There is one fact to be grasped in connection with the place of the permanent atom within the causal periphery and its evolution, that needs to be emphasized with care, and that is that the astral permanent atom in this solar system is the recipient of a great flow of force or energy, and receives more stimulation and energizing than any of the others, and this for the following reasons: [511]

First.   The center of polarization for the fourth, or human kingdom, is in the astral consciousness viewing this kingdom as a unity in expression. From the astral, and through the desire nature, the majority of men inevitably direct and control the physical vehicle. The astral body is in the direct line of force via the buddhic from monadic levels, 2-4-6.

Second.   The goal set before humanity is that of becoming Masters of the Wisdom, or conscious units in the Body of the Dragon of Wisdom or of Love. This a man achieves when he can function consciously in the buddhic vehicle, or when the astral permanent atom is superseded by the buddhic permanent atom.

Third.   The next reason is that the second aspect of the Logos (that of love or the manifestation of the love nature of the Logos through the medium of the Son) is the one demonstrated in this system. This system is:

1. A Son of Necessity, or of desire.
2. Vibrant to the key of the cosmic Ray of Love.
3. The form through which this ray of cosmic Love (shown in the interrelation between the Self and the Not-Self, or through duality) is expressing itself.
4. Governed by the cosmic Law of Attraction. The monads of love are the dominating quality. (I choose this word 'quality' specifically.)

Fourth.   The center in the cosmic body of the ONE ABOUT WHOM NOUGHT MAY BE SAID of which our solar Logos is the embodied force is the heart center. Here we have one of the clues to the mystery of electricity. The sacred planets, with certain allied etheric spheres within the ring-pass-not, are parts of that heart center, and are 'petals in the Lotus,' or in the heart center of that great unknown Existence Who stands to the solar Logos as He in His turn stands to the Heavenly [512] Men Who are His centers, and specially as He stands to the particular Heavenly Man Who is the embodied force of the logoic Heart center. Therefore, it will be apparent to the careful student that the entire force and energy of the system and its life quality will be that which we call (having perforce to use handicapping, misleading words) LOVE. This will account for the fact that the force that plays through that cosmic heart center will be the paramount force found in the manifestation of a solar Logos, and of a Heavenly Man; it will likewise produce its microcosmic analogy, and reflective reactions; hence the relative importance of the astral permanent atom within the causal periphery. It is in the direct line of active force emanating from the cosmic existence, and passing to it in ever lessening degree, via the solar Logos in His system of love, and the planetary Logos within a scheme, the Dragon of Wisdom-Love.

This force when rightly directed and properly controlled is the great transmuting agency, which eventually will make of the human unit a Master of the Wisdom, a Lord of Love, a Dragon of Wisdom in lesser degree.

Finally:   this solar system, the objective physical manifestation of the Logos, is interpenetrated by His astral body, as is the case with the human manifestation. As the Logos is polarized in His cosmic astral sheath and has not yet attained cosmic mental polarization His force or desire nature is the main incentive for the subjective Life and Eves that underlie the form.

If the student will ponder with care these five facts, he will get a clue to the problems of existence as realized around us, to the causes of the heat of the solar system, to the method of the cosmic Law of Attraction and Repulsion, which governs all atomic forms, and to the question of SEX which is apparent in every kingdom of nature. They give the clue also to the constitution of the Divine Hermaphrodite. [513]

Therefore, it is necessary to bear in mind the relative importance of the permanent atom of the second aspect of the personality within the causal periphery, and to remember that the force which flows through that atom and which is the animating force of the astral body is following the lines of least resistance and really might be considered as bearing upon his physical manifestation in a manner twice as strong as that reaching him through the other two. The Logos expresses Himself now through the Divine Ray, His second aspect, and this Ray is the sumtotal of the radiation of the Lords of Wisdom, the Heavenly Men, the Dragons Who are Unity and Who are Love. Through Them this force flows, and They in turn clothe Themselves with form, or as H. P. B. expresses it 'The primordial Ray becomes the Vahan for the Divine Ray.'¹⁶⁸ Their life animates every atom of substance when built into form, and Their life is the sumtotal of Logoic magnetism, or the great desire nature of the Logos going out after the Not-Self, producing the cosmic Marriage; it is the logoic demonstration of the sex appeal, His search for His polar opposite, and their mystic union.

This process is repeated by the microcosm following the line of his being, and this brings him likewise into incarnation, or into mystic union with form.

The causal sheath is to the clairvoyant therefore a sphere of vibrant living substance; within it can be seen three fiery points. At the heart of the sphere is a central blaze of light, emitting [514] rays; these rays are given as seven in number, and play upon these points or circles (analogous to the electrons in the atoms of science) and at this stage produce most effect upon the astral permanent atom. The physical permanent atom has a position relatively close to the positive center, and the force plays through it, and passes on to the astral permanent atom in the form of five rays of parti-colored light which blend with the intensely vivid hue of the astral permanent atom, and increase its intensity until the blaze is so excessive that it appears to the onlooker as if the two points blended, or the two electrons merged, and (in merging) produce such an intensity of light that they are seen as dissolving. The mental unit, having a position within the causal body analogous to the planet furthermost from the sun, becomes vibrant likewise, and the two other points (considered now as one) begin to interact with the mental unit, and a similar process is set up and is pursued until these two points – circulating around their positive center – also approach each other, blend, merge, and dissolve. The center of positive life gathers or synthesizes the three points, and thus the three fires of the personality repeat on their tiny scale the microcosmic procedure as seen in the synthesis of electric fire, solar fire, and fire by friction, and only a blazing unit is left. This blazing unit, through the combined heat of its being, burns up the causal body, and escapes back on to the planes of abstraction. Thus man is the Path itself, and also the pilgrim upon the Path; thus does he burn, but is also the burning-ground.

The analogy holds true in the case of the microcosm viewed from monadic levels in his manifestation as Monad, Ego and Personality, and thus the process is carried on as it concerns a Heavenly Man, and likewise a solar Logos. Should the brain suffice to hold the concept, thus [515] is the process also on cosmic levels for such high existences as the seven Rishis of the Great Bear, and that still greater Being, the ONE ABOUT WHOM NOUGHT MAY BE SAID.

We will take up now the subject of the spirillae within the permanent atom, and see in what manner they are affected by the egoic ray, remembering always that we are considering them as:

First. The interior economy of the life germ on the three planes which concern man in the three worlds; second, as the seventh principle in each of the three sheaths; and third, as the positive nucleus of force which holds together the matter of the three sheaths.

Let us therefore study two things:

• The composition of the permanent atom.
• The difference between the mental unit and the astral and physical permanent atoms.

