Dweller on the threshold
Encyclopedia
The Dweller on the Threshold refers to a purported invisible and possibly malevolent entity that attaches to a human being. The term was first used by Bulwer-Lytton
in his novel Zanoni
.
In theosophical literature, Helena P. Blavatsky describes it as the discarded astral
double of an individual in a previous life that may not have fully disintegrated yet when that individual is reborn. Thus the dweller will be drawn to the new incarnated personality due to their affinity. Sometimes this entity is also called Guardian of the Threshold
.
on Esoteric astrology
, "From ancient recesses of the memory, from a deeply rooted past, which is definitely recalled, and from the racial and the individual subconscious
(or founded and established thought reservoirs and desires, inherited and inherent) there emerges from individual past lives and experience, that which is the sumtotal of all instinctual tendencies, of all inherited glamours, and of all phases of wrong mental attitudes; to these, (as they constitute a blended whole) we give the name of the Dweller on the Threshold. This Dweller is the sumtotal of all the personality characteristics which have remained unconquered and unsubtle, and which must be finally overcome before initiation
can be taken. Each life sees some progress made; some personality defects straightened out, and some real advance effected. But the unconquered residue, and the ancient liabilities are numerous, and excessively potent, and - when the soul contact's adequately established - there eventuates a life wherein the highly developed and powerful personality becomes, in itself, the Dweller on the Threshold. Then the Angel
of the Presence and the Dweller stand face to face, and something must then be done. Eventually, the light of the personal self fades out and wanes in the blaze of glory which emanates from the Angel. Then the greater glory obliterates the lesser. This is, however, only possible when the personality eagerly enters into this relation with the Angel, recognises itself as the Dweller, and - as a disciple
- begins the battle between the pairs of opposites, and enters into the tests of Scorpio. These tests and trials are ever self-initiated; the disciple puts himself into the positive or conditioning environment wherein the trials and the discipline are unavoidable and inevitable. When the mind has reached a relatively high stage of development, the memory aspect is evoked in a new and conscious manner, and then every latent predisposition, every racial and national instinct, every unconquered situation, and every controlling fault, rises to the surface of consciousness, and then - the fight is on."
"Two factors tend to bring this about: the slow moving forward of the innate conscience into greater control, and the steady development of the 'fiery aspiration' to which Patanjali
(The Light of the Soul, Book II, Sutra I, Page 119) makes reference. These two factors, when brought into living activity, bring the disciple into the center of the burning ground which separates the Angel of the Presence
from the Dweller on the Threshold. The burning ground is found upon the threshold of every new advance, until the third initiation has been taken." - The Rays and the Initiations, Alice Bailey
It is interesting in this light that Hugh Shearman in a rather interesting article draws a correlation between the dweller and the mythical dragon that hides some kind of aspirational figure, like a beauty, an imprisoned princess or even a hidden treasure. He goes on to suggest that the dweller is some kind of vanity, spiritual or otherwise, that precedes a fall. This view perhaps minimises the import of the dweller and its impact upon the disciple approaching the gate of initiation.
Nevertheless the Dweller on the Threshold is seen in contrast to the Solar Angel, both of which need to be cast aside for the disciple to walk through the gate of initiation. It is said that the dweller arrives at full potency prior to taking the third initiation. This makes sense as it is in the third initiation that the disciple enters into life and also overcomes illusion.
According to Bailey, triumph over the dweller leads to initiation, or an entry into a greater measure of life. This is referred to as lifting the first veil.
, in "Saturn a New Look at an Old Devil", offers her opinion that Saturn
rules the dweller on the threshold experience. Alice Bailey in Esoteric Astrology suggests that Mars
and Saturn are involved in the third initiation, the initiation where illusion is finally overcome.
The three signs that are said to deal with the fusion of the dweller and the angel of the presence are Scorpio
, Sagittarius
and Capricorn.
