Q : ...the humankind is going through an involutional period and...a new ‘man' will grow from the ashes of the old one...A great knowledge got lost in the mists of time...the Atlantean race was destined to the development of the Astral body and so on going back to all the others...
A : Dear friend, I imagine the advancement of the humankind through eras as a passage between apparently separated containers but that communicate by osmosis. Communicating vessels joined by a difference of level, where the top of one container is the bottom of the other. Even remaining on the topic of the humankind, this difference of levels causes the feeling of going from top to bottom. It is not progress or regress (it is the optical illusion of appearance) but motion from a ‘container' of conscience that involves a space-time dimension to another of a different kind, viz. with different and greater contents than the previous one. Therefore, beyond the illusion given by appearances we face the ‘same topics', although on higher levels. And for many people this is obvious.
Q : ...in this sense the physical body represents the great mystery for the esotericist...
A : for the same reason the esotericist, as you say (but I don't think he is an esotericist), in order to find himself gradually becomes aware of the physical aspect first, then of the passion, emotional, mental, intellectual, intuition aspects, etc..., thinking that he can find himself in each of them. It is not so. He is all these plus their sum. Therefore the true identity of each of us is not in any of those compartments. Not even manipulating, censoring or moralizing any of those fragments man will be able to reflect his own image.
All those inner worlds will have to be discovered first, and then made able to communicate between them. Only through harmonious communication they will reveal the Unity which the esotericist participate by instinct. Therefore it is not by amputating but by adding and joining that the initiate reveals to himself the inner unity that reflects his own identity.
Q : ...rather than the regret for old knowledge, our efforts should go towards recovering, integrating and developing...
A : Ancient knowledge, though, is related to planes of conscience different from the present ones. Therefore any ancient ‘teaching' must be re-interpreted according to new principles.
As a confirmation of this, high rank masters strongly advise against taking up ancient forms of Yoga such as Hata, because they are suitable to a totally physical conscience. Also, they are ancient forms not suitable any more to the needs of the present form of conscience of the humankind. Therefore they are not only obsolete, but indeed counterproductive and harmful!
The present yoga, to remain on the topic, is called Raja, the mental unification that includes all the previous forms. But the most advanced members of the human family already measure themselves against Agni yoga, which is its superior evolution. In the future era, Agni yoga will be replaced by Indra Yoga, which is its natural prosecution. As you can see top and bottom follow each other.
Q : ...to the ancient initiates of Atlantis (I hope some people won't get upset hearing about the lost continent)...
A : I am keen to interpreting this point as a status of conscience. Atlantis, as well as paradise, hell and Eden , are all (exoteric) allegories of (esoteric) states of conscience, which is pointless trying to find in physical places. Indeed, they are representations of a state of latent inferiority that can be perceived through a spiritual or at least ascetic experience. Shamballa, the white Island , etc., are as many interpretations of inner realities of different levels. By level we mean (since you mention psychoanalysis) the top experiences (see Assagioli), which can be encouraged and reached by anybody who ‘follows the right indications'. That is, by anybody who has the right education. It follows that experimental anarchy is not provided for.
Q : ...we shouldn't be interested in the object of knowledge (perhaps the character of the school we belong to)...
A : Recognizing the character of a school is indeed extremely important because every school draws a path that synthesizes the specific nature of a human character. To confuse a school (a path) with another means, for a neophyte, inner confusion. The latter is very important, because can lead him to get lost in the maze of inner disharmony, prelude to spiritual unhappiness.
Esotericism and science agree in roughly classifying human nature in seven categories. The seven classes were the origins of Hindu castes, a concept that degenerated in the class idea of racial separation.
We can find the same division in human conscience (which is not social classes) in the seven chakras of occult physiology (see also the Caduceus of Hermes) which found expression in the principles of seven Yogas interpreted by as many schools.
Psychoanalysis deals with seven human typologies in a different form. (Updated) Theosophy deals with seven rays or cosmic energies that affect any natural structure.
Each energetic center (chakra) or nervous ganglion (typology), however you want to call it (for the esotericist the meaning of a concept is more important than the form used to express it) has, because of the postulates mentioned before, seven more stations of reference. This brings the number of variables to consider to 49. The 42 variables (octave) of seven major tones (according to the Laws of Harmonics) that make the whole habitat of reality perceivable by us in energy-sound-form and color.