To do this with clarity, and so bring some kind of definite concept into being from the dark regions of abstraction, let us tabulate:

The permanent atom of the astral and physical planes is a sphere of physical or astral substance, composed of atomic matter, and characterized by the following qualities:

• Responsiveness.   This is its inherent power to respond to the vibration of some one of the Heavenly Men, as it is transmitted via the deva, or Brahma aspect, of His threefold nature. The permanent atom finds its place within the sphere of influence of one or other of the great devas who are the Raja-Lords of a plane.
• Form Building Power.   These devas sound forth two syllables of the threefold microcosmic word and are each (on their own plane) the coherent agency which gathers [516] substance into form, and attracts matter for purposes of objectivity. The astral sound produces the microcosmic 'Son of Necessity,' and when it reverberates on the physical plane produces physical incarnation, and the sudden appearance on etheric levels of the seven centers. The building of the dense physical is the result of consequent automatic action in deva essence, for it must ever be borne in mind that man is essentially (as regards the physical plane) an etheric being, and his dense physical body is esoterically regarded as 'below the threshold' and is not considered a principle.
• Relative Permanency.   In the seventh principle of all manifesting entities is stored up and developed capacity, acquired ability, and the atomic memory, or in other words the heredity of the Thinker, viewing him from the physical standpoint or from the emotional. There is no permanence whatever in the sheaths; they are built into temporary forms, and dissolved when the Thinker has exhausted their possibilities, but the seventh principle of each sheath gathers to itself the achieved qualities and stores them up – under the Law of Karma – to work out again and to demonstrate as the plane impulse at each fresh cycle of manifestation. This permanency is itself likewise only a relative one, and as the inner fire within the atom burns more brightly, as the external fires of the ego or solar fire beat upon it with ever increasing intensity, the atom in due time is consumed, and the inner blaze becomes so great that it destroys its encompassing wall.
• Heat.   Herein lies the distinction between the permanent atoms on all planes, and the atomic matter of which they form a part. It is not easy to make this distinction clear, nor is it desirable at this time; the true facts of the case are one of the guarded secrets of initiation, but the distinction between the permanent atom, and atomic matter, may be somewhat comprehended if we state: [517]
  • The permanent atom is one that has been appropriated by one of the lives that form the centers in the body of a solar Lord, whilst atomic matter per se goes to the formation of other parts of His great body of light.
  • A permanent atom is one which has come under the attractive power of the second aspect, whilst atomic matter itself is vitalized by the life of the third aspect.
  • A permanent atom follows the line of the least resistance of force, and is passing out of the control of the Deva Lord and coming under the control of positive life. This concerns the evolution of consciousness in substance.
  • A permanent atom comes under the direct control of the lower of the three groups of Lipika Lords, and is the agency through which They work in the imposition of karma upon the particular entity who may be utilizing it. They work directly with the permanent atoms of men, and produce results through the agency of form until they have exhausted the vibratory capacity of any particular atom; when this is the case the atom passes into the stage of obscuration, as does the seventh principle of any sheath. It comes under the influence of the first aspect, manifesting as the Destroyer.
  Remember that in these affirmations we are concerning ourselves with the microcosm, and with the permanent atoms which are related to him; as regards the solar Logos manifesting in the system, we are concerned with but one permanent atom, and this is His physical permanent atom. It is thus true that within the permanent physical atom of the solar Logos lies hid the ability to respond consciously to the vibration of all the planes, lies hid the secret of the karmic purpose of His incarnation, [518] and lies concealed the mystery of His functional activity; but we cannot penetrate the secret as yet of His three lower permanent atoms as they function as a unity within His causal vehicle. Until we can do this it is useless for us to conjecture as to His fundamental Being.
• The difference between them:   The mental unit is in a unique and peculiar position as regards man, the Thinker in the causal body. This point will be discussed shortly, suffice it to say here that its mystery lies hid in the nature of the Heavenly Men Themselves. The following correspondence holds the key to this mystery, but it can only be indicated, leaving it to the student to work out the truth for himself. On the three planes of logoic manifestation – the highest three – we have the three aspects manifesting; on the buddhic plane, the fourth cosmic ether, we have the logoic etheric centers demonstrating, or those force vortices which animate the three lower planes of the dense physical manifestation. In connection with the Heavenly Men we have a secondary manifestation, and on the buddhic plane we have Their third aspect found, leaving for Their paramount manifestation of force, the cosmic gaseous plane, or the manasic plane; They are essentially the divine Thinkers, the Manasaputras. In connection, therefore, with the Microcosm, viewing him as part of a center in the body of a Heavenly Man, we have a lesser descent within the gaseous or fire manifestation of a solar Lord. This concerns the three higher subplanes of what might be considered as the manifestation of Man's three higher aspects in mental matter, whilst on the fourth subplane we have the mental centers of man within the periphery of his mental body, of which the mental unit is the unifying factor. This is – as has been earlier said – a deep mystery, and one that can be no further amplified.

It seems desirable [519] that we should here discuss the analogies on each plane,¹⁶⁹ with the seven subplanes, reminding the student that we are speaking of the planes as the field of evolution of a solar Logos, and not only as a field for the development of man. In the solar system we have:

First, the three higher planes, which have been rightly called the planes of the three aspects; second, the seventh logoic principle is on the first plane, and we can consider it as the impulse in physical matter which produced His body of objectivity.

On the second plane are found the seven Heavenly Men, Who are His principal centers of force. There are others, but we are not here concerned with Them. These latter have achieved a certain specific goal, and are the [520] embodiment of centers which are now quiescent or out of manifestation, the logoic kundalini having turned its attention elsewhere. Under another enumeration they make the ten of the esoteric life, and can also be enumerated as twelve, thus forming the twelve-petalled Lotus, or the heart center in the Body of the ONE ABOUT WHOM NOUGHT MAY BE SAID.

On the fourth cosmic ether the buddhic plane, are found the etheric centers of the Logos. There are to be found the esoteric planets and the Sun, viewed as the center of the buddhic principles, and from thence the Logos animates His dense physical manifestation.

Finally, on the three lower planes we have His gaseous, liquid, and dense bodies or sheaths, forming in themselves a unity in one peculiar sense; they are as much a coherent whole as the three higher planes form a unified triple expression of the three persons of the Trinity.

We have a similar analogy in the subplanes of each plane in the system, and this will become ever more apparent as man achieves a greater clarity of vision, and can consciously ascertain for himself the truth about the subjective life. Let us briefly take these planes and study the life or force manifestation on each, laying the emphasis upon the lower four, and not so much upon the planes which do not concern man so closely.