, who cites his interest in Theosophy
in the song "Rave on John Donne" (see Inarticulate Speech of the Heart
), refers to himself as a "Dweller on the Threshold" in the song of that name on the album Beautiful Vision
.
"Dweller on the Threshold" is also a song on the 1993 Time Machine
album by guitarist Joe Satriani
and the title of a 2006 release by Latin hard rock band Tribe of Gypsies
.
The term "Dweller on the Threshold" is also spoken of in the seminal TV show, Twin Peaks, towards the conclusion of the series. It is mentioned in the context of discussion relating to the "black lodge" and the "white lodge". Particularly, the character Hawk in Twin Peaks
Season 2, refers to the Dweller on the Threshold when discussing the inhabitants of the black lodge.
In the novel Blood of Amber
from Roger Zelazny
's Chronicles of Amber, Corwin's son Merlin encounters a being of primal chaos named Scrof who calls itself a Dweller on the Threshold, guarding the passage to the Keep of the Four Worlds.
Edward Bulwer-Lytton, 1st Baron Lytton
Edward George Earle Lytton Bulwer-Lytton, 1st Baron Lytton PC , was an English politician, poet, playwright, and novelist. He was immensely popular with the reading public and wrote a stream of bestselling dime-novels which earned him a considerable fortune...
in his novel Zanoni
Zanoni
Zanoni is an 1842 novel by Edward Bulwer-Lytton, a story of love and occult aspiration. By way of introduction, the author confesses: "...It so chanced that some years ago, in my younger days, whether of authorship or life, I felt the desire to make myself acquainted with the true origins and...
.
In theosophical literature, Helena P. Blavatsky describes it as the discarded astral
Astral body
The astral body is a subtle body posited by many religious philosophers, intermediate between the intelligent soul and the physical body, composed of a subtle material. The concept ultimately derives from the philosophy of Plato: it is related to an astral plane, which consists of the planetary...
double of an individual in a previous life that may not have fully disintegrated yet when that individual is reborn. Thus the dweller will be drawn to the new incarnated personality due to their affinity. Sometimes this entity is also called Guardian of the Threshold
Guardian of the Threshold
The Guardian of the Threshold is a menacing figure that is described by a number of leading esoteric teachers. The term "Guardian of the Threshold", often called "dweller on the threshold" indicates a spectral image which is supposed to manifests itself as soon as "the student of the spirit ascends...
.
Esoteric Framework
Another explanation is that provided by Alice BaileyAlice Bailey
Alice Ann Bailey , known as Alice A. Bailey or AAB to her followers, was an influential writer and theosophist in what she termed "Ageless Wisdom". This included occult teachings, "esoteric" psychology and healing, astrological and other philosophic and religious themes...
on Esoteric astrology
Esoteric astrology
Esoteric astrology is a branch of Astrology that focuses on the spiritual evolution of a person or groups of persons. Mundane astrology focuses on the personality, or one's individual identity...
, "From ancient recesses of the memory, from a deeply rooted past, which is definitely recalled, and from the racial and the individual subconscious
Subconscious
The term subconscious is used in many different contexts and has no single or precise definition. This greatly limits its significance as a definition-bearing concept, and in consequence the word tends to be avoided in academic and scientific settings....
(or founded and established thought reservoirs and desires, inherited and inherent) there emerges from individual past lives and experience, that which is the sumtotal of all instinctual tendencies, of all inherited glamours, and of all phases of wrong mental attitudes; to these, (as they constitute a blended whole) we give the name of the Dweller on the Threshold. This Dweller is the sumtotal of all the personality characteristics which have remained unconquered and unsubtle, and which must be finally overcome before initiation
Initiation
Initiation is a rite of passage ceremony marking entrance or acceptance into a group or society. It could also be a formal admission to adulthood in a community or one of its formal components...