In order to give ‘body' to all of the 42 minor tones of 7 major schools, the 49 initiatory paths that support as many natural typologies, which lead to as many types of particular esotericisms, which, finally, lead to the synthesis of a unique path called major Initiation.
Although just outlined, the high number of ramifications necessary to obtain the necessary specialization of such a relevant number of characters allows a quite realistic view of how complex and complicated is to find the right ‘beginning of the journey' for a neophyte or an aspirant. This goes back to what you rightly observed: confusion, personalism, intolerance and conflicts that originate from the so-called esoteric or alleged initiatory environments. But the conflict arising from resourceful aspirants has its raison d'ętre in the fact that every neophyte thinks he is in the absolute right and not, how it should be understood, in the relative right.
Since he has not yet perception of synthesis , the neophyte (especially who is abandoned and can only rely on the commercial offer of the ‘esotericism' product) is convinced that the ‘variation' on which he is by ‘elective affinities' is an absolute generator and not, as it in actual fact is, a small chord in a complex harmony.
But this view changes with the passing of time.
As far as I am concerned, the position I have always had is that of ‘absolute controversy' to the fragmentary separation, unlinked up to the point of ‘sectarianism' of the various initiatory realities. Indeed, I don't believe in or consider useful the so-called minor initiations, which, on the contrary only bring adversity among their ‘supporters'.
Although I consider desirable progress in small steps, starting from the step that appears more suitable to the ‘present' of any individual reality, I strongly believe that the aspirant must be soon educated to recognize all the other ‘keys of the piano', He shouldn't be victim of unreasonable sympathies, which might cause him to wrongly believe that ‘his own piano' only needs a note, that played by ‘his own key'.
It would be the demonstration of a depraved personalism and an ‘initiatory aberration' that is passed on empirically. But anarchy doesn't pay anywhere; even less in extreme territories such as the inner path.
The ‘solitary part' of the ‘initiatory desert' is the synthesis among all the elements that make the human identity and therefore the reaching of one's own synthesis. One's own synthesis is the uniqueness of inner identity, which is reflected in a formal and exterior image, with the same value as the reflection of an image on a mirror: real but relative.
Synthesis, then, is the associating principle that knocks down any difference that separates dissimilar elements and makes them opposite. By knocking down the diversity of opposite elements, we can find the matrix of initiatory brotherhood. Without reaching the latter, the journey that crosses the ‘inner Maze' cannot be started. Only a conscious and equipped initiate can become a capable traveler of the inner universe, otherwise he will only accomplish short trips in caves frequented by eso-tourists looking for ‘transcendental' emotions.
Q : ... let's rather deal with the action of knowing, the inner movement that is generated whilst we understand…
A : We have already dealt with this topic. The action of knowing and its inner movement are in actual fact the expression of an action of will. The action of will is the generator of reality in any form and expression. Good and bad could not be expressed without the will for good or the will for evil. Likewise there wouldn't be any motion without any push. Nothing would change without transformation and transformation is the evolutionary drive that moves any natural process, of life and (so-called) death.
Q : ...the Becoming, the change has a huge latent power. We all know that behind the divine aspect of destruction lies renewal. But we also know that ‘knowledge doesn't imply need'.
A : I don't know if destruction or renewal are divine, because I find it difficult to distinguish between divine and material and between material and divine; to my eyes, they are two measures of the same unity, but I believe that they are both the result of a cosmic-natural drive or will which ‘defines' any form and ‘soul' in any energetic structure, determining its quality and quantity (atomism?).
I disagree, though, with your last statement. As far as I am concerned, knowledge ‘ is ' a need and any knowledge implies the germ of transformation. If I can hazard a philosophical equation (B. Russell willing) I'd say that knowledge moves conscience, which generates a transformation, which changes the psycho-conscience structure (sorry for the verboseness of the term, I know you don't like long sentences).
Any change, voluntary or involuntary, has a consequence on the physical (psycho-somatic) level. Therefore the need (drive) for knowledge that originates from a motion of curiosity or desire to know, produces an effect which is once again motion and so on. 