The Logoic Plane. The first, the second, and the third subplanes of the first cosmic ether respond specifically to the vibration of one of the three aspects, or to those cosmic Entities Whose influence reaches the matter of the planes from without the system altogether. On the fourth subplane comes a primary blending of the three fiery Lives, producing archetypally that force manifestation of electricity which eventually causes the blazing forth of the Sons of Light on the next plane. In this electrical connotation we have the three higher planes ever embodying the threefold Spirit aspect, the lower [521] three embodying the threefold substance aspect, and then a plane of at-one-ment whereon an approximation is made which, on the path of return, marks the moment of achievement, and the point of triumph. This is succeeded by obscuration. Hence on every plane in the solar system we have a fourth plane whereon the struggle for perfect illumination, and subsequent liberation takes place, the battle ground, the Kurukshetra. Though for man the fourth plane, the buddhic, is the place of triumph, and the goal of his endeavor, for the Heavenly Man it is the battleground, while for the solar Logos it is the burning-ground.

This differentiation of the subplanes of the systemic planes into a higher three, a lower three, and a central plane of harmony is only so from the standpoint of electrical phenomena, and not from the standpoint of either pure Spirit, or pure substance, viewed apart from each other. It concerns the mystery of electricity, and the production of light. The three higher planes concern the central Forces or Lives, the three lower concern the lesser Forces or Lives. We must bear this carefully in mind, remembering that to the occultist there is no such thing as substance, but only Force in varying degrees, only Energy of differentiated quality, only Lives emanating from different sources, each distinctive and apart, and only Consciousness producing intelligent effect through the medium of space.

I would point out that the Lord Agni shows forth His fiery life on the atomic subplane of each plane; He shows forth as solar fire on the second, third and fourth, and as 'fire by friction' on the fifth, sixth and seventh. From the point of view of the microcosm, the Spark in the Flame, man demonstrates as electric fire on the second plane, or the second cosmic ether; as solar fire on the third, fourth and the three higher subplanes of the fifth [522] plane, and as fire by friction on the lower subplanes of the fifth, on the sixth, and seventh planes.

On every plane we have, relatively speaking:

1. Electric fire demonstrating as the prime condition on the higher three.
2. Fire by friction as the most significant factor on the lower three.
3. Solar fire, showing forth as the blaze produced by union on the central plane.

In the solar system this is to be seen in connection with a Heavenly Man on the buddhic plane, where They blaze forth through Their etheric centers. In connection with man on the mental plane, we have a similar condition: the three higher subplanes concern the Spirit aspect in the causal body, the three lower subplanes concern primarily the mental sheath, or fire by friction; the fourth subplane is that on which the force centers of the mental body are to be found. So it is on the physical plane for man – his etheric centers being located in matter of the fourth ether.

Each of the three Persons of the Trinity manifests equally as does a man, as Spirit, Soul or Ego, and Substance. In connection with Brahma, we have the Spirit aspect animating the three higher subplanes of every plane, or the first fire aspect. His soul aspect is found on the fourth subplane of each plane whereon are situated the etheric centers of all manifested entities. His substance aspect is primarily contacted on the three lower subplanes. Hence we have the forty-nine fires of matter, or the seven fires of each plane, the union of the higher three and the lower three producing that blaze which we call the wheels of fire or the centers on the fourth subplane of each plane.

In connection with the second aspect there is a similar [523] condition. Solar fire blazes forth in its electrical aspect on the second plane, and demonstrates thus also on the third and fourth planes, but finds its central demonstration on manasic levels, shining through the causal vehicles of the egoic groups. Only two and a half planes then remain through which the fire by friction aspect may manifest, eighteen subplanes in all which concern the third aspect of the second Person of the logoic Trinity.

For man, the microcosm, a similar differentiation is possible; His Monad can be studied in its threefold essence on its own plane, his egoic aspect likewise, and the Brahma aspect of the Ego is found within the permanent atoms. Students should therefore study with care:

1. The Planes.   The manifestation of Brahma, the third or substance aspect, and should apply to this Entity the same triple constitution as is apparent in the other two. The planes of electric fire, the planes of his lower nature, and the point of blazing forth or conflagration for him (the etheric centers) must be carefully studied. Brahma is the positive life of matter; He is the revelation of substance and the blaze that can be seen.
2. Vibration.   The manifestation of the second aspect. These vibrations of consciousness are the major three words which are the sumtotal of egoic life, the minor three which govern the third aspect of the Ego, and the chord of at-one-ment which is that which is sounding forth now.

The three aspects of Spirit as they are seen can only be expressed in terms of the other two in this solar system, and of their nature extra-systemically naught can profitably be said at this stage of cognition.

The above thoughts upon the planes, and the ninefold nature of all that is, take one into regions as yet almost beyond the grasp of man; yet only when the substance [524] aspect is studied by the scientist in its triple nature will truth be approximated, and the true nature of electrical phenomena be comprehended; then and only then will electricity be harnessed and utilized by man as a unity, and not just in one of its aspects as at present; the negative electricity of the planet is all that is as yet contacted for commercial purposes. It must be remembered that this term is used in the sense of negative in relation to solar electricity. When man has found out how to contact and utilize positive solar electricity in combination with negative planetary electricity, we shall have a very dangerous condition brought about, and one of the factors which will eventually manifest in the destruction of the fifth root race by fire. At that great cataclysm – as the Bible says "the Heavens will melt with fervent heat." (Bible. II Peter, 3:10) This will be seen in a still greater degree in the next round, and will cause that destruction by fire of the forms of the men who have failed, which will liberate the lives on a stupendous scale, and thus temporarily 'purify' the Earth from elements which would tend to hinder the evolutionary process. As the cycles pass away, the balancing of these fiery currents will be gradually brought about, and will result in a planetary condition of harmony, and of esoteric equality, which will provide ideal environment for harmonious man.

