of a religious system. Moreover, this information can be verified through modern, externally-directed observation and experimentation. Other ancient information was discovered via internally-directed observation and experimentation using various forms of meditation. This information is subjective in nature, occurs solely within the brain and mind of the person having the experience and cannot be verified as to content using any external manner of observation (including, highly technological methods as fast-Fourier electroencephalography and functional brain imaging). Consequently, being introspective, modern psychology ignores the benefits to be accomplished by such internally-directed observation and study. The teachers of the ancient mystery schools did not.

For example, the Abhidharma texts from the Pali Schools of Buddhism contain clear and explicit descriptions of the subjective, psychophysiological experiences obtained when a student attains to each level of the eight dhanas within the text. Additionally, these texts contain reliable and workable descriptions for attaining these meditative states, including, cautionary material for preventing the mediator from becoming fixed in an unwholesome state. Furthermore, it is clear from conversations with scholars in the field, that the methods utilized for establishing these meditative techniques were gathered and reported in a scientifically validated manner by the early Buddhist monks. Though such data is introspective, the results observed under similar conditions is reproducible and should be considered scientifically meaningful. Consequently, it is clearly apparent that certain kinds of subjectively obtained information can be considered as reliable and as useful and information obtained objectively from any one of our five physical senses.

Fourthly, it is critical for us to differentiate between the information seeking methods utilized by the early philosophical schools of early and classical Greece and those of the Occidental mystery schools of pre-Hellenic cultures. The Greek philosophers concentrated upon the development and utilization of the analytical capacities of the conscious mind for solving many problems–practical and esoteric. Today, many of the questions occupying the attention of the Greek philosophers would be included in the rubric of modern science; for instance, is the universe derived from a fundamental energy? Such questions occur frequently in Greek literature, beginning in the 7th though 5th centuries before the common era, with Thales, Anaximander and Anaxagoras, continuing into the classical era with Plato, Aristotle, Lucretius and others. Often, the speculations of these early investigators turned out to be incomplete or inaccurate. Not only did they lack the proper experimental tools needed for exploring these areas, but they did not realize that abstract thought and its conclusions are not always correct.

The manner of exploration utilized by the priests and scribes of the Egyptian temples and mystery schools differed immensely from those of the Greek philosophic schools. The questions asked by these early thinkers and explorers of the inner world of the mind required the full scale employment of the capacities of the unconscious mind. Rather than using the conscious mind to pose and analytically solve questions as the Greeks did, the early students of the mystery schools used the conscious mind to pose questions and allowed the unconscious mind to provide answers for conscious evaluation and application. In other words, the students of the legitimate mesoteric or mystery schools investigated the relationships existing between god, man and nature employing highly focused and intense contemplation and meditation in a manner to that of the later Buddhist Abhidharma schools. They were interested in discovering specific factors important for gaining a pragmatic understanding of man’s place and responsibilities within the created universe and the extent of his possibilities for spiritual development. They chose to spend the majority of time studying the esoteric or spiritual side of man rather than studying the physical principles of the world.