can be taken. Each life sees some progress made; some personality defects straightened out, and some real advance effected. But the unconquered residue, and the ancient liabilities are numerous, and excessively potent, and - when the soul contact's adequately established - there eventuates a life wherein the highly developed and powerful personality becomes, in itself, the Dweller on the Threshold. Then the Angel
Angel
Angels are mythical beings often depicted as messengers of God in the Hebrew and Christian Bibles along with the Quran. The English word angel is derived from the Greek ἄγγελος, a translation of in the Hebrew Bible ; a similar term, ملائكة , is used in the Qur'an...
of the Presence and the Dweller stand face to face, and something must then be done. Eventually, the light of the personal self fades out and wanes in the blaze of glory which emanates from the Angel. Then the greater glory obliterates the lesser. This is, however, only possible when the personality eagerly enters into this relation with the Angel, recognises itself as the Dweller, and - as a disciple
Apprenticeship
Apprenticeship is a system of training a new generation of practitioners of a skill. Apprentices or protégés build their careers from apprenticeships...
- begins the battle between the pairs of opposites, and enters into the tests of Scorpio. These tests and trials are ever self-initiated; the disciple puts himself into the positive or conditioning environment wherein the trials and the discipline are unavoidable and inevitable. When the mind has reached a relatively high stage of development, the memory aspect is evoked in a new and conscious manner, and then every latent predisposition, every racial and national instinct, every unconquered situation, and every controlling fault, rises to the surface of consciousness, and then - the fight is on."
"Two factors tend to bring this about: the slow moving forward of the innate conscience into greater control, and the steady development of the 'fiery aspiration' to which Patanjali
Patañjali
Patañjali is the compiler of the Yoga Sūtras, an important collection of aphorisms on Yoga practice. According to tradition, the same Patañjali was also the author of the Mahābhāṣya, a commentary on Kātyāyana's vārttikas on Pāṇini's Aṣṭādhyāyī as well as an unspecified work of medicine .In...
(The Light of the Soul, Book II, Sutra I, Page 119) makes reference. These two factors, when brought into living activity, bring the disciple into the center of the burning ground which separates the Angel of the Presence
Angel of the Presence
In Judeo-Christian tradition, the Angel of the Presence is an entity or multiple entities variously considered angelic or else identified with God Himself...
from the Dweller on the Threshold. The burning ground is found upon the threshold of every new advance, until the third initiation has been taken." - The Rays and the Initiations, Alice Bailey
It is interesting in this light that Hugh Shearman in a rather interesting article draws a correlation between the dweller and the mythical dragon that hides some kind of aspirational figure, like a beauty, an imprisoned princess or even a hidden treasure. He goes on to suggest that the dweller is some kind of vanity, spiritual or otherwise, that precedes a fall. This view perhaps minimises the import of the dweller and its impact upon the disciple approaching the gate of initiation.
Nevertheless the Dweller on the Threshold is seen in contrast to the Solar Angel, both of which need to be cast aside for the disciple to walk through the gate of initiation. It is said that the dweller arrives at full potency prior to taking the third initiation. This makes sense as it is in the third initiation that the disciple enters into life and also overcomes illusion.
According to Bailey, triumph over the dweller leads to initiation, or an entry into a greater measure of life. This is referred to as lifting the first veil.
Astrological Indications
Astrologer Liz GreeneLiz Greene
Liz Greene, is an American-British astrologer, psychologist and author. She is the sister of the late author Richard Leigh...
, in "Saturn a New Look at an Old Devil", offers her opinion that Saturn
Saturn
Saturn is the sixth planet from the Sun and the second largest planet in the Solar System, after Jupiter. Saturn is named after the Roman god Saturn, equated to the Greek Cronus , the Babylonian Ninurta and the Hindu Shani. Saturn's astronomical symbol represents the Roman god's sickle.Saturn,...
rules the dweller on the threshold experience. Alice Bailey in Esoteric Astrology suggests that Mars
Mars
Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun in the Solar System. The planet is named after the Roman god of war, Mars. It is often described as the "Red Planet", as the iron oxide prevalent on its surface gives it a reddish appearance...
and Saturn are involved in the third initiation, the initiation where illusion is finally overcome.