Only when the soul aspect is studied by the psychologist in its threefold essential nature will the mystery of consciousness become apparent, and the nature of the three magnetic groups, in their various subdivisions with their consequent effectual radiation become a factor in the public life. This concerns itself with the definite development of the psyche under law, with the scientific expansion of the consciousness, and will eventually bring about conditions wherein the work, preliminary to the first initiation, will be purely exoteric, and no longer [525] part of an esoteric process. In due course of time, it will be found that the self-induced efforts whereby a man consciously prepares his centers for the application of the Rod of Initiation at the first Initiation, will be the subject of books, and of lectures, and form part of the ordinary thought of the masses. This again will eventuate in a cleavage between the two groups in the middle of the fifth round. It must be remembered that this cleavage will be part of a natural process, and not a drastic ruling, imposed upon an unwilling people. The KNOWERS and the students of the Knowledge – actuated by group consciousness, and working consciously – will separate themselves in group formation from those who know not, and from those who care not. This cleavage will be self-induced, and a natural outgrowth of the group life; it will in itself be of a temporary nature for the fundamental aim in view will be the bringing about of an eventual closer merging; it will mark primarily the line of demarcation between the lower four Rays of consciousness, and the higher three. It is also a mystery hid in the relationship between the four exoteric Kumaras (S. D., I, 116, 493; II, 112, 149.) and the esoteric three, and from the point of view of man separates those who are developing the consciousness of the Triad from those who as yet are living the life of the Quaternary. It concerns those who respond to the solar Lords, distinguishing them from those who recognize as yet only the control of the lunar Lords. In terms of Fire: those who warm themselves by means of fire by friction and respond not to the heat of solar fire remain within the cavern, thus living in the dark; whilst those whose being is irradiated by the Sun of Wisdom, and who bask in the rays of solar heat dwell in the light, and enjoy an ever increasing freedom, and vital existence.

The true significance of the three aspects of Spirit is only becoming apparent to the initiate of high degree, [526] and cannot be expressed in words, nor comprehended by man before he has passed out of the human kingdom into the spiritual. Therefore, it is needless for us to pause here to consider it at greater length.

We might sum up the matter in terms of the Old Commentary from which source H.P.B. quoted so often:

"The Blessed Ones hide Their threefold nature, but reveal Their triple essence by means of the three great groups of atoms. Three are the atoms, and threefold the radiation. The inner core of fire hides itself and is known only through radiation and that which radiates. Only after the blaze dies out and the heat is no longer felt can the fire be known. "

We can now resume our consideration of the mystery of the mental unit, and note wherein it differs from the other permanent atoms; we might then briefly summarize a mass of esoteric information anent the permanent atoms, which will suffice for many years to come as the basis of investigation for occult students. The permanent atoms, and their internal economy, will remain a mystery for a long time, and only a few general indications can here be given.

The fundamental difference between the mental unit and the other two atoms consists in the fact that it contains only four spirillae instead of seven. This is brought about by the very facts of evolution itself, for the mental unit is the first aspect of the personality triad, or of man functioning in the human kingdom on the three lower planes. At his transference into the spiritual kingdom, these three aspects – the mental body, the astral body, and the physical body – are synthesized into the higher by a dual process:

1. His polarization shifts from out of the lower three atoms into the Triadal atoms.
2. The force which these atoms generate and embody is merged and blended into the higher force points. [527]

A permanent atom is the positive nucleus or germ substance to the sheath wherein it is found. It is that which is the basis of form-building, and it is literally a vibrant point of force, emanating from the second aspect of the Monad, which aggregates to itself, and subsequently builds into form, the negative or third aspect. But it must here be remembered that this second aspect is itself dual, and that in considering the permanent atoms we are dealing with the feminine aspect of the second Person. The spirillae therefore are but streams of force, or second aspect vitality which circulates geometrically within the circumscribing wall of substance, composed of third aspect force or substance. What has been said of objectivity, or of the cosmic atom can be equally well predicated of the permanent atom of man the microcosm:

"The primordial ray is the vehicle of the divine Ray." (S. D., I, 108.) Negative force forms a receptacle for positive force. Atoms are but force centers, and the centers as we know of them are but aggregates of force points which have reached a specific point in evolution, and are responding to the first great aspect in some degree, or to electric fire.

This sentence, is one to be seriously pondered, for it holds hid much information for the student, and when duly comprehended will result in the light of knowledge being shed upon the problems of manifestation. It concerns the secret of the position of the different kingdoms of nature within the logoic body, and their place and part, for all depends upon the type of force which animates, upon the interplay of that force in substance, upon the dual, triple, or united aspect of force, and upon its septenary demonstration in form-building.

Every atom is a focal point of force, the force of substance itself, the life or vitality of the third aspect, the [528] life of that cosmic Entity Who is to the Logos the negative aspect of electricity.

Every form¹⁷³ and aggregate of atoms, is simply a force center produced by the action of positive force and its interaction with negative energy. It is the vitality of the second aspect working in conjunction with the third, and producing – in time and space – that illusion or maya which temporarily blazes forth, and attracts attention, creating the impression that matter is a concrete something. There is no such thing as concretion in reality; [529] there is only force of different kinds, and the effect produced on consciousness by their interplay.

Back of all forms and of all substances (as yet but little contacted and realized) lies a third type of force, which utilizes these two other factors to produce eventual harmony, and which is itself on its own plane the sumtotal of the second. It can be called:

1. The one synthesizing Life.
2. Electric fire.
3. The point of equilibrium.
4. Unity or harmony.
5. Pure Spirit.
6. Dynamic Will.
7. Existence.

It is a Force, working through a dual manifestation of differentiated force, through the energy of matter, the coherency of forms, through force centers, and force points. It is FOHAT in triple demonstration, of which the final or third is as yet unknown and inconceivable.

This brings me to the consideration of the fact earlier stated that the mental unit possesses but four of the streams of force. Each of the streams of force in the permanent atoms vibrates to the note of a particular subplane, and serves as the medium for the vitalization of the matter of the subplane, which is built into any particular body around a permanent atom. It is the force of the Heavenly Man as it animates the cells of His form, and holds them as a coherent unity. Here it must be remembered that, from the point of view of the microcosm, the aspect of pure Spirit or of Electric Fire remains in this solar system as an abstraction. A man can attain group consciousness; he can vibrate to the note of the Heavenly Man in Whose body he is a cell; he can demonstrate in relative perfection fire by friction and solar fire, but it remains for a later mahamanvantara to reveal [530] the true nature of Spirit. Therefore in man, functioning in the human family, this fact is apparent and the correspondence to be seen. Until he passes out of the three worlds, and until he becomes a Master of the Wisdom, he has this truth concealed in these three aspects. The mental is not a septenary permanent atom, but only responds to four types of force, and not to the entire range of vibrations. Herein lies a reason for tolerance. Until a man is coming consciously under the control of the Ego and is beginning to sense the vibration of the manasic permanent atom, it is useless to expect him to respond to certain ideals, or to grasp certain aspects of truth. The mental unit suffices for his need, and no bridge exists between it and the manasic permanent atom.

Two and a half planes are concerned with the evolution of man, per se, in the fourth kingdom, and he only begins to transcend them as he nears the Path and treads it. From the standpoint of average man in physical incarnation, the egoic consciousness, within the causal periphery, is as abstract as is the Logos viewed as the Dweller within the system. These two and a half planes are of peculiar interest to the Logos, as they embody:

• That which, for Him, lies below the threshold of consciousness.
• Those centers from which logoic kundalini is turning.
• That which is not considered a principle.
• That which is gradually passing into obscuration.

It is impossible to enlarge further upon this mystery.

Before proceeding further, however, it might be well to sum up some of the facts anent the spirillae and the atom, and then we can take up the subject of the causal body and man, the individual. [531]

1. The four lower spirillae are definitely under the influence of the personality Ray.
2. The fifth and sixth spirillae are more specifically under the egoic Ray, whatever that Ray may be.
3. The fifth spirilla has a peculiar value inasmuch as it synthesizes the lower four. It is the third when counting the streams of spiral force from the standpoint of the atomic pole. It vibrates to five types of force.
4. The spirillae are literally ten in number, three major and seven minor. But from the unity point of view, they are the four and the major three, the remaining lesser three being counted as one with their major, inasmuch as they are direct reflections.
5. The permanent atoms are not heart-shaped as portrayed in certain books. A certain number of atoms are of that type but they are not the permanent atoms which are more definitely spheroidal and are slightly flattened at the top, where the correspondence to the polar depression may be found, and equally flattened at the under surface.
6. The arrangement of the spirillae within the permanent atoms varies on each plane and the ones most frequently described are those of the physical plane. The arrangement of these tiny force vortices and their internal economy on each plane is one of the secrets of initiation and may not be revealed. One hint only may be given to guide the student: The astral permanent atom has its internal streams of force arranged so that the spirals do approach quite closely the conformation of a heart, though the pointed end is eliminated. The buddhic permanent atom has its spirillae arranged so as to form approximately a figure eight with a central stream bisecting the double spiral.
7. The closer the approach to reality the simpler will be found the arrangement of the spirillae. These streams of force show a septenary arrangement in the [532] lower three permanent atoms of man, while the higher three contain but three spirillae – the major three.
8. It should be noted that there are but six permanent atoms connected with human evolution, while a Heavenly Man has but five, and even then only one in the solar system. (The mystery of a planet and its central life has not yet been revealed. It is connected with another manifestation of which as yet naught is known.)
9. It should be remembered that we are dealing with a physical incarnation of these great Entities and that Their permanent atoms, with the exception of the physical, are extra-systemic.
10. The causal body of the Heavenly Men is upon the third subplane of the cosmic mental plane, while that of the solar Logos and those of the three Persons of the logoic Trinity are upon the first subplane.
11. The permanent atoms of men are upon the atomic subplane of each plane, with the one exception of the mental unit. Those of the animal groups are upon the second subplane; those of the vegetable groups are upon the third subplane; those of the mineral groups are upon the fourth subplane. There is, therefore, a close analogy between these focal points of force of the group – human or otherwise – and a chain, a globe, and a round, and in their due application comes enlightenment. The sumtotal of the permanent atoms of any particular kingdom form the streams of force or spirillae in the greater atoms of solar entities or of lunar entities, while the sumtotal of the permanent atoms of man in the spiritual kingdom (the three triadal atoms, atma-buddhi-manas) form the spiral streams of force within certain centers.
12. As the permanent atoms become radioactive in due course of evolution, the result within the center is a marked increase of vibration.
13. The permanent atoms concern solar entities when they are found on or above the higher mental. They [533] concern lunar entities on the lower mental, the astral and the physical planes.
14. It should be noted that in this solar system the following entities manifest through:
    1. One permanent atom – the physical.
       1. A solar Logos.
       2. The three major Rays, or Lords of Aspect.
       3. The seven Heavenly Men.
       4. The forty-nine Regents of the planetary chains.
    2. Two permanent atoms – the physical and the astral.
       1. The seven Lords of the globes in every chain.
       2. The forty-nine Root Manus.
       3. The seventy-seven Embodiers of form – a group of solar Lords Who are concerned with form building, working primarily on the first ray.
       4. Certain of the Avatars, Who are selected by the Logos to carry a certain type of force at stated intervals and thus further the evolution of the psyche.
    3. Three permanent atoms – physical, astral, and mental.
       1. The Lords of the third Kingdom, the animal. They are seven Entities whose bodies are made up of animal souls just as the Heavenly Men embody for man the Buddhic principle, so these lords embody for the animal kingdom the manasic principle, which is the goal of the evolutionary process for them.
       2. Certain great entities who embody a whole range of existences upon five of the planets, of which the earth is not one, but who in due course of time will come to be recognized as having a powerful effect upon man on the earth, via the three Buddhas of Activity. A hint as to this esoteric influence comes to man in the close connection existing between the Earth and Mercury. As yet it is not possible to enlarge further.
       3. The entities who are the sumtotal of those group souls who contain definite permanent triads. Nine triads constitute the body of one of these entities.
    4. Through four permanent atoms – physical, astral, mental and buddhic.
       1. Eight groups of solar Entities Who form the subjective life of the seven centers in the body of Brahma, viewing Him as a separate cosmic Entity, [534] dissociated from His two brothers. They are the seven Sons of Fohat, with the eighth Son included, and They are the final differentiation of the forty-nine fires, prior to Their union with the fire of Eros. Thus is it expressed by H. P. B. (S. D., I, 139, 144.)
       2. That Entity Who works through the FORM of a planetary occult Hierarchy, using it as His body of manifestation, and regarding it as the center through which His force can flow. It should by remembered that all such groups on every planet form a vehicle for the life of a great Individual Who gives to that Hierarchy its distinctive coloring and its unique keynote.
       3. A number of solar Deities Who are the radiators of solar magnetism, and the life of form.
       4. A peculiar group of Beings connected with a certain constellation and the lesser Dragon, who have their habitat on Neptune and work with the sixth principle in the solar system. They take physical form, animated by purified desire, controlled by mind, and are the dispensers of love-wisdom by means of certain of the "Halls of Wisdom" on the various planets. The words "Halls of Wisdom" in their esoteric significance describe a stage of consciousness not a location.
    5. Through five permanent atoms – physical, astral, mental, buddhic and atmic.
       1. The Lords of certain subplanes who work under the Raja-Lord of a plane and who are themselves vibration and activity.
       2. The lesser Heavenly Men on the buddhic level, Who reflect Their higher prototypes on the second plane of the system.
       3. The entities who are the sumtotal of group consciousness on egoic levels, remembering that these groups are differentiated and are formed of aggregates of seven, until there are formed forty-nine groups of seven egoic vehicles forming one group which is the body of this lesser solar Deity. There is a multiplicity of these groups of forty-nine. This has been somewhat stated before when it has been [535] announced that a Master with His particular band of disciples and initiates form a group or force center. These groups have their permanent atoms as do all lives seeking objective expression.
       4. The entities who are the sumtotal of the vegetable kingdom in its diversity of manifestation in different globes, chains and schemes.
    6. Through six permanent atoms – physical, astral, two mental, buddhic and atmic. – MAN.