The three signs that are said to deal with the fusion of the dweller and the angel of the presence are Scorpio
Scorpio (astrology)
|Infobox align="right" style="border:3px solid white;"||style="text-align: center;"|Scorpio is the eighth astrological sign in the Zodiac, which spans the zodiac between the 210th and 239th degree of celestial longitude. Generally, the Sun transits this area of the zodiac between 24 October and...
, Sagittarius
Sagittarius (astrology)
Sagittarius is the ninth astrological sign in the Zodiac, which spans the zodiac between the 240th and 269th degree of celestial longitude...
and Capricorn.
In popular culture
Van MorrisonVan Morrison
Van Morrison, OBE is a Northern Irish singer-songwriter and musician. His live performances at their best are regarded as transcendental and inspired; while some of his recordings, such as the studio albums Astral Weeks and Moondance, and the live album It's Too Late to Stop Now, are widely...
, who cites his interest in Theosophy
Theosophy
Theosophy, in its modern presentation, is a spiritual philosophy developed since the late 19th century. Its major themes were originally described mainly by Helena Blavatsky , co-founder of the Theosophical Society...
in the song "Rave on John Donne" (see Inarticulate Speech of the Heart
Inarticulate Speech of the Heart
Inarticulate Speech of the Heart is the fourteenth album by Northern Irish singer-songwriter Van Morrison, released in 1983 ....
), refers to himself as a "Dweller on the Threshold" in the song of that name on the album Beautiful Vision
Beautiful Vision
Beautiful Vision is an album by Northern Irish singer-songwriter Van Morrison. It was released February 1982 by Warner Bros. Records in the US and Mercury Records in the UK. As with many of Morrison's recordings, spirituality is a major theme and some of the songs are based on the teachings of...
.
"Dweller on the Threshold" is also a song on the 1993 Time Machine
Time Machine (album)
Time Machine is a double instrumental rock album released by Joe Satriani in 1993. The first CD comprises new, unreleased, and rare studio recordings, while the second one comprises live recordings pulled from tours in 1988 and 1992.The song "Speed of Light", an unused song from the sessions for...
album by guitarist Joe Satriani
Joe Satriani
Joseph "Joe" Satriani is an American instrumental rock guitarist and multi-instrumentalist, with multiple Grammy Award nominations...
and the title of a 2006 release by Latin hard rock band Tribe of Gypsies
Tribe of Gypsies
Tribe of Gypsies is a San Fernando Valley, California-based Latin rock group, best known for band leader/guitarist Roy Z who has produced, written for, and played with such well known artists as Judas Priest, Rob Halford, and Bruce Dickinson who has used various members of Tribe of Gypsies to...
.
The term "Dweller on the Threshold" is also spoken of in the seminal TV show, Twin Peaks, towards the conclusion of the series. It is mentioned in the context of discussion relating to the "black lodge" and the "white lodge". Particularly, the character Hawk in Twin Peaks
Twin Peaks
Twin Peaks is an American television serial drama created by David Lynch and Mark Frost. The series follows the investigation headed by FBI Special Agent Dale Cooper , of the murder of a popular teenager and homecoming queen, Laura Palmer...
Season 2, refers to the Dweller on the Threshold when discussing the inhabitants of the black lodge.
In the novel Blood of Amber
Blood of Amber
Blood of Amber is the Locus Award nominated second book in the second Chronicles of Amber series by Roger Zelazny, and the seventh book overall.-Plot summary:...
from Roger Zelazny
Roger Zelazny
Roger Joseph Zelazny was an American writer of fantasy and science fiction short stories and novels, best known for his The Chronicles of Amber series...
's Chronicles of Amber, Corwin's son Merlin encounters a being of primal chaos named Scrof who calls itself a Dweller on the Threshold, guarding the passage to the Keep of the Four Worlds.