All that is here stated is an enlargement of the data given about the "Army of the Voice," (S. D, I, 121.) and an endeavor to show that many diverse lives (all embodying lesser lives, or embodied in greater ones themselves) are to be found within the various schemes. We have dealt only with those likewise which are superhuman or human, with those who have been or are MEN. We have not dealt with the subhuman, or with the lunar lords or lesser pitris, for their day is not yet, and they progress as the tide of evolution progresses, unconsciously and not self-consciously, We have dealt with these entities and their permanent atoms in connection with their manifestation in a solar system, and have not carried it beyond the solar ring-pass-not. All the permanent atoms concern physical matter and manifestation. The highest permanent atom of man, the atmic, is, after all, an atom of the third cosmic ether, and this should be pondered upon and studied. We have considered these various personalities (and the word 'personality' is chosen deliberately, for what are They but personalities, or Beings, in physical incarnation?) from the standpoint of Their lowest force point first. We have discussed the permanent atom as a point of contact with the force of a plane, of a planet, of a chain, of a scheme, or of a system. This should ever be borne in mind.

It is to be recognized that much that is written above [536] may seem incomprehensible, but when scientists come to understand and regulate force, that which is written here will become plainer; it will be seen that we have dealt with the positive force in all negative forms above, and including the human kingdom.

We must now deal with the subject of the causal body on its own plane from the point of view of FIRE. We have studied it briefly from the more ordinary angle, and in materialistic terms, considering it as a vehicle of rarefied substance, containing within itself the seventh principle of each of the two lower sheaths of the microcosm, and the mental unit. This latter is that which embodies the first aspect in manifestation, and which is analogous to the first logoic aspect – one that in this solar system does not come to full demonstration.

I would like to point out here that in studying the solar system as the physical manifestation of a solar Logos, we are investigating:

1. The physical permanent atom of a solar Logos as contained within the logoic causal body on its own plane.
2. The seven types of force, or the seven logoic spirillae within that permanent atom. This, if realized, [537] gives a new outlook upon the subject of plane vibration.
3. The close correspondence between the planes and the seven spirillae in the permanent atom of a solar Logos.

We have touched upon these spirillae and their function very briefly, and can now approach the question of the egoic Ray and the fire of mind from the subjective point of view, or in terms of fire.

1. Centers of Force

   We shall again reach the clarity of vision desirable if we study the subject of monadic development from the angle of vision of the human unit. It has been taught in many occult text books that man has seven centers of force (or ten, according to some calculations); that three of these centers are paramount, and eventually synthesize the other four, or absorb their force or energy. This produces their eventual obscuration, or their passing out of manifestation; they occultly 'die.' This is paralleled in the logoic centers, the planetary schemes, which also in due course of time pass into obscuration, and transmit their energy to the major three schemes. The three main centers in the Microcosm are the Head, the Heart and the Throat.

   1. The Head center – The Monad – Will – Spirit.
   2. The Heart center – The Ego – Love – Consciousness.
   3. The Throat center – The Personality – Activity – Matter.
   It will, therefore, be apparent that just as in man these centers are related to the threefold spiritual man in his total development, so the three types of centers – microcosmic or macrocosmic – come gradually more and more under the vitalizing power of one of the three aspects of the Logos. These centers are recognized also as focal points of active force, manifesting to the vision [538] of the clairvoyant as fiery wheels or the flaming petals of a lotus.
2. The Causal Body – Monadic Heart Center

   In studying the egoic body it should be remembered that the causal body is the correspondence in the monadic manifestation to the heart center. It is a flaming wheel of fire within the monadic auric egg, which embraces the five planes of monadic manifestation; it is also seen as the twelve-petalled Lotus. Of these twelve petals, the innermost three are unrevealed, or are embryonic, and hence the causal body is frequently considered as a nine-petalled Lotus, or as a wheel of fire with only nine spokes or whorls. This is essentially true as regards the evolutionary process, but when a man has succeeded in awakening or unfolding the nine petals, or in arousing the fire of the nine spokes or whorls (which is practically consummated at the three major Initiations) the inner three are revealed. They respond to the monadic vibration, to the aspect of pure Spirit; it is the stimulation or revelation of these inner petals, by the One Initiator at the third and fourth Initiations which brings about the final conflagration and the blazing up of the causal body with the subsequent liberation of the central positive Life or Fire.

Solar Fire is dual. It is the fire of matter or substance and the fire of mind blended. This makes man the six-pointed Star of Light, for each of these fires is triple. The fire of mind is also in essence dual, bringing in another triplicity, thus making the nine. When a man has awakened the nine fires, and has unfolded the nine petals, and when he has received the stimulus which is imparted at initiation, through being brought into conscious contact with the electric spark of his own particular Heavenly Man, they all blend and merge. The [539] inner three which complete the twelve, and which are concerned with the final, and essentially spiritual stages, of his evolution, are really related more intimately to the evolution of the Heavenly Man, and are connected with the stimulus which He receives Himself in contacting the logoic electric spark, or the pure Spirit aspect of the Logos.

It should here be noted that this ninefold development is hinted at in the Secret Doctrine in the various places where H. P. B. deals with the Kumaras (S. D., II, 257.) or the Heavenly Men, of Whom the microcosm is a reflection. She calls Them the Lords of Knowledge, the Lords of Love and the Lords of Sacrifice. Each of Them is a nine-petalled Lotus in the logoic body. They are the flaming Wheels, and in Their various names, as found in the Secret Doctrine, may be discovered the clue to the mystery. Let us realize this clearly, nevertheless, as regards the microcosm, and later extend the idea to the Heavenly Men. Let us picture the nine-petalled egoic lotus, the heart center in the monadic consciousness, unfolding each of its petals in groups of three upon the three subplanes of the higher mental. Their unfoldment is worked out through the evolutionary process, undergone on the three planes in the three worlds, or within the three Halls of Ignorance, of Learning, and of Wisdom.

1. First Group of Petals – Knowledge Petals:
   1. The Petal of Knowledge for the physical plane. Through the breaking of the Law and the ensuing suffering the price of ignorance is paid and knowledge is achieved. This unfoldment is brought about through physical plane experience.
   2. The Petal of Love for the physical plane. Unfolds through physical relationships, and the gradual growth of love from love of self to love of others. [540]
   3. The Petal of Sacrifice for the physical plane. This unfoldment is brought about through the driving force of circumstances, and not of free will. It is the offering up of the physical body upon the altar of desire – low desire to begin with, but aspiration towards the end, though still desire. As man in the early stages of his evolution is polarized on the physical, much of this is undergone unconsciously and without any realization of what is being consummated, but the result in the causal body is seen in a twofold increase of heat or of activity:
      • The physical permanent atom becomes radioactive or a radiant point of fire.
      • The lower three petals become vibrant and begin to unfold until fully developed.
2. Second Group of Petals – Love Petals:
   1. The Petal of Knowledge, for the astral plane; unfoldment is brought about by the conscious balancing of the pairs of opposites, and the gradual utilization of the Law of Attraction and Repulsion. The man passes out of the Hall of Ignorance where, from the egoic point of view, he works blindly and begins to appreciate the effects of his physical plane life; by a realization of his essential duality he begins to comprehend causes.
   2. The Petal of Love for the astral plane; unfoldment is brought about through the process of gradually transmuting the love of the subjective nature or of the Self within. This has a dual effect and works through on to the physical plane in many lives of turmoil, of endeavor and of failure as a man strives to turn his attention to the love of the Real.
   3. The Petal of Sacrifice for the astral plane; unfoldment is brought about by the attitude of man as he [541] consciously endeavors to give up his own desires for the sake of his group. His motive is still somewhat a blind one, and still colored by the desire for a return of that which he gives and for love from those he seeks to serve, but it is of a much higher order than the blind sacrifice to which a man is driven by circumstances as is the case in the earlier unfoldment. As this threefold enlightenment or unfoldment proceeds, again a dual result is seen:
      • The astral permanent atom comes into full activity and radiance, as regards five of its spirillae, and the two atoms of the physical and the astral planes are equally vibrant.
      • The three petals of the central ring of the egoic lotus come also into full unfoldment, and the heart center of the Monad is seen as a wheel of fire with six of its spokes in full display of energy and rapidly rotating.
3. Third Group of Petals – Sacrifice Petals:
   1. The Petal of Knowledge for the mental plane; its unfoldment marks the period wherein the man consciously utilizes all that he has gained or is gaining under the law for the definite benefit of humanity.
      Each of the groups of petals is distinguished by a predominant coloring; Knowledge, on the physical plane, with the coloring of the other two subsidiary; Love, on the astral plane, with the light of sacrifice weaker in tone than the other two, which practically show forth in equal brilliancy. On the mental plane, the light of sacrifice comes to its full display, and all that is seen is colored by that light.
   2. The Petal of Love on the mental plane is unfolded [542] through the conscious steady application of all the powers of the soul to the service of humanity with no thought of return nor any desire for reward for the immense sacrifice involved.
   3. The Petal of Sacrifice for the mental plane: demonstrates as the predominant bias of the soul as seen in a series of many lives spent by the initiate prior to his final emancipation. He becomes in his sphere the "Great Sacrifice."
      This stage can be seen objectively to the eye of the clairvoyant as dual in effect:
      • The mental unit becomes a radiant point of light; its four spirillae transmit force with intense rapidity.
      • The three higher petals unfold, and the nine-petalled lotus is seen perfected.
      The causal body is then (expressed in terms of fire) a blazing center of heat, radiating to its group warmth and vitality. Within the periphery of the egoic wheel can be seen the nine spokes rotating with intense rapidity and – after the third Initiation – becoming fourth dimensional, or the wheels "turn upon" themselves. (Bible. Ezekiel, 1:15:21.) In the midst forming a certain geometrical triangle (differing according to the ray of the Monad) can be seen three points of fire, or the permanent atoms and the mental unit, in all their glory; at the center can be seen a central blaze of glory growing in intensity as the three inner petals respond to the stimulation. When the fire of matter, or "fire by friction," becomes sufficiently intense; when the fire of mind, or solar fire (which vitalizes the nine petals) becomes equally fierce, and when the electric spark at the innermost center blazes out and can be seen, the [543] entire causal body becomes radioactive. Then the fires of substance (the vitality of the permanent atoms) escape from the atomic spheres, and add their quota to the great sphere in which they are contained; the fire of mind blends with its emanating source, and the central life escapes. This is the great liberation. The man, in terms of human endeavor, has achieved his goal. He has passed through the three Halls and in each has transferred that which he gained therein to the content of his consciousness; he has in ordered sequence developed and opened the petals of the lotus – first opening the lower three, which involves a process covering a vast period of time. Then the second series of petals are opened, during a period of time covering his participation intelligently in world affairs until he enters the spiritual kingdom at the first Initiation; and a final and briefer period wherein the three higher or inner ring of petals are developed and opened.

In closing what may be said on this subject of the egoic Ray and fire of mind, I would request the student to bear the following points in mind:

• First. That the order of the development of the petals and the stimulation of the fires depends upon the Ray of the Monad, and the subray upon which the causal body finds itself. This thought would bear expansion, and would prove a fruitful source of study to the occult investigator.
• Second. That this unfoldment proceeds slowly in the early stages, and only proceeds with rapidity as the man himself works at it with conscious effort.

  The Ego takes no active interest in the development until the second petal in the second series is beginning to open. Before that time, the work proceeds under the [544] law of its being and through the inherent life of the second Logos which is the life of the petals of the lotus. The life of the first Logos, working through the SELF (who dwells in a form built by the life or energy of the second Logos out of force-substance animated by the life of the third Logos) only responds to opportunity when the above mentioned stage is reached.

• Finally: The ceremony of initiation is only undergone when the causal body is in a condition to respond to the Will aspect of the Heavenly Man (the first aspect) and to do this through the glad cooperation of the fully conscious self.

More on this is not now possible, but enough has here been indicated to open up various lines of study. These, if followed, will lead the student to much of practical value and application.

Our next subject concerns itself with the elementals of the mental plane, with the thought forms they animate, and with the consideration of them as force centers, capable of producing results – constructive, if rightly directed; destructive, if left blindly to follow their own course. Before taking up this matter, however, I want to gather together some threads of thought in connection with the matter just dealt with. If we have carefully followed the data given about the egoic manifestation on its own plane, and the fires of the causal body, we shall have noted the close resemblance between that egoic body, viewed as a force center, and certain aspects of logoic manifestation.

The causal body has been seen as a wheel of fire, containing within its periphery three focal points of energy, the permanent atoms. They are analogous, as earlier pointed out, to the seventh principle of each of the three aspects – will or power, love-wisdom, and active intelligence. [545] Each of these focal points has its own internal economy, as seen in the spirillae, which are essentially streams of force, responding to stimulation and vibration, aroused within and without their limiting ring-pass-not. The internal life of the permanent atom, and that which animates and produces its activity, is the life of the third aspect; the force playing upon it and through it is the life of the second aspect. As evolution proceeds the intensity of the life forces from within and those which affect it from without, grows gradually stronger and stronger, and the light of the permanent atoms increases, the petals of the lotus unfold, and the spokes of the radiatory fire come into action. Bear in mind here, that the permanent atoms are concerned with the substance aspect of Existence or Becoming, while the petals of the lotus, or the fiery spokes of the wheel, deal specifically with the psychical aspect, or the development of consciousness; the central nucleus, or the three inner petals, embodies the aspect of pure Spirit.

All three lines of evolution are proceeding simultaneously, and have a reflex action the one upon the other; it is this which produces the consequent perfection of unfoldment. It is neither possible nor desirable to follow each line of this threefold evolution separately, nor to consider them as dissociated from each other. The interplay is too accurate, and the mutual stimulation too important to be neglected by the student of egoic evolution.

It is, as stated elsewhere, through the permanent atoms that the Ego comes en rapport with his objective world; he works upon and through his environment successfully or blindly just in so far as he can energize his permanent atoms, and bring the spirillae out of latency into potency. This only becomes possible as he unfolds the petals of the lotus. It must be remembered that the three lower petals when fully unfolded affect, through [546] their vitality, the three major spirillae in the physical permanent atom. As the second ring of petals gradually opens, the astral permanent atom undergoes a similar process, leading up to the full arousing of the spirillae within the mental unit.

Here I would point out that there is a slight difference in the case of the mental unit, for the four spirillae of the mental unit are aroused to full activity when the knowledge petal of the final three opens. The opening of the remaining two reveal the glowing threefold flower which lies at the center of egoic manifestation.

It would be wise to sound a note of warning here in connection with this question of egoic unfoldment. What has been said here has been but the formulation of the general plan of egoic unfoldment as interpreted in terms of consciousness or of fire. In studying the subject with due personal application, the student should bear in mind the following facts:

• First, that according to the Ray of the Monad, so will the petals unfold. For instance, if the Ray of the Monad is the second Ray, the knowledge petal will be the first to open, but the second petal of love will almost parallel its development, being for that particular type of Ego the line of easiest unfoldment; the knowledge petal will be for it the most difficult to open.
• Second, that the effects of one circle of petals opening will be felt within the next circle at an early stage and will cause a vibratory response, hence the greater rapidity of the later stages of unfoldment as compared with the first.
• Third, that there exist many cases of uneven or unequal unfoldment. Quite frequently people are found with perhaps two petals unfolded in the first circle and one still in latency, while a petal within the central or second ring may be in full development. This is the explanation frequently of the power in service along [547] certain lines displayed by some, coupled with a comparatively low stage of development or of consciousness (egoically speaking). This is due to varying causes, such as the karma of the Monad itself on its high plane and the strength of the monadic grip upon the ego; many lives given to a particular line of action, resulting in the setting up of a strong vibration – one so strong that it renders the development of response to subsidiary vibrations difficult of attainment; certain peculiar conditions hidden in the evolution of any particular Lord of a Ray, and the effect of that condition upon a particular group of cells; the group karma of a collection or congery of causal bodies, and their mutual interplay. Every egoic unit or monadic force center has a definite effect upon the group or community of Egos in which it may have a place, and as the interaction proceeds results are sometimes produced of a temporarily unexpected nature.

These points should be carefully borne in mind by the student of egoic evolution. This whole subject is of interest in that it is the next step ahead for the students of occult psychology. Much will be eventually ascertained which will throw new light upon the possibility ability of work upon the physical plane for man. The whole secret of success in any endeavor or enterprise is primarily based on two things:

• First, the ability of the Ego to work through the personality, using it simply as the medium of expression.
• Second, the karma of the egoic group as it becomes more apparent on the physical plane. Hitherto, much has been said and taught about individual karma. Group karma in the future will slowly assume its rightful place in the thought of students, and this will lead to more intelligent cooperation, to a more sympathetic understanding of group responsibilities, and to a more adequate solution of group problems. [548]

The study of occult psychology involves a true conception of the nature of the Ego, or the arousing of the Ego to full activity in manifestation; it will necessitate the sound formulation of the laws of egoic unfoldment, of the methods whereby, petal by petal, the lotus may be brought to perfection, and of the triple nature of its evolution; it will bring about an eventual apprehension of the true meaning of force, and of energy in its dual aspect – internal vibration and external radiation; it will produce the centering of the attention of all advanced students upon the centers – in this case not the physical centers on etheric levels but upon the psychical centers, such as the Ego in the causal body and egoic groups. This will produce later a better comprehension of the effect of one consciousness upon another consciousness on the physical plane, and this knowledge will be scientifically utilized to produce specific results in group evolution, and thus some of the world problems will find solution. Finally, the laws of fire will be studied, the nature of heat, of radiation and of flame will be occultly investigated, and the action of one fire upon another fire, the result of radiation from one conscious sphere to another will be realized; the method of arousing consciousness on the different planes by action upon the fires of the causal body and their stimulation will be gradually revealed.

The whole question is slowly, very slowly, coming to the fore in human thought (even though this is little realized) through the study of vocational education, business efficiency, and the place of the human unit in any trade or enterprise. Men are being spoken of and considered in terms of potential force factors, and this is a step in the right direction.

Approaching the same question from the personality standpoint and not the egoic, the time is fast approaching when the emphasis will be laid in education upon [549] how best the young can be taught to contact their own ego or higher energy; how best they can be led to appropriate the knowledge and ability of their higher self for use on the physical plane; how best they can ascertain their group formation, and thus work along with their group, and in unison with the total energy of that group; how best their threefold lower self – physical, astral, and mental – can be brought into direct alignment with their higher center of force, and thus draw down a continuous supply of energy for the strengthening of their three vehicles, and their wise manipulation; how best the various spirillae can be awakened and the energy within their own cells released for action. All this will be a thing of gradual evolution, but I have here outlined the trend of the future study, as in the formulation of possibility lies its eventual realization. Such a process must necessarily be slow. The powers of the ego are stupendous and if released now through the agency of an unready personality would lead to dire disaster. But the time will come, and in the meantime a due apprehension of inherent capacity will profit all who have the intuition to recognize the goal. [550]